Happy Weekend
This is the second of a two-part trailer post. You can find the first part here.
This week I wrote a review of the Third Window Films release of The Guard From Underground on blu-ray – it got a remaster and looks absolutely fantastic and comes with an excellent set of extras.
I also wrote about the Hawai’i International Film Festival which has a fantastic range of films.
In terms of films I have watched, it has mostly been King Hu related with some Hong Kong films and a JFF+ film thrown in. I also got the UK Blu-ray release of Junk Head but that is a gift for someone special.
Burning Paradise (1994)
Ten Days in Dragon City (1968)
Swordsman (1990)
Legend of the Mountains (1979)
Raining in the Mountains (1979)
The Valiant Ones (1975)
What are the other Japanese films released this weekend?
Before the Sunset 
二十歳に還りたい。 「Hatachi ni Kaeritai」
Release Date: September 29th, 2023
Duration: 119 mins.
Director: Hiroshi Akabane
Writer: Ryuho Okawa (Screenplay),
Starring: Hiroaki Tanaka, Masane Tsukayama, Rikako Miura, Mirai Irako, Syouzou Uesugi,
Looks like this is one of those Happy Science movies produced by religious expert Ryuho Okawa.
Synopsis: Ittoku Terasawa is 80 and in a nursing home. He spent his life building a company and earned the moniker, “the god of management.” This is cold comfort to the old man who is lonely and who only gains pleasure from his meetings with Akika Yamane, a student volunteer at the home who carries her own sadness in her heart. It is thanks to a prayer from Akika to God that Ittoku gets a wish and he decides to go back to being 20 years old again to help her overcome her pain. As he begins his “second life,” he does so with the determination to live a lifetime with no regrets this time around.
Manami 100% 
まなみ100% 「Manami 100%」
Release Date: September 29th, 2023
Duration: 119 mins.
Director: Yumeki Kawakita
Writer: Shinji Imaoka (Screenplay),
Starring: Yuzu Aoki, Shuri Nakamura, Marika Ito, Yuu Miyazaki, Himeka Araya, Hina Kikuchi,
Synopsis: A ten-year love story told from the perspective of selfish and eccentric main character “I” who falls for Manami-chan in high school but also navigates relationships with others also from his adolescence. Eventually, Manami gets married…
almost people 
オールモストピープル 「o-rumosuto pi-puru」
Release Date: September 30th, 2023
Duration: 140 mins.
Director: Satoko Yokohama, Gakuryu Ishii, Takuto Kato, Fumiyo Moriya
Writer: Kiyotaka Inagaki, Takuto Kato, Fumiyo Moriya (Screenplay),
Starring: Goichi Mine, Elisa Yanagi, Kai Inowaki, Mihaya Shirata, Shohei Uno, Kosuke Inahaya, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Mai Kiryuu,
Synopsis: The four siblings of the Kamio family each lack a part of their emotions. Hikaru, the eldest, does not feel “joy” and struggles to finish a screenplay he is writing. Hizuko, the eldest daughter, struggles with her lack of “anger” and joins a group of young men who aim for social revolution. Second son, Taiyo, does not know what “fun” is and so his relationship with his girlfriend is threatened when shes asks, “Do you really enjoy being with me?” – JUST SAY YES AND AGREE WITH HER!!! – Hanako, the second daughter, doesn’t feel “loneliness” and so she suddenly drops out of high school and starts working at an inn in a fishing port, which causes all sorts of problems for those around her.
Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka?
その恋、自販機で買えますか？ 「Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka?」
Release Date: October 01st, 2023
Duration: 119 mins.
Director: Kenji Tani
Writer: Kumi Tawada (Screenplay), Haruaki Yoshii (Original Manga)
Starring: Ryo Matsuda, Shogo Tazuru, Yurina Yanagi,
Synopsis: A boys’ love story where a shy salaryman named Ayumu falls for a confident and younger vending machine attendant named Ryoma Yamashita.