Upcoming Blu-ray Releases: Three Kitano Classics By Third Window Films

First, on the 11th of January we get Hana-bi.

Kitano's 1997 drama thriller tells the story of a policeman (Kitano himself) who is corrupt out of necessity, trying to provide the best he can to his dying wife and, out of loyalty, to colleagues of his who have become victims of circumstance. To settle matters once and for all he prepares a bank robbery.

Extras will include a new trailer, a 30 minute documentary from the film's original release, an interview with Kitano, and an audio commentary by film critic Mark Schilling.

Second, on the 22nd of February we get Kikujiro.

Kitano won several wards with this poignant (and often funny) drama from 1999, in which a young boy searches for his mother and gets "help" from the old scoundrel Kikujiro, played by Kitano himself.

There is one whopping big extra announced for this disc: the film Jam Session, directed by the award-winning Japanese director Shinozaki Makoto, which is a 90 minute documentary about the making of Kikujiro.

Last, on the 14th of March we get Dolls.

This anthology from 2002 tells several strange and poetic love stories, and it's often called the most loved and most hated of Kitano's films. It's actually the one I'm looking forward to the most, heh...

Extras will include interviews with Kitano, actress Kanno Miho, actor Nishijima Hidetoshi, and costume designer Yamamoto Johij. There will also be a behind-the-scenes documentary and a video from the film's premiere at the Venice Film Festival.