A nice pair from Pink Eiga!

Los Angeles-based video company Pink Eiga released two new titles at the end of last month, and both are worth picking up. Both were also screened at this summer's New York Asian Film Festival, by coincidence.

First up is DEPARTURES director—and Academy Award winner—Yojiro Takita's GROPER TRAIN: SEARCH FOR THE BLACK PEARL, a goofy comedy featuring SHALL WE DANCE? co-star Naoto Takenaka and 90s GAMERA series stalwart Yukijiro Hotaru. The nominal plot involves a private eye on the hunt for a woman whose nether regions provide the key that will unlock the mystery behind a legendary relic from the end of World War II. It really just provides an excuse for wacky comedy, copious sex scenes and lots of shots of Hotaru digging around in womens' butts and crotches in a subway car. The trailer is here, but check your sanity at the door!

The other release is significantly more worthwhile, at least in terms of its value beyond the sex scenes. It's Daisuke Goto's BLIND LOVE, and if that name is familiar, it's because he's also the man behind the impossible-to-believe pink film A LONELY COW WEEPS AT DAWN, released by Pink Eiga in their first batch of titles earlier this year. The movie would honestly work as well without the sex scenes in it, which only serve to flesh (ahem) out the romantic story further, and make it all feel a bit more adult and realistic.

It's about a pair of ventriloquist comedians who fall in love with the same woman, who happens to be blind! There's a bit of identity swapping since the woman falls in love with the voice and personality of one of the pair, but the body of the other. Despite the far-fetched plot (like LONELY COW), the movie is a touching character drama that will linger long in the viewer's mind after the memory of the sex scenes goes away. It had a great reception at its NYAFF screening this year, and I'm proud to have been able to present it to our audience. Goto is an uncharacteristic pink filmmaker, and his talent shows through in the three films of his I've seen so far (MOURNING WIFE is the third, in case you're wondering). Check out the trailer here to see what I mean.

BLIND LOVE comes to DVD with a bunch of special features, some of them related to NYAFF. An audio commentary with Goto and cinematographer Masahide Iioka is on the disc, as well as new video interviews with them separately. Their introduction to the film and post-film Q&A from the festival is also included, as well as trailers, posters, and other goodies. I haven't had time to listen to the commentary yet, but the video interviews are really revealing and quite well-done; Goto isn't afraid to talk honestly about his abilities and what parts of the film he believes work the best.

Both of these DVDs are available online for about $20, at Amazon, Diabolik DVD, and other retailers. They're worth picking up, and definitely keep an eye open for Pink Eiga's mid-January release of the two other pink films we screened at NYAFF this year: Takita's GROPER TRAIN: WEDDING CAPRICCIO and the absolutely filthy JAPANESE WIFE NEXT DOOR!