Every now and then, we run into a film that is pretty damn weird, but may not be strange enough to be among the 366 weirdest movies of all time. Then again, it may be. Sometimes, after reflection, we find that images from certain movies return to haunt our memory weeks or months after we dismissed them. Sometimes, weeks later we can’t figure out what we were thinking when we left a picture off the list.
It became clear with our most recent review (Stay, 2005) that there is a need to make an official new category for movies that could make the list eventually, but we weren’t sure about just yet. The new borderline weird category is a holding pen for movies that impressed us, but weren’t strong enough to immediately seize their place on the list of 366. These are movies that may well get their chance to make the list in the future, after they’ve fermented in our minds for a while.
The initial movies comprising this category are:
Adaptation (2002): Great movie, but we initially thought it was too much of an academic exercise to count as weird.
Elevator Movie (2004): This low-budget, minimalist story of two people trapped in an mysterious elevator for months on end is the prime example of the “What were we thinking when we left this off the list?” reaction.
Girl Slaves of Morgana le Fay [Morgane et Ses Nymphes] (1971): Probably the weirdest softcore lesbian sex film ever made, but its too languid in creating its trancelike atmosphere, and the sex scenes overwhelm the weird scenes.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003): Definitely weird, but annoyingly weird. Possible choice to fill in slots 365 or 366 if every other candidate fails.
Kung Fu Arts [Hou Fu Ma] (1980): This monkey kung-fu fantasy is indeed weird, but we left it off on the theory that if we allowed one Shaw Brothers chopsocky film on the list, we’d have to let them all on, and there wouldn’t be room for anything else.
Nowhere (1997): Weird, but also very bad and juvenile. Maybe we were in a very bad mood when we viewed it, or maybe viewing it put us in a very bad mood; nonetheless it has its fans and may deserve a reappraisal.
Stay (2005): Despite a weird atmosphere, we’re not yet convinced it distinguishes itself enough from other classic entries in the mindbender genre.
W the Movie (2008): Weird indeed, but as it’s based firmly on current events (the G.W. Bush presidency) that are now past, only time will tell if this partisan screed stands up through the ages.
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