WEIRD HORIZON FOR THE WEEK OF 11/20/2015

Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs, and on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.

IN DEVELOPMENT (Pre-production):

Okja (est. 2017): After his bitter experience with studio interference on his apocalyptic train allegory Snowpiercer, Korean has signed a deal to produce a monster movie for Netflix with the assurance he will have full creative control. That could mean he’s free to go weird in this film about the relationship between a girl and a friendly giant monster. “I want to depict the two characters’ bizarre journey and adventure across the tough world in an original fashion,” says Bong. and are attached. Read more at Twitch.

NEW ON DVD:

Catch My Soul (1974): Have you ever heard rumors about a rock opera version of “Othello” set in the American Southwest, starring folkie Richie Havens and directed by “The Prisoner”‘s Patrick McGoohan? This film disappeared soon after opening to lousy reviews, and had long been considered lost; we’d categorize it as an oddity. Released in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. Buy Catch My Soul [Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack].

Deep Dark (2015): A suicidal sculptor discovers a talking hole in his wall with magical powers. One Amazon reviewer calls it “just weird.” We received notice via an anonymous email tip. Buy Deep Dark (or rent on demand).

Living in Oblivion (1995): An indie comedy about the making of an independent film, done in three segments reflecting various on-set disasters. This film is something of a cult item, and features a great performance by James LeGros as a narcissistic heartthrob and  ‘s debut as the dwarf typecast to play in the dream sequence. A DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. Buy Living In Oblivion [Bluray/DVD Combo].

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Catch My Soul (1974): See description in DVD above. Buy Catch My Soul [Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack].

The City of Lost Children (1995): Read the Certified Weird entry! Remastered and with new bonus features, this “20th Anniversary Edition” is a welcome upgrade for this classic dream-stealing fairy tale that was previously unavailable on Blu-ray in English. Buy The City of Lost Children [Blu-ray].

“The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki”: This set includes all eleven movies directed by legendary animator , including the two fantasies that we Certified Weird (Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away). Each disc includes the original subtitled versions along with Disney’s excellent dubs. Say what you will about the Mouse, but he has treated these international cinema treasures with tremendous respect. Buy “The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki” [Blu-ray].

Living in Oblivion (1995): See description in DVD above. Buy Living In Oblivion [Bluray/DVD Combo].

Lost, Lost, Lost (1976)/Walden (1969): Two experimental diary films from critic-turned-director Jonas Mekas. Walden is probably more popular for its glimpses of celebrities like Timothy Leary, and John Lennon than for its chaotic visuals (Mekas likes to jerk and spin the camera incoherently). Buy Lost Lost Lost/Walden [Blu-ray].

Trashology (2013): Three gag-inducing vignettes involving Ouija boards, fat fetishes, and revenge killings. Low-budget tribute to style filmmaking shot in beautiful Louisville, KY. Buy Trashology [Blu-ray].

Troll (1986)/Troll 2 (1990): Two bad movies on one disk! The original Troll was a strangish PG-13 B-movie fantasy set in an apartment building pitting an actual troll against a kid and a good witch. Troll 2, related to the first in name only, is a laugh riot of incompetence that contains no trolls, only man-eating vegetarian goblins (you heard me right). Buy Troll/Troll 2 [Blu-ray].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

In Dreams (1999): Annette Bening plays a housewife who sees visions of a serial killer in her dreams that turn out to be premonitions. Trippy sequences abound in this psychological sleeper (hee hee) from courtesy of the Paramount Vault dump. Watch In Dreams free on YouTube.

What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that I have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.

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