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 on the official site links.
IN THEATERS (WIDE RELEASE):
The Man with the Iron Fists: This wuxia tribute movie with a generic “human weapon battles warring clans” plot is “presented by” Quentin Tarantino and co-written and directed by rapper RZA, who also appears as the blacksmith. The tagline is “it puts the f-u in kung fu,” so you can’t take it too seriously, but Scott Weinberg encouragingly called it a “joyously bizarre little action movie.” The Man with the Iron Fists official site.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
Jack and Diane: It’s a teen lesbian romance werewolf movie, and it’s an art film. Reviews have been terrible, but “teen lesbian werewolf romance art film” says “potentially weird” to us, and they did talk the Quay Brothers into providing the animation. Jack and Diane official site.
This Must Be the Place: Here’s a truly odd premise for a comedy: a retired goth-rock star hunts the Nazi who persecuted his father at Auschwitz. Starring Sean Penn, of all people, as the laconic, androgynous angel of vengeance. This Must Be the Place Facebook site.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
This Film Hates You (est. 2013): According to the filmmakers this hateful movie is “a bizarre, surreal feature film about love, hate, violence, death, sex, aristocrats, bums, skeleton keys, white blood, and bananas….” Looking at the concept trailer, I would add free jazz and nudity to that list. They’ve already met their extremely modest Kickstarter goal, so the project should be a go. This Film Hates You official site.
NEW ON DVD:
The Ballad Of Genesis And Lady Jaye (2011): Documentary on artist-musician Genesis P-Orridge (of Throbbing Gristle) and the series of plastic surgeries he and his lover, Lady Jaye, undertook with the goal of looking identical. A weird couple and a weird subject, for sure. Buy The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye
Rosemary’s Baby (1968): A young couple move into a New York City apartment and suspect that their neighbors may be dabbling in the occult. Not really a “weird” movie per se, but it has one great dream sequence and it’s part of Roman Polanski‘s unofficial “apartment trilogy” alongside the Certified Weird Repulsion (1965). Buy Rosemary’s Baby (Criterion Collection)
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
“Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection”: A limited edition Blu-ray collection of 15 of Hitchcock’s greatest. Weirdophiles may be disappointed to find Hitch’s most surreal attempt, the Freudian Spellbound, missing, but the subtle strangeness of Vertigo and The Birds alongside classics like North by Northwest and Psycho may help compensate. Buy “Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection” [Limited Edition Blu-ray]
Rosemary’s Baby (1968): See description in DVD above. Buy Rosemary’s Baby (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Zombie Strippers (2008): An experimental virus turns women of loose wardrobes into the titular creatures. It should go without saying that this spoof starring ex-porn star Jenna Jameson is intended for “mature” audiences. Watch Zombie Strippers 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.