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 (LIMITED RELEASE):
Hamesima X (2010): A Mossad agent catches and interrogates a man who has infiltrated a top-secret facility; turns out, he’s an alien bringing Kabbalistic secrets (and fleeing psychic ninjas). We have very few reports on this mystical Israeli import that is playing New York City for one week, but you have to admit that plot description sounds a little weird. Hamesima X official site.
Mortem (2010): Hmm… from what we can make out of the synopsis, we gather Mortem is about a woman who refuses to die and instead holes up in a hotel room and makes out with her own soul? It’s hot girl-on-girl metaphysical action in this B&W French import that’s playing at Quad Cinema in Manhattan with Hamesima X (above) this week; director Eric Atlan will be in attendance for a Q&A session on April 26 & 27. Mortem official site.
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty (2012): An impressionistic, experimental, partially animated portrait of a young artist and his desire for a beautiful woman. Debuting this week in New York City with scattered showings across the country through early June. An Oversimplification of Her Beauty official site.
SCREENINGS – (Cinbefamily, Los Angeles, CA, 4/26-4/28):
Phase IV (1974): Ants set out to conquer the world in famed title designer Saul Bass’ only feature film. It’s a restored print, but the real attraction is Bass’ original 2001-inspired 8-minute psychedelic finale sequence, newly discovered in the Academy Film Archives vaults. Sorry we have to miss it but we hope the new footage will show up in a DVD release soon. Phase IV at Cinefamily.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Why Don’t You Play in Hell? (est. 9/13 – Japanese version): Shion Sono‘s latest is about… well, we don’t know what it’s about, because no one on staff reads Japanese. It’s got samurai fighting yakuza and literal rivers of blood and definitely looks weird, though, as you’ll see if you check out the teaser trailer on the official site. Why Don’t You Play in Hell? official site [Japanese].
NEW ON DVD:
D’Agostino (2012): The story of the romantic—or at least the master/pet—relationship between a London businessman and the naked male slave he discovers hiding in his dead grandmother’s Greek beach home. Critics weren’t too fond of it, but it does sound a little weird. Buy D’Agostino
Flirt (1995): A woman tries to tempt a man into marrying her before she accepts another proposal, and then the same scenario plays itself out among different people on three different continents in Hal Hartley’s experimental comedy. Hartley (The Unbelievable Truth) has his fans, but this one has never been released on DVD before. Buy Flirt
The Grapes of Death [Les Raisins de la Mort] (1978): Frenchmen turn into zombies after they drink wine made from grapes treated with pesticide. Having spent last year remastering and re-releasing Jean Rollin‘s surreal vampire movies, Redemption is finishing up his catalog with his less well-known (and generally less successful) horror efforts. Buy The Grapes of Death
It’s in the Blood (2012): Read our capsule review. Lance Henriksen stars in this psychological horror/drama set in the woods. Buy It’s in The Blood
K-11 (2012): A record producer wakes up after a night of partying and finds himself imprisoned in Los Angeles Prisons K-11 unit—that’s where they send the homosexuals and transgendered folk. Directed by Kristen Stewart’s mom Jules (a veteran Hollywood script supervisor), critics declared it guilty of sucking, although on the plus side the Hollywood Reporter called it “like a deranged John Waters remake of The Shawshank Redemption” (they put that quote on the cover). Buy K-11
Meanwhile (2011): Hal Hartley’s latest tells the story of a self-sacrificing Joe wandering around Manhattan, never seeming to get ahead because he’s always helping others out. It only runs an hour, never received theatrical distribution, and was funded via Kickstarter. Buy Meanwhile
Night of the Hunted [La Nuit des Traquées] (1980): In a departure for Jean Rollin, this strange horror movie contains no mythical monsters, but instead takes place in a mental asylum housed in a skyscraper. Like Grapes of Death, this one stars one of Rollin’s favorite actress, the former hard-porn star Brigitte Lahaie. This is obviously not to be confused with Charles Laughton’s Night of the Hunter! Buy Night of the Hunted
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Flirt (1995): See description in DVD above. Buy Flirt [Blu-ray]
The Grapes of Death [Les Raisins de la Mort] (1978): See description in DVD above. Buy The Grapes of Death [Blu-ray]
K-11 (2012): See description in DVD above. Buy K-11 [Blu-ray]
Meanwhile (2011): See description in DVD above. Buy Meanwhile [Blu-ray]
Night of the Hunted [La Nuit des Traquées] (1980): See description in DVD above. Buy Night of the Hunted [Blu-ray]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Peacock (2010): Read our capsule review. Cilian Murphy goes drag, but Andreas Stoehr complained that it’s a “a muddled, small-town drama with only the occasional hint of slight weirdness”: see if you agree. Watch Peacock 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.