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.
SCREENINGS – (AFI’s Silver Theater, Silver Spring, MD., Mon July 13 & Tues July 14):
Pi (1998): Read the Certified Weird entry! As part of their summer series on 90s cinema, the American Film Institute’s Silver Theater is screening Darren Aronofsky‘s surreal sci-fi debut about a mad math genius hunted by everyone from to corporate ruffians to Kabbalahists after he discovers the secret number of God. Other Certified Weird hits will be seen in later screenings: Being John Malkovich, Lost Highway, Wild at Heart, and maybe even a few that haven’t been enshrined yet. “Keepin’ It Real: ’90s Cinema Now” series at AFI Film Institute.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
High-Rise (post-production, expected 2015): Ben Wheatley adapts the J.G. (“Crash,” “The Atrocity Exhibition”) Ballard allegorical novel about the class struggle in a high rise apartment building. The scenario has echoes of Snowpiercer and Metropolis (the lead character is even named “Laing”). Starring Tom Hiddleston. You can read a preview at Indiewire.
Waif (expected Nov. 2015): Microbudget Memphis-based moviemaker John Michael McCarthy was making grindhouse throwback movies like Teenage Tupelo and Superstarlet A.D. before Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez made it fashionable, and making them much weirder. His latest (which is broken into four episodes of unknown length) is inspired by cosplay, and follows the adventures of a schoolgirl who stows away on a spaceship and ends up fighting robots at an abondoned drive-in theater. Two out of four episodes were shot, and a second Kickstarter campaign may be required to finish it. This project may never be screened outside of Memphis’ last functioning drive-in (where it is intended to debut), but we can always hope. Waif official project site.
NEW ON DVD:
Spasmo (1974): A giallo full of disappearing corpses, weird characters and incoherent dialogue, that eventually makes some sense after the twist ending arrives. From cannibal movie maestro Umberto Lenzi, with music by Ennio Morricone. Buy Spasmo
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
The Cell (2000): A child psychiatrist (Jennifer Lopez!) goes into the mind of a serial killer looking for the solution to a mystery. This film (which is in our reader-suggested review queue) was on Blu-ray already, but this release restores some of the DVDs special features (director’s commentary and featurette) that were not on the original bare-bones Blu. Buy The Cell [Blu-ray]
The Crimson Cult [AKA Curse of the Crimson Altar] (1968): Read Alfred Eaker’s review. Co-starring Boris Karloff, Barbara Steele and Christopher Lee; that cast is the obvious appeal in this dog that dare not go by its original name. Some may appreciate the extra features here, including Steele on the commentary track and an interview with the late Lee. Buy The Crimson Cult [Blu-ray]
Spasmo (1974): See description in DVD above. Buy Spasmo [Blu-ray]
FREE MOVIES ON SHOUT TV:
My Best Fiend (1999): Werner Herzog‘s documentary about his love/hate relationship with his most famous leading man, the mercurial Klaus Kinski. Watching footage of Kinski’s insane rants, both on and off set, it’s amazing that he was ever able to complete any movie. Herzog didn’t actually force Kinski to finish Aguirre, the Wrath of God at gunpoint, but watching this, you can see why people believed the story to be true. Watch My Best Fiend on Shout TV.
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.