A 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.
SCREENINGS (NEW YORK CITY, JULY 30 – AUG 5):
“Russellmania!”: The Film Society of Lincoln Center will be screening early Ken Russell films all next week, with the director himself in attendance. The lineup consists of Women in Love (1969), The Boy Friend (1971), The Devils (1971), The Music Lovers (1971), Savage Messiah (1972), Mahler (1974), Lisztomania (1975), Tommy (1975), and Valentino (1977). At least one of these movies will make the List in the future (let the speculation begin)! Lincoln Center information page for Russellmania!
IN DEVELOPMENT:
The Beast Pageant (post-production): Surreal underground film about a man who is rescued from mundane modern life by a singing cowboy who bursts from his body one day and takes him on a magical adventure. The stills and trailer look impressively weird. The Beast Pageant official site.
Untitled Kin Dza-Dza sequel: Before we’ve even had a chance to check out the original 1986 cult Russian sci-fi movie Kin Dza-Dza (described by one of our correspondents as “crazy”), we find that there’s already an animated sequel by the same director in the works. See The Quiet Earth for more details and concept art. We’ll keep an eye out, but this is years away from being available, if it ever comes to pass.
NEW ON DVD:
Home (2008): When a busy highway opens next to a rural Swiss homestead, the insular family takes increasingly desperate and bizarre measures to block out the intrusion of the outside world. Starring Isabelle Huppert, this Swiss entry for the 2009 foreign language Academy Award received fantastic reviews; the London Telegraph called it a “bewitching dream.” Buy Home
Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated (2009): An intriguing idea. Shades of Waking Life, a team of animators created scenes from the public domain classic Night of the Living Dead in varying styles encompassing “everything from puppet theater to CGI, hand drawn animation to flash, and oil paintings to tattoos.” Buy Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated
Repo Men (2010): A more serious, action-oriented, Paris Hilton-free, non-musical—in other words, a less weird—treatment of the same idea covered in Repo: The Genetic Opera: a future in which human organs can be bought and are repossessed if their owner fails to meet their payments. With Jude Law and Forrest Whittaker. Sank like a stone in theaters, but it has its fans. Buy Repo Men
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000): Asian-American director Ang Lee first brought the wuxia film to the cineplexes with this Tawianese co-production starring Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeough as warriors fighting over a stolen sword. Beautifully filmed and there’s a gorgeous magical realist scene where combatants tiptoe over treetops, but it’s greatest value was in opening American eyes to the grace and pageantry of the modern far East martial arts film. This Blu-ray edition has been highly anticipated for years. Buy Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Blu-ray]
Home (2008): See description in DVD above. Buy Home [Blu-ray]
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.
The Beast Pageant looks wonderful!