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):
Free Radicals: A History of Experimental Film (2010): The title tells all; this is an 80 minute survey of 20th century experimental film, highlighted by the final recorded interview of pioneer Stan Brakhage. Playing at the Anthology Archives in New York City for one week only. Free Radicals official site.
SCREENINGS (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, CA, Aug. 5)
After the Triumph of Your Birth (2012): According to the press release it’s a “a surreal, dark humored portrait of the outsider; a music driven celebration of uncertainty.” After watching the trailer we’re still not sure what to make of it, but it does look professionally assembled and weird. The sold out (?) showing at Cinefamily this Sunday, Aug. 5, is to be followed by the official premier and an accompanying Maria McKee concert in Santa Monica on September 13, followed (we’re guessing) by a DVD release. After the Triumph of Your Birth official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Fantastic Planet (est. 2013): It’s little more than a rumor at this point, but if it comes true it will be one of those “say it ain’t so!” moments: a remake of the indescribably original, Certified Weird Fantastic Planet. We would expect it to be live action, in 3-D, and star Shia LaBouef as Terr and Jennifer Lawrence as Tiwa. Michael Bay or James Cameron are the obvious choices for director. It’s just an IMDB entry right now, and let’s pray it stays that way.
NEW ON DVD:
The Bunny Game (2012): B&W experimental S&M shocksploitation about a prostitute named “Bunny” picked up and ritualistically tortured and humiliated but a trucker named “Hog.” WARNING: This has been “banned in Britain”; but then again, it’s not that hard to get something banned in Britain (these guys forbade Possession, for crying out loud!) Buy The Bunny Game
Detention (2012): A postmodern, self-aware slasher sci-fi comedy that also parodies 1980s teen movies. Depending on how the idea is handled, this could totally rule, or end up totally gay. Buy Detention
“Midnight Movies Vol 4: Thriller Triple Feature” (Bloodstained Shadow/Short Night of Glass Dolls/Who Saw Her Die?): We hadn’t heard of any of the movies in the first three volumes Blue Underground’s new triple feature series, until Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971) on Vol. 4 finally rang a bell. It’s a fairly well-regarded (despite the presence of Barbara Bach) giallo with sex and hallucination sequences. The companion features look more forgettable, but you could do worse than to get three giallos for the price of one. Buy “Midnight Movies Vol 4: Thriller Triple Feature” (Bloodstained Shadow/Short Night of Glass Dolls/Who Saw Her Die)
“Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXIV”: The twenty-fourth volume of bad movie goodness from the movie-mocking robots of the Satellite of Love. Episodes include the two Fugitive Alien movies, the Soviet spectacle The Sword and the Dragon, and El Santo’s only MST3K appearance in Samson vs. the Vampire Woman. Buy “Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXIV”
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
The Bunny Game (2012): See description in DVD above. Buy The Bunny Game [Blu-ray]
Detention (2012): See description in DVD above. Buy Detention [Blu-ray]
Nazi Invasion: Team Europe 3-D [AKA Jackboots on Whitehall] (2010): Read our capsule review. They made the action-figure Nazis invading Britain movie Jackboots on Whitehall into 3-D, then changed the name on us. We’re not fooled. Buy Nazi Invasion: Team Europe [AKA Jackboots on Whitehall] [Blu-ray 3D]
Total Recall (1990): Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as an ordinary man with implanted memories in this mildly-mindbending sci-fi hit super-loosely based on a Phillip K. Dick novel. Forget the currently playing 2012 remake—OK, you could probably forget the original too, but if you can only forget one version of Total Recall, the remake is the one to forget. This “mind-bending” edition is said to be an upgrade over the poor-quality, feature-free 2006 Blu release. Buy Total Recall (Mind-Bending Edition) [Blu-ray]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Scrambled Beer (2007): Chilean comedy about a roommate who involuntarily travels through time. We haven’t watched it all the way through but we can confirm a character drinks scrambled beer. Watch Scrambled Beer 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.