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 Theater, Silver Springs, MD, Sep. 11, 13 & 14):

Being John Malkovich (1999): Read the Certified Weird entry! Spike Jonze‘s directing debut was Charlie Kaufman‘s breakthrough script about discovering a doorway into actor John Malkovich’s mind; not bad timing for either guy. Being John Malkovich at AFI Silver Theater.

FILM FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) (Toronto, Canada, Sep. 10-20):

As you can see from the list below, TIFF has become the North American destination for sub-blockbuster films, including weird ones. It’s importance (if not its prestige) has surpassed Cannes and Sundance. We found a ton of intriguingly bizarre nuggets hidden in TIFF’s massive film buffet, and that’s excluding shorts and movies (like Charlie Kaufman‘s Anomalisa, Guy Maddin‘s The Forbidden Room, Giorgos Lanthimos‘s The Lobster, and Takashi Miike‘s Yakuza Apocalypse) that already debuted at other festivals. If we’re lucky, half of the potential gems listed below will emerge from this festival with reasonable distribution deals:

• The Apostate – “Gently absurdist” tale of a man who tries to formally and officially leave the Catholic Church, only to find himself lost in a labyrinth of bureaucracy. Screens Sep. 11, 13 and 18.
• Baskin – We have heard some positive pre-fest buzz about this Turkish midnight movie about cops who are lured into the entrance to Hell. Sep. 11, 13 & 17.
  
• Blood of My Blood – Begins as a tale of suicide and lechery during the Inquisition, then jumps forward in time to a haunted monastery. Screening Sep. 15, 17, & 19.
• Bring Me the Head of Tim Horton – A “strange” 30-minute making-of documentary about Paul Gross’s Hyena Road; the interesting part is who directed it: The Forbidden Room‘s Evan Johnson and Guy Maddin (together with an unknown third co-director, Galen Johnson). Runs Sep. 14-20.
• Cemetery of Splendour – Apichatpong Weerasethakul‘s first full feature since Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives explores the dreams of soldiers suffering from a mysterious mass outbreak of sleeping sickness. Sep. 13 & 15.
• Chevalier – Six men play absurd dominance games aboard a yacht; from the director of Attenberg and the co-writer of Dogtooth, so its “New Weird Greece” credentials are impeccable. Sep. 12 & 14.
• Collective Invention – A mutant fish-man becomes a national celebrity in this South Korean satire that plays Sep. 14, 15 & 19.
• Couple in a Hole – A farmer takes an unhealthy interest in the fate of a couple who have renounced civilization to live by their wits alone. Sep. 15, 14 & 19.
• Endorphine – A mindbending meta-narrative story about three very different characters, all named Simone; directed by Denis Villeneuve’s cinematographer. Try to catch it Sep. 12. 
• Evolution – Lucile Hadzihalilovic‘s long-delayed second film is set on an isolated island where boys are raised by the mothers and subjected to scientific experiments. Sep. 14, 16 & 20.
• High-Rise – Ben Wheatley adapts the J.G. (“Crash,” “The Atrocity Exhibition”) Ballard allegorical novel  about the class struggle in a high rise apartment building. Sep. 13 – 14.
• The Mask (1961) – Don’t miss a rare chance to see this otherwise drab B-movie about a magical mask that gives the audience bizarre 3-D color hallucinations when instructed to put on their anaglyph glasses, projected in vintage 3-D. Free screening (!) Sep. 12.
• Men & Chicken – “Transgressive” black comedy from Denmark about two brothers who discover their real biological father and siblings are weirdos living on the island of Ork. Sep. 14, 16 & 20.
• Minotaur/Night Without Distance – Two short surreal Latin films screened together as a double feature; Minotaur is about a trio of sleepy thirtysomethings in a Mexico City apartment, while Night is a “hallucinatory portrait” of Portuguese smugglers. Sep 12 & 13.
• “The Returned” – The first two episodes of season 2 of the French television series, based on the idea that the dead of a particular village return and resume normal life, which has gained some comparisons to “Twin Peaks.” Screens Sep. 14, 15 & 19.
• Vertigo – A free screening of Hitchcock’s Certified Weird classic on Sep. 20.
• The Whispering Star – Shion Sono‘s latest is science fiction about a robot who makes interstellar deliveries. Check it out Sep. 14, 16 & 19.

Toronto International Film Festival home page.

NEW ON DVD:

The Editor (2014): A giallo spoof from Astron-6 about a one-handed editor suspected of murder on a movie set.  In case you were wondering whether there was nudity in the movie, the complete set of IMDB keywords reads “female nudity | nudity | bare breasts | breasts |topless female nudity” (and also, Paz de la Huerta, the only actress working today with a “no non-nudity” clause in her contract, is in it). Buy The Editor [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

Morituris: Legions Of The Dead (2011): Rapists and their victims are attacked by zombie gladiators. It’s almost certainly no damn good, but the ad copy quotes Chris Alexander of Fangoria as calling it “Dark, cruel, strong, weird and violent…” Buy Morituris: Legions Of The Dead.

Society (1989): Read the Certified Weird entry! As far as we can tell this edition has identical features to the “limited edition” Society set released earlier this year, except that it lacks the gatefold packaging and does not include the mini-graphic novel sequel. Buy Society [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

“Universal Classic Monsters Collection”: None of these six Universal horror classics were Certified Weird, but all have been reviewed on the site in some form and all are worth seeing. The monsters are Dracula, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and The Mummy. Horror fans complain that Universal re-releases these same hits over and over in various combinations while neglecting less popular titles, but if you do not own these yet, this is the essential classic horror DVD set with tons of extra features. Buy “Universal Classic Monsters Collection.”

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Editor (2014): See description in DVD above. Buy The Editor [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

Morituris: Legions Of The Dead (2011): See description in DVD above. Buy Morituris: Legions Of The Dead [Blu-ray].

Society (1989): See description in DVD above. Buy Society [Blu-ray + DVD combo pack].

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.