POD 366, EP. 22: LEDA’S SAMUEL TRESSLER IV HELPS US TEST A LONGER FORMAT

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Audio only link (Soundcloud download)

Quick links/Discussed in this episode:

Leda official site.

Isolated Samuel Tressler IV interview

Drowning by Numbers (1988): Discussion begins. Read Shane Wilson’s review. This 4K UHD (standard Blu-ray included) is the first of several upcoming restorations and re-releases of ‘s somewhat neglected catalog. Buy Drowning by Numbers.

Lynch/Oz (2022): Discussion begin. A documentary exploring the influence of The Wizard of Oz on the work of , with , , and , and among those offering theories. Now in select theaters after its festival run; we assume VOD and North American physical media are coming soon. Lynch/Oz official site.

Night of the Hunter (1955): Discussion begins. Read the Canonically Weird entry! Kino puts the ultimate love/hate movie on 4K UHD. It contains a new commentary and different features than the 2014 Criterion Collection Blu-ray. Buy Night of the Hunter.

Please Baby Please (2022): Discussion begins. Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. ‘s queer musical comes to DVD this week (it was already on VOD, and will arrive on Blu-ray in a few weeks). Buy Please Baby Please.

Red Cockroaches (2003): Discussion begins. A microbudgeted, experimental dystopian sci-fi feature. Originally released straight to DVD, it’s now reissued on Blu-ray by the DTV preservationists of Saturn’s Core. Buy Red Cockroaches.

Something in the Dirt (2022): Discussion begins. Read Giles Edwards’ review. conspiracy drama/thriller, previously on VOD and DVD, is now out on Blu-ray. Buy Something in the Dirt.

Space Is the Place (1974): Discussion begins. Read Alfred Eaker’s review. Music specialists Modern Harmonic (who have a relationship with Something Weird video and do fool around with movies sometimes) sneak out new release of ‘s spacey classic, disguising a DVD and Blu-ray as bonus features to their soundtrack release (usually, it goes the other way ’round!) Buy Space Is the Place.

Unidentified Objects (2022): Discussion begins. A homosexual dwarf takes a road trip with an alien abduction nut in what at first looks like a quirky comedy, but hints at something potentially weirder. Rex Reed didn’t like this “oddball curio“, which is enough of an endorsement for us to want to check it out. Unidentified Objects official site.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

(Damselvis, Daughter of Helvis) is our scheduled guest on Pod 366 next week; we’ll also be joined for the first time by El Rob Hubbard. We’ll continue this week’s longform/divided format for that episode, at least.

In written reviews next week, Shane Wilson looks at A Woman’s Face (1941), Giles Edwards stays in the 40s for the ghost tale Brooklyn 45 (2023), and Gregory J. Smalley takes on the new indie On Our Way (2023).

Also, we will be hosting another Weird Watch Party this week! You can always see the schedule in the sidebar, but we’ll reiterate here:

Tuesday, June 6 at 7:30 PM: Un Chien Andalou (1929) on Tubi via Discord (free for all and extra short!)

Onward and weirdward!

CHANNEL 366: DEAD RINGERS (2023)

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Recommended

DIRECTED BY: Sean Durkin, Karena Evans, Karyn Kusama,

FEATURING: , Britne Oldford, Poppy Liu, Jennifer Ehle, Michael Chernus, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine

PLOT: The Mantle Twins, Beverly and Elliot, open a new “bespoke” birthing center in Manhattan, while Beverly pursues a new relationship and Elliot copes with her jealousy through self-destructive behavior.

Still from Dead Ringers (miniseries) (2023)
Courtesy of Prime Video

COMMENTS: Amazon Prime’s six-episode adaptation of David Cronenberg‘s Dead Ringers features twin gynecologists, a powerhouse central performance, an affair with an actress named Genevieve, an atmosphere of dread, and nothing else in common with the original. Plotwise, it’s about as far away from Cronenberg’s story as the 1988 film was from the real-life story of the Marcus twins.

This difference, of course, is not only welcome but necessary. We wouldn’t care to watch a new “Dead Ringers” that had no other purpose but to take advantage of modern split screen technology or reflect contemporary mores. Adaptations need to bring their own narrative and thematic spins to justify their existence. The miniseries’ gender-swap of the twins from men into women here isn’t arbitrary or demographics-driven. The sex change makes perfect contextual sense; although we lose the background creepiness of unethical male gynecologists, the fact that these Mantles can actually get pregnant—a factor that the script leverages with its typical delightful devilishness—fully compensates for the loss. In fact, the options it opens up are so intriguing that I now want to see a third adaptation of Dead Ringers where the Mantles are fraternal twins, brother and sister. Think of the implications!

Most of the praise for “Dead Ringers” quite rightly centers around Weisz’s magnificent performance, which is every but the equal of ‘. (Expect an Emmy nomination for Weisz, even though Irons was snubbed by the Academy in ’88.) Weisz slides effortlessly between Beverly and Elliot, making each one distinct while creating a believable sibling dynamic. The twins’ distinct personalities are established quickly as the sarcastic pair shut down a male creep at a diner, and at almost no point in the series’ entire run will you be confused as to which twin is which. The simple but effective visual conceit is that Beverly ties her hair in a bun, while Elliot’s mane flows freely; the hairstyles reflect their personalities. Beverly, more nuanced and reflective, is the main focus, while hedonistic, co-dependent Elliot is, at times, almost the stereotypical “evil twin.” Overall, the miniseries Mantles are better developed characters, a function of more time spent with them (we even meet their parents in one episode). The extended runtime also allows the story to take some diversions: a satire of 1%ers through an amoral opiate heiress financier, a bit of science-fictiony unethical genetic experimentation (“what Frankenstein shit are you up to?”), and a brief dip into gynecology’s unsavory racist history, as well as an unnecessary and somewhat disappointing subplot with the Mantles’ obsessive housekeeper, whose mysterious plots have less payoff than we might hope.

While the original movie verged on horror, the miniseries focuses more on depraved drama, although it has plenty of birthing gore and other “sick” moments that will make you squirm with discomfort or disgust—both physical and moral. If that sounds like a Cronenbergian attitude, it sure is. But the feminine spin and unexpected twists make this a fresh trip into gynecology Hell. Reacquaint yourselves with these mirror-image Mantles; you’ll be glad you did.

Footnote: in an example of “how to quote 366 Weird Movies without actually quoting it,” Alison Herman writes in her Variety review that “‘Dead Ringers’ recycles the film’s most indelible image, decking out the twins in blood-red sets of scrubs.” (Actually, Herman’s observation is almost certainly a coincidence, but we’ll take it as evidence of our subliminal influence on movie criticism.)

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:

“It’s a measure of this seductive horror show that you want to watch these weird sisters carry on, and on.”–Jasper Rees, The Telegraph (contemporaneous)

IT CAME FROM THE READER-SUGGESTED QUEUE: LITAN (1982)

DIRECTED BY: Jean-Pierre Mocky

FEATURING: Marie-José Nat, Jean-Pierre Mocky, Nino Ferrer, Marysa Mocky, Roger Lumont

PLOT: While staying in the small town of Litan, where the annual festival of the dead is underway, Nora has prophetic dreams about her boyfriend Jock’s death.

Still from Litan (1982)

COMMENTS: Nora’s dreams are bad. Coffins float down streams. Bodies fall from great heights. And worst of all, she sees her beloved Jock covered in blood, seemingly murdered. It doesn’t make for a restful night. Well, it’s not going to get any better. Upon waking, we see that Nora’s barely dreaming at all. An annual festival has taken over the town of Litan, with strange people in strange costumes behaving in strange ways. If you believe that the things that happen to you during your day will affect your dreams at night, it’s clear that she’s one of the most literal sleepers around.

For you see, Litan is one of those towns where everyone is weird. You know the kind, like The Wicker Man or Midsommar or The Third Day. Residents saunter about with featureless masks, or with uncovered faces that are equally blank. Doctors perform inexplicable experiments that involve flashing lights and beeping machines. Men in pig masks loot and murder without fear, bodies dissolve and turn into glowing blue worms, and a marching band made up to look like mannequins in red tailcoats conducts impromptu concerts. You know, one of those towns. It’s painfully obvious that There’s Something Funny Going On, and that Nora and Jock need to Get Out Of There. 

It’s to Litan’s credit as a weird movie and to its debit as a watchable movie that this tension, this sense that trouble is only steps away, is present from the very start and never lets up. It doesn’t get more tense, mind you. It just maintains that worrisome threat from start to finish. That gets the heart rate elevated, but the relentlessness of it gets dull after a while. 

Where director/star Jean-Pierre Mocky succeeds is creating an ominous atmosphere through startling imagery. Every exterior is next to a rushing river or amongst sharp, craggly mountains (the film was shot in the commune of Annonay in southeastern France), while every interior seems to be set in a room carved out of a cave. Bold blasts of color break the monotony of the gray settings, particularly the bright crimson blood and the electric blue spermatozoa that seem to be the result of falling into the water. Strongest of all is the very creepy vibe he gets from his zombified actors, whose stillness is so effective that they immediately grab your attention when they snap out of it. A scene where a returning patient terrifies his family is an effective set-piece.

But while Litan is unquestionably weird, it’s also a mess. There are barely any characters to speak of; Nora does little but scream and fret, while Jock is a little too ignorant at first and a little too studly as the story progresses. Everyone else seems designed to be inexplicable, such as Jock’s colleague Bohr, who goes from assaulting Nora to worrying about his own son to becoming a victim in the space of 15 minutes. Meanwhile, there’s a possible candidate for a villain whose connection to the plot is vague until the closing minutes, culminating in a comically anemic fight scene. And there’s a very off-putting musical score (from star Nino Ferrer) that shifts wildly from atmospheric synthesizer noodlings to action tracks that sound like a strange melange of Bill Conti’s For Your Eyes Only score and the Swingle Singers, with some Shostakovich woven in for seasoning.

There’s no doubt that Litan is odd, but it isn’t actually compelling. With anxiety but no suspense, with momentum but no destination, Litan is just a series of surprising things that happen. Dreams are weird, but not every dream is worth sharing. 

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:

“One-of-a-kind bizarre French sci-fi. It’s like some scenes from a variety of thriller, crime and sci-fi movies were stripped of their back-stories and plots, jumbled together, and then transported to this weird town of Litan that looks like something out of The Prisoner.” – Zev Toledano, The Worldwide Celluloid Massacre

(This movie was nominated for review by shawn. Suggest a weird movie of your own here.)

POD 366, EP. 21: CHECKING INTO “COUNTRY OF HOTELS” WITH JULIO MARIA MARTINO & DAVID HAUPTSCHEIN

366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.

Audio only link (Soundcloud download)

Quick links/Discussed in this episode:

Country of Hotels on Tubi

“Fecundation” by David Hautschein

The Becomers (est. 2023): Discussion begins. At Cannes, Yellow Veil pictures has acquired the rights to an alien comedy directed by Zach Clark. What catches our attention is two quotes from the press release: “It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever made” (director Clark) and “The Becomers is funny, weird, and at times gross” (Yellow Veil). The Becomers announcement via Variety.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001): Discussion begins. Read Giles Edwards’ review. ‘ genre-bending period mystery joins the 4K UHD club (standard Blu-ray included) courtesy of Shout! Factory. Buy Brotherhood of the Wolf.

Country of Hotels (2019): Discussion begins. Read Giles Edwards’ Apocrypha Candidate review. This triptych of surreal stories set in room 508 debuts on Tubi and other destinations on May 26 (likely the day you’re reading this)! Country of Hotels official Facebook page.

“David Lynch: A Complete Retrospective”: Discussion begins. We’re a little late on this one as it started this past Wednesday, but Music Box Theater has taken its impressive David Lynch retrospective on the road to Dallas, Texas. It lasts until June 4, with every available Lynch short and feature accounted for (along with some non-directed-by-Lynch works like The Wizard of Oz). Interested Metroplexians can check out the link for times and special guests. David Lynch: A Complete Retrospective at the Texas Theater in Dallas.

Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (2001): Discussion begins. A salaryman romances a village woman who has a river inside her. ‘s final movie is a weird romantic comedy focused on female sexuality; on Blu-ray for the first time from Film Movement (also on VOD). Buy or rent Warm Water Under a Red Bridge.

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000): Discussion begins. Read the Canonically Weird entry! Janus films has restored ‘s minimalist totalitarian fable about a Prince and a Whale on 4K, which suggests a Criterion edition will be coming soon. Tarr will be in attendance at the L.A. screening on June 6. U.S. Screening schedule is here.

Will’-o’-the-Wisp (2022): In the year 2069 (!), a prince wants to become a fireman. At least one reviewer described this homoerotic musical comedy-fantasy from as “extremely weird but wonderful.” U.S. distributor site for Will’-o’-the-Wisp.

(trailer mildly NSFW for nudity)

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

, the director of the experimental 3D feature Leda, will be our guest on Pod 366 next week.

In written reviews, Shane Wilson addresses another one that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue in the French horror Litan (1982), while Gregory J. Smalley gives you the scoop on Amazon Prime’s gender-swapped miniseries variation on  Dead Ringers.

Also, we will be hosting more Weird Watch Parties this week! You can always see the schedule in the sidebar, but we’ll reiterate here:

Saturday, May 27 at Noon ET: Silent Hill (2006) on Tubi via Discord (free for all)

Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day) at Noon ET: Tokyo Gore Police (2008) on Tubi via Discord (free for all)

Wednesday, May 31 at 7:30 PM ET: The Apple (1980) on Tubi via Discord (free for all)

Onward and weirdward!

Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!