April’s Netflix Watch Party—Five Elements Ninjas (1982)—starts in fifteen minutes.
Please install the Netflix Party extension (now officially called “teleparty”) if you haven’t already. You must have a U.S. Nextflix account and a Chrome-based browser to participate.
Here is the link to join: https://www.tele.pe/netflix/ad72841f6185a960?s=s163
Be sure to click on the red Teleparty icon to sync up and join the chat room.
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Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
FILM FESTIVALS – Panic Fest (Apr. 8-18, Kansas City, KS & online):
A small, new-to-us festival; despite it’s title (and psychedelic logo featuring a cat with a third eye encased in a triangle), it has nothing to do with Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s “Panic movement,” but is rather a medium-sized horror and genre festival. We noted several weirdish offerings there seen at other festivals, including The Blazing World, Honeydew, and the much-anticipated Sion Sono/Nicolas Cage collab Prisoners of the Ghostlands. Kansas City-ites may want to check it out live; others can look for virtual tickets.
BOOKS:
“Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle to Chabrol”: If you’re interested in Seventies softcore sex kitten Kristel, this will be a must-order. But we’re more intrigued by one of the perks: a 4-DVD or Blu-ray set of rare Kristel features that includes 1975’s Playing with Fire, an Alain Robbe-Grillet-directed surreal erotic film about a fantasy whorehouse that to our knowledge has never been released before in the U.S. The box set (and possibly the individual films) will likely be offered for sale individually before the year is out, but if you’re interested in the whole shebang, now’s your chance to bundle them. The book is already funded via Indiegogo, so you can use your backer donation as a pre-order for a November delivery. “Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle to Chabrol” at Indiegogo.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache (2019): A Buddhist monk tells an atheist entrepreneur who’s seeing visions that he must locate a “dakini” meeting the titular description. Not much info on this one but it shows a clear Apichatpong Weerasethakul influence, plus it’s a rare Nepalese-Mexican-Singaporean co-production. In virtual theaters now. Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache official site.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Hansel and Gretel (2007): Read Kat Doherty’s review. Media Blasters rereleases this Korean take on a European legend on Blu-ray; no special features advertised. Buy Hansel and Gretel.
CANONICALLY WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:
Just a few screenings to report on this week.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Tomorrow’s Weird Netflix Party is the Shaw Brothers’ 1982 chopsocky Five Elements Ninja. Join us at 10:15 PM EST; as always, the link to join will appear here, on Facebook, or on Twitter around 10 PM ET. Join us!
Furthermore, voting in the 2020 edition of the Weirdcademy Awards continues apace. You can vote once per day; shorts here, features here. Polls close April 25.
We should have two new reviews for you next week, on an underground movie theme. Giles Edwards will observe the antics of 5000 Space Aliens, while Gregory J. Smalley goes into the depths of the reader-suggested queue to sample the stop-motion delights of Prometheus’ Garden (completed in 2008). Onward and weirdward!
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
FILM FESTIVALS –South Texas Underground Film Festival (STUFF) (Corpus Christi, Apr. 8-11):
We haven’t spotlighted this small underground festival previously, but it is noteworthy in 2021 for being one of the first film festivals to shun the online world and brave a completely in-person format. Here’s a few items for Corpus Christites (sp?) or those nearby to check out:
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
The Day of the Beast (1995): A Catholic priest must become a top-notch sinner to foil the Antichrist, so he teams up with a black metal fan and an occultist to learn the ropes. Alex de la Iglesia‘s black (metal) comedy may be his most popular work, but it has been unavailable in the U.S. until this recent restoration. Now it’s on Blu-ray (exclusively) from Severin Films, with all the expected extra features (well, no commentary track, but it does boast a feature-length “making of” doc and a rare de la Iglesia short). Buy The Day of the Beast.
Perdita Durango [AKA Dance with the Devil] (1997): A psychotic criminal couple kidnap teenagers, intending to sacrifice them to their dark god. Severin’s Alex de la Iglesia treasure trove continues with this deranged fantasia (which is actually a prequel to Wild at Heart), with ten minutes of perverted material restored for the first time in North America. On Blu-ray with multiple extra features, or much cheaper on a bare bones DVD. Buy Perdita Durango.
Persona (1966): Read the Canonically Weird entry! The Criterion Collection re-releases Ingmar Bergman‘s influential existential masterwork on Blu-ray only, allowing you to save a few bucks off the out-of-print DVD/Blu-ray combo set (or the big Bergman box). Buy Persona.
CANONICALLY WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:
Weird screenings remain sparse in this pandemic landscape, but this week a handful of Alamo Drafthouses and a drive-in hold down the fort. More venues will be reopening in April as things continue to improve.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: April 10th’s Weird Netflix Watch Party poll ended in a tie, and your host broke it in favor of… Five Elements Ninja (1982). You’ve got eight days notice, so no reason not to join us next Saturday! As always, the link to join will appear here, on Facebook, or on Twitter around 10 PM ET.
And voting continues in the 12th Annual Weirdcademy Awards. Since polls are open until the 25th, it’s too early to declare favorites, although a couple of clear leaders have emerged. You can vote once per day: for shorts here, and for features here.
In reviews, next week Pete Trbovich endures Castle of the Sleeping Creeping Flesh (1968), Gregory J Smalley takes on the new-release horror Honeydew, and Giles Edwards revisits Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway (longtime readers will probably guess why we’re doubling up on that one). Onward and weirdward!
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.
Here’s the poll (well ahead of time, this month) to vote in April’s Netflix Weird Watch Party, which will start on April 10 at 10:15 PM ET. If you plan on virtually attending, please vote for the movie we’ll be watching below. We’ll screen the movie that get the most votes; your host, Gregory J. Smalley, will personally break any ties. Note that unlike our other polls, you can only vote once. Poll closes at midnight ET on Thursday, April 1. You may vote for multiple movies, but not for every movie (because that would be pointless).
Now vote!
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
FILM FESTIVALS – Unnamed Footage Fest (Online, Mar 26-27):
Sorry for the late notice on this one–it starts in a few hours (and could technically be over by the time you read this.) At any rate, this festival will be realized as a 24-hour livestream event. Tickets cost $10 and will be donated to non-profit and independent cinemas hit hard by the pandemic (a worthy cause, in our estimation). The festival’s theme is found-footage movies, or as they put it, “weird and exclusive in-world camera features.” It’s not necessarily a subgenre noted for high weirdness, but this year there are some entries that might be of interest: Space Clown, Graham Skipper‘s experimental comedy (which he has not disowned); a “new cut” of Murder Death Koreatown; and Final Entries: The Video Diary of Madi O, which programmers describe as a “deeply bizarre video diary” that “should be a cult classic.”
More information and complete schedule at the Unnamed Footage Festival home page.
IN DEVELOPMENT (crowdfunding):
“Manos: The Debbie Chronicles” (202?): A 60-minute pilot for an episodic Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) sequel, following the now-grown-up Debbie (still played by original actress Jackey Neyman Jones) as she deals with the aftermath of her experiences in the ‘Manos’ cult. The end result will likely be campy, though the director says they’re aiming for a 75/25% ratio of serious to comic. The good news is it’s modest $6,250 budgetary goal has already been met; you can still contribute to their stretch goal, a video game called “Manos: Debbie’s Dungeon Delve!” Read more (and/or contribute) at the “Manos: The Debbie Chronicles” Seed & Spark page.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
The Father (2020): Read our review. Oscar’s only even mildly weird contestant is a winner, putting you inside Anthony Hopkins‘ deteriorating mind. Still in theaters, but already on VOD (though at a premium price, so watch with a group). Rent The Father.
Raw (2016): A vegetarian develops an uncontrollable craving for raw meat. Shout! Factory makes this growing cult movie available on Blu-ray for the first time in North America, with a director’s commentary track, interviews, and more. Buy Raw.
CANONICALLY WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:
After some improvement in March, we’re back to no weird movie screenings across the entire country this week. We’re not in panic mode yet, but it is possible that the repertory movie industry may suffer long-haul symptoms from changes in moviegoers’ habits wrought by the pandemic. Some formerly reliable theaters which have reopened already are now showing new release films only. We’ll wait to see what happens after the Academy Awards nominees have eixted the scene. Keep the faith.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: There’s still a whole month left to vote in the 12th annual Weirdcademy Awards, and you can vote once a day for either shorts or features. Favorites are emerging, but with so much time left, it’s technically anyone’s game.
In next week’s reviews, Giles Edwards orders up Ham on Rye; Gregory J. Smalley examines whether a nightmare indie’s dreams of joining the Apocrypha will Come True; and Jason Ubermolch foolishly wonders whether we should consider Teach a Man to Fish (1980). Onward and weirdward!
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.
We’re sticking to our plan of one Netflix and one Amazon Prime watch party per month. It’s Netflix’s turn.
We’re open to suggestions for different starting times, dates, or methods of propagating the watch link.
Since the next date in the regular rotation would place the next screening on the night before Easter, we’re changing the date from Apr. 3 to Apr 10.
Our next Netflix Party will be scheduled for Saturday, Apr. 10 at 10:15 PM. We’ll take nominations for movies to screen in the comments until we reach at least five entries (from five different attendees), then put up a voting poll.
The Canonically Weird movies on Netflix that we haven’t yet screened yet are A Clockwork Orange (1971), Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). Feel free to nominate any of these, or ignore them in favor of other selections. Since we’ve rolled over into a new year, we could technically decide to watch something we’ve seen before (if it’s still on the platform). For reference, the movies we’ve already screened are The Platform, April and the Extraordinary World, The Bad Batch, Skins [Pieles], Under the Skin, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Enemy, A Ghost Story, Escape from the ‘Liberty’ Cinema, Between Worlds, Buster’s Mal Heart, The Aerial [La Antena], The Endless, The Wicker Man (1973), Murder Party (2007), I Lost My Body (2019), I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020), We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018), Cadaver (2020), Being John Malkovich (1999), Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (2017), My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea (2016), and Freaks (2018).
To participate, you’ll need a U.S. Netflix account, a Chrome-based browser, and the TeleParty (formerly “Netflix Party”) extension.
Make your nominations in the comments below.
This month’s Amazon Prime Watch Party—The Company of Wolves (1984)—starts in fifteen minutes.
You’ll need to be an Amazon Prime member in the US to participate.
There will be no pausing or rewinding except for technical reasons.
We are offering no technical support, so help each other out if needed.
Here is the link to join: https://amz.onl/gHihB8U
See you soon!