With the announcement that Amazon Prime is joining the Watch Party bandwagon, the catalog of available movies for us to communally screen just grew significantly. In our streaming service interest check poll, Prime even slightly beat Netflix, so we’re going to try it out. Since not everyone has both services, we won’t be abandoning Netflix; as of now, we’re provisionally planning to alternate weeks between the two.
The procedure will be the same as with our Netflix parties: we’re looking for five people (not counting your host G. Smalley) to comment on this post if you are interested in attending. Likely attendees may also make a nomination from the Amazon Prime catalog for a movie to watch. After we cross the five attendees threshold, we’ll put up a poll with all the nominations and start voting to select which film we’ll screen. The Watch Party will tentatively be scheduled for Saturday, July 18 at 10:15 PM ET; feel free to suggest a different time in the comments.
Amazon Prime’s catalog of movies is larger (and less exclusive) than Netflix’s. Ed Dykhuizen’s availability spreadsheet is a good resource to check for Canonically Weird movies (look for ones marked “free w/ Prime” in the “Amazon” column). Or, do your own research and come up with a title from Amazon. Eligible movies will have a “watch party” button on their Amazon page. You must be a Prime subscriber; you don’t have to download an extension or additional software.
We will not provide tech support; you’re on your own. Help each other. Since this is our first try with this service, there may be bumps in the road.
When the party is set to begin we’ll announce it in three places:
On this site (if you’ve signed up for regular email alerts via the sidebar you’ll also get a notice that way)
Please install the Netflix Party extension if you haven’t already. You must have a U.S. Nextflix account (we think) and a Chrome-based browser (including Brave) 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.
FILM FESTIVALS – Sick ‘n’ Wrong Film Festival (Online until 7/12):
As the name implies, the Sick ‘n’ Wrong festival errs towards the offensive/grossout side of the weird spectrum. It’s mostly shorts, but there are five features this year, including one name we actually recognize: 1000 Kings. The way it works this year is that you buy one online ticket which gives you access to the entire festival; you watch the flicks on demand on your own schedule. (Two features are only available to U.S. or U.K. residents, but other than that there are no restrictions.) $40 gets you everything. Sorry for the late notice. Buy a pass to the Sick ‘n’ Wrong Film Festival.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
“The Complete Lenzi/Baker Giallo Collection”: Four gialli directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring Carol Baker: Orgasmo [AKA Paranoia] (1969), So Sweet So Perverse (1969), A Quiet Place to Kill (1970), and Knife of Ice (1972). Of the four, Orgasmo, with Baker as a rich widow seduced and gaslighted by a pair of men for her money, is the most famous and probably the weirdest. This elaborate box set from giallo specialists Severin Films comes with two CDs containing the soundtracks for the first three films and one track from Knife of Ice. Buy “The Complete Lenzi/Baker Giallo Collection”.
ONLINE EVENTS (7/10 [today!], 3 PM EST, Facebook):
Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway Q&A: Director Miguel Llansó and producer Sergio Uguet de Resayre will answer questions about Apocrypha Candidate Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway today at 3 PM ET on Facebook. Distributor Arrow Video is very proud of this acquisition; once you see the movie, you’ll see why. It’s both relentlessly weird and accessible (in a cult movie fan sense, at least). Watch Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway Q&A on Facebook.
Independent theaters are cautiously starting to reopen across North America at diminished capacity, although the big chains (and Alamo Drafthouses) remain shuttered for another week or two. That said, we have a dribble of new screenings to announce this week. We expect this section to continue to grow slowly throughout the summer, although we wouldn’t predict things to return to anywhere near normal until the fall, at the earliest. You’ll have to use your own judgment as to whether it’s safe to go to movie theaters at this time.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: The votes are all tallied, and tomorrow’s Netflix Party screening will be Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). Grab your candy and join us tomorrow at 10:15 ET; we’ll drop the link here and on our Facebook and Twitter pages shortly before the show begins. Based on reader demand, next week we’ll schedule an Amazon Prime watch party and see how that goes. If successful, we may start alternating between Netflix and Prime.
Next week we’ll also bring you a full slate of reviews, as Giles Edwards endures the uncannily heartwarming robots of Heartbeeps (1981), Simon Hyslop sails on the low-budget odyssey A Ship of Human Skin (2019), and Gregory J. Smalley takes a very different trip with Big River Man (2009) as he attempts to swim the length of the Amazon in the titular reader-suggested documentary. Virus be damned: 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 to vote in our latest weird Netflix watch party, scheduled for Saturday, July 11, at 10:15 PM EST. First order of business: voting on the movie to watch. If you plan on virtually attending, please vote for the movie we’ll be watching below.
There are two sets of instructions: one for the poll, and then the instructions for joining the Netflix Party.
POLL
Vote for which movie you’d like us to watch from the selections below. We’ll screen the movie that gets 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 EST on Thursday, July 9. You may vote for multiple movies, but not for every movie (because that would be pointless).
With Amazon Prime rolling out a Watch Party feature, it’s time to see if we should maybe we should expand our watch parties from Netflix-only. This poll is simply to see whether readers have the ability, and interest, in group screenings on 1) Amazon Prime, 2) Netflix, or 3) Hulu. Vote accordingly! (And if you have not RSVP’ed for our Netflix Party potentially scheduled for this Saturday July 11, please do so! We’re still looking for one more attendee.)
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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.
IN DEVELOPMENT (pre-release):
Psychomagic: A Healing Art (2019): Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s long-simmering documentary about his own brand of ritual psychotherapy final arrives in America. We have our doubts about the clinical efficacy of psychomagic, but little doubt that the documentary will be worth a look. Set to debut on Alamo Drafthouse’s on-demand service in early August; it will likely expand distribution channels soon after.Psychomagic: A Healing Art official site (in French).
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Come and See (1985): Read the Canonically Weird entry. What may be the most intense war movie ever made joins the Criterion Collection in a new restoration, on 2 DVDs or a single Blu-ray. Criterion extras include an appreciation by ace cinematographer Roger Deakins, a vintage interview with late director Elem Klimov and a more recent one with his brother, a Soviet-era documentary on the Belorussian atrocities depicted in the film, 2001 interviews with with actor Alexei Kravchenko and production designer Viktor Petrov, a short “making of” featurette, the theatrical trailer, and of course a supplementary booklet. Buy Come and See.
Spindrift’s Haunted West (2020): A feature-length visual album from the cowboy-themed psychedelic band Spindrift. Described as a “mix of acid western and musical odyssey.” VOD only. Watch Spindrift’s Haunted West.
Sukiyaki Western Django (2007): Looking for treasure, a lone gunfighter rides into a town ruled by two rival gangs. One of Takashi Miike‘s last truly weird movies, this is a samurai/spaghetti western mashup with a Japanese cast speaking badly accented English and Quentin Tarantino in a small role. MVD Marquee releases it on Blu-ray for the first time in a “collector’s edition” extended cut that’s almost an hour longer than the version previously on DVD. Buy Sukiyaki Western Django.
“Wild Palms” (1993): Mysterious corporations scheme to take over America in the “near future” with virtual reality tricks. This Oliver Stone-produced miniseries was greenlit due to the popularity of “Twin Peaks” during the 90s brief “weird is cool” phase. Now on Blu-ray with multiple commentary tracks. Buy “Wild Palms”.
Independent theaters are cautiously starting to reopen across the country at diminished capacity, although the big chains (and Alamo Drafthouses) remain shuttered for another week or two. That said, we have a couple of screenings to announce this week. We expect this section to continue to grow slowly throughout the summer, although we wouldn’t expect things to return to anywhere near normal until the fall, at the earliest. You’ll have to use your own judgment as to whether it’s safe to go to movie theaters at this time.
“Funny Parents”: Our own Shane Wilson and wife Clair Clairmont were recent guests on the “Funny Parents” podcast. Listen to this episode to get his suspect (though not especially weird) parenting advice. (Shane may also be debuting his own podcast soon, so check this space regularly). “Funny Parents” Episode 10: TV Wins & Beforeskin and After.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: First up, we’re looking for one more person to publicly express interest in attending a Netflix Party scheduled for next Saturday, July 11 at 10:15 PM EST. You may also nominate a movie for us to watch. Please show your support here. And next week we’ll also try to see if Amazon Prime watch parties might become a thing (perhaps alternating with the Netflix ones).
In terms of reviews, Gregory J. Smalley will bring you your first look at the unclassifiable Japanese Sundance hit We Are Little Zombies, about four orphans who form a pop band; Giles Edwards opines on My Hindu Friend, Hector “Kiss of the Spider Woman” Babenco’s final movie; and Jake Fredel tackles the Criterion Collection’s “The Short Films of Martin Scorsese,” with an emphasis on the reader-suggested Vietnam allegory “The Big Shave.” And Happy Independence Day to the USA (although it will be celebrated under truly weird circumstances). 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.
Last week’s Netflix Party #12 was a success, so we’re going to stick with the bi-weekly schedule for the time being (unless there’s an outcry to return to weekly screenings). Next Saturday would be the July 4 holiday, anyway. Therefore, our next party will be scheduled for Saturday, July 11 at 10:15 PM.
We’ll be looking for five movie screening nominations from people who plan to attend. After we get the minimum five nominations and likely attendees, we’ll put up a poll.
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