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 THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Birds Without Feathers (2018): Experimental feature mixing stories of six odd people—an Instagram celebrity, a performance artist, a Russian Jeff Goldblum fan, and so on—in a technologically alienated world. Playing only in NYC at the Roxy Cinema, presumably with some kind of home video release to follow. Birds Without Feathers official site.

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles [Buñuel en el Laberinto de las Tortugas] (2018): Animated biopic about the young Luis Buñuel making the “surrealistic documentary” Land Without Bread (Las Huerdes). This is one we’ve had our eye on for a while; it doesn’t look weird per se, although there are the expected dream sequences, but Buñuel fans should find this a curiosity worth seeking out. Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles official site.

FILM FESTIVALS – North Bend Film Fest (North Bend, WA, 8/15-8/18):

Set in the Washington town where many of “Twin Peaks“‘s exteriors were filmed, the North Bend Film Fest is a Lynchian destination. Compressed into an intense three days, it features not only weird movies but also a tour of “Twin Peaks” locations, a live podcast recorded at the local brewpub, and a virtual reality lounge with a suite of trippy experiences. It’s highlighted by a handful of movies we just screened at this year’s Fantasia Festival: the dark fairy tale (and Apocrypha Candidate) Koko-Di, Koko-Da; Extra Ordinary, an Irish ghost comedy; the teen melodrama Knives and Skin; and the druggy vampire flick Bliss. We also noticed a couple of potentially interesting curios we hadn’t seen before, but will keep an eye out for:

• The El Duce Tapes – Rodney Ascher‘s VHS-sourced documentary about 1990s shock metal frontman Eldon “El Duce” Hoke. Screening August 17.
• Monument – Polish fantasy about a group of college interns who find themselves stripped of their identities and held in a strange hotel. Also on Aug 17.
  

North Bend is an out-of-the-way destination and probably not something you’re going to attend at the last minute, but you can start making your plans for next year’s fest now.

North Bend Film Fest home page.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Galaxy of Terror (1981): Interstellar travelers land on a distant planet where an alien pyramid attacks them with horrors from their own imaginations. An early 80s Forbidden Planet/Alien ripoff from Roger Corman‘s New World Pictures, with an infamous alien rape scene, which for some reason found its way into our reader-suggested review queue. This is a steelbook Blu-ray from a new restoration with new artwork; in other respects it seems identical to Shout! Factory’s 2010 release. Buy Galaxy of Terror.

Open Your Eyes [Abre los Ojos] (1997): Read our review. This Spanish psychological thriller about a playboy who loses his mind when he loses his looks in a car accident debuts on Blu-ray this week. Buy Open Your Eyes.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.

• Bloomington, IN, 8/22 – Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) (subtitled). At Indiana University Cinema.
• Boston, MA, 8/17 – Solaris [Solyaris] (1972). At the Museum of Fine Arts.
• Columbus, OH, 8/16 – Night of the Hunter (1955). At Gateway Film Center.
• New York City, NY, 8/16-17 – Holy Motors (2012). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, 8/16-17 (midnights) – Kung Fu Hustle (2004). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 8/21-22 – The Cremator [Spalovac Mrtvol] (1969). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 8/22 – Kwaidan (1964). At the Roxy.
• New York City, NY, 8/22 – Paprika (2006). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 8/22 – Pierrot le Fou (1965). At the Metrograph.
• Oakland, CA, 8/18 – Vertigo (1958). At the New Parkway.
• San Francisco, CA, 8/20 – Evil Dead II (1987). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Santa Ana, CA, 8/16-8/18 – Blue Velvet (1986). At the Frida.
• Toronto, CA, 8/18 – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), with “Scott Pilgrim” creator Bryan Lee O’Malley in attendance. At the Royal.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada, 8/21 – The Wicker Man (1973). At the Rio.
• Yonkers, NY, 8/19 – Metropolis (1927), with a live score by David DiDonato. At the Alamo Drafthouse.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Next week we’ll have at least two new reviews for you: Giles Edwards opines on the absurdist cult TV show “The Mighty Boosh,” while you can see if “Old” Greg Smalley got his mind blown by Switzerland’s puberty horror fantasy Blue My Mind. In the meantime, if you haven’t entered our latest contest yet, why not take your shot at winning a copy of “All the Colors of Giallo?” We’ll pick a winner next Thursday. Onward and weirdward!

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.

Time for another giveaway contest! No particular reason: just because we like you.

Since the prize is a copy of All the Colors of Giallo, the entry procedure will be simple: just tell us your favorite giallo in the comments. (We’ll be loose with the definition of the genre, but all entries mentioning Top Gun will be disregarded).

We’ll leave the contest open for a week. Of course, you may join the discussion even if you don’t meet the eligibility requirements below or don’t wish to receive the prize; please mention you’re not in it for the swag when you announce your pick.

Contest eligibility rules: You must make a nomination by commenting on this post with your favorite giallo film and informing us of your desire to be in the contest. To receive the prize, you must supply us with a mailing address in the United States. (Don’t publish your address in your comment! We’ll contact the winner through email). 366 contributors are not eligible for the prize. You are not eligible for this prize if you have won a contest here in the last six months. We’ll stop accepting entries Wednesday, August 21, at midnight EST. The winner will be chosen randomly from all eligible comments. If the winner does not respond to our request for a mailing address within 48 hours we’ll email a runner-up, and so forth, until the prize is given away.

As for the prize:  It’s a fresh, unopened, shrink-wrapped copy of Severin Films’ All the Colors of Giallo. This 3-disc (one blu-ray, one DVD, and one CD) set contains the title documentary, over four hours of giallo trailers with commentary, a disc devoted to the German “krimi” films, and a CD of select cuts of soundtrack faves from the likes of Ennio Morricone. It’s the must-have set for giallo fans.  You can read the description of the features in our review.

That’s it, now get to it!

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 THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Every Time I Die (2019): The soul of a troubled paramedic migrates into the bodies of his friends after he dies. At least one critic liked this low-budget psychological thriller with “a surreal feel” quite a lot. Also available on ITunes. Every Time I Die official site.

Rapid Eye Movement (2019): A radio DJ tries to break the world record for consecutive days awake, both to raise money for charity and because a serial killer promises to put him to sleep permanently if he fails. Not sure where it will play, but it’s simultaneously released on-demand. Rapid Eye Movement official Facebook page.

SPECIAL EVENTS (8/13 and 8/19):

Millennium Actress (2001): Read the Certified Weird entry! Fathom Events parade of classic anime re-releases continues with Satoshi Kon‘s hallucinatory biopic of a fictional Japanese actress’ three-decade career, told in a blend of flashbacks and fantasies in which her interviewers join. Newly restored and with a new English language dub, and with reflections by producers Taro Maki and Masao Maruyama to be broadcast after the film concludes. Check the Fathom Events site for a screening near you.

IN DEVELOPMENT (announced):

“The Man Who Fell to Earth” (TV Series): CBS All Access has green-lit a new series based on Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel (which Nicolas Roeg made into a very weird 1976 movie starring David Bowie that you may have heard of). Casting hasn’t yet begun, but veteran producer Alex Kurtzman (“Star Trek: Discovery”) is set to direct. There’s plenty of room for skepticism that this will be as offbeat as the original; in fact, there’s reason to suspect that they’ll be going for a more mainstream aesthetic: “Nicolas Roeg was a legend, and the last thing I would want to do is mimic his work in any way,” said Kurtzman. More details (with industry insider type stuff) at Deadline.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Don’t Look Now (1973): Read the Canonically Weird review! It seems like the Venice-based grief horror classic just got a Criterion release, but now Studiocanal puts out the ultimate “Collector’s Edition” of the film with a new 4K restoration, Ultra HD and standard Blu-ray discs, a separate disc of extra features (some new), the soundtrack CD, collectible postcards, posters and booklets. All regions. Buy Don’t Look Now (Collector’s Edition).

Fragment of an Empire (1929): A Russian soldier loses his memory in a WWI battle and returns to his home in St. Petersburg. This rare, newly restored/rediscovered Soviet avant-garde silent sounds like it could be the model for Guy Maddin‘s Canonically Weird Archangel. In a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack from Flicker Alley. Buy Fragment of an Empire.

The Reflecting Skin (1990): Read the Canonically Weird review! This strange little rural movie about a kid who thinks his neighbor is a vampire (among other oddities like a death car and a petrified baby angel) arrives on Blu-ray in North America for the first time, courtesy of Film Movement. Also on DVD and VOD (for the first time, we believe). Buy The Reflecting Skin.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.

• Boston, MA, 8/9 – Solaris [Solyaris] (1972). At the Museum of Fine Arts.
• Boston, MA, 8/10 – Barbarella (1968), with Dune (1984) and Flash Gordon (1980) (triple feature). At the Brattle.
• Boston, MA, 8/12 – Blue Velvet (1986). At the Brattle.
• Boston, MA, 8/15 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (free screening). At the Museum of Fine Arts.
• Columbus, OH, 8/14 – Night of the Hunter (1955). At Gateway Film Center.
• Los Angeles, CA, 8/9 (midnight) – Eraserhead (1977). At the Aero.
• Louisville, KY, 8/9-8/10 – Last Year at Marienbad [L’Année Dernière à Marienbad] (1961). At the Speed Museum.
• New York City, NY, 8/9 – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) (free screening). At Governor’s Island.
• New York City, NY, 8/9-8/10 (midnights) – Kung Fu Hustle (2004). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 8/9-8/15 – The Cremator [Spalovac Mrtvol] (1969). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 8/13 – Dogville (2003). At Lincoln Center.
• New York City, NY, 8/15 – Holy Motors (2012). At the Metrograph.
• San Francisco, CA, 8/12-8/13 – Brazil (1985). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Silver Spring, MD, 8/10 (midnight), 8/12 – Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971). At AFI Silver.
• Tuscon, AZ, 8/9 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), with Q&A with actor Gary Lockwood. At JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada, 8/9 – Fight Club (1999). At the Rio.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Now that Giles Edwards has finished his Fantasia Festival 2019 coverage, we can return to “normal” around here… which, of course, means weird. So next week you can expect a review of Harmony Korine‘s latest, the Matthew McConaughey stoner comedy The Beach Bum. We’ll also take a look at Severin Films’ monumental documentary/trailer collection/soundtrack compilation All the Colors of Giallo. And, to top it off, another Blu-ray giveaway contest, to thank our readers for keeping us in business. Onward and weirdward!

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.

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 THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Ladyworld (2018): Eight teenage girls are trapped in a house by an earthquake in a surreal distaff take on “Lord of the Flies.” Screening in Los Angeles and New York this week, coming to VOD in late August. Ladyworld official site.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Hush Hush, Nellie Oleson (2019): Kelly Hughes documentary Hush…Hush, Nellie Oleson! about his “increasingly absurd (and gory)” attempts to fit former “Little House on the Prairie” actress Alison Arngrim into a low-budget experimental horror film.  VOD only. Buy or rent Hush Hush, Nellie Oleson.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.

• Columbus, OH , 8/2-8/8 – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). At the Gateway.
• Columbus, OH, 8/2 (midnight), 8/3-8/4 –Donnie Darko (2001). At the Gateway.
• Los Angeles, CA, 8/4 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). At the Egyptian.
• New York City, NY, 8/2-8/3 (midnights) – Kung Fu Hustle (2004). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 8/8 – School Daze (1988) with Sorry to Bother You (2018) (double feature) (free screening). At Lincoln Center.
• San Diego, CA, 8/3 (midnight) & 8/4 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). At Ken Cinema.
• Schenectady, NY, 8/2 – Phantom of the Paradise (1974) with “We Sold Our Souls LIVE!,” a multimedia presentation from Grady Hendrix. At Proctors.
• Tuscon, AZ, 8/7 – The Wicker Man (1973) (“Final Cut”). At the Loft.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada, 8/2 – Paprika (2006). At the Rio.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada, 8/8 – The Holy Mountain (1973). At the Rio.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Next week, all Fantasia Festival 2019 reviews must go! We’re clearing out our stock and passing the savings along to you! Save on reviews of the Russian black comedy Why Don’t You Just Die?; the children’s anime fantasy The Moon in the Hidden Woods (act now and get a bonus interview with the director!); the early-release preview of the restored classic Son of the White Mare [Fehérlófia]; another preview, this time of the coming-soon-to-theaters thinking man’s sci-fi offering Freaks; and Giles Edwards final grab bag of Fantasia leftovers and left-field recommendations. All this before Tuesday, by which time we’re expecting to recieve Alfred Eaker‘s highly anticipated report on his second summer blockbuster assignment, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. And in case that’s not enough for you, Shane Wilson will also chime in on a couple of odd shorts now streaming on Netflix: Paul Thomas Anderson‘s 15-minute Thom Yorke music video “Anima” and David Harbour’s30-minute mockumentary Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein. Just because you’re on summer vacation doesn’t mean you can take time off from reading 366 Weird Movies; in fact, you should be using your free time to catch up on all the sizzling weird movies news. Onward and weirdward!

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.

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.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

The Book of Birdie (2017): Read Giles Edwards’ review. A novitiate hallucinates in a convent. Previously on VOD only, hard copies now available on DVD or Blu-ray. Buy The Book of Birdie.

The Doors (1991): Read Scott Sentinella’s review. Oliver Stone‘s worshipful, over-the-top hallucinatory biopic of Dionysian rock star Jim Morrison is a guilty pleasure. This is a 4K upgrade (standard-def Blu-ray also included) with two cuts of the film (which are reportedly not very different at all) and some new and old extra features. Buy The Doors.

The Erlprince (2016): Amidst flights of fancy, a teenage Polish prodigy works on a theory of parallel universes, and on a doomsday clock for this one. Screen Anarchy suggests it resembles “a Polish Donnie Darko.” DVD, Blu-ray or VOD. Buy The Erlprince.

The Milky Way [La Voie Lactee] (1969): Read the Certified Weird review! One of Luis Buñuel‘s most difficult late-period movies is a series of surreal episodes based on esoteric Christian heresies. Kino Lorber acquires the rights formerly held by the Criterion Collection—the Criterion disc has been long out-of-print– and adds a commentary by film critic Nick Pinkerton. On Blu-ray or DVD. Buy The Milky Way.

LIVE TOUR:

“Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show Parts 1 & 2”: Oddball nonpareil Crispin Glover hosts an evening of films and monologues in late July and August. The program may change slightly from appearance to appearance, but includes a double feature of his rarely screened surrealist films What Is It? (2005) and It Is Fine. Everything Is Fine (2007); a sneak preview of his upcoming project (in post-production and still untitled, but apparently not the third entry in the “It” trilogy); Q&As and book signings; and Crispin reading from his books, accompanied by a slideshow. A strange performance deserves an equally strange series of venues: starting at the Kranjska Gora International Film Festival in Slovenia on July 29-30; moving to Brooklyn on August 14-15; then off to Paducah, KY, where Crispin’s father Bruce will also appear, on August 21-22; and winding up in Huntington, NY, August 27-28. More details here.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.

• Baltimore, MD, 7/31 – Eraserhead (1977). At the Senator.
• Boston, MA, 7/26-7/28 – Time Bandits (1981). At the Brattle.
• Boston, MA, 7/28 – Last Year at Marienbad [L’Année Dernière à Marienbad] (1961). At the Museum of Fine Arts.
• Chicago, IL, 7/26-7/27 (midnights) – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001). At the Music Box.
• Cleveland, OH, 7/27-7/28 – Last Year at Marienbad [L’Année Dernière à Marienbad] (1961). At the Cleveland Institute of Art.
• Columbus, OH, 7/26-7/27 (midnights), 7/27-7/29 – Dead Alive (1992). At Gateway Film Center.
• Columbus, OH, 7/26-8/1 – Heavenly Creatures (1994). At Gateway Film Center.
• Columbus, OH, 7/30-8/1 – The Wicker Man (1973). At Gateway Film Center.
• Columbus, OH, 8/1 (midnight) – Donnie Darko (2001). At Gateway Film Center.
• Los Angeles, CA, 7/27 – Freaks (1932), with House on Haunted Hill (1958), Thing from Another World (1951), Them! (1954), The Haunting (1963), and Cat People (1942) (one-price marathon). At the Egyptian.
• New York City, NY, 7/26-7/27 (midnights) – Brazil (1985). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 7/26-7/27 (midnights) – Mulholland Drive (2001). At IFC Center.
• Pittsburgh, PA, 7/27 – Pink Floyd the Wall (1982). At the Row House.
• Santa Ana, CA, 7/26 – Black Swan (2010). At the Frida.
• Santa Ana, CA, 7/29-7/31 – Perfect Blue (1997). At the Frida.
• Toronto, Ont., Canada – El Topo (1970). At the Royal.
• Tuscon, AZ, 7/27 – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) (free admission). At the Loft.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada – Brazil (1985). At the Rio.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Next week we’ll again have lots and lots of content as Giles Edwards finishes up his three-week Fantasia Festival 2019 marathon. He’ll whet your appetites for a pair of very weird low-budget European films with Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway and Alien Crystal Palace, brief you on a couple of more (relatively) mainstream horror titles in Daniel Isn’t Real and 1BR, and review even more films to be named later. We don’t expect to have any more surprise pop-up reviews from outside Fantasia, but then again, we didn’t expect to last week, either (guess that’s what makes them surprising). In any case, onward and weirdward!

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.

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 – Fantasia International Film Festival (Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 7/11-8/1):

Long-time readers know we revere this festival (we’re in our fourth year of live coverage this year, with correspondent Giles Edwards settled in and ready to start watching). As the title suggests, Fant-asia festival began by specializing fantasy films from Asia, but has since expanded to cover all types of genre filmmaking from around the world, including the more accessible experimental and would-be-cult films. Last year’s big buzz title, Mandy, did not disappoint weirdophiles. We don’t see anything quite so can’t-miss on the schedule this year, but you never know what will pop up. Of the new-to-us titles we haven’t seen on the circuit before, here’s just a few of the titles we’ll be keeping an eye on:

• Alien Crystal Palace – A mad scientist tries to create an androgynous being by melding the souls of an avant-garde filmmaker and a rock star. From France. Screens Jul. 19 only.
• The Boxer’s Omen (1983) – Check out this madcap (and canonically weird) witchcraft duel classic from the Shaw Brothers on Jul 21.
• Bruce McDonald’s Dreamland – A genre mishmash mixing vampires and hitmen from the director of Pontypool. July 14-15.
• Cencoroll Connect – Two long (45 min) short anime produced a decade apart, about kaiju who appear to Japanese teenagers, put together to make what programmers describe as an “idiosyncratic, surrealist sci-fi teen drama.” July 21.
  
• Freaks – A seven-year-old girl ventures outside her front door for the first time in her life and finds the world is strange indeed; Bruce Dern is the creepy ice cream man, after all. July 28.
  
• Hard-Core – Bizarre satirical Japanese comedy about outsiders who discover a 50s-style “trash can” robot in a mine. July 24.
• Letters to Paul Morrissey – A suite of experimental short films dedicated to Trash auteur Paul Morrissey. Screens July 16 or 26.
• Maggie – South Korean fantasy/drama featuring mysterious events like sinkholes appearing in the city, a gunshot wound received from an apple, and a talking catfish. July 17-18.
• Night God – The Apocalypse is coming and the Night God is rising in this arty and esoteric fantasy from distant Kazakhstan. July 26 and Aug. 1.
• The Phantom of the Paradise (1974) – Brian De Palma‘s strange take on the “Phantom of the Opera” myth will be touring the country in a restored print the Summer; catch this hot ticket July 13.
• Son of the White Mare [Fehérlófia] (1981) – This restoration of the rare, “psychedelic” Hungarian animated fairy tale is our most anticipated release at Fantasia in 2019; can a Blu-ray release be far behind? Save the July 29 date.

Reports on these films and many more coming in the next three weeks.

Fantasia International Film Festival home page.

IN DEVELOPMENT (rumored):

“Evil Dead” series: Bruce Campbell may have publicly announced he’s retiring from the role of Ash, but in a recent interview with “Bloody Disgusting” director Sam Raimi says he’d ” love to make another” feature film in the series, with or without Campbell. He teased a possible announcement in a six-month time frame. Remember you heard it here first! Unless you heard it somewhere else first, in which case disregard that last sentence and go about your business.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Alphaville (1965): Read Shane Wilson’s review. Jean-Luc Godard‘s Surrealist absurdist sci-fi mini-epic comes to Blu-ray for the first time courtesy of Kino Lorber, in a 4K restoration with a new commentary from film historian Tim Lucas and an interview with Anna Karina. Buy Alphaville.

“The BRD Trilogy (Marriage of Maria Braun/Lola/Veronika Voss)”: Rainer Werner Fassbinder‘s “BRD Trilogy” consists of three films about seductive women in the post-WWII Germany; all are satires with dreamlike elements, though different in tone. The Criterion Collection DVD set has long been out of print and goes for hundreds of dollars; they rectify that inequity with this reasonably-priced Blu-ray upgrade. Buy “The BRD Trilogy” [Criterion Collection Blu-ray].

“The Buster Keaton Collection: Volume 2 (Sherlock Jr. / The Navigator)”: Read Alfred Eaker’s review of Sherlock Jr. and The Navigator. 1924’s Sherlock Jr., about a film projectionist who falls asleep dreams himself into the movie he’s projecting, is considered a pseudo-Surrealist comedy but has been surprisingly difficult to find lately (at least in a decent print) despite being in the public domain. The Cohen Media Group re-releases this pair of silent classics on DVD and Blu-ray this week. Buy “The Buster Keaton Collection: Vol. 2”.

“The Extraordinary World of Charley Bowers”: Read Alfred Eaker’s essay on Charlie Bowers. Lobster Films, in collaboration with Flicker Alley, releases the most comprehensive collection of works by the early silent comedian/experimental animator now in print, including “There It Is” (whose exclusion from Lobster’s last Bowers compilation Alfred bemoaned ). Newly restored with new musical scores, on Blu-ray only. Buy “The Extraordinary World of Charlie Bowers”.

High Life (2018): Read our review. Robert Pattinson stars as a chaste death-row inmate on a spaceship hurtling towards a black hole while mad scientist Juliette Binoche tries to conduct sex experiments on him. Released with little fanfare to DVD, Blu-ray and VOD this week. Buy High Life.

Silent Hill (2006): Read the Certified Weird review! Christophe Gans bizarro, apocalyptic feature film adaptation of a popular video game franchise had been released on Blu-ray by Tri-Star previously; Shout! Factory’s “Collector’s Edition” features a new transfer and new extras including commentary track by the cinematographer and interviews with the director, actors Jodelle Ferland and Roberto Campanella, and make-up man Paul Jones. Buy Silent Hill “Collector’s Edition”.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.

• Boston, MA, 7/13 (midnight) – Evil Dead II (1987). At Coolidge Corner Theatre.
• Boston, MA, 7/18 – The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). At Coolidge Corner Theatre.
• Los Angeles, CA, 7/12  – Vertigo (1958). At the Egyptian Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 7/13 (midnight) – Barbarella (1968). At the New Beverly Cinema.
• Los Angeles, CA, 7/17 – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), preceded by a live recording of the Greg Proops Film Club podcast. At the Egyptian Theatre.
• New York City, NY, 7/12-7/13 (midnights) – Eraserhead (1977). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 7/12-7/13 (midnights) – Mulholland Drive (2001). At IFC Center.
• New York CIty, NY, 7/12-7/14 (with additional midnight screenings on 7/12 & 7/13) – Brazil (1985). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 7/12-7/18 – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 7/13 – After Hours (1985) (free screening). At Governor’s Island.
• New York City, 7/14 – Hereditary (2018), with The Butcher Boy (1997) (double feature). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Oakland, CA, 7/13-7/15, 7/17-7/18 – Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). At the New Parkway Theater.
• Portland, OR, 7/12 – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). At the Hollywood Theatre.
• Portland, OR, 7/14 – Phantom of the Paradise (1974). At NW Film Center.
• San Francisco, CA, 7/12 – The Doors (1991) with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) (double feature). At the Castro Theatre.
• San Francisco, CA, 7/14 – Last Year at Marienbad [L’Année Dernière à Marienbad] (1961) with Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2019) (double feature). At the Castro Theatre.
• San Francisco, CA, 7/16-7/17 – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) with The Cockettes (2002) (double feature). At the Castro Theatre.
• Silver Spring, MD, 7/15 & 7/17 – Underground (1995). At AFI Silver Theatre.
• Toronto, Ont., Canada, 7/16 – Dogtooth [Kynodontas] (2009). At the Royal.
• Toronto, Ont., Canada, 7/17 – Society (1989). At the Royal.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984): Read the Canonically Weird review! YouTube is upping its free movie game with a legitimate release of this ultra-campy 80s cult flick about secret agent/nuclear physicist/rock star Buckaroo Banzai. If you haven’t caught this classic yet, here’s your chance.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: It’s a busy week coming up. Giles Edwards will be reporting from the Fantasia Festival as the spirit moves him (in fact, his first reportage should roll in later today). In between those dispatches, Gregory J. Smalley will  squeeze in a couple of new outsider cinema reviews: She’s Just a Shadow, a stylish Takashi Miike/Sion Sono inspired odyssey about odd yakuza wars in a nameless city, and The Holy Trinity, an avant-garde pansexual experimental feature about a dominatrix who can speak with the dead that will be premiering at L.A.’s “Outfest” next week. Read religiously and you’ll be the first to know about what’s percolating in the underground. Onward and weirdward!

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.