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Discussed in this episode:
Don Hertzfeldt on Dropout: The complete works of fiercely independent Academy-Award-nominated animator Don Hertzfeldt (of the Canonically Weird It’s Such a Beautiful Day), which had previously been scattered about, are now available on the independent comedy subscription streaming service Dropout. Dropout is really excited about the acquisition. The Don Hertzfeldt Collection on Dropout.
Tekkonkinreet (2006): Read the Canonically Weird entry! As expected, the restoration and re-release of Tekonkinkreet results in a 4K UHD release (Blu-ray included) of the weird outsider anime set in pan-Asian “Treasure Town.” All extra features appear to be recycled, but the image should be stunning. Buy Tekonkinkreet.
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): The Venice Film Festival (Biennale) is running contemporaneously and, although it is older and more historically prestigious, it is far smaller and less important commercially (many films now play both festivals). The Toronto festival is huge—over 400 offerings this year—and a crucial market for upcoming films looking for distributors. Most TIFF films are reliably mainstream, but there will inevitably be some weird ones. Here are the ones we’ll be tracking in the coming months:
- Anchors Aweigh -absurdist alt-comedy joint about an artist who decides to live on a sailboat after a breakup; described as “anxiety fester[ing] across a series of increasingly surreal vignettes.”
- Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo – Takashi Miike‘s take on the now venerable pseudo-franchise will doubtlessly play up the brutality—and, hopefully, the grindhouse surrealism for which the director is famous. Neon has already scooped it up, so it will be seen, but no Stateside release date as of yet (it plays in Japan in late October).
- Bucking Fastard – a surprise new Werner Herzog movie (not his animated The Twilight World, which is still upcoming), but what looks like a magical realist piece about two sisters (Kate and Mara Rooney) who do everything (including speak) in concert. Despite the strange premise (and an uncanny clip) Indiewire says they are “hearing that this is perhaps Herzog’s most commercial title.“
- There will, quite naturally, be a screening of the uncut version of The Devils. The unprepared better strap themselves in. Look for it in the US in late October.
- The Face of Horror – Another lovely surprise: an Anna Biller technicolor, Hammer-style horror film. Last we heard Biller was having trouble raising funds for her “Bluebeard” adaptation, so she must have quietly pivoted to this campy Gothic project instead. Hopefully it will be strange and not merely a reverent homage, but there is nothing to go on besides a still.
- Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney – An experimental documentary from the fantastic Matthew Rankin about Canada’s 18the Prime Minister that, according to programmers, “distills historical record through savvy psychedelic abstraction and satirical irreverence.” Nothing else is known, but we are excited for this highly Canadian offering.
Toronto International Film Festival homepage.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
No guest officially scheduled for next week’s Pod 366 (though we are trying), but the following week we will talk to Dave Jackson of the sick slasher Cat Sick Blues (which is available free with ads on Tubi, if you want a head start.) In written content, Michael Diamades is wedded to The Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari (2012), Shane Wilson gives birth to a The Thingy: Confessions of a Teenage Placenta (2013) review, Giles Edwards takes a gamble on the microbudget My Vegas Eyes (2026), and Gregory J. Smalley goes to a late summer Camp (2026) (off brand, not Miasma).
Onward and weirdward!
