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):
Clara’s Ghost (2018): A ghost prompts an actress to confront her dysfunctional family. Starring Chris “Cabin Boy” Elliot and his family (it was written and directed by and stars his youngest daughter, Bridey Elliot). Clara’s Ghost official site.
Mountain Rest (2018): A daughter and granddaughter visit their estranged matriarch, an aging actress, at her mountain cabin. Pitched as a “surreal drama.” Mountain Rest official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT (Completed?):
Eyes of the Sun (2019?): The following trailer dropped into our in box the other day. It’s for an “artsy adventure film” from Sweden, about a man seeking revenge for a cult kidnapping his sister. I think you can see why it caught our eye. Eyes of the Sun official Facebook page.
Ghostbox Cowboy (2018): A Texas entrepreneur/scam artist goes to China, where he finds he may be out of his depth. Are we the only ones getting a 21st century Midnight Cowboy-as-cybercomedy vibe? Ghostbox Cowboy official site.
Sicilian Ghost Story (2017): A teenage girl goes after her missing crush in this magical realist story set in mafia country. A lightly weird, critically acclaimed work that has garnered some comparisons to the work of Guillermo del Toro. Sicilian Ghost Story American distributor site.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Brewster McCloud (1970): Read our review. Warner Archive gives Robert Altman‘s bizarro comedy about a man who dreams of flying on the Astrodome on a set of homemade wings a bare-bones release, but at least it’s in circulation. On DVD-R, Blu-ray and VOD. Buy Brewster McCloud.
True Stories (1986): Read Alfred Eaker’s review. The Criterion Collection takes on David Byrne‘s whimsical look at a quirky Texas town; a bonus soundtrack CD (previously unreleased) comes with the Blu-ray (but not with the DVD). Buy True Stories.
Payday (2018): The movie G. Smalley worked on as a PA, wrote about here, and appeared in (as “the cook”) is now out on DVD. It’s a microbudget hostage thriller. 90% of the time you see flashing police lights in this film, G. Smalley is the one who flipped the switch on the cruiser. Buy Payday.
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.
“Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema”: If you have a couple hundred bucks to spend and Thirst for more Ingmar Bergman in your home video collection, it would be a Shame to pass up this historic set sure to bring you many Smiles on a Summer Night. The Criterion Collection’s Bergman set includes an astounding 39 films on Blu-ray (naturally, both Hour of the Wolf and Persona make the cut, along with rarities like 1955’s Dreams), plus more than five hours of bonus features. Buy “Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema”.
Luciferina (2018): A novice Argentinian nun travels into the jungle with her sister seeking ayahuasca, but instead finds a devil-worshiping cult. Ayahuasca, a semi-legendary shamanic preparation, has been a trendy movie subject in recent years; this horror film mixes the drug with Catholic-pagan conflict. DVD or Blu-ray, scheduled to hit VOD outlets on 12/4. Buy Luciferina.
Umbilical World (2018): 366 “Saturday Short” regular David Firth creates a feature-length film composed of new and old material “stitched together to form a single stream of nightmare consciousness.” The DVD contains a “making of” featurette and director’s commentary, but is only available from UK sources; also available for on-demand rental via Vimeo. Umbilical World order link.
Dead Leaves (2004): Read the Certified Weird review! A man with a television for a head and a woman with mismatched eyes wake up with amnesia, are imprisoned on what’s left of the moon, lead a revolt, have a baby, and kill lots and lots of people in this speed-metal anime that doesn’t slow down for a second. Watch Dead Leaves free on Tubi.tv.
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.
LIMITED RELEASE:
Cam (2018): Read Giles Edwards’ mini-review and hear the interview. A webcam girl finds out that her channel has been taken over by a mysterious doppelganger (are there unmysterious doppelgangers?) There are a very few theatrical screenings in the coming weeks, but mostly this will be seen on Netflix, where it debuts simultaneously. Cam on Netflix.
IN DEVELOPMENT – POST-PRODUCTION CROWDFUNDING:
Solve et Coagula (est. 2019): A Belgian-Australian “sequel,” of sorts, to the myth of Orpheus, from self-described “esoteric artist” Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule. The original pitch is below, and an update (with nudity!) can be found at the Kickstarter link. As of this writing they’ve raised over $500 of a requested $2,500, with two more weeks to go by the time you read this.
The Last Movie (1971): An actor stays behind on a Western set in Peru after the production has been canceled, then enacts a movie with the natives who think they are performing a magical ritual. This grand 60s psychedelic folly helped change the perception of Easy Rider‘s Dennis Hopper from wunderkind to persona non grata; it’s now restored and ready for reappraisal. Now out from Arbelos (formerly Cinelicious) on DVD or Blu-ray. Buy The Last Movie.
Take It out in Trade (1970): A private investigator searches for a missing girl in a house of ill repute. Ed Wood, Jr.‘s semi-legendary last film, a softcore porn comedy (he appears in drag, naturally), was long-believed lost, but a print was discovered and restored by American Film Genre Archives and is now available in a DVD/Blu-ray combo. Buy Take It out in Trade.
The Wizard of Gore (1970): Read our review. Montag the Magician carves up female volunteers in what is arguably the weirdest of Herschell Gordon Lewis‘ gore films. Now out in an Arrow Video Special Edition Blu-ray with the usual raft of special features. Buy The Wizard of Gore.
We don’t always give good reviews, and sometimes when we give bad reviews, directors aren’t too happy about it (imagine that). We also seldom (well, never) get on movie posters; certainly not for bad reviews. So imagine our surprise when we popped up in the upper right-hand corner of this one:
Our reviewer didn’t love Joe Badon‘s movie, but we love his sense of humor. Read the complete review of The God Inside My Ear.
And speaking of plugging ourselves with others’ plugs, 366 also got quoted (in a more favorable context) in this NSFW trailer for the upcoming release of the grindhousey fetish thriller Rondo.
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 (MAYBE):
Mothers Of Darkness (est. 2019): In 1971 Harry Kümel made a classic lesbian vampire film called Daughters of Darkness (which we haven’t gotten around to reviewing—yet). Now, almost 50 years later, the director—now in his seventies—is planning a sequel with, according to its producer, “a very original twist on the original law of the vampire world.” Kümel‘s last feature was 1991’s Eline Vere. This project was announced in 2017 and originally scheduled to shoot in the summer of 2018, but we’ve heard nothing about it, so it might have been delayed or even abandoned. We hope not. Read the original story at Screen Daily.
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