Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs, and on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available on the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Memphis: Impressionistic portrait of a near-homeless, eccentric-genius blues singer (played by musician Willis Earl Beal) wandering the streets of Memphis. Distributor Kino says it’s “steeped in folklore, music, surrealism, and the abstract search for glory.” Memphis official site.

Rocks in My Pockets: Signe Baumane‘s “funny film about depression” explores the mental health struggles of five women in her family with comically surrealistic animation in the style of her mentor Bill Plympton. We’ve been receiving updates on this project for four years now and we’re thrilled to hear that it’s not only complete, but a hit with critics (it currently has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes). Rocks in My Pockets official site.

Wetlands: German provocation about a teen girl who isn’t just indifferent to proper hygiene, she’s actively hostile to it: expect grossout moments involving orifices and fluids mixed with tender coming-of-age drama. The poster proudly calls it “the most wtf, nsfw movie at this year’s Sundance festival.” Wetlands official site.

FILM FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (Toronto, Canada, Sep. 4 – 14):

As you can see from the list below, TIFF has become the North American destination for sub-blockbuster films, including weird ones. It’s importance (if not its prestige) has surpassed Cannes and Sundance. We found a ton of intriguingly bizarre nuggets hidden in TIFF’s massive film buffet, and that’s excluding shorts and movies that already debuted at other festivals. If we’re lucky, half of the potential gems listed below will emerge from this festival with reasonable distribution deals:

• Bang Bang Baby – About a small-town Canadian girl in the 1960s crushing on a teen heartthrob, it’s described as a “surreal, fever-dream fusion of small-town musical and 1950s sci-fi.” Screening Sep. 8, 10 & 12.
• Crime Wave [AKA The Big Crimewave] (1985) – A special screening of this overlooked postmodern cult classic about a screenwriter who can write beginnings and endings of his crime scripts but can’t finish the middles; director John Paizs’ mix of surrealism and retro cinematics was a big influence on Guy Maddin. Catch this rare free screening Sep. 12.
• The Duke of Burgundy – Peter Strickland’s followup to his giallo-tribute Berberian Sound Studio is a strange erotic melodrama about sadomasochistic relationship between an aristocratic butterfly collector and her servant. Sep. 6 & 8.
• Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films – from the makers of Machete Maidens Unleashed! comes this next installment in b-movie history with a look at the studio that brought us Lifeforce and The Apple, among other strange gems. Catch it Sep. 8, 10 or 14.
• Human Highway (1982) – This is the (new?) director’s cut of folk rocker Neil Young’s rarely seen post-apocalyptic counterculture comedy, co-starring Dean Stockwell, Dennis Hopper and Devo. Be there Sep. 10 or 11 (or be square).
• I Am Not Lorena – Chilean collection agencies refuse to accept that Olivia is not Lorena (who owes them a sizable amount of money) in this parable that is consistently described as “Kafkaesque.” Sep. 5, 7 & 13.
• In the Crosswind– “Dreamlike,” impressionistic piece about the 1941 deportations of “anti-Soviet” Estonians to Siberia. Sep. 9, 11 & 14.
• Jauja – A Danish soldier (Viggo Mortensen) hunts for his eloped daughter in the wilds of Patagonia in this minimalist experimental feature. Sep. 10, 11 & 13.
• Journey to the West – Not to be confused with Stephen Chow‘s comic adventure of the same title, Ming-liang Tsai‘s latest stars weird favorite Denis Lavant as a disciple of “the Walker,” a wandering monk who has appeared in other Tsai films. Showing Sep. 12 only.
• Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet – This anthology of animations inspired by the popular works of the Lebanese poet is noteworthy because of the talents involved: Tomm Moore, Joann Sfar, Nina Paley, and Bill Plympton are among the animators handling a segment. Screening Sep. 6, 10 & 12.
• Luna – Partly-animated fantasy drama from Dave McKean (MirrorMask) about the dreams and hallucinations of middle-aged artists. Sep. 6, 8 & 14.
• Mirage – A mysterious wanderer arrives at a Hungarian house full of outcasts; nothing is quite explained. Sep. 5, 6 & 10.
• Over Your Dead Body – The prolific Takashi Miike returns to straightforward horror for the first time in years for this tale of the production of a classic kabuki revenge drama, the adulterous backstage shenanigans of the cast, and the supernatural collision between the two. Screens Sep. 11-13.
• The Color of Pomegranates (1968) – A (new?) restoration of Sergei Parajanov‘s classic, weird biopic of the Armenia poet Sayat Nova. See it free Sep. 11.
• Tokyo Tribe – Shion Sono‘s latest is described as a “yakuza-street gang-hip hop-musical epic” (!) See it tonight at 10 PM or catch it Sep. 14.

• Tusk – Little is known about Kevin Smith’s latest horror attempt except that it makes fun of Canadians, involves a walrus, and festival programmers dubbed it a “double-double of strange.” Sep 6, 7 and 12.
• Two Shots Fired – Absurdist black comedy about a boy who survives a suicide attempt. Sep 5, 8 & 12.
• The Voices – Marjane Satrapi‘s first American feature is a tale of murder involving a factory worker who takes advice from his talking cat and dog. Sep 11 & 12.
• Waste Land – Psychological thriller from Belgium about a detective losing his mind as he works on an unsolved homicide while awaiting the arrival of his first child. Screening Sep. 6, 8 & 13.

Toronto International Film Festival official site.

NEW ON DVD:

“Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection“: 30 of Universal’s classic “monster” films (on 21 DVDs) including all the official Universal appearances of Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, Mummy, Invisible Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and their supporting characters. That said, there’s nothing too weird on here (though Bride of Frankenstein has its moments), but it is a majorly cool set. Buy “Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection”.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935): An even madder scientist (Dr. Pretorius) blackmails Dr. Frankenstein and forces him to build a mate for his monster in James Whale‘s crazy horror-comedy classic. This is the weirdest (and best) of eight Universal horror titles from the DVD set above that are being released separately on Blu-ray this week. Buy The Bride of Frankenstein [Blu-ray].

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 on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available on the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

The Congress (2013): Read L. Rob Hubbard and Alex Kittle’s review. Ari Folman‘s partly-animated sci-fi satire about personalities for sale is receiving a decent (if not comprehensive) rollout courtesy of cult-movie saviors Drafthouse Films. The Congress official site.

Patema Inverted (2013): A girl and boy from connected worlds with directly opposite gravities fall in love. Although this is a Japanese anime aimed at children, an almost identical idea was tackled in last year’s disappointing live action feature Upside Down. Patema Inverted official site.

The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears (2013): Read Alex Kittle’s review. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani‘s stylishly surreal giallo gets an American theatrical release. Debuting this week in New York and LA with major US cities to follow. The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears official Facebook page.

FILM FESTIVALS – Venice International Film Festival (Venice, Italy, Aug. 27 – Sep. 6):

Venice is the oldest and second most prestigious (after Cannes) film festival in Europe. Since Venice accepts only films making their world premier in competition, there is no overlap with the Cannes slate of films. Here are a few the movies we’ll be keeping an eye on:

• Fires on the Plain – A Japanese soldier in WWII roams an island which has become hell on earth; the plot description of Tetsuo: The Iron Man director Shinya Tsukamoto‘s latest hints at cannibalism. Screening Sep. 2.
• Pasolini – Outsider filmmaker Abel Ferrara creates a scenario about the day Pier Paolo Pasolini was murdered; programmers call it “dreamlike and visionary, a blend of reality and imagination.” World premier Sep. 4.
• A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence – Roy Andersson‘s latest collection of absurd vignettes contrasting the banal and the mystical is the third installment in what the director calls his “Living” trilogy; the previous two movies were Certified Weird. Screening Sep. 2.

• Reality – All that’s known about Quentin Dupieux‘s latest project is that it’s about a horror film director searching for a perfect scream. Screening tonight (Aug 29) only.

NEW ON DVD:

All That Jazz (1979): Bob Fosse’s poorly-disguised autobiographical movie about an uppers-abusing, womanizing choreographer in the midst of a nervous breakdown, seeing an angel of death while he works on his latest project. Released by the Criterion Collection; it’s also in our reader-suggested review queue. Available in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack only. Buy All That Jazz [Criterion Collection Blu-ray/DVD].

The Dance of Reality (2013): Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s first movie in 23 years is a hallucinatory autobiography. Ironically, in 2014 a film about a movie Jodorowsky never made—Dune—stole the thunder from this movie he actually did make. Hopefully Dance will get more exposure now that it’s on DVD. Buy The Dance of Reality.

The Double (2013): Jesse Eisenberg stars as a timid man whose physical double arrives one day and begins to take over his life. This nearly exact match of Enemy continues 2014′s reputation as the Year of the Doppelganger. Buy The Double.

L (2012): The absurd story about what happens to a 40-year old man who lives out of his car when he loses his job delivering honey to his only client. Co-written by Efthymis Filippou, who also co-wrote Dogtooth, so its New Weird Greek pedigree is solid. Buy L.

President Wolfman (2012): The President of the United States is infected with lycanthropy while trying to fend off a hostile takeover by the Chinese (who want to merge the two countries to form “Chimerica”). Made from public domain footage (mostly The Werewolf of Washington) that’s been redubbed (a la What’s Up Tiger Lilly?), the ad copy promises “you’ve simply never seen anything like it before.” Buy President Wolfman.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

All That Jazz (1979): See description in DVD above. Buy All That Jazz [Criterion Collection Blu-ray/DVD].

The Dance of Reality (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy The Dance of Reality [Blu-ray].

The Double (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy The Double [Blu-ray].

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 on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available on the official site links.

IN THEATERS (WIDE RELEASE):

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: Old characters (like anvil-faced Marv) mix with new in this second set of stories from Frank Miller’s pulpy Sin City. This much belated and surprisingly underhyped sequel to the Certified Weird original arrives to a chorus of critical mehs. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For official site.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Winter in the Blood: An alcoholic Native American wakes up in a ditch, then returns to his home on a Montana reservation to discover his wife has left him, taking his beloved rifle with her. We’re not sure where this modest vision quest film is actually playing, but rest assured, it’s out there. Winter in the Blood official site.

SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, 8/23-24, 26-27):

“The Early Surrealism of Buñuel”: You missed the opening night martini party (held yesterday, you poor saps), but Los Angelinos can still attend one of the four remaining screenings pairing the Surrealist classics Un Chien Andalou and L’Age D’Or. An exhibit of some of Luis Buñuel‘s personal artifacts will also be on display, on loan from the Luis Buñuel Film Institute. Make a pilgrimage and suck on the master’s cinematic toe! “The Early Surrealism of Buñuel” at Cinefamily.

IN DEVELOPMENT:

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (est 2015): In his review of The Zero Theorem James Harben prayed aloud that Terry Gilliam would get the chance to make his long-gestating Don Quixote film before death or dementia set in for the 73-year old director. The latest info says he’s on the project again, although we’ve heard this song before. He has financing, and a new script that sets the story in the modern era and makes the film (at least partially) about a filmmaker making a film about Don Quixote. It’s set to begin shooting sometime after Christmas. Our fingers are crossed that Gilliam can break the curse and end his Quixotic quest to adapt Cervantes’ classic novel. More details at the Wrap.

NEW ON DVD:

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013): Read our review. Jim Jarmusch‘s slow and stately vampire movie is a low-key hit for a certain set, though it’s not tremendously weird. Buy Only Lovers Left Alive.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy Only Lovers Left Alive [Blu-ray].

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 on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available on the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Cheatin’ (2013): Bill Plympton‘s latest weird animated feature is about a woman who, with a magician’s help, takes the shape of her paramour’s ex-girlfriends. It’s playing for a week at the Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles before returning to finish up its international festival run (and then, hopefully, to  DVD soon thereafter). Cheatin’ official site.

Frank (2014): An aspiring musician joins a band led by an artist (Michael Fassbender) who always wears an oversized papier-mâché head. The word “weird” has shown up as a prime descriptor in multiple reviews. Opening in New York City this week with sporadic screenings across North America into the Fall. Frank official site.

I Am Happiness on Earth [Yo Soy la Felicidad de Este Mundo] (2014): A non-narrative art film about a young gay Mexican director making a film about a young gay Mexican director. If IMDB keywords are to be trusted, the sex is pretty explicit. I Am Happiness on Earth official site.

Jake Squared (2013): A Hollywood director decides to film his own party as an experiment, but is shocked when dead relatives and past versions of himself show up to castigate him. It’s a little 8 1/2, a little Synecdoche, New York, and a little Hot Tub Time Machine. Playing New York, Los Angeles, and a few spots in between, as well as simultaneously debuting on-demand. Jake Squared official site.

FILM FESTIVALS – GenCon (Indianapolis, IN., Aug 14-17 ):

This (world’s largest?) annual role-playing game convention also hosts a concurrent film festival, although the movies are usually gaming related. The film festival is definitely an afterthought on the part of the organizers, as witnessed by the fact that the lineup isn’t even announced on the official website (although we eventually found it in the .pdf program guide). Nonetheless, using our deep network of contacts, we’ve identified a couple of noteworthy screenings you can attend to get your weird on between dragon-slaying sessions:

• Creeporia – The world’s first kid-friendly (and kid-fiendly) horror comedy musical soap opera, starring centuries old horror hottie hostess Creeporia. Screens Saturday starting at 10 AM, in two sessions. Price is listed as a bargain $0. (NEPOTISM DISCLOSURE: Our own Alfred Eaker produced, and plays a small role, in this production).

• Dark Dungeons – A literal (and authorized!) recreation of an infamous self-parodying Jack Chick anti-“Dungeons and Dragons” tract. You already missed yesterday’s world premier, but hurry for a 4PM showing as part of the “Gamer Short Film Block.” (Failing that, you can also rent the film from the official site).

IN DEVELOPMENT – POST-PRODUCTION:

The Frame (fall 2014): The press release describes Jamin Winans’ follow-up to his Certified Weird fantasy Ink as “a mind-bending science fiction mystery” and refuses to give out further plot details. When they first began production, the producer assured us that the movie would be “weird,” and we’re holding her to that promise. The trailer tells us little, but it’s not obviously not-weird. The Frame official Facebook page.

NEW ON DVD:

Bloodsucking Freaks (1976): Read our review.  Misogynists with Blu-ray players will be thrilled with this hi-def release of this controversial comedy about torturing naked women and sucking out their brains through a straw. Buy Bloodsucking Freaks [Blu-ray + DVD Combo].

Favorites of the Moon (1984): We’ve never heard of this overlooked French film with intertwining storylines before, but per Cohen Film Collection’s ad copy it’s an “absurd, hilarious, intricate and surreal cinematic Rubik’s cube…” That’s good enough for us to list it here. Buy Favorites of the Moon.

Motel Hell (1980): “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters.” Those critters apparently include chainsaw wielding pig-men in this cannibal comedy cult classic with a couple of truly outrageous scenes. This DVD/Blu-ray combo pack comes with a new director’s commentary and a ton of special features. Buy Motel Hell [DVD/Blu-ray combo].

The Toxic Avenger (1984): Read our review. This isn’t exactly the first release of Troma’s groundbreaking “classic,” but we believe it’s the first time the low-tech effects have been presented in hi-def. Available in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. Buy The Toxic Avenger [Blu-ray + DVD Combo].

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Bloodsucking Freaks (1976): . Buy Bloodsucking Freaks [Blu-ray + DVD Combo].

Favorites of the Moon (1984): See description in DVD above. Buy Favorites of the Moon [Blu-ray].

Motel Hell (1980): See description in DVD above. Buy Motel Hell [DVD/Blu-ray combo].

The Toxic Avenger (1984): See description in DVD above. Buy The Toxic Avenger [Blu-ray + DVD Combo].

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 on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available on the official site links.

It’s officially the summer doldrums, with no new weird releases daring to challenge the hegemony of Guardians of the Galaxy and its ilk. Even DVD releases have dried up. If you live in L.A., you’re golden; otherwise, just hold on until next week and hope things get better. Here’s what we’ve got to report on:

SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, CA, Fri. Aug 7):

Motel Hell (1980): “It takes all kinds of critters to make Farmer Vincent’s fritters.” Those critters apparently include chainsaw wielding pig-men in this cannibal comedy cult classic with a couple of truly outrageous scenes. This is a midnight advance-release party/screening for the Blu-ray that comes out next week; the filmmakers will be in attendance. Motel Hell at Cinefamily.

FILM FESTIVALS – (Sundance NEXT Fest, Los Angeles, CA, Aug 8-10):

NEXT Fest is sort of “Sundance on tour”: the venerable Park City festival takes some of its greatest hits from the past year (and years past) to LA for special screenings, sometimes paired with a musical act. Of this year’s seven featured films, one is already past and three are already listed as “sold out” at the time of this writing, but the only one we’d be interested in still has tickets available for its Saturday afternoon screening. That film is Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, the Zellner brothers character study about a backwards Japanese woman mistakenly concludes that the movie Fargo is a documentary and sets out for Minnesota to discover the lost ransom money. Indiewire called it a “bizarre joy.” The brothers will be there to talk about their latest effort, joined by a very special guest fan: Werner Herzog.

Sundance NEXT FEST homepage.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Phantom of the Paradise (1974): Read our review. Shout! Factory releases Brian De Palma‘s glam-rock version of the Phantom as a Blu-ray special edition with loads of supplements; confusingly, a separate disc of extras is included on DVD format rather than Blu—but the main feature is not on the DVD. Buy Phantom of the Paradise [Blu-ray].

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.