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 at the official site links.

SCREENINGS – (Los Angeles, Cinefamily, Aug 5,6,8):

On the Silver Globe (1988): A new restoration of Andrzej Zulawski‘s never-quite-completed visionary sci-fi epic. We are assured a video release will come eventually. Also on tap at Cinefamily this week: more screenings of Zulawski’s notorious octopus-sex fantasy Possession, and Jacques Rivette’s rare surrealist opus Celine and Julie Go Boating (which we’ve very nearly given up on ever seeing a video release of), both playing on Sunday, Aug. 8. On the Silver Globe at Cinefamily.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, IFC Center, Aug 5-11):

Multiple Maniacs (1970): Read Alfred Eaker’s review. John Waters‘s rarely screened “Cavalcade of Perversions” plays all week. The Friday night sessions with Waters in attendance are already sold out. Maniacs will be playing a few more dates at other venues in the near future (e.g.. Cinefamily starting Aug 13 and screenings at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival), and is presented by Janus Films. Janus is owned by the Criterion Collection, and a screening sponsored by them is usually a clue that a Criterion release or Eclipse box set is coming in the near future. Their site lists Maniacs as available on DCP (digital cinema package) or on Blu-ray—a hopeful sign? Multiple Maniacs at Janus Films.

NEW ON DVD:

April and the Extraordinary World (2015): Read G. Smalley’s review. Hopefully, this animated French steampunk classic with a weird twist will find an expanded audience on video after its very limited Stateside release. Buy April and the Extraordinary World.

High-Rise (2015): Read El Rob Hubbard’s review (and Alex Kittle’s mini-review). No special features are listed for this release of Ben Wheatley‘s bizarro satire about the class struggle in a high rise apartment building. Buy High-Rise.

The Lobster (2015): Read Alex Kittle’s mini-review. Look for a longer review of Giorgos Lanthimos‘s knockout romantic satire about a world where single people are forcibly turned into animals in two weeks. Buy The Lobster.

Observance (2015): A man accepts a job spying on a beautiful woman, but surreal complications ensue. Look for a review next week. Buy Observance.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

April and the Extraordinary World (2015): See description in DVD above. Both the DVD and the Blu-ray give you the option of listening to April in the original French or in GKIDS’s English dub. Buy April and the Extraordinary World [Blu-ray].

High-Rise (2015): See description in DVD above. For some reason, at the time of this writing the Blu-ray is listed at $4 less than the DVD—no promise that will still be true by the time you read this note. Buy High-Rise [Blu-ray].

The Lobster (2015): See description in DVD above. Buy The Lobster [Blu-ray].

Observance (2015): See description in DVD above. Buy Observance [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 at the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Hectic Knife (2016): A knife wielding vigilante defends the city from a supervillain named “Piggly Doctor” in this black-and-white bad taste comedy that was picked up (though not produced) by Troma. The trailer (available at the link below) is loaded with violence and f-bombs. Hectic Knife official site.

SCREENINGS – (Los Angeles, Cinefamily, July 29-Aug 2):

Fantastic Planet (1973) & Possession (1981): Read the Certified Weird entry for Fantastic Planet and Pamela de Graff’s controversial Possession review. The illustrious Cinefamily keeps busy again with screenings of two weird European classics, both presented in new restorations, throughout the weekend and the early part of next week. Possession plays every day until Aug 2nd, but your only remaining chances to catch Planet are next Monday and Wednesday. Check the Cinefamily calendar for convenient screening times.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, Lincoln Center, July 30-Aug 4):

On the Silver Globe (1988): A new restoration of Andrzej Zulawski‘s never-quite-completed visionary sci-fi epic. Prints of this will be touring (it’s also closing this year’s Fantasia Festival on Aug 3). We sense a DVD/Blu-ray will be coming down the pike sometime soon. On the Silver Globe at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

NEW ON DVD:

“Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection”: Japanese action/exploitation expert Chris D. called the first film in this women-in-prison series “psychedelic, erotic/grotesque madness” and the second “an absolutely phenomenal surrealist cum exploitation picture.” The original series included six films, so this four movie set—containing Scorpion, Jailhouse 41, Beast Stable and Grudge Song—is not technically “complete.” Buy “Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection” [DVD/Blu-ray combo].

Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son in Law (1977): The title character is murdered by a comedy duo, but the Devil offers him a second chance for life on Earth if only he will marry the Evil One’s stunningly ugly daughter. Rudy Ray (Dolemite) Moore’s bizarre 70s pictures mixed blaxploitation, kung fu, his standup comedy routine, and early freestyle rap; some say this supernatural effort is the wildest of them all. Buy Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son in Law [DVD/Blu-ray combo].

Sexsquatch 2: Teen Ape vs. Sexsquatch (2016): In a matchup that trumps Alien v. Predator for weirdness, Teen Ape and Sexsquatch face off in a battle of microbudget comedy franchises. We can’t promise you’ll get the continuity if you’ve never seen the original Sexsquatch or any of the Teen Ape movies, but for some reason we suspect it won’t matter much. Buy Sexsquatch 2: Teen Ape vs. Sexsquatch.

Tricked (2012): A business tycoon is blackmailed, and lots and lots of secrets emerge. What’s weird about this short (under an hour) Dutch black comedy is its origin: Paul Verhoeven shot the first five-minute scene, then posted it on the Internet and asked users to come up with the rest of the story, sort of like a crowd-sourced game of Exquisite Corpse. Buy Tricked.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

“Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection”: See description in DVD above. The set contains eight discs, presumably four DVDs and four Blu-rays. Buy “Female Prisoner Scorpion: The Complete Collection” [DVD/Blu-ray combo].

“Killer Thrillers Collection”: Read Pamela de Graff’s review of Baba Yaga. The other two (less weird) gialli on this three Blu set are Night Train Murders and the shamelessly-titled Strip Nude for Your Killer. Buy “Killer Thrillers Collection” [Blu-ray].

Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son in Law (1977): See description in DVD above. This Vinegar Syndrome release includes a commentary track (though not with Moore, who died in 2008), a documentary, and trailers for the Dolemite pictures. Buy Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son in Law [DVD/Blu-ray 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.

The winners of our 6th irregularly-scheduled readers’ poll are Vampire’s Kiss (Nic Cage‘s weirdest performance), with an impressive 27% of the vote in group A, and Why Don’t You Play in Hell?, soon to become Shion Sono‘s second entry on the List of the 366 Best Weird Movies Ever Made. Congrats to the winners and look for the official writeups in a couple of weeks!

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 at the official site links.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, IFC Center, 7/8):

House [Hausu] (1977): Read the Certified Weird entry! The craziest haunted house movie you’ve ever seen begins just after midnight. House [Hausu] at IFC Center.

IN DEVELOPMENT (pre-production):

Lucky: The directorial debut from actor John Carrol Lynch (TV’s “Fargo”) will concern a 90-year old atheist in a quirky desert town. This is unlikely to be very weird, but the casting makes it something to keep an eye on: it stars Harry Dean Stanton, with a scheduled appearance by David (no relation) Lynch. Lucky article at Variety.

NEW ON DVD:

The Mermaid (2016): A mermaid assassin is sent to kill a businessman whose dolphin-killing sonar is massacring her people in Stephen Chow‘s latest weird comedy. A huge hit in China, The Mermaid made its way to these shores (on disc, at least) in record time. Buy The Mermaid.

Suture (1993): Neo-noir in which two half-brothers are reunited and discover that everyone thinks they look exactly alike; the only problem, which no one in the movie notices, is that one is black and one is white. This film made some waves when it was released but was swamped in the sea of early-90s indies and forgotten until Arrow’s DVD/Blu-ray release. Buy Suture [DVD/Blu-ray combo].

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Mermaid (2016): See description in DVD above. Buy The Mermaid [Blu-ray].

Suture (1993): See description in DVD above. Buy Suture [DVD/Blu-ray 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.