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 – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, Fri. Dec 11, 10 PM):

Belladonna of Sadness (1973): Read Alex Kittle’s capsule from Fantastic Fest. A rare screening of Japan’s lost psychedelic erotic acid trip anime about medieval witchcraft. This L.A. premier is the centerpiece of an “Animation Breakdown” mini-festival at the ‘family. Belladonna of Sadness at Cinefamily.

SCREENINGS – (Lincoln Center, New York City, Dec. 11-22):

“Lynch/Rivette”: The idea behind the Lincoln Center’s new series is to pair a film by French New Wave director Jacques Rivette with a thematically similar one from David Lynch. We get The Duchess of Langais together with Blue Velvet; Joan the Maid and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me; L’amour Fou and Wild at Heart; Paris Belongs to Us and Eraserhead; Lost Highway and Duelle; Story of Marie and Julien and INLAND EMPIRE; and, in the must-see double feature, the rarely screened Celine and Julie Go Boating paired with Lynch’s most popular movie, Mulholland Drive. The movies will be individually screened throughout the next two weeks, as well. What a Christmas gift to New York cinephiles! Check out the following link for showtimes. “Lynch/Rivette” at Film Society of Lincoln Center.

NEW ON DVD:

Thundercrack! (1975): A rare underground film with hardcore sex scenes, or a hardcore sex film with cult movie sensibilities, the scenario involves an old dark house and an amorous guy in a gorilla suit. Overheated, trashy dialogue supplied by Sins of the Fleshapoids scribe George Kuchar. First time ever on DVD. Buy Thundercrack!

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987): Seven deformed children with antisocial attributes help a friendless kid deal with bullies. Little people in horrifying latex masks supplied by Uncanny Valley Design Co. portray the disgusting “kids” (with names like “Valerie Vomit”) in this notorious PG-rated gross-out flop. Buy The Garbage Pail Kids Movie [Blu-ray].

Thundercrack! (1975): See description in DVD above. The Blu-ray contains the bonus documentary It Came from Kuchar and a DVD packed with extras, and is actually cheaper at this writing than the standalone DVD. Buy Thundercrack! [Blu-ray].

NEPOTISM CORNER:

“The Projection Booth Phase IV Podcast”: Our own El Rob Hubbard is one of the three experts discussing poster-designer and credit-sequence specialist Saul Bass’ only feature film, Phase IV, wherein ants mobilize and threaten the human race. The original film ended with a surreal 2001-style montage that was severely edited by the studio for the theatrical release. Rob discusses the excised footage and more with podcast host Mike White and fellow guest Josh Hadley. The Projection Booth Phase IV Podcast.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Ninja III: The Domination (1984): A deceased ninja possesses the body of an aerobics instructor and forces her to carry out revenge killings. Only in the 80s! Watch Ninja III: The Domination free on YouTube.

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 DEVELOPMENT (completed, pre-release):

The Bad Batch (2016): The logline is promising: “a dystopian love story in a Texas wasteland and set in a community of cannibals.” Ana Lily Amirpour did so well with her Iranian vampire-western debut, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, that Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey signed on to her sophomore feature. Let’s hope she can keep the momentum up (and ramp up the weirdness). Batch was partially filmed in the desert communities of Slab City and Bombay Beach, using local eccentrics as extras. The mainstream pop-culture panel embedded below used the word “weird” three times when discussing the casting. Ion Cinema’s report on The Bad Batch.

The Greasy Strangler (2016): Hard to tell what the plot of this odd-looking horror/comedy will be, but it involves a disco walking tour and the title character. Director Jim Hosking financed this debut feature after his weird “G is for Grandad” segment from The ABCs of Death 2 wowed the guys with the purse strings. Strangler debuts in the “Midnight” category of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival; other entries that could be of interest are Rob Zombie‘s killer clown horror 31, Rich Fox’s psychosexual thriller The Blackout Experiments, and Danny “Oddsac” Perez‘s paranoid stoner horror Antibirth (starring Chloë Sevigny and Natasha Lyonne). Sundance Festival 2016 Midnight Films announcement.

NEW ON DVD:

Tokyo Tribe (2014): Shion Sono’s latest (well, one of his latest) is described as a “yakuza-street gang-hip hop-musical epic.” Set in an alternate Japan, almost all of the dialogue is rapped. Buy Tokyo Tribe.

Yakuza Apocalypse (2015): Takashi Miike‘s latest (now there’s a referent we have to refresh every couple of months) is about a new yakuza boss who finds his rival is a vampire. This is the best-distributed Miike movie since 2010’s 13 Assassins, which does not guarantee that it will be one of his best, but which is nonetheless encouraging. Buy Yakuza Apocalypse.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Tokyo Tribe (2014): See description in DVD above. Buy Tokyo Tribe [Blu-ray].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON SNAGFILMS:

Mondo Hollywood (1967): This 2005 restoration of a 1960s mondo classic opens with a note explaining that the film was initially banned in France for “perversities, including drugs & homosexuality” and for “the psychology of its editing.” What follows is a parade of hippies, strippers, lesbians, LSD freaks, reactionary anti-Communist politicians, professional skydivers, gurus, circus performers, and celebrities, capturing the zeitgeist of America’s craziest decade from the viewpoint of its craziest town.  Watch Mondo Hollywood free on SnagFilms.

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.

SCREENINGS (Various theaters nationwide, Dec. 3):

Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (Rifftrax Live): Read the Certified Weird entry! You will probably enjoy this unbelievably cheap Florida-based Christmas movie more with the humorous commentary from the Rifftrax guys, which helps you avoid the otherwise inevitable Ice Cream Bunny headache. The big news here, however, is that the film will be screened with the rarely-seen alternate Jack and the Beanstalk insert footage (rather than Thumbelina), making for an all-new experience (since the insert footage comprises the majority of the film). Check the following link to find a theater near you. Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (Rifftrax Live) from Fathom Events.

SCREENINGS – (Silver Springs, MD, AFI Silver Theater, Bov. 27 & 30):

Repulsion (1965): Catherine Deneuve‘s mind disintegrates over her fear of men in Roman Polanski‘s Certified Weird classic. Also of note at the AFI Silver Theater: the “European Union Film Showcase” runs Dec. 1-20 and includes screenings of Liza the Fox Fairy (see Alex Kittle’s brief screening note) and Matteo Garrone‘s bloody fantasy Tale of Tales among its many offerings. AFI Silver home page.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, Lincoln Center, Nov. 27-29):

“Todd Haynes: The Other Side of Dreams”: The Film Society of Lincoln Center highlights films by, and films that influenced, indie provocateur Todd Haynes. Highlights for the weird-inclined: I’m Not There (2007), a fantasy biography of Bob Dylan with six different actors playing alternate versions of the troubadour (11/27 & 29); Velvet Goldmine (1998), Haynes’ trippy Citizen Kane-styled search for a fictional glam rock star (11/28-29); and most notably the Certified Weird Performance (1970), with an ambiguous and androgynous Mick Jagger making gangster James Fox all kinds of uncomfortable (available alone or in a double-feature package with Goldmine 11/28). “Todd Haynes: The Other Side of Dreams” at Film Society of Lincoln Center.

SCREENINGS – (Los Angeles, Cinefamily, Dec. 3):

Nutcracker Fantasy (1979): A Rankin/Bass styled stop-motion Japanese adaptation of the Nutcracker, with a two-headed Rat King and no mention of Christmas whatsoever. A holiday screening of this never-on-DVD oddity is becoming an annual tradition with Cinefamily. Nutcracker Fantasy at Cinefamily.

NEW ON DVD:

The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971): Doctor Bruce Dern grafts a murderous hillbilly head onto the body of a man-child, because why not? This double-headed feature is even worse than The Thing With Two Heads, and we mention it for completeness’ sake. The release includes an optional comic commentary track by the Rifftrax crew. Buy The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant.

The Mask (1961): An otherwise drab B-movie about a magical mask that gives the audience bizarre 3-D color hallucinations when instructed to put on their anaglyph glasses. Classic replicas of the original red/blue 3D “masks” are included (yay!) in case you don’t have a 3D TV (chances are you don’t). Buy The Mask.

Star Leaf (2015): A veteran searches for a grove of extraterrestrial marijuana (!) to cure his PSTD, but finds himself in trouble when he refuses to follow the directions for safe use.  I’m fairly certain that the screenwriter would happily cop to being high when he came up with the idea. Buy Star Leaf.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971): See description in DVD above. Buy The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant [Blu-ray].

The Mask (1961): If I’m reading this right, the Blu-ray release includes a new 3D short and several 3D extras, but unlike the DVD edition it does not come with 3D glasses (what the…?) Buy The Mask [Blu-ray].

“The Quay Brothers: Collected Short Films”: There are several competing compilations of surreal stop-motion shorts by the Quay Brothers on DVD, but this is the first time they have been released in the Blu-ray format. Includes the frequently-requested “Street of Crocodiles,” Christopher Nolan‘s short documentary “Quay,” commentary by the Brothers, and three post-2010 shorts that have never been released on home video before. A must to stuff in your weird love’s stocking. Buy “The Quay Brothers: Collected Short Films” [Blu-ray].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON SNAGFILM:

Mondo Cane (1962): The first successful exploitation documentary by Jacopetti/Prosperi examines such odd human behaviors as pet cemeteries, interspecies breastfeeding, drunks at Octoberfest, nude body painting, cargo cults and more. The title translates as “a dog’s world,” and the resulting documentary is duly cynical about mankind. Watch Mondo Cane  on Sang Film (the full film, despite being incorrectly listed as “Part I”).

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 DEVELOPMENT (Pre-production):

Okja (est. 2017): After his bitter experience with studio interference on his apocalyptic train allegory Snowpiercer, Korean Joon-ho Bong has signed a deal to produce a monster movie for Netflix with the assurance he will have full creative control. That could mean he’s free to go weird in this film about the relationship between a girl and a friendly giant monster. “I want to depict the two characters’ bizarre journey and adventure across the tough world in an original fashion,” says Bong. Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal are attached. Read more at Twitch.

NEW ON DVD:

Catch My Soul (1974): Have you ever heard rumors about a rock opera version of “Othello” set in the American Southwest, starring folkie Richie Havens and directed by “The Prisoner”‘s Patrick McGoohan? This film disappeared soon after opening to lousy reviews, and had long been considered lost; we’d categorize it as an oddity. Released in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. Buy Catch My Soul [Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack].

Deep Dark (2015): A suicidal sculptor discovers a talking hole in his wall with magical powers. One Amazon reviewer calls it “just weird.” We received notice via an anonymous email tip. Buy Deep Dark (or rent on demand).

Living in Oblivion (1995): An indie comedy about the making of an independent film, done in three segments reflecting various on-set disasters. This film is something of a cult item, and features a great performance by James LeGros as a narcissistic heartthrob and  Peter Dinklage‘s debut as the dwarf typecast to play in the dream sequence. A DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. Buy Living In Oblivion [Bluray/DVD Combo].

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Catch My Soul (1974): See description in DVD above. Buy Catch My Soul [Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack].

The City of Lost Children (1995): Read the Certified Weird entry! Remastered and with new bonus features, this “20th Anniversary Edition” is a welcome upgrade for this classic dream-stealing fairy tale that was previously unavailable on Blu-ray in English. Buy The City of Lost Children [Blu-ray].

“The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki”: This set includes all eleven movies directed by legendary animator Miyazaki, including the two fantasies that we Certified Weird (Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away). Each disc includes the original subtitled versions along with Disney’s excellent dubs. Say what you will about the Mouse, but he has treated these international cinema treasures with tremendous respect. Buy “The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki” [Blu-ray].

Living in Oblivion (1995): See description in DVD above. Buy Living In Oblivion [Bluray/DVD Combo].

Lost, Lost, Lost (1976)/Walden (1969): Two experimental diary films from critic-turned-director Jonas Mekas. Walden is probably more popular for its glimpses of celebrities like Timothy Leary, Andy Warhol and John Lennon than for its chaotic visuals (Mekas likes to jerk and spin the camera incoherently). Buy Lost Lost Lost/Walden [Blu-ray].

Trashology (2013): Three gag-inducing vignettes involving Ouija boards, fat fetishes, and revenge killings. Low-budget tribute to John Waters-style filmmaking shot in beautiful Louisville, KY. Buy Trashology [Blu-ray].

Troll (1986)/Troll 2 (1990): Two bad movies on one disk! The original Troll was a strangish PG-13 B-movie fantasy set in an apartment building pitting an actual troll against a kid and a good witch. Troll 2, related to the first in name only, is a laugh riot of incompetence that contains no trolls, only man-eating vegetarian goblins (you heard me right). Buy Troll/Troll 2 [Blu-ray].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

In Dreams (1999): Annette Bening plays a housewife who sees visions of a serial killer in her dreams that turn out to be premonitions. Trippy sequences abound in this psychological sleeper (hee hee) from Neil Jordan, courtesy of the Paramount Vault dump. Watch In Dreams free on YouTube.

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.