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):

The Forbidden Room (2015): Guy Maddin‘s latest (co-directed with Evan Johnson) is a series of absurd early-talkie, two-strip Technicolor shorts, set in dreamlike submarines, caves, trains, and other locales out of 1920s melodramas. Every Maddin movie is an event. Room is being released to theaters from Toronto to Winnipeg this fall, but no U.S. dates announced—yet. The Forbidden Room official site.

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. It is rare that a Miike film gets even a limited theatrical release on these shores, but there it, is in a few East coast theaters. Yakuza Apocalypse official site (in Japanese).

SCREENINGS – (Denver, CO., Glitterdome, Oct 8-31):

The Portal (2015): A multimedia psychedelic rock opera version of Dante’s Inferno. Until Halloween, a live onstage band will supply the score as the movie plays. Most of us will have to wait for the DVD version. No surprise that this project pops up in Colorado; recreational marijuana legalization is already paying cultural dividends. The Portal official site.

SCREENINGS – (Los Angeles, Cinefamily, Sat, Oct 10):

The Mask (1961): Don’t miss a rare chance to see this 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, projected in vintage 3-D. Part of an overlooked horror movie series Cinefamily has entitled UNSEEN! UNSCREENED!! OBSCENE!!! Check the link for a full schedule. UNSEEN! UNSCREENED!! OBSCENE!!! at Cinefamily.

FILM FESTIVALS – SITGES FILM FESTIVAL (Sitges, Spain, Oct. 9-18):

Although Sitges as always has a fine slate of fantastic films, they’re more into quantity than exclusivity. We’ve seen most of the offerings at other film festivals. Here are a few notable films we noticed that appear to be debuting there (along with some special screenings of older cult films):

• The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin – As far as we know, the only feature length documentary on the work of Guy Maddin. Screens Oct 12.
• Arcana – The least seen of B-surrealist Giulio Questi‘s three major features is a supernatural horror about a non-psychic fortune teller and her psychic son. Screens Oct. 16.
• Cosmos – Andrzej Zulawski‘s first film in 15 years is a metaphysical farce about a law school flunkout vacationing in a strange house. Screens twice on Oct 16.
  
• Dyke Hard – Colorful spoof about a lesbian rock band fighting an army of ninjas and robots. Oct. 11 & 17.
• Female Werewolf – A mentally ill woman believe she is turning into a werewolf in this Canadian film described as “1 moody, sensual and surreal psychological thriller.” Oct. 16.
• Ink/The Frame – A Jamin Winans double feature; the 2009 Certified Weird allegorical dream fantasy matched with the “Twilight Zone”-ish 2014 followup, both on Oct. 17.

Sitges Film Festival official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Burnt Offerings (1976): A couple rent an old house for the summer on condition that they leave out food for a decrepit grandma who never leaves her room. This haunted house chiller made quite an impression on folks who caught it during its initial run, so much so that it made its way into our reader-suggested review queue. Buy Burnt Offerings.

Children of the Night [AKA Limbo] (2014): Argentinian horror about a colony of child vampires being indoctrinated into believing they are a master race. Artsploitation Films’ contribution to the Halloween season. Buy Children of the Night.

The Falling (2014): An unexplained plague of fainting spells strikes at a British girls’ school in the 1960s. Picnic at Hanging Rock fans are sure to swoon at this one. Buy The Falling.

Gravy (2015): Costumed cannibals hold the patrons of a Mexican restaurant hostage on Halloween. Shout! Factory is now picking up current releases; not sure how weird this one is but it has clear cult intentions. Buy Gravy.

“Masterworks of American Avant-garde Experimental Film 1920-1970”: 36 short films meriting the titular description; the 4-disc (2 DVD/2 Blu-ray) set includes a “unique” version of the Certified Weird classic “Meshes of the Afternoon,” as well as shorts from Marcel Duchamp, Kenneth Anger, Stan Brakhage, and other names familiar to anyone with an interest in the avant-garde. A major release from specialty label Flicker Alley, and a major investment. Buy “Masterworks of American Avant-garde Experimental Film 1920-1970” [DVD/Blu-ray Combo].

Roar (1981): A gang of lions, leopards and tigers attack African homesteaders in a nonstop barrage of fangs and claws. The danger was very real; the ad copy brags that over 70 members of the cast and crew were injured making this insane feature! Not necessarily “weird” but definitely out-there and hard-to-believe. Buy Roar.

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015): Sharks rain down on over-the-hill actors in this third (!) installment of the toothy, spoofy series. We didn’t much like the first Sharknado‘s low-grade brand of idiot camp, but feel obligated to at least acknowledge this one’s existence. Maybe it’s “better.” Buy Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992): Read our review! This deluxe Blu-ray release contains a number of extra features, including an (old) commentary track featuring Francis Ford Coppola. We have seen reports saying that the framing is off; we consider them unconfirmed (but credible). Also available in limited-edition “clear case” packaging with a 24-page booklet. Buy Bram Stoker’s Dracula [Blu-ray].

Burnt Offerings (1976): See description in DVD above. Buy Burnt Offerings [Blu-ray].

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

“Masterworks of American Avant-garde Experimental Film 1920-1970”: See description in DVD above. Buy “Masterworks of American Avant-garde Experimental Film 1920-1970” [DVD/Blu-ray Combo].

My Own Private Idaho (1991): River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves play two gay street hustlers in Gus van Sant‘s loose and hallucinatory adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV.” From the Criterion Collection, so there are a wealth of extras (Criterion’s 2005 DVD release spanned two discs; it all fits on one Blu). Buy My Own Private Idaho [Blu-ray].

Roar (1981): See description in DVD above. Buy Roar [Blu-ray].

Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015): See description in DVD above. Buy Sharknado 3: Oh Hell no! [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):

Finders Keepers (2015): A recovering addict seeks to recover his mummified foot from a man who found it in a grill he bought at a garage sale. Documentaries have a hard time getting on our radar, but this one is garnering all the right critical adjectives: “strange,” “crazy,” “insane,” and yes, even “weird.” Finders Keepers official site.

Forever (2015): A journalist goes to a retreat to recover from an emotional trauma, but (of course) all is not as it seems. Not too much is known about this psychological thriller, but the one review in existence calls it “a mysterious mindbender.” Forever press release.

FILM FESTIVALS – New York Film Festival (New York City, Lincoln Center, Sep. 25-Oct. 11):

While most of our attention will be on Fantastic Fest (see below), we should mention the more mainstream offerings on tap in the coming weeks at the New York Film Festival, held at Lincoln Center. There are no debuts to speak of, but the following weird films we’ve already noted from other festivals will be playing: Apichatpong Weerasethakul‘s Cemetery of Splendour (Sep. 30 & Oct. 1), Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson‘s The Forbidden Room (Sep. 28 & 92), Laurie Anderson’s Heart of a Dog (Oct. 8), and Giorgos Lanthimos’s The Lobster (Sep. 27 & 28). All of the directors will be and hand except for Weerasethakul, and almost all screenings are already “standby only.”

New York Film Festival homepage.

FILM FESTIVALS – Fantastic Fest (Austin, TX, Sep. 24-Oct. 1):

The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX may be America’s coolest theater. Their brand has grown so big that now they have franchised Drafthouses, and even distribute their own (generally weird) movies. One of the Alamo’s hippest projects is Fantastic Fest, going into its eleventh year. As per usual, there is a fantastic slate of weird movies and some neato revivals here. While there are more than a dozen “of interest” movies showing here that we’ve already noted in our entries on Sundance, Toronto, and other venues, here are some other titles that are special to Fantastic Fest:

• Belladonna of Sadness (1973) – A psychedelic anime about a medieval rape victim who makes a revenge-pact with the Devil; never before screened in the USA. Your only remaining chance to see it (until it arrives on DVD) is Sep. 28.
  
• Der Bunker – A student ends up as tutor to a child whose family lives in a bunker, and whose mother has an alien living in her leg. Sep. 28.
• Coz uv Moni 2 – Ghanaian pidgin musical sequel (we missed the first part) with two musicians seeking revenge, meeting Dracula (“welcome to Transylvania/you will realize its different from Ghana”) and a reefer-smoking Jesus along the way. Sep. 28.
  
• Darling – A young woman goes insane while taking care of an old New York house; in black and white. Sep. 25 (tonight!) and Oct. 1.
• Follow – A Christmas-themed “descent into madness” indie. Sep. 26 & 28.
• In Search of the Ultra-Sex – A mock sci-fi pastiche pieced together from the weirdest scenes from dozens of international hardcore sex movies from the 1970s and 1980s. Sep. 25 (midnight) and 30.
• Liza the Fox Fairy – Set in Budapest in the 1970s, the comically surreal movie tells the story of a woman whose lovers all die, leading her to suspect she may be a Japanese fox fairy. Sep. 27 & 30.
• Lovemilla – Finnish comedy about a young girl whose best friend is a superhero and whose parents turn into zombies when they drink, with musical numbers. Sep. 26 & 28.
• Remake, Remix, Rip-off – Documentary about the Turkish film industry, which thrived locally in the 70s and 80s off lax copyright laws that allowed it to make cheap, unauthorized knockoffs of popular Western movies and characters (like Star Wars and Spiderman) with an Ankara spin. You can also catch original Turksploitation features like The Deathless Devil and Tartan vs. the Viking at the Fest. Catch the doc Sep. 29.
  
• Ruined Heart – A “punk noir opera” about a gangster’s moll falling in love with a henchman; set in the Philippines and starring a Japanese pop star. Sep. 29.
• The Similars – Eight people are trapped in surreal situations in a Mexico City bus station. Try it Sep. 29.
• Stand By for Tape Back-up – VHS mashup of “Fresh Prince,” Ghostbusters and other taped ephemera with experimental transformations and essay-narration. Sep. 26 & 28.
• Tikkun – A devout Hasidic Jew comes back from a near-death experience as a lusty hedonist. Screening Sep. 30.

We have an undercover correspondent in Austin and we should have some unscheduled guerrilla coverage from the Fest at some point—stay tuned to this site for reports. Fantastic Fest homepage.

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):

Hellions (2015): Bruce McDonald (Pontypool) puts out a Halloween-themed horror about a pregnant girl terrorized by childlike monsters. The visuals are surreal, but general reviews were poor; we wonder why this isn’t being released closer to Halloween. Hellions official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Angst (1983): Intense, first-person portrait of a Polish serial killer as he is released from prison and plots new crimes. This is the first time the celebrated Angst (which is often compared to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) has been available in Region 1. Review coming soon. Buy Angst.

The Beast [La bête] (1975): An aristocratic French woman has sex with a Beast who is stalking the countryside. Walerian Borowczyk’s surreal, explicit bestiality fantasy sure scandalized them in 1975; 40 years later, I’m still not sure if we’re ready for it. Buy The Beast [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

Buzzard (2014): A temp worker pulls off pathetic, miniscule scams in this slacker satire.  Alexander Lowe of “We Got This Covered” says that it “finds a way to be an enjoyable movie in the weirdest way possible” and the ad copy intriguingly describes it as “Albert Camus meets Freddy Krueger.” Buy Buzzard.

Immoral Tales (1974): The title is an accurate description of Walerian Borowczyk’s anthology of strange, depraved erotic stories from history, which includes segments with blood-bathing countess Elizabeth Báthory and an orgy featuring Lucrezia Borgia and her father, the Pope. The Beast (also released this week from Arrow Video) was originally intended as a segment in Tales, but got expanded into a feature. Buy Immoral Tales [DVD/Blu-ray combo pack].

Reality (2014): Quentin Dupieux‘s latest project is about a horror film director searching for a perfect scream. Dupieux’s meta-absurdist comedies are always worth a look, and we have been anxiously await this release. Buy Reality [DVD/Blu-ray combo pack].

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Angst (1983): See description in DVD above. Buy Angst [Blu-ray].

The Beast [La bête] (1975): See description in DVD above. A 2-format combo pack offering. Buy The Beast [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

Immoral Tales (1974): See description in DVD above. Buy Immoral Tales [DVD/Blu-ray combo pack].

Reality (2014): See description in DVD above. Buy Reality [DVD/Blu-ray combo pack].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON SNAGFILMS:

Andy Warhol’s Bad (1977): Snag Films is getting into the free online movie game. In addition to the usual public domain suspects, they also snagged a few more unusual titles, including this offensive 1977 black comedy (the last in a series of trashy movies with Andy Warhol‘s name slapped on it) about a housewife (Carroll Baker) who runs an all-female assassin ring. Watch Andy Warhol’s Bad on Snag Films.

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 – (AFI Theater, Silver Springs, MD, Sep. 11, 13 & 14):

Being John Malkovich (1999): Read the Certified Weird entry! Spike Jonze‘s directing debut was Charlie Kaufman‘s breakthrough script about discovering a doorway into actor John Malkovich’s mind; not bad timing for either guy. Being John Malkovich at AFI Silver Theater.

FILM FESTIVALS – Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) (Toronto, Canada, Sep. 10-20):

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 (like Charlie Kaufman‘s Anomalisa, Guy Maddin‘s The Forbidden Room, Giorgos Lanthimos‘s The Lobster, and Takashi Miike‘s Yakuza Apocalypse) 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:

• The Apostate – “Gently absurdist” tale of a man who tries to formally and officially leave the Catholic Church, only to find himself lost in a labyrinth of bureaucracy. Screens Sep. 11, 13 and 18.
• Baskin – We have heard some positive pre-fest buzz about this Turkish midnight movie about cops who are lured into the entrance to Hell. Sep. 11, 13 & 17.
  
• Blood of My Blood – Begins as a tale of suicide and lechery during the Inquisition, then jumps forward in time to a haunted monastery. Screening Sep. 15, 17, & 19.
• Bring Me the Head of Tim Horton – A “strange” 30-minute making-of documentary about Paul Gross’s Hyena Road; the interesting part is who directed it: The Forbidden Room‘s Evan Johnson and Guy Maddin (together with an unknown third co-director, Galen Johnson). Runs Sep. 14-20.
• Cemetery of Splendour – Apichatpong Weerasethakul‘s first full feature since Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives explores the dreams of soldiers suffering from a mysterious mass outbreak of sleeping sickness. Sep. 13 & 15.
• Chevalier – Six men play absurd dominance games aboard a yacht; from the director of Attenberg and the co-writer of Dogtooth, so its “New Weird Greece” credentials are impeccable. Sep. 12 & 14.
• Collective Invention – A mutant fish-man becomes a national celebrity in this South Korean satire that plays Sep. 14, 15 & 19.
• Couple in a Hole – A farmer takes an unhealthy interest in the fate of a couple who have renounced civilization to live by their wits alone. Sep. 15, 14 & 19.
• Endorphine – A mindbending meta-narrative story about three very different characters, all named Simone; directed by Denis Villeneuve’s cinematographer. Try to catch it Sep. 12. 
• Evolution – Lucile Hadzihalilovic‘s long-delayed second film is set on an isolated island where boys are raised by the mothers and subjected to scientific experiments. Sep. 14, 16 & 20.
• High-Rise – Ben Wheatley adapts the J.G. (“Crash,” “The Atrocity Exhibition”) Ballard allegorical novel  about the class struggle in a high rise apartment building. Sep. 13 – 14.
• The Mask (1961) – Don’t miss a rare chance to see this 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, projected in vintage 3-D. Free screening (!) Sep. 12.
• Men & Chicken – “Transgressive” black comedy from Denmark about two brothers who discover their real biological father and siblings are weirdos living on the island of Ork. Sep. 14, 16 & 20.
• Minotaur/Night Without Distance – Two short surreal Latin films screened together as a double feature; Minotaur is about a trio of sleepy thirtysomethings in a Mexico City apartment, while Night is a “hallucinatory portrait” of Portuguese smugglers. Sep 12 & 13.
• “The Returned” – The first two episodes of season 2 of the French television series, based on the idea that the dead of a particular village return and resume normal life, which has gained some comparisons to “Twin Peaks.” Screens Sep. 14, 15 & 19.
• Vertigo – A free screening of Hitchcock’s Certified Weird classic on Sep. 20.
• The Whispering Star – Shion Sono‘s latest is science fiction about a robot who makes interstellar deliveries. Check it out Sep. 14, 16 & 19.

Toronto International Film Festival home page.

NEW ON DVD:

The Editor (2014): A giallo spoof from Astron-6 about a one-handed editor suspected of murder on a movie set.  In case you were wondering whether there was nudity in the movie, the complete set of IMDB keywords reads “female nudity | nudity | bare breasts | breasts |topless female nudity” (and also, Paz de la Huerta, the only actress working today with a “no non-nudity” clause in her contract, is in it). Buy The Editor [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

Morituris: Legions Of The Dead (2011): Rapists and their victims are attacked by zombie gladiators. It’s almost certainly no damn good, but the ad copy quotes Chris Alexander of Fangoria as calling it “Dark, cruel, strong, weird and violent…” Buy Morituris: Legions Of The Dead.

Society (1989): Read the Certified Weird entry! As far as we can tell this edition has identical features to the “limited edition” Society set released earlier this year, except that it lacks the gatefold packaging and does not include the mini-graphic novel sequel. Buy Society [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

“Universal Classic Monsters Collection”: None of these six Universal horror classics were Certified Weird, but all have been reviewed on the site in some form and all are worth seeing. The monsters are Dracula, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and The Mummy. Horror fans complain that Universal re-releases these same hits over and over in various combinations while neglecting less popular titles, but if you do not own these yet, this is the essential classic horror DVD set with tons of extra features. Buy “Universal Classic Monsters Collection.”

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Editor (2014): See description in DVD above. Buy The Editor [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

Morituris: Legions Of The Dead (2011): See description in DVD above. Buy Morituris: Legions Of The Dead [Blu-ray].

Society (1989): See description in DVD above. Buy Society [Blu-ray + DVD combo pack].

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 – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, 9/4-9/7, 9/9-9/13):

“The Quay Brothers in 35mm” – Three short films from the surrealist stop-motion animator twins: “In Absentia,” “The Comb,” and the famous “Street of Crocodiles,” plus a short peek at their magical workshop, hosted by celebrity fan Christopher Nolan. Nolan will also host the 7:30 Friday evening screening in person. “The Quay Brothers in 35mm” at Cinefamily.

SCREENINGS – (AFI Silver Theater, Silver Springs, MD, 9/4-9/8):

Wild at Heart (1990)/Lost Highway (1997): Two Certified Weird movies from giant David Lynch dominate AFI’s “Keepin’ It Real: ’90s Cinema Now” series this month. Wild at Heart, Lynch’s crazed B-movie starring Nicolas Cage as an Elvis-loving romantic miscreant, plays Friday, Saturday and Wednesday. The even wilder Lost Highway, which features Bill Pullman defeating a homicide rap by morphing into a teenage mechanic, takes center screen Monday and Tuesday. Sorry, no Lynch double feature, but Saturday night they’ll be showing Ghost in the Shell on another screen at the same time as Wild at Heart (the dastards!) “Keepin’ It Real: ’90s Cinema Now” at AFI.

FILM FESTIVALS – Venice Film Festival (Venice, Italy, Sep 2-Sep.7):

The world’s oldest film festival, Venice is still one of the most prestigious movie events of the year, although it has been losing ground in late years as many producers who miss the chance to debut at Cannes choose to premiere at the better-attended Toronto Film Festival instead. Still, Venice always lands a few scoops…

• Anomalisa – This stop-motion feature about “a man crippled by the mundanity of his life,” written and co-directed by the great Charlie Kaufman, was originally supposed to be a Kickstarted short and has ballooned into a full-fledged feature with studio backing. World premiere on Sept. 8.
• Heart of a Dog – Avant-garde musician Laurie Anderson’s first feature film is an experimental film essay which includes pieces on her dog and the Tibetan Buddhist afterlife. Screening Sept. 9 only.
• Man Down – A psychological thriller about an Afghan war vet searching for his brother after the apocalypse strikes. Premieres Sept. 6, additional screening Sept. 7.

Venice Film Festival home page (English).

IN DEVELOPMENT:

Dr. Strange (pre-production, releases 2016): OK, so skepticism rules when discussing the potential weirdness of a Marvel blockbuster, but people are casually throwing around the word “psychedelic” when describing the project, so it may indeed be marginally strange (by comic book standards). In an interview,  Director of Photography Ben Davis described the project as “Marvel’s Fantasia, in a way, because it’s so sort of out there and different to everything else that they’ve done.” In 1939 we would never have thought a Disney cartoon would make the List of the 366 Weirdest Movies Ever Made, either, so I guess we can’t rule categorically rule a Marvel film out. Ben Davis Dr. Strange interview with Screen Daily.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON SHOUT TV:

“Mystery Science Theater 3000: ‘Manos,’ the Hands of Fate” (1966/1993): Read our review of Manos. Many consider ‘Manos’ the high point of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” the cult TV series featuring a man and his robot companions stranded in space and making fun of bad movies in real time. “Every frame of this film looks like someone’s last known photograph,” complains a distressed Joel Robinson as he waits for something to happen in this bleak, slow, and very strange horror oddity whose cult was founded after it was featured on the show. It’s not hard to find a public domain copy of Manos, but this version with comic commentary may be the least painful way to experience this fever-dream of an El Paso fertilizer salesman. Watch “Mystery Science Theater 3000: ‘Manos,’ the Hands of Fate” free on Shout 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.