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. July 31-Tues, Aug 4):
The Films of Roy Andersson: It’s a Certified Weird weekend with this double feature of the first two-thirds of Roy Andersson‘s unofficial absurdist trilogy. Horrifying modernist vignettes haunt Songs from the Second Floor (2000), which is set at the dawn of the millennium in a nameless city undergoing an apocalyptic panic, while You, the Living [Du Levande] (2007) continues the deadpan despair, beginning with a dream that the bombers are coming. Cinefamily completes the set with Andersson’s latest, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Contemplating Existence, screening on Monday and Tuesday. The Films of Roy Andersson at Cinefamily.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Seances (post-production, 2015 release): Guy Maddin comes out with a new one, which has actually been filmed in bits and pieces over the past three years. It’s a collection of shorts based on (you guessed it) lost, forgotten and fragmentary early films. Although the details have changed over the course of the production, it was originally planned as an art installation and an Internet installation (where an originally planned 100 short films would be shown in random order to create an always-unique experience). Talent includes Charlotte Rampling, Udo Kier, Mathieu Amalric, and Maria de Medeiros; co-written with The Forbidden Room co-director Evan Johnson (who seems to have taken George Toles’ place as Maddin’s main collaborator). More information in this 2013 National Film Board of Canada press release.
NEW ON DVD:
Jauja (2014): A Danish soldier (Viggo Mortensen) hunts for his eloped daughter in the wilds of Patagonia in this minimalist experimental feature. Reviews were generally good, but this is one of those arthouse features that comes with a “slow” warning. Buy Jauja.
White God (2014): A young Hungarian girl is forced to give up her beloved pet because of a citywide tax on half-breeds, and the castaway mutts rise up against their human masters. We sniff a political allegory. Buy White God.
Sleepaway Camp (1983): Read Ben Sunde’s review. Aside from the famous ending, per Ben it makes for a “a uniquely schizophrenic experience of a horror film” by “incorporating a wistful portrayal of summer camp into the sleazy slasher mold.” Viewers should be over 17 years old, please. Watch Sleepaway Camp 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.
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):
Horse Money (2014): Ventura, a Cape Verdean immigrant suffering from dementia, wanders an expressionistically shadowed hospital, conflating his modern reality with past events. Critics are describing Portuguese director Pedro Costa’s first film in ten years as “incomprehensible” and “overtly surreal.” Horse Money official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
31 (est. 2016): Rob Zombie, the best movie director named after a reanimated corpse working today, is back at it with a new flick that he promises will be his most “brutal” and “gruesome” effort yet. It involves an involuntary “game” where contestants strive to survive a night in a funhouse full of killer clowns. The best thing about it may be the character names: it stars Malcolm McDowell as “Father Murder” and Elizabeth Daily as “Sex-Head,” and includes other characters with names like “Venus Virgo,” “Sister Serpent,” and “Fat Randy Bumpagussy.”
NEW ON DVD:
Committed (1984): Expressionistic biopic of troubled actress Frances Farmer. J. Hoberman called it “the unexpected missing link between ‘Meshes of the Afternoon’ and ‘Shock Corridor’,” while an Amazon purchaser had a different take: “this movie sucks big time!” Buy Committed.
Love Unto Death (1984)/Life is a Bed of Roses (1983): A mid-80s French pair from Alain (Last Year at Marienbad) Resnais. Love is a talky philosophical film about a man who returns from the dead, while Bed of Roses features three confusingly intertwined stories set in a castle (one is a fantasy imagined by children); it’s also a musical. Buy Love Unto Death/Life Is a Bed of Roses.
Stroszek (1977): An alcoholic German ex-con and a prostitute try to start a new life in Wisconsin in what Roger Ebert declared “one of the oddest films ever made.” We have shared just about all of Shout Factory’s wonderful Werner Herzog collection with you lucky readers by this point; bless them for putting these cinema treasures online for free. Watch Stroszek free on Shout Factory 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.
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But this survey can also serve as an excellent opportunity to discuss the current state of movie delivery technology. For example, some of us in our 40s will only begrudgingly watch a movie on our computer screens if there is no other possible way to see it, and would never consider watching a film on a cell phone. Younger folk may not see that as a problem. There is also the issue of the morality of torrenting. At 366 we do not condone any form of copyright violation, but we recognize that there are different levels of ethics at play here. Downloading a movie that’s playing in theaters now is much different than downloading a movie that is not available in any form otherwise. We hope that, after you’ve finished the survey, we can discuss these sorts of issues in the comments—politely, of course.
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):
Alleluia (2014): A serial murderer meets a lonely woman through a personal ad, and she immediately falls in love and becomes his devoted accomplice. This is at least the fourth retelling of the story of real-life “Lonely Hearts Killers” Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez, but this one is from New French Extremist Fabrice du Welz and is shot by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani‘s cameraman, so hopefully this will be the weirdest version of all. Alleluia official site.
SCREENINGS – (Cinfeamily, Los Angeles, CA, Jul 17 & 18):
Alleluia (2014): Speaking of Alleluia (see above), director du Welz will be on hand for screenings at Cinefamily’s Silent Movie Theater on Friday night at 10:30 and Saturday at 9:30 PM. After Saturday’s screening stick around for the midnight showing of…
The Reflecting Skin (1990): Read the Certified Weird entry! Exploding frogs, petrified babies, gasoline drinking and could-be vampires highlight Philip Ridley‘s magnificently surreal first feature film. Shown in a crisp 35mm print.
FILM FESTIVALS – Fantasia (Montreal, CAN., July 14 – Aug 4):
As its name implies, Montreal’s Fantasia Festival originally began as a showcase for fantastic films from Asia; it has since morphed into a major event on the genre cinema calendar, a venue so big that geek event movies like Marvel’s Ant-Man hold special pre-release screenings there. Not that they’ve let mainstream success get to their heads; there’s still more rare weirdness to be found at Fantasia than at just about any film festival on the globe. We make watchlists from Fantasia’s programming, and we’re always saddened when less than half of the most daring films find meaningful distribution in the U.S. Because of the large number of entries, we’re highlighting only films here that are debuting or are totally new to us: we’re not writing up older festival circuit features like The Editor, Full Strike, H., or Kahlil Gibran’s the Prophet again.
Anima State – A killer with a bandaged face goes on a spree in a Pakistani city, and no one seems to notice. Screening Aug. 2.
Assassination Classroom – High school students train to kill a smiley-faced octopus alien. July 17 (tonight, and it’s sold out).
Buddha’s Palm (1982) – A crazy mix of kung fu with a huge dose of Star Wars (including light sabers) from late in the Shaw Brothers cycle; the killer harpists would later show up in Kung Fu Hustle. July 28 & 21.
Cosmodrama – French existential farce about seven scientists who wake up on a spaceship out of a 70s TV show bound for who knows where. Aug 3 & 4.
Crumbs – Ethiopian (yes, Ethiopian) post-apocalyptic black comedy about a deformed man who must defeat Santa Claus (yes, Santa Claus) to find a UFO…. Catch it July 31 or Aug 3.
Deadman Inferno – Aging yakuza seek revenge for generational wrongs on an island that is struck by a zombie plague; just everyday Japanese weirdness. July 25.
Director’s Commentary: Terror of Frankenstein – A movie that supplies fake director’s commentary—that hints at a murder—for the forgotten 1977 horror flick Terror of Frankenstein. July 19.
German Angst – A trio of surreal and transgressive stories about death from Jorg Buttgereit, Andreas Marschall, and Michal Kosakowski. Screens July 18 (that’s tomorrow!) only.
Haruko’s Paranormal Laboratory – Haruoku’s TV comes to life—well, a man with a TV for a head, at least—and she, and the rest of Japan, fall in love with him. July 21 and 25.
Love & Peace – Shion Sono‘s latest (OK, one of the prolific auteur’s three latest), about a giant talking turtle, plays July 26 only.
“Manos”: The Hands of Fate (1966) – The debut of the restored version of the bizarre low-budget anti-classic; we suspect that this plays better with a dirty, scratchy print with missing frames, however. You can judge for yourself tomorrow (July 18).
Meathead Goes Hog Wild – A recently sacked butcher steals meat and tries to hand it out to random people in Chicago. July 20.
Nina Forever – The bloody corpse of his deceased girlfriend appears in his bed whenever Rob tries to have sex with his new gal. August 1.
The Nutcracker 3D – The 1979 Japanese version of “the Nutcraker,” animated by Rankin/Bass, is revamped into 3D to celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Hello Kitty” (??) August 2.
Observance – Australian horror about a grieving man who goes insane when he is hired to stake out a beautiful blonde’s apartment. Observe the world premiere July 19 or catch the encore July 22.
On the White Planet – A boy born with pigmentation is treated as an outcast on his black-and-white planet in this animation from Korea. July 24.
The Reflecting Skin (1990) – Also playing in Los Angeles (see “screenings” above). July 21 in Montreal.
Remake, Remix, Rip-Off: About Copy Culture & Turkish Pop Cinema – Documentary describing the Turkish film industry’s habit of creating goofy knockoffs of Western hits like Star Wars, “Star Trek,” and even a Captain America-Santo crossover. Screens Aug. 4.
Roar (1981) – A gang of lions, leopards and tigers attack African homesteaders in a nonstop barrage of fangs and claws (the danger is very real; over 70 members of the cast and crew were injured making this insane feature). July 17 (that’s today!)
Tag – An unseen force is killing schoolgirls in another Shion Sono provocation. Aug 3.
Teana: 10000 Years Later – Cultural differences may add to the appeal of this Chinese all-CGI 3D action/fantasy spectacle set more than 10,000 years from now. July 18.
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959): A French woman and a Japanese architect part, sharing what may be unreliable memories in this flashback-riddled nonlinear narrative. Alain Resnais’ debut is considered a monumental classic of world cinema by most, but we consider it a warm-up for Last Year in Marienbad. Buy Hiroshima Mon Amour (Criterion Collection).
“Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell: Season 1” (2013): Gary, a low-level devil, tries to corrupt enough human souls to earn a diabolical promotion, while being undermined by his intern Claude. We thought this mini-sitcom (15-minute episodes) from the Cartoon Networ’s “Adult Swim” was worth a mention; comes with 2 hours of “uncensored” extras. Buy “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell: Season 1”.
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Giuseppe Makes a Movie (2014): Documentary about Giuseppe Andrews’ vulgar, boozy, super-low budget movies, cast with trailer-park residents and the homeless.The Blu-ray (there’s no DVD?) contains the complete Andrews feature film Garbanzo Gas on the second disc. Buy Giuseppe Makes A Movie [Blu-ray].
Some Call It Loving [AKA Sleeping Beauty] (1973): A jazz musician/prince purchases a sleeping beauty from a carnival sideshow. This is the first release from the new Etiquette label, which promises to unearth forgotten gems of the underground. Buy Some Call It Loving [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.
High-Rise (post-production, expected 2015): Ben Wheatley adapts the J.G. (“Crash,” “The Atrocity Exhibition”) Ballard allegorical novel about the class struggle in a high rise apartment building. The scenario has echoes of Snowpiercer and Metropolis (the lead character is even named “Laing”). Starring Tom Hiddleston. You can read a preview at Indiewire.
Waif (expected Nov. 2015): Microbudget Memphis-based moviemaker John Michael McCarthy was making grindhouse throwback movies like Teenage Tupelo and Superstarlet A.D. before Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez made it fashionable, and making them much weirder. His latest (which is broken into four episodes of unknown length) is inspired by cosplay, and follows the adventures of a schoolgirl who stows away on a spaceship and ends up fighting robots at an abondoned drive-in theater. Two out of four episodes were shot, and a second Kickstarter campaign may be required to finish it. This project may never be screened outside of Memphis’ last functioning drive-in (where it is intended to debut), but we can always hope. Waif official project site.
NEW ON DVD:
Spasmo (1974): A giallo full of disappearing corpses, weird characters and incoherent dialogue, that eventually makes some sense after the twist ending arrives. From cannibal movie maestro Umberto Lenzi, with music by Ennio Morricone. Buy Spasmo.
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
The Cell (2000): A child psychiatrist (Jennifer Lopez!) goes into the mind of a serial killer looking for the solution to a mystery. This film (which is in our reader-suggested review queue) was on Blu-ray already, but this release restores some of the DVDs special features (director’s commentary and featurette) that were not on the original bare-bones Blu. Buy The Cell [Blu-ray].
My Best Fiend (1999): Werner Herzog‘s documentary about his love/hate relationship with his most famous leading man, the mercurial Klaus Kinski. Watching footage of Kinski’s insane rants, both on and off set, it’s amazing that he was ever able to complete any movie. Herzog didn’t actually force Kinski to finish Aguirre, the Wrath of God at gunpoint, but watching this, you can see why people believed the story to be true. Watch My Best Fiend 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.
Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!
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