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 DEVELOPMENT:

Routines (est. 2015): A stand-up comic goes off the rails when he witnesses his lover’s murder. We mention it because the director describes it as “David Lynch meets early Lindsay Anderson and has a baby named Celebrity von Trier.” To be crowdfunded it needs to raise $4730 in 49 days on Kickstarter. Routines Kickstarter page.

NEW ON DVD:

Bird People (2014): Two-parter set at a hotel by the De Gaulle airport: in the first segment, and American businessman abandons his career, and in the second something magically real happens to a hotel maid (no one wants to spoil the surprise). Reviews of this French drama have been love-it-or-hate-it, and it comes with a “slow” warning. Buy Bird People.

Memphis (2013): 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.” Buy Memphis.

Wetlands (2013): Read our review. Be sure to order a pizza to eat while watching this one! (P.S. don’t order a pizza to eat while watching this one, and don’t blame us if you do). Buy Wetlands.

Young Ones (2014): Family melodrama set on a parched post-apocalyptic ranch. Critics seem unable to figure out exactly what to make of this strange melange of genres from Jake (brother of Gwyneth) Paltrow, but they acknowledge it’s unique. Buy Young Ones.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

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

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

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

TELEVISION:

“Danger 5″ (2012, 2015): We rarely mention TV shows in this space, but this bizarre alternate-history Australian comedy series about five spies trying to take down Hitler demands an exception. Series 2 just started Down Under and features Mr. H hiding out in a 1980’s-inspired high school. Season 1 (which ran in 2012) had a 1960s James Bond/”Get Smart” (on acid) feel to it. The first season is available in the U.S. to Hulu Plus subscribers. We sure would like to see this on DVD. Danger 5 official page at SBS 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 on the official site links.

IN THEATERS (WIDE RELEASE):

Inherent Vice (2014): A pot-smoking detective investigates a labyrinthine plot that eventually leads him to a mysterious organization of dentists known as the “Golden Fang” (among a labyrinth of other subplots). This Paul Thomas Anderson adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel finally goes into wide release after a limited run that earned it such promising notices as Bill Goodykoontz’s “aggressively weird…” Inherent Vice official site.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

La última película (2013): A sort-of remake of/tribute to Dennis Hopper’s drugged-out disaster The Last Movie, which was about a filmmaker trying to make a psychedelic Western in Mexico. Sure to be weird, though whether it will work for anyone but the handful of people who have seen The Last Movie remains to be seen.  Playing exclusively at Lincoln Center in NYC. La última película at Lincoln Center.

When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism (2013): A director and his lead actress (who is also his lover) discuss the film they are making (which we never see). A long shot for weird, but it is frequently cited as “absurdist.” When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism official U.S. site.

NEW ON DVD:

88 (2015): A sexy female killer in a fugue state sees the number “88” everywhere. This Canadian indie is loaded with flashbacks and said to be very confusing, and debuts on home video. Buy 88.

Horns (2013): Read our review. Danielle Radcliffe is accused of murder and grows horns; weird premise, uneven execution. Buy Horns.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

88 (2015): See description in DVD above. Buy 88 [Blu-ray].

Horns (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy Horns [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):

Li’l Quinquin (2013): A bumbling inspector investigates a bizarre murder—body parts found stuffed into a cow—in a small French town. This four-part French miniseries from Bruno Dumont is being released as a 200-minute (!) theatrical feature; it’s been compared to Twin Peaks, and Variety called it “wonderfully weird.” Playing at Lincoln Center in Manhattan and probably nowhere else. Lil’ Quinquin at Lincoln Center.

SCREENINGS – (Television, Turner Classic Movies, Sat. Jan 3, 2:00 AM EST):

Nothing Lasts Forever (1984): Set your DVRs for this ultra-rare screening of this long-buried absurd comedy about a concert pianist who decides to become an artist and eventually lands on the moon. Written and directed by “Saturday Night Live” writer Tom Schiller, it includes cameos by Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray (as a lunar bus conductor). TCM Underground does a great job of obtaining rights to these presumed-lost movies; very soon after they screened Skidoo for the first time in over forty years, a DVD turned up. Fingers crossed for this one. Thanks to L. Rob Hubbard for the heads up. Nothing Lasts Forever article at Turner Classic Movies.

NEW ON DVD:

Tusk (2014): Read our review. We thought Kevin Smith‘s attempt to remake The Human Centipede as a Kevin Smith movie produced very mixed results—now you can judge for yourself. Buy Tusk.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

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

What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we 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 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. Rotten Tomatoes lists this as opening this week, but we think they may be wrong… it’s not even up on U.S. distributor IFC’s website yet. Keep an eye out for it in January. The Duke of Burgundy official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT:

The Stranger (est. Summer 2015): A “free” adaptation of Mark Twain’s “The Mysterious Stranger,” done in the style of El Topo and Greaser’s Palace. These guys are British, so hopefully their take on the acid Western will be unusual indeed. The Stranger official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Coyote (2014): An insomniac writer hallucinates. Reportedly contains Cronenbergian genital/mechanical imagery. Buy Coyote.

Stonehearst Asylum (2014): This Brad Anderson adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe story (Gothic fans will immediately figure out which story, and the twist) boasts a remarkable cast: Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine… Critical opinions were all over the map: the Village Voice praised it as a “vintage Halloween treat,” while the New York Times dubbed it a “shockingly flabby effort.” Buy Stonehearst Asylum.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Stonehearst Asylum (2014): See description in DVD above. Buy Stonehearst Asylum [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.