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 many other subplots). Paul Thomas Anderson becomes the first director to adapt a Thomas Pynchon novel, which is reason enough to salivate. Inherent Vice official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Frank (2014): Read G. Smalley’s review. Michael Fassbender in a giant papier-mâché head. ‘Nuff said. Buy Frank.

Safe (1995): A wealthy woman flees to a New Age spa in the desert when she becomes afraid that she is “allergic to the 20th century.” From the man who brought us Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, so you know Safe is anything but. Buy Safe.

The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears (2013): Read Alex Kittle’s review. Buy the DVD for the “reversible sleeve with uncensored artwork!” (We’re thinking that means nipples!) Buy The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

“Fox Searchlight Pictures: 20th Anniversary Collection”: Fox Searchlight does good work, but we’re always skeptical about collections of films that have nothing to do with each other except that they were released under the same studio imprint. Nonetheless, we’ll point out that you will find the Certified Weird Beasts of the Southern Wild and Black Swan among the 21 arthouse disks here (and that the price per Blu in this set turns out to be a bargain at $6 each). Buy “Fox Searchlight Pictures: 20th Anniversary Collection” [Blu-ray].

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

Natural Born Killers (1994): Woody Harrelson and Juliet Lewis star as a pair of serial killers on a hallucinogenic rampage across a bloody pop-culture landscape. This “20th Anniversary” edition includes both the theatrical and director’s cuts and the new featurette “Natural Born Killers: Method in the Madness,” and comes in “Diamond Luxe” packaging. Buy Natural Born Killers [20th Anniversary Blu-ray]

Safe (1995): See description in DVD above. Buy Safe [Blu-ray].

The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears [Blu-ray].

Time Bandits (1981): Read the Certified Weird review! The Criterion Collection’s on again/off again affair with the rights to Terry Gilliam‘s movies is on again. This Blu features a lenticular cover. Buy Time Bandits [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.

We’ll be taking a short break from catching up on 2014 releases next week before our big year-end push. Instead, we’ll start by bringing you one of those ever-popular celebrity “Top 10 Weird Movies” lists, this time by Ink/The Frame auteur Jamin Winans. On Tuesday we’ll have a little early Christmas present for you as we bring you the Alloy Orchestra’s compilation of some of the weirdest shorts of the silent era (including a couple of certifiable classics), complete with a link to watch for free courtesy of our monthly arrangement with the Movie and Music Network. And from the reader-suggested review queue, Ryan Aarset will give his opinion on Cube (seeing as how we’ve already passed on the two sequels for the List, how will the original fare?)

“Video footage of pretty girls named violet pounding on doors” may be one of the most specific sexual fetishes we’ve ever encountered, but that’s the kind of thing we see every week in our roundup of the Weirdest Search Terms of the Week. Speaking of strange fetishes, sometimes a slip of a single letter can turn an already odd search term into something weirder, as is the case with “guy in orange suit ducks a tranny.” We thought “future midget submarines” might be a winner this week, but a quick check of Google suggests that future midget submarines may really affect us in the future. So this week we’ll pick “drama set in africa where actors are playing chimps who defecate coconuts” as the weirdest search term we saw, despite the fact that we know inevitably some reader will comment “yeah, that’s Simian Love Gods of Zimbabwe he’s thinking of,” or something like that.

Here’s how the ridiculously-long and ever-growing reader-suggested review queue stands: Cube (next week!); The Real McCoy; Themroc; Candy (1968); The Fox Family; Angelus; Britannia Hospital; Continue reading WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE →

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):

Billy Bates: Experimental feature about an artist who has a psychotic freakout and becomes “the Warhol of his generation.” Playing NYC’s Quad Cinemas this week, and tonight’s (12/5) 7:50 screening is free to the public, with a Q&A to follow.  Billy Bates official site.

The Foxy Merkins: An asthmatic woman who aspires to be a lesbian hooker takes hints from a rich, beautiful heterosexual hustler with a gift for seducing women. From the team behind Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same. The Foxy Merkins official site.

SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, Dec. 5-8):

“Truth and Soul, Inc.: The Films of Robert Downey Sr. (a prince)”: How big film geeks are the folks at Cinefamily? They want to do a fundraiser, and they think, “what will get the people out thereto  really shell out dough? I know, a four-day retrospective of the no-budget underground movies of Robert Downey Sr.!” Director Paul Thomas Anderson, comedian Louis CK, and Downey’s own superstar progeny, Mr. Iron Man himself, enable the programmers’ delusions, thank goodness. On Dec. 5 Downey pere and fils discuss Chafed Elbows and Two Tons of Turquoise to Taos Tonight; December 6th pairs the Certified Weird Greaser’s Palace with an ultra-rare screening of 1970’s Pound (where dogs in a pound are played by human actors); on the 7th, Louis CK and Alan Arkin host a showing of Putney Swope; and the final night brings Downey Sr. and Arkin together for a twin bill of the music documentary Rittenhouse Square and No More Excuses, together with “surprises” (ooh!) A retrospective fit for a prince! “Truth and Soul, Inc.: The Films of Robert Downey Sr. (a prince)” at Cinefamily.

NEW ON DVD:

The Congress (2013): Read our review. Our favorite angry Amazon review reads, “If I could give this less than 1 star I would. This movie goes from physical form 15% of the movie to 30’s style HIPPIE cartoons for the most of the movie…” Buy The Congress.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Congress (2013): See description in DVD above. +Buy The Congress [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.

SCREENINGS – (Film Society of Lincoln Center, New York City, Mon., Dec 1):

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971): Read the Certified Weird review! The Lincoln Center programmers call it “a perennial cult favorite that’s just as odd as you remembered” and are offering free popcorn to trick kids into attending! Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory at Film Society of Lincoln Center.

SCREENINGS – (Multiple Theaters, Mon., Thurs, Dec 4):

Rifftrax Live: Santa Claus (1959): Rifftrax takes on K. Gordon Murray’s Mexican Santa Claus import (you know, the one where Santa lives on  a cloud next to Merlin and fights the Devil). This kiddie matinee monstrosity was previously skewered on Mystery Science Theater, but the accompanying short, “Fun in Ballonland,” is all new and looks even weirder than the feature, if that’s possible. Correction: Fun in Ballonland is not a short that accompanies Santa Claus, it’s a full-length feature available for download.  Rifftrax Live: Santa Claus.

IN DEVELOPMENT (POST-PRODUCTION):

Devils in Disguise (2015): Lesbian lovers kill their shared boyfriend in a movie that moves back and forth between past and present, fantasy and reality. The film was made for $4500 in 11 days and is now seeking $9,500 in crowdsourcing funds for post-production and promotion. It’s going to make its goal, too, because it stars two very hot actress/models who act the entire movie in bathing suits. Devils in Disguise Indiegogo campaign.

NEW ON DVD:

The Conformist (1970): A man finds himself in the strange situation of arranging for his mentor’s assassination, on his wedding day. Hal Hinson said that this visually stunning film about a man’s lifelong quest to be average embodies “a sort of haunted surreality in which sex, Freud, politics and philosophy are flung together in a spirit of aesthetic exuberance and daring.” Buy The Conformist.

“Mystery Science Theater 3000”: The Turkey Day Collection (XXXI) [Limited-Edition Collector’s Tin]: Four more episodes from the movie-mocking cult TV series: the white-male-reality propaganda film Jungle Goddess, the “Lassie” dog The Painted Hills, the dreadfully dull horror of The Screaming Skull, and the earthworm-attack thriller Squirm. None of the films in this collection are particularly weird (OK, killer earthworms are a bit bizarre), but we traditionally list these sets when they come out. Bargain hunters may want to wait until the vanilla version is released sans collectible tin. Buy “Mystery Science Theater 3000”: The Turkey Day Collection [Limited-Edition Collector’s Tin].

Nymphomaniac Vol 1 & 2: Extended Director’s Cut (2013): Read our review. We note this one for fans of Lars von Trier—and for fans of extended nymphomaniacs. Buy Nymphomaniac Volume 1 & 2: Extended Director’s Cut .

Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013): Read our review. This reservation-set revenge drama isn’t terribly weird, but may be appreciated by those who enjoy having their blood boiled. Buy Rhymes for Young Ghouls.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Conformist (1970): See description in DVD above. Buy The Conformist [Blu-ray].

Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 & 2: Extended Director’s Cut (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 & 2: Extended Director’s Cut  [Blu-ray].

The Wizard of Oz 3D: Read our review of Wizard of Oz. Can’t say we’re in favor of this pop-out update of a classic: is 3-D adaptation about to become the new colorization? Still, all 500 people in the world who own a 3-D Blu-ray player will consider this an essential buy. Buy Wizard of Oz 3D.

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.