This Thanksgiving, we’re thankful that Shout! Factory has allowed embedding of their 2nd Annual “Turkey Day” MST3K marathon, giving us free fill-in content so we can focus on what’s important this holiday season–stuffing our gullets with dead fowl.
First up is a weird one: The Magic Voyage of Sinbad, which is actually the Russian fairytale Sadko redubbed to make it appear the hero is the more familiar Sinbad. The rest of the episodes are a surprise, so you’ll just have to watch.
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 Frame: We respect Jamin & Kiowa Winans‘s desire to keep the details of this long-gestating fantasy followup to 2009’s Certified Weird Ink under wraps, so suffice it to say it involves a thief, a paramedic, and an alternate universe. Playing now in the Winan’s hometown of Denver, or it can be downloaded directly from the movie’s homepage. Look for a review soon. The Frame official site.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night: An Iranian vampire romance set in a depraved urban netherworld, stylistically influenced by Spaghetti westerns. Shocked, but delighted, that this Middle Eastern oddity is getting an actual release in the States (thanks to Vice Magazine’s venture into film distribution). Look for a review from us as soon as next week. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night official site.
The King and the Mockingbird (1980): A mockingbird takes it upon himself to thwart an evil king. This classic (and reportedly somewhat surreal) French animation was begun in 1948 and not completed until 1980; then, due to squabbles over the rights it was never released in the United States—until now. The King and the Mockingbird official site.
Story of My Death: The scenario is simply stated: it’s Casanova meets Count Dracula (literally). Another foreign vampire film we never thought we’d see on commercial U.S. screens (however limited, because as far as we know Anthology Film Archives in NYC is the only place it’s playing). Story of My Death at Anthology Film Archives.
NEW ON DVD:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920): A traveling mesmerist and his somnamulist show up in a German town, and murder follows. Kino restores an all-time Expressionist classic, just like last year’s excellent Nosferatu release. Buy The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Christmas Evil (1980): Read our review. Vinegar Syndrome brings the best and most unusual movie in the “killer Claus” subgenre back in time for the holidays with this lavish Blu-ray/DVD combo pack complete with three commentary tracks (including one from Evil champion John Waters). Buy Christmas Evil [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack]
Mauvais Sang (1986): As a social disease is ravaging Paris, a young card shark becomes involved with a gangster’s daughter and her father’s plot to steal microbes. Leos Carax‘ films just kept (keep) getting weirder, and he’s already pretty bizarre in this second outing. The second disc of the two discs contains Mr. X, is a documentary on the pseudonymous Carax. Buy Mauvais Sang
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014): Read our review. Forget all the negative press: if you liked the first one, you’ll like the sequel. Buy Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920): See description in DVD above. At the time of this writing the Blu-ray edition was actually listing for $2.50 less than the DVD. Buy The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari [Blu-ray]
Christmas Evil (1980): See description in DVD above. Buy Christmas Evil [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack]
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989): A 13-year old witch starts a broomstick-based delivery service. One of Hayao Miyazaki‘s more conventional outings, but his animations are always inspiring for fans of the weird. Buy Kiki’s Delivery Service [Blu-ray]
Mauvais Sang (1986): See description in DVD above. Buy Mauvais Sang [Blu-ray]
Princess Mononoke (1997): A young warrior tries to intercede in a war between humans and forest spirits in this fantasy parable. Disney is getting close to the end of their Miyazaki Blu-ray upgrades, though we’re still awaiting Spirited Away. Buy Princess Mononoke [Blu-ray]
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014): See description in DVD above. The Blu-ray pack includes a DVD and a 3D disc (that almost no one has the hardware to play). Buy Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For [Blu-ray]
MISCELLANEOUS:
David Lynch/Patti Smith conversation: BBC’s “Newsnight” runs a series called “Encounters,” which I’ve never heard of before but which apparently involves bringing two celebrities/experts together for a conversation. The pairing of punk poet Patti Smith and neo-Surrealist icon David Lynch is inspired. They discuss creativity, Pussy Riot, Blue Velvet (the song and the movie), and “Twin Peaks,” and there are Eraserhead clips. Must see webcasting. Patti Smith and David Lynch talk Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Pussy Riot and BBC.co.uk.
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):
Miss Meadows: Katie Holmes stars as a Marry Poppins-like schoolmarm with a vigilante streak. The irony here seems a little on-the-nose. Miss Meadows official site.
Thou Wast Mild and Lovely: A hired hand has an affair with the farmer’s daughter in what director Josephine Decker describes as “an intimate magical realist erotic thriller.” On opening day only, this film is screening alongside the same director’s 2013 effort Butter on the Latch, a similar (but weirder-sounding) erotic effort about a young woman at a Balkan music retreat. Playing NYC this week only. Thou Wast Mild and Lovely official site.
SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, CA, Fri. 11/14, 7:45PM/ 10:30 PM PST):
“SpectreFest”: The opening feature in this mini-festival is a screening of the peerless silent classic Metropolis (1927), with a new score by synthesizer artist “Chrome Canyon.” Next up is Starry Eyes, a horror about Hollywood; a young actress lands a big part, and finds her body and mind transformed. As we always suspected, it turns out a Satanic cult plays a role in casting. The co-directors and cast of Starry Eyes will be in attendance; the film is still touring international film festivals before presumably hitting DVD/VOD. Tickets to each screening are sold separately. SpectreFest 2014 at Cinefamily.
NEW ON DVD:
Mood Indigo (2013): Michel Gondry directs a lighthearted surreal romance from a novel by Boris Vian, starring Amelie‘s Audrey Tautou as the female love interest. No wonder it’s in our reader-suggested review queue. Buy Mood Indigo
The Shooting (1966)/Ride in the Whirlwind (1966): Read our review of The Shooting. Originally B-movie experiments from Roger Corman‘s wild period, these two “existential” Westerns partnering cult director Monte Hellman and future superstar Jack Nicholson are now honored by the Criterion Collection as great works of American movie art. Buy The Shooting/Ride in the Whirlwind
Welcome to the Space Show (2010): An alien dog takes a group of kids to the outermost reaches of the universe in this psychedelic exhibition of kiddie surrealism from (where else?) Japan. Anyone who paid $100,049.00 for a limited-release DVD earlier this year is going to feel silly now that it’s been marked down to $17.97. Buy Welcome to the Space Show
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
“Gamera: Showa & Heisei Collection”: Mill Creek collects 11 of the 12 films featuring the friendly, fire-breathing flying turtle in one Blu-ray bundle. Particularly recommended is 1969’s Gamera vs. Gyaos [AKA Attack of the Monsters], which is sort of like Hansel and Gretel with a giant knife-headed monster. Buy “Gamera: The Showa & Heisei Collection” [Blu-ray]
Mood Indigo (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy Mood Indigo [Blu-ray]
The Shooting (1966)/Ride in the Whirlwind (1966): See description in DVD above. Buy The Shooting/Ride in the Whirlwind [Blu-ray]
UHF (1989): Read our review. Weird Al Yankovich’s cult comedy gets the 25th Anniversary Blu-ray treatment with a rich array of extras. Buy UHF [25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray]
Welcome to the Space Show (2010): See description in DVD above. Buy Welcome to the Space Show [Blu-ray]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Manos: The Hands of Fate: Read our review of Manos. One of the worst movies of all time (“your ‘average Joe’ has never even seen a film like today’s experiment… the ‘average person on the street’ has not even begun to conceptualize the horror which is your experiment today…”) leads to what is widely regarded as one of the movie-mocking crew’s funniest shows (“every frame looks like someone’s last known photograph!”) Asa side note, the fact that they are now putting the most popular episodes of the show up on YouTube (with ads) leads me to suspect they’re running out of ways to monetize this fading franchise—but it’s a good deal for consumers.
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):
Amor Cronico: A “surreal” travelogue of New York-based Latin singer CuCu Diamantes’ tour of her estranged homeland of Cuba. We can’t find anyplace this is playing, but you can rent it on-demand at the official site. Amor Cronico official site.
Why Don’t You Play in Hell?: A movie-within-a-movie is the setting for Shion Sono’s latest; the early teaser trailer featured samurai fighting yakuza and ran literal rivers of blood. Drafthouse Films is opening in Austin, TX, and also with a 2-day awards-qualifying run in New York City. Why Don’t You Play in Hell? official site.
SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, Nov. 7&8):
“A Weekend with Jean-Claude Carriere”: Having written screenplays forThe Tin Drum, two Jean-Luc Godard movies, and six collaborations with Luis Buñuel, Carriere is possibly the most important weird screenwriter (who doesn’t also direct). He’ll be at Cinefamily in person this week to talk about his work: Belle de Jour is screening at 7:30 tonight (so rush out as soon as you read this, Los Angelinos!) The Phantom of Liberty comes tomorrow afternoon at 1:00. This is a very special event. “A Weekend with Jean-Claude Carriere” at Cinefamily.
FILM FESTIVALS – Homegrown Hoosier Film Festival (Anderson, IN., Nov. 8 & 9):
As the title suggests, this small festival highlights movies with Indiana connections. This listing might be considered a species of Nepotism Corner, since we mention it primarily because Alfred Eaker will be there screening two short films: “La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura” (screening Sunday at 3:15), which puts the viewer (rather literally) inside a Paul Gauguin canvas, and “I Was Married to a Mermaid” (Saturday at 1:30), which is a filmed chapter of a semi-surreal anti-fundamentalism novel Eaker is working on. However, there are also a couple of movies screening we have no connection to that may be worth your attention:
I guess things get weird in Indiana. All those hours endlessly practicing layups on a hoop affixed to a barn door probably encourage creativity.
Homegrown Hoosier Film Festival home page
NEW ON DVD:
The Ninth Configuration (1980): Soldiers being held at a castle doubling as an insane asylum act out their delusions as a form of therapy. This bonkers effort by The Exorcist‘s William Peter Blatty includes an all-dog Shakespeare production and a crucifixion in space, and has been out-of-print in North America for some time (although it found its way into our reader-suggested review queue). Buy The Ninth Configuration [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack]
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998): Read the Certified Weird entry! The confusion over the ping-ponging rights to this movie continues as Universal once again yanks the Criterion Collection’s license to put out their own version; you’ll have to make up your own mind whether to buy this “limited edition steelbook” one or look for an older disc. Extras appear to be unchanged since the last time Universal released the movie on Blu. Buy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray]
The Ninth Configuration (1980): See description in DVD above. Buy The Ninth Configuration [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack]
Nocturna (2007): French/Spanish animated co-production about a boy exploring the alternate-reality dream world of Night. Buy Nocturna [Blu-ray]
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010): Read our review. Speak of the devil: Pilgrim just (oh-so narrowly) won its group in the 5th Readers’ Choice Poll, and now Universal releases a new limited edition Blu-ray as part of its cult classics series. Buy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World [Limited Edition Blu-ray]
“Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection”: Includes the Certified Weird A Clockwork Orange, together with queued-to-be-reviewed Kubricks 2001, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut, and the non-weird masterpieces Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon, and Full Metal Jacket, plus discs of bonus material. Only downside is the north-of-a-C-note price, but we give you permission to splurge. Buy “Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection” [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):
ABCs of Death 2 (2014): Sequel to the sporadically good, sporadically weird original; the second-string lineup of directors still includes a couple of fascinating names like Bill Plympton and Vincenzo Natali.It will be playing in cities with an Alamo Drafthouse franchise this week; others will have to check it out on demand
Goodbye to Language [Adieu au Langage] (2014): The latest from Jean-Luc Godard, now in his mid 80s, is shot in 3D and features nude women, dogs, philosophical discourses, and experimental visuals. Late Godard tends to be “difficult” (and usually not much fun), and we would expect nothing less here. Goodbye to Language official site.
Horns (2013): An accused killer (Daniel Radcliffe) awakes one day to find horns growing from his head and people suddenly anxious to confess their secrets to him. One critic called the movie “the pointless kind of weird,” which we view as the pointless kind of criticism. Horns official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT (Indiegogo):
California Electric (est. 2015?): The summary says “a family of three have collective seizures and start to have visions of one another doing terrible things,” and the teaser trailer is simply a man having a 90 second seizure. The director promises “it’s very much in line with and inspired by the films of [366].” They’re trying to raise $55,000 by Dec. 20. California Electric at Indiegogo.
Dario Argento’s The Sandman (est. 2015?): Dario Argento‘s latest work (like his flop Dracula) hasn’t inspired much confidence, but never let it be said he gives up easily. Seeking complete creative control, he’s crowd-funding his latest horror project, the story of a serial killer named the Sandman whose favored weapon is a melon baller. To sweeten the deal, Iggy Pop is slated to portray the antagonist. Oh, and it’s a Christmas movie. One final note: at the minimum five dollar donation level, North Americans get a one-month subscription to Fandor—that’s a sweet deal. At this writing Argento has raised $108,000 of his $250,000 target, with nine days to go. Funding is flexible, so the project keeps whatever is pledged even if they don’t meet their goal. Dario Argento’s The Sandman at Indiegogo.
NEW ON DVD:
“The Complete Jacques Tati”: Read our review of Play Time. Deep-pocketed 366 readers (you exist, don’t you?) may be interested in the Criterion Collection’s 12-DVD compilation of the French clown’s six features and seven shorts, with the usual voluminous extras. Buy “The Complete Jacques Tati.”
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
“The Complete Jacques Tati”: See description in DVD above. Fits on 7 Blu-rays and currently is retailing for the same price as the bulkier DVD set. Buy “The Complete Jacques Tati” [Blu-ray]
The Devil’s Carnival (2012): Read our review. Darren Lynn Bousman‘s direct-to-DVD musical horror followup to Repo: The Genetic Opera fell under the radar, but it’s a worthwhile (if too short) treat for macabre cabaret fans. Buy The Devil’s Carnival [Blu-ray]
Nightbreed (Director’s Cut) (1990): This is a new director’s cut (not the infamous 160 minute “Cabal Cut” ) of Clive Barker’s 1990 cult horror about an encounter between a village of mutants and a serial killer. A limited edition Blu-ray that’s a bit too pricey for casual fans ($72 at this writing). Buy Nightbreed (Director’s Cut) [Limited Edition 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.
