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):

Enemy: Jake Gyllenhaal tracks down a man he sees in a movie who looks just like him, with reality-bending results. This psychological thriller from Denis Villeneuve was one of several doppelganger-themed flicks playing film festivals last season (see also The Double with Jesse Eisenberg). Enemy official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT:

A Crack Up At The Race Riots (rumored): In 1998 Harmony Korine released a book called “A Crack-Up at the Race Riots,” which was essentially a ‘zine-y series of scrapbook entries (including fill-in-the-blank suicide notes and a list of Tupac Shakur’s favorite novels) set in a world where MC Hammer has ignited a race war against the forces of whiteness (led by Vanilla Ice). Apparently, 2013 Weirdest Actor Winner James Franco plans to adapt this supremely unadaptable work into a movie (also featuring his Spring Breakers co-stars “the Atlanta Twins”). Whether this is a serious project or a Shia LaBeouf style prank is anyone’s guess at this point, but Indiewire thought the rumor had enough legs to post about it.

Kung Fury (est. 2014): When the partner of 1980s karate cop Kung Fury is killed by time-traveling assassin Adolph Hitler, Kung decides to go back in time to kill Der Führer, but miscalculates and winds up in Viking times instead. This Kickstarter project missed its $1,000,000 feature film goal, but earned a solid $630,000 towards finishing the 30 minute prototype. It’s supposed to be released for free online when competed. It hardly seems possible to live up to the promise of the trailer. Kung Fury official site (production company Laser Unicorns’ Facebook page should have more up-to-date information).

NEW ON DVD:

Iron Sky (Director’s Cut) (2012): We never got around to reviewing this would-be cult film about Nazis on the moon, but maybe this “director’s cut” will give us an excuse to get to it. It’s twenty minutes longer than the previously released cut. Available in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack only. Buy Iron Sky (Director’s Cut) [Blu-ray/DVD combo].

Thirst (1979): See description in DVD below.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Iron Sky (Director’s Cut) (2012): See description in DVD above.

Shutter Island (2010)/Aviator (2004): Read our review of Shutter Island. A Martin Scorsese/Leonardo DiCaprio double feature that pairs Marty’s weird-ish psychological thriller with an Oscar-bait yawner. Buy Shutter Island/Aviator [Blu-ray].

Thirst (1979): Read our capsule review. This Blu-ray of the odd Australian film about vampire ranchers lists the same content as Synapse’s 2008 DVD release (which is bundled with the Blu). Buy Thirst [Blu-ray/DVD Combo].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Teenage Tupelo (1995): Before grindhouse rehashes became trendy, an amateur filmmaker named John Michael McCarthy was putting together postmodern pastiches that drew their inspiration from trash culture of the 1930s to early 1960s. This one features lesbian girl gangs, a rockabilly singer who can only hit two notes, graphic “birth of a baby” footage, and a sexploitation star in edible panties. Originally released by Something Weird video, they dropped it because it was too weird. Obviously, it’s intended for adults only. Watch Teenage Tupelo free on YouTube.

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.

FILM FESTIVALS – South by Southwest (Austin, TX, Mar. 7-16):

Following hot on the heels of Sundance, South by Southwest is more than just a place for leftovers to screen. Since expanding from a musical festival to an all-media extravaganza, its star has continued to ascend. Although it doesn’t host as many premiers as its Utah cousin, it gets its fair share of prestige pictures (by indie standards, that is). Among the movies we’ve seen pop up at other fests that are also playing here, the ones of particular interest to weirdophiles are Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s semi-autobiography The Dance of Reality; Frank (also seen at Sundance), which stars Michael Fassbender in an oversized head as the title character; and Jim Jarmusch‘s long-simmering vampire film, Only Lovers Left Alive. Two debuting movies caught our eye as having some potential bizarre appeal:

• The Desert – A post-apocalyptic love triangle from Argentina, featuring a zombie and a guy who tattoos his face with flies. Debuting Mar. 7 with additional screenings on the 8th, 10th and 14th.
  
• Starry Eyes – Horror about Hollywood; a young actress lands a big part, and finds her body and mind transformed. A Satanic cult plays a role in casting. Mar. 8, 10, 12 and 14.

South by Southwest home page.

NEW ON DVD:

Oldboy (2013): A man is imprisoned in a hotel room for twenty years without explanation, then just as inexplicably set free to seek revenge on his captor. We assumed this Spike Lee remake of the shocking Korean original was doomed to be a disappointment and decided to skip it, but you may be curious (or masochistic). Buy Oldboy.

The Visitor (1979): Read our capsule review. Drafthouse Films’ new release of the nearly forgotten Italian Exorcist ripoff our own Ben Sunde called “utterly unique in its weirdness” contains all new interviews, including one with Lance Henriksen. Buy The Visitor.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Garden State (2004): Read our review. This quirky romantic comedy about an over-medicated actor arrives on Blu-ray for the first time, with the same suite of extras (including two commentary tracks) as the original DVD. Buy Garden State [Blu-ray].

Hairspray (1988): John Waters goes PG for this campy but nostalgic look at 1960s integration from a teen perspective. One of Divine‘s final movies before passing away from sleep apnea. Buy Hairspray [Blu-ray].

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

The Visitor (1979): See description in DVD above. Buy The Visitor [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.

In just a few hours, the telecast of the Oscars (or, as we refer to them, the “Weirdcademy Awards for squares”) will begin. We’re happy to steal the Academy’s Thunder by announcing cinema’s weirdest winners of 2013.

In the category of “Weirdest Short Film,” the Weirdcademy Award goes to Greg Barth for “Fortunes.”

(This short contains profanity)

In the category of “Weirdest Scene,” the Weirdcademy Award goes to Spring Breakers for the scene where Alien and his female henchmen sing Britney Spears’ “Everytime” on a grand piano on the beach at dawn.

(This clip contains profanity and violence)

In the category of “Weirdest Actress,” the award goes to Claudia Black for her voiceover performance as saxophonist Parker, searching for her lost love among the moons of Jupiter, in Strange Frame: Love & Sax.

In the category of “Weirdest Actor,” the Award goes to James Franco for his performance as Alien, the white rapper who runs a crime empire on the side and hires college girls on spring break as his muscle.

And the award for Weirdest Movie of 2013 goes to Strange Frame: Love & Sax, the world’s first animated lesbian science fiction musical.

Thanks to all members of the Weirdcademy, and see you again next year!

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 – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, CA, Friday 2/28 to Thursday 3/6):

Je T’aime, Je T’aime (1968): A suicidal man volunteers for a time-traveling experiment and finds himself trapped when the machine malfunctions, re-experiencing moments from his life in random order. This Alain (Last Year at Marienbad) Resnais science fiction exploration of the nature of memory has never appeared on home video in any form in the US; some proclaim it a lost classic. Je T’aime, Je T’aime at Cinefamily.

FILM FESTIVALS – Fantasporto (Porto, Portugal, Feb. 28 – Mar. 9):

Fantasporto is the premier European film festival explicitly devoted to horror, science fiction and fantasy films. We love the taste of the programmers there, as testified to by the fact that three of the festival’s “Grande Prémio” winners—Toto the Hero, Pan’s Labyrinth and Idiots and Angels—have made it onto our List of the 366 Weirdest Movies of all time, with more to come. What Fantasporto has not done well of late, however, is to secure debuts of new movies. Many of the movies that interest us that are showing there have already appeared at other festivals, and some are even already out on DVD. A few films we’d check out if we were there include Bill Plympton‘s Cheatin’; The Human Race, about contestants forced to compete in a deadly marathon; the Alex de la Iglesia horror/comedy Witching & Bitching; Shion Sono’s long-awaited Why Don’t You Play in Hell?; and the teen hit-girl satire Violet & Daisy. We’ve highlighted the one new-to-us discovery below:

• The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears – Catett and Forzani (the team behind Amer) follow up that cult hit with another formalist experiment about a woman’s disappearance. Screening Mar 5.
  

Fantasporto 2014 official site (English)

NEW ON DVD:

Memory of the Dead (2011): Characters gathered to hear the reading of a will are harassed by spirits in this Argentinian homage to Evil Dead. Dread Central’s negative review called it “downright weird and disjointed,” while FearNet’s positive notice hailed it as a “bizarre mixture of dark gristle and weird humor.” Buy Memory of the Dead.

Mr. Nobody (2009): In 2092, an 118-year old man recounts his life story to a reporter, but the details of the various alternate personal histories he recounts are contradictory. This four-year old speculative feature from eccentric Jaco Van Dormael (Toto the Hero) is finally seeing a U.S. release, thanks to renewed interest in Jared Leto’s career. Buy Mr. Nobody.

The Wait (2013): Two sisters keep their recently deceased mother’s corpse around, hoping that a phone call from a psychic means that she will soon be resurrected. Starring indie darlings Jena Malone and Chloë Sevigny. Buy The Wait.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Hugo (2011)/Willy Wonka & Chocolate Factory (1971): Warner Brothers pairs the Certified Weird Wonka with Hugo, Martin Scorsese‘s 3-D tribute to Georges Melies. No extra features are listed. Buy Hugo/Willy Wonka & Chocolate Factory [Blu-ray].

Mr. Nobody (2009): See description in DVD above. Buy Mr. Nobody [Blu-ray].

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)/The Neverending Story (1984): Spike Jonze‘s meditation on childhood (read out review) matched with 80’s fantasy fave The Neverending Story. The idea to pair a newer kids’ movie with one that stirs their parents’ nostalgic impulses is a stroke of marketing genius on Warner Brothers’ part. Buy Where the Wild Things Are/Neverending Story [Blu-ray].

What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we have overlooked, please leave them in the COMMENTS section.