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 – Slamdance (Park City, UT, Jan 17-23):

If your movie isn’t commercial enough for Sundance (see below), you can try exhibiting it at Slamdance, the punk-ier film festival running contemporaneously to its bigger brother. Although there are a lot of weird-looking works there this year, almost all of them are shorts, except for one feature scoop we’re highlighting below.

• Cheatin’ – Bill Plympton‘s latest weird animated feature is about a woman who, with a magician’s help, takes the shape of her paramour’s ex-girlfriends. Screening tonight, Jan 17, at 8:00 Central (hurry!), or catch it Jan. 20.
  

FILM FESTIVALS – Sundance (Park City, UT, Jan 16-26):

The 2014 movie season officially kicks off with Sundance, where a hundred hopeful independent movies, some weird, come to vie for a handful of distribution contracts. Here are the one’s we’ll be keeping an eye on:

• The Double – Jesse Eisenberg stars in this comic adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novella about a man whose exact double suddenly appears and usurps his life. Screening Jan. 17, 18, 21 & 25.
• Frank – An aspiring musician joins a band led by an artist (Michael Fassbender) who always wears an oversized papier-mâché head. Jan. 17-19, 21, 25.
  
• The Girl from Nagasaki – An experimental version of “Madame Butterfly” with (judging from the stills) some scenes set in space or underwater. Jan. 21-13, 25.
• A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – An Iranian vampire romance set in a depraved urban netherworld, stylistically influenced by Spaghetti westerns. Jan. 19, 21-22, 24-25.
• Mr leos caraX – Documentary on the enigmatic Holy Motors auteur. Jan. 20, 22-25.
• Only Lovers Left Alive – Jim Jarmusch’s latest tackles vampires in love; with Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton (as vampires named “Adam” and “Eve”) and Mia Wasikowska in a rare villainous role. Jan. 21-22, 24-25.
• R100 – A sadomasochistic sex comedy from Hitoshi Matsumoto about a businessman who joins a secret club that arranges for dominatrices to attack its members in public places. Jan 18-21.
• The Voices – Marjane Satrapi‘s first American feature is a tale of murder involving a factory worker who takes advice from his talking cat and dog. Jan. 19, 22-23, 25.
• White Bird in a Blizzard – A girl is haunted by her mother’s unexplained disappearance years ago; not sure if this is weird, but director Gregg Araki‘s movies usually are… Jan. 20-21, 24-25.

Sundance Film Festival official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Plus One (2013): Teenagers find their doubles crashing the wildest party of the year in this doppelgänger thriller. From the director of the Last House on the Left remake; it didn’t get a real theatrical release, but The New York Times and the Village Voice both thought it had cult potential. Buy Plus One (+1).

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Buffalo ’66 (1998): An ex-convict (Vincent Gallo) kidnaps a moody teenage girl (Christina Ricci) to pose as his wife as he visits his family on his way to kill Scott Norwood for missing the field goal that cost the Buffalo Bills Superbowl XXV. This oddball character study with magical realist interludes has been quietly spanning time for the past 15 years, but unfortunately the Blu-ray arrives with no extras. Buy Buffalo ’66 [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.

On our review tap next week: the currently-in-theaters maternal psychodrama The Truth About Emanuel, the “downer” animated rabbit fable Watership Down, and the gorilla-alien in a space helmet invasion classic Robot Monster.

It was a good week for weird search terms used to locate the site this week, and we’ll highlight it by starting off with a search from someone who’s not exactly 100% with the program yet: the guy looking for “a surreal movie that makes sense.” We are guessing the previous searcher would not appreciate our nonsensically surreal next contestant, “this little guy is also the name of a film, chasing a ring.” He would probably be even less likely to dig “a movie strippers whos penis escape.” And, speaking of strippers and surreal movies, both the week’s themes come together in our official Weirdest Search Term of the Week: “hypnotised breastfeeding strippers.”

Here’s the ridiculously-long-and-ever-growing reader-suggested review queue: Watership Down (next week!); Robot Monster (next week!); The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao; Celine and Julie Go Boating; Black Cat, White Cat; The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T; Abnormal: The Sinema of Nick Zedd;  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):

The Banshee Chapter (2013) – Read our review. Although we recommended this horror/conspiracy thriller only to Art Bell types and viewers looking to add another portrayal of Hunter S. Thompson to their viewing collection, we will point out that, based on its current 91% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating, most critics seemed to like it a good deal better than we did. The Banshee Chapter Facebook page.

Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo (2012): The third (of a planned four) entry in the apocalyptic anime reboot about giant fighting robots and the whiny teens who pilot them. The scheduling for this one is strange—it’s playing in a lot of U.S. cities, but in most places for one night only—so if you’re interested, you’ll want to check the website to find the date it’s playing near you. Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo official site.

Return to Nuke ‘Em High, Volume 1 (2013): After thirty odd (very odd) years, we return to the mutated halls of Nuke ‘Em High: now with lesbians! For better or worse Troma is at it again, with this story of chick-on-chick and chick-on-mutant action that saw its US premiere—I kid you not—at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. In New York this week, with a Los Angeles run next week and scattered screenings in larger cities across this great nation. Return to Nuke ‘Em High official site.

The Truth About Emanuel (2013): A teenager finds that her next-door neighbor uncannily resembles pictures of her dead mother in what’s described as a “hyperstylized and often darkly humorous film that vacillates between surrealism and realism.” This played last year at Sundance under the better (and weirder) title Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes. The Truth About Emanuel official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT:

“Twin Peaks” Promo: David Lynch put out a casting call looking for a “busty brunette or redhead” to shoot a “‘Twin Peaks’ promo.” Or maybe not: “Twin Peaks” co-creator Mark Frost immediately called it “a strange and baseless rumor,” despite the fact that the (since pulled) ad was posted by the reputable Sande Alessi Casting Agency. Speculation is that the shoot was for an extra to be included on the upcoming “Twin Peaks” Blu-ray. In an unrelated matter, we’re looking for a “busty brunette or redhead” to do some “promos” for 366 Weird Movies—although we will accept a blonde in a pinch. Must bring own coffee and cherry pie. Read about the rumor at Welcome to Twin Peaks.

NEW ON DVD:

The Act of Killing (2012): Read our review. This documentary in which retired Indonesian gangsters re-enact the crimes of their youths in the style of Hollywood movies gets our vote for the best 2013 release in any genre. Buy The Act of Killing.

For Ever Mozart (1996): An elliptical movie about various artists failing to tell the story they intend to, including a troupe who tries to mount a play in Sarajevo but find themselves massacred instead. The Cohen Group releases another of Jean-Luc Godard‘s “difficult” late movies. Buy For Ever Mozart.

Hail Mary (1985): In a slightly (and we use that term advisedly) more accessible movie than For Ever Mozart, Jean-Luc Godard retells the story of the Virgin Mary in a contemporary setting. On its release this film was condemned by Catholics and banned in Brazil, with the controversy mainly over some non-sexual nude scenes (the content actually isn’t blasphemous—surprising, considering the source). Buy Hail Mary.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Act of Killing (2012): See description in DVD above. Buy The Act of Killing [Blu-ray].

For Ever Mozart (1996): See description in DVD above. Buy For Ever Mozart [Blu-ray].

Hail Mary (1985): See description in DVD above. Buy Hail Mary [Blu-ray].

Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life (1983): Read our review. Universal just put out a “30th Anniversary” Blu-ray of Meaning of Life last October, so it’s not really clear what the point of this “1980s: Best of the Decade” edition (which comes with a “collectible flap”) is. It is quite cheap (under $10 at the time of this writing) and presumably contains no extras, so maybe it’s aimed at people who are more fans of the 1980s than they are the Pythons. Buy Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life [Blu-ray].

The Wicker Man (1973): Read the Certified Weird entry! This is the first time that The Wicker Man has appeared in the Blu-ray format (in North America, at least), but it’s a tiniest bit disappointing (to diehard fans, at least) that this Lions Gate disc includes only the 94-minute “final cut” of the film, rather than the 100+ minute “extended cut” the Britons got in their Region B release. No word on extra features on this one. Buy The Wicker Man [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…

The movie business is still on vacation—not only theatrical showings, but even DVD releases are down to a minimum this week. But not to worry: the Sundance festival, which marks the unofficial start of the 2014 movie season, kicks off in two weeks. Until then, you can be content with these few meager offerings:

SCREENINGS – (IFC Center, Manhattan, Jan. 3-7):

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 Japan. Making a late American theatrical debut as the tail-end of GKids’ “An Animated World” mini-film festival. We’re hoping that this screening is a harbinger of an upcoming DVD release. Welcome to the Space Show at IFC Center.

NEW ON DVD:

Nightmare City (1980): Italian exploitationeer Umberto Lenzi’s cult “zombie” movie features the gory exploits of a horde of people infected with a cannibalistic virus and a mindbending out-of-left-field ending. Raro Video is the third different company to issue Nightmare on DVD, but the first to put it out on Blu-ray. Fair warning: it’s not winning awards among videophiles for the quality of the transfer. Buy Nightmare City.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Nightmare City (1980): See description in DVD below. Buy Nightmare City [Blu-ray].

NEPOTISM CORNER:

Alex Kittle at the Movies: Our own Alex Kittle will be hosting an exhibition of her movie-related artwork at Uforge Gallery in the Boston area this upcoming Thursday, July 9. Alex has spent the past several years making fanciful movie posters and prints for some of her favorite films. You can also purchase her work from her Esty store, where a high percentage of her artwork just happens to be based on Certified Weird movies, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Black Swan, Buckaroo Banzai, Howl’s Moving Castle, Suspiria and Barbarella. The gal has great taste! Alex Kittle: At the Movies exhibition at Uforge Gallery.

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 had a very tough decision to make among the six submitted reader reviews—some of the submissions impressed the hell out of us with the enthusiasm of their prose in championing their favorite obscurities—but after careful consideration we announce that the contest winner is Fredrik Allenmark for his review of Woman in the Dunes. Mr. Allenmark’s review was detailed and well-thought out, yet easy to follow; his analysis demonstrated a solid understanding of the weird aesthetic, and the movie he selected to cover ultimately was the most appropriate candidate for the List of the 366 Best Weird Movies. Congratulations to Mr. Allenmark and to all who participated.