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):

Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan: Kids at a boot-camp learn the homicidal real history of the beloved American legend, firsthand. Dan (“Grizzly Adams”) Haggerty and Joe (son of Martin Sheen) Estevez lead the cast. Screening in Pittsburgh, PA and Duluth, MN (with scattered midnight showings elsewhere) before heading to DVD in June.  Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT:

Rage of Innocence: It’s described as a “psychological thriller in the vein of such classics as ‘Fatal Attraction,’ ‘The Crush,’ and ‘Fear.’ Nothing so weird about that synopsis, but we mention it because it’s from Mark Pirro, the director of such classics as A Polish Vampire in Burbank, Nudist Colony of the Dead and Curse of the Queerwolf. Let’s hope he’s not trying to go too straight on this one. Rage of Innocence Facebook page.

NEW ON DVD:

The Magic Christian (1969): The richest man in the world (Peter Sellers) sets out to prove his misanthropic theory that people will go to any lengths to degrade themselves for money. From Terry Southern’s acid novel with script contributions from future Monty Python members, this occasionally bizarre and disgusting satire features one of those fascinating all 1960s all-star casts including Ringo Starr, Richard Attenborough, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Roman Polanski, Yul Brenner and more. This film is already in our reader-suggested review queue. Buy The Magic Christian.

Shanks (1974): Gimmickmeister William Castle‘s final film is a strange egg about a mute puppeteer (played by famous mime Marcel Marceau!) who reanimates the dead. Castle (Tingler) made B-movies that often teetered on the edge of a surreal abyss; this one arguably fell in. Buy Shanks.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Magic Christian (1969): See description in DVD above. Buy The Magic Christian [Blu-ray].

Shanks (1974): See description in DVD above. Buy Shanks [Blu-ray].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Badasssss! (2003): Mario Van Peebles’ fictionalized account of his eccentric father Melvin’s quest to create Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, arguably the first (and arguably the strangest) blaxploitation movie. Not directly weird, but definitely offbeat, and very much worth seeing. Watch Badasssss! free on YouTube.

NEPOTISM CORNER!:

“Pets in the City” (album): When he’s not scouring the web looking for the bizarrest short videos for your Saturday enjoyment, Cameron Jorgensen is keeping time for the laid-back psychedelic SLC band “Cliffs.” I’m no expert on the modern indie rock scene, but they remind me a little bit of “of Montreal,” if you played one of their 45 singles at 33 RPM. Here’s a sample off their debut album; it’s also available on Itunes.

[bandcamp album=1051402467 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=0687f5 size=grande]

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):

Alyce Kills (2011): A young woman goes insane from guilt after accidentally killing her best friend. From the director of Zombie Strippers, it’s debuting in 5 American cities and simultaneously on video-on-demand. Alyce Kills official site.

NEW ON DVD:

The ABCs of Death (2012): 26 directors each tell a short story about death based on an assigned letter of the alphabet. Some of the auteurs whose work is featured: Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani (Amer), Jason Eisener (Hobo With a Shotgun), Noboru Iguchi (RoboGeisha—he does the tasteful “F is for Fart”), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl), Marcel Sarmiento (Deadgirl), Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film), and Yûdai Yamaguchi (Yakuza Weapon). The letter “T” was reserved for a contest winner. Buy The ABC’s of Death.

Medium Cool (1969): A TV reporter investigating unrest in the Chicago ghettos uncovers a conspiracy. The odd thing about this very-1960s movie is that the fictional story is mixed with real life footage of the riots surrounding the 1968 Democratic Convention—director Haskell Wexler expected civil unrest to erupt, and had his actors in character and ready to film when the violence started. Buy Medium Cool (Criterion Collection).

“Spaghetti Westerns Unchained”: We mention this 4-disc set of B-Spaghetti Westerns because Giulio Questi‘s acid western Django Kill! is among the offerings. The original Django (1966), Texas Adios (1966) the mystical Keoma (1976) (all starring Franco Nero) are the other movies in this worthwhile compilation from Blue Underground. Buy “Spaghetti Westerns Unchained”.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The ABCs of Death (2012): See description in DVD above. This is a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. Buy The ABC’s of Death [Blu-ray/DVD Combo].

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004): An 18-year old girl is cursed to inhabit the body of an old hag; a demon may help her break the curse. Another Hayao Miyazaki classic animated fantasy finally makes it to Blu-ray; Disney sure takes its time releasing these. Buy Howl’s Moving Castle [Blu-ray/DVD Combo].

Medium Cool (1969): See description in DVD above. Buy Medium Cool [Criterion Collection Blu-ray].

My Neighbor Totoro (1988): Speaking of Miyazaki… this early effort is about two young girls who can see forest spirits. Buy My Neighbor Totoro [Blu-ray/DVD Combo].

NEPOTISM CORNER!:

“366 Weird Movies 2012 Yearbook” (Kindle Edition): Less than six months after the end of 2012, we’re finally releasing our annual “366 Weird Movies Yearbook.” While the print edition is undergoing a second round of proofing (we’re hoping it will be ready next week), a Kindle version is already available for purchase. From the product description: “Covering everything weird, from art house surrealism to next-generation cult movies to so-bad-they’re-weird b-movie atrocities, 366 Weird Movies has been meeting all of your weird movie needs since 2009 with a combination of sly humor and serious insight. This is our annual Yearbook covering all the weird movies released and re-released in 2012, from @ Suicide Room to Yellow Submarine, with over 75 full-length reviews and extensive supplemental listings. If it’s weird, and it’s a movie, and it’s from 2012, and 366 Weird Movies covered it, you’ll find it here.” It’s like a website, only in handy e-book form! All proceeds will be donated to 366 Weird Movies, Inc., to help provide beer to sober film critics. Priced to move at only $2.99, you’d have to be a fool (or someone who doesn’t own a Kindle) not to buy this. You’re not a fool, are you? We thought not. We’ll have the 2013 out before May 2014, we promise. Buy “366 Weird Movies 2012 Yearbook” (Kindle Edition).

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Dead Leaves (2004): Read our capsule review! We’re still up in the air about this crazy hyperkinetic anime about two sociopathic cartoon assassins who embark on a killing spree in a jail on the moon… there’s also a psychedelic caterpillar… or something… just watch it and tell us what you think. Watch Dead Leaves 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 – Cannes Film Festival (Cannes, France, May 15-26):

Sneer all you want about the Cannes Film Festival being a place where snooty brie-nibbling European directors go to premier their latest movie about brie-nibbling transgendered cabaret singers whining about their bad relationship with their dying fathers. While that’s certainly true, many great weird films have also seen their debut at the venerable snooty festival, including such Certified Weird selections as The Tree of Life, Antichrist (whose genital mutilations and talking foxes created a certified Cannes scandal), and Dogtooth. In fact, every year since we began 366 Weird Movies something that played Cannes has ended up making the List. 2013, however, looks like the year that streak may come to an end, as an unusually conventional slate leaves us with only a couple of weird Cannes contenders this year. Fortunately, the “Director’s Fortnight,” a more independent-minded satellite festival that runs concurrently with the main competition, features some very interesting selections this year.

• Borgman – Strange things happen when a rich woman harbors a mysterious fugitive. From the intriguing Dutchman Alex van Warmerdam, who says it is his darkest movie yet. Screening at Cannes in competition.
• The Congress –  Ari (Waltz with Bashir) Folman’s animated adaptation of the Stanislaw Lem novel about a dystopian future where hallucinogenic drugs are used to control the populace arrives a year or two later than expected. At Director’s Fortnight.
• The Dance of Reality – Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s first movie in 23 years is an autobiography, of unknown hallucinatoriness. Director’s Fortnight.
• Jodorowsky’s Dune – Speaking of Jodorowsky, this documentary covers his failed attempt to adapt Frank Hebert’s cult sci-fi novel to the big screen (a task later completed less than admirably by David Lynch). Hopefully it features lots of surviving footage. At the Director’s Fortnight.
  
• Only Lovers Are Left Alive – Jim Jarmusch‘s latest tackles vampires in love; we suspect it will resemble Twilight about as much as Dead Man did Young Guns. With Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton (as vampires “Adam” and “Eve”) and Mia Wasikowska in a rare villainous role. In competition at Cannes.

Though the surreal slate is fairly bare, there are a lot of less-weird films debuting from some of our fave auteurs: Coen Brothers (the folksinger portrait Inside Llewellyn Davis), Nicolas Winding Refn (Only God Forgives, a Drive-style arthouse thriller), Roman Polanski (an adaptation of the masochism play Venus in Fur), and Takashi Miike (the actioner Shield of Straw).

Cannes Film Festival official site.

Director’s Fortnight official site.

NEW ON DVD:

The Book of Life (1998)/The Girl from Monday (2005): A double feature from curious auteur Hal Hartley. In The Book of Life Jesus and the Devil debate on the eve of the Apocalypse; The Girl from Monday involves aliens and a stock exchange that trades in human beings. Buy The Book of Life/The Girl from Monday.

Cloud Atlas (2012): Six separate stories, set between 1849 and the distant future and spanning the gamut from mystery-thriller to mystical sci-fi, with the main cast playing different roles in each story. In one of the tales Tom Hanks is bedeviled by an evil leprechaun from the future, which is the main reason we’re mentioning this ambitious, polarizing box office flop here on a weird movie site. Buy Cloud Atlas.

Crimewave (1985): A pair of exterminators cum hit men go on a crime spree in this campy slapstick spoof. This movie has a legendary reputation due to the talent involved: it was co-written by the Coen Brothers and directed by Sam Raimi (immediately after Evil Dead) and backed by a major studio (Columbia) who thought it too quirky for 1985. Columbia pulled it from theaters almost immediately and it has never been seen on DVD—until this Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Buy Crimewave [BluRay/DVD Combo].

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2013): In a casting stretch, Charlie Sheen plays an obnoxious, hedonistic lout who has misogynistic Walter Mitty-like fantasies that have him fleeing a tribe of busty Native Americans in buckskin bikinis and female assassins from the “Secret Society of Ball Busters.” Directed by Roman Coppola, who co-wrote The Darjeeling Limited and Moonrise Kingdom, this was an embarrassing flop; Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir claimed Swan is “one of the strangest and most painful films in recent memory.” Buy A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III.

“The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection”: This 5-disc collection compiles the Brothers’ first five films for Paramount, including the arguably surreal Duck Soup. The other classics are The Coconauts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, and Horse Feathers. Buy “The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection”.

Transmigration (2011): Every now and then some low-budget movie no one’s ever seen or heard of sets off our weird radar just because of the plot synopsis. This one reads, in part, “While hiking, Curtis is bitten by a snake. As he enters a venom induced hallucinogenic dream the two brothers are captured as slaves by a fantasy tribe of Amazonian women, and given to the tribal queen…” Buy Transmigration.

The Unbelievable Truth (1989): A gloomy high-school girl falls for a convicted murderer in this offbeat (to say the least) romantic comedy. Hal Hartley’s first (and most popular) film isn’t as strange as some of his others, but it’s at least high quirk. Buy The Unbelievable Truth.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Cloud Atlas (2012): See description in DVD above. It’s a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, naturally. Buy Cloud Atlas [Blu-ray/DVD].

Crimewave (1985): See description in DVD above. Buy Crimewave [BluRay/DVD Combo].

A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III [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.

SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, CA, Saturday, 5/11/2013 & 5/18/2013):

The Drifting Classroom (1987): From Hausu director Nobuhiko Obayashi comes this tale of a high school classroom set adrift in the cosmos thanks to a trans-dimensional tornado. Never released on DVD (though hopefully that will change), this rarity is available to lucky Los Angelinos for a pair of midnight showing. Part of a Obayashi retrospective sponsored by the Japan Foundation Los Angeles. More info on this and other Obayashi events at Cinefamily.

NEW ON DVD:

“Drive In Collection: The Dungeon of Harrow (1962)/Death by Invitation (1971)”: The Dungeon of Harrow is a forgettable horror-drama that the promotional material, in a moment of shocking self-deprecating honesty, confesses is a lot like The Terror. Death by Invitation, a witchcraft tale set in the 1970s with 17th century flashbacks, is slightly more promising; All Movie Guide only gave it one-and-a-half stars, but did call it a “weird little picture.” Buy “Drive-In Collection: The Dungeon of Harrow/Death by Invitation.”

Foodfight! (2012): How’s this for an oddity: a badly-animated, pro-advertising kids movie about corporate spokescartoons like Charlie the Tuna and Mr. Clean who come to life at night when the supermarket shuts down to fight evil fascist generic products that threaten their wholesome way of life. Who else would voice the hero in such a project but than every kid’s favorite role model and branding genius, Charlie Sheen? It sounds like a “Simpsons” gag, but God help us, this thing exists. Buy Foodfight!.

The Rabbi’s Cat [Le Chat du Rabbin] (2011): In this animated fantasy set in Algeria in the early 20th century, a rabbi’s cat find he’s able to speak after he swallows a parrot; he makes sarcastic comments, lusts after his master’s daughter, and tries to secure a bar mitzvah for himself. Director/artist Joann Sfar was last seen directing live actors (and giant-headed puppets) in Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life. Buy The Rabbi’s Cat.

The Telephone Book (1971): A woman falls in love with her obscene phone caller, and her quest to track him down leads to encounters with crazy Manhattanites. This underground sex comedy reprtedly features a dream sequence where a giant woman attempts to have sex with a skyscraper, which may be reason enough to track it down. For now, at least, the DVD and Blu-ray are not being sold separately. Buy The Telephone Book [Blu-ray + DVD Combo].

Upstream Color (2013): Read our capsule review. Shane Carruth‘s hard-to-describe, dreamlike sophomore feature is now out there for everyone with a DVD player to see; it’s a candidate for the List, so don’t forget to stop by and tell us what you think of it after you see it! Buy Upstream Color.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973): Read our capsule review. No word on any special features (or the sound and picture quality) on this first Blu release of the cult musical. Buy Jesus Christ Superstar [Blu-ray].

The Rabbi’s Cat [Le Chat du Rabbin] (2011): See description in DVD above. This is a Blu-ray/DVD combo. Buy The Rabbi’s Cat [Blu-ray/DVD].

The Telephone Book (1971): See description in DVD above. Buy The Telephone Book [Blu-ray + DVD Combo]

Upstream Color (2013): See description in DVD above. This listing is also for the DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. Buy Upstream Color [Blu-ray/DVD].

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):

Post Tenebras Lux (2012): From Mexico comes this kaleidoscopic, non-linear portrait of a family in crisis that looks a bit like a Mexican Tree of Life. We have no idea where it’s playing, but we dig that glowing red demon thingee. Post Tenebras Lux at Strand Releasing.

IN DEVELOPMENT:

The Profane Exhibit (est. 2013): A secret society of storytellers spin tales of horrific depravity in this anthology film. Uwe Boll, Ruggero (Cannibal Holocaust) Deodato, José Mojica Marins, Nacho (Timecrimes) Vigalondo, Richard Stanley, and Yoshihiro Nishimura count among the (uneven but intriguing) assembly of directing talent. No official site, but Fearnet has the latest casting news.

NEW ON DVD:

Body Melt (1993): A pharmaceutical company’s newest project makes those who take it hallucinate and then decompose; but who can resist free samples? Amateur reviewers compare this little-seen Australian movie to the gory, transgressive work of Dead-Alive era Peter Jackson; it’s been resurrected on video thanks to Katarina’s Nightmare Theater. Buy Body Melt.

Walk Away Renee (2011): Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette takes a cross-country trip with his bipolar/borderline schizophrenic mother Renee; along the way she loses her medication and her behavior becomes erratic. After the trip, Caouette illustrates some of his mom’s delusions with trippy paranoid fantasy sequences in this indie documentary/fiction hybrid. Buy Walk Away Renee.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Attack from Space (1965): Benevolent alien robots send superhero Starman to defend Earth from an attack from space. The climax has Starman fighting off an entire army: it helps that he’s bulletproof and can somersault up stairs backwards (with the help of reversed camera footage).

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.