A 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 DEVELOPMENT:

Sleepwalker (est. 2012): About a disappearance in a creepy Southwestern town.  The filmmmakers describe the tone as “David Lynch, Hitchcock, and The Twilight Zone mashed up into a strange and surreal puzzle…”  They are soliciting funds via Kickstarter; for as little as a $1 contribution, you could become a micro-movie-mogul.  Sleepwalker Kickstarter page.

NEW ON DVD:

“The Artists: The Best of Kino’s Silent Classics”: An interesting box containing seven classic silents.  The crucial title for weirdophiles is Metropolis (1927); however, be warned that the version included in this set is the 2002 restoration, not Kino’s “Complete” Metropolis from 2010 (reviewed here).  The other films in the star-oriented bundle are Rudolph Valentino in Blood and Sand (1922); Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Baghdad (1924); Clara Bow as the original It (1927) girl; 1920’s Dr. Jeckyll & Mister Hyde with John Barrymore, the earliest screen adaptation of the classic tale; Lillian Gish in D.W. Griffith’s Broken Blossoms (1919); and Buster Keaton’s The General (1926).  Buy “The Artists: The Best Of Kino’s Silent Classics Vol. 1”.

Bunraku (2010): Read our capsule review.  This expressionistic comic book detailing the adventures of a samurai and a cowboy in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world is plot-lite but pretty. Buy Bunraku.

Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010):  Mark Hartley’s followup to Not Quite Hollywood, his surprise hit “Ozploitation” documentary (focusing on obscure Australian exploitation movies) travels this time to the more familiar (to trash aficionados) terrain of the Philippines.  Topics covered include the Roger Corman/Jack Hill women-in-prison flicks, Eddie Romero’s beastly “Blood Island” horrors, and the dwarf James Bond parody For Your Height Only, with interviews from talking heads like Corman and the ubiquitous John Landis.  Buy Machete Maidens Unleashed!.

The Nutcracker: The Untold Story [AKA The Nutcracker in 3-D] (2010):  A version of the Nutcracker re-imagined as a sci-fi-styled quest to restore the deposed Nutcracker to his throne, usurped by the Rat King.  A huge holiday flop in 2010, but of the nearly universally negative reviews, the one that caught our attention was Peter Hartlaub’s notice for the San Francisco Chronicle: “Imagine watching Tchaikovsky’s ballet after taking a handful of peyote…”  It cost a reported $90 million to create, but made back less than $200,000 at the box office.  Of course, the film is not in 3-D on home video, a happy accident that allows Universal to rename this release as The Untold Story.  Buy The Nutcracker: The Untold Story.

Tabloid (2011):  Read our capsule review.  Errol Morris’ eccentric documentary about the UK tabloid sensation caused when a former Miss Wyoming (allegedly) kidnapped a Mormon missionary, tied him to the bed for a weekend, and forced him to have sex with her repeatedly. Buy Tabloid.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Bunraku (2010):  See description in DVD above.  Buy Bunraku [Blu-ray].

The Nutcracker: The Untold Story [AKA The Nutcracker in 3-D] (2010):  See description in DVD above. Buy The Nutcracker: The Untold Story [Blu-ray].

ALBUMS:

Crazy Clown Time: We don’t usually mention music here, but we’ll make an exception in this case: it’s David Lynch‘s debut album.  At the age of 65, Mr. Eraserhead has released his first techno album (yes, he sings—well, mostly recites into a vocoder—most of the lyrics).  We’re not music critics, so we won’t comment on the merit of the beats, or demand Dave get out of the studio and back on the set where he belongs.  The album (which officially drops Nov. 8) can currently be streamed via National Public Radio’s website.  Pre-order David Lynch’s album “Crazy Clown Time”.

WEB SERIES:

The Funny Man: We reported on Jake Barsha’s planned horror thriller featuring a psychopathic comedian serial killer some time ago.  It seems the project has shifted from a feature film to a (quite successful, it seems) 10 episode webseries on dailymotion.   All ten episodes should be up by the time you read this; here’s a link to episode 1 for horror fans.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Alice in Wonderland (1972): This Wonderland adaptation made by the BBC has a middle-of-the-road reputation, but some may want to see it for the casting (which is the way they always suck you into seeing yet another version of Alice): Sir Ralph Richardson as the Caterpillar, Peter Sellers as the March Hare, Dudley Moore as the Doormouse.  It’s also a curiosity in that it’s a musical, with a score composed by the great John Barry, lyrics by his Bond collaborator Don Black.  Watch Alice in Wonderland (1972) 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.

Boo!  Did I scare you?  Well, Halloween is almost here, and tomorrow we will have a small treat for you (or is it trick?  I can never keep those two straight).  As we move into the first week of November, we’ll giving you in depth coverage of three short films by Guy Maddin; we’ll investigate the kung fu fantasy Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame; and (speaking of mysteries) we’ll tackle Mulholland Drive from the reader suggested review queue.

It’s time again for our rundown of the Weirdest Search Term of the Week.  First off, we have to admit we were surprised to find that someone came here searching for “jjlvgikjk.”  We were even more shocked to discover that Google thinks we are the second most relevant source of information on jjlvgikjk!  Still, as per usual, it’s the porn seekers who came up with the most bizarre queries.  This week’s runner up was the guy looking for “siam young fat miss universe hot sex pono” (we didn’t even realize Miss Siam from the Miss Young Fat Universe pageant had done porno).  But even stranger, and our winner of the Weirdest Search Term of the Week contest, was the search for “naked asian females tedious sports.”  Hey, if you’ve got to watch tedious sports, why not watch the ones featuring naked Asian females?

Here’s the massively-long-and-ever-growing reader-suggested review queue: Mulholland Drive (next week!); Kairo [AKA Pulse];The American Astronaut; Blood Tea and Red Strings; The Films of Kenneth Anger, Vol. II (for Lucifer Rising, among  others); Willie Wonka and the Continue reading WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE →

A 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):

The Rum Diary (2011):  Bruce Robinson‘s adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s semi-autobiographical novel about the boozy adventures of hard-drinking expatriate journalists in Puerto Rico in the 1960s.  We’re not expecting it to be anywhere near as hallucinatory as Fear and Loathing, but there is a wealth of talent involved and Johnny Depp looks like he will be doing his spot-on Thompson impression all over again.  The Rum Diary official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Island of Lost Souls (1932):  A classic early horror talkie based on H.G. Wells’ novella “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” the story involves a mad doctor who is bringing human intelligence (and bipedalism) to animals on a deserted island.  Charles Laughton stars as the deranged Moreau and Bela Lugosi has one of his better roles as the bestial “Sayer of the Law.”  An unusual but very welcome Halloween choice by the Criterion Collection. Buy Island of Lost Souls (Criterion Collection).

Nine Nation Animation (2010): Nine short films (with a tenth “bonus” short), with each selection coming from a different country.  As the trailer illustrates, there are surrealistic images in a good number of these—dig the vacationing family posing in front of the functioning Panzer tank on family vacation and the strange birds being dragged into the sea by tentacles. Buy Nine Nation Animation.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010): Santa Claus is kidnapped and held for ransom, but the kidnappers didn’t reckon on his cadre of killer elves in this Finnish production that has “cult movie” written all over it.  We missed this last holiday season, but this year we’re considering indulging our inner Scrooge with this humbug.  Buy Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale.

A Serbian Film (2010): A down on his luck Serbian ex-porn star is lured back into the business with the promise of a big payday, but is not told what he will have to do to earn it.  Many have suggested this is one of the most depraved movies ever made, with a finale that would make the Marquis de Sade cringe.  WARNING: the commercially available version censors the key scenes (however, if you’re one of many who “enjoyed” the uncut version for free, you might consider sending a few dollars to the people who made the film).  Buy A Serbian Film [cut].

Starlight & Superfish (2010): An atheist finds himself a ghost in his apartment, now occupied by an evangelical Christian woman; a glam rock band serves as his guide to the afterlife, singing clues to lessons he must learn to avoid an eternity of perdition.  This comedy didn’t even play the usual festivals and thus flew well under our (and everyone else’s) radars, but the synopsis is intriguing. Buy Starlight & Superfish.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Destroy All Monsters (1968):  Ishiro Honda’s nutty kaiju romp, which sees Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and pals all go on plywood-city smashing sprees at the same time, is a tons of fun.  This Tokyo Shock Blu-ray was so awaited by Japanese monster fans that it went out of stock within a few days of release . Buy Destroy All Monsters [Blu-ray].

Island of Lost Souls (1932): See description in DVD above.  Buy Island of Lost Souls [The Criterion Collection Blu-ray].

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010):  See description in DVD above.  This package includes a DVD copy of the film as well. Buy Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (Blu-Ray + DVD).

A Serbian Film (2010): See description in DVD above. Buy A Serbian Film [Blu-ray].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIE OF THE WEEK ON YOUTUBE:

White Zombie (1932):  Maybe it’s just us, but when Halloween rolls around, we like to go old school for our scares, and there’s little out there creakier than this Bela Lugosi outing featuring “real” (i.e. Haitian) zombies.  Read our capsule review if you’re on the fence.  Watch White Zombie 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.

We’re well aware that we’ve been neglecting our primary purpose, and that it’s been a good while since we’ve officially elevated a movie onto the List of the 366 Best Weird Movies ever made.  All that changes next week as we add movie #96.  Well it be Bellflower (2011), the mumblecore drama about contemporary slackers who build Mad Max machines in preparation for the coming Apocalypse?  Or could it be Elena (2011), the morally ambiguous story of an older Russian woman and a coveted inheritance that won a special jury prize in the “Un Certain Regard” category at Cannes? Perhaps it’s reader-suggestion The Saddest Music in the World (2003), starring Isabella Rossellini as a legless Canadian beer baroness who sponsors a global search for the titular music during the Great Depression? If you’ve guessed which one it is don’t tell the others, let them be shocked and surprised!

After a few weeks of surprisingly ordinary search terms, this week the abnormal returned to Google with a vengeance, keying in multitude of distorted entries we can use in our weekly quest to find the Weirdest Search Term of the Week.  Our first honorable mention comes from the searcher we’d most like to meet:  “i am weird movies.”  As usual, the twi1sted pr0n searchers brought us disquieting gold with “boys first sex with his dog;” not the weirdest, but certainly the most disturbing, search of the week.  On a more innocent smut note, we noticed a developing kink pattern in this sequence of searches: “dwarf breastfeeding movies,” “women breastfeeding horse videos,” and our favorite in the series, “films featuring the dead breastfeeding” (we wonder if the last refers to some extremely rare Jerry Garcia bootlegs?)  Despite the fun afforded by the previous queries, our vote for Weirdest Search Term of the Week goes to the simple “japanese stewadess constipated,” simply because we can not imagine one possible scenario where we’d type that particular combination of words into the Google search box.  Not one.  Really, try to think of one yourself.  You’ll see.

Here’s the ridiculously long and ever-growing reader suggested review queue for your perusal: Saddest Music in the World (next week!); Kairo [AKA Pulse]; Mulholland Drive; The American Astronaut; Blood Tea and Red Strings; The Films of Kenneth Anger, Vol. II (for Lucifer Rising, among  others); Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; The Bride of  Frank; Continue reading WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE →

A 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 Catechism Cataclysm (2011):  Read our capsule review.  Distributed by IFC Midnight, so it will open at the IFC Center in New York this week; future screenings unknown.  The Catechism Cataclysm official site.

Glitch in the Grid (2011): An artist suffers a spiritual crisis in this film mixing live action and stop-motion animation.  The director calls the style “spiritual surrealism.”  Opening in New York City with scattered single-night screenings across the country through the fall.  Glitch in the Grid official site.

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011): Psychological thriller about the mental struggles of woman who has escaped from a cult trying to adjust to “real” society.  Reviews are excellent, making us think it’s weirdness must be fairly mild.  Martha Marcy May Marlene official site.

FILM FESTIVALS: FETISCH FILM FESTIVAL (Oct. 25-29, Kiel, Germany):

If you’re into S&M and outré erotica, Kiel, Germany is the place to be in October.  Amongst the dominatrix documentaries and soft porn bondage features, the Fetish Film Festival will also be screening a few very weird films:

• Maximum Shame – Read our capsule review.  The world’s only “apocalyptic fetish horror musical chess sci-fi weird feature movie.”  Oct. 26.
• Planet Diva –  Self-aware mock-grindhouse movies are the latest fad for low-budget producers; this short looks to be the weirdest of the genre screening here. Oct. 26.

• Sleeping Beauty – From Australia comes this modern folktale that sounds like it has more to do with The House of Sleeping Beauties than with the classic fairy tale. Julia Leigh’s feminist “Wonder Cinema” film has been making a name by playing every festival that will book it.  Oct. 29.
  
• VigasioSexploitation -The synopsis begins, “an egg from outer space infects the villagers of Vigasio…” and only gets weirder from there.  Starring a man-pig and a naked woman with a soapbox covering her head.  The movie is available for free download from the official site (adults only, obviously).  There’s also a VigasioSexploitation, Vol. 2 (not downloadable, but will be shown at the festival).  Oct. 26.

Fetisch Film Festival official site (in German).

IN DEVELOPMENT:

Untitled Snow White Feature (est. 2012): It promises to bring a “dark twist” to the Snow White legend.  The presence of icons of conventionality Julia Roberts (as the Evil Queen) and Nathan Lane in the cast gives up pause, but director Tarsem Singh has gone weird in the past (The Cell, The Fall).  Untitled Snow White on IMDB.

Upstream Color (est. 2012):  After making a splash with the microbudgeted mindbender Primer, engineer-turned-filmmaker Shane Carruth disappeared off the radar, but word has it he’s back with a new project (one that’s described, partly, as a romance).  Chud.com appears to have broken the news, though they don’t have many details.  Even more interesting than the Color confirmation is the news that his script A Topiary (which concerns a “mysterious box” and may be a sequel of sorts to Primer) is still alive, with an estimated release date of 2013.  (Assist to Pussy Goes Grrr for bringing this story to our attention).

NEW ON DVD:

The Bulgarian Prophet (2011?): Unpretentiously animated satire about a Bulgarian immigrant who becomes an unlikely prophet after being struck by a meteor during the hippie era.  Creator Yavor Batchev calls it “an amalgam of Eugene Ionesco, Boris Vian and Kafka” and from the trailer it appears to take (equal?) shots at both the East and the West.  Apparently a one-man show, thanks to the marvels of modern technology; it’s being sold via the author’s website for $14.95 + shipping for a DVD or a $5.95 download.  The Bulgarian Prophet official site.

The Last Circus [Balada Triste de Trompeta] (2010):  Read our capsule review.  We declared this tale of warring clowns in Franco’s Spain not weird, but we won’t blame you if you want to check it out anyway. Buy The Last Circus.

Satan Hates You (2009):  Read our capsule review.  We were one of the very first outlets to review this film, and it seems like we’ve been waiting forever for this Jack-Chick-tract-come-to-life to finally come out so we can prove we didn’t dream it. Buy Satan Hates You.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Clowns (1970):  The seldom-seen Federico Fellini “documentary,” made for Italian television, exploring the weird director’s obsession with clowns.  Parts are scripted (thus the quotes around “documentary”). Buy The Clowns [Blu-ray].

The Crow (1994): A rock musician returns from the dead as a goth spirit to wreak vengeance on the street gang that killed him and his fiancée.  A simple, but extremely atmospheric, graphic novel adaptation, the movie is unfortunately best known for the death of rising star Brandon (son of Bruce) Lee, who was tragically killed when a prop gun was accidentally left loaded.  Buy The Crow [Blu-ray].

The Last Circus [Balada Triste de Trompeta] (2010): See description in DVD above. Buy The Last Circus [Blu-ray].

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Ultimate Collectors Edition) (1971):  This psychedelic and very frightening children’s story sees foppish candyman Wonka (a brilliant Gene Wilder) and his gang of moralizing orange dwarfs knock off disobedient children one by one.  The set comes in a commemorative tin box and (natch) contains a replica of a Golden Ticket along with a 144 page (!) booklet, a Blu-ray copy of the movie with hi-def extras, and a DVD copy of the movie with (different) standard-def extras.  Buy Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Ultimate Collector’s Edition).

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

We’re not linking any YouTube movies this week, but we’re using this space to remind you of the VigasioSexploitation free download (IPod or torrent) mentioned above in the Fetisch Film Festival rundown.  If you do download and watch it, be sure to tell us what you think!

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.