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):

Bellflower (2011):  Offbeat tale of two contemporary teens who build Road Warrior-inspired vehicles in hopes the apocalypse will come soon and bring adventure to their lives; a girl comes instead.  Opening in New York and L.A. this week, with pretty decent coverage (dozens of US cities) throughout the remaining summer.  Bellflower official site.

Cold Fish (2010):  “Based on a true story,” Sion (Suicide Club) Sono’s most recent film is set in the overlapping worlds of serial killers and tropical fish retailers.  Not likely to be tremendously weird, but it is reportedly quite intense and gruesome, and Sono definitely has his followers.  Cold Fish official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT:

“Lotus Community Center” (est. 2012?):  Val Kilmer announced on his Tumblr page that he will be playing “the WORST motivational speaker on earth” in an upcoming experimental short to be directed by Harmony Korine.  In other Korine news, the alienating auteur has apparently cast Marlon Wayans as a dollar bill in his upcoming scripted (now there’s an experiment!) comedy feature Twinkle Twinkle (est. 2014).

NEW ON DVD:

“4 Film Favorites: Raw Feed Horror Collection”: Packaging four films for the price of one DVD is not a bad marketing ploy.  The choices in this one are uninspiring, however: the forgotten Rest Stop (2006), it’s surprise sequel Rest Stop: Don’t Look Back (2008), and the forgotten evil suicide cult movie Believers (2007).  We mention this set because it contains the definitely weird (though not all that good) hospital-horror Sublime (read our review). Buy “4 Film Favorites: Raw Feed Horror Collection”.

“MST3K vs. Gamera”:  If you’re a fan of Mystery Science Theater (and if you’re not, you should be), then this set is a major event.  For years it was assumed that the Gamera films would never be released on DVD, thanks to Japanese reluctance to allow their giant, jet-fueled flying turtle to be mocked by uncultured Americans.  Shout! Factory worked some licensing magic and acquired rights to all five of the MST3K Gamera episodes for your pleasure. Buy “MST3K Vs. Gamera: Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XXI [Deluxe Edition]”.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Santa Claus (1959):  This amazing Mexican-made oddity about a Santa who lives in a castle in space and fights the devil is currently buried deep in our reader-suggested review queue, but you can get the jump on us by watching it on YouTube.  Watch Santa Claus (1959) 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.

There’s still time to enter the latest review writing contest for a chance to win a DVD.  Based on the number of submissions so far (0), your chances of being chosen the winner are outstanding right now.

Next week we’ll take a look at the obscure nudie horror fairy tale Blood Sabbath (1972); we’ll discuss Dario Argento‘s Suspiria warm-up, Deep Red; and, by popular demand, we’ll give our reassessment of Harmony Korine‘s Trash Humpers.

If you’re just here for our popular weekly series, “Weirdest Search Term of the Week,” then here’s your fix.  Almost every week we find someone searching for an extremely rare, incredibly specific, and almost always non-existent genre of movies, and this week is no exception as some sought a list of “old b movies horror for last century including killer vacuum cleaner.”  This next searcher may have been looking for a film genre as well, but due to the strange wording of his request for “free bizzares dracula online,” we really can’t tell for sure.  But, as usual, it’s the borderline smutty search strings that excel at weirdness, as exemplified by this week’s winner, “most most polesh sex lady.”  Is he looking for the most most polished sex lady?  Or maybe the most most Polish sex lady? The ambiguity is deliciously weird.

The reader-suggested review queue continues to grow faster than we’re willing to review them.  Here’s how it stands right now: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer; Dead Ringers; Kairo [AKA Pulse]; The Guatemalan Handshake;  The Seventh Seal;  Primer; 200 Motels; Private 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 Future (2011): Narrated by an injured cat awaiting adoption, there are strong elements of magical realism (e.g. a talking moon) in this speculative indie dramedy.  Congratulations are in order to Miranda July for getting this thing out of Sundance and into real theaters.  Opening at the IFC Center in Manhattan (with the director in attendance July 29 & 30), across the nation thereafter.  The Future official site.

Our Home: The Astral City [Nosso Lar] (2010): The most expensive Brazilian movie ever made is an afterlife fantasy about a celestial city where souls wait to be reincarnated.  It’s from a novel by a spiritualist medium, sports a score by Philip Glass, and seems like a weird choice for 20th Century Fox to distribute.  Our Home [Nosso Lar] official site.

NEW ON DVD:

American Grindhouse (2010)/Nightmares in Red, White and Blue (2009):  An interesting package of two clip-packed salacious cinema documentaries: Grindhouse addresses exploitation movies, while Nightmares covers the horror beat.  These compilation pictures—which cull the most outrageous segments for your viewing pleasure—are almost always more entertaining than the actual movies they profile. Buy American Grindhouse / Nightmares in Red, White & Blue: Double Feature (2-Disc Set).

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010):   Hollywoodized bastardization of the somewhat surreal comic that was also the basis for Dellamorte Dellamore [Cemetery Man]; it’s about a private eye who deals with the undead.  We get the feeling this is more of a wannabe blockbuster than a weird movie, but we mention it due to the tenuous Cemetery Man connection. Buy Dylan Dog.

Jackboots on Whitehall (2010): An alternate history comedy adventure in which the Nazis capture London by digging a tunnel under the English channel, told with puppets.  With the voices of Ewan McGregor as the hero, Alan Cumming as Hitler, and Richard “Riff Raff” O’Brien as Himmler, among others. Buy Jackboots on Whitehall.

Matrimony (2007):  A Chinese ghost story about a dead fiancee who resents her once-betrothed’s future marriage of convenience.  By all accounts its a subdued, dramatic, and slightly weird film, but the grisly DVD cover shows a man apparently putting a wedding band on a rotting, severed hand!  Buy Matrimony.

Park Benches [Bancs publics (Versailles rive droite)] (2009): A French comedy set in motion by sightings of a mysterious banner reading “Man Alone”: the film’s in three distinct sections, and the last (set in a shop called “Brico Dream”) is reportedly madcap surrealism.  The ad copy brags that there are almost 90 speaking roles (including one for Catherine Deneuve). Buy Park Benches.

The Puppet Monster Massacre (2010):  Truth in advertising in this direct-to-DVD spoof of/tribute to 1980s monster movies, with Nazis, puppet gore, and a character named “Raimi.”  The humor is said to verge on Meet the Feebles territory at times. Buy The Puppet Monster Massacre.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010): See description in DVD above. Buy Dylan Dog [Blu-ray].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Nosferatu (1922):  The earliest adaptation of Dracula (unauthorized) still chills people to the bone, thanks to the unearthly presence of the unearthly Max Schreck as Count Orlock.  This is the silent movie to watch if you think you don’t like silent movies.  Be sure to turn the lights out.  Watch Nosferatu 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.

Before plugging next week’s reviews, I’d like to remind everyone that there are only 3 days remaining to vote in the 366 Weird Movies 2nd Reader’s Choice Poll.  Currently Trash Humpers has a four vote lead in group A, with Adaptation, Rubber and Dead Leaves in striking distance; Pink Floyd: The Wall has opened a six vote lead over Jan Svankmajer’s Faust in Group B; and the “rescue” category pits one of the best movies of all time against one of the worst in its The Tree of Life vs. They Saved Hitler’s Brain showdown.

There’s still plenty of time to enter our 4th review writing contest.  As of right now if you submit any review at all you’ll be the clear frontrunner…

On to next week’s slate of reviews: you can take our advice on tracking down the Norwegian horror mockumentary Trollhunter (2010); we’ll discuss whether Enki Bilal’s adaptation of his own graphic novel about the Egyptian god Horus looking to get laid in Manhattan in 2095, Immortal: Ad Vitam (2004), should earn him everlasting fame; we’ll wonder whether Black Moon (1975), Louis Malle’s utterly surreal tale of breastfeeding and unicorns, is the work of a lunatic; and to close the week, we’ll write on The Saragossa Manuscript (1965).

There was a minor theme in our search for the weirdest search term used to locate the site last week: misspelled movie titles.  We appreciated the oddness of searches for “fanny games haneke 89 video” and “the wisker man (1973 uk) sex videos”  (though we would think “fanny games” would be more likely to be the UK sex video).  We’re going to go in another direction for our weirdest search term of the week, though, and nominate this searcher’s weird (if sage) advice: “avoid trash wine.”

The reader-suggested review queue continues to grow faster than we can review titles.  Here’s how it stands now: Immortal (Ad Vitam) (next week!); Perfume: The Story of a Murderer; Dead Ringers; Kairo [AKA Pulse]; The Guatemalan Handshake;  The Seventh Seal;  Primer; 200 Motels; Private Parts (1972); Saddest Music in the World; Mulholland  Drive; 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 (LIMITED RELEASE):

World on a Wire (1973): Originally made for German television, this dystopian Rainer Werner Fassbinder story scooped the virtual reality storyline more than twenty-five years before The Matrix.  According to the press release, it’s a “satiric and surreal look at the weird world of tomorrow from one of cinema’s kinkiest geniuses.”  Janus Films digitally restores this rarely seen sci-fi classic (?) and takes it out on tour across the US this summer and early fall.  World on a Wire official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Skidoo (1968): Jackie Gleason drops acid and Groucho Marx plays God in this notorious flop attempt by notable squares (including director Otto Preminger) to play to the Sixties counterculture.  It’s been out of circulation since its release—some say it’s been buried to prevent embarrassment to the cast and crew.  Does this release mean that Carol Channing, John Phillip Law, Frankie Avalon, George Raft, Cesar Romero, Mickey Rooney, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, and Peter Lawford have all finally passed away? Buy Skidoo.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Amélie (2001): Jean Pierre-Jeunet‘s enormously popular quirky fantasy is about a waifish waitress with magical powers to heal others; can she turn them on herself?  The 2008 Canadian Region 1 release of this film was largely disappointing; Miramax’s heavy-on-the-extras release should put the film’s North American fans back at ease. Buy Amélie [Blu-ray].

Beauty and the Beast [La Belle et la Bete] (1946): The Criterion Collection upgrades Surrealist Jean Cocteau’s dreamlike treatment of the famous fairy tale to Blu-ray. The new release adds a few minor supplements that were not on the 2003 DVD edition (the trailer, a look at the restoration of the film, and a large stills gallery). Buy Beauty and the Beast [Blu-ray].

NEW ON VIDEO-ON-DEMAND:

Vixen Highway 2006: It Came from Uranus (2009):  A grindhouse genre mish-mash spoof involving aliens, zombies, and a kick-ass gang of sexy girl bikers, from the director of Frankenpimp.  This does not appear to be available on DVD (yet, at least).  As always with Amazon VOD, you can watch the first two minutes for free. Rent Vixen Highway 2006: It Came from Uranus! on demand.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

C Me Dance (2009): Read our capsule review.  Heretics and unbelievers of all stripes will want to flock to this free showing of the incompetently inspirational movie about a young leukemia-stricken Christian ballerina converting the globe while fighting the Devil.  “What do you know of Hell, creature?”  Watch C Me Dance free on YouTube.

Vampyr (1932): Carl Theodore Dreyer‘s expressionist vampire film (Sheridan Le Fanu’s “Carmilla”) is a (far weirder) European companion piece to Dracula.  Watch Vampyr 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.