First off, merry Christmas to all our readers, and we hope that you have all been very weird this past year so that Santa will stuff your stocking full of the collected works of Stan Brackhage.
We won’t be taking Christmas off; you can expect to see our normal “Weird Horizon” column on Christmas Day, along with another unsettling holiday-themed short. The rest of the week, you can expect to see reviews of Dans Ma Peau [In My Skin] and Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women, and an introduction to the weird words of John M. Bennet, among other features.
In looking for the weirdest search term used to locate the site this week, we’ll stick with the holiday theme and nominate “singing santa and reindeer- I am a weirdo.”
The ever-growing reader-suggested review queue looks like this: Greaser’s Palace (substituted for Institute Benjamenta), Waking Life, Survive Style 5+, The Dark Backward, The Short Films of David Lynch, Santa Sangre, Dead Man, Inland Empire, Monday (assuming I can find an English language version), The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Barton Fink, What? (Diary of Forbidden Dreams), Meatball Machine, Xtro, Basket Case, Suicide Club, O Lucky Man!, Trash Humpers (when/if released), Gozu, Tales of Ordinary Madness, The Wayward Cloud, Kwaidan, Six-String Samurai, Andy Warhol’s Trash, Altered States, Memento, Nightmare Before Christmas/Vincent/Frankenweenie, The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Gothic, The Attic Expeditions, After Last Season, Getting Any?, Performance, Being John Malkovich, The Apple, Southland Tales, Arizona Dream, Spider (2002), Songs From The Second Floor, Singapore Sling, Alice [Neco z Alenky], Dark Country, Necromania (1971, Ed Wood), Hour of the Wolf, MirrorMask, Possession, Suspiria, and Mary and Max. Honestly, that list should take us all the way through 2010!
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):
Nine: Here’s a curiosity for sure: a musical based around the putative romantic adventures of Federico Fellini while filming the classic weird movie 8 1/2. Too bad the critics mostly hate it. Also, we have to point out that fractional numbers are weirder than integers (though not as weird as irrational numbers). Nine official site.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
A Town Called Panic: A stop-motion animated children’s film from Belgium; according to the press release, it “follows the wacky, hilarious and often surreal adventures of three plastic toys named Cowboy, Indian and Horse who share a rambling house in a rural town which never fails to attract the weirdest events.” We’re going to keep an eager eye out for the DVD release! A Town Called Panic official site.
Ricky: Reviewers are being tightlipped about the plot of this one, but it concerns a French couple who have a remarkable, miraculous baby. There are strong hints that many are upset by the fact that the movie begins in the realm of pure realism, and slips into magical realism for the second half, something that always makes weird-hating audiences feel cheated. From François Ozon, the director who brought us the enigmatic Swimming Pool (2003), among other intriguing movies I haven’t seen. Ricky official site.
IN PRODUCTION:
Alice in Wonderland (2010): Tim Burton‘s eagerly awaited adaptation of Alice in Wonderland is now in post-production, scheduled for a March 5th, 2010 release. Burton and company released a new trailer two days ago. In a chintzy move, embedding the video is disabled so that Disney can sell exclusive embedding rights to other sites (Rotten Tomatoes will allow you to embed the video from their site—but the code hijacks the user’s browser and redirects him to Rotten Tomatoes when it finishes playing!) Access the trailer from the following link, then come back and tell us what you think:
We’re cautiously optimistic… but a little more cautious than optimistic after seeing this second trailer.
NEW ON DVD:
The Headless Woman [La mujer sin cabeza] (2008): Argentinian film about a woman who experiences a mysterious form of amnesia after striking something—a dog, or a child?—with her car. Described as head-scratching, slow and oblique. Buy The Headless Woman from Amazon.
Year of the Fish (2007): Here’s a movie idea you don’t see everyday: a rotoscoped animated adult retelling of “Cinderella,” with the lead role taken by a Chinese immigrant woman forced to work in a “happy-ending” massage parlor and befriended by a magical goldfish. Critically acclaimed. Buy Year of the Fish from Amazon.
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.
366 scribe Alfred Eaker‘s W the Movie is now available for digital rental on Amazon. For only $2.99, you can watch the movie as many times as you want for one week. The movie can be watched on your computer monitor or your television screen, if you have an internet-equipped device like a Tivo-DVR, certain Blu-ray players or TV models.
Amazon allows a 2:30 free preview of the movie; unfortunately, in this case this doesn’t get you very far past the credits. Here’s the full trailer for the film to give you a better flavor of this surrealist satire on the presidency of George W. Bush:
To preview or order, click here or on the video cover above. (Yes, we will earn a few pennies if you rent it). You can also check out this and other titles in the online rental section of our website. We hope you’ll enjoy the movie!
Check in next week to finally see our report on the eagerly anticipated dark fairy tale Ink, which is burning up the torrent sites and already has “cult movie” written all over it. We’ll also be taking a look at the 2006 Frankenstein variation Subject Two. Other reviews that could pop up to fill out the week include Absurdistan (2008) and The Box (2009).
As far as the weirdest search term used to locate the site last week, we’ll go with “weird two worded movies.” Still wondering whether searcher is only interested in weird movies which have two word titles, or in which only two words are spoken.
The reader suggested review queue now looks like this: Greaser’s Palace (substituted for Institute Benjamenta), Waking Life, Survive Style 5+, The Dark Backward, The Short Films of David Lynch, Santa Sangre, Dead Man, Inland Empire, Monday (assuming I can find an English language version), The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Barton Fink, What? (Diary of Forbidden Dreams), Meatball Machine, Xtro, Basket Case, Suicide Club, O Lucky Man!, Trash Humpers (when/if released), Gozu, Tales of Ordinary Madness, The Wayward Cloud, Kwaidan, Six-String Samurai, Andy Warhol’s Trash, Altered States, Memento, Nightmare Before Christmas/Vincent/Frankenweenie, The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Gothic, The Attic Expeditions, After Last Season, Getting Any?, Performance, Being John Malkovich, The Apple, Southland Tales, Arizona Dream, Spider (2002), Songs From The Second Floor, Singapore Sling, Alice [Neco z Alenky], Dark Country, Necromania (1971, Ed Wood), Hour of the Wolf, and MirrorMask. We know this thing has been languishing, but we promise to start whittling it down once January comes around.
We’re working behind the scenes on a few surprises for the end of the year. Sorry we can’t be less cryptic, but we have some ambitious plans—look for an announcement in the coming weeks.
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 Lovely Bones: Visionary, and sentimental looking, tale about a little murdered girl who watches over her family from the afterlife. Once weird Peter (Meet the Feebles) Jackson’s fantasy/drama opens to mixed reviews, and given the talent involved and Jackson’s Hollywood cred, it’s a bit surprising that it’s only getting a limited release. Starring young Saoirse Ronan, Stanley Tucci, Marky Mark, Rachel (The Brothers Bloom) Weisz, and Susan Sarandon. The Lovely Bones official site.
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?: An actor who’s killed his mother holds a family hostage while a detective investigates his bizarre personal history. Sounds like it could be a mundane tale of descent into madness, except that it comes from a weird dream team: directed by Werner (Even Dwarfs Started Small) Herzog, and executive produced by David Lynch! With that pedigree, coupled with mystified early reviews, My Son sounds like a good candidate for weirdest film of 2009—although it’s likely too late to the party to get a mention here until 2010. Debuting in NYC Dec. 11, in LA Dec. 18, and hopefully following soon to the rest of the country. My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done? official site.
SCREENINGS (DEC. 11 & 12, NEW YORK CITY):
Coming Soon (2006/2008): See our review. The controversial bestiality mockumentary makes its U.S. debut at The Living Theater. This is your second and final notice; if you attend, feel free to report back to us on the experience. Expect one weird crowd.
NEW ON DVD:
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa: The Criterion Collection busts out this massive film geek’s wet dream just in time for the holidays. Contains the intermittently weird Rashomon (1950) along with non-weird, but essential, Kurosawa classics like Stray Dog (1949), Seven Samurai (1954), Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Yojimbo (1961), and nineteen others. We wish the Master’s most unabashedly surreal work, Dreams (1990), was included in the set, but how can anyone really complain that a treasure trove is missing a pearl? Buy AK 100: 25 Films of Akira Kurosawa from Amazon.
Beautiful Losers (2008): A documentary examining the DIY skatepunk art movement in New York City in the early 1990s. Among those profiled is weird director Harmony Korine. Buy Beautiful Losers from Amazon.
World’s Greatest Dad (2009): Robin Williams stars in this dark comedy about a failed writer turned high school poetry teacher who gets a shot at fame late in life. Plot descriptions are circumspect, but we can tell that there is a twist in there, and it’s described as a very black one. Directed by the always outrageous Bobcat (Shakes the Clown) Goldwaith. It had a token theatrical release after a film festival run, but is essentially straight-to-DVD. Buy World’s Greatest Dad from Amazon
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
The Alphabet Killer (2007): A schizophrenic female detective freaks out while investigating a brutal series of murders. Hallucinations ensue. Buy The Alphabet Killer from Amazon.
Rebirth of Mothra II (1997): With his miniature princess guardians, Mothra was always one of the weirdest of the kaiju (giant Japanese monsters). Here, Mothra fights a monster genetically engineered to eat garbage. It’s a modernized Mothra, but it features old school ridiculous dubbing. Watch Rebirth of Mothra II 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.
Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!
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