In written content, Gregory J. Smalley will drop his year-end picks for both the years’ weirdest movies (similar to what you see above, but in prose form) and best overall movies of 2023; Shane Wilson takes on another that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue with the 2002 spoof Kung Pow: Enter the Fist; and we suspect there’s a non-zero chance Giles Edwards will cover E. Elias Merhige‘s serial killer psychological thriller Suspect Zero (2004). Onward and weirdward!
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Since Pod 366 replaced our deprecated Weird Horizon column, it’s been a while (well, Thanksgiving) since we’ve posted one of these. But with no Pod this Christmas week, it’s back! And we have a number of last-minute home media releases to inform you of.
Les Vampires (1915): Read Alfred Eaker’s review. Irma Vep and her gang of miscreants terrorize Paris in these fantastique serials that influenced the burgeoning Surrealist movement. This is a Blu-ray reissue of an out-of-print set. Buy Les Vampires.
“Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films – Collector’s Edition”: A major release from Shout! Factory in collaboration with GKIDS. The five fantastic Yuasa features are the Canonically Weird Mind Game; the Apocryphally Weird Night Is Short, Walk on Girl; the kid-friendly Lu Over the Wall; Ride Your Wave; and his latest, the anachronistic historical musical Inu-Oh. Plus rare shorts, the previously unreleased-on-disc English-language dub of Night Is Short, and more extras. A truly special collector’s edition. Buy “Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films – Collector’s Edition.”
Mondo New York (1988): A late entry in the mondo craze, exploring bizarre and creepy behavior from the New York “underground” scene. Animal lovers beware, but you’ll also see junkies, transsexuals, and performance artists like Lydia Lunch and Karen Finley (sans yams). Now in Blu. Buy Mondo New York.
“Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume Four“: If you’re looking for a very late Christmas gift for some weirdo (or maybe for something on which to spend that cash your parents gave you), and you love goofy late-era kung fu, Arrow’s latest Shaw box may be the thing for you. Among the twelve programmers on offer here are some extra-crazy ones like Five Elements Ninjas and Holy Flame of the Martial World; as always, the Shawscope looks great and Arrow brings the extra features. Buy “Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume Four.”
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
On next week’s post-Christmas Pod 366, Gregory J. Smalley and Giles Edwards will run down their votes for Best Weird Movie of 2023.
In written reviews, Smalley revisits The Adult Swim Yule Log for the holidays; Shane Wilson travels with Werner Herzog on some Encounters at the End of the World (2007); and El Rob Hubbard takes a stroll with the giallo Death Walks at Midnight (1972). Onward and weirdward!
The Sudbury Devil (2023): Interview begins. Two 17th century witch-hunters travel into the forest to investigate reports of devilish happenings; things eventually get weird. This low-budget historical folk horror is being self-distributed and will be released online on Dec. 21. In the meantime, check out these links:
Atun-Shei films – Check here for The Sudbury Devil and Andrew Rakich’s other feature films.
Atun-Shei YouTube channel – Rakish’s youtube channel hosts dozens of short historical documentaries (many of which add context to the movie), short films, and the film’s soundtrack.
The Boy and the Heron (2023): Discussion begins.Hayao Miyazaki‘s surprise final film involves a boy traveling to a world between the living and the dead, meeting strange animals with character designs said to rival Spirited Away. It’s finally in wide release, a major event in the year’s cinematic calendar (for weirdos and normies alike). The Boy and the Heron U.S. distributor site.
Poor Things (2023): Discussion begins. Yorgos Lanthimos highly anticipated adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel about a woman who is revived from the dead, but with a fetus brain. Another major, major release this week. Poor Things official site.
Astrakan (2022): Discussion begins. Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. This bleak and ultra-realistic French childhood drama with a surrealistic coda has been available on VOD, but arrives this week in a Blu-ray edition (with no special features advertised). Buy Astrakan.
Barbarella (1968): Discussion begins. Read the Canonically Weird entry! Arrow releases the grooviest, sexiest space opera of the 60s on 4K UHD. Be aware there are two options for purchase: a 2-disc Blu-ray set (movie + extras) or a a set with the film on 4K UHD and the same Blu-ray of extra features. Buy Barbarella (1968).
Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973): Discussion begins. Read the Canonically Weird entry! American Film Genre Archives restores and re-releases this bizarre Western monster movie on Blu-ray. The Legend of Bigfoot (1975) is included as a bonus feature, along with three shorts from the Something Weird archives. Buy Godmonster of Indian Flats.
Director Andrew Rakich and producer Veronika Payton, of the upcoming period folk horror The Sudbury Devil, will be the guests on next week’s Pod 366. The following week we’ll have some guests on from video collective Everything is Terrible!, before taking a Christmas break and coming back Dec. 28 with our 2023 wrap-up pod.
In written reviews, Shane Wilson endures another that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue with the 2001 experimental Spanish art filmA Dog Called Pain; Giles Edwards will write up his thoughts on this week’s Pod subject, The Dark Sisters (2023); and Gregory J. Smalley, back from his secret mission, plans to cover Deaf Crocodile’s latest crazed cartoon unearthed from behind the Iron Curtain, Visitors from the Arkana Galaxy (1981). Onward and weirdward!
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
Since Pod 366 replaced our deprecated Weird Horizon column, it’s been a while since we’ve posted one of these. But with no Pod this Thanksgiving week, it’s back! Although there’s not much to report on in an off week for weird movies…
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
The Boy and the Heron (2023):Hayao Miyazaki‘s surprise final film involves a boy traveling to a world between the living and the dead, meeting strange animals with character designs said to rival Spirited Away. Opens in NYC and LA this week, at select IMAX theaters Dec. 4, and reaches its widest US release two weeks from today. In the meantime, we have a trailer! The Boy and the Heron US distributor site.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
Returning guest Richard Bailey will appear on next week’s Pod 366 to discuss his upcoming feature, The Dark Sisters. In December, we’ll have someone from video collective Everything is Terrible! on, and possibly some guest(s) to be named later.
In next week’s written reviews, Rafael Moreira brings our attention to António de Macedo’s rare The Twelve Hours of Maria (1977), a film about a blind girl raped by her stepfather which was condemned by the Catholic Church for blasphemy; Shane Wilson takes on another one that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue with 1986’s absurd post-apocalyptic Roller Blade; and Giles Edwards gives the Elizabeth Taylor‘s gonzo Identikit (1974) the full-length treatment (El Rob Hubbard previously reviewed it as part of the “House of Psychotic Women” box set). Meanwhile, Gregory J. Smalley works quietly behind the scenes on a not-ready-to-officially-announce if not-completely-secret project. Onward and weirdward!
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.
Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!
