Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.

IN THEATERS (SPECIAL EVENT SCREENINGS):

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004): Read the Certified Weird entry! Hayao Miyazaki‘s steampunk fairy tale gets a nationwide revival via GKIDS/Fathom Entertainment screenings on April 7, 8 &10. Find a theater near you.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018): Terry Gilliam‘s ill-fated Quixote variation, 20 years in the making, is finally released, though not perhaps in the manner Gilliam hoped. The finally-revealed scenario, which involves Adam Driver as an ex-director confronting his former star (Jonathan Pryce) who now believes himself to be Quixote, sounds more than a little Fisher King-esque. Do an old man a favor and catch it at a theater near you: one night only, April 10.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

High Life (2018): Claire Denis joint about astronaut Robert Pattinson and daughter onboard a deserted spaceship headed towards a black hole, trying to figure out what happened to the rest of the crew. Weird-hating critic Rex Reed (I could have sworn he retired?) raved that it was “baffling, non-linear to the point of near-schizophrenia… [i]ts abstract ideas about life and death don’t make one lick of sense.” High Life official site.

Suburban Birds [Jiao qu de niao] (2018): An engineer investigating a sinkhole discovers a diary what seems to contain prophecies about his own life. A 4.0 on IMDB and 71% positive on Rotten Tomatoes; that’s the kind of spread that suggests a movie is either really boring, or really weird (or both). Suburban Birds official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT (POST-PRODUCTION):

Shakespeare’s Sh*tstorm (est. 2019): We’re a little late to the party in breaking the news about this “spiritual sequel” to Tromeo & Juliet from shock shlock studio Troma; it’s probably nearly complete by now. This time, Lloyd Kaufman gives Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” his scatological treatment. Neither James Gunn nor Lemmy will be helping out this time. The grossout trailer is filled with bodily fluids (some chunky) and is definitely not-SFW; watch at your own peril.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

The Man Who Killed Hitler and then The Bigfoot (2018): Read Giles Edwards’ festival mini-review. Not as weird as the title suggests—it’s actually more of a character study—but certainly an out-of-the-ordinary turn for the popular Sam Elliott. On DVD, Blu-ray and VOD. Buy The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot.

The Man With the Magic Box (2017): In Warsaw in the near future, an amnesiac man (whose memory may have been wiped by the government) goes to work as a janitor and falls in love with a superior, but the past inevitably catches up to him.  We expect to review this low-budget Polish film with an imaginative dystopia and a hard-to-swallow twist soon. Buy The Man With the Magic Box.

Terra Formars (2016): A manned mission to Mars must contend with a race of mutant cockroaches. Having apparently settled in to making batty B-movie manga adaptations in the twilight of his career, Takashi Miike hasn’t produced any (sur)real classics in the past twenty years; but then again, we haven’t seen any real bombs from him (well, possibly one…) Arrow Video releases this one on Blu-ray only. Buy Terra Formars.

Terror 5 (2016): Five interlocking tales of Argentine “terror.” Expect a review soon. Buy Terror 5.

CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.

• Cleveland, OH, 4/6 & 4/8 – Glen or Glenda (1953). At the Cleveland Institute of Art.
• Denver, CO, 4/7 – Spirited Away (2001). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Los Angeles, CA, 4/5 (midnight) – Akira (1988). At the Nuart Theatre.
• Nashville, TN, 4/5-4/6 – House [Hausu] (1977). At the Belcourt.
• Nashville, TN, 4/5 (midnight) – Black Swan (2010). At the Belcourt.
• Nashville, TN, 4/6 (midnight) – Perfect Blue (1997). At the Belcourt.
• New Braunfels, TX, 4/6 – Spirited Away (2001). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
• New York City, NY, 4/5-4/7 –Weekend (1967). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 4/5-4/6 (midnights) – The Holy Mountain (1973). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 4/5-4/6 (midnights) – Mulholland Drive (2001). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 4/11 – Female Trouble (1974). At the Museum of Modern Art.
• New York City, NY, 4/11 – Vertigo (1958). At Nitehawk Cinema (Prospect Park).
• Oakland, CA, 4/11 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). At the New Parkway Theater.
• San Francisco, CA, 4/5 – Dark Passage (1947) with Vertigo (1958) (double feature). At the Castro Theatre.
• San Francisco, CA, 4/6 – Vertigo (1958) with San Francisco (1936) (double feature). At the Castro Theatre.
• Tuscon, AZ, 4/5-4/6 – Fight Club (1999). At the Loft Cinema.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Continue voting in our Mad March April Movie Madness tournament, please, and/or enter our April “pick-your-prize” giveaway while it lasts (contest closes April 8). While you’re doing that, you can also check out our upcoming reviews of a the violent/absurd French cartoon MFKZ and a pair of DVD-only releases from our friends at Artsploitation pictures: Terror 5 and The Man with the Magic Box (see descriptions in “Home Video” above). And is prodigal Alfred Eaker really back and ready to take his punishment? Find out next week!

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 know it’s already April, but we’re too in love with alliteration to change the tournament title. At any rate, we’ve now distilled the original 366 candidates to sixteen strange movies, which will face off each other in this round to see who has the stuff to be named one of the Eerie Eight.

Here are the official Strange 16, along with the path they took to make it this far:

Spirited Away (2001): defeated Vampyr (1932), 107-68; defeated Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (1983), 95-58; defeated Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), 122-33; defeated The City of Lost Children [La cité des enfants perdus] (1995), 86-73.

The Holy Mountain (1973): defeated Playtime (1967), 135-33; defeated The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), 105-36; defeated Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), 108-45; defeated Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970), 107-46.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): defeated Dementia [Daughter of Horror] (1955), 125-18; defeated Lost Highway (1997), 99-52; defeated Enter the Void (2009), 107-42; defeated Santa Sangre (1989), 109-51.

Repo Man (1984): advanced through play-in round; defeated Altered States (1980), 78-76; defeated Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990), 88-44; defeated Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), 99-52; defeated Repulsion (1965), 78-75.

Suspiria (1977): defeated Hour of the Wolf [Vargtimmen] (1968), 87-24; defeated Vertigo (1958), 123-39; defeated Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), 96-68; defeated The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973), 109-36.

Donnie Darko (2001): defeated The Phantom of Liberty (1974), 68-33; defeated Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), 78-75; defeated Come and See (1985), 93-51; defeated Wild at Heart (1990), 83-77.

Under the Skin (2013): advanced through play-in round; defeated The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), 69-21; defeated Fantastic Planet [La Planète Sauvage] (1973), 75-64; defeated mother! (2017), 89-63; defeated Dark City (1998), 99-52.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989): advanced through play-in round; defeated Phantom of the Paradise (1974), 64-36; defeated After Hours (1985), 79-44; defeated The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (1989), 89-49; defeated Barton Fink (1991), 89-68.

Naked Lunch (1991): defeated Time Bandits (1981), 94-44; defeated Glen or Glenda (1953), 103-16; defeated Don’t Look Now (1973), 94-52; defeated Dogtooth [Kynodontas] (2009), 98-55.

Possession (1981): defeated You, the Living [Du Levande] (2007), 103-20; defeated Alice [Neco Z Alenky] (1988), 66-58; defeated Being John Malkovich (1999), 80-73; defeated Pink Flamingos (1972), 87-61.

Un Chien Andalou (1929): defeated Forbidden Zone (1982), 76-49; defeated The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), 76-39; defeated Daisies [Sedmikrásky] (1966), 77-61; defeated Akira (1988), 83-71.

El Topo (1970): Defeated Lucifer Rising (1981), 104-19; defeated Metropolis (1927), 66-44; defeated Perfect Blue (1997), 93-65; defeated INLAND EMPIRE (2006), 87-62.

Mulholland Drive (2001): defeated Society (1989), 111-22; defeated Orpheus (1950), 97-27; defeated Brazil (1985), 91-69; defeated The Lobster (2015), 111-43.

House [Hausu] (1977): defeated Cemetery Man [Dellamorte Dellamore] (1994), 94-27; defeated Audition [Ôdishon] (1999), 91-30; defeated Videodrome (1983), 85-84; defeated Blue Velvet (1986), 98-56.

Häxan [Witchcraft Through the Ages] (1922): advanced through play-in round; defeated The Triplets of Belleville (2003), 75-35; defeated Underground (1995), 81-25; defeated Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), 79-58; defeated The Saragossa Manuscript (1965), 81-46.

Eraserhead (1977): defeated Evil Dead II (1987), 99-29; defeated A Clockwork Orange (1971), 102-33; defeated The Exterminating Angel [El àngel exterminador] (1962), 117-30; defeated The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), 112-41.

You can see the full results and progress of the entire tournament here: https://challonge.com/tsut4018 (note that this link is just for viewing results. You must vote using the forms below.)

You may vote once every 24 hours. This round closes at midnight, EST Apr. 8.

Get to voting below! (No wagering, please.)

Continue reading MARCH MAD MOVIE MADNESS TOURNAMENT: THE STRANGE 16 →

Time for another giveaway contest! This one is simple. We will have two prize options; just certify you meet the eligibility rules and then enter the name of the one you want in the comments. We’ll select two winners (one for each prize, naturally) randomly at the end of the week from all eligible entries.

Eligibility rules:

• You must comment on this post confirming you meet the eligibility requirements and specifying which prize option you want. Each individual may only enter the drawing for Prize Option 1 or Prize Option 2, not both.
• Due to the nature of the prizes, you must be over 18 years of age to participate.
• To receive the prize, you must supply us with a mailing address in the United States. (Don’t publish your address in your comment! We’ll contact the winners through email).
• You are not eligible for this prize if you have won a contest here in the previous six months. 366 contributors are not eligible for the prize.

We’ll stop accepting entries Monday, April 8, at midnight EST. If the winner does not respond to our request for a mailing address within 48 hours we’ll email a runner-up, and so forth, until the prize is given away.

Both prizes are new, previously unviewed discs.

Prize Option 1: Blue Movie (1971, Dutch), Blu-ray + DVD, courtesy Cult Epics:

In his review, Giles Edwards said “Blue Movie made quite a splash at the time of its release, resulting in a lot of hand-wringing on the part of more upright Dutch (and international) citizens. Large chunks of the movie are, indeed, akin to softcore pornography, but as much as possible, the sex is handled not just tastefully, but also with a refreshing sense of joie-de-vivre… a nice reminder that good movies can have good sex.”

Blue Movie trailer (NSFW)

Prize Option 2: The House + Do It Yourself (2 DVDs), courtesy Artsploitation Films:

The House (2016, Norway): “Arthouse meets horror meets Nazis in this creepy Norwegian ghost tale. Set in WWII, two German soldier escort a POW though a Scandinavian forest in wintertime. Freezing, they seek refuge in a seemingly empty house. What began as welcoming turns much more sinister and deadlier as they wonder if they have somehow stepped into a sort of psychological Hell from which there may be no escape.” (Box cover description.)

and Do It Yourself (2017, Greece): “This action thriller/black comedy brims with hi-octane excitement. A small-time crook, holed up in a labyrinthine porn studio, finds that he is being hunted down by a double-crossing crime boss. He has only one option—to escape from the other crooks. An inventive, funny and fast-paced crime yarn filled with gun-packing thugs, a dangerously high body count and one man determined to escape alive.” (Box cover description.)

Get to it! Remember to specify which prize option you are entering the contest for. No other skill necessary!

Late, but actually available a month earlier than last year’s edition. As always, the recycled ad copy speaks for itself:

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 2018, from “All You Can Eat Buddha” to “Zen Dog”, with 40+ full-length reviews, extensive capsules and supplemental listings, and exclusive interviews with director Panos Cosmatos (“Mandy”) and others. If it’s weird, it’s a movie, it’s from 2018, and 366 Weird Movies covered it, you’ll find it here.

The print version of the Yearbook requires additional formatting and proofing and should be available for sale in a couple of weeks.

Buy the 2018 Kindle edition of the 366 Weird Movies Yearbook here (please). Or wait for print…

The March Mad Movie Madness elimination tournament heats up for real! This round will take 32 survivors—better than the top 10% of the original field of 366—and whittle it down to the Strange Sixteen.

Some matches of interest: the classic anime Akira faces the only short left in the field, Un Chien Andalou. Possession vs. Pink Flamingos is the high art/low art clash of the round. And we predict the winner of the Mulholland Drive/The Lobster heavyweight bout can do some real damage in the rest of the tournament.

You can see the results and progress of the tournament here: https://challonge.com/tsut4018 (note that this link is just for viewing results. You must vote using the forms below.)

You may vote once every 24 hours. This round closes at midnight, EST Apr. 3. (We know the March tourney is going well into April, but we like alliteration too much).

Get to voting below!

Continue reading MARCH MAD MOVIE MADNESS, ROUND OF 32 →