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 (LIMITED RELEASE):

Chained for Life (2018): Read Giles Edwards’ review. At the time of this writing, this comedy about “freaks” making their own movie during off-hours on another movie set currently holds an impressive 100% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Ridiculous trivia: Freaks (see below) and Chained for Life both share names with movies starring conjoined twins the Hilton Sisters. Chained for Life official site.

Freaks (2018): Read Giles Edwards’ review. As promised in our (possibly spoilery) interview, the festival hit about a 10-year-old girl whose father keeps her locked inside and warns her never to leave the house receives a Friday the 13th release. Freaks official site.

Monos (2019): Enigmatic Colombian film about a purposeless group of soldiers camped in a fog-shrouded jungle. It’s receiving excellent reviews (with optimistic comparisons to Apocalypse Now). Monos official site.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Bloodsucker’s Planet (2019): A spaceship crew responding to a planetary distress signal encounter talking alien cockroaches, a gynobot with romantic delusions, and space vampires. An ultra-low budget 60s retro space opera, and a prequel to a 2012 movie (Bloodsucker’s Handbook) we never heard of, but looks weird. Blu-ray, DVD or VOD. Buy Bloodsucker’s Planet.

The Dead Don’t Die (2019): Residents of a small town endure a plague of zombies caused when polar fracking knocks the earth off its axis in this self-aware zombie parody. Features clunky satire and inconsistently deployed self-referential humor, but it is fun to see the amazing cast (led by a weary Bill Murray) get picked off by the undead. On Blu-ray, DVD and VOD. Buy The Dead Don’t Die.

“Undone” (2019): A new Amazon Prime series about a young woman whose dead father teaches her to time-travel. If that’s not enough oddity for you, we’ll add that it’s rotoscoped and from the makers of “Bojack Horseman.” The season debuts 9/13. “Undone” on Amazon Prime.

STREAMING SERVICES:

Spamflix: Questionable name, interesting service. Founded by a couple of international film festival programmers, spamflix specializes in rare films they describe as “absurd, fantastical and bizarre” and promises a platform “where genre enthusiasts can become ensorcelled with cinematic oddities from around the world.” The catalogue differs by country. The available-in-U.S. roster is currently small, but impressive, headlined (in our estimation) by the canonically weird Der Samurai (2014) (which is available on other platforms) and Hitoshi Matsumoto‘s abstract Symbol (which is not). Other interesting, underseen films include Gandu, Liza the Fox Fairy, and the UFO musical The Legend of Kaspar Hauser. Spamflix.com.

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.

• Auburn, NY, 9/17 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (free screening). At the Auburn Public Theater.
• Boston, MA, 9/13 (midnight) – Eraserhead (1977). At Coolidge Corner.
• Boston, MA, 9/14 (midnight) – Blue Velvet (1986). At Coolidge Corner.
• Dallas, TX, 9/13 – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001). At the Texas Theatre.
• Los Angeles, CA, 9/13 – Millennium Actress (2001) with Perfect Blue (1997) (double feature). At the Aero.
• Los Angeles, CA, 9/13 (midnight) – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001). At the Nuart.
• New York City, NY, 9/13 – Spirited Away (2001). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/13-14 (midnights) – Paprika (2006). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 9/13-14 (midnights) – Repo Man (1984). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 9/13-15 – Amarcord (1973). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/13-14, 16 – Belle de Jour (1967). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/13-15, 17-18 – Blue Velvet (1986). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 9/13-9/19 – Millennium Actress (2001). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/15 – True Stories (1986). At the Roxy.
• New York City, NY, 9/17, 19 – Fantastic Planet [La Planète Sauvage] (1973). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 9/19 – House [Hausu] (1977). At the Metrograph.
• Pittsburgh, PA, 9/13-19 – Akira (1988). At the Row House.
• San Francisco, CA, 9/13-14 – Paprika (2006). At the Roxie.
• Schenectady, NY, 9/19 – Donnie Darko (2001) (hosted and with book signing by Michael Gingold). At Proctor’s.
• Tuscon, AZ, 9/13-14 – Paprika (2006). At the Loft.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

K-12 (2019): Pop singer Melanie Martinez released a movie (a real musical, not just a “visual album”) in conjunction with her latest release, and put it up on YouTube for free. It’s a fantasy about a girl who is sent to a strict and surreal boarding school, and rebels; the aesthetic is almost oppressively pink. No word on how long it will remain up, so we assume indefinitely. Watch K-12 free on YouTube.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Last week was weird sex week; next week, we’ll go back to our regular format of just throwing whatever we feel like up on the page. Therefore, you can expect another eclectic slate of weird movie writing, starting off with G. Smalley‘s report on Rainer Werner Fassbinder‘s 15-hour classic, Berlin Alexanderplatz; Giles Edwards on Netflix’s Dark Crystal prequel  “The Age of Resistance”; and Pete Trbovich getting philosophical with his essay “Questions Are Beautiful.” Onward and weirdward!

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.

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 (LIMITED RELEASE):

Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece (2018): An ex-porn star becomes a kickboxing avenger in this 80s action throwback. The trailer makes it look desperately over-camped, but check out the cameos: Danny Trejo, kickboxer Cynthia Rothrock, kickboxer offspring Bianca Brigitte VanDamme, wrestlers Bill Goldberg and Tiny Lister, Last Dragon Taimak, and of course, Ron Jeremy. Fury of the First and the Golden Fleece official site.

The Misandrists (2017): A fugitive male hides out at a lesbian separatist boarding school. This is the widest release we’ve ever seen for a Bruce LaBruce movie (the director started out making underground gay porn movies and has gradually moved into slightly more mainstream transgressions). The Misandrists official site.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Death Smiles on a Murderer (1973): An ancient Incan ritual turns a dead woman into an avenging angel. Arrow Video is pitching this supernatural giallo as “surreal,” but just the fact that it’s sleazemaestro Joe D’Amato directing Ewa Aulin and Klaus Kinski would make it worth our notice. On Blu-ray only. Buy Death Smiles on a Murderer.

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985): An expressionistic portrait of the life of the Japanese author, told in flashbacks and stylized recreations of his fiction. This Criterion Collection Blu-ray upgrade may give us an excuse to knock this one out of our reader-suggested queue. Buy Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.

Sequence Break (2017): Read Giles Edwards’ review. The Cronenbeg-ish story of a young man absorbed (literally) by a mysterious video game. Streaming exclusively (for the time being, at least) on Shudder beginning on May 24.

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.

• Boston, MA, 5/25 (midnight) – Suspiria (1977). At Coolidge Corner Theater.
• Chicago, IL, 5/24 – 5/29 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). At Music Box Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 5/25 – Mulholland Drive (2001) with La Jetée (1962) (double feature). At the Egyptian Theater.
• New York City, NY, 5/25 – 5/26 – A Clockwork Orange (1971). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 5/25 – 5/26 (midnights) – Eraserhead (1977). With random giveaways of advance copies of David Lynch‘s upcoming memoir “Room to Dream” at the Friday 5/25 showing only. At Nitehawk Cinema.
• New York City, NY, 5/25 – 5/27 – A Clockwork Orange (1971). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 5/25 – 5/27 (midnights) – Pink Flamingos (1972). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 5/26 (midnight) – Repo Man (1984). At Videology Bar & Cinema.
• New York City, NY, 5/30 – The City of Lost Children (1995). With a new live score performed by Black Lodge. At the Nitehawk Cinema.
• Silver Spring, MD, 5/25, 5/27-5/31 – Night of the Hunter (1955). At AFI Silver Theater.
• Silver Spring, MD, 5/26 – Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) with The Mummy (1932) (double feature). At AFI Silver Theater.
• Toronto, ON, Canada – Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971). At the Royal.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada, 5/27 – Spirited Away (2001) (English dub). At the Rio.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada, 5/29 – Tekkonkinkreet (2006). At the Rio.
• Yonkers, NY, 5/30 – Hour of the Wolf (1968). At the Alamo Drafthouse.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON TUBI.TV:

A Boy and His Dog (1975): Read the Certified Weird entry! Don Johnson roams a post-apocalyptic wasteland with his telepathic dog, looking for women to rape. Upstart Tubi has a surprising number of weird (Certified and otherwise) titles in its catalog. Watch A Boy and His Dog free on Tubi.tv.

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.

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.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Dead Man (1995): Read the Certified Weird review! Jim Jarmusch‘s moody western about Nobody and William Blake gets the Criterion Collection treatment, with a host of new interviews, features, behind the scenes Neil Young performances, and deleted scenes for uberfans. On DVD and Blu-ray. Buy Dead Man.

Moon Child (1989): A parapsychological cult believes they may have found the prophesied “moon child” in a 12-year old orphan. From Agustí Villaronga, with a score by Dead Can Dance.  Blu-ray/DVD combo pack from Cult Epics. Review coming soon. Buy Moon Child.

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.

• Chicago, IL, 4/27-4/28 – Vertigo (1958). Buy a ticket and get a discounted ticket to Guy Maddin‘s new Vertigo-based visual essay The Green Fog (and vice-versa). At the Gene Siskel Film Center.
• Columbus, OH, 4/27 (midnight), 28, 30 & 5/2 – Suspiria (1977). At Gateway Film Center.
• Dallas, TX, 4/29 – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). At the Texas Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 4/27 – Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971). Part of the TCM Classic Film Festival, with Melvin Van Peebles in attendance. At the Egyptian Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 4/27 – Weekend (1967), with Vivre sa Vie (1962) (double feature). At the Aero Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 4/27 (midnight) – Society (1989). With an introduction by director Brian Yuzna. At Nuart Theater.
• New York City, NY, 4/27 – Blue Velvet (1986). At Videology Bar & Cinema.
• New York City, NY, 4/27-4/28 (midnights) – Videodrome (1983). At Nitehawk Cinema.
• New York City, NY, 4/27-4/28 (midnights) – Eraserhead (1977). At IFC Center.
• New York City, NY, 5/3 – A Clockwork Orange (1971). At Videology Bar & Cinema.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada, 4/27  – Paprika (2006). At the Rio.

FREE WEIRD MOVIES ON TUBI.TV:

The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made: A glorified YouTube upload posing as a one-hour feature film, but an interesting set of clips, nevertheless. At least three of these selections are Certified Weird, many others are reviewed here, and, as is usually the case with these kinds of lists, not all of them are actually bad—just beyond the curator’s expectations of what a movie “should” be. Watch The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made free on Tubi.TV.

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.

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 (LIMITED RELEASE):

Sign Gene (2017): Like the X-Men, but all the mutants are deaf and get their superpowers through using sign language. A Deafula for our times? No word if it comes with subtitles for the hearing. Sign Gene official site.

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.

• Denver, CO, 4/14 – Spirited Away (2001) (subtitled). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Los Angeles, CA, 4/13-4/19 – Belle de Jour (1967). At the Nuart Theater.
• New York City, NY, 4/14 (midnight) – Wild at Heart (1990). At Videology Bar & Cinema.
• Yonkers, NY, 4/15 – Spirited Away (2001) (subtitled). At the Alamo Drafthouse.

FREE MOVIES ON TUBI.TV:

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002): Read the Certified Weird review. Elvis and the black JFK fight a mummy who’s infiltrated their retirement home. You read that right. Watch Bubba Ho-Tep free on Tubi.TV.

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.

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 (LIMITED RELEASE):

The Endless (2017): Read Giles Edwards’ review.  Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead‘s festival hit about brothers returning to a UFO cult gets a limited release from Well Go. The Endless official Facebook page.

Lowlife (2017): Read Giles Edwards’ review. Giles described this interlocking story about Los Angeles lowlifes (including a luchador) as “Pulp Fiction with cajones” and hyped it early enough that IFC Midnight mentioned us in their Twitter promos. Lowlife at IFC Films.

FILM FESTIVALS – Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival (Pittsburgh, PA, Apr. 6-19):

There aren’t a lot of new releases debuting here, but you can catch at least one film of recent interest: Shion Sono‘s deconstructed pink movie, Antiporno. Other cool viewings include the rock and roll zombie apaocalypse cult movie Wild Zero, the intriguing sub-weird anime Your Name, and a pair of classic Kurosawa samurai flicks: Yojimbo (1961) (the basis for Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars) and its sequel Sanjuro (1961). Add a screening of the original Godzilla and cap it all off with  tentacle-porn pioneer Urotsukidoji: The Legend of the Overfiend and you can scrape together quite a week of Japanese oddness.

Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival home page.

FILM FESTIVALS – San Francisco International Film Festival (Sam Francisco, ,CPA, Apr. 4-17):

The much-anticipated Sorry to Bother You is the “centerpiece” film in a festival that also features a Guy Maddin lecture (though he’s not bringing along his latest film, The Velvet Fog, unless it’s the “secret screening”), There are also a few familiar fest names, like the African-set magical realism of I Am Not a Witch, Denmark’s bleak Winter Brothers, and the Cannes alien comedy flop How to Talk to Girls at Parties (with director John Cameron Mitchell and writer Neil Gaiman dropping by to explain it). Here are some newbies we spotted:

• Cacrcasse – Without context, people are seen puttering around ruins raising livestock; it’s possibly a post-apocalyptic scenario… From Iceland and screening Apr. 15,
• “A Celebration of Oddball Films with Marc Capelle’s Red Rook Orchestra” – An avant-garde orchestra plays danceable tunes to accompany a series of industrial shorts and other odd ephemeral films. Happening Apr. 9.
• “Deep Astronomy and the Romantic Sciences” – Cory McAbee‘s one-man show and performance art piece where he pretends to be a singing motivational speaker touting New Age philosophies. See it Friday, Apr. 13.
• Godard, Mon Amour– Bopic of Jean-Luc Godard‘s tempestuous affair with hi leading actress while filming La Chinoise. Not weird, but of interest to Godardists (who might be offended, or not, by the aurteur’s portrayal as an egotist.) Screens Arp 14-15.

IN DEVELOPMENT (post-production):

The Man Who Killed Don Qioxite (2018?): An advertising executive (Adam Driver) is cast back in time and meets a man claiming to be Don Quixoite (Jonathan Pryce, taking over the role from the late John Hurt). Terry Gilliam‘s 20-year struggle to bring this story to the big screen has been the stiff of Quixotic legend, even inspiring the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha, and the journey may not even be over yet: an investor (who never provided any funds) is suing to stop the release, according the the Playlist. Sometimes it seems like Gilliam’s Quixote must be the longest running publicity stunt in the history of film. But we do finally have a trailer, so the majority of windmills have been tilted.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Like Me (2017): A teen girl sets out on a crime spree which she broadcasts on social media. Produced by indie horror champion Larry Fessenden (who also co-stars); Variety calls it “a uniquely weird take on loneliness and lunacy.” On Blu-ray, DVD or VOD. Buy Like Me.

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.

• Los Angeles, CA, 4/6- Solaris [Solyaris] (1972). At the Egyptian Theater.
• Los Angeles, CA, 4/7- Stalker (1979). At the Egyptian Theater.
• New York City, NY, 4/9 – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). At Videology Bar & Cinema.
• New York City, 4/9 & 4/12 – The Wicker Man (1973) (the “final cut” version). At the Metrograph.
• Oakland, CA, 4/7 – Paprika (2006). At the Parkway Theater.
• Oakland, CA, 4/10 – A Scanner Darkly (2006). At the Parkway Theater.
• Silver Spring, MD, 4/9 & 4/11 – La Grande Bouffe (1973). At AFI Silver Theater.

MISCELLANEOUS (Summer Camp):

John Waters is hosting his second annual summer camp for adults at Camp Getaway in Kent, CT. Besides screenings of his puke classicks, attendees can expect to participate in sports, outdoor activities, yoga, massages, Improv, beer pong, and scotch and cigar sessions. Camp counselors? Mink Stole and Traci Lords, of course. Unfortunately, it soens’t look like registration is open yet for the Sep. 14-6 date on the Club Getaway site, but we expect it to sell out fast.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Romance Bizzaro (2018): This twenty-minute two-hander comes from the twisted mind of Carlos Atanes, so you know it’ll be weird. A wheelchair-bound man and a younger woman meet for a secret tryst, but a revelation puts their affair into a context that makes it seem less sleazy—or perhaps much, much sleazier. Contains adult situations and brief bad language. Watch Romance Bizarro 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.