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.

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 DEVELOPMENT (in production):

The Missing Films: Documentary about two-time Certified Weird director Lars von Trier, with footage shot by his collaborators as he worked on his latest, the serial killer story The House That Jack Built. Preliminary footage was shown at a Danish industry forum, to positive buzz. Read more at Screen Daily.

Unicorn Wars: Birdboy is barely out, and Alberto Vázquez is already at work on his next feature film, which will be an expansion of his short “Unicorn Blood,” about a bloody fantasy war between unicorns and teddy bears. We’re adorably excited. Watch “Unicorn Blood” again and get excited too.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Ichi the Killer (2001): A masochistic yakuza hitman discovers a mysterious sadist while searching for his latest target in this ultraviolent hit from Takashi Miike. In our reader-suggested review queue, and now on Blu-ray in a remastered, uncut and “definitive” release from Arrow Academy. Buy Ichi the Killer.

Images (1972): A pregnant children’s author goes insane while wondering if her husband is having an affair in this pyschodrama from Robert Altman‘s brief 1970s “weird” period. Arrow Academy’s restored Blu-ray is full of the usual extensive extras, including an expert commentary track. Buy Images.

Paradox (2018): The Man in the Black Hat hides out with Jail Time and the Particle Kid in this western/musical/fantasy starring Neil Young and directed by—Daryl Hannah?? A quick turnaround from its March debut at SWSX film festival to an exclusive Netflix contract (it is also screening a few dates in New York and Chicago).

Welcome the Stranger (2018): Alice visits her estranged brother, his strange girlfriend shows up, hallucinations ensue. Direct to video-on-demand is the new direct-to-video. Buy or rent Welcome the Stranger on-demand.

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.

• Bloomington, IN, 3/24 – 3 Women (1977). At Indiana University Cinema.
• New York City, NY, 3/25 – Blue Velvet (1986). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 3/26 – Millennium Actress (2001). At Videology Bar & Cinema.
• Yonkers, NY, 3/29 – The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984). At the Alamo Drafthouse.

YOU LINK US! YOU REALLY LINK US!:

366 WEIRD MOVIES: Alfred Eaker’s Fringe Cinema: Val Santos has added to his Letterboxd guide to 366 Weird Movies.

Miracles for Sale: David Kalat cited Alfred Eaker‘s Miracles for Sale article as a source for his latest essay for Turner Classic Movies (the Tod Browning classic will be featured on the channel in May). Unfortunately, he misspelled Alfred’s last name and forgot to make the link clickable. This is how you do it, guys.

FREE MOVIES ON TUBI.TV:

Wild at Heart (1990): Read the Certified Weird entry! It’s weird on top. Watch Wild at Heart 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.

FILM FESTIVALS – SWSX (Austin, TX, Mar. 9-17):

If you can’t get your indie film into Sundance, the massive SXSW festival in Austin, Texas is your next best bet. With the continued mainstreaming of Sundance, and the increasingly homogenized “indie” product spotlighted there, if your movie’s a bit on the weirder side, SWSX may even be a better fit. There are a few repeats from other festivals, such as Bruno Dumont‘s rock opera Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc and the alternate-reality telemarketing satire Sorry to Bother You, but here are some of this year’s weirder-looking “new to us” offerings:

• Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story – The true story behind the giant-headed performance artist responsible for the character depicted in Frank. Screens Mar 13, 14 & 17.
• The Field Guide to Evil – An anthology horror film, so who knows? But it features directors who’ve gone weird in the past like Peter Strickland, Agnieszka Smoczynska and Calvin Reeder. Screening near midnight on Mar 11, 12 & 16.
• Paradox– The Man in the Black Hat hides out with Jail Time and the Particle Kid in this western/musical/fantasy starring Neil Young and directed by—Daryl Hannah?? Screens Mar. 15 only.
• Perfect – Set in a “vaguely science fictional world,” a boy uses implants to seek perfection; executive produced by Steven Soderbergh and Flying Lotus. Mar 11, 13 & 15.
  

SWSX home page.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy (1968): Read the Certified Weird review! Jane Fonda tramps across a campy universe; this new Paramount release is not remastered or filled with extras, but does come in the popular steelbox format. In a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Buy Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy.

Donnie Darko (2001): Read the Certified Weird review! With two editions in 2017 and one (so far) this year, it seems like we’re announcing a new Special/Limited/Definitive release of Donnie Darko every six months. Are we caught in some kind of time loop? On Blu-ray via Arrow Video. Buy Donnie Darko [Special Edition].

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.

• Bloomington, IN, 3/9 – The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971). At Indiana University Cinema.
• Dallas, TX, 3/16 – Hour of the Wolf [Vargtimmen] (1968). At the Texas Theater.
• Denver, CO, 3/10 – Fantastic Planet [La Planète Sauvage] (1973). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
• Los Angeles, CA, 3/10 – The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984) with Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) (double feature). At the Aero Theater.
• Nashville, TN, 3/13 – Brazil (1985). At the Belcourt Theater.
• New York City, NY, 3/10-11 – Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012). At Nitehawk Cinema.
• New York City, NY, 3/11 – Blue Velvet (1986). At the Metrograph.
• New York City, NY, 3/14 – Dementia (1955).  At the Museum of Modern Art.
• New York City, NY, 3/14 – Death Laid an Egg [La morte ha fatto l’uovo] (1968).  At the Museum of Modern Art.
• New York City, NY, 3/15 – The Woman in the Dunes (1964). At the Museum of Modern Art.
• Vancouver, BC, Canada, 3/9 – Perfect Blue (1997). At the Rio Theater.
• Yonkers, NY, 3/10 – Alice [Neco Z Alenky] (1988). At the Alamo Drafthouse.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON TUBI.TV:

Dogville (2003): Read the Certified Weird entry! Lars von Trier‘s anti-American, perverted version of “Our Town,” on a minimalist set with no walls and sex slaves. Listed as “leaving soon.” Watch Dogville 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.