Category Archives: Interviews

Interviews, Pod 366: A Weird Movies Podcast

POD 366, EP. 172: MATADOR BOLERO’S JONATHAN ROSADO (AND A LITTLE SMOKING)

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Discussed in this episode:

Matador Bolero (2026): An underground movie done in the style of a 1960s Super-8 experimental film, about the murder of an actress and possible links to a cult worshiping a super-intelligent computer. Now in theaters.

The Cell (2000): Read Giles Edwards’ review. The 4K UHD (+ Blu-ray) standard edition release from Arrow (so lots of extras) of the psychological thriller where enters the mind of a serial killer. Buy The Cell.

Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel (1979): Read Shane Wilson’s review. Deaf Crocodile releases the standard Blu-ray + UHD for the Soviet sci-fi mystery, previously available only in a limited edition. Buy Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel.

The Holy Mountain rescore: Alternate scores of existing movies are a cool thing, and have moved on from silents to alternate versions of existing talkie scores. For The Holy Mountain, the Cue Northwest Music Residency held a contest to rescore the film, which was won by the avant-rock group Zen Mother. The band will play the score live at a screening at Northwest Film Forum in Seattle sometime in 2027, and hopefully their version will also be available elsewhere. Read the announcement at The Stranger.

The Trouble with Terkel (2010): A bullied 6th grader turns to booze to deal with the guilt caused by his being responsible for the suicide of a classmate. Pixar passed on remaking this transgressive Danish animated comedy. Buy The Trouble with Terkel.

Wetiko (2026): Billed as a “psychedelic jungle thriller,” this feature addresses the phenomenon of “shamanic tourism.” Now on VOD after a brief run in theaters. Wetiko on VOD.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

No guest on next week’s Pod 366. Gregory J. Smalley will be on vacation, but Giles Edwards and Pete Trbovich will talk about two canonically weird classics (Audition and Perfect Blue, if you want to do your homework), among other topics. In written content, Enar Clarke fills out our coverage with The Living Dead Girl (1982), Michael Diamades takes on the AI-generated feature film Brainstare (2025), and Shane Wilson surveys the entire run of the Muppet-style existential horror show for kids “Don’t Hug Me, I’m Scared”. Onward and weirdward!

366 Underground, Interviews

366 UNDERGROUND: MATADOR BOLERO (2026)

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Weirdest!

DIRECTED BY: Jonathan Rosado

FEATURING: Yves Tumor, , Jack Irv, Stephee Bonifacio

PLOT: A high-profile murder at a nightclub triggers various factions into action, including a computer intelligence from the depths of space.

Still from Matador Bolero (2026)

COMMENTS:  Matador Bolero looks good in that DIY, retro kind of way, at times feeling like a down-at-the-heel Koyaanisqatsi with a nebulous crime story tacked on. But I would like this filmmaker—and his team—to consider a project stripped of a plot, or at least stripped of explication. The murder of a beloved actress at the beginning isn’t nearly as important as the camerawork capturing the fascinating motion of the topless dancers and their viewers. Yves Tumor is better with ardent bed-dance performances than meekly relaying cryptic “information” to an overzealous detective (Kansas Bowling, whose physicality is not well served by dialogue in this film). And the young blonde pulling a magician’s handkerchief from a notch in the beach? I am on board with all of this—except for one thing,

To clarify, I’m a “style-over-substance” kind of guy. I revel in cinematic excess, be it sets or sound production or costuming, or what-have-you. But Matador Bolero is one of the few films where I actually became somewhat annoyed when substance cropped up. What is this narrative you’re trying to tell? Who are these recurring characters? Shoo, shoo. Rosado is in his element when he’s playing around in post-production to further dreamify his already dreamy shots and vignettes. Three scantily-clad young women in wolf masks pursue a fourth (non-masked) woman down a sinister corridor and tear her dress to ribbons while a purple-glowing super-intelligence orb thing pulsates conversationally? I don’t need a “Why” for that.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY:

“So there’s our justification for the film’s the title, but are we still feeling confused? Almost certainly; Matador Bolero is confusing by design – if we accept that the film is much more about blending moods, impressions and visual styles than telling a story… a bold project but a strange prospect, pushing the boundaries in what feels like both experimental, but recognisable ways, and coming up with something off-kilter, but visually strong.” — Keri O’Shea, Warped Perspective (contemporaneous)

I think this movie is weirder than average
I think this movie is better than average
Interviews, Pod 366: A Weird Movies Podcast

POD 366, EP. 167: PAUL BUNNELL AND FRIENDS OFFER “A BLIND BARGAIN”

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Discussed in this episode:

A Blind Bargain (2025): Read Pete Trbovich’s review. We talk to director and actors Jed Rowen and Claudia MacLeod about their –led mad scientist flick, a reimagining of a lost silent. Free tickets are available (in limited amounts per theater) from the official site.

Alice in Wonderland (1951): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review.  As they periodically do when new formats roll around, Disney upgrades their take on Lewis Carroll’s nonsense classic to 4K UHD disc (standard Blu-ray included). Buy Alice in Wonderland.

Black Rabbit, White Rabbit (2025): Multiple storylines converge in this “surreal” Tajikistan-based film about the making of a film.  In theaters in Los Angeles this week, with a few additional screenings throughout the late spring and early summer and a Deaf Crocodile Blu-ray coming before the year is over. Black Rabbit, White Rabbit official site.

Buffet Infinity (2025): Read Giles Edwards’ Apocrypha Candidate review. Your chance to feast on this buffet of 90s cable weirdness arrives on VOD today. Catch it, then catch our interview with director Simon Glassman afterwards. Buy or rent Buffet Infinity.

The Devils (1971) restoration: Read the Canonically Weird entry! Multiple outlets reported this news; ‘s medieval witchcraft-hysteria outrage The Devils has been restored in 4K, and will screen at Cannes this month and in US theaters (presumably for one night only) on October 16. Some of this is just speculation, but the official Instagram page of Warner Brothers’ Clockwork subsidiary included artwork from the infamous “rape of Christ” scenes, so I think we can safely expect this to be the full, uncut version.

Exit 8 (2025): Read Michael Diamades’ review. The Japanese liminal video-game adaptation is now available on VOD. Buy or rent Exit 8.

OBEX (2025): Read Giles Edwards’ Apocrypha Candidate review. Albert Birney‘s latest, about a nerd trying to rescue his dog from a demon in a virtual worlds, is a weird throwback to early computer adventure/role playing games. This Blu-ray includes director’s commentary, deleted scenes, and 4 Birney shorts, among other extra features. Buy OBEX.

Touch Me (2025): Ejected from their apartments, two roommates find shelter with a mysterious man whose touch is literally addictive. Now on VOD. Buy or rent Touch Me on VOD.

White Zombie (1932): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. The atmospheric public domain zombie classic gets a restoration, so it looks like it should. Buy White Zombie.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: 

No guest scheduled on next week’s Pod 366 (but then again, our last couple of guests popped up with less than a week’s notice). I written reviews, Michael Diamades hunts down Dust Bunny (2026), Shane Wilson decides whether reader-suggest British biographical comedy The Great McGonnagall (1974) lives up to its title, Pete Trbovich returns to his “Pete’s Perverted Pix” miniseries as he rents his own Secretary (2002), and Gregory J. Smalley chews on Endless Cookie (2025). Onward and weirdward!

Interviews, Pod 366: A Weird Movies Podcast

POD 366, EP. 157: IN THE GUTTER WITH TOM LEE RUTTER OF “POCKET FILM OF SUPERSTITIONS”

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Discussed in this episode:

The Pocket Film of Superstitions (2023): A narrator elucidates various superstitions whilst they are presented onscreen.

Arco (2025): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. France’s remarkable (but only kind of weird) sci-fi children’s story about a time-traveling kid in a rainbow suit is now available on VOD for purchase or rental (premium pricing, so purchase is currently the better option). Buy or rent Arco (premium pricing).

Boys Go to Jupiter (2024): Read Giles Edwards’ review. ‘s comic animation about a gig economy teen hustler and aliens comes to Blu-ray with a number of neato extras: commentary, music videos, and four Glander shorts. Buy Boys Go to Jupiter.

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001): A Cold War barber finds himself involved in a blackmail scheme that goes wrong. This existential noir from the is in our reader-suggested queue, and is now on 4K UHD from the in a new transfer (otherwise the same as the original Criterion Blu-ray). Buy The Man Who Wasn’t There.

Pink Narcissus (1971): Read Enar Clarke’s review. As expected, this groundbreaking  homoerotic arthouse experimental feature has finally appeared on Blu-ray after its restoration and rerelease. Buy Pink Narcissus.

Tank Girl (1995): Read Ryan Aarsets review. The 90s feminist post-apocalyptic cult film about a girl and her tank joins the ranks of 4K UHD releases this week. Buy Tank Girl.

Terror Firmer (1999): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. Troma rolls out another 4K UHD of one of their catalog “classicks,” as always packed with bonuses. Buy Terror Firmer.

“Your Life is on the Line!: A Joe Christ Anthology”: Five films from a punk DIY 80s-90s filmmaker whose work is unfamiliar to us, but who is compared to early and . Buy “Your Life is on the Line!: A Joe Christ Anthology”.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

No guest scheduled for next week’s Pod 366 (unless you count a pop-in from “Penguin” Pete Trbovich). The week after, we should have Ryan Verrill and Billy Ray Brewton from new boutique distributor Antenna Releasing on to discuss the current state of cult film distribution and other topics of interest to our core audience. At any rate, we’ll bring you all the weird movie news that’s fit to discuss. In written content, Giles Edwards will catch you up on the rest of the SlamDance 2026 slate (shorts and a feature); Micheal Diamades takes another bullet for the rest of the staff and covers the infamous, frequently banned bestiality-themed Belgian feature Vase de Noces (1974); Shane Wilson recommends the only-slightly-less-transgressive and “actually insane” trash talk show satire United Trash [AKA The Slit] (1996); and Gregory J. Smalley tries to find a purpose for Thailand’s reincarnated vacuum cleaner romance A Useful Ghost (2025). Onward and weirdward!

Interviews, Pod 366: A Weird Movies Podcast

POD 366, EP. 156: FLORIAN FRERICH’S “DREAM STORY”

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Discussed in this episode:

Traumnovelle [Dream Story] (2024): Disturbed by his wife’s fantasies of infidelity, a physician crashes a secret orgy. An adaptation of the same novel that inspired  ‘s Eyes Wide Shut (1999).

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001): Read Giles Edwards’ review. For collectors, a 4K Steelbook limited edition (Amazon exclusive) of ‘ crazy period Gothic horror/mystery. Buy Brotherhood of the Wolf.

The Carpenter’s Son (2025): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. A DVD only version of the gimmicky “Jesus horror movie” starring as “the carpenter.” Buy The Carpenter’s Son.

Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl (1998): Two refugees (Shie Kohinata and ) are on the run from oodles of odd yakuza in what the promotional material calls a “surreal crime comedy.” To our knowledge, ‘s sophomore film had not previously been released here on Blu-ray; Discotek rectifies the situation. Buy Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl.

Slamdance (Feb. 19 to Feb. 35, Los Angeles, CA)

Slamdance began its life as a cheaper, punkier alternative to Sundance, spotlighting microbudget films. With Sundance’s departure from Park City, UT, Slamdance has relocated its base of operations to Los Angeles. We can usually find one weird film at Slamdance (previous standouts include Man Under Table and Dave Made a Maze), but distribution prospects for these films can be iffy. Here are the two films we spotlighted as the most likely weird breakout candidates this year:

  • Matapanki – a n alcoholic Chilean punk gains superpowers after drinking some mysterious booze.
  • Tony Odyssey – Tony and his friend Ivy rip off their crooked employer, take his experimental psychedelic drug, and meet God. From Brazil.

Slamdance home page.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

Next week, of Pocket Film of Superstitions will be our guest on Pod 366. In written content, Micheal Diamades considers Can Dialectics Break Bricks? (1973), Shane Wilson is hypnotized by the budget sci-fi of LFO (2013), Giles Edwards checks out the slate at Slamdance (see above), and Gregory J. Smalley has fun with the rest of the “Krazee Kidz Video Party” collection from AGFA/Something Weird. Onward and weirdward!