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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988): Read our review. Minor, but kulty, spoof of 50s alien invasion horrors, with klowns replacing little green men. Arrow Video puts out a typically lavish Blu-ray with numerous interviews, deleted scenes, and new transfers of the Chiodo brothers’ early 8mm shorts. Buy Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
Scanners (1981): This horror about telepaths who can explode your head with a though is not one of David Cronenberg‘s weirder efforts; we actually mention this release more because of the inclusion of his experimental student film Stereo (which is set at the “Canadian Academy for Erotic Inquiry”) as a bonus feature. Criterion released the DVD in 2014; four years later, here’s the Blu-ray. Buy Scanners.
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.
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.
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):
Apocalypsis (2018): We’ll let the producer-supplied synopsis speak for itself: “Set in a parallel universe entering a black hole, a woman reading the book of Revelation has visions of regeneration during Anthropocene.” That’s a pitch you don’t hear everyday. Apocalypsis official site.
Vertigo (1958): Read the Certified Weird entry! Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events team up to bring you Alfred Hitchcock‘s deceptively weird classic thriller of doubles on the big screen. Thanks to Matt (See comments) for the heads up. Mar 18 and 21, all across the United States—check for a theater near you here.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
The Shape of Water (2017): Read our capsule review. This interspecies fish-man love story was not as weird as we might have hoped (it won an Oscar, after all), but we did dig the musical number. Available on any format you could want: DVD, Blu-ray, on-demand, or even 4K. Buy The Shape of Water.
The Soultangler (1987): An 80s mad scientist discovers a way to allow living souls to possess corpses, with hallucinatory side effects. Distributor American Genre Film Archives says “[t]his epic of outsider filmmaking is a dream-like wasteland…” Buy The Soultangler.
A Trip to the Moon (1902): Read our mini-review. Georges Méliès‘ fantasy classic, restored to its original colors, on Blu-ray for what we believe is the first time. The film itself is only twelve minutes long, but it’s presented here by Flicker Alley in both color and black and white with five different soundtrack options, and also offers a 65-minute documentary and two additional Méliès shorts. A Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Buy A Trip to the Moon.
New York City, NY, 3/18 – Dementia (1955) with shorts “My Name is Oona” (1969) and “Variations on a Cellophane Wrapper” (1970). At the Museum of Modern Art.
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.
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].
In just a few hours, the telecast of the Oscars (or, as we refer to them, the “Weirdcademy Awards for squares”) will begin. We are happy to steal the Academy’s Thunder by announcing cinema’s weirdest winners of 2017 now.
In the category of “Weirdest Short Film,” the winner is Kirsten Lepore for her strangely erotic (?) “Hi Stranger.” It’s OK, you can look at his butt.
In the category of “Weirdest Scene,” the Weirdcademy Award goes to mother! for the scene where Jennifer Lawrence’s unwanted houseguests send her newborn baby crowd surfing. No clip, because we wouldn’t want to spoil this for anyone who has yet to see the movie.
In the category of “Weirdest Actress,” the Award goes to… Jennifer Lawrence, for drinking a urine-colored beverage, flushing a heart, and generally risking her entire career in a transgressive environmentalist psychological horror movie that’s also a Biblical allegory.
In the category of “Weirdest Actor,” the Award goes to Casey Affleck, for performing almost all of A Ghost Story under a sheet with eyeholes cut out.
And, completing a dominant showing that was almost the first clean sweep in Weirdcademy Award history, the award for Weirdest Movie of 2017 goes to mother!, the most divisive film of 2017.
Thanks to all members of the Weirdcademy, and see you again next year!
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):
Foxtrot (2017): An Israeli father grieves for his dead soldier son in a film structured as an absurdist triptych. The arthouse critics love it, and Sony Pictures Classics even picked it up. Foxtrot official site.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Basket Case (1982): Read our review. Arrow Video obtains the rights (appropriately, from Something Weird) to this midnight monster classic and releases one of their grindhouse special editions, highlighted by a new transfer and new commentary from directorFrank Henenlotter and star Kevin Van Hentenryck, and including a commemorative booklet for the first pressing only. Blu-ray only. Buy Basket Case [Limited Edition].
Rejected (2000): Don Hertzfeldt‘s hilariously surreal (and somewhat gory) collection of stick-figure animated shorts supposedly commissioned, and then rejected (for obvious reasons), by the Family Learning Channel and other sponsors. Incredibly, this was nominated for an Academy Award. Ten minutes long: click on Watch Trailer to view the series in its entirety. Hertzfeld will also allow you purchase and download them, should you want to. Watch Rejected free on Vimeo.
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.
So Casey Affleck gets a Most Conventional Actor Oscar for mooning around New England looking like he got served a bad bowl of clam chowder, but when he does an entire movie with a sheet over his head with eyeholes cut out watching Rooney Mara eat a pie, he doesn’t even get a sniff from the Academy? Cast Jennifer Lawrence in any old romantic comedy as a quirky pixie who reinvigorates some dude’s shattered love life and they toss nominations at her sight unseen, but let her act in just one Biblical allegory where she gets her face stomped in by a bajillion rowdy houseguests, and suddenly she’s not good enough for a Most Conventional Actress award? So what retreads did the Academy of Arts and Sciences see fit to nominate for the Most Conventional Picture Oscar of 2017? This year’s movie about a white high school senior fretting about her future? This year’s Stephen Spielberg/Tom Hanks/Meryl Streep snoozer? This year’s historical reenactment society drama (two of them in 2017, and they chose the exact same subject)? This year’s gay romance movie? This year’s movie about a kidnapped Amazonian lizard man who has sex with a mute woman while on the run from Commie spies? (Actually, maybe they were awake for that one).
Yes, the Oscars are a joke, and everyone knows it. You, my friend, aren’t content with the same-old same-old, new wine in a familiar old glass. You want weird in your movies. The Weirdcademy Awards are for you, the moviegoer whose friends roll their eyes and sigh loudly when you suggest buying tickets to a Polish killer mermaid musical.
Although the editors of 366 Weird Movies select the nominees from the pool of available movies, the Awards themselves are a naked popularity contest and do not necessarily reflect either the artistic merit or intrinsic weirdness of the films involved. The Weirdcademy Awards are tongue-in-cheek and for fun only. Ballot-stuffing is a frequent occurrence. Please, no wagering.
The Weirdcademy Awards are given to the Weirdest Movie, Actor, Actress and Scene of the previous year, as voted by the members of the Weirdcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Weirdness.
Who makes up the Weirdcademy? Membership is open to all readers of 366 Weird Movies. The rules for joining the Weirdcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Weirdness are as follows. To officially join, locate an official online ballot (such as the one below) and hover your mouse pointer over the radial button representing the choice of movie you would like to see win any award in any category. Then, simply depress the left button of your mouse to make your selection. Selections made using the right mouse button will be disregarded, and you will be forced to reapply. If your application for membership is approved, a dot will appear next to your choice. You are not done yet, so continue reading. To be certified as a voting member of the Weirdcademy, at some point subsequent to making your selection, you must navigate your mouse button to the box marked “vote.” Now, again depress your left mouse button to confirm your membership as a voting member of the Weirdcademy.
(Vote as many times as you like, but only once per day, please. We’ll keep voting open until March 4 at 12:00 Noon EST, so we can announce our results before the Academy Awards and steal their thunder).
There is no requirement that you’ve have to actually see all the movies in any category before voting.
Be sure to also vote for Weirdest Short Film of the Year. To watch all five nominees and to cast your vote, please click here.
It’s time for the 2017 edition of the Weirdcademy Awards, the premier (only) awards contest focused on weird films, chosen by weird film fans. That means shorts as well as features. We’ve collected all five nominees for 2017′s Weirdest Short of the Year together in one place, for ease of voting. Just click “continued” for a mini film-festival of weirdness. Be sure to vote for your favorite! (You can cast a vote once every 24 hours). Polls close March 4 at 12:00 Noon EST. Cameron Jorgensen, 366 Weird Movies under-appreciated shorts Czar, discovered and selected these unusual films through his own research. This year’s lineup includes sinister panaceas, futuristic droughts, stop-motion rear nudity, lizard obsessions, and dogsitting nightmares. Click below to view all the nominees and vote.
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