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):
Clara’s Ghost (2018): A ghost prompts an actress to confront her dysfunctional family. Starring Chris “Cabin Boy” Elliot and his family (it was written and directed by and stars his youngest daughter, Bridey Elliot). Clara’s Ghost official site.
Mountain Rest (2018): A daughter and granddaughter visit their estranged matriarch, an aging actress, at her mountain cabin. Pitched as a “surreal drama.” Mountain Rest official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT (Completed?):
Eyes of the Sun (2019?): The following trailer dropped into our in box the other day. It’s for an “artsy adventure film” from Sweden, about a man seeking revenge for a cult kidnapping his sister. I think you can see why it caught our eye. Eyes of the Sun official Facebook page.
Ghostbox Cowboy (2018): A Texas entrepreneur/scam artist goes to China, where he finds he may be out of his depth. Are we the only ones getting a 21st century Midnight Cowboy-as-cybercomedy vibe? Ghostbox Cowboy official site.
Sicilian Ghost Story (2017): A teenage girl goes after her missing crush in this magical realist story set in mafia country. A lightly weird, critically acclaimed work that has garnered some comparisons to the work of Guillermo del Toro. Sicilian Ghost Story American distributor site.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Brewster McCloud (1970): Read our review. Warner Archive gives Robert Altman‘s bizarro comedy about a man who dreams of flying on the Astrodome on a set of homemade wings a bare-bones release, but at least it’s in circulation. On DVD-R, Blu-ray and VOD. Buy Brewster McCloud.
True Stories (1986): Read Alfred Eaker’s review. The Criterion Collection takes on David Byrne‘s whimsical look at a quirky Texas town; a bonus soundtrack CD (previously unreleased) comes with the Blu-ray (but not with the DVD). Buy True Stories.
Payday (2018): The movie G. Smalley worked on as a PA, wrote about here, and appeared in (as “the cook”) is now out on DVD. It’s a microbudget hostage thriller. 90% of the time you see flashing police lights in this film, G. Smalley is the one who flipped the switch on the cruiser. Buy Payday.
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.
“Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema”: If you have a couple hundred bucks to spend and Thirst for more Ingmar Bergman in your home video collection, it would be a Shame to pass up this historic set sure to bring you many Smiles on a Summer Night. The Criterion Collection’s Bergman set includes an astounding 39 films on Blu-ray (naturally, both Hour of the Wolf and Persona make the cut, along with rarities like 1955’s Dreams), plus more than five hours of bonus features. Buy “Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema”.
Luciferina (2018): A novice Argentinian nun travels into the jungle with her sister seeking ayahuasca, but instead finds a devil-worshiping cult. Ayahuasca, a semi-legendary shamanic preparation, has been a trendy movie subject in recent years; this horror film mixes the drug with Catholic-pagan conflict. DVD or Blu-ray, scheduled to hit VOD outlets on 12/4. Buy Luciferina.
Umbilical World (2018): 366 “Saturday Short” regular David Firth creates a feature-length film composed of new and old material “stitched together to form a single stream of nightmare consciousness.” The DVD contains a “making of” featurette and director’s commentary, but is only available from UK sources; also available for on-demand rental via Vimeo. Umbilical World order link.
Dead Leaves (2004): Read the Certified Weird review! A man with a television for a head and a woman with mismatched eyes wake up with amnesia, are imprisoned on what’s left of the moon, lead a revolt, have a baby, and kill lots and lots of people in this speed-metal anime that doesn’t slow down for a second. Watch Dead Leaves 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.
LIMITED RELEASE:
Cam (2018): Read Giles Edwards’ mini-review and hear the interview. A webcam girl finds out that her channel has been taken over by a mysterious doppelganger (are there unmysterious doppelgangers?) There are a very few theatrical screenings in the coming weeks, but mostly this will be seen on Netflix, where it debuts simultaneously. Cam on Netflix.
IN DEVELOPMENT – POST-PRODUCTION CROWDFUNDING:
Solve et Coagula (est. 2019): A Belgian-Australian “sequel,” of sorts, to the myth of Orpheus, from self-described “esoteric artist” Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule. The original pitch is below, and an update (with nudity!) can be found at the Kickstarter link. As of this writing they’ve raised over $500 of a requested $2,500, with two more weeks to go by the time you read this.
The Last Movie (1971): An actor stays behind on a Western set in Peru after the production has been canceled, then enacts a movie with the natives who think they are performing a magical ritual. This grand 60s psychedelic folly helped change the perception of Easy Rider‘s Dennis Hopper from wunderkind to persona non grata; it’s now restored and ready for reappraisal. Now out from Arbelos (formerly Cinelicious) on DVD or Blu-ray. Buy The Last Movie.
Take It out in Trade (1970): A private investigator searches for a missing girl in a house of ill repute. Ed Wood, Jr.‘s semi-legendary last film, a softcore porn comedy (he appears in drag, naturally), was long-believed lost, but a print was discovered and restored by American Film Genre Archives and is now available in a DVD/Blu-ray combo. Buy Take It out in Trade.
The Wizard of Gore (1970): Read our review. Montag the Magician carves up female volunteers in what is arguably the weirdest of Herschell Gordon Lewis‘ gore films. Now out in an Arrow Video Special Edition Blu-ray with the usual raft of special features. Buy The Wizard of Gore.
We don’t always give good reviews, and sometimes when we give bad reviews, directors aren’t too happy about it (imagine that). We also seldom (well, never) get on movie posters; certainly not for bad reviews. So imagine our surprise when we popped up in the upper right-hand corner of this one:
Our reviewer didn’t love Joe Badon‘s movie, but we love his sense of humor. Read the complete review of The God Inside My Ear.
And speaking of plugging ourselves with others’ plugs, 366 also got quoted (in a more favorable context) in this NSFW trailer for the upcoming release of the grindhousey fetish thriller Rondo.
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 (MAYBE):
Mothers Of Darkness (est. 2019): In 1971 Harry Kümel made a classic lesbian vampire film called Daughters of Darkness (which we haven’t gotten around to reviewing—yet). Now, almost 50 years later, the director—now in his seventies—is planning a sequel with, according to its producer, “a very original twist on the original law of the vampire world.” Kümel‘s last feature was 1991’s Eline Vere. This project was announced in 2017 and originally scheduled to shoot in the summer of 2018, but we’ve heard nothing about it, so it might have been delayed or even abandoned. We hope not. Read the original story at Screen Daily.
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):
Possum (2018): A puppeteer returns home to face his stepfather and secrets from his past. The script is from a short story the director originally wrote for an anthology exploring Freud’s notion of the uncanny. Unfortunately, Possum appears to be playing in the U.K. only, for the time being. Possum official site.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
12 Monkeys [Twelve Monkeys] (1995): Read the Certified Weird review! We’ve been waiting on Arrow’s “Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray for a while; it is newly restored, although there seems to be little else on offer that’s new besides the commemorative booklet available on first pressing only. Buy 12 Monkeys.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Read the Certified Weird review! This 50th anniversary release is a spectacular: the 4K restoration, on three Blu-rays (one housing the 4K version, another with a standard HD transfer of the film, and a third for extra features), a booklet, postcards, and more. We don’t have the hardware capable of doing this release justice, but if you have a 4K player and a huge screen HD TV and audiophile sound system, there’s hardly a worthier film to play on it. Buy 2001: A Space Odyssey [4K].
Metropolis (2001): A Japanese detective and his nephew search for a criminal scientist in the city of Metropolis, and discover instead a naive robot intended for use as a weapon of mass destruction. Inspired (loosely) by the 1927 classic this is one of the best looking animes of all time: Fritz Lang‘s city remade glorious shades of neon. A steelbook DVD/Blu-ray combo from Mill Creek. Buy Metropolis.
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):
Border (2018): A border agent uses her preternatural sense of smell to sniff out smugglers. This Swedish magical realist piece did earn one “wonderfully weird” quote among its overwhelmingly positive reviews. Border listing at Cineuropa.
FILM FESTIVALS – Ithaca Fantastik Fest (Ithaca, NY, 10/26-11/4):
For a film festival that’s held in the middle of nowhere—apologies to Cornell grads if that sounds like a slight—Ithaka Fantastik has assembled a fine slate of arty genre films. There are no significant debuting films; most of the lineup is second-runs from Fantasia or Fantastic Fest (with a few from Sundance and even Cannes sprinkled in). This year’s roster includes Cam; Samuel Benchetrit’s French black comedy about a man who thinks he’s turning into the titular Dog; a feature-length expansion of one of our previous Saturday Short picks, “Prospect“; the insane “geki-mation” of Violence Voyager; Aaron Schimberg‘s Freaks “update,” Chained for Life; Portugal’s surreal soccer-based satire Diamantino; the supernatural police procedural Luz; Joel Potrykus‘ filmed Pac-Man marathon Relaxer; the apocalyptic Starfish; Seven Stages to Achieve Eternal Bliss By Passing Through the Gateway Chosen By the Holy Storsh, presumptive front-runner for 2018’s “longest title in a cult comedy “award; New Zealand’s comic Mega Time Squad. Even if there’s nothing new or exclusive, it’s a late-season treat for locals, and serves as a kind of “best of” compilation of the year’s oddball festival offerings. And this year only, don’t miss a special Halloween screening of The Tingler, in PerceptoVision!
Night of the Demons (1988): Read our review. This ridiculously absurd haunted house supernatural slasher makes perfect Halloween fare. Now out in a newly restored, limited edition steelbook Blu-ray with a new commentary track from the director and cast, with the previous two commentary tracks carried over along with a host of other extras—Citizen Kane didn’t get this kind of Blu-ray treatment. Buy Night of the Demons.
Sorry to Bother You (2018): Read our List Candidate review! Directed by rapper Boots Riley from way out of left field, Sorry is an absurdist racial satire set in the ultracapitalist world of telemarketing. Already out on VOD, it’s now on DVD and Blu-ray, with a commentary by Riley and other treats. Buy Sorry To Bother You.
Denver, CO, 10/28 – The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with Vampyr (1932) (double feature) and a live score by Hands of Midnight. At the Alamo Drafthouse.
Carnival of Souls (1962): Read the Certified Weird entry! If you don’t consider this eerie exercise in monochrome anomie perfect Halloween viewing, then “I feel sorry for you… and your lack of soul.”
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.
Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!
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