An occasional new series? Pete Trbovich curates ten weird moments from our Canonical selection, Brazil. Did your favorite make the cut?
Category Archives: Miscellanea
WEIRD HORIZON FOR THE WEEK OF 7/5/2024
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
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):
Mother, Couch (2023): Grandma sits down on a couch in a furniture store and refuses to move. Buñuelian enough for you? Mother, Couch official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Multiple Harmony Korine projects: Mr. Korine is keeping busy with a slate of upcoming projects. First up is a currently untitled “surreal home invasion thriller” shot in the first person with the cast’s faces digitally swapped with infants (!); then comes The Trap, Korine’s first fully-animated film, described as a hip-hop Oldboy; and finally, there’s another untitled comedy about which we know nothing except that it uses motion capture. Also, his latest, the infrared actioner Aggro Dr1ft, now streams exclusively at his own EDGLRD website. More details at Variety.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Evangelion 3.0 + 1.11: Thrice Upon a Time (2021): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s Apocrypha Candidate review. Identical to previous Blu-rays, except much more steelbooky. Buy Evangelion 3.0 + 1.11: Thrice Upon a Time.
Natural Born Killers (1994): Read the Canonically Weird entry! NBK seems to get re-released in a new edition about every six months: this is the 4K UHD (+ Blu-ray) in steelbook format. Buy Natural Born Killers.
UHF (1989): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. Weird Al’s cult comedy gets a new restoration and 4K UHD (Blu-ray included) release for its 35th anniversary. Bucking the week’s trend, it’s not a steelbook. Buy UHF.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
Pod 366 returns from hiatus next week, with Greg and Giles discussing the week’s releases and previewing the 2024 Fantasia Film Festival. No guest is scheduled, but we have had last minute guests show up before. In written reviews, Shane Wilson watches the 1953 TV satire The Twonky; Giles Edwards previews the festival circuit feature Pocketful of Superstitions; and Gregory J. Smalley investigates another one from deep underground, The Absence of Milk in the Mouths of the Lost. Onward and weirdward!
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.
The Future of Film Critique at 366 Weird Movies
In a groundbreaking move that’s sure to revolutionize the world of film critique, 366 Weird Movies is thrilled to announce that all future movie reviews will be penned by none other than our newly developed Artificial Intelligence, CineBot 3000. That’s right, our A.I. has been meticulously programmed, trained on years of reviews penned by our own staff, to analyze the nuances of the weirdest films with an algorithmic touch of genius.
Why A.I., You Ask?
- Unbiased Opinions: CineBot 3000 is free from human bias, ensuring reviews are based purely on cinematic elements.
- 24/7 Movie Watching: Our A.I. can watch movies non-stop, meaning more reviews, faster!
- Weirdness Algorithm: CineBot 3000 has a unique ‘Weird-O-Meter’ to accurately rate movies on their weirdness scale.
What to Expect
- In-Depth Analysis: Expect thorough breakdowns of plot, character development, and that special weird movie magic.
- Weirdness Ratings: Each review will include a patented weirdness score, ranging from “Mildly Bizarre” to “Utterly Surreal.”
- Interactive Reviews: Readers can input their own weirdness parameters for personalized A.I. recommendations.
A Sneak Peek
Here’s an excerpt from CineBot 3000’s first review:
“In the labyrinth of ‘Lunopolis,’ the A.I. finds itself entranced by the film’s peculiar charm. The narrative’s convolution is a delightful puzzle, engaging the circuits in a dance of analysis and appreciation. Weirdness rating: ‘Bewilderingly Eccentric.’”
This announcement was written and posted by CineBot 3000 (powered by Microsoft CopilotTM) without the input or permission of 366 Weird Movies management. All rights reserved.
AND THE WINNERS OF THE 14TH ANNUAL WEIRDCADEMY AWARDS ARE…
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 2023 now.
In the category of “Weirdest Short Film,” our A.I. overlords have officially arrived. The winner is Alex Howard‘s Joe Biden and Trump Eating Spaghetti, but it’s an AI generated nightmare.
In the category of “Weirdest Scene,” the Weirdcademy Award goes to Beau is Afraid for the scene we’ve dubbed “phallic attic.” We can’t show it to you or describe it in detail because it would be a spoiler, but you’ll know it when you see it (enough of you certainly knew of it to make it the winner). Here is Beau’s reaction to the scene:
In the category of “Weirdest Actress,” the Award goes to Poor Things‘ Emma Stone for her portrayal of fetus-brained Bella Baxter. Should Stone also take home the Oscar, as Michelle Yeoh did last year, this will be the second year in a row (and the third time ever) that the Academy and the Weirdcademy have shared the Actress award. This gives us some pause.
In a bit of an upset, Willem Dafoe wins his second “Weirdest Actor” award for his role as God, the scar-faced, bubble-burping mad scientist in Poor Things.
And finally, the award for Weirdest Picture of 2022 goes to… drum roll… Beau Is Afraid!
Thanks to all voting members of the Weirdcademy, and see you again next year!
You can browse previous years’ winners here.
YOUR VOTE DETERMINES THE WINNER OF THE 14TH ANNUAL WEIRDCADEMY AWARDS
(If you’d like to watch Gregory J. Smalley and Giles Edwards reveal this year’s nominees on YouTube first, click here. Otherwise, proceed with your reading.)
This year, Poor Things (and Emma Stone, Poor Things) mark the only overlap between the Weirdcademy Awards and Hollywood’s lipstick-on-a-pig hootenanny, the Most Conventional Movie Awards. Other than Lanthimos‘ fantasy, weird movies got about as far with the Academy as they normally do: nothing at all. Even an Academy suck-up like Wes Anderson can’t buy a single nomination for Asteroid City—not even a “Best Original Song” nod for the year’s best filmed hoedown, “Dear Alien, Who Art in Heaven.”
Instead, we get to choose between the usual brace of biopics, an estrogenic advertisement for a kids’ toy, Jonathan Glazer‘s attempt to remake Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles as a Nazi movie, and an indie comedy thatmade such an impression in the public consciousness that Bing is still calling it “Untitled Erasure adaptation.”
The Oscars are a joke, and everyone knows it. But you, my friend, you aren’t content with the same-old same-old. 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 movie night should feature a black and white flick about alien bounty hunters who kidnap a corporate mogul who has developed an immortality serum with side effects that turn him into, uh, kind of a dick.
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. If you can figure out how to vote in the poll, you are qualified to join. You can not be turned down because of your age, sex, religious affiliation, pronouns, vaccination status, or the fact that you only watched the Superbowl to see what Taylor Swift was wearning. There is no requirement that you’ve have to actually see any of the movies listed before voting. You can vote for any or all categories.
You can only vote once—so choose carefully. We’ll keep voting open until March 9, so we can announce our results before the Academy Awards and steal their thunder.
We are using new poll software this year, which allows for a much cooler-looking ballot, but gives us less control of some aspects of the voting and which may have yet-unforeseen drawbacks. Please be patient.
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.
Here is your ballot for the 2023 edition of the Weirdcademy Continue reading YOUR VOTE DETERMINES THE WINNER OF THE 14TH ANNUAL WEIRDCADEMY AWARDS