Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs, and on more distant horizons…

Most of the film industry is still in winter hibernation, preparing to emerge just before Sundance and the Oscars. Here’s a few items for this week:

SCREENINGS – (New York City, IFC Center, Jan 6-7):

Mulholland Dr. (2001): Read the Certified Weird entry! David Lynch‘s most popular psychological mystery has become a midnight staple at IFC Center, along with the classically hallucinatory Alejandro Jodorowsky duet of El Topo and The Holy Mountain. We can’t fault these, but we are starting to wish IFC would mix up their midnight slate with some deeper-catalog choices; if they keep showing the same two or three movies, it will be only a little different than showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show every week. Mulholland Dr. at IFC Center.

IN DEVELOPMENT (Fundraising):

Bo Nan Za (est. 2018): Two stories, one set in the old West and one in a modern city, with characters who may be the same people in different times. The promotional material describes it both as “vaguely surreal” and as “a multi-narrative film inspired by the solemn poetics and the allusional traditions of westerns on the one hand, and by the empathic spirit of docu-fiction on the other…” Made by Bulgarian short film veterans, the cinematography in the El Topo-ish clip below suggests a high level of competence. They’re looking to raise a little less than $50,000 in a month. Bo Nan Za at indiegogo.

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 on more distant horizons…

This is the week the film world goes into post-Christmas hibernation: no new releases, repertory theaters are shuttered for renovations, even the key grips take the week off to stay home with the kids. There’s almost nothing going on, but they did sneak out one DVD release this week…

NEW ON DVD:

The Beast and the Vixens [AKA The Beauties and the Beast] (1974): A softcore porn Bigfoot film, with the Sasquatch abducting busty ladies for his harem. La Bête it’s not, but it is one of those “they really used to show movies like this in actual theaters?” experiences. Buy The Beast and the Vixens.

That’s it! We should have more for you next week.

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 on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, IFC Center, Dec. 23-24):

El Topo (1970) and Mulholland Dr. (2001): Read the Certified Weird entries for El Topo and Mulholland Drive. The IFC Center continues its quest to make sure every New Yorker sees the major weird works of Jodorowsky and Lynch. Midnight screenings on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s more fun than Midnight Mass! IFC Center’s Late Night Favorites series.

SCREENINGS – (Los Angeles, Cinefamily, Dec. 25-28):

Belladonna of Sadness (1973): Read the Certified Weird entry! What says Christmas more than an explicit psychedelic Japanese rape-revenge witchcraft anime with an acid rock soundtrack? Belladonna of Sadness at Cinefamily.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Dec. 25):

After Hours (1985): Read the reader recommendation and the other reader recommendation. If you are on the wrong coast to catch The Belladonna of Sadness on Christmas Day, maybe you can see Martin Scorsese‘s absurd black comedy about a nightmarish night in NYC? Also playing at Lincoln Center in an eclectic week: Eyes Wide Shut (also on Christmas day), The Werckmeister Hamonies (Dec. 26), Russian Ark (Dec. 27 and 29), and the Certified Weird Altered States (Dec. 30). Film Society of Lincoln Center December calendar.

IN DEVELOPMENT (completed):

A Cure for Wellness (Feb. 2017): A young executive goes to a cult-like remote wellness center to retrieve his company’s CEO. Looks a little like Safe meets Shutter Island. From Gore Verbinski, who’s had a checkered career (Rango and The Ring are plusses, but then there’s the Pirates of the Caribbean series and The Lone Ranger dragging his average way down). Psychological thrillers backed by big Hollywood are rarely authentically weird, but we’ll probably take a flyer in February. A Cure for Wellness official site.

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 on more distant horizons…

Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.

IN DEVELOPMENT (pre-production):

Patience (201?): An adaptation of Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel about a grieving man who uses time travel to try to prevent his pregnant wife’s murder. The original story was a New York Times bestseller described as a “a psychedelic science-fiction love story.” Clowes will adapt the screenplay in the movie version for Focus Features. Patience announcement at Variety.

NEW ON DVD:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Unusual Children (2016): Read Alfred Eaker’s review. No special features announced for Tim Burton‘s latest would-be tentpole fantasy. Buy Miss Peregrine’s Home for Unusual Children.

Roma (1972): Read Alfred Ealker’s review. The Criterion Collection gets their mitts on some more experimental Fellini; now, if they can only land Cassanova… Buy Fellini Roma.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971): Read Alfred Eaker’s review. Not a “special edition”; Zandor Vorkov’s Dracula-in-an-afro is all the specialness anyone needs in a single Blu-ray. Buy Dracula vs. Frankenstein [Blu-ray].

Dreamscape (1984): A psychic tries to rescue the President of the United States, who’s trapped inside his own nightmares. Shout! Factory issues this 80s pop-surreal cheese in a “Collector’s Edition” full of featurettes and extras. Buy Dreamscape [Collector’s Edition Blu-ray].

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Unusual Children (2016): See description in DVD above. Buy Miss Peregrine’s Home for Unusual Children Blu-ray.

Roma (1972):See description in DVD above. Buy Fellini Roma [Blu-ray].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

A ‘Pitch-Dark’ Diorama (2016): An interviewer talks to an author about his completion of another writer’s work; the plot slips between parallel realities as the book’s story interweaves with real events. A rare example of independent surreal/horror cinema from India. It’s serialized in five parts on YouTube, and also available via torrent. Free to watch, but donations are accepted at the filmmaker’s website.

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.

366 Weird Movies brings you a new DVD giveaway contest, just in time for Christmas! (Warning: we’re at the mercy of the USPS, so the prize may arrive after Christmas).

We’re still testing out uses for our Twitter account, so we’re going to make this a simple Twitter-based contest. To enter, just tweet to @366weirdmovies clearly indicating your desire to enter the contest (you could say, for example, “I clearly desire to enter @366weirdmovies contest” or “this is my contest entry, @weirdmovies” or even “stuff my stocking, @weirdmovies”). We’ll index the responses and pick a winner randomly using random.org. To receive the DVDs, you must supply us with a mailing address in the United States (don’t tweet it publicly, we’ll pm you!) and not have won a prize from us in the past six months. We’ll be closing the contest Thursday, Dec. 15 and mailing by Saturday (pending receipt of your address), so the prize should get there by Xmas day.

Our prize is once again provided by  Artsploitation Films (distributors of the Certified Weird Der Samurai). This is a factory-sealed DVDs, not a used review copy. The movie is Counter Clockwise, a brand new (DVD releases December 13) 2016 American indie time-travel thriller. From the box cover:

“Part mind-bending science-fiction and part dark comedy, COUNTER CLOCKWISE delivers a thriller about a befuddled scientist who stumbles into inventing a time machine and recklessly zaps himself six months into the future. But in that future, he is a wanted man and an accused murderer. He tries to return to the point right before everything went wrong. An inventive, head-scratching, fast-paced American Indie time-traveling gem.”

Tweet away! (And follow us, if you haven’t yet).