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 THEATERS (WIDE RELEASE):

Nocturnal Animals (2016): Jake Gyllenhaal writes a brutally violent novel that wife Amy Adams suspects may be a wish-fulfillment fantasy. We’re skeptical, but Calvin Wilson’s hateful review for the St. Louis Dispatch suggests it has promise: “a bad cult film in the making… a tiresomely weird drama that’s pitched somewhere between the cinematic realms of directors David Lynch… and David Cronenberg…” Nocturnal Animals official site.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

The Brand New Testament (2015): Jaco Van Dormael‘s followup to 2009’s Certified Weird Mr. Nobody is a comedy about God’s bratty daughter leaking the death dates of all of humanity. Thought this would never arrive on these shores, but it was worth the wait just for the first line of the official synopsis: “God exists, and He’s a jerk.” The Brand New Testament official site.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, IFC Center, 12/9):

House [Hausu] (1977): Read the Certified Weird entry! Japan’s pop-haunted house madness makes for a perfect midnight feature this Friday or Saturday night. Or, if you prefer, you could take in Lost Highway or Mulholland Drive, both screening around the witching hour. Also, new release The Brand New Testament (see description in Limited Release above) is playing all week. Get out to the theaters now, before they go to a 24-hour It’s a Wonderful Life format! House at IFC Center.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, Lincoln Center, 12/9-12, 14-15):

“Life Is a Dream: The Films of Raoul Ruiz”: The Film Center at Lincoln Center continues their two week series on the movies of Chilean Surrealist Rauol Ruiz. Here’s a compact schedule: Mysteries of Lisbon (Dec. 9th & 11th), The Territory (9th), The State of Things (9th), Bérénice (10th & 14th), The Golden Boat (10th & 14th), Geneaologies of a Crime (10th & 13th), La Recta Provinca (11th & 14th), Three Crowns of the Sailor (13th, 15th), The Suspended Vocation, and The Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (Dec. 15th only). “Life Is a Dream: The Films of Raoul Ruiz” at Lincoln Center.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, Spectacle Theater, 12/10):

Mondo Weirdo (1990): Just your average hardcore sex vampire punk musical. A lost German underground obscenity screening in celeberation of distributor Cult Epics’ 25th anniversary; DVD/Blu-ray expected in 2017. Mondo Weirdo at Spectacle Theater.

IN DEVELOPMENT (announced):

Coin coin les z’inhumains (2018?): A sequel to the French television balack comedy/mystery Lil’ Quininquin is officially planned. No word on the plot, or whether the miniseries’ unsolved mysteries will be resolved; writer/director Bruno Dumont has to finish a rock musical based on the life of Joan of Arc first. French speakers may figure out something from this link.

IN DEVELOPMENT (post-production):

Journey to the West: Demon Chapter (2017): Pacifist demon hunter Xuan Zang continues his journey to India begun in the original Journey to the West, facing new demons. Still reclining on the bed of yuan he made from The Mermaid, Stephen Chow steps out of the director’s chair to produce, leaving the helming duties in the hands of equally competent Tsui Hark (it’s the first auterial collaboration between these two Hong Kong titans). Pre-sold internationally, so there will be no long wait to see this one. China.org has more info and the teaser.

NEW ON DVD:

Heart of a Dog (2015): Avant-garde musician Laurie Anderson’s first feature film is an experimental film essay which includes pieces on her dog and the Tibetan Buddhist afterlife. A surprise acquisition and release from the Criterion Collection. Buy Heart of a Dog.

Phantasm: Ravager (2016): The Phantasm series comes to an end in this fifth installment that sees Reggie Bannister battling the Tall Man (the late Angus Scrimm) across a series of alternate realities. Reviews were all over the place, but Variety called it “the surreal thing.” Buy Phantasm: Ravager.

Phantasm (1979): Read the Certified Weird entry! The extra features look to be recycled from the last release, but the picture has definitely been scrubbed clean and brightened (not sure that’s a good thing, actually, but it’s how the director intended it to be seen). Buy Phantasm (Remastered).

Pulse (2001): See desription in Blu-ray below. Buy Pulse [DVD Blu-ray combo pack].

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Exterminating Angel (1962): Guests at a bourgeois dinner party find themselves inexplicably unable to leave the drawing room for weeks on end. The Criterion Collection upgrades its 2009 DVD of Luis Buñuel‘s neo-Surrealist masterwork to Blu-ray; review coming soon. Buy The Exterminating Angel [Blu-ray].

Heart of a Dog (2015): See description in DVD above. Buy Heart of a Dog [Blu-ray].

Phantasm (1979): See description in DVD above. This release includes a DVD disc as well for only a couple bucks more. Buy Phantasm [Remastered DVD/Blu-ray combo pack].

Phantasm: Ravager (2016): See description in DVD above. Buy Phantasm: Ravager [Blu-ray].

Pulse (2001): Read our capsule review. Arrow Video gives the special edition treatment to Kiyoshi Kurosawa‘s apocalyptic horror; a new transfer, new interviews, mutliple featurettes, etc. Buy Pulse [DVD Blu-ray combo pack].

The Quiet Earth (1985): A man wakes up in a depopulated world and sets out looking for survivors of whatever catastrophe has stuck. Long unavailable in the U.S., its enigmatic ending helped make it ia cult movie in its native New Zealand (and elsewhere); it’s also currently in our reader-suggested review queue. Buy The Quiet Earth [Blu-ray].

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 THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes) (2015): Young Peruvian slackers into drugs, amateur porn, Internet culture, and conspiracy theories meet online for weird times. If you visit the official site, don’t worry, it won’t actually download a virus to your computer—although if your boss looks over your shoulder they may ask why you’re surfing for furry porn on company time. (Don’t say you weren’t warned). Playing at Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn, and probably nowhere else. Videophilia official site (NSFW).

SCREENINGS – (New York City, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Dec. 2):

The Black Cat (1934): Read the Certified Weird entry! Why, you might ask, is Lincoln Center screening this expressionist showdown between Bela Lugosi and Satanic architect Boris Karloff on December 4? Unexpectedly, it’s part of a huge retrospective on Chilean surrealist director Raoul Ruiz (who apparently considered this film an influence). Other screenings in the series are Ruiz’s own Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting (Dec. 3 & 6), Time Regained (2nd & 4th), Three Sad Tigers (2nd & 5th), Lines of Wellington (2nd only), Dialogues of the Exiles (3rd & 5th), City of Pirates (3rd & 7th), Treasure Island (3rd & 7th), The Suspended Vocation (4th & 6th), and Love Torn in a Dream (4th & 7th), with more Ruiz coming in the following week. “Life Is a Dream: The Films of Raoul Ruiz (Part 1)” at Lincoln Center.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, IFC Center, Dec. 2-3):

Lost Highway (1997): Read the Certified Weird entry! As reported last week, IFC Center is rotating their unofficial “Midnight Lynch” weekend screenings. In this week: the nearly incomprehensible identity switch drama Lost Highway, taking over Wild at Heart‘s spot. Held over: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Both screen Friday and Saturday at or around midnight. Lost Highway at IFC Center.

FILM FESTIVALS – A Night of Horror (Sydney, Australia, Nov. 25 – Dec. 4):

OK, so we’re late on this one, which ran approximately contemporaneously with Melbourne’s competing “Monster Fest” on the other side of the continent. Thanks to “Lovecraft in Brooklyn” for pointing out our oversight last week. Since the festival is closing soon, we’ll just point out a couple of titles (already covered elsewhere on the site) for avant-garde Aussies to check out: the underground video montage romantic comedy She’s Allergic to Cats (Dec. 3) and December 4th’s closing night gala The Greasy Strangler (see description in DVD below).

A Night of Horror official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT (post-production):

Dave Made a Maze (2017): Dave builds a pillow fort in his living room and then gets lost inside its maze of booby trapped corridors; his girlfriend assembles a team to go in and rescue him. Premiering next month/year at Slamdance. Dave Made a Maze official site.

NEW ON DVD:

The Greasy Strangler (2016): Read our festival report. This John Waters-esque story of a cranky L.A. based disco tour guide who slathers himself in grease and strangles strangers is guaranteed to be the greasiest (and grossest) movie you’ll see all year! Buy The Greasy Strangler.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

The Greasy Strangler (2016): See description in DVD above. Buy The Greasy Strangler [Blu-ray].

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 THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Always Shine (2016): The rivalry of two struggling young actresses turns less friendly when they take a vacation together to Big Sur. Comparisons to Lynch, Persona follow. Always Shine official site.

Evolution (2015): Our own Alex Kittle described it as a “quiet, subtle sci-fi mystery about an island of pale-faced women who have found a way to propagate without men” and says it “definitely isn’t for everyone.” Of course, every movie we love here pretty much by definition isn’t for everyone. Evolution Facebook page (mostly in French).

Tank 432 [AKA Belly of the Bulldog] (2015): Post-apocalyptic mercenaries seek refuge in an abandoned tank that becomes a prison. The feature debut of Ben Wheatley‘s cameraman Nick Gillespie (Wheatley produced). Tank 432 official site.

SCREENINGS – (New York City, IFC Center, 11/25-11/26 (midnights):

Wild at Heart (1990)/Fire Walk with Me (1992): IFC Center continues its unofficial “Lynch at Midnight” series, rotating out Blue Velvet but keeping the Certified Weird Nicolas Cage/ Laura Dern road movie Wild at Heart on screen and adding the “Twin Peaks” wrap-up Fire Walk With Me. Also playing all week at IFC: Evolution (see description in “limited release” above). Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me at IFC Center.

SCREENINGS – (Los Angeles, Cinefamily, 11/25-11/28):

Delicatessen (1991): Read the Certified Weird entry! A post-apocalyptic post-Thanksgiving feast; Friday evening’s screening also includes a potluck leftovers dinner. Also at Cinefamily: Evolution (see description in “limited release” above) plays all week, and Larry Cohen hosts a double feature of God Told Me To and The Stuff (tonight only, starts at 10:30 PM PST). Delicatessen at Cinefamily,

SCREENINGS – (Silver Spring, MD, AFI Silver Theater, 11/27-11/30):

Persona (1966): Read the Certified Weird entry! For those in the D.C. area, a rare chance to catch a must-see weird film on the big screen. Persona at AFI Silver Theater.

FILM FESTIVALS – Monster Fest (Melbourne, Australia, 11/23-27):

There’s nothing really new debuting here (except perhaps to Australians, who seem to be the last stop on the festival circuit), but there’s plenty of cool stuff playing at this small but stocked film festival. If our trusty time zone converter is correct, there’s still time for Aussies to get out to today’s 11:00 AM screening of the marvelous Spanish animated fantasy Psychonauts: The Forgotten Children. Other films worth checking out for the underground crowd down under include the pregnancy horror Antibirth (Nov. 26), the restoration of Andrzej Zulawski‘s unfinished sci-fi epic On the Silver Globe (Nov. 27), and the John Waters-ish closing film The Greasy Strangler (Nov 27, with cast members Sky Elobar and “disco cutie” Elizabeth De Razzo in attendance). Monster Fest 2016 official site,

NEW ON DVD:

Magnetic (2015): Who knows what the plot is—apparently those who’ve watched it are just as much in the dark as we are—but we infer that the world will end on Dec. 31 unless Alice defeats members of the Daughters of Ra cult. Amazon reviews are full of one-star reviews that include thoughts like “This was a very weird movie, and usually I like weird movies, but even when it got to the end I didn’t really understand exactly what was going on.” Buy Magnetic.

Yoga Hosers (2016): The second entry in an announced “True North Trilogy” (the first was 2014’s Tusk), this horror-comedy stars director Kevin Smith‘s daughter Harley Quinn and Johnny Depp‘s daughter Lily-Rose as a pair of Canadian teens fighting an invasion of Nazi sausages (!) Critics hated it, but apparently Smith included some prophylactic anti-critic jokes, so that’s probably why he got the negative reviews, eh?  Buy Yoga Hosers.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Rabid (1977): David Cronenberg directs ex-adult star Marilyn Chambers in an early example of his pioneering “venereal horrors.” Shout! Factory packs this collector’s edition Blu-ray with extras both new and old, including two separate commentary tracks (one from Cronenberg and one by scholar William Beard). Buy Rabid [Collector’s Edition Blu-ray].

Yoga Hosers (2016): See description in DVD above. Buy Yoga Hosers Blu-ray].

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON VIMEO:

Psychic Snakebite (2016):The tagline calls it “a 100% green screen nihilistic thriller.” Add “experimental,” because it’s full of double images, odd tinting, and strange sound design (the main characters have been dubbed into Mandarin and supplied with subtitles). The 60-minute film involves terrorists on a jetliner and is rated “Mature.” Watch Psychic Snakebite 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.

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 THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Officer Downe (2016): An LA supercop is repeatedly brought back from the dead to fight crime. A couple of early reviewers have used the “w” word to characterize this stylized, campy and violent graphic novel adaptation with cult movie aspirations, directed by the drummer from the band Slipknot, who normally dresses like a clown. Concurrently available for video-on-demand rental. Officer Downe official site.

SCREENINGS – (IFC Center, New York City, Nov 18-19):

Wild at Heart (1990): Read the Certified Weird entry! IFC Center has been semi-religiously screening Blue Velvet on weekends at midnight; this week, they mix things up with David Lynch’s wild Nic Cage Elvis-tribute road movie. (Don’t worry, Velvet is playing on the opposite screen, giving you your choice of mid-career midnight Lynch this week). Wild at Heart at IFC Center.

SCREENINGS – (AFI Silver Theater, Silver Spring, MD, Nov 19-23):

“Objects of Desire: The Films of Luis Buñuel”: A restoration of the not-so-weird Tristana (starring Catherine Deneuve as the titular target of nobleman Fernando Rey‘s unhealthy obsession) is the headliner here, but look for screenings of the more classically surreal Belle de Jour on the 19th, 22nd and 23rd, and Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie on the 20th and 23rd. Objects of Desire: The Films of Luis Buñuel at AFI Silver Theater.

IN DEVELOPMENT (IN PRODUCTION):

The Thousand Miles (est. 2017): Animator Sylvain Chomet‘s latest project will be his first with dialogue (in English). It’s set at an Italian road race and based on the dream journals of Federico Fellini. This is promising. Read more at Variety.

IN DEVELOPMENT (crowdfunding):

Mondo Weirdo/Vampiros Sexos [AKA I Was a Teenage Zabbadoing]: Here’s your second notice that Cult Epics has a month to go to raise a lot of money to release five previously unseen movies, including the title oddities (described in more detail here) and The Flesh, a rare Marco Ferreri title (clip below). Funding is flexible and rights have been secured, so these will be released in some form and your pledge will be honored—this is more of an opportunity to score some nice pre-order bonuses, ensure that the extras and packaging will be top notch, and support their acquisition of future titles (I don’t want to spread rumors, but at least one of the names whispered about is high on our weird wishlist for a film that desperately needs a new video release). Cult Epics indiegogo campaign.

NEW ON DVD:

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990): Akira Kurosawa, one of the most celebrated film directors of all time, capped his career with this anthology film in which he adapted his own dreams for the screen. A major 2-disc release for the Criterion Collection and for weird movie lovers, and a longtime reader-suggested review queue stalwart. Buy Akira Kuorsawa’s Dreams.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990): See description in DVD above. The “Making of Dreams” featurette, which is thirty minutes longer than the actual movie, fits on a single Blu-ray (the DVD version requires an extra disc to fit it). Buy Akira Kuorsawa’s Dreams [Blu-ray].

Dead Ringers (1988): Read the Certified Weird entry! David Cronenberg‘s classic about twin gynecologists addicted to barbiturates gets a Blu-ray collector’s edition release from Shout! Factory. Buy Dead Ringers [Blu-ray Collector’s Edition].

Punch-Drunk Love (2002): Read “Brad”‘s reader recommendation! The weirdest thing about Paul Thomas Anderson‘s offbeat romantic comedy, released by the Criterion Collection this week, is almost certainly the universal praise for the performance of its unlikely star—the much-despised Adam Sandler. Buy Punch-Drunk Love [Blu-ray].

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…

SCREENINGS – (New York City, IFC Center, Nov 11 & 12 at midnight):

Blue Velvet (1986): Read the Certified Weird entry! IFC has made David Lynch‘s sadomasochistic 80s nightmare into a welcome midnight staple. “Now it’s dark…” Blue Velvet at IFC Center.

FILM FESTIVALS – AFI Fest (Los Angeles, CA., Nov. 10- 17):

The American Film Institute’s official film festival strictly hosts premieres. It occurs so late in the year, however, that many movies with awards aspirations choose to debut elsewhere, so programmers cheat just a little for big names like Jackie, La La Land, and Moana, which have played all over the country but make their California premieres here. It’s still a prestigious feather in the cap for smaller art films and late-debuting foreign movies. We’ve already covered the mermaid musical The Lure, which we hope will make a splash here, but here are some more artily weird offerings that are new to us:

• Buster’s Mal Heart – Buster has two (or maybe more) personalities, literally existing in two separate bodies: one a family man, the other a bearded hermit. Debuts Nov. 11 (tonight), with an encore on Nov. 16.
• A Dragon Arrives! – A police inspector buries the body of an assassinated politician found in a shipwreck in the middle of the desert in a nearby cemetery, causing a localized earthquake, in tis absurdist Iranian experimental film. Nov. 15 & 16.
• Fear Itself – A “stream of consciousness” documentary about horror films incorporating clips from several Certified Weird movies: Altered States, Antichrist, Brazil, Carnival of Souls, Don’t Look Now, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Night of the Hunter, Nosferatu, Repulsion, Suspiria, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and Videodrome (credit goes to this IMDB post for the list). Nov. 13 & 14.
  
• Kati Kati – Kenyan magical realist movie where Purgatory exists on the savanna. Nov. 15 & 16.
• Malgré la Nuit – An abstract thriller about a man going undercover to search for his lost love, whom he fears may have become the victim of a snuff film ring. Nov. 15 & 16.

AFI Fest homepage.

FILM FESTIVALS – Ithaca Fantastik Festival (Ithaca, NY, Nov. 9- 13):

In only its fifth year of operation, this out-of-the-way festival held in a college town in upstate New York doesn’t get the big premieres, but they have snapped up some very cool, obscure and, yes, weird films from the second tier. Some of the films we’ve noted playing at other festivals are the Filipino bloodfest Alipato–The Very Brief Life of an Ember, the Swiss psychological detective fantasy Aloys, and the highly recommended outsider ode She’s Allergic to Cats. Here are some others to check out:

• Altered States (1980) – Ken Russel’s creates the world’s big-budgeted trip movie. See it on the big screen Nov 13.
• Nova Seed – Created frame-by-frame by Nick DeLiberto, it’s a post-apocalyptic fantasy that looks like a (nostalgically) cheap 1980s Saturday morning cartoon. Playing today, Friday Nov. 4, at 4 PM, so if you’re in Ithaca and you’re reading this get out there now! The rest of us will wait on a DVD.
• A Page of Madness (1926) – Japan’s first Surrealist film is a silent movie about a man getting a job as a janitor at an insane asylum to be near his mentally ill wife. Avant-garde composer Tenzin Chopak conducts live electronic accompaniment to the Nov. 13 screening.
• Terror 5 – This Argentinian horror import about five horrific events that occur on one night is one of the few films making its American debut at Ithaca; programmers describe it as “experimental,” “dream-like,” and “surreal.” Check it out Nov. 12.

Ithaca Fantastik Festival homepage.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002): Read the Certified Weird entry! Nursing home Elvis and black JFK fight a mummy in this Shout! Factory Collector’s Edition with new commentary from the short story’s original writer, new interviews with cast and crew, and more (although sadly, it looks like they couldn’t get the rights to the in-character commentary track by Bruce Campbell). Buy Bubba Ho-Tep [Collector’s Edition Blu-ray].

Night Has a Thousand Desires (1984): A woman who works in a telepathic nightclub act who dreams of murders that come true. It’s a typical uneven Jess Franco erotic horror of the post-Franco period, complete with a nude Lina Romay, although some say it’s both weirder and better-made than some of Jess’ other schlock cheapies. Buy Night Has a Thousand Desires.

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.