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 on the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Borgman (2013): Strange things happen when a rich woman harbors a mysterious fugitive. From the intriguing Dutchman Alex van Warmerdam, who says it is his darkest movie yet. Drafthouse Films opens Borgman in New York this week with scattered U.S. screenings to follow throughout the summer. Borgman official site.

SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, Jun. 6-9):

“Welcome, Space Brothers: The Films of the Unarius Academy of Science”: It seems that last week’s screening of the public access films of Ruth E. Norman’s Los Angeles-based UFO cult (see last week’s Weird Horizon for more info and a trailer) proved so popular that they’ve scheduled additional screenings of “The Arrival” starting this weekend. No new past-life regression workshops, however; maybe you can attend one in your next life?  “Welcome, Space Brothers” at Cinefamily.

SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles,Jun. 9 & 11):

The Hourglass Sanitorium (1973): Read our review. In more serious fare, Cinefamily presents Wojciech Has‘ rarely-screened Surrealist masterpiece about a time-bending sanitarium as part of Martin Scorsese‘s “Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series. More information, screening times and a new trailer at the Cinefamily Hourglass Sanitorium page.

NEW ON DVD:

Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2012): A documentary portrait of the oddball cult actor (who sings two folk songs in the movie). Our readers will best know Stanton from his appearances in the Certified Weird INLAND EMPIRE (2006) and Repo Man (1984). Buy Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction.

“Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide”: Here’s an interesting three-disc set. Disc one contains the 2010 documentary Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Videotape, and Censorship, about the infamous list of 72 horror films the British government deemed too vile and depraved to be shown in the United Kingdom (although ultimately many of these movies successfully beat obscenity prosecutions, or were released with a few minutes cut out). Discs 2 & 3 contain trailers for each of the nasties, with some additional commentary by film historians. For years, the video nasty list was used as a source by extreme horror fans looking for “quality” entertainment. Although none of the movies on the Directory of Public Prosecutions list has (yet) been Certified Weird by us, Dario Argento‘s Inferno (1980) and Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession (1981) are official List Candidates (a “nasty” citation for the critically acclaimed, award-winning Possession proved a particular embarrassment for the British Board of Film Censors). Buy “Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide”.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977): Read our review! It’s hard to believe this ultra-low budget 1977 amateur outsider horror movie would benefit from hi-def remastering, but the draw in this Cult Epics Blu is the special features that were not present on the bare-bones DVD release, particularly the commentary track by director George Barry. Buy Death Bed: The Bed That Eats [Blu-ray].

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.

Here’s what’s coming up in next week’s reviews: James Harben will sample Frank Henenlotter‘s addictive 1988 black comedy, Brain Damage; we’ll take a look at Quentin Dupieux‘s latest absurdist comedy caper, Wrong Cops, and we’ll venture into the depravity of 2005’s cult classic Sin City (whetting your appetite for the release of the noirish sequel on August 22).

Unusual sex and unusual food dominated the list of the weirdest search terms that brought people to 366 Weird Movies last week. Sexy queries like “1980’s movie about zombies having sex” and “octopus sex movies” were common. (We should also mention the person who was searching for “whats the name of the movie with the yellow monster pervert”—they may have been a week early with that search). On the culinary side, “movie about a girl asked to eat a leader of a cult” caught our eye. Our official Weirdest Search Term of the Week combines our readers’ preoccupations with sex and food: “black and white horror movie where son michal eat womans breast.”  Yum!

Since New Yorker Films’ promised release of Celine and Julie Go Boating has yet to materialize (a year and waiting now), we’re officially moving Jacques Rivette’s playfully surreal farce to our out-of-print holding pen (see bottom of this post). With that alteration, here’s how the ridiculously-long-and-ever-growing reader-suggested review queue currently stands: Brain Damage (next week!); Abnormal: The Sinema of Nick Zedd; Rubin & Ed; The Real McCoy; Themroc; Candy (1968); Night of the Hunter; The Fox Family; Midnight Skater; Angelus; Cloudy with a Chance of  Meatballs; Continue reading WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE →

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 on the official site links.

SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, May 30-31, June 1):

“Welcome, Space Brothers: The Films of the Unarius Academy of Science”: A retrospective of the public-access quality propaganda films of Unarius, a 1970s and 1980s UFO cult educational foundation that was largely run by that late Ruth Norman, who was sort of a square, non-musical, honky version of Sun Ra. Friday night features an “Intro to Unarius,” with a Q&A with current cult institute members and a screening of the short film, “A Trip to the Underground Cities of Mars” (1977). Saturday’s slate includes workshops, more public access shorts, and the feature-length pro-alien screed The Arrival (1978). There will be more screenings and guided visualizations on Sunday. True believers and skeptics bent on mockery will rub elbows at this strange gathering. Los Angelites can get the full schedule of events here: “Welcome, Space Brothers…”

SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, June 2-3):

The Saragossa Manuscript (1965): Read our review! Cinefamily continues to make the argument for relocating to L.A. almost irresistible with this rare screening of Wojciech Has‘ account of the phantasmagorical journeys of the Unknown Soldier through time and space. Part of the Martin Scorsese-sponsored “Masterpieces of Polish Cinema” series. More information, showtimes and a newly-cut trailer here.

NEW ON DVD:

Blue Movie (1978): A woman is rescued from a rape by a sadomasochistic photographer. Forgotten Italian weird sleaze in the Salo-chic mode. Buy Blue Movie.

Buttwhistle (2014): A young man rescues a girl from a suicide attempt, then wishes he hadn’t when she gets too attached to him (and gives him the nickname “buttwhistle”). A talking bar of soap supplies some surrealism. Buy Buttwhistle.

Journey to the West (2013): A fantasy/comedy/adventure adaptation of a Chinese mythology classic featuring Buddhist demons and the Monkey King. Stephen Chow’s first directorial effort in five years should please his fans. Buy Journey to the West.

Sleepaway Camp (1983): A troubled teenage orphan goes to a summer camp where her peers start turning up dead. This teen horror with a surprise ending has one of the largest cult followings in slasher movie history, and is also in our reader-suggested review queue. Shout! Factory is selling their deluxe restored version in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Buy Sleepaway Camp [BluRay/DVD Combo] [Blu-ray].

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Eden and After (1970): This mix of Alice in Wonderland by way of the Marquis de Sade, with a heaping helping of LSD on the side, involves a young girl on a hallucinatory sadomasochistic journey. This title was on our “not-yet-on-DVD-in-America” list, and can technically remain there; for whatever reason, Redemption video is only releasing this title on Blu-ray. Buy Eden and After [Blu-ray].

Journey to the West (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy Journey to the West [Blu-ray].

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004): Bill Murray stars as Zissou, a Jacques Cousteau-style adventurer who sets off with a ragtag crew to hunt down a possibly mythical shark he believes to be responsible for his partner’s death. Criterion upgrades this Wes Anderson black comedy, which currently sits in our reader-suggested review queue, to Blu-ray. Buy The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou [Criterion Collection Blu-ray].

The Man Who Lies (1968): A fugitive insinuates himself into a Czech village, claiming to be the companion of a local war hero who has disappeared. Like Eden and After above, this is another Alain Robbe-Grillet title Redemption is releasing only on Blu-ray. Buy The Man Who Lies [Blu-ray].

Sleepaway Camp (1983): See description in DVD above. Buy Sleepaway Camp [BluRay/DVD Combo] [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.

We’re late again… so sue us.

We’ve been publishing the Yearbook since 2009, but the cover design of this 2013 edition counts by far as the most professional-looking wrapper we’ve ever sent to print. While I have of necessity improved my sense of graphic design, the main credit for this stunning improvement goes to G.B. Hajim, who not only let us use his drawing for the cover art, but also spit-shined my original concept so that he could show it to his artist friends without embarrassment.

Speaking of G.B., you will find an interview with him as a Yearbook exclusive bonus, along with a director’s statement from Carlos Atanes on his latest film (Gallino: The Chicken System) that was not previously published online.

This year’s page count is down to a slim 120. This is a deliberate choice; there was too much filler in previous episodes. The current edition will take up less real estate on your bookshelf while providing the same amount of insight as previous Yearbooks. You do not have to pay any extra for the more concentrated film criticism you’ll find in the latest edition; we’re keeping the price at a weirdly affordable $6.99.

We think the ad copy speaks for itself:

Covering everything bizarre in cinema, from art house surrealism to next-generation cult movies to so-bad-they’re-weird B-movie atrocities, 366 Weird Movies has been meeting all of your weird movie needs since 2009 with a combination of sly humor and serious insight. This is our annual Yearbook covering all the weird movies released and re-released in 2013, from “The ABC’s of Death” to “Zeta One”, with over 45 full-length reviews, extensive supplemental listings, and exclusive interviews and director’s statements. If it’s weird, and it’s a movie, and it’s from 2013, and 366 Weird Movies covered it, you’ll find it here.

You can buy the 366 Weird Movies 2013 Yearbook from Createspace (our preference due to higher royalties) or from Amazon (where it can often be found on sale). Don’t forget that it’s also available (for a mere $2.99!) in a Kindle version (although the content differs slightly, as two reviews appear in the print version that are not in the e-book).

All profits derived from your kind purchase will go towards paying our hosting costs. Any leftover monies will be used to fly the 366 Weird Movies staff out to Cannes (but not for the film festival; we just want to hit the beach).