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):

Amor Cronico: A “surreal” travelogue of New York-based Latin singer CuCu Diamantes’ tour of her estranged homeland of Cuba. We can’t find anyplace this is playing, but you can rent it on-demand at the official site. Amor Cronico official site.

Why Don’t You Play in Hell?: A movie-within-a-movie is the setting for Shion Sono’s latest; the early teaser trailer featured samurai fighting yakuza and ran literal rivers of blood. Drafthouse Films is opening in Austin, TX, and also with a 2-day awards-qualifying run in New York City. Why Don’t You Play in Hell? official site.

SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, Nov. 7&8):

“A Weekend with Jean-Claude Carriere”: Having written screenplays forThe Tin Drum,  two Jean-Luc Godard movies, and six collaborations with Luis Buñuel, Carriere is possibly the most important weird screenwriter (who doesn’t also direct). He’ll be at Cinefamily in person this week to talk about his work: Belle de Jour is screening at 7:30 tonight (so rush out as soon as you read this, Los Angelinos!) The Phantom of Liberty comes tomorrow afternoon at 1:00. This is a very special event. “A Weekend with Jean-Claude Carriere” at Cinefamily.

FILM FESTIVALS – Homegrown Hoosier Film Festival (Anderson, IN., Nov. 8 & 9):

As the title suggests, this small festival highlights movies with Indiana connections. This listing might be considered a species of Nepotism Corner, since we mention it primarily because Alfred Eaker will be there screening two short films: “La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura” (screening Sunday at 3:15), which puts the viewer (rather literally) inside a Paul Gauguin canvas, and “I Was Married to a Mermaid” (Saturday at 1:30), which is a filmed chapter of a semi-surreal anti-fundamentalism novel Eaker is working on.  However, there are also a couple of movies screening we have no connection to that may be worth your attention:

• Proxy – A pregnant woman joins a support group after she is assaulted on the streets; a festival programmer at Austin’s Fantastic Fest said it was “one of the most… truly crazy stories [we’ve] ever seen…” Playing Nov. 8 at 6:30 PM.
• Three Tears On Bloodstained Flesh – A “Midwestern giallo” by Jakob Bilinski involving cults, curses and killers—in Indiana. Nov. 8 at 9:00 PM.

I guess things get weird in Indiana. All those hours endlessly practicing layups on a hoop affixed to a barn door probably encourage creativity.

Homegrown Hoosier Film Festival home page

NEW ON DVD:

The Ninth Configuration (1980): Soldiers being held at a castle doubling as an insane asylum act out their delusions as a form of therapy. This bonkers effort by The Exorcist‘s William Peter Blatty includes an all-dog Shakespeare production and a crucifixion in space, and has been out-of-print in North America for some time (although it found its way into our reader-suggested review queue). Buy The Ninth Configuration [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998): Read the Certified Weird entry! The confusion over the ping-ponging rights to this movie continues as Universal once again yanks the Criterion Collection’s license to put out their own version; you’ll have to make up your own mind whether to buy this “limited edition steelbook” one or look for an older disc. Extras appear to be unchanged since the last time Universal released the movie on Blu. Buy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray].

The Ninth Configuration (1980): See description in DVD above. Buy The Ninth Configuration [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack].

Nocturna (2007): French/Spanish animated co-production about a boy exploring the alternate-reality dream world of Night. Buy Nocturna [Blu-ray].

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010): Read our review. Speak of the devil: Pilgrim just (oh-so narrowly) won its group in the 5th Readers’ Choice Poll, and now Universal releases a new limited edition Blu-ray as part of its cult classics series. Buy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World [Limited Edition Blu-ray].

“Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection”: Includes the Certified Weird A Clockwork Orange, together with queued-to-be-reviewed Kubricks 2001, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut, and the non-weird masterpieces Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon, and Full Metal Jacket, plus discs of bonus material. Only downside is the north-of-a-C-note price, but we give you permission to splurge. Buy “Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection” [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 on the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

ABCs of Death 2 (2014): Sequel to the sporadically good, sporadically weird original; the second-string lineup of directors still includes a couple of fascinating names like Bill Plympton and Vincenzo Natali.It will be playing in cities with an Alamo Drafthouse franchise this week; others will have to check it out on demand. ABCs of Death 2 official site.

Goodbye to Language [Adieu au Langage] (2014): The latest from  Jean-Luc Godard, now in his mid 80s, is shot in 3D and features nude women, dogs, philosophical discourses, and experimental visuals. Late Godard tends to be “difficult” (and usually not much fun), and we would expect nothing less here. Goodbye to Language official site.

Horns (2013): An accused killer (Daniel Radcliffe) awakes one day to find horns growing from his head and people suddenly anxious to confess their secrets to him. One critic called the movie “the pointless kind of weird,” which we view as the pointless kind of criticism. Horns official site.

IN DEVELOPMENT (Indiegogo):

California Electric (est. 2015?): The summary says “a family of three have collective seizures and start to have visions of one another doing terrible things,” and the teaser trailer is simply a man having a 90 second seizure. The director promises “it’s very much in line with and inspired by the films of [366].” They’re trying to raise $55,000 by Dec. 20.  California Electric at Indiegogo.

Dario Argento’s The Sandman (est. 2015?): Dario Argento‘s latest work (like his flop Dracula) hasn’t inspired much confidence, but never let it be said he gives up easily. Seeking complete creative control, he’s crowd-funding his latest horror project, the story of a serial killer named the Sandman whose favored weapon is a melon baller. To sweeten the deal, Iggy Pop is slated to portray the antagonist. Oh, and it’s a Christmas movie. One final note: at the minimum five dollar donation level, North Americans get a one-month subscription to Fandor—that’s a sweet deal. At this writing Argento has raised $108,000 of his $250,000 target, with nine days to go. Funding is flexible, so the project keeps whatever is pledged even if they don’t meet their goal. Dario Argento’s The Sandman at Indiegogo.

NEW ON DVD:

“The Complete Jacques Tati”: Read our review of Play Time. Deep-pocketed 366 readers (you exist, don’t you?) may be interested in the Criterion Collection’s 12-DVD compilation of the French clown’s six features and seven shorts, with the usual voluminous extras. Buy “The Complete Jacques Tati.”

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

“The Complete Jacques Tati”: See description in DVD above. Fits on 7 Blu-rays and currently is retailing for the same price as the bulkier DVD set. Buy “The Complete Jacques Tati” [Blu-ray].

The Devil’s Carnival (2012): Read our review. Darren Lynn Bousman‘s direct-to-DVD musical horror followup to Repo: The Genetic Opera fell under the radar, but it’s a worthwhile (if too short) treat for macabre cabaret fans. Buy The Devil’s Carnival [Blu-ray].

Nightbreed (Director’s Cut) (1990): This is a new director’s cut (not the infamous 160 minute “Cabal Cut” ) of Clive Barker’s 1990 cult horror about an encounter between a village of mutants and a serial killer. A limited edition Blu-ray that’s a bit too pricey for casual fans ($72 at this writing). Buy Nightbreed (Director’s Cut) [Limited Edition 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.

There were some surprising results in our annual readers’ choice poll. Despite spreading the voting among more than 60 movie candidates scattered across three groups, we ended up with two ties in the voting. In Group A Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny easily ran away from the competition (and we can’t complain about that; this is a truly bizarre Florida-set Christmas movie about Santa getting his sled caught in the sand and telling the assembled children the story of Thumbellina, all designed to promote a rather sad-looking theme park). Despite over two hundred votes being cast in the Groups B and C races, both somehow ended at the voting with two movies tied. In Group B it was Godfrey Ho‘s cut-n-paste disaster Ninja Champion (1985) (a movie which stands in for Ho’s entire body of work), knotted up with Paul Thomas Anderson‘s black comedy Punch Drunk Love (2002) (in what other poll would Ho and Anderson possibly receive equal billing?) A similar standoff occurred in Group C, where incipient cult-comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World came from nowhere at the last minute to tie with Cattet and Forzani‘s surreal sophomore giallo tribute, The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears.

In a normal contest where we were just elevating two movies onto the List of the 366 Best Weird Movies ever made, we would probably just honor the tie and enshrine both flicks. Since we were already allowing for an extra movie this year and taking three votes rather than the usual two, we’re going to have a special runoff election here rather than put five reader choices on the List. (We’ll give special consideration to the runners-up when we consider new additions in the future).

We’re really biting our tongues on some of the choices here but we promise we’ll honor our obligation to Certify whichever movies you guys pick as weird. This runoff vote will last for one week, ending at midnight on Nov. 6. Same rules for the runoff as for the main vote—you are allowed to cast a vote once every 24 hours. Okay, start voting… now!

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):

Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013): A young girl on the Canadian Crow Reservation in the 1970s sells pot to afford to pay a “truancy tax” that keeps her out of the prison-like Indian school, but when the sadistic government agent who runs the reservation betrays their deal, she decides to strike back. We will review this one on Monday. Rhymes for Young Ghouls official site.

SCREENINGS – (Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, KS, Thurs., Oct 30):

Phantom of the Paradise (1974): Read the Certified Weird entry. The University of Kansas celebrates Halloween with a screening of Brian De Palma‘s crazed rock-n-roll satire. Pay no credence to the rumor that the “unnamed band”  that will play live after the show is the Undeads. Phantom of the Paradise at Lawrence Arts Center event on Facebook.

IN DEVELOPMENT:

“Pee-Wee Herman Movie”: In an interview with Rolling Stone, Paul “Pee-Wee” Reubens says a new Pee-Wee Herman movie (or at least an official announcement) is “very imminent.” We’ve been hearing rumors of a new Pee-Wee for years but this is the most definitive statement from the man himself. Read what Entertainment Today has to say about the tidbit.

NEW ON DVD:

“Boobs, Babes & Belly Laughs: The Sex Comedy Collection”: Okay, we suspect horny buyers will get two out of three (or in one case, one out of three) of the things the box cover promises. The movies here are Space Girls in Beverly Hills, Nipples and Palm Trees, Hookers Inc. (which is rated PG1-3!), and the flick that prompts us to mention the set: the absurd-sounding Orgies and the Meaning of Life, an arthouse flop with stick-figure animation about a group-sex obsessed author searching for God. Buy “Boobs, Babes & Belly Laughs: The Sex Comedy Collection”.

La Dolce Vita (1960): A celebrity photographer encounters the meaninglessness of modern existence. A superlative masterpiece, to be sure, but hardly the weirdest of Federico Fellini‘s movies; still, it’s in our reader-suggested review queue. The Criterion Collection gives the film its due respect with 2 DVDs or 1 Blu-ray (sold separately). Buy La Dolce Vita.

“Pee-Wee’s Playhouse: Seasons 1 & 2”: See description in Blu-ray below. The complete series run isn’t available on one DVD set—at least not at present. Buy “Pee-wee’s Playhouse: Seasons 1 & 2”.

The Scribbler (2014): A woman with multiple personality disorder uses an experimental machine to scrub away various identities. Reviews were generally negative, but Mike McGranaghan thought it was “gloriously bonkers.” Hope you’re right, Mike. Buy The Scribbler.

Snowpiercer (2013): Read James Harben’s review. All aboard the weirdest train in the frozen post-apocalypse! Buy Snowpiercer.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

La Dolce Vita (1960): See description in DVD above. Buy La Dolce Vita [Blu-ray].

“Pee-Wee’s Playhouse: The Complete Series”: The secret word is “weird” in Pee-Wee’s anthropomorphic playhouse with talking chairs and Laurence Fishburne as a jheri-curl cowboy. The show has some fans ’round these parts. Includes the Christmas Special and comes on 8 Blu-rays courtesy of Shout! Factory. Buy “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse: The Complete Series” [Blu-ray].

The Scribbler (2014): See description in DVD above. Buy The Scribbler [Blu-ray].

Snowpiercer (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy Snowpiercer [Blu-ray].

“The Vincent Price Collection II”: Nothing too weird, but nice Halloween viewing. Features two from the Roger Corman Poe cycle (The Raven and The Tomb of Ligea), along with the underrated morbid mirth of The Comedy of Terrors, The Last Man on Earth, House on Haunted Hill, and the sequels The Return of the Fly and Dr. Phibes Rises Again. Buy “The Vincent Price Collection II” [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 on the official site links.

IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):

Young Ones: Family melodrama set on a parched post-apocalyptic ranch. Critics seem unable to figure out exactly what to make of this strange melange of genres from Jake (brother of Gwyneth) Paltrow, but they acknowledge it’s unique. Young Ones official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Witching and Bitching (2103): Alex de la Iglesia’s latest sounds like From Dusk Till Dawn with witches; bank robbers fleeing a heist run into a coven in the woods. The Village Voice says it’s “the rare wannabe cult hit that smears the screen in grade-A craziness.” Buy Witching & Bitching.

Wonderland (2011): A serial killer employs a drug that allows those who take it to enter other peoples’ consciousnesses to cause a wave of suicides. Co-written by Jimmy ScreamerClauz (not a misprint), director of Where the Dead Go to Die. Buy Wonderland.

You and the Night (2013): A couple and their transvestite maid throw an orgy: the invited guests are known only as “the Slut,” “the Star,” “the Stud,” and “the Teen.” This being an avant-garde French film, they talk a lot. Cahiers du Cinéma listed it in their top ten of 2013, for what that’s worth. Buy You And The Night.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Cauldron of Blood (1970): Read our review. We also like an Amazon reviewer’s summary: “a movie this strange can only be a product of really poor decision making.” Buy Cauldron of Blood [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.