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):

Jug Face (2013): Read our review. We’re happy to see this atmospheric, nearly-weird indie hick horror is killing it with critics. Playing this week in Los Angeles, and we’re not sure where else. Jug Face official site.

Whensday (2013): The story of a “trippy” time-traveling bike. Proudly made in Fort Collins, Colorado. Whensday official site.

FILM FESTIVALS – Everything Is! Festival IV: The Dreamquest (Los Angeles, CA., Aug 12-21):.

You might know the Everything is Terrible! consortium from their Certified Weird movie Doggiewoggiez! Poochiewoochiez! (a loose “remake” of The Holy Mountain made out of repurposed dog footage), but these curators of video oddities have been growing their brand to the point where they are now hosting their fourth annual extravaganza celebrating the detritus of trash culture. The many themed found-footage compilations scattered throughout the nine day festival revolve around public access television, glitchy video games, cute animals, white people and their puppets attempting to rap, and stand-up comedy (the last hosted by the legendary Tony Clifton, who apparently is not dead). Other events include a live talent show hosted by Thu Tran and appearances by Mike Judge and Chris Elliot, along with the following cinematic anomalies:

• The Dragon Lives Again [AKA Deadly Hands of Kung Fu] (1977) – Bruce Lee dies and goes to Hell where he meets Popeye, Dracula, and softcore porn icon Emmanuelle, among others. A rare 35mm print of this bizarre Brucesploitation relic screens on August 16 at midnight.

• Fateful Findings (2013) – Festival programmers are pitching this conspiracy thriller about a hacker with paranormal powers as the breakthrough film of Neil Breen, the auteur who has been laboring to seize the trash mantle laid down by Tommy Wiseau and James Nguyen. Breen will host in person on August 17.
• Final Cut – Ladies and Gentlemen (2013) – A film essay composed of clips from classic movies, assembled to form the quintessential Hollywood narrative by Taxidermia‘s György Pálfi. Screens Aug 12.
• The Phynx (1970) – This crazy psychedelic rock n’ roll/spy spoof was shelved by Warner Brothers because it was terrible, but it has a semi-legendary status due to its eccentric roster of cameo appearances: Richard Pryor, Busby Berkeley, Ed Sullivan, and Colonel Harlan Sanders, among others. Comedian Patton Oswalt hosts the August 18th screening.
• Triple Fisher (2013) – When 17-year old Amy Fisher shot the wife of her  lover, Joey Buttafuoco, in 1992, the resulting scandal produced three separate made-for-TV exploitation-adaptations of the story (with the “Long Island Lolita” portrayed by Drew Barrymore, Nöelle Parker, and Alyssa Milano). Here, for the first time, all three versions of the tale are edited into a single (in)coherent story. Hosted by Buttafuoco himself. August 15.

See the entire schedule of events at host Cinefamily’s festival page.

NEW ON DVD:

Antiviral (2012): Here’s a bizarre premise: adventures in an underground trade supplying fans with viruses taken from their favorite celebrities. The debut of Brandon (son of David) Cronenberg. Buy Antiviral.

A Boy and His Dog (1975): See description in Blu-ray below.

Freaked (1993): Read our capsule review. This comedy about a carnival ringleader who uses toxic waste to turn innocent people into mutant freaks for his sideshow has quite a cult following, but the 2-disc special edition has been out of print for a while. This bargain-priced single disc release may fill a void. Buy Freaked.

Magic Magic (2013): A young woman vacationing with friends in Chile loses her mind as insomnia takes over her life. Director Sebastián Silva shot this film back-to-back with the slightly better known Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus with star Michael Cera while the latter was visiting Chile. Buy Magic Magic.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Antiviral (2012): See description in DVD above. Buy Antiviral [Blu-ray].

A Boy and His Dog (1975): Read the Certified Weird entry! It’s about time this post-apocalyptic telepathic dog classic got a digital upgrade. The movie is remastered, includes an interview with director L.Q. Jones and original author Harlan Ellison, and preserves the Jones commentary track from the previous First Run edition. Shout! Factory is selling this only in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack (DVD not sold separately). Buy A Boy And His Dog [BluRay/DVD combo].

Freaked (1993): See description in DVD above. Buy Freaked [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 DEVELOPMENT:

Alice in Wonderland 2 [This Time, It’s Curiouser?] (no street date): To Alfred Eaker‘s eternal dismay, Johnny Depp is reported to have signed up to reprise his maddening role as the Hatter in a sequel to Disney’s disappointing 2010 Alice in Wonderland adaptation. The only shred of good news here is that Tim Burton will not be directing, leaving those duties to the highly competent James Bobin (The Muppets) instead. The horrifying news comes courtesy of Deadline.

NEW ON DVD:

The Devil’s Backbone (2001): A twelve-year old boy is sent to a haunted orphanage after his father is killed in the Spanish Civil War. We still say Pan’s Labyrinth is Guillermo del Toro‘s masterpiece, but there is a vocal minority who think Backbone is the better film. This is a 2-DVD set from the Criterion Collection. Buy The Devil’s Backbone (Criterion Collection).

Night Across the Street (2012): An old man remembers incidents from his life—including such suspect reminiscences as his boyhood trip to the movies with Beethoven—and stories are interwoven inside stories. This is the final film of Raoul Ruiz, who died of a lung infection in August 2011 soon after completing it. Buy Night Across the Street.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

Dark Minds (2013): A psychiatrist seduces and molests his female patients under hypnosis, and it’s up to a police psychic to stop him. This indie that’s scheduled for a theatrical release in September but is already out on Blu-ray looks like nothing so much as the Asylum knockoff version of Vanishing Waves. Buy Dark Minds [Blu-ray].

The Devil’s Backbone (2001): See description in DVD above. Buy The Devil’s Backbone [Criterion 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 DEVELOPMENT:

The ABCs of Death 2 (2014): Read our review of the first installment. Although we really liked (the weird) portions of the original, we’re a little bit surprised that it was financially successful enough to justify a sequel. Once again, the alphabet of directors has us salivating beforehand. The biggest name in our book is Certified Weird directors Bill Plympton and Shion Sono, but we’re also excited about Alex de la Iglesia, Vanishing Waves‘ (see below) Kristina Buozyte, Vincenzo Natali, and stop-motion animator Robert Morgan. Read more at Movieweb.

NEW ON DVD:

Alien Paranormal: Bigfoot, UFOs and the Men in Black (2013): This purported documentary asks the question, “are Bigfoot creatures traveling to earth in UFOs, covered up by mysterious Men In Black?” It takes less than an hour to answer the question, but for some reason Amazon suggests it may take up to two months to ship the DVD (possibly they are delivered periodically in batches brought by Bigfoot creatures traveling to Earth from a distant star system?) Buy Alien Paranormal: Bigfoot UFOs & The Men in Black.

“Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XXVII”: No weird movies were harmed in the latest set from the movie-mocking cult TV show, but since you’re cool, we still thought you’d like to know there’s a new volume out. This volume deconstructs the monster mashes The Slime People and The Giant Mantis, the Cold War thriller Rocket Attack USA, and the closest thing to a weird movie in the collection, Bert I. Gordon’s giant teenager extravaganza Village of the Giants. Buy “Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XXVII”.

“Superjail: Season Three”: The third season of the Cartoon Network’s on-again, off-again series (three seasons in five years) set in a futuristic jail. Each ten-minute episodes is absurd, psychedelic, violent, and usually extremely offensive—consider yourself warned! Buy “Superjail: Season Three”.

Trance (2013): Read our review. Psychological thriller with a nice cast (James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel) and hypnosis-based hallucination scenes. Buy Trance.

Twixt (2011): Read our review. Francis Ford Coppola‘s horror flop barely received a theatrical release and was slammed by nearly everyone (except us). Buy Twixt.

Vanishing Waves (2012): A therapist becomes erotically involved with a patient in a coma when he uses an experimental technique to enter her sleeping consciousness. The biggest “bonus” extra in this 2-disc set from Artsploitation Films is actually director Kristina Buozyte’s first feature film, 2008’s The Collector, in its entirety. Buy Vanishing Waves.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

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

Twixt (2011): See description in DVD above. Buy Twixt.

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):

The Act of Killing: A strange and disturbing documentary in which members of Indonesian death squads unapologetically re-enact their real-life murders for the cameras in the style of the American movies they loved. Werner Herzog and Errol Morris were so impressed with the concept they signed on as executive producers. The Act of Killing official site.

Grabbers: Irish monster movie where potential victims discover they can dissuade alien invaders from snacking on them by raising their blood alcohol levels. This IFC Midnight offering has been getting generally positive reviews. This is already out on DVD in Europe. Grabbers official site.

Only God Forgives: A Bangkok drug-smuggler (Ryan Gosling) becomes involved in a web of vengeance when his brother kills an underage prostitute. Although this seems fairly straightforward, there are reportedly a few bizarre (and ultraviolent) moments in this Nicolas Winding Refn film. Only God Forgives official Facebook page.

SCREENINGS – (Los Angeles, CA, Cinefamily, Fri., Jul. 19, 8:00 PM):

Wonderwall (1968): A professor drills peepholes in his wall to spy on his fashion model neighbor and sees psychedelic visions. This is a rare screening of a seldom-seen psychedelic film, and it’s a “dress up” event (we’re not sure if that means tie-dyes or what, so if you show up in bell-bottoms and everyone’s wearing cocktail dresses, don’t blame us). Wonderwall screening at Cinefamily.

FILM FESTIVALS – Fantasia (Montreal, Canada, Jul. 18-Aug 7):

As the huge menu of offerings below shows, the Fantasia fest has expanded far beyond merely showcasing the cinema fantastique of Asia into covering independent genre films from all over the globe, with a healthy dose of the experimental and weird. Simply put, Fantasia has become the most important event on the North American continent for outre cinema.

• L’Amour Braque [AKA Limpit Love] – Rare screening of the strange 1985 heist film that’s also an adaptation of Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot”; 72-year old director Andrzej Zulawski will attend in person. In French only, July 28.
• Animals – This Catalan cross between Donnie Darko and Ted involves a disturbed teen and his talking teddy bear. July 19 & 27.
• Antisocial – Tale of teens trapped in a house while the apocalypse rages outside sounds somewhat familiar but apparently it has worthwhile hallucination scenes. July 31 & Aug 5.
• Bad Film –  Shion Sono shot this early gangster film (featuring a ramen vendor in a weird mask) in 1995, but we gather its only been edited and released recently (this screening will be the Canadian premier). Aug. 7.
• La Belladone de la tristesse [AKA The Tragedy of Belladonna; Belladonna of Sadness] – Another rare screening: a 1973 Japanese psychedelic/erotic animated film about medieval witchcraft in Europe. In French only, July 25.
• The Burning Buddha Man – A high school girl searches for the supernatural thieves of sacred Buddhist statues; done in a traditional Japanese cutout paper technique, the stills make it look a bit like Fantastic Planet. July 22.
• Bushido Man – A martial arts student goes on a quest to defeat the legendary masters of seven different weapons, and provides a detailed report on the meal his opponent ate before each battle. July 27.
• “Death of a Shadow” – The Academy Award nominated short film about a man who captures shadows of the dying with a special camera. Screening July 30 in a program with eight other shorts.
• The Demon’s Rook – The programmers really want to sell us on this demonic homage, calling it “RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD by way of Jodorowsky” and “a wonderfully weird film.” July 27.
• Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo – North American premier of the third of four movies in Hideaki Anno‘s reboot of his apocalyptic giant robot Evangelion series. July 20.
• Fateful Findings – This drama about a paranormal anti-corporate hacker is the headliner for the Festival’s La Nuit Excentrique (loosely translated, “so-bad-it’s-good”), along with shorts and a B-feature of 1958’s Terror from the Year 5000. July 20.
  ..
• Go Down Death – Stories of a town full of captive soldiers, blind prostitutes and child gravediggers, adapted from the works of fictional amputee poet Jonathan Mallory Sinus; there’s a definite Guy Maddin influence at work here. Aug 5.
• Les Gouffres – Unsettling magical realism dealing with the discovery of five mysterious chasms in a forest; preceded by a vampire-themed short from the same director (France’s Antoine Barraud). July 24.
• HK/Forbidden Super Hero – Japanese parody about “the Masked Pervert,” a superhero who gains his powers by pulling a pair of panties over his face. Aug 3.
• I Am Divine – A documentary on the world’s favorite 300-pound copraphagiac transvestite, Harris Glenn Milstead, better known as Divine. July 20 & 30.
• Imaginaerum – An adaptation of the Nightwish album of the same name, this symphonic metal musical is about a composer who retreats into a fantasy world as he lies dying. Aug. 4.
• It’s Me, It’s Me – On a whim, a timid Japanese clerk poses as another man and unexpectedly transforms into him; then, a doppelgänger shows up, complicating matters. July 20.
• Magic Magic – A young woman vacationing with friends in Chile loses her mind as insomnia takes over her life. July 22.
• “Ovo” – We scooped the Fest on this sci-fi short, as we’ve had it up since June.  You could see it on the big screen as part of a program of shorts on July 26, if you wanted.
• OXV: The Manual – A romance between two youngsters in parallel dimensions, whose differing “frequencies” allow them to spend only one minute per year together. July 24 & 27.
• Plus One – Another doppelgänger comedy—this time, teens find their doubles crashing their wild party. Aug. 2 & 6.
• Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 1 – This reboot of Troma‘s campy sex-and-gore mutant series looks exactly the same as it did in its 80s run, except with more frontal nudity. Volume 2 shows up in 2014. Aug. 2.
• Ritual: A Psychomagic Story – An abused woman uses an unusual therapy to heal herself: psychomagic, the mythological-symbolism-based therapy invented by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Jodorowsky himself appears. July 31.
• Sweetwater [AKA Sweet Vengeance] – A reformed prostitute, a crazed preacher and a strange sheriff wage a power struggle in a Western the programmers describe as “eccentric” and “deadpan cartoonish.” July 21.
• Szamanka – This 1996 return to form for Andrzej Zulawski involves sex, drugs, cannibalism, and nuclear apocalypse. The director will be present to receive a lifetime achievement award. July 25.
• Uzumasa Jacopetti – A family man intent on building a levitating house out of magnets is lured into a world of murder in this absurd Japanese black comedy. July 24 & 26.
  

Fantasia International Film Festival official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Evil Dead (2013): Five friends staying at a cabin accidentally release powerful supernatural forces, etc. This is the second remake of 1981’s Evil Dead, and since we Certified the first remake (Evil Dead 2) as weird, so we may be compelled to cover this. Buy Evil Dead.

Iron Doors (2010): A man wakes up to find himself locked in an iron vault with no apparent means of escape. Despite the minimalist one-character plot, this German-made English language movie was originally filmed in 3D. Buy Iron Doors.

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

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

Heavy Traffic (1973): An underground cartoonist escapes the madness of Manhattan through his drawings. Ralph Bakshi’s second animated feature after the X-rated Fritz the Cat. Buy Heavy Traffic [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.

SCREENINGS – (Montreal, CAN, Mon., July 15):

Jubilee (1978): Queen Elizabeth I time travels to then-modern England and takes up with three amoral punk teen girls in Derek Jarman‘s strange scenario. We just heard about Montreal’s “Garden Scene Evenings” series, but past screenings this summer included Hausu and Sweet Movie, so we’re guessing they’re our kind of folks. Best of all, this appears to be a free event. Jubilee’s event listing on Facebook.

IN DEVELOPMENT:

2 Quentin Dupieux projects: The director of the serial-killer-tire-comedy Rubber (2010) and the soon-to-be-reviewed Wrong (2012) has been extremely busy in 2013. First up is a comedy about cops-gone-wrong entitled, oddly enough, Wrong Cops. It has been expanded to a full-length feature from a 43-minute short that played at Sundance in January, and the cast includes Eric Wareheim, Marilyn Manson, and former “Twin Peaks” spouses Grace Zabriske and Ray Wise. We know nothing about the second project except that it’s titled Réalité, it’s in French, and IMDB lists it in post-production. Wrong Cops official site.

NEW ON VIDEO-ON-DEMAND:

Jug Face (2013): A woman tries to escape a backwoods community when she finds that she is to be sacrificed to a creature that lives in a pit. The movie is available for online rental now; it will get a limited theatrical & DVD release in August. Rent Jug Face on demand.

NEW ON DVD:

Bruce Campbell Triple Feature: Includes Alien Apocalypse (2005) (by-the-numbers cheese made for the Sci-Fi Channel), Man with the Screaming Brain (2005) (about two brains transplanted into one body to track down their mutual killer), and My Name Is Bruce (where Campbell plays himself, mistaken for his screen persona and asked to hunt down a monster). All movies feature square-jawed Campbell’s usual smarm… er, charm. Buy “Bruce Campbell Triple Feature” .

Spring Breakers (2013): Read our capsule review. Harmony Korine does “Girls Gone Wild,” and if the results aren’t as weird as his more transgressive-minded provocations, they’re still nothing at all like a normal movie. Buy Spring Breakers .

NEW ON BLU-RAY:

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

Street Trash (1987): This low-budget black comedy is about a lethal case of expired booze that causes winos who drink it to melt in puddles. It’s also in our reader-suggested review queue. Buy Street Trash [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.