We’re ready to take suggestions and votes in the comments for our August Netflix Weird Watch party, scheduled for Saturday, September 11 at 10:15 PM ET.
If you’d like to attend our watch party, then the important thing is to RSVP in the comments, where you can make a screening suggestion, or just say you plan to be there. As always, we’re looking for five likely attendees before officially scheduling.
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Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
STREAMING PREMIERES (SHUDDER):
Mosquito State (2020): A nerdy and psychologically unstable Wall Street analyst breeds mosquitos in his Manhattan penthouse. The quotes in the trailer (“Cronenberg Meets Kafka“; “Bold and Weird”) are promising. Debuts exclusively on Shudder (subscription required).
IN DEVELOPMENT (pre-production):
“The Man Who Fell to Earth” (2022?): Showtime presses forward with its attempt to reimagine the 1976 David Bowie classic as a (limited?) series. The latest news is that “Star Trek: Voyager”‘s Kate Mulgrew will join the cast as a CIA operative. More at Gizmodo.
IN DEVELOPMENT (rumored):
Nosferatu (202?): There’s been a rumor—or maybe, just an expression of mutual interest—that Robert Eggers will team up again with The Witch‘s Anya Taylor-Joy for a remake of Nosferatu. Normally, we’d be against a such a senseless remake, but we’re down for anything Eggers wants to try (and Taylor-Joy is a sweet bonus). Of course, red-hot Taylor-Joy is booked solid for quite a while, and Eggers has to finish his “Viking revenge movie,” The Northman, first. Thanks to Bloody Disgusting for rekindling the speculation based on a single line in an L.A. Times interview.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Blind Beast (1969): Read our review. Arrow Video gives the deluxe Blu-ray treatment to this perverted tale of a blind sculptor and his captive model. Buy Blind Beast.
Two Evil Eyes (1990): Legendary horror directors adapt Edgar Allan Poe: George Romero takes on “The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar” while Dario Argento goes for “The Black Cat.” Harvey Keitel has an over-the-top dream sequence in Argento’s half of the film. Buyer beware: this Blue Underground release is on 4K UHD Blu-ray only (the second standard Blu-ray houses extra features only). Buy Two Evil Eyes [4K UHD].
Viva (2007): A 70s housewife gets sucked into the wild side of the sexual revolution. Anna Biller‘s first full-length feature isn’t quite as strange as her breakout The Love Witch—it’s more of a straightforward parody of period sexploitation films—but it has a similar retro aesthetic. After being somewhat hard-to-find for a few years, it’s now on Blu-ray with behind the scenes footage and commentary by Biller. Buy Viva.
This section will no longer be updated regularly. Instead, we direct you to our new “Repertory Cinemas Near You” page. This week we added Brooklyn’s Nitehawk Cinema, which used to host regular midnight movies back in the pre-pandemic times and is tentatively getting back into the game with a Wednesday night screening of Mulholland Drive; Santa Rosa, California’s Roxy 14, whose biweekly cult film series will be a double feature of One Dark Night (1982) and Phantasm; and a brand new venue, Arkadin Cinema and Bar in St. Louis, who have a great slate this week with Son of the White Mareon Friday night and Dune (1984) on Wednesday. We will continue to mention exceptional events in this space from time to time.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
Tune in tomorrow night as we’ll be joining in a virtual mob to watch Tom Hardy mumble his way through Capone (2020) on Amazon Prime. As always, the link to join will drop around 10 PM ET here, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
Next week, we’ll review a selection of new releases, the biggest of which will be Giles Edwards‘ report on Leos Carax‘ weirdo Sparks musical, Annette (2021). Venturing further into obscurity, Shane Wilson takes a trip to Mondo Hollywoodland, a low budget indie stoner satire currently available on video-on-demand. Finally, Gregory J. Smalley goes deep underground and comes up with a review of The Best of Doris Wishman, a Something Weird soundtrack/DVD collection that dropped in 2021 with little fanfare. Onward and weirdward!
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.
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
Cryptozoo (2021): Read our capsule review. Fans of trippy adult animation will want to check out this story of a rogue zoo that houses mythical creatures. In select theaters and also available on-demand for home rental. Cryptozoo official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT (announced):
Hell Is Tender (est. 202?): On the heels of the long-overdue restoration and rerelease of his pop-expressionist 80s classic Dr. Caligari, Stephen Sayadian has teased that he’s working on a new screenplay, vaguely described as Caligariesque in style, but a love story with an actual plot. Crucially, long-time collaborator Jerry Stahl is contributing to the script. Nothing else is known. Relevant clip from Stephen Sayadian Fantasia Festival interview.
IN DEVELOPMENT (in production):
Seed and Sand (est. 202?): Christiane Cegavske‘s hand-animated sequel to Blood Tea and Red String (2006) has been in the works for almost fifteen years now. She recently posted this revealing in-progress clip:
Annette (2021): Leos Carax returns with a musical (words and music by Sparks) wherein a stand-up comedian (played by Adam Driver) and an opera singer (played by Marion Cotillard) wed and give birth to a daughter (played by a creepy puppet) with miraculous powers. Good news: early returns suggest that it is, indeed, as weird as its provenance suggests. On VOD (and free for Amazon Prime subscribers).
The Green Knight (2021): Read the Apocrypha Candidate review. A24’s hallucinatory Arthurian epic comes to VOD this week (physical media presumably to follow).
Labyrinth (1986): Read our review. The beloved Jim Henson cult kids’ movie about a teen girl rescuing her baby brother from Goblin King David Bowie receives a 35th anniversary 4K Ultra/Blu-ray release with an elaborate collectible booklet and never-before-seen alternate footage. Buy Labyrinth.
This section will no longer be updated regularly. Instead, we direct you to our new “Repertory Cinemas Near You” page. This week, we added Memphis’ Crosstown Theater, which has resumed their irregular weird movie screenings with a showing of After Hours on Thursday, Aug. 26, and Manhattan’s newly-renovated Paris Theater, which is showing Belle de Jour this Saturday. We will continue to mention exceptional events in this space from time to time.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Our next Weird Watch Party will be held on the evening of August 28th. We’ll be watching Tom Hardy mumble his way through Capone. Save the date!
Next week the Fantasia Festival 2021 comes to a close, and Giles Edwards will catch you up on the late-debuts and the also-rans with reviews of a claustrophobic mystery (Stanleyville), a sci-fi thriller (Tin Can), and a decades-in-production stop-motion fantasy (Mad God), along with a rundown of live-action shorts and a compendium of the other notable screenings that for one reason or another did not get their own article. It won’t be all Fantasia coverage, however, as Ryan Aarset gives you the lowdown on Richard Elfman‘s kooky B-movie Shrunken Heads (1995) and Gregory J. Smalley returns to Return to Oz (1985). Onward and weirdward!
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.
366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.
Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
FILM FESTIVALS – Japan Cuts (New York City, August 20-Sep. 2):
Japan Cuts is a small but exclusive NYC film festival focused, as the name suggests, on Japanese cinema, old and new. This year’s main event may be the U.S. premiere of Takashi Miike‘s The Great Yokai War: Guardians (a sequel to his kid-friendly 2005 fantasy that is now playing for Canadians at Fantasia). For us, the slate is highlighted by a new restoration of Shinya Tsukamoto‘s second film, Hiroku the Goblin (1991) (screening online only) and a theatrical screening of Nobuhiko Obayashi‘s final epic Labyrinth of Cinema on Sep. 2. We also take note the films listed below (no idea if these will become available outside of a festival setting, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled).
The Blue Danube – Adventures of a trumpet-playing soldier in an imaginary war; screening in the “experimental” category. Streaming online only.
To Sleep so as to Dream (1986) – Restoration of a “dreamlike” ode to silent cinema about an actress whose daughter is kidnapped. Streaming online.
Wonderful Paradise – A farewell party turns into a surreal carnival with the arrival of uninvited guests (including ghosts). Streaming online.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) – Read the Canonically Weird entry! The beloved, heartwarming family film about a whimsical child-murdering candy man is back in theaters for its 50th Anniversary, with extra content courtesy of Turner Classic Movies. At multiple locations across the USA on August 15th and 18th courtesy of Fathom Events.
STREAMING DEBUTS:
“Brand New Cherry Flavor”: A woman goes to Hollywood to make a movie but gets involved in witchcraft. This limited Netflix series looks like it’s going for a Lynchian vibe (the 1990s time frame and Los Angeles setting specifically recalls Mulholland Drive). “Brand New Cherry Flavor” debuts today on Netflix.
Evangelion3.0 + 1.0 Thrice Upon a Time (2021): The fourth and final installment (3.0 + 1.0 = 4.0) of Hideaki Anno‘s reboot of the Evangelion series sees its feckless teen bot-pilot coming to his existential reckoning. The film broke records in its Japanese theatrical release, and Amazon snapped up exclusive streaming rights worldwide. Watch Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time (Prime subscription required).
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Silip: Daughters of Eve (1985): The adventures of two sisters—one a prude, one a slut—in a remote Filipino village. Silip became notorious on release for its explicit sex and violence in a Catholic setting, but by all accounts its a serious (if deranged) work. Buy Silip: Daughters of Eve.
The Beast Pageant (2010): While researching Strawberry Mansion, we discovered that Albert Birney has uploaded his surreal first film, The Beast Pageant, to Vimeo. The short synopsis modestly describes it as “a man goes on an adventure,” but further reading reveals that the man goes on an adventure at the prompting of a tiny singing cowboy who bursts out of his belly. Watch The Beast Pageant free on Vimeo.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Be sure to check in and RSVP or suggest a film (or date) for our latest Amazon Prime Party, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 21 at 10:15 PM ET. We’ll leave the discussion up through the weekend before making a final screening decision.
Next week, our Fantasia Festival 2021 coverage continues with a trip to the surreal locale Hotel Poseidon, along with the also surreal (though less so) experience of Giving Birth to a Butterfly. Then, Giles Edwards will run through the animated shorts the fest has to offer. It’s possible something else from the Festival will find its way into our lineup, but meanwhile Jake Fredel will review Touki Bouki (1973, released on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection this year) for some non-Fantasia content. Onward and weirdward!
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.
Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!
