Here’s the poll (well ahead of time, this month) to vote in April’s Netflix Weird Watch Party, which will start on April 10 at 10:15 PM ET. If you plan on virtually attending, please vote for the movie we’ll be watching below. We’ll screen the movie that get the most votes; your host, Gregory J. Smalley, will personally break any ties. Note that unlike our other polls, you can only vote once. Poll closes at midnight ET on Thursday, April 1. You may vote for multiple movies, but not for every movie (because that would be pointless).

Now vote!

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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.

FILM FESTIVALS – Unnamed Footage Fest (Online, Mar 26-27):

Sorry for the late notice on this one–it starts in a few hours (and could technically be over by the time you read this.) At any rate, this festival will be realized as a 24-hour livestream event. Tickets cost $10 and will be donated to non-profit and independent cinemas hit hard by the pandemic (a worthy cause, in our estimation). The festival’s theme is found-footage movies, or as they put it, “weird and exclusive in-world camera features.” It’s not necessarily a subgenre noted for high weirdness, but this year there are some entries that might be of interest: Space Clown, Graham Skipper‘s experimental comedy (which he has not disowned); a “new cut” of Murder Death Koreatown; and Final Entries: The Video Diary of Madi O, which programmers describe as a “deeply bizarre video diary” that “should be a cult classic.”

More information and complete schedule at the Unnamed Footage Festival home page.

IN DEVELOPMENT (crowdfunding):

“Manos: The Debbie Chronicles” (202?): A 60-minute pilot for an episodic Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) sequel, following the now-grown-up Debbie (still played by original actress Jackey Neyman Jones) as she deals with the aftermath of her experiences in the ‘Manos’ cult. The end result will likely be campy, though the director says they’re aiming for a 75/25% ratio of serious to comic. The good news is it’s modest $6,250 budgetary goal has already been met; you can still contribute to their stretch goal, a video game called “Manos: Debbie’s Dungeon Delve!” Read more (and/or contribute) at the “Manos: The Debbie Chronicles” Seed & Spark page.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

The Father (2020): Read our review. Oscar’s only even mildly weird contestant is a winner, putting you inside Anthony Hopkins‘ deteriorating mind. Still in theaters, but already on VOD (though at a premium price, so watch with a group). Rent The Father.

Raw (2016): A vegetarian develops an uncontrollable craving for raw meat. Shout! Factory makes this growing cult movie available on Blu-ray for the first time in North America, with a director’s commentary track, interviews, and more. Buy Raw.

CANONICALLY WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

After some improvement in March, we’re back to no weird movie screenings across the entire country this week.  We’re not in panic mode yet, but it is possible that the repertory movie industry may suffer long-haul symptoms from changes in moviegoers’ habits wrought by the pandemic. Some formerly reliable theaters which have reopened already are now showing new release films only. We’ll wait to see what happens after the Academy Awards nominees have eixted the scene. Keep the faith.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: There’s still a whole month left to vote in the 12th annual Weirdcademy Awards, and you can vote once a day for either shorts or features. Favorites are emerging, but with so much time left, it’s technically anyone’s game.

In next week’s reviews, Giles Edwards orders up Ham on Rye; Gregory J. Smalley examines whether a nightmare indie’s dreams of joining the Apocrypha will Come True; and Jason Ubermolch foolishly wonders whether we should consider Teach a Man to Fish (1980). 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.

This month’s Amazon Prime Watch Party—The Company of Wolves (1984)—starts in fifteen minutes.

You’ll need to be an Amazon Prime member in the US to participate.

There will be no pausing or rewinding except for technical reasons.

We are offering no technical support, so help each other out if needed.

Here is the link to join: https://amz.onl/gHihB8U

See you soon!

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.

IN DEVELOPMENT (announced):

The President’s Analyst (202?): The original President’s Analyst (1967) was a paranoid psychedelic satire starring James Coburn as the President’s personal psychiatrist who gets drawn into a conspiracy. We don’t know anything about this update other than that the script was written by an Obama speechwriter and Trevor Noah is co-producing (and presumably taking the lead). Could be weird, could be a misfire. More from the Hollywood Reporter.

IN DEVELOPMENT (awaiting US release):

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time (2021): The fourth film in Hideaki Anno‘s Evangelion remake is finally upon us, debuting a mere seven years after the previous installment. No word on how crazy the ending gets this time out—the Japanese trailer understandably focuses on the robot battles—but it did blockbuster business in Tokyo theaters. Americans will likely have to wait for the Blu-ray or VOD release to be completely confused. We first heard the news through Cartoon Brew.

NEW ON HOME VIDEO:

Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974): Read the Apocryphally Weird review! We’ve been waiting on this release of Jacques Rivette‘s nouvelle vague magical classic for a long time; ten years ago, we were wondering why this was not yet a part of the Criterion Collection. Now it is, on your choice of DVD or Blu-ray. Buy Celine and Julie Go Boating.

“The Dungeon of Andy Milligan”: All the Andy Milligan you’d ever want and much, much more in this box set featuring Guru the Mad Monk and a bunch of Z-grade movies with amazing titles like Fleshpots on 42nd Street and The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! “If you’re an Andy Milligan fan, there’s no help for you”–Michael J. Weldon.  Currently, it can be ordered exclusively from Severin Films’ website.

Jumbo (2020): The tender tale of a romance between a young woman and an amusement park attraction. Not a comedy. VOD only, at the present time. Buy or rent Jumbo.

CANONICALLY WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:

Screenings are slowly starting to reappear on the calendar. Expect this section to start growing again.

• Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
  • The Trylon – Eraserhead (1977), 3/24
• New York City, NY
  • The Metrograph – Donnie Darko (2001), 3/20
• Tustin, CA
  • Tustin Mess Hall Drive-in – Eraserhead (1977), 3/24
• Winchester, VA
  • Alamo Drafthouse – Twelve Monkeys (1995), 3/23

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: First up, tomorrow night’s Weird Amazon Prime party will be the canonically weird The Company of Wolves (1984). The link to join will appear here, on Facebook, or on Twitter around 10 PM ET, with the show starting at 10:15. BYOPC (bring your own popcorn), and whatever else makes life bearable. No one will judge you if you show up in your pajamas holding a bottle of Scotch.

Also, don’t forget to vote in the Weirdcademy Awards: you can help select both shorts and features. Polls will be up until April 25, and you can vote once a day. A few early favorites have already emerged, but there is plenty of time for things to change.

Finally, in next week’s new reviews, Giles Edwards will preview the new Argentinian animated comedy Lava (which sees the Earth invaded by giant cats), while Gregory J. Smalley confirms that, among Oscar contenders, The Father is, indeed, the only one worth your time. 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.

Once again, there is zero overlap between the Weirdcademy Awards and the Most Conventional Movie Awards dog and pony show hosted by Hollywood. Was the stop-motion Nazi cult nightmare The Wolf House (2018) nominated for either Best Animated Film and Best International Film? Of course not, too scary for Oscar. We can understand (if not forgive) the Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway snub, because no one in the Academy owns a DVD player anymore; but they all have Netflix, so how can they not have even one nod to I’m Thinking of Ending Things? Supporting Actress? Adapted Screenplay? Freaking Costume Design? No? Is this thing on?

Instead, we get to choose between historical recreations, suburban dramas, and a token thriller, all while waiting for Frances McDormand to swoop by in the van she’s been living out of to pick up her statuette(s). (We’ll give the Academy a pass on the dementia drama The Father, though, because we haven’t seen it yet).

Yes, the Oscars are a joke, and everyone knows it. But you, my friend, you aren’t content with the same-old same-old. You want weird in your movies. The Weirdcademy Awards are for you, the moviegoer whose friends roll their eyes and sigh loudly when you suggest movie night should feature that French film about the guy whose really cool looking leather jacket talks him into a killing spree.

Although the editors of 366 Weird Movies select the nominees from the pool of available movies, the Awards themselves are a naked popularity contest, and do not necessarily reflect either the artistic merit or intrinsic weirdness of the films involved. The Weirdcademy Awards are tongue-in-cheek and for fun only. Ballot-stuffing is a frequent occurrence. Please, no wagering.

The Weirdcademy Awards are given to the Weirdest Movie, Actor, Actress and Scene of the previous year, as voted by the members of the Weirdcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Weirdness.

Who makes up the Weirdcademy? Membership is open to all readers of 366 Weird Movies. If you can figure out how to vote in the poll, you are smart enough to join. You can not be turned down because of your age, sex, religious affiliation, pronouns, or number of appendages. There is no requirement that you’ve have to actually see any of the movies listed before voting. You can vote for any or all categories.

Vote as many times as you like, but only once per day, please. We’ll keep voting open until April 25 at 12:00 Noon EST, so we can announce our results before the Academy Awards and steal their thunder.

Be sure to also vote for Weirdest Short Film of the Year. To watch all five nominees and to cast your vote, please click here.

Without further delay, we unveil the nominees for the 2020 Weirdcademy Awards after the break:

Continue reading YOUR VOTE DETERMINES THE WINNER OF THE 12TH ANNUAL WEIRDCADEMY AWARDS →