Daniela Forever (2024): A depressed man recreates his lost lover through lucid dreaming. A possibly weird sci-fi outing from the director of Timecrimes in limited release. Daniela Forever official site.
Else (2024): A couple awakes from their one night stand to find they’ve been quarantined due to a virus that causes people to merge with objects. This experimentally-tinged debut film is being released simultaneously to a few theaters and on VOD. Buy or rent Else on VOD.
Sugar Hill (1974): Read the guest review by Brandon Engel. “Blaxplotation zombies,” need we say more? On Blu-ray from Kino Culkt, with interviews and two separate audio commentaries (one from the director). Buy Sugar Hill.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
No guest on next week’s Pod 366, but Greg will return with Pete, as Giles heads off to the Fantasia International Film Festival (hopefully, he’ll be able to check in remotely). In YouTube bonus content, Pete’s “10 Weird Things” series returns to bite into Dogtooth. Meanwhile, we honor the written word with contributions from Shane Wilson (reader recommendation Cool Cat Saves the Kids), El Rob Hubbard (post-apocalyptic French animation Gwen and the Book Sand), and Giles Edwards (Else, see above). Onward and weirdward!
Kill the Jockey (2024): A jockey who’s addicted to horse drugs (!) and in debt to the mafia suffers a concussion and is reborn. The distributor’s copy describes it as “a wild and surreal crime comedy” and early reviews have been positive. Kill the Jockey official site.
The Waves of Madness (2024): Read Giles Edwards’ review. Much more information on this microbudget marvel in the audio portion of the Pod; the movie can be side-scrolled on Blu-ray or VOD. Buy The Waves of Madness.
No guest on next week’s Pod 366; Greg will be off, and “Penguin” Pete Trbovich will fill in. Speaking of Pete, another installment of his “10 Weird Things” video series will drop next week, this time for the rotoscoped mindbender A Scanner Darkly (2006). In written reviews, Shane Wilson considers The Living and the Dead (2006) and a reader submits a lengthy recommendation for Mickey Rooney’s The Manipulator (1971). Onward and weirdward!
The Bunny Game (2012): B&W experimental shocksploitation about a prostitute named “Bunny” picked up and ritualistically tortured by a trucker named “Hog.” Just now debuting on Blu-ray. Buy The Bunny Game.
Dark City (1998): Read the Canonically Weird entry! This massive Arrow 4K UHD release contains every feature you could ever want, including both the theatrical and director’s cuts and six commentary track (two new). Check carefully to be sure you are ordering either the 4K UHD or the standard Blu-ray edition, depending on your requirements. Buy Dark City.
Longlegs (2024): Read Giles Edwards’ review. We note this 4K UHD steelbook version of the occultist nightmare solely due to the presence of Nicolas Cage. The release boasts extra features not on the previous Blu-ray release. Buy Longlegs.
Palindromes (2004): Read Jason Ubermolch’s reader recommendation. Surprisingly, Todd Solondz‘s experimental black comedy was not previously available on Blu-ray (and even the DVD was rare). This Radiance limited release includes a Blu and a UHD disc, new interviews and featurettes, a booklet, and so forth. Buy Palindromes.
Shiver of the Vampires (1971): Read the Apocryphally Weird entry! This is the standard 4K UHD version of Indicator’s previous special edition of Jean Rollin vampire classic. It includes everything in the more elaborate release, sans the 80-page booklet. Buy Shiver of the Vampires.
Sleeping Beauty (2011): Read Pamela De Graff’s review. Another movie that had been weirdly missing from the Blu-ray ranks, IFC now puts out the arthouse film wherein a radiant but dollike Emily Browning volunteers to be a plaything for the ultra-rich. Buy Sleeping Beauty.
Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould (1993): Experimental biopic about piano prodigy Glenn Gould; maybe three or four of the short films are weird? Now out from Criterion Collection. Buy Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
Next week’s Pod 366 guest will be Jason Trost (The FP series, Waves of Madness). Also in YouTube content, Pete Trbovich‘s will add to his “10 Weird Things” series with a collection of clips that go Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010). In a busy week of written content, Shane Wilson posts about Post Tenebras Lux (2012), Eugene Vasiliev gives a reading of Palms (1993), Giles Edwards plays The Bunny Game (see above), and Gregory J. Smalley performs his duty by inducting Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure into the Apocrypha. Onward and weirdward!
Alma & the Wolf (2025): This modestly-budgeted indie showed well enough at the Boston Underground Film Festival (its only previous screening) to get picked up by Paramount subsidiary Republic Pictures for limited theatrical + VOD rollout this week. One of the movie’s few published reviews encouragingly reads “Ethan Embry and Jun Li get weird in this fever dream horror.” No official site located. Currently in a handful of theaters and available to buy on VOD, with more streaming options coming next week. Buy digital copy of Alma & the Wolf.
A Different Man (2024): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. This special edition Blu-ray of Aaron Schimberg/Adam Pearson‘s odd neurofibromatosis melodrama is currently available exclusively from A24 directly; it includes a Schimberg/Pearson/Sebastian Stan commentary, a featurette, BTS, deleted scenes, postcards, and digital code for the A24 app version. Buy A Different Man.
Dog of God (2025): A rotoscoped witchcraft/werewolf movie set in 17th century Livonia. This Latvian movie already has international distribution (none yet for the U.S.) and debuts at Tribeca on 6/20 (that’s today!); the intense, NSFW trailer puts the world on notice that something strange is coming. We’ll wait for it. Dog of God at Tribeca.
Megalopolis tour: Francis Ford Coppola is taking his unconventional-to-say-the-least Megalopolis on tour, offering audiences the chance to see the film and, ambitiously, to engage in a discussion about “how to change our future.” Current dates are in Red Bank, NJ; Port Chester, NY; Chicago; Denver; Dallas; and San Francisco, from July 20 to August 1. The Hollywood Reporter was first (we think) to report the news.
“Twin Peaks” Cast Tour: A “conversation with the stars” program featuring the always-gameRay Wise, Kimmy Robertson, Harry Goaz, Return executive producer Sabrina S. Sutherland, and (on two stops) Laura Palmer herself, Ms. Sheryl Lee. The tour begins in August and there are special VIP packages (e.g. a visit to the Palmer residence) for the most dedicated fans. Tickets and more info here.
The Waves of Madness (2024): Jason Trost creates the world’s first sidescrolling b&w Lovecraftian horror/action movie. The Blu-ray ships from Australia, but you can also find it on VOD. Buy Waves of Madness.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
No guest scheduled for next week’s Pod 366, but Greg should return to discuss the week’s news and new releases. On YouTube, Pete Trbovich‘s “10 Weird Things” series continues with a fantastic compilation of clips from Fantastic Planet. In written reviews, Shane Wilson looks at the short films of Jay Rosenblatt, with particular attention to reader suggestion “Afraid So”; Giles Edwards surfs TheWaves of Madness (see above); and Gregory J. Smalley investigates the mysterious Kryptic (2024). Onward and weirdward!
Dream Hacker (2025): British low-budget sci-fi about a scientist who thinks she has found a way to influence others’ dreams, and experiments on herself. The lead character is named “Jennifer Connelly”–the actress of the same name is not in the movie. On VOD now. Buy or rent Dream Hacker.
Gwen and the Book of Sand (1985): A teenage girl and a 173-year-old nomad quest to save a kidnapped boy in the endless desert of the future. Lost post-apocalyptic French animation resurrected by the weirdos at… you guessed it, Deaf Crocodile. A 4K UHD+Blu-ray. Buy Gwen and the Book of Sand.
“J-Horror Rising”: Read Simon Hyslop’s review of Noroi: The Curse. The rarities included in this Arrow box set are Shikoku, Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, Inugami, St. John’s Wort, Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman, Persona, and Noroi: The Curse (the only one we’ve previously heard of). Buy “J-Horror Rising”.
Return of the Living Dead (1985): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. An ultimate collectors set of the weird-adjacent horror comedy from Shout! Factory, with 4K UHD and Blu-ray copies of the film, a second Blu-ray with a workprint of the film, and extra features scattered across all three discs, all wrapped up in the popular steelbook format. Buy Return of the Living Dead.
“Unrecorded Night” (202never): Details are emerging about what would have been David Lynch‘s last project, an extended series called “Unrecorded Night” (the in-development project codenamed “Wisteria”). Key takeaways: writing of the 550 page screenplay was completed by 2024; Netflix put the show’s production on hold during the pandemic, but claims they were ready to go ahead when Lynch’s health would allow it; Jennifer Lynch says the family is leery about letting someone else direct it, but suggests they may publish the screenplay. Here’s an article from The Film Stage (with more links to follow) including the interview with Jennifer.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
No guest on next week’s Pod 366, unless you want to count Pete Trbovich, who plans on joining Giles Edwards and El Rob Hubbard to discuss the week’s news and new releases. Speaking of Pete, on the video side of the ledger he’ll be premiering the next episode of his “10 Weird Things” video curation series, this time compiling Being John Malkovich clips. Also on the YouTube front we’ll bring you a new look at Lucile Hadzihalilovic‘s Evolution from Russian correspondent Eugene Vasiliev (capably translated via AI). Strictly in print, Shane Wilson takes on another that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue in the demonic Alucarda (1977), Giles Edwards gives you the straight story about Queer (2024), and Gregory J. Smalley takes on Bruno Dumont‘s The Empire (2024). Onward and weirdward!
Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!
