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Guest Nina Martin is an Associate Professor of Film Studies at Connecticut College and the author of Sexy Thrills: Undressing the Erotic Thriller. She also occasionally posts film reviews at her personal blog, I Wear Black on the Outside. Nina joins the Pod here.

I Saw the TV Glow (2024): Discussion begins. Read Gregory J. Smalley’s Apocrypha Candidate review. This special edition of the horror/trams allegory/media critique sensation is available exclusively from A24 (for the time being), and includes “collectible” postcards that probably won’t be available with future retail editions.

Mister Lonely (2007): Discussion begins. A Marilyn Monroe impersonator convinces a Michael Jackson impersonator to join her on an island of celebrity impersonators. Harmony Korine‘s first attempt at a (relatively) big budget, (relatively) mainstream movie was such a bitter financial and critical failure that the auteur lashed out by making Trash Humpers next. This IFC Blu-ray with critical appreciations and 40 minutes of deleted scenes is the first attempt at a reassessment. Buy Mister Lonely.

Run Lola Run (1998): Discussion begins. Read the Canonically Weird review! Lola runs her way onto 4K UHD (sorry, no standard Blu-ray) for her 25th anniversary.  Buy Run Lola Run.

“Skibidi Toilet” (202?): Discussion begins. A movie adaptation of the YouTube series about singing alien heads popping out of toilets? Possibly directed by Michael Bay? As weird as it sounds, Variety claims it’s a possibility.

To the Moon (2021): Discussion begins. A TV actor/addict tries to detox at home with his wife, enduring an unwanted visit by his estranged brother as he begins to hallucinate from withdrawals. Yellow Veil and Vinegar Syndrome partner to release this low-budget psychological thriller/drama. Buy To the Moon.

“Urusei Yatsura OVA Series Collection”: Discussion begins. An 11-episode direct-to-Blu ray (i.e. OVA) collection of all new episodes of the anime series that inspired the Canonically Weird Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer. No idea really about quality or plots, but promotional materials hint at elements like dreams, bad cooking, sherbet, ninjas, and body hair, all featuring Lum the flying bikini-clad alien. Buy “Urusei Yatsura OVA Series Collection.”

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

Next week’s Pod 366 guest will be Case Esparros, director of the microbudget surrealist film The Absence of Milk in the Mouths of the Lost. In other video content, Pete Trbovich has compiled another “ten weird moments” video, this time for Forbidden Zone. In written reviews, Shane Wilson dares Ming-liang Tsai‘s 2014 dialogue-free riff on Journey to the West, while Gregory J. Smalley explores the late works of Coffin Joe. Onward and weirdward!

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Black God, White Devil (1964): Discussion begins. Class struggle, evil preachers, infanticide, and mystical visions populate this little-seen Brazilian classic which is something like an art-house proto-Spaghetti Western. The Criterion collection edition includes documentaries on director Glauber Rocha, Brazilian new wave films (“cinema novo”), and banditry. On Blu-ray or DVD (no UHD available). Buy Black God, White Devil.

Crumb Catcher (2023): Discussion begins. A newlywed couple are accosted by a couple of entrepreneurs intent on getting them to invest in their get-rich-quick device: a crumb catcher. “Absurd” and “odd” are some of the words turning up in reviews. Crumb Catcher official site.

The Platform 2 (2024):  Discussion begins. The 2019 original featured a simple plot: a mysterious, tiered prison type of complex where the inmates were fed from a large platform that gradually descended down the levels, leaving little but crumbs and garbage for those stuck in the basement. Netflix financed a sequel to their pandemic-era hit, five years later. Debuts October 4.  More at Variety.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

No firm guest for Pod 366 next week, unless you count Giles Edwards, whom we’ll try to catch up with in Montreal as he continues his marathon festival coverage (and drops some surprise  interviews as well). We’ll also have video content, as Pete Trbovich‘s Weird View Crew returns to cover Hollywood’s camp flop Dick Tracy (1990). In written reviews, Shane Wilson covers another that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue with the 2011 psychological thriller The Woman in the Fifth. Onward and weirdward!

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Quick links/Discussed in this episode:

The Blue Rose (2024): Discussion begins. A “surrealist noir” about two rookie detectives trying to solve a homicide over a single night. Releasing simultaneously to (select) theaters and on VOD. The Blue Rose official site.

Boy and the Heron (2023): Discussion begins. Read Gregory J. Smalley’s Apocrypha Candidate review. Shout! Factory, in conjunction with GKids, releases Hayao Miyazaki‘s latest fantasy, in your choice of a conventionally packaged Blu-ray + DVD or a 4K UHD + Blu-ray Steelbook. Buy The Boy and the Heron.

Fata Morgana [AKA Left-Handed Fate] (1966): Discussion begins. A model stays behind in a Barcelona that’s nearly deserted after the populace flees a serial killer. An extremely obscure find by Mondo Macabro, this appears to be a Swinging Sixties, pop-art take on a surreal, science-fictiony psychological thriller/giallo. Buy Fata Morgana.

“My Last Movie” (202?): Discussion begins. 69-year old Alex Cox has taken to Kickstarter to raise funds for what he describes as his “last movie.” It will be an adaptation of Nicolai Gogol’s satire “Dead Souls” set in the Old West. The modest funding goal of $75,000 was met quickly, and the project is now into its stretch goals, the second of which, at $125,000, is to shoot a scene or two at El Condor. As I write this, the effort has a little more than two weeks to go. “My Last Movie” Kickstarter.

“Fantasia Festival 2024”: Discussion begins. Long-time readers know how we revere this particular festival (we’re in our ninth year of coverage). As its name suggests, Fant-Asia began by specializing fantasy films from Asia, but has since expanded to cover all types of genre filmmaking from around the world, including the more accessible experimental and would-be-cult films. Here are just a few of the top features roving correspondent Giles Edwards will be looking into at this year’s Fantasia, which begins on July 18 in beautiful Montreal:

• The A-Frame – A woman resorts to black market quantum physics in an attempt to cure her cancer in Calvin Reeder‘s sci-fi satire.
• Animalia Paradoxica – An experimental post-apocalyptic collage from Chile.
• Cuckoo – Tilman Singer (Luz) returns with a bigger-budgeted feature about a teenage woman undergoing strange experiences as a hotel desk clerk.
• Infinite Summer – Miguel Llansó returns with the story of a sinister mindfulness app.
• Kryptic – A woman loses her identity while searching for a cryptid and a missing cyptozoologist.
• The Tenants – In a near-future dystopian Seoul, a young man sublets part of his apartment to an eccentric couple whose behavior increasingly disturbs.

Fantasia International Film Festival home page.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

Next week, Giles Edwards will begin delivering reports from the Fantasia Festival, which starts on Thursday, July 18. We’ll try to check in with him on the pod over the next three weeks, but Pete Trbovich will handle primary co-host duties. In written reviews, Shane Wilson tackles another that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue with the 2013 YouTube feature freebie Nick: The Feature Film, while Gregory J. Smalley braves the self-proclaimed “woke trash” kung fu/drag queen mashup Enter the Drag Dragon. Onward and weirdward!

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Quick links/Discussed in this episode:

Blue Velvet (1986): Discussion begins. Read the Canonically Weird entry! The Criterion Collection upgrades their 2019 Blu-ray to 4K UHD with a new restoration (Blu-ray included). Buy Blue Velvet.

Chronicles of a Wandering Saint (2023): Discussion begins. An Argentinian woman stages a fake miracle, but real miracles (or at least, inexplicable events) soon follow. A well-reviewed magical realist feature with comedy elements. Chronicles of a Wandering Saint official site.

Family Portrait (2023): Discussion begins. A daughter attempts to gather her large family for a family portrait, but the mother has disappeared. A minimalist tale told in a festival-ready experimental style, with an uncomfortable soundtrack full of anxious drones and whispers. Family Portrait official site.

“The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1”: Discussion begins. These seven discs from Severin thoroughly cover the 1970s “Brucesploitation” phenomenon: movies released with stars like Bruce Li and Bruce Lai, trying to trick people into thinking they were lost films from the recently deceased Bruce Lee. Notably, the set includes the wild The Dragon Lives Again (1977), where Bruce goes to hell and joins with Popeye the Sailor (!) to fight Dracula and others!  Buy “The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1.”

L’Important C’est d’Aimer [The Important Thing Is to Love; That Most important Thing Love] (1975): Discussion begins. Read El Rob Hubbard’s review. This is, we believe, the first North American Blu-ray release of Andrzej Zulawski‘s intense melodrama, with an interview with director and an essay booklet as extras. Buy L’Important C’est d’Aimer.

“The Machine Girl Chronicles”: Discussion begins. Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review of the original Machine Girl. This 2-disc Blu-ray brings together both absurd, gory, ass-kicking stories about the girl with the machine gun arm. Buy “The Machine Girl Chronicles.”

“Ozon’s Transgressive Triple”: Discussion begins. This François Ozon set includes the  Teorema-variation Sitcom, “Handel & Gretel” takeoff Criminal Lovers, and Water Drops on Burning Rocks, a gay May-December romance. Buy “Ozon’s Transgressive Triple.”

Riddle of Fire (2023): Discussion begins. Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. The fun, child’s-eye fairy tale about three kids’ quest to a retrieve a speckled egg from a coven of witches arrives on Blu-ray with a director’s commentary and cast interviews among the extras. Buy Riddle of Fire.

Spider Baby (2024): Discussion begins. A fairly straightforward-looking low-budget remake of the Canonically Weird original, with Beverly Washburn along for the ride (and original director Jack Hill producing). The best news is that this Blu-ray includes the original as a bonus feature (the bonus and main features should probably be swapped, but nomenclature aside, it’s the best excuse to buy this disc). Buy Spider Baby.

The Vourdalak (2023): Discussion begins. A 19th-century French emissary finds stranded in a cabin in the woods, unknowingly awaiting the return of a vourdalak (an Eastern European vampire variant). Adapted from a Tolstoy novel, a couple of early reviews used the word “bizarre,” as well as hinting at the welcome presence of… puppets. No official site, though.

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

There will be no Pod 366 next week (despite Greg incorrectly announcing one in this week’s episode) due to Independence Day celebrations. In written reviews, Shane Wilson tells you about India’s housefly revenge story Eega (2012); Giles Edwards braves The Vourdalak (see above); and Gregory J. Smalley hopes to venture out into theaters to catch Yorgos Lanthimos‘ Kinds of Kindness. Onward and weirdward!