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Audio only link (Soundcloud download)
Quick links/Discussed in this episode:
Asteroid City (2023): A large cast of eccentrics are quarantined in the desert town Asteroid City during a possible alien contact. Wes Anderson‘s latest is unlikely to be weird, but likely to be highly symmetrical. Asteroid City official site.
Beau Is Afraid (2023): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s Apocrypha Candidate review. Ari Aster‘s surreal anxiety comedy arrives on VOD this week (currently only available for digital purchase, rental options should follow soon). Buy Beau Is Afraid.
The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982): A murder mystery set in England in 1694, Peter Greenaway‘s first theatrical film was one of his more conventional efforts, which is why we haven’t covered it before. it’s part of an extensive restoration and re-release of much of his previously hard-to-find catalog by Zeitgeist Films. Buy The Draughtsman’s Contract.
Dr. Caligari (1989): Read the Canonically Weird entry! A mere 34 years after it was made, the neon-tinged softcore surrealist cult film finally receives a proper releases courtesy of Mondo Macabro on Blu-ray. Buy Dr. Caligari.
Giving Birth to a Butterfly (2021): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. A poetic dramedy with a dreamlike conclusion, Butterfly is now on Fandor streaming, or available for separate purchase or rental. Buy or rent Giving Birth to a Butterfly.
Happer’s Comet (2022): Read Giles Edwards’ festival capsule. Tyler Taormina‘s short, meditative feature gets a very short theatrical run, appearing at BAM Cinema in Brooklyn this week and Stray Cat Film Center in Kansas City next week. Happer’s Comet official site.
The Idiots (1998): Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. A restoration and re-release of Lars von Trier‘s shocking and explicit Dogme movie about people behaving idiotically. Opening at the Metrograph in NYC this week, hits streaming (exclusively on Mubi?) on July 7.
Jagged Mind (2023): Psychological thriller about a woman stuck in a time loop after embarking on a new relationship. A Hulu original, streaming there exclusively (for the time being).
“From Hollywood to Heaven:The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family”: Read Alfred Eaker’s reviews of If Footmen Tire You, What Will Horses Do? and The Burning Hell/The Grim Reaper. The Ormond family box set is here, with 11 films (plus shorts) from their pre-salvation sexploitation days to their classic Christian scare films. Buy “From Hollywood to Heaven: The Lost and Saved Films of the Ormond Family.”
“Mexico Macabre: Four Sinister Tales from the Alameda Films Vault”: Including Black Pit of Dr. M, The Curse of the Crying Woman, The Witch’s Mirror, and the only one we know anything about: Brainiac. Buy “Mexico Macabre: Four Sinister Tales from the Alameda Films Vault.”
Time Bandits (1981): Read the Canonically Weird entry! A kid and a gang of dwarf bandits flee God and Evil across time, now updated to 4K UHD (includes Blu-ray) courtesy of The Criterion Collection. Buy Time Bandits (4K UHD + Blu-ray).
Tommy Guns [Nação Valente] (2022): A genre-hopping film set at the close of the Angolan war for independence in 1974. It includes serious war drama, an interracial romance, and, reportedly, zombies. On Blu-ray, DVD and VOD this week from Kino. Buy or rent Tommy Guns.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
Next week Gregory J. Smalley will return with Giles Edwards to discuss the week’s weird movie news and releases (no guest scheduled).
In written reviews, Shane Wilson finally gets around to Boxing Helena (1993); El Rob Hubbard gives us even more info on the unfairly neglected redneck art-house cinema of John Michael McCarthy; Giles Edwards covers the free-on-Tubi rotoscoped indie Todd Tarantula (2023); and, in a late Juneteenth-themed review (blame Amazon’s embargo for the delay), Gregory J. Smalley gives you the low-down on Boots Riley‘s new streaming series, “I Am a Virgo.” Onward and weirdward!