Shadow Work (202?): Discussion begins. This upcoming release arises out of the Annecy residency, which pairs up and coming animators with older mentors—in this case, screenwriter Patrick Somerville and director Marc Caro—to develop their projects. It will be a psychological horror about a doppelganger, rendered in uncanny motion-capture. Read about it at Variety.
The Shrouds (est. 2024): Discussion begins. In late June, Vincent Cassel posted on Instagram that the shoot of David Cronenberg‘s latest horror film had wrapped. Little is known about it except that Cassell stars as a businessman who runs a service allowing grieving families to watch the bodies of their loved ones decompose on closed circuit television, but criminals vandalize the graves. Reported in multiple places, but we first read about it at Bloody Disgusting.
As Giles Edwards prepares to head off to the 2023 Fantasia Film festival in late July, next week’s Pod 366 will preview what he will be looking for there; festival programmer Jacob Klemmer will join us for insider insights into the slate. In written reviews, Giles will investigate one that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue with Harlequin [AKA Deadly Forces] (1980); Shane Wilson takes a second look at the spiraling Uzumaki (2000); El Rob Hubbard reports on the Criterion Collection edition of INLAND EMPIRE; and Gregory J. Smalley will cover the new release front with a look at the French anime Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. Onward and weirdward!
“The Adam Rifkin Film Festival”: The early short films of Dark Backward director Rifkin, which look like an experimental lot made mostly when he was a teenager. This limited edition from Dekanalog is available exclusively at Vinegar Syndrome—no standard edition will be released.
Blind Willow Sleeping Woman (2022): Discussion begins. A salesman, a giant toad, a cat, and a schizophrenic accountant seek to save Tokyo from an earthquake. Although set in Japan, adapted from works by Haruki Murakami, and done in an anime style, this French production is now on DVD (not Blu-ray) and VOD. Buy Blind Willow Sleeping Woman.
Dracula, the Dirty Old Man (1969): Discussion begins. Reputedly awful, but bizarre, skin flick about Dracula hiring a wolfman to bring him naked ladies. American Genre Film Archive rescues another (rightfully) unheralded classic! Buy Dracula, the Dirty Old Man.
Irreversible (2022): Discussion begins. Gaspar Noe‘s shocking breakthrough film was a rape-revenge thriller told in reverse order; this set from Altered Innocence includes the “straight cut” (told in chronological order) for the first time on disc. Buy Irreversible.
Motel Hell (1980): Discussion begins. A B-movie black comedy and 80s/90s cable favorite about a cannibal hotelier. Obviously, this belongs on 4K UHD! Buy Motel Hell.
The Saragossa Manuscript (1965): Read the Canonically Weird entry! Yellow Veil becomes the first to release Jerry Garcia’s favorite film on Blu-ray for an American audience. We’ll discuss it more on the next Pod 366. Buy The Saragossa Manuscript.
The White Buffalo (1977): Discussion begins. Wild Bill Hickok (Charles Bronson) dreams of a white buffalo and concludes it is his destiny to kill it; Crazy Horse (Will Sampson) hunts the same beast, believing its sacred hide will enable his dead child to find peace in the afterlife. A strange Western that flopped badly on release. Not a Blu-ray debut, but it is remastered with a new audio commentary by Paul Talbot (who wrote the book on Bronson). Buy The White Buffalo.
FREE WEIRD MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Microbudget filmmaker Sujewa Ekanayake (who will be a guest on Pod 366 in a couple of weeks) has put up a number of his movies on YouTube for a limited time, as part of his promotion for his newest film, Cosmic Disco Detective Rene: The Secret Society for Slow Romance 2. Going by the titles, they are weird.
In next week’s Pod 366 Greg and Giles (and someone else?) will enter our virtual Criterion closet to give you our Criterion Collection must-wants. In written reviews, we will start with a surprise: coverage of the legendary “Cremaster” Cycle of movies, by a lucky guest writer who actually saw them on their recent NYC revival. El Rob Hubbard will also bring you another TV series review of “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” Shane Wilson will take on another one that Came from the Reader-Suggested Queue with Static (1985) (an early film disowned by director Mark Romanek), and Gregory J. Smalley listens to some Tales from the Gimli Hospital (the recent redux version, out on Blu-ray). Onward and weirdward!
The Falls (1980)/A Zed and Two Noughts (1985): Discussion begins. Read the Canonically Weird entries for The Falls and A Zed and Two Noughts! An exceedingly rare event: a double feature Blu-ray release of two canonically weird movies (both from the estimable Peter Greenaway) in a single package! Falls is an experimental mockumentary about survivors of a Violent Unexplained Event, while Zed explores the death-obsession of twin zoologists. Buy The Falls/A Zed and Two Noughts.
The Servant (1963): Discussion begins. Joseph Losey directs a sinister Dirk Bogarde in this ambiguous Harold Pinter-penned mystery/drama about a servant who gradually switches places with his master. A servant-masterpiece, and a new (and highly on-brand) addition to the Criterion Collection. Buy The Servant.
Vanilla Sky (2001): Discussion begins. Read Shane Wilson‘s review. The Tom Cruise-led remake of Open Your Eyes [Abre los ojos] is the rare successful Hollywood remake of an overseas work of speculative fiction, now on 4K UHD (standard Blu-ray also included). Buy Vanilla Sky.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
Gregory J. Smalley and Giles Edwards will be back next week with another Pod 366: no guest to announce, but there could always be a last minute addition.
In written reviews, El Rob Hubbard binges Season 1 of Alex de la Iglesia‘s apocalyptic “30 Coins” (ahead of fall 2023’s Season 2), Shane Wilson considers the short animated Canadian films of Paul Dreissen (with an emphasis on “The End of the World in Four Seasons”), Rafael Moreira recommends Jean Epstein’s Fall of the House of Usher (1922), and Gregory J. Smalley observes Unidentified Objects (2022). Onward and weirdward!
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.
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.
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).
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!
Link to buy Teenage Tupelo on Blu-ray (instructions: send $40 by PayPal and specify it’s for “Teenage Tupelo” in the comments, email for shipping cost if ordering from outside the US)
Dalíland (2022): Discussion begins. Biopic covering Salvador Dali‘s waning days and his relationship with his muse, Gala, seen through the eyes of an intern. Not quite a weird movie per se, but of interest due to its subject (portrayed, improbably, by Ben Kingsley). In theaters and simultaneously on VOD. Dalíland official site.
“Giallo Essentials (Blue Edition)”: Discussion begins. The movie of some interest in this three disc set is Death Walks at Midnight, wherein a model takes LSD and witnesses a murder that happened six months earlier. The other two gialli are Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion and Death Walks on High Heels. All three are from director Luciano Ercoli and feature giallo starlet Nieves Navarro. Arrow’s “Giallo Essentials” series can get confusing for purchasers, since they are only distinguished by box color. Buy “Giallo Essentials (Blue Edition).”
Mad Monster Party (1967): Discussion begins. Read Alfred Eaker’s review. Rankin/Bass‘ monster mash is campy nostalgia for monster kids; previously available on Blu-ray, but this version is presented in theatrical widescreen for the first time and includes a new commentary track and some other bonus features. Buy Mad Monster Party.
Todd Tarantula (2023): Discussion begins. A man goes on a psychedelic, time-traveling, rotoscoped journey to find his stolen motorbike in Los Angeles. This feature was over a decade in the making; it goes straight to Blu-ray, or free on Tubi. Buy Todd Tarantula.
Next week, Gregory J. Smalley will take a week off from Pod 366, but Giles Edwards and Pete Trbovich will be there to run down a very exciting week of new releases. In written reviews, Shane Wilson gapes at Something Weird (1967), Giles attends A New Old Play (2021), and Greg reviews something called Teenage Tupelo (1995).
Unfortunately, we’ve decided to discontinue our movie streams due to persistent technical difficulties. We’ll let you know if we change our minds.
Onward and weirdward!
Celebrating the cinematically surreal, bizarre, cult, oddball, fantastique, strange, psychedelic, and the just plain WEIRD!
