366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.

Audio only link (Soundcloud download)

Quick links/Discussed in this episode:

“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.

Daughters of Darkness (1971): Discussion begins. Read Giles Edwards’ review. The special edition Blu-ray came out last year; here it is on 4K UHD disc. Buy Daughters of Darkness.

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.

“Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams Collector’s Set“: Discussion begins. A set of video-store B-movies from Empire International Pictures, including The Dungeonmaster (1984), Stuart Gordon‘s Dolls (1986), Cellar Dweller (1987), Arena (1989), and Robot Jox (1989, again from Gordon). Buy “Enter the Video Store: Empire of Screams Collector’s Set.“

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.

A New Old Play (2021): Discussion begins. Read Giles Edwards’ Apocrypha Candidate review. The three-hour absurdist Chinese epic is now on Blu-ray (no special features advertised). Buy A New Old Play.

“Pasolini 101”: Discussion begins. The Criterion Collection puts out a 60s-era Pier Paolo Pasolini box set featuring Accatone (1961), Mamma Roma (1962), Love Meetings (1964), The Gospel According to Matthew (1964),  The Hawks and the Sparrows (1966), Oedipus Rex (1967), the Canonically Weird Teorema (1968), Porcile (1969), and Medea (1969) (no Salo, thankfully, but there always could be a 70s-themed set to follow). There are also a couple of short films among the numerous extras. Buy “Pasolini 101.”

Please Baby Please (2022): Discussion begins. Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. Amanda Kramer‘s hallucinatory exploration of repressed queerness in the 50s was previously on DVD and VOD and is now on Blu-ray; special features include a commentary track, Kramer shorts, and deleted scenes. Buy Please Baby Please.

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.

Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds (1987): Discussion begins. Read Giles Edwards’ Apocrypha Candidate review. Alex Proyas‘ absurd post-apocalyptic debut comes to Blu-ray for the first time in Region A. Buy Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds.

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.

Secret Society for Slow Romance (2022)

Werewolf Ninja Philosopher (2018)

WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:

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!

366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.

Audio only link (Soundcloud download)

Quick links/Discussed in this episode:

Dances with Films Festival Homepage. Discussion begins.

Robot Monster Conquers New York. Discussion begins.

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.

“I’m a Virgo” (2023): Discussion begins. Read Gregory J. Smalley’s review. Boots Riley‘s absurdist series about a 13-foot tall black man, a real life superhero, and much more debuts on Amazon Prime today, and is sure to be the weird hit of this Tall Man Summer. Watch “I’m a Virgo” (Amazon Prime subscription required).

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.

Skinarmarink (2022): Discussion begins. Read Gregory J. Smalley’s capsule review. Shudder’s minimalist haunted house movie shoes up on Blu-ray (and non-subscription VOD) this week. Buy Skinarmarink.

Tales from the Gimli Hospital (1988): Discussion begins. Read Alfred Eaker’s List Candidate review. Guy Maddin‘s debut, set in a remote Canadian fishing village, established his nostalgic aesthetics and absurdist humor. Now finally restored on Blu-ray. Buy Tales from the Gimli Hospital.

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!

366 Weird Movies may earn commissions from purchases made through product links.

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!