Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs and Blu-rays (and hot off the server VODs), and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available at the official site links.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
Longing (2017): A middle-aged bachelor receives a phone call telling him he has unknowingly been a father since college, and he searches for information about his son. Basically an Israeli arthouse drama, but reviewers describe a couple of dream sequences that may make it worth a look for weirdophiles. Longing Cineuropa entry.
FILM FESTIVALS – New York Film Festival (New York City, NY, Sep.28 – Oct 14):
We’re a little late in reporting on the NYFF. There are not a lot of debuts here, and a number of films overlap with Sitges (covered in a bit more detail below). Notable weird-ish U.S. premieres include Giorgos Lanthimos‘ period piece, The Favourite, and Jean-Luc Godard’s The Image Book.
New York Film Festival home page.
FILM FESTIVALS – Sitges Film Festival (Sitges, Spain, Oct. 4 – 14):
Although Sitges always offers an excellent slate of fantastic films, they’re more into quantity than exclusivity. We’ve seen many of the choicest offerings— France’s All the Gods in the Sky; Jim Hosking‘s An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn; Quentin Dupieux ‘s Keep an Eye Out; the documentary Blue Velvet Revisited; Cam, Gaspar Noé‘s LSD orgy Climax; the surreal soccer flick Diamantino and Italian arthouse weirdness Happy as Lazzaro (both also at the New York Film Festival this week); the anthology The Field Guide to Evil; Agnieszka Smoczynska‘s amneisac Fugue; Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson Vertigo tribute, The Green Fog; Peter Strickland’s fashion horror In Fabric; the Czech stop-motion Laika; the black metal doc Lords of Chaos; Luz; Mandy; the telepathy horror Murder Me, Monster; Masaaki Yuasa‘s Night is Short, Walk on Girl; Nina Paley‘s sacrilegious animation Seder-Masochism; Top Knot Detective, the 2017 mockumentary about a fake Japanese TV show; Under the Silver Lake; and the Suspiria remake—debuting at other film festivals (and some have even already had theatrical releases). This makes Sitges a kind of “best of” 2018 festival. Among the many revivals are screenings of the restored versions of 2001: A Space Odyssey on Oct. 13th and Hour of the Wolf on Oct. 6. Skipping those, here are a couple of notable films and long shots we noticed:
- 10 Years Thailand – Four Thai directors, including Apichatpong Weerasethakul, imagine the future in this omnibus film screening on 10/8.
- Luciferina – A novice nun learns the secret behind her psychic powers. Oct. 10.
Sitges Film Festival home page.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
“Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun” (Jul 2019): Not a movie but a novelization of the Certified Weird classic, co-authored by Guillermo del Toro and fantasy author Cornelia Funke and illustrated by Allen Williams. Del Toro’s active participation ensures it will be canonical. Announced at the Bookseller.
BOOKS:
“True Indie: Life and Death in Filmmaking”: Three-time Certified Weird director Don Coscarelli reflects on his 30+ years as an independent filmmaker. Coscarelli is touring heavily to promote the book, often in conjunction with screenings of his cult films Phantasm or Bubba Ho-Tep, so be on the lookout for a book signing in your town (and check our repertory screenings list below). Buy “True Indie: Life and Death in Filmmaking.”
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Housewife (2017): A housewife with a disturbed past gets sucked into a cult called “the Umbrella of Love & Mind.” The sophomore film from Turkish horror upstart Can Evrenol, folks are using the “w word” to describe it. DVD or VOD. Buy Housewife.
CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.
- Chicago, IL, 10/8 – Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), with Don Coscarelli film discussion and book signing. At the Music Box Theater.
- Dallas, TX, 10/6 – Evil Dead II (1987). At the Texas Theater.
- Denver, CO, 10/10 – Phantasm (1979), with Don Coscarelli film discussion and book signing (book purchase required for screening). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
- Denver, CO, 10/10 –Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
- Los Angeles, CA, 10/6-10/7, 10/9 – Zéro de conduite (1933), with shorts “Taris” (1931) and “A Propos de Nice” (1930). At the Nuart.
- Nashville, TN, 10/5-10/6 (midnights) – Evil Dead II (1987). At the Belcourt Theater.
- New York City, NY, 10/5-10/6 (midnights) – The Holy Mountain (1973). At IFC Center.
- New York City, NY, 10/5-10/9 – Suspiria (1977). At IFC Center.
- New York City, NY, 10/5-10/10 – Perfect Blue (1997). At the Metrograph.
- New York City, NY, 10/6 (midnight) – Marquis (1989). At Spectacle Theater.
- New York City, NY, 10/8 & 10/10 – Suspiria (1977). At the Metrograph.
- Pittsburgh, PA, 10/6 (midnight) – House [Hausu] (1977). At Row House Cinema.
- Yonkers, NY, 10/6 – Phantasm (1979), with Don Coscarelli film discussion and book signing (book purchase required for screening). At the Alamo Drafthouse.
FREE MOVIES ON TUBITV:
Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis (1927/1984): Read our review. A divisive, restored and re-tinted version of Fritz Lang‘s seminal urban dystopia, with a cheesy New Wave pop score from then-popular acts like Loverboy, Billy Squier and Pat Benetar. Once the best-looking version of the film available, it’s now a curiosity of cinema history. Watch Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis free on Tubi.tv.
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that I have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.
Moroder’s reconstruction was my introduction to “Metropolis”, and it will forever live in my heart as a special and irreplaceable gem. It helps that I looooooooooove New Wave music and can’t think of it as cheesy, too.
Hear, hear.
“New Wave” music isn’t cheesy; cheesy NewWave music may be, but then, all cheesy music is.
As for “Metropolis”, I grew up with a VHS copy of whatever form it existed in … oh those many years ago. Unfortunately, the “score” provided was merely a loop of five or six German vocal-free “standards”.