Our weekly look at what’s weird in theaters, on hot-off-the-presses DVDs, and on more distant horizons…
Trailers of new release movies are generally available on the official site links.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
The Canal: A film projectionist suspects his wife of cheating, then discovers archival footage of a murder that took place in the house he now lives in. Another psychological horror in the “descent into madness” genre, this time from Ireland. Reviews have been favorable. The Canal official site.
Giuseppe Makes a Movie: Documentary about Giuseppe Andrews’ vulgar, boozy, super-low budget movies, cast with trailer-park residents and the homeless. This may be both the best, and the only, way for most people to see this Korinesque footage. Giuseppe Makes a Movie official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
“Twin Peaks” Season 3 (2016): We’re sure you’ve heard this already, but in case you’ve been in a coma the past week, but David Lynch and series co-creator Mark Frost announced that the cult TV series that brought surrealism into American homes in the form of a police-procedural soap opera will return. Pay network Showtime will be the series’ new home. Lynch will direct all the episodes, producing his first significant film work after a decade of semi-retirement. Sorry we’re late reporting the news, but if Lynch/Frost can wait 25 years between series, we can delay a few days before announcing it. Empire has a nice write-up.
NEW ON DVD:
Choking Man (2006): A shy, possibly schizophrenic Ecuadorian immigrant dishwasher falls in love with a pretty Chinese-American waitress and has animated hallucinations. Not sure why this forgotten indie from the director of that famous “a-ha” video is suddenly being re-released on DVD, but here it is. Buy Choking Man
Cult (2013): Three cute female pop idols end up battling a demon when they attend an exorcism as part of a reality show. According to the Twitch quote on the boxcover, it’s a “wacky found footage horror oddity,” which is the kind of thing we tend to look kindly on around here. Buy Cult
“The Female Gaze: Contemporary Films by Women from Around the World”: Box set of seven international female directed movies, from Film Movement. This is not the sort of thing that would normally catch our attention except for the inclusion of Madeinusa (2006), the story of an isolated Peruvian village where every year sins may be freely committed in the three days leading up to Easter—it’s sort of a Catholic arthouse version of The Purge. Buy “Female Gaze: Contemporary Films by Women from Around the World”
Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013): A child has his heart replaced by a cuckoo-clock at birth and is told he will die if he falls in love. This Burton-esque animated fairy tale from France is available from Shout! Factory in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack (neither format sold separately). Buy Jack and The Cuckoo Clock Heart [Blu-ray/DVD Combo]
Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014): This time, the tornado full of sharks is in New York City, and the movie reportedly is more forthright in its comic intentions. The Sharknado movies (and SyFy’s seafood horrors in general) tend to be popular with people who discovered the concept of “so bad it’s good” five minutes ago; but will they have staying power? Buy Sharknado 2: The Second One
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Billion Dollar Brain (1967): M1 secret agent Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) goes up against a renegade Texas oil billionaire with a supercomputer who wants to incite a revolution in Latvia. If you ever wondered how a young Ken Russell would handle an assignment to helm a James Bond ripoff , this is your chance to find out. Buy Billion Dollar Brain [Blu-ray]
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996): Criminal lowlifes on the run hide out in a Mexican biker bar that just happens to be home to a tribe of vampires. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino‘s first collaboration was a cult success, but no word on how this Lionsgate Blu release differs from the previous Echo Bridge version (if at all). Buy From Dusk Till Dawn [Blu-ray]
Iguana (1988): After a shipwreck, a disfigured whaler makes himself king of the island and tyrannizes those who formerly mocked him. An nearly forgotten ( now out-of-print on DVD) drama-horror from the always unique Monte Hellman. Buy Iguana [Blu-ray]
Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy Jack and The Cuckoo Clock Heart [Blu-ray/DVD Combo]
Nekromantik (1988): Read our review. Seriously: the cheap grime of Nekromantik needs hi-def treatment? Stick to VHS if you just have to watch this trash. Buy Nekromantik (Blu-ray)
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.