A 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 (WIDE RELEASE):

Let Me In: A tiny bit mainstream for us, but word on the street is positive on this US remake of the Swedish cult film Låt den rätte komma in [Let the Right One In] about a cute little girl who’s also a vampire. Considering the fact that most Americanized versions of foreign horror films suck (and not just in the vampiric sense), maybe it’s a little weird to find one that apparently doesn’t?  Let Me In Facebook page (no official site).

SCREENINGS (WEDNESDAY, OCT. 6-7, IFC CENTER, NEW YORK CITY):

Idiots and Angels (2008):  We’ve been wondering if Bill Plympton’s animated black comedy about a venal man who sprouts angel wings one day was ever going to show up in theaters.  We’ll see if this screening is the start of a limited theatrical run (we suspect it’s an indication the DVD will be coming soon).  Plympton will attend in person, and his new short “The Cow Who Wanted to Be A Hamburger” will precede the feature presentation.  Idiots and Angels at IFC Center.

FILM FESTIVALS – VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (SEP 30 – OCT 15)

We noticed a few titles of interest in Vancouver that we hadn’t seen mentioned elsewhere.

• Cold Fish – “based on a true story,” Sion (Suicide Club) Sono’s most recent gruesome film is set in the world of tropical fish retailers.  Screening Oct. 1 & 2.
• David Wants to Fly – a documentary taking a critical look at the Transcendental Meditation movement, of interest here because one its main subject is TM enthusiast David Lynch. Oct. 3 & 7.
• Dissolution – set in Israel, based on “Crime and Punishment,” and described as an “almost surreal fairy-tale.” Oct. 7, 13 & 15.
• The Family Complete – grandpa is raped by a giant cat and a virus turns men gay in this surreal exploration of homosexuality in Japan.  Oct. 5 & 6.
• Fourth Portrait – tale of a Taiwanese orphan, shot and told in a dreamlike style.  Oct 5, 8 & 9.
• Metamorphosis – South Korean adaptation of the Franz Kafka story about a man who wakes up one morning to discover he has become a cockroach.  Oct 4 & 5.
• Rubber – a French film about—wait for it—a killer tire.  No word on whether it’s radial or not.  Oct. 4, 8, & 14.
• Rumination – quirky debut about the Chinese Cultural Revolution; according to the description, the experimental narrative moves backwards and forwards at the same time.  Oct. 6 & 7.
• Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) [Prezít svuj zivot (teorie a praxe)] – This is the big one: the North American debut of the latest Jan Svankmajer film.  This one uses a technique of cut-out collages alongside the usual stop animation, and the scenario involves a man who impregnates his own anima (!) while undergoing psychoanalysis.  Oct. 5, 9 & 13.
• Thomas Mao – Novelist/director Wen Zhu puts his dreams on screen.  Oct 4 & 5.

Vancouver International Film Festival official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Suck (2009): A musical/horror/comedy about a rock band who find success when they become vampires.  A bunch of young unknowns headline, but there are some interesting cameos, including former Kid in the Hall Dave Foley and weird icon Malcolm McDowell (footage from O Lucky Man! is incorporated into his character’s flashback), as well roles for several rock musicians: Alice Cooper, Moby, Henry Rollins, and Iggy Pop.  Buy Suck.

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.