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 at the official site links.
IN DEVELOPMENT (KICKSTARTER):
“Yeast”: Short film, intended as the second in a “dark trilogy” (the first, “Sour Milk,” was about a war between milkmen and postmen). This one is about a baker, addicted to smoking yeast, who decides to build his own Frankenstein-type monster out of bread. The director, “Elliot Gonzo,” has an art style (and bizarre temperament) very much influenced by Hunter S. Thompson illustrator Ralph Steadman. This appears to be a live action/stop motion short, however. Gonzo is looking to raise about $12,000 dollars for the project in the next 44 days. “Yeast” at Kickstarter.
NEW ON DVD:
Bloody Indulgent (2014): A vampire musical about a drugged-up blooduscker on the lam from revenge-minded strippers. Stars a former Backstreet Boy. Buy Bloody Indulgent
Deadly Revisions (2013): A horror writer has amnesia and may be suffering from schizophrenia, etc. It got decent reviews from critics specializing in low-budget horror. Buy Deadly Revisions
The Duke of Burgundy (2014): Read Alex Kittle’s review! Despite Amazon listing this hypnotic/erotic arthouse homage as a Blu-ray only release, the picture of the box cover clearly shows it is a 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo. You may want to query before purchasing, however. Buy The Duke Of Burgundy [DVD/Blu-ray combo]
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014): The makers of Machete Maidens Unleashed! bring us the next installment in their B-movie history survey with a look at the studio that brought us Lifeforce and The Apple, among other strange gems. Believe it or not, there is actually a competing 2014 documentary about Golam & Globus’ Cannon Films entitled The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films. Buy Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
A Plague So Pleasant (2013): After the zombie apocalypse, humanity has discovered the living dead are actually peaceful herbivores who don’t attack unless provoked. Made for under $2000, the IMDB synopsis describes it as “a surreal take on the zombie genre”; that seems a bit strong, from what we can tell, but it surely is “different.” Buy A Plague So Pleasant
Twice Upon a Time (1983): The complicated plot involves two misfits who try to stop an evil ruler from releasing nightmare bombs onto the Rushers of Din. This seldom-seen animated feature is legendary for its unique, luminous cutout animation and for the fact that it was released in two separate dubs, one G-rated and one that is slightly more risque, leading to much confusion and controversy. Both versions appear on this first-ever DVD release (actually a DVD-R from Warner Archive, but despite the bargain format it even includes a commentary track). Buy Twice Upon a Time
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Deadly Revisions (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy Deadly Revisions [Blu-ray]
The Duke of Burgundy (2014): See description in DVD above. Buy The Duke Of Burgundy [DVD/Blu-ray combo]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Perdurabo (Where is Aleister Crowley?) (2003): On the eve of World War II a man travels to Sicily to the abbey founded by Aleister Crowley, but finds the infamous magician is missing and his disciples are in disarray. Carlos Atanes shot this 45-minute movie in 2003 in preparation for a longer Crowley movie that was never completed, and has just released the Perdurabo footage for the first time on YouTube. Watch Perdurabo (Where is Aleister Crowley?) free on YouTube.
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.