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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):
Cubby: A misfit adult babysitter dreams up the gay superhero “Leather Man” after eating a psychedelic cupcake. One reviewer called it “endearingly weird.” Cubby official site.
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
Bloody New Year (1987): Five English teenagers stumble onto an abandoned hotel that’s decorated for New Year’s Eve in the middle of summer; weird happenings follow. Vinegar Syndrome’s ad copy describes it as “a distinctly original hybrid of slasher, supernatural horror, and near surrealism…” The restored Blu-ray/DVD combo comes with a commentary track from director Norman J. Warren. Buy Bloody New Year
“Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975”: The Criterion Collection celebrates their 1000th spine number in an unexpected way: it’s a 15-film “Godzilla” box set. These are not all that weird, with the possible exception of Godzilla vs. Hedorah [AKA Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster], but lots of fans will be keenly interested. Buy “Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films, 1954-1975”
Lust in the Dust (1985): Read our review. The campy Western spoof from the ever-offbeat Paul Bartel gets a Vinegar Syndrome restoration. A DVD/Blu-ray combo release. Buy Lust in the Dust
Manifest Destiny Down: Spacetime (2019): A stoner-dude physics genius and a hot chick in a Catholic schoolgirl getup are the only survivors of the apocalypse. It describes itself as an “absurdist satire” and comes on DVD, Blu-ray or VOD. Buy Manifest Destiny Down: Spacetime
“Scorpio Films: The Dutch Sex Wave Collection”: We’ve reviewed three of the four films included in this set separately: Blue Movie, Obsessions, and My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie. It also comes with Frank & Eva. These films are only slightly weird, at best, but this entire 70s Eurosex genre is quaint and nostalgic for many. On Blu-ray, or save money with a DVD set. Buy “Scorpio Films: The Dutch Sex Wave Collection”
Two Evil Eyes (1990): George Romero and Dario Argento each take on a short adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe story. Argento’s take on “The Black Cat” is reportedly the weirder of the two, although opinions diverge on which is the better overall. Blue Underground releases a Blu-ray with an extra bonus disc of features, and throws in the soundtrack CD by Pino Donaggio to boot. Buy Two Evil Eyes
The Wizard of Oz (1939): Read our review. Warner Brothers is constantly revisiting Oz, but this is the first release in 4K (as far as we know). This edition is a 4K ultra disc plus a Blu-ray plus a digital copy; no word on extra features but Warners has loads of ’em in its vaults. Buy The Wizard of Oz
CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We’ll only list irregularly scheduled one-time screenings of this audience-participation classic below. You can use this page to find a regular weekly screening near you.
- Boston, MA
- The Brattle – True Stories (1986), with Videodrome (1983)(double feature) (11/5)
- Museum of Fine Arts – Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) (11/1)
- Houston, TX
- Museum of Fine Arts – House [Hausu] (1977) (11/3)
- Kansas City, MO
- Memphis, TN
- The Crosstown – Stalker (1979) (11/7)
- Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
- Alamo Drafthouse – Mind Game (2004) (11/6)
- New York City, NY
- Portland, OR
- The Hollywood – Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) (11/4)
- Silver Spring, MD
- Tuscon, AZ
- The Loft – Repo Man (1984) (11/1-2)
- Vancouver, BC
- The Rio – The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (11/1) (midnight)
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON TUBI.TV:
Blue Velvet (1986): Read the Canonically Weird entry! Celebrate David Lynch‘s honorary Oscar with a free screening of the dark suburban thriller the Academy snubbed in 1986. Watch Blue Velvet free on Tubi.tv.
YOU LINK US! YOU REALLY LINK US!:
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston considers us an authority on Hausu. They know fine art, we know weird.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE: Next week, look for reviews of the Spanish pseudo-giallo The Killer of Dolls and the Italian magical realist drama A Sicilian Ghost Story. We’ll try to get something else out there—but if we slack off this week, it could be because we’re working hard behind the scenes on the 2019 print version of the Yearbook, which we plan to get out this year in December (rather than our usual schedule of sometime in May in the following year). So wish us luck, and onward and weirdward!
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.
Hey, love the site. I’ve been inspired to see all the films, and to help, I made a Google spreadsheet of all of them, plus information about each, including where they’re available for streaming. I thought it might be a valuable resource for others. Here it is: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Wdhbhm0BDUIO8iyhYCsrd1trsq190RtwIXb0D5gIK-c/edit?usp=sharing
You should also be able to see a second page with stats, that shows a chart of the release dates of all 366 films, a tally of directors, etc. Let me know if you can’t see that. (The most films on the list, by the way, is a record shared by Guy Maddin and Luis Bunuel, each with 8.)
That is super-cool, Ed! I have been planning to make a similar chart (the availability of the movie at the various streaming channels part at least) but haven’t gotten around to it.
Great! Feel free to post it wherever you think it would be most helpful, or I think I can provide an embed link. The availability stats are far from complete, but I’ve found at least one source for almost all of them. I welcome any tips.
Looking at the list again, “almost all of them” might be an exaggeration: I couldn’t find 66 of the films in any of my sources. And there are a bunch marked as “Free?” on YouTube, which means it looks as if the whole film is there (most likely in violation of copyright), but I haven’t watched it yet so it could be a scam or have no English subtitles or whatever.
I think there are too many personal notes in that spreadsheet, but if you wanted to make another one with just the availability info I’d link it from the sidebar.
How’s this? Any other feedback is welcome. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QY4FCE_dGGxwzonyr6R9Ja3BI7dQjbboErAqslqbKCA/edit?usp=sharing
Excellent, Ed. I put a link in the sidebar. The only change I might suggest is putting a “last updated” date on it. A year from now the streaming information may no longer be accurate.
Good thought — done.