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):
Faust: Alexandr (Russian Ark) Sokurov’s minimalist, hallucinatory retelling of Goethe’s phantasmagorical classic about Mephistopheles tempting the titular doctor. Though it’s definitely in an arthouse vein, Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York called it a “triumph of the weird.” Faust‘s American distributor’s page.
FILM FESTIVALS – Cine-Rebis London Underground Film Festival (London, UK, Nov. 14-17):
You’re too late for the European premier of the Disney-based surrealist feature Escape from Tomorrow and Mexico’s Tau (starring El Topo child star Brontis Jodorowsky), which opened the festival last night. On Saturday, however, you may want to check out low budget auteur Kelly Hughes’ La Cage Aux Zombies, which mixes drag queens on the lam with the undead. This seldom seen production was released directly to videocassette in 1995; this new director’s cut actually shaves off a half hour from the running time. It screens together with Heart Attack, a documentary about Hughes’ transgressive public access soap opera “Heart Attack Theater.” Of note on Sunday’s slate are Ritual: A Psychomagic Story (a drama about an abused woman who avails herself of Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s mythological symbolism-based therapy) and The Demon’s Rook, the horror movie Fantasia programmers described as “RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD by way of Jodorowsky” and “a wonderfully weird film.” Shorts and documentaries are sprinkled throughout the rest of the weekend, and the entire festival is being held at some place ominously known as “the Horse Hospital.” The festival is run by the filmmaking team (and 366 allies) Daniel Fawcett and Clara Pais. Cine-Rebis official site.
NEW ON DVD:
Akira (1988): A secret government project turns a biker into a superman with psionic powers in this massively influential cyberpunk anime. Funimation’s 25th Anniversary release offers the original 1988 theatrical dub (the movie was redubbed for DVD release in 2001, and the option to play that version is included as well). Buy Akira: 25th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
“The Films of Chester Novell Turner”: The entire cinematic output of Mr. Turner: Black Devil Doll from Hell, the story of a rapist ventriloquist dummy, and the outsider horror anthology Tales from the Quadead Zone. These bizarre 1980s oddities haven’t been released on home video since the days of VHS. You may think this release is no big deal, but the New York Times begs to differ. Buy “The Films of Chester Novell Taylor”
Nosferatu (1922): F.W. Murnau’s unauthorized silent adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” stars the amazingly bestial Max Schreck, still the most frightening onscreen vampire. Kino Classics’ 2-disc remastered edition of the oft-released silent classic includes two versions of the film (that apparently differ only by the intertitles) and some documentary extras. Buy Nosferatu: 2-Disc Deluxe Remastered Edition
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Akira (1988): See description in DVD above. This is a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. Buy Akira [Blu-ray/DVD Combo]
Nosferatu (1922): See description in DVD above. Buy Nosferatu [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.