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):
Amor Cronico: A “surreal” travelogue of New York-based Latin singer CuCu Diamantes’ tour of her estranged homeland of Cuba. We can’t find anyplace this is playing, but you can rent it on-demand at the official site. Amor Cronico official site.
Why Don’t You Play in Hell?: A movie-within-a-movie is the setting for Shion Sono’s latest; the early teaser trailer featured samurai fighting yakuza and ran literal rivers of blood. Drafthouse Films is opening in Austin, TX, and also with a 2-day awards-qualifying run in New York City. Why Don’t You Play in Hell? official site.
SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, Nov. 7&8):
“A Weekend with Jean-Claude Carriere”: Having written screenplays forThe Tin Drum, two Jean-Luc Godard movies, and six collaborations with Luis Buñuel, Carriere is possibly the most important weird screenwriter (who doesn’t also direct). He’ll be at Cinefamily in person this week to talk about his work: Belle de Jour is screening at 7:30 tonight (so rush out as soon as you read this, Los Angelinos!) The Phantom of Liberty comes tomorrow afternoon at 1:00. This is a very special event. “A Weekend with Jean-Claude Carriere” at Cinefamily.
FILM FESTIVALS – Homegrown Hoosier Film Festival (Anderson, IN., Nov. 8 & 9):
As the title suggests, this small festival highlights movies with Indiana connections. This listing might be considered a species of Nepotism Corner, since we mention it primarily because Alfred Eaker will be there screening two short films: “La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura” (screening Sunday at 3:15), which puts the viewer (rather literally) inside a Paul Gauguin canvas, and “I Was Married to a Mermaid” (Saturday at 1:30), which is a filmed chapter of a semi-surreal anti-fundamentalism novel Eaker is working on. However, there are also a couple of movies screening we have no connection to that may be worth your attention:
- Proxy – A pregnant woman joins a support group after she is assaulted on the streets; a festival programmer at Austin’s Fantastic Fest said it was “one of the most… truly crazy stories [we’ve] ever seen…” Playing Nov. 8 at 6:30 PM.
- Three Tears On Bloodstained Flesh – A “Midwestern giallo” by Jakob Bilinski involving cults, curses and killers—in Indiana. Nov. 8 at 9:00 PM.
I guess things get weird in Indiana. All those hours endlessly practicing layups on a hoop affixed to a barn door probably encourage creativity.
Homegrown Hoosier Film Festival home page
NEW ON DVD:
The Ninth Configuration (1980): Soldiers being held at a castle doubling as an insane asylum act out their delusions as a form of therapy. This bonkers effort by The Exorcist‘s William Peter Blatty includes an all-dog Shakespeare production and a crucifixion in space, and has been out-of-print in North America for some time (although it found its way into our reader-suggested review queue). Buy The Ninth Configuration [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack]
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998): Read the Certified Weird entry! The confusion over the ping-ponging rights to this movie continues as Universal once again yanks the Criterion Collection’s license to put out their own version; you’ll have to make up your own mind whether to buy this “limited edition steelbook” one or look for an older disc. Extras appear to be unchanged since the last time Universal released the movie on Blu. Buy Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray]
The Ninth Configuration (1980): See description in DVD above. Buy The Ninth Configuration [Blu-ray/DVD combo pack]
Nocturna (2007): French/Spanish animated co-production about a boy exploring the alternate-reality dream world of Night. Buy Nocturna [Blu-ray]
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010): Read our review. Speak of the devil: Pilgrim just (oh-so narrowly) won its group in the 5th Readers’ Choice Poll, and now Universal releases a new limited edition Blu-ray as part of its cult classics series. Buy Scott Pilgrim vs. The World [Limited Edition Blu-ray]
“Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection”: Includes the Certified Weird A Clockwork Orange, together with queued-to-be-reviewed Kubricks 2001, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut, and the non-weird masterpieces Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon, and Full Metal Jacket, plus discs of bonus material. Only downside is the north-of-a-C-note price, but we give you permission to splurge. Buy “Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection” [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.