2010 ends in a theatrical whimper. Still, we take 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 (LIMITED RELEASE):

The Strange Case of Angelica [O Estranho Caso de Angélica] (2010):  The romantic story of a photographer who sees the dead as the living when he looks through his camera, from 101-year old (!) director Manoel de Oliveira.  I remember the critics being lukewarm on this one at festival screenings, but the NYC press is falling over themselves praising it now.  Opens in Manhattan this week at the IFC Center, with scattered dates throughout early 2011 in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Rochester NY, Boulder CO, Seattle, and Columbus.  The Strange Case of Angelica official site.

NEW ON DVD:

Legacy (2010): A Black-Ops agent holes up in a hotel room after a botched mission and loses touch with reality. This mindbender was intended as a breakthrough role for TV star Idris Elba (“The Wire”), but it was barely released to theaters. Buy Legacy.

Skeletons (2010): Here’s one we overlooked when it was released in October. The storyline of this absurd comedy concerns two “exorcists” who literally remove skeletons from families’ closets. This was named “Best British Feature Film” at the Edinburgh Film Festival, over another nominee we have our eye on—Jackboots on the Whitehall, the puppet show about Nazis taking over England. Buy Skeletons.

FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:

Dr. Tarr’s Torture Dungeon [AKA The Mansion of Madness] (1973): Despite the exploitative title, this is an arty and atmospheric adaptation of the Edgar Allen Poe story “The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether.”  There’s memorable imagery of lunatics doing looney things, but the film is quite slow. Watch Dr. Tarr’s Torture Dungeon 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.