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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.
FILM FESTIVALS – (Nitehwak Shorts Fest, Brooklyn, NY, Mar. 2-6):
This year’s music section includes videos directed by a couple of hard-hitters: Yann Gonzalez and Alex Ross Perry. There are also sections devoted to female filmmakers, Kentucker Audley‘s No Budge shorts platform, and, likely of the most interest to our NYC readers, the “Midnite” section on March 3 (conveniently screening before midnight), which features monsters, monster sculptures, and psychedelic animated lesbian erotica from Australia. Nitehawk Shorts Fest official homepage.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
Big Gold Brick: An injured young writer accepts an offer to pen the biography of an eccentric man. Critics cannot agree about this one: some call it an out-of-control disaster, others a potential cult movie, while the trailer itself gives you little idea of what to expect (but whatever it is, you expect a lot of it). In some theaters and simultaneously on VOD (purchase only). Big Gold Brick official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Megalopolis (202?): Francis Ford Coppola has been dreaming of making this movie for almost four decades. The plot is either under wraps, or indescribable: all we really know is that it’s “in the tradition of a Roman epic” but set in an alternate version of New York City, and that the director hopes the audience will ask “What’s really in Megalopolis? What is he saying? My God, what does that mean when that happens?” upon seeing it. In other words, too weird for Hollywood. The 82-year old director mentioned that he’s willing to put up $100 million of his own money to finally get this done in a recent GQ profile. Here’s hoping!
NEW ON HOME VIDEO:
“Cold War Creatures: Four Films from Sam Katzman”: Arrow Blu-ray set collecting four campy, absurd 1950s B-movies from producer Katzman: Creature with the Atom Brain, The Werewolf, Zombies of Mora Tau, and The Giant Claw. The last of these is currently in our reader-suggested queue. Buy “Cold War Creatures: Four Films from Sam Katzman”.
“Forgotten Gialli: Vol. 3”: Vinegar Syndrome’s title may be a bit of a misnomer here, as the set’s anchor title—Autopsy (1975)—has a small cult following. 1972’s Murder Mansion and 1977’s Crazy Desires of a Murderer better fit the “forgotten” bill. Mondo Digital called Autopsy “[a]bout as strange as an Italian thriller can possibly get…” Buy “Forgotten Gialli: Volume 3”.
Koko-di, Koko-da (2019): Read Giles Edwards’ Apocrypha Candidate review and our interview with director Johannes Nyholm. This eldritch nightmare about three psychopathic fairy tale figures who kill a grieving couple over and over unfortunately had its release schedule wrecked by the pandemic; it finally arrives on North American Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Star. Buy Koko-di, Koko-da.
The Scary of Sixty-First (2021): A lesbian couple finds a great deal on a NYC apartment, but fall into a conspiratorial rabbit hole when they discover the property was previously owned by Jeffery Epstein. Reviews are mixed, and even its weirdness is somewhat in question, but there’s no doubt it’s a bold premise. Previously VOD only, now on Blu-ray. Buy “The Scary of Sixty-First”.
Strawberry Mansion (2021): Read our festival review. This Gondryesque dream flick was one of our weird favorites from last year’s Fantasia Fest; now on VOD. Buy or rent Strawberry Mansion.
Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1973): A woman forced into prostitution trains in kung fu, grabs a shotgun, and seeks revenge. This uncensored cut contains hardcore sex inserts—and it’s in our reader-suggested queue. Previously on DVD, now upgraded to Blu-ray. Buy Thriller: A Cruel Picture.
The Unknown Man of Shandigor (1967): Tongue-in-cheek 60s Eurospy spoof about a mad scientist sought by both sides in the Cold War. An undefinable, obscure potential cult movie brought to light by new distributor Deaf Crocodile (who has a few more oddities up their sleeve in coming months). Buy The Unknown Man of Shandigor.
“Yokai Monsters Collection”: A three-Blu box from Arrow containing four movies about the Japanese folkloric monsters known as yokai: the trilogy 100 Monsters (1968), Spook Warfare (1968), and Along with Ghosts (1969), plus Takashi Miike‘s kid-friendly series tribute The Great Yokai War (2005). It’s indentical to 2021’s “limited edition” box set, minus the promotional booklet, postcards and poster. Buy “Yokai Monsters Collection.”
CANONICALLY WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:
This section will no longer be updated regularly. Instead, we direct you to our new “Repertory Cinemas Near You” page. We will continue to mention exceptional events in this space from time to time, however.
WHAT’S IN THE PIPELINE:
Here’s a reminder to join us for our February 26 Weird Watch Party of Alex van Warmerdam‘s Borgman (2013), tomorrow night at 10:15 PM ET. On Tubi (so no subscription required) via Kast.tv (free account required). The link to join will drop here, on Facebook, and on Twitter around 10 PM.
Also keep up your voting in our active polls: the latest round of Apocrypha Promotion is up (you get one shot at it, so choose wisely), as well as continuing polling for 2021’s Weirdcademy Awards (where you can vote once per day).
Next week, we’ll dive into folk horror, as El Rob Hubbard provides a thorough report on Severin’s massive “All the Haunts Be Ours: An Anthology of Folk Horror” box set, while Giles Edwards focuses on a single movie from that set: the reader-suggested Penda’s Fen (1974). Gregory J. Smalley heads in a different direction, with a review of the newly released Wicca satire King Knight. And that surprise tentative interview we hinted at last week is now a surprise interview tentatively scheduled for next week. Onward and weirdward!
What are you looking forward to? If you have any weird movie leads that we have overlooked, feel free to leave them in the COMMENTS section.