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):
Vanishing on 7th Street: Darkness takes over the streets of Detroit, literally leaving death in its wake, in this “apocalyptic thriller.” We take note of it because it’s from director Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Session 9). Simultaneously available on some on-demand cable systems. Vanishing on 7th Street official site.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Hellacious Acres: The Case of John Glass (2011): A minimalist post-apocalyptic comedy about a man who wakes from a cryogenic slumber to discover the world has been devastated by nuclear war followed by an alien invasion. From the demented mind of Pat Tremblay, who gave us the still-unreleased Heads of Control: The Gorul Baheu Brain Expedition, so the scenario is likely to be even weirder than described. This is now apparently completed, although it has not yet debuted.
NEW ON DVD:
Repo Chick (2010): Alex Cox’s long awaited (by us, at least) “spiritual sequel” to the groundbreaking Repo Man is a “kooky” comedy casting what appears to be a modernized “Valley Girl” as the Repo Chick drawn into a kidnapping plot in Los Angeles. Looks deliberately cheap and campy, shot entirely in green screen, and the trailer’s frankly uninspiring. Where has Alex been since turning down the chance to direct Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Buy Repo Chick.
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010): Documentary on Naked Lunch author and beat icon Burroughs. Not weird but “of interest,” and it contains tributes from weirdmen David Cronenberg and John Waters, among others. Buy William S. Burroughs: A Man Within.
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Network (1976): In the reality-TV era, Paddy Chayefsky’s satire about a network that revives sagging ratings by cynically exploiting the on-air mental breakdown of a news anchor no longer seems that weird. Still, up until this week we were mad as hell that this classic black comedy had never been released on Blu-ray before. Buy Network [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.