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 DEVELOPMENT:
Rocks in My Pockets: A feature length animated comedy film about depression from Signe Baumane. 23 of 90 minutes are currently animated. The official site is here, and they are also seeking donations on IndieGoGo.
Rocks in My Pockets (an excerpt) from Signe Baumane on Vimeo.
NEW ON DVD:
Aphrodisiac! The Sexual Secret of Marijuana (1971): A stretch for weird, but certainly an oddity: a vintage pro-pot exploitation documentary, spiced up with ample sex scenes. If you thought what Refeer Madness needed was more naked hippies, than this is the movie for you. Featuring an early appearance by John Holmes and containing hardcore porn inserts. Distributor Impulse is advertising this version as containing all the naughty bits expunged from earlier prints, but don’t blame us if Amazon took them out. Buy Aphrodisiac! The Sexual Secret of Marijuana
“Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XX”: The twentieth box set from the cult TV movie-mocking series brings us the Season 1 sci-fi disaster Project Moonbase; Master Ninja I & II, comprising four episodes of the van-heavy failed TV show starring Lee van Cleef and Timothy van Patten; and the recast Russian fairy tale The Magic Voyage of Sinbad (the only feature in the set that might play weird on its own). Not surreal per se, but generally of interest to weirdos like us. Buy “Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. XX”
Son of Terror (2008): A schizophrenic artist gets involved in a case involving a serial killer preying on the homeless, and nothing is as it seems. Poorly reviewed, but do independent horror/slasher movies made in Seattle ever get good reviews? Buy Son of Terror
Transgression [La transgressione] (1988): Italian sexploitation film about a student who takes drugs and hallucinates a meeting with an erotic goddess. Amazon sold out of this title less than a week after release, but maybe they only ordered one copy? More units are on the way as we speak. Buy Transgression
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Excalibur (1981): Not thoroughly weird, but this Arthurian epic has its bizarre moments that may send chills up your spine—such as a young Mordred laughing through his golden mask as he leads Percival into a forest where knights in armor hang from the trees. At times it’s hard to believe this was made by the same director who made Zardoz; other times, the similarity is perfectly obvious. Buy Excalibur [Blu-ray]
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984): Early environmental-apocalypse anime from the renowned Hayao Miyazaki. Disney has been slowly leaking out their entire catalog of Miyazaki/Studio Ghibli titles onto Blu-ray over the past few years. Buy Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
NEW ON VIDEO-ON-DEMAND:
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions (2004): We’ve still never seen one of Spanish director Carlos Atanes’ films (except for the short “The Marvellous World of the Cucu Bird,” which can be watched online), but we’re aware of him because he’s one of the few filmmakers who proudly describes his movies as “weird.” FAQ is an underground movie about a matriarchal dystopian future; you can watch the first two minutes for free on Amazon. Rent or download FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Dead Leaves (2004): Two odd-looking amnesiacs (one with a TV for a head) are sent to a lunar prison in this sci-fi/anime/comedy. This one is currently in our reader-suggested review queue, so this is your big chance to see it for free before we cover it! Watch Dead Leaves 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.