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 (WIDE RELEASE):
Mirror Mirror: Julia Roberts stars as the evil queen in this Snow White adaptation from sometimes weird director Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) that the marketing department originally promised would put a “dark twist” on the legend; now they’re positioning it as “hilarious fun for the whole family.” From the synopsis to the cast and crew to the early reviews there is nothing really inspiring about this version of the fairy tale, but we’re still hoping it’s better than the upcoming video-game styled Snow White and the Huntsman. Mirror Mirror official site.
FILM FESTIVALS: ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL (Ann Arbor, MI, Mar 27-Apr 1):
Let’s face it: with over 200 experimental films (mostly shorts) screening, most of them from directors so obscure even we’ve never heard of them, writing even a short guide to the 2012 AAFF is too daunting a task for us to take on. We’ll only mention a few of the highlights we noticed: “Maska,” the latest short by the Quay Brothers; “Visitation,” surrealist Suzan Pitt‘s first new animation since 2006 (a rush job from an artist known for producing a new piece once every ten years); and a decade-by-decade program chronicling Japanese avant-garde film from the 1970s to the 2000s. Wander into any random screening at Ann Arbor and chances are what you see would qualify as “weird.” Ann Arbor Film Festival homepage.
SCREENINGS (Los Angeles, Cinefamily):
“The Unbelievable Genius of Andrzej Zulawski”: We forgot to mention the first American retrospective of the work of outre Polish auteur Andrzej Zulawski when it was in New York last week, but we can let you know about the Los Angeles version of the screening. All of the films apparently are appearing in restored versions ahead of planned Region 1 DVD releases by Mondo Vision. It’s already to late to catch much of this mini-festival but we can report on the following dates: the notorious (even around here!) Possession plays Apr. 1-4 (this is the big ticket item), along with the following films: Boris Godounov, Apr. 1; On the Silver Globe, Apr. 2; The Third Part of the Night, Apr. 8; and The Devil, Apr. 10. Thanks to L. Rob Hubbard for the heads up! The Unbelievable Genius of Andrzej Zuwalski at Cinefamily.
NEW ON DVD:
“Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo: The Complete Series, Part 1” (2003): We don’t usually mention anime series in this space—they are in their own universe, weird-looking to outsiders but quite normal to their peculiar devotees—but we’ll make an exception for this nonsensical parody series about a man with a giant blond afro fighting an evil emperor who wants to rid his kingdom of hair. Hopefully the clip below will explain why we’re bringing this one to your attention. Buy “Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo: The Complete Series, Part 1”
Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011): A documentary on Roger Corman is not in itself weird, but a portrait of a film outsider who’s had his fingers in some weird pies is worth noting. An odd assortment of Oscar winners and cult figures turn out to pay tribute to the King of the B’s, including Jack Nicholson, Pam Greer, Martin Scorsese and Traci Lords. Buy Corman’s World
“The Found Footage Festival, Vol. 3”: The fine folks at Found Footage Festival have been collecting awkward, embarrassing bits of pop-culture effluvia from VHS instructional tapes, public access TV shows, and other moldy sources since 2004. They’re friendly rivals to the gang at Everything is Terrible (with less ambition but better distribution). Buy “The Found Footage Festival: Volume 3”
“The Found Footage Festival, Vol. 4”: Even more from the seemingly bottomless trash bin of thrift-store cinema. Buy “The Found Footage Festival: Volume 4”
The Gruesome Death of Tommy Pistol (2011): Read our capsule review. Three comic nightmares of a struggling actor trying to make it in the L.A. independent film scene. We named it #10 on our Weirdest Movies of 2011 list. Buy The Gruesome Death of Tommy Pistol
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011): See description in DVD above. Buy Corman’s World [Blu-ray]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Red Scream Nosferatu (2009): A very low-budget, color/talkie sort-of remake of Murnau’s Nosferatu. It’s got some blood, bad acting, clips from the original, a rented fog machine, and a vampire with a goatee. It’s not very good but there is some priceless dialogue sprinkled throughout: a junior bride of Dracula complains that the other brides don’t like her and make her wash their coffins (!) Watch Red Scream Nosferatu 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.