Our weekly 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.
FILM FESTIVALS – South by Southwest (Austin, TX, Mar. 7-16):
Following hot on the heels of Sundance, South by Southwest is more than just a place for leftovers to screen. Since expanding from a musical festival to an all-media extravaganza, its star has continued to ascend. Although it doesn’t host as many premiers as its Utah cousin, it gets its fair share of prestige pictures (by indie standards, that is). Among the movies we’ve seen pop up at other fests that are also playing here, the ones of particular interest to weirdophiles are Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s semi-autobiography The Dance of Reality; Frank (also seen at Sundance), which stars Michael Fassbender in an oversized head as the title character; and Jim Jarmusch‘s long-simmering vampire film, Only Lovers Left Alive. Two debuting movies caught our eye as having some potential bizarre appeal:
- The Desert – A post-apocalyptic love triangle from Argentina, featuring a zombie and a guy who tattoos his face with flies. Debuting Mar. 7 with additional screenings on the 8th, 10th and 14th.
- Starry Eyes – Horror about Hollywood; a young actress lands a big part, and finds her body and mind transformed. A Satanic cult plays a role in casting. Mar. 8, 10, 12 and 14.
NEW ON DVD:
Oldboy (2013): A man is imprisoned in a hotel room for twenty years without explanation, then just as inexplicably set free to seek revenge on his captor. We assumed this Spike Lee remake of the shocking Korean original was doomed to be a disappointment and decided to skip it, but you may be curious (or masochistic). Buy Oldboy
The Visitor (1979): Read our capsule review. Drafthouse Films’ new release of the nearly forgotten Italian Exorcist ripoff our own Ben Sunde called “utterly unique in its weirdness” contains all new interviews, including one with Lance Henriksen. Buy The Visitor
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Garden State (2004): Read our review. This quirky romantic comedy about an over-medicated actor arrives on Blu-ray for the first time, with the same suite of extras (including two commentary tracks) as the original DVD. Buy Garden State [Blu-ray]
Hairspray (1988): John Waters goes PG for this campy but nostalgic look at 1960s integration from a teen perspective. One of Divine‘s final movies before passing away from sleep apnea. Buy Hairspray [Blu-ray]
Oldboy (2013): See description in DVD above. Buy Oldboy [Blu-ray]
The Visitor (1979): See description in DVD above. Buy The Visitor [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.