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 at the official site links.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
Men & Chicken (2015): Our own Alex Kittle described it as “a sick, strange, and funny family drama about 5 brothers and their enigmatic scientist father.” Rising star Drafthouse Releasing picked up this Danish import and debuts it in New York and L.A. this week, with spotty coverage throughout the U.S. the rest of the summer. Men & Chicken official site.
Tale of Tales (2015): A triple fantasy of tales of three magical kingdoms; it’s sexy, it’s gory, and Salma Hayek eats a heart (which is both sexy and gory). After its Cannes debut (where it received good reviews) we heard nothing about Matteo Garrone‘s fairy tale experiment and had given up on seeing a Stateside release; it looks like IFC will play it in New York City, with a simultaneous VOD release agreement with Direct TV. Tale of Tales official site.
DVR ALERT (Turner Classic Movies, Sat., 4/23, 2:00 AM EST):
Possession (1981): Read Pamela De Graff’s (still controversial) review. A rare screening of Andrzej Zulawski‘s divisively weird Isabell-Adjani-makes-it-with-an-octopus opus. Richard Harlan Smith adds his musings at Movie Morlocks.
SCREENINGS – (New York City, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Apr. 22-24):
“An Early Clue to the New Direction: Queer Cinema Before Stonewall”: When sexuality is repressed, it surfaces in weirdness. That’s not the thesis of this week-long examination of pre-sexual revolution subtextual cinema, but from our perspective it should be. There are dozens of films playing this series, but to us the crucial screenings are the triple feature of Kenneth Anger‘s “Fireworks,” Jean Genet’s “Un Chant d’Amour” and Jean Cocteau‘s “Blood of a Poet” on Friday night; Persona (interesting choice) on Saturday evening; and gender-bending classick Glen or Glenda? on Sunday night. “An Early Clue to the New Direction: Queer Cinema Before Stonewall” at Film Society of Lincoln Center.
SCREENINGS – (New York City, Videology Bar and Cinema, Friday, 4/22 at Midnight):
Trash Humpers (2009): Read the Certified Weird review! Clearly, the best way to watch Harmony Korine‘s aggressively transgressive low-budget lark about vicious old people humping trash is while getting trashed at a bar. This one is a recurring fave at Videology. Trash Humpers at Videology Bar and Cinema.
IN DEVELOPMENT (PRE-PRODUCTION):
Valley of the Gods (est. 2016): The story concerns the richest man in the world, his biographer (who may have the ability to alter reality with his words), and ancient Navajo legends. Josh Hartnett, Charlotte Rampling, and Keir Dullea are among the names attached; Lech Majewski will direct (that’s a good thing). Read more on Valley of the Gods at Variety.
NEW ON DVD:
Theory of Obscurity: A Film About the Residents (2015): A documentary about the cult band the Residents, a group of eyeball-masked oddballs who dubbed one of their tours “the Wonder of the Weird.” More significant than the documentary itself may be the numerous rare Residents short films and music videos included on the disc, including an animated segment from an unfinished feature film. Buy Theory of Obscurity: A Film About the Residents
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
The Stuff (1985): Read Pamela De Graff’s review. Arrow “stuffs” this Blu-ray of B-auteur Larry Cohen‘s horror comedy with mini-docs, trailers and a booklet. Buy The Stuff [Blu-ray]
Theory of Obscurity: A Film About the Residents (2015): See description in DVD above. Buy Theory of Obscurity: A Film About the Residents [Blu-ray]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Anarchy in the UK: The New Underground Cinema (2016): Partially autobiographical doc/manifesto from underground filmmaker Fabrizio Federico, full of bits from his works and those of his pals (including clips from Savage Witches). Watch Anarchy in the UK: The New Underground Cinema 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.