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.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
Don Peyote (2014): Read our review. Star/co-director Dan Fogler will be touring California this week, making stops in six cities for Q&A’s after screening the film. The tour is sponsored by Weedmaps (they do know their target audience!) The movie should also be live on instant video
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Glilgamesh (post-production, estimated release November 2014): An expedition accidentally releases Innana, the Sumerian goddess of lust. The U.S. government plans to use the divinity as a weapon of mass destruction, while Communists plot a coup, and immortal Gilgamesh decides whether to intervene. We mentioned this one a couple of weeks ago, but now there is a teaser trailer. Unofficial official Gilgamesh site (Boston Film Family Facebook page).
SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, CA, May 15-22):
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979): Werner Herzog takes a crack at a talkie version of Murnau’s silent classic, with “best fiend” Klaus Kinski in the title role. The results didn’t match the original, but the experiment was nonetheless a success. If you’re in L.A., hurry and buy your tickets right now, because Herzog himself will be in attendance tonight, Friday May 15, for the 8 PM PST showing. More on Nosferatu the Vampyre at Cinefamily.
FILM FESTIVALS – Cannes Film Festival (Cannes, France, May 14-25):
Cannes is an odd duck. Not known as a “weird-friendly” festival—movies like Crash and Antichrist have been famously hooted at by Cannes crowds who were having none of that—it aims to flatter the mainstream arthouse crowd with middle-of-the-road dramas. Cannes’ juries’ resemble those of the Academy Awards, but with higher premium placed on boringness. Still, there is always something worth looking at there, and while the slate is particularly light this year, we did see three candidates to keep an eye on.
- Goodbye to Language [Adieu au Langage] – The latest from Jean-Luc Godard, now in his mid 80s, is shot in 3D and features nude women, dogs, philosophical discourses, and experimental visuals. Late Godard tends to be “difficult” (and usually not much fun), and we would expect nothing less here. Screening in competition.
- Lost River – Ryan Gossling describes his directorial debut as a “fantasy noir” and “modern day fairytale” set in a “macabre and dark fantasy underworld.” This could be promising. With Christina Hendricks, Saoirse Ronan, Eva Mendes, “Doctor Who”‘s Matt Smith, and Barbara Steele. Screening in Un Certain Regard.
- Maps to the Stars – As with any new David Cronenberg film, there is a lot of buzz and the hope of seeing something new and unexpected. This Hollywood satire features an interesting cast, including Mia Wasikowska, Julianne Moore, John Cusak, and of course new Cronenberg regulars Robert Pattinson and Sarah Gadon. Screening in competition.
NEW ON DVD:
Her (2013): Read our capsule review. Spike Jonze‘s melancholy account of a near-future romance between a human and an artificial intelligence dances on the edge of being weird, but it’s definitely worth the attention of thoughtful people. Buy Her
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Her (2013): See description in DVD above. This is the DVD/Blu-ray combo pack. Buy Her [Blu-ray/DVD]
Sin City (2005): Four tales of pulpy crime set in the noirish title city, adapted from the graphic novels of Frank Miller. The visually experimental cult film was shot in black and white with individual elements (blood, lipstick, a red dress) appearing in color—so the Blu-ray should be a beautiful sight. This presentation is, naturally, the uncut version of the film, which runs about two-and-a-half hours. Buy Sin City [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.
Godard’s newest certainly sounds confusing, have you guys seen the synopsis from Cannes? “The idea is simple: A married woman and a single man meet. They love, they argue, fists fly. A dog strays between town and country. The seasons pass. The man and woman meet again. The dog finds itself between them. The other is in one, the one is in the other and they are three. The former husband shatters everything. A second film begins: the same as the first, and yet not. From the human race we pass to metaphor. This ends in barking and a baby’s cries. In the meantime, we will have seen people talking of the demise of the dollar, of truth in mathematics and of the death of a robin.” Yeesh, sounds like later Godard alright. Should be interesting to see how he makes use of 3D.
When the project was first announced there were rumors that the dog was going to talk.
Early reviews of Gosling’s Lost River are in and they’re, um, divided. Sounds like something we will definitely have to check out.