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.
SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, CA, Fri. 5/29):
The City of Lost Children (1995): Read the Certified Weird entry! This presentation of the classic about a madman who steals children’s dreams in a steampunk city is kicks off a new French film series at Cinefamily called “La Collectionneuse.” City screens with unspecified Jeunet/Caro shorts (the team made a few of these in the 1980s before garduating to their first feature, 1991’s Certified Weird Delicatessen). The City of Lost Children at Cinefamily.
SCREENINGS – (Cinefamily, Los Angeles, CA, Wed. 6/3):
Bronson (2008): Read the Certified Weird entry! That’s right, this Cinefamily joint is screening a second Certified Weird feature this summer, sticking a bizarre cinematic thorn into the very paw of Hollywood’s blockbuster season. No wonder they’re our favorite cult movie organization in the U.S.A. This screening celebrates the release of the full Bronson soundtrack on vinyl, with director Nicolas Winding Refn on hand to sign copies of the LP. Bronson at Cinefamily.
NEW ON DVD:
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014): A professor becomes a vampire-like creature, then strikes up a romantic relationship with a woman. The background to this movie may be stranger than the actual film: this is Spike Lee’s crowdfunded remake of the minor 1970s black vampire romance cult film Ganja and Hess. Buy Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
The Escapees (1981): Two girls escape from a mental institution and drift across the French countryside. This is a minor film from Jean Rollin, with no vampires and less surrealism and less nudity than usual (what’s left in a Rollin film when you take out the vampires, surrealism and nudity?) Redemption already released this on DVD in 2009 in a copy struck from a visually murky print, but this re-release is remastered. Buy The Escapees
Island of Death (1976): See description in Blu-ray below. Buy Island of Death [Blu-ray/DVD combo]
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014): See description in DVD above. Buy Da Sweet Blood of Jesus [Blu-ray]
The Escapees (1981): See description in DVD above. Buy The Escapees [Blu-ray]
Island of Death (1976): Two British vigilantes take it upon themselves to slaughter local degenerates while on vacation on a Greek island. Seldom-seen Greek exploitation film that was infamously banned in Britain as a “video nasty.” Available on a DVD/Blu-ray combo, with extra features, from Arrow Video. Buy Island of Death [Blu-ray/DVD combo]
Touch of Evil (1958): Orson Welles’ overheated noir about a Mexican lawman (Charlton Heston!) who uncovers border town corruption, embodied in the massive, commanding personality of bad cop Hank Quinlan (Welles). For a long time Touch of Evil was unavailable on home video; in the last decade, Universal seems to be re-packaging it every few years. This Blu-ray contains three cuts of the film (the theatrical version, the reconstructed version and the “preview version”) and hopefully will stand as the final word on this classic. Buy Touch of Evil [Blu-ray]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Kung Fury (2015): After the partner of 1980s karate cop Kung Fury is killed by time-traveling assassin Adolph Hitler, Kung decides to go back in time to kill Der Führer, but miscalculates and winds up in Viking times instead. Kung Fury raised over $600,000 on Kickstarter, which was not enough to make the planned feature film; however, they did produce this thirty minute short and release it for free, so who’s complaining? Unrated, but contains cartoonish violence and profanity. Watch Kung Fury 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.