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):
Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016): It sounds like a starting point for a Guy Maddin movie: 500 silent films are discovered in a vault under a hockey rink in a town near the Arctic Circle. This is more of a straight documentary than the cinematic poems Bill Morrison is best known for, but it still promises to uncover amazing oeneric images from the past. Dawson City: Frozen Time distributor’s page.
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IN DEVELOPMENT (Announced):
Annette (201?): Leos Carax‘s next project will be a musical scored by Sparks (who, you may recall, gifted a memorably scrambled booty song to The Forbidden Room) about a widowed standup comedian and his “gifted” two-year-old daughter. Adam Driver is to star, with the latest news being that Michelle Williams has replaced Rooney Mara as the female lead. Amazon will distribute, so unlike many of Carax’s previous projects that fell apart in development, this will almost certainly see the light of day. Latest news via the A.V. Club.
IN DEVELOPMENT (Post-production):
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (201?): Terry Gilliam has announced that principal photography on his Quixote project has wrapped up—a mere 17 years after it started. We don’t know how weird the final project will be, but has Gilliam ever played it straight or safe? More at Variety.
NEW ON DVD:
Akira (1988): Read the Certified Weird review! This new steelbook DVD/Blu-ray combo disc from Funimation appears to contain the same features as previous versions of the cyberpunk anime classic, but adds a new 32-page booklet. Buy Akira [DVD/Blu-ray combo]
A Cure for Wellness (2017): Read our list candidate review. Now’s your chance to see if this wanderingly weird psychohorror set at a Gothic wellness retreat has what it takes to make the List. Buy A Cure for Wellness
Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017): Pacifist demon hunter Xuan Zang continues his journey to India begun in the original Journey to the West, facing new demons. This second installment of the Stephen Chow original international hit saw Tsui Hark take over the directorial reins, to less critical acclaim. Buy Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Akira (1988): See description in DVD above. Buy Akira [DVD/Blu-ray combo]
A Cure for Wellness (2017): See description in DVD above. Blu-ray sold separately (i.e. this is not a DVD/Blu combo pack, as is increasingly becoming the trend). Buy A Cure for Wellness Blu-ray
Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017): See description in DVD above. This release includes a DVD copy as well. Buy Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back [DVD/Blu-ray combo]
CERTIFIED WEIRD (AND OTHER) REPERTORY SCREENINGS:
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). We won’t list all the screenings of this audience-participation classic separately. You can use this page to find a screening near you.
- Chicago. IL, 6/9-10 (midnights)- House [Hausu] (1977). At Music Box Theater.
- Chicago. IL, 6/10, 13, 14 –Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). At Music Box Theater.
- Columbus, OH, 6/10 – Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) (hosted by “Dr. Bob”). At the Gateway Film Center.
- New York City, NY 6/9-10 (midnights) – The Holy Mountain (1973). At IFC Center.
- New York City, NY, 6/9-13 – Stalker (1979). At IFC Center.
- New York City, NY 6/9-10 (after midnight) – Weekend (1967). At IFC Center.
- Oakland, CA, 6/11 – Barbarella (1968) (with a post-film discussion as part of the “Bechdel Test” series). At the New Parkway Theater.
- Sydney, Australia, 6/10 – Belle de Jour (1967). Part of the Sydney Film Festival.
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.