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 (WIDE RELEASE):
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017): Two space operatives investigate a mystery in a city that serves as a galactic cultural crossroads. Luc Besson‘s latest attempt to crack the U.S. blockbuster market has gotten mixed reviews, but also drawn some complaints/plaudits for its “trippiness.” Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets official site.
IN THEATERS (LIMITED RELEASE):
The Girl Without Hands [Le Jeune Fille sans Mains] (2016): Animated version of the Grimm fairy tale about a girl who loses her hands to the Devil. Looking more like a series of overlapping art canvases than a traditional animated film, this one is drawing universal praise. The Girl Without Hands U.S. distributor site.
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Kuso (2017): It looks like a psychedelic cable access variety show set in the aftermath of an L.A. earthquake. The grotesque bodily fluid imagery mixed with narrative incomprehensibility inspired many a walkout during its not-quite-succès de scandale debut at Sundance. Kuso official site.
The Untamed (2016): Erotic Mexican horror about an unhappy marriage and some sort of creature in the woods. It made enough of a splash on the festival circuit to earn a limited release; we hope it’s not too tame. The Untamed official site.
NEW ON DVD:
Buster’s Mal Heart (2017): Read Alex Kittle’s review. A hermit ranting about “the Inversion” has a couple of other possible identities in this mindbender. Buy Buster’s Mal Heart.
Stalker (1979): Read the Certified Weird review! The Criterion Collection releases Andrei Tarkovsky‘s newly-restored, mesmerizingly ambiguous sci-fi feature; special features (mostly interviews) are on a second disc. Buy Stalker.
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Buster’s Mal Heart (2017): See description in DVD above. Buy Buster’s Mal Heart [Blu-ray].
Stalker (1979): See description in DVD above. The movie and bonus content fit on one Blu-ray. Buy Stalker [Blu-ray].
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.
- Columbus, OH, 7/26 – 7/28 – Blue Velvet (1986). At Gateway Film Center.
- Los Angeles, 7/21 –The Holy Mountain (1973). At Nuart Theater.
- Los Angeles, 7/21 – If…. (1968) & Performance (1970) (double feature). At The Egyptian Theater.
- Los Angeles, 7/22 – Female Trouble (1974) (on a double bill with Heavy Traffic). At The Egyptian Theater.
- Los Angeles, 7/22 & 7/24 – Stalker (1979). At Cinefamily.
- Los Angeles, 7/27 – Pink Floyd the Wall (1982). At The Standard, Hollywood.
- New York City, 7/21 – Fantastic Planet [La Planète Sauvage] (1973). With new live electronic score by Adrianna “Gooddroid” Moschides. At Videology Bar & Cinema.
- New York City, 7/21-7/24 – Stalker (1979). At IFC Center.
- New York City, 7/23 – The Bed Sitting Room (1969). At the Museum of Modern Art.
- New York City, 7/23 & 7/26 – Rubin & Ed (1991). Also screening in this Trent Harris retrospective: The Beaver Trilogy on the 23rd and 26th, Welcome to the Rubber Room on the 23rd, and a Harris shorts compilation on the 22nd and 24th. At Spectacle Theater.
- Oakland, CA, 7/21 – Heavenly Creatures (1994). At The New Parkway Theater.
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.