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):
A Hard Day’s Night (1964): Way back in 1964, America was surprised when the first feature film by the Mop Top pop sensations was a plotless mockumentary filled with absurd humor. To coincide with the Criterion Collection DVD/Blu-ray release, Janus Films is re-releasing this rock touchstone theatrically, with scattered screenings across the US throughout the summer. Look for a date near you on Janus Films’ A Hard Day’s Night re-release page.
IN DEVELOPMENT:
Pregnant (2015?): Someone dropped this trailer for an experimental/underground “pop symphony” off on our Facebook doorstep, with nary a word about how to see the finished product. We deduce that the status is “completed, not yet released.” A search turned up the following website: Pregnant official site.
NEW ON DVD:
Scavenger Killers (2013): A renegade judge and a sexy defense attorney team up for a torture killing spree, trailed by oddball FBI agents including a psychic with Tourette’s Syndrome (played by–naturally—disgraced “Saved by the Bell” geek Dustin Diamond). Film Threat called it “an insane film in every regard.” Buy Scavenger Killers
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Cannibal Holocaust (1980): Notorious Italian exploitationer about a documentary crew that is massacred by a cannibal tribe in South America; an ahead-of-its-time monstrosity that trailblazed two of our least favorite developments in recent horror: torture porn and found footage films. Although readers have frequently requested this film for review, we have repeatedly dodged it, because of the movie’s disturbing, unsimulated animal cruelty, and because to us it sounds more like “shock” cinema than “weird” cinema. For those who are interested, this release contains an entire bonus Blu-ray of extra features and the soundtrack on CD. Buy Cannibal Holocaust [Blu-ray]
Cry-Baby (1990): A square good girl falls for a dreamy “drape” with the ability to cry on command in this parody of 1950s juvenile delinquent movies. John Waters completists will want to check out this PG-13 release with a typically crazy cast: Johnny Depp, Susan Tyrrell, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Patty Hearst, and more! Buy Cry-Baby [Blu-ray]
NEPOTISM CORNER:
Tiny women love “366 Weird Movies 2013 Yearbook!”
The folks at The Underground Film Studio (makers of Savage Witches) were so excited by their positive review in the Yearbook that they used it as a backdrop for their voodoo doll ceremonies, and as the featured image for this news update.
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.