A 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):
Louis (2010): It’s disappointing to read the negative reviews from the preview audiences for such an appealing-sounding project: a modern silent film about young Louis Armstrong growing up in Storyville, with Jackie Earl Haley as a Chaplinesque villain and live musical accompaniment by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and classical pianist Cecile Licad. Playing successive nights in Chicago (Aug 25th); Detroit (26th); Bethesda, Md. (28th); New York (30th); and Philadelphia (31st). Louis official site.
SCREENINGS (MOUNT VERNON, NY):
The Milk of Sorrow [La Teta Asustada] (2009): Magical realist tale with an interesting premise: women who are abused during pregnancy transmit their sorrow to their children through breast milk. Most critics found the pace poetic, others complain it’s too slow, but all agree it features an interesting alternative use for potatoes. Peru’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2010. The Milk of Sorrow official site.
NEW ON DVD:
Godkiller: Walk Among Us (2010): From the product description: “a twisted, sci-fi/horror adventure about a 16 year old boy’s odyssey through a post-nuke wasteland (populated by fallen gods, organ-stealing hookers, and sex-addicted technowizards) as he searches for a new heart to save his dying sister.” Animated, from an indie comic, and it’s gotten fairly good notices in the genre press. Lance Henriksen and Bill Mosely supply voices. Buy Godkiller: Walk Among Us.
“Kick Ass Heroes” [Four Film Super Collection: Fantastic Argoman (1967)/Green Inferno (1988)/Robo Vampire (1988)/Red Eagle (1970)]: We haven’t seen any of these, but at least one of these losers could fall into the so-bad-it’s-weird-category: Robo Vampire, which features a poorly costumed robot and Taoist hopping vampires and was directed by the infamous Godfrey Ho. Green Inferno is better known as Cannibal Holocaust II. We have to confess to admiring the boxcover’s shameless marketing moxie; it’s designed to fool the extremely feeble minded into thinking that they’re purchasing the overrated Hollywood blockbuster. They might accidentally get exposed to something interesting instead. Buy “Kick Ass Heroes”
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Death Note Collection (2006): Read our capsule review of part I of Death Note. This release contains both installments of the interesting and mildly weird story of a college student who finds a book which allows him to kill anyone whose name he writes in it, and the eccentric techno-detective who hunts him down. Contains a disc of extras. Buy Death Note Collection (Death Note/Death Note II: The Last Name) [Blu-ray]
Shogun Assassin (1980): Not very weird, but definitely cult-y: this bloody Japanese samurai story was re-edited by Americans from two previous “Lone Wolf” movies to produce what many fans believe is actually a superior film. The tale involves a masterless samurai assassin with a son and a baby cart full of weapons who is hunted by ninjas, and it’s wall-to-wall fight scenes. Buy Shogun Assassin [Blu-ray]
Time Bandits (1981): Read the Certified Weird entry. Cause for celebration: Terry Gilliam‘s early masterpiece joins the high-def ranks! The only downside is that there’s only one extra, a new fifteen minute interview with Gilliam. It’s still great news for Blu-ray owners. Buy Time Bandits [Blu-ray]
Withnail and I (1987): Capping off a fantastic week in cult Blu-ray cinema is this beloved (though non-weird) British black comedy about a pair of unemployed actors “enjoying” a boozy weekend retreat at an uncle’s cabin. Buy Withnail and I [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.