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):
Bunraku (2010): A cowboy and a samurai team up to battle evil in this alternate reality actioner starring Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson (as a mystical bartender), Ron Perlman and Demi Moore. The setup and cast are intriguing, but reviewers warn that it’s style over substance. Bunraku official site.
My Joy (2010): A Ukrainian truck driver begins his day trying to make a delivery, runs into absurd bureaucracy and corruption, and ends up trapped in a strange timeless village. Critical response has been favorable. Opens in New York with only a few dates across the country to follow. My Joy official site (US).
Take Shelter: Michael Shannon plays a crazy guy (daring casting, that) whose dreams of impending tempests are so lifelike that he cashes in his savings to build an elaborate storm shelter. Fresh off a successful festival run, Jeff (Shotgun Stories) Nicholls second feature opens in New York and Los Angeles this week, and has a full card of future dates across the country (thanks to being picked up by Sony Classics). Take Shelter official site.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil: Not so weird, but noteworthy: a horror movie/slasher spoof where the loner hillbillies in the middle of nowhere actually don’t want to carve up the hot collegians on spring break with chainsaws—though they’d have a hard time convincing anyone of their beneficence. This independent Canadian production is getting fine reviews and somewhat predictable comparisons to Shaun of the Dead. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil official site.
NEW ON DVD:
7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964): Tony Randall plays eight (or is it nine?) different roles (mostly mythological characters like Pan and the Abominable Snowman) in this fantasy about a magical circus that comes to a Western town. This is in our reader-suggested review queue. It’s being re-released on DVD-R by Warner Archives, rather than in a nice new edition, unfortunately. Buy 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.
Baby Jane? (2010): Remember the catty camp classic Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Well, here’s a (nearly shot for shot?) remake. The gimmick? Joan Crawford’s and Bette Davis’ roles go to female impersonators. Buy Baby Jane?
The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman (2010): Heavily stylized Chinese action comedy about a mythical blade that is melted down and made into a kitchen knife, and passes down through three different owners. Could this be a slight stirring in the crazy corpse of the Hong Kong New Wave we detect? Buy The Butcher, the Chef, and the Swordsman
Heathers (1988): The hilarious cult black comedy about wholesale slaughter in high school, starring Wynona Ryder and Christian Slater. The good news is that Heathers was, surprisingly, out of print. The bad news is that this re-issue comes from Image Entertainment, who are known for releasing cheap bare-bones DVDs from substandard prints. There are no reports on any extras, which suggests there are none. A true fan might go looking for a used copy of the 20th High School Reunion Edition
Herschell Gordon Lewis: Godfather of Gore (2010): The title says it all. Cool folks like John Waters, Joe Bob Briggs, and Frank Henenlotter are interviewed on the Blood Feast auteur’s impact on the sleaze scene. From Something Weird video by way of Image Entertainment. Buy Herschell Gordon Lewis: Godfather of Gore
Maximum Shame (2010): From Carlos Atanes comes a release described as a “apocalyptic fetish horror musical chess sci-fi weird underground feature movie.” Surprisingly, that description is completely accurate. We’ll have a review of this coming shortly. Available on DVD-R only. Buy Maximum Shame
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991): A man with superhuman strength is sent to jail for avenging the rape of his girlfriend, and once there system pushes him too hard and he must rip out his tormentors’ intestines. Tokyo Shock originally released this insane gore spectacle in 2000; no word on whether there are any upgrades this time, or if they’re just reissuing it with new cover art to capitalize on the film’s Blu-ray debut in two weeks. Buy Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
NEW ON BLU-RAY:
Basket Case (1982): Read our capsule review! This strange, scratchy grindhouse monster flick doesn’t seem like it would benefit from high definition, but here it is anyway. The abundant special features all appear to be ported over from Something Weird’s previous DVD release. Buy Basket Case [Blu-ray]
“The Blood Trilogy”: Herschell Gordon Lewis‘ foundational gore films on one disc: the ridiculous Blood Feast (1963), the extremely nasty Two Thousand Maniacs (1964), and also-ran Color Me Blood Red (1965). Another entry in the new Something Weird/Image Entertainment partnership. Buy “The Blood Trilogy” [Blu-ray]
Heathers (1988): See description in DVD above. Buy Heathers [Blu-ray]
FREE (LEGITIMATE RELEASE) MOVIES ON YOUTUBE:
Southland Tales (2006): Read our capsule review. Richard Kelly‘s notoriously confusing (many say botched) speculative satire is now up to help you blow your mind for free. Watch Southland Tales 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.