MissBunny,
First you bring up the Tindersticks in another thread, and now Delicatessen.
Um…yeah. You like good stuff, or something.
Hey, what is with this board??? I tried to post something hours ago, my computer crashed without completing the submit, and then the site was locked. So when it finally came back up, I did some slight editing, corrected my heinous typo, and reposted (I had saved it in Word first) and now they’re both here! I swear I didn’t get impatient and post twice!
Okay, so that I keep on topic: How about A Boy and His Dog, just to keep the cannibalism (or I guess that would be just plain old carnivorism in this case) theme going? Use your imagination …
I can’t believe that nobody has mentioned Erasure Head by David Lynch.
Cemetery Man. I only caught the last 20 minutes, but it was quite weird.
Oooh, Cemetary Man is one of my favorites!
I also cast my vote for Pi. That movie kicks ass.
“It says, I choo-choo-choose you. And it’s got a picture of a train.”
– Ralph Wiggum
Or Blue Velvet - severed ears, oxygen masks, chomping bugs, and the merits of Heineken vs. Pabst Blue Ribbon. That David Lynch is one weird cookie.
I concur with Naked Lunch, Un Chien Andalou, Fear & Loathing, Dr. Caligari, and most of the others. Jodorowsky’s a good call, but he’s really hard to find on video.
I’ll also add:
I Married a Strange Person. Full-length animated feature from Bill Plympton (probably best-known in the mainstream for his squiggle-line Geico commercials). A guy gets zapped in a freak accident and winds up with bizarre powers, which of course is the excuse for the cartoon format. He ends up the target of a manhunt by military and corporate forces who want to exploit his abilities. Truly strange stuff, not to mention very sexual. (Example: During one sex scene, he makes balloon-animal shapes out of his wife’s breasts.)
Fantastic Planet. Truly odd French cartoon. A plot summary doesn’t really do it justice; it’s sort of a Gulliver’s Travels story transplanted into the head-trip world of Yellow Submarine. Sort of. It really defies description.
Anything by the Brothers Quay. They made their name with their disturbing and surreal short stop-action films (their work is the basis for Tool’s video “Sober”), but they also did a full-length live-action feature, Instituta Benjamenta, which is truly one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot. In general, it’s a vaguely Kafkaesque tale of a seemingly ordinary man who enrolls (is committed?) in the Instituta, where sessions consist of standing in rooms and rocking back and forth for hours on end. And then it gets really weird. It’s a haunting, beautiful movie – in fact, that goes for all of the Quays’ work – but be forewarned, in addition to being mind-bendingly bizarre, it’s also extremely creepy and disturbing. If you’re looking for strange movies that’ll be fun in an altered state, the Quays’ movies do not qualify: See these anything but straight sober and you’ll be a gibbering wreck by the end.
Anything by Jan Svankmajer. He makes movies that combine live and stop-action elements, and they’re inarguably warped. Not as disturbing as the Quay Brothers, but equally strange, and quite deep and thought-provoking if you like that sort of thing. I’ll start by recommending Conspirators of Pleasure, which gives us a group of people, none of whom directly knows each other, but who are connected through their bizarre fetishes. One woman, for example, squishes bread into hard balls, and then snorts them up her nose. And one guy drives nails into a rolling pin, and then rolls it all over himself. It sounds senseless, I know, but the movie really does hang together.
Obscure films from Hong Kong. Most of what we know from HK are John Woo ripoffs, i.e. car-crash bang-bang stuff, or costume-opera martial-arts epics. However, there are some real gems lurking in the fringes. Consider, for example, Naked Killer, a hyperkinetic and extremely violent murder comedy-thriller with two bands of competing lesbians and a lead cop who barfs when things get too scary. Or Zu, Warriors of the Magic Mountain (which is only one of many variable translations), starring Sammo Hung (from the CBS series “Martial Law”) and a veritable who’s who of Hong Kong talent; no plot description will capture its insanity, but suffice to say it’s hilarious kung-fu fantasy eye candy. Or any of the HK “hopping vampire” series, such as An Encounter of the Spooky Kind, also starring Hung, in which he gets locked inside a crypt and we get treated to Chinese mythology’s version of the undead: an unbending corpse, long and stiff as a board, chasing people by bouncing around on its feet.
And for a great mix of genres, it’s hard to beat Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, a co-production between Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest and England’s Hammer Films, in which Peter Cushing goes to China, hooks up with seven kung-fu brothers, and fights a Chinese dracula. Blood, breasts, and crazy kung-fu action. Top that!
Movie Geek Central – Reviews, news, analysis, and more! http://moviegeek.homestead.com
Sorry for the immediate followup, but while I was composing that lengthy reply, other people posted shorter messages.
I definitely love Pi, and if you like Cemetary Man, check out Peter Jackson’s early work:
Bad Taste: Goofy government workers repel invasion of rubbery alien flesh-eaters
Dead Alive: Hapless suburbanite is at the center of zombie outbreak
Meet the Feebles: The Muppets as if John Waters had invented them, except way worse
Oh, and by the way, from the original question: The Rutger Hauer / Jennifer Jason Leigh movie is, in fact, as someone pointed out, Flesh and Blood. It’s from director Paul Verhoeven, who also made Robocop, Showgirls, and Starship Troopers, and whose new film, The Hollow Man, about a scientist who turns invisible and goes psychotic, opens this summer.
I figure I should also mention a truly strange movie that doesn’t have any special effects, dream sequences, animation, or anything else, and still manages to be totally off-the-wall: The Stunt Man. The basic plot is that a criminal on the lam hides in a movie production by pretending to be a stunt performer, replacing one who just died doing a stunt for the movie. Beyond that, though, the movie is hallucinatory, demented, and great fun. A subtle, underrated masterpiece, and one that more than qualifies as a “strange movie.”
Movie Geek Central – Reviews, news, analysis, and more! http://moviegeek.homestead.com
Does the German silent film “Metropolis” count? Especially the version set to music by Queen. I saw something called “Circle of Iron” some years ago on TV, the only star was one of the Carradines, it was sort of a combo of Beastmaster and kung fu and the star was I-don’t-know-who, a homely surfer dude in a furry loincloth, walking around having strange adventures, including coming across an old man soaking in a barrel of oil, the purpose of which was to “dissolve his manhood” because of all the trouble it was apparently causing in the old man’s life! Weird!
I have to second Pi and Meet the Feebles (“Sodomy…”) and also pretty much all David Lynch.
I’d like to add Castle Freak–Stuart Gordon, The Last Wave–Peter Weir, The City of Lost Children–Marc Caro, & Freaks–Tod Browning.
Also, pretty much anything by Dario Argento–especially Suspiria.
Those who are dancing look insane to those who cannot hear the music.
One-of-a-kind, custom-designed Wally sig available on request.
How about ** Crimes of Passion **, which starred a very young Kathleen Turner. The plot was about a serious career woman who becomes a hooker with a taste for bizarre “theme sex” at night. She becomes entangled with a thirty something married man who falls in love with her after one session. In trying to fob him off, she ends up being tortured by a crazed priest who wants to save her soul by stabbing her to death with a huge dildo. Needless to say, the married man comes to her rescue in the final reel. The sex scenes in this movie are intense - a couple were on the verge of being X-rated.
The other sureal movie I most liked was the remake of ** Cat People ** which starred Nastasia Kinsky. Slow plot, but gorgeous scenes and great atmospheric music. The very young Nastasia Kinsky is an absolute delight of innocence and smouldering sexuality.
Knock softly but firmly, 'cause I like soft firm knockers…
“Repo Man”
“Blue Velvet”
And I’d put “Seven” in this category, too.
One of my favorites is The Kingdom. It’s hard to describe; it’s actually a Danish TV series directed by Lars von Trier, and is about the goings on in a haunted hospital. It’s often described as a cross between Twin Peaks and ER.
…ebius sig. This is a moebius sig. This is a mo…
(sig line courtesy of WallyM7)
“Travelling Moutebanks + Mental Institutions always = fun!”
—I think we have Sake’s new sig line!
“Anything by Jan Svankmajer.” Oh yes! He is wonderful. Check out his Alice in Wonderland.
I have seen a lot of these films and I have to agree that the Tetsuo series really sucks. I saw Tetsuo the Iron Man and the back of the box and the clock both agreed that it was around an hour long but the after viewing the movie I can assure you that it is at least 1000 hours long and none of them enjoyable. I felt like I died many times watching that movie but somehow managed to get through it all.
If you like Anime, Akira is pretty good. I followed the comics for a while and the movie pretty much finished the series at the time. It has some cheesy dialogue (get the subtitled letterboxed version) in places but it actually has a story. It is about some punk kids who discover that the drugs that they are doing give them psychic powers. There are also several other “kids” around who also have the powers but they were tested by the government. It is pretty involved and has some awesome marimba music.
If you are going for pure cheese, Zapped with Scott Baio is right there. It is basically Porky’s with telekenisis. It is pretty bad but in a cheesy, funny way. Could it be anything else with Scott Baio?
For a good movie that is pretty bizarre, I would suggest Muriel’s Wedding. It is an Australian film about a basket case’s life. “Ever since I met you, I haven’t been sitting in my room doing nothing but listening to ABBA songs. Because ever since I met you, my life has been as good as an ABBA song, even Dancing Queen!” heheheh It is not an exact quote but pretty close. I loved that movie.
Another good movie, that is not too bizarre but has an incredible ending (I won’t ruin it for you) is Babbette’s Feast. It is a Dutch or Belgium film (I believe) done in French so it would have a larger audience. It is set in the aftermath of the French Revolution where the aristocracy was forced to flee or die. I can’t really go into too much more or I would ruin the plot.
HUGS!
Sqrl
I was going to be original and say Prospero’s Books, but I was beaten to it. Wierd-ass movie.
Andy Warhol’s films are strange. Brilliant, if you’re into Warhol, but wierd.
Does Rocky Horror count? Because if ever there was a movie that combined B-sci-fi, musicals, and porn, this would be it. Upon viewing it for the first time (VIRGIN!), my friend exclaimed “WHAT THE HELL KIND OF ENDING WAS THAT?” I think that should be a required reaction to any of these films.
Pi Had a whole argument about what actually happened at the end of this one with a friend. I won’t spoil the movie, however.
oooh, I just thought of an original one! * Being John Malcovich* can’t be described as anything less than surreal. If you haven’t seen it, Biggirl, get thee to a Blockbuster. (if it’s out yet.)
For a truely surreal experiance, check out the Dali museum next time you’re near St. Petersburg, Fl. It’s amazing. Did you know he designed the logo for Chupa Chupa lollypops?
“I go on guilt trips a couple of time a year. Mom books them for me.” A custom made Wally .sig!
My iguana's sick.
He's all floppy. Could he have
Reptile dysfunction?
-Chef Troy, Haiku MasterSwimmingRiddles:
SR, admittedly, I’m no Warhol fan, but could you PLEASE explain how Trash by Warhol displayed even a shred of Brilliance? That is probably the worst move ever.
Because it does what all Warhol does: redefine what art is. Is it a painting of a campbell’s soup can? Is it a film with no plot or purpose? Warhol’s whole hook was taking definitions, throwing them out and starting again.
I’m not saying it’s a GOOD film, but I’m saying what Andy was doing was brilliant. Different Strokes. And I’m not talkin’ 'bout Willis.
“I go on guilt trips a couple of time a year. Mom books them for me.” A custom made Wally .sig!
My iguana's sick.
He's all floppy. Could he have
Reptile dysfunction?
-Chef Troy, Haiku MasterCan’t believe I forgot Georges Méliès! Great French film-maker, c1900–10. You probably have seen his “Trip to the Moon,” where the moon gets hit in the eye by a spaceship?
I think a lot of his work is available on one video, maybe from Kino. His work is amazing, hallucinogenic. Much of it is in color (hand-painted!), and the effects are still startling, after 100 years. Grab 'em!
Freaked
Randy Quaid plays a mad scientist who does bizarre genetic experiments on wayward travelers to create new exhibits for his freak circus. Alex Winter (Bill of Bill and Ted fame) works for some chemical company and is sent to a remote location in South America do to research, where he finds the mad doctor using the chemicals to turn people into freaks. It has Mr. T as a bearded lady, Bobcat Goldthwaite as a guy with a sock-puppet for a head. Keanu Reeves appears (unbilled) as Dogboy. You’ll also see Morgan Fairchild, and Brooke Sheilds in a starring role.
This is one of the most bizarre movies my friends and I came across in our college days. We could elicit laughs just by mentioning the title amongst ourselves, and it provided a wealth of quotes for us to throw out at inopportune moments. Aaahhh… just thinking back to the laser-equipped walking eye-ball droids…