Misc. Strangeness and Cult Items

Misc. Strangeness
& Cult Items

   Adventures of Denchu Kozo: (1987) Wild, spastic first film from Shinya Tsukamoto, director of Tetsuo, is about a guy with a pole growing out of his back that has to do battle with aliens, vampire and (of course) consuming machinery. Includes lots of behind the scenes stuff, trailers, shorts, etc. and is pretty damn entertaining and in color, too! In Japanese with no subs.

   Alice: (1988) Jan Svankmajer's surreal version of Alice in Wonderland has cool stop-motion FX, seriously bizarre set-pieces and trippy dialogue ("your hair is asking to be cut"). Practically the definition of the cult film. A must for the acid casualty in all of us. [B]

   Atlantis: (1991) Awesome widescreen, import print of Luc Besson's mesmerizing, visually arresting exploration of the ocean. Some truly incredible photography and surreal-looking landscapes. Must have been quite spectacular on the big screen.

    Charisma: (1998) Another strange Kiyoshi Kurosawa film, this one almost indescribable in a mere paragraph. After a very unsuccessful hostage situation, in which the suspect’s demands were to restore the rules to the world, a disillusioned cop finds himself in the middle of the woods. And in the middle of a battle between weird ecologists over a strange tree. A tree that seems to be sucking the life out of the forest. Like Kurosawa’s other films, there just isn’t anything like it. Just plain weird. Includes trailer. Widescreen in Japanese with English subtitles. [B]

The Community: (2000) A.k.a. The Common Wealth. Alex de la Iglacia's latest work of genius is almost impossible to describe in a mere paragraph. Imagine Hitchcock teaming up with Jeunet and Caro and creating an ultra-stylized maelstrom of paranoia and jet-black humor ala Delicatessen meets Rear Window with a little bit of The Shivers thrown in for good measure. A middle-aged realtor who is down on her luck decides to spend the night with her husband in a furnished apartment that she is showing. A small trickle of cockroaches suddenly snowballs into mass hysteria as she finds out that every tenant in the apartment building is guarding a secret that they would gladly kill for. Stunningly filmed with an amazing eye for detail and overflowing with suspense and just the right amount of weirdness, violence and dark humor, this is probably the film that de la Iglacia will always be remembered for. Includes trailer, "making of", deleted scenes and more (all in Spanish). Widescreen in Spanish with English subtitles. [B]

    Denti: (2000) A.k.a. Teeth. Weird, occasionally disturbing recent film from Italian auteur Gabriele Salvatores (Nirvana). A strange, obsessive tale of a man with abnormally large, twisted teeth who obsesses over them and even at a younger age tried to smash them out by bashing his face into the stones of an ancient ruin. While worrying over his girlfriend’s potential affair with a dentist, he ends up in the chairs of the most bizarre dentists (one of whom performs “surgery” in his filthy kitchen while professing that it is actually the dentist who is the patient), making for some of the most grueling scenes in the film. Often surreal, sometimes funny and definitely unique. Includes trailer and featurette (both in Italian only). Widescreen in Italian with English subtitles. [B]

   The Devils: (1971) Uncut, widescreen print of Ken Russell's seminal convent pic about a coven of deranged nuns, one of whom accuses the local nun-magnet of heresy. One of Russell's best with Oliver Reed nibbling at the scenery. Includes the original theatrical trailer. [B]

   God’s Army: (1997) Original, unadultered version of The Prophecy as it was originally intended to be seen! One of the most original movies in years, it’s value only slightly sullied by two crapola sequels. Available in a widescreen preview version or a full frame finished print. Both are identical except the finished print has nicer video and audio. Please specify widescreen or full frame. [B]

   Heavenly Creatures: (1993) Uncut director's version of Peter Jackson's tale of psychotic, repressed Kiwi chicks who, after their parents decide that their friendship is unhealthy, hit upon murder as the solution. Based on a true story, this version contains several scenes that were cut from the US release. In somewhat grainy, washed-out quality.

   Marquis: (1990) Odd little French period-piece sex farce about the Marquis de Sade and other political prisoners in the Bastille. All of the characters are animals (actors wearing weird animatronic masks and elaborate costumes) and ol’ Sade hisself sports a lively talking penis. Lots of really strange and funny shit, with enough sex, jokes, very inventive costumes and wacko stuff to keep your interest. In French with English subtitles. [18+]

   Meet the Feebles: (1989) Peter Jackson's twisted, hilarious, X-rated puppet flick that shows what really happens behind the scenes of the Muppet show. Sex, drugs, porn, venereal diseases, golf and other nasty stuff. Better than freakin’ Christmas. [B, 18+]

    Perdita Durango: (1997) Letterboxed, uncut print of Alex de la Iglacias' south-of-the-border, kick-in-the-teeth version of Natural Born Killers starring Rosie Perez as a tough, sexy, mean-as-hell bitch who finally finds the right man: A psychotic, Spanish killer, bank-robber and high-priest of the voodoo gods. After accepting a job from the Mexican Mafia to take a truck-load of human fetuses to Vegas for a company to use in facial cream, they decide to kidnap a young, idiotic, teenage couple and use them in their next voodoo ritual. This and the DEA is on their asses. Brutal, violent, sadistic, laced with sex and tinged with the surreal. Includes trailer. [18+, B]

   Possession: (1981) Uncut print (the US DVD release is cut) of Andrzei Zulawski's notorious film starring a very young-looking Sam Neil and Isabel Idanji as a couple who break-up their marriage and descend into madness. Somehow Idanji creates a tentacled, blood-soaked sex-monster, while cutting up men (and a woman, who happens to be the only marginally sane person in the film) and keeping them in her fridge. Very well made, but one of the strangest films ever, that was probably completely bewildering in it's scant 81 minute version released here in the US. This one must be seen to be believed. Not for the timid. Widescreen in English with Japanese subtitles. [B, 18+]

   Singapore Sling: (1990) Sick, twisted, bizarre, surreal, morbid and darkly humorous B&W indy from Greece about a quite possibly insane man (known only as Singapore Sling) who stumbles upon a house occupied by two completely demented sado-masochistic women that enjoy torturing and killing people who ever happens to be around. More plot twists, vile imagery (the scene in which the "daughter" vomits all over Sling's head while humping his unconscious body comes to mind), sex and torture to disturb even the most jaded. One for the Salo film festival. Quality isn't perfect, somewhat fuzzy. In Greek with English subtitles. [18+]

   Spermula: (1976) Weird, arty, sleazy and highly entertaining X-rated French cult item starring Udo Kier. The shapeless inhabitants of the planet Spermula decide that they need to conquer that disgustingly carnal planet Earth. To do this they form themselves into the bodies of attractive women (except for Kier who is accidentally transformed into a hermaphrodite with a centimeter-long schlong) and attempt to suck the life out of the all men on the planet by sucking and swallowing. Some of the dialogue is brilliantly campy (the planet Earth is described as "a flea turd in the mind of God"), the cinematography is excellent and there’s plenty of bare skin and soft core sex to appease the horndog of the house. [18+]

   The Sweet Movie: (1974) Highly acclaimed, extremely bizarre surrealist film about, well, everything: life, sex, birth, death, marriage, insanity (a redundancy you say?), etc, with some of the rudest set-pieces and strangest shit I've ever seen (notably the nausea-inducing dinner sequence). Loaded with full-frontal nudity and some graphic scenes of pissing, shitting and vomiting, this one ain't for the easily offended. John Vernon has a weird cameo as a rich Texas tycoon with a golden penis. Don't ask. [18+]

   Tender Dracula: (1974) A.k.a. Tender Dracula, or the Confessions of a Blood Drinker. Extremely rare film that is mainly notable as the only time that Peter Cushing has ever played Dracula! Weird little film about a group of TV writers that go to a famous actor’s gothic castle to convince him to return to the role of Dracula only to find out that he is living it! Strange movie with plenty of nudity and, uhmm, musical numbers... Fair to quality, but this is a very rare item.

	Adventures of Denchu Kozo: (1987) Wild, spastic first film from Shinya Tsukamoto, director of Tetsuo, is about a guy with a pole growing out of his back that has to do battle with aliens, vampire and (of course) consuming machinery. Includes lots of behind the scenes stuff, trailers, shorts, etc. and is pretty damn entertaining and in color, too! In Japanese with no subs.
	Alice: (1988) Jan Svankmajer's surreal version of Alice in Wonderland has cool stop-motion FX, seriously bizarre set-pieces and trippy dialogue ("your hair is asking to be cut"). Practically the definition of the cult film. A must for the acid casualty in all of us. [B]
	Atlantis: (1991) Awesome widescreen, import print of Luc Besson's mesmerizing, visually arresting exploration of the ocean. Some truly incredible photography and surreal-looking landscapes. Must have been quite spectacular on the big screen.
	Charisma: (1998) Another strange Kiyoshi Kurosawa film, this one almost indescribable in a mere paragraph. After a very unsuccessful hostage situation, in which the suspect’s demands were to restore the rules to the world, a disillusioned cop finds himself in the middle of the woods. And in the middle of a battle between weird ecologists over a strange tree. A tree that seems to be sucking the life out of the forest. Like Kurosawa’s other films, there just isn’t anything like it. Just plain weird. Includes trailer. Widescreen in Japanese with English subtitles. [B]
	The Community: (2000) A.k.a. The Common Wealth. Alex de la Iglacia's latest work of genius is almost impossible to describe in a mere paragraph. Imagine Hitchcock teaming up with Jeunet and Caro and creating an ultra-stylized maelstrom of paranoia and jet-black humor ala Delicatessen meets Rear Window with a little bit of The Shivers thrown in for good measure. A middle-aged realtor who is down on her luck decides to spend the night with her husband in a furnished apartment that she is showing. A small trickle of cockroaches suddenly snowballs into mass hysteria as she finds out that every tenant in the apartment building is guarding a secret that they would gladly kill for. Stunningly filmed with an amazing eye for detail and overflowing with suspense and just the right amount of weirdness, violence and dark humor, this is probably the film that de la Iglacia will always be remembered for. Includes trailer, "making of", deleted scenes and more (all in Spanish). Widescreen in Spanish with English subtitles. [B]
	Denti: (2000) A.k.a. Teeth. Weird, occasionally disturbing recent film from Italian auteur Gabriele Salvatores (Nirvana). A strange, obsessive tale of a man with abnormally large, twisted teeth who obsesses over them and even at a younger age tried to smash them out by bashing his face into the stones of an ancient ruin. While worrying over his girlfriend’s potential affair with a dentist, he ends up in the chairs of the most bizarre dentists (one of whom performs “surgery” in his filthy kitchen while professing that it is actually the dentist who is the patient), making for some of the most grueling scenes in the film. Often surreal, sometimes funny and definitely unique. Includes trailer and featurette (both in Italian only). Widescreen in Italian with English subtitles. [B]
	The Devils: (1971) Uncut, widescreen print of Ken Russell's seminal convent pic about a coven of deranged nuns, one of whom accuses the local nun-magnet of heresy. One of Russell's best with Oliver Reed nibbling at the scenery. Includes the original theatrical trailer. [B]
	God’s Army: (1997) Original, unadultered version of The Prophecy as it was originally intended to be seen! One of the most original movies in years, it’s value only slightly sullied by two crapola sequels. Available in a widescreen preview version or a full frame finished print. Both are identical except the finished print has nicer video and audio. Please specify widescreen or full frame. [B]
	Heavenly Creatures: (1993) Uncut director's version of Peter Jackson's tale of psychotic, repressed Kiwi chicks who, after their parents decide that their friendship is unhealthy, hit upon murder as the solution. Based on a true story, this version contains several scenes that were cut from the US release. In somewhat grainy, washed-out quality.
	Marquis: (1990) Odd little French period-piece sex farce about the Marquis de Sade and other political prisoners in the Bastille. All of the characters are animals (actors wearing weird animatronic masks and elaborate costumes) and ol’ Sade hisself sports a lively talking penis. Lots of really strange and funny shit, with enough sex, jokes, very inventive costumes and wacko stuff to keep your interest. In French with English subtitles. [18+]
	Meet the Feebles: (1989) Peter Jackson's twisted, hilarious, X-rated puppet flick that shows what really happens behind the scenes of the Muppet show. Sex, drugs, porn, venereal diseases, golf and other nasty stuff. Better than freakin’ Christmas. [B, 18+]
	Perdita Durango: (1997) Letterboxed, uncut print of Alex de la Iglacias' south-of-the-border, kick-in-the-teeth version of Natural Born Killers starring Rosie Perez as a tough, sexy, mean-as-hell bitch who finally finds the right man: A psychotic, Spanish killer, bank-robber and high-priest of the voodoo gods. After accepting a job from the Mexican Mafia to take a truck-load of human fetuses to Vegas for a company to use in facial cream, they decide to kidnap a young, idiotic, teenage couple and use them in their next voodoo ritual. This and the DEA is on their asses. Brutal, violent, sadistic, laced with sex and tinged with the surreal. Includes trailer. [18+, B]
	Possession: (1981) Uncut print (the US DVD release is cut) of Andrzei Zulawski's notorious film starring a very young-looking Sam Neil and Isabel Idanji as a couple who break-up their marriage and descend into madness. Somehow Idanji creates a tentacled, blood-soaked sex-monster, while cutting up men (and a woman, who happens to be the only marginally sane person in the film) and keeping them in her fridge. Very well made, but one of the strangest films ever, that was probably completely bewildering in it's scant 81 minute version released here in the US. This one must be seen to be believed. Not for the timid. Widescreen in English with Japanese subtitles. [B, 18+]
	Singapore Sling: (1990) Sick, twisted, bizarre, surreal, morbid and darkly humorous B&W indy from Greece about a quite possibly insane man (known only as Singapore Sling) who stumbles upon a house occupied by two completely demented sado-masochistic women that enjoy torturing and killing people who ever happens to be around. More plot twists, vile imagery (the scene in which the "daughter" vomits all over Sling's head while humping his unconscious body comes to mind), sex and torture to disturb even the most jaded. One for the Salo film festival. Quality isn't perfect, somewhat fuzzy. In Greek with English subtitles. [18+]
	Spermula: (1976) Weird, arty, sleazy and highly entertaining X-rated French cult item starring Udo Kier. The shapeless inhabitants of the planet Spermula decide that they need to conquer that disgustingly carnal planet Earth. To do this they form themselves into the bodies of attractive women (except for Kier who is accidentally transformed into a hermaphrodite with a centimeter-long schlong) and attempt to suck the life out of the all men on the planet by sucking and swallowing. Some of the dialogue is brilliantly campy (the planet Earth is described as "a flea turd in the mind of God"), the cinematography is excellent and there’s plenty of bare skin and soft core sex to appease the horndog of the house. [18+]
	The Sweet Movie: (1974) Highly acclaimed, extremely bizarre surrealist film about, well, everything: life, sex, birth, death, marriage, insanity (a redundancy you say?), etc, with some of the rudest set-pieces and strangest shit I've ever seen (notably the nausea-inducing dinner sequence). Loaded with full-frontal nudity and some graphic scenes of pissing, shitting and vomiting, this one ain't for the easily offended. John Vernon has a weird cameo as a rich Texas tycoon with a golden penis. Don't ask. [18+]
	Tender Dracula: (1974) A.k.a. Tender Dracula, or the Confessions of a Blood Drinker. Extremely rare film that is mainly notable as the only time that Peter Cushing has ever played Dracula! Weird little film about a group of TV writers that go to a famous actor’s gothic castle to convince him to return to the role of Dracula only to find out that he is living it! Strange movie with plenty of nudity and, uhmm, musical numbers... Fair to quality, but this is a very rare item.