Dear friend,
I am constantly looking for new films to watch, so I always end up looking for inspiration in lists on Letterboxd. Recently I stumbled upon the 366 Weird Movies website, which, conveniently, has its own list. The definition of a ‘weird’ film is at the same time intuitive and subjective: the website has a long ‘about’ page to describe its mission, and, finally, the list seems to include works where either the presentation or the plot contains unexpected elements (sure, David Lynch and Lars Von Trier are in there; is Inherent Vice weird? I don’t remember it as such, but ok).
In any case, it seems a great resource to find titles, known or unknown to me, with the promise that they may hide a surprise or two. Some of those may even be available to stream.
The Lair of the White Worm, written and directed by Ken Russell, based on Bram Stoker’s novel, United Kingdom, 1988 - ⭐⭐½
This is one of those films. Shot at the end of the eighties, but it might as well belong to the sixties, it is a camp folk story with an expository song, young Peter Capaldi and Hugh Grant, a ‘vamp’ viper, some spelunking and a disturbing vision to remind that this film was directed by Ken Russell, the author of The Devils (which I have not seen and is not available for streaming).
Paprika/パプリカ, directed by Satoshi Kon, co-written with Seishi Minakami, based on Yasutaka Tsutsui’s novel, Japan, 2006 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another film that is not available for me to stream (at least, with subtitles in a language I understand) is Perfect Blue, so I opted for the other well-known film by Satoshi Kon: Paprika is also on the list, and I remember when a lot of people compared it with Christopher Nolan’s Inception. There are some concepts that apply to both films, but rather than that, I was reminded of Minority Report for a couple of key elements.
I enjoyed its amazing visual ideas, although the plot was a bit unclear at points, and an unexpected scene of sexual assault was quite uncomfortable to watch.
I loved the sound/chant of the parade.
The Life of Chuck, written and directed by Mike Flanagan, based on Stephen King’s short story, US, 2024 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Half a decade after Doctor Sleep, Mike Flanagan comes back to the big screen with a film that, due to its episodic structure, is not difficult to imagine as a three-part miniseries.
As a feature, I’m not sure it is fully convincing: its ’three acts’, despite being related one to the other, are narratively separated by years, have largely different casts, and convey very different emotions.
On the other hand, it’s maybe the only film that kept my eyes welling up from the first scene to the last one, for several different reasons (including the appearance of a lot of Flanagan regulars).
Persona/仮面学園, directed by Takashi Komatsu, written by Hiroshi Hashimoto, based on Osamu Sōda’s novel, Japan, 2000 - ⭐⭐½
Two films in one, this story intertwines an exploration of the causes and consequences of anonymity - as more and more students start to constantly wear masks to protect themselves from bullies - and a murder mystery investigating the deaths of some of those masked students.
The two plot lines do not amalgamate too well in my opinion, but maybe a second viewing could help.
Gogo Yubari (ok, Chiaki Kuriyama - sorry, you’ll always be Gogo Yubari to me) appears in the role of a living person, but portrayed as the classic J-horror long-haired, spooky-eyed ghost.
Pepi, Luci, Bom/Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón, written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 1980 - ⭐⭐⭐
Despite being quite familiar with Almodóvar’s filmography from 1999 onwards, I have never seen the films that made him famous in the first place.
His first movie delivers all that I expected from his reputation (and a bit more), and a lot of acerbic enthusiasm. Transgressive it is, but I was surprised by the relatively conservative conclusion with which he ends the story of runaway housewife Luci.