Obviously there’s lots of weird trash in the direct to VHS/DVD/streaming ecosystems, but when it comes to something that actually got a first run theater release, what is your strangest?
For me, it’s Southland Tales. I actually kind of love this movie but it’s difficult to recommend because people you recommend it to might not look at you the same afterwards. The cast is positively stacked with big names, the movie looks great, and there’s a fantastic and really sad musical number half way through. This is the only movie that has truly captured the vibe of reading the biblical book of Revelation in that it’s making you go “wait, what?” every five minutes as it spirals into either intensely meaningful imagery or schizophrenia manifest on 35mm.
It’s made to be artsy more than it’s made to be entertaining. I think that’s what makes it a polarizing film.
Those bits that should have “stayed on the cutting room floor” are all shot and framed in a spectacularly consistent and artistically pleasing way. If you’re the type that enjoys video essays on blocking, you probably love 2001. If not, it’s likely not your movie.