Paprika (2006):

"When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it."

This magical tale centers on a revolutionary machine that allows scientists to enter and record a subject’s dream. After being stolen, a detective and brilliant therapist join forces to recover the device — before it falls into the hands of a “dream terrorist”. It really needs to be seen to be believed. There's a beautiful contrast here between dreams and mundane reality. Plus, many secrets the characters have are only expressed in dreams.

As the movie goes on, the dreams become darker and more surreal. People start talking nonsense and killing themselves. And eventually the nightmare visions infect reality. Only Paprika, who appears to be a happy-go-lucky therapist can stop them. Paprika's early scenes have a great sense of limitlessness and flight, in contrast to drab waking life, highlighting the theme of magical realism. Check it out, whenever you can!

Death Race: Beyond Anarchy (2018):

Death Race: Beyond Anarchy (2018):

"Black ops specialist Connor Gibson infiltrates a maximum security prison to take down legendary driver Frankenstein in a violent and brutal car race."

Technically, this is Death Race 2000 4. In this version, a privatized security firm runs the Sprawl, a massive prison housing around 420,000 inmates. One of the inmates is hired to kill Frankenstein, the race's champion. It's pretty fast-paced with a death metal/punk aesthetic vs. the original game show parody setting. The action and racing scenes are over-the-top as always. I liked it. It's on Netflix. Check it out!

Fist of the North Star (1986):

Fist of the North Star (1986):

"A practitioner of the deadly martial art "Hokuto Shinken" allies with two children and an expert in "Nanto Suicho-Ken" to fight against the rivals who kidnapped his lover and threaten the prosperity of mankind."

Popular, but strange! In a nuclear wasteland, you have Kenshiro, who can make people's heads explode by punching them. You have his brother, who can cut through people with his fingers and stole Ken's girlfriend. Then, there's King Rao, who's raising an army across the wasteland to stop some kids from planting seeds. On top of all this bonkers fighting, there's some classic memes here too. Watch it if you can.

Night Hunter (1996):

Night Hunter (1996):

"Vampire hunter Jack Cutter must fulfill his destiny and destroy the last of the bloodsucking creatures of the night before an unholy disaster strikes."

Jack Cutter is the last in long line of vampire hunters. After killing a few vampires in one L.A. restaurant, he is chased both by police and by other vampires. Free on Tubi!

Yamasong: March of the Hollows (2017):

Yamasong: March of the Hollows (2017):

"An automated girl and tortoise warrior journey with a band of outlaws on an incredible quest. Their one hope is to find a legendary relic to defeat a sinister mechanized army and save the creatures of their world."

Nani the automated girl's heart beats so fast that it causes the prison moon housing the Hollows (robots) to plummet into planet Yamasong. Now, it's up to Nani and her friends to stop the Hollows from turning everyone into a soulless robot.

Great puppet work here from Brian Henson. An all-star voice cast! A crazy alien planet! My only complaint is that thematically, it's like The Dark Crystal, with souls being sucked out by an evil army, so if you didn't like that, you won't like this. Otherwise, check it out! Free on Tubi!

The Circle (2017):

"A woman lands a dream job at a powerful tech company called the Circle, only to uncover an agenda that will affect the lives of all of humanity."

Basically, Mae (Emma Watson) joins a social media company, The Circle, that removes any privacy from people's lives. Like, people willingly submitting themselves to 24/7 surveillance. Probably doesn't age well, but is strange for the idea that social media could become a sinister cult. Check it out!

Escanaba in da Moonlight (2001):

Escanaba in da Moonlight (2001):

"A macho man in a family on the eve of deer-hunting season must deal with the eldest son's curse of never having bagged a buck."

Wacky hunting buddies must appease a Native American god while on a deer hunting trip. Hijinks and hauntings ensue in this very strange dark comedy. Free on Prime. Check it out.

Mac and Me (1988):

Mac and Me (1988):

"An alien trying to escape from NASA is befriended by a wheelchair-bound boy."

Here is a strange flick! While it's blatantly a McDonalds tie-in with Mac. the alien as a faux-E.T., there's a lot of weirdness going on here. The aliens discover they can drink Coca-Cola through their fingers, and the police shoot at them, further injuring Eric. (The wheelchair-bound boy.)

Then, they go to McDonald's and all dance together! Everything's fine! The day is saved by McDonald's and Coca-Cola! It's free on PlutoTV. It's good for a laugh, but don't expect E.T.!

Redline (2009):

Redline (2009):

"A story about the most popular racing event in the galaxy, the Redline, and the various racers who compete in it."

Sweet JP competes in the famous interplanetary Redline race with the help of his trusty alien mechanic Frisbee. However, the government of Planet Roboworld vows to destroy all the racers in the name of “peace”. It's like anime meets Death Race 2000. I enjoyed the weird characters and souped-up cars. Definitely worth a watch. Free on Tubi!

Death Race 2000 (1975):

Death Race 2000 (1975):

"In a dystopian future, a cross country automobile race requires contestants to run down innocent pedestrians to gain points that are tallied based on each kill's brutality."

After economic collapse, the United States government is restructured into a totalitarian regime under martial law. To pacify the population, the government has created the Transcontinental Road Race, where a group of drivers race across the country in their high-powered cars and which is infamous for violence, gore, and innocent pedestrians being struck and killed for bonus points.

Free on Tubi. It's got David Carradine as the top racer Frankenstein, and young Sylvester Stallone plays Machine Gun Joe! Give it a watch!

Yoga Hosers (2016):

Yoga Hosers (2016):

"Two teenage yoga enthusiasts must do battle with an evil presence that is threatening to rise from its underground lair and endanger their major party plans."

Canadian teens battle monsters made of bratwursts, and Satanists while working at a convenience store. All so they can close up and go to a party. This is a pretty wild one. Check it out, eh?

The Point (1971):

The Point (1971):

"A father tells his son a bedtime story about young Oblio (Mike Lookinland), who believes that having no point in the fantastical kingdom of pointed heads and things, still has a point."

Weird musical-ish adventure movie with Ringo as Narrator. A boy on a quest to find himself. He has no point on his head, but everyone else has a point. Check it out if you can! Free on Tubi. Groovy!

9 (2009):

9 (2009):

"A rag doll that awakens in a postapocalyptic future holds the key to humanity's salvation."

In an alternate 1930s world, a scientist is ordered by his dictator to create a robot in the apparent name of progress, and so the scientist creates the B.R.A.I.N., a highly intelligent robot. Lacking a soul, it turns machines against humanity. As a last ditch effort, the scientist puts his soul into 9 ragdolls (called "stitchpunks") to stop the B.R.A.I.N. Check it out, it's wild!

Real Steel (2011):

Real Steel (2011):

Real Steel (2011):

“In the near future, robot boxing is a top sport. A struggling ex-boxer feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot.”

It's a robot boxing movie! Hugh Jackman stars as a washed-up boxer who's foster kid Max helps him get back in the game after settling for clownish robot boxing gigs at zoos and rodeos. He destroys about 2 robots and then Max has the bright idea to combine all the skills of the previous bots into one sparring bot, named Atom.

Yeah, it plays like Rocky. It's a little unbelievable, but has a lot of heart. The rules are bent a little, maybe for robots. There isn't one referee! There were even a couple spots where Atom should've been defeated on a TKO after three KOs, but I assume the rules are different for robots. Heart is what matters in boxing movies anyway. Worth a watch, if you can bend the rules a bit, and have fun.

Robot Jox (1989):

Robot Jox (1989):

"In the distant future, mankind has forsaken global wars for battles of single combat. The world has been divided into two opposing super powers, with each side represented by trained champions."

Mech combat movie with weird models and special effects! Space battles! Representing the US ("The Market") is Achilles. Against him his rival Alexander from "The Confederation" (USSR) in a spider tank. Winner takes Alaska, and its natural resources! It's cheesy robot goodness.

Birds of Prey (2020) a.k.a. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey:

Birds of Prey (2020) a.k.a. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey:

“It's open season on Harley Quinn when her explosive breakup with the Joker puts a big fat target on her back.”

Right away, we're given a nice little animated sequence on who Harley is, and the breakup with Joker. So, she sets out to become her own self, burning down where she and Joker met, and going around looking to correct her grievances. But, that attracts the attention of other psychos (and the cops.) who want to take her down.

Eventually, she's captured by mafia boss Black Mask. If she can find him a diamond, she's free. Now, overall, this isn't a bad setup, and I cut this movie a lot of slack for being filmed during COVID-19. But, here's where things get messy. See, it's not just a Harley Quinn movie. They have to squeeze in the Birds of Prey.

Harley Quinn by herself is still cool to watch. What I didn't like was stopping the action in the middle to introduce another team member to the plot. It's not very cohesive, and the Birds of Prey don't really get together until the last 10 minutes. The final fight scene in the carnival, and the fight scene in the police station are the best parts.

The Suicide Squad (2021) is a better Harley Quinn team-up movie. Unlike this film, no one character felt wasted. Black Mask felt like just “Not-Joker” to me. Margot Robbie's good, as always. But, they should've taken more time to develop each unique character. You can skip this one unless you really like Harley Quinn.

Love, Chuuniyibo, and Other Delusions The Movie: Take on Me (2018):

Love, Chuuniyibo and Other Delusions The Movie: Take on Me (2018):

Chuuniybo is a condition described as “middle school 2nd year syndrome”; a youngster who believes they have magic powers. Yuta used to be a chuuniyibo, but has become a realist as high school is ending. His girlfriend is a full-blown chuunyibo who runs a magical girl club at their school, and goes by the name “Dark Lord Shingen”. Her name is Rikka. Yuta is “Dark Flame Master”.

When it’s announced that Rikka must join her guardian Tokka in Italy, Rikka and Yuta make plans to elope together. Yuta learns that Rikka has a mother in Hokkaido, so they plan to live with her. But Tokka and some of her magical girl classmates Dekimori and her assistant, are pursuing her, blackmailed by Tokka. This convinces Rikka of even further betrayal, and she pretend battles her friends with magic. Although she believes she is like a high-level RPG mage.

There’s a nice contrast here between magic and realism. Yuta doesn’t want to force Rikka to accept realism, because he thinks she’ll lose part of herself; she needs to see the world on her own terms. It’s really about how people are willing to make sacrifices for love. That love makes the world exciting. But there’s also a theme of growing and slowly accepting reality. Watch it if you get a chance.

KUNG POW!: ENTER THE FIST (2002):

KUNG POW!: ENTER THE FIST (2002):

"Writer-director Steve Oedekerk acquired the little known 1976 Hong Kong karate flick "Savage Killers," then seamlessly blended portions of the film with new material he has directed to create a wild, off-the-wall, comedy feature film."

Where to begin!? Not only is this film weird, it's funny! Steve Oedekerk inserted himself into a kung fu flick and changed the plot to where he has a magical tongue, and fights his nemesis Master Pain aka Betty! "Beware his song about big butts...he beats you up when he plays it!" Hilarious. Watch any way you can.

THEY LIVE (1988):

They Live (1988):

"They influence our decisions without us knowing it. They numb our senses without us feeling it. They control our lives without us realizing it. They live."

Nada (Roddy Piper), a wanderer without meaning in his life, discovers a pair of sunglasses capable of showing the world the way it truly is. Wearing the shades, he realizes that the world's social elite are skull-faced aliens, and they put subliminal messages in the media to subdue the population, while the aliens plot global domination. He sets out to liberate his friends from mind control and stop the aliens. I like this movie because it's about the meaning of life, but blown up to the size of an action movie!

Piper's working class charisma and pro-wrestling background really shine here as he discovers the aliens. He brings intensity and comedy to the role in a way that, I feel, could only be done by him. He effortlessly brings out one-liners and action scenes like it's an old school wrestling promo; even when he's saving the world. There's a famous 6-minute fight scene with Keith David!

Truly, you have to see this movie to believe it! Put the glasses on! It's a wild one. It's fun, has a good message about seeking the truth, and great action; all mixed together! Give it a watch whenever you can find this true sci-fi classic. There's no clearer case of watching through "alien" eyes.

Sci-Fi Fighters (1996):

Sci-Fi Fighters (1996):

"Boston, 2009. A police detective (Roddy Piper) searches for Adrian Dunn, his ex-partner (Billy Drago) who murdered his wife. Dunn has escaped from prison on the moon and returned to Earth with an alien virus."

I love this movie. Roddy Piper makes a great Blade Runner-ish noir detective tough guy with some AMAZING dramatic chops. Apart from They Live, this was the film that convinced me that "Holy crap. Piper can ACT!" This movie began my love of Roddy Piper films, even though it's totally just a low-budget Blade Runner, with some Alien in there. Anyway, just thought I'd put it out there because a lot of people don't know about it. Check it out. Free on Tubi.

THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021):

THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021):

"Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese."

The Suicide Squad is a fun movie. I feel like what makes it work is the slapstick, and the characters. A team of DC supervillains is sent off to investigate alien technology on a hostile island nation. As the name implies, several team members die. But, most the deaths are played for laughs, and I won't give spoilers regarding who makes it out. There's no one character that feels underdeveloped. Even the goofier ones like Polka Dot Man.

Speaking of characters, Harley Quinn gets her own few moments in the sun here. Her character does great with the movie's action-slapstick tone. John Cena plays the hilariously unaware and superviolent Peacemaker. Idris Elba does most of the dramatic heavy-lifing as Bloodsport. Overall, I think the movie works because it's aware that it's a comic book movie.

Comics are kind of weird, and so is this flick. It's superviolent, funny, and yet it's never truly dark. It has a kind of heart in the way that the characters live and die. It's definitely not for the squeamish, but I say give it a watch if you like weird comics and action movies!

SOUL (2020):

SOUL (2020):

"After landing the gig of a lifetime, a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife."

Soul is a trippy movie dealing with the meaning of life. The animation is bonkers, and there's a lot of transcendental happenings going on for what is marketed as a kids' movie. Unborn souls, lost souls, wild scenery, and a bodyswap with a cat. Check it out!

Trigun: Badlands Rumble (2011):

Trigun: Badlands Rumble (2011):

"A gunfighter with a strict no-kill policy, Vash the Stampede arrives in a town full of bounty hunters competing to collect the reward for catching a robber he saved 20 years ago."

After a bit of his doughnut falls into a bank robbery, Vash The Stampede inadvertently saves a vicious murderer who’s robber companions are about to turn on him. Some wonderful gunfights, and sci-fi weapons! Watch it anyway you can.

The Shadow (1994):

The Shadow (1994):

"In 1930s New York City, The Shadow (Alec Baldwin) battles his nemesis, Shiwan Khan (John Lone), who is building an atomic bomb."

Pretty good superhero movie with Alec Baldwin playing The Shadow. Art deco style, visual effects, and Eastern mysticism/sci-fi make it strange in tone. Effects are cool, like The Shadow disappearing, the living knife, and some of the hypno/magic effects. I liked it!

Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies (2014):

Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies (2014):

"Famous Wrestlers are pitted against hordes of undead when they unknowingly walk into a death trap."

Pretty good. Roddy Piper, Kurt Angle, and others vs. an undead army. Gotta love Piper sleeperholding a zombie, and beating them with a toaster. Piper truly is one of the greats. He gives 100% in every movie he's in. Low-budget, but great fun.

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021):

GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE (2021):

"To protect an 8-year-old girl, a dangerous assassin reunites with her mother and her lethal associates to take down a ruthless crime syndicate and its army of henchmen."

If I had 3 words to describe Gunpowder Milkshake, they'd be "cute John Wick". It has good gun scenes, and the noir aesthetic is good, but the whole atmosphere clashes with a sort of strange cutesy vibe in the clothes, music, and style. I get that it's supposed to be funny; and it is! But, it's like...is she the best assassin, or isn't she? Maybe every assassin just says they're the best.

Anyway, fun watch if you can turn your brain off, accept that they just let their best assassin go completely rogue, and some kawaii stuff. It really is "cute John Wick". Watch it with some snacks, if you've got the time.

Tank Girl (1995):

Tank Girl (1995):

"A girl is among the few survivors of a dystopian Earth. Riding a war tank, she fights against the tyranny of a mega-corporation that dominates the remaining potable water supply of the planet."

Bizarre apocalyptic sci-fi action-comedy film with Tank Girl trying to rescue her friend from a madman who hoards the world's water and drains it through their bodies. It has cartoony elements like dancing to fight off enemies, befriending goofy mutants, and her tank comes to her like a pet. Interspersed with comic book animation. Check it out if you can.

Wizards (1977):

Wizards (1977):

"On a post-apocalyptic Earth, a wizard and his faire folk comrades fight an evil wizard who's using technology in his bid for conquest."

Wizards is pretty weird. An evil wizard fights against hippie elves after he discovers Nazi film propaganda. A silent bounty hunter! Trippy visuals by Ralph Bakshi. It satirizes war, religion, and technology. Check it out.

Alien Opponent (2010):

Alien Opponent (2010):

"The owner of a small-town junkyard offers a cash reward to whomever can kill her uninvited, space-suited alien guest when its spacecraft crash-lands into her barn. Every wacko within 100 miles turns out, and before long, the junkyard is transformed into a war zone of man vs. man vs. machine vs. alien vs. God only knows what."

Goofy action-comedy with Roddy Piper as a supporting character: a foul-mouthed priest. This one is more a pastiche of trashy reality TV shows. Imagine if Predator was a comedy. I found it entertaining. As always, Roddy Piper elevates the film by his energy, and gets a few wrestling scenes in there. Otherwise, barely a movie. But, a good and weird amateur spoof.