Strange Sinema 68: Whacked! - Thur. Sep. 19 - 8PM


Oddball Films presents Strange Sinema 68: Whacked!, Oddities From the Archives, an evening of offbeat discoveries and choice rarities from the stacks of Oddball Films’ 50,000 reel film archive. This installment, Strange Sinema:Whacked! is an eye-popping program of perverse pleasures featuring films too weird or way-out for their genres. With a drunk cat, a stoned dog, a claymation rock opera, talking chimps and other far-out oddities, this is one night too bizarre to miss. The cine-madness includes The Cat Who Drank and Used Too Much (1987), an Oddball favorite and wacky film from the anti-drug genre of mental hygiene films about an alcohol and drug-using cat named Pat; Help, My Snowman’s Burning Down (1964), Carson Davidson’s award-winning beatnik rhapsody; Caninabis-The Junky Dog (1979), about a pot smoking(!) undercover police dog;  Ego (1970), a mesmerizing animated short of eroticism and desire by Italy’s Bruno Bozzetto with soundscore by ultra-lounge master Franco Godi; The Groping Hand (1968), hunky homo erotica and down and dirty soul music meet in this 1960’s North Beach soft-core curio; The Munchers (1973), chocolate bar orgies and sugar pushers make this Jesus Christ Superstar styled claymation a mind-blowing dental hygiene spectacular; Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp (1971), Get Smart meets James Bond as A.P.E. (Agency to Prevent Evil) monkey detective Lance Link battles a C.H.U.M.P. (Criminal Headquarters for Underworld Master Plan) dentist who secretly implants radio transmitters into teeth; Perc! Pop! Sprinkle! with tiny tots instructed to act like percolators and toasters in the most bizarre exercise film ever; and The Wizard of Speed and Time (1979), a supersonic dash across the country at hyper-speed.  Sinema just doesn’t get stranger than this!

Date: Thursday, September 19th, 2013 at 8:00PM
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 Limited Seating RSVP to: 415-558-8117 or programming@oddballfilm.com 


Featuring:

The Cat Who Drank and Used Too Much (Color, 1987)

Wacky anti-drug film about alcohol and drug using Pat the Cat. He hits the skids before finally reaching out for help - another Oddball Films audience favorite! Narrated by Julie Harris and winner of 24 major awards!



Help, My Snowman’s Burning Down (Color, 1964)
This Academy award-nominated short (and winner of 14 international awards) by Carson Davidson stars Bob Larkin (later in the cult film Putney Swope) as a Beatnik who lives on a boat dock off Manhattan with only bathroom furnishings.  A visceral tapestry woven together by stop motion and surreal special effects, this film is an Oddball audience favorite.  With original jazz score by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. An Oddball favorite!

Caninabis - The Junky Dog (Color, 1979)
Yes, you read that right: CANINABIS!  This newly discovered head-scratcher from the National Film Board of Canada chronicles the animated exploits of a scruffy street dog, who develops a taste (and smell) for that sticky icky icky, but uses his powers to help the police, where he is rewarded with huge joints for every drug bust.  But when the weed starts playing tricks on his mind, the scruffy mutt drops the ball and ends up on the street again, chasing tailpipes for one more high!

Ego (Color, 1970)
Brilliant animation by Italy’s Bruno Bozzetto (of the cult favorite Mr. Rossi series)- starts with traditional comic-style animation until the factory-working family man goes to sleep and unleashes his subconscious thoughts sending him into a psychedelic battleground of chaos and erotic desire.  Utilizes a number of animation styles including optical printing and pop art imagery. Wild soundtrack by the ultra-lounge master Franco Godi!

The Groping Hand (Color, 1968)
This bizarre slice of homo erotica was shot in San Francisco’s North Beach in the heyday of free love. A hunky male gets all revved up gazing at the live sex show signs and clubs on Broadway when he’s beckoned in by a female hand. Once inside he cuts loose, “stripping” his time away to down and dirty soul music.

The Munchers: A Fable (Color, 1973)
A must-see claymation from Art Pierson! This trippin’ dental hygiene epic takes its style from the anti-drug films we all know and love - the smokin' score and a depraved orgy complete with tiny clay chocolate bars. The cape wearing pusher man is  the flamboyant and gleefully evil Jack Sweet - think Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Is the case for wholesome snacks helped or hindered by depicting fruits and vegetables in a dorky line dance?

Perc, Pop, Sprinkle (Color, 1969) 
When pint-sized dancers are encouraged to observe and mimic the actions of household appliances, the results are more than any of us could have hoped for. We can never know how many youngsterstook the inspiration of this film into intimate performances spaces in the 1980`s and 90`s. 

Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp (Color, 1971) in To Tell the Tooth. 
Get Smart meets James Bond in this TV spy spoof as the top agent of APE (Agency to Prevent Evil) detective Lance Link discovers a dentist working for C.H.U.M.P. (Criminal Headquarters for Underworld Master Plan) has been inserting secret radio transmitters into the teeth of military officials.

The Wizard of Speed and Time (Color, 1979, Mike Jitlov)
A young man in a green wizard costume runs throughout America at super speed. Along the way, he gives a pretty girl a swift lift to another city, gives golden stars to other women who want a trip themselves and then slips on a banana-peel, and comically crashes into a film stage, which he then brings to life in magical ways. A mind-blowing short-later extended to a feature length film.