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Weird is a very comfortable word in Jeff Lieberman’s lexicon. From the night crawler nastiness of Squirm (1976) to his mountaintop massacre Just Before Dawn (1981), his films are always a little left of the norm and all the better for it. And in between those two, he decided to take a run at a paranoia thriller nursing a major ‘60s hangover, pulsating with psychotic, Kojakian ex hippies. Welcome to Blue Sunshine (1978), a film more potent than the brown acid your great uncle said he took at Woodstock. (Although he probably wasn’t even there.)

Released Stateside in May (after a stop across the pond at the BFI the previous November) by Cinema Shares International (the fine folks behind Soul Brothers of Kung Fu), Blue Sunshine’s limited run and puzzled looks from critics saw it quickly fade away into cultdom, where it resided for decades with Lieberman’s other films...

“Here y’are, baby. Take this, wipe the lipstick off, slide over here next to me, and let’s get started.”

The Nutty Professor will screen double feature with Jerry Lewis, The Man Behind The Clown will screen Saturday Nov 12th at 1pm at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood) as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. This event is Free

Since his earliest days, Sliff Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Jerry Lewis had the masses laughing with his visual gags, pantomime sketches, and signature slapstick humor. But Lewis was far more than just a funny performer. After his breakup with partner Dean Martin, he moved behind the camera, writing, producing, and directing many of the adored classics in which he starred. In this double bill, Gregory Monro’s brisk, informative documentary reveals the man behind the clown, and The Nutty Professor provides the proof of Lewis’ comic genius.

This year, the fall television schedule is a decidedly crazy beast. I know, that doesn’t seem like the sort of thing that separates any year from any other, but television is in the midst of dizzying spins of theory, and comparisons to previous years show some serious changes.

Most striking is probably the extent to which the big networks are content to leave each other alone. Also noticeable is the unspoken admission that perhaps DVRs exist, and the schedule doesn’t really need to worry quite as much about who is watching what at the exact moment it airs. We’re still pretending to a degree, but there are hints.

At the moment, you’ve only got a quick look, but we will be constantly updating this page as any changes occur, and as the new shows are available for review (sure, we’ve seen them, but we aren’t supposed to “review” them…...

Oakland — Just in time for the holiday season, the Gravy has arrived.

Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie opens up in various theaters across America at the start of December. Wavy Gravy is an icon with an ever changing career. He’s gone from the legendary Merry Pranksters to the head of security at the original Woodstock to running a respected charity and finally achieving international greatness as a flavor of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. The many facets of his life are covered in the documentary directed by Michelle Esrick.

We had a chance to sit down for an extensive interview with Wavy Gravy and Michelle Esrick when the movie premiered at 2009’s Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

This first part has him discuss getting drunk with Jack Kerouac (On the Road) and dropping acid at the Electric Acid Kool-Aid Tests. Ahhh good times.

Now we get...

In the pantheon of strange films, Blue Sunshine (1976) certainly holds a spot, and a high-ranking spot amidst the films of the 70’s. Written and directed by Jeff Lieberman (Squirm), this is a movie that appeals on more than one level. To some, the film will be a memorable b-movie experience, but it’s a drug-induced out-of-your-mind crazy experience as well. The film also appeals to those horror fans that enjoyed the early works of David Cronenberg, as it maintains a similar feel as movies like Rabid and Brood.

I saw this movie some years ago, but recently picked it up on DVD off that Internet thing. Sure, I could have purchased the Blue Sunshine DVD on it’s own, but part of the fun for me seeing it the first time was that I discovered it while watching Elvira’S Movie MacAbre on TV. Yeah, you got me… the original...