THE MANITOU [PG; appealed from R]
Karen Tandy (Susan Strasberg) has an abnormal growth on the back of her neck, a growth that takes the fetal form of a 400-year-old Native American demon that is growing at an alarming rate. Her friend and psychic huckster Harry Erskine (Tony Curtis) calls upon John Singing Rock (Michael Ansara) to rid Karen of the demon and save mankind. High camp ensues. Curtis’s ham-tastic performance becomes a bit bland after he sheds his “psychic abilities” and becomes just another onlooker with a couple of bright ideas, which is a way one might describe young low-budget writer-director William Girdler and the script of his last film, which was written in three days. Ansara is quite believable as the modern medicine man, but the best performance is by supporting Burgess Meredith with his outstanding deadpan delivery as Doctor of Anthropology Ernest Snow. For late 70s filmmaking, this flick was an eye-popper, complete with explosions, lasers and nude psychic battles, even if nowadays — especially in light of all the gonzo excess that has come since — it might come across as dull and common. However, the story’s execution is what it is, and it is a decent one, schlocky evil fetal demons and all. Fans of the movie will be disappointed by usually generous label Anchor Bay’s paucity of special features, which are limited to a meager trailer and a TV spot. –Richard Caron

KEEPING MUM [R]
Attacking the rude and inappropriate in much the same way that Hannibal Lecter does (but without eating them) is the kindly old nanny Grace (Maggie Smith), whose sojourn with the Goodfellow clan ultimately proves a benefit for them all. Smith (Ladies In Lavender) is effortless and demure, and Rowan Atkinson (Love Actually) is hilarious as a clueless and tongue-tied preacher. Kristin Scott Thomas (Gosford Park), as his adulterous wife, helps keep everything together, turning it all upside down as she realizes the folly of her affair with a tacky American golf pro, who is played to a T by Patrick Swayze. For fans of dark British comedy like A Fish Called Wanda, this is aces, and while it may not go down as one of the best, it is the kind of polite and safe revenge fantasy that your Mom can recommend to all her friends and feel like she has seeded the world with a bit of comedic culture. –Robert Newton

TIDELAND [R]
As if to apologize for the 2005 flop, The Brothers Grimm, ex-Python Terry Gilliam has crafted what is perhaps the most commercially unmarketable film ever. When the parents of young Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland) both overdose on heroin, she is left to fend for herself, all alone in the family farmhouse with no one to keep her company but her dolls…and her late father’s rotting corpse. Gilliam’s hearty roll-in-the-muck pays off, though, because it is also one of the most memorable films ever. The abject dread that he creates in Jeliza-Rose’s dark spiral of survival is haunting, and his depiction of this young threadbare life admirably stops just this side of obscene. Aside from Ferland’s Dakota-like character transformation, towering Janet McTeer (Songcatcher) as an old flame of the girl’s dad and Brendan Fletcher (The Final Cut) as her Very Special brother both do well in helping the mad Gilliam unmask this unfathomable creature’s beautifully ugly face. –Robert Newton

THE COMEDIANS OF COMEDY [NR]
Never mind plebeian hacks like Dane Cook and Carlos Mencia — these guys (and one gal) are what real comedy today is all about. Light years beyond Chicken McNuggets jokes, fat momma gags and lame Jack Nicholson impressions, the diverse styles of Maria Bamford, Zach Galifianakis, “Mr. Show” staple Brian Posehn and producer Patton Oswalt complement each other very nicely. Live material from each comic’s act, plus some behind-the-scenes rumination on the nature of the business, is featured, as is a bonus show shot at Albuquerque’s famous El Rey. As energizing as all of this fresh, new creative energy is to take in, though, there are far more road tales to tell, as Comedy Central’s 2006 reality series showed. The DVD is a nice (and affordable) appetizer, but a full season of the show would really make the meal. –Robert Newton