In a roadside diner, an ageing former boxer (Seinfeld’s Brian George) tells a friendly server (The School for Good and Evil’s Rachel Bloom) a magical tale from his fighting past — involving a very special match between a monster made of radioactive oatmeal and a steam-powered robot. No wonder he gets misty when he sees the menu item that gives this film its title: Steel Cut Oats.
io9 has featured the work of filmmaker Harry Chaskin before — check out his pandemic creation, black-and-white submarine tale Down Here — but Steel Cut Oats is much more ambitious; the filmmaker, who told Gizmodo it took six years to complete this “labour of love,” describes it as “a loose retelling of the Golem folktale from Eastern Europe … it’s also a love letter to the films of Ray Harryhausen, employing every old school practical effect you can think of.” Payam Banifaz plays the boxer in the flashback scenes.
Plus: ruthless gangsters, weird science, sports nostalgia — and a surprisingly touching relationship between a down-on-his-luck athlete (in live-action) and one very expressive radioactive oatmeal monster (in stop-motion).
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.