I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

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Streaming on HBO Max | imdb | trailer

This one was new to me up until just recently, and I was very pleasantly surprised. If you think the title says it all you are dead wrong. This is a complex plot for a ‘30s movie and, amazingly enough, it’s based on a true story. I just suggest you just check it out if you don’t mind watching an old black and white film. I gave I Am a Fugitive… a 9 out of 10.

Not available on Blu-ray.

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Birds of Passage (2018)

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Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

From the same director duo as the previously recommended Embrace of the Serpent comes another top notch and innovative film. An indigenous Wayuu family in remote Columbia deals with the clash of their traditional life and the high profit drug market. This movie pretty much blew my mind right out of the gate. I found it to be a very satisfying mix of crime drama and art film. It does have a few minor flaws, and is on the long side, but if you give this a pass for those reasons I believe you’ll be missing something special. The world needs more films like Birds of Passage.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

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The Whistleblower (2010)

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Streaming on Hulu, Kanopy, and Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

I had forgotten about this movie until just now, but it’s nice to dust off unusual films when I can. The Whistleblower fits perfectly in that category as it is a pretty nasty movie, but also deals with a serious subject, and pulls it off effectively. This is based on the real life Kathryn Bolkovac, who uncovered a sex trafficking scandal in post-war Bosnia. Critics didn’t like it very much because of the handling of the heavy subject matter, but I give it a thumbs up. Rachel Weisz is great as per usual, and if you haven’t seen her mini-series version of Dead Ringers I also highly recommend that as well (just make sure you see the OG first).

Available on Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox.

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Saturn 3 (1980)

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Streaming on Amazon Prime and YouTube (free) | imdb | trailer

This movie is arguably terrible. It has one of the lowest meta scores I’ve ever seen. I’m going to tell you about it anyway, but please proceed with caution. Kirk Douglas and Farah Fawcett are a couple on a spaceship trying to help keep the overcrowded Earth fed. They’re having a pretty lovely time until Harvey Keitel and a very intimidating robot show up. I liked this movie as a kid, and found it surprisingly entertaining as an adult in spite of it’s massive flaws. The most glaring problems are the fact that Keitel’s voice was dubbed because of his accent, and the general cheesiness of the whole movie. If you can look past those issues, you may just enjoy this sci-fi horror thriller. 

PS – There’s a lot of amusing trivia about Saturn 3. My favorite is that Kirk Douglas insisted on showing off as much skin as possible so the world knew he was still in shape. This was parodied in Martin Amis’s book “Money” which I coincidentally read recently.

Available on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.

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The Rock (1996)

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Streaming on HBO Max | imdb | trailer

Some of you are wondering why the hell I am recommending this mega-budget action film. Well, I’ve got a soft spot for this one because the first time I saw it I was on acid. I remember renting the VHS tape on a whim for the occasion. I figured it would be a dumb movie to make fun of. It turns out I was correct AND it is also highly entertaining. Some of the witty dialog and purposefully ridiculous violence had me howling with laughter. The Rock even held up when re-watching it with a few beers. It’s still dumb. You will make fun of it. However you may just be entertained like I was. Oh yeah and Roger Ebert liked it too.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

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Genocide (1982)

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Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

As you know, I avoid recommending Oscar winners, but this one was not on my radar at all, so I bet you missed it too. This is a very well made documentary on The Holocaust narrated by Orson Welles and Elizabeth Taylor. The art direction and use of animation is flat out excellent. I also learned some things I did not know, in spite of being relatively well educated on the subject. Genocide is rated PG, but does feature a lot of extremely graphic images. I suggest you don’t look away. This is a part of history that every person should know about, and learn from.

Not available on Blu-ray.

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Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

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Streaming on Hulu | imdb | trailer

I’m not a big fan of modern vampire movies, but this happens to be a good one. I think my reason for giving this a try was Tom Hiddleston’s performance in High Rise. It helps that I will watch damn near anything with Tilda Swinton in it, and I also like several Jim Jarmusch films (my favorites are Night on Earth, Dead Man, and Gimmie Danger). Only Lovers Left Alive is pretty slow paced, but it never felt boring to me. The soundtrack is excellent too. Once you’re done with the film, you need to watch the What We Do in the Shadows series episode “The Trial” (Season 1, Episode 7) – trust me.

Available on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Classics.

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Mystery Street (1950)

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Streaming on HBO Max | imdb | trailer

A skeleton is found on the beach and a local detective is out to solve the mystery behind it. Ricardo Montalban was best known as Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island and Khan from Star Trek, but here we get to watch him as the lead in a very good film noir. You also get to see the always enjoyable Elsa Lanchester (The Bride of Frankenstein) in a solid mid-career role. Mystery Street is a bit more morbid than your average crime film of the time. The inclusion of a Harvard professor using forensic techniques reminded me of a giallo film. This was directed by John Sturges who went on to make many classic films including The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. All these ingredients make for a very entertaining mid-century dose of Anomalous Cinema.

Available on Blu-ray from Warner Archives.

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Argentina, 1985 (2022)

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Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

This is a historical drama about the trial of the men responsible for Argentina’s “Dirty War.” Between 1974 and 1983 over 20,000 people considered part of the opposition to the military dictatorship were disappeared. Lead actor Ricardo Darín (The Secret in their Eyes, Nine Queens) is excellent as the chief prosecutor, but all the performances are top notch. Argentina, 1985 is simply a fantastic and riveting courtroom drama that deserved its win of the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Chalk this up to another movie that shined a light on a mostly overlooked chapter of world history.

Not available on Blu-ray.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema, please consider supporting this site by donating any amount (even $1.00 is appreciated) via Venmo @vergeoflight or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.