Where to stream weird & wonderful movies. Covering cult to arthouse genres on Amazon Prime, Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and more.
After a few failed attempts, I managed to get some text completed that I am happy with. If all goes well with this new artists’ book, I plan on getting back on my weekly movie recommendations here next Friday.
Thank you for your patience. -Jonathan
Hello Anomalous Cinephiles,
I will be taking a few weeks off to work on a larger writing project relating to my visual art. If all goes well the end result will be an artists’ book / zine coming out later this year.
The above video was made by my friend Doug Burns to document my exhibition “Carry On” from March. A few copies of the corresponding artists’ book are still available here: https://wakeless.studio/products/14
I will try to drop an update here from time to time.
Thank you. -Jonathan
Streaming on HBO Max | imdb | trailer
Here’s an excellent film noir about a WWII vet seeking revenge against his double dealing commanding officer. It was rare for a movie so close to the end of the war to deal with the topic of combat damaged soldiers. This was directed by Fred Zinnemann who had a truly epic career (just look at his amazing credits). You also get to see the always impressive Robert Ryan in action, as well as a young Janet Leigh. If you like ‘40s crime thrillers and haven’t seen Act of Violence, get on it. It is one of my personal favorite noirs.
Available on Blu-ray from Warner Archive.
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.
Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer
I avoid posting Criterion Collection films, but I rarely see this Polanski film get mentioned in the closet (or anywhere else). Two criminals decide to hide out in a castle owned by a very eccentric couple, and much like the later film Performance, things get way weird. This is a pretty surreal movie and manages to be legitimately funny as well. The stand out performance is by Donald Pleasance. I am die hard fan of his work, and here he really gets to go nuts, much to my delight. Give Cul-de-sac a try. You just might enjoy this Anomalous little gem as much as I did.
Available on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
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.
Streaming on Hulu | imdb | trailer
Detroit singer songwriter Rodriguez put out two albums in the early ‘70s and then disappeared. His music never found an audience in the USA, but it turns out he was very popular in South Africa. Two die hard fans from there get together to track down this mysterious musician. Did he really kill himself on stage? If not, what made him stop performing? They find out, and it’s a fascinating journey. I was unfamiliar with Rodriquez until just recently, and I was pleasantly surprised at how truly good his music is. In spite of that, I don’t think you need to be a fan of edgy folk music to appreciate this documentary.
Available on Blu-ray from Sony.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This week kicked my ass. I will do some quick recommendations this weekend on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpcanady
See you back here on June 26th.
Thank you. -Jonathan
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.
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.
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.
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