Author: vergeoflight

Visual artist / graphic designer / former experimental musician - Portland, OR.

Milius (2013)

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Streaming on YouTube (also Roku and Plex) | imdb | trailer

I just rewatched Conan the Barbarian (1982 – currently streaming on Netflix) the other day for the zillionth time, so this seemed appropriate. This is the story of John Milius, the man behind Conan, Red Dawn, the screenplay for Apocalypse Now, and a ton of other things you wouldn’t immediately connect him to. Milius described himself as a Zen Anarchist (I love it), but he often gets dismissed as merely conservative because of his war fetish. If you’re not open to a right of center perspective, you should probably avoid this documentary. For the rest of you, get ready to be entertained by many stories about the crazy genius’ rollercoaster career and life.

BONUS: Here’s a text interview that Quentin Tarantino did with John Milius back in 1982 (?!?!?).

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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Weekend (1967)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

The esteemed Jean-Luc Godard’s art films are pretty hit or miss for me. However this one is excellent overall, and probably my favorite. A couple jump in their car and many strange things happen, making this (to my recollection) the first surrealistic road trip movie. Here’s the truly interesting thing about Weekend: it fetishizes traffic accidents SIX YEARS before J.G. Ballard’s book “Crash” was published. Ballard was a casual fan of Godard and saw this film when it came out. That makes it seem that a seed was planted by Weekend, however he is quoted as saying “Godard’s got it wrong.” That means if Ballard was truly influenced, it was to take the car crash idea in his own direction. Anyhow… the only thing that blemishes what would have been a perfect movie is that Godard interrupts the action with characters talking to the camera about political and social issues. Yes, this was very innovative and edgy in 1967, but those issues are so specific to late ‘60s France that they cease to function. Last time I watched the film I just fast forwarded through those bits. You might want to do the same. Otherwise this is a beautiful, dark, weird, and sometimes funny masterpiece.

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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

The Burning (1981)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Naughty teen campers pull a prank and the victim returns for revenge. End of plot. There aren’t a lot of teen slasher movies I like, but this one is solid. It’s really straight forward, but if you enjoy ‘80s horror and have missed this, you’ll probably appreciate it. I’ve seen The Burning a few times, including a film print, and have always had a good time. Tom Savini turned down working on Friday the 13th Part 2 for this film, so you know the makeup FX are quality. Plus you get to see Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld) with a full head of hair, and an early, very brief, appearance from Holly Hunter. So have a few drinks (or whatever floats your boat), turn off all higher brain functions, and enjoy some early ‘80s horror cheese.

Available on UHD/Blu-ray from Scream 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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

We Own the Night (2007)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Mark Wahlberg is a cop, his brother (Joaquin Phoenix) is a nightclub owner. The mighty Robert Duvall is their deputy police chief dad. The Russian mob complicates matters. Blood is shed. Cars are chased. This is not the greatest action / crime film ever made, but it is damn good entertainment. The car chase is probably the best of the mid-2000s. We Own the Night is worth a watch for that alone.

Available on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures.

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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

El testigo (2018)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer (in Spanish – no subtitles – sorry)

In this excellent documentary journalist Jesús Abad Colorado revisits his photographs of the war in Colombia and the people connected to those images. There is as a lot of darkness and some hope to be seen. The only potential flaw of this film is that it’s rather short. Considering how so many movies are unnecessarily over two hours long, maybe it shouldn’t be considered a flaw to be less than 90 minutes. This feels like it was edited down just right. At the time I am writing this, El testigo has zero critic or user reviews on IMDb. That’s a damn shame as I give this doc my most enthusiastic recommendation.

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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Revanche (2008)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

An ex-con does a bank robbery to try and help his prostitute girlfriend. A police officer who attempts to stop him starts off a chain of events that intertwines their lives. This is a really good artsy crime drama from Austria that I don’t want to tell you too much about. It’s bloodless, but does feature a lot of nudity, and has an unpredictable plot. I really enjoyed Revanche, so give it a try if you want to see a good neo-noir film.

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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Crippled Avengers (1978)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer (in SHAWSCOPE!!!)

The Venom Mob is back again for a much weirder adventure. This is not a sequel to The Five Deadly Venoms, but one of many Shaw Brothers films featuring those core actors. Four men are disabled by an evil martial arts master, so naturally they are taught to use their handicaps to get revenge. This movie is almost non-stop crazy action from the start, and a fan-favorite Shaw flick. This would make an excellent double bill with Accione Mutante (the new disc is HIGHLY recommended).

Available on Blu-ray from Arrow (part of the Shawscope Vol 1 Box).

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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Back in post-WW2 America everything was just peachy. There was nothing but prosperity and apple pie family values from sea to shining sea, right? Sorry pal. As author Katherine Dunn said, “there were no good old days.” The grim side of life was just hidden from mainstream society. L.A. Confidential taps into that and cranks it all the way up. I remember this gritty crime film blowing my mind when I first saw it in the theater. It’s dark, complex, violent, and has a fantastic cast. What are you waiting for?

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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

The Mist (2007)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is the original movie version of Stephen King’s 1980 novella. I skipped the recent TV series because of the poor ratings. What we have here is neither the best, nor the worst King adaptation. I’d rate The Mist above average among those films. Why the hell am I recommending this? Well, it is creepy as hell if you don’t know what is going on in the plot. At least that was my experience when first seeing the movie. I took a look recently, and it still looked good, in spite of some slightly dated CG. Bottom line, if you missed this one and haven’t read the book, there’s a decent chance you’ll enjoy it.

Available on Blu-ray from ummm… well it’s available anyhow.

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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

Citizen X (1995)

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Streaming on Max | imdb | trailer

This is possibly my favorite ’90s dramatization of a true crime case. Andrei Chikatilo was known as The Rostov Ripper, and was responsible for the murders of at least 52 women and children. This film is based on “The Killer Department,” which remains one of the best true crime books I’ve ever read. Citizen X is helped a ton by strong performances by Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland, Jeffrey DeMunn, and Max Von Sydow. Don’t expect much gore, but the drama is extremely dark and should appeal to anyone with an interest in true crime. It’s stunning this was an HBO-made TV movie.

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 / Cash App $vergeoflight / or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.