This is a solid English gangster riff on Goodfellas, but way more violent. Need I say more? Keep an eye out for Dr. Channard from Hellraiser 2. He even has a scene with Uncle Frank.
Not available on domestic Blu-ray.
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The Amazing Randi was a stage magician, escape artist, and enemy of all paranormal fakers. The man’s life story is enhanced by a few totally unexpected turns. I was entertained, and I learned a thing or two. R.I.P. Randi.
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Prolific cult movie screenwriter and director Larry Cohen passed away last year. When he was involved in a good project you could bet it would be weird, fast paced, and entertaining. This is one of my personal favorites among his output, and it is 100% Anomalous. Here is one of the few movies I saw as a kid that I remember every step of it’s release. First there was the above iconic teaser posters and print ads. Then the “Q is here” poster and TV ads. I distinctly remember watching the film being reviewed on At the Movies with Siskel and Ebert a little while after. I was nine years old so I didn’t see it in the theater, although my older brother did get me into an original screening of Conan the Barbarian around that time (thank you Chris). I ended up seeing Q on cable in 1984 and was not disappointed. Yeah, the low budget shows at times, but that is forgivable. This movie is a blast, and it has a really great cast to boot. Enjoy.
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There are a ton of awful action movies on Netflix (where I orginally saw Avengement). This movie should have been one of them, but I loved it. It features English gangsters, almost non-stop fighting, a good story, and solid production values. You might need to turn on the subtitles, as the accents and jargon are very thick for the duration. Really that’s a minor quibble – this movie is a blast.
Not available on domestic Blu-ray.
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This is probably the single most Anomalous movie I’ve recommended yet. The title tells you the crux of the story, but don’t let that turn you off. This is a one of a kind, weird as hell, work of art that feels like a fever dream. The pace is slow, the budget is very small, and the blood minimal, but I really like Death Bed. Watch it with an open mind and I think you’ll appreciate it. Oh and one of the lead actors, William Russ, was also in a bazillion other things including Cruising (1980).
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Here’s another very good South Korean crime film. It’s got all the elements that you’d expect: tons of action, a very complicated story, extremely bad bad guys, and slick production values. This one leans a lot on drama, but that’s fine. It kept reminding me of Léon: The Professional, which is a good thing. Like Luc Besson’s film, the drama serves a purpose, and the action is impressive.
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I was not the least bit interested in this movie when it originally came out. Then last year I listened to a podcast where the writer Jon Ronson was interviewed, and this book / screenplay were mentioned. Ronson is a super smart and amusing guy, so I figured the movie would actually be worth watching after all. I got around to watching it the other day and found Goats very entertaining. It does suffer from some moments of big-budget movie cheese, but I wasn’t too bothered. The story is based on fact, but the movie is all whacky comedy, so I’d recommend watching it with a couple of drinks or whatever you’re into.
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I can’t believe it took me over 80 posts to recommend a David Cronenberg film. After all he’s one of my favorite directors, and is STILL making good movies. Dead Ringers is an excellent, more mature thriller than say, Scanners. It does feel a bit slower than the director’s earlier films but that’s ok. It makes up for that flaw with one of my favorite minor movie character names of all time, Anders Wolleck. He’s played by an actor you might recognize. Also, keep an eye out for Jill Hennessy (City on a Hill, Law and Order, ugh… Crossing Jordan) and her real-life twin sister.
I also highly recommend you check out the recent Dead Ringers series on Amazon Prime. Very different, but great.
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The title says it all. This documentary might wreck your day, but it gets my strongest recommendation.
Not available on Blu-ray.
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This is such a well known movie I hesitated recommending it. I’m going to go ahead and tell you about Dirty Harry because I seriously love this film, and I think there’s many younger people that have never seen it.
Here’s two fun facts: this film was a major influence on all the Italian police action (Poliziotteschi) films after it, and was inspired by the Zodiac murders which were still ongoing at the time of it’s release. This killer is called The Scorpio, and is flawlessly played by Andrew Robinson (Hellraiser 1 & 2, Star Trek DS9). Robinson is so unhinged and despicable in this film it still blows my mind. Get ready for a grim, violent, blast of a movie, with beautiful cinematography and kick ass music by Lalo Schifrin. I’m green with envy for any of you that will be seeing this for the first time.
Update 8.23.24 – I am currently reading Quentin Tarantino’s book “Cinema Speculation” in which he calls Dirty Harry “a powerhouse work of art.” I fully agree.
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