Tag: adventure

Dead Man (1995)

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Jim Jarmusch made this pitch black artsy western back when Johnny Depp still had credibility. It’s a deliberately paced film, but damn it’s good. For me, Gary Farmer is the star of the show as the native guide Nobody. He also plays my favorite character in the excellent series Reservation Dogs. I can’t leave out the killer supporting appearances from Billy Bob Thornton and Iggy Pop, plus a perfect Crispin Glover cameo. The finishing touch is Neil Young’s mournful guitar score. His music ties it all together, and it’s a great listen on it’s own. Don’t miss this beautiful descent into endless night.

Available on Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.

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Weekend (1967)

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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.

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Commando (1985)

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I was a big Arnie fan as a kid. This is mostly because of Conan (1982) and The Terminator (1984). Unfortunately he was in as many crappy movies as good ones back in the 80s. Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja, Raw Deal and Red Heat are not good uses of Schwarzenegger. This film, while not even close to his best, is firmly in the middle of his 1980s work. It’s dumb. Really dumb. Eve-rollingly dumb. However, it is also fast-paced, big, fun, and ridiculously violent. If you’ve never experienced this film, and are capable of turning your higher brain functions off, you’re in for a good time. Speaking of the ‘80s… if you look around in the torrentverse you can probably find the TV movie The Jayne Mansfield Story. Arnold plays her husband Mickey Hargitay (Mariska’s dad) and Loni Anderson (from WKRP – a childhood favorite TV series) is Jayne. It’s surprisingly good. Also a bit dumb, but honestly worth seeing.

Available on Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox.

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The Hunter (2011)

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A gun for hire is sent to find the last Tasmanian Tiger. I love Willem Dafoe, and this is one of the better films where he is the lead actor. This is beautifully shot in unbelievable Tasmanian locations, very well cast, and has a great melancholy feel throughout. There’s a tiny bit of CG that does not look great, but the movie is so good it doesn’t matter. I still give The Hunter a perfect score.

Available on Blu-ray from Magnolia

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The Descent (2005)

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A group of women go on a cave expedition and run into some particularly freaky monsters. This was Neil Marshall’s follow up to the excellent Dog Soldiers (2002). Sadly it looks like his career didn’t continue on its upward trajectory, but I truly enjoyed this film. It’s all handled very well, and with a great attention to detail. This is an intense, quality horror film, that has withstood the test of time.

Available on Blu-ray from Lion’s Gate.

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Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

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Back when this one came out in theaters I was thirteen years old. During the summer my mother would give me $1.50 to go see a movie at the second-run theater at the mall (and to get me out of her hair). I sat through MANY crappy PG and PG-13 films, but this one made me very happy. It’s got martial arts action, monsters, comedy, crazy special effects, lovely ladies, and Kurt Russell hamming up a storm. I revisit it every few years and yep, it’s cheezy as hell, but still a lot of fun. If you haven’t experienced this oddball John Carpenter creation, maybe check it out with the help of your favorite psychoactive substance. Hell, depending on the age of your kids, Big Trouble… just might be fun for the whole family.

Available on Blu-ray from Shout Factory.

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Reign of Fire (2002)

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Some executives got together and agreed to green light a $60 million movie that is The Road Warrior + DRAGONS. Yep. As weird as that sounds, it’s pretty damned good. It’s not even rated R, and it’s still an entertaining flick. The CG even holds up 20 years on. Reign of Fire does have some cheesy moments, but all the fast-paced action makes that worth enduring. Oh, and I’m pretty sure that Matthew McConaughey’s look is inspired by Steve Von Till from the band Neurosis. 

Available on Blu-ray from Touchstone.

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High Life (2018)

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This is definitely not for everyone, so proceed with caution. High Life must be one of the biggest budget art films in cinema history. I’m impressed director Claire Denis was given an opportunity to create on this scale. It’s essentially a sci-fi / drama, with some brief moments of gore and nudity. This movie is very deliberately paced, although not as slow as Tarkovsky’s Solaris. Every shot looks beautiful, and Robert Pattinson is excellent. This is tip-top Anomalous Cinema that will reward the open minded viewer.

Available on Blu-ray from Lion’s Gate.

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Sightseers (2012)

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ANOTHER Ben Wheatley movie?!?? Yes, this is a great one though. A couple go on holiday and wackiness ensues. By wackiness I mean murder. It’s a dark comedy that is truly funny, and one of Wheatley’s very best films. The female lead just happens to be Alice Lowe who played Madeleine Wool in Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place (she’s been in a ton of other great stuff too). You might also recognize her boyfriend Chris, played by Steve Oram, from The World’s End, Kill List, and The Mighty Boosh. I can’t recommend this film strongly enough. It gets an Anomalous Cinema 10 out of 10.

Available on Import Blu-ray from Studio Canal.

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Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974)

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This film marks the beginning of the end for Hammer Studios. They had hoped it would be the first in a series of movies to rescue the company from it’s financial decline. That was not to happen. Kronos failed to do well enough in the theaters to help. Luckily it’s now gained a bit of a cult following. This one is not as impressive as my favorite Hammer films, but absolutely worth watching. It is fast-paced, and not missing much of the late-period Hammer naughtiness and violence. Vampire Hunter is on the cheesy side, so make sure to enjoy it with an open mind, and your favorite psychoactive substance.

Available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

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