Tag: adventure

Weekend (1967)

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Streaming on HBO Max (and Criterion Channel) | 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.

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Commando (1985)

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Streaming on Hulu | imdb | trailer

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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Hardcore Henry (2015)

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Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

This movie will not make you smarter, but it’s a very entertaining action flick. The basic premise of a violent, first-person, sci-fi adventure, that happens to be well-executed, qualifies it as Anomalous Cinema alone. The cherry on top is that Hardcore Henry manages to ramp up the insane action as it goes along. Oh yeah, and Sharlto Copley is excellent in this. He even does a literal song and dance routine. That’s some sprinkles with your cherry. The whole thing could be dismissed as just plain stupid. I say it’s damned fun, and confirmed that on a second viewing last night. So turn off your logic circuits, and enjoy with your favorite psychoactive substance for the proper experience.

Available on Blu-ray from Universal Studios.

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The Occupant (2020)

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Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer (English – WATCH THE MOVIE IN SPANISH W/ SUBS)

Netflix delivers another entertaining Spanish thriller. The whole thing is improbable to the extreme, so forget about suspending your disbelief. It doesn’t matter because The Occupant looks great, the performances are spot on, and it has some wonderfully twisted moments. A word of warning though, some people HATED this movie. I’d say watch without expectations. Let the movie do it’s thing. If you generally appreciate the films I recommend on Anomalous Cinema, there’s a good chance you’ll like this as much as I did. Not feeling a little adventurous? Pick something else.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

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Monos (2019)

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Streaming on Hulu | imdb | trailer

This is a beautifully photographed borderline-art film about teenage rebel fighters with an American hostage. It has several violent scenes, but is mostly a deliberately paced dark drama. The jungle locations are stunning, and seem so remote they’re from another planet. All the actors are excellent, but it was a pleasant surprise to see Julianne Nicholson (Law and Order / Boardwalk Empire) knock it out of the park as the hostage. This film also features a killer electronic soundtrack by Mica Levi who also did the music for Under the Skin. Monos is an almost perfect film that I strongly recommend to any patient film buff.

Available on Blu-ray from Universal.

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Heaven’s Gate (1980)

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Streaming on HBO Max | imdb | trailer

Ok, so this movie was one of the epic flops in cinema history. The nutshell version is that the estimated budget was 44 million and the cumulative gross worldwide revenue was less than 3.5 million. Ouch. However, Heaven’s Gate is a damn good film! It’s also bloated, over-complicated, bizarre, and excruciatingly slow at times. I can imagine seeing it in the theater was quite a trial. Watch this in a few chunks, and you’ll appreciate what Michael Cimino was trying to do. Some of the scenes in this movie are just jaw droppingly insane on multiple levels. It’s honestly a must-see work of Anomalous Cinema. I’m just very happy that the director got to see it appreciated during his lifetime.

Blu-ray available from Criterion.

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