Tag: amazon

Electra (1962)

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Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer (in Greek w/ no subs – sorry)

I just stumbled upon this one recently, and I am very pleased that I did. Irene Papas (Don’t Torture a Duckling) stars as Electra, and she is INTENSE. The film is based on the famous Greek mythical tale of treachery and revenge. I was impressed that every shot is extremely well composed and all the actor’s movements are carefully choreographed. This reminds me of early Pasolini, except that the cast seems to be all skilled actors. Also the dialog is almost as epically dramatic as August Strindberg’s A Dream Play. This is a very melodramatic and carefully paced film, but I personally loved it. The music is great too. I would not be surprised if Dead Can Dance were influenced by the score. Just don’t go expecting any graphic violence or other adult material and you might appreciate the film as much as I did. I could honestly see Electra getting a full Criterion treatment one day. Make sure to watch this in the original Greek language with subtitles. I tried it on the English dub and it made the movie seem cheap.

PS – There is now an Alphabetical List of all films on this site. Thank you Joe M for the suggestion!

Not available on Blu-ray

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The Captain (2017)

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Streaming on Amazon Prime (as well as Kanopy and Plex) | imdb | trailer

My friend David recommended this one to me out of the blue. Wow. I have no idea how The Captain escaped me when it came out, but I was very glad to finally experience it. Well maybe “glad” is a poor choice of words. This is the dramatized story of real life German army deserter Willi Herold who just happens to get his hands on a captain’s uniform. He manages to fool enough people to cause a ton of mayhem in the last two weeks of WW2. Not good mayhem either. Yet somehow this dark as hell film manages to be funny at times too. If you’re not scared of some bleak fact-based viewing, give this one a try.

Available on Blu-ray from Music Box Films

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.

Hannie Caulder (1971)

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Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

Who would have thought this oddball western was one of the inspirations for Kill Bill? The plot is pretty simple… Hannie and her husband are brutally attacked by the creepy Clemens Gang, so naturally it’s revenge-o-matic time. She gets a gunslinger to train her and the plot unfolds from there. I had never even heard of this movie before I saw a 35 mm screening a while back. Raquel Welch and Robert Culp are fun to watch (as are MANY other familiar faces), and the whole thing makes for an entertaining western-style vengeance film. Imagine Thriller: A Cruel Picture without the graphic sex and violence. Those elements are there, just not in your face. I believe this one is pretty obscure, so I’m glad to see it’s been restored and made available again.

Available on Blu-ray from Olive.

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.

Desolation Center (2018)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Stuart Swezey is an important figure in my life. When I was 18 I rented the found footage VHS compilation Amok Assault and it blew my fucking mind. Check it out for yourself on Internet Archive but proceed with caution. The pictures are very graphic and you may not want to watch. Anyhow, Amok started as an infamous LA book store and then began publishing books. My favorite title is “Amok Journal: Sensurround Edition” which is somewhat like Amok Assault in book form. Mr. Swezey opened my eyes to a strata of counter culture that I didn’t know existed. Little did I know that years before Amok existed he also organized three legendary music and performing arts events as Desolation Center. I was much too young and far away to witness any of these happenings in person. Thankfully this amazing human being directed a pretty much flawless documentary on the whole story. I will make it simple for you… If you are interested in counter culture in any way, this movie is mandatory viewing. Thank you Stuart.

Not available on Blu-ray BUT you can get a DVD and other merch here.

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.

The Quiet Family (1998)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer (sorry about the poor quality)

The first guest at a mountain inn commits suicide and wackiness ensues. This is a very good horror comedy by director Kim Jee-woon who also made the excellent A Bittersweet Life and I Saw the Devil, among other popular SK films. I just learned that The Quiet Family was also the inspiration for Miike’s The Happiness of the Katakuris that I recommended previously. This one is not a musical however. Do I really need to tell you more?

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

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

The headline read “Hobo Stops Begging, Demands Change.” That, and the fact that all exploitation elements are cranked to 11, sums up this movie. I’ve been a Rutger Hauer fan since seeing Blade Runner is a kid. I think I’ve seen the majority of his films, and I have even read his autobiography. For many years I complained about the injustice of Hauer not getting a good lead role. Well in 2011 the stars aligned – Hobo with a Shotgun was announced. I was avidly following the pre-release promotion of the movie, and was not disappointed when I finally got to see the finished product. I think the low rating on imdb is because of the overall purposeful cheese factor, and the fact everything offensive is thrown in to the mix. Yeah it ain’t Ingmar Bergman, but I give it a perfect score. RIP Mr. Hauer.

Available on Blu-ray from Magnet.

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 Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)

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Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

Here we have an excellent biopic on the artist Louis Wain. You may be familiar with his fanciful to psychotic feline creations. Do you love cats? Are you ready to cry? Well then this movie is for you. It may seem cutsie at first glance, but things get weird and dark later on. I really enjoyed it in spite of my heartstrings being ripped out of my body.

Not available on Blu-ray.

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Blood Sabbath (1972)

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Streaming on YouTube | imdb | trailer (VHS Promo – YouTube sign-in required)

A young man stumbles upon a coven (Mark Borchardt pronunciation required) of witches and mayhem ensues. By all normal standards, this is an awful movie. By Anomalous Cinema standards, this is a delightful movie. I will refer you to the superior Stephen Thrower review in his book Nightmare USA. If you don’t have access to that book, all you may care about is that Dyanne Thorne from the notorious Ilsa film series co-stars, and is awesomely cheesy. Here are couple of interesting points Mr. Thrower didn’t mention: 1) The lead “young man” is played by Anthony Geary, better known among some of you older folks as Luke Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. 2) The Priest is played by Steve Gravers, whose voice many cult movie folks will recognize immediately as Blackwolf from Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards. Additionally, I found the music to be effectively creepy for such a low-budget affair. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen a “so bad it’s good” movie, I believe you need to experience Blood Sabbath.

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.

Season of the Witch (1972)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I am a big fan of George A. Romero (through Land of the Dead anyway) but missed this one until just now. I think this will be hard for some folks to get into because of the fashion of the time and the average looking actors. Please trust me, it’s worth looking past all that and just enjoying this mild, but very good, nightmarish horror thriller. It’s got a lot of depth to it. Even after a few drinks I noticed multiple possible angles going on. I have to admire Romero for making this film. Watch Season of the Witch with a little patience and I think you’ll enjoy it.

Available on Blu-ray from Arrow.

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.

Heathers (1988)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This may be the last great ’80s movie. Heathers is a one-of-a-kind, highly stylized dark comedy starring Christian Slater and Winona Ryder. So dark that if you’ve been even remotely effected by any of the horrible violence around High Schools since 1999 you better skip this one. On the other hand if you’re a Stranger Things fan and haven’t seen this you’re doing yourself a major disservice. I love that the screenwriter wrote his own slang terms to parody and outdo what was coming out of the mouths of teenagers at the time. My favorite involves a chainsaw.

FYI – There was a TV series reboot of Heathers in 2018 but it didn’t work out, and sounds like it wasn’t very good anyway.

Available on Blu-ray from Image Entertainment.

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.