amazon – Anomalous Cinema

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014)

May 26, 2023May 25, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

This is the what someone who hates art films probably thinks all art films are like. The thing is, it works really well. Weird, funny, dark, and beautiful. If you like this one, check out Songs from the Second Floor. It’s also by Roy Andersson, but even better. Along with You, the Living (which I have not yet seen) the movies mentioned here make up a trilogy. I don’t feel that watching them all in order is really essential, as the two I’ve seen are pretty abstract.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

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The Burning (1981)

May 5, 2023May 4, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | 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.

Crippled Avengers (1978)

April 7, 2023April 13, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | 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).

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

March 10, 2023April 6, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

I liked this image so much I couldn’t crop it.

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

Rosemary and her husband move in to a fancy but weird Manhattan apartment. Once she becomes pregnant, things take an extremely dark turn. I have hesitated to recommend Rosemary’s Baby as it’s on so many critic lists. However I wouldn’t be surprised if many younger people have overlooked this film. Another part of my hesitation is the fact that director Roman Polanski is a terrible human being (and many people believe that star Mia Farrow is no saint either). I recently heard someone say that great art becomes it’s own entity once it is completed. That entity stands apart from the flawed, sometimes awful, human being that made it. Yep, this film is great art. It’s one of the most beautifully crafted horror films ever made. That horror stays on the psychological end of the spectrum, but I love every minute of it. This movie demands to be seen in spite of the flawed humans involved.

Available on Blu-ray from Paramount.

RoboCop 2 (1990)

January 20, 2023May 4, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

The original RoboCop is one of my all time favorite films. RoboCop 3 and the TV series are total crap. RoboCop 2 however is a pretty damn entertaining movie actually. It has all the important cast that survived the first film, the OG Red Dragon from Manhunter (Tom Noonan), and was directed by… Irvin Kershner. Who? Well he was the director of a little film called The Empire Strikes Back. Yep, he was obviously somewhat co-directed by George Lucas, but still, facts are facts. He also did the flawed but entertaining final Sean Connery James Bond flick Never Say Never Again (which was weirdly released the same year as Roger Moore’s Bond in Octopussy). One major bonus here is that FX master Phil Tippett was allowed almost total creative freedom, even to the extent where he directed the visual effects heavy scenes himself. So if you’ve never seen this, or it’s been a while, you’re in for a treat.

Available on Blu-ray from Shout Factory.

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

December 30, 2022March 4, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime | 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.

Capote (2005)

December 9, 2022December 8, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

As I’ve said in the past, I really try to avoid recommending Academy Award winners. I really love this film though, and have not heard it mentioned in years. Capote is the story behind the writing of the grandaddy of all True Crime books “In Cold Blood”, and it’s pretty much a perfect film. This is also my favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman performance (RIP). This is one dark, beautifully filmed, emotional movie, that I give a 10/10. Also, if you’ve never read “In Cold Blood” before, do yourself a favor and do so immediately. It really is one of the very best works of American non-fiction.

Available on Blu-ray from MGM.

Things to Come (1936)

November 25, 2022November 22, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

I avoided this film for a while, but damn it’s really something special. The story is the unfolding of a century from war and chaos, to utopian innovation. I was already a fan of H.G. Welles adaptations since I was a kid, I’ve read some of his books as an adult, but I never really understood the breadth of his imagination until seeing this movie. Welles wrote The Shape of Things to Come in 1933. If it’s anything like The War of the Worlds, the book is FAR better than the film. In spite of that, to SEE how ‘30s filmmakers applied Welles’ ideas is truly stunning. Things to Come has a far more spectacular look than I would have thought was possible before WW2. In the beginning of the film everything appears like you would expect. As the story moves forward in time, it all becomes more and more wonderfully bizarre, and just keeps getting weirder. The grim war years are particularly something to behold. Bottom line, if you are a science fiction fan, this is essential viewing.

Available on Blu-ray from Criterion Collection.

I Know What I Saw (2009)

November 4, 2022November 3, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

*No high resolution image was available, so I improvised – ha ha.*

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

Most shows and movies about UFO / AEP sightings are unwatchable cheese. They use spooky music, melodramatic narration, and very little actual evidence. Well, this is the polar opposite, in fact I Know What I Saw is a very convincing documentary. The quality could be a little better, but honestly the information is so compelling it doesn’t matter. This film focuses on intelligently presented details from reputable sources. I’m not going into further detail, but if you want to remain a UFO skeptic, do not watch this movie.

Not available on Blu-ray.

I Saw the Devil (2010)

October 14, 2022March 4, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime and Hulu | imdb | trailer

This is a very good South Korean horror / crime thriller from the director of the excellent A Bittersweet Life. Many folks love his film The Good the Bad the Weird too. The bad guy is the original Oldboy himself Choi Min-shik. Do I really need to say more? Nah.

Available on Blu-ray from Magnolia.