documentary – Anomalous Cinema

Milius (2013)

May 19, 2023May 19, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on YouTube (also Roku and Plex) | imdb | trailer

I just rewatched Conan the Barbarian (1982 – currently streaming on Netflix) the other day for the zillionth time, so this seemed appropriate. This is the story of John Milius, the man behind Conan, Red Dawn, the screenplay for Apocalypse Now, and a ton of other things you wouldn’t immediately connect him to. Milius described himself as a Zen Anarchist (I love it), but he often gets dismissed as merely conservative because of his war fetish. If you’re not open to a right of center perspective, you should probably avoid this documentary. For the rest of you, get ready to be entertained by many stories about the crazy genius’ rollercoaster career and life.

BONUS: Here’s a text interview that Quentin Tarantino did with John Milius did back in 1982 (?!?!?).

Not available on Blu-ray.

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El testigo (2018)

April 21, 2023April 20, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer (in Spanish – no subtitles – sorry)

In this excellent documentary journalist Jesús Abad Colorado revisits his photographs of the war in Colombia and the people connected to those images. There is as a lot of darkness and some hope to be seen. The only potential flaw of this film is that it’s rather short. Considering how so many movies are unnecessarily over two hours long, maybe it shouldn’t be considered a flaw to be less than 90 minutes. This feels like it was edited down just right. At the time I am writing this, El testigo has zero critic or user reviews on IMDb. That’s a damn shame as I give this doc my most enthusiastic recommendation.

Not available on Blu-ray.

Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016)

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on HBO Max | imdb | trailer

NOTE: I decided to add HBO Max to the streaming services I cover. I will be retroactively reposting the many expired movies that are available on the service. That may take some time, so I will let you all know when I’m done.

This is an excellent documentary on controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. His work was primarily in the academic art world, but also filtered into commercial and fashion photography. I have been a fan of the artists’ work for most of my life, so I obviously loved this film (I watched it twice when it came out). I give Look at the Pictures a perfect score. WARNING: some of Mapplethorpe’s work is extremely sexually graphic, so squares should stay far away.

Not available on Blu-ray.

The Silence of Others (2018)

December 2, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

This is an outstanding documentary on the victims of Franco’s regime in Spain (1939 – 1975). I knew next to nothing about the horrors that went on during this period, so this was a real eye opener. Yes this movie is depressing. However it is very well made, and contains a ton of important human stories. It’s crucial to learn about the dark aspects of history that are hidden. Still to this day many people in Spain do not want this period brought up at all, including those in power. Do the victims a small favor and learn about what happened.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

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.

Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters (2019)

September 2, 2022September 1, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

This is an excellent doc on the man behind so much amazing creature / FX design and stop motion animation, including the OG Star Wars trilogy, RoboCop 1 and 2, Starship Troopers, Jurassic Park and much more. I had no clue the depth of his career until seeing this film. It also covers a bit of his recently released movie Mad God (recommended – currently streaming on AMC+ and Shudder).

Bonus: Many short films mentioned in the doc, including the fantastic Prehistoric Beast, plus tons of behind the scenes videos, are on Phil Tippett’s YouTube channel.

Not available on Blu-ray.

Girl in the Picture (2022)

August 26, 2022August 28, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

A young woman is murdered, her son is kidnapped, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg in this very disturbing crime documentary. It’s based on two books by Matt Birkbeck, A Beautiful Child and Finding Sharon. I’ve heard that they are arguably superior to this film, so if you’re a true crime buff you may just want to read those instead. Girl in the Picture is a well constructed doc, and the overall look of the movie is very good. You get your usual bits of true crime reenactment, but they’re not too bothersome here. WARNING – things just keep getting more and more dark as it moves along, so if you’re on the sensitive side stay away.

Not available on Blu-ray.

Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art (2020)

April 29, 2022August 28, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

This is a documentary about $80 million in forged abstract expressionist art that was sold through a major NY art dealer. If you have little to no interest in art, then this will bore the hell out of you. I found it to be very well made, and engaging throughout. It is mostly one-on-one interviews, peppered with some high quality documentary photos and appropriate video / film footage. Oh yeah and there’s that one element that you’ll see in 99% of contemporary documentaries… the animation. There seems to be a rule that there MUST be at least one section featuring animation in every doc. It’s as if there’s a big scary enforcer that shows up in the editing process and says “I ain’t seen no cartoons in dis here picture yet” while showing the director his bloodstained baseball bat. I get why documentary makers feel it’s necessary, but it’s become a cliche. If you just have to do it, please do something really interesting like the animation in Gimmie Danger. Sorry, I had to get that out. Where was I? Ok, here’s why Made You Look is worth your time: you get to learn about rich and powerful people becoming victims of their own stupidity and greed. Enjoy the schadenfreude my friends.

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.

Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time (2021)

March 11, 2022August 28, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Hulu | imdb | trailer

This is a very good documentary on one of the 20th Century’s most important and iconoclastic writers. It also deals with the struggle that Robert B. Weide (Curb Your Enthusiasm) had in making the film over the course of decades. He co-directed this with Don Argott, the man that brought us Last Days Here and Art of the Steal (all of his films are worth seeing). There was a ton of stories and footage to fit in here, so the movie feels a tiny bit long. However it’s all very well edited together, and absolutely worth your time. If you’re a fan of Vonnegut’s work, you will be delighted. I have been for many years, and I learned a lot.

Not available on Blu-ray.

Tickled (2016)

January 29, 2021April 21, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

David Farrier (host of the very good Netflix series Dark Tourist) investigates online endurance tickling competitions, and things take a creepy turn. I avoided watching this for ages because… tickling? Don’t make my mistake, check Tickled out. It’s quite a ride. There is also a follow-up short film called The Tickle King available on YouTube here (don’t even peek at this until you’ve watched the full movie – spoiler city).

Not available on Blu-ray.

If you are a fan of Anomalous Cinema please consider donating any amount via Paypal using this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.