Tag: drama

H.R. Giger’s Passagen (1972) & Necronomicon (1975)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

Passagen – Streaming on YouTube | imdb | no trailer

Giger’s Necronomicon Streaming on YouTube | imdb | no trailer

H.R. Giger needs no introduction. He was a big deal for me as a youngster, and I still appreciate his early artwork in particular. I’ve had dubs both of these two documentaries on VHS for years. Unfortunately Pasagen had no subtitles, so I had no clue what the hell was being said until recently re-discovering it on YouTube. Both docs are great, but one interesting thing about Pasagen in particular is that Giger’s girlfriend Li Tobler is prominently featured. Sadly she went on to commit suicide between these two films. Depression is a real fucker. As you may know, her likeness was used many times by Giger before and after her death (the image I mangled above is Li II from 1974). RIP Li and Hans Ruedi.

PS – Also check out Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World (2014), which is a more comprehensive doc.

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.

The Accountant (2016)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Hulu | imdb | trailer

My older brother just reminded me of this movie. This will be Chris’ indirect guest recommendation. I gotta give him credit for not only turning me on to classics like The Road Warrior, Apocalypse Now!, and all the early Clint Eastwood movies, but he actually took me to see Conan the Barbarian (1982) in the theater. I was nine years old. No worries, I turned out fine in the end. What is best in life? Seeing a stone cold classic film in its original run. Back to the topic at hand… The Accountant is a solid, somewhat daring, riff on an adult action movie. Affleck is good in this AND you get J.K. Simmons and Jon Bernthal. That’s really all you need to know. I will be watching the recent sequel soon, in spite of the poor reviews.

Available on 4K UHD / Blu-ray from Warner.

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.

Electra (1962)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

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

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 Secret Agent (2025)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Hulu | imdb | trailer

Kleber Mendonça Filho does it again. I thoroughly enjoyed his last two films, Bacurau and Pictures of Ghosts, so I’m thinking we can keep expecting good things from this writer-director. His latest feature is essentially a crime thriller, but there’s some very funny, and very surreal moments as well. I think that combo may just be Filho’s super power. The film also manages to illustrate just how corrupt and dangerous things were in mid-1970s Brazil. Wagner Moura is great in the lead role, as you’d expect, but you also get treated to a powerful little dose of Udo Kier (RIP). The only issue I have with The Secret Agent is its length. I suppose it was necessary to tell the story, and it really never felt boring, so I’ll shut up now.

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 or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

The Captain (2017)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

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.

Zabriskie Point (1970)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on HBO Max | imdb | trailer

Michelangelo Antonioni is considered a very important auteur director. While I love art cinema, I have to admit I’m not a fan of his work other than Red Desert (1964) and this film. Zabriskie Point is a psychedelic art house movie with a pretty kick ass soundtrack, the highlight of which is a re-recorded version of Pink Floyd’s “Careful With That Axe, Eugene.” Antonioni rejected an original composition by Floyd’s keyboardist Richard Wright, so it went on to become the classic track “Us and Them.” Anyway, this film does have some slow parts, and some eye-roll inducing moments if you’re not a hippie fan (like me), but stick with it. The finale of the film is fantastic. You might be able to spot a very young Harrison Ford too.

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 or Paypal at this secure link. A Paypal account is not required. Thank you.

When Fall Is Coming (2025)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

A retired grandmother is having family issues but is helped by her friend’s ex-con son. Sounds pretty damned boring right? Well, if it wasn’t for John Waters’ always awesome top 10, I would have skipped it for sure. Thank you Mr. Waters! This is a fantastic movie. You get everything from the scenic beauty of Burgundy, some surprisingly heavy plot twists, and genuinely touching moments as well. When Fall Is Coming is must-see Anomalous Cinema.

Available on Blu-ray from Music Box.

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.

Six Anomalous Years / A Cosmic Christmas (1977)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

Today marks six years since I first started Anomalous Cinema. It’s quite an achievement as I have created somewhat similar websites in the past that rarely lasted more than one year. Part of what keeps me going is that I honestly believe that I am inspiring a small audience to watch better movies. I still hear friends talking about watching garbage, which is a damn shame. Hopefully you, I’ll just go ahead and say it… smarter people, have enjoyed some of my recommendations over the years.

Anyway, earlier this week my partner Suzie and I went to see a showcase of Holiday themed 16mm films called “The Psychotronic After School Christmas Special” at Portland’s historic Hollywood Theatre. It was pretty amazing. I had completely forgotten about the above linked A Cosmic Christmas, which was shown on TV during my childhood. This HD version of the film looks much sharper than what we saw, so enjoy the holiday spiced cheese if you dare. 

Let me tell you about the highlight of the screening: a 1969 short film called The Season. The Episcopal Church funded this crazy excoriation of the consumer aspects of the holidays that ended with bulldozers crushing multi-colored Christmas trees in the dump. I would have avoided that spoiler, but you cannot find this film online. It’s not on IMDb, and there’s hardly a mention of it on the internet aside from the Nyback Film Archive website (maintained by Greg Hamilton who put on this event). My point is, if you are able to see rare film screenings, do it. It is an exceptional feeling to know you’re seeing something special, and better yet, away from your usual TV and phone screen.

I want to close with a shout out to my friend Joe McDonald, who made the only recent donation to this site. He also wisely suggested making a list of all the films here. I will be adding an alphabetical / linked list very soon!

Happy Holidays. -Jonathan 

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.

Night of the Juggler (1980)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

NOTE: This is an update of a recommendation from January, 2024.

An ex-cop’s daughter is kidnapped by a psycho in dirty old New York City. This is loosely adapted from a novel of the same name. I was lucky enough to see a 35mm screening of Quentin Tarantino’s print of this obscure action movie a few years ago. Up until the recent 4k restoration this was only ever officially released on VHS. James Brolin is great, and his nemesis, Cliff Gorman, is a recognizable bad guy in many ‘70s movies and TV series. When I saw this at Portland’s Hollywood Theatre, the programmer extraordinaire, Dan Halsted, wisely said that the real star of the film is New York City at its gritty peak. Times Square porno shops, dive bars, and grindhouse theaters feature prominently. Do not miss Night of the Juggler. It is a blast from start to finish.

Available on 4k UHD / Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.

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 Mauritanian (2021)

vergeoflightLeave a comment

JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is a dramatized version of the story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was imprisoned for years with no charge in Guantanamo Bay. Critics did not like this film for some reason. I found it to be very effective. All performances were great, particularly the lead played by Tahar Rahim (from the previously recommended A Prophet). Things get surprisingly dark and weird during the interrogation segments. Some of the torture used was shocking even compared to what made the news at the time. It’s stunning that a human being endured it all. The Mauritanian is uncomfortable viewing, but I suggest you watch it anyway. 

Available on Blu-ray from Universal.

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.