Tag: drama

Six Anomalous Years / A Cosmic Christmas (1977)

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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 

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Night of the Juggler (1980)

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Streaming on Kanopy (and available on all the main rental platforms) | 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.

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The Mauritanian (2021)

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Streaming on Netflix | 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.

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Out of the Past (1947)

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Streaming on HBO Max | imdb | no original trailer available

Jeff runs a small town gas station and has led a quiet existence for three years. Then his old life as a private detective catches up to him and one of my favorite film noir stories begins to unfold. This is a real gem of ‘40s cinema. You have the always excellent Robert Mitchum in the lead role, and Jacques Tourneur in the director’s chair. Tourneur also made one of my top ‘50s horror films Curse of the Demon, as well as the recommended Nightfall, The Leopard Man and a 1964 episode of The Twilight Zone, Night Call, among many other highly regarded movies. In my book this might just be the single film noir that stands above them all. If you were going to watch one movie in this style, Out of the Past would be an excellent choice.

Available on Blu-ray from Warner Archives.

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Dead Man’s Letters (1986)

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I really liked my graphic this week, so I opted not to crop it for a change.

Streaming on YouTube | imdb | trailer (in German with no subs – sorry)

This marks the first time I have recommended films by the same director back to back, but it felt like the right thing to do. Set in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, an assembly of intellectuals deal with their precarious lives, and the fate of human achievement. This is a much less abstract movie than Visitor to a Museum (previously recommended here). It is also considered to be Konstantin Lopushansky’s masterpiece. The style is not as challenging as Visitor, and it also has the advantage of being shorter than 90 minutes, with a relatively straight forward concept. The mostly sepia toned photography really works for this film too, and obviously reminds one of Stalker (1979), which the director worked on as a PA. The use of what seems to have been existing bombed out buildings, with very artistic added set dressing, is also very impressive. The films characters manage to say it all about the stupidity of humanity along the way too. This is a truly fantastic dark film that I give my most enthusiastic recommendation, as well as a rating of 10 out of 10.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

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Visitor of a Museum (1989)

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Streaming on YouTube | imdb | trailer (unofficial but well made)

My coworker Dan turned me onto this amazing film recently. I had never heard of it, or writer and director Konstantin Lopushansky before. I am writing this after just finishing the movie, and have not done any research on the director (I did find this article that I will be reading later). I personally loved Visitor of a Museum, but I can tell you right away this is not a film for everyone. It is deliberately paced and on the long side. However if you are a fan of Andrei Tarkovsky (who was Lopushansky’s mentor) as well as early Jodorowsky and Lynch, you really need to watch this. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic future where a man decides to use his vacation to see a museum that is submerged in water most of the year. That’s all you really need to know. This is definitely an artsy movie, but unlike Tarkovsky, it manages to slip in various cult film staples like uncomfortable humor, disabled actors, and even a bit of sex. One element that really stood out to me was the haunting musical score and sound design. Think dark ambient but made by someone with access to real classical instruments and performers. I know that what I have said has immediately connected to film fans that are most likely appreciate this. If you are one of those folks, get on it.

NOTE ON QUALITY:  I watched the version on YouTube that is uploaded as UHD. I’m not a video expert, but I suspect it was upscaled from a Blu-ray. There is a fair amount of scratches in the film, a lack of grain, and quite a bit of visible compression artifacts. I wasn’t terribly bothered by any of that though. I have to imagine this one is hard to track down, so I am just grateful to the person that was kind enough to upload it.

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.

Thank You For Smoking (2005)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is a strange mix of dark comedy and political satire that I really enjoyed when it first came out. Aaron Eckhart is perfect in the lead role as you’ll see. You also get Robert Duvall, J.K. Simmons, William H. Macy and Sam Elliott (who used his own rifle in the film). I have to think this movie was a partial inspiration for Mad Men. Give Thank You For Smoking a shot and you’re in for some fun and cynical infotainment.

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 Ghost Writer (2010)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I completely missed this Roman Polanski thriller when it came out. I caught it just recently and was very pleasantly surprised. Ewan McGregor is tasked with helping the former British PM (Pierce Brosnan) write his memoir. Funny thing… the guy with the ghost writing job before him died under mysterious circumstances. Yeah, you see where this is going. The good news is that the various crime thriller curveballs are unexpected and satisfying. Keep an eye out for a young Jon Bernthal.

Available on Blu-ray from Lionsgate.

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The Pledge (2001)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I avoided this movie for years because of the cheesy TV ads, and yeah the above linked trailer is pretty bad too. Director Sean Penn is a bit of a wild card, which probably didn’t help either. However I gave it a watch just recently and was pleasantly surprised at how satisfying the film is. It does suffer from some of that big budget movie falseness, but none of it was too distracting. Thankfully there are more positives than negatives on display. In my book, this one and The Departed are tied for Jack Nicholson’s best late career performances. The other actors are pretty much all familiar faces, and they do a fine job as well. The reason this one stands out is that it is a remarkably dark movie and the ending is something I’ve never quite seen before. It is also worth noting that The Pledge is based on Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s 1958 novella, and was made into several other films before this one. The first adaptation was called It Happened in Broad Daylight, and is still considered an excellent movie (I just added it to my watch list). The interesting thing is that Sean Penn’s version, written by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski, is the most faithful to the novella. Yes, this definitely isn’t Chinatown, but it’s a solid crime thriller that I feel is worth your time.

Available on Blu-ray from Morgan Creek

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The Insider (1999)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is a dramatization of the true story of Jeffrey Wygand’s exposure of Big Tobacco in 1996. Yes, that does sound dull, but I just watched this for the first time recently and really enjoyed it. This is an intense and dark thriller that is well worth your time. It turns out that greedy corporations will go to extreme lengths to protect their interests. The more excessive retaliation by the bad guys has never been fully proven, but it all makes for a damn good film. Russell Crowe is at the top of his game here too.

Available on Blu-ray from Mill Creek

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.