drama – Anomalous Cinema

Citizen X (1995)

March 17, 2023March 16, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on HBO Max | imdb | trailer

This is possibly my favorite ’90s dramatization of a true crime case. Andrei Chikatilo was known as The Rostov Ripper, and was responsible for the murders of at least 52 women and children. This film is based on “The Killer Department,” which remains one of the best true crime books I’ve ever read. Citizen X is helped a ton by strong performances by Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland, Jeffrey DeMunn, and Max Von Sydow. Don’t expect much gore, but the drama is extremely dark and should appeal to anyone with an interest in true crime. It’s stunning this was an HBO-made TV movie.

Not available on Blu-ray.

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Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

March 10, 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 try 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.

Apostle (2018)

February 17, 2023February 16, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

Here’s an oddball movie among the filmography of Gareth Evans (The Raid, Gangs of London, etc.). Instead of the action he’s known for, this is full-on horror. Apostle has been rightly compared to the original The Wicker Man (no, not the Nicholas Cage one), but the difference here is that the end of the movie is violent and gory as all hell. The one flaw is that it takes some investment of patience to get to the bloody conclusion (Evans does like to make complicated plots). I say it’s 100% worth the effort. Since this movie is streaming, there’s no need to watch it in one viewing. I did, but you don’t have to.

Not available on Blu-ray.

The Wailing (2016)

February 3, 2023February 2, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Amazon Prime | imdb | trailer

South Korean horror / thrillers can be a little hit or miss considering how many have been released in the last 20 years. The Wailing is a hit my friends. This is shot beautifully, is fast-paced, and seriously scary. It even manages to be funny at times. My only minor issue with the film is it might be a tad bit long. However if you’re new to dark SK movies, this is definitely not a bad one to start with.

Available on Blu-ray from Well Go USA.

Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)

January 27, 2023January 24, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Hulu | imdb | trailer

A local translator for the UN in Srebrenica gets caught between her people and the Serbian army. This is a fictional story based on the very real, and very brutal, Bosnian war in the 1990s. In spite of not being directly based on historical events, it is a very effective movie. The acting is top notch and the cinematography is perfect. This is obviously dark stuff, but important on many levels. It’s also one of the best serious dramas I’ve seen in recent years.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

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.

Under the Shadow (2016)

October 28, 2022October 27, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

You may have noticed I am not a fan of PG-13 movies. Well, this is an exception. Under the Shadow is a very creepy horror film set in ‘80s Iran during that country’s war with Iraq. Your city being bombed regularly is bad enough, but throw an evil spirit into the mix and you have serious trouble. Sounds like some full-blown Anomalous Cinema right? This is a unique film that I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope to see more quality dark horror movies come out of Islamic countries in the near future.

Not available on domestic 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.

Athena (2022)

September 30, 2022 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

This is a solid action / drama with beautiful camera work and an artsy, almost documentary feel. Centered around a low-income housing block, it’s cops vs activists vs gangs vs well-meaning Muslims. They’re all interconnected and it’s a crazy spectacle from start to finish. There has been criticism that Athena is all style and little substance, and it does have a few flaws. However I was thoroughly entertained and thought that the various plot lines were worked out by the end of the film. Yeah, the director could have made a powerful social critique, but he just ended up making a damn good, fast-paced, great looking film.

Not available on Blu-ray.