Tag: drama

Black Book (2006)

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Who would have thought that the man behind RoboCop and Showgirls would go on to make an excellent fact-based World War II movie? Not me. I’ve been a fan of most of Paul Verhoeven’s output, but I was still absolutely floored at how good this movie is. I give it my highest recommendation.

Available on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures.

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Angela’s Ashes (1999)

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Here’s a sad, funny, and excellent drama based on Frank McCourt’s autobiography. I liked the film so much that I read the book. I didn’t think less of the movie after reading it either. To me that’s the sign of a solid adaptation.

Blu-ray is coming out May 26th from Paramount.

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Mother (2009)

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Years before Parasite, Bong Joon Ho first got my attention with this very good thriller. Out of all of the director’s work, this is the standout aside from his Oscar winner. Lead actress Hye-ja Kim is absolutely spot-on.

Available on Blu-ray from Magnolia.

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The Night of the Hunter (1955)

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I’ll watch Robert Mitchum in anything, but this is one of his very best roles. He plays a con artist “priest,” and man is he despicable. I would love to recommend more good classic films like this here on Anomalous Cinema, but it seems pre-‘60s movies are not often available in 1080p HD. This one is, and it looks great. Note: Luckily things have improved for older streaming movies since I first posted this in 2020.

Available on Blu-ray from Criterion Collection.

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The Ninth Configuration (1980)

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The Exorcist book author William Peter Blatty only directed two movies, but both this, and The Exorcist III, are weird little gems. Well, I think weird doesn’t quite cover The Ninth Configuration. Totally unhinged would be closer to the mark. This is about a military insane asylum, but it takes a little patience to get to where the film goes truly mad. It’s worth the wait, as it has one of the more memorable hallucination sequences I’ve ever seen. Fans of Joe Spinell will enjoy his moments in the film as well. His character wasn’t in the book or script, so his dialog is all improvised. RIP Joe.

Available on Blu-ray from Hen’s Tooth Video.

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Beasts of No Nation (2015)

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Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

Beasts of No Nation is an excellent drama about a West African boy who is made into a child soldier. The movie is brutal, but tells an important story. Here’s one interesting bit of trivia, at one point in the film the colors all shift to ultra-violet. This was a reference to visual artist Richard Mosse’s series “The Enclave.” I got to see his stunning multi-screen video installation at the Portland Museum of Art in 2014.

Available on Blu-ray from Criterion.

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Remember (2015)

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This film was not well regarded by critics, but I enjoyed it. Yes, it’s not nearly as good as my previous Atom Egoyan recommendation The Sweet Hereafter. However I appreciated Remember better than a few other critically acclaimed films by the same director. It’s a good thriller, really. Check it out.

Available on Blu-ray from Lion’s Gate.

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Lord of War (2005)

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Nicholas Cage has had a bit of a resurgence lately thanks to his role in Mandy. Here’s a good one from before his slump that holds up nicely. Yes, it’s violent, but it also works as a thoughtful drama. If you enjoyed Cage in his heyday and haven’t seen this, you should correct that.

Available on Blu-ray from Lion’s Gate.

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The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

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This is Nicolas Roeg’s best film, and a unique standout in the history of cinema. It’s also the most effective combination of sci-fi and art film outside of the work Andrei Tarkovsky. The 138 minute uncut version is a bit slow in places, and the sexual content might be a little extreme for some. However, if you don’t watch this movie for those reasons, you are really depriving yourself of a special experience.

Available on Blu-ray from Lion’s Gate.

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Lawless (2012)

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Here we have a damn good film by John Hillcoat about depression-era bootleggers. If you know this director’s work, you know what to expect. Lawless is gritty, violent, well-made, with very good performances all around. Yes, even Shia LaBouf is solid. No kidding.

Available on Blu-ray from TWC.

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