netflix – Anomalous Cinema

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.

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 Mist (2007)

March 24, 2023March 21, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

This is the original movie version of Stephen King’s 1980 novella. I skipped the recent TV series because of the poor ratings. What we have here is neither the best, nor the worst King adaptation. I’d rate The Mist above average among those films. Why the hell am I recommending this? Well, it is creepy as hell if you don’t know what is going on in the plot. At least that was my experience when first seeing the movie. I took a look recently, and it still looked good, in spite of some slightly dated CG. Bottom line, if you missed this one and haven’t read the book, there’s a decent chance you’ll enjoy it.

Hey Netflix, get some better horror movies please!

Available on Blu-ray from ummm… well it’s available anyhow.

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 Raid 2 (2014)

January 13, 2023May 4, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

The Raid: Redemption (2011) is a very good film (also available on Netflix). If you’re a hardcore action / martial arts fan you know that already. However, for the rest of you, I say skip it and watch this superior sequel. The Raid 2 has got a convoluted plot, but you’ll too be too distracted by the non-stop ass kicking to care. This is probably the pinnacle of crazy post-Ong-Bak action films. If you enjoy this, make sure to check out creator Gareth Evans’ excellent TV series Gangs of London.

Available on Blu-ray from Sony.

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.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

November 11, 2022May 4, 2023 vergeoflightLeave a comment

Streaming on Netflix | imdb | trailer

You’ve seen the original 1978 version right? If not, fix that immediately. There was a time when I said that was my favorite movie of all time. I still love it. I am very cautious about remakes, but I saw this version in the theater when it came out and immediately enjoyed it. This is a “reimagining” done right. Zack Snyder and James Gunn took the same very general plot and did something new with it. They don’t use the same characters or location, which is key in honoring the source material. This Dawn is not better than the original, but well worth seeing. Here you have some serious fast-paced, violent, and intense horror. The CG looks a wee tiny bit dated, but honestly, it doesn’t bother me much. Oh yeah, I recall that this and 28 Days Later caused all these nerds to complain about fast moving zombies. They apparently forgot about Return of the Living Dead which was made in 1985. I hardly watch zombie flicks these days, but I don’t care how fast they move as long as the movie is good.

Available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory.

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.

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.

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.