Tag: war

The Painted Bird (2019)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

The Painted Bird is one of the nastiest art films I’ve seen in recent years, and I admire that. Based on the acclaimed book, a boy is trying to survive on his own during WW2. He runs into every kind of weirdo and sadist you can imagine along the way. The plot reminds me of Sade’s Justine, and the cinematography owes much to Andrei Tarkovsky (particularly one of my favorites, Ivan’s Childhood). If you can’t handle simulated violence against animals, definitely skip this movie. The poor creatures are dispatched right from the beginning, and the mayhem continues throughout. The kid gets abused nearly as bad. You’ll see several famous actors in small roles. I found that (and the use of a Wilhelm Scream) a little distracting, but I imagine it helped get this crazy movie made. You can read an interview with the director here. I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Not available on domestic Blu-ray.

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Duck, You Sucker (1971)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

Aka A Fistful of Dynamite – this is an entertaining Sergio Leone action movie with some interesting alterations from his Clint Eastwood features. James Coburn is great in the lead role. I suspect that Al Pacino in Scarface was just doing an imitation of Rod Steiger’s Juan Miranda character here. This one also has cult movie hero David Warbeck (The Beyond, Twins of Evil) in it, which is fantastic bonus.

Blu-ray available from Kino Lorber.

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The Rape of Europa (2006)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

We all know Hitler was an asshole. Did you know that the cherry on top of his asshole behavior was stealing and destroying great works of art? It’s true. You can learn all about it in this excellent documentary. I honestly give The Rape of Europa my highest recommendation.

Not available on Blu-ray.

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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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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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Mosul (Documentary – 2019)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

This is a flat-out excellent documentary on the Iraqi fight against ISIS in 2016-17. The camera is actually IN the battle at one point. Need I say that squeamish folks should avoid this one? Nah. You know that by now. As harsh as this films is, it’s a real eye opener, and highly recommended.

Available on Blu-ray from Gravitas Ventures.

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For Sama (2019)

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JustWatch Streaming Info | imdb | trailer

I do my best to avoid Academy Award nominated films, but this documentary is just too good to not share. Almost every bit of footage was shot by one woman during the fall of Aleppo, Syria. Right off the bat, if you are squeamish or sensitive to real life violence and/or emergency medical footage, skip this one. It is brutal at times, but manages to be very uplifting in the end. I am blown away by how courageous Waad al-Kateab and her family are. Do not miss this movie.

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.