Tribulation 99: Alien Anomalies Under America (1992)

4 Stars (out of 4)

Conspiracy Cheery

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Tribulation 99: Alien Anomalies Under America on DVD

Craig Baldwin's amazing film finally, finally gets its official DVD release, long after the supposed end of the world. Cobbled together from bits of sci-fi movies, Mexican films, newsreels, educational films and anything else rescued from a waste bin or stolen from television, this 48-minute wonder begins with aliens from the planet Quetzalcoatl. After the destruction of their planet, they take refuge under Earth's surface, where they remain peacefully until underground nuclear testing destroys their way of life. From there, they declare war on the United States. Baldwin's film then traces the history of conflict in the Western Hemisphere over the 20th century as told through the lens of a huge conspiracy theory. Characters include Reagan, Bush, Pinochet, Jim Jones, and Howard Hughes, each "portrayed" by a cinematic doppelganger (the Wolf Man stands in for Manuel Noriega). Tribulation 99 adopts the tone of a cautionary sci-fi tale, complete with flashing title cards and a dramatically hushed narrator (Sean Kilkoyne). If every cinematic political rant were this crazy and fun, I'd welcome a lot more of them.

DVD Details: Other Cinema's new DVD comes with a Baldwin commentary track, as well as two other short films, Rocketkitkongokit and Wild Gunman, trailers for other Other Cinema releases, and a liner notes interview with Baldwin.