Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of August 7th – ‘Fast X’ and ‘The Wrath of Becky’ Go Head to Head

Welcome back to my Home Movies! Today, we have an indie sequel in The Wrath of Becky duking it out with a blockbuster sequel in Fast X. Most would go in one direction this week. Did I? And what of the rest of the slate? Read on to find out…

Joey’s Top Pick

The Wrath of Becky

Becky was a fine little independent genre offering. The Wrath of Becky, on the other hand? It’s lean, mean, and a step up in almost every way. So, consider me delighted. If you haven’t given this franchise a shot, now is a perfect time to dive in. It’s only two movies, after all, so it’s relatively bite-sized. In my review here, I had this to say:

Back in 2020, Becky was a fairly straightforward action/thriller. Aside from the mild quirk of a teen girl fighting back against the Neo-Nazis who murdered her father, it hit the standard genre notes. Now, it was a good film, but nothing to go too crazy over. So, it was somewhat unexpected to see a sequel in the works, given the modest nature of the first one. The movie is here now, and let me tell you, The Wrath of Becky is even better. This flick is a delicious little surprise, from start to finish.

The Wrath of Becky is an improvement on the already solid prior installment. There’s a sense of fun that wasn’t really there the last time. It was ridiculous, but started from a serious position. Here, it’s a lot more sarcastic, while never shortchanging the lead’s trauma. It ends up making for an even more satisfying experience.

Also Available This Week

1923: A Yellowstone Origin Story – Season One (TV)

Fast & Furious: 10-Movie Collection

Fast X

Criterion Corner

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams

From The Criterion Collection: “Unfolding in a series of eight mythic vignettes, this late work by Akira Kurosawa was inspired by the beloved director’s own nighttime visions, along with stories from Japanese folklore. In a visually sumptuous journey through the master’s imagination, tales of childlike wonder give way to apocalyptic apparitions: a young boy stumbles on a fox wedding in a forest; a soldier confronts the ghosts of the war dead; a power-plant meltdown smothers a seaside landscape in radioactive fumes. Interspersed with reflections on the redemptive power of creation, including a richly textured tribute to Vincent van Gogh (who is played by Martin Scorsese), Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams is both a showcase for its maker’s artistry at its most unbridled and a deeply personal lament for a world at the mercy of human ignorance.”

Stay tuned for more next week…