Joey’s Home Movies For the Week of February 19th – A ‘V/H/S’ Box Set Trilogy Looks to Terrify

Welcome back to my Home Movies! Today, a special box set of the most recent V/H/S films leads the ways. This week also has a bunch of Criterion Collection releases, making for an interesting slate. What else is hitting shelves? Read on to find out…

Joey’s Top Pick

V/H/S/Triple Feature

Consisting of V/H/S/94, V/H/S/99, and V/H/S/85, this latest trio of horror anthology installments finds the series on its firmest ground to date. Just look at how I spoke of each, starting off with V/H/S/94 two years ago:

Once upon a time, the V/H/S franchise offered something new for horror fans. Not only did it bring back the anthology film, but utilizing the found footage concept, it stood out. The first movie, V/H/S, as well as the next installment S/V/H/S (or V/H/S/2) are solid fright flicks. Then came V/H/S Viral, which was a cratering of the series. Now, we have V/H/S/94, which no longer arrives as something to anticipated for lovers of scary movies. That’s a shame, too, as this film gets things going back in the right direction. A strong sequel that stands alongside the first efforts, it’s deserving of your time, provided you like blood and guts. Hitting Shudder this weekend, it’s sure to delight those who revel in gore.

This was from my V/H/S/99 review:

V/H/S/99 is a step back from the prior installment, but there’s a low-key cleverness that keeps you watching. Whereas V/H/S Viral was a total misfire, every other one has been solid or better. While the last one is only truly above and beyond one, there’s still more than enough here to warrant a light recommendation for horror buffs.

Finally, the most recent review, which was V/H/S/85:

The V/H/S franchise has swung back and forth in terms of quality over the years. Initially, it was a solid if never spectacular anthology series, one that seemed to have its time come and go. Then, V/H/S/94 gave the property new life two years ago. Last year, V/H/S/99 moved forward in time, if somewhat of a step back in quality. Here, however, we have something new in V/H/S/85, which is in the upper tier, overall, but is the first to have no bad segments. Go figure.

V/H/S/85 is interesting in that it doesn’t have necessarily a standout segment, but none of them drag the film down, either. So, the movie is easily the most consistent installment to date. Will the lack of an ebb and flow strike viewers as novel or strange? I couldn’t say, but I did appreciate that this was how it was, this time around.

Also Available This Week

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (4K)

DarkGame

Gringa

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible: Complete Collection (TV)

Criterion Corner

Afire

From The Criterion Collection: “While vacationing by the Baltic Sea, writer Leon (Thomas Schubert) and photographer Felix (Langston Uibel) are surprised to encounter Nadja (Paula Beer), a mysterious young woman staying as a guest at the holiday home of Felix’s family. Nadja soon distracts Leon from finishing his latest novel, not only because of her passionate liaison with lifeguard Devid (Enno Trebs) but also because her brutal honesty forces Leon to confront his artistic inadequacies. As Nadja and Leon grow closer, an encroaching forest fire threatens the group and pushes the writer to discover whether he can truly care for anything beyond himself. Christian Petzold’s acclaimed latest film was the winner of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival.”

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The Heroic Trio / Executioners

From The Criterion Collection: “The star power of cinema icons Maggie Cheung, Anita Mui, and Michelle Yeoh fuels these gloriously unrestrained action joyrides from auteur Johnnie To and action choreographer Ching Siu-tung. The Heroic Trio and its sequel, Executioners, follow a new kind of justice league: a team of blade-throwing, shotgun-toting, kung fu–fighting heroines who join forces to battle evildoers in a dystopian, noirish city. Blending dazzling martial-arts mayhem with exhilarating blasts of comic-book lunacy, these beloved superhero movies reimagine the genre through the giddy genius of the Hong Kong film industry at its height.”

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Nothing but a Man

From The Criterion Collection: “Michael Roemer’s groundbreaking first feature, sensitively shot by his close collaborator Robert M. Young, is a still-resonant expression of humanity in the face of virulent prejudice. Made at the height of the civil rights movement, Nothing but a Man reveals the toll of systemic racism through its honest portrait of a southern Black railroad worker (Ivan Dixon) confronting the daily challenges of discrimination and economic precarity, as he attempts to settle down with his new wife (jazz great Abbey Lincoln) and track down his father (Julius Harris). Admired by Malcolm X and now recognized as a landmark of American cinema, this tender film grounds its social critique in characters of unforgettable complexity and truth.”

Stay tuned for more next week…