Joey Magidson
Welcome back to my Home Movies! Today, we have a terrific haul hitting shelves. Leading the way is the so much better than expected The Naked Gun, though don’t sleep on Caught Stealing or Together, either. This week also has a Criterion Collection release, as well as several 4K re-releases. Read on for more…
Joey’s Top Pick
The Naked Gun
By all rights, a new version of The Naked Gun should not work at all. Whether it was a rebook/remake or a long time coming new installment, the type of comedy that this franchise does so well just is not done successfully anymore. So, the fact that this movie, now led by Liam Neeson, is absolutely hilarious is kind of shocking. I was blown away, as seen here in my review, which begins in the following manner:
It would have been so easy for The Naked Gun to not work. The original trilogy, which began with The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! in 1988, is very much of a time and a place. We don’t really get slapstick comedies or spoofs much anymore, let alone in theaters. All of it adds up to a film that easily could have fallen flat. Instead, the movie manages to work even better due to the dearth of its kind (though I recently binged all three of the original flicks and they’re easily three of the funniest comedies ever made, so do yourself a favor and revisit them, just purely for pleasure). I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard and this consistently in a theater. It’s an absolute riot.
The Naked Gun honors what’s come before while also having a slightly more modern sensibility. It’s hilarious from start to finish, managing to keep the manic pace going, even while progressing its plot. There’s a commitment to doing this right that, frankly, I did not expect to see. I’m a recent convert to the church of Leslie Nielsen, and while he’s irreplaceable, they sure found a way to not have our new hero feel like a pale imitation. Somehow, this all just works, hilariously so.
Recommended Viewing
Caught Stealing
Whenever Darren Aronofsky is working in New York, you know you’re in for a gritty good time. Caught Stealing is no exception, either, as he gets to run wild in 90s New York City, complete with a game Austin Butler in the lead role. It’s middle of the road Aronofsky overall, but that just means it’s a real good movie. My review here began like so:
New York City has more personality than any other city in the world. New York back in the 90s especially had a grit and a vibe that was one of a kind. So, while it’s cliched to say NYC is a character of its own in a film, it’s impossible not to feel that way about it in Caught Stealing. The movie is a fun and very solid crime comedy on its own, but all of the best parts relate to the New York setting in some way. Whether Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Queens, the personality on display is off the charts.
Caught Stealing is easily the most mainstream work filmmaker Darren Aronofsky has ever attempted, though still with some real bits of personality intertwined. Aronofsky is delighting in the NYC of it all, especially when the action moves in the third act to Brighton Beach and Coney Island. Returning to the scene of Pi and Requiem for a Dream, the fun that he’s having is infectious, leading to the final section of the flick easily being the best.
Together
Together is one of the reasons why 2025 has been a really strong year for horror. This relationship fright flick, led by real life couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco, manages to be as fun as it is gnarly. I spoke to writer/director Michael Shanks here about the film, so definitely check that out, too. My highly positive review here began like so:
Relationships take a lot of work. They take work to make sure that you’re keeping the other person happy, as well as to make sure you don’t lose yourself within them. The bonding that a couple does is wonderful, at least until it becomes codependency. That very real fear for folks is taken as a very literal inspiration for Together, another top notch horror film this year. 2025 is becoming the year of the scary movie, as this is another excellent one.
Together is a creative take on the body horror genre, as well as a commentary on codependent relationships. Plus, having a real-life couple in the lead roles adds a bit of mystery to things, as well as verisimilitude. The things happening are gory and wild, but perhaps some of the feelings could be real? It’s part of what elevates this fright flick into being not just very good, but absolutely great. Plus, there’s an all-timer of a musical needle drop in the third act, as well as a moment of body horror that will have everyone in the audience cringing.
Also Available This Week
Creepshow: Complete Series – Seasons 1-4 (TV)
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Eden (Interview with Ron Howard and Noah Pink here)
Freakier Friday
Friday the 13th: 8-Movie Collection (Blu-ray)
Him
The Howling (4K)
The Luc Besson Collection (4K)
The Mask (4K)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (4K)
Rick and Morty: Season 8 (TV)
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Spotlight (4K)
Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (TV)
Two and a Half Men: The Complete Series (TV)
Criterion Corner
Burden of Dreams
From The Criterion Collection: “For nearly five years, acclaimed German director Werner Herzog desperately tried to complete one of the most ambitious and difficult projects of his career: Fitzcarraldo, the story of one man’s attempt to build an opera house deep in the Amazon jungle. Documentary filmmaker Les Blank captured the unfolding of this production, made more perilous by Herzog’s determination to shoot the most daunting scenes without models or special effects, including a sequence requiring hundreds of Indigenous locals to pull a full-size 320-ton steamship over a small mountain. The result is an extraordinary document of the filmmaking process and a unique look into the single-minded mission of one of cinema’s most fearless directors.”
Stay tuned for more next week…
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