Joey Magidson
Welcome back to my Home Movies! This week, we have the super fun and super violent They Will Kill You hoping to hook audiences in a way it couldn’t quite do during its theatrical run. Today also features the new incarnation of Kiss of the Spider Woman coming out, as well as a pair of Criterion Collection releases, including Jafar Panahi‘s Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident. What else is hitting shelves? Read on to find out…
Joey’s Top Pick
They Will Kill You
Unjustly ignored, at least in part due to how close its release was to the admittedly similar film Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, this is the far weirder effort. Zazie Beetz kicks major ass in this movie, which has a third act you’ll never see coming. They Will Kill You goes wild by the end, in a way that I largely appreciated. My review of the flick here began like so:
Sometimes, a bit of the old ultraviolence is just what the movie doctor ordered. They Will Kill You has no qualms about giving you creative and unrelenting gore, which makes the horror comedy almost singular in its focus. Now, there’s an attempt to throw in some commentary about the wealthy elite and gentrification, but it’s in the shadow of watching Zazie Beetz kick ass. Considering how badass she is and what a strong ass-kicker she is, few will find themselves complaining about this film.
They Will Kill You certainly has shades of the Ready or Not franchise to it, though this is done with a bit more style and with a greater focus on brutal bloodshed, as opposed to the comedy. Now, there are some very funny moments in this movie, to be sure. It’s just not leading with the comedic element of the flick. That being said, there are a few ridiculously silly moments that can’t help but lead to laughter, which the film knows and utilizes well.
Also Available This Week
Child’s Play (4K)
Covert Affairs: The Complete Series (TV)
Crime 101
Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal: The Complete Third Season (TV)
The Hunt for Red October (4K SteelBook)
Jackie Chan’s Breakout Hits! (4K)
King Kong (1976) (4K)
The Mastermind
The Money Pit (4K)
Mortal Kombat Kollection (4K)
Super 8 (4K SteelBook)
Unexpected Family
Criterion Corner
Eclipse Series 6: Carlos Saura’s Flamenco Trilogy
From The Criterion Collection: “One of Spanish cinema’s great auteurs, Carlos Saura brought international audiences closer to the art of his country’s dance than any other filmmaker, before or since. In his Flamenco Trilogy—Blood Wedding, Carmen, and El amor brujo—Saura merged his passion for music with his exploration of national identity. All starring and choreographed by legendary dancer Antonio Gades, the films feature thrilling physicality and electrifying cinematography and editing—colorful paeans to bodies in motion as well as to cinema itself.”
It Was Just an Accident
From The Criterion Collection: “In this Palme d’Or winner from the Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi, a chance encounter sets in motion an urgent moral thriller. When a stranded driver (Ebrahim Azizi) walks into his shop, mechanic Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) believes he has come face-to-face with Eqbal, a notoriously brutal guard who tortured him during his political imprisonment. Gathering a band of fellow former inmates and other allies, Vahid sets out to take justice into his own hands—but does he have the right man? Shot in secret after Panahi’s longtime ban from filmmaking in his home country, It Was Just an Accident is a tour de force of sustained tension and mordant humor, provocatively shifting perspectives to examine vital questions of trauma and revenge.”
Stay tuned for more next week…
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