Assassins (Kino Lorber DVD)
In 2017, Kim Jong-Nam, the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, was murdered in Kuala Lumpur by two women dubbed “femme fatale assassins” by the media. They smeared Kim’s face with a toxic chemical and were arrested the following day. The astutely-made documentary Assassins reveals their story: one was Indonesian, one was Vietnamese, both came from poverty and aspired to the glitz of international trash-pop culture, including becoming stars of YouTube “prank videos.” They thought their assault on Kim was reality TV. Fortunately for those socially networked girls, they left behind a trove of digital evidence—but would this be enough to evade Malaysia’s death penalty for murder?(David Luhrssen)
Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself
(Streaming Friday, January 22 on HULU)In his one-man stage play, Derek DelGaudio examines the nature of identity, and more importantly, our feelings about ourselves. He’s a master of magic and card tricks, incorporating both into his demonstration to dramatic effect. He helps us to define who we think we are, before exposing the flaws in such thinking. For example, the extent to which we hide the truth from ourselves, and the degree to which we are all alike. Performed off-Broadway for audiences of 100, DelGaudio’s assertions are moving and captivating. To what degree he’s accurate as opposed to indoctrinating us via clever tricks, is the question that lingers. (Lisa Miller)
Nelson Algren Live (Olive Films DVD)
Author Nelson Algren is remembered mostly for two things: one of his novels was adapted as the 1955 film with Frank Sinatra as a junkie, The Man with the Golden Arm; another lent its title to Lou Reed’s hit “A Walk on the Wild Side.” But in 2009, a cast of acclaimed actors and authors gathered at the Steppenwolf Theater in Algren’s hometown of Chicago to read passages from his work. Among them, Russell Banks, Don Delillo and Willem Dafoe, who put on a gruff voice and ironic smile as Golden Arm’s protagonist Frankie Machine. Algren was one of the greatest postwar American noir writers, exploring beautiful losers on narrow streets or at dead end. (David Luhrssen)
PG: Psycho Goreman (Limited theatrical release & streaming Friday, January 22 on FandangoNOW, VUDU & AppleTV)
This horror-comedy relies on characters and script to overcome its budget constraints. Preteen siblings Mimi and Luke (Nita-Josee Hanna and Owen Myre) accidentally release an ancient alien from his prison. The extra-terrestrial reveals he intends to kill humankind and go on from there to end the universe. Fortunately, Mimi (the youngest and most defiant of the pair), finds and wields the magic amulet required to command their prize. Having nicknamed him Psycho Goreman or PG for short, the kids bring PG home—to their parents’ dismay. Portrayed by Matthew Ninaber and voiced in a “Wishmaster” timber by Steven Vlahos, PG’s purple-black skin sprouts neon pink veins when angered. The kids are soon caught up in battle when other aliens descend on their burb to fight with or against PG. Canadian writer-director Steven Kostanski uses practical special effects while mining the comic angle and positioning his middle-class kids to be tough cookies. (Lisa Miller)
Spacewalk (Capelight Pictures Blu-ray)
When the engine on Alexei’s MiG dies and the ejector seat fails, the fearless test pilot lands the plane without a sweat. Little wonder he’s tapped for the Soviet space program in this 2017 Russian film (dubbed in English for its U.S. release). He’s paired with Pavel, a military veteran who dislikes his daredevil ways, but they learn teamwork and friendship in zero gravity as they hurry to beat the Americans as the first to walk in space. Unlike in the U.S., the television coverage doesn’t begin until they are safely in orbit—and cuts to ballet when trouble begins. Spacewalk is typical of contemporary Russian moviemaking, telling its particular stories through the cinematic, narrative lexicon of Hollywood. (David Luhrssen)
