ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

Zazie Beetz

Reviews 

THEY WILL KILL YOU – Review by Nadine Whitney

Nadine Whitney , , , , , ,

Kirill Sokolov’s first English language feature is far from substantial. Indeed, when one reads that his filmmaking style is influenced by Park Chan-Wook, Sam Raimi’s gory-driven horror-comedies, and anime, They Will Kill You becomes obviously derivative. Yet, there’s pleasure at just how far he is willing to go with his one-woman army played by Zazie Beetz. Everything is turned up to eleven and the film doesn’t stop for a moment. If you want a rip-roaring, messy, (mostly) one location survival thriller with ultra-violence, crawling eyeballs, and Satanists of the Ready or Not variety wearing pig masks and robes in a spooky private building in New York, Sokolov has you covered (in blood and guts). They Will Kill You isn’t selling a deep story; it’s selling a splatter-stick dark comedy with maximum carnage. It’s gross and bloody fun.

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Reviews 

THE BAD GUYS 2 – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

Valerie Kalfrin , , , , , , , ,

This sequel to 2022’s The Bad Guys, the DreamWorks Animation Studios hit about a crackerjack team of criminal animals who opt to change their ways, is a breezy mix of kooky characters and madcap action. While it doesn’t have the thematic depth of other DreamWorks animated films such as this year’s Dog Man and 2022’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, it’s an Ocean’s 11-style caper with fur, fins, and scales that left the youngsters at my screening laughing.

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Reviews 

AWFJ Presents: DEAD PIGS – Review by Margaret Barton Fumo

Margaret Barton-Fumo , , , , , ,

Cathy Yan’s 2018 film Dead Pigs is a dazzling debut ahead of her better-known followup, the blockbuster superhero film Birds of Prey (2020). Dead Pigs premiered at Sundance, where it won a Special Jury Award, but it wasn’t released in the US until February of 2021. It’s a shame the film has received limited exposure because it is a delightful comedy that appeals to a wide audience. There is something to be said for Yan’s ability to incorporate serious, sweeping topics into a lighthearted film. Unbeknownst to the audience from the start of the film, the characters in Dead Pigs are acting in an ensemble, linked together by a rickety family tree.

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Reviews 

AWFJ Presents: DEAD PIGS – Review by Margaret Barton Fumo

Margaret Barton-Fumo , , , ,

Cathy Yan’s 2018 film Dead Pigs is a dazzling debut ahead of her better-known followup, the blockbuster superhero film Birds of Prey (2020). Dead Pigs premiered at Sundance, where it won a Special Jury Award, but it wasn’t released in the US until February of 2021. It’s a shame the film has received limited exposure because it is a delightful comedy that appeals to a wide audience. There is something to be said for Yan’s ability to incorporate serious, sweeping topics into a lighthearted film. Unbeknownst to the audience from the start of the film, the characters in Dead Pigs are acting in an ensemble, linked together by a rickety family tree.

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