Chloe and I are back with a brand new episode! This week is a confirmation that horror fans are feasting on some serious genre work and that we might be over the “actor’s exercise” of Shakespeare. A couple of effects-heavy films from the last twenty years get shiny new 4K editions, Blu-ray goes brat, and there are a couple of niche things to tickle your brain on the streaming.
First up is Obsession, the debut of You-Tuber Curry Barker in the land of feature filmmaking. One bad decision makes a cascade of nightmares for our sad sack lead character, but it’s the victim in question, Inde Navarrette, that shakes our entire universe. I’m saying it here, if she isn’t recognized in awards season, we’ll burn it all to the ground!
Then there’s Hamlet, Riz Ahmed’s version of the Shakespearean tragedy but with a definite Pan-Asian seasoning. Made closely with his friend, with whom he won an Academy Award for a short film in 2022, there is no doubt in Riz’s ability to command on screen. The question is, in 2026, do we require more straightforward word-for-word adaptations of possibly Billy Boy’s most famous work?
We then shift to Blu-ray and a couple of new 4K remasters. First up is Speed Racer, the Wachowskis ‘ faithful adaptation of a classic Japanese cartoon. While the film didn’t hit the mark with audiences, post Matrix trilogy, it seems to have found its cult status in the almost twenty years since its release. What is obvious is that all the dazzle on display certainly bodes well for this brand new hi-def version, and I think the box office did this one dirty!
Then, in the realm of ultimate 4K releases, Robert Zemeckis brings his Philippe Petit biopic to the format in The Walk, an adaptation of James Marsh’s incredible documentary, Man On Wire. Joseph Gorden Levitt learned to tightrope walk in record time to give all of the audience insane vertigo, thanks to the wizards at the Zemeckis-created ImageMovers. The experience feels pretty immersive, and I’m shocked that this film was forgotten so quickly, but this 4K is a great reminder of its existence.
Wrapping up the physical disc section, global phenomenon Charli XCX’s documentary finally gets a Blu release. This one is fascinating as it takes an intimate look at the star’s creative process in the midst of the worldwide pandemic, which shut down her first major world tour. Now, after the brat tour, she’s an absolute superstar, but this is an engrossing look into the mental trauma of isolation, world uncertainty and using the voice of the fans to create something new.
At the top of the streaming pile this week, Frank Castle is hard drinking and in a full-blown PTSD crisis in the Marvel special, The Punisher: One Last Kill. He’d better get sober because Ma Gnucci is exacting one last beat of revenge for her fallen family, sending every last piece of power into Castle’s apartment building, with the prize being his head. Written by Jon Bernthal himself, this is a quick but bloody, violent hour-long episode to set you up for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Lastly, Netflix assembled a hell of a veteran cast for their new mystery thriller set in a desert locked retirement community, and it was so enticing that the Duffer brothers, the creators of Stranger Things, jumped on board for The Boroughs. Featuring Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Bill Pullman and more, this series takes an almost Amblin Entertainment approach to the mystery at the center of the eight-episode run, and it really pays off. Also, Denis O’Hare is a treasure.
Chloe butts in with a long binge she has been conducting on the Paramount+ series, From. The exact thing she needed to stop yet another long rewatch journey through The Walking Dead, this mystery horror has a town residing in the middle of an endless loop, populated by night monsters intent on killing for fun. Yes, this one unsettled Chloe with all the excessive, monstrous smiling. It’s a weird one, for sure.
I also make Chloe end her segment with more of a positive leaning review on The Super Mario Galaxy Movie after I trashed it a few weeks back. Chloe fangirls about background characters and Star Fox, as well as waxes poetically on the most panned Mario game, Super Mario Sunshine. That said, she has her digs at it, and most of it is about a voice cast we are stuck with now at this point in the franchise.
Coming up next week:
Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu
Passenger
Tuner
I Love Boosters
The Yeti
Sound Of Falling
Spider-Noir
…and more.
New episodes of What The Hell Should I Watch? drop every Friday at 9 a.m. Pacific.
Steve Stebbing 