{"id":27021,"date":"2025-07-22T08:58:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T15:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/?p=27021"},"modified":"2025-07-22T06:59:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T13:59:08","slug":"vodepths-what-to-see-and-avoid-on-demand-this-week-115","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/vodepths-what-to-see-and-avoid-on-demand-this-week-115\/","title":{"rendered":"VODepths: What to See (and Avoid) on Demand This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This week\u2019s minor VOD releases feature atmospheric explorations of grief, drugs, and natural disasters, plus a spectral assassin and commandos fighting aliens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bury Me When I\u2019m Dead<\/em><\/strong> (VOD July 18):<\/strong> By the time something vaguely supernatural happens to grieving flower-shop owner Henry Samsa (Devon Terrell) in writer-director Seabold Krebs\u2019 morose drama, it\u2019s far too late to generate any suspense or dread. Krebs spends the first half of the movie on a soporific terminal-illness story, as Henry\u2019s wife Catherine (Charlotte Hope) learns that she\u2019s dying of brain cancer. The muted color palette, droning score, and hushed dialogue create a sense of numbness for both Henry and the viewer, and there\u2019s no emotional impact to Catherine\u2019s inevitable death. Henry\u2019s feeling of being cursed for ignoring Catherine\u2019s dying wish to be buried in a forest near her childhood home manifests in brief hints and flashes, but it\u2019s never creepy or disturbing. Krebs spends more time on Henry\u2019s battle with Catherine\u2019s wealthy asshole father, who\u2019s determined to ruin his son-in-law\u2019s life. The movie plods along toward a ridiculous ending that undermines the somber, melancholy tone and offers no justification for any of the preceding mysticism. Grade: C-<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No Sleep Till<\/em><\/strong> (Select theaters July 18; Metrograph at Home July 20):<\/strong> The calm before the storm in writer-director (and Omnes Films<\/a> member) Alexandra Simpson\u2019s debut feature may be a little too<\/em> calm, and it takes some time to get on the wavelength of this slow, elliptical ensemble drama set in a coastal Florida town under threat of a major hurricane. Simpson follows a handful of residents who are hesitant to evacuate, but this isn\u2019t a movie about impending danger or sudden disaster. It\u2019s about in-between moments when something major looks like it\u2019s about to happen, but could equally just amount to nothing. That describes the hurricane as well as the apparent life circumstances of the characters, all of whom are stuck in their own liminal spaces. A pair of friends head to Philadelphia for dubious-sounding stand-up comedy opportunities, a storm-chaser fails to catch any storms, a teenage girl returns home to a handwritten break-up note, and other characters engage in various inscrutable endeavors. The minimalist plotting can be frustrating, but the vibes (and the images of the Florida landscape) are enthralling. Grade: B-<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghost Killer<\/em><\/strong> (VOD July 22):<\/strong> Several collaborators from Japan\u2019s cult-favorite Baby Assassins<\/em> franchise team up for this winning supernatural action comedy, featuring Baby Assassins<\/em> star Akari Takaishi as a timid college student who becomes linked with the spirit of a dead yakuza hitman (Masanori Mimoto). He insists that the only way for her to get rid of him is to enact his revenge, but first he helps her dispatch some especially toxic men in her life. Takaishi and Mimoto have a fun mismatched-buddy dynamic as the hardened killer and his reluctant accomplice, and Takaishi deftly switches personalities when the characters inhabit the same body. She shifts instantly from terrified to hyper-competent, while maintaining a running dialogue with herself. Both stars show off their fighting skills, but Ghost Killer<\/em> is just as entertaining when they\u2019re bickering or strategizing. The finale goes on a bit too long, and the inner workings of the main criminal organization are not particularly interesting, but there\u2019s plenty of lively banter and cleverly staged action along the way. Grade: B<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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