Tag: Kirill Sokolov

THEY WILL KILL YOU (2026)

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Directed By: Kirill Sokolov

Written By: Kirill Sokolov And Alex Litvak

Cinematography: Isaac Bauman

Editor: Luke Doolan

Cast: Zazie Beetz, Myha’la, Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, Paterson Joseph, Willie Ludik, Angus Sampson 

A woman takes a job as a housekeeper in a NYC high-rise, unaware of the building’s history of disappearances. She soon realizes the community is shrouded in mystery.

Zazie Beetz is clearly a star and hopefully this leads to not only more roles but more action leading roles. I wish I could say a star is born, but she has been working for quite a while and always had the talent. Though here she has finally gotten a role to show it and prove it 

This film Reminds one of the director Kirill Sokolov previous film WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE! (Which I was a big fan of) though not as good. This one has a bigger budget, cast and star power. 

It has the Same contained action and single location though working with a much bigger canvas and the space offering more inventiveness. 

While Not as action packed as expected. It still has thrills all through the film and it feels like a rollercoaster ride. So that it stays fun for the audience. 

The film’s  first half is awesome then it calms down. it keeps trying to stay captivating but seems to run out of steam halfway through. it stays entertaining but seems to Keep saying or presenting the same thing. Even as we learn more about characters and motivations through flashbacks.

The film is  Obvious in its Quentin Tarantino influences. As it does feel like a combination of other movie influences. Though making itself an original. 

The film is Very over the top violent. As Each new scene adds some layers to th film. As we get flashbacks that fill in the background 

We need to get more films like this, that are genre mixed but also have an excitement about them that you can tell by the filmmaking. That audiences are hungry for that feels Familiar but original and not an extension of a franchise. That can also have some depth to back them up and be more than artistic genre exercises. Though also adds some fun into it all while having a craft 

It feels like a film made for film fans and general audiences alike and both can appreciate fo various reasons.

Watching the film it. Makes me kick myself for not taking to Zazie Beetz or at least acknowledging I knew who she was and saying hello to her in the comic book store FORBIDDEN PLANET years ago right around the time she was announced to be in DEADPOOL 2, As the character Domino. She is as beautiful and awesome Im Person as she is on screen. Her and Nathalie Emmanuel are needed in more leading roles stat.

Extra Points: for the Playing Ryan Gosling’s band DEAD MAN’S BONES song LOSE YOUR SOUL on the soundtrack, Still hoping they do another record, love the album. 

GRADE: B-

WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE! (2018)

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Written, Directed & Edited By: Kirill Sokolov
Cinematography: Dimitry Ulyikaev

Cast: Aleksandr Kiznetsov, Vitaliy Khaev, Evgenia Kregzhde, Milhail Gorevoy, Elena Scevchenko

Andrei, a detective and the world’s most horrible father, brings together a terrible group of people in his apartment: his resentful actress daughter, an angry thug, and a cheated cop. Each one of them has a reason to want revenge..

This is a twisted macabre funny grotesque crime comedy. That stays thoroughly inventive throughout.

The story grows as the film goes along as at first it just starts off with a grand scene where we don’t necessarily know the character’s motivation but as in each scene something new is revealed we flashback to find out how it was needed up there or why certain characters are introduced.

At a certain point motivations are predictable but that still doesn’t Take away any of the intrigue and fun.

Though not as good this film will remind audiences of EVIL DEAD 2 and to a degree SUPERMAN RETURNS for the amount of cruelty and abuse one of the characters throughout the film yet still Manages to survive and also the level of violence of the earlier mentioned film. You could also see this as a feature length version of one of the rooms from the anthology FOUR ROOMS. As it is goofy Strange, violent and funny. As well  as off kilter 

As there is tons of blood she’s throughout this film but though it is a dark comedy it always seems to keep an energetic spirit throughout. Where you actually start to care about the characters no matter how dastardly. 

As wild as this film is it plays almost like a love action cartoon. The filM feels like an early coen brothers comedy. Down More as a horror film And the writing not as sharp, but even more violent.

The film goes by quickly. Though it certainly isn’t forgettable. Even as most of the film takes place mostly inside of a spacious apartment. It only travels outside of it in flashbacks.

GRADE: B