heroes and villains

New On DVD: X-Men: First Class, United 93, Dressed To Kill


Dressed To Kill (Blu Ray)
($24.99, MGM)
With body doubles, atmospheric shots and a startling opening sequence, this 1980 murder mystery from director Brian DePalma borrows heavily from Alfred Hitchcock. It’s also a Celluloid Closet-level exercise in unblinking transphobia that sees a disturbed man in an overcoat and woman’s wig running around slashing people with a straight razor while a prostitute and teen boy try to solve the case.  DTK is one of those films that produces an internal dissonance in LGBT viewers: Can you simultaneously praise DePalma’s stylish filmmaking and shake your head at his disturbing depiction of a trans person? Actually, that’s the only logical reaction.

 


X-Men: First Class (DVD and Blu Ray)
($24.99, Fox)
Though ostensibly an X-Men origin tale set during the Cold War, First Class is really the unrequited love story of Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender). Dang, those two just need to kiss and get it over with.

 


United 93 (Blu Ray)
($26.98, Universal)
Director Paul Greengrass delivers an account of the events that may have happened aboard United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, that is harrowing and well-made. United 93  features a then mostly-unknown Cheyenne Jackson as gay rugby player Mark Bingham, one of the passengers who is believed to have attacked the hijackers and led to the plane’s crash. Universal clearly timed the release of the DVD to coincide with the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Whether or not you can handle watching the film is up to you.

 

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