How to Make a Killing

My View: How to Make a Killing  (2026)  R  How to Make a Killing is about Becket (Glen Powell), who was told by his mother when he was a child that he would someday be rich. That’s true, but unfortunately, there are seven people in his way to a 28 billion dollar inheritance. What would you do? I am a fan of Glen Powell, but this is not his best work. He is let down by a script that wants to be a dark comedy but forgets to be dark or comedic. Instead, it’s a bland attempt to redo the perfect 1949 film Kind Hearts and Coronets, and it doesn’t succeed (look for the very small credit in the closing credits for this film). Something that could have saved this film (besides some actual comedy) is Margaret Qualley, who tries her hardest to bring some life to the storyline as a childhood friend who is married (unhappily) to one of the heirs to the fortune. I wanted more of Qualley’s character in the film, but she only shows up occasionally to create tension. Most of the supporting cast is wasted, including Ed Harris, who doesn’t show up until near the end of the film. The tagline of the film is “Heir today, gone tomorrow.” Well, I wish tomorrow had come much sooner.  My Rating: Cable  How to Make a Killing Website Now playing in theaters

My View:  Kokuho  (2025) Kokuho takes place in post-war Japan as Kikuo (Ryo Yoshizawa), the son of a yakuza mobster leader, sees his father gunned down. Years later, Kikuo is taken in by a renowned Kabuki actor, Hanai, and Kikuo becomes his apprentice. Despite life’s challenges, Kikuo becomes a gifted performer, but jealousy and the past may become too much to overcome. This is a visually stunning film that has all the intrigue of a Shakespearean drama, with family squabbles, a son who is overlooked, an outsider who reaps the rewards until things go bad, and redemption, but with a cost. The Kabuki scenes are beautiful and fascinating. The story goes on a little too long (it spans many years and runs three hours), but the performances are strong, and the plot keeps giving us twist after twist. My Rating: Full Price  Kokuho Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  This is Not a Test  (2025) R  This is Not a Test is about Sloane Price (Olivia Holt), a teen girl who has had a rough life, abused by her father, abandoned by her sister, and who contemplates suicide. Sloane’s life changes when Sloane and four other students are forced to take shelter in their high school during a zombie apocalypse. I enjoyed this high school drama meets horror film because of Olivia Holt’s performance as Sloane, a teen who has already experienced horror in her own household by an abusive father, only to be attacked by zombies. Her only refuge is her high school, where she finds a few other students to hang out with and survive the trauma of zombies showing up, even as old teachers. Holt is what makes this film work, as she tries to find solace among her fellow students but is always confronted by her status as a loner. We know some students won’t survive, but we hold out hope that Sloane will. The zombie attacks are ok, though very low-tech, but it’s the high school kids trying to survive and get along that make this film work.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   This is Not a Test Info  Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  Midwinter Break  (2026) PG-13  Midwinter Break follows a long-term couple, Stella (Lesley Manville) and Gerry (Ciaran Hinds), as they take a holiday in Amsterdam. Their trip is filled with unresolved tensions, past memories, and a secret that could destroy their relationship. This had all the hallmarks of an outstanding film, thanks to the two lead actors. Regrettably, I never felt a connection with either character. From the first shot of them eating dinner, you could tell that whatever they had in their marriage was long gone. The concept is interesting, with Stella wanting a more spiritual life, but it comes across almost as if Stella had planned all along to leave Gerry there in Amsterdam. Gerry comes across as a man who loves his wife but doesn’t respect her. While Stella has a breathtaking moment telling the story of her pregnancy, there is never the poignant moment we need between Gerry and Stella to hit us. Instead, we get what feels like a feeble scene in an airport near the end of the film, leaving us disappointed to have gone on this journey with the two of them, and neither the two nor the audience has learned a thing.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee Midwinter Break Website  Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film:  We lost one of my favorite actors of all time this week, Robert Duvall. In his honor, I am re-running one of my Forgotten Films from Dec. 25, 2012. Tender Mercies (1983) PG  Robert Duvall plays Mac Sledge, a legendary country singer who has fallen on hard times due to his drinking. He finds himself abandoned in a small West Texas motel run by a widow, Rosa (Tess Harper), and her young son (Allan Hubbard). Through the kindness of Rosa, Mac slowly gets his life back on track, falling in love with Rosa, and he begins to write songs again. But life is complicated, and his ex-wife, Dixie (Betty Buckley), a big country star herself, comes back into the picture to mess things up possibly. Duvall gives one of his best performances, bringing depth and warmth to a deeply flawed character. Everyone in this film did their own singing, with Duvall and Buckley lighting up the screen with their vocal talents. This is almost a perfect film with an incredible script by the Texan writer Horton Foote, whose talent for finding the right words for his characters shines throughout. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Tender Mercies Info   Available to rent on Amazon and Apple TV+  

Weird Credits:  From the credits of How to Make a Killing:  Map Welfare Inspector 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Project Hail Mary (2026) PG-13  Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light-years from home with no idea who he is or how he got there. He soon figures out that his mission is to somehow stop a mysterious substance from killing the sun. Ryland is not alone up there and discovers unexpected help; from an alien. The film is from the team of Lord and Miller, responsible for bringing us The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.  Project Hail Mary Website  The film is in theaters on Friday, March 20, 2026. 

Until Next Time!

Django Unchained

My View:  Django Unchained (2012) Set in the South in 1858, Django (Jamie Foxx), a former slave who has turned bounty hunter, with the help of his partner, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), look for Django’s long lost wife, Hildy (Kerry Washington). They find her on Calvin Candie's (Leonardo DiCaprio) plantation, where the main sport is slaves fighting to the death. I loved the first 45 minutes of this film, which is part comedy, part spaghetti western (western films made in the 60’s/70’s in Italy). Waltz and Foxx play off each other extremely well, as Dr. Schultz teaches Django the finer points of bounty hunting. But the film bogs down when DiCaprio’s character enters the picture, as there is quite a bit of sitting around dinner tables and porches, talking about slavery. Samuel L. Jackson, in a part that only he could play, is the butler Stephen, who is Candie’s right-hand man, and helps with the rest of the slaves, looking out for his master. I did enjoy the ending, but I just wish the film was about 20 minutes shorter. Be warned that there is an incredible amount of violence with lots of bloodshed, whipping, raping and other really savage.   My Rating: Full Price   Django Unchained Website

My View:  Les Miserables (2012) Based on the Broadway hit, this musical takes place in 19th century France where Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), has been running from the law for decades after breaking parole. Valjean agrees to take care of Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), the illegitimate daughter of Fantine (Anne Hathaway), after Fantine can no longer afford to take care of her. But by doing this, Valjean may be discovered by the police inspector, Javert (Russell Crowe), and his life could take a turn for the worse. Anne Hathaway is amazing in this film as the mother of Cosette who loses her job and has to sell herself to make sure her daughter survives. Hathaway’s song, "I Dreamed a Dream", is the highlight of the film, and the use of live recording as they were filming is displayed at its best with her performance. The other notable performance is Samantha Barks, who plays Cosette’s rival, Eponine.  Barks solo song, ”On My Own”, is an extraordinary bit of singing and is probably the best song in the film.  But, 99 percent of the dialogue is sung, and I found that the constant singing was a little tiring. Microphones were mounted under the cameras to catch all vocals, so there are quite a few close ups in the film, and this also gets very old during the film's 157 minutes. Jackman has the most to sing, as he is in almost every scene, and, as expected, does a superb job. While I found Crowe’s voice enjoyable, it is a performance that you will probably either love or hate. Overall, while there were some enjoyable performances, and a couple of amazing songs, the film was not the experience that I felt it should have been and, by the final scene, I was just ready for it to end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Les Miserables Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Film of All Time)

#10 Worst Film

Gigli (2003) Ben Affleck plays Gigli, a mob hit man who has been hired to kidnap the brother of a district attorney. Jennifer Lopez plays Ricki, a lesbian hit woman who is assigned by the mob to make sure Gigli doesn’t screw up. Affleck and Lopez were a couple in real life when this stinker was made, but there isn’t any evidence on film, as their isn’t an ounce of chemistry between the two. The plot is as dumb as the hit man that Affleck plays, and Lopez keeps claiming to be a lesbian (she tells just about everyone in the film this), but she is about as believable as Christopher Walken is as the detective trying to solve the case. Lopez and Affleck were paid a combined 25 million dollars for this film.  I think they should pay us every time we see it.   Gigli Info

Forgotten Film: Tender Mercies (1983) Robert Duvall plays Mac Sledge, a legendary country singer, who has fallen on hard times due to his drinking. He finds himself abandoned in a small, west Texas motel run by a widow, Rosa (Tess Harper) and her young son (Allan Hubbard). Through the kindness of Rosa, Mac slowly gets his life back on track, falling in love with Rosa, and he begins to write songs again. But life is complicated, and his ex-wife Dixie (Betty Buckley), a big country star herself, comes back into the picture to possibly mess things up. Duvall gives one of the best performances of his career, bringing depth and warmth to a very flawed character. Everyone in this film did their own singing with Duvall and Buckley lighting up the screen with their vocal talents. This is almost a perfect film with an incredible script by the Texan writer Horton Foote, whose talent for finding the right words for his characters shines throughout.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Tender Mercies Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Total Recall (2012) Not really a remake of the 1990 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger but more like a total retooling. I liked Kate Beckinsale in this film but found it way too long and very confusing.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Total Recall Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): The Last Exorcism Part II (2013) Should it really take two films to perform an exorcism? I think one was enough.    The Last Exorcism Part II Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Les Miserables: Petty Cash Buyer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: 42 (2013) The life story of Jackie Robinson. Trailer looks amazing. Just hope the film lives up to the man himself.   42 Info

Until Next Time!