How to Make a Killing pretty much only exists because its two leads (Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley) are hot products right now. As a film, the original was much better (Kind Hearts and Coronets). No offense Glen, but you aren’t Sir Alec Guinness. Louis is awaiting a death penalty for murder and making his confession to a priest, telling his story. He was born to a woman who had been cut out of the vast family wealth when she married beneath her station. The man ended up dying shortly after, leaving the new mom and little Louis on their own. While poor, she raised Louis to appreciate the finer things of life, knowing that, though she herself has been cut off, Louis would still get a portion of that wealth, as it was tied up in an irrevocable trust. All Louis needs is to have the handful of men in front of him to die before he does. Louis gets this idea from a woman (Qualley), who he runs into and had a childhood crush on once upon a time, and so Louis sets off on his quest to take out his family members. Not nearly as funny as it thinks it is, but it is mildly entertaining, even if it is completely predictable outside of just a couple twists. It’s a very safe movie, which is why its audience score is so much higher than its critics score on Rotten. Just don’t expect anything great and you won’t be disappointed. ★★★
The Marching Band (French: En Fanfare) opens on a successful symphony conductor named Thibaut, rehearsing his esteemed group, before collapsing on stage. He learns that he has cancer and needs a bone marrow transplant, but thankfully he can ask his sister, as familial relationships carry a much higher chance of a match. Well, turns out she isn’t his sister, and Thibaut finds out the hard way that he was adopted. However, his mother was approached years ago about adopting Thibaut’s birth brother, which she declined at the time, so she at least knows he does have a sibling. Thibaut tracks down Jimmy, who has lived a very different life. Whereas Thibaut was given every opportunity from a wealthy upbringing, Jimmy was raised in the foster system by a working class family in a factory town. Jimmy displays many of the musical talents Thibaut has (including perfect pitch), but those talents were never nurtured. Jimmy wouldn’t trade his family for anything, but can’t help but wonder “what if.” He agrees to the marrow donation, which saves Thibaut’s life. Afterwards, the two brothers get to know each other, and Thibaut encourages Jimmy, who plays trombone in the local community band, to pursue his musical abilities. This leads to problems down the line, as Jimmy outkicks his coverage. When the factory owners talk closure, which would devastate the community, Thibaut hopes to step in and lend his support. Great film, funny and endearing, even if it feels a little safe and predictable at times. ★★★½
The two leads in Miss You, Love You come from a theater background, and this is the perfect movie for that, as it could be presented as a play and would definitely work. Diane (Allison Janney) has just lost her husband after a 3 year battle with Parkinsons. She is estranged from her son Tyler, and instead of coming to his step-father’s funeral, he’s sent his assistant Jamie (Andrew Rannells) to help his mom with the arrangements. Jamie’s in a tough spot, but he has a big personality that (maybe) can match Diane’s bombastic attitude. Throughout the film, we will get to know how she ticks, what caused the rift between her and Tyler, and see her open up. Jamie isn’t just a bystander though, he has plenty of demons in his own closet, much related to the death of his own parents. Very emotional movie obviously, with a knockout performance from Janney particularly. And because of the revelations that come throughout the film (which is why I can’t say much!), it’s one that can be watched again and again. ★★★★
The Drama imagines how a dark secret can wreck what is otherwise a very happy relationship. At a cafe, Charlie (Robert Pattinson) is smitten by a girl who walks in, and tries to go over and hit on her. After an awkward exchange because she’s wearing a headphone in one ear and is deaf in the other, they officially meet, and hit it off. Emma (Zendaya) is a sweet girl, and two years later, they are a week away from their wedding. They see their wedding DJ smoking heroine in the park, and later, while drinking with their best man and maid of honor, ask for advice on what they should do. One friend says maybe they just saw the DJ on the worst day of their life, and no person should be judged by that, and this leads to each confessing the worst thing they’ve ever done. Some are worse that others, until we get to Emma. Turns out that she, as a teenager, was bullied and an outcast, and she planned a school shooting. Not just thought about it, but was ready to carry it out, and is deaf in one ear from practice shooting her dad’s rifle. It only didn’t happen because a shooting at the local mall happened days before, and Emma thus changed her mind. This news doesn’t land well with Charlie (who at first thinks she’s joking) nor with the other couple; Emma’s maid of honor has a sister confined to a wheelchair after a mass shooting. Charlie starts to see the love of his life in a whole new light, and needs to make a decision in this last week before their nuptials. The idea of the film is very good, but I was not a fan of the editing, with lots of cuts and shifts in narrative mid-scene, bouncing around way too much. I guess it was made for the younger tik-tok generation? ★★½
Is God Is, on the other hand, is told in a wildly different way that seemed fresh and exciting. Twin sisters Racine and Anaia bear burn scars from a traumatic childhood event. Racine is “the pretty one” as her scars are just on one arm, but Anaia is burned across her face and chest. As such, Racine has always defended her sister, sometimes violently, against bullies. As adults now, they get the news that their birth mother, long thought dead, is alive. They go to visit her, and on her deathbed, she charges the two of them with a mission: hunt down their birth father and kill him. Turns out he beat her when they were together, and one day threw her in the bathtub and lit her on fire. The girls’ injuries came from trying to save their mother from the flames. Seems like a crazy mission, and the twins think so too, but one talks the other into it, and off they go. They have just one clue, for a woman their father shacked up with after leaving town all those years ago. One clue leads to another, in a string of increasingly bizarre encounters, all with the same evidence, that their father was a monster. When they finally find him, and the family he has now, we’ll see if the hunt was worth it. It’s a wildly entertaining film, very funny in a (very) dark way, with a rare turn from Sterling K Brown as a bad guy, even if I though it lost steam before the end. ★★★½
- TV series recently watched: The Walking Dead (season 1), Silo (season 3), Walking Dead: Dead City (season 3), House of the Dragon (season 3)
- Book currently reading: The Gathering Storm by Jordan & Sanderson
Jons Movie Takes 