While Powell has received acclaim for his starring roles, it could be that the Hollywood hype machine hasn’t done him any favors, with him signing on to so many projects (including Hulu’s Chad Powers) that he’s become a tad overexposed — something that often happens when Hollywood tries to propel someone to stardom. The same thing almost happened to Powell’s Anyone But You co-star Sydney Sweeney, but she had a major hit with Lionsgate’s The Housemaid. Powell has a mystery project with J.J. Abrams coming out later this year, so that might do the trick for him.

At least it’s performing better than 20th Century Studios’ Psycho Killer, which sat on the shelf for years and is only getting a modest release this weekend on about 1,100 screens, with it looking at a $2 million weekend. It’s a shock this wasn’t sent straight to Hulu, as the reviews (including one from our own Tyler Nichols) have been brutal.

The box office crown will likely be taken by GOAT, with it looking to beat Wuthering Heights in week two, as it’s on track for about $15.7 million compared to roughly $14 million for the latter. That said, it’s early and the positions could still flip-flop. I Can Only Imagine 2 will easily take third place with about $8 million, while Crime 101 isn’t far behind with around $6 million or so.

We’ll be back tomorrow with a full box office roundup.

What are you seeing this weekend? Let us know in the talkbacks!

The post Box Office Update: How to Make a Killing and Psycho Killer Flop Badly appeared first on JoBlo.

John Patton Ford impressed this viewer with his feature film debut, Emily the Criminal. The film featured an excellent performance from Aubrey Plaza and brought humanity to the character. It’s a marvelous independent feature. One that gives the filmmaker the chance to prove what an impressive voice he has. Here, he offers his storytelling talent for yet another fascinating character. Imagine Glen Powell as a man ready to claim his fair share of the inheritance, no matter the cost.

How to Make a Killing (read our review) is a smart and satisfying dark comedy. Ford has crafted a savagely satisfying story with rich characters and his knack for dialogue. Much like Emily, the cast here offers terrific work. It includes the brilliant Margaret Qualley, in addition to Glen Powell, Harris, Topher Grace, Jessica Henwick, Zach Woods, and more. Much like his previous feature, Ford creates a charismatic lead with Mr. Powell. The actor brings such clear charm to his work that it becomes quite easy to root for him… even if he is planning a few dastardly deeds.

On Valentine’s Day, I made my way to The London Hotel to speak with some of the fine talent featured. Having spoken to Glen for The Running Man, I was looking forward to chatting again. He, along with co-stars Jessica Henwick and Topher Grace. The trio discussed working with Mr. Ford and finding a bit of fun in taking on the colorful characters.

As the interview went on, Henwick and Grace mentioned how enjoyable it is working with Powell. Topher, having known Glen for a couple of decades, had high praise for the actor. And frankly, it’s not hard to see why. Glen is an incredibly kind and down-to-earth type of guy. He is wonderfully chill and just very easy to talk to. So much so that I especially appreciated the on-screen chemistry between him and Jessica. It translated to these three terrific actors.

Check out How to Make a Killing this weekend at a theatre near you.

The post Interview: Glen Powell, Jessica Henwick, and Topher Grace Talk How to Make a Killing appeared first on JoBlo.

REVIEW: In a world where the gap between the ultra-rich and everyone else grows by the day, How to Make a Killing is seemingly well-timed. A loose remake of the British classic Kind Hearts and Coronets, it feels like — had this been made in another era of Hollywood history — our murderous hero would have been presented as a psychopathic “bad guy.” Rather, in John Patton Ford’s movie, Glen Powell’s Beckett, while arguably a sociopath, isn’t presented as an inherently evil or even “bad” person — he’s just a guy who wants the birthright he feels he’s been denied, and if he has to kill a bunch of rich people to get it — so be it.

It’s an oddball choice of a role for Glen Powell, who’s trying to become the next big Hollywood superstar, seemingly following the Tom Cruise playbook — yet to be sure, this is a role Cruise himself would have probably never touched. It remains to be seen if audiences embrace the part, which plays out like a regular Glen Powell rom-com, albeit with a body count that steadily grows as the movie goes on.

One thing is for sure — the makers of How to Make a Killing want us to root for Powell’s Beckett Redfellow, who would be ultra-rich were his mother not kicked out of the family for having a child out of wedlock. Why the family would be so rigid in this regard is never really explained, as everyone in the family is depicted as living pretty debaucherous lifestyles. It’s implied that the family doesn’t want the scandal, but this part of the movie is set in 1993, not 1893 or even 1943. That premise worked well in the original film, but it could have been elaborated on a bit here.

No matter — it’s just a way to arrange a series of set pieces where Powell’s charismatic Beckett meets different members of his estranged family and kills them. Powell is solid in the part, but I couldn’t help but note how, despite us being built up to want him to succeed, I never actually really cared if he got away with his crimes or not. Compare that to Timothée Chalamet as the wildly selfish lead in Marty Supreme, who you can’t help but root for even if you know you shouldn’t. They seem to be trying for that vibe here, but Powell, perhaps in a nod to his growing stardom, plays Beckett as too much of a softie, which — ironically — makes his crimes harder to buy.

In fact, as far as on-screen sociopaths go, Powell is badly overshadowed by Margaret Qualley, who plays a society girl Beckett knew as a child but who has now fallen on hard times and wants a piece of the pie. She has the edge and coldness he lacks, expertly playing her femme fatale–style role. She dominates the movie. In fact, both main female co-stars outshine Powell here, with Jessica Henwick giving the film some much-needed heart as the girlfriend of one of Beckett’s victims, who he ends up falling for. You watch this movie and wonder why, at a certain point, Beckett — as he rises to a level of modest prestige and power — doesn’t just opt to give up and make a life with her.

As for the relatives Powell has to bump off, Ford has fun with his casting. There’s Ed Harris as the ice-cold patriarch, who faces off with Powell in the large-scale conclusion, while Topher Grace has a blast as the Redfellow who’s become a born-again pastor/Christian rocker. Of them all, though, the best performance comes from Bill Camp, who, as Beckett’s uncle, proves to be such a genial, nice guy that his good nature endangers Beckett’s plan.

On the whole, How to Make a Killing is diverting fare, breezing along at 105 minutes and always entertaining its audience. Yet, I couldn’t help but think there would have been a better movie had Powell’s Beckett been given a bit more substance, with the movie not as good as the director’s excellent last film, Emily the Criminal. I had a good time with it, but it’s the kind of movie that vanishes from memory by the time the credits start to roll.

How to Make a Killing

AVERAGE

6

The post How to Make a Killing Review: A Slick Caper That Pulls Its Punches appeared first on JoBlo.

While some audience members received roses from the cast ahead of the film’s Valentine’s Day premiere, just about everyone watching How to Make a Killing is walking away with a smile. Our Editor-in-Chief, Chris Bumbray, was able to catch a screening of Ford’s new film, and said, “How to Make a Killing is a fresh reimagining of Kind Hearts and Coronets. Glen Powell is solid, but Margaret Qualley steals every scene.”

What’s the movie about?

How to Make a Killing “is inspired by director Robert Hamer’s 1949 British crime movie Kind Hearts and Coronets.” The official synopsis reads: “Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.” The script for the film was originally on the Black List back in 2014, and it would be known under another title — Rothchild. At the time, Shia LaBeouf and Mel Gibson had been attached to star in the project for director Jon S. Baird.

The new film from A24 features a starry cast, led by Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Cill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, and Ed Harris.

Would you kill, as Glen Powell’s Becket Redfellow puts it, “seven rich pricks,” to inherit $28 billion? No? I’ll say that again. $28 billion! Remember, the world could always use a few fewer doorknobs.

Man, I just watched the trailer for How to Make a Killing, and I’m jealous of everyone who’s already seen it. Thankfully, I have a stack of free movie tickets saved up in my CineClub account, and the movie opens next week on February 20. I know what I’m doing next weekend.

Here are some more reactions to How to Make a Killing:

The post The first reactions to How to Make a Killing praise the satirical crime comedy for its stunning performances and fun factor appeared first on JoBlo.