After many weekends away from home this past month, I finally found myself home and with ample new movie choices! Here’s what made the cut.
It’s a Wonderful Knife – In the first of my five visits to the theater this weekend, this first one was wasted on this god awful parody. Obviously a play on It’s a Wonderful Life, this film instead takes a look at what would have become of Winnie’s town had she not stopped the its murderous mayor. Admittedly, I never watched a trailer for this, but with Joel McHale and Justin Long, I figured I’d be in for some sarcastic horror comedy. In reality, it was a movie that I think was trying to be intentionally bad at times, but the script just never took it to the next level. It made me think of The Retirement Plan, but their intentions paid off. Maybe I was missing something here, but I really wish I would have just missed it altogether.
The Marvels – I mean, literally anything I saw after that first film was going to be automatically better, so that was certainly the case here. However, like most of the more recent Marvel films, yes, this was very enjoyable, but I knew almost immediately that it would be forgettable. Check in with me in a month, and I’d really have to think if I saw this or not. I also know that I was probably missing some information given that I haven’t seen Ms. Marvel yet, but I never felt lost during this. Larson, Parris, and Vellani all had a fun and light chemistry between them, and Samuel L. Jackson was more involved than I was anticipating. There was also a hilarious scene that involves a town that only sings for communication. Worth the watch, though certainly nowhere near Marvels’ best.
Freelance – This was another fun film that I know will be forgettable in a few weeks time. I cannot imagine this performed well at the box office either. It was sandwiched in between Killers of the Flower Moon and a bunch of other offerings in the past few weeks, and given that the actors strike just ended, I hadn’t heard anything about it until looking at what was coming to town. John Cena plays an ex-military man who actually wants nothing more than to be back in action, though he does value his crumbling family more. Still, he accepts a cake job that turns into anything but. I was pleasantly surprised by our supposed villain here, and though Bree is a great actress, I can’t help but feel she was meant to fill an Emily Blunt sized hole.
The Holdovers – Ohhh, I love the winter only for independent films! This is the start to what I hope is a very fruitful awards season, and what better way than to start with a fresh Alexander Payne flick?! In it, Paul Giamatti plays a teacher at a remote New England, all boys boarding school, where he is stuck watching over ultimately one bratty boy with a history almost as complex as his own. In a film that is almost exclusively spent with teacher, student, and the school chef, I almost wish no one else would have showed up to join in on the festivities. Still, everyone introduced was expertly put to use to elevate the story, and I can’t promise your eyes will be dry at the end. This was an excellent drama with the perfect amount of comedy sprinkled in and you’d be fools to not check this out immediately. My money is now firmly placed on Giamatti for the Oscar nomination and hopefully a well-deserved win, but we shall see.
Priscilla – After the high of The Holdover, I wasn’t holding out hope for Priscilla to blow me away. Also especially since I loved Elvis so, so much last year. Yes, I know that this film is focusing on what Priscilla went through in “the king’s” presence, but still, it’s hard not to compare. Elordi did better than I was willing to give him credit for as Elvis, but the uncanny look of Caliee Spaeny as Priscilla was unbeatable. It’s also wild to know that she was fourteen and he was twenty-four when he started pursuing her – that’s nasty! She endured a lot, but the last half hour of this tale kind of dragged on for me. I think I’d be more interested in reading the memoir that inspired this film.
The Killer – Ahh, new David Fincher! Though Mank wasn’t my cup of tea, I was still very excited for what looked like a return to form for him. And in many ways, this was. I couldn’t help but think of Zodiac when presented with the dark nature of the film, both in story and in color. This was a great showcase for Fassbender, though the film itself doesn’t seem to be getting as much hype as I would have expected. This was meticulously violent, and I can’t help but really like that in films, so for me, this totally worked! I also love that Fincher’s continued his relationship with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the film’s score. They just get what Fincher is after and help elevate the vision. Worth checking it out if you like thrillers or any of Fincher’s previous works.
Pain Hustlers – You know, I am kind of shocked with how much the critic’s ripped this movie apart. Weirdly, I think this will be one of those films that, despite having Chris Evans and Emily Blunt in leading roles, will go through as the tiniest blip on the 2023 movie radar. The strikes certainly helped in that regard, but I’m surprised I’m not seeing more about how much people hated this. That being said, I didn’t mind it at all! I think stories like this will always get me because, regardless of how true this particular story ended up being, the fact that stuff like this happens and for so long is wild to me. Not for everyone I guess, but if you’re looking for a movie instead of the two series out there about almost the exact same thing, then give this one a try.