Squanders an embarrassment of riches.
‘How to Make a Killing’
Glen Powell stars as Becket Redfellow, who hunts down and murders his rich estranged family members in this bloody comedy directed by John Patton Ford.
From our review:
The story and the actors make “How to Make a Killing” easy to drift along with, even if it never coheres tonally, logically or, really, any which way. As the bodies pile up in Becket’s past, and the clock runs down in his present, the movie’s lightness grows forced and Powell’s natural likability turns into a liability.
In theaters. Read the full review.
A horror fable with few lessons learned.
‘The Dreadful’
While waiting for her husband to return from war, Anne (Sophie Turner) must care for her manipulative mother-in-law in this horror fable directed by Natasha Kermani.
From our review:
In the distance, a mysterious knight covered in frightening armor is constantly hovering, an ominous presence that serves as the film’s paper-thin motif and its primary element of fright, though in truth the film leans mostly on the score’s earsplitting clangs. The knight might represent the contagion of human evil, and Anne’s story a journey of proto-feminism, but for all its big themes, the most resonant is the film’s title.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Is this a prank?
‘Psycho Killer’
After her husband is shot and killed during a traffic stop, a highway patrol officer tracks down his masked killer in this horror thriller directed by Gavin Polone.
From our review:
One could be forgiven for thinking that Polone and the screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker — who wrote “Seven,” one of horror’s enduring serial killer films — wanted to prank audiences, not actually terrify them. It didn’t work.
In theaters. Read the full review.
The saving power of music (and a great co-star).
‘I Can Only Imagine 2’
In this sequel directed by Andrew Erwin and Brent McCorkle, the frontman (John Michael Finley) of a Christian contemporary band grows closer with his son with the help of his opening act, Tim (Milo Ventimiglia).
From our review:
It’s no overstatement to say that Tim, a mildly enigmatic man of devotion and gratitude, becomes the catalyst for the father and son. And Ventimiglia becomes the sequel’s saving grace.
In theaters. Read the full review.
A stale marriage, a staler film.
‘Midwinter Break’
During a vacation to Amsterdam, a married couple (played by Lesley Manville and Ciaran Hinds) re-evaluate their relationship in this quiet drama directed by Polly Findlay.
From our review:
The saving grace of “Midwinter Break” is the pair of stellar leads, who would be appealing to watch just fumbling for their reading glasses. That also happens to be the pinnacle of action, however, within this prosaic drama.
In theaters. Read the full review.
Compiled by Kellina Moore.
The post 5 New Movies Our Critics Are Talking About This Week appeared first on New York Times.
