How to Make a Killing

Courtesy of Studiocanal

Though loosely based on the Ealing Comedy, Kind Hearts and Coronets, there are far too many similarities. Modernised and characters updated, some slightly changed to fit the times, it still feels very much like a copy. Very much in the vein of the Coen brothers version of The Ladykillers, but the less said about this film the better. How to Make a Killing however, tries to be it’s own story and film, but not relying on comedy as the key, which is a shame as this could have been the darkest of comedies if it had really leaned into it. Unfortunately, writer-director John Patton Ford decided to emphasise the drama and the tragedy, which, along with missing a prime opportunity to offer a different ending, is the film’s downfall.

After his mother was disowned by her own family, the insanely wealthy Redfellows, Becket decides to reclaim his inheritance by killing off his relatives, one by one.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

The Five Devils

 

Vicky has an extraordinary sense of smell. She has the ability to recreate the scents of others, sometimes with devastating consequences, particularly when her aunt Julia comes to visit having been gone for many years. The reappearance of Julia disrupts her family’s already fragile dynamic, stirring up past tragedies as well as happier times. Each time Vicky descends into the past lives of her parents and Julia, without realising the lifelong pain she causes, she has to decide whether she uses her powers for good or to get what she wants.

Full review in the latest issue of Film Stories HERE.

Death of a Ladies' Man

 

Looking back at your life and realising all the mistakes you’ve made, the people you’ve hurt and thinking about the way things could have been is often seen in cinema as a way to start the end of a journey. Samuel O’Shea’s (played by Gabriel Byrne) journey is coming to an end and instead of embracing changes and excepting the inevitable, he tries to ignore his fate and finds ways to numb the pain. With a charismatic actor such Byrne at the helm of the story, there is a shining light but it is just flicker as the film is over crowded with notions of regret and nostalgia that ultimately brings this story to a depressing low point throughout.

Full review over at Filmhound HERE.

Devi

 

The Goddness Kali has been seen as that of a destructor, a master of death but she is also the mother of all beings who protects and nurturers her children. Once described as dark and terrible mother and worshiped by questionable people in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But this story is no gimmicky action blockbuster, this is a strange and at times soulful look at a what happens when irrational beliefs take over and destroy a family.

Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.

Babyteeth

  

Babyteeth doesn’t quite sit above all the others that have come before it in terms of story but it does make your heart break despite knowing what will ultimately happen. The central performances are what makes this particular dying teenager more than just another title to the pile.

My full review can be read over at Filmhounds HERE.

Ema - BFI London Film Festival

Slightly different this time as instead of a review, this is for an interview I had with Mariana Di Girolamo who plays Ema. A hell of a character with a style (which we mention quite a bit) that stands out from the crowd and a personality to match.

A vibrant, sexual rampage with dance sequences to match the energy but with a tragic and heartbreaking story at the core and Ema herself as the conductor for this performance. I was lucky to speack to Di Girolamo about the film, Pablo and Ema, which you can read over at Vulturehound HERE.