Arts & Life

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Written by: Tim Riley

Published: 15 March 2026

“CRIME 101” Rated R
   
The title “Crime 101” sounds like a criminology course at a community college, to be followed by “Investigations 101,” “Forensics 101,” and so forth. 

But college courses don’t add up as the basis for a film, at least not this one.
   
The “101” in the film’s title is a reference to a major freeway that runs through Los Angeles, and for some reason not fully explained, it turns out to be the most advantageous nexus to a criminal playground for master jewel thief Mike Davis (Chris Hemsworth). 
   
Depending on traffic conditions, which can be horrible in the City of Angels, getting on or off the 101 Freeway can be challenging, but apparently in this world of criminal mischief this stretch of asphalt allows for tidy escapes from authorities.

   

No need to ponder much about the logistics of highway robbery, “Crime 101” is all about targeting the wealthy for jewel heists orchestrated by a gentleman thief. Mike eschews violence and is courteous enough to return cellphones to victims momentarily detained during a robbery.
   
Mike’s modus operandi is one of careful planning and precision with consistent execution. His demeanor is neither angry nor aggressive. Thwarting the best efforts of the police, he does not leave behind palpable evidence. 
   
Meanwhile, rumpled veteran LAPD detective Lou Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) has developed a theory about the 101 Freeway robber that detects a pattern. That matters to him because his partner is cynical and his superiors are more interested in hasty case closures than the grind of police work.
   
The highway thief has in mind that this will be his last job, which happens all too often in crime thrillers. This reminds me of Robert De Niro in “The Score” telling his dubious girlfriend Angela Bassett that he wants to settle down and forego more thefts.
   
An elderly crime boss (Nick Nolte), going by the street moniker Money, has other ideas about Mike’s future, which are not all welcoming. While Nolte remains active for his age, it was interesting to see him in this role, with his raspy voice more pronounced than ever, and still, he pulls it off nicely.
   
Not exactly loyal, Money doesn’t have a problem with creating obstacles for Mike by employing dirt-bike riding, bleached-blonde psycho Ormon (Barry Keoghan) as a cutthroat free-agent competitor to clinch a heist the underworld boss orchestrated.
   
What makes Mike more compelling is that he functions with a personal code to which he adheres as best as possible under trying circumstances. With other shady types in the mix, Ormon is not alone in forsaking the notion of honor among thieves.
   
One twist in the story is how one night Mike’s car is rear-ended by Maya (Monica Barbaro) and a tentative romance follows, which is complicated by Mike’s reticence to reveal anything about his past. This interlude adds little else to delve a bit more into Mike’s character.
   
On the other hand, while there is no romantic link, Mike crosses paths with Sharon Coombs (Halle Berry), an insurance broker investigating the jewelry heist as her company is on the hook for $3 million absent a recovery.
   
At her age of maturity, Sharon finds her loyalty to the company does not result in a deserved promotion to partner. The male-dominated Board of Directors is only interested in Sharon’s ability or not to land an obnoxious billionaire client.
   
The corporate culture does not favor middle-aged women, even though Sharon is still gorgeous. But along comes a younger, hotter broker who upstages Sharon to close the deal with a wealthy client. Sharon’s gaze starts to look elsewhere for a career choice.   
   
Caution is how Mike approaches any job, and he’s not going to court disaster by taking on a jewelry store robbery in Santa Barbara he deems too dicey. That doesn’t stop Money from giving the task to the unhinged Ormon, who proceeds to create chaos with a violent rampage.
   
As is customary in a heist caper, there’s always one big robbery leading to inevitable twists and turns. Fitting for how there is more focus on personality than action, this thriller adroitly avoids for the most part the usual action tropes of a crime story.
   
“Crime 101” holds our interest for more than just the compelling escapades of the crooks. Above all, it’s tuned to a character study of motivations behind the disparate players and how they come to intersect in ways not easily predictable.
   
The audience becomes invested in the cat-and-mouse games played by the honest cop grappling with uncaring bosses and separation from his wife; the cool, confident insurance broker at odds with sexist colleagues; and the master criminal uncomfortable with the violence in his world. 
   
Given that “Crime 101” has been distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, it would be reasonable to expect that someday it will end up on Amazon’s Prime Video, which means seeing the film in a theater is not the only option, even if it is the better one.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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Written by: Lake County News Reports

Published: 13 March 2026

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — A new exhibition opening at the Middletown Art Center, or MAC, invites the public to the opening reception of “Water” on Saturday, March 14, from 6 to 8 p.m.

This 63rd MAC exhibit will be on view through June 7, Thursday through Monday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by appointment, and is free to the public.

Water is life. Vital to all organisms, its quality and availability have environmental, social, and economic impacts. It is among the defining global challenges of our time, as climate shifts, and drought, scarcity, the impacts of war, pollution, and overuse raise urgent questions of health, safety, sustainability and survival. Elemental, water in its many forms is also symbolic and poetic. 

The exhibition features artwork by new and returning artists in a variety of media, reflecting on water and our relationship to this essential shared resource. 

Come to the opening this Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. Can’t make it? Visit the MAC gallery Thursday to Monday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

EcoArts of Lake County dba Middletown Art Center is dedicated to engaging the public in art making, art education, and art appreciation. 

Through exhibitions, performances, workshops, and community events, the Middletown Art Center provides a platform for diverse voices and perspectives, creating an inclusive and accessible space for all.

The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in Middletown. 

To find out more about programs, events, and a variety of arts and culture engagement opportunities, as well as ways to support the MAC’s purpose to weave the arts and culture into the fabric of life in Lake County, visit middletownartcenter.org or call 707-809-8118.

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Written by: Tim Riley

Published: 07 March 2026

‘HOW TO MAKE A KILLING’ Rated R
   
The tag line on the poster for “How to Make a Killing” reads “$28 billion inheritance. Seven relatives standing in the way.” What can this movie be other than a crime story of avarice and despair?
   
An answer to the question arrives when the film opens with Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell), a death row inmate, waiting for an execution that is only four hours away, and a priest (Sean C. Michael) visits to hear his final confession.

   

The black comedy aspect of this story is partly that Becket seems rather blasé about his impending doom. Being rather annoyed that the dessert of his last meal is a cheesecake missing the flavor he requested suggests Becket is fatalistic in his last moments.
   
Flashbacks ensue when it is revealed that Becket’s unwed teenage mother was rejected by her wealthy family when she resisted their entreaties to have an abortion. Instead, she’s denied staying in the lap of luxury and ends up living in a low-rent area of New Jersey, struggling as a single mom.
   
Years later she dies, leaving a young Becket an orphan who is also not accepted by his ultra-rich family. Working in the retail business for a clothing store as a young adult, Becket starts thinking about what his life could have been if not abandoned by relatives.
   
During his childhood, Becket’s mother (Nell Williams) grappled with a modest lifestyle but nevertheless surrounded her son with trappings of an upper-class upbringing with archery and piano lessons, all the while filling his head with how he deserves a share of the family’s billions. 
   
Studying the family tree, he sees cousins and uncles that are in the way of a legacy that goes all the way to the patriarch of the Redfellow clan, his grandfather Whitelaw (Ed Harris) that he’s never met.
   
Even after he no longer works at the upscale Manhattan men’s shop, his ambition takes him to Wall Street, where he learns the ropes in the world of high finance, and that’s because his Uncle Warren (Bill Camp), the only decent Redfellow, lends a hand.
   
Catching on quickly to the ways of the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, Becket might do quite well on his own, but then his old childhood friend Julia (Margaret Qualley) comes back into his life.
   
Julia is engaged to be married, but she dangles the idea in front of Becket that he should come calling once he’s inherited the Redfellow fortune. Bordering on the psychotic appears to be an operating principle for avaricious Julia. Her smile alone is a dead giveaway of her intentions.
   
While his kind uncle is not a desirable target, Becket finds it easier to look at his cousins that are hardly sympathetic figures. First on the list is the obnoxious playboy Taylor (Raff Law), an excellent swimmer who supposedly drowns accidentally off his yacht at sea.
   
The pretentious artist Noah (Zach Woods) thinks his avant-garde work will put him in a class of renowned painters. More odious is slimy megachurch leader Steven (Topher Grace), whose violent temper is a sign of a man lacking grace.
   
A pair of FBI agents keeps showing up at times with suspicion that Becket is somehow involved, but never with any evidence that could hold up, and Becket manages to keep any emotions in check.
   
Astute cinephiles, the kind of film buffs who watch Turner Classic Movies, will likely reference the 1949 British black comedy crime film “Kind Hearts and Coronets” as inspiration for this contemporary work by writer and director John Patton Ford.
   
Dennis Price played the role of Louis Mazzini, the son of a woman disowned by her aristocratic family for marrying beneath her social class. After her death, a vengeful Louis decides to murder the eight people ahead of him in the line of succession. 
   
In a display of versatile capability, noted actor Alec Guiness, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, played eight members of the D’Ascoyne family. Other twists in the crime spree inform this reimagining of this classic film.
   
The enjoyment of “How to Make a Killing” may depend on how much one appreciates the role Glen Powell plays. It’s interesting to note that Powell was previously a fake assassin in “Hit Man,” and here he’s fully committed to being a serial killer, for the most part.
   
Aside from Powell, the next most compelling character is Margaret Qualley’s Julia, a femme fatale who’s a real snake. On the other hand, the other woman in Becket’s life is Ruth (Jessica Henwick), who is kind and shows no interest in the family fortune.
   
As much as “How to Make a Killing” wants to be dark satire about wealth and privilege, it’s also a cautionary tale of what you wish for, and how failing to have a moral compass is no way to live.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.