The Lazarus Effect - D

Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde

Rated PG-13, 83 minutes
Wes's Grade: D

Uninspired horror film "The Lazarus Effect" has little life in it

The silly new low-budget horror flick "The Lazarus Effect" is dead on arrival, and there's very little to bring it back to life. It does have an admittedly intriguing idea - of bringing things back to life - but it's so dull and uninspired there really isn't much to it. A team of ambitious medical professionals have found a way to bring dead patients back to life using a serum code-named "Lazarus". After several successful tests are done on animals, Zoe (Olivia Wilde), one of the lead researchers, dies in a lab accident. In desperation, the rest of the team, including her fiance (Mark Duplass), uses "Lazarus" to bring her back to life and they're successful. When she begins to display "unusual" abilities, the team realizes that their attempt to resurrect the dead may have opened the door to evil. Directed by David Gelb and co-written by Luke Dawson and Jeremy Slater, "The Lazarus Effect" is a stunningly boring, banal horror film that has very little going for it, though I liked its premise and in particular, its lead actress, the lovely Wilde, who is wasted here (and plus, she truly isn't evil enough, without giving too much of the plot away) along with the usually good Duplass, who is seen to better effect (no pun intended) on his HBO series "Togetherness." Plus, much of it is just plain dumb, without many genuine scares or creepiness, though I did find the resurrected dog watching Wilde sleep a tad chilling, but it's only for a few seconds of screen time. The dumb finale does have some energy to it, though it takes a long, long time to get there, and the minimal special effects seem to show up the movie's small budget. Some horror film enthusiasts might like "The Lazarus Effect," but for the rest of us, it's just best to skip.

Chappie - C-

Rated R, 114 minutes
Wes's Grade: C-

Sci-fi flick "Chappie" has some nice visuals, but is mostly a clunker

Science-fiction filmmaker Neil Blomkamp remains one of cinema's brightest new stars, particularly after his first two compelling films, "District 9" and "Elysium," but every filmmaker has misfires, and the new sci-fi drama "Chappie," about an experimental robot, is certainly going to be one of Blomkamp's lesser efforts. In spite of the solid visuals, the story and characters are far less memorable. In the near future, crime is patrolled by an oppressive mechanized police force. But now, the people are fighting back. When one police droid, Chappie (Charlto Copley), is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself. As powerful, destructive forces start to see Chappie as a danger to mankind and order, they will stop at nothing to maintain the status quo and ensure that Chappie is the last of his kind. Directed and written by Blomkamp, the mildly entertaining but incoherent "Chappie" is mostly a clunker, despite an original concept and some intriguing special effects. Unfortunately, Blomkamp is mostly to blame here too, with a sledgehammer approach that is hardly subtle; the characters are strictly one-dimensional and painted in such broad strokes, that it's hard to believe this is the same director of the thought-provoking "District 9," which is one of the best science-fiction films of the past few years. It's unfortunate that "Chappie" wastes such a talented cast too, including Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman (sporting one of the worst mullets of recent memory) and Sigourney Weaver, as well as Blomkamp's muse of sorts, Copley, whose previous collaborations with the director are far more memorable than "Chappie." The film is most unfocused in a much slower second act, when it takes considerable time to get the robot up and going again, and the film becomes an uneasy mix of cutesy and bloody. The nifty special effects, which are Blomkamp's trademark, have been done on a modest scale here, and the production values overall are great, and while "Chappie" has a few good moments, the sum of its parts don't quite add up. Hopefully this won't affect Blomkamp too much, who has been charged with the daunting job of rebooting the "Alien" franchise (a deal obviously made before this was seen), and he is certainly an intriguing choice for that job. There have been many great films made about robots, though "Chappie" isn't one of them. Rent Blompkamp's debut, "District 9," for a much better experience.

Unfinished Business - D

Rated R, 90 minutes
Wes's Grade: D

Flat and unfocused "Unfinished Business" is one of Vaughn's worst comedies

As much as I hate to say it, Vince Vaughn's last truly great comedy was nearly 10 years ago in "Wedding Crashers." Some of you may disagree with that assessment, but I'm afraid it's true. Vaughn is certainly charming (though annoyingly chatty) but his unfocused, unfunny new comedy "Unfinished Business" has to rank as a low point for the comic actor in spite of the actor's charms. Hard-working small business owner Dan Trunkman (Vince Vaughn) and his two associates Tim and Mike (Tom Wilkinson, Dave Franco) travel to Europe to close the most important deal of their lives. But what began as a routine business trip goes off the rails in every imaginable - and unimaginable - way, including unplanned stops at a massive sex fetish event and a global economic summit. Directed by Ken Scott (who directed the Vaughn vehicle "Delivery Man") and written by Steven Conrad, the flat "Unfinished Business" is an incoherent mess, though it isn't all Vaughn's fault, given that it's simply a poorly directed and badly written film with long stretches where little, including any funny moments, happen, except to have Vaughn yak on about one thing or another. It wastes a terrific, acclaimed actor in Wilkinson, who must've needed the money, and likable one in Franco, who's character is the most baffling and unfortunate (and despite how the script treats it - having a last name of pancake is actually kinda cool): is he special needs or not, because he really doesn't act like it. The mid-section of the film, where the trip traipses across the globe, is most unfortunate, and a scene in a German bathroom with some male private parts is just gross and weird; as well, unnecessary sections with Dan's family involving a bullying subplot, in which Dan must stop and talk to them via face time, tends to make the action come to a grinding halt. You could say that "Unfinished Business" is a an unfinished, unpolished and unoriginal film, and it mostly feels like "Horrible Bosses" set on the road, except these dumb guys are just their own worst boss. This mess of a film seems to be a cry by Vaughn for career guidance (Johnny Depp needs some too), and maybe his turn in the upcoming season of TV's "True Detective" will give him some much-needed resurgence, and we look forward to seeing what that does. As for "Unfinished Business," it's one to skip.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - B-

Judi Dench and Bill Nighy

Rated PG, 122 minutes
Wes's Grade: B-

Unsurprising "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" delivers more warm charm of the first film

When a sleeper hit like the 2012 dramedy "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" comes along, it's hard to duplicate its success, but its enjoyable, sweet sequel, "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," while providing little variation of the first film, certainly does try, and the calculated appeal of the story is only held together by the charms of its talented cast. The story tells of the expansionist dream of Sonny (the always energetic Dev Patel), and it's making more claims on his time than he has available, considering his imminent marriage to fiance, Sunaina (Tina Desai). His hotel has only a single remaining vacancy - posing a rooming predicament for fresh arrivals Guy (Richard Gere) and Lavinia (Tamsin Greig). Evelyn and Douglas (Judi Dench and Bill Nighy) have now joined the Jaipur workforce, while Norman and Carol (Ronald Pickup and Diana Hardcastle) are negotiating the tricky waters of an exclusive relationship, as Madge (Celia Imrie) juggles some interested suitors. Perhaps the only one who may know the answers (and everyone's secrets) is the new co-manager of the hotel, Muriel (Maggie Smith). Directed by "Shakespeare in Love's" John Madden, written by Ol Parker and handsomely scored by Thomas Newman, all of whom delivered the first film to international success, the warm "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" is more of the same as the first film, yet a fun continuation of the adventures of the senior set, and on that note, this is likely to skewer to the older folks, which is none too surprising. The charming film is held together by its large, gifted cast, particularly Oscar-winners and veterans Dench and Smith, who fortunately share a few more warm scenes this time out, but much like the first film, "Second Best" uses their talents in a divide-and-conquer type of attitude, keeping them separated most of the movie; Dench is as lovely as ever with her golden white hair, while the always fun and usually cranky Smith in particular is quite the tart here, stealing scenes with some of the movie's best lines ("just because I'm looking at you doesn't mean I'm actually interested in what you're saying," she tells one character). Patel is charming but also a little too hyper (dude, please, chill), and Gere a good addition to the proceedings, but even with that, the modestly enjoyable but unoriginal "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" isn't much other than a slightly overlong and predictable geriatric soap opera about surviving in India, and if you're interested in that sort of thing (and enjoyed the first film), then you'll have a good time here. My only hope is that there isn't a "Third Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," or they find a better name for a sequel, and the hotel.

Maps to the Stars - B

Rated R, 112 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Robert Pattinson

"Maps to the Stars" a hypnotic, disturbing look at the dark side of Hollywood

Acclaimed director David Cronenberg started his Hollywood career as a horror film director, with some memorable films such as "Scanners," "Videodrome" and "The Fly," though recently he's been mining the dark dramas, including his hypnotic, well-acted new behind-the-scenes drama "Maps to the Stars," which looks at the horrors of show business and Hollywood. Stafford Weiss (John Cusack) is a famed Hollywood TV self-help therapist with an A-list celebrity clientele. Meanwhile, his wife (who is also his sister) Cristina Weiss (Olivia Williams) manages the career of their disaffected child-star son, Benjie ("The Killing'" Evan Bird), a fresh graduate of rehab at age 13. Unknown to them, the estranged member of the Weiss family is back in town, the mysteriously scarred and tormented Agatha ("Stoker's" Mia Wasikowska), fresh out of a stint in a psych ward. She befriends a limo driver (Robert Pattinson) and becomes personal assistant to unraveling actress Havana Segrand (Oscar-winner Julianne Moore), who is beset by the ghost of her legendary mother, Clarice (Sarah Gadon). But Agatha is on a quest for redemption - and even in this realm of the artificial, and the unearthly, she's determined to find it, no matter what it takes. Directed by Cronenberg and written by Bruce Wagner, the disturbing new Hollywood drama "Maps to the Stars" is a pretty savage, downbeat portrait of show business, and while often difficult to watch, you also won't be able to turn away.  It's those of those slow-moving "Crash"-like thread of intersecting stories, peppered with some shocking Cronenberg moments, particularly its depressing climax, which has a couple of strangely watchable moments (my favorite involving a very bloody moment involving Wasikowksa and Moore's characters that I won't spoil here), and one of the most enjoyable things about it is that Carrie Fisher, who cameos here as herself, is responsible for some of the darker moments. Of the large cast, Moore is the most memorable as the blowsy, washed-up actress haunted by her famous but mean actress mother, and Bird, as the star kid who'll put any of the Corey's to shame with all his problems. The ghosts popping in and out gave it a disjointed feel - yes, we get the point - they're haunted by their problems - and there are too many extraneous characters with little to do (Cusack and Pattinson among them, along with a host of minor characters tagging alongside Bird's character), not to mention there's not a single sympathetic character in the bunch, though maybe that's the whole point. "Maps to the Stars" is weird, depressing and disturbing, something that Cronenberg is an expert at, and while it's not for everyone, it's certainly worth a look for a different view of Hollywood.

Focus - B

Rated R, 105 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Crowd-pleasing, slick heist movie "Focus" isn't perfect, but brings Smith back to form and gives us more of Robbie

"Focus" is an enjoyable romantic heist film that much like its lead character played by Will Smith, is so slick, charming and entertaining, you quickly find yourself under their spell without fully realizing you've been had. It also returns Smith to some of the crowd-pleasing movies he made in the 2000s, and shows us more of a wonderful, breakout leading lady who's bound for Smith-like superstardom. Nicky Spurgeon (Smith) is a seasoned con-man who has a quick fling with the attractive Jess (Margot Robbie); and introducing her to the tricks of his con man trade. Three years later, they find each other in Buenos Aires on the opposing side of the same scam: a billionaire international race car owner (Rodrigo Santoro). In the midst of Nicky's latest, most dangerous scheme, she throws his plans for a loop...and the consummate con man off his game. "Focus" is co-directed and written by the filmmaking team of John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, who made such movies as "Crazy, Stupid Love" and "I Love You Phillip Morris" is a glossy, entertaining con movie that's a great deal of fun in the right moment, though it's not as smart or original as it thinks it is, mainly because it's inherently sexist and is often so improbable it'll make you laugh (such as the over-the-top football betting sequence mid-film). The chief highlight is the sexy Smith-Robbie chemistry; Smith, who can be a great actor when he's not so self-aware and smart-alecky, is solid and even restrained in a typical role for him, though its Robbie who steals the movie (so memorable as Leonardo DiCaprio's wife in "The Wolf of Wall Street"), a flawless, confident Australian beauty the camera clearly loves and who brings some much-needed humanity to the proceedings as his watch-loving protege. This is a breakout role clearly designed to further her stardom (she has shadings of a young Angelina Jolie), even if her "Focus" character could've been more coy and sly and even stronger; also memorable are two character actors, Gerald McRaney, and the portly Mexican actor Adrian Rodriguez, both of whom get some of the better lines as two of Nicky's more colorful colleagues. The sharper first half, when Smith teaches Robbie some of the tricks of the trade, is far more memorable than the slightly unfocused (sorry I couldn't resist) Buenos Aires half, including a silly, twisty climax that seems pulled out of the hat at the last minute. The crowd-pleasing yet highly calculated "Focus" is sort of Will Smith's comeback movie, but it really proves this may be the year of Margot Robbie, a name you should get used to hearing a lot in 2015.

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 - D-

Rated R, 93 minutes
Wes's Grade: D-

Pointless, excessively dumb "Hot Tub Time Machine 2" lacks the charms of the original

Well maybe the first one was a fluke. The 2010 hit comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine" was loose, crude and nonsensical fun, the pointless, excessively dumb "Hot Tub Time Machine 2" has nowhere to go, and it's missing John Cusack, who was wise enough to steer clear of this mess. 10 years after the first movie, Nick (Craig Robinson) and Lou (Rob Corddry) have enriched themselves financially - Nick by ripping off music, and Lou ripping off technology. When he is shot at a party, Nick and Jacob (Clark Duke) use the time traveling hot tub to try to get back to the past to learn who shot him and undo the damage, but they inadvertently end up ten years in the future, coming across Adam Jr. (Adam Scott) and doing more harm than good. Delivered by the team that brought the first "Hot Tub" to life, director Steve Pink and writer Josh Heald can't capitalize on the charms on the first one, and it runs out of steam and any novel ideas very early on, and you realize if you've seen the trailers for the movie, then you've pretty much seen the best parts of the movie. Robinson has the only mildly funny scene to open the movie, a cover of Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)" followed by a cameo from Loeb herself; the "The Nerd Song" the guys sing to Duke's character is ingratiating as well, though its tag line could essentially be an anthem for the film itself: "and no one loves you, and no one loves you." "Hot Tub 2" so terribly written and full of so many dumb, confusing plot holes I just couldn't buy into it, not to mention it wastes the talents of many, including "Parks and Recreation's" Scott, who looks so woeful in that manskirt, intended to be a sight gag until he wears it most of the movie. Really unfortunate is that a charming actor like Robinson could be stuck in this dreck, though hardly surprising for the vastly overrated Duke (I've always termed him the 'other Josh Gad') or Corddry (who's better on his Emmy-winning TV comedy series "Children's Hospital"), both of whom are so grating it makes the film just hard to watch. The awful and awfully dumb "Hot Tub Time Machine 2" is a forgettable waste of time yet it inexplicably leaves it open to another sequel, but it does answer one question, at least you know what Christian Slater is up to, he appears in the film's unfunniest, cringe-worthy segment. Not worth it, rent the original instead.