The Equalizer - C-

Rated R, 131 minutes
Wes's Grade: C-

Denzel Washington

"The Equalizer" is a modestly entertaining but shallow, unoriginal crime drama

Denzel Washington is an Academy-Award winning actor whose trademark has been playing the anti-hero, good-bad guys who ultimately try to do the right thing. That's also the premise of Washington's derivative, vapid new crime and revenge tale "The Equalizer," and he reteams with his "Training Day" director Antoine Fuqua. There are some terrific moments, but Washington seems to be going through the motions and the story lacks originality or any subtlety. Robert McCall (Washington), a man who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him and dedicated himself to beginning a new, quiet life. But when McCall meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters, he can't stand idly by - he has to help her and is armed with hidden desire for justice and skills that allow him to serve vengeance in his own unique way. Based on the superior TV show of the same name, "The Equalizer" is a mediocre, shallow crime drama, hampered by its chauvinistic qualities (Washington literally comes into save the day for a young girl, well-played by Grace Moretz) and the fact that Washington is too old and paunchy for the role. Washington could do himself some favors with his career by playing a light romantic comedy or an indie film, neither of which he does frequently at all. Much like Johnny Depp and now Melissa McCarthy, he finds himself in the same type of film roles, though his career is in a better position than Depp and McCarthy's seems to be getting started. "The Equalizer" has some decent moments and the character is really quite good at what he does, but down the stretch it's too calculated and its strokes are painted too broadly, and decent actors like Bill Pullman and Oscar-winner Melissa Leo are wasted. With "The Equalizer," you get exactly what you expect, which is violence and a decent turn by Washington, though it could've have been considerably better with another actor and director. Go if you must, but if you've seen Washington's other films, you've seen this one too.

The Boxtrolls - B-

Rated PG, 100 minutes
Wes's Grade: B-

"The Boxtrolls" a clever, witty and dark children's fantasy

From the makers of such dark animated films as "ParaNorman" and "Coraline" comes the equally dark and charming children's fantasy "The Boxtrolls," a clever film that may be a tad too dark but still enjoyed by its target audience. The Boxtrolls is a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they've built underneath the town of Cheesebridge. When the town's villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award- winner Ben Kingsley), hatches a plot to exterminate of the Boxtrolls, Eggs ventures above ground,where he meets and teams up with the feisty Winnifred (Elle Fanning). and together they devise a daring plan to save Eggs' family. Co-directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacci and based on the British children's novel "Here Be Monsters!" by Alan Snow, "The Boxtrolls" is a dark but colorful and witty fantasy with great voice talent - Fanning and Kingsley in particular are quite good here - though it is a smidgen scarier than most films in this dark animated film genre. The stop-motion animation (which can also be viewed in 3D) is also clear and crisp, but that's unsurprising given directors Annable and Stacci's experience as animators. The adventure is quirky and message meaningful yet some of the dialogue and one-liners may not be grasped by the young set, but "The Boxtrolls" is still a suitable, engaging adventure; I wouldn't recommend it for children under 5, who may be a little frightened by the unconventional but sweet creatures.

Hector and the Search for Happiness - C

Rated R, 120 minutes
Wes's Grade: C

Simon Pegg

Hector's "Search for Happiness" is a dull, vapid one

If the search for true happiness were this boring, I'd rather be unhappy. "Hector's and the Search for Happiness" is a mildly enjoyable but unsatisfying adventure that resembles those films with people going on trips to find themselves. Hector (Simon Pegg) is a quirky psychiatrist who has become increasingly tired of his humdrum life. Hector decides to break out of his deluded and routine driven life. Armed with buckets of courage and child-like curiosity, he embarks on a global quest in hopes of uncovering the elusive secret formula for true happiness. Directed and written by Peter Chesholm and based on the novel by Francois Lelord, the unfulfilling, uneven "Hector and the Search for Happiness" is filled with quirky, fun moments and platitudes that don't often make sense with the story, not to mention it seems to be required to go off to find happiness instead of looking for it right in front of you. The always-amusing, always-entertaining Pegg from "Star Trek" and those far funnier zombie films with Nick Frost (too bad he doesn't appear here) grounds the film well, but "Hector" feels awfully similar to Ben Stiller's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," a film that flopped last winter and may happen to this. Jean Reno, Toni Collette, Stellan Skarsgard and Oscar-winner Christopher Plummer all appear in smallish roles that don't advance the film much, though Collette has one nice, touching monologue in the final act, and the lovely Rosamund Pike is given little to do as well. I enjoyed parts of the unsatisfying and empty "Hector and the Search for Happiness" and I always like seeing Pegg, but you won't be truly happy after you leave the movie.

Two Night Stand - B-

Rated R, 86 minutes
Wes's Grade: B-

"Two Night Stand" disposable but witty rom com

The charming new rom com "Two Night Stand" is an expendable as a one-night stand itself, and while it doesn't significantly advance relationships, there's some fun to be had. Twenty-something New York City strangers Alec and Megan (Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton), awake after an ill-advised one night stand to find themselves snowed in by a blizzard that's put the whole city on ice. Trapped together in a tiny Brooklyn apartment, they're forced to get to know each other far better than any anonymous bed partners should. Directed by Max Nichols and written by Mark Hammer, both of whom have had more experience as actors than behind the camera, "Two Night Stand" is a slight, calculated but amusing rom com held together by the charms of Teller, who walks off with the movie in a seeming warm-up act to his acclaimed "Whiplash" coming next month and the upcoming "Fantastic Four" film next year. Teller, a smart young actor who has that ability to both likable and smirky, is certainly on the cusp of superstardom, and roles in small, throwaway films like this only cement his talents. Tipton ("Warm Bodies") is also lovely in one of her first substantial roles, and she and Teller have a natural chemistry together that keeps the film watchable as a whole. Speaking of which, there are a couple of plot twists, particularly one coming fairly late, that are too contrived and serves only to lay out an ending you know is coming. Still, "Two Night Stand," which hits both theaters and VOD this week, is pleasant, entertaining fluff that's a serviceable entry in this oversaturated genre, only because like real one night stands, you don't want it to end, not that I would know that or anything. Though its leads are both appealing, this is Teller's show.

Tusk - D

Rated R, 102 minutes
Wes's Grade: D

Smith's original "Tusk" mostly weird and dumb

The toilet flushing sound you hear is that of Kevin Smith's film career going down quickly, after most audiences see his dark new horror comedy "Tusk." It could've had a dark edge to it, yet it's mostly just creepy and stupid in a shocking sort of "Human Centipede" way. Justin Long is a California podcaster who is targeted by a Canadian sadistic killer while attempting to land an interview with a misanthropic adventurer (Michael Parks), and then his friend co-podcaster (Haley Joel Osment) and girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez) go searching for him. Directed and written by the talented Smith, who charmed us with "Chasing Amy," "Jay and Silent Bob" and "Clerks," "Tusk" is an original but wildly uneven, exceedingly weird and rather slapdash effort that's also misleading when it says it's "based on a true story." "Tusk" actually started as a joke on Smith's podcast, and is hardly grounded in any sort of reality or solid filmmaking skill for that matter, though the first 20 minutes or so isn't too bad. Even worse, it veers off wildly when an A-list actor shows up under a load of makeup awkwardly improvising, but even his poor attempts at comic relief can't save the movie, which is gone too far by then under a tremendous amount of silly shock value. "Tusk" also uses the Fleetwood Mac song of the same name (though they will surely regret letting Smith use it), yet the film really channels the Beatles song "I Am the Walrus," which is about as much of the plot I care to give away. Even more provocative than the plot, you may find yourself asking such questions as "is that really the guy from 'Pirates of the Caribbean'?" (yes, just listen to the voice) or "is that really the kid from 'Sixth Sense'" (whose pudgy character is obviously modeled after Smith himself); I also really felt sorry for poor Justin Long, whose getup looks as unpleasant and ill-fitting as the movie itself. If you're a big Smith fan and enjoy weird stuff like this, go for it, but otherwise I'd skip the disturbingly awful "Tusk."

My Old Lady - B

Rated PG-13, 107 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Kevin Kline and Maggie Smith

Kline and Smith a fun pairing in the predictable but charming "My Old Lady"

Generally there are a few things that work effectively in most films, and they are kids, old people and animals. The calculated but pleasant new comedy "My Old Lady" doesn't have any animals or kids, but it does have Oscar-winners Maggie Smith and Kevin Kline, and for some that may be enough. Mathias Gold (Kline) is a down-on-his-luck New Yorker who inherits a Parisian apartment from his estranged father. But when he arrives in France to sell the vast domicile, he's shocked to discover an elderly live-in tenant (Smith) and her daughter (Kristin Scott Thomas) who, under the complex French real estate system, can collect rental payments from Mathias until she dies. Directed and written by Israel Horovitz as a semi-love letter to Paris, "My Old Lady" is a charming film, made better by the vastly likable Kline and Smith, though this will no doubt will appeal most to the over 60-set. There are a handful of contrivances and plot twists that are obvious from the first moments of the film, but are made better by the warm tit-for-tat chemistry (the highlights are their conversations over meals) of the leads, as well as Scott Thomas, always a lovely presence in any film she appears in, especially when she begins speaking French. Kline typically plays these types of semi-loser/down-on-your-luck type of guys, and he seems so accustomed to it the effort seems minimal at times, yet he seems to effortlessly have it down pat. "My Old Lady" shouldn't be confused with "My Fair Lady" - it's not a classic musical film - but it's just as likable as that film, and featuring two skilled actors who make its unoriginal material better. Mostly satisfying, it's not the best for those involved but a pleasant experience all the same.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby - B

Rated R, 122 minutes
Wes's Grade: B

Well-acted "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby" a compelling look at relationships

The new drama "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby" is an insightful relationship study highlighted by strong performances throughout. Unique in it's vision, it's talky and somewhat downbeat, but then it shows that none of us are perfect. Once happily married, Conor (James McAvoy) and Eleanor (Jessica Chastain) suddenly find themselves as strangers longing to understand each other in the wake of tragedy. The film explores the couple's story as they try to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone. Directed by Ned Benson in his debut as feature film director, "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby" explores truth and painful honesty in marriage and family, even when it hurts. Both McAvoy and Chastain in particular are strong, with their emotions felt throughout the film; Chastain is particularly effective in one of her more fully realized performances as the woman who happens to share a name with the famous Beatles song (yes, that's explained in the film). "Eleanor Rigby" also features a strong supporting cast, including William Hurt and Isabelle Huppert as Elle's parents; Viola Davis as one of her college instructors; Bill Hader, Ciaran Hinds and Archie Panjabi all in small but effective roles. "Eleanor Rigby" is superbly acted and the emotion is palpable and overall a satisfying effort, though it drags in the middle act and some might find it a challenge seeing two difficult people work through such tragic circumstances. Interestingly, "Eleanor Rigby" is part of a three film effort from Benson; one called "Him" which explores the situation from Conor's perspective and "Her" from Eleanor's perspective, and "Eleanor Rigby" seems much more an extension of the latter film. Worth a look for another solid Chastain performance.