Chappie

Writer/Director Neil Blomkamp’s Chappie was a pleasant surprise, considering my low expectations, which was the fault of the trailer that gave the impression this was a film geared for children.

 Quite the contrary, this is a good action film that provokes adult thought about the future of Artificial Intelligence and the prospect of injecting one’s consciousness into a robot.

 

Sharito Copley embodies Chappie, admirably and Yo-Landi Visser plays his “adopted mother,” wonderfully.  Hugh Jackman is a bit over-the-top as the bad guy, but is still fun to watch.

I give Chappie a 4 out of 5.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Director John Madden had the wonderful characters from the initial The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel played by the same world-class cast with the delicious additions of Richard Gere and David Strathairn…even one of the same writers, Ol Parker. 

So, what was the problem with The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel?

I can only surmise it was the exclusion of the other writer from the first film, Deborah Moggach, who, probably, added the uplifting spirit of the first film.

This effort is a downer with the focus on the young hotelier played, erratically, by Dev Patel.  Instead of endearing, as he had been, the character is annoying and, despite the Bollywood ending, leaves one feeling he will, eventually, divorce and become a Hindi Donald Trump.

 

The saving grace is that this is a multi-character film and the other stories are played against the negative spirit inflicted by the writer.  That’s what real talent can do.

I give The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel a 3 out of 5, but feel cheated out of what it should have been.

The Lazarus Effect

Though nowhere near as fascinating or as well-written as last year’s Lucy, Director David Gelb’s The Lazarus Effect does have a few interesting thoughts concerning the human brain and some scary/shocking moments. 

However, these are mostly in the middle of the film and, then, its ending violates the primary victim’s shown victory-over-self in favor of Writers Luke Dawson’s and Jeremy Slater’s FU conclusion so typical of “B” horror films.

 

The saving grace is Olivia Wilde, who gives an extremely watchable performance.  Why she gets second billing to Mark Duplass is the real horror/mystery.

I give The Lazarus Effect a 3 out of 5.

Focus

A con requires a very delicate balance to pull off.  The participating “artists” have to work together, closely. 

Unfortunately, in Focus Writers/Directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have left the audience out of the equation.  And, ultimately, that’s the film's downfall.  They didn't pay attention to their film's title.

The first big con was forgiven just as I was preparing to walk out, but the windup con was a little too smarmy to let go of.   It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

If it weren’t for the watchability of Margot Robbie, this might have been a total disaster.  As it is, I can only give it a 3 out of 5.

Hot Tub Time Machine 2

It’s wacky, it’s gross, it’s raunchy and it’s, often, funny, too.  That’s director Steve Pink’s Hot Tub Time Machine 2.

This is a film that will appeal most to those who saw and liked the original Hot Tub Time Machine.

Here, Lou (Rob Corddry), Nick (Craig Robinson) and Jacob (Clark Duke) try to go back in time to prevent Lou’s attempted assassination.  Instead, they are sent to the future, where their statuses have been flipped with Lou and Nick being wash-ups and Jacob being on top.

 

If you’re part of the fan-base, you’ll enjoy it.  And, for you, I give it a 3 out of 5.