July DVDs: Marigold Hotel(2), DUFF, ExMachina
Posted on July 2, 2015 by bob in DVD
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (PG) 
In 2011, the first film arrived as a lovely dramedy about a handful of elderly Brits finding a surprising second go-round in the dilapidated remnants of a once-elegant Indian hotel, run by a charmingly earnest young fellow (Dev Patel). Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Celia Imrie headed the stellar cast of seniors whose final fling wound up opening new doors. This one continues their journeys with Patel about to marry, and hoping to expand to a second property with outside financing, and Smith’s guidance. That adds David Strathairn as the potential backer and Richard Gere, who may or may not be visiting the property as his covert agent.
As sequels go, this one carries the banner fairly well, with less drop-off than most. Director John Madden and writer Ol Parker return for these further adventures of their original cast. Smith’s tart one-liners are among the highlights. She certainly delivers most of the film’s biggest laughs. Other subplots swirl among the residents, along with Patel’s personal and career crises. Again, India provides a wonderful backdrop of sights and sounds for this deep and gifted cast. Older viewers will be particularly delighted by the chance to see these veterans thrive in roles that defy their ages, without tilting too far into fantasy. No over-the-hill action heroes making one too many trips to the well; just relatable people trying to make the best of whatever time they have left. And that’s a good idea at any age.
The DUFF (PG-13)
The series of caps is not a typo. The title is an acronym for Designated Ugly Fat Friend —supposedly the member of a group that is less attractive, and therefore more approachable, than his/her higher-on-the-social-pecking-order friends. The term has supposedly been around for a while. This teen comedy is adapted from a novel about a girl who discovered she’s been one. Bianca always knew her two lifelong friends Jess and Casey (Mae Whitman, Skyler Samuels, Bianca A. Santos, respectively) were much hotter, but the shock of learning that their troika exemplified a cultural cliche was unbearable. Many changes ensue…as they must before the essential round of VALUABLE LESSONS and assorted healings can relieve the cast and audience from their assorted plights.
Such films can provide useful tools in developing a viable sense of self for adulthood. Each generation probably learns best from seeing its angst handled by its own peers via the likes of The Breakfast Club,Clueless, Heathers, Mean Girls, Juno, etc. Screenwriters — many of whom probably weren’t very popular in high school — purge their demons by penning comedies about how false and ephemeral that oppressive caste system really was, thereby empowering, or at least comforting, those who feel anywhere from invisible to under-appreciated to bullied. The genre thrives on the idea of “it gets better,” which ideally will deliver a reality check for the cool kids, and a lifeline for the rest. In that regard, the emotional benefits from such films can exceed their entertainment value.
This one’s less funny than most of its ancestors. But if it helps a bunch of our current tweens and teens cope with their brand of growing pains, it will have done its job. If you’re older, you’ve probably seen better. The deservedly ubiquitous Allison Janney delivers the film’s funniest moment in the early going. The rest of the laughs are on the sparse and mild side.
Ex Machina (R)
OK, computer and conspiracy folk, here’s another glimpse into a potential scary future once our machines become upgraded to self-awareness. We see none of the Terminator-style mayhem here; just a quiet little peek at whether our species will create its own extinction from unintended consequences of inherent inventiveness and curiosity. Domnall Gleeson is a mid-level programmer for a super-genius Oscar Isaac’s cutting-edge tech empire. Winning an in-house lottery gets him an unprecedented invitation to his boss’ isolated, impregnable home. Once there, he learns he’s there to field-test whether the wizard’s new and gorgeous robot “Ava” (Alicia Vikander) is truly sentient, or just masterfully programmed to mimic human thought and behavior more thoroughly than all earlier attempts at Artificial Intelligence.
The tone is one of creepy suspense, as no one can be sure about what’s actually going on. Is Isaac a visionary hero or a psycho? Which character is, or should be, a threat to whom? Compared to Her, in which lonely nerd Joaquin Phoenix found cyberpal Scarlett Johansson’s disembodied persona vastly preferable to the company of flesh-and-blood alternatives, this one’s quite Hitchcockian. The honcho’s home is an ultramodern cross between fortress and laboratory in a sylvan setting. Time and space seem to flirt with reality, rather than follow it, dangling far more possibilities between lines of dialog than revealed within them, making the experience as disorienting for the viewers as for the guest of honor. The plot choices vary from predictable to baffling, adding to the intended sense of Gleeson’s visiting a futuristic version of Lewis Carroll’s rabbit hole.
The film shows how fuel for fears about our looming, self-inflicted obsolescence can come in all shapes, sizes and tones. Remember, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean the geeks and their machines aren’t really out to get you.
Mark Glass
Mark Glass is an officer and director of the St. Louis Film Critics Association.
