The 5th Wave PG-13
Adapted from Rick Yancey’s YA trilogy, this post-apocalyptic actioner features efforts by 16-year-old Cassie (Chloë Grace Moretz) to find her little brother. After taking out Earth’s power grid, causing massive tsunamis and spreading a deadly virus, the extraterrestrials assume human form. Cassie is rescued from certain death by Evan, a teen who only appears to be human. Given his romantic feelings for Cassie, Evan joins her and other teens in the fight to take back the planet. Unfavorable reviews cite a derivative storyline and a vanilla heroine that manages to make even feisty Moretz seem dull.
The Boy PG-13
Known for playing “The Walking Dead’s” Maggie, Lauren Cohan portrays an American nanny, Greta. Hired by wealthy Brits to care for their 8-year-old son while they take an extended vacation, Greta arrives to find the couple showering affection on a lifelike porcelain doll. Greta is supplied with a list of rules, such as “never leave the boy alone.” Thinking the pair bonkers, Greta initially ignores the doll, until she discovers the toy boy seems to have a mind of its own. Based upon its unintentionally comic trailer, the scariest thing about The Boy is likely to be a laughably short theatrical run.
Dirty Grandpa R
Jason (Zac Efron) is an ambitious young attorney whose future is assured once he weds the senior partner’s ultra-controlling daughter. Feeling sorry for his widowed grandpa (Robert De Niro), Jason agrees to chauffeur him to Florida and look for a nice senior community. Instead, Gramps steers Jason to Daytona Spring Break where he expects his grandson to join him in bikini chasing at a never-ending party. De Niro is a natural choice to play kooky seniors, but the thought of Efron as an uptight lawyer is enough to give anyone a headache.
