Money Monster - 2 1/2 smiles

"Money Monster," directed by Jodie Foster, wants to be a meaningful message movie and a taut thriller. While Foster succeeds in building the tension with the action in the TV studio, once everyone leaves the studio, she is less successful with the action and the message, piling coincidence upon contrivance. The script wants to emphasize the corrupt nature of Wall Street, but ends up illustrating the greed of one individual. Lee Gates (George Clooney) is host of a reality money show where he is more carnival barker than financial adviser and Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) is his weary director. With the cameras rolling, Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) walks onto the set with a gun and forces Gates to don an explosive vest. It seems Budwell has lost his entire savings with an investment advised by Gates. "Money Monster" wants to be a smart thriller but it's undone by a script that, despite a stellar cast, resorts to hard to swallow contrivances and implausible actions by some characters.

Criminal - 2 smiles

As long as you're willing to check your brain at the door, this action-thriller starring Kevin Costner is pretty good. "Criminal" opens as London-based CIA operative Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) is killed before he can reveal where he as hidden an important asset. CIA head honcho, Quaker Wells (Gary Oldman), approves an experimental medical procedure in which the dead man's memories will be implanted in the brain of hardened convict Jericho Stewart (Costner). Of course, things don't go as planned. Costner, in full bad-ass mode, makes this crackpot premise work, assisted by Tommy Lee Jones as the pioneering surgeon, who's concerned only with the patient's welfare and Gal Gadot as Pope's wife. The dialogue is less than scintillating, but what do you expect from a solid action flick?  It's best not to think too hard about what's happening. Just hang on and go along for the ride.

The Huntsman: Winter's War - 1 smile

The costumes and special effects are pretty spectacular and the only reason to see "The Huntsman: Winter's War," the sequel to 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman. The rest of the movie is silly and boring. With its reported $115 million budget, you'd think there would be a better script. No such luck. Instead, plenty was spent on an ice palace and its arctic environs as well as special effects involving liquid gold, the legendary Magic Mirror, Queen Ravenna's (Charlize Theron) transformations and her sister, Queen Freya's (Emily Blunt) icy finger spells. Kristen Stewart does not reprise her role as Snow White, so the focus shifts to the Huntsman, Chris Hemsworth's character. We learn that his village is invaded and all adults killed and the children taken captive by the Ice Queen (Blunt). There, along with Sara (played as an adult by Jessica Chastain), they are taught to be warriors. There's a boring middle section with dwarves that does little to advance the plot, but provide plenty of opportunity for tasteless little people jokes. Theres no character development and little plot, which proves that a lack of good story telling can't be disguised with good special effects. Skip this one.