Capsule reviews of the this week’s video releases, on DVD and Blu-ray, including special features:
• “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” (PG, 122 minutes, Fox): Maggie Smith continues her serial scene-stealing in this strident, over-plotty sequel to the 2012 surprise hit about a group of aging British ex-pats who move into a charming Jaipur inn to reinvent their golden years. The “Second Best” installment finds Smith’s character, Mrs. Donnelly, and her Marigold co-manager Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel), on a quest to find corporate underwriting for their next adventure in elder-hostelry. Once again directed by John Madden from a script by Ol Parker, the “Second Best” chapter seems aimed at upping the ante in sheer volume and busyness, whipsawing viewers from one character’s arc to another’s. Contains profanity and suggestive comments. Extras include “Story,” “Cast,” “Returning to the Marigold Hotel,” “Blossoming Relationships,” “The Marigold Wedding,” “Filming in India” featurettes.
• “Ex Machina” (R, 110 minutes, Lionsgate): Alex Garland, author of “The Beach” and screenwriter of “28 Days Later,” makes an impressive debut as a director, spinning an unsettling futuristic thriller with the expertise and exquisite taste of a seasoned veteran. Caleb, an eager young computer programmer played by Domhnall Gleeson, wins a week-long stay at the secluded estate of his legendary boss, tech titan Nathan (Oscar Isaac). Caleb is tasked with matching wits with an artificial intelligence machine Nathan has constructed, to judge whether it possesses genuine human consciousness. Nathan’s A.I. comes in the form of a pretty animatronic woman named Ava. Played by Alicia Vikander with sensitivity and precise, balletic movements, this metal-limbed beauty blurs the lines between artifice and authentic. Contains graphic nudity, profanity, sexual references and some violence. Extras include “Through the Looking Glass: Creating Ex Machina” five-part featurette, SXSW Q&A with cast and crew, eight behind-the-scenes vignettes.
• “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2” (PG, 94 minutes, Sony): This sequel, directed with a far heavier hand, feels like a played-out joke. The slapstick might tickle some kids’ funny bones, but there are long stretches of blah in between. Kevin James as Blart hurls himself joylessly over the top this time. Extras include featurettes on the cast and “How to Make a Movie.” Also, on Blu-ray: six deleted scenes, gag reel, a behind-the-scenes short and featurettes.
