TV WICKED CITY There is a mystery at the heart of “Wicked City,” but it’s not captured by anything that happens on screen. The question is, why did anyone think this dour, superficial serial-killer drama would be a good fit for ABC’s aspirational brand? “Wicked City” is, at its core, a police procedural, one in which a cynical cop, Jack Roth (Jeremy Sisto), tracks a murderer who is a charismatic lady-killer operating on the Sunset Strip of the ’80s. Both sides of the cop/criminal equation are lacking in this tepid drama, however, and the drama’s actors, who include Ed Westwick, Erika Christensen, Jeremy Sisto and Taissa Farmiga, are mostly miscast or misused. — Maureen Ryan EXEC PRODUCERS: Steven Baigelman, Amy B. Harris, Jon Cassar, Todd Lieberman, David Hoberman, Laurie Zaks CAST: Ed Westwick, Erika Christensen, Jeremy Sisto, Taissa Farmiga, Gabriel Luna, Karolina Wydra, Evan Ross, Anne Winters, Jaime Ray Newman, W. Earl Brown, Kirk Baltz, Sara Mornell, Doug Simpson TV THE LEISURE CLASS For all the high-minded talk from its high-profile producers around “Project Greenlight,” the TV show has never been about the movies being made at its center; nor has it produced a successful one. That streak continues with “The Leisure Class,” although this latest film has been spared any commercial pressures by premiering on HBO, which needn’t worry about anyone specifically paying to see it. As the series chronicled, contest-winning director Jason Mann fought to make this script, and there’s obviously some talent on display here. That said, it’s put to use in the service of such a small, unexceptional story as to make Mann’s conspicuous handwringing over the details seem irrelevant in hindsight. — Brian Lowry EXEC PRODUCERS: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly, Jennifer Todd, TJ Barrack, Perrin Chiles, Marshall Lewy CAST: Ed Weeks, Tom Bell, Bridget Regan, Scottie Thompson, Melanie Zanetti, Christine Lakin, Rory Knox Johnston, Brenda Strong, Bruce Davison REVIEWS IN BRIEF LEGIT / BROADWAY DAMES AT SEA How cruel, to make comparisons with a legendary star! How unkind! How unfair! Well, tough luck, because here it comes: The new leading lady of “Dames at Sea,” an affectionate and smartly constructed sendup of Hollywood’s fantasies about how Broadway stage shows were built, is no Bernadette Peters. There’s nothing wrong with this revival that Peters, who played the role of Ruby in the original 1968 production, couldn’t fix. But musical theater stars of her caliber don’t grow on trees, and although newcomer Eloise Kropp is a power tapper par excellence, she hasn’t the saucy charm of a Broadway Baby like Ruby — or the magnetic appeal of a star like Peters. — Marilyn Stasio DIRECTOR: Randy Skinner CAST: John Bolton, Mara Davi, Danny Gardner, Eloise Kropp, Lesli Margherita, Cary Tedder LEGIT / OFF BROADWAY RIPCORD The Manhattan Theater Club presumably commissioned “Ripcord” from playwright David Lindsay-Abaire to give their faithful subscription audience a subject dear to their own hearts. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer (for “Rabbit Hole”) has come up with an amiable if simplistic crowdpleaser, in the form of a duel of wits between “odd couple” roommates in an assisted living facility. Although smartly directed by David Hyde Pierce, the slender sitcom hangs for dear life on the appeal of its engaging stars, Marylouise Burke and Holland Taylor. And unfortunately, the major miscalculation rests in the onedimensional depiction of the two major characters, who are clearly intended to charm the audience, not alienate a huge swath of it. — Marilyn Stasio PLAYWRIGHT: David Lindsay-Abaire CAST: Marylouise Burke, Rachel Dratch, Glenn Fitzgerald, Daoud Heidami, Nate Miller, Holland Taylor Full reviews available on Variety.com FILM REVIEW GEOFF BERKSHIRE Jem and the Holograms DIRECTOR: Jon M. Chu STARRING: Aubrey Peeples, Juliette Lewis, Ryan Guzman Acampy cartoon encapsulating ’80s excess transforms into an earnest live-action ode to the navel-gazing YouTube generation in “Jem and the Holograms.” Considerably less fun than any paper-thin “A Star Is Born” ripoff has any right to be, this low-budget collaboration between “Step Up” sequel director Jon M. Chu, horror producer Jason Blum and Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun exists only because of nostalgia for the animated source material. And yet the film seems inexplicably embarrassed by its roots, instead serving up half-baked and selfconsciously contemporary drama that no one in the sure-to-be minimal theatrical audience will remember quite so fondly some 30 years on. Similarities between the live-action and animated “Jem” pretty much begin and end with character names, but both revolve around talented young singer Jerrica Benton (played here by Aubrey Peeples), who becomes a pop superstar under the stage name Jem. In the film, YouTube is her ticket to success when social media-savvy younger sister Kimber (Stefanie Scott) secretly uploads an acoustic performance Jerrica/Jem filmed in her bedroom, and the clip immediately goes viral. Jem’s debut performance attracts the attention of powerful music mogul Erica Raymond (Juliette Lewis), who whisks Jerrica away from her hard-working Aunt Bailey (Molly Ringwald) and promises her the world. Jerrica insists on bringing along Kimber and their interchangeable foster sisters, Shana (Aurora Perrineau) and Aja (Hayley Kiyoko), as her backing band, and Erica places them all under the watchful eye of her son, Rio (Ryan Guzman). As Erica schemes to extract Jerrica from her sisters so Jem can become a proper solo star, Jerrica falls for Rio and tries to ensure that Aunt Bailey won’t lose her house or her business. She also slowly pieces together a puzzle left behind by her late father, in the form of a pintsized robot called Synergy. That’s about all the film offers in terms of plot, even as the running time pushes toward an excruciating two hours. Perhaps a few killer musical numbers would’ve helped move things along, but even Jem’s performances are limited to just a handful of scenes. And whether due to budgetary limitations or simple failure of imagination, they’re remarkably low-energy affairs staged in front of what seems like dozens of extras (standing in for Jem’s supposed thousands of fans). Against all odds, “Nashville” series regular Peeples keeps the film watchable, delivering a capable star turn with enough flashes of soul to belie the script’s artifice and credible pop vocals to boot. CREDITS: A Universal release, presented with AllSpark Pictures, of a Blumhouse/ Chu Studios production, in association with SB Projects. PRODUCED BY Jason Blum, Jon M• Chu, Scooter Braun, Brian Goldner, Stephen Davis, Bennett Schneir. DIRECTED BY Jon M• Chu. SCREENPLAY, Ryan Landels, SPARKLE-FREE Aubrey Peeples stars in the live-action “Jem and the Holograms.” based on Hasbro’s “Jem and the Holograms.” . REVIEWED AT Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, Oct. 21, 2015. MPAA RATING: PG. RUNNING TIME: 118 MIN. CAST: Aubrey Peeples, Juliette Lewis, Ryan Guzman, Stefanie Scott, Aurora Perrineau, Hayley Kiyoko, Molly Ringwald, Kesha DAMES AT SEA: JEREMY DANIEL; RIPCORD: JOAN MARCUS 110 Final Cut
REGISTER TODAY AT CESWEB.ORG