Bianca Piper is best friends with two of the popular girls in high school and is content with her ignorance of her place in the social pecking order, until her childhood friend and jock Wes (Robbie Amell) reveals to her at a party that she is the "DUFF" (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) of her group. She's the one that people approach because they feel more comfortable using her for information to find out about her friends. Insulted and no longer oblivious, noticing DUFFs in every social group, Bianca eventually strikes a deal with Wes to help her become more popular and to talk to her crush Toby (Nick Eversman) in return for tutoring him in Chemistry.

The two start to reform a friendship as Wes takes Bianca shopping and instructs her on social interaction with boys, but it's cut short when mean girl Madison (Bella Thorne) finds out about Bianca hanging out with Wes, her on-again-off again ex-boyfriend and makes it her mission to destroy her life.

The Lazarus Effect follows medical researchers Frank Walton (Mark Duplass) and his fiancée Zoe McConnell (Olivia Wilde) who developed a serum, codenamed "Lazarus," originally intended to extend the time that people can safely be brought back from dying without brain damage. Instead, what they realize they have is a serum to return life to the dead.

Not only that, but after a trial with a dog, they discover it does much more than even they had thought, giving the animal increased brain activity and aggression.

After the company that funded their research is bought out and they seize everything for their unauthorized animal testing, the team decides they must recreate the experiment as proof of their creation, and break back into the lab.

However, before they can complete another resurrection, Zoe is fatally electrocuted during the experiment.

Strange Magic tells the story of two side by side kingdoms, the Fairy Kingdom and the Dark Forest. Along the border grow magical flowers, which are used for love potions, but the Bog King (Alan Cumming) from the Dark Forest wants them destroyed.

The story follows fairy Marianne (Evan Rachel Wood), who is about to marry fellow fairy Roland (Sam Palladio), until she discovers he is unfaithful and swears off love. Things take a turn for the worse after a love potion is created and her sister (Meredith Anne Bull) is accidentally dosed and then kidnapped. Eventually she goes head to head with the Bog King, who may not be as evil as he seems.

The story is a romance with classic themes: a princess melts the heart of a monster; the beast can get the beauty. While the story is very cliche at times, it still should be enjoyable to a younger audience or someone looking for a happily ever-after fairytale.

Following the success of the original movie from 2012, The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death had the makings of another great horror film: the creepy sets and atmosphere, a well-chosen cast, and trailers that made you want to see what the angry spirit was up to now. I was quite excited to receive the Blu-ray. The original film starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter franchise) was haunting and full of great scares that were reminiscent of more classic horror films. Upon the start of the sequel; however, I was sadly disappointed.

Although the visuals were there and the actors did a fine job with what they were given, the scares were not, which let's face it, is the most important part of a horror film. It felt disjointed at points and dragged on at others. The first third of the film to me felt wasted and nothing really occurred until forty-five minutes in.

The script and story itself wasn't bad; it was actually decently interesting, but something about the delivery was off.

Jupiter Ascending follows Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), a young housecleaner who was destined for much more. With an uncanny resemblance to galactic royalty, she is thrust into the middle of a family drama of siblings vying for control of Earth. Accompanied by a genetically engineered hybrid hunter, Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), she must fight to protect the planet from tyrants who are set on harvesting off the world's population.

As expected at this point from an action film by the Wachowskis, the visuals on the film were absolutely stunning. There was always something gorgeous to look at, even when there wasn't action on screen. The world that was created for the movie was quite beautiful and unique, as were the makeup and costumes. The colors were vibrant, and in this case, watching the film in 3-D really helped to showcase the magnificence.

By Marcina Zaccaria

Exodus: Gods and Kings, the stunning action adventure drama directed by Ridley Scott, tells the story of Moses, the man who freed the Israelites.

Christian Bale (American Psycho and The Dark Knight Rises) is transformative as Moses. In him, the audience can see a tough warrior, a simple shepherd, and a man capable of parting the Red Sea. Bale shares the screen with Joel Edgerton, who plays the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses. Bale never seems hollow or withdrawn in the film, as he glares up to the sky and denounces God.

Exodus: Gods and Kings has enough sand and chariots to win the heart of the most stoic movie watcher. It is a story of power and enormous consequence. The lead actors consider who God is, and whether God or man has the greater power to kill. The swordplay and the emotion behind it are fierce, and the film, as a whole, is relentless. It doesn’t focus so much on good and evil, but rather, on the juxtaposition of massive impact and new movement. Though movie making has never seemed bigger or bolder, the film brings up real issues of humanity and frailty.

By Marcina Zaccaria

A directorial debut from Chris Lowell, Beside Still Waters wades through ripples of sorrow before discovering that friendship can steady the stormiest waters.

It is an honorable film by Lowell, who acted in the Oscar nominated movie, The Help and the box office hit, Veronica Mars. Beside Still Waters won both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2013 Austin Film Festival. A finalist for the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab with his first screenplay, The Bridgewater Umbrella, Lowell considers sorrow and unexpected tragedy with his latest effort.

The truth comes out when a group of friends visits an old lake house, after the unfortunate death of the lead character’s parents. Ryan Eggold, as Daniel, never misses the opportunity for connection or the chance to share his story. When moving out of the house, the friends recall old times, as they sort through their past.

By Marcina Zaccaria

Inside the Mind of Leonardo, a new movie from History Films, is a stunning motion picture in 3D, featuring Peter Capaldi and directed by Julian Jones.

The documentary film takes place in Florence and Milan, and features potent monologues performed by BAFTA Award winning actor Peter Capaldi. Capaldi plays Leonardo in the film. The slim actor who received an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for his movie, Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life, reveals the emotion behind Leonardo, the man who many regard as a genius.

Image after image, monologue after monologue, the film doesn’t fail to disappoint. So much is known about Leonardo da Vinci. The inventor, the artist, and the military theorist had over 6,000 pages of notebooks. Da Vinci’s notebooks feature visionary drawings, musings on experience and causation, and mundane lists of food items. Holding information about beauty, flight, and war, da Vinci’s musings make exceptional sense when spoken by Capaldi. Throughout the film, the Scottish actor brings life and meaning to Renaissance concepts and ideals.