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The word for this weekend's new movies is "bleak" — which describes the subject matter of the new art-house movies, and the quality and box-office prospects of the studio films.

Let's talk about the good movies, which are playing at the art houses. The best is "Leviathan," a brutally harsh look at corruption in modern Russia, as seen through the experience of an auto mechanic (Alexei Serebriakov) whose home is being annexed by a double-dealing mayor (Roman Madianov). Director-writer Andrey Zvyagintsev's story unfolds elegantly and movingly, toward a shattering conclusion.

Over at the Tower is "Maps to the Stars," a biting Hollywood satire starring Julianne Moore as a neurotic actress who hires a new personal assistant, Agatha (Mia Wasikowska) — not knowing that she's the mentally disturbed daughter of her celebrity therapist (John Cusack). Director David Cronenberg applies an almost clinical eye to Bruce Wagner's screenplay, which dissects Hollywood insecurities and unveils some dark family secrets.

The biggest studio entry this week is "Focus," a hit-and-miss con-artist caper about a veteran con man (Will Smith) mentoring a newbie (Margot Robbie), who steals his heart. (Everybody go "awwwww" now.) There are some sharp moments in this glitzy production, but Smith's screen persona is too honest and flashy to work in the role of a con man who's supposed to blend in with the crowd.

"The Lazarus Effect" is a derivative horror thriller that steals from a dozen other, better movies. It's the old "scientists playing God" scenario, where about-to-be-married researchers (Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde) develop a serum that brings test animals back from the dead — and what happens when, after a lab accident, he uses the serum on er. The shocks are bargain-basement, and sporadic at best.

Also opening is the Mexican romantic comedy "A La Mala," about an actress (Aislinn Derbez) who discovers a lucrative side career by hiring herself out to women who want to test their boyfriends' fidelity. It was not screened for local critics.