WWJDD, an acronym to live by. Space Jam, The Phantom, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Men, just this weekend during Fantastic Four...how many times has the question chugged through my mind like a ticker tape: What would Joe Dante do? But when genius goes wrong, nothing goes right: Chaplin rang down the curtain with a relentlessly prehistoric Countess; Frank Tashlin sent his Private Navy to drown on a garbage scow; and Blake Edwards’ Pink Panther series should have died with Peter Sellers. Winterbottom met his Jolie, Siegel his Midler, and Bogdanovich hit the wall hard with ‘Sir’ Poitier II. (That Scorsese bottomed out on Spielberg’s dime affords Him even firmer footing atop the Pantheon.) Every artist is allowed an occasional mistake if for no other reason than it gives them (us) something to learn from. Burying the Ex is Joe Dante’s. Joe cut his teeth (and trailers) at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures and the thought of him returning to a 20-day, ultra-low budget shoot should have been a cause célèbre. Joe claims to have made this one for the fans, but given the simplistic nature of first-timer Alan Trezza’s screenplay, it’s geared more towards fanboys. Adapted from Trezza’s short film of the same name, the non-stop barrage of familiar horror tunes burned going down, like an earful of hemlock. Still, Joe has always had great success working with young actors, and this case is no exception. Anton Yelchin, Ashley Greene, and the ever luminous Alexandra Daddario slap on game faces amidst the gamy contrivances. Alas, not unlike a pesky vampire, the subplot featuring Jonah Hill substitute Oliver Cooper as Yelchin’s slovenly half-brother never should have seen the light of day. (2015) — Scott Marks