“Machete Kills” is exploitation cinema in the same way that a
teen who pays $28 at the mall for a Sex Pistols T-shirt is a
punk rocker.  The Robert Rodriguez production benefits from the
contributions of Mel Gibson and Charlie Sheen, two special-
effects houses and inventor Elon Musk. The marketing budget
alone probably could cover three “Penitentiary” sequels and a
reboot of “Dirty Mary Crazy Larry.”  “Machete Kills,” a sequel
to a film based on a fake trailer, is entertaining, but in a
lazy and inconsistent way. Even as you enjoy the over-the-top
gore and deadpan comedy, the whole thing feels like paying $10
to stand behind velvet ropes and watch much cooler people get
drunk. Whatever fun you might be having in the theater,
Rodriguez, a San Antonio native, never lets audiences forget it
was probably a lot more fun on the set.  It didn't start out
this way. When the original “Machete” trailer showed up in the
Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino 2006 film “Grindhouse,” it made
perfect sense for the film to get made. D