Capsule reviews for Nov. 4

Killing Bono

Mediocre British comedy is based on the true-life memoir of Neil McCormick (Ben Barnes), the lead singer for a young Irish rock band during the 1980s that struggled to find a fan base just as classmate Bono rose to stardom as the frontman for U2. The film has the good sense not to turn its protagonists into bumbling losers, but rather into a legitimately hard-working outfit that makes halfway decent music and slightly poor decisions that the audience can root for. Unfortunately, the script doesn’t have more than one joke in its arsenal and runs out of steam well before the ending. (Rated R, 114 minutes).

The Other F Word

That would be fatherhood, for those wondering about the title of this energetic documentary that chronicles members of the punk-rock movement during its heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s who are now trying to balance life on the road with the type of domestic left that they once rebelled against. The concept is intriguing enough, and director Andrea Blaugrund Nevins obviously is a fan of the bands she portrays. Yet despite an impressive array of interviews with members of Pennywise, Blink 182, NOFX and others about their families and careers, there is not enough insight here for a feature-length treatment. (Not rated, 98 minutes).

13

Georgian director Gela Babluani can only blame himself for the lackluster American remake of his own low-budget French thriller 13 Tzameti (2005). The original was a taut black-and-white story of a young man whose identity is mistaken as he becomes caught up in a deadly game of chance. The remake, which is in color, doesn’t achieve the same level of suspense or subtlety as its predecessor in part because it’s missing the gritty texture of the original. The plentiful flashbacks don’t help, and neither does an overbearing music score. The cast includes Sam Riley, Jason Statham, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Mickey Rourke. (Rated R, 97 minutes).