Capsule reviews for Nov. 14

Beside Still Waters

A formulaic concept is boosted only moderately by an appealing ensemble cast in this contemporary low-budget comedy about a group of high-school friends who reunite for a bittersweet weekend, just before Daniel (Ryan Eggold) — still grieving the tragic death of his parents — is forced to give up the family lake house. Of course, they all get liquored up, smoke weed and go skinny-dipping, before things get uncomfortable as they confront the past. Rookie director Chris Lowell manages some amusing moments and shows flashes of visual flair along the way, but it treads familiar territory with scenarios that gradually feel more contrived than authentic. (Not rated, 76 minutes).

Drug Lord: The Legend of Shorty

It’s framed as a quest of two filmmakers to track down notorious Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo” Guzman, but this gritty documentary is more valuable for its insight into the expansive operation of his Sinaloa global cartel, the culture of fear that pervades his homeland because of the violence he allegedly perpetrates, and the half-hearted and perhaps compromised efforts to stop him by American and Mexican authorities since his escape from prison in 2001. The result turns out to be uneven and incomplete (with some graphic violence to illustrate its points), but compelling as it tries to separate fact from rumor amid a large-scale manhunt. (Not rated, 93 minutes).

Jessabelle

Southern Gothic horror clichés abound in this ghost story about a young woman (Sarah Snook) who reluctantly returns home to live with her father (David Andrews) in a rural Louisiana cabin to recuperate after a serious car accident. There she uncovers some videotapes with troubling secrets about her family’s past, specifically her late mother’s involvement with the spirit world that reveal the house might be haunted. While Snook makes an appealing heroine under the circumstances, director Kevin Greutert (Saw 3D: The Final Chapter) relies on cheap thrills instead of generating sustained tension, and the film lacks any meaningful amount of subtlety or surprise. (Rated PG-13, 90 minutes).

Miss Meadows

Katie Holmes offers an appealing performance in the title role of this otherwise uneven satire about a sweet and proper schoolteacher whose mild-mannered demeanor masks her desire to unleash ruthless vigilante justice in her neighborhood. She even romances the sheriff (James Badge Dale) who must investigate the crimes, then experiences an ethical crisis when one act of vengeance goes too far. Her quirks and mannerisms are amusing for a while, but the subversive script by director Karen Leigh Hopkins struggles to find a consistent tone, and doesn’t offer sufficient context to give emotional resonance to a female-empowerment fantasy that ultimately feels too detached from reality. (Not rated, 88 minutes).

Wolves

There’s modest fun to be had in this campy low-budget horror flick that ultimately doesn’t have much bite. It follows a teenager (Lucas Till) with werewolf tendencies who flees his hometown after his parents are killed and winds up in Lupine Ridge (no subtlety there), where he becomes adversaries with some of the locals who have similar characteristics, including a tough guy (Jason Momoa). The directorial debut of screenwriter David Hayter (X-Men) is like Twilight meets Teen Wolf with its tale of haunting teenage transformations, which indulges in a predictable premise and winds up losing its lighthearted sense of fun during a series of bloody confrontations. (Rated R, 90 minutes).