Capsule reviews for Nov. 21

Extraterrestrial

Aliens are the invader of choice in this formulaic low-budget horror flick that manages only some scattered cheap thrills. The set-up is woefully familiar, with five friends reuniting for a weekend at a remote cabin, when they find a crashed UFO in a field, and wind up in a life-or-death battle with the passengers. The directing tandem known as The Vicious Brothers (Grave Encounters) generates some mild suspense with an array of visual tricks. But their screenplay is lacking much inspiration outside the basic concept, and relies on a batch of stereotypical characters that are neither likeable nor interesting. We root for the aliens by default. (Not rated, 101 minutes).

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

We’ve seen several Iranian films in recent years about women fighting for independence in a patriarchal society. But none of them have been about vampires, so this stylish feature debut for director Ana Lily Amirpour is something of thematic breakthrough. It follows a young woman (Sheila Vand), a bloodsucker stalking a city overrun by crime and prostitution that also involves a man (Arash Marandi) struggling to stay financially afloat. Despite some pretentious touches, Amirpour marks herself as a filmmaker to watch with her atmospheric black-and-white visuals and a script that offers an homage to some genre influences while mostly managing to sidestep expectations. (Not rated, 99 minutes).

Happy Valley

There’s more to life than football, even in State College, Pa., as this provocative documentary reminds us by reliving the horrors of the 2012 child sexual abuse scandal involving former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky. Using an investigative approach that includes revealing interviews with family members and members of a community torn apart by the allegations of a cover-up by legendary head coach Joe Paterno and others, director Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) manages to craft a mostly even-handed examination of hero worship, football fanaticism and the power of conviction in the court of public opinion. It’s certain to elicit strong feelings on both sides. (Not rated, 97 minutes).

Little Hope Was Arson

The uneasy relationship between religion and justice is probed in this compelling documentary about a 2010 arson spree that burned 10 churches in East Texas of various denominations in the span of about a month. It follows the investigation and eventual arrest of the two perpetrators, as well as the sense of fear, anger and disbelief that pervaded the affected Bible Belt communities. Rookie director Theo Love interviews pastors, parishioners, authorities and family members for answers about methods and motives, which remain cloudy. Yet it digs behind the headlines to raise some provocative questions about police tactics, organized religion, mental illness, knee-jerk violence, faith and forgiveness. (Not rated, 74 minutes).

Reach Me

The jokes aren’t funny and the earnest stabs at emotional sincerity ring false in this ensemble melodrama that’s structured like a cheap rip-off of Crash. It follows the empty lives of several Californians connected through a self-help book from an author (Tom Berenger) trying to remain anonymous. But can he conceal his identity while continuing to help people? The film somehow attracted a cast that includes Sylvester Stallone, Thomas Jane, Danny Aiello and Kyra Sedgwick, among others, but the uneven and pretentious script by director John Herzfeld (15 Minutes) tries to juggle too many subplots, in the process failing to realize that none is especially compelling. (Rated PG-13, 92 minutes).