Capsule reviews for Jan. 16

Little Accidents

This earnest examination of guilt and small-town dynamics chronicles the aftermath of a tragedy that killed several coal miners and tore apart a grieving Appalachian community. Specifically, it follows the intertwining stories of the lone surviving miner (Boyd Holbrook), a teenage son (Jacob Lofland) of one victim hiding secrets about a separate incident, and the wife (Elizabeth Banks) of the mining executive (Josh Lucas) who might take the fall. Despite some strong performances, that potentially intriguing set of blue-collar characters isn’t explored with much depth in the screenplay by rookie director Sara Colangelo because of a series of melodramatic contrivances that compromises any emotional resonance. (Not rated, 104 minutes).

Loitering With Intent

You won’t find much insight into relationships or the creative process in this breezy low-budget comedy about fledgling actors Dominic (Michael Godere) and Raphael (Ivan Martin), who are offered some money by an investor for a screenplay they haven’t written yet. So the duo retreats to a remote cabin, where their writing is stifled by distractions from a parade of eccentric visitors and reflections on their own lives. Godere and Martin co-wrote the sketchy screenplay, and their characters feel more obnoxious than endearing. At least Sam Rockwell and Marisa Tomei pop in to spice things up, and director Adam Rapp (Winter Passing) keeps the pace lively. (Not rated, 76 minutes).

Spare Parts

All the sappy underdog clichés are on display in this crowd-pleaser based on a true story of a substitute teacher (George Lopez) at a fledgling Arizona high school who forms a robotics club, then takes a ragtag group of boys to a national competition against some of the country’s top engineering students. The film is moderately powerful in its exploration of the Latino students’ lives outside the classroom, especially when it comes to issues of immigration and fractured families, yet the dominant sequences involving the competition are right off the assembly line. The cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis and Marisa Tomei as supportive fellow educators. (Rated PG-13, 113 minutes).

Vice

A marginally provocative science-fiction concept isn’t given much room to breathe in this assembly-line thriller from director Brian Miller (The Prince) about a virtual-reality service that allows customers to carry out real-life violent crimes on artificial human victims. The problem comes when one of the girls (Ambyr Childers) escapes and develops feelings, just as a rogue cop (Thomas Jane) is trying to shut down the designer (Bruce Willis). Many chases and shootouts within settings of urban decay follow, as the screenplay tries to mask its massive logical gaps with a string of tired action sequences, when a grittier and more cerebral approach would have been appropriate. (Rated R, 96 minutes).