Capsule reviews for Feb. 13

Girl House

Neither sexy nor scary, this low-budget horror movie aims to shock viewers with its revelation that the online porn industry isn’t as secure as it seems. It follows a North Carolina college student (Ali Cobrin) who takes a job for a pornographic website in a desperate attempt to pay her tuition. However, one of her customers is a creepy loner who turns into a serial killer when finds the remote location where the broadcast originates. Any attempt at a provocative examination of cyberstalking is quickly jettisoned in favor of cheap thrills and slasher-flick cliches, with no effort to subvert expectations or offer character surprises. (Not rated, 101 minutes).

The Last Five Years

This fluffy adaptation of the romantic musical by Jason Robert Brown follows the volatile relationship between a fledgling Ohio actress (Anna Kendrick) and a big-city novelist (Jeremy Jordan) whose first book becomes a best-seller. The screenplay by director Richard LaGravenese (Beautiful Creatures) tries to free the material from its stagebound roots by moving some action outdoors, and the actors achieve a reasonable chemistry while sharing almost all of the screen time. Still, the songs become repetitive and seem like merely a different way to present familiar material, and they tend to detract from what little substance the story has in the first place. (Rated PG-13, 94 minutes).

Old Fashioned

At least the title is accurate for this painfully wholesome romance about a small-town antiques dealer (Rik Swartzwelder) who leases an apartment to the new girl in town (Elizabeth Roberts). While past indiscretions have scarred his ability to establish emotional intimacy, she’s more interested in flirting, and sees the chance to break down his barriers as their courtship deepens. The goal, clarified through plenty of heavy-handed Christian symbolism, is to show that such corny romance is still possible. However, the result is tedious and predictable, with mismatched lead actors, and it feels more like a vanity project for Swartzwelder, who’s also the writer and director. (Rated PG, 115 minutes).

The Rewrite

Hugh Grant conveys his usual charm even if he doesn’t stray too far from his comfort zone in his latest romantic comedy. He plays a Hollywood screenwriter in a career slump who reluctantly takes a college teaching job in upstate New York, where he takes a liking to a single mother (Marisa Tomei) in his class. The sugary script by director Marc Lawrence (Music and Lyrics) – which could have used a rewrite, by the way – has some scattered laughs amid the formulaic cuteness, yet ultimately it’s too slight and obvious. It winds up squandering a strong cast that includes J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney. (Rated PG-13, 107 minutes).

What We Do in the Shadows

This clever and often hilarious send-up of vampire movies takes place in contemporary New Zealand, where a trio of centuries-old bloodsuckers – Viago (Taika Waititi), Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and Vladislav (Jemaine Clement) – share a flat and try to enjoy a normal bachelor lifestyle alongside their human counterparts, with obvious complications. The screenplay by Clement and Waititi (TV’s “Flight of the Conchords”), who also co-directed the film, employs a forced mock-documentary framework yet is loaded with inspired sight gags and deadpan one-liners. It’s thinly sketched, but the filmmakers show an obvious affection for the genre they attempt to lampoon, which adds some charm to the craziness. (Not rated, 86 minutes).