Capsule reviews for Oct. 7

The Alchemist Cookbook

There’s appeal in the way this stark low-budget thriller from director Joel Potrykus (Buzzard) narrows down its focus to the most primal man-versus-nature instincts. It follows a young man (Ty Hickson) who’s isolated himself in a trailer in the woods, where he eats junk food and works on chemistry experiments with his beloved cat. At first, his goals and motives are unclear, until an unseen force causes a steady descent into madness. While Hickson’s performance is appealing (acting almost entirely by himself, with little dialogue), the film generates only sporadic tension within its remote setting, and its ambiguity with regard to key details becomes frustrating. (Not rated, 82 minutes).

The Great Gilly Hopkins

This heartfelt but formulaic coming-of-age story has a high opinion of its title character (Sophie Nelisse), a mischievous preteen foster kid who dreams of one day reuniting with her famous birth mother. But her scheme to outwit her kind-hearted new caretaker (Kathy Bates) backfires and causes her to reconsider her priorities. As directed by Stephen Herek (Mr. Holland’s Opus), the film coasts for a while on Southern charm and the charismatic spunk of Nelisse (The Book Thief). However, while young girls might identify with Gilly and the story’s lessons about family, the material is too slight to make much of an impact outside the target demographic. (Rated PG, 97 minutes).

The Late Bloomer

The directorial debut of actor Kevin Pollak, this raunchy comedy details an unlikely true-life story that becomes strained and predictable in its adaptation from book to screen. Johnny Simmons (Transpecos) stars as a young sex therapist who learns his own romantic insecurities stem from a medical condition that’s caused his puberty to be stunted until age 30. Once he corrects the issue, he becomes a hormonal maniac, causing confusion for his neighbor (Brittany Snow) and others. The scattered laughs come mostly from the periphery characters, although the pervasive low-brow mentality prevents much emotional resonance. The cast includes Jane Lynch, Maria Bello and J.K. Simmons. (Rated R, 94 minutes).

Under the Shadow

Gimmicks and arbitrary twists derail a solid premise in this Middle Eastern horror film about a medical student (Narges Rashidi) is left to care for her young daughter (Avin Manshadi) in Tehran while her husband is away. Then a faceless evil presence, linked to Islamic mythology, starts to terrorize their apartment building and threatens to tear mother and daughter apart. Set against the backdrop of the Iran-Iraq military conflict during the 1980s, the film preys upon wartime paranoia and patriarchal customs. But while it marks a stylish debut feature for director Babak Anvari, ultimately it settles for cheap thrills instead of providing genuine subversive frights. (Rated R, 84 minutes).