Capsule reviews for Sept. 22

Columbus

Quiet and contemplative, this evocative drama emphasizes atmosphere and mood over action and plot. The story takes place in the titular Indiana town, where a literary edtior (John Cho) arrives from Korea to be with his dying college-professor father. Meanwhile, he bonds with a local girl (Haley Lu Richardson) over her admiration for the unique historical architecture and public art in her hometown. Korean director Kogonada, making his feature debut, fills every frame with visually striking imagery by finding beauty in the ordinary. The characters aren’t as compelling, yet the thoughtful performances resonate amid the stylish surroundings. Columbus tourism officials should be especially thrilled. (Not rated, 104 minutes).

Friend Request

Your Facebook account is probably safe as long as it doesn’t feature any advertisements for this laughably incoherent psychological thriller about popular college student Laura (Alycia Debnam-Carey) who befriends shy art scholar Marina (Liesl Ahlers) out of pity, then regrets the decision when Marina becomes aggressively clingy. Soon afterward, Laura’s social-media friends start dropping dead. The film hints at a more serious examination of cyberbullying, online privacy and the addictive allure of social media. But instead it becomes a predictable revenge saga focusing on witchcraft and the supernatural. Feeling outdated and lacking genuine frights for genre aficionados, this is an easy choice to unfriend. (Rated R, 92 minutes).

The King’s Choice

More than 70 years later, movie screens are still peppered with compelling true-life World War II stories. Take this visually striking chronicle detailing a three-day period in 1940 during which German war ships sailed into waters near Oslo, prompting King Haakon (Jesper Christensen) to confront the Nazis — and specifically an envoy (Karl Markovics) who favors a diplomatic resolution — rather than surrender, during an attempt to occupy the capital. The screenplay is sketchy in terms of specifics, yet even if there are missed opportunities along the way, director Erik Poppe (A Thousand Times Good Night) capably provides a broad overview of a pivotal chapter in European history. (Not rated, 133 minutes).

Last Rampage

Most of the true-life intrigue is drained from this tedious big-screen drama about Gary Tison (Robert Patrick), a notorious convicted killer who escaped from an Arizona prison in 1978 after his sons carried a cooler full of firearms into a jail visit. With the exception of Gary’s wife (Heather Graham), the family tried to flee to Mexico, becoming involved in another gruesome murder spree as a determined sheriff (Bruce Davison) tracks them. The bulk of the film focuses on that time period, with brief bursts of violence bridged together by quieter, character-driven moments. That’s when Patrick’s performance as a manipulative, scripture-quoting sociopath rises above the formula. (Rated R, 93 minutes).

Stronger

Jake Gyllenhaal’s committed performance carries this straightforward biopic from versatile director David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express) about Jeff Bauman, a blue-collar man who was wounded in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, then became a hero after helping to identify the perpetrators while having both of his legs amputated in the hospital. During his arduous rehab, he tries to reconcile with his girlfriend (Tatiana Maslany) while dealing with the exploitative nature of celebrity in a culture of trite hashtags and soundbites. By digging beneath the headlines, it’s an intimate yet uplifting character study that conveys gritty authenticity rather than settling for sentimentality or cheap catharsis. (Rated R, 119 minutes).

Woodshock

There are excessive shots of people sleeping in this lugubrious meditation on grief, and some moviegoers might join them. It follows an employee (Kirsten Dunst) at a northern California cannabis dispensary struggling with a guilty conscience stemming from a recent tragedy. Her drug-induced paranoia causes her to becomes withdrawn from her logger boyfriend (Joe Cole) and aggressive toward her boss (Pilou Asbaek). Sibling filmmakers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, who come from the fashion world, capture some haunting imagery amid the redwood forests. But their obsession with extraneous sounds and mundane details severely compromise the narrative momentum. The deliberately paced result doesn’t make much sense. (Rated R, 101 minutes).