Capsule reviews for Sept. 13

Can You Keep a Secret?

Don’t bother telling anyone about this breezy yet uninspired romantic comedy, which needs more narrative depth to stand out in a crowded genre. It chronicles a neurotic marketing manager (Alexandra Daddario) who spills all of her secrets and gripes to a fellow passenger (Tyler Hoechlin) as they experience some severe in-flight turbulence. They land safely, but the woman’s embarrassment is magnified when she later discovers that her seatmate was her company’s CEO. This awkwardness permeates their later relationship in predictable ways, although the film’s attempts at empowering its lead are undercut by an emphasis on her overwrought insecurities. The result lacks consistent laughs or emotional resonance. (Not rated, 94 minutes).

Chained for Life

Your preconceptions will be challenged by this bizarre drama about the advantages of being beautiful in show business, which also doubles as a tribute to European art-house cinema of the 1970s. It follows a young actress (Jess Weixler) on the set of a horror film involving disfigured “freaks” at a mental hospital. She admires her co-star (Adam Pearson) with a severe facial deformity, even as he’s resigned to his fate as an outsider. The excessively quirky yet thoughtful script by director Aaron Schimberg blurs fantasy and reality to an almost disorienting degree. But it also finds a dark sense of humor while turning cynicism into compassion. (Not rated, 91 minutes).

Desolation Center

Insider depth and insightful interviews compensate for the conventional structure of this mildly self-serving documentary from director Stuart Swezey, which looks back on his own efforts to organize anarchic punk-fueled raves in the Mojave Desert in the early 1980s. The grassroots concerts not only helped legitimize a fledgling underground punk scene that included bands such as Sonic Youth and the Meat Puppets, but it paved the way for festival shows such as Lollapalooza and Coachella without succumbing to their commercialization. Although the sounds might become repetitive and off-putting to non-fans, the film offers a worthwhile glimpse into a music movement that proudly partied with the outcasts. (Not rated, 94 minutes).

Freaks

Childhood curiosity clashes with dystopian peril in this science-fiction drama that supplies subversive genre thrills plus relevant subtext about paranoia and inclusion. Chloe (Lexy Kolker) is an 8-year-old who simply wants to explore the outside world although her father (Emile Hirsch) keeps her sequestered, citing a mysterious danger. Clues are revealed when Chloe meets an ice-cream truck driver (Bruce Dern) with secrets about her heritage as a superpowered “abnormal.” The stylish film remains committed to its convoluted mythology while obscuring the lines between heroes and villains, and what’s real and imagined. The setup is more intriguing than the payoff, but the performances keep it emotionally grounded. (Rated R, 104 minutes).

Liam Gallagher: As It Was

As a cinematic puff piece, this documentary provides some mild insight into the recent solo efforts of former Oasis front man Liam Gallagher. However, it’s essentially a filmed press release from publicists and record executives with a carefully scripted agenda about image rehabilitation and career resurrection. It doesn’t provide much about Gallagher’s high-profile controversies, his reputation for being difficult, or his ongoing spat with brother Noel that abruptly ended the superstar British rock band in 2009. There’s nothing wrong with chronicling a troubled rocker maturing and learning from past mistakes, but this is way too sanitized and one-sided. Try the 2016 doc Oasis: Supersonic instead. (Not rated, 85 minutes).

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice

Whether or not you’re a fan, this documentary profiling Ronstadt’s career and legacy hits the right notes. Narrated by the subject herself, it covers more than a half-century, starting with her upbringing and rise to fame as a folk-rock singer in the 1960s. Then came many of the genre-bending hits that turned her into a Grammy-winning global superstar prior to a premature career downfall due to Parkinson’s disease. The film smartly incorporates plenty of archival footage from Ronstadt’s performances, and sports some heavy hitters among its roster of interviewees. The result might be hagiographic and lacking in depth, but it’s also a gently touching tribute. (Rated PG-13, 95 minutes).

Monos

Vivid and immersive, this unsettling Colombian thriller about the chaotic lives of child soldiers in the Amazon jungle is both exhilarating and exhausting. Specifically, it tracks the half-dozen or so gun-toting adolescents and their volatile leader (Moises Arias) through their almost hedonistic interactions and training routines. However, a hostage mission involving an American doctor (Julianne Nicholson) fails when the group’s loyalty starts to splinter. Employing a deliberate pace and confident visual style, director Alejandro Landes captures the harsh conditions that fuel the lawlessness evaporating the innocence of the teenage insurgents amid their cloudy revolutionary motives. It’s a bleak yet fascinating glimpse into violence and morality. (Rated R, 102 minutes).

Riot Girls

This dystopian thriller from Canada has style and attitude to spare, but doesn’t supplement its retro vibe with compelling characters. It’s set in an alternate 1985 in which adults worldwide have been wiped out by a mysterious disease, leaving teenagers to rule themselves. Things turn anarchic quickly in Potters Bluff, as contentious factions from the suburb’s East and West sides engage in a life-or-death struggle for authority. Rookie director Jovanka Vuckovic brings some visual flair and playful references to 1980s cinema, although when the film asks us to emotionally invest in these abrasive and vengeful malcontents, or establish meaningful subtext, it comes up empty. (Not rated, 82 minutes).

The Weekend

Within its fresh cultural perspective on familiar territory, this low-budget romantic comedy from director Stella Meghie (Everything, Everything) provides a worthwhile showcase for Sasheer Zamata. The former “Saturday Night Live” regular plays the self-deprecating Zadie, who agrees to a weekend with her ex-boyfriend (Tone Bell) at her mother’s quaint B&B. Tension naturally arises when he brings his current girlfriend (DeWanda Wise) along, albeit with somewhat honorable intentions. Then Zadie meets a guest (Y’lan Noel) who also endured a recent breakup. The level of authenticity within the intriguing character dynamics, bolstered by fine performances, provides some sensitively rendered surprises amid the obligatory relationship dirty laundry. (Rated R, 86 minutes).