Capsule reviews for Sept. 20

Auggie

Seniors and technology are usually combined for laughs, but not in this sharply observed drama that gives veteran character actor Richard Kind a chance to shine. Kind plays a recently retired architect whose co-workers gift a pair of augmented reality glasses, creating for him the titular virtual companion (Christen Harper). Although the alluring Auggie helps alleviate his loneliness, she also creates issues with his workaholic wife (Susan Blackwell) and adult daughter (Larisa Oleynik). The film doesn’t answer all of the questions about its science-fiction elements. Yet despite the thin plot, it’s a heartfelt examination of aging and relationships that emphasizes character depth over narrative gimmicks. (Not rated, 81 minutes).

Bloodline

Many first-time fathers get nervous about balancing their parental responsibilities, but this uneven thriller takes such behavior to extremes. It follows a high-school social worker (Seann William Scott) whose newborn conjures up nightmares of family violence from his past. After hearing stories of abusive fathers from his students, he takes out his frustration in a vigilante rampage. As secrets are revealed, his wife (Mariela Garriga) and mother (Dale Dickey) are forced to take sides. Rookie director Henry Jacobson delivers the requisite gore for genre fans, although the film stumbles in its attempt to navigate the psychological motives and moral complexity of its bloody brutality. (Rated R, 97 minutes).

Britt-Marie Was Here

Dig beneath the underdog clichés, and this modest Swedish drama provides a heartfelt examination of self-discovery and starting over. Obsessed with cleanliness and order, things get messy for Britt-Marie (Pernilla August) when she leaves her philandering husband after 40 years. At 63, and with no resume or support system, she lands a job as a caretaker and soccer coach for some ragtag kids at a youth center. But she has no experience with soccer or children. From there, the breezy film conjures up plenty of familiar tropes, although it finds the right balance of humor and poignancy. So does August, whose portrayal is charming and affecting. (Not rated, 94 minutes).

Corporate Animals

What might have made an amusing short subject feels painfully elongated at feature length in this lackluster satire of office politics from director Patrick Brice (The Overnight). Lucy (Demi Moore) is an egotistical and overbearing CEO who takes her employees on an ill-advised spelunking retreat for some team building. When the cave collapses and their guide (Ed Helms) is killed, the bickering co-workers are forced to fight for survival. Moore generates some laughs, along with some questions about what she’s doing here. But despite some clever one-liners, the idea hits the rocks once the characters are trapped and the screenplay gives them nowhere to go. (Rated R, 86 minutes).

Loro

This muddled portrait of Silvio Berlusconi from director Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) isn’t shy about showing contempt for the notorious Italian media mogul and politician. It centers mainly on his many handlers and influencers beginning in 2006, when Berlusconi (Toni Servillo) was involved in a series of embarrassing gaffes and salacious scandals, both as prime minister and in his private life — with his latest power trip leading to a separation from his longtime wife (Elena Sofia Ricci). The ambitious but unfocused film casts an intentionally unsettling undercurrent, especially given the current political climate in the United States. Yet it also maintains a frustrating emotional distance. (Rated R, 151 minutes).

Running With the Devil

A seasoned ensemble can’t elevate this derivative crime thriller that follows the various facets of a ruthless cocaine smuggling network. Specifically, it follows a fixer (Nicolas Cage) sent by his superiors to oversee shipments and fix breakdowns in the supply chain — from farmers to dealers — between Colombia and the United States while authorities try to stay one step ahead of the unscrupulous rogues. Along the way, director Jason Cabell injects more gritty visual flair than his script probably deserves. Meanwhile, the film overflows with testosterone-fueled macho posturing without offering any substantially fresh insight into the contemporary drug trade. The cast includes Laurence Fishburne and Barry Pepper. (Rated R, 100 minutes).

Trauma Is a Time Machine

Given the sensitive subject matter and the obviously heartfelt intentions, it’s appropriate to extend a certain amount of goodwill to this black-and-white experiment about the deeply personal effects of rape. It’s essentially a video confessional from a young woman (Augie Duke) whose inner monologue reveals lingering emotional scars and self-doubt in the aftermath of a sexual assault. Duke’s audacious and expressive portrayal helps to compensate for the unfocused nature of rookie director Angelica Zollo’s expansion of her short film. The low-budget project might work better as a one-woman stage show to mitigate some of the self-indulgent tendencies, although it could prove therapeutic for fellow victims. (Not rated, 82 minutes).

Villains

Quirks and gimmicks overwhelm narrative substance in this home-invasion thriller that’s neither funny nor frightening enough to stand out. The perpetrators are Mickey (Bill Skarsgard) and Jules (Maika Monroe), bumbling lovers whose criminal ambitions surpass their abilities. So when they break into a house belonging to middle-aged couple George (Jeffrey Donovan) and Gloria (Kyra Sedgwick), they’re in over their heads — especially when they learn the victims are hiding a sinister secret. For a while, the film coasts along on its offbeat style and the charming chemistry between the two young leads. Yet we’re not given much incentive to invest emotionally in these characters or their scheme. (Rated R, 88 minutes).

The Wedding Year

We hardly need another romantic comedy about millennials indulging in wedding mayhem, and this breezy entry from director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) is too familiar and predictable to break the mold. However, there are some scattered laughs as we watch fledgling photographer Mara (Sarah Hyland) and aspiring chef Jake (Tyler James Williams) navigate their own relationship amid a busy schedule of nuptials. They acknowledge their insecurities and aren’t automatically cute and bubbly — Mara takes a while to warm up to, in particular — although the mechanical screenplay doesn’t give either of the talented co-stars much to work with as it stumbles toward an ambivalent conclusion. (Rated R, 90 minutes).

Zeroville

A surreal head trip made by movie fans, for movie fans, this ensemble behind-the-scenes oddity from director James Franco is strictly an acquired taste. Franco plays a former seminary student who heads to Hollywood in 1969 with a tattooed head and a Montgomery Clift obsession. His savant-like curiosity turns him into a protégé for a gregarious screenwriter (Seth Rogen) and a loose-lipped editor (Jacki Weaver), who help facilitate his filmmaking dreams. Through his eyes, the film at least comes across as a tribute to the craft and the creative process, complete with abundant name-dropping and historical references. Yet its loopy divergent ideas never come together. (Rated R, 96 minutes).