Capsule reviews for Nov. 1

Adopt a Highway

Ethan Hawke’s empathetic performance outshines the material in this character-driven drama that marks the directorial debut of actor Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus). Hawke plays a soft-spoken parolee trying to rebuild his life after 20 years behind bars when he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster. Rather than calling police, he stumbles through caring for the infant himself, sensing a mutually beneficial opportunity for emotional fulfillment. Except that his parenting skills are severely lacking, despite the good intentions. When they go on the lam, the film steers a potentially provocative idea about rehabilitation and recidivism in predictable directions, which tends to diminish the emotional impact. (Rated R, 81 minutes).

American Dharma

Perhaps acclaimed documentarian Errol Morris is foolish to think that moviegoers will carry an open mind into this provocative and even-handed portrait of influential right-wing zealot Steve Bannon. The filmmaker shrewdly shapes his extended conversation with the notorious political ideologue by introducing biographical context and multimedia clips, which serve to explain and undermine Bannon’s message. The resulting back-and-forth is both spirited and unsettling as Morris gives his subject the platform to lay out his vision for the future. In this times of intense ideological division, the film gives viewers on both sides of the aisle some points to ponder, if only they’re willing to listen. (Rated R, 95 minutes).

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan

Although the point might be giving moviegoers their fix in terms of battlefield violence, some more historical context and nuanced perspective would have boosted the emotional impact of this handsomely mounted true-life war thriller. During the Vietnam War, an Australian army unit led by a disgruntled major (Travis Fimmel) is ambushed by Viet Cong guerrillas at a rubber plantation near the besieged village of Long Tan, leading to a bloody fight for survival. Some of the action sequences are impressively staged, even if the characters lack depth. Yet while Aussie audiences might find enough incentive to cheer their own, dramatically it seems like a missed opportunity. (Rated R, 118 minutes).

Inside Game

It’s no secret that professional sports is a big-money business that attracts plenty of unscrupulous characters, especially on the sidelines. However, the insight is minimal in this would-be expose about a 2007 basketball gambling scandal involving alleged game-fixing by disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy (Eric Mabius), told primarily from the perspective of the two men pulling the strings — a high-stakes gambler (Will Sasso) and a drug dealer (Scott Wolf) who happened to be his childhood friends. Sports fans looking for a rooting interest won’t find one amid this parade of lowlifes and degenerates, while the embellished screenplay’s fixation on point spreads goes out of bounds. (Rated R, 97 minutes).

Light from Light

Defiantly avoiding clichés about hauntings and the supernatural, this sharply observed character study lingers after the lights go up. It follows Tennessee single mother Sheila (Marin Ireland) whose hobby is paranormal investigations. That leads her to a widower (Jim Gaffigan) claiming he’s witnessed paranormal phenomena in his house since his wife died in a plane crash. When she has trouble finding the truth, her teenage son (Josh Wiggins) pokes his nose in the investigation. The deliberately paced film doesn’t offer much for mainstream horror fans, but as a psychological exploration of grief and emotional vulnerability, it achieves a powerful resonance. The portrayals add depth and complexity. (Not rated, 82 minutes).

Mrs. Lowry and Son

Two high-caliber performers can’t enliven this dreary British drama about painter L.S. Lowry that offers another example of how art can be shaped by personal struggle. The film takes place in the 1930s, when Lowry (Timothy Spall) shares a cramped Manchester apartment with his aging mother (Vanessa Redgrave). Her bedridden barrage of contemptuous gripes and insults would wear down the average person, which makes Lowry quite a trooper — working a full-time job, doting on her needs, and still finding time for his passion. The focus is more on the dynamics of their strained relationship than on Lowry’s artistic process, which winds up stuffy and pretentious. (Not rated, 91 minutes).