Capsule reviews for Aug. 16

Close to You

Despite the heartfelt intentions, this Canadian melodrama about acceptance and fractured family dynamics maintains a frustrating emotional distance. It’s a story of reconciliation and rebirth centered on Sam (Elliot Page), who is returning home for the first time in years for his father’s birthday. It’s also his first visit after transitioning, so there’s dirty laundry to unpack. Amid the unresolved hostility, Sam finds comfort through an old acquaintance (Hilary Baack) from his past. Page projects both confidence and vulnerability through a powerfully introspective — and largely improvised — performance, although the screenplay by director Dominic Savage (The Escape) lacks the same depth while charting an unrealized catharsis. (Not rated, 98 minutes).

Crescent City

The strange geographic reference in the title — it’s set in Little Rock, not New Orleans — isn’t the only point of confusion in this formulaic and far-fetched murder mystery. It follows a cop (Terrence Howard), his partner (Esai Morales), and his captain (Alec Baldwin), as they try to solve a serial killer case with possible links to a satanic cult. But as the investigation plays out, clues reveal dark secrets about the detectives themselves. The premise suggests some mild intrigue that’s rarely realized by a screenplay emphasizing absurd twists over character depth or moral complexity. Perhaps they should probe how the plot killed the movie. (Rated R, 103 minutes).

Gunner

Perhaps this ridiculous thriller would have been about 20 minutes shorter if you subtract the gratuitous slow-motion pervading its fight sequences. And it might have been about 90 minutes shorter if you subtract the cliches. Gunner (Luke Hemsworth) is a bartender and ex-Green Beret in small-town Mississippi. While camping in the woods with his two sons, he stumbles upon the massive operation of a low-level drug lord (Mykel Shannon Jenkins) trying to free his incarcerated father (Morgan Freeman, unfortunately). Cue the kidnapping and vengeance. Between the stock characters, familiar settings, laughable effects, pedestrian direction, and strange music cues, it runs out of bullets quickly. (Not rated, 105 minutes).

The King Tide

Deliberately paced yet quietly powerful, this stark and atmospheric thriller steadily builds tension throughout its peculiar tale of fanaticism, child welfare, and survival instincts. It follows young Isla (Alix West Lefler), who has possessed faith-healing powers since being rescued from the sea as an infant by the mayor (Clayne Crawford) of an isolated Canadian fishing village. But years later, her abilities vanish, causing the locals to point fingers — particularly Isla’s ill grandmother (Frances Fisher) — as their sequestered way of life is threatened. It’s a stylish and unsettling mystery from director Christian Sparkes (Hammer) layered with thoughtful moral complexity that resonates beyond its rustic island setting. (Not rated, 100 minutes).

My Penguin Friend

As long as the titular creature is on screen — which is often — this wholesome adventure is cute and charming enough to offset its sugary sentimentality. Based on a true story, it chronicles a Brazilian fisherman (Jean Reno) who has become a recluse unable to process a past tragedy. His spirits are lifted when he cares for a penguin washed ashore after an oil spill. After it’s released, the arctic bird voluntarily turns up again and again, gaining minor celebrity status along with his human caretaker. The film conveys worthwhile messages about marine conservation and human redemption, and the slapstick antics are kid-friendly while remaining grounded. (Rated PG, 97 minutes).

Skincare

A committed performance by Elizabeth Banks anchors this otherwise uneven character-driven thriller that exposes some narrative wrinkles beneath the cosmetic surface. Banks plays Hope, a Los Angeles facialist already unraveling by the time a rival aesthetician (Luis Gerardo Mendez) opens a hot new salon next door. A series of disturbing incidents — hacked emails, creepy messages, vandalism — violate her trust and trigger a deeper spiral of paranoia, isolation, suspicion, and vengeance. The feature directorial debut of music-video veteran Austin Peters is stylish and mildly unsettling. Yet as it satirizes Hollywood superficiality, toxic masculinity, and obsession with appearance, the film struggles to balance pulp with camp. (Rated R, 94 minutes).