Capsule reviews for Jan. 10

Diane Warren: Relentless

A roster of musical luminaries lends credibility to this conventionally breezy portrait of the legendary pop songwriter, who has written hundreds of hits over several decades. As the film sufficiently recaps her life and career, it captures the essence of Warren’s enduring passion and charisma, as well as her hopes for winning an elusive Oscar after 15 nominations. There are also amusing anecdotes from those who’ve benefitted from her talents, such as Cher, Gloria Estefan, and Jennifer Hudson. However, while she makes an engaging subject whose accomplishments are worthy of the spotlight, the breezy and hagiographic film lacks depth and insight outside of the studio. (Not rated, 91 minutes).

Every Little Thing

Within its narrow niche targeting hard-core animal lovers, this charming and insightful documentary takes flight. It’s a portrait of Terry Masear, a Hollywood woman who nurses injured hummingbirds in her backyard aviary. While teaching us about one of the smallest and most fragile of all bird species — and also among the most beautiful — director Sally Aitken (Playing with Sharks) provides biographical snippets that illustrate how Terry’s charismatic devotion is a vessel for healing from her own past traumas and tragedies. As the film promotes a worthwhile message of conservation and compassion, we’re able to admire Terry’s persistence and pragmatism while also sharing her passion. (Not rated, 93 minutes).

Hard Truths

Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s ferocious performance galvanizes this modest yet incisive look at grief and middle-class malaise from legendary British filmmaker Mike Leigh (Secrets and Lies). Jean-Baptiste plays Pansy, a London woman still mourning a family tragedy whose bitterness is whipped into obnoxious tirades unfairly targeting everyone from her family to store clerks. It’s a contrast to her younger sister (Michele Austin), a salon owner who might hold the only key to Pansy’s happiness. Leigh’s screenplay doesn’t provide an easy path to sympathy for Pansy, who ranks with the most unlikable cinematic characters in recent memory, but beneath the caustic surface, the film resonates with warmth and humanity. (Rated PG-13, 97 minutes).

Laws of Man

It’s unclear whether this Western neo-noir is intended as a deadpan genre parody or a straight-faced Cold War procedural, but it feels ill-conceived in either case. It’s set in 1963, when a conflicted marshal (Jacob Keohane) and his partner (Jackson Rathbone) are sent to rural Nevada to arrest a known murderer (Dermot Mulroney). However, they become entangled in a maze of corruption and conspiracies in a small town filled with secrets. Employing significantly more talk than action, the screenplay by director Phil Blattenberger (Condor’s Nest) explores morality, masculinity, and spirituality yet it’s neither amusing nor convincing. Cameos include Harvey Keitel, Graham Greene, and Keith Carradine. (Rated R, 98 minutes).