MIDDLE OF NOWHERE — 3 stars
A medical student tries to support her incarcerated husband. (1:39). R: Language. Empire 25.
Director Ava DuVernay won the Directing Award at Sundance for this intimate drama, which is as meticulously modulated as her debut, last year’s “I Will Follow.” She’s establishing herself as a vital indie voice, but praise is also due to Emayatzy Corinealdi, who does lovely work as Ruby, a dedicated medical student living in South L.A.
Ruby is also a loyal wife, whose husband (Omari Hardwick) was recently sentenced to several years in jail. She plans to drop out of school to support him, but her cynical mother (Lorraine Toussaint) and practical lawyer (Sharon Lawrence) push a reality that doesn’t mesh with her romantic visions.
DuVernay was a longtime publicist before turning to filmmaking, and she knows how to sell. At heart, “Middle of Nowhere” offers material we’ve seen many times before. But between her perceptive direction and Corinealdi’s layered performance, this modest, micro-budgeted story has been beautifully packaged.
HOTEL NOIR — 1 star
Black-and-white film noir about a 1950s hotel (1:37). Not rated: Violence. Cinema Village.
It’s hard to know whether Sebastian Gutierrez is imitating or satirizing the hard-boiled noirs of Hollywood’s past, but either way it feels like a botched attempt.
The self-conscious setup and exaggerated dialogue can’t be saved, even by pros like Rosario Dawson, Danny DeVito and Carla Gugino (the director’s girlfriend), who come across as paper dolls being forcibly pushed through a barely conceived 1950s mystery.
Rufus Sewell plays the L.A. private eye around whom various characters swirl, as he holes up in a hotel with stories behind every door. Noir is an ideal genre for both homage and parody, but skip this soft-boiled effort. After all, you only live once.
GAYBY— 3 stars
Indie comedy about New Yorkers seeking parenthood together (1:29). Not rated: Language, sexuality. Cinema Village.
As its punny title suggests, Jonathan Lisecki’s debut comedy embraces broad jokes and obvious setups. Fortunately, these are balanced out by assertive pacing and entertaining observations. Jenn Harris and Matthew Wilkas play Jenn and Matt, thirtysomething New Yorkers who decide to have a baby the old-fashioned way, despite the fact that Matt’s gay.
The baby angle is really just a hook on which to hang wry commentary about single life in the city, but Lisecki approaches his subject with obvious affection, and the game cast makes most of the sitcom-silly antics work.
SPECIAL FORCES — 2 stars
Thriller about a rescue in Afghanistan (1:49). R: language, war violence. In English and French with subtitles. Empire 25.
This stolid French war film shows several soldiers risking their lives to rescue a valiant journalist in the Afghan desert.
It’s an odd showcase for Diane Kruger. She is never very believable as Elsa, a war correspondent who has been kidnapped by the Taliban. Perhaps that’s why director Stéphane Rybojad tries to add urgency with a revved-up soundtrack and kinetic visuals that suggest an editor with a nasty Red Bull habit.
The film works best when it slows down, as Elsa and her rescuers (including Djimon Hounsou and the tremendously charismatic Denis Ménochet) try to survive a failed escape mission. In an uneven effort, the quietest moments make the strongest impact.
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