“Payday” (*1/2 out of four) was a lackluster independent melodrama about an inept criminal (Derek Babb) who holds up a small-town diner which soon spirals out of control into a hostage crisis. Oh- did I forget to mention that his girlfriend (Lara Jean) is the manager of the diner and she mastermined the theft in the first place to cover up her own embezzlement? Potentially twisty and intriguing material is bungled by low-grade filmmaking and substandard writing and characterizations. You can only imagine what David Mamet or Michael Mann may have done with this material but this is strikingly similar to Kevin Spacey’s directorial debut “Albino Alligator.” Former WWE star Bishop Stevens shows up as a hostage negotiator but the only reason he must have taken this is for a quick payday.