Freeze Frame Archiv

Chris Hemsworth moves from superhero to war hero in“12 Strong,” a tale inspired by the true story of the Green Beret soldiers who were the first sent into action in Afghanistan after 9/11. Historians may quibble about the accuracy of the proceedings and some may find this standard action flick a bit jingoistic, but it’s a suitable tribute to those brave men who willingly put themselves in harm’s way. “Phantom Thread” is reportedly Daniel Day-Lewis’ final film appearance and, as always, he delivers an imposing performance. He plays a British fashion designer in the 1950s who uses and misuses his young muse, played by Luxembourger actress, Vicky Krieps (creeps). Paul Thomas Anderson’s film is sumptuously and meticulously made, but has some grating plot elements lessen its impact. Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer star in “Call Me by Your Name,” a gay coming of age story set in Italy in the early 1980s. Chalamet plays a conflicted teen who falls for a grad student visiting his family’s 17th century Italian villa. There are a couple of excellent scenes that help make up for some of the duller ones. Overall, it’s well acted and beautifully filmed…but perhaps a bit too subtle for its…

One of the year’s most acclaimed movies has finally gotten its Kansas City release. It's hard to imagine a timelier movie about freedom of the press than “The Post.” Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star in Steven Spielberg's riveting drama about the Washington Post's behind the scenes struggles leading up to the publication of the Pentagon Papers in 1971. Streep once again shows why she’s our greatest actress playing The Post’s troubled publisher, Katherine Graham. Tom Hanks adds another notch on his belt as the paper’s grizzled editor, Ben Bradlee. One of the most difficult things for a filmmaker to accomplish is to build tension and suspense in a story where most of the audience already knows the outcome. Spielberg and company pull it off in “The Post,” and that’s no small feat. It’s nice to see guys in their 60s who are still able to kick some backside. Liam Neeson’s latest action thriller is “The Commuter,” the tale of an insurance agent/former policeman who is blackmailed into hunting for a murder witness on a commuter train. Neeson teams up for the fourth time with action director Jaume Collet-Sera and while there are plenty of eye-rolling coincidences and ridiculous plot…

As we leap into 2018 it’s time to look back the best movies the year had to offer. Here’s my list of the cream of the cinematic crop.   10) […]

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Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is best known for his machine gun dialogue for movies like “The Social Network” and “A Few Good Men.” It should be no surprise that he also takes a rat-a-tat approach for his first effort as director, “Molly’s Game.” The method fits the subject matter perfectly. Jessica Chastain stars in the true story of Molly Bloom, a former Olympic-class skier who ran a multi-million dollar poker games. When the FBI busts her for unwittingly allowing Russian mobsters in the game, lawyer Charlie Jaffey, played by Idris Elba, comes to her defense.   Chastain and Elba are more than up to the challenge of Sorkin’s quick-witted repartee and it’s an arresting true story. There are moments, however, when you want Sorkin to take a break from the lightning chatter because all of the characters start to sound the same. Still, “Molly’s Game” will fill the bill for people who want something to think about when they go to a movie.   The fact that director Ridley Scott got his movie “All the Money in the World” into theaters by the end of the year is a more impressive an accomplishment than the movie itself. At the last…

It's hard to imagine a timelier movie about freedom of the press than “The Post.” Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star in Steven Spielberg's riveting drama about the Washington Post's behind the scenes struggles leading up to the publication of the Pentagon Papers in 1971. It's suspenseful even though we know the outcome. That’s no small feat. If you're a lover of musicals, Hugh Jackman has a Christmas gift for you. "The Greatest Showman" is a colorful, whimsical fable based on the life of famed circus founder, P.T. Barnum. It may take you a moment to adjust to hearing contemporary pop tunes sung by characters in the 1800s, but like "Moulin Rouge," it somehow works. There's little that's historically accurate here, but a talented cast, creative filmmaking and tunes from the guys who gave us "La La Land" add up to cinematic joy for fans of the genre. If you DON'T like musicals, stay far, far away, because you'll think the rest of us are all suckers. A rare misfire for filmmaker Alexander Payne, "Downsizing" is an awkward sci-fi fable about people, like Matt Damon, who are shrunken to doll size to help the environment. It's neither an entertaining comedy…

You can always count on filmmaker Guillermo del Toro to deliver visually arresting and atmospheric cinema. “The Shape of Water” is no exception. This adult sci-fi fantasy is really an oddball love story featuring an aquatic humanoid creature and a cleaning woman in 1960s Cold War America. Sally Hawkins leads a terrific cast as an emotionally damaged mute who works at a top secret US government research facility. She befriends and eventually becomes romantically involved with a captured monster that resembles the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The top-notch supporting cast includes Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer. “The Shape of Water” is ravishing to behold and works in spite of, or perhaps because of, its stubbornly eccentric sensibilities. Late in Woody Allen’s latest movie, a character played by Kate Winslet yells, “Enough with the bad drama.” My thoughts, exactly.  “Wonder Wheel” is set in New York’s Coney Island amusement park during the 1950s. Winslet plays an unhappy waitress married to a boorish, boozy carousel operator played by Jim Belushi. She carries on an affair with a lifeguard and wannabe playwright, played by Justin Timberlake. Trouble is, Justin is attracted to her comely stepdaughter, played by Juno Temple. The…

From "8 1/2" to "Day for Night" to "Ed Wood," some very entertaining movies are movies about making movies. You can add "The Disaster Artist" to that distinguished list. James Franco directs and stars in "The Disaster Artist," a behind-the-scenes film about the making of one of the worst movies of all time, the 2003 drama, "The Room." Franco gives perhaps the best performance of the year as Tommy Wiseau, a bizarre, enigmatic character who wrote, produced, directed and starred in "The Room," which is an incoherent dramatic mess. Franco gonzo performance is sure to garner an Oscar nomination, but he’s abetted by a terrific supporting cast that includes his brother Dave Franco, Seth Rogan, Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson, Alison Brie and a number of stars who play themselves. While "The Disaster Artist" is a very funny look at "The Room" and its oddball cast, it is also a loving, empathetic portrait of a person who pursued his dream in spite of having no talent. And that brings us to "The Room," which has become a cult favorite at local theaters. Tommy Wiseau's movie is supposed to be a drama about a banker with an unfaithful girlfriend, but is unintentionally…

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s “The Avengers!” Er, no, it’s “Justice League.” The DC cinematic universe plays catch up with Marvel by finally getting its superhero coalition to […]

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Kenneth Branagh’s take on the classic Agatha Christie whodunit “Murder on the Orient Express” is like its namesake: Luxurious, workmanlike…and just a bit stodgy. Branagh plays Belgian detective Hercule Poirot […]

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Although filmed in North Carolina, Martin McDonaugh’s bitterly funny comic drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri” has a very dark “show me” attitude. Frances McDormand is an instant Oscar front-runner playing a woman who posts billboards to prod Sheriff Woody Harrelson into investigating the rape and murder of her daughter. Sam Rockwell may also be an awards contender for his portrait of a racist cop. Smart, extremely disturbing and vividly told, “Three Billboards” is one of the year’s best films.   “Last Flag Flying” is a respectable and well-acted drama from filmmaker Richard Linklater about three Vietnam Vets played by Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston and Laurence Fishburne, who go on a road trip to bury Carell’s son, a soldier killed in the Iraq War. While it’s meandering and quirky, the cast hoists this flag with aplomb.   “The Man Who Invented Christmas” tells the story of how Charles Dickens came to write “A Christmas Carol.” Dan Stevens gives a stagy performance as Dickens, but Christopher Plummer is just right as his imaginary Scrooge. It’s a sweet, low-key movie bonbon that never quite rings true.   “Novitiate” chronicles a young woman’s spiritual struggles to be come a nun in 1964. Melissa…

Is the third time the charm for “Thor?” The latest installment in the Marvel Universe to have the God of Thunder front and center is indeed the best of the three. A goofy, tongue-in-cheek action adventure that relies a lot on quirky comedy, “Thor: Ragnarok” is an eye-popping extravaganza that should please most fans, even though it’s a notch below many other Marvel entries.   Chris Hemsworth returns as the Asgardian price who finds himself exiled on the other side of the universe without his hammer. Meanwhile, his evil sister Hela, played with wicked relish by Cate Blanchett, is intent on destroying Asgard.   While it’s predictable and offers nothing new, “Thor: Ragnarok” has all of the elements in place for a lightening strike at the box office.   So, how do you follow up the raunchy 2016 comedy hit "Bad Moms?" With "A Bad Mom's Christmas" of course. Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn reunite for another look at contemporary parental challenges, this time with meddling grandmothers to contend with. The stars are fine, but they deserve better material than the simple, foul-mouthed script provided by the writing/directing team behind “The Hangover.” The cast seems to be having…

“Suburbicon,” a twisted collaboration between director George Clooney and the Coen Brothers, is a satiric poke in the eye to the idea of an idyllic 50s American suburbia. This pitch […]

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With a great cast, bestselling source material and acclaimed filmmakers in command, “The Snowman” should have been a solid thriller. Sadly, it’s an icy misfire. Michael Fassbender plays a detective on the trail of a cunning serial killer who leaves creepy snowmen at his crime scenes. The pace drags and the story is filled with multiple dangling plot threads. “The Snowman” is a frosty fizzle.   The tragedy that befell the Granite Mountain Hotshots gets the big screen treatment in “Only the Brave.” Josh Brolin is rock solid as the supervisor of a crack team of Arizona firefighters who work hard and sacrifice much to protect lives and property. Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and Jeff Bridges are among the supporting players who help this otherwise melodramatic story catch fire. It’s a fitting tribute to those who heroically put themselves in harm’s way.   “Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House” is a bleak and lackluster biopic about the man who was instrumental in the Washington Post’s investigation of the Watergate Scandal. Liam Neeson plays Felt, a high-ranking FBI official who, as Deep Throat, secretly walked an ethical tightrope to bring White House criminals to justice. Skip this…

“Marshall” is not a biopic about America’s first black Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall. It’s a courtroom drama about one Connecticut rape case that the famed jurist worked on in his early days as a lawyer for the NAACP. Chadwick Boseman plays the brash young Marshall who manipulates a local Jewish lawyer, played by Josh Gad, into defending the accused, played by Sterling K. Brown. The production is handsome, the actors are fine and its heart is in the right place. But in its execution, “Marshall” is standard courtroom fare.   Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan star in the dark revenge thriller, “The Foreigner.” Chan plays a humble London businessman whose life is upended by a terrorist act. Brosnan is a somewhat shady former member of the IRA, now working for the Brits. “Casino Royale” director Martin Campbell infuses the story with plenty of cat-and-mouse action. This one is for action fans who can look past the movie’s plot deficiencies.   “Ex Libris: The New York Public Library” is the latest documentary from the famed filmmaker Fredrick Wiseman, known for his ‘fly-on-the-wall’ approach. Early in the film, one library official says, “The access to information is the fundamental solution, over…