Freeze Frame Archiv

Acclaimed British filmmaker Ken Loach is known for his realistic kitchen sink dramas that focus on disparities and injustices in contemporary British society. His latest, “I, Daniel Blake” is no exception. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. Dave Johns plays Daniel, a 59-year-old carpenter who has been sidelined by the death of his wife and his own heart disease. He has to fight the system when the medical pros refuse to allow him to work but the government bureaucrats won’t give him benefits unless he proves he’s seeking employment. It’s powerfully acted, believable and heartbreaking.   Oscar winner Rachel Weiss carries the day with her sly performance in a new adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic gothic novel, "My Cousin Rachel." Is she an innocent widow or a manipulating murderer? Sam Claflin, a naïve but wealthy young heir, can't tell because he's fallen in love with her. Although handsomely mounted and respectably done, this intriguing mystery isn't quite as riveting as it should have been.   Kate Mara stars in "Megan Leavey," the true story of a Marine corporal, her combat dog and their heroic exploits serving in Iraq. While it covers familiar territory, this likable drama…

Lawrence, Kansas native Patty Jenkins, the director who steered Charlize Theron to her Oscar-winning performance in “Monster,” takes on her biggest Hollywood project to date with the highly anticipated “Wonder Woman.” Gal Gadot stars as the Amazonian princess who is among the luminaries of the DC Comic Universe. This crackling origin story shows how her rescue of an American spy, played by Chris Pine, led Wonder Woman away from her idyllic island life and into the battlefields of WWI and, ultimately, a confrontation with Aries, the God of War. The production values are terrific and Jenkins breathes enough humor and life into the characters that the nearly non-stop action never becomes too exhausting. “Wonder Woman” may provide just the spark necessary to revive the DC Universe.   On the other side of the cinematic spectrum comes “The Wedding Plan,” an Israeli comedy about an Orthodox woman in her early thirties who decides to plan an elaborate wedding in 30 days, even though she hasn’t landed a groom. While the setup sounds like a standard Hollywood farce, writer/director Rama Burshtein adds some original elements, thoughtful and clever dialogue and elicits a winning performance from her leading lady, Noa Koler. “The Wedding…

It may seem early to start a “Worst Movies of the Year” list, but surely “Baywatch” will qualify. A raunchy parody of the old TV series, “Baywatch” struggles to mine a few meager laughs from gross-out jokes, but it drowns in its own off-color excesses. Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron have charisma and the female cast members provide plenty of cheesecake, but they’re efforts can’t resuscitate this victim.   And speaking of shipwrecks, Johnny Depp’s latest appearance as Capt. Jack Sparrow isn’t enough to save the bloated adventure, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the fifth entry in the popular series. The production values are stupendous and it has some dazzling action sequences, but the plot is so perplexing that it seems like they were making it up as they went along. An Easter Egg after the credits hints that there may be one more episode in the works.   Reclusive actress Debra Winger and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tracy Letts star in “The Lovers,” a comic drama about an aging married couple who are both involved in extramarital affairs. Things get complicated when they start cheating on their lovers…with each other. It’s beautifully acted and more than…

While Ridley Scott’s newest “Alien” prequel “Alien: Covenant” doesn’t add much that’s new, it does fill in the blanks. We now know where the creatures came from. Fans of the franchise should enjoy the action and mayhem that this origin story provides, even though it all seems a bit too familiar. Still, it’s a spectacular production that manages to make you jump even though you know what’s around the corner.   In the high-concept teen romance “Everything, Everything,” a homebound girl suffering from immunodeficiency problems falls in love with the boy next door through her bedroom window. Will she step outside to be with him even though it could kill her? What do you think? This sweet but very predictable film based on the YA novel has likable stars in Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson, so it should appeal to its teen target audience. Others, beware.   Richard Gere gives one of the top performances of his career in “Norman,” the story of an aging Jewish con man who befriends a high-ranking Israeli government official and uses the connection to wheel and deal among the Jewish business elites of New York City. Smart filmmaking and a top-notch supporting cast help…

Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn are two comic stars that bring a lot of personal appeal to their roles. Audience goodwill may be tested, however, with their broad and raunchy comedy, “Snatched.” Schumer plays a colossally irresponsible twentysomething dumped by her boyfriend on the eve of a romantic trip to Equador. She decides to take her reluctant mom on the vacation instead. As you’d expect, things go painfully awry. There are some shamelessly funny moments along the way, but “Snatched” is essentially an R-rated sitcom that glosses over some borderline racist elements on the way to its predictable finale. It’s likeable cast escapes unscathed.   The low budget Australian horror flick “The Hounds of Love” is one of the most disturbing, off-putting dramas you’re likely to see. A pair of serial killers abducts a teenaged girl for a torturous sexual threesome. Her only hope of survival is to drive a wedge between them. Yes, the subject matter is brutal, but the film debut of writer-director Ben Young is beautifully shot and thoughtfully acted.   Also opening this week, director Guy Ritchie brings his over-the-top action sensibilities to the tale of Excalibur with “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.” “The Wall”…

Ten years ago, the harrowing Romanian abortion drama “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” marked the arrival of a major new talent, filmmaker Christian Mungiu (Chris-tee-ann Mon-JEEW). His latest effort, “Graduation,” won him the Best Director Award at the most recent Cannes Film Festival. Starkly realistic and involving, “Graduation” examines what occurs when good people compromise their principles when faced with a moral dilemma.   Adrian Titieni plays Romeo, a middle-aged doctor who wants only the best for his bright and ambitious daughter, hoping he can get her out of repressed Romania and into a prestigious British university. She can get a scholarship if she aces her high school exit exams. Just before exams day, however, she’s sexually assaulted and the emotionally drained girl underperforms on her tests. Her frustrated dad decides to pull some strings that could help her cheat on her follow-up tests.   Mungiu’s naturalistic story is complex and compelling as it fills us in on the details of Romeo’s life. The tension mounts as we come to understand his motives and put ourselves in his shoes. Would we act differently? What are the compromises we might make to ensure the success and safety of our children?…

It’s no accident that “The Promise” is the second war drama to open in the last few weeks that’s set in Turkey during the run up to WWI. The earlier film, “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” gives the Turkish point of view, minimizing the cost of the conflict to the Armenian people. “The Promise” supports the view of an Armenian genocide. “The Promise” is a romantic triangle about an Armenian medical student, played by Oscar Isaac, who falls for an Armenian nanny, played by Charlotte Le Bon. Problem is, the nanny’s boyfriend is an American journalist, played by Christian Bale, and the Turks are about to wipe them all out. Beautifully acted and produced, this respectable historical epic is far better than “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” but still never quite catches fire, romantically or politically.   “The Lost City of Z” is based on the true story of a British explorer who may have been the inspiration for Indiana Jones. Charlie Hunnam plays Percy Fawcett, the man who risked life and limb to repeatedly explore the Amazon rainforest in the early 1900s in order to prove his theory that an advanced civilization once thrived there. A slowly paced epic that clocks in at…

When “The Fast and the Furious” debuted in 2001, it was inspired by a true story about LA street racers. Now that we’re on the eighth entry, the series has morphed into an over-the-top sci-fi action extravaganza that makes James Bond adventures seem like realistic documentaries by comparison. In “The Fate of the Furious,” Vin Diesel’s Dom Torretto has gone rouge, joining forces with villain Charlize Theron in an attempt to steal nuclear codes and take over the world. It’s all an excuse for well staged cinematic mayhem, most of it computer generated. While it’s rousing and goofy fun, it all can be summed up in the name of one of its stars: Ludacris.   Young McKenna Grace gives one of the best child performances you’re likely to see in “Gifted,” the story of a seven-year-old math genius whose guardian uncle, played by Chris Evans, tries to help her fit in while fending off her meddling, manipulative grandmother. Octavia Spencer, Jenny Slate and Lindsay Duncan round out a fine cast. The performances elevate this touching tale that, in lesser hands, could have been as corny as a Lifetime TV movie.   “Colossal” is a well-acted cinematic experiment that doesn’t always…

There are three Oscar winners in the buddy comedy, “Going in Style” and their presence gives this broad, shopworn farce a very big boost. A loose remake of the 1979 George Burns movie of the same name, “Going in Style” stars Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin as three retirees who, faced with financial difficulties, decide to rob a bank. Director Zach Braff takes a very lighthearted approach to the material and, as a result, it’s less credible than the thoughtful original. But, thankfully, the three stars bring innate likeability and class to their roles. “Going in Style” may lack style, but it’s a crowd-pleaser.   It’s clear that the grisly horror flick “The Void” was inspired by the work of H. P. Lovecraft and John Carpenter. But this derivative gore-fest was clearly written as an excuse for its filmmakers to showcase their skills in over-the-top makeup effects. In a small, isolated town, members of a murderous cult surround a hospital where an evil entity has taken over the bodies of innocent folks, transforming them into hideous beasts. This deadly serious ode to 80s horror movies could have used a dose of humor, but it delivers the shudders for…

The first live-action adaptation of the phenomenally popular Japanese manga comic and anime series “Ghost in the Shell” finally reaches the big screen. Scarlett Johansson plays a woman who is given cyber-enhancement after a near fatal accident. She’s then recruited as a crime fighter, but like Jason Bourne, seeks to recover her true identity. This fantasy is a step up for filmmaker Rupert Sanders, best known for the over the top TV commercials. His last effort was the big budget opus, “Snow White and the Huntsman.” He captures the comic's strange, dark tone of paranoia, but "Ghost in the Shell" is uniquely Japanese, so they should have cast it that way. “Land of Mine” is an Oscar-nominated Danish drama about one of the shameful moments in Denmark’s history. Right after WWII, a group of German POWs, mostly boys, was forced into what was essentially a suicide mission. Their task was to remove hundreds of active mines on the Danish coastline that were left there by German troops. Although it is a wrenching and disturbing film to watch, it underscores how hatred and bitterness can cloud our thinking. It also shows that it’s possible to grow out of it. Also opening…

Is there life in “Life?” This sci-fi thriller features Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds as astronauts who confront a deadly new species on their voyage to Mars. The film owes a bit too much of its inspiration to the classic “Alien,” but thanks to a good cast and competent execution, “Life” nearly overcomes most of its genre clichés.   Hollywood legend Shirley MacLaine is perfectly cast as a nasty old lady in the comic drama, “The Last Word.” Since no one has anything nice to say about her, an unlikable octogenarian hires a writer, played by Amanda Seyfried, to pen a flattering obituary. The actors are fine, but the effort seems labored. “The Last Word” misses the opportunity to mine an interesting, original premise.   Woody Harrelson plays the misanthropic title character in “Wilson,” a bleak, R-rated adaptation of Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel. The film attempts a very uneasy mix of mean-spiritedness and cloying sentimentality. While the cast is terrific, the characters in this dark comedy are so clueless and unlikable that their actions elicit more groans than laughs.   Also opening this week, “Slamma Jamma” is a faith-based drama about a wrongfully imprisoned ex-con who attempts a comeback through…

It’s a tale as old as time, but when Disney goes back to the well it’s usually worth the trip. The 1991 animated classic “Beauty and the Beast” gets a rousing ‘live-action’ reboot, although I use the term “Live-action” loosely when there’s this much computer animation involved. Emma Watson steps out of the world of Harry Potter and into the role of Belle, the provincial French beauty who warms the heart of a cursed beast, played by “Downton Abby’s” Dan Stevens.   The production values are first rate, the terrific music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman is mostly well delivered, but the addition of some unnecessary new tunes by Menken and Tim Rice slows things down, ballooning the running time from the original’s 85 minutes to two hours and nine minutes.   Yet, there’s plenty of movie magic and heart-tugging sentiment in this $160 million 3-D extravaganza. While it doesn’t live up to the standard of the Oscar-winning original, this new “Beast” has a “Beauty” all its own and hits an emotional bull’s-eye.   Can a youthful mistake be amended in one’s old age? What if the memory of it is unreliable? These are the central questions behind the…

There are those who may think that Hollywood has given us way too many giant monster movies already. But I felt like a giddy kid at an old-time Saturday matinee when I saw “Kong: Skull Island.” This action-packed fantasy adventure employs eye-popping state of the art special effects to create believably scary creatures and an exotic environment. But, most importantly, establishes a sense of wonder and the feel of genuine peril.   A team of explorers, led by an obsessed John Goodman, travel to an uncharted island in 1973. He’s the only one who realizes the real dangers that lurk there. The terrific cast also includes Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson. But John C. Reilly nearly steals the movie as a shell-shocked WWII veteran who miraculously survived for on the island 30 years.   But the real star is the movie’s titular colossus who protects the natives and his dangerous turf from a wild assortment of gigantic monsters. It’s violent enough to more than earn it’s PG-13 rating, but “Kong: Skull Island” is also funny and involving even if it’s script adds nothing new to the genre. I give this Kong four out of five giant bananas.…

In what is being touted as his final big-screen appearance as “Logan,” aka Wolverine, Hugh Jackman is back as a tired, aging and worn out mutant, a far cry from his glory days with X-Men. In the ultra-violent flick “Logan,” he reluctantly protects a young girl who may be his daughter as well as the sickly Professor X, played by Patrick Stewart. This R-rated blood-fest has plenty of action and more depth than most superhero movies, but some may question the ethics of children participating in the sadistic carnage.   “The Salesman” is the winner of this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Asghar Farhadi’s intriguing suspense drama involves a couple that gets more than they bargained for when they move into a new apartment in the middle of Tehran. It’s intricately plotted, skillfully acted, realistic and heartbreaking. Once again, Farhadi demonstrates why he’s one of the world’s finest filmmakers.   An appealing cast and some amusing moments may not be quite enough to make “Table 19” worth a sit down. Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson are among a group of misfits that get stuck together at the worst table at a wedding reception and find out…