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Filmmaker Ron Howard's latest movie "Eden" ain't paradise. In fact, the gifted director's awkward survival drama can't find a consistent pace or tone. Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Sidney Sweeney and Daniel Bruhl star in the remarkable true story of Germans who fled to the Galapagos Islands in 1929 to escape fascism. Their search for ideal living devolved into an antisocial nightmare. Despite the efforts of a strong cast, "Eden" is a dour disappointment. Filmmaker Ethan Cohen once again ventures into a project without his brother, Joel. Margaret Qualley stars in "Honey, Don't," an amoral black comedy neo-noir thriller about a lesbian private eye investigating mysterious deaths in barren Bakersfield, CA. “Honey, Don’t” is sleazy, violent and dopey in equal measure. Ethan, call your brother. The zippy and clever thriller "Relay" has a unique element. Riz Ahmed plays a secret go-between who brokers deals between corrupt corporations and whistleblowers. His efforts to protect one client, played by Lily James, gets complicated when he gets emotionally involved. Smart, suspenseful and sharply directed by David Macenzie, "Relay" is an involving white knuckler with something on its mind. Vanessa Kirby of "Fantastic Four" fame gives an intense, committed performance in the stark Netflix social drama, "Night Always Comes." Based on the bestselling novel, it's the story of a Portland woman who spends one desperate night trying to come up with $25,000 to ensure she and her family won't be thrown out of their home. While the cast excels, “Night Always Comes” is a meandering film doesn't have a firm grip on its moral compass.

If the uber-talented assassin John Wick had been a family man, his movie might have looked a bit like "Nobody 2." Bob Odenkirk returns in the sequel to his surprise 2021 hit that blended bloody stunt work and cheeky humor. RZA, Christopher Lloyd and Connie Nielsen also return for round two. This time out, Bob takes the family on vacation to an aging amusement village where he manages to cross a notorious and ruthless crime boss, played by Sharon Stone. “Nobody 2” is a wild ride that goes a bit too far but is bolstered by terrific stunt work and a likable cast. The Netflix comedy "Fixed" may be animated but is definitely not for the kiddies. This lude and painfully obvious farce is about a dog that has one aggressively decadent night before he is to be neutered. Adam Devine, Idris Elba and Kathryn Hahn lend their voices to what is essentially a one-joke movie overloaded with excessively crass and grossout scatological elements. “Fixed” is made for adults, but the humor is strictly juvenile. The gritty slice-of-life drama "East of Wall" was one of the winners at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. It’s a docu drama inspired by the hardscrabble lives of South Dakota horse trainer Tabitha Zimiga and her teenage daughter Porshia. They play themselves as filmmaker Kate Beecroft dramatizes Tabitha's attempts to care for wild horses as well as a passel of wayward teenagers all while navigating multiple personal tragedies. While the pacing is a bit sluggish and the dialogue iffy, "East of Wall" is strengthened by its unapologetic realism.

Sometimes familiarity is what audiences want, and Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan deliver just that in "Freakier Friday," the sequel to their 2003 comic fantasy, "Freaky Friday." This time out, the supernatural body swap involves four characters including Lindsay's daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter. The complications and sentimentality are predictable, but the cast is obviously having a ball and fans of the original will, too. The wildly imaginative and weirdly unsettling horror flick "Weapons" is a creatively made slow burn creepfest. Julia Garner and Josh Brolin are excellent in the tale of 17 children who mysteriously disappear from the same grade school class. The story unfolds by jumping back-and-forth in time to work its way under your skin. "Weapons" should give even hardcore horror buffs a case of the shudders. If Stephen King wrote a horror movie for kids, it might look a bit like "Sketch." A troubled little girl draws monstrous images in her notebook in an attempt to cope with her mother's death. When the pictures are accidentally dumped into a magical pond, the destructive creatures come to life. While "Sketch" is an inventive and sweet PG family feature, it might still be a bit too scary for very young kids. Scarlett Johansson and Sienna Miller star in “My Mother’s Wedding,” a sentimental comic drama that marks the writing and directing debut of actress Kristin Scott Thomas. Three bickering sisters attend their widowed mother’s weekend nuptials and old emotional wounds are reopened. It’s being trashed by most critics, but “My Mother’s Wedding” is a pleasant enough timewaster that doesn’t quite deserve the wrath of the haters.

The extremely creepy and highly original body horror flick "Together" is a date movie for the truly twisted. Real life husband-and-wife Dave Franco and Allison Brie play a struggling couple who encounter a supernatural force that draws them close...closer than anyone would ever want to be. The cast is terrific and the sly and witty script makes some pointed observations about relationships. "Together" is undoubtedly where horror fans will gather. The 80s absurdist crime spoof TV series "Police Squad" morphed into the often hilarious three-movie "Naked Gun" franchise starring Leslie Nielson. The reboot stars Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebbin, Jr. and he's well cast. While the new filmmakers work hard to recapture the preposterous tone and pace of the old series, many of the jokes just don't land. I may be the Grinch on this one, but "The Naked Gun" is a minor misfire. The animated action comedy "The Bad Guys" was a surprise hit in 2022. The not so surprising sequel "The Bad Guys 2" is about a gang of animal outlaws turned good guys who are blackmailed into one more shady caper by a band of female criminals. It's fast paced and goofy, providing more of the same cheeky antics. It may be too much of the same, but the kids won't mind. “She Rides Shotgun” is a gritty and violent action thriller starring Taron Egerton as an ex-con fleeing a vicious drug gang. He must also protect his 11-year-old daughter, sharply played by Ana Sophia Heger, from them taking out their vengeance on her. It doesn’t all ring true, but “She Rides Shotgun” is still an engaging and disturbing crime drama.

As a Marvel property, The Fantastic Four has been downright snakebit. There have been four live-action box office disappointments plus one in the 90s that was never even released. Thankfully, […]

The post Freeze Frame: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” (PG-13), “Oh, Hi!” (R) appeared first on KKFI.

“I Know What You Did Last Summer”…and it’s pretty much the same thing you did in 1997. This reboot of the slasher franchise is about self-centered teens who cover up […]

The post Freeze Frame: “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (R), “Finally Dawn” (R), “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight” (R) appeared first on KKFI.

Do you long for the classic Superman, one whose main aspiration is wanting to do the right thing for humanity? If so, then writer/director James Gunn’s new take on the […]

The post Freeze Frame: “Superman” (PG-13), “Brick” (R), “Hotspring Shark Attack” (Not rated) appeared first on KKFI.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” is the seventh installment in the wildly popular sci-fi franchise. Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali lead a covert expedition to recover dinosaur blood samples from living specimens […]

The post Freeze Frame: “Jurassic World: Rebirth” (PG-13), “The Old Guard 2” (R), “Heads of State” (R) appeared first on KKFI.

They have the need…the need for speed. If you’ve seen “Top Gun: Maverick,” just take the planes and substitute formula one race cars, and -‘presto’- you’ve got “F1 The Movie.” […]

The post Freeze Frame: “F1 THE MOVIE” (PG-13), “MY MOM JAYNE” (TV-MA) appeared first on KKFI.

The family sci-fi comedy “Elio” stands as yet another example of why Pixar remains the gold standard for animation. They get the story right before building the spectacular visuals. A […]

The post Freeze Frame: “Elio” (PG), “28 Years Later” (R), “Deep Cover” (R), “Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical” (TV-PG) appeared first on KKFI.

The live action remake of the terrific, animated fantasy “How to Train Your Dragon” may not be better than the original, but it’s possibly its equal. It’s an enjoyable adaptation […]

The post Freeze Frame: “How to Train Your Dragon” (PG), “The Life of Chuck” (R), “The Unholy Trinity” (R), Echo Valley (R) appeared first on KKFI.

“Ballerina” from the world of John Wick is an over-the-top action thriller that’s really an extended stunt reel. In the fifth film in the bloody franchise, Ana de Armas plays […]

The post Freeze Frame: “Ballerina” (R), “Dangerous Animals” (R), “Predator: Killer of Killers” (R), “Mountainhead” (R) appeared first on KKFI.

The quirky black comedy “The Phoenician Scheme” is the most “Wes Anderson-y” Wes Anderson movie yet. Benicio del Toro leads an all-star cast in the story of a corrupt 50’s […]

The post Freeze Frame: “The Phoenician Scheme” (PG-13), “Bring Her Back” (R), “Lulu is a Rhinoceros” (TV-Y7) appeared first on KKFI.

Move over “Barbenheimer,” it’s time for the “Stitch Impossible” weekend. The live-action remake of Disney’s 2002 animated hit “Lilo & Stitch” has landed on Earth, with our fugitive alien befriending […]

The post Freeze Frame: “Lilo and Stitch” (PG), “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (PG-13), “Fountain of Youth” (PG-13) appeared first on KKFI.