Freeze Frame

The films from writer/director M. Knight Shyamalan are always a crap shoot. When he finds his stride, as he did with “The Sixth Sense” and “Signs,” his movies create an effective and otherworldly atmosphere. When he loses his grasp, as with “The Last Airbender” and “The Happening,” it’s hard to believe that it’s the same filmmaker. His latest thriller is “Glass,” a dark comic book movie that provi...

It’s time to take a look back at the movie year. Here is my list of the ten best movies of 2018. (Scroll down to see my list of the WORST films of the year!)   10) HEARTS BEAT LOUD (PG-13) “Hearts Beat Loud” is a charming, low-key comic father-daughter drama that’s sweet-natured and has an appealing pop score.   9) A QUIET PLACE (PG-13) Director/star John Krasinski delivers something original with...

Looking for a cheery comedy for the holiday season? How about a movie featuring the warm and loveable former Defense Secretary and George W. Bush Vice President Dick Cheney? “Vice” is an offbeat political black comedy from the mind of writer/director Adam McKay, the guy behind the 2015 satiric civics lesson “The Big Short.” As you might guess, “Vice” is a scathing take down of the Republican opera...

The 1964 classic “Mary Poppins” was practically perfect in every way. Although Disney’s cheery sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns” is nearly a slavish remake, Emily Blunt is delightful. “Mary Poppins Returns” […] The post Freeze Frame: “Mary Poppins Returns” (PG), “Aquaman” (PG-13), “Ben is Back” (R), “Vox Lux” (R), “Mary Queen of Scots” (R), “Shoplifters” (R), “Welcome to Marwen” (PG-13) appeared firs...

Filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón can go ahead and make space on his mantle for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar he’ll receive for “Roma,” a fond recollection of his childhood in Mexico City. Newcomer Yalitza Aparicio leads the film as Cuarón’s beloved nanny, Cleo, an indigenous woman with more than her share of problems. There isn’t much of a plot to speak of, but it’s a heartfelt and beautifully phot...

A strong performance by Wilem Defoe is the main attraction of the eccentric biopic "At Eternity's Gate," the story of the last days in the life of Vincent Van Gogh. Filmmaker Julian Schnabel is also a renowned artist, so this ambitious arthouse entry may have special appeal to aesthetes.   While lofty pretentions aren’t a bad thing, Schnabel’s instance on herky-jerky camera work and glacial pace g...

Fans of Japanese anime will find much to love in "Mirai," a beautifully produced epic that takes on grandiose philosophical ideas in the guise of a simple family film about the importance of sibling ties. Problem is, its themes will probably fly over the heads of most kids. The movie has received rapturous reviews in many circles, but to my mind, it concentrates a bit too much on pushing its viewp...

The strange story of the rise-and-fall story of 1988 Presidential candidate Gary Hart should have been a riveting political drama. "The Front Runner" is workmanlike and well-acted but lacks the dramatic arc that would have made it a winner. Hugh Jackman stars as the Democratic contender who was riding high until he challenged journalists to follow him around if they thought he was doing anything w...

KC native screenwriter Gillian Flynn might finally get the Oscar love that eluded her for "Gone Girl." "Widows" is a fierce and gritty heist movie that is also a potent, beautifully acted social drama with powerhouse performances from Viola Davis and Daniel Kaluuya. It's disturbing, realistic and easily one of the best movies of the year. If “Ocean’s 11” had had a social conscience, it would have...

Shakespeare said it best. "Brevity is the soul of wit." The classic 1966 animated TV version of Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Chuck Jones proves that Shakespeare was right. “The Grinch” was perfect at 26 touching minutes. While the new computer-generated adaptation is pleasant enough, at 86 minutes, it seems a bit padded. Benedict Cumberbatch provides the voice of the Grinch and o...

This is what "Bohemian Rhapsody" is NOT: The definitive biopic about Freddie Mercury of Queen. This is what it IS: A very entertaining overview of the British rock band that features a powerhouse performance by Rami Malek. It skims the surface, but in an engaging way. Disney's gargantuan reworking of the famous fairytale and ballet, "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" takes a lot of liberties wit...

A game cast isn't quite enough to keep the submarine thriller "Hunter Killer" afloat. Gerard Butler plays Captain Joe Glass, the square-jawed leader of an American nuclear sub that is called upon to fulfill a unique mission: To save the leader of Russia from an internal military coup. There are so many improbabilities in "Hunter Killer" that audiences are forced to suspend disbelief more than for...

It’s been 40 years since the masked killer Michael Meyers slashed his way into movie infamy in the horror classic “Halloween,” but there was one victim who got away. After decades in an asylum, Michael escapes to finally finish things with Laurie Strode in the reboot of “Halloween.” Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie and Nick Castle is back as Michael. Filmmaker David Gordon Green’s film dispenses...

Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle goes from “La La Land” to outer space with “First Man.” Ryan Gosling plays the ultra-reserved astronaut Neil Armstrong and Claire Foy is his devoted wife, Janet. It’s beautifully produced, but like Armstrong himself, “First Man” is emotionally aloof.   “Bad Times at the El Royale” is half of a great movie. This slick and violent grindhouse exploitation flick...

There are two words that best describe the fourth big screen version of the old Hollywood chestnut, “A Star is Born”: Oscar bait. Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are impressive in this tragic romance about an alcoholic musician on the downslide and his protégé who’s on the rise. Cooper directed and co-wrote this update, his first foray behind the camera. He also provides his own songs. In her movie d...

The themes in the animated goof “Smallfoot” may be a bit heavy-handed, but it’s still a modestly amusing musical lark. Channing Tatum provides the voice of Migo, a giant yeti living in an isolated village atop a hidden mountain in Nepal. He’s banished when he claims to have seen a smallfoot…that is, a human… which is believed to be mythical. The voice cast includes Common, Zendaya, LaBron James an...

“The House with a Clock in its Walls” is an atmospheric PG-rated horror movie for kids based on John Bellairs’ novel. Jack Black and Cate Blanchett star in this story about witchcraft, a young kid and a particularly spooky house. Fans of “Harry Potter,” “Goosebumps” and “Lemony Snicket” will find much that’s familiar here, but this adaptation isn’t quite as successful as any of them. Plus, “The Ho...

“The Predator” is the fifth entry in the popular alien huntsman series. Writer/director Shane Black offers lots of chaotic violence as well as a good deal of jokey humor. Jacob Tremblay, who may be the best child actor working today, plays a kid genius who becomes an alien target. Fans of the series, yes. Others, no.   A highly controlled and nuanced performance by Glenn Close is the main attracti...

Do you miss the good old “Death Wish” days when Charles Bronson took the law into his own hands and meted out vigilante justice against all manner of bad guys? Well, Jennifer Garner essentially has stepped into Bronson’s shoes in the new thriller, “Peppermint.” Garner plays a woman whose husband and daughter are killed by an LA drug gang. When the justice system lets them all off the hook, Jen goe...

Audiences always say they want something different from Hollywood. “Searching,” a tense thriller with a unique gimmick, fills the bill. All of the action takes place on a computer screen. John Cho and Debra Messing star in the story of a father who uses the internet to frantically search for his missing daughter. The story is involving, so the gimmick works. “Kin” is an action drama mashup of sci-...

Some foul-mouthed puppets behaving in degenerate ways provide the gimmick in the one-joke movie, “The Happytime Murders.” Jim Henson’s son, Brian Henson, takes his puppetry skills into the R-rated realm with this raunchy and vulgar comedy. Melissa McCarthy plays a police detective who reunites with her former puppet partner to find a serial killer targeting stars from a 1980s TV puppet show. The s...

You’ve seen it all before, but not like this and not with this cast and not at this locale. “Crazy Rich Asians” is a very likable Cinderella story, a romantic comedy that seems fresh due to its engaging all-Asian cast, feel-good vibe and amusing script. It’s a sweet wish-fulfillment fantasy, the positive Ying to “Fifty Shades of Grey’s” negative Yang.   “Alpha” is a visually spectacular pre-histor...

If it weren’t true, you might not believe it. “BlacKkKlansman” tells the remarkable true story of a black Colorado police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s. Director Spike Lee, who co-wrote the screenplay with KU professor Kevin Willmott, recharges his career with a film that is funny, incendiary, thought-provoking, unnerving and oh-so relevant in contemporary America. John Dav...

Disney continues its strategy of making so-called live-action films featuring characters from its animated classics. Ewan McGregor plays the troubled “Christopher Robin,” a grown-up who has lost touch with the magic of childhood. Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood step into the real world to help him reconnect with his family and rediscover joy. Although bea...

At age 56, it may seem impossible for Tom Cruise to do his own stunts, pilot doomed helicopters, run his own cameras and lead high-speed motorcycle chases. But he and his co-stars do all this and more in the sixth entry in the breathless action franchise, “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must attain three nuclear warheads from powerful and skilled anarchists before the...