Freeze Frame

The remake of the classic 70s blaxploitation flick “Superfly” replaces gritty with glossy. Trevor Jackson plays an ultra-smooth Atlanta drug dealer who tries to arrange one last big score and get out of the game. This violent crime drama is slick and competently made but adds nothing new or notable and looks more like a music video than a movie. The score has a few snippets of Curtis Mayfield’s great songs from the original. Low-key charm is not a quality that’s valued much in an age of special effects-heavy blockbusters. But it’s the very thing that propels the comic father-daughter drama “Hearts Beat Loud.” Nick Offerman plays an irresponsible man who wants his daughter, played by Kiersey Clemons, to be in a pop band with him. She wants to go off to medical school. “Hears Beat Loud” is sweet-natured and has an appealing pop score. Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, Hannibal Buress and a spunky cast seem to be enjoying a vacation with the goofy comedy “Tag.” They play lifelong pals who’ve carried on a game of tag once a month for 26 years. While it’s modestly fun, it never seems credible even though it was based on a…

Flip the script, make the con men con women, but keep the cheeky feel. That seems to be the thought process behind the comic heist spin-off, “Ocean’s Eight.” Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and a bevy of talented actresses fill the …

Flip the script, make the con men con women, but keep the cheeky feel. That seems to be the thought process behind the comic heist spin-off, "Ocean's Eight." Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and a bevy of talented actresses fill the roles but aren't really challenged by the material. Still, they seem to be having fun. Anne Hathaway, doing something of a self-parody as a vacuous actress, has the only meaty role. Jodi Foster and Sterling K. Brown lead an impressive cast in the dark and violent sci-fi crime thriller, “Hotel Artemis.” In a riot-torn near future LA, gunshot victims visit a secret private hospital for criminals only. It’s well produced, but this grindhouse-style entry doesn’t quite nail the electric pace it sorely needs. Filmmaker Paul Schrader examines the twin themes of faith and environmentalism in the thoughtful drama “First Reformed.” Ethan Hawke plays the parish pastor of a 250-year-old New England church who tries to balance his beliefs and his despair when one of his parishioners commits suicide. Hawke is very good, as is the supporting cast that includes Amanda Seyfried and Cedric the Entertainer, and newcomer Van Hansis. Schrader poses probing questions that aren’t easily answered, framed within an…

If you’re planning a boat trip any time soon, you may not want to see “Adrift,” a harrowing true story. Shailene Woodley plays Tami Oldham, a young woman whose sailboat was severely damaged by a storm when she and her …

If you’re planning a boat trip any time soon, you may not want to see “Adrift,” a harrowing true story. Shailene Woodley plays Tami Oldham, a young woman whose sailboat was severely damaged by a storm when she and her boyfriend, played by Sam Claflin, were attempting a trans-Atlantic trip. With little hope of survival, she had to muster some nearly superhuman determination to save herself and her loved one. This traumatic story is well produced and acted, but it’s also agonizing to sit through. You have to admire the tenacity and courage Oldham demonstrated, but if you’re prone to seasickness, you may want to keep an extra popcorn bag handy.  “The Rider” was inspired by another harrowing true story. This ultra-realistic low-budget indie from writer-director Chloé Zhao has won a number of film festival awards. It features a non-professional cast in the tale of a contemporary cowboy. Brady Jandreau plays a slightly fictionalized version of himself, a young bronc rider from South Dakota who endures a near-fatal head injury. He has to do some serious self-examination to determine how to proceed with his life when he realizes he won’t be able to pursue his professional rodeo dreams.  Jandreau is…

If there is a litmus test for the new Star Wars entry “Solo,” it lies in one’s perception of actor Alden Ehrenreich who takes on the role of the young Han Solo, once embodied by the one-and-only Harrison Ford. Can …

If there is a litmus test for the new Star Wars entry “Solo,” it lies in one’s perception of actor Alden Ehrenreich who takes on the role of the young Han Solo, once embodied by the one-and-only Harrison Ford. Can this young upstart capture the swagger, arrogance and sense of humor that Ford brought to the part? For my money, I say, “Yes.” Directed -at least in part- by Oscar-winner Ron Howard, “Solo” is a worthy entry in the “Star Wars” canon, a handsomely produced spectacle and involving origin story that finally reveals how the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. We also discover how Han befriended Chewbacca, how he won his ship from Lando Calrissian, played by the charismatic Donald Glover. We’re introduced to his first love, played by Emilia Clarke from “Game of Thrones,” and the leader of a roguish band of thieves, played by Woody Harrelson. While “Solo” isn’t in the class of the original classic “Star Wars” trilogy, it’s more involving and a lot more fun than the other prequels. As Han once said, “You like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.” From the other…

Shamelessly raunchy, unapologetically profane and completely irreverent, Marvel’s R-rated 2016 superhero parody “Deadpool” became a surprise box office smash. The equally obscene sequel doesn’t quite match it, but with a zippy pace, well-staged action and Ryan Reynolds’ cheeky performance, “Deadpool …

Shamelessly raunchy, unapologetically profane and completely irreverent, Marvel’s R-rated 2016 superhero parody “Deadpool” became a surprise box office smash. The equally obscene sequel doesn’t quite match it, but with a zippy pace, well-staged action and Ryan Reynolds’ cheeky performance, “Deadpool 2” comes close. Marvelites will relish the movie’s self-referential humor, cocky attitude and energy. For hardcore fans, “Deadpool 2” is dead on. The sex lives of women of a certain age get the lighthearted sitcom treatment in “Book Club.” Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen play friends who are inspired to spice up their love lives when they read “Fifty Shades of Grey.” It’s all very cardboard and cliché, but a great cast makes it seem better than it is. Strong performances from Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola propel the thoughtful drama, “Disobedience.” Weisz plays a worldly photographer who returns to her stifling Orthodox Jewish community upon the death of her father. She rekindles a lesbian romance with McAdams, the wife of a young rabbi. It’s slow moving but builds to an emotional payoff. John Carroll Lynch and Matt Bomer star in “Anything,” a well-meaning but fitful drama about a widower and his relationship with…

Can Melissa McCarthy breathe life into a tired comedy formula? Well, she gives it the old college try in “Life of the Party.” When dumped by her husband, McCarthy decides to go back to college, the same school her daughter …