Freeze Frame

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) THE FLORIDA PROJECT (R) The poor who live on the fringes of society are the focus of “The Florida Project,” a realistic slice of life drama set […]

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) THE FLORIDA PROJECT (R) The poor who live on the …

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 …

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 …

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 …