Freeze Frame

If ever there were a role designed to attract gold statuettes, this is it. The last tragic months in the life of Hollywood legend Judy Garland provide Renée Zellweger the role of a lifetime in “Judy.” After 30 years of drugs, insomnia and loveless marriages, Garland attempts a comeback on the London stage. Zellweger captures the physical and emotional fragility of the offstage Judy even though she’s not quite able to nail Garland’s on-stage magnetism. The movie’s execution is pedestrian, but Zellweger’s empathetic performance boosts “Judy” a notch above the standard biopic.   Following “Smallfoot” and “Missing Link,” the animated family flick “Abominable” is the third animated movie about a yeti in the past year…and it’s probably the best of the three. A young abominable snowman escapes from an evil corporation. A teen girl and two friends help the magical creature return to his home on Mount Everest. Although the story feels like they were making it up as they went along, “Abominable” is a likable and beautifully animated fantasy.   From the “What on Earth were they thinking?” file comes the redneck comedy, “The Death of Dick Long.” Two bumbling hicks in a small Southern town dump a bleeding…

Brad Pitt takes an impassioned space odyssey in the earnest sci-fi epic, “Ad Astra.” Pitt plays an astronaut who is sent to the far reaches of our solar system to see if he can locate his long-lost scientist father, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who is believed to still be living on a remote research facility orbiting Neptune. Problem is, dear old dad’s pesky experiments appear to be bombarding Earth with deadly rays.   Written and directed by James Gray, this ambitious film attempts nothing less than to probe the emotional gravity of the father-son relationship. Pitt gives an extremely subtle but utterly effective performance which carries the movie to the stars. Plus, the visuals in this big screen spectacle are truly sensational. Problem is, “Ad Astra” lacks a satisfying conclusion. It takes us on an intriguing and involving journey, but the destination is empty space.   Also opening this week, Sylvester Stallone returns to the role of “Rambo” for the fifth time in the action thriller, “Rambo: Last Blood.” This time out, the former Green Beret veteran goes to Mexico to save his niece kidnapped by a cartel.  And, yes, Stallone is already planning a sixth entry in the…

Jennifer Lopez gives an assured and charismatic performance in “Hustlers,” the true story of some Manhattan strippers who, during the financial crisis of 2008, began drugging and ripping off their Wall Street clients. Constance Wu plays a stripping newbie J-Lo takes under her wing. The ethics of this female empowerment story are dubious, but “Hustlers” […]

Jillian Bell gives a star-making performance in the comic drama, “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” the story of an overweight Manhattan party girl who tries to break out of her personal rut through running. It’s smart and often funny. The only problem is that this story about a marathon is its pace. Still, "Brittany" finishes strong. “Tigers Are Not Afraid” is a Mexican horror fantasy for the arthouse crowd. The drug wars and childhood homelessness cross paths with magic realism in this beautifully filmed but disturbing and gritty adult fairytale. It doesn’t all work, but it’s impressive just the same. Wanna see lots of spectacular car wrecks? Then the Indy car film “Rapid Response” fills the bill. It’s about the rise of emergency medical teams on race sites and the safety protocols that have significantly reduced injuries and fatalities over the years. It’s a surprisingly engaging documentary. “David Crosby: Remember My Name” is a documentary about the notoriously contemptuous rock icon who managed to alienate virtually everyone he worked with while simultaneously making some great pop music. While involving, the movie is as enigmatic as its subject. Rebecca Romijn stars as the head of a witches’ coven searching for a virgin…

Two of America’s finest actresses attempt a gender flip remake of the acclaimed 2006 Danish drama, “After the Wedding.” Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams both do terrific wrok here, but their performances aren’t enough to help this soapy reboot make an effective emotional connection. Moore plays a zillionaire corporate executive who manipulates the charity-minded Williams into attending her daughter’s wedding. Things get increasingly implausible as we discover her ulterior motives. “After the Wedding” is watchable, but only for the chance to see two formidable talents share the screen. “After the Wedding” is no honeymoon.   If tales of sex, drugs and eighties rock give you pangs of nostalgia, then the unrated Mexican drama “This is Not Berlin” may have some appeal for you. The bohemian nightlife scene of 80s Mexico City provides the backdrop for this coming-of-age story about a couple of teen boys who get in over their heads when they explore their town’s equivalent of Andy Warhol’s Factory. While the movie effectively establishes a gritty atmosphere and captures a sense of time and place, the story is very self-indulgent and off-putting and the various plot points are tied up a bit too neatly. Intentional or not, “This is…

“Ready or Not” is a shamelessly violent and deranged horror comedy. Samara Weaving is sharp as a woman who marries into an eccentric, spectacularly wealthy family only to be forced to participate in a deadly game of hide and seek. It’s ugly gore played for laughs. If you’ve got the properly twisted sense of humor, you’re ready for “Ready or Not.”   In the sweet-natured drama “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” Shia LaBeouf plays a fugitive who befriends a runaway with Downs Syndrome and the duo embark on a river raft adventure. While some elements don’t ring true, it’s a funny and disarming crowd-pleaser.   “Nightingale” is a beautifully filmed and acted historical revenge drama set in the Australian bush in 1825. A young Irish convict teams with an Aboriginal Australian tracker to seek bloody justice on the British military personnel who murdered her husband and baby. The story is compelling, but the savage violence depicted is almost sadistic in its brutality, making “Nightingale” a very difficult watch.   “Once Child Nation” is an intriguing and heartbreaking documentary about China’s oppressive population control policy which lasted 30 years. Told from a personal perspective, it’s both a stark history lesson and a…

If your idea of cinematic hilarity is hearing three sixth grade boys cuss like sailors and chat on and on about sex and drugs, have I got the movie for you. “Good Boys” is like a pre-teen “Superbad,” a raunchy R-rated movie that’s stars are so young, they wouldn’t be allowed in to see it. Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams and Brady Noon play close pals who make some bad decisions that set the farce into motion. The three lads are appealing, and the movie has some very funny moments. While much of the risqué elements seem forced, “Good Boys” has a good-natured vibe that almost redeems it. Almost.   While much of the comic drama “Blinded by the Light” feels a bit sentimental and warmed-over, the infectious goodwill of this true story may well break down your resistance. In 1987, the life of a teen Pakistani-Brit changes forever when he discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen. Listening to The Boss inspires him to become a writer and to face his considerable challenges head-on. You don’t have to be a Springsteen fan to enjoy “Blinded by the Light,” but it helps.   If you’re unfamiliar with “Angry Birds,” you’re probably…

The mob drama “The Kitchen” is a bit undercooked. Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elizabeth Moss star in this ethically dubious thriller based on a comic book series. They play the wives of Irish mobsters who take over their husbands’ protection racket when the men are sent to prison. In spite of its fine cast, it never rings true. Last year’s drama “Widows” handled these gender-flipped themes much more effectively.   “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” is a live-action version of the popular cartoon, “Dora the Explorer.” Isabela Moner and her castmates are likeable and the adventure story is suitably wacky. It’s harmless, but if you can reach my elbow, you’re too tall for this movie.   “Brian Banks” is a true story about a gross miscarriage of justice. Aldis Hodge is fine as an innocent man and wannabe NFL player sent to prison on a false rape charge. The filmmaking is pedestrian, but “Brian Banks” inspiring just the same.   “Maiden” is a documentary about Tracy Edwards, a young British woman who skippered the first all-female crew on a dangerous round-the-world yacht race. It’s an involving feminist chronicle.   Terrific acting saves the laconic drama, “Them That…

The 2001 movie “The Fast and the Furious” was based on a true story about LA street racers. Over the years, the films in the franchise have evolved into action fantasies so preposterous that they make James Bond flicks look like documentaries by comparison. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham star in the ninth film in the franchise, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.” They play rival rogue lawmen who try to save the world from a cyborg-human hybrid, played by Idris Elba. It’s utterly absurd, but the Johnson/Statham team-up is amusing. The way to enjoy this movie is to forget the laws of physics, throw logic out the window and just go with the action flow.   “The Farewell” is a sweet-natured and sentimental comedy about an Asian-American woman, played by Awkwafina, who travels to China when she learns her beloved grandmother is terminally ill. Problem is, the family has decided to hide the truth from the elderly lady and to stage a sham marriage to make her feel better. Alternately funny and poignant, “The Farewell” is a wistful crowd-pleaser.   Comic Marc Maron leads the cast of “Sword of Trust,” a wacky comedy about two women who try…