Freeze Frame: “Bullet Train” (R), “Thirteen Lives” (PG-13), “Easter Sunday” (PG-13), “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” (PG-13)

BradĀ Pitt is a charismatic, Oscar-winning actor. His considerable efforts and some outstanding stunt choreography aren’t enough to save the over-the-top action comedy, “Bullet Train.” Pitt plays an assassin sent to Japan to recover a mysterious briefcase on the world’s fastest train, only to find himself confronting an assortment of colorful bad guys. The frantic action is excessively bloody and the cartoonish humor negates any sense of peril. “Bullet Train” goes off the rails, both literally and figuratively.

 

Director Ron Howard brings yet another amazing true rescue story to the screen,Ā this time on Amazon Prime. Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell star in “Thirteen Lives,” a dramatic recreation of the events of 2018 when members of a Thai youth soccer team became trapped in a flooding cave. The world wasĀ riveted by the remarkable international efforts to save them. Although it’s expertly made, the movie lacks dramatic tension because it focuses on the story of the rescuers and little attention is paid to the perspective of the trapped boys. Still “Thirteen Lives” is a fitting tribute to the many heroes who risked all to freeĀ them.

 

Filipino-AmericanĀ standup comic JoĀ Koy stars in the dysfunctional family comedy, “Easter Sunday.” He plays a struggling actor who returns home for a holiday reunion with his bickering, boisterous family. While it’s artificial and silly, it’s a good-natured, sentimental celebration of family bonds.

 

The documentary “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” profiles the career of the late Canadian folk-rock icon but focuses on it through the remarkable and curious trajectory of his most famous composition, “Hallelujah.” While perhaps not as comprehensive as the 2005 doc “Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man,” “Hallelujah” offers a unique and flattering perspective on its acclaimed subject.


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