Freeze Frame: “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (PG-13), “Showing Up” (R), “Peter Pan and Wendy” (PG), “TNT Jackson” (TV-MA)

Is Judy Bloom’s 1970 coming-of-age story “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” still relevant? If the new film adaptation is any indication, the answer is “yes.” Abby Ryder Fortson is very appealing in the title role, a child from an interfaith marriage who’s struggling with her identity and her burgeoning womanhood. While it’s episodic, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is still touching and insightful.

Michelle Williams teams up with writer/director Kelly Reichardt for the fourth time with the low-key slice-of-life drama, “Showing Up,” It’s a character study about an art school employee and struggling sculptor experiencing chaos with her family and career. The deliberate pace and understated drama may try your patience, but it’s a well-acted ensemble piece.

Disney Plus is offering a live-action reworking of their 1953 animated classic “Peter Pan.” But…does it fly? The rebooted version, “Peter Pan & Wendy” stars Jude Law as Captain Hook, young Alexander Moloney and Ever Anderson as Peter and Wendy and Yara Shahidi as Tinkerbell. In an attempt to add some depth, writer/director David Lowery diverges from J.M. Barrie’s original tale in some significant ways, touching on darker, previously unexplored elements of the story. The results are a mixed bag.

“TNT Jackson” is a tongue-in-cheek homage to blaxploitation movies of the 1970s. Millie Milan stars in this locally filmed drama from Fred Olen Ray and Todd Sheets. Milan plays a backside-kicking cop seeking revenge on drug dealers. Its bargain basement production values and stylized acting befit its grindhouse inspirations. It’s available as a feature film on VOD and as a series on Tubi. “TNT Jackson” is cheesy, campy and, for some, nostalgic


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