Freeze Frame: “Beau is Afraid” (R), “Chevalier” (PG-13), “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” (R), “Ghosted” (PG-13), “To Catch a Killer” (R)

Be afraid. Be very afraid. The off-putting phantasmagorical horror comedy “Beau is Afraid” is a psychologist’s nightmare. Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as a middle-aged man with mommy issues who goes on a terror-filled journey to his mother’s funeral. Ari Aster’s 3-hour epic is alternately brilliant and frustrating. “Beau is Afraid” is a skillfully constructed aberration with the ugliest worldview you can imagine.

Kelvin Harrison, Jr. is très magnifique in “Chevalier,” a historical drama inspired by true events. Harrison plays Joseph Bologne, a French-Caribbean violinist and composer who rose to fame at court during the reign of Marie Antoinette. He endures harsh racism while attempting to make his mark. “Chevalier” is an opulent if somewhat melodramatic production.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,” a stirring Afghan War drama about an Army sergeant heroically saved by his Afghan interpreter, well played by Dar Salim. It’s a dramatically effective action thriller, but “The Covenant” is also an uncomfortably jingoistic combat movie.

Attractive, likable stars add just enough flair to make the Apple TV+ romantic spy comedy “Ghosted” worth a look. An average Joe, played by Chris Evans, gets entangled in international intrigue when he falls for a beautiful woman, played by Ana de Armas, only to later discover she’s a world class spy. It’s all very derivative and silly, but the humor and surprise cameos give “Ghosted” a spark.

“To Catch a Killer” is a skillfully made and absorbing crime procedural. Shailene Woodley plays an emotionally troubled Baltimore police officer recruited by the FBI to help track down a serial killer. With echoes of “Silence of the Lambs,” “To Catch a Killer” presents some thorny philosophical and political questions along with its puzzling mystery.

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