Freeze Frame: “Da 5 Bloods” (R), “The King of Staten Island” (R), “Artemis Fowl” (PG)

Oscar winners Spike Lee and Kevin Willmott reunite for an intriguing and timely drama, “Da 5 Bloods.” This Netflix movie is about aging African American Vietnam vets who return to that country to retrieve the remains of a fallen brother and a fortune in gold they left behind. Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Boseman lead a solid cast and the movie provides a new perspective on the war. While it’s involving and never dull, “Da 5 Bloods” could have benefited from some judicious editing.

 

“Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson stars in “The King of Staten Island,” an Amazon Prime movie loosely based on Davidson’s life. It’s a comic take on a 24-year-old who still lives at home with his mom and suffers from arrested development. He’s perpetually stoned, aimless and lacks any ambition. There are quite a few funny moments in director Judd Apatow’s feature, but “The King of Staten Island” is rambling and bloated with unnecessary and superfluous scenes that distract from some of the touching ones.

 

Disney Plus is offering what they hope will be the first installment of a new movie franchise. “Artemis Fowl” is a special effects extravaganza adapted from the first two books in the popular series of novels about a 12-year-old boy genius whose dad may or may not be a criminal mastermind. With equal doses of sci-fi and fantasy,” Artemis Fowl” plays like a mashup of “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter.” Director Kenneth Branagh puts the pedal to the metal employing all the visual spectacle that Disney can muster. It’s pleasant enough but lacks one thing: Movie Magic.

 

Your local art house theaters are offering online viewing options for a number of  intriguing movie titles. More information is available at nelson-atkins.org, Screenland.com, fineartsgroup.com and drafthouse.com.


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