Freeze Frame: “Little Women” (PG), “Spies in Disguise” (PG), “Uncut Gems” (R), “APParation” (R)

Writer/director Greta Gerwig has pulled off a minor miracle. She’s given a modern feminist sensibility to Louisa May Alcott’s” old chestnut “Little Women,” while maintaining the appealingly traditional feel of her beloved writings. Saoirse Ronan is fine in the pivotal role of Jo March and Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep round out a stellar cast. “Little Women” also boasts a beautiful, evocative score by Alexandre Desplat. “Little Women” is a sensitively rendered film and one of the best of the year.

 

Will Smith’s charisma comes through even when he’s an animated character. “Spies in Disguise” is a modest but entertaining family flick from Blue Sky, the folks responsible for the “Ice Age” franchise. This colorful comedy is aimed mainly at young boys. Smith is a superspy who is unwillingly transformed into a pigeon by a clumsy scientist colleague, voiced by Tom Holland. While it’s a few notches below the work of the folks at Pixar, the action and humor of “Spies in Disguise” should prove diverting for the kids.

 

“Uncut Gems” is a skillfully made thriller set in New York’s jewelry district. It’s been embraced by many critics, but not this one. It’s an aggressively ugly character study with a grating, one-note performance by Adam Sandler as a jeweler with a gambling problem. “Uncut Gems” has flashes of real creativity but is about as appealing as nails on a chalkboard.

 

The horror flick “APParition” offers little that’s new, but this creepy little thriller demonstrates that creativity can overcome the limits of a low budget. Kevin Pollack and Mena Suvari star in the story of a haunted smartphone app that links the living and the dead. Things get downright grisly in an abandoned reform school. Hardcore horror fans could do worse…and often do.


Share This Episode