Freeze Frame: “Love Me” (R), “Dog Man” (PG), “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (PG-13), “You’re Cordially Invited” (R)

Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun star in the high-concept sci-fi romance, “Love Me.” Long after mankind has destroyed itself, two remaining AI entities, a smart buoy and a satellite, begin to communicate. They create artificial lives for themselves inspired by internet social influencers and stumble their way to a romantic relationship. They ultimately discover the joys and sorrows of being alive. The filmmakers deserve a lot of credit for originality, but “Love Me” has a tricky concept that works only sporadically.

The popular comic hero “Dog Man,” the part-human, part-dog policeman, comes to life in a wacky feature length animated farce. It’s a manically paced satire with some occasionally sharp wit aimed at the adults who’ll be coerced into taking the kids. It doesn’t quite have enough bite to sustain feature length, but “Dog Man” is a pleasantly scruffy mutt.

The Iranian political thriller “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is an Oscar nominee for Best International Feature. Filmed secretly during a period of violent protests, it involves a judge forced to make moral compromises by the Iranian government and the divisive effect it has on his family. It’s absorbing, but some melodramatic flourishes in the final acts diminish its effectiveness.

New on Amazon Prime, Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell star in “You’re Cordially Invited,” a broad and highly contrived comedy about two families who are accidentally double-booked for weddings on a tiny resort island in Georgia. They clash and compete as both events devolve into utter chaos. A talented cast helps elevate this goofy farce, but the events are so preposterous that some of the humor is blunted. Still, you’ll probably laugh despite yourself.


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