Freeze Frame: “Men in Black International” (PG-13), “Shaft” (R), “Late Night” (PG-13), “The Dead Don’t Die” (R)

Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson last co-starred in the hit “Thor: Ragnarok,” They re-team to reboot the “Men in Black” franchise with “Men in Black International.” While this wacky sci-fi action comedy lacks the freshness of the previous entries, it retains the goofy spirit of the series. That may not be enough to satisfy fan boys.

After a 19-year hiatus, Samuel L. Jackson returns as the bad ‘you-know-what’ in “Shaft.” The original Shaft, Richard Roundtree returns with newcomer Jessie T. Usher as three generations of tough guys battle a nasty drug lord. “Shaft” is rude and crude and almost plays like a cheap self-parody. I can’t dig it.

The comedy “Late Night” plays like a reworking of “The Devil Wears Prada” but set in the world of late-night TV. Emma Thompson plays an aging talk show host facing forced retirement.  Mindy Kaling, who also wrote the screenplay, plays a wannabe comedy writer who invades the largely white, male bastion of the writers’ room, battling sexism, ageism and racism with her comic barbs. It’s a bit too conventional for its own good, but the stars make it work.

Art film icon Jim Jarmusch takes a low-key comic approach to zombie genre with “The Dead Don’t Die.” Bill Murray and Adam Driver lead the cast in the tale of a small town suffering from a living dead apocalypse. The cast and crew probably had a much better time making this self-referential movie than the audience will watching. It’s for indie insiders only.

Also opening this week, Gina Carano and Richard Dreyfuss star in “Daughter of the Wolf,” a thriller about a military vet who tracks down her kidnapped son. Sienna Miller stars in “American Woman” the story of a woman whose teen daughter goes missing. “Perfect” is a sci-fi thriller about troubles at a genetic engineering clinic.

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