Freeze Frame: “Old” (PG-13), “Snake Eyes” (PG-13), “Joe Bell” (R)

Have you ever felt like you’ve aged while watching a movie? That’s the feeling you’ll get if you decide to endure the latest eerie experiment from M. Knight Shyamalan, “Old.” A family goes on a vacation to an island resort only to realize that a strange beach causes them to age a lifetime in a single day. The dialogue is awful, and the plot twists will make your eyes roll. It might have worked as an episode of “The Twilight Zone,” but as a feature-length “Old” just feels, well…old.

 

“Snake Eyes” is an action thriller that serves as an origin story for the G.I Joe Cinematic Universe. Henry Golding stars as a fighting drifter who joins a Japanese clan and learns the ways of the ninja. His goal is to avenge his father’s murder. Golding is a serviceable hero and some of the fight choreography is impressive. “Snake Eyes” is two-thirds of a pretty good movie, but the plot and action become so absurd in the final third that the whole enterprise goes off the rails.

 

Good intentions don’t always make for a good movie. Such is the case with “Joe Bell.” Mark Wahlberg is miscast in this true story of a man who decides to go on a nationwide walk to bring attention to the issue of bullying. Reid Miller is very good as his son who was tormented by schoolmates for being gay. But the execution is listless and it’s poorly paced. It’s also unlikely that it will change anyone’s mind on the subject. “Joe Bell” never rings true.

 

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, and fineartsgroup.com


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