Freeze Frame: “September 5” (R), “Flight Risk” (R), “Star Trek: Section 31” (PG-13), “Brave the Dark” (PG-13)

There have been multiple filmsĀ about the tragic massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The tense drama “September 5” tells the story from the perspective of the ABC journalists who scrambled to cover the story. They raced through an ethical minefield to bring the unfolding drama to a live global TV audience. Peter Sarsgaard leads a solid cast that helps make ā€œSeptember 5ā€ an absorbing, thought-provoking drama.

Maybe Mark Wahlberg should always be the bad guy. In director Mel Gibson’s action opus “Flight Risk,” he’s menacing as a psycho mob enforcer who commandeersĀ a plane carrying Air Marshal Michelle Dockery and mob stoolie Topher Grace. This otherwise taut thriller is undone by gaping plot holes and absurd dialogue.

The Paramount+ action thriller “Star Trek: Section 31” is the first feature lengthĀ Star Trek film made exclusively for streaming. Oscar-winner Michele Yeoh stars as a murderous emperor first seen in the series “Star Trek: Discovery.” She’s recruited by a secret black ops squad from the Federation for a mission to stop the detonation of a galaxy-killing weapon. Itā€™s a mostly joyless succession of repetitive fight scenes and explosions meant as a setup for new episodes. ā€œStar Trek: Section 31ā€ is for die-hard Trekkies only.

The faith-based drama “Brave the Dark” is the kind of movie you really root for, but it’s another example of how an inspirational true story can be hamstrung by lackluster filmmaking. Jared Harris stars in this well-meaning drama directed by his brother Damien. It’s about a troubled homeless youth taken in by his high school teacher who helps him through multiple traumas. “Brave the Dark” isĀ harmless but dull.


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