July 3, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “Hamilton” (PG-13), “The Outpost” (R), “The Truth” (PG), “Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things” (Not rated)

“Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop history lesson about a founding father may be the most unlikely hit musical of all time. The Disney+ ‘live capture’ version of the original Broadway production more than lives up to the hype. While no filmed play can capture the electricity of a live performance, “Hamilton” comes close. Miranda and director Thomas Kail present Alexander Hamilton’s warts-and-all life in a clever, absorbing and inventive way and the diverse, top-notch cast delivers the material as well as can be imagined. Remarkably timely, “Hamilton” is ‘must-see’ viewing.

“The Outpost” tells the gripping true story of the 2009 Battle of Kamdesh in Afghanistan where 50 American soldiers were ambushed by nearly 400 Taliban insurgents. Scott Eastwood and Orlando Bloom lead the cast in this involving tale, based on the book by Jake Tapper. Director Rod Lurie has created a harrowing war film that’s so immersive that you might be tempted to take cover. “The Outpost” is an apolitical tribute to remarkable heroism.

French superstars Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche co-star for the first time in “The Truth,” a backstage drama of family conflict. Deneuve plays an aging, self-absorbed actress and Binoche is her estranged daughter who attempts reconciliation. While this modest affair isn’t the best work from acclaimed Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda, “The Truth” is worth seeing for Deneuve’s sly, self-effacing performance.

While the documentary “Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things” doesn’t dig too deep into the famed singer’s personal life, it’s still a good primer on her musical virtuosity…and that’s plenty.

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, fineartsgroup.com and drafthouse.com.

June 26, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “Irresistible” (R), “Eurovision Song Contest” (PG-13), “My Spy” (PG-13), “Nobody Knows I’m Here” (Not rated)

Comedian and commentator Jon Stewart steps behind the camera for the second time with the political satire, “Irresistible.” Steve Carell stars as a big time Democratic strategist who gets involved in a small-town mayoral race. The oversized role of money in politics is the movie’s main target. While it generates some laughs, “Irresistible” lacks the depth and bite needed to make it an effective election year commentary.

“Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” is a Will Ferrell spoof about an Icelandic goofball whose goal in life is to win Europe’s biggest music competition. It’s predictably silly, broad and absurd, but painfully overlong and almost totally devoid of laughs. It’s still early, but “Eurovision” is a contender for worst movie of the year.

“My Spy” is better, but that’s not saying much. In this riff on the “Kindergarten Cop” setup, Dave Bautista plays a CIA operative who, through a series of merry mix-ups, winds up training a precocious kid to be a spy. This territory has been explored many times before, but “My Spy” is an inoffensive time waster.

Jorge Garcia from TV’s “Lost” stars in an arty Chilean drama, “Nobody Knows I’m Here.” Garcia plays a troubled recluse still suffering from a traumatic childhood experience when he was attempting to make it as a singing star. The filmmakers employ some magic realism to embellish the themes of this tricky work. It’s an empathetic character study for patient viewers.

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, fineartsgroup.com and drafthouse.com.

June 19, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “7500” (R), “Miss Juneteenth” (Not rated), “The Short History of the Long Road” (Not rated), “Feel the Beat” (Not rated)

If a claustrophobic thriller is what you’re looking for, the airline hijack movie “7500” fills the bill. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as a mild-mannered pilot fending off terrorists wielding glass knives. All of the action takes place in the plane’s cockpit. Gordon-Levitt is solid and the filmmakers strive for realism over melodrama. While tense and well made, “7500” is unnerving and about as enjoyable as fingernails on the chalkboard.

“Miss Juneteenth” is a sweet-natured drama about a struggling mom, well played by Nicole Beharie, who enters her reluctant daughter in an annual pageant that she’d won years before. “Miss Juneteenth” is a sensitively acted salute to the tenacious, unshakable fortitude of black motherhood.

“The Short History of the Long Road” is an indie road movie about a teen girl, played by Sabrina Carpenter, who lives a nomadic life with her father in a ramshackle RV. When he suddenly dies, she seeks out her long-lost mother. Although it rambles like the endless roadways it follows, “The Short History of the Long Road” is a perceptive low-key character study.

“Feel the Beat” is a dance movie aimed squarely at young girls. Sophia Carson plays a disgraced Broadway dancer who returns to her small hometown and takes over a struggling kid’s dance team filled with misfits. It plays a bit like a sanitized “Bad News Bears.” Artificial, hokey and by-the-numbers, “Feel the Beat” will appeal only to its target demo. Others beware.

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, fineartsgroup.com and drafthouse.com.

June 12, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “Da 5 Bloods” (R), “The King of Staten Island” (R), “Artemis Fowl” (PG)

Oscar winners Spike Lee and Kevin Willmott reunite for an intriguing and timely drama, “Da 5 Bloods.” This Netflix movie is about aging African American Vietnam vets who return to that country to retrieve the remains of a fallen brother and a fortune in gold they left behind. Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Boseman lead a solid cast and the movie provides a new perspective on the war. While it’s involving and never dull, “Da 5 Bloods” could have benefited from some judicious editing.

“Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson stars in “The King of Staten Island,” an Amazon Prime movie loosely based on Davidson’s life. It’s a comic take on a 24-year-old who still lives at home with his mom and suffers from arrested development. He’s perpetually stoned, aimless and lacks any ambition. There are quite a few funny moments in director Judd Apatow’s feature, but “The King of Staten Island” is rambling and bloated with unnecessary and superfluous scenes that distract from some of the touching ones.

Disney Plus is offering what they hope will be the first installment of a new movie franchise. “Artemis Fowl” is a special effects extravaganza adapted from the first two books in the popular series of novels about a 12-year-old boy genius whose dad may or may not be a criminal mastermind. With equal doses of sci-fi and fantasy,” Artemis Fowl” plays like a mashup of “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter.” Director Kenneth Branagh puts the pedal to the metal employing all the visual spectacle that Disney can muster. It’s pleasant enough but lacks one thing: Movie Magic.

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, fineartsgroup.com and drafthouse.com.

June 5, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “Shirley” (R), “Judy and Punch” (R)

As our local cinemas are still temporarily closed, this week’s Freeze Frame will concentrate on NEW movies that can be streamed at home. Elisabeth Moss, easily one of the best actresses working today, turns in yet another impressive portrayal the drama “Shirley.” This fictionalized biopic focuses on a difficult period in the life of acclaimed horror author Shirley Jackson, best-known for her stories like “The Lottery” and “The Haunting of Hill House.” In the early 1950s, Jackson is suffering from debilitating depression and writer’s block. Her manipulative college professor husband, played by Michael Stuhlbarg, invites a young couple, played by Logan Lerman and Odessa Young, to move in and help out. The resulting drama plays out like a gothic version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”

While Moss is obviously terrific, Young also delivers a strong performance and Stuhlbarg is authentically oily.

“Shirley” is slow-moving and erratic, but it’s an interesting and edgy experiment buoyed by a great cast.

And speaking of edgy, “Judy & Punch” is a weird and wacky dark feminist comedy set in 16th Century rural England. Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman star in this violent tale about a self-absorbed alcoholic puppeteer and his long-suffering wife. As is the tradition of the old slapstick puppets Punch and Judy, the stick-wielding violence is played for laughs. However, “Judy and Punch” is definitely not for children. This tale of revenge spotlights bullying, boozing, spousal abuse and serial philandering. Oh, and also infanticide. While it has moments of demented originality, it will have limited audience appeal. If the Renaissance Festival had an R-rated attraction, it might look like “Judy and Punch.”

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, fineartsgroup.com and drafthouse.com.

May 29, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “The High Note” (PG-13), “The Vast of Night” (PG-13), “I’m No Longer Here” (Not rated)

In the new Netflix romantic comedy “The High Note” Dakota Johnson portrays the hardworking assistant of a famous and demanding pop star. Tracee Ellis Ross plays the music diva in a role that might -or might not- be inspired by her famous mom, Diana Ross. Ice Cube is the hard-as-nails manager. “The High Note” is a lighthearted bit of froth that bears little resemblance to reality, but is a painless fantasy peppered with catchy pop tunes.

The sci-fi thriller “The Vast of Night” is so wildly imaginative and cleverly directed that it mostly transcends its overly wordy script. The dialogue is so dense, in fact, that it could have been a radio drama. In a small New Mexico town in the late 1950s, a couple of teens try to identify mysterious, otherworldly sounds in the phone lines. Even though it never quite delivers on its promise, “The Vast of Night” shows that imagination can prevail over a low budget and heralds the arrival of an impressive new talent, director Andrew Patterson.

“I’m No Longer Here” is a realistic and profoundly sad Mexican social drama involving Ulises, a member of a teen street gang in Monterrey that dances to cumbia music. Ulises is forced to flee to the US when he inadvertently crosses a drug gang and experiences a profound sense of culture shock while trying to survive the mean streets of New York. While its dramatic structure has flaws, “I’m No Longer Here” succeeds in transporting us to a world we would never otherwise encounter.

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, fineartsgroup.com and drafthouse.com.

May 22, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “The Lovebirds” (R), “Military Wives” (PG-13), “Body Cam” (R)

The last time that actor Kumail Nanjiani teamed with director Michael Showalter, the result was the brilliant and moving 2017 comic drama, “The Big Sick.” Their new collaboration, “The Lovebirds,” is a Netflix romantic comedy-slash-action flick that isn’t nearly as successful. Nanjiani and Issa Rae play a couple in a tenuous relationship whose bickering takes a back seat when circumstances throw them into a murder mystery. Some of the dialogue is crisp and the leads are appealing, but their characters make choices that are so unrealistic and calculated that it all becomes pretty absurd. Still, “The Lovebirds” provides laughs for viewers who aren’t too demanding.

Kristen Scott Thomas leads the cast in the low-key comedy “Military Wives,” now available on VOD platforms. It covers a true story about the ups and downs of a group of British women who try to form a choir when their husbands are off to war in Afghanistan. The script is strictly by-the-numbers, but the genial cast and good-natured vibe make it a palatable choice to recommend to your mom.

Mary J. Blige stars in another VOD offering “Body Cam,” a grisly movie that blends a police procedural with the supernatural horror genre. Blige plays a Louisiana cop whose fellow officers are killed one-by-one by an inexplicable malevolent force. She’s the only one who is able to see the body cam footage showing the carnage. The filmmakers manage to create some well-crafted death scenes, but their attempt to make sociological points don’t land quite as well.

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, fineartsgroup.com and bbtheaters.com.

May 15, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “Capone” (R), “Sorry We Missed You” (Not rated)

Tom Hardy’s gonzo performance is the main draw for “Capone,” now available on Amazon Prime. This experimental movie concentrates on the last hellish year of the infamous mobster’s life when he was suffering from dementia and his body was wracked with syphilis. Did he actually hide millions in cash? That’s what his family, associates and the FBI wanted to know. So did he.

The storyline meanders and the filmmakers don’t make much of an attempt to let us know if the action we see was real or if it was all going on in Capone’s head. None of this matters much if you don’t buy into Hardy’s over-the-top portrayal. It’s brave and gutsy but is more of a spectacle than a full-blooded portrait. “Capone” may have been a cathartic experience for director Josh Trank, but it’s simply a curiosity for the rest of us.

Celebrated English filmmaker Ken Loach has been making sober kitchen sink dramas about the trials and tribulations of the working class since the 1960s. His latest effort “Sorry We Missed You” is no exception. A realistic take down of the new gig economy, “Sorry We Missed You” concentrates on the difficulties faced by a man who goes deep into debt to buy a van so that he can work as an independent contractor for a delivery service. The film depicts the toll this decision takes on his struggling family.

Loach’s political agenda is crystal clear, but he handles the material and his characters with such empathy and compassion that one can’t help but be moved by their heartbreaking predicament.

Your local art house theaters are offering online viewing options for a number of these intriguing movie titles. More information is available at nelson-atkins.org, Screenland.com, fineartsgroup.com and bbtheaters.com.

May 8, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “Becoming” (Not rated), “How to Build a Girl” (R), “The Half of It” (PG-13)

“Becoming” is a new Netflix documentary featuring former First Lady Michelle Obama. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at her 2018 34-city book tour promoting her memoir, “Becoming.” The film consists of snippets from her appearances at sold-out arenas, mixed with interview clips, scenes from her meetings with community organizations, book signings and occasional personal asides.

While the film doesn’t provide the intimate, in-depth portrait her millions of fans might have hoped for, “Becoming” is still an interesting glimpse at America’s most admired woman.

Beanie Feldstein stars in the British comedy, “How to Build a Girl,” now available through video on demand platforms. It’s a fictional tale inspired by the life of its author, renowned journalist, Caitlin Moran. Feldstein plays Johanna, a talented but awkward 16-year-old from a working-class family who rises to fame as an obnoxiously cruel music critic. Feldstein is appealing and the movie has wit, even though the coming-of-age elements are a bit too familiar.

“The Half of It” is yet another coming-of-age comedy for teens now available on Netflix. Leah Lewis plays Ellie, a brilliant Chinese American girl who, in true Cyrano de Bergerac fashion, is recruited by a dumb jock to write love letters on his behalf to a beautiful girl. Problem is, Ellie falls for her, too. The film generates enough charm, heart and goodwill to overcome certain aspects of “The Half of It” that don’t quite ring 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/Tivoli, Screenland.com, fineartsgroup.com and bbtheaters.com.

May 1, 2020 Arts & Culture, Podcast, Short Segment

Freeze Frame: “Bad Education” (TVMA), “All Day and a Night” (R), “Beastie Boys Story” (R), “Deerskin” (R), “The Wretched” (R)

As our local cinemas are still temporarily closed, this week’s Freeze Frame will concentrate on NEW movies that can be streamed at home.

Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney give terrific performances in the strange but true HBO film, “Bad Education.” Jackman plays a popular Long Island school superintendent who was in charge when millions in district dollars went missing. “Bad Education” is a darkly funny exposé of human greed.

“All Day and a Night” is a Netflix drama about a wannabe rapper, played by Ahston Sanders who contemplates his life in flashback when he winds up in the same prison housing his estranged father, portrayed by Jeffrey Wright. It’s a realist but profoundly sad look at the cycle of violence that is all too difficult to break.

Apple TV+ is offering the documentary, “Beastie Boys Story.” Original band members Adam Horowitz and Mike D tell their own story in an involving live theatrical presentation directed by Spike Jonze. While you don’t need to be a fan of the iconoclastic rappers to enjoy it, it helps.

Oscar winning actor Jean Dujardin gives a daring performance in the très bizarre French black comedy, “Deerskin,” now available on the screenlandonline.com site. Dujardin plays a recently separated man who starts taking orders from a newly purchased deerskin jacket. “Deerskin” is a smart but violent and bizarre oddity.

You throw out a dare to movie critics when you title your film, “The Wretched.” This grisly horror flick is drive-in fodder about a witch-like woodland flesh eater that causes people to forget family members. “The Wretched” is very familiar except for one clever twist at the end.

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/Tivoli, Screenland.com, fineartsgroup.com and bbtheaters.com.