Disney Plus

Freeze Frame: “Moana 2” (PG), “Beatles ’64” (Not rated), “Joy” (PG-13), “Our Little Secret” (PG-13)

Disney goes back to the tropical well with the animated sequel, "Moana 2." Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson return as the lead voices, but it’s the spectacular animation that’s the real star of this seagoing adventure. Our heroine gets yet another call from an ancestor and sets sail in uncharted waters...

Freeze Frame: “The Fabulous Four” (R), “Young Woman and the Sea” (PG), “Land of Bad” (R), “Touch” (R)

The cast of "The Fabulous Four" may indeed be fabulous, but they're the only thing remotely redeeming about this awful, raunchy comedy. Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally star in the story of old friends who travel to Key West to attend a wedding. If you enjoy...

Freeze Frame: “In the Land of Saints and Sinners” (R), “STEVE! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces” (TV-MA), “Renegade Nell” (PG-13)

Liam Neeson once again plays a man grudgingly forced into violence in the drama "In the Land of Saints and Sinners." During Ireland's political and social upheaval in the 1970s, a hit man tries to extract himself from the bloodshed but is reluctantly pulled back in. It's got its merits, including...

Freeze Frame: “Mean Girls” (PG-13), “American Fiction” (R), “Lift” (PG-13), “Echo” (TV-MA)

Tina Fey's hit 2004 comedy "Mean Girls" was adapted into a popular Broadway musical. The new movie is a cinematic version of that play. Angourie Rice leads the cast in the tale of a teen who rubs a nasty A-list student the wrong way when she falls for a certain...

Freeze Frame: “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (PG-13), “Showing Up” (R), “Peter Pan and Wendy” (PG), “TNT Jackson” (TV-MA)

Is Judy Bloom's 1970 coming-of-age story "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" still relevant? If the new film adaptation is any indication, the answer is "yes." Abby Ryder Fortson is very appealing in the title role, a child from an interfaith marriage who's struggling with her identity and her burgeoning womanhood. While...

Freeze Frame: “She Said” (R), “Spirited” (PG-13), “Disenchanted” (PG), “The Menu” (R), “A Christmas Story Christmas” (PG)

"She Said" is a timely journalist procedural in the fashion of "All the President's Men" and "Spotlight." It depicts the efforts of two New York Times reporters, played by Carrie Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, to expose the sexual misconduct allegations surrounding movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Their discoveries helped spark the...

Freeze Frame: “Pinocchio” (PG), “End of the Road” (R)

America's dad wants to be a real dad. Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto in the Disney Plus live-action remake of the 1940 animated masterpiece, "Pinocchio." Cynthia Erivo plays the Blue Fairy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt provides the voice of Jiminy Cricket and Keegan-Michael Key is the duplicitous Honest John. Hanks re-teams here...

Freeze Frame: “Hollywood Stargirl” (PG), “Watcher” (R), “Eiffel” (R)

Lenexa, Kansas native and “America’s Got Talent” winner Grace VanderWaal stars in the Disney+ musical, “Hollywood Stargirl,” a sequel to the 2020 film “Stargirl.” When Stargirl and her mom leave Arizona for the West Coast, the young singer gets involved with neighbors trying to make their own movie. While it’s...