Freeze Frame

There have been over 100 cinematic or televised adaptations of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." So, would you say "Bah, humbug" to one more? Johnny Depp stars in "Ebenezer," a relatively faithful adaptation but one that puts the emphasis on the story's horror elements. Yes, it's from horror director Ty West, so it stands to reason. Depp is fine and the themes come through, but "Ebenezer" will be too intense for the younger crowd. The heist thriller "How to Rob a Bank" plays like an old MTV music video had been pulverized into submission. Nicholas Hoult and Zoe Kravitz lead the cast in the tale of a crime ring that puts videos of their heists on social media. A lot of talent is wasted in “How to Rob a Bank,” an absurd over-the-top action flick pretending to be a social commentary. In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves invited artists and intelligentsia who lived through the Harlem Renaissance of the 20s and 30s to a cocktail party. The result is the involving documentary "Once Upon a Time in Harlem." The conversations Greaves filmed provide an enlightening view of an important cultural era. “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” is just chat, but it's enriching chat. The Apple TV biopic "Being Heumann" tells the story of the civil rights activists who staged sit-ins in the 1970s demanding access and opportunities for the physically challenged. Ruth Madeley plays the movement's leader Judith Heumann and Mark Ruffalo plays her nemesis, HEW Secretary Joseph Califano, who felt their demands were too expensive. “Being Heumann” is a straightforward if uninspired glimpse of an important movement.

Filmmaker Martin McDonagh has a bleak world view and it's on full display in the dark comedy, "Wild Horse Nine." John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell star as bickering CIA agents on holiday on Easter Island in 1973 shortly before setting up a coup in Chile. Malkovich is a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination as an agent dying of cancer on one last getaway. The dialogue is profane but sharp in this smart social commentary-slash-character study. Problem is that the whole thing is excessively grim. "Godzilla Minus Zero" ain't your grandpa's rubber suit Godzilla. The 39th Godzilla movie is the first to be rated "R" and may well be the best of the franchise. 1949 Japan is threatened by the indestructible dragon-like King Ghidorah, and the humans must manipulate Godzilla into coming to the rescue. Well staged, visually impressive and sharply paced, "Godzilla Minus Zero" is one kaiju of a movie. The Netflix social critique "Possible Love" is a thoughtful but slow-moving drama with a uniquely Korean sensibility. A laid-off industrial worker and his wife interact with a documentarian and her wealthy husband. Friendships crack as class resentments slowly emerge. It may be possible to love “Possible Love,” but it is more to be respected. The over-the-top CGI spectacle "Ramayana: Rise of a Legend" is based on the classic epic myth about the battles and adventures of the righteous prince Ram. After well over three hours of action, it ends with a cliffhanger. Part 2 is on the way. "Ramayana" is manic and overly loud in both sight and sound but should resonate with those steeped in Indian mythology.

John Turturro gets one of the best roles of his career in the effective drama "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York." He plays an aging petty thief who gets in way over his head when he inadvertently lifts from a young member of a mob family. He has only a few hours to try to set things right. Terrific acting and a 70s-style vibe help establish a palpable 'fish out of water' feel. “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” is a smart, tricky and involving thriller. Liam Neeson continues his late career focus as an action star in the over-the-top chase flick, “The Mongoose.” Neeson plays a former war veteran suffering from PTSD who goes on the run after the accidental death of his ex-wife’s abusive husband. Wrongly accused of murder, he steals a souped-up Shelby Mustang Super Snake and takes police on a cross-country chase spanning multiple states. There’s not a believable moment in this absurd enterprise, but stuntman-turned-director Mark Vanselow stages some zippy action sequences that help to cover the flaws of a bad script. Still, if mindless action is your thing, “The Mongoose” puts the pedal to the metal. Ready for a lump of coal in your early Christmas stocking? The horror comedy "Christmas at the Kringles" is a bona fide contender for worst movie of the year. KC's own Rob Riggle and a gifted cast are wasted in an ugly, unfunny tale of the weirdos next door who celebrate Christmas year-round. But their real motives are shady. Ron Livingston is a respected actor, but he plays his role of a father figure like he can’t wait to get off the set and throttle his agent. My gift to you is advice. Miss “Christmas at the Kringles” at all costs.

Helen Mirren is terrific in the prickly fictional psychological thriller, "A Talent for Murder." Mirren plays Patricia Highsmith, the bitter and reclusive author of the Ripley murder novels. Alden Ehrenreich is an emissary from her publisher who tries to persuade her to finish one more Ripley book. But will she manipulate him into doing something sinister? "A Talent for Murder" is an intriguing cat and mouse chiller. The off-beat sci-fi comic drama "Klara and the Sun" is a fable about an artificial robotic friend. It has its many flaws, but it is still a somewhat poignant look at grief, technology and hope powered not by the sun, but by the performances of Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams. The sweet-natured drama "Rise and Shine" is a locally shot production with its heart squarely in the right place. Ana Sharp plays a teen with a developmental disability who faces challenges as she attends school with other kids for the first time. Take a tissue. What were they thinking? That's what you may ask yourself when watching the Netflix environmental opus, "Sacrifice." Chris Evans plays a movie star abducted from a fundraising gala by cult leader Anya Taylor-Joy. She wants him to sacrifice himself in a volcano. Don't sacrifice any of your time on "Sacrifice," a head-scratching total misfire. The eccentric British import "Wicker" is for those seeking something completely different. Olivia Coleman plays a lonely fisherwoman in a medieval village who has a basket maker create a husband out of wicker, played by Alexander Skarsgård. The villagers are resentful. “Wicker” is skillfully produced, but a strange and off-putting bohemian social commentary masquerading as a romantic fantasy.

"We're way past making friends." So goes the chilling promo quote from filmmaker Aaron Sorkin's "The Social Reckoning," a sharp follow up to the now classic Facebook exposé, "The Social Network." In this smartly written and involving true story, Mikey Madison plays whistleblower Frances Haugen who worked with Wall Street Journal writer Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, to expose some of Facebook's darkest secrets. Jeremy Strong plays Mark Zuckerberg like he's a Bond villain. Facebook’s use of algorithms to radicalize people and maximize user time for profit is put under a withering microscope.  “The Social Reckoning” is an ethically provocative broadside blow at big business social media. Zachary Levi steps into the boots once worn by John Wayne in the classic 1947 Western, "Angel and the Badman." In this workmanlike remake, Levi plays a wounded bandit who holes up to heal in the homestead of a Quaker family. Sheriff Tommy Lee Jones and some malicious bad guys are in hot pursuit looking for Zachary and some stolen Confederate gold. Fans of sagebrush sagas will likely find a lot to like in “Angel and the Badman,” a reasonably entertaining Western throwback. Ben Affleck stars in and directs the tense Netflix thriller, "Animals." He plays a deep in debt Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped. Kerry Washington is his long-suffering wife, and Gillian Anderson is a mysterious character who loans Ben millions in cash for the ransom. There are more than a few "Hey, wait a minute..." moments in the spotty script, but the cast and lively pace make “Animals” a provocative distraction.

Robert Redford once said, "You're only as good as you dare to be bad." Tom Cruise and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu have dared big time, and the result is the oddball climate change satire, "Digger." In this over-the-top, very meta movie, Cruise is a crass oil tycoon responsible for steering the planet toward environmental ruin. Supporting actors Riz Ahmed, John Goodman and Sandra Hüller ably channel the movie’s weird vibe. Cruise is terrific in an opus that's incredibly irritating, and as subtle as a sledgehammer. But “Digger” also has fleeting moments of brilliance. It seems that Iñárritu is daring audiences to hate "Digger" and, frankly, most people will. Okay, Cohorts...fans of pulp novelist Colleen Hoover, the fourth cinematic adaptation of her work has arrived. In the erotic thriller "Verity," Dakota Johnson plays a woman hired as a ghostwriter for a popular novelist. But naturally, things aren't what they seem and the lines between reality and fiction become blurred. Josh Hartnett and a very busy Anne Hathaway co-star. You can't blame the cast, but the whole preposterous affair becomes unintentionally laughable...that is, when it's not unintentionally dull. Local filmmaker Jen Greenstreet's new docudrama "May Contain: My Life" is now available to stream on outlets like Apple TV and Amazon Prime. It's a cautionary tale as well as an informative look at the struggles of people dealing with food allergies. Several sufferers tell their stories, including NFL Hall of Famer Jerome "The Bus" Bettis. “May Contain: My Life” is a thoughtful cry for tolerance and acceptance.

Filmmaker Zach Cregger, responsible for recent horror hits "Barbarian" and "Weapons" was handed the reins to reimagine the biopunk "Resident Evil" franchise about killer mutants. The result is an utterly shameless, violent, ugly...and brilliantly made adaptation of the video game that's far better than its predecessors. Austin Abrams makes an appealing everyman thrown in an apocalyptic hell. There are more effective jump scares here than in a dozen horror movies as well as a lot of cheeky humor. “Resident Evil” is depraved but effective. Ethan Hawke gives another solid performance in the Depression Era prison drama, "The Weight." In a desperate attempt to secure his release from a penal labor camp and reunite with his child, Ethan agrees to warden Russell Crowe's scheme to smuggle a fortune in gold across a vast area of Oregon wilderness. While it may not quite be in the same category as the similarly themed classics like “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and the white-knuckle thriller “Sorcerer,” “The Weight” is a gritty and involving thriller about the costs of human greed. The stop motion animation masters at Aardman studios, home of Wallace and Gromit, offer a clever early Halloween treat for the whole family, "Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom." Shaun, experimenting with a formula to grow pumpkins, accidently causes the farmer of Mossy Bottom to become covered with hair and mistaken for Bigfoot. This fast and furious and nearly wordless comedy is aimed squarely at the youngest demographic but is loaded with sight and sound gags that should appeal to mom and dad. “Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom” is a nimble family flick.

The horror thriller "Don't Move" was shot in Kansas City and was written by James "Murr" Murray from the TV series "Impractical Jokers." Lyndsy Fonseca, rapper Russ and KC's own Rob Riggle star in the story of a church camping trip that goes terribly wrong when the campers get lost in the Ozarks and encounter a giant killer spider. It's a well-produced chiller that should appeal to the midnight movie crowd. The aggravating and overlong wartime thriller “The Fix” is burdened with so many head-scratching inconsistencies it’s hard to know where to start. In this improbable tale, Zachari Levi stars as a CIA agent who, after an operation in Afghanistan goes disastrously wrong, seeks redemption by going on a rescue mission set up by his one-time mentor, Liam Neeson. “The Fix” desperately needs repair. The Angel Studios thriller "Runner" is not to be confused with the current Amazon Prime thriller "The Runner." Alan Ritchson plays a high-risk delivery man who races against time with organ escort Owen Wilson to get a liver to a little girl in desperate need of a transplant. But bad guys are trying to steal the organ for a mobster's transplant.  "Runner" is essentially a mindless series of violent and generic chase scenes that somehow managed to escape an "R" rating. To say that filmmaker Tyler Perry is prolific is like saying water is wet. The Netflix comic drama "Why Did I Get Married Again?" is his 30th movie and the third in the series that began in 2007. This time out, the bickering couples reunite for a destination wedding. Not Janet Jackson this time, but it does have Lake Como. It’s silly, soapy and sappy.

In the Apple TV action comedy "Mayday," Ryan Reynolds plays a Navy pilot shot down in Soviet territory during the Cold War. An ex-KGB agent and America-lover, played by Kenneth Branaugh, works to help Ryan avoid certain death and escape the country. “Mayday” is mindless and silly but is a lively and amusing buddy flick bolstered by its charismatic stars. Virginia Woolf wrote her 1919 novel, "Night and Day" while recovering from a nervous breakdown. She despondently described the book as "flat" and a "complete failure." The new cinematic version, "Virginia Woolf's Night and Day," isn't a complete failure, but it is a bit flat. Haley Bennett is fine as a young Victorian woman who wants to be an astronomer at a time when women aren't allowed advanced education. “Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day” is well-meaning, well-produced…and a little dull. Fine performances by Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson help elevate the low-key love triangle "The Sun Never Sets." It’s from cult mumblecore filmmaker Joe Swanberg. A loving couple decides to take a brief break in their relationship, but things get complicated when an ex-boyfriend shows up. You may be compelled to yell, "Hey, get a counselor," but “The Sun Never Sets” is a thoughtful comic drama that avoids most romantic drama cliches. The Amazon Prime action thriller "The Runner" is not to be confused with the action thriller "Runner" that opens in theaters next Friday. In "The Runner," Gal Gadot plays a lawyer who, while on a morning run, learns her son has been kidnapped and she’s blackmailed into killing a witness in a murder trial. Gadot gives it her all in a cliched and overly familiar potboiler.

Every great filmmaker gets one Mulligan. Ridley Scott's futuristic thriller "The Dog Stars" is his. Jacob Elordi and Josh Brolin star in a poorly paced and overly familiar post-apocalyptic nightmare about survivalists who face grisly dangers after a flu pandemic. There are impressive individual sequences, but “The Dog Stars” plays like scenes cobbled together instead of a cohesive whole. The hybrid cartoon and live action farce "Coyote vs. Acme" wants to be "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" but is a bit closer to "Space Jam." Wile E. Coyote and his lawyer Will Forte sue Acme Corporation for defective products used in Coyote’s endless pursuit of the Road Runner. While there are more laughs in a typical 7-minute Looney Tunes short, "Coyote vs. Acme" is a likable low-key poke at corporate America. If you're one of the people who thought Barney the Dinosaur was a little creepy, the horror flick "Buddy" should send a shudder up your spine. In this tongue-in-cheek creep fest, a malevolent unicorn character lures children into its TV realm to absorb their souls. While satirical, “Buddy” goes full-blooded horror and provides just enough chills for the midnight movie crowd. The gloomy Netflix thriller "The Whisper Man," based on a novel by Alex North, wants to be "Silence of the Lambs," but can't quite emulate that classic's impact. Robert De Niro plays a former cop who tries to help his son Adam Scott recover his son who is kidnapped by a serial killer. Michael Keaton is an imprisoned murderer who is manipulating everything from behind bars. The cast is fine, but “The Whisper Man’s” overall impact is lessened by some head scratching lapses in logic.