Freeze Frame: “Christopher Robin” (PG), “The Darkest Minds” (PG-13), “Eighth Grade” (R)

Disney continues its strategy of making so-called live-action films featuring characters from its animated classics. Ewan McGregor plays the troubled “Christopher Robin,” a grown-up who has lost touch with the magic of childhood. Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood step into the real world to help him reconnect with his family and rediscover joy. Although beautifully produced and sweetly sentimental, “Christopher Robin” is extremely low-key and maybe too long and slowly paced for many kids.

 “The Darkest Minds” is the latest in a parade of dystopian, sci-fi dramas aimed at teens. After an outbreak of childhood disease, the surviving kids develop extrasensory powers and must flee frightened authorities. A likable cast tries hard, but there’s not a moment in this movie that doesn’t seem derivative. Believe me, you’ve seen it all before.

A much more satisfying movie about teen life is “Eighth Grade,” a poignant and extremely realistic look at the angst of adolescence from writer/director Bo Burnham. Elsie Fisher plays Kayla, a painfully shy girl who makes internet videos full of helpful advice. If only she listened to her own counsel. Fisher is terrific as Kayla and Josh Hamilton is equally good as her loving but ineffective dad. Even if you grew up well before the age of social media, you’ll empathize. “Eighth Grade” will transport you back to a time when hormones and social pressures had you in an emotional knot.

Also opening this week, “Generation Wealth” is a documentary from Lauren Greenfield about America’s obsession with consumerism. Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon star in The Spy Who Dumped Me,” a comedy about friends who accidentally get caught up in international intrigue. “Death of a Nation” is the latest radical right political screed from Dinesh D’Souza.

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