Freeze Frame: “Logan Lucky,” “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “Brigsby Bear”

Actor Channing Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh go rogue with their independently produced and distributed comic heist movie, “Logan Lucky.” Tatum plays a fired miner who decides to rip off all the cash for a big race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He recruits a ragtag posse of hayseed thieves for a complicated caper. The terrific cast includes Adam Driver, Seth MacFarlane, Daniel Craig and Hilary Swank. Soderbergh seems to be doing a self-parody of his best-known movie. So, you could call this goofy but entertaining popcorn flick, “Redneck Ocean’s 11.”

Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, two extremely likable actors, give a big boost to “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” an overlong and violent action comedy about a protection agent escorting a hired killer to testify at a trial at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. There’s not a moment of credibility in this over-the-top farce, but it has wild stunts, lengthy car chases and plenty of R-rated mayhem for fans of the genre.

“Saturday Night Live’s” Kyle Mooney stars in and co-wrote the offbeat comedy, “Brigsby Bear.” It’s a high-concept, low-key tale about a man, kidnapped at birth and raised in isolation. When he’s freed at age 25, he attempts to complete the story of a children’s TV show he was raised on. It’s odd, but surprisingly sweet.

Also opening this week, “Whose Streets?” is a documentary about the uprising in Ferguson, Missouri. “Wind River” is a suspense drama starring Jeremy Renner about mysterious deaths on a Native American reservation. “Paint it Black” is a drama about the difficult dynamic that evolves between a suicide victim’s mother and girlfriend. “Kuso” is a horror film set in the aftermath of an LA earthquake. “Dave Made a Maze” is a horror comedy about a man trapped in a cardboard maze of his own creation. “68 Kill” is described as a punk-rock romantic comedy about a young woman and her boyfriend who decide to rip off her older sugar daddy. Catherine Deneuve stars in the French drama “The Midwife” about the relationship that develops between a woman and her late father’s mistress.

Share This Episode