FREEZE FRAME: “Pete’s Dragon,” “Sausage Party,” “Florence Foster Jenkins,” “Indignation,” “Anthropoid”

Disney goes back to the well for yet another reimagining of one of their family film classics. This time, it’s “Pete’s Dragon,” a sweet but by-the-numbers remake of the 1977 adventure that featured a goofy, cartoon dragon. The story has been updated, the musical numbers have been jettisoned in favor of a more realistic treatment and the dragon is now the best that computer imagery can offer. It may be a bit too intense for the very young, but it’s a likable popcorn flick.

“Sausage Party” is an animated comedy that is definitely not for the family. Seth Rogan and Kristen Wiig are among a large ensemble of gifted actors who give voice to raunchy, R-rated grocery store food items. Every dirty food-related double entendre is exploited until the filmmakers run out of ideas. Then it devolves into a supermarket orgy. There are some funny moments, but not enough sustenance for a feature-length movie.

Meryl Streep once again proves she can do no wrong in the lightweight true story, “Florence Foster Jenkins.” Streep stars as the worst singer of the first half of the 20th century. No one would be honest with because she was a wealthy patron of the arts. The terrific cast is the main draw in this amiable but occasionally tone-deaf comedy.

Logan Lerman gives a potent performance in “Indignation,” a poignant 1950s coming-of-age story adapted from Philip Roth’s novel. Lerman plays a brilliant Jewish lad who can’t figure out how to cope at a repressive Midwest college. It’s a sad but compelling drama.

Jamie Dornan and Cillian Murphy star in “Anthropoid,” the true WWII story about an attempt to assassinate a top Nazi general in occupied Czechoslovakia. It’s workmanlike, but only comes to life during the harrowing final reel.

Also opening this week, “Gleason” is documentary about Steve Gleason, former NFL defensive back who kept a video journal after learning he’d developed ALS. “Our Little Sister” is a Japanese drama about three sisters who get to know their orphaned half-sister when their father dies.


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