Freeze Frame: “Rough Night,” “47 Meters Down,” “Cars 3,” “Kill Switch,” “Paris Can Wait”

The raunchy ‘girls gone wild’ comedy “Rough Night” wastes a talented cast on an effort that tries to be the female equivalent of “The Hangover.” Scarlett Johansson’s friends plan a wild bachelorette party in Miami but, in a coke-induced haze, they accidentally kill a male stripper. Yes, there are some bawdy laughs, but not enough to sustain a feature-length film. It’s a rough night for the audience.

 

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the theater, we have “47 Meters Down.” Mandy Moore and Claire Holt play sisters on vacation in Mexico who get trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean, surrounded by man-eaters. It all seems pretty familiar territory by now.

 

Pixar goes back to the gas pump for more animated racecar action in “Cars 3.” While it’s not Pixar at its best, “Cars 3” is still goes through the paces in a cheery and spectacularly animated way.

 

“Kill Switch” is an effects heavy sci-fi outing that owes a lot to video games. Dan Stevens plays a pilot who faces fire from military drones and soldiers upon his return from a parallel universe. Like a game, much of the action is shown from his point of view. The movie could have benefited from a point of view.

 

Diane Lane stars in the romantic road film “Paris Can Wait,” the first dramatic feature from 81-year-old writer/director Eleanor Coppola, wife of Francis Ford Coppola. It’s a bit like watching someone else’s French vacation slides.

 

Also opening this week, “The Book of Henry” is a drama about a small town 11-year-old lad who hatches a plan to save his neighbor from her abusive dad. “All Eyez on Me” is a dramatic film that claims to tell the “true and untold story” of rapper Tupac Shakur.


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