Freeze Frame: “The Snowman,” “Only the Brave,” “Mark Felt”

With a great cast, bestselling source material and acclaimed filmmakers in command, “The Snowman” should have been a solid thriller. Sadly, it’s an icy misfire. Michael Fassbender plays a detective on the trail of a cunning serial killer who leaves creepy snowmen at his crime scenes. The pace drags and the story is filled with multiple dangling plot threads. “The Snowman” is a frosty fizzle.

The tragedy that befell the Granite Mountain Hotshots gets the big screen treatment in “Only the Brave.” Josh Brolin is rock solid as the supervisor of a crack team of Arizona firefighters who work hard and sacrifice much to protect lives and property. Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and Jeff Bridges are among the supporting players who help this otherwise melodramatic story catch fire. It’s a fitting tribute to those who heroically put themselves in harm’s way.

“Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House” is a bleak and lackluster biopic about the man who was instrumental in the Washington Post’s investigation of the Watergate Scandal. Liam Neeson plays Felt, a high-ranking FBI official who, as Deep Throat, secretly walked an ethical tightrope to bring White House criminals to justice. Skip this one and watch the 1976 flick “All the President’s Men” instead.

Also opening this week, Tyler Perry returns yet again as Madea in “Boo 2: A Madea Halloween.” The weather goes wacky in the sci-fi adventure, “Geostorm.” “Loving Vincent” is the world’s first fully oil painted animated feature film inspired by the masterpieces of Vincent Van Gogh. “78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene” is a documentary about the infamous scene from “Psycho.” “Bonehill Road” is a werewolf movie from KC based filmmaker Todd Sheets. “Hunters: The Art of the Scare” is a documentary about commercial haunted houses.

Share This Episode