FREEZE FRAME: “The Magnificent Seven,” “Storks”

Western fans have been eagerly anticipating the remake of the classic 1960 shoot-‘em-up, “The Magnificent Seven.” Antoine Fuqua’s reimagining of the story isn’t magnificent, but it could be called “The Pretty Good Seven.” Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke lead a group of vigilante gunmen who help defend a small western town from an evil industrialist and his private army. Seems the homesteaders stand in the way of his mining interests. There’s plenty of action and some occasionally hilarious moments, mostly thanks to Pratt’s terrific comic timing. But this revenge tale is overlong, chaotic and extremely violent. The folks who gave this a PG-13 rating are dum-dum-da-dum, dum-dum-dum-da-dum.

The latest computer animated farce “Storks” delivers…almost. No longer delivering babies, storks now deliver packages FedEx style. Andy Samberg gives voice to a stork who goes through daunting tribulations to deliver one last baby. The fast-paced humor is hit-and-miss, and when it hits, it’s very funny. But the screwy storyline plays out like they were making it up as they went along. The talented voice cast also includes Key & Peele, Ty Burrell, Jennifer Aniston and Kelsey Grammer. While it’s a bit too manic for it’s own good, “Storks” has some moments that are surprisingly touching.

Also opening this week, Jessie Plemmons and Molly Shannon star in “Other People,” a comic drama about a comedian caring for his cancer stricken mom. “The Hollars” is another story about a New York man who returns to his hometown to car for his sickly mom. John Krasinski stars and directs. “Eva Hesse” is a documentary about the acclaimed sculptor who died in 1970 at the age of 34. Kate Winslet stars in “The Dressmaker,” a comic drama about a successful Paris designer whose life gets complicated when she returns to her home in the Australian outback.

Share This Episode