Program Episodes
Freeze Frame: "Candyman" (R), "No Man of God" (Not rated), "Vacation Friends" (R)
Freeze Frame: "Candyman" (R), "No Man of God" (Not rated), "Vacation Friends" (R)Russ Simmons2021-08-27T18:51:39-05:00
Freeze Frame: Arts & Culture • Podcast • Short Segment
Russ Simmons
• August 27, 2021
Freeze Frame is a weekly show reviewing the latest movies from Hollywood's best films to independent and arthouse movies.
Who can creep out viewers? The "Candyman" can. Twenty-nine years after the scare-fest "Candyman" dared viewers to "Say my name," a woke sequel slithers into theaters. This time out, "Candyman" has some social context to go along with the chills, skewering gentrification along with a heap of human bodies. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays a painter whose art obsession with an evil supernatural figure becomes his undoing. While it's well-acted and disturbing, it can't quite tie all of its themes together. Still, "Candyman" provides the grisly shocks for horror aficionados.
"No Man of God" purports to be based upon actual recorded interviews between notorious serial killer Ted Bundy and noted FBI profiler, Bill Hagmaier. As such, it promises viewers some insight into the mind of a murderer. Luke Kirby and Elijah Wood are fine as Bundy and Hagmaier and the movie is a respectable effort even though it comes off a bit more like a filmed stage play than a movie. If you're looking for an understanding of Bundy's twisted obsessions, "No Man of God" doesn't quite fulfill that promise. By comparison, "Silence of the Lambs" seems more insightful.
If you're looking for a dumb comedy so that you can turn off your brain circuits for a couple of hours, the Hulu farce "Vacation Friends" might just fill the bill. John Cena and Lil Rel Howery lead the cast in the story of two couples who meet while on vacation in Mexico. They enjoy a week of unbridled hedonism, but their recklessness comes back to haunt them when they return to the States. "Vacation Friends" is shameless, goofy and forgettable.
Your local art house theaters are offering online viewing options for a number of intriguing movie titles. More information is available at nelson-atkins.org, Screenland.com, and fineartsgroup.com.
Contact the team at Freeze Frame: "Candyman" (R), "No Man of God" (Not rated), "Vacation Friends" (R).