Freeze Frames. A weekly update of film releases


SHOAH -- An epic study of the Holocaust, running nearly 10 hours and relying completely on present-day material: interviews with Holocaust survivors, views of concentration camps as they exist now, and conversations with former Nazi officials shot with a hidden camera. The result is not only a searing examination of the most horrific event in modern history, but a portrait of its lingering effects in the memories of those who lived through it, the consciences of those who helped implement it , and the residue of bigotry and resentment that still pervades Western culture. Directed by Claude Lanzmann. (Not rated) TARGET -- He's such a dull guy, even his family is bored silly. But when his wife is kidnapped, it turns out he's a former CIA man with a license to kill. Before his teen-age son has time to gasp, ``Gee, dad, I didn't know . . . ,'' he's scampering across Europe in search of his purloined spouse. This could have made for an involving thriller if it weren't for a clumsy script and uncertain performances from pro Gene Hackman and young heartthrob Matt Dillon, among others. Arthur Penn dir ected, way below his top form. (Rated R)

TWICE IN A LIFETIME -- A middle-aged husband falls in love with a new woman in town, and his family's complacent life is shaken from top to bottom. The characters are ordinary and the story is simple, and that's exactly why the events have such impact. The filmmaker, Bud Yorkin, also has the sense to avoid easy answers to timeless emotional questions. He does indulge himself in graphic depictions of some after-hours excesses, though. (Rated R)

WHITE NIGHTS -- Years after his defection to the United States, a plane crash lands a Russian ballet star back in the USSR, where he meets a black American tap-dancer who has defected to the East. Also on hand is a nasty KGB man who'd give anything for the runaway Russian to redefect. The story deals with provocative contrasts between East and West, white and black, art and politics, and so on. But the director, Taylor Hackford, doesn't have the cinematic savvy to sustain so many tensions in

Recommended: Could you pass a US citizenship test?

a meaningful way; and the screenplay strays far over the line between incisive political comment and heavy-handed Red-baiting. (Rated PG-13)

Share this story:
