Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

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- KAREN MARTIN ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

The Dead Don’t Die, directed by Jim Jarmusch (R, 1 hour, 44 minutes) Considerin­g how disappoint­ing this supposedly comedic horror film is, it seems possible the stellar cast — including Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Selena Gomez, Carol Kane, Tom Waits, Tilda Swinton, and Caleb Landry Jones — showed up, hit their marks and dutifully mouthed their lines as a favor to the director, with whom they have probably carried on longtime friendship­s.

That’s the only explanatio­n I can come up with for how flat and ineffectiv­e this zombie film turns out to be. Fans of Jarmusch’s work won’t have any complaints, but for the rest of us, the story of how a peaceful town battles a zombie invasion is a flat-out failure. It’s like being at an A-list party where none of the attendees are in the

mood to party.

At least you’ll be in good on-screen company.

John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum ( R, 2 hours, 11 minutes) Fans of super-assassin John Wick ( Keanu Reeves) will welcome this latest installmen­t to the highly choreograp­hed action-backed franchise, as the hero has a $14 million price tag on his head after killing a member of the mysterious internatio­nal assassins’ guild

known as High Table. It’s not easy to survive when an army of the world’s most ruthless killers are out to get you. The plot, as always, is absurd. So what? With Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburn, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick; directed by Chad Stahelski. The 4K UHD and Blu- ray editions include 11 featurette­s and two theatrical trailers.

Aladdin ( PG, 2 hours, 8 minutes) There’s not much new in this low- energy live-action revisiting of an often-told animated classic ( the original Disney film came out in 1992). You know

the story: A homeless kid frees a genie from a lamp, and as a reward finds his urchin self transforme­d into a charming prince capable of marrying a beautiful princess. Complicati­ons ensue. It’s OK, but animation is a better vehicle for such stories. With Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Will Smith; directed by Guy Ritchie.

Echo in the Canyon (PG-13, 1 hour, 22 minutes) A solid, well- conceived and entertaini­ng documentar­y on the historic music scene in L.A.’s Laurel Canyon, loaded to the max with the music of legendary

groups such as the Byrds, the Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfiel­d, the Mamas and the Papas, and others. With Tom Petty, Jakob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills; directed by Andrew Slater.

Free State of Jones ( R, 2 hours, 19 minutes) An earnest effort to tell an intriguing story ( based on actual events) of a defiant Southern farmer who, opposed to slavery and secession, organizes an armed rebellion against the Confederac­y, lets its grim preachines­s and violence diminish its audience appeal.

With Matthew McConaughe­y, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali, Keri Russell, Sean Bridges; directed by Gary Ross.

Split ( PG-13, 1 hour, 57 minutes) This disorganiz­ed, violent and exhausting 2017 horror drama concerns a man with 23 different personalit­ies who feels compelled to abduct three teenage girls. That’s when a final personalit­y — The Beast — shows up. With James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson; written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

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