‘Problemista’ is an inventive, eccentric comedy, but a couple of problems trip it up

“Problemista” (2024) – Alejandro (Julio Torres) has a problem.  The 20-something, wide-eyed New York City upstart – with a slight frame and a mop-top haircut with a sometimes-noticeable cow lick – just lost his job at FreezeCorp, a cryogenic stasis outfit that dresses its clients in a tube to sleep for – perhaps – hundreds of years.  Alejandro didn’t calculate differential equations to pinpoint the math behind these science-fiction devices in the here and now.  He handled the Sleeping Beauties’ personal belongings, or for one client, an artist named Bobby…

‘Frida’: Gutierrez’s documentary thoughtfully paints an intimate look at this influential icon

“Frida” (2024) – Director Carla Gutierrez’s documentary about one of the most memorable 20th-century artists – Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon (a.k.a. Frida Kahlo), universally known for her self-portraits – should enlighten broad audiences, those who deeply know her work and Frida novices who may have seen “Self-Portrait with Monkey” once on a 2” by 2” magnet at a flea market. The film chronologically markets Ms. Kahlo’s life (1907 – 1954) from her days as a toddler in 1910 to her passing in 1954.  Gutierrez and her team’s conventional…

‘Dune’ is a spectacular, procedural exercise, but ‘Dune: Part Two’ burns more calories

“Dune: Part Two” (2024) – “It’s been a while since you’ve had one of those nightmares,” Chani (Zendaya) says and asks, “Tell me, what was it about?” “It’s only fragments.  Nothing’s clear,” Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) replies. This exchange opens Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Dune: Part Two, Official Trailer 3”, and director/co-writer Denis Villeneuve’s dream project – his science fiction cinematic vision adapted from Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel – continues in theatres on Feb. 29, 2024, more than a while since his first film’s release on Oct. 22, 2021.  Well, it’s…