Freeze Frame: "Eden" (R), "Honey, Don't" (R), "Relay" (R), "Night Always Comes" (R)

Freeze Frame

Filmmaker Ron Howard's latest movie "Eden" ain't paradise. In fact, the gifted director's awkward survival drama can't find a consistent pace or tone. Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Sidney Sweeney and Daniel Bruhl star in the remarkable true story of Germans who fled to the Galapagos Islands in 1929 to escape fascism. Their search for ideal living devolved into an antisocial nightmare. Despite the efforts of a strong cast, "Eden" is a dour disappointment. Filmmaker Ethan Cohen once again ventures into a project without his brother, Joel. Margaret Qualley stars in "Honey, Don't," an amoral black comedy neo-noir thriller about a lesbian private eye investigating mysterious deaths in barren Bakersfield, CA. “Honey, Don’t” is sleazy, violent and dopey in equal measure. Ethan, call your brother. The zippy and clever thriller "Relay" has a unique element. Riz Ahmed plays a secret go-between who brokers deals between corrupt corporations and whistleblowers. His efforts to protect one client, played by Lily James, gets complicated when he gets emotionally involved. Smart, suspenseful and sharply directed by David Macenzie, "Relay" is an involving white knuckler with something on its mind. Vanessa Kirby of "Fantastic Four" fame gives an intense, committed performance in the stark Netflix social drama, "Night Always Comes." Based on the bestselling novel, it's the story of a Portland woman who spends one desperate night trying to come up with $25,000 to ensure she and her family won't be thrown out of their home. While the cast excels, “Night Always Comes” is a meandering film doesn't have a firm grip on its moral compass.