FREEZE FRAMES

* BOXING HELENA - A beautiful woman finds herself in the clutches of an obsessive doctor who surgically disables her in order to keep her a prisoner in his home. This debut film by Jennifer Chambers Lynch is more serious than its grisly material would indicate. Using conventions of cheap exploitation movies and soft-core pornography, Lynch suggests that these low-grade forms of cinema are reflections of low-grade male fantasies that pose grave dangers for women by turning the female body into a dehumanized fetish. This message would be more convincing if Lynch's own filmmaking were more sophisticated, but moviegoers who can tolerate the extremity of her vision should find her a promising new talent. (Rated R) * HOUSE OF ANGELS - A freewheeling city woman and her unconventional boyfriend arrive in a conservative rural village to take possession of a house she's inherited, and their uninhibited ways make them instantly controversial among the townspeople. There's nothing particularly original or memorable about this old-meets-new story, and its intermittent vulgarity is more silly than surprising, but many of the characters are likable, and there are some amusing moments along the way. Colin Nutley directed the Swedish production. (Rated R) * STEPPING RAZOR - RED X - Peter Tosh was a founding member of the Wailers reggae group, a political activist, a religious mystic, and an internationally renowned singer until his murder six years ago. This documentary explores his life and work through tape-recorded diaries known as the ``Red X Tapes'' in addition to archival footage, interviews, reenactments of key events, and excerpts from Tosh performances. The result is a ragged but lively look at how Tosh's career fit into the troubled fabric of Jamaican culture. Written and directed by Nicholas Campbell.

(Not rated)