Freeze Frames, a weekly update of film releases

EUROPEAN VACATION -- National Lampoon presents this dimwitted farce about an American family on the loose abroad. A sorry follow-up to the original ``Vacation,'' which took similar material to surprising heights of comic ingenuity. Amy Heckerling directed. (Rated PG-13) THE MAN WITH ONE RED SHOE -- A young musician is the unwitting pawn in a struggle between two power-mad government officials. Based on Francis Veber's stylish French comedy, ``The Tall Blond Man With One Black Shoe,'' the action is likable and snazzy-looking. But it isn't funny, so what's the point? Stan Dragoti was the director. (Rated PG)

WETHERBY -- Several middle-class people find their lives shaken when a young stranger walks into their midst and commits an appalling act of self-directed violence. There's nothing new about the movie's idea that dark and dramatic doings may lurk behind the sleepy faade of an ordinary town, and the story's fragmented form is sometimes more trouble than it's worth. But dramatist David Hare shows a promising grasp of cinema style and structure in his filmmaking debut. (Rated R) RATINGS: Films with ratings other than G may contain varying degrees of vulgar language, nudity, sex, and violence.