FREEZE FRAMES

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES - A discontented wife pays regular visits to a feisty old woman, who tells her stories of friendship, family conflict, and murder that transpired years ago in the Alabama town where she grew up. The characters are engaging, but the story is hackneyed and the filmmaking is dull. So is much of the acting, except by Jessica Tandy, who carries her own energy wherever she goes. Directed by Jon Avnet. (Rated PG-13)NAKED LUNCH - If you thought William S. Burroughs's outrageous novel could never be filmed, you were right. This is the story of an author like Burroughs writing a book like "Naked Lunch," and getting regularly swept away by the novel's hallucinations. Although sex and drugs are staples of the movie, it has been filmed rather cautiously by David Cronenberg. Moviegoers who remember the beat generation may appreciate the film's weird authenticity; others may find it more self-indulgent than shocking. (Rated R ) THE STATION - On a lonely branch of the Italian railway system, a shy stationmaster finds himself the unexpected host of a young woman fleeing from her abusive boyfriend. The story is slender and sometimes silly. But the movie often finds just the right mixture of romance, melodrama, and sly wit, leading to a climax that blends suspense and laughter with explosive irony. Directed by Sergio Rubini, who also plays the hero. (Not rated)