FREEZE FRAMES

FREEZE-DIE-COME-TO-LIFE - The adventures and impressions of two 1940s children growing up in a rural Russian town that has a prisoner-of-war camp right next door. This is a drama of explosive power, bursting with anger, energy, and imagination. It is also profoundly Russian, and some of its details may seem perplexing to Western audiences. Directed by Soviet filmmaker Vitaly Kanevsky. (Not rated) KISS ME KATE - Reissue of the 1953 musical about stars feuding their way through a Broadway show based on ``The Taming of the Shrew.'' It's still a savvy entertainment, although a bit longer than necessary, with vintage performances by Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson, not to mention the feisty Ann Miller and the young Bob Fosse, and a fetching Cole Porter score. Seeing it in 3-D, complete with celluloid spectacles, adds a hearty dose of '50s nostalgia. George Sidney was the director. (Not rated)

MUHAMMAD ALI, THE GREATEST - Documentary on the prizefighter. The first portion, released 20 years ago as ``Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee,'' centers on his mid-'60s victories over Sonny Liston; the second chronicles his Zaire match against George Foreman in the mid-'70s. The real subject of the film, though, is the way boxing reflects the mentality of different times and cultures. Directed by William Klein, an expatriot American photographer and filmmaker who has been based in France for many years. Shot and edited with relentless vigor and insight, this is a lot closer to ``Raging Bull'' than to ``Rocky,'' and that's entirely to its credit. (Not rated)