Can we take a moment to acknowledge the strange trajectory of Brendan Fraser’s career? Shooting to fame more than 30 years ago playing a caveman in a Pauly Shore comedy, he became best known as the cocky, swashbuckling hero of “The Mummy” and its sequels, then practically disappeared. Years later, he reemerged looking different — older, sure, but also more haunted. The roles that best suit him these days are the ones that take advantage of his post-hiatus aura: the fact that, even when he’s smiling, his big eyes seem to glitter with unshed tears. That look served him particularly well in “The Whale,” which earned him an Oscar two years ago.
