In the Fade,
directed by Fatih Akin
(R, 1 hour, 46 minutes)
Diane Kruger is familiar to American audiences thanks to appearing in Inglourious Basterds (2009), Troy (2004) Unknown (2011), and National Treasure (2004). Unknown to many is that Kruger, a former model, was born and raised in Germany. That explains her command of the German language in In the Fade (named after a song by American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, whose lead singer Josh Homme, wrote the film's score).
She exudes strength, attracts sympathy, and is utterly believable as Katja, who marries drug dealer Nuri (Numan Acar) while he is serving time in prison and later gives birth to their son Rocco. Upon his release, Nuri abandons the criminal life for an administrative position. That doesn't keep him (and Rocco) safe from a nail-bomb attack that Katja suspects has to do with his Kurdish background.
After grieving for her husband and son, she turns her attention to a young neo-Nazi couple; the legal system seems indifferent to doling out punishment, so she decides to seek revenge. Its path follows an occasionally rocky route, but Kruger's performance never falters. With Denis Moschitto, Samia Muriel Chancrin; directed by Fatih Akin. Subtitled.
12 Strong (R, 2 hours, 10 minutes) It should be an exciting war drama -- based on a book of the same name by Doug Stanton, 12 Strong concerns a horseback-riding Special Forces team deployed to a mountain fortress in Afghanistan to take on the Taliban after Sept. 11, 2oo1. But its proximity to propaganda prevents it from gaining the emotional power to capture the audience's attention. With Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena; directed by Nicolai Fuglsig.
Winchester (PG-13, 1 hour, 39 minutes) Widely considered a disastrous failure, Winchester attempts to inspire otherworldly fear by telling the story of Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren), heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune, who spent her life building a seven-story house with hundreds of rooms that is renowned for supposedly being haunted by ghosts who she thinks intend to settle a score with the Winchesters. With Jason Clarke; directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Srierig.
The Insult (R, 1 hour, 52 minutes) Who said words can never hurt you? Not Tony (Adel Karam), a Lebanese Christian, and his neighbor Yasser (Kamel El Basha), a Palestinian refugee, who get into a minor argument in modern-day Beirut during which Yasser throws out an insult that Tony can neither forgive nor forget. So it's off to court, where the drama escalates, with more questions than answers. With Diamand Bou Abboud, Rita Hayek; directed by Ziad Doueiri. Subtitled.
Mary and the Witch's Flower (PG, 1 hour, 42 minutes) A promising, gently told and lovingly animated adventure in which Mary, while visiting her Great-Aunt Charlotte in the British countryside, finds an old broomstick and a beautiful flower that the estate's gardener tells her is coveted by those who practice witchcraft because it can bestow power. So guess what happens? Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi (animator on Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away).
Nostalgia (R, 1 hour, 54 minutes) A group of people are joined together by the loss of their loved one, whether it was a grandfather, a husband, a sibling or child. With Jon Hamm, Amber Tamblyn, Arye Gross, James Le Gros, Beth Grant, Hugo Armstrong, Nick Offerman, Ellen Burstyn, Bruce Dern; directed by Mark Pellington.
Please Stand By (PG-13, 1 hour, 33 minutes) Wendy (Dakota Fanning), an autistic woman who lives in a home for people with special needs, is a capable young person. She maintains a job at a fast food restaurant, takes care of a dog and writes Star Trek fan fiction stories. After she sees a TV advertisement for a Star Trek competition and writes a 500-page script, she misses the postal deadline because a visit by her sister at the home sets off an uncontrolled incident. Believing entirely that Mr. Spock knows best about journeying into the great unknown, Wendy decides to travel to Hollywood alone to deliver the script in person. With Toni Collette, Jessica Rothe, Marla Gibbs, Michael Stahl-David; directed by Ben Lewin.
MovieStyle on 05/04/2018