TEXAS, USA —
ANATOMY OF A FALL
Oscar Alert: We could be looking at a Best Actress, maybe even Best Picture nominee here.
A sight-impaired boy returns from a walk near his family's French Alpine home to find his dad's body in the snow, as if he'd fallen from a window above. German actress Sandra Hüller stars as the mother/wife who's put on trial for murder. But this is not your basic procedural. Director Justine Triet pulls back the layers one-by-one as the trial moves along. The verdict hinges on a secret audio recording, the testimony of an unexpected witness and interaction with the family dog!
Hüller's performance is fantastically authentic and straightforward. even as her character’s vulnerability is exposed. All credit to French director Justine Triet for not spoon-feeding the audience. We're all kept in the dark as the movie proceeds. Did she do it? Will we ever know?
“Anatomy of a Fall” won the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Surprisingly, France did not choose to submit the film as its International Feature entry for the Oscars. That still shouldn’t hurt its chances in other categories. (English & French w/subtitles)
(NEON. Rated R. Running Time 2 hrs. 32 mins. In Theaters Only)
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S
You've seen the ads for this one: an adaptation of a video game which, in turn, is a knockoff of your neighborhood 'Chuck E. Cheese.' Josh Hutcherson stars as a guy who can't seem to keep a job. He really needs to because he's the guardian of his little sister (played too precociously by Piper Rubio), and Aunt Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson) is threatening to take her away. The only job available from career counselor Matthew Lillard is the night shift at an abandoned pizza parlor where past security guards don't seem to make it. Sure enough, the animatronic animals come to life with deadly plans. Why are they seeking revenge? Gamers in the audience got a big kick when the characters threw out some catch phrases, and I’m guessing that’s who will enjoy this latest Blumhouse offering. It resorts to a familiar horror trope involving child predators, which I despise.
(Universal Pictures. Rated PG-13.Running Time 1 hr. 50 mins. In Theaters & Streaming on Peacock)
INSPECTOR SUN
The sleuthy spider, 'Inspector Sun, is at your service.. unless, of course, he's fired! When a mission to capture the notorious 'Red Locust' goes awry, he goes on vacation. But a murder on board his flight draws him back in. Spanish director Julio Soto was a little perplexed on how to make an animated crime caper family friendly. But he manages nicely. (Hint: a cast of cute, animated insects doesn't hurt.) The late Jesus Barreda voices the title character, with some lines inspired by Leslie Nielsen in "The Naked Gun." There's even a message about teamwork. 'Sun' realizes he must abandon his solo style and accept the help of a perky apprentice stowaway. Soto has a sequel planned, set in Egypt, so he's counting on support of this first one to move forward.
(Viva Pictures. Rated PG. Running Time 1 hr. 28 mins. In Theaters Only)
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