It’s okay to walk away from ‘You Should Have Left’

“You Should Have Left” – “Violent or upsetting dreams are the mind’s attempt to release the pressures of our daily thoughts and fears.” Theo Conroy (Kevin Bacon) frequently listens to self-help audiobooks these days.  You see, he has bad dreams, and the latest includes his 6-year-old daughter Ella (Avery Tiiu Essex):  a creepy man, who partially conceals his face with a baseball hat and glasses, attacks Ella in her bedroom.  This horrible visual would undoubtedly send any semi-caring father into a tizzy. Theo, however, is a full-caring father, and outside…

‘7500’: Take a number and get in line for this claustrophobic thriller

“7500” –  “How would an event like this go down in real life?” – director Patrick Vollrath, August 2019 at the Locarno Film Festival “Nice airplane.  Two wings and two engines.” – Capt. Michael Lutzmann (Carlo Kitzlinger) It’s 5:23 pm at the Berlin Airport, but it is unclear which one (Schönefeld or Tegel), and security cameras offer several viewpoints throughout this sprawling locale: the check-in area, various hallways, gates, and even a bathroom entrance.  During this montage, one clip focuses on five everyday men – in their 20s or 30s…

Celebrate Daniel Brühl’s birthday with ‘Good Bye, Lenin!’

Hey, Daniel Brühl turns 42 on June 16!  Happy Birthday, Mr. Brühl!  This well-versed, talented actor has starred in lots of big movies, like “Inglourious Basterds” (2009), “A Most Wanted Man” (2014), “Rush” (2013), “The Zookeeper’s Wife” (2017), and “Captain America: Civil War” (2016)!  Daniel has been working since the age of 14, and we’ll go back into his past with an ingenious German dramedy “Good Bye, Lenin!” (2013). In director Wolfgang Becker’s picture, Alex’s (Brühl) and his family live in East Berlin in 1989, but his mother (Katrin Saß),…