A modern ‘Lord of the Flies,’ a zombie sequel and Jodie Foster’s first French-speaking lead role in January movies
This month’s new releases include ‘The Plague,’ ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ and ‘A Private Life’
January used to be the time of year in which studios dumped their unloved dregs in theaters. But in the streaming era, good movies can be found and watched at any time, and studios are keeping up. That means there are plenty of hotly anticipated flicks hitting theaters this month.
‘Der Tiger’
Der Tiger | Official Trailer - YouTube 
A German tank crew led by Lieutenant Philip Gerkins (David Schütter) is dispatched on a top-secret mission to rescue Colonel von Hardenburg (Tilman Strauss) and bring him back from across the front lines on the Eastern Front. Following on the heels of the well-regarded 2022 Netflix remake of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” this is the rare WWII movie that Americans will have the opportunity to see from the German perspective. One of the strengths of director Dennis Gansel’s film is how “through strong dialogue and engaging performances,” it ends up “showcasing the horrors of what the Nazis did and the soldiers who willingly followed orders to commit heinous acts,” said Nick Bythrow at Frayed Branches. (on Prime now)
‘The Plague’
The Plague | Official Trailer | Joel Edgerton | HD | Independent Film Company - YouTube 
Are you ready for a period piece set in 2003? In director Charlie Polinger’s drama, Joel Edgerton plays the coach of a swim camp where the boys, led by the cruel, wisecracking Jake (Kayo Martin), isolate and bully Eli (Kenny Rasmussen) by pretending that his skin rash is the plague and refusing to speak to him. One boy says that if you touch Eli, “your brain turns into baby food.” We witness these disturbing rituals of male adolescence through the eyes of the new kid, Ben (Everett Blunck), a thoughtful boy with a troubled home life who is unnerved by what he sees. Strong performances from its mostly young cast in this “Lord of the Flies”-esque story “make this anxiety-inducing look at pubescent social structures so thrilling — and so brutal,” said Jacob Oller at The AV Club. (in theaters now)
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