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Lush cinematography can’t save this dated second world war drama, let down by comic accents, cliched dialogue and confusing action

This stilted, herky-jerky tale of Yankee heroism – written and directed by, as well as starring, Steven Luke – seems to be a sequel to Luke’s earlier second world war saga, Wunderland, a work not well-reviewed nor widely seen. In this instalment, Luke’s wholesome, square-jawed protagonist Lt Cappa and his ethnically diverse yet strangely interchangeable-looking men are defending a field hospital just behind the frontline near Lanzerath, Belgium, as the titular Battle of the Bulge rages in December 1944. The larger goal for the allies, represented here mostly by Tom Berenger and Billy Zane talking in a tent as they play Maj McCulley and Gen Omar Bradley, is to take control of fuel supplies to the Germans who might be on the verge of winning the war. Plus, there’s...

Every year, movie-preview pieces herald the holidays’ arrival; in 2020, the headlines are a little different. As USA Today proclaimed, “10 Must-See Movies to Stream Over the Holiday Season.” They include “Soul,” “Mank,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Let Them All Talk,” and “Small Axe” — major awards contenders, many of which would have have been theatrical releases. However, they all belong to streamers, not VOD.

Meanwhile, on Friday Vertical Entertainment dropped an action film, “The Informer,” which stars Joel Kinnaman as an ex-con who returns to prison undercover to expose a Polish drug cartel. Shot in 2017 and released in most of the world in 2019, this title from the director of “Escobar: Paradise Lost” is unlikely to show up on anyone’s awards-season list. However, even at $19.99 to rent, it topped two major VOD charts this weekend.

“The Informer” has a strong ensemble cast that includes Rosamund Pike, Common, Clive Owen, and Ana de Armas...