STACK #183 Jan 2020

FILM REVIEWS

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Who will save you from yourself? GEMINI MAN

Remember the rules. ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

Format:

Release Date: 22/01/20

Format:

Release Date: 22/01/20

The Will Smith renaissance continues, with two Wills for the price of one in this sci-fi actioner from mega- producer Jerry Bruckheimer ( Pirates of the Caribbean ) and Oscar-winning director Ang Lee ( Life of Pi ). Professional assassin Henry Brogan (Smith) becomes a liability for the mysterious Gemini project after he unknowingly eliminates an eminent biologist. Believing him to be in possession of classified info, Gemini’s head honcho (Clive Owen) wants Brogan dead. But as he’s

Tapping the sharp writing and snide humour that made the 2009 original a cult favorite, this belated sequel is just as much fun. Director Ruben Fleischer ( Venom ) and the returning cast slip effortlessly back into their comic creation as though they’ve never been away. Older but no less snarky, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) are now holed up in The White House. When Little

the best there is, the only one capable of taking him out is a younger clone of himself, who can anticipate his every move. Featuring a fully mo-cap version of a twenty-something Smith (no mere digital de-aging here), Gemini Man delivers on a technical level, while the plot evokes old school clone flicks like Arnie's The 6th Day and Jet Li's The One . AC

Rock leaves the nest and hooks up with the peacenik Berkeley, Tallahassee’s paternal instincts – and hatred of hippies – kick in, resulting in a road trip (via Graceland) to bring her back into the fold. Keeping fan service at a premium, Zombieland: Double Tap doesn’t disappoint. It also saves its best gag for the end credits… SH

LITTLE MONSTERS

PRIMAL

JUDY

UGLY DOLLS

Release Date: 08/01/20 Format:

Release Date: 01/01/20 Format:

Release Date: 22/01/20 Format:

Release Date: 08/01/20 Format:

Lupita Nyong’o, a bunch of kids and lots of zombies in a film from Down Under creator Abe Forsythe. What's not to like? Little Monsters is a zom-com that sees Nyong’o's kindergarten teacher chaperoning her kids on a field trip to a typically rubbish Aussie theme park – in this case Pleasant Valley Farm, a petting-zoo now with mini-golf. Throw in a washed-up muso, Josh Gad as a kids’ TV host named Teddy McGiggle, and a bunch of the walking dead from a messed- up army experiment, and watch the entrails fly! Ostensibly a cosy kids' flick elevated to MA15+ by buckets of blood and gore, Little Monsters is as much fun as it sounds, and Forsythe has since been tapped to helm a new RoboCop film. AC

Nicolas Cage always really means it (man) and he really gets, err, primal in this ripping action- thriller. Cage plays a big game hunter who finds exotic animals for zoos. He’s accompanying his latest haul – including a rare white Jaguar – back to the States on a cargo ship when an assassin (Kevin Durand) escapes from custody and sets the animals loose – including the serpentine variety. Yep, it’s part 'Snakes on a Ship' and Nic's the one who's gotta clean up the mess. Primal ticks all sorts of Nicolas Cage drinking game boxes – including ace quotes like “You kill my cat, I’ll blow your head off” – and also features genre favourite Famke Janssen ( X-Men ). AC

Oscar buzz already surrounds Renée Zellweger's heartfelt performance as the legendary Judy Garland in this earnest biopic based on Peter Quilter's Broadway play End of the Rainbow . Similar to the recent Stan & Ollie , Judy finds the star later in life, arriving in London in 1968 to perform a five-week sold-out run of shows while struggling with substance abuse and financial and legal woes. Although focusing on the last year of Garland's life and her decline, it's not all tragedy; Judy is liberally seasoned with flashbacks to her Hollywood heyday – including a set visit to The Wizard of Oz – and scored to some her best-known songs, marvellously performed by Zellweger. BS

If you haven’t discovered UglyDolls , they’re awesome plush toys that live in the “uglyverse”, where ugly is a good thing meaning unique and special. The free-spirited Moxy and her pals celebrate life in Uglyville, but when they happen to venture into the big wide world, they confront a desire for conformity and have to fight to fit in, before realising that there’s nothing wrong with who they were to begin with. As far as messages in films for kids go, this one’s right up there with the most crucial. People come in all shapes and sizes, and one person’s ugly is another’s beauty. And if just one kid gets the right message from this flick, then mission accomplished. AF

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JANUARY 2020

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