STACK #122 Dec 2015

DVD&BD

REVIEWS

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When Diane met Douglas. AND SO IT GOES

Woody's latest enchants. MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT

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Release Date: 04/12/14

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Release Date: 17/12/14

Format: ROM-COM WORLD

D o w n l o a d a p p t o v i e w t r a i l e r

Rob Reiner has directed romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally and seniors' comedy The Bucket List . Now he's combined the two in grey market rom-com And So It Goes , pairing Diane Keaton's widow with Michael Douglas's cantankerous realtor. "I've sold houses older than you, in a lot worse condition," he tells her. Throw in a granddaugher he never knew he had and hey presto – instant family. Fortunately, Douglas's butt-baring days (circa Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct ) are, er, behind him,

Woody Allen returns to France – the location of his most successful film, Midnight in Paris – for another whimsical mixture of magic realism and romance. A period piece set during the late 1920s, Magic in the Moonlight follows Stanley (Colin Firth), a stage magician and debunker of phony spiritualists, in his attempts to expose Sophie (Emma Stone), an American medium who's been holding seances for a wealthy family in the Riviera. Whether or not she's the real deal soon becomes

but he can still play obnoxious characters with gusto. Keaton's already a pro at this kind of film, having romanced Jack Nicholson in Something's Gotta Give . Together, they add spark to a predictable but winsome rom-com for sixtysomethings.

incidental; you don't need to be clairvoyant to realise that Stanley will be won over by the lovely Sophie's charms. Firth and Stone prove a great match, and they're supported by seasoned pros like Jacki Weaver and Eileen Atkins. It's whimsical. It's Woody.

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED

A boy and his dog. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN

Release Date: 18/12/14

Release Date: 10/12/14

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The title might be a mouthful but it does create intrigue concerning the identity of this agile centenarian and where he's gone. Scandinavian cinema isn't all about noirish thrillers and dragon tattoos. There's shades of Forrest Gump in this Swedish comedy caper based on the Nordic best-seller by Jonas Jonasson, which looks at the extraordinary life of Allan Karlsson (played by popular Swedish comedian Robert Gustafsson), an explosives expert whose long career included offering advice to the likes of Franco and Stalin and inventing the

Belle and Sebastian is big in France – a box office hit based on a 1965 children's book, which also inspired a television series. Sebastian (Félix Bossuet) is a cute, independent six-year-old living with his adopted grandfather (Tchéky Karyo) in the French Alps during World War II. He befriends Belle, a big white stray dog who the locals suspect has been killing their sheep. You'll know right away that this loveable hound isn't the culprit, and Sebastian's attempts to keep her safe from the vengeful farmers are juxtaposed with the plight of

atomic bomb. Now an old man, Karlsson absconds from the retirement home on his milestone birthday, and further misadventures ensue when he acquires a suitcase full of drug money belonging to the mob. If movies are like a box of chocolates, this one's the peanut brittle.

Jewish refugees entering their mountain village to escape the Nazis. That last bit adds dramatic weight to what's essential a Euro take on Lassie , and while kids won't want to read subtitles, the stunning locations and canine star will keep them sufficiently engrossed.

DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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