STACK NZ May #73

REVIEWS DVD & BD

Show me the money THE BIG SHORT

Break the story, break the silence SPOTLIGHT

Release Date: 11/05/16

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Release Date: 04/05/16

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Nobody is ever surprised to hear of financial people involved in dodgy stuff. But in the US during the mid- '00s they really pushed the envelope, causing a massive housing “bubble” which led to everyday people going to the wall financially and losing their homes. It was a complicated series of events that’s mercifully explained quite clearly in this flick, which is based on Michael Lewis’s 2010 book of the same name. While we follow three separate people – an eccentric hedge fund manager (Christian Bale), a trader (Ryan Gosling), and another hedge

It’s not surprising that Spotlight received the Best Picture Oscar this year: Tom McCarthy’s riveting account of The Boston Globe ’s Pulitzer-winning exposé on child abuse within the Catholic Church in Massachusetts is, to use a cliché, a story ripped from today’s headlines. As the Spotlight team (comprising Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Brian d’Arcy James) doggedly pursue leads, the sheer extent of the abuse and cover-up becomes apparent, and they realise they’ve uncovered a monster. From interviews with victims to the potentially

fund manager (Steve Carell) – who all profit from the situation, we learn fiscal intricacies from such experts as, erm, Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie (in a bubble bath!). Such touches could detract, but instead they add welcome respite from the movie’s very real drama. Amy Flower

explosive repercussions their story will have, Spotlight turns the minutiae of investigative journalism procedure into compelling viewing. The film doesn’t sensationalise the findings; it simply reports them as methodically and thoroughly as its players. SH

DVD&BD

Portrait of a lady THE DANISH GIRL

Doing it for themselves SISTERS

Release Date: 25/05/16

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Release Date: 04/05/16

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Coming so soon after his Oscar winning turn as Stephen Hawkings in The Theory Of Everything , the odds were always against Eddie Redmayne repeating the feat for playing another tortured real-life character. But as good as he is as Einar Wegener/Lilly Elbe, who in 1930 became one of the first recipients of sex reassignment surgery, it's only right that it was Alicia Vikander who took home an Oscar as best supporting actress. The Swedish star gives a beautifully nuanced performance as his wife Gerda, whose paintings of

30 Rock and Parks and Recreation are two of the cleverest and funniest shows to ever hit TV, so when their respective stars – Tina Fey and Amy Poehler – team up, you know that things are going to be wonderfully entertaining. Yes they’re playing sisters, but if you didn’t know it you’d never guess. Maura (Poehler) is the sensible sibling, while Kate (Fey) is the wild child – complete with teenage daughter to show for it. When they’re called back to their childhood home to clean out their shared room, as their parents are

him as 'Lilly' first puts him on the path to discovering his true sexual identity and who then has to helplessly watch the man she loves gradually transform into a different person. A touching, unconventional love story, this is another must-see May movie. John Ferguson

selling up, the memories start flowing. Kate convinces her sister that they should throw one last party like in the good old days, but this time Maura gets to finally let her hair down, while Kate is to take the responsible reins. This isn’t going to end well... AF

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