STACK NZ Nov #79

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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Would you go to Hawaii with these guys? MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES

Woman vs man-eater THE SHALLOWS

Release Date: 09/11/16

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Release Date: 30/11/16

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Your sister’s wedding is pending, and you – the titular Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) – are renowned for dropping fail bombs on every family gathering. Cue an ultimatum from your folks – find “nice” dates for the ceremony in Hawaii. A quick brawn-storming session later and you’ve placed an ad on Craiglist (kind of like our Scu- erm, Gumtree). It soon goes viral, and you’re left to mutter “meh” over all manner of wannabe dates. Meanwhile, Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) get word – however they’re anything but nice girls. Hey, it’s nothing

Imagine if Chrissie from Jaws hadn't been eaten in the opening scene and had instead climbed onto the nearby buoy and done whatever it took to stay alive. That pretty much sums up The Shallows , in which Blake Lively wages a one-woman war against a Great White shark after being attacked just a few hundred yards from the sand of a secluded Mexican beach. A whale carcass in the vicinity means the shark won't be leaving anytime soon, and with high tide approaching, the rocky sanctuary she's managed to reach will soon be underwater. How she manages to

quick makeovers and some chance meeting plot-plot-plotting can’t fix, yeah? Based on real events (it did sound too original for 2016 Hollywood), M&DNWD is often curiously sweet while keeping the bawdy laughs coming, and is like totally stolen by Kendrick and Plaza, y’ know? AF

stay beyond the reach of this hungry predator makes for a simple and gripping survival thriller. Decent shark movies are a rarity these days, and The Shallows reminds us that a Great White can still be scary in a post- Sharknado world. SH

How to become a real island guy THREE WISE COUSINS

Party like a mother BAD MOMS

DVD&BD

Release Date: 24/11/16

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Release Date: 23/11/16

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Melding Pasifika ingenuity with good old-fashioned Number 8 wire mentality, this low budget New Zealand/Samoan comedy has been the year's surprise homegrown hit, raking in around $1 million at the local box office. Shot primarily with a single camera on location in Samoa, the first feature from writer/director Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa offers an amiable South Pacific spin on the old ‘fish out of water’ comedy staple. Newcomer Neil Amituanai plays a lazy young Aucklander who travels to Samoa to learn the ways of island life

Y ou know that famous shouted line from 1976’s Network ? “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” We may offend a few people by mentioning such a classic in a bit about a raunchy modern comedy from the folks who gave us The Hangover , but it fits. Three quite different mothers – or “moms”, for Americans apparently have an aversion to the letter ‘u’ – have had a gutful. A gutful! Sick of being overworked and receiving little to no appreciation for their efforts, they’re stressed to the max and basically

from his cuzzies (Vito Vito and Fesuiai Viliamu) in order to impress the unrequited love of his life, who he learns only like ‘real island guys’. Fans of local hits like Sione’s Wedding will find much to like in this knockabout comedy. Adam Colby

decide to go on strike to enjoy a spot of them time. It’s a reversal of the typical male-dominated coarse comedy (for which we owe many thanks to Bridesmaids ) with, of course, the odd political message because, well, it’s 2016. AF

NOVEMBER 2016

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