STACK NZ Oct #78

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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The storm is coming... VIKINGS: SEASON 4, Volume 1

The Book of the Dead reopened ASH VS. EVIL DEAD: SEASON 1

Release Date: 19/10/16

Format:

Release Date: 19/10/16

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The good news is this might be the best season of Vikings yet. The even better news is that it's a split season, with a further 10 episodes due to air before the end of the year. Volume One picks up after the attack on Paris that left Ragnar wounded and hellbent on punishing Floki for an unforgivable betrayal. Meanwhile in France, Rollo is settling into his new life as a nobleman, learning the local lingo and customs and getting friendly with Princess Gisla. Lagertha finds her earldom threatened, Bjorn ventures into the wilderness to find himself and

This TV series continuation of Sam Raimi's horror cult classic is every bit as groovy as the movie trilogy. Shot here in NZ, it helps that the original team is back on board, with the great Bruce Campbell reprising his signature role as the clueless Deadite slayer, and Raimi directing the pilot episode. When the middle-aged Ash's bumbling once again unleashes the demons from the Book of the Dead, he must team up with workmate Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) to stop the Evil Dead in the only way he knows how: through the

wrestle a bear ( Revenant style), and the stage is set for a spectacular showdown between Ragnar and his treacherous brother. Game of Thrones gets all the Emmys, but Vikings is every bit as good. If you're not watching it, you should be. SH

act of bodily dismemberment. Yes, just because it's a TV series doesn't mean it skimps on the splatter that the fans love and expect. And if you need further recommendation, Lucy Lawless is lurking on the sidelines as a mysterious figure who may be friend or foe. SH

Darby day Short Poppies

Be afraid of the dark AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL

DVD&BD

Release Date: 05/10/16

Format:

Release Date: 05/10/16

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After a string of memorable supporting turns – most recently in Hunt For The Wilderpeople – Rhys Darby gets to showcase his full array of comic talents in this affectionate mockumentary series. A bemused David Farrier plays himself, a journalist producing a TV show about the unsung heroes of a small Kiwi town; Darby plays a different character – five blokes and two women in total – in each episode, with all of them coming together (with Darby as an obnoxious TV exec) for the finale. Although they are all deluded losers – a UFO watcher, a dippy artist, a surf

Lady Gaga joins the cast for season five and won an Emmy for her performance as a seductive, vampire Countess! While this might sound as crazy as the events that transpire on AHS , the pop queen is actually pretty good as the mother monster lurking at the heart of a gothic Los Angeles hotel that's filled with the damned souls of those who checked in, but never checked out. With the exception of Jessica Lange, all the regular cast – Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, etc – are back,

lifeguard – for the most part they are a curiously likeable bunch, and adding to the fun is a fab line-up of supporting players, including cameos from the likes of Stephen Merchant, Karl Urban and Sam Neill, plus local comedy favourites such as David Fane and Josh Thomson. JF

with Denis O'Hare stealing this season as the hotel's transgender bartender, Liz Taylor. This uncut, 18-rated version restores all the gore and perversion that was snipped for broadcast, including a now notorious scene from the first episode. SH

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