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STARRING GILLIAN ANDERSON & JAMIE DORNAN (50 SHADES OF GREY)

BASED ON THE HIT BBC SERIES

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EDITOR’S LETTER W ell, 2015 is drawing to a close and it’s certainly been a fantastic year for films, TV, music and video games. However, some might say the best is still to come. Although we won’t be seeing it at JB Hi-Fi for a while yet, there’s no doubt that the arrival in cinemas of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of the most eagerly anticipated entertainment events of the decade and to celebrate, the December issue is stacked with articles about the world’s biggest sci-fi franchise, including an interview with Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. Elsewhere in December’s STACK , we take an in depth look at the new album from Adele, which, as expected, is shattering sales records around the globe, while Graham Reid offers some buying tips for people looking to further explore The Beatles back catalogue. So all that remains now is to thank you for all for your support this year and wish you a merry Christmas and a happy NewYear. See you in 2016…

Games Consultant Sachi Fernando Production Manager Craig Patterson Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Contributors Graham Reid, Judy Ewens, GarethThompson, Liam Gannicliffe, Scott Hocking, Zoë Radas, Gill Pringle Alesha Kolbe, Doug Wallen, Ryan Huff, Simon Lukic, Michael Dwyer, Chris Murray, Doug Wallen, Denise Hylands, Bec Rowlands Correspondence

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All information believed correct at time of printing. All images used for promotional purposes only. Copyright of respective owners is acknowledged. © 2015 Scribal Custom Pty Ltd. No part of this magazine may be reprinted without the written permission of the publisher. For further details, read fine print.

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The large print giveth, the small print taketh away. RIPRufus (Jack) 2002–2014

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GAME ON AT THE MOVIES

2016 is shaping up to be a bumper year for video game adaptations.

T his month sees the DVD and Blu-ray release of Hitman: Agent 47 , an attempt to reboot the video game franchise for the big screen following the underwhelming 2007 Hitman movie. No word yet whether the new take will spawn any sequels but gamers can certainly look forward to an array of new film adaptations next year and beyond. First up are likely to be two animated movies. Ratchet & Clank , which is due out at the end of April, is based on the popular PlayStation series and follows the adventures of a pointy-eared alien and a tiny robot. Providing the voices are the likes of Paul Giamatti, Sylvester Stallone and Rosario Dawson. Expected around the same time is the big screen version of Angry Birds , a 3D animated adventure in which an island populated almost entirely by flightless birds is threatened by the

arrival of some mysterious green pigs. The all-star voice cast for the mobile game movie includes Danny McBride, Jason Sudeikis, Maya Rudolph and Peter Dinklage. That is due to be followed in June by the first of the big live action game movies Warcraft: The Beginning , which is based on Blizzard’s popular World Of Warcraft games. Directed by Duncan Jones ( Source Code ,

Moon ) – the film stars Vikings hunk Travis Fimmel and Fantastic Four ’s Toby Kebbell. Arguably the most successful of the existing video game film franchises is due to return in September with the release of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter , which will be directed by the franchise’s creator Paul W Anderson and will once again star Milla Jovovich as Alice. However, the one everyone is waiting for is Assassin’s Creed , which is expected in cinemas in December 2016 and stars Michael Fassbender as Callum Lynch, who discovers he is a descendant of a member of the secret Assassins society. The cast also includes Jeremy Irons, Marion Cottilard and Brendon Gleeson, and the director is acclaimed Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel ( Macbeth ). We can’t wait…

Hitman: Agent 47

Hitman: Agent 47 is out on December 16

FIRST 4K BLU-RAY DISCS IN 2016?

Ready for a new High Def format? Sony Pictures has announced that it will launch its first wave of titles on the next generation 4K Ultra HD Disc format early next year. No word yet when the new format will arrive in this part of the world and a lot will probably depend on how well it is received in the US. However, the studio points out that there will 100 million Ultra HDTV sets in homes by 2019 and they will be looking for a similar high def experience with their discs. Sony says its 4K

UHD discs feature four times the resolution of HD and include high dynamic range (HDR), which produces brilliant highlights, vibrant colors and greater contrast on compatible displays. The first titles to be released include The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , Chappie and The Smurfs 2 , and they will followed by more new release film and television content. The first 4K Ultra HD players, which are expected out around the same time, will be backward compatible

Eden

DJ culture steps into the spotlight with the DVD release this month of two fictional movies about the people who spin the discs. First out of the blocks will be the critically acclaimed French drama Eden , which is due out on December 3 and is a tribute to the French underground scene of the ‘90s. It is directed by Mia Hansen- Løve (F ather Of My Children ) and was co-written by her brother Sven, a DJ contemporary of Daft Punk, who are also portrayed in the movie. Eden will be followed on December 16 by We Are Your Friends , which stars Zac Efron as a party promoter turned laptop DJ who is taken under the wing of a weary EDM superstar (Wes Bentley). See review on page 44.

BBC GREENLIGHTS DARK MATERIALS

BBC is to bring Philip Pullman’s epic fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials to television. The acclaimedYA novels tell of a hidden parallel universe and follow the adventures of a young orphan called Lyra.The first book in

Pullman has welcomed the new BBC adaptation and will serve as executive producer. “In recent years we’ve seen the way that long stories onTV can reach depths of characterisation and heights of suspense

the series, Northern Lights , was filmed asT he Golden Compass (2007) and was intended to the first in a trilogy. But despite a starry cast that included Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman, it failed to fire at the box office.

by taking the time for events to make their proper impact. And the sheer talent now working in the world of long-form television is formidable. For all those reasons I’m delighted at the prospect of a television version of His Dark Materials .”

The Golden Compass

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IT’S SHOWTIME! New shows, plus old faves renewed.

The US network recently unveiled the first image from the third season from the gothic fantasy Penny Dreadful , which will be aired in 2016. Pictured above are star Eva Green and Patti LuPone, who joined the show for the second season, which is out this month on DVD and Blu-ray. Showtime has also revealed a January start date in the US for the sixth season of the raunchy family drama Shameless and has also confirmed fourth seasons for two other popular shows, Masters Of Sex and Ray Donovan . And the cable outfit also has some intriguing new productions in the pipeline, starting with Billions , which premieres Stateside in January and stars Damian Lewis as a charismatic billionaire hedge fund operator and Paul Giamatti as a politically-connected US attorney. Showtime has also greenlit Roadies , a comedy/ drama created by Cameron Crowe, which will offer an insider’s look at a backstage crew for a fictional stadium rock band. The all star cast is headed by Luke Wilson and Carla Gugino, plus Imogen Poots, Rafe Spall and our own Keisha Castle-Hughes.

Chvrches

SUMMER STARTS HERE Live music fans are spoilt for choice this summer, with several brand new festivals joining some returning old favourites for the holiday season.

A s usual, the Summer – and the New Year – will be kicked off with the Rhythm & Vines Festival (together with its South Island companion Rhythm & Alps inWanaka), which will once again be held December 29–31 at Waiohika Estate, Gisborne. This year’s line-up includes the likes of Mac Miller, Nero and Pendulum, plus local favourites such as Dave Dobbyn, P-Money, PNC and Scribe. Auckland had been

Park, 70km south of Auckland. Headliners this year include dance veterans Leftfield, Nightmare OnWax and the Dub Pistols, indie folkyWaxahatchee – aka Katie Crutchfield – and Aussie funkmeisters Hiatus Kaiyote, plus popular local draws like Katchafire. However, this year’s festival clashes with another popular Summer live event Raggamuffin, which is on February 20 at

TheTrusts Arena inWest Auckland and boasts an impressive line-up of reggae and urbans acts – The Game, Beenie Man, Bitty McLean, House Of Eddy Grant, Maxi Priest, Inner Circle and more. However, the big new event on the live calendar is the inaugural Auckland City Limits, which is modeled on the Austin, Texas, event and will be held at Western Springs on March 19. The full line-up was still to be announced at press time but hip hop superstar Kendrick Lamar, The National,

set to get a new two day event, the Echo Festival, but that was cancelled as STACK was going to press because of slow ticket sales. However, flying the flag once again for the indies will be the Laneways Festival, which returns to Silo Park – for a final year?– on Auckland Anniversary Day, which this year falls on February 1. There is a distinctly

Penny Dreadful: The Complete Second Season is out on December 2.

Kendrick Lamar

alt-dance vibe to the 2016 bill, with headline acts including spiky US electronica icons Battles, Scottish favourite Chvrches, jazz funk virtuosoThundercat, rising rap star Vince Staples and Canadian indie electro popsters Purity Ring. Local acts to look out for, meanwhile, include singer-songwriter Nadia Reid and reformed Flying Nun noise terrorists High Dependency Unit. Another returning Auckland festival is Splore, which this year runs February 19-21 and will once again be held at Tapapakanga

Houndsmouth, Che Fu andThe Crates, Cold War Kids, The Naked andThe Famous and The Phoenix Foundation among the first wave of acts confirmed. Unfortunately, there is another clash, with music fans having to choose between Auckland City Limits and the annual WOMAD festival in New Plymouth, which runs March 18-20. The line-up for the latter is headed up by John Grant, De La Soul and St Germain, plus a host of world music acts and homegrown bands.

Kiwi horror maestro Ant Timpson is continuing to spread his wings outside New Zealand. This month sees the DVD and Blu-ray release of Turbo Kid , a fun homage to the apocalypse movies of the 80s, which is a co-production between Timpson Films, the Canadian production house EMA Films and the US’s Epic Pictures. And next year, keep an eye out for the wonderfully titled The Greasy Strangler , a US horror comedy, executive produced by Timpson, Elijah Wood and cult British director Ben Wheatley. Turbo Kid is out on December 9

07

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BROODS TOP OF THE TUIS Brother and sister electro pop duo were the big winners at this year’s New Zealand Music Awards. B roods – aka vocalist Georgia Nott and multi- instrumentalist Caleb – picked up the coveted album of the year for their debut LP Evergreeen ,

along with best pop album and best group at the Vodafone-sponsored 50th annual event, which was hosted by Taika Waititi. Broods also won the radio airplay record of the year for their hit single Mother & Father , which they performed at the show. Marlon Williams, who picked up the most nominations, came away with two Tuis, solo artist and breakthrough artist of the year for his self-titled debut, while Lorde flew back from the US to collect the single of the year award for Yellow Flicker Beat , plus an international achievement statutette. However, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, who were in the running in four categories, had to settle for a single award for best alternative album for Multi-Love . Elsewhere, Shihad picked up their 16th Tui, winning best rock album ( FVEY ), while another previous winner Gin Wigmore was named best female solo artist for Blood To Bone . The best urban/hip hop prize went to Janine and The Mixtape for XX , while Electric Wire Hustle won best electronica album for Love Can Prevail . As well as Broods, there were live peformances on the night from the likes of Savage, Gin Wigmore, Marlon Williams and Devilskin. The evening was capped off by Dave Dobbyn and Tami Neilson performing Why Does Love Do This To Me in honour of The Exponents being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

SO WHO WILL BE IN CONTENTION IN 2016? Yes, we know, next year’s New Zealand Music Awards are a long way off. But here are some recent 2015 releases which weren’t eligible for this year’sTuis, but could well be in be in the running next year.

Tami Neilson Don’t Be Afraid Although it includes

Phoenix Foundation GUYD As always, there are some gorgeous slices of pop – the wistful jangle of Prawn and the electro shimmer of Celestial Bodies – but the new rhythmic focus gives it something of a trippy, cosmic vibe – proggy but in a good way.

The Chills Silver Bullets The first new LP in nearly two decades from Martin Phillipps’ outfit has received rave reviews overseas. A crisp and beautifully modulated blend of vintage jangly pop and hushed melancholy, it’s like they’ve never been away.

Delaney Davidson Lucky Guy There’s always been blues and 50s outsider-pop in Davidson’s catalogue, but they come through on this stripped-back, direct and often abrasive album that is strapped together by a taut trio and Davidson’s compelling voice.

Fat Freddy’s Drop Bays

All the things you love about FFD are present and correct – the sweet, soulful vocals, the punchy horns, the seamless switches between reggae and funk– but there’s also room for some more reflective moments.

some glorious new torch and country ballads, this moving tribute to her late father also sees her add some fire-and-brimstone gospel and spectral blues to the mix. Being sad has rarely sounded so good.

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SOCIAL / COMPETITIONS / QUIZ

competitions WIN SPOOKS THE GREATER GOOD When you lie for a living, who can you trust? Spy thriller Spooks The Greater Good lands in JB stores on 17th December and we have three DVDs to give away. Thanks to Madman Entertainment

STACK SOCIAL Listening to you lot chatting and interacting with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is all kinds of awesome! Make sure you get involved and follow us on: STACK Magazine NZ @STACKMag stackmagazine

SAILOR MOON – PART 1 PRIZE-PACK WITH FIGURINE Moon Prism Power, Make Up! Transform into a Sailor Guardian and win this awesome prize-pack. Head to stack.net.nz for you chance to win.

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#JokeOfTheDay How do you make a bandstand? Take their chairs away.

QUIZ

Q1 Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbara Streisand. What's the link? Q2 In which year did the Academy change the line of "and the winner is" to "and the Oscar goes to"? Q3 Which London-born actress took over directing a 1949 film (which she co-wrote) when the original director suffered a heart attack? (She would go on to direct another seven movies.) Q4 Which sci-fi thriller has three US astronauts stranded in an orbiting laboratory awaiting rescue by NASA? Q5 Name the Oscar-nominated "widescreen" cinematographer who was killed in a car accident in 1988. Q6 This movie was the first film produced by John Wayne. Title please

Q7 She began her film career at Republic Pictures but soon dropped out of the business. Four years later she changed her name and signed with a new studio, where her first film for them won her an Academy Award. Who was she? Q8 What thing from another world became the star of a long running US TV series? Q9 Which movie producer vetoed Daniel Craig for a starring role because he was convinced that his choice of actor (whom he cast) was going to be the next James Bond?

Happy Birthday Sia born on December 18th, 1975. Did you know? Sia Kate

Isobelle Furler is the niece of musician Colin

Hay, the lead singer of Australian band Men at Work. #STACKBirthday

Q10 This 2002 movie was the sixth film adaptation of a classic novel. Title please

STACK ’s Fave Movie Quote: “We all go a little mad sometimes.” Norman Bates, Psycho (1960)

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A10. Sidney Poitier in Deadly Pursuit

(1988), aka Shoot to Kill

featuring Christopher Lloyd

(1981) A8. Monster's Ball (2001) A9. Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead

(1951) A7. Lawrence Kasdan,

A6. Fixed Bayonets

,

Body Heat

Day Afternoon

A5. Sidney Lumet -

A4. Silent House

A3. Derek Jarman

A2. The Double

A1. Robert Wagner

Dog

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than the last one. It’s not about being in a claustrophobic space with the mystery and intrigue of finding your way out. This one’s about the journey through this giant world that doesn’t’ quite fit into the frame, you know what I mean? We get to explore that further in the next movie and that’s what’s fun about it. It’s so different than the first one. Given the bleak and terrifying nature of ‘The Scorch’, do you think, as one of the characters believes, hope is a dangerous thing? No, it’s not. Hope is a good thing to have within reason. What’s dangerous about it is that hope can kill people. It can do terrible things, but ultimately we find out that hope perseveres and hope will win out. What do you think these sort of films say to today’s youth? I do think there’s something about the younger generation feeling like they’re being given a world that is kind of broken. That they’re going to have to be the ones that put us back on the right path. So I think that’s why there’s an engagement with these stories about young people taking the reins and taking responsibility for themselves. We’re riding the wave, you know? We’ll see what happens in the next couple of years, but it seems like it’s here to stay. I find it very interesting. It’s a dark idea, but it’s kind of a romantic one, hitting the reset button. I have no idea [laughs]. I’ll have to look back on it in a few years and say, “Oh, look, I didn't know what I was doing!” [laughs] I kind of like that, too. Being naïve. I’m probably the worst judge of that stuff because I can’t look at myself and analyze this just yet. I have to let someone else tell me. As a director, I like being more spontaneous. I think a lot with my gut. If it feels right, it’s right. And so maybe that shows on screen. I don't know. I do love having the audience on the edge of their seat. There’s just something fun about just playing with that. That relationship you have with an audience, to me, is everything. I want to make sure they’re entertained and having a good time. As a filmmaker, what do projects like the Maze Runner films reveal about you?

Armed with a bigger budget and an expansive new setting, directorWes Ball turns up the heat in the second installment of the Maze Runner saga,The ScorchTrials. BALL OF FIRE

the course of their journey, bumping up against all these obstacles. It’s also about what it means to have the guilt and the burden on some of our leaders’ shoulders making these decisions.

How does The ScorchTrials differ from the first Maze Runner movie? It was interesting. They’re out of the maze but they’re still lost and that’s how we approached it.

There is a whole wide world out there and they have no idea how they fit in it or what they’re going to be doing. The movie’s about them finding their place in this world and deciding what they’re going to do. That’s how the movie ends, essentially. The first movie is really about that time in your life when you’re kind of trapped behind these walls and having to escape and set out into this wide world that you could go anywhere in. It’s very thematic that way. That’s what we tried to show through

What made The ScorchTrials a challenge for you? It was a challenge, but fun. That feeling of scope was something I wanted to do on the last one, too. I just didn't have the resources for it. For this one, we had about twice the budget and we got to really use

those extra dollars to make it feel bigger, make it feel more epic. This one’s a little bit different

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is out on Dec 16

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Christopher McQuarrie chose to accept the challenge of writing and directing the fifth film in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise, ROGUE NATION.

(which he also penned) that’s considerably more dense, dramatic and serpentine

S ince its leap to the big screen in 1996, the Mission: Impossible franchise has been kept fresh and energised by handballing the films to new directors each time – from Brian De Palma and John Woo, to J.J.

than action-oriented predecessor Ghost Protocol . Not surprising,

given that McQuarrie is also the guy who wrote The Usual Suspects . The writer-director’s association with Cruise was instrumental in his landing the job on Rogue Nation .

Director Christopher McQuarrie

Abrams and Brad Bird. While Tom Cruise remains the constant, each successive filmmaker puts their own stamp on the missions he undertakes, thus warding off the potential for franchise fatigue. Screenwriter and sometime director Christopher McQuarrie grabs the ball for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation , delivering a propulsive and inventively shot espionage blockbuster from a screenplay

The pair had previously worked together on the 2012 thriller Jack Reacher – as well as the Cruise vehicles Valkyrie and Edge of Tomorrow , which McQuarrie scripted – and their collaboration on the new Mission: Impossible film takes the franchise to a whole new level. “Tom really has been the core of Mission: Impossible in every sense – and he’s so inherently involved in the character and the storyline that he has a unique sixth sense we all rely on,” says McQuarrie. “I love to work with him, yet we approach filmmaking in two different ways. I’m all about logic, order and problem solving. Tom is all about emotions and challenge building. And together that really seems to push us both.” “Chris has an incredible mind,” adds Cruise. “He’s an extraordinary writer and filmmaker and to see his sensibility applied to this genre is something I was excited about. What Chris and I share is that both of us have that need to make

every moment the best it can be.” McQuarrie’s approach to the fifth Mission: Impossible installment

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the Syndicate,” McQuarrie recalls. “But the more we fought against it, the more it became organic to the screenplay. As soon as we began working on the story, we felt it was crying out for that kind of greater threat the Syndicate poses. What I have found is that the Mission: Impossible franchise is this living, breathing thing that makes demands of you and really does kind of push you in the direction it wants to go.”

pays homage to the series’ best characters, while ramping up the franchise’s trademark daredevil attitude. “I wanted this film to pull together the Dream Team of Mission: Impossible and give all the members of the IMF a major role,” McQuarrie

Moreover, McQuarrie wanted to introduce elements that hadn’t been seen in the franchise to date, most notably a gutsy female character who could hold her own against Ethan Hunt. “Two things jumped out at me that we hadn’t seen before: a villain who was a real physical threat to Ethan and a strong, independent woman who would give Ethan Hunt

a run for his money,” he notes. “So those were priorities for me. I really wanted to bring

“The most special thing Chris brings to this movie is his ability to write a scene in a way very few people currently working can write,” says producer Don Granger. “Above and beyond that, he has a vision for action that is extraordinary in that he wants to do everything practically as much as possible. There’s always a CGI-enhanced element, that’s undeniable. But unlike other directors, Chris must get

I wanted this film to pull together the Dream Team of Mission: Impossible and give all the members of IMF a major role

in a woman in an equal role. Until now, women have played a more functional role within the IMF universe, but with Ilsa Faust, we’ve changed things up a bit.” The enigmatic Ilsa Faust, played by Rebecca Ferguson,

explains. “Each of the four movies so far has had a different team dynamic – but for this one, I wanted to reach back into the franchise to bring back the best of them all to create a kind of super group of players… of course starting with Ethan Hunt, but including Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt, Simon Pegg’s Benji and Ving Rhames’s Luther Stickell.”

appears to be aligned with the Syndicate, a shadowy terrorist organisation that’s essentially an anti-IMF and the Rogue Nation of the title. “At first Tom and I decided we didn’t want to follow the thread of

• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is out on Dec 9

everything in camera. Sets, stunts and physical action – we’re doing it all for

real.”

15

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HONEY, I SHRUNK the SUPERHERO Portraying possibly the smallest superhero in the galaxy, Ant-Man, Paul Rudd talks about joining the Avengers and why his son now thinks he’s cool.

I’ve ever done that they're legitimately jazzed about. My daughter is still a bit young, but my son can see it -- his friends know about it, and that's great. We were at Disneyland for an Ant-Man event a while ago and I’ll never forget the look on his face when he was watching a preview scene. As soon as it ended, he looked at me and said: “That’s awesome!” Every time a commercial comes on, they yell, “Dad, Dad, Dad!” They're so excited and I’ve never experienced that. It's wonderful to be able to share this with them. When you work on a project like this, you put your heart and soul into it. You work on it for a long time and you’re proud of it, so you certainly want it to be seen. It’s really nice to know that people like the movie enough to want to buy it on DVD and Blu-ray to watch repeatedly at home. Are you looking forward to its DVD and Blu- ray release? How much do you enjoy the bonus extras that are released with the home entertainment versions of movies? Whenever there’s a movie that I really love, I always get the Blu-ray to hear the commentary. I want to listen to the voiceover and see deleted scenes because it’s a little bit like taking a film class. I always think it’s really cool to hear directors talk about what

Ant-Man is an iconic new character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How much comic book research did you undertake when you signed up for the role? PAUL RUDD: Growing up, I didn’t know about this character, so I read a lot of comics before we started shooting the movie and writing the screenplay. I did a lot of research and I tried to get into his mindset as much as possible. To prepare for the film shoot, there was also all of the physical training that I wanted to throw myself into in order to feel as though I could play the part. Not only did I want to be convincing, but that also helped me feel comfortable in the role. I enjoyed being able to do shoulder rolls and flips for the first time in my life. Which scene in the movie is your proudest achievement? When Falcon swoops in; that was cool. Even

most interesting when it gets technical. I think you can learn a lot from the extras, and I love the thought of hearing about what was going on while people were shooting a project. It’s like being privy to hearing conversations that you aren’t normally privy to. Did you work on many Ant-Man scenes that didn’t make it into to the final cut of the movie? There were quite a few scenes that you didn’t see in the [big screen version of the] movie, so you’ll definitely see some of them on the Blu-ray. Working on this script, one of the first things I thought of was: if you steal a suit and then you stumble across what this suit can do – and you’ve just gotten out of jail and you’re a thief – what would you do? There was a whole montage scene that we called ‘the wish- fulfillment sequence’ and I always figured it would be a fun part of the movie. We came up with lots of different scenarios and things that I could do in the suit. We shot a bunch of those, but they didn’t make it to the theatrical version. Ant-Man will next be seen in Captain America: Civil War .What’s it like to join the Avengers? It’s been really great fun, and it’s also made this whole experience seem much more real in a way. Well, I always knew it was real and I certainly felt like I was part of the

when we were shooting it, or even when we were writing it, we were thinking, “Oh, wow…“ The hairs on my neck are standing up because this could be such a cool movie moment. Does this mean that the other Avengers will now know

about his existence? It was fun to think about that kind of stuff. What does your son think of you playing a superhero? This is the first thing

Marvel family with Ant-Man – but to stand around and see Captain America, and to see Iron Man, and to know that I’m in scenes with them was just mind-bending. It was really cool.

they are trying to accomplish with a specific scene.

• Ant-Man is out on Dec 2

It’s fun to hear their stories, but I find it

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BLOOD FOR BLOOD Kiwi director Geoff Murphy on UTU REDUX , the beautifully restored version of his 1983 classic. By John Ferguson

U tu remains a key film in the development of modern New Zealand cinema. Directed by Geoff Murphy, whose 1981 road movie Goodbye Pork Pie had shown that New Zealand films could be mainstream box office hits, it is not only one of the biggest budget films of the era, it is

manner, but in the recut version we’ve got flash forwards and flashbacks. The changes were quite slight, we thought. But it seemed to make a huge difference to the way the film plays.” Although Utu is widely perceived to have been better received overseas than it was here, Murphy points out that's more about the critical reaction than the paying public. “It did pretty good business,” he says. ”On its first release, over 300,000 people went to see it. There was an indication that the Maori population supported it a bit more than the white population, because the attendance fell off as you headed south. Overseas, I don’t know if it played that well in foreign markets, but it did well with the critics. They loved it.” Utu certainly opened the door to Hollywood for Murphy, who went on to enjoy some success, helming the sequels to Young Guns and Under Siege. He’s ambivalent about this Hollywood experiences – “yeah, well it was good money” – and these days would rather concentrate on writing (he’s just published his autobiography) than return to the movie business. That said, he would be interested in revisiting one of his earlier movies in a similar way to Utu Redux . “ Goodbye Pork Pie was edited after its

order and had a look at it and I said ‘I think we can clean this up a bit’, so we had a second pass at cutting it

and we shortened it a bit.” He admits he was initially sceptical about whether they would be able to raise the necessary funds to restore Utu . Not only was it a 30 year old movie but also it had to be reassembled from scratch because the original negative had been chopped up (“Graeme referred to it as cultural vandalism,” notes Murphy).

also one of the few movies that addresses the still sensitive subject of the Maori Land Wars. Set in the 1870s in and around the rugged landscape of the North Island’s volcanic plateau, Utu tells the story of Te Wheke (Anzac Wallace), a one-time ally of the British colonial forces who embarks on a bloody mission of revenge when soldiers murder his family. The film has been available before on video and DVD but previous versions were taken from the international cut of the movie. Unhappy with the state it had fallen into, cinematographer Graeme Cowley teamed up with Murphy and editor Mike Horton to set about restoring the movie to its former glory. The result is Utu Redux , a beautifully reconstructed version of the movie that is easily the best ever version of Utu that has ever existed for home viewing. And, unusually for these sorts of restoration projects, the new version is actually slightly shorter than the original. “It was a strange process,” recalls the veteran Kiwi director over the phone to STACK from his home in Wellington. “We put it back in

We go to corners of the galaxy, time and space, that we haven't done before...

New Zealand release because the marketing people decided they could sell it to more countries if it went faster, so we cut out some scenes,” he says. “I wouldn’t mind another go at Pork Pie …”

So what’s different about this version and the original? “There are no new scenes, but there were a few scenes dropped,” explains Murphy. “There was a certain amount of re-ordering, basically putting it back to how it was. In the original, we told the story in a reasonably linear

• Utu Redux is out on DVD and Blu-ray Dec 4

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Michael Caton, best known for his roles in films likeThe Castle, leapt at the chance to take on a darker role in Last CabTo Darwin. But he tells John Ferguson there were some drawbacks as well. HOW’S the SERENITY?

According to Caton, the other key character in Last Cab is the Australian landscape itself, in particular the sleepy outback communities rarely depicted in local movies. He says they had to fight hard to shoot on location in places such as Oodnadatta and Daly Waters, which meant they had to work to quite a tight budget. But the welcome they received in these isolated townships, not to mention the locals’ involvement in the film itself, made it worthwhile. “The population of Oodnadatta is 140 and I think 120 of them are in the movie,” he notes drily. But while he enjoyed filming in Australia’s smaller communities, he says life on the road wasn’t always easy during the shoot. “I had the marvelous idea that I would have a little motor home, so I would have a bit of continuity,” he recalls ruefully. “It was full of lots of sharp angles – you had to go outside to change your mind. The only good thing about it was that the motor home couldn’t really be where everybody else was, which meant I was a bit isolated, which was good; it sort of reinforced that loneliness.” Of course, as well as being a road movie, Last Cab to Darwin also addresses the serious issue of euthanasia. Caton believes that one of the reasons that the film has resonated so well with audiences is that it looks at both sides of the debate – and he is unsure what he would do if he found himself in the same position as Rex. “I’m all for really having the conversation and I think people should be allowed to use euthanasia if that’s what they so desire,” he says. “But at the same time, don’t underestimate the human spirit.”

Caton jokes. “We reduced the audience to tears but unfortunately I also reduced myself to tears! It was probably not the thing to do, but it did go down well.” Although he was the only actor from that read-through who actually ended up in the film, Caton is full of praise for his supporting players, who include both familiar faces like Jacki Weaver (“we probably wouldn’t have got the film up without her”), David Field and John Howard, and some talented younger co-stars. “The casting was really special I thought,” Caton enthuses. “Young Mark Coles Smith… I really love characters that play both sides of the line – they're the best characters to play what a great talent. Tilly is nothing like Mark, he’s a very sophisticated young actor. But Mark arrived at Oodnadatta 10 days before and picked up the local lingo and patois and as far as the kids were concerned, he was Tilly. And then you had Emma Hamilton, who was actually Australian but who has never worked in Australia before. She couldn’t get into any of the acting schools here so she went to RADA. We fell madly in love during the shoot – we had a wonderful

I n person, Michael Caton is as laid back and likable as many of the characters he has portrayed on screen. And that’s perhaps why more darker roles, like his latest in the drama Last Cab to Darwin , don’t come his way as regularly as he would like them to. “I love roles like this but they don’t get offered to me a lot,” he agrees. “I seem to have created some sort of archetype and that’s what I get cast as. So to do something like this, to me was a treat. I really love characters that play both sides of the line – they’re the best characters to play. I have met a lot of actors who play a lead and they want to have the white hat on all the time. I’ve never been like that.” In Last Cab to Darwin , as he acknowledges, his character Rex, a cabbie from Broken Hill, is a bit dour and something of a loner. So when he discovers that he has terminal cancer, he keeps the news to himself and sets off to the Northern Territory, hoping to make use of controversial new euthanasia legislation that has just been introduced. However, while driving across the outback, he reluctantly acquires some travelling companions in the shape of a carefree Aboriginal young man named Tilly (Mark Cole Smith) and Julie, a former English nurse (Emma Hamilton) who has been working in a pub. Caton was aware of Reg Cribbs’s play, on which the film is based, but admits he hadn’t seen it on stage. However, Cribbs and director Jeremy Sims’s script made an immediate impression on him, particularly when he participated in a live read-through in front of an audience at the Dungog Film Festival. “I think it was Jeremy sussing me out,”

• Last Cab to Darwin is out on Dec 9

affair without the sex! She’s become a really great friend.”

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The release of space behemoth StarWars: The Force Awakens is nearly upon us and as original hero Luke Skywalker returns, Mark Hamill shares his joy at reprising his greatest role.

“I t’s kind of like Scrooge on Christmas morning: ‘Oh my God, this time I’m going to appreciate it in a way I wasn’t able to as a young man.’ The fact that it is so special to so many people, it’s hard to believe you could take something for granted like that.” So says Mark Hamill, who, like the legions of Star Wars fans worldwide, is simply thrilled to be reprising his most famous character. More than 30 years after Return of the Jedi , Star Wars is finally back. Things are a little different this time around: Disney is at the helm and George Lucas has handed directorial duties over to J.J. Abrams, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set to be a return to form for the franchise. Indeed, following the prequel trilogy that disappointed a lot of

fans (although Jar Jar Binks took most of the flack for that), the highly anticipated trailer released earlier this year – in which Han Solo turned to his faithful furry friend Chewbacca and said, "Chewie, we’re home” – sent fans into a frenzy all over again. “I never thought it would happen, never in a million years,” Hamill says. “George Lucas had told me that he wanted to do some more Star Wars films, even though he wasn’t going to be doing them himself, and I assumed that I wasn’t going

the actor had all but disappeared in thee interim years, but he’s actually been pursuing a successful career as a voiceover artist, including a long-running role as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series . “Boy, is it a great job!” he grins. “It’s the ultimate lazy actor’s job: you don’t have to memorise your lines and you can come in looking like hell. They don’t care how you look; they care about how you sound.” But all that changes now. Typically, details of the blockbuster are under wraps, with actors forbidden to talk about plotlines. What we do know is that along with Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher are reprising their roles and Girls actor Adam Driver is starring as Kylo Ren, a dark warrior. And if the trailers are anything to go by, the latest instalment will truly be a force to be reckoned with.

to be coming back because our story had a beginning, middle, and an end. My story was finished. But then George told me that I could return to the role if I wanted to and if I didn’t they would write me out of it! Of course, there was no way I was going to turn that chance down. It wasn’t like I had a choice. Can you imagine all those fans forming a mob around my house protesting that I had turned down the chance to do another Star Wars? I decided I didn’t want to go from beloved icon to most hated man in fandom!” The irony of returning to a role that he has spent most of his

professional life trying to get away from is not lost on Hamill, who says that once he got his head around that fact he was thrilled. It may seem as if

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If you spot a Stormtrooper, Snowtrooper or CloneTrooper at a public event (that doesn't involve cosplay), it's a safe bet they're members of the 501st Legion, the global StarWars costuming club and a force in charity work, whose numbers now rank in the thousands. STACK caught up with Melbourne member Adam Ingeme.

How many 501st Garrisons are there in Australia, and which one do you belong to? Nationally we consist of four Garrisons. There is the Redback Garrison serving Queensland, Southern Dewback Garrison in SA, Southern Cross Garrison operates throughout New South Wales/ACT, and Terror Australis Garrison takes care of WA, Tassie, Victoria, and if need be, Northern Territory. I troop under Terror Australis in the Knightfall Squad. What’s the approximate membership nationally? There are 406 active Legionnaires within Australia, of approx. 8,100 auxiliaries worldwide.

Anaheim for Star Wars Celebration VII, and just recently in LA for Stan Lee’s Comikaze. My aim is to get to San Diego Comic-Con next year. Through the Legion, I have forged friendships globally. What’s been the most memorable/rewarding experience to date for you as a 501st trooper? Most memorable moment was meeting the father of a small girl who was going through chemotherapy, out and about one day, who was telling us about the struggles the family had been going through seeing their daughter fight cancer, and how our visit to the Starlight room had for a brief moment allowed her to forget about the chemo and just enjoy a tea party with a Stormtrooper. How many First Order Stormtroopers have joined the ranks of the 501st? I know that there have been nearly 200 suits of armour stamped, I don’t know the actual approved numbers. However, I see friends on Facebook posting their approvals, so I can assure you the number is greater than four. Do you see your ranks swelling following The Force Awakens ? Even in the build up to the new trilogy, fan interest has led to a steady stream of fresh recruits, and I can see this figure growing much further.

How comfortable is the uniform, and are bathroom breaks a challenge? At first it was pretty uncomfortable, but the more one troops, the more we articulate limbs and increase functionality. I can now run, sit, fall and pick myself up with ease… as for the bathroom thing, it requires nearly undressing completely, unless you can work things around a two-piece undersuit. How frequently do 501st appearances/ events/opportunities arise? We get requests on a regular basis for troops; we have scheduled visits to the Royal Children’s Hospital every three months. There are quite a few events that we repeat annually, and with the lead-up to the new movie, our requests have surged with the film's popularity. The 501st is always receptive to engagement, best accessible via an event request on 501st.com

How long have you been a member? I’m what’s known as a “shiny” as my armour is still quite glossy. With a smidge over two years in the Legion, I’ve completed 45 troops. Did your costume initially pass inspection, or did you have to modify it to meet 501st standards? As we advise any potential recruit, research is key in getting any costume up to scratch. My first build took three months to complete, and with the eight weeks waiting for the plastic to be vacuformed and shipped from overseas, I spent my evenings trawling the forums and viewing screenshots of A New Hope . Upon receiving the plastics, I was measuring repeatedly and test fitting many times; with such diligence, my costume was cleared first attempt.

What kind of events have you attended – local and/or international? Any events where I can troop alongside my friends and fellow legionnaires are always the best. Additionally, I’m a fan of the international convention circuit. Earlier this year I flew out to

What’s the current going rate for a Stormtrooper uniform? Unfortunately, being down in Australia we have to deal with overheads like a fluctuating US dollar and intl shipping. Between plastic, soft parts, boots, blaster and tools/paints, my costume was around $1,700.

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part of a standard loose set of action figures. All three of these figures are roughly on par in their original packaging – they’d be worth somewhere north of $30,000 each. What are the most popular figures to collect? Probably the first 12 release figures from Kenner’s 1977/8 Star Wars series, and then the last 17 from the Power of the Force series in 1984/5. That last series of figures saw a really short release at retail, and they are on average the most expensive as a result.

The StarWars movie franchise has grossed more than US $4.3 billion at the box office since 1977.While that number is impressive, it’s the US $20 billion-plus it’s earned in the sales of toys, rides, books and games that has truly driven the money-making potential of the Force. Collectors have gobbled up everything from underwear and jewelry, to the vintage StarWars action figures that helped kickstart it all in 1978.That vintage toy line, sold in Australia up until the late 1980s, is now highly valued by Gen-Xers, who are just starting to hit their peak earning years. Competition, demand, and prices for rare items has become fierce. STACK catches up with local collector Ben Sheehan, to find out what drives grown-ups to spend increasingly large sums of money on StarWars toys from their childhood.

such as a double telescoping Luke Skywalker are selling for around $25,000 in absolutely mint condition. Prototypes of Star Wars toys are also exceptionally popular right now. What is the rarest piece you have personally acquired? Because I collect vintage Star Wars

What was your first piece? A friend bought me a Star Wars X-wing model kit in 1992. Before I knew what was happening, I’d dusted off my childhood figures, and spent $180 on a vintage

packaged Han Carbonite figure. The guy selling it ripped me off – it definitely pays to research before you buy.

pre-production items almost exclusively, it’s all pretty rare by definition. A lot of pieces I own are one of a kind. But I’d say the wood pattern/ sculpt of the Millennium Falcon ship that was made from the same mold between 1978 and 2009 or so would be it. It’s pretty much a piece or art in its own right. In terms of vintage action figures, is the vinyl -caped Jawa still the most valuable? The loose Australian version of the vinyl- caped Jawa is the most expensive production toy – it generally sells for between $1 to $2,000 depending on condition. The double telescoping versions of Ben Kenobi and Darth Vader sell for around four times as much, but they weren’t released in Australia, and are so rare even in the US that most people don’t regard them as

When did the market for vintage SW initially develop? It was there in the US and Australia even in the late 1970s – albeit a small one. Collectors were struggling to get their hands on every figure even at this time. It kind of hummed along until the line was cancelled in 1985, then really came to life in the early to mid- 1990s. Lucasfilm started licensing Star Wars again at that time, and interest just exploded. There were also a few collecting related books published at that time. Is it possible to predict trends? To a degree. Collectors often carve out a niche for themselves in a particular area of the hobby by making new discoveries or specialising. It might be, say, an Australian collector mapping out which toys were only available locally. Publicising something like that often leads to a rush of interest in those items. So if you keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the hobby around the world, you can see this type of thing unfolding. What is currently hot in the marketplace? Early Star Wars figures in first release packaging, that are in high grade condition. They’ve jumped in value around 300 per cent or more over the past few years. Rare figures

What’s the most extreme length you’ve seen someone go to for their collecting? Without naming anyone – guys have survived on noodles, mortgaged their houses, travelled overseas to find items, gotten themselves hopelessly into debt, begged, borrowed and stolen for their collections. You name it, it’s been done. I’m no longer surprised by anything I hear. I would say though, that as long as it’s approached in a healthy way and doesn’t involve neglecting your partner or family, it’s a great hobby to be involved in.

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