STACK #143 Sept 2016

visit stack.net.au

CINEMA REVIEWS

BLOOD FATHER

RELEASED: Sept 1 DIRECTOR: Jean-François Richet CAST: Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna RATING: MA15+ Mel Gibson’s role in Blood Father may be the perfect response to the image that the actor cultivated as a result of his very public and personal outbursts in recent years. Jean- François Richet’s film doesn’t disregard Old Man Gibson – it panders to him. Actors may not be the characters they play, but it would be too simple an evaluation to suggest that there isn’t an element of the reverse. Gibson is John Link, a worn out tattoo artist doing his utmost to avoid breaching his sobriety and his parole. To imagine that Link is a warped avenue of penance and rehabilitation for Gibson isn’t much of a stretch. His estranged daughter, Lydia (Erin Moriarty) arrives at his trailer out of the blue. She has accidently shot her drug-kingpin boyfriend, Jonah (Diego Luna), and is on the run from the cops and the cartel. Link and Lydia hit the road in a decaying Chevy Nova that would have done Max Rockatansky proud, and embark on a journey of revenge and redemption. Richet elevates material that might have otherwise smacked too much of post- Taken exploitation. The film is a Western with cars instead of horses, and bikers instead of cowboys. Blood Father is trash, albeit enormously satisfying trash. It’s also a reminder of what a captivating screen presence Gibson can be, personal woes be damned. John Roebuck Sausage Party is an interesting movie, in that it probably shouldn’t exist. So rude, crude, politically incorrect and ridiculously funny (if you’re into that kind of thing), the film is the perfect Seth Rogen project; a wretched, disgustingly dirty – and by no means limp – comedy. Of course Rogen headlines the voice talent in this animated bratwurst fest, portraying Frank, the sausage on the hunt for the bun of his dreams, Brenda (Kristen Wiig). The pair is searching for the “Great Beyond”, a supposed promised land that grants all food an escape from their miserable residency at the local supermarket. However, all may not be as it seems, as “the imperishables” (lead by Bill Hader) propose that the Great Beyond isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Up against the stiff competition of Bad Neighbours and This Is the End , it’ll be hard to miss the point of this cheesy laugh-fest. The best way to get the most out of Sausage Party is to accept it for what it is – Toy Story for adults. Food comes to life, boys take bath salts in the comfort of their lounge rooms, and there’s a Pepper with quite the impressive military rank. You even get a few songs thrown in to add to the cacophonous chaos. If you’re hungry for a bad taste comedy, you’ll want a pizza this one. Alesha Kolbe SAUSAGE PARTY RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon CAST: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill RATING: MA15+

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Jaume Collet-Serra CAST: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Angelo Jose RATING: M

THE SHALLOWS

Woman vs. maneater.

I magine 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 survive. That pretty much sums up what to expect from The Shallows , in which Blake Lively wages a one-woman war against a Great White shark after she's chomped whilst surfing off a secluded beach in Mexico (in reality Lord Howe Island). Attacked only a few hundred yards from the shore, Mrs. Ryan Reynolds finds herself in a dead pool – 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. The possibility of a rescue is quickly

dashed when a pair of fellow surfers are taken by the shark, leaving her stranded with only a wounded seagull for company (which becomes a supporting character of sorts). Most of us would be in full panic mode by now, but Lively is a resourceful type, using her med school skills and earrings to seal the bite wound, and fashioning a pressure bandage from her wetsuit. She also times the circling shark to estimate the right moment to swim for her life. How she manages to stay beyond the reach of this hungry predator makes for a simple and efficient survival thriller that's slickly shot, including some pop-up graphics for Face Time and to indicate that the clock is ticking. There's also a creepy swim through a school of stinging jellyfish, and the CGI shark is mostly convincing. Some of it is implausible, particularly the climax, but the film works so effectively, you'll quickly forgive the odd lapse in logic. Just sit back, enjoy the ride, and be thankful this isn't happening to you. Decent shark movies are a rarity these days, and The Shallows

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

reminds us that a Great White can still be scary in a post- Sharknado world. Scott Hocking

FURTHER VIEWING: Open Water

SEPTEMBER 2016

24

jbhifi.com.au