STACK #143 Sept 2016

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DVD&BD REVIEWS

Bad mom. THE MEDDLER

Love when you least expect it. ME BEFORE YOU

Release Date: 15/09/16

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Release Date: 21/09/16

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There’s something about a mother’s resolve that can both energise and infuriate. You know that their actions come from the heart, but sometimes you wish that heart would just take a chill pill and a step backwards. The mother in question in this bewitching dramedy is Marnie (Susan Sarandon). Recently widowed, she’s moved to Los Angeles to be closer to her daughter, Lori (Rose Byrne). As the title suggests, however, Marnie isn’t particularly adept at respecting boundaries, hounding her daughter with frequent calls, texts and unannounced drop-ins. But

Bubbly Louisa Clark ( GoT 's Emilia Clarke) loves her job at The Butter Bun café, so when she’s laid off she’s hit somewhat for six. She eventually lands a gig caring for disabled banker Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), who was left paralysed following a motorcycle accident some two years prior. His iciness and Louisa’s effervescence don’t exactly gel initially, but she wears him down and the two become firm friends. There may be more feelings there, but Louisa has a rather uncaring boyfriend to think about. Will they? Won’t they? Will he? Will she?!

when Lori has to travel, Marnie’s left to meet others, and may even find a love interest. Far from the throwaway busybody mother tale that it may sound like, The Meddler examines grief, coping with it, and finding ways to move on. Need we say that Sarandon is brilliant? AF

It’s complicated, not least of all by a pact Will previously made with his parents. With no Nicholas Sparks movie released in the last few minutes, Me Before You – based on Jojo Moyes’ best-selling novel of the same name – fills the tear-jerking romantic drama space admirably. AF

THE SWEENEY: PARIS

THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY

MARAUDERS

CRIMINAL

Release Date: 14/09/16 Format:

Release Date: 07/09/16 Format:

Release Date: 14/09/16 Format:

Release Date: 31/08/16 Format:

The quintessentially British '70s cop show received a big screen update in 2012, which has now been remade by the French and relocated to Paris – where they don't talk in rhyming slang. Surprisingly it works, although the orginal title The Squad was a better fit to avoid comparisons. These Parisian counterparts to Jack Reagan and his squad are led by Jean Reno, and they don't play by the book either. Out to bust a Russian gang responsible for a series of bank and jewellry heists, these good cops with bad attitudes keep things old school, with the action and shootout quotient as high as the Eiffel Tower. It's still pretty much The Sweeney , albeit in French. SH

From The Imitation Game to The Theory of Everything , recent years have treated us to great insights into some very beautiful minds. The name Srinivasa Ramanujan may not be as household as Alan Turing or Stephen Hawking, but the guy was a bona fide mathematical genius. Dev Patel stars, as we meet up with Ramanujan in pre-WWI India. Hitting a learning wall, he aims to attend the UK’s esteemed Cambridge University. Here he hits a different wall – that of racism. However, he has an ally in Professor GH Hardy (Jeremy Irons). Biopics can hinge on their casting, and Patel and Irons elevate this one into the upper class of the genre. AF

A bank robbery goes down in Cincinnati. It’s not just some sloppy everyday job though, as these guys are slick. They’re masked, they let technology do their speaking, and they’re in and out in a flash. Bank boss Jeffrey Hubert (Bruce Willis) is none too pleased, but that’s understandable when his bank’s business isn’t strictly above board. His vaults bulge with secrets of the rich and powerful, and when FBI guys Montgomery (Christopher Meloni), Stockwell (Dave Bautista) and Wells (Adrien Grenier) get on the case, Hubert strives to avoid the bigger picture being uncovered. Bruce may just be collecting another paycheque, but our FBI guys – Meloni in particular – shine in this rain-soaked crime thriller. AF

Evocative of Face/Off – well, save for any facial removal – the action- packed Criminal goes for more of a brain swap scenario. Actually it’s more reminiscent of 2015’s Self/ less , especially considering the fact that it shares Ryan Reynolds as the star. Criminal is more crime flick than sci-fi suspense thriller though, whereby CIA bod Bill Pope (Reynolds) carks it before being able to reveal where’s he’s hidden an important witness. No problem though, they’ll just pop his synapses into the bonce of dodgy type Jericho Stewart (Kevin Costner), and have him lead them to their quarry. A dodgy type is always a dodgy type, however. Jericho escapes custody and so begins a massive London-based manhunt. AF

SEPTEMBER 2016

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