STACK #126 Apr 2016

REVIEWS

CINEMA

RATING KEY:

Wow!

Good

Not bad

Meh Woof!

CINDERELLA

RUN ALL NIGHT

Forget what you think you know and start again; Disney have pulled the biggest rabbit out of its mouse-eared hat to date with this passionate, fun, mature, concise and rollickingly entertaining live action film that will have audiences of all ages melting, loving and remembering what it means to follow simple golden rules we all but forget in a modern society. Cate Blanchett was born to play the surrogate matriarch with her sharp features, intelligent sarcasm and commanding presence; an effortless performance that ignites the sting in this fairy tale, which amazingly dances between reality and the magical realm with true wonder and heart. Less heavy on the CGI and with more concentration on a clever script, plus an uncanny ability to engage multiple ages and a rich visual splendor that doesn’t overcook the cake, is likely to make Cinderella the biggest box-office success story to date for the studio, and deservedly so. Chris Murray RELEASED: March 26 DIRECTOR: Kenneth Branagh CAST: Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden RATING: PG

Liam Neeson defaults to action-man mode once again in Run All Night , his third collaboration with director Jaume Collet-Serra and his umpteenth Taken clone. Hitman Jimmy Conlon (Neeson) battles his inner demons and must decide if his loyalties lie with his son or with his lifelong best friend. Limo driver Mike Conlon ( RoboCop ’s Joel Kinnaman) winds up the reluctant target of his father’s longtime ally, mobster Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). Let the running and shooting commence. Neeson reprises some of the skills he's acquired from previous roles; fights with hot sticks ( The Phantom Menace ), parkour ( Taken ), and, of course, gunfights ( Non-Stop , and every other film). Run All Night works fine as a shoot-em up action movie, but one can’t help thinking that Neeson will struggle to escape this kind of typecasting for the remainder of his career. Alesha Kolbe RELEASED: March 19 DIRECTOR: Jaume Collet-Serra CAST: Liam Neeson, Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman RATING: MA15+

THE GUNMAN

TOP FIVE

THE Spongebob MOVIE: SPONGE OUT OF WATER

RELEASED: Apr 16 DIRECTOR: Pierre Morel CAST: Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Jasmine Trinca RATING: CTC

RELEASED: March 12 DIRECTOR: Chris Rock CAST: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson RATING: MA15+

RELEASED: April 2 DIRECTOR: Paul Tibbitt CAST: Tom Kenny, Antonio Banderas RATING: PG

A mercenary’s last assassination in the Congo forces him into leaving not only the country, but also the woman he loves. Upon returning, it’s soon clear he himself is the new target. The cinema cliché of ‘the hunter becoming the hunted’ can be done in many ways; thankfully this is a slight cut above for two reasons – it takes itself quite seriously, posing as a loose political actioner with a heavy duty cast (when it’s really not); and Sean Penn simply being on the screen looking like he’s having some genuine fun, albeit in a constant state of poised concentration as not to stop flexing his rather impressive 54-year-old biceps. Taken director Morel obviously listened to his main star (Penn even gets a screenplay credit) as this is a no-nonsense journey. Much attention is given to methodical approaches to the art of killing, and Penn excels in us believing him – so too the casting of Ray Winstone as a crusty confidante and the gritty ‘put-em down fast’ a la Bourne attitude to action. Ultimately the plot is still a join-the-dots affair, letting down any true intrigue. You’ll find yourself squinting harder at attempting to believe it’s a greater film. CM

This is an instance where a film's trailer seems to have been put together by, I don't know, Dane Cook. It's not actually all about hurling champagne everywhere; the best parts involve famous actor/comedian Andre Allen (Chris Rock) walking around New York, talking authenticity, hip hop and love with Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson), a reporter who tries to get genuine responses out of her interviewee by revealing her own personal life. Overall it's a pretty unrealistic rendition of how magazine interviews are actually conducted, but it does provide a great structure – interspersed with the deeper conversations are a stop at Chelsea's home, where her daughter asks Andre uncomfortably sassy questions; a visit to Andre's mates', where we see his flair for quick wit and canny takedowns are shared by his adored 'regular' friends; and plenty of hilarious flashbacks to a time when Andre was making big money doing crappy comedies (he's now trying to get serious with a sober biopic about the Haitian Revolution, titled Uprize ). Surprisingly meaningful. Zoë Radas

Are ya ready, kids? I certainly wasn’t. The SpongeBob Movie is one of the most eye-opening things I’ve seen in a long time. Either I’m not the atypical child, and missed something growing up, or kids these days are in a whole different ballpark as far as cartoons are concerned. Whether it’s dolphin rap battles, time travelling or bad puns, it’s hard to say if there’s something for everyone – or no one – in this 3D cinematic rendering of Bikini Bottom. Starring the voice actors from the series – Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick, and Rodger Bumpass (yes, that’s really his name) as Squidward – it’s not as if the film strays from the show’s predictably bonkers template. It does, however, bring a weird, almost illicit substance- induced fervour to a childhood memory of mine that I didn’t really want tainted. Despite the title, most of the movie takes place underwater; probably a good thing. It’s creepy, and recommended for kids who are slightly left-of-centre. AK

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