STACK #126 Apr 2016

DVD & BD

REVIEWS

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The night has a price. NIGHTCRAWLER

The Prince of Egypt. EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS

Release Date: 01/04/15

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Release Date: 01/04/15

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One of the most original films of the last 12 months, Nightcrawler sees the chameleonic Jake Gyllenhaal embodying a disturbing personage of youthful zeal covering a cold and calculated gaze. The enigmatic and enterprising Lou Bloom (Gyllenhaal) considers himself a maverick, willing to put in the effort to make his own luck and bend accepted ethics to get to the top of his brand new obsession: the 'nightcrawling' profession – trawling the streets of LA for crime aftermath he can film and then sell on to rabid television networks. Equally brilliant are Renee Russo

If you're tired of watching The Ten Commandments and/or Ben Hur every Easter, Ridley Scott's spectacular Old Testament epic arrives just in time for the religious holiday. The parting of the Red Sea has never looked so good in Scott's commercial and accessible retelling of the departure of the Israelites from Ancient Egypt, following the clash between Moses (Christian Bale) and the Pharoah Ramses (Joel Edgerton, bald and wearing eyeliner). Scott's penchant for ravishing visuals is in overdrive here; the film is awash in CGI plagues and majestic landscapes, while elsewhere, Bale talks to a burning

(director Dan Gilroy's wife) as cutthroat news network manager Nina Romina, whom Lou bends to his will through a series of off-putting ultimatums, and Riz Ahmed as Rick, the nervous and homeless young man whom Lou employs as his navigator during their terrifying nocturnal chases. A must-see.

bush and carves out ten stone tablets. Following the recent Noah (from the Book of Genesis), Exodus could be viewed as the second film in an unofficial, chronological adaptation of the Bible, as told by Hollywood's most visionary filmmakers; although Leviticus has yet to be announced.

New crime. Same tools. HORRIBLE BOSSES 2

Love thy neighbour. ST. VINCENT

Release Date: 22/04/15

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Release Date: 29/04/15

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Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day return for this sequel to the 2011 comedy hit – only this time, they're the bosses. But are they horrible? Well, no; that role goes to Christoph Waltz, as a dodgy investor in their new 'shower buddy' business venture (which is not what you think). When Waltz cancels a massive order, the trio face bankruptcy, but rather than kill this corrupt capitalist, they hatch a harebrained scheme to kidnap his son (Chris Pine) and hold him for ransom. Also back for seconds is Jennifer Aniston's trash-talking

Bill Murray as a boozy old codger who mellows after babysitting the kid next door might sound as sugar-laden as a bottle of soft drink, but St. Vincent never descends into outright schmaltz thanks to the irrepressible appeal of its leading man. Murray gene splices his Wes Anderson characters with DNA from Stripes and Ghostbusters , and goes for broke. Conversely, Melissa McCarthy delivers a performance of surprising restraint as the boy's single mom, whose long working hours allow her son (Jaeden Lieberher)

dentist and Jamie Foxx's jailbird, as well as Bateman's former horrible boss Kevin Spacey. Written and directed by Sean Anders ( Hot Tub Time Machine ), this is that rare example of a comedy sequel being better – and funnier – than the original, which was pretty horrible.

to bond with this irascible scene-stealer, for better or worse. Things turn a tad mawkish when the kid uncovers some skeletons in Murray's closet, but for most of its running time St. Vincent is the Murray showcase we've been waiting for since Lost in Translation .

APRIL 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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