STACK #128 Jun 2016

DVD & BD

REVIEWS

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The con is on. FOCUS

If at first you don't succeed, fly, fly again. PAPER PLANES

Release Date: 17/06/15

Release Date: 24/06/15

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Former Neighbours regular Margot Robbie has suddenly become of one Australia's hottest exports to Hollywood. Having memorably upstaged Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street , Robbie now teams up with Will Smith in the most enjoyable con- artist caper to come along since American Hustle . Smith is a master trickster who mentors the rookie Robbie in the art of the con, using the magician's trick of diverting the mark's focus away from the fact that they're pocketing his expensive watch. But

Australian director Robert Connolly, who usually helms serious fare like The Bank and Balibo , takes a detour into family-friendly entertainment with this whimsical and – dare we say – uplifting kids' film set in the competitive world of paper plane making. Yes, there is such a thing. Likeable Ed Oxenbould plays a 12-year-old living in outback WA, whose prowess in the art of paper aviation sees him bound for the Aussie championships in Sydney, and then off to Japan for the international competition. With a quality Australian cast

he quickly discovers he may have met his match. This is a terrific showcase for the gorgeous Robbie and a solid comeback vehicle for Smith; their onscreen chemistry is worth a dozen rom-coms. Heist thrillers are rarely as slick and focused as Focus .

onboard, including Sam Worthington, Deborah Mailman and David Wenham, and a message about the importance of family and standing up to bullies, Paper Planes was a rare homegrown hit at the local box office and perfect school holiday viewing on DVD.

THE INTERVIEW

LOST RIVER

MORTDECAI

THE BOY NEXT DOOR

Release Date: 11/06/15 Format:

Release Date: 17/06/15 Format:

Release Date: 03/06/15 Format:

Release Date: 11/06/15 Format:

This is the irreverent comedy that upset North Korea and left Sony reeling after confidential emails were (allegedly) hacked in retaliation. So was it worth all that fuss? Probably not. This is one of Seth Rogen and James Franco minor efforts – fun, but not quite in the same league as their more inspired This Is the End . Franco is the host of a tabloid TV news show produced by Rogen, which lands an exclusive interview with North Korean President Kim (Randall Park). The pair are then co-opted by the CIA to assassinate him, but the mission is blown off course when Franco becomes best buddies with the dictator, who turns out to be a big Katy Perry fan.

If you're watching Ryan Gosling's debut as writer-director because you thought he was hot in The Notebook , you're going to hate Lost River . But if you're a fan of the films of David Lynch, Dario Argento, Terrence Malick and Nicolas Winding Refn, you'll find plenty to enjoy in this American Gothic fable that pays undisguised homage to the aforementioned filmmakers – Gosling has good taste, at least. Set in the small town of the title, which is overflowing with Lynchian weirdness, Gosling's film is visually interesting if narratively perplexing. The eclectic cast – Christina Hendricks, Ben Mendelsohn, Matt Smith and horror queen Barbara Steele – adds to its obvious cult movie appeal.

Johnny Depp twirls an oversized moustache, adopts a posh British accent, and channels Austin Powers as Charlie Mortdecai, an art dealer, Lord and trickster enlisted by MI5 agent Ewan McGregor to locate a stolen painting that may hold a clue to the whereabouts of hidden Nazi gold. This globetrotting caper- comedy endeavours to capture the madcap spirit of the Pink Panther films, and Depp diehards need no recommendation to check it out. But for the rest, the laughs are largely dependent upon how funny you find Depp's terrible 'tache – a running gag that quickly runs out of breath. Oh behave!

The kind of cookie-cutter psycho- thriller that was popular in the '90s ( Single White Female , Fear , The Crush ), The Boy Next Door is an unashamedly corny yet guiltily enjoyable blast from the past. Handsome stranger Ryan Guzman enters the life of Jennifer Lopez, whose marriage is on the rocks. Before the half-hour mark he's already seduced her and taught her bullied teenage son to stand up for himself. But when she rejects his further advances, things turn predictably nasty. J.Lo and Step Up hunk Guzman give this huge appeal for teens,

who will enjoy the racy sex scenes and fail to notice the blatant lack of originality.

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

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