STACK January 2016 Issue 135

34 / 70

These days Ice Cube is probably
better known for comedy
fluff like Ride Along, while
Dr Dre now gets almost as
many column inches for his
entrepreneurial abilities as his
music. So this searing urban
epic about the gangsta rap
collective N.W.A. is a timely
reminder of their musical talents
and just how groundbreaking
their hip hop sound was. However, Straight Outta
Compton is more than just a rags-to-riches music
biopic: director F. Gary Gray also doesn’t flinch from
shining a light on the racism and police harassment
of the late ‘80s, attitudes which, sadly, have not
disappeared from American society. Ice Cube’s son
O’Shea Jackson Jr. is a revelation playing his father,
who together with Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy-E
(Jason Mitchell), DJ Yella (Neil Brown Jr) and MC Ren
(Aldis Hodge) achieved worldwide notoriety when
they started rapping about the realities of life in the
‘hood. The best movie about hip hop since 8 Mile and
essential viewing for fans of gritty urban flicks.
• See page 28
Boyz n the hood.
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
Everest might look like a traditional
Hollywood disaster movie with
an all-star cast in a mountain
of trouble, but once you strap
in for the ascent, you’ll realise
it’s anything but. Based on the
1996 true-life tragedy that befell
a group of climbers led by Kiwi
Rob Hall (Jason Clarke), this
is the cinematic equivalent of
scaling Everest, right down to
the minutiae involved in reaching
the summit from base camp. In the hands of a more
flashy filmmaker, Everest would have been a disaster of a
movie, but Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur balances
the spectacle and high adventure with verisimilitude
and the most immersive use of 3D since Gravity. This
dedication to realism makes several scenes particularly
difficult to watch; flesh blackening from frostbite, bodies
freezing solid on the mountainside, and the debilitating
and life-threatening effects of high altitude. Moreover,
the time taken to get to know the characters (from
Jake Gyllenhaal’s hippie guide to Josh Brolin’s rich
Texan) before the mother of all blizzards sweeps in and
disaster strikes makes their respective fates all the more
impactful. Although at times it’s difficult to keep track of
who’s who beneath the parkas, goggles and icicles.
Into thin air.
EVEREST
DVD & BD
Becoming N.W.A.
N.W.A. The Originals
Impact
BD ONLY
Director’s Cut & Theatrical Cut
Audio Commentary
Director’s Journey
The Streets: Filming in Compton
N.W.A. Performs in Detroit
Deleted Song Performance
Deleted Scenes
JB HI-FI EXCLUSIVE
Alternative Artwork
8 Mile
EXTRAS
FURTHER VIEWING
Release Date: 14/01/16
Format:
DVD & BD
Learning to Climb:
The Actor’s Journey
A Mountain of Work:
Recreating Everest
Race to the Summit:
The Making of Everest
Aspiring Authenticity:
The Real Story
Feature Commentary with
Director Baltasar Kormákur
Cliffhanger
EXTRAS
FURTHER VIEWING
Release Date: 21/01/16
Format: TOP
HITS
TOP
HITS
O’Shea Jackson Jr. was initially
uncomfortable playing his father
Ice Cube when first cast. But after
lots of training and coaching, he
noted he’s the only one who should
portray his father in the movie.
DID YOU KNOW...
visit DVD&BD REVIEWS
34 JANUARY 2016
DVD&BD
Mount Everest was named
by Andrew Waugh, British
Surveyor General, in 1865.
Sir George Everest, its
namesake, identified it in the
1820s as the highest point in
the world above sea level.
DID YOU KNOW...