STACK Magazine December Issue 122

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DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi
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EXTRAS NEWS
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A feel-good film that sang itself into our hearts in 2012, Pitch Perfect was the movie that
transformed perennial, prickly support Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) into a fully fledged star. It
was also a comic showcase of Australia’s own RebelWilson, after stellar pinch-hitting roles in
Bridesmaids and Bahelorette. Having taken on all comers in the collegiate circuit in the original, the girls
are set to reach for the stars in the eagely awaited sequel, Pitch Perfect 2.They’re off to the world
a cappella championship, where no American team has ever won. Expect team Bellas to hit the highs
and the production numbers to hit the stratosphere when Pitch Perfect 2 arrives in cinemas May 2015.
In the meantime, JB Hi-Fi has the Blu-ray of Pitch Perfect on special as part of their 3 for $30 deal (only
until 11 Jan 2015). Make sure you check in store to mix and match your perfect song and dance combo.
Pulp Fiction wasn’t the only cinematic gem to
turn 20 this year. 1994 also saw the release
of that other masterpiece Dumb & Dumber,
which starred Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels
as two terminally hapless mates. Reuniting
with gross-out comedy pioneers the Farrelly
Brothers (Kingpin, There’s Something About
Mary), the duo are back in Dumb and Dumber
To. They’re a fair bit older and no less wiser,
with Daniels determined to find his long lost
daughter, while Carrey learns something
startling about his own parents. Due in
cinemas everywhere on 8 January 2015.
If you’re a bloke, it seems age is no barrier to
being an all-out biffo hero. At 68, Sylvester
Stallone is still at it, alongside his 67-year-
old buddy Arnold Schwarzenegger in The
Expendables 3. And while the 62-year-old Liam
Neeson is conspicuously absent from that
black-clad mercenary caper, he’s back in action
in Taken 3, set to take over your favourite
multiplex on 8 January 2015.
Speaking of acting veterans, that’s exactly
what Michael Keaton plays in the latest work
from Spanish filmmaker Alejandro González
Iñárritu. The dazzling director of 21 Gramsand
Babel normally works on a broad dramatic
canvas but in the upcoming Birdman, his
focus is on Riggan (Keaton), a washed up
performer plagued with self doubt as he
mounts a return to the Broadway stage. Surreal
will be an understatement when Birdman takes
flight in cinemas on Jan 15.
Taken 3
Birdman
Dumb and Dumber To
extra,extra
Pitch Perfect 2
Ex Machina
NINTENDO new3ds Lands at jb
N intendo is renowned for revamping its hardware during a
lifecycle, and now it’s the 3DS’s time. Called the New
Nintendo 3DS, the handheld comes in two sizes; standard
and XL. Just about every physical part has been repositioned, but
the most significant feature off the bat is the addition of a second
analogue stick – wave goodbye to the cumbersome Circle Pad Pro.
In a nice little aesthetic touch, the four face buttons have been
coloured to mimic the SNES controller, and two extra shoulder
buttons have been added. Nintendo have also fixed the issue of
gamers having to be positioned correctly to benefit from the 3D
effect on the original 3DS, by designing a system that uses the
in-built cameras to track your head position – move your noggin
from side to side, and behold: the 3D can still be experienced.
Taking full advantage of the upcoming range of amiibo interactive
figures, the units will also include an NFC reader. The New 3DS,
available in white, and New 3DS XL, available in metallic blue and
metallic black, are available now; just in time for Christmas.
I, ROBOT
O ne of the most interesting indie features
for 2015 is surely Alex Garland’s directorial
debut Ex Machina. Having collaborated
with Danny Boyle on 28 Days Later and Sunshine,
Garland’s Ex Machina is yet another clever piece of
dystopian musing, as computer whiz Domhnall
Gleeson is enlisted to test a breakthrough robot
(Alicia Vikander) that could well pass for human.
But has this fembot got plans of her own?
HITTING THE HIGHS