STACK Magazine December Issue 122

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If you want a movie that will fry your brain, look no
further than the latest offering from the Spierig Brothers.
Having already given us a novel take on zombies
(Undead, 2003) and vampires (Daybreakers, 2010), the
Brisbane twins turn their talents to time travel with
Predestination, a mind-bending thriller based on a Robert
A. Heinlein short story. The less you know about what
temporal agent Ethan Hawke discovers in his attempt to
stop the notorious "Fizzle Bomber" from striking again,
the better. But be prepared for one of the most inventive,
cerebrally challenging and paradox-laden time travel films since Looper.
The production design has a Dark City vibe mixed with a funky '70s
aesthetic, and rising star Sarah Snook is an absolute knockout as a pivotal
character who is recruited by Hawke. Enough said. Now go check it out!
Time after time.
PREDESTINATION
After serving 16 years in prison, Viktor Kahdem
(Don Hany) is transferred to a low security facility
in rural Victoria where he becomes involved in a
program to rehabilitate injured birds of prey. His
instant rapport with a raptor (a magnificent wedge-
tailed eagle named Yasmine) bodes well for the
rehabilitation of both. There's an obvious analogy to
be drawn between broken birds and broken men,
freedom and taking flight, etc (as well as shades of
Birdman of Alcatraz), in this unconventional prison
film, and writer-director Craig Monahan (The Interview) makes sure
the message comes through loud and clear. The strong local cast
includes Hugo Weaving, Tony Martin and Xavier Samuel, and the film
is beautifully shot by DOP Andrew Lesnie (The Lord of the Rings).
Take these broken wings...
HEALING
080
visit REVIEWS DVD&BD
Format: Release Date: 17/12/14 Format: Release Date: 26/11/14
DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi
The end of the world hits close to home – Perth, actually –
in this accomplished feature debut from writer-director Zak
Hilditch. Australian cinema is no stranger to apocalyptic
scenarios and These Final Hours has more in common
with One Night Stand (1984) than Mad Max 2, in that it's
an intimate apocalypse that poses some tough questions
for its protagonist – and ultimately the viewer. Nathan
Phillips just wants to party like there's no tomorrow,
because there isn't; the end is nigh in 12 hours time.
But when he meets a young girl (Angourie Rice) who's
become separated from her father, he decides to do what's right and
attempt to reunite her with her Dad, while the world goes to hell around
them. This is a powerful and downbeat treatment of a familiar subject,
anchored by committed performances and a funereal mood. • See page 60
How would you spend them?
THESE FINAL HOURS
In 1983, the America's Cup yacht race overshadowed
what was transpiring in a Melbourne hotel room – a
simple TV repairman named Ray (Angus Sampson) is
being detained by the Federal Police until he moves
his bowels. Say what? During an end of season footy
trip to Thailand, Ray was roped into becoming a drug
mule and is now carrying 20 condoms of heroin inside
his stomach. That's what the Feds are waiting for, but
Ray defiantly refuses to go number two – and they can
only hold him for a maximum of seven days without
evidence. But can he hold on that long? Co-directed by Sampson from a
script he wrote with Leigh Whannell (Saw) and Jaime Browne, The Mule
is a blackly amusing crime drama that wrings suspense from a simple
premise and builds to a potentially explosive climax. • See page 52
It's what's inside that counts.
THE MULE
Format: Release Date: 10/12/14 Format: Release Date: 03/12/14
AUSTRALIAN