STACK Magazine December Issue 122

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Rob Reiner has directed romantic comedy When
Harry Met Sally and seniors' comedy The Bucket
List. Now he's combined the two in grey market
rom-com And So It Goes, pairing Diane Keaton's
widow with Michael Douglas's cantankerous realtor.
"I've sold houses older than you, in a lot worse
condition," he tells her. Throw in a granddaugher he
never knew he had and hey presto – instant family.
Fortunately, Douglas's butt-baring days (circa Fatal
Attraction and Basic Instinct) are, er, behind him,
but he can still play obnoxious characters with gusto. Keaton's
already a pro at this kind of film, having romanced Jack Nicholson in
Something's Gotta Give. Together, they add spark to a predictable
but winsome rom-com for sixtysomethings.
When Diane met Douglas.
AND SO IT GOES
Woody Allen returns to France – the location of
his most successful film, Midnight in Paris – for
another whimsical mixture of magic realism and
romance. A period piece set during the late 1920s,
Magic in the Moonlight follows Stanley (Colin
Firth), a stage magician and debunker of phony
spiritualists, in his attempts to expose Sophie
(Emma Stone), an American medium who's been
holding seances for a wealthy family in the Riviera.
Whether or not she's the real deal soon becomes
incidental; you don't need to be clairvoyant to realise that Stanley
will be won over by the lovely Sophie's charms. Firth and Stone
prove a great match, and they're supported by seasoned pros like
Jacki Weaver and Eileen Atkins. It's whimsical. It's Woody.
Woody's latest enchants.
MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT
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visit REVIEWS DVD&BD
Format: Release Date: 04/12/14 Format: Release Date: 17/12/14
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DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi
The title might be a mouthful but it does create intrigue
concerning the identity of this agile centenarian and
where he's gone. Scandinavian cinema isn't all about
noirish thrillers and dragon tattoos. There's shades of
Forrest Gump in this Swedish comedy caper based
on the Nordic best-seller by Jonas Jonasson, which
looks at the extraordinary life of Allan Karlsson (played
by popular Swedish comedian Robert Gustafsson), an
explosives expert whose long career included offering
advice to the likes of Franco and Stalin and inventing the
atomic bomb. Now an old man, Karlsson absconds from the retirement
home on his milestone birthday, and further misadventures ensue when
he acquires a suitcase full of drug money belonging to the mob. If
movies are like a box of chocolates, this one's the peanut brittle.
THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED
OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED
Belle and Sebastian is big in France – a box office hit
based on a 1965 children's book, which also inspired
a television series. Sebastian (Félix Bossuet) is a
cute, independent six-year-old living with his adopted
grandfather (Tchéky Karyo) in the French Alps during
World War II. He befriends Belle, a big white stray dog
who the locals suspect has been killing their sheep.
You'll know right away that this loveable hound isn't the
culprit, and Sebastian's attempts to keep her safe from
the vengeful farmers are juxtaposed with the plight of
Jewish refugees entering their mountain village to escape the Nazis.
That last bit adds dramatic weight to what's essential a Euro take
on Lassie, and while kids won't want to read subtitles, the stunning
locations and canine star will keep them sufficiently engrossed.
A boy and his dog.
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
Format: Release Date: 18/12/14 Format: Release Date: 10/12/14
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