STACK June 2016 Issue 140

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ussie director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) brings his
rademark grit and grunge – and an all-star cast – to the
rban crime thriller. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a former soldier
ho is blackmailed by a ruthless Russian-Israeli mob boss
ate Winslet – a long way from Titanic) into pulling off a
ear impossible heist using military tactics, a pair of corrupt
ops (Andrew Mackie, Clifton Collins Jr.) and Special Forces
uddies (Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus). To ensure a clean
etaway, the crew use a 999 call – code for "officer down"
to distract the Atlanta police department. Elsewhere,
good cop Casey Affleck and detective Woody Harrelson attempt to expose
the rats in their ranks. Hillcoat’s insight into the dynamics of the criminal
underworld adds additional kick to this brutal and spectacularly seedy genre
offering in the tradition of Heat and The French Connection. SH
The heat is on.
TRIPLE 9
Release Date: 08/06/16 Format:
anny Boyle's take on the late Apple CEO is certainly better
han the Ashton Kutcher film, but it still tells us remarkably
ittle about the man himself. Focusing on three key product
aunches – the Macintosh in 1984, the doomed NeXT cube
n 1988, and the iMac in 1998 – what we do learn about
teve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) in the chaotic lead-up to
he presentations is that he's an unpleasant guy who won't
cknowledge his daughter (who he thinks isn't his child) or
he crucial input of tech partner Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen).
teve Jobs does feature knockout performances from
Fassbender and Kate Winslet (as Jobs's long suffering marketing exec), as well
as some crackling dialogue from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, which echoes his
script for The Social Network – another portrait of a dysfunctional tech genius
who changed the world but failed to give credit where it's due. SH
Big Apple.
STEVE JOBS
Release Date: 02/06/16 Format:
Anybody who follows Aussie sports will have noticed that
when a player gets concussed nowadays, it’s taken very
seriously. This is partially due to logic, but also very much
because of the work of gifted US forensic pathologist
Bennet Omalu, who discovered severe brain damage
in a retired footballer who was found dead at 50. This
dramatised biography sees Will Smith step into the shoes of
Omalu, who determined that repeated blows to the bonce
aren’t beneficial. He then bolstered his theory further by
discovering three other deceased NFL players with similar
ever, nobody was prepared to listen, in particular the most
important player – the NFL. But while many tried to discredit the good doctor,
he had some important people on his side. Playing the facts ball rather than
ratcheting drama beyond belief, this one’s for you, sports fans. AF
Where there's a Will...
CONCUSSION
Release Date: 15/06/16 Format:
lympus Has Fallen was a guilty pleasure – a Die Hard-
te action flick with Gerard Butler as a former Secret
ervice man who singlehandedly takes down a North
orean terrorist cell that's invaded the White House.
was big, brash and brutal, and the stakes were
igh. Now Butler’s back, this time accompanying the
resident (Aaron Eckhart) on a trip to the British capital
attend the funeral of the recently deceased PM, along
ith every other world leader. Security is on high alert,
o what could possibly go wrong? Everything! A cleverly
conceived plot by a terrorist mastermind unleashes mayhem on the city,
leaving Butler and the Prez on the run from an enemy who could be
anyone, from the Palace Guard to Scotland Yard’s finest. Which doesn’t
say much for British security and MI6. Big. Loud. Dumb. Fun. SH
The Butler did it.
LONDON HAS FALLEN
Release Date: 22/06/16 Format:
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