STACK NZ November 2016 Issue 79

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Your sister’s wedding is pending, and you – the titular
Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) – are renowned
for dropping fail bombs on every family gathering. Cue
an ultimatum from your folks – find “nice” dates for the
ceremony in Hawaii. A quick brawn-storming session later
and you’ve placed an ad on Craiglist (kind of like our Scu-
erm, Gumtree). It soon goes viral, and you’re left to mutter
“meh” over all manner of wannabe dates. Meanwhile,
Alice (Anna Kendrick) and Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) get word
– however they’re anything but nice girls. Hey, it’s nothing
quick makeovers and some chance meeting plot-plot-plotting can’t fix,
yeah? Based on real events (it did sound too original for 2016 Hollywood),
M&DNWD is often curiously sweet while keeping the bawdy laughs
coming, and is like totally stolen by Kendrick and Plaza, y’ know? AF
Would you go to Hawaii with these guys?
MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES
Release Date: 09/11/16 Format:
Imagine if Chrissie from Jaws hadn't been eaten in the
opening scene and had instead climbed onto the nearby
buoy and done whatever it took to stay alive. That pretty
much sums up The Shallows, in which Blake Lively wages
a one-woman war against a Great White shark after being
attacked just a few hundred yards from the sand of a
secluded Mexican beach. A whale carcass in the vicinity
means the shark won't be leaving anytime soon, and with
high tide approaching, the rocky sanctuary she's managed
to reach will soon be underwater. How she manages to
stay beyond the reach of this hungry predator makes for a simple and
gripping survival thriller. Decent shark movies are a rarity these days, and
The Shallows reminds us that a Great White can still be scary in a post-
Sharknado world. SH
Woman vs man-eater
THE SHALLOWS
Release Date: 30/11/16 Format:
Melding Pasifika ingenuity with good old-fashioned
Number 8 wire mentality, this low budget New
Zealand/Samoan comedy has been the year's surprise
homegrown hit, raking in around $1 million at the local
box office. Shot primarily with a single camera on
location in Samoa, the first feature from writer/director
Stallone Vaiaoga-Ioasa offers an amiable South Pacific
spin on the old ‘fish out of water’ comedy staple.
Newcomer Neil Amituanai plays a lazy young Aucklander
who travels to Samoa to learn the ways of island life
from his cuzzies (Vito Vito and Fesuiai Viliamu) in order to impress the
unrequited love of his life, who he learns only like ‘real island guys’.
Fans of local hits like Sione’s Wedding will find much to like in this
knockabout comedy. Adam Colby
How to become a real island guy
THREE WISE COUSINS
You know that famous shouted line from 1976’s
Network? “I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT
GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!” We may offend a
few people by mentioning such a classic in a bit about
a raunchy modern comedy from the folks who gave us
The Hangover, but it fits. Three quite different mothers –
or “moms”, for Americans apparently have an aversion to
the letter ‘u’ – have had a gutful. A gutful! Sick of being
overworked and receiving little to no appreciation for
their efforts, they’re stressed to the max and basically
decide to go on strike to enjoy a spot of them time. It’s a reversal of the
typical male-dominated coarse comedy (for which we owe many thanks
to Bridesmaids) with, of course, the odd political message because,
well, it’s 2016. AF
Party like a mother
BAD MOMS
Release Date: 23/11/16 Format:
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40 NOVEMBER 2016
DVD&BD
Release Date: 24/11/16 Format: