48 / 68
T
he '80s TV crime series of the same name (starring
Edward Woodward) was never like this! Denzel
Washington steps into the title role here as a former
intelligence operative turned hardware store worker,
who befriends a young Russian prostitute (Chloë
Grace Moretz) being mistreated by her pimp. After a
rather nasty incident puts the girl in hospital, Denzel
calls upon his past training to exact revenge, which
consequently makes him a target for the Russian
mob.
The Equalizer
reunites Denzel with his
Training
Day
director Antoine Fuqua for a violent and mean-spirited action-
thriller, culminating in a tense and bloody final showdown in the
darkened corridors of the hardware store, where the well-stocked
shelves provide a veritable arsenal of weapons. Ouch!
Denzel plus Russian mobsters equals mayhem.
THE EQUALIZER
Imagine
Twister
repurposed as a handheld film and
you'll have a good idea what to expect from
Into
the Storm
. Although presented as (found) footage
shot by a group of stormchasers attempting to
capture the 'eye of the storm' on film, and a high
school student's time capsule video project, this
DIY disaster movie features the kind of big budget
special effects you'd find in a Roland Emmerich film.
Asmall Oklahoma town experiences some really bad
weather, with massive tornadoes reducing houses
to rubble and tossing planes about like toys at the local airport.
Needless to say, the visual spectacle is more compelling than the
plight of the one dimensional characters, led by Richard Armitage
(unrecognisable here to fans of
The Hobbit
). • See page 38
Twist(er) and shout.
INTO THE STORM
048
visit
www.stack.net.auREVIEWS
DVD&BD
Format:
Release Date:
22/01/15
Format:
Release Date:
31/12/14
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JANUARY 2015
JB Hi-Fi
www.jbhifi.com.au Before
The Hunger Games
and
Divergent
there was
The
Giver
, Lois Lowry's 1993 young adult classic that became
aschool reading list staple. The long gestating film version
(directed by Philip Noyce) finally arrives in the wake of a
slew of YA dystopian futures and will inevitably be judged
alongside them. But
The Giver
is a sci-fi tale more in
the mould of
Logan's Run
and
The Matrix
, offering big
ideas to ponder. The black and white photography is the
first thing you'll notice – a stylistic choice that reflects
the story's sterile, conformist community where war
and suffering, love and emotion have all been eliminated. Jonas (Brenton
Thwaites) is a teenager chosen to receive the stored memories of the real
world from The Giver (Jeff Bridges), which begin to colour his perception
(and the film), much to the chagrin of the Chief Elder (Meryl Streep).
It's better to receive than give.
THE GIVER
Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig worked together on
Saturday
Night Live
for years, and finally teamed up on the big
screen in
The Skeleton Twins
. The film begins with
estranged siblings Milo (Hader) and Maggie (Wiig)
planning to commit suicide. Milo is gay and his dream
of being a successful actor in Hollywood has gone awry.
His sister, about to consume a handful of pills, receives
news of her brother's suicide attempt and the two
are reunited after ten years apart. At first the bonding
process is awkward, but as the pair become more
comfortable they learn to seek solace in each other, providing sometimes
misguided counsel to their individual problems. It's Wiig's best role since
Bridesmaids
, but Hader steals the show here; you'll never be able to listen
to Starship's
Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
without thinking of Milo.
Family is a cruel joke.
THE SKELETON TWINS
Format:
Release Date:
14/01/15
Format:
Release Date:
22/01/15
ACTION
DRAMA
SCI-FI
