STACK March 2016 Issue 71

28 / 52

non-English speaking movie is successful, you can
your last peso it will be remade. Such is the fate of
entinian ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ Oscar-winner
ecreto de Sus Ojos, with this star-studded Hollywood
eover. A hard-hitting thriller that boasts Chiwetel Ejiofor,
’ Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts, Secret in Their Eyes
ns 13 years as it plunges viewers into the shocking world
eenage rape and murder. That the victim in question is
daughter of DA investigator Jess Cobb (Roberts) sets
things rolling. Cobb, FBI counter-terrorism investigator Ray
Karsten (Ejiofor) and assistant DA Claire Sloan (Kidman) look into the crime,
but a conviction isn’t made and their partnership implodes. Still haunted
years later, Karsten discovers a lead and gets the cold case reopened, which
results in more than he’d bargained for... AF
The truth lies in the most unexpected places
Secret in Their Eyes
Unlike the rude and lewd
shenanigans of The Night Before
(see overleaf), this is a much
more traditional sort of festival
flick. A sort of cross between
Valentine’s Day and Parenthood,
this starry ensemble piece
follows the disparate stories of
the dysfunctional Cooper family
as they prepare for their annual
Christmas Eve dinner. John
Goodman and Diane Keaton are
the parents, who unbeknownst
to their kids are contemplating
divorce, while the most
entertaining sub-plot involves their
bad girl daughter, Olivia Wilde,
who picks up a soldier (Jack Lacy)
at the airport and persuades him to
pose as her boyfriend. JF
Love The
Coopers
elease Date:
2/03/16
ormat:
Throughout TV history, the line
between good and bad in cop
shows has usually been absolute –
the constabulary are the goodies,
the baddies are the, well, baddies,
and the only time they’ll meet is
when the latter are being nicked.
Luther creator Neil Cross seems
to revel in playing with this rigid
trope, helped immeasurably by
Idris Elba in the titular role. One
minute he seems in control, the
next you’re convinced that he’s
about to go totally off tap. As a
viewer it keeps you on your toes,
and draws you into a deep web
of darkness and moral ambiguity.
This two-parter sees Luther’s leave
of absence curtailed upon hearing
some shocking news. AF
LUTHER: SERIES 4
elease Date:
2/03/16
ormat:
Release Date: 23/03/16 Format:
A group of idealistic student activists travel to the Amazon
rainforest where they are dismembered and eaten by the
tribe they've come to save from deforestation. That's just
one of the cruel jokes on offer in Eli Roth's grisly homage
to the Italian cannibal movie cycle of the 1970s. Another
is what happens when the natives are fed a bag of dope
in an attempt to sedate them – the munchies! Roth
knows and loves this sub-genre and The Green Inferno is
certainly a well intentioned tribute, but it's also a missed
opportunity in that it's far too slick and goofy to pack the
same kind of visceral punch as the grungy films that inspired it – namely
Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox. However, those who haven't
seen these cult shockers will find it confronting, while gorehounds will
appreciate the gruesome set pieces and makeup effects. SH
Welcome to the jungle
THE GREEN INFERNO
The basic premise of When Harry
Met Sally – can men and women
ever just be platonic friends?
– gets a politically incorrect
makeover in this naughty but nice
romantic comedy. Jason Sudeikis
plays an unashamed serial cheater
who forms an unlikely friendship
with an old college one-night
stand (Alison Brie) following a
chance meeting at a sex addicts'
group. The talented supporting
cast includes Adam Scott as
the manipulative married man
whom Brie remains hung up on,
and Amanda Peet as Sudeikis’s
sexy boss, while writer-director
Leslye Headland (Bachelorette)
successfully sidesteps most of the
usual soppy rom-com clichés. JF
Sleeping With
Other People
Release Date:
10/03/16
Format:
Crippled by agoraphobia, Anna
(Beth Riesgraf) hasn’t left the
home that she shares with her
ailing brother for more than a
decade. But when her brother
dies it’s a given that she’ll venture
outdoors to attend his funeral,
right? Well, that’s what a trio
of burglars who see Anna’s
house as ripe for the plundering
reckon – but they have no idea
as to the voracity of her affliction.
Our dodgy threesome ransack
the place for a rumoured cash
stash, but little do they realise
that Anna – who is very much at
home – has a few twisty tricks up
her sleeve. Panic Room collides
with Saw in this horror-tinged girl
power thriller. AF
Intruders
elease Date:
9/03/16
ormat:
Release Date: 16/03/16 Format:
visit DVD&BD REVIEWS
28 MARCH 2016
DVD&BD