STACK NZ October 2016 Issue 78

35 / 57

35
REVIEWS DVD&BD
DVD&BD
ickedly skewering the fascination that the current crop
f teen idols seem to have for grandiose documentaries,
is hilarious mockumentary from the Lonely Island gang
harts a year in the life of Conner4Real (Andy Samberg).
nce a member of Style Boyz – Jorman Taccone and Avika
chaffer, who also direct, make up the trio – Conner’s first
olo record has made him a global superstar, but things
tart going downhill rapidly following the release of his
isastrous follow-up LP. As with the best music spoofs,
the songs sound pretty authentic until you listen to the
splendidly filthy and politically incorrect lyrics, while Samberg, Taccone and
Schaffer have secured a terrific supporting cast that ranges from comic pals
such as Sarah Silverman and Bill Hader through to superstars like Pink and
Mariah Carey. Essential viewing for Spinal Tap-pers. JF
Belieb it
POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING
Release Date: 12/10/16 Format:
Richard Linklater's "spiritual sequel" to his 1993 cult
favourite Dazed and Confused charts the last three days
of freedom for a group of twentysomething college
baseball players before classes start. Our entry point is
sensitive freshman Jake (Blake Jenner), who embarks on
a wild weekend with his new buddies while attempting
to woo an arts major (Zoey Deutch). The antithesis of
the crass frat boy comedy, there's no real plot to speak
of – Everybody Wants Some!! is about the ritual of male
bonding and taking an enjoyable trip back to 1980 in the
company of a bunch of amiable dudes sporting paisley shirts and porn
star moustaches. The cast is great, particularly former Glee star Jenner
and Glen Powell (Scream Queens), and a soundtrack of disco hits nicely
complements the bong hits. SH
Baseball daze and boogie nights
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!
Release Date: 05/10/16 Format:
It's that time of year again – the annual Purge, when
rime and murder are legalised for 12 hours in America.
his third installment in the action-horror-thriller
ranchise is cunningly timed to coincide with the 2016
S presidential election campaign. A female senator
Elizabeth Mitchell) determined to put an end to the
urge should she win office, is targeted for assassination
n the night murder and mayhem is allowed to run
ampant. Political commentary and Clinton/Trump
llusions aside, The Purge: Election Year is easily the
biggest and best entry in the series to date, offering a closer look at the
NFFA – the sinister administration who introduced the Purge – and once
again raising the question of how this radical initiative actually manages
to keep the country's crime rate down. SH
The road to the White House is paved in red
THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR
Release Date: 19/10/16 Format:
s sequel to Tim Burton’s 2010 film is, curiouser and
iouser, more entertaining. Alice (Mia Wasikowska) returns
e to London after three years at sea and is quickly lured
k into Wonderland through a magic mirror, where she
covers her friend the Hatter (Johnny Depp) is not so much
d as depressed over the whereabouts of his long lost
ily. Determined to set things right, Alice commandeers a
oscopic time machine and returns to the past to find the
tter’s kin. The theme is time in this ‘Days of Future Past’
take on Lewis Carroll’s classic, so naturally the message for
kids is that you can’t change the past, and to cherish every second, minute
and hour. Alice Through the Looking Glass is darker and more melancholic in
tone, but no less crammed with candy-coloured CGI. However, unlike the first
film, you won’t feel like you’ve eaten a kilo of M&Ms by the end. SH
It's time for a little madness
ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Release Date: 05/10/16 Format: