STACK New Zealand December Issue 69

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Guy Ritchie’s interpretation of the 1960s cult TV series
sees US and Soviet spies Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and
Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) forced to work together on
a convoluted mission that involves saving the world from
a nuclear device once devised by Nazis. A celebration of
classic ‘60s cinema like Danger Diabolik and The 10th
Victim, every frame of this film is simply stunning, opulent,
stylish and oozing a lost verve, flavour and class often
copied but seldom mastered. Hats off to Ritchie for sticking
to his guns and clearly blowing all the money on what’s on
the screen rather than what’s behind it. We may have seen this kind of spy
caper before, most recently in Kingsman: The Secret Service, but never
looking this good. A sharp, witty, fast-paced and genuinely fun action romp
from a director who's always comes out with both barrels blazing.
Think Flint, not Bond
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Release Date: 16/12/15 Format:
Atonement director Joe Wright's version of J.M. Barrie's
classic tale is so unlike the whimsical visions of Disney
and Spielberg, it exists in an entirely different universe.
Peter Pan (Levi Miller) is kidnapped from an orphanage
during the London Blitz and whisked off in a flying galleon
to Neverland, a floating cloud island ruled by flamboyant
pirate Blackbeard (played with obvious relish by an
unrecognisable Hugh Jackman). Peter escapes with the
help of Hook (Garret Hedlund), an Indiana Jones-like
rogue, meets Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara) and her tribe, and
discovers his destiny as the 'chosen one'. Yes, it's an origin story. Kudos
to Wright and co. for creating a version of Peter Pan quite unlike what has
gone before; the Tim Burtonesque, steampunk vision of Neverland is alone
worth the price of the disc.
Every legend has a beginning
PAN
Release Date: 23/12/15 Format:
Michael Caton is one of Australia's finest character actors
and he gives a truly terrific performance as terminally ill
cab driver Rex, who makes the long drive from Broken Hill
to Darwin to take advantage of the NT's new euthanasia
laws. It's a role far removed from The Castle 's Darryl
Kerrigan, imbued with a sadness and resignation befitting
the subject matter. But Last Cab to Darwin isn't as maudlin
as it sounds; Rex's road trip to die is a lively journey,
and like every good Aussie road movie there are quirky
folk encountered along the way, stopovers in remote
communities (like Oodnadatta and NT's historic Daly Waters pub), and
stunning shots of our magnificent landscape. Last Cab also features some
wonderful indigenous characters in Rex's neighbour Polly (Ningali Lawford)
and his travelling companion Tilly (Mark Coles Smith). Highly recommended.
It's never too late to start living
LAST CAB TO DARWIN
Release Date: 16/12/15 Format:
Meryl Streep plays Ricki Randazzo, supermarket cashier
by day and bar band rock chick by night. She's also a
mother to three adult children, and when a call from her
ex-husband (Kevin Kline) – following the suicide attempt
by their daughter (played by Streep's real-life offspring
Mamie Gummer) – sends her back home, Ricki must
reconnect with her straight-laced Midwestern family. "I
was never a traditional mom," she says, which means her
homecoming won't be a traditional reunion. Written by
Diabolo Cody (Juno) and directed by Jonathan Demme
(The Silence of the Lambs), this dysfunctional family drama comes to
life whenever Streep is on screen, and Demme's experience shooting
documentaries on Neil Young and Talking Heads ensures the musical
numbers really rock.
Meryl rocks out
RICKI AND THE FLASH
Release Date: 02/12/15 Format:
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42 DECEMBER 2015