STACK November 2016 Issue 145

his is the third time the story of Judah Ben-Hur – the

ewish prince betrayed and consigned to a Roman

lave galley before seeking revenge on his adopted

rother, Messala – has been adapted for the big screen,

ollowing the 1925 silent version and WilliamWyler's

959 Oscar-laden classic. This reimagination by director

imur Bekmambetov (

Wanted

) may not be "bigger

han

Ben-Hur

" (the '59 version) – it's less epic and

treamlined to a lean two hours, in accordance with the

attention spans of today's audiences – but there's still a

sense of grandeur to the battle scenes and the legendary chariot race,

and Morgan Freeman is on hand to explain the plot. This downsized

version of Lew Wallace's beloved tale works as an action-packed and

accessible alternative for fans of

Game of Thrones

and

Spartacus

Slave. Rebel. Champion.

BEN-HUR

Release Date:

30/11/16

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.

Woman vs. man-eater.

THE SHALLOWS

Release Date:

30/11/16

Format:

ere’s a hypothetical. Would you rather make

eanuts as an in-home massage therapist, or big

ucks arms dealing? This is the poser that David

ackouz (Miles Teller) is faced with when his old

chool friend Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) shows up

fter years away and, as somebody he trusts, lets

im in on his dealings. They basically rummage

rough US government arms tenders for the small

y stuff that others ignore, and it makes them a

decent penny. However, when a chance for a $300

million deal comes up, it’s too hard to resist. Ah, but are they ready

for the big time? A decidedly black comedy with a few points to

make, it’s hard (and scary) to believe that

War Dogs

is based on a

true tale, even if several fictional liberties have been taken.

Hustling their way to the American Dream.

WAR DOGS

Release Date:

30/11/16

Format:

ocial networking, mobile phones, the internet of

hings – the Stereo MCs would be stoked at how

onnected we are nowadays. This tech has delivered

any wonders, but most everything has a dark

ide. Safe-playing high schooler Venus – or ‘Vee’ – is

hallenged by her best friend Sydney to live a little.

o she does. She joins an online game that Syd’s

nvolved in called

Nerve

. It’s basically truth or dare,

ithout the boring truth bit. You can pay to be a

‘watcher’, or be paid to be a player. Vee plumps for the

latter, her first challenge being to kiss a stranger. Done, KERCHING!

But darker things are afoot as the risk factor of dares escalates.

Those

Catfish

guys love their ‘net stuff, and this neat thriller plays

with the potential pitfalls of online fame, fame, fatal fame.

Are you game?

NERVE

Release Date:

30/11/16

Format:

visit

stack.net.au

jbhifi.com.au

NOVEMBER

2016

DVD&BD

REVIEWS