STACK November 2016 Issue 145

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50 NOVEMBER 2016
DVD&BD
REVIEWS
Animated movies are all light and fluffy fare for kids,
yeah? No! That’s a load of phooey, especially when Laika
exists. The US animation studio responsible for Coraline
and ParaNorman always look on the dark side of life
(insert whistles here), and they continue this with the
remarkable Japanese-set tale of young Kubo. How dark
is it? Well, his two aunts and grandpa took his left eye
when he was a mere bub. He can’t stay out after sunset
for fear that they’ll return for his other peeper. Then
there’s the kid trying to communicate with his dead
samurai warrior dad, subsequent aunt wrath against his mother, and a
survival quest to find his father’s magic armour. Stunning in absolutely
every sense (although obviously not for younger kids), this stop-motion
wonder just might dethrone Disney/Pixar come Oscar time. AF
Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Epic.
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS
John Wayne Cleaver (Max
Records) is a sociopathic
teenager fascinated with death
and infamous serial killers.
When his sleepy hometown in
Minnesota is rocked by a series
of grisly murders with the bodies
missing major organs, Cleaver
turns amateur sleuth to uncover
the killer’s identity – and his
elderly neighbour (Christopher
Lloyd) is a prime suspect. Based
on the novel by Dan Wells, this
dark indie thriller is an intense,
character-focused piece with
loads of small town ambience
and a neat twist concerning the
nature of the murders. If Gus
Van Sant ever decided to make a
horror film it would probably look
something like this. SH
I AM NOT A
SERIAL KILLER
Release Date:
09/11/16
Format:
When you consider the fragile
state of race issues in the US
today, pausing to think how they
must have been in their Civil War
days can send shivers down your
spine. Still, while exceptions may
have been rare, not everybody
was a card-carrying racist back
then. Farmer-turned-medic
Newton ‘Newt’ Knight (Matthew
McConaughey) was one such
man. Aghast at misdeeds being
committed by the Confederacy,
he deserts and convenes a
group of likeminded soldiers,
farmers and slaves to launch an
uprising that led to Jones County
seceding from the Confederacy.
Free State of Jones is a
captivating – and, sadly, often
still relevant – tale. AF
FREE STATE OF
JONES
Release Date:
23/11/16
Format:
Release Date: 30/11/16 Format:
or music’s betterment (mostly), punk’s late 1970s
rrival led most everybody to believe that they could
orm a band. It’s the mid ’80s and this ethos, the new
usic video craze and a mysterious girl inspire young
onor to find an escape from his unstable home life.
es, he forms a group with a bunch of mates. Naming
t ‘Sing Street’ (horrid name!), a play on their school,
ynge Street, they set about finding style – musically
nd visually. Needing a model for videos is a perfect
excuse to approach Conor’s muse, and a close friendship
gradually blooms. From the musically-inspired writer/director who
brought us Once and Begin Again, Sing Street takes the vibe of The
Commitments and meshes it with 1980s classic Gregory’s Girl. Some of
the tunes are naff, but this exuberant movie certainly isn’t. AF
Boy meets girl, girl unimpressed, boy starts band.
SING STREET
The consequences for criminal
acts – whether they’re intentional
or not – can vary greatly. After
Kyle, the son of a wealthy
businessman, stacks his car and
abandons his passenger who's
barely clinging to life, he’s given
a choice: rehab, or jail time. He
opts for the former, on a remote
Scottish island no less, but even
he doesn’t deserve what’s in
store for him and his fellow rich
kid naughty types. How so?
Well, highly-trained mercenaries
invade the island, quickly taking
hostages. After all, rich parents
mean big ransom bucks. But Kyle
manages to do a John McClane
on the interlopers. Take Down
embraces cliché, but boasts a fun
dumb B-action vibe. AF
TAKE DOWN
Release Date:
09/11/16
Format:
The work of author J.G.
Ballard is as perfectly suited
to British director Ben
Wheatley (Sightseers ) as it
was to David Cronenberg
with Crash. Tom Hiddleston
plays a doctor who moves
into a futuristic apartment
block and is quickly caught
up in a civil war between the
eccentric residents, which
degenerates into anarchy,
depravity and madness.
The '70s aesthetic evokes
Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange
and the tone is pure Terry
Gilliam, with Wheatley adding
his own brand of acerbic black
humour to the breakdown of
social order, which won't be
to all tastes. SH
HIGH-RISE
Release Date:
23/11/16
Format:
Release Date: 09/11/16 Format: