STACK September 2016 Issue 143

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52 SEPTEMBER 2016
DVD&BD
REVIEWS
There’s something about a mother’s resolve that can
both energise and infuriate. You know that their actions
come from the heart, but sometimes you wish that heart
would just take a chill pill and a step backwards. The
mother in question in this bewitching dramedy is Marnie
(Susan Sarandon). Recently widowed, she’s moved to Los
Angeles to be closer to her daughter, Lori (Rose Byrne).
As the title suggests, however, Marnie isn’t particularly
adept at respecting boundaries, hounding her daughter
with frequent calls, texts and unannounced drop-ins. But
when Lori has to travel, Marnie’s left to meet others, and may even find
a love interest. Far from the throwaway busybody mother tale that it may
sound like, The Meddler examines grief, coping with it, and finding ways
to move on. Need we say that Sarandon is brilliant? AF
Bad mom.
THE MEDDLER
The quintessentially British '70s
cop show received a big screen
update in 2012, which has now
been remade by the French
and relocated to Paris – where
they don't talk in rhyming slang.
Surprisingly it works, although
the orginal title The Squad was a
better fit to avoid comparisons.
These Parisian counterparts to
Jack Reagan and his squad are
led by Jean Reno, and they don't
play by the book either. Out to
bust a Russian gang responsible
for a series of bank and jewellry
heists, these good cops with bad
attitudes keep things old school,
with the action and shootout
quotient as high as the Eiffel
Tower. It's still pretty much The
Sweeney, albeit in French. SH
THE SWEENEY:
PARIS
Release Date:
14/09/16
Format:
From The Imitation Game to The
Theory of Everything, recent years
have treated us to great insights
into some very beautiful minds.
The name Srinivasa Ramanujan
may not be as household as
Alan Turing or Stephen Hawking,
but the guy was a bona fide
mathematical genius. Dev Patel
stars, as we meet up with
Ramanujan in pre-WWI India.
Hitting a learning wall, he aims
to attend the UK’s esteemed
Cambridge University. Here he
hits a different wall – that of
racism. However, he has an ally
in Professor GH Hardy (Jeremy
Irons). Biopics can hinge on
their casting, and Patel and Irons
elevate this one into the upper
class of the genre. AF
THE MAN WHO
KNEW INFINITY
Release Date:
07/09/16
Format:
Release Date: 15/09/16 Format:
Bubbly Louisa Clark (GoT's Emilia Clarke) loves her job
at The Butter Bun café, so when she’s laid off she’s hit
somewhat for six. She eventually lands a gig caring for
disabled banker Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), who was left
paralysed following a motorcycle accident some two
years prior. His iciness and Louisa’s effervescence don’t
exactly gel initially, but she wears him down and the
two become firm friends. There may be more feelings
there, but Louisa has a rather uncaring boyfriend to
think about. Will they? Won’t they? Will he? Will she?!
It’s complicated, not least of all by a pact Will previously made with
his parents. With no Nicholas Sparks movie released in the last few
minutes, Me Before You – based on Jojo Moyes’ best-selling novel of the
same name – fills the tear-jerking romantic drama space admirably. AF
Love when you least expect it.
ME BEFORE YOU
A bank robbery goes down in
Cincinnati. It’s not just some sloppy
everyday job though, as these guys
are slick. They’re masked, they let
technology do their speaking, and
they’re in and out in a flash. Bank
boss Jeffrey Hubert (Bruce Willis)
is none too pleased, but that’s
understandable when his bank’s
business isn’t strictly above board.
His vaults bulge with secrets of
the rich and powerful, and when
FBI guys Montgomery (Christopher
Meloni), Stockwell (Dave Bautista)
and Wells (Adrien Grenier) get on
the case, Hubert strives to avoid
the bigger picture being uncovered.
Bruce may just be collecting
another paycheque, but our FBI
guys – Meloni in particular – shine in
this rain-soaked crime thriller. AF
MARAUDERS
Release Date:
14/09/16
Format:
Evocative of Face/Off – well, save
for any facial removal – the action-
packed Criminal goes for more of
a brain swap scenario. Actually it’s
more reminiscent of 2015’s Self/
less, especially considering the
fact that it shares Ryan Reynolds
as the star. Criminal is more crime
flick than sci-fi suspense thriller
though, whereby CIA bod Bill Pope
(Reynolds) carks it before being
able to reveal where’s he’s hidden
an important witness. No problem
though, they’ll just pop his synapses
into the bonce of dodgy type
Jericho Stewart (Kevin Costner), and
have him lead them to their quarry.
A dodgy type is always a dodgy
type, however. Jericho escapes
custody and so begins a massive
London-based manhunt. AF
CRIMINAL
Release Date:
31/08/16
Format:
Release Date: 21/09/16 Format: