STACK NZ Magazine April 2015 Issue 61

48 / 64

48 APRIL 2015 JB Hi-Fi
visit REVIEWS DVD&BD
Iconic radical director Ken Loach may be getting towards the
end of his directorial career – at one stage it was hinted that
this could be his last film – but Jimmy’s Hall shows that he
still has plenty of fire in his belly. Working once again with
his regular screenwriter Paul Laverty, the film is set in early
1930s in the fledgling Irish Free State, with the eponymous
Jimmy (Barry Ward) returning to his sleepy hometown after
a period of exile in America. A committed communist, he
maintains his radical days are behind him. However, when he
is persuaded by the frustrated young people of the area to
reopen a dancehall-cum-cultural centre, he finds himself on a collision course
with the church and the area’s powerful landowners. Although primarily an
indictment of religious and political conservatism, the film really comes alive
when celebrating the simple joys of music and dancing.
Dirty dancing
JIMMY'S HALL
After the haunting Broadchurch
comes another harrowing British
drama about a crime involving a
young child. Taking its cues from
the Madeleine McCann case, The
Missing finds the lives of James
Nesbitt and Frances O’Connor
torn apart when their young son
disappears while on a stopover in
a French village. Moving back and
forwards through time, the eight
part series examines both the initial
investigation and Nesbitt’s return to
the village years later, desperately
searching for new evidence
to reopen the investigation.
Both a gripping whodunit and
a heartbreaking story of loss,
this is one of the best TV dramas
of the year.
THE MISSING
Release Date:
08/04/15
Format:
Located in a tough Brooklyn
neighbourhood, Marv's Bar
operates as a laundry service for
the borough's dirty money, including
drops of cash for the Chechen
mob. When it's robbed by masked
goons one night, bartender Bob
(Tom Hardy) must get the money
back, or pay a bigger price. There's
also a subplot involving a dumped
pit bull puppy, which Hardy rescues
and cares for with the help of his
neighbour (Noomi Rapace). This
gritty, twist-laden crime thriller from
writer Dennis Lehane (Mystic River)
features the final screen appearance
by the late, great James Gandolfini,
and another chameleonic turn from
the versatile Hardy, who pulls off a
convincing Brooklyn accent.
THE DROP
Release Date:
15/04/15
Format:
Release Date: 22/04/15 Format:
o, does Homeland still work without Nicholas Brody?
bsolutely! In fact, Season Four is among the series'
est yet; not only has the show's format been revised,
ts depiction of current events in the Middle East proves
righteningly prescient. And with the focus off Brody,
arginalised fan-favourite Quinn (Rupert Friend) gets a lot
ore screen time. Carrie (Claire Danes) trades domestic
liss and a baby she doesn't really want for a CIA position
n Islamabad, only to face the explosive repercussions of a
rone strike she ordered, which took out the wedding party
of a Taliban operative. The kid from Life of Pi (Suraj Sharma) also scores a
guest role this season, as a Pakistani medical student whom Carrie uses to
get closer to her terrorist target. Homeland has become even more ruthless
and unpredictable, sustaining its intensity over 12 nail-biting episodes.
Carrie on without Brody
HOMELAND: complete fourth season
Timed to coincide with the
centenary of the Gallipoli landings
during the First World War, this
TV mini-series draws from the
comprehensive book on the
campaign, Gallipoli by Les Carlyon.
The mini-series follows 17-year-old
Thomas “Tolly” Johnson (Kodi
Smit-McPhee), who like many
who fought during the conflict,
lies about his age in order to trail
his brother into the army. Gallipoli
details the futility of the campaign,
the appalling conditions in which
the soldiers lived and fought, and
steers away from the temptation
to embellish the performances and
content with enhanced patriotic
fervour. A fitting and respectful
tribute to the Anzac legend.
GALLIPOLI
Release Date:
01/04/15
Format:
Everyone's favourite little
orphan gets an African-American
makeover in this all-new screen
version of the popular comic-
strip-turned-musical. Updated
to a modern day setting,
Beasts of the Southern Wild
star Quvenzhané Wallis is the
titular orphan alongside Jamie
Foxx as Daddy Warbucks and a
hammy Cameron Diaz as foster
home despot Miss Hannigan.
The beloved musical numbers
are all here, albeit now with
a discernible hip hop flavour
courtesy of Sia and Greg
Curstin's rearrangements,
giving Annie the cool factor it
needs to delight a whole new
generation of 10-year-old girls.
ANNIE
elease Date:
2/04/15
ormat:
Release Date: 29/04/15 Format: