STACK NZ February 2017 Issue 81

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ooking for somebody to do your tax? You might begin a
earch with ‘A’ –“Hmm, ‘Aardvark Accounting’? Sounds
romising!” But ‘ZZZ Accounting’? That’s having a laugh.
ctually it’s just because Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck)
eeds a legit-looking front for his accounting business,
hich is decidedly non-legit in that he cooks books for
efarious types. Having avoided the law for years, Chris,
hose numerical abilities stem from high-functioning
utism, finds himself pursued by Treasury Department
hotshot J.K. Simmons (and if you’ve seen Whiplash, you
know you don’t want J.K. on your tail). Let the battle of wits begin... Sorry
numbers people, but a movie simply about accountancy would be tedious.
Mercifully, The Accountant sees intrigue piled upon intrigue, and more
blistering action than you’d reasonably expect from a crime drama. AF
The sum of all fears.
THE ACCOUNTANT
Release Date: 15/02/17 Format:
any encounter injustice and turn a blind eye. Edward
nowden, who joined the CIA (and later the NSA) after
aving to leave the army due to a gammy leg, saw it
nd did something about it – at great personal sacrifice.
his is the story of his whistleblowing ways, as
ortrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and told by Oliver
tone. We begin in Hong Kong with journalist Glenn
reenwald (Zachary Quinto) and documentarian Laura
oitras (Melissa Leo), both of whom Snowden trusts
to get the story of US surveillance overreach out. We
flashback to Snowden’s army days, and variously through events which
led him to ultimately make his bold decision. Those of a conspiratorial
bent may be suspicious of Stone’s motives, but when he makes a flick
this enthralling, we’re happy to sit back and indulge him. AF
Blowing the whistle on a whistleblower.
SNOWDEN
Release Date: 01/02/17 Format:
Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) has just made it
back fromWWI alive, but he witnessed many atrocities.
Wishing for a sea change he goes all out, taking a solo
job keeping a lighthouse on a tiny island off the Western
Australian coast. After some long distance flirting,
he’s later joined by Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander)
and they set about starting a family – hey, it isn’t like
there’s much else to do when the piano’s broken! After
suffering two traumatic losses it appears that they’re
not meant to be parents. But then a baby washes up
in a rowboat. They take her in as their own, but the decision will have
consequences... Adapted from M.L. Stedman’s 2012 novel and directed by
Derek CIanfrance ( Blue Valentine), this tear-jerking drama is bolstered by
classic Aussie acting muscle like Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown and Garry
McDonald. AF
Love demands everything.
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS
Release Date: 08/02/17 Format:
Imagine being the kid of a renowned director. Now
imagine being the kid of a renowned, genre-defining
sci-fi director and making your own sci-fi movie. That’s
the pressure cooker task that Ridley’s son Luke Scott
has taken on with this sci-fi meets slasher flick, and we
reckon daddy would be proud – if not itching to give
the kid a few pointers. It kicks off with risk assessment
specialist Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) heading to a remote
location to investigate an issue with an artificial human
prototype. It chucked a massive tantie and injured one of
the site’s workers, yet everybody here seems completely enamoured of
the robo-being, who despite having a young woman’s body is only five-
years old. In the face of much opposition, Lee has to decide whether to
continue with the experiment, or have it terminated... AF
A chip off the old Scott.
MORGAN
Release Date: 15/02/17 Format:
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