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AUGUST 2015
JB Hi-Fi
www.jbhifi.com.au Films like
Re-Animator
and
Pet Sematary
have taught
us that bringing things back from the dead is a bad
idea, but that doesn't stop scientist Mark Duplass from
making the same mistake in
The Lazarus Effect
. After
successfully reviving a dead dog (which of course soon
begins behaving aggressively), Duplass uses his milky
"Lazarus serum" on electrocuted research assistant
and fiancée Olivia Wilde, who promptly returns to
life with black eyes, a gravelly voice and supernatural
powers. There's a stream of technobabble and debate
over science, religion and the ethics of playing God, but instead of a
thought-provoking examination of the questions it raises,
The Lazarus
Effect
is simply content to deliver jump-scare shocks. It's
Flatliners
for
the
Paranormal Activity
/
Insidious
/
Sinister
audience.
Back from the dead.
THE LAZARUS EFFECT
Release Date:
05/08/15
Format:
For their third collaboration, Liam Neeson and director
Jaume Collet-Serra have wisely dumped the high concept
conceits of
Unknown
and
Non-Stop
and have instead
fashioned a gritty thriller that owes more to the crime
classics of the ‘70s than the sleek actioners the Irishman
has now become known for. Once a feared hitman for New
York Irish mobster Ed Harris, Neeson’s drunken antics have
made him a figure of fun for the newer gang members.
However, when his estranged son (Joel Kinnaman,
RoboCop
) witnesses Harris’s oldest boy kill some Albanian
drug dealers, he has to call on all his lethal abilities to keep him safe from
both the police and his former best friend. Although the star’s action man
heroics still stretch credibility, the quality cast and the redemptive themes
of the story mark this out as one of his best late career thrillers.
No sin goes unpunished.
RUN ALL NIGHT
Release Date:
29/07/15
Format:
You’ve heard of the Jocks, the Geeks, and the Musos,
but have you heard of the DUFF? The Designated Ugly
Fat Friend is supposedly in every high school friend
group – chances are, if you don’t know one, then you
are one. Mae Whitman (known mostly for her voice
acting as Katara on
Avatar: The Last Airbender
) takes
on the task of un-DUFFing herself, with the help of
conveniently popular/good-looking next door neighbour
Robbie Amell (Firestorm in CW’s
The Flash
). The pair
go shopping – seemingly to buy Mae more clothes
than just a flanny – and spend enough time together to make this teen
comedy pretty easy to predict. Nonetheless, it's a thoroughly enjoyable
escapade that leaves you wondering who your group’s DUFF was. Just
maybe don’t watch this one with your male best friend.
Nope, not about teen pregnancy.
THE DUFF
Release Date:
12/08/15
Format:
Midlife crisis presents itself to a fortysomething, no kids,
filmmaking couple in New York City. Yet the mood changes
drastically when they befriend two vibrant hipsters (Adam
Driver and Amanda Seyfried), reigniting some much
needed spark – then things get complicated. Writer-director
Noah Baumbach has a knack for presenting middle-aged
fear somewhere between Woody Allen’s relentless self-
deprecation and Wes Anderson’s melancholic charm. Ben
Stiller, perpetually offering his hangdog face to 21st century
male stereotypes, anchors this ‘just who are these hipsters
and why are they enjoying my childhood memories better than me?’ fable on
the changing of the creative guard in middle-class NYC. He’s also the reason
this film will polarise the desired fortysomething audience, but there's still
plenty of wit, largely thanks to Naomi Watts's strong performance.
Life never gets old.
WHILE WE'RE YOUNG
Release Date:
19/08/15
Format:
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