STACK NZ Aug #65

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40 AUGUST 2015 JB Hi-Fi
The original Hot Tub Time Machine was an unexpected treat:
a sharply written mix of ‘80s nostalgia and gross-out gags.
With John Cusack absent for the reunion, the emphasis is
more on the latter element for the sequel, which this time
finds Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke zipping
forward 10 years along the space-time continuum. Their
mission is to find out which of the obnoxious Corddry’s
many enemies succeeded in traveling back in time to try
and assassinate him, although it’s mainly an excuse for a
constant barrage of foul-mouthed tirades and humiliating
slapstick. Chevy Chase reprises his role from the first film as the mysterious
repairman, while Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) fills in for Cusack,
playing the latter’s son. It’s not in the same league as the first movie, but
fans of crass and crude comedies won’t be disappointed.
Forward to the future
Hot Tub Time Machine 2
Release Date: 26/08/15 Format:
Recently retrenched underwater salvage expert Jude Law
learns of the location of a sunken Russian submarine full
of Nazi gold, and assembles a British and Russian team to
go get it. Their U-boat is as antiquated as the 70-year-old
wreck they're searching for, and the language barrier and
mutual distrust between the crewmembers results in a
pressure cooker environment that can only lead to disaster.
Part sub-movie, part treasure hunt adventure, Black Sea
is a thrilling example of both genres. There're allusions
to Alistair MacLean, The Hunt for Red October and even
Aliens (a slimy corporate type with a hidden agenda is also onboard), and
Cold War tensions are invoked within a contemporary setting. Law is great
as the salty commander and backed up by a fine supporting cast including
Ben Mendelsohn, Scoot McNairy and Grigoriy Dobrygin. Recommended.
Gold rush
BLACK SEA
Release Date: 12/08/15 Format:
He might be headlining the second series of True
Detective, but Vince Vaughn is back on his old comedy
stomping grounds in Unfinished Business. Having started
his own company and hiring old timer TomWilkinson
and clueless youngster Dave Franco, Vaughn and co.
head for Berlin to close a major deal with Nick Frost and
James Marsden. However Vaughn's old firm is also in
the running, and his old boss and nemesis Sienna Miller
is getting cosy with Marsden. And Vaughn's increasingly
desperate attempts to seal the deal aren't helped by his
fast-dwindling funds and the boozy partying of his employees. The quality
cast assembled for this below-the-belt comedy allows many of the gags
to pay off better than they should; where else can you see Wilkinson
pulling a bong or Franco used as a human dartboard?
Eurotrip, corporate style
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Release Date: 26/08/15 Format:
The 2009 Kevin James comedy vehicle was successful
enough to give fans the sequel they've been waiting
six long years for. After his mother is run over by a milk
truck, James's portly security guard Paul Blart takes a
break from the mall to attend his industry's Las Vegas
trade convention, bringing along his teenage daughter
(Raini Rodriguez), who is looking to find a way to tell her
dad that she wants to leave home and go to college. All
manner of hilarity ensues as Blart fends off a flirtatious
hotel manager, fights a pissed-off peacock, and butts
heads with an art thief (Neal McDonogh) and his gang of gun-toting
goons. Once again it's the affable James who makes all this funnier than
it should be. Now bring back Seth Rogen for Observe and Report 2.
Return of rent-a-cop
PAUL BLART: MALL COP 2
Release Date: 19/08/15 Format:
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