STACK NZ September 2016 Issue 77

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24 SEPTEMBER 2016
DVD&BD
eorge Clooney brings showmanship to the share
arket as Lee Gates, the flamboyant host of the titular
V show. Gates is held hostage during a live broadcast
y an armed and angry young man (Jack O’Connell)
hat’s lost a $60k inheritance through a bad investment,
nd holds Gates responsible for endorsing the stocks.
oney Monster begins as a tense real-time thriller,
ith Gates attempting to fast talk his way out of the
ituation with the help of his producer (Julia Roberts)
ia an earpiece. But then the film morphs into a blackly
humorous revenge fantasy for anyone who’s lost big time on the stock
market. Watching Wall Street come tumbling down has never been so
much fun, thanks to Jodie Foster’s fluid direction, brisk pacing, and
energetic performances that are bang on the money. SH
On the air. Out of time
MONEY MONSTER
Release Date: 07/09/16 Format:
riter-director Shane Black’s latest action-comedy is a
hambolic trip to Los Angeles, circa 1977, where Russell
rowe’s corpulent thug-for-hire and Ryan Gosling’s
imwit detective join forces to discover the whereabouts
f a missing activist, whose disappearance is linked to
he death of a porn star and a mysterious movie that
omeone is prepared to kill for. Forget the chaotic and
ircuitous plot and revel in the seedy ‘70s milieu of
olyester, decadent parties, and Black’s flair for cracking
ialogue and slapstick violence. A buddy movie is only
as good as its resident buddies, and Crowe and Gosling are a perfect
mismatch. The Nice Guys may lack the zing of Black’s 2005 gem Kiss
Kiss Bang Bang, but it’s still an enjoyably manic retro romp, and Gosling's
performance alone is worth the price of the disc. SH
A Black comedy
THE NICE GUYS
Release Date: OUT NOW Format:
aving been in limbo for more than a year, magical quartet
e Four Horsemen finally have an opportunity to get
to their old tricks – and a whole bunch of spectacular
w ones – in this sequel to 2013’s hypnotic action-
medy caper Now You See Me. Henley (Isla Fisher) may
ve given them the flick, but Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg),
erritt (Woody Harrelson) and Jack (Dave Franco) are
on joined by mistress of ‘geek magic’ Lula (Lizzy
aplan). Their mission? To infiltrate a shonky software
mogul’s operations. But before they know it, they’ve
been infiltrated themselves and hijacked to Macau, where they encounter
another dodgy software type with an offer that they probably shouldn’t
refuse. Add Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo, and
NYSM2 pulls off quite a trick – it’s a cool, spellbinding sequel! AF
You haven't seen anything yet!
NOW YOU SEE ME 2
Release Date: 14/09/16 Format:
War has always been a core subject for movies. From
the seriously dramatic likes of Apocalypse Now to
on-the-surface more frivolous trips like Good Morning
Vietnam, they’ve underlined the adage “war is hell”.
There’s no Liz Lemon from the brilliant Tina Fey here,
as her in-a-rut TV journo character Kim Baker decides to
spice up life by doing the war correspondent thing in
Afghanistan. Hey, it’s only a three month assignment!
Despite being smacked in the face with culture shock,
rampant sexism and the reality of modern warfare,
Kim clicks, makes friends, and stays for several years. While there are
laughs, they’re the everyday mortal foible kind. This is the key to why
WTF engages – these people protecting our arses or those of innocents
where they’re stationed are just as human as any of us. AF
Welcome to the war zone
WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT
Release Date: 07/09/16 Format: