STACK NZ June 2016 Issue 74

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ollowing the bloodbath that concluded season two,
ill Graham and Jack Crawford are nursing their
ounds while Lecter has fled to Florence in the
ompany of Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier. Given this is the
inal season of Hannibal, there's a lot of ground still left
o cover in the world created by Thomas Harris. The first
alf gets off to a surreal start, incorporating elements
rom Lecter's early years (Hannibal Rising) before
overing the events chronicled in Hannibal (the book and
ilm) – namely Inspector Pazzi's attempts to apprehend
Lecter in Italy, and faceless former victim Mason Verger's plan to feed
him to pigs. The second half delivers a gripping retelling of Red Dragon,
culminating in the final showdown between Will and his nemesis. A
fitting swan song for this stylish and nightmarish series. SH
Last meal for Lecter and co
HANNIBAL: SEASON 3
Unleashing the living dead on
Regency England and Jane
Austen’s beloved characters is a
joke that should be frightfully witty.
And it is. But writer-director Burr
Steers’ decision to play it straight
actually results in a surprisingly
good adaptation of Austen’s novel
rather than an out-and-out zom-
com. Set in an alternate England
in the grip of a zombie apocalypse,
the Bennet sisters are martial arts
maidens packing daggers beneath
their corsets, but still in the mood
for marriage. The casting is dead-
on: Lily James and Sam Riley
make a fine Elizabeth and Darcy,
while former Doctor Who Matt
Smith hams it up as the bumbling
Parson Collins. SH
Pride & Prejudice
& Zombies
elease Date:
8/06/16
ormat:
Mary Shelley’s classic horror tale
comes back to life through the
eyes of Harry Potter, who we
first encounter as a nameless,
hunchbacked circus clown.
However, Victor Frankenstein
(James McAvoy) sees genius in
this apparently hopeless human
being and liberates him from
his miserable life. It isn’t long
before Frankenstein and his newly
christened assistant Igor (Daniel
Radcliffe) are re-assembling the
body parts of various creatures
into re-animated abominations –
including that infamous monster. A
mixture of action, sci-fi and a touch
of romance, essentially this does
for Shelley’s tale what Guy Ritchie
did for Sherlock Holmes. AF
VICTOR
FRANKENSTEIN
Release Date:
01/06/16
Format:
Release Date: 01/06/16 Format:
he long awaited return of The X-Files kicks off in
aditional style with a convoluted twist on the show's
verriding mythology involving alien abductions and
overnment conspiracies. Fortunately the mythos
rc merely bookends the six episodes that comprise
is "Event Series" (or more appropriately, Season X),
llowing for some nostalgia-laden standalone stories like
e brilliant Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster,
s well as mutant children and a creepy creation known
s 'Trashman'. Creator Chris Carter is back at the helm
along with many of the original writers and directors, while David
Duchovny and Gillian Anderson slip back into their signature roles as
though they've never been away. It may be too short a season, but a
cliffhanger finale suggests the truth is still out there. More please! SH
The truth is still out there
THE X FILES: The event series
for the Mafia
drama Gomorroah, the first English
language feature from Italian
director Matteo Garrone couldn’t be
more different. A dark compendium
of interwoven fairytales, this
sumptuously surreal feast is
definitely not for kids: in one story
a king (Toby Jones) falls in love
with a flea, another has a queen
(Salma Hayek) going to incredible
lengths to conceive, while the third
tale features a debauched ruler
(Vincent Cassel) who is tricked into
sleeping with an old crone. Fans
of Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam will
find much to like here, although
it’s closer in spirit to the disturbing
fantasies of cult director Walerian
Borowczyk. John Ferguson
TALE OF TALES
Release Date:
09/06/16
Format:
Winner of this year’s Oscar for
Best Foreign Film, this Hungarian
Holocaust drama is the closest
you'll get – and ever want to get
– to the horrors inside the Nazi
death factory. It's also the closest
thing to a found-footage Holocaust
film, with the camera following
protagonist Saul (Géza Röhrig)
throughout, as he attempts to
find a rabbi who can conduct a
proper burial for a young boy. With
a soundscape to match the tight
visuals, it's a sensory experience,
an intimate, over-the-shoulder
descent into hell. However, Saul's
resolve in his mission and the
risks involved bring a humane
perspective to an inhumane world.
Highly recommended. SH
SON OF SAUL
Release Date:
09/06/16
Format:
Release Date: 16/06/16 Format:
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