STACK NZ July 2016 Issue 75

24 / 38

nough testosterone, it’s time another woman ruled
he super roost – and, while a certain Amazonian may
rotest, you don’t get more super than a girl from
rypton. She’s Superman’s older cousin, but thanks
o a 24-year layover in the Phantom Zone she appears
ounger. She’s Kara Zoe-El (or ‘Supergirl’ if you prefer),
nd if you’re thinking she’s any less powerful than big/
ttle cuz, you’d be mistaken. Kara hid her abilities for
ears, until a day came when Supes was powerless and
she had to step up. Discovering that Earth is teeming
with expat Kryptonian crims, she realised that it’s good to be super.
Golden-haired Glee refugee Melissa Benoist stars as the Chick of Steel
in this ace and actiontastic companion to the many other DC Comics
superhero super-series. AF
Woman of steel
SUPERGIRL: the complete first season
Films about retirees are very much
in vogue at the moment, thanks
to the success of movies like
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
However, this haunting British
drama offers a very different
look at love and relationships for
an older generation. The Oscar-
nominated Charlotte Rampling and
Tom Courtenay are terrific as a
married couple about to celebrate
their 45th wedding anniversary,
whose marriage is thrown into
question when news reaches them
that the body of his first love –
who disappeared decades before –
has been discovered in the Swiss
Alps. A melancholic – but at times
drily funny – exploration of trust,
regret and jealousy. JF
45 YEARS
Release Date:
14/07/16
Format:
His initials are FU, and Frank
Underwood (Kevin Spacey) isn’t
giving up his presidency without
dishing out several of them
this season. But Frank isn’t just
contending with Republican
nominee Will Conway (Joel
Kinnaman), a younger, more
family-oriented and social media-
savvy opponent: he and wife
Claire (Robin Wright) are also at
loggerheads. She has her own
ambitions, and is just as good
at getting down in the muck as
he is. Could Claire be looking to
topple her hubby with an ultimate
CU? Wright really shines this
season, taking it up to Spacey
in the entrancing stakes. Still
essential viewing. AF
HOUSE OF CARDS:
SEASON 4
Release Date:
06/07/16
Format:
Release Date: 27/07/16 Format:
The presidential election has thrown the spotlight back
on the 2012 attack on a US compound in Libya, which
resulted in the death of a number of personnel, including
the ambassador. Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State
at the time and Trump has attacked her for not acting
decisively enough; in this retelling, director Michael
Bay would seem to share that view. The heroes of 13
Hours are a small group of private military contractors,
whose advice is regularly ignored by the local CIA chief
and who end up being the last line of defence as the
Benghazi diplomatic outpost comes under furious assault. Bay dials
down his usual bombast to deliver a gritty, sweaty actioner and is well
served by a cast that is headed up by a surprisingly convincing John
Krasinski, best known for his comedy roles. John Ferguson
Out of the shadows
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi
Twenty-plus years on from Once
Were Warriors, director Lee
Tamahori and Temuera Morrison
are reunited for another coming-
of-age tale involving a tyrannical
patriarch. Set in the early ’60s on
the rural East Coast, Morrison plays
the devout but bullying head of the
Mahana clan who for decades have
been feuding with a rival family
of shearer, the Poatas. However,
when the bookish Simeon
(Akuhata Keefe) challenges his
grandfather's authority, the family
is divided and dark secrets begin
to emerge. The sleepy life of rural
New Zealand is recreated with
charm and affection by Tamahori,
but the importance of whanau is at
the heart of this moving drama. JF
MAHANA
Release Date:
13/07/16
Format:
At first glance, this looks like just
another Fame-style drama, this
time set in the world of ballet.
However, this eight part series
from former Breaking Bad writer/
producer Moira Walley-Bennett
is made of darker stuff, taking in
subjects such as incest, bulimia
and even people trafficking,
alongside the more conventional
backstage intrigue and rivalry. And
the fact that most of the cast are
real-life ballet dancers adds an
extra layer of authenticity. Sarah
Hay (who had a small role in
Black Swan) plays a troubled but
supremely talented young dancer
who lands a role in the prestigious
American Ballet Company run by
the tyranical Ben Daniels. JF
FLESH & BONE
Release Date:
14/07/16
Format:
Release Date: 13/07/16 Format:
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