STACK NZ July 2016 Issue 75

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REVIEWS DVD&BD
DVD&BD
t’s the third in the Divergent movie series, and Jeanine’s
eign is over. But hostility is rising within Chicago, and
ur heroes Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James)
ren’t finding it such a sweet home anymore, so they set
ff over the wall and into the unknown. However, they’re
uickly captured and taken to the Bureau, discovering
ore about those who are “divergent”, as well as learning
f failed genetic experiments deemed “damaged”. Due
o, erm, “differences”, Tris and Four soon separate. Tris
swallows the smooth verbal Kool-Aid of Bureau chief David
(Jeff Daniels), while Four soldiers it up, soon doubting David’s motives.
Featuring some impressive effects amongst its many messages, this first
half of the final novel (the finale, Ascendant, is due next year) will keep
franchise fans wondering. Well, unless they’ve read the book, natch. AF
What makes us different ties us together
THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT
Release Date: 27/07/16 Format:
ack in 2002, it hit like a tummy upset after overindulging
saganaki. Like that glorious cheesy treat, Nia Vardalos’
y Big Fat Greek Wedding was, well, a wonderfully
eesy treat – and remains arguably the most joyous
m-com ever. It was a huge act to follow, which partly
plains the 14 years between grappas. Still, it’s given
ula (Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) time to have a
ughter, Paris, who’s now teenaged and discovering the
numerable ups and downs of being Greek. Meanwhile,
the couple have their issues, from the travel agency
closing through to coping with Paris’s impending escape to college. But the
latest wedding is down to a forgetful priest – Toula’s parents Gus and Maria
aren’t actually married! Cue BIG preparations. Get ready to shout “Opa!”
and smash some plates, but do eat that yummy saganaki off them first. AF
People change – Greeks don't
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2
Release Date: 13/07/16 Format:
From Cleopatra to Stargate, ancient Egypt has
long been a source of inspiration for filmmakers.
Its pantheon of gods and their battle to control the
heavens and earth is the focus of this big budget
fantasy epic from director Alex Proyas (I, Robot), who
unleashes a maelstrom of CGI with the fervour of
Michael Bay on a Transformers set. Game of Thrones '
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Gerard Butler play warring
deities Horus and Set, respectively, while Aussie
Brenton Thwaites is the boy hero who wants to
rescue his girlfriend from the afterlife. Striving to match the Marvel
blockbusters of today, but instead resembling 1987’s Masters of the
Universe , Gods of Egypt might be the year's biggest guilty pleasure –
as long as you're tuned into its pyramid-sized streak of insanity. SH
By the gods!
GODS OF EGYPT
Release Date: 06/07/16 Format:
his isn't a direct sequel to the 2008 found-footage
onster movie. Neither is it a captivity thriller, despite
ary Elizabeth Winstead being chained to a bed in an
nderground bunker by John Goodman. Claiming to have
aved her from a mysterious “attack” that has rendered the
utside world uninhabitable, Goodman appears to be more
enefactor than captor, and visual evidence supports the
ossibility there’s something seriously wrong beyond the
onfines of their shelter. That's when this claustrophobic
thriller begins to seriously mess with you. Is Goodman a
delusional psychopath and the real monster of this new visit to Cloverfield?
Or is there something worse waiting outside? That’s for you to discover. It’s
impossible to look away from this cleverly constructed and incredibly tense
little nail-biter, which conceals its central mystery until the final act. SH
Monsters come in many forms
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
Release Date: 06/07/16 Format: