STACK April 2016 Issue 138

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10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
In 2008, an enigmatic trailer for a film called Cloverfield teased us with the
Statue of Liberty’s head being lobbed into a Manhattan street by something big
and angry. Eight years later 10 Cloverfield Lane arrives under a similar cloak of
secrecy, and despite the title, it's not a sequel, nor a found footage film. Mary
Elizabeth Winstead is rescued from a car wreck and awakens chained to a bed
in an underground bunker by John Goodman. So this is a captivity thriller, right?
Not so fast. Claiming to have saved her from a mysterious “attack” that has
rendered the outside world uninhabitable, Goodman gradually appears to be
more benefactor than captor, despite his creepy demeanour. His story is backed
up by bunker-mate John Gallagher Jr., and glimpses of the outside world further
support the possibility there’s something seriously wrong beyond the confines
of their shelter. That's when this claustrophobic three-hander begins to seriously
mess with its audience. Is the oafish Goodman a delusional psychopath playing
his own twisted game, and the real monster of this particular 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. There are clues
aplenty, but the biggest one lies in the title. Scott Hocking
EDDIE THE EAGLE
It’s impossible not to fall in love with the utterly delightful Michael
‘Eddie’ Edwards (Taron Egerton), as we witness his childhood
obsession with becoming an Olympic champion against the odds.
Equipped with leg braces and chunky ‘national health’ glasses, he’s
a failure in every sport he attempts. When a little older and wiser, he
ditches his Olympic dream for a new and more achievable goal – the
Winter Olympics. But all seems lost when Eddie is dropped from
the British ski team. However, defeat and loss only increases his
determination, and he signs up to become the most successful ski
jumper in the country. He’s also the only ski jumper in the country.
Committed to competing for Britain, he enlists the help of coach
Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), a grumpy, alcoholic ex-jumper. No
amount of hospital trips or stuck-up officials can hold him back, and
Eddie the Eagle soars to become a national hero in the 1988 Calgary
Winter Olympics, even though he comes last – twice. Based on true
events, this is an inspirational and heartwarming underdog-makes-good
tale, and Egerton is terrific in the lead role. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry.
You may even consider taking up ski jumping. Sally Carlier-Hull
RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Dan Trachtenberg CAST: John Goodman,
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr. RATING: M
RELEASED: April 21 DIRECTOR: Dexter Fletcher CAST: Taron Egerton,
Hugh Jackman, Tom Costello Jr. RATING: PG
RATING KEY:
Wow!
Good
Not bad
Meh Woof!
KUNG FU PANDA 3
It’s been nearly fifteen years since My Big Fat Greek Wedding. That film
started as a one-woman show, written and performed by Nia Vardalos.
Fate intervened, and one night, Rita Wilson (Tom Hanks’s wife) was
in the audience. She liked what she saw and convinced her husband
to help Vardalos turn her show into a film. On a budget of five million
dollars, My Big Fat Greek Wedding ended up making over US$350
million. It’s one of the most profitable movies of all time, so a sequel
was, perhaps, inevitable – that’s how Hollywood works nowadays.
Since Toula (Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) were married in the
first film, the titular wedding this time is that of Toula’s parents, Gus
(Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan), who discover an error
in the marriage certificate and decide to rectify the situation. Almost all
of the original cast returns, many of whom are remarkably untouched
by age. There’s a target audience for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,
and that’s Greeks. People with any insight into Greek domestic culture
may also benefit from the film’s jokes, almost all of which are geared
solely toward that specific target audience. Anyone else may be left
wondering what all the fuss is about. John Roebuck
RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Kirk Jones CAST: Nia Vardalos, John
Corbett, Michael Constantine RATING: PG
Everybody was kung fu fighting – except they were all pandas, and
the kicks weren’t fast as lightning. Kung Fu Panda was released
back in 2008, which means that the ten-year-old kids who loved
Jack Black’s martial arts moves as panda Po have since moved on
to Deadpool . Therefore youngsters will have to start from scratch
prior to checking out this third instalment in the franchise, which pits
Po and the Furious Five against Kai (J.K. Simmons), a supernatural
villain intent on capturing the Chi of all the kung fu masters in the
land – and he’s coming for the Dragon Warrior next. If this wasn’t
enough emotional turmoil for Po to, um, bear, he’s also reunited
with his long lost dad, Li (Bryan Cranston), and returned to the
village of his kind where he will be taught to master his Chi in order
to defeat the enemy. It’s all beautifully animated and it's fun to hear
Simmons and Cranston in their animated roles, but the jokes are
becoming a little thread-bear by round three. It's time to hang up
the black belt, and by all reports KFP3 is the final chapter. But that,
of course, is entirely dependent upon the level of pandamonium it
raises at the box office. Alesha Kolbe
RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh
CAST: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman RATING: PG
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2
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22 APRIL 2016
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