STACK December 2016 Issue No. 146

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ALSO SCREENING
IN DECEMBER
"During the battle, rebel spies managed to steal
secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon,
the Death Star." This reference from Episode
IV's title crawl forms the basis of the first Star
Wars spin-off feature, which is even more
exciting to anticipate than The Force Awakens,
thanks to its status as a true prequel. May the
Force be with you on Dec 15.
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY
Robert Zemeckis directs this World War
II-set romantic thriller starring Brad Pitt as an
intelligence officer who falls for a member
of the French Resistance, played by Marion
Cotillard. Sparks and bullets fly on Dec 26.
ALLIED
This prequel to the Aussie smash hit is a
coming-of-age tale about the friendship that
develops between a boy and a red puppy, and
also reveals the origin of the legendary “Pilbara
Wanderer”. Winning hearts on Dec 26.
RED DOG: TRUE BLUE
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone channel the
spirit of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and old
Hollywood musicals in this acclaimed romantic
drama. Dancing into cinemas on Dec 26.
LA LA LAND
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24 DECEMBER 2016
CINEMA
REVIEWS
First contact with alien life would change the world
as we know it. But beyond the obvious scientific
and theological ramifications, there's also the
simple matter of how we would communicate
with extraterrestrial visitors. Close Encounters of
the Third Kind used a haunting five-note melody,
China Mieville made it the subject of his brilliant
novel Embassytown, and Denis Villenueve's sci-fi
drama Arrival tackles the problem from a human
perspective. Linguistics professor Louise Banks
(Amy Adams) is recruited by a US military colonel
(Forest Whitaker) after 12 gigantic spacecraft appear
in seemingly random locations across the globe.
The alien visitors' intentions are unknown and with
China and Russia eager to fire the first shot, Banks
faces a race against time to discover whether they
are friend or foe. When she comes face to tentacle
with the creatures – who aren't even remotely
humanoid and dubbed "heptapods" – she discovers
their vocabulary consists of inky smoke rings
exhaled from their starfish-like extremities. Working
with a theoretical physicist (Jeremy Renner),
Banks realises that the recent loss of her young
daughter could hold the key to deciphering the alien
language. Reducing cities and major landmarks to
CGI rubble are not on the agenda here; Arrival is
a film about big ideas not big effects, although it
has those too. The sight of a spacecraft wreathed
in cloud as it hovers above a field like a giant
Fabergé egg is truly breathtaking, and the alien
designs are both elegant and eerie. The genre
is at its best when exploring philosophical ideas
and the human condition, and Arrival is as much
about love, loss and the paths we choose in
life as it is about making contact with an alien
species. Villeneuve's films (Incendies, Prisoners,
Sicario) are always very austere and emotionally
resonant, and this moody ambience translates
well to science fiction. Blade Runner 2049 is in
very capable hands. Scott Hocking
The year's best sci-fi film has arrived.
ARRIVAL
RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Denis Villeneuve CAST: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner RATING: M
This playful and elegantly dark melodrama is
a Hitchcockian psychological thriller filtered
through the post-modernist lens of David Lynch.
Nocturnal Animals unfolds through two distinct
and very different timeframes. In one, Susan
(Amy Adams), a wealthy but jaded art gallery
curator, is surprised to receive the proofs of a
forthcoming novel written by her ex-husband,
Tony (Jake Gyllenhaal). In the other, the story
of his novel plays out in Susan’s mind, with
Gyllenhaal also taking on the role of the book’s
lead character (also Tony), who falls foul of some
redneck psychos while on a road trip through
the Texas badlands with his wife (Isla Fisher)
and daughter. Through flashbacks to the early
romance between the ‘real’ Susan and Tony, and
the subsequent breakdown of their marriage,
the two story strands slowly and subtly begin to
dovetail. Adams gives a beautifully modulated
performance as Susan, whose self-assured
exterior begins to crack as memories and guilt
bubble to the surface. Gyllenhaal is equally good
in his dual roles, although Michael Shannon,
as usual, steals every scene he is in as the
laconic Texas lawman who helps the fictional
Tony on his quest for justice. Fashion designer
Ford, who triumphantly made the switch to
filmmaking with his stylish debut A Single
Man (2009), seamlessly knits the disparate
strands of the film together and his cool, fluid
visuals provide the perfect counterpoint to
the melodramatics that unfold on screen. A
thoughtful treatise on revenge and the life
choices we all must make, the enigmatic
ending also provides further food for thought,
making Nocturnal Animals a film you will
definitely want to watch again when it arrives
on DVD and Blu-ray. John Ferguson
A thoughtful treatise on revenge and life choices.
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Tom Ford CAST: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal RATING: MA15+