STACK NZ Mar #60

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SEVENTH SON
The only remaining knight of a mystical order recruits a new apprentice to
try and defeat a powerful Witch Queen before the world is plunged into
darkness and war. Much like Michael Caine’s Jaws: The Revenge period, it
seems that Oscar winner Jeff Bridges needs that extension on the house
more than being choosey on roles. Channeling Rooster Cogburn, and, at
times, ‘The Dude’, his presence in this rather light-on-story, SFX fantasy,
elevates the temperament to that of fun and unpredictability amongst the
flat ‘good versus evil’, big monsters… yadda, yadda. The f-bomb comes
quite unexpectedly, let me tell you. Julianne Moore is equally effective,
if not a little wooden, in her evil queen garb, and Ben Barnes (Narnia et
al) is safely attractive without being too sexy for the kiddies. The visual
effects are at times astounding and moody, when it’s not just another great
big monster smashing through a forest. Peter Jackson really has ruined
mystical fantasy for the next 20 years, eh? Chris Murray
A young British soldier finds himself stranded in a hostile Belfast;
disorientated, unarmed and fearing for his life, can he survive the long
violent night ahead? Jack O’Connell of Skins fame is perfect as the
morally conflicted soldier, Gary Hook, thrust into the hatred and
confusion of Northern Ireland and lost behind enemy lines. A film
that doesn’t wait for you, ’71 is a raw and violent affair brimming with
cinematic panache that belies the fact it’s a feature debut for TV director
Yann Demange. An exercise in tension, deceit and the futility of political
war; we are exposed to the ambiguity of loyalties as our hero stumbles
and bleeds his way through the cold Irish night, relentlessly pursued by
those who want him dead, and helped by random acts of kindness – but
who can he really trust? Equal parts action akin to a Bourne, and a cold-
blooded-cheek-on-wet-cement reality UK filmmakers do so well, ’71 will
have you gasping for air with its relentless and visceral engagement. CM
RELEASED: March 5 DIRECTOR: Sergei Bodrov CAST: Jeff Bridges, Julianne
Moore, Ben Barnes RATING: TBC
RELEASED: March 26 DIRECTOR: Yann Demange CAST: Jack O’Connell,
Sam Reid, Sean Harris RATING: TBC
THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC
MARIGOLD HOTEL
PROJECT ALMANAC
The aging crew is back to help our over-enthusiastic
proprietor of India’s favourite ‘grey retreat’ open
another hotel in partnership with a US consortium.
But can he survive the undercover inspector, and
indeed an impending marriage? The Fawlty Towers
meets Cocoon charm is not lost in this second
installment of a franchise in disguise (hey, they’re
still all alive!). Jokes aside, while the plot is a thinly
veiled sheet to reveal more life lessons audiences of
all ages can absorb, it’s the overwhelming maturity
and wildly progressive undertones in the banter and
interaction between all these veterans that endures.
Nighy’s still madly in love with Judy Dench, Smith is
still dropping pessimistic pearls of solid gold that cut
deepest in hindsight, and new addition Gere, as the
potential undercover inspector, adds the cold reality
of ‘everyone gets old – but not bored’ into the mix
to great effect. You could do far worse, and for the
older audiences, it’s smart and harmless with a few
new tricks any dog can do with picking-up. CM
RELEASED: Out Now DIRECTOR: John Madden
CAST: Maggie Smith, Richard Gere, Bill Nighy
RATING: TBC
Providing a synopsis for Jupiter Ascending is
as challenging as accepting Channing Tatum as
an elf-eared, canine/human hybrid who skates
through the air on arcs of light following the
removal of his wings. Mila Kunis succinctly
sums up the proceedings by demanding, “I
need to know what the hell is going on here!”
And she’s not the only one. Those world-building
Wachowskis have conjured another complex
and impenetrable universe that only makes
sense to them, and the barrage of disparate CGI
set pieces and exposition suggests even they
may not know where this story is headed. So
is Jupiter Ascending the next Fifth Element or
the new John Carter? Fortunately it’s the former
– the Wachowskis’ wild, unrestrained vision
shares the same gleeful lunacy, high camp and
eye-candy visuals as Luc Besson’s film, and
should be viewed with that in mind – just enjoy
the ride. Scott Hocking
RELEASED: Out Now DIRECTOR:TThe Wachowskis
CAST: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie
Redmayne RATING: M
Hot Teen Time Machine best describes this
Michael Bay-produced found-footage film in
which physics student David (Jonny Weston)
discovers his dad's blueprint for a time machine
in the basement. Building the contraption out of
a cannibalised gaming console, car batteries, a
hydrogen power source and a smartphone to dial
up time and date, David and his mates embark
on an excellent adventure which is, well, not all
that excellent. These teens have a time machine
at their disposal, the possibilities are endless,
so what do they do? They go to the Lollapalooza
music festival, get better grades, and David gets
the girl (Sofia Black-D'Elia). But they do win the
lottery, so the potential isn't totally squandered.
The same can't be said about the movie, which
eventually turns into The Butterfly Effect, with
David learning the hard way that the more you
try and change things back to the way they
were, the more screwed up they become. SH
RELEASED: Out Now DIRECTOR: Dean Israelite
CAST: Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Sam Lerner
RATING: M
jupiter ascending
'71
34 MARCH 2015 JB Hi-Fi
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