42 / 89
Vin Diesel, like Dwayne Johnson, has the ability to make
you want to see a film for his presence alone. As star and
producer of this horror-fantasy, Diesel keeps a straight face
(and an eye on a potential franchise) as an immortal witch
hunter named Kaulder, who sniffs out dark magic in present
day New York with the tenacity of a gumshoe on a hard
case. When a whiff of sorcery portends the return of an evil
queen he despatched in the Middle Ages, Kaulder, along
with sidekick Elijah Wood and flame-haired young witch Rose
("You know nothing Jon Snow") Leslie, races to stop her
resurrection and a deadly plague being unleashed. An entertaining mash-up
of
Constantine
and
Highlander
, or an episode of
Buffy
on steroids,
The Last
Witch Hunter
ostensibly resembles fantasy misfires like
Priest
and
Seventh
Son
, but it's much more fun – and has Michael Caine, too. • See page 37
The chronicles of Kaulder.
THE LAST WITCH HUNTER
Release Date:
03/02/16
Format:
If Mario Bava had directed
Jane Eyre
for Hammer studios
it'd probably look like this ravishing fusion of gothic
melodrama, romance, murder and madness from Guillermo
del Toro. Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is swept off her
feet by the charming Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston),
becomes his bride, and is taken to live in his crumbling
family home – a cavernous mansion located atop a mine
filled with scarlet clay that oozes through the floor. This
decaying estate is also home to Sharpe's frosty sister (an
unhinged Jessica Chastain) and full of restless ghosts and
sinister family secrets, which Edith must uncover to stay alive. Art directed
to the max, this is a truly gorgeous looking movie, drenched in primary
colours and the meticulous attention to detail that is del Toro's forte. Fans of
measured, old school ghost stories will love every sumptuous frame.
At the mansion of madness.
CRIMSON PEAK
Release Date:
25/02/16
Format:
Kate Winslet brings a touch of glamour to the outback
in this '50s-set dramedy that sees her returning to her
home town after making it big in the world of high fashion.
Arriving like an avenger from a Spaghetti Western, she's
determined to uncover the truth behind her exile as a child,
and make sure those responsible pay the price. Like her
plucky heroine, this is a homecoming for director Jocelyn
Moorhouse, too, whose last Australian film was the award-
winning
Proof
in 1991. Adapting Rosalie Ham's novel with
co-writer P.J. Hogan, Moorhouse has crafted a delightfully
kitsch throwback to nineties' favourites like
The Adventures of Priscilla
and
Strictly Ballroom
. It's also one of the most successful local films of 2015.
Winslet is superb, and backed up by a quality Aussie cast including Hugo
Weaving (who frocks up again), Liam Hemsworth and the great Judy Davis.
Revenge is back in fashion.
THE DRESSMAKER
Release Date:
25/02/16
Format:
Michael Fassbender as Macbeth. Marion Cotillard as
Lady Macbeth.
Snowtown
director Justin Kurzel tackling
Shakespeare’s great tragedy. If
Macbeth
isn’t already on
your must-see list for these reasons, put it there, pronto.
Few would have expected Kurzel to follow
Snowtown
with Shakespeare, and the South Australian filmmaker has
delivered another incredibly austere interpretation of material
that demands a dark touch, and the best cinematic version
of Shakespeare's play to date – yes, even better than Roman
Polanski’s 1971 adaptation. Shakespeare’s works ultimately
live or die on the strength of the performances and Fassbender was born
to play the eponymous tyrant, whose ambition to ascend the throne leads
to murder most foul, civil war and his ultimate downfall. A triumph in every
department, "the Scottish film" is bleak, brutal and brilliant.
Something wicked this way comes.
MACBETH
Release Date:
11/02/16
Format:
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REVIEWS
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jbhifi.com.auFEBRUARY
2016
DVD&BD