STACK Magazine November Issue 121

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The elegant YSL logo has bled out of the haute couture
arena and into pop culture, to the point where one may
not even think of the man those three letters represent.
French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent began to give
life to his incredibly vigorous and elemental talent under
the tutelage of Christian Dior, and his designs were so
iconoclastic that, after Dior's death in 1957, he ascended
to the head of the fashion house at just 21 years of age.
Saint Laurent's genius was wrapped in a changeable,
doubt-addled mindset, but he found immense relief in
the companionship of revered industrialist Pierre Bergé, who became his
partner in matters of heart and business. This biopic breathes warmth
into the personal trials of the man's life, and documents his staggering
rise to fame and fortune. Smooth, vivid and startlingly expressive.
A fashionable drama.
YVES SAINT LAURENT
Director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter) isn't afraid of
complex or sensitive material – his films frequently deal with
socio-political intrigue and murder, with cleverly emotive
character deconstructions within. Devil's Knot is based on
the case of three teenaged boys who were jailed in the mid-
'90s for killing three young boys in the American South, after
a moral panic concerning Satanists emerged. Egoyan has
sifted through the dense source material (the trial, conviction
and subsequent release of the boys were covered heavily by
documentary makers) for this dramatic reimagining, which
allows him to flesh out figures within the case who weren't necessarily central
to its mechanics – such as Pamela Hobbs (played with astounding candour
by Reese Witherspoon), the mother of one of the victims. A beautifully-shot,
intriguing look at grief, forgiveness and their murky overlap. • See page 82
West of Memphis.
DEVIL'S KNOT
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visit REVIEWS DVD&BD
Format: Release Date: 05/11/14 Format: Release Date: 19/11/14
NOVEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi
Following their successful collaboration on the 2011
comedy The Guard, Brendan Gleeson and director
John Michael McDonagh reunite for this downbeat
drama about a Catholic priest who receives a
death threat from the confessional. Father James
(Gleeson) becomes the target of a vengeful victim
of childhood abuse at the hands of the clergy; an
innocent substitute for the offending priest, who
has since passed away. Given a week to prepare
himself, James endures a Catholic backlash from the
locals (an ensemble that includes Chris O'Dowd, Dylan Moran and
M. Emmet Walsh), any of whom could be his prospective killer.
Calvary is bleak and brilliant, peppered with some disarming
humour and anchored by an outstanding performance by Gleeson.
The sins of the Father.
CALVARY
He might love jazz, but Clint Eastwood isn’t the
first director you think of when it comes to a film
adaptation of the Broadway hit musical Jersey Boys.
(Indeed, Jon Favreau was initially onboard.) But Clint
was drawn to the underdog tale of Frankie Valli and
the boys and their rise to superstardom as The Four
Seasons during the 1960s. Cannily, he's cast stage
actors familiar with the musical – such as Tony-winner
John Lloyd Young, who reprises the role of Valli from
the Broadway production – instead of Hollywood
superstars, and the results are every bit as toe-tapping, sing-along
and feel-good as you'd expect. Clint also doesn't gloss over the darker
side of the tale, including the criminal element present during the
group's formative years. A musical for everybody, not just your mum.
Workin' its way back to you.
JERSEY BOYS
Format: Release Date:05/11/14 Format: Release Date: 12/11/14
DRAMA