STACK February 2017 Issue 148

40 / 95

hat do you do if the bank’s screwing you around,
ching to foreclose on your family’s ranch? Well, if
ou’re Texan brothers Tanner and Toby Howard (Ben
oster and Chris Pine) you’d rob some of their branches,
under the money and then pay off what’s owed to the
ank with their very own funds, setting your estranged
ids up for life – especially as oil’s recently been found
n the land. That’s the gist of this western-tinged heist
riller, which finds beauty in the desolate landscapes
of post-GFC times where everybody’s struggling – we
lost count of properties for sale and billboards flogging quick loans.
Add a pair of staunch, acerbic Texas rangers in Jeff Bridges and Gil
Birmingham, superb writing, the odd LOL moment and an ending that
comes all too soon, and you've got one terrific Texan treat. AF
Justice isn't a crime.
HELL OR HIGH WATER
Even the most genuinely
clairvoyant would have been
hard-pressed to have foreseen a
second movie based on the Ouija
board game being made, yet here
it is! Taking us back to 1967 Los
Angeles – complete with classic
Universal logo – we set about
ticking things off the checklist.
Widow? Yep. Older daughter?
Uh-huh. Younger daughter ripe for
possession? You bet. A priest?
Duh! Evil spirits? Naturally! We
may sound dismissive, for Ouija:
Origin of Evil certainly goes
for the tropes, but following a
gradual build involving the family’s
shonky fortune-telling business
becoming all too real, it really lets
loose some scare-tinged, M-rated
popcorn pleasure. AF
OUIJA: ORIGIN
OF EVIL
elease Date:
8/02/17
ormat:
British filmmaker Andrea Arnold
(Fish Tank) adopts the voyeuristic
style favoured by Harmony Korine
for this episodic road trip into the
American heartland in the company
of a group of impoverishered
youths flogging magazine
subscriptions to people who don't
want them, or can't afford them.
The focus is on newcomer Star
(Sasha Lane), who joins the team
after locking eyes with Jake (Shia
LaBeouf) in a Walmart – their
fractious relationship providing
the dramatic impetus in lieu
of a narrative. Measured but
captivating, American Honey is
raw and real; a breath of fresh
Midwestern air after being
suffocated by so many superheroes
and special effects. SH
AMERICAN HONEY
Release Date:
22/02/17
Format:
Release Date: 08/02/17 Format:
“Honey, the Stevens’ got a new car!” “That’s nice dear.”
“The Fonebones are installing a pool!” “Yes dear.” “The
Joneses are international spies!” “Sure dear... Actually,
that’d explain a lot.” Yes, move over Brangelina and shuffle
sideways Jackie Chan, for it’s Zach Galifianakis and Isla
Fisher’s turn to don their 86 and 99 hats as Jeff and Karen
Gaffney, when spies move into their cosseted cul-de-sac.
They’d be Tim and Natalie Jones (Jon Hamm and Gal
‘Wonder Woman’ Gadot), although obviously they’re not
shouting their career choice from any rooftops. Instead
they’re trying to inveigle their way into the aerospace company that employs
Jeff – and most of the suburb. Bugs are planted, houses are burgled, people
are killed – it’s your everyday everyman and everywoman become spies and
travel the world action comedy, but with many laughs and much charm. AF
Bad neighbours.
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES
Paul Schrader may not be a
household name, but he penned
Taxi Driver and Raging Bull.
Respect! While any writer would
kill to have his screenwriting
credits on their CV, Schrader’s
directorial career has been
spottier. He aims to clean it up
a bit with this blackly comedic,
noir-tinged crime thriller,
which boasts Nic Cage and
Willem Dafoe as two of three
degenerates just out of prison.
They’re each on their last strike,
but to say that they’ve been
rehabilitated would be blatantly
inappropriate. Rather than more
small change jobs, they’re out
to pull off a big one – but as
all movie buffs know, that path
never runs smoothly... AF
DOG EAT DOG
Release Date:
22/02/17
Format:
You thought Seth Rogen and
Rose Byrne had problems
next door? Wait until you
see what John and Rosie
(Josh Stewart and Alex Esso)
have to contend with in this
stylish, slow-burn thriller
from writer-director Marcus
Dunstan (The Collector and
The Collection). The husband
and wife team work for a
local crime boss but are
planning to go straight,
until their nosy neighbour
Troy (Bill Engvall) – with his
own secrets in the cellar –
threatens to expose them.
When Rosie goes missing,
John suspects Troy and a
tense game of cat-and-mouse
ensues. SH
THE NEIGHBOUR
Release Date:
15/02/17
Format:
Release Date: 08/02/17 Format:
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