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It's a bold move revisiting Steven Spielberg and Tobe
Hooper's 1982 house of horrors, but this remake
more closely resembles the likes of Insidious and The
Conjuring than the classic original. It's also surprisingly
restrained in its use of CGI to reimagine the original's
big FX set pieces. The plot remains the same: family
move into a new house in the 'burbs that's built on a
(supposedly) relocated cemetery, their youngest daughter
communes with the spirit world through the television
and gets abducted to the other side, and there's a creepy
clown doll. This time, however, it's a TV ghost hunter who's called in to
help and declare "this house is clean", and the original's sense of fun
has been replaced with a more serious tone. But the overall message
remains the same: don't go into the light.
Their here... again
POLTERGEIST
Director AdamWingard and writer
Simon Barnett follow up their
terrific chiller You're Next with
another gripping and tongue-in-
cheek tribute to the trashy style of
'80s horror cinema, meshing the
'houseguest from hell' with The
Terminator. The Peterson family
welcome discharged soldier David
(Dan Stevens) into their home in
the belief that he's a friend of their
late son, who was killed in action.
But when this polite war veteran's
hidden agenda is revealed, the
bodycount begins. Bathed in neon
colours and driven by a propulsive,
Carpenter-esque synth score, The
Guest is both an homage to and
a pisstake of the genre clichés it
lovingly embraces.
THE GUEST
Release Date:
14/10/15
Format:
As a British soldier separated from
his unit and trapped in enemy
territory – a wartorn Belfast
neighbourhood controlled by the
IRA – Jack O'Connell once again
shows us why he's one of today's
most exciting young stars. Kudos
must also go to first-time feature
director Yann Demange, who
conjures a volatile atmosphere
where sudden death can result
from turning a street corner. Set
during the most turbulent year
of the conflict and sidelining the
politics that usually drive films
about the IRA, this cracking thriller
is an extended game of cat and
mouse, with O'Connell attempting
to stay one step ahead of the
enemy. Gripping stuff.
'71
Release Date:
21/10/15
Format:
Release Date: 21/10/15 Format:
Aloha is Bradley Cooper's second stint in the military this
year, albeit less traumatic than the events of American
Sniper. It's a Cameron Crowe film, which means loads
of whimsy and a great soundtrack. Cooper plays a
former pilot turned defence contractor who returns
to Hawaii, where his past is waiting in the form of an
old girlfriend (Rachel McAdams – is there a movie she
isn't in nowadays?). The other woman in his life is his
air force liaison (Emma Stone), who reminds us of
Kelly McGillis in Top Gun, only cuter. This isn't the love
triangle it sounds like, however, as Cooper is kept busy negotiating with
a Hawaiian leader over the launch of a satellite from Oahu. Crowe has
assembled a great cast – that also includes Bill Murray and a blustering
Alec Baldwin – which alone makes Aloha worth a look.
The future isn't just something that happens
ALOHA
An uptight cop (Reese
Witherspoon) and a drug lord's wife
(Sofia Vergara) are the mismatched
pair on a road trip to Texas, where
the latter will enter the Witness
Protection Program after testifying
against the cartel. The title gives
away the fact that Vergara's
husband isn't too far behind,
resulting in ample histrionics (and
gender-specific gags) from the girls,
as they fend off redneck locals and
crooked cops. Thelma and Louise
this ain't, but the film gets by on
Witherspoon's cute Southern
charm and Vergara's exotic appeal.
Part buddy movie, part road movie
and all chick flick, Hot Pursuit
delivers three popular genres for
the price of one disc.
HOT PURSUIT
Release Date:
21/10/15
Format:
The erratic genius and
heartbreaking suffering of a
musical iconoclast are brought
to life in equally astonishing
performances from John Cusack
and Paul Dano, in this sentimental
but quietly courageous biopic.
The actors play older and younger
versions of Brian Wilson, at
two very different junctures in
the Beach Boys’ frontman’s life;
in the mid-‘60s, young Wilson
(Dano) finds himself thrust into
international stardom after the
release of Pet Sounds ), while
a middle-aged Wilson (Cusack)
struggles to deal with his mental
illness and depression while in the
questionable care of Dr. Eugene
Landy (Paul Giamatti).
LOVE & MERCY
Release Date:
28/10/15
Format:
Release Date: 07/10/15 Format:
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38 OCTOBER 2015