STACK New Zealand October Issue 67

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Also released...
Clouds Of Sils Maria
Putting the Twlight years well and truly behind her, Kristen
Stewart deservedly won a French Oscar for her performance
in this absorbing psychological drama, playing the assistant of
ageing European actress Juliette Binoche (equally brilliant), who
is weighing up a return to the stage in a play that launched her
to stardom. A melancholic, but drily witty account of celebrity
insecurity and midlife crisis. OUT: 14/10/155
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell, No!
Syfy should be commended for stretching a one-joke premise into
a franchise and offering a career lifeline to a host of has-been
actors. 'Nado regulars Ian Ziering and Tara Reid are joined by Bo
Derek and David Hasselhoff in this loopy third installment that
rains maneaters down on Washington D.C. and Orlando, Florida.
The joke has worn thin by now, but there's still fun to be had
spotting the numerous celebrity cameos. OUT: 14/10/15
DANNY COLLINS
Although not entirely convincing as a cheesy pop star, Al Pacino
looks to be enjoying himself immensely in this redemptive musical
drama. Realising that his career could have taken a very different
path if he had received a letter John Lennon had written to him
when he was just starting out, the titular character starts to write
again, while trying to forge a relationship with his long estranged
son (Bobby Cannavale). OUT: 07/10/15
DESCENDANTS
The latest Disney Channel teen extravaganza is essentially Once
Upon A Time – The Musical. The fairytale world’s best known
baddies have been banished to an island prison and peace has
reigned for years. However, Malificent (Kristin Chenoweth) and
Co see the chance for revenge when her teen daughter (Dove
Cameron), plus the kids of Cruella De Vil, Jafar and the Evil
Queen, are invited to the good side of the kingdom. Fans of High
School Musical will feel right at home. OUT: 21/10/15
Listen Up, Philip
In this bleakly funny comedy, Jason Schwartzman plays a deeply
insecure but thorough dislikable writer, who, on the eve of the
publication of his second work, finds a soulmate in his favourite
novelist, the equally misanthropic Jonathan Pryce. Elisabeth
Moss helps offset the nastiness of the leads as Schwartzman’s
girlfriend, a successful photographer who eventually tires of his
erratic behaviour. OUT: 08/10/15
MARSHLAND
Set in post-Franco Spain of the ‘80s, the period settings and the
expansive landscapes have led this taut Spanish thriller to be
compared with the first series of True Detective. There are similar
tensions, too, in the relationship between these two cops – the
idealistic Pedro (Raúl Arévalo) and Franco loyalist Juan (Javier
Gutiérrez) – as they hunt a serial killer who preys on teenage girls
from a impoverished rural backwater. OUT: 21/10/15
Oscar winning director Alex Gibney has never shied from
controversial subjects – paedophilic priests, WikiLeaks
and Lance Armstrong – but this might be his bravest
work to date. That’s because he is taking on the Church
of Scientology, which, as this superb doco illustrates,
doesn’t take kindly to those who speak out against the
cult. In fact, director Paul Haggis (Crash) and Jason Beghe
(Chicago PD) are the only Hollywood types who appear
on camera, although there is devastating testimony from
plenty of former top people in the organisation. Going
Clear traces the history of the movement, from the weird life of founder
L Ron Hubbard, to the ruthless regime of current leader David Miscavige.
Needless to say, the world’s two best known Scientologists, John Travolta
and Tom Cruise, don’t come out of it particularly well either.
Scientology and the prison of belief
Going Clear
Release Date: 22/10/15 Format:
Through the smeared mascara, the skin-picking scars,
and the vague expression on her face as she grappled
with reality under the anchor of heroin, you can still see
the innocence. From the director behind the brilliant doco
Senna, Amy, as the name suggests, charts the tragic story
behind the rise and fall of the exceptionally talented Amy
Winehouse – the best vocalist Britain has delivered in
a generation. Splicing together vintage home video and
first-hand accounts of the players directly involved in the
singer's life, we follow Amy through teenage ambition
to her fruition as an award-winning artist. Amidst the chaos of fame, the
allure of substance abuse, and the misguided influence, it’s apparent
that all Winehouse truly cared for was her music. When this becomes
compromised, the inevitability is heartbreaking.
The girl behind the name
AMY
Release Date: 28/10/15 Format:
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42 OCTOBER 2015