STACK Aug #154

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CINEMA, DVDs, GAMES & MUSIC

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ISSUE 154 Aug ’17

ALIEN: COVENANT • DUNKIRK • UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY

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Contributors

Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Film & DVD Editor Scott Hocking

Music Editor Zoë Radas StaffWriter Alesha Kolbe

Issue 154 AUGUST 2017

Creative Director Michelle Black DVD Consultant Kerrie Taylor Games Consultant Andre Eivik Music Consultants Mike Glynn, Fleur Parker Chief Contributors Bob Jones , Gill Pringle, Jonathan Alley Contributors Savannah Douglas, Graham Reid, Amy Flower, John Ferguson, Michael Dwyer, Jeff Jenkins, Simon Lukic, Chris Murray, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Adam Colby, Tim Lambert, Jake Cleland, Holly Pereira Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Production Manager Craig Patterson Accounts Coordinator Tracy Kingman

WELCOME From its humble beginnings as the Golden State Comic Book Convention, which attracted a whopping 300 people in 1970, San Diego Comic-Con has grown into a behemoth to match the tentpole comic book blockbusters and television hits it exists to showcase. Unlike Cannes and the independent film festivals that serve as a marketplace for distributor acquisition, SDCC allows a devoted fanbase to get up close and personal with the pop culture phenomena they live, breathe and, in the case of cosplayers, attire themselves with. There’s simply nothing else like it in the world. Where else can you find all the biggest stars in film and television under the same roof, alongside Hollywood heavyweights like Steven Spielberg and Kevin Feige? Moreover, it’s the best marketing tool in the galaxy, creating a buzz that reverberates through the real and online world via trailer premieres, exclusive footage and celebrity panels. Let’s not forget that all of this wouldn’t be possible without the support of the studios and networks, whose ongoing commitment to the event is to be commended. This was my third consecutive year covering SDCC for STACK , and while the workload is indeed punishing and I often require the powers of The Flash to flit from one press event and panel to the next, I wouldn’t have it any other way. As a longtime pop culture aficionado, my inner geek is unleashed and relishes the opportunity to absorb it all. Not only that, the opportunity to report back to you on what to bookmark for the coming year is just as exciting. SDCC 2017 was a big one, and I hope you’re just as excited by the coverage. Scott Hocking, Film Editor

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Correspondence STACK P.O. Box 2051, Richmond, VIC 3121

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Disclaimer STACK is published by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ACN 092 362 135). © Copyright Scribal Custom Pty Ltd, 2017 All rights reserved. All material appearing in this publication is copyright unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material or advertisement. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of Scribal Custom Pty Ltd. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information. Whilst care has been taken in the research and preparation of this publication, the publishers, writers or anyone else associated cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or hardship arising from the content contained herein or reliance therefrom, howsoever caused, and it remains your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any such content. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or the editor. By the very nature of this publication, things change daily and we cannot take responsibility for any changes or inaccuracies that occur subsequent to going to press.

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Issue 154

AUGUST 2017

Extras Pages 8, 20, 30, 81

Cinema Pages 12–18

DVD & BD Pages 28, 34–51

Games Pages 53-72

Music (From back) Pages 1–27

3-11 NEWS + INTERVIEWS We spoke to Jen Cloher about her gorgeous new self-titled release, checked in with The Preatures and Queens Of The Stone Age, asked Matt Okine for his tips on throwing a brilliant OXJAM party against poverty, and quizzed Oh Wonder and Avey Tare on their new records Ultralife and Eucalyptus . 14 VINYL REVIVAL Michael Dwyer investigates Prince’s remastered Purple Rain , which has either sat plum or hovered near the peak of JB’s vinyl chart for weeks. 16 GANG OF YOUTHS David Le’aupepe gives us an insight into how a literary movement from the 1990s informed the writing of Gang Of Youths’ excellent new album Go Farther In Lightness . 18-26 REVIEWS Paul Kelly’s Life Is Fine is our Album of the Month, but we also have feelings about The Ocean Party, Arcade Fire, Ghostpoet, Dave Rawlings, Vera Blue, Gold Class, Mura Masa, Thy Art Is Murder, Everything Everything, Grizzly Bear, Jen Cloher, Edguy, Joan Osborne, The Creases, Dan Sultan and more.

8 NEWS The winner of the ‘Design an Alien: Covenant Poster’ competition is revealed. Look out for the poster in your

12 THE BIG SICK STACK met with real-life couple Kumal Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, whose relationship is the basis of this Judd Apatow-produced rom-com. 14-15 DUNKIRK Stars Harry Styles, Fionn Whitehead and director Christopher Nolan on what to expect from the IMAX World War II epic. 16 THE LOST CITY OF Z From Guy Ritchie’s Camelot to the jungles of the Amazon, Charlie Hunnam talks to us about playing British explorer

28 GHOST IN THE SHELL New Zealand’s Weta

56-57 INTRO August at a glance. 58-60 uNCHARTED

Workshop broke new ground in VFX for this live action version of the 1995 anime film. 34-35 FATE OF THE FURIOUS Family no more! Can it be true? Cast and crew talk Fast 8 and As crew members of the titular colony ship, Billy Crudup and Danny McBride discover why no one can hear you scream in space. 38 GUARDIANS VOL.2 Karen Gillan and new Guardian Pom Klementieff make for an awesome mix in the blockbuster Marvel sequel. 40 THE OSIRIS CHILD Australian filmmaker Shane Abbess drew upon the Depression-era for his new sci-fi feature. 42-50 REVIEWS The Fate of the Furious, Alien: Covenant, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Baywatch, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Snatched, John Wick: Chapter 2, Get Out, Going in Style, Free Fire, The Belko Experiment, A Dog’s Purpose, and more. life without Paul Walker. 36-37 ALIEN COVENANT

Uncharted is back - sans Nathan Drake. Here’s what you’ll find in The Lost Legacy. 62 F1 2018 Another year, another F1 game. 64 MARIO + RABBIDS Nintendo and Ubisoft have come together for a meeting of worlds in Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. 66 WHAT’S COMING IN 2017 There’s still a lot to look forward to in 2017. 67 agents of mayhem We went hands-on with Agents of Mayhem ahead of release. 68 TECH We took Corsair’s K68 Keyboard and the HyperX Cloud Revolver S for a spin. 70-72 PREVIEWS Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, F1 2017, Agents of Mayhem, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, Matterfall, ARK: Survival Evolved

nearest JB store. 20-27 SDCC 2017

Cosplay, Marvel, DC, Doctor Who , Blade Runner 2049 , and loads more. Check out our extensive coverage of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. 30-32 BOB J. This month STACK ’s resident film historian, Bob J, looks at movies that influenced film genres. 81 GIVEAWAYS Who doesn’t like free stuff? Who doesn’t like competitions? How does flights and tickets to see the Foo Fighters at Cal Jam sound? Wait, there’s more...

Percy Fawcett. 16-18 REVIEWS

Dunkirk, War for the Planet of the Apes, Baby Driver, A Monster Calls, Atomic Blonde

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Test your movie knowledge with Bob J’s FilmBuff Bafflers at stack.com.au

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EXTRAS NEWS

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The search for Australia’s most creative Alien fan is over, with the winner of 20th Century Fox’s ‘Design an Alien: Covenant Poster Competition’ having been selected by the film’s senior art director Damien Drew and supervising art director Ian Gracie. The poster won’t be hanging in any old gallery though, it will be printed and proudly displayed in every JB Hi-Fi store across the nation! As well as the glory of having their work on show, the victorious creative genius will also be receiving a 4K Smart TV, an Xbox One console, and a copy of Alien: Covenant on 4K UHD. THE ART OF ALIEN

Luke Mills

Darren Rattos

Hamish Waters

Kode Abdo

Damien Drew takes STACK through the judging process:

Adam Turner

posters appeared to blend hand drawn and digital elements. In truth though it is very difficult to tell and with the popularity of drawing tablets, this is really both hand drawn and digital. It was great to see some hand drawn pencil posters, clearly from young children, whilst they were not competitive with more accomplished older artists, we would encourage them to keep up the great work! How much deliberation was involved when it came to picking the winner? There was some deliberation of course as from the top six or so posters, the competition was very tight. It is of course a subjective decision and whilst we agreed, others certainly deserve commendation. Can fans expect to be blown away by Alien: Covenant in 4K UHD? Absolutely. I am sure the film will look fantastic in 4K as it will convey the detail vested in every aspect of the film, including the sets, creatures and SFX.

What makes a great Alien poster? A great Alien poster has a strong and unique graphic identity, shows a good understanding of the film franchise history, and conveys something about Covenant in particular that would motivate an audience to want to see more. It must also have good composition, excellent graphic technique and a point of difference to stand it apart from other posters. What impressed you the most about the entries? There was a huge breadth of graphic styles and mediums. Some were very much in the style we have grown accustomed to from previous films and some were really unique for the genre. We were impressed by some of the unusual and inventive takes on the franchise’s usual graphic identity. Some may have landed too far outside the film genre but were interesting nonetheless. Was there a particular art medium favoured? Not particularly. Many of the

Chris Mangos

Scott Bateman

Gustavo Ramirez

Peter Sandeman

As you can see from this selection of finalists, the entries are indeed impressive, but you’ll need to head into JB Hi-Fi stores this month to see the winning poster… WINNNER?

• Alien: Covenant is out on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K on Aug 16.

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REGULARS

FAST 8 FUN FACTS

1. Filming in Cuba for F8 was partially done in a helicopter, marking the first time an American helicopter, piloted by Fred North, has flown in Cuban national airspace. 2. Iceland's reportedly largest explosion occurred during filming for F8. 3. Nathalie Emmanuel (Ramsey) and Kristopher Hivju (Rhodes) both star in Game of Thrones. 4. Charlize Theron's Cipher is the first female antagonist in the Fast franchise.

5. F8 is the first film since Tokyo Drift not to star Paul Walker. 6. The film featured close to 700 vehicles . 7. Mr Nobody's 'Toy Shop' hosts over $17 million worth of cars and other vehicles. 8. The 'Zombie' scene where cars fall out of a multi- storey carpark included 30 real cars.

F ollowing his breakout role as the rumbustious Steve Stifler in American Pie (1999), Sean William Scott was the go-to guy for comedies requiring a doofus or hellraiser. His most prolific period was during the early '00s, appearing in two American Pie sequels, Road Trip , Dude, Where's My Car? , Old School and The Dukes of Hazzard in rapid succession. However, once the AP franchise wrapped in 2012, Scott disappeared along with it, although he could still be heard as the voice of Crash in the Ice Age sequels. Scott also starred in an ice hockey comedy called Goon (2011) – as a Stifler-like bouncer who becomes an enforcer for a minor league team. Which brings us to a spooky coincidence that occurred while we were pondering what had happened to the Stiffmeister... True story: As this piece was being prepared, a screener disc for an upcoming DVD release arrived on the editor's desk. Nothing strange about that, but the film was Goon: Last of the Enforcers – a sequel to the aforementioned film, starring guess who?! So it would seem Sean William Scott is indeed still working, and is making the transition to serious roles in his next film – the coming- of-age road movie Green Dolphin , in which he plays an abusive foster parent and drug dealer. That's a long way from Steve Stifler. Seann William Scott Whatever Happened to...

Bryce Dallas Howard @BryceDHoward Day #60 and that's a wrap! Honestly, I ugly cried. Bye, Hawaii! #JurassicWorldFallenKingdom In production W hen was the last time 'The Final Chapter' in a franchise was actually that? The latest series to return (after having supposedly wrapped up in 2010) is Saw – the horror franchise created by James Wan and Leigh Whannel. Now old Jigsaw and his diabolical death traps are returning with another pair of Aussies behind the camera. Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig

( Daybreakers, Predestination ) are putting the final touches on the eighth installment, titled Jigsaw , with Tobin Bell returning as the eponymous psychopath. Expect gore galore – and plenty of buzz – when Jigsaw opens in cinemas this Halloween.

• Goon: Last of the Enforcers is out on DVD & Blu-ray on Sept 13

"The digital world has completely reinvented filmmaking, and I love it! I was one of the first to embrace the digital world, going right back to The Getaway [1994] – I edited that digitally. And then The Bank Job [2008] was one of the first film I shot digitally. I'm a stills photographer, too, so I explored digital right back when the very first cameras came out and saw the potential of it and sort of embraced it, understood it, and wasn't intimidated by it. The digital world is obviously where it's at now – film is dead!"

– ROGER DONALDSON, director of Cocktail, Species, The World's Fastest Indian , and McLaren

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CINEMA FEATURE

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STACK sat down with Christopher Nolan, Harry Styles and FionnWhitehead to talk Dunkirk . Words Gill Pringle The Great Escape

W hen Christopher Nolan first announced he would make an epic action film about Dunkirk - the big question was: who would play Winston Churchill? After all, one of Churchill’s most iconic addresses is so pertinent to the Dunkirk story, his stirring words commonly referred to today as the “We shall fight on the beaches” speech. Intense secrecy surrounded Nolan’s 70-page script about the WWII evacuation of 330,000

British and Allied forces from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, between May 27 and June 4 1940, and none of the cast were even given copies before being hired; the lines they were asked to rehearse were often red herrings. With so many competing Churchill performances in the starry 2017 film and TV line-up - Brian Cox in Churchill , Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour and John Lithgow in TV’s The Crown - would Nolan even be so bold as to throw a fourth Churchill into the mix? Unsure if an actor had actually been cast as Churchill then, who would be chosen to actually recite his historic speech? “That was a tough one because while we were rehearsing to play soldiers, many of us - including myself - were given Churchill’s speech to read,” recalls Harry Styles, 23, whose presence in the film will guarantee that every teenage girl on the planet will become a WWII history buff. The task of reciting Churchill’s speech would ultimately fall to unknown British actor Fionn Whitehead who, as Tommy, is the emotional heart of the movie.“It was included in the audition but no-one knew who they were going for and whether or not it was going to be in the script. “It wasn’t until I was offered the role and given the script, that I found out. No pressure there!” grins Whitehead when STACK meets with him and Styles at a hangar at Santa Monica airport where WWII aircraft and rifles are displayed on make-shift beaches. “The whole time I was reading it, I was

Director Christopher Nolan on set with Kenneth Branagh

There was no room for complaining about any personal discomfort

Harry Styles (left) with Aneurin Barnard and FionnWhitehead

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FEATURE CINEMA

where the evacuation took place - their shooting schedule even overlapping with the Dunkirk

We shall fight on the beaches...

anniversary, he adds, “What the film is and

where the film is set was the main focus and no-one was really thinking about my leg hurts or I’m tired.” Styles’ pop fans will

Tom Hardy

Over nine days in 1940, 330,000 men were evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk in an operation called Dynamo. Hitler’s armies had swept through France and threatened to cut off Allied forces from potential escape routes across the English Channel. Christopher Nolan’s filmic depiction of Dunkirk is in cinemas now. Here are five facts you (probably) didn’t know aboutThe Battle of Dunkirk. On May the 23rd, British General Sir Alan Brooke wrote in his diary, “Nothing but a miracle can save the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) now.” Winston Churchill ordered the evacuation and the Royal Navy put out the call for help. Over 700 ships and boats responded and the operation started on May 27. Dunkirk in fishing vessels, motor launches, barges and even paddle steamers whilst under attack from German aircraft. Over the course of nine days, 338,226 men were safely rescued. Two thirds of the men boarded ships directly off a long stone jetty. However, the other 130,000 soldiers had to wade out into shoulder depth water for hours and patiently await their turn. Civilian seamen answered the call heading to the beaches at

be in for a surprise when they discover that his character is not as sweet and kind as the image the heart throb portrays in real life. “Alex seems nice but there’s also this edge to him,” he says. “He comes off a little more hardened than the other guys. Alex likes the idea of being the rough guy but he’s also really scared.” While Christopher Nolan’s films typically deal in a fantasy world, together with his producing partner and wife Emma Thomas, they felt a weight of responsibility in making their first reality-based movie. “It felt very different in the sense of responsibility that you have to the real people involved in the real story. We’ve made films where people care a great deal about

Tom Glynn-Carney and Cillian Murphy

imagining putting myself in the shoes of one of these young guys and reading this speech - and as patriotic as they all were - imagine you’d just come back from such a traumatic ordeal and you’re reading something about your Prime Minister saying you will go on, you will fight, and the last thing you want to do is go back. “And of course Winston

the characters; talk to Batman fans about what they want to see in a movie and that’s a weighty responsibility right there,” laughs Thomas. “But you feel it so much more when there are people who went through what we’re depicting on film and risked their lives.” For Nolan, making Dunkirk was personal - his own grandfather died during WWII, and

Churchill was an amazing speaker and writer who really rallied people, but for those individuals, I think it must have been quite tough to read that they were going to have to go back.” Styles is at great pains

...you feel it so much more when there are people who went through what we’re depicting on film and risked their lives

to explain how his pop star status did not result in any kid-glove treatment. Furthermore, by no means was he a shoo-in for the role, auditioning five times for Dunkirk before landing the role of Alex, one of thousands of soldiers trapped on the beaches. And he didn’t whine about grueling 12- hour days out on the beaches either, often submerged underwater. “It was definitely hard and physically draining. But I think everyone on set was aware that - obviously in comparison to what the real soldiers went through - that it was nothing. There was no room for complaining about any personal discomfort.” Shot on the actual beaches of Dunkirk

he visited his tomb during filming. “I never knew my grandfather because he died during the war. He was a navigator on a Lancaster bomber and did many missions, and he was tragically killed right at the point where he would have finished his missions. I think, because of that, my father was always fascinated by aviation and airplanes, so certainly with this film I felt a huge responsibility to achieve an authenticity to the air raid scenes in the film." With Tom Hardy at the controls of an RAF Spitfire, he appears nothing short of heroic.

“I think with my family history it's not in me to view a spitfire pilot as anything but heroic. Tom is very cool and iconic and I always imagined him playing that part. I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it.”

Dunkirk is in cinemas now.

Mark Rylance

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CINEMA FEATURE

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Charlie Hunnam talks about his most challenging role to date, as British explorer Percy Fawcett in The Lost City of Z . Words Gill Pringle From Camelot to the Amazon

Benedict Cumberbatch who, in turn, had inherited it from Brad Pitt after he aged out of the character. “Losing all the weight was almost like an injury. I don’t know if you have ever had this experience where you’ve been injured and you have to crack on and get on with your life and it sort of focuses you in a way where you have to be very mindful about the day, how you are going to get to the office and how you are going to leave yourself enough time while you’re nursing this thing. That is sort of like being hungry all the time. It has this focusing and also a spiritual and emotional component that was actually very, very positive for me,” says Hunnam who co-stars with fellow Brits Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller and Tom Holland. During the early 1900s, the real-life Colonel Fawcett had made several expeditions to the Amazon - determined he could find the lost civilization - before he mysteriously vanished. “The real tragedy is that he was right - he just hadn’t anticipated how quickly the jungle would reclaim its territory. But he was literally walking around on top of the foot print of the city,” says the actor who infamously turned down the role of Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey . “This role took on an enormous amount of importance to me in terms of proving my own capabilities to myself. It was an opportunity to go as deeply into the work as I’ve always craved.”

I t's been a long time coming, but Charlie Hunnam today finally basks in the warm glow of box-office stardom following a 20-year career which really only gained momentum after he was cast in TV’s Sons of Anarchy . If many actors are content with careers as character actors working in ensembles - very few are anointed with the weight of shouldering a film all the way to the box office. But Hunnam, 37, has done that not once but twice this year, firstly in Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur and now with James Gray’s The Lost City of Z , co-produced by Brad Pitt’s Plan B. Filmed on locations around Northern Ireland and Colombia, The Lost City of Z was, by far, the more difficult role, shedding 40lbs to play starving British explorer Percy Fawcett, a man in search of an unknown civilization who vanished in the Amazon jungle in 1925. “I lost almost 40 pounds for that film, shedding 15 pounds in the final eight days of shooting

before I got down to 145 pounds,” recalls the actor who, on his better days, is famed for his awesome abs and rock-hard torso. “Obviously that’s a big physical challenge but it’s something that also has an emotional and a psychological effect so it’s not for nothing. If it was just the physical challenge, it may have been boring but I got into a really deep, clear zone starving myself so it was really something for me," says the actor who actually took over the role from

The Lost City of Z is in cinemas on Aug 24

Lovesick Real-life couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon's relationship is the basis of the Judd Apatow-produced rom-com The Big Sick . Words Gill Pringle

Nanjiani: “Boy has to call girl’s parents and then hang out with them while girl is hospitalized. And it’s a comedy. It really is.” If this sounds heavy, Gordon swears there are plenty of moments of levity. “It's got a lot of romantic stuff and then some intense scenes but it's really a movie about love and families and how funny and ridiculous and amazing life can be.” “This is the best movie you will see about a Pakistani stand-up comedian and a girl in a coma - that is coming out this year,” promises Nanjiani, who also enjoyed small roles in Sex Tape , Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates and Fist Fight . “It’s a movie that will make you feel good when you leave the cinema and make you wonder what happened after the credits roll,” says Gordon who began her career as a couples and family therapist before quitting her day job to produce and book her husband’s live stand-up show, The Meltdown. “But now that we’re married, my wife is a walking,

talking spoiler alert,” quips Nanjiani. “So it’s a happy ending! Don’t let the coma scare you - cause she wakes up and it’s all good. It’s a family movie - even if we do say ‘f-ck’ a few times - but it’s a Judd Apatow movie so he has a quota to meet.” The couple worked on their script for three years with Apatow. “He was always challenging us to get to the messy truth of every scene - and then make it hilarious,” recalls Gordon. “He was like: Nothing about a coma is funny, so the challenge is: Can you make it funny?” “But I think we did it,” says Nanjiani. “Now we call it a rom- coma-dy.” Playfully engaging in a spat about who had it worse during Gordon’s coma, Nanjiani insists it was tougher on him. “It was much harder for me because you were f-cking asleep.” “We’re married. It's cool. He’s allowed to say stuff like that,” his wife grins.

S ilicon Valley ’s Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V Gordon didn’t just co-write the script for The Big Sick - they put their own painful-funny real-life romance up there on the screen for the world to dissect. While Nanjiani plays himself, the couple cast Zoe Kazan to play Emily on the big screen with Hollywood heavyweights Ray Romano and Holly Hunter enlisted to play her screen parents. Produced by Judd Apatow, the resultant dramedy melted hearts at this year’s Sundance, followed by rave reviews and even Oscar talk. STACK met with the adorable real-life couple at this year’s CinemaCon where they finished

one another’s sentences. “It’s the true story of the first year of our relationship. It’s your basic boy meets girl. . .” begins Gordon as Nanjiani adds, “Boy keeps girl secret from his family because he’s supposed to get an arranged marriage”. Gordon: “Boy and girl break-up and girl gets really sick and has to be put into a coma.”

The Big Sick is in cinemas on Aug 3

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© 2017WarnerBros. Entertainment Inc.All rights reserved. “Academy Award®” is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences *Morgan Freeman – 2004:Actor in a Supporting Role, Million Dollar Baby .MichaelCaine –1986:Actor inaSupportingRole, Hannah andHer Sisters ; 1999: Actor in a Supporting Role, The Cider House Rules . Alan Arkin – 2006:Actor in a Supporting Role, Little Miss Sunshine .

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CINEMA REVIEWS

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BABY DRIVER

RELEASED: June 13 DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright CAST: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Lily James RATING: MA15+ Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a taciturn getaway driver for heist mastermind Doc (Kevin Spacey). With a pair of sunnies and iPod earbuds affixed, Baby drives to his own playlist, which blocks out the tinnitus sustained in a childhood accident, and the inane chatter of the motley crews he expedites from crime scenes. Having squared a longtime debt with Doc, Baby adopts the mantra of the weary criminal-for-hire: “One more job. Then I’m done.” Moreover, he’s just found love with diner waitress Debora (Lily James) and the future’s so bright, he’ll still need those shades. But Doc doesn’t want to lose his valuable asset, and when the two worlds collide, well, nobody puts Baby in a corner… Edgar Wright has toyed with zombies, buddy cops, aliens and video games, but this particular Baby was born out of the British writer-director’s longtime desire to set a car chase to The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s “Bellbottoms”. The result is an obvious labour of love and easily Wright’s best film to date; a fast and furious action-thriller with a sweet romance at its heart and a soundtrack that just won’t quit. Propelled by its own rhythm, with scenes and dialogue synced to the curated songs, Wright doesn't miss a beat, and neither does his cast. Elgort is perfect as the baby-faced protagonist with a killer glare, and a terrific Jon Hamm shakes off Don Draper to play a real madman. A relentless remix of The Getaway and True Romance , Baby Driver is a cool ride from go to whoa. Scott Hocking A MONSTER CALLS RELEASED: July 27 DIRECTOR: J.A. Bayona CAST: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones RATING: PG A young British boy struggles to come to terms with the impending death of his cancer-stricken mother in this ambitious mix of terminal illness drama and fantasy. 12-year-old Conor (MacDougall) is having recurring nightmares, his mother (Jones) is sick from the chemo treatments and when the inevitable happens, Conor faces the prospect of living with his stern grandmother (Weaver). His absent father (Toby Kebbell) is relocating to LA, and he’s being bullied at school. Life’s dealt this kid a cruel hand. And then a monster calls in the form of a giant walking, talking yew tree (a spectacular CGI creation with the sonorous voice of Liam Neeson) whose, err, bark is worse than its bite. This mega- Groot, or arthouse Ent, becomes a benevolent companion to Conor, telling him three fables that parallel his current situation and demanding the boy provide a fourth tale in return, which must be the truth. There are shades of Pan’s Labyrinth in a fantasy creature conjured to shield a child from real world trauma, and director J.A. Bayona delivers the emotional punch and knockout visual style that distinguished his superb debut feature The Orphanage , while eschewing the overt sentiment of his second, The Impossible . A Monster Calls is an imaginative and affecting experience that fans of Guillermo del Toro and Tim Burton are advised to check out – and everyone else for that matter. Just be sure to bring tissues. Scott Hocking

RELEASED: July 20 DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan CAST: Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh RATING: M

DUNKIRK

Christopher Nolan's wartime drama is his best film to date.

S ome of the greatest British war films deal with the nation’s catastrophic failures in military history: A Bridge Too Far, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Bridge on the River Kwai, and now Dunkirk can confidently add itself to the list. Ostensibly, of course – the Battle of Dunkirk was spun into a victory at a time when morale in Britain was desperately needed; it now faced Hitler’s formidable Wehrmacht alone. But no propaganda campaign could conceal the truth; the Allied armies in Belgium and France had been utterly routed and driven to the French coastline by Germany’s dauntless panzer divisions. General Sir Alan Brooke famously wrote in his diary, “Nothing but a miracle can save the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) now.” Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is sparse in dialogue, relying instead on impactful visuals to guide the plot through its 106-minute duration – the director’s shortest film to date. Moreover, the blood and carnage of Hacksaw Ridge and Saving Private Ryan is noticeably absent. Instead, Nolan creates a relentless sense of tension to unsettle the viewer, which is intensified by an omnipresent Hans Zimmer score. It’s the fear of a screeching dive-bomber, the dread of a fizzing torpedo, and the inherent terror of soldiers trapped helplessly within the steel walls of a sinking

ship. On the beaches, shattered soldiers lurch between desperation and disbelief – zombies shuffling in the dunes. There are strong performances from the leading players. Kenneth Branagh is typically reliable as a resilient naval officer orchestrating the evacuation from a heavily targeted jetty. Mark Rylance is excellent playing a civilian sailor driven by a sense of purpose and duty to assist in the rescue of the hapless soldiers. And despite the economy of his lines, Tom Hardy’s Spitfire pilot is the soaring hope that anchors the chaos and despair below on the sea and beaches. The aerial combat sequences, sparing CGI for actual aircraft footage, deliver some of the most compelling sequences in the film. Ultimately though, it’s Nolan’s direction that will rightfully garner the plaudits. Working in the unfamiliar realm of historical context after a number of fantastical genre pictures, he demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of and respect for the subject he’s exploring, and you can sense his hand at every twist and turn. The sustained, and at times practically unbearable, level of anxiety he generates in Dunkirk is so unforgiving that the final credit roll is almost greeted with relief. Dunkirk is a masterclass in contemporary filmmaking and undoubtedly represents Nolan’s finest hour. Paul Jones

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

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CINEMA REVIEWS

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WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

ALSO SCREENING IN AUGUST

RELEASED: July 27 DIRECTOR: Matt Reeves CAST: Woody Harrelson, Andy Serkis, Steve Zahn RATING: M

Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes saw a new energy instilled into the incredible tale of humanity versus ape-kind. Does the culmination of the reboot trilogy do this legacy justice, or does it wobble like so many third outings? Rest assured, there’s nothing wobbly here – War for the Planet of the Apes is magnificent. A couple of years after the events of Dawn , Caesar (Andy Serkis) and surviving followers are getting by in the woods. However, patrolling soldiers from a military faction called Alpha-Omega discover them and an intense battle ensues. The Unfinished monkey business.

apes capture some of the opposing fighters, but release them as a sign of goodwill to the humans. Ah, but Caesar hasn’t encountered A.O. leader The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) yet. He’s a heartless war beast, who takes this peaceful act as a sign of weakness and attacks the apes’ camp. While Caesar sends the surviving apes on a quest to relocate across the desert, his heart is filled with vengeance. Accompanied by the fiercely loyal Maurice, Luca and Rocket, he sets out to track down the Colonel and exact revenge, with many a run-in – friend and foe – along the way. But is Caesar becoming all that he detests in humanity? Beyond the incredible action and amazing score, War for the Planet of the Apes oozes heart, as well as subtle-yet-substantial insight into the nature – and ultimate futility – of war. Then there’s the fact that this is possibly the greatest special effects spectacle ever to make it to a screen – there’s no doubting for a moment that these apes are real (even though they’re not, obviously). That as humans we still find ourselves siding with the apes speaks volumes for Weta Digital’s stunning achievement in (e)motion capture. Although Woody Harrelson playing an utter bastard also helps… Amy Flower role, however, is to uncover the true identity of Satchel - the most prominent double agent. Can she trust anyone in this war-torn city, ravaged by the imminent fall of the Wall? Set in 1980's Germany, the soundtrack is wonderful, featuring everything from 99 Luftballoons to Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This ). The plot timeline switches between Broughton recalling the events of Berlin in an interrogation room, and the action actually unfolding in front of your eyes. Unfortunately, the importance that Spyglass plays in the story is never really reinforced, and at some points you find yourself wondering if he's really worth all this trouble. That being said, the fight sequences are extremely well choreographed - perhaps in part due to Leitch's stuntman history - and Theron is thoroughly convincing as an undercover agent. McAvoy reprises his almost-drunk Professor Xavier persona quite well, and the inclusion of Sofia Boutella as another foreign agent is a welcome one - she's everywhere these days. Despite Atomic Blonde being under two hours, it does drag a bit towards the end; however, Leitch's first solo director's credit undoubtedly has its explosive moments. Alesha Kolbe

THE DARK TOWER

After a decade in development hell, the film adaptation of Stephen King's magnum opus is finally here, with Idris Elba as Gunslinger Roland Deschain and Mattew McConaughey as his nemesis, The Man in Black. King's ambitious epic is a mix of spaghetti western, post-apocalypse fantasy and horror, and fans of the novels can expect a combination of books one and three to introduce Roland's world on Aug 17 .

Steven Soderbergh comes out of retirement to direct this heist caper set during a NASCAR race, starring Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Craig as you've never seen him before! Days of Thunder meets Ocean's Eleven on Aug 17 . LOGAN LUCKY

ATOMIC BLONDE

RELEASED: Aug 3 DIRECTOR: David Leitch CAST: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Sofia Boutella RATING: MA15+

She's a Killer Queen.

Atomic Blonde follows MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron), who is sent to the divided Berlin to track down a list of double agents. Helping her on his German home ground is David Percival (James McAvoy), whom Broughton's superiors (Toby Jones and John Goodman) assure will assist her on her mission. She must find the agent known simply as Spyglass and ensure his safe travels through the Berlin Wall, as he has memorised the aforementioned list of traitors. Her second MI6

The Cruiser is back in the cockpit, this time playing real-life pilot and drug smuggler turned CIA operative Barry Seal. This true crime thriller is directed by Doug Liman and lands on Aug 24 . american made

Luc Besson’s latest heralds a return to the splendidly bonkers territory of The Fifth Element . Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne play special government operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the universe on Aug 10 . VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS

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Always a highlight on our calendar, the 48th annual San Diego Comic-Con promised much and delivered even more. Words: Scott Hocking

from The Strain , having been replaced by the aforementioned X-Men series. It wouldn’t be Comic-Con without the cosplayers, who are always up for a photo opp or selfie. Not only do they draw appreciative and bemused stares, but they also reflect the most popular screen offerings of the past year. Disney’s Moana certainly made an impact this year, with lots of moms and daughters in grass skirts, while The Joker and Harley Quinn were still championed, even if Suicide Squad was not. This year was an exceptionally busy Con for STACK , with the access to talent including Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villenueve, Thor: Ragnarok ’s Taika Waititi, Black Panther ’s Winston Duke, and the casts of The LEGO Ninjago Movie and Ready Player One all on our interview schedule. You’ll find all of the above and more in the pages that follow, as we take you inside the panels and press rooms, the offsite attractions, exhibit hall and booths, for a taste of the mother of all pop culture conventions.

Heroes from the DCEU and the MCU mingling with aliens from Star Trek , Disney characters, zombies, inhabitants of Westeros, and Hogwarts wizards – Comic-Con is the ultimate shared universe where everyday lives are put on hold for four days a year in sunny San Diego. The event is more than just a global gathering of pop culture enthusiasts, collectors, artists, filmmakers and gamers. Crossing all genres, creeds and cultures, it’s a unifying experience that has no equal. Even if you don’t have a badge to get into the exhibit hall at the Convention Centre, you can still absorb all the fervour and excitement by osmosis, as there’s plenty on offer in the environs. VR was a big element at this year’s Con, not only with the preview of Steven Spielberg’s new thriller Ready Player One , but also driving offsite attractions like the Blade Runner 2049 experience. Or the Legion MR (Mixed Reality) installation adjacent to the Hilton Bayside Hotel – which incidentally no longer sports the perennial vampire mural

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Steven Spielberg’s VR adventure is both a celebration of 1980s pop culture and a cautionary tale about crossing the line between the real world and the virtual one. E rnest Cline’s novel Ready Player One is considered the Holy Grail of Young Adult fiction. Set in a dystopian future that approximates touch and sexuality. By the third act of the movie, that interaction between real life and virtual life is almost non-existent, and that is what made me jump into this movie.” The creation of the film’s virtual world

tell a story that will fit a reasonable length was, in itself, a challenge,” said Penn. “The whole time I was writing the book I assumed there wouldn’t be a movie,” adds Cline. “I wanted to mash up everything in pop culture and pay tribute to the pop culture that I love. Really, the only two guys that could make this movie work were Steven and Zak.” A self-described geek, Cline's book is a veritable love letter to 1980s pop culture and loaded with references to the films and characters of the era – one that Spielberg of course was heavily involved in. Consequently, the director held back on including too many of his films in Ready Player One . “I didn’t want to be vilified for some kind of grand act of vanity, so I had to leave a lot of myself out or defer to another director,” he said. Expect to see pop culture greats likes of Back to the Future , Akira , Freddy Krueger , Tron , The Iron Giant , and many more within the film’s OASIS. Cline’s novel is given to employees of companies like Oculus VR and HTC Vibe to inspire them and show them the potential of virtual reality, and the writer believes that the film will expose more people to the concept of the technology. “Last Christmas was the first Christmas where you could actually buy virtual reality headsets that were commercially available. I think [the film is] going to change the speed with which virtual reality will be adopted by civilization. That’s the power of movies.”

of 2044, teenager Wade Watts escapes the real world for a virtual utopia called OASIS, where its pop culture-obsessed creator has hidden an Easter Egg that will reward whoever finds it with wealth and power. “I put down the book and I said, ‘you’re going to need a younger director’,” said Spielberg at the Warner Bros. Comic-Con panel. “I had no idea at first how I was going to do it as a filmmaker, but [Ernest] was the handbook for doing that. “The thing that made me want to tell the story, more than anything else, was

I put down the book and I said, ‘you’re going to need a younger director'

the kind of world that 2044 gives to people, which is so dystopian,” he continued. “People are leaving the country and all of a sudden virtual reality gives you a choice, another world you can exist in and you can do anything in that world that you can possibly imagine. “There are optic suits that aren’t on the market yet that give you a kind of feedback

required two years of preparation, and co-screenwriter Zak Penn was also challenged in adapting the book to the screen, in collaboration with the author. “It’s definitely the most complex movie I’ve ever worked on, and I think Steven might agree with me. There’s so much material in that book that you can use.

Just to find a way to winnow it down and

Ready Player One is in cinemas on 29 March 2018.

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a new robotic arm that doubles as an energy weapon. As to forthcoming Marvel projects, the costume for Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel was unveiled as well as the latest on Ant Man and the Wasp , which has added Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne and Walton Goggins to the cast. We’ll also see more of the tiny hero’s Giant-Man incarnation, as seen in Civil War . And the one that every Marvel fan was hoping for, Avengers: Infinity War was saved until last, with the footage screened at Disney’s recent D23 Expo presented to the ecstatic crowd. “There’s no way in hell we’re not going to show you some footage,” said co-director Joe Russo. Featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos, Thor, Loki, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and of course the Avengers team, the MCU simply doesn’t get any bigger than this! Thor: Ragnarok is in cinemas on October 26, with Black Panther to follow on 15 February 2018, and Avengers: Infinity War due 25 April 2018.

MARVEL Black Panther and Thor: Ragnarok panels headlined the super studio’s presentation this year.

S aturday night is the main event new footage and trailers, hint at what’s in store for the next phase of their expansion, and assemble a star- studded line-up of special guests. Hall H is the place to be! The Thor: Ragnarok panel included Chris for Comic-Con attendees; it’s the moment that Marvel Studios reveal

the most vibrant looking Thor film to date, and also the most comedic; did we really expect anything else with Taika Waititi in control? When asked about the challenge in crossing over from indie comedies to a big tentpole

blockbuster, the amiable Kiwi simply shrugged it off as business as usual. “At the end of the day, whatever is inside the rectangle is all that matters,” he said. “It may be 500 more people on the crew, but as long as the actors learn their lines and are convincing saying them, that’s all that matters. And most of these people did not learn their lines.” Black Panther looks to be shaping up

Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum and director Taika Waititi, and the crowd was treated to a new trailer that gave them a first look at Sakaar, a world surrounded by cosmic gateways. This is where the Hulk’s been hanging out for the last two years, and “he'll be damned if he’s gonna go back to Banner,” said Mark Ruffalo. The green one can also say more than “Hulk smash” this time around, although “don’t expect Shakespeare,” he added. Of the newcomers to the MCU, Jeff Goldblum

Black Panther

as another unique entry in the MCU, with its distinct African tribal

There’s no way in hell we’re not going to show you some footage...

culture and high tech. Moreover, director Ryan Coogler ( Creed, Fruitvale Station )

is another interesting choice to bring the world of T’Challa and Wakanda to the screen. “Bringing this comic wanted to find a comic book with a hero that looked like me,” he said. A new trailer and an extended clip were exclusive to the presentation (so don’t go book to life means everything to me. I

revealed his character, the Grandmaster, is brother to The Collector, while Cate Blanchett noted, “Marvel is a universe I’ve been happily dragged into because of my kids.” Then of course there is Loki. Last seen impersonating Odin in Thor: The Dark World , Tom Hiddleston wasn’t about to say where the trickster’s allegiance lies in Ragnaro k, but did offer that he’s since “directed his energy into narcissistic self-glorification and not governance.” That sounds about right. As for the God of Thunder, Hemsworth not only got a new haircut, but also “wanted to push Thor into something unique for the Marvel Universe – he gets his arse kicked in this one!” The new trailer suggests that this will be

looking online) and received a standing ovation. The latter featured a casino brawl and Andy Serkis’s Ulysses Klaue – last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron – sporting

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