STACK Aug #154

DVD&BD REVIEWS

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You're never too old to get even. GOING IN STYLE

All guns. No control. FREE FIRE

Format:

Release Date: 02/08/17

Format:

Release Date: 30/08/17

Three pensioners conspire to rob a bank. That's the nutshell synopsis of Zach Braff's loose remake of the 1979 film of the same name, which starred George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg. This time it's Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin and Michael Caine planning the heist, after being shafted by the system and corporate greed. Unlike the original (Burns and co. did it for a lark), there's a motive for the madness this time and the screenplay by Theodore Melfi ( Hidden Figures ) is always mindul of making these old timers

A stand-off between criminals following a dodgy deal invariably ends in guns being drawn and few left standing. It also usually lasts a matter of minutes. But in Free Fire , British writer-director Ben Wheatley ( Kill List, Sightseers ) sustains the firefight for two thirds of the running time, and the result is a wonderfully absurd siege movie that ricochets with snappy dialogue, misfit characters, and masterful sound design. Wheatley has lined up a quality cast for target practice – including Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Sam

appear hard done by, and not the criminals they obviously are – it's more crowd-pleasing that way. Needless to say, this caper comedy for the grey market is at its best when its veteran trio of Caine, Freeman and Arkin are bouncing off each other like a pinball. AC

Riley and Sharlto Copley – and pays tribute to John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 and other '70s crime classics. Free Fire might be light on plot – the shootout is the plot – but hits the bullseye as technically savvy and blackly comic take on the genre. SH

THE BELKO EXPERIMENT

THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE

BLACK BUTTERFLY

McLAREN

Release Date: 16/08/17 Format:

Release Date: 02/08/17 Format:

Release Date: 02/08/17 Format:

Release Date: 16/08/17 Format:

The employees of the Colombian Belko Corp. are about to have a really bad day at the office, and the overtime is killer – literally. When their remote Bogotá high- rise is suddenly sealed up, the 80 workers inside are informed that 30 of them will die during the next eight hours. That number will double should they refuse to participate in a Battle Royale -like bloodbath. Let the game begin... Guardians of the Galaxy 's James Gunn returns to his horror roots, scripting this brutal and blackly comic corporate take on the Stanford Prison Experiment, with Wolf Creek 's Greg McLean in the director's chair. What further recommendation do horror fans need? SH

Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) and Antonina Zabinski (Jessica Chastain) are running the Warsaw zoo when the Nazis invade Poland in 1939. Following the bombing of the zoo and the escape of the surviving animals into the ruined city, they join the Resistance, sheltering Jewish refugees in the underground pens and cages. Will their covert operation be discovered by their former ally – German zoologist turned SS officer Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl)? Based on Diane Ackerman's best-selling true account, this Holocaust drama is anchored by another impressive performance from Jessica Chastain, even if she does struggle at times with a Polish accent. AC

Struggling with writer's block in his mountain retreat, Antonio Banderas gets some creative input from drifter Jonathan Rhys- Meyers, an ex-con who saves him from a potentially bruising encounter with a trucker. Inviting the stranger to stay and collaborate on a screenplay quickly turns into a Misery -like game of cat and mouse – and then there's the matter of a series of abductions and murders in the vicinity. Adapted from the French TV thriller Papillon Noir , this suspenseful two-hander has more twists and turns than the road up to Banderas's cabin, and over the top performances to match the escalating tension. AC

New Zealand motorsport legend Bruce McLaren is the subject of this documentary feature from director Roger Donaldson. Mentored by the great Jack Brabham, McLaren won his first Grand Prix in 1959, aged 22, and went on to conquer Formula One, Le Mans and Can-Am before his tragic death in 1970. His prowess in engineering matched his skills behind the wheel, ensuring his legacy in both racing and automotive design. You don’t need to be a petrolhead to appreciate McLaren’s amazing achievements – this doco is both a portrait of a champion who lived fast and died young, and the inspiring story of a man who dared to dream big. SH

048

AUGUST 2017

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21/7/17 2:02 pm