STACK NZ Jun #74

REVIEWS DVD & BD

Love knows no boundaries ROOM

Big Apple STEVE JOBS

Release Date: 08/06/16

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Release Date: 01/06/16

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A young mother (Brie Larson) and her 5-year-old son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay), live a cloistered existence in a garden shed with a skylight providing their only glimpse of the outside world. 'Room' is the only world young Jack has ever known – his mother was abducted by a serial rapist and has been held captive in the shed ever since. But when the opportunity for escape finally presents itself, their bid for freedom inevitably comes with life-changing consequences. Room is a sensitive, suspenseful, and sometimes heartbreaking look at how such an experience impacts the lives of the victims after they re-enter

Danny Boyle's take on the late Apple CEO is certainly better than the Ashton Kutcher film, but it still tells us remarkably little about the man himself. Focusing on three key product launches – the Macintosh in 1984, the doomed NeXT cube in 1988, and the iMac in 1998 – what we do learn about Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) in the chaotic lead-up to the presentations is that he's an unpleasant guy who won't acknowledge his daughter (who he thinks isn't his child) or the crucial input of tech partner Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen). Steve Jobs does feature knockout performances from Fassbender and Kate Winslet (as

society. Oscar winner Larson is terrific as the mother whose love for her son sustains her through years of captivity and abuse. But she’s equally matched by Tremblay, who invests Jack with both wide-eyed wonder and a troubled countenance that hints at the psychological scars left by the ordeal. SH

Jobs's long suffering marketing exec), as well as some crackling dialogue from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, which echoes his script for The Social Network – another portrait of a dysfunctional tech genius who changed the world but failed to give credit where it's due. SH

DVD&BD

Where there's a Will... CONCUSSION

The Butler did it LONDON HAS FALLEN

Release Date: 15/06/16

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Release Date: 22/06/16

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Anybody who follows sports will have noticed that when a player gets concussed nowadays, it’s taken very seriously. This is partially due to logic, but also very much because of the work of gifted US forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu, who discovered severe brain damage in a retired footballer who was found dead at 50. This dramatised biography sees Will Smith step into the shoes of Omalu, who determined that repeated blows to the bonce aren’t beneficial. He then bolstered his theory further by discovering three other deceased NFL players with similar symptoms. However,

Olympus Has Fallen was a guilty pleasure – a Die Hard -lite action flick with Gerard Butler as a former Secret Service man who singlehandedly takes down a North Korean terrorist cell that's invaded the White House. It was big, brash and brutal, and the stakes were high. Now Butler’s back, this time accompanying the President (Aaron Eckhart) on a trip to the British capital to attend the funeral of the recently deceased PM, along with every other world leader. Security is on high alert, so what could possibly go wrong? Everything! A cleverly conceived plot by a terrorist

nobody was prepared to listen, in particular the most important player – the NFL. But while many tried to discredit the good doctor, he had some important people on his side. Playing the facts ball rather than ratcheting drama beyond belief, this one’s for you, sports fans. AF

mastermind unleashes mayhem on the city, leaving Butler and the Prez on the run from an enemy who could be anyone, from the Palace Guard to Scotland Yard’s finest. Which doesn’t say much for British security and MI6. Big. Loud. Dumb. Fun. SH

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