STACK #142 Aug 2016

DVD & BD REVIEWS

visit stack.net.au

Punk is dead. GREEN ROOM

He's not like us. MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

Release Date: 17/08/16

Release Date: 24/08/16

Format:

Format:

When Patrick Stewart is playing the villain, and had to put the script down whilst reading due to its nasty content, you know you need to see this. A punk band called The Ain't Rights discover something ain't quite right when they take an impromptu gig at a seedy Oregon dive. A neo-Nazi crowd and the discovery of a corpse soon thereafter leads to a terrifying game of cat and mouse between the band and the venue's ruthless owner (Stewart) and his goons. Writer-director Jeremy Saulnier follows his acclaimed 2013 indie film Blue

Alton Meyer (Jaeden Lieberher) is a special boy. Due to his powerful, otherworldly abilities he’s worshipped by a bizarre cult, while the US government has also become well aware of just what he’s capable of. Tempering these strengths, however, are several specific weaknesses. He has a severe aversion to sunlight, and likes to isolate himself by donning headphones. With the cultists and the NSA both on their tails, Alton’s father Roy (Michael Shannon) and his friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) cat and mouse it across

Ruin with this nail-biting and brutal horrror-thriller, which is liberally peppered with black humour and graphic violence. It's also one of the last screen appearances of late star Anton Yelchin, who plays the bassist with a taste for retribution. Highly recommended. SH

the USA in order to get Alton to a specific location for a date with destiny. There’s more than a little Spielberg going on here, as Close Encounters collides with E.T. and anything from J.J. Abrams that doesn’t begin with ‘Star’. It makes for a powerful sci-fi (road) trip. AF

BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE

A BIGGER SPLASH

HARDCORE HENRY

BASTILLE DAY

DVD&BD

Release Date: 03/08/16 Format:

Release Date: 04/08/16 Format:

Release Date: 03/08/16 Format:

Release Date: 18/08/16 Format:

Of all Batman’s nemeses, The Joker ranks as numero uno. In the animated world, Mark Hamill (yes, Luke Skywalker) has been The Joker voice of choice, and he’s at his manic best in this take on one of the most highly-rated Batman graphic novels. Adhering closely to the source in both story and look, The Killing Joke sees Batman’s arch enemy kidnapping Commissioner Gordon, aiming to prove that it just takes one really crappy day to induce madness. Batman’s on the case, of course, but there’s a bigger picture, whereby The Joker challenges Batman’s very view of what he is and does. This is gripping and violent stuff, whether you’ve experienced the comic or not. AF

World famous rock star Marianne Lane (an almost entirely silent Tilda Swinton) and her filmmaker beau Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) are chilling out on the stunning remote Italian island of Pantelleria, as she recovers from throat surgery. Their peace is shattered, however, by the arrival of Marianne’s ex, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), and his teenaged daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). Little does anybody initially realise just how much drama their arrival will create. An intriguing, pervy, seductive psychodrama, Luca ( I Am Love ) Guadagnino’s film is based somewhat on 1969’s La Piscine, and is almost certain to have you contemplating the Mediterranean for your next overseas jaunt. AF

Video games played from the first-person perspective have been commonplace for decades now. But movies? Not so much. Hardcore Henry takes this bold step, inspired by two YouTube sensation music videos that director Ilya Naishuller made for his band, Biting Elbows. Our titular protagonist wakes in a water tank inside a blimp, greeted by his wife, Estelle. So begins an almost non-stop action revenge spectacular featuring more than one Sharlto Copley (yep, the guy from District 9 ) and an outbreak of Tim Roth. It reminds us somewhat of the delightfully manic Crank , but with less Statham but more ham – wonderfully, frenetically so. AF

Idris Elba auditions for the 007 role in this action-meets-conspiracy- thriller blast that’s set on – and above – the streets of Paris. Completed before certain horrific real life events in The City of Light, it’s the tale of a rogue CIA surveillance guy (Elba) who teams with a pickpocket ( GoT 's Richard Madden) who has inadvertently set off a bomb. Naturally, suspicions turn to terrorism in the lead up to the titular national holiday, but could more nefarious forces be trying to destabilise the city? The action’s cranked to 11 here, taking cues from greats like Die Hard in that the bangs keep on happening, even if the story doesn’t always make complete sense. Meh – plot, schmot! AF

AUGUST 2016

52

jbhifi.com.au