STACK #138 Apr 2016

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON The easiest way to keep a movie series going is to keep it in the family.

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD Jack McClane (Jai Courtney)

DVD & BD Filmmaker Ryan Coogler was determined to continue the Rocky legacy in CREED, but not without Sylvester Stallone's blessing. He got it, and a whole lot more... C reed is both a spiritual sequel to the Rocky franchise and a spin-off. It’s also the first film in the series that wasn’t written by Sylvester Stallone, nor does it feature his a smart dude; he’s an emotional dude. He’s a thinker, you know what I’m saying? He was thinking about every different way this could work, and every different way it could fail.” The fact that this would be an idea, I’d be the first person he’d call. It was a great collaboration. “Creatively, we were walking THE ROCKY ROAD

proves he’s a chip off the old block when he teams up with dad John (Bruce Willis) to foil a terrorist plot in Russia. Yippee-kiy-ay! TRON:

LEGACY Sam Flynn (Garret Hedlund)

enters the software program developed by his old man (Jeff Bridges) to battle virtual villains and ride light cycles. THE FLY II Martin Brundle (Eric Stoltz) attempts to reverse his mutation before he turns into an insect like father Seth (Jeff Goldblum) – and fails. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

on razor blades with this movie,” he adds. “How do we capture the essence of Rocky but give people something new, something they haven’t seen before? How do we show this character, who is part of American culture, in a different light?” Coogler is the first to admit that continuing the Rocky legacy comes with great responsibility. “It’s interesting because the first movie I did, I was dealing with a real person’s life. It was almost the complete inverse of this. With Oscar Grant [the tragic central character of Fruitvale Station ], people knew who he was in the Bay Area, though not necessarily in other places. But he was a real person. I had to take his life and portray it as honestly and as accurately as I could. There’s a lot of weight there. With Rocky, he’s a fictional character, but everybody in the world knows him. And you don’t want to be the guy who messes it up. “I think it’s in safe hands. I’ve been a Rocky fan since as long as I can remember. I know those

an atypical Rocky movie, with Adonis Johnson as the main character and Rocky Balboa in a mentoring role similar to Burgess Meredith’s Mickey in the original,

iconic boxer in the lead role. Instead, writer-director Ryan

Coogler focuses on the son of the late Apollo Creed, Adonis Johnson, with an underdog story that remains true to the winning formula. Coogler was still in the pre- production stages on his debut feature, Fruitvale Station, when he first approached Sylvester Stallone’s agent to pitch the idea for a new Rocky movie. The rookie filmmaker was promptly informed that Stallone wouldn’t be interested, having achieved closure for the franchise with Rocky Balboa in 2006. But in July of 2012, Coogler had the opportunity to discuss his vision with Stallone himself, whom he describes as being apprehensive at first. “I hadn’t made a feature film yet, so he was probably thinking, ‘who is this kid coming in talking about making a Rocky movie’ – something that’s so precious to him? I told him; honestly, I wouldn’t blame him if he thought I was crazy. I knew when I was pitching it to him that it was a wild idea. But Sly’s

How do we capture the essence of Rocky,

Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) is revealed to be the son of the legendary archaeologist

but give people something new?

adventurer (Harrison Ford), albeit with none of the charm or jungle smarts of his dad. BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON Trent (Brandon T. Jackson) dons the fat suit to join stepdad Malcolm (Martin

was what resonated with Stallone, whose blessing and input proved invaluable. “He had so many thoughts and ideas. He knows Rocky Balboa better than anybody,” Coogler says. “He also knows more than anybody about boxing – about the sport itself and about how to make a movie about it. I’d be writing scenes and ask him, ‘What would Rocky do here?’ He’d think about it for a second and he’d tell me. If I had ideas, he’d be the first person I’d call. If he had

Lawrence) on an undercover assignment in an all-girls school. Double hilarity ensues.

movies like the back of my hand. I hope we captured that spirit.”

• Creed is out April 6

APRIL 2016

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