STACK #141 Jul 2016

CINEMA REVIEWS

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THE CONJURING 2

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: James Wan CAST: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Madison Wolfe RATING: MA15+ The sequel to James Wan’s 2013 supernatural shocker, which somehow managed to become one of the most commercially successful horror movies of all time, reunites us with paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Wilson and Farmiga) for another “true” tale from their files – the much documented case of the Enfield Poltergeist, which made headlines in London in 1977. Single mum Peggy Hodgson (Francis O’Connor) and her four children live in a rundown council house in North London that’s seemingly inhabited by the ghost of a former resident. When neighbours and police officers witness the poltergeist activity that’s targeting 11-year-old Janet (Madison Wolfe), it becomes front page news. Stateside, Lorraine Warren is also being haunted, by a demonic nun (that looks like Marilyn Manson) and premonitions of her husband's death. Before long, the ghostbusting duo receive the call to look into “England’s own Amityville”. There’s nothing in The Conjuring 2 that we haven’t seen before in Insidious and The Exorcist ; it’s a horror movie made for people who’ve never seen a horror movie. Today's audiences demand calculated jump scares and a CGI boogeyman, and that’s what Wan gives them. Show them Robert Wise's b/w classic The Haunting and they'll yawn; old school horror fans will have the same reaction to The Conjuring 2 . Scott Hocking FINDING DORY RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane CAST: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Idris Elba RATING: G Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), the scatterbrained blue tang fish that helped Marlin (Albert Brooks) relocate his son in Finding Nemo , begins to have memories of her childhood and specifically, how she came to be separated from her parents. Together with Marlin and Nemo (Hayden Rolence), Dory sets off across the ocean to retrace and piece together her fragmented memories in order to find her long lost home. Success may be Pixar’s greatest hurdle. The past achievements of the enormously influential animation studio precede every new release, setting the bar to such a daunting high point that a film must be no less than great to reach it. Moreover, Pixar’s previous disinterest in franchising their films has waned, particularly since Disney bought out the studio in 2006. We have Toy Story 3 , Cars 2 , Monsters University and now, Finding Dory . Both of these factors are crucial to understanding the success and failure of this belated sequel to the studio’s 13-year-old smash hit. Finding Dory is convincingly accomplished (like most Pixar animation releases), entertaining and occasionally inspired, but it never quite reaches the heights of the studio’s early triumphs, nor totally convinces us it’s a necessary continuation of the original story. John Roebuck

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Duncan Jones CAST: Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster RATING: M

WARCRAFT

M ovie adaptations of video games are always best approached with trepidation, thanks to a less than stellar track record. Turning Blizzard Entertainment’s massively popular MMORPG (as in massively multi-player online role-playing game) into a blockbuster film was always going to be challenging, given the game’s dense mythology and lore – remember how the Dungeons & Dragons movie turned out? Fortunately Warcraft has two things in its favour. It’s set in a recognisable fantasy realm to give non-gamers an entry point, and it has director Duncan Jones, who helmed two terrific indie sci-fi films: Moon and Source Code . Despite all the lore craft, the story is a simple tale of light versus darkness, as two tribes go to war. Using a dark magic called the Fel, warrior orcs enter the human realm of Azeroth through a portal, intent on claiming the world as a new home. Unless a peace can be struck with the rebellious orc chieftain Durotan (Toby Kebbel), who recognises the true destructive nature of the Fel, Azeroth will be overrun by the horde that's waiting on the other side of the gate. Warcraft is a triumph in production design and Jones brings a visual creativity to all the CGI-candy and elaborate sets, with vertiginous angles, aerial battle shots, and skimming the camera at ground level. But his screenplay, co-written with Charles Leavitt, only engages sporadically. The brutish orcs – who resemble a cross between the Hulk and a warthog – are exceptionally well realised through When two tribes go to war...

performance-capture, taking the process a level beyond Avatar and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes . The film is most interesting when they’re on the screen, and Jones obviously thinks so too, because he’s lavished an incredible amount of detail on their appearance and culture. Condensing the world of Warcraft into an accessible franchise opener is a tough gig, and Jones has done an accomplished job. But audiences are unlikely to find themselves invested in the story or characters, unlike the game, which role-players immerse themselves in for days on end without a break. At a brisk two hours, at least there’s no need for caffeine and a catheter here. Scott Hocking

CINEMA

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

FURTHER VIEWING: The Hobbit Trilogy

JULY 2016

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