STACK #151 May 2017

HIGHLIGHTS HIGH-DEF

BLU-RAY BEST-SELLERS for APRIL 2017

A BD WORTHY OF ALL THE SONG AND DANCE

D amien Chazelle's ebullient ode to the glitz, glamour and romance of old Hollywood musicals is set to dazzle in High Definition. The Academy Award-winning cinematography and production design is showcased in the super- widescreen CinemaScope ratio of 2.55:1, while Justin Hurwitz's original score and songs come through loud and clear via Dolby Atmos audio. The 1080p transfer really pops, as befitting the film's Technicolor aesthetic, with the freeway and planetarium sequences a standout. The Blu-ray edition is loaded with extras, too, including multiple behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary with

Damien Chazelle and Justin Hurwitz, and a handy Song Selection option that let's you quickly access your favourites. JB Hi-Fi's

1 Rogue One 2 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3 Moana 4 Assassin's Creed 5 Passengers 6 Hacksaw Ridge 7 Planet Earth II 8 Doctor Strange 9 Vikings: Season 4, Part 2 10 Sing

Exclusive 2-Disc Set features Alternative Artwork plus a Bonus Disc with two additional featurettes: Open Spotlight – Airbnb Q&A , and the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX Q&A with Damien Chazelle . If you really want to please mum this Mother's Day, a copy of La La Land on Blu-ray is the way to go.

M ore and more cult movies are making their way on to Blu-ray these days, targeting diehard film buffs and a collectors' market that appreciates a quality HD presentation (and for whom 'streaming' is a dirty word). It's a practice that should continue.

wildfire and turns the residents of Starliner Towers into sex-crazed zombies. Featuring the trademark transformations and medical horrors that would become a staple of Cronenberg's work, Shivers not only pre-empts the 'rage virus' movie cycle that would become popular

the bigger Hammer Studio), these four stories are

linked by Burgess Meredith's Dr. Diabolo, who entices five carnival-goers with a glimpse into their futures. Also starring Peter Cushing and Jack Palance, Torture Garden is an ideal companion to other Amicus anthologies like Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Horror . Out May 3. Local cult connoisseur and documentarian Mark Hartley followed his Ozploitation opus Not Quite Hollywood with a demented descent into Filipino genre filmmaking in Machete Maidens Unleashed (2010), and the 'Wild Untold Story of Cannon Films' (who gave us the likes of Masters of the Universe , Lifeforce and Ninja III: The Domination ) in Electric Boogaloo . Both films have been lovingly remastered in HD and

4K BEST-SELLERS for APRIL 2017

There's nothing better than seeing an obscure '70s favourite from the drive-in and VHS era spruced up with a new HD transfer that makes it look better than you ever remember – and in some cases better than the film actually deserves.

in later decades, it also features torso- bursting creatures four years prior to Alien . Previously released on Blu- ray as part of the David Cronenberg Collection (alongside Rabid and The Dead Zone ), this standalone edition

The most significant release this month is undoubtedly David Cronenberg's disturbing debut feature, Shivers (1975), which ranks amongst his most outrageous and interesting films. Set in a Canadian high-rise apartment block, the film chronicles the grisly consequences of a scientist's attempt to create a benign parasite that can replace human organs and thus eliminate the need for transplants. The end result, however, is a combination

of Shivers (out on May 3) is a great introduction to cinema's prime exponent of 'body horror' and an essential addition to cult film collections. Extras include a making-of featurette, an interview with Cronenberg, and the original theatrical trailer. The 1967 horror anthology Torture Garden is a film we never thought would receive a domestic DVD release, let alone the High-Def treatment! Directed by Freddie Francis for Britain's Amicus Films (a cousin of sorts to

1 Planet Earth II 2 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find 3 Assassin's Creed 4 Passengers 5 John Wick 6 Underworld: Blood Wars 7 Fast & Furious 7 8 Sing 9 Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows, Part 2 10 Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows, Part 1

paired for the ultimate doco double feature – out now.

of aphrodisiac and venereal disease which spreads like

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