STACK #159 Jan 2018

CINEMA REVIEWS

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RELEASED: Dec 26 DIRECTORS: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina CAST: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt RATING: PG Coco follows young Miguel (voiced by newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) as he struggles to work out how he fits into his family. His great-great-grandmother married a gifted musician, who then abandoned his family and was never heard from again. From that moment on, Mama Imelda (Alanna Ubach) put a ban on music in the family, which has been adhered to through the generations. Instead, they all work together to make shoes. Miguel, inspired by videos and performances he has seen of the late great musician Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), yearns for nothing more than to become an admired musician. He breaks into the cemetery to steal de la Cruz's guitar to perform at the local talent show on Dia De Los Muertos – the Day of the Dead – and is mystically swept into the Land of the Dead. There he meets the spirits of his long departed family, and must earn their trust – and their blessing – to return to the living world. But should he also seize the opportunity to meet his music idol while he can? Coco is one of the most beautifully animated films in recent memory, even by Pixar's lofty standards. Both Miguel's world of the living and the Land of the Dead are vibrant, colourful landscapes full of depth and life. Boasting a wonderful Mexican flavour, a stirring score, and an emphasis on family and culture, Coco is a must-see this holiday season – and also a genuine tear-jerker. Alesha Kolbe COCO JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE RELEASED: Dec 26 DIRECTOR: Jake Kasdan CAST: Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Jack Black RATING: PG Imagine if The Breakfast Club and Freaky Friday were crossed with the video game Uncharted , then given the odd daub of Jumanji here and there. The Robin Williams-infused 1995 take on the 1981 picture book Jumanji was an impossible act to follow, so the makers here wisely went the “loosely based” route. Even board games have to keep with the times, it seems, as the Jumanji set that we all know and fear morphs itself into a video game cartridge. We see it absorb one kid into its world then, several years later, it’s off to high school, where a jock, a nerd boy, a geek girl and a princess all score detention – sans Simple Minds. This disparate bunch is tasked with cleaning out an old storeroom as their punishment. It’s here that they discover an old console, and some game called – yep, you guessed it. They select their avatars from the remaining four of five and enter the game – quite literally. It’s now role reversal time, as the jock becomes a weedy zoologist (Kevin Hart), the nerd boy becomes a hulking hunk (Dwayne Johnson), the geek girl essentially becomes Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft (Karen Gillan), and the princess is now curvy genius Professor Shelly Oberon, who bears a striking resemblance to... Jack Black! It’s a great setup for a wonderfully big, dumb, funny and likeable action assault on video game tropes, with the original Jumanji rules taking on a whole new reality. Amy Flower

RELEASED: Jan 1 DIRECTOR: Trish Sie CAST: Anna Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld, Rebel Wilson RATING: M

PITCH PERFECT 3

Last Pitch effort.

T he Pitches are back for one last hurrah in  Pitch Perfect 3 , the (supposedly) final entry in the series. Beca (Anna Kendrick) and the other Bellas have now graduated college and are trying to find their feet in the real world. Beca is working as a music producer, throwing out recycled hip-hop beats and pandering to her clients. Chloe (Brittany Snow) is trying her hand at veterinary school. And Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) is producing a one-woman Broadway show on street corners called 'Fat Amy Winehouse.' They're all doing, ah, well. Separated for three years, the girls jump at a chance for a reunion party held by Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) and her gang of new Bellas, and Aubrey is able to give them one last chance to perform. Her dad can get the Bellas a spot performing on the USO tour at army bases around the world. The winner of the tour will get

Pitch Perfect 3 is a different entry in the PP universe, which is apparent right from its Mission: Impossible/James Bond- style intro. This one is more an action flick than anything, and definitely would have benefitted from the witty repartee the Treblemakers are able to provide. Sadly the boys are missing from this flick, but the remaining women can more than hold up their end of the vocal range. Thankfully though, the songs are just as great this time 'round, and this entry's riff-off takes it to a whole new level. And the welcome inclusion of roving a capella podcasters 'Let's Talk-apella" Gail and John (Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins) adds to the laugh quotient. Unfortunately, potentially intriguing characters in the rival bands are sidelined for most of the plot, and the scenes where they do appear are often overwhelmed by the Bellas'

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

to open for DJ Khaled in a televised live performance, and the competition is no pushover, either. Between a rap duo, a country band, and the girl power extraordinaire Evermoist (lead by lead singer Calamity – aka Ruby Rose), the Bellas have to put on their best show to take down the others. How will a capella compete with actual instruments?

singing. And then there's the addition of DJ Khaled,

whose effortlessly outlandish performance isn't exactly a stretch given his persona. Caveats aside, Pitch Perfect 3 is a satisfying conclusion to almost six years of a capella goodness. Make sure to stay during the credits for a cute behind-the-scenes reel from all three films. Aca-nostalgic. Alesha Kolbe

JANUARY 2018

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