STACK #159 Jan 2018

CINEMA

REVIEWS

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

ALSO SCREENING IN JANUARY

RELEASED: Dec 26 DIRECTOR: Luca Guadagnino CAST: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg RATING: M

Love is love.

Luca Guadagnino's previous film, A Bigger Splash , was a sensuous drama set against the backdrop of a Sicilian island. Call Me by Your Name returns to the beauty of the sun-kissed Mediterranean for a seductive tale of summer love and sexual awakening that will make an even bigger splash in critics' annual top ten lists and at the Oscars this year. Elio (Timothée Chalamet) has his bookish world irrevocably changed by handsome and carefree American student Oliver (Armie Hammer), who has arrived in Northern Italy to assist Elio's archaeologist father (Michael

Stuhlbarg) in his research for six weeks. Oliver quickly becomes an object of desire for Elio, as well as the local girls, and as casual contact, furtive glances and raging hormones edge the pair closer to the inevitable, Guadagnino expertly evokes the emotions that arise from a powerful crush and the subsequent elation at discovering the feeling is mutual. Hammer and Chalamet deliver incredibly natural and nuanced performances; their onscreen chemistry is palpable and as authentic as the exotic setting, with its bountiful fruit trees and lazy summer ambience. And speaking of fruit, you may think twice about biting into a ripe peach after one particular scene, which is destined to become a talking point. It would be too easy to describe Call Me by Your Name as this year's Brokeback Mountain ; the bond and emotional intensity that develops between Elio and Oliver transcends the category of queer cinema. A beautifully written closing exchange of dialogue succinctly sums up the universal themes at the heart of this magnetic and remarkably affecting film. Scott Hocking Writer-director Martin McDonagh won fans with the irreverent crime capers In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths , thanks to his keen eye for casting and ear for crackling dialogue. Three Billboards is McDonagh's finest film to date; a sombre and morally complex dramedy with beats of black humour that hit at exactly the right moments. It's also impeccably cast, right down to supporting roles for Peter Dinklage, John Hawkes, and redhead Caleb Landry Jones. McDormand's robust Mildred (a role written specifically for her) is the heartbeat of the film. She's a feisty, foul mouthed force of nature in a boiler suit, whose grief has solidified into a diamond-hard determination to see justice done. She's also capable of compassion at the most unlikely moment, and it's this unpredictability that drives both the characters and the narrative – it's impossible to anticipate where this pressure cooker tale is headed. It's like waiting for a stick of dynamite to explode! What is easier to predict is the film's chances at the Oscars this year. Nominations for Original Screenplay, Best Actress and Supporting Actor (Rockwell) are virtually a given – and don't rule out a nod for Best Picture as well. Scott Hocking

THE POST

Steven Spielberg's latest revolves around a partnership between The Washington Post ’s Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks). They’re playing catch-up with rival newspaper The New York Times to expose a massive government cover-up that has spanned several decades. The truth is out there on Jan 11.

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI

A mute government lab worker (Sally Hawkins) befriends a classified experiment – in the shape of a lonely aquatic creature – in this otherworldly fairytale from the great Guillermo del Toro ( Pan's Labyrinth ). Splashing down on Jan 18 . THE SHAPE OF WATER

RELEASED: Jan 1 DIRECTOR: Martin McDonagh CAST: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell RATING: MA15+

Message sent.

If you want to get your message across, stick it on a billboard – or three. That's exactly what grieving mother Mildred (Frances McDormand in Fargo form) does to get the attention of a complacent local police force, who have failed to uncover any suspects in her daughter's brutal murder six months ago. Her bold move works, raising the ire of Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) and racist redneck Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), but it also sets in motion a chain of events that will disrupt the entire town, and set Mildred on a collision course with some unsavoury types.

Gerard Butler leads an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Department against a gang intent on robbing the Federal Reserve Bank in this urban action thriller. The heist begins on Jan 25. DEN OF THIEVES

The third film in the highly-successful young adult franchise follows Dylan O’Brien and friends as they break into the WCKD-controlled Last City. Find out who makes it out alive on Jan 18 . MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE

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