STACK NZ Mar #60

THEATRICAL

REVIEWS

visit www.stack.net.nz

SEVENTH SON

'71

The only remaining knight of a mystical order recruits a new apprentice to try and defeat a powerful Witch Queen before the world is plunged into darkness and war. Much like Michael Caine’s Jaws: The Revenge period, it seems that Oscar winner Jeff Bridges needs that extension on the house more than being choosey on roles. Channeling Rooster Cogburn, and, at times, ‘The Dude’, his presence in this rather light-on-story, SFX fantasy, elevates the temperament to that of fun and unpredictability amongst the flat ‘good versus evil’, big monsters… yadda, yadda. The f-bomb comes quite unexpectedly, let me tell you. Julianne Moore is equally effective, if not a little wooden, in her evil queen garb, and Ben Barnes (Narnia et al) is safely attractive without being too sexy for the kiddies. The visual effects are at times astounding and moody, when it’s not just another great big monster smashing through a forest. Peter Jackson really has ruined mystical fantasy for the next 20 years, eh? Chris Murray RELEASED: March 5 DIRECTOR: Sergei Bodrov CAST: Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, Ben Barnes RATING: TBC

RELEASED: March 26 DIRECTOR: Yann Demange CAST: Jack O’Connell, Sam Reid, Sean Harris RATING: TBC

A young British soldier finds himself stranded in a hostile Belfast; disorientated, unarmed and fearing for his life, can he survive the long violent night ahead? Jack O’Connell of Skins fame is perfect as the morally conflicted soldier, Gary Hook, thrust into the hatred and confusion of Northern Ireland and lost behind enemy lines. A film that doesn’t wait for you, ’71 is a raw and violent affair brimming with cinematic panache that belies the fact it’s a feature debut for TV director Yann Demange. An exercise in tension, deceit and the futility of political war; we are exposed to the ambiguity of loyalties as our hero stumbles and bleeds his way through the cold Irish night, relentlessly pursued by those who want him dead, and helped by random acts of kindness – but who can he really trust? Equal parts action akin to a Bourne, and a cold- blooded-cheek-on-wet-cement reality UK filmmakers do so well, ’71 will have you gasping for air with its relentless and visceral engagement. CM

THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

jupiter ascending

PROJECT ALMANAC

Providing a synopsis for Jupiter Ascending is as challenging as accepting Channing Tatum as an elf-eared, canine/human hybrid who skates through the air on arcs of light following the removal of his wings. Mila Kunis succinctly sums up the proceedings by demanding, “I need to know what the hell is going on here!” And she’s not the only one. Those world-building Wachowskis have conjured another complex and impenetrable universe that only makes sense to them, and the barrage of disparate CGI set pieces and exposition suggests even they may not know where this story is headed. So is Jupiter Ascending the next Fifth Element or the new John Carter ? Fortunately it’s the former – the Wachowskis’ wild, unrestrained vision shares the same gleeful lunacy, high camp and eye-candy visuals as Luc Besson’s film, and should be viewed with that in mind – just enjoy the ride. Scott Hocking RELEASED: Out Now DIRECTOR: T The Wachowskis CAST: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne RATING: M

RELEASED: Out Now DIRECTOR: John Madden CAST: Maggie Smith, Richard Gere, Bill Nighy RATING: TBC

Hot Teen Time Machine best describes this Michael Bay-produced found-footage film in which physics student David (Jonny Weston) discovers his dad's blueprint for a time machine in the basement. Building the contraption out of a cannibalised gaming console, car batteries, a hydrogen power source and a smartphone to dial up time and date, David and his mates embark on an excellent adventure which is, well, not all that excellent. These teens have a time machine at their disposal, the possibilities are endless, so what do they do? They go to the Lollapalooza music festival, get better grades, and David gets the girl (Sofia Black-D'Elia). But they do win the lottery, so the potential isn't totally squandered. The same can't be said about the movie, which eventually turns into The Butterfly Effect , with David learning the hard way that the more you try and change things back to the way they were, the more screwed up they become. SH RELEASED: Out Now DIRECTOR: Dean Israelite CAST: Jonny Weston, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Sam Lerner RATING: M

The aging crew is back to help our over-enthusiastic proprietor of India’s favourite ‘grey retreat’ open another hotel in partnership with a US consortium. But can he survive the undercover inspector, and indeed an impending marriage? The Fawlty Towers meets Cocoon charm is not lost in this second installment of a franchise in disguise (hey, they’re still all alive!). Jokes aside, while the plot is a thinly veiled sheet to reveal more life lessons audiences of all ages can absorb, it’s the overwhelming maturity and wildly progressive undertones in the banter and interaction between all these veterans that endures. Nighy’s still madly in love with Judy Dench, Smith is still dropping pessimistic pearls of solid gold that cut deepest in hindsight, and new addition Gere, as the potential undercover inspector, adds the cold reality of ‘everyone gets old – but not bored’ into the mix to great effect. You could do far worse, and for the older audiences, it’s smart and harmless with a few new tricks any dog can do with picking-up. CM

MARCH 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

34