STACK NZ Mar #60

NEWS

EXTRAS

LOVING THE ALIEN

In his first film, David Bowie is perfectly cast as an alien from a drought-ridden planet who travels to Earth in search of water. Using his advanced technological know-how, he quickly becomes a billionaire but struggles to comprehend human nature. Made in 1976, The Man Who Fell to Earth was directed by visionary British director Nic Roeg, who also gave Mick Jagger his first big screen break in the cult favourite Performance (1970). The film is available exclusively on Blu-ray from JB Hi-Fi on March 4, along with two David Bowie classic The Man Who Fell to Earth debuts on Blu-ray – exclusively at JB Hi-Fi.

They were one of the four featured acts on Flying Nun’s seminal 1982 Dunedin Double EP – reissued on vinyl last year – but unlike The Chills, Sneaky Feelings and The Verlaines, the cheekily named Stones didn’t last long and split the following year. Frontman Wayne Elsey went on to form the Double Happys with Shayne Carter, but died tragically in a train accident in 1985. However, the riotous sounds of the iconic Dunedin three-piece – Elsey (guitar/vocals), Jeff Batts (bass/vocals) and Graeme Anderson (drums) – are celebrated in a new compilation from Flying Nun, Three Blind Mice , which brings together The Stones’ tracks from the Dunedin Double and their 1983 EP Another Disc, Another Dollar , along with nine previously unreleased live tracks. With liner notes from Carter and artwork from Alec Bathgate and Chris Knox, this essential Kiwi reissue is out on March 6. MORE MISSING The gripping British crime drama The Missing – due out next month on DVD – is set to return at the end of the year, with a second series getting the greenlight from the BBC. However, at this stage, it doesn’t look as if the show’s original stars James Nesbitt and Frances O’Connor will be on board, with the Beeb saying it will feature a new cast, characters and locations. In the first series of The Missing , Nesbitt and O’Connor play distraught parents whose life falls apart when their young son disappears during an enforced stopover at a sleepy French village. Meanwhile, for more on the latest UK TV DVD releases, check out our new ‘Best of British’ section on page 40. STONES ROLL

other cult ‘70s films: Dustin Hoffman’s satirical western Little Big Man (1970) and Walter Hill’s masterful crime thriller The Driver (1978), which was a big

influence on Ryan Gosling’s acclaimed thriller Drive (2011). The new High-Def range is rounded off by Black Snake Moan , a sweltering Deep South melodrama starring Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci and Justin Timberlake.

halo 5 described as ‘jaw-dropping’

If you own an Xbox One, chances are there is one game in particular you can’t wait to play this year: Halo 5: Guardians , a sequel to 2012’s Halo 4 , developed by 343 Industries and due at the end of 2015. In a recent The Inner Circle podcast, Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft’s Global Director of Games Marketing, described the game as a ‘marketer’s dream’. “The game is just super-innovative,” he said. “I think this is a title that 343 has dreamed of making, and they’re innovating in ways that our jaws are dropping. It’s such a deep story.” The game will feature two protagonists, including fan-favourite Master Chief.

Meanwhile, JB Hi-Fi has lined up a cool exclusive edition of the latest Halo live-action TV spin-off Nightfall , which lands on March 12. Both the DVD and Blu-ray sets include five collectors cards.

It’s not quite over yet but Peter Jackson’s epic Tolkien odyssey is nearing its end. March 24 sees the release of the final film in The Hobbit trilogy, The Battle of the Five Armies ; we will have more about the film in the April issue of STACK, but it’s reviewed on page 36.

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