STACK NZ Jul #64

REVIEWS

CINEMA

RATING KEY:

Wow!

Good

Not bad

Meh Woof!

MINIONS

INSIDE OUT

From the dawn of time, Minions have wished only to loyally serve tyranny… but they just keep accidently killing them. We love a simple idea! The highlight of Despicable Me finally get their own feature, but can you have too much of a good thing? Thankfully the childish humour, seemingly sucked from the souls of The Goon Show and Monty Python, takes on such a life of its own – the rocket-like pace all but makes up for a nearly two-hour film of a one-hour idea. Smart then to set the majority of the film (after a hysterical history lesson) in swinging 1968 London – complete with stereotypical tea-drinking, bad-toothed and altogether eccentric Poms on plain display (even The Queen cops a bit of ribbing). With not one stone left unturned and the fine line of danger and humour danced with immense confidence, Minions ’ true success is the little yellow critters themselves. Voiced brilliantly by director Coffin (in some pseudo African/French hybrid of nonsense), they are a non-stop bath of tear away innocence and silliness that’s so naughty and infectious, it can’t but make the most cynical person guffaw at least once. Overlong running time aside, this will no doubt become a home release sensation with little ditties here, and be paused and replayed for many, many years to come. Chris Murray RELEASED: July 2 DIRECTOR: Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin CAST: Sandra Bullock, Michael Keaton, Jon Hamm RATING: PG

Growing up is hard. Watching a film about it, however, is enjoyable. Inside Out takes you inside the mind of twelve-year-old Riley and her (quite literally) conflicting emotions; Joy (Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). Disney/Pixar are the only ones who could have made this work. Superficially, Inside Out is “emotions inside a girl’s head”, but it tugs at the heartstrings in the way the best animated features do, and you’ll be quickly relating to these cartoon emotions as real characters. The film also reinforces how crucial emotions are to everyday life. You let Joy take control, and most of your days are happy. Sadness can turn even your happiest of memories into ones you never want to relive. Fear will keep you safe from electrical cords, while Disgust makes sure you stay away from broccoli pizza. And of course, Anger helps you bring out your inner hot- head when things don’t quite go your way. Disney/Pixar titles are renowned for their unique ability to appeal to both younger and older audiences, and this one fits the bill perfectly. The young ones will love the cute animation, while adults will appreciate the very real emotional depth. And don’t arrive late – the opening short, Lava , is also worth the price of admission, with a song that will be stuck in your head for days after. Alesha Kolbe RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen CAST: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black RATING: G

MR. HOLMES

MAGIC MIKE XXL

Now retired and in fear of his once amazing and world-famous mind eroding away, Sherlock Holmes decides to pen a memoir reflecting truth rather than the embellished tales he’s famous for. Yet his housekeeper’s young son has other ideas. Dripping with visual grandeur and a quiet, rich and deep quality of pace we seldom see on a big screen, this is a must for fans of classic BBC fare. McKellen, born to play Holmes as we all know, floats like velvet on glass in this clever and engaging examination of aging, death, regret and old dogs learning new tricks, whilst sharing wisdom and prose we hunger for in the CGI world. As Holmes warms to the inquisitive young Roger (Parker), he also begins to challenge his own flickering memory of his last ‘case’ that broke his spirit, and indeed heart. From Japan to esoteric instruments and the ability to converse with dead memories, we’re led into a journey with unique sadness and intrigue. An equal metaphor for misunderstood evil versus innocence via his love of beekeeping (no, really) ensures you could do far worse than see this powerfully simple slice of filmmaking. You’ll leave the cinema reflecting with a smile, and perhaps even a tear, that the powers that be didn’t make enough ‘Holmes’ fixtures with McKellen up front. One can only hope they get a wriggle on and change this fact. Chris Murray RELEASED: July 23 DIRECTOR: Bill Condon CAST: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker RATING: CTC

Now running his own custom furniture business, the subdued Mike runs into his old stripping pals and spontaneously decides to don the thong and embark on one last road trip to a stripping convention. No, this is really the plot! Lacking any of the self-referential in-your-face parody or cutting social commentary evident in Verhoeven’s Showgirls , MMXXL’s script outline appears to have been written on a bar napkin, misplaced, and then re-written from memory some months later on a small Post-It: “Mike takes off pants, again.” While this may indeed be a scintillating prospect to behold for those so inclined, the fact it takes around 120 mins for this complex ideal to unfold is akin to realising Godot may have been taking the piss. Of course, as our hero hooks up with his fave melting pot of mid-life crisis male entertainers, it’s clear we’re on an existential journey into the secret world of men’s business, right? Channing Tatum is a reliable and delightful actor with natural comedic talent and an enticing cinematic presence, and yes, he can move his body. We only hope he got paid enough here to buy that new house he always wanted. The same people who go, ‘Whooo!’ for no reason when drunk on a hen’s night will love the school eisteddfod-esque finale. Whooo! Chris Murray RELEASED: July 9 DIRECTOR: Gregory Jacobs CAST: Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer RATING: R16

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