STACK #121 Nov 2015

EXTRAS

NEWS

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Paddington

Michael Bond’s endearing children’s book about a cuddly bear from “the deepest, darkest Peru” has been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. This first ever live-action feature adaptation has been years in the making, and will star lifelong fan Nicole Kidman, who dreamt of having a a Paddington bear live at her house when she was a child. Due in cinemas December 11, Paddington is set to be a family Christmas event. Whovians will also relish the chance to catch Peter Capaldi in a plum role as Paddington’s grumpy neighbour, Mr. Curry.

Chris Hemsworth, Blackhat

HEMSWORTH TAKES AIM F ollowing a stellar 2013 which included StarTrek Into Darkness , Thor: The DarkWorld and the critically acclaimed Rush , Chris Hemsworth hasn’t been sighted much in 2014. Ok, he’s been spotted at the AFL Grand Final and at the races on Derby Day, but he’s been AWOL from the big screen. All that’s set to change next year, however, with the hunk from Phillip Island set to bag a box office trifecta. First up is likely to be Blackhat , the new thriller from Miami Vice creator Michael Mann ( Heat,The Insider ). In the Heart of the Sea , Hemsworth’s second collaboration with director Ron Howard ( Rush ), is based on the 1820 encounter between a sperm whale and a whaling vessel that also inspired Herman Melville’s 1851 classic Moby Dick . And while we’re talking whales, there’s no bigger creature on the box office high seas than 2015’s hugely anticipated Avengers:Age of Ultron . That means it’s hammer time again for Hemsworth, asThor.

Exodus: Gods and Kings

Ridley Scott has just announced the production of a TV series involving an Ebola outbreak. In the meantime, he’s also orchestrated another plague – of Biblical proportions. Exodus: Gods and Kings stars Christian Bale as Moses, who defies the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, played by Australia’s own Joel Edgerton, sans hair. Following Noah , this will be the second big budget spectacular based on the Old Testament to be released in 2014. Look for it in cinemas from December 4.

In the Heart of the Sea

Block busters! BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME T he humble building block is no longer mere child’s play. Since Lego began production of its interlocking toy bricks in 1949, the toy company has captured the hearts and minds of the young and the young at heart everywhere. Following the breakout success of The Lego Movie , three more branded features have been announced. First up in 2016 will be Ninjago , with The Lego Batman Movie following a year later, featuringWill Arnett once again voicing the Dark Knight. And in 2018 we’ll see the eagerly anticipated sequel The Lego Movie 2 , back with all your favourites likeWildstyle, Unikitty, and of course Emmet Brickowoski. Lego haven’t got the playground to themselves, though. In the space of a few short years, indie PC offering Minecraft has morphed into a gaming phenomenon. Consisting of building blocks that players can reconfigure into any shape they can imagine, Minecraft has developed a devoted online community boasting some wild creations. Recently, a user made a working iPhone inside Minecraft itself, while another spent two years constructing an imaginary city using 4.5 million blocks. Inevitably a movie is in the works, with reports that filmmaker Shawn Levy ( Night at the Museum, Real Steel ) will lead its development with

plans to also direct. Making Minecraft will also come with heavy expectations from its legion of video game fans. Essentially a ‘sandbox’-based game consisting of building and/or surviving in a world made of blocks, Minecraft is a world that’s also inhabited by zombies, giant spiders and beings called ‘creepers’ designed to test a gamer’s resolve. It will also be interesting to see who Levy and the producers decide to cast as the main character, Stevie.Watch this space. If a couple of years is too long a wait for the young ones, there’s plenty of family-friendly Lego viewing out this month, including Lego ChimaVol 7 and Lego Friends Boxset S1 & 2 , due in JB Hi-Fi stores on November 27.

The Hobbit:The Battle of the Five Armies

The end of year won’t be the same without a J.R.R. Tolkien feature helmed by Peter Jackson, but we might just have to get used to it following The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies . This is the third and concluding chapter of Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit , and it begins with a bang. The dragon Smaug threatens to rain fire on the people of Laketown. Meanwhile, Sauron is mounting a secret attack with an army of Orcs. And that’s just for starters. Boasting an all-star cast and a final showdown more ambitious than anything Jackson has mounted before, this finale is set to be absolutely epic. In cinemas Boxing Day.

The Lego Movie, Batman flying solo in 2017

Minecraft, the game soon to be a movie

NOVEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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