STACK #148 Feb 2017

DVD&BD REVIEWS

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The sum of all fears. THE ACCOUNTANT

Blowing the whistle on a whistleblower. SNOWDEN

Release Date: 15/02/17

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Release Date: 01/02/17

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Looking for somebody to do your tax? You might begin a search with ‘A’ –“Hmm, ‘Aardvark Accounting’? Sounds promising!” But ‘ZZZ Accounting’? That’s having a laugh. Actually it’s just because Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) needs a legit-looking front for his accounting business, which is decidedly non-legit in that he cooks books for nefarious types. Having avoided the law for years, Chris, whose numerical abilities stem from high-functioning autism, finds himself pursued by Treasury Department hotshot J.K. Simmons (and if you’ve seen Whiplash , you

Many encounter injustice and turn a blind eye. Edward Snowden, who joined the CIA (and later the NSA) after having to leave the army due to a gammy leg, saw it and did something about it – at great personal sacrifice. This is the story of his whistleblowing ways, as portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and told by Oliver Stone. We begin in Hong Kong with journalist Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) and documentarian Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo), both of whom Snowden trusts to get the story of US surveillance overreach out. We

know you don’t want J.K. on your tail). Let the battle of wits begin... Sorry numbers people, but a movie simply about accountancy would be tedious. Mercifully, The Accountant sees intrigue piled upon intrigue, and more blistering action than you’d reasonably expect from a crime drama. AF

flashback to Snowden’s army days, and variously through events which led him to ultimately make his bold decision. Those of a conspiratorial bent may be suspicious of Stone’s motives, but when he makes a flick this enthralling, we’re happy to sit back and indulge him. AF

Love demands everything. THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS

A chip off the old Scott. MORGAN

Release Date: 08/02/17

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Release Date: 15/02/17

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Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) has just made it back fromWWI alive, but he witnessed many atrocities. Wishing for a sea change he goes all out, taking a solo job keeping a lighthouse on a tiny island off the Western Australian coast. After some long distance flirting, he’s later joined by Isabel Graysmark (Alicia Vikander) and they set about starting a family – hey, it isn’t like there’s much else to do when the piano’s broken! After suffering two traumatic losses it appears that they’re not meant to be parents. But then a baby washes up in a rowboat.

Imagine being the kid of a renowned director. Now imagine being the kid of a renowned, genre-defining sci-fi director and making your own sci-fi movie. That’s the pressure cooker task that Ridley’s son Luke Scott has taken on with this sci-fi meets slasher flick, and we reckon daddy would be proud – if not itching to give the kid a few pointers. It kicks off with risk assessment specialist Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) heading to a remote location to investigate an issue with an artificial human prototype. It chucked a massive tantie and injured one of

They take her in as their own, but the decision will have consequences... Adapted from M.L. Stedman’s 2012 novel and directed by Derek CIanfrance ( Blue Valentine ), this tear-jerking drama is bolstered by classic Aussie acting muscle like Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown and Garry McDonald. AF

the site’s workers, yet everybody here seems completely enamoured of the robo-being, who despite having a young woman’s body is only five- years old. In the face of much opposition, Lee has to decide whether to continue with the experiment, or have it terminated... AF

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FEBRUARY 2017

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