STACK #144 Oct 2016

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DVD&BD REVIEWS

The road to the White House is paved in red. THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR

Hello dolly. THE BOY

Release Date: 26/10/16

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Release Date: 12/10/16

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It's that time of year again – the annual Purge, when crime and murder are legalised for 12 hours in America. This third installment in the action-horror- thriller franchise is cunningly timed to coincide with the 2016 US presidential election campaign. A female senator (Elizabeth Mitchell) determined to put an end to the Purge should she win office, is targeted for assassination on the night murder and mayhem is allowed to run rampant. Political commentary and Clinton/Trump allusions aside, The Purge: Election Year

Maggie from The Walking Dead , aka Lauren Cohan, finds something more frightening than zombies when she takes a job as a nanny in a rambling old mansion in rural England – the kind with hidden rooms and a sinister family portrait on the wall. The boy she's there to look after is named Brahms, only he's not a boy – he's a child- sized doll that's become a stand-in son for an elderly couple who lost the real Brahms in a fire, and can't let him go. Leaving a strict set of rules to be followed, the 'parents' depart, but is Cohan really alone in the old dark

is easily the biggest and best entry in the series to date, offering a closer look at the NFFA – the sinister administration who introduced the Purge – and once again raising the question of how this radical initiative actually manages to keep the country's crime rate down. SH

house? Despite, or because of, the bonkers premise, this gothic chiller becomes curiously compelling and manages to sidestep the clichés of creepy doll movies: this isn't Chucky. But if you've seen enough horror movies, you'll quickly guess where this one is headed. SH

SHARKNADO 4: THE 4TH AWAKENS

LIFE ON THE LINE

pandemic

SWISS ARMY MAN

Release Date: 12/10/16 Format:

Release Date: 05/10/16 Format:

Release Date: 05/10/16 Format:

Release Date: 19/10/16 Format:

The joke might have lost its bite but this Syfy franchise continues to be an annual event that props up the careers of stars Tara Reid and Ian Ziering. Delivering yet another whirlwind of cheesy CGI, celebrity cameos, and of course sharks and the Hoff, Sharknado 4 is set five years after the events of the third film, during which time a device has been developed to repel sharnados. If only it had worked! This time the feeding frenzy consumes Las Vegas, with the titular Star Wars pun allowing Reid to be fitted with a lightsaber arm! Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 fans will appreciate the casting of star Caroline Williams as Stretch; no prizes for guessing her weapon of choice. SH

From hitman to having his face ripped off, and being a disco king who can pull of a pretty mean twist, John Travolta’s proven to be a versatile guy. Now this thrilling action explosion sees him going all heroic on our arses, maintaining high voltage powerlines so we can do everything from Nutribullet smushing to sitting at the computer typing this review. Travolta – toting a rather luxuriant beard – is Beau, who’s in the midst of a huge grid upgrade with his crew when a storm that would have Noah bolting to Bunnings for emergency supplies springs up, and, as we all know, water and electricity aren’t perfect playmates... AF

Recent action blast Hardcore Henry introduced us to first- person cinema – after all, why should gamers have all the reality immersion? Boasting ample thrills and twists, Pandemic continues the trend as New York’s Dr. Lauren and her team descend upon L.A., hoping to find survivors of a worldwide pandemic. What she discovers is that she’s lobbed into an “us and them” world (not dissimilar to that of TV’s The Walking Dead ) where those infected have become crazed and more than a tad envious of those who’ve remained healthy. Can Dr. Lauren help contain the outbreak and find a cure before humanity goes the way of the dinosaurs? AF

Yeah, but can he open bottles? Hank (Paul Dano) is marooned, and what bare threads of rescue hope he has are fading fast. But then he finds Manny (Daniel Radcliffe) washed up on his island – Hank has a friend! There’s just one issue – his new pal happens to be a corpse, and one that farts a lot. But hey, that makes him handy as a jet ski! A surreal friendship blossoms thanks to Manny’s ability to talk and... Well, you get the picture. Swiss Army Man is nutty but nice. Imagine Cast Away chucked into a blender with Weekend at Bernie’s , then directed by Terry Gilliam. AF

OCTOBER 2016

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