STACK #137 Mar 2016

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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The lawyer who came in from the cold. BRIDGE OF SPIES

Three wise men. One wild Christmas. THE NIGHT BEFORE

Release Date: 02/03/16

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Release Date: 03/03/16

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Part courtroom drama, part Cold War thriller, Steven Spielberg’s classy new film tells the fascinating tale behind the shooting down of a US spy plane over Russia in the 1960s. The story actually begins in 1957, when humble Brooklyn lawyer James Donovan (Tom Hanks) is given the next-to-impossible task of defending Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance). Unsurprisingly he loses the case, but when US spy plane pilot Gary Francis Powers is captured by the Russians, Donovan becomes the middleman in a high

If you just can’t get enough of that Christmassy stuff then listen up – even if it is only March. The Night Before revolves around three New York City blokes (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie) who’ve been mates for years. They’ve now hit their 30s, with one a lawyer, one an NFL star and one, erm, a seasonal store elf. They’ve decided that this will be their last big Christmas blowout, and score tickets to the legendary and beyond-exclusive Nutcracker Ball. It’s a night of drugs, alcohol, drugs, debauchery, drugs,

stakes prisoner swap deal. Working from a script co-written by the Coen Brothers, Spielberg brings his trademark visual excellence and immaculate pacing to the proceedings, while Hanks is in his element as the mild-mannered but dogged lawyer. JF

karaoke, drugs, dick jokes and drugs – but with a dab of sweetness and light occasionally to anchor it. Imagine Pineapple Express crashing A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas with small injections of It’s a Wonderful Life and Home Alone – plus really daggy jumpers. AF

The truth lies in the most unexpected places. SECRET IN THEIR EYES

The Drac pack is back. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2

DVD&BD

Release Date: 23/03/16

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Release Date: 03/03/16

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If a non-English speaking movie is successful, you can bet your last peso it will be remade. Such is the fate of Argentinian ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ Oscar-winner El Secreto de Sus Ojos, with this star-studded Hollywood makeover. A hard-hitting thriller that boasts Chiwetel Ejiofor, ‘our’ Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts, Secret in Their Eyes spans 13 years as it plunges viewers into the shocking world of teenage rape and murder. That the victim in question is the daughter of DA investigator Jess Cobb (Roberts) sets things rolling. Cobb, FBI counter-terrorism investigator Ray

Even Adam Sandler’s most devoted fans would have to admit he’s been on autopilot of late. However, this fun Addams Family-esque animated sequel finds the star/ co-writer back in sparkling form; it's arguably the best Sandler movie since 2009’s Funny People . This time around, Drac (voiced by Sandler) is gradually coming around to the fact that his daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), is now married to a human (Adam Samberg), and is delighted when they provide him with a grandchild. However, when the boy shows no sign of becoming

Karsten (Ejiofor) and assistant DA Claire Sloan (Kidman) look into the crime, but a conviction isn’t made and their partnership implodes. Still haunted years later, Karsten discovers a lead and gets the cold case reopened, which results in more than he’d bargained for... AF

a vampire, Drac and his pals resolve to bring out the monster within him. The direction of Genndy Tartakovsky – creator of Samurai Jack – fizzes with hyperactive energy, while grown-ups will appreciate the accomplished comic playing of Sandler’s regular repertory company. JF

MARCH 2016

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