STACK #255 January 2026

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FEATURE MOVIE

Paul Thomas Anderson originally wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to star in Boogie Nights , and DiCaprio still regrets turning down the role. FUN FACT ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (WHAT’S THE PASSWORD?) One Battle After Another is Leonardo DiCaprio’s most wild and unhinged performance yet. A bandoning his usual debonair demeanour, the Oscar-winning GENRE: Comedy drama RUN TIME: 2h 42m

a good dad, but failing at every stop. He doesn't know how to do it, and then his past comes back to haunt him.” Comically flailing around, falling off a roof and being tasered, Bob

many times watching TV on the couch, and now he’s not able to fight these forces from his past because

star spends much of the movie in a ratty old bathrobe, his greasy hair tied up in a man bun. A former radical who’s long since lost the plot, he is now a couch-dwelling paranoid stoner living off the grid with his much more mature daughter. But when an old nemesis – Sean Penn’s grotesque and terrifying Colonel Lockjaw - reemerges and his daughter is swept into danger, Bob is forced to change his ways and rescue her. Referencing the film’s opening scenes of a nightmarish scenario with cages full of immigrants at the US border, DiCaprio says, “This

he can’t remember this one password? "He’s now in what seems like a James Bond movie, but he’s incapable of dealing with the opposition in any way. And that creates a comedic element that I think just comes naturally. It wasn’t something that we tried to force.” Gill Pringle

just felt so incredibly pertinent to where we are as a society today, pushing these Inset: Director Paul Thomas Anderson with Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro

knows he needs help – but he’s so wasted he simply cannot remember the secret password he used to summon his comrades back in the day. “As an actor, I never

really thought of it as humour; it’s a set of circumstances which are not expected, like we find many times in real life,” says DiCaprio. “It’s as simple as, what would happen if this guy got stoned too

extremes with humour, but also so topical and holding a mirror to society right now.” “And I just love the idea of this ex-revolutionary who is trying to connect with his daughter and be

• One Battle After Another is out Jan 21

REVISIT THESE PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON BANGERS:

Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Licorice Pizza, The Master, Inherent Vice

TOY STORE TAKEOVER IN ROOFMAN O ver the course of his criminal spree, real-life army veteran and struggling father Jeffrey Manchester hit more than 40 locations before getting caught and sent to prison. date. And between Kirsten’s naturalism and Channing’s wonderful humour and sense of comedy, it made for the most perfect match on screen.” GENRE: Comedy drama RUN TIME: 2h 6m ChanningTatum is Roofman , a serial McDonald’s robber with a heart of gold. Look out for: Photos of the real life characters and comparisons are presented during the end credits of Roofman .

Channing Tatum

through one of those stores. I hope people feel the magic of walking into that toy store in the movie,” says Tatum, who likely speaks from experience as dad to 12-year-old daughter Everly with ex-wife Jenna Dewan. The toys were later donated to charities, notwithstanding some pilfering. “Don’t tell anyone,” laughs mum-of-two

And, after escaping prison, he secretly lived inside a Toys "R" Us for six months, surviving undetected while planning his next move. Portrayed by Channing Tatum, he brings a real humanity to Manchester, whose double life begins to unravel when he falls for Kirsten Dunst’s divorced mum Leigh, who works at the store. Derek Cianfrance insisted that Tatum, 45, and Dunst, 43, didn’t meet prior to filming their first scene together, where they meet for the first time at a Red Lobster singles brunch with a table full of church women. “They were both incredibly nervous about meeting each other,” recalls the director, “much like their characters were. It was a blind

If the Magic Mike star is best known for his action or dance movies, Dunst was impressed by his sensitivity. “I don't think he's ever done anything like this before. And I think that transferring your own traumas and experiences in life into something is what we're supposed to do as actors.” she says. “His background as a dancer also gives him a certain grace for moving through spaces of the Toys “R” Us and escaping prison. There’s an elegance in the way he moves through those places,” adds Dunst. This adorable screen couple relished filming on a set built to resemble the giant toy store. “Everything was real. You can’t understand what it feels like unless you actually walk

Dunst, “but I would steal things for my kids. I stole pajamas that my kids love. And Swedish Fish and Friends candy, which my kids had never seen before.” Gill Pringle