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ISSUE 203 Sept ’21

STACK Issue 203 SEPTEMBER 2021 “Be precise in life. It makes all the difference.”

ISSUE 203 Sept ’21

ISSUE 203 Sept ’21

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ISSUE 203 SEPT

CONTENTS

2021

FILM & TV 6 Take 5 7 Bob J’s Movie Classics 8 Candyman 10 Fast & Furious 9 12 Black Widow

WELCOME It’s a massive month in movies with Fast & Furious 9 delivering all the high- octane action, stunts and family dynamics that fans have come to expect, while Marvel’s Black Widow gives Scarlett Johnasson’s much-loved character her long overdue solo adventure. And a pair of perennial classics, Chopper and Amelie , celebrate their 20th birthday with new anniversary releases on Blu-ray and DVD. We look at long-awaited homegrown sounds from blues-rock legends Vika & Linda, punk-pals Amyl & the Sniffers, and neo-soul craftswoman Ngaiire; decorated English singer-rapper Little Simz encourages some introspection; and late First Nations icon Gurrumul gets a stunning anthology release, for which we spoke to the artist’s collaborator and confidante Michael Hohnen. Life Tech takes us into the kitchen and beyond with a good look at the latest tech in refrigeration, laundry, and small appliances. We also set up the perfect football finals day from home and check out Samsung’s latest release of smartphones. In games, things are hotting up for the year with big releases including shooter/puzzler Deathloop and all the basketball action of NBA 2K22 . Meanwhile, one of Mario’s nemeses (he has a few!), Wario, is up to his old tricks is WarioWare: Get It Together!, and Sonic the Hedgehog returns in Sonic Colours: Ultimate . Have you caught your breath yet? Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

14 The Conjuring 3 16 In the Heights 18 Chopper 20 Amelie

22-24 Imprint Films 26 Out This Month 28 New on 4K UHD GAMING 32 Take 5/Game Changers! 34 Fast Forward 36 NBA 2K22 38 Deathloop 40 Accessorise Now! 42 STACK Recommends 43 Out this month LIFE TECH 48 Intro 50-54 Refrigeration 56-60 Laundry

62-72 Cool Tech in the Kitchen 74-77 Footy Finals on the Big Screen 78-80 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3 82 What’s New MUSIC FLIP MAG AND READ FROM BACK 4-12 The Music Room: Interviews, notable reviews and more 14-15 Cover story: The Gurrumul Story 16-17 STACK Record Club 18-19 AlbumTales: Mötley Crüe’s Dr. Feelgood 20 This Month at JB 22-23 Album reviews

Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Film & TV Editor Scott Hocking Music Editor Zoë Radas Games & Online Editor Amy Flower Creative Director Gary Siewert Movies Consultant Kerrie Taylor Games Consultant Sachi Fernando Music Consultant Mike Glynn

Marketing Manager Fleur Parker Chief Contributors Bob Jones, Gill Pringle Contributors Anthony Horan, Glenn Cochrane, Bryget Chrisfield, Jeff Jenkins, Simon Lukic, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Jake Cleland, Holly Pereira, Adam Colby,

Dan Nicholson, Alex Deutrom, Bec Summer

Social Media Manager Imogene Lewis-Granland Production Manager Craig Patterson Correspondence STACK 33 Jessie Street, Richmond, VIC 3121

RATINGS GUIDE

Parental guidance recommended

Recommended for mature audiences

Not suitable for people under 15. Under 15smust beaccommpaniedby a parent or adult guardian

Restricted to 18 and over

General

Disclaimer STACK is published by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ACN 092 362 135). © Copyright Scribal Custom Pty Ltd, 2021 All rights reserved. All material appearing in this publication is copyright unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material or advertisement. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of Scribal Custom Pty Ltd. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information. Whilst care has been taken in the research and preparation of this publication, the publishers, writers or anyone else associated cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or hardship arising from the content contained herein or reliance therefrom, howsoever caused, and it remains your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any such content. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or the editor. By the very nature of this publication, things change daily and we cannot take responsibility for any changes or inaccuracies that occur subsequent to going to press.

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THIS MONTH at

EXTRAS

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What’s one of your all-time favourite films andTV series, and why?

DVD BEST-SELLERS for AUGUST 2021

STACK’s ROVING REPORTER

One movie I keep coming back to is Whiplash – it’s like a really over-dramatic film with an ending that’s just nuts! I’m a

AMY PARHAM @ JB Adelaide City, SA

1 Mortal Kombat (2021) 2 Peter Rabbit 2 3 A Quiet Place Part II 4 Wrath of Man 5 Godzilla vs. Kong

drummer, so the method acting is interesting – a lot of what Miles Teller was doing was accurate. And J.K. Simmons is this incredible actor dude who just really went for it. Otherwise, movies like Get Out and Us , which make you think a lot. TV series, I love Parks and Recreation . I’m biased because a lot of my favourite actors are in it, so finding it was a godsend – it’s a classic! I love cartoons as well, like SpongeBob – I think that’s a nostalgia thing, and a lot of meme culture comes from SpongeBob .

What’s the best thing about working in movies at JB?

6 Those Who Wish Me Dead 7 Six Minutes to Midnight 8 Nobody 9 Till Death 10 Call the Midwife: S10

I’ve never had a bad day really; it’s a really good and supportive working environment. And I’m always finding new things that I wouldn’t find by myself. In a space like JB, it’s really easy to get recommendations on a personal level, rather than just having companies trying to market to you. What’s a movie you saw as a child that has left a lasting impression on you? I don’t know why, but I always gravitate to Shrek 1 & 2 . I’m a 2000s kid, when all that kind of animation was new, and I just thought, ‘Wow!’ And Shrek was the first movie to introduce me to actors like Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers, and as I grew up, I looked for other movies they’d done.

Do you collect movies andTV series?

I used to, although working at JB definitely has me doing it again. I’m more of a music collector, but if I see something cool like a box set, I’ll definitely go get it.

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for AUGUST 2021

What have you been watching lately that you would recommend?

I’m watching Schitt’s Creek at the moment. It’s hard to make me laugh, so that’s been really good. I also watched Eighth Grade recently, directed by Bo Burnham – I love his stuff. And Promising Young Woman is as excellent film as well.

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FEATURE EXTRAS

Claudia Cardinale was cast as Jill McBain, the female protagonist protecting her land, and Jason Robards as Cheyenne – a gunman falsely accused of murdering Jill‘s family. The now iconic opening 12 minutes of the movie are played out mesmerisingly slow, without music or dialogue. All we hear is the squeak of a rusty

ONCEUPON ATIME IN THEWEST (1968) Directed by Sergio Leone

TRIVIA: Two of the gunmen waiting at the railroad station were played by John Ford regulars Woody Strode and Jack Elam. The third character was played by Canadian actor Al Mulock, who had previously appeared in Leone‘s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly . After filming the opening scene, Mulock committed suicide by throwing himself out of the window of his hotel bedroom, still wearing his western costume.

windmill, the buzzing of a tenacious fly, and drops from a water tank falling on the hat brim of one of three gunmen waiting at a desolate railroad station. The three men and the image of train tracks stretching to the horizon clearly refers to Fred Zinneman‘s classic western, High Noon . When the train finally arrives, it would

O nce Upon a Time in the West is today still described by many film historians/critics as a “spaghetti western“ but in fact, it had a more international mix than Sergio Leone‘s previous “Dollars“ trilogy. It was financed by US Paramount Pictures,

would also carry the name of the instrument he plays – Harmonica. By the mid-1960s Charles Bronson had been a tough guy character actor for well over a decade, but apart from a few poverty row productions, had never had a starring role. However, his charismatic presence and minimalist acting style were extremely popular with European audiences. Subsequently, when Leone offered him one of the leading roles, as the avenging gunman

filmed in Arizona, Utah, Mexico and Italy with a cast containing a number of popular US actors, and by his own admission was Leone‘s homage to Hollywood‘s western genre. The original story was written by Leone and two young men soon to be major film directors in their own right – Bernado Bertolucci and Dario Argento. They began by watching literally dozens of American westerns and meticulously studied all the stereotypical characters of the genre. Subsequently, the lone avenging gunfighter, the romantic bandit, the crooked railroad baron, the innocent homesteader, the black-clad hired killer and the harlot with a heart of gold all found their way into their storyline. However, Bertolucci initially had a hard time

seem that the person they are expecting has not alighted. As the trio turn to walk to their horses, a harmonica is heard playing a mournful tune. Harmonica has disembarked from the other side of the train and has patiently waited for it to pull out, allowing him to get the drop on his would- be assailants, whom he swiftly dispatches. Once Upon a Time in the West certainly revamps well-worn western conventions, including the impressive vistas of Monument Valley, which can be recognised by any Western aficionado as a reference to John Ford‘s classical landscape where he filmed many of his westerns. There are also countless references to scenes, dialogue, even characters' Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Sergio Leone, Charles Bronson and Jason Robards on location

Harmonica, Bronson grabbed it. Leone also got his long-standing wish to cast Henry Fonda, but inverted the revered actor‘s normal heroic role to make him a particularly sadistic villain. He plays the character Frank, the leader of a gang hired by the railroad boss to violently clear the land of settlers. Frank is a cold-blooded killer who, in the film‘s most heinous scene, guns down a small child. The shock audiences experienced watching a close- up of Fonda‘s innocent baby-blue eyes whilst shooting the young boy was palpable.

convincing Leone to award a principal role to a woman. He finally achieved it by forcing Leone to watch Nicholas Ray‘s J ohnny Guitar . This 1954 baroque western had starred Joan Crawford as a strong- willed woman trying to keep hold of her real estate that will become valuable when the railroad finally arrives. She is aided by a man with a past, identified by his eponymous musical instrument.

names from other westerns, and yet Leone still managed to make his operatic tale of greed and revenge quite unique – as

well as delivering a masterful piece of moviemaking.

The iconic opening scene

Leone was so impressed with Ray‘s film that his new production would now feature a prominent woman (the first in any Leone movie) protecting her land, aided by a character who

Join STACK ‘s resident filmhistorian Bob J and our community of cinema buffs to have your say eachmonth in ‘ Bob J‘s Classic Movie Club ‘ Facebook group.

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exposes him to the horrific true story behind Candyman. Anxious to maintain his status in the Chicago art world, he begins to explore these macabre details in his studio as fresh inspiration for paintings, unknowingly opening a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence that sets him on a collision course with destiny. Peele was just 13 when Candyman became a pivotal moment in the history of the horror genre, casting a black man as its titular character and main antagonist; a movie “monster” unlike any that had existed in Western pop culture before. “I was a horror fan as a kid, but we didn’t have a black Freddy Krueger or a black Jason Voorhees,” recalls Peele, who co-wrote the screenplay with DaCosta. “So when Candy- man came along, it felt very daring and cathar- tic and also terrifying. Even though there are many examples of black people in horror mov- ies, this one felt particularly badass for me.” With DaCosta now set to direct the highly anticipated MCU film, The Marvels – a sequel to Captain Marvel – she still felt the pressure to live up to Peele’s belief in her. “At first I just thought, ‘Cool, I’m going to make a movie with Jordan Peele. This is so fun and I love Candyman’. But then, of course, it was, oh, studio, the canon of Jordan Peele and that whole thing where ‘People on the internet really care about this character.’ But you have to push it out and do what you can from your point of view and as a fan of the story,” she says. A CHANGE OF SCENE Clive Barker’s short story The Forbidden (which can be found in the author’s Books of Blood anthology), was first brought to the screen as Candyman in 1992 by British filmmaker Bernard Rose, who relocated the story from Barker’s native Liverpool, UK, to the Chicago public housing estate of Cabrini- Green in order to explore themes of race and social class in the US. Indeed, Nia DaCosta’s film also reflects the current state of race relations in America. “The film is really about how storytelling is used around these horrific events to either

THE BUZZ IS BACK!

Three decades after Bernard Rose’s groundbreaking supernatural horror film, Candyman , became a cult classic, Jordan Peele unleashes a fresh take on the blood-chilling urban legend. Words Gill Pringle

E

ager to reintroduce Candyman to a new audience, co-writer

and producer Jordan Peele ( Get Out ) tasked director Nia DaCosta to revisit the original Chicago housing project of Cabrini-Green, where locals still tell ghost stories about a supernatural killer with a hook for a hand, easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. If DaCosta is pragmatic, then when STACK meets admit she would never say Candyman’s name five times in a mirror. “No. Never. And never will!” she laughs. Not easily spooked, DaCosta became uneasy while prepping for this new iteration of Candyman , while in pre-production at a house in Los Angeles. “We suddenly heard this sound and looked outside and all the windows were open and we saw this huge swarm with the director, she’s superstitious enough to

Yahya Abdul Mateen II and director Nia DaCosta on the set

An unabashed horror fan, DaCosta loved the original 1992 film – based on Clive Barker’s short story, The Forbidden . “We definitely revisited the original while prepping. Mostly I watched it with friends because I was interested to see how people would react to it now, because I think it’s very different from what we remember. It’s a very strange, idiosyncratic film,” she says. The new film is set a decade after the Cabrini towers were torn down and sees a visual artist named Anthony (Yahya Abdul-

I was a horror fan as a kid, but we didn’t have a black Freddy

help process or campaign or to create a martyr out of people who end up leaving

Krueger or a black Jason Voorhees

us too soon through these terrible acts of racial violence. It also has many facets, like how does storytelling operate around culture to the point of getting us to a character like Candyman?”

of bees which appeared out of nowhere. Just huge. I’d never seen a swarm of bees that big before and we were rushing around closing all the windows and freaking out. We just kind of looked at each other, like that was f–ing creepy. After that, we kept finding dead bees all around the house,” recalls the director.

Mateen II) and his art gallery partner (Teyonah Parris) move into a luxury loft condo in Cabrini, now gentrified beyond recognition and inhabited by upwardly mobile millennials. With Anthony’s painting career on the brink of stalling, a chance encounter with a Cabrini-Green old-timer (Colman Domingo)

Candyman is in cinemas (where open) on August 26

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“I usually approach these one at a time, but when I came back, Vin pulled me aside and said, ‘You’re finishing this with me.' We’ve been talking about this final chapter for almost ten years, and I’ve always thought it was just kind of an exercise, that we were never going to realise it. But it’s been pretty great to actually approach F9 knowing that we’re going to go into the final chapter, so it’s a new process for me. It’s actually kinda emotional, but I also feel fortunate to be here and trying to figure all that out now. We know the general sense, but now we have to work out the rest of the elements.” FAST 10

STACK caught up with director Justin Lin, who returns to the Fast & Furious franchise for his fifth time in the driver’s seat with Fast & Furious 9 . Words Gill Pringle

“But when it came to spacesuits, I realised that if you’re underwater or in space, it’s actually very similar, so you could actually use a diving suit if you were gonna go up. I think the only thing is that the air would expand a little bit more because of the pressure.”

F ast & Furious 9 melds all the dizzying action, stunts and family dynamics that fans have come to expect from the franchise. Only this time, Justin Lin was determined to conquer the ‘final frontier’ for the series’ ninth instalment… You’ve known the Fast & Furious cast for a long time. How have they changed since you last worked with them? "I think being away for a bit and coming back, I have a new sense of appreciation. I think when we started off, we were all single and just trying to find ourselves, and now being back, a lot of us started families and we have kids now. I think in filmmaking, especially in Hollywood, it can be a very lonely place and the fact that we have each other still, I could feel that on set and feel that in how they approached each scene when we worked together, and there’s a trust that we’ve developed in time. I think in being away and now coming back, the one thing that I really felt is that there’s 100 per cent trust in whatever crazy ideas we want; we are always going to be there for each other."

• Fast & Furious 9 is out Sept 1

The theme of family continues to drive the franchise, so to speak. “It’s interesting because I think

very early on, we had two routes to take. I remember talking to Vin about this, and there was an option where you could have the same characters going through different adventures, but they’re the same character. Then there’s also the option where you actually acknowledge that they’re ageing, they’re evolving, they’re maturing, and they’re going to have real-life issues, starting families, having kids… and so we chose to take the latter route. At the time, it was just a choice that we thought was interesting. But in my 15 years with this franchise, when I would run into different fans around the world and they would talk about Dom or Han or Roman or Letty, I always got a sense that when they talked about them, it was almost like they were a part of their family, because they were growing with them. I think in coming back to do this one, I came back to be able to further explore this theme of family. But through blood is something we’ve never done before, so that was very exciting. And I knew by doing that, it would allow us to go back to explore and solidify some of the Fast mythology elements.

Speaking of crazy ideas, Fast & Furious 9 goes into space! “It’s interesting because the fans have been talking about it and had fun with it, but I think, internally, we’ve always been talking about, ‘Is there a way for us to truly earn our way to space?’ “We’re 20 years in, and maybe working on Roman [Tyrese Gibson] and his existential crisis felt like it was a good fit – if we were going to do it at any point, this was the one where we were going to try. “As a whole, I would say when you’re looking at that sequence of going to space, it’s actually much more scientifically sound than a lot of the set pieces that we have in our franchise. I got on the phone and I talked to NASA scientists, and we did

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a lot of research; the Virgin Galactic launch gave me the idea that you need less fuel if you’re higher in the atmosphere.

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FILM FEATURE

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where they will undergo psychological conditioning to ensure their obedience. Years pass, during which Shostakov is imprisoned in Russia while Romanoff defects to S.H.I.E.L.D. after bombing Dreykov’s Budapest office, apparently killing him and his young daughter Antonia. If this paints a bleak background story for the two young sisters – who have now grown up into Johansson and Florence Pugh as her lovable younger “sister” Yelena – then much of Black Widow ’s joy derides from the unification of this dysfunctional family. A prequel of sorts to Avengers: Infinity War , Johansson further explains, “When Natasha joined S.H.I.E.L.D, she became a part of a greater whole, but with Black Widow she’s alone and realises she’s got all this possibility in front of her and it’s really suffocating. That was a fun place to start from, where she’s just full of doubt, and it leaves a lot of openings for stuff to creep in.” With Johansson finally given her time to shine in a solo outing, Black Widow also serves as a reminder of how much we already miss her. SOMETHING FOR CATE Determined that Black Widow stand out amongst the male-dominated Marvel stories, Scarlett Johansson reached out to Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland ( Somersault ). “Cate came to Los Angeles and fell in love with the character and the possibilities. She realised she could tell a very personal story and do something extremely special on a big canvas,” says Marvel boss Kevin Feige. Shortland certainly hopes she’s achieved her goals."I think what’s exciting about the film is we’re playing with the audience’s expectations. We’re exploring parts of Natasha that the audience has absolutely no idea about. “I thought it should be like a fairground ride; really exhilarating but also raw and to have those things seamlessly mesh together. It was always about putting Natasha at the centre of it but making sure we didn’t let the trauma of her past drag her down, and that we came up to answer it. And we often did that with humour,” she adds.

Considering Scarlett Johansson’s BlackWidow was among the most popular characters in the MCU, it’s bittersweet that we’ve waited 11 years for her solo film debut, only for it to be her swan song. Words Gill Pringle

S et between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame , in which Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff sacrificed her life in exchange for an Infinity Stone, little is known about the former KGB operative and assassin turned Avenger, aside from a quick peek into her memory in Avengers: Age of Ultron . “Our movie answers a lot of mysteries about Natasha’s past,” says Black Widow co-producer Brian Chapek. “We’ve seen her character evolve and open herself up to us and we’ve given hints about who she is and what makes her tick. For example, in Avengers: Endgame , we saw Natasha get to a place in her life where she could make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. Now we want to tell the story about who she really is as a human being.” “At the beginning of this film Natasha is really alone for the first time,” Scarlett Johansson tells

STACK . “She’s always been a part of something, either by circumstance, by being a victim of the Red Room and then later with the Avengers.” While The Red Room is featured in the original comic books, first published in 1964, Black Widow offers a real peek into the horrors of the secret Soviet-Russian training program, which turned young women into elite spies and assassins known as Black Widows. The film opens in 1995, with David Harbour’s super-soldier Alexei Shostakov and Rachel Weisz’s Black Widow Melina Vostokoff, both Russian undercover agents, posing as a family in Ohio with their surrogate daughters Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. After finishing their mission to steal S.H.I.E.L.D intel, they escape to Cuba and rendezvous with their boss, General Dreykov (Ray Winstone), who has the younger Romanoff and Belova taken to the Red Room for training,

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FILM FEATURE

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THE WARREN FILES

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL STACK chats with PatrickWilson and Vera Farmiga about their return as paranormal investigators Ed and LorraineWarren in The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It . Words Gill Pringle

THE CONJURING The Warrens’ investigation of a haunted farmhouse in Rhode Island in 1971 determined that the house, occupied by the Perron family, had once belonged to a witch who took her own life in 1863, cursing all who would claim her land.

THE CONJURING 2 The Warrens had just wrapped up a job in Amityville when they received a call to look into paranormal activity occurring in the North London suburb of Enfield – a case that made headlines in 1977 as “The Enfield Poltergeist”.

ANNABELLE COMES HOME A Raggedy Ann doll, supposedly possessed by the spirit of a deceased girl named Annabelle, wound up in the Warrens’ ‘Occult Museum’ in 1970. The Annabelle doll inspired three spin-off films in the Conjuring Universe, including an origin

H aving played married couple Ed and Lorraine Warren four times over the last decade, it’s little surprise that Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson finish each other’s sentences. Not that you could describe the real Ed and Lorraine Warren as any ordinary husband and wife, given that they became America’s most famous paranormal investigators during the course of their 61-year marriage, which only ended with Ed’s death in 2006. The stories of ghosts and hauntings popularised by the Warrens have been adapted as – or indirectly inspired – dozens of films, TV series and documentaries, including several films in The Amityville Horror series and, perhaps more famously, in the films of James Wan’s The Conjuring Universe – officially now the largest horror franchise in film history, grossing more than US$1.8 billion worldwide. Chatting with Farmiga and Wilson about the third Conjuring film, The Devil Made Me Do It , their genuine affection shines through. “It’s amazing growing older with my fake spouse,” Farmiga tells STACK . “At the risk of sounding corny, my love for old Patrick Wilson continues to run feverish. I adore him. We are such good friends. We mitigate the dark, emotional work that we do by laughing our heads off together.” “We’ve trusted each other since day one,” adds Wilson, “that’s where

the chemistry comes from. We’re totally comfortable with each other and we have a lot of fun.” The Conjuring 3 takes its story from one of the most sensational cases in the Warren files, starting with a fight for the soul of a young boy and marking the first time in US history that a murder suspect would claim demonic

story. The Warrens feature prominently in the third film, Annabelle Comes Home .

countertops, or who knows what,” Farmiga reveals. “But I can tell you that in terms of like darkly mystical, demonic negative forces in my life? I would like to think that I am able to bubble-wrap myself with positivity and with goodness and protection that I know I have. So I don’t invite it into my life, and therefore I don’t necessarily experience anything so profoundly nerve-wracking in a way that obviously the Warrens do in this film.” Likewise, Wilson will admit to a few

possession as a defence. It also reveals how the Warrens first fell in love when they were teenagers, their younger selves portrayed by Megan Ashley Brown and Mitchell Hoog. “That’s one of my favourite parts

• The Conjuring 3 is out on Sept 1

spooky experiences of his own: “The few unexplained things that have happened to me or to other people in my house… I mean I’m a big believer in there being other forces at play. But, like Vera, I don’t allow the negative ones in. “And I will say, over the years, anything paranormal doesn’t freak me out or scare me anymore. And I may be completely ignorant in saying this, but I feel like I can handle it. I would just calm myself and ask Vera to come over if there was a problem,” he laughs.

of the film,” says Farmiga. “Mitchell is just uncanny the way he’s just got Patrick’s smile. These kids knocked it out of the park. For the Warrens, that teen love was real.” After years of playing the Warrens, clairvoyants and demonologists who have witnessed things that would send most people over the edge, Farmiga and Wilson have surprised themselves by becoming at ease with this creepy universe. “There are certainly things that I’ve experienced, whether it’s cups flying off

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rong horror LIMITED EDITION 4K STEELBOOK ™ *While stocks last NEWLINE CINEMA PRESENTS AN ATOMICMONSTER/ A PETER SAFRAN PRODUCTION “THE CONJURING: THE DEVILMADEME DO IT” VERA FARMIGA PATRICKWILSON RUAIRI O’CONNOR SARAH CATHERINE HOOK JULIANHILLIARD MUSIC JOSEPHBISHARA EDITORS PETERGVOZDAS CHRISTIANWAGNER PRODUCTION JENNIFER SPENCE PHOTOGRAPHY MICHAEL BURGESS BASED ON CHARACTERS CHADHAYES & CAREYW. HAYES PRODUCERS RICHARDBRENER DAVE NEUSTADTER VICTORIA PALMERI MICHAEL CLEAR JUDSON SCOTT MICHELLEMORRISSEY STORY JAMESWAN & DAVID LESLIE JOHNSON-M C GOLDRICK SCREENPLAY DAVID LESLIE JOHNSON-M C GOLDRICK PRODUCED PETER SAFRAN , p.g.a. JAMESWAN , p.g.a. DIRECTED MICHAEL CHAVES BY BY BY BY DESIGNER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BY CREATED BY © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. NEWLINE CINEMA PRESENTS AN ATOMICMONSTER/ A PETER SAFRAN PRODUCTION “THE CONJURING: THE DEVILMADEME DO IT” VERA FARMIGA PATRICKWILSON RUAIRI O’CONNOR SARAH CATHERINE HOOK JULIANHILLIARD MUSIC JOSEPHBISHARA EDITORS PETERGVOZDAS CHRISTIANWAGNER PRODUCTION JENNIFER SPENCE PHOTOGRAPHY MICHAEL BURGESS BASED ON CHARACTERS CHADHAYES & CAREYW. HAYES PRODUCERS RICHARDBRENER DAVE NEUSTADTER VICTORIA PALMERI MICHAEL CLEAR JUDSON SCOTT MICHELLEMORRISSEY STORY JAMESWAN & DAVID LESLIE JOHNSON-M C GOLDRICK SCREENPLAY DAVID LESLIE JOHNSON-M C GOLDRICK PRODUCED PETER SAFRAN , p.g.a. JAMESWAN , p.g.a. DIRECTED MICHAEL CHAVES BY BY BY BY DESIGNER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BY CREATED BY

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Among the many delights of Jon M. Chu’s joyous film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical, In the Heights , is the opportunity to discover some amazing new talent. Words Gill Pringle

MERCH MONTH of the

A nthony Ramos and Corey Hawkins are likely on many radars already thanks to their roles in A Star is Born and Straight Outta Compton , respectively, although Melissa Barrera and Leslie Grace will doubtless surprise many audiences with their dazzling performances in In the Heights .

Meanwhile, Barrera has already completed filming the title role in Benjamin Millepied‘s reimagining of the musical drama Carmen , co-starring Chris Hemsworth‘s Spanish wife, Elsa Pataky. “I think time has changed and minorities who want to see themselves on screen and in lead

Indeed, director Catherine Hardwicke (celebrated for Lords of Dogtown ) actually beat director Jon M. Chu in discovering Leslie Grace, casting her in a small musical role in crime-drama Miss Bala two years earlier, Grace now poised to play the title role in DC‘s upcoming Batgirl movie.

IN THE HEIGHTS Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

winning Broadway show; a forerunner to his massive Broadway hit, Hamilton . However, Miranda’s dream of translating In

beyond Jennifer Lopez and Shakira and, later, by the toxic involvement of the Weinstein Company, who had initially optioned the script. “I started writing In the Heights because I desperately wanted a life in musicals and I knew I’d never

get cast as Bernardo [ West Side Story ] and that’s all we’ve got if you’re a Puerto Rican dude!” he argues. “In the existing musical theatre canon, Zoot Suit doesn’t get done much, so Bernardo was it and maybe Paul in A Chorus Line . And I also just wanted to see Latinos on stage without holding a knife – I felt like that had already been well-represented by West Side Story . That’s a

“Seeing all of this talent go out in the world and become stars in their own right will be one of the most satisfying aspects of this whole process,” predicted Lin-Manuel Miranda when STACK spoke with him earlier this year. He’s certainly waited long enough, having first written the musical 20 years ago while at university,

pretty perfect musical, but what else can we be on stage?” asks Miranda, while we both leave unsaid the prospect of what Steven Spielberg might bring to his own much-heralded screen adaptation of West Side Story , starring Ansel Elgort and set for release later this year.

the Heights to the big screen were stalled firstly by the short-sightedness of studios who

complained there were no big Latin stars to cast

Lin Manuel Miranda on the set

from where it would become a multi Tony-

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“I auditioned for the movie when it was still with the Weinstein company. I had a terrible audition and thought there was no way I would get the role. And then, obviously, it was pulled fromWeinstein and it went to WB, but they still had me in mind and Jon and I met and had a pretty emotional conversation and I shared how much this musical meant to me; it was the musical that kept me in the game. “I had kinda wanted to quit because there was no lead roles on Broadway. Nobody on Broadway looked like me; nobody is in a rush to write a lead roles for the barely 5‘ 9” freckled 135lb guy! So when I met Jon after A Star is Born , we were both tearing up and, a day later, I got the offer,” he recalls. Despite already being a household name from Orange is the New Black , Dascha Polanco begged to be a part of In the Heights , no matter how small the role. “It‘s a Latinx story, but in reality it‘s a story that transcends that,” she says. “You don‘t have to be Latinx to connect to dreams, culture, and movement. As an actor, you always want to be part of projects that mean something and this was both purposeful and inspiring. Hopefully the audience is ready to receive and feel and have the experience.”

roles are getting louder,” observes Barrera, who plays Vanessa in In the Heights and will next be seen in Scream , a new installment of the hit horror franchise. “We want real stories, not stories told by other people who don‘t have the experience. We‘re holding our ground more and slowly

getting opportunities, and those before us are holding the door open for us. It‘s a snowball effect and finally the panorama is changing to be more diverse and inclusive.” For Ramos, landing the lead role of Usnavi – a witty play on US Navy – was a full circle moment.

Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace

• In the Heights is out on Sept 22

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people are out to get me’ – that sort of stuff.” Looking back on the original release, Dominik recalls that penny-drop moment when he realised the film had struck a chord. “When it hit number one at the box office,” he wryly notes, adding, “I remember the night before it was released, Michele (Bennett, producer) and I were in Canberra of all places and we went along to one of the preview screenings. And on the way there we read the one bad review that the film got, and it turned out to be the first review and it just tore the film to shreds. It was a review in The Age . And when we got to the screening it was half full and the audience just seemed so confused by the film. And I thought, ‘Oh sh–t!’ Bad review. Audience doesn’t like it. I went to bed that night depressed. But then I woke up the next morning and there was a piece of paper underneath the door with the box office results and we were number one! Top of the pops! That’s the first and only time it’s ever happened to me.” From that moment, Dominik’s life was changed forever, and what followed was a string of critically acclaimed films including The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and Killing Them Softly (2012). “[ Chopper ] went to the marketplace in Cannes but it During a recent interview with Hollywood legend Robert Duvall, the actor expressed his love for Chopper to STACK , calling it one of his favourite Australian films and declaring Eric Bana’s performance as one of the greats. Suffice to say Andrew Dominik was chuffed when we paid forward the compliment, albeit a little perplexed. “Oh wow. You know Robert Duvall hates Australians,” he responds with tongue planted firmly in cheek, as this is something of a myth perpetuated over the years. “Which is really weird because Lonesome Dove and Tender Mercies are directed by Australians,” he laughs before reiterating, “I’m so glad to hear that. It’s probably the only Australian film he's ever seen. No, no he's a great actor.”

On the eve of Aussie classic Chopper ’s 20 th Anniversary release on Blu-ray and DVD, director Andrew Dominik discusses the initial reaction to the film with STACK . Words Glenn Cochrane

T he legacy of Chopper is irrefutable. Not only did it catapult its lead actor, Eric Bana, to the heights of Hollywood, it also cemented director Andrew Dominik as an in-demand filmmaker. The story of Australia’s most notorious criminal and serial bullsh–t artist, Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read, the film arrived on screens like an assault to the senses – a highly stylised and ultra-violent look

what I mean? Everybody had read the books and all that sort of stuff. And so the idea was to make a film that was commercial, and the earlier versions of the script were a lot more pulp fiction and like the books,” he explains. “But as I got to know more about the real person, it mutated into something more interesting for me.” Recalling the initial audience response to the film versus the very first critical review it received, Dominik admits it was perplexing. “I remember seeing it with

into Melbourne’s murky underworld, told with charm and charisma. The lines between horrific and fanciful were blurred, and the film left an indelible imprint on the Aussie vernacular. Australian films rarely

audiences and it just played like a full-on comedy. People were rolling in the aisles laughing.

I mean while we were shooting it, I thought it was funny, and

get the special treatment of anniversary re-releases, let alone the privilege of a theatrical re-run. Speaking with STACK ahead of the film’s 20 th Anniversary Special Edition release on Blu-ray and DVD, Dominik reflects on the film’s cultural impact and his expectations at the time. “In my sort of

Eric thought it was funny, but I don’t think

wasn’t in the festival, and it made a splash there. People really loved it and were trying to buy it, and I suddenly had agents trying to call me as a result. So yeah, the Hollywood people saw the film and the attention was immediate and aggressive.”

anybody else really thought it was funny. I think they all thought we were making a very serious and gritty crime movie. “ We were even quoting it,” he laughs. “There were always lines from Chopper that would just recur in our lives in various situations, like ‘Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean

• Chopper: 20th Anniversary is out in September

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circle, people knew Chopper, you know

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Jeunet burst onto the screen in the 1990s with two twisted films, Delicatessen (1991) and The City of Lost Children (1995), both of which feature a uniquely dark, steampunk aesthetic. He co-directed them with his former creative partner, Marc Caro, whose resistance to a different direction helped to inform Jeunet’s new creative outlook with Amelie . “Marc Caro is very – how do you say? – he doesn’t want to open his heart, if you know what I mean. And so he could have been ashamed for this kind of movie,” he explains. “It is absolutely not his cup of tea. So it was after The City of Lost Children that I went to make Alien Resurrection , and coming back to Paris, I wanted to make my own personal movie with my own stories. “But I started to work on Amelie before I did Alien Resurrection . In fact, if you see my short film Things I Like, Things I Don’t Like – it’s on YouTube – it was in 1989 before Delicatessen , and it’s the same thing [as Amelie ]. It’s very optimistic, positive and funny.” So, does he consider Amelie to be his most personal film to date? “Yes, absolutely. Because I took notes for years and years previously. I have a very good memory for anecdotes and funny stories, but I have a very bad memory for bad things. So I had a big box of notes, but it was very difficult to find the concept of the film. “It was after I did Alien Resurrection , coming back from Hollywood. One day I read one of my notes and it was the story of a girl helping other people. And then I understood, ‘Of course this is the main story’, and after that everything was easy to write and easy to make... but not easy to get the money, but that’s another story,” he laughs. Reiterating on the current world climate and our desperate need for joy and lightness, we ask Jeunet where Amelie might be in 2021, and whether a follow- up was something he would ever consider. “For a long time, they’ve asked me to make a sequel or a TV series. I refused every time. Although I did accept a musical for Broadway, and I hate musicals!”

Celebrating its 20 th anniversary, the uplifting French classic Amelie returns to Blu-ray and DVD this month. STACK caught up with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet to discuss his most personal and enduring film to date. Words Glenn Cochrane

T he 20 th anniversary of Amelie could not have come at a better time, when the world needs the quality of kindness and positivity that’s personified by the title character. With a bohemian attitude and a Parisian romanticism, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s film tells the story of a young woman with a

boundless imagination named Amelie (Audrey Tautou), whose purpose in life is to spread joy. It’s a simplistic fable wrapped in an avant-garde sense of surrealism, which relishes the little pleasures in life, leaping off the screen in a celebration of love and happiness. Sitting down with STACK via Zoom during the recent Cannes Film Festival, Jeunet reflects on his seminal film and its cultural I live very close to the Café Des Deux Moulins, which is the café from Amelie , and I see every day some people taking pictures of the café,” he says with a sense of delight. “I avoid saying, ‘I am the director’ because they never believe me when I try that.” He also recalls a surreal experience involving Hollywood actress Jodie Foster a few years later. “Let me tell you the story. For A Very Long Engagement [his 2004 drama] , we had an appointment with Jodie Foster, and impact over the past two decades. “It doesn’t surprise me, because

we were waiting for a taxi outside. Some young French people arrived to take a picture of the café, and we were standing between the café and the people. And I swear it’s true, the young girl asked us to please stand aside so she could take the picture.”

FUN FACTS Jean-Pierre Jeunet originally wrote the title role for Emily Watson, who declined because she didn’t speak French well and had already committed to a role in Gosford Park . A musical adaptation of Amelie opened on Broadway in March 2007. Jeunet distanced himself from the musical, claiming he had sold the rights solely to donate the funds to a children’s charity. A species of Glass Frog – Cochranella amelie – discovered in Ecuador was named after the movie’s protagonist.

• Amelie is out on Sept 1

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The boutique Blu-ray label delivers a massive and mixed bundle this month, from big screen BritishTV comedy and cult sci-fi, to acclaimed Chinese cinema and Michael Caine as a working-class James Bond. Words Scott Hocking NEWFROM IMPRINT FILMS

film to cult status. This British-Australian co-production from with Oscar-winning director Tony Richardson ( Tom Jones ) also features Aussies Frank Thring and Diane Craig in supporting roles. Extras include a new audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin and new interviews on the making of the film. Oliver Reed, Diana Rigg and Telly Savalas assemble for The Assassination Bureau (1969), a cheeky British crime-caper based on a posthumously published Jack London

A Reflection of Fear (1972) is a seldom- seen bizarro horror-thriller involving a young girl who suspects something sinister is afoot when her estranged father shows up with his new bride-to-be. Featuring a killer final twist and an all-star cast including Robert Shaw ( Jaws ), Sally Kellerman ( M.A.S.H. ) and Sondra Locke (the future partner of Clint Eastwood), Imprint brings the film to

B ased on Terence Rattigan's 1948 stage play, The Browning Version (1951) follows an unpopular schoolmaster, Andrew Crocker-Harris (Michael Redgrave), who is forced into early retirement and must come to terms with his failed career and marriage. A slice of British realism, this literate drama won the Best Actor and Screenplay awards at Cannes in 1951 and was adapted again in 1994 with Albert Finney in the leading role and director Mike Figgis ( Leaving Las Vegas ) at the helm. The title refers to poet Robert Browning's translation of the Greek tragedy Agamemnon – a parting gift to Crocker-Harris from a pupil. Imprint's Limited Edition Hardbox includes both the 1951 and 1994 version on Blu-ray in new 2K transfers, along with new audio commentaries and interviews, theatrical trailers, archival interviews and more.

novel. Set in 1906, Rigg plays an aspiring reporter who discovers the title organisation and takes drastic measures to bring it down. Extras include a tribute to Diana Rigg video essay and new audio commentary by the BFI's Vic Pratt and critic Kim Newman. The Harry Palmer Collection compiles all three films featuring the titular spy, played by Michael Caine, into a Limited Edition Hardbox. The hero of Len Deighton's best- selling novels, Harry Palmer is a working- class version of James Bond who isn't shy in turning on his Cockney charm to get results. And the 007 connection doesn't end there – all three Palmer films are produced by longtime Bond co-producer Harry Saltzman.

Blu-ray for the very first time with a new audio commentary by critic Lee Gambin, and audio interviews with Sondra Locke and actor Gordon Devol. Australia's most notorious bushranger is given the biopic treatment in Ned Kelly (1970). But what sets this Kelly film apart from the others, besides it being the first one in colour, is the casting of Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger in the title role, which has since elevated the

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