STACK #207 Jan 2022

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ISSUE 207 Jan ’22

STACK Issue 207 JANUARY 2022 “Bond. James Bond.”

ISSUE 207 Jan ’22

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ISSUE 207 Jan ’22

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS

ISSUE 207 JAN 2022

FILM & TV 4 Take 5

6 The King’s Man 8 Nightmare Alley 10 No Time to Die 12 Halloween Kills

WELCOME It’s been a long time coming. After multiple delays, No Time to Die , Daniel Craig’s final mission as 007, finally hits the shelves at JB – and by all accounts, it’s been well worth the wait. Halloween Kills , the second chapter in the new trilogy, also arrives this month, and we look back at the ten best movies and TV series released on home entertainment formats in 2021. It’s a good month for Pokémon fans with a whole new game, P okémon Legends: Arceus , incoming. This is joined by the latest Tom Clancy shooter, Rainbow Six: Extraction . In music, our eight reviewers choose their top two albums of 2021; and in Life Tech, we’ve strung together an essential guide for parents navigating the tech demands for a new school year. You’ll also find everything you need to know about air purifiers, and we showcase the projectors that will turn movie nights into a summer blockbuster event. What a way to start the year! Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

14 New from Imprint Films 16 Best of 2021 – Movies 17 Best of 2021 – TV 18 Best of 2021 – 4K UHD 19 Out this month

MUSIC 24 The Music Room: reviews 28-29 Writers Select: Cream of the 2021 Crop 30 AlbumTales: Silverchair’s Diorama (2002)

32-35 Choice Cuts of 2021 36-37 STACK Record Club 38 Take 5

GAMING 40 Take 5/Game Changers! 41 Fast Forward/Q5 42 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction 44 Pokémon Legends: Arceus 46-48 2021 Top 10 Games 50 Accessorise Now! 52 STACK Recommends 54 Out this month 2 Life Tech intro 4-28 School’s Back 30-36 Air Purifiers 38-40 Projectors 42 Homedics Therapist Select Plus Massage Gun 44 What’s new at JB LIFE TECH FLIP MAG AND READ FROM BACK

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

Alex Deutrom, Nicholas Kennedy Social Media Manager

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

Anthony Horan, Glenn Cochrane, Bryget Chrisfield, Jeff Jenkins,

Simon Lukic, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Jake Cleland, Holly Pereira, Adam Colby, Bec Summer, Dan Nicholson,

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, 2022 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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STACK’s ROVING REPORTER

DVD BEST-SELLERS IN 2021

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What’s one of your all- time favourite movies, and why?

2001: A Space Odyssey – it’s brilliant and can’t be faulted.

What’s one of your all-time favouriteTV series, and why?

BRAD STACK @ JB Narre Warren, VIC

1 WonderWoman 1984 2 Fast & the Furious 9 3 The Dry 4 Black Widow 5 Godzilla vs. Kong 6 Jungle Cruise 7 The Croods: A New Age 8 Rams

1 Wonder Woman 1984 2 Zack Snyder’s Justice League 3 Fast & the Furious 9 4 Black Widow 5 Godzilla vs. Kong 6 The Suicide Squad (2021) 7 Nobody 8 Mortal Kombat (2021) 9 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 10 The Dry

Yellowstone is the best show on television. If you disagree, you know where to find me. What have you been watching lately that you would recommend? It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia for comedy – nothing is funnier. Breaking Bad for drama – storytelling at its best, and it’s shot to perfection.

What’s the best thing about working at JB?

The friendships you make with the people you meet.

What’s a movie you saw as a child that has left a lasting impression on you?

9 Mortal Kombat (2021) 10 Star Trek Picard: S1

Terminator 2 – I watched it 50 times before I realised it was a sequel! It’s a perfect film.

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going to be a lot of physical stuff,’ and I was like ‘Yeah, no problem, I can do that man, no worries’. And then like fast forward six months down the line and I am dragging myself through the sh–t. But it was good,” he laughs. Describing his character, he says, “Conrad is a 17-year-old, he’s the Marquis of Woodstock, he’s young, brave and aristocratic. His father is the Duke of Oxford, so he’s been living with him in this very grandiose, strict, upper-class lifestyle. He’s naive to the real world when we first meet him.” While Kingsman: The Secret Service and its sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), were both big box office hits, Vaughn wasn’t ready for a third film, instead looking to do something different with this new iteration, kicking off The King’s Man story more than a century earlier, playing out in the shadow of WWI. “I wanted to do a huge, epic adventure. When I was a kid, films like Lawrence of Arabia filled the screen and were epic but never boring, so I was thinking, ‘I want to bring back that genre.’ It was an itch I wanted to scratch. “Balance is the key to everything and this is a different film. It’s the origin story, and the destination can’t be the same place as where you embark from. You have got to have a journey, so this embarks from a very different place to the other Kingsman movies. “And the journey starts with elements of what we know some of the Kingsman for, but this is a companion piece and a different film. It’s connected through the tailor shop and through the history and values, but it’s different, otherwise there’s no point. I didn’t just want to do just another Kingsman movie and put them in period suits and go ‘Hey, now let’s go have a fight in a church.’” Having enjoyed his action-adventure trip into the past, don’t imagine that Vaughn has given up on the original Kingsman franchise – a third film of the original franchise is already in the works. “We were meant to be prepping in November [2020] for Kingsman 3 ,” he reveals. “But Covid decided to f–k that up for everyone, so we are waiting to see what happens. I am hoping that people like this version because I would love to go through the decades, because Kingsman is about history, espionage and fashion. It’s fun to explore. “So, touch wood, people go watch it and like it and yeah, there will be more. The audience is the boss, not me.” MOREKINGSMAN?

MatthewVaughn’s 2014 spy action-comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service introduced the world to a young Taron Egerton. Now the writer-director hopes to recreate magic with its prequel, The King’s Man , starring British actor Harris Dickinson. Words Gill Pringle

“T he way I cast is purely about what I see, and Harris blew me away within ten minutes,” Vaughn tells STACK when we chat over Zoom. Not that Dickinson, 24, is entirely a newbie, having already made quite an impression in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and dystopian teen drama The Darkest Minds . “The way I cast, I am very instinctive, and when an actor walks through the door, it’s the same experience an audience has watching the screen with somebody entering a scene. And then they open their mouth and you either

think, ‘f–ing hell, they are good or they are terrible,’” says Vaughn. “And it was the same with Taron. I’d virtually given up on finding anyone in both those scenarios. And weirdly, Harris was the second person I saw for the role. But then he got it and that was it. If they are right, they are right, and unless I am 100 per cent sure they are right for the role, I don’t give it to them. You either believe it or you don’t, and I believed in Harris immediately.” Chatting with Dickinson about his initial audition, he says, “I think Matthew had watched some of my work and we met and

he told me a little bit about the film because I hadn’t been sent anything. It was kind of unorthodox; Matthew is very laid back and doesn’t pretend to be anything he is not, he just says it like it is, which is what I love about him.” Prior to his audition, Dickinson didn’t necessarily have any fight skills, and was worried he might not be up to the job. “Matthew gave me a challenge and was like, ‘Oh you know there’s

The King’s Man is in cinemas on Jan 6

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delirious rise, del Toro tracks a reckless American Dream running off the rails. Captivated by the world of the carnival, the director dug deep. "The carnival is an incredibly close-knit, hermetic society. It’s a place where people keep their secrets, and many are escaping a life of crime or a past they had

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to leave behind. And yet, they form a strong society. It’s almost like a microcosm of the world. Everybody’s there to swindle everybody. But at the same time, they know they need each other, and they protect one another,“ he says. To create his slippery persona, Cooper focused on Stan’s Mississippi-based drawl. “As an actor, you need to believe your character’s circumstances, because if I believe them, then chances are you're going to believe them,“ he explains. “It was really once I unlocked his voice that I felt the rest of the character was there.“ Not content with one femme fatale, del Toro selected three femmes for this movie. “I have three very strong female figures and an homme fatale,“ says the director. To this end he cast Toni Collette as the savvy mentalist Zeena, who shares a physical passion with Stan and opens his worldview on how to operate in America. Then there’s the ingénue circus performer, Molly (Mara), who falls hard for Stan’s deceptive, aspirational optimism. And finally, the big city psychoanalyst Dr. Lilith Ritter (Blanchett), herself a survivor of physical and psychic damage, who sees through Stan and sets out to manipulate the manipulator in a bid for self-claimed justice. “Stan is a broken man who has learned to lie to get the reactions he wants from people. He is always trying not to show his real self. He is a mercurial character, who transforms according to circumstances,“ explains del Toro.

Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley has been in the works for almost 30 years, ever since Ron Perlman gave the filmmaker a copy ofWilliam Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel of the same name. Words Gill Pringle

T he novel Nightmare Alley was quickly adapted into a well- received noir psychological thriller in 1947, starring Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell, which still stands the test of time almost 75 years later. Initially daunted by the length of the book, Guillermo del Toro finally saw a way to adapt it with co-writer Kim Morgan. “The entire book would

FEMME FATALE Cate Blanchett wanted to play Dr. Lilith Ritter as an enigma.“Both Guillermo and I wanted Lilith to be unknowable and mysterious," she says. “At the same time, Guillermo was looking for those little perforations where you might see through Lilith’s many layers to what lies beneath – both physically and psychologically. “The process of playing Lilith was that every day we’d discover a new, deep, frightening secret. There’s a lot of damage behind what seems to be a calm pristine exterior.”

have been impossible; it’s a saga,“ says the writer/ director/producer, who viewed Nightmare Alley as an opportunity to combine horror and noir without all his usual supernatural undercurrents. Heavily influenced by noir films like The Long Goodbye and the various Raymond Chandler movies, del Toro tells STACK , “This is the first of my movies that, although it has a magical atmosphere, is not mannered or stylised. It’s set in a reality that is identifiable and immediate. Also, it’s my first chance to do a real underbelly-of-society type of movie without any supernatural elements. Just a straight, really dark story.“ Initially casting Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role as Stan Carlisle, he was later replaced by Bradley Cooper alongside an all-star cast including Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Rooney Mara, David Straitharn, Willem Dafoe and, indeed, Ron Perlman.

With Cooper occupying practically every frame, he became a close collaborator, also serving as a co-producer. “What Bradley brings is incredibly moving,“ says del Toro. “He has all the goodness, physical beauty and innate grace to show what could be for Stan. But at the same time, he has the skill to create a character of devastating darkness.“ Split almost into two stories, Nightmare Alley moves from the inner circle of a 1930s travelling carnival – a realm of freaks and macabre wonders – to the halls of wealth and power where seduction and treachery reside. At its core lies a man who sells his soul to the art of the con – Cooper’s drifting hustler Stan transforming himself into a dazzling showman and manipulator so masterful he comes to believe he can outwit fate. As Stan makes his

Nightmare Alley opens in cinemas on Jan 20

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Bruce Willis and Chad Michael Murray star in this crime-thriller about two cops who join forces with a troubled vet when a drug-dealing gang takes over the man’s farm as a hideout. Release date 26 January Cast Bruce Willis & Chad Michael Murray In themood for an EXPLOSIVE CRIME-THRILLER

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After serving 12 years for armed robbery, a parolee vows to give his childhood love - now dying from cancer - the best year of her life. Release date 26 January Cast Evangeline Lilly, Jason Sudeikis & Mike Colter In themood for a EDGE-OF-YOUR-SEAT ACTION FILM

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life – and not just a series of “Bond girls”. “I started it like that with

Casino ,” says Craig. “That was how we went in and that was a lot of what defined the way I have played this wonderful character. I wanted Bond to look like a killer and behave like a killer because that’s what he is, an assassin; that’s what he was written as. But I wanted a modern take on that.” Themes exploring secrets, betrayal and trust have stitched together the last four films, propelling the narrative towards No Time to Die ’s unexpected and thrilling conclusion. Certainly Craig created a thoroughly modern Bond who, for

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NoTime to Die brings Daniel Craig’s tenure as 007 to a close in thrilling and unexpected ways, with the actor musing that the biggest themes are love and trust. Words Gill Pringle

I f Daniel Craig was feeling emotional about filming his fifth and final Bond movie, No Time to Die , then his co-star Billy Magnussen says nobody would know it. “I don’t know specifically how he felt but all I thought was, ‘That guy is amazing’ and so generous and charming and funny. He really wa s the commander of this ship that we were all brought into – such a big franchise and a big spectacle. “Daniel was just

filled with grace and very kind, and created an environment that was so wonderful to hang out in. It was like being in a bath, eating ice cream and having Sinatra playing,” says Magnussen, who plays CIA agent Logan Ash alongside Jeffrey Wright’s Felix Leiter.

all his excellence in certain fields, was not infallible. A multifaceted hero, a man whose success is tempered by occasional failures, he is a mixture of light and dark. Audiences have borne witness to

Billy Magnussen as Logan Ash

this change, watching as he earned his licence to kill, and also observing the toll it takes. A loner who also learned to let people in, he has loved and lost. He lost Vesper Lynd. He lost M. And he wore those injuries for all to see. After the heartbreak he suffered with the loss of Lynd (Eva Green) in Casino Royale , his fluctuating relationship with M and MI6, and the pain inflicted by the revelations imparted by Blofeld (Christoph Waltz), Bond has taken another risk, letting down his guard with Madeleine as he tries to love again. Thus, No Time to Die begins in the aftermath of Spectre , where the conclusion saw Bond and Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) drive away in the Aston Martin DB5. “I’ve always been very happy with the way the 007 films I've been a part of have turned out,” says Craig. “It’s been a lot about the relationships and how those relationships affect him and how they change and steer his life. Whether it’s with the villain or whether it’s the people he works with, this movie has tackled that head on. And the biggest themes are love and trust. "With No Time To Die there was a strong story to finish off, lots of loose ends to tie up. And I think we have managed to tell that story and get everything rounded up.”

First introduced to 007 during the Pierce Brosnan Bond era, Magnussen believes Craig created something very unique. “I feel Craig’s Bond was something different. Everyone else was very suave and smooth and Daniel brought almost like a sledgehammer quality to it; this kind of grit which was really exciting to see in these films. It just felt very masculine and strong.” Whereas the previous James Bond films played as separate adventures, linked by characters both malevolent and benign, Eon Productions wanted the Daniel Craig series to unfold as a unified whole. True to their

masterplan, Bond’s journey throughout

Casino Royale , Quantum of Solace , Skyfall , Spectre and now No Time to Die has

been constant, tracking Bond’s initiation into the life of a double-O agent while offering crucial glimpses into his early life, as well as his love

LONG TIME TOWAIT Even James Bond couldn’t outwit a global pandemic! The 25th 007 film’s release was continually delayed as Covid impacted cinema chains around the world. Originally scheduled for release in November 2019, the date was pushed back to April 2020 following the departure of director Danny Boyle, and then postponed again until April 2021 due to the pandemic. No Time to Die eventually premiered in the UK on September 30, 2021, and finally made its way to Australian cinemas on November 11, 2021.

• No Time to Die is out on Jan 26

10 JANUARY 2022

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SAM AND HEATHER WORTHINGTON BAKER JANE GRAHAM COLSON THOMAS

“A gritty, slow burn western” PUNCH DRUNK CRITICS

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even though it’s a slasher trilogy.” As Curtis talks about co-writers John Carpenter and Debra Hill – who originally created the Halloween story together – she unexpectedly tears up. “Debra was John’s lover at the time and she was one of my best friends. And she’s gone. But I think her legacy is the Strode family. Not that she predetermined that, some 40 years later, somebody would write a movie about Laurie Strode and her daughter and granddaughter, but I think that’s what David intuited from the original text that gave birth to this relationship between Laurie, Allyson and Karen. “So I think it’s all due to Debra Hill’s contribution, and I’m really sad that she’s not here. It makes me cry because she was political, she was a feminist, and I think she would have loved these movies,” she says. Leaning heavily on nostalgia, using elements from earlier Halloween films – most notably Halloween II – it did seem like a curious move to sideline Curtis’s Strode to a hospital bed in this sequel when it was surely her remarkable performance in the 2018 film that revitalised the entire franchise. In his defence, Green says, “The idea was to honour the legacy. In terms of Halloween Kills , we did recreations of the 1978 Michael Myers The final chapter in the new Halloween trilogy is set for release in October 2022. Here’s what we know so far… Jamie Lee Curtis will of course return as Laurie Strode, declaring this will be the last time. Andi Matichak will also be back as Allyson, who will have a bigger role to play in the final film. David Gordon Green has teased that the story will pick up four years after the events of Halloween Kills , while Curtis hinted to Cinemablend that the third film is “going to make people very angry and it’s going to be shocking.” Production is set to commence this month.

Halloween Kills star Jamie Lee Curtis ponders an unanswered question raised in the new trilogy and remembers the original’s co-writer and producer, the late Debra Hill. Words Gill Pringle

• Halloween Kills is out Jan 12

O ver the course of making six Halloween movies, Jamie Lee Curtis’s indomitable Laurie Strode has become a mother and grandmother – Judy Greer and Andi Matichak, respectively, playing daughter and granddaughter – allowing her plenty of time to ponder the possible identity of who her baby daddy might be. “I don’t think Laurie has a baby daddy. I don’t think she even knows who the baby daddy is,” muses Curtis during a chat with STACK . “I think Laurie was a very troubled young woman who banged around the world like a pinball machine, banging into people without any support. But I feel that the reason why she has a very tender scene with Will Patton’s Officer Hawkins in [ Halloween Kills ] is because in the 2018 movie, there was a moment where Will and I stand outside the Strode house and I tell him how, every night, I dream that Michael

Myers would live so I could kill him myself. “So I had this thought that maybe Officer Hawkins was Karen’s father. We

talked it through and then David [Gordon Green, director and co-writer] wrote this connection between Laurie and Hawkins. So I think Officer Hawkins is the closest thing to a male contact that she has had.” If many horror films are male-centric, Curtis is proud that this trilogy has a female psyche at its core. “I think David and Danny [McBride, co-writer] are prescient in that they understood that female trauma was going to be an issue in the future,” she says. “They must have intuited this somehow, in the same way that they intuited that the collateral damage of a town and the mob violence that creates was going to become a thing. “So I feel like it’s art imitating life, it’s the natural progression.

I’m not a film historian or an intellectual who waxes poetic about film theory, but I promise you that in 20 years when a film class looks back at this David Gordon Green trilogy and then looks at what happened in the world at the same time, it’s going to be a social statement about who we are as human beings at this moment in our lives,

house and we bring legacy actors like Kyle Richards and characters like Tommy Doyle and Nurse Marion into this film to be able to expand on the concept of terror and fear. “So it’s not necessarily a good vs. evil, Laurie vs. Michael butting of heads here, but it’s how fear and terror permeates the entire community of Haddonfield, so we reached into the legacy to expand on that and create a fully realised community,” he adds.

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The local boutique Blu-ray label hits a milestone with 100 titles released to date! This month's bundle includes a classic conspiracy thriller, a must-see western, an Oscar- winning Grace Kelly, and a couple of luridly titled cult favourites. Words Scott Hocking NEWFROM IMPRINT FILMS The ParallaxView (1974)

scholar Jason A. Ney and the 1987 documentary Grace Kelly: The American Princess . There's more conspiracy afoot in House of Cards (1968), this time involving a far-right organisation attempting to take over Paris and forge a new world order. Can a retired boxer (George Peppard) and a widow (Inger Stevens) stay alive long enough to stop them? This rarely seen thriller comes to Blu-ray with a new audio commentary by film historian Scott Harrison. War of the Worlds' producer George Pal and director Byron Haskin reunited for The Naked Jungle (1964), in

which Kirk Douglas and Eleanor Parker fight to save their Brazilian cocoa plantation from an army of killer ants – the Marabunta! This cult favourite arrives on a fully loaded Blu-ray that

W arren Beatty landed one of View (1974), directed by Alan J. Pakula ( All the President's Men ). Beatty plays a newspaper reporter whose investigation into the his finest roles in the cracking conspiracy thriller The Parallax

assassination of a US senator leads him to believe a political conspiracy is afoot – especially after the seven witnesses to the event die in apparent "accidents". Paranoia reigns as his attempts to uncover the truth lead him to the mysterious Parallax Corporation. One of the finest examples of the conspiracy thriller,

includes three audio commentaries, three radio adaptations, and the 1995 documentary Charlton Heston: For All Seasons . Armed with a great exploitation title and tagline, Lady in a Cage (1964) finds screen legend Olivia de Havilland trapped in her mansion's elevator cage and threatened by a bunch of thieves, including James Caan in his first major film role. Extras include new audio commentaries by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw, and critic Kat Ellinger, plus a video essay by Chris O’Neill. Another wonderfully lurid title, Kitten with aWhip (1964), rounds out this month's Blu- ray bundle. Ann-Margret stars as a delinquent on the run, who stirs up some scandal for a senatorial candidate (John Forsythe) when she crashes at his place. Extras include a new audio commentary by critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson, and new video essays by Kat Ellinger and film historian Andrew Nette. This campy crime drama for cult movie connoisseurs is the 100th title to be released since the Imprint range launched last year. Here's to the next 100!

Last Train from Gun Hill (1959)

Prince and a 'Filmmaker Focus' featurette with critic Leonard Maltin. Co-written and directed by Ida Lupino, Outrage (1950)

Imprint brings this classic of '70s cinema to Blu-ray in a new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative, along with a slew of bonus features. Extras include two new audio commentaries from film historian Kevin Lyons and critic/podcaster Blake Howard; and a new video essay by Chris O’Neill. Last Train from Gun Hill (1959) is a classic western from a master of the genre, director John Sturges ( The Magnificent Seven, Gunfight at the OK Corral ). Kirk Douglas plays a Marshall out for justice after his wife is brutally murdered by drunken cowboys, while Anthony Quinn is his friend turned cattle baron, whose son is the prime suspect. With the stage set for a showdown, Last Train from Gun Hill plays like a riff on High Noon , and certainly deserves its reputation as a must-see western. This classic comes to Blu-ray from a film transfer of the original VistaVision negative, along with an audio commentary by film historian Stephen

generated controversy to match its title upon release, being the first post-Production Code Hollywood feature to deal frankly with the issue of rape. It has since been deemed "culturally and historically significant" and was recently selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Imprint's release features a new 2K scan from the original negative by Paramount Pictures and a new audio commentary by critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. The all-star cast of Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and William Holden headline The Country Girl (1954), a backstage drama involving an alcoholic has-been actor (Crosby), his director (Holden), and the director's wife (Kelly). Directed by George Seaton ( Miracle on 34th Street ), the film received seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, winning Best Actress for Kelly and Best Screenplay for Seaton. Blu-ray extras include a new audio commentary by film

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Based on the Charles Dickens novel starring Dirk Bogarde .

Starring Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates! Seasons 1-4 also available.

Two highly acclaimed adaptations of famous works by Jane Austen .

Based on the 1957 novel starring Keira Knightley, SamNeil and Hans Matheson.

OUT JAN 5

OUT JAN 5

OUT JAN 5

From the writers of Broad City starring Emmy award winner Jean Smart .

A spin-off series from DEPARTMENT S . Includes documentary on the series, audio commentaries featuring Peter Wyngarde .

Collect all 94 episodes. Series 1-19 also available.

Series 4-6 of the acclaimed Australian crime-drama starring Rebecca Gibney . Collection 1 also available.

FILM FEATURE

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THE 10 BEST MOVIES OF 2021 In the absence of a barrage of big blockbusters, many independent films had an opportunity to shine last year. Here then are STACK ’s picks for the ten best movies to hit home entertainment formats in 2021 – in no particular order.

shines in the lead role. A homegrown murder- mystery that’s rich in intrigue and a palpable sense of rural life.” SOUL

What we said: ""Pixar’s 23rd feature carries a timely message of rebirth – its title both an homage to soul

and jazz and also the soul we trust is within us all. It also helps parents to explain the more gnarly questions about the meaning of life.” POSSESSOR What we said: “Writer-director Brandon

Cronenberg’s primal scream from a techno- void is a disturbing and hallucinatory sci- fi shocker with a loaded narrative guaranteed to

spark much discussion.” IN THE HEIGHTS

NOBODY What we said: “Bob Odenkirk has no need to further convince us that he’s amongst the

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN What we said: “This gripping and unpredictable thriller masterfully reinvents the revenge thriller for

What we said: “This glorious, multi-cultural Latinx musical confection delivers a huge dose of Lin- Manuel Miranda magic. A vibrant and ebullient big screen musical that’s just what the world needs right now.”

the #MeToo generation. The kind of movie that

greatest actors of his generation. Nobody plays with expectations for its entire running time, and viewers will be delighted at how often it catches them off guard.” A QUIET PLACE PART II What we said: “Takes what we know from the first film and spins it in a different direction, resulting

stays with you long after the

end credits have rolled.” NOMADLAND

What we said: “Writer-director Chloé Zhao’s docu-drama is a deep dive into the transient lifestyles of America’s

ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE

What we said: “Much more satisfying than the cursory theatrical version, the longer running time allows more breathing room for character development and interaction, and consequently, a knockout ensemble superhero epic.”

grey nomads. Frances McDormand delivers an Oscar-winning performance as a widow who hits the road to find serenity in the vast American West.” THE FATHER What we said: “Knockout performances from Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman are a

in a quality sequel packing all the scares and suspense that made the original something to shout about.” THE DRY What we said: “Director Robert Connolly brings

highlight of this powerful drama that explores the impact of dementia on an elderly patriarch and his daughter.”

Jane Harper’s best- selling novel to vivid life, and Eric Bana

16 JANUARY 2022

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FEATURE TV

There was no shortage of stellar seasons to binge-watch last year, some arriving with a swag of Emmys in tow. Here are STACK ’s ten best TV series released on home entertainment formats in 2021 – in no particular order. THE 10 BEST TV SHOWS OF 2021

MARE OF EASTTOWN What we said: “Kate

Winslet earns her Emmy as a world-weary cop in a rural US community. A gripping and downbeat procedural series with ample twists, turns and emotional punch.”

THE BOYS: SEASON 2 What we said: “The second year of the subversive superhero series dials up the craziness and

intensity to a whole new level. It’s bigger, bloodier, and the stakes are a lot higher.”

A PERFECT PLANET What we said: “This series from the incomparable David Attenborough and

the BBC team celebrates all that really is rather perfect about our home. Astounding stuff!” THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR

LOVECRAFT COUNTRY What we said: “ Green Book with monsters! Balancing the fantastic with real world issues, this weird and wonderful horror series is gory thrill ride in the tradition of American Gods and Watchmen .” DOCTOR WHO: THE EVIL OF

THE CROWN: SEASON 4 What we said: “Series four is a scandalous smorgasbord of drama with an ensemble of incredible performances. With so many landmark moments, there’s a definite sense of urgency this time, as episodes pivot from one historical event to another.” THE GREAT: SEASON 1 What we said: “This satirical series rewrites the rise of Russian monarch Catherine the Great as an absurd coming-of-age journey that’s just as much fun as it sounds. Elle Fanning grabs the title role with glee.”

What we said: “Mike Flanagan follows the outstanding The Haunting of Hill House with another quality, slow burn ghost story that plays with genre conventions in surprising and sinister ways.”

THE DALEKS What we said: “A ‘holy grail’ among lost Who episodes, this wonderfully animated reconstruction confirms this seven-part epic’s status as an all- time classic.”

SUPERNATURAL: SEASON 15 What we said: “It’s time to bid the Winchester boys farewell in a cracking final season that brings 15 years of “saving people and hunting things” to a satisfying and emotional conclusion. Goodbye, wayward sons.”

YELLOWSTONE: SEASON 3 What we said: “The third season of one of

TV’s most addictive dramas culminates with an absolute doozy of a cliffhanger, leaving Yellowstoners gobsmacked and desperate for more.”

17

4K UHD HIGHLIGHTS

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2021 TOP 10

4K UHD BEST-SELLERS in 2021

The releases started to flow more freely again this year, bringing us a broad selection of movies on the 4K Ultra HD format both new and classic. Presented alphabetically, here are our favourites for the year, mostly due to top notch picture and/or sound, with a couple in there just because our first experience of them in 4K was so good that it was almost akin to seeing the actual movie again for the first time. Words Amy Flower

THE SUICIDE SQUAD All the wild action and fun of James Gunn’s take on the gang of DC misfit dodgy

CRUELLA The super-

NOBODY Unlikely action hero Bob Odenkirk’s fast- paced, super-ace fun, unrelenting blast,

entertaining, super-stylish, double-barrel Emma – both Stone and Thompson – origin

types hit 4K Ultra HD with a Dolby Vision bolstered native 4K transfer and full-on Dolby Atmos sound. The 4K disc includes a cool commentary with Gunn and a Harley Quinn scene

straight from the producers behind the John Wick franchise, headed onto 4K Ultra HD with a Dolby Vision- enhanced picture that was coupled

1 Zack Snyder's Justice League 2 Godzilla vs. Kong 3 Wonder Woman 1984 4 Black Widow 5 Mortal Kombat (2021) 6 Fast & Furious 9 7 Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 8 The Suicide Squad 9 Monster Hunter 10 Nobody

story of the 101 Dalmatians villainess arrived on 4K Ultra HD complete with a native 4K transfer (HDR enhanced, of course darlings) and an oftentimes wild Dolby Atmos audio mix. A bonus standard Blu-ray gave us oodles of extras, including featurettes, bloopers and deleted scenes. FAST & FURIOUS 9: THE FAST SAGA The insane action is ramped to 11 in this

with an absolutely blistering Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Extras fans were treated to deleted scenes, three featurettes and two audio commentaries. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

breakdown and two features, with a bunch more stuff included on a bonus standard Blu-ray. VERTIGO

One of the ‘Master of Suspense’ Alfred Hitchcock’s most revered classics – and a film school staple study – this James Stewart and

latest wild tale of Dom and his crew – the ninth in the long-running saga. It packs a double dose of Dolby, with Dolby

The ace cult graphic novel series hit the big screen in style when Edgar Wright got his mitts on it, telling the epic tale of the titular Scott Pilgrim who has to

Kim Novak tale of one man’s spiral into dangerous obsession wended its way to 4K Ultra HD with stunning, HDR- enhanced native 4K visuals, that were ably accompanied by a brand new DTS:X Master Audio sound mix and a pleasing selection of extras.

Vision-bolstered sights and Dolby Atmos taking care of everything in the sound department – and boy does this one pack a sonic wallop! There’s even a double dose of the movie, with both the theatrical and director’s cuts included. INDIANA JONES: 4-MOVIE COLLECTION We got to rock, roll,

fight his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes to the death before he can win her heart. The 4K release comes with a double helping of Dolby, toting both the Vision type visually, and the Atmos type sonically, along with a plethora of top extras. SOUL This inspiring,

WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE

WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT

FACTORY 2021 marked 50 years since the first musical fantasy movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s tale hit cinema screens and wonderfully

With a native 4K transfer –

wonderfully music- laden original tale from Disney-Pixar tells the story of a jazz man who gets

hate snakes and whip it all over again, with all four Indy movies on 4K Ultra HD in one feature-packed box set. They were all lovingly remastered

complete with HDR enhancement – plus an all-new Dolby Atmos soundtrack, it looks and sounds a treat. Add a full

stuck somewhere between life and death – and just when he landed his dream gig, too. It’s a stunning movie that looks just as stunning on 4K Ultra HD, delivered in native 4K resolution with HDR, and accompanied by spellbinding Dolby Atmos audio.

weirded out audiences the world over. This scrumdidilyumptious limited edition collectors box set was packed with fab goodies, but best of all was a super- colourful, HDR-enhanced, native 4K transfer, accompanied by a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix.

complement of extras, including an audio commentary, deleted scene, featurettes and a selection of classic Roger Rabbit shorts, and whether you have a rabbit in your pocket or not, you’ll be happy to see this release!

in native 4K from the original negatives with added Dolby Vision enhancement, while the audio was given the full Dolby Atmos remix treatment. All of the restoration work was given the tick of approval by Mr. Spielberg, too.

18 JANUARY 2022

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PREVIEWS MOVIES & TV

OUT THIS MONTH JANUARY

MOVIES & TV SHOWS

THE STAND Previously adapted for TV in 1994, Stephen King's apocalyptic epic – set in a world ravaged by a super-flu – has made a timely return

DOCTOR WHO: GALAXY 4 This lost story from the William Hartnell era is the latest to be reimagined in an animated version synched with the original

as a sprawling, 10-episode event series. Arguably one of King's best books, this small screen update shuffles the story into a non- linear narrative, as we follow the survivors of the epidemic towards a

audio recordings. Pitting the first Doctor against a race of warrior women on a planet that's about to explode, Galaxy 4 is a delightful bit of retro '60s sci-fi and has been given a vibrant colour revival here, along with a b/w option and the surviving Episode 3.

showdown with the forces of evil in Las Vegas.

TV/HORROR

ANIMATED

26/1/22

12/1/22

DAY OF THE DEAD: SEASON 1 This new zombie series from the Syfy channel is an homage to the 1985 George Romero film in name only. It shares more in common

HACKS: SEASON 1 This Emmy-winning showbiz sitcom is a great star vehicle for Jean Smart ( Watchmen ), playing a Las Vegas comedy queen (a character

with TV's Fear the Walking Dead , following six strangers attempting to survive the first 24 hours of the zombie apocalypse, which leads

some suggest is based on Joan Rivers) about to get bumped from her regular gig. She joins forces with an out of work, twenty- something writer (Hannah Einbinder) to freshen up her material, but will

to gore galore and some social commentary as per the Romero films. Do we need another zombie show? You betcha!

the generation gap produce comedy gold?

TV/COMEDY

TV/HORROR

5/1/22

22/12/21

CRASH David Cronenberg's bold 1996 adaptation of J.G. Ballard's novel, about an underground subculture with a car accident fetish,

MIDNIGHT IN THE SWITCHGRASS Based on the true-crime case of the Texas 'Truck Stop Killer', this procedural thriller teams Bruce Willis with Megan Fox as FBI agents undercover in Florida to

makes a welcome return to local shelves. The Blu-ray forms part of Umbrella's Beyond Genres

bust a sex-trafficking ring. Learning of a series of serial killings in the area, they join the hunt alongside

label and includes an introduction from Cronenberg as well as new interviews with cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, composer Howard Shore, and more.

a local cop (Emile Hirsch). But is the suspect in both cases one and the same? A serial killer thriller with a '90s flavour.

CULT

19/1/22

THRILLER

5/1/22

CITIZEN KANE – 4K UHD Acclaimed as one of the greatest motion pictures of all time, Orson Welles's 1941 masterpiece follows a reporter's attempt to discover the meaning behind a dead media baron's final enigmatic word,

DONNIE DARKO – 4K UHD Has it really been 20 years since Jake Gyllenhaal followed a guy in a sinister bunny suit down a temporal rabbit hole of cult movie

madness? Donnie Darko (and Frank the Rabbit) makes the jump to 4K UHD in a 3-disc Anniversary Edition that includes restorations of both the Theatrical and Director's Cut from the original camera negatives, approved by director Richard Kelly and DOP Steven Poster.

"Rosebud." All the elements that make a great movie are right here and have now been given a worthy upgrade to 4K Ultra HD resolution

– and the results are simply stunning!

CLASSIC

CULT

12/1/22

14/1/22

23

ISSUE 207 Jan ’22

MUSIC

YOUR MONTHLY MUSIC GUIDE TO WHAT’S

IN-STORE AT

hot

LIVE MUSIC IS BACK! Dawn is breaking on the revived, ready-to-r oll, post-pandemic live scene! It’s time to support the artists whose craft c arried us through the dark days; here are the albums of those who’re coming to a venue near you in 2022.

TYLER, THE CREATOR Call Me If You Get Lost

THE STROKES The New Abnormal

THE KID LAROI F*ck Love

HOLY HOLY Hello My Beautiful World

DELTA GOODREM Bridge Over Troubled Dreams

KINGS OF LEON When You See Yourself

GANG OF YOUTHS Go Farther in Lightness

GUY SEBASTIAN T.R.U.T.H.

ESKIMO JOE The World Repeats Itself Somehow: The Best Of Eskimo Joe

DUA LIPA Future Nostalgia

CROWDED HOUSE Dreamers Are Waiting

BILLIE EILISH Happier Than Ever

RÜFÜS DU SOL Surrender

JUSTIN BIEBER Justice

TAME IMPALA The Slow Rush

HIATUS KAIYOTE Mood Valiant

GUNS N’ ROSES Greatest Hits

LONDON GRAMMAR Californian Soil

THE WOMBATS Fix Yourself, Not the World

SKEGGS Rehearsal

THE KILLERS Pressure Machine

*While stocks last. Most titles available on CD and vinyl in store and online

MUSIC FEATURE

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S hort, sharp jabs of guitar punctuate Amateur Hour, the infectious opening track of Eels’ 14th studio album. Bandleader E is at his sardonic best, expressing his joy in choosing his own food on the breezy Strawberries and Popcorn , and giving in to romantic temptation on Grandfather Clock Strikes Twelve . It’s not all fun and EELS SLITHER ON WITH ANOTHER GEM

L ike many of us, Bonobo mastermind Si Green rediscovered the restorative power of immersing himself in nature over the last couple of years, and such excursions inform Fragments . It's a collection of sad bangers, luminous as the swelling waves reflecting sun glitter on the album cover. Tides (feat. Jamila Woods) – the record’s centrepiece – closes out with harp and strings, spotlighting the fluid, organic instrumentation that trickles through banks of modular synths and distinguishes the entirety of Bonobo’s seventh album. Jordan Rakei’s vocal glints majestically within the old-school Shadows , which draws inspiration from Detroit house, Moodymann and Theo Parrish. Otomo , co-produced by one-to-watch O’Flynn, features a haunting Bulgarian-choir sample that hits psyche-deep. When that crunchy beat drops – around the 1:30-minute mark – this track is as all-consuming as an exorcism. Elsewhere: Elysian is Nitin Sawhney-level transportive; Age Of Phase ’s wild, arpeggiated beat and spliced vocal percussion fizzes with sonic schweppervescence; and closer Day by Day (feat. Kadhja Bonet), which boasts this album’s only in- person-recorded vocal, infuses gentle optimism. During our worldwide lockdown deprivation, Green “remembered all over again how much [he] loved crowds and movement and people BONOBO BESTOWS BLUE BANGERS

games though, with the album taking a melancholic detour on Stumbling Bee and So Anyway , the latter seeing E reflect on the breakdown of a relationship with a refreshing sincerity. Equal parts self-reflective and self-deprecating, Extreme Witchcraft is proof that Eels are as essential now as they were in the '90s. Holly Pereira

Extreme Witchcraft by Eels is out Jan 28 via PIAS/E Works.

THE POWER OF CAT COMPELS YOU

O n her third covers record, Chan Marshall – AKA Cat Power – once again puts her unmistakeable stamp on a collection of songs that hold great personal meaning for her. From conjuring memories of being a struggling artist with The Replacements’ Here Comes a Regular, to honouring a late friend with The Pogues’ A Pair of Brown Eyes , Marshall pays tribute to the songs that have soundtracked her life. The most unforgettable moment comes with Nico’s classic These Days , as Marshall delivers a reinterpretation that might just rival her well-known cover of Sea of Love . Significantly, the record also features a new version of Marshall’s own song Hate , which has been transformed into Unhate , flipping the narrative to celebrate her life rather than will it away. Holly Pereira

connecting with each other”, so created this soundtrack for the exact kind of meaningful, collective dancefloor moments we’ve ached for while restricted to family/household boogies. Like Willy Wonka &The Chocolate Factory ’s psychedelic boat ride (but for your ears), Fragments is awe-inspiring and miraculous. Bryget Chrisfield

Fragments by Bonobo is out Jan 14 via Ninja Tune.

Covers by Cat Power is out Jan 14 via Domino.

THE WOMBATS FixYourself, Not theWorld British indie rockers and one of Australia’s most loved acts, The Wombats, kick off 2022 with the release of their highly anticipated fifth studio album Fix Yourself, Not the World. Out January 14th. At JB Hi-Fi we love to turn our customers on to NEWMUSIC

XX XXXXX 2020

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