STACK #225 July 2023

YOUR

TO MOVIES, TV, MUSIC, GAMING & TECH

ESSENTIAL GUIDE

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ISSUE 225 JUL ’23

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE COMPETITION SONOS WIN the ULTIMATE STACK Issue 225 JULY 2023 “There’s a huge universe out there with a lot of galaxies. They’re all counting on us.” © 2023 Nintendo and Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

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MUSIC

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ISSUE 225 JUL ’23

INSIDE: SCREAM 6 SLICES THE BIG APPLE FUNGAL FEAR IN HBO’S THE LAST OF US

ISSUE 225 JUL ’23

ON VINYL

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YOUR MONTHLY MUSIC GUIDE TO WHAT’S

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HOME THEATRE PACK

Strong horror violence and coarse language

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Strong horror themes and bloody violence

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WORD SEARCH Help Princess Peach find all 13 hidden words or phrases below by searching forward, backward, up, down and diagonally!

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E P I P E R H E E R G N J R Y

M L O

S E C K N B C A T S F S D A E

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M Z T O S D I N O R V N N E P

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WORDS TO FIND MARIO LUIGI TOAD BOWSER MUSHROOM PRINCESS PEACH FIRE FLOWER COIN GOOMBA KOOPA PIPE STAR CASTLE

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JULY 5

CONTENTS

ISSUE 225 JULY 2023

MOVIES & TV 6 Take 5 and On the Radar 7 Charts and What do you do? 8 All eyes on Barbie and Mission: Impossible 10 The Mario Bros. Level Up 11 Merch of the Month 12 Beyond Evil Dead Rise and Adapting The Last of Us 14 Scream 6 : Slice’n up the Big Apple 15 Liam Neeson: Hollywood Gumshoe and A Jurassic Race Against Time 16 New from Imprint Films 17 Out this month 18 The latest on 4K MUSIC 20-26 The Music Room: Maisie Williams, PJ Harvey and more 28 Vital Vinyl: Midnight Oil, Dr. Dre and more 29 This month @ JB 30 Cover feature: The Decade of Decadence 32-34 Album reviews GAMING 36 Take 5/Game changers! 38-44 So, you want to get into PC gaming? 46 Sonic Origins Plus 48 Out this month/ Wham, bam, game exam! 50 Fast forward/Q5 TECH FLIP MAG AND READ FROM BACK 4 Intro and Take 5 6-8 Audio tech buying basics 10 Noise cancelling and why you need it 12 Sound all around with spatial audio 18-19 All you need to know about earbuds 20 Exercise essentials: Fitness earbuds 22 Bluetooth speakers to go 24 Get speaker smart 26 Power a party with big sound 28 We check out the new Bose Pro S1+ 32-35 Turntables and speakers to match 36 Groove on the move with the Sound Burger 38 Studio gear for homemade music 40-41 New Mini LED TVs and a Sony OLED 42 Smart locks and why you need them 44 Get rapt with the Dyson Airwrap Multi-styler 46 New tech at JB 14 Breaking down Bluetooth 16-17 Headphone highlights

WELCOME

The stigma surrounding movie adaptations of video games may be no more following the runaway success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie , coming to JB in July. Nintendo’s iconic mascot previously appeared in a dubious 1993 live-action movie (played by Bob Hoskins), but his return in Illumination’s new animated feature has received a resounding thumbs-up from fans. With $1.3 billion in global box office to date, it’s the second-highest-grossing animated movie of all time and the most successful video game adaptation. And speaking of games, look out for HBO’s acclaimed adaptation of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us , also out this month. It’s that time of year again! Our comprehensive and essential guide to audio tech has you sorted for sound, from buying considerations and devices to suit all budgets and lifestyles to an in-depth look at noise cancelling and how spatial audio adds an extra dimension to your music. We also check out the latest audio gear hitting JB this month, along with the new range of Mini LED TVs. In music, we get witchy with Maisie Peters, untangle the lore behind PJ Harvey’s latest, dive into the decade of decadence (the ‘80s, of course), and review new LPs from Ian Moss, Jess Hitchcock, Tina Arena, Grian Chatten, and Queens of the Stone Age. And last but by no means least, we take a deep dive into PC gaming, and, with the release of Sonic Origins Plus , we check in on – appropriately – the origins of Sonic the Hedgehog. Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

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Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Tech Editor Scott Hocking Music Editor Zoë Radas

Music Consultant Mike Glynn Marketing Manager Fleur Parker

Social Media Manager Glenn Cochrane Production Manager Craig Patterson Correspondence STACK editor@stack.com.au

Chief Contributors Gill Pringle, Bob Jones Contributors Bryget Chrisfield, Jeff Jenkins,

Games & Online Editor Amy Flower Movie & TV Editor Glenn Cochrane Creative Director Gary Siewert Movies Consultant Kerrie Taylor Games Consultant Sachi Fernando

Simon Lukic, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Jake Cleland, Holly Pereira, Adam Colby, Bec Summer, Dan Nicholson, Alex Deutrom, Michael Irving, Jacqui Picone

RATINGS GUIDE

Parental guidance recommended

Recommended for mature audiences

Not suitable for people under 15. Under 15s must be accommpanied by 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, 2023 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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MOVIES & TV

Gerwig rose to prominence as part of the minimalist film movement known as mumblecore, and developed her very distinct cinematic voice along the way. Some of her trademarks include: • Female empowerment Gerwig’s films have all featured female lead characters overcoming situations. And while Ladybird (2017), Little Women (2019), and Barbie (2023) adopt very different styles, they are all strong expressions of feminism. • Coming of age Whether it’s the literal coming-of-age themes underpinning Lady Bird and Little Women , or more metaphorically conveyed in 2015’s Mistress America (which Gerwig also wrote), the filmmaker’s stories tend to focus on character journeys from adolescence to adulthood, and explore emotional states therein. • Actor personalities With her mumblecore roots deeply seeded, one of Gerwig’s directives is for actors to rely on their own personalities as much as possible, and to incorporate their own lives into their performance for authenticity - a tall order, considering she’s also known to dislike improvisation. GRETA GERWIG

JULY

story, and its outstanding visual effects. I love the ingenious use of multiple kinds of effects, its pioneering use of digital effects, and out-of-the-box use of identical twins. What’s one of your all-time favourite movies, and why? I really do love Sicario . It’s an intense action thriller, and the performances from Benicio del Toro, Emily Blunt, and Josh Brolin are excellent. It was also one of the first projects I saw from writer Taylor Sheridan, who created Yellowstone . Honourable mentions definitely go to Eastern Promises , Roadhouse, and Cliffhanger . What’s one of your all-time favourite TV series, and why? 24 is definitely up there. I remember it being the reason my bedtime changed, so I could watch the whole episode. It had the perfect mix of drama, political intrigue, and secret agent action. I recommend Yellowstone . It has such a broad fanbase, from people who watch everything created by Taylor Sheridan, to your grandad who loves westerns, all the way to your mum who fancies Kevin Costner. The Last of Us , also. It’s absolutely breathtaking and is definitely the most faithful video game adaptation I’ve seen. What have you been watching lately that you’d recommend?

STACK’s ROVING REPORTER

On The Radar

Strap in and hold on because Fast X is racing towards us at full speed. The incredible, goosebump inducing documentary John Farnham: Finding the Voice is also on its way next month, as well as the Bollywood-infused, action-packed Polite Society .

ADAM ROBSON @ JB Albury, NSW

What’s the best thing about working at JB? I enjoy working at a place where I can tap into my vast bank of useless general knowledge, a lot of which is about music and movies. What’s a movie you saw as a child that has left a lasting impression on you? I have to be that basic Millennial guy and say it’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day . It has always captivated me with the twist on the original’s

*not final artwork

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“It’s showtime!” Yep, that iconic, R-rated sci-fi action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger - based on a book by Stephen King (using his Richard Bachman alias) - is getting a re-do. But before you engage your remake-deflectors, consider

Guillermo del Toro earned acclaim with Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and Hellboy (2004), and when it came time to follow up his hugely successful Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) he took

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two things. Firstly, it’s being directed by Edgar Wright, the genius behind Last Night in Soho (2021) and Baby Driver (2017). And secondly, the ‘87 movie was only a loose adaptation of the original novel. Predating the similarly themed The Hunger Games by two decades, King’s dystopian story is a much darker, ninihilistic fable, without the obligatory love story, and with a keen focus on one man outwitting the system to save his family. This is one to get very excited about!

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to the seas and dived into one of cinema’s most enduring and celebrated genres: Kaiju. A homage to the classic Japanese monsters like Godzilla and Gamera, Pacific Rim remains an action-packed sci-fi battle for the ages, boasting an incredible array of special effects. It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years.

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EXTRAS

1 Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 2 Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves 3 Shazam! Fury of the Gods 4 Creed III 5 65 6 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 7 Reservoir Dogs 8 The Maltese Falcon 9 Star Trek VIII: First Contact 10 Star Trek X: Nemesis 1 Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 2 Creed III 3 Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves 4 Cocaine Bear 5 Shazam! Fury of the Gods 6 Max Fleischer’s Superman 7 65 8 Pearl 9 Knock at the Cabin 10 Stargate the Movie: Ultimate Edition 1 Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 2 Creed III 3 Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves 4 Cocaine Bear 5 65 6 Shazam! Fury of the Gods 7 Knock at the Cabin 8 Come Out Fighting 9 Pearl 10 Magic Mike’s Last Dance

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PHIL HEYWOOD Phil Heywood is an award-winning sound mixer, foley artist, and re-recording engineer with over 50 years experience in the industry. Amongst his huge resume of credits are The Truman Show (1998), The Great Gatsby (2013), The LEGO Movie (2014), and The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003).

BLU-RAY BEST-SELLERS in JUNE 2023

effective communication. You must also have a passion for sound, and have a good imagination and listening skills to be able to navigate the complexities of the job successfully. What’s the most rewarding part of your job? The satisfaction of creating a captivating and immersive sound experience that enhances the storytelling and engages the audience fully. It’s also the combination of technical expertise, artistic expression, and the impact on storytelling that makes the role fulfilling and extremely rewarding to me - I still love it, even after 50 years.

What does your job entail? Basically what you hear in the cinema is what I do. I create the final mix and balance of all the sound elements, including dialogue, sound effects, and music to achieve the desired sonic balance and quality for the finished product. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but that’s it in a nutshell. What’s the most challenging part of your job? It can vary depending on the film and individual preferences of the director. To achieve the desired result I have to use a combination of technical expertise, creativity, problem-solving skills, and

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CINEMA FEATURE

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To live in Barbie Land, we discover, is to be a perfect being in a perfect place... unless you have a full-on existential crisis. This is what befalls Robbie’s Barbie - one of myriad Barbies, all cheerfully co-existing in Barbie paradise. And, for every bubbly Barbie, there is an enthusiastic, devoted Ken. By his own admission, Gosling had zero experience of Ken growing up. “I have to be honest,” he says when STACK catches up with the actor at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, “Up until

this point, I only knew Ken from afar. I didn't know Ken from within . And, if I’m being really honest, I doubted my ‘Ken-ergy’. I didn’t see it, but I feel like Margot and Greta [Gerwig, director] conjured this out of me somehow,” he smiles. “It was like I was living my life, and then one day I was bleaching my hair, shaving my legs and wearing bespoke neon outfits, rollerblading down Venice Beach. It just came on like a fever, really. Like a pink fever. And then I woke up one day and I was

If you think that Barbie is just a chick movie, Margot Robbie begs to differ – particularly after seeing the film’s effect on adult men, firsthand. Words Gill Pringle “Y ou’ve never seen so many grown men find excuses to come to set,” she laughs. “Like the teamsters who had no reason to be there. Everyone would NOTHING’S IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE FOR TOM CRUISE Words Glenn Cochrane T om Cruise has been a thrillseeker since childhood, and though those daredevil Part One , and Cruise recalls the moment he took fate into his own hands. just gravitate, people from other movies.” STACK thinks these rubberneckers were

probably also all popping by the candy-coloured set - located at England’s Leavesden Studios and on Los Angeles’ iconic Venice Beach - to score a peek at Robbie herself, because paired with Ryan Gosling as her Ken, this duo might just be one for the history books.

like, ‘Why is there fake tanner in my sheets? Why am I wearing jackets without shirts? What just happened?’”

Barbie is in cinemas July 20.

ways have led him to execute many stunts, they recently brought him to an on-camera moment which even he himself admits was astoundingly perilous. On September 6, 2020, Cruise drove a motorcycle off a mountain, plunging 4,000 feet into a ravine before deploying his parachute 500 feet from the ground. His director Christopher McQuarrie and some of his co-stars watched the death defying stunt via monitors on the sidelines, their hearts in

“Every time I went off the ramp, it was dangerous,” he says. “It was risking my life. And we wanted to keep that to a minimum. We have a saying on Mission: Impossible movies: ‘Don’t be safe. Be competent.’” A purpose-built ramp was constructed on the side of Norway’s Helsetkopen mountain, a sheer rockface sat 1,200 metres above sea level. The stunt is Cruise’s most dangerous to date, no mean feat considering the incredible action sequences for which

“When I was a little kid, I used to make my own jumps, building ramps to jump my bicycle over garbage cans,” Cruise says with a smile. McQuarrie - who directed the last two Mission: Impossible instalments and also wrote last year’s hit Top Gun: Maverick - has his own long and fruitful relationship with the legendary actor. “Tom and I have been working together now for 16 years, on what I think is close to a dozen films, and I like to describe our relationship as one

long conversation about movies that’s occasionally interrupted by production,” he says. “We eat, sleep, and breathe

movies all the time. We’re constantly taking all of the

knowledge that we have acquired, both separately and together, and trying to apply it to something beyond our capabilities - something beyond what we have done before.”

their throats. Cruise would pick himself up and do it again, another seven times. This was the first day of shooting on Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning

Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames are the only two actors to appear in every Mission: Impossible movie. DYK?

he’s put his life on the line throughout the series.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is in cinemas July 12.

JULY 2023

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MOVIE FEATURE

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SUPER MARIO MILESTONES!

1981 Nintendo release the Donkey Kong arcade machine in Japan. It introduced a protagonist known as “Jumpman”, Upon

Kingdom resident Toad ( Key & Peele ’s Keegan-Michael Key), and some coaching from the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach (Taylor-Joy), Mario is able to tap into his own power. “Princess Peach redefines what it means to be a princess, because she’s the master of her own fate,” explains Taylor-Joy. “She’s not weak or helpless, and she’s not a damsel in distress. She’s not looking for anyone to save her. “She’s an incredibly driven leader, she’s fearless, determined, capable, and has so much heart. She’s very concerned about the welfare of the Mushroom Kingdom - she wants everyone to be taken care of and to live peacefully. After I watched the film, I was inspired by her and thought, ‘I want to be more like her’,” she smiles. And who better to voice Mario’s legendary arch nemesis Bowser than Jack Black? “Bowser is one of the most iconic villains in the entire history of video games!” says Black gleefully, clearly stoked to bring his own chaotic energy to the character of the giant, ferocious turtle and King of the Koopas, who rules the Dark Lands. “He’s terrifying… powerful… and filled with insecurities - a great character to explore,” Black continues. “I go way back to the beginning of Nintendo video games. I loved Donkey Kong growing up in the 1980s. But it wasn’t until I had kids of my own that I saw Bowser!” he admits. US release, this little guy is renamed Mario, after Nintendo’s landlord. Shigeru Miyamoto, his creator, also calls him “Mr Video”. 1985 Nintendo release their redesigned Family Computer console outside of Japan as the Nintendo Entertainment System. It comes with a game called Super Mario Bros . It’s sold over 40 million copies. 1986 Mario goes to the movies for the first time! Anime film The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach is released in Japan. It never received an official release outside of its homeland. 1993 Mario returns to the movies, worldwide this time. The live action Super Mario Bros. stars Bob Hoskins as our moustachioed super tradie. Sadly, it’s a bit of a flop. 2023 It’s-a movie time again, as Nintendo team with animation giants Illumination for The Super Mario Bros. Movie . This one’s a good ‘un and is already amongst the top 20 highest grossing movies worldwide – ever!

When iconic global entertainment brands Illumination and Nintendo joined forces to create The Super Mario Bros. Movie , it proved to be a supercharged force of nature. Words Gill Pringle W ith an all-star voice cast including Chris Pratt ( Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy ), Anya Taylor-Joy ( The avatar. We don’t know much about him other than he’s a little Italian plumber with a moustache who says THE MARIO BROS. LEVEL UP

DYK?

The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the second

Queen’s Gambit, The Menu ), and Jack Black ( School of Rock ), Illumination’s computer animated adventure film - based on Nintendo’s Super Mario video game franchise - swept away all the competition at the box office to become the highest-grossing film of 2023 so far. Pratt has been a fan of the Super Mario games since he was a kid, and holds a special affection for their red-hatted leading man. “When I was presented with the opportunity to lend my voice to such an iconic character, it was too exciting to pass it up,” he says. “What interested me most was the opportunity to help flesh the character out beyond what we see in the games,” he continues. “In a way, the main character in the Super Mario Bros. games is whoever is behind the controller. Mario is just a brick-smashing

highest grossing animated film of all time.

‘Wahoo!’ and ‘Let’s-a go!’ - so we had to dig in and

discover the character beyond what the games have shown us: his insecurity, his ambition, his persistence.”

Like all epic adventures, The Super Mario Bros. Movie starts small - and goes big! While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers Mario and his brother Luigi (Charlie Day) are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi. With the assistance of Mushroom

• The Super Mario Bros. Movie is out on Jul 5

10 JULY 2023

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MOVIE & TV FEATURE

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• Evil Dead Rise is out Jul 19

With praise from critics and audiences alike since its theatrical

Fede Álvarez to make a sequel to his 2013 Evil Dead remake, and for series creator Sam Raimi to make a fourth instalment of the original Ash Williams saga - effectively Army of Darkness 2 . Speaking at WonderCon in 2013, series icon Bruce Campbell revealed that the strategy was to follow both of these films with a seventh

although it serves as a standalone story, it still occupies

with the AV Channel, Campbell spoke about the future of Evil Dead , revealing a roadmap for the series. "Sam is working with his brother Ivan to create an overall Bible that will give future writers and directors an idea of where this thing should go next, to potentially tie in some of these stories,” he said. “It's all about the Books. It could be a Book in the past, a Book in the future.”

the original Ash-verse. The concept within the movie of three Books of the Dead being displaced around the world is a direct link to the events of Army of Darkness , providing a gap for Ash to be shoehorned in at any time (we don’t really believe he’s retired, do we?). In a recent conversation

release, Evil Dead Rise has surpassed

expectations and is one of the most gnarly and disturbing entries in the franchise. Words Glenn Cochrane D itching the cabin-in-the woods motif that’s been integral to the series, the new film takes place in an urban setting, with the horror unfolding in a dilapidated apartment building. This terrifying story of a mother possessed by the demonic forces of the evil dead wasn’t one that the makers initially set out to tell. The original plan was for director

instalment that would bring the timelines together. Álvarez’s film

DYK?

Evil Dead Rise and Ash Vs Evil Dead were

was scrapped and Raimi’s was turned into the Ash Vs Evil Dead TV series, leaving the theatrical future of the

both filmed in New Zealand.

series in limbo. When the excellent TV series was cancelled after three seasons, Campbell announced that he was retiring Ash for good. Evil Dead Rise was born, and

• The Last of Us Season 1 is out Jul 19

This year The Last of Us achieved what very few video game adaptations have managed: critical acclaim. Words Glenn Cochrane I n fact, the series has achieved an incredible 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a consensus that it remained wonderfully faithful to the original game. Of course, as with all adaptations, various concessions and

director Neil Druckmann was writing a film adaptation, but those plans quickly fell apart. The project was shelved in favour of the Uncharted film, which was game developer Naughty Dog’s other major property. Fortuitously, Druckmann was

liberties were made, and this new show has proven to be one of the most gripping and compelling dramatic horror stories in recent years. This wasn’t always the case, however, as

The series stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, with support from John Hannah, Nick Offerman, and Melanie Lynskey, amongst others, and tells the story of a smuggler who has to transport a girl across a post apocalyptic America following a pandemic caused by a fungal infection outbreak - an infection to which the girl is mysteriously immune. Fans of The Walking Dead and the aforementioned Chernobyl will definitely need to check this one out.

introduced to director Craig Mazin - who had just created the critically acclaimed Chernobyl series for HBO - and the two agreed that

Neil Druckmann once pitched The Last of Us to The Night of the Living Dead creator George A. Romero, as a university assignment. Romero wasn’t a fan, and awarded the top prize to another project. DYK?

the format for an adaptation of The Last of Us must be television. They convinced the bigwigs at HBO to greenlight

the series was originally planned to be a feature film. Back in 2014 it was announced that the game’s original writer and creative

the project, based solely on the success of Chernobyl … and the rest is history.

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MOVIE FEATURE

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A hallmark of all Scream movies is the killer’s reveal, and the franchise has become synonymous with all manner of twists and turns before ripping away the iconic Ghostface mask. In fact the trope has become so integral to the series that most of the cast and crew are kept in the dark for most of the production. Explaining how the process works, Jasmin Savoy Brown offers her insight into the sanctity of Scream. “It depends on who you are,” she says of which characters are keepers of the secret. “For example, in the fifth film only the killers knew, and the rest of us did not. This time around the ‘Core Four’ knew,” she explains, referring to the four central characters who form a pact within the story, “and then, at a certain point, the killers knew too. Behind the scenes was really fun, and exactly like on-camera where people are trying to figure out who the killer is.”

- notably Courteney Cox, who has become the series’ matriarch. “I love Courteney,” says the greener actress, without hesitation. “She’s really fun. We didn’t really spend much time with her on the fifth film, but on this one she had us over for dinners, she was checking in on us. And actually,” she adds, with a sense of honour, “she was one of the first people I told about the person I was dating. She really had a front row seat to the beginning of that relationship. It’s really nice, because she’s been able to offer advice, and we’ve gotten close.” There are few franchises that can not only reach a sixth instalment, but have it be the highest earning of the lot. “It’s insane; I think I’m always surprised when something does well,” Savoy Brown admits with self-deprecating

Once considered to be just another entry into the teen slasher genre, Scream has proven to be one of the most enduring franchises of them all. Words Glenn Cochrane A fter a 12-year gap between the fourth and fifth instalments, the series made a triumphant return in 2022 - and now,

Scream VI has become the highest-grossing entry at the US domestic box office. While honouring the legacy of series creator, the late Wes Craven (who passed away in 2015), the film also takes the franchise to new horizons. Speaking with STACK , actress Jasmin Savoy Brown reflects on the movie’s success, attributing much of it to the New York setting. “I think going to New York gave the franchise the opportunity for a lot more intense scares,” she enthuses. “New York City has millions of people in it, so it multiplies

amusement. “But also, I’m not surprised, either. Because it’s a really great film, and so much love went into it, from top to bottom. We had the most hardworking and incredible crew.” Given her chilling role in the runaway hit TV

Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding

the chances of running into Ghostface by so much. Who could be Ghostface? Where could he be hiding? And because of that, the kills are more intense, the chase scenes are intense, and we definitely felt that. “And,” she adds, “we were really excited to

explore the character of New York.”

• Scream VI is out Jul 19

Comedian and meme sensation Tim Robinson plays the voice of Quinn’s date in the other room. DYK?

One of the movie’s most divisive aspects, the absence of Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott, is also one of its advantages. Although Campbell’s character has been integral to every

series Yellowjackets , most fans will be shocked to learn that she’s not a die-hard fan of the genre. “Not really,” she admits when asked

whether she’s a horror type of person. “I appreciate a couple of horror movies, but images stay in my head, and so I try to watch things like musicals and comedies.”

chapter of the series so far, the actress’s decision to step aside has given the story a new energy, allowing other characters to shine

14 JULY 2023

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FEATURE MOVIE

Philip Marlowe is probably cinema’s most iconic detective. Words Gill Pringle F ew fictional characters have established as long a cinematic history as the legendary private investigator. Author Raymond Chandler created the gruff, chain-smoking gumshoe in a series of short stories and novels turn in Marlowe , the first Philip Marlowe film to hit the screen in four decades. This version of Marlowe is not an adaptation of an original Chandler novel,

first published in the 1930s and, just a few years later, Marlowe hit the big screen with Time to Kill and The Falcon Takes Over , both released in 1942. But it was Humphrey Bogart’s portrayal of the hard-boiled PI in Howard Hawks’ 1946 film The Big Sleep that cemented Chandler's legacy. Paired with Lauren Bacall, the couple’s undeniable chemistry popped off the screen and, to this day, the film is considered one of the greatest American movies of all time. Various other actors including Robert Mitchum, James Garner, and Elliot Gould have embodied the PI, and today, it's Liam Neeson’s

his books,” he reveals. ”Then I started watching a lot of film noir films. I made a list and watched The Black Dahlia ,

but instead based on Benjamin Black’s 2014 novel The Black Eyed Blonde , taking place long after the original Chandler era while still appearing vintage. When STACK met up with Neeson, 71, at last year’s Zurich Film Festival, he ‘fessed up to devouring all of Chandler's books - and then some more. “I saw all the films, and read all Chandler’s Philip Marlowe novels, and then the rest of

• Marlowe is out on Jul 26

Kiss of Death, This Gun for Hire, The Naked City , and Brute Force with Burt Lancaster. I love all those films.” Neeson immediately signed on for Marlowe when his old friend and fellow countryman Neil Jordan asked him to star as the eponymous lead alongside Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Danny Huston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Alan Cumming.

Time travel and dinosaurs… Timescape: Back to the Dinosaurs is a movie that practically writes itself. Words Glenn Cochrane C oming from an animation and visual effects background, director

started in live-action, and I really wanted to get back into it,” Tsirbas begins. “I thought, ‘I’m going to write something from the heart; something I loved when I was the age of the audience this is targeted at.’ At that age, I grew up with the Amblin

“As I was writing and figuring out the mechanics of the time travel, I found out what the movie was about: trust, and this kid learning to trust the people and the universe,” says Tsirbas. “And an extension of that is two kids losing their family and trying to find them in different

Aristomenis ‘Mani’ Tsirbas previously wowed audiences with the star-studded sci-fi adventure Battle for Terra (2007). Now he returns with his first live-action movie, Timescape:

• Timescape: Back to the Dinosaurs is out on Jul 5

ways. Then I was able to [have the story] be

Aristomenis 'Mani' Tsirbas

DYK?

Back to the Dinosaurs , a story about two kids whisked through time to prehistoric Earth. Speaking with STACK , Tsirbas explains his long-held desire to transition from animation to live-action, and his inspiration for this particular story. “I’ve done a lot of animation, although I

Patricia Summersett, who plays the spaceship captain, is the voice of Princess Zelda in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

films of the ‘80s, things like E.T., Back to the Future, Explorers, Flight of the Navigator and so on.” Elaborating on the tale, the filmmaker describes the importance of the narrative and having a tangible message at its core.

driven by these characters’ wants and needs and hopes. And that’s when I knew I had a movie.”

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MOVIE FEATURE

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It's a Blu-ray boxset bonanza, with collections featuring renowned directors Walter Hill and Sidney J. Furie, and a selection of 1970s Gene Hackman flicks. Words Scott Hocking

DIRECTED BY SIDNEY J. FURIE (1970–1978) This five-disc set includes a '70s selection from the distinguished filmmaker and jack of all genres. The Lawyer (1970) sees Barry

Newman take on a murder case in the American Southwest; Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970) chronicles the misadventures of a pair of dirt bike racers (Robert Redford and Michael J. Pollard); Hit! (1973) involves a federal agent (Billy Dee Williams) declaring war on drug traffickers; black comedy Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York (1975) finds a shy girl (Jeannie Berlin) seeking happiness in the Big Apple; and The Boys in Company C (1978) follows five young Marines through boot camp and the chaos of the Vietnam War.

The Driver (1978)

FILM FOCUS: GENE HACKMAN (1970-1977) This limited hardbox edition comprises four films from the award winning actor's 1970s period.

DIRECTED BY WALTER HILL (1975–2006) Best known for movies like The Warriors (1979) and 48 Hrs (1982), as well as producing the Alien franchise, director Walter Hill's distinctive style, gritty action films, and westerns have made him one of cinema's most popular auteurs. Imprint brings five features and a TV miniseries from his extensive filmography to Blu-ray in an eight-disc limited hardbox collection. Hill's directorial debut, Hard Times (1975), stars Charles Bronson as a bare-knuckle prizefighter who joins forces with a hustler (James Coburn) during the Depression Era. His next feature was the cracking crime-thriller The Driver (1978), with Ryan O'Neal behind the wheel as a getaway driver for hire, and Bruce Dern as the cop on his tail. Hill puts his stamp on the western with The Long Riders (1980), a stylish take on the legendary exploits of the James-Younger gang, with an award-winning score by Ry Cooder. Included from his late '80s period is the violent action flick Extreme Prejudice (1987), with Nick Nolte in the plum role of a tough Texas Ranger who takes on a ruthless drug lord, and the pulp-noir thriller Johnny Handsome (1989), in which a disfigured petty criminal (Mickey Rourke) gets a new face and seeks revenge on his double-crossing accomplices. Rounding out the collection is the multi Emmy-winning mini-series Broken Trail (2006), a western epic in which a cowboy (Robert Duvall) and his nephew (Thomas Haden Church) on a cross country trek fight to protect five Chinese girls from a posse of murderous outlaws. Featuring restored 4K transfers, The Driver on both Blu-ray and 4K UHD, and a wealth of bonus content including new audio commentaries, featurettes, cast and fillmmaker interviews, this bumper box set is a must-have for Hill fans and cinephiles.

I Never Sang for My Father (1970) features an Oscar-nominated performance by Gene as a college professor attempting to break free of his domineering dad. Gene embarks on a gruelling 700-mile horse race in the western Bite the Bullet (1975), and in the neo-noir thriller The Domino Principle (1977), he plays an assassin enlisted by a shadowy organisation. Rounding out the

collection is March or Die (1977), with Gene as a Foreign Legion major assigned to protect a Moroccan archaeological dig from Bedouin tribes.

• The new Imprint range is out on July 26 for a limited time only, while stocks last.

16 JULY 2023

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PREVIEWS MOVIES & TV

MOVIES & TV SHOWS OUT THIS MONTH JULY THE POPE’S EXORCIST

SOUTH PARK: SEASON 25 It’s hard to believe that Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s outrageous animated series has been running for 25 years! And it’s lost none of its sharp satirical edge when it comes to skewering hot button social and political issues. Season 25 takes aim at the war in Ukraine, celebrity culture, and gentrification, while the town gets an education on St Patrick’s Day and Cartman enters the real estate game. Look out, too, for a brilliant gag involving Tolkien! THE GREATEST DEMON LORD IS BORN AS A TYPICAL NOBODY Based on the popular Japanese light novel of the same name (which was previously adapted into manga), this series tells the story of Varvatos, the most powerful demon lord of all time, who finds himself supremely bored with overlording and decides to hang up his proverbial sceptre for good. Reincarnating himself as an Average Joe to live amongst the people, he ultimately struggles with the fragility and weakness of humankind. BLACK LOTUS Frank Grillo ( Kingdom ) and 11-time World Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven star in this hard-hitting action thriller from the producers of Fall (2022). Telling the story of an ex-special forces operative waging a one-man war through the streets of Amsterdam in search of his friend’s kidnapped daughter, the movie is a violent caper that delivers bang-for-buck action, and will appeal to fans of Taken (2018) and The Foreigner (2017). 05/07/23 TV Anime THE BLACK DEMON The director of Rambo: Last Blood (2019) brings us a shark movie with teeth! Josh Lucas plays an oil rig safety inspector who finds himself trapped on a decrepit rig with the surviving crew of a megalodon attack. With a unique, oil-polluted underwater perspective, The Black Demon is a thrilling creature feature for fans of movies like Deep Blue Sea (1999) and The Meg (2018). 5/07/23 TV Comedy 05/07/23 Action

Teaming up with Aussie director Julius Avery ( Overlord ), Russell Crowe stars in this supernatural horror movie based on the real life experiences of Father Gabriele Amorth, official exorcist for the Vatican. Taking cues from William Friedkin’s 1973 classic The Exorcist , the film is a fright-feast of scares accompanied by a surprising amount of humour. The demonic possessions depicted are gnarly and grotesque, making it a thrilling and thoroughly compelling exploit. BEAU IS AFRAID Ditching his trademark horror for dramatic comedy, cinema auteur Ari Aster follows up his cult hits Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019) with this disturbing story of a mild mannered man who must overcome anxiety and agoraphobia in order to attend his mother’s funeral. Told as a fable, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix (with support from Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, and Parker Posey), who delivers a memorable, tour de-force performance which has to be seen to be believed. 19/07/23 Horror HYPNOTIC This film flew under the radar and failed to gain the traction it deserves. Directed by cult filmmaker Robert Rodriguez ( Sin City, From Dusk Till Dawn ) and starring Ben Affleck, Hypnotic is a mysterious and mind-bending thriller about a cop in search of his missing daughter, engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with a lethal spectre. Fans of films like Source Code (2011) and Inception (2010) will get a particular kick out of this one. FROZEN PLANET II Almost five years in the making, Frozen Planet II is bigger and more majestic than ever as Sir David Attenborough returns to narrate this compelling documentary series about Earth’s frozen wilderness. Going beyond the polar regions of its predecessor, the second series examines the greater span of the cryosphere, and is accompanied by a stunning score by Hans Zimmer with vocals from Norwegian singer songwriter AURORA. 26/07/23 Action 19/07/23 Comedy

Documentary

05/07/23

Thriller

26/07/23

NEW TO BLU-RAY ™ & DVD AT JULY 5

NEW TO DVD

JULY 5

AT

Strong crude humour, animated violence, sexual references, drug use and coarse language

Predatory animal behaviour

WHILE STOCKS LAST

© 2022 BBC Studios Ltd. Distributed under licence by BBC Studios Australia Pty

XX

WHILE STOCKS LAST

© 2023 Paramount Pictures.. All Rights Reserved.

4K UHD HIGHLIGHTS

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DISC OF THE MONTH

and this release is set to do it justice. As well as the top-line cast of Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Anthony Michael Hall, and Randy Quaid, look out for cameos from the likes of Eugene Levy, John Candy, ‘80s ‘it’ girl Christie Brinkley, Henry Gibson, and even a rather young Jane Krakowski. On the technical side, a new native 4K transfer has been created featuring HDR10, which will be accompanied by a keeping-it-real DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 2.0 soundtrack. As for extra stuff, get ready Chase, Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron, and Matty Simmons, plus a bonus standard Blu-ray edition of the movie. Out July 19 for an audio commentary with Harold Ramis, Chevy

A fixture in

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION “H oliday ro-o-o-o-o-o-o o-o-oad!” If former

so many of our childhoods, it’s hard to believe – or we don’t want to believe – that the wild comedy is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. The adventures vacation road trip – after all, getting there is half the fun - in their trusty, faux wood-panelled Family Truckster despite numerous setbacks, all in the name of getting to theme park Walley World and having fun, darn it, is now the stuff of legend,

by John Hughes and directed by Harold Ramis, is getting a whole lot of loving via a new 4K Ultra HD release, as part of the extensive Warner Bros. 100-year celebration.

Fleetwood Mac lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham’s catchy-as theme song doesn’t instantly conjure images of Chevy Chase and all sorts of holiday hell, then

of the Griswold family as they resolutely plough on through their summer

maybe you should just skip to the next section. If, however, you’re singing along in your head and fond memories of the cringetacular 1983 comedy National Lampoon’s Vacation are bouncing about your bonce, then you’ll likely be very excited to learn that this legendary comedy movie, penned

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA In the deepest reaches of space, it’s a fight to save all human life from extinction in this 1978 sci-fi adventure that launched a phenomenon. After the Cylons undertake a

EAST OF EDEN This 1955 feature film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel, directed by Elia Kazan, was James Dean’s breakout big screen performance. The emotionally charged

RAZORBACK Having made music videos for a who’s-who of early 1980s stars, director Russell Mulcahy stepped up to moviemaking with this debut, a stylish Aussie horror-tinged thriller about a vicious wild

boar terrorising a small, isolated community. With music by Icehouse’s Iva Davies, the movie’s 4K debut features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and packs bonus features including two commentary tracks, interviews, deleted scenes, and even the original 4:3 ratio VHS cut. Out July 26

devastating surprise attack on the Twelve Colonies, the Galactica remains to aid the surviving colonists on their epic journey for a new home to a far-off legendary planet - Earth. A native 4K restoration with HDR will be accompanied by DTS-HD Master Audio 2.1, recreating the movie’s original Sensurround audio process. Out July 19

drama tells the story of lonely youth Cal (Dean), who vies for the affection of his hardened father and favoured brother, Aron. East of Eden comes to 4K Ultra HD via a new, native 4K restoration featuring HDR, accompanied by a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack, and an audio commentary by film historian Richard Schickel. Out July 19

18 JULY 2023

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ISSUE 225 JUL ’23

MUSIC

ON VINYL

YOUR MONTHLY MUSIC GUIDE TO WHAT’S

IN-STORE AT

hot

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MUSIC JULY THIS MONTH:

Maisie Peters (p21)

Cable Ties (p34)

Queens of the Stone Age (p34)

WAX ON WITH THE KIDS! THE SOUNDTRACK EDITION GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: AWESOME MIX VOL. 2

BLUEY: DANCE MODE! Activity: Once you have The BeeeeeOOP Walk down pat (remember: start with your feet out like a duck, then pop them in, while spinning, and saying ‘Beeeee-OOP!’), listen for the jazzy organ solo that comes in at the one-minute mark. When you hear it, change your “BeeeeeOOP” to a new BARBIE: THE ALBUM Questions: Dua Lipa's Dance the Night Away is a disco song, a genre closely associated with dance. If you have any disco records in your collection, give them a spin. Which instruments can you hear that also feature in Dance the Night ? What parts of the music do you think are most important in disco?

It's school holidays, and that means the battle is on to limit screen time and maximise fam time! We're big believers in the power of music to facilitate quality companionship and interesting discussion, so we've put together a soundtrack edition of our vinyl-focused 'questions and activities' series. If you haven’t already, start with the basics: Show your kids how to carefully remove a record from its sleeve, and place it on the player without grubbying its surfaces. If they're old enough, get your kids comfortable with handling the stylus of your record player. Then head into our ideas for fun trivia and activities for the whole family!

Questions: The Chain is one of the few Fleetwood Mac songs that was written by all band members! You might already know that it’s

mainly sung by Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, but do you know what Stevie’s real first name is? It’s listed here in the song credits. Which other singers go by a nickname? How many singers can you think of who go by a completely different name to the one on their birth certificate?

BONUS: There’s a song on side two written by an artist who has since changed his name. Do you know who it is?

nonsense noise, which matches the way the organ solo makes you feel. Congratulations! You've just performed scatting, an improvisational jazz vocal technique!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: AWESOME MIX VOL. 1

Question: The song O-o-h Child is by Five Stairsteps, a band of five brothers from Chicago. Which other band featured on this album is comprised of brothers? Which other bands can you think of that

are made up of only brothers, sisters, or brothers and sisters?

20 JULY 2023

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