STACK #225 July 2023

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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

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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

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PRE-ORDER NOW IN DEVELOPMENT

“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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