STACK #230 December 2023

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MOVIES & TV DECEMBER

Antoine Fuqua

The Equalizer 3 director cut his teeth making music videos for the likes of Coolio (1995’s Gangsta’s Paradise ) and Usher (1997’s Bedtime ), before bursting onto the Hollywood scene with the Jet Li action-thriller The Replacement Killers (1998), and the highly lauded Training Day (2001), starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. You know you’re watching an Antoine Fuqua movie when… Characters have hidden pasts Fuqua is attracted to mysterious characters, whose identities are often unknown, ambiguous or secret. The lead protagonists in films like Shooter and The Equalizer are perfect examples, with Fuqua finding interesting, alternative ways to flesh out their stories. Darkness Right from the outset, Fuqua’s films have maintained a dark atmosphere, and he often uses shadows and light to set the right tone. His films Brooklyn’s Finest (2009) and Southpaw (2015) are great examples of contrasting shades informing the drama. Stylish violence It goes without saying that Fuqua has a penchant for highly stylised violence, and the Equalizer movies, as well as Olympus Has Fallen (2013), Southpaw , and The Magnificent Seven (2016) are perfect examples of his precision craftsmanship. The new year kicks off with some unexpected new flicks. Dumb Money - the true story about the GameStop short-squeeze - leads the charge, along with the assault on the senses that is Saw X , as well as The Exorcist: Believer are all arriving in January. On The Radar

encroaching too far into the spaces of mythical Japanese raccoon dogs. It’s weird, but a great movie, and it definitely helped shape my love for the environment.

STACK’s ROVING REPORTER

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

The Princess Bride . It’s a classic. It’s very funny and has some of my favourite writing about love. Plus, Inigo Montoya is, to this day, one of the coolest swordsmen onscreen. What’s one of your all-time favourite TV series, and why? Bates Motel . It’s a prequel to and retelling of the first Psycho film, and has terrific performances from its lead actors. It’s only five seasons, and none of it feels like filler. The series finale had me thinking about it for days. What have you been watching lately that you would recommend? I watched Werewolves Within with a friend and it’s one of the weirdest, funniest movies I’ve seen. I’d describe it as Knives Out but with a werewolf instead of a killer. It’s a fun mystery with a very quirky cast.

MICHAEL CAVERZAN @ JB Northland, VIC

What’s the best thing about working at JB? I get to work with some pretty great people and have made some amazing friends at the stores that I’ve worked at. What’s a movie you saw as a child that has left a lasting impression on you? Pom Poko . It’s a film about humankind

QUIZ

Q3 This infamous Hollywood film star’s last movie apparently had the full cooperation of Fidel Castro. Title please. Q4 What sport was featured in the film The Stratton Story ? Q5 In which film did actor Dennis Price play a Duke determined to murder his whole family lineage? Q6 If crime is the disease, who is the cure? Q7 Which classic movie ends with a shootout in a hall of mirrors?

Q8 Which 1980s British pop group took their name from a 1960 American movie? Q9 Angelina Jolie and Francois Truffaut. What’s the link? Q10 What’s the odd connection between Rebecca (1940) and Edward My Son (1949)?

*not final artworks

There can be only one… or many, as is proven with the Highlander franchise. A new reboot has Henry Cavill (TV’s The Witcher ) attached to star with John Wick director Chad Stahelski directing. Production is underway, with Stahelski having revealed that the film will incorporate PRE-ORDER NOW IN DEVELOPMENT

Q1 Which film starts with Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft singing Sweet Georgia Brown in Polish? Q2 Who directed the film biography of Charlie Parker?

themes and elements of the original film and the TV series, as well as more origin story. The plot remains under wraps; it is unknown whether Cavill will be playing the iconic role of Connor MacLeod or a new character, nor whether it will follow canon or comprise a full remake.

NOVEMBER 2023 (Issue 229) ANSWERS - A1. Nickelodeon A2. Rin-Tin-Tin A3. Far and Away (1992) A4. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) A5. His role as Tom Dobb in Revolution (1985) A6. Halloween A7. Marathon Man (1976) A8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind A9. Blackboard Jungle (1955) A10. Road to Utopia (1945)

42 DECEMBER 2023

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