STACK#127 May 2016

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Focus on THE RED ROAD

STACK takes a look back at what you may have missed. By Zoë Radas

Everyone’s favourite ex- Game of Thrones actor Jason Momoa plays a Native American tribesman in this well received dramatic series, which twists together themes about racial tension, modern suffering, and small tribe versus big smoke values. Momoa’s Phillip Kopus comes into conflict with the series’ other protagonist, Officer Harold Jensen (Martin Henderson), who is attempting to keep his family united after a secret incident involving his mentally precarious wife. Also keep an eye out for Momoa’s real-life wife, Lisa Bonet, who has a recurring role as a lawyer and member of the Lenape tribe.

I f there's one place Peeta Mellark doesn't belong, it's next to Pablo Escobar. And that's exactly what the casting of Josh Hutcherson next to Benicio del Toro plays off of, in the pretty gorgeous romantic thriller Escobar: Paradise Lost . Hutcherson is a starry- eyed kid who wants to run a surf camp in Colombia, but is drawn into Escobar's creepy cartel after he falls in love with the narco-terrorist's niece. Sadly, and maybe it's just me, but it's difficult not to be distracted by expecting Jennifer Lawrence to leap around a corner with bow drawn every damn second. Next to Hutcherson, Ansel Elgort is probably the next freshest cut of YA boy out there, so it makes sense that he is moving into more mature climes as well. He's in Men, Women & Children , which is a really difficult movie to describe; it's supposedly a comedy, but that's some black comedy right there. It's also about technology, control, family and adolescent courtship, too. It's some sort of reflection on the current state of things and how that state could play out in the best and worst ways for ordinary people; and it's very, very good. Joining Ansel in the ensemble cast are Jennifer Garner, JK Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kaitlyn Dever, and (don't let this put you off) Adam Sandler, as well as a bunch of relative unknowns that make this thing very convincing. We like. It's funny thinking back to when Jason Statham was just old mate Bacon from Lock, Stock ; the actor is now worth a gorillion dollars,

Escobar: Paradise Lost

is dating Rosie Huntington-Whitely, and at 47 is still shilling his special brand of mangy Bond action. Of course, we can't get enough of it so we're hooning straight for his latest entitled Wild Card . It's a little more meaningful than usual, with rad supporting turns from Sophia Vergara and our beloved Stanley Tucci. Why do horror filmmakers incessantly opt for the cabin in the woods? Because it's a tradition,

that's why, so stop asking questions – and when did you ever make a horror film anyway? The snapchat of your manager rapping from atop a trestle table doesn't count. Extraterrestrial follows a young woman who invites her boyfriend to her parents' forest cabin for a romantic getaway, but cool. Even less cool is when an alien craft ditches into the nearby woods, and the cabin guests realise they are being watched by a survivor of the crash. Spooky! Meanwhile: Steven Seagal! Sex to her consternation, boyfriend invites a pile of mates. Not very

trafficking! Drug smuggling! Powerful political ties! An ex-assassin lured out of retirement! Vinnie Jones! There isn't much else we need to say to convince you that The Mercenary: Absolution is all kinds of delicious cheese. So let us conclude this brief review with some trivia: Did you know that in 1997, the throne holder of a Tibetan monastery announced that Seagal is the reincarnation of a 17th century 'treasure revealer' monk from the oldest sect of Tibetan Buddhism, named Chungdrag Dorje? Seagal is also best buds with Vladimir Putin.

Wild Card

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