STACK #138 Apr 2016

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CINEMA, DVDs, GAMES &MUSIC

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ISSUE 138 APR ’16

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STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS • DARK SOULS III

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PREMIERE

John Travolta is back playing a gritty mob boss in all new Criminal Activities.

A drama about two broken people who discover a second chance at life.

RELEASE DATE: 31/3/2016 GENRE: ACTION FORMATS: DVD & BLU-RAY™

RELEASE DATE: 31/3/2016 GENRE: DRAMA FORMATS: DVD & BLU-RAY™

BILL MURRAY leads an all-star cast in this hilarious story of a burnt out music manager who believes he’s found the next singing sensation.

Starring COLIN FARRELL - Single people have 45 days to find a partner or are transformed into an animal of their choice.

A horror comedy where zombies, vampires and humans must team up to save the planet.

RELEASE DATE: 28/4/2016 GENRE: DRAMA FORMATS: DVD

RELEASE DATE: 21/4/2016 GENRE: COMEDY FORMATS: DVD & BLU-RAY™

RELEASE DATE: 31/3/2016 GENRE: COMEDY FORMATS: DVD & BLU-RAY™

AT HOME

Reboot of Eli Roth’s iconic horror - now gorier than ever before!

A story about fate, love, coming-of-age, and life in a small-town. Starring ANTON YELCHIN and ZOOEY DESCHANEL.

RELEASE DATE: 28/4/2016 GENRE: DRAMA FORMATS: DVD

RELEASE DATE: 28/4/2016 GENRE: HORROR FORMATS: DVD & BLU-RAY™

Jude (ASA BUTTERFIELD) is a teenage boy who is trying to reconnect with his father Les (ETHAN HAWKE) in 1987 Manhattan.

Powerful and inspiring tale about friendship, fatherhood and faith.

A chilling, edge-of-your-seat thriller about the dark side of power.

RELEASE DATE: 28/4/2016 GENRE: THRILLER FORMATS: DVD

RELEASE DATE: 21/4/2016 GENRE: DRAMA FORMATS: DVD

RELEASE DATE: 28/4/2016 GENRE: DRAMA FORMATS: DVD

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Contributors

Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Film & DVD Editor Scott Hocking Music Editor Zoë Radas JuniorWriter Alesha Kolbe Creative Director Justin Buxton DVD Consultant Michelle Black Games Consultant Andre Eivik

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Issue 138 APRIL 2016

WELCOME Hollywood has long enjoyed a fascination with pugilism. Boxing movies, with their inevitable theme of the underdog, who in the face of adversity rises to the challenge and beats the odds, have always resonated with audiences. The inherent issues of family dysfunction and the battle for redemption can be found in one the first major Hollywood films based around boxing. The Champ (1931) features aging alcoholic boxer Andy ”Champ” Purcell (Wallace Beery), who fights not only to stay relevant in the ring, but for the custody of his son. Gentleman Jim (1942), Fat City (1972), Raging Bull (1980), The Hurricane (1999) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) and also excellent examples, but none have had the stamina to remain in the ring as long as Rocky Balboa. After six films and an apparent conclusion, the franchise is reborn in the son of Rocky’s rival Apollo Creed. Creed nimbly sidesteps the clichés involved in a “son-of” spin-off, while duly celebrating the tropes of the genre in a fashion that reminds us what we loved about the early Rocky films. Stallone’s Oscar nomination this year may have been a popular nod, but there’s no denying that Rocky Balboa is part of the actor’s heart and soul. Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

Music Consultants Mike Glynn, Fleur Parker Chief Contributors Bob Jones , Amy Flower

Contributors John Ferguson, Graham Reid, Mark Ankucic, Vaatividya, Michael Dwyer, Jeff Jenkins, Emily Kelly, Simon Lukic, Chris Murray, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Gill Pringle, Ryan Huff, John Roebuck Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Photographer Chip Mooney Production Manager Craig Patterson Accounts Coordinator Tracy Kingman

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Issue 138 APRIL 2016

YOUR ESSENTIALGUIDE TOMUSIC,CINEMA,DVDs&GAMES

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YOUR ESSENTIALGUIDE TOCINEMA,DVDs,GAMES&MUSIC

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ISSUE138 APR '16

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MUSIC

ISSUE 138 APR ’16

BATMANVSUPERMAN:DAWNOFJUSTICE EDDIETHEEAGLE • 10CLOVERFIELD LANE

PRIMAL SCREAM • VIOLENT SOHO • BIRDY

INSIDE

STARWARS: THE FORCEAWAKENS • DARK SOULS III

STARWARS:THEFORCEAWAKENS THE5thWAVE • SNOOPYANDCHARLIEBROWN:THEPEANUTSMOVIE

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M U S I C e N e w s l e t t e r FREE foryour

Extras Pg 10–14

Cinema Pg 16–22

DVD & BD Pg 26–48

Games Pg 49–66

Music From back Pg 1–20

Pg 10–14 NEWS The 88th Oscars was certainly a night to remember, and the big winners are coming to DVD and Blu-ray. Plus, if you’ve been thinking about drones, now’s a great time to check out the range of affordable models at JB. And it’s that time of year again! Get excited as we preview the major pop culture expo events.

Pg 16-17 INTERVIEW Hot on the heels of her

Pg 26 CREED The spiritual sequel to the Rocky franchise carries high expectations, and director Ryan Coogler found a powerful ally in Sylvester Stallone. Pg 28-29 STAR WARS With Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming to Blu-ray, we take a look at what you can expect on the disc. Pg 30 SNOOPY AND CHARLIE BROWN: THE PEANUTS MOVIE Blue Sky’s Steve Martino faced pressure from family and friends not to “screw up” Charles M. Schulz’s beloved comic strip on the screen. Pg 32 THE 5th WAVE Chloë Grace Moretz faces her greatest challenge in her most “human” role yet. Pg 38-46 REVIEWS Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Creed, In the Heart of the Sea, The 5th Wave, Daddy’s Home, The Lobster and more.

Pg 50-51 dark souls iii Our extensive hands-on and check- in with YouTuber Vaatividya. Pg 52 uncharted STACK revisits the series so far. Pg 54-55 star fox zero The legendary Shigeru Miyamoto talks Star Fox Zero . Pg 56-58 quantum break We chat with Remedy about their new IP, Quantum Break. Pg 60 Dirt rally DiRT Rally hits new-gen consoles, and we spoke with Codemasters about bringing it to life. Pg 62 GAME CHANGER Space Invaders , part two. Pg 64 in control STACK road tests the Elite Xbox One controller. Pg 66 previews What’s in-store this month.

Pg 3-6 INTERVIEWS + NEWS We spoke to Luke Boerdam (Violent Soho), Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Birdy, Courtney Taylor-Taylor (The Dandy Warhols) and more. Pg 8 ED’S JAMS King Gizzard have released another psychosonic safari, plus Parquet Courts and Summer Flake make the cut. Pg 12-13 HILLTOP HOODS The enduring hip hop trio have worked for months on their Restrung tour; MC Pressure gives us the lowdown. Pg 16–20 Music Reviews The Last Shadow Puppets and The Dandy Warhols lead our reviews section, which also includes belters from Violent Soho, Pity Sex, The Goon Sax, Halfway, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, Tonight Alive, Elliphant and Babymetal.

formidable performance in Mad Max: Fury Road , Charlize Theron is set to cast a spell once again in The Huntsman: Winter’s War . Pg 18 CINEMA BUZZ He was a superspy in training in Kingsman: The Secret Service , now Taron Egerton hits the slopes as British sporting hero Eddie the Eagle . Pg 20–22 CINEMA REVIEWS Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Eddie the Eagle, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, Kung Fu Panda 3

Pg 70 COMPETITIONS A great bunch of prizes up

for grabs including Netgear’s groundbreaking Arlo 2 security camera, a Quantum Break XBox Bundle, and much more.

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FLIGHT CONTROL

Spotlight

OSCAR WINNERS GET A MAY DATE T he 88th Annual Academy Awards were preceded by much hype, 2020. Taken alone this pledge may sound impressive, but when the LA Times reports that black Americans account for

Bebop 2

D rones have become

ubiquitous these days, and chances are if you like

of nights itself. "Man, I counted at least 15 black people on that monitor. I’m here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the White People’s Choice Awards." And no subject was taboo: "This year, in the In Memoriam package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies," Rock ranted. All this has not gone unnoticed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organisation behind the Oscars. Its board of governors are keen to be seen doing something and have committed to doubling the number of women and minorities in the Academy by

tech, you’ve probably thought about owning one. Why, you might ask? Well, beyond the hard to control el cheapo Christmas present that you ended up losing over the fence on Boxing Day, there are a number of applications for which a drone proves invaluable. The first of course is pleasure, and the excitement of launching a drone skyward and sending it just about anywhere you want to. Photographers are finding that learning how to fly a drone is giving them the edge over the

over Leonardo DiCaprio's fourth Best Actor nomination, this time for The Revenant . However, in the long term this year's Oscars will be remembered for the #OscarsSoWhite backlash. Though Will Smith may have felt jilted over Concussion , it's the omission of Ryan Coogler for Best Director, and Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor in Creed that is most glaring. Remarkably, host Chris Rock was the right man at the right time to deliver a withering and furiously funny summary on the state of events – on the night

only 2 per cent of the Academy, doubling the number is still not a significant representation of an organisation that on current count is 94 per cent white, as well as 77 per cent male. That being said, the nominated films didn't shy away from some powerful and provocative subjects, notably Best Picture winner Spotlight and its exposé on the Catholic church; The Danish Girl with its transgender theme; and Room, in which Best Actress winner Brie Larson readjusts to life following years in captivity.

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Xiro Xplorer

MAY 4: SPOTLIGHT WINNER OF 2 OSCARS: BEST MOTION PICTURE OFTHEYEAR, BESTWRITING, ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY The true story of the groundbreaking Boston Globe investigation into the Catholic church, with reverberations still being felt the world over. MAY 25: THE HATEFUL EIGHT WINNER FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Quentin Tarantino's eighth movie is his best (and bloodiest) film since Kill Bill. Vol. 1 , and his inspired decision to engage legendary composer Ennio Morricone has paid off, with the maestro receiving his first Oscar for Original Score.

MAY 18: THE REVENANT WINNER OF 3 OSCARS: BEST ACTOR,

competition in being able to shoot weddings from above, or providing prospective house sellers with an aerial shot of their property. And at the higher end, while these tend to be purpose-built units, drone racing is growing in popularity. Prices differ depending on what you want to use it for, but if you’re fascinated with drones and are looking to get into the market, or indeed upgrading, JB Hi-Fi are running an extensive drone sale in April. You can pick up a Bebop 2 with flight controller for $1299, a Xiro Xplorer with GoPro Gimball and backpack for $1199, or the Drone Delta – also complete with GoPro Gimball – for just $799.

BEST DIRECTING, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Leonardo's Oscar triumph is certain to be a sumptuous High- Def experience with its Oscar-winning Cinematography – the third Academy Award for DOP Emmanuel Lubezki, a longtime collaborator with director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who also picked up his second gold statuette in as many years. MAY 26: THE DANISH GIRL WINNER FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Based on actual events, The Danish Girl is a love story which happens to involve one of the first cases of gender reassignment surgery. Alicia Vikander picked up the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance as the wife of transgender trailblazer Eddie Redmayne.

JUNE 1: ROOM WINNER FOR BEST ACTRESS Slipping in on the 1st of June is Room , which features Best

OUT NOW: Other Oscar winners you can check out on DVD and Blu-ray right now include Bridge of Spies , which features Best Supporting Actor winner Mark Rylance; Inside Out , winner for Best Animated Feature Film; and the chilling sci-fi thriller Ex Machina , which won Best Visual Effects. And of course, don't forget the triumph of local hero George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road , which received a record-breaking swag of six Oscars including Film Editing, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Production Design.

Actress Brie Larson in a harrowing performance as a mother trying to bring up a young child while isolated from the rest of the world.

Drone Delta with Go Pro Gimbal

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THE ULTIMATE TRIP

Scoring a coveted badge to attend San Diego Comic-Con is one of fandom's greatest challenges.The 2016 event may have already sold out, but 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and JB Hi-Fi can get you there...

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment are offering JB shoppers the opportunity of a lifetime; attending San Diego Comic-Con 2016, including the preview night, from July 20–24. You can even take a friend. Getting to the biggest pop culture expo on the planet is as easy as purchasing any specially stickered 'Win a Trip to Comic- Con' Fox title on DVD and Blu-ray from a JB Hi-Fi store between April 4 and May 8, and entering online for your chance to win. The prize includes two (2) x return economy airfares from the winner’s nearest Australian

a TV or film personality may also be possible (to be determined by Fox in its absolute discretion), but cannot be confirmed at the time of writing. It's an incredible prize – just ask last year's lucky winner Kade Pepper, which we did. Kade and his mate George were whisked off for five days of Comic-Con madness at the San Diego Convention Centre after Kade purchased a stickered copy of Family Guy: Season One from JB Hi-Fi in Morayfield QLD, and entered the online comp. "As an event, it's just mind blowing," Kade recalls. "George and I had a great time – the week flew by. "The crowds were insane and the lines for everything, from getting into the

But the event isn't just about the panels, the merchandise, and the cosplayers. As the name suggests, Comic-Con is also all about the comics and the talented artists that create them. As a comic book buff, Kade was particularly appreciative of the unlimited range of comics available that you never see in local stores, and considers this one of the highlights of the event. "Being one inch away from an Action Comics #1 is something you just can't do in Australia," he exclaims. Another highlight was the opportunity to meet one of his idols, artist Todd McFarlane. "He is my favourite Spiderman artist and the founder of Image Comics. The generosity of artists giving their time to meet fans is great," says Kade. So in hindsight, how

turned there was something cool to look at." You too could share a similar experience – getting there is as easy as buying a selected Fox DVD or Blu-ray from JB, so make sure you stock up on all your favourite 20th Century Fox film and TV titles branded with the 'Win a Trip to Comic-Con' sticker. Good luck – and we'll see you there.

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capital city to San Diego; five (5) nights twin-share accommodation; two (2)

x four-day/preview night passes to San Diego Comic-Con

This Could Be You! Last year's winner Kade Pepper meetsTodd McFarlane (below left), and his mate George with comic book writer Scott Snyder (right).

convention centre to getting food, is crazy," he adds. Undeterred, Kade

2016; plus transfers between the airport and hotel at the start and end of the stay. And if that wasn't enough, there's $500 spending money, a $360 cab allowance to travel to and from Comic- Con, and one (1) x Cosplay costume shop gift voucher to the value of US$120. A meet-and-greet with

would he describe the San Diego Comic-Con experience? "Its an exhausting

and George joined the masses for the ultimate

celebration of geekdom. "We caught the Family Guy and Simpsons panels, which were great in putting faces to the voice actors," he says.

five days and we found ourselves running on adrenaline with minimal sleep, but it's well worth it. Every corner we

12

APRIL 2016

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A TRIP TO 2016 COMIC-CON ® ! PURCHASE THEN ENTER ONLINE AT WWW.JBHIFI.COM.AU/COMIC-CON FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN WIN PRODUCT MUST BE BOUGHT BETWEEN APRIL 4 - MAY 8, 2016

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*PURCHASE SPECIALLY MARKED PRODUCTS THEN ENTER ONLINE AT WWW.JBHIFI.COM.AU/COMIC-CON. CONDITIONS APPLY, SEE WEBSITE. STARTS 4/04/16 & ENDS 11:59PM AEST 8/05/16. AUST. RESIDENTS 18+ ONLY. RETAIN RECEIPTS & BARCODES. TRIP MUST BE TAKEN WITHIN NOMINATED PERIOD. © 2016 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COMIC-CON AND THE COMIC-CON LOGO ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION. © 2016 METRO-GOLDWYN MAYER STUDIOS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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EXPO EXPLOSION

TEXT CRITIC

A pril is a great time for fan conventions and cosplayers, with two of Australia's biggest pop culture expos hitting Perth, Adelaide, the Gold Coast and Melbourne this month.

with Game of Thrones villain Joffrey Baratheon, aka Jack Gleeson, joining Arrow and The Hobbit star Manu Bennett, Torchwood 's Burn Gorman, Adrianne Palicki from Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Attack on Titan voice actor Bryce Papenbrook (see our interview on page 48). Supanova will hit Sydney and Perth in June, and Brisbane and Adelaide in November. For further guests and event info, visit supanova.com.au. Watch out for interviews with special guests from Oz Comic-Con and Supanova on stack.net.au during April.

Oz Comic-Con will be at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on April 2–3, and the Adelaide Showgrounds on April 9–10. Special guests confirmed for both cities include the irrepressible Lucy Lawless, whose CV keeps getting bigger and better with cult favourites like Xena, Battlestar Galactica, Spartacus and Ash vs. Evil Dead ; Supernatural's Jim Beaver; and Kiwi actor Karl Urban, aka Judge Dredd and Star Trek 's Dr. 'Bones' McCoy. Oz Comic-Con will head to Melbourne in June and Sydney

and Brisbane in September. For further guests and event info, visit ozcomiccon.com. If you're on the Gold Coast and in Melbourne, Supanova will be your destination on April 8–10 and April 15–17, respectively. Supanova's guest line-up includes some big names,

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SHOW US YOUR STACKs

W anted: more readers like Paul Brown, whose longtime dedication to the excellent publication you hold in your hands has seen him amass an impressive collection over the years. "I think I have an almost complete set. I do have Issue 2 which was only 12 pages," he says. A film buff, gamer and music lover, Paul finds STACK an invaluable guide "to see what is being released on all formats", and picks up the mag each month from the JB Galaries Victoria store in Sydney. We love it that STACK is collectible, so if you have a complete set you want to show off, email us at editor@ stack.net.au

Margaret Pomeranz NEW ON DVD 13 TH APRIL Available at

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CINEMA INTERVIEW

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CINEMA

CHARLIZE THERON

ICE QUEEN

from DESERT ROSE to

APRIL 2016

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INTERVIEW CINEMA

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Huntsman:Winter'sWar

Hot on the heels of her formidable performance in Mad Max: Fury Road, CharlizeTheron dazzles once again as a fairy tale sorceress in The Huntsman:Winter'sWar.

C harlize Theron is one of those actresses who likes to surprise us. With a string of diverse roles over her 20-year career, the Academy Award and Golden Globe winner is known for her obsessive nature in really trying to become the characters she plays. Having dropped jaws as the tough and

CINEMA

She is so gorgeous in fact, it’s easy to forget that last August, Theron celebrated her 40th birthday. Some actors might shy away from the subject of ageing, but in her typically ballsy manner, Theron tackles the subject head on. “Women find their strength and power in their sexuality and sensuality through getting older and being secure within that,” she says. “It’s ironic that we’ve built the beauty world around 20-year-olds, when they have no concept about wisdom or what life is about. Women need to grow into their skin and feel confident within themselves. And I think that’s such a beautiful thing.” That confidence carries over to Theron’s private life, where she’s clear about what she expects from her relationships. “I’ve never tried to appear less forceful or be less assertive in order to make a man feel more secure or feel better,” she says. “I have always dreamed big and wanted to make the best of my life. I never wanted to compromise, otherwise I would not be happy.” Currently single following her break-up with actor Sean Penn, a relationship that fizzled out after a year and a half despite what appeared to be great chemistry, Theron says she’s happy going solo. But would-be suitors would do well to heed her advice: “I’ve always wanted a man who

determined Imperator Furiosa in last year’s Mad Max: Fury Road , almost unrecognisable with her head shaved and only one arm, for her next role she’s equally as feisty but somewhat more glamorous, as she reprises her part as the wicked Queen Ravenna in The Huntsman: Winter’s War . The film is both a prequel

and a sequel to 2012's Snow White and the Huntsman , giving Theron another chance to play the gloriously cruel and scheming sorceress. “I’m so happy to be part of these films that have extended and reinterpreted the original fairy tale, which is such an iconic story,” explains the South African-born star. “From the beginning I loved the idea of approaching an epic and classic tale and standing it on its head a bit and exploring many different themes to that world.” With her hair the most platinum Women find their strength and power in their sexuality and sensuality through getting older and being secure within that

recognises my dreams and goals and appreciates all those aspects of my character and is confident enough in his own self not to feel threatened by that.”

of blondes and draped in gold, Theron’s look in Winter’s War is reminiscent of her stunning Dior J’adore perfume commercials.

• The Huntsman: Winter's War is in cinemas on Apr 7

17

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WHO'S THE BOSS?

WHERE EAGLE DARES Taron Egerton embraces his inner nerd to play Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards, the real-life underdog sporting hero who captivated the world at the 1988Winter Olympics. By Gill Pringle

A s a fledgling improv

comedy performer, Melissa McCarthy created a

red-haired, overly made-up character named Michelle Darnell whom she described as a “megalomaniac narcissist”. Unable to shake off her creation, 15 years later, Darnell takes centre stage in McCarthy’s latest comedy, The Boss . A colourful financial guru who fills

"T hat’s what being chubby with glasses will do for you!” laughs Welsh actor Taron Egerton, brushing off the fact he’s practically unrecognisable in his latest film, Eddie the Eagle . As a slick novice spy in the 2014 box office hit Kingsman: The Secret Service , Egerton achieved overnight fame and millions of adoring fans. Uncomfortable with his pin-up status, he happily adopted a jutting chin, bottle-glass specs and geeky persona for his role as Britain’s unlikely ski jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, who captivated the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics. “Nerdy people are likeable,” Egerton, 26, insists when STACK meets with him in Los Angeles. “It was always going to be a tightrope walk, making Eddie relatable and human and three-dimensional.” But the ice quickly melted after meeting with the real Edwards, “I just tried to imbibe and absorb a little bit of who he is. He’s a very different guy now. He looks nowhere near as

“Hugh is such an incredibly life-affirming, positive, enthusiastic person. He’s addictive to be around because he’s so wholly positive,” he says. “Hugh is a sickeningly good skier! How irritating is it, how good Hugh Jackman is at everything!? Absolutely everything!” Prior to shooting Eddie the Eagle on location in Germany, Egerton had never skied in his life. “I came out a couple of weeks earlier and tried to learn to ski and fell over an awful lot,” he admits. “It was really fun and then I ended up on a red slope, which was a source of pride for me. But when we started shooting, an email came through saying how nobody’s allowed to ski – at all – for fear we might injure ourselves. “For sure, I won’t be doing the 90 meter jump in this lifetime. You have to do it every day from the age of four just for it to be safe. It’s why Eddie kept hurting himself.” Eddie the Eagle is in cinemas on April 21

CINEMA

stadiums with her admirers, The Boss

sees Darnell shamed and sent to prison for

insider trading, and forced to rebuild her image with the help of her one-time assistant, Kristen Bell. As mistress of her own comedy empire, McCarthy squirms at female stereotypes, “I think a confident woman who knows what she wants and asks for it is labeled as pushy or aggressive, but when a man does it, he’s considered to be really good at his job,” she argues. If her Darnell alter-ego is easy to laugh at, then McCarthy turns serious when STACK meets with her. “I think it’s good to know that, at the end of the day, you’re in charge of your own behaviour. Do you excel? Do you try hard? Do you work as hard as you can? I like the concept that you can adjust your ‘You’re in charge of your destiny’, attitude.” Gill Pringle

characterful as he did back in the late '80s. But it was lovely to hear him talk about ski jumping because his passion for it is totally infectious and that was the whole key.” As much as Egerton wanted to please

Edwards, his real mentor – both on and off screen – was Hugh Jackman, portraying a fictitious, hard- drinking former ski jumper who reluctantly takes Eddie under his wing.

The Boss is in cinemas on April 14

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ALSO SCREENING IN APRIL

Spider-Man's inclusion in Civil War is a game changer that will alter the future landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The new Captain America film is no longer just another solo outing for Chris Evans's patriotic Avenger, with a few special guests to assist – it's now an Avengers -sized behemoth with Ant-Man, Iron Man and Spidey in the mix. Choose your team before April 28 . CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

RELEASED: March 24 DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder CAST: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill,

Amy Adams RATING: M

Clash of the DC titans.

Z ack Snyder isn't known for his subtlety, but you can almost believe he's changed tack during the first half of this much anticipated clash of the DC titans. The set-up is measured, striving for the gravitas of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies and reintroducing the Gotham crusader (how many times have we seen Bruce Wayne's parents killed now?) who intersects with the Man of Steel's world. But then Snyder remembers he's the guy who made Sucker Punch , and it's time to unleash some CGI chaos to liven things up. So how do these superhero icons wind up at each other's throats? The collapse of Wayne Towers during General Zod's attack on Metropolis has something to do with it. So too the plans of one Alexander Luthor (another twitchy performance from Jesse Eisenberg, in bratty schoolboy mode), who's determined to stir up some anti-Superman sentiment by framing the Man of Steel for an explosive attack on the Capitol. Things get progressively muddled as the screenplay tries to shoehorn Wonder Woman and Doomsday into an already busy narrative, and a couple of surreal dream sequences don't help coherency. Characters disappear and reappear without any explanation, sub-plots are left dangling, and a major contrivance at a crucial moment is jaw-dropping in the wrong way. Perhaps a DVD director's cut will fill in the gaps? The bat-lash surrounding Ben Affleck's casting isn't really warranted, even if he is a little bland as Batman. It's Jesse Eisenberg

who is miscast – someone forgot to tell him he's playing Lex Luthor and not the Joker. Fans of the comics will see some of the major plot twists and surprises coming, and also spot a couple of nods to the upcoming Justice League . Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a dour and joyless experience. With this and the incoming Suicide Squad , DC appear determined to position themselves as the dark side to Marvel's light. Scott Hocking

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The first part in the grand finale of this YA series sees Tris and her fellow Divergents venturing beyond ruined Chicago into what appears to be a sci-fi utopia run by Jeff Daniels. Jump the wall on April 7. THE DIVERGENT SERIES: ALLEGIANT

FURTHER VIEWING: Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises

No Snow White this time, but Charlize Theron is back as the ice queen along with Chris Hemsworth, in a sequel that adds Jessica Chastain and Emily Blunt. Looks better than the first one. April 7 . THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR

John Favreau's live-action (with CGI animals voiced by an all-star cast) version of the Disney animated favourite thankfully keeps The Bare Necessities – i.e. the song. Welcome to the jungle on April 7 . THE JUNGLE BOOK

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YOURS ON BLU-RAY ™ & DVD APRIL 21 AT

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10 CLOVERFIELD LANE

EDDIE THE EAGLE

In 2008, an enigmatic trailer for a film called Cloverfield teased us with the Statue of Liberty’s head being lobbed into a Manhattan street by something big and angry. Eight years later 10 Cloverfield Lane arrives under a similar cloak of secrecy, and despite the title, it's not a sequel, nor a found footage film. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is rescued from a car wreck and awakens chained to a bed in an underground bunker by John Goodman. So this is a captivity thriller, right? Not so fast. Claiming to have saved her from a mysterious “attack” that has rendered the outside world uninhabitable, Goodman gradually appears to be more benefactor than captor, despite his creepy demeanour. His story is backed up by bunker-mate John Gallagher Jr., and glimpses of the outside world further support the possibility there’s something seriously wrong beyond the confines of their shelter. That's when this claustrophobic three-hander begins to seriously mess with its audience. Is the oafish Goodman a delusional psychopath playing his own twisted game, and the real monster of this particular visit to Cloverfield? Or is there something worse waiting outside? That’s for you to discover. It’s impossible to look away from this cleverly constructed and incredibly tense little nail-biter, which conceals its central mystery until the final act. There are clues aplenty, but the biggest one lies in the title. Scott Hocking RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Dan Trachtenberg CAST: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr. RATING: M

RELEASED: April 21 DIRECTOR: Dexter Fletcher CAST: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Tom Costello Jr. RATING: PG

It’s impossible not to fall in love with the utterly delightful Michael ‘Eddie’ Edwards (Taron Egerton), as we witness his childhood obsession with becoming an Olympic champion against the odds. Equipped with leg braces and chunky ‘national health’ glasses, he’s a failure in every sport he attempts. When a little older and wiser, he ditches his Olympic dream for a new and more achievable goal – the Winter Olympics. But all seems lost when Eddie is dropped from the British ski team. However, defeat and loss only increases his determination, and he signs up to become the most successful ski jumper in the country. He’s also the only ski jumper in the country. Committed to competing for Britain, he enlists the help of coach Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), a grumpy, alcoholic ex-jumper. No amount of hospital trips or stuck-up officials can hold him back, and Eddie the Eagle soars to become a national hero in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, even though he comes last – twice. Based on true events, this is an inspirational and heartwarming underdog-makes-good tale, and Egerton is terrific in the lead role. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry. You may even consider taking up ski jumping. Sally Carlier-Hull

MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2

KUNG FU PANDA 3

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RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

It’s been nearly fifteen years since My Big Fat Greek Wedding . That film started as a one-woman show, written and performed by Nia Vardalos. Fate intervened, and one night, Rita Wilson (Tom Hanks’s wife) was in the audience. She liked what she saw and convinced her husband to help Vardalos turn her show into a film. On a budget of five million dollars, My Big Fat Greek Wedding ended up making over US$350 million. It’s one of the most profitable movies of all time, so a sequel was, perhaps, inevitable – that’s how Hollywood works nowadays. Since Toula (Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) were married in the first film, the titular wedding this time is that of Toula’s parents, Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan), who discover an error in the marriage certificate and decide to rectify the situation. Almost all of the original cast returns, many of whom are remarkably untouched by age. There’s a target audience for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, and that’s Greeks. People with any insight into Greek domestic culture may also benefit from the film’s jokes, almost all of which are geared solely toward that specific target audience. Anyone else may be left wondering what all the fuss is about. John Roebuck RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Kirk Jones CAST: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine RATING: PG

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh CAST: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman RATING: PG

Everybody was kung fu fighting – except they were all pandas, and the kicks weren’t fast as lightning. Kung Fu Panda was released back in 2008, which means that the ten-year-old kids who loved Jack Black’s martial arts moves as panda Po have since moved on to Deadpool . Therefore youngsters will have to start from scratch prior to checking out this third instalment in the franchise, which pits Po and the Furious Five against Kai (J.K. Simmons), a supernatural villain intent on capturing the Chi of all the kung fu masters in the land – and he’s coming for the Dragon Warrior next. If this wasn’t enough emotional turmoil for Po to, um, bear, he’s also reunited with his long lost dad, Li (Bryan Cranston), and returned to the village of his kind where he will be taught to master his Chi in order to defeat the enemy. It’s all beautifully animated and it's fun to hear Simmons and Cranston in their animated roles, but the jokes are becoming a little thread-bear by round three. It's time to hang up the black belt, and by all reports KFP3 is the final chapter. But that, of course, is entirely dependent upon the level of pandamonium it raises at the box office. Alesha Kolbe

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S E E W H E R E I T A L L B E G A N TAKE HOME THE DIVERGENT SERIES ON BLU-RAY & DVD TM

AVAILABLE NOW AT

EXTRAS

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Major Dundee (1965) Directed by Sam Peckinpah SettingUp the Production Part 2:

A fter producer Jerry Bresler had privately run the film Ride the High Country for actor Charlton Heston, they both agreed that its director, Sam Peckinpah, should be hired to helm their new joint project. Bresler had previously managed to interest Heston in a somewhat sketchy, 40-page treatment written by Harry Julian Fink titled And Then Came the Tiger (Fink would later write the Dirty Harry screenplay).  Fink’s story takes place in the remote New Mexico Territory during the last year of the American civil war. The main protagonist, Amos Dundee, a Federal officer relegated to command a prisoner of war camp, sets out to subdue a band of renegade Apaches who have massacred a detachment of his troopers, a family of settlers, and abducted the settlers' three young male children. To enable him to undertake this independent expedition, Dundee must supplement his meagre federal force with civilian

Moreover, Hollywood had used the theme of civil war Southerners and Northerners being forced by circumstance to fight together as a unit against marauding Indians in several earlier movies. Two Flags West (1950), Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) and Revolt at Fort Laramie (1957) all had similar storylines to Bresler and Heston’s proposed project. However, none of them had been treated as a blockbuster production with a $4.5 million budget. Bresler had every intention of making this a big three-hour roadshow movie, and when he sent the story and offer to Peckinpah, he received an immediate acceptance from the director. With his leading man and director eager to start as soon as possible, Bresler convened a meeting where the three men discussed the key elements of the story and interface of the main characters. Peckinpah saw Amos Dundee as a Custer-type glory hunter driven by selfish ambition to right a military mistake he had made at the Battle of Gettysburg, which led

volunteers and a motley crew of paroled Confederate prisoners. The vengeful Dundee leads his undermanned company across the Rio Grande into Mexico which is embroiled in a

to him being relegated to the position of a prison warden. He also tabled a suggestion that the second-in-command, Confederate Captain Benjamin Tyreen, be portrayed as Dundee’s alter ego, together with a back story of the history between them. As a former West Point classmate and friend of Dundee, Tyreen had been cashiered out of the Union army for killing a fellow officer in a duel, and Dundee had cast the deciding vote at the court martial. This would add extra tension to their already polarised relationship. Heston saw great potential in these scenarios, which would allow him to portray a darker side to the flawed and neurotic Dundee character.

Charlton Heston as Amos Dundee Producer Jerry Bresler

regiment of French lancers.   The story is partially based on historical fact; during the American

revolution. The Juaristas are battling thousands of French troops who have occupied their country in support of the puppet emperor, Maximilian. The French consider Dundee’s incursion a violation of international law and prepare to do battle with the American invaders. Dundee’s rag-tag command must not only fight the Apache, but also take on a whole

civil war many Southern prisoners volunteered for duty fighting off Indian raids on the Western frontier rather than face the squalid conditions of a Federal prison camp. These Confederates became known to history as “Galvanised Yankees”.

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EXTRAS

Discussions now continued apace on the cast’s secondary leads. Heston had originally proposed Anthony Quinn for the role of Ben Tyreen and Peckinpah had wanted Lee Marvin to play Dundee’s one-armed scout Sam Potts. However, when both actors turned down the roles they were then offered to Richard Harris and James Coburn, respectively. Australian actor Michael Pate, who had carved a career out of playing numerous Native Americans onscreen, was cast as the renegade Apache chief Sierra Charriba. Before they could allocate other actors to the numerous supporting roles, it was imperative that the scant story be developed into a workable Without Charlton Heston as the lead, producer Jerry Bresler knew he would lose the financing for his movie... screenplay. Peckinpah agreed to supervise Harry Fink, who had been hired by Bresler to write a first-draft script of his original story. After ensuring that Fink knew to incorporate all the ideas that had been discussed at the conference, Peckinpah took off for Durango in Mexico to scout suitable locations for the movie. When he returned some weeks later, Fink sent him a batch of screenplay pages he had written that covered the first third of the film. As he read through the script, Peckinpah grew aghast at Fink’s overly convoluted plot, which meandered all over the place, and dialogue so peppered with profanity, it would never get past the censor. Fink had also not elevated the Tyreen character to full co-star status, as Peckinpah had ordered. In Fink’s version, Tyreen is practically relegated to being no more than a mere onlooker to the whole saga. A furious Peckinpah wrote to Fink and copied Charlton Heston had become known worldwide for playing a host of historic and biblical-type film characters such as Moses, Judah Ben-Hur, El Cid Rodrigo de Vivar, and John the Baptist. Subsequently, the chance to play the ambitiously obsessed Major Dundee particularly appealed to him. Even more so as he knew that his next two contracted films would again see him portraying historical figures – Michelangelo and Gordon of Khartoum.

EXTRAS

Clockwise from top: James Coburn as Indian Scout Samuel Potts, Richard Harris as Captain Ben Tyreen, Sam Peckinpah scouting locations in Mexico for Major Dundee , and Michael Pate as Apache chief Sierra Charriba

in Bresler, “... Your first draft is so appalling, it’s completely unworkable ... no film company or director would or could shoot your script ... I want no part of it”. Bresler immediately brought in a new writer, Oscar Saul, who together with Peckinpah set about writing a whole new screenplay.  It was now almost the end of October 1963 and the film was due to begin shooting in December, which was now impossible. Bresler managed to get the shoot rescheduled to the 1st of February 1964. This was the latest possible date that did not conflict with Heston’s next project, The Agony and the Ecstasy, which was scheduled to begin filming in Rome in the summer of 1964. Without Heston as the lead, Bresler knew he would lose the financing for his movie, and consequently, Peckinpah would be robbed of his chance of directing a major motion picture. A desperate Peckinpah now faced the unenviable task of writing from scratch a 180- page script with a three-hour running time that included over twenty separate speaking parts as well as casting the parts... all within three months. 

To be continued...

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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON The easiest way to keep a movie series going is to keep it in the family.

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD Jack McClane (Jai Courtney)

DVD & BD Filmmaker Ryan Coogler was determined to continue the Rocky legacy in CREED, but not without Sylvester Stallone's blessing. He got it, and a whole lot more... C reed is both a spiritual sequel to the Rocky franchise and a spin-off. It’s also the first film in the series that wasn’t written by Sylvester Stallone, nor does it feature his a smart dude; he’s an emotional dude. He’s a thinker, you know what I’m saying? He was thinking about every different way this could work, and every different way it could fail.” The fact that this would be an idea, I’d be the first person he’d call. It was a great collaboration. “Creatively, we were walking THE ROCKY ROAD

proves he’s a chip off the old block when he teams up with dad John (Bruce Willis) to foil a terrorist plot in Russia. Yippee-kiy-ay! TRON:

LEGACY Sam Flynn (Garret Hedlund)

enters the software program developed by his old man (Jeff Bridges) to battle virtual villains and ride light cycles. THE FLY II Martin Brundle (Eric Stoltz) attempts to reverse his mutation before he turns into an insect like father Seth (Jeff Goldblum) – and fails. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

on razor blades with this movie,” he adds. “How do we capture the essence of Rocky but give people something new, something they haven’t seen before? How do we show this character, who is part of American culture, in a different light?” Coogler is the first to admit that continuing the Rocky legacy comes with great responsibility. “It’s interesting because the first movie I did, I was dealing with a real person’s life. It was almost the complete inverse of this. With Oscar Grant [the tragic central character of Fruitvale Station ], people knew who he was in the Bay Area, though not necessarily in other places. But he was a real person. I had to take his life and portray it as honestly and as accurately as I could. There’s a lot of weight there. With Rocky, he’s a fictional character, but everybody in the world knows him. And you don’t want to be the guy who messes it up. “I think it’s in safe hands. I’ve been a Rocky fan since as long as I can remember. I know those

an atypical Rocky movie, with Adonis Johnson as the main character and Rocky Balboa in a mentoring role similar to Burgess Meredith’s Mickey in the original,

iconic boxer in the lead role. Instead, writer-director Ryan

Coogler focuses on the son of the late Apollo Creed, Adonis Johnson, with an underdog story that remains true to the winning formula. Coogler was still in the pre- production stages on his debut feature, Fruitvale Station, when he first approached Sylvester Stallone’s agent to pitch the idea for a new Rocky movie. The rookie filmmaker was promptly informed that Stallone wouldn’t be interested, having achieved closure for the franchise with Rocky Balboa in 2006. But in July of 2012, Coogler had the opportunity to discuss his vision with Stallone himself, whom he describes as being apprehensive at first. “I hadn’t made a feature film yet, so he was probably thinking, ‘who is this kid coming in talking about making a Rocky movie’ – something that’s so precious to him? I told him; honestly, I wouldn’t blame him if he thought I was crazy. I knew when I was pitching it to him that it was a wild idea. But Sly’s

How do we capture the essence of Rocky,

Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) is revealed to be the son of the legendary archaeologist

but give people something new?

adventurer (Harrison Ford), albeit with none of the charm or jungle smarts of his dad. BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON Trent (Brandon T. Jackson) dons the fat suit to join stepdad Malcolm (Martin

was what resonated with Stallone, whose blessing and input proved invaluable. “He had so many thoughts and ideas. He knows Rocky Balboa better than anybody,” Coogler says. “He also knows more than anybody about boxing – about the sport itself and about how to make a movie about it. I’d be writing scenes and ask him, ‘What would Rocky do here?’ He’d think about it for a second and he’d tell me. If I had ideas, he’d be the first person I’d call. If he had

Lawrence) on an undercover assignment in an all-girls school. Double hilarity ensues.

movies like the back of my hand. I hope we captured that spirit.”

• Creed is out April 6

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