STACK #166 Aug 2018

CINEMA REVIEWS

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ANT-MAN AND THE WASP RELEASED: July 5 DIRECTOR: Peyton Reed CAST: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Michael Douglas RATING: PG

SCREENING IN AUGUST 2018

Size does matter.

When we last saw Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), he was being held prisoner for aiding Captain America during the airport battle in Civil War . Now he’s under house arrest for violating the Sokovia Accords, and trying his best to look after his daughter Cassie, whilst still supporting best friend Luis (Michael Peña) in his new security business. Meanwhile, as known associates of Lang, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) are on the run. Knowing that Scott was able to enter the Quantum Realm and return alive has given them hope that Janet (Hank’s wife and Hope’s mother) could still be trapped in there – and may be alive.

Attempting to create a machine that will allow them to enter the Quantum Realm and bring Janet back, their plans are disrupted by the mysterious Ghost (Hannah John- Kamen). Where does she fit in, and what’s her connection to Hank’s past? Following in the footsteps of the first film, Ant-Man and the Wasp is still very much a comedy – with some heist and chase action thrown in. With Lilly donning the wings of the Wasp, fight choreography is now a lot more complex, and many of the action scenes are remarkably well staged. The scaled sequences have also been improved, and the special effects are so great, you’ll forget you’re watching tiny shrunken people kicking over pots and pans. This is a sequel that improves in almost every way on the original film, with more action, more size-changing, and best of all, more Wasp. If you’re wondering where Ant-Man and the Wasp fits in with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the two post-credits scenes will help you out there, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for these pint-sized heroes. Alesha Kolbe the shining star of the show. Almost all the faves from the first movie variously pop up, as does Cher, playing Sophie’s grandmother and adding some welcome professional vocals with her take on the Australian number one spot-crushing ‘Fernando’. As you’d expect, that’s far from the only ABBA song to punctuate proceedings. The song content again varies between sudden story- related outbreaks and the odd big production number. The story injections generally feel more forced than the original though, and sometimes there’s too much talk and not enough song. This occasional wobbliness of the story is intriguing, for there are some impressive writing types on-board. With Richard Four Weddings and a Funeral Curtis and Ol The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Parker (who also directs) we expected something much tighter, as certain scenes do drag on. All of that being said, if you ABBA-solutely worshipped at the altar of the original Mamma Mia! then you now have more to adore, and you’re sure to love this merry and bright spectacular more than that day you got Arrival on cassette when you were a kid. OK, maybe not quite that much… Amy Flower

The sixth in the series will see Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) hooking up with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) and racing against time to fix the fallout from a botched mission. A moustachioed Henry Cavill is also onboard as an enigmatic CIA agent who will clash with Hunt. It's Tom Cruise vs. Superman on Aug 1 . MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT

RELEASED: July 19 DIRECTOR: Ol Parker CAST: Lily James, Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan RATING: PG MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

In this stand-alone sequel to the 2014 thriller, a teen finds a laptop only to discover a cache of disturbing files that the previous owner will do anything to get back. Logging on Aug 9 . UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB

How can you resist?

The first Mamma Mia! , based upon the crazy- successful, officially sanctioned musical, brought delirous waves of joy to cinemagoers of all ages who were in touch with their inner dag. It was a phenomenon, bolstered by both a superb cast and, of course, the incredible musical legacy of pop kings and queens ABBA. So, can it be repeated? Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again weaves two tales – the origin story of how Donna met the three dads and, back in the now, her daughter Sophie’s quest to reopen the hotel and deal with her own impending arrival. Lily James stars as young Donna, and really is

After a plague wipes out 98 per cent of America’s children, the survivors develop incredible powers and form a resistance movement to fight for their very futures. Enter their minds on Aug 16 . THE DARKEST MINDS

The creepy internet meme that became an online urban legend comes to the screen. A group of teenage girls foolishly attempt to uncover the fact behind the myth on Aug 23 . SLENDER MAN

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AUGUST 2018

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