STACK #182 Dec 2019

FILM

REVIEWS

FREAKS

ABOMINABLE

AD ASTRA

THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2

Release Date: 11/12/19 Format:

Release Date: 18/12/19 Format:

Release Date: 18/12/19 Format:

Release Date: 11/12/19 Format:

Seven-year-old Chloe (Lexy Kolker) lives in a rundown and shuttered suburban home with her paranoid father (Emile Hirsch), who has convinced her that she must never venture outside due to the threat posed by so-called 'Abnormals'. A cryptic sci-fi thriller in the tradition of 10 Cloverfield Lane , Freaks drip feeds clues as to what's really happening in the world beyond their front door, hinting at a dystopian future where those with superpowers are hunted by federal agents. The trailer has a familiar X-Men vibe, but Freaks is more than just another superhero scenario with an eye on a franchise. BS

The third animated film in the last year to feature either yetis or their relatives (see also Smallfoot and Missing Link ), Abominable involves a yeti that's discovered on the roof of a Shanghai apartment complex by a young girl named Yi. Thus begins a quest to get the fuzzy white beast back to Mount Everest, which of course is hindered by those who want to nab the creature for nefarious Animation is a sweet critter caper that plays like a 'How to Train Your Yeti', with all the mandatory moral lessons and ample gags that target both kids and parents. AC purposes. The latest dazzling offering from DreamWorks

Matthew McConaughey and Matt Damon have both been there, now it’s Brad Pitt’s turn to space out. He plays astronaut Roy McBride, who travels to the outer reaches of the solar system to track down his father, after an anti-matter surge from his dad's long lost ship threatens the stability of the solar system. Don’t go into Ad Astra expecting aliens or Event Horizon -type thrills. This is Joseph Conrad’s Hearts of Darkness in space, where the emotional gulf between a father and son is as vast as the one between Earth and Neptune. A measured and meditative science fiction film that’s as much a psychological journey as an interstellar one. SH

Our feathered mobile game friends are back for a second movie outing, but are they still just as angry? Lead bird Red has certainly calmed down a tad and is lapping up his hero status when a new threat emerges in the form of Eagle Island’s extremely purple Zeta. The birds and their sworn nemeses, the pigs, must now form an alliance to defeat this common enemy. The original film was garishly bright, poundingly loud and pleasingly silly. The Angry Birds Movie 2 offers much of the same, but is more a relentlessly paced caper flick that’s filled with more dad jokes than you'll hear on Father’s Day. AF

Kick it, run from it, brag about it, read about it, dream about it ... We’ve got you covered this Christmas!

OUT NOW ON DVD + BLU RAY

OUT NOW ON DVD

AVAILABLE ON DVD DECEMBER 4

Available at

*While stocks last

41