STACK #158 Dec 2017

CINEMA REVIEWS

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DADDY'S HOME 2

RELEASED: Nov 23 DIRECTOR: Sean Anders CAST: Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Mel Gibson, John Lithgow RATING: PG Bad Moms 2 introduced the bad moms’ moms, and now the daddies’ daddies are home for the holidays in this follow-up to the 2015 Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg hit. Brad (Ferrell) and Dusty (Wahlberg) have settled their “co-dad” differences, until the intrusion of their own fathers at Christmas threatens to shake up their newfound domestic harmony. Gruff ex-astronaut Kurt (Mel Gibson, still on the road to redemption) is Dusty’s dad, and John Lithgow is the wimpy father of Brad, who smooches and tells the kind of jokes that fall out of Christmas crackers. Kurt immediately takes charge by booking a ski lodge; dragging the family off to a place where slapstick gags of the Griswold variety can ensue. A mobile phone tower is lopped down instead of a pine tree, and Christmas decorations become tangled in a snow blower. You get the idea. There’s more formula here than a maternity ward, and while Daddy’s Home 2 falls into the trap of comedy sequels never being as funny as the original, it’s saved from being a total turkey by the loveable John Lithgow and the Ferrell/Wahlberg double act. Gibson’s womanising alpha male, however, is often at odds with the PG-rated antics and belongs in another movie. Daddy’s Home 2 offers families an alternative to animated fare over the festive season, but the kids will be laughing more than their folks. Scott Hocking MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS RELEASED: Nov 9 DIRECTOR: Kenneth Branagh CAST: Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley RATING: M Agatha Christie’s mysteries are a staple of TV but big screen adaptations haven’t been around since the eighties, and Murder on the Orient Express reveals why they’ve been mothballed. Kenneth Branagh’s version might be cinematic, starry and faithful, but it’s also too old fashioned to truly engage a generation who would probably rather be playing Cluedo online. Those who already know whodunit will still be curious to see Branagh’s interpretation, but will find themselves asking ‘why do it?’ Branagh also stars as Christie’s Belgian super sleuth with the oversized moustache, Hercule Poirot – a more subtle portrayal than predecessors Albert Finney and Peter Ustinov. Having demonstrated his amazing powers of deduction at a Jerusalem crime scene (no detail escapes his attention), Poirot boards the mystery train in Istanbul, hoping for three days of rest and reading Dickens. But when an avalanche brings the journey to a halt and an arrogant American art dealer turns up dead from multiple stab wounds in his locked cabin, Poirot is quickly on the case, with only a handful of clues and over a dozen suspects. Murder on the Orient Express is a 1930s period piece and that’s what ultimately derails this modern remake – even with Johnny Depp and Daisy Ridley onboard, plus some impressive VFX, it feels more like an anachronism than a big popcorn blockbuster. Scott Hocking

RELEASED: Nov 16 DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder CAST: Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa RATING: M

JUSTICE LEAGUE

Minor league.

T he Justice League movie feels like it’s been coming forever, and now that its finally here, it reveals that the DCEU still hasn’t learned from its past mistakes. Justice League does benefit from having Marvel defector Joss Whedon involved, as co-screenwriter and director on reshoots after a family tragedy saw Zack Snyder depart. But these two filmmakers’ styles are like chalk and cheese, and the combined result a bit of a mess. As the world mourns the loss of Superman, a new threat awakens in the form of Steppenwolf – a god-like alien who’s a bit like Sauron in that it once took the combined forces of Amazons, Atlanteans and humankind to defeat him. And the Tolkien pilfering doesn’t stop there. Steppenwolf is searching for three powerful ‘mother boxes’, stashed away by the tribes who vanquished him, and which when united will bring about the apocalypse. One box to rule them all! Having confirmed the arrival of evil in Gotham by capturing one of

Cyborg (Ray Fisher). As for Superman, well, he’s dead isn’t he? It’s easy to get a handle on two of the newcomers to this ensemble – Aquaman and The Flash are the muscle and comic relief, respectively – but Cyborg remains a mystery (unless you read the comics). Who is this guy? Sometimes it’s best to get the origin stories out of the way in a solo film first rather than tell them on the fly. Giving the heroes sufficient screen time to get acquainted results in the villain being marginalised; Steppenwolf never comes across as the world-ending evil he’s supposed to be. Moreover, the story is patchwork, and the big action moments possess that murky and chaotic quality that has become the DC norm, and Snyder’s forte. On the plus side, there is a greater sense of fun than in past DC films (even Affleck is cracking jokes), thanks mostly to Ezra Miller’s nerdy Barry Allen/Flash, who manages to upstage Momoa’s Aquaman as the new kid on the block. Justice League isn’t as bad

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

Steppenwolf’s harpy-like minions, Batman (Ben Affleck) assembles the League, comprising

as Batman v Superman , but it is wildly uneven and ultimately underwhelming. Wonder Woman aside, DC is still struggling to find the movie magic Marvel has successfully bottled. Scott Hocking

Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and

DECEMBER 2017

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