STACK #136 Feb 2016

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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Every dream begins with a single step. THE WALK

Gangster No.1. BLACK MASS

Release Date: 18/02/16

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Release Date: 17/02/16

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Instead of playing it safe and crafting a respectful by-the- book biopic, director Robert Zemeckis has instead reimagined high wire artist Phillipe Petit’s amazing Twin Towers walk of 1974 – the subject of 2008 documentary feature Man on Wire – as a playful fable. There’s an almost fairytale feel to the first half of the movie, which briskly covers Petit’s early career and fascination with the towers, while the final half has more in common with heist capers like Ocean's Eleven , as he and his team plot the artistic coup of the century. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is superb as

Much has been made of how this intense gangster epic heralds a major return to form for Johnny Depp – and make no mistake, he’s back to his very best here as notorious Boston mob boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, who is allowed to build a criminal empire while acting as an informant for the FBI. However, this is very much an ensemble effort: Joel Edgerton almost steals the film as compromised FBI agent John Connolly, slowly sliding into a pit of corruption, while there are terrific supporting turns from an A-list

Petit, perfectly capturing both his audacious sense of adventure and his occasionally annoying cockiness. The fact that we know he actually did it prevents the film from feeling far fetched, and the recreation of the walk itself is truly breathtaking, especially in the 3D version.

supporting cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Dakota Johnson and Peter Sarsgaard. Suffused in the slate grey tones of the great crime movies of the ’70, Scott Cooper’s muscular direction completes a perfect package.

The Hardy boys. LEGEND

Welcome to the jungle. THE GREEN INFERNO

DVD&BD

Release Date: 11/02/16

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Release Date: 03/02/16

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Tom Hardy does an Oscar-worthy double take as both Ronnie and Reggie Kray – the notorious mobsters who ruled London's East End during the '60s. The Kray twins were two halves of the same brain – Reggie the sharp, energetic and charismatic street fighter with a movie star aura alongside Ronnie, the introverted psychopath akin to Frankenstein’s monster. Reggie's wife Frances (Emily Browning) provides further insight into the psyche of these bad boys via voice-over narration.

A group of idealistic student activists travel to the Amazon rainforest where they are dismembered and eaten by the tribe they've come to save from deforestation. That's just one of the cruel jokes on offer in Eli Roth's grisly homage to the Italian cannibal movie cycle of the 1970s. Another is what happens when the natives are fed a bag of dope in an attempt to sedate them – the munchies! Roth knows and loves this sub-genre and The Green Inferno is certainly a well intentioned tribute, but it's also a missed opportunity in that it's far too slick and goofy to pack the

Written and directed by Brian Helgeland ( L.A. Confidential ), Legend is a captivating experience; a character-driven crime drama that showcases Hardy’s incomparable talent as an actor. It's also one of the most entertaining and exciting gangster romps in years.

same kind of visceral punch as the grungy films that inspired it – namely Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox . However, those who haven't seen these cult shockers will find it confronting, while gorehounds will appreciate the gruesome set pieces and makeup effects.

FEBRUARY 2016

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