STACK #123 Jan 2015

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO DVDs, GAMES &MUSIC

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ISSUE 123 JAN ‘15

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SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR • JIM CARREY • CAPTAIN TOAD: TREASURE TRACKER

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Founder Nic Short Editor Scott Hocking Contributors

Games Editor Paul Jones Music Editor Jonathan Alley Creative Director Justin Buxton DVD Consultant Michelle Black Games Consultant Jeff Kuhl Music Consultants Mike Glynn, Fleur Parker Chief Contributors Bob Jones, Zoë Radas, Adam Colby Contributors Amy Flower, Rebecca Rowlands, Alesha Kolbe, Mark Ankucic, John Ferguson, Michael Dwyer, Jeff Jenkins, Emily Kelly, Simon Lukic, Chris Murray, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Doug Wallen, Simon Winkler Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Production Manager Craig Patterson Accounts Coordinator Tracy Kingman

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Issue 123 JANUARY 2015

THE ESSENTIALGUIDE TODVDs,GAMES&MUSIC

THE ESSENTIALGUIDE TOMUSIC,DVDs&GAMES

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ISSUE 123 JAN ‘15

ISSUE 123 JAN '15

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MUSIC

POND Feelingthe SpaceAgain

THE MAZE RUNNER

SINCITY:ADAME TOKILL FOR • JIMCARREY • CAPTAIN TOAD: TREASURE TRACKER

KITTY,DAISYAND LEWIS • STACK 'S SONIC SUMMER!

S i g n u p

THEBOXTROLLS • INTOTHESTORM • FELONY

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YOURMONTHLYDVD & BDGUIDETOWHAT’S IN-STORE HOT

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

Extras pg 06–22

Games pg 23–32

DVD&BD pg 33–54

Music From back pg 1-14

Correspondence STACK P.O. Box 2051, Richmond South, VIC 3121

Pg 06-10 News JB Hi-Fi exclusives, what’s hot in 2015, Music, Games and more. Pg 12 Q5 Erin James makes a memorable film debut in the Aussie dramedy The Little Death . Pg 14 HOUSE OF MONSTER All the winners from Monster Fest 2014, plus monstrous new DVD releases for 2015. Pg 16-18 HOLLYWOOD COMEDY DUOs This new series from our resident film historian Bob J. kicks off with the legendary Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Pg 20-21 ACTORS SERIES Jim Carrey – the king of comedy. Pg 22 COMPEtitions & QUIZ

Pg 24 editor’s DESK Pg 26 Wii U

Pg 36-37 FURY Writer-director David Ayer moves from urban thrillers to the battlefields of World War II. Pg 38-39 INTO THE STORM Director Steven Quale reimagines Twister as a found footage film. Pg 40 SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller return to the monochrome mean streets of Sin City in this sequel/ Monsters! is brought to life as a stop motion animated feature. Pg 44 FELONY Matthew Saville and Joel Edgerton on their gripping Aussie crime drama. Pg 46-54 REVIEWS It’s quality over quantity this month: The Maze Runner , The Boxtrolls , Sin City: A Dame to Kill For , Fury , The Equalizer , The Giver , The Skeleton Twins , Felony , Extant: Season 1 , Boardwalk Empire: Season 5 and more. prequel to the 2005 film. Pg 42 THE BOXTROLLS Alan Snow’s book Here Be

Pg 04 STACK’s SOnic Summer Get the lowdown on the summer festival season – where to go, what to expect, and what to hear first! Pg 06 Cover Story Pond blast off into the stratosphere with Man It Feels like Space Again Pg 10 Music Reviews New releases from Pond, AC/ DC, Pond, Enter Shikari, Napalm Death, She&Him, Mary J. Blige, Justin Townes Earle, Raised Fist and more.

RATINGS GUIDE

2014 was a great year for Wii U owners. We take a quick look at the highlights Pg 28-29 WHAT’S COMING IN 2015 We’re barely into the New Year, but already 2015 is looking good for gamers. What’s on the way? Find out right here. Pg 30 Amiibos Whether you use them in your Nintendo games, or you’re just a sucker for collecting figurines, the next wave of amiibos are incoming. Pg 32 PREVIEWS It might be the quietest month of the year, but there’s still plenty to keep you busy on the release front. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Saints Row: Gat out of Hell, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected and Dying Light are all coming your way.

Disclaimer STACK is published by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ACN 092 362 135). © Copyright Scribal Custom Pty Ltd, 2015 All rights reserved. All material appearing in this publication is copyright unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material or advertisement. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of Scribal Custom Pty Ltd . No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information. Whilst care has been taken in the research and preparation of thispublication,thepublishers,writersoranyone else associated cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or hardship arising from the content contained herein or reliance therefrom, howsoever caused, and it remains your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any such content. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or the editor. By the very nature of this publication, things change daily and we cannot take responsibility for any changes or inaccuracies that occur subsequent to going to press.

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THE MOST ANTICIPATED SCARE FOR THIS YEAR IS… Sure there’s Insidious: Chapter 3 , and The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death , which takes place 40 years after the events of the original, but if you want to be chilled to the bone this year, you have to go for Crimson Peak . It’s the latest from Guillermo del Toro, the master of the fantastic, back to creep us out in the way only he can. Now, if only a studio would greenlight his long-gestating H.P. Lovecraft project, At the Mountains of Madness . Crimson Peak, starring Charlie Hunnam and Jessica Chastain, is due in the second half of 2015.

2015: ACTION GOES PEDAL TO THE METAL

Mad Max: Fury Road

I n case you haven’t noticed, 2015 is shaping up as a banner year for action, action, action! Hot out of the blocks in April is Furious 7 , with Avengers: Age of Ultron set to follow in the same month. But the one that’s really got us excited is director George Miller’s return to the driver’s seat for Mad Max: Fury Road . Check out the trailer and you’ll see why. Alongside Tom Hardy as Max Rockatansky is a splendid looking Charlize Theron as the enigmatically named Imperator Furiosa. We can’t wait! Then there are franchise reboots Jurassic World and Terminator: Genisys in June. Late 2015 is also chock-a-block with blockbusters – Star Wars Episode VII:The Force Awakens and Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 5 are due in December. And don’t forget there’s another espionage agent back in the spying game, with the 24th Bond installment Spectre also tentatively set for a late 2015 release.

XXXXXXX

HIGHWIRE ACT B est known for Back to the Future and Forrest Gump , Robert Zemeckis is a filmmaker who has consistently pushed the envelope with FX wizardry. His latest project, The Walk, is bound to be another spellbinding spectacle. It’s based on the real-life exploits of a high-wire daredevil, who in 1974, embarked on a daring crossing of the Twin Towers. Joseph

From top left, Lena Headey, Natalie Dormer in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Emilia Clarke blasting out in Terminator Genisys, Maisie Williams, Gwendoline Christie

GAME OF THRONES STARLETS SET TO STORM THE BIG SCREEN

T here’s no shortage of memorable female characters in Game of Thrones , and if you can’t get enough of these fine starlets, the good news is you’re set to see a whole lot more of them on the big screen. But make no mistake, life for these leading ladies will be just as harrowing as it is in Westeros. It’s been strongly rumoured that Maisie Williams ( GoT’ s Arya Stark) is in the running for a major role in video game adaptation The Last of Us . Set in a world where most of humanity has been wiped out, this highly anticipated production has Sam Raimi attached, while the game’s director Neil Druckman is the scribe. Natalie Dormer ( GoT’ s Margaery Tyrell) was recently seen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and will also feature in Part 2 this year, where she will be joined by GoT co-star Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of

Tarth). 2015 is going to be big for Ms Christie, as she’s also got a part in the highly anticipated reboot in a galaxy far, far away: Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens . Meanwhile, Emilia Clarke, who is of course the Mother of Dragons in GoT, will play Sarah Connor, the mother of future resistance fighter John Connor, in Terminator: Genisys , also due out this year, with Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his iconic role. And Lena Headey (aka Cersei Lannister) will headline horror film Jacqueline Ess, based on a short story from Clive Barker’s classic Books of Blood . If you want to see these fantasy femmes doing what they do best, make sure you grab Game of Thrones: Season 4 from JB Hi-Fi on February 18. And you can make it a Natalie Dormer double, with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 , due out the same day.

Gordon-Levitt takes the lead in The Walk with French actress Charlotte Le Bon co-starring. The events will be familiar to anyone who’s seen Man on Wire , the 2009 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, exploring the same true events. The Walk is due for release October this year, but if you need a Joseph Gordon-Levitt fix in the interim, make sure you check out JB Hi-Fi’s Exclusive Collector’s Edition of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For . This all- star caper also stars Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis and Rosario Dawson, and is due in store Jan 28 and reviewed on page 46.

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extra, extra

T he exclusives keep on coming at JB Hi-Fi. Not only does The Maze Runner Collector’s Edition Blu-ray feature over two hours of extras, it also comes with a 24-page prequel comic book. Check it out January 21.

Have JB Got A Deal For You!

I t’s 2015 and we’re

already talking about the games we can expect to

be playing this year (see page 28-29). And JB have some cracking deals to accompany some of the titles making their way to your console early this year with some great pre-order bonus content. The DragonBall universe is finally coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 12 with DragonBall Xenoverse . JB have an excellent deal on offer for DragonBall Xenoverse . While stocks last, you can pick up the DragonBall Xenoverse Trunks’ Travel Edition. What will that you get you, we hear you ask? A copy of the game on PS4 or Xbox One, and a fetching Trunk Master Stars 25 cm figurine. In addition, if you pre-order it now from JB, you’ll

Fury

Brad Pitt’s WWII blockbuster Fury takes you into unprecedented close quarters combat in a Sherman tank. Great effort has been taken to capture the authenticity, as detailed in the two and a half hours-plus of bonus content on the Blu-ray Special Edition, which is exclusive to JB Hi-Fi. In store January 22. Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For features an all-star cast including Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin and Eva Green. Only at JB Hi-Fi will you be able to find the eye-catching Limited Collector’s Editions with character slipcases. In store January 28.

Evolve is certainly one of our anticipated titles this year, and fortunately we won’t have to wait too long to play it; it arrives on February 10. Pre-order the game to receive the Monster expansion pack that includes the Goliath skin and a new monster character. But wait, there’s more. Exclusive to JB, when you pre-order Evolve , are the Exterminator weapon skins. And Sony are starting the year with a bang, delivering two titles to its PS4 stable right off the bat. On February 20, The Order: 1886

will arrive in-store. Your pre-order dollars will secure you The Knight’s Arsenal DLC, which includes the Red Lightning pack (Red Knight uniform complete with Arc rifle prototype) and the Arsonists pack (Black Knight uniform with Arsonist rifle). And exclusive to JB Hi-Fi is a 14 cm Galahad Sackboy figurine. Finally, another new franchise, Bloodborne, is scheduled for its debut on March 25. Pre-order this bad boy to secure the Collector’s Edition consisting of a copy of the game, a steelbook case,

also get a metal case, Vegeta Super Saiyan 4 playable character, and two Frieza Soldier’s Battle Suits (Gold and Crystal versions).

digital soundtrack and an art book filled with exclusive concept art. The bonus ‘Bandages’ Messenger skin is exclusive to JB Hi-Fi.

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A Quick Look at New Music,

All Different Kinds, All Different Places.

Kitty, Daisy and Lewis’ Third

L ondon siblings Kitty, Daisy and Lewis Durham are music purists. Growing up Camden Town, North London, they were surrounded by music, and have recorded all their albums live to analogue tape. Their new album, Third , was recorded in a newly built studio of their own design, and helmed by a bona fide English musical giant, Mick Jones (ex-The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite, now sometimes seen with Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz). Vaguely rooted in classic rhythm and blues, the music of Kitty, Daisy and Lewis soaks up influence from all over the world. “My dad was from India – but he was Anglo- Indian – and they had rock and roll, jazz and stuff, which obviously got there through Great Britain,” says Lewis on the line from London. “My mum’s family was Jewish, from Eastern Europe. There’s loads of mish- mashing of music, in this country which came together and formed some pretty crazy sounds, which a lot of people aren’t quite used to.” Kitty, Daisy and Lewis is a resolutely family affair: the three siblings recorded their previous albums in their parents’ cramped backroom, but having built their own studio, they could stretch out a bit. “We wanted more space, make it a bit ‘bigger sounding’ – musically as well as technically. I like a good technical exercise myself, and we enjoy recording in our own space and in our own time. I like having personal vibes on a sound, differences in sound. It’s something I really enjoy in music.“ A chance encounter with punk legend Jones at London’s Notting Hill carnival lead to him helming the new album, but instead of a couple of rushed weeks, Jones spent a full four months with the band rehearsing. “He was like taken away by it,“ says Lewis. “He said, ‘I want to learn the song’ – that was his way of starting out the record. Mick just wanted to get down on tape what we were doing in rehearsal and capture that vibe.”

M ahalia Barnes (above) has teamed up with American blues maestro Joe Bonamassa for an album that pays tribute to ’70s funk icon Betty Davis (who was once also married to Miles Davis). Mahalia’s father, Jimmy Barnes , guests on one track. It’s released in February. Gaz Coombes of Supergrass issues a solo album called Matador on Jan 26 . Bob Dylan sings Sinatra: yes, you read that right; Zimmy releases Shadows in the Night in February, cut live in the studio with his touring band. Speaking of Frank Sinatra, his centennial year is being celebrated in 2015. Those Earles are just damn prolific, aren’t they? With son Justin Townes releasing two albums in the last six months, Steve Earle is no slouch either: he has Terraplane coming out on February 17. British India will return with a new album early in 2015. Modest Mouse return after eight years with Strangers to Ourselves on March 8. English expat, now LA resident, Laura Marling releases a new album called Short Movie on March 23. San Francisco’s Vetiver return with Complete Strangers in late March. The B 52s’ Kate Pierson releases her solo debut Guitars and Microphones in February. The Pop Group issue their first record since the 1980s to coincide with their upcoming Australian tour: it’s called Citizen Zombie . ’90s it-girl Juliana Hatfield (ex-Lemonheads) returns from a long period of seclusion with Whatever, My Love on Feb 17. Imagine Dragons return with Smoke and Mirrors on Feb 13. The Wombats will follow-up 2011’s The Modern Glitch with Glitterbug in April. Blink 182 have solid plans to record their seventh album in 2015, the follow up to 2011’s Neighbourhoods.

Lewis says Jones was a perfect fit, because from just talking about the old punk days, he was a genuine music nut. “He loves a good waffle: loads of stories and he’s a sweet, knowledgeable guy. We spent hours talking about music, and politics. He’ll come out and say, ‘Have you heard this? I love this record.’ It will be something which no one would ever imagine Mick Jones liking – a show tune or some sort of French ’60s tune!”. The album’s closer, Developers , is a short musical protest aimed at London’s gentrification. “Most places I go in London are disappearing or are on their way out. I feel very strongly about it. Camden has changed so much in the years that we’ve been on the planet. They demolished what’s called The Stables Market, like an old fashioned stables. That’s all gone. There’s developers burning down pubs and all this, and you know, it’s terrible.“

Third by Kitty, Daisy and Lewis is streaming on JB HI-FI NOW, and is released Jan 30 on Shock.

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him, and we both went through a [drama] program when we were at school... he happens to be marrying a very good friend of mine in a couple of weeks, and so there’s a connection in a number of different facets of our lives. Interestingly enough, he called me when he got the script, quite a while before I got it for the first test, and just said, “I’ve got this AUSLAN script I need to learn, I know you know it, can you come and help?” So, I went over to his place and we worked through it. But I was teaching him his side of the script, and then when I got the script a couple of weeks later, I looked it and went, “I know this.” 04/ You’re a very accomplished theatre and musical actor; what prompted you to tackle a film at this point in your career? It was the script itself. It was the content of it, it was the emotion of it from the outset. When I read it with TJ I just thought, this is hilarious and beautiful and poignant all at once, and that was it really. And, after meeting Josh, then it was Josh. 05/ Did Josh ease the transition for you? Yeah, absolutely. He was phenomenal. He was so supportive. I know that’s partly because he’s a wonderful man but also he’s an actor, so he knows what that feels like, too. I understood the concept, it was just the terminology that – you know, there’s a whole

ERIN JAMES

There is one scene in new Aussie dramedy The Little Death which is capturing the attention of critics all over: a young deaf man uses the National Relay Service’s Skype facility to request an interpreter connect him with a sex line. It’s one of the most hilariously sweet things we’ve ever seen, and the actress who plays the interpreter, Erin James – who is most well known for her performances in theatre – has just been nominated for an AACTA award. Brilliant, especially considering this was her first time in front of a camera.

01/ Did you ever think your love of AUSLAN and acting would come together in this way? ERIN JAMES: No, absolutely not! I actually, funnily enough, had a conversation with a friend just this morning and he said to me, “Who would have thought, all of these years later, that those two things would come together.” 02/ Did director Josh Lawson liaise with you in any way about your scene as it was being written, or did he research it all himself?

He did it all on his own. The story he tells is, he came up with the idea and thought it would be a great for a story, and then he visited the National Relay Service in Brisbane and asked them about it. And, from what I understand, it’s actually not an uncommon event. I mean, I don’t think it necessarily happens in the same way, but there are conversations you can get yourself into that are kind of awkward to interpret. 03/ You’ve known your co-star,TJ Power, for many years? TJ actually knew my brother before I knew

language that exists in the theatre that’s completely different to the film and TV world. So, he was divine about it.

The Little Death is out January 23

Own it on Blu-Ray & DVD 23 January

022 “A big hearted comedy full of huge roars of laughter.” – GILES HARDIE

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• Available January 14 Scream queen Danielle Harris ( Halloween 4 , See No Evil 2 ) makes her directorial debut with Among Friends . How to Host a Murder meets an ‘80s prom night theme at a Hollywood dinner party, which descends into mayhem when the host

• As seen at Monster Fest 2014 The lovechild of Zach Galifianakis and Larry David best describes the writer-director of Summer of Blood ,

The inaugural Monster Fest Awards recognised the best of the fest from 2014. There were many worthy contenders among the feature films in competition, all fighting

for the coveted green and crystal trophies. And after much agonising, debating and bloodletting, the Monster Jury made their final decisions. Congratulations to all the winners. Crystal Monster for Best Film 2014 – Starry Eyes Crystal Monster for Best Film 2013 – Chocolate Strawberry Vanilla Best Australian Feature Film – Under a Kaleidoscope Best Feature Film Director – Leigh Janiak, Honeymoon Best Female Lead – Ashley C. Williams, Julia Best Male Lead – Adam Brooks, The Editor Best Feature Screenplay – Onur Tukel, Summer of Blood Best Special Effects in a Feature Film – Charlie’s Farm Best Sound in a Feature Film – The Editor Monster JuryAward – Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s The Island of Dr. Moreau

takes things too seriously and begins torturing the guests. Look out for cameos by genre icons Kane Hodder and Michael Biehn. There’s extreme tourism, and now there’s ‘grief tourism’ – visiting places where tragedy has struck. That’s the unhealthy hobby of Dark Tourist Jim Tahana (Michael Cudlitz, The Walking Dead ), who begins to suffer the inevitable psychological side effects during his latest trip to the rural haunt of a serial killer.

Onur Tukel, who also stars as a misanthropic loser in this sharply written and hilarious mash-up of a Woody Allen comedy and a vampire film. Winner of the Best Feature Screenplay at last year’s Monster Fest, this is an absolute must-see for fans of both horror and comedy. Throwback is a local entry in the recent revival of Bigfoot movies, featuring our own ape- like legend the Yowie, and a crazy cameo by former Mad Max 2 made a comeback of late. The Mirror is a found footage flick in the, er, spirit of Paranormal Activity and Oculus , in which a trio of flatmates purchase an evil antique on eBay. Disco can drive you crazy! That’s the premise of Discopath , a gruesome homage to the slasher films of the ‘70s and ‘80s with a grimy Driller Killer vibe. Fans of grindhouse-style movies are advised to check this one out. mohawker Vernon Wells. Haunted mirrors have also

Melanie Griffith co-stars in this grim character study in the tradition of Henry: Portrait of Serial Killer and Taxi Driver . Raven’s Cabin is a homegrown horror set in a youth behaviour modification facility deep

in the woods, where the dead don’t talk...

unless they can find somebody who can hear them! Luke Ledger follows in cousin Heath’s footsteps as one of the teens consigned to this boot camp from hell. Like The Battery , Argentinian apocalypse movie The Desert offers an intimate look at a zombie outbreak from the POV of three survivors trapped in a love triangle.

Starry Eyes

For more monster movie madness, visit monsterpictures.com.au

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Part 1

A black and white picture of two bowler hats hanging on the pegs of a hat stand is projected onscreen. It is accompanied by the quirky, off key opening bars of the “Cuckoo” musical theme that is immediately recognised by the audience, and even before the main title appears, they begin to smile. When they read the title: Hal Roach presents Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, the audience are now quietly chuckling in anticipation of watching two reels of innocent-yet-hilarious slapstick delivered by the most famous and popular comedy duo in the history of movies. It is now over 90 years since a slim English vaudevillian and a rotund Southern American gentleman first appeared together in a silent two- reel short. But through the mediums of cinema, television, video cassettes and DVD releases, their comedy antics have been enjoyed by generations of viewers and celebrated by legions of fans. So who were Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy, the duo who hid behind their screen personas of “Stan & Ollie”? And how, with the Atlantic ocean separating them, did their successful partnership come about? Stan Laurel’s birth certificate stated his name as Arthur Stanley Jefferson. He was born on 16th June 1890 in his grandmother’s house in the small town of Ulverston in Lancashire, England. His father, Arthur Snr., ran a number of theatres in the North of England and from an early age young Stanley (as he was known to his family) was smitten with the smell of greasepaint and the various music hall acts that he would watch offstage from the wings. His fascination with all things theatrical caused him to frequently play truant from school, preferring to hang around theatres observing the cast rehearse and talking to the stagehands. Consequently, his education began to suffer, prompting his father to send him off to boarding school where he hoped the boy would be taught strict discipline. However, what his son learned there was definitely not part of

the outstanding comedy impresario of the British music hall, and to be selected for his travelling troupe was a great achievement for young Stanley Jefferson. The new recruit began a tour of England with the company, where he met a young man who would become a great influence on him. That man was Karno’s top music hall star, Charles Spencer Chaplin. The two youths became friends and appeared together in a number of Karno sketches. One such act, titled “The Wow Wows”, was particularly devised to play in the United States when Karno and his Company crossed the Atlantic in RMS Cairnrona in 1910 to tour the American Vaudeville circuit. The troupe undertook a second tour of the US in 1912, where Chaplin was again the lead comic and Stan his understudy in the review titled A Night in an English Music Hall . Chaplin received rave reviews and was offered a $150.00 a week film contract with Mack Sennett’s Keystone Studios, based in Hollywood. Chaplin accepted and began what would become his meteoric

Dan Leno

The young Stan Jefferson based his act and looks on his idol, Music Hall star Dan Leno

the school curriculum. The young lad knew how to make people laugh by imitating any number of the comedians he had watched on stage, which in turn made him very popular with his classmates – but not with his tutors. When he finally left school with no qualifications, young Stanley’s personal ambition was to be a music hall comedian. He styled his act on his idol, the music hall star Dan Leno, and Stanley’s natural comedic talents and broad Lancashire accent soon won him various roles in local music hall reviews and Christmas pantomimes. In 1909 he secured a position with the Fred Karno Company. Karno was

The Fred Karno Company sail to the US in 1910 (Stan Jefferson, far left sitting on the deckchair. Charlie Chaplin posing with a lifebuoy.)

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approached again, this time by Universal Pictures, for whom he made four films. For the next few years, Stan jumped between travelling the country with his vaudeville act and making two reel comedy shorts for various nondescript Hollywood studios. Unlike the successful comedy movie star characters such as Chaplin’s Little Tramp, Harold Lloyd’s Lonesome Luke, Roscoe Arbuckle’s Fatty and Buster Keaton’s Stoneface, Stan struggled to create a distinctive comedic character that audiences could identify with; his early spasmodic career in movies was, frankly, not very funny. In late 1919, again finding himself in Los Angeles for yet another vaudeville run, Stan got a call from film producer G.M. “Broncho Billy” Anderson. Anderson was a motion picture pioneer and the very first cowboy star appearing in Edwin S. Porter’s famous silent movie The Great Train Robbery (1903). He made hundreds of two-reel westerns and then retired from the screen to produce films for Metro Pictures. His offer to Stan was to star in a film where he would play a young gentleman about town who is falsely accused of dog-napping. The film was titled The Lucky Dog (released in 1921). Unbeknownst to Stan at the time, the character actor who played the dastardly villain in the film would have a life changing effect on him, although they wouldn’t appear onscreen together for another seven years. That actor’s name was Oliver “Babe” Hardy.

Continued...

rise as a movie star. With their star player gone, vaudeville bookings dried up, and six months later, the remaining Karno group called it a day and made arrangements to return to England. But Stan and two other members from the now disbanded Karno Company decided to stay in the States and try to break into vaudeville with an act they called The Three Comiques. Stan wrote a number of sketches for the trio and managed to get them booked into a theatre in Chicago, but they were out of work more weeks than were in it. By 1915, Stan had renamed the group The Keystone Trio, cleverly impersonating

Vaudevillian Stan Laurel

The Stan and Mae Laurel duo

second rate theatres to major theatrical reviews. Whilst appearing at the Hippodrome in Los Angeles, Stan was approached backstage by a Hollywood talent scout and asked if he would be interested in making a series of comedy films. He

Unbeknownst to Stan at the time, the character actor who played the dastardly villain in [The Lucky Dog] would have a life changing effect on him, although they wouldn’t appear onscreen together for another seven years. That actor’s name was Oliver “Babe” Hardy.

the characters of Charlie Chaplin, Chester Conklin and Mabel Normand, who by now were extremely popular Keystone movie stars. This Chaplinesque act finally secured them more regular vaudeville bookings. However, early in 1917, following a bust up with his two former colleagues, Stan separated from them and formed a duo with Australian dancer Mae Dahlbergh. This change of partner also brought about a name change, and the duo hit the vaudeville circuit as Stan and Mae Laurel (this new name of Laurel was adopted from a favourite picture in a book owned by Mae, depicting a laurel tree). The couple’s relationship both on and off the stage was tempestuous, with Mae being quite handy with her fists. Stan would often have to apply copious amounts of makeup to disguise his bruised and black eyes before taking to the stage, and quickly earned a reputation as a hen- pecked lover. (He would later put this experience to good use in the many Laurel and Hardy scripts he would write, where both he and Hardy played weak, frightened, hen-pecked husbands.) Adapting an old Karno sketch concerning a burglar and a girl with a toothache, Stan and Mae’s act proved popular with vaudeville audiences, which quickly elevated them from

eagerly accepted the offer and two days later had shot his first motion picture, Nuts in May (1917), which featured him as an asylum inmate who believes he is Napoleon Bonaparte. However, the obscure film production company failed to raise the cash to continue the series and Stan returned to the stage. But a week later he was

To be continued...

The first movie appearance of Stan Laurel and Babe Hardy, together in The Lucky Dog (1921)

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Starring JIM CARREY

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JIM CARREY The king of comedy.

The ‘80s “Always turn your wheel in the direction of the skid.” Jim Carrey established his comedy credentials with regular stand-up gigs in Vegas and LA, thanks largely to Rodney Dangerfield. After missing out on a Saturday Night Live spot during the 1980-81 season, he landed small parts in low budget movies including All in Good Taste (1983) and Copper Mountain (1983) – the latter, running only 60 minutes, barely qualifying as a film. (Following Carrey’s superstardom in the ‘90s, the video sleeves for both were cunningly redesigned to make it appear as though he had the leading roles.) The second theatrically-released film to feature Carrey was Richard Lester’s Finder’s Keepers (1984), where he got lost amongst an ensemble cast including Beverly D’Angelo and Louis Gossett Jr. Vampire comedy Once Bitten (1985) gave him his first leading role – as a high school kid seduced by Lauren Hutton’s bloodsucking countess – and achieved a belated popularity nine years later on VHS, following the success of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective . Carrey got to work with Francis Ford Coppola on the director’s 1986 time travel romp Peggy Sue Got Married , before finding himself in the equally esteemed company of Clint Eastwood, as a rock star whose murder is investigated by Dirty Harry in The Dead Pool (1988). He allegedly amused Clint with his signature Vegas ‘Post-Nuclear Elvis’ lounge act during the audition, and got to reprise it onscreen in his second film with Eastwood in 1989, Pink Cadillac . In between Eastwood films (in which he was billed as ‘James’ Carrey in the credits), he played one of three furry alien visitors (with Jeff Goldblum and Damon Wayans) who discovered that Earth Girls Are Easy (1988). The ‘90s “I’ve been dubbed the man most responsible for the dumbing of America...” “Alrighty then!” Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994) announced Carrey’s arrival as a major new comedy superstar. His rubber-

“If there’d been Ritalin when I was a kid, I wouldn’t be here now.” James Eugene Carrey was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1962. Although a straight-A student at high school, he dropped out at age 16 to try his skills as a stand-up comic, but initially struggled to make an impression at open-mic nights at Toronto comedy clubs. His parents were incredibly supportive, however. “My dad was like a stage mother,“ he recalls, “he always pushed me to do what I wanted.” Having improved his stand-up act to the point of receiving notices in the local press, Carrey’s major break came when he was noticed by Rodney Dangerfield and signed on as the opening act for the legendary comic’s tour. He then relocated to LA where he scored a regular gig at The Comedy Store in Hollywood, and was soon taking his routine to Las Vegas and television. Carrey branched out into feature films, mostly low budget productions – and a couple of Clint Eastwood movies – before finally hitting the big time in 1994 with his role as a PI who specialises in animal theft in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective . “If I had never ventured beyond being a stand-up comic, then I would be sitting in my house today working on my Leonardo DiCaprio impression,” he reflects.

faced mugging, gangling gait and appropriation of catchphrases and voices from his stand- up routines made him an instant hit with moviegoers – and a licence to print money for the studios; the film grossed $107 million worldwide from a $15 million budget. Carrey’s next film, The Mask (1994), was another box office smash, cementing his position as a marquee name in Hollywood. Having signed on to play the manic superhero prior to the success of Ace Ventura , studio New Line got a bargain, paying him $450,000. Originally offered $700,000 to appear in the Farrelly Bros. comedy Dumb and Dumber (1994), Carrey realised his bargaining power following the success of Ace and New Line upped his salary to a whopping $7 million, receiving an impressive return on investment with another box office hit. Carrey became one of the most bankable stars in 1994, with three No. 1 box office hits in the same year. Director Joel Schumacher may have killed the Batman franchise in the ‘90s, beginning with Batman Forever (1995), but few will deny that Carrey was an inspired choice to play The Riddler. That same year, he reprised the role that made him famous in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls , receiving a substantial pay rise to $15 million. The film was another box office hit, but revisiting a familiar character proved less challenging to the actor, so he said ‘no’ to sequels to The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. The Cable Guy (1996), a dark comedy directed by Ben Stiller and produced by a newcomer named Judd Apatow, was a perfect fit for Carrey’s ‘annoying character’ shtick. But the film’s edgier tone alienated many of his fans and it consequently underperformed at the box office (when compared to his previous hits, that is – it did still make a profit). Regardless, the actor received a cool $20 million for doing the film – a record at the time. “I’m the first to admit this whole salary thing is getting out of control,” Carrey noted. “In the final analysis, it’s still about the work.” Carrey turned down Dr. Evil in Austin Powers to work again with Ace Ventura director Tom Shadyac on Liar Liar (1997), banking another $20 million paycheque and

Once Bitten (1985)

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receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical for his performance as a lawyer unable to lie for a day. After a string of comedy smash hits it was time for the obligatory “dramatic role”, and Carrey found it in Peter Weir’s The Truman Show (1998). Having been reminded of Charlie Chaplin whilst watching Ace Ventura, the director cast him as the title character, whose entire life is a reality TV series. His performance was awarded with a Golden Globe, but not an Oscar – a snub which reportedly irked the star. Carrey was also strangely overlooked by the Academy for his subsequent ‘serious’ role as comedian Andy Kaufman in the biopic Man on the Moon (1999), which netted him another Golden Globe. The actor was reportedly very method in his approach to playing the legendary stand-up comic, only answering to the name Andy Kaufman whilst on the set. The ‘00s “It’s nice to finally get scripts offered to me that aren’t the ones Tom Hanks wipes his butt with.” Me, Myself and Irene (2000) reunited Carrey with the Farrelly brothers and resulted in a short-term engagement to co-star Renée Zellweger. His rubberface emoting and flair for physical comedy was put into overdrive in the role of a state trooper with a multiple personality disorder. An arduous, three-hour makeup job transformed the actor into a beloved Dr. Seuss character for Ron Howard’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), another box office hit that spent four weeks in the No.1 position. Carrey next took the lead in Frank Darabont’s epic period drama The Majestic (2001) – a film designed as Oscar bait, but was instead a critical and box office disaster. He bounced back with Bruce Almighty in 2003, playing a TV reporter given the opportunity to be God for a week. His third collaboration with director Tom Shadyac proved another winner at the box office, and spawned a sequel in 2007, Evan Almighty , featuring his co-star Steve Carell in the lead. Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman’s surreal Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) cast him against type in a mind- bending romantic fantasy involving memory erasure. Unlike its high concept, the film proved particularly memorable and enjoys a cult-like popularity today. Moreover, the experience left Carrey in a reflective mood over his own past failed relationships, which included two divorces. Carrey was then back in the makeup chair for another lengthy session, adding to his resume of popular children’s book characters as the villainous Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004). He also voiced the character for the video game tie-in. The comedy caper Fun with Dick and Jane (2005), a remake of the 1977 film

starring George Segal and Jane Fonda, cast Carrey and Téa Leone as the husband and wife who turn to a life of crime to make ends meet. Carrey played it straight as the obsessive protagonist of the moody but ridiculous thriller The Number 23 (2007) – his second film with Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher. The movie didn’t do the same kind of business though, taking a mere $35 million in US box office – a total of $12 million more than Carrey was paid for the role, which earned him a Razzie nomination. The following year, the actor found himself back in the world of Dr. Seuss to voice the eponymous elephant in the animated adaptation of Horton Hears a Who! (2008), and returned to Liar Liar territory in Yes Man (2008), based on Danny Wallace’s autobiographical book. Carrey deferred his usual massive salary for a percentage of the film’s profits – fortunately it was another box office hit. I Love You Philip Morris (2009), based on the true life escapades of gay con artist Steven Jay Russell, saw Carrey romancing fellow prison inmate Ewan McGregor. The release was delayed due to problems finding a distributor and legal strife, but finally received a limited run in the US in 2010. From the Grinch to Scrooge: Carrey upset Christmas once again in Robert Zemeckis’s mo-cap version of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol (2009) – a role that challenged him vocally with English and Irish accents. The ‘10s “I don’t care if people think I am an overactor, as long as they enjoy what I do.” Carrey seized the opportunity to reprise a Dick Van Dyke/Mary Poppins moment in the kids’ flick Mr. Poppers Penguins (2011), playing the titular real estate entrepreneur who inherits six of the birds from his late father. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013) found him back alongside Bruce Almighty co- star Steve Carell, this time as a Criss Angel-like nemesis to Carell’s Vegas illusionist. (He would also make an uncredited cameo in Anchorman 2 the same year). In a much publicised bit of casting, Carrey joined the DIY crimefighter line-up of Kick-Ass 2 (2013) as Colonel Stars and Stripes, leader of the Justice Forever team. However, in the tragic aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting of December 2012, he refused to promote the graphically violent movie. “I did Kick Ass a month before Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience, I cannot support that level of violence,” he explained. “My apologies to others involved with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart.” Despite an aversion to doing sequels, fan pressure finally convinced him to reprise the role of Lloyd Christmas in Dumb & Dumber To (2014) – see right.

TELEVISION In 1984, Carrey landed the lead role in The Duck Factory , a sitcom set in a struggling animation studio. The show was cancelled after just one season, but it did open doors into the movie business for the young comic. After appearing with Damon Wayans in Earth Girls Are Easy (1988), Carrey was offered a recurring role on sketch comedy series In Living Colour – created by Wayans and his brother Keenen Ivory – where he remained a semi-regular cast member for three seasons. His other notable TV credits include the telemovie Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992) and an appearance on the US version of The Office , in the 2011 episode entitled Search Committee .

Carrey on laughing: In Living Colour (1985)

DUMB AND DUMBER TO Christmas continues into January: Lloyd Christmas, that is. Older and dumber, the institutionalised Lloyd (Carrey) and buddy Harry (Jeff Daniels) hit the road again after 20 years – and a lot of pressure from fans of the original film – in search of the daughter Harry never knew he had. This is Carrey’s first sequel since 1995’s Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls , and when asked at the movie’s US press conference why he finally agreed to reprise the role of Lloyd, he revealed that he simply wanted to hang out with the old gang [Daniels and the Farrellys] again. “It’s just really about that. I wanted to go have some fun and do something dumb. Also, the audience who saw [ Dumb & Dumber ] as kids has grown up. It’s a new audience to have fun with.” Hilarity will ensue in cinemas on January 8.

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Q8 This “Sensurround” thriller concerns a psychopath who undertakes a campaign of terror at amusement parks across the US. Title please. Q9 What was the first film to receive two Academy Award nominations for the portrayal of the same character? Q10 What night in 1957 might it be if you willingly accepted a slip of paper marked with runes?

Q1 Which actor holds the record for appearing in more movies that have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture than any other actor? Q2 In 1968 who prowled Civil War England in search of witches? Q3 Which young Oscar nominee went on to invent the Hip Hugger baby carrier? Q4 Which 1996 thriller was a remake of a 40-year-old Glenn Ford movie? Q5 The title of this film refers to a

hit man hired to bump off a cash- strapped drug dealer’s mother. Title please. Q6 Who was originally cast in a Winona Ryder role and then dropped because the star of the movie didn’t think the blonde haired actress looked like her daughter? Q7 Which former New York Post female journalist went on to write movie screenplays, three of which were nominated for Academy Awards?

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(1988) A10. Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in

(1940) A9. Nicolas Cage in Vampire’s Kiss

A8. Waterloo Bridge

The Band Wagon

A7. State of Play

The Man Who Wasn’t There (1972) A6. Andy Garcia- The Untouchables, Hoodlum

A5. The Virgin Spring

A4. The part of its head that holds the brain is sliced off

and Rob the Mob

(1960) was remade as The Last House on the Left

A3. 2 Guns (2013) and Charlie Varrick

A1. Shirley Temple A2. Joel and Ethan Cohen (although Ethan was uncredited) directed

(1973)

Quiz Answers December 2014 (Issue 122) -

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