STACK #123 Jan 2015

DVD&BD

REVIEWS

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Denzel plus Russian mobsters equals mayhem. THE EQUALIZER

Twist(er) and shout. INTO THE STORM

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Release Date: 22/01/15

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Release Date: 31/12/14

ACTION

D o w n l o a d a p p t o v i e w t r a i l e r

The '80s TV crime series of the same name (starring Edward Woodward) was never like this! Denzel Washington steps into the title role here as a former intelligence operative turned hardware store worker, who befriends a young Russian prostitute (Chloë Grace Moretz) being mistreated by her pimp. After a rather nasty incident puts the girl in hospital, Denzel calls upon his past training to exact revenge, which consequently makes him a target for the Russian mob. The Equalizer reunites Denzel with his Training

Imagine Twister repurposed as a handheld film and you'll have a good idea what to expect from Into the Storm . Although presented as (found) footage shot by a group of stormchasers attempting to capture the 'eye of the storm' on film, and a high school student's time capsule video project, this DIY disaster movie features the kind of big budget special effects you'd find in a Roland Emmerich film. A small Oklahoma town experiences some really bad weather, with massive tornadoes reducing houses

Day director Antoine Fuqua for a violent and mean-spirited action- thriller, culminating in a tense and bloody final showdown in the darkened corridors of the hardware store, where the well-stocked shelves provide a veritable arsenal of weapons. Ouch!

to rubble and tossing planes about like toys at the local airport. Needless to say, the visual spectacle is more compelling than the plight of the one dimensional characters, led by Richard Armitage (unrecognisable here to fans of The Hobbit ). • See page 38

It's better to receive than give. THE GIVER

Family is a cruel joke. THE SKELETON TWINS

Release Date: 14/01/15

Release Date: 22/01/15

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DRAMA

SCI-FI

Before The Hunger Games and Divergent there was The Giver , Lois Lowry's 1993 young adult classic that became a school reading list staple. The long gestating film version (directed by Philip Noyce) finally arrives in the wake of a slew of YA dystopian futures and will inevitably be judged alongside them. But The Giver is a sci-fi tale more in the mould of Logan's Run and The Matrix , offering big ideas to ponder. The black and white photography is the first thing you'll notice – a stylistic choice that reflects the story's sterile, conformist community where war

Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig worked together on Saturday Night Live for years, and finally teamed up on the big screen in The Skeleton Twins . The film begins with estranged siblings Milo (Hader) and Maggie (Wiig) planning to commit suicide. Milo is gay and his dream of being a successful actor in Hollywood has gone awry. His sister, about to consume a handful of pills, receives news of her brother's suicide attempt and the two are reunited after ten years apart. At first the bonding process is awkward, but as the pair become more

and suffering, love and emotion have all been eliminated. Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) is a teenager chosen to receive the stored memories of the real world from The Giver (Jeff Bridges), which begin to colour his perception (and the film), much to the chagrin of the Chief Elder (Meryl Streep).

comfortable they learn to seek solace in each other, providing sometimes misguided counsel to their individual problems. It's Wiig's best role since Bridesmaids , but Hader steals the show here; you'll never be able to listen to Starship's Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now without thinking of Milo.

JANUARY 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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