STACK #123 Jan 2015

DVD&BD

REVIEWS

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An American tradition. THE PURGE: ANARCHY

Inside the devil. GRACE: THE POSSESSION

Format:

Release Date: 01/01/15

Format:

Release Date: 01/01/15

Format: HORROR THRILLER

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 Purge (2013) had a great concept – an annual 12 hour period allows the US population to indulge their inner criminal with impunity, and thus keep the crime rate down – but didn't do a lot with it. Where the events of the first film played out as a generic home invasion thriller, this bigger and better sequel takes the action to the streets and fulfils the titular promise of anarchy. Dependable movie tough guy (and Christian Bale lookalike) Frank Grillo is the self-appointed protector to a group who only want

The latest entry in the handheld horror genre follows hot on the heels of The Possession of Michael King , offering both a gender switch and a diabolical twist on the found-footage format. This time the events are presented from the POV of the possessed victim, 18-year-old college girl Grace (Alexia Fast), which means the viewer will experience all the trademark paranormal activity, bodily contortions and hurling of profanity at priests from a first-person, video game- like perspective. This immersive approach was put

to survive the night, leading them through an LA that has gone to Hell. It's a riff on The Walking Dead et al, but at least this time we get some answers to the bigger questions raised by the idea of The Purge, and the motivations of it bloodthirsty participants.

to effective use in the 2012 Maniac remake, and it does add some novelty value to the exorcism sequence in Grace , albeit at the expense of the peripheral action. However, those with an aversion to shakycam are likely to feel as queasy as the possessed protagonist.

Secrets and lies. FELONY

Some crimes echo through history. ZULU

Release Date: 31/12/14

Release Date: 07/01/15

Format:

Joel Edgerton wrote and stars in this suspenseful Aussie thriller which lures the viewer in with a thorny moral dilemma for its lead character. Hero detective Mal Toohey (Edgerton) is driving home following a boozy night celebrating a successful drug bust when he hits and critically injures a young boy. Fabricating a hit and run scenario to cover the fact he was DUI, Toohey consequently becomes entangled in his own web of lies. Moreover, a suspicious rookie cop (Jai Courtney) is determined to dig deeper into the events surrounding the incident and expose

Nope, not a remake of the 1964 Michael Caine classic; this namesake feature is a cracking crime thriller that transplants the 'buddy cop' movie into a volatile new environment. The setting is post- apartheid South Africa, where mismatched police officers Orlando Bloom and Forest Whitaker (both carrying major emotional baggage) are investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy, white teenage girl, which appears to be linked to a lethal new drug that has hit the streets of Cape Town. Bloom's

Toohey's deception. Directed by TV veteran Matthew Saville ( Cloudstreet , The Slap ) and featuring a top-notch cast (including Brit import Tom Wilkinson), Felony continues the recent run of quality Australian features that received a limited cinema run and will find a wider audience on DVD. • See page 44

legion of female fans will want to check this out for the actor's commitment to gratuitous nudity, while those looking for thrills of a different kind are well served by intense action sequences and brutal gang violence.

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

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