STACK J#165 Jul 2018

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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Big meets bigger. RAMPAGE

He's done keeping his story straight. LOVE, SIMON

Release Date: 18/07/18

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Release Date: 04/07/18

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If Kong: Skull Island , Jurassic World , San Andreas , and Pacific Rim were chucked in a blender, the resulting concoction would resemble this adaptation of the 1986 video arcade game. After samples of a gene- editing technology plummet to Earth from a doomed space station, three mutated terrestrial life forms – a giant gorilla, a 30-foot wolf, and an oversized alligator – converge on Chicago to do what it says in the title. The military are helpless, so it’s up to Dwayne Johnson and geneticist Naomie Harris to find an antidote to

Simon (Nick Robinson) is just your average high school teen, who also happens to be gay. His world is turned upside down when a post appears on the school gossip site – a closeted student has come out anonymously, and Simon begins corresponding with him. But the discovery of his emails by the school geek could lead to his secret life being exposed. What should he do? Based on the novel Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, this is a charming and inspiring romantic

the mutagen and stop the rampage. The point of the game was to trash city buildings, and the film is certainly faithful in that regard. Needless to say it's not short on CGI spectacle, and kids will love it – especially the bit where Johnson bumps fists with the Kong-sized albino ape. SH

comedy that everyone can relate to, regardless of their sexual preference. Nick Robinson establishes himself as a viable new leading man, and a great soundtrack cements the film as the equivalent of a John Green novel directed by John Hughes. AK (See page 28)

A new generation of Jaeger masters. PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING

Teens out to have fun. Parents out to stop it. BLOCKERS

Release Date: 04/07/18

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Release Date: 11/07/18

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Director Steven S. DeKnight (who gave us TV’s Spartacus and Daredevil ) does a solid job expanding the universe created by Guillermo del Toro in the 2013 original. Set 10 years after the closure of The Breach, the sequel predominantly focuses on the Pan Pacific Defence Corp, who are prepping a new generation of Jaeger pilots should the monstrous Kaiju ever return. When a rogue Jaeger runs amok in Sydney and multiple breaches open, it becomes appearent that somebody has been splicing Jaeger and Kaiju

When protective parents John Cena, Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz discover their teenaged daughters (Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon and Geraldine Viswanathan) intend to lose their virginity on prom night (as you do), they band together to stop them from growing up too soon. Celebrating family diversity and with witty repartee bouncing effortlessly between the three adult leads (Barinholtz is particularly good), Blockers is a genuinely funny, light-hearted, and occasionally

technology to create a deadly new weapon. DeKnight keeps the action coming at a rapid clip and stages a spectacular Kaiju attack on Tokyo that’s all the more impressive in that it’s shot in broad daylight. The Pacific Rim films are essentially a cinematic toy box in which giant robots bash up giant monsters, and on that level, Uprising delivers the goods. SH (See page 26)

ridiculous comedy. Loaded with rapid fire gags and directed in the spirit of Judd Apatow by Pitch Perfect 3 screenwriter Kay Cannon, it's also a very useful education in text etiquette – and not leaving your message app open where your mum can snoop. Think American Pie for the emoji and hashtag generation – from a female perspective. AC (See page 24)

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JULY 2018

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