STACK #141 Jul 2016

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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Woman of steel. SUPERGIRL: SEASON 1

Power couple. HOUSE OF CARDS: SEASON 4

Release Date: 27/07/16

Release Date: 07/07/16

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Enough testosterone, it’s time another female ruled the super roost – and, while a certain Amazonian may protest, you don’t get more super than a girl from Krypton. She’s Superman’s older cousin, but thanks to a 24-year layover in the Phantom Zone she appears younger. She’s Kara Zoe-El (or ‘Supergirl’ if you prefer), and if you’re thinking she’s any less powerful than big/ little cuz, you’d be mistaken. Kara hid her abilities for years, until a day came when Supes was powerless and she had to step up. Discovering that Earth is

His initials are FU, and Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) isn’t giving up his presidency without dishing out several of them this season. He hits the campaign trail angling for re-election, but Frank isn’t just contending with frontrunner Republican nominee Will Conway (Joel Kinnaman) – a younger, more family-oriented and social media-savvy opponent. He and wife Claire (Robin Wright) are also at loggerheads. She has her own ambitions, and is just as good at getting down in the muck as he is, and she knows his pressure points better than anybody.

teeming with expat Kryptonian crims, she realised that it’s good to be super. Golden-haired Glee refugee Melissa Benoist stars as the Chick of Steel in this ace and actiontastic companion to the many other DC Comics superhero super-series. AF

Could Claire be looking to topple her hubby with an ultimate CU? Wright really shines this season, taking it up to Spacey in the entrancing stakes. Beyond the politics, the draw to House of Cards is the use (and abuse) of power – and this season never lets up. AF

ORPHAN BLACK: SERIES FOUR

TOMORROW, WHEN THE WAR BEGAN

BALLERS: SEASON 1

VINYL: SEASON 1

DVD&BD

Release Date: 27/07/16 Format:

Release Date: OUT NOW Format:

Release Date: OUT NOW Format:

Release Date: OUT NOW Format:

Clone club's exploits were becoming as impenetrable as the human genome last year, with the convergence of the Leda and Castor subplots. Orphan Black has hit the reset button for season four, returning to the very beginning to reveal what Beth was investigating prior to her death and Sarah's introduction. This revelation drives the rest of the episodes, with Neolution back pulling the strings and sinister designer baby clinic Brightborn taking gene therapy to the next level. There's maggot-like bio-implants, comic relief involving Alison and the fallout from her drug dealing, and lots of Tatiana Maslany. A much needed rebooting. SH

From book to movie and now to TV, John Marsden’s tale for young adults is as popular as ever. This six-part series allows more breathing space than the 2010 movie adaptation, as the exploits of a group of friends who return from a camping trip to discover that they’ve been thrust into the clutches of war plays out. Yes, the unthinkable has happened and Australia has been invaded, and the population imprisoned. Well, most of it. As some of the only free Aussies left, our group has the monumental task of helping to fight a hostile army. Fans of the book – and there are oodles of them – will love this slick new adaptation. AF

Created by Stephen Levinson, Ballers essentially does for America’s NFL what Entourage did for Hollywood – which isn’t hugely surprising considering Levinson executive produced 83 episodes of that show. The lead player here is Dwayne Johnson, going from ‘Rock’ to jock as retired football champ Spencer Strasmore. Rather than opening a pub like many ex-footballers (or is that just an Aussie thing?), he dives into the pool of sports financial management. Eschewing actual big game action, Ballers is all about the off-field lives of the on-field heroes and, just like Entourage , it’s a blast. Plus big lug Johnson is as likeable as ever. AF

In these days of vapid auto-tuned chart nonsense, it’s understandable to crave some sex and drugs and rock ’n’ roll. Vinyl , boasting Marty Scorsese and an expert on the subject, Mick Jagger, as creators, is set in early 1970s New York, back when record companies were king. Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale) is the head honcho of fictitious label American Century, which has hit hard times. On the lookout for a saviour, Richie spots raw punks Nasty Bits (featuring Jagger’s son James as lead oik). This relationship plays out amongst marital issues, collisions with real life (an Alice Cooper subplot rocks), murder and – duh – sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Give Vinyl a spin. AF

JULY 2016

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