STACK #153 Jul 2017

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CINEMA, DVDs, GAMES & MUSIC

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ISSUE 153 Jul ’17

E3 2017 • AMERICAN GODS • BABY DRIVER

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Contributors

Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Film & DVD Editor Scott Hocking

Music Editor Zoë Radas StaffWriter Alesha Kolbe Creative Directors Justin Buxton, Michelle Black DVD Consultant Kerrie Taylor Games Consultant Andre Eivik Music Consultants Mike Glynn, Fleur Parker Chief Contributors Bob Jones , Gill Pringle, Jonathan Alley Contributors Savannah Douglas, Graham Reid, Amy Flower, John Ferguson, Michael Dwyer, Jeff Jenkins, Simon Lukic, Chris Murray, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Adam Colby, Tim Lambert, Jake Cleland, Holly Pereira Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Production Manager Craig Patterson Accounts Coordinator Tracy Kingman

Issue 153 JULY 2017

WELCOME The week following E3 is always a strenuous period in the office. Every year, the show lands bang in the middle of June, leaving just four or five days to write up all the coverage. When I attended my first show 11 years ago, the format was completely different. It was a media-only event with just 3,000 attendees, compared with close to 70,000 in 2017. Social media was still in its infancy and there was no STACK website – my editorial obligations consisted of a two-page write-up in the magazine . Fast-forward to today and the print coverage now sits at 22 pages of editorial, 80 website articles and literally hundreds of social media posts. The E3 of 2006 – aside from the location – is totally unrecognisable to the show we just attended. Doors opened to the public for the first time – with mixed results – and the increasing popularity of streamers, YouTubers and esports ensures that the event will undergo further changes in 2018 to align with the ceaseless evolution of this dynamic industry. With the workload increasing exponentially, and downtime reduced to the hours of sleep each night, I told myself – as I have for the last three years – it will be the last show I cover once the E3 issue is finally sent to the printers. But like caring for a newborn baby, you eventually forget about the sleep deprivation and the vomit, and go back for more. And why wouldn’t you? Attending the video game show-of-shows and playing the plethora of upcoming titles on hand under sun-filled Californian skies each year is a privilege we don’t take lightly. We hope you enjoy the coverage. Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

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Issue 153

JULY 2017

Extras Pages 10, 18, 19, 34

Cinema Pages 12–17

DVD & BD Pages 20–33

Games Pages 35-78

Music (From back) Pages 1–20

3-8 NEWS + INTERVIEWS Meg Mac on her new album Low Blows , The Jungle Giants fill us in on Quiet Ferocity, Beth Ditto returns with Fake Sugar , Vera Blue is Perennial,

10 NEWS If you love your action fast and furious, you’ll want to check out these hot JB Hi-Fi exclusives coming to stores. Plus, cast members from Game of Thrones and Stranger Things team up. 18-19 BOB J. Hollywood’s Second Golden Age: A new wave of young auteurs set out to question the American Dream. At the same time, a movie prodigy named Steven Spielberg would almost singlehandedly create the summer blockbuster. 34 GIVEAWAYS Prize packs from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales , Power Rangers: The Movie , American Gods: Season 1 , plus Elite Dangerous on PS4 and so much more!

08 SPIDER MAN: HOMECOMING Three decades after his last superhero movie, Michael Keaton talks to STACK about the big changes he’s seen. 12-13 BABY DRIVER Best known for comedies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz , British director Edgar Wright gets to make the heist movie he’s always dreamt about, with a cast to die for. 14 THE HOUSE SNL veterans Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell team up for a comedy you can put your money on. 16-17 REVIEWS Transformers: The Last Knight, The Mummy, Despicable Me 3, Cars 3, All Eyez on Me

20-21 KONG: SKULL ISLAND In 2012 they resurrected Godzilla. Now the same team bring back the most famous of movie monsters, and promise to remain true while delivering the biggest Kong in history. audition process he describes as ‘insane’, British actor Ricky Whittle ventures into the mystical Americana of Neil Gaiman’s best-selling novel. 24 GHOST IN THE SHELL Since its first publication in 1989, this hugely popular manga has developed a devoted following worldwide, even as the future it depicts It’s not just the good Doctor that has changed over the years. Here are some Doctor Who villains that have also returned with new looks – and in some cases, genders. 28-32 REVIEWS Kong: Skull Island, American Gods: Season 1, CHIPS, Life, Aftermath, Ghost in the Shell, The Boss Baby, Smurfs: The Lost Village, Jasper Jones, Denial, Alone in Berlin, Drone, Doctor Who - Series 10: Part 2, Homeland: Season 6, Prison Break: Event Series, Bones: The Final Chapter, Girls: The Final Season, Grimm: Season 5 edges ever closer. 26 CULT CORNER 22-23 AMERICAN GODS Following a five-month

36-37 e3 2017 We were in LA dashing madly between appointments to find the best games on the horizon. Here’s what we discovered... 38-40 ubisoft Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Far Cry

and King GIzzard and the Lizard Wizard are out to Murder the Universe! 10-11 Haim

5, Skull & Bones 42-44 bethesda Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, The Evil WIthin 2 46-48 nintendo

The LA sisters are back with a brand new album and they’ve got ‘ Something to Tell You’ before they land at Splendour in the Grass. 14 VINYL REVIVAL Roger Waters returns with his first solo album in 25 years: the social conscience of Pink Floyd still burns bright. 16-20 REVIEWS Lorde’s long awaited return, Tex, Don and Charlie mosey back with their third album in 20 years, Shabazz Palaces double-quantum whammy, plus new music from Raised by Eagles, Public Service Broadcasting, Cornelius, Steve Earle, Major Leagues and B Boys.

Super Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem Warriors, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle 50-52 microsoft Sea of Thieves, Xbox One X 54-56 SONY Spider-Man, Matterfall, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy 58-60 activision Call of Duty: WWII, Destiny 2 62-64 namco bandai Project CARS 2, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Ace Combat 7 66-68 fivestar ARK: Survival Evolved, Rogue Trooper 70-72 ea play Star Wars Battlefront II, Need For Speed Payback

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Michael Keaton certainly has the experience to play The Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming . Words Gill Pringle BIRD-MAN

A s more and more veteran A-listers jump into the superhero universe, for Michael Keaton, Spider-Man: Homecoming is not his first rodeo. Debuting his Vulture, aka Adrian Toomes, the “homecoming” in the title could just as easily refer to Keaton’s own personal homecoming to the comic book world; his Batman performances – in Tim Burton’s 1989 and 1992 movies – landing him on many lists as the ultimate Caped Crusader. As Batman’s LEGO incarnation, Will Arnett cited Keaton’s performance as being the best of all the Bat-dudes, outperforming both Christian Bale and Ben Affleck’s later incarnations.

who earned a 2015 Oscar nod for his performance as a troubled former superhero in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman . Known for his intense approach to characters, Keaton enjoys understanding his character’s backstory, even if he does confess to not studying the original Marvel comics. “I’ve got a lot of other things to do in my life,” he says with a sly smile “The Vulture is a working class guy who has built up a great business. He’s not

In the three decades since Keaton last suited up as a superhero, the

between him and Parker on a beach. “I don’t do as many stunts as Tom, that’s for sure, although I’m not in it as much as Tom. I actually brought in the guy who did some stuntwork for me in Birdman because he’s so skilled, so I recommended him. This is certainly nothing like Batman for me.” Fascinated by changing technology, he points to his smartphone. “I never thought I would own one of these. I just thought I’d carry on with my little flip phone. But then I became fascinated with computerisation and now I attend a university clinic twice a year to see how computerisation and robotics is applied in entertainment,” says the actor, who lives like a cowboy on his Montana ranch half the year. “But in terms of what my friend calls fake book, I have no interest in letting people know where I am or what I’m doing.”

who I would call a classic villain – he’s more of an ‘interesting’ villain. “But I think it’s an interesting and who’s working hard but struggling to just get by. He feels like he’s one of the have-nots and deserves a bigger piece of the pie.” Keaton has nothing but praise for Tom Holland, 21, who first debuted his Peter Parker in last coincidentally timely approach. He’s a guy

actor marvels at the changes in technology when STACK meets with him between

takes on the Atlanta set of Spider-Man:

He’s not who I would call a classic villain – he’s more of an ‘interesting’ villain

Homecoming, but adds that the work itself isn't really different. “I just show up and do

my work and they explain how it works and what we are doing," he says. "That aspect is no different than when I first started doing this for a living. I just talk to the director and say 'this is what I am thinking.' “Of course I want to know The Vulture’s background and I ask my questions and give the director my opinion, but I’m naive about what happens after that,” says Keaton, 65,

year’s Captain America: Civil War , and is now headlining his own movie. “Tom is fantastic. He’s a really good kid and he’s really good in this, a good actor.” He laughs when STACK asks about his stunts, after we witness a fiery showdown

Spider-Man: Homecoming is in cinemas July 6

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JEFF FINDS A WAY

T he Jurassic World sequel has been given its official title and poster. It's to be called Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and is accompanied by the tagline "Life Finds a Way" – the prescient observation made by Jeff Goldblum

in 1993's Jurassic Park . Clearly this will be a major theme of the sequel, which also marks the return of Goldblum's Ian Malcolm to the franchise, alongside Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is still a year away from release, but with acclaimed Spanish wunderkind J.A. Bayona ( A Monster Calls ) at the helm, it won't just be another walk in the park.

I t may boast a star-studded cast but when it comes to The Fate of the Furious , the cars take centre stage. And you'll be able to grab the distinctive 1972 Plymouth GTX model, as driven by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), when the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray release roars into JB stores on August 2. Be quick though, this scale diecast car model with its distinctive mods is exclusive to JB Hi-Fi, along with a bonus DVD packed with featurettes and extras. GTX-CLUSIVE!

STRANGER THRONES

I t had to happen. The main cast of Game of Thrones and Stranger Things are some of the most in-demand talent going around, and it was only a matter of time before the two worlds collided. Sure there's Millie Bobby Brown and Charles Dance in 2019 follow- up Godzilla: King of Monsters, but we're talking the hot young cast of 2018's X-Men: The New Mutants , which is set to deliver with GoT 's Maisie Williams as Wollfsbane alongside Stranger Things ' Charlie Heaton in the role of Cannonball – a mutant who can reach jetspeed. X-Men: The New Mutants is based on a spin-off comic series, and while audiences were given character teasers in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past , this will be their first standalone feature blockbuster.

Also getting a deluxe release is Ridley Scott's recent return to the universe he founded back in 1979 with the sci-fi masterpiece Alien . Prequel Alien: Covenant will be available in a Blu-ray Steelbook Edition with artwork featuring the iconic xenomorph – exclusive to JB Hi-Fi while stocks last. The film will also be available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD on August 16. In the meantime, you can grab the first four Alien films together with prequel Prometheus in the 5-disc Prometheus to Alien: The Evolution Blu-ray set.

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EdgarWright has assembled a cracking cast – and some cool tunes – for his fast and furious dream project, Baby Driver . Words Gill Pringle B est known for his tongue-in-cheek movies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz , British director Edgar Wright has long cherished a dream of making a bank heist action movie – Bottoms by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, which is now actually the first track in the film. I listened to it so many times, always thinking how it would be such a great car chase song,” recalls Wright, who also directed cult garage band fantasy Scott

but with really cool music and huge movie stars. “I suppose that would be any young director’s dream,” smiles Wright, 43, when STACK meets with him on the Atlanta set of Baby Driver, where he's now surrounded by his ultimate dream cast – Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Ansel Elgort and Lily James. The fantasy begun when he was 21 years old. “I heard Bell

Pilgrim vs. The World and sci-fi comedy The World’s End . “From there I developed this idea of a getaway driver who has to listen to music all the time, which then grew into the idea that he is basically soundtracking the movie himself. He has tinnitus from a car accident when he was younger and he drowns out the whine in his ears by playing music, now turned

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FEATURE CINEMA

“It’s an extension of things I’ve done in my previous movies with action sequences done to music, but I always dreamed of finding a way to do that for an entire movie. A lot of my favourite directors like Scorsese and Tarantino use soundtracks really

well, and I liked the idea of taking that to an even more heightened direction where the lead character is actually playing those tracks himself so that the songs exist in the film, they’re not score. They’re either on his iPod or on the radio or stereo, or they’re playing in the mall or on TV,” says Wright, whose collaboration with Tarantino ten years ago – directing a faux trailer ( Don't! ) within cult horror thriller Grindhouse – inspired him to work in earnest on his script. Although Baby Driver ’s cast aren’t necessarily known for their musical skills – with the exception of Foxx and Elgort – the

Bonnie and Clyde for today’s generation. “Ansel’s Baby and Lily’s Deborah is our version of it,” says Hamm. “I’ve known Edgar’s work since I stumbled into a theatre to see Shaun of the Dead , and

... Baby Driver is already being hailed as a Bonnie and Clyde for today’s generation

was quite literally blown away," he continues. "It stuck with me forever, so when I got to know him socially, and he asked me to read a version of this script seven years ago, I said yes immediately.” With his dream cast on board, Wright compiled movie lists to get his actors into Baby Driver ’s vibe. “It was such a cool list,” says Lily James, who did her homework by watching Sugarland Express, Point Break, Bonnie and Clyde, True Romance, Wild at Heart, Badlands . . . “Not necessarily car chase movies, but more he wanted me to see films where these kindred spirits meet, becoming a catalyst to be more open and excited by life,” says the actress best known for her roles in Downton Abbey and Cinderella. “Edgar isn’t a movie snob, he just loves movies,” says Elgort of Wright’s music-fuelled saga about a getaway driver whose romantic dreams of escape take a detour when a final heist goes sideways. “ Baby Driver is one of the most commercial movies I’ve seen

director reveals that all his actors actually came to the set with some kind of musical prowess. “You’d be surprised by Kevin and Jon Bernthal,” says Wright, who also features musicians Flea, Sky Ferreira and Paul Williams. For Jon Hamm, Baby Driver was the perfect antidote to Mad Men ’s Don Draper, not to mention an opportunity to sport a radical new haircut and cool duds. “Not only do I get to work with this fantastic cast but also it’s fun to be the bad guy. Don Draper was a conflicted individual but, for better or for worse, he was the hero of that story. But he’s nobody’s hero in this,” says Hamm. Scoring a rare 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, Baby Driver is already being hailed as a

in a long time, but in the most exciting, fun way,” adds Elgort. “I’m not just saying this because I’m in it – but it’s something I will watch over and over again. It’s like a classic Hollywood movie.”

from a salve into an obsession.” After auditioning scores of young actors to play the eponymous Baby Driver , Wright cast Ansel Elgort, whose music and dance skills perfectly gelled with his vision, and packed him off to stunt-driving school where he fashioned himself into the ultimate getaway driver.

• Baby Driver is in cinemas on July 13

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CINEMA FEATURE

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Robert De Niro in Casino .” Pairing Ferrell and Poehler as a suburban couple who hit on the idea of opening a basement casino to pay for their daughter’s college tuition, the lengths parents will go to pay for their kid’s college fees is a concept not lost on either actor. “College in the US is expensive,” muses Ferrell, 49, who helped pay his way through a degree in sports business at University of Southern California by taking a work-study loan. “I worked in the Humanities audio-visual department, checking out cassette tapes. “But I still had a lot of student debt and was writing cheques for $50 a month which was barely paying off the interest. It was only when I got to SNL that I was able to write the final cheque and pay off my debt.” Likewise, Poehler, 45, recalls how her school teacher parents re-mortgaged their home twice to pay for her to attend Boston College. “They are awesome parents and education is really important to them, but I remember a lot of late-night hushed conversations about how they were going to pay for school. So it was completely in my realm as to the stress of: what will you do to get your kid into a school that they really want to attend?” says Poehler, who will be looking to put two sons through college in the years ahead, while Ferrell has three sons.

BRINGING DOWN

SNL veterans Amy Poehler andWill Ferrell team up for suburban comedy The House – and it's a winning combination. Words Gill Pringle

“My wife tells me we have a college fund. But it's getting so expensive, I hope it's enough by the time they’re ready… it's crazy,” he deadpans. Both alums of US TV’s

I love wearing my wife’s Jackie O sunglasses and pretending that it’s a cool look for a man

W hen Amy Poehler promptly pulled down her pants and took a pee on a lawn while filming her latest comedy movie The House , nobody could quite believe their eyes. “Amy comes up with so many great ideas. So when she asks, ‘Shall I pee on the lawn?’ I immediately go: ‘Yeah, absolutely!’” reveals The House director Andrew Jay Cohen when STACK meets with him and his cast in West Hollywood. “As a director, you’d be an idiot not to listen, so it's just about getting out of the way and letting them go down the rabbit hole because its far more fun that way.” Likewise, the ladies sunglasses which Will Ferrell rocks is the actor's own invention, courtesy of his wife. “I love wearing my wife’s Jackie O sunglasses and pretending that it’s a cool look for a man,” says Ferrell, who first wore his wife’s shades as a guest on the Conan O’Brien show. “They look so beautifully ridiculous but if you were in the French Riviera and saw a guy wearing them, you wouldn’t think twice. You would go: Well, that guy can pull it off.” Despite the obvious lure of wearing women’s

SNL – the quintessential proving ground for comic talent – it's remarkable that Ferrell and Poehler have not worked together on the big screen prior to The House , with their characters in 2007 ice-skating spoof Blades of Glory barely sharing

sunnies, persuading Ferrell to sign on for The House was not easy for first-time director Cohen, best known for his work co-writing

any screen time. Ask why it took them so long to co-star, they both enter into a riff. “We couldn’t agree on the terms,” volunteers Poehler. “It was an endless negotiation – the terms, we just couldn’t agree on the terms, it was all about the terms. We’d get to the five yard line and then: Nope!” sighs Ferrell. “It just became a thing where: Guess what? Amy capitulated – she’ll do it for what you want, and then I’d be like: It’s off! I was just so used to the back and forth.” “We liked the dance more than the movie. And I guess people were afraid to put us together in a film – too much! Too hot!” laughs Poehler, cracking up as Ferrell adds, “Too much fire power!”

scripts for comedies Bad Neighbours and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates , and defining his genre as “suburban crime revenge”. “But once I pitched Will with my take on The House as Martin Scorsese’s Casino in the suburbs, he was interested,” says Cohen, who sent Ferrell a look-book of how his suburban dad would appear once he’d embraced his bad- ass new persona as a casino boss. “I literally superimposed Will’s face over pictures of

The House is in cinemas on June 29

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PREMIERE AT HOME MOREMOVIES STRAIGHT TO THE COMFORT OF YOUR COUCH!

Critic David Stratton’s love affair with Australian cinema led him to understand himself and his adopted country. This is the glorious story of Australian cinema and its creators, told through the very particular gaze of a national treasure. Release date: July 5 Cast: David Stratton, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Hugo Weaving and more Rating: M - Mature themes and coarse language In themood for an ILLUMINATINGBIOPIC An exiled Afghan journalist moves to Northern California. When he tries to rise above his menial job on a police blotter by covering a local crime, he’s drawn into a world of violence. Release date: July 12 Cast: James Franco, Dominic Rains, Melissa Leo, Rachel Brosnahan Rating: M - Mature themes, violence and coarse language In themood for CAPTIVATINGDRAMA

After delivering one of the atomic bombs that would eventually end World War II, the naval cruiser USS Indianapolis is torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Left with no option but to abandon ship, Captain Charles McVay and hundreds of his crew are left stranded

in shark-infested waters… RELEASE DATE: July 26 CAST: Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, Thomas Jane

RATING: MA15+ - Strong injury detail In themood for GRIPPINGACTION

Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries. Release date: July 5 Cast: Aisholpan Nurgaiv, Rys Nurgaiv, Daisy Ridley Rating: G - Very mild themes

Paris, at the end of the 30s, two young sister fortune-tellers, just finishing their European tour. Exhausted by the tour and faced with the competition of new practices, they meet a big cinema producer and controversial visionary André Korben – the result turns their world upside down. Release date: July 12 Cast: Natalie Portman, Lily-Rose Depp, Emmanuel Salinger Rating: M - Mature themes, sex, nudity and drug use In themood for SUPERNATURAL DRAMA mouse with a clever killer and an overambitious detective, while at the same time lusting after another woman. Release date: July 12 Cast: Patrick Wilson, Jessica Biel, Haley Bennett Rating: M - Violence and coarse language In themood for THRILLING DRAMA In 1960s New York, Walter Stackhouse is a successful architect married to the beautiful Clara who leads a seemingly perfect life. But his fascination with an unsolved murder leads him into a spiral of chaos as he is forced to play cat-and-

and coarse language In themood for a HEARTWARMING DOCUMENTARY

A frontier woman turns fugitive when she is wrongly accused of a crime she didn’t commit and is hunted by a vengeful preacher. Release date: July 27 Cast: Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, Kit Harrington, Carice van Houten Rating: MA15+ - Strong themes, violence, sexualised violence and sex scenes In themood for AN EPIC WESTERN THRILLER

THE MOST WWE SUPERSTARS EVER IN A LIVE-ACTION FEATURE FILM! Jake Carter is back, this time finding himself trapped with an injured, marked man he’s sworn to save. As a ruthless biker gang bent on revenge gains speed, Carter must use his killer Marine instincts to end the rampage…or die trying! Release date: July 12 Cast: The Miz, Maryse, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Bo Dallas, Naomi Rating: MA15+ - Strong themes and violence In themood for PULSE- POUNDINGACTION

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CINEMA REVIEWS

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THE MUMMY

RELEASED: June 8 DIRECTOR: Alex Kurtzman CAST: Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis RATING: M A mummy movie starring Tom Cruise. Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll. The prospect of "a new world of gods and monsters" under Universal's new 'Dark Universe' banner. It's hard not to be cynical about this move to resurrect the studio's iconic monsters as part of a Marvel-like shared universe. The Mummy gets things off to a bumpy start with a new take on the legendary creature that's far removed from the 1932 original and Brendan Fraser remake. The Egyptian in question is Princess Ahmanet (Boutella) – mummified alive for an unspeakable crime and unearthed in the present day by Cruise's soldier of fortune. Now on the loose in London, Ahmanet seeks an ancient gem that will summon the God of Death, and Cruise is her chosen vessel. Enter Dr. Jekyll, a specialist in the nature of evil who intends to capture the mummy for his experiments. With a lab full of arcane artifacts, he's destined to become the Nick Fury of this Dark Universe. It's basically Mummy: Impossible, but more monster movie than Tom Cruise actioner. Horror fans will find plenty to enjoy, with nods to The Exorcist and An American Werewolf in London . However, the film it most closely resembles is Tobe Hooper's insane Lifeforce – sans the nudity and crazy tone. An uneasy mix of olde worlde horrors and contemporary blockbuster razzmatazz, the creation of this new Dark Universe isn't exactly a big bang, but neither is it a whimper. Scott Hocking DESPICABLE ME 3 RELEASED: June 15 DIRECTORS: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin CAST: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Steve Coogan RATING: PG When last we met, the dastardly Gru (Steve Carell) had been turned to the side of good by new wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig), as well as his trio of adopted “leetle gorls”. But is Gru really a changed grump, or is it a case of once a bad guy, always a bad guy? Enter shoulder-padded supervillain Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) – a former ’80s child star who’s lost track of the line between his TV role and real life. Yes, he’s bad, really bad, and he’s got the explosive bubble gum to prove it! Gru is still under the employ of the Anti-Villain League, until a failed takedown of Bratt sees both he and Lucy sacked. Then comes word that Gru has a twin brother, named Dru (also Carell), who’s everything that Gru isn’t – rich, stylish and, well, not bald. But he’s been a failure in the family business of evilness, and wants to tempt Gru back into the life. Will our anti-antihero succumb to the temptation? While Despicable Me 2 didn’t quite get the balance right in keeping adults and kids equally amused throughout, this third outing is more bang-on. From choice ’80s cuts (Michael Jackson, Madonna, A-ha, Nena) bumping it with new Pharrell tracks, plenty of genuinely clever-funny era-related gags (thank you, Van Halen) and just the right amount of slapstick, Despicable Me 3 is genuinely superb all-family entertainment. Amy Flower

RELEASED: June 22 DIRECTORS: Michael Bay CAST: Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, Anthony Hopkins RATING: M

TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT

A Knight to forget.

T o make the plot of Transformers: The Last Knight easier for you to understand than it was for us, you need to know that King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table – along with the wizard Merlin (played by Stanley Tucci, mind you) – actually had their power bestowed upon them by an ancient race of Transformers, via the Staff of Quintessa. Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is now in hiding with a group of Autobots he's rescued and winds up in possession of a strange amulet that binds itself to his body. He also adopts an orphaned girl, Izabella (Isabela Moner), who knows her way around a toolbox and has an attitude to match. Yeager ends up crossing paths with English mare Vivian (Laura Haddock), who, as it turns out, is the last living descendant of Merlin. She's been recruited to the cause by Sir Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins), a bound secret keeper for the Transformers and their presence here on Earth. When old Optimus Prime finally reaches

Cybertron (following the events of Age of Extinction ), he's brainwashed by Quintessa to take over the Earth and plunder its resources to rebuild his home planet. Vivian and Cade therefore become humanity's last hope. If all this sounds messy, that's because it is. Bad writing and bored actors suggest that at some point during the last ten years, the Transformers franchise has lost its way. Events in The Last Knight seem to exist solely to serve a plot that can't even decide who the antagonist actually is. Megatron is no longer threatening, and changing the voice actor does him no favours. Even cameos from Simmons (John Turturro) and Lennox (Josh Duhamel) can't save this one. Transformers: The Last Knight is a Michael Bay movie, which means lots of wide sunset shots, a pounding soundtrack, chaotic editing, and more pyrotechnics than New Year's Eve in Sydney. The robots themselves still look great, but some of the smaller-scale CGI stuff appears slightly rushed. If the franchise is to continue, Bay will have to start scouring for more obscure historical events to attribute to the Autobots and

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

Decepticons. And if the post-credits scene is anything to

go by, this doesn't appear to be the end for these robots in disguise. Sigh. Alesha Kolbe

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REVIEWS CINEMA

CARS 3

ALSO SCREENING IN JULY

RELEASED: June 22 DIRECTOR: Brian Fee CAST: Owen Wilson, Armie Hammer, Nathan Fillion RATING: G

Lightning McQueen and Pixar face stiff competition.

Pixar are having a midlife crisis – and they’ve decided to share it with us. Well, the plot of the visually unsurpassed Cars 3 could easily be taken that way. Lightning McQueen (Wilson) is busy doing his thing – winning races – until, well, he isn’t. There’s a new breed of racer in town, using technology and crunched numbers to gain an advantage and win those shiny cups. Jackson Storm (Hammer) is fast (literally) becoming the new king of the racing ring, and McQueen isn’t sure how to deal. His sponsors have a plan though, selling out to mudflap money man (and number 95 fan) Sterling (Fillion), who builds an institute to train up-and-

coming racers – and (ostensibly) help Lightning McQueen regain a competitive edge. It’s here that our fave red racer is allotted a trainer in Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo). They do the initial rub- each-other-the-wrong-way thing, eventually bond after a few drives along the beach, and go on to inspire each other to reach greater heights. In particular, Cruz dreamed of being a racer, not a trainer. Can she find some dream fulfilment? Essentially Cars 3 is a Rocky movie, just with more stickers. The ageing champ is on his way out, a new breed is coming through, the older guy doesn’t want to quit, but he needs to find a way to compete... Should he continue on, or realise that his competitive days are over and mentor the next generation? The allegory with Pixar’s situation should be obvious – other studios such as Illumination and Blue Sky are invading their formerly unique kid/ adult space, and claiming it for their own with some truly superb animated fare. With several emotionally-resonant adult themes running through its fuel lines, Cars 3 is a very good movie. We’re just not sure it’s necessarily a very good kids’ movie. Amy Flower arrests. With his bling growing in proportion to his success, Tupac emerges as a young man driven by a resolute desire to change the world, imbued at an early age by a stepfather with revolutionary ideals. It's a life story related to a journalist while Tupac is doing time in '95, but this superfluous framing device is dispensed with following his release and subsequent signing with the portentously named Death Row Records – an association that would propel him to superstardom and music immortality. Committed newcomer Demetrius Shipp Jr. attempts to give us Tupac and not a performance, but it's more his physical resemblance that sells it. The standout here is Danai Gurira as his volatile, activist mother, channelling Viola Davis, Alfre Woodard, and her Walking Dead character Miccone into a fiery combination. At two hours and twenty minutes, All Eyez on Me is certainly thorough in presenting the facts surrounding this hip hop icon, but it never truly gets under the skin of its subject. When Tupac is sentenced to 18 months for sexual assault, he berates the judge for not once looking him in the eye and seeing the person, the man, behind the lyrics and gangsta lifestyle. It's an accusation that can also be levelled at this film. Scott Hocking

Following his introduction in Captain America: Civil War , young Peter Parker (Tom Holland) balances school and learning the superheroic ropes from his mentor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr). Then there's bad guy The Vulture (Michael Keaton), who's scavenging old Avengers bits and bobs to create new weapons. The good news is we won't see Uncle Ben die... again! Slinging webs on July 6 . (See page 8) SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

The latest from Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright embroils talented young getaway driver Ansel Elgort in a doomed heist. Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm and Kevin Spacey are also along for the ride on July 13 . (See page 12) BABY DRIVER

ALL EYEZ ON ME

RELEASED: June 15 DIRECTOR: Benny Boom CAST: Demetrius Shipp Jr., Danai Gurira, Kat Graham RATING: MA15+

Just the facts on 2Pac.

Tupac Shakur – or 2Pac – was one of the prime exponents of hip hop during the 1990s, enjoying phenomenal success and multi-platinum album sales before his death in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, aged 25. Taking its title from Tupac's fourth studio album, this sprawling biopic from director Benny Boom charts the rapper and sometime actor's rise from his turbulent youth and formative years performing with Digital Underground, to a controversial solo career full of incendiary lyrics, accusations of misogyny, and multiple

Interstellar director Christopher Nolan returns to earth for the story of the 1940 evacuation of Allied soldiers from the titular French city by the British. Spitfires take flight on July 20 . DUNKIRK

"I did not start this war. I fight only to protect apes." It's Caesar vs. Woody Harrelson's crazed Colonel in the third (and possibly final) chapter in the new Apes saga. Will it all end with the Statue of Liberty buried in the sand and some Chuck Heston-like rage? Find out on July 27 . WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

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EXTRAS FEATURE

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Pieces , The Godfather and its sophisticated sequel, The Godfather Part II , brought – for a brief period of time – fame and power to a few of the auteur directors. In particular Francis Ford Coppola. The corporate film studios were only too happy to invest in the productions of young filmmakers as long as they were successful at the box office. However, the popularity of the auteur film was in fact beginning to decline just as the "second wave" of young Hollywood filmmakers emerged. Movie prodigy Steven Spielberg had begun

HOLLYWOOD'S SECOND GOLDEN AGE 1975-1981

...practically the whole of America – young and old – went to see Jaws

his career working in Universal's television studios, where he directed a memorable segment of Night Gallery titled "Eyes", starring veteran actress Joan Crawford. There followed various episodes of Marcus Welby, M.D. and Columbo where he honed his skills as a director. He was then given his first full TV feature film, Duel (1971), which was deemed worthy enough to be released theatrically. In 1974, Spielberg became a fully-fledged movie director with The Sugarland Express – a fugitive couple road film with more than a nod to Bonnie and Clyde . This positioned him for a film that would turn him into a movie wunderkind, and arguably Hollywood's most famous film director/producer. Jaws played on man's primal fear of the sea and what lurks beneath it. The film tells

Part IV: The Dawn of the Summer Blockbuster and Decline of the American Auteurs

M ovie storylines written during Hollywood's first Golden Age followed a simple and well tested template. They had a straightforward narrative structure that proceeded in a logical cause and effect manner to a clear and satisfactory resolution. The classical Hollywood movies produced during this era regularly presented an idealised version of a patriotic America that perpetuated the myth of the American dream. Good was always rewarded, evil was always routed.  But the new wave of young auteur film directors, who rose to prominence in early 1970s Hollywood, completely dismantled that template. As educated

The end of Quint in Steven Spielberg's Jaws

Little Big Man depicted former American hero General George Custer as a murderous lunatic. A prime example of the auteur directors' critical view of America's past

the story of a rogue Great White shark that terrorises bathers in a New England summer resort. Following an innovative nationwide television advertising blitz, Jaws was mass released into more than 460 US theatres in June 1975. This was a huge gamble as the summer was usually a low season for the film industry. But the media frenzy that ensued coined the term "Jawsmania". By the end of its opening weekend it had become the must- see "movie event" and in that pre-home video era, not just once but repeatedly. During that long summer of 1975, practically the whole of

cineastes, steeped in film history, they overhauled and revamped the classic film genres to align with the political and social awareness of young, modern moviegoers. The result was a myriad of motion pictures that presented a more critical view of America's past and present. A large proportion of their films projected a seedier side of American life that featured morally ambiguous, idiosyncratic protagonists. Moreover, these characters were predominately either

corrupt, dejected losers, eccentric loners, drug users, thieves or even violent killers. Free from studio interference, the auteur filmmakers' gritty movies, often with ambiguous endings, delivered for audiences an entirely different kind of American cinema. The first wave of auteur films scored big at the box-office, some winning Academy Awards. Successful films such as M*A*S*H , The French Connection , Little Big Man , The Exorcist , Mean Streets , The Wild Bunch, Chinatown , Five Easy

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FEATURE EXTRAS

America – young and old – went to see Jaws . Consequently, the film took an astonishing $129 million ($600 million in today's money) in domestic rentals on its first run. One of Spielberg's primary aims for his film had been to make America's beaches as empty as motel showers were after Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was released. His scary shark shocker certainly made bathers question whether or not it was safe to swim in the ocean. The movie's influence on popular culture is undeniable. John Williams' first two ominous notes of the film's iconic music score is still instantly recognisable today. The poster advertising the movie – now probably the most famous in cinema history – became a massive merchandising product in itself. Steven Spielberg's man- eating shark thriller initiated the

Movie wunderkinds Steven Spielberg and George Lucas

they reverted back to the original storylines of good always defeating evil that resonated with a wider cross-section of cinemagoers. Combining their stories with spectacular visuals and stereophonic sound effects frequently resulted in excited audiences cheering and applauding particular scenes. They reinvented the old movie serial format by introducing sequels and prequels. The Star Wars movies along with Indiana Jones, Poltergeist , Gremlins , Back to the Future and the Jurassic Park series became extremely profitable franchises. They also created marketing precedents with a plethora of consumer merchandising products and theme park rides directly associated with their films.

Indiana Jones? No its Charlton Heston in the 1955 jungle movie Secret of the Incas . Spielberg and Lucas copied Heston's appearance for their eponymous hero

era of the 'Summer Blockbuster'. Two years later, George Lucas's Star Wars (1977) surpassed Jaws as the highest grossing movie of all time. Those two movies – plus Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) – made an unprecedented impact at the box office. They also provided Hollywood with a vision of the future; a new formula for making and marketing movies. This gave the industry an opportunity to end its short-lived embrace of the auteurs' personal but more niche art movies and their wildly uneven box office performance. Martin Scorsese extrapolated " Star Wars was in, Spielberg was in. We were finished." The truth was that the original "movie brats" had lost their way making increasingly obscure and costly movies. This resulted in their audience simply deserting them. That was more than confirmed with Coppola's ultra expensive and near catastrophic Apocalypse Now (1979), which took years to recoup its staggering production costs, and Michael Cimino's mega-

Spielberg and Lucas introduced and honed to perfection the summer blockbuster era, which still endures today

Spielberg and Lucas introduced and honed to perfection the summer blockbuster era, which still endures today. And ironically, it has done so for almost twice as long as the Hollywood Classic Golden Age it replaced.

disastrous Heaven's Gate (1980) – the latter becoming a symbol for a now discredited, director-centric system.  In 1981, Spielberg and Lucas began their historic partnership with Raiders of the Lost Ark . Both keen film fans, they plundered the stories and images of the classic Hollywood genres – especially the 1940s science fiction and action adventure serials – for filmmaking ideas. But unlike their auteur colleagues,

To be continued...

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