STACK #128 Jun 2016

CINEMA

REVIEWS

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ALSO SCREENING IN JUNE

The Park is back in business and that means, to quote Dr. Ian Malcolm, "Oooh, ahhh... then later there's running, and screaming". Jurassic World looks to have all this, with aquatic dinosaurs, pterodactyls, an Indominus Rex, and trained raptors. Not sure how the last bit is going to work, but Chris Pratt seems to have managed it; he is an affable dude, after all. Will we still be wowed by CGI 'saurs? We'll know on June 11 . JURASSIC WORLD

The guy gets the girl, that kid sees dead people, Darth Vader is Luke’s father... the Bellas win the International A Cappella Championships? PITCH PERFECT 2 RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Elizabeth Banks CAST: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld RATING: M

A h, collegiate a cappella – apparently a “thing” over in America. Colleges around the country form (sometimes multiple) teams to fight their way to the top of the instrument-free music world. Pitch Perfect saw the debut of Anna Kendrick as the “alt girl” who can sing, joining the Barden University Bellas and taking them on to win at the National Championships. Now, the second time round, having lost Anna Camp but gained Hailee Steinfeld as a young Legacy, Kendrick is joined again by Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Adam DeVine and Skylar Astin to out-voice the competition. With an opening performance by the Bellas for Obama’s birthday, things don’t quite go according to the arrangement, and the Bellas find themselves disqualified from competing at the collegiate level. That would have been it for the film had podcasters Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins not offered to reinstate them, should they win the International Championships. The rest of the film follows the Bellas as they journey to “find their sound” again, having seemingly fallen into the trap of being showy rather than, well, pitch perfect. I’ve seen Pitch Perfect more times than John Higgins’s character has been misogynistic. I adored it. The mash-ups and humour never really got old, and I could watch it again and again and still laugh at Judd Nelson jokes. The best part about the sequel is it doesn’t

It's been a long time coming, but at last the boys are back in town and up on the big screen. Expect plenty of drama (real and Johnny) and special guest stars on June 4 . ENTOURAGE

try to be anything else. Yes, it’s full of lame jokes at the expense of the black lesbian. Yes, Fat Amy is always the one making the jokes. Yes, Bumper is still awkward. But it works. Throw in some international competition and a cameo from Snoop Dogg and I’m more out of breath than Rebel Wilson vertical running. Pitch Perfect 2 is a perfect sequel. It’s still upbeat, it’s still unique, and it’s still itself. A ca-awesome. Alesha Kolbe

After stealing scenes in two Despicable Me films, those cute yellow critters get a movie of their own. Ever wondered what the hell they are and where they came from? Find out June 18 . MINIONS

Expect more lowbrow laughs on June 25 when Seth MacFarlane's trash-talking toy returns in the company of Mark Wahlberg, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman (who'll no doubt explain the plot). TED 2

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

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