STACK #128 Jun 2016

DVD & BD

REVIEWS

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Moore's overdue Oscar. STILL ALICE

Beyond the mat. FOXCATCHER

Release Date: 03/06/15

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Release Date: 03/06/15

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Prior to this year, the fact that Nicole Kidman had won an Oscar and Julianne Moore hadn't was one of the Academy's biggest injustices. Moore's consistently brilliant thesping was finally rewarded for her performance as Alice Howland, a 50-year-old linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Having dedicated her life to the process of communication, to be robbed of these skills and her memory (naturally) weighs heavily on Alice, her husband (Alec Baldwin) and their three adult

Moneyball director Bennett Miller delivers a real-life American sports story set in the world of Olympic wrestling, that savagely eschews the tropes of the genre. There's nothing uplifting or inspirational about the events that befell Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) and his brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), after being lured to the estate of eccentric multi- millionaire coach John E. du Pont (Steve Carell) to train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. If you don't know the tragic outcome of this story, try not to Google it prior to seeing

children, and the steps she takes to retain her sense of self make for compelling and affecting viewing. Still Alice is heavy stuff, but its unsentimental approach to its subject is as far removed from a generic disease-of-the-week telemovie as Moore's talent is from Kidman's.

Foxcatcher ; the experience will be even more intense and unpredictable. This is a disturbing, character-driven drama full of awkward moments and uncomfortable silences, anchored by a truly creepy performance by an unrecognisable, cast-against-type Carell. • See page 40

Crime and corruption heats up. A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

District 10. CHAPPIE

Release Date: 25/06/15

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Release Date: 18/06/15

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Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) is a heating-oil company boss; an essentially honest man chasing the American Dream in New York City, 1981. While attempting to close the deal on his new waterfront depot, he's pressured by the D.A., the bank and his competitors, and things edge closer to boiling point when his trucks start getting hijacked and his drivers are forced to take up arms. The always fantastic Jessica Chastain is in top form as his ruthless wife, whose mob connections could come in handy when the inevitable turf war finally erupts. The third film

In Johannesburg, 2016, a robotic police force fights crime. When one of these droids is damaged and reprogrammed, it becomes capable of learning. Unfortunately it doesn't have the best teachers, having been kidnapped by a pair of ghetto punks (played by South African hip-hop duo Die Antwoord) who name him 'Chappie', decorate him with bling, teach him to talk dirty and steal cars. If this sounds like Short Circuit meets RoboCop , it sort of is. Had Chappie been a Hollywood film, it would be horrible. But this is a Neill Blomkamp movie, and the District 9 and Elysium director's trademarks

from director J.C. Chandor ( Margin Call , All Is Lost ) evokes those '70s crime thrillers that usually featured Pacino or De Niro, and also shares a lot in common with more recent gritty slow-burners like Out of the Furnace and The Yards , both in style and substance. Recommended.

(fetishised tech, slums, social commentary and Sharlto Copley) guarantee an offbeat ride. Chappie himself winds up being far more believable than his flesh and blood counterparts, including Hugh Jackman giving Aussies a bad name. Now let's wait and see what Blomkamp does with the Alien franchise.

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

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