STACK #140 Jun 2016

CINEMA REVIEWS

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BAD NEIGHBOURS 2

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Nicholas Stoller CAST: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron RATING: MA15+ Anyone who might have guessed that a sequel to Nicholas Stoller’s atrocious 2014 comedy (a generous description) Bad Neighbours would not only be consistently funny but also include compelling social commentary has a remarkable degree of intuition. Bad Neighbours 2 improves on the original in every way. It also bucks the recent trend of unfunny American comedy. The narrative situation from the first film is revisited, unbelievably, and the characters are shoehorned into an almost impossible scenario. But we know that going in. Marc (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne) are expecting their second child and preparing to move out of their house when the sorority sisters of the Kappa Kappa Nu move in next door. The mission of the sorority is to break free of the misogynistic culture associated with the female relationship with fraternities. With 30 days to go before the house sale is finalised, Marc and Kelly team up with their old nemesis, Teddy (Zac Efron), to disestablish Kappa Kappa Nu. There are no villains in Bad Neighbours 2 . The behaviour of Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz), the leader of the sorority, may not be savoury but it is understandable and comes from a decidedly principled place. The commentary on gender equality is unexpectedly edged and the humour surprisingly effective. Who'd have thought it? John Roebuck BASTILLE DAY RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: James Watkins CAST: Idris Elba, Richard Madden, Kelly Reilly RATING: M The influences are in plain sight in James Watkins’ Bastille Day . It’s the latest in the long line of Die Hard rip offs, which, between White House Down and Olympus/London Has Fallen , have seen a startling resurgence of late. An American pickpocket ( GoT 's Richard Madden) living in Paris becomes the principle suspect in a terrorist plot after stealing the bag of a bomb mule. CIA Agent Briar (Idris Elba) must locate the thief before France’s national day of celebration, Bastille Day, escalates into riots. Madden and Elba make a terrific duo and there are moments in Bastille Day that shine, thanks to some energetic direction from Watkins – the film blasts from one action set piece to another, which distracts from the plot holes and the improbable nature of some of the narrative developments. Bastille Day is a lively and amusing way to kill a couple of hours, particularly for action enthusiasts. John Roebuck

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: James Bobin CAST: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter RATING: PG

Follow-ups to children’s classics – Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and Through the Looking Glass – are usually less fondly remembered, if they are remembered at all. This Disney sequel isn’t exactly memorable either, but it’s less gaudy and grotesque than Tim Burton’s 2010 film, which somehow managed to gross a billion dollars. And – curiouser and curiouser! – it’s actually the more entertaining of the two. Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is now a ship’s captain who’s been travelling the globe for the last three years. Returning home to London, she’s given the choice of losing her father’s ship or her family home. But before she can worry about that, she’s lured back into Wonderland through a magic mirror, where she discovers her friend the Hatter (Johnny Depp) is not so much mad as depressed over the whereabouts of his long lost family. Determined to set things right, Alice commandeers a gyroscopic time machine and returns to the past to discover the whereabouts of the Hatter’s kin. The theme is time in this ‘Days of Future Past’ take on Lewis Carroll’s classic, so naturally the message for kids is that you can’t change the past, and to cherish every second, minute and hour. Oh, and family is important too. Darker and more melancholic in tone but no less crammed with colourful CGI, some of which looks pretty good in 3D, Alice Through the Looking Glass might lack a sense of wonder, but unlike the first film, you won’t feel like you’ve eaten a kilo of M&M’s by the end. Scott Hocking ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

CINEMA

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo CAST: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

Johansson RATING: M

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

When is an Avengers movie not an Avengers movie? When it’s a Captain America movie subtitled Civil War . The righteous soldier out of time is still the focus, but the Avengers ensemble all play a major part, sans Thor and the Hulk. Which leaves room for Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and a certain webslinger from Queens to make up the numbers. The collateral damage from the Avengers’ attempts to save the planet leads the world’s governments to demand the UN regulate the team. Tony Stark agrees to sign the new accord but the Cap refuses, fearing this will compromise the team’s ability to respond to future threats. It doesn’t help that Cap’s old army buddy Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), aka The Winter Soldier, has reappeared and has his Avenger pal’s support, adding fuel to an already volatile situation. The Russo Brothers never lose control of this potentially unwieldy Marvel juggernaut, alternating the hyperactive action scenes with comic relief, ethical dilemmas and thriller tropes, while effortlessly introducing Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and the new Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Of all the Avengers, Captain America has pulled off a hat-trick in the standalone Marvel movies: The First Avenger is a cracking Saturday matinee-style adventure, The Winter Soldier a propulsive espionage thriller, and Civil War is all kinds of awesome – a massive movie that sets a new benchmark for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Scott Hocking

JUNE 2016

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