STACK #140 Jun 2016

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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The heat is on. TRIPLE 9

Big Apple. STEVE JOBS

Release Date: 08/06/16

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Release Date: 02/06/16

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Aussie director John Hillcoat ( The Proposition ) brings his trademark grit and grunge – and an all-star cast – to the urban crime thriller. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a former soldier who is blackmailed by a ruthless Russian-Israeli mob boss (Kate Winslet – a long way from Titanic ) into pulling off a near impossible heist using military tactics, a pair of corrupt cops (Andrew Mackie, Clifton Collins Jr.) and Special Forces buddies (Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus). To ensure a clean getaway, the crew use a 999 call – code for "officer down" – to distract the Atlanta police department. Elsewhere,

Danny Boyle's take on the late Apple CEO is certainly better than the Ashton Kutcher film, but it still tells us remarkably little about the man himself. Focusing on three key product launches – the Macintosh in 1984, the doomed NeXT cube in 1988, and the iMac in 1998 – what we do learn about Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) in the chaotic lead-up to the presentations is that he's an unpleasant guy who won't acknowledge his daughter (who he thinks isn't his child) or the crucial input of tech partner Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen). Steve Jobs does feature knockout performances from

good cop Casey Affleck and detective Woody Harrelson attempt to expose the rats in their ranks. Hillcoat’s insight into the dynamics of the criminal underworld adds additional kick to this brutal and spectacularly seedy genre offering in the tradition of Heat and The French Connection . SH

Fassbender and Kate Winslet (as Jobs's long suffering marketing exec), as well as some crackling dialogue from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, which echoes his script for The Social Network – another portrait of a dysfunctional tech genius who changed the world but failed to give credit where it's due. SH

Where there's a Will... CONCUSSION

The Butler did it. LONDON HAS FALLEN

DVD&BD

Release Date: 15/06/16

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Release Date: 22/06/16

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Anybody who follows Aussie sports will have noticed that when a player gets concussed nowadays, it’s taken very seriously. This is partially due to logic, but also very much because of the work of gifted US forensic pathologist Bennet Omalu, who discovered severe brain damage in a retired footballer who was found dead at 50. This dramatised biography sees Will Smith step into the shoes of Omalu, who determined that repeated blows to the bonce aren’t beneficial. He then bolstered his theory further by discovering three other deceased NFL players with similar

Olympus Has Fallen was a guilty pleasure – a Die Hard - lite action flick with Gerard Butler as a former Secret Service man who singlehandedly takes down a North Korean terrorist cell that's invaded the White House. It was big, brash and brutal, and the stakes were high. Now Butler’s back, this time accompanying the President (Aaron Eckhart) on a trip to the British capital to attend the funeral of the recently deceased PM, along with every other world leader. Security is on high alert, so what could possibly go wrong? Everything! A cleverly

symptoms. However, nobody was prepared to listen, in particular the most important player – the NFL. But while many tried to discredit the good doctor, he had some important people on his side. Playing the facts ball rather than ratcheting drama beyond belief, this one’s for you, sports fans. AF

conceived plot by a terrorist mastermind unleashes mayhem on the city, leaving Butler and the Prez on the run from an enemy who could be anyone, from the Palace Guard to Scotland Yard’s finest. Which doesn’t say much for British security and MI6. Big. Loud. Dumb. Fun. SH

JUNE 2016

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