STACK #121 Nov 2015

DVD&BD

ED’S DESK

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SNOWPIERCER DISC of the month:

E very few years or so you see a movie and know that you’ve just witnessed the next evolution in visual effects – The Abyss , Jurassic Park , LOTR, etc. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues the progression, with advancements in motion capture technology and CGI. The movie’s simian stars are fully fledged characters, not special effects, and if you look closely at the superbly rendered Caesar, you can see a semblance of mo-cap performer Andy Serkis looking back at you through the individual strands of fur. Weta Digital have truly outdone themselves here, and so has director Matt Reeves, melding cutting edge technology with emotional resonance and a cracking good story to deliver the best of this summer’s blockbusters. Similarly – and at the same time conversely – we also have Transformers: Age of Extinction , a movie that’s all about the special effects. I’ve never liked these films, but for some reason the fanboy inside me can never resist some mega-budget robot biffo and grand scale destruction (and like drinking too much, I always seem to regret it afterwards). To his credit, Michael Bay always apologises for the last installment and promises that the next will be better. And while this fourth bit of Bayhem offers more of the same (albeit longer), at least there’s no Shia LaBeouf this time around. With the holiday season rapidly approaching, now’s the time to stock up on your favourite TV series box sets so you’re ready to balance binge eating with binge viewing over the festive season. There’s plenty out this month including the final seasons of True Blood and Mad Men (the first half, at least), the second series of the terrific Vikings, and newcomers Fargo and Black Sails . It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

If you haven’t heard about this brilliant and ingenious sci-fi thriller from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho ( The Host ) and producer Park Chan- wook ( Oldboy ), that’s not surprising. Inexplicably given a very limited release both here and in the US, Snowpiercer can at last reach the wider audience it deserves when it arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on 26 November. The premise is a belter: a disastrous attempt to reverse the effects of climate change results in an apocalyptic ice age, with the human survivors of this big freeze safely aboard a perpetual train that circles the globe. The haves live a life of luxury at the front of the train, while the have-nots congregate in the overcrowded rear carriage. But revolution is afoot, with those at the rear fighting their way through the train to take the engine. Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige and featuring an international cast including Chris Evans, John Hurt, Song Kang-ho, Jamie Bell, and Tilda Swinton as the train’s Thatcher-esque authority figure, Snowpiercer works both as a commentary on class struggle and a ripping post-apocalyptic sci-fi yarn. This is one train you don’t want to miss.

ON MY TO-WATCH STACK So much to view, so little time ... These Final Hours A speculative Aussie apocalypse thriller that makes us consider how we’d spend our Deliver Us from Evil Sin City: A Dame to Kill For More stories from Frank Miller’s monochrome metropolis, with Eva

The Mule Angus Sampson co-writes, co-directs and stars as a busted drug mule who won’t give up the shit – literally!

I’m always up for a bit of blood-curdling exorcism, especially when it’s mixed with a police procedural.

last moments on Earth. Probably not at a rave.

Green as an added bonus. Hot Dame!

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