STACK #163 May 2018

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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Deal with her. MOLLY'S GAME

There will be sewing. PHANTOM THREAD

Release Date: 23/05/18

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Release Date: 09/05/18

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Aaron Sorkin, whose verbose screenplays are a highlight of films like A Few Good Men , The Social Network , and of course TV's The West Wing , makes an assured directorial debut with Molly's Game , adapting the memoir of 'Poker Princess' Molly Bloom (played by the always radiant Jessica Chastain). A freestyle skier and Olympic hopeful, Molly's sporting career is derailed by a back injury, leading her to work as a PA to an obnoxious jerk who organises illegal high stakes poker games for Hollywood celebs. Striking out on her own

Paul Thomas Anderson ( Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood ) reunites with Daniel Day-Lewis for what is supposedly the actor’s final bow before retirement. DDL plays renowned London dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock, a bachelor bound by routine and perfection. His ordered world is disrupted when he meets European waitress Alma (Vicky Krieps), who becomes his model, muse and lover, although their romance has all the warmth of an English winter. As finely crafted as one of Woodcock’s exquisite creations, Phantom Thread isn’t a fashion

as a poker hostess and building a multi-million dollar underground empire, Molly becomes the real power player in a game dominated by powerful men. Sorkin’s rapid-fire dialogue and fluid direction result in a gripping drama, anchored by another knockout performance from Chastain. SH

film; the haute couture is simply elegant window dressing for a brilliant and spellbinding Gothic melodrama in the tradition of Hitchcock’s Rebecca . Day- Lewis delivers an incredibly nuanced performance and is well matched by Lesley Manville, as Woodcock’s frosty sister and business partner. SH

His life is on the line. THE COMMUTER

Cops without limits. Thieves without fear. DEN OF THIEVES

Release Date: 09/05/18

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Release Date: 02/05/18

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Liam Neeson once again makes the inevitable transition from everyman to action man as a 60-year- old ex-cop turned insurance guy, who makes the long daily train commute from the 'burbs to NYC. After learning he's been fired, his day gets a whole lot worse when he receives a cryptic offer from a mystery woman (Vera Farmiga) on the trip home: find a specific traveller who doesn't belong on the train, in exchange for $100K. With no job, two mortgages and a kid bound for college, naturally he

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Self… there just aren’t enough bank heist movies”? If you have, then you’re going to love Den of Thieves . Gerard Butler stars as a dodgy LAPD cop named Nick Flanagan, who’s determined to bring down a known crew planning to rob the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Los Angeles. The trio of crims in question are boss guy Merriman (Pablo Schreiber), Levi Enson (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) and Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr). Sure, the plot is about as

agrees. But after breaking the rules of the deal, his family is threatened and he's plunged into a convoluted conspiracy. Neeson can play this kind of role in his sleep now, but The Commuter is no snoozefest. It's paced like an out of control express and will keep you guessing right up to the Die Hard -like finale. Often implausible but highly enjoyable. SH

original as vanilla ice cream and heist flicks are as common as mud (and our analogies just as hackneyed), but with Butler at the helm, a strong action pedigree (it's the directorial debut of A Man Apart and London Has Fallen writer Christian Gudegast), and nods to the Michael Mann classic Heat , what further recommendation do you need? AF

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MAY 2018

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