STACK #151 May 2017

CINEMA REVIEWS

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RAW

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Julia Ducournau CAST: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Laurent Lucas RATING: R18+ As the Hollywood horror factory continues to churn out generic jump scares and Conjuring spin-offs, the French remain at the forefront of the genre, as anyone who's been traumatised by the likes of Inside , Martyrs and High Tension will attest. Euro-horror isn't afraid to tackle taboos with unflinching gusto, and writer- director Julia Ducournau's arthouse cannibal film is an appetising feast of coming-of-age themes and Cronenbergian body horror. Justine (Garance Marillier) is a reserved first-year student at a veterinary school, who undergoes a frightening transformation following a hazing ritual that involves being drenched in animal blood and consuming a raw rabbit kidney. It's the latter that proves problematic – she's a strict vegetarian and her first taste of forbidden flesh has nightmarish consequences for Justine, her older sister (who's also a student at the school) and her gay roommate. What begins as a nasty skin-peeling rash quickly develops into a hunger for human flesh as well as an increased sexual appetite, transforming the virginal Justine into a predator. Raw arrives with a lot of buzz following reports of audience members fainting during its TIFF premiere. Perhaps they were drunk – despite its grisly subject, it's not an overly gruesome film by French standards. A haunting rites-of-passage story that's as much about fitting in and family ties as it is about cannibalism, Raw won't make you faint but it will make you think. It might even make you hungry for a rare steak. Scott Hocking FREE FIRE RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Ben Wheatley CAST: Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson, Armie Hammer RATING: MA15+ A stand-off between mobsters following a dodgy deal invariably ends in guns being drawn and few left standing. It also usually lasts a matter of minutes. But not in Ben Wheatley's new film, Free Fire . The British writer-director whose offbeat resume includes occult thriller Kill List , serial killer comedy Sightseers and bonkers J.G. Ballard adaptation High-Rise , sustains the firefight for a majority of the film's running time. And in true Wheatley style, the result is a wonderfully absurd siege movie that ricochets with snappy dialogue, misfit characters, and masterful sound design. An arms deal between a pair of Irish business partners (Cillian Murphy and Michael Smiley) and an "international asshole" (Sharlto Copley) in a seedy Boston warehouse goes totally Pete Tong when the wrong kind of weapons are offered and a sexual indiscretion involving a cousin the night before leads to the first shot being fired. Then it's duck and cover for all and sundry in a prolonged shootout that would be all over quickly if everyone wasn't such a lousy shot. Setting the action during the 1970s lets Wheatley pay homage to some of his favourite films of the period – namely Assault on Precinct 13 and Mean Streets (indeed, Martin Scorsese is credited as an executive producer) – and while Free Fire might be light on plot (the shootout is the plot), it hits the bullseye as a hugely entertaining, technically savvy and blackly comic take on the crime genre. Scott Hocking

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: James Gunn CAST: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista RATING: M

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

Gunning for 2/2 in Marvel moviemaking.

M arvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy are back to save the universe – again. First introduced on-screen in 2014, Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (David Bautista), Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) and Baby Groot (voice of Vin Diesel) have returned with a new Awesome Mix to back their badass space battles. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opens with Quill and the gang taking on an interdimensional monster for a bounty offered by a woman known as Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki). Ayesha promised a reward to the Guardians for protecting the city’s batteries, which turns out to be Gamora’s captive sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan). With their trophy secured, the Guardians depart, but not before a parting inquiry from Ayesha regarding Quill’s ancestry. This question serves as the

emphasis on relationships and an artistic style that improves upon the production design of the first film, but also its character development. Drax, in particular, has come a long way in his perception of emotions, and Baby Groot predictably steals the show with his adorable naivety. There is also the addition of newcomer Mantis (Pom Klementieff), more screen time for the vastly under-appreciated Yondu (Michael Rooker), and a couple of other noteworthy characters we’ll let you discover for yourselves. Throw in more than a few pop culture references – everything from Cheers to Pac-Man – and you’ve got a fantastic sequel that's truly worthy of the original behemoth. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ,

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

Marvel Studios raises the bar for its third phase of MCU movies, seeding

connections and planting Easter eggs fans will be eager to hunt down – and, of course, including a gratuitous cameo. The MCU has taken another step towards the new, post-Infinity War universe – which is coming sooner than you may think. As always, don’t forget to

basis for the rest of the film. Quill struggles with the true identity of his family, Gamora and Nebula come to terms with how their father Thanos treated them, we find out more about Yondu’s journey into the Ravagers, and Groot makes his way through the terrible twos. GotG Vol. 2 shines not only in its

stick around after the credits. Alesha Kolbe

MAY 2017

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