STACK NZ May Issue #62

REVIEWS

DVD & BD

Cracking the code THE IMITATION GAME

Older but not wiser DUMB & DUMBER TO

Release Date: 06/05/14

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Release Date: 06/05/14

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“Sometimes it’s the people no one imagines anything of, who do the things no one can imagine.” One such person is Alan Turing, the irascible genius and mathematician who played a pivotal role in the Allies’ defeat of the Third Reich during World War II. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch (with more than a hint of his Sherlock TV persona), Turing is one of a number of math and chess experts assembled by the British government to break the German’s unbreakable Enigma code – a seemingly impossible task given the complexity of the Nazi ciphers. With the support of Churchill

After two decades of badgering by fans, Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and the Farrelly Brothers have finally given them want they want – a sequel to the 1994 smash Dumb & Dumber . So, better late than never? Well, sort of. This belated follow-up does remain faithful to the original’s rampant stupidity, cringe-inducing and gross-out humour, with Carrey and Daniels proving that with age does not always come wisdom. And there are ample laughs to be had throughout, even if a lot of them are from recycled jokes. Harry (Daniels) needs a kidney transplant from a

and the only female member of the group (Keira Knightley), Turing sets about constructing a cumbersome codebreaking contraption that proves to be the forerunner of the modern computer. Far from a stuffy period drama, The Imitation Game is compelling, (code)cracking entertainment.

living relative, so the pair hit the road in their dogmobile in the hope of reuniting him with his long lost daughter, who in turn becomes the love interest of Lloyd (Carrey). It may not be the comedy masterpiece that fans have waited 20 years to see, but it’s still funnier than the 2003 prequel.

AMERICAN SNIPER

TV hacks take on President Kim THE INTERVIEW

In the line of fire

Release Date: 27/05/15

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Release Date: 06/05/14

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Both a massive box office hit and a movie that the U.S gun lobby would love, Clint Eastwood’s biopic on Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the most lethal marksman in US military history with over 160 confirmed kills, is both a powerful war film and an affecting character study. American Sniper shares much in common with The Hurt Locker in confronting the emotional fallout experienced by individuals in sustained combat situations. Each tour of duty in the Iraqi war zone takes its toll on Kyle, leaving him haunted and unable to reconnect with family and civilian life. Bradley Cooper is

By now, everyone should that this is the irreverent comedy that left North Korea distinctly unamused and Sony reeling after confidential emails were hacked in retaliation. So was it worth all that fuss? Probably not. If it hadn’t attracted the wrath of North Korea, this would have probably sailed by as one of Seth Rogen and James Franco slighter efforts – it’s fun but not quite in the same league as their in-joke-ridden apocalypse comedy This Is The End . Franco is the host of a tabloid TV news show, Rogen his producer, who together land an exclusive interview with

fantastic as Kyle: his Oscar-nominated performance is the heart and soul of this film. And Eastwood – a war movie veteran both before and behind the camera – deftly alternates between the explosive action sequences and the quieter moments on the homefront.

North Korean President Kim (Randall Park). The pair are co-opted by the CIA to assassinate him, but the mission is blown off course when Franco becomes best buddies with the dictator, who turns out to be a big Katy Perry fan. Daftly entertaining but as far as satires go, it’s pretty toothless.

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