STACK #157 Nov 2017

DVD&BD REVIEWS

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A universe without boundaries needs heroes without limits. VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS

Blondes have more guns. ATOMIC BLONDE

Release Date: 15/11/17

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Release Date: 22/11/17

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MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is sent into divided '80s Berlin to recover a list of undercover operatives and discover the true identity of the notorious double agent called 'Satchel'. The latter could be anybody, and who can she trust in a turbulent city rocked by the imminent fall of the Wall? Director David Leitch delivers a stylish and explosive espionage thriller full of incredibly well staged fight sequences – thanks largely to his history as a stuntman and co-director on John Wick . Theron is totally convincing, while James McAvoy reprises his almost-

Remember how your eyes popped when you first saw Avatar ? Well, Luc Besson's latest sci-fi epic will elicit a similar response in terms of the breathtaking visual spectacle it delivers. A passion project for the director and adapted from a French comic book series, this is a world as rich and vibrant as Pandora, and invested with the same streak of insanity that made The Fifth Element a cult hit. The city of the title is a galactic hub that's home to thousands of alien races, working in unison for the benefit of all. But it also houses a dark secret, which

drunk Professor X persona as her "feral" partner. And the inclusion of Sofia Boutella as another foreign agent won't go unappreciated. The soundtrack – reflecting the setting and era – is also killer, with everything from 99 Luftballoons to Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) on the pop playlist. AK

space agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) must discover before the station's integrity is threatened. Valerian is every bit as gaudy, goofy and Gallic as The Fifth Element , and exactly the kind of cinematic universe we need right now. SH (See page 16)

See how the other half steals. LOGAN LUCKY

Hell-o, dolly! ANNABELLE: CREATION

Release Date: 22/11/17

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Release Date: 08/11/17

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Steven Soderbergh ventures out of his self-imposed retirement from filmmaking with a new heist movie. The Logan brothers, Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde (Adam Driver), plot to fleece the local NASCAR speedway with the help of explosives whiz Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) and their getaway driver sister (Riley Keough). The mechanics of the heist prove secondary, however, to the fun of spending two hours in the company of a bunch of redneck misfits. Casting against type is the film’s major windfall, with Tatum as an oafish single dad, Driver as

The origin of the diabolical doll introduced in The Conjuring is finally revealed in this second spin-off feature. She was created by toymaker Samuel Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia) for his seven-year-old daughter, Annabelle, whose life is cut tragically short in a freak accident. 12 years later, Mullins and his reclusive wife (Miranda Otto) have turned their rambling rural home into an orphanage for girls, and after one of them discovers the doll locked away in a closet, all hell inevitably breaks loose. Annabelle: Creation is a carnival spook house ride with all the trademarks of

a deadpan amputee barman, and Craig as a bleached-blonde Bondshell with a southern drawl who steals scenes while the rest are stealing greenbacks. With a convenience store figuring into the heist, a throwaway line succinctly sums up Logan Lucky – “it’s like Ocean’s 7–11.” SH

the James Wan school of scaremongering: an old dark house, a demonic presence, an old ditty on vinyl repeat, eerie photographs and possessed children. The plot is all over the place but the frights come thick and fast; fans of this brand of supernatural horror won’t be disappointed. SH

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