STACK #168 Oct 2018

DVD & BD REVIEWS

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A monster vacation. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3

No rules this time. SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO

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Release Date: 17/10/18

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Release Date: 10/10/18

Dysfunctional family vacations are a goldmine for movie comedies, even animated ones, and now it's the Drac Pack's turn to behave like the Griswolds. When Mavis (Selena Gomez) surprises dad Dracula (Adam Sandler) with a monster cruise, the gang leave their castle hotel for some pampering of their own. Drac is on the hunt for a new countess and quickly becomes smitten with the ship's human captain, unaware that she's a desecendant of the Van Helsing family. This raises the,

Denis Villeneuve’s superb Mexican cartel thriller Sicario (2015) is one of the more successful explorations of both the moral grey area of the war on drugs and the tension that arises from such uncertainty. Three years later, writer Taylor Sheridan has returned with a sequel that continues the story of Matt Graver’s guerrilla warfare against the drug cartels, and his unpredictable accomplice Alejandro’s personal journey for revenge. Sicario: Day of the Soldado has a new director in Stefano

er, stakes, and when Mavis discovers the truth, will she be in time to foil a plot to assassinate the Count? Throw in stopovers in Atlantis (now a casino) and the Bermuda Triangle, as well as a white-knuckle flight on a gremlin-run airline, and the result a truly monstrous summer holiday that kids will love – just in time for Halloween. AC (See page 22)

Sollima, but retains the filthy, unsettling aesthetic of its predecessor; achingly long build-ups of tension, brutal violence and unflinching realism that question whether the ‘greater good’ is worth the cost. Sicario didn't really need a follow-up, but a strong screenplay and impressive direction make this return across the border surprisingly satisfying. GP

OCCUPATION

THE FIRST PURGE

SUMMER OF 84

MY FRIEND DAHMER

Release Date: 03/10/18 Format:

Release Date: 31/10/18 Format:

Release Date: 24/10/18 Format:

Release Date: 03/10/18 Format:

The residents of an Australian country town take a stand against alien invaders in this homegrown mash-up of Independence Day and Tomorrow, When the War Began . The second feature from resourceful writer-director Luke Sparke, who gave us monster movie Red Billabong , Occupation makes the most of its low budget, and Sparke's passion for '80s genre films (especially Red Dawn ) is gleefully apparent. The ensemble cast – including Dan Ewing ( Red Billabong ), Temuera Morrison ( Once Were Warriors ) and Jacqueline McKenzie ( Romper Stomper ) – are also having a blast here. A sequel has already been commissioned, with Crazy Rich Asians funnyman Ken Jeong onboard. AC

Now numbering four films and a television series, the annual night of legalised crime known as The Purge can be considered an American institution. As the title suggests, this is where it all began – a politically motivated "social experiment" engineered by a splinter party called The New Founding Fathers, who pay the residents of Staten Island to indulge their criminal instincts over a 12-hour period. As a political allegory, this horror-thriller fanchise isn't exactly subtle – and even more topical today. Although the question of how this radical initiative could actually reduce the country’s crime rate remains nebulous. AC

A thriller masquerading as a nostalgia-laden trip back to the days when VHS ruled supreme. Don't take that as a bad thing. From The Goonies to Stand By Me , those iconic eighties gems were about a gang of adventurous teens who saw things that the grown up world did not. And so it is in Summer of 84 , where Davey (Graham Verchere) and his mates speculate on what, or who, has been abducting boys in their neighbourhood. Davey's neighbour, who also happens to be a policeman, is the prime suspect. Think of the cultural cues in Gremlins and Stranger Things , mixed with some Disturbia- inspired thrills. AC

There have been plenty of insights into this most notorious of serial killers. This offering has unexpected poignancy, as it's based on the firsthand experiences of John (Derf) Backderf, who attended high school at the same time as Dahmer (Ross Lynch) – a misfit whose increasingly unhinged behaviour was at first a source of amusement and fascination for Backderf and his friends. As the trials of its subject's troubled life unspool, My Friend Dahmer stays mercifully free of psychological speculation, instead drawing its dramatic impetus from the threat of impending violence. A unique and startling achievement. AC

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OCTOBER 2018

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