STACK #144 Oct 2016

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CINEMA, DVDs, GAMES & MUSIC

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ISSUE 144 OCT ’16

INSIDE

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Contributors

Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Film & DVD Editor Scott Hocking Music Editor Zoë Radas JuniorWriter Alesha Kolbe

Issue 144 OCTOBER 2016

Creative Director Justin Buxton DVD Consultant Michelle Black Games Consultant Andre Eivik Music Consultants Mike Glynn, Fleur Parker Tech Consultant Chris Allen Contributors John Ferguson, Graham Reid, Gill Pringle, Michael Dwyer, Jeff Jenkins, Emily Kelly, Simon Lukic, Chris Murray, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, John Roebuck, Chief Contributors Bob Jones , Amy Flower

WELCOME Get ready to raid the shelves at JB Hi-Fi this month when the Vikings set sail once more. Now in its fourth season, the saga of Ragnar Lothbrok and his clan continues to enthral viewers eager for a dose of brutality, sex, myth, and history. In the last five years we’ve witnessed a proliferation of TV drama that incorporates a historic era as a backdrop. Even the phenomenally popular Game of Thrones is filled with direct references to British and French history, and it’s in the wake of this successful series that many historic dramas have found an enthusiastic audience. Shows like Outlander , The White Queen , Black Sails , Victoria and The Last Kingdom are all rooted in history, but while some productions adhere to historical accuracy such as Wolf Hall , others like The Tudors – which also centres around the court of Henry VIII – rely more on the creative licence taken by screenwriters to drive an exciting narrative. However, period costumes, pitched battles, sex, political ambition and betrayal are all key pillars in their entertainment value, so whether you scrutinise them for authenticity or just sit back and enjoy the rich characterisations and politicking, history continues to engage and intrigue us. Irrespective of whether fiction is more prevalent than fact, this is the genre’s golden age. And long may it continue. Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

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Adam Colby, Savannah Douglas Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Photographer Chip Mooney Production Manager Craig Patterson Accounts Coordinator Tracy Kingman Correspondence STACK P.O. Box 2051, Richmond South, VIC 3121

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The large print giveth, the small print taketh away. “Why am I operating the untested nuclear laser?”

You’re Better Than This

Listening Fail #28 “Barely Hanging On”

Listening Fail #15 “RCA Jungle”

Listening Fail #09 “Extreme Pairing Fail”

Listening Fail #30 “Cord Nightmare”

Listening Fail #14 “Mug o’ Bass”

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Listening Fail #23 “You’ve Got the Left, I’ve Got the Right”

Listening Fail #02 “MacGyver”

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Issue 144 OCTOBER 2016

Extras Pages 12–14

Cinema Pages 16–22

DVD & BD Pages 26–48

Games & TECH Pages 51–81

Music (From back) Pages 1–27

12–14 NEWS The next wave of 4K UHD titles are coming to JB this month, plus an offer that’s a really good OMEN. 24-25 BOB J. Our resident film historian takes a look at Heaven’s Gate , the legendary 1980 movie that destroyed a Hollywood film company. 38-39 BEGINNER’s GUIDE With Halloween just around the corner, its time you get to know your movie maniacs. 50 GIVEAWAYS Movies, games, music – we’ve got you covered. Plus there’s great tech from Sonos and Audi Technica, and even an Xbox Onesie to take your fancy!

16 JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK At 54, Tom Cruise is showing no signs of slowing down, as, co- star Cobie Smulders attests. The Cruiser is back as Lee Child’s action man this month. 18 INFERNO A decade on from The Da Vinci Code , Ron Howard and Tom Hanks reunite for a new Robert Langdon thriller based on Dan Brown’s best-seller. 20–22 CINEMA REVIEWS The Magnificent Seven, Storks, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Snowden, Blair Witch

3-8 INTERVIEWS + NEWS We spoke to Regina Spektor, Gabriella Cohen, Jagwar Ma, Julia Jacklin, Flyying Colours, The Peep Tempel and more. 10 BON IVER Justin Vernon and team have released a fascinating, exploratory and experimental We’ve now had some time to digest Nick Cave’s most recent material; here are our reviews of Cave and the Bad Seeds’ album Skeleton Tree , and its accompanying film One More Time With Feeling . 16 REissues Michael Dwyer takes a look at Warner’s vinyl reissue of Led Zeppelin’s famous BBC Sessions. 18-26 REVIEWS D.D Dumbo’s Utopia Defeated is our Album of the Month, but we’ve also got feelings about Jack White, Friendships, Beth Hart, Soft Hair, Jordie Lane & The Sleepers, Dillinger Escape Plan, Alter Bridge, Harts, Die Antwoord, Sum 41 and more. third album. 12 NICK CAVE

26-27 VIKINGS: SEASON FOUR This historical drama series keeps getting better and better with each season. Betrayals and soul-searching face Ragnar and the clan after the attack on Paris. 28 INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE VFX have made quantum leaps since the 1996 original, which means this latest alien invasion will be even more spectacular. 30 ASH VS EVIL DEAD Cult movie fave Bruce Campbell says this new series is not a reinvention of Evil Dead; it’s an expansion and continuation of Ash’s story. Groovy! 32 AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL AHS regular Denis O’Hare frocks up to play a transgender bartender in the fifth season of the sinister series. 34 WENTWORTH Move over Orange is the New Black ! Discover why this homegrown prison drama will make you Freak out. 36 GHOSTBUSTERS Who you gonna call? Director Paul Feig got on the phone to Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig to headline this gender switch on Ivan Reitman’s classic 1984 comedy.

52 Games intro What made game of the month for October? 54-55 watch dogs 2 Ubisoft’s tech spectacular is making a return – Marcus Holloway is headed to San Francisco! 56 rise of the tomb raider Can you believe it? Lara’s turning 20! And she’s headed to the PS4 It’s all about family in the latest Mafia release from Hangar 13. 64-65 battlefield 1 Battlefield is headed to the trenches of World War I. We take a look at what went into taking it back to the old school. 66 dragon ball xenoverse 2 The most expansive Dragon Ball game in the history of the franchise is here. 68 ps vr It seems like an eternity since PS VR was first announced, and it’s finally hitting JB this month. Here’s what to expect. 70-72 previews What’s in-store this month. this month. 60 mafia iii

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EXTRAS NEWS

4K FACTS

4K:

THE NEXT WAVE

1 4K is designed for big screens and UHDTVs start from 50-inches upwards. Size does matter if you want to duplicate the cinema experience at home, which of course you do, so the bigger the panel, the better. Older models prior to 2016 may not support HDR – 4K discs will still look great, but they’ll look even more incredibly detailed and colourful with this function. 2 4K Ultra HD discs won’t play on a standard Blu-ray player – the transfers require more disc space than a BD. But Blu-ray discs and DVDs will play on a 4K UHD Blu-ray player, and what’s more, they’ll look even better when you take advantage of the upscaling function, with only a moderately discernible difference in quality between an upscaled Blu-ray and a 4K disc.

OCTOBER 4K RELEASES:

October 5: Labyrinth Lucy Oblivion Everest

Y our TV remote may not have a stun button, but you're sure to be reeling when you lay eyes on the next batch of 4K releases in all their Ultra High Definition glory. Science fiction is a genre tailormade for the highest in image quality, and the visually stunning Tom Cruise vehicle Oblivion

cinematography of Salvatore Totino, who also lensed The DaVinci Code , and Angels & Demons . Both Dan Brown adaptations are released in 4K on October 12 to tie in with the cinema release of Brown's Inferno . The all-girl Ghostbusters will also be available in 4K on October 12. According to director Paul Feig, the original cut was more than four hours, so expect plenty of unseen hilarity with the Extended Cut included on this release. Alexander Skarsgård and Margot Robbie heat up the screen in The Legend ofTarzan on October 19, and the special effects highlights will also play a starring role with the CG apes even more photorealistic thanks to the enhanced detail. It's not just new releases: a couple of back catalogue classics have also received an upgrade to 4K. 1986 fantasy favourite Labyrinth turns 30 this year and you can celebrate the anniversary with a new 4K transfer on October 5. And 2000's global blockbuster CrouchingTiger, Hidden Dragon , from acclaimed director Ang Lee, is back and kicking on October 26, rounding out a huge month of Ultra High Definition viewing.

The Huntsman: Winter's War Snow White and the Huntsman

October 12: Ghostbusters

The Da Vinci Code Angels & Demons

October 19:

The Legend of Tarzan Independence Day: Resurgence

October 26: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Labyrinth

promises to look out of this world. Sequel Independence Day: Resurgence will also rock your UHDTV when it arrives in 4K on October 19. And Luc Besson's insane and mind-bending sci-fi action-thriller Lucy is another perfect fit for the new format on October 5. Fantasy double The Huntsman: Winter'sWar and SnowWhite and the Huntsman also debut in 4K on October 5, as does true-life adventure Everest , which plunges you into one of the most dangerous places on Earth, thanks to the

Lucy

CrouchingTiger, Hidden Dragon

If you've get to discover what all the fuss is about, ask for a 4K demo at your local JB Hi-Fi store.

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EXTRAS NEWS

Win an OMEN by HP 17” – the ultimate gaming laptop, valued at $2600! Wake up. Battle. Conquer. Repeat.

Audio Technica A udio Technica need no introduction, and

I t’s not often we get to give away a prize this big. If you’re a gamer, this month could be your lucky month, so listen up: STACK gamers have the chance to take home the revamped OMEN by HP – an alluring, highly portable gaming laptop with all the power you’ll need to lead the pack. You have to be in it to win it, so here’s how you can be in the running to take home this fabulous prize.

have been the go-to brand for many audio purists for decades.

In recent times, Audio Technica has introduced an excellent

STEP ONE: Find the free OMEN sticker in this issue of STACK . It looks like this… STEP TWO: Get creative – stick or position your sticker around

range of gaming headsets (three out of the four gamers in the STACK

your home or workplace and take a photo. The most creative entry wins! STEP THREE: Tag @STACK Magazine on Facebook, @STACKmag on Twitter or @stackmagazine on Instagram, using #STACKOMEN and #OMENbyHP.

office use them religiously). This month the company is rolling out a new range of professional headphones

Serving suggestions

at JB Hi-Fi – including the MX series studio

monitor and IM series in-ear headphones – with prices to fit every budget. Keep an eye open in STACK over the following

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CINEMA BUZZ

JACK ' S BACK He’s 54 years old, but Tom Cruise can outrun most actors half his age. “When you do aTom Cruise film you better be prepared to run. . . A lot,” laughs Cobie Smulders, who plays an army ranger on the lam with Cruise in Jack Reacher sequel, Never Go Back . Words Gill Pringle

T om is like a bullet, he and we had to push it to 21 miles an hour, and then do that sixty times. It was very intense. Honestly, I don’t know how I did it,” says Cobie Smulders, 34, who broke her leg prior to shooting. “It was so stupid, I always injure myself when I’m just walking down the street, but I was in my apartment and I just is so fast. Day one, we started on the treadmill,

Far from being on cruise control, Tom Cruise is putting the pedal to the metal. Check out the action projects he's got in the works: The Mummy The latest reimagination of the Universal monster movie will star Cruise, taking on a resurrected Egyptian played by sexy Star Trek: Beyond star Sofia Boutella. American Made Reteaming with Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman, this escapade is set in the heady wild frontier days of 1980s drug running in Colombia. M:I 6 - Mission Impossible Following the 2015 smash Rouge Nation , a return to this blockbuster franchise was a no brainer. Top Gun 2 Taking it back to where it all started. Maverick and Iceman, but no sign of Kenny Loggins… yet. NOT SLOWING DOWN

are piggish, wanting all the good scenes for themselves but Tom is generous to a fault. I warned Cobie that to encounter the force of nature that is Tom Cruise, you’ve got to be chilled, and she totally got that,” says Zwick, whose previous films include Blood Diamond and Legends of the Fall , earning a Best Picture Oscar as a producer on Shakespeare in Love . Never Go Back , he says, has a 1970’s feel. “It’s more down and dirty, more ‘meat and potato’, stuff which requires even more training, because there’s a lot of fighting and it’s hard to do when he’s in his 50’s, doing it all himself.” As to the matter of size, Zwick believes Cruise has more than compensated for his missing inches. “I recall the controversy when the first Reacher came out – but when we released a trailer for this movie, we had 75 million hits! And all that says to me is that those Reacher fans, after a certain point, have now just accepted the fact that that’s what it is. A lot of times, where you see an actor play a part, your initial reserve is either won over, or it’s not. Either you accept it, or you don’t.”

tripped over something, and snapped my tibia, so I was on crutches for six weeks. A week later I was in the gym with Tom Cruise, probably the weakest physical shape I’ve ever been in my life,” shudders the actress best known for her role as Agent Maria Hill in the Avengers films. When Cruise first debuted as Jack Reacher on the big screen four years ago, fans of Lee Childs’ action novels were angry that he was a good six inches shorter than their solitary paperback hero. But the box office was more forgiving of the diminutive action star, compelling Cruise to revisit Reacher four years later. This time around he has two women in tow – a daughter portrayed by newcomer Danika Yarosh, and Smulders as his former army colleague who he breaks out of a military prison. A TV actor and former dancer, Yarosh, 18, describes her big screen debut as “probably the best first experience ever." “Tom took me under his wing and taught

me about everything, in every different field," she adds. "Usually on set, you learn by observing, but Tom actually took it upon himself to full on teach me, especially with stunt work. “If he was doing a big stunt, even if I wasn’t in it, he would make sure that I was on set, and have me right next to the cameraman, so he could teach me about angles, and how stunts work, and how to keep yourself safe; he even had me training with the stunt crew, just so I learned for future work.” As with most Cruise projects over the past decade, the star himself is not present for any print interviews, leaving director Edward Zwick and his co-stars to do the talking when STACK meets with them in Los Angeles. Zwick has a long history with Cruise, first working together on The Last Samurai . “Some actors

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is in cinemas on Oct 20.

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CINEMA BUZZ

HELL ON EARTH

Ten years after The DaVinci Code , veteran filmmaker Ron Howard and beloved actor Tom Hanks reunite for a new Dan Brown adaptation, Inferno . Words Gill Pringle

T he Da Vinci Code was a satisfying movie translation that became a solid box office hit. But not so much the 2009 sequel, Angels & Demons . Seven years on, the dream team return with

living in places and working in cities like Istanbul and Florence, Venice or Budapest, it's very stimulating.” Howard, 62, has a great fondness for Australian actors, directing Chris Hemsworth in Rush and In the Heart of the Sea ; Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man ; Nicole Kidman in Far and Away; and Cate Blanchett in The Missing . “I’d love to work with all four of them again," he says. "They’re four great artists with Australia in common, but they also have talent and great work ethics in common.” During a prolific career which began as a child star, playing Richie Cunningham in TV’s Happy Days for seven years, Howard accelerated into directing and producing film, animation, TV and documentaries. Cocoon , Splash , Backdraft and Apollo 13 are among his many revered box office hits, and more recently he took on music documentary duties to peek behind the curtain at The Beatles, Jay-Z and Katy Perry. Although having worked with a galaxy of Hollywood stars, he has yet to direct his own daughter, actress Bryce Dallas Howard. “I’ve directed all kinds of

notes Howard. "It's much more personal this time round, and Langdon is actually part of this mystery, so Tom really liked that as a performance opportunity for himself. And I love directing complex performances as well, so I felt this was a great chance for one of our best actors, ever, to do something dynamic and really entertaining, and still

Dan Brown’s Inferno , which sees Tom Hanks reprising his role of symbologist Robert Langdon, this time recruiting the help of Felicity Jones’s Dr. Brooks. The pair race across Europe to prevent a deadly virus from wiping out the human race. Brown fans will note that The Lost Symbol , the third in this quartet of stories, has been skipped over for the big screen. “It was a really good book but it deals more in the past and we didn’t know how to make it fresh and exciting as a standalone movie. It wasn’t enough to just count on the fact these books have a following,” explains Ron Howard when STACK meets with him in his Beverly Hills office. But in Inferno , the director found

follow all the things we really love about the Robert Langdon clue- path adventures." Bringing the Dan Brown mysteries to the screen has always resulted in a gourmet European experience for cast and crew, and Inferno is no different. “Part of my attraction to making them is the life experience,” admits Howard. “They’ve really opened the world up to me. It wasn’t like I didn’t travel before, but when you wind up

temperaments, all kinds of actors, at every level, every age, every personality type, and I’ve never had any of them, no matter how difficult they might be, roll their eyes at me when I give them direction… and I just have this fear that it could just be in the DNA of our relationship as a father and a daughter. But the reality is that I have tried to work with Bryce and she’s never available, so someday ... someday.”

what he describes as "an exciting, very contemporary thriller story, immediate and of-the-moment.” “Here Brown has brilliantly still found a way to use the past – Dante’s original conception of Hell versus the possibility of a hell on earth today, of our own making.” Hanks was also drawn to recreate Langdon in a way in which audiences will learn more about him than ever before. “Tom is able to give Langdon so many more interesting nuances,"

Tom is able to give Langdon so many more interesting nuances

Inferno is in cinemas on Oct 13.

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SAVING THE WORLD TAKES A LITTLE HART AND A BIG JOHNSON

“Hilarious one-liners and a stellar cast” BRISBANEWEEKENDER

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Violence, sexual references and coarse language

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CINEMA REVIEWS

STORKS

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTORS: Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland CAST: Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer RATING: G “Where do babies come from?” is the age-old question parents dread answering. The idea that storks deliver them solved that problem, but what if instead of delivering small bundles of joy, they dropped off your eBay purchases? Junior (voiced by Andy Samberg) is the top of the flock at cornerstore.com – a delivery service that uses storks to deliver packages all across the world. They used to deliver babies, but after stork Jasper was exposed to so much cuteness it went insane, the program was altered. Junior is up for a promotion, but first he must fire “Orphan” Tulip (Katie Crown) – the one that drove Jasper mad as a baby. What follows is a clever and enjoyable animated adventure for all ages, with multiple jokes aimed at parents that have seen it all before and know the hardships of raising kids. Something that can only be described as comic relief appears in the form of Pigeon Toady (Stephen Kramer Glickman), although most of it is just weird. And in keeping with the current trend, there’s a totally unnecessary musical number thrown into the mix. Alesha Kolbe BRIDGET JONES'S BABY RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Sharon Maguire CAST: Renée Zellweger, Gemma Jones, Patrick Dempsey RATING: M Although much of the media attention has been about whether or not star Renée Zellweger has had cosmetic surgery, it is a question some people may also be asking about the movie itself. After all, it’s been 12 years since the last Bridget Jones film, so will the third installment be a winning return to the feel-good charms of the original, or a crass and embarrassing makeover, in which the makers desperately attempt to woo a younger new audience? The good news is that Bridget Jones’s Baby leans more towards the former and is certainly a big improvement on the last entry, the bloated retread The Edge of Reason . The film opens with our loveable heroine (Zellweger) drowning her sorrows as she faces up to her 43rd birthday alone. However, things take a turn for the better when her new thirtysomething pal Miranda (a scene-stealing turn from Sarah Solemani) whisks her away to the Glastonbury Festival, where she hooks up with a sexy yank (Patrick Dempsey) who turns out to be Jack Qwant, the billionaire owner of a dating website. Before learning his true identity, however, she ends up back in bed with Mark (Colin Firth), who she discovers is in the process of splitting up with his wife. Then things get really complicated when Bridget discovers that she is pregnant and that the father could be either Jack or Mark… Although a tad overlong, Bridget Jones’s Baby offers a mostly cheery and affectionate trip down memory lane, and the gag-packed script keeps the laughs flowing and the sentimentality largely at bay. John Ferguson

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Antoine Fuqua CAST: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke RATING: M

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

A wilder west.

T hose who gripe that we don't Sturges' 1960 Western favourite was itself a reimagination of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai . This time around, instead of a Mexican peasant village it's the town of Rose Creek that needs protection from dastardly industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), who wants to strip mine the place and exploit the residents as a workforce. need a remake of The Magnificent Seven should remember that John

suggested by the trailer. This is a very traditional Western, with lashings of Leone and Ford and an explosive climax that's pure Peckinpah. It's the multicultural cast that reflects contemporary times, with Fuqua noting that his movie is an allusion to terrorism and the need for unity in the fight against it. Moreover the vengeful Emma Cullen bucks the stereotype of marginalised women in Westerns, and Haley Bennett is likely to steal roles from Jennifer Lawrence on the strength of her performance here. Fortunately Chris Pratt isn't allowed to hog the movie, and the potential for romance with Bennett's character is avoided – there simply isn't time, especially once the film's thrilling final third kicks into action with the rattle of a Gatling gun and a hail of bullets. Box office takings will ultimately decide whether or not the Western will make a comeback, but Fuqua's film is a reminder that this often- neglected genre can still work as blockbuster

RATING KEY: Wow! Good Not bad Meh Woof!

After her husband is gunned down in the street, local girl Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) enlists bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) and six gunslingers (Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung Hun-Lee, Martin Sensmeier, Manuel

Garcia-Rulfo) to oust Bogue and his goons. Departing from his familiar urban stomping

entertainment. Scott Hocking

ground for the Wild West, Antoine Fuqua ( Training Day, Southpaw ) invests this star-powered revision with his trademark grit and thankfully avoids the hip and cool approach

FURTHER VIEWING: The Magnificent Seven (1960)

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CINEMA REVIEWS

SNOWDEN

ALSO SCREENING IN OCTOBER

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Oliver Stone CAST: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley RATING: M

A Rubik's Cube of secrets.

Oliver Stone is back behind the camera after a four-year hiatus, and the fact that this fearless filmmaker was initially reluctant to tell the true story of US government whistleblower Edward Snowden should be recommendation enough to check out his latest political thriller. Snowden found himself on the most wanted list along with Julian Assange, after leaking classified documents to the media in 2013 that exposed illegal surveillance practices by the NSA. It’s the perfect material for Stone, who favours controversial figures and issues. The story begins

in 2004. Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon- Levitt) is determined to serve his great country in any way possible, after being discharged from the United States Army Reserve due to injury. He soon finds himself working for the CIA and NSA, impressing them with his extraordinary computer skills (cue lots of technological jargon). Upon discovering numerous illegal security breaches running within the system, Snowden begins to question the morality of the agencies he serves, and is faced with an ethical dilemma. Gordon-Levitt delivers an utterly convincing performance as the introverted Snowden, and shares genuine chemistry with co-star Shailene Woodley, who plays his girlfriend. Whether you’re familiar with Snowden’s story or not, Stone has delivered a tense and nail- biting film that raises disturbing questions concerning government surveillance in our constantly connected world. It’s time to double check your privacy settings and look over your shoulder – you’ll leave the cinema with the feeling that someone is watching your every move. Savannah Douglas

DOCTOR STRANGE

There's something strange about this latest addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The hero is certainly atypical: a former neurosurgeon (Benedict Cumberbatch) who is tutored in the arcane arts by an Ancient One (a bald Tilda Swinton). Expect Inception -like folding of reality and a dark and moody vibe courtesy of director Scott Derrickson ( Deliver Us from Evil ). Casting a spell on Oct 27 .

FURTHER VIEWING: The Fifth Estate

BLAIR WITCH

This murder-mystery based on Paula Hawkins' mega-selling novel stars Emily Blunt as an alcoholic witness to a murder, who becomes a prime suspect. Likely to be this year's answer to Gone Girl . All aboard on Oct 6 . THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN

RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Adam Wingard CAST: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez RATING: MA15+

Within the woods.

In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary... A year later their footage was found. That footage became The Blair Witch Project , one of the most successful independent films of all time and the movie that popularised the found-footage format that has haunted the horror genre ever since. Ignoring the dire 2000 sequel Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows , this return to Black Hills Forest features a new group of documentarians, led by the brother of the still missing Heather,

who mounted the first attempt to uncover the local legend. Having stumbled across a YouTube video that suggests his sister might still be alive, he convinces five companions to accompany him into the cursed forest on a search and possible rescue mission. Armed with GPS, a drone, and ear-mounted DV cameras, there’s little chance of becoming lost and disoriented. But hi-tech won’t help when an ancient evil is out to get you, and before long the signature sticks and stones begin appearing around their campsite. Director Adam Wingard has a good handle on horror – having helmed the quality thrillers You’re Next and The Guest – and respects what made the original film work, recreating the discombobulating cinematography and adding a truly unnerving sound mix to crank up the fright factor, as well as his own sinister touches to the Blair Witch legend. If you regard the 1999 original as a terrifying classic, you’ll view this sequel as a more polished but ultimately superfluous exercise. If you’re still wondering what all the fuss was about, this is the Blair Witch film you’ve always wanted to see. Scott Hocking

Tom Hanks is back as Robert Langdon in the latest adaptation of a Dan Brown best-seller. This time he's tasked with uncovering a global conspiracy linked to Dante's famous work. Igniting Oct 13 . INFERNO

The Cruiser returns as Lee Child's action hero, who now stands accused of committing a murder 16 years ago. The race is on to clear his name in a sequel we hope is as good as the 2012 film. Jack's back on Oct 20 . JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK

FURTHER VIEWING: The Blair Witch Project

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EXTRAS

Hollywood studios did not once seriously consider producing a major theatrical film about the Vietnam conflict. But in 1978 that view changed dramatically The Movie That A Hollywood Film Company Destroyed

Heaven's Gate (1980) Directed by Michael Cimino Part 1 of 2

I n the summer of 1978, the hot topic around Hollywood was Vietnam. Not the war itself - which had ended three years earlier in an ignominious American defeat that had scarred the national psyche - but a major motion picture with a Vietnam war theme, scheduled for release later that year. War movies, and in particular those with a WWII theme, had always been big money spinners for the Hollywood studios. But the political factors of the controversial and hugely unpopular Vietnam conflict was a subject fraught with disaster for US filmmakers George C. Scott’s oft quoted line from Patton  (1970), that “Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser”, served as a perfect

Hunter,  helmed by a young director named Michael Cimino. The film had been financed by the British production company EMI. Universal Studios, who owned the US

domestic distribution rights, were extremely apprehensive about some of the scenes in

Michael Cimino

Wayne’s clumsy and outdated film, movies based on the Vietnam war became taboo for Hollywood and perceived as not financially viable. Throughout the proceeding decade, none of the Hollywood studios would seriously consider producing a major theatrical film about the Vietnam conflict. But in 1978, that view changed dramatically. The film everyone in

directing Robert De Niro in a scene from The Deer Hunter

truism for the American public’s attitude to the war film genre. John Wayne discovered this to his cost when he injected a WWII masculine gung-ho theme into his Vietnam-based The Green Berets  (1968); the popular actor was stunned by the vitriolic backlash the film received from both critics and the public when it was released. As a direct consequence of

the film that dealt with the torture inflicted on American POWs by the Viet Cong. Following long and bitter discussions with Cimino, Universal’s executive made a decision: the film would open in December at just one theatre in New York and one in Los

Tinseltown was talking about that summer was  The Deer

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EXTRAS

concluded by stating that his personal protocol dictated that he also submit the project to Universal, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, who had all expressed an interest. Bach took the script back to UA where it was passed on to the story department for comment. Their reaction after reading it was lukewarm:”Too many characters with a too downbeat ending in which all the protagonists are killed. If not for Cimino’s name we would pass on it”. But the UA executive thought the project was worth going ahead with. After all, if they

Angeles (this would allow the film to qualify for Academy Award consideration). They would run the movie for one week only and then close it to enable the studio to gauge the critical and public reaction. Much to Universal’s surprise, the film’s reviews during that opening week were in the main very positive. One New York critic even described it as a magnificent masterpiece and Michael Cimino, an original and major new filmmaker. However,

Co-founders D.W. Griffiths, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks Snr. and their legal representatives sign the contract establishing United Artists motion picture company in February 1919.

there were a number of ex-Vietnam war correspondents who soundly condemned it for taking liberties with historical accuracy, in particular the contrived scenes where the Viet Cong force Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken’s characters to play Russian roulette with a loaded gun.  The Deer Hunter was finally given a worldwide release in February 1979, and a few weeks later it received nine Academy Award nominations. Subsequently, all of the Hollywood studios swarmed around Cimino, offering him deals to direct his next picture for them. Amongst the offers arriving on Cimino’s agent's desk was one from the inexperienced new leadership at United Artists.  United Artists was co-founded in 1919 by Cimino would get paid for the script and his director's fee whether the film was made or not the actors Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, and director D.W. Griffith. At the time it was considered a revolutionary new independent film company that would free actors from the dominance of the big studios and allow them to not only make the films they wanted to make, but also to retain all of the profits for themselves. The movie industry predicted that the new company would not last a year but it managed to survive in one form or another all the way through to 1956, when the last two surviving founders, Pickford and Chaplin, sold off their

remaining stock. In 1957 UA went public, and ten years later was purchased by insurance giant Transamerica Corporation. There now followed an upsurge in UA fortunes with numerous hit movies released each year and the honours that went with them. In 1975 UA won its eighth Best Picture Academy Award, its ninth in 1976, and its tenth in 1977. But the following year, the brilliant five-man UA executive board had an acrimonious falling out with the Transamerica owners and decamped en masse to form a new film company – Orion Pictures, a studio backed by Warner Bros. The hastily replaced new president of UA was Andy Albeck, who gave the roles of head of film production to Steven Bach and David Field, both having very little moviemaking experience. Hungry for product and the opportunity to impress their new boss, they forwarded to Cimino’s agent an offer to finance any film the young director might wish to make. A meeting was arranged between Bach, Cimino and his producer, Joann Carelli, where she passed Bach a script that she described as “a passion of Michael’s”. The title of the script was  The Johnson County War, which told the story of a little known incident in American history of cattle ranchers legally hiring mercenaries to slaughter immigrant homesteaders accused of cattle rustling. Cimino added that he would probably change the title but was otherwise ready to begin pre-production immediately. What was on the table, he said, was a “pay or play deal”– which meant that Cimino would get paid for the script and his director’s fee whether the film was made or not. He

Michael Cimino with his Best Director Oscar for The Deer Hunter

did not grab the property, one of the other big Hollywood film studios certainly would. Subsequently, a contract with a projected budget of $7.5 million ($28.5 million in today’s money) was signed with Cimino’s agent. Two months later in April 1979, at the 51st Academy Awards ceremony,  The Deer Hunter won five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. The new UA executive and production team now heartily congratulated each other that their first official act had been making a deal with the now very hot Oscar winning director, Michael Cimino, as well as beating off all of the competition in the process. Little did they know that they had in fact made the deal that would destroy the 60- year-old film company: United Artists. 

To be continued...

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DVD&BD FEATURE

NORSE COURSE CHANGES

The events of season three, including the climactic battle in Paris and Floki’s betrayal of Ragnar, have major repercussions for the characters in Vikings: Season 4 . Big decisions will need to be made, and a lot of soul searching. Words Adam Colby

S poilers follow, but if you haven’t seen season three of Vikings , then why in Valhalla are you reading about season four? Following the murder of his Christian friend and confidante Athelstan (George Blagden) by Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård), Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) is not the same man this season. He’s not exactly broken – Vikings are a tough bunch – but he’s certainly damaged. “It changes Ragnar forever,” says Fimmel of Floki’s betrayal. “He feels like everyone around him has betrayed him at some point and he really feels alone in the world now.” Moreover the murder of Athelstan and Ragnar’s own brush with death in Paris leaves him unhealthily obsessed. “A lot of this year is his fascination with death,” offers Fimmel. “But he’s not scared of dying. He questions the gods

and the Seer; can you make your own fate or is it predestined? I really like where [creator] Michael Hirst has taken the character this year.“ Further treachery comes at the hands of Ragnar's brother, Rollo (Clive Standen), who has switched sides in the past. Electing to remain in Paris and abandoning his clan and Kattegat drives the final wedge between the siblings. “The reason Rollo stays is that there’s nothing in Kattegat for him anymore,” explains Standen. “They’re not his people anymore. He always goes forward without thinking. The Seer tells him there’s something waiting for him in Paris; that’s all he knows, and he has to make it work. He has to embrace their culture and the people of France, and they become his people. “He’s a man that just wants to be accepted,” he continues. “Bjorn is probably the only person he

has an affinity with, but he finds a father figure in [Emperor] Charles, the first person who thinks he has some kind of worth, which is enough to invest in these people.” Rollo also finds an unlikely partner in Princess Gisla (Morgane Polanski), and what begins as a fractious marriage of convenience soon becomes something more. Fan favourite Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) also has a compelling story arc this season, facing a threat to her earldom. “What’s great about this character, and how Michael Hirst writes her, is that there are so many different layers in playing a strong woman,” says Winnick. “She can fight, she can defend herself, but she can also be a woman and stay in touch with her femininity, and that kind of balance can be hard to find in a role. “But I love fighting,” she laughs. “When you’re

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FEATURE DVD&BD

One of the great things about Vikings is that it’s based on real people and historical events. Series creator Michael Hirst joined an archaeological dig and made an unexpected discovery… “It was good for me to get my hands dirty at a site in a place called Repton in the midlands in England, where a great Viking army led by Ivar the Boneless [the son of Ragnar Lothbrok] had their winter camp,” he recalls. “The warrior grave contained a tall body… with a sword and axe, who was probably Ivar the Boneless. If so, I’ve held the tooth of Ivar the Boneless in my hand. “They did some more exploration recently and found another two tombs,” he continues. “I went for two days and they’d uncovered a mound, suggesting a significant burial. And they found some Viking ship nails in the mound, which meant whoever was buried there was important and buried in a ship – the first ship burial that had ever been discovered in England. “I was digging away on my first morning as an archaeologist and I dug up a bit of metal about four inches long, and I said to the professor, ‘I think I’ve found another ship’s nail’, and he looked at it and said, ‘I think this is a Viking arrowhead’. The amazing thing about this is that only four Viking arrowheads have ever been found in England, which suggested even more that this was an important grave. “Half an hour later I dug up a second one, and I showed it to the professor and his face fell and he said, ‘I’ve been digging for 35 years and you’ve been here for three and a half hours!’” Digging up history

A lot of this year is [Ragnar's] fascination with death. But he's not afraid of dying

on set and pick up that sword and shield, and you have the body armour and get the braids on, and there’s blood… you just get going!” With the attention shifting to Paris this season, where does that leave King Ecbert (Linus Roache) and Wessex? “He’s going to continue to pursue his own ambitions, which is to be king of kings,” offers Michael Hirst. “He’s a fascinating character and a good foil for Ragnar – there are many things they have in common which they both recognise, and they may ultimately get the chance to talk about those things. “Wessex continues to be alive in the show. What I like about the show is that we do have different places and cultures. And we’re probably the only show on US network TV that has four dead languages in it. The academics are excited about it because the language they speak in Frankia hasn’t been spoken or heard for thousands of years.”

• Vikings: Season 4, Vol.1 is out Oct 12

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DVD&BD FEATURE

WAR of the WORLDS

Master of disaster Roland Emmerich is back with Independence Day: Resurgence , the sequel to his groundbreaking 1996 sci-fi smash. And advancements in visual effects technology means a bigger and more spectacular invasion this time around. Words Adam Colby W ith the awesome spectacle of Independence Day – who can forget the destruction of the or more, so he knew a much bigger effects budget would be required. Emmerich also admits that

White House and other landmarks? – Roland Emmerich created a whole new sub-genre: the sci-fi disaster flick. But it wasn’t until he was shooting the apocalyptic geological epic 2012 that he first thought about returning to the film that started it all. “[ 2012 ] was the first movie I shot using digital cameras; the first one I totally relied only on computer graphics for the effects,” the German filmmaker recalls. “I realised, all of a sudden, how far technology had advanced. I talked a lot with my visual effects supervisor about it, and said, ‘at the time we couldn't do so many things, but now we can do them’, and that's what got me going.” Independence Day: Resurgence is set 20 years after the events of the first film, with Earth once again facing annihilation from a mighty new alien invasion force. However, this time around, mankind is better prepared, having reverse- engineered some of the old alien spacecrafts to create new hybrid technology and defences. Similarly, advances in visual effects technology allowed Emmerich and his team to do things that simply weren't possible back in 1996. He points out that there were 400–450 visual effects shots deployed in Independence Day , whereas blockbusters these days can use 2,000

he was disappointed with the way some of the effects turned out in the first film – in particular the “little stick figure” aliens – so he was more than happy to embrace the new technology. “Some people are still very nostalgic about the whole model thing, but I'm not, really,” he

“It's a little bit like asking Woody Allen or Alfred Hitchcock why they were doing their movies,” he reflects. “You find your own genre in a way. I'm not a particular fan of superhero movies or comic book films, because I grew up in Germany and didn't have that stuff. So in a weird way I had to invent my own genre, which is science fiction blended with disaster. “In every one of these movies, you can have a different aspect, such as with The Day After Tomorrow , where it was climate change and how it could affect our lives. And 2012 is pretty much a re-telling of Noah's Ark in a modern way. So in a way I'm quite happy

In a weird way I had to invent my own genre, which is science fiction blended with disaster

says. “I don't have to do that any more and I'm relieved! Now I'm very relaxed, saying, ‘Ok, a little bit here, a little bit there... Let's do a new simulation...’” Describing himself as “Germany's oldest teenager”, Emmerich has no qualms about continuing to make films in the genre that he created.

to do these things because it's my genre, it's what I'm interested in.”

• Independence Day: Resurgence is out on Oct 19

THEY CAME FROM OUTER SPACE

Four of our favourite alien invasion flicks…

Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (1978) The 1956 version is a classic, but Philip Kaufman’s take on an insidious invasion

Mars Attacks (1996) In Tim Burton's gleeful black comedy, the invading aliens are closer in spirit to the mischievous, murderous creatures of Gremlins .

Attack the Block (2011) Extraterrestrial invaders get more than they bargained for when they face off against a hoodie gang on a London council estate.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) War of the Worlds meets Groundhog Day as Tom

Cruise dies over and over again battling aliens.

by pod people is truly unsettling.

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