STACK #179 Sept 2019

YOUR TO FILM, TV, GAMING & MUSIC ESSENTIAL GUIDE

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ISSUE 179 Sep ’19

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Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Film & TV Editor Scott Hocking Contributors

Issue 179 SEP 2019

Music Editor Zoë Radas Online Editor Amy Flower

Creative Director Gary Siewert DVD Consultant Kerrie Taylor Games Consultant Sachi Fernando Music Consultant Mike Glynn Marketing Manager Fleur Parker

WELCOME

September is a grand month. Winter has grabbed its coat and left for another year and the warm weather (well, if you live outside of Victoria anyway) is just around the corner. If you’re an entertainment enthusiast – and if you’re reading STACK, you almost certainly are – it also signals the start of hunting season. Yep, the run up to Christmas is when you’ll find the big catches grazing in the aisles of JB – and it all begins this month. Let’s kick off with the gamers amongst us. The first Borderlands game from Gearbox came crashing onto the scene seemingly from nowhere ten years ago. Ten years? Not only did its colourful and unique art style pull developers away from the drab sepia palette prevalent in games at the time, it paved the way for a new genre in gaming, the looter shooter, and would go on to influence the Destiny and Division franchises. The good news is Borderlands 3 is landing in-store this month and it’s one we can’t wait to surrender our social life to. Gears 5, FIFA 20, ePES 2020, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and NBA 2K20 are just some of the other stellar gaming titles coming this month. For movie lovers, Keanu Reeves is back as John Wick for a third chapter in the acclaimed action franchise, and Godzilla, the X-Men, Chucky and the Men in Black all return in new instalments/reboots. We also paid a visit to the set of IT Chapter 2 , and chatted with acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann about the Director’s Definitive Cut of ‘90s favourite The Last of the Mohicans, which makes its local debut on Blu-ray this month. Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

Chief Contributors Bob Jones , Gill Pringle Contributors Glenn Cochrane, Jeff Jenkins, Simon Lukic, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Bryget Chrisfield, Simon Winkler, Nathan Lawrence, Tim Lambert, Jake Cleland, Holly Pereira, Adam Colby, Dan Nicholson, Alex Deutrom, Dan Nicholson Social Media Manager Sally Carlier-Hull Production Manager Craig Patterson Correspondence STACK 33 Jessie Street, Richmond, VIC 3121

RATINGS GUIDE

Disclaimer STACK is published by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ACN 092 362 135). © Copyright Scribal Custom Pty Ltd, 2019 All rights reserved. All material appearing in this publication is copyright unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material or advertisement. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of Scribal Custom Pty Ltd. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of advertisements or information. Whilst care has been taken in the research and preparation of this publication, the publishers, writers or anyone else associated cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or hardship arising from the content contained herein or reliance therefrom, howsoever caused, and it remains your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any such content. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or the editor. By the very nature of this publication, things change daily and we cannot take responsibility for any changes or inaccuracies that occur subsequent to going to press.

The large print giveth, the small print taketh away. In LovingMemory ofNelson ‘Snooper’ Jones 2009–2019

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Issue 179 SEP 2019

YOUR TO FILM, TV, GAMING&MUSIC ESSENTIALGUIDE

YOUR TO FILM, TV, GAMING&MUSIC ESSENTIALGUIDE

stack.com.au

.com.au

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ISSUE 179 Sep ’19

ISSUE 179 Sep ’19

ISSUE 179 Sep ’19

GAMES

MUSIC

VINYL COUNTDOWN The

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MUSIC

ISSUE 179 Sep ’19

ISSUE 179 Sep ’19

VINYL COUNTDOWN The

VINYL COUNTDOWN The

ALADDIN • ITCHAPTER2 • NEKROTRONIC

BORDERLANDS3 • GEARS5 • NBA2K20

PIXIES • MONTAIGNE • BRITTANYHOWARD

PIXIES • MONTAIGNE • BRITTANYHOWARD

PIXIES • MONTAIGNE • BRITTANYHOWARD

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Extras Pages 10 / 16–17

FILM & TV Pages 18–41

Music Pages 43–71

Games Pages 1–22

47-56 INTERVIEWS + BULLETINS We chat new music with Brittany Howard, Pixies, Montaigne, and Boy & Bear, and investigate fresh releases from Iggy Pop, G Flip, sir Was, Tool, Tones and I, (Sandy) Alex G and more. 58-59 THE VINYL COUNTDOWN We investigate some of the top titles you’ll find amongst those discounted to under $30 for this month’s Vinyl Countdown promotion at JB Hi-Fi! 60 MUSIC HISTORY: SEPTEMBER Nirvana throw snacks, ABBA make stacks, and Ferris gives Beatles fans twisted flashbacks: Here’s your music history calendar for September. 64 BREAKOUT BELTER: GOTYE Bryget Chrisfield explores a favourite record which spelled the lift-off to cultural stardom for an important act. This month: Gotye’s Making Mirrors (2011). 66-69 ALBUM REVIEWS City Calm Down, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Bat For Lashes, !!!, DZ Deathrays, Charli XCX, Sampa The Great, Devendra Banhart, Killswitch Engage, Birtles Shorrock Goble, Tanya Tucker and more.

10 EXTRAS Chris Hemsworth is a literal screen hero as well as a local one. Catch him in Men in Black: International , out this month. 16-17 BOB J Our resident film historian looks back at the 1969 classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid .

18-19 JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 Asia Kate Dillon joins the franchise as the High Table’s fearsome Adjudicator. 20 ALADDIN Bollywood exuberance and a few revisions from Guy Ritchie. 22 THE WALKING DEAD A new beginning, and the end of the road for a series regular. 24-25 NEKROTRONIC The Wyrmwood brothers return with an insane new flick. 26 YOUNG SHELDON Director Mary Harron explores the Manson Family murders from the female perspective. 30 THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS Director Michael Mann on the Definitive Director’s Cut Blu-ray. 34-36 REVIEWS John Wick: Chapter 3, Aladdin, Godzilla II: King of the Monsters, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Men in Black: International, Child’s Play, The Banana Splits Movie, Wild Rose, Supernatural: S14, True Detective: S3, Mr. Mercedes: S2, The Purge: S1 We chat with stars Iain Armitage and Zoe Perry. 28 CHARLIE SAYS

4-5 REGULARS This month’s roving reporter is from JB Hi-Fi Holmesglen, and our featured streamer is MissDeusGeek. 6-7 BORDERLANDS 3 Gearbox is back with its critically-acclaimed series, STACK looks at how Gears of War has changed since it smashed onto the scene in 2006. 14 NBA 2k20 Five reasons to be excited for NBA 2K20. 16-18 PC GAMING Our guide to crossplatform peripherals. 20 oUT THIS MONTH Borderlands 3, Gears 5, NBA 2K20, FIFA 20, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Code Vein, eFootball PES 2020 . 22 STACK RECOMMENDS Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Borderlands. 8-10 gears 5

Cinema Pages 12–15

12-13 IT CHAPTER TWO We paid a visit to the set of the highly anticipated Stephen King horror sequel. 14 THE KITCHEN Elisabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish lead this female mobster drama. 15 IN CINEMAS THIS MONTH Downton Abbey, Rambo: Last Blood, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Abominable, The Goldfinch and more.

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store almost four years ago. “You get a lot of different opinions, as well as recommendations from customers,” he says. “There’s a movie called The Greasy Strangler that I probably wouldn’t have watched, but a customer talked me into it, and it was great!” Zach declares he will literally watch anything, although he’s pretty big on thrillers, with David Fincher’s ingenious 1997 film The

Game a personal favourite. “It’s one of those movies that once you know the ending, you’ll never get that reveal again. It’s great to watch with people who haven’t seen it before.” While he doesn’t collect as many DVDs these days, Razorback , Fair Game and The Chain Reaction to the home collection. “I really like old Australian cinema and exploitation movies – some of them are just insane and could never be made today.” He’s also set up a classic Australian section within the store to ensure that the category receives the attention it deserves. According to Zach, the clientele at the Rockingham store love their Marvel and horror movies, as well as anime. “We have a lot of collectors that come into the store, and there are a few regulars who are really into cult movies. There’s one customer that buys pretty much every anime title that comes out. But he doesn’t open them, he just keeps them sealed on the shelf!” And his go-to title for the indecisive customer? “I always recommend the TV series The Following , with Kevin Bacon. When it first came out it wasn’t advertised he is partial to adding Ozploitation flicks like

SHOP TALK

Z ach Hall loves talking to people about movies, which he got to do on a regular basis when working at a Blockbuster Video store (remember those?) prior to joining the JB team at the Rockingham

1 Avengers: Endgame 2 Detective Pikachu 3 Arrow: Season 7 4 Top End Wedding

5 Batman: Hush 6 Captain Marvel

7 Modern Family: S10 8 Bohemian Rhapsody 9 The Curse of the Weeping Woman 10 Alita: Battle Angel

well, but it’s actually a really good show.”

Zach Hall at JB Rockingham, WA

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NEKROTRONIC STACK says: “An insane plunge into a world of digital demons and killer smartphone apps that’s as energetic and inventive as Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead .” RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 10 SPECIAL OFFER: Pre-order and enter online for your chance to WIN REAL PROPS FROM THE SET (includes signed certificate of authenticity from the director/producer). Competition closes 11.59PM AEST on Sunday, 08/09/19 https://www.jbhifi.com.au/nekrotronic/

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(2019), as the dashing Agent H. “Chris is the perfect fit for H and really embodies the character,” says producer Laurie MacDonald. “He’s charismatic, self- deprecating and funny, and not many can carry off all three. He also has effortless charm, strong comedy instincts and, as with all great stars, an extraordinary understanding of who he is as a screen persona.” Of his impulsive character, Hemsworth notes, “He has an over-abundance of self- confidence, as well as a sense of humour, and

CHRIS HEMSWORTH

A literal screen hero as well as a local one, Chris Hemsworth was born in Melbourne in 1983 but spent his childhood in the Northern Territory prior to the family moving south to Phillip Island, Victoria. Like many successful Aussie actors, Hemsworth started out on Home and Away , appearing on the long-running soap between 2004 and 2007, and winning a Logie for Most Popular New Male Talent. His big screen breakthrough came in 2009, as George Kirk – father of Starship Enterprise captain James T – in the prologue sequence of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot. But it was the plum role of Marvel’s God of Thunder in

Kenneth Branagh’s Thor (2011) that catapulted him to superstardom. Although now synonymous with Thor and the MCU, Hemsworth is also an accomplished dramatic actor, as anyone who’s seen him in Ron Howard’s Rush (2013) and In the Heart of the Sea (2015) will agree. He also has a great aptitude for comedy, which director Taika Waititi capitalised upon in Thor: Ragnarok (2017). Moreover, Hemsworth even managed to steal much of his co-stars’ thunder as the portly ‘Bro Thor’ in Avengers: Endgame (2019). He also gets to flex his comedic

Thor: Ragnarok

muscle in franchise reboot Men in Black: International

prefers to avoid doing things by the book. This rubs his fellow agents the wrong way, so there’s a bit of friction within MIB London. H has gotten away with that for a long time, so he’s due for a wake-up.” MIB: International reunites Hemsworth with his Thor: Ragnarok co-star Tessa Thompson – as the newly minted Agent M – and the pair’s onscreen chemistry makes for an amusing double act. “Tessa picked up right where we

[Chris is] charismatic, self-

deprecating and funny, and not many can carry off all three

left off,” he says. “Her character, M, brings intelligence and intrigue to the relationship between the two agents.” Hemsworth’s flair for comedy will also be put to hilarious use in Kevin Smith’s upcoming Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019) and Waititi’s return to the MCU with Thor: Love and Thunder (2021).

Men in Black: International

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Adult cast (L to R) Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, James Ransone, Isaiah Mustafa and Jay Ryan

(Below right) Bill Skarsgård

STACK caught up with James McAvoy and director Andy Muschietti during a visit to the set of the highly anticipated horror sequel, IT Chapter Two . Words Gill Pringle THE END OF O nly two years have passed since Stephen King’s IT became a huge box office hit, but in terms of its hotly anticipated sequel, it’s 27 years later.

remember they made a pact, a blood oath, and they have to go back. “When they return to Derry, they don’t like it too much. It’s a journey of remembering not only all the events that happened in the movie we saw, but also the events that we didn’t see in the movie, and these events are real, even if they have repressed their memories.” If childhood fears are all about scary monsters in the dark then adult fears can run deeper, warns the Argentinian director, who first read King‘s seminal book when he was 14 years old. “It’s about trauma and buried memories; a

as Richie, and Bill Skarsgård reprising his creepy role as Pennywise. When STACK visits the set of IT Chapter Two in Toronto, filming on location in a Victorian university building, Muschietti tells us how he hopes to inject more humour into the sequel as a break from the unrelenting horror of its predecessor. Naturally the grown-up Losers have got as far away from Derry as possible and only Mike Hanlon – played by Chosen Jacobs as a kid and by Isaiah Mustafa as an adult – remains. “None of them really remembers what happened in 1989,” explains Muschietti. ”But when a scar appears on their hands, they

With the original set in 1989, the sequel time jumps to 2016 and our beloved “Losers” – a group of bullied kids who banded together to destroy a shape-shifting monster disguised as a clown – are now in their 40s. While director Andy Muschietti revisits the youthful Losers in his sequel, IT Chapter Two , they are now largely portrayed by grown-ups – Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy stepping into the shoes of Beverly and Bill; Bill Hader taking over from Stranger Things ’ Finn Wolfhard

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very deep trauma that has actually bled into their adult lives. These are things that are very hard to confront. The first movie was more about what a child is afraid of but some of the adult fears in this new second part are a little more surprising. “From a cinematic viewpoint, there’s a crank up of all the emotions with both horror and humour. But it’s also a new perspective. As a story, it’s a bit of a metaphor of the end of childhood and the second part talks about the same theme, but from an adult perspective. So it’s going to be more scary, more emotional and probably more fun.” Casting the adult versions of The Losers wasn’t easy. “I have this thing with physical similarities because I always get frustrated when I see a movie where the kid and the adult don’t look alike. But, weirdly enough, James McAvoy looks like Jaeden [Martell], he has the same big blue eyes and sort of round face and the nose and everything and now he has a scar in the same place where Jaeden

Director Andy Muschietti and the teenage cast

and being the older guy and asking a teenager for permission to take over. But Jaeden has been lovely. He wrote a really nice letter to me as a sort of passing of the torch,” says the actor, who replicates the character’s childhood stammer. McAvoy first read IT as a teenager and was unfazed. But now, in re-reading it as an adult, he confesses, “I actually had several nightmares about Pennywise as I was reading the book.”

“The Losers have forgotten how close they once were when they are first reunited, but they soon break the ice in an epic fun way,” he teases. If IT was ultimately terrifying – and its sequel promises to ramp up the scare factor – then McAvoy refuses the horror label. “For me, I’m making a movie about a bunch of friends who go through something and challenge their own fears. If it was just a movie where I’m running around being scared all the time, I don’t think I’d enjoy that much. It’s the relationships which elevate this for me and Stephen King is a crazy good observer of the human condition.” The author, as ever, watches the film treatments of his books from a distance. “I’m glad he hasn’t visited the set because that would be terrifying. I’d hate him to look at me and think, ‘You’re not the guy I wrote!’ I remember when Ian McEwan visited the set of Atonement and I ran away,” he says. Expect Pennywise to be even more formidable in Chapter Two . “He’s got a lot smarter. He’s already been beaten by The Losers in ’89, so he returns with a sense of revenge,” says Muschietti. “He’s angry and even more perverse. He’s eager to play with his victims but he’s ultimately playing a bigger endgame this time.”

Bonding with the cast over dinners, drinks, bowling and ping pong, on set he found it hard to be around

Skarsgård whenever the actor was in full Pennywise get-up. “I’ve always had a problem with guys in make-up,” he laughs. “Like my mate Nick Hoult who plays Beast in X-Men – whenever he’s in full make-up, I can’t really look him in the eye. It’s the same with Bill. Even if we’re just talking about normal sh-t, it’s just weird. Poor Bill, I kind of avoid him when he’s in the make-up.” If Skarsgård endured some unexplained creepy incidents while he was filming the original,

it’s going to be more scary, more emotional and probably more fun

then McAvoy refuses to bow to superstition. “I’m staying in a modern hotel. No scary stuff for me,” he jokes. The Losers – apart

IT Chapter Two is in cinemas on Sept 5

from Mike – have all led very successful lives, although none of them has children of their own. “There are some significant changes from the book as there was with the first film. But Stephen really respected the first one and loved it, which is the ultimate seal of approval,” notes McAvoy.

has,” says Muschietti, who immediately thought of

Chastain for Beverly, having first worked with the actress on Mama eleven years earlier.

For McAvoy it was important to get to know the kids on set, particularly his younger version played by Martell. “It's strange, coming in after

D O N ' T M I S S

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overnight and confusing the locals. “Hells Kitchen in the ‘70s was a very rough place,” notes McCarthy. “Often there wasn’t garbage pick-up and there was just trash and graffiti everywhere, so that’s what they made it look like. “You’d see people going off to work in the morning and there’d be garbage everywhere and doors ripped off and you could see them thinking, ‘Oh man, I just bought an apartment here and now it’s a war zone.’" Even the local butcher shop was redressed for the film shoot. “I was standing in there with Margo Martindale wearing a rain bonnet, and people just kept coming in like, ‘I want 72 pounds!’ after they saw the signs outside – ‘Rib eye, 32 cents.’" Moss, best known for her roles in Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale , enjoyed working with her comedy idols, even if The Kitchen isn’t a bunch of laughs. “My favourite genre has a tone that follows the reality of life where your characters fall down and get back up again. I like doing drama. There's nothing more fun for me than like being in the rain, crying and having a total meltdown. That's my idea of fun.” Berloff was already busy filming The Kitchen when she began hearing comparisons to last year’s all-female mob drama Widows . “For me, I really saw the opportunity to dig into 1978 New York and show women in a way that I think we've never quite seen them before,” she argues. “And this is not about revenge; this is about them taking what they want, saying what they want and getting what they want.” In tackling such material, the director understands comparisons to Scorsese or Coppola are inevitable. “It’s hard to not see references to Goodfellas or The Godfather because those were the most preeminent mob movies ever. We've all seen these films, they influenced us all as storytellers, and yet I tried to make this my own, with my own voice and my own story. “I really thought about the crucial differences; about how women would be in these roles. It's not the same, in my opinion, as just sticking a gun in a woman's hands and telling the same story. We need to tell an authentically female story, so I think this is different than anything those guys have taken on.”

STANDING HEAT and all that, I just kept seeing my grandma and my mama. ‘What would my grandma and my mama do in this situation?’ And I just ran with that. Cause they gangsta,” says the Girls Trip and Night School star. Move over Martin Scorsese, there’s a new mobster maestro in town. In Andrea Berloff’s The Kitchen , the women trounce their male counterparts, proving unexpectedly adept at everything from running rackets to ruthlessly taking out the competition. Words Gill Pringle THE

C asting Melissa McCarthy, Elisabeth Moss and Tiffany Haddish as formidable New York housewives who gain control of the Hell’s Kitchen neighbourhood in 1978 after their husbands are sent to prison, Andrea Berloff had no doubt her ladies could one-up the men in brutal mob warfare. Oscar-nominated for original screenplay for Straight Outta Compton , the first-time director based The Kitchen on the DC Vertigo comic book series created by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle. As Kathy, the gun-toting boss of this fierce female trio, McCarthy was intrigued by her character, who is so unlike anyone the bubbly comedic actress has previously played. “I’m very uninterested in myself so when I get to play someone different from me, I find that much more intriguing so I can then go into somebody else," she says. "I don't need to show me in a movie. Nobody cares.” Haddish, who is likewise used to scoring laughs rather than taking lives, relished the ‘70s style. “When they put me in costume and hair

“There was a lot of polyesters going on,” chimes in McCarthy when STACK meets the

trio. “I now appreciate a natural fibre more than I ever thought I would.” Sometimes the sets were

too authentic, production crews transforming real Hell’s Kitchen streets

The Kitchen is in cinemas on Aug 29

DID YOU KNOW?

This is not the first time Elisabeth Moss has been involved in a DC Comics' adaptation. She voiced Arisia in Green Lantern: Emerald Knights and a little girl named Kimmy for Batman: The Animated Series .

F U R T H E R V I E W I N G . . .

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Yes, they're back. This time the belligerent birds and the pigs must unite against a common enemy in order to preserve their respective islands. Hailing from a remote frozen isle, this new threat is led by an even angrier bird named Zeta, voiced by Leslie Jones. The impressive cast also includes Jason Sudekis, Sterling K. Brown and Peter Dinklage. This zany sequel is fluttering in on Sept 12 .

The third animated film in the last year to feature either yetis or their relatives (following Smallfoot and Missing Link ), this one sees young Yi (voiced by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ‘s Chloe Bennet) discovering a yeti on the roof of her Shanghai apartment complex. So begins a quest to get the fuzzy white critter back to where it belongs. There's no business like snow business on Sept 19 .

George Clooney’s been there, and so has Matt Damon. Now it’s Brad Pitt’s turn to space out. He plays astronaut Roy McBride, who travels to the outer reaches of the solar system to track down his missing father. It’s bigger than just a missing family member, however, as his journey will apparently “uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos”. Blasting off on Sept 19 .

The Crawley family saga continues on the big screen with a majority of the series' beloved characters returning for this feature-length reunion, scripted by creator Julian Fellowes. Set in 1927 (a year after the events of the TV finale), the Great Depression is approaching and preparations are underway for a royal visit to the Abbey by King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine Jones). Opening Sept 12 .

This live action movie take on the adventures of kid sensation Dora the Explorer appears to be channelling the likes of Tomb Raider and National Treasure , but with a slightly younger audience in mind. Isabella Moner plays the intrepid girl with the backpack alongside Michael Peña, Eva Longoria, Benicio del Toro, Temuera Morrison and Danny Trejo (voicing a CGI monkey!). The hunt begins on Sept 19 . DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD

RAMBO: LAST BLOOD

Producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal bring Alvin Schwartz and illustrator Stephen Gammell's series of short horror stories for kids to terrifying life. Set in the small American town of Mill Valley in the late 1960s, a group of teenagers discover a book full of scary stories that has transcended time, and these tales soon become all too real for the group. Move over Goosebumps on Sept 26 . SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK

THE GOLDFINCH

After four films, Sly's one man army still has some fight left in him. “All these years I’ve kept my secrets, but the time has come to face my past,” growls Rambo as he prepares to exact revenge in a final mission. The big questions hanging over this final chapter are: Will Rambo go out in a blaze of glory, and will Last Blood top the insane bodycount – 236 – of 2008's Rambo ? Find out on Sept 19 .

Based on Donna Tartt’s 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller, the story begins with a terrorist bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where young New York boy Theodore (Ansel Elgort) survives but his mother doesn’t. The lad is subsequently taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family. The title refers to a painting from that terrible day that provides him with a source of hope. Opening Sept 26 .

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ButchCassidy andthe SundanceKid Directed by George Roy Hill 1969

Paul Newman as Butch, Robert Redford as Sundance, and Katharine Ross as Etta Place. One of stills shot on the Hello, Dolly! set

Century Fox for a record $400,000. Zanuck wanted two superstars for the lead roles and offered the Sundance Kid character to Paul Newman. Both tentatively agreed, and it was this package which was then offered Butch part to Steve McQueen and the

Fact: Film director John Boorman was a stern critic of the film, claiming that its success had begun the decline of the western genre

B utch Cassidy and western but more a modern “buddy film” with a western theme. It has no real discernible plot beyond a series of entertaining serio- comic vignettes basically intended to demonstrate the easy charm of its two wisecracking protagonists The significance of the movie, however, lies primarily in its phenomenal commercial success. It received a slew of mixed reviews following the Sundance Kid is not a conventional

1902, Cassidy’s feared gang stole from banks, railroads and mining companies. Realising that the new 20th century banks and trains were becoming progressively harder to rob, as well as being relentlessly pursued by the Pinkerton Detective Agency, both Butch and Sundance took off for what they thought were easier pickings in Bolivia, South America. According to legend, they swiftly gained a reputation as “Bandidos Yanqui” before fate finally caught up with

to George Roy Hill, a relatively new director best known for his two movies starring Julie Andrews – Hawaii (1966) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967). Hill however, had different ideas about the casting – he saw Newman, not McQueen, as Butch. Newman told him he could not play comedy and Hill countered with, “Butch is not a comic part, he’s a straight guy in sometimes comic situations”. Once McQueen learned Newman was considering playing Butch, and that no matter what part he played, Newman would demand top billing, McQueen bowed out of the project. Hill suggested the then practically unknown actor Robert Redford as Sundance, after having seen him handle comedic situations in the Broadway play Sunday in New York. There followed months of haggling with Zanuck over the casting of Sundance until he finally

its initial release, but somehow, its good- humoured cynicism caught the mood of late 1960s America and totally captivated filmgoers – even attracting those who did not like westerns. The film is loosely based on the historical escapades of the Wild Bunch, an outlaw gang led by Butch Cassidy (real name Robert Leroy Parker) and his quick-draw partner the Sundance Kid (real name Harry Longabaugh)

them in 1908, when both were ambushed and shot dead by soldiers of the Bolivian army. The screenplay was the brainchild of writer William Goldman, who became fascinated with the various accounts of the lives and legends of the two leaders of the Wild Bunch. He spent a number of years researching the two bandits and deliberately wrote their story as a parody on the passing of an individualistic way of life. He sold it to Richard Zanuck, the head of 20th

relented, after Newman interjected that he too wanted Redford for the part. Once filming began in Zion National Park, Utah, any reservations Zanuck had about Redford soon evaporated. Hill was right – Redford was a perfect fit for the Sundance Kid. The movie's opening scenes immediately establish the bromance between the witty affable Butch and the serious Sundance. Butch would prefer to rob banks because, unlike trains “they don’t move”. But tougher security in the banks forces him and his gang to hold-up trains. They plan to rob the Union Pacific Flyer twice – once going and again on the return

– the last of the infamous outlaws of the Old West. The gang operated out of the Hole-in-the-Wall, a remote pass in the Big Horn Mountains of Johnson County, Wyoming, which proved an ideal hiding place for men with prices on their heads. Between 1889 and DID YOU KNOW?: The more commonly used name for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s gang was The Wild Bunch. However, when Sam Peckinpah’s western The Wild Bunch (1969) was released a few months earlier, the name of the gang was changed to The-Hole-in-the-Wall Gang to avoid confusion with the movie.

The original Wild Bunch: Butch Cassidy - Front row right. The Sundance Kid - Front row left.

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trip. They assume the railroad boss would never suspect that the train would be robbed twice, and figure that the train on its return run will be loaded with money. (Both robberies are based on historical fact.) In the second robbery, the gang dynamite the safe that demolishes it and the rail-carriage, which results in thousands of dollar bills fluttering in the wind. As they collect the money, a mysterious express train comes down the track and stops. A heavily armed and mounted super-posse disembarks from one of the carriages. “Whatever they’re selling,” says Butch, “I don’t want it”. After shooting down a number of the gang, the posse concentrate on pursuing Butch and Sundance. The extended chase sequence, which lasts a full half hour, is the best section of the film. It's practically silent, except for the clatter of Butch and Sundance’s horses’ hooves and the ominous thunder of the pursuing posse – continually shot at long distance. Butch’s increasingly exasperated, “Who are those guys?” is one of the many memorable punchy one-liners delivered by Newman throughout the film. They manage to keep one step ahead of their implacable pursuers until trapped on the ledge of a sheer cliff overlooking a raging river. They both jump off the cliff into the river and temporarily lose the posse. But when the law picks up their trail again, the duo and Sundance’s lady friend, Etta Place (played by DID YOU KNOW?: A prequel, Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, was released in 1979.  Alan Burns wrote the screenplay but William Goldman wrote some of the scenes, which he had wanted to include in the first film. William Katt was cast as the Sundance Kid because he resembled “a young Robert Redford” and Tom Berenger played the young Butch.

“Who are those guys?”

Blowing the train safe with too much dynamite.

nefarious activities and Etta decides to return to the US stating, “I won’t watch you die”. Now on their own, Butch and Sundance are eventually taken by surprise in a marketplace by the Bolivian army. Both badly wounded, slumped bleeding in a pueblo, Butch has a new idea: “When we get out of here, we’ll head for Australia – they speak English in Australia.” As they run outside, headlong into a hail of bullets, director Hill spares the audience the final bloodletting with a freeze-frame of our two heroes that's akin to a sepia image in an old history tome. The contemporary musical soundtrack composed by Burt Bacharach – with the

Katharine Ross), travel to New York, en-route to Bolivia where they intend to continue their illegal exploits.  For the New York sequence Hill wanted to shoot it as a live-action scene with dialogue, on the movie set of Hello, Dolly! . The Barbra Streisand musical was in production at the time on the Fox backlot but Richard Zanuck adamantly refused the request. Hill then suggested that he instead use a still camera incorporating his three actors into the Dolly

its good-humoured cynicism caught the mood of late 1960s America and totally captivated filmgoers

sets. This resulted in a stylish montage of still images with a musical accompaniment, which evoked an atmosphere of turn-of-the-century New York. When the trio arrive in Bolivia (actually shot in Mexico), they find a poor barren country and also a language barrier, as neither of them can speak Spanish. The Bolivian authorities soon catch on to their

featured song Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head – sung by B.J. Thomas, fitted perfectly with the quasi-western theme of the movie. Both music and song went on to win Academy Awards, with the film gaining two more for Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography. It gave Robert Redford his first major movie success and strengthened Paul Newman’s already impressive film career. Furthermore, the Newman-Redford team proved so popular with audiences that four years later, director George Roy Hill reprised the duo playing two 1930s Chicago con-men in The Sting (1973), which could easily have had the subtitle: “Butch and Sundance Ride Again”.

Butch and Sundance’s Hole-in-the-Wall Gang

Join STACK ’s resident filmhistorian Bob J and our community of cinema buffs to have your say eachmonth in ' Bob J’s Classic Movie Club ' Facebook group.

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The ever-expanding world of JohnWick adds Asia Kate Dillon to the cast in Chapter 3 – Parabellum .We got up rather early to have a chat with the no-nonsense agent of the HighTable,The Adjudicator. Words Amy Flower

L anding a role in an established movie franchise would be super-exciting for any actor, but when you’re also a fan of the movies in question beforehand, it takes on a whole larger level of excitement. “I was super into them, yeah,” Asia tells us. “Back in 2015 I got an email from my mom, telling me that she was excited about this new movie, John Wick , with one of our favourites, Keanu Reeves. So my mom turned me onto the John Wick franchise, actually.”

we were all talking about what projects we had in the works, and I said, ‘Well I know that John Wick 3 is filming in New York this summer, and I should be in that movie,’ recalls Asia. “Fast forward two months to the beginning of May of last year and my manager calls me saying, ‘Chad Stahelski, the director of JW3 , wants to see me because they have this role, The Adjudicator,' and basically it was presented it to me as if it was my role to turn down.” Obviously, it wasn’t hard for Asia to decide whether to take the part. “I met Chad, and he was able to so clearly communicate his and Keanu’s vision for the third film and the role of The Adjudicator that I said ‘Yes’ right there in that meeting before even reading the script.” There was then the small matter of actually studying that script, which elicited the appropriate reaction. “I was sitting in my living room and I was yelling and screaming and clapping and laughing!” enthuses Asia. “On the page, you’re reading, ‘…and then John Wick gets on a horse and rides down the streets of Manhattan,’ and it just – I mean, I was truly like ‘Holy sh-t!’ and clapping and cheering. I mean, what was on the page was stunning, and I knew that even if they could remotely bring some of that to the screen then it would just elevate the action genre to the next level… and it has.” It’s quite a big step from television work – like Orange is the New Black and the aforementioned Billions – to an established

As a fan, Asia was super-keen to be involved in the third John Wick flick – and, as it turned out, the director had the perfect role in mind.

“When I was finishing filming Billions last March in New York,

what could have been a really intimidating experience to me was so fun

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FILM

FEATURE

MEOW OR

WOOF?

While John Wick is very much of the pup persuasion, Asia is more pet agnostic. “I love animals and I currently have a 13-year-old cat named Eugene and I have a puppy named Herbert, who just turned one. So I love all animals, and I’m currently both a cat and dog person.”

movie franchise, yet Asia had no problems, in part due to the vibe on the set. “Honestly, it wasn’t daunting,” Asia says. “I think it could certainly have been if Chad and/or Keanu and/or the producers had any type of ego, or any type of, ‘Listen, you get to be in this movie, but you’ve really got to live up to our expectations’ or whatever they could have said to me to be intimidating. But everyone was like, ‘Thank you so much for being in this movie, we’re so excited to have

actor. So getting to act with him, and also watch him do some of the action sequences live when I was on set, was just so inspiring and humbling.” While we may often see the criminal underworld portrayed onscreen as quite anarchic, in the universe of John Wick and the High Table there are distinct rules, and every action has a consequence. Asia revelled in being the one to enforce these rules. “Oh gosh, it’s cool! I mean it’s super cool to play a character whose job is to come in and intimidate everyone, but in a very sort of no-nonsense way. Everyone knows the rules, and they know that if they break them there are going to be consequences.” It sounds like Asia’s entire time on John Wick 3 was a highlight, but one part of the experience really stood out. “The theatre that we shot in with Angelica Huston and the American Ballet Company, that’s in Washington Heights, and the inside is very similar to the Kings Theater in Brooklyn. That’s to say that it’s stunningly beautiful inside, and being there and watching the American Ballet Company do their takes over and over again – getting to watch them dance – was just stunning. I felt really privileged to be there and witness them doing that.”

Everyone knows the rules, and they know that if they break them there are going to be consequences

you.' So it really just felt like Chad and Keanu and Lionsgate really helped level the playing field so that what could have been a really intimidating experience to me was so fun.” So, it’s true - Keanu really is a cool guy? “He’s truly the best,” Asia confirms. “He’s so kind and gracious and humble and grounded and funny and intelligent – I mean he’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He’s

also a consummate professional and an incredibly talented

• John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is out on Sept 18

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FILM FEATURE

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then he kind of moulds it from there and allows us to play. I think that’s something that no one else could have done as well as Guy.” Anglo-Indian singer and actress Naomi Scott was proud to bring an empowered version of Princess Jasmine to the big screen. “Guy said something in a bar which I thought was really great, talking about equality of challenge; the idea that Jasmine needed to be more of a challenge in this movie. For me, I really think it was a natural progression, the fact that she wants to become the leader. She should be the leader, and it’s not this thing that has been shoehorned in, it just makes sense,” she argues. Agreeing with Scott, Ritchie adds, “If there would be a sunny evolution in this narrative, it was that the lead was given to Jasmine. Aladdin had been given enough chapters to get on with and the Genie had his hands full, and the most conspicuous character was Jasmine, who was arguably a tad passive in the original. It just felt like an obvious space that we could work on. “So, for me, it was really about the quality of change, because there is no point in going all out about something, unless you back it up,” he says, praising Scott for her rendition of Alan Menken’s new power ballad Speechless , describing it as the best song in the film. “It’s not really about gender as much as it is about an individual study at a pertinent time and she [Naomi] can illustrate and articulate that point and have the breadth and personality to do so. It just felt like the most obvious place that this narrative could evolve was to give Princess Jasmine a voice and the strength to back that voice up.” When asked to name his own three wishes, Smith smiles. “If I had one wish, my wish would be divine understanding. Last year I turned 50 and I have been finding that lack of understanding and confusion is the

A global box office success, Guy Ritchie’s live-action version of Disney’s animated classic Aladdin offers Bollywood exuberance and a few revisions, including a bigger role for Princess Jasmine. Words Gill Pringle

D isney fans expected The Lion King and Toy Story 4 to be huge box office hits. But Guy Ritchie’s live- action remake of Aladdin ? Not so much. In the run-up to the film’s release, concerns were expressed over the dependence on CGI effects and in particular, Will Smith’s enormous blue genie. Yet Ritchie surprised everyone with his exuberant Bollywood style and relevant social issues, coupled with romance and humour. Taking a magic

world. In this particular time in the world, that kind of inclusion and diversity is a critical part in transitioning that connectivity into harmony. These kinds of interactions in these types of movies are a powerful goal service,” he tells STACK when we meet in Beverly Hills. hardcore movies like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch – he quickly earned a gentler reputation on set, even landing the nickname “Cry” Ritchie after he was caught tearing up during some of the emotional ballads. Portraying a charismatic Aladdin, Egyptian-Canadian For all of Ritchie’s tough guy image – gained from

Director Guy Ritchie

market ride nobody predicted, the film

surpassed US$1 billion at the box office, marking both Ritchie and Smith’s first billion-dollar movie. For Smith, he was particularly gratified to be part of a diverse cast. “I think it’s critically important to be able to pull stories and colours and tastes from around the

actor Mena Massoud was impressed by Ritchie’s hands-off

mother of fear and violence. So I would absolutely wish for divine understanding to be shared with all. I think understanding is the seeds of peace.”

style. “The beautiful thing that Guy does on set is that he creates a sense of family and community so everybody feels free to create and bring their take on it,” he explains, “and

• Aladdin is out on Sept 18

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TV FEATURE

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Season nine heralds a new beginning forTWD but the long-running comic book series by Robert Kirkman has finally come to an end, with the publication of the final issue (#193) on July 3, 2019. “I got to tell my story exactly how I wanted to and end it on my terms…” Kirkman said. TheTV series is reportedly set to continue for at least three more seasons, however, with the first episode of Season 10 premiering on October 7, 2019. “If anyone is concerned that the comic book wrapping up means that Season 10 is going to

spontaneously end on Episode 4 as a surprise, that’s not going to happen,” Kirkman reassured fans at Comic-Con.

TheWalking Dead’ s ninth season marks a new beginning for the show and the end of the road for a series regular. Words Scott Hocking T he dead are still walking, but over the past two years the series has been dawdling; the protracted war with the

• The Walking Dead: Season 9 is out on Sept 25

for the show,” explained Gimple. “I think people are going to be very surprised. They’re going to see things they haven’t seen, and a different world.”

different for everybody, and we get to explore that,” she said. “[Maggie’s] child has no father and the person responsible for that [Negan] is still around. When it really comes down to it, what do you do? That’s what this season is all about.” It’s unlikely there will be any redemption for Negan this season following his

“We’re playing with time this season,” added Kang, “so that gives us the opportunity to see where our characters are at after the war has ended. We get to see the world in a way we’ve never seen it before. Nature is taking over, man-made structures are falling down and that invites challenges for our group. We see how intrepid they are and how clever they are. “We’re dealing with themes of civilisation: how do you look to the past to build the future, and how do you deal with the differences in philosophy and what are the things that we owe each other as people?” The late Carl’s vision for “something after” the war has been a catalyst for change,

Saviors testing viewers’ patience. Perhaps galvanised by this home truth, the show’s creative team has initiated a bold reset for season nine. Series’ writer Angela Kang has

unexpected reprieve from Rick. However, Jeffrey Dean Morgan hinted that fans are going see a very different version of the character. “He’s in a bit of a predicament and he’s having to face some stuff – both internally and outside – that he hasn’t had to

replaced Scott M. Gimple as showrunner, but the most radical change impacts the regular cast line-up, with the departure of Andrew Lincoln after eight years on the show. “My relationship with Mr. Grimes is far from over,” teased Lincoln at San Diego Comic-Con. “And a large part

They’re going to see things they haven’t seen, and a different world

it would appear. But in the world of The Walking Dead , navigating the laying of new foundations and laws inevitably comes with a high price attached. “Exacting that vision comes with many

deal with before.” The rebuilding of society also begins in earnest and is the major focus of TWD’s narrative reshuffle, along with a significant time jump (in service to the comic books) and the emergence of a sinister new threat known as ‘The Whisperers’. “The first eight seasons were one chapter. Season nine is a whole new beginning

of me will always be a machete- wielding, Stetson-wearing, zombie-

slaying sheriff’s deputy from London, England.” While fans will be lamenting the loss of Rick Grimes, who has anchored the show and its group of survivors from the very beginning, Lincoln himself is very excited about this season. “There are two episodes that, for me, are my two favourite episodes since the pilot.” Lauren Cohan’s Maggie will also have a reduced role in season nine. “The future looks

consequences,” confirmed Danai Gurira, “and we will

see the complications. When folks aren’t on the same page, there’s going to be severe conflict.”

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