STACK #251 September 2025

MOVIE & TV FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

GENRE: Family action RUN TIME: 1h 34m SURVIVAL CHEMISTRY: THE STARS THE STARS DISCUSS THE LAST OF US: SEASON 2

The Last of Us would be a very different show without the palpable father-daughter chemistry between its stars, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey

W hen we meet the co-stars in West Hollywood, that connection is clear, with Ramsey snuggling on Pascal’s shoulder and laughing at all his jokes. Talking about the pressure, Ramsey, 21, admits, “It’s a little bit scary. When Season One came out, obviously it was like this huge thing. “So, I think I’m just so aware of Season Two coming out and being, like, everybody looking at it and looking at me, and it’s quite scary,” says the actress, who plays Ellie. “But it’s exciting, and it’s nice to be here, and I’m trying to see it as a celebration of all the hard work that we did. And I just hope that people will like it.”

It was tough for her to spend the first few episodes at odds with Pascal’s Joel, drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous than the one they left behind. “We just had to not like each other for a bit,” laughs Ramsey. Set five years after the first season, Ellie is now a young woman. “Obviously a lot has changed over those five years,” she says. “Ellie was 14 and now is 19. And I think in any teenager’s life, those are always the formative years, so that definitely informed it. But there are obviously deeper reasons for their little rift. And I didn’t enjoy the feeling of feeling

estranged from Pedro within a scene. It wasn’t a nice feeling. “In real life, we still kind of like each other, just about,” she teases her co-star. “The first thing that I got to shoot was just Bella and I in kind of an intimate setting. And there’s an incredibly painful distance between the two of them in the playing of the scene, but we still got to be on set and muck around and laugh and stuff like that, and that was incredibly comforting.” Gill Pringle

• The Last of Us Season 2 is out Sep 24

IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LOVE THESE:

The Walking Dead, The Stand, Fallout, The 100, Westworld

THE LATEST

Words Michael Caverzan

Outrageously long anime titles? Yep, they’re still coming! This month’s line-up includes some seriously awesome new releases, and we’ve hand-picked three essentials you won’t want to miss.

ALYA SOMETIMES HIDES HER FEELINGS IN RUSSIAN SEASON 1

NO LONGER ALLOWED IN ANOTHER WORLD SEASON 1 Sensei lives a life weighed down by sadness with his lover Sacchan, and together they agree it’s best to end things permanently. Before they can fulfil their pact, a truck accident changes everything. When Sensei awakens, he finds himself in another world, summoned by Annette to become its destined hero. But a new realm cannot erase his depression, and he still longs for release. Ignoring Annette, he wanders into the woods, where he accidentally saves a woman. She reveals he may not be the only one brought here, raising hope that Sacchan, too, could be lost somewhere in this strange world. Blu-ray | Sep 17

SOLO LEVELING SEASON 1 After a near-death dungeon encounter, Sung Jin-Woo awakens to a mysterious ability unlike any other: he can level up endlessly in a world where strength determines survival. With each battle his power grows, and he cuts through enemies

Alya is admired at school for her intelligence, beauty and stoic personality. In sharp contrast is Masachika Kuze, the laid-back slacker who seems her complete opposite. Yet beneath their

who threaten those he holds dear. Yet as gods and monsters unveil their schemes, Jin-Woo finds himself drawn into a conflict far greater than he ever imagined. Combining epic swords-and-sorcery action with thrilling science-fiction elements, Solo Leveling boasts breathtaking animation, relentless battles, and a killer soundtrack, making it unmissable for fans of power fantasy and high stakes adventure. Blu-ray | Sep 10

façades lies more than meets the eye, and over time Alya’s hidden feelings for Kuze begin to grow. Unable to confess directly, she expresses her affection in Russian between her sharp remarks, certain he won’t understand. What she doesn’t realise is that Kuze is fluent. As their connection deepens, both are forced to drop their masks, and Alya must face her true emotions to move forward in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian . Blu-ray | Sep 3

88 SEPTEMBER 2025

jbhifi.com.au