STACK #186 Apr 2020

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Essential Camera Guide, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, 1917, All New Lady Gaga, Final Fantasy VII Remake and much, much more.

YOUR TO FILM, TV, MUSIC, GAMING & LIFE TECH ESSENTIAL GUIDE

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ISSUE 186 Apr ’20

STACK APRIL 2020

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ISSUE 186 Apr ’20

MIRRORLESS OR DSLR? INSIDE

MUSIC

WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE BIG DIFFERENCES EYE IN THE SKY

Cameras LIFE TECH E

WHAT’S THE BEST DRONE FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC AMBITION?

1917 • CAMERAS • LADY GAGA

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“ONE OF THE BEST WAR FI LMS OF ALL T IME .” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

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© 2020 Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC. Layout and Design © 2020 Universal Studios and Storyteller Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved. Home entertainment products distributed exclusively by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment for Entertainment One.‘ACADEMY AWARDS®’ is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Contributors

Issue 186 APR 2020

Founder Nic Short Editor-in-Chief Paul Jones Film & TV Editor Scott Hocking Music Editor Zoë Radas Acting Music Editor Bryget Chrisfield Online Editor Amy Flower Creative Director Gary Siewert Movies Consultant Kerrie Taylor Games Consultant Sachi Fernando Music Consultant Mike Glynn Marketing Manager Fleur Parker Chief Contributors Bob Jones , Gill Pringle Contributors Glenn Cochrane, Jeff Jenkins, Simon Lukic, Billy Pinnell, Denise Hylands, Simon Winkler, Nathan Lawrence, Jake Cleland, Tim Lambert, Holly Pereira, Adam Colby, Anthony Horan, Dan Nicholson, Alex Deutrom, Bec Summer Social Media Manager Imogene Lewis-Granland Production Manager Craig Patterson Correspondence STACK 33 Jessie Street, Richmond, VIC 3121 Disclaimer STACK is published by Scribal Custom Pty Ltd (ACN 092 362 135). © Copyright Scribal Custom Pty Ltd, 2020 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. RATINGS GUIDE

WELCOME

As John Lennon sang in Nobody Told Me , these are strange days indeed. But every cloud has a silver lining and while bunkering down (this is the first issue of STACK that has ever been put together with all the writers and production staff working offsite), there has never been a better time to indulge your home entertainment passion – totally guilt-free! In my household we’re slowly working through the pile of movies we‘ve been meaning to get to for months, and when the kids go to bed, it’s DOOM Eternal time. Talking of games, could the Final Fantasy VII remake have dropped at a better time? When it was announced the game would be delayed, the STACK office gamers cried out in dismay, but sometimes it’s just meant to be. Star Wars fans, whichever side of the fence they sit on with The Rise of Skywalker , will also be relishing social distancing right now. Most of the STACK team are actually fans of Rise ; J.J. Abrams has done a stellar job in unpicking and reconstituting the plot line to create the best finale to the nine-part Skywalker saga that he could, given the circumstances. The other good news is that for the first time ever, we are getting all nine canon films, plus Rogue One and Solo , in glorious 4K UHD! So if you haven’t yet joined the 4K revolution, these releases provide the perfect excuse to gear up. During this time of self-isolation, we’ll be doing our very best to suggest great content ideas through our online channels, too, so keep an eye on our socials. And remember that you can download your copy of STACK via the website – the April issue is bursting at the seams with all the best new releases to see you though the month. Paul Jones, Editor-in-Chief

The large print giveth, the small print taketh away. “I hoped todaywould be a good day.Hope is a dangerous thing.”

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Issue 186 APR 2020

YOUR TO FILM, TV,MUSIC, GAMING& LIFE TECH ESSENTIALGUIDE STACK Issue 186 APRIL2020 “Nothingmakes sense anymore.” MUSIC ISSUE 186 Apr ’20 LADYGAGA CHROMATICA 1917•CAMERAS• LADYGAGA hot

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YOUR TO FILM, TV,MUSIC,GAMING& LIFE TECH ESSENTIALGUIDE

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ISSUE 186 Apr ’20

GAMING

ISSUE 186 Apr ’20

MUSIC

ISSUE 186 Apr ’20

MIRRORLESS OR DSLR? INSIDE WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE BIG DIFFERENCES EYE IN THE SKY WHAT’S THE BEST DRONE FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC AMBITION?

Cameras LIFE TECHHE

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LADY GAGA CHROMATICA

ISSUE 186 Apr ’20

MUSIC

stack.com.au

ISSUE 186

MIRRORLESS ORDLSR? INSIDE

Apr ’20

WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE BIG DIFFERENCES EYE IN THE SKY

INSIDE

Your MONTHLY GUIDE to the HOTTEST TECH at

ISSUE 186

Apr ’20

MIRRORLESS ORDSLR?

WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE BIG DIFFERENCES

Cameras LIFE TECH E

WHAT’S THE BEST DRONE FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC AMBITION?

EYE IN THE SKY WHAT’S THE BEST DRONE FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHIC AMBITION?

Cameras LIFE TECH TE

LADYGAGA D CHROMATICA

Your MONTHLYGUIDE to the HOTTEST TECH at

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CINEMA 14–16 ONWARD MOVIES & TV 12 LOCAL HERO 18 BOB J 20–21 STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER 22 STAR WARS on 4K UHD! 24–25 1917 26–28 A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD 30–38 REVIEWS 40 NEW FROM BBC QUIZ & COMPETITIONS on page 84

LIFE TECH 42 welcome page 44-56 cameras 58 gopro competition 60 what’s new at jb

MUSIC 66–67 cable ties 68–69 adam lambert 70–71 lady gaga 72–74 breakout belter 76 this month at jb 78–82 music reviews

GAMING 3–4 stack regulars 6–7 final fantasy Vii REMAKE 8 HP envy 13 laptop 10–11 rhythm games 12 out this month 14 stack recommends

for the amateur photographer 5 TIPS

Licensed To Ill Beastie Boys

Check out page 42

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STACK’S

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“Explosive action ” - CinemaBlend

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A quick sneak

preview of Android 11

Nokia unveil a phone fit for Bond, James Bond

A s the official phone partner for the upcoming new 007 film No Time to Die (now due for release in November), Nokia had to come up with something pretty special gadget-wise, and they have. If you’re always up with the latest phone technology, you’ll already be 5G equipped, but if you’ve travelled overseas at all you’ll have noticed an inability to roam with it. As James Bond tends to pinball over this planet of ours, he needs a phone that will work everywhere. So, to this end Nokia have unveiled their Nokia 8.3, which will be the first mobile to allow global roaming on 5G networks – and with its multiband support it’s designed to be futureproof, too.

Even better news? The 8.3 is a mid-level phone, so you won’t have to drop a fortune to get onboard. Set to arrive sometime mid-year, the Nokia 8.3 will run on the latest currently-available operating system in Android 10, will come with a 6.81-inch Full HD+ screen, pack a 64 megapixel camera (with a smooth new 60fps video recording mode) and will come in any colour you want -

A ndroid 11 is

scheduled to arrive

later in the year, and Google have previewed some of the new features that are likely to be implemented. While some features – such as better support for hinged screen phones - will only affect a small percentage of users, and small changes to theme editing and notifications will be welcomed, there’s one big bit of news that everybody will love. Yes, Android 11 is set to initiate even more protections against those irritating robocalls that we all get hassled by. Bring it on!

as long as that’s blue, or “polar night” as Nokia have christened it. Meanwhile, if you fancy yourself as a bit of an international person of mystery and you’re armed with a Nokia 6.2 or 7.2, Nokia have just the thing to finish off your kit. They’ve come up with Kevlar cases for the two phones. Apparently five times stronger than steel, these also carry an official 007 logo.

Sneak snackers rejoice – Microsoft helps mask the munches!

E ver been on your phone and worried about random noises coming from your side of the conversation? Lawn mowers, toddlers, washing machines, those chocolate chip cookies that you just can’t help munching on…?

potato chips while he spoke. Yes, you guessed it, his voice came through clearly without all the extraneous crunchtastic noise. With more people than ever using Teams to

keep in touch, it’s great news – as is another new feature Microsoft unveiled, which blurs out the background while keeping the caller in focus. Cool, no need to do that obsessive tidy up before chatting now! Hopefully the noise

Well, Microsoft have been busy tweaking their artificial intelligence software in order to filter such non-you sounds out. If it isn’t your voice, it isn’t heard by the other party – or parties – on your call. For now, the tech has been

squashing AI will trickle out to mobile phones sooner rather than later, as there’s huge potential to bring clarity to such things as Bluetooth car calls or just any contact from noisy places.

implemented in Microsoft Teams , their workplace meeting/chat/call software for Office 365 users. A Microsoft representative demonstrated the technology by rummaging about in a bag of

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recommendation and loves to talk shop. “Convincing a customer to try something that they’ve never seen and having that same customer come back and go, ‘What else have you got?’ – I really dig it when they trust your opinion.” A JB veteran of 11 years, Nato is the go-to guy when it comes to a cracking TV series. “I’ve got two small children and I don’t get to the cinema as much as I used to, so I’m a huge TV series guy! My

number one series of all time is The Wonder Years – a bit of Fred Savage, and I still have a crush on Winnie Cooper. Then there’s Deadwood, The Wire, The Sopranos ... they’re also tops for me, as well as the US version of Shameless . I also have every season of Family Guy – I don’t know if that’s something I should brag about or be ashamed of.” With the Mt. Ommaney store attracting an older clientele, period dramas like Outlander and the much- requested The Crown always fly out the door, says Nato. “Then there are all these weird little B-grade action titles that don’t get a cinema release, like Replicas with Keanu Reeves, that for some reason go burko here. It’s really strange.” The store also features a killer display in the horror section courtesy of Nato’s artistically talented team member, Anuwarr. “He’s a huge horror fan and I got him to do me two big drop-downs with horror characters on them. It looks creepy as! He also put a couple of nice little trolls for Scooby-Doo fans and Ed Sheeran’s face, because let’s face it, Ed Sheeran is pretty horrific! He even put his own face on there, because he’s a pretty scary looking dude. When we do signs here, we ball out!”

SHOP TALK

C ustomers are in good hands at JB’s Mount Ommaney store, located between Brisbane and Ipswich, QLD. Dual movies and music coordinator Nathaniel ‘Nato’ McManus is always quick with a

1 Frozen II 2 Ford v Ferrari 3 Terminator: Dark Fate 4 Knives Out 5 Parasite 6 Dragon Ball Super Part 10 7 Joker 8 21 Bridges 9 Doctor Who: Classic Season 26 10 Charlie’s Angels (2019)

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Nathaniel ‘Nato’ McManus at JB Mt. Ommaney, QLD

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events – the Fox News scandal involving mogul Roger Ailes – Robbie’s character in the film, weathergirl Kayla Pospisil, is actually a conduit for the experiences reported by a number of women that were caught up in the drama. Nevertheless, the resourceful star had mapped out an entire backstory for her character upon arriving on set.

MARGOT ROBBIE

M argot Robbie needs no introduction. This luminous and effervescent Queenslander has become of one of our most in-demand exports in Hollywood, with recent roles in Bombshell and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood earning her accolades and award nominations. Robbie moved from rural Dalby, QLD, to Melbourne in her late teens to pursue acting, and wound up on Ramsay Street playing Neighbours character Donna Freedman. “I was always very dramatic – my parents would probably use the word ‘dramatic’ – as a child,” she has said. “[I was] always putting on performances, making everyone come watch, and pay to watch. I was very business-savvy as a child.” After making her feature film debut in the British rom-com About Time (2013), Robbie was

rapidly catapulted into the big time thanks to a memorable performance alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). Since then she has made the role of DC Comics’ bad girl Harley Quinn her own in Suicide Squad (2016) and Birds of Prey (2020); played Jane to Alexander Skarsgård’s Tarzan in The Legend of Tarzan (2016); and real-life figures Queen Elizabeth

Birds of Prey

Robbie also relished the opportunity to portray a kind of real-life persona rarely seen on screen: an evangelical millennial, albeit not a stereotypical one. “I love that about Kayla,” she says. “It’s great to have a Christian character who isn’t being made fun of and isn’t there for comic relief. There are a lot of different layers to Kayla and I find her reasons for being at Fox really moving because her main hope is to give a voice to people like her, people who she feels haven’t been represented in the culture.” Playing Kayla was also a chance to spark a conversation Robbie feels hasn’t gone deep enough as yet. “I don’t think we’ve had the chance to really explore the murky grey areas of the #MeToo revolution, so that interested me,” she explains. “I like that this film isn’t a story of victimisation – it’s so much more complicated than that. I was really struck by how [screenwriter] Charles Randolph approached this subject by exploring characters who each react to what’s happening in honest and unpredictable ways.”

I ( Mary Queen of Scots , 2018), disgraced skater Tonya Harding ( I, Tonya ,

I was always very dramatic as a child... putting on performances, making everyone come watch...

2017), and actress Sharon Tate ( Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, 2019 ). Although Bombshell (2019) is based on actual

Bombshell

Bombshell is out on April 22

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When STACK catches up with Chris Pratt andTom Holland in Los Angeles, they easily slip into a goofy, brotherly banter – an effortless extension of the brothers they voice in Pixar’s animated magical movie, Onward . Words Gill Pringle

P ortraying teenage elves Ian and Barley Lightfoot, the actors were better able to forge a real sense of fraternity thanks to their shared ties inhabiting beloved Marvel superheroes – Pratt as Star Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and Holland as Spider-Man . “I can’t help but try to be like a big brother to Tom,” admits Pratt, 17 years Holland’s senior. “I’m the oldest brother of four and Chris is the youngest brother of two, so we kind of switched roles in this,” says Holland, 23, who plays younger elf Ian. “Chris and I were already so close before we came onto this film that it was almost like we were just playing ourselves. “The similarities between Ian and myself go back to when I was 12 or 13. I was a bit of an introvert; a very nervous kid and had a hard time at school. It wasn’t until I went on this adventure – which was Billy Elliot – that I came out of my shell and grew more

the assemblies at high school and I followed in his footsteps by doing the same. But he went into the army and didn’t become an actor while I did ,” he recalls, explaining how his big brother loved him so much

confident and started to believe in myself. So what drew me to this character is that we get to see that entire journey that I went on as a kid. I was so happy to pour my past experiences into this process,” he says. For Pratt, it was only

that he never once resented the fact that Pratt, in a sense, stole his dream. “That is one of the themes

after attending the film’s premiere that he realised the similarities in the elf brothers’ relationship to his own relationship with his older brother.

Chris and I were already so close before we came onto this film

of Onward . That the big brother Barley is just so

proud that his little brother Ian has ‘the gift’. When I saw the movie, it really made me appreciate how my big brother was with me because he’s always only ever been super encouraging and positive about what I was doing as an actor. “That’s what makes this brotherly relationship so special and why grown men come up to me today and say how moved they were. Onward really celebrates a

“Obviously I’m playing the older brother in this but, in my own life, I relate much more to being the younger brother,” he says. “My older brother

always wanted to be an actor and would do plays – the first time I ever saw my mother cry was watching him on stage in first grade. I thought it was amazing and immediately wanted to be an actor, too. My brother did all

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continued

love between two brothers which is not something we often see on the screen, more often relying on caricatures of contentious brotherhood,” says Pratt, who portrays a big, burly and boisterous 19-year-old elf who loves magic and immerses himself in role-playing fantasy games. Likewise, Pratt can relate to Barley’s passion. “I loved fantasy growing up,” he says. “I had a book on dwarf culture, their weapons and societies. There were beautiful illustrations, and I was all about drawing as a kid, so I loved to copy the drawings. I loved the look of fantasy characters – elves, dwarves, massive ogres and wizards.” Set in a suburban fantasy world, Onward is populated by elves, sprites, satyrs, centaurs, gnomes, trolls and a Cyclops cop, amongst other folklore creatures. But the magic, it turns out, has been disappearing from the world for years. “Only certain people could do it,” explains producer Kori Rae. “It was difficult, and you had to really practice. As technology was introduced, everyone found easier ways to do things. Magic is possible, it’s just that nobody really does it anymore.” Onward introduces Pratt’s Barley as a boisterous slacker who tears round their

always wondered about who he was and how we were like him. That question became the seed of Onward – what if you could have your parent back for one day?” says Scanlon, who sends his protagonist brothers on

NEXT FROM PIXAR

suburban hamlet in a beater named Guinevere, while Holland’s Ian is

an epic quest to bring their late father back to life for one day.

an introverted elf, sorrowful over losing his father before he was born. Longing to be confident and strong, he’s sure that if he’d grown up with his father, he would be both. “He’s a little shy and awkward,” says director and co-writer Dan Scanlon, who

If you were into the incredible inventiveness and humanity of Inside Out , then it looks like Soul could deliver the knockout punch of out-there-ness. The movie stars Jamie Foxx as the voice of jazz man Joe Gardner. He’s a high school band teacher who dreams of getting a gig in a band. His dream comes true one day, but it all turns turtle when he kind of falls down a manhole and things go full Pixar. He finds himself in a world of souls, accompanied by 22 (voiced by Tina Fey)… Musos Questlove and Daveed Diggs join Phylicia Rashad among the supporting voice cast, and the soundtrack is set to be interesting too, coming from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – who aren’t normally go-to guys when you think jazz.

“Sadly a lot of kids have to deal with these themes of losing a parent and I think our hope is that

Onward really celebrates a love between two brothers

the movie can walk them through it in a way that is honest but also funny,” says Scanlon, who interpreted his own experience into a scene in Onward where Ian’s mother

drew inspiration for this heartfelt fantasy from the death of his own father when he was a baby.

presents him with a letter from his

father on his 16th birthday. “When the boys’ dad got sick, he wanted to find a way he could see how his sons grew up. He left a letter for both of them along with a mysterious spell, staff and a special gem that will give them one day with him,” explains Scanlon, proud to have helmed Disney’s first-ever movie to make audiences cry over a disembodied pair of legs.

“We paired Ian with a wild and chaotic big brother, Barley, who is constantly causing problems for Ian. Barley wants to teach his younger brother about life, but Ian isn’t exactly sure Barley knows what he’s talking about,” adds Scanlon, recalling how he and his older brother discovered a recording of their father’s voice when they were teens. “My own father passed away when I was about a year old and my brother was three, so we don’t remember him at all but we

Soul is currently scheduled for a June release in Australian cinemas.

For more information on the release of Disney and Pixar’s Onward visit www.disney.com.au

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“The Battleof BloodyPorch“ from SamPeckinpah‘s TheWild Bunch (1969)

interjected a stalemate that the cast would describe as “pre-empting Judgement Day“. With guns drawn, the bunch await a violent reprisal. But Mapache‘s troops, now leaderless, are frozen in shock at what has just happened. The bunch smile knowingly at one another, Bishop then turns and shoots Mapache‘s German military advisor with a single shot. All hell breaks loose after that. The five-minute battle scene took eleven days to shoot. Peckinpah used five cameras operating at variable frame rates from 24 to120 Peckinpah sets his cameras up to shoot “The Battle of Bloody Porch“

frames per second. When cut and edited together the action consistently shifts from normal speed to slow-motion and back again, capturing a choreography of carnage that relentlessly assaults the senses of the audience. The battle was extremely complex to shoot owing to its violent action and a continuous demand for a large number of extras. Peckinpah relied heavily upon his special effects team and his head of wardrobe, Gordon Dawson. Dawson would later state, “We had only a specified amount of Mexican army uniforms and when you take into account the total number of takes - we must have “killed“ over 5,000 people. To compensate, I had to set up a goddamn assembly line to keep up with the filming“. As the extras were quickly “shot“ or “blown up“, their uniforms were stripped off them, the fake blood washed off and dried with electric heaters,“bullet“ holes were swiftly sewn up and re-fitted with blood squibs then put back on the next group of extras to continue the scene. Furthermore, it has been estimated that Peckinpah‘s production discharged more blank rounds of ammunition than live rounds were fired during the whole

S am Peckinpah‘s The shootout scenes that open and close his violent western. Even before filming began, he told his cast and crew that he intended to bury Arthur Penn‘s blood-splattered finale to Bonnie and Clyde (1967) with a more graphic portrayal of gun violence. With his cameras, Peckinpah sought to portray the primitive violence and abject horror of a real shootout. The initial scenes of members of the eponymous bunch disguised as cavalry soldiers who, after robbing a bank in the South Texas town of Starbuck, are ambushed and have to blast their way out of town, were the first to be filmed. Peckinpah realised that opening his film with such audacious and savage scenes of innocent townsfolk trampled Wild Bunch is renowned for the two explosive

Peckinpah‘s “walk thing“ with actors Ben Johnson;Warren Oates; William Holden; Ernest Borgnine

FACT: Peckinpah was

horrified to learn that Warner Bros. sound department gunshot effects were the same they had used since Errol Flynn made Dodge City in 1939. Every rifle and six-gun shot sounded exactly the same. Subsequently, he ordered new gunshots be recorded so that each of the guns he used in the production had its own individual sound.

All hell breaks loose

every weapon they carry, whilst one of them gives out a nervous pre-battle chuckle. Filmed with all the dramatic flair of the archetypal Western showdown, they walk four abreast with a determined and reckless purpose toward the central plaza where Mapache and his army are congregated. Following the deaths of Angel and Mapache, Peckinpah decided

under horses‘ hooves and mown down in the murderous crossfire would show moviegoers a West never seen before on a cinema screen. The opening and closing scenes of The Wild Bunch would change movies forever. For the second and climactic shootout, Peckinpah‘s script consisted of just three lines. It called for a brutal fight to begin with General Mapache‘s killing of bunch member, Angel - swiftly followed by the bunch‘s leader, Pike Bishop, shooting Mapache in retribution. The battle would then rage until the bunch and most of Mapache‘s 200 Mexican soldiers have been killed. As the crew began to set up the Agua Verde location for the final shootout, Peckinpah said, “Wait, I want to do a walk thing first“. This scene begins with the four remaining members of the bunch arming themselves with

to make yet another key change. Instead of an immediate uninterrupted bloodbath, he

Mexican Revolution, around which the film is loosely based.

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.

18 APRIL 2020

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A P O W E R F U L A N D P R O V O C A T I V E R E - I M A G I N I N G

S E A S O N O N E

NEW TO BLU-RAY TM & DVD AT APRIL 29

Mature themes, violence,sexand coarse language

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Including surviving archive material from the original 1967 production

NEW TO BLU-RAY TM & DVD AT APRIL 8

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Mild science fiction themes andanimated violence

FILM FEATURE

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STACK got a sneak preview of the new feature-length StarWars documentary included on the home entertainment releases of The Rise of Skywalker – and we have a good feeling about this… Words Gill Pringle

From The UK’s Pinewood Studios to the deserts of Abu Dhabi and Jordan, we watch the cast through its various iterations, focusing fondly on the legacy left by Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford, and the new generation portrayed by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. A youthful Fisher, dressed in full Princess Leia costume, tells the camera how she’s envious of her screen alter ego, wishing she had Leia’s confidence. Of course Fisher would go on to become a fierce and powerful woman in her own right until her untimely death in December 2016. Early behind-the-scenes footage of the late actress is an

F ans still mourning the end of the Skywalker dynasty with the conclusion of the nine-film saga can now revisit their favourite Jedi warriors of the past 43 years. The Skywalker Legacy, a two-hour documentary available exclusively with the home entertainment launch of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, takes a nostalgic look behind the scenes of a galaxy far, far away.

20 APRIL 2020

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FEATURE FILM

DID YOU KNOW? Footage of Carrie Fisher from the prior two Star Wars films was incorporated into The Rise of Skywalker by digitally removing the background and superimposing it elsewhere. Visual effects were used to change her wardrobe and add gray to her hair so the footage would match.

More bonus features on Blu-ray & 4K UHD:

Pasaana Pursuit: Creating the Speeder Chase – Dive into the making of the movie’s epic landspeeder chase and discover how this spectacular sequence was brought to the screen. Aliens in the Desert See what it took to create the Pasaana desert scenes, from the sheer scale and complexity of the shoot to its colourful details. D-O: Key to the Past Explore the ship that connects Rey to the mystery of her missing parents and get to know the galaxy’s newest, irresistible droid. Wicket in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi , dons the Ewok costume once more; this time joined by his son Harrison. Cast of Creatures The team behind the film’s memorable creatures reveal the puppetry, makeup, prosthetics and digital magic that bring them to life. Warwick & Son Warwick Davis, who played

this third film was always conceived as a celebration of Leia

rippling some fine muscle. Ridley, too, is a surprise, doing many of her own stunts as we watch her,

obvious tear-jerker, although it’s a testament to how beloved Fisher has become in that we almost feel

strapped in a harness, take giant leaps off a ramp and performing aerial acrobatics across

misty-eyed as we watch her rehearse for a final scene. Even more poignant are the scenes where Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, reprises her character of Lieutenant Connix alongside a digital recreation of her mother. “It’s a bit like my life,” says Lourd. “Things have fallen apart but we’re still here. This was a perfect scene for me to do.” Where the previous two films of the recent trilogy focused on Han and Luke, respectively, this third film was always conceived as a celebration of Leia. It’s impossible to argue with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy when she praises George Lucas for “creating one of the most feisty characters in cinema” in Leia. Anthony Daniels provides light relief – as he has done so over the entire 43 years he has portrayed C-3PO – chatting about his shiny gold costume in that inimitable voice. “C-3PO would be much happier at the opera serving hors d’oeuvres,” teases Mark Hamill. J.J. Abrams points out how C-3PO has always been the “observer of all things and keeper of the story,” leading to the recent storyline of C-3PO losing his memory. Stunt coordinator Eunice Huthart marvels at how Adam Driver always insists on doing his stunts, and we see a bare-chested Driver

the desert. Throughout the documentary we see Joonas Suotamo strolling about the set, oftentimes without his Chewbacca costume, but with his eyes heavily coated in black make-up, panda- style, ready to slip into his Wookiee fur. As filmmakers discuss the “heart of darkness” element to Rey’s journey in The Rise of Skywalker, we see veteran actor Ian McDairmid getting into full creepy white make- up, reprising his role as Emperor Palpatine. Beneath the scary voice, we discover he’s just a sweetie at heart. For many fans, the raising of Hamill’s downed X-Wing fighter for Ridley’s Rey was an emotional passing on of the torch. Hamill talks affectionately about the return of his trusty starfighter. “It’s always been a symbol of optimism that you can accomplish anything you want if you are willing to do it for the greater good.” For Ridley, the experience has been unforgettable, describing it as both “amazing and terrifying”, confessing to crippling claustrophobia during the quicksand scenes. None of the cast want to leave as the long shoot of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

draws to a conclusion, Abrams likening the experience to “being with a family who you love and then your kids go away when it ends.” Four decades earlier, a youthful Hamill expresses the same sentiment,

“It’s like being a boy in your senior year at school – you’re glad that you’re finishing but you’re also savouring every moment.”

• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out on Apr 1

4K UHD HIGHLIGHTS

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people at Lucasfilm

know it. As such, all eleven movies feature state-of-the- art Dolby Atmos audio, with earlier ones lovingly and

DISCS OF THE MONTH

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away a space opera of epic proportions was born. Well, actually it wasn’t that far away, it was California in the USA, where a man named George Lucas took inspiration from the legendary Akira Kurosawa movie The Hidden Fortress , chucked in some other influences such as Flash Gordon and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis , and created his own legend. The Skywalker Saga has played out via nine movies since 1977, becoming a part of the fabric of many of our lives. It’s spawned STAR WARS The Skywalker Saga + Rogue One + Solo

painstakingly remixed to take advantage of all that the format offers. We can’t wait to sit amidst the carnage as the

Millennium Falcon defends itself from Vader and his TIE Fighters in A New Hope or… actually, there are way too many scenes to list! Each of these new Star Wars releases also comes packed with two bonus standard Blu-ray discs. One has the movie for those without the means to watch in 4K, and the second in each set is bursting with extra features, ranging from behind-the- scenes footage through to on-set bloopers and beyond. In all there’s a staggering 26 hours-plus of bonus content to take in. If you’re equipped with 4K and have a love of Star Wars then it’s a no-brainer – get in quick and experience your old and new favourites as you’ve never seen them before. The Force, it’s calling to you… Just let it in!

*while stocks last

spoofs, added words to our every day language and has a legion of dedicated fans worldwide. Now it’s available looking better than it ever has as all nine Skywalker Saga tales - and the two offshoot Star Wars stories, Rogue One and Solo - arrive on 4K Ultra HD in striking matching packaging ( The Last Jedi and Solo were previously available on the format with different artwork). All eleven films arrive on the 4K format featuring HDR enhancement, bringing extra life to proceedings via its increased

range of lightness through darkness – just wait until you clap eyes on that first lightsaber duel! Master resolution varies between the movies, with Episodes I, II and III originally shot digitally at 1080p through to more recent titles such as Episodes VIII and IX coming to us in stunning native 4K. The power of upscaling where appropriate will ensure that all of them look magnificent on your 4K setups. Sound is such a part of the Star Wars experience that it would be a crime to overlook it, and the

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!

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Yoda may have told us that size matters not, but if you’re a Star Wars collector then you’re going to have a hard time resisting the Force of this bumper, strictly limited-edition box set that’s exclusive to JB Hi-Fi in Australia. As well as its special collector hard cover artbook and slipcase packaging, the massive set includes all nine Skywalker saga movies on 4K Ultra HD, along with 18 standard Blu-rays that pack all of

the movies, as well as a massive array of extra features that in total runs to more than 26 hours. As an extra special bonus, a touching letter is included from Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, looking back on his Star Wars days and reinforcing the importance of family to all in the franchise’s orbit, from those involved in the films right through to the fans. Look out for this incredible collector’s piece from May 6.

22 APRIL 2020

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NEW TO BUY ON BLU-RAY ™ & DVD APRIL 22 AT

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“A BOLD, POWERFUL AND INSPIRING FILM!” —— Dave Morales, FOX TV Houston

NEW TO BUY ON BLU-RAY ™ & DVD APRIL 29 AT

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FILM FEATURE

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Working on the award-winning war masterpiece 1917 , Australian editor Lee Smith was set the daunting task of creating the illusion that the film was shot in one continuous, unbroken take. STACK asked him how it was done. Words Scott Hocking

A t the height of World War I, two young British soldiers are tasked with a high stakes mission requiring them to cross into enemy territory to deliver an urgent message that could save 1600 lives. 1917 is one of the most intense war films since Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk – the result of director Sam Mendes’ bold vision to capture the story in real time and create the impression it was filmed in one long, continuous shot, with the camera never leaving the protagonists. With this in mind, eagle-eyed viewers will no doubt be on the lookout for cuts, but the result is remarkably seamless and a testament to the skill of editor Lee Smith. When STACK speaks to Sydney-born Smith, he’s happy to be back home catching up with friends following a hectic awards season that saw 1917 receive the BAFTA for Best Film and Oscars for Cinematography, Sound Mixing and

among his most challenging and unconventional editing jobs to date. “It utilised parts of my brain I don’t think have ever been switched on before,” he says. “It was complicated in the extreme and just changed the whole dynamic as to how you edit a movie, and what timescale you do it. “This is kind of reverse timescale, because you’re doing everything you’d be doing in

Visual Effects. Of course there is the rather cruel irony that Smith couldn’t be nominated in the editing category, because that would have given the one-shot game away. “We laughed about that on numerous occasions,” he says. “Sam said, ‘I’m going to tell everyone you’re the unsung hero, which he did, to his credit. But not to worry; it was an extremely gratifying experience

post-production on a daily basis. And, importantly, trying to get a film that looks like it’s complete as you’re shooting it, because there’s no going back and it’s very difficult to change the film, which you can do quite easily in post on a conventional coverage film. You can’t do it on a film like this. “So the pressure was top- loaded for me. Even with all of our

and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. It was one of my favourite films that I’ve worked on in my career.” With a body of work that includes the aforementioned Dunkirk , as well as Inception , The Dark Knight and Master and Commander , Smith, not surprisingly, counts 1917

it was complicated in the extreme...

24 APRIL 2020

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FEATURE FILM

“We had the whole film on a schematic; they basically start at Point A and end up a Point B and they never go backwards. I think that’s vitally important for the rhythm of the movie – the landscape is continually changing and the environments are changing.” Verisimilitude was also crucial in creating an intense and immersive experience for the audience. “We put a huge amount of work into the detail of everything. Those guns you’re hearing are the real weapons.

we had to build the film as we were going to prove that it would work

preparation, it was still a surprise once we were out of the gate and started filming. This film had to be perfect every day. There was no compromise, which made for some interesting and difficult decisions that had to be made as the film was being shot. “We had to build the film as we were going to prove that it would work, which is, again, slightly unusual. You had to make the film continuously look like a finished product, because it informed what was going to be shot the next day. You might have 25 to 40 takes of a certain scene, and you’ve got to pick the right take. So I’m watching two and a half hours worth of dailies, all to pick a five-minute section – it’s pretty daunting, but we got it done.” Smith’s previous collaboration with Mendes on Spectre involved creating the extended, unbroken chase sequence that opens the Bond film, and when the director approached him with the idea of making an entire feature resemble one continuous shot, he laughed. “ Spectre was hard enough with five and a half minutes of one continuous shot as opposed to two hours of one continuous shot. I wondered why Sam wanted to torture us so. But having read the script, I realised what he was going for, and even though I had to remind myself as I was reading the script that it was going to be one shot, I was worrying

scripted,” reveals Smith. “It was designed because we needed the time

We got German guns and took them out with special

passage; George had to be knocked out and then wake up later. “Being faithful to the day/night timeframe of the film, it was decided

sound recording crews, because obviously you couldn’t shoot live ammo on the day. It’s shockingly loud and shockingly accurate over a long distance – and large caliber bullets. I had no idea you could have snipers in World War I shooting from like a thousand yards. “That whole opening sequence walking through the trenches… they dug like two miles of trenches, it was insane. On a normal film you’d probably dig a couple of hundred yards and just redress it, turn the camera around and run them back through it. This was an enormous undertaking; I walked through with my assistant before the camera went through one day just to have the experience and just thought, ‘wow.’ You felt like you were there, because the extras were all in uniforms with their guns. It was intensely moving, because you think this was life for these young guys – eight feet down in a ditch, pretty much waiting for certain death when they go over the top, or get blown up or gassed. and just try and stay more in the moment, which I thought was very effective. I found audiences coming out of it saying they’ve never felt so tense for so long, and a lot of that comes from the believability of the situation and the quality of the two young actors, which was so good. “To everybody’s credit, we all had one purpose on this, and that was to get the best possible film we could, and we had to get it right. And I’m pleased to say we did in the end. But you never know – it’s kind of a terrifying experience.” “The other thing was not to be too explicit with the carnage and brutality,

we weren’t going to cheat. We could have easily made it more like one shot, but the idea was the time transition was required to have him knocked out for several hours, so as he moves forward we come into dawn. So there is a cut listed in the script and we were faithful to that cut.” When asked if the editing process on 1917 was similar to another one-shot film, Birdman , Smith points out some differences. “I can’t say exactly how they did their work, but what I noticed in Birdman was the camera would quite often drift off the subject and they would make a transition and then drift back on again. We never did that. We decided to never have the characters leave the frame. So there is a stylistic difference between the films. The beauty of 1917 was you were never in the same location twice, you were always moving forward.

• 1917 is available to own on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray & DVD from 22 April, 2020

about coverage, pacing… There were a lot of faults as I was dissecting the script, but that sort of melted away once we started shooting, because the performances were so great. “It was a bit of a learning curve – every day was kind of, ‘What can we possibly do to make this even better than it was in our heads and it just kept evolving as we were shooting.” There is one obvious cut in the film, however, that facilitates the transition from day into night. “That was actually

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