STACK #187 May 2020

CINEMA FEATURE

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Mulan

DELAYED CINEMA RELEASES

Part 1

The release dates of many hotly anticipated films have been pushed back during Coronavirus cinema shutdowns. Here’s what to expect – and how to prepare for a glorious return to the multiplex. Words Gill Pringle

MULAN From acclaimed New Zealand director Niki Caro comes Disney’s latest animation-to-live-action release featuring a young Chinese girl (Yifei Liu) who disguises herself as male warrior to save her father. If the original animation included lots of fun and courses of Eddie Murphy’s cute mini-dragon Mushu, then Caro’s live action interpretation is a luscious sweeping drama, which takes Girl Power very seriously. When STACK caught up with Caro and her cast in March, Liu told us, “I did a lot of research to understand Mulan as a human being, as a girl, and in her journey. What are her layers? What are her conflicts? Conflict is always so powerful in movies. But I think that strength and power doesn't always come from aggression or hatred. It can come from many ways, which makes this so rich.” Filmed at Auckland’s Kumeu Film Studios and on location in China, this is a whole new take on Mulan, featuring Asian martial arts legends Donnie Yen and Jet Li. If Lui took heat for supporting police during the Hong Kong protests, then all is forgiven.

This new, fierce Mulan doesn’t need a boyfriend to save her country. New release date: July 23, 2020

peace is short lived when an old CIA friend (Jeffrey Wright) asks for help. With a script co-written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge ( Fleabag ), expect 007’s 25th outing to be wittier than the

CAN’T WAIT? Check out Disney’s original beloved 1998 animated version. And if you’re really serious, then binge all of Disney’s recent animation- to-live-action films including Beauty and the Beast , Aladdin , Cinderella and Dumbo .

NO TIME TO DIE An early Coronavirus casualty, memes

quickly circulated featuring James Bond, sans facemask, and the immortal line: No Time to Die. For many cinephiles, this was the first signal of impending doom. Officially retired from active service, Bond’s

NoTimeTo Die

14 MAY 2020

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