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| Of all the fantastic titles at JB Hi-Fi that we find and showcase every month in STACK Magazine; "what DVDs do you recommend — and really rate", we hear you ask? Well, look no further: here are our cream-of-the-crop top picks for DVD of the Month! |  | |  | | |  | | Release date: Jan 11, 2012
Extras: • Enhanced Viewing (BD) • Making Boardwalk Empire • Character Dossier • Creating the Boardwalk • Atlantic City: The Original Sin City • Speakeasy Tour • Audio Commentaries. |
| | STACK Recommends for Jan 2012: Martin Scorsese lends himself to television for the first time in over a decade, to direct the pilot episode of Boardwalk Empire and serve as executive producer on this new HBO series. Boardwalk Empire is the fictionalised retelling of the rise of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson. Equal parts politician and gangster, he became the go-to guy for illegal alcohol during the Prohibition. Emmy and Golden Globe winner Steve Buscemi stars as Nucky Thompson, the Atlantic City treasurer who makes a name for himself in the world of illegal alcohol trade. Along for the ride are Michael Pitt, Paz de la Huerta, Jack Huston and Stephen Graham (as infamous American gangster Al Capone). The series’ attention to detail in terms of recreating the era is flawless; this critically acclaimed show is more like an episodic cinematic experience than a TV series – but with Scorsese at the helm, one wouldn’t expect anything else. Must-see TV for 2012. |
| |  | Hanna |  | I spy a great action thriller. |
| | | |  | | Release date: Dec 01, 2011
Extras: Commentary • Alternate Ending • Deleted Scenes • Anatomy of a Scene • Blu-ray Exclusive featurettes |
| | STACK Recommends for Dec 2011: Hanna is a terrific espionage action-thriller with a kick-ass female protagonist, played by Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones). Living in isolation, 16-year-old Hanna is trained in the art of assassination by her father (Eric Bana), a former CIA operative. Sent on a mission that will pit her against the might of the Agency, in the form of chilly villain Cate Blanchett, Hanna must rely on her wits and skills as a killer in order to survive. With its quality cast, fairy tale allusions and propulsive score by the Chemical Brothers, this relentless action flick from director Joe Wright (Atonement) reinvents the familiar trained assassin scenario of the Bourne films et al into an intriguing hybrid of spy thriller and road movie. One of the surprise packages this Christmas – put Hanna on your must-see list. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Nov 17, 2011
DVD Bits: Commentary • The Dream Behind Super 8 • The Visitor Lives • Deleted Scenes (BD only) • Deconstructing the Train Crash (BD only) • Featurettes (BD only) |
| | STACK Recommends for Nov 2011: Super 8 is another triumph for director J.J. Abrams following his Star Trek reboot. It's a throwback to the kind of films that Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante were making in the early '80s – E.T., Explorers, The Goonies et al – involving a bunch of kids who stumble upon something fantastic in a small American town. The youngsters of Super 8 are shooting a zombie movie (on Super 8 mm film, hence the title) one night when they witness a spectacular train crash and something big and monstrous escaping from the wreckage. When pets and locals begin disappearing around town and the military suddenly show up, the gang decide to track down the creature themselves. Set in 1979, Abrams has perfectly captured the period and the tone of the aforementioned films which have served as his inspiration. Super 8 is pure nostalgia for those who grew up with Spielberg and Dante movies, and will hopefully inspire a new generation of viewers to seek out these old classics to discover what they've missed. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Oct 19, 2011
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| | STACK Recommends for Oct 2011: Following the exhilarating escapades of Kick- Ass, director Matthew Vaughn is back in the superhero world, recreating the ground zero myth of the X-Men. Pivotal to X-Men: First Class is the relationship between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Eric Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), young mutant friends who would go on to be bitter enemies as Professor X and Magneto, leaders of opposing mutant factions – the X-Men and the Brotherhood. It’s a credit to Vaughn and his three fellow writers that they’ve managed to concoct an origin story that’s not only coherent, but brimming with compelling concepts and characters. X-Men: First Class is a terrific prequel-cum- franchise-reboot that will seed many more installments to come, and the retro setting within the Cuban Missile Crisis gives the film a look that’s distinct from the other X-Men adventures. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Aug 04, 2011
DVD Bits: Behind-the-Scenes Footage |
| | STACK Recommends for Aug 2011: Downton Abbey has proved to be an unexpected success for Channel Seven this year, given that British period drama doesn't tend to rate well on commercial networks. Created by Gosford Park writer Julian Fellowes, this family saga, set in 1912, focuses on class struggle and social change, as experienced by the aristocratic Crawley Family, their servants and the potential heirs to the Downton Abbey estate, a magnificent Edwardian mansion. Starring Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville, this is quality costume soap in the tradition of classics like Upstairs Downstairs and Brideshead Revisited. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Jul 21, 2011
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| | STACK Recommends for Jul 2011: The perennially miserable but wonderfully deadpan Karl Pilkington has been Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s favourite punchbag since their groundbreaking podcasts. And while this travelogue puts him in the limelight to a degree, it also provides plenty of fresh opportunities for Gervais in particular to humiliate his erstwhile chum. The basic premise is that Pilkington – whose idea of a good holiday is a caravan park in Wales – gets to visit the Seven Wonders of the World, ostensibly to help broaden his mind and learn about other cultures. However, as Gervais confides: “I want him to hate every minute of it for my own amusement: there’s nothing funnier than Karl in a corner being poked with a stick.” So while he does get to visit some famous landmarks – inevitably he is unimpressed – he also has to endure such indignities as substandard hotels, crowded coaches and even a fake terrorist kidnapping. Pilkington is something of an acquired taste but stick with it: this is the funniest travel show you will see this year. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Jun 15, 2011
DVD Bits: Featurette: Meeting the Girl in the Pictures // Deleted Scenes |
| | STACK Recommends for Jun 2011: The less you know about Catfish before you watch it, the greater the rewards. All we will say is that this fly-on-the-wall docu-drama concerns a New York photographer who becomes Facebook friends with a Michigan family, and gradually suspects that they may not be who they appear to be online. A surprise visit to their home leads to a startling revelation. Catfish is armed with an irresistible hook and a subject that anyone who has ever used Facebook can relate to. A good companion piece to The Social Network (but not really similar), it examines social media, online relationships and human nature in a fascinating and visually creative way. The film has generated a lot of debate and conspiracy theories over its authenticity as a documentary, but the filmmakers insist it's all true. Whether it's real or fake doesn't really matter though – this is gripping viewing regardless. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: May 26, 2011
DVD Bits: • Director’s Commentary • Deleted Scenes • Keeping the Faith. |
| | STACK Recommends for May 2011: Joining the list of pugilistic dramas that include Rocky, Cinderella Man, Raging Bull and The Hurricane is The Fighter, which showcases Oscar-winning performances from Christian Bale (who shed the kilos to play a crack addict former boxer) and Melissa Leo (Frozen River). Mark Wahlberg stars as Micky Ward, a welterweight who’s devoted to his former pro-boxer halfbrother Dicky Eklund (Bale), and trying to escape from his overbearing mother (Leo). After Dicky is released from prison and clean of his drug habit, he sets about training Micky for the upcoming Championship. More than just another triumph-over-adversity sports flick that’s based on a true story, The Fighter is equally a tough and compelling drama about a Massachusetts working class family during the 1980s. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Apr 13, 2011
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| | STACK Recommends for Apr 2011: Monsters, the ingenious small-budget feature debut of British writer-director Gareth Edwards, holds its own with the Hollywood blockbusters. Set in the aftermath of an alien invasion, much of Mexico has been quarantined to contain the giant squid-like creatures breeding there. A photo-journalist (Scoot McNairy) must escort his boss' daughter (Whitney Able) through this "Infected Zone" to the safety of the US border. The film has been favourably compared to District 9, and in terms of being an example of impressive low budget filmmaking with a social message (immigration issues), it's warranted. However, Edwards' movie is closer in tone and conception to Cloverfield, with the focus more on the human couple at the story’s centre than the beasts surrounding them. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Mar 09, 2011
DVD Bits: Extended Cut // Ben's Boston: featurettes |
| | STACK Recommends for Mar 2011: Ben Affleck returns to his Boston stomping grounds in The Town – terrain previously visited by the actor and director in his 2007 thriller Gone Baby Gone. Once again Affleck captures the nuances and quirks of the location, as only a local can. Affleck plays a professional bank robber whose brazen heists frustrate FBI man Jon Hamm (Mad Men). During their latest robbery, the masked gang take a pretty bank manager (Rebecca Hall) hostage, only to later release her. Determined to keep tabs on the girl, Affleck strikes up a casual relationship with her that quickly becomes intimate, but with the Feds closing in, it's only a matter of time before she learns his true identity. This compelling, slow burn crime thriller once again confirms Affleck's flair for filmmaking. The action sequences and car chases are expertly staged and the performances all first rate. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Feb 23, 2011
DVD Bits: Unearthing Buried featurette // Interview with the Director |
| | STACK Recommends for Feb 2011: A minimalist masterpiece, Buried takes place entirely in a coffin, with Ryan Reynolds delivering a terrific one-manshow. Buried somewhere in the Iraqi desert after being ambushed, and armed only with a mobile phone, a lighter, a flask and a few glowsticks, Reynolds must find a way out of his predicament before his limited air supply runs out. This ambitious film meets the challenges of its own self imposed limitations; widescreen framing gives claustrophobic viewers a bit of a breather, while inventive camera angles heighten the tension as the plot takes a consistently unpredictable route. Like Frozen and Open Water, Buried is a simple, economical thriller where a lot can be achieved with very little. |
| | | Boy | | Kiwi kids and has-been gang members. |
| | | |  | | Release date: Jan 13, 2011
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| | STACK Recommends for Jan 2011: The highest-grossing New Zealand movie of all-time is destined to join Whale Rider and Once Were Warriors as a kiwi classic. The story is deceptively slight: a young boy who has long worshipped his absent father begins to see him in a new light when dad moves back home after a spell in prison. However, director Taika Waititi’s heartfelt yet unsentimental mix of quirky comedy, family drama and ‘80s nostalgia makes for a rich and magical coming-of-age tale. The performances from first-timers James Rolleston, as the titular Boy, and Te Aho Eketone-Whitu, as his younger brother Rocky, are effortlessly natural, and Waititi is equally good as their dysfunctional but charming father. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Dec 15, 2010
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| | STACK Recommends for Dec 2010: Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) continues to be the go-to guy for nerd-makes-good roles. As the title character in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Cera effortlessly and amiably carries this colourful comic book adaptation by Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright. Scott's a bass player in a garage band called Sex Bob-omb, whose life gets a kick when he meets his dream girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Problem is, Ramona's past includes seven evil ex-boyfriends whom Pilgrim must defeat if they are to be together. Wright's love of cinema and pop culture makes him the, er, right man for the job, delivering a relentlessly entertaining and hyper-stylised romp in the spirit of Kick- Ass, albeit trading that film's violence and profanity for geeky charm and plenty of heart and soul. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Nov 24, 2010
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| | STACK Recommends for Nov 2010: Longtime Wes Anderson collaborator Noah Baumbach has also been building on his CV as director with The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding and now Greenberg. Following some time in a mental hospital, Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) house-sits for his brother, where a bond is formed with his bro’s PA (Greta Gerwig). Playing against type, Stiller trades his goofball charm for an introspective and thorny performance. He’s not attractive, but Greenberg engages because its flawed central characters make a grasp for redemption, and although they might fall achingly short, their plight makes for a bittersweet experience. A thoughtful, resonant, adult drama that maintains Baumbach’s consistent track record. Recommended. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Oct 07, 2010
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| | STACK Recommends for Oct 2010: From the BBC production team that gave us the renowned Planet Earth, new series Life comes to DVD and Blu-ray direct from its Sunday night time slot. The authoritarian tones of David Attenborough take the viewer on journey through the incredible survival tactics employed by animals and plants; from lizards that can walk on water, to the spawning frenzy of flying fish and the battles waged by giant Dawson bees in the Aussie outback. Moreover, the challenges involved in capturing the incredible footage on camera – much of it behaviour that has never been filmed before – is presented in mini makingof featurettes after each episode. An ideal companion to Planet Earth, Blu-ray is the format that best showcases this series’ breathtaking High-Def photography. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Sep 01, 2010
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| | STACK Recommends for Sep 2010: One of Hitchcock’s best films and ranked among the greatest horror films of all time, Psycho still packs a considerable wallop 50 years since it first shocked moviegoers. This newly remastered HD transfer will silence cynics who don’t believe that black-and-white benefits from High-Definition. Moreover, Bernard Herrmann’s brilliant and iconic score has been given a 5.1 upgrade, with the original audio track retained for purists. This 50th Anniversary Edition comes loaded with extra features, and it’s the vintage material (trailers, promo spots, newsreels, etc.) from the film’s original release that provides the most fun. This terrific Blu-ray package is only available from JB Hi-Fi stores and carries STACK’s highest recommendation.
BLU BITS: Commentary, Trailers, Documentary, Hitchcock Legacy, Newsreel footage and more. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Aug 19, 2010
DVD Bits: Commentary // Director's storyboard // Photo gallery |
| | STACK Recommends for Aug 2010: With the aid of Screen Australia funding, this wartime drama is a local production based on the remarkable exploits of Oliver Woodward, an Australian miner heavily involved in the tunnelling efforts under the Western front, designed to sabotage the Germans. Directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Jeremy Sims (Last Train to Freo), this little known episode from the trenches of the First World War stars Brendan Cowell (TV’s Love My Way) as Woodward. Aside from being a tribute to the courageous exploits of the diggers involved, Beneath Hill 60 delivers a riveting combination of thrills and drama in the tradition of Kokoda. |
| | | | | |  | | Release date: Jul 14, 2010
DVD Bits: Featurettes // Commentary |
| | STACK Recommends for Jul 2010: "More of this is true than you would believe" declares this movie's opening disclaimer. Ewan McGregor plays a journalist stationed in Iraq who smells a story when he meets George Clooney, who claims to be a member of a covert US Army branch from the 1980s that used paranormal powers as a weapon. These psychic spies claimed they possessed the ability to stop the hearts of goats and other animals with a well trained glance. Jeff Bridges (channelling The Dude from The Big Lebowski) is the drug addled Vietnam vet who trained this band of brothers in the secrets of out of body combat, and via flashback we're privy to these "Jedi mind tricks". With a title this quirky and a cast this cool, how can you resist this terrific wartime comedy? Highly recommended. |
| | | | | tags: top selections, highest rated, best dvd of the month, hot picks, top pick, most recommended, DVD of the month, STACK Magazine: the essential dvd, blu-ray, games and music Guide free instore at jb hifi -- includes features, news, reviews, monthly competitions and more. stack dvd recommendations, stack recommends, top picks, jb hi-fi magazine, jb stack mag jbhifi release date jb hi fi reviews, features, articles, JB Hi-Fi news, JB Hi-Fi specials, JB Hi-Fi on sale, jb hi-fi exclusives, • Warrior • The Three Muskateers • Crazy, Stupid, Love • The Thing • In Time • Footloose • Lana Del Ray • Jim Keays • Soul Calibur V • The Darkness II • PLUS!: , Get your copy of STACK Magazine FREE in-store at JB Hi-Fi today! |
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