What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 29th June 2017.

At this mid-way point in the year, I thought I'd share with you the films we can all look forward to in the latter half of 2017, with my pick of the best offerings to follow week by week for the remaining year commencing next week. For July, August and September see below, and for October, November and December, tune in to next week's Blog Post.
* 06th July : 'Spider-Man : Homecoming' - Directed by Jon Watts, starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jnr. in this second reboot of the Marvel franchise.
* 13th July : 'The Beguiled' - Directed by Sofia Coppola, staring Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell about a Union soldier during the War of Independence imprisoned in a Confederate Girls Boarding School. A remake of the Clint Eastwood 1971 film of the same name as Directed back then by Don Siegel.
* 20th July : 'Dunkirk' - Directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and Kenneth Branagh about the 1940 fierce WWII Battle of Dunkirk.
*  27th July : 'War for the Planet of the Apes' - Directed by Matt Reeves, starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn in this third instalment in this updated 'Planet of the Apes' saga.
 * 3rd August : 'The Wall' - Directed by Doug Liman, starring John Cena and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as two US Army soldiers pinned down by an Iraqi enemy sniper.
* 10th August : 'Wind River' - Directed by Taylor Sheridan, starring Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen and Jon Bernthal in this murder investigation thriller set on a Native American reservation.
* 17th August : 'The Dark Tower' - Directed by Nikolaj Arcel, based on Stephen King's series of eight novels, starring Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey and Jackie Earle Haley about a mysterious black gunslinger seeking to preserve his world by reaching the mythical tower in this science fantasy western action horror film.
* 24th August : 'American Made' - Directed by Doug Liman, starring Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson and Jesse Plemmons this bio-pic tells the story of real life pilot Barry Seal who flew contraband for both the CIA and drug cartels in the '80's.
* 31st August : 'The Hitman's Bodyguard' - Directed by Patrick Hughes, starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek about a bodyguard who needs to get his hitman client to the International Court of Justice on time to testify.
* 7th September : 'It' - Directed by Andres Muschietti, starring Bill Skarsgard and Jaeden Lieberher in this Stephen King supernatural horror novel adaptation of Pennywise the Clown who terrorises seven young kids in rural Maine. An updated version of the 1990 two episode mini-series based on King's 1986 source novel.
* 14th September : 'American Assassin' - Directed by Michael Cuesta, starring Michael Keaton, Dylan O'Brien and Taylor Kitsch about the rise of a young CIA Black Ops recruit under training by a hardened Cold War veteran, who are sent on a mission to prevent a mystery operative from triggering a potential world war in the Middle East.
* 21st September : 'Kingsmen : Golden Circle' - Directed by Matthew Vaughn, starring Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Colin Firth, Halle Berry and Channing Tatum in this sequel to the hugely successful action spy comedy film of 2014.
* 28th September : 'Battle of the Sexes' - Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, starring Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue and Andrea Riseborough telling the story of early '70's tennis ace Billy Jean King and her 1973 tennis match with Bobby Riggs that was billed as 'The Battle of the Sexes' and became one of the most watched televised sporting events of all time.

This week there are just three new release films coming to a cinema near you. First up there is a critically acclaimed British period piece based on a Russian novella about adultery, murder, deceit and wrong doings in 1860's northern England; then a comedy about a couple embarking on a covert illegal gambling project with best intentions in mind, but falling foul as a result of their success; before wrapping up with an acclaimed French biographical historical drama about that country's first successful black entertainer.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three new releases as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, be warmly invited to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and meanwhile, enjoy your cinema experience in the coming week.

'LADY MACBETH' (Rated MA15+) - firstly, 'Lady Macbeth' has nothing to do with that literary work of art from one William Shakespeare that has been portrayed on stage and screen more times that you can say 'double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble'! Instead, this British film is based on the 1865 Russian novella by Nikolai Leskov, titled 'Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District'. Among the novella's themes are the subordinate role expected from women in 19th-century European society, adultery, country life and the plotting of murder by a woman, hence the title inspired by the Shakespearean character Lady Macbeth, from his play 'Macbeth'. This film is Directed by William Oldroyd in his feature length debut, and was Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September last year, was released in the UK in late April this year, and now arrives in Australian cinemas this week amidst a fanfare of very positive critical Reviews and universal acclaim.

Here, the scene is set in rural northern England in 1865 (the year the novella was published upon which this film is based), that sees seventeen year old Katherine (Florence Pugh) downtrodden and unhappy in an arranged loveless marriage to a bitter man twice her age, Alexander (Paul Hilton) who happens to be the heir to a colliery small fortune. The newly married couple live with Alexander's father Boris (Christopher Fairbank), in whose house Katherine is ordered to observe strict rules and regulations and not to venture outside the property. One day opportunity comes knocking when both Boris and Alexander have to go away on business, leaving Katherine free to explore the house and grounds at will. This sets in motion an affair with a groundsman, Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis), that results in the murder of father Boris, and leaving Katherine to grow in confidence as she learns to manage the estate in Alexander's prolonged absence, whilst carrying on with Sebastian publicly. Further murders ensue which Katherine and Sebastian cover up, but in the end Katherine's calculating power struggle against the society in which she lives wins the day as her means justify her ends.  

'THE HOUSE' (Rated MA15+) - made for US$40M this American comedy offering is Directed and Co-Written by Andrew Jay Cohen. Here husband and wife team Scott and Kate Johansen (Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) lose their daughters college fund when the scholarship they were counting on fails to materialise. In their desperation to earn it back they hit upon a hair brained idea, that will enable daughter Alex (Ryan Simpkins) to realise her dream of attending University. Aided and abetted by neighbour Frank (Jason Mantzoukas) the pairing launch a underground illegal casino in the basement of their own home. However, when the cash starts rolling in, good times are being had by all, and there are no inhibitions, Scott, Kate and Frank soon come to realise that they have got in a little too deep over their heads, when things start to go less according to plan. The film is released in the US this week too.

'MONSIEUR CHOCOLAT' (Rated M) - 'Chocolat', so Wikipedia advises, was the stage name of Rafael Padilla, a clown who performed in a Paris circus around the turn of the 20th century. Rafael was of Afro-Cuban origin and was one of the first successful black entertainers in modern France. He was the first black clown to play a lead role in a circus pantomime act, and with his longtime partner George Foottit (a British clown and acrobat) they revolutionised the art of clowning by pairing the sophisticated white clown with the foolish auguste clown. Chocolat was born sometime around the late 1860's (he was probably born a slave, explaining why his birth was never registered) and he died in late 1917. And so we have this biographical film based on the life of the groundbreaking artist, as Directed by French filmmaker, Screenwriter and Actor Roschdy Zem. Here Omar Sy stars as Chocolat with James Thierree as his partner in the circus ring George Foottit, charting the life of the performer from his childhood in slavery to working as a novelty figure in provincial France to eek out a humble living to being catapulted into the spotlight as an overnight sensation in Paris. Whilst the glamour, the riches and the fame take hold, so does the sense of wanting equality and to be recognised for what he truly is. But, this comes at a price as the artist discovers that prejudice, racism, and inequality are rife despite his legions of adoring fans, which ultimately takes its toll on the trailblazing performer leading to his untimely death. The film has received positive Reviews, was released in its native France in early 2016, cost US$19M to make and so far has grossed US$15M.

Three very different films for select audiences only I suggest this week - two of an historical nature and both equally acclaimed, and one of a leave your brain at the door, comedy. Whatever movie floats your boat this week, whether it be any one of these three, or any of those as Reviewed and Previewed between these Blog pages in previous Posts, be sure to register your thoughts here at Odeon Online afterwards. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime, somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-