What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 20th July 2017.

Over the last three weeks I have brought you my pick of the movies to watch out for during the latter half of 2017. In wrapping up this feature, how could we walk past the animated family friendly feature films also slated for release between now and December? Here they are - check on firm release dates and classifications as advertised, nearer the time.
* 20th August : 'Batman and Harley Quinn' - Directed by Sam Liu and Produced through Warner Bros. Animation, this will be seen in selected cinemas for one night only before its digital release the next day and home-video and DVD shortly thereafter. Starring Kevin Conroy as Batman, Loren Lester as Nightwing and Melissa Rauch as Harley Quinn.
* 14th September : 'Captain Underpants : The First Epic Movie' - Directed by David Soren and Produced by DreamWorks Animation, this was released in the US in early June, and is based on the popular Dav Pikey series of kids books. Starring Ed Helms as Captain Underpants, with Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch, Nick Kroll and Jordan Peele.
* 14th September : 'The Emoji Movie' - Directed by Tony Leondis, and Produced by Sony Pictures Animation and starring T. J. Miller, James Cordon, Anna Faris, Sofia Vergara, Patrick Stewart and Christina Aguilera.
* 21st September : 'The Lego Ninjago Movie' - Directed by Charlie Bean and Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and stars Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Michael Pena, Jackie Chan and Olivia Munn in this second spin off from 2014's 'The Lego Movie' and the first film based on an original Lego product.
* 19th October : 'The Son of Bigfoot' - Directed by Jeremy Degruson and Ben Stassen this French/Belgian Co-Production stars Cal Brunker, Joey Camen, Joe Thomas, Bob Barlen, and David Epstein.
* 2nd November : 'My Little Pony : The Movie' - Directed by Jayson Thiessen this Canadian/American Co-Production by Allspark Pictures and DHX Media, stars Emily Blunt, Sia, Taye Diggs, Zoe Saldana, Liev Schreiber and Michael Pena.
* 14th December : 'Ferdinand' - Directed by Carlos Saldanha and is Produced by Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox Animation and stars John Cena, Bobby Cannavale, David Tennant, Kate McKinnon and Gina Rodriguez.
* 21st December : 'Paddington 2' - Directed and Co-Written by Paul King, this follow up to 2014's 'Paddington' is Produced by Heyday Films and StudioCanal and is a combination of live action and CGI and stars Ben Whishaw voicing the Bear, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Brendan Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Julie Walters, Sally Hawkins and Imelda Staunton.
* 26th December : 'Coco' - Directed by Lee Unkrish and based on a story by him too, Produced by Pixar Animation Studios and starring Anthony Gonzales, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Edward James Olmos and Cheech Marin.
* 26th December : 'Rock Dog' - Directed and Co-Wriiten for the screen by Ash Brannon, this Chinese/American Co-Production comes from Mandoo Pictures and Huayi Brothers and stars Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, Matt Dillon, Sam Elliott and J. K. Simmons. It Premiered in China in July 2016, was released in the US in February and only now comes to Australia, having grossed US$21M from its US$60M budget.

And so to this current week, there are four new movie offerings to tempt you out on a cool mid-Winter's afternoon or evening. We launch with a wartime drama about an epic rescue effort of allied troops, told with epic story telling style and featuring an epic cast; then a comedy about a road trip that turns all gourmet and flirtatious on the back roads of France; followed by a horror music box that makes its owner's wishes come true, but be careful what you wish for; before wrapping up with this doco charting the life and times of an influential Aussie rock band of the '70's that burst onto the scene with the advent of the punk rock movement.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four 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, you are here 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 in the meantime, enjoy your cinematic experience in the coming week.

'DUNKIRK' (Rated M) - back in the early '90's Christopher Nolan and his future wife, movie Producer and film collaborator Emma Thomas, were sailing across the English Channel to Dunkirk, when the young Writer and Director hit upon an idea for a film, about the evacuation of British armed forces from the war torn beaches of Dunkirk in mid-1940. He committed his idea to a 76 page Screenplay, and then put the whole idea on hold until such time as he had gained sufficient experience in making big epic blockbusting action film fare - the like of which he has more than proven he can do over the subsequent years. However, rather than making a film about the war time politics involving Churchill and his Generals; or showing the Germans on the beach head taking out allied forces with their strategically located gun placements; or paint this as a victory; or bring in Uncle Sam to save the day, he chose to make a film with an all English cast and from three perspectives - the air (involving Spitfire dog fights), the land (on the beaches of Dunkirk), and the sea (the evacuation of 400,000 troops by the Navy and any able bodied sea man who could steer a dinghy across the Channel to aid the rescue attempt).

And so armed with an ensemble cast of fine and lesser known English acting talent, Nolan has created a WWII action drama film where the dialogue is thin on the ground instead allowing the suspense to come through the details and the authenticity contained with the scenes. Nolan also made extensive use of practical effects - employing some six thousand extras, amassing a flotilla of boats that had participated in the real Dunkirk evacuation, and using genuine era-appropriate planes for aerial sequences. The film centres around the evacuation of British, French, Belgian and Canadian troops who are pinned down by German forces on the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, and their evacuation between 26th May and 4th June 1940 in what was known as 'Operation Dynamo'. Starring  Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Harry Styles, James D'Arcy and Fionn Whitehead. The film Premiered in London on 13th July and gets its worldwide release this week. Expectations are high - both commercially and critically, and the film is also released in 70mm format at selected cinemas.

'PARIS CAN WAIT' (Rated PG) - 81 year old Eleanor Coppola, the wife of Francis Ford Coppola and mother to Sofia Coppola here Directs, Writes and Co-Produces this comedy about husband and wife team Anne (Diane Lane) and Michael (Alec Baldwin) - a prominent movie Producer. The couple are in Cannes attending the Film Festival with Michael's business partner Jacques (Arnaud Viard). After the Festival ends, Anne and Michael are due to fly to Paris, but this plan is scuppered by a last minute delay by a call for Michael to go to Budapest. Anne suffers an ear infection, and so the pilot suggests that Anne should not fly. Instead Arnaud offers to drive Anne to Paris, while Michael goes to Budapest and they can all rendezvous in Paris later on. What should only be a relatively short car journey soon morphs into a pleasant leisurely trip as Jacques, a French food lover, who can't resist taking any opportunity he can to stop frequently en route to sample new and interesting food delights. He  openly flirts with Anne too, which she finds quite flattering until she begins to question his motives when he uses her credit card to foot every bill for the gourmet foods they are sampling. The film Premired at the Toronto Film Festival in September last year, had its US release in May and has so far recovered just over US$5M from its US5M budget outlay.

'WISH UPON' (Rated M) - here we have a supernatural horror film from Director John R. Leonetti who has a history spanning 25 years as Cinematographer and has turned his hand on several occasions in the past to Directing, on such films as 'The Butterfly Effect 2' the prequel to 'The Conjuring' with 2014's 'Annabelle' and now this evil lurking in a mysterious music box offering. Having cost US$12M to bring to the big screen, the film has so far taken US$2.5M and has received lacklustre Reviews so far. And so we have Jonathan Shannon (Ryan Phillippe) presenting his seventeen year old daughter Clare (Joey King) a gift of an old music box that is said to bestow upon its owner seven wishes. At first dismissive, Clare becomes captivated by its dark force when her life starts to radically improve with each wish granted. Everything appears to be sunshine and rainbows until she comes to realise that with every wish she makes, the people who are closest to her die in violent and elaborate ways. Be careful what you wish for!!

'DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM' (Rated MA15+) - this Aussie doco charts the life and times of Radio Birdman as Written and Directed by Jonathan Sequeira. In a 1974 Sydney a group of outsiders living and touting their musical abilities on the fringe of the Australian music scene get together and form Radio Birdman, with their over riding mission being to keep compromise from their art. Radio Birdman are ultimately turned off and kicked out of venue after venue but their determination to do things their own way, against the industry norm, is unfaltering, and motivates them together to become a family as much as a band. As a new underground culture of disaffected young teens gains a rallying point when Birdman start their own venue, 'The Funhouse', and release their own records, but in the end the intensity that drives Radio Birdman causes their break up in 1978. 20 years later they reform. Radio Birdman are the greatest band you have probably never heard of! Australia's pioneers of the underground music scene with their absolute commitment to their art and do-it-yourself attitude, they changed lives and their influence is still felt today. Featuring interviews with all surviving members of the band and not shying away from the internal conflict which sometimes fuelled the band’s performances, 'Descent into the Maelstrom' is crammed full of Radio Birdman music and rare archival footage and photos, some not seen for over 40 years!

More adult oriented fare this week ranging from wartime drama to gourmet road trip comedy to horror to music doco. With these, and those other offerings still out on general release, there are plenty of reasons to get out amongst it to your local multiplex or independent theatre. Remember to share your thoughts afterwards with your like minded cinephiles here at Odeon Online, and in the meantime, I'll see you somewhere sometime in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-