What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 23rd August 2018.

Now in its 67th year, the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) ran this year from 2nd through until 19th August. The official website, which can be found at : miff.com.au tells us that 'MIFF is a not-for-profit organisation that has been continuously running since 1952, making it the leading film festival in Australia and one of the world’s oldest film festivals, alongside Cannes and Berlin. Presenting a curated global program of innovative screen experiences and the world’s largest showcase of exceptional Australian filmmaking, MIFF is an accessible, iconic cultural event that provides transformative experiences for audiences and filmmakers alike'.

This year, the festival opened up on 2nd August with the Australian Premier screening of Paul Dano's Directorial debut offering 'Wildlife' starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan and Ed Oxenbould and tells the story set in 1960 of a boy who watches his parents' marriage fall apart after the three of them move to Montana, and his mother falls in love with another man. The film is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Richard Ford, and is due for a wide release from October this year.

The closing night presentation on 18th August featured the World Premier screening of 'The Coming Back Out Ball Movie' Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Sue Thomson and described as 'an observational feature documentary that follows a group of older LGBTI+ people, who have been invited to attend a Ball celebrating their gender and sexual identity. Faced with the complexities of ageing and isolation, these extraordinary people seize each day with determination and humour. In a world that is rapidly changing for the LGBTI+ community, we witness some of our characters experiencing acceptance and love for the very first time in their lives'.

With over four hundred films screened at this years festival, there was sure to be something there for every taste and every age and ranging from feature length offerings, to short films, documentaries, Virtual Reality presentations and special showcases. If you missed it, there is always next year to look forward to, and in the meantime the Adelaide Film Festival kicks off on 10th October and runs until 21st October 2018.

This week there are six new cinematic releases coming to your local Odeon, of which three are of the Australian variety. Launching with the documentary life of an Aussie rock music icon from his challenged childhood to the figure he grew up to be, and now at 62 he tells his warts and all story of how and who he came to be. Sticking with these second of our Australian offerings this week we have a comedy drama set in country New South Wales as a mad keen rugby player juggles his challenges both on the field and off it too. And our final film in the Aussie trifecta this week tells the story of a desperately down on his luck Dad juggling the demands of his young son, his employer and his loan shark over the course of one day. As for the others, we have a tale of a Club of long established bookworm girlfriends who gain a new lease of life after reading an erotic novel; then a black comedy murder mystery involving human and puppet Detectives on the hunt for a serial killer; before wrapping up with a horror offering of an urban legend featuring a tall thin faceless man who terrorises four hapless girlfriends.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new movies 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 most welcome 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 big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'JIMMY BARNES : WORKING CLASS BOY' (Rated M) - Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Mark Joffe this feature documentary film is based on the #1 Best Selling memoir 'Working Class Boy' by acclaimed Australian music talent, Jimmy Barnes. His self written book spent sixteen weeks at the #1 spot, was awarded the Australian Biography of the Year, and sold over 250,000 copies making it one of the biggest selling biographies in Australian history.

Born James Dixon Swan in Glasgow, Scotland, the now 62 year old Jimmy Barnes retraces his early childhood steps through the streets of that once rugged city, before transplanting him to South Australia where he revisits his childhood memories coloured by domestic violence, poverty and alcoholism that would so heavily influence and motivate his future life. The film sets his raw, and at times darkly funny story against a background of archival footage and interviews with close friends, family members and musical collaborators. Barnesey's honesty and sense of humour create an emotional and compelling film of a damaged childhood, a broken family, a search for love and, finally, genuine redemption turning him into the man he has become, and very comfortable in his own skin.

'BOOK CLUB' (Rated M) - here we have an American Rom Com Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Bill Holderman in his film making debut. The film needless to say is about a book club, and the four female friends who have attended their monthly book club get togethers for the past thirty years or so. The four friends in question here are Diane (Diane Keaton) who is recently widowed after forty years of marriage, Vivian (Jane Fonda) who enjoys her men with no strings attached, Sharon (Candice Bergen) who continues to work through her divorce even though this settled more than fifteen years ago, and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) whose marriage has hit a speed bump after 35 years. The lives of these four lifelong friends are turned upside down after reading the infamous '50 Shades of Grey' motivating them to add some spice to their lives and catapulting them into a series of outrageous life choices. Also starring Don Johnson, Andy Garcia, Craig T. Nelson, Ed Begley Jnr., Richard Dreyfus and Alicia Silverstone, the film has so far taken US$80M off the back of a US$10M production Budget and has received generally mixed or average Reviews.

'THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS' (Rated MA15+) - this mix of live and puppet action black comedy is Directed and Co-Produced by Brian Henson (the son of the late great Jim Henson). In the seedy underworld of Los Angeles, where humans and puppets co-exist, two clashing detectives - one puppet private investigator, Phil Philips (Bill Barretta) who reunites with his ex-partner Detective Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy) to solve the brutal murders of former cast members of a popular 1980's puppet TV show - 'The Happytime Gang'. But as ill feeling and long buried resentments rise to the surface the clues start pointing to the only plausible suspect, Phil himself. Now he's on the run with only his wits and hard headed determination to clear his name, as he tries to solve 'The Happytime Murders'. Also starring Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph and Joel McHale, the film is released Stateside this week too.

'SLENDERMAN' (Rated M) - this supernatural horror film is Directed by Sylvain White who has worked on numerous single episodes of popular television series and has also Directed 'I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer', 'Stomp The Yard', 'The Losers' and the French murder mystery 'The Mark Of The Angels'. Here terror comes lurking when four teenage girls from small town Massachusetts perform a ritual to debunk the lore of a tall, thin, faceless horrifying figure known as the Slender Man. They soon fear that the legend is true when one of them suddenly goes missing. Attempting to investigate the mystery surrounding the Slender Man they become haunted by the Slender Man himself in all manner of spooky horrifying ways. Starring Joey King, Jai Sinclair, Annalise Basso, Julia Goldani Telles and Javier Botet as the Slender Man. The film was released in the US on 10th August and has so far grossed US$23M.

'CHASING COMETS' (Rated PG) - our second of three Australian films released this week with this comedy drama offering from Director and Co-Producer Jason Perini which tells the story of Chase (Dan Ewing) and his on-field and off-field exploits in the southern New South Wales city of Wagga Wagga. His dreams of playing in his beloved National Rugby League (NRL) are beginning to fall apart at the seams, just as his love life with Brooke (Isabel Lucas) is too. At his lowest ebb, Chase decides to take a leap of faith to sort out his life once and for all, but the result is that he is dropped by his team, and dumped by his girlfriend. It seems that executing his life changing choices might be harder than he had imagined, and his leap of faith might just prove to be one of the worst decisions he has yet made. The film also stars John Batchelor.

'WEST OF SUNSHINE' (Rated M) - here this third Australian feature released this week is Directed, Written and Produced by Jason Raftopoulos. Estranged from his family and caught in a seemingly never ending cycle of gambling and debt, courier Jim (Damian Hill) has until close of business today to repay his violent loan shark the $15K he owes. His day is turned all asunder when he must look after his young son Alex (Ty Perham) being the school holiday break, and also stick to his normal work shift routine otherwise incur the ire of his boss. Struggling to juggle all three priorities, Jim's relationship with his son is put to the test as his plans to pay back the loan fail to materialise, and when his last ditch attempt to repay the debt puts his son's life at risk, he must make a decision between his past, or a second chance at a better life. The film Premiered at the 2017 Venice Film Festival and has received generally positive Press so far.

With six new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-