What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 25th October 2018.

The Adelaide Film Festival drew to a close last Sunday 21st October after eleven days of showcasing the finest cinematic content from Australia and internationally. Included in the formalities were ten films all in official competition vying for the University of South Australia Feature Fiction Award and a AU$20K cheque to the winning Director in recognition of their creative achievement. The awarding jury bestowed importance upon bold storytelling, creative risk-taking, idiosyncratic voices, and overall fabulous films in the award to the successful film. You can learn a whole lot more from the official Adelaide Film Festival website at : https://adelaidefilmfestival.org/

In competition this year, were :-
* 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' - Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.
* 'Beautiful Boy' - Directed by Felix Van Groeningen.
* 'Burning' - Directed by Lee Chang-dong.
* 'Celeste' - Directed by Ben Hackworth, and an Australian production.
* 'Capharnaüm' - Directed by Nadine Labaki.
* 'Emu Runner' - Directed by Imogen Thomas, and an Australian production.
* 'Girl' - Directed by Lukas Dhont.
* 'Memories of My Body' - Directed by Garin Nugroho.
* 'ROMA' - Directed by Alfonso Cuarón.

* 'The Seen and Unseen' - Directed by second time feature film maker Kamila Andini who trained in Melbourne and grew up in Indonesia, this Australian, Indonesian, Netherlands and Qatar co-production took out the University of South Australia Feature Fiction Award and pocketed a cheque for AU$20K.

This years award winning film tells the story of inseparable 10-year-old twins Tantri (Ni Kadek Thaly Titi Kasih) and Tantra (Ida Bagus Putu Radithya Mahijasena) living in Bali, who are as equally at home playing in the fields as they are stealing hens eggs from the local shrines. When, however, Tantra gets seriously sick and falls into a coma, and with her brother's life teetering on a knife edge, Tantri escapes into her night-time dreams where the two young siblings bid their fond farewells through costumed play, song, dance and shadow puppetry.

This week we have six new release movies coming to your local Odeon. We launch with a slasher horror offering that is the eleventh in the franchise, but ignores the events of the previous nine films and establishes a timeline that is set directly forty years after the events of the first film. Featuring that same Actress portraying that same character ready and waiting for the return of the masked serial killing machine, but is she smart, quick and strong enough to thwart the evil murdering menace? Sticking with the Halloween theme, we have a lauded British horror offering that draws its inspiration from the '60's and '70's era and is a collection of three separate chilling and sinister stories that all link back to one man. We then change pace completely with a story of a father and son relationship that is well & truly tested by the teenage sons drug addiction, the the lengths that the father will go to in order to save his son. Then we have an Aussie dark comedy about an English teacher about to sign his first book, but rather than bask in the celebration, his world may just come crumbling down around him for a whole raft of reasons. We then move a story of a teenage lad who forges an unlikely relationship with an out to pasture has been race horse and their voyage of discovery and adventure across the vast American landscape together, before concluding the week with an '80's set crime drama featuring Jamaican crims on the lam in London in this offering from an acclaimed Actor who is here Directing his first feature film.

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 week ahead.

'HALLOWEEN' (Rated MA15+) - and here we have the eagerly anticipated, much hyped and long awaited 'recalibration' of the famed and iconic slasher horror franchise that introduced an unsuspecting world to maniacal killer Michael Myers and teenage babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) way back in 1978. That film, aptly titled 'Halloween' was Written, Directed and Scored by the legendary John Carpenter, cost a paltry US$325K to make and grossed worldwide US$70M, and defined the genre that has been imitated ever since. That 1978 film saw an equally standup sequel in 1981 titled 'Halloween II', but after that instalment the franchise was on the skids. There have been a succession of films ever since - eight others in fact, with the latter two being remakes in 2007 and 2009 titled again 'Halloween' and 'Halloween II' with both of the instalments being Directed by Rob Zombie that collectively grossed US$120M off the back of a combined budget of US$30M whilst remaining reasonably true to the original source films. In between time Jamie Lee Curtis reprised her role as a more mature Laurie Strode in 1998's 'Halloween H2O : 20 Years Later' and again in 2002 in 'Halloween : Resurrection'.

And so to this 2018 offering as Directed and Co-Written by David Gordon Green which is the eleventh film in the franchise and a direct sequel to the the original 1978 film, disregarding completely the sequels and the continuity that have come in between time. Set forty years after the events of the first film, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis playing the character now for the fifth time), has been preparing all this time over the ensuing years for the return of Michael Myers (Nick Castle from the original film and James Jude Courtney) in what she believes will be her final confrontation with the masked and relentless serial killer when he returns to Haddonfield, Illinois, to dispense with her once and for all for escaping his killing spree on Halloween night back in 1978. But this time, she is better prepared. Also starring Judy Greer, Andi Matichak and Will Patton. The film was also scored once again by John Carpenter, cost US$10M to make through Blumhouse Productions, has received generally positive press, was released Stateside last week and has so far taken US$96M at the Box Office.

'GHOST STORIES' (Rated M) - also out just in time for Halloween is this British horror anthology Written and Directed by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson and is based on their 2010 Westend stage play that ran through until 2015 before taking the production to Australia where it ran countrywide for a year. The film Premiered at the London Film Festival in October 2017, went on general release in the UK in early April, has so far taken US$4M and has garnered generally positive Reviews. Here Professor Phillip Goodman (played by Co-Director and Co-Writer Andy Nyman) devotes his life to exposing phony psychics and fraudulent supernatural and other worldly goings on in his popular television show. His scepticism however, soon is tested when he gets word of three chilling and inexplicable cases featuring disturbing visions in an abandoned asylum, a car accident deep in a forest and the spirit of an unborn child. Even scarier though is the fact that each of the macabre stories seems to have a sinister connection to the Professor's own life. Described more as a horror of British yesteryear in keeping with Hammer and Amicus rather than the slasher and body horror offerings of the present day, the film also stars Martin Freeman, Paul Whitehouse and Alex Lawther.

'BEAUTIFUL BOY' (Rated MA15+) - this American biographical drama film is Co-Written for the Screen and Directed by Belgian film maker Felix Van Groeningen in his English language debut. Based on the memoirs 'Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction' by David Sheff released in 2008, and 'Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines' by Nic Sheff the film was made for US$25M, Premiered at TIFF last month, went on release in the US on 12th October and has received generally positive Press. Telling the real life story of teenager Nicolas Sheff (Timothee Chalamet) who seems to want for nothing in his life - he's a good student attaining solid grades at school, he's the Editor of the school newspaper, an aspiring actor, a keen artist and a promising athlete. However, when Nic's addiction to meth threatens to destroy him, his desperate father David Sheff (Steve Carell) will resort to whatever means he can to save his son, and his family. Also starring Amy Ryan, Maura Tierney, Timothy Hutton and LisaGay Hamilton.

'BOOK WEEK' (Rated CTC) - here we have an Australian dark comedy drama filmed in the Blue Mountains just west of Sydney, and Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Heath Davis in only his second feature length film, following 2016's 'Broke'. When it looks like his novel is going to be published after his sixth attempt, High School English teacher Nicholas Cutler (Alan Dukes) thinks his life is finally about to turn the corner. But what is meant to be the best week of his life quickly spirals out of control and turns into the week form Hell. A girlfriend’s ultimatum, a student in trouble with the Police, a very sick brother-in-law and the prospect of living a life of unfulfilled dreams, force Mr. Cutler to re-examine just what’s most important in his life. Also starring Nicholas Hope, Steve Bastoni, Steve Le Marquand and Susan Prior.

'LEAN ON PETE' (Rated M) - this British drama film is Written for the Screen and Directed by Andrew Haigh who previous offering was 2015's highly acclaimed '45 Years'. The film screened in main competition at the Venice International Film Festival back in September 2017, was released in the US in early April this year, the UK in early May, was made for US$8M and has so far grossed US$2.5M and has generated generally favourable Reviews. Based on the 2010 novel of the same name by American author Willy Vlautin, the story here surrounds Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) a fifteen year old lad living with his single father Ray Thompson (Travis Fimmel), who finds casual work caring for an ageing and ailing racehorse named 'Lean On Pete'. When his father dies, likely pushing him into foster care, and he learns that Pete is bound for the slaughter house, Charley and the racehorse begin a journey of adventures and challenges across the new American frontier in search of a long lost aunt, and a new place to call home. Also starring Steve Buscemi, Steve Zahn and Chloe Sevigny.

'YARDIE' (Rated MA15+) - this British crime drama offering is based on the 1992 highly acclaimed novel of the same name by Victor Headley, and is Directed in his feature film debut by renowned Actor, Producer, Musician and DJ Idris Elba. The film Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January this year, and went on release in the UK in late August. Now it gets a limited released in Australia having garnered generally mixed or average Review along the way so far. Reeling from his brother’s death in a shooting when he was a child in his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica in the 1970's Dennis Campbell, aka 'D' (Aml Ameen), is hired by Jamaican crimelord and reggae producer King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd) ten years later to deliver a package of cocaine to British gangster Rico (Stephen Graham) who resides in the London suburb of Hackney. But when Dennis finds out that the man who killed his brother all those years ago is also living in England, he is torn between revenge against the murderer, and the duty he has sworn to do.

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-