What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 29th November 2018.

The tenth annual AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences) Governors Awards were presented in a scaled back presentation ceremony on Sunday 18th November out of respect for those that perished, are still missing, were injured and/or lost their homes in the recent devastating Californian wild fires. Held in the Grand Ballroom of the Hollywood and Highland Centre in Hollywood, the event was nonetheless attended by a Who's Who of the film industry who amassed for the presentation of the three Honorary Oscars and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.

The three Honorary Oscars were presented to :
* Cicely Tyson, Actress. At 93 years of age, Cicely Tyson has 91 Acting credits to her name gained over a career spanning seven decades, and still going strong.
* Lalo Schifrin, Film Composer. This Argentinian born composer has written the soundtrack to over 130 film and television shows since starting out his career in the early '60's.
* Martin Levy, Publicist. For getting films out there, known and recognised by the film going public, the Critics and the people that matter. Levy has worked with Director Steven Spielberg for forty years.

The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award was presented to :
* Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, Film Producers. In 1981, Kennedy co-founded the production company Amblin Entertainment with Steven Spielberg and future husband Frank Marshall whom she married in 1987. In 1992, she co-founded The Kennedy/Marshall Company with her husband Frank Marshall, and in 2012, she became the President of Lucasfilm after The Walt Disney Company acquired the company for over US$4B. Earlier this year, her contract was renewed for three more years.

Turning attention to this weeks four latest releases movies coming to an Odeon near you, we kick off with a pugilists eye view of one of the greatest boxing rematches in sports movie history set 33 years after that initial bout cost a champion his life. Now his son is back in the ring determined to make amends and settle the score with an age old foe, and his son in turn. Next up is a French film about how a small peaceful yet struggling farming community is given an opportunity to take part in a photo shoot . . . with a difference! We then turn to a no holds barred offering from an acclaimed documentarian exploring what it must be like to live in a relationship with more than one partner, as seen from the perspective of one American city where such behaviour is becoming increasingly commonplace. Wrapping up the week and just ahead of the Christmas rush, is a CGI animated feature about a children's favourite character and how he intends to steal Christmas and all the good cheer that goes with it.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four 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.

'CREED II' (Rated M) - this sports drama film probably needs little introduction. After all it is the sequel to 2015 highly acclaimed 'Creed' film as Directed and Written by Ryan Coogler and Co-Produced and starring Sylvester Stallone in his seventh turn as our titular pugilist hero Rocky Balboa. That film cost US$40M to make, grossed US$174M and picked up a whole slew of awards and nominations along the way. Now the team reunite for 'Creed II' the eighth film in the 'Rocky' franchise, but this time Directing duties are given over to Steven Caple Jnr. in only his second feature film outing as Director. Ryan Coogler takes an Executive Producer credit and Sylvester Stallone takes on the role once more as Rocky Balboa, Co-Wrote the Screenplay and also Co-Produces.

Back in 1985, in 'Rocky IV', the Soviet boxer Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) killed former heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) during an exhibition match in Las Vegas. Later that year, Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) defeated Ivan Drago at a match on Christmas Day in the Soviet Union. Now 33 years later, Apollo Creed's son Adonis (Michael B. Jordan), with Rocky's training, advice and guidance, seeks to avenge his father's death by fighting Drago's son Viktor (Florian Munteanu) while at the same time, Ivan hopes to avenge his honour through Viktor. Also starring Tessa Thompson, Brigitte Neilsen, Phylicia Rashad, Evander Holyfield, Sugar Ray Leonard and various other personalities from the boxing fraternity to add authenticity. The film was released in the US last week, cost US$50M to Produce, has so far recovered US$59M and has received generally positive Reviews from Critics.

'NORMANDY NUDE' (Rated M) - this French foreign language offering is Directed by Philippe Le Guay who also Co-Wrote the Screenplay based on his own original idea. Here the peaceful, quiet and very rural farming community town of Le Mele-sur-Sarthe, in Normandy, France is experiencing a crisis. Dairy and livestock prices have fallen through the floor because of cheap imports, and the local farmers are being threatened by the banks to deliver on their debts or face foreclosure. The Mayor Georges Balbuzard (Francois Cluzet) is doing his utmost to thwart the banks and raise awareness of their collective plight. But the media is hardly interested in such a small community. Until that is, a world famous photographer, Newman (Toby Jones) happens to stumble through the village and spies the perfect backdrop for his next shoot. Seeing a rare opportunity, Balbuzard needs to convince his fellow villagers, all two hundred or so of them, to unite for the purposes of a photograph. But, there is of course more to this simple photo than meets the eye, and the well intentioned Mayor will have some convincing to do to persuade the locals to participate en masse.

'LOUIS THEROUX : LOVE WITHOUT LIMITS' (Rated M) - acclaimed documentary Writer and Producer Louis Theroux travels to Portland, Oregon, which sits pretty much at the heart of a campaign seeking to re-write the rule book in terms of how we conduct intimate relationships and manage family life. For Portland, whose city motto is Keep Portland Weird, is seen as the US capital of polyamory and ethical non-monogamy - the practice of clearly and openly having multiple relationships that stretch beyond just sex. Louis entrenches himself with families who have committed to open up their relationships in a number of different ways; whether inviting others into existing relationships or allowing partners to seek romance with others. He discovers that for many, more partners means more love and more happiness, while for some, multiple relationships have led to jealousy, upset and broken hearts. This is the first part of a trio of documentary films under the banner of 'Altered States' and gets a limited theatrical release in Australia this week.

'THE GRINCH' (Rated G) - here we have those people at Illumination Animation bringing us this Christmas computer animated feature film based on the Dr. Seuss 1957 book 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas' that was also made into a live action film in 2000 with Jim Carrey in the lead role. Directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney here the story surrounds The Grinch (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) and his loyal dog, Max, who live a solitary life inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. The Grinch's main source of displeasure unfolds over the Christmas period when the good people of Whoville celebrate the holidays in style. When young Cindy Lou Who and her mother Donna Lou Who (Cameron Seely and Rashida Jones respectively) decide to make this Christmas bigger and brighter than any that have gone before, the disgruntled Grinch hatches a plan to rain on their parade and gain some peace and quiet. With help from his trusted canine friend Max, the grumpy green Grinch dreams up a scheme to pose as Santa Claus, steal the Christmas gifts and silence the Whos' holiday cheer once and for all. Also starring Angela Lansbury and Pharrell Williams as the Narrator, this film cost US$75M to make, has so far grossed US$218M since its release in the US on 9th of this month, and has generated largely average Reviews so far.

With four 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-

THE OLD MAN & THE GUN : Tuesday 20th November 2018.

'THE OLD MAN & THE GUN' which I saw at my local independent picture house earlier this week is an American crime comedy film which is reported to be Robert Redford's final film as an Actor before he hangs up his hat for good and retires on a career that has spanned six decades both in front and behind the camera. Written for the screen and Directed by David Lowery, this film is based on the life of Forrest Tucker who died in 2004 at the age of 83 and spent his entire life from the age of fifteen in and out of prison as a career criminal. The script is based on David Grann's 2003 article in The New Yorker titled 'The Old Man and the Gun', which was later collected in Grann's 2010 book 'The Devil and Sherlock Holmes'. Having had its World Premier screening at the Telluride Film Festival in late August this year, the film went on general release in the US in late September and has so far grossed US$11M and has received generally positive Press.

We are first introduced to Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) who is fleeing the scene of a crime in broad daylight in his big American sedan car of the early '70's, pursued by Police cars giving chase with lights flashing and sirens blaring. It is late 1981, and as Tucker successfully evades the Police he enters the freeway, and before long pulls his car to a halt on the side of the road to assist a woman stranded with the bonnet up. Just as he has his head under the bonnet rendering really no assistance at all, the Police cars stream by, and keep on going. Before you know it, that woman is sat beside Tucker in his car as he has offered her a ride to get to where she needs to go, while her pick-up truck gets towed for repairs. That woman is Jewel (Sissy Spacek), and straight away you can see the chemistry working between the pair.

At first Jewel is just a little wary of Tucker, but she soon swarms to his charms as they sit and chat over coffee and pie in a diner, for which she picks up the tab as a thank-you for him coming to her rescue. She goes on to tell him that her husband died a few years back, and now she lives alone on a ranch and maintains three horses. In return he tells her what he does for a living, originally stating that he was in sales, but then in a round about way and tongue in cheek tells her that he robs banks and is actually pretty good at it. Needless to say she doesn't believe him, and he also doesn't reveal his real name.

We then move to a string of bank robberies that takes us from Texas, to Oklahoma and Missouri. Tucker is the prefect gentleman thief always walking into his target bank impeccably dressed in suit and tie, in broad daylight, usually when it is busy, usually wearing a fake moustache and a hat, and asks for the manager on the pretext of wanting to take out a business loan. It is at this point that Tucker reveals from under his overcoat that he is carrying a gun, although we never see him pull it, use it in anger, or even if it is loaded. But, all of his gentlemanly charm, thoughtfully chosen words and empathy wins over the manager or the teller who time after time are obliging with filling up Tuckers brief case with cash. His victims when being subsequently questioned by the Police all say that he was so charming, so friendly, so courteous, polite and kind.

After a while, this string of gentleman robberies comes to the attention of Police Officer John Hunt (Casey Affleck), a loving family man and husband to Maureen (Tika Sumpter), who is standing in the very bank waiting to be served while Tucker is robbing it, and didn't notice a thing until the alarm was raised after Tucker had fled the scene of the crime. Hunt becomes obsessed with Tuckers crime spree and is determined to bring his newly dubbed 'Over the Hill Gang' to justice, but has very little to go on except for some grainy CCTV footage (remembering that this is 1981 tech. being relied upon), and some artist impressions pulled from newspaper articles. Hunt goes on the TV news after one such robbery stating that he is on the case and is determined to bring the Gang to justice. Tucker sees the news feed as it is broadcast, and at the scene of his next robbery involving a more daring heist on a larger bank in St. Louis leaves a message for Hunt hand written on a dollar bill.

Aiding and abetting Tucker are too long term and ageing collaborators Teddy (Danny Glover) and Waller (Tom Waits). Teddy is the getaway car driver and Waller keeps look out, and they share their spoils equally between them. In between the audacious albeit very politely and efficiently conducted heists, the story continues to develop with the emotional unfolding of Tucker and Jewel's relationship, and Hunt's pursuit of the criminals.

One early evening while Tucker and Jewel are back at the diner finishing up with an order of pie, in walks Hunt and his wife Maureen for a bite to eat. Tucker instantly recognises Hunt from his television broadcast, and instead of getting outta there, sidles up to the off-duty Police Officer in the washroom and strikes up a conversation about being correctly attired while straightening Hunt's tie. Recognising Tucker from the artist impressions, upon leaving Hunt calls out 'Forrest', to which the old man turns and smiles before exiting.

Needless to say its not long before the long arm of the law catches up with Tucker, but not before the ageing gentleman thief has given the Police a run for their money. Culminating with Tucker completing one of his Bucket List wishes - to ride a horse, he ends up at Jewels ranch early one morning, and sat astride his trusted steed sees a Police convoy descend upon her property. He is promptly arrested for his spate of robberies, as is Teddy, but Waller is still at large.

We fast forward a few months and Jewel visits Tucker in prison. It is here that Tucker reveals his true life history and his previous sixteen successful attempts at breaking out of the institutions in which he has been incarcerated over his life so far from a young teenager up to his most recent breakout from St. Quentin. He has dutifully written them all down in terms of date approximations and the institutions, which are all recreated in a short clips montage, up until escape #17 which remains blank. Jewel says that he is not going to break out of the prison in which he now sits, but will serve his time. And that he does, and upon his release a few years later she is waiting for him.

Tucker moves into the ranch with Jewel. We see them going about their business, relaxing together and enjoying each others company. But we know that Forrest has an itch that he's dying to scratch, and one day while Jewel is dozing on the couch, Forrest takes his leave to run into town on an errand. But really, he walks into a bank and holds it up, with another four conducted that very same day. After all, robbing banks is in his blood, its what he loves and he's pretty damn good at it too.

'The Old Man & The Gun' is a slow meandering leisurely paced entertaining film that feels as though it was shot in the era in which it is set, in the early '80's. It is a fitting end to a long and illustrious career of the 82 year old Robert Redford whose career began in television in 1960, and who has had a distinguished career both in front of, and behind, the camera ever since. His career really took off with his portrayal of the thief and outlaw 'The Sundance Kid' in 1969's 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' opposite Paul Newman, and how appropriate that is should close with his portrayal of thief and outlaw Forrest Tucker almost fifty years later. There is a lot to like about this warm hearted tale of obsession for ones chosen career path (even if it does involve robbing banks) and breaking out of prison on multiple occasions, finding love in the twilight of your years, and even in the way that the Detective on the case grows to find an admiration and an appreciation for his quarry. With a strong supporting casts that also takes in Elisabeth Moss, John David Washington and Keith Carradine, this is an engaging easy watch film that shows us that Redford still has that winning smile and a twinkle in his eye that has made him an icon of the industry, and in which his star still shines brightly.

'The Old Man & The Gun' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, out of a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 22nd November 2018.

The 'American Film Institute Festival' (AFI Fest) ran this year from November 8th though until 15th and is, according to the official website, an 'annual celebration of international cinema from modern masters and emerging filmmakers. It takes place each Autumn in Hollywood, California, USA, and features nightly red-carpet galas, special screenings, conversations and tributes. AFI Fest remains the first and only festival of its stature that is free to the public, offering the best of current cinema in Hollywood. AFI Fest 2018 is its 32nd edition. Los Angeles' longest running international film festival remains a showcase for the best festival films of the year, and an opportunity for artists to come together with audiences in the heart of the movie capital of the world'.

Films being showcased this year fall into several categories, a sample of which is given below:-
Galas
* 'On the Basis of Sex' was the opening night film. Directed by Mimi Leder and stars Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates, Sam Waterston, Jack Reynor and Cailee Spaeny.
* 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs', Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Tim Blake Nelson, Liam Neeson, James Franco, Tom Waits, Brendan Gleeson and Zoe Kazan.
* 'Bird Box', Directed by Susanne Bier and starring Sandra Bullock, Jacki Weaver, Trevante Rhodes, Tom Hollander and John Malkovich.
* 'Green Book', Directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali.
* 'Widows' Directed by Steve McQueen and starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Jackie Weaver, Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya and Jon Bernthal and as Previewed below for release this week in Australia.
* 'Destroyer' Directed by Karyn Kusama and starring Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan and Bradley Whitford.
* 'Mary Queen of Scots' was the closing night film. Directed by Josie Rourke and starring Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, David Tennant and Guy Pearce.

Special Screenings
* 'Amazing Grace', Directed by Sydney Pollock and starring Aretha Franklin.
* 'Everybody Knows', Directed by Asghar Farhadi and starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
* 'The Favourite', Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn.
* 'I Am The Night' Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen and India Eisley.
* 'Roma' Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira.
* 'Stan & Ollie' Directed by Jon S. Baird and starring John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan.
* 'Under the Silver Lake', Directed by David Robert Mitchell and starring Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace and Grace Van Patten.
* 'Vox Lux' Directed by Brady Corbet and starring Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Jennifer Ehle.

Midnight
* 'Cam' Directed by Daniel Goldhaber and starring Madeline Brewer.
* 'In Fabric' Directed by Peter Strickland and starring Gwendoline Christie,
* 'Knife+Heart' Directed by Yann Gonzalez and starring Vanessa Paradis.
* 'Piercing' Directed by Nicolas Pesce and starring Mia Wasikowska and Christoper Abbott.

The other categories are World Cinema featuring 28 films, New Auteurs with eighteen films, American Independents with eleven films showcased, Cinema's Legacy with another six and Short Films featuring forty-seven shorts. You can gain more insights from this festival of film at the official website at : https://www.afi.com/afifest/

For this week we have four new release movies coming to your local Odeon. We launch with an updated film version of a British television series of the mid-'80's that sees four recently bereaved wives of four career criminals carry on the legacy that their dead husbands left behind. We then turn to yet another version of that Lincoln Green wearing hero of Sherwood Forest who takes from the rich and gives to the poor in this action fantasy adventure the like of which you have quite probably never seen our titular long bow wielding hero in before. Next up is a court room drama about a British High Court Judge who must decide the fate of a teenage lad who desperately needs life saving surgery which flies in the face of his family's religious beliefs, and, we then wrap up with a timely Christmas oriented offering with a new slant on a classic tale.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four 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.

'WIDOWS' (Rated MA15+) - this American heist drama film is based on the 1983 and 1985 British television series of the same name that was written by Lynda La Plante, and which ran for two series each of six episodes. Now in 2018 that earlier inspiration has been given a makeover some thirty years later and this time is written for the screen by Gillian Flynn, the author of the acclaimed novel and later film 'Gone Girl'. Directed by Steve McQueen whose previous Directorial credits include 'Hunger', 'Shame' and '12 Years a Slave', here he has amassed an ensemble cast for a Production Budget of US$40M and what has so far received widespread Critical praise. The film saw its Premier screening at TIFF back in September, was released in the UK last week, the US and Australia this week, and has so far grossed US$21M.

The story here surrounds a Police shootout that leaves four thieves dead during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago. Those men were Harry Rawlins (Liam Neeson), Carlos Perelli (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), Florek Gunner (Jon Bernthal) and Bash O'Reilly (Garret Dillahunt). Their widows Veronica Rawlins (Viola Davis), Linda Perelli (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice Gunner (Elizabeth Debicki) and Belle O'Reilly (Cynthia Erivo) have nothing in common except a debt left behind by their now dead husbands criminal activities. Hoping to forge a future on their own terms, Veronica joins forces with the other three women to pull off a heist that her husband was planning, to clear their debt and retire happy and content on the monies left over. Also starring Colin Farrell, Jackie Weaver, Daniel Kaluuya, Robert Duvall and Lukas Haas.

'ROBIN HOOD' (Rated M) - there have been many iterations of the legend of Robin Hood at both the cinema and on the television over the last century or more with more recent outings including 2010's 'Robin Hood' Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe, 1993's 'Robin Hood : Men in Tights' Directed by Mel Brooks and starring Cary Elwes, 1991's 'Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves' Directed by Kevin Reynolds and starring Kevin Costner, also in 1991 'Robin Hood' Directed by John Irvin and starring Patrick Bergin and 1976's 'Robin and Marian'  Directed by Richard Lester and starring Sean Connery. Now in 2018 we have a reimagining of that fabled folk hero of the English twelfth century in this action adventure offering tinged with just a hint of fantasy, and Directed by Otto Bathurst who has worked mostly in British television thus far Directing episodes of 'Black Mirror', 'Peaky Blinders', 'Teachers' and 'Hustle' amongst others over the years. Here we find Robin of Loxley (Taron Egerton) a war-hardened Crusader and his Moorish commander known affectionately as Little John (Jamie Foxx) mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown with thrills, spills, action, adventure, mayhem, of course a touch of romance and stylised close quarter combat along the way. Also starring Tim Minchin as Friar Tuck, Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlet, Paul Anderson as Guy of Gisborne, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian and Ben Mendelsohn as the Sheriff of Nottingham. The film has received less that favourable Press to date.

'THE CHILDREN ACT' (Rated M) - this English drama film is Directed by British film, television, theatre and opera Director Richard Eyre and is written for the screen by Ian McEwan based on his own 2014 novel of the same name. The film saw its World Premier screening at TIFF way back in  September 2017, went on general release in the UK in late August, in the United States in mid-September and now gets a go in Australia this week. The film has garnered generally positive Reviews and has so far grossed US$12M. Here, working through a marital crisis with her husband Jack (Stanley Tucci), a High Court Judge Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) must determine if she should order a life-saving blood transfusion for a seventeen year old lad Adam Henry (Fionn Whitehead) with leukaemia, despite his parents Kevin and Naomi Henry (Ben Chaplin and Eileen Walsh respectively) refusal to accept medical treatment on the grounds that they are devout Jehovah's Witnesses, and any such treatment goes against their biblical beliefs.

'THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS' (Rated PG) - this American fantasy adventure film is Directed by Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston and is a reworking of E. T. A. Hoffmann's short story 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King' and Marius Petipa's 'The Nutcracker'. The story here tells of young Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy) who is given an egg shaped box as a Christmas present from her father Mr. Stahlbaum (Matthew Macfadyen). But Clara needs a magical, one-of-a-kind key to unlock a box that contains a priceless gift. A golden thread leads her to the coveted key, but it soon disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. In that world, she meets a soldier named Captain Phillip Hoffman (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a group of mice and the royalty who preside over three realms. Clara and Phillip must now venture into a fourth realm to retrieve the key and restore harmony and peace to the unstable land. Also starring Helen Mirren as Mother Ginger, Keira Knightley at the Sugar Plum Fairy and the ruler over the Land of Sweets; Richard E. Grant as Shiver, the ruler over the Land of Snowflakes; Eugenio Derbez as Hawthorne, the ruler over the Land of Flowers and Morgan Freeman. The film cost in the region of US$120M to make, was released in the US earlier this month, has so far taken US$118M and has generated largely unfavourable press to date.

With four 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-

THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB : Tuesday 13th November 2018.

'THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB' which I saw this week, is the fourth instalment in the 'Millennium' series of novels and films. This film franchise first kicked off with the originator of the international best seller series Stieg Larsson who penned 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', 'The Girl Who Played with Fire' and 'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' - all of which were made into successful films in their native Sweden, launching the movie career of Noomi Rapace as lead character Lisbeth Salander in those first three films. In 2011, David Fincher made an American version of the first film starring Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander and Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist as an investigative journalist and occasional lover to Salander. When Stieg Larsson died in 2004 aged 50, having completed the three novels, David Lagercrantz carried the torch having penned two follow on novels so far, the first of which continues with this instalment. This time Directed by Fede Alvarez whose previous Directing credits include the 2013 version of 'Evil Dead' and  2016's 'Don't Breathe'. The film saw its Premier at the Rome Film Festival in late October, cost US$43M to make and has so far recovered US$18M, was released in Sweden at the end of October, was released here in Australia and in the US last week and has so far received generally mixed or average Reviews.

And so to the story. The film opens with the young child Lisbeth and her sister Camilla playing a game of chess on the floor of her fathers snow fortress home somewhere in the foothills of Stockholm. A servant enters the room where they play and commands that the girls go see their father in his bedroom. In making their way down the corridor, a heavily tattooed naked woman is seen walking into another room. Their father insists that the girls join him on his bed, as he unbuttons his shirt. It is clear that at this point that his intentions are far from honourable. Lisbeth hangs back as Camilla approaches her father. Lisbeth wants nothing of this and in a moment of distraction throws herself off the balcony and into a blizzard. Surviving the fall on an embankment of freshly fallen snow, the young Lisbeth is seen running off into the forest below. She chooses not to venture back to the house as long as her father remains alive.

We then fast forward twenty or so years to the present day. We are in an ultra modern apartment overlooking the Stockholm skyline. Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) is lurking in the shadows of the library, and has come to the rescue of an abused wife from her wealthy, successful and respected businessman husband, who has just beaten her bloody and is now trying to make up to her as she lays on the floor propped up against a kitchen bench. Lisbeth dressed in black with a hoodie and white make up contrasting her eyes appears as an avenging angel against the backdrop of a statue in the darkened room. Pretty quickly she has trussed the husband up in a wire lasso and has him dangling upside down from the ceiling. Meanwhile, she has hacked into his bank account and proceeds to empty it distributing his wealth in favour of his wife and child, and the two prostitutes he previously beat up, and which she plays him back on her smart phone, threatening to go public with the footage if he dare to come after her, or is wife and child ever again.

A few days later, dismissed from the National Security Agency, Frans Balder (Stephen Merchant) recruits expert hacker Lisbeth to steal 'FireFall', a computer programme that can access codes for nuclear weapons worldwide from a single device, and which he developed in the first place. He has come to realise that it's really not such a clever idea to leave FireFall unattended in the hands of the U.S. government, and so wants it destroyed. Lisbeth, using her advanced IT hacking skills is able to move the programme from the NSA's tightly guarded and high security computer vault. However, accessing the programme once it is in her possession is no easy feat, involving the answering of very cryptic questions, that we learn later on that Balders six year old savant son August (Christopher Convery) only has the answers to.

Edwin Needham (LaKeith Stanfield) is a former computer hacker of some repute and has now turned specialist techie geek for the NSA, and he traces the opening of FireFall to Stockholm. So off he jets on the next available flight. Upon landing he is picked up by the Swedish Secret Service authorities and told in no certain terms by Gabriella Grane (Synnove Macody Lund), the Deputy Director, to keep out of their business and that he has no jurisdiction other than being a tourist, and any contravention will result in his immediate deportation back from whence he came. Of course he ignores this directive immediately and goes off in search of Lisbeth.

Meanwhile, Lisbeth is living in secret in an abandoned warehouse, replete with all her computer gadgets and wizardry that enables her to hack her way into any computer system anywhere in the world with just a couple of clicks . . . a skill that more than proves its worth on multiple occasions throughout the film. Whilst relaxing in her bath however, her apartment is broken into by a group of unscrupulous masked men looking for the programme, who end up torching her digs in a ball of fire. Lisbeth, naturally survives although not unscathed, and has recorded the antagonists down to her computer located in her fire and explosion proof panic room. As for the rest of the apartment, it is well and truly torched.

As Lisbeth quickly salvages what she can from the burnt out ruins of her former abode, the Police begin to arrive to check on all the commotion. Lisbeth rides out on her motorbike and is chased along the waterfront by three Police cars in hot pursuit, but she is able to make her getaway across a frozen river.

With her computer containing the FireFall programme now in the hands of some nefarious underworld organisation, Lisbeth turns to her old friend Michael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason) to get handy with some deep diving investigative work to uncover the masked perpetrators. Meanwhile she sets up covert surveillance of Balders safe house expecting that those perpetrators will eventually hunt him out wanting the access code. In the meantime, Blomkvist has traced one of the masked men through a distinctive spider tattoo, and has learned that 'The Spiders' are the secretive powerful and often violent Russian outfit behind Lisbeth's woes.

Via the covert surveillance camera placed strategically overlooking the Balder residence, Lisbeth is able to see the Russians infiltrating the household, brutally killing the guards on security duty and soon enough too Frans, taking August prisoner and setting up a drugged up Lisbeth to make it look as though she shot Frans through the head at very close range. Able to execute a fairly swift getaway, although only semi-conscious, Lisbeth recovers her senses and gives chase in an unmarked Police car. After a high speed car chase involving hand brake turns, wheel spins and jumps she eventually rescues the young lad from the clutches of them pesky no good Russians and leaves them high and dry on an elevated snow covered bridge, with Lisbeth on one side glaring at her evil long lost believed dead sister Camilla (Sylvia Hoeks).

Decamping to a secret hideaway on the outskirts of the city, Lisbeth and August make off in a hacked Lamborghini. They meet up with Blomkvist there, but within 24 hours Camilla and her Spider cohorts arrive and take back August. In the meantime, Needham has been arrested at the scene of the crime at the Balder household and Grane promptly orders that he be shipped back to 'Disneyland' post haste. Lisbeth goes to the airport to retrieve Needham from his heavy security entourage and does so by hacking into every surveillance camera, every electronic door locking device and every possible security measure to make his exit from there as easy and as fast as possible.

Arriving back afterwards with Needham safe elsewhere, Lisbeth is greeted by Camilla and her henchmen, and an unconscious Blomkvist. Once again there is a scuffle as Lisbeth and Blomkvist's lives are threatened, but she is able to escape, but not before the Spiders make off with August. With Blomkvist, Lisbeth visits Plague (Cameron Britton) a close associate of hers and a computer expert, where Needham is also holed out. Lisbeth is instantly able to trace August's location through a tracking device she planted on him earlier in the day.

Camilla and crew make for her childhood home, which now sits empty and run down. Inside, Camilla has set up camp with all the hi-tech gadgetry and computer screens necessary to unleash FireFall on an unsuspecting world. August is bound and tied in a separate room. She sneaks her way in, hacking the security cameras for Plague who is parked in his surveillance van down the road. Lisbeth makes reasonable progress through the house thwarting various bad dudes, but Camilla has anticipated her arrival and has set a trap for Lisbeth, which she falls into but not before putting up a fight.

When Lisbeth comes around she is kneeling on the floor with her hands tied behind her back, and in front of her sits August. Camilla orders Lisbeth to command August to reveal the access code to his fathers FireFall question. Seeing the situation as being hopeless and with a particularly nasty injection aimed squarely at a now also captive Blomkvist, Lisbeth says to August to release the code. And this he does, and within a few minutes FireFall goes live. Camilla then promptly wraps up Lisbeth in a black latex sack and sucks all the air out of it, so slowly suffocating her sister who by now resembles a vacuum packed bag of chicken portions. Meanwhile Needham has set up a sniper position with a high powered long range rifle and is dependant on Plague giving him the coordinates of the henchmen within the house. One by one Needham with a carefully trained eye takes out the unsuspecting henchmen through windows, walls and doors. Camilla, leaves her sister to suffocate slowly in her vacuum sealed confines, as she makes a fast exit.

Driving out of there at speed in a Maserati but with her computer at her side, Camilla believes she is in the clear, when the car hits a blinded Jan Holster (Claes Bang), Camilla's trusted accomplice and deliverer of very bad deeds. The car spins out of control, veers off the road and crashes into the trees. Lisbeth arrives having made her escape from the confines of her latex wrapping to find the driver dead, and Camilla's bloodied hand print on the back seat, but the door open and no sign of her.

Not before long Lisbeth has caught up with Camilla limping through the forest clutching her computer and bleeding heavily from her side. She veers up a rocky outcrop with the house in the distance. The pair exchange words, as tears well in both their eyes. As Lisbeth lowers her gun, Camilla throws down the computer onto the snow and steps back off the cliff edge falling to her death below. Needham arrives to find no sigh of Lisbeth, but the computer lying still in the snow. He opens the laptop to reveal a message from Lisbeth, that she has moved the FireFall programme as it is what Balder wanted. Mission : Accomplished! Needham makes good on his promise to Lisbeth for engineering his escape from the authorities by returning August safely to his mother in San Francisco.

The opening credits sequence of 'The Girl in the Spiders Web' reminded me a lot of the opening titles sequence in just about every Bond movie, which kinda set the tone for the rest of the film. Here Lisbeth Salander is a mash up of a feminine hard hitting Bond or Bourne, and a black clad superhero who gets kicked, punched, drugged, stabbed, gassed, blown up, shot at and vacuum packed but every time manages to bounce right back and kick more ass in the process. And the relative ease with which Lisbeth is able to hack into the seemingly most advanced computer systems with just a couple of clicks and faster that you can say 'computer hacker extraordinare' seems completely incongruous. The plot is repetitive in places and therefore becomes a tad predictable, but all that said Claire Foy makes for a respectable Lisbeth in her third big screen outing this year after 'Unsane' and 'First Man'. The action set pieces are delivered with imagination, but the character of Blomkvist is here sidelined as is his Millennium publication, and in penning this story the writer/screenwriters seem to have lost their way compared to the set up that Larsson so expertly and emotionally charged his character with. This is a good movie, but its not a great movie. On the strength of this instalment however, I would be easily persuaded to venture back to my local Odeon for the next Lagercrantz instalment 'The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye', which hopefully Claire Foy will return for.

'The Girl in the Spiders Web' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a  potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 15th November 2018.

The film awards season has officially kicked off with the 'Hollywood Film Awards' being staged on 4th November at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, California. This year marked the 22nd year that this celebration of all things Hollywood has taken place, having been launched for the first time in 1997. According to the official website, the Hollywood Film Awards 'honours some of the most acclaimed films and Actors, as well as previews highly anticipated films and talent for the upcoming year'. This years awards ceremony was Hosted by Awkwafina who toppled James Cordon as the Host with the Most for the previous three years. You can gain further details and all the news from the official website at : https://www.hollywoodawards.com/

Among this years list of twenty-four category Winners and Grinners from the world of cinema, the proud and celebrated recipients were :
* Hollywood Career Achievement Award : Nicole Kidman
* Hollywood Actor Award : Hugh Jackman for 'The Front Runner'
* Hollywood Supporting Actor Award : Timothee Chalamet for 'Beautiful Boy'
* Hollywood Actress Award : Glenn Close for 'The Wife'
* Hollywood Supporting Actress Award : Rachel Weisz for 'The Favourite'
* Hollywood Breakout Actor Award : John David Washington for 'BlacKkKlansman'
* Hollywood Breakout Actress Award : Amandla Stenberg for 'The Hate U Give'
* Hollywood Film Award : 'Black Panther'
* Hollywood Animation Award : 'Incredibles 2'
* Hollywood Director Award : Damien Chazelle for 'First Man'
* Hollywood Cinematography Award : Matthew Libatique for 'A Star Is Born'
* Hollywood Film Composer Award : Justin Hurwitz for 'First Man'
* Hollywood Costume Design Award : Sandy Powell for 'The Favourite'
* Hollywood Production Design Award : Hannah Beachler for 'Black Panther'.

This week we have just three new release movies coming to your local Odeon. We launch with the second instalment in the pre-Potterverse that sees our principle young wizard protagonist face off against a mightily powerful foe with the help of a much younger headmaster from a certain school for gifted wizard types. We then turn to a crime comedy caper concerning a career criminal getting on in life who has recently broken out of jail again and goes on a robbery spree that captures the hearts and minds of the general public and a certain detective on his tail too. We wrap up the week with an acclaimed Japanese story of a poor family living hand to mouth, on the edge of their means and who resort to petty crime to sustain themselves who take in a seemingly abandoned young girl which has repercussions for the whole family.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three 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.

'FANTASTIC BEASTS : THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD' (Rated M) - here we have the second film in the 'Fantastic Beasts' saga and the tenth film in the 'Wizarding World' franchise as created by one J. K. Rowling. This instalment is the sequel to 2016's 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' which grossed globally US$814M off the back of a US$180M Production Budget and picked up fifteen award wins and another 52 nominations around the traps including the first Academy Award of the whole franchise so far for Costume Design. Here David Yates Directs, who is no stranger to the J.K.Rowling world having already Directed 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince', 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2' and 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'. This film saw its World Premier screening in New York last week and goes on wide release in the US, UK, Australia and other territories this week.

In the closing moments of the first film, the powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). However, true to his word, Grindelwald escaped custody and has begun mustering followers, most of whom are oblivious of his true agenda - to raise wizards and witches to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's dastardly plans, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who naturally agrees to lend a hand, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the most loyal friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world. Also starring Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller, Zoe Kravitz, Carmen Ejogo, Alison Sudol, and Callum Turner.

'THE OLD MAN & THE GUN' (Rated M) - this American crime comedy film is said to be Robert Redford's final film as an Actor before he hangs up his hat for good and retires on a career that has spanned six decades both in front and behind the camera. Written for the screen and Directed by David Lowery, this film is based on the life of Forrest Tucker who died in 2004 at the age of 83 and spent his entire life from the age of fifteen in and out of prison and as a career criminal. The script is based on David Grann's 2003 article in The New Yorker titled 'The Old Man and the Gun', which was later collected in Grann's 2010 book 'The Devil and Sherlock Holmes'. Having had its World Premier screening at the Telluride Film Festival in late August this year, the film went of general release in the US in late September and has so far grossed US$10M and has received generally positive Press. At age 70, Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) makes an audacious escape from San Quentin Prison, conducting an unprecedented string of heists that confound authorities and capture the hearts of the public. Wrapped up in the pursuit are detective John Hunt (Casey Affleck), who becomes captivated with Forrest's commitment to his craft, and a woman who loves him, Jewel (Sissy Spacek) in spite of his chosen career path. Also starring Danny Glover, Tom Waits, Elisabeth Moss, John David Washington and Keith Carradine.

'SHOPLIFTERS' (Rated M) - this Japanese drama film is Written, Directed and Edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival back in May this year where is took out the prestigious Palme d'Or, was released in its native Japan in early June, has so far grossed US$54M and has received widespread critical acclaim. Somewhere in Tokyo, Osamu Shibata (Lily Franky) and his wife Nobuyo (Sakura Ando) live a life on the poverty line. Osamu gains infrequent casual employment and Nobuyo has a low-paying job, and the family has to rely largely on the grandmother's pension . . .  as well as petty crime. As Osamu is shoplifting for groceries with his son, Shota (Kairi Jo), they come across Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), a homeless four year old girl shivering in the cold. Osamu takes her home, where the family observe the symptoms of abuse and neglect. Despite their far from ideal financial circumstances, they informally adopt her, but when a shoplifting exercise goes adrift, hidden secrets begin to emerge exposing the bonds that tie the family together.

With three 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-