The 66th annual Sydney Film Festival drew to a close on Sunday 16th June, marking an end to another hugely successful festival that showcased more than 300 award winning films, dramas, documentaries, thrillers, animations, comedies, cross-genre experiments and art house cinema from across the world. As reported last week, twelve films are selected for the Official Competition, which celebrates 'courageous, audacious and cutting-edge' cinema with a $60,000 cash prize.
The winner of this years Official Competition line up and the proud recipient of the AU$60K cash prize went to renowned South Korean Director Bong Joon-ho for his latest feature offering 'Parasite', which also picked up the Palme d'Or at Cannes last month. The film tells the story of the an all unemployed lower class family (the Kim's) that take a peculiar interest in a wealthy and glamorous family (the Park's) for their livelihood, until they get entangled in an unexpected incident that threatens to upend the Kim's newfound level of comfort. The film goes on general release in Australia on 27th June.
For the full wrap up of this years Sydney Film Festival, you can visit the official website at : https://www.sff.org.au/
This week there are six new feature films to entice you out to your local Odeon on a cool Winter's evening. We kick off with two animated feature films, both of which are sequels to hugely successful prior instalments - the first is the fourth in a franchise that had its beginnings almost 25 years ago now about the life and exploits of toys behind closed doors when kids and adults aren't watching, and the second is the second film in a newer franchise that is about the life of pets behind closed doors when kids and adults aren't watching. We then move to a case of a missing person and one guys dogged determination to get to the bottom of the disappearance that takes him down all sorts of rabbit holes. Next up is a reboot of a mildly successful but enduring slasher horror offering that first saw the light of day back in 1988, involving a possessed child's doll that has been updated to an out of control robot doll, that nonetheless has bloody murder and mayhem most foul reprogrammed in to its memory banks. We then close out the week with two acclaimed foreign language offerings - the first a German film spanning three generations that sees a budding painter who falls for a fellow artist whose father is the keeper of a very dark and damaging secret. The second is a French film about an elderly woman who wakes up one day and decides that it will be her last, and so sells all her worldly possessions on her front lawn much to the bewilderment of her daughter who come home for the first time in twenty years having caught wind of her mothers madness.
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.
'TOY STORY 4' (Rated G) - and continuing with this hugely popular and acclaimed computer animated comedy offering that first graced our big screens back in 1995, we have the fourth feature film instalment in the franchise that has spawned a limited series of television specials under the banner of 'Toy Story Treats', short animated films under the headline 'Toy Story Toons', a straight to video film, three 'Disney on Ice' productions, a musical, video games, merchandise, theme park rides and comic books. The first three films in the series were made for a collective US$320M and grossed a total Box Office haul worldwide of US$1.97B. This film is Directed by Josh Cooley in his feature film debut, taking over from John Lasseter who Directed the first two and Lee Unkrich the third. John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton were among the talent who dreamt up the story for all four films. The film saw its Premier screening on 11th June and goes on general release in the US and here in Australia this week.
And so turning back to the story behind 'Toy Story 4' which is set a couple of years after Andy gave his toys to Bonnie. Woody (voiced once again by Tom Hanks), Buzz (voiced again by Tim Allen) and the rest of the toys are faced with a problem when Bonnie creates a new toy from arts and crafts, named Forky (voiced by Tony Hale). Forky suffers an identity crisis about being a toy, which the others try to help him understand how to be one. As Bonnie and her family go on a road trip, Forky escapes and Woody goes to save him, becoming separated from the group near a small town. As Buzz and the others try to help find Woody, Woody finds Bo Peep (voiced by Annie Potts) among other toys in the town's antique shop, and she gives him a new outlook on what being a toy is really about. Also starring the voice talents of Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Timothy Dalton, Laurie Metcalf, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner and Betty White amongst notable others.
'THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2' (Rated PG) - continuing with the animated genre, this American computer animated comedy film produced by Illumination, is Directed by Chris Renaud, with Jonathan del Val, and is the sequel to 2016's 'The Secret Life of Pets' which was also Directed by Renaud and grossed US$876M off the back of a US$75M production budget. This is the tenth animated feature from this Studio since its founding in 2007, and since this films release in the UK on 24th May and the US on 7th June, it has grossed US$158M off the back of an US$80M investment. Featuring the voice talents of Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Harrison Ford, Tiffany Haddish, Ellie Kemper, Pete Holmes and Dana Carvey amongst others, this film reunites all the pets from the first instalment and some new ones too. Here we find Max the terrier, who must learn to cope with some major life changes when his owner, Katie marries Chuck and has a baby, Liam. When the family takes a road trip out to the country, nervous Max has numerous run-ins with canine-intolerant cows, hostile foxes and a scary turkey. Luckily for Max, he soon catches a break when he meets Rooster, a gruff Welsh Sheepdog who tries to cure the lovable pooch of his neuroses.
'UNDER THE SILVER LAKE' (Rated MA15+) - this American neo-noir mystery thriller is Directed by David Robert Mitchell and follows up his second feature film, the highly acclaimed horror 'It Follows' in 2014. Here Sam (Andrew Garfield) lives in the Sliver Lake district of Los Angeles leading a largely aimless, lazy and jobless life with more than an avid interest in conspiracy theories and finding hidden meanings in our everyday culture. One day he befriends his beautiful neighbour Sarah (Riley Keough), who invites him to come over the next day. However, when he drops by he discovers that she and her roommates moved out during the night. Sam becomes obsessed with finding what happened to Sarah. Obsessed with finding out the truth behind Sarah's sudden disappearance, and through a series of seemingly random yet connected encounters, he inadvertently stumbles across an elusive and dangerous large scale conspiracy. The film saw its World Premiere screening back in May 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was in competition for the Palme d'Or. It was released in the US in mid-April this year and has divided critics with some praising its originality, Direction, soundtrack, cinematography, and Garfield's performance while others found the script confusing, too cryptic, and lacking substance. The film has so far grossed US$2M.
'CHILD'S PLAY' (Rated MA15+) - this American horror slasher film is Directed by Lars Klevberg and is seemingly a remake and a reboot of the original 1988 film of the same name that spawned a whole host of sequels taking off with 'Child's Play 2' in 1990, 'Child's Play 3' in 1991, 'Bride of Chucky' in 1998, 'Seed of Chucky' in 2004, then 'Curse of Chucky' in 2013, and 'Cult of Chucky' in 2017, and a TV series planned for next year. The films original premise was on Chucky, a notorious serial killer who escapes death by performing a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a 'Good Guys' doll. The plot here harks back more to the original film. Having moved to a new city, young Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman), a lonely 13-year-old deaf boy with a hearing aid, receives a special present from his widowed mother Karen (Aubrey Plaza) - a seemingly innocent Buddi doll (voiced by Mark Hamill) that becomes his new best friend. When the doll suddenly takes on a sinister life of its own, Andy unites with other local children to stop the deadly toy from wreaking bloody murder most foul. In this film, unlike the original, Chucky is portrayed as an out of control hi-tech robot doll, rather than one that is possessed. Also starring Brian Tyree Henry, the film is released Stateside this week too.
'NEVER LOOK AWAY' (Rated M) - is a 2018 German drama film directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It was nominated for a Golden Lion at the 75th Venice International Film Festival where it saw its World Premier screening in September last year, and for a Golden Globe by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards earlier this year in the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography categories. With a running time of just over three hours, the film has been lauded by audiences and Critics alike with some stating that it is the best movie they have ever seen! And so to the story, which is based loosley on the early life of famed German artist Gerhard Richter, here portrayed as Kurt Barnert (Tom Schilling) whom we are first introduced to at the tender age of six. As the years progress and Kurt enrols at the Dresden Art School he meets and falls in love with Ellie Seeband (Paula Beer) whose father holds a dark and devastating secret from his past, and vows to end their relationship.
'CLAIRE DARLING' (Rated M) - here this French foreign language film is Directed by Julie Bertuccelli and based on the best selling novel 'Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale' by Lynda Rutledge. In the small country village of Verderonne, in the Oise, on the first day of Summer Claire Darling (Catherine Deneuve) wakes up convinced that today will be her last day. She then decides to rid her house of all her possessions from prized and valuable antiques, to art works, to personal mementos, family heirlooms, everyday furniture and bric-a-brac which she has accumulated over many many years and which she subsequently decides to sell for a song. The objects so loved resonate with her tragic and flamboyant life with pertinent moments seen in flashback. This last act of apparent madness brings back her daughter Marie (Chiara Mastroianni, and the real life daughter of Catherine Deneuve) whom she has not seen for 20 years, who is naturally perplexed by her mothers current state of mind. The film has generated largely positive Reviews.
With six new release movies 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-
This week there are six new feature films to entice you out to your local Odeon on a cool Winter's evening. We kick off with two animated feature films, both of which are sequels to hugely successful prior instalments - the first is the fourth in a franchise that had its beginnings almost 25 years ago now about the life and exploits of toys behind closed doors when kids and adults aren't watching, and the second is the second film in a newer franchise that is about the life of pets behind closed doors when kids and adults aren't watching. We then move to a case of a missing person and one guys dogged determination to get to the bottom of the disappearance that takes him down all sorts of rabbit holes. Next up is a reboot of a mildly successful but enduring slasher horror offering that first saw the light of day back in 1988, involving a possessed child's doll that has been updated to an out of control robot doll, that nonetheless has bloody murder and mayhem most foul reprogrammed in to its memory banks. We then close out the week with two acclaimed foreign language offerings - the first a German film spanning three generations that sees a budding painter who falls for a fellow artist whose father is the keeper of a very dark and damaging secret. The second is a French film about an elderly woman who wakes up one day and decides that it will be her last, and so sells all her worldly possessions on her front lawn much to the bewilderment of her daughter who come home for the first time in twenty years having caught wind of her mothers madness.
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.
'TOY STORY 4' (Rated G) - and continuing with this hugely popular and acclaimed computer animated comedy offering that first graced our big screens back in 1995, we have the fourth feature film instalment in the franchise that has spawned a limited series of television specials under the banner of 'Toy Story Treats', short animated films under the headline 'Toy Story Toons', a straight to video film, three 'Disney on Ice' productions, a musical, video games, merchandise, theme park rides and comic books. The first three films in the series were made for a collective US$320M and grossed a total Box Office haul worldwide of US$1.97B. This film is Directed by Josh Cooley in his feature film debut, taking over from John Lasseter who Directed the first two and Lee Unkrich the third. John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton were among the talent who dreamt up the story for all four films. The film saw its Premier screening on 11th June and goes on general release in the US and here in Australia this week.
'THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2' (Rated PG) - continuing with the animated genre, this American computer animated comedy film produced by Illumination, is Directed by Chris Renaud, with Jonathan del Val, and is the sequel to 2016's 'The Secret Life of Pets' which was also Directed by Renaud and grossed US$876M off the back of a US$75M production budget. This is the tenth animated feature from this Studio since its founding in 2007, and since this films release in the UK on 24th May and the US on 7th June, it has grossed US$158M off the back of an US$80M investment. Featuring the voice talents of Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Harrison Ford, Tiffany Haddish, Ellie Kemper, Pete Holmes and Dana Carvey amongst others, this film reunites all the pets from the first instalment and some new ones too. Here we find Max the terrier, who must learn to cope with some major life changes when his owner, Katie marries Chuck and has a baby, Liam. When the family takes a road trip out to the country, nervous Max has numerous run-ins with canine-intolerant cows, hostile foxes and a scary turkey. Luckily for Max, he soon catches a break when he meets Rooster, a gruff Welsh Sheepdog who tries to cure the lovable pooch of his neuroses.
'UNDER THE SILVER LAKE' (Rated MA15+) - this American neo-noir mystery thriller is Directed by David Robert Mitchell and follows up his second feature film, the highly acclaimed horror 'It Follows' in 2014. Here Sam (Andrew Garfield) lives in the Sliver Lake district of Los Angeles leading a largely aimless, lazy and jobless life with more than an avid interest in conspiracy theories and finding hidden meanings in our everyday culture. One day he befriends his beautiful neighbour Sarah (Riley Keough), who invites him to come over the next day. However, when he drops by he discovers that she and her roommates moved out during the night. Sam becomes obsessed with finding what happened to Sarah. Obsessed with finding out the truth behind Sarah's sudden disappearance, and through a series of seemingly random yet connected encounters, he inadvertently stumbles across an elusive and dangerous large scale conspiracy. The film saw its World Premiere screening back in May 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was in competition for the Palme d'Or. It was released in the US in mid-April this year and has divided critics with some praising its originality, Direction, soundtrack, cinematography, and Garfield's performance while others found the script confusing, too cryptic, and lacking substance. The film has so far grossed US$2M.'CHILD'S PLAY' (Rated MA15+) - this American horror slasher film is Directed by Lars Klevberg and is seemingly a remake and a reboot of the original 1988 film of the same name that spawned a whole host of sequels taking off with 'Child's Play 2' in 1990, 'Child's Play 3' in 1991, 'Bride of Chucky' in 1998, 'Seed of Chucky' in 2004, then 'Curse of Chucky' in 2013, and 'Cult of Chucky' in 2017, and a TV series planned for next year. The films original premise was on Chucky, a notorious serial killer who escapes death by performing a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a 'Good Guys' doll. The plot here harks back more to the original film. Having moved to a new city, young Andy Barclay (Gabriel Bateman), a lonely 13-year-old deaf boy with a hearing aid, receives a special present from his widowed mother Karen (Aubrey Plaza) - a seemingly innocent Buddi doll (voiced by Mark Hamill) that becomes his new best friend. When the doll suddenly takes on a sinister life of its own, Andy unites with other local children to stop the deadly toy from wreaking bloody murder most foul. In this film, unlike the original, Chucky is portrayed as an out of control hi-tech robot doll, rather than one that is possessed. Also starring Brian Tyree Henry, the film is released Stateside this week too.
'NEVER LOOK AWAY' (Rated M) - is a 2018 German drama film directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It was nominated for a Golden Lion at the 75th Venice International Film Festival where it saw its World Premier screening in September last year, and for a Golden Globe by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards earlier this year in the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography categories. With a running time of just over three hours, the film has been lauded by audiences and Critics alike with some stating that it is the best movie they have ever seen! And so to the story, which is based loosley on the early life of famed German artist Gerhard Richter, here portrayed as Kurt Barnert (Tom Schilling) whom we are first introduced to at the tender age of six. As the years progress and Kurt enrols at the Dresden Art School he meets and falls in love with Ellie Seeband (Paula Beer) whose father holds a dark and devastating secret from his past, and vows to end their relationship.
'CLAIRE DARLING' (Rated M) - here this French foreign language film is Directed by Julie Bertuccelli and based on the best selling novel 'Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale' by Lynda Rutledge. In the small country village of Verderonne, in the Oise, on the first day of Summer Claire Darling (Catherine Deneuve) wakes up convinced that today will be her last day. She then decides to rid her house of all her possessions from prized and valuable antiques, to art works, to personal mementos, family heirlooms, everyday furniture and bric-a-brac which she has accumulated over many many years and which she subsequently decides to sell for a song. The objects so loved resonate with her tragic and flamboyant life with pertinent moments seen in flashback. This last act of apparent madness brings back her daughter Marie (Chiara Mastroianni, and the real life daughter of Catherine Deneuve) whom she has not seen for 20 years, who is naturally perplexed by her mothers current state of mind. The film has generated largely positive Reviews.With six new release movies 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-
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