What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 31st October 2019.

The International Rome Film Festival is a film festival that takes place in Rome, Italy, during the month of October, and this year ran from Thursday 17th through until Sunday 27th October.  The actual complete name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. Even though it is quite a young festival, having been founded only in 2006, the importance of the hosting city as well as the strong economic investment has placed the Rome Film Festival among the most important film festivals in the world, with huge media coverage and world-famous artists in attendance.

This year, there were thirty-three films in Official Selection all aiming for the top awards and recognition. Among these were :-

* 'THE AERONAUTS' - from the USA, Directed by Tom Harper and starring Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Phoebe Fox and Tom Courteney. In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history.

* 'ANTIGONE' - from France, Directed by Sophie Deraspe and starring Nahema Ricci. Following the murder of her parents, young Antigone, her sister, two brothers, and her grandmother take shelter in Montreal, where they live a quiet life in a small apartment in a working-class neighbourhood. Tragedy explodes when one brother is killed by police while they are arresting the other, a small-time drug dealer.

* 'DOWNTON ABBEY' - from the UK, Directed by Michael Engler and starring Hugh Bonneville, Michel Dockery, Jim Carter, Imelda Staunton, Maggie Smith and Elizabeth McGovern. The famous British TV series 'Downton Abbey' becomes a film for the big screen, that picks up and continues the story of the aristocratic Crawley family, returning to their grand estate with the most illustrious guests that the Crawleys could hope to entertain, the sovereigns of the United Kingdom, King George V and Queen Mary.

* 'DROWNING' - from the USA and Directed by Melora Walters and starring Melora Walters, Gil Bellows, Mira Sorvino and Jay Mohr. A mother is forced to come to grips with suffering when, despite her worst fears and her best efforts to dissuade her son, he decides to join the army and go fight in Iraq.

* 'THE FAREWELL' - from the USA and China and Directed by Lulu Wang and starring Awkwafina, Tzi Ma and Diana Lin. Chinese-born, U.S. raised Billi reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that her beloved grandmother, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, although everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself.

* 'FETE DE FAMILLE' - from France, Directed by Cedric Kahn and starring Catherine Deneuve and Emmanuelle Bercot. On a summer's day, a family gathers to celebrate mother Andrea's 70th birthday. Attending are the husband, the two sons – one with his wife and twins; the other with his new fiancee Rosita – a video-camera to capture the happy event and an eighteen year-old who grew up there, plus, the unexpected arrival of the youngest daughter Claire, who had disappeared some years before.

* 'HONEY BOY' - from the USA, Directed by Alma Har'el and starring Shia LaBoeuf (who also wrote the Screenplay), Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe and Natasha Lyonne, explores the life of a young actor, from his troubled childhood to early adulthood. He does everything he can think of to come to understand and reconcile with his father, by means of cinema, his own dreams, art as a form of therapy, or imagination as a form of hope.

* 'HUSTLERS' - from the USA, Directed by Lorene Scafaria and starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles and Cardi B. In 2007, Destiny has become a stripper so she can provide for herself and her grandmother, but her life will change when she meets Ramona, the star of the strip joint, and the two immediately hit it off. Destiny quickly learns the 'ropes' from Ramona and soon start raking in more money than they can spend, until the Global Financial Crisis of late 2008 occurs, when by necessity they have to change the rules of their game. 

* 'THE IRISHMAN' - from the USA, Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Graham and Anna Paquin. An epic crime saga of organised crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century.

* 'JUDY' - from the USA, Directed by Rupert Goold, and starring Renee Zellweger, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon and Jessie Buckley. In the winter of 1968, Judy Garland arrives in London to perform in a series of concerts. It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in 'The Wizard of Oz' - her voice may have weakened, but its dramatic intensity shines increasingly bright.

* 'MILITARY WIVES' - from the UK, Directed by Peter Cattaneo and starring Kristen Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan and Jason Flemyng. Separated from their husbands and staring down the barrel of anxiety and loneliness, the quiet bravery and sacrifice of military wives goes largely unnoticed while they live with the dread of a fateful knock on the door. But Kate, an officer’s wife, bears it all with grace and stoicism. She finds freedom in song, and persuades a group of women on the base in the same situation to form the first Military Wives Choir.

* 'MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN' - from the USA, Directed by Edward Norton and starring Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. In 1950's New York, a private investigator and a loner, who suffers from Tourette Syndrome, is trying to get to the bottom of the murder of his mentor and only friend. Armed with just a few clues and his own obsessive intelligence, he starts to discover a number of well-kept secrets upon which the future of New York City depends. This film served as the Festival's opener.

* 'MYSTIFY : MICHAEL HUTCHENCE' - from Australia, Directed by Richard Lowenstein and starring Michale Hutchence and those family and friends closest to him. A powerfully intimate and insightful documentary portrait of the INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, a complex and sensitive man who with his extraordinary voice and reckless lifestyle, his charm and sensuality, enchanted audiences for an all-too-short time on and off the stage.

* 'NOMAD : IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BRUCE CHATWIN' - from the UK and Directed by Werner Herzog. When writer and adventurer Bruce Chatwin was dying, he summoned his friend Werner Herzog, asking to see his recent film about tribesmen of the Sahara. In exchange, as a parting gift, Chatwin gave Herzog the rucksack he’d carried on his travels around the world. 30 years later, carrying the rucksack, Herzog sets out on his own journey, inspired by their shared passion for the nomadic life.

* 'PAVAROTTI' - from the USA, Directed by Ron Howard and starring Luciano Pavarotti, Nicoletta Mantovani, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan. This documentary relies on original film clips and rare interviews with the singer's family and colleagues to illustrate the life, career and enduring legacy of an artist who was an icon of lyric opera, a giant in music and a man worthy of respect and admiration.

* 'RUN WITH THE HUNTED' - from the USA, Directed by John Swab and starring Ron Perlman, Michael Pitt, Tree Hemmingway and Mark Boone Jnr. A young boy commits murder to save his best friend from an attack, and is forced to escape the country town he was born in and leave everything behind. He thus escapes to the nearest city, where he becomes part of a gang of young street thieves.

* 'SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK' - from the USA, Directed by Andre Ovredal and starring Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris and Gil Bellows. In 1968 in a house, located on the edges of the city, Sarah, a girl who conceals terrible secrets, has transformed her tormented existence into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has reached beyond the boundaries of time. Stories that become far too realistic for a group of young people who, on the night of Halloween, delve into Sarah's terrifying case.

* 'WAVES' - from the USA, Directed by Trey Edwards Shults and starring Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell, Sterling K. Brown, and Lucas Hedges. The future looks bright for Tyler, a young African-American who seems to have everything he needs: a wealthy family to support him, a spot on the high school wrestling team and a girlfriend he is madly in love with. But just when he is pushed to the limit, Tyler’s apparently perfect life begins to show cracks, and the stage is set for tragedy.

* 'WESTERN STARS' - from the USA, Directed by Thom Zimmy and starring Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. This is a cinematic film version of Bruce Springsteen’s album of the same name, and offers the opportunity to see him perform all thirteen songs on the album. Springsteen’s first studio album in five years, the album marks a departure for the singer while still drawing on his roots.

For the full programme of events, you can visit the official website at : http://www.romacinemafest.it

And so turning attention to this weeks six latest cinematic offerings, we start with the sixth instalment in this hugely successful and influential franchise, but as seen by the film makers as a direct follow on to the second film, about a new type of liquid metal humanoid robot sent back from the future to hunt and destroy a hybrid cyborg human that is being aided by our titular gun totting heroine one Sarah Connor and her old T800 ally. This is followed up by an epic crime story from an acclaimed Director with an ensemble cast about a fella of Irish descent who turns hitman for the mob. Next up is a German film about a daring escape plan from the East to the West in 1979 concerning two families and their home made hot air balloon. We then turn to a comedy drama about a party hard New Yorker who gets a dose of reality from her doctor, and decides to shape up, get fit, loose weight and run a marathon all the while facing a few other life challenges along the way. Next up we have a sequel to a 2017 horror offering of the bitey kind that this time sees four female teenage divers come face to face with a school of great white's in the sunken subterranean depths of an ancient Mayan city. And we close out the week with a biodrama offering of a slightly off the rails young Cuban kid who is given the chance of a lifetime at a local dance school, where he discovers his true passion that ultimately leads him to international stardom in his chosen field.

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.

'TERMINATOR : DARK FATE' (Rated MA15+) - finally hitting our big screens this week is the highly anticipated, much hyped and eagerly awaited American Sci-Fi actioner Directed by Tim Miller in only his second feature film Directing gig after 2016's critical and commercial success that was 'Deadpool'.  The film is Co-Produced and adapted from a story by James Cameron amongst others.  It will be the sixth instalment in the 'Terminator' franchise and the first since 1991's 'Terminator 2 : Judgement Day' to have franchise creator James Cameron involved. The first five films in the franchise have earned a collective Box Office gross of US$1.85B off the back of combined Production Budgets of US$463M. Cameron considers the film a direct sequel to his 1984 film 'The Terminator' and 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day', while 2003's 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines', 2009's 'Terminator Salvation', 2015's 'Terminator Genisys' and the television series 'Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles' are described as occurring in alternate timelines. This instalment cost in the vicinity of US$180M to bring to the big screen, and is released in the US this week too.

Set some 27 years after the events of 'Terminator 2 : Judgement Day', a new, modified liquid metal prototype Terminator known as the Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna) is sent from the future by Skynet in order to terminate Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), a hybrid cyborg human known as Grace (Mackenzie Davis), and her friends. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) comes to their aid, as well as the original Terminator - the T800 Model 101 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) which has gained autonomy from its original programming and has integrated into human society and is now living a secluded life and known as Carl, for a fight for the future. Also starring Edward Furlong as John Connor and Diego Boneta.

'THE IRISHMAN' (Rated CTC) - already hailed as Martin Scorsese's finest film in twenty odd years, this American epic crime drama film is Directed and Co-Produced by the acclaimed Scorsese and based on the 2004 memoir 'I Hear You Paint Houses' by Charles Brandt. After languishing in development hell for about ten years, 'The Irishman' was confirmed as Scorsese's next film following 'Silence' in 2016. De Niro and Pacino were confirmed to star as was Pesci, who came out of his unofficial retirement to star after being asked allegedly fifty times to take the role by his good friend De Niro. The film tells the story of Frank Sheeran, a mob hitman and World War II veteran who develops his own particular set of skills during his wartime service in Italy. Now an old man, he reflects on the events that defined his career as a hitman, particularly the role he played in the disappearance of labour leader Jimmy Hoffa, his longtime friend, and his involvement with the Bufalino crime family. 'The Irishman' saw its World Premier screening at the recent New York Film Festival, has received widespread critical acclaim, goes on a limited cinematic release from 1st November and is then available via digital streaming on Netflix from 27th November onward. The film stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Jesse Plemmons and Anna Paquin amongst others, has a run time of 209 minutes and cost US$159M - being one of Scorsese's most expensive films to date.

'BALLOON' (Rated M) - this true story is Directed and Co-Written by acclaimed German film maker, comedian, Actor, voice artist and author Michael Herbig whose previous hit films in his native Germany were 2001's 'Manitou's Shoe' and 2004's 'Dreamship Surprise'. It is 1979, East Germany at the height of the Cold War, and Gunter Wetzel (David Kross), a bricklayer, and his friend Peter Strelzyk (Friedrich Mucke), an electrician, have reached the end of their tether in the oppressive DDR regime. The two men and their wives Petra Wetzel (Alicia von Rittberg) and Doris Strelzyk (Karoline Schuch) commit themselves to undertake a mission to secretly build a hot air balloon from scratch that will carry them and their families over the border fence into West Germany and to their freedom. Over the course of the next eighteen months they sew 1,000 square metres of cloth, and gather countless weather reports from West German radio, but their first attempt fails due to adverse weather and the balloon crash lands just metres from the border. With the Stasi State Police hot on their tails having found the wreckage, they must now race against time to build a more robust weather resisting balloon that will ensure their success, before being caught. Also starring Thomas Kretschmann.

'BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON' (Rated M) - first time film maker and Screenwriter Paul Downs Colaizzo brings us this comedy drama offering that saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in January this year, went on general release in the US in late August, has generated largely positive press and has grossed US$7M at the Box Office so far. Jillian Bell stars as Brittany Forgler a humorous, friendly, hot mess of a New York dweller who knows how to have a good time and party hard, but at 27, her late-night adventures and early-morning walks-of-shame are starting to catch up with her. When she stops by a doctor's office in an attempt to score some Adderall, she finds herself slapped with a prescription she never wanted. Forced to face reality for the first time in a long time, Brittany laces up her training shoes and runs around one city block working up a sweat. The next day, she runs two. Soon she runs a mile. Brittany finally has some much needed direction in her life and sets herself the goal of running the New York Marathon. But before she can do so, she must overcome a number of challenges along the way! Also starring Michaela Watkins, Alice Lee, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery and Micah Stock.

'47 METRES DOWN : UNCAGED' (Rated M) - here we have a sequel to the 2017 survival horror film '47 Metres Down' which grossed US$63M off the back of a less than US$6M Production Budget despite its mixed Reviews. Now just two years later we have the inevitable follow up that like its predecessor is Directed and Co-Written by British mistress of the horror genre Johannes Roberts. Also like its predecessor this film has garnered mostly mixed Reviews and has so far grossed US$37M from a US$12M Budget. The story here surrounds four teenage girls - Sasha (Corinne Foxx), Mia (Sophie Nelisse), Alexa (Brianne Tju) and Nicole (Sistine Stallone) who decide to go scuba diving to a sunken Mayan city but soon discover that the sunken subterranean ruins are also a hunting ground for deadly great white sharks with evolved senses. With their air supply steadily declining, the frightened girls must navigate the underwater labyrinth of claustrophobic caves and eerie tunnels in their increasingly frantic search for a way out of their watery nightmare.

'YULI' (Rated M) - here Spanish Director, Producer, Writer and Actress Iciar Bollain brings us this biographical drama film about Yuli, the nickname given to Carlos Acosta (played by himself) by his father Pedro (Santiago Alfonso). From a young age, Yuli shied away any kind of discipline and education, instead preferring the streets of a run-down neighbourhood in Havana, Cuba where he learned most of his schooling. But Pedro knows his son has natural talent and forces him to attend Cuba’s National Dance School. Against his will and despite his initial indiscipline, Yuli ends up being captivated by the world of dance, and from childhood he will begin to forge his own legend, as one of the best dancers of his generation, often breaking taboos and becoming the first black artist to dance Romeo in the Royal Ballet in London, where he forged a legendary career as a principal dancer for seventeen years from 1998 through 2015. He has danced with with many companies including the English National Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, Houston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, and in early 2020 will become the Artistic Director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The music score for the film was written by Alberto Iglesias and the film has so far picked up four award wins and another thirteen nods from around the festival and awards circuit.

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-