What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 16th July 2020.

The Coronavirus is far from over, but is seems that governments and authorities from near, far and wide have eased up on restrictions and have allowed the movie going public to return, albeit with some caveats, to their local Odeon, movie theatre, or cinema multiplex to enjoy the full film experience as most film production companies would prefer. And so having been in cinematic lockdown and languished in movie wasteland, apart of course from those newly released to Netflix in the past four months, this week sees a welcome return and a gentle easing back into the world of big screen film entertainment . . . and long may it continue!

And so for the coming week, there are five new films to entice you out to your local Odeon on a cold Winters night in the middle of July. Launching with an American semi-autobiographical comedy drama about a mid-20 year old with a bad case of arrested development who through a series of events is compelled to take his first steps into full blown adulthood. This is followed up by a story of a washed up art critic who is invited to steal a noted painting from a renowned artist, only to have his greed and ambition spin a web around him from which there seems to be little hope of escape. Next up is a mystery comedy drama about the seemingly perfect wife with a perfect husband, a perfect daughter and a perfect home who suddenly one day ups sticks and disappears and how her family then embark on an adventure to find her again. We then wrap up the week with two horror offerings - one set in a Jewish Orthodox community where a young man is asked to keep watch one night over the deceased body of a Holocaust survivor - but this is far from the simple task it at first seems; followed up by the story of a social media Vlogger and his thirst for adventure and pushing the envelope for the sake of notoriety and more followers, he and his group of friends bite off more than they can chew when they go in search of more thrills in Moscow.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the five latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or 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.

'THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND' (Rated MA15+) - this American comedy drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Judd Apatow, whose previous film making credits include 'The 40 Year Old Virgin', 'Knocked Up', 'Funny People', 'This is 40' and 'Trainwreck'. Apatow is also a Comedian and Actor who has received numerous award wins and nominations throughout his career. Originally intended to be released in cinemas, it was released instead digitally on various streaming services on 12th June, although it does now also receive a theatrical release this week across Australia. The film is a semi autobiographical look at the life of American Actor and Comedian who has been a regular on Saturday Night Live, Pete Davidson, who with Apatow also co-wrote the screenplay.

Scott Carlin (Pete Davidson) has been a case of arrested development since his firefighter Dad died as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Centre on 9/11. Living on New York's Staten Island, and now approaching his mid-20's, he spends his days smoking weed and dreaming of becoming a serious tattoo artist. As his ambitious younger sister Claire (Maude Apatow) heads off to college, Scott is still living with his exhausted ER nurse mother Margie (Marisa Tomei) and hanging with his besties - Oscar (Ricky Velez), Igor (Moises Arias) and Richie (Lou Wilson) and secretly hooking up with his childhood friend Kelsey (Bel Powley). But when his mother starts dating a loudmouth firefighter named Ray (Bill Burr), it sets off a chain of events that will force Scott to grapple with his grief and take his first tentative steps toward moving forward in life. Also starring Steve Buscemi. 

'THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY' (Rated MA15+) - is a drama thriller Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi who has helmed numerous music videos over the years, television commercials and a small number of TV series and feature films. This film adaptation is based on the 1971 book of the same name by Charles Willeford and was chosen as the closing film for last years Venice International Film Festival and went on release in the US on 6th March and was then pulled when the world went into COVID-19 lockdown. It is re-released this week. Ambitious and charming art critic, James Figueras (Claes Bang), has fallen from grace. Spending his days in Milan lecturing witless tourists about art history, his only ray of sunshine in his otherwise drab world is a new-found love interest, the enigmatic American, Berenice Hollis (Elizabeth Debicki). An opportunity strikes when he is contacted by wealthy art dealer Joseph Cassidy (Mick Jagger) who invites James to his Lake Como villa and asks him to steal a painting from the renowned reclusive artist, Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland). Soon, James’ greed and ambition prove too much as he finds himself caught in a web of his own making. The film has generated mixed or average Reviews so far.

'THE VIGIL' (Rated CTC) - this American supernatural horror film is Written and Directed by first-timer Keith Thomas and saw its World Premier screening at TIFF in September last year and is Executive Produced by Blumhouse Productions. Here Yakov Ronan (Dave Davis) plays a young Jewish man who is hired by local Rabbi Reb Schulem (Menashe Lustig) to sit in vigil over a recently deceased Holocaust survivor. Ronan has lost his faith, has fled from the insular community he once called home and is also broke so he accepts the opportunity to watch over the body for one evening (as is the case in the Jewish community) - after all what could go wrong? Well it seems quite a lot actually, as he is targeted by a malevolent spirit known as a dybbuk (a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped). Also starring Lynn Cohen (who died in February this year aged 86) as Mrs. Litvak, this film has garnered generally positive Reviews so far.

'WHERE'D YOU GO BERNADETTE' (Rated M) - Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Richard Linklater this American mystery comedy drama is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Maria Semple. Released in the US in August 2019 off the back of an US$18M production budget, the film has so far grossed US$11M, has received mixed or average Reviews, and only now does it get an Australian release. Former architect Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchette) seems to have it all - a beautiful home in Seattle, a successful and loving husband Elgin (Billy Crudup), and a brilliant teenage daughter Balakrishna 'Bee' (Emma Nelson) who's about to attend boarding school. When Bernadette suddenly disappears without a trace, her concerned family sets off on an exciting adventure to solve the mystery of where she might have gone. Also starring Kristen Wiig, Laurence Fishburne, Judy Greer, Steve Zahn and Megan Mullally. 

'FOLLOW ME' (Rated MA15+) - Directed, Written and Produced by Will Wernick whose last film making outing was 2017's 'Escape Room', here he assembles a cast for his next horror thriller about an increasingly popular and successful VLOGGER whose social media posts capture his exploits at their most dangerous, adventurous and at times bizarre. Always seeing to push the limits and grow his audience hungry for more exploits, Cole (Keegan Allen) travels with a small group of friends to Moscow for their next adventure. Once there, they enter a cold world of mystery, excess and danger that rapidly blurs the lines between real life and the life of social media. They in turn must fight to survive, and escape. Also starring Holland Roden, Ronan Rubinstein, Kimberly Quinn, Denzel Whitaker and Pasha D. Lychnikoff. 

With five 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-