What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 6th August 2020.

In the last couple of weeks I have reported on a number of major studio films that have had their planned release dates pushed back once again because of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent halting or delays experienced by movie production houses, and only the partial reopening of cinemas worldwide. Those films rescheduled have been 'Tenet', 'No Time To Die', 'Wonder Woman 1984', 'The Conjuring : The Devil Made Me Do It', 'The French Dispatch', 'A Quiet Place : Part II', 'Top Gun : Maverick' and 'Halloween Kills'. This week once again I update you on another four major films that have seen their already publicised release dates pushed back.

'THE ETERNALS' - intended to be the 25th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and based on the Marvel Comics seven thousand year old immortal alien race of the same name. Directed by Chloe Zhao and starring an ensemble cast that includes Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Barry Keoghan, Angelina Jolie, and Kit Harington the film was originally slated for a 6th November release, but has since been pushed back to 12th February 2021.


'ANTLERS' - this supernatural horror film is Directed by Scott Cooper and is Co-Produced by Guillermo del Toro and David S. Goyer. Starring Kerri Russell, Jesse Plemmons, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Amy Madigan and Rory Cochrane this film was originally intended to be released on 17th April this year, but has been pushed back to 19th February 2021.

'GHOSTBUSTERS : AFTERLIFE' - this direct sequel to 1984's 'Ghostbusters' and 1989's 'Ghostbusters II' is Directed and Co-Written by Jason Reitman (the son of Ivan Reitman who Directed the first two films in this franchise) and the fourth film in the series. Starring Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd, with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts reprising the roles from the first two instalments. Initially scheduled for a 10th July release this year, it has now been delayed until 5th March 2021.

'FAST & FURIOUS 9' (aka 'F9') - this action film based on the hugely popular and successful 'Fast & Furious' franchise is Directed and Co-Produced by Justin Lin who also Directed the third, fourth, fifth and sixth films in the series. This is the ninth film in the series and the tenth film overall following the 2019 release of the spin-off 'Hobbs & Shaw' with those first nine films grossing worldwide a figure approaching US$5.9B. Here the ensemble cast is reunited, comprising Vin Diesel, John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron and Lucas Black. Scheduled originally for a 22nd May release date this year, the film was pushed back to 2nd April 2021.

This week we have four latest new cinematic offerings to tempt you out to your local Odeon in the coming week, and we kick start with two French films that have been kicking around for about a year but only now do they get a limited run in Australia. One is a long awaited sequel to a very popular 2010 film about a group of close friends who have lost contact with each other since the events of the last film but come together again for a surprise milestone birthday of one of their close knit cohort only to find that the surprise they were all hoping for is not quite the surprise it turns out to be. The second is a quirky absurdist comedy horror film about a guy suffering an acute mid life crisis who seems to be given another chance courtesy of a bewitched vintage animal pelt jacket. We then turn to a highly praised drama film charting a mid-teenage girls right to have an unwanted pregnancy terminated, but she needs to cross borders to have this performed and not without a few challenges en route. And closing out the week we wrap things up with an Aussie horror of cave divers, rising storm waters and killer crocs.

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 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 coming week.

'WE'LL END UP TOGETHER' (Rated M) - this French film is the long awaited follow up to 2010's acclaimed 'Little White Lies' that is once again Written and Directed by the French filmmaker, Actor, Writer and Producer Guillaume Canet. With seventy acting credits to his name, eleven as Writer, twelve as Director and seven as Producer Canet is currently in pre-production with his latest offering 'Asterix & Obelix : L'Empire du Millieu' in which he stars, writes and Directs. This film opened in France on 1st May 2019 where it went on to become the second highest grossing film in that country of that year, and only now does it get a limited showing in Australia from this week and has garnered generally positive press so far.

The years have passed by since middle-aged restaurateur Max (Francois Cluzet) has welcomed his friends at his idyllic summer house in the chic beach community of Cap Ferret. The group have generally reconnected there for his birthday, but since things didn’t exactly go to plann last time around, they haven’t seen much of one another in the intervening years. It turns out that Max is getting a divorce and his villa is up for sale, so when close friends Marie (Marion Cotillard), Vincent (Benoit Magimel), now-famous actor Eric (Gilles Lellouche) and his hapless buddy-turned-assistant Antoine (Laurent Lafitte) arrive unannounced to celebrate his 60th, it’s not necessarily a welcome surprise.

'DEERSKIN' (Rated MA15+) - this French comedy horror film is Written and Directed by the French electronic musician, DJ and film maker Quentin Dupieux. The film saw its World Premier screening at 2019's Cannes Film Festival, went on release in its native France in mid-June 2019 and was due for release Stateside in late March but that event was pulled due to COVID-19. Now the film gets a limited showing in Australia this week and has generated largely favourable Reviews so far. Here middle aged Georges (Jean Dujardin) has recently gone through a divorce and becomes obsessed with a vintage tasseled deerskin jacket that begins to influence an uncanny hold over him. With the backdrop of a sleepy French alpine village, he escapes from his hum drum life in the suburbs, blows his life savings and turns to crime. He falls into the guise of an independent filmmaker and befriends a trusting bartender and aspiring editor named Denise (Adele Haenel), who becomes his collaborator on a movie that will document a surprising new goal he sets himself.

'NEVER, RARELY, SOMTIMES, ALWAYS' (Rated M) - this American and British Co-Produced drama film is Written and Directed by Eliza Hittman whose previous feature film outings are 'It Felt Like Love' in 2013 and 'Beach Rats' in 2017. This film had its World Premier showing at this years Sundance Film Festival at the end of January, and was in competition for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in late February where it took out the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. The film has generated widespread critical acclaim. Here, seventeen year old Pennsylvanian resident Autumn Callahan (Sidney Flanigan) is faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of local support. So Autumn and her cousin, Skylar (Talia Ryder), travel across State lines to New York City because she is unable to get an abortion in her native State without parental consent, embarking on a fraught journey of friendship, bravery and compassion. Also starring Theodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold and Sharon Van Ettten.

'BLACK WATER : ABYSS' (Rated M) - this follow up to 2007's Aussie horror 'Black Water' is once again Directed by Andrew Traucki whose other film making credits include 2010's 'The Reef', one of 26 worldwide film makers on 'The ABCs of Death' in 2012 and 'The Jungle' in 2013. The film charts the story of an adventure loving couple who convince their friends to explore a remote, previously uncharted cave system in the forests of Northern Australia. With a tropical storm approaching, they abseil into the mouth of the cave, but when the caves begins to flood, tensions rise as oxygen levels fall and the group find themselves trapped deep underground. Unknown to them, the storm has also brought in a pack of dangerous and hungry crocodiles. Starring Jessica McNamee, Luke Mitchell, Amali Golden, Anthony Sharpe and Benjamin Hoetjes.

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-