What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 13th August 2020.

In the past few weeks I have reported on a number of major studio films that have had their planned release dates pushed back 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', 'Halloween Kills', 'The Eternals', 'Antlers', 'Ghostbusters : Afterlife', and 'Fast & Furiuos 9'. This week to keep you ever in the loop, I update you on another four major films that have seen their already publicised release dates pushed back.

'MORBIUS' - this American superhero film is Directed by Daniel Espinosa, the Swedish film maker whose earlier credits take in 'Safe House', 'Child 44' and 'Life' in 2017. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name this will be the second instalment in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters after 2018's 'Venom'. Here Jared Leto stars as Michael Morbius with Matt Smith, Jared Harris, Tyrese Gibson and Adria Arjona with Michael Keaton too. Initially scheduled for a 31st July 2020 release, this has now been delayed until 19th March 2021.

'LAST NIGHT IN SOHO' - is a psychological thriller film Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Edgar Wright whose previous Directorial credits include 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Hot Fuzz', 'The World's End', 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' and 'Baby Driver' in 2017. Here Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomas Harcourt McKenzie, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg and Terence Stamp star in this film which was originally slated for a 25th September 2020 release, but has since been pushed back until 23rd April 2021.

'SPIRAL : FROM THE BOOK OF SAW' - here we have the ninth film in the 'Saw' horror franchise that is this time Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman whose previous film making outings mostly in the horror genre include 'Saw II', Saw III', 'Saw IV', 'Mother's Day', '11-11-11', 'The Barrens' and 'Abattoir'. Here Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols star in this follow on to the earlier films but with a fresh perspective. Originally intended for a 23rd October 2020 release this was then moved forward to a 15th May 2020 release date, and this has now been rescheduled to 20th May 2021.

'VENOM : LET THERE BE CARNAGE' - is the sequel to 2018's 'Venom' which grossed US$856M off the back of a US$110M production budget making this follow up instalment inevitable. This time Andy Serkis Directs and this will be the third film in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters following on from 'Morbius'. Here Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie Brock/Venom with Woody Harrelson starring as the antagonist Cletus Kasady/Carnage with Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott and Stephen Graham. Originally intended for a 2nd October 2020 release date this was subsequently pushed back to 25th June 2021.

This week there are four new release movies showing at your local Odeon. We launch with a disaster film of post zombie apocalyptic proportions in this South Korean standalone sequel to a hugely popular and successful 2016 film, that sees a group of four soldiers return to a zombie infested wasteland to retrieve a stash of cash and get out alive . . . easy! Next we turn to another disaster, but this one brought about by a hurricane event, and a cop trying to organise the evacuation of an apartment tower in which lives a former cop now suffering ill health, as a gang of thieves close in intent on stealing a huge stash of cash hidden in said apartment block. We have next a comedy drama about an estranged father and son who embark on journey to Tuscany to visit, fix up and sell a run down old villa left to them by their late wife and mother; before closing out the week with a French offering about a man whose life long marriage is on the slide but he's given a chance to kind of 'time travel' by a stage company and so he revisits the place where he first met his future wife over forty years prior.

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.

'PENINSULA' (Rated MA15+) - this South Korean post zombie apocalyptic action horror film is the standalone sequel to 2016's 'Train to Busan' as is Directed by Yeon Sang-ho who also Directed that first instalment. This film was selected to be shown at this years Cannes Film Festival which was subsequently cancelled for reasons of COVID-19. And so the film was released in its native South Korea in mid-July, goes on limited release in Australia this week and in the US next week. The film cost US$16M to make and has so far grossed US$29M with US$27M of that haul coming from its local audience. It is also the first time since mid-March that the total global Box Office for a new film release has achieved over US$1M.

Set four years following the total decimation of South Korea in 'Train to Busan' Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), a soldier who previously escaped the diseased wasteland, relives the horror when assigned to a covert operation with two simple objectives : retrieve an abandoned food truck containing a stash of cash amounting to US$20M and survive in the process. When his team unexpectedly stumbles upon survivors, their lives will depend on whether the best or worst of human nature prevails in the most deadly and dangerous of circumstances. Also starring Lee Jung-hyun and Lee Re.

'FORCE OF NATURE' (Rated MA15+) - is an American action film Directed by Michael Polish whose previous Directing credits include 'The Astronaut Farmer' in 2006 with Billy Bob Thornton, 'The Smell of Success' in 2009 with Thornton again, 'Amnesiac' in 2014 with Kate Bosworth, '90 Minutes in Heaven' in 2015 with Bosworth again and 'Nona' in 2017 with Bosworth once more. And here he teams up with Bosworth again for the latest hurricane heist set drama. And so here policeman Cardillo (Emille Hirsch) and a former cop suffering declining health Ray Barrett (Mel Gibson) married to Troy Barrett (Kate Bosworth) battle a gang of thieves led by John the Baptist (David Zayas) as they search for US$55M inside an evacuated building during a hurricane. This film seems to have divided Critics who have largely bestowed negative Press on the film, and audiences who have seemingly praised it. The film was released at the end of June on digital, DVD and Blu-Ray, gets a theatrical release in Australia this week, cost US$23M to produce and so far grossed US$150K.

'MADE IN ITALY' (Rated M) - this comedy film is Directed and Written by the English Actor James D'Arcy in his feature film making debut. Darcy has notched up nearly eighty film and television acting credits to his name in a career spanning twenty-five years. Here Robert (Liam Neeson) is estranged from his adult son Jack (Micheal Richardson), but they reunite to travel to Tuscany, Italy in order to sell the house they inherited from Robert's late wife. When they arrive they discover a run down largely dilapidated villa, that they must first set about restoring before they can even think about selling. As the renovations don't go quite according to plan, the father and son soon find themselves at odds with one another. Robert's obvious lack of DIY experience leads him to seek advice and assistance from some of the more colourful locals including the no nonsense Kate (Lindsay Duncan), an ex-pat who earns a living selling villas who also quickly captures his eye. For Jack, the state of the house seems to echo his search for memories of happier times with his mother. He soon falls for Natalia (Valeria Bilello), a vivacious young Italian chef, who restores both body and soul with culinary delights from her local trattoria, but her jealous and angry ex-husband may come between them. As Robert and Jack gradually restore the villa to its former glory, so too do they begin to heal their relationship.

'LA BELLE EPOQUE' (Rated M) - is a 2019 French romantic comedy drama film Directed and Written by Nicolas Bedos in only his second feature film making outing, although he has acted and written in various films and TV series over the years. The film first Premiered out of competition at the May 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was then released in its native France in early November last year to generally favourable Reviews. Here, Victor Drumond (Daniel Auteuil) is a man in his sixties whose forty or so year marriage to Marianne (Fanny Ardant) is on the rocks. When Victor meets Antoine (Guillaume Canet), the owner of a company which allows people to perform a version of 'time travel' by visiting a stage where the company acts out a staged historical reenactment, he takes the opportunity to revisit the moment when he first met Marianne on 16th May 1974 at a cafe in Lyon called 'La Belle Epoque', in the hope of reigniting his love for her. Also starring Doria Tillier and Michael Cohen.

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-