MANK : Tuesday 24th November 2020.

'MANK' which I saw at my local independent movie theatre this week, is an M Rated American biographical drama film Directed and Co-Produced by the multi-award winning and nominated David Fincher, whose previous film making credits include his debut 'Alien 3', then 'Se7en', 'The Game', 'Fight Club', 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', 'The Social Network', and 'Gone Girl' amongst others. This film is based on a script written by David Fincher's father Jack Fincher which he wrote in the '90's with David wanting to film it following 'The Game' in 1997 but it never eventuated because David wanted to shoot the film in black & white to maintain an authenticity of the period in which the film is set ie. the Hollywood of the 1930's and '40's. At that time no studio wanted to shoot a film in black and white and when father Jack died in 2003 the film was put on the back burner, until mid-2019 when Netflix International Pictures put the movie into production. The film has garnered positive critical acclaim, and went on a limited cinematic release from last week before streaming on Netflix from 4th December. 

The film opens up in 1940 with a car motoring along a dusty highway and turning off at Victorville and driving up to the North Verde Ranch where Herman K. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) alights from the vehicle on crutches, assisted by his good friend and writing collaborator John Houseman (Sam Troughton) and English typist Rita Alexander (Lily Collins) and a German nurse Fraulein Frieda (Monika Grossman). Mankiewicz (or 'Mank' as he shall be known) has a broken leg in three places from a recent motor vehicle accident. Laying down in an adapted bed he receives a phone call from Orson Welles (Tom Burke) about a screenplay he has been commissioned to write in ninety days, only Welles tells him that he now has sixty days. Mank is not happy about the news but relents and accepts the direction from the Producer, Director and star of the upcoming film, which the studio, RKO Pictures, have given him complete creative control over - not bad for a 24 year old untried and largely unproven movie maker.

And so Mank gets to work on the script at the alcohol free ranch much to his chagrin, although he is able to get dosed up on bottles of barbiturates provided by Houseman instead of whisky, which has the effect of knocking him out cold for twelve hours at a time. Ultimately, Mank is able to smuggle in to the ranch a crate loaded full of his favoured whisky, unknown to Houseman. With Mank dictating the words to his script for Rita to write down long hand and then type up at night, the process is sporadic at best and with the sixty day deadline looming he has still only one hundred pages completed in what Houseman describes as beautifully written, but incoherent and too high brow for American audiences to grapple with for their 25cents cinema ticket price. Mank however, persists along his chosen path.

In the meantime, we see constant references and flashbacks to various key dates in the previous decade, and his meetings, run ins, business and personal relationships with the likes of screen Actress Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried) and mistress to William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance) the famed American businessman, newspaper publisher and politician, whose life story was to be the main inspiration for Mank's screenplay of Charles Foster Kane - the lead character that would be portrayed by Orson Welles in the 1941 film 'Citizen Kane'. 

In addition we see his dealings with Louis B. Mayer (Arliss Howard) of Metro Goldwyn Mayer fame; prolific Hollywood film Producer Irving Thalberg (Ferdinand Kingsley); American film Producer, Screenwriter and Executive David O. Selznick (Toby Leonard Moore); Mank's brother and Director, Producer and Screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Tom Pelphrey) and of course Mank's long suffering but fiercely loyal wife Sara (Tuppence Middleton). 

And naturally there are sub-plots along the way that centre around Mank's heavy drinking and alcoholism (which would eventually kill him in 1952 at the age of just 55), his propensity to gamble on almost anything, the successful attempt by Irving Thalberg who was an MGM Studio Executive at the time to swing the 1934 California Governor's election against the socialist candidate Upton Sinclair (Bill Nye), and his declining relationship with Hearst, which culminates with a drunken rant by Mank at Hearst Castle at San Simeon aimed at Hearst and Mayer and in front of other Hollywood movers and shakers who all one by one get up and leave the dinner table out of disgust or embarrassment or both. And of course the ever looming deadline counting down on sixty days by which time Mank has his final draft of three hundred pages, but doubts that it is really any good until Houseman and brother Joseph tell him that it is probably his finest work. 

In the final analysis Mank's script for the film that would become 'Citizen Kane' was nominated for an Academy Award in every possible category, but won the award only for Best Original Screenplay for co-authors Mank and Orson Welles. Neither Welles nor Mankiewicz attended the dinner, which was broadcast on radio. Welles was in South America filming 'It's All True', and Mank refused to attend. George Schaefer, who was President of RKO Pictures in 1941 when the film was made, accepted Mank's Oscar in his absence. It should be noted that Mank and Welles clashed over the writing credit for 'Citizen Kane', with Welles reportedly offering Mank a bonus of US$10K if he would let Welles take full credit. Mank went to the Screen Writers Guild for a determination, and they eventually laid down a joint credit with Mank's name appearing first. Welles maintained that he had always intended to share the writing credit. 

'Mank' is a beautifully shot film looking as though it was filmed in the late 1930's in crisp black and white by Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt; the dialogue is sharp, emotive and mature; the production values top notch; and the cast are all uniformly good but special mention must go to Gary Oldman who once again inhibits his character in every sense and every scene - just as he did with his Academy Award winning turn as Winston Churchill in 2017's 'Darkest Hour'. And Fincher here has crafted a film that serves as a stirring footnote to Hollywood's 'Golden Age' of domineering studios, those who ran them, and the rot that lurked largely hidden beneath. The film is entertaining, thought provoking, stylishly made, has a haunting soundtrack by regular musical collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and Fincher has here once again proven that he is right up among the best that Hollywood has to offer and is at the top of his game. Oscar bait for sure and worthy of repeat viewing that will be right up the street of every cinephile, but if you're not one of those, then there is a chance this film will be lost on you.

'Mank' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 26th November 2020.

The third Children's International Film Festival (CHIFF) is being held in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia from 27th November through until 13th December. The official website reads that CHIFF caters 'for children aged 4-16, the festival's program ranges from non-verbal films for the miniature movie lover, through to a more challenging mix of foreign and English language films from all over the world, perfect for older budding cinephiles. All of the new films in the CHIFF programme are Australian premieres, handpicked from world-class film festivals such as Berlin, Toronto, and Seattle. These films rarely get a release outside of their home countries, so CHIFF provides one of the only ways for families to catch them on the big screen in Australia'.

This years line up of twenty child friendly films opens up with 'Lassie Come Home' (as Previewed below), and continue with the likes of the following :-

* 'Babe' - from Australia and the USA and Directed by Chris Noonan, CHIFF presents this special 25th anniversary screening of the Academy Award nominated family film.

* 'The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily' - from France and Italy and Directed by Lorenzo Mattotti and based on a classic 1945 Italian children’s book and premiering at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, this French-language animation with English subtitles tells a story of conflict between humans and bears in the kingdom of Sicily.

* 'Captain Sabretooth and the Magic Diamond' - from Norway and Directed by Marit Moum Aune and Rasmus A. Sivertsen is a story of the infamous pirate Captain Sabertooth who wants a magic diamond that holds special powers but, the problem is, so does Maga Kahn, a vampire king with an army of monkeys at his disposal.

* 'Daisy Quokka : World's Scariest Animal' - from Australia and Directed by Ricard Cusso. Here, an unbearably adorable, eternally optimistic Quokka named Daisy wants to achieve the impossible – to win the annual ‘World’s Scariest Animal’ championship. So she enlists the guidance of a washed-up, former champion, a grouchy Saltwater Crocodile, to help her achieve her dreams and prove that champions can come in all shapes and sizes. Featuring the voice talents of Sam Neill and Angourie Rice.

* 'Dino Dana : The Movie' - from Canada and Directed by J.J.Johnson sees Dana, a ten-year-old girl who has the power to imagine dinosaurs into the real world, is ready to commence dino experiment 901 to find out just why there aren’t any kid dinosaur fossils. However, this time Dana has the help of her new neighbour Mateo who can also see the dinosaurs she conjures.

* 'Dreambuilders' - from Denmark and Directed by Kim Hagen Jensen and Tonni Zinck has Minna, one night discovering the behind-the-scenes world of dreams where creatures known as 'dreambuilders' construct and direct the visions that we experience every night while we sleep. Minna’s incredible newfound knowledge soon leads her to discover that she can not only manipulate her own dreams, but also those of others.

* 'The Elfkins : Baking a Difference' - from Germany and Directed by Ute von Munchow-Pohl here tells the story of the tiny gnome-like Elfkins who have lived in hiding, under the German city of Cologne, for more than 200 years. One day, after being dismissed by her fellow Elfkins one time too many for her inventions, the young Elfkin girl Helvi decides it’s time to try and return to the human world on the surface.

* 'Fritzi : A Revolutionary Tale' - from Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Czech Republic and Directed by Ralf Kakula and Matthias Bruhn, here it is 1989 and twelve-year-old Fritzi lives in East Germany. When Fritzi’s best friend Sophie goes on holiday Fritzi happily agrees to take care of Sophie’s dog, Sputnik. But then Sophie doesn’t come back: she and her mum have fled across the border seeking refuge in Hungary. Fritzi becomes determined to reunite Sophie and Sputnik so starts planning to cross the border herself.

* 'The Great Detective Sherlock Holmes : The Great Jail-Breaker' - from Hong Kong and Directed by Toe Yuena and Matthew Chow here sets the scene on the streets of Victorian era London, where nothing gets by Sherlock Holmes the dog and his trusted companion Dr. Watson the cat. Nothing, that is, except for the notorious burglar White Storm, who may well be a Robin Hood type who only steals from the rich to give to the poor, but the law is the law. Or is it?

* 'Jackie and Oopjen' - from the Netherlands with English subtitles and Directed by Annemarie van de Mond here sees Jackie who loves spending time at the famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Her mother works there and the museum has partnered with the Louvre to display a collection of Rembrandt’s paintings including his famous portrait of Oopjen Coppit. But there’s just one problem - Oopjen has gone missing!

* 'Phantom Owl Forest' - from Estonia with English subtitles and Directed by Anu Aun here has Eia’s Christmas holiday getting off to a disappointing start as both her parents have to travel for work so she is sent to stay on a farm in remote Southern Estonia, surrounded by a forest and covered in snow. The ten-year-old soon befriends the farmer and the various friends and family who pass through Phantom Owl Forest, but all is not as it may seem here.

* 'The Prince's Voyage' - from France and Luxembourg with English subtitles and Directed by Jean-Francois Laguionie and Xavier Picard tells the story of washing up on an unfamiliar beach, the monkey Prince is found by twelve-year-old Tom who takes the wounded Prince with him to stay with his parents: two scientists who have been outcast for their radical ideas about the existence of other monkey civilisations. 

* 'Sky Raiders' - from Israel with English subtitles and Directed by Lior Chefetz sees classmates Yotam and Noa who are both obsessed with aircraft and flying, although both of the thirteen-year-olds have major obstacles in their way. Yotam is still grieving the loss of his father in a plane crash and Noa has to deal with her bullying older brother, plus the fact that her father won’t take her interests in flying seriously.

* 'Too Far Away' - from Germany with subtitles and Directed by Sarah Winkenstette here tells the story of Ben who was happy being popular at school and the star player on his local soccer team, but his life is turned upside down when his family have to move after his village becomes the site for a new open brown coal mine. At Ben’s new school he is bullied and relegated to playing defence on his new soccer team. Things start to look up when he meets another new student, Tariq, a refugee from Syria.

You can see the full programme and learn more about CHIFF at the official website at : https://www.chiff.com.au

This week then we have seven new feature films to tempt you out to your local Odeon. Kicking off we have a film about an pair of caring grandparents who go off in search go their young grandson now living off grid with the ruthless family of their former daughter-in-law who has remarried into that family. We then have a change of pace with an English film about the 1970 Miss World competition and the Women's Liberation Movement who fought against it. Next up is a Sci-Fi psychological horror film about a secret organisation using brain transplant technology to inhabit someone else's body; followed by a French film about a returning son who goes home to his fathers farm in rural France, buys him out, raises a family, expands the business and then it all goes pear shaped. Then there is a concert film featuring a famed front man from a very popular and successful '80's band together with eleven other musicians recorded live on Broadway; which is followed by a Christmas holiday film about a young woman who wants to propose to her girlfriend at her parents holiday party, but her parents are unaware of their daughter's true feelings for the woman. And we close out the week with a German remake of a classic 1940 novel and a 1943 movie about a dog who needs to find his way home to his rightful owner after being sent away.  

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the seven 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.

'LET HIM GO' (Rated M) - is an American neo-Western drama offering Directed, Co-Produced and written for the screen by Thomas Bezucha whose sporadic film making career takes in just three credits being 'Big Eden' in 2000, 'The Family Stone' in 2005 and 'Monte Carlo' in 2011. This film is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Larry Watson. Originally slated for a US release in late August, this date was pushed back due to COVID-19 to early November and has so far taken just over US$7M at the Box Office. Now getting a release in Australia from this week, the film has generated largely positive Reviews. 

Set in the mid-'60's, following the untimely death of their son in  tragic horse riding accident, a retired sheriff, George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from the clutches of the dangerous Weboy family ruled over by stern matriarch Blanche Weboy (Lesley Manville) living off the grid in the Dakotas. Also starring Will Brittain, Jeffrey Donovan, Kayli Carter and Booboo Stewart. 

'MISBEHAVIOUR' (Rated M) - this British comedy drama film is Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe in only her second feature film following 2016's 'Swallows and Amazons' although she has Directed TV movies 'The Other Boleyn Girl', 'Beau Brummell : This Charming Man' and 'Cider with Rosie' as well as a number of episodes of 'Call The Midwife', 'The Crown' and 'Jamaica Inn'. Set in 1970, the Miss World Competition took place in London, hosted by the US comedian Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear). At that time Miss World was the most-watched TV show in the world with over 100 million viewers. Arguing that beauty competitions objectify women, the newly formed women's liberation movement achieved overnight fame by invading the stage and disrupting the live broadcast of the competition. Starring Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley, Lesley Manville, Rhys Ifans and Suki Waterhouse. The film has garnered generally positive Reviews, was released in the UK in mid-March and then on VoD in the UK a month later because of the escalating impact of COVID-19, and has so far taken just over US$1M at the Box Office. 

'POSSESSOR' (Rated CTC) - Directed and Written by Brandon Cronenberg (son of David) this Sci-Fi psychological horror film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in late January this year, was released Stateside and in Canada in early October and now gets its release in Australia and the UK from this week. This is only Brandon's second feature film offering following 2012's 'Antiviral' and has received generally favourable Reviews, with Critics praising the films originality and the performance from the principle cast. It has so far taken US$753K at the Box Office. The film follows an agent Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) who works for a secretive organisation that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies - ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients. Also starring Christopher Abbott, Rossif Sutherland, Sean Bean, Tuppence Middleton and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

'IN THE NAME OF THE LAND' (Rated M) - this French film is Directed and Co-Written by Edouard Bergeon in his feature film debut, and is inspired by his own childhood and is dedicated to his parents. The film tells the story of Pierre Jarjeau (Guillaume Canet), who returns from Wyoming to the Mayenne district of France in the late 1970’s to marry his sweetheart Claire (Veerle Baetens) and take over the farm from his his arrogant and domineering father Jacques (Rufus). The couple have two children, Thomas (Anthony Bajon) and Emma (Yona Kervern) and for many years, life is good. But the business is soon placed under enormous financial and operational pressure due to expansion, and what was once a satisfying lifestyle begins to take an insidious toll on the family.

'DAVID BYRNE'S AMERICAN UTOPIA' (Rated M) - is an American concert film Directed and Co-Produced by Spike Lee, from a screenplay by David Byrne. The film is a live recording of a Broadway performance of a modified version of the album 'American Utopia', including several songs and contributions from throughout Byrne's career. Byrne performs alongside eleven other musicians, all performing with wireless or portable equipment. The film saw its World Premier screening at TIFF in September this year and shortly thereafter at the New York Film Festival and then the British Film Institute London Film Festival, and has received universal critical acclaim. 

'HAPPIEST SEASON' (Rated M) - this American romantic comedy film is Directed, written for the screen, based on a story and stars Clea DuVall in only her second feature film making outing since 2016's 'The Intervention' although she has totals of four Producer credits, four as Writer, six as Director and eighty-five as an Actor to her name. Here Abby (Kristen Stewart) plans to propose marriage to her girlfriend Harper Caldwell (Mackenzie Davis) while attending her family's annual Christmas holiday party. At the party, she comes to the realisation that Harper has not come out to her conservative parents yet, Ted and Tipper Caldwell (Victor Garber and Mary Steenburgen respectively). Released in the US this week too on streaming service Hulu and in other international markets, the film has generated largely favourable press. Also starring Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Daniel Levy and Mila Kunis.

'LASSIE COME HOME' (Rated PG) - Directed by Hanno Olderdissen, this German film with English subtitles is a remake of the 1943 classic novel of the same name by Eric Mowbray Knight about the iconic long haired Collie dog with a keen sense for adventure. Here Lassie and twelve-year-old Florien Maurer (Nico Marischka) are inseparable best friends, so it breaks both their hearts when Lassie is sent away after Florien’s father loses his job. While Lassie’s temporary minders, which includes twelve-year-old Priscilla von Sprengel (Bella Bading), mean well; Lassie is mistreated by an opportunist caretaker and escapes the first chance she gets. It is the start of an epic adventure across southern Germany as Lassie makes her way back home while Florien and Priscilla set out to find her. Both human and canine characters face many challenges and obstacles, but the bond between a child and their dog is not one that can be easily broken.

With seven 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 coming week, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE COMEBACK TRAIL : Tuesday 17th November 2020.

'THE COMEBACK TRAIL' which I saw this week is an M Rated American crime comedy film Written and Directed by George Gallo who has twenty-two Writer credits, ten as Producer and sixteen as Director to his name including 'Double Take', 'Local Color', 'Homeland Security', 'Middle Men', 'Columbus Circle' and 'The Poison Rose'. This film is a remake of the 1982 film of the same name Directed by Harry Hurwitz. Featuring an ensemble cast, this film saw its Premiere screening at the 43rd Mill Valley Film Festival in California in mid-October this year and now gets a run in Australia ahead of its originally slated release Stateside in mid-December which has subsequently been pushed back to sometime next year. 

The film opens in 1974 Hollywood with grindhouse movie Producer Max Barber (Robert De Niro) sat at a cafe table with his business partner and nephew Walter Creason (Zach Braff) reading the latest Review for their new movie about to have its World Premier screening at a cinema just down the street. That movie is titled 'Killer Nuns' and lobbying the theatre in protest is a group of nuns parading up and down the street with placards chanting to boycott the film. They have sold no tickets to the World Premier event and Walter coyly says to Max that perhaps its time to give up on the movie making business. But Max is an old hand at the film game and he reminds his nephew that their company 'Miracle Motion Pictures' lives by the motto 'If it's Good, It's a Miracle' and as miracles happen every day they just need to watch out for one to land their way, and it will, such is Max's optimism.  

When Max arrives back at his home, which is right under the flightpath of an airport so the house shakes violently every time a plane lands or takes off, he is greeted by Reggie Fontaine (Morgan Freeman) a mob boss whom he is indebted to to the tune of US$350K for financing 'Killer Nuns'. As the movie has bombed, Reggie wants his money back and straight away. After exchanging some dialogue about classic movies and Actors, Reggie gives Max three days to come up with the money, otherwise he's dead meat!

In the office of 'Miracle Motion Pictures' Max and Walter contemplate their futures and their next production. Walter picks up a script of a movie called 'Paradise' which Max wrote years ago, and which rival film producer James Moore (Emile Hirsch) who once worked for Max, has been keen to get his hands on for years, and is prepared to pay handsomely for it. But Max is very attached to 'Paradise' saying that it is Oscar material, the dialogue is top notch and that he has in mind certain production values and certain casting decisions to make the film - only he can't possibly afford the US$1M+ price tag to put his movie and his script into production. Max visits James Moore at his lavish home and asks for a loan of US$350K to pay off his debt to Reggie. Moore is prepared to write a cheque on the spot for the US$350K on one condition! And that is that Max sells him the rights to his 'Paradise' screenplay for which after some bidding toing and froing Moore ups the ante to US$1M, with the US$350K as a downpayment. Max is tempted, but still refuses to budge on his beloved script. 

After visiting the set of Moore's latest US$1M action movie starring the much loved and highly regarded Hollywood Actor Frank Pierce (Patrick Muldoon), at which Max and Moore are still at loggerheads over his 'Paradise' script, they witness Pierce fall to his death from six storeys up while preparing for a stunt. Later back home, the news of Pierce's deaths is all over the news channels, saying that as the Actor performed all his own stunts the studio will receive a US$5M pay out from the insurance company. Whilst Max is livid at Moore's good fortune in financing a film that had a budget of US$1M, he's going to get back US$5M and had less that one days film footage in the can. But, a light goes on inside Max's head. 

Enter Duke Montana (Tommy Lee Jones) a washed up aging depressed old drunk who back in the day was a renowned Actor famed for playing a gun totting fearless cowboy. Now he resides all alone in a nursing home for retired Actors and once every day puts a single bullet in his six shooter pistol, spins the chamber and places the gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger, thus far unsuccessfully. Max and Walter track down Duke and offer him the lead role in their new upcoming movie 'The Oldest Gun in the West'. 

Unbeknownst to Walter however, is the fact that Max has an ulterior motive in hiring Duke. Willing to perform all his own stunts, Max intends to kill off Duke during a stunt, and claim a hefty insurance payout. After hiring a suitable Director to helm the film project, Megan Albert (Kate Katzman), and bringing Reggie in on the scam just as his three day deadline is about to lapse, the movie goes into production. 

Reggie calls Max after the first day of filming to enquire about Duke's demise, but Duke survived his first stunt when his horse stalled at a burning wagon tossing him through the flames sending him crashing down to the ground on the other side, on fire. On the second day, Reggie calls again hoping for more favourable news that the lead Actor is well and truly dead, but Max reports that Duke survived another stunt involving a sabotaged rope bridge across a deep ravine with a fast flowing river below. On the third day after receiving further similar news of another survived stunt, Reggie decides to take the law into his own hands and visit the set and kill the sucker himself.  

In the meantime Max and Walter review the dailies and with Megan agree that the footage in the can so far has 'hit' written all over it. Walter is more excited about the prospect of them having their first sure fire hit on their hands than Max is, whose only interest is in killing off his star and claiming the insurance. In the meantime, Max just about survives a number of very near misses himself including getting kicked in the chest by Duke's stunt horse, Butterscotch. 

Reggie and a couple of his henchmen arrive on the set just as Duke is about to shoot a crucial scene involving him and a bunch of native Indian Americans standing off against a town's Sheriff, with both sides poised to draw their guns. Reggie walks straight in on the scene as Megan calls 'cut' with his own pistol drawn ready to gun down Duke for real. Sensing the commotion, Duke mounts Butterscotch, hauls up Max onto his back and gallops off, leaving Reggie to give chase in his car. They arrive at an abandoned drive in movie theatre where Max ordered Walter to grab a roll of film and project it on to the screen, so that Reggie could see some of the unfinished footage for himself. At the crucial moment the film rolls, and Reggie gazes up at the screen with a big smile on his dial. He also thinks that the film is going to be a hit, and orders Max to finish the movie. 

With the film in the can, we fast forward some months to the World Premier of 'The Oldest Gun in the West' with the audience at capacity and the media in attendance conducting red carpet interviews with cast and crew. Max, Walter, Reggie, Megan and James Moore are all present with Reggie interrupting an interview with Max saying that he is from this point forward going to Co-Produce every one of Max's movies. Duke arrives on his trusted steed, but refuses to be interviewed or to watch the World Premier screening saying that he doesn't like big crowds or being couped up indoors. He'd rather be outside riding his horse, and off he gallops as we see him riding through the foothills under the Hollywood sign. 

This film seemingly has pretty much divided audiences and Critics alike, and its easy to see why. On the one hand it has a strong cast of De Niro, Jones, Freeman, Braff and Hirsch who don't deliver any laugh out moments but do manage to raise a chuckle every so often, and who genuinely look as though they're having a good time on screen by hamming up the movie industry of yesteryear with cornball jokes and pratfalls. On the other hand the script is a little ho hum, the plot is predictable but at a fairly brisk running time of just over one hundred minutes, the film moves along at a good pace. It's not great, but it's not that bad either. 

'The Comeback Trail' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 19th November 2020.

The brand new UK collaborative 'Amplify! Film Festival' is currently running from the 6th through to the 22nd November. Bringing brilliant new cinema right into your lounge room 'Amplify!'s' online film festival beams feature films, documentaries, shorts, Q&A discussions and industry events wherever you are in the UK. Combining the Cambridge, Bath, Brighton and Cornwall Film Festivals this four partner event pools over one hundred years of accumulated experience to support independent filmmakers and bring a diverse range of films to the audience spread out across the cities of the UK. 

This years line up covers an array of film types, genres and categories, which is partly summarised below :-

UK Premier screenings

* 'Falling' - from Canada, UK and Denmark this Directorial debut for Viggo Mortensen is also written and stars him alongside Lance Henriksen that sees a father-son relationship sustained by pain and resentment, dominated by a hot-tempered patriarch. Also in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'My Mexican Bretzel' - from Spain with subtitles, this is Directed by Nuria Gimenez featuring Leon and Vivian Barrett travelling the world in a glamorous lifestyle following WWII. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section and in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Schoolgirls' - from Spain with subtitles this Directorial debut by Pilar Palomero is a semi-autobiographical film set in the early '90's about the doubts, fun, discovery and restlessness that accompany adolescence. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section and in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Body of Truth' - from Germany and Switzerland this documentary film is Directed by Evelyn Schels and examines the artists Marina Abramovic, Shirin Neshat, Sigalit Landau, and Katharina Sieverding who have all incorporated their bodies and the bodies of others into their work. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section.

* 'I Never Cry' - from Poland and Ireland this drama film is Directed by Piotr Domalewski and is a tale of teenage rationale and angst, in which a Polish seventeen year old girl's journey into adulthood is set against the effects of mass economic emigration after Poland joined the European Union.

* 'Caught in the Net' - from the Czech Republic this documentary film is Directed by Barbora Chalupova and Vit Klusak in their Directorial debuts and is a daring film about a project to catch and arrest a paedophile. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section and in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Cat in the Wall' - from Bulgaria and the UK with subtitles the documentary filmmakers Vesela Kazakova and Mina Mileva bring us their fiction film debut set on a London council estate, where multicultural residents clash over their social and economic differences, but must come together when an ownerless cat becomes trapped in the walls. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section.

* 'Some Beasts' - from Chile with subtitles Directed by Jorge Riquelme Serrano this thriller offering delves into the dark unravellings of a well-to-do urbanite family holidaying on a remote Chilean island.

* 'Open Door' - from Albania, Kosovo, Italy and North Macedonia with subtitles this Directorial debut for Florenc Papas sees a thirtysomething woman whose younger sister arrives back from Italy unexpectedly pregnant and their planned trip to see their old-fashioned father looks like a disaster in waiting - unless they can find someone to play the role of Elma's husband! Also in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'The Two Sights' - from Canada and the UK with subtitles Directed by Joshua Bonnetta this sound-focused documentary cinematically reconnects the narratives of a disappearing oral tradition with its physical environment set in the far western islands of Scotland's Outer Hebrides. 

* 'Aalto' - from Finland and Directed by Virpi Suutari this documentary film is about Finnish architect Alvar Aalto who holds a unique position amongst his peers, having brought a humanist influence to architecture by creating spaces that serve our social, psychological, and environmental needs. This film provides an insight into the intimate love story and their joint contribution to the world of modernist architecture that he shared with his wife Aino whom he married in 1924.

* 'The Mole Agent' - from Chile, USA, Germany, Netherlands and Spain with subtitles, this is Directed by Maiti Alberdi and sees an 83 year old man go undercover in an nursing home to uncover if there's any truth that his client's mother is being mistreated. 

* 'Adventures of a Mathematician' - from Germany, Poland and the UK and Directed by Thor Klein this film gives a compelling account of how one simple man is capable of great things and how he made significant contributions to the field of mathematics, nuclear physics and  modern computing by applying his talents to The Manhattan Project in order to develop a functioning atomic weapon during WWII.

* 'An Impossible Project' - from Germany and Austria and Directed by Jens Meurer this documentary film is about former biologist Dr. Florian Kaps whose heroic battle against the odds to save the world’s last remaining Polaroid factory after the first iPhone was released in 2008, and so keep analogue film alive in a world increasingly taken over by the digital image.

* 'Robolove' - from Austria with subtitles this is Directed by Maria Arlamovsky and this documentary is a compelling exploration of self and what it means to be human. Do we need androids that resemble humans? Do they provide some bridge between humans and machines? Or will they provide a way for us to pass our legacy to future generations?

Triple-F Rated screenings

If a film also features significant women on screen in their own right it is 'Triple F-Rated'. The rating is designed to support and promote women and redress the imbalance in the film industry. Other than those films highlighted above that fall into this category, there is also :

* 'The Audition' - from Germany and France with subtitles and Directed by Ina Weisse sees a music teacher with a fanatical and meticulous obsession with excellence who has identified a young musician with stage fright as being in need of her initially protective mentoring, but what seems to be her generosity gradually reveals itself to be something much darker.

* 'The Innocence' - from Spain with subtitles and Directed by Lucia Alemany that sees a teenage girl who dreams of leaving her hometown to become a circus artist. Her parents are good people, but not especially in tune with the needs and desires of their young daughter. Also in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Cocoon' - from Germany with subtitles and Directed by Leonie Krippendorff about a fourteen year old girl growing up in Berlin who is young and marginalised but then discovers that she can become the centre of someone else's universe. 

* 'Asia' - from Israel with subtitles and Directed in her debut by Ruthy Pribar and is about a mother and daughter relationship that is limited and strained, until events force them to develop a deeper, more authentic bond. Also in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Luxor' - from Egypt, UK and UAE and Directed by Zeina Durra that sees a British aid worker (played by Andrea Riseborough) seeking respite from the trauma of her work on the Jordanian-Syrian border with a trip to the Egyptian city of Luxor, where she used to live in her 20's.

* 'Rose Plays Julie' - from Ireland the the UK and Directed by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor and tells the story of a young woman who decides to take time out from her veterinary studies to contact her birth mother, who gave her up for adoption and went on to become a successful actress. This in turn leads her to her biological father, a famous archaeologist, and discoveries that cut deeper than she anticipated.

Directorial Debut screenings 

* 'Patrick' - from Belgium and the Netherlands and Directed by Tim Mileants this story surrounds Patrick whose only concern is that he’s lost one of his hammers. This despite the fact that his father just died and the camp his family runs is on the brink of revolt.

* '76 Days' - from the USA with subtitles and Directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and an Anonymous contributor Covid-19 is laid bare in this zeitgeisty documentary cataloguing the 76 days after the eleven million inhabitants of Wuhan went into lockdown on 23rd January 2020.

* 'You Will Die at Twenty' - from Sudan, France, Egypt, Germany, Norway and Qatar with subtitles, this is Directed by Amjad Abu Alala and is about a newborn boy who is taken for a blessing by his parents, but an accident causes the village's holy man to declare the child will die at the age of 20.

* 'Influence' - from Canada and South Africa and Directed by Diana Neille and Richard Poplak here the late Timothy Bell was a veteran of the British advertising world, most famous for being the favourite spin doctor and confidante of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. This films takes a look behind the curtain to analyse the man who pulled the strings, and chart the eventual fall from grace of his controversial PR firm, Bell Pottinger.

* 'Running Against the Wind' - from Ethiopia and Germany with subtitles Directed by Jan Philipp Weyl and telling the story of two young Ethiopian boys who run for fun, but, when they grow up, only one remains a dedicated athlete, while his friend has become involved with drugs and crime.

For more information, you can visit the official website at : https://www.amplifyfilm.org.uk

This week there are seven latest release new movies coming to an Odeon near you. We launch with a biopic set in the Hollywood of yesteryear and how the writer of one of the greatest films ever made comes to blows over the credit for his script with the Director, Producer and star of that film. We next turn to a Christmas offering surrounding Chris Cringle who is down on his luck and finds himself at odds with an assassin hired by a disgruntled twelve year old. This is followed up by a live action Italian film about a wooden puppet who longs to become a real boy and the adventures he has along that journey; and in turn a British offering about a Vietnamese refugee living in England who seeks to retrace his family history in his native country while scattering the ashes of his dead parents who fled from the ravages of the Vietnam War. We then have a French film about a new Principal joining a middle school in a Paris suburb and the relationships that unfold with her students and her staff; and following this is a real love story marred by tragedy; before closing out the week with an Aussie offering about a high school girl who plucks up the courage to ask another girl out to the school formal, only to be guided through this tricky scenario by her dead aunt, who was also an '80's lesbian activist, acting as her Fairy Godmother.   

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the seven 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.

'MANK' (Rated M) - this American biographical drama film is Directed and Co-Produced by the multi-award winning and nominated David Fincher whose previous film making credits include his debut 'Alien 3', then 'Se7en', 'The Game', 'Fight Club', 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', 'The Social Network', and 'Gone Girl' amongst others. This film is based on a script written by David Fincher's father Jack Fincher which he wrote in the '90's with David wanting to film it following 'The Game' in 1997 but it never eventuated because David wanted to shoot the film in black & white to maintain an authenticity of the period in which the film is set ie. the Hollywood of the 1930's and '40's. When father Jack died in 2003 the film was put on the back burner, until mid-2019 when Netflix International Pictures put the movie into production. The film has garnered positive critical acclaim, and goes on a limited cinematic release from this week before streaming on Netflix from 4th December. 

The story here centres around the life of alcoholic Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) as he is scribing 'Citizen Kane', and the issues that arose with Orson Welles (Tom Burke) throughout production of the film and in the lead up to the release of the film in 1941. Also starring Tuppence Middleton as Sara Mankiewicz, Charles Dance as William Randolph Hearst, Arliss Howard as Louis B. Mayer, Ferdinand Kingsley as Irving Thalberg, Toby Leonard Moore as David O. Selznick, Lily Collins as Rita Alexander and Tom Pelphrey as Joseph L. Mankiewicz. 

'FATMAN' (Rated MA15+) - Written and Directed by the brothers Eshom and Ian Nelms, this American dark comedy action film stars Mel Gibson as Chris Cringle (aka Santa Clause) who in order to save his business which is on an ever downward spiral, is forced into a business arrangement with the US military. To complicate things even more, Chris Cringle gets entrenched in a deadly battle of wits against the Skinny Man (Walton Coggins), a highly skilled assassin working in a toy shop who has been hired by a trumped up twelve year old Billy Wenan (Chance Hurstfield) after he was gifted a lump of coal in his Christmas stocking. Also starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste. The film has received mostly negative Reviews so far and saw its limited release Stateside on 13th November before its digital download release on 17th November and its limited release in Australia this week. 

'PINOCCHIO' (Rated M) - this Italian fantasy film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by the Italian film maker Matteo Garrone who's previous Directorial credits include 'Gamorrah' in 2008, 'Tale of Tales' in 2015 and 'Dogman' in 2018. This film is based on the 1883 book 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' by the Italian author Carlo Collodi. 'Pinocchio' has been a passion project for Garrone, who drew the first storyboard of the story at the age of six. This film is aimed at both adults and children, unlike his previous very adult orientated films, and the majority of characters, including Pinocchio himself, were created through prosthetic make-up rather than CGI. The film was released in its native Italy in mid-December last year, in the UK in mid-August this year and now here in Australia from this week. Having taken so far US$20M at the Box Office off the back of a US$12M production budget, the film has so far garnered positive Reviews. The film centres around Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) a poor Italian carpenter who builds a wooden puppet with which to earn himself a living by touring the country with it. As Geppetto begins to build the puppet, which he decides to name 'Pinocchio' (Federico Ielapi), he soon realises that Pinocchio is alive and able to experience feelings and express emotion, and decides to take him as his son. What follows is a journey of discovery and adventure for the wooden puppet as he strives to become a real boy. The film is overdubbed into English.

'MONSOON' (Rated M) - is a British drama film Written and Directed by the Cambodian born Chinese British film maker Hong Khaou in only his second feature film outing following 'Lilting' in 2014. The film saw its World Premier showing at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival at the end of June 2019 before its release in the UK in late September this year and in the US last week. The film has generated mostly positive Critical Reviews and has so far taken US$9K at the Box Office. Here Kit (Henry Golding), a young British Vietnamese man, returns to his birth country for the first time in over 30 years. He was just six years old when he and his family escaped Saigon as 'boat refugees' after the Vietnam War. No longer familiar with this country and unable to speak his native language, Kit embarks on a personal journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi in search of a place to scatter his parents’ ashes. Along the way he reconnects with his childhood friend Lee (David Tran) and falls for Lewis (Parker Sawyers), an American whose father had fought in the war. 

'SCHOOL LIFE' (Rated M) - is a French film Written and Directed by Grand Corps Malade (aka Fabien Marsaud) and Mehdi Idir, was released in France in late August 2019 and received positive Reviews from Critics becoming a box office success taking so far US$14M before being streamed via Netflix from early April 2020. And so here, the new vice principal of a middle school in the suburb of Paris, Saint Denis, Samia Zibra (Zita Hanrot) is warned by her fellow teachers that students are unmotivated and rarely abide by any form of discipline. She sees things in a completely different light compared to those others. However, she gets to know the students especially Yanis Bensaadi (Liam Pierron) who is quite sharp and intelligent but disillusioned by a world that seems to have turned its back on him and his family.

'ALL MY LIFE' (Rated M) - is an American romantic drama film Directed by Marc Meyers based on the true story of Solomon Chau and Jennifer Carter. Released in the UK in late October and scheduled for a US release date of early December, the film cost US$25M to produce. This story revolves around a young couple Solomon Chau (Harry Shum Jnr.) and Jennifer Carter (Jessica Rothe) as they plan their wedding in the face of devastating news. The couple, who had been planning their Toronto wedding since April 2014, found out that Chau had liver cancer in December of that year. To make sure they got the wedding of their dreams, they moved the date up to April 11, 2015, and they raised more than $52,000 through a GoFundMe account. They were married for four months before he died.

'ELLIE & ABBIE (& ELLIE'S DEAD AUNT) (Rated M) - this Australian film is Written and Directed by Monica Zanetti in her feature film making debut. Here seventeen year old Ellie (Sophie Hawkshore) is struggling to find the courage to ask her classmate, Abbie (Zoe Terakes), to the school formal, while at the same time struggling to come out to her Mum, Erica (Marta Dusseldorp). Luckily her Aunt Tara (Julia Billington), a lesbian activist who died in the '80's has shown up as a 'Fairy Godmother' guiding her through and offering advice on the trials and tribulations of first love, whether Ellie wants it or not. The film has generated mostly positive press so far. 

With seven 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 coming week, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-