What's new in Odeon's this week : Saturday 26th December 2020.

With Christmas upon us, for many of us around the world this festive season will take on a whole new meaning given the ongoing and seemingly ever present impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries across Europe, the US and Asia are now battling second and third phase outbreaks that bring more restrictions, more lockdowns and more uncertainty. If your Government permits, get out a see a movie on the big screen this festive season and escape the trials and tribulations of the real world for a few hours. In the meantime I take this opportunity to wish my readership wherever you are in the world, a safe, happy and relaxing Christmas with your families, friends and loved ones - assuming you are able to. Together we can beat this thing by remembering to wear a face mask, practice social distancing and good hand hygiene. I wish you all the very best and compliments of the season to you. 

Coming to big screens across Australia and in some cases internationally this Boxing Day, we have six new movie releases to tease you out to your local Odeon the day after Christmas. We begin with the much delayed ninth instalment in the DCEU that sees an immortal Superheroine face off against an apex predator superhuman and a ruthless businessman intent on making wishes come true. Next up is a woman's odyssey to explore a nomadic existence in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis; followed by a French film set in the late '60's about a woman thrust into running a housekeeping school, only to face challenges along the way from the bank, the students, and a former lover. We then turn to a real life telling of Churchill's Special Operations Executive set up during the early months of WWII and how a group of spirited women undermine the Nazi's in France. We then turn to a sequel of an animated feature from a few years ago that tells the story of a prehistoric family this time in search of a new place to call home, and when they find their seemingly idyllic place adventure awaits. And wrapping up the week is a food porn doco about how one renowned Chef was tasked with assembling a select group of the world's best Pastry Chefs to create the decadent desserts that would have been served up to the court of the Palace of Versailles in the late 17th and 18th centuries.    

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 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.

'WONDER WOMAN : 1984' (Rated M) - the ninth instalment in the DCEU is finally here, and this sequel to 2017's 'Wonder Woman' which grossed US$822M off the back of a production budget of about US$140M, is once again Directed by Patty Jenkins, and has been the subject of numerous delays to finally get us to this point. Originally announced for release on December 13, 2019, before being moved up to November 1, 2019, then it was delayed to June 5, 2020 and delayed again to August 14, 2020 while the world rode out the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, a further delay saw the film's release pushed to October 2, 2020, before it was moved to this Christmas date. The film will also stream on HBO Max in the US and through Premium VoD in Canada from the same day as its theatrical release in those countries, while the rest of the world can enjoy the big screen cinematic release from anytime between this week and the end of January 2021. Costing US$200M to make the film is not expected to be profitable, needing to take US$500M to break even after marketing costs are factored in. That said, this sequel has generated largely positive Critical acclaim.

Set in 1984 Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot who also Co-Produces here) is reunited with her former love interest Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and must face off against Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) who morphs into Cheetah, a cheetah like apex predator superhuman, and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), a charismatic businessman and founder of Black Gold Cooperative, who has acquired a mysterious Dreamstone that seemingly is able to grant wishes upon contact with any user. Also starring Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright reprising the roles from the first film as Hippolyta and Antiope respectively with Linda Carter who played Wonder Woman in the 1970s television series, makes a special cameo appearance as Asteria, a legendary Amazon warrior.

'NOMADLAND' (Rated M) - this highly acclaimed American drama film is Directed, Written, Co-Produced and Edited by the Chinese movie maker Chloe Zhao in only her third Directorial outing after 'Songs My Brother Taught Me' in 2015 and 'The Rider' in 2017. In September 2018, Marvel Studios hired her to direct 'Eternals', based on the comic book characters of the same name, which is set for a release in early November 2021. This film is based on the 2017 non-fiction book 'Nomadland : Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century' by Jessica Bruder. Here following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada following the Global Financial Crisis, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. Featuring real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West, the film also stars David Strathairn. The film saw its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September this year, goes on general release in the US on 19th February 2021, has generated universal Critical acclaim, and has so far collected twenty-three award wins and another nineteen nominations from around the awards and festival circuit.

'HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE' (Rated M) - this French comedy drama offering is Directed and Co-Written by Martin Provost whose more recent film making outings have included the highly acclaimed 'Seraphine' in 2008, 'The Long Falling' in 2011, 'Violette' in 2013 and 'The Midwife' in 2017. Paulette Van der Beck (Juliette Binoche) and her husband Robert (Francios Berleand) have been running a housekeeping school in Alsace, France in the late 1960's. After the sudden death of her husband, Paulette discovers that the school is on the verge of bankruptcy and has to step up and take on her responsibilities to the teenage girls under her tutelage and her staff. With preparations underway for the best housekeeping competition TV show, she and her lively students begin to question their beliefs as the nation-wide protests of May 1968 transform society around them. Reunited with her first love, Andre Grunvald (Edouard Baer), and with the help of her eccentric stepsister Gilberte (Yolanda Moreau) and strict nun Marie-Therese (Noemie Lvovsky), Paulette joins with the schoolgirls to overcome their suppressed status and become liberated women. This film opened in its native France back in March this year, and now gets a release in Australia from this week.

'A CALL TO SPY' (Rated M) - this American historical drama film is Lydia Dean Pilcher in only her second feature film outing following 2018's 'Radium Girls'. Inspired by true events during the early months of WWII and with Britain becoming desperate, Winston Churchill orders his new spy agency—the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to recruit and train women as spies. Their daunting mission is to conduct sabotage and build a resistance. SOE's 'spymistress' is Vera Atkins (Stana Katic) who recruits two unusual candidates -Virginia Hall (Sarah Megan Thomas who also wrote and Produced here), an ambitious American with a wooden leg, and Noor Inayat Khan (Radhika Apte), an Indian Muslim pacifist. Together, these women help to undermine the Nazi regime in France, leaving an unmistakable legacy in their wake. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Edinburgh International Film Festival way back in June 2019, saw its release in the US in early October, has so far taken just US$182K at the Box Office and now gets a release in Australia having generated positive critical Reviews.

'THE CROODS : A NEW AGE' (Rated PG) - is an American computer generated animated adventure comedy film that is the sequel to 2013's 'The Croods' which grossed US$588M off the back of a circa US$160M production budget. This film is Directed by first-timer Joel Crawford who takes over from Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders. And so here, searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discover an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Betterman's - a family that sits a couple of notches above the Croods on the evolutionary scale. As tensions between the new neighbours builds, a new threat soon launches both clans on an epic adventure that forces them to embrace their differences, draw strength from one another, and survive together. Featuring the returning voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener and Cloris Leachman joined by the new vocals provided by Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann and Kelly Marie Tran. The film has so far grossed US$77M from a production budget of US$65M since its release Stateside at the back end of November and has garnered mixed or average Reviews so far. 

'OTTOLENGHI AND THE CAKES OF VERSAILLES' (Rated G) - here Director Laura Gabbert whose previous documentary features include 'Sunset Story' in 2003, 'No Impact Man : The Documentary' in 2009 and 'City of Gold' in 2015, brings us her latest Doco about renowned Israeli born Chef Yotam Ottolenghi and how he was commissioned by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to reimagine desserts and pastry goodies that would have been savoured by French royalty in the court of Versailles during the period from the 1680's to the 1790's. To assist with his effort, Ottolenghi enlists the support of a veritable who's who of renowned pastry chefs from across the globe. Perhaps the most highly regarded of which is Dominique Ansel, the French-American best known for inventing the cronut (the croissant/doughnut hybrid). Then there is Ghaya Oliveira, a Tunisian chocolate aficionado and the Executive Pastry Chef at the exclusive New York restaurant Daniel. The British team of Sam Bompas and Harry Parr have had their intricate gelatine desserts Instagrammed around the world and from Singapore, Janice Wong is known for intricately detailed 'edible art' and finally the Ukrainian baker Dinara Kasko who creates astonishing cakes using 3D printing. The film has generated mostly positive press. 

With six 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-