What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 14th January 2021.

The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, the festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excellence of the film art, contributing to the understanding and appreciation of film cultures of different nations in the context of their social and cultural ethos, and promoting friendship and cooperation among people of the world. The festival is conducted jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals and the state Government of Goa, and runs this year from Saturday 16th through Sunday 24th January. 

Fifteen widely acclaimed films compete for the Golden Peacock Award at IFFI plus a share in a cash pool prize amounting to 9M Indian Rupees (US$123K). Those awards go to the Best Film, Best Director, Best Male Actor, Best Female Actor and the Special Jury Award.

Those films in competition are : 

* 'My Best Part' - Directed by Nicolas Maury and from France,
* 'The Domain' - Directed by Tiago Guedes and from Portugal,
* 'Into The Darkness' - Directed by Anders Refn and from Denmark,
* 'February' - Directed by Kamen Kalev and from Bulgaria and France,
* 'I Never Cry' - Directed by Piotr Domalewski and from Poland and Ireland,
* 'La Veronica' - Directed by Leonardo Medel and from Chile,
* 'Light For The Youth' - Directed by Shin Su-won and from South Korea,

* 'Red Moon Tide' - Directed by Lois Patino and from Spain,
* 'Dream About Sohrab' - Directed by Ali Ghavitan and from Iran,
* 'The Dogs Didn’t Sleep Last Night' - Directed by Ramin Rasouli and from Afghanistan and Iran,
* 'The Silent Forest' - Directed by KO Chen-Nien and from Taiwan,

* 'The Forgotten' - Directed by Daria Onyshchenko and from the Ukraine and Switzerland,
* 'Bridge' - Directed by Kripal Kalita and from India,

* 'Thaen' - Directed by Ganesh Vinayakan and from India,

* 'A Dog And His Man' - Directed by Siddharth Tripathy and from India.

Also in the 'Indian Panorama' section of the festival there are twenty-three feature films, twenty non-feature films, six iconic Marathi films and nine South Indian films being showcased. For more information on the 51st IFFI, you can go to the official website at : https://iffigoa.org/

This week then, there are four latest release new movies coming to your local Odeon. We kick off the week with a period piece set in a southern English coastal town where an acclaimed hunter of fossils is given to care for a young woman in recuperation with life changing consequences for them both. This is followed by a WWII fantasy adventure actioner that sees a female Army Captain board an all male crew of a B-17 bomber aircraft with a highly classified package, only to have her mission, the crew and the plane put at risk by an evil presence on board. Next up is a true story of the recent past that sees a young woman land a role at a noted literary agency, who has a famed client that wrote an acclaimed novel in 1951, and her job is to respond to his fan mail with pre-formatted replies, until she begins answering them personally. And wrapping up the week is a musical drama offering that sees a recently sober drug dealer being forced into caring for her teenage autistic half-sister.

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 week ahead.

'AMMONITE' (Rated MA15+) - Directed and Written by the British film maker and writer Francis Lee, whose only previous feature film was 2017's 'God's Own Country', this film is inspired loosely on the life of British palaeontologist Mary Anning (1799-1847) and her relationship with British geologist Charlotte Murchison (1788-1869). The film saw its World Premier showing at TIFF in mid-September last year, went on release in the US in mid-November, is released here in Australia this week and in the UK at the end of March. The film cost US$13.5M and has so far returned US$249K, has gained generally positive Critical acclaim and has been nominated five times around the awards and festivals circuit. 

In 1840's England, acclaimed but unrecognised fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) works alone on the rugged Southern English coastline around the town of Lyme Regis. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to rich tourists to support herself and her ailing mother Molly (Gemma Jones). When wealthy visitor Roderick Murchison (James McArdle) arrives in Lyme Regis on the first leg of a European tour, he entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan) who is recuperating from a personal tragedy. Mary is in no position to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes with her unwelcome guest, but despite the distance between their social class and personalities, an intense bond begins to develop, compelling the two women to determine the true nature of their relationship. Also starring Fiona Shaw.

'SHADOW IN THE CLOUD' (Rated MA15+) - this New Zealand American fantasy adventure action Co-Production is Directed by Roseanne Liang in only her second full length feature film outing following 2011's 'My Wedding and Other Secrets' and is Co-Written by her and Max Landis. The film saw it's World Premier showing at TIFF back in September last year and went on limited release in the US (because of COVID-19) on 1st January, has so far taken just US$40K at the Box Office and has generated largely positive Reviews. In the throes of WWII, Captain Maude Garrett (Chloe Grace Moretz) joins the all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude's every move. Just as her quick wit is winning them over, strange happenings and holes in her backstory incite paranoia surrounding her true mission. But this crew has more to fear, as lurking in the shadows, something sinister is tearing at the heart of the plane. Trapped between an oncoming air ambush and an evil lurking within, Maude must push beyond her limits to save the hapless crew and protect her mystery cargo. Also starring Callan Mulvey, Benedict Wall, Nick Robinson, Taylor John Smith and Beulah Koale. 

'MY SALINGER YEAR' (Rated M) - is a drama film Written and Directed by the French Canadian Philippe Falardeau, based upon the memoir of the same name by Joanna Rakoff. The film had its World Premiere showcasing at the Berlin International Film Festival in late February 2020, and is scheduled for release in Canada and the US in early March this year. It is the mid-1990's and idealistic twenty-something Joanna Rakoff (Margaret Qualley) impulsively quits graduate school and arrives in New York to pursue her dream of becoming a published poet. She manages to get her foot in the door, landing a coveted role as assistant to Margaret (Sigourney Weaver), a brusque and old-fashioned literary agent. The agency’s most famous client is the notoriously reclusive writer J.D. Salinger (famed author of 1951's 'The Catcher in the Rye'), and Joanna’s main responsibility is to process the vast amounts of fan mail that arrives for him daily from readers around the world. Her explicit instructions are to reply with one of the office’s impersonal, pre-formulated responses, and destroy the letters, but she cannot help feeling deeply affected by some of the more heartfelt correspondence, and secretly starts answering them personally. As Joanna begins to discover her own voice, she puts everything else at risk. Also starring Douglas Booth and Colm Feore. 

'MUSIC' (Rated M) - this American musical drama film is Directed, Co-Produced, Co-Written by the Australian singer, songwriter, voice Actress and now first time feature filmmaker Sia, who also wrote the ten songs featured on the soundtrack of this film. Costing US$16M to make, the film sees its Australian release this week and its US, UK, Russian and German release in mid-February. Kazu (Kate Hudson), a newly sober drug dealer and self-saboteur finds herself the sole guardian of her teenaged autistic half-sister, Music (Maddie Ziegler), following the death of her grandmother, who raised Music. Kazu is a free spirit barely able to take care of herself, let alone her sister, and struggles with this new responsibility, but soon learns that life's obstacles are made easier with a little help from a friend, Ebo (Leslie Odom Jr.), a neighbour whose own family story makes him someone Kazu can learn from and rely upon. Also starring Hector Elizondo. 

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 coming week, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-