DE GAULLE : Tuesday 25th May 2021.

'DE GAULLE' which I saw earlier this week at my local independent movie theatre, is an M Rated French biographical historical drama film Written and Directed by Gabriel Le Bomin whose previous feature film making credits take in 'Fragments of Antonin' in 2006, 'Beyond Suspicion' in 2010, and 'Our Patriots' in 2017 as well as a number of short films, TV movies and television series documentaries. This film was released in its native France back in early February 2020, and only since early May has it been on a limited release in Australia, having so far generated mixed or average Reviews, and collected US$7.5M at the global Box Office, off the back of a US$12.5M production budget.

The film opens up in early May 1940 as Charles de Gaulle (Lambert Wilson) and his wife Yvonne (Isabelle Carre) wake up from their slumber as the sun beats down through the curtains of their bedroom somewhere in rural France. After breakfast with their three children Anne, Philippe and Elisabeth (Clemence Hittin, Felix Back and Lucie Rouxel respectively), Charles is being helped by Yvonne into his military attire before leaving for Montcornet where following two days of fierce fighting de Gaulle's tanks forced the German infantry to retreat to Caumont, the action bringing only temporary relief and doing little to slow the spearhead of the German advance. Nevertheless, it was one of the few successes the French enjoyed while suffering defeats elsewhere across the country. This small victory buoyed de Gaulle, and in recognition for his efforts he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General on 23rd May 1940 by the French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud (Olivier Gourmet).

On 5th June, Prime Minister Reynaud appointed de Gaulle a government minister, as Under-Secretary of State for National Defence and War, with particular responsibility for coordination with the British. Four days later de Gaulle flew to London to meet with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Tim Hudson) for the first time. At that initial meeting de Gaulle suggests to Churchill that the British and French armed forces should join up to stand against the Germans on a united front. Meanwhile, Marshal Philippe Petain (Philippe Laudenbach) the Deputy Prime Minister was strongly opposed to de Gaulle's suggestions to keep fighting on, as was General Maxime Weygand (Alain Lenglet), instead coming to the conclusion that France had already lost the war to the might of the German war machine and they should accept their fate and seek an armistice with Hitler, before Paris is overwhelmed and destroyed. 

After another couple of meetings with Churchill and his Cabinet over the ensuing couple of weeks in which there is much toing and froing of the joint forces notion, on 16th June de Gaulle was in a meeting at 10, Downing Street when Churchill agrees to an Anglo/French political union. Meanwhile, Paul Reynaud resigned as Prime Minister after the French/British Union had been rejected by his Cabinet and Petain had been instated as the new Prime Minister with the remit to seek an armistice with Nazi Germany, so effectively bringing to an end de Gaulle's ministerialship. 

De Gaulle visited Reynaud, who still had control of secret government funds until the handover of power the next day. On the morning of 17th June, he flew to London on a British aircraft with 100,000 gold francs in secret funds provided to him by Reynaud. De Gaulle landed at an airport west of London just after 12:30 on 17th June. He met with Churchill at around 15:00 and Churchill offered him four minutes of broadcast time over the BBC airwaves. They both knew about Petain's broadcast earlier that day in which he said that 'the fighting must end' and that he had approached the Germans for terms. 

The next day, 18th June, the British Cabinet were reluctant to agree to de Gaulle giving a radio address, as Britain was still in communication with the Petain government about the fate of the French fleet. The Minister of Information had an advance copy of the text of the address, to which there were no objections. De Gaulle's Appeal speech of 18th  June exhorted the French people not to be demoralised and to continue to resist the occupation of France. Thereafter, he declared that he would broadcast again the next day. After the armistice was signed on 21st June 1940, de Gaulle spoke later the following evening on 22nd June to denounce it. The newly formed French government declared him compulsorily retired from the French Army (with the rank of Colonel) on 23rd June, and ordered him to return home to France immediately to stand trial for treason. 

While all of this was going on, Yvonne and her three children were busying themselves trying to evade the onslaught of the German forces across France. They travel from small village to village seeking safe refuge and eventually evacuate to the northern French coast where they manage to board an overloaded Dutch ferry boat that was the last one to leave and which eventually takes them to Falmouth and hence on to London, where after some six weeks apart (aside from the odd fleeting visit in between time) the family are reunited with Charles. Anne, their youngest daughter was born with Down Syndrome and she died in her parents arms at the age of twenty in 1948. After this Yvonne set up a charity, 'La fondation Anne-de-Gaulle', to help children with disabilities. 

Lambert Wilson plays a very credible de Gaulle here, as both the war mongering never say die French Freedom Fighter and as the caring loyal family man to his wife and three children. However, it is the governmental and military posturing that is the main stay of this real life story, the back and forth between de Gaulle and Churchill creates a real sense of urgency and provides an insight into the relationship that developed between the two men over those two weeks or so in June 1940. The flight of de Gaulle's family through France on the other hand is a let down and feels second rate to the main story here, adding little by way of emotional heft that the viewer can invest in. The supporting cast here all give more than reasonable performances, and the production values on display here more than adequately take you back to 1940's war torn France and Britain, but for me the story was somewhat disjointed and laboured the back and forth a little too much particularly during the second act. 

'De Gaulle' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 27th May 2021.

The 2021 MTV Movie & TV Awards were broadcast on Sunday 16th and Monday 17th May. It was the 29th edition of the awards and the fourth to jointly honour movies and television, and the first to feature a second night, which was devoted exclusively to awards in reality television. The American Actress and Comedian Leslie Jones hosted the ceremony on the Sunday and on the Monday the American Actress, stand-up Comedian and podcast, radio and TV host Nikki Glaser also hosted an event titled 'MTV Movie & TV Awards : Unscripted', for awards going to reality television shows. The ceremony took place in the Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, California.

While the bulk of the awards were presented to TV series, those winners and nominees in the movie categories are as given below :-

Best Movie

* Awarded to 'TO ALL THE BOYS : ALWAYS AND FOREVER', beating out 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm', 'Judas and the Black Messiah', 'Promising Young Woman' and 'Soul'.

Best Performance in a Movie

* Awarded to CHADWICK BOSEMAN for 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom', beating out Sacha Baron Cohen for 'The Trial of the Chicago 7', Daniel Kaluuya for 'Judas and the Black Messiah', Carey Mulligan for 'Promising Young Woman' and Zendaya for 'Malcolm & Marie'.

Best Comedic Performance

* Awarded to LESLIE JONES for 'Coming 2 America', beating out Eric Andre for 'Bad Trip', Annie Murphy for 'Schitt's Creek', Issa Rae for 'Insecure' and Jason Sudeikis for 'Ted Lasoo'.

Best Music Documentary

* Awarded to 'BTS – BREAK THE SILENCE : THE MOVIE', beating out 'Ariana Grande : Excuse Me, I Love You', 'Framing Britney Spears', 'The Bee Gees : How Can You Mend a Broken Heart', 'Biggie : I Got a Story to Tell', 'Billie Eilish : The World's a Little Blurry', 'Demi Lovato : Dancing with the Devil', 'Tina', 'Shawn Mendes : In Wonder' and 'Taylor Swift : Miss Americana'.

Of the TV awards 'WANDA VISION' won four for Best Show, Best Performance in a Show going to Elizabeth Olson, Best Villain going to Kathryn Hahn and Best Fight going to 'Wanda vs. Agatha'. 'THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER' picked up two awards for Best Hero going to Anthony Mackie and Best Duo going to Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Best Breakthrough Performance was awarded to REGE-JEAN PAGE for 'Bridgerton' and Most Frightened Performance went to VICTORIA PEDRETTI for 'The Haunting of Bly Manor'.

The Comedic Genius Award was presented to SASHA BARON COHEN and the MTV Generation Award was presented to SCARLETT JOHANSSON. 

For the complete low down on all the glitz and glamour, the winners and the also rans across all categories, you can go to the official website at : https://www.mtv.com/movie-and-tv-awards

This week we have five latest release new films coming to your local Odeon, and we launch with a sequel to a critical and commercial horror film success from 2018 that leaves a mother and her three children to venture forth beyond their farmhouse and into an unknown world, where blind monsters with an acute sense of hearing are not the only terrors that lie in wait on unsuspecting prey - there are other humans too! Next up we have the origin story of teenaged Estella who has a dream of becoming a fashion designer, having been gifted with talent, innovation, and ambition all in equal measures, but, life seems intent on making sure her dreams never come true, leading her down a life of crime with a particular liking for Dalmatian fur. And we close out the week with three documentary films - the first is an up close and personal look at the life and times of one of Australia's most famed indigenous Actors as he approaches the end of his life. This is followed by the exploits of a true underdog of the European soccer scene who in 2004 upset the status quo by winning the European Championship against all the odds; and we close out the week with an in-depth account of the last survivors of those who participated in Hitler's Third Reich and the impact of what they left behind. 

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

'A QUIET PLACE : PART II' (Rated M) - is an eagerly anticipated long awaited American horror follow-up to 2018's 'A Quiet Place' which grossed US$341M off the back of a US$20M production budget, and was Co-Written, Directed and starred John Krasinski. For this sequel John Krasinski returns to the Directors chair and he also wrote, Co-Produced and once again has a small role in this film, even though his character was killed off in the first film. This film saw its World Premier screening in New York City back on 8th March 2020, with a worldwide release set from 20th March 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was rescheduled to 4th September 2020. It was then changed to 23rd April 2021 and then changed again to 17th September 2021. After three postponements, it was moved earlier in the year to this week.

Following the deadly events at home in which Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) was killed by the blind monsters with an acute sense of hearing, the Abbott family now headed up by mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt), with her three children, the deaf Regan (Millicent Simmonds), Marcus (Noah Jupe) and their new born baby must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realise that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path. Also starring Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou and John Krasinski in newly filmed flashback sequences set before the events of the first film. 

'CRUELLA' (Rated PG) - this American crime comedy-drama film is Directed by Craig Gillespie whose previous film making outings include 'Lars and the Real Girl', 'Million Dollar Arm', 'The Finest Hours' and 'I, Tonya' most recently in 2017. This film is based on the character Cruella de Vil, introduced in Dodie Smith's 1956 novel 'The Hundred and One Dalmatians' and specifically on the version from the Walt Disney 1961 animated film 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians'. It is the third live-action film in the '101 Dalmatians' franchise which were '101 Dalmatians' released in 1996 and '102 Dalmatians' released in 2000 both with Glenn Close playing Cruella de Vil. Those first two instalments grossed a total US$505M off the back of production budgets amounting to a combined US$160M. Set in 1970's London during the punk rock movement, we here follow Estella de Vil (Emma Stone), an ambitious and aspiring fashion designer, and explores the path that will lead her to become a notorious and dangerous criminal, with a penchant for Dalmatian fur, known as Cruella de Vil. Also starring Emma Thompson, Mark Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, Joel Fry and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. The film is scheduled to be released theatrically and simultaneously available on Disney+ with Premier Access this week too in the US.

'MY NAME IS GULPILIL' (Rated M) - this Australian documentary film is Directed and Co-Produced by Molly Reynolds whose prior film making credits take in 'Twelve Canoes', 'Still Our Country', 'Another Country', and 'ShoPaapaa' most recently in 2020. David Gulpilil is an iconic figure of Australian cinema and has been for fifty years, since his breakout role in Nicolas Roeg's 'Walkabout' in 1971. His mesmerising, electrifying presence has leapt off the big screen and changed Australian screen representation forever. The only Actor to appear in both of the two highest-grossing Australian films of all time, 'Crocodile Dundee' and 'Australia'. Gulpilil is known throughout the world for his unforgettable performances - from his breakthrough 'Walkabout' to films including 'Storm Boy', 'Mad Dog Morgan', Peter Weir’s 'The Last Wave', 'The Tracker', 'Rabbit-Proof Fence', 'The Proposition' and his Cannes Best Actor award-winning role in Rolf de Heer’s 'Charlie’s Country'. Integral to the telling of so many legendary screen stories, Gulpilil, now nearing the end of his life having been diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2017, to which his Doctors gave him six months to live. Now four years later, he generously shares his own story with us as the Actor, dancer, singer and painter takes us boldly on the journey that is his most extraordinary, culture-clashing life.

'KING OTTO' (Rated G) - this sports documentary film is Directed and Co-Produced by Christopher Andre Marks in his full length doco debut having Directed two short films previously - the seven minute documentary 'Tiger Hood' in 2015 and the fifteen minute comedy 'Being Richard Kensington' in 2013 - both of which he also Produced and wrote. This documentary charts how in the summer of 2004, audiences looked on in disbelief as the Greek National Football Team, a country that had never previously won a single match in a major tournament, took down the giants of world football to become the unlikeliest of European Champions. The architect behind this unprecedented triumph was legendary German football coach 'King' Otto Rehhagel. After accomplishing every major success in Germany, he made the bold decision to leave all he knew behind and work in a foreign country with the underachieving Greek National Team. This is the story of how these two contrasting cultures came together to speak the same language and write a new chapter of Greek mythology.

'FINAL ACCOUNT' (Rated M) - is a German-language British-American documentary film Directed Produced and lensed by Luke Holland, who died shortly after filming completed on June 10, 2020. Holland's previous film making credits were two TV movie doco's only - 1993's forty-six minute 'Good Morning, Mr. Hitler' and 2000's one hour long 'I Was a Slave Labourer'. This film follows the last living generation of German participants in Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. Over a decade in the making, it raises vital, timely questions about authority, conformity, complicity and perpetration, national identity, and responsibility, as men and women ranging from former SS members to civilians in never-before-seen interviews reckon with – in very different ways – their memories, perceptions and personal appraisals of their own roles in the greatest human crimes in history. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival in September last year, and has garnered generally favourable Reviews. 

With five 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-

THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD : Tuesday 18th May 2021.

'THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD' is an MA15+ Rated American survival action thriller film which I saw this week at my local multiplex. It is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Taylor Sheridan and based on the 2014 book of the same name by Michael Koryta. Sheridan's previous two film making credits are 'Vile' in 2011 and 'Wind River' in 2017, although he has also written the Screenplays for various others including 'Sicario' in 2015 and its 2018 sequel 'Sicario : Day of the Soldado', 'Hell or High Water' and 'Wind River', plus numerous episodes of TV series 'Yellowstone'. The film was released in South Korea earlier this month, went on general release in Australia and the US from last week, has so far grossed US$7.5M and has generated mixed critical Reviews.

Here then, Hannah Faber (Angelina Jolie) is a smokejumper (a specially trained wildland firefighter who provides an initial attack response on remote wildland fires - they are inserted at the location of the fire by parachute) who is struggling to come to terms with the deaths of three young boys and another smokejumper last year during a forest fire which she was supposedly in charge of, and mis-read the direction the wind was blowing in, so engulfing the four fatalities in flame. She has subsequently been posted to a fire observation tower above the tree line in Park County, Montana. 

In the meantime Owen Casserly (Jake Weber) a widowed forensic accountant is preparing breakfast for his son Connor (Finn Little) when he learns over breaking early morning news that his boss and his family were blown sky high in an apparent gas explosion at their home. The reality is, that they were killed by father and son assassins Jack and Patrick Blackwell (Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult respectively). Owen is of the belief that the assassins will target him next, as the evidence revealed during the course of his forensic accounting investigations tell a story of wide spread corruption through government departments, politicians and other influential parties. And so Owen makes a snap decision to go on the run with Connor, ultimately wanting to seek refuge with his brother-in-law Ethan Sawyer (Jon Bernthal) a Deputy Sheriff in Park County, and Hannah's former boyfriend. 

En-route to Park County, and after the Blackwell's have ransacked the Casserly home to find no one there and evidence that they left in a hurry, the Blackwell's ambush Owen and Connor forcing them off the road and down a steep ravine. As Owen sits in the drivers seat dying, he gives Connor hand written evidence implicating the Blackwell's employer, mob boss Arthur Phillip (Tyler Perry). He tells Connor to get out of the car and go hide under a fallen tree and to remain silent no matter what he witnesses. At that, from the road, the Blackwell's fire a barrage of bullets into the back of the car, shredding Owen who puts his foot on the accelerator sending the vehicle crashing down the ravine even further before coming to rest in a crumpled heap on its side at the bottom.    

Ethan comes across the car wreck on his way home later that afternoon, and meanwhile Hannah encounters Connor wandering through the forest while she is out on patrol. Connor is initially untrusting of Hannah and tries to evade her, but when confronted with a twelve mile hike to the nearest town relents and reluctantly agrees to accompany her back to the tower to contact the Police and the news media for help. Jack Blackwell receives a call from Arthur Phillip who wants to meet. Phillip instructs Blackwell to hunt down Connor and kill him.

And so in order to cause a distraction for a few hours while the Blackwell's go about their business, they start a forest fire using flares that quickly ignites the dry undergrowth and before you know it is a full blown forest fire raging out of control. They then drive to Ethan's house disguised as Police Officers believing that Connor would have made it there, to be greeted by Ethan's six months pregnant wife Allison (Medina Senghore). They force their way in and beat Allison into submission until she agrees to call Ethan and ask him the whereabouts of Connor. Ultimately, another scuffle breaks out in which Allison gains the upper hand with the use of a gas cylinder which she ignites and points it flamethrower like at Jack burning him badly to the side of his face, and fires off a few shotgun rounds at Patrick in the process catching them both off guard. Allison escapes the house.

That night an electrical storm strikes and a direct lightning bolt hits the tower frying the radio, the satellite phone and all the electrics in the place. Hannah then leads Connor into town on foot but are forced to retreat back to the tower when the fire blocks their safe passage through the woodland. Hannah is struck by lightning when crossing an open field, but survives badly shaken but not stirred save for a not insignificant burn to her shoulder. Ethan hurries home with the Sheriff having been previously alerted in the phone call from Allison that something was not quite right at home. The Blackwell's emerge and shoot the Sheriff dead and then force Ethan to guide them through the forest as their tracker to hunt down Connor. 

The Blackwell's and Ethan eventually come across the tower which appears empty, except from smoke rising out of a wood burning chimney. Ethan is forced to search it while the Blackwell's watch from a tree, saying that if Connor is in there to bring him down to them, and if not, to set the lookout alight. Having returned to the tower earlier, Hannah and Connor both hide while Ethan attempts to make it appear empty in the dark. Patrick notices Ethan talking and they start shooting into the tower, injuring Ethan. Hannah and Connor manage to escape. The Blackwells try to follow them but are stopped when Allison, having tracked down Ethan by way of a GPS, starts shooting at them. Patrick and Jack split up, with Patrick going after Hannah and Connor, and Jack staying to try and kill Allison; however, she shoots him twice disabling him and then plugs him with a third round at close range killing him.

Connor is told to run ahead by Hannah who has suffered a bullet wound to the leg, while she attempts to distract Patrick but he gains the upper hand over Hannah and is savagely landing punches to her face and head. Connor returns pleading for him to stop beating Hannah. Patrick rises to his feet, and approaches Connor telling him to turn around while he draws a knife in readiness to slit the young lads throat. Hannah meanwhile rises to her feet behind Patrick and lunges at him twice and a third time with a pick axe severely injuring him to the point where he asks her to finish him off. But she declines saying that he can suffer and then leaves him to burn to death in the approaching fire which quickly and very painfully engulfs him. 

Allison reunites with Ethan in the tower but they are trapped by the fire; they put on oxygen masks and hold each other as it surrounds them. Hannah and Connor jump into a stream and watch from under the water as the fire engulfs the forest all around and above them. The next morning as day breaks Hannah and Connor are sat by the waters edge of the stream which saved them both. They walk back to the tower, just as three men from Hannah's smoke-jumping team are parachuted in to save them, and Allison in the tower. Ethan died overnight from injuries sustained from his bullet wounds. Later that morning after medical assistance had been rendered, Connor prepares to give his father's evidence to the awaiting media channels and Hannah promises to help him navigate through his uncertain future. 

The production values in 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' are pretty good it must be said, particularly the staged forest fire sequences which look authentic enough and add to the realism of the film. There is also a fine cast of A-list movie talent here that is underpinned by two up and coming stars in young Aussie Finn Little and Medina Senghore that help elevate the film somewhat, and add a few moments of tension and emotion in an otherwise fairly predictable storyline that never rises above the sum of its parts. Had this film been released sometime during the late '80's or the '90's it probably would have been a smash hit and as it is this film is a formulaic throwback to those natural disaster flicks that filled the shelves in our local video and dvd rental stores during that bygone era. The Director and Writer Taylor Sheridan has proven his abilities with action spectacle and how to get the most out of his cast in an entertaining enough feature that is often overly violent, and will leave many questions unanswered by the time the end credits roll. At a brisk running time of one hundred minutes it is fast paced and will not leave you wanting, even though within 24 hours you will have forgotten about this movie and wondering what to see next. 

'Those Who Wish Me Dead' merits 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 20th May 2021.

'Reimagining the Future of Film and TV' is the theme behind the inaugural Restart Conference that runs in the UK from Tuesday 18th May through until Thursday 20th May and has been launched to bring together the TV and film industries after a year of unprecedented disruption caused by the pandemic. During the three days, attendees will hear exclusive insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the industry from an unrivalled panel of speakers.

Taking place on the virtual events platform 'Hopin', some of the content highlights include : the audience – now and in the future; diversity and talent development; funding and financing; keynotes – senior producers talk about their key challenges and opportunities; Production – the latest on how content is being made in the pandemic era; and data led insight on the latest industry trends. 

Sessions over the three days include :

Tuesday 18th May

* All you need to know about the UK Global Screen Fund - how can UK filmmakers and companies get the most out of the new £7M UK Global Screen Fund? Financed by the DCMS (Department of Culture, Media and Sport) and administered by the BFI (British Film Institute), the Fund aims to help UK content and companies reach international audiences.

* Opening the International Production Floodgates - in light of all of the hurdles that the industry has faced over the last twelve months and the potential of the production floodgates likely to burst open as a backlog of film and TV projects get up and running, what are the options around filming in the here and now within the production landscape, how will things be different on set, and what lessons have been learned from these extraordinary times?

Wednesday 19th May

* Director's Masterclass - An in-depth conversation with two of the UK's most talented Directors, Penny Woolcock and Douglas Mackinnon.

* The path ahead for the UK's public film funds - bringing together the heads of BBC Film and Film4 with a top commissioner at the BFI Film Fund to talk about how each are developing slates and working with filmmakers to help create a dynamic and sustainable UK film industry.

* Fuelling Growth : the evolution of supply and demand in film and TV production - join the British Film Commission to explore developments in the UK film and HETV (High End Television) production sector, including a focus on the growing importance of sustainability and social responsibility in content creation.

* UK distribution in a rapidly changing landscape - the past year has forced distributors to adapt like never before, with cinema closures, accelerated shrinking of windows, and the ongoing rise of streamers.

Thursday 20th May

* What lies ahead for the Box Office - looking across UK & Ireland and other international territories, how will this year’s reopening compare to 2020, and what is the outlook for 2021 - the speed of market recovery, top titles and the impact of more flexible windowing?

* The future of cinema-going - as cinemas across the UK prepared for reopening on 17th May, two leading lights of the UK exhibition sector are coming together to discuss how they are both working to attract audiences back to cinemas - and keep them there.

* Taking Charge : Women in Entertainment - a spotlight on some of the women who are leading in their roles within the film and TV industry, featuring Cara Sheppard, Managing Director - Twickenham Studios, Emma-Rosa Dias, Managing Director - Afro-Mic Productions and Uzma Hasan, Producer - Little House Productions.

For the complete programme and more on the first Restart Conference, you can go to the official website at : https://restartconference.com

This week we have six new films to tempt you out to your local Odeon on a cold autumnal evening, kick starting with a film about a carousing college professor's life that takes a series of unimaginable twists when he begins to have surreal hallucinations, some of which are inspired by the songs of Leonard Cohen. This is followed by a Sci-Fi thriller about a courier, who is immune to the COVID-23 virus, who races against time to save the woman he loves from a quarantine camp; and next up we have the true story of the grandson of a Klansman who comes of age in the deep south in the early 1960's and eventually joins the Civil Rights Movement. Then, we have a French comedy drama about a middle-aged Police interpreter who switches sides to become a wholesale narcotics trafficker; and another French offering that sees two female pensioners who have hidden their deep and passionate love for each other for many decades, but their bond is put to the test when they are suddenly unable to move freely between each other's apartments; before closing out the week with an animated film about an intelligent mid-teenage high school student who is unexpectedly transferred to a boarding school where he opens a portal of monsters from another dimension. 

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 week ahead.

'DEATH OF A LADIES MAN' (Rated MA15+) - this Canadian and Irish Co-Produced comedy drama film is Directed and Written by Matt Bissonnette whose previous film making credits take in 'Looking for Leonard', 'Who Loves the Sun' and 'Passenger Side' being his last film in 2009 before this one. The film saw its premiere in late September last year as part of the online component of the Calgary International Film Festival, and went on general release in Canada in theatres and through VoD platforms in mid-March of this year. The film's themes are reflected through the use of seven Leonard Cohen songs in its musical soundtrack, with the use of Cohen's literary or musical work being a recurring element in Bissonnette's work, as seen in his 2002 filmmaking debut 'Looking for Leonard' and his 2009 film 'Passenger Side'.

And so here, Samuel O'Shea (Gabriel Byrne), a Montreal University literature Professor, cheerful womaniser and keen drinker has seen better days. His second marriage is about to end, and his wife and children have reached their wits' end with him. More disturbingly, he has begun seeing things - Frankenstein sidles up to the bar and strangers sing and dance to Leonard Cohen tunes. His much missed father, who died when Samuel was just a boy, crops up for chats. At first Samuel thinks it could be the drink, or perhaps he's just crazy or over-imaginative, but then learns he has an inoperable brain tumour.  Samuel retreats to his family shack in remote Ireland, where he begins work on that great novel he always meant to write, and generally take stock of his life. Surprisingly, or not, he meets and falls in love with a local woman, who is full of unexpected ideas. All this leads Samuel to an utterly unforeseeable happy ending. Also starring Jessica Pare, Brian Gleeson and Joel Bissonnette. This film has received positive Critical acclaim.

'SONGBIRD' (Rated MA15+) - is an American dystopian Sci-Fi thriller based on the COVID-19 pandemic. Directed and Co-Written by Adam Mason who previous outings in the horror thriller genre take in the likes of 'Broken', 'The Devil's Chair', 'Blood River', 'Pig', 'Luster', 'Hangman' with 'Black Antenna' currently in post-production. Co-Produced by Michael Bay who also Directed the films action scenes, it was the first film to go into production following the shutdowns of 2020. The project was announced in May 2020, with screenwriters Adam Mason and Simon Boyes having come up with the idea in March, shortly after the pandemic stopped all film production. The cast joined in June, and filming took place around Los Angeles over July and August and released in the US through Premium VoD in mid-December. And so here, by 2024, the COVID-19 virus has mutated into COVID-23 and the world is in its fourth pandemic year. In the United States, people are required to take temperature checks on their cell phones while those infected with COVID-23 are taken from their homes against their will and forced into quarantine camps, also known as 'Q-Zones' or concentration camps. In these camps, those infected are left to die or to forcibly get better. Immune to the COVID-23 virus, a courier Nico Price (K.J. Apa) races against time to save the woman he loves, Sara Garcia (Sofia Carson), from a quarantine camp. Also starring Peter Stormare, Demi Moore, Paul Walter Hauser and Bradley Whitford, the film has so far grossed US$410K at the Box Office and has been universally panned by Critics. 

'SON OF THE SOUTH' (Rated M) - this American biographical historical drama film, is Written, Directed and Edited by Barry Alexander Brown, and based on Bob Zellner's autobiography, 'The Wrong Side of Murder Creek : A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement'. In this true story set during the 1960's Civil Rights Movement, a Klansman's grandson, Bob Zellner (Lucas Till) is a senior attending the all-white Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama in 1961 who is forced to face the rampant racism of his own culture. Defying his family and white Southern norms, he embraces the fight against social injustice, repression and violence to change the world he was born into. Also starring Julia Ormond, Brian Dennehy (in his final film role) and Cedric the Entertainer, the film has garnered mixed Critical Reviews following its World Premier screening at the American Black Film Festival in August 2020 and its US release in early February this year. 

'THE GODMOTHER' (Rated M) - this French comedy crime drama offering is Directed and Co-Written by Jean-Paul Salome based on the novel 'La Daronne' by Hannelore Cayre. Here Isabelle Huppert is Patience Portefeux, a middle-aged underpaid, overworked French Arabic translator for the Police in charge of phone surveillance for a narcotics unit, who switches sides to become a wholesale narcotics trafficker. Armed with her insider knowledge of the law, the resources of the Police at her disposal, and a striking wardrobe of Hermes head scarves, Patience reinvents herself as a drug lord to build her own crime network, whilst becoming known as 'Mama Weed' by the local law enforcement authorities. The film has received generally favourable Reviews.

'TWO OF US' (Rated M) - is another French film released this week, this time a drama offering Directed and Co-Written by Filippo Meneghetti in his feature film making debut. The film saw its World Premier showcasing at TIFF back in early September 2019, went on release in its native France in mid-February 2020 and only now gets a limited release in Australia having garnered universal Critical acclaim and taken just US$210K at the Box Office. Here, Nina Dorn (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine Girard (Martine Chevallier), two retired women, have been secretly deeply in love for decades. From everybody's point of view, including Madeleine's family, they are simply neighbours living on the top floor of their building. They come and go between their two apartments, sharing the tender delights of everyday life together. Until the day their relationship is turned upside down by an unexpected event leading Madeleine's daughter to slowly unveil the truth about them. Also starring Lea Drucker, the film has picked up eleven award wins and a further twenty-two nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. 

'CRANSTON ACADEMY : MONSTER ZONE' (Rated PG) - is a Mexican, American, British and Canadian animated horror-comedy film Directed by Leopoldo Aguilar. First released in Portugal in mid-March 2020, then Mexico in late June followed up by the USA in late October, the film now goes on general release in Australia from this week, having grossed US$527K so far. The story here surrounds maverick fifteen-year-old high school student, Danny (voiced by Jamie Bell), who is transferred to a secret boarding school where he opens a portal of monsters from the fifth dimension. To save the school from the havoc of the monsters, he must work with his more-successful rival, Liz (voiced by Ruby Rose), and their moth-human hybrid professor.

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 coming week, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

LOCKED DOWN : Tuesday 11th May 2021.

'LOCKED DOWN' is an M Rated romantic comedy heist film which I saw earlier this week. Directed by Doug Liman whose prior film making credits include 'Swingers', 'The Bourne Identity', 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', 'Edge of Tomorrow', 'American Made' and 'Chaos Walking' most recently. The screenplay was written by Steven Knight in July 2020, financed, and filmed entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic over just an eighteen day period in October 2020 for a budget of about US$3M. The film was released in the US on HBO Max in January 2021, and has garnered mixed or average Reviews so far.

And so here, Linda (Anne Hathaway) and Paxton (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic in their very cosy modern terrace house somewhere in London, sometime in the first half of 2020. They are a disgruntled couple who have agreed to go their separate ways once the lock down is over, for reasons of having grown apart after ten years together, although the stimulus for the break-up seems to rest more with Linda who has grown weary of Paxton's lack of enthusiasm, lack of focus and constant down at heal, woe is me attitude. For while Linda has climbed the corporate ladder to become the UK CEO of a very successful fashion company, Paxton has struggled to find meaningful work for the last ten years since he was arrested and charged with assault. As a result, his only work is that of a delivery driver, at which he has been furloughed because of the lock down. Paxton is forced to sell his beloved motorbike which he sees as an extension to himself, to make ends meet. 

On a Zoom call with Paxton's half-brother David (Dule Hill) and his wife Maria (Jazmyn Simon) in the US, Linda breaks the news of their pending separation, and we also learn that at some point in the recent past both Linda and Maria got it on together in a wine induced one night stand, which remains a secret between them, and which Linda would rather forget, but not so it seems on Maria's part. Linda meanwhile sets up a Zoom call with four of her UK based senior management team to advise them all that they are being terminated with immediate effect because of the economic downturn and the business being unable to sustain their positions moving forward, although in reality that decision was made pre-pandemic back in December at a company junket in Paris. 

One day while Paxton is feeling especially sorry for himself, his boss Malcolm (Ben Kingsley) calls him with the offer of three days work for £200 per day cash as a driver for high value deliveries, due to the limited number of drivers currently being available. The only catch is that Paxton will have to go under an assumed name because of his prior criminal record. He needs to make a snap decision there and then on the spot, which he does so reluctantly on the condition that Malcolm promotes him afterwards to an office based administrative role, after numerous years of dead end driving. Malcolm says that he'll have his fake security ID and name tag sent over to his home tomorrow (Wednesday) for his first collection from Selfridges on Thursday, Harvey Nichols on Friday and Harrods on Saturday. 

On Wednesday Malcolm contacts Paxton saying the he texted him his assumed name and that the security ID and name badge are on their way over. Paxton retrieves his new identity to discover that he has been given the name of Edgar Allen Poe, as was suggested by Martin (Sam Spruell) a Co-Worker of his who has spent the last seven years working in dispatch and there is absolutely no love lost between the two. Paxton is none too pleased with having to front up with the name of a famous 19th Century American poet and writer, but agrees to proceed nonetheless, surmising that todays 'kids' working security won't have heard of Edgar Allen Poe anyway. Meanwhile, Linda is on a Zoom call with her boss Guy (Ben Stiller) who is locked down in the Vermont countryside in the US together with the other CEO's from around the world. Guy offers her a new position back home in the United States to which she is taken aback and stalls her decision making process until after lock down has lifted to buy herself some time. 

Linda is tasked with clearing out her firms inventory from Harrods on Saturday evening, as there is now no-one else able to complete the task. After arriving home after his first pick up and drop off on Thursday, Paxton reveals that he has a job at Harvey Nichols on Friday and Harrods on Saturday. Linda quickly comes to the conclusion that their delivery schedules at the store overlap, and Paxton would not get past the security protocols that Linda set up three years prior when she worked there. Linda on Friday organises a call with the new Head of Security at Harrods, Michael Morgan (Stephen Merchant) who brings in her former co-worker Kate (Mindy Kaling) who paves the ways for Linda's almost uninterrupted access to the department store after hours the next day. 

Linda discloses to Paxton that there is a £3M diamond in the vault at Harrods that has been sold to an anonymous buyer, and the store keeps a duplicate on-display. That anonymous buyer Linda learns from Essien (Claes Bang) the owner of the company she works for, is a drug dealing, money laundering, probably murdering international criminal king-pin, and once the diamond is returned to a vault on New York's Wall Street will probably remain untouched and unseen by anyone for years. And so Linda and Paxton agree to take the real diamond for themselves and send the fake one to the buyer in New York City, splitting the sale between themselves and the National Health Service, three ways equally at £1M each. 

Upon making it to the famed Knightsbridge department store on Saturday evening, both under separate cover, Linda meets with former co-worker Charlotte (Lucy Boynton) at the security check in, with Paxton waiting outside to be ushered in. After some very loose checking in procedures, Linda and Paxton (Edgar Allen Poe) make their way to Harrods famed food hall which is being cleared out and closed down. There they help themselves to all the lavish ingredients for a £5K picnic up on the rooftop of the store before 7:30pm and their designated time for collection of the inventory and the diamond. 

Linda and Paxton retrieve the diamond from the vault and swap it out with the fake. However, they are confronted by Donald (Mark Gatiss), a former co-worker of Linda's she fired earlier in the week. Donald had alerted the Police after learning of Paxton's fake identity. Linda reveals their plan, and Donald agrees to lie for them, out of respect and love for Linda and being anti-establishment (especially at this time!). 

In exiting the store, a repeated message comes across the internal Public Address system for Edgar Allen Poe to return to the security gate immediately. Fearing the worst that the Police are lying in wait, the pair make a hurried dash for a security guarded rear entrance when Security Guard Mark (Marek Larwood) approaches brandishing Paxton's security ID that he left earlier at the main entrance, and promptly hands it over saying that he'll need it to gain access to Heathrow to put the diamond on the plane to New York. Linda and Paxton breathe a sigh of relief, and ride off into the night on Paxton's motorbike home via Heathrow Airport. 

The pair, who originally had planned to go their separate ways post lockdown, decide to reevaluate their relationship, now that they are each £1M better off and the burden of money woes, and both being stuck in jobs from which they gained no satisfaction, is effectively over. Then, on Paxton's birthday, the COVID lockdown is extended by another two weeks.

On the plus side 'Locked Down' works because of the chemistry and obvious good time that our two principle Actors, Hathaway and Ejiofor, clearly had during the making of this film, and watching a bunch of other A-listers phone in it via Zoom calls - Stiller, Bang, Kingsley and Merchant all adds a weight to the proceedings which should not be under estimated. The zeitgeist too is captured pretty well too with businesses shuttered, company layoffs, working from home, forced isolation, Zoom technical challenges, pot-clanging tributes, and the frustrations, anxieties and boredom of being holed up for two weeks and more in a confined space with the same person. On the down side the film really labours the ever declining relationship between Linda and Paxton during the first two-thirds, and then seems to remember that somewhere in the plot there is a diamond heist that needs to be crammed into the remaining third, and when it comes it is so underwhelmingly delivered and hurriedly conceived that it feels like an afterthought. But then I guess to write a script, get it financed and green lit, amass a cast and crew, go into production, shoot, edit and release a major motion picture in just about six months flat speaks volumes about what Director Doug Liman has been able to pull off, but also is telling as to what this film might have been given more time. It's not a great film, but it's also not that bad either.

'Locked Down' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-