LAST SEEN ALIVE : Tuesday 24th May 2022

I saw the American mystery action thriller 'LAST SEEN ALIVE' at my local multiplex this week, and this M Rated film is Directed by Brian Goodman in this third feature film making outing following 'What Doesn't Kill You' in 2008 and 'Black Butterfly' in 2017. He has been busy in the interim however, racking up, so far, sixty-one screen acting credits in feature films and TV series. The film is set for a release in the US on 3rd June, and was released here in Australia on 19th May and has generated mixed or average Reviews along the way. 

The film opens up with Will Spann (Gerard Butler, who also Co-Produces here) and his wife Lisa (Jaimie Alexander) travelling by car from Manchester, in New Hampshire to the rural community of Emmerson. The atmosphere in the car between the two is a little tense, as Will is driving his wife to her parents home, where she intends to take a two week break from him, in order to clear her head and gain a little perspective on her life going forward. Fifteen minutes outside of Emmerson, and Will announces that he needs to pull over to refuel his car, lest Lisa wants to get out and push, to which she politely declines. It is 9:30am. At the petrol station, Will gets out and begins to refuel, while Lisa goes inside the shop, visits the toilet and buys a bottle of water. Lisa walks out of the shop, and as she is approaching the forecourt she is motioned by a man, walks in his direction, just as a big rig truck obscures Will's view. When the truck moves on there is no sign of Lisa. 

Will waits beside his car and getting impatient goes inside the shop, looking for his wife, but she is nowhere to be seen. He asks the assistant at the pay desk but he says that he has not seen anyone fitting her description. Will goes outside, by now becoming increasingly agitated. He attempts to call Lisa's mobile phone several times but the line diverts to voicemail each time. He drives around the entire petrol station precinct but there is no sign. He goes back inside and asks the assistant again, getting the same response as before. After twenty minutes he calls 911 and gets through to the local Police Department, and one Sergeant Patterson (Russell Hornsby) who tells him to stay put and he'll either send a squad car there or will come out himself. 

While waiting, Will decides to drive the fifteen minutes to Lisa's parents home in the hope that she may have chosen to walk there. Needless to say Lisa is not there and her parents are somewhat suspicious to say the least that Will is being truthful with them, that perhaps the pair had a fight, and that he is covering something up. Will leaves and heads back to the petrol station. By now it is 10:30am and Sergeant Patterson pulls up. Will tells him that he has been to her parents home, much to Patterson's chagrin. They go inside the shop and speak with Oscar, the pay desk assistant, who reiterates that he has no recollection of seeing Lisa. Patterson asks to see the CCTV footage but Oscar says that it hasn't been working for some weeks now. After asking a few more questions Patterson leaves and Will thanks him for his time and the assistance. Walking back outside Will observes that a security camera pointing directly at the doors of the shop is flicking red, indicating that it is working. He goes back inside and confronts Oscar. A brawl ensues in which Will gains the upper hand very quickly over Oscar, and rips out the hard drive which has the recorded CCTV footage, and promptly delivers it to the Police Department into the hands of Patterson. They look at the footage and notice the unknown man motioning towards Lisa just as the truck passes blocking out the view. Will takes a photo of the unknown man. 

Patterson than asks Will to step into an interview room to answer a few questions. Patterson asks what line he is in, to which Will replies that he is in Real Estate Development, with his own business. Patterson asks is there have been any disgruntled employees, is their marriage steady, to they fight, have either one of them ever had an affair, to which Will responds that Lisa did, about six months ago, but he never has, and what was their purpose for coming to Emmerson. Free to leave, Will goes back to Lisa's parents home and shows her Mum the photo of the unknown man who is believed to have abducted Lisa. They recognise the man as Knuckles who has been doing some odd jobs around the parents home and who is an old school friend of Lisa's, and she also recognises the car into which Lisa was bundled, saying that she recalls seeing it about five miles down the road in a rural community. 

Will drives out to the location where Knuckles allegedly is, and breaks into the caravan where Knuckles is hurriedly packing up. The pair get into a fist fight, with Will gaining the upper hand again and beating Knuckes senseless. He binds Knuckles hand up with gaffa tape but not before getting the man to speak where Lisa is. He says that she is with a Frank, and gives Will his location. Will then bundles Knuckles into the back of his car. Driving down the freeway, his speed is clocked at 86MPH by a Highway Patrol car who pulls Will over. After checking his drivers license and can registration documents the Officer motions for Will to get out of the car. Feeling uneasy, he is asked to open the boot, and which point Will does a runner and makes a quick exit into the nearby woodland. Now on foot and traipsing through the undergrowth, Will's SatNav tells him that he is two miles away from his destination. He continues on foot and eventually comes to a road which leads him to Frank's covert crystal meth manufacturing plant. By now its about 3:30pm in the afternoon. 

Will snoops around the compound trying to remain out of sight and inconspicuous. Eventually, he makes his way into the makeshift crystal meth lab where he sees Frank (David Kallaway) talking to his henchman Larry (Alphonso A'Qen-Aten Jackson). They are stood besides a shipping container which Will surmises that Lisa is locked in. Pointing his gun (which he took from Knuckles when he over powered him) at Frank and Larry, he orders them to open the doors of the container. Larry does so, while Frank backs away. In peering inside Larry attacks Will, but sustains a fatal shot to the gut. Trapped inside the container Frank now opens fire on Will, who manages to make a run for it and so begins a game of cat and mouse between the two, until Franks shoots at Will who randomly returns fire in the general direction of Frank . . . and then silence. Will discovers Franks dead body and leaves the lab, not noticing that a small fire has broken out from a tipped over bunsen burner. 

Meanwhile Patterson has Knuckles handcuffed in the back of a Police patrol car, and it is 5:00pm. Patterson coerces Knuckles into telling him where Lisa is and even if she is still alive. Knuckles says that she is dead and buried behind Franks house. Patterson, immediately gets himself over to the compound. Will, in the meantime, has ventured back outside and is greeted by Oscar pointing a gun at Will, who in turn is pointing his gun at Oscar. The pair agree to lower their weapons and discuss where Lisa is. Oscar says that he will take Will to her for US$20K, but he wants the money now, as he throws Lisa's mobile phone down on the ground at Will's feet. At that the meth lab explodes in a huge ball of flame incinerating Oscar in the process and sending Will flying backwards. 

In the aftermath, Patterson arrives on the scene as Oscar's charred remains are zipped up in a body bag. There is still no sign of Lisa. Patterson orders Will to rest up, while he goes around to the back of Frank's house. There he comes across a hole in the ground covered up with sheets of corrugated iron. He reluctantly lifts the sheets to reveal the grave empty. Will, sitting on a bench seat, hears a banging noise and goes to investigate the sound coming from a shack. Inside Lisa is bound and gagged but very much alive. He picks up his wife, cradling her in his arms as she sobs uncontrollably. 

In the closing scene, Lisa is at her parents home, with Will outside slumped over the bonnet of his car. Patterson drives up and the pair both exchange their gratitude to one another. Patterson says that it looks as though gunfire was exchanged between the two dead bodies recovered from the burned out lab, but replies to himself 'those that live by the sword . . . '. Will says thanks again, as Patterson leaves. Lisa comes out and she and Will embrace as they walk inside the house just as it starts to rain. 

The trailer for 'Last Seen Alive', tells us that Will Spann 'is a simple man, no special skills, no Secret Service, no Special Forces' - well you coulda fooled me because this protagonist is pretty useful with his fists, a gun and a crowbar and is able to snoop around a busy drug compound in broad daylight undetected! That said, there are some moments of genuine tension in this film that help elevate it from other similar movies of the genre, the humour is particularly thin on the ground, the dialogue is exactly what you would expect, and the action takes a back seat to the emotion, anxiety, and the dilemma that Will finds himself in, but when the action does come, it's brutal. Gerard Butler plays it convincingly enough, in his usual tough guy persona, but Jaimie Alexander undercooks her role as she fails to show any depth of humanity or modicum of compassion for a man she still has feelings for, until the closing scene. The Director Brian Goodman, has done a good job at making a relatively inexpensive movie look greater than the sum of its parts, although some elements are a bit too obvious including two shots that home in on barrels of 'flammable' liquid that you just know what is coming next . . . and yes, you guessed it, that CGI rendered explosion as the meth lab erupts in a ball of flame. All of that said, this a reasonable entry into the genre, but it's not great, and at a running time of ninety-five minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome. 

'Last Seen Alive' merits three 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 May 2022.

The fourth Cheltenham International Film Festival, held in the town of Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucestershire, England, launched only in 2019 and made an instant impact, with the Opening Night film that year being 'Sometimes Always Never' with Bill Nighy. 2020 saw 'Lost Transmissions' with Simon Pegg as the festival opener and last year, 2021, it was 'The Father' with Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman. This years festival runs from Monday 23rd May through until Friday 3rd June, with 'The Good Boss' starring Javier Bardem being selected to open this festival. The Closing Night film is 'Both Sides of the Blade' with Juliette Binoche.

There are eight films in Official Competition, those being :-

* 'You Resemble Me' - from the US, France and Egypt, this drama film is Directed, Co-Written, Co-Produced and stars Dina Amer in her Directorial debut. When two young sisters are torn apart, the eldest loses her identity and transforms into someone new in the name of belonging and resistance.

* 'Queen of Glory' - this US film is Directed, Written and stars Nana Mensah in her film making debut and she has already collected seven award wins and another eight nominations from around the awards and festival circuit for her efforts with this feature comedy. Here, Ghanaian-American Sarah is all set to abandon her Ivy League doctoral programme to follow her married lover across the country.

* 'Jump, Darling' - is a Canadian film, Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Phil Connell in his feature film making debut with the film winning ten awards and a further three nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. The film tells the story of a rookie drag queen, reeling from a break-up, who escapes to the country, where he finds his grandmother in steep decline yet desperate to avoid the local nursing home.

* 'As in Heaven' - from Denmark, this drama film is Directed, written for the screen and Co-Produced by Tea Lindeburg in her first feature as Director and this film has so far picked up three award wins and another three nominations from around the festival circuit. Set on a farm in the late 1800's an intense waiting begins when a mother goes into a complicated labour, and her 14-year-old daughter must prepare herself for a night that may change her life forever.

* 'Miracle' - is a Romanian Czech Republic and Latvian drama co-production that is Directed, Written, Co-Produced and Edited by Bogdan George Apetri in his third feature film making effort, with this film so far collecting two award wins and another four nominations from across the festivals circuit. Here, a young nun sneaks out of her monastery to attend an urgent matter but never makes it back and a Police Detective's investigation into her fate, uncovers clues and revelations that lead not only to the truth but a miracle too.

* 'Hit the Road' - this Iranian drama film is Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Panah Panahai in her first Writer, Director, Producer effort for which she has already gained critical acclaim by winning eight awards and a further ten nominations from around the festivals circuit. The film follows a chaotic, tender family on a road trip across a rugged landscape and fussing over the sick dog and getting on each others' nerves. Only the mysterious older brother is quiet.

* 'Girl Picture' - from Finland this romance film is Directed by Alli Haapasalo in her third feature film making outing, for which she has so far won one award and been nominated another four times at the Berlin, Cleveland and Sundance Film Festivals. Here, three girls are at the cusp of womanhood and trying to draw their own contours. In three consecutive Fridays, two of them experience the earth moving effects of falling in love, while the third goes on a quest to find something she's never experienced before, pleasure.

* 'Olga' - this French, Swiss and Ukrainian sports drama film is Directed and Written by Elie Grappe in his first feature film offering, for which he has won critical acclaim by winning, thus far, eight awards and a further eleven nominations from around the festivals circuit. While in exile in Switzerland, a fifteen-year-old Ukrainian gymnast prepares for the European Gymnastics Championships when the Maidan Uprising protests, demonstrations and social unrest begin in Kyiv in November 2013. 

For more information on the 2022 Cheltenham International Film Festival, you can go to the official website at : https://www.cheltfilm.com/

Turning back to this week then, we have five new films to tease you out to your local Odeon on a cool near Winter's evening, launching with a much delayed and highly anticipated sequel to a 1986 blockbuster that sees one of the Navy's top aviators, who after more than thirty years of service is right where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him, until one day he is tasked with training a bunch of graduates for a potentially deadly mission. This is followed by a horror offering from Finland about a young gymnast, who tries desperately to please her demanding mother, discovers a strange egg, which she hides and keeps warm, until it hatches, and when it does what emerges shocks them all. Next up with have French crime drama set in 1950's Paris, where a young girl dressed in an evening gown is found dead in a square, with the Chief Inspector attempting to identify her and investigate what happened to the victim. Then we have an Aussie doco about an Opera Singer who thought he knew his grandfather Bill, until an unearthed film reel suggests he might have been the first ever Aboriginal filmmaker. And we close out the weeks new releases with an American animated film based on a popular animated TV series that sees a ruptured water main create an enormous sinkhole right in front of this guys fast food restaurant blocking the entrance indefinitely and ruining his plans for a successful summer, until the kids try to solve the mystery that might just help save the family business.

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

'TOP GUN : MAVERICK' (Rated M) - is finally here, after its originally scheduled release date of mid-July 2019 was pushed back to allow for the production team to work on the elaborate action flight sequences, and was reset for late June 2020. It was then moved to Christmas 2020 because of the COVID-19 outbreak and then delayed again to early July 2021due to scheduling conflicts and the ongoing escalation of the global pandemic. It was further pushed back to a mid-November 2021 release before its final delay to this week for a global release, following its World Premier at CinemaCon in late April and a screening at the Cannes Film Festival last week in an Official Selection Screening, where it received a five-minute standing ovation. This film is the sequel to the 1986 film 'Top Gun' and is Directed by Joseph Kosinski whose previous film making credits are 'Tron : Legacy', 'Oblivion' and 'Only the Brave' with the upcoming 'Spiderhead' due for a release on Netflix from mid-June. This film cost US$152M to produce and has garnered widespread critical acclaim, with many saying that it is better than Tony Scott's original. 

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell (Tom Cruise, who also Co-Produces here) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would see him grounded. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialised high stakes mission Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: 'Rooster', the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka 'Goose'. Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it. Also starring Val Kilmer reprising his role as Admiral Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky, with Jennifer Connolly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Monica Barbaro, Jay Ellis and Danny Ramirez. 

'HATCHING' (Rated MA15+) - this body horror film from Finland is Directed by Hannah Bergholm in her feature film debut, and it saw its World Premier screening at this years Sundance Film Festival at the end of January. The film centres on Tinja (Siiri Solalinna), a young gymnast desperate to please her mother (Sophia Heikkila), a woman obsessed with presenting the image of a perfect family to the world through her popular blog. One day, Tinja finds a wounded bird in the woods and she brings its mysterious egg home with her. She nestles the egg in the warmth of her bed and gently nurtures it until it hatches. She names the creature that emerges Alli, and cares for it as it becomes her closest friend and a living nightmare and it grows into a doppelgänger that acts upon Tinja's repressed emotions and a twisted reality that her Mum refuses to see. The film has garnered critical acclaim, and has so far recouped US$476K from a budget of US$4.2M 

'MAIGRET' (Rated M) - this French and Belgian Co-Produced crime drama film is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Patrice Leconte whose previous film credits include the multi-award winning and nominated 'Monsieur Hire' in 1989, 'Ridicule' in 1996, 'Girl on the Bridge' in 1999, 'The Man on the Train' in 2002 and 'A Promise' in 2013. This film is an adaptation of the novel 'Maigret et la jeune morte' by Georges Simenon, published in 1954 and featuring the Police Detective Jules Maigret. Set in the 1950's, the body of young woman is found dead in a square on Place Vintimille The victim is dressed in an evening gown and possesses no identifying documents. The Commissionaire of Police Jules Maigret (Gerard Depardieu) and his men are in charge of the investigation and seek to uncover the young woman's identity, and what happened to her. The day before, she rented her dress from a neighbourhood shop. The film has so far taken US$4.5M off the back of a production budget of US$6.35M, and has garnered generally positive Reviews so far since its release in its native France at the end of February. 

'ABLAZE' (Rated PG) - is an Australian documentary film Co-Written and Co-Directed by Alec Morgan and Tiriki Onus. Here the opera singer, playwright, educator and film maker Tiriki Onus finds a seventy year old silent film locked inside a vault that he believes was made by his grandfather, Aboriginal leader and film maker Bill Onus. As Tiriki travels across Australia and pieces together clues to the film’s origins, he discovers more about Bill, his fight for Aboriginal rights and the price he paid for speaking out, while changing the course of history. Bill and his supporters brilliantly orchestrated their campaign for equality through performance, entertainment, film and sheer audacity, and, they were able to outsmart far mightier forces seeking to destroy Indigenous cultures, languages, and communities.

'THE BOB'S BURGERS MOVIE' (Rated PG) - this American animated musical comedy film is based on the animated television series 'Bob's Burgers' created by Loren Bouchard, who Co-Wrote, Co-Produced, and Directed in his feature film Directorial debut along with Bernard Derriman. Initially scheduled for a cinema release back in mid-July 2020, it was pulled for a whole host of reasons including the impacts of COVID-19 and then rescheduled and pulled back several times thereafter, before this week in the US and Australia was finally cast in stone. Here then a ruptured water main creates a sinkhole right in front of Bob's Burgers, blocking the entrance and ruining the Belchers' plans for a successful summer. While Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) and Linda (John Roberts) struggle to keep the business afloat, the kids try to solve a mystery that could save their family's restaurant. Also starring the voices of Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, Kristen Schaal, Zach Galifianakis, and Kevin Kline who reprise their characters voices from the original TV series.

With five new release movie offerings 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 at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

OPERATION MINCEMEAT : Tuesday 17th May 2022.

I saw 'OPERATION MINCEMEAT' at my local multiplex earlier this week and this M Rated British WWII drama film is Directed by John Madden whose previous film making credits include 'Mrs. Brown' in 1997, 'Shakespeare in Love' in 1998, 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' in 2001, 'Proof' in 2005, 'The Debt' in 2010, and 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' in 2012 and its sequel 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' in 2015. This film is based on the book 'Operation Mincemeat : The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II' by Ben Macintyre. This is the second feature film about the operation, following the 1956 film 'The Man Who Never Was' based on Ewen Montagu's book of the same name. This film saw its World Premier screening at the British Film Festival in Australia in November 2021 before its release in the UK in mid-April, and in the US (on Netflix) and here in Australia from last week, has so far grossed US$10.5M and has garnered generally favourable reviews. 

In April 1943 the UK is deeply rooted in WWII. Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) remains in England while his wife Iris (Hattie Morahan) and their two children leave for the relative safety of the United States. Ewen is a Jewish lawyer who is fearful that if they remain and Germany gains the upper hand and invades England, then his family will be persecuted. He elects however, to stay when he is appointed to the Twenty Committee (a WWII counter espionage and deception organisation of the British Security Service). His trusted secretary and good friend of Iris, Hester Leggett (Penelope Wilton) sticks by him.

Meanwhile, Winston Churchill (Simon Russell Beale) has made a commitment to the United States that her Allies will invade Sicily by July of that year in order to push northward through Italy and onward into Europe. Sicily though is considered an obvious target and is likely to be heavily defended by the German united armed forces. Admiral John Godfrey (Jason Issacs) informs the Twenty Committee that Britain must trick Nazi Germany into believing the Allies will invade Greece and Sardinia. Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) proposes an operation from the Trout Memo (a document comparing deception of an enemy in wartime with fly fishing), which would involve a corpse carrying false secrets and washing ashore. Despite Godfrey's serious reservations, he gives Montagu and Cholmondeley permission to plan the operation with Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn).

The team set up an office under the name of Operation Mincemeat. As planning progresses Montagu and Cholmondeley finally obtain the body of a vagrant named Glyndwr Michael (Lorne MacFadyen), who died by suicidal poisoning. Bentley Purchase (Paul Ritter) was the physician who sourced the body of Michael, and helped preserve and prepare the corpse for the rouse. The team gives Michael the fake identity of Major William Martin, complete with a very detailed backstory, ID photos, and an engagement. A widowed secretary in the office, Jean Leslie (Kelly Macdonald), offers a photo of herself to serve as the fake fiancee under the name of Pam. Cholmondeley has a crush on Jean, but soon comes to realise that Montagu and Jean share a romantic connection which results in Cholmondeley becoming jealous and lashing out from time to time at Montagu.

Godfrey suspects that Montagu's younger brother, Ivor (Mark Gatiss), is in fact a Russian spy. He coerces Cholmondeley to spy on Montagu and, in return for which, Godfrey will locate and return the remains of Cholmondeley's brother, who was killed in action in Chittagong, Bengal. Cholmondeley reluctantly agrees.

A specialist MI5 driver is chosen to transport Montagu, Cholmondeley, and the corpse to the R.N. Submarine Base in Holy Loch, Scotland. The corpse is then loaded onto the submarine HMS Seraph. In the early hours of 30th April, the Seraph arrives in the Gulf of Cadiz and drops the corpse into the sea. It is later washed ashore and found by fishermen in Huelva, Spain. Operation Mincemeat attempt to get the fake documents to Madrid. The mission is however, hampered by bad luck, as the Spanish have resisted Nazi corruption better than anticipated. Captain David Ainsworth (Nicholas Rowe), the British naval attache in Madrid, meets with Colonel Cerruti of the Spanish Secret Police in one last attempt to land the papers in the hands of the Nazis. When Martin's personal items and the secret letters are eventually returned to London supposedly intact, a specialist at Q Branch figures out that the documents were indeed tampered with. This gives Montagu, Cholmondeley and the team hope that Germany retrieved the fake information.

Jean is ambushed in her own home at night and threatened by a man claiming to be a spy for an anti-Hitler plot within Germany. She tells him that Major Martin was traveling under an alias but the classified information was real. After he leaves, Jean informs Montagu and Cholmondeley. They come to believe that Colonel Alexis von Roenne (Nico Birnbaum), who controls intelligence in the Nazi High Command, sent the man to verify information so Von Roenne could undermine Hitler. However, they have no way of being completely sure. Montagu takes Jean to his home for protection much to Cholmondeley's chagrin, but shortly afterwards she accepts a job in Special Operations and leaves London.

On 10th July, the invasion of Sicily commences along the beach heads of the south-west and south. The news arrives that the Allied Forces suffered only limited casualties, the enemy is retreating, and the beaches have been held. They receive a message from Churchill soon afterwards saying 'Mincemeat swallowed. Rod, line and sinker'. 

Early the next morning, while sat outside on the steps beside the Duke of York Monument just off The Mall, Cholmondeley admits to Montagu that he received his brother's remains in return for spying on him. Feeling sympathetic and relieved that Operation Mincemeat was a success, Montagu offers to buy Cholmondeley a drink even though it's only 8:00 o'clock in the morning.

Before the end credits role, the closing epilogue states that Operation Mincemeat saved potentially thousands of lives, Montagu reunited with Iris after the war and remained happily married until his death in 1985, Jean married a soldier, Hester continued as Director of the Admiralty Secretarial Unit, and Cholmondeley remained with MI5 until 1952, later married, and traveled widely. Major William Martin's identity was revealed to be Glyndwr Michael in 1997 when an epitaph, with his real name, was added to Martin's headstone in Spain.

'Operation Mincemeat' is a solid enough WWII drama that moves along at a steady pace, has some stoic stiff upper lip performances from Firth, Macfadyen and Isaacs especially, and the production values setting the look and feel of early 1940's London is spot on. For a period piece centred firmly on espionage, intrigue, subterfuge and oneupmanship this films ticks all of those boxes, but is let down by the romantic triangle that Montagu, Cholmondeley and Jean Leslie find themselves in and from which no one comes out the victor. It is interesting to see all the early nods to James Bond as penned by Flynn's Ian Fleming, including Q Branch, M and a wrist watch with a built in buzz saw, and it was he who, after all, came up with the plan to stash a corpse full of 'top secret intelligence' to foil the Germans into thinking one thing while the Allies were doing something completely different - a stroke of genius that could have been lifted straight from one of his novels. Certainly worth the price of your cinema ticket, made all the more worthwhile knowing that this film is based on an extraordinary true story of deception and those unknown soldiers left at home to fight another kind of war from the shadows, but who nonetheless contributed to such a remarkable outcome to the war effort.

'Operation Mincemeat' 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 19th May 2022.

The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival kicked off earlier this week on 17th May and runs through until 28th May. The Opening Night film is 'Final Cut' - a French ZomCom Directed, written for the screen, Co-Produced and Co-Edited by Michel Hazanavicius and is a remake of the 2017 Japanese film 'One Cut of the Dead'. In competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or award there are twenty-one feature films for whom the onerous task of selecting the eventual winner falls to Jury President Vincent Lindon, the French Actor, ably supported by Rebecca Hall, Ladj Ly, Jeff Nichols, Noomi Rapace, Joachim Trier, Asghar Farhadi, Jasmine Trinca and Deepika Padukone. 

And so in main competition for the Palme d'Or are included the following feature films :-

* 'Armegeddon Time' from the USA and this drama film is Directed, Written and Co-Produced by James Gray and stars Anne Hathaway, Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Strong.

* 'Broker' from South Korea, this drama film is Directed, Written and Edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

* 'Brother and Sister' from France and Directed and Co-Written by Arnaud Desplenchin and stars Marion Cotillard and Melvil Poudpaud.

* 'Close' from Belgium, Netherlands and France, this drama film is directed and Co-Written by Lukas Dhont and stars Lea Drucker and Emilie Dequenne. 

* 'Crimes of the Future' from Canada, Greece and France is Directed and Written by David Cronenberg and this SciFi body horror film stars Viggo Mortensen, Lea Seydoux and Kristen Stewart. 

* 'Decision to Leave' from South Korea and Directed, Co-Written and Produced by Park Chan-wook. 

* 'Leila's Brothers' from Iran and Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Saeed Roustayl, this drama film stars Taraneh Alidoosti in the title role. 

* 'Showing Up' from the USA and Directed and Co-Written by Kelly Reichardt this drama film stars Michelle Williams, Judd Hirsch, Andre Benjamin and Amanda Plummer.

* 'The Stars at Noon' from the USA and France and Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Claire Denis this romantic thriller film stars Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Danny Ramirez, Benny Safdie, and John C. Reilly.

* 'Tchaikovsky's Wife' is a Russian and French historical drama film Directed and Written by Kirill Serebrennikov, starring Alyona Mikhaylova in the title role and Odin Biron at Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

* ' Tori and Lokita' from Belgium and Directed, Written and Co-Produced by the Dardenne brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc, and this drama film stars Pablo Schils and Mbundu Joely in the title roles respectively. 

* 'Triangle of Sadness' from Sweden, the UK, the USA, France and Greece, this dark comedy film is Directed, Written and Co-Edited by Ruben Ostlund and stars Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean and Woody Harrelson.

Out of competition, being showcased are also 'Elvis' from Baz Luhrmann, 'Three Thousand Years of Longing' from George Millar and 'Top Gun : Maverick' from Joseph Kosinski. Additionally Forest Whitaker is to be awarded the Honorary Palme d'Or.

For all the other sections and those films featured therein, plus a whole lot more from the 75th Cannes Film Festival you can go to the official website at : https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/

This week then to tease you out to your local Odeon, we have six new movies from all corners of the world to choose from, kicking off with an American actioner about an average guy as he searches for his wife, who vanished without a trace while the two were at a petrol station. Next up is an Aussie film about a middle aged woman who sets up a house cleaning business staffed by good looking hunky male cleaners, with benefits. This is followed by a UK/Estonian offering about a handsome, soulful young soldier who embarks on a clandestine sexual affair with a charismatic fighter pilot on a Soviet Air Force Base at the height of 1970's Communist rule. Then we turn to a Norwegian supernatural thriller about a group of young children, who during the bright Nordic summer, reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren't looking. Up next is a French drama about an elderly father who suffers a stroke, and his daughter rushes to his bedside; sick and half-paralysed in his hospital bed, he asks his daughter to help him end his life. And we close out the week with a Russian and Hungarian animated film about a wooden puppet hero who is a skilled circus acrobat who longs to become human when he falls for the ringmaster's daughter.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new films 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.

'LAST SEEN ALIVE' (Rated M) - this American action mystery thriller is Directed by Brian Goodman in his third film making effort following 'What Doesn't Kill You' in 2008 and 'Black Butterfly' in 2017, together with sixty-one acting credits over the last twenty-three years. The film is set for a US release in early June. 

Will Spann (Gerard Butler), is driving his soon-to-be ex-wife Lisa (Jaimie Alexander) to her parent's home when she mysteriously disappears without a trace during a stop at a gas station. A frantic Will engages the local police and Lisa's parents in a desperate attempt to find her, but as time passes and suspicion falls on him, he must take matters into his own hands, delving into the town's criminal underbelly while running from the authorities in a race against time to find Lisa.  

'HOW TO PLEASE A WOMAN' (Rated M) - this Aussie drama film is Written and Directed by Renee Webster in her feature film making debut. Here, a fifty-something year old woman Gina (Sally Phillips) has a business idea to launch an all-male house-cleaning service. However, when her business grows out of control, she must acknowledge her own sexuality, if she is to make a new life for herself. Also starring Alexander England and Erik Thomson.

'FIREBIRD' (Rated MA15+) - this UK and Estonian romantic war drama film is Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Peeter Rebane in his feature film making debut, and is based on the memoir 'The Story of Roman' by Sergey Fetisov. The film stars Tom Prior (who also Co-Wrote and Co-Produces here too), and tells the story of Sergey Serebrennikov (Tom Prior), a troubled young private, who is counting down the days until his military service ends. His life is turned upside down when Roman Matvejev (Oleg Zagorodnii) a daring fighter pilot, arrives at the base. Driven by curiosity, Sergey and Roman navigate the precarious line between love and friendship as a dangerous love triangle forms between them and Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya), the secretary to the base commander. As the walls close in, they risk their freedom and their lives in the face of an escalating KGB investigation and the fear of the all-seeing Soviet regime. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the 35th BFI Flare : London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival in mid- March 2021, and went on release in the UK at the end of April this year, having so far grossed just US$174K, garnered mixed or average Reviews and has collected six award wins and another two nominations from around the festival circuit. 

'THE INNOCENTS' (Rated MA15+) - is a Norwegian supernatural thriller film Directed by Eskil Vogt in his second film making outing following 2014's 'Blind'. This film had its World Premier screening at The Cannes Film Festival in July 2021 before being released in its native Norway in late August last year, and only now does it get a limited showing here in Australia. Here then, during the bright Nordic summer, a group of four children become friends during the Summer holidays, and while out of sight of their parents and other adults they learn that they each have dark and mysterious powers which manifests itself when their innocent playtime takes on a more sinister turn and strange things begin to occur. The film has so far picked up nine award wins and a further eight nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit.

'EVERYTHING WENT FINE' (Rated MA15+) - this French drama film is Written and Directed by Francois Ozon and is based on the novel 'Everything Went Well' by Emmanuele Bernheim. When Andre (Andre Dussollier), 85, has a stroke, his daughter Emmanuele Bernheim (Sophie Marceau) hurries to her father’s bedside. When he wakes up diminished and dependent, this vital and curious man who loves life asks his daughter to help him end his life. Also starring Charlotte Rampling and Geraldine Pailhas, the film has garnered generally positive Critical reviews since its World Premier showcasing at the July 2021 Cannes Film Festival, and its subsequent release in its native France at the end of September. 

'PINOCCHIO : A TRUE STORY' (Rated PG) - this animated Russian and Hungarian family fantasy film is Directed and Co-Written by Vasiliy Rovenskiy and is based on the Italian book 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' and its Russian version 'Buratino'. Young Pinocchio (dubbed by Pauly Shore in the English version) runs away from his genius creator Jepetto (Tom Kenny) accompanied by the horse Tibalt (Jon Heder) to see the world and joins the traveling circus run by hustler Modjafocco (Dmitriy Iosifov). He falls in love with Bella (Eliza Martirosova) and with the help of Lucilda (Irina Kireeva) longs to become a real human boy and win over the love of his life.

With six new release movie offerings 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 at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS : Tuesday 10th May 2022.

'DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS', which I saw at my local Multiplex this week, is an M Rated American Superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of Doctor Stephen Strange and is the sequel to 2016's 'Doctor Strange' which grossed US$668M off the back of a production budget of circa US$200M and is the 28th feature film and part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film is Directed by Sam Raimi who replaced Director Scott Derrickson from the first instalment. Originally slated for release in early May 2021, it was pushed back to early November 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before it was further shifted to the end of March 2022, and in October 2021, it was shifted once more to its current May 2022 date with the World Premier on 2nd May and its world wide release last week. On a budget of US$200M, the film has so far grossed US$533M and has received generally positive Critical feedback. 

Set a few months following the events of 'Spider-Man : No Way Home', the film opens up with teenager America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) and an alternate version of Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) being chased by a demon in the space between universes while searching for the Book of Vishanti (the greatest known source of white magical knowledge on Earth that contains spells of defensive magic). Strange is killed before he can reach the Book of Vishanti and Chavez accidentally creates a portal that transports herself and Strange's corpse to Earth-616, where that universe's version of Strange is attending the wedding of his former love interest Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams). 

Sipping Martini's post ceremony Strange springs to the rescue of  Chavez from an octopus demon with help from the Sorcerer Supreme, Wong (Benedict Wong). Chavez later explains that the demons are hunting her because she has the power to travel through the multiverse, although she is unable to control when and where she travels to and from. 

Recognising witchcraft runes on the now slaughtered octopus demon, Strange consults Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) for help but realises that she is responsible for the attacks. After acquiring the Darkhold (also known as The Book of the Damned, a textbook of black magic) and becoming the Scarlet Witch, Maximoff believes that controlling Chavez's powers will allow her to reunite with Billy (Julian Hilliard) and Tommy (Jett Klyne), the children she created during her time in Westview, New Jersey. When Strange refuses to surrender Chavez, Maximoff attacks Kamar-Taj in Kathmandu, Nepal and the main HQ for the Masters of the Mystic Arts, killing many sorcerers. 

Chavez accidentally transports herself and Strange to Earth-838, taking in a multitude of multiverses to arrive there, while Maximoff uses the Darkhold to 'dream-walk', taking control of her Earth-838 counterpart, who lives a suburban life with her own Billy and Tommy. With Wong strung up and powerless, a surviving sorceress sacrifices herself to destroy the Darkhold and break the dream-walk. Enraged, Maximoff then forces Wong to lead her to Mount Wundagore (a mountain which holds the power of the Darkhold and features a shrine sitting atop dedicated to the Scarlet Witch), a forbidden ancient ruin, to reestablish the dream-walk.

On Earth-838 Strange and Chavez pay a visit to the Sanctum Sanctorum in that universe's version of New York City. There they are greeted by Sorcerer Supreme Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and brought before the Illuminati, a group consisting of Mordo, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Blackagar Boltagon (Anson Mount), Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), Reed Richards (John Krasinski), and Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). They explain that through reckless use of their universe's Darkhold in an attempt to defeat Thanos, Earth-838's Strange triggered a universe-destroying 'incursion' whereby two universes collide with one completely destroying the other. After defeating Thanos, the Illuminati killed their Strange to prevent him from creating more damage and danger to their universe. Mordo is of the belief that Earth-616's Strange is as dangerous, whereas Charles Xavier is prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt and a second chance. 

Maximoff re-establishes her dream-walk at Mount Wundagore and arrives in her Earth-838 counterpart's body before they can pass judgment. Despite their best valiant attempts she slaughters all of the Illuminati except Mordo. Strange and Chavez meanwhile escape aided by Earth-838 counterpart of Strange's ex-fiance Christine Palmer, here a scientist working with the Illuminati.

Strange, Chavez, and Palmer enter through a doorway that leads them to a space between universes to find the Book of Vishanti, the polar opposite to the Darkhold, but Maximoff appears and destroys it. She then takes over Chavez's mind, using her powers to send the others to an incursion-destroyed universe. Back in Earth-616, Maximoff begins the spell to take Chavez's powers. Strange defeats the destroyed universe's Strange in a blackened out wasteland that was that universe's version of New York City and the Sanctum Sanctorum. 

That version of Strange had become corrupted by his universe's Darkhold, but Strange then uses it to dream-walk in the corpse of the deceased alternate Strange that Chavez was with when she jumped through the portal into Earth-616 initially. With Wong's help, Strange saves Chavez from Maximoff and encourages Chavez to use her powers. 

She transports Maximoff to Earth-838, where she sees Billy and Tommy retreat from her in fear while crying for their real mother. Maximoff relents and uses her powers to bring down Mount Wundagore, destroying all copies of the Darkhold throughout the multiverse and seemingly sacrificing herself in the process, along with the zombiefied Strange. Chavez returns Strange and Palmer to their respective universes.

Later, when peace has returned to Earth-616 Kamar-Taj is in the throes of being repaired as the surviving sorcerers, joined by Chavez, continue with their training. Strange having just exited from the Sanctum Sanctorum falls to the ground in agony as he develops a third eye as a result of using the Darkhold and dream-walking into a corpse. In a mid-credits scene, Strange is approached by a sorceress who introduces herself as Clea (Charlize Theron) who warns him that his actions have triggered an incursion that he must help fix. Strange follows her into the Dark Dimension. 

Sam Raimi's 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' has his trademark touches all over it, from the humour to the horror, and the drama to the thrills, here he explores various worlds within the multiverse that make for an entertaining and enjoyable watch, and, at at little over a very respectable two hour run time. The film is certainly a feast for the senses, but it misses out on an emotional heartbeat in favour of wham bam thank-you Ma'am action set pieces and mind bending CGI eye candy, that sure enough help propel the story along and I guess there's nothing wrong with that either. With twenty-seven MCU films before it, here the Studio and Raimi have delivered perhaps the most supernatural, dark fantasy tinged with elements of horror offering to date replete with the Director's touchstones from his forty year plus filmmaking career. Cumberbatch and Olsen provide the standout performances in their roles, as you would expect now given how settled they both are in their respective capacities, but Wong could have done with a little bit more meat on his characters bones, and I was left wanting to see more of him. As for the numerous cameo's - they're all on point despite many of them coming to a sticky end, albeit in an alternate universe which means that we're likely to see them again!

'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-