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-