What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st February 2024.

The 47th Goteborg Film Festival this years runs from Friday 26th January through until Sunday 4th February in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. It has developed and grown strong for more than forty years and is today the largest film festival in the Nordic countries and the most important annual meeting place in the Nordic film industry. Today, the film festival is also one of the biggest cultural events in Sweden and the audience’s response testifies to the fact that the event has found its place in both hearts and minds. What once started as a bold dream of two cinephiles has become a stable and appreciated part of Swedish cultural life and a significant player in the international film industry. The festival runs for eleven days over late January and early February and attracts around 270,000 visitors, in cinemas and online. During the festival period, about 250 films from some eighty countries will be shown across seven hundred or so screenings.

The Dragon Awards are the main thrust of the competitive festival, and which are presented in the following categories : Dragon Award Best Nordic Film; Dragon Award Best Acting; Audience Dragon Award Best Nordic Film; Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary; Dragon Award Best International Film; Honorary Dragon Award; Nordic Honorary Dragon Award and Dragon Award Best Swedish Short.

Those films competing in the International Competition are given below :-

* 'Days of Happiness' - from Canada and Directed by Chloe Robichaud. 

* 'Woman of . . . ' - from Poland and Sweden and Directed by Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert.

* 'There's Still Tomorrow' - from Italy and Directed by Paola Cortellesi.

* 'Girls Will Be Girls' - from India, France, US and Norway and Directed by Shuchi Talati.

* 'The Reeds' - from Turkey and Bulgaria and Directed by Cemil Agacikoglu.

* 'La chimera' - from Italy, France and Switzerland and Directed by Alice Rohrwacher.

* 'Banel & Adama' - from France, Senegal, Mali and Qatar and Directed by Ramata-Toulaye Sy.

* 'Do You Love Me?' - from Ukraine and Sweden and Directed by Tonia Noyabrova.

* 'Great Absence' - from Japan and Directed by Kei Chika-ura.

* 'Sujo' - from Mexico, France and US and Directed by Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero.

* 'Totem' - from Mexico, France, Denmark and the Netherlands and Directed by Lila Aviles.

* 'Ichiko' - from Japan and Directed by Akihiro Toda.

* 'The Universal Theory' - from Germany, Austria and Switzerland and Directed by Timm Kroger.

* 'Red Island' - from France, Belgium and Madagascar and Directed by Robin Campillo.

* 'Fremont' - from the US and Directed by Babak Jalali.

* 'Blaga's Lessons' - from Bulgaria and Germany and Directed by Stephan Komandarev.

* 'Puan' - from Argentina, Italy, Germany, France and Brazil and Directed by Benjamin Naishtat and Maria Alche.

* 'Animal' - from Greece, Austria, Romania, Cyprus and Bulgaria and Directed by Sofia Exarchou.

The films in the Nordic Competition comprise the following titles :-

* 'The Missile' - from Finland and Estonia and Directed by Miia Turvo. World Premiere.

* 'My Wonderful Stranger' - from Norway, France and Sweden and Directed by Johanna Pyykko.

* 'Eternal' - from Denmark, Iceland and Norway and Directed by Ulaa Salim.

* 'Handling the Undead' - from Norway, Sweden and Greece and Directed by Thea Hvistendahl.

* 'The Hypnosis' - from Sweden and Norway and Directed by Ernst De Geer.

* 'Madame Luna' - from Sweden, Italy and Denmark and Directed by Daniel Espinosa.

* 'Mother, Couch' - from US, Sweden and Denmark and Directed by Niclas Larsson. Starring Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans and Lara Flynn Boyle.

* 'The Promised Land' - from Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Norway and Directed by Nikolaj Arcel. Starring Mads Mikkelsen.

* 'Solitude' - from Iceland and Slovakia and Directed by Ninna Palmadottir.

* 'Kalak' - from Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Greenland and Directed by Isabella Eklof.

In addition, Ewan McGregor is to be presented with the Honorary Dragon Award and Danish Actress Sidse Babett Knudsen is to be presented with the Nordic Honorary Dragon Award.

For the synopsis of the afore mentioned films in competition, plus the details of the other competitive strands and the full programme of films being showcased, you can go to the official website at : https://goteborgfilmfestival.se/en/

Turning then to this weeks four new movies gracing a big screen Odeon near you, we launch with an American spy action comedy offering about an introverted spy novelist who is drawn into the activities of a sinister underground syndicate, where the line between the written word of fiction and reality become increasingly blurred. Then we have an American drama about how after twenty years following their notorious tabloid romance, a married couple buckle under the pressure when a Hollywood Actress meets them to conduct research for a film about their past. Next up is a story of a Korean single mother who raises her teenage son in the suburbs of 1990's Canada, determined to provide a better life for him than the one she left behind; before closing out the week, and for two nights only in select cinema's, is a concert film of a greatest hits tour by an English synth-pop duo who formed in 1981 and who recorded this film on 7th July 2023 at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen.

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

'ARGYLLE' (Rated M) - this spy action comedy film is Co-Produced and Directed by Matthew Vaughn whose previous feature film Directorial credits include his debut with 'Layer Cake' in 2004, then 'Kick-Ass' in 2010, 'X-Men : First Class' in 2011, 'Kingsman : The Secret Service' in 2014, 'Kingsman : The Golden Circle' in 2017 and 'The King's Man' in 2021. The film is released this week too in the US, cost about $200M to produce and is apparently the first in a trilogy of films, with a third trilogy of films coming from Vaughn's Marv Studio that will see a crossover with the 'Kingsman' franchise. 

Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), is the reclusive and introverted author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie. But when the plots of Elly's fictional books, which revolve around a secret agent Argylle (Henry Cavill) and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate, begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organisation, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past. Accompanied by Aidan (Sam Rockwell), a cat-allergic spy, Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly's fictional world and her real one begins to muddle. Also starring an ensemble cast that takes in Bryan Cranston, Catherine O'Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson, Richard E. Grant and Sofia Boutella. 

'MAY DECEMBER' (Rated MA15+) - is an American drama film Directed by Todd Haynes whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut in 1991 with 'Poison' then the likes of 'Velvet Goldmine' in 1998, 'Far from Heaven' in 2002, 'I'm Not There' in 2007, 'Carol' in 2015, 'Dark Waters' in 2019 and 'The Velvet Underground' in 2021. Here, set in comfortable and picturesque Savannah, Georgia, twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, Gracie Atherton-Yu (Julianne Moore) and her husband Joe, twenty-three years younger than her, (Charles Melton) brace themselves for their twins to graduate from high school. When Hollywood actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) comes to spend time with the family to better understand Gracie, who she will be portraying in a film, family dynamics unravel under the pressure of the outside gaze. Joe, never having processed what happened in his youth, starts to confront the reality of life as an empty-nester at thirty-six. And as Elizabeth and Gracie study each other, the similarities and differences between the two women begin to ebb and flow. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at last years Cannes Film Festival, where it Premiered in late May, before being released in select cinema's in the US from mid-November and before streaming on Netflix from 1st December. It has gained universal critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$809K from a production budget of US$20M. 

'RICEBOY SLEEPS' (Rated M) - this 2022 Canadian drama film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Anthony Shim in his second feature film making effort following 2019's 'Daughter'. This film saw its World Premiere screening in the Platform Prize programme at the Toronto International Film Festival in mid-September 2022, where it claimed the top prize in this category, and then saw its International Premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in October 2022, before its release in its native Canada in mid-March last year. Only now is it released here in Australia, having so far collected twenty-nine award wins and another nineteen nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit and generating widespread critical praise. Here then, So-Young (Choi Seung-yoon) is a Korean single mother raising her adolescent son Dong-Hyun (Ethan Hwang) in the suburbs of Canada during the 1990's. Determined to provide a better life for him than the one she left behind in her native country, she does her best to overcome the constant racial and cultural challenges that confront them. As Dong-Hyun grows into his teenage years, he becomes increasingly curious about his Korean heritage and in particular, about his deceased father – a topic that So-Young refuses to address. Instead, she is set on continuing to build on her new life which now includes a relationship with a kind Korean-Canadian man who is eager to take on the role of Dong-Hyun’s surrogate father. This only exacerbates the tense relationship between her and Dong-Hyun. Then, sudden devastating news prompts the mother and son to return to South Korea for the first time since their initial departure with hopes of reconnecting to their roots and reconciling their tragic past.

'PET SHOP BOYS : DREAMWORLD' (Rated G) - The Pet Shop Boys bring their critically-acclaimed greatest hits tour, 'Dreamworld', to movie theatres worldwide for two nights only! Captured live at Copenhagen’s Royal Arena, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe put on an exhilarating performance, featuring a lavish stage show, full back-up band and mesmerising visual backdrops, in front of an exuberant, sold-out audience. With film direction from leading live performance Director David Barnard in a fourteen-camera shoot, this brand new concert film includes all of Pet Shop Boys' greatest hits including 'West End Girls', 'Suburbia', 'Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)', 'Left to My Own Devices', 'Rent', Domino Dancing', 'Love Comes Quickly', 'Always on My Mind', 'What Have I Done to Deserve This' and 'It's a Sin'.

With four 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-

THE BEEKEEPER : Tuesday 23rd January 2024.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE BEEKEEPER' at my local multiplex earlier this week, and this American action thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by David Ayer, whose prior feature film making credits take in the likes of his Directing debut in 2005 with 'Harsh Times' then 'Street Kings' in 2008, 'End of Watch' in 2012, 'Fury' in 2014, 'Suicide Squad' in 2016 and 'Bright' in 2017. This film was released in the US and here in Australia from the 11th January, has garnered generally positive critical reviews, and has so far grossed US$79M. 

The film opens up in rural Massachusetts and the rather grand looking country home of Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), a retired schoolteacher who lives by herself, but she has a tenant in her barn, a man named Adam Clay (Jason Statham, who also Co-Produces here) who leads a quiet life as a beekeeper and who harvests the honey religiously. On this particular day, Clay is returning from another barn with a rogue hive he has bagged, and stops for a brief conversation with Eloise - thanking her for looking after him. 

She invites him in for dinner that evening. Later that same day, Eloise falls victim to a phishing scam and is robbed of over US$2M which belongs to a children's charity organisation she manages, and all of her life savings from several bank accounts. Devastated, she takes her own life with a pistol.

After Clay finds her body, he is immediately arrested by FBI agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Eloise’s daughter. After Eloise's death is ruled a suicide, Clay is released. Verona later tells Clay that the group that robbed Eloise has been on the FBI's radar for a while, but is almost impossible to track down, and even harder to get an indictment. She is pessimistic that they will ever be brought to justice even if they are found. Wanting justice for Eloise, Clay re-establishes contact with the Beekeepers, a mystery organisation, to find the scammers responsible.

Clay is later provided with an address for the scammers: a call centre known as UDG, run by Mickey Garnett (David Witts). Clay goes into UDG's building armed with two jerry cans of petrol, and after easily fending off the employees and taking down a handful of Garnett's men, blows up the building. Garnett informs his boss, technology executive Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson). Danforth orders Garnett to track down and kill Clay. 

Garnett and his thugs by chance locate Clay at Eloise's place and follow him to his barn, but not before shooting up his six beehives. There, Clay quickly kills them all except for Garnett, whose four fingers of his right hand he cuts off with a band saw before releasing him. Garnett in a panic and nursing his injured hand, calls Danforth while stopped at a bridge, informing him that Clay is just a beekeeper. Clay, having followed Garnett, kills him while Danforth listens over the phone, and then warns Danforth that he is coming after him.

Danforth talks with Wallace Westwyld (Jeremy Irons) about Clay. Wallace, the former head of the CIA, is currently running security for Danforth Enterprises at the request of Derek's mother, Jessica (Jemma Redgrave), and does everything in his power to keep Danforth out of trouble, out of prison and out of the spotlight. Concerned, Wallace contacts the Director Howard of the CIA (Minnie Driver) in the hope of stopping Clay. The Director contacts the Beekeepers, and learns that Clay has since retired from the organisation. However, a Beekeeper is sent to kill Clay, who catches up with him while he is refuelling his car at a petrol station. Following a vicious fight, Clay burns the agent to death, causing the petrol station to explode in the process. In the aftermath, the Beekeepers inform Director Howard who in turn informs Westwyld that they will remain neutral and not pursue Clay.

In the meantime, Verona and her partner, Matt Wiley (Bobby Naderi), have been closely following the trail of destruction left behind at the crime scenes. They determine that Clay’s next target must be the Nine Points Center in Boston, which is the central hub for all of Danforth's call centres around the world, including UDG. After informing FBI Deputy Director Prigg (Don Gilet) that Clay is a Beekeeper, they receive full funding without hesitation.

Wallace meanwhile coordinates a group of ex-special forces personnel, telling them that the Beekeepers are a clandestine organisation tasked with keeping the USA safe and that they operate above and beyond governmental jurisdiction. To have any chance at stopping Clay, he orders the group to secure the inside of the Nine Points Building, while the FBI places their own SWAT team around the perimeter. Despite the special forces’ leader's insistence that the employees should be removed from the building first, Danforth tells them to keep working. This allows Clay to quickly defeat the FBI SWAT team in close quarter hand to hand combat, and infiltrate the building, taking down the manager, who reveals to Clay and the FBI, after having multiple staples plugged into his hands and forehead, that Derek Danforth is his boss.

Verona advises FBI Deputy Director Prigg that Derek Danforth actually runs both companies and that both are owned by Danforth Enterprises, which is used by several US government agencies, including their own. Verona also brings up the point that not only will Clay attempt to kill Derek, but he may also kill Jessica, who just so happens to be the President of the USA, using the Queenslayer analogy from the science of beekeeping. Prigg gives them a blank cheque to take whatever steps and use all necessary resources to prevent Clay from finalising his mission, and then signs off to inform the President. 

Wallace, upset that Clay has again evaded being taken out, suggests that Danforth stay with his mother for the time being for his own protection and taking advantage of the Secret Service presence at her beachside residence over the coming weekend. Wallace hires a group of mercenaries, who with Danforth, all congregate at the President's beachside retreat for the weekend where she is hosting a lavish party. Close by to the entrance to the President’s residence, Clay climbs aboard the underside of a truck, switching places with a Secret Service agent in order to blend in at the party. Once inside the house, Verona notices Clay, who by this time has dispensed with his Secret Service gear and is more appropriately dressed, but as he is about to be shot at close range by one of Wallace's hired mercenaries, he activates several bombs he planted on Secret Service trucks as a distraction in order to track down Danforth in hiding in the house.

Inside the house, Prigg tells Jessica about her son's multi-billion dollar scam operations. Danforth reminds his mother that during her Presidential campaign, that she lagged behind in the polls in fifteen out of twenty key counties and needed funding to keep her campaign afloat. He used a CIA programme to locate wealthy financial targets and scam them out of their money. Jessica decides that if and when Clay approaches, she will tell him and the world the truth about her sons use of the programme. Enraged, Danforth kills Prigg and takes his mother hostage. Clay in the meantime fights his way to the President's office taking out anyone who stands in his way. He eventually reaches her office by blowing the door open, and is quickly followed by Verona and the rest of the FBI agents. Verona tries to discourage Clay from killing Jessica and Danforth, who attempts to kill his mother, but Clay shoots his in the head first killing him outright. Clay then jumps out of a nearby window. Verona having a clear shot of Clay as he heads across the garden, but she decides not to shoot him. They give a parting nod to each other and he flees the scene and swims away into the ocean with the aid of the scuba gear he had buried in the sand on the beach close by. 

With 'The Beekeeper' Jason Statham's Adam Clay does what he absolutely does best and that is wipe out the bad guys in all manner of inventive and creative ways, and ratcheting the body count up to the nth degree. David Ayer knows how to lay on the action spectacle, and does so with aplomb, but in the end the script is hardly going to win any literary awards, and the plot in run-o-the-mill and leave your brain at the door type stuff. That said, if you get past all the bee puns, including several references to 'protecting the hive', seeing Statham kick butt relentlessly and violently backed up by a strong supporting cast, and liked the premise of 'John Wick', 'Taken' and 'The Kingsmen' franchises, then this movie is for you, and you won't be disappointed. 

'The Beekeeper' 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 25th January 2024.

The 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) this year takes place between Thursday 25th January and Sunday 4th February in the second largest city in the Netherlands. The festival offers a high quality line-up of carefully selected fiction and documentary feature films, short films and media art. The focus is on recent work by talented new filmmakers, as well as retrospectives and themed programmes. IFFR is a leading cultural platform accessible to all, that champions compelling cinema and audiovisual art. Through screenings, talks, exhibitions, and various networking opportunities, IFFR enables discovery, dialogue, learning and people coming together. In 2023, IFFR recorded over 283,000 visits and in excess of 2,500 attending film professionals, making IFFR one of the largest audience and industry-driven film festivals in the world. The festival's official selection generally includes more than four hundred feature, mid-length, and short films from over ninety countries and also offers a high-quality line-up of exhibitions, performances, masterclasses and talks.

IFFR’s trade mark Tiger Competition celebrates the innovative and adventurous spirit of up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world. The competition was founded in 1995 with the aim of discovering, raising the profile of and rewarding up-and-coming international film talent. The Tiger Award is accompanied by a €40K cash prize, to be shared between the Director and Producer of the winning film. Two Special Jury Awards worth €10K will also be presented for exceptional artistic achievement within the competition.

Those films in contention for the Tiger Award are as given below :-

* 'The Ballad of Suzanne Cesaire' - from the USA and Co-Written and Directed by Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich. World Premiere.

* 'Flathaed' - from Australia and Written and Directed by Jaydon Martin. World Premiere.

* 'Grey Bees' - from Ukraine and Directed by Dmytro Moiseiev. World Premiere.

* 'Kiss Wagon' - from India and Written, Directed, Edited, Sound Designed and Co-Scored by Midhum Murali. World Premiere.

* 'Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others' - from Iran, Germany and the Czech Republic and Written, Co-Produced, Directed and starring Farshad Hashemi. World Premiere.

* 'Moses' - from Finland and Written, Produced, Sound and Production Designed, Directed and starring Jenni Luhta and Lauri Luhta, with Jenni Luhta also Editing and photographing this film. World Premiere.

* 'La Parra' - from Spain and Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Alberto Gracia. World Premiere.

* 'Praia Formosa' - from Brazil and Portugal and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Julia De Simone. World Premiere.

* 'Rei' - from Japan and Written, Produced, Directed, Edited and starring Tanaka Toshihiko. World Premiere.

* 'Reise der Schatten' - from Switzerland and Written and Directed by Yves Netzhammer. World Premiere.

* 'She Fell to Earth' - from Hong Kong and Directed and Edited by Susie Au. World Premiere.

* 'sr' - from Germany and Written, Directed, photographed and Edited by Lea Hartlaub. World Premiere.

* 'Swimming Home' - from the UK and Written and Directed by Justin Anderson. World Premiere.

* 'Under a Blue Sun' - from France and Israel and Written and Directed by Daniel Mann. World Premiere.

For a synopsis of the aforementioned films, plus details of the other films in competition and a whole lot more good stuff besides, you can go to the official website at : https://iffr.com/en

This week with three new movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a highly acclaimed French court room drama as a woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness. This is followed by a remake of a 1985 film that charts the decades long hardships a woman faces in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood; before closing out the week with an American sports comedy about a former NFL superstar who agrees to coach a youth football team to avoid serving time in prison.

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

'ANATOMY OF A FALL' (Rated MA15+) - this French court room drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Justine Triet whose prior feature film credits take in her debut in 2013 with 'Age of Panic' which she followed up with 'In Bed with Victoria' in 2016, and 'Sibyl' in 2019. This film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Cannes Film Festival towards the end of May last year where it won the Palme d'Or and the Palm Dog Award and also competed for the Queer Palm. It continued to win awards, including the National Board of Review Award for Best International Film and two Golden Globes Awards, for Best Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film among its total haul of fifty-six award wins and a further 125 nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. So far the film has generated US$22M at the Box Office from a production budget of US$6.8M and has garnered widespread critical acclaim.

For the past twelve months or so Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller), her husband Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis), and their eleven-year-old son Daniel (Milo Machado Graner) have lived a secluded life in a remote town in the French Alps. When Samuel is found dead in the snow below their chalet, the Police question whether he was murdered or committed suicide. Samuel's suspicious death is presumed murder, and Sandra becomes the chief suspect. What follows is not just an investigation into the circumstances of Samuel's death but an unsettling psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel's conflicted relationship. Also starring Swann Arlaud as Vincent Renzi, the lawyer for the defence and Antoine Reinartz as the lawyer for the prosecution. 

'THE COLOR PURPLE' (Rated M) - is an American coming-of-age musical period drama film Directed by Blitz Bazawule, whose prior feature film credits take in his debut in 2018 with 'The Burial of Kojo' and 'Black is King' in 2020 which he Co-Directed with Beyonce and  various others. The screenplay for this film is based on the stage musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker, and is the second film adaptation of the novel, following the 1985 film Directed by Steven Spielberg and Produced by Spielberg and Quincy Jones. Spielberg and Jones return as Producers for this film. Torn apart from her sister and her children, Celie (Fantasia Barrino) faces many hardships in life, including from an abusive husband Albert 'Mister' Johnson (Colman Domingo). With support from a sultry singer named Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson), as well as her stand-her-ground stepdaughter, Celie ultimately finds extraordinary strength in the unbreakable bonds of a new kind of sisterhood. Also starring Corey Hawkins, Halle Bailey, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Louis Gossett Jnr., and Danielle Brooks. The film cost US$95M to produce, has so far grossed US$59M and has generated largely favourable reviews. 

'THE UNDERDOGGS' (Rated MA15+) - this American sports comedy film is Directed by Charles Stone III whose previous feature film making credits include his 2002 debut with 'Drumline' and then 'Paid in Full' also in 2002, 'Lila & Eve' in 2015, and 'Uncle Drew' and 'Step Sisters' both in 2018. This film then, sees Jaycen (2Js) Jennings (Snoop Dogg) as a washed-up ex-professional NFL star who has hit rock bottom. When Jaycen is sentenced to community service coaching an unruly pee-wee football team, he sees it as an opportunity to turn his life around. The film also stars Mike Epps, and cost US$30M to produce.

With three 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-

THE BOYS IN THE BOAT : Tuesday 16th January 2024.

I saw the PG Rated 'THE BOYS IN THE BOAT' this week, and this American biographical sports drama film is Co-Produced and Directed by George Clooney and is based on the 2013 book of the same name by Daniel James Brown. Clooney's previous feature film Directorial credits take in his debut with 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' in 2002 then 'Good Night, and Good Luck' in 2005, 'Leatherheads' in 2008, 'The Ides of March' in 2011, 'The Monuments Men' in 2014, 'Suburbicon' in 2017, 'The Midnight Sky' in 2020 and 'The Tender Bar' in 2021. This film saw its official World Premiere screening in LA on on 11th December, went on wide release in the US from 25th December, was released on the 4th January here in Australia and in the UK from 12th January, having so far grossed US$42M from its production budget of US$40M, and generated mixed or average reviews. 

This true story opens up in early 1936 and we are introduced to 22 year old Joe Rantz (Callum Turner), an engineering student at the University of Washington. He is sleeping and living rough in a beat up old car in Seattle, has holes in his boots and can barely afford to eat. His good friend Roger Morris (Sam Strike) is almost as equally poor, and together they apply for all manner of jobs to try to improve their lot but without success. One day Morris tells Rantz that they should apply for the UW rowing team, as it brings with it accommodation and a paid job - the only challenge being that neither of them have rowed before. Unperturbed by this notion they both apply and are called up on the day together with about a hundred other hopefuls. UW Rowing Coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton) and his assistant coach Thomas Bolles (James Wolk) welcomes the students and sets the ground rules for their physical and mental tests that will ultimately whittle those hundred or so applicants down to just eight. 

And so after a fairly gruelling training and testing regime that sees both Rantz and Morris nurse aches and pains and blisters to their hands, the day of reckoning arrives. Ulbrickson gives the gathered students his vote of thanks and gratitude for the work they have all individually and collectively put in and then announces the fortunate eight. Both Rantz and Morris are selected together with Don Hume (Jack Mulhern), Chuck Day (Thomas Elms), Johnny White (Tom Varey), Shorty Hunt (Bruce Herbelin-Earle), Jim McMillin (Wil Coban) and Gordy Adam (Joel Phillimore). The final member of the crew was Bobby Moch (Luke Slattery) who later joined the team as Coxswain. 

And so as Morris and Rantz settle into their new accommodation in the boat house and a comfortable bed to sleep in, they get acquainted with their new crew mates. The next morning, early, their training regime begins, as the Coach reminds them that this year is also Olympics year, and the Summer Olympics are being held in Berlin, Germany in mid-August.

And so Ulbrickson and Bolles put their new crew of eight through a rigorous training programme, on the basis that as the Junior team they are there to lift the performance of the Senior team who have their eyes set on Berlin. However, a couple of months in and after Ulbrickson has juggled the seating positions of his crew around several times to optimise their performance, and after swapping out the original Coxswain for Bobby Moch, it occurs to the Coach that his junior team are superior to the senior team, and have the ability to go all the way. 

And so Ulbrickson enters his junior team into the Poughkeepsie Regatta set on the Hudson River in June 1936 where they will be competing against the University of California in a four mile race - the winner of which goes forward to Berlin. The Regatta grew to be 'the greatest one-day sporting event in America' early in the 20th century and before the onset of WWII and the culmination of a 'carnival' regatta week on both sides of the river. Approximately one hundred thousand spectators lined the shores of the river to watch the event, and it was broadcast over the radio nationally. Joyce Simdars (Hadley Robinson), Rantz's former childhood sweetheart and new girlfriend, listens intently to the radio commentary with her friends. It was at this race that boatbuilder for UW George Pocock (Peter Guinness) showcased his specially designed and built shell which the crew would row for the first time, and ultimately to victory. 

Following their victory at Poughkeepsie the crew celebrate with a dance party with their +1's while the Coach's and other dignitaries attend a cocktail party. At that party Coach Ulbrickson is seen in a heated discussion with the head of the US Olympic Committee, who tells the Coach that the sum of US$5,000 is needed to secure the teams entry to Berlin, and he has two weeks to raise the necessary funds otherwise he will have to forfeit his place and the University of California crew will go instead, despite the best team winning on the day. Ulbrickson is mortified by this development and in reality has no idea how he's going to raise US$5,000 in two weeks. He storms out of the party in disgust with his wife Hazel (Courtney Henggeler). 

And so the crew, girlfriends, wives, students, staff and anyone else with a remote interest begin a fund raising campaign straightaway in attempt to secure the required funding. With four hours left before the deadline, and Bolles is doing a tally of monies raised and they are three hundred dollars or so short of their goal, and all seems lost. A knock on the door comes and in enters the Coach of the University of California team. He asks how their fund raising is going to which Ulbrickson responds that they are three hundred dollars or thereabouts shy. To which the opposing Coach pulls out his cheque book and writes out a promissory note for the missing amount. Ulbrickson is gobsmacked by this gesture and left almost speechless. After he leaves, the rooms erupts into laughter and applause. 

One day following, Rantz is sitting in cafe with Joyce when he notices a man across the street loading planks of wood onto the back of his pick-up truck. He goes outside and talks to the man - his father Harry (Alec Newman) who abandoned him at the age of fourteen and left him to grow up very quickly on his own. His mother died when he was four. His father says that he moved to Southern California to find work but there was none and so he returned to Seattle two years ago, but never bothered to look up his son. He offers his son a job paying US$1 a day on his homestead instead of riding boats, to which Rantz turns away but not before Harry reminds his son that at fourteen years of age he went off to fight a war. 

Rantz grows distracted and in turn this impacts negatively on his rowing skills which sees his strokes fall out of synch with his other crew members. Ulbrickson gives Rantz an ultimatum to either shape up or ship out, to which Rantz replies with an 'I don't care'. With that Ulbrickson tells him to leave the crew, and brings in a replacement. Later, George Pocock asks Rantz to join him to apply a coat of polish to the underside of their boat. Pocock uses the analogy of carefully applying the polish with the grain of the wood so the boat will glide through the water and find its own path, and compares this to Rantz's line of thinking in turning his back on his crew. That evening Rantz approaches Ulbrickson and asks for his seat back, as he needs the camaraderie, the stability and the regime that he and the crew offer. Ulbrickson agrees.

And so the crew and the Coaches are off to Berlin for the August 1936 Olympic Games, with Rantz bidding a fond farewell to Joyce before boarding his train.  Shortly after arriving Don Hume falls sick, and is diagnosed with a virus infection, with Ulbrickson telling his other crew members to stay away from him for 24 hours. 

In the first semi-finals Hume pulls himself out of his sick bed and competes, ultimately winning the round against Great Britain, France, Japan and Czechoslovakia, so securing their place in the finals. Hume returns to his sick bed and also has a crisis of confidence. Two days later, the final comes and is attended by Adolf Hitler watching on as his German team have already won the single, doubles and four man rowing competitions. The crew are rowing for gold against Italy, Germany as the firm favourites, Great Britain, Hungary and Switzerland, with Team USA in the outside lane. 

The 2,000 meter race begins, with the USA being the last off the mark because Coxswain Bobby Moch didn't hear the off. They have a lot of ground to make up and Hume is paddling sluggishly and his mind is on other things. Moch gives the order to move up to 35 strokes per minute as the boat begins gathering momentum and moving through the field. He then orders 40 strokes per minute, and removes his loud hailer and talks directly to Hume (rowing from the seat directly in front of him) who is someplace else at that point. Eventually Hume snaps out of his malaise and comes good, at which point Moch ups the ante to 45 strokes per minute as the crew draw neck and neck with the Italian and German teams across the finish line in a photo finish. Hitler looks on awaiting a decision as the film print is hurriedly developed, as do the exhausted crew, Ulbrickson and Bolles and the world glued to the radio sets, including Joyce and Harry back home. When the cameraman appears he calls out 'America' as the gold medal winner, to which Hitler abruptly turns and leaves in disgust as Italy and then Germany are placed second and third respectively. Needless to say, Team USA, Ulbrickson and Bolles are elated.

With 'The Boys in the Boat' Director George Clooney is playing it safe by crafting a fairly predictable, by the numbers sports underdog story that sees the team triumph when all the odds were stacked against them. There is nothing new here that we haven't seen countless times before, and yet the central performances are solid and believable, there are moments of real tension, the production values capture the spirit of the era admirably at the height of the Great Depression and in those pre-WWII years, the race sequences are well executed and the film overall is serviceable and watchable. 

'The Boys in the Boat' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 18th January 2024

The 40th Sundance Film Festival which this year runs from Thursday 18th until Sunday 28th January, is an annual film festival organised by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the US, and takes place each January in Park City, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; and at the Sundance Resort (a ski resort near Provo, Utah), and acts as a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The festival consists of competitive sections for American and international dramatic and documentary films, both feature films and short films, and a group of out-of-competition sections. Sundance began in Salt Lake City in August 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival in an effort to attract more filmmakers to Utah. In 1981, the festival moved to Park City, Utah, and changed the dates from September to January, and the festival was rebranded The US Film and Video Festival. In 1991, the festival was officially renamed the Sundance Film Festival, after Robert Redford's character the Sundance Kid from the film 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'.

There are four main official sections, with the line-up of competition films as given below :-

 

US Dramatic Competition

* 'Between the Temples' - Directed by Nathan Silver.

* 'Didi' - Directed by Sean Wang.

* 'Exhibiting Forgiveness' - Directed by Titus Kaphar.

* 'Good One' - Directed by India Donaldson.

* 'In the Summers' - Directed by Alessandra Lacorazza.

* 'Love Me' - Directed by Sam and Andy Zuchero.

* 'Ponyboi' - Directed by Esteban Arango.

* 'A Real Pain' - Directed by Jesse Eisenberg.

* 'Stress Positions' - Directed by Theda Hammel.

* 'Suncoast' - Directed by Laura Chinn.

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

* 'Brief History of a Family' - from China, France, Denmark and Qatar and Directed by Jianjie Lin.

* 'Girls Will Be Girls' - from India, France, USA and Norway and Directed by Shuchi Talati.

* 'Handling the Undead' - from Norway and Directed by Thea Hvistendahl.

* 'In the Land of Brothers' - from Iran, France and the Netherlands and Directed by Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazli
* 'Layla' - from the UK and Directed by Amrou Al-Kadhi.

* 'Malu' - from Brazil and Directed by Pedro Freire.

* 'Reinas' - from Switzerland, Peru and Spain and Directed by Klaudia Reynicke.

* 'Sebastian' - from the UK, Belgium and Finland and Directed by Mikko Makela.

* 'Sujo' - from the US, Mexico and France and Directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez.

* 'Veni Vidi Vici' - from Austria and Directed by Daniel Hoesl.

US Documentary Competition

* 'As We Speak' - Directed by J.M. Harper.

* 'Daughters' - Directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae.

* 'Every Little Thing' - from Australia and Directed by Sally Aitken.

* 'Frida' - from the US and Mexico and Directed by Carla Gutierrez.

* 'Gaucho Gaucho' - from the US and Argentina and Directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw.

* 'Love Machina' - Directed by Peter Sillen.

* 'Porcelain War' - from the US and Ukraine and Directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev.

* 'Skywalkers : A Love Story' - Directed by Jeff Zimbalist.

* 'Sugarcane' - from the US and Canada and Directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.

* 'Union' - Directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story.

World Documentary Competition

* 'Agent of Happiness' - from Bhutan and Hungary and Directed by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbo.

* 'The Battle for Laikipia' - from Kenya and the USA and Directed by Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi.

* 'Black Box Diaries' - from Japan, the USA and the UK and Directed by Shiori Ito.

* 'Eternal You' - from Germany and the USA and Directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck.

* 'Ibelin' - from Norway and Directed by Benjamin Rae.

* 'IGUALADA' - from Columbia, the USA and Mexico and Directed by Juan Mejio Botero.

* 'Never Look Away' - from New Zealand and Directed by Lucy Lawless.

* 'A New Kind of Wilderness' - from Norway and Directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen.

* 'Nocturnes' - from India and Directed by Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan.

* 'Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat' - from Belgium, France and the Netherlands and Directed by Johan Grimonprez.

For the other film strands being showcased with the sections of 'Premieres', 'Next', 'Midnight', 'Spotlight', 'Special Screenings', 'Episodic' and '40th Anniversary Screenings', plus a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://festival.sundance.org/

Turning the attention then back to this weeks five new movies gracing a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a biographical sports drama offering telling the true story of an overbearing father who pressures his sons to excel at any cost, and then follows the Von Erich brothers as they attempt to make names for themselves in the very public sport of professional wrestling throughout the 1980's. This is followed by a British romantic fantasy drama film about a screenwriter who is drawn back to his childhood home and begins a relationship with a mysterious neighbour as he then discovers his parents appear to be living just as they were on the day they died, 30 years prior. Next up we have a biopic that follows the life of Priscilla Beaulieu and her complicated romantic relationship with Elvis Presley. Then we turn to Filipino romantic drama Sci-Fi film concerning a man who gets the extraordinary opportunity to rewind time and save the life of the woman he loves. And closing out the week we have an animated French film that is the sequel to a 2017 film that reunites the animal crew for a new global adventure in search of an antidote to a mysterious, toxic pink foam covering the jungle sent by a mysterious supervillain.

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 week ahead.

'THE IRON CLAW' (Rated MA15+) - is a biographical sports drama film Written and Directed by Sean Durkin in his third feature film outing following his 2011 debut with 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' and 'The Nest' in 2020. This film is based on the life of professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family - an American professional wrestling family. This film saw its World Premiere screening at The Texas Theatre in Dallas in early November last year, before going on release in the US from just before Christmas having so far grossed US$25M from a production budget of US$16M and garnering positive critical reviews. The film is released this week here in Australia and in the UK from 9th February. 

Based on he true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who make history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980's. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports. Starring Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich, Harris Dickinson as David Von Ehrich, Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich, Maura Tierney as Doris Von Erich, the wife of Fritz and Lily James as Pam Adkisson the wife of Kevin. 

'ALL OF US STRANGERS' (Rated MA15+) - this British romantic fantasy film is Written and Directed by Andrew Haigh, and based on the 1987 novel 'Strangers' by Taichi Yamada, and is the second feature adaptation of the novel, after the 1988 Japanese film 'The Discarnates'. Andrew Haigh's previous feature film credits take in his 2009 debut with 'Greek Pete', followed by 'Weekend' in 2011, '45 Years' in 2015 and 'Lean on Pete' in 2017. This film had its World Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in late August last year, was released in the USA on 22nd December, is scheduled for release in the UK on 26th January, has garnered critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$866K at the Box Office. One night in his near-empty London tower block, screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with mysterious neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal), puncturing the rhythm of his everyday life. As a relationship develops between them, Adam finds himself drawn back to his childhood home, where his parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy) appear to be living just as they were on the day they died 30 years ago.

'PRISCILLA' (Rated M) - is an American biographical drama film Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Sofia Coppola, and is based on the 1985 memoir 'Elvis and Me' by Priscilla Presley (who serves as an Executive Producer here) and Sandra Harmon. Sofia Coppola's prior feature film credits take in her debut with 'The Virgin Suicides' in 1999 followed by 'Lost in Translation' in 2003, 'Marie Antoinette' in 2006, 'The Bling Ring' in 2013, 'The Beguiled' in 2017 and 'On the Rocks' in 2020. Here then, when teenage Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) meets Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments - a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Through Priscilla’s eyes, we see the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla's long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this story of love, fantasy, and fame that ultimately all came crashing down. The film saw its World Premiere at last years Venice International Film Festival in early September, was released in the US from late October, has received generally favourable reviews from critics and has so far grossed US$21.5M from a production budget of about US$20M.

'REWIND' (Rated M) - is a Filipino language romantic drama Sci-Fi film Directed by Mae Czarina Cruz who has been churning out Romantic Comedies or Romantic Dramas at a rate of one a year for the past fourteen years or so. Here, Mary (Marian Rivera) loves John (Dingdong Dantes) for as long as she can remember. But after years of marriage, John's priorities shift, leading to a strained relationship with Mary, which causes a tragic accident that takes away Mary's life. Until one day, John gets an extraordinary proposition - to rewind time and save the life of the woman he loves.

'THE JUNGLE BUNCH WORLD TOUR' (Rated PG) - this French 3D computer animated Superhero comedy film is based on the animated series 'The Jungle Bunch', and is a sequel to the 2017 film 'The Jungle Bunch'. Directed by Benoit Somville, Yannick Moulin and Laurent Bru, here a vicious beaver blankets the jungle with a dangerous pink substance that explodes when coming into contact with water. With the rainy season approaching, the miscellaneous team of animals will have to travel the world from the North Pole to the Far East, crossing mountains, deserts and oceans in search of an antidote, far from their favourite jungle! 

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 coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-