BABY DRIVER : Saturday 8th July 2017.

I saw 'BABY DRIVER'  in an advance screening at my local multiplex over the weekend, five days ahead of its Australian release. This action thriller getaway driver heist offering comes to us with its pedal pushed firmly to the metal. Directed and Written by Edgar Wright whose previous Directing and Writing credits take in 'The Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Hot Fuzz', and 'The World's End' and hot on the heels of his aborted 'Ant-Man' for Marvel Studios which ended up being taken over by Peyton Reed due to creative differences. In his first non-comedic big screen offering, and in film that has been in gestation for over twenty years, Wright has here crafted a stylish musical action heist thriller that features thirty classic music tracks with which our lead character of Baby (Ansel Elgort) the young talented Atlanta getaway driver, listens to in order to drown out the 'hum in his drum' of the severe tinnitus as a result of a motor vehicle accident that he was involved in as a young lad and that killed both his parents. The film has received positive critical Reviews and has so far recovered US$75M from its US$34M budget since its release in the UK and the US at the end of June.

We are first introduced to Baby (Ansel Elgort) in the opening scene as he waits at the wheel of a red Subaru WRX with the engine running, while his three colleagues - Buddy (Jon Hamm), Griff (Jon Bernthal) and Darling (Eliza Gonzalez) are robbing an Atlanta bank during day light hours. The three emerge from the bank carrying bags stuffed full of cash, guns drawn, faces masked.

They jump into the car and Baby floors it, tyres screeching, wheels spinning as the car careers majestically through the city streets, gracefully dodging other vehicles, and onto the freeway as it is pursued by Police cars and a Police helicopter from above. The pace is frenetic, but this is exactly what Baby does best - for he is a demon behind the wheel of a car, and joining two other identical looking cars on the freeway positions himself to evade the Police and escape to their designated meeting point - secure and safe.

Safely holed up in a warehouse looking building, we meet Doc (Kevin Spacey) the criminal mastermind kingpin of this outfit as he divides equally the spoils of the robbery. Griff chastises Baby for constantly listening to music, and how can he possibly concentrate on the job in hand. He also begrudges Doc paying him an equal share when all he does is drive, but Doc defends Baby's reputation as the best in the business and that he has been driving since he could peer over the steering wheel. When the three have left Baby walks out to the car park with Doc. Baby hands over his share of the robbery proceeds back to Doc as payment towards an old debt which he is one more heist from paying off in full. Doc hands him a wad of bills for his troubles, which baby stashes away under the floorboards of his apartment that he shares with his deaf 'Pops' (C J Jones) his foster father, whom Baby cares for.

Later, Baby is sat in the deserted Bo's Diner, earbuds in, gazing at the menu when in walks Debora (Lily James) a waitress singing 'B-A-B-Y' by Carla Thomas. She saunters up to his table and asks for his order. They strike up a conversation about music and it becomes clear that there is an instant attraction between the two borne out of their love and appreciation for classic music and their desire to get the hell outta Dodge and 'head out west, in a car I can't afford with a plan I don't have' retorts Debora.

Doc calls the team in for the next heist on an armoured car. Doc never uses the same team twice, except for his trusted driver, and so this time are assembled Bats (Jamie Foxx), No-Nose (Flea) and JD (Lenny Joon). After very specific instructions are given, the heist is on and again in broad daylight. Things don't go quite as according to plan, when an armed veteran witnesses the robbery and tries to stop it by pulling out his own hand gun and giving chase in his 4WD pick-up truck. After a brief highway chase sequence in which things go awry for Baby but from which he quickly recovers, Doc informs Baby that his debt is now fully paid off, and to get rid of the car in which is contained the dead body of JD who got careless during the robbery and left his shotgun behind. Baby takes the car to an auto wreckers and has the car crushed down to the size of a shoe box.

Free of the shackles of Doc, Baby takes a job delivering pizza's. He takes Debora to an upmarket restaurant for a romantic dinner where Doc is there and picks up the bill. Baby excuses himself and outside Doc announces that he has another job ready to go. Baby says he's out of it but Doc comes on strong saying 'I said we were straight, but did you think we were done?' Reluctantly to keep Debora and Pops safe, Baby agrees. This job is on a Post Office involving Buddy, Darling and Bats and again in broad daylight with the plan to steal several thousand blank money orders each with a redeemable value of up to $100.

On the way back from collecting new weapons from a bunch of corrupt Police officers that ends up with most of them dead, Bats decides he wants to stop off for a bite to eat as they drive past Bo's Diner where Debora works. Baby tries to dissuade the group for going knowing that Debora will be working, but remains quiet for fear of giving away their connection. Upon entering Debora senses Baby's trepidation and goes along with the ruse. An argument at the table however, between Bats and Buddy sees them leave prematurely. The night before the Post Office heist, Doc orders the crew to remain in his warehouse and sleep to be fresh and coordinated ready to go the next morning. Baby tries to leave for a 2:00am rendezvous with Debora to skip town but is intercepted by Buddy and then Bats. Baby also records conversations which he then remixes into his own music tapes, and it just so happens that he recorded a conversation of earlier that evening. The heist is almost put in jeopardy, but proceeds when Buddy returns with a whole case of Baby's own mix tapes, and realise that there is no danger involved. But, they listen to a mix tape of Debora's voice and make the connection between Baby and her and the Diner they were in previously that night.

On the day of the Post Office heist, all goes according to plan and the money orders are successfully taken. What doesn't go according to plan is Buddy shooting a Security Guard. Baby is outraged by this senseless killing and so stalls driving off, and then accelerates hard headlong into a builders truck which has overhanging rebars sticking off the end of it. The rebars smash through the passengers side front windscreen impaling Bats and killing him instantly. The other three escape on foot.

Baby hails down another car and commandeers that while separated from Buddy and Darling who are now left to their own devices and running a gun totting rampage through the streets of downtown Atlanta chased by heavily armed Police officers (similarities here with Michael Mann's classic heist drama 'Heat'). Baby then collides with Buddy and Darling in a car park who by now are in their own vehicle, and in the ensuing fracas Darling is shot and killed. Buddy swears revenge on Baby for getting Darling killed. Baby steals another car and escapes to his apartment to take Pops to the safety of an assisted living home with his pockets stuffed full of money and a voice recorded message to look after the old man.

Buddy meanwhile has fled to the Diner and is sat at the counter with a gun concealed under a newspaper effectively holding Debora prisoner until Baby arrives, as Buddy knows he will. In a moment of distraction Baby shoots Buddy and flees with Debora as the Police close in. However, Buddy thwarts the Police and escapes in a stolen patrol car. Baby drives back to the warehouse to retrieve a special mix tape that has high sentimental value, as it contains music by his Mum, who was a singer. Initially Doc refuses, but relents when he sees Debora too. Feeling sentimental over loves young dream, Doc hands over a bag of cash to the couple, and escorts them down into the parking garage, where all three are ambushed by Buddy behind the wheel of the Police car, and now more pissed off than ever.

Needless to say it doesn't end well for the bad bad guys, and the good bad guys ride off into the sunset in a bullet ridden pick-up truck with their stash of cash, blood on their hands and music in their ears. But the Police were never that far behind and the long arm of the law eventually catches up with Baby and Debora. Baby gets sentenced to 25 years for his crimes and is up for parole in five, and as Baby does his time, so Debora waits patiently for her love until the day comes of his early release.

'Baby Driver' first appeared as a song on the classic Simon & Garfunkel album of 1970 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' and plays out at the end of the film. With nods to the aforementioned 'Heat' and Walter Hill's classic 1978 'The Driver' especially, here Edgar Wright has crafted a stylish kinetic heist story where the good bad guy is our strong and silent anti-hero whose growth through the film sees him as a willing participant through to reluctant accomplice prepared to risk it all to save the two people he cares most about in life. The practical getaway driving stunt work filmed on the mean streets of Atlanta is delivered expertly and puts you in the centre of the action; and then there are strong performances from a talented supporting cast that include Hamm and Fox especially as thoroughly convincing career criminals; to the moments of laugh out loud humour, and one-liner quips; through to the emerging love story interwoven with Baby's tragic back story and his reasons for where and who he is. And then of course let's not forget the soundtrack handpicked for every scene by the Writer/Director himself, and a significant factor in the appeal of this film where the action is synched to the music rather than the other way around. This film has heart, exuberance, fast paced action, violence and an originality all its own. Catch this joyride on the big screen while you can - you won't be disappointed.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 13th July 2017.

Over the last couple of weeks I have shared with you some of the more notable film titles coming our way on a week by week basis over the latter half of 2017. Here in this closing feature segment, I offer you the Best of the Rest of those other movies that just might make their mark critically, commercially or even both, and which might warrant a visit to your local multiplex if you feel so inclined.
* 03rd August : 'Atomic Blonde' - Directed by David Leitch and starring Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan and Sofia Boutella about an undercover MI6 Agent sent to Cold War Berlin to track down a list of double agents being smuggled into the west.
* 17th August : 'Logan Lucky' - Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Seth McFarlane, Sebastian Stan, Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes and Katherine Waterston in this NASCAR heist dramedy on the Charlotte Motor Speedway just before the biggest race of the year - The Coca Cola 600.
* 24th August : 'The Lost City of Z' - Directed by James Gray and starring Charlie Hunnam, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller about the real life drama surrounding British explorer Colonel Percival Fawcett who disappeared while searching for a mysterious and mythical Amazonian city during the 1920's.
* 7th September : 'The Dinner' - Directed by Oren Overman and starring Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney, Chloe Sevigny about two struggling families who come together over the course of a dinner that reveals certain family secrets resulting in decisions made that will be the hardest of their lives.
* 14th September : 'Victoria and Abdul' - Directed by Stephen Frears and starring Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, and Simon Callow about an unlikely friendship that develops between Queen Victoria and a young Indian clerk.
* 12th October : 'Mother' - Directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Domhnall Gleeson, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in this drama about a couples relationship being tested when uninvited guests arrive at the home disrupting their otherwise tranquil lifestyle.
* 19th October : 'Geostorm' - Directed by Dean Devlin and starring Gerard Butler, Ed Harris, Andy Garcia, Jim Sturgees and Abbie Cornish in this end of the world catastrophic event that only one man can prevent by being sent into outer space.
* 26th October : 'American Pastoral' - Directed by Ewan McGregor and starring Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connolly, David Strathairn, Rupert Evans and Dakota Fanning about how a successful businessman's happy contented life starts to unravel when he learns that his teenage daughter has become radicalised in reaction to the Vietnam War.
* 02nd November : 'Jigsaw' or 'Saw : Legacy' - Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig and starring Tobin Bell, Laura Vendervoort, Matt Passmore, and Mandela Van Peebles in the eighth instalment in this hugely successful horror franchise that continues a decade after the death of Jigsaw.
* 09th November : 'Detroit' - Directed by Katherine Bigelow and starring John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony Mackie and Jack Reynor set against the backdrop of the 1967 Detroit riots.
* 30th November : 'Granite Mountain' - Directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch, Jennifer Connolly and Andie MacDowell about the true story of the 2013 Yarnell Fire in Arizona and how an elite crew of fire fighters lost 19 of their own during this intense and relentless blaze.
* 26th December : 'Breathe' - Directed by Andy Serkis and starring Claire Foy, Andrew Garfield and Hugh Bonneville in this real life drama about a handsome, adventurous and brilliant young man whose life is turned upside down and inside out when he contracts polio and is paralysed, and how his devoted, determined wife helps him to transcend his disability ultimately helping others.
* 26th December : 'Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle' - Directed by Jake Kasdan and starring Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan in this continuation of the 1995 film that sees four young teenagers get sucked into a video game version of the board game and in an alternative place and time they become avatars of themselves needing to thwart dangers and misadventure along the way in order to complete the game and get back to whence they came.
* 26th December : 'Downsizing' - Directed by Alexander Payne and starring Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig in this social satire about a man who realises that his life would be so much more simple if he were to shrink himself.

This week then there are four very adult offerings from which to choose your movie outing this week ranging from historical drama with the backdrop of the American Civil War when a small group of southern sophisticated ladies take in an injured Union soldier; to a high speed heist drama with a young getaway driver of repute, fuelled by a cracking soundtrack; to a hi-tech thriller when a new recruit is taken under the wing of the company's founder only to learn that there is more at stake than she bargained for; to a modern ghost story that is light on chills and thrills but heavy on emotion and our reason for being.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four new releases as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here most warmly invited 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 cinematic experience in the coming week.

'THE BEGUILED' (Rated M) - this reinterpretation, remake, reimagining (call it what you will) of the 1971 film of the same name this time Directed, Co-Produced and Written for the screen by Sofia Coppola, is based on the 1966 Southern Gothic novel written by Thomas P. Cullinan, originally titled 'A Painted Devil'. That 1971 feature was Directed and Produced by Don Siegal and starred Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page in the two lead roles. That film was also one of five cinematic collaborations between Siegel and Eastwood that began with 'Coogan's Bluff' in 1968 and continued with 'Two Mules for Sister Sara' in 1970, and then 'Dirty Harry' in 1971 and 'Escape from Alcatraz' in 1979. The earlier offering was generally well received by Critics but fared unfavourably at the Box Office because for the time the Studio behind the Production, Universal, were unsure how to market a film with Eastwood playing against type.

And so to this 2017 offering which Premiered in official competition for the Palme d'Or at this years Cannes Film Festival. Coppola was awarded Best Director, making her only the second female Director in the history of the Festival to win the coveted award and the first female in 56 years to do so. Starring Colin Farrell as injured and on the run deserter from the Union Army, Corporal John McBurney, who winds up in the care of Miss Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman) who runs a select girls school in Virginia during the American Civil War aided by the only teacher, Edwina Morrow (Kirsten Dunst) and five students played by Elle Fanning, Angourie Rice, Oona Laurence, Emma Howard and Addison Riecke. All the other staff, students and slaves have fled for fear on the impact of War. The students and two staff at the school seem more than willing and able to aid the injured Corporal, even concealing him from Confederate soldiers who arrive at the premises. Fairly soon, the sexual tension that grows between McBurney and the women lead to tense rivalries as they tend to his wounded leg and allow him to convalesce while offering him comfort, companionship and an unexpected turn of events. The film cost US$10M to make and has so far grossed just over US$8M from its fairly limited release.

'BABY DRIVER' (Rated MA15+) - and so this action thriller getaway driver heist offering comes to us with its pedal pushed firmly to the metal. Directed and Written by Edgar Wright whose previous Directing and Writing credits take in 'The Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Hot Fuzz', and 'The World's End' and hot on the heels of his aborted 'Ant-Man' for Marvel Studios which ended up being taken over by Peyton Reed due to creative differences. In his first non-comedic big screen offering, and in film that has been in gestation for over twenty years, Wright has here crafted a stylish musical action heist thriller that features thirty classic music tracks with which our lead character of Baby (Ansel Elgort) the young talented Atlanta getaway driver, listens to in order to drown out the 'hum in his drum' of the severe tinnitus as a result of a motor vehicle accident that he was involved in as a young lad, and that killed both his parents. Now at age 22, and needing to pay off a debt, he works as the preferred getaway driver of choice to criminal kingpin Doc (Kevin Spacey) who uses a different team each time to rob some bank, credit union or post office. Having paid of his debt to Doc, he is coerced into doing another job which ultimately puts his life, his love and his freedom in danger, as that one last job goes horribly wrong for all involved. Also starring Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Lily James and Eliza Gonzales this film has largely received positive Reviews and has so far recovered US$73M from its US$34M budget since its release in the UK and the US at the end of June.

'THE CIRCLE' (Rated M) - this techno-thriller is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by James Ponsoldt, in collaboration with Dave Eggers, the author of the 2013 book of the same name upon which this film is based. Made for US$18M and Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in April this year, the film has so far grossed US$30M since its US release at the end of April and has garnered generally negative press. Here Mae Holland (Emma Watson) gets the chance of a lifetime to join the world most powerful social media and technology giant 'The Circle', headed up by Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks). Encouraged to join a groundbreaking experiment by Bailey that pushes Holland to the extremes of the consumers rights to privacy, ethical conduct and personal freedom, she soon begins to realise that the decisions she makes has a lasting impact upon her family, her friends and indeed potentially the whole of humanity. Also starring John Boyega, Ellar Coltrane, Karen Gillan, and the late Bill Paxton and Glenne Headley.

'A GHOST STORY' (Rated M) - is a supernatural drama film Written and Directed by David Lowery, shot on a micro budget and in secret with a large portion of the film being set within a single house, which was chosen by the Director because it closely resembled the first house he lived in with his wife. The house was scheduled for demolition and so the film crew were allowed to use it for free. Furthermore, it was reported that the project was shot in secret as they did not know how the final product would turn out. The film Premiered at this years Sundance Film Festival, had its Australian Premier at the recent Sydney Film Festival on 13th June, and now goes on general release this week in Australia one week behind its US release last week. Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara play happily married couple 'C' and 'M' respectively living in their small Texan suburban home. One day C is killed outside his home in a car accident. At the morgue, C awakens as a ghost covered in a white sheet with two large black holes for eyes. As a spectral entity C returns to his former home to comfort his wife in her time of grieving, only to come to the realisation that he has become unstuck in time and is only able to watch passively as the life and love he once knew gradually slide away. What unfolds as time marches on and as other families come and go through his former home, is a metaphor for love, loss, grief, the passage of time and the enormity of our existence in this haunting, thought provoking and definitely unscary film.

With four films this week all covering differing genres - historical American Civil War drama to burning rubber pedal to the metal crime drama to hi-tech thriller to a somewhat unique ghost story there are plenty of reasons to get out amongst it at your local multiplex or independent theatre. Remember to share your thoughts afterwards with your like minded cinephiles here at Odeon Online, and in the meantime, I'll see you somewhere sometime in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

ALLEGIANT - THE DIVERGENT SERIES : Thursday 14th April 2016.

'ALLEGIANT' which I saw during the past week is the third instalment in the popular teenage dystopian Sci-Fi series of books by Veronica Roth that follows on from 'Divergent' and last years 'Insurgent' which made US$289M and US$298M respectively off the back of a combined US$195M budget, so hardly blockbuster status. Like 'Potter', 'Twilight' and 'The Hunger Games' before it, the final book in the Divergent series is split into two films with the final piece of this puzzle 'Ascendant' due for release in June 2017. In the meantime, 'Allegiant' is Directed by Robert Schwentke, who also Directed 'Insurgent', and was made for US$110M and since its release in the US on 18th March has so far made US$152M. The film has so far received largely luke warm reviews, but is likely to find an audience of those so far following the exploits of Tris Prior & Co., as the series enters its conclusion.

Here we see the same bunch of characters that you by now know, with Tris (Shailene Woodley) wishing to escape the confines of a walled in Chicago of the future with Four (Theo James) for the first time, so leaving behind everything and (almost) everyone she knows and loves.  With the events that unfolded at the end of 'Insurgent', we join as Evelyn (Naomi Watts) has taken power and is holding those citizens  of Dauntless and Erudite captive who conspired against the uprising. Those found 'guilty' are publicly executed - with Caleb (Ansel Elgort) next on the list who remains holed up in a jail cell gazing down at Tris for sympathy who is giving none - outwardly at least.  Evelyn attempts to pressure Tris and Four into taking a leadership role within the new order, but neither are interested and turn their backs as they have their own hidden agenda now.

Knowing that the hostilities will only escalate further Tris and Four manage to have Caleb released under false pretences and make their getaway with Christina (Zoe Kravitz), Peter (Miles Teller) and Tori (Maggi Q) to the wall that encircles Chicago which has now become reinforced with a high voltage current. Despite this they succeed in their attempt to free themselves of the city, but not without chase and a casualty along the way.

Needless to say they break through, scale down a cliff face and begin their journey into who knows what? It is not long before they emerge in a red & orange coloured landscape of scorched earth and toxic waterways, and the wreckage of a civilisation long since vanished. However, they are soon picked up by a group of friendly welcoming soldiers who have been watching their every move and reassure them they are now safe. They are escorted to the Bureau of Genetic Welfare - a highly advanced city amid the desolate landscape that has risen out of the former Chicago airport on the city's fringe. Here, Tris is introduced to David (Jeff Daniels) the leader of the Bureau who advises her of the truth behind Chicago, and that is was an experiment to raise genetically pure Divergents, but the experiments failed, and only Tris is truly pure, whilst all others are 'damaged' and to varying degrees. But David can help her restore peace to Chicago which is becoming increasingly fragile as the former Evelyn's factionless prepare to battle it out for supremacy over Johanna's (Octavia Spencer) new Allegiant faction, with the threat of all out war becoming more real by the day.

As Tris' trust in David grows, so Four becomes more suspicious. He is enlisted into the military force with Christina while Peter and Caleb are given surveillance duties within the Bureau, to maintain a very close watch on the developments and the comings & goings in Chicago. On a child rescue mission into the 'fringe' which Four joins, he learns that there is more to rescuing less fortunate kids that humanitarian reasons as he was led to believe. Having witnessed first hand what becomes of the captured children and uncovered the truth behind forceful child abductions Four confronts Tris with this news, but she dismisses the notion in support of David.

As Tris is flown with David to meet the Council he reports to in an attempt to stop the violence in Chicago, Four engineers his escape from the Bureau back to Chicago in attempt to halt an all out war.  He escapes but his ship is downed and he in injured but flees to safety and eventually makes it back to Chicago where he is picked up and promptly thrown in a cell where Evelyn confronts him with her desire to go to war and quell Johanna and her Allegiant faction. Meanwhile Tris' meeting with the Council did not go well and she learns that David had the authority all along to end the violence in Chicago but chose not to - as a consequence she breaks off her partnership with him as she can longer trust what he is saying. She returns to the Bureau and hatches a quick escape plan with Caleb and Christina.

They make it back to Chicago, locate Four but not before Evelyn aided by a turncoat Peter who has struck up a clandestine deal with David, have released a gas into the atmosphere of the city to erase the memories of all its inhabitants so ending the war and bring about peace in her favour and on her terms. With Peter and Evelyn sealed away in a tightly locked vault, it would be only them who have any memory of the before and after once the gas is fully released. In the meantime, Tris, Caleb, Chritsina and Four race against time to locate the underground gas dispersion hub to prevent the gas release from deploying fully.

Of course it all comes good in the end as the gas released is halted before it's all too late, but not before Evelyn is shot by an angered Peter who then makes his escape seeking to get back to the Bureau and claim his reward on the deal he struck up with David. The citizens
are free to live another day as Tris goes on air with the truth behind the existence of the Bureau and the experiment of which they have all been part . . . but no more, as Caleb sends the shuttle which brought them back is returned packed full of explosives which detonates upon reaching its target bringing down the Bureau, everyone in it and everything it stood for.

I have to say, I found this film underwhelming. Maybe the Director and the Producers are gearing up for the huge finale that will break Box Office records for the franchise and wow us beyond belief. There are no stand out moments in this film other than perhaps the spectacle of the visuals as we venture for the first time beyond the wall. Other than that this film is pretty pedestrian and everything you would expect. The cast seem to plod their way through their lines and the action - neither of which are especially memorable, and its all fairly predictable fare. Let's hope for a whole lot more on every level in the final chapter of this series - for which we'll have to wait another twelve months. In the meantime, wait for the Bluray and DVD release so that you can watch this in the comfort of your home.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

INSURGENT - Saturday 28th March 2015.

The first book in the Veronica Roth dystopian post-apocalyptic world trilogy - 'Divergent' reached our big screens last year at a cost of production at US$85M and took a worldwide gross of US$289M, and on the basis of that success, and its entertainment value, I saw its follow-up last night - 'INSURGENT'.

For me this series so far tops the other in a similar vein - 'The Hunger Games' which is nearing the end of its run with the final instalment due later this year. 'Insurgent' gives us more grounded characters with back stories we can relate to, a more believable story line, greater complexity and improved production values. The entertainment factor here gives us so much more, and I enjoyed this offering and look forward to the final chapter, 'Allegiant' (also to be split into two instalments surprise surprise!) in March 2016.

Taking over from Neil Burger in the Directors chair, this time around we have Robert Schwentke who was given a US$110M budget to play with, which after a week of release has so far taken US$118M at the global Box Office.

As the film opens we are just literally hours down the track from where the first film left off and Tris (Shailene Woodley), Four (Theo James), Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and Peter (Miles Teller) are on the run through the forest eventually finding refuge in an Amity camp. They wait up there to let the dust settle and reacquaint themselves with the land and the company of various other divided Factions. Meanwhile Jeanine (Kate Winslet) has her foot soldiers sifting through the debris of the destroyed Abnegation Faction for an artifact buried therein that is believed to have its origins with the founders of the city and which contains the secrets to overcoming the Divergent's once and for all. Problem is, only a Divergent can open the mythical box, and so Jeanine orders that all Divergents be rounded up and bought in to open the said Pandora's Box of tricks! Eric (Jai Courtney) and Max (Mekhi Phifer) are dispatched to lead the search and bring back any and all Divergents who will be tested to open the box . . . at no matter what cost!

As Eric and Max close in, so begins another cat & mouse game with Tris &Co on the run and the four split further as loyalties are tested and it's every man for himself. Tris and Four remain together with Caleb in tow, with  Peter having betrayed them to Eric & Max. As they evade their foe and seek to head back to the city aboard a train, they are set upon by the Factionless and a fight breaks out. After, when the dust has settled Four reveals his names as Tobias Eaton, and is advised that he has been sought after for a very long time now. With safe passage back to the Factionless enclave deep in the bowels of the city Four is confronted by his estranged Mother, believed to have died when he was six. She now heads up Factionless and wants revenge on Jeanine, but she may have a hidden agenda to take control of what remains afterwards, and is seeking to amass an army to overthrow Erudite.

As Four rebels against his Mother, the next morning he leaves with Tris and Caleb for Candor to reunite with their Dauntless colleagues, but Caleb announces he cannot continue and is not cut out for such heroic acts of bravery, adventure, risk & derring-do! Leaving Tris and Four to continue their journey they arrive at Candor, and momentarily all is good in the world until overcome by leader Jack Kang (Daniel Dae Kim) who intends to send them both to Erudite to stand trial for their crimes, believing that Jeanine is true & just. Needless to say it's not long before he is proven wrong!

With several Divergents captured and tested to open the box at Jeanine's hands, the body count is rising and her patience is wearing thin. Ordering again a greater sweep of all Divergent's Tris comes to terms with the fact that the only way to stop the murdering is for her to give herself up and put an end to Jeanine's power crazy ways. Doing so against the wishes of Four she slinks away to Erudite and is promptly strung up with various cables, electronic gadgetry and mind control mechanisms that will test her to her limits in an attempt to open the box.

Being 100% Divergent it seems it's down to Tris to do or die and she is the only one who can open the box having been through all Faction 'sims' and been successful . . .  maybe! As it plays out Tris has to come to terms with her own history, the guilt she carries around, the burden of what she has become and what she may truly represent, and the love she has for Four. In the final set piece there are a few surprises in store, a number of questions are answered and there is the big reveal that sets up the next instalment quite nicely with just the right amount of action and without too much melodrama.

Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Zoe Kravitz, Maggie Q, Ashley Judd are all there too and the visuals of a war torn battle scared trashed and wrecked city skyline that once was Chicago now surrounded by an enormous wall is very well rendered and impressive in its imagery. This is a worthy follow up to last years 'Divergent' and sets up 'Allegiant' nicely with just the right air of expectation and the promise of new things for our characters who will continue their journey.

  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 19th March 2015.

The weeks fly by when you're having fun and watching movies, and it's even more true I think when you write about them too. Here in downtown Adelaide in South Australia, I have found two movie theatres within walking distance of my humble little dwelling that offer film festivals, current releases and live entertainment spread over ten screens in two theatres, 200 metres from each other and in the heart of a busy bustling bar, restaurant, and cafe strip . . . how good is that, and I'm wondering how to I fit in all of my favourite things? Enough though of my ramblings - what of this weeks latest film offerings?

First up there is the second instalment of another futuristic dystopian Sci-Fi world plucked from the pages of an international best seller aimed squarely at the teen market but attracting more discerning adult bums on seats too; then the action hero of the moment has churned out another formulaic hunt 'em down, beat 'em up offering that looks increasingly like this ageing protagonist is just cashing in another pay cheque; and finally a famed art house auteur making a historical piece on a shoestring budget that has quirky eccentric bold & beautiful painted all over it.

When you have caught your movie of choice in the week ahead of those films new to cinemas, or, those still doing the rounds on general release, write a comment for the legions of Odeon Online fans out there and share your thoughts in the Comments Box below this, or any other Post. Enjoy your film!

INSURGENT (Rated M) - the first book in this series by Veronica Roth - 'Divergent' hit our big screens in 2014 and was made for US$85M and brought home US$289M in the final analysis. Clearly enough of a hit to ensure this sequel, with one more to go in 2016 - although that might be split over two films too as is the way these days it would seem (think 'Potter', 'Twilight' and 'Hunger Games'). Directed now by Robert Schwentke for US$110M here we see the characters torn asunder and divided far & wide joining them now three days after we last saw them. Beatrice 'Tris' Prior (Shailene Woodley) is on the run with Four (Theo James), with Janine Matthews (Kate Winslett) as the leader of the Erudite faction hot on the heels and determined to hunt them down.

Tris and Four need to reassemble the crew and uncover what Abnegation sacrificed their lives to safeguard and why Erudite will stop at nothing to prevent them from moving forward and uncovering the truth. As the once strong and solid Faction system in a post-apocalyptic Chicago crumbles away and the powers remaining fight for power and supremacy, Tris must overcome numerous mental and physical challenges of her own that reveal secrets of her past, the key to the future, and what she must do to protect those she loves. You know it will end on a cliffhanger, so be prepared for more unanswered questions to ensure you come back for the next instalment 12 months from now. Also starring those returned from last time and a few new faces - Ansel Elgort, Naomi Watts, Jai Courtney, Ashley Judd and Maggie Q amongst others.

BIG EYES (Rated M) - quirky left field Director Tim Burton has made a little film for just US$10M based on the real life painting fraud of the 1950's and 60's of Margaret Keane - the painter of those famed pictures of waif like children with large over exaggerated bulging eyes. Struggling to make ends meet after a divorce Margaret (Amy Adams) meets up with kindly gregarious ladies man and fellow painter Walter Keane (Christophe Waltz) and before you can say 'fake or forgery' the two are an item. Recognising the talent in the paintings and using his canny marketing skills and a polished sales pitch Walter sets about selling these paintings anywhere and everywhere he can . . . signing his own name to the artwork while Margaret is at home locked up bashing out big eyed painting after big eyed painting. Oblivious to her husbands signatory ruse things come to a head that result in the couple divorcing in a bitter court battle that exposes Walter as an artistic fraud, while Margaret strives to clear her name, reclaim her artwork, safeguard her financial future and rebuild her life. Intense and colourful - like the paintings!

RUN ALL NIGHT (Rated MA15+) - you can easily be forgiven for thinking that 60 something action star Liam Neeson has phoned this one in too for the sake of a big pay day to be reminded of his previous tough guy kick-ass anti-hero offerings 'Taken' and all its sequels, 'Non-Stop' and more recently 'A Walk Among The Tombstones'. This one though seems to promise a little more as Jimmy Conlon (Neeson) is a down on his luck, no hope boozing ex-mob hit man has been that once was best mates with his mob-boss Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). When the mob orders a hit on Jimmy's estranged son Michael (Joel Kinnaman), Jimmy must go head to head with the mob, with his old friend Maguire, corrupt cops, hired killers and other undesirables to protect himself and his son whom he hardly knows. Loyalties will be tested, Jimmy will utilise his own 'particular set of skills', heads will be cracked, bullets will be chewed, shit will get blown up, cars trashed and the body count is likely to rise in good old mob gangster style. What's not to like?

Three films this week to tease, cajole, and entice you out to your local movie theatre and in front of a big screen. Share your thoughts with your like minded friends at Odeon Online and keep going to the movies.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-