ANTEBELLUM : Tuesday 6th October 2020.

'ANTEBELLUM' which I saw earlier this week is a MA15+ Rated American horror film Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz in their feature filmmaking debuts. Originally slated for an end of April release date, this was pushed back due to the impacts of COVID-19 to the 20th August before being temporarily suspended from the release schedule all together. Subsequently, the film was released through video on demand on 18th September in the US, and saw its theatrical release in Australia from last week. Costing US$15M, the film has so far recouped US$4M and has garnered mixed or average Reviews so far. 

The film opens up on a sun drenched day on a Louisiana cotton plantation sometime in the early 1860's during the American Civil War. Run by the Confederate States Army who treat the enslaved black workers with disdain, complete disrespect and with a harsh hand. The slaves are not permitted to speak unless given permission to do so, they are not permitted to speak with one another and any that dare try to escape are quickly captured, killed and then burned in a crematorium. Eden (Janelle Monae) is amongst a group of slaves who has clearly been there only for a short while. She is favoured by the Confederate General (Eric Lange) who treats her harshly and one night brands her on the lower back with a red hot poker, and chastises her for crying out in agony ordering her to stop her whimpering. 

Six weeks later a group of new slaves are carted on to the plantation. Among the new group is a pregnant woman whom the female owner of the plantation, Elizabeth (Jena Malone) calls Julia (Kiersey Clemons). She is placed under the care of Eden. Over the course of her first few days Julia asks Eden to plan their escape, but for Eden timing is everything and instead asks her to lie low and to keep her head down in compliance until the time is right. Shortly thereafter a big dinner is held for all the Confederate Soldiers with the slaves waiting on. 

The General says to his men that the women are there to cater for their every need and want and that they shall not refuse any request. A young and very nervous soldier named Daniel (Robert Aramayo) is introduced to Julia whom he takes a liking to. He is too nervous to talk to Julia so the General intervenes and orders Julia to take him back to her cabin. In the cabin Daniel beats and kicks Julia in the stomach for speaking to him without his permission. The next day Julia miscarries in the cotton field, and the day after that Eden finds Julia hanged from the rafters of her cabin. That night the General rapes Eden, and she falls asleep.

The next morning Eden wakes up to the sound of her mobile phone ringing, but she is not Eden, she is Veronica Henley, a renowned and highly qualified sociologist, and this now serves as the backstory as to how she came to be on a Louisiana cotton plantation in the early 1860's. That morning she is scheduled to fly out of home to Louisiana to speak at a seminar and launch her new book at the same time. Her loving husband Nick (Marque Richardson) and young daughter Kennedi (London Boyce) make a fuss over breakfast. After her presentation to a largely gathered group of black and Asian women, her friends Dawn (Gibourey Sidibe) and Sarah (Lili Cowles) take Veronica out for dinner. In the meantime, Elizabeth, posing as a company representative, sneaks into Veronica's room, rifles through some papers and steals one of her lipsticks. 

After dinner wraps up, the girls gather for a group selfie outside the restaurant just as two Uber's pulls up. Veronica climbs into one for she needs an early night as she has a plane to catch at 6:30am the next morning leaving Dawn and Sarah to catch the second Uber and party on elsewhere. Inside the Uber Veronica is attempting to speak to Nick but the music in the car is turned up high. She asks the driver to turn it down and then notices looking in the rear view mirror back at her it is Elizabeth. From behind, a hand grasps Veronica around the face and she is knocked unconscious by Elizabeth's husband Jasper (Jack Huston). 

Back now on the cotton plantation, Veronica wakes and now doggedly tells one of her fellow male captives Eli (Tongayi Chirisa) that they will attempt an escape later that night. Eli's wife had previously attempted to escape and she was killed and burned in the crematorium as a result. While the General is sleeping, Veronica steals his mobile phone that she had previously seen him angrily speaking into in the early hours of one morning. However, she drops the phone when Daniel is walking by with another soldier, both of whom are more than half drunk. Picking up the phone, the soldiers are perplexed that someone would defy orders by bringing a mobile phone on to the camp when it is strictly forbidden. Veronica and Eli hide in the undergrowth as the two soldiers approach having heard something. One soldier leaves having said it's nothing, leaving Daniel to take a leak. Eli kills Daniel with a hatchet. The pair quickly discover that the phone can only be unlocked with facial recognition, and so Veronica goes back to the cabin to find that the General is awake. 

A fight breaks out and Eli is killed by the General with the hatchet embedded into his heart while trying to protect her. Veronica manages to stab the General with his own sword before unlocking the phone and calling Nick and sending him her location so that he can alert the Police. She pulls down the Confederate flag flying in the grounds and wraps the General's body inside it. She then drags his limp body to the crematorium. Jasper by now has been alerted to the commotion and runs into her. Veronica lures him and another guard into the crematorium and locks the three of them firmly inside, before setting it alight, leaving the men to burn to death as she steals the General's horse and rides off.

Various soldiers all pursue Veronica on horseback shooting at her randomly. They all fall away or succumb to the dense undergrowth, except for Elizabeth who doggedly chases after her. Coming to a clearing Elizabeth reveals that she handpicked every slave on the plantation except for Veronica, whom she kidnapped at her father's insistence and that she would be his jewel in the crown. Veronica knocks Elizabeth off her horse, a fight breaks out with Veronica ultimately gaining the upper hand by putting a rope around her neck, and then dragging her along behind her horse at speed for several hundred meters until she hits the stone plinth of a Robert E. Lee statue, breaking her neck instantly. Veronica flees the pursuing soldiers into the chaos of a battle, revealing that the plantation is actually part of a Civil War lifelike reenactment park owned by the General under his real name, Blake Denton. Veronica escapes as the Police arrive to liberate her and the other captives and the park, named Antebellum, is bulldozed sometime thereafter.

I have to say that I enjoyed 'Antebellum' more than most critics it seems fair to say, did. Whilst hardly a horror film in the true genre meaning of the term, there are certainly moments that can be described as horrific as slaves are either killed or maimed without mercy by their overbearing Confederate masters, but then when a slave gains the upper hand she also meets out her own vengeance without mercy and with just as much violence. The first act labours somewhat as it sets the tone of what is to follow, but the second and third acts certainly make up for the earlier shortfalls as the plot twist comes more into focus. Janelle Monae certainly proves her acting chops in her first major lead role whilst Eric Lange, Jena Malone and Jack Huston all ham it up admirably tarred with the same brush. Gabourey Sidibe looks out of place arriving on the scene as though she has walked into a comedy film, all larger than life, gushing with self confidence, and totally out there (but then I guess she is playing a self help guru here!). There are parallel stories at play here with the cultural oppression and racial discrimination just as evident today as it was 160 years ago, and with this reenactment park being able to fly under the radar of any authorities and get away with murder most foul for God only knows how long, this is surely a metaphor for white supremacists and the BLM movement as it is raging through the US right now. First time Directors Bush and Renz certainly know how to capture and maintain the interest from the opening frames to the last, whilst asking you to suspend all belief that a place like Antebellum can even exist. 

'Antebellum' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st October 2020.

The 58th New York Film Festival is currently in full swing having opened on 17th September and running through until 11th October. This years opening film is Director Steve McQueen's 'Lovers Rock', with Chloe Zhao's already acclaimed 'Nomadland' being the Centrepiece and 'French Exit' by Azazel Jacobs being the closing night film. The festival presents a mix of in-person and virtual screenings, partnering with various local institutions to offer drive-in screenings. Maintaining pace with global film culture amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the festival brings a more streamlined and eclectic mix of shorts, experimental cinema, documentaries and auteur films.

This years Main Slate of films also includes another twenty two new features from around the world. Included in this line up are :-

* 'Mangrove' - Directed also by Steve McQueen as an anthology of five films about the lives of black people living in Great Britain that he has made under the 'Small Axe' heading that launched with festival opener 'Lovers Rock'. Recounting the true story of Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), the Trinidad-born owner of the Notting Hill 'Mangrove' restaurant who was arrested for protesting the police’s countless acts of intimidation and brutality. This is a vivid and gripping dramatisation of these events and the resulting landmark 1970 court case of Crichlow and the other defendants, who came to be known as the Mangrove Nine.

* 'Red, White and Blue' - also Directed by Steve McQueen as an anthology of five films he has made under the 'Small Axe' heading that launched with festival opener 'Lovers Rock', continued with 'Mangrove' and concludes with this feature, with 'Education' and 'Alex Wheatle' not shown at this festival. John Boyega plays real-life figure Leroy Logan, a member of the London Metropolitan Police Force who both witnessed and experienced firsthand the organisation’s fundamental racism. The film captures Logan’s growing awareness of a system that he would one day try to dismantle from the inside, while also homing in on his relationship with his father, a victim of white police brutality who initially refuses to accept his son’s decision to enter the police force.

* 'Beginning' - in her striking feature debut, Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili tells the devastating story of a persecuted family of Jehovah’s Witness missionaries in a remote village outside of Tibilisi from the perspective of a traumatised wife and mother Yana (Ia Sukhitashvili).

* 'City Hall' - here Director, Producer and Editor Frederick Wiseman takes an in depth look at the function and practice of community, policy, and civic engagement and how this is shaping Americans’ everyday lives. This time, Wiseman trains his gaze on the inner workings of the city of Boston, taking viewers into the public and backroom discussions that can either inspire or stall municipal action.

* 'The Disciple' - Indian filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane’s here Directs a finely crafted labor of love set in the world of Hindustani classical music, starring singer, and remarkable first-time actor Aditya Modak, as a man living in Mumbai who tries to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a maestro in the Khayal raag music tradition.

* 'I Carry You With Me' - Directed by Heidi Ewing this film unexpectedly and brilliantly incorporates documentary elements into the story of a burgeoning romance between two men - Ivan (Armando Espitia), a semi-closeted young father and restaurant worker, and Gerardo (Christian Vazquez), a high school teacher who has come to terms more fully with his sexuality - who cross the border from Mexico to the U.S. in search of a new life together and new work opportunities.

* 'Malmkrog' - from Romanian Director Cristi Puiu this turn-of-the-20th-century Christmas Eve gathering among five members of the European elite at an elegant Transylvanian estate becomes the setting for an increasingly intense succession of conversations on good and evil, Jesus and the Devil, war and peace in this at times frightening vision of the simmering violence beneath the colonialist’s veneer of courtesy and formal politeness.

* 'MLK/FBI' - throughout his history changing political career, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement authorities like an enemy of the state. In this virtuosic documentary, Director Sam Pollard lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism throughout the 1950's and ’60's.

* 'Night of the Kings' - here Ivory Coast filmmaker Philippe Lacote tells the story of a pickpocket (Kone Bakary), newly arrived at the Maca correctional facility in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan, who, in order to stay alive, must keep his fellow inmates entertained with wild tales over the course of a night.

* 'The Salt of Tears' - Director Philippe Garrel here tells the story of handsome Luc (Logann Antuofermo) who aggressively courts Djemila (Oulaya Amamra) on a Paris suburb metro in this precise and economically told moral tale, but she isn’t destined to be his one and only.

* 'Time' - examines the tireless twenty year campaign of Louisiana woman Fox Rich to secure her husband’s release after he received a  sixty year prison sentence for robbery becomes a delicate work of nonfiction cinematic alchemy in the hands of Director Garrett Bradley.

* 'Tragic Jungle' - in the 1920's, Agnes (Indira Andrewin) escapes from the white British landowner she doesn’t want to marry into the deep thickets of the tropical forest along the Rio Hondo River. Mexican filmmaker Yulene Olaizola has here crafted a gripping adventure and a contemplative rumination on the brutality and splendour of nature.

* 'The Truffle Hunters' - this revelatory, earthy documentary is Directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw who immerse the viewer in the forests of Northern Italy where dogs, accompanied by their elderly and often irascible human owners of modest means, seek the precious white Alba truffle.

* 'Undine' - from German Director Christian Petzold, this melodrama centres around a pair of star-crossed lovers, Undine (Paula Beer), a historian and museum tour guide specialising in urban development, and Christoph (Franz Ragowski), an industrial diver—linked by their shared love of the water.

* 'The Woman Who Ran' - divided into three casually threaded yet distinct sections, South Korean film maker Hong Sangsoo’s latest offering sees Gamhee (Kim Minhee) as she travels without her husband for the first time in years, reconnecting with a succession of friends, on purpose and by chance.

For more news on this years 58th New York Film Festival you can visit the official website at : https://www.filmlinc.org/

This week then we have four new cinema releases to tease you out to your local Odeon. We kick off with two horror films - one from the US and the other from Russia. The first is a story that intertwines the modern day with the nineteenth century slave plantations of the deep south, but which one is reality for this successful sociologist who must face her past, present and future in order to survive. The second is set in the Russia of 1983 and how a young doctor works to save the life of a cosmonaut who has returned from space with a mystery organism living inside him. Next up we turn to a legal drama that in 1969 and 1970 saw seven protesters held to account for inciting riots, that was to become one of the most notorious trials in history. And we close out the week with a New York woman and her impulsive, larger than life father trying to find out if her husband is having an affair.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'ANTEBELLUM' (Rated MA15+) - is an American horror film Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz in their feature filmmaking debuts. Originally slated for an end of April release date, this was pushed back due to the impacts of COVID-19 to the 20th August before being temporarily suspended from the release schedule all together. Subsequently, the film was released through video on demand on 18th September in the US, but now gets a theatrical release in Australia from this week. Costing US$15M, the film has so far recouped just under US$2M and has garnered mixed or average Reviews so far. 

In the present day successful African American sociologist Veronica Henley (Janelle Monae) finds herself trapped in the horrifying reality of a nineteenth century Southern Confederate slave plantation overseen by a harsh Confederate General (Eric Lange) that forces her to confront the past, present and future - before it's too late. Also starring Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons and Gabourey Sidibe. 

'SPUTNIK' (Rated MA15+) - this Russian Sci-Fi horror film is Directed by Egor Abramenko in his feature film debut. Due to have seen its World Premier screening at the Tribeca Film Festival in April of this year, when the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 the film was released through video on demand in late April in its native Russia, and now gets a limited run in select cinemas in Australia from this week. Having cost less that US$3M to make, the film has so far grossed US$23K, and has received generally favourable critical acclaim. Set in 1983, here Tatyana Yuryevna Klimova (Oksana Akinshina) a young doctor and neurophysiologist is recruited by the military to assess a cosmonaut who survived a mysterious space accident and returned to Earth with a dangerous extra terrestrial life form living inside him, which has created a symbiotic relationship with its host. Also starring Fyodor Bondarchuk and Pyotr Fyodorov. 

'THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7' (Rated MA15+) - here we have an American legal drama film Directed and Written by Aaron Sorkin in only his second film making outing following 2017's 'Molly's Game' although he has written the screenplays for the likes of 'A Few Good Men', 'The American President', 'Charlie Wilson's War', 'The Social Network', 'Moneyball' and 'Steve Jobs' amongst others. Costing US$35M to make, the film was initially slated for a limited cinema release from 25th September before a much wider release in mid-October. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the film now gets a limited run before streaming on Netflix from 16th October onward, and has garnered positive Reviews. Based on the real life story of the Chicago Seven, a group of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy in 1969 and 1970, for inciting riots, and other charges related to anti-Vietnam War, countercultural protests and crossing state borders that took place in Chicago, Illinois, on the occasion of the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Those seven were Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron-Cohen), Jerry Ruben (Jeremy Strong), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), John Froines (Daniel Flaherty) and Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins). Also starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, Mark Rylance and William Hurt. 

'ON THE ROCKS' (Rated M) - this American comedy drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sofia Coppola whose previous film making credits include 'The Virgin Suicides', 'Lost in Translation', 'Marie Antoinette', 'The Bling Ring' and 'The Beguiled' most recently. The film saw its World Premier screening at the New York Film Festival on 22nd September before a limited cinematic release this week and before steaming on Apple TV+ on 23rd October. Here Laura (Rashida Jones) thinks she’s happily married with two daughters, but when her husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) starts putting in late hours at the office with a new co-worker, Laura begins to suspect the worst. She turns to the one man whom she feels may give her the insight she is looking for - her charming and impulsive father Felix (Bill Murray), who insists they investigate the situation. As the two begin prowling New York at night, bouncing from uptown parties to downtown hotspots, they discover at the heart of their journey lies their own relationship. The film has generated mostly favourable Reviews. 

With four new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Odeon's closed, productions halted, movies delayed : the impact of the coronavirus!

Usually on a Wednesday I would report on the latest release new movies coming to an Odeon near you in Australia during the week commencing tomorrow. But as cinemas all around the country and elsewhere are temporarily closed, this week and for the foreseeable future this is not to be. So, as the world remains in lockdown, self isolation is the new de rigueur, and all but twenty of the worlds countries are suffering from the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak that has seen large social gatherings forbidden, stores and businesses shut their doors indefinitely, millions of people now working from home or stood down, the global economy on an ever descending downward spiral, borders closed, airlines grounded, and all but essential services and retailers still operating. And, as at the time of writing, there is no end in sight! All that we know is that this global pandemic will pass . . . eventually, but who knows when, and who knows what the world will look like on the other side?

In Australia, movie theatres across the land closed their doors some three weeks ago now, as they did in many other countries around the world. At around about the same time television and film productions were halted indefinitely or cancelled altogether and the Studios who had their movies slated for imminent release have moved back those scheduled release dates to later in the year, or next year, or to some future unspecified date.

So, in case you were wondering what the status is of the big movies originally scheduled for release during the coming months, here is what we know of them so far :-

* 'THE HUNT' - this Blumhouse produced horror thriller is Directed by Craig Zobel and stars Betty Gilpin, Amy Madigan, Hilary Swank, Emma Roberts, Ethan Suplee, and Ike Barinholtz and was released Stateside on 13th March. One week later it was pulled from any further theatrical releases and it was then made available on digital streaming services.

* 'A QUIET PLACE : PART II' - the follow up film to John Krasinski's hugely successful 2018 horror  thriller film is Directed and Written once again by John Krasinski, and stars his wife Emily Blunt with Cillian Murphy, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, Djimon Hounsou and Krasinski in newly film flash backs. The film was scheduled for an 19th March release, and has since been delayed until 4th September 2020.

* 'PETER RABBIT 2 : THE RUNAWAY' - this live action computer animated comedy film is based on the characters created by Beatrix Potter over one hundred years ago, and is the sequel to 2018's 'Peter Rabbit'. Directed by Will Gluck and starring in live action roles are Domhnall Gleeson, Rose Byrne and David Oyelowo with voices provided by James Cordon, Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki, Lennie James, Sam Neill, Ewen Leslie and Damon Herriman. This film was also scheduled for a 19th March release and has since been put back until 15th January 2021.

* THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD' - this comedy drama offering based on the original story by Charles Dickens was released in the UK in late January, and is Directed, Co-Produced, and Co-Written for the screen by Armando Iannucci, and stars Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Laurie, Ben Whishaw, Paul Whitehouse, Benedict Wong, Aneurin Barnard, Gwendoline Christie, and Morfydd Clark. The film was scheduled for a release in Australia on 26th March. Earlier that month the film was pulled from its further release schedule, and a re-release date has yet to be confirmed. This Reviewer saw an early screening of the film however, back in February at Sydney's Open Air Cinema, so you can check out my Review, to see what you missed.

* 'MULAN' - this Disney live action remake of their 1998 animated feature film was initially scheduled for a 26th March release, but that has now been pushed back to an unspecified future date. Directed by Niki Caro and starring Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Jet Li, and Tzi Ma.

* 'THE NEW MUTANTS' - this Superhero horror film intended to be an instalment of the 'X-Men' franchise has been plagued by release date delays, but the most recently publicised date was for an 3rd April release time frame which has now been pushed back to an unspecified date, although expected to be some time in later 2020. Directed by Josh Boone and starring Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt and Henry Zaga as the five new young mutants.

* 'ARTEMIS FOWL' - this Sci-Fi adventure offering is a Disney film based on the 2001 book of the same name by Eoin Colfer, Directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Ferdia Shaw in the title role with Josh Gad, Colin Farrell and Judy Dench. Scheduled for a 3rd April release, this film has been pulled from its cinematic release and will instead air on Disney+ at an as yet undisclosed date.

* 'NO TIME TO DIE' - the 25th instalment in the James Bond franchise is Directed by Cary Fukunaga and starring Daniel Craig for the final time as Bond with Christoph Waltz, Rami Malek, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Lea Seydoux, Naomi Harris, Ana de Armas, and Rory Kinnear. Originally slated for a 9th April release this latest instalment has been pushed back officially to 12th November 2020.

* 'ANTLERS' - this supernatural horror offering with Guillermo del Toro and David S. Goyer both taking Co-Producer credits was due for a release on 16th April, but has subsequently been pushed back to some future undisclosed date in 2020. Directed by Scott Cooper and starring Keri Russell, Jesse Plemmons, Amy Madigan, Graham Greene and Jeremy T. Thomas.

* 'PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN' - is a black comedy drama offering Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Emerald Fennell and starring Carey Mulligan, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Alfred Molina. Originally set for a 16th April release, this film is still publicised for this date, but that seems highly unlikely at this stage, pending advice from the distributor.

* 'ANTEBELLUM' - is an American horror drama film that was slated for release on 24th April, but a new date for its release has yet to be announced. Directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz and starring Janelle Monae, Jena Malone, Jack Huston and Gabourey Sibide.

* 'BLACK WIDOW' - this MCU Superhero gets her own standalone film despite being killed off in 'Avengers : Endgame'. With Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow, with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, Rachel Weisz and Robert Downey Jnr as Iron Man/Tony Stark. Directed by Cate Shortland this is the 24th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and launches the MCU Phase Four and is set after the events of 'Captain America : Civil War'. Originally set for a 1st May release, this film has been pushed back with as yet, no date specified.

* 'SPIRAL' (aka 'SPIRAL : FROM THE BOOK OF SAW') - is a horror film that is the ninth instalment in the 'Saw' franchise and is Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, Written by Chris Rock and also starring him too alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Max Minghella. It was due for release on 15th May, but has since been pushed back indefinitely.

* 'THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW' - this psychological thriller is Directed by Joe Wright, and written for the screen by Tracy Letts who also stars together with Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Anthony Mackie, Bryan Tyree Henry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Julianne Moore. Originally scheduled for a 15th May release, but has been pushed back to an as yet undisclosed date.

* 'F9' (aka 'FAST & FURIOUS 9') - this ninth instalment in the hugely successful and popular action franchise is this time around Directed by Justin Lin and reunites Vin Diesel with Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren amongst others and introduces John Cena as the bad guy. Due for a 22nd May release, but this has now be delayed until 2nd April 2021.

* 'WONDER WOMAN 1984' - this sequel to 2017's successful 'Wonder Woman' film and the ninth film in the DCEU, is Directed as before by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/ Diana Prince with Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal, Robin Wright and Connie Nielsen. Slated for a 5th June release but has now been pushed back to 14th August 2020.

* 'GREYHOUND' - this WWII American war film was written for the screen by Tom Hanks and also stars him too in the lead role as Commander Ernest Krause in this story of The Battle of the Atlantic which took place in early 1942 - only a few months after the US entered WWII. Directed by Aaron Schneider and also starring Stephen Graham, Elisabeth Shue, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Rob Morgan. Initially scheduled for a 11th June release, this film has been pushed back indefinitely with no date as yet publicised.

* 'CANDYMAN' - is a supernatural slasher film Directed by Nia DaCosta and Co-Written by Jordan Peele, and is a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name and the fourth film in the 'Candyman' franchise, based on the short story 'The Forbidden' by Clive Barker. Initially slated for an 11th June release, the film has since been put back to 25th September 2020.

* 'TOP GUN : MAVERICK' - this follow up to 1986's 'Top Gun' film with Tom Cruise as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell sees the intrepid Navy pilot return in this sequel that was originally scheduled for a 24th June release that has since been delayed until 23rd December 2020. Directed by Jospeh Kosinski and also starring Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer and Jennifer Connelly.

* 'FREE GUY' - this Sci-Fi action comedy film is Directed by Shawn Levy and stars Ryan Reynolds (who also Co-Produces) and Taika Waititi, Joe Keery and Lil Rel Howery. Slated for a 3rd July release, this has now been pushed back until 11th December 2020.

* 'GHOSTBUSTERS : AFTERLIFE' - this supernatural comedy offering is a direct sequel to 'Ghostbusters' from 1984 and 'Ghostbusters II' from 1989, and the fourth film in the franchise. Directed by Jason Reitman and starring Mackenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Bokeem Woodbine, Tracy Letts, and reprising their roles from the first films Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Sigourney Weaver. Set for a release date of 10th July, this has now been pushed back to 5th March 2021.

* 'MORBIUS' - based on the Marvel Comics Superhero character of the same name this is the third film in Sony's Marvel Universe that was intended for a July release date, but this has now been put back until 19th March 2021. Directed by Daniel Espinosa and starring Jared Leto as Michael Morbius with Matt Smith, Jared Harris, Tyrese Gibson and Michael Keaton.

* 'TENET' - this action thriller film is Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Christopher Nolan with an all star cast taking in John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Clemence Poesy, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. It remains at this time still scheduled for a 17th July release - being the fifth Nolan film to be released in the third weekend of July, which has been hailed as his 'lucky date ' as his prior four projects went on to achieve strong box office returns. This of course remains to be seen, or if indeed 'Tenet' will also get pushed back.

* 'THE FRENCH DISPATCH' - is a comedy drama film Directed and Co-Written by Wes Anderson with an all star ensemble cast including Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Elisabeth Moss, Frances McDormand, Lea Seydoux, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Christoph Waltz, Owen Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan. The film was originally scheduled for a July 24th release, but has since been postponed until 16th October 2020.

* 'JUNGLE CRUISE' -  is an action adventure film based on the Disney theme park attraction of the same name. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and starring Dwayne Johnson (who also Co-Produces), Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramirez, and Jesse Plemmons this film was scheduled for a 24th July release date which has since been pushed back to 30th July 2021.

* 'MALIGNANT' - this horror film is Directed, Co-Produced, and Co-Written by James Wan and stars Annabelle Wallis, Jacqueline McKenzie and Mckenna Grace, and was slated for an 14th August release, which has now been pushed back indefinitely.

* 'ETERNALS' - this Superhero film exists in the MCU and is Marvel's 25th entry into their cinematic universe, Directed by Chloe Zhao and starring Richard Madden, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Barry Keoghan, Angelina Jolie and Kit Harrington as some of the 'Eternals' amongst others - an immortal alien race created by the 'Celestials' who have secretly lived on Earth for over 7000 years, and who reunite to protect humanity from their evil counterparts, the 'Deviants'. Originally scheduled for a 6th November release, and subsequently moved back to 12th February 2021.

And so this just about brings you up to date with many of the movie postponements that have so far been announced, doubtless with more to follow depending on how long this pesky virus thing continues to hang around for. Next week, we'll report on the movie productions that have been halted in their tracks for the imminent future and what this means for their planned release schedule. Stay tuned, keep it here and remain safe . . . indoors!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-