ARGYLLE : Tuesday 6th February 2024.

I saw the M Rated 'ARGYLLE' earlier this week at my local multiplex, and 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 was released last week too in the US, cost about US$200M to produce, has so far recovered just US$41M, has garnered generally negative critical reviews 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 (whom she adores and takes everywhere with her). She has just completed the draft of her fifth book in the hugely successful 'Argylle' series and calls her mother Ruth (Catherine O'Hara) for her opinion. Her mum read through the draft the previous night and thought is was great but the closing chapter needed more work, rather than leaving it as a cliffhanger for the sixth book in the series. Elly travel by train to visit her Mum so that they can complete the story together with a more concrete ending.

On the train journey, Elly is saved from an ambush by an actual spy, Aidan Wylde (Sam Rockwell), who explains to her that a devious organisation, known as the Division, has targeted her because her Argylle novels seem to have an uncanny knack of predicting their future. Aidan travels with a reluctant Elly to London, England in a private jet (with Elly admitting that she has a deep rooted fear of flying and it is her first time in a plane), hoping that her next chapter will reveal how to stop the Division. 

Once in London, the pair search for a Masterkey' that would help expose the Division that Elly had also referenced in her novels. After fending off a small and very well equipped army of the Division's agents, the pair decamp to a run down hotel to rest up and get refreshed. While Aidan is in the bathroom supposedly taking a shower, Elly overhears him on the phone speaking to someone about how he wants to put a bullet in her head. Elly calls her parents for help who get on the first plane bound for London, and agree to meet in a suite at The Savoy Hotel. As Ruth and Barry Conway (Bryan Cranston) arrive, Aidan reveals that they are in fact both operatives working for the Division sent to capture her, forcing him and Elly to fend them off before fleeing the scene, chased down by a group of the Division's agents. 

Escaping to France, Aidan and former CIA Deputy Director Alfred Solomon (Samuel L. Jackson) who resides in a high tech winery, reveal that Argylle is not entirely fictional and that Elly is in fact agent Rachel Kylle who was captured and brainwashed by the Division five years ago by the two people masquerading as her parents. She put her suppressed memories into her novels. With the latest Argylle novel, Elly was about to reveal the whereabouts of the Masterkey before her cover was blown.

Aidan and Rachel travel to Saudi Arabia, where they retrieve the Masterkey from Saba Al-Badr, the Keeper of Secrets (Sofia Boutella) but are soon cornered by the Division and are knocked out and brought to the Division's base. Ritter (Bryan Cranston), the Division's Director, reveals that Rachel was one of their most loyal assets, after which she offers to interrogate Aidan, subsequently shooting him in the chest. She also locates Alfred for them, but reveals that she in fact sent him the Masterkey, betraying the Division. Ritter stops the transmission and she and a surviving Aidan (after he has plugged himself with four shots of adrenalin) fight their way through the base, which turns out to be an oil tanker far out to sea, eventually killing him. Ruth, who pretended to be Rachel's mother previously, uses a mental trigger code to turn her on Aidan, until she is killed, after which Alfred finally receives the message at his French winery.

Agents Argylle, Wyatt (John Cena) and Keira (Ariana DeBose) the fictional agents from her novels are seen aboard a speedboat fleeing the oil tanker before it explodes into a ball of flame, with Elly's voiceover saying that for the first time Agent Argylle was free. In the closing scene Rachel resumes her novelist persona, and publishes her final novel in the series, where at a reading, the real Argylle reveals himself, much to her shock and confusion. In a post-credit scene, set some twenty years prior, a young Argylle is seen to be ordering a drink at The King's Man pub, where he is revealed to be a Kingsman agent, with the first novel being based on his life.

I didn't hate 'Argylle' but then I also didn't love it, and it some how manages to traverse the line between 'John Wick' (creative action aplenty) and 'Get Smart' (spy comedy romp) aided by some questionable CGI effects, an overly convoluted plot with more twists and turns than you could ever hope to poke a stick at, an excessive run time of two hours twenty minutes, but is just about saved by an ensemble cast who seem to be all in on the silliness most notably Howard, Rockwell and Cavill. Mathew Vaughn here once again demonstrates his skill at the colourful over-the-top action set pieces, but there is really very little new here that we haven't already seen in his previous 'Kingsman' and 'Kick-Ass' franchises, and so Mr. Vaughn, perhaps it's time for a radical rethink of your future filmography. 

'Argylle' merits two 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 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-