BLACK WIDOW : Wednesday 28th July 2021.

I finally got around to watching the M Rated 'BLACK WIDOW' this week - the long awaited superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. This is the 24th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first film in Phase Four of the MCU. Its release was delayed three times from an original May 2020 date due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 'Black Widow' saw its World Premier screenings on 29th June this year at various red carpet fan events in London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, and New York City and was released in Australia and the US on 8th and 9th July respectively, having garnered generally favourable Critical acclaim off the back of a US$200M production budget. This film is Directed by the Australian multiple award winning and nominated writer and film maker Cate Shortland whose three prior feature film credits are 'Somersault' in 2004 with Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington, 'Lore' in 2012 with Saskia Rosendahl and 'Berlin Syndrome' in 2017 with Teresa Palmer. The film has so far grossed US$320M and is also available to stream on Disney+ with Premier Access.

The film opens up in 1995 in Ohio where two young sisters, Natasha (Ever Anderson) and Yelena (Violet McGraw) are playing in their back yard. Their mother Melina (Rachel Weisz) calls them in for dinner. Their father Alexei (David Harbour) joins them saying to his daughters that the adventure he had always promised them is happening tonight and that they need to leave immediately. They bundle a handful of their belongings into the family car and drive off into the night. They turn down a dirt road and into a field, where under a concealed canopy is a light aeroplane. The two girls jump in, as does Melina, leaving Alexei to fend off a convoy of advancing patrol cars all guns blazing. Melina sustains a gun shot wound leaving Natasha to take the controls. With Alexei hanging onto the wing shooting at the patrol cars Natasha guides the small aircraft into flight leaving the carnage below. They land in Cuba and are greeted by General Dreykov (Ray Winstone) who has Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova drugged and carted off for training and indoctrination to the Red Room. It turns out that Alexei Shostakov and Melina Vostokoff are Russian undercover agents who posed as a model family in Ohio with two surrogate daughters for three years before making off with S.H.I.E.L.D intel which they passed onto Dreykov (a nod to James Bond here), who also runs the Black Widow programme. Dreykov has Alexei imprisoned for life, while Melina becomes a top tier scientist within the Red Room.

We then fast forward twenty-one years and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is on the run for violating the Sokovia Accords after she had defected to S.H.I.E.L.D and following the bombing of Dreykov's office in Budapest seemingly killing him and his young daughter Antonia. The US Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) is hot on her heels but she successfully evades him and escapes to a safe house located in remote Norway that has been provided to her by a close friend and former S.H.I.E.L.D ally Rick Mason (O-T Fagbenie). In the meantime in Morocco, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) kills a Black Widow but comes in contact with a synthetic red gas that neutralises the Red Room's chemical mind-control agent. Belova sends the small case of antidote vials to Romanoff, hoping she will send the Avengers to free the other Widows. Romanoff unknowingly drives off with the vials to get fuel for her generator when her car is bombed and she is attacked by Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) who is after the case of vials and not her. 

Romanoff manages to escape Taskmaster by jumping off a bridge into a river and when she surfaces with the clutch of vials she notes from a childhood photograph contained therein that they were sent by Belova. The pair reunite in Budapest and after some intense close quarter hand to hand combat they call a truce (a nod to Jason Bourne here) and Romanoff learns from Belova that Dreykov is still alive and the Red Room is still very much active. They are then set upon by a group of Black Widows and Taskmaster from which they successfully escape and then meet up with Rick Mason again who supplies them with a beat up old Russian helicopter. 

Flying their helicopter into what looks like a Siberian prison camp located at the base of a snow covered mountain range Romanoff and Belova break Shostakov out of prison, in a high stakes extraction that ultimately sees the prison complex flattened in a cascading avalanche of snow and ice. They expect him to tell them the whereabouts of Dreykov and he tells them to speak with Vostokoff, who now lives on a farm outside Saint Petersburg raising pigs. There she developed the chemical mind control process used on the Widows, that she perfected on her now very obedient pigs. 

There, Belova reveals that while they were not a real family, she believed they were so, given that she was only six years of age when the family returned to Russia. Afterward, Vostokoff admits to Romanoff that she sent their location to Dreykov and within thirty minutes or so his agents arrive and take them to the Red Room, a floating facility located above the cloud line, and therefore above radar detection capabilities.

Vostokoff and Romanoff use face mask technology to swap places before being captured (a nod to 'Mission : Impossible' here),  so giving Vostokoff the chance to free Shostakov and Belova from their captivity. Meanwhile, Romanoff confronts Dreykov, who sees through her disguise. Dreykov reveals to Romanoff that Taskmaster is in fact his daughter Antonia, who suffered damage severe enough through the bomb explosion when she was just a child that Dreykov had to implant a chip in to the back of her neck. This turned her into the perfect compliant soldier, capable of mimicking the actions of anyone she sees. Romanoff attempts to kill Dreykov but fails to harm him due to a pheromone lock activated through her sense of smell. Dreykov reveals that he is in control of an army of Widows worldwide which he operates via his desk console. 

Romanoff intentionally slams her forehead down on his desk and breaks her nose, severing a nerve in her nasal passage to negate the pheromone lock, and then attacks Dreykov. Shostakov now suited up as the Red Guardian battles Taskmaster, while Vostokoff takes out one of the facility's engines setting in motion the eventual destruction of the entire complex. Belova goes off in search of the other Widows, who now have to guard Dreykov. Together, Shostakov and Vostokoff capture Taskmaster in a cell. The Widows arrive in Dreykov's office and he orders them to kill Romanoff and to make it long and painful. Just as Romanoff is about to be overcome, Belova arrives and detonates numerous vials of the mind control antidote over the Widow's so freeing them from their life of servitude. 

Romanoff gets into Dreykov's control desk and uploads the locations of the other Widows worldwide as the facility begins to explode and begins its free fall back to the ground below. Romanoff retrieves the two surviving vials of the antidote and frees Taskmaster from the locked cell. Vostokoff and Shostakov escape via a plane while Belova takes out Dreykov's aircraft, killing him and his Red Room soldiers, but Belova is blown clear in the explosion and begins plummeting towards the ground. In freefall, Romanoff gives Belova a parachute before battling Taskmaster. After landing, Romanoff uses one antidote vial on Taskmaster, freeing her from servitude. The freed Widows arrive as Belova, Vostokoff, and Shostakov reluctantly say goodbye to Romanoff, as Ross and a convoy of patrol cars arrive to apprehend her. She hands Belova the last vial of antidote and the portable drive, telling her to locate and free the other, still mind-controlled, Widows. They leave with Antonia, as Romanoff waits for the convoy to pull up.

Two weeks later, a now blonde Romanoff reunites with Mason, who has procured her a Quinjet. She leaves, saying that she came into this with no family, and now she has two intending to make amends and free the imprisoned Avengers. Stay tuned for the end credits sequence too. 

'Black Widow' is a fitting send off and a great big last hurrah for Natasha Romanoff in her own right. Cate Shortland here Directs her first superhero film with aplomb and proves that's she more than capable of helming big budget action spectacles on a US$200M grand scale. This is essentially a espionage story wrapped up in a tale of a dysfunctional family battling it out against a supervillain intent on world domination very much grounded on our humble blue planet rather than the standard MCU offerings of late centreing around intergalactic Gods, faraway planetary systems and those with superhuman powers. Johansson and Pugh are perfectly cast as the surrogate siblings with Pugh especially demonstrating her ability to carry the Black Widow universe in further instalments whichever direction that may go in, and Harbour provides much needed moments of levity amongst the more serious and emotional scenes. A well made stand alone entry into the MCU that delivers on the action, the emotion and the overall story arc. 

'Black Widow' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 8th July 2021.

The Far East Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Udine, in north-eastern Italy. It is one of the most important events promoting Asian Cinema in Europe. It focuses mainly on the films from East Asia and was founded in 1999, this year marking its 23rd edition held from 24th June through to 2nd July. This years Opening Night film was 'Cliff Walkers' - a Chinese historical spy thriller film Directed by Zhang Yimou, with the Closing Night film being Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's cult Hong Kong action thriller offering 'Infernal Affairs', newly restored in 4K.

In total sixty-three films were screened representing eleven countries with the line up including :-

* 'The Eight Hundred' from China in Mandarin and Directed by Guan Hu. European Festival Premier. 

* 'The Con-Heartist' from Thailand, in Thai and Directed by Mez Tharatorn. European Premier.

* 'Underdog : Parts 1 & 2' - from Japan, in Japanese and Directed by Take Masaharu. European Premier.

* 'Voice of Silence' - from South Korea, in Korean, and Directed and Written by Hong Eui-jeong.

* 'Limbo' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese and Directed by Soi Cheang.

* 'Blue' - from Japan, in Japanese and Directed and Written by Yoshida Keisuke. European Premier. 

* 'Madalena' - from Macau, in Cantonese and Directed and Written by Emily Chan. World Premier.

* 'Shock Wave 2' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese and Directed and Co-Written by Herman Yau. International Festival Premier.

* 'The Way We Keep Dancing' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese and Directed, Written and Co-Edited by Adam Wong. European Premier.

* 'Midnight Swan' - from Japan, in Japanese and Directed and Written by Uchida Eiji. European Premier.

* 'Seobok' - from South Korea, in Korean and Directed and Co-Written by Lee Yong Zoo.

* 'Like Father and Son' - from China, in Mandarin and Directed and Co-Written by Bai Zhiqiang. International Premier.

* 'My Missing Valentine' - from Taiwan, in Mandarin and Taiwanese and Directed and Written by Chen Yu-hsun. European Festival Premier.

* 'Money Has Four Legs' - from Myanmar, in Burmese and Directed and Co-Written by Maung Sun. 

* 'Anima' - from China, in Mandarin and Directed and Written by Cao Jinling. European Premier.

* 'Ito' - from Japan, in Japanese, and Directed and Written by Yokohama Satoko. European Premier.

* 'Assassins' - from the USA, in English, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Malay and Directed by Ryan White. 

* 'One Second Champion' - from Hong Kong, in English, Cantonese and Mandarin and Directed by Chiu Sin-hang. European Premier.

* 'Fan Girl' - from The Philippines, in English and Tagalog, and Directed and Written by Antoinette Jadaone.

* 'Hand Rolled Cigarette' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese, and Directed and Co-Written by Chan King-long. European Premier.

* 'Last of the Wolves' - from Japan, in Japanese and Directed by Shiraishi Kazuya. International Premier.

* 'Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy' - from Japan, in Japanese and Directed, Written and Edited by Hamaguchi Ryusuke. 

* 'Just 1 Day' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese, and Directed and Written by Erica Li. 

* 'Back to the Wharf' - from China, in Mandarin and Directed and Co-Written by Li Xiaofeng. European Premier.

* 'Hold Me Back' - from Japan, in Japanese and Directed and Written by Ohku Akiko.

* 'Death Knot' - from Indonesia, in Indonesian and Directed and Co-Written by Cornelio Sunny. World Premier.

* 'Gatao : The Last Stray' - from Taiwan, in Mandarin and Taiwanese, and Directed and Co-Written by Ray Jiang. International Festival Premier.

* 'Deliver Us from Evil' - from South Korea, in Korean and Directed by Hong Won Chan.

* 'Time' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese, and Directed by Ricky Ko.

* 'The Maid' - from Thailand, in Thai, and Directed and Edited by Lee Thongkham. International Premier.

* 'Zero to Hero' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese, and Directed by Jimmy Wan. World Premier.

* 'Sugar Street Studio' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese, and Directed and Co-Written by Sunny Lau. World Premier.

* 'Before Next Spring' - from China, in Mandarin and Japanese and Directed and Written by Li Gen. World Premier.

* 'Tough Out' - from China, in Mandarin, and Directed and Written by Xu Hui-jing. European Premier.

* 'Endgame' - from China, in Mandarin and Directed and Co-Written by Rao Xiaozhi. European Premier.

* 'Hail, Driver' - from Malaysia, in Malay, English and Chinese and Directed and Written by Muzzamer Rahmen. European Premier.

* 'Coffin Homes' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese and Directed, Produced, Written and Edited by Fruit Chan. World Premier.

* 'Drifting' - from Hong Kong, in Cantonese, and Directed, Written and Co-Edited by Jun Li. 

* 'You're Not Normal, Either!' - from Japan, in Japanese and Directed by Maeda Koji. European Premier.

* 'Night of the Undead' - from South Korea, in Korean and Directed and Co-Written by Shin Jung-won. European Premier.

The popular jury of audience members named Japan as this year's winner, awarding the Golden Mulberry to Uchida Eiji's 'Midnight Swan' and the Silver Mulberry to Maeda Koji's 'You're Not Normal, Either!' The Crystal Mulberry was won by Taiwan, with Chen Yu-hsun's 'My Missing Valentine' taking third place on the podium. Black Dragon pass holders also chose 'My Missing Valentine' as their top film while the Purple Mulberry went to Soi Cheang's Hong Kong thriller 'Limbo'. The three international jurors of the 'first feature' section awarded the White Mulberry to 'Hand Rolled Cigarette', the first film by Chan Kin-Long together with a special mention for Chinese 'Anima' by Cao Jinling.

For the complete low-down on this years 23rd Far East Film Festival, you can go to the official website at : https://www/fareastfilm/com/eng/

As I write this Greater Sydney, where I live, remains in COVID lockdown for three weeks now ending (at this stage) on Friday 16th July, which means all of our cinema's are closed until this date, which further means that the release of the movies as given below, slated for release this week, will be delayed somewhat across certain parts of Australia at least. That said, these movies will either have been released or are set for an imminent release somewhere in the world, and as Odeon Online has an international readership, I thought it best to carry on regardless. And so, this coming week, there are only three latest release new films coming to an Odeon close to you. And we kick off with a much delayed yet much hyped 24th film in the MCU that sees our heroine confront the darker parts of her former life when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. This is followed by a superstar of the NBA and his young son who get trapped in digital space by a rogue AI, and to get home safely, he must team up with all your favourites from the Looney Tunes gang for a high-stakes basketball game against the AI's digitised champions of the court. And closing out the week we have an Irish offering about two school friends who decide to start a pretend straight relationship in an effort to fit in.

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

'BLACK WIDOW' (Rated M) - is the long awaited superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. This is the 24th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first film in Phase Four of the MCU. Its release was delayed three times from an original May 2020 date due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 'Black Widow' saw its World Premier screenings on June 29, 2021 at various red carpet fan events in London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, and New York City and is released in the US and in Australia from this week, having garnered generally favourable Critical acclaim off the back of a US$200M production budget. This film is Directed by the Australian multiple award winning and nominated writer and film maker Cate Shortland whose three prior feature film credits are 'Somersault' in 2004 with Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington, 'Lore' in 2012 with Saskia Rosendahl and 'Berlin Syndrome' in 2017 with Teresa Palmer.

At birth the Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff, (Scarlett Johansson) is given to the KGB, which grooms her to become its ultimate operative. Following the events of 2016's 'Captain America : Civil War' Natasha Romanoff finds herself on the run when the USSR breaks up and the government attempts to silence her once and for all. As the action moves to present day New York where she has become a freelance operative, she is forced to confront a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Romanoff must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. Also starring Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, Rachel Weisz, Olga Kurylenko with Robert Downey Jnr. making an appearance as Tony Stark/Iron Man.

'SPACE JAM : A NEW LEGACY' (Rated PG) - this American live-action animated sports comedy film is Directed by Malcolm D. Lee whose previous film making credits include 'Soul Men' with Samuel L. Jackson in 2008, 'Scary Movie 5' in 2013, 'Barber Shop : The Next Cut' in 2016 with Ice Cube, and 'Night School' in 2018 with Kevin Hart. This film is a standalone sequel to 1996's 'Space Jam' which grossed US$250M off the back of a US$80M production budget. This is the first cinema released film to feature the Looney Tunes characters since 2003's 'Looney Tunes : Back in Action', and like the previous hybrid films, it will be a combination of live-action, traditional hand-drawn animation, and 3D CGI effects. Here then, LA Lakers basketball superstar LeBron James and his young son, Dom (Cedric Joe), get trapped in digital space by a rogue AI - Al-G Rhythm (Don Cheadle). To get home safely, LeBron teams up with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang (consisting of the likes of Porky Pig and Tweety, Speedy Gonzales, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Elmer Fudd, and Yosemite Sam) for a high-stakes basketball game against the AI's digitised champions of the court - the Goon Squad, a powered up team of virtual avatars of professional basketball players. With a budget of US$150M the film is set for release Stateside from 16th July and also stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Kamiyah James and Zendaya as the voice of Lola Bunny. 

'DATING AMBER' (Rated MA15+) - is an Irish comedy drama offering Directed and Written by David Freyne in his ninth directing outing yet only his second feature film following 2017's 'The Cured' with Elliot Page. Distraught over persistent homophobic abuse, outsiders Eddie (Fionn O'Shea) and Amber (Lola Petticrew) decide to hide their sexuality from the rural Irish town in which they live by pretending to be a heterosexual couple. Amber wants to escape a life overshadowed by the suicide of her father to lead a lesbian punk life-style in a more liberal environment. Eddie is not so confident of his sexuality and intends to follow his insensitive and often absent father into the Irish Army. The film was originally released on Amazon Prime Video UK in early June last year before a cinema release in Ireland in early July, and a digital release in the US and on-demand from mid-November. Now its gets a limited showing in Australia and has garnered largely positive Reviews along the way. Also starring Sharon Horgan, Barry Ward and Simone Kirby. 

With just three 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 coming week, 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-

AVENGERS : AGE OF ULTRON - Tuesday 28th April 2015.

The first outing for the assembled 'Avengers' way back in 2012 was Directed by Joss Whedon and made by Marvel Studios for a lean mean lazy US$220M and grossed a record beating US$1.52B making it the third highest grossing film of all time. With that, a sequel was a foregone conclusion, and so over the ensuing years Joss Whedon set to work again on the next instalment which was made for US$280M this time, and has just been released, grossing US$287M within the first two weeks after it's so far limited global release only. And so I saw 'THE AVENGERS : AGE OF ULTRON' earlier this week, and can recommend this to you as a worthy sequel that further expands the Marvel Universe, reunites the Team and introduces a few new characters along the way.

Our film opens up with a Bondesque pre-credit tongue in-cheek but nonetheless well executed opening action sequence as The Avengers mount a raid on the Hydra mountain hide away in the eastern European country of Sokovia. Here Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is conducting human experiments using the sceptre retrieved from Loki, Thor's estranged intergalactic brother. Needless to say the mere Hydralings are no match for the mighty force of The Avengers who now are a lean mean focused fighting machine determined to rid the world of otherworldly foes, world domineering megalomaniacs, and various crims intent on stirring up a shit storm. Von Strucker though has a few ideas of his own including the Maximoff twins - Pietro (Aaron Taylor Johnson) who can move at superhuman speed and his sister Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) who has the ability to harness magic and control telekinesis and hypnosis. With their powers they can thwart The Avengers and so they team up with Ultron as the story progresses.

As far as Ultron is concerned, it is a former programme that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr.) was developing to create a safe world where The Avengers services were no longer required or necessary. Stark's thinking is that he can retire peacefully and sip Pina Colada's by the beachside without a care in the world - yeah, dream on Iron Man! With the Loki sceptre retrieved from the Hydra hide-away and now at Avengers HQ safe & sound, Stark and Banner (Mark Ruffalo) seek to reinstate Ultron using the artificial intelligence they have discovered within the gemstone encased within the sceptre. Of course they have no idea what they are dealing with and while The Avengers and gathered guests are celebrating their win over Hydra, Ultron secretly springs to life sucking up all of J.A.R.V.I.S.'s (Paul Bettany) intelligence in the process. Keep an eye out here for Stan Lee's ever dependable cameo!

When Ultron manifests itself in A.I. robot form all hell breaks out in Avengers HQ setting up the second set piece where an unprepared Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) face off against their unsuspecting newly formed foe. Needless to say they survive to fight another day.

When the other Avengers discover that Stark & Banner sought to reinstate Ultron they are none too pleased and so dissent in the ranks starts to manifest itself, while Ultron is out there running amok, growing more intelligent by the day, replicating an army of mini-Ultrons with which to annihilate the world as we know it, and take down The Avengers . . .  and Stark first & foremost, front & centre!

Before all this goes down Wanda bends the minds of our Avengers friends and causes them to hallucinate and lose track of who, what & where they are, With this Banner goes into overdrive, morphs into the Hulk and promptly trashes a few city blocks - his first public show of strength which shows the world watching on TV that he is a menace to society! To calm him down it is Iron Man to the rescue which sees our third set piece as as few city blocks get trashed well & truly and Iron Man in his souped up Hulk busting suit 'Veronica' go head to head with no due care whatsoever for life, property or city & public wellbeing.

Eventually The Avengers reunite, regroup and re-examine what they stand for and how they stand, but not before Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has made an appearance and sets them back on the straight and narrow in the name of truth, justice, integrity and the American way! As Ultron continues to replicate itself on his path of destruction and world domination by wiping it out so that it can rebuild itself, The Avengers seek an alternative saviour through an Internet connection that might just be their salvation. Whilst J.A.R.V.I.S. was banished to cyberspace oblivious in the mind of Ultron, his blueprint still remains hidden in the deep, dark recesses of the inter web, which of course Tony Stark is able to uncover, and reboot his former stablemate and trusted cyber-companion.

This all leads us to the final set piece back in Sokovia where it all began with the final showdown between Ultron and his amassed army of replicants, and The Avengers which by now have been joined by Quicksilver (AKA Pietro Maximoff), Scarlet Witch (AKA Wanda Maximoff), War Machine (Don Cheadle) and perhaps more importantly by Vision (AKA the former J.A.R.V.I.S.) now rebooted into almost human form, that Ultron had previously wanted for his own form.

It's all impressively executed, albeit perhaps a tad too long and drawn out but these are minor faults only. It is fairly predictable, but nonetheless enjoyable, well executed fare with a solid story line that is up there with the first instalment in 2012, backed up with tried & tested performances. I am not sure if this will do well as the first but it is solid, very well realised, well crafted and well acted by all the principle characters we have come to know & love. Catch it on the big screen soon - I know you won't be disappointed.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-