BLACKKKLANSMAN : Tuesday 21st August 2018.

I saw 'BLACKKKLANSMAN' this week and this American biographical crime drama is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by Spike Lee and is based on the true life story and exploits of one Ron Stallworth as recounted in his 2014 book of the same name 'Black Klansman'. Released in the US earlier this month, the film had its Premier screening in competition for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May this year, where it won the Grand Prix. Costing in the region of US$15M the film has garnered generally positive Reviews, and has so far grossed US$28M.

Beginning in 1972, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, and son of Denzel) was the first African-American Police Officer and Detective to join the Colorado Springs Police Department. He is initially assigned to the records room, which needless to say he finds mundane and beneath him. After a short time, he requests a transfer to go undercover, and after refusing his request Chief Bridges (Robert John Burke) has a change of heart and assigns him to attend a local rally presented by the Colorado College at which national civil rights leader Kwame Ture (Corey Hawkins) will be guest speaker. At the rally Stallworth meets Patrice Dumas (Laura Harrier) the President of the black Student Union at the College and a strong supporter of civil rights for Americas black population.

Afterwards Patrice agrees to meet Stallworth at a local bar for a night-cap. Before though she had agreed to drive Kwame Ture back to his hotel. En route however, their car is pulled over by patrolman Andy Landers (Frederick Weller) a racist corrupt Police Officer working in the same precinct as Stallworth, and who has already given the rookie cop a hard time. Landers threatens Ture and sexually assaults Patrice who recounts this to Stallworth when they meet up later that evening. At this point Stallworth has been very guarded about the nature of his work.

Following the rally and having gained enough of an insight to convince Chief Bridges to continue with the investigation, Stallworth is reassigned to the intelligence division. While reading the paper at his desk one morning, he comes across an advertisement recruiting new members into the local Ku Klux Klan. Stallworth calls the number listed and pretends to be a white man. He speaks with Walter Breachway (Ryan Eggold), the President of the Colorado Springs chapter posing as a racist white man that 'hates blacks, Jews, Mexicans and Asians', and anyone basically who is not a pure blood white Anglo Saxon American.

Stallworth and his Jewish coworker, Phillip 'Flip' Zimmerman (Adam Driver) are forced into an unlikely partnership. Zimmerman is chosen to act as Stallworth in order to meet the Ku Klux Klan members in person. He attends a meeting and meets with Breachway one evening in a bar, along with the more radicalised member Felix Kendrickson (Jasper Paakkonen) whose obese wife Connie (Ashlie Akinson) is equally as radicalised, and another member named Ivanhoe (Paul Walter Hauser) who indicates, somewhat mockingly, of an upcoming attack. 

Stallworth and Zimmerman continue to massage their relationship with the local Ku Klux Klan chapter - the former always and only over the phone and the latter always and only in person. Under the guise of wanting to hurry up his membership to the 'organisation' (aka the Ku Klux Klan) so that he can attend cross burning ceremonies as a bone fide paid up member, Stallworth calls David Duke (Topher Grace), the Grand Wizard, in Louisiana, with whom he quickly strikes up regular conversations over the phone. Duke expedites Stallworth's membership, and before you know it, he's official! Meanwhile, getting deeper into the throes of the organisation and uncovering more clandestine goings on, Stallworth has begun dating Patrice but has still not let on that he is a Police Officer.

David Duke announced over the phone to Stallworth that he intends to visit Colorado Springs to meet with him in person and preside over his initiation into the organisation. Chief Bridges assigns the real Stallworth to security detail for Duke, which despite his protestations Stallworth must comply with. Zimmerman once again masquerades as Stallworth for the purposes of his Klan initiation ceremony together with a bunch of other new recruits. At a Reception immediately afterwards, Zimmerman is recognised by another Klan member, Walker (Nicholas Turturro) as the Police Officer who sent him down to serve jail time. Walker in turn alerts Felix who sensed something wasn't quite right about Stallworth from the get go, and with the real Stallworth and the fake Stallworth both in the room at the same time sets up a comedy of errors.

Connie, who can hardly contain herself out of excitement at the prospect of killin' some blacks, leaves the ceremony under instruction from husband Felix to place a bomb at a civil rights rally to be attended by Patrice. Stallworth realises her intentions, and alerts the local Police Department. Connie calls Felix from the site of the planned attack interrupting his luncheon welcoming the new members, saying that the place is buzzing with Police cars, and what should she do? Felix directs Connie to use their 'Plan B' by placing the bomb at Patrice's house. Connie drives to Patrice's home, but before she can place the bomb, Patrice arrives, leaving Connie panicked. Unable to fit the bomb in the mailbox as intended, she runs around out of sight and locates the C4 bomb under Patrice's car instead.

Stallworth arrives and tackles Connie, but is pretty quickly detained by Police Officers who have arrived at the scene, and despite his protests and claims to be an undercover Police Officer is beaten to the ground into submission. Felix, Ivanhoe, and bomb maker Walker, arrive minutes later and park next to Patrice's car, and, thinking the bomb is located in the mailbox on the porch, detonate it, unintentionally killing themselves in the process, having parked right alongside the car bomb planted by Connie. Zimmerman arrives and frees Stallworth from the over zealous Police Officers, while Connie is distraught and promptly arrested. 

Afterwards while celebrating their success in a bar, Stallworth and Patrice are approached by a drunken Landers who openly brags about his last encounter with Patrice and his feelings of contempt for black people. Chief Bridges then waltzes in and promptly arrests Landers having heard his 'confession' via wiretap worn by Stallworth. The next day, Chief Bridges meets with Stallworth and Zimmerman in his office and congratulates them on  job well done, but orders them to cease their investigation immediately and to destroy all records pertaining to the case. 

A dejected Stallworth leaves the office as his phone starts to ring. Doubling back to answer it, it is Duke on the line. After some friendly banter, with Zimmerman and various Police colleagues listening in, Stallworth reveals to Duke that he is a black man before hanging up abruptly with an 'FU muthafugga' leaving a speechless Duke dazed and confused on the other end.

This film is as relevant today as it was back in the day, and it speaks volumes to the political sentiment that peppers the Trump administration of the present day. The end of the film shows footage of just one year ago at the Charlottesville Unite the Right Rally in which white supremacists, counter-protesters and a vehicle ram raid into the gathered crowd took the life of young Heather Heyer, together with Trump's controversial statements that followed. This is a thought provoking film that clearly demonstrates Lee's deft touch at hard hitting social commentary that neatly wraps up a clear message taken from history that remains highly pertinent almost fifty years later. The more things change, the more things stay the same is the key message here, and in 'Blackkklansman' there is hatred, racism, bigotry, violence and injustice intertwined with moments of humour, strong performances and a storyline as real and shocking as it is, that is engaging, grounded and well told. You should watch this film as it is one of Lee's best in recent years.

'Blackkklansman' is worthy of four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, out of a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 16th August 2018.

Running from the 9th through until 18th August, the Korean Film Festival in Australia (KOFFIA) returns this year for its ninth year. The official website which can be found at : www.koffia.com.au/ states that KOFFIA showcases the wonder of Korean culture through film. From big budget blockbusters, gripping indie flicks, rom-coms, pop culture musings and more, the Festival presents a packed program of world-class cinema, from the hottest Korean filmmakers of our time for a cinematic experience for people of all tastes, ages and cultural backgrounds. Every film presented at the Festival screens with English subtitles. With acclaimed South Korean Director and Screenwriter Bong Joon-ho already creating a stir on the international movie scene with 'The Host' in 2006, 'Snowpiercer' in 2013 and 'Okja' in 2017 with his next outing 'Parasite' due for release in 2019, there is an established fan base and a growing audience willing and able to explore the colour, spectacle and audacity that is Korean Cinema.

This years Festival which launches in Sydney and then travels to Brisbane, Melbourne and then the nations capital Canberra, features twenty two screenings. In short, here is my pick of the bunch :
* '7 Years of Night' - Directed by Choo Chang-min and described as an emotionally tense thriller that blurs the lines between revenge, justice and retribution.
* 'Golden Slumber' - Directed by Noh Dong-seok and outlined as a slick and efficiently executed conspiracy thriller given depth through its theme of friendship.
* 'Believer' - Directed by Lee Hae-young, and is described as a gritty mainland drug war crime epic.
* 'A Day' - Directed by Cho Sun-ho, and sees a desperate father reliving the day of his daughter’s death in this masterful time-loop action picture.
* 'Forgotten' - Directed by Chang Hang-jun this film tells the story of kidnap, memory loss and murder where nothing is as it first seems in this dark, twisty violent tale.
* 'Champion' - Directed by Kim Yong-wan, this sports themed drama comedy offering is the story of a former arm-wrestling champion who is persuaded to return to his native Korea from the US where he grew up, and trace a family he never knew he had.
* 'Gonjiam : Haunted Asylum' - Directed by Jung Bum-sik, this found footage horror film allegedly takes place in one of the seven freakiest places on Earth - The Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital that elevates the stakes to a whole new level of fright.
* 'Snatch Up' - Directed by Heo Joon-hyung, this comedy action film is about seven men with seven separate motives who all clash to snag a bag of swag.
* 'The Vanished' - Directed by Lee Chang-hee, this is a stylish twisty psychological thriller combining Hitchcock and Euro film noir to tell the story of guilt and revenge largely played out over just one night and in one location.

And the other films being showcased are : 'Keys To The Heart', 
'A Haunting Hitchhike', 'A Taxi Driver', 'Be With You', 'Glass Garden', 'I Can Speak', 'Last Child', 'Little Forest', 'Microhabitat', 'Midnight Runners', 'Mothers', 'Stand By Me' and 'What A Man Wants'.

Turning to this week and what's coming real soon, there are five new cinematic releases to tempt you out to your local Odeon. We kick start with an incredible true story set in the late '70's when a young Police officer of African American origin infiltrates a white supremacist community rising to the head of the local group. Then we have a mammoth prehistoric sea monster rising up from the deep to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting local Chinese beach, with only one man capable of saving them and various others from being munched on. Next up there is a romantic thriller about love torn apart by distance and very different circumstances impacting both parties. We turn next to a young adult Sci-Fi thriller about a world where a virus has wiped out all kids under 20 years of age save for a small select group who have developed super powers to combat the adult population who now see them as a threat to all humanity. And we wrap up with a French foreign language comedy drama about a caterer, a Wedding, a Chateau in the idyllic French countryside and a catalogue of mishaps, misadventures and challenges that confront the event planner on this day when everything needs to be just perfect.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the five latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are 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.

'BLACKKKLANSMAN' (Rated MA15+) - this American biographical crime drama is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by Spike Lee and is based on the true life story and exploits of one Ron Stallworth as recounted in his 2014 book of the same name 'Black Klansman'. Released in the US last week, the film had its Premier screening in competition for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May this year, where it won the Grand Prix. Costing in the region of US$15M the film has garnered generally positive Reviews, and has so far grossed US$13M.

Beginning in 1979, Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, and son of Denzel) was the first African-American Police Officer and Detective to join the Colorado Springs Police Department. Stallworth noticed an ad in the local paper seeking members to start a new chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs. He called the phone number listed, posing as a racist white man that 'hated blacks, Jews, Mexicans and Asians'. During the conversation, he learned that the man founding the new chapter was a soldier at a nearby US Army Base. Stallworth arranged to meet the man at a local bar and sent a white undercover narcotics officer, Detective Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) wired to record any conversations and to substitute for him at the meeting. The rouse was a success, and Stallworth continued to pose as a KKK member for the next nine months, usually talking on the phone with other members, and sending the white officer in his place when face-to-face meetings were necessary. Stallworth steadily infiltrates that local Chapter of the Colorado Springs KKK, eventually rising to the ranks as its Head . . . . and he's black! The film also stars Topher Grace, Alec Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Corey Hawkins and Laura Harrier.

'THE MEG' (Rated M) - here we have yet another killer shark on the rampage in this Sci-Fi action horror offering Directed by Jon Turtleaub whose previous Directing credits include 'Cool Runnings', 'Phenomenon', 'Instinct', the two 'National Treasure' films and 'Last Vegas' amongst others. Based on the 1997 Science Fiction book by Steve Allen titled 'Meg : A Novel of Deep Terror' this film tells the story initially set some 300kms off the coast of China when a 22 metre long prehistoric shark called Megalodon, thought to be long extinct, rises from the depths of the ocean and attacks a research submersible, leaving its crew stranded at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and up shit creek without a paddle. But fear not, because skilled and experienced expert diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is on the case. He first encountered the monster shark five years previously and so springs, swims, dives into action to help rescue the crew and stop the killer shark before it attacks the mainland and munches happily on those unsuspecting holiday makers frolicking on the shoreline. Also starring Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Cliff Curtis and Li Bingbing. The film cost US$150M to bring to the big screen and was released in the US and China last week, and has so far generated US$152M at the Box Office.

'SUBMERGENCE' (Rated M) - this romantic thriller is Directed by veteran Wim Wenders and stars James McAvoy and Alicia Vikander in the lead roles, and on that basis should fare better than it has. Premiering at TIFF back in September last year, released in Spain in early February, the US in mid-April and now in limited screens here in Australia, the film cost US$15M and has so far grossed just US$328K and received generally unfavourable Reviews. Based on the book of the same name by J.M. Ledgard the story finds us in a cell with no windows somewhere on the east coast of Africa, where a Scotsman, James Moore (James McAvoy), is held captive by jihadist fighters. Thousands of miles away in the Greenland Sea, Danielle Flinders (Alicia Vikander) prepares to dive in a submersible to the depths of the ocean bed. In their small confined spaces in which they find themselves they are drawn back to the Christmas of the year before, where a chance encounter on a beach in France led to an intense and enduring romance. The film also stars Charlotte Rampling.

'THE DARKEST MINDS' (Rated M) - this dystopian Sci-Fi thriller is Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson whose two previous Directing credits are 'Kung Fu Panda 2' and 'Kung Fu Panda 3'. The film is based on the 2012 young adult book of the same name by Alexandra Bracken, and tells the story of a future America where a pandemic called IAAN has killed off 98% of children under the age of twenty. Those surviving 2% have developed amazing psychic powers but are declared a threat to humanity by the government, and placed in detainment and rehabilitation camps. Sixteen year old Ruby (Amandla Stenberg) is one such child with extraordinary powers the like of which no one has yet encountered. Ruby escapes from her captors and joins other runaways who are seeking a safe haven aided by the rebellious anti-government Dr. Cate Conor (Mandy Moore). Banded together and on the run from a Bounty Hunter known as Lady Jane (Gwendoline Christie), they soon learn to harness their combined powers to fight the adults who tried to take away their future. The film cost US$34M to make, and has generated mostly unfavourable Reviews. 'The Darkest Minds' is the first novel in a series of so far five published books, so watch out for possible sequels if this filmed adaptation takes off.

'C'EST LA VIE' (Rated M) - this French comedy offering was first released way back in early July 2017, screened at TIFF last September and is Directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano whose previous credits include the highly lauded 'The Intouchables' from 2011. Here wedding planner and event caterer Max Angely (Jean-Pierre Bacri) is coordinating a wedding at a 17th-century Chateau. During the course of which he must handle a volatile, often foul-mouthed assistant; absent staff; opinionated waitstaff; a demanding, egocentric groom; a dodgy electrical system, a substitute DJ; and a whole raft of other challenges. Interwoven with his professional troubles are his personal ones. He is on a trial separation from his wife; and his brother-in-law, who is also one of his waiters, is a former admirer of the bride. Max's other assistant is his mistress, who threatens to end their relationship and starts hitting on one of the waiters to prove it. And it also happens to be Max's birthday. Also starring Gilles Lellouche, Jean-Paul Rouve, Vincent Macaigne and Suzanne Clement, the film has taken so far US$24M off the back of a US$17M Production Budget and has received generally average Reviews.

With five 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-