What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 11th May 2023.

The Seattle International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday 11th May and runs through until Sunday 21st May, is held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, and is among the top film festivals in North America. SIFF believes in film’s unique power to share original stories, diverse perspectives, and rich emotional journeys. Beginning in 1976 with the annual Seattle International Film Festival, then expanding into year-round programming, the festival has offered experiences that bring people together to discover extraordinary films from around the world for nearly five decades. Our audiences allow us to take risks, host complex conversations, and truly appreciate film, according to the official website. SIFF traditionally attracts in the region of 150,000 attendees to celebrate films from more than eighty countries and regions around the world. Many of the features, short films, and documentaries screened will not have a return to US cinemas, making it an amazing event to discover new and underrepresented voices and stories.

This years Opening Night film is 'Past Lives' and this American romantic drama film is Written and Directed by Korean Canadian Celine Song in her feature film making debut. The Closing Night film is the Canadian comedy drama film 'I Like Movies' Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Chandler Levack in her feature film debut. 

In Official Competition this year there are eight films with work spanning the world, and that illustrate some of the finest filmmaking this year. Many of the films discuss themes that resonate worldwide—themes of friendship, coming of age in times of political turmoil, and the complications of family and love. Those eight films are :-

* '20,000 Species of Bees' from Spain and Written and Directed by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren. A gender-questioning eight-year-old and their mother spend a summer in the country with their family’s widowed matriarch, where tending to the beehives leads to illuminating and deeply personal revelations.

* 'Ingeborg Bachmann - Journey into the Desert' from Switzerland and is Written and Directed by Margarethe von Trotta. A stately biopic about the rocky romance between Austrian poet Ingeborg Bachmann and Swiss playwright Max Frisch. Starring Vicky Krieps. 

* 'Let the River Flow' from Norway and Written and Directed by Ole Giaever. A teacher accidentally becomes part of the Sami revolution that rose up amid the Alta Conflict of 1970's-’80's Norway.

* 'Opponent' from Sweden and Written and Directed by Milad Alami. When an Iranian refugee decides to rejoin the wrestling world, rumours spread that threaten to ruin his family’s safety.

* 'Plan 75' from Japan and Written and Directed by Chie Hayakawa. Three interlocking stories set in an alternate modern Japan, where the elderly are given the option to euthanise themselves to stave off the country’s economic woes in return for a final sum of money they can spend however they wish.

* 'Pretty Red Dress' from the UK and Written and Directed by Dionne Edwards in her feature film making debut. A family of Black Londoners have their world shaken by the purchase of a lovely rhinestoned red dress.

* 'The Quiet Migration' from Denmark and Co-Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Malene Choi. A thoughtful and semi-autobiographical film about a South Korean adoptee raised on a dairy farm in the Danish countryside.

* 'To Kill a Tiger' from Canada and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Nisha Pahuja. An Indian rice farmer stands up to his village and demands justice for his young daughter, the victim of a terrible sexual assault.

The other competitive strands playing out at this years Seattle International Film Festival are the Documentary Competition, the Ibero-American Competition, the New American Cinema Competition, the New Directors Competition and the Short Films Competition. For the full details of these competitions, plus a whole lot more good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://www.siff.net/

Turning to this weeks slate of new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a Sci-Fi crime horror mystery that sees a married couple enjoying an all-inclusive luxury beach vacation at a five star resort when a fatal accident exposes the resort's perverse subculture of hedonistic tourism, reckless violence and surreal horrors. Next up we have a Sci-Fi action thriller that has a detective investigating a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government programme. This is followed by a French crime drama thriller offering portraying the first five days into the heart of the French anti-terrorism services during the hunt for suspects after the 13/11/2015 attacks in Paris. And we close out the week with two American RomCom's - the first being a sequel to a 2018 film that follows the new journey of four best friends as they take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had, and last but by no means least is a story of a young woman who tries to ease the pain of her fiance's death by sending romantic texts to his old cell phone number, and forms a connection with the man the number has been reassigned to.

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

'INFINITY POOL' (Rated R18+) - this Sci-Fi crime horror mystery film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Brandon Cronenberg (son of David), whose previous feature film offerings are his debut in 2012 with 'Antiviral' and 'Possessor' in 2020. This film saw its World Premier at the Sundance Film Festival in late January this year and was released in cinema's in its native Canada at the end of January to generally positive reviews, having so far grossed US$5.2M.

While staying at the isolated island resort of Li Tolqa, James (Alexander Skarsgard) a struggling writer and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are enjoying a perfect vacation of pristine beaches, exceptional staff, and soaking up the sun. But guided by the seductive and mysterious Gabi (Mia Goth), they venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror. A tragic accident leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime - either you'll be executed, or, if you're rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead. Also starring Jalil Lespert and Thomas Kretschmann. 

'HYPNOTIC' (Rated M) - is an American Sci-Fi action thriller that is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed, Edited and scored by Robert Rodriguez, whose previous film making credits include his 1992 debut with 'El Mariachi', then 'Desperado' in 1995, 'From Dusk till Dawn' in 1996, the 'Spy Kids' franchise which has so far spawned four films with a fifth reportedly in development for Netflix, 'Sin City' in 2005 and 'Sin City : A Dame to Kill For' in 2014, 'Planet Terror' in 2007, 'Machete' in 2010 and 'Alita : Battle Angel' in 2019. Here then, when detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) learns that his missing daughter Dominique (Hala Finley) and a string of high profile bank robberies might be connected, he must go on a mind-bending journey to find his daughter and stop the secret government agency behind the madness. Also starring Alice Braga, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley and William Fichtner. The film saw its 'work-in-progress' World Premier at SXSW in late March this year, is released Stateside this week too and cost in the region of US$70M to produce. 

'NOVEMBER' (Rated M) - is a French crime drama thriller film that is Co-Written and Directed by Cedric Jimenez whose previous feature film credits are his debut with 'Paris Under Watch' in 2012, then 'The Connection' in 2014, 'The Man with the Iron Heart' in 2017 and 'The Stronghold' in 2020. This film depicts the investigations and the interventions of the Police (in particular of the anti-terrorist sub-directorate) during the five days which followed the attacks of Friday 13th November 2015 where a series of coordinated terrorist attacks took place in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb of Saint-Denis. The attackers killed 130 people, including ninety at the Bataclan theatre, where a group of 1,500 were watching an Eagles of Death Metal concert. Another 416 people were injured, almost one hundred critically. Seven of the attackers were also killed. The attacks were the deadliest in France since the Second World War. The film stars Jean Dujardin, Sandrine Kiberlane and Jeremie Renier, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$19.4M off the back of a production budget of US$16.5M.

'BOOK CLUB 2 : THE NEXT CHAPTER' - (Rated M) - this American RomCom is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Bill Holderman and is the follow-up film to 2018's 'Book Club' also Directed by Holderman and which grossed US$105M off the back of a production budget of US$14M making this sequel inevitable. Four elderly best friends - Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane Fonda), Sharon (Candice Bergen) and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) take their book club to Italy for the fun girls' trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure. Also starring Andy Garcia, Don Johnson and Craig T. Nelson. The film is released in the US this week too.

'LOVE AGAIN' (Rated M) - is also an American RomCom Written and Directed by James C. Strouse whose prior film making credits take in his debut with 'Grace Is Gone' in 2007, then 'The Winning Season' in 2009, 'People Places Things' in 2015 and 'The Incredible Jessica James' in 2017. This film is an English-language remake of the 2016 German film 'SMS fur Dich', which is itself based on a novel by Sofie Cramer. Here, Mira Ray (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) who is struggling to cope with the death of her fiance, unintentionally sends a sequence of romantic messages to his old cell phone number, which has been reassigned to Rob Burns (Sam Heughan) as his new work phone. As a journalist, Rob is captivated by the honesty in Mira's beautifully written texts. When he is tasked with writing a profile on the famous singer Celine Dion (Celine Dion in her screen acting debut) he seeks her assistance in finding a way to meet Mira in real life, and ultimately win her affection. Also starring Celia Imrie and Russell Tovey. The film was released in the US last week. 

With five 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-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 26th November 2020.

The third Children's International Film Festival (CHIFF) is being held in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia from 27th November through until 13th December. The official website reads that CHIFF caters 'for children aged 4-16, the festival's program ranges from non-verbal films for the miniature movie lover, through to a more challenging mix of foreign and English language films from all over the world, perfect for older budding cinephiles. All of the new films in the CHIFF programme are Australian premieres, handpicked from world-class film festivals such as Berlin, Toronto, and Seattle. These films rarely get a release outside of their home countries, so CHIFF provides one of the only ways for families to catch them on the big screen in Australia'.

This years line up of twenty child friendly films opens up with 'Lassie Come Home' (as Previewed below), and continue with the likes of the following :-

* 'Babe' - from Australia and the USA and Directed by Chris Noonan, CHIFF presents this special 25th anniversary screening of the Academy Award nominated family film.

* 'The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily' - from France and Italy and Directed by Lorenzo Mattotti and based on a classic 1945 Italian children’s book and premiering at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, this French-language animation with English subtitles tells a story of conflict between humans and bears in the kingdom of Sicily.

* 'Captain Sabretooth and the Magic Diamond' - from Norway and Directed by Marit Moum Aune and Rasmus A. Sivertsen is a story of the infamous pirate Captain Sabertooth who wants a magic diamond that holds special powers but, the problem is, so does Maga Kahn, a vampire king with an army of monkeys at his disposal.

* 'Daisy Quokka : World's Scariest Animal' - from Australia and Directed by Ricard Cusso. Here, an unbearably adorable, eternally optimistic Quokka named Daisy wants to achieve the impossible – to win the annual ‘World’s Scariest Animal’ championship. So she enlists the guidance of a washed-up, former champion, a grouchy Saltwater Crocodile, to help her achieve her dreams and prove that champions can come in all shapes and sizes. Featuring the voice talents of Sam Neill and Angourie Rice.

* 'Dino Dana : The Movie' - from Canada and Directed by J.J.Johnson sees Dana, a ten-year-old girl who has the power to imagine dinosaurs into the real world, is ready to commence dino experiment 901 to find out just why there aren’t any kid dinosaur fossils. However, this time Dana has the help of her new neighbour Mateo who can also see the dinosaurs she conjures.

* 'Dreambuilders' - from Denmark and Directed by Kim Hagen Jensen and Tonni Zinck has Minna, one night discovering the behind-the-scenes world of dreams where creatures known as 'dreambuilders' construct and direct the visions that we experience every night while we sleep. Minna’s incredible newfound knowledge soon leads her to discover that she can not only manipulate her own dreams, but also those of others.

* 'The Elfkins : Baking a Difference' - from Germany and Directed by Ute von Munchow-Pohl here tells the story of the tiny gnome-like Elfkins who have lived in hiding, under the German city of Cologne, for more than 200 years. One day, after being dismissed by her fellow Elfkins one time too many for her inventions, the young Elfkin girl Helvi decides it’s time to try and return to the human world on the surface.

* 'Fritzi : A Revolutionary Tale' - from Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Czech Republic and Directed by Ralf Kakula and Matthias Bruhn, here it is 1989 and twelve-year-old Fritzi lives in East Germany. When Fritzi’s best friend Sophie goes on holiday Fritzi happily agrees to take care of Sophie’s dog, Sputnik. But then Sophie doesn’t come back: she and her mum have fled across the border seeking refuge in Hungary. Fritzi becomes determined to reunite Sophie and Sputnik so starts planning to cross the border herself.

* 'The Great Detective Sherlock Holmes : The Great Jail-Breaker' - from Hong Kong and Directed by Toe Yuena and Matthew Chow here sets the scene on the streets of Victorian era London, where nothing gets by Sherlock Holmes the dog and his trusted companion Dr. Watson the cat. Nothing, that is, except for the notorious burglar White Storm, who may well be a Robin Hood type who only steals from the rich to give to the poor, but the law is the law. Or is it?

* 'Jackie and Oopjen' - from the Netherlands with English subtitles and Directed by Annemarie van de Mond here sees Jackie who loves spending time at the famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Her mother works there and the museum has partnered with the Louvre to display a collection of Rembrandt’s paintings including his famous portrait of Oopjen Coppit. But there’s just one problem - Oopjen has gone missing!

* 'Phantom Owl Forest' - from Estonia with English subtitles and Directed by Anu Aun here has Eia’s Christmas holiday getting off to a disappointing start as both her parents have to travel for work so she is sent to stay on a farm in remote Southern Estonia, surrounded by a forest and covered in snow. The ten-year-old soon befriends the farmer and the various friends and family who pass through Phantom Owl Forest, but all is not as it may seem here.

* 'The Prince's Voyage' - from France and Luxembourg with English subtitles and Directed by Jean-Francois Laguionie and Xavier Picard tells the story of washing up on an unfamiliar beach, the monkey Prince is found by twelve-year-old Tom who takes the wounded Prince with him to stay with his parents: two scientists who have been outcast for their radical ideas about the existence of other monkey civilisations. 

* 'Sky Raiders' - from Israel with English subtitles and Directed by Lior Chefetz sees classmates Yotam and Noa who are both obsessed with aircraft and flying, although both of the thirteen-year-olds have major obstacles in their way. Yotam is still grieving the loss of his father in a plane crash and Noa has to deal with her bullying older brother, plus the fact that her father won’t take her interests in flying seriously.

* 'Too Far Away' - from Germany with subtitles and Directed by Sarah Winkenstette here tells the story of Ben who was happy being popular at school and the star player on his local soccer team, but his life is turned upside down when his family have to move after his village becomes the site for a new open brown coal mine. At Ben’s new school he is bullied and relegated to playing defence on his new soccer team. Things start to look up when he meets another new student, Tariq, a refugee from Syria.

You can see the full programme and learn more about CHIFF at the official website at : https://www.chiff.com.au

This week then we have seven new feature films to tempt you out to your local Odeon. Kicking off we have a film about an pair of caring grandparents who go off in search go their young grandson now living off grid with the ruthless family of their former daughter-in-law who has remarried into that family. We then have a change of pace with an English film about the 1970 Miss World competition and the Women's Liberation Movement who fought against it. Next up is a Sci-Fi psychological horror film about a secret organisation using brain transplant technology to inhabit someone else's body; followed by a French film about a returning son who goes home to his fathers farm in rural France, buys him out, raises a family, expands the business and then it all goes pear shaped. Then there is a concert film featuring a famed front man from a very popular and successful '80's band together with eleven other musicians recorded live on Broadway; which is followed by a Christmas holiday film about a young woman who wants to propose to her girlfriend at her parents holiday party, but her parents are unaware of their daughter's true feelings for the woman. And we close out the week with a German remake of a classic 1940 novel and a 1943 movie about a dog who needs to find his way home to his rightful owner after being sent away.  

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

'LET HIM GO' (Rated M) - is an American neo-Western drama offering Directed, Co-Produced and written for the screen by Thomas Bezucha whose sporadic film making career takes in just three credits being 'Big Eden' in 2000, 'The Family Stone' in 2005 and 'Monte Carlo' in 2011. This film is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Larry Watson. Originally slated for a US release in late August, this date was pushed back due to COVID-19 to early November and has so far taken just over US$7M at the Box Office. Now getting a release in Australia from this week, the film has generated largely positive Reviews. 

Set in the mid-'60's, following the untimely death of their son in  tragic horse riding accident, a retired sheriff, George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from the clutches of the dangerous Weboy family ruled over by stern matriarch Blanche Weboy (Lesley Manville) living off the grid in the Dakotas. Also starring Will Brittain, Jeffrey Donovan, Kayli Carter and Booboo Stewart. 

'MISBEHAVIOUR' (Rated M) - this British comedy drama film is Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe in only her second feature film following 2016's 'Swallows and Amazons' although she has Directed TV movies 'The Other Boleyn Girl', 'Beau Brummell : This Charming Man' and 'Cider with Rosie' as well as a number of episodes of 'Call The Midwife', 'The Crown' and 'Jamaica Inn'. Set in 1970, the Miss World Competition took place in London, hosted by the US comedian Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear). At that time Miss World was the most-watched TV show in the world with over 100 million viewers. Arguing that beauty competitions objectify women, the newly formed women's liberation movement achieved overnight fame by invading the stage and disrupting the live broadcast of the competition. Starring Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley, Lesley Manville, Rhys Ifans and Suki Waterhouse. The film has garnered generally positive Reviews, was released in the UK in mid-March and then on VoD in the UK a month later because of the escalating impact of COVID-19, and has so far taken just over US$1M at the Box Office. 

'POSSESSOR' (Rated CTC) - Directed and Written by Brandon Cronenberg (son of David) this Sci-Fi psychological horror film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in late January this year, was released Stateside and in Canada in early October and now gets its release in Australia and the UK from this week. This is only Brandon's second feature film offering following 2012's 'Antiviral' and has received generally favourable Reviews, with Critics praising the films originality and the performance from the principle cast. It has so far taken US$753K at the Box Office. The film follows an agent Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) who works for a secretive organisation that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies - ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients. Also starring Christopher Abbott, Rossif Sutherland, Sean Bean, Tuppence Middleton and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

'IN THE NAME OF THE LAND' (Rated M) - this French film is Directed and Co-Written by Edouard Bergeon in his feature film debut, and is inspired by his own childhood and is dedicated to his parents. The film tells the story of Pierre Jarjeau (Guillaume Canet), who returns from Wyoming to the Mayenne district of France in the late 1970’s to marry his sweetheart Claire (Veerle Baetens) and take over the farm from his his arrogant and domineering father Jacques (Rufus). The couple have two children, Thomas (Anthony Bajon) and Emma (Yona Kervern) and for many years, life is good. But the business is soon placed under enormous financial and operational pressure due to expansion, and what was once a satisfying lifestyle begins to take an insidious toll on the family.

'DAVID BYRNE'S AMERICAN UTOPIA' (Rated M) - is an American concert film Directed and Co-Produced by Spike Lee, from a screenplay by David Byrne. The film is a live recording of a Broadway performance of a modified version of the album 'American Utopia', including several songs and contributions from throughout Byrne's career. Byrne performs alongside eleven other musicians, all performing with wireless or portable equipment. The film saw its World Premier screening at TIFF in September this year and shortly thereafter at the New York Film Festival and then the British Film Institute London Film Festival, and has received universal critical acclaim. 

'HAPPIEST SEASON' (Rated M) - this American romantic comedy film is Directed, written for the screen, based on a story and stars Clea DuVall in only her second feature film making outing since 2016's 'The Intervention' although she has totals of four Producer credits, four as Writer, six as Director and eighty-five as an Actor to her name. Here Abby (Kristen Stewart) plans to propose marriage to her girlfriend Harper Caldwell (Mackenzie Davis) while attending her family's annual Christmas holiday party. At the party, she comes to the realisation that Harper has not come out to her conservative parents yet, Ted and Tipper Caldwell (Victor Garber and Mary Steenburgen respectively). Released in the US this week too on streaming service Hulu and in other international markets, the film has generated largely favourable press. Also starring Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Daniel Levy and Mila Kunis.

'LASSIE COME HOME' (Rated PG) - Directed by Hanno Olderdissen, this German film with English subtitles is a remake of the 1943 classic novel of the same name by Eric Mowbray Knight about the iconic long haired Collie dog with a keen sense for adventure. Here Lassie and twelve-year-old Florien Maurer (Nico Marischka) are inseparable best friends, so it breaks both their hearts when Lassie is sent away after Florien’s father loses his job. While Lassie’s temporary minders, which includes twelve-year-old Priscilla von Sprengel (Bella Bading), mean well; Lassie is mistreated by an opportunist caretaker and escapes the first chance she gets. It is the start of an epic adventure across southern Germany as Lassie makes her way back home while Florien and Priscilla set out to find her. Both human and canine characters face many challenges and obstacles, but the bond between a child and their dog is not one that can be easily broken.

With seven 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-