SHADOW IN THE CLOUD : Tuesday 19th January 2021.

'SHADOW IN THE CLOUD' which I saw at my local multiplex earlier this week, is an MA15+ Rated New Zealand American fantasy action adventure Co-Production Directed by Roseanne Liang, in only her second full length feature film outing following 2011's 'My Wedding and Other Secrets'. Co-Written by her and Max Landis, the film saw it's World Premier showing at TIFF back in September last year where it won the People's Choice Award in the Midnight Madness stream of underground and cult films, and went on limited release in the US (because of COVID-19) on 1st January. It has so far taken just US$40K at the Box Office and has generated largely positive Reviews. 

The film opens in mid-1943 with Flight Officer Maude Garrett (Chloe Grace Moretz) walking down the runway of a military base in Auckland, New Zealand at night, in the rain and fog. She shouts to a member of the ground crew that she is looking for the 'The Fool's Errand' when that crew member suddenly disappears into the mist, only to leave her standing right next to her transport - a B-17 Bomber, poised ready for take-off. She clambers aboard carrying a brown leather rectangular document bag, and is instantly met with a barrage of questions from the all male and very opinionated crew as to what the Hell she thinks she's doing boarding their plane and to get off straightaway. But Garrett produces a set of papers that confirm her authorisation to be on that plane by a high ranking officer, and that her document bag contains something highly confidential and it is not to be opened by anyone under any circumstances. 

Having received a very frosty reception from the crew, she is ordered by the flight Captain John Reeves (Callan Mulvey) to hunker down for takeoff in the Sperry (which was a spherical ball shaped gun turret fitted to the undercarriage of some American built aircraft during WWII which held the gunner, two heavy machine guns, ammunition and sights, and was designed by the Sperry Corporation, hence the name). Needless to say the seated position in the Sperry leaves very little room for anything else, and so Garrett is forced to leave her document bag with the only crew member who showed her any respect and kindness - Staff Sergeant Walter Quaid (Taylor John Smith), who is under strict instructions to keep the bag upright, not to open it and to keep it secure and in his sights at all times. 

While stuck in the turret Garrett spies a movement of some sort of animal hanging underneath the wing. She reports it over the radio to the rest of the crew who all dismiss it as the rantings of an inexperienced nervous female - all except Private Stu Beckell (Nick Robinson) the tail gunner who also saw it. She is given the all clear to exit the Sperry, but in attempting to do so, one of the welded latches breaks off in her hand jamming her inside. The crew attempt to retrieve her, all the while spewing coarse remarks at her and the situation she finds herself in. She gives back as good as she gets, and at that the crew give up trying to retrieve her and cut off the comms to boot. She then spies a Japanese spy plane flying about 400 meters below and disappearing into the clouds. At that moment the creature she saw earlier springs a surprise attack on the turret, which she is able to fend off with a gun shot wound but is injured in the shoulder by its piercing claw in the process. 

The crew come back on line having heard a single gun shot and ask her why she smuggled a gun on aboard and what she thought she was firing at? Shortly after, clarification comes back from the Auckland air base that Maude Garrett does not exist and that she was not authorised to board the plane. When they attempt to release her from the turret again and question her she deliberately jams the gear mechanism and sets to defend herself and the crew when the Japanese plane reappears and begins to fire on them. Taking control of the two machine guns, she fires on the advancing enemy aircraft shooting it down, and in the process gains the respect of the crew, albeit somewhat grudgingly. 

Garrett comes clean that she is actually married and boarded the bomber under her maiden name, but refuses to tell the men about her mission, reaffirming its confidentiality. Then she sees the creature again, which by now is determined to be a gremlin, as it continues to play havoc with the plane, and eventually Private Tommy Dorn (Benedict Wall) sees it too, but the others disregard him. Suspecting Garrett's confidential assignment to be the cause for their misfortunes, Reeves gives the order to open the bag, which is revealed to contains a sedated baby. With no option now but to confess, Garrett explains that she married at a young age and was severely mistreated by her husband. She had an affair with Quaid and unwillingly got pregnant from it. She never expected to keep the child, but after its birth she couldn't give it up. She decided not to tell Quaid, and so Garrett faked her papers and her mission to get away from her husband before he would kill her in his anger.

Captain Reeves advises that he is turning back to the Auckland air base where Garrett and Quaid will face Court Marshall. Just then three Japanese fighters close in, and the gremlin boards the bomber, injures Quaid and takes the bag holding the now whimpering baby. When the gremlin appears before her with the baby in the bag, Garrett exits the turret and fires her handgun at it, driving it off but leaving the bag hanging precariously from the damaged underside of the wing. 

Risking a perilous climb outside the plane and high altitude, Garrett retrieves her child and clambers back inside the plane through the opening of the now blown-off Sperry. The gremlin attacks again, throwing Technical Sergeant Terrence Taggart (Byron Coll) the radio operator, out of the plane. Garrett is able to eject the gremlin off the plane by chopping off its claw as it clung to the undercarriage, only to see it spread its wings and take flight. When Reeves, Lieutenant Bradley Finch (Joe Witkowski) the navigator, and Dorn are killed by Japanese gunfire, Garrett takes command with the injured RNZAF Co-Pilot Flight Lieutenant Anton Williams (Beulah Koale) and brings the plane roughly but safely down to the ground.

Garrett, Williams, Quaid and Beckell as the only survivors, exit the plane all bloodied and injured carrying the baby in the bag, just as the bomber explodes in a ball of flame. The gremlin reappears and snatches the baby once more. Garrett by this time is mightily pissed off and determined to see an end to their unwelcome very troublesome gremlin. She catches it up and the pair fight with Garrett landing several punches to its head. 

She retrieves the bag, returns it to Quaid and goes back and finally kills the gremlin. She opens the bag and pulls out the now screaming baby, who is obviously by now very hungry. She plugs in the baby to her breast as she and the other survivors watch as the Fool's Errand burns up.

The term 'gremlin' denotes a mischievous creature that sabotages aircraft or other machinery and originates in Royal Air Force slang in the 1920's among the British pilots stationed in Malta, the Middle East, and India. Often they are described or depicted as animals with spiky backs, large strange eyes, and small clawed frames that feature sharp teeth, and in this respect Director Liang has done a pretty good job in capturing that image of the antagonist in this film. Of course the plot here is so over the top ridiculous that you can't help but be swept along by the relentless action, the cutting dialogue and the committed performance of our number one protagonist, Moretz. Playing like an episode straight out of 'The Twilight Zone' this film offers a bonkers mixture of WWII drama, creature feature, and feminist action hero that offers Moretz one of her most meaty roles in years. 'Shadow in the Cloud' is pure pulp, heaps of fun and genre B-movie film making escapism in the finest sense of the phrase, and at a brisk 83 minutes running time does not outstay its welcome. Catch it on the big screen if you can - you won't be disappointed if this sort of film is up your street.

'Shadow in the Cloud' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

GRETA : Tuesday 5th March 2019.

'GRETA' which I saw earlier this week, is a psychological thriller offering Directed and Co-Written by Neil Jordan whose previous big screen credits over a long and distinguished career take in 'The Company of Wolves', 'Mona Lisa', 'We're No Angels', 'The Crying Game', 'Interview with the Vampire', 'Michael Collins', 'The End of the Affair' and 'The Brave One' amongst others. The film saw its World Premier screening at last years TIFF in early September, and only last week did it get a release in Australia, and in the US too. The film has garnered generally mixed Reviews, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by it, and it has so far taken US$6M at the Box Office.

Here Frances McCullen (Chloe Grace Moretz) finds a handbag on the New York subway and dutifully returns it to Greta Hideg (Isabelle Huppert), an eccentric and late 50/early 60 year old French piano teacher who loves tea and classical music, but is just a little lonely. Greta is overjoyed that Frances has returned her handbag and invites the young girl in for a freshly brewed coffee. Over coffee in the afternoon, Frances learns that Greta is a widow, and has a daughter living in Paris studying music at University, with whom she speaks to quite often over the phone. Frances is working as a waitress in an upmarket restaurant and living with her best friend Erica Penn (Maika Monroe) in a penthouse bought for her by her parents. We also learn that Frances one year ago lost her own mother to cancer and is still coming to terms with that loss. Meanwhile her father Chris (Colm Feore) is a workaholic, and with whom she has a strained and distant relationship.

Frances begins to spend time with Greta, having struck up an instant liking for each other, and they are both seemingly very comfortable in each others company. Frances suggests that Greta should get a dog to keep her company, and that it would be a welcome distraction. At first Greta shirks off the idea but then warms, and agrees only if Frances will help her choose one from the Dog Rescue Centre, which she does. One night while Frances is helping Greta prepare a dinner for the two of them Frances stumbles across a stash of handbags in her sideboard, identical to the one she retrieved and containing the same set of contents. Furthermore, on the back of each handbag is a Post-It note with the name of a girl and a mobile phone number. This gravely disturbs Frances, who cuts dinner short, and upon the advice of Erica, cuts ties with Greta completely.

Shortly thereafter following numerous unanswered phone calls and text messages from Greta to Frances' mobile phone at all times of the day and night, Greta begins stalking Frances and is even seen standing outside the restaurant where she works staring blankly in through the window from across the street. This unsettles Frances. On another occasion, Greta books a table at the restaurant, insults Frances while she is going about her work and creates a scene upturning her table in a fit of rage. She is restrained by other restaurant staff and Security Officers and the Police called. Greta is carted off in an ambulance for treatment and released from custody the next day. At this point, after Greta has also stalked Erica one evening while out at a club, both Frances and Erica seek to take out a restraining order but are told by the Police that the process could take months.

Later, Frances meets up with her father, with his advice being to cut Greta out of her life completely. Meanwhile, Frances has tried to make contact with Greta's daughter in Paris and indirectly finds out that Greta was released from a psychiatric hospital and also learns from a Counsellor that Greta's daughter committed suicide four years ago, and that she never did go to France to study music. Frances is encouraged to get out of the city for a break but torn to either go away with her father or go with Erica out of the country, but Frances feels that she should not not leave because of Greta’s behaviour. Erica suggests lying to Greta and saying she was leaving to fix her own issues, and to apologise to the woman for her behaviour. After some tuition in the art of blatant lying from Erica, Frances follows this advice, and meets with Greta in church to make peace.

The next day, Greta emerges in Erica's apartment and drugs Frances while she is home alone, and then kidnaps her, bundling the partially conscious Frances into the back of a taxi on the basis that she is very sick. Greta takes her to her home, where she bundles the now comatose Frances into a large wooden locked box in a secret room located behind the piano. Greta then proceeds to send text messages to both Chris and Erica telling each of them that she is with the other and having a good old time, using photo's found within Frances' mobile phone. When Frances is released from the confines of her wooden box she finds clothing and ID cards from the other girls that had been abducted by Greta over time, and she surmises met with a sticky end.

In time, Erica and Chris learn that Frances was not with either of them on holiday as they had been led to believe. By now she has been kept with Greta for a good couple of weeks, forced to learn piano and speak French. During a cooking lesson, Frances cuts off Greta's finger with a cookie cutter, and uses the rolling pin she is holding to knock Greta unconscious. Frances tries to escape but all the doors and windows are locked shut and there is no sign of any keys. Heading into the basement to try and find an exit Frances stumbles across a bodybag only to find one of Greta's victims in it and still breathing. Greta then appears and takes control of the situation by promptly wrapping a bag around Frances' head until she passes out. To prevent Frances from trying to escape again, she shackles her to  the bed frame and gags her mouth. In the meantime, the body in the bag in the basement is no longer breathing, having been seen to by Greta.

Chris hires a personal friend and Irish private investigator Brian Cody (Stephen Rea) to locate Greta and hopefully shed some light on Frances' disappearance. Brian, after doing some digging, explains to Chris that Greta was a nurse who was discharged for abusing sleeping medication and further explains that Greta was supposed to be back in Hungary, her home country. Brian visits the home to meet with Greta who lets him in and is very pleasant offering him a cup of coffee and a chat. He questions the old woman about Frances, but Greta shrugs off their brief acquaintance as the whim of a young girl. Meanwhile, Frances attempts to get his attention by thrashing her body against the bed and in turn the wall against which the piano is located on the other side. This action causes the metronome on top of the piano to activate. Brian snoops around and deduces that there is a secret room behind the piano despite Greta attempting to block off the noise by playing loud classical music. Brian is tranquilised and eventually shot dead by Greta with his own gun using three bullets at point blank range to the head.

By now weeks and possibly months have passed by with Frances still bound and gagged to her bed. Greta is back up to her old tricks and leaves another handbag for an unsuspecting victim on the subway. That unsuspecting victim brings the handbag to Greta's home and is welcomed inside by Greta, like history is repeating itself . . . again! Frances attempts to get their attention by banging once again against the bed frame, but is unsuccessful. After Greta drinks the coffee, she suddenly feels overcome with drowsiness and quickly deduces that it had been spiked and passes out as a result. The victim takes off her brunette wig to reveal herself as Erica. Erica is also alerted to the metronome that self started as a result of the bed banging against the wall next to the piano. She rescues Frances before the pair place Greta’s motionless body in the box and securing it with a makeshift lock, and then leave to get some much needed fresh air.

'Greta' may not offer the genre anything that we haven't already seen countless times before, but it is saved by the two female leads in Isabelle Huppert playing the totally unhinged antagonist to quiet calculating perfection, and Chloe Grace Moretz as the young innocent protagonist caught in the wrong place at the wrong time just trying to be an upstanding model citizen by doing the right thing. The other characters are left to hang as window dressing and to move the largely predictable cat and mouse plot along for all of its sub-100 minute run time. The film is certainly worth the price of your ticket, or you can wait to catch it from the comfort of your sofa in your own home, just don't expect anything new and fresh, but rather a respectable by the numbers rehash of previously trodden ground. 

'Greta' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 7th - 13th February 2016

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Chloe Grace Moretz does on 10th February - check out my tribute to this Birthday Girl, turning 19, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 7th February

• Ashton Kutcher - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Chris Rock - Born 1965 - turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Eddie Izzard - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• James Spader - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actor | Producer

Monday 8th February

• John Williams - Born 1932, turns 84 - Composer | Songwriter
• Nick Nolte - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor | Producer
• Seth Green - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Mary Steenbergen - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actress | Producer

Tuesday 9th February

• Mia Farrow - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actress
• Michael B. Jordan - Born 1987, turns 29 - Actor
• Tom Hiddleston - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actor
• Ciaran Hinds - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actor
• Joe Pesci - Born 1943, turns 73 - Actor

Wednesday 10th February

• Robert Wagner - Born 1930, turns 86 - Actor | Producer
• Michael Apted - Born 1941, turns 75 - Director | Producer
• Laura Dern - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Elizabeth Banks - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Chloe Grace Moretz - Born 1997, turns 19 - Actress

Thursday 11th February

• Jennifer Aniston - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actress | Producer
• Burt Reynolds - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Damian Lewis - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor | Producer
• Taylor Lautner - Born 1992, turns 24 - Actor

Friday 12th February

• Joe Don Baker - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor
• Michael Ironside - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Josh Brolin - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
• Darren Aronofsky - Born 1969, turns 47 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Christina Ricci - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actress

Saturday 13th February

• Stockard Channing - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actress
• Mena Suvari - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actress
• George Segal - Born 1934, turns 82 - Actor
• Neal McDonough - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer

Chloe Grace Moretz was born in Atlanta, Georgia to mother Teri Duke, a nurse, and father McCoy Lee Moretz, a plastic surgeon. Raised in very Christian surroundings, she has four older brothers - Brandon, Trevor, Colin and Ethan. In 2002 the young Moretz moved to New York City with her mother and Trevor, as her parents had separated and her brother had gained a place at the Professional Performing Arts School, which first sparked her interest in acting, and she would often help her older sibling with his lines.

As a result of her interest she gained a role on  the television series 'The Guardian' in 2004, with an episode on 'My name is Earl' a year later. She gained her big screen debut in 2005 on 'Heart of the Beholder' and then a made for TV movie, 'Family Plan' later that same year, but it was in the remake of 'The Amityville Horror' also in 2005 that brought her more widespread recognition and a Young Artist Award nomination for her role as the young Chelsea Lutz - she was just eight years old. 

From here with acclaim gathering as a child actress Moretz gained small roles in such film fare as 'Big Momma's House 2', horror film 'Room 6', zombie horror 'Wicked Little Things', straight to video horror 'Hallowed Ground' and the supernatural horror remake 'The Eye' in 2008' . . . do you see a pattern emerging here? In 2008 though there was a break from more recent genre specific tradition with crime drama 'The Third Nail' and drama 'The Poker House' with Jennifer Lawrence.  In 2009 'Not Forgotten' saw her team up with her one time 'The Guardian' star Simon Baker, and then '(500) Days of Summer' with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. In the meantime, there had been episodes on 'Desperate Housewives', 'Dirty Sexy Money' and the voice of Darby on 87 episodes of 'My friends Tigger & Pooh'.

2010 saw Matthew Vaughn's comic book adaptation to the big screen of 'Kick Ass' to widespread critical acclaim for her role as Mindy McCready/Hit-Girl alongside Mark Strong and Nicolas Cage. That same year she returned to the horror genre with the remake of the Swedish cult classic supernatural horror from 2008 'Let The Right One In' with its Hollywood cousin 'Let Me In'. Now aged 13 she was described as one of the busiest actresses in Hollywood with a string of film and television roles already behind her and plenty more on the slate.

The next year came the crime thriller 'Texas Killing Fields' with Sam Worthington and Jessica Chastain, and 'Hick' with Eddie Redmayne, Alec Baldwin and Juliette Lewis before Scorsese's highly acclaimed 'Hugo' which won five Academy Awards and a further six nominations, as well as another 47 award wins and 156 other nominations from around the traps. 2012 saw her star in Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows' with Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Michelle Pfeiffer.

2013 brought with it a segment on the critically panned 'Movie 43', and a reprisal of her role as Hit-Girl on 'Kick-Ass 2'. 'Carrie' that same year was a return to the horror genre with a remake of the classic Stephen King novel which saw Moretz in the Sissy Spacek role from the earlier 1976 film.

The following year was another busy one with 'Laggies', 'Clouds of Sils Maria', 'If I Stay' and 'The Equalizer' with Denzel Washington in the title role. 'Dark Places' came next in 2015 with Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult and Sci-Fi actioner 'The 5th Wave' released very recently and a possible trilogy in the making if it performs well enough having made US$67M already off its US$30M budget.

Currently in post-production for release later this year is 'The November Criminals' with Ansel Elgort and David Strathairn, 'Neighbours 2 : Sorority Rising' with Zac Efron, Seth Rogen and Dave Franco, and 'Brain on Fire' with Carrie-Anne Moss and Richard Armitage, with 'The Little Mermaid' announced for 2017. To date Moretz has 57 acting credits to her name, 27 award wins and a further 39 nominations - not bad at all for a 19 year old!

Aside from carving out an acting career, Moretz has also appeared inside and on the cover of numerous fashion and lifestyle magazines including 'Vogue', 'Marie Clare', 'Elle', 'InStyle' and 'Flaunt'. In 2012 she was crowned with the 'Max Mara Face of the Future' Award, and 'Elle' gave her the 'Next Future Icon' Award in 2013.

Moretz resides in Los Angeles, brother Brandon is her Business Manager, brother Trevor is her acting coach, she starred alongside brother Colin in 'Let Me In' and with brother Ethan in 'The Third Nail'. She supports LGBT equality rights, and in 2014 Time Magazine named her as one of the 25 Most Influential Teenagers of the Year.

Chloe Grace Moretz - beautiful and clearly talented, an amazing track record already at just 19 years of age, a diverse range of roles in your acting choices, has starred in seven remakes, a fan of the comedy genre yet hasn't starred in too many, a lover of dogs and of sports especially football, basketball, ice hockey and gymnastics - Happy Birthday to you Chloe Grace, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 7th May 2015.

With a mega Marvel movie sequel and the seventh instalment in another big franchise heralding the first of 2015's big ticket Blockbuster offerings, it won't be too long before the Northern Hemisphere Summer Season kicks into overdrive with a slew of epic offerings to tease a cinema dollar out of our wallets. April saw two Hollywood epics hit our screens and May will see an Aussie epic (more next week!) do likewise, but in the meantime we have a small handful of filmic fare that give you choice, variety and diversity in the week ahead.

First up there is an already lauded film with a strong female cast that centres around an ageing actress coming to terms with her craft as she gets older, tragedy & loss, and life imitating art imitating life as it all seems to come full circle. Then, there is a sequel to a 2012 sleeper hit of music, comedy, drama meted out on the competition circuit as duelling college teams battle it out for vocal supremacy. Next up is a RomCom of a screenwriter with writers block that is familiar territory for this Director and Actor; and finally a found footage horror for the social media age . . . be careful what you Post!

Four films for the week ahead and once more four different offerings. With some great content doing the rounds from previous weeks, and these to add to your watch-list, ensure you make a point of catching a flick this week. When you have done so, share your thoughts with Odeon Online and Post a comment below this weeks Previews, or any other Review - we'd love to hear from you. Enjoy your film!

CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA (Rated MA15+) - with three strong performances from its principle female cast this Oliver Assayas Written and Directed film is already being much lauded for its engaging dramatic story, intelligence, emotion and the backdrop of the Swiss Alps. Made for a shoestring US$6.6M this had a limited release going back a year ago to May 2014 in Cannes before a wider French release last August to the US in early April and finally Australia in early May. This is the story of Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) who is a successful actress off the back of a play and later the film titled 'Maloja Snake' in which she played the lead role 20 years ago revolving around a relationship between a young feisty girl who is the Assistant to an older woman who subsequently commits suicide. Travelling to Zurich with her Assistant Valentine (Kristen Stewart) to accept an award on behalf of the plays writer, Wilhelm Melchior, Maria learns that Melchior has died suddenly in the nearby town of Sils Maria.

During the awards ceremony Maria is approached by a renowned theatre Director keen to have her reprise her role in a new production of 'Maloja Snake' in London but this time as the older woman. Reluctantly Maria agrees and is able to prepare for the role in the house of Wilhelm in Sils Maria. As Maria and Valentine pour over the script it  brings back memories and causes to them to question their own relationship. given the parallels here between art and life. Playing the part of the young girl in the new production is Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is a young up & coming starlet who has already had her fair share of media controversy and tabloid scandal. As questions of age, time, cultures, beliefs, and the fine balance between the characters in the play and those on the screen bring things to a head ultimately in London, another offer manifests itself which causes Maria to reassess her place in life and those around her. Sounds  a lot like 'Birdman' for the ladies - you decide!

THE REWRITE (Rated M) - this film too has been kicking around for about a year and was released in the US last October and is out already on DVD there, with a limited theatrical release only now in Australia. Written and Directed by Marc Lawrence this stars Hugh Grant as Keith Michaels - a Hollywood based UK Screenwriter who scored an Academy Award back in 1998 but since then has failed to garner further success. Instead his marriage has gone south, he's got writers block big-time and his money has run out.  What's a guy to do? Run away of course - and head for the east-coast and go teach screenwriting in college, and promptly fall head-over-heels in lurve with another teacher - Marisa Tomei as Holly Carpenter, who will help him regain his mo-jo, his confidence, his inspiration and his motivation - easy! Marc Lawrence has worked with Hugh Grant before on 'Did You Hear About The Morgans', 'Music and Lyrics' and 'Two Weeks Notice' so if you enjoyed those you're likely to enjoy these - and the formula that goes with it! J.K. Simmons also stars.

PITCH PERFECT 2 (Rated M) - back in 2012 the forerunner to this film was made for US$17M by Jason Moore and it grossed US$113M. This time around it is Directed and Stars Elizabeth Banks who had a Producer credit last time and now has a US$45M budget to play with. Following on from the events of the last film the a cappella all girl singers were so disgraced and humiliated in front of the President of the USofA that they were promptly removed from the performance circuit never to darken its doors again. Of course 'The Barden Bellas' are out to redeem themselves and prove themselves to an unsuspecting world that they are mature, responsible, committed, upstanding fine voiced a cappella singers who can enter a competition that no American band has ever won before and maybe just even win it . . . no pressure there then??? Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Seinfeld, Adam DeVine and notable others - old and new- the girls will test their friendships, their patience, their resilience and their determination to win the day . . . and will they? Check it out and let us know!

UNFRIENDED (Rated  MA) - like two of the other movies released this week, this film too has been kicking around for about a year, having had its premier in July 2014 at the Montreal Fantasia International Film Festival. Directed by Georgian/Russian Actor/Director Levan 'Leo' Gabriadze for the highly cost effective sum of US$1M, and co-Produced by Russian Director Timur Bekmambetov this little found-footage cyber horror offering has so far grossed US$33M. A sequel, on the strength of this, is already in the works! That said, this film stars largely no-name Actors all sat in front of their computer screens at home on SKYPE with each other. Set in real time in Fresno, California, events unfold through a computer screen as high school student Blaire Lily (Shelley Hennig) gets online with four friends over SKYPE to discuss the suicide of a close friend one years ago - Laura Barns (Heather Sossamon). As they SKYPE and chat away a mysterious unseen account joins the call, with the name Billie227. At the same time Laura's Facebook account goes into overdrive sending out messages to unsuspecting friends, and then the other friends accounts start to do likewise with uncompromising images. As time progresses the mystery faceless account picks off the others on the SKYPE call causing them all to self harm and ultimately die in horrible ways, leaving only one standing at the end as the truth about Laura's suicide is revealed. At only 83 minutes long this is a short, sharp, shock story that is likely to drag you in as 'Paranormal Activity' did on its first outing, make you jump, but leave you wanting more. Beware the power of technology as a portal to the otherworldly!

Do yourself a favour, and get out there then on a cool Autumnal evening into a warm dark place and enjoy a film of choice with other like minded cinephiles, and then, share your views, opinions and critique with us all.

Movies - catch one soon!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

HUGO : archive from 23rd January 2012.

Saw 'HUGO' tonite at my local multiplex. Martin Scorsese's first family film and he has created a layered, beautiful, rich, rewarding film that easily ranks up there with his earlier master works 'Goodfellas', 'Casino', 'The Departed' and 'Taxi Driver' but for very different reasons.

A great cast including child actors Asa Butterfield in the lead role at Hugo Cabret and Chloe Grace Moretz as his young friend Isabelle ably supported by Ben Kingsley in the role as the historically cinema significant Georges Melies, Jude Law as Hugo's father, Sacha Baron Cohen as Gustave, the Train Station Inspector, and various other names including Christopher Lee, Frances de la Tour, Richard Griffiths and Ray Winstone.

Set in the 1930's Paris we see the young orphaned Hugo living in the train station  maintaining the clocks to ensure they run on time and are kept in good working order - a kills he learned from his mechanically minded father and uncle. He leads his live in secret, living in the tunnels and passageways that wind their way through the labyrinth that is the busy Gare Montparnasse train station. The one thing that connects Hugo with his dead father (Law) is the automaton that his father began work on but never completed. Over the years Hugo has salvaged the necessary parts to almost complete the task but the one piece needed to bring it back to life is still missing and it's crucial whereabouts remain unknown - the heart-shaped key to restore (mechanical) life.

Working in the train station is an old toy marker, George Melies (Kingsley) who runs a small shop, and who Hugo has a brush with resulting in him being introduced to his god-daugher Isabelle (Grace Moretz). What follows is a series of coincidences that sees Melies contribution to modern cinema finally realised after almost 30 years, the heart-shaped key located and the automaton beautifully restored to 'life', the discovery of who really invented the automaton, and a wonderfully realised final set-piece that (almost) restores faith in humanity.

This film is Scorsese's nod to the early history of cinema focusing on Georges Melies enormous contribution to the craft bound together by early friendships, a Paris train station, machines, magic, tragedy & loss. The opening tracking shot is stunning and captures you from the get-go, and from this point on we are on a beautifully realised joy ride that will surprise and delight with every frame.

Oscar worthy for sure and this will not disappoint. At a cost of about US$160M to bring to the screen, this just about recovered it's budget with a haul of US$186M. At the awards ceremonies though for that year it garnered five Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction, as well as five other nominations including Best Direction for Martin Scorsese, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also picked up the Best Director Award at the Golden Globes and two other nominations, and at the BAFTA's is picked up Best Production Design and Best Sound Awards and eight other nominations. All up 'Hugo' collected 62 award wins globally and a further 138 nominations.

Fantastic film making proving Scorsese is a master story teller at the top of his game, and for me it was one of the top films of the year. At the time my recommendation was to catch this on the big screen, but you'll now have to make do with the biggest small screen you can find at home and watch it on DVD/Bluray.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

DARK SHADOWS - archive from 17th May 2012.

Saw 'DARK SHADOWS' last night at my local independant. Tim Burton does it again with his rendition this time of the cult US 60's dark tales TV series of the same name. His stable mate Johnny Depp and wife Helena Bonham Carter star alonside Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green and Chloe Grace Moretz. The storyline is weak, but the humour is subtle, the imagining of 1972 coastal Maine is well conceived, the set pieces well done, the effects solid and Johnny Depp in top form as he always is and seemingly relishing the role. 

A worthwhile romp that sees Depp in 1752 charting a course for the new land in America from England as one young Barnabas Collins with parents Joshua and Naomi. Fast forward 20 years and life is good, the family is successful  and they have a coastal fishing port named after them in Maine - Collinsport where they have a waterside canning business for the daily fish haul. The Lord of Collinwood Manor is Barnabas - rich, handsome, debonair and powerful in the local community at least, until that is he falls for Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) a witch of a woman . . . literally! When things go awry for the two, Bouchard turns Barnabas in to a vampire, and then buries the poor fellow alive for all eternity.

Fast forward again 200 years this time, and Barnabas is awoken from his eternal coffin by a construction crew, and after feasting on their blood in the world of 1972 he discovers that things seem to be a far cry in the dark from the world he left behind two centuries before. Clambering up to a ramshackle Collinwood Manor expecting to take-up where he left-off he soon encounters the last vestiges of a dysfunctional family falling apart at the seems, and shadows of the former wealth and riches he once knew. 

There is Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Grace Moretz), Roger Collins (Johnny Lee Miller), Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley), and even Christopher Lee and Alice Cooper make an appearance too amongst others. With Bouchard still around and making her presence felt even after 200+ years, the old flame is rekindled, but is this just a ploy to recapture the family's wealth, riches and business interests or are their affections genuine? Needless to say there are a few twists and turns, crosses and double crosses as only witches, vampires, ghosts and ghouls and dysfunctional otherworldly family members can conjure.

This is everything you would expect from Tim Burton - the maestro of bringing the unusual & fantastical to life, and worth the price of a ticket for sure. Its is colourful and entertaining but don't expect much more than that. The film was made on a budget of US$150M and came in with a global Box Office haul of just close to US$250M so on that basis not a huge success and it received mixed reviews in the process. It picked up three award wins across the globe and a further eleven nominations. You can judge for yourself now on DVD and Bluray.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-