BRING HER BACK : Tuesday 17th June 2025

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'BRING HER BACK' this week, and this Australian supernatural horror film is Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou and Co-Written by Danny Philippou, whose debut feature film was the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 'Talk to Me' in 2023. The brothers are known together online as RackaRacka, and are Australian twin filmmakers, YouTubers, and stunt performers, and are known for their horror comedy YouTube videos. The film was released here in Australia and the USA at the end of May and in the UK on 1st August, has so far grossed US$20M from a production budget of US$15M and has generated largely favourable critical reviews.

Here then, following the death of their father in the shower, a brother Andy (Billy Barratt) and his almost blind step-sister Piper (Sora Wong) are placed into foster care with the eccentric former counsellor of twenty years Laura (Sally Hawkins), who also has in her care a mute young lad named Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). 

We also learn during their initial introductions that Laura had a daughter Cathy (Mischa Heywood) who drowned at the age of twelve in the home swimming pool, and who was also blind. Andy quickly becomes disturbed by Laura's behaviour, her favouritism towards Piper, and Oliver's strange mannerisms. He tells his social worker Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton), and Laura, of his intention to apply for Piper's guardianship when he turns 18 in three months time. Laura begins subtly undermining Andy's mental condition, implying he is unfit to look after his sister, particularly after she reads a text message on Andy's mobile phone to a friend that Oliver is 'fucking weird!'

At their father's funeral, Laura secretly cuts a lock of hair from the body and later tells Andy that some believe the soul lingers in a corpse after death for up to a few months. She also urges Andy to kiss his father one last time, which he reluctantly does on the forehead, after which she kisses the corpse on the lips. That night, back at the house the three of them play a drinking game and play loud music which they all dance to. With Piper passed out on the sofa, Andy shares that their father was abusive toward him when he was eight years old especially, but was always affectionate toward Piper, which caused resentment. Laura reflects on her grief over Cathy's death and says she would give anything to hear Cathy call her 'mum' again. 

The next day, Laura runs an errand in town and takes Piper leaving strict instructions for Andy to leave Oliver locked in his room. However, Andy sees this as a chance to bond with Oliver, and so he unlocks the door and they both sit at the kitchen bench. Andy pulls half a cantaloupe melon from the fridge and with a large kitchen knife begins slicing off big chunks and offering a slice to Oliver. He grips the blade and Andy releases his hold and turns his back, but Oliver starts chewing on the knife breaking his two front teeth and badly cutting his upper lip. There's blood everywhere. 

When Andy tries to carry him across Laura's white painted circle property line to get him to a hospital, Oliver begins to convulse and scream. Laura, arrives and takes Oliver to her room and calms him by rubbing his head in a circular motion. He reluctantly returns to his mute state. Laura then feeds the lock of hair to Oliver. Later that night, Andy attempts to shower but is interrupted by Oliver, who speaks in Andy's father's voice, warning, 'She'll die in the rain'. Andy hallucinates this as an apparition of his dead father, slips on the wet floor out of sheer fright and is concussed. 

With Andy recovering in hospital, Laura takes Piper to a padlocked shed and dresses her in Cathy's clothes. Cathy's corpse is in the shed, stored in a chest freezer, which Laura guides Pipers hand over saying it is frozen meat. It is revealed that Oliver is a demonically possessed child, overtaken by a demon that Laura summoned via an amateur occult resurrection ritual learned from a pirate VHS recording. The corpse of the person to be resurrected is fed to a possessed host, who then regurgitates the corpse and its lingering soul into the newly dead body of a person killed in the same manner as the one to be resurrected. Laura intends to drown Piper in the pool during a forecasted heavy rainstorm to mimic Cathy's death and use Oliver to complete the ritual. Meanwhile, Oliver becomes more and more restless.

Upon Andy's return, Laura sprays herself with his cologne and savagely punches Piper while she sleeps, giving her a severely blackened eye, and then convinces Piper that Andy assaulted her that night. Piper is unsure but says she could smell Andy's scent. Laura accuses Andy of being abusive like their father, provoking an outburst. Andy leaves in a state of shock from his own behaviour towards Laura. Following this angry altercation, Laura takes Piper to a goalball practice session to remove her during the ritual's setup.

As Oliver's hunger becomes ever more intense, he trashes the house, bites Laura savagely on the arm, starts biting chunks out of the wooden kitchen bench top and eating the wooden splinters leaving several teeth embedded in the worktop, and then starts chewing on his own arm and hand. Meanwhile, Andy visits the foster agency and learns Oliver is actually a missing child named Connor Bird who has been missing for two weeks according to a poster displayed on the wall, and that Laura's foster background was never vetted. He convinces Wendy, to investigate. During their drive to the house, Andy warns Piper via voicemail about Laura and reveals the truth about their father. Laura intercepts the message, hurriedly cleans and tidies up the house, and deceives Wendy during the visit, until Wendy notices Laura's bleeding arm. Upon questioning, Laura hysterically claims she can resurrect Cathy. Wendy and Andy discover Oliver eating Cathy's corpse in the shed, but before escaping are run down by Laura in her car. Wendy is killed outright, and Andy survives but is badly injured. Laura then finishes off Andy by drowning him in a muddy puddle of rain.

Laura hurriedly collects Piper from her goalball game and returns her home. Having eaten some of Andy's flesh, Oliver now speaks with Andy's voice to attract Piper. She follows the voice and touches his face and head but is stopped by Laura. Suspicious, Piper locks herself in the bathroom and finds Andy's body laying on the floor. Laura breaks in and explains the ritual to Piper then drags her to the pool which is now filled with rainwater, and proceeds to hold her under the water. Piper is able to kick herself free and screams 'mum', at which point Laura hesitates and releases her. 

Oliver in the meantime has descended onto the steps of the pool and follows Piper as she climbs out. Piper escapes to the road, having kicked Oliver where it hurts, and is rescued by a passing car. Oliver crawls past the painted circle and collapses as the demon leaves his body, and Police arrive in the darkness of night to find and identify him as Connor Bird. Laura, now downcast, carries Cathy's partially consumed corpse into the pool and cradles it as officers surround her, and as the rain stops.

'Bring Her Back' won't be for everyone, but for aficionados of the horror or supernatural genres this film is sure to please with its tale of an unhinged foster mum literally hell bent on bringing her dead daughter back to life. The Philippou brothers have here delivered a tense, unsettling and at times macabre offering that is not short on violence and gore but all at once is as effective at examining the themes of life, death, grief, friendships and family all wrapped up into one neat package. At the same time they have further established themselves as masters of the genre while cementing their position as Directors to watch for what they'll come up with next. The performances of Jonah Wren Phillips especially as Oliver/Connor is a standout for a twelve year old lad, and Sally Hawkins proves she up for anything as the deranged foster mum Laura who takes us from tragedy and trauma, to heartbreak to manipulation and horror along the way. My only criticism of the film is the poor continuity within some of the scenes that left me thinking that the attention to detail was lacking somewhat. However, that said, this film is a worthy follow-up to 'Talk to Me' and quite possibly qualifies as one of the best horror films you're likely to see this year.

'Bring Her Back' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 29th May 2025.

The 28th Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) this year runs from Friday 30th May through until Sunday 8th June. BFF, a non-profit organisation, is an International, competitive festival. BFF's mission is to provide a public forum in Brooklyn in order to advance public interest in films and the independent production of films. To draw worldwide attention to Brooklyn as a centre for cinema. To encourage the rights of all Brooklyn residents to access and experience the power of independent filmmaking, and to promote artistic excellence and the creative freedom of artists without censure. Award-winning films from the Brooklyn Film Festival have gone on to be nominated and awarded at the British Academy Awards (BAFTAs), the American Academy Awards (Oscars), and the Canadian Screen Award.

This year there are 145 films divided into forty-two film programmes and in six categories - Feature Narrative, Documentary Feature, Short Narrative, Doc Short, Experimental and Animation. In the Feature Narrative section, the Opening Night film presentation is 'This Will Never Work' from the USA and is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Marina Tempelsman and Niccolo Aeed. This film is about a Black family coming together to have an intervention for Amanda's drinking problem. They've hired a therapist named Trevor, written emotional letters, and now they sit and wait for Amanda to arrive. But when she does, Trevor realises that the family hasn't exactly been honest with him. World Premiere screening.

The other films being showcased in the Narrative Feature section are :-

* 'Alice-Heart' - from the USA and is Written and Directed by Mike Macera. Alice-Heart is an aimless college student residing in Philadelphia. She aspires to be a successful writer but drops out of school in her last semester of senior year on a whim. Immediately cut off from her disappointed Filipino mother and dumped by her studious boyfriend, she finds that she has to pay bills on her own for the first time.

* 'The Courageous' - from Switzerland and Directed by Jasmin Gordon. In a small town on the edge of wild country, an eccentric and delinquent mother has had enough of the rules. Crushed by her mistakes and by a society that doesn’t give a damn, or a second chance, to people like her, she’ll do anything to prove to her children, and to herself, that she still is a good person.

* 'Difference & Repetition, 2020' - from the USA, Peru and Argentina and Written, Co-Produced, Directed, Co-Edited and Scored by Mav Block. In March 2020, an Argentine woman flees New York with her Peruvian husband for his family’s empty beach house outside of Lima, whereupon an unplanned pregnancy precipitates the destruction of her marriage. In the present day, she rips the moments of this narrative from their context, and reconstructs her story to reckon with her profound feeling of loneliness and the experience of time in which it has trapped her. World Premiere screening.

* 'Domestic Animals' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Scored by Juan Pablo Daranas Molina. On the brink of their thirties, five longtime friends reunite for a farewell getaway, but their idyllic retreat turns sour when they lose their beloved dogs in the woods. World Premiere showcasing.

* 'Era' - from Kosovo and Written and Directed by Parta Kelmendi. Set in Kosovo in 1990, and after a series of unfortunate events, Era and her family are forced to move from Pristina to the village of her grandmother. She will need to leave behind her friends, her boyfriend, and her life as she knows it and at the same time comply with the village rules. As she tries to adapt to her new reality the dynamics in her life change, redefining her relationship with her parents, her youth, and her future. World Premiere.

* 'Foul Evil Deeds' - from the UK and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Richard Hunter. A dark comedy showcasing the wide variety of evil behaviour human beings are capable of.

* 'I See The Demon' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jacob Lees Johnson. After seeing a strange object floating in the sky, Lucy comes home to a surprise birthday party with all of her favourite people. She’s overjoyed, but when asked about her day, she realises she can’t remember anything about it. Her loved ones assure her it’s nothing to worry about, but as more unsettling things occur that only she seems to notice, they keep telling her to relax... enjoy the party... there’s nothing to worry about... we’ll take care of you...

* 'Intruders' - from France and Written and Directed by Reza Serkanian. Some foreign minors take refuge on the farm of a caring lady. They are looking for a home but get involved in the story of a broken family. The situation escalates when the lady mysteriously disappears. A family investigation suspects the young migrants, who are hiding something out of fear and ignorance of their rights. During a traditional initiation ceremony, secrets come to light.

* 'Mouse' - from the USA and Directed and starring by Kenny Riches. Between stealing bicycles and breaking into cars, Denny’s only social outlet is spending time with his mother who loves reading correspondence from their Japanese family overseas. Denny’s loneliness pushes him to sign up for a penpal service from a classified-ad. He begins writing letters to a woman named Tess, whom he develops feelings for, but lies to about his nonexistent wealth and success. Unbeknownst to Denny, the penpal service is a scheme Tess and her real-life boyfriend, Maury, run to take advantage of the lonely. Tess and Maury find themselves in financial trouble of their own and decide to travel to Denny to take him for all he’s worth. World Premiere.

* 'The Rabbit Hole' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Sam Jonas. Isaac, a neurotic tree-hugger, builds a god-like supercomputer in order to save the natural world. But, when the machine comes to life and his existence begins to crumble, Isaac is forced to choose between destiny and the person he loves most. World Premiere.

* 'The Snare' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Merlin Camozzi. Eighteen year old Dani lives on the edge of lower-middle class America - working fast food, caring for her younger brother, and ignoring letters from her incarcerated father. Her one shot at escape is a scholarship to a state school. But when she’s caught with a few MDMA tabs bought from twenty year old Marty - a small-time dealer to whom she feels deeply drawn, the future she’s worked for begins to collapse. The Police offer her a deal - help them catch someone bigger, and they’ll forget the drugs. Dani agrees, keeping the deal secret from everyone, including Marty. 

* 'Stationed at Home' - from the USA and Written and Directed by Daniel V. Masciari. On a clear and frigid Christmas Eve in 1998, in a small, forgotten city, a solitary taxi driver on the graveyard shift breathlessly awaits the sight of the International Space Station. As the hours count down, a parade of offbeat misfits derail his plans, propelling the story to its exhilarating climax. US Premiere.

* 'Violent Butterflies' - from Mexico and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Adolfo Davila. A graffiti artist and the singer of a punk band, meet in an atmosphere of profound social crisis and discontent. Their idealist and revolutionary minds seek a world of justice and they are willing to fight for it. Music and street art, unite them and serve as their weapons. Naive and innocent, they are unaware of the power of impunity and injustice until they fall victims to Police brutality. US Premiere screening.

* 'White Flash' - from the Netherlands and Co-Written and Directed by Laura Hermanides. This is the story of Aagje, Toon and their forty-two year old son Rick, who suffers from psychotic episodes, depression and severe headaches. We follow their journey in the last six weeks leading up to the death of Rick. A journey proving that letting someone so close to us go, is the most extreme expression of love. US Premiere.

For the full synopsis of the other films featured in all sections of this years Brooklyn Film Festival, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://www.brooklynfilmfestival.org/

This week there are just three new movie offerings to tempt you out to your local Odeon, starting off with a story of one of the richest men in Europe, his family and the family business which he bequeaths to his only daughter which soon attracts the unwanted attention of assassins and terrorists alike. This is followed by an Aussie horror film in which a brother and sister witness a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother; before closing out the week with a French romantic drama film in which a local rebellious teenager falls for his schoolmate but gang violence leads him down a darker destructive path.

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

'THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME' (Rated M) - is a US and German Co-Produced espionage black comedy film Produced, Written and Directed by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola. Anderson's previous feature film credits take in the likes of his debut in 1996 with 'Bottle Rocket', and which he would follow up with other offerings including 'The Royal Tenenbaums' in 2001, 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' in 2004, 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' in 2009, 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' in 2014, 'Isle of Dogs' in 2018, 'The French Dispatch' in 2021, and 'Asteroid City' in 2023. This film Premiered in the main competition at this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May and is released in the USA and here in Australia this week.

Wealthy businessman and derring-do multi-millionaire Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) who has survived six plane crashes and fathered nine sons, appoints his only daughter, a nun, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton) as sole heir to his estate. With tutor Bjorn Lund (Michael Cera), they embark on a quest to secure the future of Korda’s business ventures, and as Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins. Also starring a cast of notable A-listers including Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Richard Ayoade, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, Mathieu Amalric, Jeffrey Wright, Hope Davis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham and Charlotte Gainsbourg. 

'BRING HER BACK' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian horror film is Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou and Co-Written by Danny Philippou, whose debut feature film was the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 'Talk to Me' in 2023. The brothers are known together online as RackaRacka, and are Australian twin filmmakers, YouTubers, and stunt performers, and are known for their horror comedy YouTube videos. Here then, following the death of their father, a brother Andy (Billy Barratt) and sister Catherine (Mischa Heywood) are introduced to their new sibling Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) by their foster mother Laura (Sally Hawkins), only to learn that she has a terrifying secret at their new secluded home. This film is released Stateside too this week. 

'BEATING HEARTS' (Rated MA15+) - is a French and Belgian Co-Produced romantic drama film that is Co-Written and Directed by the French Actor and occasional film maker Gilles Lellouche, and is based on the 1997 novel 'Jackie Loves Johnser OK?' by Irishman Neville Thompson. Here, seventeen year old Clotaire (Malik Frikah) falls for his schoolmate the fifteen year old Jackie (Mallory Wanecque), charmed by her fearless spirit and sharp wit. As first love blossoms between the two, and they grow into adults (Francois Civil as the 27 year old Clotaire, and Adele Exarchopoulos as the 25 year old Jackie) gang violence entices him into a darker path and destroys everything when he is charged with a crime he didn't commit. The film had its World Premiere in main competition at the Cannes Film Festival in late May 2024, where it received mostly negative reviews from critics. It was released in cinemas in mid-October last year in its native France and only now is it released here in Australia having so far grossed US$36M from a production budget of US$40M.

With three 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-

TALK TO ME : Tuesday 8th August 2023.

I saw the MA15+ rated 'TALK TO ME' this week, and this Australian supernatural horror film is Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou and Co-Written by Danny Philippou in their feature film making debut. The film saw its Preview Screening at last years Adelaide Film Festival as the Closing Night Film and had its World Premiere showcasing at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year, before its release in the US, the UK and here in Australia from the end of July. It has so far grossed US$26M off the back of a production budget of US$4.5M and has garnered generally favourable reviews. Earlier this month Danny and Michael Philippou revealed that they had already completed principal photography on a prequel film and that they intend to release this project in the future. Additionally, the Philippou's confirmed plans to develop a sequel, stating that they've already written sequences for the project.

Our film opens up with a man, Cole (Ari McCarthy) stumbling through a crowded house party as he attempts to track down his brother Duckett (Sunny Johnson), who has locked himself in a bedroom. Cole shoulder barges the door to gain entry and retrieves an injured Duckett who has deep cuts to his back, before taking him into the kitchen and then outdoors where all the partygoers are recording the unfolding antics on their mobile phones. Duckett stabs his brother in the chest with a large kitchen knife and then himself in the face, killing himself in front of the house guests.

In the meantime 17-year-old Mia (Sophie Wilde) is struggling with the anniversary of her mother Rhea’s suicide and her strained relationship with her father, Max (Marcus Johnson). Mia, has been staying at her best friend Jade's (Alexandra Jensen) house with the blessing of Jade's mother Sue (Miranda Otto). One night Mia, Jade and Jade's younger brother Riley (Joe Bird) sneak out to a house party hosted by Hayley (Zoe Terakes) and Joss (Chris Alosio) where the main attraction is the severed, embalmed and inscribed hand of a satanist or powerful medium, which they use to conjure spirits by lighting a candle and speaking the words 'talk to me', before saying 'I let you in' for full possession. The candle must then be blown out before ninety seconds has lapsed otherwise the spirits crossover into our world. Mia volunteers to go first, and is possessed by a spirit that threatens Riley before Joss and Hayley rip the hand away and blow out the candle, bringing Mia back to her usual self.

Mia, has a sense of euphoria over the sensations the hand brought her, along with Hayley, Joss and Jade’s boyfriend Daniel all gather at Jade’s house the next night while Sue is out working. Riley repeatedly asks to be allowed to play the game but Jade refuses, and she leaves the room. Riley asks again and Mia agrees to allow him to play but only for a maximum of fifty seconds. 

And so Riley volunteers, only to be possessed by Rhea’s spirit (Alexandria Steffensen), who attempts to reconcile with Mia. The time limit is exceeded and Riley’s body is overtaken by the spirits, who cause the young lad to try to gouge out his own eye and then repeatedly smash his face against the edge of the table and cupboard causing him to be hospitalised. Jade returns to the room to witness Riley's intense acts of self-harm. Mia, is now haunted by visions of of her mother, and is rebuked by Jade and her mother, who blame her for Riley’s severe facial injuries.

Mia seeks comfort from her former boyfriend Daniel (Otis Dhanji) who is now with Jade, and invites him to sleepover as she doesn't want to be alone. Daniel is at first reluctant saying that it would be weird, but then accepts the invitation feeling sorry for Mia. She then assaults him while he sleeps by sucking on his foot after she’s possessed by a spirit, causing Daniel to wake horrified and leave in disgust. Mia realises that the spirits have followed them. Having secretly taken the embalmed hand from Jade’s house, Mia uses it to contact her mother, who tells her that her death was purely accidental and that she needs to help Riley, who is seemingly still possessed. While Jade is gently bathing Riley at the hospital he attacks her and falls to the tiled floor, then proceeds to violently and repeatedly bash his head against the tiled wall behind and then licks up his blood in front of her. 

Mia, Jade, Daniel, Hayley and Joss track down Cole (who survived the stabbing incident), who tells them that Joss was the one to give Duckett the hand which led to his death, and that Riley’s body will eventually reject the spirits and kick them out. Mia deduces that they need to complete the ritual by blowing out the candle, which they failed to do the first time, to save Riley. In the hospital by Riley's bedside Mia pulls out the hand and holds Riley's hand to it, and says 'Talk to Him', but nothing happens. Mia then holds the hand and she connects with the spirit of a little girl who shows her a vision of Riley being tortured in the netherworld. 

Afterwards Mia returns home, where Max reveals that Rhea’s death was no accident, and reads her a suicide note that he had hidden from her to prevent her from blaming herself. Mia retreats to her bedroom where Rhea’s spirit tells her that Max is lying before she is attacked by an evil spirit in the form of her father. Hearing the commotion, Max investigates and arrives just as the spirit disappears, and Mia inadvertently stabs her father in the neck with a pair of scissors.

The spirit of Rhea tells Mia that Riley needs to die in order to be set free, and so Mia tricks Jade and Sue into leaving the hospital. Mia goes to the hospital and enters Riley’s room, where he takes on the appearance of a rotting aged spirit, but she is unable to kill him. Jade meanwhile arrives at Mia’s house where she finds Max bleeding out before returning to the hospital just as Mia is seen pushing Riley in a wheelchair toward the highway. The spirits attempt to convince Mia to push Riley into oncoming traffic, but coming to her senses and realising this would hand him over to the spirit realm completely, Mia instead jumps in front of a car herself, saving Riley who is rescued by Jade.

An injured and bloodied Mia gets up off the highway and is suddenly transported to the hospital in which she sees a fully healed Riley, accompanied by Jade and Sue, and Max leaving. As she attempts to reach her father, she is transported into a black landscape with a circle of white light at the end, which she walks toward. Emerging, she finds herself on the side of the embalmed hand while other partygoers play the game, showing that she died saving Riley and is now herself, a spirit.

I have to say that I didn't find 'Talk to Me' to be that scary or horrific, especially given that it had been touted as the horror film of the year, but that said, the Philippou brothers for their feature debut have here crafted a solid and entertaining supernatural thrill ride that marks their firm entry into the genre. The young cast are all standouts, particularly Sophie Wilde and Joe Bird, who all carry off their characters convincingly, aided by a strong script, top notch practical effects and a sound design that helps levitate the tension beyond the ordinary. The Director's here have sacrificed the all too often over utilised jump scares for a story that creates a strong sense of atmosphere, fear, dread, grief and excitement by tapping into this otherworld of nefarious spirits for their teenage characters kicks, and in this respect the film delivers, and then some. In addition, at a run time of a lean 95 minutes this film does not outstay its welcome.

'Talk to Me' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 27th July 2023.

The 32nd Woods Hole Film Festival is taking place in Woods Hole, in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The festival this year runs from Saturday 29th July through until Saturday 5th August and is an eight day showcase of independent film featuring daily screenings, workshops, panel discussions, special events, master classes, parties, awards ceremony and more. It is the oldest independent film festival on Cape Cod and the Islands. As a not-for-profit organisation, the Woods Hole Film Festival is supported by donations, sponsorships, grants, and event admissions to produce and present the excellent programming enjoyed by attendees and the film community at large.

This year, there are twenty narrative feature films, twenty-six documentary films and ten short films in the make up of the programme. A brief synopsis of the narrative feature films being showcased is given as below :-

* '7000 Miles' - from the USA and Directed by Amy Glazer. Jo Standish, a passionate young pilot, is challenged by her grandmother to live her life on her own terms, but she finds herself at a crossroads when that could mean revealing her grandmother’s long-buried secrets.

* 'A Kind of Kidnapping' - from the UK and Written and Directed by D.G. Clark. Brian and Maggie, a struggling couple, decide to kidnap London MP Richard Hardy while visiting their local area. Hoping for a big payout, they’re disappointed when Hardy’s wife refuses to pay the ransom. US Premiere.

* 'All Men Are Wicked' - from the USA and Directed by Peggy O'Sullivan and Michael Hansen. After a run in with the local hangman, a young outlaw finds himself bound and dangling by the ankles from an old ranch gate. He’s accused of robbing a stagecoach and making off with $1200 worth of bank bonds. And he isn’t alone. Strung up beside him are two others, accused of the same crime.

* 'Ariel - Back to Buenos Aires' - from Argentina and Canada and Written and Directed by Alison Murray. This is the story of a brother and sister who return to Argentina, the country of their birth, for the first time in their adult lives. Against the backdrop of the glamorous tango clubs of Buenos Aires, they uncover dark family secrets and the reason why their parents emigrated to Canada. World Premiere.

* 'Bolan's Shoes' - from the UK and Directed by Ian Puleston-Davies. This film takes us on a tumultuous journey from the height of T. Rex mania in 1970's Liverpool to the present-day poignancy of what would have been Marc Bolan’s 75th birthday. 

* 'Coyote' - from Canada and Directed by Katherine Jerkovic. A cook in his heyday, Camilo is now a worn-out fifty-year-old who works for a cleaning company. He is looking for a way to get back on track when an opportunity to rediscover his culinary passion finally presents itself.

* 'Earlybird' - from the USA and Directed by Martin Kaszubowski. A struggling theatre owner resuscitates his ailing business with off-the-wall productions, all the while losing sight of why he chose this life at all.
* 'Eden' - from Spain and Directed by Estefania Cortes. Four strangers come to Eden, a clandestine company in the middle of nature, to escape the troubles that plague them once and for all, but is it so simple to escape from the deepest trials of life? North American Premiere.

* 'Everybody Wants To Be Loved' - from Germany and Co-Written and Directed by Katharina Woll. On a blisteringly hot summer day, psychotherapist Ina notices something about her is amiss. But she doesn’t have time to worry about it, and although she wants to please everyone, a life-altering discovery changes everything.

* 'Intermedium' - from the USA and Directed by Erik Bloomquist. When an obsessive-compulsive teenager discovers her new home is haunted by the ghost of its previous occupant, she searches for a way to help him move on, only to discover they have far more in common than expected. World Premiere.

* 'Jess Plus None' - from the USA and Written and Directed by Mandy Fabian. Following a miserable breakup, Jessica must now play Maid-of-Honour at her best friend’s off-the-grid wedding in the woods, where she will be confronted by her more successful friends from college, her perfect ex-girlfriend, and every bad decision she’s made in life so far.

* 'Know Your Place' - from the USA and Directed by Zia Mohajerjasbi. Set in present-day Seattle, WA. Robel Haile, a fifteen year old Eritrean-American boy, embarks on an errand to deliver a huge and heavy suitcase across town destined for a sick family member in his parents’ homeland. He enlists the help of his best friend, Fahmi Tadesse. An unexpected turn transmutes his simple task into an odyssey across the city of Seattle.

* 'Lakelands' - from Ireland and Directed by Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney. Taking place in a small town in the midlands of Ireland – the sort of place where Gaelic football is religion and identity is defined by what one can do on the pitch. Here, Cian Reilly, a young Gaelic footballer who struggles to come to terms with a career-ending injury after a violent attack on a night out, but then he begins a friendship with Grace, a nurse who is back in town to look after her ailing father.

* 'Let's Meet Half Way' - from the USA and Directed by Max Schmitz and Dana Dveris. A long-distance couple meet in a small town between them once a month in an attempt to save their relationship. Over the course of six months, they begin to lose grip on what they once had.

* 'My Love Affair With Marriage' - from the USA and Directed by Signe Baumane. More than anything 8-year-old Zelma wants love. Only love will make her complete, the Mythology Sirens insist. But love is elusive when you are an outcast at school and a loner at home. Zelma’s story into adulthood represents a journey of all women who try to fit in – to be the best woman they could be according to standards they did not set.

* 'Pacific Coast' - from the USA and Directed by Mark Kiefer. In this coming-of-middle-age comedy, two brothers make a road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles in order to move their somewhat estranged father into a retirement home.

* 'Scrap' - from the USA and Directed by, and starring Vivian Kerr. Beth has recently been laid off work and struggles to maintain the appearance of a successful middle-class lifestyle as she bounces around Los Angeles. Hoping to land a new job and change her situation before her estranged older brother Ben finds out, Beth must confront her own pride in order to reconnect with him and provide for her young daughter, Birdy.

* 'Somewhere Quiet' - from the USA and Directed by Olivia West Lloyd. After escaping a kidnapping, Meg travels with her husband, Scott, to his family’s isolated compound in Cape Cod. When they arrive, they discover they are not alone on the property. Scott’s odd aristocratic cousin, Madelin, is staying next door. Soon, Madelin’s presence is inescapable and Meg and Scott’s already fragile relationship begins to fracture.

* 'The Banality' - from the USA and Directed by Michael Stevantoni and Strack Azar. A small town reels from the sudden and mysterious death of 'Feral Boy', a local legend since his discovery in the woods as a child. Father Moss, a priest with a loose grip on the faith, attempts to counsel the forlorn couple that raised the boy.

* 'The Harvest' - from the USA and Directed by Caylee So. After a car accident leaves his family in need of his help, Thai returns home to Southern California, only to find his whole world in disarray. With mounting medical bills and secrets of their own, the family watches as Cher, a tough and stubborn Hmong father, suffers through the devastating effects of kidney failure.

For the full details of the Woods Hole Film Festival, the other film strands being showcased, and a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://woodsholefilmfestival.org/festival-2023/

To tempt you out to your local big screen Odeon during the coming week, we kick start this weeks new movies with a WWII action thriller from Finland that sees an ex-Commando who discovers gold in the Lapland wilderness and tries to take his find to the nearest city some 560 miles away but first he must do battle with a group of Nazi soldiers led by a brutal SS officer. Next up we have a Sci-Fi thriller set in the near future in which a humanoid A.I.'s attempt at winning a grieving widow's heart puts it in the path of a government agent trying to stop the rise of machine consciousness. This is followed by an Aussie supernatural horror film about a group of friends who learn how to connect with the dead through an embalmed hand, ultimately unleashing terrifying supernatural forces. And closing out this week, we have a highly acclaimed Spanish offering centering around this family who has made a living from the summer harvest of their peach orchard in the Catalan town of Alcarras for generations, however, after the death of the owner of the property, his heir wants to sell the land to make way for a solar farm. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'SISU' (Rated MA15+) - is a Finnish historical action thriller Written and Directed by Jalmari Helander in his third feature film making outing following 'Rare Exports : A Christmas Tale' in 2010 and 'Big Game' in 2014. This film has garnered generally favourable reviews, has so far grossed US$13M off the back of a US$6.5M production budget and saw its World Premier at TIFF in early September last year before its release in its native Finland in at the end of January and in the US at the end of April. 

During the last desperate days of WWII, a former legendary Finnish Commando and solitary gold prospector, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the Nazis steal his gold, they quickly discover that they have just tangled with no ordinary miner. The word 'Sisu' is a Finnish concept described as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness, and is held by Finns themselves to express their national character. And so this legendary ex-commando will embody what sisu means, and no matter what the Nazis throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back, even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path.

'SIMULANT' (Rated M) - this Canadian Sci-Fi thriller film is Directed by April Mullen whose prior feature film making credits take in her debut with 'GravyTrain' in 2010 followed by the likes of 'Dead Before Dawn' in 2012, '88' in 2015, 'Farhope Tower' also in 2015, 'Badsville' in 2017 and 'Wander' in 2020. Here, a woman named Faye (Jordana Brewster) tries to replace her newly deceased husband, Evan (Robbie Amell), with a humanoid simulator. That humanoid has to enlist a global hacker in order to remove all restrictions on his thoughts and capabilities, triggering an A.I. uprising and a government manhunt to eliminate the rise of the machine consciousness. Also starring Simu Liu and Sam Worthington. The film was released in its native Canada in early April, in the US in early June and this week here in Australia having garnered mixed or average reviews along the way.

'TALK TO ME' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian supernatural horror film Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou in their feature film making debut. When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. Starring Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto and Zoe Terakes the film saw its Preview Screening at last years Adelaide Film Festival as the Closing Night Film and had its World Premiere showcasing at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year, before its release in the US and here in Australia from this week, and has garnered generally favourable reviews. 

'ALCARRAS' (Rated M) - is a Spanish Italian drama film Co-Written and Directed by Carla Simon in only her second feature film offering following 'Summer 1993' in 2017. This was film is set and was shot in the town of Alcarras in north western Spain in Catalonia, is spoken in the Catalan language and features a cast on non-professional Actors. Here, the story surrounds a family battling against the disappearance of their agricultural activities, revolving around the intention to install solar panels in an agricultural plot hitherto occupied by a peach orchard, bringing the members of the Sole family to a stand off. The film has generated universal critical acclaim, has picked up eighteen award wins, including the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival, plus a further fifty-five nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. It has so far grossed US$3.1M. It saw its release in its native Spain in late April last year, in late May in Italy and only now is it released in Australia. 

With four new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-