WONDER WOMAN : Tuesday 6th June 2017.

'WONDER WOMAN' which I saw last week had her beginnings as 'Wonder Woman' first appearing in the October 1941 edition of All Star Comics #8. Her origin story tells us that she was sculpted from clay by her mother Queen Hippolyta and given life by Aphrodite, along with superhuman powers as gifts by the Greek Gods. The character is a founding member of the Justice League, demigoddess, and warrior princess of the Amazonian people. In her homeland, she is Princess Diana of Themyscira, and outside of it, she is known by her civilian identity Diana Prince. And so now 'Wonder Woman' gets her very own feature length stand alone movie, having taken seventy years to first appear in 2016's 'Batman v. Superman : Dawn of Justice' although by then Diana Prince was a fully formed bona fide Superhero. This stand alone feature Directed by Patty Jenkins takes us back one hundred years or so to the origins of the character at the time of the First World War, albeit she is an immortal warrior thousands of years old. The film cost US$149M to make, has so far grossed US$436M, and is the first Superhero film to be Directed by a woman with a female protagonist. 'Wonder Woman' is the fourth film in the DC Extended Universe after 'Man of Steel', the aforementioned 'Batman v. Superman : Dawn of Justice' and 'Suicide Squad'.

Our film opens up in present day Paris, at The Louvre's Department of Antiquities which Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) presides over as Curator.  She receives a special package from Wayne Industries and inside is a hand written note from Bruce Wayne saying that he came across this old WWI era photographic plate and that one day, in her own time, she might tell him her story, and this photographic plate sets in the motion the Diana Prince/Wonder Woman back story. Whilst the photograph is one hundred years or so old, it shows a Diana Prince as fresh, young and attractive today, as she was back then.

Diana was born and raised on the secretly shrouded and hidden island of Themyscira, home to the Amazon race of warrior women created by the gods of Mount Olympus to protect humankind against the corruption of Ares, the God of War. Here Diana is an eight year old girl being raised by her mother Queen Hippolyta  (Connie Nielsen). Diana is the only child on the island, and there are no men - for they were forbidden to ever step foot on Themyscira by Aphrodite's Law. In the past Ares turned against his Gods and slew them all, but he was struck down by his mortally wounded father Zeus. Before dying of his sustained injuries Zeus left the Amazons a weapon that was capable of killing Ares - a sword, 'The Godkiller', for fear that one day he might return. Despite the young Diana being a feisty, energetic, and overly enthusiastic child she is forbidden by her mother to attend warrior training school with her Aunt, General Antiope (Robin Wright). We then fast forward to Diana as a twelve year old, still feisty, still energetic and still enthusiastic but ever more determined to take up warrior training, for which she shows a keen aptitude. We then fast forward again and Diana is a fully grown woman and by now has enjoyed years of warrior training with her Aunt and with the reluctant blessing of her mother.

One day after contemplating another good day of warrior training, Diana witnesses a plane hurtling through the sky above the island, and sees it ditch in the ocean off shore and begin sinking to the depths below. She rescues the pilot, a Steve Trevor, (Chris Pine), a Captain with the American Expeditionary Forces who was working undercover to infiltrate a German deadly gas programme led by Chief Chemist Isabel Maru aka Doctor Poison (Elena Anaya), under the command of General Erich Ludendorff (Danny Huston). He managed to steal a notebook from the chemist containing formula's, plans and jottings which he needs to deliver to his superiors in London. The island is soon under attack by German forces hot on the tail of Steve Trevor. The Amazons fight back and win the day but not before Antiope is killed by a bullet intended for Diana. 

After the fracas, Steve Trevor is interrogated using the Lasoo of Truth, in which he reveals that he was acting as a spy against the Germans and that a world war is raging beyond the shores of the island in which tens of millions of men, women and child and being slaughtered needlessly across Europe. Diana is outraged by this and wants to act but is forbidden to intervene by her mother. Believing that Ares is behind the war, Diana takes The Godkiller sword, and sails off into the night with Steve Trevor, in an attempt to singlehandedly bring an end to the war time atrocities, death and destruction, and to dispense with Ares once and for all. 

The pair arrive in London, and after some much needed change of clothes and quick cultural lessons of the period, they deliver Maru's notebook to Steve's superiors, including Sir Patrick Morgan (David Thewlis), who is trying to negotiate an armistice with Germany. Diana translates Maru's notes and reveals that the Germans plan to release a new highly deadly gas at the warfront to reverse the German war effort in their favour. The commanding officers forbid Steve Trevor's intervention, but the pair decide to go anyway. Given limited funds to secure their passage and engage some much needed support, they enlist the services of French Moroccan spy Sameer (Said Taghmaoui), Scottish sharpshooter Charlie (Ewen Bremner) and native American smuggler Chief (Eugene Brave Rock).

Reaching the Western Front in Belgium, the team are halted from advancing by relentless enemy machine gun fire. Diana goes over the top anyway, pushing through the enemy lines despite the rapid gun fire and mortar bombs exploding all around her. The team and Allied Forces follow her, seeing that she is making headway, and together they liberate the village of Veld, celebrating with the locals who are now free of German occupation. It is here that the photograph is taken of Diana, Steve, Chief, Charlie and Sameer.

The team learns that a Gala Dinner is to be held at a close by German High Command headquarters. Steve, under disguise as a German Officer gains access to the party with the intention of locating the deadly new gas and destroying it. Diana, against Steve's wishes, also gains access to the party, and believing that Ludendorff is in fact Ares, goes armed with The Godkiller to dispense with the General, but Steve intervenes and halts her from doing so. Ludendorff meanwhile unleashes the deadly gas on Veld, wiping out all of its inhabitants. Diana blames Steve for the massacre at Veld, saying that he should not have stopped her from killing Ludendorff when she had the chance. 

Diana pursues Ludendorff to an air base where the gas is being loaded onto a bomber bound for London. She corners the General in a tower overlooking the airstrip. A fight breaks out and Diana is successful in killing The General with her sword. But the war did not end as its should have done with the death of Ares! How can this be? Diana is shocked and stunned. Sir Patrick emerges and reveals to Diana that he is in fact Ares. Diana retrieves the sword from Ludendorff's lifeless body and attempts to kill Ares with it, but he destroys it, saying the Diana is the real 'Godkiller'. The two do battle, and in the meantime the team destroy Dr. Maru's laboratory. Steve flies off into the moonlight in the bomber containing the consignment of gas, so ensuring that the gas never reached its destination nor had its desired effect. Ultimately good overcomes evil, and Diana overpowers Ares  and destroys him once and for all.

I was pleasantly surprised by 'Wonder Woman' and the origin story that traces Diana's somewhat secluded and naive view of the world as a would be warrior Princess to an intense inspirational Superhero of the modern world. The film moves along at a strong pace, looks good and delivers some messages about feminism and the futility and horrors of war, and is less about blockbuster apocalyptic end of the world annihilation than we have come to expect from other comic book Superhero franchises. Gadot and Pine are on fine form and share a screen presence that carries the film along in a believable and relatable way that is of the era in which the action is set, and Huston and Thewlis also add gravitas to their roles and the plot. Less can be said for Steve's team, who are really surplus to requirement and add little value other than plugging holes and filling time. Patty Jenkins has crafted a fine film, that looks and feels appropriate for WWI war torn Europe, interlaced with an origin story that remains true to the source material underpinned with solid performances from the principle cast, not least Gal Gadot in the title role whose looks and moves do Wonder Woman justice.  The film is Co-Produced by Zack and Deborah Snyder and the story was Co-Written by Zack Snyder. Wonder Woman will also be back in this November's release of 'Justice League'. This film is all upside for the DCEU, and long may it continue!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 4th February 2016.

On 30th January at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A. the 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were held with the following Outstanding Awards presented : Ensemble Cast to 'Spotlight' with Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Rachel McAdams, Billy Crudup and Stanley Tucci. Male Actor in a Leading Role went to Leonardo DiCaprio for 'The Revenant' following on his success at the Golden Globes and setting the tone for the upcoming Academy Awards and BAFTA's. Female Actor in a Leading Role went to Brie Larson for her starring role in 'Room'; with Supporting Roles going to Idris Elba for 'Beasts of No Nation' and Alicia Vikander for 'The Danish Girl'. The Most Outstanding Stunt Ensemble went to 'Mad Max : Fury Road'. Next up are the BAFTA Awards on 14th February and thereafter the Academy Awards on 28th February. Watch out for further updates as these dates pass.

And so to this weeks latest releases, of which there are five. Kicking off we have a stop motion animated feature that is already creating much critical buzz and is sure to warm the cockles; then a bio-pic of a recently passed computer guru who changed the way we interact with technology on a daily basis; a search & rescue story on a grand scale, involving so many, for so long and in a place far away, and deep! And then there is a romantic drama of two people thrown together by fate who need to make the tough decisions which may well determine their future lives together; and finally a documentary of alternative energies, sustainability and environmental awareness that is about more than just huggin' a tree!

With five new offerings and still some great movies doing the rounds as Reviewed and Previewed on these pages before, there is plenty of choice to tempt your $20 from out of your wallet. When you have sat in the dark for two hours or so with a bunch of strangers all staring in the same direction with necks craned up at a big screen, share your thoughts on your filmic experience by leaving your own critique in the Comments section below this, or any other Post. In the meantime, enjoy your movie.

ANOMALISA (Rated MA15+) - this is a stop motion animated film Written, Produced and Directed by Charlie Kaufman. Made for just US$8M this is not a film for everyone, but has had much critical praise bestowed up on it with 17 award wins to date and another 54 nominations. It is the first R-Rated animated feature film (Stateside) to be nominated for an Academy Award, and it is the first animated film to win the Grand Jury Prize at the most recent Venice International Film Festival.

Featuring the voice work of just three actors - David Thewlis as Michael Stone an author specialising in customer service around the conference and convention circuit, who despite his teaching & preaching skills is unable to connect with people in the real world, as he has a lack of interest in what other people do, think and feel. On a business trip though Stone meets up with lively, energetic Lisa Hesselman (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who slowly shows him what can be, and lifts his negative views on life and what it takes to lift it from the mundane to the more adventurous. Everyone else is voiced by Tom Noonan.  Don't be put off by the fact that this is an animated feature, with stop motion work that is up there with the very best seen before. This is a thought provoking human story of emotion, discovery and  hope.

STEVE JOBS (Rated M) - starring Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs, Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak, Jeff Daniels as Apple CEO John Sculley and Kate Winslet as Apple and NeXT Marketing Executive Joanna Hoffman, this biopic drama is Directed by Danny Boyle  and was made for US$30M and has so far raked in US$32M since its Stateside release in October last year. The film tells the story of Jobs life from 1984 up to the late nineties and just before the release of The Macintosh in 1984, the NeXT computer in 1988 and the iMac G3 in 1998. Nominated for two Oscars, three BAFTA's, and winning two Golden Globes for Kate Winslet and Aaron Sorkin for Best Screenplay as well as eleven other awards wins and 77 other nominations, this is up there on this years must see list - if only because the man whom this films is based upon has touched so many lives for so many years with his forward thinking technology.

THE 33 (Rated M) - this English language Chilean film is based on the real events that unfolded following the collapse of the San Jose gold & copper mine in Chile on August 5th 2010 that trapped thirty-three men two thousand feet below the surface. Above the surface teams of rescue workers toiled for 69 days to free the men, families set up a tent city in a vigil of hope, longing and support, and the Government dealt with the media frenzy that gripped the world as events unfolded and attempts at rescue faltered, but in time came good. Below the ground, 33 men had to come to terms with their fate, struggled with the suffocating heat of their underground captivity, the need to ration limited food and water supplies, remain motivated and confident, and the need to remain focused on their survival. Starring Antonio Banderas, James Brolin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bob Gunton, Gabriel Byrne and Juliette Binoche this film is Directed by Patricia Riggin and based on the book 'Deep Down Dark' by Hector Tobar.

THE CHOICE (Rated PG) - Directed by Ross Katz and based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks we are introduced to Travis Shaw (Benjamin Walker) - an easy going non-committal ladies man who's world is turned upside down when feisty, out there medical student Gabby Holland (Teresa Palmer) moves in next door with the intention of settling down with her boyfriend. But, fate draws Travis and Gabby together and as their lives are turned upside down unexpectedly. As their relationship grows, so decisions need to be made on just how far they are prepared to go to keep their love alive. Also starring Tom Wilkinson and Tom Welling.

LIFE OFF GRID (Rated PG) - for two years from 2011 to 2013 Director Jonathan Taggart and Producer Phillip Vannini travelled across Canada to find 200 'off-gridders' and learn more of their lives without connection to the electricity or natural gas grid infrastructure. Those that have chosen to opt out of the energy sources we traditionally take for granted often live in remote rural areas and have found alternative ways of sustaining themselves and their way of life with often innovative, inventive and imaginative ways, but also often grounded in tradition. Chronicling along the way the experiences, challenges, hopes & dreams of those 'off-gridders' in their new lives, this will reveal what is possible and that it is still possible to live with the creature comforts but in new & different ways.

Whatever film you decide upon in the coming week tell us what you thought of you cinematic experience, and then tell a friend and encourage them to get to the movies and enjoy a big screen experience . . . it's the only way! See you at the Odeon!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

LEGEND - Sunday 18th October 2015.

Back in 1990, Peter Medak, Directed a film called 'The Krays' about the life and times of notorious London crime brothers Ronnie & Reggie Kray starring real life brothers Gary & Martin Kemp (aka half of the hugely successful Brit Band of the 80's Spandau Ballet). I loved that film and saw it more times that I can remember. It also starred Billie Whitelaw, Tom Bell and Steven Berkoff and it picked up a handful of award wins and nominations too. Now 25 years later, and that story has been resurrected again for the big screen in the shape of 'LEGEND' which I saw over the weekend, and this time by Director and Screenwriter Brian Helgeland and based on the 1972 book by John Pearson 'The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins'. The film was made for US$25M and so far has made $28M having been released in the UK in early September with its US release not until late November.

The story of the Kray Brothers is steeped in British folklore and their criminal exploits in the 1960's East End of London is indeed the stuff of legend. This film brings together both Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy in the lead roles of Ronnie and Reggie Kray respectively and charts their rise as gangland kingpins of organised crime in their native East End. Tom Hardy is clearly the star of this show playing the two characters at once and sharing plenty of screen time together in what is a seamless and faultless delivery. After the first few minutes you'll forget you're watching the same actor portraying two different characters as you sink into the film and get carried along by their duelling personalities, emotional turmoil and increasing violence as the brothers establish themselves and made their mark on the criminal underworld.

Their violent profiteering is well depicted here as they conducted their business through their gang, The Firm, and commit acts of arson, racketeering, assault, armed robbery, and murder which ultimately led to their arrest in 1969 and life imprisonment at the hands of Detective Superintendent Leonard 'Nipper' Read (Christopher Ecclestone). He dutifully remains on the case over the years watching, waiting but despite all of their crimes seems unable to clinch them until murder is committed by them both on separate occasions in rooms full of eye-witnesses who in the end are prepared to give evidence despite the threats against them and their loved ones.

Along the way we see Reggie's blossoming romance with Frances Shea (Emily Browning), the girl next door almost and down the street whose brother Frank Shea (Colin Morgan) is a driver for the brothers. As their relationship grows so Frances learns more of Reggie's criminal activities and tries to distance herself from his gangster dealings but her love for him keeps her coming back. They marry in a church in Bethnal Green in 1965 against the wishes of her mother (Tara Fitzgerald) but Frances has become accustomed to the lifestyle that her nightclub and casino owning husband and his brother have built, and the celebrity status that has grown around them. Reggie however, keeps spinning a yarn that he can change, that they can live 'above board' and that he's not a gangster but a nightclub owner. She can only take so much and so over the following years as the two grow apart she becomes more reliant on drugs to escape from his criminal activities. She is also under the constant gaze of a disapproving Ronnie and mother Violet (Jane Wood) which she finds unsettling & disturbing whilst playing second fiddle to their dear Reggie - no girl would ever be good enough!

The relationship between the two is also explored here, and the ties that bound them so closely together that made them a force to be reckoned with . . . for all the wrong reasons. Blood is thicker than water, even as Reggie sought to rein in the psychotic inclinations of his twin brother Ronnie, and even as the two clash on several occasions as Ronnie's unhinged often erratic and unpredictable behaviour threatens their livelihood, their quasi-celebrity status, his marriage to Frances, the fabric of The Firm, and police scrutiny. All of this is interwoven with Ronnie's homosexuality that is laid bare here in this film and which caused a scandal back in the day that had ramifications on the highest echelons of political office.

On the periphery of all of this sits Lesley Payne (David Thewlis) as the book-keeper, accountant and financial advisor to the brothers and The Firm and who has the trust and respect of Reggie, but not so of Ronnie who has a deep mis-trust of the man and whom he believes knows too much. It is this mis-trust that ultimately causes the undoing of the Krays that led to their arrest in 1969 and life imprisonment. There is also Edward 'Mad Teddy' Smith (Taron Egerton) a psychopathic gay that seemed always by Ronnie's side and doubtless a lover on many occasions. Paul Bettany also stars as Charlie Richardson the leader of the South London Gang known at the Torture Gang who grew up with the Krays but by the 60's had become fierce rivals - he was arrested in mid 1966 - the day England won The World Cup. Chazz Palminteri stars at Angelo Bruno the head of a Philadelphia crime family who strikes up a relationship with the Krays and becomes a business associate through the nightclub and casino ventures which brings in greater wealth to the Krays and allows the Americans to get in on the London action - a fruitful arrangement that Reggie embraces but Ronnie is once again suspicious and untrusting of.

We learn in the final analysis that Ronnie is arrested and convicted for the murder of George Cornell (one of the Torture Gang) at the Blind Beggar Pub in Whitechapel in March 1966, and Reggie for the murder of Jack 'The Hat' McVitie in October 1967 at a house party. His body has to this day not been recovered. Both deaths were witnessed by several onlookers and the landlady at the Pub, and the other party guests at the house to which many would eventually come forward and testify. In May 1968 the brothers and 15 others members of The Firm were arrested, and Ronnie & Reggie were sentenced each to life imprisonment in 1969 with a 30 years non-parole period. In 1979 Ronnie was certified insane and spent out his last years until his death in 1995 in Broadmoor Psychiatric Prison. Reggie saw out his sentence in Wayland Prison in Norfolk and was released in 2000 on compassionate grounds, just weeks before his death from bladder cancer.

There is no doubt that the lives of these East End likely lads is the stuff of legend - nightclubs; casinos; music and film stars that included Shirley Bassey, Diana Dors, Joan Collins, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and photographer David Bailey; the politicians, the police and the locals in their pockets; and their own celebrity status all underwritten by crime, violence, revenge and underworld activities glued together by an immense never to be broken bond of family loyalty. It is these ingredients that make this such a compelling story.

Tom Hardy shines in his dual role as Ronnie and Reggie and it is his performances that carry this film when there are gaps and flaws in the storytelling that may well leave you wondering. That said, the 60's are crafted well enough here, the acts of violence when they come are brutal and won't be for everyone, but there are moments of humour and a great soundtrack that gloss over these to help lessen the impact.

This film is a worthy contender to stand beside 'The Krays' from 1990, but does it surpass it - no, and will it stand proud as a great British gangster flick - also probably not, but is it worthy of your attention and your $20, yes it is! If nothing else go and see it for Tom Hardy's brilliance as both Ronnie and Reggie Kray - both sides of the same coin but for which he gets the gong for his confident, swaggering, suited & booted, lovable and notorious man about town Reggie more so than what he does for the unhinged, unpredictable, unnerving Ronnie who ultimately was the downfall of the family.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-