What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 7th November 2024

The 69th Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) takes place this year from Thursday 7th through until Sunday 17th November, in the Irish city of Cork, and is a local, national and international celebration of cinema. CIFF’s mission is to present Ireland’s most exciting, diverse, and ambitious annual film festival, connecting and stimulating audiences and artists through a carefully curated selection of the best films, to create a unique shared cultural experience, rooted in Cork, open to the world. It is also Ireland’s first and largest film festival and one of Cork’s most significant and popular annual cultural events. Award-winning films from the international film festival circuit, new discoveries and cinema classics are selected by an experienced curatorial team, to be premiered in cinemas in Cork and screened online via the Festival Digital Platform, available to viewers nationwide.

The Opening Night Gala film presentation is 'Conclave', the mystery thriller film Directed by Edward Berger and stars Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence who organises a papal conclave to elect the next Pope, and finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about each candidate. The Closing Night Gala film is 'Rumours' and this black comedy film is Co-Written and Directed by Guy Maddin that has world leaders who meet at the G7 Summit but get lost in the woods whilst trying to compose a joint statement on an unspecified global crisis. Beset by thick fog and menaced by undead bog bodies and a giant brain, they navigate the tortured passions between them. 

Those films competing for the Spirit of the Festival Awards for Best Film and Best Screenplay are as follows :-

* 'Arcadia' - from Greece and Bulgaria, and Directed by Yorgos Zois this fantasy drama film has psychologist Katerina having to confront her worst suspicions as she accompanies Yannis, a once-respected doctor, to identify the victim of a tragic car accident at an off-season seaside resort.

* 'Gloria!' - from Italy and Switzerland this historical musical film is Directed by Margherita Vicario. Here, Teresa, a maid in eighteenth-century Venice, works at a girls' musical institute. As the Pope's visit approaches, she discovers the piano amid the institute's preparations.

* 'The Imminent Age' - from Spain, this drama is Directed by Clara Serrano Llorens and Gerard Simo Gimeno and tells the story of eighteen year old Bruno, whose life is becoming increasingly limited by the growing dependence of his 86 year old grandmother Natividad, the only family he has ever known. When the opportunity to take her to a nursing home arises, both will have to deal with a decision they had not allowed themselves to consider before.

* 'Julie Keeps Quiet' - from Belgium and Sweden this psychological drama film is Directed by Leonardo Van Dijl and is about Julie, a star player at an elite tennis academy. When her coach falls under investigation and is suddenly suspended, all of the club's players are encouraged to speak up. But Julie decides to keep quiet.

* 'Lesson Learned' - from Hungary, this drama film is Directed by Balint Szimler and tells the story of a young teacher who rebels against archaic school methods as Palko, a new foreign student, struggles to adapt to Hungary's demanding education system.

* 'Loveable' - from Norway and Directed by Lilja Ingolfsdottir, this drama offering sees Maria juggling four children and a demanding career while her second husband, Sigmund, travels all the time. One day they get into an ugly argument which gives rise to Sigmund eventually asking her for a divorce.

* 'Rabia' - from France, Germany and Belgium and Written and Directed by Mareike Engelhardt, this drama film has Jessica and her best friend leave their home in France for Syria to join Daech. Driven by the promise of a new life, when they arrive, they find themselves locked up in a women's house run by the authoritarian and charismatic Madame.

* 'Under the Volcano' - from Poland and is Co-Written and Directed by Damian Kocur. This drama film sees a Ukrainian family of four are enjoying the last day of their holiday on the island of Tenerife, Spain. However, upon arriving at the airport, they quickly learn that their flight has been canceled, as Russia has invaded Ukraine. Trapped on the island, the tourists become refugees.

* 'The Village Next to Paradise' - from Austria, Germany, France and Somalia, this drama is Written and Directed by Mo Harawe, and tells of a newly formed family confronting challenges while pursuing individual goals and facing the intricacies of modern life, relying on love, trust, and resilience to guide them.

For the other film strands being presented, including the Best New Irish Feature, World Tour, Culinary Cinema and more, plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://corkfilmfest.org/

This week, with six new movie offerings coming to a big screen Odeon close to home, we launch with an American drama film set in 1936 Pittsburgh, in which this black American family grapples with family legacy and difficult decisions as they determine the fate of their heirloom piano, exploring deeper themes along the way. Then we have an American Christmas action adventure film that sees Santa Claus getting kidnapped, and so the North Pole's Head of Security must team up with the world's most infamous bounty hunter in a mission to save Christmas. Next up we have an American absurdist fantasy drama film about a family of four Sasquatches living in the dense forests of North America who find themselves on a collision course with the ever changing world around them. And following these we have a trio of Aussie films starting with a comedy about a self-appointed Mother of the Year who sees an opportunity when her daughter falls into a coma and assumes her daughter's identity. And closing out the week we have two Aussie doco's - the first traces a year in the life of probably Australia's most iconic beach side swimming pools and what it means to the local and more far reaching community; and the second tells the story of a former world #4 tennis star who rose through the ranks while surviving war, bullying and extreme domestic violence.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six 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 PIANO LESSON' (Rated M) - is an American drama film Co-Written and Directed by Malcolm Washington (son of Denzel) in his feature film Directorial debut, and is adapted from the 1987 play by August Wilson. This the third big screen adaptation of an August Wilson play - the first 'Fences' was Directed and starred Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in 2016 and the second 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' starring Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis and was Produced by Denzel Washington in 2020. Denzel Washington has shepherded the films and has vowed to continue Wilson's legacy by adapting the rest of his plays into films for a wider audience. Washington said, 'the greatest part of what's left of my career is making sure that August is taken care of'. This film is once again Co-Produced by Denzel Washington. 

Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, the film follows the lives of the Charles family in the Doaker Charles household and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Corey Hawkins, Ray Fisher and Danielle Deadwyler, the film saw its World Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival at the end of August, is released here in Australia and the USA from this week before streaming on Netflix from 22nd November onward.

'RED ONE' (Rated PG) - this American Christmas action adventure comedy film is Directed by Jake Kasdan whose previous feature film credits take in his debut with 'Zero Effect' in 1998, then 'Orange County' in 2002, 'Walk Hard : The Dewey Cox Story' in 2007, 'Bad Teacher' in 2011, 'Sex Tape' in 2014, and the last two 'Jumanji' reboots in 2017 and 2019. Here then, when Santa Claus, Code Name : RED ONE, (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped, the North Pole's Head of Security, Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) must team up with the world's most infamous bounty hunter, Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas. Also starring Lucy Liu and Bonnie Hunt, the film cost a reported US$250M to produce and is released in the UK this week too, and the US from next week.

'SASQUATCH SUNSET' (Rated MA15+) - is an American absurdist fantasy drama film Co-Produced, Co-Directed and Co-Edited by Nathan and David Zellner, with David also writing the screenplay. In the misty wilderness forests of Northern California, a family of four nomadic Sasquatches, quite possibly the last of their enigmatic kind, embark on an absurdist, epic, hilarious, and ultimately poignant journey over the course of one year. These shaggy and noble giants fight for survival as they find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough and Nathan Zellner, the film saw its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in mid-January this year, was released Stateside in mid-April, in the UK in mid-June, has so far collected US$1M at the Box Office and has garnered generally favourable reviews.

'AUDREY' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian comedy film is Co-Produced and Directed by Natalie Bailey in her feature film debut although she has a career spanning some 25 years Directing TV series. Here then, following self-appointed Mother of the Year, Ronnie Lipsick (Jackie van Beek), who is living a life she never wanted, with a derailed career, a husband whose love for life has gone limp (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) and two daughters who she struggles to connect with (Josephine Blazier and Hannah Diviney). When an accident lands her eldest daughter Audrey (Josephine Blazier) in a coma, Ronnie gets a second chance at life by taking on her daughter’s identity – only she’s not the only one in the family who sees Audrey’s comatose state as an opportunity.

'THE POOL' (Rated M) - is an Australian documentary film Directed by Ian Darling that showcases Bondi Icebergs Club and its most photographed pool in the world. For nearly a century this spectacular fifty metre stretch of sparkling blue water at the southern end of Bondi Beach has occupied a special corner in the hearts of millions. This is where generations of children have learnt to swim, where the diehard have braved the frigid waters of one hundred winters, where the young and beautiful have come to bond and bake in the hot sun, and where sightseers from around the world have taken refuge during the scorching heights of endless Australian summers. Icebergs is at once a meeting place, a resting place, a workout place and a place of romance and ritual, capturing the lives of those who gather there, and revealing how this iconic space fosters a deep sense of community, connection, and belonging.

'UNBREAKABLE : THE JELENA DOKIC STORY' (Rated M) - this Australian documentary film is Written and Directed by Jessica Halloran and Ivan O'Mahoney, and tells the true story of how Jelena Dokic overcame extraordinary odds, and of her ultimate triumph in the face of poverty, bullying and extreme brutality. It’s about how she survived as a refugee, twice. How she survived on the tennis court as she ascended to become world No.4. But most importantly, how she survived the unimaginable abuse by Damir Dokic, her violent father and manager. The man whose love she craved most. It’s a story of growing up – never being alone, but always lonely. Ultimately, it’s the story of how the tennis world and a nation of fans chose to look away when Jelena needed them most. The film features firsthand testimony from Jelena, Australian and international tennis greats, including Pam Shriver and Lindsay Davenport, as well as former WTA officials and journalists.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 26th December 2019.

The 32nd European Film Awards were presented in Berlin, Germany on Saturday 7th December by the European Film Academy - an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. The Academy, under the name of European Cinema Society, was officially founded by its first President, the Swedish Director Ingmar Bergman, as well as 40 filmmakers from all over Europe. The European Film Awards takes place every second year in Berlin, while they are presented every other year in another European city. In 1996, German film maker Wim Wenders took over the presidency from Ingmar Bergman. With the awards the Academy actively pursues attracting the interest of the audience in European cinema, promoting its cultural and artistic qualities, and regaining the public's confidence in its entertainment value.

This years winners and grinners at the 32nd European Film Awards were as follows :-

* Best Film 
Awarded to 'THE FAVOURITE', beating out 'Les Miserables', 'An Officer and a Spy', 'Pain and Glory', 'System Crasher' and 'The Traitor'.
* Best European Comedy
Awarded to 'THE FAVOURITE', beating out 'Tel Aviv on Fire' and 'Ditte & Louise'.
* Best Director
Awarded to YORGOS LANTHIMOS for 'THE FAVOURITE', beating out Roman Polanski for 'An Officer and a Spy', Pedro Almodovar for 'Pain and Glory', Celine Sciamma for 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' and Marco Bellocchio for 'The Traitor'.
* Best Actress
Awarded to OLIVIA COLEMAN for 'THE FAVOURITE'.
* Best Actor
Awarded to ANTONIO BANDERAS for 'PAIN AND GLORY'.
* Best Documentary
Awarded to 'FOR SAMA', Directed by Edward Watts and Ward el-Kateab.
* Best Animated Feature
Awarded to 'BUNUEL IN THE LABYRINTH OF THE TURTLES' Directed by Salvador Simo.
* Best Screenwriter
Awarded to CELINE SCIAMMA for 'PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE'.
* Best Cinematographer
Awarded to ROBBIE RYAN for 'THE FAVOURITE'.
* Best Editor
Awarded to YORGOS MAVROPSARIDIS for 'THE FAVOURITE'.
* Best Costume Designer
Awarded to SANDY POWELL for 'THE FAVOURITE'.
* Best Make-Up and Hairstyling
Awarded to NADIA STACEY for 'THE FAVOURITE'.
* Best Production Designer
Awarded to ANTXON GOMEZ for 'PAIN AND GLORY'.
* Best Composer
Awarded to JOHN GURTLER for 'SYSTEM CRASHER'.
Best Sound Designer
Awarded to EDUARDO ESQUIDE, NACHO ROYO-VILLANOVA, and LAURENT CHASSAIGNE for 'A TWELVE-YEAR NIGHT'.
* Best Visual Effects
Awarded to 'ABOUT ENDLESSNESS'.

* The European Discovery Critics Award
Presented to 'LES MISERABLES' Directed by Ladj Ly.
* The Peoples Choice Audience Award
Presented to 'COLD WAR' Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski.
* The University Award
Presented to 'PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE' Directed by Celine Sciamma.
* The European Achievement in World Cinema Honorary Award
Presented to JULIETTE BINOCHE, the Fresh Actress, artist and dancer.
* The Lifetime Achievement Honorary Award
Presented to WERNER HERZOG, the German Director of film and opera, Producer, Actor, Author and Screenwriter.

For the full low down on all the glitz and glamour of the 32nd European Film Awards, you can visit the official website at : https://www.europeanfilmawards.eu

Turning to Christmas week, we have six latest release new movies gracing your local Odeon on Boxing Day. We kick start the filmic festive season with this black comedy satire on Nazi Germany during WWII brought to us by New Zealand's finest and funniest film maker working today. Then we turn to a sequel of a 2017 film that was a sequel to a 1995 film featuring a group of teenage kids thrust into a video game and emerging as avatars of themselves destined to locate a pair of aged lost friends and escape the game back to their own reality. We then join a whole bunch of felines based on a long running and hugely successful stage play of the same name, featuring an A-list cast made to look like said felines with a specific mission in mind . . . sounds puuurrrrrr-fect! Next up is a British story from an acclaimed Director about a family struggling with life in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, but just as some light at the end of the tunnel emerges so too is there a risk that the tunnel is going to cave in at any moment. This is followed up by a French historical drama about two women on a remote island - one about to enter an arranged marriage and the other sent over to paint her portrait - and the relationship that develops between the pair over time. And we close out the week with another French offering about a famed cinema Actress living in Paris and the publication of her memoir, her Screenwriter daughter with whom she has a somewhat fractured relationship, and the truths that emerge when the daughter visits her mother from the US.   

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

'JOJO RABBIT' (Rated M) - judging by the trailers for this American satirical black comedy that is a send up of Nazi Germany during WWII, this film looks hilarious. Directed, Co-Produced, Written and starring New Zealand's very own Taika Waititi, whose last film outing was the highly acclaimed 'Thor : Ragnarok' and before that 'The Hunt for the Wilderpeople'. This film is based on Christine Leunens's 2008 novel 'Caging Skies', and had its world Premiere showing at TIFF in early September where it won the top prize, the 'Grolsch People's Choice Award' before its wider release in the US in mid-October and in New Zealand in late October. The film has divided Critics, however, most seem to be praising the performances, the humour, the screenplay and the heart-warming story. Made for US$14M the film has so far grossed US$26M.

Here lonely German lad Johannes 'Jojo' Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a Hitler Youth recruit finds out that his single mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. He must then question his beliefs, while dealing with the intervention of his imaginary friend, an idiotic version of Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi). The film also stars Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, and Sam Rockwell.

'JUMANJI : THE NEXT LEVEL' (Rated PG) - is an American fantasy adventure comedy film Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Jake Kasdan, and is the second sequel to the 1995 film 'Jumanji', following 2017's 'Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle' and the overall fourth instalment of the Jumanji franchise. Jake Kasdan also Directed 'Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle' which grossed US$962M at the worldwide Box Office off the back of a US$90M budget investment, and before that 'Sex Tape', 'Bad Teacher' and 'Walk Hard : The Dewey Cox Story' amongst a few others. Unknown to his friends, Spencer (Alex Wolff) kept the pieces of the Jumanji video game and one day repaired the system in the basement of his grandfather Eddie's (Danny DeVito) house. When Spencer's friends Bethany Walker (Madison Iseman), Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain), and Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner) arrive, they find Spencer missing and the game running and decide to re-enter Jumanji to save him. Spencer's grandfather Eddie and his friend Milo Walker (Danny Glover) hear the commotion and inadvertently get sucked into the game too before any of Spencer's friends can select their avatars. With a new quest offered to them by Nigel Billingsley (Rhys Darby), the teenaged friends must help Eddie and Milo get used to their in-game avatars, get them to help find Spencer and Bethany, and escape Jumanji once again and for all. Also starring and reprising their roles from the previous instalment are Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas with Awkafina and Colin Hanks also joining the castlist.

'CATS' (Rated G) - is a British and American Co-Produced musical fantasy film based on the stage musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which saw its Premier West End show in May 1981 and, which in turn was based on the 1939 poetry collection 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cat's' by T. S. Eliot. The film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by Tom Hooper—in his second musical film following 2012's 'Les Misérables', and whose other notable film credits include 'The King's Speech' and 'The Danish Girl'. Here Hooper has amassed an ensemble cast to bring to life a tribe of cats called the 'Jellicles' who over the course of a single night, must make what is known as 'the Jellicle choice' and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. With a Production Budget of US$90M the live action cast includes James Cordon, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Ian McKellen, Rebel Wilson, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, Francesca Hayward, Ray Winstone and Les Twins. The film was released in the US last week, has so far grossed US$11M and has received generally negative press, and following many poor reviews, Universal Studios notified movie theatres on opening day that an updated Digital Cinema Package with 'some improved visual effects' would be available for download on 22nd December, urging them to replace the current print as soon as possible. Studio executives and theatre owners said that the decision to release a modified version of a film already on general release was 'unheard of'. Make of that what you will!

'SORRY WE MISSED YOU' (Rated MA15+) - this British, French and Belgian Co-Produced drama film is Directed by the acclaimed English film maker Ken Loach, who at the tender rage of 83 is still making award winning films. Some of his more noteworthy back catalogue of films include 'Kes', 'Riff-Raff', 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley', 'Looking for Eric', and 'I, Daniel Blake' most recently. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where Loach appeared to promote the film at Cannes, stating that it would be his final film to compete at the festival. It received the audience award for best European film at the 2019 San Sebastian International Film Festival in September. Ricky Turner (Kris Hitchen) and his wife Abby (Debbie Honeywood) and two kids Seb (Rhys Stone) and Lisa Jane (Katie Proctor) have been fighting an uphill battle against debt since the 2008 financial crash. An opportunity to wrestle back some independence appears with a shiny new van and the chance to run a franchise as a self employed delivery driver. It's hard work, and his wife's job as a carer is no easier. The family unit is strong but when they are pulled in different directions everything reaches breaking point. The film has received generally positive Reviews since its release in France, Belgium and the UK at the back end of October.

'PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE' (Rated M) - here this French historical drama film is Directed and Written by Celine Sciamma. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Queer Palm at Cannes, becoming the first film Directed by a woman to win the award. Sciamma also won the award for Best Screenplay at Cannes. The film has thus far accumulated ten award wins and another thirteen nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit and has garnered universal Critical Reviews since its release in France in mid-September. Set in France in 1760, arriving on an isolated island of the Brittany coast, Marianne (Noemie Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Heloise (Adele Haenel), a young woman who has recently left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of a companion, observing Heloise by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women observe each other from a distance, intimacy and attraction are ignited as they share Heloise's first moments of freedom. Heloise's portrait soon becomes a testament to their love.

'THE TRUTH' (Rated PG) - this French drama offering Written and Directed by Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda is his first feature film set outside of his native Japan and not in his native language. Kore-eda is the highly acclaimed Director behind last years multi-award winning 'Shoplifters'. The film saw its world Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival in late August, was released in Japan in early October, and arrives in Australian cinema's at Christmas time, having generated generally favourable Reviews along the way. Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve) is one of the great stars of French cinema. She reigns amongst men who love and admire her. However, she has a somewhat challenging relationship with her daughter Lumir (Juliette Binoche), a Screenwriter. When Lumir and her husband Hank (Ethan Hawke) return to Paris with their young child, things come to a head with the release of Fabienne’s memoir, and as a consequence the reunion between mother and daughter quickly turns confrontational as truths are told, accounts are settled and love and resentment are confessed.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Tuesday 26th December 2017.

Once again Christmas is upon us, and 'tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la and all that stuff! With this in mind and before introducing the slew of big screen cinematic entertainment being released this week, it would be remiss of me not to wish my global readership all the very best for a Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year, and to thank-you all for your interest in my movie Blog Post ramblings, thoughts and opinions of the last twelve months. So, be safe; have fun; eat, drink, be merry; and in the immortal words of that great late Irish comedian Dave Allen, 'may your God, go with you'. Best wishes for the festive season, and for 2018 too . . . and we'll do it all again next year.

This week then in the big slot Christmas week, we kick off with a sequel to a jungle adventure film that pays homage to the big name and dearly departed actor and comedian who starred in the original 1995 offering upon which this film is based. We then move to a song and dance offering charting the rise to fame and fortune of a 19th century circus impresario; an animated feature themed around Mexico's Day of the Dead national holiday; with up next a film about good things coming in small packages and a group of pioneers who agree to groundbreaking miniaturisation technology with irreversible consequences. These are followed by an early '80's coming of age story set in the idyllic Northern Italian countryside during one Summer of discovery; a biopic of a pioneer for the disabled in Britain and around the world using his own experiences to bring hope and inspiration to others; before winding up with a French foreign language offering about a man in search of his biological father that takes him in all sorts of unexpected directions.
 
Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the seven latest release films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here cordially invited 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 experience during the week ahead.

'JUMANJI : WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE' (Rated PG) - in 1995 the fantasy adventure film 'Jumanji' was released as Directed by Joe Johnston based on the 1981 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. That film starred the late great Robin Williams as Alan Parrish trapped inside the Jumanji board game while playing with his friend in 1969. 26 years later Parrish is released by two unwitting new players who free the now adult Alan. After tracking down his friend whom he played the game with originally, the foursome must now complete the game in order to reverse all the destruction and mayhem it has caused. Off a production budget of US$65M that film grossed US$263M despite generally lacklustre Reviews, and despite its cutting edge CGI at the time. Now in 2017, we have a standalone sequel to that earlier film in the form of this action adventure comedy offering that is said to be a tribute to Robin Williams who died in 2014. Directed by Jake Kasdan and Co-Written for the screen by him too and costing US$90M the film has so far taken US$30M, was released in the US last week and has so far received mixed Reviews.

The plot follows four teenagers - Spencer Gilpin (Alex Wolff), Bethany Walker (Madison Iseman), Anthony Johnson (Ser'Darius Blaine) and Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner) who are transported into the video game world of Jumanji, and, playing as the characters they chose - Dr. Smolder Gravestone (Dwayne Johnson) as Spencer's avatar, Professor Sheldon Oberon (Jack Black) as Bethany's avatar, Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart) as Anthony's avatar and Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) as Martha's avatar. Transported into the game and into a remote jungle the foursome must beat the game and every obstacle it can throw at them, in order to return to the real world. Also starring Colin Hanks and Bobby Cannavale.

'THE GREATEST SHOWMAN' (Rated PG) - the beginnings of this film date back to 2009 when the project was first announced with Hugh Jackman headlining the cast and Michael Gracey slated to Direct in 2011. Since then the film has stalled with studios not wanting to take the risk on an original musical, until now. And so this biographical musical drama film is Directed by Australian Michael Gracey in his feature film debut, cost US$84M to bring to the screen, was released Stateside on 20th December and is nominated for three Golden Globes due to be presented in early January - those being Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Song. The story here surrounds how Phineas Taylor Barnum (aka P.T. Barnum who lived from 1810 until 1891) played by Hugh Jackman, started the Barnum & Bailey Circus and in so doing kick started show business. Charting the life of the man who rose from nothing to create a circus spectacular that went onto become a worldwide sensation that ran from 1871 through until 2017 (closing its doors for the final time six months before the Premier of this film), and the myriad of artists who performed under the Big Top and within the travelling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Also starring Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Fergusson, and Zendaya, the film has so far grossed US$8M.

'COCO' (Rated PG) - here Pixar Animation have pulled out all the stops to bring us a big budget CG animated musical fantasy film at a cost of US$175M, and is the first film with such a price tag to feature an all-Latino cast. Directed, and based on an original notion by Lee Unkrich, the film is based on the Mexican national holiday The Day of the Dead, and here follows a twelve year old lad named Miguel Rivera (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) who despite his family's generations-old ban on music, dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colourful Land of the Dead. After meeting a charming trickster named Héctor (Gael Garcia Bernal), the two new friends embark on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history, while seeking the help of his musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family among the living. The film Premiered at Mexico's Morelia International Film Festival and was released there the weekend before The Day of the Dead, and went on to become the highest grossing film in the country's history. It has been nominated for two Golden Globes to be announced in early January - Best Song and Best Animated Motion Picture and has so far garnered thirteen award wins and another 47 nominations, as well as taking US$463M at the global Box Office to date. 'Coco' has been Critically acclaimed in particular for its strong voice cast, quality of animation, songs and score, its emotionally driven storyline and its overarching respect to the culture of Mexico.

'DOWNSIZING' (Rated M) - this Sci-Fi comedy drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Alexander Payne, whose previous credits include 'Election', 'About Schmidt', 'Sideways', 'The Descendants' and 'Nebraska', had its world Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival in late August and went on release in the US just last week. The film tells the story of a possible solution of over population, by shrinking humans to a height of just 13cms (five inches) after scientists in Norway discover a safe way of doing so. The procedure however, cannot be reversed. When stressed out Omaha living couple Paul and Audrey Safranek (Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig respectively) sign up for the procedure and the chance to move to a new experimental community and establish a new life for themselves, whilst learning to adapt to their radically changed circumstances, a whole new world of adventure and discovery ensues. Also starring Christoph Waltz and Jason Sudeikis. The film cost US$68M to make, and has so far received generally favourable Reviews.

'CALL ME BY YOUR NAME' (Rated M) - this universally acclaimed film by Director and Co-Producer Luca Guadagnino was written for the screen by James Ivory and is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Andre Aciman. Set during the Summer of 1983 in Lombardy in Northern Italy, the film chronicles the unfolding coming of age romantic relationship between Jewish/American boy Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet) a seventeen year old introspective bibliophile and musical prodigy, and Oliver (Armie Hammer) an American/Jewish carefree and outgoing graduate student employed by Elio's archaeological professor father Samuel Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) to help the young lad with his academic studies. Amid the sun filled splendor of their environment, the beauty of the Northern Italian landscape, and the emotional bond that is forged between the two, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a Summer that will impact their lives forever. The film was made on a shoestring budget of just US$3.5M and has so far recovered that sum since its release in the UK in late October and the US in late November. The film had its world Premier at last January's Sundance Film Festival and has so far picked up 31 award wins and another 79 nominations including three Golden Globe nods and a SAG nod to be announced early in 2018. The majority of these award wins and nominations have been for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor for Timothee Chalamet and Best Supporting Actor for Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg.

'BREATHE' (Rated M) - here we have Andy Serkis Directing this biographical drama film based on the life of Robin Cavendish who lived from 1930 until 1994, and who at the age of 28 developed polio and was paralysed from the neck down. Despite being initially given only three months to live, Cavendish was able to breathe only with the use of a mechanical respirator, and became a tireless advocate for disabled people, instrumental in organising the first records of the number of 'responauts' (those reliant on a mechanical respirator to breathe) in Britain and helping to develop numerous devices to provide independence to paralysed people. The film tells the very personal story of Robin's early life, his paralysis and how he became a pioneering advocate for the disabled, through his travels around the world with his devoted wife Diana giving inspiration and hope to others just like him, all the while defying medical experts by becoming one of the longest living polio survivors in Britain. Andrew Garfield stars as Robin Cavendish, Claire Foy as his wife Diana, with Tom Hollander and Hugh Bonneville too.

'JUST TO BE SURE' (Rated M) - this French romantic comedy offering screened in the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, is Directed by Carine Tardieu and has garnered positive Reviews by Critics and audiences alike. When 45-year-old widower Erwan (François Damiens) discovers by accident that that man who raised him isn’t in fact his real father, he begins a search for his biological one. Thanks to a local lesbian private detective he soon locates the mischievous, 70-something Joseph (Andre Wilms), whom his mother knew briefly. Erwan soon falls not only for his charm, but that of the impetuous Anna (Cécile de France), who has ties to them both. But the conflicting loyalties become complicated by the pregnancy of his own daughter, who defiantly refuses to name the father, referring to him only as Zorro whom she met briefly at a fancy dress party. Very soon Erwan’s families begin to collide, to unexpected, hilarious and moving effect. The film cost US$6M to make and has so far grossed US$5.5M.

With seven new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online, and meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-