What's new in Odeon's this week : Tuesday 26th December 2023.

It's hard to believe that Christmas is upon us once again, and as such it would be remiss of me not to wish my global readership all the very best wishes for a Merry, Happy and safe Christmas, wherever you are in world, whatever it is you do to celebrate the occasion, and whoever you share it with. Thanks for your ongoing support over the past twelve months - it is your viewership that makes my reviews and previews of the latest release new movies worthwhile, and I look forward to doing more of the same throughout 2024. Until then, Merry Christmas, best wishes and complements of the season, from Sydney, Australia. 

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

Turning the attention then back to the final seven new release movies of 2023, we kick start with a dark comedy fantasy offering about the fantastical evolution of a young woman brought back to life by a brilliant and unorthodox scientist, and who then embarks on a whirlwind adventure across the continents with a lawyer. Then we have the fifteenth film in the DCEU and a sequel charting the continuing story of the King of Atlantis who must join forces with his brother to overcome an old foe who has become more powerful over time and who threatens the world order and their underwater kingdom. Next up we have a British film that tells the story of a humanitarian who helped save hundreds of Central European children from the Nazis on the eve of World War II. We then turn to an American RomCom of a seemingly perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery attraction ice cold. This is followed by a film that centres on two young people's bond that leads to marital infidelity and ultimately crime. And closing out the week we have a pair of animated features - the first from the House of the Mouse about a young girl who wishes on a star and gets a more direct answer than she bargained for when a trouble-making star comes down from the sky to join her; and then we have a family of ducks who try to convince their overprotective father to go on the vacation of a lifetime.

'POOR THINGS' (Rated MA15+) - is a black comedy fantasy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos whose prior feature film offerings take in his debut in 2001 with 'My Best Friend' and which he would follow up with 'Dogtooth' in 2009, and then his first English language film 'The Lobster' in 2015, 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' in 2017 and 'The Favourite' in 2018. This film is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Venice International Film Festival in early September this year where it won the Golden Lion. It was released Stateside earlier this month and is scheduled to be released in the UK on 12th January, having so far grossed US$4M against a production budget of US$35M and garnering universal critical acclaim.

Here then, the incredible story and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone, who also Co-Produces here), as a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter's protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for self-discovery, equality and sexual liberation. Also starring Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael and Margaret Qualley. 

'AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM' (Rated M) - this American Superhero film is based on the DC character of Aquaman, is the fifteenth and final instalment in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) with the new chapter in the DC Universe kicking off with 'Superman : Legacy' slated for a 2025 release under the new joint Chairmanship of James Gunn and Peter Safran, with James Gunn Directing. This film is the sequel to 2018's 'Aquaman' which grossed US$1.15B off the back of a production budget of US$160M making it the most successful film to date in the DCEU, and is once again Co-Produced, based on a story and Directed by Australian film maker James Wan. Several years after the events of the first film, Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa) is forced to protect Atlantis and his loved ones from devastation after an ancient power is unleashed by David Kane/Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) obtaining the cursed Black Trident. In order to achieve this, he will have to seek help from an unlikely ally, his half-brother Orm Marius aka Ocean Master (Patrick Wilson). Also starring Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, Randall Park and Temuera Morrison. The film went on general release in the US last week, has so far grossed US$14M off the back of a production cost of US$205M and has generated mixed reviews.

'ONE LIFE' (Rated PG) - is a British biographical drama film Directed by James Hawes in his feature film debut although he has been Directing both single and multiple episodes of TV series for a number of years taking in the likes of 'Doctor Who', 'Merlin', 'Penny Dreadful', 'Black Mirror', 'The Alienist', 'Snowpiercer' and 'Slow Horses' most recently. This film is based on the book 'If It’s Not Impossible…The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton' by Barbara Winton and tells the story of British stockbroker Nicholas Winton (Anthony Hopkins, and Johnny Flynn as the young Winton) as he looks back on his past efforts to help groups of Jewish children in German-occupied Czechoslovakia to hide and flee in 1938–39, just before the beginning of World War II, in an operation that came to be known as 'Kindertransport'. Also starring Helena Bonham Carter, Lena Olin, Jonathan Pryce, Romola Garai, Alex Sharp and Samantha Spiro. The film had its World Premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9th September, and is released in the UK on 5th January.

'ANYONE BUT YOU' (Rated MA15+) - this American RomCom is Co-Written and Directed by Will Gluck whose previous feature film offerings take in his debut with 'Fired Up' in 2009 followed by 'Easy A' in 2010, 'Friends with Benefits' in 2011, 'Annie' in 2014 and 'Peter Rabbit' and 'Peter Rabbit 2 : The Runaway' in 2018 and 2021 respectively. Despite an amazing first date, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben's (Glen Powell) initial attraction quickly turns sour. However, when they unexpectedly find themselves at a destination wedding in Sydney, Australia, they pretend to be the perfect couple to keep up appearances. Also starring Alexandra Shipp, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths and Bryan Brown. The film cost US$25M to produce and was released Stateside last week. 

'COUP DE CHANCE' (Rated PG) - is a French comedy drama film Written and Directed by Woody Allen who has made fifty feature films since his debut in 1966 with 'What's Up, Tiger Lily?' and whose other credits take in the likes of 'Annie Hall', 'The Purple Rose of Cairo', 'Hannah and her Sisters', 'Crimes and Misdemeanors', 'Bullets Over Broadway', 'The Curse of the Jade Scorpion', 'Match Point', 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona', 'Blue Jasmine' and 'Cafe Society' amongst many others. All up Allen has been the recipient of 143 award wins including four Oscar wins and another 223 nominations during his long and distinguished career. Here then, Fanny (Lou de Laage) and Jean (Melvil Poupard) look like the ideal married couple. They’re both professionally accomplished, they live in a gorgeous apartment in an exclusive neighbourhood of Paris, and they seem to be in love just as much as they were when they first met. But when Fanny accidentally bumps into Alain (Niels Schneider), a former high school classmate, she’s swept off her feet. They soon see each other again and get closer and closer, ultimately leading to marital infidelity and . . . violence. The film saw its World Premiere at this years Venice International Film Festival in early September, was released in France later that same month, has so far grossed US$6M and has garnered generally favourable reviews.

'WISH' (Rated PG) - this American animated musical fantasy film is Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and is Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn (in her feature Directorial debut). Chris Buck's prior feature film offerings are his Directing debut with 'Tarzan' in 1999, then 'Surf's Up' in 2007, 'Frozen' in 2013 and 'Frozen II' in 2019. Here, young Asha (voiced by Ariana DeBose) makes a wish so powerful that it's answered by a cosmic force, a little ball of boundless energy called Star. With Star's help, Asha must save her kingdom from King Magnifico (Chris Pine) and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Also starring the voice talents of Alan Tudyk, Victor Garber, Natasha Rothwell, Evan Peters and Ramy Youssef. The film cost about US$190M to Produce, has so far grossed US$129M since its US release at the end of November and has generated mixed or average reviews. 

'MIGRATION' (Rated G) - is an American animated adventure comedy film Produced by Illumination and Directed by Benjamin Renner whose previous feature film making credits take in 'Ernest & Celestine' in 2012 and 'The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales' in 2017. The story follows a family of mallards who try to convince their overprotective father Mack (voiced by Kumail Nanjiani) to go on a vacation of a lifetime and attempt to migrate from New England to Jamaica. However, with the best laid plans quickly going awry when they get lost and wind up in New York City. The experience soon inspires them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends, and accomplish more than they ever thought possible. Also starring the voices of Elizabeth Banks, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, David Mitchell, Carol Kane, Caspar Jennings, Tresi Gazal, and Danny DeVito. The film was released Stateside on 22nd December, has so far grossed US$21M off the back of a US$72M production budget and garnered generally positive reviews. 

With seven 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-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 21st October 2021.

The 26th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea opened on 6th October and closed on 15th October. For this 26th edition 223 films from seventy countries were officially invited to the festival, which was attended by 76,072 people over the course of the ten days of the event. This years Opening Night film was the South Korean feature 'Heaven : To the Land of Happiness' Written and Directed by Im Sang-soo in which two gentlemen meet by chance and decide to go on an adventure together, with their journey becoming a quest for happiness. The Closing Night film was 'Anita' from China and Directed by Longmond Leung in this biopic of Canto pop idol, singer, actress and media-magnet Anita Mui, who died at the age of 40 in 2003. 

As for the awards presented at this years festival, the following were the happy winners and grinners within the main sections :-

New Currents - the main competition section at BIFF, which showcases the works by emerging Asian Directors, had eleven entries, and was won jointly by 'The Apartment with Two Women' from South Korea and Directed and Written by Kim Se-in; 'Farewell, My Hometown' from China and Directed and Written by Wang Er Zhou; and 'Seire' from South Korea and Written and Directed by Park Kang. 

A Window on Asian Cinema - in which seven films are selected to compete for the Kim Jiseok award, with the award being jointly presented to 'Gensan Punch' from the Philippines and Directed by Brillante Mendoza; and 'The Rapist' from India and Directed and Written by Aparna Sen. 

Korean Cinema Today - Vision Section saw twelve selections showcased as World Premiere screenings, from which four films were chosen as joint award winners. These being 'Chorokbam' Directed by Yoon Seo-jin; 'Hot in Day, Cold at Night' Directed by Park Song-yeol; 'A Lonely Island in the Distant Sea' Directed by Kim Miyoung and 'Through My Midwinter' Directed by Oh Seong-ho. 

Flash Forward - features the films that have already won awards or become a hot topic at other film festivals. This section saw nine entries and was won by 'Mass' from the US and Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Fran Kranz. 

In addition, the following awards were also presented to : Kwon Daham as Actor of the Year for 'Through My Midwinter'; to Lim Ji-ho as Actress of the Year for 'The Apartment with Two Women'; the FIPRESCI Award was presented to 'Seire' and Director Park Kang; and the new Watcha Award was presented to 'Through My Midwinter' and 'The Apartment with Two Women' by Oh Seong-ho and Kim See-in respectively. 

For further details on all the sections, and the awards presented at the 26th Busan International Film Festival, you can visit the official website at : https://www.biff.kr

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

'THE LAST DUEL' (Rated MA15+) - this historical drama film is Directed by Ridley Scott; written for the screen by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, Co-Produced by Scott, Holofcener, Affleck and Damon and based on the 2004 book 'The Last Duel : A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France' by Eric Jager. Of course Ridley Scott is no stranger to historical dramas have helmed 'The Duellists' his 1977 debut feature film, '1492 : Conquest of Paradise' in 1992, 'Gladiator' in 2000, 'Kingdom of Heaven' in 2005, 'Robin Hood' in 2010 and 'Exodus : Gods and Kings' in 2014. This film was originally scheduled to begin a limited theatrical release at Christmas 2020, before going wide in early January this year, but as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the release date was delayed to mid-October 2021. It had its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival in early September, before being release in the US and UK last week and here in Australia this week. It has garnered generally favourable Reviews.

Based on actual events, the film unravels long-held assumptions about France's last sanctioned duel between Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), two friends turned bitter rivals. Carrouges is a respected knight known for his bravery and skill on the battlefield. Le Gris is a Norman squire whose intelligence and eloquence make him one of the most admired nobles in court. Here then it is 1386 in the midst of the Hundred Years War, when Carrouges' wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer), is viciously assaulted by Le Gris, a charge he denies, but she refuses to stay silent, stepping forward to accuse her attacker, an act of bravery and defiance that puts her life in jeopardy. It is the last legally sanctioned duel in France's history. The ensuing trial by combat, a gruelling duel to the death, places the fate of all three in God's hands. Also starring Ben Affleck, Alex Lawther, Marton Csokas and Harriet Walter.

'MALIGNANT' (Rated R18+) - is an American supernatural horror film Directed, Co-Produced and based on an original story by Australian film maker James Wan, whose previous directorial outings include 'Saw' in 2004, 'Insidious' in 2010, 'The Conjuring' and 'Insidious : Chapter 2' in 2013, 'Furious 7' in 2015, 'The Conjuring 2' in 2016 and 'Aquaman' in 2018. Originally slated for a mid-August 2020 release, the film was pulled from the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was subsequently released in France on 1st September, then the US on 10th September, having so far grossed US$30M off the back of a US$40M production budget, and so far generating mixed or average Reviews. Here then, Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is paralysed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities as she decides to find and save the victims. Also starring Mckenna Grace as the young Madison, with Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, and Jacqueline McKenzie also starring.

'THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN' (Rated MA15+) - this international co-produced drama film is Directed and Written by Kaouther Ben Hania, and was nominated as the Tunisian entry for the Best International Feature film at this years Academy Awards and has garnered positive Critical acclaim. Sam Ali (Yahya Mahayni), a young sensitive and impulsive Syrian, left his country for Lebanon to escape the war. To be able to travel to Europe and live with the love of his life, he accepts to have his back tattooed by one of by the World's most controversial contemporary artists. Turning his own body into a prestigious piece of art, Sam will however, come to realise that his decision might actually mean anything but freedom. Also starring Dea Liane, Monica Bellucci and Koen De Bouw. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival in early September 2020, where Yahya Mahayni won the Best Actor Award.

'LOVE YOU LIKE THAT' (Rated M) - this Aussie RomCom is Directed, Written and Co-Produced by first time feature film maker Eric C. Nash. The mysterious appearance of a young woman washed up naked and unconscious on the beach of the coastal town of Seafront Sands, turns the sleepy town into a tailspin. Is she a mermaid, why does she have amnesia, what is going on with her craving for coffee? The young woman has a profound effect on everyone she comes into contact with and as the people of Seafront Sands are celebrating the Town’s Holiday event, they are buzzing, and excitement is in the air. Little do they know, the arrival of a mysterious woman will make them all believe that true love is just a day away. Starring Mitchell Hope, Allira Jaques, John Jarratt and Chris Haywood. 

'BECOMING COUSTEAU' (Rated M) - is an American documentary film Directed and Co-Produced by Liz Garbus whose numerous documentaries, and feature films include her debut in 1998 with 'The Farm : Angola, USA', 'Bobby Fischer Against the World' in 2011, 'Love, Marilyn' in 2012, 'What Happened, Miss Simone?' in 2015, 'Lost Girls' in 2020, and 'All In : The Fight for Democracy' also in 2020. This film saw its World Premier showcasing at the Telluride Film Festival on 2nd September this year, had its International Premier at TIFF the following week and is released in the US and in selected cinema's in Australia this week having generated largely favourable Reviews. The film takes a deep dive into the life, passions, achievements and tragedies surrounding the famous explorer and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau, featuring an archive of newly restored footage. It focuses on the inventor-explorer-environmentalist-filmmaker revolution - giving mankind the resources to explore the ocean with the Aqua Lung, calling attention to ocean pollution, and his longtime collaboration with the National Geographic Society.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Wednesday 26th December 2018.

As 2018 draws to a close and thoughts turn to a happy, healthy and successful New Year for everyone, it is also that time of year when Awards Season goes into overdrive, well & truly! The first two months of 2019 sees more notable film and television awards than you could possibly poke a stick at, and its a wonder that the movie and TV business functions at all with all the pomp and ceremony, back slapping, acceptance speeches and lavish gala presentations, dinners and glitzy gatherings that the who's who of the industry seem to attend at this time of year. In the meantime, to all my readers, Best Wishes to you all for a very Happy New Year, thanks for your support in 2018, and let's do it all over again in 2019!

So mark up in your diary, the count down to the mother of them all, The Oscar's at the back end of February, and look out for the following awards ceremonies in the meantime :-
* 4th January 2019 - the 8th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) International Awards from the Mondrian Hotel, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.
* 6th January 2019 - the 76th Golden Globe Awards hosted by Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg from the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California.
* 13th January 2019 - the 24th Critics Choice Awards from the Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California.
* 19th January 2019 - the 30th Producers Guild of America Awards from the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California.
* 27th January 2019 - the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards hosted by Megan Mullally from the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California.
* 2nd February 2019 - the 71st Directors Guild of America Awards from the Hollywood & Highland Centre, Los Angeles, California.
* 2nd February 2019 - the 46th Annie Awards from the UCLA Royce Hall, Burbank, California.
* 10th February 2018 - the 72nd British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTA) from the Royal Albert Hall, London.
* 17th February 2019 - the 71st Writers Guild of America Awards hosted by Chelsea Peretti from the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California.
* 19th February 2019 - the 23rd Satellite Awards from the InterContinental Hotel, Century City, Los Angeles, California.
* 23rd February 2019 - the 34th Independent Spirit Awards hosted by Aubrey Plaza from Santa Monica Beach, California.
* 24th February 2019 - the 91st Academy Awards from the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A host is yet to be confirmed following Kevin Hart's swift departure in early December.

This week there are five new release movies coming to your local Odeon on Boxing Day. Kicking off with the next instalment in the DCEU that sees our amphibious hero go head to head and toe to toe (or should that be tail to tail and fin to fin) against his brother and another mortal enemy for his right to rule over the seven seas and his ancestral home. We then have a change of pace and turn to a love story against the odds set amidst political upheaval in 1950's Poland in this highly acclaimed and much awarded foreign language offering. Attention then turns to a bio-pic of the very recent past concerning the Vice President of the USA and his political manoeuvrings that still resonate to this day. Next up is a mystery comedic film concerning a dynamic English super-sleuthing duo of yesteryear who get caught up in a murderous plot involving Queen Victoria. We then wrap up the week with a CGI animated sequel to a 2012 film that sees our titular hero enter the rabbit hole that is the interweb to fix and on-line game, and almost cause a meltdown in the process.

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

'AQUAMAN' (Rated M) - here comes the much hyped, eagerly awaited and keenly anticipated sixth film in the DC Extended Universe, the third live action film starring 'Aquaman' after 2016's 'Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice' and 2017's 'The Justice League', and the first film in which this title character gets his own feature length outing. Development for an 'Aquaman' film first began way back in 2004 but eventually amounted to nothing until ten years later when a script was commissioned and the following year Aussie James Wan was hired to Direct. The character incidentally first appeared in 'More Fun Comics' in 1941 as a back up feature but later in the '50's and '60's due to his rising popularity became a founding member of 'The Justice League' and in the '90's he was taken a lot more seriously again by those writers depicting his role as the head of Atlantis and King of the Seven Seas. This film saw its London World Premier at the end of November, went on release in China in early December breaking various records, has so far grossed US$489M having been released in the US on 21st December, off the back of a Budget at circa US$180M, and has generated mixed or average Reviews so far. A sequel is already in the early stages of development.

At some point in the very dim and distant past, the city of Atlantis was once home to the most advanced civilisation on Earth. Now submerged beneath the ocean, Atlantis is an underwater kingdom ruled by the power-hungry King Orm (Patrick Wilson). With a vast army at his disposal, Orm plans to unite the seven underwater kingdoms by force if necessary, and then declare war on the surface world out of the belief that humanity is responsible for polluting the seas (seems like a reasonable enough belief to me!!) Standing in his way is Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), Orm's half-human, half-Atlantean brother and true heir to the throne. With help from royal counselor Vulko (Willem Dafoe), Aquaman must retrieve the legendary Trident of Atlan and embrace his destiny as protector of the oceans deep. Also starring Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard, Graham McTavish, Temuera Morrison and Julie Andrews lends her voice talents.

'COLD WAR' (Rated M) - here we have a highly acclaimed Polish foreign language film that is Directed and Co-Written by Pawel Pawlikowski, and said to be loosely inspired by the lives of the Director's parents during the Cold War years of the 1950's in Poland. So far the film has won 15 awards and been nominated for a further 24 including being screened in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where Pawlikowski took out the award for Best Director. It has also been selected as the Polish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards to be held in late February 2019. For its brief running time of just 85 minutes, the film is set against a backdrop of the Cold War years in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris, depicting an impossible love story in impossible times between a musical director Wiktor Warski (Tomasz Kot) who discovers a young singer Zuzanna Lichon (Joanna Kulig), and follows their subsequent love story over the years. The film was made for under US$5M, has so far grossed US11M and has received widespread Critical acclaim.

'VICE' (Rated M) - this American biographical comedy offering is helmed by Director, Producer, Screenwriter and Actor Adam McKay and has already created a certain amount of buzz around the awards circuit having so far picked up five award wins, six nominations and a further 26 nods of yet to be announced awards including six Golden Globe nominations to be awarded in early January 2019. The story here starts with Governor George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell) of Texas who chooses Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), the CEO of Halliburton Co., to be his Republican running mate in the 2000 American Presidential election. Cheney's impressive resume takes in time as White House Chief of Staff, House Minority Whip and Defence Secretary, and as such is no stranger to the political arena. When Bush wins by a narrow margin, Cheney begins to use his newfound power to help reshape the country . . .  and the world in ways which still resonate to this day. Also starring Steve Carell as Donald Rumsfeld, Tyler Perry as Colin Powell, Bill Pullman as Nelson Rockefeller, Bill Camp as Gerald Ford with Jesse Plemmons, Amy Adams, Alison Pill, Eddie Marsan, Shea Whigham and LisaGay Hamilton. The film cost US$60M to produce, and is released in the US this week too.

'HOLMES AND WATSON' (Rated M) - here we have another take on that famed 19th Century British sleuth pairing created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. This time, this American mystery comedy offering is Directed and Written for the screen by Etan Cohen and stars Will Ferrell as Holmes and John C. Reilly as Watson. Costing US$42M to make, the film is released in the US on 25th December, and the story here surrounds our intrepid Super Sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his trusted sidekick Dr. Watson as they investigate a murder at Buckingham Palace. They quickly learn that the clock is counting down on four days in which they have to crack the case, before Queen Victoria herself becomes the next victim of criminal mastermind James Moriarty (Ralph Fiennes). Also starring Rob Brydon, Hugh Laurie, Rebecca Hall, Kelly Macdonald, Pam Ferris and Lauren Lapkus.

'RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET' (Rated PG) - in 2012 Walt Disney released 'Wreck it Ralph' - a computer animated comedy film that went onto receive 33 award wins and another 42 nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, as well as collecting a US$471M Box Office haul off the back of a US$165M budget outlay. Now in late 2018 we have the sequel as Directed by Rich Moore and Phil Johnston who also Co-Wrote the story. Starring much of the voice cast reprising their roles plus new voice talent this time around, the film here centers around video game bad guy Ralph (John C. Reilly) and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) who must risk it all by traveling into the World Wide Web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope's video game, 'Sugar Rush'. Finding themselves way in over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet (aka 'the netizens') to help navigate their way, including an entrepreneur named Yesss (Taraji P. Henson), who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site BuzzzTube. Also starring the voice work of Gal Gadot, Alan Tudyk, Alfred Molina, Ed O'Neill, Jane Lynch, Hamish Blake and numerous others, this film also cost US$175M to Produce and has so far taken US$308M and has received generally positive Critical acclaim.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 26th February - 4th March 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

James Wan does on 26th February (although some publications claim 27th) - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 40, at the end of this feature.

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

Sunday 26th February

• James Wan - Born 1977, turns 40 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Teresa Palmer - Born 1986, turns 31 - Actress | Producer | Writer 

Monday 27th February

• Kate Mara - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actress
• Timothy Spall - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer  

Tuesday 28th February

• John Turturro - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer  

Wednesday 1st March

• Roger Daltry - Born 1944, turns 73 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Producer
• Dirk Benedict - Born 1945, turns 72 - Actor | Director | Writer
• Ron Howard - Born 1954, turns 63 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Zack Snyder - Born 1966, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Javier Bardem - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Producer  
• Lupita Nyong'o - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actress

Thursday 2nd March

• Rebel Wilson - Born 1980, turns 37 - Actress | Producer | Writer
• Bryce Dallas Howard - Born 1981, turns 36 - Actress | Writer | Director
• Jon Bon Jovi - Born 1962, turns 55 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor
• Daniel Craig - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actor | Producer  

Friday 3rd March

• George Miller - Born 1945, turns 72 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Miranda Richardson - Born 1958, turns 59 - Actress
• Jessica Biel - Born 1982, turns 35 - Actress | Producer  

Saturday 4th March

• Patsy Kensit - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actress  
• Adrian Lyne - Born 1941, turns 76 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Paul W.S. Anderson - Born 1965, turns 52 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Len Wiseman - Born 1973, turns 44 - Director | Producer | Writer

James Wan was born in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia and is of Malaysian Chinese descent. He relocated to Perth in Western Australia at age seven and ultimately became an Australian citizen. He attended the Lake Tuggeranong College in the Australian Capital Territory for Years 11 and 12 students (aged 16 - 18 years), moved back to Perth and then relocated himself to Melbourne, Victoria where he attended the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. By this time his mind was made up that he wanted to be a film maker (a decision he had in fact come to at age eleven), and while studying he had already begun making short films and music videos. It was whilst at RMIT that he met fellow would-be film maker Leigh Whannel, with whom he would collaborate on a number of his feature length movie projects over the ensuing years.

Wan made his first feature length film in 2000 for which he also wrote the Screenplay - 'Stygian' which won the young Director the 'Best Guerrilla Film' Award at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. Following this Wan and Whannel had begun writing up a script for a horror film, and upon completion of the script they wanted to film an excerpt which they could then tout around the movie studios in the hope that a production company would pick up their story and run with it. That ten minute short film was titled 'Saw' and it was 2003. In 2004, having been picked up by a Lionsgate 'Saw' was released on an unsuspecting world and was an overwhelming success. Starring Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Tobin Bell and Leigh Whannel to minimise production costs, the film was shot rapidly at a cost of just US$1.2M. The film returned US$104M and spawned a franchise that has become the highest grossing horror franchise of all time that has seen all seven films gross worldwide US$874M off the back of a combined budget of US$64M. Wan served as Executive Producer on 'Saw II, III, IV, V, VI' and 'Saw 3D : The Final Chapter' released every year from 2005 through to 2010, and he also wrote the story for 'Saw III'. Wan is also Executive Producer on 'Saw : Legacy' currently in post-production for an October release this year and as Directed by the Spierig brothers.

2007 saw Wan Direct two films. The first was supernatural psychological horror 'Dead Silence' Written by Wan and Whannel and starring Ryan Kwanten and Donnie Wahlberg. The film received generally negative Reviews and just about recovered its US$20M budget outlay. This was followed up by action drama 'Death Sentence' - described by Wan as a 'raw and gritty, '70's styled revenge thriller' that starred Kevin Bacon as the protagonist with Garrett Hedlund, John Goodman, Kelly Preston and Leigh Whannel. This film also received generally unfavourable Reviews and recovered just US$17M of its US$20M production budget.

After serving as Executive Director on a string of 'Saw' sequels, Wan Directed the supernatural horror film 'Insidious' in 2010 that was written by Leigh Whannel, and starred Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey and Whannel. That film cost US$1.5M to make and returned US$97M ensuring its success as a franchise with 'Insidious : Chapter 2' being released in 2013. Again Directed by Wan that saw the cast from the first film return, on a budget of US$5M generating US$162M. 'Insidious : Chapter 3' was again Written by Whannel and Produced this time by Wan with Whannel on Directing duty for the first time. This film that served as a prequel to the previous two, was made for US$10M and returned US$113M. 'Insidious : Chapter 4' is currently in post-production for a release later this year and is Directed by Adam Robitel with Wan taking a Producer credit and Whannel Screenwriter and acting credits on the film.

Next up was supernatural horror film based on real events 'The Conjuring'. Recounting the story of the Perron family who experience increasingly disturbing events in their Rhode Island farmhouse in 1971 and paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren who come to the assistance of the distressed Perron family. Starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson the film was a commercial and critical success taking US$318M from its US$20M budget, making it one of the highest grossing horror films of all time. 'The Conjuring 2' was released in 2016 as a sequel to that first film that saw Wan act as Director, Co-Producer and Co-Writer in this follow up set in 1977 as the Warren paranormal investigators (Farmiga and Wilson reprising) travel to London to investigate the case that became known as the 'Enfield Poltergeist'. That film returned US$321M from its US$40M budget costs.

In the meantime in 2014, there had been a spin-off prequel to the popular 'The Conjuring' film inspired by the doll named 'Annabelle' that had been recounted by Ed and Lorraine Warren during their investigations. Wan took a Producer role on 'Annabelle' that received less critical acclaim but nonetheless was a commercial success raising US$260M in Box Office receipts against a US$6.5M outlay. A follow up film is in post-production for an August release this year that focuses on the dollmaker and his wife and stars Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto, that is again Produced by Wan.

Taking a step aside from supernatural horror thrillers Wan Directed fast cars action drama film 'Furious 7' in 2015 starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounsou and Michelle Rodriguez. The film was a massive worldwide hit taking US$1.52B from its US$176M budget and standing currently as the sixth highest grossing film of all time, and the most successful in the franchise to date. 

Meanwhile Wan also had time to Produce supernatural horror 'Demonic' with Maria Bello in 2015, and in 2016 'Lights Out' with Teresa Palmer. He also Directed one episode of the rebooted television series 'MacGyver' and has served as Producer on sixteen episodes to date.

Next up for Wan is 'The Nun' which is a spin off film from the 'Annabelle' series which is a spin off film from 'The Conjuring' series and is currently in pre-production for a mid-2018 release with Wan Producing and Writing. Also in pre-production with filming due to commence soon is 'Aquaman' for the DC Extended Universe with Wan on Director duty and taking a Writing credit too. The film will star Jason Mamoa in the lead role with Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, and Temuera Morrison all attached, and is due for release in October 2018. 'Mortal Kombat' has been announced for a reboot recently and Wan is set to Produce this remake of the 1995 initial video game adaptation offering.

All up Wan has seventeen Producer credits to his name, fourteen as Writer and thirteen as Director.  He also has ten award wins and nine other nominations under this belt. In 2011 he released his own graphic novel too written with Michael Nelson, 'Malignant Man' which 20th Century Fox acquired the film rights for in 2014. Wan is adapting his source material for the big screen, the adaptation of which he will Produce, with Brad Peyton signing on to Direct.

James Wan - wrote himself into the history books and redefined the genre with several hugely commercially and critically successful horror franchises, and an epic seventh film in a street racing heist fuelled action franchise, and, is about to launch a new stand alone ocean based Superhero as part of the DCEU. When he's not Directing, he's Producing or he's Writing and he's even been known to tackle all three at once! Clearly very much in demand and proving he can jump from his trademark scare the bejeezus out of us supernatural horror offerings to big budget epic fare, and back again. A very Happy 40th Birthday to you James, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 21st July 2016.

Here's a bit of fun to get you thinking and while away a few minutes. I was thinking about movies with a number in the title and how far I could count before reaching a stumbling block. I've just included one for each digit, but of course there are many more, and reading through my list you'll be able to add many of your own I'm sure. I made it up to thirty but must confess I struggled with 18 and 26 and had to refer to Professor Google.

• 'Zero Dark Thirty' - 2013 - Kathryn Bigelow Directs, Jessica Chastain stars,
• 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' - 1976 - Milos Forman Directs, Jack Nicholson stars,
• 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' - 1998 - Guy Ritchie Directs, Jason Statham stars,
• 'Three Kings' - 1999 - David O. Russell Directs, George Clooney stars,
• 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' - 1994 - Mike Newell Directs, Hugh Grant stars,
• 'Five Easy Pieces' - 1970 - Bob Rafelson Directs, Jack Nicholson stars,
• 'Six Degrees of Separation' - 1993 - Fred Schepisi Directs, Will Smith stars,
• 'The Magnificent Seven' - 1960 - John Sturges Directs, Yul Brynner stars,
• 'The Hateful Eight' - 2015 - Quentin Tarantino Directs, Kurt Russell stars,
• 'District 9' - 2009 - Neill Blomkamp Directs, Sharlto Copley stars,
• 'Ten Little Indians' - 1965 - George Pollock Directs, Shirley Eaton stars,
• 'Ocean's Eleven' - 1960 - Lewis Milestone Directs, Frank Sinatra stars,
• '12 Monkeys' - 1996 - Terry Gilliam Directs, Brad Pitt stars,
• 'Assault on Precinct 13' - 1976 - John Carpenter Directs, Austin Stoker stars,
• '11:14' - 2003 - Greg Marcks Directs, Patrick Swayze stars,
• 'Fifteen Minutes' - 2001 - John Herzfeld Directs, Robert De Niro stars,
• 'Sixteen Candles' - 1984 - John Hughes Directs, Molly Ringwald stars,
• '17 Again' - 2009 - Burr Steers Directs, Zac Efron stars,
• '18 Again' - 1988 - Paul Flaherty Directs, George Burns stars,
• 'K-19 : The Widowmaker' - 2002 - Kathryn Bigelow Directs, Harrison Ford stars,
• 'Halloween H20' - 1998 - Steve Miner Directs, Jamie Lee Curtis stars,
• '21 Grams' - 2003 - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Directs, Sean Penn stars,
• 'Catch 22' - 1970 - Mike Nichols Directs, Alan Arkin stars,
• 'The Number 23' - 2007 - Joel Schumacher Directs, Jim Carrey stars,
• '24 Hour Party People' - 2002 - Michael Winterbottom Directs, Steve Coogan stars,
• '25th Hour' - 2002 - Spike Lee Directs, Edward Norton stars,
• 'Special 26' - 2013 - Neeraj Pandey Directs, Anupam Khur stars,
• '27 Dresses' - 2008 - Anne Fletcher Directs, Katherine Heigl stars,
• '28 Days Later' - 2002 - Danny Boyle Directs, Cillian Murphy stars,
• 'Track 29' - 1988 - Nicolas Roeg Directs, Gary Oldman stars,
• '30 Days of Night' - 2007 - David Slade Directs, Josh Hartnett stars.

For the week ahead there are four new features to give you another gold plated excuse to get out to your local Odeon, that stretch across all genres - except for the younger kids perhaps. We kick off with an intergalactic film franchise going boldly now on its thirteenth voyage to the big screen and celebrating 50 years since it ventured onto our small screens but still much anticipated and eagerly awaited since being successfully rebooted seven years ago. Then a horror offering that will make you think twice about switching off the lights at night as things go more than 'bump'; with a Jane Austen adaptation that is likely to be quite different to any other costume drama of that period you have seen (other than 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' perhaps); before wrapping up with a faithful true to the source material animated DC Comics adaptation that sees the Dark Knight of Gotham and the Clown Prince of Crime go head to head - but who will have the last laugh?

As always, you are cordially invited to leave your own thoughts and opinions in the Comments section below this or any other Post, when you have sat through your movie of choice in the week ahead. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

'STAR TREK : BEYOND' (Rated M) - 'Star Trek' as we know it had its humble beginnings as an NBC television series back in 1966, which ran for just three seasons - having been cancelled in 1969 because of declining ratings. Series creator Gene Roddenberry always wanted to continue the series in film first pitching the idea in 1969, but it would be another ten years before the small screen series made it to the big screen - largely off the back of syndicated series re-runs during the 70's which proved to be a whole lot more popular second time around. Released in time for Christmas 1979, the first film 'Star Trek : The Motion Picture' reunited the television cast for US$35M, returning a worldwide gross of US$139M. Throughout the 80's there were a further five films up until 1991with 'The Next Generations' taking over in 1994 and running though until 2002, culminating with 'Nemesis' - the worst performing film of the franchise to date making just US$67M from its US$60M outlay. Then in 2009 Director J.J.Abrams got hold of the franchise for an overdue and much needed reboot with 'Star Trek' and followed this up in 2013 with 'Star Trek : Into Darkness' - the latter proving the most successful of the franchise so far yielding a return of US$467M from its US$185M budget. The first twelve films were made for a combined US$540M and returned a collective US$1,931B, with this film, the thirteenth, made for US$150M and released in the 50th anniversary year of that original television series going to air.

And so to this next instalment. Co-Written by Simon Pegg - a self confessed Trekkie and Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise, Scottie, and Directed by Justin Lin who Directed the 'Fast & Furious films 3, 4, 5 and 6' to huge Box Office success, with J.J.Abrams taking a Producer credit on this one. Here the rebooted crew are reunited once again as we find them mid-way through their five year journey to go boldly where no man has gone before, en route to dock with the deep-space starbase 'Yorktown' when the Enterprise is attacked by a seemingly unstoppable force of unknown aliens that results in Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) ordering all to abandon ship. Stranded on an unknown planet, separated and with no means of communication or getting home, the crew of the Enterprise find themselves pitted against a new and ruthless enemy in the form of Krall (Idris Elba) who has an axe to grind against The Federation and Kirk and his crew, and will stop at nothing to realise his ultimate dastardly plan. Also starring Zachary Quinto (as Spock), Karl Urban (as McCoy), Zoe Saldana (as Uhura), John Choo (as Sulu), Anton Yelchin (as Chekov) and new alien being Sofia Boutella (as Taylah). 'Star Trek 4' has just been announced, with expectations the crew will return together with Chris Hemsworth as Captain Kirk's father, George Kirk.

'LIGHTS OUT' (Rated M) - this supernatural horror film was made for a paltry US$5M by Director David Sandberg based on his own original three minute short film that went viral on the net, and Co-Produced by horror maestro James Wan (his Directed 'The Conjuring 2' is still out on general release). Telling the story of Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) who leaves home believing her childhood fears are now a thing of the past, having grown up never quite sure of what lurked in the dark when the lights were turned off at night. Now, several years later her younger brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) has begun to experience similar terrifying events and unexplained fears that put her own safety and sanity at risk once again as when she was growing up. Looking to uncover what goes bump in the night (and worse), Rebecca begins to unlock the truth about a mysterious and terrifying supernatural entity that has connections to her mother Sophie (Maria Bello) that ultimately puts the entire family in danger.

'LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP' (Rated PG) - based on the 1871 published epistolary novel by Jane Austen, 'Lady Susan' as Directed, Co-Produced and adapted for the Screen by Whit Stillman, this film had its Australian Premier as the closing night film at the Sydney Film Festival on 19th June. The film premiered at Sundance in January this year, was released Stateside in mid-May and has so far made US$13M off its US$3M budget outlay. Telling the story set in the 1790's here widow Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale playing against type as an upper-crust devilishly scheming seductive and manipulating anti-heroine) is trying to marry off her less than favoured daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clarke) to wealthy no-hoper Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett), and also finding herself a well to do with means suitor in the form of Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel), whilst harbouring affections for the dashing but married Lord Manwaring (Lochlann O'Mearain). Enlisting the support and sage advice of her close American friend Alicia Johnson (Chloe Savigny) this gets complicated as the love triangle plays out between mother and daughter and numerous male hangers-on. Stephen Fry also stars.

'BATMAN : THE KILLING JOKE' - (Rated MA15+) - goes on very limited theatrical release only before being released in digital and DVD/BluRay formats at the end of July/early August, this 95 minute full length animated feature film is released by Warner Bros. and based on the DC comics graphic novel of the same name. Having escaped Arkham Asylum The Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) tracks down Commissioner Gordon (voiced by Ray Wise) and tortures him having shot his daughter Barbara (voiced by Tara Strong) in order to prove a point about his own fall into insanity. As Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy) attempts to get to the bottom of the Jokers past before the Clown Prince of Crime puts an end to one of Gotham's finest, the two adversaries and arch rivals will go head to head before the Joker can prove that just one bad day can turn anyone as insane as he is! Directed by Bruce Timm and Sam Liu. Worth hunting out on the big screen while you can.

Four films this week offering Sci-Fi escapism, supernatural horror, animated comic book Superhero and Villain, and period piece costume drama - so what's not to like about this weeks assortment of movie goodness? Get yourself to your local picture house and lash out $20 on some riveting big screen entertainment - you know it makes sense! See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 9th June 2016.

As reported last week, started in 1954, this year sees the 62nd Sydney Film Festival launching on 8th June with 'Goldstone' opening the festival at Sydney's State Theatre, and closing with 'Love & Friendship' on 19th June. In the meantime, there are films in competition, special screenings, European Cinema, international documentaries, family films, short films, a retrospective of ten Scorsese films selected by David Stratton, and more. There are twelve films in the Official Competition, which is 'presented in recognition of the most courageous, audacious and cutting-edge new cinematic creations from around the world' and celebrating 'that rare but thrilling kind of film that truly moves the art form forward'. This years chosen dozen up for a stab at a cash prize of AU$60K are :

• 'APPRENTICE' - English/Malaysian, Australian Premier, Directed by Boo Junfeng
• 'AQUARIUS' - Portuguese, Australian Premier, Directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho
• 'CERTAIN WOMEN' - Australian Premier, Directed by Kelly Reichardt, with Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern and Michelle Williams
• 'THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER' - English/French, Australian Premier, Directed by Brady Corbet, with Robert Pattinson, Liam Cunningham and Berenice Bejo
• 'THE ENDLESS RIVER' - Australian Premier, Directed by Oliver Hermanus, with Clayton Everton, Crystal-Donna Robers and Nicolas Duvauchelle
• 'GOLDSTONE' - World Premier, Directed by Ivan Sen, with Aaron Pedersen, Alex Russell and Jackie Weaver
• 'IT'S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD' - French, Australian Premier, Directed by Xavier Dolan, with Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard and Gaspar Ulliel
• 'LAND OF MINE' - English/German/Danish, Australian Premier, Directed by Martin Zandvliet, with Joel Basman, Louis Hofmann and Roland Moller
• 'LETTERS FROM WAR' - Portuguese, Australian Premier, Directed by Ivo M. Ferreira
• 'NOTES ON BLINDNESS' - Australian Premier, Directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney, with Dan Skinner and Simone Kirby
• 'PSYCHO RAMEN' - Hindi, Australian Premier, Directed by Anurag Kashyap
• 'VIVA' - Spanish, Australian Premier, Directed by Paddy Breathnach

In Special Presentations exclusively at Sydney's State Theatre are fifteen films all receiving their Australian Premier, these are 'Blood Father' with Mel Gibson; 'Captain Fantastic' with Viggo Mortensen; 'Demolition' with Jake Gyllenhaal; 'Down Under' getting its World Premier for Director Abe Forsythe; 'Elvis & Nixon' with Michael Shannon and Kevin Spacey respectively; Richard Linklater's 'Everybody Want's Some'; the Jim Jarmusch tribute to Iggy Pop and the Stooges 'Gimme Danger'; 'A Journey of a Thousand Miles : Peacekeepers'; 'Julieta' by Pedro Almodovar; 'Maggie's Plan' with Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore and Greta Gerwig; 'Mahana' by Lee Tamahori with Temuera Morrison; 'Saint Amour' with Gerard Depardieu; 'Sing Street' by John Carney with a thumping 80's soundtrack, big hair, wide lapels and fashion faux-pas we'd rather forget; 'Suburra' - an Italian Mafia/political/religious thriller; and 'War on Everyone' by John McDonagh with Alexander Skarsgard and Michael Pena. For more on the 2016 Sydney Film Festival you can go to : www.sff.org.au

This week however, there are just three new films to get you out to your local Odeon kicking off with a sequel to a franchise that has been going strong for thirty or so years featuring your favourite pizza chomping heroes in a half shelf doing their ninja best to save the world . . . again! Then a supernatural horror sequel based on a real haunting in a London suburb back in the 70's as investigated by psychic investigators that its seems the genre and this franchise owe much to. And wrapping up, an English language Spanish dramedy offering featuring badass aid workers, a corpse, a well and a length of rope.

As always, when you have sat through your movie of choice in the week ahead - be it one of these as Previewed below, or any one of those Reviewed or Previewed in previous Posts, share your views and opinions with your like minded cinephiles by leaving a Comment in the space provided below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

'TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES : OUT OF THE SHADOWS' (Rated M) - the 'TMNT' or 'Ninja Turtles' go back thirty plus years to 1984 when they first appeared in comic books published by Mirage Studios. In case you didn't know, they are four fictional teenage anthropomorphic turtles who are named after four Renaissance Italian artists - Donatello (Donnie), Michelangelo (Mikey), Leonardo (Leo), and Raphael (Raph). They were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei (Splinter) in the art of ninjutsu. Over the years there have been a long succession of comic books, animated television series, an anime series, live action series, and the first round of feature films in 1990 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' then 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze' in 1991 and 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III' in 1993 with a CGI animated feature 'TMNT' in 2007. Fast forward to 2014 and Michael Bay Produced a reboot at a cost of US$125M which made just shy of US$500M which Jonathan Liebesman Directed, making a sequel almost inevitable. And so two short years later, here it is with Michael Bay once again Producing with the Director credit going this time to Dave Green with a US$135M budget. The film opened in the UK on 30th May, in the US on 3rd June and has so far recovered US74M of its outlay.

So this time around we have our intrepid gang of four pizza loving, scene stealing, vigilante do gooders in the half shell who go head to head with an escaped from custody Shredder (Brian Tee) who then teams up with Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) an unhinged scientist with god-like tendencies hell bent on world domination. To do their dirty work are two henchmen Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Stephen Farrelly) who are turned into powerful animal mutants using a mutagenic compound given to Stockman by the evil alien warlord Krang (Brad Garrett), who also has his own agenda for planet Earth that our turtle friends must contend with too. But what these bunch of nasties clearly didn't count on were the four ninja turtles and there own allies in the form of April O'Neil (Megan Fox), Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett), Casey Jones (Stephen Amell) and Police Chief Rebecca Vincent (Laura Linney) who together, are gonna save all humanity!

'THE CONJURING 2 : THE ENFIELD POLTERGEIST' (Rated MA15+) - another sequel of the supernatural horror kind is haunting a cinema near you this week and following on from the 2013 hugely successful 'The Conjuring' as Directed back then by James Wan and made for US$20M and grossing a staggering US$318M making it one of the most commercially successful horror films of all time, and critically well received too. That first film was set in 1971 on Rhode Island, and this follow up sees the same couple - paranormal investigators and writers Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga respectively) reprise their roles but travel from a self-imposed sabbatical to Enfield, in London, England in 1977 to help out Peggy Hodgson (Frances O'Connor) an overwhelmed and distraught mother of four who believes that something evil lurks in her Enfield Council house. Based on their own experiences and what they encounter within the house they believe that one of the Hodgson girls is possessed by demonic forces, and as they try to help, so they become the target! Based on a true story as investigated by the real Ed and Lorraine Warren into the alleged poltergeist activity in the Enfield house between 1977 and 1979, this sequel is once again Directed by James Wan who also co-wrote the Screenplay.

'A PERFECT DAY' (Rated M) - this English language Spanish comedy drama film is Written and Directed by Fernando Leon de Aranoa, and was screened in Cannes during the Directors Fortnight a year ago in May 2015, before its Spanish release in late August last year, and now it winds up on Australian shores. This tells the story of a bunch of aid workers based on the book by Spanish physician Paula Farias who worked for 'Doctors without Borders' in The Balkans back in 1995. Here Mambru (Benicio del Toro), B (Tim Robbins) and Sophie (Melanie Thierry) and joined by their interpreter Damir (Fedja Stukan) as they seek to retrieve a corpse dangling down a well somewhere in the former Yugoslavia after the conflicts there have ended and the UN Peacekeeping forces have taken up residence. What seems like a routine 'extraction' proves to be more challenging and complicated than they initially thought. Joined by Mambru's former lover Katya (Olga Kurylenko) and a young local lad Nikola they face obstacles, defy death, overcome the absurdness of war, challenge authority, and traipse through a war torn landscape in search of a length of rope to complete the 'extraction' before the corpse contaminates the valuable water supply at the bottom of the well. A slow burning film underpinned by a strong cast that has received mixed Reviews, one award win and another eighteen nominations from around the circuit.

Three films this week that offer up something for the kids and something for the adults, and with plenty of other choice doing the rounds and still on general release as Reviewed and Previewed on these humble pages, there is no reason at all not to get out to your local multiplex or independent theatre. I'll see you, at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-