SPEAK NO EVIL : Tuesday 17th September 2024

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'SPEAK NO EVIL' earlier this week at my local multiplex, and this American psychological thriller film is Written for the screen and Directed by James Watkins whose previous film making efforts take in his debut in 2008 with 'Eden Lake', and which he would follow up with 'The Woman in Black' in 2012 and 'Bastille Day' in 2016. This film is a remake of the Danish film from 2022 Co-Written and Directed by Christian Tafdrup. Released in the US and here in Australia last week the film has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$24M from a production budget of US$15M.

The film opens up in the Italian countryside where we are introduced to an American holidaying family Louise and Ben Dalton (Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy respectively) and their eleven year old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). While there, they meet and become fast friends with British couple Paddy and Ciara (James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi respectively) and their eight year old son Ant (Dan Hough). We learn that the Dalton family recently relocated to London for Ben to open an office for his Chicago based company, but at the last minute the job was shelved and he was made redundant and is now unemployed. Sometime later a postcard arrives from Paddy and Ciara inviting the Daltons to their remote farmhouse in the Devon countryside. The family decides to go, hoping the change of scenery will be good for them and for Agnes who suffers bouts of anxiety and is attached, despite her age, to a stuffed rabbit toy. 

After a long drive from London down to the West Country they finally arrive at the farmhouse after dark. The Dalton's are warmly welcomed but as they spend more time at the house, they begin to grow increasingly ill at ease by strange incidents and the passive-aggressive behaviour from their hosts that cross boundaries of what would be considered acceptable. Louise is also troubled by Paddy and Ciara's aggressive treatment of Ant whom they learn was born with a condition that left him with a smaller tongue and without the ability to speak. One evening, the adults go out for dinner, leaving Agnes and Ant in the care of a babysitter named Muhjid (Motaz Mulhees) which unnerves the Daltons. While playing hide and seek in the farmhouse with Muhjid, Ant shows Agnes a collection of watches Paddy has and a message written in a foreign language, but Agnes doesn't understand him. 

At dinner, Paddy questions Louise's vegetarianism and jokingly performs a sex act with Ciara, shocking their guests. Upon returning, Louise later that night discovers Agnes has been moved to share a bed with a drunken Paddy, Ciara and Ant. Horrified, the Dalton's steal themselves away very early the next morning, but are forced to return by Agnes who left behind her stuffed rabbit, and is having an anxiety attack in the back of the car.

Upon retrieving the toy, Paddy and Ciara who are awake by the time they return apologise for their behaviour and indirectly accuse the Daltons of judging them. The Daltons decide to stay in order to maintain the peace but the strange behaviour continues, unsettling the family. After an incident where Paddy throws a mug at Ant for repeatedly failing to keep time with a dance routine that he and Agnes had practiced, he steals a set of keys from a passed out Paddy and leads Agnes to a locked shed, with an underground bunker. Inside is a collection of luggage and the personal belongings of numerous families. Using a photo book, Ant reveals to Agnes that Paddy and Ciara are not his real parents but are serial killers who lure families to their farmhouse, rob and kill them before cutting out their children's tongue and using them to assist in luring their next victims. 

Ant shows Agnes a photo of his family depicting Ant with his tongue poking out and then motioning with his fingers a scissors action across his mouth, implying that this has happened to him and his family and that Paddy and Ciara intend to make the Daltons their next victims. Agnes fakes having her first period and manages to get Louise and Ben alone to explain the situation. Horrified, the family decides to leave, calmly so as not to arouse any suspicions and contact the Police to save Ant. 

Paddy and Ciara, realise that they have been figured out, and so puncture a tyre on the Daltons car, and hide Agnes's bunny high up in the guttering of the farmhouse to delay them, subtly mocking them as they do so. When the Daltons do finally drive off after Paddy repaired the tyre, Paddy throws Ant, who can't swim, into a pond. Ben sees this from his rear view mirror and jumps to the rescue of Ant before a gun-wielding Paddy and Ciara capture them. 

Paddy forces Louise to transfer their savings to their account, while Ciara holds Ben and Agnes at gunpoint before preparing to kill them and cut out Agnes's tongue. A struggle ensues, as Louise slashes at Paddy's face with a box cutter she found in the farmhouse. Paddy is injured and the family and Ant flee into the house. Paddy, Ciara, and their accomplice Mike (Kris Hitchen), hunt for the family. Mike locates Ben and is able to overpower him, but Louise manages to kill Mike by planting a claw hammer firmly into his skull and save Ben before the family flees to the roof. Ciara makes her way to the roof, attacks but falls to her death. 

As the family tries to escape, Paddy emerges, holding Agnes at gunpoint. Agnes manages to inject Paddy with a syringe of ketamine which was intended for her but dropped by Paddy when Louise slashed at his face, incapacitating him. As the family go to leave, Ant approaches Paddy who acknowledges his fate by saying to Ant 'That's my boy'. An enraged Ant sits on top of Paddy's chest and repeatedly beats him to death with a brick out of revenge, while screaming for all his lungs will allow, with the Daltons looking on in horror. The Daltons and Ant leave the farmhouse. While they drive, Agnes gives her stuffed bunny to Ant, who sobs quietly.

About half way in you'll come to realise that there is something dramatically unhinged, disturbing and twisted about James McAvoy's character Paddy. Here, like in 2016's 'Split' from Writer and Director M. Night Shyamalan McAvoy gives a compelling performance that goes from affable Mr. Nice Guy to downright gonzo batshit crazy much like Jack Nicholson's character of Jack Torrance did in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 classic 'The Shining'. Having not seen the original Danish film I cannot draw comparisons, but suffice to say James Watkins has here crafted a suspenseful thriller that slowly ramps up the tension and the danger factor to a more than satisfactory conclusion that ultimately sees those fish outta water city types win the day over those morally corrupt country bumpkin serial killers. Certainly worth the price of your movie ticket.

'Speak No Evil' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th September 2024

The sixth Cheltenham International Film Festival takes place in the English town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire from Friday 13th through until Sunday 22nd September. The Cheltenham International Film Festival is a non-profit charity committed to celebrating the culture of cinema and the art of filmmaking. Bringing the finest independent films from across the globe to the community, by hosting live events with both emerging and acclaimed filmmakers, and actively engaging with young people from diverse backgrounds. Now in its sixth year, the festival has showcased hundreds of films—ranging from features and documentaries to shorts—while organising masterclasses, workshops, and discussions that have involved and inspired audiences in Cheltenham, so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night Film presentation is the British historical Sci-Fi romantic comedy film 'Timestalker' Written, Directed and starring Alice Lowe, and centres around Agnes (Lowe) as she falls in love with the wrong man and then gets reincarnated and falls in love with him over and over again, travelling through 1680's western Scotland, rural England in the 1790's, and 1980's Manhattan, and then an apocalyptic 22nd century. 

Cheltenham International Film Festival Best Film is open to emerging filmmakers with their first or second feature film on their C.V. The Best Film is selected by a jury made up of film professionals, media and local celebrities. This year the five films shortlisted for Best Film are as follows :-

* 'My Wonderful Stranger' - from Norway, France and Sweden this drama thriller is Directed by Johanna Pyykko. Ebba, a lonely 18-year-old who is looking after a luxurious house for a couple while they are on holiday, encounters a handsome man with a head wound at Oslo harbour. Upon learning that he is suffering from amnesia, she convinces him that they are lovers and brings him into her fantasy laden life. As he begins to regain his memory and dark facts about his past life emerge, the tables begin to turn. UK Premiere screening.

* 'Yurt' - from Turkey this drama film is Directed by Nehir Tuna in her feature film making debut. Set in the 1990's, we follow Ahmet, a 14-year-old from a privileged background, who is placed in a strict Islamic dormitory, a 'Yurt', to learn Muslim values. Ahmet’s sophisticated manners and attire alienate him from his peers, leading to tensions. However, his encounter with Hakan, a savvy street kid, becomes transformative. Together, they navigate the harsh environment of the dormitory, challenging its rigid masculinity and find joy and friendship outside its walls. UK Premiere.

* 'The Dreamer' - from France and Directed by Anais Tellenne in her first feature film outing. An eccentric artist finds beauty within the beast when her imposing, one-eyed caretaker becomes her muse – but their infatuation with each other manifests in very different ways.

* 'We Have Never Been Modern' - from Czechia and Slovakia this crime drama film is Directed by Matej Chlupacek. In 1930’s Czechoslovakia, the corpse of a newborn intersex child is found sitting in rubble at a newly built chemical plant. The factory director’s wife Helena sets out to solve the mystery, but as her investigation runs in parallel with her own pregnancy, her inquisitiveness places her in great danger as she links the body to a political cover up with implications for the whole community.

* 'Girls Will Be Girls' - from India and France this drama romance is Directed by Shuchi Talati in her filmmaking debut. Set in an Indian boarding school, this film explores the complex dynamic that evolves when A list head prefect Mira brings home her dashing study pal Sri. Her youthful mother Anila knows full well what is really going on, but tolerates their burgeoning relationship under her careful watch. Anila’s relationship with Sri soon turns flirtatious as she attempts to reignite a lost youth. A patriarchal society looks on with disapproval. 

For the full line up of all the films being showcased at this years Cheltenham International Film Festival, plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://cheltfilm.com/

And so turning the attention back on this weeks seven new movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a psychological thriller about how a dream holiday turns into a living nightmare when an American couple and their daughter spend the weekend at a British family's idyllic country estate. Then we turn to a Sci-Fi thriller in which a struggling father who purchases a domestic SIM to help care for his house and family, unaware she will gain awareness and turn deadly. Next up we have fantasy comedy film in which a curious four-year-old boy who, with his magic purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own simply by drawing it. This is followed by a New Zealand offering following a woman who learns that life is not what it seems and a man who has closed himself off from the world; before an Aussie sports drama film set in the 1970's in Western Australia in the sweat-drenched world of tent boxing and centres around one boxers struggle to break free from the cycle of loss and regret. Up next is a French historical biographical drama film depicting the love story and romance between the painter Pierre Bonnard and his wife, model, and muse Marthe; before closing out the week with an American doco charting the seventeen day road trip across the US made by Will Ferrell and his long term good friend Harper Steele.

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.

'SPEAK NO EVIL' (Rated MA15+) - this American psychological thriller film is Written for the screen and Directed by James Watkins whose previous film making efforts take in his debut in 2008 with 'Eden Lake', and which he would follow up with 'The Woman in Black' in 2012 and 'Bastille Day' in 2016. This film is a remake of the Danish film from 2022 Co-Written and Directed by Christian Tafdrup.

A dream holiday turns into a living nightmare when American couple Ben and Louise Dalton (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis respectively) and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) are invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic countryside cottage of British family Paddy (James McAvoy) and his wife Clara (Aisling Franciosi). The film is released in the US this week too.

'SUBSERVIENCE' (Rated MA15+) - is a Sci-Fi thriller offering from Director S. K. Dale in only his second feature film following 'Till Death' in 2021. When his wife Maggie (Madeline Zima) becomes sick, a struggling father Nick (Michele Morrone) buys a lifelike AI gynoid (a feminine humanoid robot) named Alice (Megan Fox) to help with the housework. Things seem fine until Alice suddenly becomes self-aware and wants everything its new family has to offer, including the affection of its owner. The film is released Stateside this week too. 

'HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON' (Rated PG) - this American fantasy comedy film is Directed by Carlos Saldanha in his live action feature film debut, and is based on the 1955 children's book by Crockett Johnson. It serves as a sequel to the original book, in which the adventurous Harold can make anything come to life simply by drawing it. When Harold (Zachary Levi) grows up with his magical purple crayon and draws himself off the book's pages and into the physical world, he soon learns his trusty crayon can set off more hilarious hijinks than he thought possible. However, when the power of unlimited imagination falls into the wrong hands, it will take all of his creativity to save both the real world and his own. Also starring Lil Rel Howery, Zooey Deschanel, Jemaine Clement and Alfred Molina, it was released in the US in early August, has so far grossed US$27M off the back of a US$40M production back and has generated largely unfavourable critical reviews.

'STRANDED PEARL' (Rated CTC) - this New Zealand action adventure romance film is Directed by Ken Khan and Prashanth Gunasekaran in both their only second feature film making effort following Khan's 2008 debut with 'Love Has No Language' and Gunasekaran's 2013 'Destina'. Here, after a storm leaves Julia (Kristy Wright) stranded on an island paradise, she must learn to cooperate with the only other person there, a quiet man called Sid (Aunanda Naaido). Unbeknown to Julia, Sid is on the run from the New Zealand Police, and has closed himself off from the world.

'KID SNOW' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian sports drama film Directed by Paul Goldman who made his feature film Directing debut in 2002 with 'Australian Rules' and which he would follow up with the likes of 'All the Way' in 2003, and much more recently 'Ego : The Michael Gudinski Story' in 2023. Here, Kid Snow (Billy Howle) the down-and-out slugger with one last shot at the title on the tent boxing circuit after squandering his chance at glory in the Western Australia of the 1970's. Sunny (Phoebe Tonkin) is a single mother who walks into Kid’s life just as he’s offered a lucrative rematch with the champ who floored him ten years previously. The film saw its World Premiere at the Sydney Film Festival in early June this year. 

'BONNARD, PIERRE AND MARTHE' (Rated MA15+) - this French historical drama film is Written and Directed by Martin Provost whose previous feature film output includes 'Seraphine' in 2008, 'The Long Falling' in 2011, 'Violette' in 2013, 'The Midwife' in 2017 and 'How to Be a Good Wife' in 2020. Here, French painter, illustrator and printmaker Pierre Bonnard (Vincent Macaigne) wouldn't be the painter everyone knows if it weren't for his enigmatic wife, model and muse Marthe (Cecile de France). Indeed, the man nicknamed the 'Painter of Happiness' in his homeland portrayed his wife, a self-proclaimed aristocrat, in more than a third of his paintings. Devoted to Impressionism and abstraction, Bonnard founded the Nabis group with other artists in 1888. The film is set over four time periods - 'the early days' from when they first met in 1893, then 1914, 1918 and 1942. Pierre died in 1947 at the age of 79 and Marthe died in 1942 at the age of 72. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and was released in its native France in early January this year having so far grossed US$2.5M from a production budget of US$8.8M. 

'WILL & HARPER' (Rated M) - is an American documentary film Co-Written and Directed by Josh Greenbaum whose prior film credits include 'The Short Game' in 2013, 'Becoming Bond' in 2017, 'Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar' in 2021 and 'Strays' in 2023. When comedian, Producer and Actor Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years, writer Harper Steele, is coming out as a trans woman, the two decide to embark on a seventeen day cross-country road trip across the USA to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship and transition. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Sundance Film Festival back in late January this year, with distribution rights subsequently acquired by Netflix. It has garnered generally positive critical 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-

BASTILLE DAY : Friday 13th May 2016.

'BASTILLE DAY' which I saw on Friday evening, for the historians amongst us, will know the significance of 14th July to the French - for it is Bastille Day, marking the date in 1789 when troops stormed The Bastille - a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. It was an important event marking effectively the beginning of the French Revolution. It wasn't until 1880 however, that it officially became a national public holiday, and has as such been celebrated every year since then with great fan fare. So, history lesson over, what about this film which mirrors recent tragic terrorist events in Paris with the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo Offices bombing and that of a Jewish supermarket, and then the more widespread and tragic Stade de France attacks in St. Denis and the Bataclan Theatre attack in November 2015. The similarities with this films central theme are inevitable, but in reality sheer coincidence as filming took place before those events in late 2014, with the movie in the can by Christmas that year. All that said, 'Bastille Day' is Directed by James Watkins, and stars Idris Elba in the main lead doing all he can to prove that he might be a shoe-in for James Bond when Daniel Craig sips his last shaken not stirred Martini.

The films open up on the eve of Bastille Day, with the city well advanced in its celebratory preparations for the national holiday. Working the streets is an American pick-pocket Michael Mason (Richard Madden) doing a very nice job of stealing wallets, smart phones, expensive watches and passports from unsuspecting tourists and passers-by out on a summer's evening enjoying the festivities. With his evenings stash he makes his way to his 'fence' and he exchanges his evenings collection for cash, and then slinks away into the night for a quiet refreshment in a nearby Cafe. Across the city from his offices overlooking the Eiffel Tower is CIA Agent Sean Briar (Idris Elba) pondering what the next 24 hours will bring as the city swings into full on party mode.

Siting there minding his own business in quiet reflection, Mason spies a distraught woman, Zoe Neville (Charlotte Le Bon) with a carrier bag - she removes her blond wig and stuffs it into the bag, and holds her head in her hands sobbing. An easy target thinks Mason, and while she sits on a step not paying attention he's in there, bag removed and on his way. In a side street out of view he rummages through the bag to see what he can find - a cuddly toy bear, the blond wig, a mobile phone, and other sundry paraphernalia. Nothing much - he stuffs the bear back in and the wig, holds onto the phone and makes his way back to the Cafe precinct from whence he came, depositing the bag in the garbage bin as he goes. Within a few seconds, the garbage bin explodes and the street is strewn with debris, and bodies - four dead! Mason gets to his feet, grabs the phone and makes off, stunned by what just happened, and not before being caught on CCTV. Within no time, Briar is on the case, the prime suspect in this terror attack is identified, tracked down and brought in for questioning but not before a roof top foot chase that comes to rest in a busy market - the like of which you seen in a hundred other movies of this ilk, but it is reasonably well handled nonetheless.

Cue the unofficial safe house interrogation room and Briar and Mason are nose to nose with Briar coming on strong as the tough take no prisoners kinda guy, and Mason as the in out of his depth WTF just happened I'm just a wannabe Med student trying to make a fast buck to pay my way through college low life loser. Pretty soon, the city goes into lock down and Briar realises that Mason is probably telling the truth and he is just a patsy caught up in this mess unawares. So Briar decides to use the pick-pocket to track down Zoe using the phone that Mason stole, and which is all they have to go on. And so begins another hunt, another chase and more truths revealed that only add to this web of intrigue as the two unlikely partners now chase all over Paris.

While all of this is going on Briar's superior officer Karen Dacre (Kelly Reilly) is monitoring the unfolding scenario back at CIA HQ in downtown Paris and is in contact with long term friend and counterpart in the French authorities Victor Gamieux (Jose Garcia). He has a hidden agenda and enlists the RAPID Team (a seemingly elite  special forces arm of the police) with his full authority to track down the alleged terrorist and Zoe, for fear that their plan may come undone - and the boys from RAPID are in on the game with a huge pay day coming their way if their rigorously detailed plans come off. Its up to Briar, Mason and Neville to uncover the further plot twists as they go, playing the inevitable cat & mouse game across Paris as the hunters becomes the hunted, and then vice versa.

Meanwhile the RAPID guys are inciting unrest amongst the masses and manufacturing scenes of police brutality that they post all over social media encouraging unrest, rioting in the streets, looting, random acts of violence and holding the authorities to ransom on the day of celebration. They use hashtags to get their messages across whilst creating a smokescreen for their plan to be executed - to rob the national bank of US$500M in plain sight and with the full authority from the government, represented here by Gamieux. But of course they didn't count on the machismo of Briar and the sleight of hand of Mason to thwart their plans when they least expect it, and with the help of thousands of Parisians who help turn the tables unexpectedly.

Of course, before they get to this point, there's more shoot 'em up, beat 'em down bravado in the back of a truck, which again, you've seen a hundred times before, but also reasonably well handled. In the end, good overcomes evil, a few more people get killed - both good and bad, and the mastermind behind all of this gets locked up, and the aspiring Med student decides that a job in the CIA may not be such a bad option after all, given his one and only successful track record in bringing down a major crime, capturing the king pin and preventing a shit storm on Bastille Day.

On the positive, the film moves along at a good pace and for its short running time of 92 minutes you won't get bored and it is entertaining enough. But, this is everything you would expect it to be - formulaic, plot holes that you could drive a truck through, implausible story and it really contains nothing you have not seen before in Bourne and Bond (roof top foot chase sequences and close quartered hand to hand combat), 'V for Vendetta' (a masked population rising up against authority driven by one man) and 'Die Hard' (create an intricate smokescreen to commit a robbery). You don't need to see this on the big screen, and can easily wait for the DVD and Bluray release.
  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th May 2016.

With the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe going head to head at your local Odeon with those Superhero types doing battle royale in both cinematic comic camps, I thought it a good time to review the Box Office haul of first Marvel, this week, and DC next. In terms of the thirteen official movies in the MCU canon, here are the stats for those that grossed over US$500M - ten out of the first thirteen.

• 'The Avengers' - May 2012 - US$1.519B and #5 highest ranking film of all time.
• 'The Avengers : Age of Ultron' - May 2015 - US$1.405B and #7 highest ranking film of all time.
• 'Iron Man 3' - May 2013 - US$1.215B, and #10 highest ranking film of all time.
• 'Guardians of the Galaxy' - August 2014 - US$771M.
• 'Captain America : Winter Soldier' - April 2014 - US$714M.
• 'Captain America : Civil War' - April 2016 - US$705M and still on general release. 
• 'Thor : The Dark World' - November 2013 - US$644M.
• 'Iron Man 2' - May 2010 - US$623M.
• 'Iron Man' - May 2008 - US$582M.
• 'Ant-Man' - July 2015 - US$519M.
• The MCU production budget for the combined films totalled US$2.33B, returning worldwide receipts of $9.77B which is sure to have brought a smile to Tony Stark's face given that he has featured in many of them, and Stan Lee also, in all. 

Added to this let's not forget those Marvel films that have so far sat outside the MCU that include the hugely successful 'X-Men' franchise that across seven so far released films have grossed US$3.05B with 'X-Men : Apocalypse' due for release later this month. Then, there is everyone's favourite young web slinger 'Spiderman' who across five films has spread his net far & wide grossing a staggering US$3.96B, and this years 'Deadpool' which in its own right did US$762M. Into the mix should go the less successful Blade Series, Fantastic Four Series, Ghost Rider Series, The (Incredible) Hulk Series, 'Daredevil', 'Elektra', 'Howard the Duck' and various others - all up amounting to 43 films grossing US$18.45B off a combined budget of US$5.35B. With Phase 3 of the MCU now live with the release of 'Captain America : Civil War' and going strong on general release worldwide right now, we can still look forward to 'Doctor Strange' in November this year, with 2017 bringing 'Guardian's of the Galaxy, Volume 2', 'Spider-Man : Homecoming', and 'Thor : Ragnarok' with 2018 and 2019 already filming or in pre-production that include two further 'Avengers' instalments, an 'Ant-Man' follow-up, and several standalone films introducing new characters from the rich source material. Get excited . . . get very excited!

This week, however, there is a mega-haul of seven new films to tempt, tease and delight audiences young and older, that cover just about every genre from action, to horror, to comedy, drama, documentary and animation covering all tastes and all bases. First up we have a French set terror based thriller involving two unlikely protagonists thrown together to thwart an unknown enemy on a day of national celebration that could turn very ugly for everyone. Then a wartime bio-dramedy exposing what those journo's really get up to when they are far way from home and when the bullets fly and people die. Next up a pair of horrors - one of the psychological kind set in an English mansion slap bang in the middle of nowhere with a nanny and a child of a very different kind, and the other of the neo-Nazi kind in backwater no-name last-hope rural America where it all goes pear shaped when a gigging punk-band get more then they bargained for when their tour comes to an end. Following this but sticking with Nazi's is a revenge film that sees an ageing dementia suffering terminator in a cross country search for the man who killed his family seven decades before. Slowing down the pace is a documentary insight of high fashion and art colliding at the haute couture event of the year, before wrapping up with the feature length animated film of a very popular video game series of some avian types with anger management issues.

With so much diversity heading your way with this weeks latest releases, you'll be hard pressed to limit your movie of the week to just one! When you have sat through your movie of choice, drop your like minded movie goers a line in the Comments section below this or any other Post and share your experience with those of us here at Odeon Online. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your film.

'BASTILLE DAY' (Rated M) - for the historians amongst us, you'll know the significance of 14th July to the French - for it is Bastille Day, marking the date in 1789 when troops stormed The Bastille - a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. It was an important event marking effectively the beginning of the French Revolution. It wasn't until 1880 however, that it officially became a national public holiday, and has as such been celebrated every year since then.  So, history lesson over, what about this film which mirrors recent tragic terrorist events in Paris but this is sheer coincidence as filming took place before those events in late 2014, with the movie in the can by Christmas that year. All that said, 'Bastille Day' is Directed by James Watkins, and stars Idris Elba in the main lead doing all he can to prove that he might be a shoe-in for James Bond when Daniel Craig sips his last shaken not stirred Martini.

Set in Paris around the Bastille Day celebrations, this is an action thriller that sees Sean Briar (Elba) - a maverick CIA Agent having to team up with an American pick-pocket and fast talking con-artist Michael Mason (Richard Madden) who steals a bag which contains more that he bargained for. When things go belly up Briar comes to realise that Mason is just a pawn in a much bigger game, and is also most likely to be his best and only asset in bringing down the crims and revealing the source of corruption that they are now both being hunted down for. Having to rely on each other, this mismatched pairing come to realise they are both targets in a game of cat & mouse that unfolds quickly aided by the power of the Internet and social media.  The film has so far received mixed reviews, but is likely to be a lot of shoot 'em up adrenalin packed fun as long as you don't go with higher expectations. Also stars Kelly Reilly and Jose Garcia.

'WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT' (Rated MA15+) - this biographical Iraq war dramedy is based on the Kim Barker memoir 'The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan' and is Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, was released in early March in the US and has so far grossed US$23M of its US$35M cost to bring to the big screen. Set back in 2002, we have here the true story of Kim Barker (Tina Fey) - a cable news producer who disillusioned with her going nowhere career, decides to shake things up and takes an assignment in war torn Kabul, Afghanistan. Like a complete fish outta water and dislodged from the comforts of her small cubicle office and her home, she is quickly adopted in the 'Kabubble' by Scottish photojournalist Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman) and Aussie reporter Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie) who show her the ways of the warlords, the militants, the battlefield tensions, and the night-time partying that she soon learns to adapt to, turn to her advantage, and grows to enjoy - turning herself into a successful correspondent in the process. As a result she outstays her original assignment, not by months, but by years - really, WTF? Also starring Alfred Molina and Billy Bob Thornton.

'GREEN ROOM' (Rated R18+) - Written and Directed by Jeremy Saulier this low budget limited release horror thriller has garnered much critical acclaim which has yet to transfer to big Box Office receipts, but nonetheless it should be one to watch out for.  The members of a young punk band 'The Ain't Rights' - Pat, Sam, Reece and Tiger (Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawcat, Joe Cole and Callum Turner respectively) are wrapping up a largely unsuccessful tour with a view that after their last gig they are all going to go their separate ways. Enticed into some one-horse backwater Oregon town by night club owner Darcy Banker (Patrick Stewart) after the gig they witness the violent murder of a girl, and so the band lock themselves away in the Green Room with the friend of the victim Amber (Imogen Poots). What unfolds is a do or die fight to the death as the band strive to survive while Darcy and his neo-Nazi skinhead followers want them eliminated for what they have seen, and the harm they can therefore cause if not silenced. But, what they did not count on was four young punks with a particular set of skills who will not go silently into the night! Taught, riveting, and riotous - this will not be for everyone, but Stewart in particular is a delight playing evil for all its worth and clearly loving it.

'THE BOY' (Rated M) - sticking with the horror genre, here we have the psychological kind Directed by William Brent Bell and made for US$10M and so far returning US$64M since its late January release Stateside. Greta (Lauren Cohan) takes a job as a nanny for a well-to-do English family, after fleeing an abusive relationship back home in Montana. Upon arriving at the remote home of the Heelshire family, Greta is introduced to their 'child' Brahms. Greta is somewhat taken aback that Brahms is in fact  porcelain doll, life-size, but a doll nonetheless, that the Heelshire's treat like a child in memory of their son who died some 25 years earlier aged eight.  Before the Heelshire's depart for a family holiday they leave Greta with a strict set of rules that she must abide by when caring for Brahms. When she ignores these rules a series of unexplained and disturbing events occur that lead her to believe that Brahms is in fact alive and everything is not quite what it seems. Things will go bump in the night . . . and worse.

'REMEMBER' (Rated MA15+) - this German and Canadian drama thriller co-production is Directed by Atom Egoyan and receives a limited release only in selected cinemas, but is well worth seeking out for its intriguing story and strong performances from some of cinemas elder statesmen. Released at the Venice and then the Toronto International Film Festivals in September last year, in Germany on NYE and then the US in early March, it has only now reached our Australian shores. Telling the story of two Holocaust survivors from Auschwitz - Zev Guttman (Christopher Plummer) and Max Rosenbaum (Martin Landau) who now in their 90's live together in a New York nursing home, Max upon the death of Zev's wife, reminds him of the man responsible for the death of their families when they were imprisoned up in the camp seven decades ago. Max has drawn up a plan and convinces Zev despite his onset of dementia, to avenge their families by hunting down and finding the man responsible - Blockfuhrer Otto Wallisch who after the war came to America and adopted the name Rudy Kurlander (played by Bruno Ganz, Heinz Lieven and Jurgen Prochnow). What follows is a cross-country revenge story as this ageing terminator is intent of finding the right Rudy Kurlander and exacting his own form of justice.

'THE FIRST MONDAY IN MAY' (Rated M) - the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art is the backdrop for this documentary film Directed by Andrew Rossi tracing the year long preparations leading upto the launch of their most attended fashion exhibition in history - 'China : Through The Looking Glass' - an exploration of the Chinese-inspired Western fashions of Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton. Andrew Rossi captures the impact of high fashion and celebrity at the Met Gala, one of the biggest hottest ticket global fashion events chaired every year by Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour. Featuring a veritable who's who of renowned artists in many fields such as fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano as well as a host of celebrity icons including Baz Luhrmann and Rihanna, the movie questions whether fashion should be seen as art.

'THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE' (Rated PG) - based on the popular video game of the same name this is an American/Finnish 3D animated feature co-production Directed by first timers Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly and Produced by Sony Pictures Imageworks for US$80M. The film was released in France on 5th May, is released in Finland on 13th May and gets its US release on 20th. With an all star voice cast that includes Peter Dinklage as Mighty Eagle, Jason Sudeikis as Red, Danny McBride as Bomb, Josh Gadd as Chuck, Sean Penn as Terrence, Bill Hader as Leonard, and Kate McKinnon as Stella the story revolves around Red, Chuck and Bomb who begin a quest to find out why their idyllic island home populated by happy flightless birds is invaded by mysterious green pigs. Although for these three outcasts who do not live such a happy idyllic life and are more temperamental, more angry, and more volatile than their easy going flightless feathered friends, the quest is on to uncover why the green little piggies have been so welcomed to the flock, when they are really getting under the skin of three angry feathered friends.

With so much great choice coming to a cinema near you, and so many other great films still doing the rounds there is no excuse not to get yourself out to see a movie in the week ahead. Share your thoughts when you have done so, and in the meantime, I'll see you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-