THE BIKERIDERS : Tuesday 9th July 2024

I saw the M Rated 'THE BIKERIDERS' earlier this week, and this American crime drama offering is Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols whose previous feature films include his debut in 2007 with 'Shotgun Stories' and then 'Take Shelter' in 2011, 'Mud' in 2012, and 'Midnight Special' and 'Loving' both in 2016. This film is inspired by the photo-book of the same name by Danny Lyon, and depicts the lives of the Vandals Motorcycle Club, a fictionalised rendering of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Telluride Film Festival at the end of August last year and was released Stateside on 21st June having so far grossed US$30M off the back of a US$35M production budget and garnering generally positive critical acclaim.

The film opens up in 1965, Kathy Bauer (Jodie Comer) meets Benny Cross (Austin Butler), a hotheaded member of the Chicago-based Vandals Motorcycle Club, in the clubs local bar, and the pair get married just five weeks later. Photography student Danny Lyon (Mike Faist) travels with, interviews and photographs the Vandals over a number of years. He learns from Kathy, that the founder, Johnny Davis (Tom Hardy), was inspired to form the club after watching Marlon Brando's 1953 film 'The Wild One' on TV. Johnny's leadership is challenged when he rebuffs another Vandal's suggestion that new chapters should be allowed to form. They engage in a fist fight which Johnny wins, and so re-establishes his authority and grants permission to expand the club. New chapters begin to form across the American Midwest.

In 1969, Benny is sat at a bar drinking alone and is approached by two men for wearing his clubs colours. A fight breaks out and the three end up out on the street in an all out brawl with Benny copping a real beating, and his foot is nearly severed by one of the men bringing a shovel down just above the ankle during the fight. Johnny forces the owner to provide the names of the men, and then promptly orders the Vandals to burn down the bar, while they stand and watch while fire crews and the Police maintain a safe distance seemingly too frightened to approach. In hospital with his foot bandaged up, Benny urges Kathy not to allow the doctors to amputate his foot. 

While Benny is recovering from surgery some three weeks later, Johnny pressures him to come to a motorcycle rally before he is fully healed, much to Kathy's chagrin. At the rally, up rides Funny Sonny (Norman Reedus) from the Dead Devil's Club in California and says that he's heard there's a rally going on and so he thought he make the journey and join in. Later that evening Johnny offers Benny leadership of the club when he steps down, but Benny rejects it.

A 20-year-old delinquent known as 'the Kid' (Toby Wallace) asks Johnny to allow him and his own small motorcycle club to join the Vandals. Johnny initially dismisses them saying their all too young, but tests the Kid by allowing only him to join. When he expresses willingness to abandon his four friends, Johnny rejects him, saying that club members never leave their friends behind. The Kid attacks Johnny with a knife, who beats him and warns him not to come back.

Fast forward to 1973, and Lyon interviews Kathy about what became of the Vandals. She explains that Johnny became disheartened after the death of his lieutenant Brucie (Damon Herriman) in a vehicular accident, and the club grew increasingly violent after drug-addled Vietnam War veterans joined the club. At a party, longtime member Cockroach (Emory Cohen) is badly beaten up by new members when he drunkenly expresses a desire to leave the club to become a motorcycle Police Officer. Kathy is nearly raped while Benny is occupied taking Cockroach to the hospital, but she is rescued in time by Johnny. Furious that Benny wasn't at the party to protect her, she demands Benny quit the Vandals. Instead, he leaves her for several days. To allow Cockroach to safely leave the club, Johnny takes Benny to stage a break-in at his house, where they shoot him non-fatally in the leg. Concerned over the escalating violence of the club and again rejecting Johnny's offer of leadership, Benny quits and gets the hell outta Dodge, leaving Kathy high and dry.

The Kid, now a member of the Vandals Milwaukee chapter, challenges Johnny to a knife fight for leadership the next night which Johnny has no option but to accept. Johnny swings by Kathy's house to see if she has heard from or seen Benny, to which she responds in the negative. Johnny goes onto the designated meeting place for the challenge armed with a knife and a knuckle duster only for the Kid to pull out a gun and shoot Johnny dead. Kathy explains to Lyon that after the Kid took over the Vandals, they became a large criminal gang involved in drug trafficking, prostitution and even murder. The older members either toed the line, left to obtain legitimate jobs, or died.

Benny, upon learning of Johnny's death, returns home and breaks down with Kathy consoling him on their front steps. He and Kathy relocate to Florida where Benny works as a mechanic with his cousin and stopped riding motorcycles as soon as Johnny was killed. Kathy tells Lyon that they are happy, and Benny doesn't miss the biker fraternity. Outside, Benny hears motorcycles roaring nearby and flashes a wry smile at his wife.

'The Bikeriders' boasts captivating performances from Comer, Butler (channeling James Dean) and Hardy (channeling Marlon Brandon) and Writer and Director Nichols has here crafted a film that is grounded and convincing in its depiction of late 1960's and early 1970's counter culture, the rebellious and often violent history of motorcycle gangs, and all of the raw emotion and masculinity that lurks just below the surface. 'The Bikeriders' is certainly worth the price of your cinema ticket if your looking for a throwback to a bygone era interlaced with a thumping soundtrack, great cinematography and a solid enough storyline to maintain your interest for its almost two hour running time. The film also stars Michael Shannon and Boyd Holbrook in strong supporting roles.

'The Bikeriders' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 16th March 2017.

With 'Logan' already topping US$435M at the global Box Office since its 3rd March release, this year there is planned a whole raft of Superhero entertainment to give us more reasons to return to your local movie theatre . . . if Superhero fare is your kinda thing of course, and, judging by global Box Office takings, it seems to be so for a large portion of the cinema going public. So pencil in your diary, here is quick summary of what you can still expect in the remaining nine months of this year, and when :-

* 'LOGAN' (Marvel) - released on 3rd March, and Reviewed at this Blog. Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Dafne Keen in this James Mangold tenth instalment in the 'X-Men' franchise, and the third stand alone Logan/Wolverine offering . . . and possibly the best!
* 'POWER RANGERS' - released on 23rd March. After 24 years, 24 television seasons and now three cinema released films, this teen Superhero film gets a reboot with the Red, Pink, Blue, Black and Yellow Power Rangers saving the world for a cool budget of US$105M.
* 'THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE' (DC) - released on 30th March and already having grossed US$276M and starring the voice talents of Will Arnett as Bruce Wayne/Batman and an impressive voice cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Zach Galifianakis, Eddie Izzard, Seth Green, Zoe Kravitz, Rosario Dawson amongst others.
* 'GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY : Vol. 2' (Marvel) - released on 25th April, and following hot on the heels of the first film from 2014 which took a staggering (and unexpected) US$776M, 'Volume 2' is once again Directed by James Gunn and sees this intergalactic action heroes reprise their roles - Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Glenn Close and introducing Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone too.
* 'WONDER WOMAN' (DC) - released on 1st June with Gal Gadot reprising her role as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman from last years 'Batman v. Superman' this is an origin story of how Princess Diana came to be Wonder Woman during her fight to bring WWI to an early end. Also starring Chris Pine, Ewen Bremner, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright. Directed by Patty Jenkins.
* 'TRANSFORMERS : THE LAST KNIGHT' - released on 22nd June, this will be the fifth instalment in the hugely successful Michael Bay Directed franchise that has seen Box Office receipts for the first four films top US$3.7B from combined US$755M production budgets. This fifth film sees Mark Wahlberg reprise his role as Cade Yaeger, with Stanley Tucci from 'Age of Extinction' with Josh Duhamel, John Turturro and Tyrese Gibson joining from the first three instalments with Anthony Hopkins making an appearance here too. 'Transformers 6' has already been announced for a mid-2019 release although not with Michael Bay Directing.
* 'SPIDERMAN : HOMECOMING' (Marvel) - released on 6th July, this Superhero is a real family favourite that has been through many live action iterations over the years. Most recently Sam Raimi's three films with Tobey Maguire as our web slinging young hero; then Director Marc Webb's two more recent follows up with Andrew Garfield; and now Tom Holland Directed by Jon Watts, that sees Spidey following up his outing form 'Captain America : Civil War' tutored by his mentor Tony Stark as he tries to balance his life as  fifteen year old school kid with his life as a New York crime fighting Superhero. Michael Keaton also stars as new threat, Vulture.
* 'THOR : RAGNAROK' (Marvel) - released on 26th October, this is the third solo outing for 'Thor' as played by Chris Hemsworth that follows on from the events of 'Avengers : Age of Ultron'. Directed by Taika Waititi, the previous two films took US$1.05B making this seventeenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe a sure bet. Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) reprises his role as does Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in a cross over feature, with Loki, Odin, and Heimdall all making appearances again, with Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum and Karl Urban adding to the cast.
* 'JUSTICE LEAGUE' (DC) - released on 16th November, this is the fifth film in the DC Extended Universe that follows on from the events of last years 'Batman v. Superman' that sees Bruce Wayne assemble a group of metahumans to thwart a potentially catastrophic enemy. Those Justice League conscripts are of course Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) who must fight Steppinwolf (Ciaran Hinds) and his extraterrestrial monstrous army the Parademons. Directed by Zack Snyder with Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Amy Adams, Willem Dafoe, Connie Nielsen, Diane Lane and J.K.Simmons also starring

Turning attention back to this week, there are five new film releases, all offering something completely different. We kick off with a little known but nonetheless landmark case in American history centering around an interracial marriage when it was illegal to do so. We then move to a psychological horror film set in the secluded mountains where this exclusive health spa retreat is not all it may seem; then we have a Sci-Fi romantic drama offering of a young human martian venturing back to Planet Earth to find his biological father, and falls in love in the process. Next up is an Aussie outback off road trip adventure, before wrapping up with an unlikely yet critically acclaimed Mongolian documentary film about a young girl and a bird of prey.

When you have sat through your film or films of choice in the coming week, be reminded to share your movie going thoughts, observations and musings with your fellow readers here at Odeon Online. Leave your relevant, constructive and succinct note in the Comments section below this or any other Post - we'd love to hear your views on your cinematic experience. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

'LOVING' (Rated PG) - this biographical romantic drama film was Directed and Written by Jeff Nichols and has gained much critical praise winning twenty-one awards and a further 84 nominations including Academy Award, Golden Globes and AACTA nods for the two principle leads. Made for US$9M, and since its release in the US back in early November and the UK in early February it has just about recovered that sum. Based on 2011 documentary 'The Loving Story' by Nancy Buirski which follows the Lovings and their landmark legal case. That case was 'Loving v. Virginia' of 1967, a civil rights decision of the United States Supreme Court, which invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage. The case was instigated by Mildred Loving, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, who had been sentenced to a year in prison in Virginia for marrying each other. Their marriage violated the state's anti-miscegenation statute at the time, the Racial Integrity Act of 1924, which prohibited marriage between people classified as 'white' and people classified as 'coloured'. The Supreme Court's unanimous decision determined that this prohibition was unconstitutional, and ended all race based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States. Not surprisingly, the decision was followed by an increase in interracial marriages in the U.S., and is remembered annually on Loving Day, on June 12. Richard Loving died in a car accident in 1975, and Mildred Loving died in 2008. This is their story.

And so the films follows construction worker bricklayer Richard Loving (Golden Globe nominated Joel Edgerton) in Virginia who falls in love with a black woman and friend of the family Mildred Jeter (Academy Award nominated Ruth Negga). When Mildred falls pregnant they agree to marry, but knowing the interracial marriage is illegal in Virginia they travel to Washington D.C. where it is not. And so they marry and return to Virginia, where Richard is set to build a family home for them both within a mile from where Mildred grew up. It is 1958. Shortly afterwards, several Police Deputies converge on the Lovings to arrest them. When Richard shows them their marriage license, they are told that it holds no validity in Virginia and that they both face a year in jail. They plead guilty but the Judge shows some leniency as long as they do not return to Virginia together for another 25 years. Mildred writes in protest to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who points the couple in the direction of American Civil Liberties Union and a lawyer who takes up the case. Also starring Marton Csokas, Michael Shannon and Nick Kroll.

'A CURE FOR WELLNESS' (Rated MA15+) - this psychological horror offering is Directed by Gore Verbinski whose previous Directorial credits include three 'Pirates of the Caribbean' offerings, 'The Lone Ranger', the animated 'Rango', 'The Ring' and 'The Mexican' amongst others. Here as well as Directing, he also Co-Produces and came up with the storyline too about an ambitious young corporate executive type named Lockhart (Dane DeHaan) who is sent on a mission to retrieve the company's CEO from a seemingly idyllic yet mysterious wellness centre located in the remote Swiss Alps. The Board of Directors back at the Company have an ulterior motive for wanting to retrieve their CEO, Roland Pembroke (Harry Groener). Upon Lockhart's arrival, he is met with some resistance from the staff, especially Dr. Heinreich Volmer (Jason Isaacs). In time, Lockhart who is forced to remain at the Centre due to a leg injury sustained in a car accident, meets up with another patient Hannah (Mia Goth) who drinks from a cobalt blue bottle a strange looking liquid, and then Victoria Watkins (Celia Imrie) who divulges things about the Centre's past and the former owner dating back some two hundred years. It seems that not everything is quite as it seems, as unspeakable horrors from the past and the present manifest themselves before Lockhart is able to return to the outside world . . . or does he?

'THE SPACE BETWEEN US' (Rated M) - here we have a romantic Sci-Fi adventure story as Directed by Peter Chelsom for US$30M, released Stateside in early February and so far it as recovered just US$11M and has received largely negative press. Set in the near future, a Nathaniel Shepard (Gary Oldman) as the CEO of a space colonisation company Genesis, launches the first manned mission to inhabit Mars. Along the way en route to Mars astronaut Sarah Elliot (Janet Montgomery) discovers she is pregnant and soon after landing, in childbirth she dies. But her new born son, survives. The father is unknown at this stage. Shepard, decides to let the child live, on Mars, under secrecy from the world to avoid a PR train wreck. Fast forward sixteen years, and Gardner Elliot (Asa Butterfield) has grown up to be an intelligent lad who has only ever met fourteen other human beings, and knows nothing outside of his existence on Mars, other than what he sees on a computer screen. However, being the inquisitive young fellow that he is, and with plenty of time on his hands he decides to do some digging to determine his parentage. What follows is Gardner's exploits and life changing adventure as he ventures to Earth for the first time to find his father, falls in love, and ultimately has to return to Mars to save his own life. Also starring Carla Gugino, Britt Robertson, Gil Birmingham, B.D.Wong and Scott Takeda.

'ROUGH STUFF' (Rated M) - known as 'Rovers', they are best described as wanderers and drifters living on the edges of society in the Australian outback, looking to escape their past lives and start life afresh. Written and Directed by Jonathan Adams, here we find Buzz (Gareth Rickards) who has searched high and low across every nook & cranny of the great Australian continent in search of the legendary Stray’s Gold - a treasure that will keep him in car spare parts and fuel for the rest of his life. Just as he is ready to jack it all in, Buzz is approached by Eric (Jamie Kristian) who just happens to have a map supposedly leading to the whereabouts of the fabled Stray’s Gold. Eric is happy to part with the map in exchange for passage for him and his activist buddies Tori (Hayley Sullivan), Skye (Katie Garfield) and Tom (Adam Horner) who want to stage a protest at the site of a new mine from mining company Madsen Minerals, led by unscrupulous Daniel Madsen (Robert Babin). Seeing this as his last ditch attempt to realise his life long goal, Buzz convinces his ragtag crew of Rovers, Abe and Scraps (Vincent Andriano and Sam Glissan respectively), to follow him on one last attempt to locate the gold. With their souped-up custom off-road 4WD's, the Rovers and the Activists embark on the wildest and most intrepid adventure of their lives, but with rising tensions and ulterior motives coming to the fore, so exciting off-road chases, daring rescues, clashing personalities and amazing discoveries ensue.

'THE EAGLE HUNTRESS' (Rated G) - this Kazakh language British, Mongolian and American Co-Production was first screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016, released in the US in early November and in the UK in mid-December and has so far taken US$3M. It has picked up eight award wins and another eighteen nominations, including a BAFTA nod. Directed by Otto Bell, in his debut, and partly narrated by Daisy Ridley, this documentary film tells the story of a young thirteen year old Kazakh girl Aisholpan, as she strives to become the first female eagle hunter to take part in the Eagle Festival at Ulgii in Mongolia, first established in 1999. She hails from a family of nomads that spend the Summer months in a yurt in the Altai Mountains and their Winters in the comfort of a house in a nearby town. The men of her family have been eagle hunters for multiple generations, and she has ambitions to follow in their footsteps. With the aid of her father Nurgaiv, she learns how to train Golden Eagles, and then captures and trains her own eaglet. Although she faces some disbelief, resentment and opposition from the traditionally male dominated domain, she goes on to become the first female to enter the competition at the annual Golden Eagle Festival, wins the competition, and, her eaglet breaks a speed record in one of the events too. The film is Executive Produced by Morgan Spurlock, which helped get the Production over the line, and in the can.

There really is something for everyone this week, ranging from romantic drama bio, to space age romantic adventure, to psychological horror, to outback adventure to foreign language family doco. There is no better reason to get out to your local movie theatre and catch a film of choice in your week ahead, and then, share your views with us here. So, I guess I'll see you sometime, somewhere in the coming week at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 7th - 13th August 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Michael Shannon does on 7th August - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 42, 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 7th August

• Charlize Theron - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actress | Producer
• Abbie Cornish - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actress
• Tobin Bell - Born 1942, turns 74 - Actor | Producer
• David Duchovny - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Michael Shannon - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actor

Monday 8th August

• Dustin Hoffman - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Keith Carradine - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Donald P. Bellisario - Born 1935, turns 81 - Producer | Writer | Director

Tuesday 9th August

• Sam Elliott - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor | Producer
• Eric Bana - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• McG - Born 1968, turns 48 - Producer | Director
• Gillian Anderson - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Melanie Griffith - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actress | Producer
• Audrey Tatou - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actress
• Rhona Mitra - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actress
• Anna Kendrick - Born 1985, turns 31 - Actress  

Wednesday 10th August

• Rosanna Arquette - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Antonio Banderas - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer  
• Brenton Thwaites - Born 1989, turns 27 - Actor

Thursday 11th August

• Chris Hemsworth - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actor
• Hulk Hogan - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actor | Producer | Wrestler
• Ian McDiarmid - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor
• Viola Davis - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actress | Producer  

Friday 12th August

• Cara Delevingne - Born 1992, turns 24 - Actress
• Casey Affleck - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Editor | Cinematographer
• Bruce Greenwood - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actor | Producer
• George Hamilton - Born 1939, turns 77 - Actor | Producer  

Saturday 13th August

• Sebastian Stan - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actor
• John Slattery - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Paul Greengrass - Born 1955, turns 61 - Director | Producer | Writer

Michael Corbett Shannon was born in Lexington, Kentucky to mother Geraldine Hine, a lawyer, and father Donald Sutherland Shannon an accounting professor at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Whilst his parents were divorced, he was raised jointly by them dividing his time between Lexington and Chicago. He is the grandson of noted entomologist Raymond Corbett Shannon (1894-1945) who published over one hundred articles on the characteristics, environment and behaviour of insects and their disease carrying properties. He discovered in 1930 that mosquitoes carried malaria to the New World and upon his death his library and insect collection was left to the Smithsonian Institute. Michael attended the New Trier High School - a public secondary high school in Winnetta, Illinois. He has a brother Dave and a sister Rebecca.

His acting career began on stage in 1991 in 'Loving Little Egypt' and then 'Fun/Nobody' in 1992. That same year  he secured his small screen debut in the television films 'Overexposed' and 'Angel Street' before his big screen debut in 1993 in 'Groundhog Day'. He continued to work in theatre throughout those early days of film and television appearances, with roles in 'Killer Joe', 'Bug', 'The Killer' and 'The Idiot' on stage, with two episodes in 1998 on televisions 'Early Edition' and film roles in 'Chain Reaction', 'Chicago Cab', 'Jesus' Son' and 'The Ride' seeing out the 90's. His role in the stage play 'Bug' in 1996 he would replicate in the 2006 big screen adaptation Directed by William Friedkin with Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jnr.

From there he worked consistently year on year churning out typically three or four films a year, whilst still finding time for stage work. He kicked off the new decade with 'The Photographer', 'Tigerland' for Joel Schumacher, 'Cecil B. DeMented' for John Waters, 'Pearl Harbour' for Michael Bay, 'Vanilla Sky' for Cameron Crowe, '8 Mile' for Curtis Hanson, 'Kangaroo Jack', 'Bad Boys II', 'The Woodsman', 'World Trade Centre' for Oliver Stone, 'Shotgun Stories' for Jeff Nichols, 'Lucky You' for Curtis Hanson again and 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' for Sidney Lumet.

'Revolutionary Road' for Sam Mendes garnered Shannon his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and then two films followed in quick succession for Werner Herzog - 'Bad Lieutenant : Port of Call New Orleans' and 'My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done'. He continued his stage presence too throughout this time appearing in a dozen or so theatre productions often at the 'A Red Orchid Theatre' in Old Town, Chicago.

2010 kicked off with 'The Runaways' based on the 70's rock band of the same name, then '13', 'Jonah Hex' and the highly acclaimed 'Take Shelter' for Jeff Nichols again. This was followed up by 'Return', 'The Broken Tower' for James Franco, 'Machine Gun Preacher' for Marc Forster and the also critically acclaimed 'Mud' for Jeff Nichols once more. 'Premium Rush' followed for David Koepp and 'The Iceman' starring as the real life contract killer convicted of five known murders Richard Kuklinski who died in prison aged 70 in 2006.

2013 saw Shannon's first appearance as General Zod in Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steel' - a role he would reprise in cameo in this years 'Batman v. Superman : Dawn of Justice'. Horror thriller 'The Harvest', then 'Young Ones' and '99 Homes', 'Freeheld', 'The Night Before', 'Midnight Special' for Jeff Nichols once more and 'Elvis and Nixon' bring us up to date, in terms of Australian releases at least.

Still to come are 'Complete Unknown' with Rachel Weisz, 'Frank and Lola' with Imogen Poots, 'Poor Boy' and 'Loving' for Jeff Nichols again by the end of this year. In post production is 'Salt and Fire' for Werner Herzog again too, 'Nocturnal Animals' with Jake Gyllenhaal, 'The Price' with Noomi Rapace, and 'Pottersville' with Christina Hendricks. 'The Shape of Water' is in pre-production for Guillermo del Toro and 'State of Sleep' recently announced.

All up Shannon has 77 acting credits to his name, he has 28 award wins and another 45 nominations. He has also appeared in a number of short films and in acclaimed television series 'Boardwalk Empire' between 2010 and 2014. In 2002 he also formed his own indie rock band 'Corporal' and in 2010 the band released its debut album. He has been in a long term relationship with actress Kate Arrington, with whom he has two daughters, Sylvia and Marion.

Michael Shannon - frequent collaborator with Director Jeff Nichols; has worked tirelessly on stage, television and screen for twenty years; works repeatedly with the same Directors (Nichols, Herzog, Hanson); can never be accused of being typecast starring in thrillers, drama, comedy, Sci-Fi, horror and biographies, small independent fare and large scale epic offerings; often plays it slightly or totally unhinged; and has a physically imposing stature accentuated by piercing blue eyes, a square anvil like jaw, and a deep penetrating voice. Michael just keep on keeping on, 'cos we love you for it. Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL : Wednesday 18th May 2016.

'MIDNIGHT SPECIAL' - which I saw mid-week last week is Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols, and whilst essentially a Sci-Fi drama is is also a road movie, a chase film, and a kidnapping story all rolled into one that uses many touchstones from the movie classics of the 80's and 90's - as made by Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter and written by Stephen King. Made for US$18M it so far has recovered about one-third of that sum and deserves to do so much better however, as this is a top notch close encounter of another kind that has a strong cast, a solid story, a deft Directorial touch and a warmth, emotion and conviction at its heart. Sadly, this film is not on wide release and again I had to travel half away across Sydney to catch-it, but I'm pleased I did, and you won't be disappointed either. Despite its limited release the film has received much critical acclaim around the traps for its original premise, convincing performances, and its engaging entertainment factor.

As the film opens up we are in a cheap hotel room, and Roy Tomlin (Michael Shannon) is packing up to move on out under cover of darkness with a young lad Alton Meyer (Jaeden Lieberher) accompanied by long term friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) - a former State Trooper. We learn soon enough that Roy is the birth father of young eight year old Alton and he is escaping from a religious cult in rural Texas where they lived happily for a number of years. Alton's mother Sarah Tomlin (Kirsten Dunst) has already fled having been excommunicated two years previously during which time she has not seen her son. Known as 'The Ranch' - the leader there, Calvin Meyer (Sam Shepard) is seen discussing Altons disappearance with two of his off-siders instilling in them the need to recover the boy within 72 hours at all costs. On the television news, beamed across the country is an alert for anyone to be on the lookout for Roy Tomlin who is believed to have abducted the young lad, although the relationship is unknown to the world at large it seems. In the meantime, the US Government, the FBI and other authorities have been alerted to young Alton, and also are hot on the trail.

So begins our road movie as we gain further insight into what makes Alton so special, and why so many are after him. It seems that while at 'The Ranch' the Tomlin's had to give up their son to be 'adopted' by Calvin Meyer (hence the name), and they practically worshipped Alton for the special otherworldly powers he possesses, and which they had seen manifested in various ways. The US Government have enlisted the help of Paul Sevier (Adam Driver) of the National Security Agency to help track down Alton and understand why a set of co-ordinates from a secret nuclear attack warning satellite were known to him and were being used by Calvin Meyer in his sermons. Roy and Lucas meanwhile know full well of Alton's special gift and have a preordained appointment three days from now at an undisclosed location where a possibly world changing event is to occur, and for which Alton must be present at all costs, and to which he is being drawn by a force not known by anyone else but him.

As the clock counts down on the given day, Alton's powers continue to manifest themselves when least expected, and these drain him of his energy and he grows noticeably weaker. Constantly on the look out for the FBI, the NSA, those from The Ranch, the Police and wary of television broadcasts and newspaper reports that could further identify them, Roy, Lucas and Alton travel by night and rest up by day  - a necessity also given Alton is intolerant to sunlight and needs to be shielded from it. After a number of incidents and near misses on their journey, the three arrive at the home of Sarah where mother and son are reunited. The next day, the four leave together, and along the way Alton senses an overhead patrol searching for him and urges the car to stop. He flees with Roy into the woods and finds a cave in which to hide overnight, while Sarah and Lucas continue to a motel nearby.

The next morning Alton indicates to Roy that he needs to see the sunrise, and although knowing the harm it can potentially cause Roy reluctantly agrees receiving reassurance from Alton that it will be alright. Moving into a clearing, as the sun rises behind the trees, the earth begins to shake violently and a dome of light then engulfs them. Later, they arrive at the motel where Alton is newly invigorated, energised and looking much healthier than he did just twelve hours ago, and he begins to explain that he now knows where his powers originate from, what he must do and where they must now go.

Later the four exit the motel room to continue their onward journey, but are ambushed in the process by two of Calvin Meyer's henchmen from The Ranch. They fire on Roy and Lucas, and manage to cable-tie their hands together and those of Sarah, and make off with Alton. Able to free themselves they give chase, but get caught up in traffic jam and soon discover that the vehicle carrying Alton had been halted by the FBI and Alton had been captured and taken away to a facility for questioning. Wired up to various monitors he is questioned by Paul Sevier whom Alton asked for specifically from behind a glass screen, and with whom he has had no previous contact. Alton demonstrates his powers to Sevier that he can now increasingly manifest at will, convincing the NSA Agent to co-operate and help him escape the facility to be reunited with his family so that his mission can be accomplished.

Making their escape at night and after Alton has caused a massive power outage across the whole facility so disabling security cameras, lights, gates etc. young Alton and Sevier make their getaway, meeting up with Roy, Sarah and Lucas at an isolated location where the boy can be reunited with those who will see out his mission. Travelling through open country on back roads the day has arrived when Alton's destiny becomes clear. Sevier had analysed the co-ordinates known to Alton and determined that they represent the meeting place that the family are now hurrying toward. With the FBI now laying a strict cordon around that location, Sarah and Alton continue their journey on foot as Alton increasingly senses that the place is close by. Roy and Lucas provide the necessary distraction in the vehicle.

As Sarah and Alton enter a clearing, the young lad walks on ahead, leaving Mum behind looking on - knowing that this is probably the last time she will ever see her child. Standing motionless the ground begins to shake, and a huge explosion of light creates a dome that covers most of the southeastern corner of the United States. Meanwhile, the vehicle that Roy and Lucas are travelling is set upon by FBI armoured pursuit vehicles ultimately causing it to crash and flip end over end several times coming to rest on its roof. This occurs as the dome of light is seen by Roy, Lucas, those authorities in pursuit and the entire population of that south eastern corner of the US - together with what is contained within the dome of light, which hitherto had been known by Alton and communicated to his parents and Lucas the day before after watching the sunrise. Within minutes the dome vanishes, and so too has Alton.

I really enjoyed this film - it moves along at a good pace, the story is fresh and original, and it is hard to pigeon-hole this film into any one category. The performances are solid, grounded and believable; and it contains all the elements you want from a movie - emotion, thrills, suspense, spectacle, surprises in equal measure that are not overcooked or added in just for effect. Make the effort and seek out this film where you can - you'll be pleased you did.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

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

Having reported in the last couple of weeks the major movies to watch out for in the balance of 2016, I thought I would round things off in a similar vein with the animated films slated for release between now and the end the year. Always finding an audience of both young, and young at heart, it is worth watching out for these top twelve animated offerings coming your way soon, with six highlighted this week and the remaining six next week. Check the release dates nearer the time as dates may vary for a whole heap of reasons.

• 12th May - 'THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE' - from Sony Pictures Imageworks on a budget of US$80M, Directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly featuring the voices of Sean Penn, Danny McBride, Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader.
• 16th June - 'FINDING DORY' - from Pixar Animation, this follow up to 2003 hugely successful 'Finding Nemo' is Directed by Andrew Stanton again and stars the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton and Bill Hader.
• 23rd June - 'ICE AGE : COLLISION COURSE' - the fifth instalment in this successful franchise from Blue Sky Studios is Directed by Mike Thurmeier and stars our usual characters voiced by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez and Simon Pegg. The first four films made a combined US$2.8B off budgets totalling US$324M which is why the ice age keeps on keeping on.
• 28th July - 'RATCHET AND CLANK' - based on the video game series of the same name, this Sci-Fi action comedy origin film stars the voices of Sylvester Stallone, John Goodman, Paul Giamatti and Rosario Dawson and is brought to us by Sony Interactive Entertainment and the originators of the video game.
• 11th August - 'SAUSAGE PARTY' - definitely not for the kids, this is adult animated comedy Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and stars a huge voice cast that includes Seth Rogen, Kirsten Wiig, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek, Danny McBride and Bill Hader.
• 18th August - 'KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS' - this stop-motion animated fantasy film is set in ancient Japan, is Directed by Travis Knight and stars the voice talents of Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei and Rooney Mara.

And so what is happening in the week ahead at a cinema near you. Three news releases are happening that jump-start with a comedy bio-pic of a little known but perhaps fondly remembered Winter Olympic athlete who came from absolutely nowhere but achieved momentary greatness almost thirty years ago and won the hearts and minds of a nation. Then a close encounter of a new kind as father and son go on the run after discovering something very unusual and very special about the young lad that make him just about the hottest ticket in town. And to wrap things up a French foreign language offering about a famed socialite singer who couldn't really sing but she believed she could, when all around her kept up with the ruse . . . but at whose expense really I wonder. 

Aside from these three there is still plenty of great film fare still on general release that has been Reviewed and Previewed between these pages. When you have sat through your film of choice in the week ahead, share your views and opinions with our readership at Odeon Online in the Comments Box below this or any other Post - we'd love to hear from you. Meanwhile, enjoy this week films.

EDDIE THE EAGLE (Rated PG) - this true sports bio drama comedy story recounts the rise to infamy of one of England's great unsung Winter Olympic sports athletes, and is Directed by Dexter Fletcher and made for US$23M. Having had its worldwide premier at Sundance in late January, the film was released in the US in late February and in the UK in late March, and has so far grossed US$32M. Based on the story of one Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards who rose to fame during the 1988 Winter Olympics as Great Britain's first and only hope in Olympic Ski Jumping at the Calgary, Alberta Games of that year.

Here young lad Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) has dreams of becoming an Olympic Champion, but alas they are only dreams and he is unable, despite his best efforts, to turn this into anything approaching reality. As a young aspiring teenager he gives away his Summer Olympic dreams in favour of the Winter Olympics and in particularly ski jumping - a sport that Great Britain has not competed in for sixty years. After various setbacks and embarrassments at the hands of competing nations he is taken in by former ski jump champion Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) who nurtures his skills and his abilities to allow him, against the odds, to compete at the highest level. Being old enough to remember the real Eddie Edwards and those Calgary Olympics and the homecoming post-games that this new national hero received despite his failings, this will be an uplifting story of the true underdog with tenacity in the face of adversity, and a competitor whose belief in taking part was more important than winning, and who never gave up hope despite the set backs, the chides, and the abuse from his competitors and those even in his own team. A must watch for the sentimentalists and those wanting a feel good tale of courage and conviction.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (Rated M) - Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols, this Sci-Fi drama film was made for just US$18M and has a strong cast, a solid story and is already receiving much critical acclaim around the traps for its original premise, convincing performances, and its engaging entertainment factor. Telling the story of  Roy (Michael Shannon) and his eight year old son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) who are on the run from federal and local law enforcement officers and a religious cult after it is discovered that young Alton has special otherworldly powers. With so many hot on their heels, father and son must thwart those that are chasing them as they head towards a date and time of special significance that could change everything, for everyone. Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver and Sam Shepherd also star.

MARGUERITE (Rated M) - loosely inspired by the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, this French/Czech/Belgian Co-Production was Co-Written and Directed by Xavier Giannoli and is set in the 1920's and stars Catherine Frot as Marguerite Dumont a wealthy Paris socialite. She has an overwhelming passion for the opera and for singing, and believes that she has the voice of an angel, and sings often for her friends, even though she is not particularly good at it. Her friends, family and loved ones however, are either too timid or too embarrassed to tell her about her vocal skills, and in fact play along with her fantasy. But things start to take a very different turn when she decides to perform in public in front of a real audience. What does this mean for the would-be-diva who is tone-deaf and couldn't hit a note if her life depended on it - it can go only one of two ways! Not to be confused with the Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant film 'Florence Foster Jenkins' film as Directed by Stephen Frears due out later in 2016.

With three new movies out in the week ahead, and plenty more great cinematic content still out on general release, there is no excuse not to get yourself out to your local multiplex or local independent theatre for some movie goodness. I'll see you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-