THE DUKE : Monday 2nd May 2022.

I saw the M Rated British comedy drama film 'THE DUKE' earlier this week, which is Directed by the late Roger Michell who died in late September last year, and whose previous film making credits took in 'Notting Hill' in 1999, 'Changing Lanes' in 2002, 'Venus' in 2006, 'Hyde Park on Hudson' in 2012, 'Le Week-end' in 2013, 'My Cousin Rachel' in 2017, 'Blackbird' in 2019 and the recently released documentary on the life of Queen Elizabeth II 'Elizabeth : A Portrait in Part(s)'. The film saw its World Premier screening at the September 2020 Venice Film Festival and was originally slated for an early November 2020 release in the UK before being pulled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It was then scheduled to an early September 2021 release before being pushed back again to a late February date in 2022 in the UK and a 31st March date here in Australia. It has so far taken US$11M at the Box Office and garnered positive critical acclaim. 

The film opens up with Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent) standing in the dock in an Old Bailey courtroom accused of stealing the famed portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya, and its frame from London's National Gallery in 1961. He pleads not guilty. We then back track six months to the spring of 1961 and from his home in Newcastle upon Tyne Kempton sends a script for a play he has written to the BBC. Following this the Television licensing authorities knock on Kempton's door demanding to see his TV license. Kempton responds saying that he has removed the tube from the back of the TV set which transmits the BBC signal, and as he is unable to watch the BBC he does not need a license. Although he can afford a TV license, he refuses to do so as part of his campaign against old age pensioners having to pay for it, which is all part of his wider strong socialist beliefs about supporting the common man.

He is then jailed for thirteen days in Durham, and upon his release he is collected by his son Jackie (Fionn Whitehead). On their way home they make a detour to visit the grave of Marion, Jackie's sister, who was killed in a bicycle accident aged only eighteen. Kempton's wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren) works as a housekeeper and babysitter for a local councillor and his wife (Anna Maxwell Martin), Jackie aims to become a boat builder and move away to California, or New Zealand or Australia, and his elder brother Kenny (Jack Bandeira) lives in Leeds, working in construction but also involved in petty crime. Kempton himself is sacked from his job as a taxi driver for being over-talkative to passengers and for giving a free ride to an impoverished disabled WWI veteran. Dorothy is sick and tired of her husbands relentless campaigning and crusades for the common man, but she reluctantly allows his to make one last trip down to London for two days to drum up press and parliamentary attention for his campaign and BBC interest in his scripts, on the condition that if he does not get that attention he will give up writing and campaigning and get a real job.

Next up we see an unseen man climbing up a ladder and entering the National Gallery via a toilet block. He sneaks around the dimly lit corridors in the dead of night, and promptly removes the painting of the Duke of Wellington. When Kempton returns from London to his home, he is seen bending over the portrait saying 'it's not very good, is it?' to Jackie. He and Jackie then make a false back to the wardrobe in which to hide the portrait from Dorothy and Kenny. Kempton then sends a number of ransom notes to the government, proclaiming that he'll return the painting on the condition that the elderly be exempted from paying for a TV licence. 

Kenny and his separated lover Pammy (Charlotte Spencer) come to visit his parents and she notices the painting in the wardrobe after snooping around. She reveals this to Kempton in private and threatens to blackmail him unless she gets half of the £5,000 reward on offer. Panicked, Kempton goes home and begins to wrap up the painting in brown paper when in walks Dorothy to the room. She is perplexed and angry at Kempton for stealing the portrait and lying to her and orders him out of the house. Kempton then walks into the National Gallery in the middle of the day and returns the painting to the nearest security guard and confesses to the theft.

The case against Kempton seems destined to go against him, but his barrister Jeremy Hutchinson (Matthew Goode) defends him on the basis that he did not intend to deprive the National Gallery of it permanently, but instead simply 'borrowed' it to further his campaign, an impression Kempton backs up by a verbose testimony under cross-examination by Hutchinson at the end of the trial, and which causes much hilarity amongst the jurists, the other barristers in attendance and the members of the public gathered in the gallery up above looking on.

During the early stages of the trial, which is widely reported on the TV news, Jackie confesses to his mother that it had in fact been him who stole it for his father to use in his campaign, with his father covering up for him and taking the blame. Soon afterwards the jury acquits Kempton of all charges except the theft of the £80 picture frame, which Jackie had removed from the painting at his London lodgings, placed under his bed, forgot about it and then subsequently lost. After his three-month sentence, Dorothy is waiting for Kempton outside the gates of Durham Prison. He and Dorothy forgive each other over how they had mishandled their grief at Marion's death, after she read his draft of a play he had written titled 'Girl on a Bicycle'. 

Four years later Jackie admits his guilt to the Police, but the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Joe Simpson (Charles Edwards) and the Director of Public Prosecutions fear that a new trial could lead to Kempton being called as a witness and again becoming an embarrassing case of widespread public interest. They therefore agree that if Jackie does not go public they will not prosecute. Jackie elated by this news, on the spot proposes to his long term girlfriend Irene (Aimee Kelly) who accepts instantly. 

Before the end credits roll, text states that the frame was never recovered, that no plays by Bunton were ever produced, and that in 2000 TV licences were made free to those over 75 years of age.

In his final feature film outing here Director Roger Michell has crafted a fine retelling of the only art theft in the National Gallery's history that is underpinned by exemplary performances by its two lead Actors - Broadbent and Mirren. Make no mistake this is a typically British story that only the Brits can make and that Hollywood has long since forgotten how to make. It's a tale of the little man rising up against a society that would otherwise crush him, of racial prejudice, of social inequality, of marital woes, of lies and deceit, but one that offers up hope, redemption and forgiveness. It's a feel good family movie, a real crowd pleaser and a throw back to the Ealing comedies of yesteryear, and there ain't nothing wrong with that!

'The Duke' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE LEGEND OF TARZAN : Friday 8th July 2016.

'THE LEGEND OF TARZAN' which I saw on Friday sees a tree swinging, loin cloth wearing, jungle dwelling raised by apes hero who turned 100 years old in 2012 - having first emerged as the subject of a novel 'Tarzan of the Apes' immortalised by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912. The first full length feature film appeared in 1918 with 51 subsequent live action and animated films since then right up to 2005. Perhaps the most memorable and loved Tarzan was played by Johnny Weissmuller - a record breaking swimmer and winner of five Olympic Gold medals at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics in Paris and Amsterdam respectively. His first film 'Tarzan the Ape Man' was released in 1932 and all up he made twelve appearances as the jungle hero. Buster Crabbe, another Olympic Swimmer of the 1928 and 1932 Olympics appeared in 1933's 'Tarzan the Fearless' with Lex Barker starring in five films and Gordon Scott in six. By the 1970's Tarzan had largely had his time, albeit John Derrick's 'Tarzan the Ape Man' in 1981 with Miles O'Keefe; 'Greystoke : The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes' in 1984 with Christopher Lambert; 'Tarzan in Manhattan' and 'Tarzan Returns' in 1987 and 1996 both with Joe Lara, and then 'Tarzan and the Lost City' with Casper Van Dien in 1998 saw the last of the live action offerings on the big screen. There have been four animated features since then - three from Disney Studios and as recently as 2005 with Warner Bros. releasing a short-lived television series in 2003 with Travis Fimmel in the title role. Tarzan has a rich and colourful history taking in a multitude of films, television series, radio shows, theatre productions, novels, comic books, video games and action figures. And, there is a San Fernando Valley neighbourhood named 'Tarzana' established around a former ranch previously owned by the characters creator.

With the history lesson over how will this latest live action offering go in an era of Marvel dominated Superheroes, hi-technology, advanced gadgetry and otherworldly enemies when our hero is not super but just a mere mortal dependant upon his brute strength, animal instincts and the laws of the jungle, and, lives in the late 19th Century? Directed by David Yates (he of the last four 'Harry Potter' films and the upcoming 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' and made for US$180M the film has so far recovered US$136M, and stars a well known principle cast, with Alexander Skarsgard as our planet of the apes man John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke (aka Tarzan) whom we meet initially in company with the British Prime Minister (Jim Broadbent) at 10, Downing Street. Also in the room are the PM's aides, advisors and members of his Cabinet and a George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), an American Envoy. The discussion surrounds the recent Berlin Conference, and how the African Congo has been split up between Belgium and the United Kingdom. As a result Lord Greystoke has been invited by King Leopold II of Belgium to visit Boma, and report back on Belgium's development of the country and infrastructure.

Greystoke turns down the invitation, but Williams is insistent and knows that he is the legendary Tarzan and he should return to investigate claims of rumours that the Belgians are enslaving the locals to build rail road tracks, bridges, forts and infrastructure. Having done so King Leopold has gone very heavily into debt, and so he sends his own Envoy out to the Congo, Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz) to pillage the land of all its mineral wealth, but most notably the fabled diamonds of Opar, which when in his possession will make him the worlds wealthiest monarch.

As Rom and his small army approach Opar they are attacked and overcome by Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou), leaving all dead, except for Rom, who strikes up a deal with the Chief in exchange for his life and all the diamonds he can carry. That deal is to bring Tarzan to the Chief, for the Chief wants Tarzan dead for killing his only son years before, although the son killed Tarzan's ape mother. Greystoke doesn't know what he is walking into as he reluctantly agrees to go on a fact finding and observation mission accompanied by Williams and Jane, his wife (Margot Robbie).

And so, we join Greystoke, Jane and Williams on foot traipsing through the wide sweeping lands of the African Congo plains, where they settle with a tribe formally known to Tarzan and Jane and they are greeted with much celebration for their homecoming. However, Rom has tracked them down and early one morning he and his men ambush the village, burning down the huts, killing the tribal Chief and taking Greystoke and Jane prisoner, although their plans are thwarted somewhat by Williams and his deft touch with a hunting rifle. As a consequence, Tarzan escapes but Jane is taken captive by Rom and they disappear after a fierce gun fight down river on a paddle steamer.

And so the search is on now for Jane. With Williams and a few trusted tribesmen in tow, Tarzan makes across the jungle on foot to intercept a train that will get them fast to where the paddle steamer carrying a captive Jane is believed to be travelling to. The train is of Belgian origin carrying a compartment load of soldiers and  two trailer loads of slaves. Dispensing with the soldiers single handedly, Tarzan learns from an engineer of Rom's plan to bring 20,000 mercenaries into the Congo four days from now and currently en route to Boma via a fleet of ships. The slaves have been used to build forts located strategically along a newly constructed railway line, that will accommodate the newly amassed army from which they will rape and pillage the Congo of all its mineral wealth, led by Rom.

Along the way though Tarzan and Williams encounter several challenges as they follow their path to free Jane and thwart Rom's dastardly plan. This includes a fierce battle with Akut - his ape brother whom Tarzan grew up with, but now considers him a deserter and as the leader now of the apes must be fought with. Akut wins the fight but allows Tarzan to live - and having proven his point he retreats back into the jungle with his family, allowing Tarzan and Williams to continue their journey, albeit Tarzan is badly battered and bruised.

Continuing his journey into Opar, Tarzan is greeted by Chief Mbonga and his tribe, and the two fight in hand to hand combat with Tarzan overcoming his adversary, and about to slit his throat when halted from doing so by Williams, who makes Tarzan see sense. Rom by now is in possession of a chest full of diamonds and Jane, having recaptured her after a failed escape plan, and are returning to Boma. Back at Opar, Tarzan's ape family arrive with Akut to keep Mbonga's tribe at bay, so that he and Williams can make haste to Boma, before the fleet of mercenary ships arrives, Rom pays off his country's debts with the diamonds, and rescue Jane.

Tarzan summons the might of a wildebeest herd to stampede through Boma which they do with devastating effect, so creating enough of a distraction that he can rescue Jane. With the fleet approaching the harbour, Rom sets out to greet them on his paddle steamer and hand over the diamonds. With Williams on port side with a conveniently located machine gun and a full magazine, he fires repeatedly at the paddle steamer, eventually sinking it, but not before Tarzan has got to the engines boiler tank and manipulated the pressure valve. With Jane safe on dry land, left behind by Rom, a fight breaks out on the deck of the now rapidly sinking paddle steamer between Tarzan and Rom, with one of them succumbing to a gruesome watery grave . . . no guessing who that might be, before they paddle steamer explodes in a ball of fire.

In the final analysis this is a watchable film and worth seeing on the big screen for all the sweeping vistas, jungle scenery, vine swinging, and CGI animal life (close encounters with apes, elephants, tigers, hippos and wildebeest most notably). Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz and Margot Robbie all perform well and really carry this film, but I felt short changed by Alexander Skarsgard who has the perfectly chiseled physique for a 21st century Actor playing a 19th century loin cloth wearing hero but he lacks any personality, humour, emotion or redeeming features that make you want to like him. When he's swinging through the trees, talking to the animals and strutting his funky Tarzan stuff then all well & good, but outside of these occasions - there ain't much there! That said David Yates has done a reasonably good, if predictable, job at bringing us the first live action Tarzan adventure this millennium, and has done his best to keep Edgar Rice Burroughs 104 year old character alive . . . but is it enough to warrant a sequel? Only you can decide that fate!


-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 11th December 2014.

After last weeks mega haul of new releases, comes a more limited offering of just three new films to satisfy our hunger for new exciting cinema content. With the start of Summer in Australia taking on a decidedly tropical feel in Sydney with hot spells interspersed with all to predictable torrential downfalls, cold snaps and high humidity, you can rest assured that solace and relief can easily be found at your local picture house.

To tempt us therefore we have a cuddly retelling of an all too familiar furry friend with a penchant for marmalade and mayhem; we have a French foreign language film about an empty nest couple battling the hum-drum life in Normandy when an invitation to Paris reveals more adventure than bargained for; and finally a Hollywood comedic sequel about corporate life, managers you would rather do without and what happens when you try to go it alone against the big boys!

And so family, foreign and farcical is what we have on offer this week, and when you've seen your chosen film drop me a line at Odeon Online in the Comments Box at the end of this Post, or an one for that matter, and share your own Review with our growing and valued readership at Odeon Online. Enjoy your film!

PADDINGTON (Rated G) - now at 56 years of age it's probably about time that Paddington Bear got the big screen makeover, since being released on an unsuspecting world in 1958 thanks to Author and story teller Michael Bond. With over 30 million books sold, three different television series, and even a stage show under his trademark blue duffle coat, Paddington Bear, having arrived from Peru now gets the big screen treatment, and from what I have researched he can be very proud. Directed by Paul King, this live action film stars a CGI Paddington Bear that is beautifully rendered in his slightly more bear-like appearance than you may recall, and voiced by Ben Whishaw, with some big names adding gravitas to the cast list.

Lured by images of Britain, Paddington Bear arrives in London - the city of his dreams, only to discover quickly that perhaps it is not all that he had imagined. With a tag around his neck proclaiming 'Please look after this Bear. Thank-you' he is taken in by the kindly Brown family (Hugh Bonneville as Mr., Sally Hawkins as Mrs., and Madeline Harris as daughter Judy, and Samuel Joslin as son Jonathan) who offer him somewhere to stay temporarily. Because the Brown's found him at London's Paddington Station, they call him 'Paddington' and so a story begins that gets Paddington into all sorts of comedic situations, pratfalls, danger and needless to say mayhem. Things are going relatively well for Paddington until he is discovered by museum taxidermist Millicent (a sinister Nicole Kidman, channelling Cruella DeVille maybe) and from there the chase is on from those who want to stuff him and put him on display; those he has ostracised so far; and those who are not quite what they seem. Starring the voice talents too of Michael Gambon and Imelda Staunton (as Paddington's Peruvian Aunt & Uncle), and Peter Capaldi, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Matt Lucas and Geoffrey Palmer this looks as though it is sure to please children . . . of all ages!

HORRIBLE BOSSES 2 (Rated MA15+) - you would have to ask yourself why, oh why, roll out another one of these that is sure to go the same way as 'The Hangover' 2, and 3 for that matter, but, having made US$210M off a US$35M budget in its first instalment, this sequel is hardly surprising.  This time with a US$42M budget we have the same bunch of corporate middle managers who all hate their boss and decide to go it alone with their own company and their own new to market invention - a soap dispensing shower head called 'The Soap Buddy'. When it goes belly up for them at the hands of a double-crossing investor they take the law into their own hands and misguided misadventure and mishaps are soon to follow! Starring Jason Bateman, Jason Sudekis, Charlie Day, Chris Pine, Christophe Waltz, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston and Directed by Sean Anders, this has big ticket names assigned to it, but is it enough to clean up . . . even with The Soap Buddy?

FOLIES BERGERE (Rated M) - Directed by Marc Fitoussi this French language subtitled film tells the story of Brigitte (Isabelle Huppert) and Xavier (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) - a husband and wife team cattle farming in rural Normandy. They are empty nesters whose children are grown and have moved on from the family home. Normalcy, routine and predictability have set in to their lives, and so when Brigitte accepts an invitation to a party in Paris with friends she accepts, only to find a younger suitor in tow, Stan (Pio Marmai) and then later a charming older gentleman Jesper (Michael Nyquist) also showing interest. Wanting more from life Brigitte gets more than she bargained for as things don't go quite according to plan.

Three to choose from, something for everyone, and if you can't find something that grabs you this week, check out all the other great movies still showing at your local picture house as Previewed/Reviewed at Odeon Online previously. Enjoy your film(s) and let the world know what you think . . . right here in the Comments Box below!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-