What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 24th August 2023.

The 31st annual Chichester International Film Festival launched on Friday 4th August and runs through until Sunday 27th August. Chichester is a coastal city in the county of West Sussex in England, located about 90kms south of London. Founded in 1992 as the representation of the art of film at the Festival of Chichester, the Festival has grown to feature an outstanding variety of films and talks, including UK premieres and previews, retrospectives on the world’s best filmmakers, treasures from the archives, and an exciting array of special events such as filmmaker Q&A’s, open-air screenings and silent films accompanied by live music. 

The Opening Night Film this year was 'Asteroid City' by Wes Anderson, with the Closing Night Gala Film being 'Along Came Love' from France and Directed by Katell Quillevere in its UK Premiere screening, and is a sweeping melodrama, beginning in the aftermath of the World War II and unfolding over two decades, examining a mutually advantageous marriage of convenience that, against the odds, grows into real love.

Here is a brief run down of those films premiering at the Chichester International Film Festival this year :-

* 'Saleem' - from Jordan and Directed by Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha. This animated feature tells the story of when a young boys father is killed in an unspecified conflict, his mother and siblings leave their village for the city, where they lodge with cousins. Saleem, our hero, finds a map. UK Premiere.

* 'Finally Nearly Getting There' - from the UK and Directed by James Card. Two couples plan a car-share to attend a wedding. When one half of each couple drops out, the 'plus ones' make the long trip from Wales to East Sussex together. UK Premiere.

* 'Mysterious Ways' - from New Zealand and Directed by Paul Oremland. When a media storm threatens the marriage between a vicar and his Samoan boyfriend, something extraordinary happens. World Premiere.

* 'The Principal' - from France and Directed by Chad Chenouga. Middle school vice-principal Sabri Lahlali is prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure that his son, who is about to sit his leaving exams, will achieve the best possible academic record. But he has no idea just how far his plan will take him. UK Premiere.

* 'The Annoyed' - from Iran and Directed by Mehdi Fard Ghaderi. Three film directors battle against the odds as they try to realise their most difficult projects to date. UK Premiere.

* 'Golda' - from the UK and USA and Directed by Guy Nattiv. Focuses on the intensely dramatic and high-stakes responsibilities and decisions that Golda Meir (Helen Mirren), also known as the 'Iron Lady of Israel' faced during the Yom Kippur War. UK Premiere.

* 'Last Dance' - from Belgium and Switzerland and Directed by Delphine Lehericey. This comedy drama film sees Germain, a po-faced widower coping with the loss of his wife Lisa and the unwanted intrusion of his well-meaning loved ones. UK Premiere.

* 'The Nothingness Club' - from Portugal and Directed by Edgar Pera. A ‘Cinenigma’ is the apt description of his remarkable voyage into the mind and writings of Fernando Pessoa. UK Premiere.

* 'Afghanistan' - from the UK and Directed by James Glancy and Marty Stalker. Chronicling James Glancy, a British solder’s return to Afghanistan, just as US troops pulled out of the country amid a Taliban takeover. UK Premiere.

* 'Egon Schiele : Death and the Maiden' - from Austria and Luxembourg and Directed by Dieter Berner. Biopic of the controversial Viennese artist whose erotic expressionist paintings were inspired by his sister Gerti and, later, by the red-haired Wally - immortalised in ‘Death and the Maiden’. English Premiere.

* 'The Trouble With Jessica' - from the UK and Directed by Matt Winn. Sarah and Tom, a successful London professional couple, panic after their friend Jessica kills herself in their garden just as they are on the brink of selling the house for some urgently-needed cash. UK Premiere.

* 'Goliath' - from Kazakhstan and Russia and Directed by Adilkhan Yerzhanov. The Kazakh village of Karatas is terrorised by a criminal boss called Poshaev, a muscular no-neck thug. As the self-proclaimed ruler of his territory, surrounded by a group of armed, merciless killers tasked with punishing anyone who dares to question his unwritten laws, he is larger than life and as unpredictable as the weather conditions on the Kazakh steppe. UK Premiere.

* 'Alma and Oscar' - from Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic and Directed by Dieter Berner. Passionate love affairs between exceptional artists might only be brief, but they are remembered for much longer. That was certainly the case with the stormy romance between pianist and composer Alma Mahler and painter Oskar Kokoschka, some 110 years ago in Vienna. UK Premiere.

* 'The Moon People' - from Russia and Directed by Yuri Moroz. Renata, a high-flying Producer on Russian television, is beset by a crisis of conscience. UK Premiere.

* 'Tarrac' - from Ireland and Directed by Decland Recks. In this sporting underdog story naomhog racing is not widely known outside Ireland and even there, an all-women racing team, in this rowing boat made from wood, tar and canvas, is niche. UK Premiere.

* 'Under Spanish Skies' - from Germany and Directed by Nathan Buck. Leah, a newly bereaved and reclusive artist, invites lifelong friends to her remote farm in Andalucia. A weekend of revelation and fateful decision-making ensues. UK Premiere.

* 'And Then Come the Night Jars' - from the UK and Directed by Paul Robinson. A story of friendship and survival set against the backdrop of the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak. UK Premiere.

* 'Madeleine Collins' - from France and Switzerland and Directed by Antoine Barraud. Judith has a husband and two sons. She also has a lover and a daughter - and a second identity. Entangled in secrets and lies, her double life begins to shatter. English Premiere.

* 'Dracula the Messiah (Part 1)' - from the UK and Directed by Gregory Motton. In this quartet of films which together form an epic adaptation, four years in the making, of Bram Stoker's novel, the festival is screening the first part in its World Premiere. 

For the details of all the other feature films, documentaries, and the selected retrospective works of Cate Blanchett, Hugh Bonneville, Jean Luc Goddard and Lindsay Anderson plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://chichesterfilmfestival.co.uk/

This week then, there are five new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to home, and we kick off the week with an American biographical drama actioner based on the true story of a former government agent turned vigilante who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from sex traffickers. This is followed by an Aussie action thriller about four surfing sons who organise a tribute surfari to a small beach town for one of their fathers who was murdered thirty years earlier, but quickly come to realise that some road trips are to die for. Then we turn to an another Aussie thriller about a flawed everyman who commits a crime, and soon learns how far he is willing to go to save his child. Next up is a British biographical comedy film about a successful British van salesman who decides to open a bank that uses local money to fund local enterprises, but comes to realise that his plan is not quite as straightforward as he had hoped for. And closing out the week we have a Japanese animated feature that follows a 17-year-old lad who struggles to accomplish his late elder brother's dream of becoming a basketball star.

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

'SOUND OF FREEDOM' (Rated M) - is an American action film Co-Written and Directed by Alejandro Monteverde in his third feature film outing after 'Bella' in 2006 and 'Little Boy' in 2015, with the biographical film 'Cabrini' due out sometime in 2024. This film was released in early July this year, and became a sleeper hit having so far grossed US$178M against a US$15M production budget. It has generated mixed reviews from critics, while audience reception has been highly positive. 

In Calexico, California, Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel) is a Special Agent for the Homeland Security Investigations where he arrests people who possess and distribute child pornography. After rescuing a boy from ruthless child traffickers, he learns the boy's sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, (as part of Ballard's 'Operation Underground Railroad', an anti-sex trafficking organisation) putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death. Also starring Mira Sorvino as Katherine Ballard, Bill Camp and Scott Haze.

'SONS OF SUMMER' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian action thriller film is Directed by Clive Fleury whose previous feature film making offerings are his 1994 debut with 'Fatal Past', and then 'Big City Blues' in 1997. Here then, to mark the 30th anniversary of his father's death, Sean (Joe Davidson) takes his friends on a road trip to his surfer dad's favourite beach. But Sean's drug-dealing friend forces him to do one last favour - to steal a heroin shipment from a local mobster Frank (Temuera Morrison) - and the crime lord retaliates by kidnapping Sean's girlfriend Katie (Isabel Lucas) in an attempt to get his drugs back. Can Sean get back to town in time to save both her life, and his own?

'MERCY ROAD' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian thriller offering Co-Written and Directed by John Curran whose prior feature films take in his 1998 debut with 'Praise', followed by 'We Don't Live Here Anymore' in 2004, 'The Painted Veil' in 2006, 'Stone' in 2010, 'Tracks' in 2013 and 'Chappaquiddick' in 2017. Here, Tom (Luke Bracey) is racing against the clock to save his daughter. A mysterious caller, calling himself The Associate (Toby Jones), contacts Tom with the horrifying news that he has kidnapped Tom’s daughter. The ransom demanded by The Associate isn’t merely an object of value - it’s piece of his soul. A high-tension journey of redemption about a flawed everyman and the lengths he’s prepared to go to save his child, Also starring Susie Porter and Huw Higginson. 

'BANK OF DAVE' (Rated M) - this British biographical comedy film is Directed by Chris Foggin whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut in 2015 with 'Kids in Love' followed by 'Fisherman's Friends' in 2018 and 'This is Christmas' in 2022. This film is based on the real-life experiences of Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear), a successful English van salesman. It follows the story of the Burnley working class and self-made millionaire, who struggles to set up a community bank to help the town's local businesses to thrive. To do so, he must battle London's elite financial institutions and compete for the first banking licence in more than one hundred years. Also starring Hugh Bonneville, Joel Fry, Phoebe Dynevor, Angus Wright, Paul Kaye and Jo Hartley. The film film was released in the UK in mid-January this year by Netflix. 

'THE FIRST SLAM DUNK' (Rated PG) - is a Japanese animated sports film Written and Directed by Takehiko Inoue and based on his own 'Slam Dunk' manga series. The film won the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year, plus it also won the Best Animated Feature Film at the 27th annual Fantasia International Film Festival earlier this month, having so far grossed US$258M at the Box Office and becoming the fifth highest grossing anime film of all time. The film follows Ryota Miyagi (in English voiced by Paul Castro Jnr.), the point guard of Shohoku high-school's basketball team. He had a brother, Sota, who was three years older than him, and who inspired his love for basketball. Ryota and his teammates Hanamichi Sakuragi (Ben Balmaceda), Takenori Akagi (Aaron Goodson), Hisashi Mitsui (Jonah Scott), and Kaede Rukawa (Aleks Le) challenge the inter-high basketball champions, the Sannoh school. The achievements that each member has earned, the past that they carry and various thoughts collide violently on the court.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

CHAPPAQUIDDICK : Tuesday 15th May 2018.

'CHAPPAQUIDDICK' which I saw this week is an American drama film based on the real life events surrounding the 1969 Chappaquiddick Incident. Directed by John Curran whose most recent Directorial outing was the 2013 Robyn Davidson Western Australian adapted story 'Tracks' with Mia Wasikowska, he here Directs this account of the true story which is described as 'a single-vehicle car accident that occurred on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, on Friday, July 18, 1969. The late night accident was caused by Senator Ted Kennedy's negligence, and resulted in the death of his 28-year-old passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, who was trapped inside the vehicle'. Further it states that 'according to his testimony, Kennedy accidentally drove his car off the one-lane bridge and into a tidal channel. He swam free, left the scene, and did not report the accident to the police for ten hours; Kopechne died inside the fully submerged car. The next day, the car with Kopechne's body inside was recovered by a diver, minutes before Kennedy reported the accident to local authorities. Kennedy pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of a crash causing personal injury, and later received a two-month suspended jail sentence'. The film Premiered at TIFF last September, had its US release in early April, and went on general release in Australia last week, having so far grossed US$17M at the Box Office off the back of a US$14M Production Budget, and garnered generally positive Reviews along the way.

Through factual accounts, laid out in the inquest from the investigations in 1969, the film examines the mysterious events and subsequent fall out around the drowning of aspiring political strategist and Kennedy insider Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara) after Ted Kennedy (Jason Clarke) drove his car off the infamous Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick Island. It is July 18th 1969, coincidentally, just two days after the Apollo 11 took off for the Moon landing that saw Neil Armstrong step foot on the surface on 21st July.

The US Senator for Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy following a televised interview, calls his cousin (and his 'fixer') Joe Gargan (Ed Helms) to organise a number of hotel rooms on Martha's Vineyard for the affectionately named 'Bolier Room Girls' (a team of female staff members who worked in Senator Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 Presidential campaign, and who were now in turn loyal to Ted's campaign). Ted Kennedy drives by car and short ferry boat crossing to Chappaquiddick Island where he teams up with Joe and Attorney General Paul Markham (Jim Gaffigan) for a yacht race, in which he comes in ninth place due to a misguided tack. After the race he goes to a beach house with Joe, Paul, the Boiler Room Girls, one of whom is Mary Jo Kopechne, and various other friends and staffers for dinner and drinks.

Kennedy later leaves the party with Mary Jo driving a 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88. After a brief stop under the stars to chat about the legacy of the Kennedy clan and the expectations he must live up to, he attempted to cross the Dike Bridge (which did not have any safety railings at the time). Kennedy lost control of his vehicle on a blind bend approaching the bridge and crashed in to the Poucha Pond inlet, which was a tidal channel on Chappaquiddick Island. Kennedy escaped from the overturned vehicle, and, by his own account, dived below the surface several times, attempting without success to reach and rescue Kopechne. Ultimately, he swam to shore and left the scene, with Kopechne still trapped inside the vehicle gasping for air and unable to get out of the upturned vehicle.

Soaked through, he walks back to the beach house, and speaks in private with Joe and Paul, saying that his Presidential campaign has just ended. They drive to the scene of the accident and both dive in and try in vain to recover Mary Jo, but to no avail, with Kennedy looking on, distraught, from the bridge. Joe and Paul commandeer a row boat tied up nearby and ferry Kennedy across the water to nearby Edgartown insisting that he turn himself into the Police immediately. Instead, upon arrival back on the mainland, he heads to his hotel room, where he washes, suits up and calls his father Joe Kennedy Snr. (Bruce Dern) who is in very ill health and explains what just happened. Barely able to speak having suffered a stroke, Joe mutters one word down the phone to his son - 'alibi'! He wanders around making sure he is seen by another hotel guest at 2:20am and then retires to his room where he attempts to sleep. The next morning, the vehicle is discovered where it landed by a father and son out on an early morning fishing trip off the bridge. They alert the police straight away who arrive within minutes.

The local Chief of Police and the Fire Department recover Kopechne's body from the vehicle, and quickly discover that the car is registered to Ted Kennedy. Joe and Paul come to the realisation that Ted has not yet turned himself in, and further insist that he must do so. Agreeing, albeit somewhat reluctantly, Kennedy makes a call from a private pay phone where no one can listen in, or overhear, to mobilise his legal team and then he and Paul go to the Edgartown Police Department, and wait for the return of Police Chief Arena (John Fiore).

After reading a prepared statement to Chief Arena which he asks not be released to the already awaiting Press, Kennedy travels to the Kennedy Compound (a six acre waterfront property on Cape Cod along Nantucket Sound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts). There he meets with his wheelchair bound disabled father Joe who registers his disappointment with his son for bringing his family into disrepute.

Later Kennedy meets with his legal team headed up by Robert McNamara (Clancy Brown) who attempt to show Kennedy in a sympathetic light to gain national favour, despite some very questionable decisions by the Senator. Fortunately, the historic Moon landing is about to happen which is likely to deflect the national headlines away from the Chappaquiddick Incident buying the legal team much needed time to gather their thoughts and devise a PR plan to defuse the whole sorry matter.

Things however, soon backfire as a result of holes in Kennedy's written statement, it being leaked to the Press by an over zealous Police Chief, faux medical diagnosis, stating initially that Mary Jo was driving, and him choosing to wear a neck brace to Mary Jo's funeral in an attempt to retrieve some of his tarnished image - an act that he was much ridiculed for. Joe becomes increasingly frustrated and angered by Kennedy and his actions, believing that it lessens the death of Kopechne and has turned the whole issue into a circus. As Joe attempts to resign, Kennedy asks that he drafts his resignation speech which he intends to read out over a live national television broadcast later that night.

Finally, Joe can see that Kennedy is doing the right thing and agrees. The Kennedy's Presidential Advisor and speechwriter Ted Sorensen (Taylor Nichols) writes an apologetic speech for Kennedy concurrently, which the Senator decides to read over the television broadcast instead of Gargan's resignation speech. As the credits roll, we learn that a week following the incident, Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the accident and was given a suspended sentence of two months in jail, denying that he was driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and that there was any impropriety between he and Kopechne. We further learn that he did not run for President in 1972 or 1976, but did run in 1980 in which he was defeated. He would later go on to serve in the US Senate up until the time of death in 2009 having begun his political career in 1962.

This film leaves you exiting the movie theatre with more questions than it answered, but nonetheless it is an intriguing story than moves along at a sober pace as it explores the hours and days immediately following this tragedy, and the at times farcical manner in which Kennedy tries to deal with it. Jason Clarke's central role as the troubled, emotional, battling with his conflicted conscience Senator Kennedy as his political aspirations gradually implode, is first rate and a convincing nuanced performance. As this incident occurred 48 years ago now, I would doubt that anyone under the age of 35 at least would have a clue about Chappaquiddick and what happened on that fateful night in 1969, especially given the overshadowing Moon landing event. So in this respect this history lesson is one that deservedly needs to be told, even though there may be a sprinkling of Hollywood poetic license wrapped up in this cautionary tale of how the power of privilege and entitlement can so easily outweigh tragedy and loss. A little more of Mary Jo's back story would have served the film well, given that her untimely death is the reason, albeit a tragic one, for the whole unfortunate series of events, and whilst Kate Mara's screen time is well delivered, more would have been beneficial in fleshing out her history as a Boiler Room Girl perhaps. Worth seeing for sure, and not necessarily on the big screen, but for a slow burning based on a true event story of the much troubled yet highly regarded Kennedy family, on which much has been written, filmed and speculated over the years, you can't go far wrong with this solid well scripted, attention to detail, thought provoking offering.

This film merits three claps of the clapperboard, from a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 10th May 2018.

In April, the world bid a fond farewell to number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories.

*  Michael Anderson : Born 30th January 1920, died 25th April 2018, aged 98. Michael Joseph Anderson Snr. was an English Director most notably known for Directing the WWII real life drama 'The Dam Busters' in 1955, the classic 'Around the World in 80 Days' in 1956, and the Sci-Fi film 'Logan's Run' in 1976. His other films worthy of note included the 1956 version of the George Orwell classic '1984', 'The Quilter Memorandum', 'Orca', 'Millennium' and 'The New Adventures of Pinocchio' which was to be his last full length feature film in 1999. All up Anderson had 43 Directing credits to his name, twelve as Assistant Director, two Acting and two Producer credits also. He had three Award wins to his name and another nine nominations including the Best Director Academy Award and Golden Globe nods for 'Around the World in 80 Days', which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1957 as well a four other wins at that years Oscar's. At the time of his death, Anderson was the oldest living nominee for an Academy Award for Best Director, and the only surviving Director whose film won a Best Picture award in the 1950s.

* R. Lee Ermey : Born 24th March 1944, died 15th April 2018, aged 74. Ronald Lee Ermey was an American Actor, Voice Actor and a US Marine Corps Staff Sergeant and an honorary gunnery Sergeant. He joined the US Marine Corp in 1961, aged 17 training in San Diego, California before serving time in Okinawa, Japan and then in Vietnam in 1968/69 before being medically discharged in 1972. His first feature film break came in 1978 in the Vietnam War drama 'The Boys in Company C' playing a Marine drill instructor. This was followed up a year later with Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam epic 'Apocalypse Now' playing a chopper pilot as well as acting as a technical advisor given his experiences in country. The role for which he is perhaps best known was Stanley Kubrick's 1987 Vietnam opus 'Full Metal Jacket' as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman for which Ermey received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His other big screen appearances in films of note included 'Mississippi Burning', 'Toy Soldiers', 'Sommersby', 'Body Snatchers', 'On Deadly Ground', 'Murder in the First', 'Leaving Las Vegas', 'Se7en', 'Dead Man Walking', 'The Frighteners', 'The Salton Sea', 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2003 remake) and its 2006 prequel. Ermey also lent his voice talents to 'Starship Troopers', 'Toy Story', 'Toy Story 2' and 'Toy Story 3', 'X-Men : The Last Stand' and 'The Watch'. In the meantime there were television appearance on the likes of 'Miami Vice', 'The X-Files', 'The Simpsons', 'Family Guy', 'House', 'Law & Order : SVU' and 'Kung Fu Panda : Legends of Awesomeness', as well as numerous voice appearances on video games and television commercial endorsements. All up Ermey had 124 Acting credits to his name and he was the recipient of two award wins and another four nominations. He was a Board Member for the NRA (National Rifle Association) and Co-Founder of the Bravery Brewing Company.
* Verne Troyer : Born 1st January 1969, died 21st April 2018, aged 49. Verne Jay Troyer was an American Actor, Comedian and stuntman who's best known performance was as 'Mini-Me' in the 'Austin Powers : The Spy Who Shagged Me' second instalment in this film franchise and in the third film 'Austin Powers in Goldmember'. He garnered fame for his diminutive stature, measuring just 81cms (2 feet 8 inches) tall due to a rare genetic disorder known as cartilage-hair hypopiasia that clinically manifests itself as short limbed dwarfism. This condition made Troyer one of the world's shortest men. His big screen debut came in 1994 in 'Baby's Day Out' which was followed by regular work in the ensuing years in film and television including more notably, 'Jingle All The Way', 'Volcano', 'Men In Black', 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas', 'Mighty Joe Young', 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas', 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone', 'The Love Guru' and 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'. Troyer had accumulated 58 Acting credits throughout his career and had picked up two award wins and four nominations.

In the week ahead we have four new films to tease you out to your local Odeon, kicking off with the real life telling of a scandal that rocked a high ranking political figure, his acclaimed family and the Presidential system in the US in the late '60's/early '70's. We then turn to a dramedy of a mother of three young kids who is gifted a Nanny to help her sleep, rest, cope and gain back some semblance of life from the never ending demands of motherhood. This is followed up by a comedy of a recently divorced mother who goes back to College to complete her Degree having put her life on hold for the sake of her soon to be ex-husband and her College age daughter, only thing is, she ends up in the same school and in the same class as her daughter, and so begins a whole new life of rediscovery, adventure and antics. We then wrap up with a murder mystery whodunnit where the patriarch of the family is poisoned in his bed and the immediate family are all prime suspects playing out in the great tradition of that acclaimed British female mystery crime writer who has had plenty of her works committed to the big and small screen.

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

'CHAPPAQUIDDICK' (Rated M) - this American drama film based on the real life events surrounding the 1969 Chappaquiddick Incident is Directed by John Curran whose most recent Directorial outing was the 2013 Robyn Davidson Western Australian adapted story 'Tracks' with Mia Wasikowska. Now, he Directs this account of the story which is described as 'a single-vehicle car accident that occurred on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, on Friday, July 18, 1969. The late night accident was caused by Senator Ted Kennedy's negligence, and resulted in the death of his 28-year-old passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, who was trapped inside the vehicle'. Further it states that 'according to his testimony, Kennedy accidentally drove his car off the one-lane bridge and into a tidal channel. He swam free, left the scene, and did not report the accident to the police for ten hours; Kopechne died inside the fully submerged car. The next day, the car with Kopechne's body inside was recovered by a diver, minutes before Kennedy reported the accident to local authorities. Kennedy pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of a crash causing personal injury, and later received a two-month suspended jail sentence'. The film Premiered at TIFF last September, had its US release in early April, and goes on general release in Australia this week, having so far grossed US$17M at the Box Office and garnered generally positive Reviews along the way.

Through factual accounts, laid out in the inquest from the investigations in 1969, the film examines the mysterious events and subsequent fall out around the drowning of aspiring political strategist and Kennedy insider Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara) after Ted Kennedy (Jason Clarke) drove his car off the infamous Dike Bridge on Chappaquiddick Island. The incident ultimately changed the course of presidential history, intimately exposing the long arm of political influence and power held by one of America's most celebrated families, and the vulnerability (and political implosion) of Ted Kennedy, the youngest son, in the shadow of his family's troubled and famed legacy. These events more than likely contributed to Ted Kennedy's decision not to run for President in the 1972 and 1976 campaigns. The film also stars Clancy Brown, Bruce Dern, Ed Helms and Olivia Thirlby.

'TULLY' (Rated M) - this American drama comedy offering is Directed by Jason Reitman whose previous Directing credits include 'Juno', 'Up in the Air' and 'Thank-you for Smoking' amongst others, and is Written by Diablo Cody whose previous Writing credits include 'Juno', 'Young Adult' and 'Ricky and the Flash' also amongst others. The film Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January this year, went on general release in the US last week, and here in Australia this week. This film tells the story of the mother of three young kids Marlo (Charlize Theron, who it is reported gained nearly 23 kilos for her role over a period of about fifteen weeks, and ate around the clock to keep the weight on. It took her a year and a half to take the weight off once filming concluded), who is gifted a nighttime Nanny by her brother, to help her sleep and cope with the trials and tribulations of raising a demanding young family that includes a new born. Reluctant to take advantage at first, Marlo soon gives in and forms a unique relationship with the thoughtful, caring and at times challenging young Nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis). The film also stars Mark Duplass as Craig (Marlo's brother) and Ron Livingstone as Drew (Marlo's husband).

'LIFE OF THE PARTY' (Rated M) - here we have an American comedy film Co-Written and Co-Produced by the real life married couple of Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy and Directed by Ben Falcone in his third Directorial outing with his wife after 2014's 'Tammy' and 2016's 'The Boss'. The story here surrounds long time dedicated wife Deanna (Melissa McCarthy) who is suddenly and abruptly dumped by her husband Dan (Matt Walsh), seeking a divorce. Whilst Deanna has no regrets about bringing up her daughter Maddie (Molly Gordon) and being a stay at home Mum, she does regret never finishing her Degree. So, Deanna decides to go back to College, and plunges headlong into the same school and same class as her daughter, who remains totally unconvinced that this is a good idea. Needless to say new adventures and new experiences await as Deanna gets reacquainted with all the fun, freedom, frolics and frat boys that College life can muster. Sounds like a hoot! Also starring Gillian Jacobs, Maya Rudolph, Jacki Weaver and Julie Bowen. Released in the US, UK and Australia this week.

'CROOKED HOUSE' (Rated PG) - Agatha Christie seems to be back in vogue right now, with this big screen adaptation of her 1949 novel of the same name, following on from Ken Branagh's reworking of 'Murder on the Orient Express' late last year and his reported re-adaptation of 'Death on the Nile'. This British murder mystery is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Frenchman Gilles Paquet-Brenner. In this detective story, former Foreign Office diplomat Charles Hayward (Max Irons) has returned from Cairo to London to become a private detective. When Aristide Leonides (Gino Picciano), a wealthy and ruthless business tycoon, is poisoned in his own bed, Detective Hayward is invited to solve the crime by his former lover and before the Scotland Yard Detectives arrive on the scene and potentially expose hidden and dark family secrets. As the investigation deepens he must confront the shocking realisation that one of the key suspects is Aristede's beautiful granddaughter, his employer and former lover; and must remain focused and alert to navigate the sultry Sophia de Havilland (Stefani Martini) and the rest of her hostile family. Also starring Glenn Close, Gillian Anderson, Julian Sands, Terence Stamp and Christina Hendricks.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-