OPERATION MINCEMEAT : Tuesday 17th May 2022.

I saw 'OPERATION MINCEMEAT' at my local multiplex earlier this week and this M Rated British WWII drama film is Directed by John Madden whose previous film making credits include 'Mrs. Brown' in 1997, 'Shakespeare in Love' in 1998, 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' in 2001, 'Proof' in 2005, 'The Debt' in 2010, and 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' in 2012 and its sequel 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' in 2015. This film is based on the book 'Operation Mincemeat : The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II' by Ben Macintyre. This is the second feature film about the operation, following the 1956 film 'The Man Who Never Was' based on Ewen Montagu's book of the same name. This film saw its World Premier screening at the British Film Festival in Australia in November 2021 before its release in the UK in mid-April, and in the US (on Netflix) and here in Australia from last week, has so far grossed US$10.5M and has garnered generally favourable reviews. 

In April 1943 the UK is deeply rooted in WWII. Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) remains in England while his wife Iris (Hattie Morahan) and their two children leave for the relative safety of the United States. Ewen is a Jewish lawyer who is fearful that if they remain and Germany gains the upper hand and invades England, then his family will be persecuted. He elects however, to stay when he is appointed to the Twenty Committee (a WWII counter espionage and deception organisation of the British Security Service). His trusted secretary and good friend of Iris, Hester Leggett (Penelope Wilton) sticks by him.

Meanwhile, Winston Churchill (Simon Russell Beale) has made a commitment to the United States that her Allies will invade Sicily by July of that year in order to push northward through Italy and onward into Europe. Sicily though is considered an obvious target and is likely to be heavily defended by the German united armed forces. Admiral John Godfrey (Jason Issacs) informs the Twenty Committee that Britain must trick Nazi Germany into believing the Allies will invade Greece and Sardinia. Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) proposes an operation from the Trout Memo (a document comparing deception of an enemy in wartime with fly fishing), which would involve a corpse carrying false secrets and washing ashore. Despite Godfrey's serious reservations, he gives Montagu and Cholmondeley permission to plan the operation with Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn).

The team set up an office under the name of Operation Mincemeat. As planning progresses Montagu and Cholmondeley finally obtain the body of a vagrant named Glyndwr Michael (Lorne MacFadyen), who died by suicidal poisoning. Bentley Purchase (Paul Ritter) was the physician who sourced the body of Michael, and helped preserve and prepare the corpse for the rouse. The team gives Michael the fake identity of Major William Martin, complete with a very detailed backstory, ID photos, and an engagement. A widowed secretary in the office, Jean Leslie (Kelly Macdonald), offers a photo of herself to serve as the fake fiancee under the name of Pam. Cholmondeley has a crush on Jean, but soon comes to realise that Montagu and Jean share a romantic connection which results in Cholmondeley becoming jealous and lashing out from time to time at Montagu.

Godfrey suspects that Montagu's younger brother, Ivor (Mark Gatiss), is in fact a Russian spy. He coerces Cholmondeley to spy on Montagu and, in return for which, Godfrey will locate and return the remains of Cholmondeley's brother, who was killed in action in Chittagong, Bengal. Cholmondeley reluctantly agrees.

A specialist MI5 driver is chosen to transport Montagu, Cholmondeley, and the corpse to the R.N. Submarine Base in Holy Loch, Scotland. The corpse is then loaded onto the submarine HMS Seraph. In the early hours of 30th April, the Seraph arrives in the Gulf of Cadiz and drops the corpse into the sea. It is later washed ashore and found by fishermen in Huelva, Spain. Operation Mincemeat attempt to get the fake documents to Madrid. The mission is however, hampered by bad luck, as the Spanish have resisted Nazi corruption better than anticipated. Captain David Ainsworth (Nicholas Rowe), the British naval attache in Madrid, meets with Colonel Cerruti of the Spanish Secret Police in one last attempt to land the papers in the hands of the Nazis. When Martin's personal items and the secret letters are eventually returned to London supposedly intact, a specialist at Q Branch figures out that the documents were indeed tampered with. This gives Montagu, Cholmondeley and the team hope that Germany retrieved the fake information.

Jean is ambushed in her own home at night and threatened by a man claiming to be a spy for an anti-Hitler plot within Germany. She tells him that Major Martin was traveling under an alias but the classified information was real. After he leaves, Jean informs Montagu and Cholmondeley. They come to believe that Colonel Alexis von Roenne (Nico Birnbaum), who controls intelligence in the Nazi High Command, sent the man to verify information so Von Roenne could undermine Hitler. However, they have no way of being completely sure. Montagu takes Jean to his home for protection much to Cholmondeley's chagrin, but shortly afterwards she accepts a job in Special Operations and leaves London.

On 10th July, the invasion of Sicily commences along the beach heads of the south-west and south. The news arrives that the Allied Forces suffered only limited casualties, the enemy is retreating, and the beaches have been held. They receive a message from Churchill soon afterwards saying 'Mincemeat swallowed. Rod, line and sinker'. 

Early the next morning, while sat outside on the steps beside the Duke of York Monument just off The Mall, Cholmondeley admits to Montagu that he received his brother's remains in return for spying on him. Feeling sympathetic and relieved that Operation Mincemeat was a success, Montagu offers to buy Cholmondeley a drink even though it's only 8:00 o'clock in the morning.

Before the end credits role, the closing epilogue states that Operation Mincemeat saved potentially thousands of lives, Montagu reunited with Iris after the war and remained happily married until his death in 1985, Jean married a soldier, Hester continued as Director of the Admiralty Secretarial Unit, and Cholmondeley remained with MI5 until 1952, later married, and traveled widely. Major William Martin's identity was revealed to be Glyndwr Michael in 1997 when an epitaph, with his real name, was added to Martin's headstone in Spain.

'Operation Mincemeat' is a solid enough WWII drama that moves along at a steady pace, has some stoic stiff upper lip performances from Firth, Macfadyen and Isaacs especially, and the production values setting the look and feel of early 1940's London is spot on. For a period piece centred firmly on espionage, intrigue, subterfuge and oneupmanship this films ticks all of those boxes, but is let down by the romantic triangle that Montagu, Cholmondeley and Jean Leslie find themselves in and from which no one comes out the victor. It is interesting to see all the early nods to James Bond as penned by Flynn's Ian Fleming, including Q Branch, M and a wrist watch with a built in buzz saw, and it was he who, after all, came up with the plan to stash a corpse full of 'top secret intelligence' to foil the Germans into thinking one thing while the Allies were doing something completely different - a stroke of genius that could have been lifted straight from one of his novels. Certainly worth the price of your cinema ticket, made all the more worthwhile knowing that this film is based on an extraordinary true story of deception and those unknown soldiers left at home to fight another kind of war from the shadows, but who nonetheless contributed to such a remarkable outcome to the war effort.

'Operation Mincemeat' 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 2nd March 2017.

The 89th annual Academy Awards were held on Sunday evening 26th February 2017 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California hosted for the first time by Television Personality Jimmy Kimmel. Awards were presented in 24 categories in front of a global audience of several hundred million viewers, with the who's who of film and television talent announcing the winners on the night including Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Halle Berry, Mark Rylance, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, Alicia Vikander, Javier Bardem, Amy Adams, Seth Rogen, Michael J. Fox, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, Samuel L. Jackson, Warren Beatty, and Faye Dunaway. The night was not without incident, which will go down in Oscar history, when the wrong Best Picture Winner was announced after the Producers of 'La La Land' were into their acceptance speeches and had to hand their golden statues to the Producers of 'Moonlight' as the rightful recipient of this most prestigious and coveted award. All that aside, the usual glitz and glamour was on show for all the world to see on this Hollywood Night of Nights, which yielded the following list of winners & grinners in the main categories:-

* Best Picture : 'Moonlight' (eventually!)
* Best Director : Damien Chazelle for 'La La Land'
* Best Animated Feature Film : 'Zootopia'.
* Best Foreign Language Film : 'The Salesman' (from Iran)
* Best Actor : Casey Affleck for 'Manchester by the Sea'
* Best Actress : Emma Stone for 'La La Land'
* Best Supporting Actor : Mahershala Ali for 'Moonlight'
* Best Supporting Actress : Viola Davis for 'Fences'
* Best Original Screenplay :  'Manchester by the Sea' by Kenneth Lonergan
* Best Adapted Screenplay : 'Moonlight' by Barry Jenkins
* Best Original Score : 'La La Land'
* Best Original Song : 'La La Land' - 'City of Stars'
* Best Visual Effects : 'The Jungle Book'.

All up 'La La Land' took out six Oscars out of the fourteen it was nominated for, with Best Cinematography and Best Production Design in addition to those four mentioned above; 'Moonlight' took out three; 'Manchester by the Sea' and 'Hacksaw Ridge' each took out two, with the latter picking up Best Editing and Best Sound Mixing gongs.

This week there are five new release films kicking off with an ageing ailing Superhero action offering that sees a popular mutant character bow out for the last time, together with his mentor, but he won't go down without a fight! Then we turn to an Australian period piece coming of age drama set in remote Western Australia and based on  much loved book; then a modern political intrigue thriller set in the corridors of power in Washington D.C.; followed by a WWII couple trying to turn the tide against Hitler's onslaught by writing postcards, and wrapping up with Groundhog Day revisited for this student who has a few things to work out.

Remember too that you are cordially invited to record your own relevant and constructive movie going thoughts and observations by leaving a Comment below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and meanwhile, enjoy your movie experience this week.

'LOGAN' (Rated MA15+) - Hugh Jackman has been playing the character of James 'Logan' Howlett aka 'Wolverine' aka 'Weapon X' for the past seventeen years and has appeared in nine 'X-Men' films including this latest release which he says will be his last outing as the titular wisecracking adamantium clawed Superhero. He first appeared in 2000's 'X-Men' and then in 2003's 'X2', then in 2006 in 'X-Men : The Last Stand'. In 2009 Logan got his first stand alone feature in 'X-Men Origins : Wolverine' and was Directed by Gavin Hood bringing in US$374M at the global Box Office. 'X-Men : First Class' followed in 2011, then 'The Wolverine' in 2013 another stand alone feature Directed by James Mangold and bringing in US$415M in worldwide receipts. 'X-Men : Days of Future Past' was released in 2014, and then 'X-Men : Apocalypse' in 2016. All up those first eight 'X-Men' films in which Wolverine/Logan has appeared have generated US$3.6B at the Box Office from a budget outlay of US$1.2B. Now 'Logan' is back in his final instalment (allegedly) and is once again Directed by James Mangold and this time on a US$127M budget in this third stand alone offering and the tenth film in the 'X-Men' franchise. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival a few weeks ago and gets its worldwide release this week. Early reports have been very positive, with some saying it is the best 'X-Men' film to date.

Set in a near future world where the mutant population is dwindling, with no new mutant births in over twenty years. With it Professor X's (Patrick Stewart) dreams of a brave new world featuring a new stage of mutant evolution have slowly died. Logan (Hugh Jackman) has settled into a life as a limo driver somewhere on the Mexican border and scrapes together a meagre living while hustling medication for an increasingly infirm and ageing Professor X whom he cares for in a ram shackle home shared with Caliban (Stephen Merchant) who looks after and attends to the ailing Professor whose telepathic powers have now become unstable with his advancing years. Logan too is ageing and his powers aren't what they used to be. Logan's efforts at lying low and trying to escape his legacy are thwarted with the sudden arrival of mystery woman Gabriella (Elizabeth Rodriguez) who seeks his help for Laura Kinney (Dafne Keen) a young eleven year old girl with powers very similar to Logan's own - after all, she is a female clone created from his blood. Dark forces are hot in pursuit of young Laura and so Logan is drawn back into the centre of the action as he seeks to protect the young girl despite his failing abilities. Richard E. Grant and Boyd Holbrook also star.

'JASPER JONES' (Rated M) - based on the 2009 book of the same name by author Craig Silvey, this Australian drama film was made for AU$5.5M, is Directed by Rachel Perkins, and stars a line up of fine Aussie acting talent. Set in the mid 1960's in a remote Western Australian mining town, Charlie Butkin (Levi Miller) a bookish early teenage lad is visited unexpectedly on Christmas evening by Jasper Jones (Aaron L. McGrath) - a mixed white/Aboriginal rebellious outcast in the community who pleads with Charlie for his help. Jasper leads Charlie to a clearing in the bush where hanging from a tree, very dead and battered is Jaspers girlfriend. With Jasper fully aware that he is likely to be blamed for the girls death, he plans a cover up with Charlie. What ensues over the following week is an investigation, finger pointing, speculation and suspicion that will consume the whole community. Meanwhile, Charlie's coming of age story involves him facing up to the tragedy of his family break-up, him meeting his first true love and what it means to be really courageous. Also starring Toni Collette, Hugo Weaving, Matt Nable, Angourie Rice and Dan Wyllie.

'MISS SLOANE' (Rated M) - this political thriller set in Washington D.C. is Directed by John Madden, cost US$13M to make, was released Stateside in late November last year and has received generally positive Reviews and garnered its lead actress, Jessica Chastain, a Golden Globe nomination. Set amidst the power play of political activists, Elizabeth Sloane (Chastain) is revered as a political lobbyist without equal, who always wins and is known for her cunning and her never say die attitude. However, when she is confronted by the most powerful political opponent of her career, she comes to realise that perhaps there is more to life than winning. Also starring John Lithgow, Mark Strong, Sam Waterston and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

'ALONE IN BERLIN' (Rated M) - this WWII fictionalised drama is based on the 1947 novel of the same name by Hans Fallada which is based on real life couple Otto and Elise Hempel, is Directed by Vincent Perez and Premiered at the February 2016 Berlin International Film Festival and began its staggered worldwide release in Germany in September last year, eventually arriving Down Under this week. Telling the story of Otto and Anna Quangel (Brendan Gleeson and Emma Thompson respectively) who upon learning of the death of their only son, begin their personal quest to undermine the Nazi's and Adolf Hitler. The couple start writing postcards with messages urging people to stand and protest against Hitler and his Nazi's, and then placing the cards in prominent places where they will attract the most attention. Police Inspector Escherich (Daniel Bruhl) is tasked with finding the originator of the postcards, and seeing that justice is served as only the Gestapo know how to serve it.

'BEFORE I FALL' (Rated M) - based on the 2010 book of the same name by Lauren Oliver, this drama film is Directed by Ry Russo-Young and surrounds Samantha Kingston (Zoey Deutsch), a high school senior student who on 12th February, discovers that she may be living the last day of her life over and over and over again, until she gets it right! Knowing that you only had one day left on this mortal coil, what would you do, where would you go, who would you see, what would you say. Amidst all of these questions and others, she must unfathom the mystery surrounding her death and discover the true meaning of everything she may yet lose over the course of one inexplicable week. The film has received generally positive Reviews.

That's it for this week! Five films to tempt you out to your local movie theatre with a comic book adaptation, three book adaptations and a work of fiction  Plenty of varied choice then, and remember to share your views with your like minded cinephiles. In the meantime, I'll see you somewhere, sometime at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 26th February 2015.

In Australia, this weekend marks the official last day of Summer, but I'm sure not the last day of sunshine, blue skies, warm days and plenty of good reasons to get outdoors! One very good reason to get out of course is to go see a new release movie, and this week we have three new films to tempt, tease and tantalise that movie dollar from out of your wallet! With the Oscar winners and grinners announced earlier this week too, there still remains plenty of great movies that featured in this years Academy Awards that are still on general or limited release giving you lots of reasons to see a new, or recently released, film. Whatever you decide, when you have seen your movie of choice share your thoughts with our other readers at Odeon Online and spread the word - good, bad or ugly!

This week then we have coming to a movie theatre near you a Big Apple period piece from the early 80's as crime in that town was hitting record highs, and one young entrepreneurial fellow sees an opportunity to make some big bucks, but, first he has to overcome some issues of his own as well as those crims circling overhead poised ready to go in for the kill! Then there is a second telling of a certain hotel in Jaipur, India for the elderly and beautiful that was a sleeper hit in 2012 and is now openings it's doors on a second property hoping to entice some new 'inmates', and, to wrap things up nice & sweetly, we have a sugar coated saccharine infused film about the dangers of the sweet sticky stuff on our health that we may not fully appreciate! Enjoy your film(s) in the week ahead!

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR (Rated MA15+) - Written, Produced and Directed by J. C. Chandor, who brought us the excellent 'All is Lost' last year, has this time turned his hand to 1981 New York - defined as one of the city's most violent and corrupt . . . ever! Made for a modest US$20M we are introduced to Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) the owner and hard working salesman of Standard Oil - a heating oil company that is doing well, but could be doing much better. Aside from a bitterly cold winter (which of course is great for business), Standard Oil has been plagued by the hijacking of several of its trucks leaving one driver badly beaten and wounded. Abel's wife Anna (Jessica Chastain) believes in fighting fire with fire but Abel is reluctant to resort to such means. While this is going on Abel's business is under scrutiny by the DA's Office and Assistant DA Lawrence (David Oyelowo) for suspicion of price fixing, tax evasion and various other alleged dodgy dealings.

Abel knows he needs to expand, grow and become master of his destiny and so hatches a plan to purchase a fuel oil terminal at a $2M+ price tag. Securing a bank loan, remortgaging the house and borrowing money from family, friends and business associates he finalises the deal and pays a substantial deposit. At the same time he moves into a new model home with wife and family, as competitor intimidation begins to ramp up against him, threats are made against his drivers and the DA get more suspicious as events continue to unfold all around him. All the while too unsavoury characters crawl out of the woodwork who want a slice of his action, or want to see him fail and Abel is jockeying his personal and family life, business affairs, the DA's Office, a criminal undercurrent and the need to raise the necessary funds to finalise his terminal deal before it all falls in a heap . . . and it's bloody cold outside! Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Supporting Role this film has so far picked up eight award wins and a further 32 nominations, and if gritty period Noo Yawk crime dramas are your thing then this is likely to please.

THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (Rated PG) - 2012's 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' was made for a mere US$10M and grossed US$138M so it was inevitable that a second outing would come our way one day . . . and that day has arrived, this week! Directed once again by John Madden, this film sees us eight months hence from where the first film finished and reunites Hotel owner and entrepreneur Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) with his former hotel guests and cast members Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Ronald Pickup and Celia Imrie who all remain resident at the hotel, carving out new lives in Jaipur and seemingly relatively content with their lot. The hotel though is at capacity with new arrivals due imminently - Guy & Lavina (Richard Gere and Tamsin Grieg) and limited space available. With his wedding also approaching Sonny has his eye on a second property that puts further demands on his already hectic life. How will all this play out intertwined with the exploits of the guests, a new hotel in the offing, family intervention and the new hotel co-manager and resident guest Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) - who seems to be the keeper of secrets amongst fellow guests, and possibly the Miss Fixit to ensure the course of true love runs smoothly and an emerging business runs proficiently! Check-in, and see for yourself!

THAT SUGAR FILM (Rated PG) - there will be similarities thrown around here with Morgan Spurlock's film of 2004 - 'Super Size Me' that involved surviving on a McDonald's diet for a whole month for breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper and everything in between. Here Aussie Actor come Director Damon Gameau chooses to go for sixty days on a high sugar diet but it must be stressed that there is no consumption of soft drinks, junk foods, or chocolate bars and sweet treats here. Instead the focus is very much on those foods that are freely available and deemed to be 'healthy'! Consuming the equivalent of 40 teaspoons of sugar a day (average for Australian's) everyday for two months Gameau here tells the story of how this physically and emotionally impacts his own body, but, this is also an exercise in education with expert contributions, informative advice, and insights into the challenges that the sugar industry has to deal with, and what to look out for on your supermarket shelves so that you really can choose healthy, and improve your diet. The film features cameo contributions from the likes of Stephen Fry, Brenton Thwaites, Isabel Lucas, Zoe Tuckwell Smith and Jessica Marais too. A film  for the whole family and something the kids should definitely see - it might make you think very differently about the sweet stuff!

That's it then for this week with three opposing films to choose from offering something sweet, something spicy and something sour to tickle your filmic taste buds. When you've had a taste - give us your thoughts on this weeks movie menu! Movies - see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-