What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 28th July 2022.

The 75th Locarno Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday 3rd August and run through until Saturday 13th August. The official website reads 'over the course of its 75-year history, the Locarno Film Festival has become one of the most important film events in the world, in one of the most charming locations. Situated between the lake and the mountains, every summer the entire Swiss-Italian city, in the heart of Europe, turns into the capital of international cinema, bringing the most innovative visions to the screen. It’s eleven days of stars, new talents, professionals and, most importantly, the audience'. The Opening Night film sees the World Premier of the Brad Pitt starring 'Bullet Train' and Directed by David Leitch.

With eleven sections, three competitions and twenty awards, quality and variety are key. This is the framework of a Festival that explores cinema from every perspective, to discover in the present the filmmakers and films destined to have a future. 

The main competition is 'The Concorso Internazionale which features works shown primarily as World Premieres, coming from all over the world and competing for the prestigious Pardo d’oro. Showcasing established auteurs alongside the pleasure of discovery, storytelling and innovation, the Concorso Internazionale is an open, inclusive place, which aims to imagine the new territories of cinematic art. This is where the best forms of contemporary cinema converge, in keeping with the history and tradition of the Locarno Film Festival'. Those films in this competitive strand are :

* 'Declaration' from India and Directed, Written, Co-Produced and Co-Edited by Mahesh Narayanan. Hareesh and Reshmi are an immigrant couple from Kerala working in a medical gloves factory near Delhi. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, when an old video resurfaces among the factory workers, it opens up a Pandora’s box that threatens the couple’s jobs and marriage.

* 'Sermon to the Fish' from Azerbaijan, Mexico, Switzerland and Turkey and Directed, Written, Co-Produced, Edited and lensed by Hilal Baydarov. Davud returns from war to find everyone in his village has succumbed to a strange illness and has decomposed. His sister, the only survivor, is slowly rotting away herself. He confronts the only true question, is surviving the same as living?

* 'Saturn Bowling' from France and Belgium and Directed and Co-Written by Patricia Mazuy. When their father dies, the ambitious police officer Guillaume offers the management of the bowling alley he inherited to his outcast half-brother Armand. The inheritance is cursed, and the two men wind up in a world of violence.

* 'At Night All Cats Are Gray' from Switzerland and Directed and Co-Produced by Valentin Merz. A crew is shooting a libertine costume film in the countryside when Valentin, the Director, suddenly disappears. While the local police investigate, the filming continues but takes an odd turn.

* 'The Adventures of Gigi the Law' from Italy, France and Belgium and Written and Directed by Alessandro Comodin. Gigi is a rural traffic officer where nothing ever happens. One day however, a young girl throws herself under a train. This is not the first time. Facing this unexplainable suicide wave, Gigi starts investigating a strange world, between reality and fantasy.

* 'Tales of the Purple House' from Lebanon, Iraq and France and Written, Directed, Co-Produced, Edited, lensed and sound recording and mixing by Abbas Fahdel. From their ’Purple House’ in the South of Lebanon, French-Iraqi Director Abbas Fahdel and his Lebanese wife, start exploring a multifaceted country that seems to be on the edge of the abyss. Guided only by their perspective, each of them tries, through their art, to grasp the beauty and hardships of a generous country that struggles to feed its children.

* 'Human Flowers of Flesh' from Germany and France and Written, Directed, Edited and lensed by Helena Wittmann. Ida lives on a ship with a crew of five men. In Marseille her attention is caught by the secretive male world of the French Foreign Legion and she decides to follow its traces across the Mediterranean.

* 'Il Pataffio' from Italy and Belgium and Written and Directed by Francesco Lagi. An unlikely group of soldiers and courtiers led by Marcount Berlocchio and his new bride Bernarda take possession of a distant fief. But their castle is a decrepit dump and their villagers aren’t willing to be ruled.

* 'Matter Out of Place' from Austria and Directed, Co-Produced and lensed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter. This is a film about waste in remote areas and about people who are trying to clean up.

* 'Tommy Guns' from Portugal, France and Angola and Directed and Co-Edited by Carlos Conceicao. In 1974, the Portuguese and their descendants fled Angola where nationalist groups gradually claimed their territory back. A tribal girl discovers love and death when her path crosses that of a Portuguese soldier.

* 'Piaffe' from Germany and Co-Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Ann Oren. When her sibling Zara suffers a nervous breakdown, the introvert Eva is forced to take on Zara’s job as a Foley artist. She struggles to create sounds for a commercial featuring a horse, and then a horsetail starts growing out of her body.

* 'Rule 34' from Brazil and France and Co-Written, Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Edited by Julia Murat. Simone is a young law student who finds a passion for defending women in abuse cases. Yet her own sexual interests lead her to a world of violence and eroticism.

* 'Serviam - I Will Serve' from Austria and Co-Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Ruth Mader. An all-girl Catholic boarding school for the wealthy Austrian elite. Faith is declining. The head of the institution, an energetic young nun, fights with ardor against it.

* 'Fairytale' from Belgium and Russia and Written and Directed by Alexander Sokurov. Once upon a time there were two vagabonds... no... three... No, it’s four... But there were others, many different ones... I knew them. For a long time. But with them I felt cramped. Then something happened and they disappeared.

* 'Stella in Love' from France and Co-Written and Directed by Sylvie Verheyde. For Stella, it’s her final year. But she doesn’t care about it! That year, she discovers the famous Parisian '80's club, the Bains Douches, and its crazy nights. Her friends are just studying, her father has left with another woman and her mother is depressed. And then there is Andre, beautiful, black and mysterious, who dances like a God!

* 'Stone Turtle' from Malaysia and Indonesia and Co-Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Ming Jin Woo. Zahara, a stateless refugee, lives on a small remote island in Malaysia, where she makes a living selling turtle eggs. One day, Samad, claiming to be a university researcher, visits the island, wanting to employ Zahara to show him around.

* 'I Have Electric Dreams' from Belgium, France and Costa Rica and Directed by Valentina Maurel. Against Eva’s wishes, her mother wants to renovate the house and get rid of the cat, which, disoriented since the divorce, pees everywhere. Eva wants to go and live with her dad, who, disoriented like the cat, is experiencing a second adolescence.

The other two competitive strands are The Concorso Cineasti del presente which offers a selection of first and second feature films, mostly World Premieres, Directed by emerging global talents; and, a territory for expressive experimentation and innovative formal poetry, the Pardi di domani section showcases short and medium length films as World or International Premieres. 

For the details of these other two competition sections, plus the full line of current and future releases, retrospectives and the full programme, you can go to the official website at : https://www.locarnofestival.ch/LFF/locarno75.html

This week then to tempt you out on a chilly and wet mid-Winter's evening, we have four new movies coming to your local Odeon, starting off with a story that unfolds over a weekend in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and explores the reverberations of a random accident on the lives of both the local Muslims, and Western visitors to a house party hosted in a grand desert villa. Next up are a couple of French offerings, the first of which sees a brilliant architect who suddenly has to investigate the murder of the landlord and patriarch of the mansion she was assigned to renovate, and this is followed by a story of a single mother raising two children, who finally gets an interview for a job where she can raise her children better only to run into a national transit strike. And closing out the week we have an Aussie horror thriller that is a sequel to a 2010 film, that sees a great white shark stalking four friends of a Pacific Islands kayaking and diving holiday. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four 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.

'THE FORGIVEN' (Rated MA15+) - is a drama film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by John Michael McDonagh whose previous Directorial offerings take in 'The Guard' in 2011, 'Calvary' in 2014 and 'War on Everyone' in 2016. This film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name written by Lawrence Osborne. It saw its World Premier screening at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September last year, went on release in the US on 1st July, is released in Australia this week and in the UK in early September having so far taken US$344K at the Box Office and garnered generally favourable Reviews. 

Speeding through the Moroccan desert at night to attend an old friend's lavish weekend party, wealthy Londoners David and Jo Henninger (Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain respectively) are involved in a tragic accident with a local teenage boy. Arriving late at the grand villa with the debauched party raging, the couple attempts to cover up the incident with the collusion of the local police. But when the boy's father arrives seeking justice, the stage is set for a tension-filled culture clash in which David and Jo must come to terms with their fateful act and its shattering consequences. Also starring Matt Smith, Caleb Landry Jones, Abbey Lee, Alex Jennings and Christopher Abbott.

'MURDER PARTY' (Rated M) - this French comedy mystery film is Co-Written and Directed by Nicolas Pleskof in his feature length film debut. Here, we follow Jeanne Chardon-Spitzer (Alice Pol), a brilliant architect on a new job, renovating a beautiful mansion owned by an eccentric family who head a board game empire. Jeanne turns from architect to investigator when the landlord and patriarch is found dead and suddenly everybody is a suspect. Also starring Eddy Mitchell, Miou-Miou, Pablo Pauly, Gustave Kervern, Sarah Stern, Pascale Arbillot and Zabou Breitman. 

'FULL TIME' (Rated M) - is a French drama film Written and Directed by Eric Gravel in only his second feature film making outing following 2017's 'Crash Test Aglae'. Here, Julie Roy (Laure Calamy) goes to great lengths to raise her two children in the countryside while keeping her job as the head chambermaid of a five-star hotel in Paris. She just about manages to get by with the help of sporadic child support payments from her ex-husband. Each day is meticulously planned out, starting before sunrise, preparing the kids for school and undertaking a long commute to work, where she unflappably completes her duties in time to return to them. When she finally gets a job interview for a position she had long been hoping for, a national railway strike breaks out, bringing the public transport system to a grinding halt. The fragile balance that Julie has established is jeopardised, increasingly pushing her into a frenetic race against time that threatens everything she’s worked so hard for. Also starring Anne Suarez and Genevieve Mnich. This film won the Best Director Award for Eric Gravel and the Best Actress Award for Laure Calamy at last years Venice Film Festival. 

'THE REEF : STALKED' (Rated M) - this Australian horror thriller is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Andrew Traucki and is the follow up to his 2010 great white shark terror offering 'The Reef'. In the intervening years Traucki has also Directed 'The Jungle' and 'Black Water : Abyss'. In an effort to heal after witnessing her sister's horrific murder, Nic (Teressa Liane) travels to a tropical Pacific Island resort with her friends for a kayaking and diving adventure. Only hours into their expedition, the women are stalked and then attacked by a great white shark. To survive they will need to band together and Nic will have to overcome her post-traumatic stress, face her fears and slay the monster. Also starring Ann Truong, Kate Lister and Saskia Archer.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 17th November 2016.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Hogwarts, along comes what is said to be the first in a five film franchise spin-off of that hugely successful 'Harry Potter' universe. Created by J.K.Rowling over seven novels and eight films that have seen Rowling go from rags to riches in a relatively short period of time, amassing her a personal fortune, it is reported, somewhere close to £600M from her book sales and film rights for which she retained final script approval and creative license on the 'Deathly Hallows' instalments. Her 'Harry Potter' books have become the best selling book series in history selling a combined 400 million copies, worth in the UK alone close to £240M making her the UK's best selling living author. Now in 2016 we return to the 'Potterverse' with 'Fantastic Beasts and where to find them' written by Rowling under the pseudonym of Newt Scamander and first published in March 2001. Set in a New York City of 1926 where Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is visiting some seventy years before Harry Potter's story first started, but which is referenced in 'Philospsoher's Stone'. It is Scamander who researches, rescues, and documents said fantastic beasts, exotic creatures, and strange animals. Directed by David Yates who helmed the final four 'Harry Potter' films to critical and commercial success, it seems that 'Fantastic Beasts' is in safe and familiar hands, and waiting for you to find them!

This week there are four new films aimed largely at a more mature audience that range from epic blockbuster to small independent fare and across action fantasy, Sci-Fi horror, buddy cop black comedy and social drama. Starting off with the return to all things wizardry that takes us in a familiar yet new direction in this prequel to a much loved critically acclaimed and commercially successful series of books and films, that might just go the same way. Then we have a buddy cop movie of two crooked detectives who get the tables turned on them when they least expect it - delivered by a noted Director who likes his comedy served black and cold. We then move to a Sci-Fi horror offering of a synthetic being running amok and a consultant sent in to decide what to do before it goes all pair shaped for everyone! And then we wrap up, with a social drama with something to say about the state of Britain's welfare and wellbeing system.

Whether you choose to see any of the four films as Previewed below, or those as Previewed in prior weeks or Reviewed here within these humble Blog pages, remember to share your views and opinions of your own movie going experience, with your like minded cinephiles here. Leave your Comment below this or any other Post - you'll always get a response, and of course, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Meanwhile, enjoy your film.

'FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM' (Rated M) - takes place in the 'Potterverse', albeit some 70 years or so before the advent of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Grainger and their exploits at Hogwarts across eight groundbreaking films taken from the seven source novels by one J.K.Rowling. 'Fantastic Beasts . . . ' was written by J.K.Rowling and published in 2001 under the the pseudonym of the fictitious author Newt Scamander about the magical creatures in the Harry Potter universe. It claims to be Harry Potter's copy of the textbook of the same name as referenced in 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' - required reading for first year students to Hogwarts. The Screenplay for the film was written by Rowling in her screenwriting debut, and Co-Produced by her too. This is the first spin-off of the Harry Potter series and said to be the first of five films. Directed by David Yates who also Directed to critical acclaim and huge commercial Box Office receipts 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix', '. . .  and the Half Blood Prince' and '. . .  and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2', this film was made for US$180M and goes on general worldwide release this week.

Set in 1926 New York and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) arrives in The Big Apple nearing the end of his travels around the world to seek out, rescue and document the fantastical and magical creatures that share our world, albeit generally hidden from view. He's in NYC for only a brief time, but his plans are scuppered when he encounters a No-Maj (American for 'Muggle') named Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) who inadvertently lets several of Newt's fantastic beasts escape from his deceptively nondescript leather brief case. This is in breach of the Statute of Secrecy which comes to the attention of Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) a downtrodden and demoted member of the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) who sees this latest development as a chance to regain her former place in that hallowed organisation. Little does she know that Percival Graves (Colin Farrell) who is the Director of Magical Security at MACUSA is suspicious of both Newt and Tina. Joining forces with Newt, Tina and Jacob is Queenie (Alison Sudol), Tina's younger sister. The four fugitives from the law must now track down and recapture the escaped beasts before they come to harm, but little do they also know that their mission puts them on a collision course with the dark forces that could have more far reaching consequences for them all. Also starring John Voight, Ron Perlman, Johnny Depp, Ezra Miller and Samantha Morton amongst other fantastic beasts - if you know where to find them.

'WAR ON EVERYONE' (Rated MA15+) - Written and Directed by John Michael McDonagh, who brought us the excellent 'The Guard' and 'Calvary', has delivered here another black comedy but instead of being set in Ireland as were those two features, here this time the action takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The film was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in February this year, was released in the UK and Ireland in early October, and now arrives in Australian cinemas. Telling the story of two corrupt buddy cops in Albuquerque, Detectives Terry Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard) and Bob Bolano (Michael Pena) who set up to frame and blackmail every criminal low life that makes the sorry mistake of crossing their paths. However, things take an unexpected turn for the worse when the two Detectives come across a perpetrator in the form of a British 'Lord', James Mangan (Theo James) who just happens to be more dangerous and more scheming than they are. Also starring Tessa Thompson and Paul Reiser.

'MORGAN' (Rated MA15+) - this Sci-Fi horror offering is helmed by first time Director Luke Scott (son of Sir Ridley, who takes a Producer credit), was released in early September in the US and UK, cost US$8M to make, has so far made US$9M and has received average Reviews only. Telling the story of Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy), a synthetic bioengineered being, who started walking and talking after just one month in existence, much to the surprise and delight of its creators. When Morgan violently attacks one of its handlers, corporate troubleshooter Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) is sent in to the secluded, remote and ever so secret facility to investigate. Weather's task it to observe and make a determination to keep Morgan alive or not based on calculated risk. When Morgan breaks free and tries to evade capture using her particular set of skills, the facility goes into lockdown and the staff find themselves at the mercy of an unpredictable and dangerous synthetic being. Also starring Toby Jones, Brian Cox, Paul Giamatti, Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rose Leslie. Said to be beautifully shot, with strong performances from the gathered ensemble cast, but we may just have seen this done better in last years 'Ex Machina'.

'I, DANIEL BLAKE' (Rated MA15+) - eighty year old English film and television Director Ken Loach has been making films with social messages at their heart for five decades, and he came out of self-imposed retirement to make this film - his 26th feature film - which won the Palme D'Or at this years Cannes Film Festival and from around the festival circuit has so far picked up five other wins and a nomination. Using non-professional acting talent Loach has crafted a warts and all look at the British welfare system, job prospects and being cast aside before even hitting the ripe old age of sixty. Here stand-up comedian Dave Johns is Daniel Blake a 59 year old carpenter and widower living in England's north-east when he suffers a major heart attack. His cardiologist orders him not to work for fear of him developing an irregular heart beat which could be life threatening. Daniel is an active kind of chap, and in seeking Employment and Support Allowance, but is told be some joker masquerading as a healthcare professional that he is in fact fit for work. Caught between a rock and hard place, Blake takes on the bureaucratic red tape in an attempt claim Jobseekers Allowance. At the same time he befriends single mother Kate (Hayley Squires) who is in a similar situation but with two children in tow. Together the pair go the distance fighting the system, but not without its challenges! Raw, revealing and relevant this is a film of contemporary Britain in all its sad social injustice.

Four very different films to choose from then to keep you entertained in the week ahead. Share your views with us here, when you have sat through your movie of choice, and in the meantime, I'll see you at the Odeon sometime in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

CALVARY - Thursday 3rd July 2014

After all the rave Reviews I just had to go see 'CALVARY' last night, and did so at The Cremorne Orpheum Picture Palace . . . and was not disappointed, at all! This is a stirring, bleak, haunting film that will leave you thinking well after the credits have rolled. Once again after the 2011 'The Guard' made such an impact, the pairing of Director/Writer John Michael McDonagh and his actor compadre Brendan Gleeson, have delivered a film that hits many high notes.

Set in County Sligo on the unforgiving north-west coast of Ireland we have Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson, never better!) who has come to the Priesthood later on in life following the death of his beloved wife, and a period it seems where he crawled inside a bottle of Irish Whiskey. Turning his back on his daughter Fiona (an excellent Kelly Reilly playing 'fractured' beautifully) he chose to pursue his 'calling' and ultimately ended up in Sligo. With a small local flock to attend to, one day while taking Confessional a member of his congregation enters the box and we learn that from aged seven was abused every other day for five years by the local Priest, who has since died! But this member of the congregation (who is unknown to us at this stage) wants to exact revenge on the Catholic Church for letting this be, and for letting countless other Priests do likewise throughout their history. Now, someone must answer for those heinous sins, and so the gauntlet is thrown down that this confession giver will kill Father James Lavelle seven days from now down at the beach. Father James therefore has seven days to get his house in order before an innocent Priest will be murdered, on a Sunday, and held to account for all the prior sins of the Catholic Church.

The film therefore is set over the following seven days, and during that time we learn more of Father James and the relationship he has with his daughter Fiona, who visits on Monday and stays until Friday. We learn more of the relationships with the other members of the congregation all of whom have lost faith in the Catholic Church and what is stands/stood for, all of whom are damaged goods in some way and carry emotional baggage from previous lives/experiences/relationships, and all of whom could potentially be our would-be killer.

Included in this strong supporting cast are Dylan Moran (as Michael Fitzgerald - the local lord of the manor, self made multi-millionaire but desperately unhappy); Chris O'Dowd (Jack Brennan - the local butcher, nursing a totally broken marital relationship); M. Emmet Walsh (the local ageing Writer and best selling American Author now resident in remote Sligo);  and Aidan Gillen (Dr. Franke Harte who you probably wouldn't want by your bedside in the event of an emergency!). As the story unfolds day by day, local character by local character, and there are more 'mishaps' as Sunday approaches we learn of the underlying hatred for the Catholic Church and even Father James as its representative, because of it.

Brendan Gleeson shines as Father James Lavelle and is in practically every scene on screen. He delivers his character with conviction and with a steadfast resolve despite his community seemingly rising up against him and his Church. Director John Michael McDonagh gives us a rich dialogue; the humour is black; the story is as confronting as it is moving; the location is bleak, harsh and desperate; and when the final showdown comes you might find it as unexpected as it is a relief!

This is truly an engrossing film, and a must-watch for 2014.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-