What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 4th February 2016.

On 30th January at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A. the 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were held with the following Outstanding Awards presented : Ensemble Cast to 'Spotlight' with Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Rachel McAdams, Billy Crudup and Stanley Tucci. Male Actor in a Leading Role went to Leonardo DiCaprio for 'The Revenant' following on his success at the Golden Globes and setting the tone for the upcoming Academy Awards and BAFTA's. Female Actor in a Leading Role went to Brie Larson for her starring role in 'Room'; with Supporting Roles going to Idris Elba for 'Beasts of No Nation' and Alicia Vikander for 'The Danish Girl'. The Most Outstanding Stunt Ensemble went to 'Mad Max : Fury Road'. Next up are the BAFTA Awards on 14th February and thereafter the Academy Awards on 28th February. Watch out for further updates as these dates pass.

And so to this weeks latest releases, of which there are five. Kicking off we have a stop motion animated feature that is already creating much critical buzz and is sure to warm the cockles; then a bio-pic of a recently passed computer guru who changed the way we interact with technology on a daily basis; a search & rescue story on a grand scale, involving so many, for so long and in a place far away, and deep! And then there is a romantic drama of two people thrown together by fate who need to make the tough decisions which may well determine their future lives together; and finally a documentary of alternative energies, sustainability and environmental awareness that is about more than just huggin' a tree!

With five new offerings and still some great movies doing the rounds as Reviewed and Previewed on these pages before, there is plenty of choice to tempt your $20 from out of your wallet. When you have sat in the dark for two hours or so with a bunch of strangers all staring in the same direction with necks craned up at a big screen, share your thoughts on your filmic experience by leaving your own critique in the Comments section below this, or any other Post. In the meantime, enjoy your movie.

ANOMALISA (Rated MA15+) - this is a stop motion animated film Written, Produced and Directed by Charlie Kaufman. Made for just US$8M this is not a film for everyone, but has had much critical praise bestowed up on it with 17 award wins to date and another 54 nominations. It is the first R-Rated animated feature film (Stateside) to be nominated for an Academy Award, and it is the first animated film to win the Grand Jury Prize at the most recent Venice International Film Festival.

Featuring the voice work of just three actors - David Thewlis as Michael Stone an author specialising in customer service around the conference and convention circuit, who despite his teaching & preaching skills is unable to connect with people in the real world, as he has a lack of interest in what other people do, think and feel. On a business trip though Stone meets up with lively, energetic Lisa Hesselman (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who slowly shows him what can be, and lifts his negative views on life and what it takes to lift it from the mundane to the more adventurous. Everyone else is voiced by Tom Noonan.  Don't be put off by the fact that this is an animated feature, with stop motion work that is up there with the very best seen before. This is a thought provoking human story of emotion, discovery and  hope.

STEVE JOBS (Rated M) - starring Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs, Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak, Jeff Daniels as Apple CEO John Sculley and Kate Winslet as Apple and NeXT Marketing Executive Joanna Hoffman, this biopic drama is Directed by Danny Boyle  and was made for US$30M and has so far raked in US$32M since its Stateside release in October last year. The film tells the story of Jobs life from 1984 up to the late nineties and just before the release of The Macintosh in 1984, the NeXT computer in 1988 and the iMac G3 in 1998. Nominated for two Oscars, three BAFTA's, and winning two Golden Globes for Kate Winslet and Aaron Sorkin for Best Screenplay as well as eleven other awards wins and 77 other nominations, this is up there on this years must see list - if only because the man whom this films is based upon has touched so many lives for so many years with his forward thinking technology.

THE 33 (Rated M) - this English language Chilean film is based on the real events that unfolded following the collapse of the San Jose gold & copper mine in Chile on August 5th 2010 that trapped thirty-three men two thousand feet below the surface. Above the surface teams of rescue workers toiled for 69 days to free the men, families set up a tent city in a vigil of hope, longing and support, and the Government dealt with the media frenzy that gripped the world as events unfolded and attempts at rescue faltered, but in time came good. Below the ground, 33 men had to come to terms with their fate, struggled with the suffocating heat of their underground captivity, the need to ration limited food and water supplies, remain motivated and confident, and the need to remain focused on their survival. Starring Antonio Banderas, James Brolin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bob Gunton, Gabriel Byrne and Juliette Binoche this film is Directed by Patricia Riggin and based on the book 'Deep Down Dark' by Hector Tobar.

THE CHOICE (Rated PG) - Directed by Ross Katz and based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks we are introduced to Travis Shaw (Benjamin Walker) - an easy going non-committal ladies man who's world is turned upside down when feisty, out there medical student Gabby Holland (Teresa Palmer) moves in next door with the intention of settling down with her boyfriend. But, fate draws Travis and Gabby together and as their lives are turned upside down unexpectedly. As their relationship grows, so decisions need to be made on just how far they are prepared to go to keep their love alive. Also starring Tom Wilkinson and Tom Welling.

LIFE OFF GRID (Rated PG) - for two years from 2011 to 2013 Director Jonathan Taggart and Producer Phillip Vannini travelled across Canada to find 200 'off-gridders' and learn more of their lives without connection to the electricity or natural gas grid infrastructure. Those that have chosen to opt out of the energy sources we traditionally take for granted often live in remote rural areas and have found alternative ways of sustaining themselves and their way of life with often innovative, inventive and imaginative ways, but also often grounded in tradition. Chronicling along the way the experiences, challenges, hopes & dreams of those 'off-gridders' in their new lives, this will reveal what is possible and that it is still possible to live with the creature comforts but in new & different ways.

Whatever film you decide upon in the coming week tell us what you thought of you cinematic experience, and then tell a friend and encourage them to get to the movies and enjoy a big screen experience . . . it's the only way! See you at the Odeon!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

INSURGENT - Saturday 28th March 2015.

The first book in the Veronica Roth dystopian post-apocalyptic world trilogy - 'Divergent' reached our big screens last year at a cost of production at US$85M and took a worldwide gross of US$289M, and on the basis of that success, and its entertainment value, I saw its follow-up last night - 'INSURGENT'.

For me this series so far tops the other in a similar vein - 'The Hunger Games' which is nearing the end of its run with the final instalment due later this year. 'Insurgent' gives us more grounded characters with back stories we can relate to, a more believable story line, greater complexity and improved production values. The entertainment factor here gives us so much more, and I enjoyed this offering and look forward to the final chapter, 'Allegiant' (also to be split into two instalments surprise surprise!) in March 2016.

Taking over from Neil Burger in the Directors chair, this time around we have Robert Schwentke who was given a US$110M budget to play with, which after a week of release has so far taken US$118M at the global Box Office.

As the film opens we are just literally hours down the track from where the first film left off and Tris (Shailene Woodley), Four (Theo James), Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and Peter (Miles Teller) are on the run through the forest eventually finding refuge in an Amity camp. They wait up there to let the dust settle and reacquaint themselves with the land and the company of various other divided Factions. Meanwhile Jeanine (Kate Winslet) has her foot soldiers sifting through the debris of the destroyed Abnegation Faction for an artifact buried therein that is believed to have its origins with the founders of the city and which contains the secrets to overcoming the Divergent's once and for all. Problem is, only a Divergent can open the mythical box, and so Jeanine orders that all Divergents be rounded up and bought in to open the said Pandora's Box of tricks! Eric (Jai Courtney) and Max (Mekhi Phifer) are dispatched to lead the search and bring back any and all Divergents who will be tested to open the box . . . at no matter what cost!

As Eric and Max close in, so begins another cat & mouse game with Tris &Co on the run and the four split further as loyalties are tested and it's every man for himself. Tris and Four remain together with Caleb in tow, with  Peter having betrayed them to Eric & Max. As they evade their foe and seek to head back to the city aboard a train, they are set upon by the Factionless and a fight breaks out. After, when the dust has settled Four reveals his names as Tobias Eaton, and is advised that he has been sought after for a very long time now. With safe passage back to the Factionless enclave deep in the bowels of the city Four is confronted by his estranged Mother, believed to have died when he was six. She now heads up Factionless and wants revenge on Jeanine, but she may have a hidden agenda to take control of what remains afterwards, and is seeking to amass an army to overthrow Erudite.

As Four rebels against his Mother, the next morning he leaves with Tris and Caleb for Candor to reunite with their Dauntless colleagues, but Caleb announces he cannot continue and is not cut out for such heroic acts of bravery, adventure, risk & derring-do! Leaving Tris and Four to continue their journey they arrive at Candor, and momentarily all is good in the world until overcome by leader Jack Kang (Daniel Dae Kim) who intends to send them both to Erudite to stand trial for their crimes, believing that Jeanine is true & just. Needless to say it's not long before he is proven wrong!

With several Divergents captured and tested to open the box at Jeanine's hands, the body count is rising and her patience is wearing thin. Ordering again a greater sweep of all Divergent's Tris comes to terms with the fact that the only way to stop the murdering is for her to give herself up and put an end to Jeanine's power crazy ways. Doing so against the wishes of Four she slinks away to Erudite and is promptly strung up with various cables, electronic gadgetry and mind control mechanisms that will test her to her limits in an attempt to open the box.

Being 100% Divergent it seems it's down to Tris to do or die and she is the only one who can open the box having been through all Faction 'sims' and been successful . . .  maybe! As it plays out Tris has to come to terms with her own history, the guilt she carries around, the burden of what she has become and what she may truly represent, and the love she has for Four. In the final set piece there are a few surprises in store, a number of questions are answered and there is the big reveal that sets up the next instalment quite nicely with just the right amount of action and without too much melodrama.

Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Zoe Kravitz, Maggie Q, Ashley Judd are all there too and the visuals of a war torn battle scared trashed and wrecked city skyline that once was Chicago now surrounded by an enormous wall is very well rendered and impressive in its imagery. This is a worthy follow up to last years 'Divergent' and sets up 'Allegiant' nicely with just the right air of expectation and the promise of new things for our characters who will continue their journey.

  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 19th March 2015.

The weeks fly by when you're having fun and watching movies, and it's even more true I think when you write about them too. Here in downtown Adelaide in South Australia, I have found two movie theatres within walking distance of my humble little dwelling that offer film festivals, current releases and live entertainment spread over ten screens in two theatres, 200 metres from each other and in the heart of a busy bustling bar, restaurant, and cafe strip . . . how good is that, and I'm wondering how to I fit in all of my favourite things? Enough though of my ramblings - what of this weeks latest film offerings?

First up there is the second instalment of another futuristic dystopian Sci-Fi world plucked from the pages of an international best seller aimed squarely at the teen market but attracting more discerning adult bums on seats too; then the action hero of the moment has churned out another formulaic hunt 'em down, beat 'em up offering that looks increasingly like this ageing protagonist is just cashing in another pay cheque; and finally a famed art house auteur making a historical piece on a shoestring budget that has quirky eccentric bold & beautiful painted all over it.

When you have caught your movie of choice in the week ahead of those films new to cinemas, or, those still doing the rounds on general release, write a comment for the legions of Odeon Online fans out there and share your thoughts in the Comments Box below this, or any other Post. Enjoy your film!

INSURGENT (Rated M) - the first book in this series by Veronica Roth - 'Divergent' hit our big screens in 2014 and was made for US$85M and brought home US$289M in the final analysis. Clearly enough of a hit to ensure this sequel, with one more to go in 2016 - although that might be split over two films too as is the way these days it would seem (think 'Potter', 'Twilight' and 'Hunger Games'). Directed now by Robert Schwentke for US$110M here we see the characters torn asunder and divided far & wide joining them now three days after we last saw them. Beatrice 'Tris' Prior (Shailene Woodley) is on the run with Four (Theo James), with Janine Matthews (Kate Winslett) as the leader of the Erudite faction hot on the heels and determined to hunt them down.

Tris and Four need to reassemble the crew and uncover what Abnegation sacrificed their lives to safeguard and why Erudite will stop at nothing to prevent them from moving forward and uncovering the truth. As the once strong and solid Faction system in a post-apocalyptic Chicago crumbles away and the powers remaining fight for power and supremacy, Tris must overcome numerous mental and physical challenges of her own that reveal secrets of her past, the key to the future, and what she must do to protect those she loves. You know it will end on a cliffhanger, so be prepared for more unanswered questions to ensure you come back for the next instalment 12 months from now. Also starring those returned from last time and a few new faces - Ansel Elgort, Naomi Watts, Jai Courtney, Ashley Judd and Maggie Q amongst others.

BIG EYES (Rated M) - quirky left field Director Tim Burton has made a little film for just US$10M based on the real life painting fraud of the 1950's and 60's of Margaret Keane - the painter of those famed pictures of waif like children with large over exaggerated bulging eyes. Struggling to make ends meet after a divorce Margaret (Amy Adams) meets up with kindly gregarious ladies man and fellow painter Walter Keane (Christophe Waltz) and before you can say 'fake or forgery' the two are an item. Recognising the talent in the paintings and using his canny marketing skills and a polished sales pitch Walter sets about selling these paintings anywhere and everywhere he can . . . signing his own name to the artwork while Margaret is at home locked up bashing out big eyed painting after big eyed painting. Oblivious to her husbands signatory ruse things come to a head that result in the couple divorcing in a bitter court battle that exposes Walter as an artistic fraud, while Margaret strives to clear her name, reclaim her artwork, safeguard her financial future and rebuild her life. Intense and colourful - like the paintings!

RUN ALL NIGHT (Rated MA15+) - you can easily be forgiven for thinking that 60 something action star Liam Neeson has phoned this one in too for the sake of a big pay day to be reminded of his previous tough guy kick-ass anti-hero offerings 'Taken' and all its sequels, 'Non-Stop' and more recently 'A Walk Among The Tombstones'. This one though seems to promise a little more as Jimmy Conlon (Neeson) is a down on his luck, no hope boozing ex-mob hit man has been that once was best mates with his mob-boss Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris). When the mob orders a hit on Jimmy's estranged son Michael (Joel Kinnaman), Jimmy must go head to head with the mob, with his old friend Maguire, corrupt cops, hired killers and other undesirables to protect himself and his son whom he hardly knows. Loyalties will be tested, Jimmy will utilise his own 'particular set of skills', heads will be cracked, bullets will be chewed, shit will get blown up, cars trashed and the body count is likely to rise in good old mob gangster style. What's not to like?

Three films this week to tease, cajole, and entice you out to your local movie theatre and in front of a big screen. Share your thoughts with your like minded friends at Odeon Online and keep going to the movies.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-