What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 6th December 2018.

In November the world bid a fond farewell to a 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 . . . . Stan Lee, Ken Swofford, William Goldman, Nicolas Roeg, Ricky Jay and Bernardo Bertolucci.

* Ken Swofford : born Kenneth Charles Swofford on 25th July 1933 and died 1st November 2018, aged 85. Swofford was an American film and television Actor who amassed 125 acting credits over a career spanning six decades. His movie credits included the likes of 'The Andromeda Strain', 'Skyjacked', 'The Domino Principle', 'S.O.B.', 'Annie' (the 1982 version) and 'Thelma & Louise'. He was however, more prolific in his TV career with guest and recurring appearances on a number of popular series including 'The Virginian', 'Mission : Impossible', 'The Streets of San Francisco', 'Columbo', 'The Waltons', 'The Partridge Family', 'Gunsmoke', 'Ellery Queen', 'Rich Man, Poor Man : Book II', 'Police Story', 'The Six Million Dollar Man', 'The Rockford Files', 'Fame', 'Dynasty', 'Dallas', 'Baywatch' and 'Murder, She Wrote'.
* Stan Lee : born Stanley Martin Leiber on 28th December 1922, died 12th November 2018 aged 95. Lee was an American comic book Writer, Editor, and Publisher who was active from the '40's right through to the 2010's. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business to become Marvel Comics' uppermost creative leader for two decades, spearheading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics industry, and many would say the movie industry too. Collaborating with others at Marvel, especially fellow Co-Writer and Artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he was responsible for co-creating many popular fictional characters that are now forever ingrained in our sub-conscience, including superheroes Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man, amongst others, all of whom have enjoyed considerable world wide success on the big screen over the past ten years or so. Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990's, he remained a public figurehead for the company, and frequently made cameo appearances in films based on his Marvel characters, on which he received an honorary 'Executive Producer' credit. Records show that Lee had 218 Writing credits to his name, 154 Producer credits and 121 as Actor amongst numerous others. He also was the recipient of eleven award wins and a further nine nominations. What a legacy this man leaves behind!
* William Goldman : born 12th August 1931, and died 16th November 2018, aged 87. Goldman was an American novelist, Playwright and Screenwriter who first came to prominence with the release of his first novel in 1957 titled 'The Temple of Gold'. Over the years he wrote another fifteen novels, releasing his last in 1986, as well a s number of short stories and non-fiction works. In between time he became a prolific Screenwriter penning numerous films from 1965 right up until 2015. These included 'Harper', 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', 'The Stepford Wives', 'The Great Waldo Pepper', 'Marathon Man' (based on his own novel), 'All the President's Men', 'A Bridge Too Far', 'Magic' (also based on his own novel), 'The Princess Bride' (again based on his own novel), 'Twins', 'Misery', 'Chaplin', 'Maverick', 'The Chamber', 'The Ghost and the Darkness', 'Absolute Power', 'Hearts in Atlantis' and 'Wild Card' (once more based on his own novel) amongst others. He won eleven awards including two Academy Awards for 'All the President's Men' and 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', was nominated for three Golden Globes, and won one BAFTA and was nominated for another. He was also the recipient of three wins and three nods from the Writers Guild of America. He was described as 'one of the late twentieth century's most popular storytellers'.
* Nicolas Roeg : born Nicolas Jack Roeg on 15th August 1928 and died 23rd November 2018 aged 90. Roeg was an English Director and Cinematographer who after completing National Service in 1947 got a job in the film industry working as tea boy then the clapper loader at Marylebone Studios in London. Throughout the '50's he progressed to various camera jobs graduating to the role of camera operator in which he worked on several film and television productions during the '60's including 'The Trials of Oscar Wilde', 'The Sundowners', 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'Doctor Zhivago', 1967's 'Casino Royale' and TV series 'Ghost Squad'. It wasn't until 1970 that he gained his first Directing credit with the crime drama 'Performance' starring Mick Jagger. He followed this up with 'Walkabout', 'Don't Look Now' in 1973, 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' in 1976 with David Bowie, 'Bad Timing' in 1980 with Art Garfunkel, 'Eureka', 'Castaway', 'Two Deaths' and 2007's 'Puffball' being his last feature length film. All up Roeg had 29 Director credits to his name, twenty as Cinematographer and 26 working in the camera department. He accumulated nine award wins and another fourteen nominations including three BAFTA nods and three Cannes Palme d'Or nominations. In 1999, the British Film Institute acknowledged Roeg's importance in the British film industry by naming 'Don't Look Now' and 'Performance' as the 8th and 48th greatest British films of all time. In 2011, Roeg was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
* Ricky Jay : born Richard Jay Potash on 26th June 1946 and died on 24th November 2018, aged 72. An American stage Magician, Actor, Writer and Consultant and in addition to his renown with sleight of hand tricks, he was also known and highly regarded for his card tricks, card throwing, memory feats and quick fire stage patter. He is well authored in magic and its history having published eleven books on the subject, had numerous articles published and given lectures, demonstrations and exhibitions too. Jay had 39 Acting credits to his name since his television debut on 'Simon & Simon' back in 1983. Since then he has worked regularly in both film and TV on such productions as 'House of Games', 'Homicide', 'The Spanish Prisoner', 'Boogie Nights', 'Tomorrow Never Dies', 'Mystery Men', 'Magnolia', 'State and Main', 'Heist', 'The Prestige', 'The Brothers Bloom' and his last film role in 2015's 'The Automatic Hate'. In between his movie appearances he worked on both single and multiple episodes of such television shows as 'The X-Files', 'Deadwood', 'Kidnapped', 'The Unit' and 'Lie To Me'. Jay worked with Writer and Director David Mamet on seven of his films.
* Bernardo Bertolucci : born 16th March 1941 and died 24th November 2018, aged 77. He was an Italian Director and Screenwriter whose first Directing and Writing credit was on the 1962 murder mystery thriller film 'The Grim Reaper'. He worked progressively throughout the remainder of the '60's, '70's, '80's and '90's with his output slowing in the 2000's amassing a career portfolio that took in 25 Directing credits, 25 Writing credits and three as Producer. Among his more notable works were 1972's 'Last Tango in Paris' with Marlon Brando, 1976's '1900' with Robert De Niro, 1987's multi-award winning (including nine Academy Award wins) 'The Last Emperor', 1990's 'The Sheltering Sky', 1993's 'Little Buddha' with Keanu Reeves, 1996's 'Stealing Beauty' with 2012's 'Me and You' being his last feature film outing. All up Bertolucci garnered 49 award wins including two Oscars, two Golden Globes and one BAFTA win; and a further 32 nominations. He was bestowed with the inaugural Honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Turning attention to this week then, we have no fewer than nine new cinematic offerings gracing an Odeon near you in the coming week. We kick off with a dystopian post apocalyptic world where a heroine emerges to stop London, now a giant city that has been propped up on wheels and roams the country side, from destroying everything in its path, whilst also trying to thwart an all powerful man she blames for the death of her mother. We then switch to a reimagining of the WWII Battle of Normandy and the eve of the D-Day Landings in this zombie gore fest tale of a small platoon of US soldiers who stumble across a Nazi experimental lab. Sticking with the undead genre we have next a British Christmas zombie comedy musical film that is quite probably something we haven't seen before; followed by a tale of college sweethearts in America whose life becomes inextricably linked by a twist of fate to a group of people in Spain. Next up is a true story about a successful writer who falls out of favour and so to make ends meet begins forging letters of the deceased rich & famous and selling them off for a tidy profit. This is followed by a RomCom about a 40 something year old Mum who has let her life pass her by, but who gets a second chance at a successful career by bluffing and faking her way into a major finance company under the guise that she is an expert Consultant. We then have another alleged true story set in the '90's in which a hip-hop dance troupe holed up in deserted school overnight and continue their celebrations whilst under the influence of illicit substances; before turning to a film surrounding two very different sisters one of which has a seemingly serious online relationship with a mystery man, whilst the other can see through the ruse and tries to prevent her siblings world form crashing in around her. We then wrap up with a supernatural horror offering set in a creepy abandoned school that harbours more deathly secrets than this mothers cares to overcome as she searches amongst its corridors and old classrooms for her missing son.

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

'MORTAL ENGINES' (Rated M) - here the supremely collaborative team of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens get their creative minds around this latest post-apocalyptic steampunk adventure offering based on the book of the same name by Philip Reeve. The threesome here Co-Produce and between them penned the Screenplay of this American and New Zealand co-production that cost US$100M to bring to the big screen, is Directed in his debut by fellow New Zealander Christian Rivers, saw its Premier in London at the end of November, is released in New Zealand and Australia this week, and the US next week.

Set hundreds of years after civilisation was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, we meet Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) who is a twenty-something Londoner who has only ever lived inside his travelling hometown, and his feet have never touched grass, land or mud. His first introduction to the world outside comes abruptly one day when Tom gets in the way of a mysterious young woman named Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). She emerges as the only one who can stop London, now a giant, predator city on wheels from swallowing up everything in its path, whilst also attempting to execute a plan to kill Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving) a powerful man whom she blames for the death of her mother. Hester and Tom wind up getting themselves banished from the moving 'traction' city, to fend for themselves. Driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head. Also starring Stephen Lang and Patrick Malahide.

'OVERLORD' (Rated MA15+) - here we have an American WWII horror offering that spins a new slant on the historical D-Day Landings. Directed by Western Australian Julius Avery, whose only other feature so far has been 'Son of a Gun' in 2014, this film is Co-Produced by J.J. Abrams and is set on the eve of D-Day with American paratroopers preparing to drop in behind enemy lines to penetrate the walls of a fortified church and destroy a radio transmitter. When their plane is shot down the five remaining soldiers Corporal Ford (Wyatt Russell), Private Boyce (Jovan Adepo), sniper Tibbet (John Magaro), photographer Chase (Iain De Caestecker) and Dawson (Jacob Anderson) must continue on foot. En route they run into a French woman who agrees to escort them to their target, Chloe (Mathilde Ollivier). As the soldiers approach their destination, they soon come to the realisation that there's more going on in the Nazi-occupied village than a simple military operation. Making their way to an underground lab, the outnumbered men stumble upon a sinister experiment that forces them into a vicious battle against an army of the undead. The film was released in the US on 9th November, cost US$38M to make, has so far grossed US$39M and has generated mixed or average Reviews so far.

'ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE' (Rated MA15+) - sticking with the undead theme, here where we have a British Christmas zombie comedy musical of all things, Directed by John McPhail. This offering saw its World Premier at Fantastic Fest way back in September 2017, and saw its US & UK release last week before its release in Australia this week. It has so far garnered generally positive Press. This film tells the story of how a zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas time, forcing Anna (Ella Hunt) and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, as they face off against the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this brave new world, and with civilisation crumbling all around them, the only people they can truly rely on, are each other.

'LIFE ITSELF' (Rated MA15+) - this American drama film is Directed and Written by Dan Fogelman in only his second Directorial outing after 2015's 'Danny Collins'. The film follows college sweethearts Will (Oscar Isaac) and Abby (Olivia Wilde) as they fall in love, get married and prepare to bring their first child into the world. As their story unfolds in New York, fate links them to a group of people in Seville, Spain, including a troubled young woman, a man and his granddaughter, a wealthy landowner and a plantation manager all over several generations. With an ensemble cast that takes in Mandy Patinkin, Olivia Cooke, Annette Benning, Antonio Banderas and Samuel L. Jackson the film had its World Premier screening at TIFF in September, was released later that same month in the US, cost US$10M, has so far recovered about US$5M and has received generally negative Reviews.

'CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?' (Rated M) - this American biographical drama offering is brought to us by Director, Actor and Writer Marielle Heller recounting the real life exploits of Lee Israel, a noted American author who became a literary forger and thief. Based on Lee Israel's own 2008 confessional autobiographical book of the same name, the film stars Melissa McCarthy as Lee Israel who made her living through the '60's, '70's and '80's writing profiles of high-achieving women such as Katharine Hepburn, cosmetics executive Estée Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen and charts her subsequent life as she attempts to revitalise her sagging writing career in the '90's by forging letters from deceased authors and playwrights. She died in 2014 aged 75. The film also stars Richard E. Grant as her loyal and trusted friend Jack Hock. The film has received Critical praise in particular for McCarthy's and Grant's performances, and ha so far taken just $7M at the Box Office since its US release in mid-October following its Premier screening at Telluride in early September.

'SECOND ACT' (Rated M) - here we have an American RomCom Directed by Peter Segal whose previous film making credits include 'Anger Management', '50 First Dates', 'The Longest Yard', 'Get Smart' and most recently 2013's 'Grudge Match'. Here he Directs Jennifer Lopez as Maya, an under achieving forty something year old mother who has struggled with unfulfilled dreams and career frustrations. But, Maya's life is about to turnaround when she gets a chance to prove to Madison Avenue that street smarts are as valuable as book smarts, and that it's never too late for a second act when a private finance firm is misled into believing that she's an accomplished Consultant, and hire her to handle a major business deal. Also starring Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, Treat Williams and Milo Ventimiglia. The film is set for release in the US the week before Christmas.

'CLIMAX' (Rated MA15+) - this French musical horror mash-up is Directed, Written, Edited and Co-Produced  by Argentinian filmmaker Gasper Noe whose previous Directing credits take in 'Irreversible', 'Enter the Void' and 'Love'. The film screened in the Directors' Fortnight category at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Art Cinema Award, cost US$3M, has so far recovered US$790K and has received widespread Critical acclaim. Allegedly based on a true story, here a troupe of young hip-hop dancers gather in a remote and empty school building to rehearse on a cold night one Winter sometime during the '90's. Their all-night celebration soon turns into a hallucinatory nightmare when they learn that their drinks have been laced with LSD. The film stars Sofia Boutella.

'NOBODY'S FOOL' (Rated MA15+) - this is an American romantic comedy drama offering from Writer and Director Tyler Perry. Released in the US earlier last month, the film has so far grossed US$32M off the back of a US$19M Budget investment, and has garnered generally lacklustre Reviews so far. And so, following a five year jail term, wild child Tanya (Tiffany Haddish) looks to her prim & proper do the right thing sister Danica (Tika Sumpter) to help her in getting reestablished into society. The feisty former prison inmate however, becomes suspicious and concerned when Danica tells her that she's in a long-distance, online relationship with a mystery man she has never met. As the polar opposites start to butt heads, Tanya quickly discovers that her sister's near perfect existence may not be quite what it seems, and her online love interest might really be a fake. Also starring Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Missi Pyle and Omari Hardwick.

'THE SCHOOL' (Rated M) - Written and Directed in his feature film debut, Aussie Storm Ashwood here crafts an Australian horror and otherworldly action fantasy offering that goes on limited release across selected cinemas this week. When Dr. Amy Wintercraig (Megan Drury) who is searching for her missing son, awakens to find herself in an abandoned school, she must survive a supernatural terror known affectionately as 'The Hungries' who are half dead teenage kids baying for blood, and a gang of youths headed up by Zac (Will McDonald) who seem to run the outlandish horror show, as well as face her own demons if she is to find the truth about where her son is. Also starring Nicholas Hope, Milly Alcock, Texas Watterston and Jack Ruwald.

With nine new release films 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-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 8th January 2015.

In Australia the mercury continues to rise by the day with predictable clear blue skies, sunshine and humidity all the way as we approach the height of Summer. It seems that a cool air conditioned cinema is one of the few places to escape the soaring temperatures, and what better way to do so than watching one of the many great new films currently on general release, or coming your way in the week ahead.

For this week we have four new offerings - two of which are sequels - one of the action revenge genre and the other a buddy buddy comedy; one is a big name musical that might pack a few scares and some solid CGI; and the other a documentary about a recently departed legendary film critic that is likely to resonate with anyone who has more than a remote interest in films and what this guy had to say about them . . . including the author of this Blog!

There then you have it, and when you have cooled down, or warmed up (depending on which Hemisphere you live in) and seen any one (or more) of this weeks new releases Previewed below, drop a note in the Comments section immediately below this Blog Post and share your thoughts and opinions of your film experience with the rest of the growing readership of Odeon Online. Enjoy your movie!

INTO THE WOODS (Rated PG) - this film comes with a very strong pedigree - both in front and behind the camera! Firstly the source material is from those master story tellers of old - The Brothers Grimm, and combines the tales of Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) and Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone) into a modern updated tale that melds all these characters into one neat little package surrounding a cursed baker and his wife who long for a child but are unable to conceive because of a curse placed on them by the local Witch (Meryl Streep). Then we have Disney Studio's doing what they do the best - animation, musical and good storytelling transferred to the big screen. Next comes Director Rob Marshall, who has based the film on the Tony Award winning stage musical of the same name by James Lapine who wrote this screenplay, with music by Stephen Sondheim - a great package indeed!

So, offering to lift the aforementioned spell The Witch tasks the baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) with sourcing four items that have special significance for her - a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. When these items are finally procured after various mishaps and misadventures, each of our fairy tale heroes discover that life is not so 'happily ever after' at all and they each have to face their own further challenges, emotional upheaval and ruinous circumstances that lead to further tragedy, doubt and uncertainty. Along the ensemble cast includes Cinderella's Prince (Chris Pine), Jack's Mother (Tracey Ullman), The Wolf (Johnny Depp), Frances de la Tour (The Giant's Wife) and Annette Crosbie (Granny) amongst others. Made for US$50M and so far having taken US$97M at the time of writing, this film has already picked up five award wins and a further 25 award nominations including three Golden Globe nods.

TAK3N (Rated M) - Bryan Mills is back again doing what he does best as the trying to be retired covert operations expert in the third and probably final instalment of this successful franchise for which the first two films brought in US$603M in worldwide receipts. Liam Neeson returns as our titular hero, but only agreed to do so if nobody in this film was 'taken' and he was paid the princely sum of US$20M. Well, voila, here we are, but this time while attempting to re-establish his home life after the events of the previous two films Mills is back reconciled with his wife Lenore (Famke Janssen), but before you know she winds up d-e-a-d! In no time at all the local Police arrive on the scene and caught seemingly red handed Mills is arrested - or at least that's what the local boys in blue attempt to do . . .  unsuccessfully! Having been framed for murder, and learning that his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) is next on the hit list Mills plays a fast paced game of cat & mouse with all manner of law enforcement agencies who have him on the run and guilty as all hell until proven innocent. With Mills employing his 'particular set of skills' to thwart the real bad guys and elude the long arm of the law whilst clearing his name and protecting his one remaining asset (daughter Kim) you can be sure this actioner will deliver on body count, creative deaths, close quarter fight sequences, ingenious weaponry, car chases and explosions aplenty before the credits roll for the last time . . .  possibly! Also starring Forest Whittaker and Dougray Scott.

DUMB AND DUMBER TO (Rated M) - it was back in 1994 that Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne respectively first emerged on the scene courtesy of Writers/Directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly. That film then was new & fresh - the gross out humour, dumb-arse laughs and sheer stupidity of these two characters made for just US$17M it grossed US$247M twenty years ago and help cement the fame of these two Actors. Now fast forward to 2014 and the pair are reunited and as stupid and dumb-arsed as ever having hardly grown up at all, but this time Harry has learned that he has a daughter, and so the pair embark on a road trip to find her with no doubt hilarious and disastrous results for all. Should be a laugh a minute . . . or not, and might appeal to teenagers who never saw the original and have nothing to compare it to!

LIFE ITSELF (Rated M) - this is a biographical documentary as made by Steve James celebrating and chronicling the life of legendary film critic Roger Ebert who died in April 2013 following a prolonged battle with cancer of the thyroid and salivary glands. Ebert was 70 when he died but made such an impact of the world of film review writing that he was the first writer to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975, and approaching his death his movie reviews were syndicated to over 200 newspapers at home in the US and internationally. He also wrote numerous books and collected works of his film reviews. He was/is the only film critic to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and his long running 25 year partnership with Gene Siskel with whom he hosted many television film review shows was hugely successful and influential. This film captures the essence of the man through his prolific film writing career, to his battle with alcoholism, and his struggles with cancer that left him physically disabled and to which he eventually succumbed. With contributions from Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, immediate family, close friends, former colleagues and collaborators this is an insightful film that pays fitting tribute to the great man, the legacy he leaves behind and his life behind the camera and in front of his keyboard.

Once more, four very different offerings to entice the price of a movie ticket from out of your wallet. Something for everyone, and when you have seen one of these, or any of those currently doing the rounds as Previewed or Reviewed in previous weeks, then drop a Comment, and share with the world!

Movies - see as many as you can in 2015!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-