What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 18th May 2023.

The 76th Cannes Film Festival launched on Tuesday 16th May and runs through until Saturday 27th May. Held annually in Cannes, France, the festival previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congres. It is one of the 'Big Three' major European film festivals, alongside the Venice Film Festival in Italy and the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, as well as one of the 'Big Five' major international film festivals, which consists of the three major European film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, and the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, USA.

The Swedish Director and Screenwriter Ruben Ostlund serves as Jury President this year for those films in Official Competition aided by the likes of Paul Dano, Brie Larson, Julia Ducournau and Maryam Touzani. 

This years opening film is the French 'Jeanne du Barry' Directed, Written, Co-Produced and starring Maiwenn in the title role alongside Johnny Depp as King Louis XV of France. The closing film is Pixar's computer-animated romantic comedy-drama film 'Elemental' Directed by Peter Sohn. 

Those twenty-one films in official competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or award are as given below :-

* 'About Dry Grasses' from Turkey and is Co-Written and Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

* 'Anatomy of a Fall' from France and is Co-Written and Directed by Justine Triet.

* 'Asteroid City' from the US and is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Wes Anderson and features an ensemble cast including Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and Jeff Goldblum.

* 'Banel & Adama' from Senegal and is Written and Directed by Ramata-Toulaye Sy in her feature film making debut. 

* 'Black Flies' from the US and is Directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire and stars Sean Penn, Ty Sheridan Katherine Waterston, Michael Pitt and Mike Tyson.

* 'A Brighter Tomorrow' from Italy and France and is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Nanni Moretti. 

* 'La Chimera' from Italy, France and Switzerland and is Written and Directed by Alice Rohrwacher and stars Josh O'Connor and Isabella Rossellini. 

* 'Club Zero' from the UK, France, Austria and Denmark and is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jessica Hausner and stars Mia Wasikowska and Sidse Babett Knudsen.

* 'Fallen Leaves' from Finland and Written and Directed by Aki Kaurismaki. 

* 'Firebrand' from the UK and Directed by Karim Ainouz and stars Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Sam Riley, Eddie Marsan and Simon Russell Beale.

* 'Four Daughters' from Tunisia and Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Kaouther Ben Hania.

* 'Homecoming' from France and Co-Written and Directed by Catherine Corsini. 

* 'Kidnapped' from Italy and Co-Written and Directed by Marco Bellocchio. 

* 'Last Summer' from France and Co-Written and Directed by Catherine Breillat. 

* 'May December' from the US and Directed by Todd Haynes and starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton.

* 'Monster' from Japan and is Directed and Edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

* 'The Old Oak' from the UK, France and Belgium and is Directed by Ken Loach and stars Dave Turner and Ebla Mari.

* 'Perfect Days' from Japan and Germany and is Directed by Wim Wenders and stars Koji Yakusho.

* 'The Pot-au-Feu' from France and Written and Directed by Tran Anh Hung and stars Juliette Binochet and Benoit Magimel.

* 'Youth (Spring)' from China and Directed by Wang Bing.

* 'The Zone of Interest' from the UK, Poland and the US and is Written and Directed by Jonathan Glazer.

For the full low down on those films competing for the Palme d'Or plus the other films in competition in the Un Certain Regard and Camera d'Or sections and the other strands featuring at this years Cannes Film Festival, you can visit the official website at : https://www.festival.cannes.com/en/

This week then, to tease you out on a very cool late Autumn evening to your local Odeon, we have five new cinematic release coming your way. We launch with the eleventh film in this hugely successful fast paced action franchise that sees this former criminal and professional street racer and his family being targeted by the vengeful son of a drug baron who was killed at the end of 'Fast Five'. Next up we have a neo-noir crime thriller set in 1939 LA that has a seasoned Private Detective becoming embroiled in an investigation with a wealthy family in Bay City, California after a beautiful blonde hires him to find her former lover. This is followed by an Aussie crime thriller that sees a jaded detective placed in charge of looking into a twenty-year-old outback cold case murder. Then we turn to a Moroccan drama offering in which a middle-aged tailor and his wife find their relationship upended by the arrival of a handsome new apprentice; before closing out the week with an Aussie biopic charting the life and times of an icon of the Australian music scene.

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

'FAST X' (Rated M) - is an American action film that is a direct sequel to 2021's 'F9' and the tenth instalment and the eleventh feature film in the 'Fast & Furious' franchise. Those ten films have grossed over US$6.6B at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets of a little over US$1.4B. It should also be noted that this franchise also includes short films, a television series, toys, video games, live shows, and theme park attractions. This film is Directed by Louis Leterrier whose previous feature film credits include 'Transporter 2' in 2005, 'The Incredible Hulk' in 2008, 'Clash of the Titans' in 2010, 'Now You See Me' in 2013 and 'The Takedown' in 2022. Leterrier replaced Director Justin Lin (who helmed five of the series films) who left within the first month of principle photography due to creative differences. This film has an estimated production budget of US$340M making it the seventh-most expensive film ever made, and is released worldwide this week. Its sequel, intended to be the main series' final instalment, is slated for a release in 2025.

Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they must confront the most lethal opponent they've ever faced in the guise of Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), the son of drug lord Hernan Reyes, seeking revenge for his father's death, and who has now joined forced with Cipher (Chalize Theron). Ignited by revenge, a terrifying threat emerges from the shadows of the past to shatter Dom's world and destroy everything, and everyone, he holds dear. Also starring a who who's of acting talent including Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Cena, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, Daniela Melchior, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, Cardi B and Michael Rooker. 

'MARLOWE' (Rated MA15+) - is a neo-noir crime thriller film Co-Written and Directed by Neil Jordan based on the on the 2014 novel 'The Black-Eyed Blonde' by Benjamin Black, and based on the fictional private detective character Philip Marlowe, created by Raymond Chandler who first appeared in print in the 1939 novel 'The Big Sleep'. Neil Jordan's previous film making credits take in the likes of his feature film debut with 'Angel' in 1982, then 'The Company of Wolves' in 1984, 'Mona Lisa' in 1986, 'The Crying Game' in 1992, 'Interview with the Vampire' in 1994, 'Michael Collins' in 1996, 'The End of the Affair' in 1999, 'The Brave One' in 2007 and 'Greta' in 2018. Here then, set in Los Angeles in 1939 private detective Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson) is hired by wealthy heiress Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger) to find her missing lover, Nico Peterson (Francois Arnaud), a prop master at Pacific Film Studios. Marlowe is wary of the supposed circumstances around Peterson's death and begins to investigate further, despite lack of interest from his friend, homicide detective Joe Green (Ian Hart). As Marlowe digs deeper into the case, he uncovers a web of lies and corruption among the city's elite. Also starring Jessica Lange, Danny Huston, Alan Cumming, Colm Meaney and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. The film saw its World Premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in late September last year and was released in the US in mid-February having received mixed critical reviews and so far grossing US$5.4M at the Box Office. 

'LIMBO' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian crime thriller is Written, Co-Produced, Directed, Edited, photographed and scored by Ivan Sen whose prior feature film directorial offerings include his debut in 2002 for 'Beneath Clouds' followed by the likes of 'Dreamland' in 2009, 'Mystery Road' in 2013, 'Goldstone' in 2016 and 'Expired' in 2022. Set in the small Australian outback town of Limbo, Travis Hurley (Simon Baker), a detective, comes to investigate a twenty-year-old unsolved homicide of an Aboriginal woman. Travis discovers a collection of unpleasant truths, highlighting the intricacies of loss and injustice faced by Aboriginal Australians. This film saw its World Premier at February's Berlin International Film Festival where it was in competition for the Golden Bear, and has generated mostly positive critical reviews.

'THE BLUE CAFTAN' (Rated M) -  a Moroccan Arabic-language drama film Co-Written and Directed by Maryam Touzani in only her second feature film making outing following 'Adam' in 2019. Halim (Saleh Bakri) and Mina (Lubna Azabal) run a traditional caftan store in Sale, one of Morocco's oldest medinas. In order to keep up with demanding customers, they hire a talented young man Youssef (Ayoub Missioui) as an apprentice. Mina slowly realises just how much her husband is moved by his presence. The film had its World Premier showing at the May 2022 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, has collected nine wins and another twelve nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, and has garnered widespread critical acclaim. 

'JOHN FARNHAM : FINDING THE VOICE' (Rated M) - this Australian music documentary film is Directed by Poppy Stockwell in her second film making offering following 'Scrum' in 2015. This film tells the untold story of an Australian music icon. In this first authorised biopic, we follow John Farnham’s life from the quiet suburbs of Melbourne to 1960's pop fame, through incredible highs and lows, and ultimately to record-breaking success as ‘Australia’s Voice’. John Farnham was 38 years old when 'Whispering Jack' was released. Nobody ever questioned that Farnham could sing, but the challenge to find his artistic voice and become Australia’s most trusted and beloved performer took half a lifetime. 'Whispering Jack' remains the highest-selling Australian album of all time, and this powerful documentary tracks the personal and public journey that has made Farnham Australia’s greatest and most beloved musical artist. The film also features commentary by Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Barnes, Robbie Williams, Celine Dion, Richard Marx, Darryl Braithwaite, Glenn and Gaynor Wheatley, James and Robert Farnham plus many more.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

GRETA : Tuesday 5th March 2019.

'GRETA' which I saw earlier this week, is a psychological thriller offering Directed and Co-Written by Neil Jordan whose previous big screen credits over a long and distinguished career take in 'The Company of Wolves', 'Mona Lisa', 'We're No Angels', 'The Crying Game', 'Interview with the Vampire', 'Michael Collins', 'The End of the Affair' and 'The Brave One' amongst others. The film saw its World Premier screening at last years TIFF in early September, and only last week did it get a release in Australia, and in the US too. The film has garnered generally mixed Reviews, but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by it, and it has so far taken US$6M at the Box Office.

Here Frances McCullen (Chloe Grace Moretz) finds a handbag on the New York subway and dutifully returns it to Greta Hideg (Isabelle Huppert), an eccentric and late 50/early 60 year old French piano teacher who loves tea and classical music, but is just a little lonely. Greta is overjoyed that Frances has returned her handbag and invites the young girl in for a freshly brewed coffee. Over coffee in the afternoon, Frances learns that Greta is a widow, and has a daughter living in Paris studying music at University, with whom she speaks to quite often over the phone. Frances is working as a waitress in an upmarket restaurant and living with her best friend Erica Penn (Maika Monroe) in a penthouse bought for her by her parents. We also learn that Frances one year ago lost her own mother to cancer and is still coming to terms with that loss. Meanwhile her father Chris (Colm Feore) is a workaholic, and with whom she has a strained and distant relationship.

Frances begins to spend time with Greta, having struck up an instant liking for each other, and they are both seemingly very comfortable in each others company. Frances suggests that Greta should get a dog to keep her company, and that it would be a welcome distraction. At first Greta shirks off the idea but then warms, and agrees only if Frances will help her choose one from the Dog Rescue Centre, which she does. One night while Frances is helping Greta prepare a dinner for the two of them Frances stumbles across a stash of handbags in her sideboard, identical to the one she retrieved and containing the same set of contents. Furthermore, on the back of each handbag is a Post-It note with the name of a girl and a mobile phone number. This gravely disturbs Frances, who cuts dinner short, and upon the advice of Erica, cuts ties with Greta completely.

Shortly thereafter following numerous unanswered phone calls and text messages from Greta to Frances' mobile phone at all times of the day and night, Greta begins stalking Frances and is even seen standing outside the restaurant where she works staring blankly in through the window from across the street. This unsettles Frances. On another occasion, Greta books a table at the restaurant, insults Frances while she is going about her work and creates a scene upturning her table in a fit of rage. She is restrained by other restaurant staff and Security Officers and the Police called. Greta is carted off in an ambulance for treatment and released from custody the next day. At this point, after Greta has also stalked Erica one evening while out at a club, both Frances and Erica seek to take out a restraining order but are told by the Police that the process could take months.

Later, Frances meets up with her father, with his advice being to cut Greta out of her life completely. Meanwhile, Frances has tried to make contact with Greta's daughter in Paris and indirectly finds out that Greta was released from a psychiatric hospital and also learns from a Counsellor that Greta's daughter committed suicide four years ago, and that she never did go to France to study music. Frances is encouraged to get out of the city for a break but torn to either go away with her father or go with Erica out of the country, but Frances feels that she should not not leave because of Greta’s behaviour. Erica suggests lying to Greta and saying she was leaving to fix her own issues, and to apologise to the woman for her behaviour. After some tuition in the art of blatant lying from Erica, Frances follows this advice, and meets with Greta in church to make peace.

The next day, Greta emerges in Erica's apartment and drugs Frances while she is home alone, and then kidnaps her, bundling the partially conscious Frances into the back of a taxi on the basis that she is very sick. Greta takes her to her home, where she bundles the now comatose Frances into a large wooden locked box in a secret room located behind the piano. Greta then proceeds to send text messages to both Chris and Erica telling each of them that she is with the other and having a good old time, using photo's found within Frances' mobile phone. When Frances is released from the confines of her wooden box she finds clothing and ID cards from the other girls that had been abducted by Greta over time, and she surmises met with a sticky end.

In time, Erica and Chris learn that Frances was not with either of them on holiday as they had been led to believe. By now she has been kept with Greta for a good couple of weeks, forced to learn piano and speak French. During a cooking lesson, Frances cuts off Greta's finger with a cookie cutter, and uses the rolling pin she is holding to knock Greta unconscious. Frances tries to escape but all the doors and windows are locked shut and there is no sign of any keys. Heading into the basement to try and find an exit Frances stumbles across a bodybag only to find one of Greta's victims in it and still breathing. Greta then appears and takes control of the situation by promptly wrapping a bag around Frances' head until she passes out. To prevent Frances from trying to escape again, she shackles her to  the bed frame and gags her mouth. In the meantime, the body in the bag in the basement is no longer breathing, having been seen to by Greta.

Chris hires a personal friend and Irish private investigator Brian Cody (Stephen Rea) to locate Greta and hopefully shed some light on Frances' disappearance. Brian, after doing some digging, explains to Chris that Greta was a nurse who was discharged for abusing sleeping medication and further explains that Greta was supposed to be back in Hungary, her home country. Brian visits the home to meet with Greta who lets him in and is very pleasant offering him a cup of coffee and a chat. He questions the old woman about Frances, but Greta shrugs off their brief acquaintance as the whim of a young girl. Meanwhile, Frances attempts to get his attention by thrashing her body against the bed and in turn the wall against which the piano is located on the other side. This action causes the metronome on top of the piano to activate. Brian snoops around and deduces that there is a secret room behind the piano despite Greta attempting to block off the noise by playing loud classical music. Brian is tranquilised and eventually shot dead by Greta with his own gun using three bullets at point blank range to the head.

By now weeks and possibly months have passed by with Frances still bound and gagged to her bed. Greta is back up to her old tricks and leaves another handbag for an unsuspecting victim on the subway. That unsuspecting victim brings the handbag to Greta's home and is welcomed inside by Greta, like history is repeating itself . . . again! Frances attempts to get their attention by banging once again against the bed frame, but is unsuccessful. After Greta drinks the coffee, she suddenly feels overcome with drowsiness and quickly deduces that it had been spiked and passes out as a result. The victim takes off her brunette wig to reveal herself as Erica. Erica is also alerted to the metronome that self started as a result of the bed banging against the wall next to the piano. She rescues Frances before the pair place Greta’s motionless body in the box and securing it with a makeshift lock, and then leave to get some much needed fresh air.

'Greta' may not offer the genre anything that we haven't already seen countless times before, but it is saved by the two female leads in Isabelle Huppert playing the totally unhinged antagonist to quiet calculating perfection, and Chloe Grace Moretz as the young innocent protagonist caught in the wrong place at the wrong time just trying to be an upstanding model citizen by doing the right thing. The other characters are left to hang as window dressing and to move the largely predictable cat and mouse plot along for all of its sub-100 minute run time. The film is certainly worth the price of your ticket, or you can wait to catch it from the comfort of your sofa in your own home, just don't expect anything new and fresh, but rather a respectable by the numbers rehash of previously trodden ground. 

'Greta' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 28th February 2019.

Finally, after all the hype, the melodrama, the controversy over a Host, the wranglings over what awards should be televised and those that shouldn't, whether all five best original songs should be performed live or just a proposed two, and the inclusion of a new populist film award, the 91st Academy Awards were held on Sunday evening 24th February 2019 at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. This years ceremony was the first in three decades, since the 61st Academy Awards in 1989, to be conducted with no Host after the withdrawal of Kevin Hart as the 'chosen one' due to past jokes and adverse comments about certain demographics ten years ago came back to haunt him. Sad but true!

Now the dust has settled on this years Oscar's gig, in case you missed all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's Night of Nights, here is the list of those winners and grinners who walked away with a golden statue, and those that didn't!

* Best Picture : won by 'GREEN BOOK', beating out 'Black Panther', 'BlacKkKlansman', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'The Favourite', 'Roma', 'A Star Is Born' and 'Vice'.
* Best Director : won by ALFONSO CUARON for 'ROMA' beating out Spike Lee for 'BlacKkKlansman', Paweł Pawlikowski for 'Cold War', Yorgos Lanthimos for 'The Favourite' and Adam McKay for 'Vice'.

* Best Foreign Language Film : won by 'ROMA' (Mexico), beating out 'Capernaum' (Lebanon), 'Cold War' (Poland), 'Never Look Away' (Germany) and 'Shoplifters' (Japan).
* Best Documentary Feature : won by 'FREE SOLO', beating out 'Hale County This Morning, This Evening', 'Minding the Gap', 'Of Fathers and Sons' and 'RBG'.
* Best Animated Feature : won by 'SPIDER-MAN : INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE', beating out 'Incredibles 2', 'Isle of Dogs', 'Mirai' and 'Ralph Breaks the Internet'.

* Best Actor : won by RAMI MALEK for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in 'BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY', beating out Christian Bale for 'Vice' as Dick Cheney, Bradley Cooper for 'A Star Is Born' as Jackson 'Jack' Maine, Willem Dafoe for 'At Eternity's Gate' as Vincent van Gogh and Viggo Mortensen for 'Green Book' as Frank 'Tony Lip' Vallelonga.

* Best Actress : won by OLIVIA COLMAN for her portrayal of Anne, Queen of Great Britain in 'THE FAVOURITE', beating out Yalitza Aparicio for 'Roma' as Cleodegaria 'Cleo' Gutiérrez, Glenn Close for 'The Wife' as Joan Castleman, Lady Gaga for 'A Star Is Born' as Ally Maine and Melissa McCarthy for 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' as Lee Israel.
* Best Supporting Actor : won by MAHERSHALA ALI for his portrayal of Dr. Don Shirley in 'GREEN BOOK', beating out Adam Driver for 'BlacKkKlansman' as Philip 'Flip' Zimmerman, Sam Elliott for 'A Star Is Born' as Bobby Maine, Richard E. Grant for 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' as Jack Hock and Sam Rockwell for 'Vice' as George W. Bush.

* Best Supporting Actress : won by REGINA KING for her portrayal of Sharon Rivers in 'IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK', beating out Amy Adams for 'Vice' as Lynne Cheney, Marina de Tavira for 'Roma' as Sofía, Emma Stone for 'The Favourite' as Abigail Masham and Rachel Weisz for 'The Favourite' as Sarah Churchill.
* Best Original Screenplay : won by 'GREEN BOOK' Co-Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly, beating out 'The Favourite', 'First Reformed', 'Roma' and 'Vice'.

* Best Adapted Screenplay : won by 'BLACKKKLANSMAN' Co-Written for the Screen by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee and based on the book by Ron Stallworth, beating out 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs', 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?', 'If Beale Street Could Talk' and 'A Star Is Born'.
* Best Original Score : won for 'BLACK PANTHER', beating out 'BlacKkKlansman', 'If Beale Street Could Talk', 'Isle of Dogs' and 'Mary Poppins Returns'.



* Best Original Song : won for 'SHALLOW' from 'A STAR IS BORN' by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt, beating out 'All the Stars' from 'Black Panther', 'I'll Fight' from 'RBG', 'The Place Where Lost Things Go' from 'Mary Poppins Returns' and 'When a Cowboy Trades his Spurs for Wings' from 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'.
* Best Cinematography : won by ALFONSO CUARON for 'ROMA', beating out 'Cold War', 'The Favourite', 'Never Look Away' and 'A Star is Born'.

* Best Visual Effects : won by 'FIRST MAN' beating out 'Avengers : Infinity War', 'Christopher Robin', 'Ready Player One' and 'Solo : A Star Wars Story'.
* And in the remaining categories, 'BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY' won Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing; 'BLACK PANTHER' won for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design; and 'VICE' won for Best Make Up and Hair Styling.

You can catch all the highlights, the reports, the stories and the clips, at the official website at : oscar.go.com

This week then there are four latest release films coming to your local Odeon. Kicking off with a bunch of old codgers with a plan to commit an audacious cash & jewellery heist over the Easter long weekend, their plan is successful until their infighting afterwards leads to distrust and their ultimate demise. We then have a horror drama that plays out with a young good Samaritan returning a seemingly lost handbag to its older rightful owner, leading to an instant bond between the two but all is not as it seems as the older lady here starts to reveal a sinister pre-meditated agenda. Next we turn to a true story of a displaced man's best friend and that canine friend trekking over four hundred miles and several adventures later to get back to its rightful owner; and we then close out the week with a psychological thriller of a Police Emergency Call Centre operative taking a call from a distraught female with a cryptic clue that she has been abducted by her ex-husband, and so begins this real time taughtly woven game of cat & mouse.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are 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. 

'KING OF THIEVES' (Rated M) - Directed by Brit James Marsh whose previous film making credits include 'Man On Wire', 'Project Nim', 'The Theory of Everything', 'The Mercy' most recently and now this true life British crime drama. The film tells the story of the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Burglary that took place over the Easter long weekend back in 2015. To give some context, this was an underground safe deposit facility in London's Hatton Garden area which is a commercial precinct in the Holborn district of the London Borough of Camden, close to the City of London's boundary. It takes its name from Sir Christopher Hatton, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, who established a mansion in the area. Hatton Garden is famous as London's jewellery quarter and the centre of the UK diamond trade. This speciality established itself in the early 19th Century, to the point where today there are nearly 300 businesses in the jewellery industry and over 55 shops, representing the largest cluster of jewellery retailers in the UK.

A famous thief in his younger days, 77 year old widower Brian Reader (Michael Caine) pulls together a band of misfit criminals to plot an unprecedented burglary at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit. The thieves, all in their 60's and 70's except for one, use their old-school thieving skills to plan the heist over the Easter long weekend. Posing as gas repairmen, they enter the deposit, neutralise the alarms, and proceed to drill a hole into the wall of the safe. Two days later, they manage to escape with allegedly over £200M worth of stolen jewels and money, although court reports later on reduce that sum down to £14M, which was described as the 'largest burglary in English legal history'. Nonetheless, when the Police arrive on the scene and the investigation begins, the cracks between the misfit gang members begin to emerge as they argue over how to share the spoils with brutal greed and then a fierce distrust of each other begins to set in. Also starring Ray Winstone, Tom Courtney, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Cox. The film was released in the UK back in September 2018, and has garnered mixed Reviews.

'GRETA' (Rated MA15+) - this horror drama offering is Directed and Co-Written by Neil Jordan whose previous big screen credits over a long and distinguished career take in 'The Company of Wolves', 'Mona Lisa', 'We're No Angels', 'The Crying Game', 'Interview with the Vampire', 'Michael Collins', 'The End of the Affair' and 'The Brave One' amongst others. The film saw its World Premier screening at last years TIFF in early September, and only now does it get a release in Australia, and in the US this week too. Here Frances McCullen (Chloe Grace Moretz) finds a handbag on the New York subway and dutifully returns it to Greta Hideg (Isabelle Huppert), an eccentric French piano teacher who loves tea and classical music. Having recently lost her mother, the young Frances grows closer to the kindly widow. Within no time, the the two become firm friends, but Greta's maternal charms begin to dissolve and grow increasingly disturbing as Frances discovers that nothing in Greta's life is quite what it seems and she must now end the rapidly changing relationship before things spiral out of control. Also starring Maika Monroe, Stephen Rea and Colm Feore.

'A DOG'S WAY HOME' (Rated PG) - here Actor, Writer and Director Charles Martin Smith brings us this family adventure story based on the true story as recounted in the book of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron. The film was released in the USA in early January and has so far grossed US$69M off the back of its US$18M production budget and has generated mixed or average Reviews. As a puppy, Bella (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard) finds her way into the arms of Lucas (Jonah Hauer-King), a young man who gives her a good home in Denver, Colorado. When Bella becomes separated from Lucas, she soon finds herself on an epic 400-mile journey from Farmington, New Mexico back to Denver to reunite with her beloved owner. Along the way, the lost but spirited dog touches the lives of an orphaned mountain lion, a down-on-his-luck veteran and some friendly strangers who happen to cross her path on this epic journey that will take two years to complete, if she can survive that long. Also starring Ashley Judd, Edward James Olmos, and Alexandra Shipp.

'THE GUILTY' ('DEN SKYLDIGE') (Rated M) - this Danish psychological thriller known as 'Den Skyldige' in its native tongue, is Directed by first timer Gustav Moller, saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival way back in January 2018, was selected as the Danish entry into the Best Foreign Language Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards, in total has so far won 27 awards around the festival and awards circuit and been nominated for another 31, and has received widespread Critical acclaim. Here Asger Holm (Jakob Cedergren) is a Policeman who’s been demoted temporarily to working the phones in the emergency call centre of his local Police Force after one too many at-work misdemeanours. When a terrified woman named Iben (voiced by Jessica Dinnage) calls him to say she’s being abducted by her ex-husband and the call is then suddenly disconnected, Asger will need to use every bit of his ingenuity and policing skills to find her before it's too late. Taking place entirely within the confines of Asger’s secluded and enclosed emergency services room, and in real time, this film has been praised for ramping up the tension, the sound design and for Cedergren's compelling performance.

With four new release movies 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-