What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 20th October 2022.

The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) this year is held from Wednesday 19th October through until Sunday 30th October. The AFF is an international film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented biennially in March from 2003, since 2013 AFF has been held in October, and from this year forward the festival will be staged annually. It has a strong focus on local South Australian and Australian produced content, with the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) established to fund investment in Australian films. Established in 2003, it was listed in Variety's '50 Unmissable Film Festivals around the world' in 2007.

The Opening Night Gala film presentation is the documentary about the Adelaide rock band of the '70's 'The Angels : Kickin' Down The Door', that is Written and Directed by Madeleine Parry. The Closing Night film is the psychological horror thriller 'Talk to Me' Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, and centres around a troubled teenager, Mia, and her group of friends who discover how to conjure spirits using a ceramic embalmed hand. They become hooked on the new thrill, until Mia is confronted by a soul claiming to be her dead mother.

The Feature Fiction Competition this year consists of six films, comprising the following entries :-

* 'Metronome' - from Romania and France and Written and Directed by Alexander Belc. Romania, autumn 1972. Ana, a 17 year-old, finds out that her boyfriend will flee the country for good in a few days. The two young lovers decide to spend their last days together.

* 'Huesera' - from Mexico and Peru and Co-Written and Directed by Michelle Garza Cervera. Valeria has long dreamed about becoming a mother. After learning that she's pregnant, she expects to feel happy, yet something's off.

* 'Autobiography' - from Australia and Indonesia and Written and Directed by Makbul Mubarak. A young man is employed as a housekeeper in an empty mansion. When its owner returns to start his mayoral election campaign, the young man bonds with him and defends him when his campaign is vandalised, setting off a chain of violence.
* 'Klondike' - from Ukraine and Turkey and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Maryna Er Gorbach. The story of a Ukrainian family living on the border of Russia and Ukraine during the start of the war. Irka refuses to leave her house even as the village gets captured by armed forces. Shortly after they find themselves at the centre of an international air crash catastrophe on 17th July 2014.
* 'War Pony' - from the USA and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Riley Keough and Gina Gammell. The interlocking stories of two young Oglala Lakota men growing up on their Pine Ridge Reservation home, and how the pair must wrestle with grief, violence and identity to forge their unique paths to adulthood.
* 'Whina' - from New Zealand and Co-Written and Directed by James Napier Robertson and Paula Whetu Jones. The sweeping biopic of iconic Maori elder and activist, Whina Cooper.

The Documentary Competition, feature six films, consisting of :-

* 'Hidden Letters' - from China, the USA and Norway and Directed by Violet Du Feng and Zhao Qing. For centuries in Jiangyong County in China’s Hunan Province, women had their feet bound and were expected to follow the Confucian Three Obediences of strictly following orders from their fathers, husbands and sons. In response they developed a written script, Nushu, that men couldn’t understand, to share their intimate thoughts and write poetry and songs. 

* 'The Hamlet Syndrome' - from Poland and Germany and Directed by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosolowski. In the months leading up to the full-scale Russian invasion, five young Ukrainians prepare to stage a theatre production combining the core themes of Hamlet with their combat experiences in the ongoing war between the two countries since the revolution of 2014.

* 'The Plains' - from Australia and Written, Produced, Directed and Edited by David Easteal. Every evening a man in his late fifties commutes home in his car at the end of the working day in the outer suburbs of Melbourne.

* 'Fledglings' - from Poland and Directed and Co-Edited by Lidia Duda. Zosia, Oskar, and Kinga are seven-year-olds who are moving away from their parents for the first time to attend boarding school for the blind and vision-impaired. Zosia is relentlessly talkative, Oskar works out his insecurities on the piano, and Kinga is a solid, supportive presence.

* 'Sanson and Me' - from Mexico and the USA and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rodrigo Reyes. This film follows a young immigrant's path from coastal Mexico to a life sentence for murder in California.

* 'Dos Estaciones' - from Mexico and France and Directed and Co-Edited by Juan Pablo Gonzalez. In the bucolic hills of Mexico's Jalisco highlands, iron-willed businesswoman Maria Garcia fights the impending collapse of her tequila factory.

For the full programme of films featured, the awards and more good stuff going down at this years Adelaide Film Festival, you can visit the official website at : https://adelaidefilmfestival.org/aff22/

This week there are four new movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, launching with the eleventh offering in the DCEU that tells the origin story of Teth-Adam, a man born into slavery who acquires super powers and how he wants to use his newfound might some five thousand years later to wipe out criminals from the face of the earth having developed a distorted version of justice, after his traumatic experience as an enslaved person in Ancient Egypt. Next up is a horror thriller about a young woman staying at an Airbnb who discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems. This is followed by a story of a detective investigating a man's death in the mountains ends up meeting and developing feelings for the dead man's mysterious wife in the course of his dogged sleuthing. And we close out the week with an Aussie drama about an alienated teenager who learns to find meaning and purpose through the pain of love and loss.

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.

'BLACK ADAM' (Rated M) - is an American Superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, is a spin-off from the 2019 film 'Shazam!' and is the eleventh film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). It is Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra whose prior film making credits include his debut in 2005 with 'House of Wax', then four films with Liam Neeson - those being 'Unknown' in 2011, 'Non-Stop' in 2014, 'Run All Night' in 2015 and 'The Commuter' in 2018, with 'The Shallows' in 2016 and 'Jungle Cruise' most recently in 2021. This film saw its World Premiere in Mexico City on 3rd October and is scheduled to be released here in Australia, the US and a number of other territories from this week, having cost in the region of US$185M to produce.

In the ancient city of Kahndaq, Teth Adam was bestowed the almighty powers of the gods. After using those powers for vengeance, he was imprisoned, becoming Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson). Nearly 5,000 years have passed, and Black Adam has gone from man to myth to legend. Now free, his unique form of justice, born out of rage, is challenged by modern-day heroes who form the Justice Society of America : Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo)and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), who try to stop his rampage, teach him how to be a hero more than a villain, and must team up to stop a force more powerful than Adam himself. Also starring Viola Davis as Amanda Waller from previous DCEU entries. 

'BARBARIAN' (Rated MA15+) - this American horror film is Written, Directed and stars Zach Cregger in only his third feature film making outing following 'Miss March' in 2009 and 'The Civil War on Drugs' in 2011. The film saw its World Premier at the San Diego Comic Con toward the end of July this year and went on general release in the US in early September, having so far grossed US$41M from a US$4M budget outlay and garnering generally positive critical reviews. Traveling to Detroit for a job interview, Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell) books a rental home. But when she arrives late at night, she discovers that the house is double booked to a Keith Toshko (Bill Skarsgard) who is already staying there. Against her better judgement, she decides to spend the evening, but soon discovers a dark secret within the home and that there's a lot more to fear than just an unexpected house guest. Also starring Justin Long and Kate Bosworth. 

'DECISION TO LEAVE' (Rated M) - is a South Korean romantic mystery film Co-Written, Produced and Directed by Park Chan-wook whose previous film making credits include 'Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance', 'Oldboy', 'Lady Vengeance', 'Stoker', and 'The Handmaiden' most recently in 2016. A detective investigating a man's death in the mountains ends up meeting and developing feelings for the dead man's mysterious wife in the course of his exhaustive investigations. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in May of this year where Park Chan-wook won Best Director. It was released in its native South Korea at the end of May, has so far grossed US$17M and has garnered widespread universal critical acclaim, as well as picking up nine other award wins and eight other nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. 

'EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN' (Rated M) - this Australian drama offering is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Nadi Sha in his feature film debut. As eighteen year old Jay Knight (Jordan Dulieu) stands on a cliff top contemplating putting an end to the meaningless miasma of his existence, twenty-eight year old Liz Myers (Freyja Benjamin) lands in town on the latest leg of her endless adventures backpacking around the world. After a sliding doors moment brings this unlikely pair together, they form a deep and immediate bond - much to the chagrin of Jay’s privileged but jaded socialite parents Meredith and David Knight (Gigi Edgley and Martin Crewes respectively). Unfortunately, Liz’s laissez faire lifestyle is brought to an abrupt halt by a life-threatening mystery illness and, as Jay becomes more and more entwined in her plight, all four are forced to come to terms with their world views.

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 week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 18th August 2022.

The 75th Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is currently running from Friday 12th until Saturday 20th August. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, International, European, UK or Scottish Premieres), in all genres and lengths. It also presents themed retrospectives and other specialised programming strands. 

This years Opening Night Gala film was 'Aftersun' from the UK and US and is Directed by Charlotte Wells and stars Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio. The Closing Night Gala film is 'After Yang' Directed by Kogonada and stars Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith. 

This year EIFF will present 'The Powell & Pressburger Award for Best Feature Film'. This competition is composed of a mix of UK and Irish filmmakers and international talents that honours imagination and creativity in filmmaking. The films selected for our 2022 competition are daring, eclectic and genuinely speak to the creativity that’s central to the works of the award’s namesakes – Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. 

The films in this strand are :-

* 'Flux Gourmet' - from the UK and Directed by Peter Strickland and starring Asa Butterfield and Gwendoline Christie in this dark comedy horror. UK Premier.

* '99 Moons' - from Switzerland and Written and Directed by Jan Gassmann and starring Valentina Di Pace and Dominik Fellmann in this sensual drama. UK Premier.

* 'Lola' - from Ireland and the UK and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Andrew Legge in his feature film making debut. Starring Stefanie Martini, Emma Appleton, Rory Fleck Byrne and Aaron Monaghan in this Sci-Fi drama. UK Premier.

* 'Fogareu' - from Brazil and France and Co-Written and Directed by Flavia Neves and starring Barbara Colen, Eucir de Souza, Allan Jacinto Santana, Timothy Wilson, Kelly Crifer, Nena Inoue, Vilminha Chaves, Fernanda Vianna and Vilma Montenegro in this drama. UK Premier.

* 'Husband' - from the UK and US and Co-Produced and Directed by Josh Appignanesi and Devorah Baum and starring Josh Appignanesi and Devorah Baum in this drama comedy. World Premier.

* 'Nothing Compares' - from Ireland and the UK and Directed by Kathryn Ferguson, and this documentary covers the period from 1987 to 1992 in the life and times of Sinead O'Connor. Scottish Premier.

* 'Leonor Will Never Die' from the Philippines and Directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar and starring Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera, Rocky Salumbides, Anthony Falcon in this comedy action thriller. UK Premier.

* 'Please Baby Please' - from the US and Co-Written and Directed by Amanda Kramer and starring Andrea Riseborough and Harry Melling in this drama. UK Premier.

* 'A Cat Called Dom' - from the UK and Directed and starring Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson in this documentary animation drama. World Premier.

* 'Mediterranean Fever' from Palestine, Germany, France, Cyprus, Qatar and Written and Directed by Maha Haj and starring Amer Hlehel and Ashraf Farah in this drama. UK Premier.

For all the details on the other strands, the events, and the comings and goings at this years 75th Edinburgh International Film Festival, you can go to the official website at : https://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/edinburgh-international-film-festival

Turning attention back to this weeks six new films gracing your local Odeon, we have one from the US, one from Britain, one from Australia and three from South Korea. Opening up we kick off with a Sci-Fi horror drama set in a future world where humans have adapted to a synthetic environment, with new transformations and mutations, and with it a celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. This is followed by a British comedy drama about a 55-year-old widow, who yearns for some adventure, human connection and some sex - some good sex. Next up is an Aussie thriller centred around a mother and daughter who deals with an uncertain threat that ultimately brings them closer together. And closing out the week we have three offerings from South Korea, the first of which is a drama about baby boxes that are left out (in this case at a church) for people to anonymously drop off their unwanted babies to be found and cared for. Then we turn to a romantic mystery offering about a detective who falls for a mysterious widow after she becomes the prime suspect in his latest murder investigation, before closing out the week with an action drama which plays out after a terror incident occurs mid-flight, leading this passenger jet to declare an emergency.

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

'CRIMES OF THE FUTURE' (Rated MA15+) - this Sci-Fi body horror film is Written and Directed by David Cronenberg whose previous film making credits include 'Crimes of the Future' in 1970 (not a remake or a sequel, as the theme is unrelated), 'Shivers' in 1975, 'The Brood' in 1979, 'Scanners' in 1981, 'Videodrome' in 1983, 'The Fly' in 1986, 'Naked Lunch' in 1991, 'Crash' in 1996, 'eXistenZ' in 1999, 'A History of Violence' in 2005, 'Eastern Promises' in 2007, 'Cosmopolis' in 2012 and 'Maps to the Stars' in 2014. This film Premiered at this years Cannes Film Festival, where it was in competition for the Palme d'Or and received a six-minute standing ovation. It was released in France towards the end of May and opened in Canada and the US in early June and here in Australia from this week, having so far grossed US$3.5M and generated largely positive critical reviews. 

As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner Caprice (Lea Seydoux), Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances. Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed, whose mission it is to use Saul's notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution. Also starring Scott Speedman and Don McKellar.

'GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE' (Rated M) - is a British sex comedy film Directed and Executive Produced by South Australian Sophie Hyde in only her third feature film outing following '52 Tuesdays' in 2013 and 'Animals' in 2019, although she has also helmed a number of short films, documentaries and TV series in the meantime as well as Writing and Producing. Here then, retired former Religious Education teacher, the fifty-five year old Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson), whose straight laced husband died two years previously, embarks on a post-marital sexual awakening with male sex worker Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack), and as he draws on his skills and charm, between them they find a surprising human connection. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in January this year and went on release in the UK in mid-June, has garnered generally positive Critical acclaim and has so far taken US$2M at the Box Office.

'THE GIRL AT THE WINDOW' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian thriller Directed by Mark Hartley in his third feature film making credit after 2006's 'Just Rollin'' and and 2013's 'Patrick : Evil Awakens', although he has Directed, Edited, Written and Produced numerous music videos and video documentaries in the meantime. A troubled teenage girl (Ella Newton) who’s struggling to cope with the accidental death of her father suspects that the mysterious killer stalking her hometown is not only her neighbour but the new romantic interest of her mother (Radha Mitchell). Also starring James Mackay and Vince Colosimo. 

'BROKER' (Rated MA15+) - this South Korean drama film is Written, Directed and Edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda whose previous Directorial credits take in the likes of 'Nobody Knows' in 2004, 'Still Walking' in 2008, 'After the Storm' in 2016, 'Shoplifters' in 2018 and 'The Truth' in 2019. Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho) is the owner of a hand laundry and volunteers at the nearby church, where his friend Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) works. The two run an illegal business together, Sang-hyeon occasionally steals babies from the church's baby box (a place where people (typically mothers) can bring babies, usually newborn, and abandon them anonymously in a safe place to be found and cared for) with Dong-soo, who deletes the church's surveillance footage that shows a baby was left there. They sell the babies on the adoption black market. But when a young mother So-young (Lee Ji-eun) comes back after having abandoned her baby, she discovers them and decides to go with them on a road trip to interview the baby's potential parents. Meanwhile, two detectives, Soo-jin (Bae Doona) and Lee (Lee Joo-young), are on their case and on their trail. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it screened in late May and won the Ecumenical Jury Award and the Best Actor Award for Song Kang-ho. It went on release in its native South Korea in early June, has so far grossed US$15M and has generated largely positive Critical reviews.

'DECISION TO LEAVE' (Rated MA15+) - is a South Korean romantic mystery film Co-Written, Produced and Directed by Park Chan-wook whose previous film making credits include 'Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance', 'Oldboy', 'Lady Vengeance', 'Stoker', and 'The Handmaiden' most recently in 2016. A detective investigating a man's death in the mountains ends up meeting and developing feelings for the dead man's mysterious wife in the course of his exhaustive investigations. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in May of this year where Park Chan-wook won Best Director. It was released in its native South Korea at the end of May, has so far grossed US$17M and has garnered widespread universal critical acclaim.

'EMERGENCY DECLARATION' (Rated MA15+) - this South Korean disaster action film is Written, Produced, Directed and Edited by Jae-rim Han whose previous film making outings include his debut in 2005 with 'Rules of Dating', then 'The Show Must Go On', 'The Face Reader' and 'The King' in 2017. The film is based on a real aviation disaster in which an aeroplane declared high alert and demanded unconditional landing when an unprecedented terror occurs inflight. The film saw its World Premier screening in the out of competition section of the 74th Cannes Film Festival in mid-July 2021, and was released in cinema's in South Korea earlier this month. Produced with a budget of about US$22M the film has so far recouped about US$11M before being released in the US last week and here in Australia this week. 

With six 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-