What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 24th November 2022.

The second edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival runs this year from Thursday 1st December through until Saturday 10th December and is held in Jeddah in western Saudi Arabia. The RSIFF is for film lovers, filmmakers, and the global film industry. The Red Sea Film Foundation is an independent, non-profit organisation created to support the film industry in Saudi Arabia in the production and distribution of films, as well as education on cinema. The Foundation’s initiatives support the ambitious plans for the Kingdom in the entertainment industries, with its pillars of a vibrant society, an ambitious nation and a thriving economy. This festival is a unique and powerful platform for celebrating film, connecting cultures, and expanding our horizons. Much more than a film-watching event - it is a diverse and comprehensive platform that celebrates every facet of filmmaking. These ideas of celebration, connection, and cultural exchange made their way into this year’s theme : 'FILM IS EVERYTHING'. A bold, cinematic, progressive and cultural ten-day festival for film lovers, storytellers, and industry professionals from around the globe, so the official website reads.

The Opening Night Gala film presentation is 'What's Love Got To Do With It?' Directed by Shekhar Kapur and stars Lily James and Shazad Latif in the story of two people from different cultures who fall in love. The Closing Night film is Khaled Fahd’s Saudi feature 'Valley Road', about a man from a Saudi village who is believed to have a disability; and only his sister recognises his difference is what elevates him.

The Festival is divided into eleven sections, with each programme expertly curated by a team of internationally renowned programmers, delivering the best in Arab and world cinema, television, and VR to engaged Saudi and global audiences. The Red Sea Competition values all cinematic forms, from narrative to animation and documentary, featuring works from Asia and Africa, including the Arab world. It presents challenging cinematic works with innovative filmmaking and great storytelling by emerging and established voices, celebrated with generous prizes awarded by an international jury. There are fourteen feature films in competition, these being :-

* 'A Childless Village' - from Iran and Directed by Reza Jamali. Kazem, an elderly film-maker, tried to shoot a documentary twenty years before this film takes place in a remote Azeri village where the women, who were all childless, were presumed to be sterile. His film was never completed, and the village women, anxious to preserve their dignity, burnt the footage. Two decades later, when it is established that it is the men who were and are infertile, Kazem decides to go back with his camera.

* 'A Summer in Boujad' - from Morocco, France and Belgium and Directed by Omar Mouldouira. Seven years after the death of his mother, thirteen-year-old Karim has left Paris for Morocco with his father Messaoud, who has remarried and decided to return to his homeland. After a year at a French boarding school in Casablanca, Karim joins the newly blended family – including his new half-brother, stepmother and his father’s mother-in-law - for the summer in Boujad, a small town in central Morocco.

* 'Before Now and Then' - from Indonesia and Directed by Kamila Andini. Set in West Java, Nana finds refuge in a second marriage after losing her family to war in the 1940's. Then, she befriends her second husband's mistress, Ino, together seeking for the meaning of freedom.

* 'Dirty Difficult Dangerous' - from France, Italy, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Qatar and Directed by Wissam Charaf. Set in Beirut, Lebanon, an impossible love story unfolds between an Ethiopian housemaid and a Syrian refugee whose body is undergoing mysterious changes.

* 'Hanging Gardens' - from Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, UK and Saudi Arabia and Directed by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji. When a young Iraqi rubbish picker rescues an American sex doll from the Baghdad dumps, he crosses into a perilous red zone, where friends become enemies and nothing is certain in an explosive mix of love, war and madness.

* 'Harka' - from Tunisia, France and Saudi Arabia and Directed by Lotfy Nathan. Ali is barely making a living selling contraband gasoline. The young impoverished Tunisian all of a sudden finds himself in charge of his two sisters following the death of his father. 

* 'Mountain Onion' - from Kazakhstan and Directed by Eldar Shibanov. The story of the growing up of eleven-year-old Dzhabai, who sells mountain onions on the highway, and who finds his mother with his idol, a truck driver. He then goes off to a remote corner of China with his little sister for the so called Golden Viagra for his father, so that he can regain his position as the man of the family.

* 'Next Sohee' - from South Korea and Directed by July Jung. High school student Sohee starts a job training at a call centre, but she faces the pressure of greedy company only interested in their balance sheet, which ultimately leads to her death. Detective Oh Yu-jin, who has something in common with Sohee starts to follow the clues to reveal the truth.

* 'Nezouh' - from the UK, Syria and France and Directed by Soudade Kaadan. Even as bombs fall on Damascus, Mutaz refuses to flee to the uncertain life of a refugee. His wife, Hala, and daughter, Zeina, must make the choice whether to stay or leave.

* 'Our Lady of the Chinese Shop' - from Angola and Directed by Ery Claver. When a Chinese merchant brings to a neighbourhood of Luanda a peculiar holy plastic figure of Our Lady, a mourning mother will seek peace, a committed barber starts a new cult and a stray kid will look for revenge for his lost friend.

* 'Raven Song' - from Saudi Arabia and Directed by Mohamed Al-Salman. At the age of thirty, Nasser is drifting, convinced his father doesn't understand him. His life comes into sharp focus, however, when he is diagnosed with a brain tumour. At the same time, he meets and becomes infatuated with a striking but enigmatic young woman and must make some rapid decisions before he undergoes risky neurosurgery.

* 'Shimoni' - from Kenya and Directed by Angela Wanjiku Wamai. A teacher newly released from prison after seven years renegotiates the confines of the physical world while forced to face his nightmare in the flesh.

* 'The Last Queen' - from Algeria, France and Saudi Arabia and Directed by Damien Ounouri and Adila Bendimerad. In 1516, Algerian King Salim Toumi accepted the help of feared pirate Aroudj Barbarossa to liberate Algiers from Spanish occupation, only to die in mysterious circumstances once the city was secure. The next day, Barbarossa proposed marriage to Salim's Queen Zaphira, having already vowed to his crew that he intended to take Salim's palace, horse and wife. Zaphira, who may or may not have existed but, whose passion and determination became the stuff of legend - proved more than a match for him.

* 'Within Sand' - from Saudi Arabia and Directed by Mohammed Alatawi. When 'Snam' gets ambushed by a group of thieves and leave him for dead, he finds himself lost in the Saudi desert. While his pregnant wife, Halla is about to give birth to their first child, he finds himself being followed by a lone wolf.

For the Short Film Competition details and the other programme strands, plus a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://redseafilmfest.com/en/

Turning attention back to this weeks eight new release movies gracing a big screen Odeon near you, we kick start with a murder mystery that is a stand alone sequel to a successful 2019 film that sees our famed Southern US detective traveling to a Greek island for his latest case. Then we have a young couple who travel to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises. Next up is a story of first love between a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and an intense and disenfranchised drifter. This is followed by a historical telling of a Queen who in 1402 is ruling over Sweden, Norway and Denmark through her adopted son, but a conspiracy is in the making and the Queen finds herself in an impossible dilemma that could shatter her life's work. Following on we have a darker version of the classic children's fairy tale of a wooden puppet that transforms into a real living boy; before a story of a real estate agent, who after reaching a crossroads in her life, decides to trade in her career for one in the spotlight as a Dolly Parton impersonator. Then we turn to a cinephiles roller-coaster ride through the rise, fall and re-birth of projected film; before closing out the week with an animated action adventure offering that sees the legendary Clades family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest and most crucial mission.

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

'GLASS ONION : A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY' (Rated M) - this American murder mystery film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rian Johnson whose previous film making credits take in his big screen debut with 'Brick' in 2005, then 'The Brothers Bloom' in 2008, 'Looper' in 2012, 'Star Wars : Episode VIII - The Last Jedi' in 2017 and 'Knives Out' in 2019, to which this film is a standalone sequel. This film had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in mid-September this year and is scheduled to have a one-week limited theatrical release from this week before its streaming release on 23rd December by Netflix. It has received positive reviews from critics and cost US$40M to produce.

Tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites his friends, including Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) for a 'murder mystery party' getaway on Glass Onion, his private Greek island. However, when someone turns up dead for real, Blanc must crack the case and discover who the killer is. Also starring Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jnr., Jessica Henwick, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Ethan Hawke, Natasha Lyonne, Hugh Grant, Yo-Yo Ma and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. 

'THE MENU' (Rated MA15+) - is an American black comedy horror film Directed by Mark Mylod whose prior feature film making efforts are his debut in 2002 with 'Ali G Indahouse', then 'The Big White' in 2005, with 'What's Your Number?' in 2011 being his last big screen offering before this one. In the meantime he has also Directed multiple episodes of 'The Royle Family', 'Entourage', 'Game of Thrones', 'Shameless' and 'Succession'. This film saw its World Premier screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in mid-September this year, before its release in the US last week and here in Australia this week. Here then, young couple Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) travel to a remote island to eat at Hawthorne, an exclusive restaurant run by celebrity chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), who has prepared a lavish molecular gastronomy menu where food is treated as conceptual art, but his approach to cuisine has some shocking surprises for the wealthy guests. Also starring Hong Chau, Janet McTeer and John Leguizamo, it has received generally favourable reviews. 

'BONES AND ALL' (Rated MA15+) - this coming-of-age romantic cannibal road horror film is Directed by Luca Guadagnino whose previous film making credits take in the likes of his 1999 debut with 'The Protagonists', then 'I Am Love' in 2009, 'A Bigger Splash' in 2015, the much awarded and lauded 'Call Me By Your Name' in 2017 and 'Suspiria' in 2018. This film is based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis and saw its World Premier showcasing at at this years Venice International Film Festival in early September where it won the Silver Lion for Best Direction. This is a story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothee Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter; a liberating road odyssey of two young people coming into their own, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are. The film also stars Mark Rylance, Michael Stuhlbarg, Andre Holland, Chloe Sevigny and David Gordon Green, and has generated largely positive reviews. 

'MARGRETE : QUEEN OF THE NORTH' (Rated MA15+) - this Danish historical drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Charlotte Sieling whose previous feature film making efforts are 'Above the Street, Below the Water' in 2009 and 'The Man' in 2017. This film was one of the largest productions in the history of Danish cinema, enjoying the largest budget ever for a Danish-language feature film coming in at about US$10M. It premiered in its native Denmark in mid-September 2021 and has generated largely positive Reviews, but this has failed to make a dent in its Box Office takings, so far recovering just US$46K of its production budget. The year then is 1402. Queen Margrete (Trine Dyrholm) has achieved what no man has managed before. She has gathered Denmark, Norway and Sweden into a peace-oriented union, which she single-handedly rules through her young, adopted son, Erik (Morten Hee Andersen). The union is beset by enemies, however, and Margrete is therefore planning a marriage between Erik and an English princess. An alliance with England should secure the union's status as an emerging European power but a breathtaking conspiracy is under way that can tear Margrete and all she believes in apart. 

'GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO' (Rated M) - is a stop-motion animated musical fantasy film Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Guillermo Del Toro with Mark Gustafson sharing the Director credit, and is based on the 1883 Italian novel 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' by Carlo Collodi. The film saw its World Premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in mid-October this year, was released in select cinemas in the US on 9th November, before its streaming release on 9th December by Netflix, cost US$35M to produce and has received universal critical acclaim. A wooden puppet, Pinocchio (voiced by Gregory Mann) comes to life and dreams of becoming a real boy in 1930's Fascist Italy. When Pinocchio comes to life, however, he turns out not to be a nice boy but instead the opposite, causing mischief and playing mean tricks. But at its core, Pinocchio is a story of love and disobedience as Pinocchio struggles to live up to his father's expectations, learning the true meaning of life' Also starring the voice talents of Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, Ron Perlman, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Burn Gorman, Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro.  

'SERIOUSLY RED' (Rated M) - this Australian drama film is Directed by Gracie Otto in her feature film making debut. Here, Red (Krew Boylan) is at a crossroads in her life. A vivacious and hilarious redhaired woman grappling with high expectations and low self-esteem, she pours herself a cup of ambition and trades her 9-to-5 career in real estate for a life under the spotlight as a Dolly Parton impersonator. After misreading her work party's dress code, Red tumbles outta bed into a new world of tribute artists and impersonators in her wild and messy journey that includes romancing a Kenny Rogers impersonator. Red has to lose herself in order to find herself. Also starring Bobby Cannavale, Daniel Webber, Rose Byrne, Celeste Barber and Jean Kittson. 

'SPLICE HERE : A PROJECTED ODYSSEY' (Rated CTC) - is an Australian documentary film Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Robert Murphy. The film explores the single greatest change in the history of cinema - the digital shift from recording and projecting movies on film. Now ten years on from this momentous transition, film maker and projectionist Rob Murphy shares his personal journey to find out what has really happened to film. The journey starts in Australia and then expands geographically and thematically as Rob ventures into the projectionist underground, meeting the champions of projected film and lesser known heroes behind the scenes. We discover that the digital revolution has not just changed the way we see movies but is becoming a threat to how we will remember them.

'STRANGE WORLD' (Rated M) - this American computer-animated science-fiction action-adventure film is Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, is the 61st animated film produced by the studio, and is Directed by Don Hall whose other feature film Director credits are 'Winnie the Pooh' in 2011, 'Big Hero 6' in 2014 and 'Raya and the Last Dragon' in 2021. The film chronicles the legendary Clades family, mainly Searcher Clade (voiced by Jake Gyllenhaal) who has always been a farmer and has never had the bravery of his family of explorers, but they are forced to tackle their latest and most crucial mission as they must rely on each other and forced to put away their differences while in an uncharted and treacherous land of Avalonia to find a special creature that awaits. Also with the voices of Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu. It is released Stateside this week too. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 19th November 2020.

The brand new UK collaborative 'Amplify! Film Festival' is currently running from the 6th through to the 22nd November. Bringing brilliant new cinema right into your lounge room 'Amplify!'s' online film festival beams feature films, documentaries, shorts, Q&A discussions and industry events wherever you are in the UK. Combining the Cambridge, Bath, Brighton and Cornwall Film Festivals this four partner event pools over one hundred years of accumulated experience to support independent filmmakers and bring a diverse range of films to the audience spread out across the cities of the UK. 

This years line up covers an array of film types, genres and categories, which is partly summarised below :-

UK Premier screenings

* 'Falling' - from Canada, UK and Denmark this Directorial debut for Viggo Mortensen is also written and stars him alongside Lance Henriksen that sees a father-son relationship sustained by pain and resentment, dominated by a hot-tempered patriarch. Also in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'My Mexican Bretzel' - from Spain with subtitles, this is Directed by Nuria Gimenez featuring Leon and Vivian Barrett travelling the world in a glamorous lifestyle following WWII. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section and in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Schoolgirls' - from Spain with subtitles this Directorial debut by Pilar Palomero is a semi-autobiographical film set in the early '90's about the doubts, fun, discovery and restlessness that accompany adolescence. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section and in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Body of Truth' - from Germany and Switzerland this documentary film is Directed by Evelyn Schels and examines the artists Marina Abramovic, Shirin Neshat, Sigalit Landau, and Katharina Sieverding who have all incorporated their bodies and the bodies of others into their work. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section.

* 'I Never Cry' - from Poland and Ireland this drama film is Directed by Piotr Domalewski and is a tale of teenage rationale and angst, in which a Polish seventeen year old girl's journey into adulthood is set against the effects of mass economic emigration after Poland joined the European Union.

* 'Caught in the Net' - from the Czech Republic this documentary film is Directed by Barbora Chalupova and Vit Klusak in their Directorial debuts and is a daring film about a project to catch and arrest a paedophile. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section and in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Cat in the Wall' - from Bulgaria and the UK with subtitles the documentary filmmakers Vesela Kazakova and Mina Mileva bring us their fiction film debut set on a London council estate, where multicultural residents clash over their social and economic differences, but must come together when an ownerless cat becomes trapped in the walls. Also in the 'Triple-F Rated' section.

* 'Some Beasts' - from Chile with subtitles Directed by Jorge Riquelme Serrano this thriller offering delves into the dark unravellings of a well-to-do urbanite family holidaying on a remote Chilean island.

* 'Open Door' - from Albania, Kosovo, Italy and North Macedonia with subtitles this Directorial debut for Florenc Papas sees a thirtysomething woman whose younger sister arrives back from Italy unexpectedly pregnant and their planned trip to see their old-fashioned father looks like a disaster in waiting - unless they can find someone to play the role of Elma's husband! Also in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'The Two Sights' - from Canada and the UK with subtitles Directed by Joshua Bonnetta this sound-focused documentary cinematically reconnects the narratives of a disappearing oral tradition with its physical environment set in the far western islands of Scotland's Outer Hebrides. 

* 'Aalto' - from Finland and Directed by Virpi Suutari this documentary film is about Finnish architect Alvar Aalto who holds a unique position amongst his peers, having brought a humanist influence to architecture by creating spaces that serve our social, psychological, and environmental needs. This film provides an insight into the intimate love story and their joint contribution to the world of modernist architecture that he shared with his wife Aino whom he married in 1924.

* 'The Mole Agent' - from Chile, USA, Germany, Netherlands and Spain with subtitles, this is Directed by Maiti Alberdi and sees an 83 year old man go undercover in an nursing home to uncover if there's any truth that his client's mother is being mistreated. 

* 'Adventures of a Mathematician' - from Germany, Poland and the UK and Directed by Thor Klein this film gives a compelling account of how one simple man is capable of great things and how he made significant contributions to the field of mathematics, nuclear physics and  modern computing by applying his talents to The Manhattan Project in order to develop a functioning atomic weapon during WWII.

* 'An Impossible Project' - from Germany and Austria and Directed by Jens Meurer this documentary film is about former biologist Dr. Florian Kaps whose heroic battle against the odds to save the world’s last remaining Polaroid factory after the first iPhone was released in 2008, and so keep analogue film alive in a world increasingly taken over by the digital image.

* 'Robolove' - from Austria with subtitles this is Directed by Maria Arlamovsky and this documentary is a compelling exploration of self and what it means to be human. Do we need androids that resemble humans? Do they provide some bridge between humans and machines? Or will they provide a way for us to pass our legacy to future generations?

Triple-F Rated screenings

If a film also features significant women on screen in their own right it is 'Triple F-Rated'. The rating is designed to support and promote women and redress the imbalance in the film industry. Other than those films highlighted above that fall into this category, there is also :

* 'The Audition' - from Germany and France with subtitles and Directed by Ina Weisse sees a music teacher with a fanatical and meticulous obsession with excellence who has identified a young musician with stage fright as being in need of her initially protective mentoring, but what seems to be her generosity gradually reveals itself to be something much darker.

* 'The Innocence' - from Spain with subtitles and Directed by Lucia Alemany that sees a teenage girl who dreams of leaving her hometown to become a circus artist. Her parents are good people, but not especially in tune with the needs and desires of their young daughter. Also in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Cocoon' - from Germany with subtitles and Directed by Leonie Krippendorff about a fourteen year old girl growing up in Berlin who is young and marginalised but then discovers that she can become the centre of someone else's universe. 

* 'Asia' - from Israel with subtitles and Directed in her debut by Ruthy Pribar and is about a mother and daughter relationship that is limited and strained, until events force them to develop a deeper, more authentic bond. Also in the 'Directorial Debut' section.

* 'Luxor' - from Egypt, UK and UAE and Directed by Zeina Durra that sees a British aid worker (played by Andrea Riseborough) seeking respite from the trauma of her work on the Jordanian-Syrian border with a trip to the Egyptian city of Luxor, where she used to live in her 20's.

* 'Rose Plays Julie' - from Ireland the the UK and Directed by Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor and tells the story of a young woman who decides to take time out from her veterinary studies to contact her birth mother, who gave her up for adoption and went on to become a successful actress. This in turn leads her to her biological father, a famous archaeologist, and discoveries that cut deeper than she anticipated.

Directorial Debut screenings 

* 'Patrick' - from Belgium and the Netherlands and Directed by Tim Mileants this story surrounds Patrick whose only concern is that he’s lost one of his hammers. This despite the fact that his father just died and the camp his family runs is on the brink of revolt.

* '76 Days' - from the USA with subtitles and Directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and an Anonymous contributor Covid-19 is laid bare in this zeitgeisty documentary cataloguing the 76 days after the eleven million inhabitants of Wuhan went into lockdown on 23rd January 2020.

* 'You Will Die at Twenty' - from Sudan, France, Egypt, Germany, Norway and Qatar with subtitles, this is Directed by Amjad Abu Alala and is about a newborn boy who is taken for a blessing by his parents, but an accident causes the village's holy man to declare the child will die at the age of 20.

* 'Influence' - from Canada and South Africa and Directed by Diana Neille and Richard Poplak here the late Timothy Bell was a veteran of the British advertising world, most famous for being the favourite spin doctor and confidante of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. This films takes a look behind the curtain to analyse the man who pulled the strings, and chart the eventual fall from grace of his controversial PR firm, Bell Pottinger.

* 'Running Against the Wind' - from Ethiopia and Germany with subtitles Directed by Jan Philipp Weyl and telling the story of two young Ethiopian boys who run for fun, but, when they grow up, only one remains a dedicated athlete, while his friend has become involved with drugs and crime.

For more information, you can visit the official website at : https://www.amplifyfilm.org.uk

This week there are seven latest release new movies coming to an Odeon near you. We launch with a biopic set in the Hollywood of yesteryear and how the writer of one of the greatest films ever made comes to blows over the credit for his script with the Director, Producer and star of that film. We next turn to a Christmas offering surrounding Chris Cringle who is down on his luck and finds himself at odds with an assassin hired by a disgruntled twelve year old. This is followed up by a live action Italian film about a wooden puppet who longs to become a real boy and the adventures he has along that journey; and in turn a British offering about a Vietnamese refugee living in England who seeks to retrace his family history in his native country while scattering the ashes of his dead parents who fled from the ravages of the Vietnam War. We then have a French film about a new Principal joining a middle school in a Paris suburb and the relationships that unfold with her students and her staff; and following this is a real love story marred by tragedy; before closing out the week with an Aussie offering about a high school girl who plucks up the courage to ask another girl out to the school formal, only to be guided through this tricky scenario by her dead aunt, who was also an '80's lesbian activist, acting as her Fairy Godmother.   

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the seven latest release new movies 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.

'MANK' (Rated M) - this American biographical drama film is Directed and Co-Produced by the multi-award winning and nominated David Fincher whose previous film making credits include his debut 'Alien 3', then 'Se7en', 'The Game', 'Fight Club', 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', 'The Social Network', and 'Gone Girl' amongst others. This film is based on a script written by David Fincher's father Jack Fincher which he wrote in the '90's with David wanting to film it following 'The Game' in 1997 but it never eventuated because David wanted to shoot the film in black & white to maintain an authenticity of the period in which the film is set ie. the Hollywood of the 1930's and '40's. When father Jack died in 2003 the film was put on the back burner, until mid-2019 when Netflix International Pictures put the movie into production. The film has garnered positive critical acclaim, and goes on a limited cinematic release from this week before streaming on Netflix from 4th December. 

The story here centres around the life of alcoholic Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) as he is scribing 'Citizen Kane', and the issues that arose with Orson Welles (Tom Burke) throughout production of the film and in the lead up to the release of the film in 1941. Also starring Tuppence Middleton as Sara Mankiewicz, Charles Dance as William Randolph Hearst, Arliss Howard as Louis B. Mayer, Ferdinand Kingsley as Irving Thalberg, Toby Leonard Moore as David O. Selznick, Lily Collins as Rita Alexander and Tom Pelphrey as Joseph L. Mankiewicz. 

'FATMAN' (Rated MA15+) - Written and Directed by the brothers Eshom and Ian Nelms, this American dark comedy action film stars Mel Gibson as Chris Cringle (aka Santa Clause) who in order to save his business which is on an ever downward spiral, is forced into a business arrangement with the US military. To complicate things even more, Chris Cringle gets entrenched in a deadly battle of wits against the Skinny Man (Walton Coggins), a highly skilled assassin working in a toy shop who has been hired by a trumped up twelve year old Billy Wenan (Chance Hurstfield) after he was gifted a lump of coal in his Christmas stocking. Also starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste. The film has received mostly negative Reviews so far and saw its limited release Stateside on 13th November before its digital download release on 17th November and its limited release in Australia this week. 

'PINOCCHIO' (Rated M) - this Italian fantasy film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by the Italian film maker Matteo Garrone who's previous Directorial credits include 'Gamorrah' in 2008, 'Tale of Tales' in 2015 and 'Dogman' in 2018. This film is based on the 1883 book 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' by the Italian author Carlo Collodi. 'Pinocchio' has been a passion project for Garrone, who drew the first storyboard of the story at the age of six. This film is aimed at both adults and children, unlike his previous very adult orientated films, and the majority of characters, including Pinocchio himself, were created through prosthetic make-up rather than CGI. The film was released in its native Italy in mid-December last year, in the UK in mid-August this year and now here in Australia from this week. Having taken so far US$20M at the Box Office off the back of a US$12M production budget, the film has so far garnered positive Reviews. The film centres around Geppetto (Roberto Benigni) a poor Italian carpenter who builds a wooden puppet with which to earn himself a living by touring the country with it. As Geppetto begins to build the puppet, which he decides to name 'Pinocchio' (Federico Ielapi), he soon realises that Pinocchio is alive and able to experience feelings and express emotion, and decides to take him as his son. What follows is a journey of discovery and adventure for the wooden puppet as he strives to become a real boy. The film is overdubbed into English.

'MONSOON' (Rated M) - is a British drama film Written and Directed by the Cambodian born Chinese British film maker Hong Khaou in only his second feature film outing following 'Lilting' in 2014. The film saw its World Premier showing at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival at the end of June 2019 before its release in the UK in late September this year and in the US last week. The film has generated mostly positive Critical Reviews and has so far taken US$9K at the Box Office. Here Kit (Henry Golding), a young British Vietnamese man, returns to his birth country for the first time in over 30 years. He was just six years old when he and his family escaped Saigon as 'boat refugees' after the Vietnam War. No longer familiar with this country and unable to speak his native language, Kit embarks on a personal journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi in search of a place to scatter his parents’ ashes. Along the way he reconnects with his childhood friend Lee (David Tran) and falls for Lewis (Parker Sawyers), an American whose father had fought in the war. 

'SCHOOL LIFE' (Rated M) - is a French film Written and Directed by Grand Corps Malade (aka Fabien Marsaud) and Mehdi Idir, was released in France in late August 2019 and received positive Reviews from Critics becoming a box office success taking so far US$14M before being streamed via Netflix from early April 2020. And so here, the new vice principal of a middle school in the suburb of Paris, Saint Denis, Samia Zibra (Zita Hanrot) is warned by her fellow teachers that students are unmotivated and rarely abide by any form of discipline. She sees things in a completely different light compared to those others. However, she gets to know the students especially Yanis Bensaadi (Liam Pierron) who is quite sharp and intelligent but disillusioned by a world that seems to have turned its back on him and his family.

'ALL MY LIFE' (Rated M) - is an American romantic drama film Directed by Marc Meyers based on the true story of Solomon Chau and Jennifer Carter. Released in the UK in late October and scheduled for a US release date of early December, the film cost US$25M to produce. This story revolves around a young couple Solomon Chau (Harry Shum Jnr.) and Jennifer Carter (Jessica Rothe) as they plan their wedding in the face of devastating news. The couple, who had been planning their Toronto wedding since April 2014, found out that Chau had liver cancer in December of that year. To make sure they got the wedding of their dreams, they moved the date up to April 11, 2015, and they raised more than $52,000 through a GoFundMe account. They were married for four months before he died.

'ELLIE & ABBIE (& ELLIE'S DEAD AUNT) (Rated M) - this Australian film is Written and Directed by Monica Zanetti in her feature film making debut. Here seventeen year old Ellie (Sophie Hawkshore) is struggling to find the courage to ask her classmate, Abbie (Zoe Terakes), to the school formal, while at the same time struggling to come out to her Mum, Erica (Marta Dusseldorp). Luckily her Aunt Tara (Julia Billington), a lesbian activist who died in the '80's has shown up as a 'Fairy Godmother' guiding her through and offering advice on the trials and tribulations of first love, whether Ellie wants it or not. The film has generated mostly positive press so far. 

With seven 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 coming week, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-