What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 29th October 2020.

The 56th Chicago International Film Festival was held from 14th through to 25th October, and began in 1964 by filmmaker and graphic artist Michael Kutza to provide an alternative to the commercial Hollywood movies that dominated the city’s theatres. Seeking out the best in international cinema, the Festival has opened windows to a world of film previously or otherwise unavailable in Chicago. In addition, at more than half of the screenings each year, filmgoers have the rare and exciting chance to meet Directors, Producers, Writers and cast members who introduce their films and hold discussion sessions following the screenings. Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organisation of the Chicago International Film Festival, is a year-round non-profit cultural and educational organisation dedicated to fostering better communication between people of diverse cultures through the art of film and the moving image.

The Opening Night feature presentation was the American Documentary 'Belushi', Directed by R.J. Cutler, about the famed comedian and Actor John Belushi who by the age of thirty had conquered Hollywood as one of the founding cast members of 'Saturday Night Live' and the star of 'The Blues Brothers'. But as his fame grew, so did his struggles with substance abuse, leading to an untimely demise that shocked fans around the world. The Closing Night film was Chloe Zhao's 'Nomadland' and this American drama leads on from the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, when Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.

The other highlights from the festival were contained in the following sections:

Special Presentation

* 'Ammonite' - from Director Francis Lee this British historical romantic drama film features Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.

* 'Belushi' - as described above.

* 'City So Real' - Directed by Steve James this American political Documentary capturing Chicago at a crossroads when it is still reeling from the shooting of Laquan McDonald and in the midst of the 2019 mayoral elections and reporting on the divisions that separate and the issues than unify the city.

* 'David Byrne's American Utopia' - Directed by Spike Lee this American concert Documentary bringing the Talking Heads frontman, David Byrne's, critically lauded Broadway show to life. 

* 'Fireball : Visitors from Darker Worlds' - Directed by Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer this environmental Documentary takes the viewer of a globe hopping journey to uncover the effects that meteorites bombarding the Earth for millennia have had on our planet. 

* 'Nomadland' - as described above.

* 'One Night In Miami' - Directed by Regina King this is a historical biographical drama depicting a fictional account of the incredible night in 1964 when underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), defeats heavyweight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall. Clay memorialized the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).

New Directors Competition

* 'Any Crybabies Around?' - Directed by Sato Takuma this is a Japanese coming of age drama. 

* 'Becoming Noma' - Directed by Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden this Dutch and Belgian Co-Production is a coming of age drama spoken in Dutch.

* 'Gaza Mon Amour' - Directed by Tarzan and Arab Nasser this Palestine, French, German, Portuguese and Qatar Co-Produced film is a comedy romance spoken in Arabic.

* 'Memory House' - Directed by Joao Paulo Miranda Maria this Brazilian and French Co-Produced offering is a mystery drama in the German and Portuguese languages.

* 'Of Fish and Men' - Directed by Stefanie Klemm this Swiss crime thriller is in the Swiss-German language.

* 'Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time' - Directed by Lili Horvat this romantic drama film is offered in the English and Hungarian languages.

* 'Schoolgirls' - Directed by Pilar Palomero this Spanish coming of age drama offering is in Spanish.

* 'Sleep' - Directed by Michael Venus, this German horror thriller film is in the German language.

* 'The Special' - Directed by Ignacio Marquez, this Venezuelan and American Co-Production is a coming of age drama in the Spanish language.

* 'Spring Blossom' - Directed by Suzanne Lindon, this French coming of age romantic drama film is presented in French.

* 'Striding into the Wind' - Directed by Wei Shujun, this Chinese coming of age drama film is presented in Mandarin.

International Competition 

* 'And Tomorrow the Entire World' - Directed by Julia von Heinz, this German political drama is spoken in German.

* 'Apples' - Directed by Christos Nikou this Greek, Polish and Slovenia Co-Produced Sci-Fi drama romance is in the Greek language.

* 'Careless Crime' - Directed by Shahram Mokri this Iranian political crime drama offering is presented in the Persian language.

* 'Dear Comrades!' - Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky this is a Russian historian political drama spoken in Russian.

* 'I'm Your Woman' - Directed by Julia Hart this American action crime drama is presented in English. 

* 'New Order' - Directed by Michel Franco this Mexican and French Co-Production is in the Spanish language.

* 'Night of the Kings' - Directed by Philippe Lacote this Ivory Coast, French, Canadian and Senegal political mystery thriller is presented in French, Dioula and Nouchi languages. 

* 'Padrenostro' - Directed by Claudio Noce this Italian coming of age crime drama film is spoken in Italian. 

* 'Sweat' - Directed by Magnus von Horn this Polish and Swedish Co-Production is presented in Polish.

* 'True Mothers' - Directed by Kawasi Naomi this Japanese drama film is presented in the language of Japan.

* 'Under the Open Sky' - Directed by Nishikawa Miwa this Japanese crime drama offering is presented in the language of Japan. 

Festival Award Winners

International Feature Film Competition

* Gold Hugo awarded to Magnus van Horn for 'Sweat'. This film was also awarded the Silver Hugo for Best Art Direction to Jagna Dobesz.

* Silver Hugo : Jury Prize awarded to Shahram Mokri for 'Careless Crime'.

* Silver Hugo : Best Director awarded to Andrei Konchalovsky for 'Dear Comrades!'.

* Silver Hugo : Best Cinematography awarded to Tobie Marier Robitaille for 'Night of the Kings'. This film was also awarded the Silver Hugo for Best Sound to Emmanuel Croset and Pierre-Jules Audet.

* Silver Hugo : Best Screenplay awarded to Stavros Raptis and Christois Nikou for 'Apples'. 

* Silver Hugo : Best Performance awarded to Yakusho Koji for 'Under the Open Sky'.

* Silver Hugo : Best Ensemble Performance awarded to 'And Tomorrow the Entire World'.

New Directors Competition

* Gold Hugo presented to Lili Horvat for 'Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time'.

* Silver Hugo presented to Ignacio Marquez for 'The Special'.

* Roger Ebert Award presented to Joao Paulo Miranda Maria for 'Memory House'.

For all the news of this years recently closed 56th Chicago International Film Festival you can visit the official website at : https://chicagofilmfestival.com/

This week there are four latest release new movies coming to your local Odeon. We kick off with a reimagining of a famed Icelandic film from 2015 that gets the Aussie treatment as two estranged brothers very reluctantly join forces to save their herd of prized sheep. Next up are a pair of American supernatural horror offerings, the first of which centres around a mythical urban legend that is being summonsed from the dead to wreak havoc and death upon the living; and the second is a sequel to a cult classic from 1996 about a group of four new teenage inductees who get more than they bargained for as they seek to form their own coven of witches. And we wrap up the week with a French film about a famed literary clinic who seeks to expose the truth behind the authorship of a bestselling novel, believed to be an illiterate pizza chef.  

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 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.

'RAMS' (Rated PG) - is an Australian comedy drama film Directed by Jeremy Sims whose previous film making credits include 2006's 'Last Train to Freo', 2010's 'Beneath Hill 60' and 2015's 'Last Cab to Darwin'. This film is said to be a 're-imagining' of the 2015 Icelandic film of the same name Written and Directed by Grimur Hakonarson, although judging by the trailer of this 2020 version it looks like a direct copy. That said, the film saw its Premier screening as the opening showpiece at Western Australia's CineFestOZ Film Festival in late August, and now gets its wide release from this week. 

In remote Western Australia, two estranged brothers, Colin (Sam Neill) and Les (Michael Caton), are at war. Raising separate flocks of sheep descended from their family’s prized bloodline, the two men live and work side by side but are worlds apart. When Les’ prize ram is diagnosed with a rare and lethal illness, authorities order a purge of every sheep in the valley. While Colin attempts to stealthily outwit the powers that be, Les opts for angry defiance. But can the warring brothers set aside their differences and have a chance to reunite their family, save their herd, and bring their community back together? Also starring Miranda Richardson, Asher Keddie and Wayne Blair. 

'THE EMPTY MAN' (Rated MA15+) - this American supernatural horror thriller film is Written, Directed and Edited by David Prior in his feature film debut although he has numerous Director credits for helming documentary videos mostly concerned with 'the making of' various Hollywood movies. This film is based on the 2014's graphic novel of the same name written by Cullen Bunn and Vanesa R. Del Rey. Here, following the mysterious disappearance of a number of local teenagers from a small Midwestern town, the community begin to suspect that it is the work of an urban legend known as The Empty Man. As a retired cop, James Lasombra (James Badge Dale) investigates and struggles to make sense of the stories, he discovers a secretive group and their attempts to summon a horrific, mystical entity, and soon his life, together with the lives of those closest to him, are in grave danger. The film was released in the US last week, and also stars Marin Ireland, Stephen Root, Robert Aramayo and Joel Courtney.

'THE CRAFT : LEGACY' (Rated M) - this American supernatural horror film is Written and Directed by Zoe Lister-Jones in her second feature film making outing following 2017's 'Band Aid'. This film is a standalone sequel to 1996's 'The Craft' which was a Box Office success and over the years has gone to cult status. And so here we have an eclectic mix of four aspiring teenage witches - Lily (Cailee Spaeny), Frankie (Gideon Adlon), Tabby (Lovie Simone) and Lourdes (Zoey Luna) who get in over the heads as they learn to to come to terms with their new found powers. Also starring David Duchovny and Michelle Monaghan. The film gets a limited release in Australian this week and is released through VoD in the US this week too. 

'THE MYSTERY OF HENRI PICK' (Rated M) - is a French comedy film with English subtitles that is Directed and Written by Remi Bezancon. And so, who is Henri Pick, and how is it that two years following his death, did this supposedly illiterate pizza cook come to write the acclaimed bestseller 'The Last Hours of a Love Story'? However, not everyone is convinced of the author’s authenticity of this overnight sensation. Amongst the cynics is influential literary critic Jean-Michel Rouche (Fabrice Luchini) who sets out to discover the truth behind Pick and the book that bears his name. Josephine Pick (Camille Cottin), daughter of the mysterious author, reluctantly assists Rouche in navigating the secretive Breton landscape to get to the bottom of this mystery. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

RAMS : Friday 15th April 2016.

'RAMS' which I saw over a week ago now was a winner in the 'Un Certain Regard' category at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in May 2015 where it won the top prize. This Icelandic drama comedy was Written and Directed by Grimur Hakonarson and was entered in the Best Foreign Language Film category at this years Academy Awards but failed to get a nomination. That said, the film has gained much critical praise for its well told yet very simple story.  The film cost 1.75M Euros to bring to the big screen.

Set in a secluded Icelandic valley brothers Gummi (Sigurour Sigurjonsson) and Kiddi (Theodor Jullusson) live side by side on their own farms where they breed an ancestral sheep-stock that is considered to be the best in the country, winning numerous accolades repeatedly for their prized rams who carry an ancient lineage. Although the two brothers live side by side, share the land, raise the same award winning sheep, they haven't spoken to each other for forty years or more, the reasons for which are never divulged. Instead they communicate with each other by hand written note which is carried from one farm door to the other via Kiddi's sheep dog.

As the film opens we see the two farmers preparing the best specimen of their respective flocks for a local judging, and when Gummi's ram comes runner up to his brother Kiddi's, the suspicions are raised by the former believing that his are far superior, and that in fact his brothers ram may be diseased. He conducts his own inspection later that night under cover of darkness, and suspects that his brothers flock is suffering from 'scrapie' - a fatal degenerative disease that effects the nervous system of both sheep and goats. In the village where they live we learn that there has not been such an outbreak for many years, and whilst not eradicated it was thought to be under control - this could have catastrophic impacts on the whole valley, and ultimately we see that it does, and even more so with Winter drawing in.

Gummi takes it upon himself to alert the local authorities who conduct tests, and when Kiddi learns that his brother has gone behind his back and brought his precious prized flock into question he is none too pleased. Their relationship seems then to go downhill still further with warning shots fired through bedroom windows, and a fight breaking out in the barn. Gummi is taking the whole matter very seriously, but Kiddi seems intent on drowning his sorrows. The disease is confirmed a few days later and the whole valley is ordered to cull their entire flock, burn their hay supplies, and disinfect their barns. Gummi does so, but Kiddi spends most of his time in a drunken stupor to engage in such trivialities. In the end it is he who is the last to follow the letter of the law, which only irks the local authorities and delays any claim to compensation that he may have from his seemingly willing and understanding insurance company.

With both flocks culled - Gummi's by his own hand, and Kiddi's by the authorities, we gradually learn of a hidden agenda that Gummi is harbouring, that might just be his saviour and that of his family farm. We also learn that Kiddi is living on the farm that is in fact owned by Gummi, and unless Kiddi abides by the legal requirements imposed by the authorities to clean and disinfect his barn, Gummi is in fact responsible. This in turn could mean no compensation for either party, and with the prospect of two years without a flock, that would be far from ideal financially. So Gummi decides to take it into his own hands and clean Kiddi's barn, but not before he has sent over a note explaining the whole matter, via the trustee dog.

Things come to a head when Gummi's hidden agenda is discovered by the authorities, leaving him no choice by to confide in his estranged brother and seek his support. His brother does so willingly, realising that all is perhaps not lost as he had thought and that perhaps his brother's intentions are genuine and not something to be treated with suspicion. By now it is the depths of an Icelandic Winter and a thick blanket of snow covers the ground around the hills where the farms are located.

The two brothers venture out on a quad bike with the dog in tow as night falls, and get deeper into an oncoming blizzard as they venture up the hill side. They become separated from each other and their dog, and stumble around as the wind howls all around them in what is almost a white out. As morning comes Gummi is discovered by Kiddi lying prone on the ground face up almost half frozen. Kiddi digs an ice hole in the hill side and pushes in his unconscious brother, cuddling up close to warm and revive him offering words of reassurance and reconciliation.

'Rams' is an engaging story bordering on the absurd almost. It is a plain simple story well told, that at times slows down to such a meandering pace that makes this tale all the more riveting. Essentially a story of two feuding brothers and the animals they love perhaps more than anything, and a series of events that draws them at first further apart and then brings them together ultimately. It is well worth a look, but I would have liked a little more back story as to why the brothers chose not to speak to each other for over forty years, yet still share so much. The scenery is harsh and breathtaking, the performances nuanced and grounded, and the story predictable but thoroughly engaging.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 7th April 2016.

Over the last couple of weeks I have brought you what is likely to be the pick of the big ticket movies being released between now at Christmas. These are just my humble opinion of course and naturally only you - the movie going audience can decide what sinks and what floats, and there will be others too that come and go in the next eight months that you should also watch out for. And here is my selection of the 'Best of the Rest' leading into the mid-year that you can pencil in your cinematic diary and keep an eye out for. The back end of the year, will be listed next week. Release dates may vary depending on where you are in the world, and you can check these out easily enough.

• 14th April - 'ALLEGIANT' - the third film in the Veronica Roth 'Divergent' series sees our Dystopian Sci-Fi heroes battling it out once more to save themselves and all humanity with Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Naomi Watts and Jeff Daniels starring.
• 12th May - 'FREE STATE OF JONES' - Directed by Gary Ross this is the true story of an American Civil War southern farmer who leads a rebellion against the Confederacy. Matthew McConaughey stars.
• 19th May - 'CRIMINAL' - spy drama with an all star cast taking in Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones and Gal Gadot.
• 26th May  - 'ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS' - is the follow up to Tim Burton's this time Produced by him and Directed by James Bobin and Mia Wasikowska as Alice and Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Anne Hathaway, Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman (in his last screen role albeit in voice only) and others lending the voice talents too.
• 26th May - 'THE NICE GUYS' - 1970's LA set black crime comedy Directed by Shane Black and starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.
• 2nd June - 'MONEY MONSTER' - Directed by Jodie Foster with George Clooney starring as  TV financial reporter 'The Wizard of Wall Street' who is taken hostage live on air by a pissed off investor. Julia Roberts also stars.

This weeks films then surround a much loved 60's animated feature that is given all the technical wizardry to update it for a modern audience whilst still maintaining the essence of a young lads journey of adventure and self-discovery. Then a sequel to a 2012 film based on a popular fairy tale and a much loved 1937 classic animated feature film updated and modernised with all the CGI that movie magic can muster. We then have a critically acclaimed foreign language film about sheep, brothers, and tending to the flock like your lives depend on it; and finally a die-hard documentarian is at it again traversing the globe telling what is good about everywhere else and how his home country should adopt a few foreign principles for the betterment of its society.

Four films then to get you out there as the evenings close in (in the Southern Hemisphere at least) with action, fantasy, drama, comedy, documentary and more CGI this week than you can poke a stick at. All sounds great, so when you have sat through your movie of choice this week as Previewed below and on previous pages, or as Reviewed before, share your thoughts and observations in the Comments section below this or any other Post. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

THE JUNGLE BOOK (Rated PG) - based on the classic Rudyard Kipling book of the same name and a reproduction of the much loved Disney animated feature from 1967, this live action/CGI feature is Directed and Produced by Jon Favreau and is produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Hailed as Disney's most ambitious live action feature yet, using photorealistic rendering, motion capture technology and computer generated imagery to make the characters and the environment as true to life as possible. The film feature an impressive voice cast and the only human character in Mowgli (Neel Sethi) - plucked out of nowhere after an extensive international search that took in the US, the UK, Canada and NZ.

You know the story, but here we have young Mowgli (the aforementioned Neel Sethi) raised in the jungle by Indian wolves Raksha and Akela (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o and Giancarlo Esposito respectively) since he was a very young child and brought to them by Bagheera the black panther (voiced by Ben Kingsley). Since, according to the Bengal tiger Shere Khan (voiced by Idris Elba) no man should be permitted in the jungle, he threatens Mowgli who is forced to leave the comfort of his surroundings and life as he knows it, in search of something new. So Mowgli ventures forth on an adventure of discovery aided by Bagheera and Baloo the bear (voiced by Bill Murray). Along the way Mowgli has to contend with those who threaten danger and misadventure on his journey including Kaa the python (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) and King Louie (voiced by Christopher Walken) the Bornean orangutan, but ultimately this is all part of the fun and adventure en route to his voyage of self discovery.

THE HUNTSMAN : WINTERS WAR (Rated M) - this is a sequel to the 2012 movie 'Snow White and the Huntsman' which off the back of its US$170M budget made US$397M. Here we see a number of characters from that earlier instalment reprising their roles including Chris Hemsworth as Eric the Huntsman; Charlize Theron as Ravenna, the Evil Queen; Nick Frost as Nion a Dwarf; and Sam Claflin as King William. This time joined by Emily Blunt as Freya, the Ice Queen and sister of Ravenna, Rob Brydon as dwarf Gryff an ally of Nion, and Jessica Chastain as Sara, a warrior and wife of Eric who was thought to be long dead. When Freya and Raveena are reunited through the power of the Magic Mirror the wicked sisters intend to unleash their evil on the enchanted land with more menace than ever thought possible. With an army poised at the ready to unveil all Hell, only the banished Huntsmen who previously went against Freya rules to turn their back on true love stand any hope of saving the land, and being reunited with each other. Directed by first timer Cedric Nicolas-Troyan.

RAMS (Rated M) - a winner in the 'Un Certain Regard' category at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in May where it won the top prize, this Icelandic drama comedy was Written and Directed by Grimur Hakonarson and was entered in the Best Foreign Language Film category at this years Academy Awards but failed to get a nomination. That said, the film has gained much critical praise for its well told yet very simple story. Set in a secluded Icelandic valley brothers Gummy and Kiddi live side by side on their own farms where they breed an ancestral sheep-stock that is considered to be the best in the country, winning numerous accolades repeatedly for their prized rams who carry an ancient lineage. Although the two brothers live side by side, share the land, raise the same award winning sheep, they haven't spoken to each other for forty years or more. When a deadly disease breaks out amongst Kiddi's sheep the whole valley is threatened with its livelihood and well being, as the authorities close in wanting to cull the sheep to halt the spread of the disease. With others abandoning their land and their way of life, Gummy and Kiddi stand firm and steadfast to prevent the disaster from unfolding further and their flocks being eradicated forever . . . and themselves too potentially. Sigurour Sigurjonsson stars as Gummi and Theodor Jullusson as Kiddi.

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT (Rated M) - Michael Moore is at it again and for the first time in six years, up on his soapbox, stirring the pot and delivering his most subversive film yet - probably! Here he travels through Finland, Norway, Italy, France, Portugal, Tunisia and Slovenia viewing how Europeans view work, healthcare, education, sex, equality, social issues and much more and then of course drawing those comparisons with the good ol' USofA, and just how different his home country is to the rest of the world.  If all the good that exists in Europe, then why can't it in the US is what this ultimately asks - maybe they would be better off for it if they had a more liberal, outgoing and equal society? Having 'invaded' those countries to learn their secrets, what can the US learn from those other nations?

With four new offerings coming to a cinema near you, what's not to like, as well as all those others still out on general release. Do yourself a favour and catch a movie this week, and I'll see you, at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-