What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 16th July 2020.

The Coronavirus is far from over, but is seems that governments and authorities from near, far and wide have eased up on restrictions and have allowed the movie going public to return, albeit with some caveats, to their local Odeon, movie theatre, or cinema multiplex to enjoy the full film experience as most film production companies would prefer. And so having been in cinematic lockdown and languished in movie wasteland, apart of course from those newly released to Netflix in the past four months, this week sees a welcome return and a gentle easing back into the world of big screen film entertainment . . . and long may it continue!

And so for the coming week, there are five new films to entice you out to your local Odeon on a cold Winters night in the middle of July. Launching with an American semi-autobiographical comedy drama about a mid-20 year old with a bad case of arrested development who through a series of events is compelled to take his first steps into full blown adulthood. This is followed up by a story of a washed up art critic who is invited to steal a noted painting from a renowned artist, only to have his greed and ambition spin a web around him from which there seems to be little hope of escape. Next up is a mystery comedy drama about the seemingly perfect wife with a perfect husband, a perfect daughter and a perfect home who suddenly one day ups sticks and disappears and how her family then embark on an adventure to find her again. We then wrap up the week with two horror offerings - one set in a Jewish Orthodox community where a young man is asked to keep watch one night over the deceased body of a Holocaust survivor - but this is far from the simple task it at first seems; followed up by the story of a social media Vlogger and his thirst for adventure and pushing the envelope for the sake of notoriety and more followers, he and his group of friends bite off more than they can chew when they go in search of more thrills in Moscow.

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

'THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND' (Rated MA15+) - this American comedy drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Judd Apatow, whose previous film making credits include 'The 40 Year Old Virgin', 'Knocked Up', 'Funny People', 'This is 40' and 'Trainwreck'. Apatow is also a Comedian and Actor who has received numerous award wins and nominations throughout his career. Originally intended to be released in cinemas, it was released instead digitally on various streaming services on 12th June, although it does now also receive a theatrical release this week across Australia. The film is a semi autobiographical look at the life of American Actor and Comedian who has been a regular on Saturday Night Live, Pete Davidson, who with Apatow also co-wrote the screenplay.

Scott Carlin (Pete Davidson) has been a case of arrested development since his firefighter Dad died as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Centre on 9/11. Living on New York's Staten Island, and now approaching his mid-20's, he spends his days smoking weed and dreaming of becoming a serious tattoo artist. As his ambitious younger sister Claire (Maude Apatow) heads off to college, Scott is still living with his exhausted ER nurse mother Margie (Marisa Tomei) and hanging with his besties - Oscar (Ricky Velez), Igor (Moises Arias) and Richie (Lou Wilson) and secretly hooking up with his childhood friend Kelsey (Bel Powley). But when his mother starts dating a loudmouth firefighter named Ray (Bill Burr), it sets off a chain of events that will force Scott to grapple with his grief and take his first tentative steps toward moving forward in life. Also starring Steve Buscemi. 

'THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY' (Rated MA15+) - is a drama thriller Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi who has helmed numerous music videos over the years, television commercials and a small number of TV series and feature films. This film adaptation is based on the 1971 book of the same name by Charles Willeford and was chosen as the closing film for last years Venice International Film Festival and went on release in the US on 6th March and was then pulled when the world went into COVID-19 lockdown. It is re-released this week. Ambitious and charming art critic, James Figueras (Claes Bang), has fallen from grace. Spending his days in Milan lecturing witless tourists about art history, his only ray of sunshine in his otherwise drab world is a new-found love interest, the enigmatic American, Berenice Hollis (Elizabeth Debicki). An opportunity strikes when he is contacted by wealthy art dealer Joseph Cassidy (Mick Jagger) who invites James to his Lake Como villa and asks him to steal a painting from the renowned reclusive artist, Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland). Soon, James’ greed and ambition prove too much as he finds himself caught in a web of his own making. The film has generated mixed or average Reviews so far.

'THE VIGIL' (Rated CTC) - this American supernatural horror film is Written and Directed by first-timer Keith Thomas and saw its World Premier screening at TIFF in September last year and is Executive Produced by Blumhouse Productions. Here Yakov Ronan (Dave Davis) plays a young Jewish man who is hired by local Rabbi Reb Schulem (Menashe Lustig) to sit in vigil over a recently deceased Holocaust survivor. Ronan has lost his faith, has fled from the insular community he once called home and is also broke so he accepts the opportunity to watch over the body for one evening (as is the case in the Jewish community) - after all what could go wrong? Well it seems quite a lot actually, as he is targeted by a malevolent spirit known as a dybbuk (a malicious possessing spirit believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. It supposedly leaves the host body once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped). Also starring Lynn Cohen (who died in February this year aged 86) as Mrs. Litvak, this film has garnered generally positive Reviews so far.

'WHERE'D YOU GO BERNADETTE' (Rated M) - Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Richard Linklater this American mystery comedy drama is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Maria Semple. Released in the US in August 2019 off the back of an US$18M production budget, the film has so far grossed US$11M, has received mixed or average Reviews, and only now does it get an Australian release. Former architect Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchette) seems to have it all - a beautiful home in Seattle, a successful and loving husband Elgin (Billy Crudup), and a brilliant teenage daughter Balakrishna 'Bee' (Emma Nelson) who's about to attend boarding school. When Bernadette suddenly disappears without a trace, her concerned family sets off on an exciting adventure to solve the mystery of where she might have gone. Also starring Kristen Wiig, Laurence Fishburne, Judy Greer, Steve Zahn and Megan Mullally. 

'FOLLOW ME' (Rated MA15+) - Directed, Written and Produced by Will Wernick whose last film making outing was 2017's 'Escape Room', here he assembles a cast for his next horror thriller about an increasingly popular and successful VLOGGER whose social media posts capture his exploits at their most dangerous, adventurous and at times bizarre. Always seeing to push the limits and grow his audience hungry for more exploits, Cole (Keegan Allen) travels with a small group of friends to Moscow for their next adventure. Once there, they enter a cold world of mystery, excess and danger that rapidly blurs the lines between real life and the life of social media. They in turn must fight to survive, and escape. Also starring Holland Roden, Ronan Rubinstein, Kimberly Quinn, Denzel Whitaker and Pasha D. Lychnikoff. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 26th April 2018.

In the week ahead we have the 19th film in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, with the arrival of the first instalment in a two parter, that concludes in May 2019. The first eighteen films in this Superhero shared universe launched ten years ago in 2008, when Robert Downey Jnr. burst onto our screens as Tony Stark, aka 'Iron Man'. Currently there are a further fourteen films all at various stages of development going through to the mid-2020's, and this is hardly surprising given that the first eighteen films have raked in a grand total Box Office haul of US$14.83B off combined Budgets of US$3.3B. The headliners contributing to this world beating film franchise are 'The Avengers' (2012) grossing US$1.52B and ranking #5 of all time highest ranking films; 'Avengers : Age of Ultron' (2015) brought home US$1.40B standing at #7; released earlier this year, 'Black Panther' (2018) currently stands at US$1.31B and occupies the #10 spot; and 'Captain America : Civil War' (2016) took US$1.15B and stands at #16. In the meantime, there have been three standalone 'Iron Man' features, three of 'Thor', three of 'Captain America', three for 'The Avengers' including that which is released this week; two for 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and one so far for each of 'The Incredible Hulk', 'Doctor Strange', 'Ant-Man', 'Spider-Man' and 'Black Panther'.

And what does the future hold for the MCU and its ardent followers the world over? Hot on the heels of this years recently released 'Black Panther' and the upcoming 'Avengers : Infinity War', in 2018 we still have yet to come 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' due for release in July as Directed by Peyton Reed; in March 2019 there is 'Captain Marvel' Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Then in May 2019 is the follow up and as yet untitled follow up to 'Avengers : Infinity War'; and in July 2019 sees the return of 'Spider-Man' in an also untitled sequel to 'Homecoming' Directed by John Watts, and 2020 sees 'Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3' Directed once more by James Gunn. Two other untitled films are due also in 2020, with three films slated for 2021 and 2022 also. Let's also not forget the upcoming release of 'Deadpool 2' in May this year too, which although not part of the MCU, is a Marvel creation nonetheless and fits more into the 'X-Men' series.

This week with five new release movies coming to an Odeon near you. There is the eagerly awaited Superhero extravaganza, the third instalment in this story line and the 19th film in this particular universe, and its gonna be massive as our ever expanding group of superheroes must band together to overcome the super badass of all time from trashing Earth and possible half the known universe. We then go to an ultra low budget psychological horror film shot on a iPhone by an alleged retired Director, and starring The Queen no less (well perhaps not quite!) This is followed up by a tale of three Vietnam Vets who reunite after thirty years to bury a soldier son killed in Iraq, and the road trip of reacquaintance, rediscovery and retelling of old war stories that accompanies their journey. Then we move to a Russian foreign language offering of a parents very bitter divorce and their twelve year old son caught in the middle; before closing out with a Doco about a highly acclaimed Australian indigenous singer and musician who on the cusp of global fame died just three days after this film was in the can.

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 and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here warmly invited 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 meanwhile, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'AVENGERS : INFINITY WAR' (Rated M) - and so finally after much hype, eager anticipation, and huge expectations comes the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the sequel to 2013 'The Avengers' which grossed US$1.52B off the back of a US$200M Budget outlay, and 2015's 'Avengers : Age Of Ultron' which grossed US$1.4B off a Budget of US$267M. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo who also Directed 'Captain America : Winter Soldier', and 'Captain America : Civil War', as well as the post-credits sequence that rounded out 'Ant-Man' and featuring a huge A-List ensemble cast, the like of which has quite possibly never before been seen on the big screen to such an extent. The Russo Brothers are also Directing the as yet unnamed sequel to this film which is due for release in early May 2019 and which was shot back to back over a twelve month period from January 2017 through January 2018. The film cost somewhere northward of US$300M to make and is one of the most expensive films ever made, and Marvel's most costly to date.

Here all The Avengers we have come to know, love and respect from the previous two instalments and their own stand alone films, plus a few ring-ins must unite two years following the events of 'Captain America : Civil War', to thwart their most powerful enemy yet, the evil Thanos (Josh Brolin). Arriving on Earth on a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artifacts to bend reality at his will. He is an intergalactic despot from Titan who wants to rebalance the universe using the Infinity Stones after his home planet was destroyed because he believes the universe is becoming overpopulated, and wants to ensure that such an occurrence never happens again. The fate of our little blue planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything The Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment. Starring, and forgive me if I miss some off the list, Robert Downey Jnr. as Iron Man, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, Paul Bettany as Vision, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Anthony Mackie as Falcon, Benicio del Toro as The Collector, the collective known as The Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana) and also featuring the likes of Elizabeth Olsen, Karen Gillan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danai Gurira, Cobie Smulders, Angela Bassett, Jon Favreau, Letitia Wright, Terry Notary and of course Stan Lee. It's gonna be big!

'UNSANE' (Rated MA15+) - here we have an American psychological horror film shot entirely on an iPhone 7 Plus by that 'retired' Director, Editor and Cinematographer Steven Soderbergh, and released through his own Production Company too. Clearly being very budget minded, this film cost a mere US$1.5M to make, has so far grossed US$12M since its World Premier screening at the Berlin International Film Festival in late February and its US release in late March, and has garnered generally positive press. Here Claire Foy plays Sawyer Valentini (in a role about as far removed from her award winning turn as HRH QEII in 'The Crown' as you can possibly imagine) who relocates from Boston to Pennsylvania to escape from the man who's been stalking her for the past two years, David Strine (Joshua Leonard). While engaging with a victims support group, she consults with a therapist, resulting in Valentini unwittingly signing herself up for a voluntary 24-hour commitment to the Highland Creek Behavioural Centre. Her stay at the facility soon gets extended to a week when doctors and nurses begin to question her sanity. It soon dawns on Valentini that one of the staffers is her stalker and she'll need to resort to whatever means necessary to stay alive and fight her way out. Also starring Juno Temple, Matt Damon and Amy Irving.

'THE LAST FLAG FLYING' (Rated M) - this American comedy drama film is Directed by Richard Linklater and Co-Written for the screen by him too in conjunction with Darryl Ponicsan, who wrote the 2005 novel of the same name upon which the film is based, which in turn is described as an unofficial sequel to his earlier 1970 work 'The Last Detail' which was adapted into a film in 1973 starring Jack Nicholson. The film here surrounds Vietnam War vets, the recently widowed Larry 'Doc' Shepherd (Steve Carell), Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) and the Rev. Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburn) who reunite thirty years after serving together during that War, but this time for a very different type of mission: to bury Doc's son, a young Marine killed in Iraq. Deciding to bypass a military burial at Arlington National Cemetery, Doc and his old buddies take the casket on a bittersweet trip up the coast to New Hampshire. Along the way, the three men find themselves reminiscing about their previous wartime exploits and adventures, whilst coming to terms with the shared memories of a war that continues to shape their lives. The film was released in the US in early November, has so far taken just US$1.5M at the Box Office and has met with generally positive Reviews.

'LOVELESS' (Rated MA15+) - is a Russian language film Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Andrey Zvyagintsev (whose previous credits include 2014's 'Leviathan'). This film was entered in to official competition at the May 2017 Cannes Film Festival where it took out the Jury Prize, and it was also nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at this years 90th Academy Awards, as well as a Golden Globe and BAFTA nods in the same category. The film was released in Russia in mid-2017, has since taken US$4.5M at the Box Office, has garnered seventeen award wins and a further thirty nominations from around the festival circuit and has received much Critical acclaim. The story here is about a missing twelve year old lad Alyosha (Matvey Novikov) and his parents, father Boris (Aleksey Rozin) and mother Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) who are going through a bitter divorce, in which young Alyosha is caught up in front and centre. Feeling unloved, unheard, unhappy and unwanted by either side, Alyosha carries an enormous weight upon his shoulders. So much so that his constantly fighting parents don't even register his disappearance until 48 hours after the fact. Both parents have moved on with their lives and are with different partners, but the young boys disappearance forces them back together as they struggle to come to terms with his missing, and whether he is alive, dead or simply on the run and rebelling against them.

'GURRUMUL' (Rated PG) - Directed and Written by Paul Williams this Bio-Pic of celebrated Australian Aboriginal artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was one of the most important and acclaimed voices to ever come out of Australia as well a being a talented musician and multi-instrumentalist playing the drums, guitar, keyboard and didgeridoo. Blind from birth, he found purpose and meaning through songs and music inspired by his community and country on Elcho Island in far North East Arnhem Land in Australia's Northern Territory. Living a traditional Yolngu life, his breakthrough album ‘Gurrumul’ released in 2008 and going triple platinum on the ARIA Charts brought him to a crossroads as audiences and artists around the world began to embrace his music. This is a portrait of an artist on the brink of global reverence, and the struggles he and those closest to him faced in balancing that which mattered most to him and keeping the show on the road. Gurrumul approved the final version of this film just three days before his death from liver and kidney disease on 25th July 2017.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 23rd June 2016.

The curtain fell on the 62nd Sydney Film Festival on Sunday evening 19th June, and with it the winners of those films in competition were duly announced. In official competition were twelve films from around the world as highlighted previously, with the AU$63,000 prize money going to Brazilian film 'Aquarius' Directed and Written for the Screen by Kleber Mendonca Filho. Based in the seaside town of Recife in Brazil, the films tells the story of 65 year old retired music critic Clara (Sonia Braga) who is the last resident in the beachside two-storey built in the '40's Aquarius apartment building. All other apartments in the block have been acquired by a development company with new plans for the site. Clara refuses to sell - politely at first making various counter offers, but as the developers become more and more aggressive and hostile, so a battle of wits erupts between both parties sat on opposing sides of the fence. Meanwhile life goes on for Clara, and in it we see her intellect, her family, her friends, her sex life as she reflects on her life - past, present and future. The five judges were unanimous in their decision to award the top prize to this film, with Jury President, Simon Field stating 'Aquarius is a compelling and relevant statement about contemporary Brazil and the power of an individual standing up for what she believes'. Screened in competition at Cannes this year, and successful in Sydney where the film had its Australian Premier, the film is scheduled for a wider release later in the year . . . one to watch out for!

Coming to a cinema near you in the week ahead then, are four new films that kick start with another alien invasion of epic Biblical proportions that threatens our fragile planet after we have come to terms with the last one twenty years earlier. Just as we thought it was safe to look up to the skies once more, our worst global destruction nightmare has come back to whoop Uncle Sam's backside in this sequel of big, bad, mean, ugly, no good alien types - bring it on! Next up and coming back down to Earth but in the Palaeolithic Period is another sequel and the fifth instalment in this successful animated franchise that sees a bunch of familiar characters trying to escape a natural disaster that may have far reaching implications on our planet, and along the way having themselves another adventure. Then a sports comedy period piece set against a backdrop of 1980 college baseball, guys, booze, girls, more booze, drugs, hi-jinks and pranks, more booze, wild parties, pot, booze, male bonding, girls, booze, rituals, and booze and all over a three day lead up to the start of semester. And wrapping things up a foreign language offering of five teenage sisters growing up fast when their world suddenly changes and their individual and collective determination, resilience and loyalty to each other is tested.

With such a diverse offering of new cinema content you'll just have to get out to a theatre in the week ahead to catch a new movie. When you have done so, remember to share your movie going experience here at Odeon Online with your fellow readers by leaving a Comment below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you. In the meantime, enjoy your film!

'INDEPENDENCE DAY : RESURGENCE' (Rated M) - when the original film 'Independence Day' of which this is a sequel opened in July 1996 it went on to take out the highest grossing film of 1996 worldwide, grossing US$817M, and by September of that year ranked as the sixth highest grossing film of all time. Now 20 years later, it sits at the #55 spot. Made for US$75M back then and Directed by the 'Master of Disaster' himself Roland Emmerich and Co-Written by him too, that film propelled Will Smith into the stratosphere (literally) together with his other co-stars that included Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, Judd Hirsch, Vivica Fox and Mary McDonnell. Along the way the movie picked up an Oscar for Best Visual Effects and 32 other award wins and another 33 nominations. And now twenty years later, in terms of real time, and movie time, the long awaited sequel has arrived.

Made for US$200M and released worldwide this coming week, Roland Emmerich is once again in the Director chair with a Co-Producer and a Co-Writer credit too, and, with a number of that original line up returning again with their cans of 'whoop-ass' to thwart them pesky alien Mo-Fo's out of the sky and into oblivion. . . or will they? This time Jeff Goldblum is back as is Bill Pullman, Brent Spiner, Judd Hirsch and Vivica Fox, joined by Liam Hemsworth, William Fichtner and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It seems that 20 years ago when the invading aliens were wiped out, they sent a distress signal to their other fleets in deep space before finally succumbing to the might of Uncle Sam, and secreting themselves away elsewhere around our fragile green planet. Over those intervening years, The United Nations has rebuilt itself and created an Earth Space Defence programme based at Area 51 using recovered alien technology as an early warning system and as its defence against future alien hostilities. What us mere mortal Earthlings didn't count on however, is that those aliens would be back - bigger, badder and more pissed off than ever, hell bent on wiping us out once and for all! Strap yourself in for death and destruction writ large as only Roland Emmerich knows how to deliver.

'ICE AGE : COLLISION COURSE' (Rated PG) - the first film in this hugely successful animated franchise launched in 2002 with 'Ice Age' from Blue Sky Studios and it returned US$383M from its US$59M outlay. Since then there has been 'Ice Age : The Meltdown' in 2006, 'Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinosaurs' in 2009, 'Ice Age : Continental Drift' in 2012 - all increasingly well received. The first four films were made for a combined US$324M and have collectively returned US$2.81B with 'Meltdown' sitting at #93 in the all time highest grossing movies list, 'Continental Drift' at #45 and 'Dawn of the Dinosaurs' at #42. Not a bad effort it must be said. This time around largely the same voice cast return as Scrat continues his search for the elusive acorn which sends him on a trajectory outside of Earth's atmosphere where his actions inadvertently set in motion a series of potentially Earth altering events. To save themselves Manny (Ray Romano), Sid (John Leguizamo), Diego (Denis Leary), Ellie (Queen Latifah), Buck (Simon Pegg) and Shira (Jennifer Lopez) amongst others, leave their home land and embark on a journey to new and distant lands to save themselves - along the way getting up to all sorts of (mis)adventures, scrapes and challenges, and meeting up with a whole new bunch of characters.

'EVERYBODY WANTS SOME !!' (Rated MA15+) - Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Richard Linklater for US$10M this college sports comedy is set back in 1980 at the fictitious Southeast Texas State College on the cusp of a new semester - three days and 15 hours before to be exact, so plenty of time for freshman Jake (Blake Jenner) to get to know his new college buddies, check out the chicks, score some weed and get drunk! Moving into his new house with other members of the Southwest Texas Cherokees college baseball team, he quickly gets acquainted with Billy (Will Brittain) whom Jake will share a room with, Plummer (Temple Baker), Roper (Ryan Guzman), Dale (Quentin Johnson), Finnegan (Glen Powell), Brumley (Tanner Kalina), Jay (Juston Street) and Willoughby (Wyatt Russell). And what better way to get acquainted than to head out drinking, meet some girls, party hard, play some pranks, and then do it all over again tomorrow, and the next day. Praised for its simple, smart storyline; its faithful reproduction of the era; its soundtrack and the good old dose of nostalgia this serves up, this could almost be seen as a follow-up to Linklater's 1993 'Dazed and Confused' tribute to the last day of school for a bunch of 1976 high school graduates.

'MUSTANG' (Rated M) - this Turkish language film has received much critical acclaim for Writer and Director Deniz Gamze Erguven, and in the process picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, along with 38 wins and 46 other nominations. The story is set in a rural northern Turkish community and on the last day of school five sisters (all non-professional actors chosen deliberately) frolic around on the beach with some male classmates. Overseen by a nosey interfering neighbour who reports the orphaned girls antics to the domineering Aunt and Uncle, the surrogate parents instantly confiscate 'all instruments of corruption' such as close fitting clothes, mobile phones, computers, make-up, magazines and all the trappings enjoyed by mid-teen years girls almost everywhere. As a consequence, the girls are quickly taught life lessons in good housekeeping skills and how to prepare for marriage as they become prisoners in their own home, and marriage is prepared with would-be local male suitors. With fierce determination, safety in numbers, a strong resilience and a overwhelming sense of loyalty toward each other will the sisters overcome the fate that awaits them?

Four films once again that couldn't be more different in their themes, genres, and target audience. That said, coupled with those films still doing the rounds and out on general release, there is something that is sure to suit almost all styles, tastes and age groups. So, get out amongst it to your local movie theatre and enjoy your movie of choice. I'll see you, at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 5th - 11th April 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Patricia Arquette does on 8th April - check out the tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 47, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 5th April

• Hayley Atwell - Born 1982, turns 33 - Actress
• Mitch Pileggi - Born 1982, turns 63 - Actor
• Roger Corman - Born 1925, turns 89 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Peter Greenaway - Born 1943, turns 73 - Director | Writer | Editor
• Pharrell Williams - Born 1973, turns 42 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Actor

Monday 6th April 

• Paul Rudd - Born 1965, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer
• Michael Rooker - Born 1955, turns 60 - Actor
• Zach Braff - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Billy Dee Williams - Born 1937, turns 78 - Actor
• Barry Levinson - Born 1942, turns 73 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Roy Thinnes - Born 1938, turns 72 - Actor

Tuesday 7th April

• Russell Crowe - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Jackie Chan - Born 1954, turns 61 - Actor | Producer | Stuntman
• Andrew Sachs - Born 1930, turns 85 - Actor
• Francis Ford Coppola - Born 1939 - Director | Producer | Writer | Winemaker | Restauranteur

Wednesday 8th April

• John Madden - Born 1949, turns 66 - Director | Producer
• Taylor Kitch - Born 1981, turns 34 - Actor
• Robin Wright - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Patricia Arquette - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress

Thursday 9th April 

• Kristen Stewart - Born 1990, turns 25 - Actress
• Elle Fanning - Born 1998, turns 17 - Actress
• Jay Baruchel - Born 1982, turns 33 - Actor | producer
• Dennis Quaid - Born 1954, turns 61 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Hugh Heffner - Actor | Producer | Publisher

Friday 10th April

• Max von Sydow - Born 1929, turns 86 - Actor | Director
• Steven Seagal - Born 1952, turns 63 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Hayley Joel Osment - Born 1988, turns 27 - Actor

Saturday 11th April

• John Milius - Born 1944, turns 71 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Jennifer Esposito - Born 1973, turns 42 - Actress

Patricia T. Arquette was born in Chicago, Illinois to mother Brenda Olivia Nowak and father Lewis Arquette, an Actor. Mother Brenda was an an acting coach and therapist who died in 1997 and father Lewis dies in 2001. Her parents had four other children all of whom have moved into the acting business - Rosanna (born 1959), Richmond (born 1963), Alexis (born 1969) and David (born 1971). At the age of 15 the early teenage Patricia ran away from home to live her her 24 years old sister Rosanna - that was 1983.

Arquette's film acting break came a few years later after she had overcome her insecurities and grown in confidence and self-belief. She had three films released in 1987 - 'Pretty Smart', the TV film 'Daddy' and the third instalment in the 'Elm Street' franchise with 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 : Dream Warriors'. In 1989 her son Enzo was born to father Paul Rossi, and as the 90's approached so her acting career began to take off.

The early 90's especially were marked with more independent fare, such as 'Prayer for the Rollerboys', Sean Penn's Directorial debut 'The Indian Runner' in 1991, the made for TV movies 'Dillinger' and 'Wildflower' also in '91, and then a year later 'Inside Monkey Zetterland' before she came to greater prominence and critical acclaim in 1993's 'True Romance' Directed by Tony Scott. Another TV film followed a year later with 'Betrayed by Love' and the Tim Burton's bio-pic 'Ed Wood' with Johnny Depp which gave way in 1995 with 'Beyond Rangoon' which received generally positive reviews.

The latter half of the 90's delivered a mixed bag of films from 'Flirting with Disaster', 'Infinity' and 'The Secret Agent' in 1996 to David Lynch's 'Lost Highway' and then 'Nightwatch' to 'Goodbye Lover', 'The Hi-Lo Country', 'Stigmata' and 'Bringing Out The Dead' with then husband Nicolas Cage in 1999 for Director Martin Scorsese.

As the new century clicked over, Arquette starred with Adam Sandler in 'Little Nicky' in 2000, and then 'Human Nature' in 2001 Directed by Michael Gondry. Then came 'The Badge', 'Tiptoes' and Disney's 'Holes' in 2002 and 2003. Her next film was Richard Linklater's 'Fast Food Nation' in 2006 - her three year absence between films due to her early production commitments on 'Boyhood' that would not yet get released for another eight years.

In 2005 Arquette made her move into mainstream television serialisation with 'Medium' as psychic Alison DuBois which ran for six years and garnered the Actress further critical acclaim and several awards including Golden Globe wins in 2005, '06 and '07; an Emmy in 2007; and The SAG Award in 2006, '07 and '10. In the meantime she released 'A Single Woman' in 2008 and the 'Girl in Progress' in 2012. From there she appeared in ten episodes of 'The Boardwalk Empire' in 2013 and '14, and more recently a regular slot on 'CSI'. There has also been 'A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III' with Charlie Sheen, 'Vijay and I', 'Electric Slide' still due for release, then the highly acclaimed 'Boyhood' last year and most recently 'The Wannabe' due for release later this year.

It was Arquette's role in Linklater's epic 12 year 'Boyhood' journey that garnered her huge critical acclaim in this landmark film, She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at this years Award Ceremony, as well as the Golden Globe, The BAFTA, the AACTA and a raft of others. All up Arquette has 46 award wins and another 40 award nominations from her career of 53 acting credits so far.

Her son Enzo was born in 1989; she was married to Oscar winning Actor Nicolas Cage from 1995 - 2001; she gave birth to daughter Harlow in 2003 and married the child's father Thomas Jane in 2006, but divorced in mid-2011. She has actively supported aid programmes after the Haiti earthquake tragedy in 2010; has worked with the Libby Ross Foundation, The Art of Elysium, The Heart Truth, and recently P.E.T.A (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals); and after the death of her mother in 1997 to breast cancer she has worked to raise awareness and funds in support of this cause too.

Patricia Arquette - daring, colourful, varied and always entertaining; now possibly at the height of your career; always watchable and with a rich history both on and off camera - Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

The BAFTA Awards - Sunday 8th February 2015.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts held their annual film awards for the 68th time on Sunday evening earlier this week at London's Royal Opera House, and hosted for the tenth time by Actor, Raconteur, and Television personality Stephen Fry. With the Golden Globes, AACTA's, Screen Actors Guild and now the BAFTA's all done, this leaves only the Grand Daddy of them all later this month - the Academy Awards on 22nd February.

Summarised below are the main winners & grinners from the UK's film night of nights which for my mind was a little one sided in the final analysis with many great movie offerings being overlooked that hitherto have been lauded from on high. As I'm not on the judging panel though I accept no responsibility - those that did win clearly gave notable and outstanding performances/services all round, but as always with such things you could debate the decisions for or against those that won and those that lost all night long! So with that in mind . . . the winners are :-

Best Film : 'Boyhood'
Best British Film : 'The Theory of Everything'
Best Animated Film : 'The LEGO Movie'
Best Documentary Film : 'Citizenfour'
Best Foreign Language Film : 'Ida'

Best Actor in a Lead Role : Eddie Redmayne for 'The Theory of Everything'
Best Actress in a Lead Role : Julianne Moore for 'Still Alice'
Best Actor in a Supporting Role : J.K.Simmons for 'Whiplash'
Best Actress in a Supporting Role : Patricia Arquette for 'Boyhood'

Best Direction : Richard Linklater for 'Boyhood'
Best Adapted Screenplay : Anthony McCarten for 'The Theory of Everything'
Best Original Screenplay : Wes Anderson for 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

Best Production Design : 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'
Best Costume Design : 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'
Best Make-up & Hair : 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'
Best Special Visual Effects : 'Interstellar'
Best Music Score : Alexandre Desplat for 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'
In the final analysis 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' won five awards from a total eleven nominations and did the best on the day, with the runners up coming from 'The Theory of Everything' which won three awards from ten nominations, and both 'Boyhood' and 'Whiplash' picking up three wins each from five nominations each. Although receiving multiple nominations too, I was surprised that none of 'Birdman', 'The Imitation Game', 'Nightcrawler', 'Mr. Turner' or 'Interstellar' fared better.

That's it then for another year from the BAFTA's with just the icing on the cake to come - keep watching the movies and keep reading this Blog for more movie Reviews, Previews, News and Views and your final wrap on the Oscar's in just over a week!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

BOYHOOD - Saturday 20th September 2014.

'BOYHOOD' which I saw last night is Richard Linklater's twelve year opus to bring to us the evolving story of a fractured family growing up in Texas, and with a focus in particular on the centrepiece of that family, the young son who we meet aged six as he moves from 'Boyhood' to manhood over the next twelve years. This is truly a remarkable story that will resonate with you as you sit glued to every frame watching time pass by before your very eyes, in a way that we have not seen before on the big or small screen, and over such a prolonged period of film making time.

The film opens with six year old Mason (a breakout performance by Ellar Coltrane) doing the thing that all six-year olds do - lounging around, not paying attention at school, hanging out with mates, and day dreaming with not a care in the world. He has loving, albeit separated, parents and a nagging older sister and they live together in the former family home. It is young Mason who we will follow for the next twelve years as he experiences growing up and all the pain; torture; torment; angst; sadness and joy; love and loss; sex, drugs and alcohol; music and movies; the acne and long hair; social media and historical landmarks that pepper our lives every day . . . but seen through the eyes of a growing boy.

We follow him through the trials and tribulations of his family life as a string of successive 'father figures' come and go; as he struggles through school to pay attention and be engaged; through his introduction to alcohol, girls, sex and drugs; the first time he shoots a shotgun; his emerging keen interest in photography and his eventual move away from home to attend College.

The young Ellar Coltrane gives a truly nuanced performance - particularly given that at aged five he had to commit to Director Richard Linklater for twelve years and go the distance from 2001 to 2013 on film. So much could have gone wrong with this in hindsight, but Coltrane inhibits his character of Mason with such conviction and realism, never over dramatising, and keeping him grounded in the moment and his surroundings throughout the duration of the film, and therefore every year when the cast & crew came together to film another chapter in the unfolding lives of the principle players. Undoubtedly a star in the making if Coltrane chooses a career in Hollywood!

Patricia Arquette plays Mom, Olivia, to Mason and her performance too (as with all four of the principle cast) is first class. Starting out as a struggling single parent recently separated and juggling two demanding kids, work at a local school and dreams of making more of her life, she is the rock in the family relationship and the glue that binds it all together. Over the years we see her improve her position by following her dream and becoming a teacher of psychology ultimately, but along the way she marries, divorces, marries again and divorces again and each time you would question her decisions as those relationships implode and her two kids growing up are at the epicentre of it all. On the fringes sits part-time weekend Dad who does the right thing by the children and never interferes with his ex-wife's personal life, but you know is there to help when the brown stuff hits the fan, and by the end of the film you are thinking why didn't Mom just hang in there with Dad?

And so to Dad, Mason Snr., also played with great aplomb by Ethan Hawke who at the outset has darted off to Alaska to shake off his failed marriage, rediscover himself and perhaps grow up a little too.  He is a committed father and never misses a beat when it's weekend access time to spend quality time with his growing boy and girl. It's a joy to watch their interaction as they reconnect with each other, share words of wisdom, and seek out adventures to share - a night at the bowling alley, watching a live baseball game or a camping weekend. Hawke is convincing in an understated way, growing in his fatherhood role as his children grow, accepting responsibility and providing fatherly advice along the way - to his 15 years old daughter about contraception, to his son about girls, his love of The Beatles music, his political stance, or his thoughts on further 'Star Wars' instalments (interesting in itself given that he discusses further episodes with Mason Jnr. around a camp fire long before the announcement in 2013 that Disney had bought the rights and were embarking on Episodes VII, VIII and IX). Mason Snr. is a would be musician, young at heart but accepting that time is marching on and so settles down eventually, marries, has another child and so too finally grows up with all the responsibilities and maturity that comes with middle age - a great restrained subtle performance by Hawke, showcasing once again his huge talent.

The final piece in the family jigsaw is elder sister Samantha (played by Richard Linklater's own daughter Lorelei) who also grows up before our eyes too but is not centre stage like Mason. As an emerging teenage girl we witness the awkwardness, the attitude, the angst, the self consciousness, the braces, dyed hair, fashion sense as she becomes a young woman and eventually moves away to College.

Written and Directed by Richard Linklater, he has delivered a unique film charting four lives over twelve years as two children and two adults grow up, mature, evolve and take increasing responsibility for their lives and those around them. Coming together for a couple of weeks every year for twelve years not only do we see the growth in these people but we also see the touchstones over that time that have impacted our own lives - the Bush administration; 9/11; war in Iraq; the advent of X-Box, Wii, the iPod, the Smartphone; Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the Twilight Saga; the Obama election campaign; the emergence of social media; all underscored by a great soundtrack to the last twelve years.

Running for 165 minutes it is a long film, but your patience will be rewarded by this achievement in movie making - a heart warming uplifting film that will resonate with anyone who has ever grown up, or has young people around them that are; a fly-on-the-wall take on a fictionalised story, and first rate award worthy performances from Coltrane, Arquette and Hawke especially that make this one of the must watch films of 2014.


-Steve, at Odeon Online-