APOCALYPSE NOW : FINAL CUT - Friday 26th July 2019.

'APOCALYPSE NOW : FINAL CUT' which I saw late last week is rated MA15+, and this 1979 and now a classic American epic war film about the Vietnam War was Directed, Produced and Co-Written by Francis Ford Coppola and now gets it's 40th anniversary re-release in the manner that Coppola had seemingly always intended. Starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Harrison Ford, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Glenn and Dennis Hopper with the Screenplay, Co-Written by Coppola and John Milius was loosely based on the 1899 novella 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad. 'Apocalypse Now' was honoured with the Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered unfinished before it was finally released on August 15, 1979. The film is today considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. It was nominated for eight Oscars at the 52nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Duvall, and went on to win for Best Cinematography and Best Sound among its total awards haul of twenty wins and another 31 nominations. The film took US$150M at the global Box Office off the back of a US$32M Budget. With a running time of 183 minutes, backed up by a 4k restoration and all the technological advancements in sound design, Coppola reportedly said that it now 'looks better than it has ever looked, and sounds better than it has ever sounded', and that he's 'thrilled beyond measure to present the best version of the film to the world.' 

In Vietnam in 1969, Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) a veteran U.S. Army special operations officer is sitting in his Saigon hotel room locked up and gradually going insane without a mission to satisfy his hunger to be on the front line. He drinks and smokes heavily and sleeps for days on end reminiscing about his former marriage, his previous tours of duty, the stupefying heat of Vietnam and the sheer boredom of being holed up in the confines of his hotel room. Then there is a knock on the door. With his hand bleeding profusely from where he smashed a plate glass mirror and drunk too, he is manhandled into a cold shower by the two officers who came knocking. Next up he is in a room with Colonel Lucas (Harrison Ford), Lieutenant General Corman (G.D. Spradlin) and a plain clothed mystery man Jerry (Jerry Ziesmer). They have a mission for Willard - to head up river into Cambodia and 'terminate with extreme prejudice' the highly decorated United States Army Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) who has gone rogue and supposedly completely insane at an outpost in Cambodia, is running his own military unit based there and is feared as much by the U.S. military as by the North Vietnamese and Vietcong.

Willard with little choice but to accept the mission, joins a Navy River Patrol Boat crew captained by Chief Petty Officer George 'Chief' Phillips (Albert Hall) with young crewmen Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Lance B. Johnson (Sam Bottoms) a former professional surfer from Orange County; Engineman 3rd Class Jay 'Chef' Hicks (Frederick Forrest), a former chef from New Orleans; and Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Tyrone 'Mr. Clean' Miller (Laurence Fishburne), a seventeen-year-old street smart South Bronx-born crew member.

They rendezvous with seemingly fearless and mad keen surfing enthusiast Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall), 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment commander, to discuss going up the Nung River. Kilgore is at first offhandish but befriends Lance after discovering he is a famous surfer and agrees to escort them through the Nung's Viet Cong-held coastal mouth which is tidal and the lads can get in a long overdue surf. The helicopter squadron raids at dawn, with Kilgore ordering a napalm strike on the local hostiles practically wiping them all out but not without suffering casualties also, and at the same time muttering those immortal words 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning'.

As Willard continues the journey up river studying the extensive dossier he has on Kurtz, he learns that a Captain Richard Colby (Scott Glenn) was previously assigned Willard's current mission before he defected to Kurtz's private army and sent a message to his wife, intercepted by the U.S. Army, telling her that he was never coming back and to sell everything they owned. As the crew read letters from home, Lance activates a smoke grenade, attracting the attention of an enemy hiding in the dense undergrowth along the riverbank, and Mr. Clean is shot dead. Further upriver, Chief is impaled by a spear thrown by the natives and killed too. Willard reveals the purpose of their mission to Chef, and in spite of Chef's anger towards their end game, he rejects Willard's offer for him to continue alone and insists that they complete the mission together.

Continuing along their journey, the remaining crew members come across a French family holed up on their remote rubber plantation living the colonial lifestyle, and they spend the night having been welcomed by their well to do hosts dining on good food, fine wine, cognac and cigars. The next day the crew arrives at Kurtz's outpost, and the surviving crew are greeted by an American freelance photojournalist (Dennis Hopper), who crazily praises Kurtz's genius. As they wander through the camp, they come across a near-comatose Colby, along with other US servicemen now in Kurtz's renegade army. Learning that Kurtz is not at the camp at that time, Willard returns to the boat later taking Lance with him back to the camp and instructing Chef to stay behind and call in an air strike of the compound if they do not return within a certain time.

After Willard's initial introduction to Kurtz in a darkened temple he is subdued, bound and then tortured and imprisoned for several days during which time Kurtz drops Chefs severed head into the lap of Willard while he is tied up. Willard is subsequently released and allowed to freely roam the compound. Kurtz lectures him on his theories of war, the human psyche and civilisation, while praising the ruthlessness and dedication of the Viet Cong. 

That night, as the locals ceremonially slaughter a water buffalo, Willard stealthily enters Kurtz's chamber as he is making a recording and attacks him with a machete. Mortally wounded, Kurtz utters 'The horror, The horror' and dies. As the sun rises all in the compound see Willard departing the temple covered in blood spatter, carrying a collection of Kurtz's writings, and bow down to him. Willard then leads Lance to the boat and they depart unhindered.

The original shoot for 'Apocalypse Now' was fraught with challenges, including Marlon Brando arriving on set completely unprepared and overweight; entire sets being wiped out by Typhoon Olga in May 1976; Martin Sheen suffering a mental breakdown and a near fatal heart attack whilst on location; a production schedule that was due to last five months ran to over a year; the initial budget estimations of US$15M blowing out to closer to US$32M; the entire payroll being stolen overnight whilst under the watchful eye of bodyguards; and the final release of the film being delayed several times while Coppola edited over one million feet of film. All of that said, these challenges faced now over forty years ago will have dimmed into the far recesses of cinematic history and gave way ultimately to a classic Vietnam War film that has stood the test of time in all its visceral, hallucinatory, surreal and at times bizarre glory. The original film had a running time of 153 minutes, 2001's 'Apocalypse Now Redux' ran for 202 minutes and this version 'Apocalypse New : Final Cut' has a running time of 183 minutes and has been remastered frame by frame in stunning 4K quality, with the sound production enhanced by Dolby Atmos. This is the complete package and deserves to be either revisited or viewed for the first time on the big screen while you still can in selected theatres - you won't be disappointed by the experience as a chance to see one of the greatest films of all time just as Coppola had originally intended.

'Apocalypse Now : Final Cut' merits five claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard out of a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

WIDOWS : Wednesday 28th November 2018.

'WIDOWS' which I saw earlier in the week at my local multiplex, is an American heist drama film based on the 1983 and 1985 British television series of the same name that was written by Lynda La Plante, and which ran for two series each of six episodes. Now in 2018 that earlier inspiration has been given a makeover some thirty years later and this time is written for the screen by Gillian Flynn, the author of the acclaimed novel and later film 'Gone Girl'. Directed by Steve McQueen whose previous Directorial credits include 'Hunger', 'Shame' and '12 Years a Slave', here he has amassed an ensemble cast for a Production Budget of US$42M and what has so far received widespread Critical praise. The film saw its Premier screening at TIFF back in September, was released in the UK early in November, the US and Australia mid-November, has so far grossed US$42M and has been Critically praised.

The story here surrounds a Police shootout that leaves four career thieves and partners in crime dead during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago that goes horribly wrong for the gang of four. Those men were Harry Rawlins (Liam Neeson), Carlos Perelli (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), Florek Gunner (Jon Bernthal) and Jimmy Nunn (Coburn Goss). We see the four men in the lead up to their fateful robbery living the domestic life with their wives, children, pets, jobs and each man leaving their domestic situation on the morning of the daring heist . . .  never to return. We then cut to the funerals of each one in turn - mostly small & private, expect for Harry's which was a much grander affair attended by many guests and a few dignitaries. The widows left behind are Veronica Rawlins (Viola Davis), Linda Perelli (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice Gunner (Elizabeth Debicki) and Amanda Nunn (Carrie Coon). At Harry's funeral, after his body is lowered into the ground, Veronica is approached by Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell) who is running for election for the position of Alderman in the South Side Ward of Chicago, offering his deepest sympathies and his support, if ever she needs anything.

Meanwhile Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry) is also running for election as Alderman of the South Side Ward against Mulligan, and there is a fierce rivalry between the two. Mulligan believing that as his father and grandfather before him occupied that seat, that he has a divine right to it having been born into the role, and Manning believes that he is a man of the people and is their voice at a grassroots level. However, Manning is also a crime boss, and has his younger brother Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya) to do his dirty work for him, including dispensing with ruthless efficiency with those that would cross the pair or stand in the way of them getting what they want. We quickly learn that Harry and his gang robbed Jamal of US$2M which went up in smoke, and now the Manning's are wanting their money back, as this money was to fund Manning's electoral campaign against Mulligan. The pair look on menacingly from a distance at Harry's funeral.

Harry's trusted long time driver Bash (Garret Dillahunt) while driving Veronica around, hands her a small package containing a key and a handwritten note with the location of a safety deposit box. Recovering the box she opens it up to reveal a note book, in which are contained copious detailed notes of Harry's former robberies, and those planned. In it are contained notes of a future robbery worth US$5M in cash. Meanwhile, Jamal has visited Veronica in her home, demanding repayment of the US$2M that her husband stole from him, and gives her one month to pay up in full or suffer the consequences. Veronica claims to have known nothing about her husbands criminal activities and doesn't have that sort of money, despite the facade of living in a plush apartment with all the trappings of success. Despite what she may or may not claim to know about her husbands 'business', she has one month.

Veronica, realising the seriousness with which Jamal speaks and the threats made against her, decides to carry out the plan as laid out in Harry's note book in order to repay her debt to Jamal. She sets up a secret meeting with the three other widows whom she has never met before, and whose details she coerced out of Bash. Veronica is successful in recruiting both Alice and Linda to assist execute her plan, but this is completely new territory to the widows and they are each pretty clueless about what's involved - they just know they've gotta complete the task now in hand, and live with the consequences whatever they might be. The fourth widow however, Amanda, does not show to their initial meeting. Veronica outlines the plan in brief and says that if the girls are 'in' to meet tomorrow night at 11:30pm at a secret location which turns out to be Harry's former warehouse and and centre of operations, which remains just as the gang left it before their last job.

At that meeting, after some soul searching and weighing up their options, Alice and Linda are both in. Veronica charges Alice to buy the getaway van and three Glock pistols, while Linda is tasked with deciphering a blueprint in Harry's plan that is the location of the planned heist. Alice purchases a van from a used vehicle auction house, and the three pistols from a gun fair. Linda however, struggles to locate the whereabouts of the building depicted on the photocopied blueprint. Meanwhile, Alice has become an 'escort' at her mother Agnieska (Jacki Weaver) suggestion, to raise some much needed cash and all the trappings that go with it. On her first 'date' she falls into a transactional relationship with David (Lukas Haas) a real estate developer. She uses David's knowledge to trace the origin of the blueprint and the location of the building depicted thereon. He comes back some days later stating that it is a safe room within Jack Mulligan's home. As for Amanda, Veronica visits her and learns that she has a four month old newborn baby, and so decides not to mention their upcoming heist or to seek her involvement. 

Bash is visited unannounced in his home by Jatemme and his henchmen seeking the whereabouts of the notebook, realising the value contained in its detailed handwritten pages. When Bash claims no knowledge of its whereabouts he is promptly beaten to a pulp and murdered while Jatemme looks on. Still with no driver to provide their getaway, Linda recruits Belle (Cynthia Erivo), her children’s babysitter, and a hairdresser in a Salon underpinned by funding from Mulligan. Veronica is reluctant, but with six days only remaining on the month long deadline to pay up, she agrees to take Belle on, and it seems like she is made of sterner stuff, and can drive. Veronica visits the Mulligan home to ask Jack for protection from Manning, to which he politely declines, and to scout out the building in advance of the heist, while Belle scans the external security systems. Veronica also successfully acquires the code to the Mulligan safe by blackmailing the CEO of the Mulligans' security company, Ken (Matt Walsh) using explicit photographs of him of a sexual nature left in Harry's notebook.

The group commences the heist at night by creating a distraction down the street to divert police attention. The house is believed to be empty save for a lone Security Guard whom they taser and incapacitate. Jack Mulligan is away at an election debate between him and Jamal Manning. Having gained access to the safe and loaded up with US$5M in cash, in making their exit they are interrupted by Tom Mulligan (Robert Duvall), father of Jack and the current sitting Alderman, who shoots and wounds Alice. Linda returns fire and kills him. They escape with the money, but are caught by Jamal's brother Jatemme who is holding Belle at gunpoint and who in turn steals it from them, leaving the four girls standing on the side of the road penniless. 

Thinking he is clear Jatemme relaxes with a big smile on his dial behind the wheel of the girls getaway van, only to be heavily shunted from behind by a station wagon with the four widows giving chase and Belle at the wheel. Jatemme looses control of the vehicle and smashes into a crash barrier head-on killing him instantly. The girls retrieve the money and make their getaway. Linda takes Alice to the nearest hospital for medical attention to her gun shot wound and remains with her. Veronica drops Belle off at home before returning to the hideout with the stash of cash. Upon leaving the hideout having taken care of some final business, Veronica torches their getaway car, before loading up the final bag of swag into her own car. 

A few days later it is announced on the radio that Jack Mulligan won the election on a wave of public sympathy following his father's murder. Linda reacquires the store she lost upon her husband's death due to his gambling debts, Alice sets up her own business, and Belle moves out of town with her own children. Out of danger of Manning, Veronica donates much of her share to endow a library building in her and Harry's deceased son's memory and name at the school he attended.

I enjoyed 'Widows' but not as much as I thought I would, and I felt let down by the glowing Critical acclaim that seemingly has been bestowed upon McQueen's heist actioner. The performances are top rate - especially Viola Davis and Elizabeth Debicki, the film looks good enough, but for a heist movie set in Chicago of all places, the actual and only heist takes place in the final ten minutes of a two hour+ long movie, and there are plot holes aplenty too. Four dead career criminal husbands, four grieving and at a complete loss desperate wives, political power play, father and son machinations, gangsters making demands, violence, death and emotional turmoil are all at play here, together with a seemingly completely incompetent Chicago PD. The film moves along at a goodly pace, but some of the scenes felt rushed, especially towards the end leaving questions unanswered and plot holes uncovered, and some of the characters were left hanging without any real sense of closure. Critics seems to be raving about 'Widows' but audiences less so, and I'm in the camp with the audience I must say. Despite this the film has plenty of redeeming features too and is worth a look - it's good, but it's not great!

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE JUDGE - Tuesday 14th October 2014.

I saw 'THE JUDGE' earlier this week down at my local multiplex. It would be fair to say that this film has garnered mixed reviews from what I have seen and read so far! This Reviewer, however, thought that this disjointed family courtroom drama passes as acceptable and worth a look, but don't expect riveting courtroom drama the like of which you may have seen in the classics including 'A Few Good Men', 'Twelve Angry Men', 'To Kill a Mockingbird', 'The Verdict', 'JFK', 'Erin Brockovich'  and 'A Time to Kill' etc. to name but a few.


What you can expect from this David Dobkin Directed film is reasonably strong performances especially from Robert Duvall as 82 year old father (Judge Joseph 'Joe' Palmer) and two of his sons played by Vincent D'Onofrio (Glen Palmer) and Jeremy Strong (Dale Palmer). The third son is played by Robert Downey Jnr. (Henry 'Hank' Palmer) who has the lead role, and in taking on this role is clearly trying to shake off his Superhero mantle for which he is probably best known. But, that said, as Hank Palmer - hugely successful cock-sure fast-talking big city defence lawyer who has a track record in defending the rich and famous for their crimes and just about always winning, he has that smirk, that swagger and that stance that is . . . Tony Stark! I like Robert Downey Jnr. as an actor, but I couldn't help thinking of 'Iron Man' every time I saw that cheeky grin, that over confident expression, and that relaxed demeanour no matter what on screen as Hank Palmer!

All that said, to the story! The film opens in Chicago and Hank Palmer is defending a Client. In Court his mobile phone rings which he notices is his brother calling, but he allows it to divert to message bank, because his case is getting down to the wire. He retrieves the message, and asks the presiding Judge to approach the bench, asking for a continuance because he has just learned that his mother has died! And so Hank packs his bags, and on leaving the house in his vintage Ferrari kisses his young daughter farewell and argues with his beautiful wife with whom he is on the verge of a divorce.

His journey home to Carlinville, Indiana where he grew up with his two brothers, Mum and Dad is picture postcard stuff - by the river, wide streets, country-town feel, clean and well kempt, and fields of crops for as far as the eye can see surrounding the town. This is where father Joe Palmer has presided as 'The Judge' for 42 years, and where his wife of 50 years is about to be buried. Brothers Glen and Dale still live in Carlinville, but Hank got out a long time ago and has been largely estranged from his family for many years because as a teenager he was a rebel who got wasted one night on drugs and alcohol and drove home with Glen in the car, overturned it, hit a tree and brought a very swift end to Glen's very promising baseball aspirations. Joe has never forgiven Hank, and despite Hank carving out a very successful career as a lawyer in the big city there has been little love, respect or recognition between them since.

With the funeral over and the somewhat stilted family reunion done, Hank argues with his Dad, and leaves for the airport bound for home vowing never to return. On the plane just before take off the phone rings again, and again it is brother Glen with the announcement that Joe has been arrested for the murder of a local man in a suspected hit & run. Reluctantly Hank returns home to Carlinville, and what follows is a battle of wits between Hank and Joe over the details surrounding this 'accident', who should defend Joe and why, the gradual uncovering of what really happened as Police and Prosecution close in, and digging up the past so driving a further wedge that will eventually come full circle making each realise just how important these two legal eagles are to each other, despite everything! We learn that Joe's health is rapidly in decline, that Hank had a thing for College sweetheart Samantha Powell (Vera Farmiga) who still holds a candle despite the time and distance between them, that Joe and the man dead by his alleged hand had a connection that goes back over 20 years, and that Prosecution Lawyer Dwight Dickham (Billy Bob Thornton) has history with Hank as well going way back when, and is intent that justice will prevail, and that 'only the law makes men equal'!

By and large the performances are solid enough - the relationship between the three sons is fleshed out probably as much as it can be, the fractured relationship between father and son Hank is on again off again as they continue to frustrate, anger, confuse and rebel against each other in equal measure but of course come good in the end. Sometimes the melodramatics are overplayed, and with a running time of 142 minutes I thought this could have been cut by 20 at least to make the film more punchy, direct and compact.

I was most disappointed though by the lack of any real courtroom drama; jousting between Defence, Prosecutor and Witnesses; and tension as the case weaves back and forth. Billy Bob Thornton doesn't get enough meat in his sandwich to gnaw away at the case and hammer home his argument, and Robert Downey Jnr. looks too smug in his big city suit defending his ageing ailing Dad in a small town America courthouse! Given that the premise of this film is about a hot-shot lawyer son and his steady dependable pillar of the community accused Judge Dad and the murder trial that engulfs them, we should have expected more from inside the Courthouse and less of what goes on outside it!

In the final analysis this is an average offering that you don't need to see on the big screen. It is not an intense cut & thrust legal drama and it won't go down in the Hollywood History books as such, but it does have some redeeming features. The story is strong enough, but it could have been stronger; it is 20 minutes too long; it has an appealing cast of quality acting talent; and the story moves along at a reasonably good pace. It cost US$50M to make, and good on Downey Jnr. for giving us something different to look at than 'Iron Man 1, 2,3' and 'The Avengers' - more please, but shake off Tony Stark!

 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 9th October 2014.

The boys and girls of Australia returned to academia earlier this week for Term 4 of school studies, end of year tests and HSC exams. Our clocks moved forward an hour for daylight saving and with the beautiful warm sunny days we have experienced over the recent long weekend this can only mean that Summer is well & truly on the way! And so, what better way is there to celebrate longer days and warmer evenings than with a movie of your choice at your local picture house?

This week we have just three offerings to tease you out to your multiplex or local independent theatre and these hail from the US, from Australia and from India. We have some big names, some no names and some four legged friends as we go from courtroom, to bushland to outback foreign climes with justice, redemption and doing the right thing connecting all three very different offerings.

When you have seen any one of this weeks latest releases, or the multitude of others currently doing the rounds out there in moviedom and as Previewed in prior weeks, drop me a note in the 'Comments' section of this, or any 'Post', and let me and my other ardent Reader know what you thought. Enjoy your film . . . or two!

THE JUDGE (Rated M) - I do like a good riveting court room drama and when it is mashed up with family tension, a guy out of his comfort zone, plot twists and turns, some big name performances and high expectations then you just have to pay your $20 and go see this! 'The Judge' is Written, Produced and Directed by David Dobkin and pits together young son and hot shot big city lawyer Henry 'Hank' Palmer (Robert Downer Jnr.) and his country living estranged father Judge Joseph 'Joe' Palmer (Robert Duvall) with a solid cast that includes Vera Farmiga, Vincent D'Onofrio and the always dependable Billy Bob Thornton, all underpinned by a great story.

The story centres around Hank returning to his childhood home (Carlinville, Indiana) for the funeral of his mother, and in doing so discovers that his father Joe - the town Judge, is suspected of murder. What unfolds is Hank defending his father against ruthless local prosecuting lawyer Dwight Dickham (Thornton) who seems hell bent on a conviction, whilst at the same time struggling to reconnect with his estranged Dad, accept his family roots, come to terms with the father/son relationship and identify with his childhood past. The performances from the two Roberts in the lead roles is said to be excellent and award worthy stuff - don't expect Downey Jnr. in iconic world saving superhero mode here, but more restrained nuanced actor relishing in the delivery of his craft in a slow burn film that will surprise and delight followers of this genre, together with a bunch of actors at the top of their game. All rise for 'The Judge'!

THE MAN FROM COXS RIVER (Rated PG) - since the 1820's the Carlon family have ridden their horses along the Coxs River outside Sydney in the Blue Mountains. Back in the day many visitors, bush walkers, wilderness lovers including the rich and famous would venture out in to the wild on Sydney's doorstep to ride the horses and connect with the pristine unspoilt valley guided by the Carlon family on organised tours. That all changed about 20 years ago when the River was designated a wilderness area under Heritage laws and the guided horse trekking tours had to close and the father of the family passed away thereafter. Following a history of tension between the Carlon family and the National Parks and Wildlife Department, Ranger Chris Banffy needed to solve an issue in the valley for which son of the horse riding patriarch Luke Carlon might be able to asset with. A mob of 80 or so Brumbies (wild horses) have roamed the Burragorang Valley for many years, have grown in numbers and needed to be removed or eradicated. Banffy, knowing Carlon's family history and ties to the horses, is under pressure to have the horses removed in a way so as not to create public outcry, and in a humane safe way. If Carlon agrees to the task he needs to round up the wild horses in the most remote of places that has been cut off from public access for fifty years or so; break them in; and guide those 80 horses 5kms along potentially dangerous valley tracks to an area where they can be transported out of the valley safely, and relocated. This is the first film to receive a National Trust Heritage Award and has been a sleeper hit in cinemas so far for its documentary telling of an real adventure story that marries a rich historical past with the modern challenges facing our native wilderness areas.

SIDDHARTH (Rated M) - Canadian Director Richie Metha was inspired to make this film after witnessing something similar on the streets of Delhi at the hands of a chain-wallah (a zip repair specialist working the streets). Mehendra (Rajesh Tailang) is the father of 12 year old Siddharth (Ifran Khan) who has been sent away to another village to work, hence alleviating the financial burden at home whilst generating an additional income too. When Siddharth does not return home, Mehendra begins to think that he has been kidnapped by child traffickers, and so goes in search of his son against all the odds. Remembering that Mehendra works the streets of Delhi and if he doesn't work there is no money, and if there is no money there is no food, and if there is no food his family go hungry. In a country where poverty and under-education is rife this is a bleak story of the harshness and impossibilities of life for many in India, and what they are confronted with everyday. Without ramming the story down our throats the story has heart, fluidity, and optimism that Siddharth will be returned safe and well despite the stacked odds, and that Mehendra's trek across India in search of his son will prove fruitful.

Once more a mixed bag of offerings from which to choose your evening's big screen entertainment. Get out there and see something soon, and remember to tell your friends at Odeon Online what you think!

Movies - see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

JACK REACHER - archive from 8th January 2013.

Saw 'JACK REACHER' last night - the first instalment of what could be a huge franchise for Tom Cruise, and author Lee Childs. I liked this film, a lot, and after all the hype (much positive & some negative) I think Cruise pulls this off. Based on 'One Shot' - this is not the first Lee Childs book in a long line of Reacher novels, but it is where the on-screen story begins, so if you're a purist then you might be disappointed, and if you're not - then enjoy the introduction, and the ride!

For a small fella playing a big dude what Tom Cruise lacks in stature he make up in posture, and he once again ably proves his action abilities in this grounded, plausible tale of justice, nasty villains, a corrupt cop, wrong doing aplenty, and unrest in the DA ranks. This is a violent film that keeps it real, fast paced and reasonably intelligent, although at times I was looking for it to slow down apace so I could take stock. Also starring the likes of Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog, Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins and Jai Courtney, and Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, this has a strong cast, a solid storyline already with an established readership following, and most of the ingredients therefore to make this a success.

Entertaining enough and worth the ticket price for sure, and Tom Cruise has another (anti)hero he can now hang his hat on! To this end, it has subsequently been revealed that another Jack Reacher outing is planned for a future release - 'JACK REACHER : NEVER GO BACK'!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-