What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 18th January 2024

The 40th Sundance Film Festival which this year runs from Thursday 18th until Sunday 28th January, is an annual film festival organised by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the US, and takes place each January in Park City, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; and at the Sundance Resort (a ski resort near Provo, Utah), and acts as a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The festival consists of competitive sections for American and international dramatic and documentary films, both feature films and short films, and a group of out-of-competition sections. Sundance began in Salt Lake City in August 1978 as the Utah/US Film Festival in an effort to attract more filmmakers to Utah. In 1981, the festival moved to Park City, Utah, and changed the dates from September to January, and the festival was rebranded The US Film and Video Festival. In 1991, the festival was officially renamed the Sundance Film Festival, after Robert Redford's character the Sundance Kid from the film 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'.

There are four main official sections, with the line-up of competition films as given below :-

 

US Dramatic Competition

* 'Between the Temples' - Directed by Nathan Silver.

* 'Didi' - Directed by Sean Wang.

* 'Exhibiting Forgiveness' - Directed by Titus Kaphar.

* 'Good One' - Directed by India Donaldson.

* 'In the Summers' - Directed by Alessandra Lacorazza.

* 'Love Me' - Directed by Sam and Andy Zuchero.

* 'Ponyboi' - Directed by Esteban Arango.

* 'A Real Pain' - Directed by Jesse Eisenberg.

* 'Stress Positions' - Directed by Theda Hammel.

* 'Suncoast' - Directed by Laura Chinn.

World Cinema Dramatic Competition

* 'Brief History of a Family' - from China, France, Denmark and Qatar and Directed by Jianjie Lin.

* 'Girls Will Be Girls' - from India, France, USA and Norway and Directed by Shuchi Talati.

* 'Handling the Undead' - from Norway and Directed by Thea Hvistendahl.

* 'In the Land of Brothers' - from Iran, France and the Netherlands and Directed by Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazli
* 'Layla' - from the UK and Directed by Amrou Al-Kadhi.

* 'Malu' - from Brazil and Directed by Pedro Freire.

* 'Reinas' - from Switzerland, Peru and Spain and Directed by Klaudia Reynicke.

* 'Sebastian' - from the UK, Belgium and Finland and Directed by Mikko Makela.

* 'Sujo' - from the US, Mexico and France and Directed by Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez.

* 'Veni Vidi Vici' - from Austria and Directed by Daniel Hoesl.

US Documentary Competition

* 'As We Speak' - Directed by J.M. Harper.

* 'Daughters' - Directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae.

* 'Every Little Thing' - from Australia and Directed by Sally Aitken.

* 'Frida' - from the US and Mexico and Directed by Carla Gutierrez.

* 'Gaucho Gaucho' - from the US and Argentina and Directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw.

* 'Love Machina' - Directed by Peter Sillen.

* 'Porcelain War' - from the US and Ukraine and Directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev.

* 'Skywalkers : A Love Story' - Directed by Jeff Zimbalist.

* 'Sugarcane' - from the US and Canada and Directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.

* 'Union' - Directed by Stephen Maing and Brett Story.

World Documentary Competition

* 'Agent of Happiness' - from Bhutan and Hungary and Directed by Arun Bhattarai and Dorottya Zurbo.

* 'The Battle for Laikipia' - from Kenya and the USA and Directed by Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi.

* 'Black Box Diaries' - from Japan, the USA and the UK and Directed by Shiori Ito.

* 'Eternal You' - from Germany and the USA and Directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck.

* 'Ibelin' - from Norway and Directed by Benjamin Rae.

* 'IGUALADA' - from Columbia, the USA and Mexico and Directed by Juan Mejio Botero.

* 'Never Look Away' - from New Zealand and Directed by Lucy Lawless.

* 'A New Kind of Wilderness' - from Norway and Directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen.

* 'Nocturnes' - from India and Directed by Anirban Dutta and Anupama Srinivasan.

* 'Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat' - from Belgium, France and the Netherlands and Directed by Johan Grimonprez.

For the other film strands being showcased with the sections of 'Premieres', 'Next', 'Midnight', 'Spotlight', 'Special Screenings', 'Episodic' and '40th Anniversary Screenings', plus a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://festival.sundance.org/

Turning the attention then back to this weeks five new movies gracing a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a biographical sports drama offering telling the true story of an overbearing father who pressures his sons to excel at any cost, and then follows the Von Erich brothers as they attempt to make names for themselves in the very public sport of professional wrestling throughout the 1980's. This is followed by a British romantic fantasy drama film about a screenwriter who is drawn back to his childhood home and begins a relationship with a mysterious neighbour as he then discovers his parents appear to be living just as they were on the day they died, 30 years prior. Next up we have a biopic that follows the life of Priscilla Beaulieu and her complicated romantic relationship with Elvis Presley. Then we turn to Filipino romantic drama Sci-Fi film concerning a man who gets the extraordinary opportunity to rewind time and save the life of the woman he loves. And closing out the week we have an animated French film that is the sequel to a 2017 film that reunites the animal crew for a new global adventure in search of an antidote to a mysterious, toxic pink foam covering the jungle sent by a mysterious supervillain.

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 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 IRON CLAW' (Rated MA15+) - is a biographical sports drama film Written and Directed by Sean Durkin in his third feature film outing following his 2011 debut with 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' and 'The Nest' in 2020. This film is based on the life of professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich and the Von Erich family - an American professional wrestling family. This film saw its World Premiere screening at The Texas Theatre in Dallas in early November last year, before going on release in the US from just before Christmas having so far grossed US$25M from a production budget of US$16M and garnering positive critical reviews. The film is released this week here in Australia and in the UK from 9th February. 

Based on he true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who make history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980's. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports. Starring Zac Efron as Kevin Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White as Kerry Von Erich, Harris Dickinson as David Von Ehrich, Stanley Simons as Mike Von Erich, Maura Tierney as Doris Von Erich, the wife of Fritz and Lily James as Pam Adkisson the wife of Kevin. 

'ALL OF US STRANGERS' (Rated MA15+) - this British romantic fantasy film is Written and Directed by Andrew Haigh, and based on the 1987 novel 'Strangers' by Taichi Yamada, and is the second feature adaptation of the novel, after the 1988 Japanese film 'The Discarnates'. Andrew Haigh's previous feature film credits take in his 2009 debut with 'Greek Pete', followed by 'Weekend' in 2011, '45 Years' in 2015 and 'Lean on Pete' in 2017. This film had its World Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in late August last year, was released in the USA on 22nd December, is scheduled for release in the UK on 26th January, has garnered critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$866K at the Box Office. One night in his near-empty London tower block, screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with mysterious neighbour Harry (Paul Mescal), puncturing the rhythm of his everyday life. As a relationship develops between them, Adam finds himself drawn back to his childhood home, where his parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy) appear to be living just as they were on the day they died 30 years ago.

'PRISCILLA' (Rated M) - is an American biographical drama film Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Sofia Coppola, and is based on the 1985 memoir 'Elvis and Me' by Priscilla Presley (who serves as an Executive Producer here) and Sandra Harmon. Sofia Coppola's prior feature film credits take in her debut with 'The Virgin Suicides' in 1999 followed by 'Lost in Translation' in 2003, 'Marie Antoinette' in 2006, 'The Bling Ring' in 2013, 'The Beguiled' in 2017 and 'On the Rocks' in 2020. Here then, when teenage Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) meets Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments - a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Through Priscilla’s eyes, we see the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla's long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this story of love, fantasy, and fame that ultimately all came crashing down. The film saw its World Premiere at last years Venice International Film Festival in early September, was released in the US from late October, has received generally favourable reviews from critics and has so far grossed US$21.5M from a production budget of about US$20M.

'REWIND' (Rated M) - is a Filipino language romantic drama Sci-Fi film Directed by Mae Czarina Cruz who has been churning out Romantic Comedies or Romantic Dramas at a rate of one a year for the past fourteen years or so. Here, Mary (Marian Rivera) loves John (Dingdong Dantes) for as long as she can remember. But after years of marriage, John's priorities shift, leading to a strained relationship with Mary, which causes a tragic accident that takes away Mary's life. Until one day, John gets an extraordinary proposition - to rewind time and save the life of the woman he loves.

'THE JUNGLE BUNCH WORLD TOUR' (Rated PG) - this French 3D computer animated Superhero comedy film is based on the animated series 'The Jungle Bunch', and is a sequel to the 2017 film 'The Jungle Bunch'. Directed by Benoit Somville, Yannick Moulin and Laurent Bru, here a vicious beaver blankets the jungle with a dangerous pink substance that explodes when coming into contact with water. With the rainy season approaching, the miscellaneous team of animals will have to travel the world from the North Pole to the Far East, crossing mountains, deserts and oceans in search of an antidote, far from their favourite jungle! 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st October 2020.

The 58th New York Film Festival is currently in full swing having opened on 17th September and running through until 11th October. This years opening film is Director Steve McQueen's 'Lovers Rock', with Chloe Zhao's already acclaimed 'Nomadland' being the Centrepiece and 'French Exit' by Azazel Jacobs being the closing night film. The festival presents a mix of in-person and virtual screenings, partnering with various local institutions to offer drive-in screenings. Maintaining pace with global film culture amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the festival brings a more streamlined and eclectic mix of shorts, experimental cinema, documentaries and auteur films.

This years Main Slate of films also includes another twenty two new features from around the world. Included in this line up are :-

* 'Mangrove' - Directed also by Steve McQueen as an anthology of five films about the lives of black people living in Great Britain that he has made under the 'Small Axe' heading that launched with festival opener 'Lovers Rock'. Recounting the true story of Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), the Trinidad-born owner of the Notting Hill 'Mangrove' restaurant who was arrested for protesting the police’s countless acts of intimidation and brutality. This is a vivid and gripping dramatisation of these events and the resulting landmark 1970 court case of Crichlow and the other defendants, who came to be known as the Mangrove Nine.

* 'Red, White and Blue' - also Directed by Steve McQueen as an anthology of five films he has made under the 'Small Axe' heading that launched with festival opener 'Lovers Rock', continued with 'Mangrove' and concludes with this feature, with 'Education' and 'Alex Wheatle' not shown at this festival. John Boyega plays real-life figure Leroy Logan, a member of the London Metropolitan Police Force who both witnessed and experienced firsthand the organisation’s fundamental racism. The film captures Logan’s growing awareness of a system that he would one day try to dismantle from the inside, while also homing in on his relationship with his father, a victim of white police brutality who initially refuses to accept his son’s decision to enter the police force.

* 'Beginning' - in her striking feature debut, Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili tells the devastating story of a persecuted family of Jehovah’s Witness missionaries in a remote village outside of Tibilisi from the perspective of a traumatised wife and mother Yana (Ia Sukhitashvili).

* 'City Hall' - here Director, Producer and Editor Frederick Wiseman takes an in depth look at the function and practice of community, policy, and civic engagement and how this is shaping Americans’ everyday lives. This time, Wiseman trains his gaze on the inner workings of the city of Boston, taking viewers into the public and backroom discussions that can either inspire or stall municipal action.

* 'The Disciple' - Indian filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane’s here Directs a finely crafted labor of love set in the world of Hindustani classical music, starring singer, and remarkable first-time actor Aditya Modak, as a man living in Mumbai who tries to follow in the footsteps of his father and become a maestro in the Khayal raag music tradition.

* 'I Carry You With Me' - Directed by Heidi Ewing this film unexpectedly and brilliantly incorporates documentary elements into the story of a burgeoning romance between two men - Ivan (Armando Espitia), a semi-closeted young father and restaurant worker, and Gerardo (Christian Vazquez), a high school teacher who has come to terms more fully with his sexuality - who cross the border from Mexico to the U.S. in search of a new life together and new work opportunities.

* 'Malmkrog' - from Romanian Director Cristi Puiu this turn-of-the-20th-century Christmas Eve gathering among five members of the European elite at an elegant Transylvanian estate becomes the setting for an increasingly intense succession of conversations on good and evil, Jesus and the Devil, war and peace in this at times frightening vision of the simmering violence beneath the colonialist’s veneer of courtesy and formal politeness.

* 'MLK/FBI' - throughout his history changing political career, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement authorities like an enemy of the state. In this virtuosic documentary, Director Sam Pollard lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King’s activism throughout the 1950's and ’60's.

* 'Night of the Kings' - here Ivory Coast filmmaker Philippe Lacote tells the story of a pickpocket (Kone Bakary), newly arrived at the Maca correctional facility in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan, who, in order to stay alive, must keep his fellow inmates entertained with wild tales over the course of a night.

* 'The Salt of Tears' - Director Philippe Garrel here tells the story of handsome Luc (Logann Antuofermo) who aggressively courts Djemila (Oulaya Amamra) on a Paris suburb metro in this precise and economically told moral tale, but she isn’t destined to be his one and only.

* 'Time' - examines the tireless twenty year campaign of Louisiana woman Fox Rich to secure her husband’s release after he received a  sixty year prison sentence for robbery becomes a delicate work of nonfiction cinematic alchemy in the hands of Director Garrett Bradley.

* 'Tragic Jungle' - in the 1920's, Agnes (Indira Andrewin) escapes from the white British landowner she doesn’t want to marry into the deep thickets of the tropical forest along the Rio Hondo River. Mexican filmmaker Yulene Olaizola has here crafted a gripping adventure and a contemplative rumination on the brutality and splendour of nature.

* 'The Truffle Hunters' - this revelatory, earthy documentary is Directed by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw who immerse the viewer in the forests of Northern Italy where dogs, accompanied by their elderly and often irascible human owners of modest means, seek the precious white Alba truffle.

* 'Undine' - from German Director Christian Petzold, this melodrama centres around a pair of star-crossed lovers, Undine (Paula Beer), a historian and museum tour guide specialising in urban development, and Christoph (Franz Ragowski), an industrial diver—linked by their shared love of the water.

* 'The Woman Who Ran' - divided into three casually threaded yet distinct sections, South Korean film maker Hong Sangsoo’s latest offering sees Gamhee (Kim Minhee) as she travels without her husband for the first time in years, reconnecting with a succession of friends, on purpose and by chance.

For more news on this years 58th New York Film Festival you can visit the official website at : https://www.filmlinc.org/

This week then we have four new cinema releases to tease you out to your local Odeon. We kick off with two horror films - one from the US and the other from Russia. The first is a story that intertwines the modern day with the nineteenth century slave plantations of the deep south, but which one is reality for this successful sociologist who must face her past, present and future in order to survive. The second is set in the Russia of 1983 and how a young doctor works to save the life of a cosmonaut who has returned from space with a mystery organism living inside him. Next up we turn to a legal drama that in 1969 and 1970 saw seven protesters held to account for inciting riots, that was to become one of the most notorious trials in history. And we close out the week with a New York woman and her impulsive, larger than life father trying to find out if her husband is having an affair.

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.

'ANTEBELLUM' (Rated MA15+) - is an American horror film Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz in their feature filmmaking debuts. Originally slated for an end of April release date, this was pushed back due to the impacts of COVID-19 to the 20th August before being temporarily suspended from the release schedule all together. Subsequently, the film was released through video on demand on 18th September in the US, but now gets a theatrical release in Australia from this week. Costing US$15M, the film has so far recouped just under US$2M and has garnered mixed or average Reviews so far. 

In the present day successful African American sociologist Veronica Henley (Janelle Monae) finds herself trapped in the horrifying reality of a nineteenth century Southern Confederate slave plantation overseen by a harsh Confederate General (Eric Lange) that forces her to confront the past, present and future - before it's too late. Also starring Jena Malone, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons and Gabourey Sidibe. 

'SPUTNIK' (Rated MA15+) - this Russian Sci-Fi horror film is Directed by Egor Abramenko in his feature film debut. Due to have seen its World Premier screening at the Tribeca Film Festival in April of this year, when the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 the film was released through video on demand in late April in its native Russia, and now gets a limited run in select cinemas in Australia from this week. Having cost less that US$3M to make, the film has so far grossed US$23K, and has received generally favourable critical acclaim. Set in 1983, here Tatyana Yuryevna Klimova (Oksana Akinshina) a young doctor and neurophysiologist is recruited by the military to assess a cosmonaut who survived a mysterious space accident and returned to Earth with a dangerous extra terrestrial life form living inside him, which has created a symbiotic relationship with its host. Also starring Fyodor Bondarchuk and Pyotr Fyodorov. 

'THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7' (Rated MA15+) - here we have an American legal drama film Directed and Written by Aaron Sorkin in only his second film making outing following 2017's 'Molly's Game' although he has written the screenplays for the likes of 'A Few Good Men', 'The American President', 'Charlie Wilson's War', 'The Social Network', 'Moneyball' and 'Steve Jobs' amongst others. Costing US$35M to make, the film was initially slated for a limited cinema release from 25th September before a much wider release in mid-October. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the film now gets a limited run before streaming on Netflix from 16th October onward, and has garnered positive Reviews. Based on the real life story of the Chicago Seven, a group of seven defendants charged by the federal government with conspiracy in 1969 and 1970, for inciting riots, and other charges related to anti-Vietnam War, countercultural protests and crossing state borders that took place in Chicago, Illinois, on the occasion of the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Those seven were Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron-Cohen), Jerry Ruben (Jeremy Strong), David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch), Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne), Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), John Froines (Daniel Flaherty) and Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins). Also starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, Mark Rylance and William Hurt. 

'ON THE ROCKS' (Rated M) - this American comedy drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sofia Coppola whose previous film making credits include 'The Virgin Suicides', 'Lost in Translation', 'Marie Antoinette', 'The Bling Ring' and 'The Beguiled' most recently. The film saw its World Premier screening at the New York Film Festival on 22nd September before a limited cinematic release this week and before steaming on Apple TV+ on 23rd October. Here Laura (Rashida Jones) thinks she’s happily married with two daughters, but when her husband Dean (Marlon Wayans) starts putting in late hours at the office with a new co-worker, Laura begins to suspect the worst. She turns to the one man whom she feels may give her the insight she is looking for - her charming and impulsive father Felix (Bill Murray), who insists they investigate the situation. As the two begin prowling New York at night, bouncing from uptown parties to downtown hotspots, they discover at the heart of their journey lies their own relationship. The film has generated mostly favourable Reviews. 

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-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 13th July 2017.

Over the last couple of weeks I have shared with you some of the more notable film titles coming our way on a week by week basis over the latter half of 2017. Here in this closing feature segment, I offer you the Best of the Rest of those other movies that just might make their mark critically, commercially or even both, and which might warrant a visit to your local multiplex if you feel so inclined.
* 03rd August : 'Atomic Blonde' - Directed by David Leitch and starring Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan and Sofia Boutella about an undercover MI6 Agent sent to Cold War Berlin to track down a list of double agents being smuggled into the west.
* 17th August : 'Logan Lucky' - Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig, Seth McFarlane, Sebastian Stan, Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes and Katherine Waterston in this NASCAR heist dramedy on the Charlotte Motor Speedway just before the biggest race of the year - The Coca Cola 600.
* 24th August : 'The Lost City of Z' - Directed by James Gray and starring Charlie Hunnam, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller about the real life drama surrounding British explorer Colonel Percival Fawcett who disappeared while searching for a mysterious and mythical Amazonian city during the 1920's.
* 7th September : 'The Dinner' - Directed by Oren Overman and starring Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney, Chloe Sevigny about two struggling families who come together over the course of a dinner that reveals certain family secrets resulting in decisions made that will be the hardest of their lives.
* 14th September : 'Victoria and Abdul' - Directed by Stephen Frears and starring Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, and Simon Callow about an unlikely friendship that develops between Queen Victoria and a young Indian clerk.
* 12th October : 'Mother' - Directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Domhnall Gleeson, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer in this drama about a couples relationship being tested when uninvited guests arrive at the home disrupting their otherwise tranquil lifestyle.
* 19th October : 'Geostorm' - Directed by Dean Devlin and starring Gerard Butler, Ed Harris, Andy Garcia, Jim Sturgees and Abbie Cornish in this end of the world catastrophic event that only one man can prevent by being sent into outer space.
* 26th October : 'American Pastoral' - Directed by Ewan McGregor and starring Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connolly, David Strathairn, Rupert Evans and Dakota Fanning about how a successful businessman's happy contented life starts to unravel when he learns that his teenage daughter has become radicalised in reaction to the Vietnam War.
* 02nd November : 'Jigsaw' or 'Saw : Legacy' - Directed by Michael and Peter Spierig and starring Tobin Bell, Laura Vendervoort, Matt Passmore, and Mandela Van Peebles in the eighth instalment in this hugely successful horror franchise that continues a decade after the death of Jigsaw.
* 09th November : 'Detroit' - Directed by Katherine Bigelow and starring John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony Mackie and Jack Reynor set against the backdrop of the 1967 Detroit riots.
* 30th November : 'Granite Mountain' - Directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch, Jennifer Connolly and Andie MacDowell about the true story of the 2013 Yarnell Fire in Arizona and how an elite crew of fire fighters lost 19 of their own during this intense and relentless blaze.
* 26th December : 'Breathe' - Directed by Andy Serkis and starring Claire Foy, Andrew Garfield and Hugh Bonneville in this real life drama about a handsome, adventurous and brilliant young man whose life is turned upside down and inside out when he contracts polio and is paralysed, and how his devoted, determined wife helps him to transcend his disability ultimately helping others.
* 26th December : 'Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle' - Directed by Jake Kasdan and starring Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan in this continuation of the 1995 film that sees four young teenagers get sucked into a video game version of the board game and in an alternative place and time they become avatars of themselves needing to thwart dangers and misadventure along the way in order to complete the game and get back to whence they came.
* 26th December : 'Downsizing' - Directed by Alexander Payne and starring Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Sudeikis and Kristen Wiig in this social satire about a man who realises that his life would be so much more simple if he were to shrink himself.

This week then there are four very adult offerings from which to choose your movie outing this week ranging from historical drama with the backdrop of the American Civil War when a small group of southern sophisticated ladies take in an injured Union soldier; to a high speed heist drama with a young getaway driver of repute, fuelled by a cracking soundtrack; to a hi-tech thriller when a new recruit is taken under the wing of the company's founder only to learn that there is more at stake than she bargained for; to a modern ghost story that is light on chills and thrills but heavy on emotion and our reason for being.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four new releases 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 most 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 in the meantime, enjoy your cinematic experience in the coming week.

'THE BEGUILED' (Rated M) - this reinterpretation, remake, reimagining (call it what you will) of the 1971 film of the same name this time Directed, Co-Produced and Written for the screen by Sofia Coppola, is based on the 1966 Southern Gothic novel written by Thomas P. Cullinan, originally titled 'A Painted Devil'. That 1971 feature was Directed and Produced by Don Siegal and starred Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page in the two lead roles. That film was also one of five cinematic collaborations between Siegel and Eastwood that began with 'Coogan's Bluff' in 1968 and continued with 'Two Mules for Sister Sara' in 1970, and then 'Dirty Harry' in 1971 and 'Escape from Alcatraz' in 1979. The earlier offering was generally well received by Critics but fared unfavourably at the Box Office because for the time the Studio behind the Production, Universal, were unsure how to market a film with Eastwood playing against type.

And so to this 2017 offering which Premiered in official competition for the Palme d'Or at this years Cannes Film Festival. Coppola was awarded Best Director, making her only the second female Director in the history of the Festival to win the coveted award and the first female in 56 years to do so. Starring Colin Farrell as injured and on the run deserter from the Union Army, Corporal John McBurney, who winds up in the care of Miss Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman) who runs a select girls school in Virginia during the American Civil War aided by the only teacher, Edwina Morrow (Kirsten Dunst) and five students played by Elle Fanning, Angourie Rice, Oona Laurence, Emma Howard and Addison Riecke. All the other staff, students and slaves have fled for fear on the impact of War. The students and two staff at the school seem more than willing and able to aid the injured Corporal, even concealing him from Confederate soldiers who arrive at the premises. Fairly soon, the sexual tension that grows between McBurney and the women lead to tense rivalries as they tend to his wounded leg and allow him to convalesce while offering him comfort, companionship and an unexpected turn of events. The film cost US$10M to make and has so far grossed just over US$8M from its fairly limited release.

'BABY DRIVER' (Rated MA15+) - and so this action thriller getaway driver heist offering comes to us with its pedal pushed firmly to the metal. Directed and Written by Edgar Wright whose previous Directing and Writing credits take in 'The Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost on 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Hot Fuzz', and 'The World's End' and hot on the heels of his aborted 'Ant-Man' for Marvel Studios which ended up being taken over by Peyton Reed due to creative differences. In his first non-comedic big screen offering, and in film that has been in gestation for over twenty years, Wright has here crafted a stylish musical action heist thriller that features thirty classic music tracks with which our lead character of Baby (Ansel Elgort) the young talented Atlanta getaway driver, listens to in order to drown out the 'hum in his drum' of the severe tinnitus as a result of a motor vehicle accident that he was involved in as a young lad, and that killed both his parents. Now at age 22, and needing to pay off a debt, he works as the preferred getaway driver of choice to criminal kingpin Doc (Kevin Spacey) who uses a different team each time to rob some bank, credit union or post office. Having paid of his debt to Doc, he is coerced into doing another job which ultimately puts his life, his love and his freedom in danger, as that one last job goes horribly wrong for all involved. Also starring Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Lily James and Eliza Gonzales this film has largely received positive Reviews and has so far recovered US$73M from its US$34M budget since its release in the UK and the US at the end of June.

'THE CIRCLE' (Rated M) - this techno-thriller is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by James Ponsoldt, in collaboration with Dave Eggers, the author of the 2013 book of the same name upon which this film is based. Made for US$18M and Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in April this year, the film has so far grossed US$30M since its US release at the end of April and has garnered generally negative press. Here Mae Holland (Emma Watson) gets the chance of a lifetime to join the world most powerful social media and technology giant 'The Circle', headed up by Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks). Encouraged to join a groundbreaking experiment by Bailey that pushes Holland to the extremes of the consumers rights to privacy, ethical conduct and personal freedom, she soon begins to realise that the decisions she makes has a lasting impact upon her family, her friends and indeed potentially the whole of humanity. Also starring John Boyega, Ellar Coltrane, Karen Gillan, and the late Bill Paxton and Glenne Headley.

'A GHOST STORY' (Rated M) - is a supernatural drama film Written and Directed by David Lowery, shot on a micro budget and in secret with a large portion of the film being set within a single house, which was chosen by the Director because it closely resembled the first house he lived in with his wife. The house was scheduled for demolition and so the film crew were allowed to use it for free. Furthermore, it was reported that the project was shot in secret as they did not know how the final product would turn out. The film Premiered at this years Sundance Film Festival, had its Australian Premier at the recent Sydney Film Festival on 13th June, and now goes on general release this week in Australia one week behind its US release last week. Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara play happily married couple 'C' and 'M' respectively living in their small Texan suburban home. One day C is killed outside his home in a car accident. At the morgue, C awakens as a ghost covered in a white sheet with two large black holes for eyes. As a spectral entity C returns to his former home to comfort his wife in her time of grieving, only to come to the realisation that he has become unstuck in time and is only able to watch passively as the life and love he once knew gradually slide away. What unfolds as time marches on and as other families come and go through his former home, is a metaphor for love, loss, grief, the passage of time and the enormity of our existence in this haunting, thought provoking and definitely unscary film.

With four films this week all covering differing genres - historical American Civil War drama to burning rubber pedal to the metal crime drama to hi-tech thriller to a somewhat unique ghost story there are plenty of reasons to get out amongst it at your local multiplex or independent theatre. Remember to share your thoughts afterwards with your like minded cinephiles here at Odeon Online, and in the meantime, I'll see you somewhere sometime in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-