THE INSULT : Tuesday 2nd October 2018.

'THE INSULT' which I finally got around to seeing this week, some five weeks after its limited Australian release is an acclaimed Lebanese drama film which screened in the main competition at the 2017 Venice Film Festival, and was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category at this years Academy Awards. All up the film has garnered ten award wins and another fourteen nominations from around the festival circuit. Directed and Co-Written by Ziad Doueiri the film has so far taken less than US$2M but has received generally positive Reviews from Critics and audiences alike.

The film is set in present day Beirut. Tony Hannah (Adel Karan) is a Lebanese Christian living with his heavily pregnant wife Shirine (Rita Hayek) who is expecting their first child - a daughter. One day, building contractors engaged by the local government to remedy property defects around the city arrive in Tony's neighbourhood. Not wanting building contractors near his property when Shirine is there alone, Tony discovers contractors modifying the gutter on his balcony without his permission, to avoid water cascading down onto the street when it rains, or when he is hosing. Tony smashes the newly installed plastic guttering, to which the foreman Yasser Salameh (Kamal El Basha) calls Tony a 'fucking prick' from down on the street. Tony had previously recognised Yasser as a Palestinian refugee by his accent when he knocked on his apartment door seeking permission to fix the gutter in the first place, to which Tony declined very nonchalantly.

Tony watches anti-Palestinian propaganda, attends rallies, and is not backwards in coming forwards with his wishes for all Palestinians to leave his country. Although the balcony was in violation of building codes and the workers were fixing it by simply doing the job they are paid to do, Tony demands an apology for the 'fucking prick' remark from Yasser's manager and company. The employers bring Yasser to Tony's garage where he owns an auto mechanic workshop, to apologise in person, but when Tony states he wishes Israeli statesman Ariel Sharon had wiped out all Palestinians, Yasser punches him in the chest instead, breaking two ribs.

Tony is so enraged that he launches a lawsuit against Yasser, representing himself. However, upon questioning neither Yasser nor Tony can bring themselves to repeat what Tony said to Yasser about Sharon, and the judge dismisses the case on the grounds of inconclusive evidence. Angered, Tony shouts and is abusive towards the Judge saying that he is corrupt and biased, and is physically and forcibly removed from the courtroom but vows to appeal.

Earlier, when Tony was in hospital being treated for his two broken ribs, he was discharged on the basis that he should not work or lift anything heavy for at least eight weeks. One night being unable to sleep, he goes to work in his garage and lifts a heavy car battery. He collapses, and Shirine discovers him and helps pull him up and regain consciousness, but in the process brings on the early stages of childbirth. Coming round in the hospital, Tony learns that his wife gave birth by emergency Cesarean, but there are complications and the young child is placed on life support, allegedly due to contractions Shirine experienced when she pulled up her husband coupled with and emotional stress caused by Yasser's assault on her husband.

The case goes to retrial. Yasser risks conviction of manslaughter if Tony's baby dies. Wajdi Wehbe (Camille Salameh), a pro-Christian with memories of the Lebanese Civil War, and seemingly a prominent lawyer with a background of success, becomes Tony's new legal representative, while Wajdi's own daughter, Nadine Wehbe (Diamand Bou Abboud), who has far less memory of the war, and is fighting her first courtroom battle, takes Yasser's case. This time however, Tony's comments about Sharon are placed before the court, with the argument that emotional distress provoked the assault as well as Shirine's history of two prior miscarriages also being revealed.

The arguments in the courtroom go back and forth and inflame memories of the civil war, leading to clashes in the streets between Christians and Muslims. With Wajdi reinforcing the importance of Sharon, Tony is accused of Zionism and begins receiving death threats at home, and his garage is daubed with the Star of David. Wajdi tries to characterise Tony's comments as private and merely expressing a 'wish', arguing that this is not libellous but rather freedom of thought. The clashes on the streets continue to escalate with Police Riot Squad coming under attack. Tony and Yasser even have an audience with the Prime Minister who asks them both to turn the page and reconcile their differences to avoid a war erupting, but Tony declines his offer of mediation. Upon leaving the car park, Tony drives away in his old BMW, but Yasser's car won't start. Tony doubles back, and being the mechanic he is sticks his head under the bonnet, messes about with a couple of cables and in no time Yasser is fully mobile again. This simple gesture offers a glimmer of hope for the two warring factions.

Conducting further background research to underpin his case against Yasser, Wajdi is surprised to discover that Tony was born in Damour in 1970 and left in January 1976, a refugee of the Damour Massacre when the city fell to Muslim and left-wing militants with help from the Palestine Liberation Organisation. Tony had chosen not to reveal this to his own legal counsel, and breaks down with his father when Wajdi plays documentary footage of the event in the courtroom. Yasser and Tony later meet back at his garage, and when Yasser angrily remarks that Christian suffering in the civil war was minimal compared to the Palestinians', Tony punches him in the chest, and limping away Yasser apologises.

Back in court, the presiding Judge Colette Mansour (Julia Kassar) after hearing the closing comments from both sides, says that the panel of three Judges found this case really difficult, and that she nearly found both parties as equally guilty as the other. But in the end she had to go back to the root cause of the issue, and in doing so by two votes to one, finds Yasser not guilty. Tony's baby recovers, and in the closing scene we see him drive to Damour for the first time in forty years to visit the abandoned banana farm home of his childhood.

'The Insult' is a complex and thought provoking Middle Eastern political story that unwinds slowly around a familiar court room drama. What starts out as a simple heated exchange between two antagonists on either side of a political fence, soon escalates into street rioting and political unrest even involving the Prime Minister as we see a country divided and still licking its wounds from a war that ended over a generation ago. The performances are commendable and well grounded adding to the realism and the believability of the scenario that plays out both in and out of the courtroom. What Ziad Doueiri delivers here is film that explores the hostilities that exist in our modern society, a history lesson around a bitter conflict that unfolded in many of our lifetimes but which ultimately can be transcended by forgiveness, hope and understanding.

'The Insult' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 30th August 2018.

In this cinematic world peppered by more than its fair share of film festivals, here is a heads up on one of the more renowned, meaningful and arguably the world's largest such festivals coming to a Canadian city near you in a week or so's time. The 43rd annual 'Toronto International Film Festival' (aka 'TIFF') launches on September 6th and runs through until 16th September 2018. The official website, which can be found at : https://www.tiff.net states that 'TIFF is a charitable cultural organisation with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film. TIFF is dedicated to presenting the best of international and Canadian cinema and creating transformational experiences for film lovers and creators of all ages and backgrounds.' Among its slew of films being screened this year there are sixteen gala Presentations, 34 Special Presentations and thirteen films Directed by women.

The opening night film is 'Outlaw King' as Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by David Mackenzie and stars Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, James Cosmo, Stephen Dillane and Florence Pugh. Telling the story of the legendary King of the Scots, Robert the Bruce, and his battle to regain control of Scotland after he is declared an outlaw by the King of England for helping himself to the Scottish crown, and creating civil war, the film sees its World Premier at TIFF and goes on general release in November.

The closing night film is 'Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy' Directed and Co-Written by Justin Kelly and stars Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Diane Kruger, Courtney Love and Jim Sturgess. Based on the memoir 'Girl Boy Girl : How I Became JT LeRoy' by Savannah Knoop, the film tells the story recounting how Savannah Knoop spent six years under the guise as writer Laura Albert's literary alias JT LeRoy. This film also sees its World Premier screening at TIFF.

For more happenings, goings-on, and news from TIFF, keep watching and reading Odeon Online in future weeks.

This week there are six latest release movies coming to your local Odeon. We kick off the week with a now frequent collaboration between this Director and his action star leading man in this tale of a team of covert Special Op's agents racing against the clock and against the odds to get their asset to a rendezvous point for his safe extraction. Next up is a Sci-Fi actioner of a young fella who stumbles across a pack of seemingly unconscious aliens, hurriedly picks up one of their weapons and then goes on the run with his brother chased down by said aliens and a no good criminal type. Then we turn to a comedy offering featuring a super rich Singaporean family, their most eligible bachelor son and his girlfriend who must prove herself worthy. This is followed by a foreign language offering about a clash of cultures that started out petty enough but turns quickly into a media frenzy and a court room drama watched on by a volatile nation. Coming next is an Aussie RomCom about a restaurant owner and an Actor who had a whirlwind romance in the past, broke it off and then come together again five years later . . . to rekindle that flame, perhaps! And we conclude this weeks new releases with an animated feature about a twelve year old lad who stumbles across three aliens who have crash landed close to his home and who join forces to help each other out of a challenge or two.

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

'MILE 22' (Rated MA15+) - this American action thriller is Directed and Co-Produced by Peter Berg who has been Acting in, Directing, Producing and Writing television series episodes and feature films since 1988 and has picked up various award wins and nominations along the way too. This film marks his fourth big screen collaboration with Mark Wahlberg since the real life dramas of 'Lone Survivor' in 2013, 'Deepwater Horizon' in 2016 and 'Patriot's Day' also in 2016. Now in 2018 the pairing of Berg and Wahlberg leave behind the realms of true events and head for a fictionalised story of a crack team of CIA paramilitary agents operating covertly above the law. The film was released in the US two weeks ago, has so far recovered US$32M from its US$45M Budget outlay and has received generally unfavourable Reviews.

And so CIA operative James Silva (Mark Wahlberg) leads a small but deadly paramilitary team consisting of Alice Kerr (Lauren Cohen), Sam Snow (Ronda Rousey) and William Douglas (Carlo Alban) on an urgent and dangerous assignment. They have to transport a foreign intelligence asset, Li Noor (Iko Uwais) who holds life threatening information, from an American Embassy in Southeast Asia to an airfield for extraction, a distance totalling twenty-two miles. Silva and his Team soon find themselves in a race against time as the city's military, Police and street gangs close in to reclaim the asset. Cue big action spectacle, car chases, explosions and lots of gun play. The film also stars John Malkovich and Peter Berg.

'KIN' (Rated M) - here we have an American Sci-Fi action drama offering Directed by Jonathan and Josh Baker and based on their earlier 2014 short film 'Bag Man'. Eli Solinski (Myles Truitt) is a  twelve year old adopted lad who ventures out to collect scrap metal from his local junkyard, but instead of finding recyclable scrap uncovers a buried frozen chamber nearby filled with armoured bodies that could only be of alien origin. As one of the life forms begins to move, Eli quickly grabs what looks to be its weapon and runs home to his Dad Hal (Dennis Quaid), where he finds his older brother Jimmy (Jack Reynor) who has just been released from a six year jail term. Now armed with a mysterious weapon, Jimmy and Eli go on the run from a vengeful criminal Taylor Bolek (James Franco) whom Jimmy owes protection money to, and a gang of otherworldly soldiers. These two young fugitives find that this incredibly powerful weapon that Eli maintains a tight grip on might be their only protection in their increasingly desperate attempt to stay alive. Also starring Zoe Kravitz and Carrie Coon, the film is released Stateside this week too.

'CRAZY RICH ASIANS' (Rated PG) - based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan, this romantic comedy drama is Directed by Jon M. Chu whose previous Directing credits include 'Step Up 2 : The Streets', 'Step Up 3D', 'G.I.Joe : Retaliation' and 'Now You See Me 2'. The story here sees Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) who is happy to join her longtime boyfriend, Nick (Henry Golding), to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. Upon arrival she is somewhat surprised to learn that Nick's family is very wealthy and that he would be considered one of the country's most eligible bachelors. Suddenly and unwittingly thrown into the spotlight and under the microscope, Rachel must now contend with jealous wannabe socialites, quirky relatives and something much more unimaginable in the form of Nick's disapproving mother. Also starring Awkwafina, Ken Jeong and Michelle Yeoh, the film has so far taken US$87M at the Box Office from its Budget outlay of $30M and has garnered generally positive press. If this film performs well, watch out for possible follow on films, as Kwan has written two sequel novels - 'China Rich Girlfriend' and 'Rich People Problems'.

'THE INSULT' (Rated M) - this acclaimed Lebanese drama film was screened in the main competition at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year and was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category at this years Academy Awards. Directed and Co-Written by Ziad Doueiri the film is set in present day Beirut when an insult blown out of all proportion finds Tony Hanna (Adel Karan), a Lebanese Christian, and Yasser Salameh (Kamal El Basha), a Palestinian refugee, in a tense courtroom drama over an altercation and a heated exchange of words stemming from repairs to the guttering of Tony's apartment. From secret wounds to traumatic revelations, the media frenzy surrounding the case puts Lebanon through social turmoil, forcing Tony and Yasser to reconsider their prejudices, and their lives ultimately. Also starring Rita Hayek, Camille Salameh, Diamand Bou Abboud and Christine Choueiri.

'THE FLIP SIDE' (Rated M) - this Australian RomCom is Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Marion Pilowski in her feature film Directorial debut. Here Ronnie (Emily Taheny) is a struggling Adelaide restaurant owner/operator looking after her elderly mother and living with good-hearted and warm natured boyfriend Jeff (Luke McKenzie). Five years ago, while catering on a film set in Australia, she had an intense affair with British movie star, Henry (Eddie Izzard). Despite wild declarations of love at the time, as the film shoot wrapped so did their relationship, breaking Ronnie’s heart. When Henry’s French girlfriend Sophie (Vanessa Guide) calls to say they will be in Adelaide on a promotional tour for Henry's next film, Jeff excitedly agrees to meet up and unwittingly creates the perfect opportunity for Henry to seduce Ronnie once more with repercussions he may well live to regret.

'LUIS AND THE ALIENS' (Rated PG) - aka 'Luis and His Friends from Outer Space' is a German animated feature film Directed and Co-Written by Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein with Sean McCormack taking a Co-Director credit too. The film tells the story of a twelve year old lad named Luis Sonntag (Callum Maloney) who makes friends with three loveable little aliens Wabo, Mog and Nag (Dermot Magennis, Ian Coppinger and Paul Tylak respectively), who crash land their space ship into his house somewhere in small-town America and have become stranded on our little blue planet. In exchange for Luis' help in finding the home-shopping channel products they came for, they save Luis from boarding school (a fate worse than death, surely?) amidst a whole pile of fun and (mis)adventure along the way.

With six 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-