What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th May 2022.

The 23rd annual Jeonju International Film Festival took place recently between 28th April and 7th May in South Korea showcasing a total 217 films from fifty-seven countries. Of these 123 were international films and ninety-four were Korean films, with 143 being feature films and seventy-four being short films. Sixty-one of these saw their World Premier screening, while four had their International Premier, sixty-three their Asian Premier and forty-seven their Korean Premier. Launched in 2000 as a non-competitive film festival with partial competition, it introduces independent and experimental films to focus on the alternative course of contemporary film art.

This years Opening Night Film was 'After Yang' from the USA and Directed and Edited by Kogonada and starring Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith in the Asian Premier of this fiction drama. The Closing Night Film was 'Full Time' from France and Written and Directed by Eric Gravel and starring Laure Calamy in the Asian Premier of this fiction drama. 

Ten films compete in the International Competition section at JIFF, and these were as follows :-

* 'Actual People' - from the USA and Directed, Written, Co-Produced and starring Kit Zauhar in her Directorial debut this fiction drama saw its Asian Premier screening.

* 'Album for the Youth' - from Argentina is Written, Directed and Edited by Malena Solarz in her second feature film outing, this fiction drama saw its Asian Premier showcasing.

* 'Aleph' - from the USA, Croatia and Qatar is Written, Directed, Co-Produced and Edited by Iva Radivojevic in her second feature film offering, this documentary had its Asian Premier. 

* 'Geographies of Solitude' - from the USA and is Directed, Co-Produced, filmed, Co-Edited and Co-Sound Designed by Jacquelyn Mills in her second documentary film that saw its Asian Premier screening. This film won the International Grand Jury Prize with a cash prize of KRW20M.

* 'A Human Position' - from Norway and Written, Directed, Co-Produced and Edited by Anders Emblem in his second feature film outing, this fiction drama saw its International Premier. 

* 'Medusa' - from Brazil and is Written, Directed and Co-Scored by Anita Rocha Da Silveira in her second feature film offering, this fiction drama had its Asian Premier.

* 'Raydio' - from Taiwan and Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Zhan Kaidi in his feature film making debut, this fiction drama saw its International Premier.

* 'The Silence of the Mole' - from Guatemala and Written and Directed by Anais Taracena in her film making debut this documentary film had its Asian Premier screening. This film won the Special Jury Prize with a cash prize of KRW10M.

* 'Tokyo Kurds' - from Japan and is Directed by Hyuga Fumiari in his film making debut, this documentary film saw its International Premier.

* 'Unrest' - from Switzerland and Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Cyril Schaublin in his second feature film, this fiction drama had its Asian Premier showcasing. This film won the Best Picture Prize with a cash prize of KRW10M.

For the full low down on all films showcased at the 23rd JIFF, the awards, and a whole bunch more, you can visit the official website at : https://eng.jeonjufest.kr/

This week to tease you out to your local Odeon on a chilly Autumnal evening, we have five new movies that kick off with an American biographical drama that follows a boxer-turned-priest who inspired countless people during his journey from self-destruction to redemption. Next up is a Sci-Fi horror drama about a young girl who tries to understand how she mysteriously gained the power to set things on fire with her mind. This is followed by an Italian drama film of fifteen-year-old girl whose close-knit family falls apart after her father abandons them in Calabria. Then we turn to two doco's to close out the week - first from France about an eighteen-year-old woman who travels the world to meet young activists who have already helped the world with their perseverance and selflessness; and finally a music doco that explores the creative relationship and songs from two of Australia's foremost singers, songwriters and composers as they embark on a UK tour and nurture the songs that went into their last two studio albums.

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.

'FATHER STU' (Rated M) - this American biographical drama film is Written and Directed by Rosalind Ross in her Directorial debut. Mark Wahlberg Co-Produces here and stars as Father Stu, having gained 14kgs in six weeks to portray the lead character by consuming about 7,000 calories a day, and further he ploughed 'millions and millions of dollars' of his own money into the production mainly because of the shoot going over schedule and the rights to the accompanying music. The film was released in the US in mid-April, has garnered mixed reviews from critics and has so far grossed US$19M. 

When an injury ends his amateur boxing career, Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) moves to Los Angeles to find money and fame. While scraping by as a supermarket clerk, he meets Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), a Sunday school teacher who seems immune to his bad-boy charm. Determined to win her over, the longtime agnostic starts going to church to impress her. However, a motorcycle accident leaves him wondering if he can use his second chance to help others, leading to the surprising realisation that he's meant to be a Catholic priest. Also starring Jacki Weaver, Mel Gibson and Malcolm McDowell. 

'FIRESTARTER' (Rated MA15+) - is an American Sci-Fi horror film Directed by Keith Thomas in only his second feature film making outing following 2019's 'The Vigil', is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King and is a reboot of the 1984 feature film of the same name which starred a young Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen, George C. Scott and David Keith. Here then a couple - Andy McGee (Zac Efron) and Vicky McGee (Sydney Lemmon) desperately try to hide their daughter, Charlie (Ryan Kiera), from a shadowy federal agency that wants to harness her unprecedented gift for turning fire into a weapon of mass destruction. Her father taught her how to defuse her power, but as Charlie turns eleven years of age, the fire becomes harder and harder to control. When a mysterious operative finally tracks down the family, he attempts to capture Charlie once and for all, but she has other plans. Also starring Kurtwood Smith and Michael Greyeyes, the film is released Stateside and in Australia this week. 

'TO CHIARA' (Rated M) - is an Italian language drama film Written and Directed by Jonas Carpignano in his third feature film after 'Mediterranea' in 2015 and 'A Ciambra' in 2017. The film saw its World Premier showcasing at the July 2021 Cannes Film Festival in the Director's Fortnight section where it received positive critical acclaim. The Guerrasio family and their friends gather to celebrate Claudio (Claudio Rotolo) and Carmela's (Carmela Fumo) oldest daughter's 18th birthday. There is a healthy rivalry between the birthday girl and her 16-year-old sister Chiara (Swamy Rotolo), as they compete on the dancefloor. It is a happy occasion, and the close-knit family is in top form, until later that evening a car nearby explodes, her father flees and the next day the family patriarch is missing. Chiara decides to investigate and as she gets closer to the truth, she is forced to decide what kind of future she wants for herself.

'BIGGER THAN US' (Rated M) - this French documentary film is Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Flore Vasseur in only her second film making outing following 2017's 'Meeting Snowdon'. The film follows the journey of Melati Wijsen, who decides to go journey across the globe to meet her peers, young activists just like her, who already have managed to have a huge impact in their fields thanks to their convictions, determination and selflessness. Melati can feel that the clock is ticking and that change is too slow. She wants, she needs to understand what is preventing change. To join forces. And to come up with her new plan. The film Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in mid-July last year, and saw a stepped release in other territories thereafter, with the US release on 1st April and now getting a limited showing in Australia from this week. 

'THIS MUCH I KNOW TO BE TRUE' (Rated M) - this music documentary film is Directed by Andrew Dominik whose previous Directorial credits include 'Chopper' in 2000, 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' in 2007, 'Killing Them Softly' in 2012 and the Nick Cave documentary 'One More Time with Feeling' in 2016. Here he teams up with Nick Cave again to explore the creative relationship and songs from Cave and Warren Ellis' last two studio albums, 'Ghosteen' and 'Carnage'. Shot on location in London & Brighton, this document of their first ever performances of these albums, filmed in spring 2021 ahead of their UK tour, we see the two, accompanied by singers and string quartet, as they nurture each song into existence. The film features a special appearance by close friend and long-term collaborator, Marianne Faithfull, capturing the mood and spirit of the pair as they move through a new, optimistic phase.

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-

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE : Tuesday 3rd May 2022.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE' earlier this week, as Written, Directed and Co-Produced by 'Daniels' - aka Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert whose only other feature film credit together is 2016's 'Swiss Army Man' with Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano. This American Sci-Fi comedy film saw its World Premier screening at the South by Southwest film festival in mid-March before going on wide release in the US in early April and in Australia from 14th April, having so far returned US$43M at the Box Office from a production budget of US$25M and has garnered widespread critical acclaim. Jay and Anthony Russo also serve as Co-Producers here.

Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) is a first generation Chinese-American woman who runs a large laundromat with her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan). Tensions are running at fever pitch because the laundromat is being audited by the IRS. As well, Waymond is trying to serve Evelyn divorce papers; Evelyn's demanding father, Gong Gong (James Hong), has just arrived from China; Evelyn's daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), has been trying to get her mother to accept her girlfriend, Becky (Tallie Medel), and there's a party planned for later that evening to celebrate Chinese New Year to which all the regular customers are invited.

While at the IRS building for a meeting with IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis), Waymond's personality changes when his body is briefly taken over by Alpha Waymond, a version of Waymond from the Alpha Universe aka 'Alphaverse'. Alpha Waymond explains to Evelyn that many parallel universes exist, since every choice made creates a new universe. The people of the Alphaverse, led by the late Alpha Evelyn, developed 'verse-jumping' technology that allows people to access the skills, memories, and body of their alternate universe counterparts by fulfilling specific conditions. 

He goes on to further explain that the multiverse is being threatened by Jobu Tupaki, formerly Alpha Joy. Her mind was splintered after Alpha Evelyn pushed her to extensively verse-jump. Jobu Tupaki now experiences all universes at once and can verse-jump and manipulate matter as she sees fit. With her godlike power she has created a black hole-like 'everything bagel' that has the potential to destroy the multiverse.

Evelyn is given verse-jumping technology, which she is very reluctant to accept at first, to fight Jobu Tupaki's verse-jumping goons, who converge on the IRS building. Evelyn learns of Waymond's plans to divorce her and discovers other lives where she made different choices and was successful, such as by becoming a kung fu master and movie star instead of leaving China with Waymond, who becomes a successful but lonely businessman. Alpha Waymond comes to believe that Evelyn, as the greatest failure of all Evelyns of the multiverse, has the untapped potential to defeat Jobu Tupaki. Alpha Gong Gong instructs Evelyn to kill Joy to hinder Jobu Tupaki, but Evelyn refuses. She decides she must face Jobu Tupaki by gaining the same powers as her, so she verse-jumps repeatedly while battling Jobu Tupaki's henchmen and Alpha Gong Gong's soldiers. Evelyn's mind splinters and she discovers other, bizarre universes such as one in which humans have hot dogs for fingers and she is in a romantic relationship with Deirdre, and another where she works alongside a teppanyaki chef who is secretly puppeteered by a raccoon. She learns that Jobu Tupaki created the everything bagel not to destroy everything, but to destroy herself, and has been searching for an Evelyn who can understand her. Jobu Tupaki feels that because there are so many vast universes and unending chaos, nothing really matters.

In other universes, the Wangs are about to lose their laundromat due to errors in the tax returns; Alpha Waymond is killed by Jobu Tupaki; and businessman Waymond rejects movie star Evelyn after decades apart. Evelyn is nearly swayed to Jobu Tupaki's cause and stabs her universe's Waymond. She almost joins Jobu Tupaki in entering the bagel, but stops when she hears Waymond's calls to be kind and have hope. 

Evelyn defeats Jobu Tupaki's goons by using her multiverse knowledge to find what is hurting each of them and gives them joy and happiness instead. Evelyn reaches Jobu Tupaki and tells her that she is not alone and that Evelyn will always choose to be with her, despite everywhere else she could be. Meanwhile, in parallel universes, Evelyn confronts Gong Gong and reconciles with Waymond and Joy, and Waymond convinces Deirdre to let the Wangs resubmit their taxes. Jobu Tupaki initially rejects Evelyn, but returns to her, and they hug.

And so the family's relationships has improved, Becky is now part of the family, and they return to the IRS building on a second chance to file their taxes. As Deirdre talks, Evelyn's attention is momentarily drawn to her alternate selves and the multiverse, before she is brought back to the here and now by Deirdre who explains that she is pleased that their taxes now seem to be in order, although there remains one problem . . . fade to black!

'Everything, Everywhere All at Once' is certainly a unique, inventive and original film, albeit weird, peculiar, absurd and confusing, wacky and witty all at the same time. This is a frenetically paced film that defies genre pigeon-holing with stand-out performances by Yeoh, Quan and Curtis (donning a fat suit) especially, who with the Daniels have delivered a story about the struggle of living the best life you can yet still finds hope in living the worst life even if you have to travel through various multiverses to come full circle. Whilst this film didn't really do it for me, I'm sure that for those who did this will offer up something that viewers will be able to latch onto and ultimately relate to that successfully melds Sci-Fi, fantasy, martial arts action, comedy, emotion and family drama all at once. 

'Everything, Everywhere All at Once' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE DUKE : Monday 2nd May 2022.

I saw the M Rated British comedy drama film 'THE DUKE' earlier this week, which is Directed by the late Roger Michell who died in late September last year, and whose previous film making credits took in 'Notting Hill' in 1999, 'Changing Lanes' in 2002, 'Venus' in 2006, 'Hyde Park on Hudson' in 2012, 'Le Week-end' in 2013, 'My Cousin Rachel' in 2017, 'Blackbird' in 2019 and the recently released documentary on the life of Queen Elizabeth II 'Elizabeth : A Portrait in Part(s)'. The film saw its World Premier screening at the September 2020 Venice Film Festival and was originally slated for an early November 2020 release in the UK before being pulled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It was then scheduled to an early September 2021 release before being pushed back again to a late February date in 2022 in the UK and a 31st March date here in Australia. It has so far taken US$11M at the Box Office and garnered positive critical acclaim. 

The film opens up with Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent) standing in the dock in an Old Bailey courtroom accused of stealing the famed portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya, and its frame from London's National Gallery in 1961. He pleads not guilty. We then back track six months to the spring of 1961 and from his home in Newcastle upon Tyne Kempton sends a script for a play he has written to the BBC. Following this the Television licensing authorities knock on Kempton's door demanding to see his TV license. Kempton responds saying that he has removed the tube from the back of the TV set which transmits the BBC signal, and as he is unable to watch the BBC he does not need a license. Although he can afford a TV license, he refuses to do so as part of his campaign against old age pensioners having to pay for it, which is all part of his wider strong socialist beliefs about supporting the common man.

He is then jailed for thirteen days in Durham, and upon his release he is collected by his son Jackie (Fionn Whitehead). On their way home they make a detour to visit the grave of Marion, Jackie's sister, who was killed in a bicycle accident aged only eighteen. Kempton's wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren) works as a housekeeper and babysitter for a local councillor and his wife (Anna Maxwell Martin), Jackie aims to become a boat builder and move away to California, or New Zealand or Australia, and his elder brother Kenny (Jack Bandeira) lives in Leeds, working in construction but also involved in petty crime. Kempton himself is sacked from his job as a taxi driver for being over-talkative to passengers and for giving a free ride to an impoverished disabled WWI veteran. Dorothy is sick and tired of her husbands relentless campaigning and crusades for the common man, but she reluctantly allows his to make one last trip down to London for two days to drum up press and parliamentary attention for his campaign and BBC interest in his scripts, on the condition that if he does not get that attention he will give up writing and campaigning and get a real job.

Next up we see an unseen man climbing up a ladder and entering the National Gallery via a toilet block. He sneaks around the dimly lit corridors in the dead of night, and promptly removes the painting of the Duke of Wellington. When Kempton returns from London to his home, he is seen bending over the portrait saying 'it's not very good, is it?' to Jackie. He and Jackie then make a false back to the wardrobe in which to hide the portrait from Dorothy and Kenny. Kempton then sends a number of ransom notes to the government, proclaiming that he'll return the painting on the condition that the elderly be exempted from paying for a TV licence. 

Kenny and his separated lover Pammy (Charlotte Spencer) come to visit his parents and she notices the painting in the wardrobe after snooping around. She reveals this to Kempton in private and threatens to blackmail him unless she gets half of the £5,000 reward on offer. Panicked, Kempton goes home and begins to wrap up the painting in brown paper when in walks Dorothy to the room. She is perplexed and angry at Kempton for stealing the portrait and lying to her and orders him out of the house. Kempton then walks into the National Gallery in the middle of the day and returns the painting to the nearest security guard and confesses to the theft.

The case against Kempton seems destined to go against him, but his barrister Jeremy Hutchinson (Matthew Goode) defends him on the basis that he did not intend to deprive the National Gallery of it permanently, but instead simply 'borrowed' it to further his campaign, an impression Kempton backs up by a verbose testimony under cross-examination by Hutchinson at the end of the trial, and which causes much hilarity amongst the jurists, the other barristers in attendance and the members of the public gathered in the gallery up above looking on.

During the early stages of the trial, which is widely reported on the TV news, Jackie confesses to his mother that it had in fact been him who stole it for his father to use in his campaign, with his father covering up for him and taking the blame. Soon afterwards the jury acquits Kempton of all charges except the theft of the £80 picture frame, which Jackie had removed from the painting at his London lodgings, placed under his bed, forgot about it and then subsequently lost. After his three-month sentence, Dorothy is waiting for Kempton outside the gates of Durham Prison. He and Dorothy forgive each other over how they had mishandled their grief at Marion's death, after she read his draft of a play he had written titled 'Girl on a Bicycle'. 

Four years later Jackie admits his guilt to the Police, but the Commissioner for the Metropolitan Police Joe Simpson (Charles Edwards) and the Director of Public Prosecutions fear that a new trial could lead to Kempton being called as a witness and again becoming an embarrassing case of widespread public interest. They therefore agree that if Jackie does not go public they will not prosecute. Jackie elated by this news, on the spot proposes to his long term girlfriend Irene (Aimee Kelly) who accepts instantly. 

Before the end credits roll, text states that the frame was never recovered, that no plays by Bunton were ever produced, and that in 2000 TV licences were made free to those over 75 years of age.

In his final feature film outing here Director Roger Michell has crafted a fine retelling of the only art theft in the National Gallery's history that is underpinned by exemplary performances by its two lead Actors - Broadbent and Mirren. Make no mistake this is a typically British story that only the Brits can make and that Hollywood has long since forgotten how to make. It's a tale of the little man rising up against a society that would otherwise crush him, of racial prejudice, of social inequality, of marital woes, of lies and deceit, but one that offers up hope, redemption and forgiveness. It's a feel good family movie, a real crowd pleaser and a throw back to the Ealing comedies of yesteryear, and there ain't nothing wrong with that!

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 5th May 2022.

The seventh edition of the Frames of Representation festival takes place in the UK from 5th through until 12th May. This years festival which is centred around the theme of 'Communality', includes eight days of screenings, discussions, workshops, experiments in sound, live performances, and other activities that all explore the idea of communality through different fields of practice. Through the focus on communality, it offers a stage for both engagement and reflection, and looks at documentation and representation as an ensemble of practices through which audiences can shape and elicit their own meanings, causes and effects. Frames of Representation is the Institute of Contemporary Art’s annual film festival, dedicated to foregrounding transgressive, unruly ‘cinema of the real’, which lies at the intersection of fiction and non-fiction.

This years line up of films are as detailed below :-

* Opening Night : 'Dry Ground Burning' from Brazil and Portugal - Adirley Queiros and Joana Pimenta explore the turbulence of contemporary Brazil through the prism of an all-female gang who hijack a pipeline for the sake of their community.

* 'We, Students' - UK Premier from the Central African Republic and France - Rafiki Fariala follows a group of students of the University of Bangui in the Central African Republic, portraying their reflections on political activism and generational conflicts.

* 'The Delights' - UK Premier from Argentina - Eduardo Crespo’s camera observes young students of the Las Delicias agrotechnical boarding school.

* 'American Journal' - UK Premier from France - Arnaud des Pallieres’s latest work unfolds as the four-month diary of an anonymous narrator in an unspecified year, weaving together images and narratives from the USA in the 20th century.

* 'Riotsville' - UK Premier from the USA - the new film from Sierra Pettengill explores the treacherous militarisation of the US Police from the late 1960's up to the present day.

* 'The Dust of Modern Life' - UK Premier from Germany and France - Franziska von Stenglin’s debut feature follows Liem and his friends as they leave their homes in the Highlands of Vietnam to embrace the forest, aiming to maintain the ancient traditions.

* 'Myanmar Diaries' - from Myanmar - Directed by a collective of filmmakers, this film documents life in the country after the violent military coup of February 2021.

* 'My Two Voices' - UK Premier from Canada - Colombian-Canadian filmmaker Lina Rodriguez poetically and empathetically explores the migrant experience through the stories of three Latin American women.

* 'This House' - UK Premier from Canada - Miryam Charles's debut feature investigates the passing of a fourteen year-old girl in the form of an imaginary dialogue with a young girl who can no longer speak for herself.

* 'Brotherhood' - UK Premier from the Czech Republic and Italy - filmed over four years, Francesco Montagner’s feature portrays the aspirations of three brothers to escape from the traditional values imposed on them by their parents and elders in contemporary Bosnia.

* Closing Night : 'When There Is No More Music to Write and Other Roman Stories' - from France and Italy, this latest work from Franco-American artist and filmmaker Eric Baudelaire is fabricated from a variety of materials and sources, exploring the process of creation as a radical act of resistance amid political instability.

This week we have four new cinematic offerings to tease you out to your local movie theatre, kicking off with the 28th film in the MCU that sees this Master of the Mystic Arts open up a door way to various alternate dimensions that results in a threat to the whole of humanity. Next up, we have a British biographical drama film about a much loved children's books author, his marriage to a Hollywood starlet and the tragedy that befell them from which they drew courage to go on to accomplish perhaps their greatest works. Then we turn to an Aussie historical drama set at the end of the 19th century about a heavily pregnant woman living in a remote region with her four children who will go to any lengths to protect her children and her homestead. And we close our the week with a French fantasy drama about a young girl who has just lost her grandmother and is helping her parents clean out her mother's childhood home, and as she explores the house and the surrounding woods she meets a girl her same age building a treehouse.

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

'DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS' (Rated M) - is an American Superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of Doctor Stephen Strange and is the sequel to 2016's 'Doctor Strange' which grossed US$668M off the back of a production budget of circa US$200M and is the 28th feature film and part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film is Directed by Sam Raimi who replaced Director Scott Derrickson from the first instalment. Originally slated for release in early May 2021, it was pushed back to early November 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before it was further shifted to the end of March 2022, and in October 2021, it was shifted once more to its current May 2022 date with the World Premier on 2nd May and its world wide release this week. 

Set a few months following the events of 'Spider-Man : No Way Home' Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) with the help of both new and old mystical allies casts a forbidden spell that opens the doorway to the multiverse, including alternate versions of himself, whose threat to humanity by way of a mysterious new adversary is too great for the combined forces of Strange, Wong (Benedict Wong), and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen). Also starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rachel McAdams and Patrick Stewart. 

'TO OLIVIA' (Rated M) - this British drama film was previously titled 'An Unquiet Life' is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by John Hay whose previous feature film credits take in the likes of 'The Steal' in 1995, 'There's Only One Jimmy Grimble' in 2000, 'The Truth About Love' in 2005 and 'Lost Christmas' in 2011. This film is based on Stephen Michael Shearer's biography about the American stage and screen Actress Patricia Neal titled 'An Unquiet Life'. In 1962, Roald Dahl (Hugh Bonneville) was an upcoming children's author, his wife, Patricia Neal (Keeley Hawes), was a Hollywood movie star. This unlikely pairing retreated to the English countryside to bring up their expanding young family, only for their lives to be turned upside down when their seven year old daughter Olivia (Darcey Ewart) contracted encephalitis due to the measles virus and died. Her death devastated the couple, yet, their shared grief became a source of redemption and strength, Neal going on to win an Oscar (for 'Hud' as Best Actress opposite Paul Newman) and Dahl writing the book which made him a household name ('Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'). Also starring Geoffrey Palmer in his final role as Geoffrey Fisher with Sam Heuhgan as Paul Newman, and Conleth Hill as Martin Ritt the American film Director who Directed Neal and Newman in 'Hud'. The film was released in the UK in mid-February, in the US in mid-April and has garnered mixed or average Reviews along the way. 

'THE DROVERS WIFE : THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian historical drama is Directed, Written, Co-Produced and stars Leah Purcell as Molly Johnson, and is based on the 1892 short story 'The Drovers Wife' by Henry Lawson. Originally slated for a release in October last year and then delayed due to the cancellation of the in-person Melbourne International Film Festival, the film saw its World Premier screening at SXSW and is finally released this week in Australia. Set in a remote Snowy Mountains township in 1893, the heavily pregnant Indigenous Molly is left to raise her four children alone, protecting the family homestead from floodwaters, intruders and deadly creatures while her drover husband Joe works away for months at a time. Welcoming strangers to her property with 'I’ll shoot you where you stand and I’ll bury you where you fall', she does however, give refuge to an Aboriginal man Yadaka (Rob Collins), a travelling storyteller accused of a terrible crime and on the run from colonial authorities. Initially committed only to the safety of her children and family homestead, over the course of a few days a series of events occur which will change their lives forever. The film has generated largely positive critical reviews.

'PETITE MAMAN' (Rated PG) - is a French fantasy drama film Written and Directed by Celine Sciamma whose previous films include 'Water Lilies' in 2007, 'Tomboy' in 2011, 'Girlhood' in 2014 and 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' in 2019. This film had its World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in early March 2021, was released in France in early June 2021 and only now is it released in Australia, having garnered universal critical acclaim along the way and picking up six award wins and a further thirty nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. Following the death of her beloved grandmother (Margot Abascal), eight-year-old Nelly (Josephine Sanz) accompanies her parents to her mother's childhood home to begin the difficult process of cleaning out its contents. As Nelly explores the house and nearby woods, she is immediately drawn to a neighbour her own age building a treehouse, Marion (Gabrielle Sanz). What follows is a tender tale of childhood grief, memory and connection as Nelly bonds with her mother (Nina Meurisse).

With four 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-

THE NORTHMAN : Tuesday 26th April 2022.

Having this week returned from a break in England, which should explain my absence from this Blog for the past month or so, I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE NORTHMAN' at my local independent movie theatre earlier this week. Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Robert Eggers whose previous two feature films were 'The Witch' in 2015 and 'The Lighthouse' in 2019, this epic historical action film cost US$90M to produce and has so far garnered largely widespread critical acclaim, having thus far recouped US$27M. Following its World Premier showcasing in Stockholm on 28th March, advance screenings we held in certain cities in early April before its wide release (including Australia and the US) from last week onwards. Normal service of my Blog BTW, will be resumed form next week onwards. 

The film opens up with a number of Viking longboats sailing towards a remote windswept island upon which sits a settlement. It is A.D.895 and the returning King Aurvandill War-Raven (Ethan Hawke) is welcomed back triumphantly with the riches he has pillaged from various overseas lands. He is met by his wife, the Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman) and his young son and heir Prince Amleth (Oscar Novak). Also in the returning party is Fjolnir (Claes Bang), Aurvandill's younger brother and Amleth's uncle. Later on Aurvandill and Amleth take part in a spiritual ceremony that marks Amleths passage into manhood. The ceremony is overseen by Aurvandill's jester Heimir (Willem Dafoe). 

The next morning as father and son are exiting the place of the ceremony, several warriors on horseback all descend upon the King wounding him with arrows and spears. Fjolnir is among them as the leader of the pack, and ultimately beheads Aurvandill. Having hidden behind a rock nearby and witnessed the slaying of his father, his village massacred and his mother taken away screaming by his uncle, Amleth flees the island by row boat repeatedly uttering the words 'I will avenge my father, save my mother and kill my uncle'. 

We then fast forward to years later and the now adult Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) is rowing a Viking longboat down river in the land of Rus. It seems that he was found by a band of Vikings and raised among them as a berserker. After a bloody attack on a village, Amleth comes across a Seeress (Bjork) in the temple of Svetovit. She predicts that Amleth will exact out his revenge on Fjolnir. Amleth learns that Fjolnir was overthrown by Harald of Norway and now lives in exile in Iceland. Amleth sneaks aboard a slave ship headed for Iceland. Posing as a slave, he encounters a Slavic slave named Olga of the Birch Forest (Anya Taylor-Joy), who lays claim to being a sorceress. Upon arrival, Amleth and the other slaves are shackled and taken to Fjolnir's farm, where it is revealed that Queen Gudrun, now Fjolnir's wife, has borne him a son, Gunnar (Elliott Rose).

One night, Amleth flees the farm and comes across a He-Witch (Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson), who facilitates a spiritual discussion between Amleth and the late Heimir, revealed to have been murdered by Fjolnir by gouging out his eyes, cutting out his tongue and slicing off his ears while he still lived. He then tells Amleth about Night Blade, a magical sword that can only be drawn at night, and its whereabouts, which Amleth later obtains through fighting and overcoming an undead spirit for the sword.

The next day Amleth is chosen to compete in a game of knattleikr. Needless to say this is a brutal and bloody game which turns violent and Amleth saves Gunnar, who runs to play, from the rival team's champion Thorfinnr (Hafþor Julius Bjornsson). Amleth wrestles Thorfinnr to the ground and repeatedly heads butts his opponent until his skull cracks open. As a reward, Thorir (Gustav Lindt), Fjolnir's eldest and adult son allows Amleth to claim Olga as his wife and makes him a supervisor over the other slaves, but warns him that he will never be free of a life of slavery himself. 

During the celebrations later that same evening, Amleth and Olga make love. They commit to work together to overthrow Fjolnir and his men. Over the ensuing nights, Amleth kills a number of Fjolnir's men. Olga meanwhile mixes the men's food with magic mushrooms, causing them all to hallucinate, so allowing Amleth to enter Fjolnir's house. There he meets his mother, Gudrun, who tells him that she was originally taken into slavery, and that Amleth was the result of rape. She also reveals that it was her order for Fjolnir to kill Aurvandill and Amleth, and that she prefers Fjolnir and her new son Gunnar. Amleth leaves, distraught and angered and promptly kills Thorir in his sleep and rips out his heart. 

Fjolnir is determined to find his son's killer and promptly begins slicing the throats of random slaves if they don't give him the answer he is looking for. He threatens to kill Olga, resulting in Amleth revealing himself as responsible and trading Olga's life for Thorir's heart. Amleth is taken captive, strung up and severely beaten to within an inch of his life. Amleth is released from his restraints by a flock of ravens who peck away at his bindings. Olga rescues Amleth from the farm and the two escape, planning to go to Amleth's kin on Orkney island. Departing Iceland by boat, Amleth kisses a wound on Olga's throat, caused by the knife held to her neck previously by Fjolnir. This triggers a vision that she is pregnant with twins, and believing that his children will never be safe as long as Fjolnir lives, Amleth, against Olga's wishes, determines to finally kill Fjolnir and jumps overboard and swims back to shore.

Back at the farm, under cover of darkness, Amleth frees the slaves and kills the majority of Fjolnir's men. The slaves burn the farm down to the ground. While looking for Fjolnir, Amleth is attacked by Gudrun and, after, by Gunnar. Amleth defends himself, but, in the ensuing melee, kills both, but is seriously wounded from multiple stab wounds. Fjolnir discovers the bodies and arranges a fight to the death with Amleth at the Gates of Hel—the actively spewing volcano Hekla, to resolve their conflict. At the volcano, the pair engage in a fierce swordfight, resulting in Fjolnir being decapitated and Amleth fatally wounded. As Amleth lies dying, he has a future vision of Olga embracing their twin children safe on Orkney, and sees his ascent on horseback to Valhalla.

'The Northman' will not be a film for everyone, which probably explains the lacklustre Box Office performance (as at the time of writing), but having said that I don't think that Director Robert Eggers is too worried about that given the overwhelming critical acclaim the film has generated. For me, I certainly was entertained and thoroughly engaged for the duration of the 135 minute run time by the authenticity of the production values that Eggers insisted on, the storyline (which while simple enough is hardly complex but engrossing nonetheless), the strong cast of A-list talent, and the brutality and blood soaked violence of the Viking era where life meant so much less than it does today. All of that said, the film does labour at times and the VFX of Amleth's family tree branching out from his heart with passing images of his ancestors and ultimately his own children felt clunky and somewhat ill paced. Despite these minor observations however, Eggers continues to demonstrate his ability over his craft and this time with a much more sizeable budget that expands on the historical worlds he created in his two previous cinematic outings and offers the viewer an original gripping story that alas, we see far too little of today. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-