THE FLASH : Tuesday 13th June 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'THE FLASH' at an early screening this week two days ahead of its official worldwide release. This much hyped and eagerly awaited American Superhero film is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is intended to be the thirteenth instalment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and is Directed by Andy Muschietti whose previous feature film making credits take in his debut with 2013's 'Mama', then the Stephen King novel adaptation of 'It' in 2017 and 'It Chapter Two' in 2019. This film is released in the US this week also, following multiple delays caused by Director changes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and post-production setbacks. It had a production budget of about US$220M, and has garnered mixed or average reviews.

The film opens up with a Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) late for work and hurriedly walking into his local cafe to collect his usually pre-prepared breakfast from the obliging female assistant working the counter, but on this day she is off sick and so his breakfast has not been prepared. He painstakingly looks at his watch and gives the young male assistant his order who would rather pass the time of day chatting than prep up his morning sustenance. Barry's phone rings and it is Batman's trusted butler and assistant Alfred (Jeremy Irons) demanding that he is urgently needed in Gotham City to attend a robbery at a hospital where the thieves have made off with a suitcase containing vials of a deadly virus. While waiting for his order Barry reluctantly asks whether Batman can attend to the scene or Wonder Woman even, but both are it seems indisposed. Barry makes his exit to the bathroom and appears out in the street as The Flash. What follows is The Flash's superspeed run to Gotham City to attend to the hospital that has seen a huge sinkhole appear immediately outside and the entire wing of the hospital about to come crashing down into it. Of course high up in the hospital tower is a suite containing several new born babies, a nurse and a therapy dog who all go crashing out the plate glass window as the side of the building begins to topple. But, with The Flash on the scene he is able to save all the babies, the nurse and the dog and bring them to safety on the ground. 

In the meantime the Batman (Ben Affleck) has arrived on his Batbike and is chasing down the villains through the streets of Gotham, amongst much vehicular carnage, the exchange of rapid gunfire, mortars and burning rubber. Eventually, Batman brings the last villain to heel while dangling off a bridge with the villain holding onto Batman by his fingertips and Alfred blurting down the phone to not allow the case of virus vials to fall into the river. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) appears and using her lasso of truth hauls Batman and the villain to safety. Job done, the city saved and the three part ways with The Flash returning to the cafe just a few minutes later for the assistant to hand over his custom made breakfast. 

Barry then goes to work and is chastised by his boss for being late - a perpetual habit it seems. Later, as The Flash, Barry revisits his childhood home where he fondly remembers his parents Nora (Maribel Verdu) and Henry (Ron Livingstone). Nora sends Henry out to the local supermarket to buy an extra can of tomatoes for a special pasta sauce she is making. With the young Barry upstairs in his bedroom, he sees his father return and hears his mother scream out. Rushing down to the kitchen, Barry sees his mother slumped against the kitchen cabinet with a knife sticking out of her stomach and his father holding the knife yelling out for Barry to call 911. However, Henry is accused of her murder and imprisoned, with the trial set for tomorrow. Barry speaks with Henry over the phone, with Henry telling his son that the court case is a foregone conclusion and that all the odds are firmly stacked against him, just before the phone call is cut off automatically.

Racked with emotional turmoil, Barry inadvertently runs at such a speed that he travels back in time, and upon returning to the present day has a conversation with Bruce Wayne about it, saying that he can change the past and save his mother and father, and that he could do likewise for Bruce and save his parents too. But Bruce explains that if you mess with the past you can cause untold damage to the future, and to drop the idea. At that Bruce jumps back into his Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 and drives off. Despite Bruce's warnings The Flash goes back to the time of Nora's death, and changes the outcome so that she lives.

When The Flash attempts to get back to the present-day, he winds up in an alternate 2013 where Nora is alive. Barry greets his parents warmly and settles down for dinner over a bowl of pasta, but through the kitchen window he sees his past self approaching the house. He quickly dashes outside and intercepts his younger self. After explaining the realities of time travel to a bewildered younger Barry, he realises he is in the day of the lab accident that bestowed upon Barry his powers - 29th September. And so the older Barry takes the younger Barry to the Central City Police Department where he helps give his younger self his powers during a freak storm in which a lightning bolt strikes the side of the building through a window and smashing a mix of chemical bottles spilling all over him, but in the process, the older Barry looses his powers. Older Barry attempts to train younger Barry in the use of his powers but has trouble doing so, as his younger self is a lot more impetuous. Later with the pair out in the city, they learn via TV news broadcasts, of General Zod’s (Michael Shannon) invasion on Earth. And so the two Barry’s go to Wayne Manor in the hopes of locating Batman, as the pair need all the help they can get if they are to save our little green planet from destruction.

Entering the somewhat run down and neglected Wayne Manor, they find an alternate version of Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) who has long since given up on crime fighting since Gotham has become one of the safest cities in the country. However, explaining the predicament the two Barry's now find themselves in, they convince him to help them find Superman who is being held captive in a Russian base high up in the Arctic Circle. 

Upon gaining entry to the base they eventually find the massive steel sphere that Superman is encased in. Instead though of finding Superman, they find his cousin Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle) who is physically weakened and mentally drained, but they rescue her anyway. After doing so and escaping through the roof of the base, Kara quickly recovers her powers when exposed to the sun's solar energy, and she almost single handedly dispenses with the small army of Russian soldiers guarding the base. The older Barry asks Bruce to help him get his powers back by recreating the accident that bestowed him those powers in the first place. The first attempt fails and nearly kills Barry prompting Kara aka Supergirl, to fly Barry into the storm and get struck by lightning which has the desired effect.

Supergirl and Batman join the two Barry's in attempting to defeat Zod, who by now has begun the process of destroying Earth. During the battle with Zod, Supergirl learns that Zod killed the infant Kal-El when his pod got knocked off course. She is naturally enraged. Just as Supergirl overpowers Zod and seemingly gains the upper hand, Zod manages to kill her and take a sample of her blood which he will use to revitalise the dying planet Krypton. Batman meanwhile sacrifices himself to save the Barry's.

The younger Barry insists he travel back in time to save them both and does so multiple times but keeps failing, each time becoming a slightly darker unhinged version of himself, and as the time continuum becomes increasingly fragmented. The older Barry tries to reason with the dark Flash but his attempts prove futile in the Speed Force as the multiverse begins to implode, but not before older Barry has visions of alternate Supermen (Christopher Reeve, Adam West, George Reeves and Nicolas Cage). A future version of Dark Flash then arrives to kill his younger self, so saving the multiverse and restoring the equilibrium. 

In the aftermath, Barry fixes the timeline and reconciles himself with his mother's death. Back in the present day new evidence is provided in Henry's court case so earning him his freedom. Outside the court house Barry is met by his former girlfriend, Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) who asks him out on date at which he quickly responds with a resounding yes, after which Bruce Wayne pulls up in his Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 who is not the Ben Affleck version of the character, but the George Clooney version. If you sit in your seat right until the end credits have rolled, you'll see a scene in which Barry is assisting a very drunken Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) while telling him of his recent experiences. 

'The Flash' is arguably one of the best DCEU big screen adaptations to date and Director Andy Muschietti has proved himself more than capable in helming a cinematic extravaganza such as this. The action sequences are exactly what we have all come to expect from a Superhero movie, and the CGI rendering whilst not perfect is passable. Ezra Miller is well cast in the role of dual Barry Allen's/The Flash and seeing Michael Keaton reprise his role as Batman for the first time in thirty years is a real trip down memory lane, whilst nods to former Batmen and Supermen also adds to the nostalgia, but is probably there more for the fan service than to add any weight to the plot lines. There are moments of real humour and emotion interspersed between the action set pieces that help elevate this final instalment in the DCEU, before new joint CEO's James Gunn and Peter Safran's new franchise - the DCU rolls out, above many of the also-rans that have gone before. The final act is long and drawn out however, and overly repetitive, and just how many more films do we need to have in this genre that feature a multiverse for Chrissakes - after all we've had two in the last two weeks, plus a whole bunch more in recent years. Nonetheless, 'The Flash' is certainly worth the price of your movie ticket. 

'The Flash' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 15th June 2023.

The 22nd annual Transilvania International Film Festival kicked off on Friday 9th June and runs through until Sunday 18th June. Founded in 2002, the Transilvania International Film Festival is the first and largest international film festival in Romania and one of the most important film events in the region, with over 100,000 participants at each edition. The festival takes place every year in the heart of Transilvania, in Cluj-Napoca, a modern city with a rich history. Open to the general public as well as industry professionals, the festival shows over 250 films and its programme includes cine-concerts, concerts, as well as art exhibitions and meeting opportunities between filmmakers and the Romanian audience. Transilvania IFF has taken on the mission of discovering new voices in cinema and hosts two international competitions - feature fiction and feature documentary - dedicated to first and second-time Directors, as well as an annual showcase of contemporary Romanian cinema. The festival also screens the most anticipated and award-winning films of the season, provocative and controversial productions, and includes a strong section dedicated to children and film education, so reads the official website.

The Opening Night Gala feature film presentation is 'Northern Comfort' from Iceland, the UK and Germany and is Co-Written and Directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurosson and stars Timothy Spall and Lydia Leonard. It's hard to publicly admit your fears, especially when it's a fear of flying and you've already bought holiday tickets with your new boyfriend. In preparation for her trip, Sarah signs up for an exclusive course designed to cure her fear of flying, the final test being a round trip flight from London to Reykjavik. What sounds good on paper soon gives way to a wave of paranoia as turbulence hits that turns the journey into a race against the clock at the end of which, literally, every man flies for himself. The Closing Night film is 'Asteroid City' Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Wes Anderson and with an all star cast set in the 1950's in an American desert town, this sci-fi romantic comedy takes place at an astronomy conference where students and their parents witness some strange events that will forever change the course of history and mankind.

British Actor Timothy Spall and Australian Actor Geoffrey Rush will be honoured at the festival with Lifetime Achievement Awards, with American Writer, Producer and Director Oliver Stone also attending to showcase his latest documentary film 'Nuclear Now'. 

Those feature films in the fiction category competition are as follows :-

* 'The Barbarians' - from Argentina and France and Directed by Andrew Sala.

* 'Like A Fish On The Moon' - from Iran and Directed by Dornaz Hajiha.

* 'Carbon' - from Moldova and Directed by Ion Bors.

* 'The Cake Dynasty' - from Denmark and Directed by Christian Lollike.

* 'Daughter of Rage' - from Nicaragua and Mexico and Directed by Laura Baumeister.

* 'Banger' - from The Czech Republic and Directed by Adam Sedlak.

* 'Family Time' - from Finland and Sweden and Directed by Tia Kouvo.

* 'Stillness in the storm' - from Spain and Directed by Alberto Gastesi.

* 'Upon Entry' - from Spain and Directed by Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastian Vasquez.

* 'Charcoal' - from Brazil and Argentina and Directed by Carolina Markowicz.

* 'Noemie Says Yes' - from Canada and Directed by Genevieve Albert.

* 'The Uncle' - from Croatia and Directed by David Kapac and Andrija Mardesic.

For the full details relating to the complete run down of films and retrospectives being showcased at this years Transilvania International Film Festival, you can go to the official website at : https://tiff.ro/en

This week then to tease you out to your local Odeon on a chilly Winter's evening, we have six new movies, kicking off with the thirteenth film in the DCEU that sees Barry Allen using his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without Superheroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future. This is followed by a New Zealand horror offering that after mysteriously inheriting an abandoned coastal property, this young family accidentally unleash an ancient, long-dormant creature that terrorised the entire region, and his own ancestors for decades. Next up is a Canadian RomCom about a married couple who are excited to have some alone time while their twin daughters are away at camp, but unfortunately for them, their romantic week becomes a series of sexual adventures to re-energise their relationship. Then we turn to an Aussie doco about a proud Aboriginal woman and her journey to unearth the truth about her past, and to reconcile the two sides of her family. Following on from this we have an American comedy drama about a novelist's long-standing marriage which is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband give his honest reaction to her latest book; and closing out the week we have a CG animated feature set in a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy discover something elemental - how much they actually have in common.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six 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 FLASH' (Rated M) - this much hyped and eagerly awaited American Superhero film is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is intended to be the thirteenth instalment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and is Directed by Andy Muschietti whose previous feature film making credits take in his debut with 2013's 'Mama', then the Stephen King novel adaptation of 'It' in 2017 and 'It Chapter Two' in 2019. This film is released in the US this week also, following multiple delays caused by the Director changes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and post-production setbacks. It had a production budget of about US$220M.

Worlds collide when Barry Allen, aka The Flash (Ezra Miller) uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod (Michael Shannon) has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman (Michael Keaton) out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian, Supergirl (Sasha Calle) albeit not the one he's looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. Also starring Ron Livingstone, Kiersey Clemons, Ben Affleck, Jeremy Irons, Temuera Morrison, Gal Gadot and Nicolas Cage. 

'THE TANK' (Rated MA15+) - is a New Zealand horror thriller offering Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Scott Walker in his second feature film offering following 2013's 'The Frozen Ground'. Set in 1978, Ben Adams (Matt Whelan) lives in Oakland, California with his wife Jules (Luciane Buchanan) and their young daughter Reia (Zara Nausbaum). After mysteriously inheriting an abandoned coastal property in Oregon from his late mother (who never once mentioned owning the site) Ben and his family accidentally unleash an ancient, long-dormant creature that terrorised the entire region - including his own ancestors - for generations. The film saw a limited release in the US towards the end of April before streaming later that week, and is now released here in Australia 

'THE END OF SEX' (Rated MA15+) - this Canadian romantic comedy film is Directed by Sean Garrity whose previous feature film making efforts include his 2001 debut with 'Inertia', then 'Lucid' in 2005, 'Zooey & Adam' in 2009, 'Blood Pressure' in 2012, 'After the Ball' in 2015 and 'I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight' in 2020. Here then, we have a married couple Josh (Jonas Chernick who also wrote the screenplay) and Emma (Emily Hampshire), both in their 40's and both feeling the pressures of parenting and adulthood, who decide to send their kids to winter camp for the first time for a week so that they can embark on a series of sexual adventures to reinvigorate their relationship. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the TIFF in early September last year, has so far collected just US$55K at the Box Office and has generated mixed or average reviews so far. 

'THE LAST DAUGHTER' (Rated PG) - this Australian documentary film is Co-Directed by Brenda Matthews, a proud Wiradjuri woman living in Bundjalung Country, Queensland, Australia, in her debut feature film making effort and Australian American film maker Nathaniel Schmidt. As a child, Brenda Matthews was handed over to a white family to be raised, before eventually being returned to the Aboriginal family she no longer knew. Decades later, she feels disconnected from both halves of her life. But the traumas of her past do not lie quietly buried. She remembers her white parents with fondness, especially their daughter who was around her age. Now an adult, Brenda searches for her foster family and the truth behind her government ordered abduction. In the process she uncovers long-buried secrets and government lies, whilst reconciling her past and the two sides of her family. 

'YOU HURT MY FEELINGS' (Rated M) - is an American comedy drama film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Nicole Holofcener whose prior feature film making credits include her debut in 1996 with 'Walking and Talking', then 'Lovely & Amazing' in 2001, 'Friends with Money' in 2006, 'Enough Said' in 2013 and 'The Land of Steady Habits' in 2018. Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus who also Co-Produces here) struggles with a lack of self-confidence and her marriage with unsuccessful therapist Don (Tobias Menzies) is affected by a betrayal. Before this, they had a peaceful but co-dependent relationship, which makes their only child Elliott (Owen Teague) uncomfortable. Beth's sister Sarah (Michaela Watkins) helps her cope with the pain, possibly because of her own struggles with husband Mark (Arian Moayed), who is a struggling actor. The film has garnered universal critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$4M since its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival at the end of January and its US release in late May. 

'ELEMENTAL' (Rated PG) - is an American computer-animated romantic comedy-drama film Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios, distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and is Directed by Peter Sohn whose only other Director credit was with the 2015 Pixar animated film 'The Good Dinosaur'. 'Elemental' is the twenty-seventh feature film released by Pixar and is set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic elements of nature. The story follows fire element Ember Lumen (Voiced by Leah Lewis) and water element Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie), who meet and fall in love after Wade is summoned by a plumbing accident at a convenience store owned by Ember's bigoted father Bernie (Ronnie del Carmen). While they cannot touch each other, Ember and Wade protect their identity against strong men and women and their own family while they attempt to make their relationship work. Following its World Premiere screening at the Cannes Film Festival at the end of May, the film has garnered mixed or average early reviews so far on a film that cost US$200M to produce. It is released this week too Stateside. 

With six 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 BOOGEYMAN : Tuesday 6th June 2023.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE BOOGEYMAN' at my local multiplex this week and this American supernatural horror film is Directed by Rob Savage whose three previous feature film credits are 'Strings' in 2012, 'Host' in 2020 and 'Dashcam' in 2021. This film is based on the 1973 short story of the same name written by Stephen King and cost US$35M to produce, has so far grossed US$24M and has garnered mixed reviews from critics, having been released in the US and here in Australia last week.

Here then, high school student Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher) and her younger sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) are reeling from the recent death of their mother who died tragically in a car accident. Sawyer suffers from nightmares and seemingly has visions of a monster living in her closet, and Sadie is struggling to adapt back into school life where her friend Bethany (Madison Hu) has joined in with a new group of girls who treat Sadie with disdain, and offer up little sympathy over the recent passing of her mother. Neither of them are getting much support from their father Will (Chris Messina), a therapist who is dealing with his own pain. 

One day, Will is visited at his home therapy office by a man called Lester Billings (David Dastmalchian) who asks to speak to him. Lester is insistent and as Will has a spare hour in his diary he reluctantly agrees. He goes on to explain that his three children have died, all killed one by one by an entity that he thinks has now latched onto him. Lester was never accused of the crime of murder, but in the court of public opinion he is guilty of murdering them. Although sympathetic to Lester, a disbelieving Will leaves him alone to call the Police. Lester slips away into the house and when Sadie is alerted to a shuffling sound in her mothers home art studio she goes to investigate, only to find Lester's lifeless body hanging from a coat hook on the back of the door.

Attempting to get their lives back to some sense of normality following the death of Billings, Sadie notices a strange black mould beginning to form above her bed, while Sawyer one night is woken by a mysterious creature that has hidden under her bed. Sawyer tells Sadie, who searches her bedroom but cannot locate the creature and does not believe her sister. The girls later visit their therapist Dr. Weller (LisaGay Hamilton) to talk about their mother's death. Weller uses a red light which flashes intermittently to help Sawyer get over her fear of the dark, but Sawyer observes the creature again when the room is thrust into darkness and the light flashes red and wets herself in fright. In the house, the creature continues to stalk and terrorise Sawyer while Sadie also glimpses it and begins to suspect the strange phenomenon is somehow linked to Lester's apparent suicide.

Sadie listens to her fathers recording of Lester's appointment and goes online to acquaint herself with the Billings family history and learns of their address. Sadie has Bethany drive her out to the Billings' now heavily vandalised and seemingly abandoned house. Inside she comes across Rita (Marin Ireland), Lester's estranged wife, who still lives in the house. Rita identifies the creature as 'The Boogeyman', stating it as the source of her children's deaths. She further tells Sadie that the creature feeds off fear and enjoys toying with its prey and that it can also mimic voices. The only way to ward off the Boogeyman is light. While talking to Sadie, Rita seemingly observes the Boogeyman approaching Sadie from behind. She warns Sadie not to move and to remain perfectly still, as she shoots at it with a shotgun, resulting in a disturbed Sadie fleeing the house.

The black mould continues its spread around the house. Later Sadie is alerted to strange noises coming from her mothers art studio. She gingerly enters in, only for Will to appear carrying a box of his wife's belongings which he was about to discard. Will and Sadie attempt to talk about the death of Sadie's mother with her convincing Will not to clear out the studio. Sadie takes the box down to the basement and begins to go through the contents of it, and other boxes too, writing 'keep' on each box. Whilst there Sadie seemingly encounters the spirit of her mother, directing the flame of an old Zippo lighter. At school, Bethany comforts Sadie following the episode at the Billings house, and decides to organise a girl's night at Sadie's house to cheer her up. While smoking a joint, Sadie almost chokes and runs through to the bathroom where she coughs up a tooth attached to a long piece of strings that Sawyer had lost shortly after the Boogeyman appeared. As a prank, Bethany's friends lock Sadie in the art studio closet, where she comes face to face with the Boogeyman. Banging on the door frantically to be let out, it remains tightly locked shut and then suddenly bursts open. A fight breaks out amongst the girls who all leave Sadie's house, angered by Sadie's reaction. Meanwhile, Sawyer is playing her PlayStation downstairs and is attacked by the creature and thrown into the TV, hospitalising her.

At the hospital, Sadie is comforting Sawyer, while Will is in a private room where they brought his wife to be identified after the car accident. Sadie is contacted by Rita, who believes she has devised a plan to kill the Boogeyman. Sadie arrives at the house where Rita has set up a trap with several shotgun shells and trip wires. She suddenly attacks Sadie, planning to use her as bait for the creature by tying her to exposed wall joists with cable ties. The Boogeyman appears setting off multiple traps and being shot several times. Rita sidles up to the apparent corpse and fires two more rounds into it for good measure. With her back turned to release Sadie, the Boogeyman rises and kills Rita. Sadie escapes falling down the stairs with the Boogeyman in pursuit but she shines a bright light on it and it retreats from whence it came. Sadie flees the house. Will calls her asking where she is, and Sadie realises they're already back home. The Boogeyman attacks Will and Sawyer, dragging them into the house. Sadie arrives and finds a hiding Sawyer, who has wrapped herself in green and red flashing Christmas lights, who says the creature took their father down into the basement.

The sisters go down into the basement with Sadie carrying an ice hockey stick for protection. There they find the creature seemingly feeding off Will. They rescue their father and a chase ensues in the basement. With the help of Sawyer and her mother's spirit, Sadie manages to set the creature on fire, seemingly killing it and destroying the black mould through the house. The three manage to escape the house as the flames take hold, engulfing the entire property. Some time after having moved on from their harrowing experience, Will, Sadie and Sawyer have a group session with Weller. As they leave, Sadie is called back to the office by Weller only to discover she isn't there and the closet door is open. Weller appears and questions Sadie, who looks at Weller suspiciously and shuts the door.

'The Boogeyman' is a reasonably well crafted albeit fairly pedestrian horror film that isn't up there with some of Stephen King's more noteworthy horror movie adaptations including 1976's 'Carrie', 1980's 'The Sining', 1983's 'The Dead Zone', 1990's 'Misery' or 2017's 'It', but it also doesn't lurk down in the depth's of some of the also rans that have peppered our cinema screens in the last forty or so years. There are a handful of jump scares, the lighting adds a sense of foreboding, the atmospherics add up to the feeling of dread and fear, and the performances of Thatcher and Blair especially carry this film firmly on their shoulders. But, the story adds nothing new to the genre that we haven't seen countless times before, and when The Boogeyman is finally revealed in the basement, the monster is nothing short of a rip-off of Ridley Scott's 'Alien'. This film is aimed squarely at a teen audience looking for by the numbers thrills and chills and on that note the film delivers, but for the more experienced long-in-the-tooth movie goer, this is an OK horror offering, but not great.

'The Boogeyman' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 8th June 2023

The 70th Sydney Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday 7th June and runs through until Sunday 18th June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre, and includes features, documentaries, short films, retrospectives, films for families and animations. Films are shown at venues across the Sydney central business district. Patrons of the festival include Gillian Armstrong, Cate Blanchett, Jane Campion, Nicole Kidman, Baz Luhrmann, George Miller, Bryan Brown, Phillip Noyce, Rachel Ward, Sam Neill and Hugo Weaving among others. Prior to 2007, the Sydney Film Festival was classified by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) as a Non-Competitive Feature Film Festival. Since 2007, the Festival announced it had received funding from the New South Wales Government to host an official international competition, which rewarded 'new directions in film'. The FIAFP has since classified the Sydney Film Festival as a Competitive Specialised Feature Film Festival.

This years Opening Night Film is 'The New Boy' from Australia and Directed by Warwick Thornton and starring Cate Blanchett with Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair and newcomer Aswan Reid in this beguiling story of spirituality and survival set in 1940's Australia. The Closing Night Film is 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' Co-Written and Directed by James Mangold and starring Harrison Ford returning to the role of the legendary hero archaeologist for this highly anticipated final instalment of the iconic franchise – a big, globe-trotting, rip-roaring cinematic adventure, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore and Mads Mikkelsen.

Twelve films are selected for the Official Competition, which celebrates 'courageous, audacious and cutting-edge' cinema with an AU$60K cash prize. Sydney Film Festival also presents eight other cash awards over the course of the festival. The Official Competition recognises that rare but thrilling film that truly moves the art form forward. Innovative, provocative or controversial, they broaden our understanding of the world and say important things in original ways. Those twelve films are as follows :-

* 'Afire' - from Germany and Written and Directed by Christian Petzold and starring Thomas Schubert, Paula Beer, Langston Uibel and Enno Trebs that sees four young people trapped at a holiday house as a fire draws near in this tragicomic romp. Australian Premiere.

* 'Art College 1994' - from China and Co-Written, Directed and Edited by Liu Jian this animated film is a slacker comedy-drama about a group of art students in China in the ’90's – a time of great change for the nation. Australian Premiere.

* 'Bad Behaviour' - from New Zealand and Written, Directed and starring Alice Englert with Jennifer Connelly and Ben Whishaw in a dark comedy about spiritual retreats and a turbulent mother-daughter relationship. Australian Premiere.

* 'Cobweb' - from South Korea and Directed by Kim Jee-Woon and starring Song Kang-ho in this very funny and clever film about a movie Director obsessed with re-shooting the end of his completed film in order to make a true masterpiece. Australian Premiere.

* 'The Dark Emu Story' - from Australia and Co-Written and Directed by Allan Clarke this thought provoking, revelatory and inspiring documentary tells the story of Bruce Pascoe’s 2014 best selling book 'Dark Emu' - the publishing phenomenon that challenged Australia to rethink its history and ignited a raging debate. World Premiere.

* 'Fallen Leaves' - from Finland and Sweden and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Aki Kaurismaki this compassionate comedy has two lonely people who meet by chance and then try, in turbulent times, to find love. Australian Premiere.

* 'Joram' - from India and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Devashish Makhija that sees a labourer in Mumbai who goes on the run with his baby daughter Joram in this edge-of-your-seat survival thriller that deftly weaves political intrigue with a stylish and propulsive cinematic sensibility. Australian Premiere.

* 'Monster' - from Japan and Directed and Edited by Kore-eda Hirokazu that is an intense, mysterious and morally complex drama told through multiple perspectives. Australian Premiere.

* 'The Mother Of All Lies' - from Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar and Produced, Directed and Edited by Asmae El Moudir here melds fact, fiction and captivating figurines to lay bare a hidden personal and national history. Australian Premiere.

* 'The New Boy' - from Australia and Written and Directed by Warwick Thornton and starring Cate Blanchett with Deborah Mailman, Wayne Blair and newcomer Aswan Reid in this beguiling story of spirituality and survival set in 1940's Australia. Australian Premier.

* 'Past Lives' - from the USA and Written and Directed by Celine Song and starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro as two school friends who explore a lingering, deep connection that appears to transcend time and the tyranny of distance. Australian Premier.

* 'Scrapper' - from the UK and Written and Directed by Written and Directed by Charlotte Regan and starring Harris Dickinson, Lola Campbell and Alin Uzun about a twelve-year-old girl who lives happily alone until her estranged father turns up one day unannounced. Australian Premier.

For all the other programme strands and a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website of the 70th Sydney Film Festival at : https://www.sff.org.au/

This week then, with five new cinematic releases coming your way, we launch with an American crime thriller in which a talented but troubled Police Officer is recruited by the FBI's chief investigator to help profile and track down a disturbed individual terrorising the city. This is followed by a British drama film about an ordinary man who has passed through life, living on the side lines, until he goes to post a letter one day . . . and just keeps walking. Next up is a film with real bite that has a family stranded on a crumbling oil rig off the Mexican coast that sees them having to face off against a vengeful megalodon shark. And we close out the week with two French films - the first a romantic drama offering about a young woman living with her eight year old daughter, and with a father suffering from neurodegenerative disease, she struggles to secure a decent nursing home and amidst all this she runs into an unavailable friend with whom she embarks on an affair; followed by this comedy film that has a group of friends taking one of their own to a sunny Greek island to celebrate his 50th birthday, but due to a flight cancellation, the holiday will take place in a much rainier destination - the birthday boys' family home in Brittany.

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 coming week.

'TO CATCH A KILLER' (Rated MA15+) - this American crime thriller film is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by the Argentinian Damian Szifron in his English language Directorial debut, and following his successful 'Wild Tales' film of 2014 being the most successful film in the history of Argentina. This film was released in the US in late April this year, has so far grossed US$2.1M and has generated mixed reviews from critics.

Eleanor (Shailene Woodley) is a young talented but troubled officer of the Baltimore Police Department wrestling with the demons of her past when she is recruited by Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn), the FBI's chief investigator, to help profile and track down a sniper who is committing a series of seemingly-unrelated mass shootings. As the police and FBI launch a nationwide manhunt, they are thwarted at every turn by the killer's unprecedented behaviour. Given her tortured psyche, Eleanor may be the only person who can understand the mind of their assailant and bring him to justice. Also starring Jovan Adepo and Ralph Ineson. 

'THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY' (Rated M) - is a British drama film Directed by Hettie Macdonald in only her second feature film outing following 'Beautiful Thing' in 1996, although she has Directed many multiple episodes of TV series and stage productions in the meantime. This film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Rachel Joyce. Retired pensioner Harold Fry (Jim Broadbent) lives in the South Devon town of Kingsbridge, England with his wife Maureen (Penelope Wilton), whose marriage to him has become despondent and quiet. One day, Harold receives a letter from his old friend, Queenie Hennessy (Linda Bassett), who is dying from cancer and is living in a hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed, in Northumberland on the English and Scottish border. Harold then decides to walk the length of England to reach Berwick-upon-Tweed without the use of transport or support from Maureen. Along the way, he encounters a variety of people who show interest in his hiking achievement. Harold also reflects on how his only son David (Earl Cave), an unemployed former Cambridge University graduate, struggled with depression along with a serious drug and alcohol addiction, all of which led him to taking his own life in a garden shed. The film was released in the UK at the end of April, and has generated mostly positive critical acclaim.

'THE BLACK DEMON' (Rated M) - filmed in the Dominican Republic and Directed by Adrian Grunberg whose previous two Directorial outings were 'Get the Gringo' in 2012 and 'Rambo : Last Blood' in 2019. Here Josh Lucas plays Paul Sturges who decides to combine work and play by taking the family on a vacation to Bahia Negra, Mexico, while also taking the opportunity to check out his oil rig off the coast of Mexico. However, upon his arrival he sees that the local town has changed markedly since his last visit, to the point of having almost become a ghost town. Despite local warnings about the fabled 'black demon', Paul takes his family with him out to the oil platform, which he quickly observes is in an eerie state of disrepair. There he learns from the surviving workers that the facility has awakened a megalodon shark that swims around the platform, killing anyone who tries to leave it. Paul must then find a way to save his family from the prehistoric shark as the rig slowly sinks. The film was released in the US towards the end of April having cost US$50M to produce and has generated largely negative press. Also starring Fernanda Urrejola, Venus Ariel and Carlos Solorzano.

'ONE FINE MORNING' (Rated MA15+) - is a French German Co-Produced romantic drama film Written and Directed by Mia Hansen-Love whose feature film debut came with 'All Is Forgiven' in 2007 and which she would follow up with the likes of 'Father of My Children' in 2009, 'Things to Come' in 2016, 'Maya' in 2018 and 'Bergman Island' most recently in 2021. The story surrounds a young single mother Sandra Kienzier (Lea Seydoux) raising her eight-year-old daughter Linn (Camille Leban Martins) while struggling to take care of her father George (Pascal Greggory), who's been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease. While trying to secure a decent nursing home, she runs into a married friend Clement (Melvil Poupaud) and they begin an affair. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the May 2022 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Europa Cinemas Label Award for Best European Film, was released in France in early October, in Germany in early December and this week is released in Australia having so far grossed US$1.4M at the Box Office and garnered universal critical acclaim. 

'HAPPY 50' (Rated M) - this French comedy (aka 'Plancha' or 'Griddle') film is Written and Directed by Eric Lavaine whose prior feature film making credits take in his 2006 debut with 'Poltergay', then 'Incognito' in 2009, 'Barbecue' in 2014, 'Back to Mom's' in 2016, 'You Choose' in 2017 and 'No Filter' in 2019. Set eight years after their previous adventure in 'Barbeque' the group of friends reunites to celebrate Yves' (Guillaume de Tonquedec) 50th birthday. They all meet at the airport, hiding Yves' eyes to surprise him, before taking off for Greece and the holiday island of Paros for two weeks of happiness, sun and celebrations. Unfortunately for them, their flight is canceled at the last moment. Not to miss out on the celebrations Yves invites the gang to his ancestral mansion on the Brittany coast in Kerzelek. While lots of activities are planned, the rainy weather thwarts these holidays. Locked in the beautiful granite stones of the estate, nerves are quickly frayed, letting secrets and stormy revelations emerge. Also starring Lambert Wilson, Franck Dubosc, Jerome Commandeur, Sophie Duez, Caroline Anglade and Alice Llenas. 

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 week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

NOVEMBER : Tuesday 30th May 2023.

I finally got around to seeing the M Rated 'NOVEMBER' earlier this week following its release in Australia on 11th May. This French crime drama thriller film is Co-Written and Directed by Cedric Jimenez whose previous feature film credits are his debut with 'Paris Under Watch' in 2012, then 'The Connection' in 2014, 'The Man with the Iron Heart' in 2017 and 'The Stronghold' in 2020. This film has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$19.4M off the back of a production budget of US$16.5M.

The film opens up in Athens, Greece where a raid is carried out on an apartment building looking to apprehend the leader of a dangerous terrorist cell. Chief of the French anti-terrorism Police, Fred (Jean Dujardin) is in situ acting as an interrogator. However, the raid proves fruitless as their target escapes across the rooftops with Fred in pursuit, but his quarry eludes him. Ten months later, in Paris, France, the unimaginable happens.

On the evening of Friday 13th November a number of coordinated attacks ring out across the city. Mass-shootings and bombings from a number of assailants target innocent men, women and children going about their daily lives. Beginning at 9:15pm three suicide bombers struck outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, during an international football match, after failing to gain entry to the stadium. Another group of attackers then fired on crowded cafes and restaurants in Paris, while a third group carried out another mass shooting and took hostages at a concert attended by 1,500 people in the Bataclan theatre, leading to a stand-off with Police. The attackers were either shot or blew themselves up when Police raided the theatre.

In the aftermath, it is revealed 130 people are dead, 416 are injured and countless families are left shattered. The Police have no idea who is responsible, where they are and what they plan to do next. Over the course of the next five days the SDAT (Anti-Terrorism Sub-Directorate) will not stop until those behind the attacks are brought to justice. Appropriately, Director Jimenez does now show the viewer the carnage that unfolded during or immediately after the attacks, but he does show us the mayhem of the aftermath as Fred, his Commanding Officer Heloise (Sandrine Kiberlain) and their entire team are brought in for a briefing and given their very explicit instructions to leave no stone unturned in the search for the perpetrators and as urgently as possible. 

And so what follows over the course of the next five days as a team of four are largely at the centre of the investigations - Fred, Heloise, Marco (Jeremie Renier) and Ines (Anais Demoustier) who is the youngest and most junior of the group. One such instance where Ines shows her inexperience is when she homes in on a suspected terrorist, Mokrani (Youssef Sahraoui) and promptly apprehends him and brings him in for questioning only to discover that he is in fact an undercover officer who had been working the case for the last three years and now his cover is likely to be blown. Fred gives Ines a right royal bollocking and sends her back to her desk dejected having told her that this was the first and last time that she messes up in this way, and to now concentrate her efforts on tip-offs received from the general public - of which there are literally hundreds. 

Fairly soon afterwards Ines receives a call from Samia (Lyna Khoudri), who's cousin Hasna (Sarah Afchain) has been staying with her in her apartment. But Hasna has been behaving oddly since the terror attacks and has been meeting with two men. The men are believed to be sleeping rough under a freeway, and Samia thinks they might have had something to do with the attacks. Ultimately Ines has to lie to Samia in order to eek out the intelligence she so desperately needs in the search for the two remaining terrorists. 

All of this culminates with Hasna and her two terrorist suspects being cornered in their apartment in Saint-Denis when truck loads of heavily armed special forces operatives arrive en masse at the apartment and begin to shoot the place up with a relentless barrage of semi-automatic gun fire, which was reported at the time as using up some five thousand rounds of ammunition. When the shooting finally subsides and after they have sent in their sniffer dog, and then a robotic camera Hasna calls out to let her leave, she's done nothing wrong only for an explosion to ring out through the apartment ripping out walls and floors as the terrorists inside detonated their suicide vests. Several special forces officers are injured in the blast. 

Following on from this Ines has to front up to Samia who has now been detained pending further investigations into her possible links with the terrorists. Needless to say Samia is distraught, and Ines is ashamed of herself for allowing Samia to be compromised in this way. When the end credits roll, we are told of the human cost of the attacks and the investigations, and that Samia now lives under a witness protection programme. 

With 'November' Director Cedric Jiminez has taken the facts of the November 2015 terrorist attacks on Paris, and fictionalised them into a fast paced effective Police procedural film, that sacrifices any hint of back story of the four main protagonists here for a down and dirty account of the nuts and bolts of what it took to hunt down and dispense with the terrorists in the five days immediately following the attacks. And on that level the film succeeds delivering a frenetic thrill ride that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

'November' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-