What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 14th February 2019.

In January the world bid a fond farewell to a number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories . . . . Carol Channing, Windsor Davies, and Andrew Vajna.

* Carol Channing - born January 31st 1921, and died January 15th 2019, aged 97. Channing was an American Actress, singer, dancer and comedienne whose lifetime credits take in eight decades of stage, screen and television appearances that began in 1941 in a New York stage production from which she would never look back. From there she moved to Broadway and secured regular work on various stage productions and in 1948 she picked up the Theatre World Award which really launched her career as a star player. In the latter half of the '50's she worked with George Burns on his television comedy show, and in 1961 she gained a Tony Award nomination for 'Show Girl' and in 1964 won the Tony Award for her portrayal of Dolly Levi in the smash Broadway musical comedy 'Hello, Dolly!'. Channing had 37 film and television credits to her name throughout her career which launched with the feature film 'The First Travelling Saleslady' in 1956 opposite Ginger Rogers, Clint Eastwood, Barry Nelson and James Arness. In 1967 she starred in 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' for which she won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for the Oscar in the same category. This was followed up a year later with 'Skidoo' with an all star cast taking in Jackie Gleason, Frankie Avalon, Peter Lawford, Burgess Meredith, George Raft, Cesar Romero, Mickey Rooney and Groucho Marx. She also lent her voice talents to various animated feature films and animated television series episodes over the years. Her last film role was in a 2011 documentary of her life 'Carol Channing : Larger than Life' and on television in 2016's 'RuPaul's Drag Race'. She released her autobiography 'Just Lucky I Guess' in 2002. All up Channing won seven awards including four Tony Awards, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe and further six nominations.

* Windsor Davies - born August 28th 1930, and died January 17th 2019, aged 88. Davies was a Welsh born Actor who starred in many British films and television series between 1962 and 2004. Perhaps his best known role was over 56 episodes spanning eight seasons of the hit British sitcom 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' starring as Battery Sergeant Major Williams which ran from 1974 through until 1981. He also appeared in television series 'The Onedin Line', 'Callan', 'Never The Twain' and 'Oh, Doctor Beeching!'. Of his film appearances, he had roles in 'The Pot Carriers' in 1962 his first feature film, and then the likes of 'Murder Most Foul', 'The Alphabet Murders', 'Drop Dead Darling', 'Adold Hitler : My Part in His Downfall', 'Carry On Behind', 'Carry On England', 'Confessions of a Driving Instructor', 'Grand Slam' and 'Old Scores'. All up Davies had 128 Acting credits to his name, and a UK Number One record with 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' co-star Don Estelle in 1975 with 'Whispering Grass'. He also worked extensively on television commercials adding his distinctive Welsh accented voice.

* Andrew Vajna - born Andras Gyorgy Vajna on August 1st 1944 and died January 20th 2019, aged 74. Vajna was a Hungarian born American film Producer. After various ventures in the Far East and Hong Kong including a film acquisition and distribution business, he met Lebanese Film Producer Mario Kassar at Cannes in 1975 and the pair went on to form Carolco a company specialising in the financing, sales and distribution of films worldwide. In less than four years, Carolco became one of the top three foreign sales organisations in the motion pictures industry. In 1982 Vajna and Kassar made their film production debut with 'Rambo: First Blood', starring Sylvester Stallone. The film was a critical and commercial success giving rise to numerous sequels over the years. At Carolco the pair also Produced 'Rambo : First Blood Part II' and 'Rambo III' as well as 'Angel Heart', 'Total Recall', 'Air America' and 'Jacob's Ladder'. In late '89, Vajna sold his interest in Carolco to form  Cinergi Productions for the financing, development, Production and distribution of major event releases. 'Medicine Man', 'Tombstone', 'Color of Night', 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' 'Judge Dredd', 'Nixon' and 'Evita' were among Cinergi's Productions. Never forgetting his Hungarian background, Vajna played a significant role in many films being shot in Budapest including 'Evita', 'Escape to Victory', 'Read Heat' and 'I Spy'. In the late '90's Vajna reteamed with his former business partner Mario Kassar and in 2003 Produced 'Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines' and thereafter also acted as Executive Producer on 'Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles' and 2009's 'Terminator Salvation'. From 2011 Vajna worked as the Government Commissioner in charge of the Hungarian film industry where he conceived the Hungarian National Film Fund since which time the Hungarian film industry has won more than 130 international awards while the number of foreign films produced in Hungary has increased significantly.

This week there are six latest release movies coming to your local Odeon. We launch with a Sci-Fi epic based on a popular Japanese manga set five hundred years hence where a dismembered cyborg is taken in by a good doctor and given a new body only to awaken with no recollection of who she is or where she is. Her journey to discover who she really is reveals much more than anyone bargained for.  We then turn to an already highly acclaimed romantic drama film set in the early '70's surrounding a couple and the challenges faced by both which need to be resolved before the birth of their child. Next up is a biographical drama charting the last years of a famed but troubled painter up to his death in 1890, followed by a story of survival in the frozen depths of the Arctic Circle as one man struggles  against the elements to find salvation and civilisation. Then we have a remake of a successful 2000 film that gives one lucky lady the ability to hear mens thoughts, but this in itself creates more challenges than she bargained for. And wrapping up the week we have a horror sequel about a girl stuck in a time loop who must die time and time again in order to save her friends and thwart a maniacal masked killer.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'ALITA : BATTLE ANGEL' (Rated M) - this American cyberpunk action film is Directed by Robert Rodriguez, and Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by James Cameron based on the Japanese manga artist Yukito Kishiro graphic novel 'Gunnm' (aka 'Battle Angel Alita'). Going back to 2000, Kishiro's manga was brought to the attention of James Cameron by Guillermo del Toro who so liked what he saw and read that he immediately registered a domain name for the film and by 2003 was announced as Director on a feature length live action film. Then Cameron's 'Avatar' got in the way and it was slated for a 2009 release. In 2010 Cameron stated that the film was still in development but no plans existed as to a release date. In 2013 he set a Production start date of 2017 and in the meantime Robert Rodriguez was in discussions to Direct if he could condense Cameron's script and sizeable notes into a workable Screenplay. Filming began in late 2016 with Rodriguez Directing with Cameron Producing, and a budget of somewhere between US$150 and 200M. Digital effects were provided by Peter Jackson's New Zealand based Weta Digital, amongst others. The film is released in the US this week too.

Set some five hundred years in the future, the abandoned disembodied 'core' of a cyborg, Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious Alita to his clinic and fits her out with a new body. When Alita wakes, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the post apocalyptic world destroyed by a technological meltdown that she now finds herself in. They soon discover that Alita is more than what she seems and has an extraordinary past. As she learns to navigate her new life, and the often deadly streets of Iron City she battles other machines who are empowered with skills, while Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past. Also starring Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Michelle Rodriguez and Casper Van Dien. If successful, this will set up a series of films.

'IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK' (Rated MA15+) - here we have another acclaimed offering doing very well around the awards and festival circuit with 73 wins so far and another 138 nominations including three Oscar nominations, yet to be announced. Directed, Co-Produced and Written for the screen by Barry Jenkins (of 'Moonlight' fame), based on the 1974 novel by American author James Baldwin. The title of the book is a reference to the 1916 W.C. Handy blues song 'Beale Street Blues', named after Beale Street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The film saw its World Premier showing at TIFF back in September, went of general release in the US in mid-December, and has so far recovered US$15M from its US$12M production budget outlay. And so this American romantic drama film is set in early 1970's Harlem. Daughter and wife-to-be Clementine 'Tish' Rivers (KiKi Layne) vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt (Stephen James), who goes by the nickname 'Fonny'. Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a lasting future together, but their plans go awry when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit. With the support of close family and friends Tish seeks to clear Fonny's name and prove that he is innocent, before the birth of their child. Also starring Regina King, Brian Tyree Henry, Colman Domingo, Ed Skrein, Finn Wittrock, Diego Luna, Perdro Pascal and Dave Franco.

'AT ETERNITY'S GATE' (Rated PG) - this biographical drama film is Directed and Co-Written by American painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel and has already done much around the awards and festival circuit. It saw its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival back in  early September and was released in the US in mid-November and only now does it get a showing in Australia. Garnering generally positive Press, the film has so far picked up three award wins and another fifteen nominations mostly for Lead Actor Willem Dafoe in his portrayal of Vincent van Gogh, including an Oscar nod. The film primarily focuses on the painters latter years from 1888 when he based himself in Arles in the south of France and during which time he broadened his subject matter to include series of olive trees, wheat fields and sunflowers in a much brighter colour palette. Then in 1890 van Gogh discharged himself from a psychiatric hospital and relocated himself to  Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris where he was cared for by a homeopathic doctor. His bouts of depression and anxiety continued right up until late July 1890 when van Gogh shot himself in the chest, from which he died two days later aged 37. The film also stars an ensemble cast including Oscar Isaac as Paul Gaugin, Rupert Friend as Theo van Gogh, Mathieu Amalric, Mads Mikkelsen and Vincent Perez, and has so far taken US$7M at the Box Office.

 
'ARCTIC' (Rated M) - this Icelandic Arctic Circle survival thriller Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year where it competed for the Camera d'Or and is Directed and Co-Written by Brazilian musician and filmmaker Joe Penna. Following an aeroplane crash, Overgard (Mads Mikkelsen) is stranded in the Arctic. About to receive a long-awaited rescue, the helicopter that finds him crashes in a blizzard. The pilot is killed with the passenger, a young woman, severely injured (Maria Thelma Smaradottir). He must now decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp in the stricken aeroplane and again wait it out until the next rescue attempt, if there is to be one, or to embark on a potentially deadly trek through the unknown snow covered and harsh wilderness in the hope of making it out alive. Made for just US$2M this film was released in the US on 1st February. Filmed over the course of nineteen days in Iceland, Mikkelsen later commented that it was the most difficult shoot of his career.

'WHAT MEN WANT' (Rated M) - if this title sounds familiar it's because this is a remake of the 2000 Nancy Meyers Directed film 'What Women Want' which starred Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt and off the back of a US$70M production budget grossed US$374M. Here this fantasy comedy offering is Directed by Adam Shankman and centres around Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson), a successful sports agent who is repeatedly left out by her male counterparts. When Ali is by-passed for a well-earned promotion, she begins to wonder what more she needs to do to succeed in a male dominated world. Hoping to find some direction from a psychic, Ali drinks a strange potion that allows her to hear mens thoughts. Using her newfound skill, Ali starts to outsmart her boisterous obnoxious male colleagues while racing to sign the next basketball superstar, but the lengths she has to go to will put her relationship with her best mates, and a potential new love interest, to the test. Also starring Tracy Morgan, Aldis Hodge, Kellan Lutz and Richard Roundtree. Also released in the US this week.

'HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U' (Rated M) - Jason Blum, of Blumhouse Productions knows a thing or two about the horror genre and how to create a winning formula, clearly having proved himself on numerous occasions over recent years. Here he is at it again, in this sequel to 2017's 'Happy Death Day' which cost a tad less than US$5M to make and grossed US$126M. Blum once again takes a Producer credit, with Christopher Landon once again in the Directors chair on this horror slasher offering that reunites some of the characters from the first instalment and plants them a couple of years on from the first film. And so trapped in a time loop once more, college student Theresa 'Tree' Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) must die over and over again to save her friends from a psychotic masked killer. Determined to escape the time loop now that she has learned that her friends are also involved, and that the original masked killer Lori Spengler (Ruby Modine) has been murdered, Tree must now face a new killer threat, uncover its identity and break free now once and for all. Also starring Israel Broussard and Suraj Sharma. The film is released in the US this week too, and cost US$9M to bring to the screen.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE FRONT RUNNER : Wednesday 6th February 2019.

'THE FRONT RUNNER' which I saw at my local independent movie theatre this week, is an American biographical drama film Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by Jason Reitman whose previous Directorial outings include 'Thank You for Smoking', 'Juno', 'Up In The Air', 'Young Adult', 'Labor Day' and 'Tully' more recently. Based on the 2014 Matt Bai book 'All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid', the film surrounds Gary Hart who is an American Politician, Diplomat, Lawyer and Author and was the 'front-runner' for the 1988 Democratic Presidential nomination, representing the State of Colorado in the US Senate from 1975 through until 1987. The film Premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in August last year, was released in the US in early November, has so far taken under US$3M at the Box Office and has received mixed Reviews.

The film kicks of in 1984 and here Hugh Jackman portrays Gary Hart, the former senator of Colorado, who loses out on the Vice-President nomination to Walter Mondale. Hart comes in second place but quite a way down the rankings. Not to be down trodden or brow beaten, Hart decides to run for the top job at the Whitehouse in the 1988 Presidential campaign. In the intervening years Hart has spent his time campaigning, raising his profile especially among the younger voting demographic whom he seems to share a connection with, and fine tuning his position on policies that matter to working class America and the future lifeblood of the nation.

With his 1988 campaign ramping up, and the press constantly on his tail, he is interviewed in a diner having cooked up burgers for everyone as a publicity stunt, by A.J. Parker (Mamoudou Athie) a Washington Post reporter. The conversation turns personal when A.J. starts enquiring about his married life and his marital beliefs - a subject that Hart was notoriously guarded about. The interview concludes with Hart abruptly excusing himself and inviting the media to follow him around at the weekends when he is not campaigning and enjoying some family time. This would give an insight into Hart, the family man, and his beliefs, albeit Hart qualifies this by stating that it will be a fairly boring exercise for anyone who chooses to do so. Needless to say Bill Dixon (J.K. Simmons) Hart's long term Campaign Manager is against the notion, but is over-ruled by the would-be President of the United States.

Hart had announced his candidacy to run for the Oval Office in mid-April 1987 and the story here unfolds over three troublesome weeks thereafter in which Hart would go from Hero to Zero. Hart's political challenges begin when he is invited one weekend to enjoy a party on a cruising motor boat down Florida way - perhaps appropriately named 'Monkey Business'. There Hart meets a woman, although their 'interaction' is never revealed to camera, and we never to get to view the mystery woman until later on in the film when allegations of an extra-marital affair emerge.

By late April, The Miami Herald claimed that an anonymous informant had telephoned the paper to say that Hart was having an affair with a friend, provided details about the affair, and told the reporter that Hart was going to meet this person at his Washington, D.C. townhouse that weekend. As a result, a team of Herald reporters followed Donna Rice (Sara Paxton) on a flight from Miami to Washington D.C., then staked out Hart's townhouse that evening from their vehicle parked across the street, and the next Saturday, and observed a young woman and Hart together. The Herald reporters confronted Hart on Saturday evening in an alley behind his townhouse about his relationship with Rice, which Hart vehemently denied.

The Herald publish the story a few days later in early May stating that Hart had spent Friday night and the majority of Saturday with a young woman at his townhouse. Later the following weekend  Hart's media campaigners denied any scandal and condemned the Herald's reporters for intrusive reporting.

By now Hart's aides had caught up with Donna Rice and were keeping her 'safe' from the prying eyes and the influence of the press, with her being 'babysat' by Irene Kelly (Molly Ephraim) one of Hart's campaign schedulers. However, the next day attempting to make a covert getaway at the airport to fly home to the safety of her parents, the young woman is identified by the media as Donna Rice. She later gave a press conference also denying any sexual relationship with Hart, and he insisted that his interest in Rice was limited to her working as a campaign aide.

Needless to say the scandal spread rapidly through all media channels during the course of that week. Hart faces facts with his wife Oletha 'Lee' Hart (Vera Farmiga) whom he had been married to since 1958, had two young adult children and had been separated from twice over the years but always managed to reconcile their differences. Lee vows to at least temporarily stand by her man, and goes to the media showing a united front.

However, the media coverage came to dominate Hart's campaign. Opinion Polls conducted in the direct aftermath of the media frenzy found that 55% of Democrats believed that Hart had been truthful, and 44% of them were unconcerned about the issue. The polling of voters was even more positive. Further polls had very similar results - of those polled, 67% disapproved of the media writing about a candidate's sex life, and 60% stated that Hart's relationship with Rice was irrelevant to the Presidency. This buoyed Hart somewhat but he was still caught off guard when at a press conference he was asked again by A.J. more pointed personal questions that ended with him being asked if he had ever committed adultery, to which in front of the gathered press, and his wife, he could not honestly answer.

A week after the story broke, Hart made the decision to suspended his campaign after the Washington Post, at the decision of the Editor Ben Bradlee (Alfred Molina), threatened to run a story about a woman Hart had dated while separated from his wife, and to which they had photographic evidence, much to the chagrin of A.J. This ultimately led to Lee and his daughter Andrea (Kaitlyn Dever) becoming similar targets of interest for the tabloid press for a short period of time. The film concludes with the Hart's relaxing on the deck of their home with the voiceover of Gary stating his decision to pull out of the race to the Whitehouse. Before the closing credits roll, we are told that Gary and Lee remain married to this day.

'The Front Runner' moves along at a reasonably swift pace, but there is little to maintain any real interest here. After all, whilst this was considered a scandal at the time (at least in the eyes of the media), the American population thought a lot less so, as did his wife ultimately, and compared to the antics of the current sitting President, Hart would almost be considered angelic, and the accusations brought against him a non-starter. But this was thirty years ago and time and opinion has moved on apace since then. Jackman plays the wannabe President with conviction and believability, but the remaining cast members are also rans, and the story is done & dusted before it really gets going, charting the three weeks leading up to him pulling out of the race, which in reality is less than two weeks, and the accusations were never really proven with Hart and Rice both denying any sexual relations. And furthermore, Hart's career, whilst not reaching the dizzying heights of the Oval Office, remained in the political, legal and writing arena right up until January 2017, so I guess its fair to say that all's well, that ends well Mr. Hart. It's a very brief snapshot in time of a 'scandal' (if it can really be called that) that really impacted just one man (to an extent) and his family rather than the establishment, that seems in many respects to have been over before it really got going and has since been banished to the history books. You can easily wait for this to watch it on BluRay from the comfort of your own lounge, on via your streaming network of choice.

'The Front Runner' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-     

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 7th February 2019.

Continuing with the coverage of awards season, Sunday 27th January saw the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards honouring the best achievements in film and television performances for 2018, staged at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. Awarded to the finest big screen and small screen acting talent as nominated by the finest big screen and small screen acting talent, these awards have a special significance considering that those nominated are done so by their acclaimed industry peers. Hosted this year by Megan Mullally (she of Karen Walker fame on 'Will & Grace'), this years winners and grinners who walked away with the gong, and those that didn't, are given below :-

* Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role : won by REMI MALEK for his role as Freddie Mercury in 'Bohemian Rhapsody', beating out Christian Bale for 'Vice', Bradley Cooper for 'A Star Is Born', Viggo Mortensen for 'Green Book' and John David Washington for 'BlacKkKlansman'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role : won by GLENN CLOSE for her role as Joan Castleman in 'The Wife', beating out Lady Gaga for 'A Star Is Born', Olivia Colman for 'The Favourite', Melissa McCarthy for 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' and Emily Blunt for 'Mary Poppins Returns'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role : won by MAHERSHALA ALI for his role as Don Shirley in 'Green Book', beating out Timothée Chalamet for 'Beautiful Boy', Adam Driver for 'BlacKkKlansman', Sam Elliott for 'A Star Is Born' and Richard E. Grant for 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?'

* Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role : won by EMILY BLUNT for her role as Evelyn Abbott in 'A Quite Place', beating out Amy Adams for 'Vice', Margot Robbie for 'Mary Queen of Scots', Emma Stone for 'The Favourite' and Rachel Weisz for 'The Favourite'.




* Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture : won by Angela Bassett, Chadwick Boseman, Sterling K. Brown, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, Danai Gurira, Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker, and Letitia Wright for their individual roles in 'Black Panther', beating out 'BlacKkKlansman', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Crazy Rich Asians' and 'A Star Is Born'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture : won by 'BLACK PANTHER' beating out 'Ant-Man and the Wasp', 'Avengers: Infinity War', 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs' and 'Mission: Impossible – Fallout'.

* The Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to ALAN ALDA.

This week then we have seven latest release movies to tempt you out to your local Odeon during the week ahead. We start with a the frozen environs of the Rockies and one mans quest for revenge against those that killed this teenage son; then we turn to a biographical drama charting the early life and groundbreaking female equality times of one of America's Supreme Court Justice's; and then we have another biographical drama offering charting the life and times of a teenager in 1980's Detroit as he becomes the youngest FBI informant and drug dealing kingpin. Next up we have a horror thriller about six hapless strangers thrown together to play a game of escape or die in a series of situations put together by an unknown antagonist; before turning to an Australian drama about a man out of prison, his dead brother, a new crime boss on the scene and white supremacists and the impact of all of this on a local community. These are followed up by a biographical documentary about a world renowned Greek Opera singer and her lasting impact that still resonates to this day; before wrapping up the week with an acclaimed Lebanese drama film about a young lad who takes his mother and father to court for giving him the life he did not choose.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the seven latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'COLD PURSUIT' (Rated MA15+) - here we have an American action thriller Directed by Norwegian film maker Hans Petter Moland whose previous Directorial credits include 'Zero Kelvin', 'Aberdeen', 'The Beautiful Country' and 2014's 'In Order of Disappearance' - which marked his fourth film with Stellan Skarsgard. And so in 2019 for an English speaking audience, we have a sort of remake of 'In Order of Disappearance', his own film from five years ago and based on the script penned by Danish Writer, Illustrator and Screenwriter Kim Fupz Aakeson. The film is released in the US this week too, and in the UK on the 22nd of this month.

And so to the plot. Here Nelson 'Nels' Coxman's (Liam Neeson) quiet life as a snowplough driver in his Canadian Rocky Mountains remote hometown comes crashing down when his beloved son dies under mysterious circumstances. His search to uncover the truth quickly turns into a quest for revenge against a psychotic drug lord named Viking (Tom Bateman) and his gun totting henchmen. Transformed from model citizen within the community to coldblooded revenge hungry vigilante, Coxman unwittingly sets off a chain of events that utilises Coxman's particular set of skills taking in a kidnapping, a catalogue of deadly misunderstandings and a turf war between Viking and a rival boss. Also starring Laura Dern as Grace Coxman with Emmy Rossum, William Forsythe, Julia Jones and Raoul Trujillo. You can expect to see Liam Neeson doing absolutely what he does best, a la 'Taken', 'A Walk Among The Tombstones', 'The Commuter', 'The Grey' and 'Non Stop' et al.

'ON THE BASIS OF SEX' (Rated M) - this American biographical legal drama film is Directed by Mimi Leder who previous feature film credits include 'The Peacemaker', 'Deep Impact', 'Pay It Forward' and 'Thick as Thieves' in addition to her impressive portfolio of television credits going back to 1987 up to the present day. This film recounts the story of the early life and early court cases of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) and who was the subject of a documentary feature film released last year titled 'RBG'. Ginsburg turns 86 years of age in March this year. This film however, charts her first year at Harvard Law School up to the early '70's and her struggles for equal rights and her early court cases which helped her shape her historic career that ultimately led to her nomination and appointment as a US Supreme Court Associate Justice. The film saw its World Premier screening at the American Film Institute Fest in early November and its wider release in the US at Christmas. Off the back of a US$20M Production Budget the film has so far recouped US$24M, has generated generally favourable Reviews and also stars Armie Hammer as RBG's husband Martin D. Ginsburg, Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates, Sam Waterston, Cailee Spaeny and Jack Reynor.

'WHITE BOY RICK' (Rated MA15+) - here we have an American biographical true crime drama film Directed by the Brit Yann Demange in only his second feature film outing after 2014's highly acclaimed ''71'. The film Premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in late August last year, went on release in the US in mid-September, cost US$29M to produce, has so far recovered approaching US$26M and has received generally positive Press so far. Set in 1980's Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, this film is based on the true story of blue-collar father, Richard Wershe Snr. (Matthew McConaughey) and his fourteen year old son, Richard 'Rick' Wershe Jr. aka White Boy Rick (Richie Merritt), who became an undercover police informant and later a racketeer and drug dealer and kingpin before he was abandoned by his handlers and sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for possessing more than 8kgs of cocaine. He was paroled in 2017 after nearly thirty years behind bars as a non-violent drug dealer. This is that story of the FBI's youngest ever informant. Also starring Bruce Dern, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Piper Laurie, Eddie Marsan and Brian Tyree Henry.

'ESCAPE ROOM' (Rated MA15+) - this American thriller is Directed by Adam Robitel who is no stranger to the horror genre, and here he offers us a twist on the physical adventure game in which players solve a series of puzzles and riddles using clues, hints, and strategies to complete the objectives at hand. Players are given a set time limit to unveil the secret plot which is hidden within the rooms. This turn of events sees six adventurous strangers, Zoey (Taylor Davis), Ben (Logan Miller), Amanda (Deborah Ann Woll), Mike (Tyler Labine), Jason (Jay Ellis), and Danny (Nik Dodani) travel to a mysterious building to experience the escape room - a game where players compete to solve a series of puzzles to win $10,000. What starts out as seemingly innocent fun soon turns into a living nightmare as the four men and two women discover each room is an elaborate trap that's part of a sadistic game of life or death. The film cost US$9M, went on general release in the US early last month and has so far taken US$98M at the Box Office and received mixed or average Reviews.

'THE COMBINATION : REDEMPTION' (Rated MA15+) - this film is the sequel to 2009's Australian drama 'The Combination' and is Directed and stars David Field, and was Written and stars George Basha, both in two pivotal roles, with Basha reprising his role as Lebanese Australian former prison inmate John Morkos. Set some six years after the events of the first film, John Morkos remains haunted by the events that led to the death of his brother. As John begins to rebuild his life, he finds time spent in the boxing ring at his local gym to be just the therapy he needs. Meanwhile, a ruthless new crime boss Nas (Johnny Nasser) seeks to expand his empire, and the formation of a radical group of white supremacists threatens to shatter the social fabric of the local community. As the gym becomes a focal point of these gathering forces, and the threat to the community begins to escalate, John must come to terms with his past, make the right decisions, and take a stand against seemingly overwhelming odds.

'MARIA BY CALLAS' (Rated PG) - Directed by Tom Volf, this French Documentary film is about the life and career of the American born Greek opera singer who lived from December 1923 until September 1977. Described as one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century, her influence has endured over the years so much so that in 2006 it was written of her that 'Nearly thirty years after her death, she's still the definition of the diva as artist—and still one of classical music's best-selling vocalists'. Utilising previously unseen interviews, letters, and performances to tell her story through home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar. The film Premiered at the Rome Film Festival way back in November 2017, was released in France in December 2017, in the US in November 2018, and only now does it get a limited showing in Australia. The film has garnered much critical praise and has so far taken US$1.25M at the Box Office.

'CAPERNAUM' (Rated M) - this Lebanese drama film is Written and Directed by Nadine Labaki and had its world Premier screening at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival where it was in competition for the Palme d'Or where it took out the Jury Prize, following a fifteen minute standing ovation. The film is also up for the Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards amongst its total haul of 21 award wins so far and a further 22 nominations. The story largely plays out in a courtroom where twelve year old Syrian refugee lad Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), is brought before the presiding Judge. When asked the question 'why are you attacking your parents in court?', Zain answers 'For giving me life!' The film retraces the incredible journey of this child in search of his identity and who rebels against the life that was imposed on him. Nadine Labaki described the concept for the film thus 'At the end of the day, those children are really paying a very high price for our conflicts, and our wars, and our systems, and our stupid decisions, and governments. I felt the need to talk about the problem, and I was thinking, if those children could talk, or could express themselves, what would they say? What would they tell us, this society that ignores them?' Zain's performance has been highly praised although he was not an Actor at the time rather a twelve year old illiterate refugee, and all other performances in the film, aside from a small bit part by the Writer/Director, were non-professionals.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

GREEN BOOK : Tuesday 29th January 2019.

'GREEN BOOK' which I saw this week is a highly acclaimed comedy drama offering Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by Peter Farrelly. The film had its World Premiere showing at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year, where it won the People's Choice Award, and was released in the US in mid-November. It has received positive Reviews and was selected by the National Board of Review as the best film of 2018, as well as one of the Top 10 by the American Film Institute, and, has so far won 46 awards and a further 87 nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, including five Oscar nods and four BAFTA nods. For some historical context, the film is named after 'The Negro Motorist Green Book', that was published from 1936 through to 1966 and was a guidebook for African-American road trippers written by Victor Hugo Green, to help them find motels and restaurants that would accept them in an age when in America's deep south especially, open and often legally prescribed discrimination against non-whites was widespread. The film has garnered generally positive Reviews and has grossed US$62M from its US$23M production budget so far.

The film opens up in the Copacabana Club, a busy New York nightclub, where Frank 'Tony Lip' Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) is employed as a bouncer, sometime during the early '60's. Tony is a hard working family man of Italian decent who loves his wife dearly and their two young sons. He also smokes heavily, eats a lot, gambles from time to time to supplement his income, and chats non-stop, having gained the nickname Tony Lip when he was a young lad because of his bullshitting prowess. He is pretty well connected in the Italian-American circles around the Bronx where he has lived his entire life, and held in high regard by his employer who calls upon Tony's special set of skills when customers get too boisterous, step over the line and need a heavier hand to help them out the door and onto the street. Tony however, and his other nightclub working colleagues find themselves out of work temporarily when the Club shuts down for major refurbishments in the two months leading up to Christmas. Tony is not too worried about finding work as he is 'flush' at the moment, despite being offered some questionable work assignments by family and friends within his community.

Tony gets wind of a driving job and is invited to an interview with 'Doc' Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) a world-class Jamaican-American jazz pianist and composer, who is about to embark on an eight week concert tour in America's deep southern States in 1962, with a plan to return home by Christmas Eve. The Doc (he earned a Doctorate of Music, Psychology and Liturgical Arts) lives in a plush apartment directly above Carnegie Hall. On the strength of his references Don offers Tony the driving gig on US$100 per week plus expenses, which Tony negotiates up to US$125 plus expenses.

A few days later Don's record company deliver a brand new hire car to his house, together with an explicit set of instructions for Tony to look after Mr. Shirley. They pay Tony half the money up front with the other 50% balance when the pair return home successfully having made each one of Don's tours dates. Tony bids his wife Dolores (Linda Cardellini) and his two lads farewell, and he sets off in convoy with another identical vehicle driven by the two other members of the Don Shirley Trio. Tony swings by Carnegie Hall to collect his Client, load up the car and off they go on their two month road trip of America's Deep South, armed with a copy of the 'Green Book' - a guide for black travellers to find motels, restaurants, and filling stations that would serve coloureds.

And so the long road trip begins, with Tony chatting away, smoking heavily and eating behind the wheel, while Don sits comfortably in the back seat taking in the scenery, trying to read, and enjoy a relaxing journey. Tony and Don initially do not see eye to eye as Tony feels ill at ease in being asked to act in a more refined and dignified manner which is alien to this brash Italian, while Don is disgusted by Tony's eating and smoking habits and constant chatter.

As the tour moves ever onward into the deep southern States, Tony becomes more and more impressed with Don's talent on the piano, and equally more and more appalled by the discriminatory treatment that the very talented concert pianist receives by their hosts and the general public when he is not performing on stage.

One night when staying in a less than desirable hotel for coloured folk, Don takes his leave to find a bar. A group of white men threaten Don's life in a bar and Tony is called by the other two members of the trio to rescue him. Tony successfully faces off against the four would be attackers, and out in the car park he instructs Don not to go out without him for the rest of the tour, as it is too unsafe for him to do so in these parts. Don reluctantly agrees.

Upon leaving New York, Dolores asked Tony to send letters updating her and the boys on his journey, and the experience. Throughout the journey, Tony pens the letters and sends them home. Eventually noticing this, Don intervenes and asks to help. Tony agrees and with Don's help the letters become more sentimental and loving which deeply impact Dolores. Tony learns through idle conversation that Don has a brother whom he has become estranged from. Tony suggests that Don should reach out and get in touch but Don is reluctant, stating that he has become isolated by his demanding professional life and what he has been able to achieve.

At another stopover Don is found in the custody of a pair of local Policemen at a YMCA swimming pool, where he had a gay liaison with a young white man. Tony makes a donation (rather than bribing, because that would be illegal) to the two officers to prevent Don's arrest by utilising some of his quick witted fast paced convincing chatter that earned him his name in the first place. Don is mortified that Tony 'rewarded' the officers for their treatment by offering to purchase the men two brand new suits from a tailor in town that Tony and Don had stopped at earlier in the day. 

Later, the two are arrested after another pair of Police Officers pull them over late at night in the pouring rain while cruising through a sundown town lost. One of the Officers insults Tony who punches him to the ground. While they are locked up in a holding cell, Don asks to call his lawyer, but instead uses the opportunity to use his clout and reach out to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who orders the senior Police Officer in charge personally to release them. Tony is amazed by this turn of events and Don's friends in high places, while Don is humiliated. This results in an argument where Tony angrily considers himself 'blacker' than Don. Having reached his breaking point, Don laments that his wealth and success has prevented him from identifying with people of his own race while his race prevents him from being accepted by white people, making him feel truly isolated and alone in the world.

With the end of the road in sight, the pair pull into Birmingham, Alabama for the final performance of their two month tour. They pull up to a stately looking and grand hotel and are welcomed at the front door by the Hotel Manager like they are royalty. They are escorted through the hotel's back of house areas where Don is shown his 'dressing room' - no more than a broom cupboard just adjacent to the kitchen. Tony is shown to his room and he mentions to Don that he'll meet him in the restaurant for a quick dinner before that night's performance. Tony is suited and booted and already eating when Don arrives. But Don is refused entry by the Maitre 'd into the whites-only restaurant, yet he is good enough to be treated like royalty upon arrival, and good enough to play for the paying white guests, but not good enough to share their dining space. Tony threatens the Hotel Manager and Don refuses to perform.

Checking out earlier than planned and more abruptly, Tony takes Don to get dinner at a predominantly black Blues Bar where Don is encouraged to play the piano used by the house band. He gets the gathered crowd dancing and raises the roof with his Rock & Roll rendition of Little Richard. Afterwards, Tony and Don decide to head back to New York and try to make it home by Christmas Eve seeing as though they made an earlier than planned getaway. As they get further north a snow storm sets in and driving through blizzard conditions, Don eventually takes over driving duty when Tony almost falls asleep at the wheel. They make it in time for Tony's family Christmas Eve get together, to which he invites Don. The latter returns to his apartment above Carnegie Hall but ends up returning to Tony's apartment armed with a bottle of festive Champagne where he is welcomed by everyone. Following a brief moment of silence Dolores gives Don a big hug and whispers her thanks in his ear for helping Tony write his letters.

'Green Book' is a delightful film thanks to the two strong performances of its leads and the obvious chemistry that exists between the pairing, the nuances that Mortensen and Ali imbue their characters with, and the deft touch by Director Peter Farrelly. In many respects this is a road trip film that you have seen countless times before and perhaps most notably in 'Driving Miss Daisy' only this time around its a white man who is the chauffeur, and personal Butler, hired muscle and general problem solver to a black man who is considerably more educated, articulate, sophisticated, detailed, well groomed and well off than his driver. It's a story of how polar opposites attract, both racially and culturally, and while there is the initial friction between the pair, they both ultimately learn from each other, grow to respect each other for their differences and forge a long lasting friendship, and from this too you can reference all the bi-racial buddy cop movies of the '70's, '80's and '90's - think 'Lethal Weapon', '48 Hours', 'Beverly Hills Cop', 'Men In Black' and even 'Pulp Fiction'. This a crowd pleaser of a film that delivers a strong message that is as relevant today as it was back then, and if a little cliched in places, is underpinned by performances from the two leads that deserve all the accolades bestowed upon them, and a Director whose usual stable of adult comedic gross out offerings here takes a back seat and delivers a quieter paced film that is subtle in its comedy offerings underpinned by a dramatic and at times emotional true story.

'Green Book' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-