What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 5th June 2014

With an Australian long weekend looming, and the winter chills taking a grip on our evenings, there is no better time to get out to your nearest movie theatre and sit in a darkened room, in a comfortable chair accompanied by a bunch of strangers gawping up at a big screen film experience unfolding before your very eyes and ears. Once again this week there is a diverse offering to give you plenty of choice whether it's alien invasion sic-fi; alien sexual encounters lo-fi that don't end well and leave you pondering; a 20th Century plucked out of Hollywood icon bio-pic; a teenage romantic cancer weepie; and ex-squaddies returning home to belt out a few 'Proclaimers' sing-a-longs!

Get out amongst it over the coming week and catch a movie, and then let me know what you thought!

SUNSHINE ON LEITH (Rated PG) - this is the story of a couple of likely lads returning from their tour of duty in Afghanistan to their home town of Leith to settle into the routine of a life on civi-street! Mates get reunited, there is a wedding in the offing, and along the way four fellas strike up an ensemble piece that is all tribute to 'The Proclaimers' back catalogue set amongst the trials and tribulations of life in everyday Leith. Directed by Dexter Fletcher and starring a bunch of known British acting talent, this is a feel good sing-a-long movie that will have you humming '500 miles' long after the credits have rolled, and leave you with a big smile on your face.

UNDER THE SKIN (Rated MA15+) - Scarlett Johansson plays a voluptuous wide-eyed lone woman stalking the streets of Scotland in search of men upon which to curb her voracious sexual appetite. Filmed almost entirely from her point of view, this is the story of an alien that has adopted the body that Johansson now inhabits. After several conquests which end horribly for the males in question, she begins to question the meaning of her life and those around her as she analyses those she comes into contact with, what she observes of life on Earth, and its true value. There is almost certainly a moral to this story that will keep you thinking beyond the end. As for Johansson's performance - very much out of the box this one that demonstrates the range she is capable of. 'Under the Skin' has garnered mixed reviews so far - you decide!

GRACE OF MONACO (Rated PG) - already there has been much publicity for this bio-pic of Grace Kelly, aka, Princess Grace of Monaco as depicted on screen by our very own Nicole Kidman. Much of that publicity has been far from flattering, with the critics jumping straight in with their views, opinions and critiques immediately following this years recent Cannes Film Festival which this film opened, describing it as wooden, amongst other choice descriptives. Even the Monaco Royalty have publicly distanced themselves from this film depiction of the famous lady and the events that unfolded at that time. On the strength of those global condemnations this film is likely to disappear down the same deep dark chasm as Naomi Watt's bio-pic of last year 'Diana'. 

Starring Nicole Kidman in the title role with the likes of Tim Roth, Paz Vega, Parker Posey, Derek Jacobi, Robert Lindsay and Frank Langella you could be forgiven for thinking that some of this acting talent might be a little misplaced playing the likes of Prince Rainier III (Roth) and Aristotle Onassis (Lindsay). Set in the early 60's the story plays out amidst Grace's struggles between Hollywood, her marriage, her identity and the political intrigue at the time in that State. Bio-pic or fairytale (as it has also been described) or nightmare as Director, Olivier Dahan, might now be thinking, all of this is history that is well documented and well known and of course ends in tragedy - sounds like art imitating life . . . or is it the other way around!

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (Rated M) - no easy subject matter this one - a teenage cancer sufferer intent on making the most of life and what might be left of it (played out by Shailene Woodley, last seen in 'Divergent') with her young love interest (Ansel Elgort, also last seen in 'Divergent') who take the bull by the horns and between them stoically, positively, humorously and without self-pity confront what life has to throw at them making the most of every moment and each other. Also starring Laura Dern and Willem Dafoe this is a battling the odds, teen tragi-romance tear jerker that will have you reaching for the Kleenex by time the credits roll.

EDGE OF TOMORROW (Rated M) - Live, Die, Repeat; Live, Die, Repeat; Live, Die, Repeat - is the premise for this latest Tom Cruise offering that might best be described as 'Groundhog Day' for the on-line gamer age. Directed by Doug Liman (he of 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith', 'Jumper' and the 'Bourne' series fame) and also starring Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and Brenda Gleeson this film is based on the novel 'All You Need is Kill' by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, and set in a future Europe that has been laid to waste following an alien attack. Tom Cruise is a lead man in a UK based 'United Defence Force' but some internal wranglings see him demoted and pushed out into the field to fight invading aliens. Waking on the first day of demoted life we soon learn that this is also his second to last day alive and each time he is dispatched to fight he must die, only to come back and relive that day time and again, each time learning a little more about the aliens, the attack and what he must do ultimately to thwart the ongoing invasion. This is where the film takes on a multi-level gaming experience, where Cruise must master one level before he can successfully move onto the next and claim ultimate victory aided and abetted along the way by Trainer and Mentor, Emily Blunt. Liman we know is capable of delivering the action, the set pieces and the spectacle, and Tom Cruise eats this stuff up with his usual gusto and determination, being described as one of his finest performances in a goodly while.

Enjoy the week, enjoy the movies - see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-