What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 17th July 2014.

Like last week there are only three new releases to entice your movie going dollar from out of your wallet. It's mid-Winter, the days are getting decidedly colder, the school holidays are done, and there are no mega budget big action blockbusters on the immediate horizon (although plenty still doing the rounds). So what's going to tempt you out to your local movie theatre on a cold mid-Winter afternoon or evening - three very different offerings once again, that's what! For starters we have a love story set way back when in the land of the recent Soccer World Cup, then we have a love story caught in many compromising positions about to go viral, and then we have a love story (of sorts) dedicated to the indigenous people of our land and their struggle with the white settler.

Whatever you decide to go and see this coming week - one of the new releases Previewed below, or one Previewed in prior weeks or indeed Reviewed by this humble Correspondent, then don't hide your opinion under a bushel, instead tell my other Reader what you think and post it to my Blog while it's still fresh in your movie memory banks! Enjoy the experience nonetheless.

CHARLIE'S COUNTRY (Rated M) - Directed by Rolf de Heer, this is his third collaboration with Australia's finest indigenous and much lauded actor, David Gulpilil starring as the Charlie in this piece, and based to some extent on Gulpilil's own life experiences. Following on from 'The Tracker' and then 'Ten Canoes' in 2002 and 2006 respectively, this story tells of Charlie's life on the land as a happy-go-lucky good natured fella doing what his ancestors did for centuries before him. However, this is the 21st Century and times ain't what they used to be - no alcohol, no unlicensed guns (or spears, or bows) for hunting, and a land run by the white fella, across a territory that he once used to call his own. Charlie is at a point in his life when it's time to reconnect with the old country, and what follows is life changing for Charlie as he tramples the withered barren fractured landscape of Arnhem Land looking for answers. His journey to becoming wiser as result leads to discovery, trouble and run-ins with the local Police, local communities and other black fellas who don't share his spirit. This film has thus far garnered much praise for the achievements of both Gulpilil and de Heer for its sense of purpose, its conviction, and in highlighting further the plight of Australia's indigenous population at the hands of it's white settlers.

SEX TAPE (Rated MA15+) - the complete polar opposite of the
film Previewed above - this comedy stars Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz in the lead roles, and for whom the said Sex Tape must be recovered. Directed by Jake Kasdan the story surrounds Jay (Segel) and Annie (Diaz) who have been married for ten years and two children later whose lust life is not quite what it once was. Deciding to spruce things up a bit and rekindle that old flame, they decide to try every position as shown in the 'Joy of Sex' book over a marathon three hour session one evening. . . and in the process record their bedroom Olympics (just for posterity I suppose, and perhaps for the Grand Kids to watch one day!!!). Of course their recording goes AWOL and quickly becomes a risk of going viral in cyberspace, unless they can thwart that notion, but in doing so uncover more than they bargain for. My guess is that this movie will exploit every sex cliche in the book, and will unfold in true 'by the numbers' fashion. Diaz proved she was capable of so much more in 'The Counsellor', and here she is straight back doing this titillating stuff that we have seen in some shape or form countless times before. You decide, and then let me know if I got it wrong!

REACHING FOR THE MOON (Rated M) - here we have another very different offering to the two films Previewed above, and this one will suit more mature audiences given the historical subject matter and the performances and spectacle on screen. This film traces the true story of American poet, Elizabeth Bishop (played by Miranda Otto) and Brazillian Architect Lota de Macedo Soares (played by Gloria Pires) set amidst the backdrop of the early 60's when Brazil was still an infant country and its development was only just beginning. For the time Lota was an extroverted idealistic visionary whose influence inspired many buildings and landscapes of that era, but her optimism for the times often masked darker periods in her life and those events unfolding around her. Elizabeth is more reserved, detached and cold perhaps, but she is creative, generous and there is clearly more than a spark of longing between the two woman, that is thrown into some disarray when Lota former lover, Mary, reappears on the scene. This film is Directed by Bruno Baretto who gives us a rich, colourful nuanced film that is likely to draw you in as much for its subject matter as for its fine performances, historical content, and the beauty of the imagery presented to us.

So there you have it! Get yourself off the sofa and get yourself out to a movie theatre this coming week to catch one of the above new release offerings, or something Previewed or Reviewed in a former Post. When you've done that let me know what you think by Posting a Comment or two for the sake of our global movie going readership.

Movies . . . see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-