What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 6th August 2015.

These days you can pick up just about any book, magazine or social media page and there'll be the greatest, the best, the worst, the most this, that and the other of all time, to stuff you should eat, drink, go, see and listen to before you die, and just about everything in between. We seem to have an insatiable appetite for someone's else opinion of the good, the bad and the ugly in life that is rated on some kind of scale and tells us just how many and what is considered great, best, most, worst or whatever!

And so last month I read with interest such a poll of the 300 Greatest Movies Of All Time as published in a certain popular Australian movie magazine that shall go nameless, but to which I have loyally subscribed since issue #1. Of those 300 I have seen 218, all 30 out of the Top 30, and 48 out of the Top 50. I'm fascinated by this stuff which of course is just someone else's opinion, often regurgitated, who may consider themselves an authority on the subject, and which can then be sliced, diced, repackaged and churned out again for another unsuspecting reader to dive into . . . like me! It got me thinking how much people take note of such lists, but I guess it must be a lot - because the magazines sell, the books get published, people 'like' the social media commentary and another Critic, Reviewer, Author or Blogger will publish another such list tomorrow no doubt!

Speaking of which, this week ahead there are four new films with which to tempt, that include a reboot of a superhero franchise that first appeared in a two film series in 2005; then an Aussie stage play based on a true story road trip now adapted for the big screen; a RomCom of a mis-matched pair consisting a OTT party girl and her would be boyfriend; and finally a foreign language life & death drama comedy that seems to have divided audiences but is likely to provoke thought & discussion.

In the coming week when you have sat through your movie of choice, drop your like minded cinema going readers a Comment, following this or any other Post, and share your own views, opinions, observations and critique of your movie experience with Odeon Online. Enjoy your film.

FANT4STIC FOUR (Rated M) - Back in 2005 Marvel released its first 'Fantastic Four' offering as Directed by Tim Story and made for US$100M grossing US$331M. Whilst a reasonable commercial success only, it was hardly hailed as a critical one, but, nonetheless it spawned a sequel in 2007 with 'Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer' also Directed by Tim Story and made for US$130M but grossing only US290M this time around. Proving that you can do less with more, the Fantastic Foursome were mothballed as Marvel Studios, as they were to become, rolled out more & more of its rich comic catalogue, developed new franchises based on its source material, got bigger and better at it and raked in mega-bucks along the way! Which brings us up to 2015 and those fantastic guys have been bought out of retirement in a reboot costing US$122M with Josh Trank in the Director chair.

You know the story here but in case you don't, essentially four mere humans are thrust together and end up teleporting to a alternate universe (as you do!) and in so doing so have their physical form altered and new weird wonderful and wild powers and abilities bestowed upon them. Upon returning to life as the know it they discover their new found powers and so have to learn to control them and harness them as they are pitched against an old friend turned foe who threatens to bring our little green & blue planet to its knees! Starring Miles Teller as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Kate Mara as Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, with Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm/Thing and Toby Kebbell as Victor von Doom/Doctor Doom. With this first retelling already generating a sufficient amount of pre-release buzz, the sequel has been announced for June 9th 2017, and with Marvel's track record since that 2007 film there is little doubt that this will be a success. Fantastic!

TRAINWRECK (Rated MA15+) - Directed and Produced by Judd Apatow, this film was Written by, and Stars Amy Schumer as Amy Townsend a thirty something magazine writer who lives an over the top existence of men, booze, parties, promiscuity and complete lack of commitment to just about anything & everything. It is what her Dad told her 25 years earlier and the ongoing philosophy by which she has lived her life. Working at S'Nuff Mens Magazine she is tasked by her Boss, Dianna (Tilda Swinton) that she needs to write an article on a well known Sports Doctor, Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), even though she knows nothing about sports, doctors and doesn't want the gig! She has to go along with it and while interviewing the Doctor, researching her piece for the article and getting to know Conners she finds herself unwittingly falling for the guy (horror of horrors, what's a girl to do?) It seems also that the feeling is mutual and Conners is attracted to Townsend too. As time progresses and the couple realise they have much in common Townsend comes to learn that maybe the whole commitment thing isn't so bad after all and maybe it's time to get serious about being serious!

LAST CAB TO DARWIN (Rated M) - Originally a stage play released in 2003 under the same name, this big screen adaptation of the Reg Cribb story is based on the true life of taxi driver Max Bell who in the early 90's was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and chose to drive from Broken Hill in New South Wales to Darwin in the Northern Territory so he could end his life there by voluntary euthanasia. Here our taxi driver is called Rex and is played by Michael Caton who embarks on this epic road trip to end it all on his own terms and with some dignity still intact, but along his journey up to Darwin he learns a lot about himself and others, and that dying is as much about living as it is about sharing and caring. Also starring Jacki Weaver as Dr. Farmer and Directed by Jeremy Sims.

THE FAREWELL PARTY (Rated M) - Coincidentally another offering tackling the touchy subject of euthanasia, but this time set in an Jerusalem aged care facility where the residents have secretly built a device to allow the user to self-euthanise, which they intend to allow a terminally ill dear & close friend use. However, as more & more people become aware of the machine, so demand for its use increases, and so the group of friends have to deal with the decisions this forces them into, and the emotional upheaval that goes with this territory. Directed and Written by Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon this film stars local talent Ze'ev Revach as Yehezkel and Levana Finkelstein as Levana as ageing husband and wife team, and has so far picked up nine award wins and a further eleven nominations. This poignant dark comedy is a tale of compassion, friendship, love, loss and deciding when it's time to call it a day!

Four to choose from, and I'm not sure they're all fantastic but with two treading a similar pathway, another off the rails and the last off the planet there is choice it must be said that will give you something to ponder, something to discuss and debate, something to escape into and something that you may want to 'snog, marry, avoid'! Whatever you select for your filmic enjoyment in the week ahead, share your thoughts and maybe add another to your own list of movie recommendations as you compile you own 300 Best, Biggest, Baddest and Boldest films in the known universe stretching out to infinity and beyond!

See you at the Odeon!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-