What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 20th August 2015.

Having ventured back to the mildly warmer climatic conditions of Sydney over the weekend to celebrate the Birthday of yours truly, I now find myself back in Adelaide 24 hours later still shivering in what I am told is the coldest Winter in 17 years! This makes me think of 'The Day After Tomorrow' when the world turned very cold all of a sudden, everyone froze on the spot and starred a cool 24 year old Jake Gyllenhaal who is also the lead in the up & coming rags to riches Boxing tale. Read on for more heart warming stuff!

For the week ahead there are four new filmic offerings coming to a multiplex or a small independent movie theatre near you. There are some big name attachments to these main stream movies this week that sit both in front and behind the camera that give us pugilistic emotion from an action Director and a transformative Actor at the top of his game; a holiday destination in the form of a reworked franchise from the early 80's that enjoyed reasonable success, but that was then, and this is now!; then some philosophical commotion with a long term perennial Writer Director still going strong both sides of his camera; and wrapping up with a crime dramedy infusion of 90's hip-hop, punk, drugs and kids on the run.

A right old mix then from which to choose, and when you have done so, and sat through your movie preference this week ahead, drop us all a Comment at Odeon Online and share your experience with us other like minded movie geeks below this, or any other Post. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

SOUTHPAW (Rated MA15+) - In case you didn't know it a 'Southpaw' is a left handed Boxer, and in this case we refer to here one very talented, beefed up, toned, muscled, six pack owning Jake Gyllenhaal in the role of Champion Boxer Billy Hope. Directed by Antoine Fuqua this film was made for US$25M and has already raked in over US$60M since its 24th July release Stateside. I don't mind a pugilistic film offering at all and have seen many, and when it stars Jake Gyllenhaal what other reason to you need to see a film? The story may be familiar offering little that is original or new, but it is the deft hand of the Director, strong performances from its lead especially and solid believable dialogue that carry this film forward, and ensures it punches above its weight.

As we join the story Boxer Billy Hope is defending his World Light Heavyweight Title which he does successfully but sustains an injury to his eye. Being at the height of his career and his popularity he enjoys all the trappings of success, and so do his family. After so many bouts and too many injuries he is convinced by his wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams) to retire, but soon afterwards tragedy strikes and Billy is very quickly taken from the top of his game to the bottom of the barrel. He risks losing everything and before things get better they of course get worse. Eventually, he realises that he needs to claw his way back up to regain his reputation, his integrity and custody of his young daughter. He enlists the help of gym owner and one time Boxer Titus Wills (Forest Whitaker) to become his trainer to give him another stab and claiming back his former titles and putting him once again in the spotlight. Oscar recognition has so far eluded Jake Gyllenhaal - could this be the one to do it for him? You decide!

DOPE (Rated MA15+) - Forest Whitaker is getting about a bit this week having a role in the aforementioned 'Southpaw' and turning up here on Producer and Narrator duties in this Rick Famuyiwa Directed film. 'Dope' was made for a meagre US$700K and has so far grossed US$17M since it's June release in the United States. The story here surrounds a bunch of teens living in the troubled L.A. suburb of Inglewood who hang out together and listen to 90's Hip Hop music and play in their own Punk revivalist band. A chance meeting with a drug dealer puts them in a night club celebrating a birthday party, but things get ugly and the gang flee unaware that a secret stash of Ecstasy has been holed away in a back pack carried by one of them. Needless to say the owners of the said stash want their spoils back and so the lads find themselves on the run from a bunch of tooled up thugs whom they must evade to survive and get on with their lives which they are trying to keep on track amidst various distractions of the teen kind. Starring Shameik Moore as Malcolm, Tony Revolori as Jib,  Kiersey Clemons as Diggy, Zoe Kravitz as Nakia and A$AP Rocky as Dom.

IRRATIONAL MAN (Rated M) - Woody Allen is back at it again with his 46th film as Director and this time starring Joaquin Phoenix as Professor of Philosophy Abe Lucas working at a small town college campus in no-name USA. He gets the hots for one of his students and hits on Jill Pollard  (Emma Stone) and the two have a relationship. Things get complicated when having a meal together one day they overhear a fellow diner recounting a story that she will lose custody of her children if she goes before a certain Judge. This unexpectedly gives meaning to Lucas's life and so he decides to take the law into his own hands, play the Good Samaritan and the Smiling Assassin all in one, and dispense with the Judge so that he cannot rule against the woman diner. When Pollard gets wind of this she urges Lucas to turn himself him, but of course not wanting to do this he decides to dispense with Pollard but things don't go quite according to plan with disastrous consequences for some! Parker Posey also stars.

VACATION (Rated MA15+) - The original National Lampoons film series of the 1980's were hugely successful and influential for their time with the initial film in the 'Vacation' series released in 1983 at a cost of US$15M and grossing US$62M. What followed was 'European Vacation' in '85, 'Christmas Vacation' in '89 and then 'Vegas Vacation' in '97. Now in 2015 we have a reboot, remake, retooling, and a reimagining of that series that introduced us to The Griswold's with the aptly named 'Vacation'. This time around original Daddy Griswold, Clark as played by Chevvy Chase is back in a cameo with Ed Helms playing Russell Griswold who packs up his nuclear dysfunctional family to head back to the theme park of theme parks, Walley World for a parental bonding road trip with the two sons in tow, ably assisted by Mum Debbie Griswold (Christina Applegate). Of course you can bet that before they even get out of the driveway that misadventure, mishap and mayhem is likely to ensue along the way, as their trip just goes from bad to worse and drags in various innocent bystanders and bemused onlookers en route! Was this really necessary I am thinking? Quite possibly a waste of US$31M but, it has raked in US$53M at the time of writing! Chris Hemsworth also stars, but I'm not sure why!

There you have it - four films of choice and all packed with something different. Get out amongst it and do yourself a favour in the week ahead by catching a latest release movie, and then share your experience with us here.

See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-