What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 24th September 2015.

The Adelaide Film Festival kicks off in mid-October featuring over 180 films for a ten day period from October 15th until 25th with local South Australian content, Australian films, and international offerings with ten films in competition all receiving their Australian Premier screening. Those that are kick off with Cate Blanchett's latest offering 'Carol' after gaining critical acclaim at Cannes earlier this year, with others 'Freeheld', 'Office', 'Lamb', 'Father', 'Gold Coast', 'Tanna', '316', 'Neon Bull' and 'Looking for Grace'. Scott Hicks new film 'Highly Strung' gets its World Premier at the Festival Opening Night Gala, with 'Youth' starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda bringing the festival to a close on 25th. If you are in the Adelaide locale in the latter half of October head on to the Palace Nova and Mercury Cinemas for more films in a ten day period than you can shake a choc top at.

This week however, there are six new cinematic offerings with which to tease, tempt and tussle you to a movie theatre kicking off with those damn pesky drug barons down Mexico way looking to create a snow storm as one fanciful FBI Agent seeks to bring it all crashing down. Then there is a past master of the horror genre who went off the rails a bit, but seemingly is back on track with this tale of outback country shenanigans with things that go bump in the night with an old couple up to no good down in the woods today! Then there is murder, mystery, mayhem and music in a sleepy English town where this grizzly story unfolds before the townsfolk can move on with their lives; and after this, two stories with the back-drop of the 70's - one in SanFran and the other in deepest darkest Melbourne but both totally separate; and wrapping up, an origin story involving a much loved character setting out on his own voyage of discovery.

So many films, so little time, but when you have made time to watch any one of the below Previewed films remember to drop a Comment below this or any other Post and showcase your filmic views, opinions and observations to the wider Bloggersphere. Enjoy your film.

SICARIO (Rated MA15+) - there is a very strong pedigree behind this film that should assure it of a high degree of success. Director Denis Villeneuve, Cinematographer Roger Deakins, and starring Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio del Toro, Jon Bernthal and Victor Garber this film was made for US$30M and was in competition for the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May this year and is going out on general release now. 'Sicario' is cartel slang for 'hitman', and in the context of this film surrounds the drug war between the US and its border with Mexico. This, as you know, has been the subject of many a film over the years, but, already this film has garnered much interest and much acclaim for its gritty, raw, emotional and violent portrayal of the impact that the war on drugs has on those associated with it - directly and indirectly.

Our story here surrounds an idealistic FBI Agent Kate Mercer (Emily Blunt) who is tasked with chasing down a Mexican drug lord. She is operating under the watchful eye of an undercover assassin with a mysterious and questionable past and who is almost beyond the law, Alejandro (Benicio del Toro), and has been engaged by a special government task force to fight the ever escalating war on drugs, led by Matt Graver (Josh Brolin). As the Team get deeper and deeper into the war between duelling drug lords, so Agent Mercer must question her own moral compass, the fine line between right and wrong, and all the things she believes in to survive the battle she has been thrust in to. A must watch, and slated as one of the films of the year.

THE VISIT (Rated M) - M. Night Shyamalan has failed to ignite the success of his early offerings with  'The Sixth Sense' and 'Unbreakable', and so this time around he has Written, Produced and Directed and taken his destiny into his own hands with this dark horror thriller comedy that he made for a lean US$5M of his own hard earned cash and has so far realised a return of US$39M. The film sees brother and sister Tyler and Becca respectively (Ed Oxenbould and Olivia DeJonge) who get packed off to outback Pennsylvania to spend a week with their maternal grandparents Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) and Nana (Deanna Dunagan) whom they have never met, while Mum (Kathryn Hahn) sails off into the sunset on a cruise with the new boyfriend. Once grandparents and grandkids get acquainted, all is going swimmingly until things start to go bump in the night and some strange happenings with the oldies start to occur, that make the young kids wonder if they'll ever make it home.

LONDON ROAD (Rated MA15+) - From 'Fury Road' to 'London Road' with 'Locke' and 'Legend' in between Tom Hardy is snapping up just about every role there is going - action epic, violent bio-pic, small independent and now art-house musical murder mystery. Directed by Rufus Norris, 'London Road' tells the true life story of a street in Ipswich, in England that back in 2006 became the centre of attention across the nation for all the wrong reasons. When the bodies of five women were found in Ipswich the residents of London Road found themselves at the centre of a multiple murder case - in their own back yards and on their doorsteps! The events that unfolded during the investigations surrounding the serial killing murders of five prostitutes who used to work the nearby streets, and the arrest and subsequent conviction of Steve Wright were picked up by the National Theatre and turned into a stage play that was originally Directed by Norris, who has now committed the story to celluloid and turned it into a musical - but not perhaps the kind you would expect! Using word for word dialogue of those real residents embroiled at the centre of the murder case and interviewed at the time, their stories come together through conversation, emotion, observation and anecdotes to showcase how they rallied around and came out the other end. Tom Hardy stars with Olivia Coleman and Anita Dobson.

CUT SNAKE (Rated MA15+) - This Australian thriller is Directed by Tony Ayres and takes its title from the Aussie saying 'as mad as a cut snake' - meaning stay away because that critter is mightily pissed off! And so it is here, as this film takes us back to the mid-70's Melbourne where Sparra Farrell (Alex Russell), a young guy in his mid-20's living a quiet life, working an honest job and has hooked up with a lovely young girl Paula (Jessica de Gouw). Things are going well as he tries to put his violent, darker past behind him and build a new life . . . until Pommie (Sullivan Stapleton) turns up. This ex-cell mate is a charismatic, foreboding man who quickly turns Sparra's life on its head and he finds himself heading into those bad old ways he has earlier turned his back on, and all the while he has Paula to consider and what she means to him.

THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL (Rated MA15+) - Written and Directed by Marielle Heller and based on the semi-autobiographical graphic novel of the same name by Phoebe Gloeckner this takes us back too to the mid-70's but this time San Francisco, where 15 year old would-be cartoonist Minnie Goetze (Bel Powley) gets it on for the first time with her mothers boyfriend Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard), and despite the twenty year age difference between them she relishes her first sexual experience, the awakening within her, and her desire for more. This coming of age story in the time of free-love, sex, drugs, and the American way she records in an audio diary and through her animated scribblings which move this unique story along in a non-judgemental emotional funny and provocative way. Krsiten Wiig stars as Charlotte - Minnie's mother. This has already garnered much positive press for its strong storyline, it's fresh approach to the teenage sexual awakening genre, solid performances and it has won several awards around the festival circuit on its way to our cinemas.

PAN (Rated PG) - Director Joe Wright has taken US$150M and turned this Peter Pan story into an origin tale that takes us way back when young twelve year old Peter (Aussie newcomer Levi Miller) was wet behind the ears and totally clueless about the ways of the world and what fate held in store for him. Whisked away to Neverland, Peter finds fun, adventure, excitement and danger around every corner but he meets new friends James Hook (no hook as yet, Garrett Hedlund) and Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara) who will help him thwart the pirate Blackbeard (Hugh Jackman) whilst discovering his true identity and purpose in life so sending him on his way as the much loved Peter Pan.

Six cracking reasons to get out amongst a bunch of like minded strangers to a warm dark place with a bright light, deafening surround sound, pre-show ads that go on for way too long, and a candy bar full of sugary tasty snacks that you don't really want, but you'll buy anyway. When you've done all this, share your thoughts . . . and then do it all over again next time!

See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-