What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 2nd June 2016.

Launched first in 1954 and this year celebrating its 63rd year, the Sydney Film Festival opens its doors to film buffs, movie lovers, those working in front of the camera and behind it, critics, sponsors, the media and the general public on Wednesday 8th June and runs for twelve days until Saturday 19th June. As one of the worlds longest established film festivals this twelve day festival event includes over 250 screenings across Sydney at The State Theatre, the George Street Event Cinema multiplex, The Cremorne Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, the Dendy Opera Quays and Newtown, The Art Gallery of New South Wales and Blacktown's Skyline Drive-In amongst others. With a number of worldwide and national Premier's screening you can expect a varied, colourful, diverse, emotional, engaging and compelling line up of films that takes in features, short films, animation, and documentaries from around the world together with interviews, tributes, perspectives, retrospectives and special presentations.

And of course there are those films in official competition and those also competing for other awards. The festival opens with 'Goldstone'  - a modern day Aussie outback Western Directed by Ivan Sen and starring David Wenham, Jackie Weaver, Aaron Pedersen, Alex Russell and David Gulpilil having its World Premier. Closing the festival will be 'Love & Friendship' Directed and Written for the Screen by Whit Stillman and starring Kate Beckinsale, Chloe Savigny and Xavier Samuel in this adaptation of Jane Austen's unfinished 'Lady Susan', and having its Australian Premier here. For more information on the Sydney Film Festival, go to : www.sff.org.au I'll provide a further update next week too.

This week then we have four new films to get you out to a movie theatre near you with the onset of a Southern Hemisphere Winter with cooler evenings but still some pretty hot offerings of the cinematic kind. First up is the sequel to a commercially successful, if only mildly critically successful, first instalment of just three years ago featuring an ensemble cast and lots of trickery pokery, sleight of hand, illusions and magical stuff. That same cast is reunited with some added talent (including the master wizard of them all) for more of the same, but different! Then we have a Wall Street offering in which a vast sum of money goes magically missing much to the chagrin to one disgruntled investor who takes matters into his own hands and wants answers, the truth and retribution all in front of a national live TV audience. Next up is a historical biopic of epic proportions with sand, camels, tents, sand, oases, sand, more sand and a human drama surrounding one multi-tasking lady of yesteryear - and it's not Lara Croft either; before wrapping up with our Italian foreign language film of the week surrounding a heart surgeon, his son and the Priesthood.

As always, feel free to share your views, opinions and observations of your movie experience in the coming week by leaving your Comment in the box below this or any other Post - we'd love to hear from you.  In the meantime, enjoy your film.

'NOW YOU SEE ME : THE SECOND ACT' (Rated M) - 2013's first instalment in this magic heist adventure offering was Directed by Louis Leterrier, comprised an all star cast, and despite its largely mixed critical reviews it made US$352M from its US$75M production budget and was therefore hailed a commercial success at least. Three short years later, and as if by magic we have a sequel up our sleeve this time Directed by Jon M. Chu with much of that original line up reprising their roles. Those being Mark Ruffalo, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman joined by Lizzy Caplan replacing Isla Fisher with Daniel Radcliffe joining the magic circle too. With such a cast of A-listers, illusionists and magicians this can't help but be a success . . . can it?

Essentially one year on from cleverly outwitting the FBI with a grand illusion to end all grand illusions whilst winning over the confidence, respect and support of the general public, 'The Four Horsemen' (no, not those from 'X-Men : Apocalypse') reappear for an encore performance in the hopes of exposing the unethical dealings of a tech magnate. The man behind the new jaw dropping disappearing extravaganza is Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe) who threatens the Four Horsemen with a daring seemingly impossible heist, or expose them to the FBI to suffer the consequences. Their only hope is to pull off perhaps their must daring complex stunt yet in the hope of clearing their names and exposing the brains behind that trick. With talks underway for an already confirmed 'Now You See Me 3' it looks like the The Four Horsemen will survive to ride another day, and perform more sleight of hand for your disbelieving pleasure.

'MONEY MONSTER' (Rated M) - This is Jodie Foster's fourth Directorial outing after 'Little Man Tate', 'Home for the Holidays', and 'The Beaver' and in this Wall Street set thriller she teams up with George Clooney who Co-Produces and Julia Roberts in the lead roles with Jack O'Connell as the mightily pissed off investor. Made for US$27M the film has so far recouped US$53M since its mid-May Premier at Cannes and its release Stateside that same day. Telling the story of Wall Street financial wunderkind Lee Gates (George Clooney) who appears on his own popular cable channel finance show 'Money Monster' who gets interrupted one episode mid-way through a broadcast by Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) claiming to have lost $60K - his life savings - after a hot investment tip given by Gates live on air tanked and investors lost a total $800M. Budwell live to air takes Gates hostage, makes him wear a bomb vest and promptly demands answers how his sage advice could have been so wrong - or suffer the consequences, and die! Supported by long time Director Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) the there embark on a game of cat & mouse to uncover the truth of what really happened, before it all goes horribly wrong in front of a live television audience.

'QUEEN OF THE DESERT' (Rated M) - less to do with Priscilla, and more to do with Gertrude Margaret Lothian Bell who lived from 1868 until 1926, and it is her life upon which this film is based. She was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, spy and archaeologist and here is portrayed by Nicole Kidman in this Werner Herzog Directed film for which he also wrote the Screenplay. The film chronicles the life of Gertrude Bell as she explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her knowledge and contacts, built up through extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. The film also stars Robert Pattinson as T.E.Lawrence, James Franco as Henry Cadogan, Damian Lewis as Charles Doughty-Wylie, Christopher Fulford as Winston Churchill, and Jenny Agutter as Florence Bell. Filmed principally in Morocco and Jordan involving mostly local cast & crew, the film Premiered in Berlin in February 2015, was released in Germany last September, and now only has its release in Australia. If sweeping epic biographical historical dramas are for you, then this will be right up your sand dune!

'GOD WILLING' (Rated PG) - known by its Italian title 'Se Dio vuole' this Italian language film is Directed and Co-Written by Edorado Maria Falcone and has been seen around the film festival circuit and has picked up a small handful of awards and nominations in doing so since its release date in April last year. The story here surrounds Tommaso (Marco Giallini) as a successful yet arrogant heart surgeon who also happens to be an atheist. Married to Carla (Laura Morante), they have two children Bianca (Ilaria Spada) who is a waster and has no time for anyone or anything and Andrea (Enrico Oetiker) a brilliant career minded med student who has designs on following in his fathers footsteps, much to the joy of proud Tommaso. But Andrea is changing and one day he gathers the family around to break the news that he has found Jesus, and wishes to become a Priest - much to the horror of his atheist father. Believing his son to be brainwashed at the hands of Don Pietro (Alessandro Gassman) he starts to find ways to undermine and expose the Priesthood and Don Pietro before its too late, but of course plans are sure not to go according to plan, and where will all of this leave Andrea having seen the light along the path of righteousness?

Four new films to tease you out to your local movie theatre as we move into Winter well & truly here in Australia. Share your views with us all here when you have sat through your movie of choice, and in the meantime I'll see you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-