What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 7th July 2016.

Last week I reported on the first six months Box Office success stories from 2016 and their ranking in the all time Box Office league table. So this week I thought I'd analyse our local Australian market to see what we as a nation have so far favoured this year, and where we spent our hard earned dollar. Once again, taken from Box Office MoJo, the Top 10 films that Australian audiences flocked to see, with how much we spent, are listed below :-

• #1 - 'Deadpool' - released February - $33,314M
• #2 - 'Captain America : Civil War' - released April - $25,699M
• #3 - 'Finding Dory' - released June and still on general release - $22,916M
• #4 - 'The Jungle Book' - released April, and still showing in limited theatres - $22,534M
• #5 - 'Batman v. Superman : Dawn of Justice' - released March - $22,517M
• #6 - 'Zootopia' - released March - $21,242M
• #7 - 'The Revenant' - released January - $15,255M
• #8 - 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2' - released March - $11,697M
• #9 - 'X-Men : Apocalypse' - released May, and still showing in limited theatres - $11,392M
• #10 - 'Kung Fu Panda 3' - released March - $9,808M

Those sitting below but still in the Top 50 so far this year, and worthy of note are 'The Conjuring 2' at #13; 'The Angry Birds Movie' at #15; 'Now You See Me 2' at #18; 'Alice Through The Looking Glass' at #19; 'Independence Day : Resurgence' at #20; 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' at #23; 'The Hateful Eight' at #24; 'Warcraft : The Beginning' at #32; 'Spotlight' at #38; 'The BFG' at #48. Many of these are still on general release, and some only very recently so. What this shows once again is that we have an overwhelming appetite for comic book Superheroes, action fantasy, SciFi & CGI; the animated features do well for the kids dragging Mum & Dad along too; and well made drama will always find an audience.

Turning attention to this week then, there are five new movies coming to a cinema near you. Starting off with a hero who has seen plenty of film action over the last one hundred years, this is the first live action feature this century and with an all star cast and an accomplished Director, the jungle drums are beating, the wildlife is circling, and there's familiar yell through the trees that can only mean one man has returned. Then we go to the great Aussie outback that has a search for a missing girl amidst crime, corruption and cover-ups in a small mining community; followed up by a New York love triangle story that seems sure to raise more moral questions than it answers. We then have a true story surrounding the Revolution in Iran of 1979, and the impact on one particular family who went from hero to zero overnight and the lengths they went to in order to secure their safety & security when all about them was in turmoil; and wrapping up with two brothers needing to secure responsible, respectable dates with which to attend a family wedding, but needless to say things don't go quite according to plan.

With action, drama, comedy and romance on this weeks agenda, plus the raft of other great cinematic content still on general release and as Reviewed or Previewed between these pages, there is no excuse not to get out to your local movie theatre. When you have done so, be sure to drop your thoughts and film experience into the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear your views. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

'THE LEGEND OF TARZAN' (Rated M) - this tree swinging, loin cloth wearing, ape loving jungle hero turned 100 years old in 2012 - having first emerged as the subject of a novel 'Tarzan of the Apes' immortalised by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912. The first full length feature film appeared in 1918 with 51 subsequent live action and animated films since then right up to 2005. Perhaps the most memorable and loved Tarzan was played by Johnny Weissmuller - a record breaking swimmer and winner of five Olympic Gold medals at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics in Paris and Amsterdam respectively. His first film 'Tarzan the Ape Man' was released in 1932 and all up he made twelve appearances as the jungle hero. Buster Crabbe, another Olympic Swimmer of 1928 and 1932 appeared in 1933's 'Tarzan the Fearless' with Lex Barker starring in five films and Gordon Scott in six. By the 1970's Tarzan had largely had his time, albeit John Derrick's 'Tarzan the Ape Man' in 1981 with Miles O'Keefe; 'Greystoke : The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes' in 1984 with Christopher Lambert; 'Tarzan in Manhattan' and 'Tarzan Returns' in 1987 and 1996 both with Joe Lara, and then 'Tarzan and the Lost City' with Casper Van Dien in 1998 saw the last of the live action offerings. There have been four animated features since then - three from Disney Studios and as recently as 2005. Tarzan has a rich and colourful history taking in a multitude of films, television series, radio shows, theatre productions, novels, comic books, video games and action figures. And, there is a San Fernando Valley neighbourhood named 'Tarzana' established around a former ranch owned by the characters creator.

With the history lesson over how will this latest live action offering go in an era of Marvel dominated Superheroes, hi-technology, advanced gadgetry and otherworldly enemies? David Yates Directs an all star cast headed up by Alexander Skarsgard as our planet of the apes man for a cool US$180M that sees John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke (aka Tarzan) return to the African Congo from his home in London to thwart Captain Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz) a corrupt and ruthless Belgian officer sent by his King to search for diamonds and take control of the Region. He teams up with Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou) who controls the diamond trade and the Region but has a vendetta against Tarzan. Meanwhile, Tarzan and his wife Jane Porter (Margot Robbie) travel to the Congo with George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) to investigate stories of locals being enslaved. When paths cross, and the animal kingdom go on the rampage at the will of Tarzan, it will invariably come down to the survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle, and my money is on the loin cloth clad ape man! Jim Broadbent also stars.

'GOLDSTONE' (Rated M) - this film opened the Sydney Film Festival on 8th June and had its World Premier then, before going on general release in Australia this week. Directed and Written by Ivan Sen who also acted as Cinematographer and wrote the music score, this is the sequel to his highly acclaimed and multi-award winning and nominated 2013 film 'Mystery Road'. This films sees Aaron Pedersen reprising his role as Detective Jay Swan who rolls half-drunk and semi-conscious into the Australian outback town of Goldstone where he is promptly picked up by the only cop in this one horse town, Josh (Alex Russell). The two form an unlikely partnership as they in go in search of a missing girl, whilst coming up against various road blocks put in their way by the town's Mayor (Jacki Weaver) and the local mining company boss (David Wenham) that only add to the web of intrigue and unravel a mass of crime and corruption in this remote community. David Gulpilil also stars.

'MAGGIE'S PLAN' (Rated M) - Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Rebecca Miller this dramadeyrom stars Greta Gerwig as Maggie, a young intellectual New Yorker who decides to have a child without the burden of a man. She inseminates herself with the aid of Guy (Travis Fimmel) a former college friend and then promptly falls for John (Ethan Hawke) - an unhappy author married to Georgette (Julianne Moore)  - a Columbia University Professor. John and Georgette's marriage is however, on the slide. Fast track a few years and John and Maggie are now married, but Maggie is fast falling out of love with her husband, and so she hatches a plan to reunite her husband with his ex-wife. The film Premiered at TIFF in September last year, and was subsequently shown at the New York Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival in February before its official US release in May. It has so far grossed US$2.2M.

'SEPTEMBERS OF SHIRAZ' (Rated M) - based on Dahlia Sofer's 2007 novel 'The Septembers of Shiraz' this is a true story Directed by Wayne Blair set in the lead up to the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Before that time Iran was a prosperous country where there was tolerance of all religions and people could live and flourish. But come the Revolution and life changes for many in an instant, including that of the prosperous Jewish family led by Isaac Amin (Adrien Brody) - a successful jeweller based in Tehran. One morning, for no apparent reason he is arrested, carted off and interrogated leaving his distraught wife Farnez (Selma Hayek) to make sense of it all, secure the release of her husband and get him and their family the hell outta Dodge! A searing insight into how quickly lives can change, and how much pain and anguish can be endured to save those closest to you.

'MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES' (Rated MA15+) - well, here, once again, we have Zac Efron playing . . . well, Zac Efron! Stuck it seems in type cast Hell judging by his more recent fare, here he plays David, surprise surprise half of a delinquent brother duo to Michael (Adam DeVine) who have a reputation for trashing and upsetting family gatherings because of their hi-jinx and dangerous antics. With their sisters wedding on the horizon planned for Hawaii their parents order the boys to secure responsible, respectable wedding dates. After placing an ad. on social media which quickly goes viral, and then the boys appear on the daytime infotainment talk show - 'The Wendy Williams Show' to promote themselves, they catch the eyes and the ears of Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) and Alice (Anna Kendrick) who appear to be everything that Mike and Dave's parents could wish for. However, when the foursome arrive in Hawaii with family and guests in tow, the girls shows their true colours and the boys find themselves outsmarted, out-partied and outdone at every turn by the uncontrollable and unhinged girls. Directed by Jake Szymanski.

Five new filmic offerings for the week ahead, so get on out to your local multiplex and treat yourself to some movie goodness. Remember to share your thoughts with this Blog after your movie of choice, and in the meantime, I'll see you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-