What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 21st July 2016.

Here's a bit of fun to get you thinking and while away a few minutes. I was thinking about movies with a number in the title and how far I could count before reaching a stumbling block. I've just included one for each digit, but of course there are many more, and reading through my list you'll be able to add many of your own I'm sure. I made it up to thirty but must confess I struggled with 18 and 26 and had to refer to Professor Google.

• 'Zero Dark Thirty' - 2013 - Kathryn Bigelow Directs, Jessica Chastain stars,
• 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' - 1976 - Milos Forman Directs, Jack Nicholson stars,
• 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' - 1998 - Guy Ritchie Directs, Jason Statham stars,
• 'Three Kings' - 1999 - David O. Russell Directs, George Clooney stars,
• 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' - 1994 - Mike Newell Directs, Hugh Grant stars,
• 'Five Easy Pieces' - 1970 - Bob Rafelson Directs, Jack Nicholson stars,
• 'Six Degrees of Separation' - 1993 - Fred Schepisi Directs, Will Smith stars,
• 'The Magnificent Seven' - 1960 - John Sturges Directs, Yul Brynner stars,
• 'The Hateful Eight' - 2015 - Quentin Tarantino Directs, Kurt Russell stars,
• 'District 9' - 2009 - Neill Blomkamp Directs, Sharlto Copley stars,
• 'Ten Little Indians' - 1965 - George Pollock Directs, Shirley Eaton stars,
• 'Ocean's Eleven' - 1960 - Lewis Milestone Directs, Frank Sinatra stars,
• '12 Monkeys' - 1996 - Terry Gilliam Directs, Brad Pitt stars,
• 'Assault on Precinct 13' - 1976 - John Carpenter Directs, Austin Stoker stars,
• '11:14' - 2003 - Greg Marcks Directs, Patrick Swayze stars,
• 'Fifteen Minutes' - 2001 - John Herzfeld Directs, Robert De Niro stars,
• 'Sixteen Candles' - 1984 - John Hughes Directs, Molly Ringwald stars,
• '17 Again' - 2009 - Burr Steers Directs, Zac Efron stars,
• '18 Again' - 1988 - Paul Flaherty Directs, George Burns stars,
• 'K-19 : The Widowmaker' - 2002 - Kathryn Bigelow Directs, Harrison Ford stars,
• 'Halloween H20' - 1998 - Steve Miner Directs, Jamie Lee Curtis stars,
• '21 Grams' - 2003 - Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Directs, Sean Penn stars,
• 'Catch 22' - 1970 - Mike Nichols Directs, Alan Arkin stars,
• 'The Number 23' - 2007 - Joel Schumacher Directs, Jim Carrey stars,
• '24 Hour Party People' - 2002 - Michael Winterbottom Directs, Steve Coogan stars,
• '25th Hour' - 2002 - Spike Lee Directs, Edward Norton stars,
• 'Special 26' - 2013 - Neeraj Pandey Directs, Anupam Khur stars,
• '27 Dresses' - 2008 - Anne Fletcher Directs, Katherine Heigl stars,
• '28 Days Later' - 2002 - Danny Boyle Directs, Cillian Murphy stars,
• 'Track 29' - 1988 - Nicolas Roeg Directs, Gary Oldman stars,
• '30 Days of Night' - 2007 - David Slade Directs, Josh Hartnett stars.

For the week ahead there are four new features to give you another gold plated excuse to get out to your local Odeon, that stretch across all genres - except for the younger kids perhaps. We kick off with an intergalactic film franchise going boldly now on its thirteenth voyage to the big screen and celebrating 50 years since it ventured onto our small screens but still much anticipated and eagerly awaited since being successfully rebooted seven years ago. Then a horror offering that will make you think twice about switching off the lights at night as things go more than 'bump'; with a Jane Austen adaptation that is likely to be quite different to any other costume drama of that period you have seen (other than 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' perhaps); before wrapping up with a faithful true to the source material animated DC Comics adaptation that sees the Dark Knight of Gotham and the Clown Prince of Crime go head to head - but who will have the last laugh?

As always, you are cordially invited to leave your own thoughts and opinions in the Comments section below this or any other Post, when you have sat through your movie of choice in the week ahead. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

'STAR TREK : BEYOND' (Rated M) - 'Star Trek' as we know it had its humble beginnings as an NBC television series back in 1966, which ran for just three seasons - having been cancelled in 1969 because of declining ratings. Series creator Gene Roddenberry always wanted to continue the series in film first pitching the idea in 1969, but it would be another ten years before the small screen series made it to the big screen - largely off the back of syndicated series re-runs during the 70's which proved to be a whole lot more popular second time around. Released in time for Christmas 1979, the first film 'Star Trek : The Motion Picture' reunited the television cast for US$35M, returning a worldwide gross of US$139M. Throughout the 80's there were a further five films up until 1991with 'The Next Generations' taking over in 1994 and running though until 2002, culminating with 'Nemesis' - the worst performing film of the franchise to date making just US$67M from its US$60M outlay. Then in 2009 Director J.J.Abrams got hold of the franchise for an overdue and much needed reboot with 'Star Trek' and followed this up in 2013 with 'Star Trek : Into Darkness' - the latter proving the most successful of the franchise so far yielding a return of US$467M from its US$185M budget. The first twelve films were made for a combined US$540M and returned a collective US$1,931B, with this film, the thirteenth, made for US$150M and released in the 50th anniversary year of that original television series going to air.

And so to this next instalment. Co-Written by Simon Pegg - a self confessed Trekkie and Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise, Scottie, and Directed by Justin Lin who Directed the 'Fast & Furious films 3, 4, 5 and 6' to huge Box Office success, with J.J.Abrams taking a Producer credit on this one. Here the rebooted crew are reunited once again as we find them mid-way through their five year journey to go boldly where no man has gone before, en route to dock with the deep-space starbase 'Yorktown' when the Enterprise is attacked by a seemingly unstoppable force of unknown aliens that results in Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) ordering all to abandon ship. Stranded on an unknown planet, separated and with no means of communication or getting home, the crew of the Enterprise find themselves pitted against a new and ruthless enemy in the form of Krall (Idris Elba) who has an axe to grind against The Federation and Kirk and his crew, and will stop at nothing to realise his ultimate dastardly plan. Also starring Zachary Quinto (as Spock), Karl Urban (as McCoy), Zoe Saldana (as Uhura), John Choo (as Sulu), Anton Yelchin (as Chekov) and new alien being Sofia Boutella (as Taylah). 'Star Trek 4' has just been announced, with expectations the crew will return together with Chris Hemsworth as Captain Kirk's father, George Kirk.

'LIGHTS OUT' (Rated M) - this supernatural horror film was made for a paltry US$5M by Director David Sandberg based on his own original three minute short film that went viral on the net, and Co-Produced by horror maestro James Wan (his Directed 'The Conjuring 2' is still out on general release). Telling the story of Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) who leaves home believing her childhood fears are now a thing of the past, having grown up never quite sure of what lurked in the dark when the lights were turned off at night. Now, several years later her younger brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) has begun to experience similar terrifying events and unexplained fears that put her own safety and sanity at risk once again as when she was growing up. Looking to uncover what goes bump in the night (and worse), Rebecca begins to unlock the truth about a mysterious and terrifying supernatural entity that has connections to her mother Sophie (Maria Bello) that ultimately puts the entire family in danger.

'LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP' (Rated PG) - based on the 1871 published epistolary novel by Jane Austen, 'Lady Susan' as Directed, Co-Produced and adapted for the Screen by Whit Stillman, this film had its Australian Premier as the closing night film at the Sydney Film Festival on 19th June. The film premiered at Sundance in January this year, was released Stateside in mid-May and has so far made US$13M off its US$3M budget outlay. Telling the story set in the 1790's here widow Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale playing against type as an upper-crust devilishly scheming seductive and manipulating anti-heroine) is trying to marry off her less than favoured daughter Frederica (Morfydd Clarke) to wealthy no-hoper Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett), and also finding herself a well to do with means suitor in the form of Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel), whilst harbouring affections for the dashing but married Lord Manwaring (Lochlann O'Mearain). Enlisting the support and sage advice of her close American friend Alicia Johnson (Chloe Savigny) this gets complicated as the love triangle plays out between mother and daughter and numerous male hangers-on. Stephen Fry also stars.

'BATMAN : THE KILLING JOKE' - (Rated MA15+) - goes on very limited theatrical release only before being released in digital and DVD/BluRay formats at the end of July/early August, this 95 minute full length animated feature film is released by Warner Bros. and based on the DC comics graphic novel of the same name. Having escaped Arkham Asylum The Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) tracks down Commissioner Gordon (voiced by Ray Wise) and tortures him having shot his daughter Barbara (voiced by Tara Strong) in order to prove a point about his own fall into insanity. As Batman (voiced by Kevin Conroy) attempts to get to the bottom of the Jokers past before the Clown Prince of Crime puts an end to one of Gotham's finest, the two adversaries and arch rivals will go head to head before the Joker can prove that just one bad day can turn anyone as insane as he is! Directed by Bruce Timm and Sam Liu. Worth hunting out on the big screen while you can.

Four films this week offering Sci-Fi escapism, supernatural horror, animated comic book Superhero and Villain, and period piece costume drama - so what's not to like about this weeks assortment of movie goodness? Get yourself to your local picture house and lash out $20 on some riveting big screen entertainment - you know it makes sense! See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-