What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 11th August 2016.

With this weeks release of yet another 'Bad . . . ' movie, I got to thinking that surely those Screen Writers in Hollywood must be able to come up with some more original titles rather than those that seem to plague our cinemas with ever increasing regularity. So, I searched through the archives, to see how far back 'Bad . . . ' movies go, and it does seem to be a more recent phenomenon, although there are plenty of earlier films too with 'Bad' in the title, as the below list will demonstrate. Check them out if you will, and they're not all bad either! Let's us know too if there are some that you think have been missed off this list.

• 'Too Bad She's Bad' - 1955, starring Sophia Loren
• 'Tribute to a Bad Man' - 1956, starring James Cagney
• 'The Bad Seed' - 1956, starring Nancy Kelly
• 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' - 1966, starring Clint Eastwood
• 'Badlands' - 1973, starring Martin Sheen
• 'The Bad News Bears' - 1976, starring Walter Matthau
• 'Bad Blood' - 1982, starring Jack Thompson
• 'Bad Boys' - 1983, starring Sean Penn
• 'Bad Taste' - 1987, starring Peter Jackson
• 'Bad Influence' - 1990, starring James Spader
• 'Bad Lieutenant' - 1992, starring Harvey Keitel
• 'Bad Boy Bubby' - 1993, starring Nicholas Hope
• 'Bad Girls' - 1994, starring Madeline Stowe
• 'Bad Boys' - 1995, starring Will Smith
• 'Bad Day on the Block' - 1997, starring Charlie Sheen
• 'Bad Company' - 2002, starring Anthony Hopkins
• 'Bad Boys II' - 2003, starring Will Smith
• 'Bad Santa' - 2003, starring Billy Bob Thornton
• 'Bad Eggs' - 2003, starring Mick Molloy
• 'Bad Education' - 2004, starring Gael Garcia Bernal
• 'The Bad News Bears' - 2005, starring Billy Bob Thornton
• 'Superbad' - 2007, starring Jonah Hill
• 'Bad Lieutenant : Port of Call-New Orleans' - 2009, starring Nicolas Cage
• 'Bad Teacher' - 2011, starring Cameron Diaz
• 'Bad Words' - 2013, starring Jason Bateman
• 'Bad Grandpa' - 2013, starring Johnny Knoxville
• 'Bad Neighbours' - 2014, starring Seth Rogen
• 'Bad Neighbours 2 : Sorority Rising' - 2016, starring Seth Rogen
• 'Bad Moms' - 2016, starring Mila Kunis
• 'Bad Santa 2' - 2016, starring Billy Bob Thornton
• 'Bad Boys III' - 2017, starring Will Smith
• 'Bad Blood' - 2018, starring Jennifer Lawrence
• 'Bad Boys IV' - 2019, starring Will Smith

This week then to tease you out to your local Odeon, we have five new filmic offerings, starting with a trio of Mum's going off the rails to escape the routines of their seemingly otherwise perfect worlds with dramatic and comedic consequences for all, and those closest to them. Then an animated feature aimed squarely at the fifteen and above demographic that sees our humble grocery store supplies take on a life of their own as they wage war against mankind for fear of being eaten! Following on from this is a family reunion brought about by the death of the family wife and mother leaving the grieving father and sons to relive past memories and confront their feelings for each other. We then move to an Aussie dramedy set amidst the back drop of racial tensions in Sydney's south and the aftermath in the day that followed between two rival gangs on a collision course hellbent on retaliation . . . sounds hilarious! Then we wrap up the week with a foreign language film and one mans journey to get his affairs in order before he succumbs to cancer, aided by a mans best friend, and his best friend.

Remember too that when you have sat through your film of choice in the week ahead, that you are warmly invited to share your views and opinions of your movie going experience by leaving a Comment below this or any other Post. We look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

'BAD MOMS' (Rated MA15+) - over the years Hollywood has churned out plenty of 'Bad . . .' films of which only some have been 'good'! The likes of 'Bad Girls', 'Bad Boys', 'Bad Lieutenant', 'Bad Teacher', 'Bad Santa', 'Bad Neighbours', 'Bad Grandpa', and now we have the next offering in a long line of 'Bad . . . ' films with 'Bad Moms' made for US$20M, Directed and Written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore and so far returning US$57M since its Stateside release towards the end of July.

The story here is such that Amy (Mila Kunis) has a happy marriage, a loving husband, kids doing well at school, a great home, a successful career and the looks as well, but, behind all of that there is stress, exhaustion, anxiety and overbearing responsibilities. Something's gotta give! And it does when she discovers her husband cheating on her and promptly throws him out. Then she quits the school PTA in which she was an active member and heads off to a local bar for some well needed refreshment. There Amy meets up with two other mothers in a similar state - Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and the trio of new friends hang an all night bender which leads them to reassess their lives, commitments and priorities in favour of a more relaxed easy going approach. Along the way there are tussles with the PTA's domineering head and near perfect mother Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate) and her followers Stacy (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Vicky (Annie Mumolo). Clearly there'll be messages in here about the power of friendships, parenting, forgiveness, doing the right thing with a few comedic laughs in there too no doubt. Bad . . . you decide!

'SAUSAGE PARTY' (Rated MA15+) - this computer animated adult feature film is based on a story by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Jonah Hill, Written for the screen and Produced by the former two, is Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon and stars an ensemble voice cast. Here we have a supermarket called 'Shopwell' in which reside groceries of all kinds dreaming of the day they will be handpicked and taken home by humans. However, one fine day the terrible truth will come crashing down on those groceries that they are destined to be consumed by those humans, and it falls at the feet of humble hot dog sausage, Frank (Seth Rogen) to forewarn his many grocery friends at the store of their frightening future outlook, and declare war on humans. Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Paul Rudd, Edward Norton and Salma Hayek amongst others lend their considerable voice talents.

'LOUDER THAN BOMBS' (Rated M) - this French/Danish/Norwegian co-production was entered into competition at Cannes in May 2015, shown at TIFF in September last year, and released in France, Norway and Denmark in December before the end of last year. Now eight months later it lands on Australian shores having cost US$11M to make, and so far having recovered just US$602K. Directed by Joachim Trier in his English language debut, it stars an impressive cast and has been positively received by critics despite its mediocre Box Office results so far. We join the Reed family as father Gene (Gabriele Byrne) prepares for a retrospective exhibition of his dead wife, Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert) acclaimed work as a war photographer, three years after her untimely death.  In so doing his two sons Jonah (Jesse Eisenberg) returns home and is forced to spend more time with dad and younger brother Conrad (Devin Druid) than he has in many years. In turn the three of them must reunite as new details surrounding Isabelle's death come to light, and they are forced to confront their differing feelings and memories that each of them hold for their departed wife and mother. Amy Ryan and David Strathairn also star.

'DOWN UNDER' (Rated MA15+) - back at Christmas 2005 the Cronulla Riots were beamed across the world as true blue Aussies clashed violently with largely Lebanese locals at the beachside suburb of Cronulla in southern Sydney. It was bloody and ugly with Riot Police in full force, drunken brawls, insults, jeering, flag waving, smashed up cars, homes attacked and roadside arrests. Hardly the best image of our beloved Sydney that we want beamed across the world's media, and at Christmas time too. Now, Abe Forsythe has turned that dark episode into a black comedy drama that he has both Written and Directed. Set the day after the riots two separate gangs in different parts of the city are preparing themselves for retaliation. In the Shire, the 'Skips' and in Lakemba, the 'Lebs' - two gangs of bumbling half arsed dim witted no hopers prepare to man up, boot up and tool up for a night of unadulterated violence amidst questions from gang members as to why, what and when with comedic overtones and the cost of racism and discrimination on human lives when the two groups do inevitably clash. Starring Lincoln Younes, Rahel Romahn, Michael Denkha, Alexander England, Damon Herriman, David Field, Fayssal Bazzi and Chris Bunton.

'TRUMAN' (Rated MA15+) - and so to our foreign language offering this week - that of Spanish/Argentian co-production 'Truman' as Directed and Co-Written by Cesc Gay which was shown at TIFF in September last year, the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the winner of five Goya Awards at Madrid earlier this year including Best Director, Best Film, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. The story here centres around Tomas (Javier Camara) who visits his long term friend Julian (Ricardo Darin) in Madrid. Julian is dying of cancer and has limited time left, and has resigned himself to his fate, refusing further treatment. Over the course of Tomas' visit the pair travel around Madrid as Julian seeks to put his affairs in order. One such detail is that of Julian's boxer dog, 'Truman' who is to be put up for adoption post his death, and for whom Julian seems to bestow much grater importance than on his own situation. Needless to say for the pair it's an emotional rollercoaster of a ride who along with loyal hound Truman will share moments of emotion, pathos, and reckoning brought on by Julian's complicated situation. The film has received positive reviews and has won 28 awards with a further 28 nominations from around the circuit, and also stars Dolores Fonzi and Eduard Fernandez.

With five more great reasons to get out to your local cinema in the week ahead, what's not to like here? Remember to share your cinematic thoughts when you have done so, and as always, I'll see you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-