What's new in Odeon's this week : Monday 1st and Thursday 4th January 2018.

As 2017 draws to a close with the curtain falling on another great year of cinematic wonder; movie highs and lows; and films that stirred the emotions, made us think, made us laugh, made us cry, made us wince with great performances, epic spectacle, technological wizardry, and top notch storytelling, all that remains for me to say is Best Wishes to you all for a very Happy New Year in 2018. Stay safe, be happy, remain healthy and get out and see a movie or two at your local Odeon. Thanks for your readership and support in 2017, and we'll do it all over again at the movies and in this Blog in the coming year.

And kick starting the new year this week, we have three new releases - two released on New Year's Day in Australian cinemas, and one on Thursday 4th January. The first of those is a highly acclaimed black comedy crime drama set in small town USA and what happens to the local community when a mother of a murder victim goes very public with her thoughts on how the local law enforcement are dragging the chain in hunting down the killer. This is followed up by the third and final instalment of a comedic a cappella singing troupe scoring one last gig, one last hurrah as they go out in fine voice with some (mis)adventures and mischief along the way. And then we close out with a '70's set true crime thriller that sees the world's richest man decline the ransom demands to set his kidnapped grandson free.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three latest release films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here warmly invited to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon experience during the week ahead.

'THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI' (Rated MA15+) - is a black comedy crime drama film Written, Directed and Co-Produced by British/Irish playwright, screen writer and film maker Martin McDonagh whose previous feature film credits are 'In Bruges' and 'Seven Psychopaths'. The film Premiered at the Venice International Film Festival back in early September and then TIFF later that month taking out the top prize in competition - The People's Choice Award. Since then the film has been shown at numerous film festivals and has received widespread critical acclaim, so far picking up 36 award wins and a further 116 nominations including six Golden Globe nominations and four SAG nominations with the winners & grinners yet to be announced. The film opened in the US in early November, goes on general release in Australia on New Year's Day and in the UK on 12th January. Having cost US$12M to make, the film has so far grossed US$23M. Apparently, McDonagh gained inspiration for the premise of the film after seeing billboards about an unsolved crime while travelling 'somewhere down in the Georgia, Florida, Alabama corner'. Of the event that inspired the film, McDonagh stated 'the rage that put a bunch of billboards like that up was palpable and stayed with me'. Eventually he was inspired to create the fictional scenario around such a situation, into the film we have today.

The film follows a mothers plight, who after seven months have passed by without a culprit in her daughter's violent rape and murder case, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand), a small town shop assistant, makes a bold move and rents three abandoned roadside billboards close by to her home. She then sets about painting these signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), the town's revered Chief of Police. Each of the signs reads, in sequence, 'Raped while dying', 'And still no arrests?', and 'How come, Chief Willoughby?'. When Willoughby's  second-in-command, Officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell) an immature Mummy's Boy with a leaning towards violence gets involved, the battle is only heightened, with the signs having already polarised the local community. The film also stars Peter Dinklage, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Hedges, Samara Weaving and Abbie Cornish.

'PITCH PERFECT 3' (Rated M) - this is allegedly the third and final film in the musical comedy 'Pitch Perfect' franchise that launched on an unsuspecting world back in 2012 and off the back of its US$17M production budget grossed US$116M prompting a follow up instalment in 2015 aptly titled 'Pitch Perfect 2' which off the back of a bigger budget of US$29M grossed US$288M. And so now on New Year's Day 2018 on general release in Australia we have the third offering which was made for US$45M and so far grossed US$63M since its World Premier screening in Sydney, Australia in late November, and its US release the week before Christmas. Directed by Trish Sie, the film here tells the story following on from The Bellas winning the world championships and riding the crest of a wave to finding themselves having graduated from College, torn apart and learning the hard way that job prospects for making music a cappella are few and far between. But, all is not lost and when they get the opportunity for one final gig and to reunite for an overseas USO (United Service Organisations) tour, this group of awesome nerdettes will unite to make music, some questionable decisions, get up to some mischief and have a few laughs one last time. Starring Rebel Wilson, Anna Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld, Anna Camp, Elizabeth Banks, Ruby Rose, John Lithgow and a host of other songsters reprising their roles from the prior two films.

'ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD' (Rated MA15+) - released in Australia on 4th January, this true crime thriller is Directed by Ridley Scott and is based on the John Pearson 1995 book 'Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty'. The film tells the story set in 1973, of J. Paul Getty (then multi-billionaire oil tycoon and the richest man in the world as played here by Christopher Plummer) and his refusal to cooperate with the extortion demands of a group of kidnappers from the organised crime Mafia group 'Ndrangheta, who abducted his sixteen year old grandson John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer). When his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) makes desperate attempts to convince her wealthy father to pay the US$17M ransom and he refuses her son's captors become increasingly agitated, unpredictable and violent. With her son’s life hanging in the balance and the clock ticking, Gail and Getty’s advisor and former CIA operative Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money. Kevin Spacey originally portrayed J. Paul Getty, appearing in the film's earlier promotional campaign. However, following numerous sexual assault allegations being made against Spacey in October 2017, the role was recast with Christopher Plummer, who was Ridley Scott's original choice for the role. Scenes were reshot just a month prior to the film's release, adding millions of dollars to the production costs which reportedly ended at US$50M, and delaying the films Premier by a month and its US release date by just three days. The film has received positive Reviews and is up for three Golden Globe Awards - to be announced in early January.

With three new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online, and meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 31st December 2017 - 6th January 2018.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Norman Reedus does on 6th January - check out my tribute to this Actor, Producer, Director and Writer Birthday Lad turning 49, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or have an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 31st December

• Anthony Hopkins - Born 1937, turns 80 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Composer | Singer | Songwriter
• Ben Kingsley - Born 1943, turns 74 - Actor | Producer 
• James Remar - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actor 
• Val Kilmer - Born 1959, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer 
• Barbara Carrera - Born 1945, turns 72 - Actress   

Monday 1st January

• Angourie Rice - Born 2001, turns 17 - Actress 
• Frank Langella - Born 1938, turns 80 - Actor 
• Verne Troyer - Born 1969, turns 49 - Actor 

Tuesday 2nd January 

• Todd Haynes - Born 1961, turns 57 - Director | Writer | Producer | 
• Cuba Gooding Jnr. - Born 1968, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Taye Diggs - Born 1971, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Dax Shepard - Born 1975, turns 43 - Actor | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Singer  
• Tia Carrere - Born 1967, turns 51 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Paz Vega - Born 1976, turns 42 - Actress 
• Kate Bosworth - Born 1983, turns 35 - Actress | Producer

Wednesday 3rd January

• Victoria Principal - Born 1950, turns 68 - Actress | Producer
• Florence Pugh - Born 1996, turns 22 - Actress
• Dabney Coleman - Born 1932, turns 86 - Actor 
• Mel Gibson - Born 1956, turns 62 - Actor | Director | Producer | Writer  
• Matt Ross - Born 1970, turns 48 - Actor | Director | Writer 

Thursday 4th January

• Graham McTavish - Born 1961, turns 57 - Actor | Singer
• Julia Ormond - Born 1965, turns 53 - Actress | Producer  

Friday 5th January

• Diane Keaton - Born 1946, turns 72 - Actress | Director | Producer | Singer
• January Jones - Born 1978, turns 40 - Actress 
• Robert Duvall - Born 1931, turns 87 - Actor | Producer | Director 
• Hayao Miyazaki - Born 1941, turns 77 - Writer | Director | Animator | Producer | Editor | Songwriter | Voice Actor
• Roger Spottiswoode - Born 1945, turns 73 - Director | Producer | Writer | Editor
• Clancy Brown - Born 1959, turns 59 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Vinnie Jones - Born 1965, turns 53 - Actor | Singer
• Bradley Cooper - Born 1975, turns 43 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer  

Saturday 6th January

• Rowan Atkinson - Born 1955, turns 63 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer
• Norman Reedus - Born 1969, turns 49 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer 
• Eddie Redmayne - Born 1982, turns 36 - Actor | Singer 
• Sylvia Syms - Born 1934, turns 84 - Actress 
• Kate McKinnon - Born 1984, turns 34 - Actress | Writer | Singer

Norman Mark Reedus was born in Hollywood, Florida, USA to mother Marianne Yarber, a teacher, and father Ira Norman Reedus. In his teenage years he worked in a Harley-Davidson dealership in Venice, California and through his artwork interests was a regular contributor to various shows exhibiting his painting, photography, sculpting and video work skills. His first taste for the acting craft came in the stage play 'Maps for Drowners' at The Tiffany Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. He was discovered at a Los Angeles party when he started screaming wearing huge sunglasses, and another party guest asked him if he wanted to act in a play. And the rest as they say, is history!

Reedus gained his big screen debut in Guillermo del Toro's horror Sci-Fi offering 'Mimic' in 1997 with Josh Brolin, F. Murray Abraham, Jeremy Northam and Mira Sorvino. This was followed up that same year by coming of age romantic drama 'Floating', then the comedy crime drama 'Six Ways to Sunday' with Debbie Harry and Adrien Brody, and then the likes of 'I'm Losing You', 'Dark Harbour', 'Reach The Rock', 'Davis is Dead', 'Let The Devil Wear Black' before Joel Schumacher's mystery thriller '8MM' with Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini and Peter Stormare. This in turn led to action crime thriller 'The Boondocks Saints' in 1999 with Willem Dafoe, Billy Connolly and Sean Patrick Flanery. Reedus plays brother Murphy MacManus to Flanery's Conor MacManus in this Boston set underworld revenge and retribution offering, which saw Reedus, Flanery and Connolly reprise their roles in the 2009 sequel 'The Boondocks Saints II : All Saints Day'.

The new decade in 2000 opened with 'Beat' with Keifer Sutherland, 'Gossip' with James Marsden and Lena Headey, 'Bad Seed', 'Sand', 'Beatnicks', Luster' and Guillermo del Toro's action Sci-Fi horror sequel 'Blade II' with Wesley Snipes, Ron Perlman and Kris Kristofferson. 'Deuces Wild', 'Nobody Needs to Know', 'Tough Luck', 'Octane' and 'Until the Night' closed out 2004. In the meantime there had been two episodes on television series 'Charmed'. 

2005 saw 'Antibodies', historical biography 'The Notorious Bettie Page' with Gretchen Mol in the title role, then 'A Crime' in 2006 with Harvey Keitel and Ridley Scott's acclaimed 'American Gangster' in 2007 with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. 'Moscow Chill' was released also in 2007, then 'Hero Wanted' with Cuba Gooding Jnr., horror thriller 'Red Canyon', 'Cadillac Records' in 2008 with Adrien Brody and Sci-Fi action horror offering 'Pandorum' with Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid seeing out 2009 with the aforementioned 'The Boondocks Saints II : All Saints Day'.

2010 saw another busy year with numerous release films including 'Meskada', the Robert Redford Directed 'The Conspirator' with James McAvoy, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Danny Huston, Toby Kebbel and Robin Wright, then 'Hello Herman', mystery horror offering 'Night of the Templar', 'Sunlight Jr.' with Matt Dillon and Naomi Watts, followed by 'Pawn Shop Chronicles' with Matt Dillon again and Elijah Wood, Paul Walker, Brendan Fraser and Vincent D'Onofrio, and then 'Stretch' in 2014 with Patrick Wilson, Ed Helms, Ray Liotta, David Hasselhoff and Jessica Alba.

In between time Reedus was cast as the motorcycle riding crossbow wielding Daryl Dixon in the hugely popular and highly acclaimed AMC post zombie apocalypse television series 'The Walking Dead' which has aired for seven seasons so far, with Season Eight due in 2018, and spanning 115 episodes in which Reedus has appeared in 113 of those episodes to date. The series created by Frank Durabont based on the graphic novels by Robert Kirkman have so far garnered 66 award wins and 183 nominations, including three award wins and three nods for Reedus as Best Supporting Actor in the series. He stars beside Andrew Lincoln, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Lauran Cohan, Danai Gurira and Steven Yuen as the principle cast.

2015 saw another outing for the Griswold clan in 'Vacation' with Ed Helms, Chevy Chase, Chris Hemsworth, Christina Applegate, and Leslie Mann, followed up by Sci-Fi drama 'Air' with Djimon Hounsou, and then the drama 'Sky' with Diane Kruger. 2016 brought along John Hillcoat's Police crime drama film 'Triple 9' with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, Kate Winslet, Gal Gadot and Teresa Palmer. Meanwhile there had been several one off appearances on 'American Dad', 'Turbo FAST', 'Robot Chicken' and 'Voltron' with several video games to which Reedus had lent his voice including 'The Walking Dead : Survival Instinct', 'The Walking Dead : No Man's Land', 'Iron Man : Rise of Technovore' and currently filming is the video game 'Death Stranding' also featuring Mads Mikkelsen and Guillermo del Toro.

Bringing us up to date, is 'Ride with Norman Reedus'. The series follows the Actor and motorcycle enthusiast where he and a guest of the week travel across to a different destination on a motorcycle while exploring the city's biker culture and checking out various locales. The travel series Premiered on AMC in mid-2016, with a second season going to air in late 2017, with a third season commissioned for 2018.

All up Reedus has 72 acting credits to his name, two as Producer, two as Writer and two as Director. He has garnered so far four award wins for his work on 'The Walking Dead' and 'Floating' and a further five nominations.

Aside from his successful acting career, Reedus has modelled over the years for the likes of Prada, Levi's and Lexus, and has also appeared in numerous music videos for prominent recording artists including Keith Richards, Bjork, The Goo Goo Dolls, Ugly Kid Joe, R.E.M. and Radiohead, and more recently Lady Gaga, Hilary Duff and Tricky. He has also showcased his painting, sculpting and photographic works in galleries in New York, Berlin and Frankfurt.

Reedus was in a five year relationship with supermodel Helena Christensen from 1998 through until 2003 with whom they have a son Mingus Lucien Reedus (Born in 1999). In 2005 Reedus was involved in a bad motorcycle accident in Germany resulting in him needing a nose reconstruction with the aid for four screws and a new left eye socket made from titanium.

Norman Reedus - heavily tattooed; reconstructed like a Terminator; collects masks for a hobby; multi-talented; has worked across multiple genres; has his own New York based Production Company called 'Bigbaldhead' (as in the sun rising up like a  . . . ); and is often seen wearing sun glasses, donning a beard or goatee, carrying a weapon of some kind, and speaking in his trademark deep husky voice. We love you in 'The Walking Dead' and watch out for your other productions too with much interest and anticipation. Happy Birthday to you Norman, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

BRIGHT : Wednesday 27th December 2017.

'BRIGHT', released worldwide by Netflix on 22nd December, is available to subscribers of this service, and was Produced by the company as an original film at a cost of US$90M, and represents the most expensive movie undertaking ever put out by the company. So I sat and watched 'Bright' from the comfort of my own sofa at home. Described as a fantasy action crime film it is Directed by David Ayer (whose previous credits include 'Street Kings', 'End of Watch', 'Fury' and 'Suicide Squad' amongst others) and Written by Max Landis, this film mashes up several genres in an alternate modern day world where Orcs, Elves, Fairies and various other worldly mythical creatures co-exist with humans in what is best described as an uneasy love/hate alliance.

Thousands of years ago Humans, Orcs and Elves all fought to rule over each other, and in the present day there is peace between them - but only just. In Los Angeles, a veteran Police Officer Daryl Ward (Will Smith) has five years to go before retirement and is trying to maintain his clean slate so that he can retire on a much needed Police pension. He is partnered up, much against his will and to the disdain of his fellow Officers and fellow Orcs, with the city's first Orc Police Officer Nick Jakoby (an unrecognisable Joel Edgerton). On a routine trip out in their patrol car, Ward forces Jakoby to watch another Orc being beaten to the ground by fellow Police Officers, in an attempt to ascertain and reinforce exactly where Jakoby's loyalties need to lie. They are then called to a public disturbance in the street with a sword wielding man, who they are able to disarm easily enough and place him under arrest in the back of the patrol car. The man starts talking Orcish which Ward cannot understand, but Jakoby does. He tells them of a prophecy they will both become involved in and how Ward is blessed, but when pressed by his partner about what he said, Jakoby just replies that the man was talking nonsense.

Later the man arrested by Ward and Jakoby is interrogated by a senior Elf working for the FBI's Magic Division - Kandomere (Edgar Ramirez) who learns that he is part of a fringe militant group known as The Shield of Light that is preparing for the return of The Dark Lord, that will see billions wiped off the face of the Earth, and the survivors thrown into slavery.

That night, Ward and Jakoby respond to a call about a disturbance in what turns out to be a Shield safe house. Investigating they come across a number of freshly incinerated corpses, enough guns, bombs and ammunition to arm a small army, and the body of an Elf woman half embedded in a wall and bleeding badly.

The pair apprehend a young Elf named Tikka (Lucy Fry) who possesses a wand with fantastical magical powers. When back-up arrives in the form of four other Police Officers they take it upon themselves to steal the wand for their own gain, but to cover their tracks they need to kill either Jakoby or them both and make it look as though one or both died heroically in the line of duty - it is up to Ward to decide the outcome! Ward ventures outside to where Jakoby is waiting having agreed under extreme duress to murder his Orc partner, but then in a moment of clarity turns his gun on the four Officers who have now assembled in the doorway and are looking on. He kills three of them outright and badly injures the fourth. Jakoby is outraged by what he has seen not knowing of the conversation that had previously taken place, but Ward is able to convince him that his intentions were genuine.

All this commotion attracts the attention of a local gang who come out in force demanding the wand be handed over to them, as it was found in their neighbourhood and they control the hood. Ward, Jakoby, Tikka with the wand flee the scene in their patrol car and are given chase by gun totting hoodlums armed to the hilt intent of getting hold of said magical wand. Meanwhile, back at the Shield safe house, the owner of the wand and Dark Elf Leilah (Noomi Rapace) has arrived back to discover that the wand and Tikka are both missing. Leilah slits the throat of the Elf embedded in the wall who was tasked with killing Tikka with the wand - failed on both counts!

The trio flee on foot after their car is crushed by an invisible force that prevents the wand from travelling a certain distance from its owner. They exchange their Police uniforms for plain clothes and enter a strip joint, but are still pursued by the same hoodlums they tried to shake off earlier. Seriously out numbered and outgunned Ward and Jakoby decide to go out all guns blazing, but before doing so Leilah arrives with her two henchelves and slaughter everyone in the place, allowing the three to escape again on foot.

This time the three take refuge in a petrol station to clean up their wounds and take stock of their unfolding situation. Ward establishes contact with a friend from the Sheriffs Office - Sheriff Rodriguez (Jay Hernandez) believing that he can be trusted. The Sheriff contacts Kandomere, and Ward speaks with him asking for him and Jakoby to be free from prosecution if they can keep the wand out of the wrong hands. Little to do they know that their phone conversation is being monitored by Leilah, who is tracking their whereabouts, and within a few short minutes arrives at the petrol station to cause carnage in their attempt to kill Tikka and retrieve the wand. The petrol station explodes in a ball of flame causing enough of a distraction for the three to escape again on foot.

The three are in turn captured by an Orc Clan, beaten to within an inch of their lives and dragged in front of their leader, demanding the whereabouts of the wand. When no satisfactory answer is forthcoming, the leader shoots Jakoby, killing him and sending his falling into a deep pit. Following a further struggle, Tikka shows that she is a 'Bright' (the name given to a special individual able to wield a magical wand safely) and removes the wand from inside her sleeve and uses its magical powers to resurrect Jakoby. Witnessing this great revelation the Orc Clan let the three go free, but Tikka is badly injured from her ordeal and is rapidly loosing strength and the will to live.

They only way to save Tikka is to venture back to the safe house and place her in a magic pool of water. Leilah has however, anticipated this and is waiting for them there with her two henchelves. There are sufficient small arms, large calibre rifles and artillery to dispense with the bad guys despite their strength, agility and fortitude. Ward and Jakoby are able to overpower the three and kill them, but not realising that Leilah has the power to self heal, she quickly counterattacks the two Officers and incapacitates them. Struggling to stand up, Ward grips the wand which he believes will disintegrate them all if handled with his bare hands, but he is prepared to sacrifice them all if it means an end to Leilah and the pending arrival of The Dark Lord. Just as it is revealed that Leilah is Tikka's sister whom she now wants dead for her treachery, Ward holds up the wand safely revealing that he too is a 'Bright'. In doing so he points the wand at Leilah who disintegrates, and Tikka disappears as the building catches fire and is quickly engulfed in flame. Jakoby makes it out safely, but then ventures back into the burning building to retrieve his partner.

The next day, the pair come round in an isolated medical ward. Kandomere arrives and Jakoby immediately blurts out the circumstances that brought them to this point much to Ward's chagrin. Ward eventually gets a word in edgeways stating that there was no magical involvement or Police corruption at play, as Kandomere is keen to keep a lid on the whole incident. The pair are then awarded a commendation for their bravery and action by the city, and as Ward looks up, he sees Tikka in the crowd of onlookers passing by.

I have to say all credit goes to Max Landis for coming up with an original storyline that melds the buddy cop crime drama with the worlds of Tolkien and dumps them into an alternate modern day world where crime, discrimination, intolerance and prejudice are rife. And credit goes also to Joel Edgerton for his unrecognisable prosthetic performance as rogue Orc turned good with a conscience to uphold the law no matter what - he is the cornerstone of this film. As for the rest of it, that's where the credit dries up! Rarely are Ward and Jakoby seen without their arms raised, weapons pointed and their pistols cocked, or one effing and blinding at the other or some perpetrator, or involved in another foot chase across LA culminating in a bullet ballet, close quarter kicking and punching acrobatics or shit getting blown up. The pace is often frenetic, the storyline at times incoherent and despite its impressive line up of four A-Listers - Smith, Edgerton, Rapace and Ramirez, this is just a jumbled up mess that struggles to make sense and is all substance over style. Watch this on the small screen from the comfort of your armchair at home and save yourself the price of ticket, assuming you can find an Odeon screening it.

-Steve, at Odeon Online- 

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 28th December 2017.

In December, the world bid a fond farewell to number of stars of the stage, television and cinema. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories.

* Chrsitine Keeler - Born 22nd February 1942, died 4th December 2017, aged 75. Former model and showgirl, Keeler shot to infamy and notoriety in 1963 when at the height of the Cold War, she became sexually involved with married British Government Minister John Profumo, and a Soviet Diplomat. In what would become known as 'The Profumo Affair', Keeler was sentenced to nine months in prison for perjury and was released within five. Her story was documented in the 1989 film 'Scandal' with Joanne Whalley playing Keeler with John Hurt, Ian McKellen playing the disgraced politician Profumo, with Bridget Fonda, Leslie Phillips, Britt Ekland and Directed by Michael Caton-Jones.
* Keith Chegwin - Born 17th January 1957, died 11th December 2017, aged 60. English television presenter; Actor on stage, television and cinema; Disc Jockey and singer, Chegwin rose to fame on UK children's television programmes 'Multi-Coloured SwapShop' from 1976 to 1982; on 'Cheggers Plays Pop' from 1978 to 1986 and 'Saturday SuperStore' during the 1980's. His film credits, albeit fairly minor, included Roman Polanski's 'Macbeth' in 1971, 'The Optimists of Nine Elms' in 1973 alongside Peter Sellers, 'Robin Hood Junior' in 1975, and most recently in 1999's 'Whatever Happened to Harold Smith' with Tom Courtenay, Stephen Fry, Charlie Hunnam, James Cordon, David Thewlis and Lulu and in 2011 he appeared as himself in the comedy horror film 'Kill Keith'. In between time he appeared on episodes of 'Open All Hours', 'The Liver Birds', The Tomorrow People', 'Z-Cars', 'Extras', a celebrity episode of 'The Chase', 'Life's Too Short', 'Pointless Celebrities', 'Celebrity Big Brother' and 'Celebrity Master Chef'. In 2015 he hosted the BAFTA Television and Film industry awards.
* Heather Menzies-Urich - Born 3rd December 1949, died 24th December 2017, aged 68. American model and film and television Actress, she is perhaps best known for her roles as Louisa von Trapp in 1965's 'The Sound of Music' and in all fourteen episodes as Jessica in 'Logan's Run' from 1977 to 1978. She also had appearances on numerous television shows over the years including 'Dragnet', The High Chaparral', 'Bonanza', 'Alias Smith and Jones', 'S.W.A.T.', 'Barnaby Jones', 'The Six Million Dollar Man', ''The Love Boat', 'Vega$', 'T.J.Hooker' and 'Spenser : For Hire'. In between time there were also other less memorable film appearances on the likes of the 1966 'Hawaii' with Julie Andrews, Max von Sydow, Richard Harris and Gene Hackman, 1968's 'How Sweet It Is' with James Garner and Debbie Reynolds, 1969's 'Hail, Hero!' with Michael Douglas, 'Outside In', horror Sci-Fi offering 'Sssssss' with Dirk Benedict in 1973, Joe Dante's 'Piranha' in 1978, and 'Endangered Species' in 1978. She was married to Actor Robert Urich from 1975 up until the time of his death in 2002 from the rare cancer synovial sarcoma - a soft tissue cancer affecting the extremities of the arms and legs.

This week, there are just two new films being released in the week ahead joining the seven released earlier in the week on Boxing Day. We kick off with a highly acclaimed documentary from a debut feature length film maker that was ten years in the making and charts the life, the ups and the downs of a struggling Philadelphia African American family. And we close out with a Chinese near future action thriller starring one of Asia's great action heroes doing what he does best.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the two latest release films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here cordially invited to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon experience during the week ahead.

'QUEST' (Rated M) - this debut documentary from feature film debut Director Jonathan Olshefski had its World Premier screening at The Sundance Film Festival back in January this year, and has spent the last year on the film festival circuit picking up eleven award wins and a further ten nominations on its journey. The film now arrives in limited release in select Australian cinemas having received much Critical praise up to now. Condensed down into ninety minutes of running time from over 300 hours of filmed footage, here the Director delivers a documentary that is charged with love, emotion, hope, challenges, set backs amidst the backdrop of a changing US political landscape.

Filmed over the course of nearly ten years, here Olshefski charts the lives of the African American Rainey family in a largely poverty stricken and struggling Philadelphia neighbourhood at the onset of the Obama administration. Here parents Christopher 'Quest' Rainey and his wife Christine'a 'Ma Quest' Rainey raise their young family while charting a course through the poverty, strife and daily challenges that inhabit their local community. At the same time, Quest and his wife develop a makeshift home music studio in their basement for the local hip hop talent, where all comers are welcome to the creative space and it is regarded as a safe place, away from the trials and tribulations that have a hold on their neighbourhood.

'BLEEDING STEEL' (Rated MA15+) - Directed and Written by Leo Zhang, this Chinese Sci-Fi thriller is set partially in Sydney, Australia in 2020 and features Jackie Chan in the lead role as hardened Special Forces agent Lin Dong. When Dong is thrust into a fight to protect a young woman from a sinister gang of criminal underworld types, while at the same time feeling a connection to the woman as though they have met before in a former life, he unleashes a cat and mouse game all surrounding an immortality serum invented by a bioengineering expert being hunted down by a mutant warrior and his henchwoman. Being a Jackie Chan film you can count on epic stunts, close quarter hand to hand combat, car chases, explosions, gunplay, leaping off tall buildings, and all captured in glorious slo-mo, with the usual tongue in cheek humour that is sure to please your average fifteen year old lad. With an Australian cast that includes Callan Mulvey, Tess Haubrich, Damien Garvey and Kim Gyngell this film is shown is selected cinemas only and was released in China just before Christmas.

With two new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, joining the seven released on Boxing Day, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online, and meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Tuesday 26th December 2017.

Once again Christmas is upon us, and 'tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la and all that stuff! With this in mind and before introducing the slew of big screen cinematic entertainment being released this week, it would be remiss of me not to wish my global readership all the very best for a Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year, and to thank-you all for your interest in my movie Blog Post ramblings, thoughts and opinions of the last twelve months. So, be safe; have fun; eat, drink, be merry; and in the immortal words of that great late Irish comedian Dave Allen, 'may your God, go with you'. Best wishes for the festive season, and for 2018 too . . . and we'll do it all again next year.

This week then in the big slot Christmas week, we kick off with a sequel to a jungle adventure film that pays homage to the big name and dearly departed actor and comedian who starred in the original 1995 offering upon which this film is based. We then move to a song and dance offering charting the rise to fame and fortune of a 19th century circus impresario; an animated feature themed around Mexico's Day of the Dead national holiday; with up next a film about good things coming in small packages and a group of pioneers who agree to groundbreaking miniaturisation technology with irreversible consequences. These are followed by an early '80's coming of age story set in the idyllic Northern Italian countryside during one Summer of discovery; a biopic of a pioneer for the disabled in Britain and around the world using his own experiences to bring hope and inspiration to others; before winding up with a French foreign language offering about a man in search of his biological father that takes him in all sorts of unexpected directions.
 
Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the seven latest release films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here cordially invited to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon experience during the week ahead.

'JUMANJI : WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE' (Rated PG) - in 1995 the fantasy adventure film 'Jumanji' was released as Directed by Joe Johnston based on the 1981 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. That film starred the late great Robin Williams as Alan Parrish trapped inside the Jumanji board game while playing with his friend in 1969. 26 years later Parrish is released by two unwitting new players who free the now adult Alan. After tracking down his friend whom he played the game with originally, the foursome must now complete the game in order to reverse all the destruction and mayhem it has caused. Off a production budget of US$65M that film grossed US$263M despite generally lacklustre Reviews, and despite its cutting edge CGI at the time. Now in 2017, we have a standalone sequel to that earlier film in the form of this action adventure comedy offering that is said to be a tribute to Robin Williams who died in 2014. Directed by Jake Kasdan and Co-Written for the screen by him too and costing US$90M the film has so far taken US$30M, was released in the US last week and has so far received mixed Reviews.

The plot follows four teenagers - Spencer Gilpin (Alex Wolff), Bethany Walker (Madison Iseman), Anthony Johnson (Ser'Darius Blaine) and Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner) who are transported into the video game world of Jumanji, and, playing as the characters they chose - Dr. Smolder Gravestone (Dwayne Johnson) as Spencer's avatar, Professor Sheldon Oberon (Jack Black) as Bethany's avatar, Moose Finbar (Kevin Hart) as Anthony's avatar and Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) as Martha's avatar. Transported into the game and into a remote jungle the foursome must beat the game and every obstacle it can throw at them, in order to return to the real world. Also starring Colin Hanks and Bobby Cannavale.

'THE GREATEST SHOWMAN' (Rated PG) - the beginnings of this film date back to 2009 when the project was first announced with Hugh Jackman headlining the cast and Michael Gracey slated to Direct in 2011. Since then the film has stalled with studios not wanting to take the risk on an original musical, until now. And so this biographical musical drama film is Directed by Australian Michael Gracey in his feature film debut, cost US$84M to bring to the screen, was released Stateside on 20th December and is nominated for three Golden Globes due to be presented in early January - those being Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Song. The story here surrounds how Phineas Taylor Barnum (aka P.T. Barnum who lived from 1810 until 1891) played by Hugh Jackman, started the Barnum & Bailey Circus and in so doing kick started show business. Charting the life of the man who rose from nothing to create a circus spectacular that went onto become a worldwide sensation that ran from 1871 through until 2017 (closing its doors for the final time six months before the Premier of this film), and the myriad of artists who performed under the Big Top and within the travelling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Also starring Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Fergusson, and Zendaya, the film has so far grossed US$8M.

'COCO' (Rated PG) - here Pixar Animation have pulled out all the stops to bring us a big budget CG animated musical fantasy film at a cost of US$175M, and is the first film with such a price tag to feature an all-Latino cast. Directed, and based on an original notion by Lee Unkrich, the film is based on the Mexican national holiday The Day of the Dead, and here follows a twelve year old lad named Miguel Rivera (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez) who despite his family's generations-old ban on music, dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colourful Land of the Dead. After meeting a charming trickster named Héctor (Gael Garcia Bernal), the two new friends embark on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history, while seeking the help of his musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family among the living. The film Premiered at Mexico's Morelia International Film Festival and was released there the weekend before The Day of the Dead, and went on to become the highest grossing film in the country's history. It has been nominated for two Golden Globes to be announced in early January - Best Song and Best Animated Motion Picture and has so far garnered thirteen award wins and another 47 nominations, as well as taking US$463M at the global Box Office to date. 'Coco' has been Critically acclaimed in particular for its strong voice cast, quality of animation, songs and score, its emotionally driven storyline and its overarching respect to the culture of Mexico.

'DOWNSIZING' (Rated M) - this Sci-Fi comedy drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Alexander Payne, whose previous credits include 'Election', 'About Schmidt', 'Sideways', 'The Descendants' and 'Nebraska', had its world Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival in late August and went on release in the US just last week. The film tells the story of a possible solution of over population, by shrinking humans to a height of just 13cms (five inches) after scientists in Norway discover a safe way of doing so. The procedure however, cannot be reversed. When stressed out Omaha living couple Paul and Audrey Safranek (Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig respectively) sign up for the procedure and the chance to move to a new experimental community and establish a new life for themselves, whilst learning to adapt to their radically changed circumstances, a whole new world of adventure and discovery ensues. Also starring Christoph Waltz and Jason Sudeikis. The film cost US$68M to make, and has so far received generally favourable Reviews.

'CALL ME BY YOUR NAME' (Rated M) - this universally acclaimed film by Director and Co-Producer Luca Guadagnino was written for the screen by James Ivory and is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Andre Aciman. Set during the Summer of 1983 in Lombardy in Northern Italy, the film chronicles the unfolding coming of age romantic relationship between Jewish/American boy Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet) a seventeen year old introspective bibliophile and musical prodigy, and Oliver (Armie Hammer) an American/Jewish carefree and outgoing graduate student employed by Elio's archaeological professor father Samuel Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) to help the young lad with his academic studies. Amid the sun filled splendor of their environment, the beauty of the Northern Italian landscape, and the emotional bond that is forged between the two, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a Summer that will impact their lives forever. The film was made on a shoestring budget of just US$3.5M and has so far recovered that sum since its release in the UK in late October and the US in late November. The film had its world Premier at last January's Sundance Film Festival and has so far picked up 31 award wins and another 79 nominations including three Golden Globe nods and a SAG nod to be announced early in 2018. The majority of these award wins and nominations have been for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor for Timothee Chalamet and Best Supporting Actor for Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg.

'BREATHE' (Rated M) - here we have Andy Serkis Directing this biographical drama film based on the life of Robin Cavendish who lived from 1930 until 1994, and who at the age of 28 developed polio and was paralysed from the neck down. Despite being initially given only three months to live, Cavendish was able to breathe only with the use of a mechanical respirator, and became a tireless advocate for disabled people, instrumental in organising the first records of the number of 'responauts' (those reliant on a mechanical respirator to breathe) in Britain and helping to develop numerous devices to provide independence to paralysed people. The film tells the very personal story of Robin's early life, his paralysis and how he became a pioneering advocate for the disabled, through his travels around the world with his devoted wife Diana giving inspiration and hope to others just like him, all the while defying medical experts by becoming one of the longest living polio survivors in Britain. Andrew Garfield stars as Robin Cavendish, Claire Foy as his wife Diana, with Tom Hollander and Hugh Bonneville too.

'JUST TO BE SURE' (Rated M) - this French romantic comedy offering screened in the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, is Directed by Carine Tardieu and has garnered positive Reviews by Critics and audiences alike. When 45-year-old widower Erwan (François Damiens) discovers by accident that that man who raised him isn’t in fact his real father, he begins a search for his biological one. Thanks to a local lesbian private detective he soon locates the mischievous, 70-something Joseph (Andre Wilms), whom his mother knew briefly. Erwan soon falls not only for his charm, but that of the impetuous Anna (Cécile de France), who has ties to them both. But the conflicting loyalties become complicated by the pregnancy of his own daughter, who defiantly refuses to name the father, referring to him only as Zorro whom she met briefly at a fancy dress party. Very soon Erwan’s families begin to collide, to unexpected, hilarious and moving effect. The film cost US$6M to make and has so far grossed US$5.5M.

With seven new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online, and meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

STAR WARS : THE LAST JEDI - Tuesday 19th December 2017.

'STAR WARS : THE LAST JEDI' which I saw this week has finally arrived, from a galaxy far far away after all the hype, the huge expectations and the eager anticipation comes forth the eighth instalment in the epic space opera franchise that had its beginnings forty years ago back in 1977, and shows no signs of letting up. This second film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy is Written and Directed by Rian Johnson whose other film credits are 'Brick' in 2005, 'The Brothers Bloom' in 2008, 'Looper' in 2012 and now this movie behemoth. Following hot on the heels of the J.J. Abrams seventh instalment 'Star Wars : The Force Awakens' which returned US$2.07B at the global Box Office and now stands as the third highest grossing film of all time, here many of those characters from 'The Force Awakens' return to reprise their roles including Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Leia Organa, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Anthony Daniels as C3PO, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma with Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern and in cameo roles appearing as Storm Troopers or lending their voices are Simon Pegg, Gareth Edwards, Gary Barlow, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Prince Harry, Prince William and Justin Theroux amongst others. On a production budget of US$200M the film grossed US$450M in its opening weekend - the fifth highest opening weekend take of all time, and at the time of writing had taken US$634M and received widespread Critical acclaim.

This film then follows on directly from where 'The Force Awakens' left off. The opening scene after the introductory scrawl is an epic space battle involving Poe Dameron (Oscar Issac) in a Resistance counterattack against the First Order and General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) gives the order to evacuate their base. The remaining Resistance vessels jump forward into hyperspace to escape the oncoming First Order, but surprisingly, they are able to follow using a tracking device.

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) leads a fleet to destroy the Resistance support fighters but hesitates upon approach to the lead ship sensing that his mother (Leia Organa) is on board. Instead TIE fighters fire on the bridge of the lead Resistance ship taking out several leaders and injuring General Organa. Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern) is next in command and so she assumes responsibility in Organa's absence. Seemingly without any kind of plan, Poe quickly become agitated by Holdo's inertia, and with Finn (John Boyega), Poe's droid BB-8, and maintenance worker Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) hatch a secret plan to locate, and disable the First Order's tracking device. But, time is running out, as the lead ship is running very low on fuel reserves and cannot sustain any more that one hyperspace jump.

Meanwhile, Rey (Daisy Ridley), with Chewbacca and R2-D2 arrive on the Millennium Falcon at the remote island on the oceanic planet Ahch-To with the aim of tracking down Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and convincing him to return to the Resistance and fight The First Order (where the last instalment left the world hanging!) Luke has been in hiding on the island for the past six years and has become disillusioned by the failings of the Jedi and wants to live out his days in peace. Even after hearing of Han Solo's death, Luke remains unconvinced to join the Resistance. However, one day while snooping around the Millennium Falcon Luke comes across his old tin can mate R2-D2 and as a result of that encounter he agrees to teach Rey in the ways of the Jedi and The Force.

However, meanwhile Rey and Kylo Ren have begun communicating with each other telepathically. Amongst other things Rey is of the belief that Kylo Ren can be redeemed from the Dark Side, as there is still some good in him trying to shine through. She then leaves Ahch-To aboard the Millennium Falcon to confront Kylo Ren face to face without Luke's assistance. Luke meanwhile has an audience with Yoda's force ghost while attempting to burn down the sacred Jedi temple and library tree that houses the ancient Jedi scripts, but halts before doing so. Yoda in turn ignites the tree telling Luke to learn a valuable lesson from his own failures.

Back on the Resistance lead ship, Holdo reveals plans to secretly abandon ship using smaller transport craft to ferry the remaining survivors to the safety of the nearby Rebel Alliance planet of Crait. Poe however, thinks that her plan is foolhardy and cowardly opting to run rather than face their enemy, and so initiates a mutiny and assumes command. Meanwhile Finn, Rose and BB-8 need to get to the casino on Canto Bite to locate a hacker who has been recommended to them by Maz Kanata (Lupita Nyong'o), as the only person in the known galaxy capable of infiltrating the First Order's ship and disabling the tracking device. Arriving, they are quickly chased down by authorities, and thrown in jail only to meet with DJ (Benicio Del Toro) an underworld codebreaker who claims to be the best in the business and can help them . . . for a price. After breaking out of the prison cell and running amok through the city leaving destruction and mayhem in their wake, they get off Canto Bite, and arrive at the First Order's mother ship which houses the tracking device.

DJ does his codebreaking stuff with relative ease and they gain access to the tracking device only for Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) and a brigade of Stormtroopers to arrive and arrest them all. It turns out the DJ double-crossed and turned in Finn and Rose for his own personal gain of a handsome reward. Phasma orders the execution of Finn and Rose, but just in the nick of time BB-8 who has hitherto escaped capture comes to the rescue all guns blazing (literally) and saves the day. Phasma and Finn battle it out between themselves, with Phasma ultimately falling to a fiery grave, so allowing Finn, Rose and BB-8 to escape.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the ship, Rey has arrived and Kylo Ren brings her to Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis). Snoke is intent on snuffing out Rey's light and her growing command of The Force, and orders Kylo Ren to kill her as a test of his resolve and his loyalty to the Supreme Leader. Instead, using his own powers, Kylo Ren manipulates Rey's lightsabre which Snoke has in his possession, to slice Snoke in half at the waist. The two then do battle with Snoke's guards. With that job done, Kylo Ren invites Rey to turn to the Dark Side and rule over the galaxy with him, for he feels the connection between them is strong. When Rey refuses, the two go head to head both using the power of The Force to gain possession of Anakin Skywalker's lightsabre, the same one used to kill Snoke, which splits in two.

Back on the Resistance mother ship, Leia is awakened by a vision of Luke. She stuns Poe and sides with Holdo in allowing the escape plan to proceed. When all souls have evacuated the ship, Holdo remains as the ship still needs someone to steer her course and to trick Snoke's fleet into thinking that what's left of the crew remain on board, and therefore an easy target. But, DJ revealed the escape plan to the First Order, who bombard the fleeing escape pods resulting in heavy losses, with Poe looking on in disbelief. Holdo, however, does the noble thing and turning the Resistance mother ship around to face that of the First Order, engages hyperspeed and in so doing rips through Snoke's ship. Rey escapes the ensuing carnage, Kylo Ren declares himself the new Supreme Leader, and BB-8, Finn and Rose join the survivors en route to Crait.

When the Resistance arrive on Crait they make for a heavily fortified mountain retreat that used to be a stronghold for the Rebel Alliance. Buried in a mountainside they feel they are almost invincible until the First Order arrives with Kylo Ren and General Hux (Domhnall Gleeson) at the bridge, and a giant enemy canon in tow to blast a hole into the mountain side protective doorway. Poe, Finn and Rose lead the Resistance into battle using aged speeders, but in reality these are easy pickings for the might of the First Order's superior fire power. In a last ditch attempt to take out the canon, Finn decides on a suicide mission to do so, since almost all other speeders have been downed. Rose however, intercepts Finn at the last minute so saving him, but almost sacrificing herself in the process. As a result the canon blasts a gaping hole in the mountainside fortress, so allowing the First Order to gain entry.

Luke appears to Leia, and then confronts Kylo Ren outside the mountain fortress. Kylo Ren orders all the firepower to be turned on Luke and continue blasting him to kingdom come until he gives the order to cease. When the dust and smoke has cleared Luke emerges unscathed, much to Kylo Ren's surprise and disgust. He then decides to confront Luke face to face, man to man and gaining the upper hand stabs Luke with his lightsabre, only to learn that he has been battling it out with Luke's hologram - his projection of The Force. At this point Luke tells Kylo Ren that he will not be the last Jedi, and as such he needs to get used to the idea and suck it up! Meanwhile, Rey assists the surviving Resistance fighters to escape from Crait aboard the Millennium Falcon. Back on Ahch-To Luke succumbs to the exhaustion of projecting himself to Kylo Ren, and passes away peacefully and willingly. Leia remarks that all is far from lost, and that the Rebellion still has the strength and the determination to succeed and rise up once more.

This is a satisfying entry into the universe that is Star Wars, if a little disjointed. The plot, the ensemble cast, the visual FX, the action set pieces, a dash of emotion and a hint of humour along the way are all in favour of the film, but the timeline seems out of kilter to me completely. While Rey and Luke bother themselves on Ahch-To with getting to know you back & forth banter that seems to go on for weeks, elsewhere in the galaxy time is of the essence as the Resistance mother ship has literally only several hours of fuel reserves left during which time the rest of the movie plays out in what seem like just a couple of days by comparison. For me this just didn't add up, even with the vagaries of hyper speed intergalactic travel. This is not up there with 'The Force Awakens' but is a worthy next instalment nonetheless that poses enough questions in anticipation of 'Star Wars : Episode IX' which is due for release in December 2019, takes the characters in a new and sometimes unexpected and welcome  direction, and is certainly worth the price of your ticket, and to see Carrie Fisher in her trademark role for the final time . . . and Mark Hamill too for that matter! 'Episode IX' will be Directed once again by J.J. Abrams following the hasty departure of Colin Trevorrow in September this year, and in the meantime we have 'Solo : A Star Wars Story' to look forward to, as Directed by Ron Howard and due in May 2018.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-