What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st August 2019.

In July the world bid a fond farewell to a number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories . . . . Cameron Boyce, Rip Torn, Freddie Jones, Richard Carter, Rutger Hauer and Russi Taylor.

* Cameron Boyce - born May 28th 1999, and died July 6th 2019, aged 20. Boyce was an American Actor who made his big screen debut in 2008's feature film 'Mirrors' alongside Keifer Sutherland, and followed this up that same year with 'Eagle Eye' with Shia LaBeouf. Then came 'Grown Ups' in 2010 with Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade and Rob Schneider and his reprisal of the role as Adam Sandler's son in 'Grown Ups 2' in 2013. His final film role before his untimely death was in the yet to be released thriller 'Runt' in which Boyce had top billing. His small screen appearances launched in 2008 with a recurring role on 'General Hospital : Night Shift', a main role on 'Jessie' from 2011 through 2015, and as Cruella de Vil's son Carlos in the made for TV movies 'Descendants' in 2015, 'Descendants 2' in 2017, and the yet to be aired 'Descendants 3' in 2019. In the meantime there was also 'Bunk'd' a spin off from 'Jessie', then 'Code Black' and his voice work on two animated 'Spider-Man' series and the also yet to be aired new series 'Mrs. Fletcher' and 'Paradise City'. All up Boyce had 35 Acting credits to his name, and had one award win and two nominations under this belt. Over the course of his short life Boyce was involved in several charities including the 'Thirst Project' to bring clean water to underdeveloped countries; 'United Way' to end homelessness, 'It's On Us' to raise awareness of, and fight against, sexual assault on college campuses for both men and women; and 'Wielding Peace' a campaign to help fight against gun violence by showing celebrities and survivors 'wielding' a new kind of weapon — one of unity.

* Rip Torn - born Elmore Rual Torn Jnr. on February 6th 1931 and died July 9th 2019, aged 88, Torn was American Actor of the stage, television and film. After moving to Hollywood, Torn made his film debut in the 1956 film 'Baby Doll' with Karl Malden and Eli Wallach. Torn then studied at the Actors Studio in New York under Lee Strasberg, becoming a prolific stage actor, and while there he introduced his cousin Sissy Spacek to the entertainment business, and helped her enrol in the Actors Studio. All up Torn had 192 Acting credits to his name from the world of movies and television series, the most notable of which were 1959's 'Pork Chop Hill' with Gregory Peck, 1962's 'Sweet Bird of Youth' with Paul Newman, 1965's 'The Cincinnati Kid' with Steve McQueen, 1978's 'Coma' with Michael Douglas, 1979's 'The Seduction of Joe Tynan' with Meryl Streep, 1982's 'Airplane 2 ; The Sequel' with Lloyd Bridges, 1983's 'Cross Creek' with Mary Steenburgen for which Torn received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, 1984's 'City Heat' with Clint Eastwood, 1995's 'How to Make an American Quilt' with Winona Ryder, 1997's 'Men In Black' and a role he would reprise in 2002's 'Men In Black II', 1999's 'The Insider' with Russell Crowe, 2000's 'Wonder Boys' with Michael Douglas, 2004's 'Dodgeball : A True Underdog Story' with Ben Stiller and 2006's 'Marie Antoinette' with Kirsten Dunst amongst many others. His television career also included the likes of his small screen debut in 1957 in a single episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' and then 'Dr. Kildare', 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.', 'Rawhide', 'Bonanza', on 89 episodes of 'The Larry Sanders Show' between 1992 and 1998 for which he was nominated for six Emmy Awards, winning in 1996, on 44 episodes as the Narrator on 'Ghost Stories' from 1997 through 1998, four episodes on 'Will & Grace' and seven episodes on '30 Rock'. Torn also appeared in ten Broadway stage productions from 1959 onwards, and a further seven Off-Broadway shows and Directed four. Torn was married three times and each time to an Actress - Ann Wedgeworth, Geraldine Page and Amy Wright with whom he had a combined six children. Not with out clashes with the law, Torn was arrested, released on bail for US$100K and subsequently pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and possession of a firearm, and was given a two-and-a-half-year suspended jail sentence, and three years probation in late 2010 for breaking into a Litchfield Bancorp branch office where he maintained a residence. In 1994 Torn successfully sued Actor Dennis Hopper for a total US$950K for defamation citing that Hopper had claimed that Torn pulled a knife on him during pre-production of the film 'Easy Rider' when the court ruling determined that the opposite was in fact true. After that incident Torn was replaced with Jack Nicholson in his breakout role.

* Freddie Jones - born Frederick Charles Jones on September 12th 1927 and died July 9th 2019, aged 91. Jones was an English Actor of stage, television, radio and cinema in a career that launched on the small screen in 1960 right up until 2018 with 218 film and television Acting credits under his belt. His many big screen roles included the likes of 1967's 'Far from the Madding Crowd' with Julie Christie, 1970's 'The Man Who Haunted Himself' with Roger Moore, 1971's 'Kidnapped' with Michael Caine, 1972's 'Antony and Cleopatra' with Charlton Heston, 1974's 'Juggernaut' with Richard Harris, 1979's 'Zulu Dawn' with Peter O'Toole, 1980's 'The Elephant Man' with John Hurt, 1982's 'Firefox' with Clint Eastwood, 1984's 'Firestarter' with Drew Barrymore, 1984's 'Dune' with Kyle MacLachlan, 1990's 'Wild At Heart' with Nicolas Cage, 2002's 'The Count of Monte Cristo' with Guy Pearce, 2004's 'Ladies in Lavender' with Judi Dench and 2005's 'The Libertine' with Johnny Depp. His small screen appearances of which there are many included over the years appearances on 'Z Cars', 'The Avengers', mini-series 'The Caesars' for which he won the award for the 'World's Best Television Actor of the Year' at the 1969 Monte-Carlo Television Festival, 'The Saint', 'Jason King', 'The Protectors', 'Space : 1999', on twenty episodes of 'The Ghosts of Motley Hall', 'The Duchess of Duke Street', 'Van der Valk', 'Pennies from Heaven', on four episodes 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole' and on six episodes of 'The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole', 'Inspector Morse, 'Lovejoy', 'Heartbeat', 'The Bill' and on 776 episodes of the long running ITV Soap Opera 'Emmerdale' from 2005 though until 2018. Jones married Actress Jennifer Heslewood in 1965 with whom he had three sons, including Actor Toby Jones.

* Richard Carter - born December 11th 1953 and died July 13th 2019, aged 65. Carter was an Australian Actor who had 71 credits to his name, first appearing in 1983's 'Hostage' in an uncredited role. Later that same year he appeared in 'Undercover' and then two episodes of soap opera 'Sons and Daughters'. From there his film credits included 1985's 'Rebel' with Matt Dillon, 1989's 'The Punisher' with Dolph Lundgren, 1994's 'Muriel's Wedding' with Toni Collette, 1996's 'Idiot Box' with Ben Mendelsohn, 1999's 'Two Hands' with Heath Ledger, 2000's 'Bootmen' with Sam Worthington, 2001's 'The Man Who Sued God' with Billy Connolly, 2002's 'Rabbit-Proof Fence' with Kenneth Branagh, 2003's 'Gettin' Square' with Sam Worthington, 2011's animated 'Happy Feet Two' to which he lent his voice talents together with an ensemble cast, 2013's 'The Great Gatsby' with Leonardo DiCaprio and 2015's 'Mad Max : Fury Road' with Tom Hardy. His small screen appearances over the years included eight episodes on soap opera 'A Country Practice', 21 episodes on drama series 'Rafferty's Blues', mini-series 'Bangkok Hilton', 'The Flying Doctors', 'Fallen Angels', 'Wildside', 'The Bill', 'Blue Heelers', 44 episodes on 'White Collar Blue', and five episodes on each of 'East West 101' and 'Rake'.

* Rutger Hauer - born January 23rd 1944, and died July 19th 2019, aged 75. Hauer was a Dutch Actor, occasional Director, Producer and Writer who had 173 Acting credits to his name and who during his career spanning six decades had won 14 awards and been nominated for a further five, including one Golden Globe win and a nod. He made his small screen debut in the title role of the Dutch historical action adventure series 'Floris' in 1969 which ran for thirteen episodes, and then a further nineteen episodes in the follow up series in 1975 'Floris von Rosamund'. From there his first big screen role came with the 1973 Paul Verhoeven Directed film 'The Sensualist'. Within two years more European and American productions came beckoning with 1975's 'The Wilby Conspiracy' with Michael Caine and Sidney Poitier, and then again with Paul Verhoeven in 1977's 'Soldier of Orange'. 'Nighthawks' followed in 1981 with Sylvester Stallone, and then Ridley Scott's classic 'Blade Runner' in which Hauer played the iconic role of self aware android Replicant Roy Batty. 'The Osterman Weekend' followed and then the likes of 'Ladyhawke', 'Flesh + Blood' for Paul Verhoeven once again, 'The Hitcher', 'Wanted : Dead or Alive', 'Escape from Sobibor' for which Hauer won the Golden Globe, 'Blind Fury' for Phillip Noyce, 'Past Midnight', 'Beyond Justice', 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Nostradamus', 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind', 'Sin City', 'Batman Begins', 'Hobo with a Shotgun', 'The Rite', 'The Heineken Kidnapping', 'Spoon', '24 Hours to Live', 'The Broken Key', 'Corbin Nash', 'The Sisters Brothers', 'The Sonata' and currently in Post-Production are 'Viy 2', 'Emperor', 'Break' and recently wrapped filming 'Tonight at Noon'. In addition there were also one off television series appearances plus multiple recurring roles on 'Porters', 'Channel Zero', 'Mata Hari', 'Galavant', 'True Blood' and 'The 10th Kingdom'. Hauer was also an environmentalist. He supported the 'Sea Shepherd Conservation Society' and was a member of its board of advisors and he also established an AIDS awareness organisation called the 'Rutger Hauer Starfish Association'. In 2007, he published his autobiography, 'All Those Moments: Stories of Heroes, Villains, Replicants, and Blade Runners'. He was made a knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 2013.

* Russi Taylor - born May 4th 1944, and died July 26th 2019, aged 75. Taylor was an American voice Actress who voiced numerous animated characters throughout her career spanning four decades. Her career took off as the original voice of 'Strawberry Shortcake' in six episodes of the 1980 television show of the same name - a role she would reprise a further five times over the next four years. She also voiced Huey, Dewey and Louie and Webby Vanderquack in the television series 'Duck Tales' from 1987, as well a numerous characters on 'The Simpsons' from 1989 right through until the time of her death. Perhaps her most famed role however, was that of Minnie Mouse who she voiced for over thirty years from 1986 in television productions, direct to video films, and video games. Her film credits took in 'The Private Eyes' in 1980, 'My Little Pony : The Movie' in 1986, 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' in 1988, 'Duck Tales : The Movie' and 'The Rescuers Down Under' both in 1990, 'Babe' in 1995, 'Babe : Pig in the City' in 1998, 'Fantasia 2000' in 1999 and 'The Simpsons Movie' in 2007. All up Taylor had 196 Acting credits to her name, plus two award wins and a further sixteen nominations including a PrimeTime Emmy nod, two Annie Award nods and two Daytime Emmy nods. Taylor was married to Wayne Allwine, the third voice of Mickey Mouse, from 1991 until his death in May 2009. They were both named 'Disney Legends' in 2008.

This week then we have five new release movies to tempt you out on a cool mid-winter's evening and coming to an Odeon near you. We kick start those with a high octane all guns blazing peddle to the metal muscle bound actioner that is a spin-off from a hugely successful franchise that sees our two protagonists who share an intense dislike and distrust of each other having to join forces to thwart a genetically enhanced terrorist with superhuman like strength and stamina. We then have a change of pace when a group of homeless folk stage a non-violent protest in a public library that gets out of control. Next up is a French offering about a middle aged and bitter divorcee who invents an alternative persona on social media touting herself with a new identity and as someone half her age with potentially dire consequences for both her identities. A famed Prince of Denmark work by Shakespeare told from the opposite side of the fence as his love must learn to navigate the corridors of power in very much a mans world comes next before closing out the week with a doco charting six Antipodean hikers taking the famed 800kms Camino Trail and their voyage of self-discovery.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the five latest release new movies 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 most welcome 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 outing during the coming week.

'FAST & FURIOUS : HOBBS & SHAW' (Rated M) - here we have the first spin-off movie from that hugely popular and successful 'Fast & Furious' franchise that launched in 2001 and has so far spawned eight films, with two more in the works set for release in 2020 and 2021, and a further female centred spin-off sometime thereafter. The franchise has also extended to short films, a television series, live shows, soundtrack albums and theme park attractions, and the first eight films in the series have grossed collectively US$5,135B at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets of US$1,010B. 'Hobbs & Shaw' is Directed by David Leitch (who previously took an uncredited Directing role on 'John Wick' with Chad Stahelski, plus 'Atomic Blonde' and 'Deadpool 2') and is Co-Produced by the films two lead Actors - Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. The film cost US$200M to bring to the big screen, saw its World Premier screening in Hollywood in mid-July and goes on general release here in Australia on 1st August and the US on 2nd.

Picking up where 'The Fate of the Furious' left off, Diplomatic Security Service federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and former SAS operative turned mercenary Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), two men who share an intense dislike for one another, are forced to team up to stop a new threat emerging in the shape of Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), a cyber-genetically enhanced international terrorist who gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever and in the process bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Deckard Shaw’s sister, so leaving Hobbs and Shaw to form their own team to save the human race and the world. Also starring Helen Mirren as Queenie Shaw (Deckard's and Hattie's mother), Cliff Curtis, Eddie Marsan and Roman Reigns.

'THE PUBLIC' (Rated M) - this American drama offering is Directed, Written, Co-Produced and also stars Emilio Estevez which saw its World Premier screening at TIFF back in September last year before going on general release in the US in early April. The film has so far taken US$575K at the Box Office and has generated largely positive Reviews. After learning that emergency shelters are at full capacity when a brutal Midwestern cold front makes its way to Cincinnati, a large group of homeless library patrons led by Jackson (Michael Kenneth Williams) refuse to leave the downtown public library at closing time. What begins as a nonviolent sit-in and occupy style act of civil disobedience by a bunch of ragtag randoms quickly escalates into a standoff with local riot police, led by a no-nonsense crisis negotiator Detective Bill Rumstead (Alec Baldwin) and a savvy district attorney Josh Davis (Christian Slater) with lofty political ambitions, all as two librarians Stuart and Myra (Emilio Estevez and Jena Malone respectively) are caught in the middle. Also starring Taylor Schilling, Jeffrey Wright and Gabrielle Union.

'WHO YOU THINK I AM' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Safy Nebbou, this French foreign language film is a dramatic thriller that saw its World Premier screening at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year and has garnered largely positive Press. Juliette Binoche here plays Claire Millaud, a fifty year old university lecturer and mother of two teenage boys, who is contending with the approach of middle age and remains stung by the betrayal of her ex-husband Gilles (Charles Berling), who is building a new life with a new partner. Claire also has a new lover, the handsome Ludovic Dalaux (Guillaume Gouix), but is under no illusions as to his fidelity. Out of a mix of petulance and curiosity, she impulsively creates a fake Facebook profile in which to keep an eye on him - she’s ‘Clara’, a 24 year old vivacious blond. Ludo doesn’t take the bait, but his close friend Alex Chelly (Francois Civil) does, and their online connection soon becomes flirtatious. Titillated by the opportunity of being young once more, Claire’s deceptions lead both of her identities into increasingly dangerous territory!

'OPHELIA' (Rated M) - this British and American Co-Produced romantic drama offering centres around the character of the same name from William Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet', following the story of Hamlet but from Ophelia's point of view. Directed by Australian Claire McCarthy and based on the novel by Lisa Klein this film saw its World Premier showing at the Sundance Film Festival back in January this year, went on limited release in the US at the end of June and has garnered generally mixed or average Reviews thus far. As a rebellious and motherless child, Ophelia (Daisy Ridley) is taken into Elsinore Castle by Queen Gertrude of Denmark (Naomi Watts) as one of her most highly regarded ladies-in-waiting. Fairly soon, Ophelia ignites the attraction of the young Prince Hamlet of Denmark (George MacKay). A passionate romance builds between the two in secret as the kingdom is on the brink of war amidst its own political intrigue and turmoil. When Hamlet’s father is murdered and the Prince’s wits begin to unravel into an insatiable quest for vengeance, Ophelia must navigate the corridors of power in Denmark. Also starring Clive Owen, Tom Felton and Devon Terrell.

'CAMINO SKIES' (Rated PG) - it seems that most Australians and New Zealanders walk the 800km Camino Trail the ‘French way’, which begins in the French Basque town of St-Jean-Pied-de-Port and finishes in the Spanish town of Santiago de Compostella where pilgrims receive their final stamp and certificates marking the 29 major towns they have passed along the way. This documentary Co-Directed and Co-Produced by Fergus Grady and Noel Smyth takes six experienced and inexperienced antipodean pilgrims aged between 50 and 80, on a journey back to the Camino in order to gain insight into what drives them to come back again and again for this spiritual pilgrimage. From Perth to Christchurch, it brings together the most passionate group of ANZAC Camino pilgrims ever assembled and observes their likeminded personalities working together to achieve the same goal. As the pilgrims set off from Perth, Brisbane, Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch we learn their individual stories and how they learn to live with heartbreak, grief, physical constraints and see the effect the month long journey has on their families. This is a film of ordinary people completing an extraordinary trek and the profound impact it has upon each and every one of them.

With five new release movies this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

APOCALYPSE NOW : FINAL CUT - Friday 26th July 2019.

'APOCALYPSE NOW : FINAL CUT' which I saw late last week is rated MA15+, and this 1979 and now a classic American epic war film about the Vietnam War was Directed, Produced and Co-Written by Francis Ford Coppola and now gets it's 40th anniversary re-release in the manner that Coppola had seemingly always intended. Starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Harrison Ford, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Glenn and Dennis Hopper with the Screenplay, Co-Written by Coppola and John Milius was loosely based on the 1899 novella 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad. 'Apocalypse Now' was honoured with the Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered unfinished before it was finally released on August 15, 1979. The film is today considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. It was nominated for eight Oscars at the 52nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Duvall, and went on to win for Best Cinematography and Best Sound among its total awards haul of twenty wins and another 31 nominations. The film took US$150M at the global Box Office off the back of a US$32M Budget. With a running time of 183 minutes, backed up by a 4k restoration and all the technological advancements in sound design, Coppola reportedly said that it now 'looks better than it has ever looked, and sounds better than it has ever sounded', and that he's 'thrilled beyond measure to present the best version of the film to the world.' 

In Vietnam in 1969, Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) a veteran U.S. Army special operations officer is sitting in his Saigon hotel room locked up and gradually going insane without a mission to satisfy his hunger to be on the front line. He drinks and smokes heavily and sleeps for days on end reminiscing about his former marriage, his previous tours of duty, the stupefying heat of Vietnam and the sheer boredom of being holed up in the confines of his hotel room. Then there is a knock on the door. With his hand bleeding profusely from where he smashed a plate glass mirror and drunk too, he is manhandled into a cold shower by the two officers who came knocking. Next up he is in a room with Colonel Lucas (Harrison Ford), Lieutenant General Corman (G.D. Spradlin) and a plain clothed mystery man Jerry (Jerry Ziesmer). They have a mission for Willard - to head up river into Cambodia and 'terminate with extreme prejudice' the highly decorated United States Army Special Forces Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) who has gone rogue and supposedly completely insane at an outpost in Cambodia, is running his own military unit based there and is feared as much by the U.S. military as by the North Vietnamese and Vietcong.

Willard with little choice but to accept the mission, joins a Navy River Patrol Boat crew captained by Chief Petty Officer George 'Chief' Phillips (Albert Hall) with young crewmen Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Lance B. Johnson (Sam Bottoms) a former professional surfer from Orange County; Engineman 3rd Class Jay 'Chef' Hicks (Frederick Forrest), a former chef from New Orleans; and Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Tyrone 'Mr. Clean' Miller (Laurence Fishburne), a seventeen-year-old street smart South Bronx-born crew member.

They rendezvous with seemingly fearless and mad keen surfing enthusiast Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall), 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment commander, to discuss going up the Nung River. Kilgore is at first offhandish but befriends Lance after discovering he is a famous surfer and agrees to escort them through the Nung's Viet Cong-held coastal mouth which is tidal and the lads can get in a long overdue surf. The helicopter squadron raids at dawn, with Kilgore ordering a napalm strike on the local hostiles practically wiping them all out but not without suffering casualties also, and at the same time muttering those immortal words 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning'.

As Willard continues the journey up river studying the extensive dossier he has on Kurtz, he learns that a Captain Richard Colby (Scott Glenn) was previously assigned Willard's current mission before he defected to Kurtz's private army and sent a message to his wife, intercepted by the U.S. Army, telling her that he was never coming back and to sell everything they owned. As the crew read letters from home, Lance activates a smoke grenade, attracting the attention of an enemy hiding in the dense undergrowth along the riverbank, and Mr. Clean is shot dead. Further upriver, Chief is impaled by a spear thrown by the natives and killed too. Willard reveals the purpose of their mission to Chef, and in spite of Chef's anger towards their end game, he rejects Willard's offer for him to continue alone and insists that they complete the mission together.

Continuing along their journey, the remaining crew members come across a French family holed up on their remote rubber plantation living the colonial lifestyle, and they spend the night having been welcomed by their well to do hosts dining on good food, fine wine, cognac and cigars. The next day the crew arrives at Kurtz's outpost, and the surviving crew are greeted by an American freelance photojournalist (Dennis Hopper), who crazily praises Kurtz's genius. As they wander through the camp, they come across a near-comatose Colby, along with other US servicemen now in Kurtz's renegade army. Learning that Kurtz is not at the camp at that time, Willard returns to the boat later taking Lance with him back to the camp and instructing Chef to stay behind and call in an air strike of the compound if they do not return within a certain time.

After Willard's initial introduction to Kurtz in a darkened temple he is subdued, bound and then tortured and imprisoned for several days during which time Kurtz drops Chefs severed head into the lap of Willard while he is tied up. Willard is subsequently released and allowed to freely roam the compound. Kurtz lectures him on his theories of war, the human psyche and civilisation, while praising the ruthlessness and dedication of the Viet Cong. 

That night, as the locals ceremonially slaughter a water buffalo, Willard stealthily enters Kurtz's chamber as he is making a recording and attacks him with a machete. Mortally wounded, Kurtz utters 'The horror, The horror' and dies. As the sun rises all in the compound see Willard departing the temple covered in blood spatter, carrying a collection of Kurtz's writings, and bow down to him. Willard then leads Lance to the boat and they depart unhindered.

The original shoot for 'Apocalypse Now' was fraught with challenges, including Marlon Brando arriving on set completely unprepared and overweight; entire sets being wiped out by Typhoon Olga in May 1976; Martin Sheen suffering a mental breakdown and a near fatal heart attack whilst on location; a production schedule that was due to last five months ran to over a year; the initial budget estimations of US$15M blowing out to closer to US$32M; the entire payroll being stolen overnight whilst under the watchful eye of bodyguards; and the final release of the film being delayed several times while Coppola edited over one million feet of film. All of that said, these challenges faced now over forty years ago will have dimmed into the far recesses of cinematic history and gave way ultimately to a classic Vietnam War film that has stood the test of time in all its visceral, hallucinatory, surreal and at times bizarre glory. The original film had a running time of 153 minutes, 2001's 'Apocalypse Now Redux' ran for 202 minutes and this version 'Apocalypse New : Final Cut' has a running time of 183 minutes and has been remastered frame by frame in stunning 4K quality, with the sound production enhanced by Dolby Atmos. This is the complete package and deserves to be either revisited or viewed for the first time on the big screen while you still can in selected theatres - you won't be disappointed by the experience as a chance to see one of the greatest films of all time just as Coppola had originally intended.

'Apocalypse Now : Final Cut' merits five claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard out of a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 25th July 2019.

This years Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) launches on Thursday 1st August and runs through until Sunday 18th August. According to the official website 'MIFF is a not-for-profit organisation that has been continuously running since 1952, making it the leading film festival in Australia and one of the world’s oldest film festivals, alongside Cannes and Berlin. Presenting a curated global program of innovative screen experiences and the world’s largest showcase of exceptional Australian filmmaking, MIFF is an accessible, iconic cultural event that provides transformative experiences for audiences and filmmakers alike'.

This years Opening Night film is the Australian Documentary Directed by Daniel Gordon 'The Australian Dream'. Charting the life and times of Adam Goodes, who for years was a beloved hero of the game of AFL (aka Aussie Rules - Australian Football League). Then the two-time Brownlow Medallist, two-time Premiership Champion and former Australian of the Year began to call out racism, and his Australian dream turned into a nightmare. And the Closing Night film is 'The Farewell' Written and Directed by Lulu Wang and stars Awkwafina in this Sundance hit about a Chinese-American woman reuniting with her family to farewell her dying grandmother – who doesn’t know of her deadly diagnosis.

This years Programme Strands falls into a number of categories ranging from Animation, to Documentaries, to Australian Films, International Films, Headliners, Experimentations, Restorations, Music On Film, Night Shift, Virtual Reality and MIFF Shorts.

Amongst these are the following :
Australian Films
MIFF is one of the world’s biggest supporters of homegrown talent, with over sixty local films screening this year, across shorts, features and VR. Telling the true blue ocker Australian story through documentary, drama, thriller, comedy, innovative Indigenous filmmaking and award-winning queer cinema, with approaching thirty World Premieres shown this year.

Among those are : 'Alice' Directed by Josephine Mackerras in the SXSW Grand Jury prize winner; 'Angel of Mine' Directed by Kim Farrant and starring Noomi Rapace, Luke Evans, Yvonne Strahovski and Richard Roxburgh; 'Animals' Directed by Sophie Hyde and starring Alia Shawkat and Holliday Grainger; 'The Australian Dream' Directed by Daniel Gordon and the opening night film; 'Below' Directed by Maziar Lahooti and starring Ryan Coor and Anthony LaPaglia; 'Hearts and Bones' Directed by Ben Lawrence and starring Hugo Weaving; 'H is for Happiness' Directed by John Sheedy and starring Miriam Margolyes, Emma Booth, Richard Roxburgh and Deborah Mailman; 'Judy & Punch' Directed by Mirrah Foulkes and starring Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman; 'Measure for Measure' Directed by Paul Ireland and starring Hugo Weaving; and 'The Nightingale' Directed by Jennifer Kent and starring Aisling Franciosi, Sam Claflin, Baykali Ganambarr and Damon Herriman.

International Films 

Every year, MIFF brings the freshest global cinema back to Melbourne. These international films – from Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, North America and Latin America – represent the cream of the crop of world cinema, and include award winners from the most prestigious film festivals, your new and old favourite Directors, famous faces and far-flung places.

Among these are : 'American Woman' Directed by Jake Scott and starring Sienna Miller, Christina Hendricks and Aaron Paul; 'The Art of Self-Defence' Directed by Riley Stearns and staring Jesse Eisenberg; 'The Beach Bum' Directed by Harmony Korine and starring Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, Zac Efron, Snoop Dog and Martin Lawrence; 'Beanpole' Directed by Kantemir Balagov this Russian feature won both the coveted Best Director award and the FIPRESCI prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section earlier this year; 'Bellbird' Directed by Hamish Bennett; 'Dirtry God' Directed by Sacha Polak; 'Frankie' Directed by Ira Sachs and starring Brendan Gleeson, Greg Kinear, Isabelle Huppert, Jeremie Renier and Marisa Tomei; 'Happy New Year, Colin Burstead' Directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Bill Paterson, Charles Dance, Hayley Squires, Richard Glover and Sam Riley; 'The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao' Directed by Brazilian filmmaker Karim Ainouz which took out the Cannes’ prestigious Un Certain Regard prize; 'The Kill Team' Directed by Dan Krauss and starring Adam Long and Alexander Skarsgard; 'Kursk' Directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Matthias Schoenaerts, Lea Seydoux, Colin Firth and Max von Sydow; 'Monos' Directed by Alejandro Landes and winner of the Sundance Special Jury Award; 'The Mountain' Directed by Rick Alveston and starring Jeff Goldblum, Tye Sheridan; Udo Kier and Denis Lavant; 'Skin' Directed by Guy Nattiv and starring Jamie Bell, Danielle Macdonald, Daniel Henshall, Vera Farmiga, Mike Colter, Bill Camp and Mary Stuart Masterson; 'The Souvenir' Directed by Joanna Hogg and starring Tilda Swinton, Honor Swinton Byrne, Richard Ayoade and Tom Burke this film picked up the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic category, and a sequel is already in the works; 'Swallow' Directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis and starring Haley Bennett and Austin Stowell; 'Them That Follow' Directed by Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage and starring Alice Englert, Kaitlyn Dever, Lewis Pullman, Olivia Colman and Walton Goggins; 'Tommaso' Directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Willem Dafoe, Anna Ferrara and Cristina Chiriac; 'The Tomorrow Man' Directed by Noble Jones and starring John Lithgow and Blythe Danner; and 'Vivarium' Directed by Lorcan Finnegan and starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots.

Headliners

Headlining the festival’s wide-ranging program, these films include some of the most anticipated new works from some of the world’s most revered auteurs and exciting new filmmakers – many screening at MIFF direct from Cannes.

Among these are : 'Bacurau' from Directors Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Madonca Filho; 'The Day Shall Come' Directed by Chris Morris and starring Anna Kendrick and Marchant Davis; 'The Dead Don't Die' Directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Caleb Landry Jones, Carol Kane, Chloe Sevigny, Danny Glover, Iggy Pop, RZA, Rosie Perez, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, Tilda Swinton and Tom Waits; 'Official Secrets' Directed by Gavin Hood and starring Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode and Rhys Ifans; 'Pain and Glory' Directed by Pedro Almodovar and starring Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz; and 'Sorry We Missed You' Directed by Ken Loach.

For more news, views and the full programme details on the upcoming Melbourne International Film Festival, you can visit the official website at : https://www.miff.com.au/

Turning attention back to this week, we have four new release movies coming to an Odeon near you. We kick off with not so much a new movie but one that is celebrating its 40th anniversary and has been remastered visually and audibly to bring you a classic epic Vietnam War story pretty much as the Director had originally intended. Maintaining the war theme we go back further in time to post WWII that sees this true story of a German POW held in Lancashire, England go on to become a highly acclaimed goalkeeper for Manchester City culminating in his side winning the 1956 FA Cup Final. And keeping with the football theme we have a documentary about the rise and fall of an Argentinian soccer playing legend that represented his country in four World Cup tournaments, winning one; and in closing out the week we have a documentary about Japanese whaling ships hunting down whales in the Southern Ocean all in the name of scientific research as their attempts are  often thwarted by the anti-whaling vessel The Sea Shepherd, and then of course there is the plight of those hunted whales themselves.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new movies 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 most welcome 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 outing during the week ahead.

'APOCALYPSE NOW : FINAL CUT' (Rated R18+) - this 1979 and now a classic American epic war film about the Vietnam War was Directed, Produced and Co-Written by Francis Ford Coppola and now gets it's 40th anniversary re-release in the manner that Coppola had perhaps always intended. Starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Harrison Ford, Sam Bottoms, Laurence Fishburne, Scott Glenn and Dennis Hopper with the Screenplay, Co-Written by Coppola and John Milius was loosely based on the 1899 novella 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad. 'Apocalypse Now' was honoured with the Palme d'Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered unfinished before it was finally released on August 15, 1979. The film is today considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. It was nominated for eight Oscars at the 52nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Duvall, and went on to win for Best Cinematography and Best Sound among its total awards haul of twenty wins and another 31 nominations. The film took US$150M at the global Box Office off the back of a US$32M Budget.

In Vietnam in 1970, Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) a veteran U.S. Army special operations officer takes a perilous and increasingly hallucinatory journey upriver to find and terminate Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a highly decorated U.S. Army Special Forces officer with the 5th Special Forces Group who has gone rogue and supposedly completely insane at an outpost in Cambodia. In the company of a Navy patrol boat filled with street-smart kids, a surfing-obsessed Air Cavalry officer Lieutenant Colonel William Kilgore (Robert Duvall), 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment commander, and a crazed freelance photojournalist (Dennis Hopper), Willard travels further and further into the heart of darkness. With a running time of 183 minutes, backed up by a 4k restoration and all the technological advancements in sound design, Coppola reportedly said that it now 'looks better than it has ever looked, and sounds better than it has ever sounded', and that he's 'thrilled beyond measure to present the best version of the film to the world.' A must see on the big screen - catch it for a limited time only at limited theatres.

'THE KEEPER' (Rated M) - this British and German Co-Produced biographical drama offering  Directed and Co-Written by Marcus H. Rosenmuller saw its World Premier screening at the Zurich Film Festival back in early October 2018, before going on release in Germany in mid-March this year and in the UK in early April. And so, 'The Keeper' tells the almost unbelievable true story of Bert Trautmann (David Kross), a German soldier and POW interned in Lancashire, who, against a backdrop of British post-war protest and prejudice, secures the position of Goalkeeper at Manchester City, and in the process becomes a footballing legend. Struggling for acceptance by those who regard him as the enemy, Bert's love for Margaret (Freya Mavor), an Englishwoman, sees him overcome this adversity and he wins over even his harshest critics and opposition by winning the 1956 FA Cup Final, even playing on with a broken neck to secure his teams victory. But fate of course will soon takes a turn for the worse for Bert and Margaret, when their love and loyalty to each other is put to the ultimate test.

'DIEGO MARADONA' (Rated M) - continuing with the soccer theme, this British documentary film is Written and Directed by the British film maker Asif Kapadia whose previous notable doco's were 2010's 'Senna', based on Ayrton Senna the famed Brazillian Formula 1 motor racing ace, which won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary and Best Editing and the World Cinema Audience Award Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival 2011. He also filmed 2015's 'Amy' based on singer Amy Winehouse, which has become the highest grossing documentary of all time in the United Kingdom, and also won him an Academy Award and Grammy Award in 2016. Constructed from over five hundred hours of never-before-seen footage, this documentary centres on the career of celebrated Argentinian football player Diego Armando Maradona, who played for Barcelona and then Napoli in the 1980's, with both teams scoring a record beating transfer fee at the time. In his international career with Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, in 1982 in Spain, in 1986 in Mexico where he captained Argentina and led them to victory over West Germany in the final, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player, then again in 1990 in Italy and in 1994 in the US. The film saw its World Premier screening out of competition at this years Cannes Film Festival, went on release in the UK in mid-June and has so far made just over US$1M at the Box Office.  Maradona is now 58 years of age and is/was coach of Mexican side Dorados de Sinaloa.

'DEFEND, CONSERVE, PROTECT' (Rated PG) - Produced in Australia and financed successfully through a global crowdfunding effort, 'Defend, Conserve, Protect' is a documentary film that took over four years to make, and was shot across France, The Netherlands, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. Directed by Stephen Amis and narrated by Dan Aykroyd, this film pits the impassioned marine conservation group, Sea Shepherd against the Japanese whaling fleet, in an epic battle to defend the majestic Minke Whales of the Southern Ocean. These noble, curious Minkes are easy prey for the Japanese, who claim to kill in the name of science aboard their 'Research Vessels' – an assertion that has been widely discredited outside Japan for many years. At the helm of the Sea Shepherd is 28 year old Captain Peter Hammarstedt who hunts the whaling ships, not the whales. The documentary clearly depicts what happens when a small group of determined people stand up against an aggressive corporation flagrantly defying international law.

With four new release movies this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

YESTERDAY : Tuesday 16th July 2019.

I finally got around to seeing 'YESTERDAY' this week, some three weeks after its Australian release, which carries an M Rating. Here this musical fantasy comedy is Directed by Danny Boyle (of 'Trainspotting', 'The Beach', 'Slumdog Millionaire', '127 Hours', '28 Days Later' and 'Sunshine' fame amongst others), and is written by Richard Curtis (he of 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', 'Notting Hill', 'Love Actually', 'The Boat That Rocked', 'War Horse' and 'About Time' fame also amongst others). The film saw its World Premier screening at the Tribeca Film Festival in early May, was released in the UK in late June, made for US$26M and has so far grossed US$84M, and has received mixed or average feedback from Critics.

Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is a struggling singer-songwriter from Lowestoft in the county of Suffolk located in eastern England, whose dreams of musical fame and fortune are rapidly in decline, despite the unwavering devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie (Lily James). Ellie is a school teacher and surrogate Manager to Jack who manages to score him a gig at the Latitude Music Festival which he is initially elated about, but after the fact is depressed because no one but a bunch of boozehounds and kids saw his performance. On the drive back after the gig, Jack threatens to give up his musical aspirations but Ellie is able to convince him otherwise.

One night while riding his bike home after a pub gig Jack is knocked off his ride in a head on collision with a bus during a mysterious global blackout that lasts for just twelve seconds. Jack comes round in a hospital bed a day or two later with no memory of what happened. He is comforted by Ellie who pokes fun at him because of his two missing front teeth, his fat lip, broken ribs and bruised and bloodied face. Upon release he catches up with some friends and Ellie at a beachside pub, where his friends present him with a new guitar to replace the one damaged in his earlier bike accident. His friends ask him to sing them a song. He sings them 'Yesterday' by The Beatles, and after, the three friends look on astonished at the beautiful song he has just performed, asking him when he wrote that. Jack retorts that The Beatles of course wrote it, but they all come back with 'who'? Looking on a little perplexed, he quickly dismisses their ignorance as a joke.

Later that day he visits Ellie at home to double check on her knowledge of The Beatles, and again she feigns ignorance. Jack hurries home, goes to his computer, punches The Beatles into Google, and the search reveals beetles. He tries again, with the same result and then a third time. He then tries various derivatives also with no success, even punching in Oasis to reveal a desert watering hole rather than the Manchester rock band of the '90's said to have been heavily influenced by The Beatles. It quickly dawns on Jack that in the new world post his bike accident, no one has ever heard of The Beatles. And so Jack begins performing their songs mostly in down beat clubs and pubs claiming he wrote them, but still with little success, until he is heard by a local music producer Gavin (Alexander Arnold), with whom he records a demo CD.

Following a spot on a local TV programme on which Jack performs live, he is contacted by Ed Sheeran who saw his performance and was able to lay his hands on a copy of his demo CD. Ed rocks up one evening unannounced to Jack's place and is invited to play as Ed's opening act in Moscow in four days time - next Tuesday. Ellie declines to join him, saying she has to work at her day job as a school teacher, so Jack's totally unreliable and somewhat roguish roadie friend Rocky (Joel Fry) travels with him instead. Jack goes down a storm in Moscow and has the packed audience eating out of his hand, particularly with his rendition of 'Back in the USSR'.

After the hugely successful Moscow gig, Jack is signed by Sheeran's agent, Debra Hammer (Kate McKinnon), and rapidly rises to global fame off the back of The Beatles extensive catalogue of songs which Jack has had to remember the music and lyrics to, remembering that if The Beatles never existed there are no recordings, no archival footage, no song sheets, no music and no lyrics recorded anywhere. His new Agent summons Jack over to LA to negotiate a deal and to meet with top executives in the recording industry, media people and image consultants etc. in readiness to launch Jack on a partially suspecting world as the biggest thing ever to hit the global music scene.

After a series of meetings in LA and more scheduled for the end of the week Jack makes a hasty retreat back to Liverpool to meet with Ellie and to conduct some more Beatles research in the hope of jogging his memory of their songs lyrics. He travels with Rocky and visits Strawberry Field, Penny Lane and the grave of Eleanor Rigby - all landmarks immortalised in the words and music of classic Beatles tracks. At a party at Jack's home, Ellie confesses that she has always loved Jack ever since they were at Junior School together, but she knows that his feelings for her aren't reciprocated. Jack tries to summons the words to express his feelings but is pressured into rejoining the party downstairs.

The next evening Ellie seeks out Jack at his hotel. They have dinner together, eat lots, drink more and then retire to his room. They embrace and kiss but then Ellie shies away telling him that she is not interested in being his one night stand before he does a bolt back to the glitz, glamour and temptations of LA. Early the next morning, Jack and Rocky pursue Ellie to Liverpool Lime Street Train Station where she is waiting to get a train back down to Suffolk. Ellie reminds Jack about making a choice between her and his career. Already running late for their scheduled flight Jack returns to Los Angeles heartbroken.

Jack flies back into LA and attends a marketing meeting at his record label in which a decision is to be made about the title of his first double album release. He had already suggested 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' or 'The White Album' or 'Abbey Road' but instead the marketing guru's come up with 'One Man Only' pushing his solo and independent song writing talents. Jack is becoming increasingly disillusioned and persuades Debra Hammer to launch the album with a performance in Gorleston at a beachside hotel back in Norfolk, England - his former stomping ground. In the meantime Jack has a guest appearance on the James Cordon Show, in which Cordon reveals that there are a couple of guests in the audience who claim that Jack's songs are not his own.

Whilst waiting to go on to the roof top stage at Gorleston, Rocky approaches Jack saying that two crazies are demanding to see him, and hands over a model of the Yellow Submarine. Whilst Rocky has no clue about the significance of the model, Jack instantly recognises it and is shocked. Fearing the worst Jack nonetheless agrees to meet them. In walk two Beatles fans who tell him they know he plagiarised the songs; however, not being able to sing themselves they thank him, fearing the music of the Beatles would have been lost forever had it not been for him. Upon leaving they give him a hand written note on a scrap of paper and saying that their research had been exhaustive. Jack goes out onto the roof top stage and launches his album to a huge crowd gathered on the beach in front of the hotel, in which he belts out 'Help'.

The next day Jack is travelling in a taxi to the remote beachside cottage address given to him by the two Beatles fans who visited him the day before. It is the home of John Lennon (an uncredited Robert Carlyle), who has lived to be 78 and is still going strong. Jack asks John if he has led a successful life and John responds that he has led a happy life with his wife, and his sailing and his artistic talents and tells him to chase the one he loves and to always tell the truth. Jack hugs John for reasons that are unclear to the now unrealised musician and 20th Century icon, and leaves. 

Ed arranges for Jack to perform at Wembley Stadium which he does by belting out several Beatles classics. After his performance Jack confesses to the massive audience that he plagiarised the music that was written by John, Paul, George and Ringo (which of course means nothing to the crowd) and that he is simply a conduit to keep their music alive. He goes on to display Ellie on a giant screen behind him oblivious to the fact that she is up on stage remotely, but she hears him saying that he loves her, is sorry for fooling everyone with his songs and then has Rocky upload the songs free to the Internet, sabotaging the record release and sacrificing tens of millions of dollars in sales in the process. Jack and Ellie marry and have a family together, Jack becomes a music teacher and they live happily ever after.

I quite enjoyed 'Yesterday' I'd have to say and perhaps just a little more than I had expected going in. The film will doubtless please Beatles fans keen to hear some of their catalogue of more memorable tunes sung with conviction by a passable Himesh Patel. It's a fun feel good movie that does leave a satisfying taste in the mouth after the credits have rolled, told in a simple, no nonsense uncomplicated albeit fairly formulaic manner about a struggling musician; the girl who loves him but he doesn't get it; boy literally stumbles across worldwide stardom, fame and fortune; loses girl in the process; and then all comes good in the end. Patel, Sheeran and Fry give the standout performances in this film with equal amounts of comedic and emotional heft, while James and McKinnon are left largely undercooked and in reality not that interesting, albeit necessary to move the story along. In this parallel universe or whatever it is (which is never explained further except for a twelve second global blackout caused by a solar flare) we also learn that Coca Cola, cigarettes and Harry Potter also have never existed. If, however, two other people have memories of The Beatles, then presumably they can also recall these other products, and if there are two, how many more are there in the global population that also share those memories, and those others seemingly lost from human consciousness forever. Lots of unanswered questions mostly on a cosmic scale, a couple of half baked   storylines masquerading as romantic turmoil and the music PR machine, all just about saved by a solid debut from the lead Actor and a strong self depreciating cameo from Sheeran.

'Yesterday' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-