What's new in Odeon's this week - Friday 1st January 2021.

2020 was the year that was, with the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting our personal lives, our social lives, our work and the very fabric of everything we hold dear in life . . . including the movie industry! There is almost no country on Earth that has not been impacted by the coronavirus - some considerably more so than others, and as I write this case numbers and resultant deaths continue to escalate in the US, the UK and parts of Europe as new strains are discovered, some of those countries entering second and third stage lockdowns with governments now scrambling to roll out recently made available vaccines in an attempt to halt the spread. But despite all this gloom and doom, I have managed to Review fifty-nine newly released movies over the past twelve months, and Preview a further 176 latest release new films worthy of your cinema going consideration, and I've paid tribute to 210 screen celebrities who have passed away in 2020 but all of whom leave a lasting legacy of the great work accumulated over their sometimes short but more often long careers in the film and television industry either in front of, or behind the camera. And so on that note, all that remains for me to say is a big thanks for your readership, your support and your interest in my humble little Blog throughout 2020, and sincerest Best Wishes to you all for a very happy, successful, prosperous and safe New Year and may 2021 be kinder to us all than the past year has been.   

This week, launching on New Years Day we have just three new cinematic releases to tease you out to your local Odeon. We kick off with the Australian big screen adaptation of a highly acclaimed 2016 novel by an Australian author about a Federal Agent who returns to his drought stricken community to attend the funeral of a childhood friend but soon gets embroiled in prejudice, pent up anger and a terrified township as he seeks to uncover the truth behind his friends death. Next up we have a video game adaptation about a group of US Army Rangers who fall through a portal into another world only to be chased down by giant marauding monsters intent on killing the humans, before they can find a way home. And the week closes out with a German animated feature about a young lad who claims he can ride dragons and who teams up with a young silver dragon and a forest brownie to thwart an evil dragon eating monster intent of wiping out all of Earth's dragons once and for all. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or 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.

'THE DRY' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian film is Directed by Robert Connelly whose previous film making credits take in 'The Bank', 'Three Dollars', 'Balibo', 'The Turning' and 'Paper Planes', and is based on the multi-award winning 2016 best selling debut novel by Australian author Jane Harper. Originally set for a late August release this year, the film was pushed back to a New Year's Day release 2021 due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Federal Agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his struggling farming community of Kiewarra in regional Victoria after an absence of over twenty years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke Hadler (Martin Dingle Wall), who allegedly killed his wife and child before taking his own life - a victim of the madness that has ravaged this community after more than a decade of drought. When Falk reluctantly agrees to stay and investigate the crime, he opens up an old wound - the death of seventeen year-old Ellie Deacon (BeBe Bettencourt). Falk begins to suspect these two crimes, separated by decades, are connected. As he struggles to prove not only Luke's innocence but also his own, Falk finds himself pitted against the prejudice towards him and and pent-up rage of a terrified community. Also starring Genevieve O'Reilly, Matt Nable, John Polson, Bruce Spence and Keir O'Donnell. 

'MONSTER HUNTER' (Rated M) - Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Paul W. S. Anderson and based on the video game series of the same name. Costing US$60M to make, the film was released in the US in mid-December and not in the UK until the end of January, has so far grossed US$11.5M and has generated mostly mixed Reviews form Critics. And so, sitting somewhere behind our world, there is another - a world where deadly and powerful monsters rule their domain with a dangerous ferocity. When US Army Ranger Capatin Natalie Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and her trusted soldiers fall through a portal from our world to the new one, the unflappable Captain receives the shock of her life. In a desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers and unstoppable, terrifying attacks, Artemis teams up with a mysterious hunter (Tony Jaa) who has found a way to fight back against the monsters as they seek a way home. Also starring Ron Perlman, Diego Boneta, and Meagan Good.

'DRAGON RIDER' (Rated PG) - is a German animated fantasy offering based on the 1997 children's novel of the same name by Cornelia Funke. The film was to be released in theatres in early August 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film release was postponed to 1st October 2020 in its native Germany, before going on release in Australia this week, has so far taken just over US$3M and has garnered mixed or average Reviews so far. Directed by Tomer Eshed in his feature film making debut, the premise here surrounds Firedrake (voiced by Thomas Brodie-Sangster) a young silver dragon, who has had enough of constantly having to hide in a woodland valley. He wants to show the older generations of dragons that he is a real dragon. When humans are about to destroy his family's very last refuge, Firedrake secretly sets off on an adventurous journey to locate the 'Rim of Heaven' - the mysterious safe haven of dragons, with forest brownie, Sorrel (voiced by Felicity Jones). On their quest Firedrake and Sorrel encounter Ben (voiced by Freddie Highmore), an orphan and stray, who says he's a dragon rider. While Ben and Firedrake make friends quickly, Sorrel becomes increasingly uneasy and tries her best to get rid of the orphan at every chance. But the unlikely trio have to learn to cooperate with each other, because they are being hunted by Nettlebrand (voiced by Patrick Stewart), an evil, dragon-eating monster created by an alchemist with the aim of tracking down and destroying every last dragon on Earth.

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 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-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Saturday 26th December 2020.

With Christmas upon us, for many of us around the world this festive season will take on a whole new meaning given the ongoing and seemingly ever present impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries across Europe, the US and Asia are now battling second and third phase outbreaks that bring more restrictions, more lockdowns and more uncertainty. If your Government permits, get out a see a movie on the big screen this festive season and escape the trials and tribulations of the real world for a few hours. In the meantime I take this opportunity to wish my readership wherever you are in the world, a safe, happy and relaxing Christmas with your families, friends and loved ones - assuming you are able to. Together we can beat this thing by remembering to wear a face mask, practice social distancing and good hand hygiene. I wish you all the very best and compliments of the season to you. 

Coming to big screens across Australia and in some cases internationally this Boxing Day, we have six new movie releases to tease you out to your local Odeon the day after Christmas. We begin with the much delayed ninth instalment in the DCEU that sees an immortal Superheroine face off against an apex predator superhuman and a ruthless businessman intent on making wishes come true. Next up is a woman's odyssey to explore a nomadic existence in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis; followed by a French film set in the late '60's about a woman thrust into running a housekeeping school, only to face challenges along the way from the bank, the students, and a former lover. We then turn to a real life telling of Churchill's Special Operations Executive set up during the early months of WWII and how a group of spirited women undermine the Nazi's in France. We then turn to a sequel of an animated feature from a few years ago that tells the story of a prehistoric family this time in search of a new place to call home, and when they find their seemingly idyllic place adventure awaits. And wrapping up the week is a food porn doco about how one renowned Chef was tasked with assembling a select group of the world's best Pastry Chefs to create the decadent desserts that would have been served up to the court of the Palace of Versailles in the late 17th and 18th centuries.    

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or 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.

'WONDER WOMAN : 1984' (Rated M) - the ninth instalment in the DCEU is finally here, and this sequel to 2017's 'Wonder Woman' which grossed US$822M off the back of a production budget of about US$140M, is once again Directed by Patty Jenkins, and has been the subject of numerous delays to finally get us to this point. Originally announced for release on December 13, 2019, before being moved up to November 1, 2019, then it was delayed to June 5, 2020 and delayed again to August 14, 2020 while the world rode out the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, a further delay saw the film's release pushed to October 2, 2020, before it was moved to this Christmas date. The film will also stream on HBO Max in the US and through Premium VoD in Canada from the same day as its theatrical release in those countries, while the rest of the world can enjoy the big screen cinematic release from anytime between this week and the end of January 2021. Costing US$200M to make the film is not expected to be profitable, needing to take US$500M to break even after marketing costs are factored in. That said, this sequel has generated largely positive Critical acclaim.

Set in 1984 Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot who also Co-Produces here) is reunited with her former love interest Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and must face off against Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig) who morphs into Cheetah, a cheetah like apex predator superhuman, and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), a charismatic businessman and founder of Black Gold Cooperative, who has acquired a mysterious Dreamstone that seemingly is able to grant wishes upon contact with any user. Also starring Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright reprising the roles from the first film as Hippolyta and Antiope respectively with Linda Carter who played Wonder Woman in the 1970s television series, makes a special cameo appearance as Asteria, a legendary Amazon warrior.

'NOMADLAND' (Rated M) - this highly acclaimed American drama film is Directed, Written, Co-Produced and Edited by the Chinese movie maker Chloe Zhao in only her third Directorial outing after 'Songs My Brother Taught Me' in 2015 and 'The Rider' in 2017. In September 2018, Marvel Studios hired her to direct 'Eternals', based on the comic book characters of the same name, which is set for a release in early November 2021. This film is based on the 2017 non-fiction book 'Nomadland : Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century' by Jessica Bruder. Here following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada following the Global Financial Crisis, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. Featuring real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West, the film also stars David Strathairn. The film saw its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September this year, goes on general release in the US on 19th February 2021, has generated universal Critical acclaim, and has so far collected twenty-three award wins and another nineteen nominations from around the awards and festival circuit.

'HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE' (Rated M) - this French comedy drama offering is Directed and Co-Written by Martin Provost whose more recent film making outings have included the highly acclaimed 'Seraphine' in 2008, 'The Long Falling' in 2011, 'Violette' in 2013 and 'The Midwife' in 2017. Paulette Van der Beck (Juliette Binoche) and her husband Robert (Francios Berleand) have been running a housekeeping school in Alsace, France in the late 1960's. After the sudden death of her husband, Paulette discovers that the school is on the verge of bankruptcy and has to step up and take on her responsibilities to the teenage girls under her tutelage and her staff. With preparations underway for the best housekeeping competition TV show, she and her lively students begin to question their beliefs as the nation-wide protests of May 1968 transform society around them. Reunited with her first love, Andre Grunvald (Edouard Baer), and with the help of her eccentric stepsister Gilberte (Yolanda Moreau) and strict nun Marie-Therese (Noemie Lvovsky), Paulette joins with the schoolgirls to overcome their suppressed status and become liberated women. This film opened in its native France back in March this year, and now gets a release in Australia from this week.

'A CALL TO SPY' (Rated M) - this American historical drama film is Lydia Dean Pilcher in only her second feature film outing following 2018's 'Radium Girls'. Inspired by true events during the early months of WWII and with Britain becoming desperate, Winston Churchill orders his new spy agency—the Special Operations Executive (SOE) to recruit and train women as spies. Their daunting mission is to conduct sabotage and build a resistance. SOE's 'spymistress' is Vera Atkins (Stana Katic) who recruits two unusual candidates -Virginia Hall (Sarah Megan Thomas who also wrote and Produced here), an ambitious American with a wooden leg, and Noor Inayat Khan (Radhika Apte), an Indian Muslim pacifist. Together, these women help to undermine the Nazi regime in France, leaving an unmistakable legacy in their wake. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Edinburgh International Film Festival way back in June 2019, saw its release in the US in early October, has so far taken just US$182K at the Box Office and now gets a release in Australia having generated positive critical Reviews.

'THE CROODS : A NEW AGE' (Rated PG) - is an American computer generated animated adventure comedy film that is the sequel to 2013's 'The Croods' which grossed US$588M off the back of a circa US$160M production budget. This film is Directed by first-timer Joel Crawford who takes over from Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders. And so here, searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discover an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Betterman's - a family that sits a couple of notches above the Croods on the evolutionary scale. As tensions between the new neighbours builds, a new threat soon launches both clans on an epic adventure that forces them to embrace their differences, draw strength from one another, and survive together. Featuring the returning voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener and Cloris Leachman joined by the new vocals provided by Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann and Kelly Marie Tran. The film has so far grossed US$77M from a production budget of US$65M since its release Stateside at the back end of November and has garnered mixed or average Reviews so far. 

'OTTOLENGHI AND THE CAKES OF VERSAILLES' (Rated G) - here Director Laura Gabbert whose previous documentary features include 'Sunset Story' in 2003, 'No Impact Man : The Documentary' in 2009 and 'City of Gold' in 2015, brings us her latest Doco about renowned Israeli born Chef Yotam Ottolenghi and how he was commissioned by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to reimagine desserts and pastry goodies that would have been savoured by French royalty in the court of Versailles during the period from the 1680's to the 1790's. To assist with his effort, Ottolenghi enlists the support of a veritable who's who of renowned pastry chefs from across the globe. Perhaps the most highly regarded of which is Dominique Ansel, the French-American best known for inventing the cronut (the croissant/doughnut hybrid). Then there is Ghaya Oliveira, a Tunisian chocolate aficionado and the Executive Pastry Chef at the exclusive New York restaurant Daniel. The British team of Sam Bompas and Harry Parr have had their intricate gelatine desserts Instagrammed around the world and from Singapore, Janice Wong is known for intricately detailed 'edible art' and finally the Ukrainian baker Dinara Kasko who creates astonishing cakes using 3D printing. The film has generated mostly positive press. 

With six 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 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-

'ARCHENEMY' : Tuesday 15th December 2020.

'ARCHENEMY' which I saw this week is an MA15+ Rated film Directed and Written by Adam Egypt Mortimer, whose prior movie making outings take in 2015's 'Some Kind of Hate' and 2019's 'Daniel Isn't Real'. Here he brings us this independent superhero mystery thriller offering co-written with Lucas Passmore, that was released Stateside and in Australia last week, has garnered generally mixed or average Reviews and has grossed US$56K thus far at the Box Office. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Los Angeles Beyond Fest film festival in early October.  

The film opens up with an anime back story in which our lead character introduces himself in voice-over, how he was a hero in another world known as Chromium in a different dimension, how he was powered by 'cosmic blood' and how he came to fall into our world through a vortex between 'space and time' when Chromium was threatened by a Supervillainess called Cleo who had developed a planet destroying weapon called Void. Now, having landed very unceremoniously on our little rock he is a down and out street bum, sleeping under bridges and is no longer in possession of the superpowers he once had on his home world. He drinks heavily, very heavily, raids garbage bins for scraps of food, recalls his stories of derring do back on Chromium to anyone who will listen and buy him a shot of whisky, and punches walls with his bare fists. And this is where our lost Superhero is given the moniker Max Fist (Joe Manganiello, who also Co-Produces here together with Elijah Wood) by Hamster (Skylan Brooks) a street smart young orphaned kid who rides a skateboard and films the local colour and identities on his smartphone in the hope of selling his short stories to the local website media channel, called Trendible.

Enter Indigo (Zolee Griggs) who is the older sister to Hamster whose also street smart and has been selling drugs on behalf of the local crime boss known only as The Manager (Glenn Howerton) and who tries to ingratiate herself to her boss by suggesting that they should go 'viral' on a national scale instead of just being reliant on small time local business. Hamster meanwhile seems to have adopted Max, and also appears to be the only person around town who takes his tales of other worldly exploits, adventures and battles with any degree of seriousness, while at the same time recording him to feed his journalistic aspirations. 

When Indigo is sent on an errand by The Manager to retrieve some monies from a small time drug dealer Krieg (Paul Scheer), it ends up with the pair playing Russian Roulette and the heavily tattooed red Speedo wearing Krieg blowing his own brains out with the single bullet in the chamber of his six shooter pistol. This leaves Indigo the chance to hot foot it outtta Dodge with the stash of cash and claiming that she was never there in the first place when questioned by The Manager and his goons. Of course those goons, Finn (Joseph D. Reitman) and Decker (Mac Brandt) quickly track down Indigo to her apartment and question her, just as Hamster arrives. Things begin to get heavy and with their lives on the line for betraying The Manager, after Finn found the stash of cash hidden in the bathroom, in bursts Max to save the day and kill both goons in the process. 

This sets in motion a war between The Manager and his henchmen and Max Fist who swears to protect Indigo and Hamster and 'annihilate' The Manager. And go to war he does, having suited and booted up with weapons aplenty and a bullet proof riot shield he first takes down six goons having interrupted their mid-week game of poker in the basement of The Manager's hideaway. On his way to track down The Manager Max confronts another goon who gains the upper hand until he is shot dead by Indigo. The Manager meanwhile has made his escape in a waiting car. At this point Hamster interjects with his general level of displeasure over all the killings, and with Indigo they leave town wanting nothing more to do with Max. Driving through the night, Indigo needs to catch some shut eye so they pull over to the side of the road so that she can sleep. Meanwhile, Hamster receives a call from his contact at Trendible, Melissa (Jessica Allain) who says that her boss wants to meet him given his success with reporting on Max Fist. She pulls up almost immediately having tracked him down using his smart phone, and ushers him into her vehicle.

It is revealed that The Manager's boss is in fact Cleo (Amy Seimetz) who landed on Earth from Chromium four years ago and has spent the intervening years building up a vast operation specialising in various nefarious deeds and underworld activities. Cleo is the one who was waiting in the car to pick up The Manager when he fled the scene the previous evening, and Cleo is the one whom Max believes he killed back on Chromium. As Melissa delivers Hamster to Cleo, she is shot dead. Hamster is then taken up to a high level office in a tower block by The Manager and Cleo to await the arrival of Max, who had given Hamster a tracking device which Cleo had activated. 

Upon arrival The Manager has Hamster at gunpoint. Max is forced to put down his weapon, while Cleo and he get reacquainted and reminisce about the good old days in a parallel universe. Cleo sees Indigo arrive and orders The Manager to go off and kill her. The pair have a gunfight in the foyer with ultimately Indigo gaining the upper hand and strangling her foe with her belt, but not before she had unloaded a bullet into his stomach, and he had stabbed her in the side with a knife. 

Meanwhile, while kneeling on the floor Cleo shoots Max in the upper chest, and then unloads another round into him. Caught unawares, Max rises to his feet and rushes towards Cleo sending them both crashing through a window to the concrete several stories below. Hamster looks down from the office above while Cleo crawls, bloodied, to aid Max in his dying breaths. Cleo is surrounded by a pool of red blood, but Max's blood is blue. When Cleo touches the pool of blue blood something powerful transfers from Max's body to her own and healing her knife wound she begins to levitate skywards. 

This film won't be for everyone and if your looking for something akin to an MCU and DCEU offering then you're gonna be surely disappointed, but if you're looking for a sub-genre punk-rock Superhero movie filmed on a shoestring budget compared to those aforementioned Hollywood blockbusters then this film might just float your boat. The anime sequences that pepper the storyline throughout the film reaffirming Max's background are well realised in all their neon blues and pinks and help elevate the story from being an also-ran. Joe Manganiello puts in a compelling performance as the fractured world weary fish outta water former other worldly hero trying to find his place in our world prone to random and calculated acts of extreme violence. In the final scene, when the whole premise of the movie is supposed to come together I was left wanting in the action stakes and a number of questions satisfactorily answered, but regrettably I got neither, except the set up for a possible sequel. 

'Archenemy' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard out of a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 17th December 2020.

The 33rd annual European Film Awards were held on Saturday 12th December in a virtual event having been originally scheduled to have been held in Reykjavik, Iceland, but instead was hosted from the European Film Academy home base in Berlin, Germany, because of the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The 150 minute ceremony, streamed from Berlin’s Futurium Museum, was hosted by European Film Awards Director Marion Doring and EFA President Wim Wenders, who both step down from their roles at the end of the year having held them since 1996. They shared hosting duties with EFA Chairman Mike Downey and Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, who it was recently announced takes over from Wim Wenders as President  come the end of this year. The event saw the four EFA Executives attend in person as in excess of forty Actors and Directors were beamed onto giant screens from their current place of residence. 

The winners of this years awards were as follows :-

* European Film - awarded to 'ANOTHER ROUND', Directed by Thomas Vinterberg and from Denmark, The Netherlands and Sweden.

* European Comedy - awarded to 'THE BIG HIT', Directed by Emmanuel Courcol and from France.

* European Discovery : Prix Fipresci - awarded to 'SOLE', Directed by Carlo Sironi and from Italy and Poland.

* European Documentary - awarded to 'COLLECTIVE', Directed by Alexander Nanau and from Romania and Luxembourg.

* European Animated Feature Film - awarded to 'JOSEP', Directed by Aurel and from France, Belgium and Spain.

* European Director - awarded to Thomas Vinterberg for 'ANOTHER ROUND'.

* European Actress - awarded to Paula Beer for 'UNDINE' from Germany and France.

* European Actor - awarded to Mads Mikkelsen for 'ANOTHER ROUND'.

* European Screenwriter - awarded to Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm for 'ANOTHER ROUND'.

* European Cinematography - awarded to Matteo Cocco for 'HIDDEN AWAY' from Italy.

* European Costume Design - awarded to Ursula Patzak for 'HIDDEN AWAY'.

* European Make-Up and Hair - awarded to Yolanda Pina, Felix Terrero and Nacho Diaz for 'THE ENDLESS TRENCH' from Spain and France.

* European Production Design - awarded to Cristina Casali for 'THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD' from the UK and USA.

* European Editing - awarded to Maria Fantastica Valmori for 'ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH' from Italy. 

* European Original Score - awarded to Dascha Dauenhauer for 'BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ' from Germany and The Netherlands.

* European Sound - awarded to Yolande Decarsin and Kristian Selin Eidnes Andersen for 'LITTLE GIRL' from France.

* European Visual Effects - awarded to Inaki Madariaga for 'THE PLATFORM' from Spain.

* European Award for Innovative Storytelling - awarded to Mark Cousins for 'WOMEN MAKE FILM : A NEW ROAD MOVIE THROUGH CINEMA' from the UK.

* European University Film Award - awarded to 'SAUDI RUNAWAY', Directed by Susanne Regina Meures, and from Switzerland.

For more insights from the 33rd annual European Film Awards you can visit the official website at : https://www.europeanfilmawards.eu/

This week then we have just three latest new release films coming to your local Odeon, and we launch with a romantic action offering about a super Artificial Intelligent computer who choses an average woman to determine the outcome of the fate of the world. Next up we have a thriller set in the Great Depression era about a seductive bank robber and a teenage bounty hunter who must decide whether to turn her in for a substantial cash reward, or go on the lam with her. And we wrap up the week with a documentary about a renowned Irish poet, singer and songwriter who combined the profound vitality of punk rock into his music during the 1980's and 1990's. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or 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.

'SUPERINTELLIGENCE' (Rated PG) - this American romantic action comedy film if Directed, Co-Produced and stars Ben Falcone who has fifty-one screen acting credits to his name, ten as Producer, six as Writer and six as Director, with the latter film making credits including 'Tammy', 'The Boss', 'Life of the Party' and the currently in post-production 'Thunder Force' - all of which have starred his wife, Melissa McCarthy. Originally slated for a late December 2019 release, the film was released on HBO Max at the end of November this year having taken US$1.6M at the Box Office, and generating mixed or average Reviews so far.

Here, Carol Peters (Melissa McCarthy), is a former corporate executive. She has her earnest yet very average life turned inside out when she is selected for observation by the world's first superintelligence – an artificial intelligence that must decide to enslave, save or destroy all of human life, and so it becomes Carol's fate to prove that humanity is worth saving. Also starring Bobby Cannavale, Brian Tyree Henry, Sam Richardson, Ben Falcone and James Cordon as the voice of the superintelligence. 

'DREAMLAND' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte in only his second feature filmmaking outing following 2016's 'As You Are', this American thriller offering saw its world Premier screening at the Tribeca Film Festival way back in April 2019 and went on a limited cinematic release Stateside in mid-November this year followed by a VoD release three days later. The film has so far taken US$12K at the Box Office and has garnered mixed or average Reviews. Here a teenage bounty hunter Eugene Evans (Finn Cole) is torn between helping or capturing a seductive fugitive bank robber Allison Wells (Margot Robbie) hiding in his small town during the Great Depression. At stake is a US$10K reward for the capture of Wells which would serve the Evans clan well in preventing the banks foreclosure of the family farm, but he must decide which path to tread. Also starring Travis Fimmel, Garrett Hedlund and Kerry Condon. 

'CROCK OF GOLD : A FEW ROUNDS WITH SHANE MACGOWAN' (Rated MA15+) - this documentary film is Written and Directed by Julien Temple whose previous feature film credits include 1980's 'The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle' with the Sex Pistols, 'Running Out of Luck' in 1985 with Mick Jagger, 'Absolute Beginners' in 1986 with David Bowie, 'Earth Girls Are Easy' in 1988, 'Bullet' in 1996, 'The Filth and the Fury' in 2000 about the Sex Pistols, 'Glastonbury' in 2006 about the 30th anniversary of Britain's best known music festival, 'The Eternity Man' in 2008, with 'Sexual Healing' currently in post-production about the latter years of singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye. And so here Julien Temple takes a deep dive into the life and times of Shane MacGowan, the tortured vocalist best known as the lead singer and songwriter of 'The Pogues', who famously combined traditional Irish music with the visceral energy of punk rock. Features unseen archival footage from the band and MacGowan's family,  animation from legendary illustrator Ralph Steadman and interviews from the likes of U2 frontman Bono, Nick Cave, Bobby Gillespie, Gerry Adams and Co-Producer of this film Johnny Depp. 

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 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-

THE LONGEST WAVE : Tuesday 8th December 2020.

I saw 'THE LONGEST WAVE' at my local multiplex last week, and this documentary film is Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Joe Berlinger, who among his forty-eight Directing and fifty-three Producer credits are included 'Brother's Keeper', 'Book of Shadows : Blair Witch 2', 'Metallica : Some Kind of Monster', 'Crude', 'Under African Skies', 'Tony Robbins : I Am Not Your Guru', 'Intent to Destroy' and 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile' most recently last year. Berlinger and his close collaborator Bruce Sinofsky are perhaps best known for their Paradise Lost Trilogy 'Paradise Lost : The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills' released in 1996, 'Paradise Lost 2 : Revelations' released in 2000 and 'Paradise Lost 3 : Purgatory' released in 2011 which earned the pair an Academy Award nomination. The trilogy, shot over two decades, focused on the 'West Memphis Three', a group of teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of the brutal murder of three children. For this film, however, Berlinger takes a very different turn from his usual focus on true-crime and social justice issues to home in on the legendary windsurfer, pioneering waterman and twenty-four time world champion Robby Naish. 

Throughout his esteemed career spanning some forty years, Robby Naish has pioneered watersports including windsurfing, kiteboarding, stand-up paddle-boarding and foil surfing to become front and centre for the watersports adventurer the world over and in the process has accumulated twenty-four championship titles. We join the Oscar nominated film-maker Joe Berlinger following a series a talking head testimonials from those who grew up with Robby (including Laird Hamilton, Pete Cabrinha, Chuck Patterson, Kai Lenny and Rick Naish) and came through his watersports of choice with him. Over an online conversation Robby discusses with Joe a planned trip to potentially three long wave hotspots on the world circuit - Skeleton Bay in Namibia, Chicama in Peru and as the last option Pavones in Costa Rica. Robby elects to take his 20 or so year old protege Kai Lenny with him and his long term friend who is closer to Robby's age, Chuck Patterson. 

Robby won his first world title at the age of just thirteen, at the 1976 Windsurfing World Championships in the Bahamas and now that he's in his mid-50's he's reached a junction in his life with which comes the inevitable question of just how much longer is it likely to be before he officially retires from the sports that have given him so much and which have been his overriding focus in the last four decades. 

Robby's family members, friends and associates readily describe him with a single-minded obsession with surfing and winning any surfing competition he chooses to compete in. Whilst being a sore loser he’s also generous when it comes to helping, supporting and mentoring other surfers (Kai Lenny as a case in point). Naish openly admits this is true, and he knows that his unwavering focus on being a pro-surfer (which has included long periods away from home over the years) has resulted in his two marriages ending in divorce. Robby was going through his second divorce at the time this documentary was being filmed. 

As if that separation wasn't enough, Robby experienced some major challenges during the making of this film, including a broken pelvis (which required a recovery of at eight months, or so) and then a broken foot. While traveling to Skeleton Bay in Namibia, the Naish team had the unfortunate luck of several of their luggage items (including Naish’s surfboards and gear) not arriving, so they spent the best part of a very frustrating week watching the surf that they couldn’t ride, and when they could surf the wind picked up and so did the swell making conditions ultimately too perilous. 

Despite such setbacks Robby doesn't let these obstacles stand in his way, but you would be forgiven for wondering just how much longer he is willing to risk severe injuries in the pursuit of his chosen sport and career which has defined him. He makes it plain in this film that he has no regrets, and he’ll keep surfing as long as he’s physically able to.

In the end Robby and Chuck Patterson and an abridged film crew go to Pavones in Costa Rica (by this time Kai Lenny blindsided Robby with a decision to go it alone and leave the Naish stable) and there ride one of the longest waves on his standup paddle-board and on a foiler, which by this time Robby had mastered too. 

You don't have to be a mad keen surfer to enjoy 'The Longest Wave'. There are some great moments of aerial footage on show here and big wave riders which makes this a film to be best seen on a big screen. Robby opens up about his personal life, the struggles he has faced as a husband, father, businessman and mentor and how his love for his chosen sport defines him and as such the way in which he has chosen to live his life and pursue his dreams. This film feels a little disjointed at times, and I was left wondering if this was a biographical doco charting the life of Robby Naish, or a film of Robby Naish seeking the longest wave ride as his last hurrah. That said, it's worth seeking out this Red Bull Films production and seeing just how many times you can spot their product placement, as well as some great surfing photography and seeing how Robby's determination ultimately wins the day.  

'The Longest Wave' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 10th December 2020.

The fifth International Film Festival and Awards Macao, China (IFFAM) recently ended its run this year, from 3rd through 8th December. This years festival was seen entirely online, as IFFAM Artistic Director Mike Goodridge commented 'The unprecedented challenges of 2020 may mean that we can’t play IFFAM’s programme in theatres and we can’t welcome any international guests to Macao, but that will not stop us delivering this superb selection of thirty-one films to audiences in Macao and Hong Kong on our dedicated online platform'. Films were screened and streamed with introductions from Directors and were available for upto 48 hours after rental. 

The International Competition section for first and second time Directors, takes in eleven feature films. These are :-

* 'Back To The Wharf' from China and Directed by Xiaofeng Li,
* 'Black Light' from Korea and Directed by Bae Jong-dae,
* 'The Cloud In Her Room' from China and Directed by Xinyuan Zheng Lu,
* 'Falling' from the USA, Canada and Denmark and Directed by Viggo Mortensen,
* 'Love Poem' from China and Directed by Xiaozhen Wang,

* 'Servants' from the Czech Republic and Directed by Ivan Ostrochovsky,
* 'Short' from Denmark and Directed by Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Olholm,
* 'Spring Blossom' from France and Directed by Suzanne Lindon,
* 'Sweat' from Poland and Directed by Magnus von Horn,
* 'Tragic Jungle' from Mexico and Directed by Yulene Olaizola,
* 'Limbo' from the UK and Directed by Ben Sharrock.

Other sections include the World Panorama strand, featuring Thomas Vinterberg’s 'Another Round', Kelly Reichardt’s 'First Cow', Venice hits 'Quo Vadis, Aida?' from Jasmila Zbanic, 'Sun Children' from Majid Majidi and 'A Balance' by Yujiro Harumoto, which won the New Currents section at Busan.

The Special Presentations section included the Chinese blockbuster 'My People My Homeland', French animated film 'Calamity' Directed by Remi Chaye, Japanese comedy 'Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro' Directed by Ken Ninomiya, documentary '76 Days' about the struggles of frontline medical professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, and short film 'A Dream Of A Lifetime' about Alex Fong’s challenge to swim 45km around Hong Kong in aid of the ‘A Drop of Life’ charity.

For more information on this years 5th annual IFFAM, you can visit the official website at : https://www.iffamacao.com

This week, we have five latest release new feature films to tease you out to your local air conditioned Odeon on a hot and humid Australian Summer evening. We kick off with the second big screen adaptation of a much loved children's book from 1983 that sees a young lad cross paths with the leader of the world's witches and her nefarious vast coven of likeminded evil doers. Next up we have an Aussie Western set in the closing years of the 19th Century that sees a man on the run team up with a cameleer in Western Australia needing to get somewhere quick to melt down two stolen gold bars. We then turn to a Sci-Fi drama concerning an apocalyptic event, a returning crew of astronauts and possibly the last man on Earth as he struggles to make contact to prevent them from landing back home. This is followed up by a romantic drama about a teenager diagnosed with a mental illness who finds love in his last year at High School, and how that girl shows him how not to be defined by his diagnosis. And we close out the week with a superhero offering about a superhero who has lost his superpowers when travelling through a dimension to land on our little blue planet, and how he befriends a teenager to take down a crime lord.  

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 or 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.

'THE WITCHES' (Rated M) - this dark fantasy comedy film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by Robert Zemeckis, whose previous film making outings take in the likes of 'Back to the Future : Parts I, II and III', 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit', 'Forrest Gump', 'Contact', 'Cast Away', 'The Polar Express', 'Beowulf', 'Flight', 'Allied' and 'Welcome to Marwen' most recently. This film is the second big screen treatment of the 1983 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, following the 1990 film Directed by Nicolas Roeg with Anjelica Huston in the title role. Released in the US on HBO Max in late October, the film saw its limited international cinematic release from the end of October, having so far taken US$17M at the Box Office and garnered generally mixed or average Reviews. 

It is 1968, and a young orphaned boy (Jahzir Kadeem Bruno) goes to live with his loving grandma (Octavia Spencer) in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, headed up by the Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway), she wisely whisks him away to a seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world's Grand High Witch has gathered her fellow cronies from across the world to carry out her undercover nefarious plans. Also starring Stanley Tucci, Kristen Chenoweth and the voice of Chris Rock as the narrator. It should be noted that this film adaptation takes place in Alabama during the 1960's, instead of the novel's 1980's England and Norway, and the boy protagonist is African-American, instead of Norwegian-British like the boy in the original novel and previous iterations.

'THE FURNACE' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian drama film is Directed and Written by Roderick MacKay in his feature filmmaking debut following two short films - 2011's 'Trigger' and 2014's 'Factory 293'. Set in 1897 Western Australia, to escape a harsh existence and return home, a young Afghan cameleer Hanif (Ahmed Malek) and his Indian mentor Jundah (Kauskih Das) join forces with a mysterious bushman Mal (David Wenham) on the run with two 400oz Crown-marked gold bars. Together the unlikely pair must outwit a zealous police officer, Sergeant Shaw (Jay Ryan) and his troopers in a race to reach a secret furnace - the one place where they can safely reset the bars to remove the mark of the Crown. Also starring Erik Thomson, Baykali Ganambarr and Samson Coulter. The film has generated mostly positive critical acclaim so far.  

'THE MIDNIGHT SKY' (Rated M) - here this Science Fiction fantasy drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and stars George Clooney whose previous Directorial outings include 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' in 2002 and his debut, 'Good Night, and Good Luck' in 2005, 'The Ides of March' in 2011, 'The Monuments Men' in 2014 and 'Suburbicon' in 2017 most recently. Based on the 2016 novel 'Good Morning, Midnight' by Lily Brooks-Dalton, the film is due fro release on streaming service Netflix from 23td December onward and now gets a limited theatrical release ahead of that date. Here, following an incident of apocalyptic proportions, a lonely scientist, Augustine Lofthouse (George Clooney) based on an Arctic station races against the clock to prevent Sully (Felicity Jones) and her fellow astronauts aboard the NASA space ship 'Aether' from returning home back to Earth, which is now a very different place from when they took off on their mission due to a mysterious global catastrophe. Also starring Kyle Chandler, David Oyelowo, Sophie Rundle, Ethan Peck and Demian Bechir, and Caoilinn Springall as the child Iris.

'WORDS ON BATHROOM WALLS' (Rated M) - this American romantic drama film is Directed and Co-Produced by Thor Freudenthal whose previous film making credits are 'Hotel for Dogs' in 2009, 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' in 2010, and 'Percy Jackson : Sea of Monsters' in 2014. Based on the novel of the same name by Julia Walton, this film saw its US release towards the back end of August, has so far recouped US$3M off the back of its US$9.5M budget outlay and has garnered generally favourable Reviews. Here, diagnosed with a mental illness during his senior year of high school, Adam Petrazelli (Charlie Plummer) a witty, introspective teen struggles to keep it a secret while falling in love with a brilliant classmate Maya Arnez (Taylor Russell) who inspires him to open his heart and not be defined by his condition. Also starring Andy Garcia, Molly Parker, Walton Goggins, Beth Grant and AnnaSophia Robb. 

'ARCHENEMY' (Rated MA15+) - Directed and Written by Adam Egypt Mortimer whose prior film making outings take in 2015's 'Some Kind of Hate' and 2019's 'Daniel Isn't Real' here brings us this independent superhero mystery thriller offering, that is released Stateside this week too. Here, a teenager who goes by the moniker Hamster (Skylan Brooks) meets a mysterious man named Max Fist (Joe Manganiello, who also Co-Produces here together with Elijah Wood), who claims he lost his superpowers after arriving from another dimension. Together, they take to the streets to wipe out a vicious crime boss known as The Manager (Glenn Howerton) and his local drug syndicate. Also starring Luis Kelly-Duarte and Paul Scheer.

With five 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 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-