PENINSULA : Tuesday 25th August 2020.

'PENINSULA' which I saw at my local multiplex cinema earlier this week is a MA15+ Rated South Korean post zombie apocalyptic action horror film, is the standalone sequel to 2016's 'Train to Busan' and is Directed by Yeon Sang-ho who also Directed that first instalment. This film was selected to be shown at this years Cannes Film Festival which was subsequently cancelled for reasons of COVID-19. And so the film was released in its native South Korea in mid-July, went on limited release in Australia two weeks ago and in the US last week. The film cost US$16M to make and has so far grossed US$48M with US$27M of that haul coming from its local audience. It is also the first time since mid-March that the total global Box Office for a new film release has achieved over US$1M. The film has generated mostly mixed or average Reviews so far.

Set four years following the total decimation of South Korea in 'Train to Busan', we learn through an American chat show that the entire Korean peninsula has been quarantined from the rest of the world, and following the zombie outbreak it took just one single day for the government to collapse as the apocalypse spread rapidly through the nation. We then join Marine Captain Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won) at the wheel of his car attempting to drive to a port so that he, his sister, her husband Chul-min (Kim Do-yoon) and his young nephew can board an evacuation boat bound for Hong Kong. En route he passes a family with a young child in desperate need of a lift, and pleading with him for a pick-up. Jung-seok ignores the woman's cries for help and keeps on driving, focused on arriving at their destination safely and in time. Having boarded the ship, sometime later crammed in like sardines, Jung-seok is alerted by one of his men that Hong Kong is now refusing entry of their ship, and as such they are being diverted to Japan. What Jung-seok doesn't realise is that one of the other passengers on the same deck where his sister, her husband and nephew are sitting is infected, and quickly turns zombie. In the ensuing chaos, the young nephew becomes infected and is being cradled by his mother. Jung-seok returns to the deck, kills as many of the marauding zombies as he can and is forced to leave behind his nephew and his mother. Chul-min returns from fetching something for his family to eat, only to be prevented from entering the cabin by Jung-seok, instead watching the horror unfold from behind a closed glass door.

Now four years later we find Jung-seok and Chul-min living in the ghettos of Hong Kong. Jung-seok is woken from his slumber by four heavies who demand that their boss wants to meet with him. It seems that the boss man has an offer for the two of them plus two others to return to the port city of Incheon on the peninsula to locate an abandoned food supply truck that contains a stash of US cash dollars amounting to twenty million bucks. On the promise of a half share of the proceeds for bringing back the cash, the gathered four agree and the next day are on a boat bound for Incheon. The next evening, they arrive under cover of darkness and are able to locate the abandoned truck after some searching in the general vicinity of where the boss man gave his instructions as to its approximate whereabouts. The four are able to escape in the truck, after being chased down by a horde of zombies.

Believing that it's now a simple journey back to the port and the awaiting boat to take them back to Hong Kong and a new life of wealth and freedom, the four are ambushed by a rogue militia outfit known as Unit 631, led by the ruthless Sergeant Hwang (Kim Min-jae). Jung-seok gets thrown out of the truck, while Chul-min hides in the back. The other two die from the ambush. Jung-seok is then rescued by two sisters - Joon (Lee Re), who is very adept at high speed, fast manoeuvres behind the wheel of a 4WD drives the car away from the scene, and her younger sister Yu-jin (Lee Ye-won).

The three arrive at a hideout, where the children live with their mother Min-jung (Lee Jung-hyun) and grandfather Elder Kim (Kwon Hae-hyo). Jung-seok quickly comes to the realisation that Min-jung is the lady that had asked for a hitch four years ago, but for now he doesn't divulge this.

The truck, now in the possession of Unit 631, arrives at the militia's compound. Chul-min is then discovered hiding in the rear and is taken prisoner, and forced to take part in an arena cat & mouse game of zombie survival with a group of other captives. Private Kim (Kim Kyu-baek) a lowly supply operative and Captain Seo (Koo Kyo-hyun) the head honcho of Unit 631 discover the stash of cash in the truck, and secretly devise a cunning plan to get themselves off the peninsula with the truck, while keeping their escape plans from the belligerent Hwang. Meanwhile, Min-jung learns from Jung-seok that there is a ship at Incheon Port waiting to extract him. She then decides to steal the truck from the compound so that the five of them can escape the peninsula together. At this point Jung-seok comes clean that they had met before. Min-jung tells him not to worry as she can't remember him, as thirty-one cars passed them by that day without stopping. The next evening after sundown (because these zombies have limited vision in the dark), close to Unit 631's compound, Joon, Yu-jin, and Elder Kim are explicitly instructed to wait in the car, while Jung-seok and Min-jung sneak inside, where they discover the truck and encounter Private Kim.

Jung-seok learns from Kim (held at gunpoint by Min-jung that Chul-min is alive in the compound and seeks to rescue him. Inside, the arena zombie survival game is in full swing with Chul-min in the middle of the fray. Jung-seok kills numerous zombies, and sets up a smoke screen so that he and Chul-min can make their escape, killing several Unit 631 soldiers in the process. Chul-min is however, shot and killed in a gunfight by Hwang. 

Jung-seok is then saved by Min-jung and the two quickly escape the compound in the truck with many Unit 631 soldiers, including Hwang and Seo, giving chase in their own souped up vehicles. Meanwhile, Joon, Yu-jin and Elder Kim have arrived to lend support in their 4WD to Jung-seok and Min-jung by helping them to out manoeuvre and out run the militia vehicles. In the ensuing chase, Jung-seok notices a glass tunnel in which are trapped a large horde of zombies, that he had observed when he first arrived. He deliberately shoots and shatters the glass panelling, freeing the horde inside, which then quickly overrun Hwang's vehicle, killing Hwang and his driver. 

The five then continue their journey onto Incheon dockside to rendezvous with their boat. Seo however, rams into Joon's 4WD and then holds her at gunpoint. Elder Kim is critically shot by Seo as he is defending Yu-jin, and in the fray Min-jung is shot in the leg by Seo, as he makes his getaway in the truck aiming for the boat and now his share of half the proceeds of the US$20M haul. He hurriedly drives the truck up into the cargo hold of the ship, to be greeted by the Hong Kong henchmen who brokered the deal with the original four. Thinking he is home and hosed, Seo is shot at point blank range by one of the henchmen who unloads his pistol into him. As Seo is slumped over the steering wheel bleeding out, he musters the strength to slam the truck into reverse, hits the accelerator and reverses the truck onto the cargo holds gate, so preventing it from closing. In rush a horde of zombies, who in no time have killed everyone inside. 

The four still grieving over the death of Elder Kim, then spot a United Nations military transport helicopter on approach, and using fireworks to donate their location, direct it to land on the port. Min-jung asks that Jung-seok bring Joon and Yu-jin to the helicopter, while she clears the path of zombies. Min-jung then traps herself in a truck and presses on the horn repeatedly, so as to attract the zombies to her and in turn sacrifice herself so that the three can escape. Jung-seok recalls that he left Min-jung standing four years earlier, and won't let that happen a second time, so returns and kills the zombies trapping her inside the truck. She quickly makes the run to the helicopter, and Jung-seok covers her by shooting the zombie horde. The four board the helicopter and escape the peninsula.

I have to say that I had higher hopes for 'Peninsula' off the back of 2016's stand out 'Train to Busan', but those hopes went largely unrealised. 'Peninsula' certainly looks the part in all its post-apocalyptic dystopian gore inducing glory, but this film borrows extensively from 'Mad Max : Beyond Thunderdome', 'World War Z' and the more recent 'Fast & Furious' instalments with a heavy reliance on obvious CGI effects for the high speed car chase sequences that look as though they were pulled straight out of early versions of the video game 'Grand Theft Auto'. Whilst its predecessor set the bar very high, this stand alone sequel fails to reach those dizzy heights instead relying on standard genre tropes, a predictable plot after the initial set up, and an ending that you can spot from a mile away. That said, it has enough sustained action to maintain the interest, I did feel invested in the main characters and the film is entertaining enough to warrant your attention if this type of fast paced CGI heavy zombie gore fest is your thing.

'Peninsula' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 27th August 2020.

The 24th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is taking place right now between 20th August and 2nd September in Montreal, Canada. The official Fantasia website states that its Mission 'since its beginnings, has been to explore the diverse realms of genre cinema, creating bridges between the cutting edge and the mainstream, and providing a festive but professional environment where emerging artists are given exposure alongside their more established counterparts, both locally and internationally. We showcase the best in Canadian and world cinema, discovering and nurturing exciting new talents and offering a platform through which artists and audiences can connect'. 

This years festival is conducted entirely online with no in-person screenings, workshops or special presentations. Nonetheless, the virtual lineup includes one hundred feature films and one hundred and eighty short films accessible to movie lovers across Canada with an eclectic mix of screenings, panel discussions, and workshops. The festival opens with the screening of Neil Marshall’s 'The Reckoning' - a poignant and horrific period thriller set in 1665 against the backdrop of the Great Plague and the subsequent witch hunts in England. In addition, the festival is also presenting a masterclass with legendary film maker John Carpenter, as well as awarding him a Fantasia Lifetime Achievement Award. Amongst the World Premier movies showing at this years virtual festival is 'Undergods', 'The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw', 'Hunted', 'Kriya', 'The Undertaker's Home', 'Come True', '#ShakespearsShitstorm', 'Unearth' and 'Tiny Tim : King for a Day'. You can check out the full schedule of events, session times and a whole lot more at the official website, at : https://fantasiafestival.com

This week then there are four latest release new films coming your way at the local Odeon. We kick start with a highly anticipated film from an acclaimed Director that is reportedly going to re-launch the cinema going experience and convince the movie industry that there remains a healthy appetite for blockbuster films to be seen on the big screen. That film pits the fate of the world squarely on the shoulders of one man and his handler as they travel the world looking to overthrow a Russian Oligarch while playing with time itself. Next up we have a Chinese film about a war time siege on a warehouse as the Chinese Army seek to defend it from advancing Japanese troops. We then have a French film set in the aftermath of the 2018 World Cup and the escalation of Police violence especially amongst the poorer and younger ethnic communities of Paris, and we close out the week with an Aussie biopic of a famed songstress of the '60's and '70's who also became the poster girl for the second wave feminist movement.

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 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.

'TENET' (Rated M) - here, finally, is the much hyped eagerly awaited spy drama film Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Christopher Nolan, who I'm sure needs no further introduction, other than his film Directing credits have amassed global Box Office returns of about US$4.7B and he has won 137 awards and been nominated 228 other times, so I guess he must be doing something right! Originally slated for a 17th July release, this was subsequently pushed back because of COVID-19 to 31st July, then 12th August and now gets a release in seventy countries from this week, before its release in the US and China next week. Costing somewhere in the region of US$220M to make, the film has garnered mostly favourable Reviews from Critics. Riffing off James Bond with exotic locations, extravagant action set pieces, international espionage, a Russian bad guy hell bent on bring about the end of the world as we know it, and the good guys working for a covert secret outfit this is sure to please . . . if you can get your head around the premise.

Here, going only by the moniker of The Protagonist (John David Washington) is working for a secret organisation known as 'Tenet'. His handler is Neil (Robert Pattinson) and between them they are tasked with over throwing a power crazy Russian Oligarch Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) intent on world destruction by starting WWIII. And so with the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance The Protagonist must  journey through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that unfolds in something beyond real time, not time travel, but time inversion! Also starring Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clemence Poesy, Michael Caine and Martin Donovan.

'THE EIGHT HUNDRED' (Rated CTC) - this Chinese historical war time drama film is Directed by Guan Hu who made his feature film debut in 1994 with 'Dirt' - a portrayal of Beijing's rock music scene. Since then he has made 'Cow' in 2009, 'The Chef, the Actor, the Scoundrel' in 2013, 'Mr. Six' in 2015, plus segments in the anthology films 'Run for Love' in 2016 and 'My People, My Country' in 2019. Initially slated for a July 2019 release, the film was subject to controversy and possible government interference, before being moved to a 21st August release date in its native China, and a limited release in Australia from this week. Off a budget of US$80M the film has so far grossed US$116M. The story here unfolds on 13th August 1937, as the Imperial Japanese Army invades Shanghai, Lieutenant Colonel Xie Jinyuan (Du Chun), of the 524th Regiment of the 88th Division of the National Revolutionary Army, leads more than 400 young officers, soldiers and draft dodgers to guard the Sihang Warehouse complex in Shanghai over a four day siege just as Japanese forces are beginning to overwhelm China.

'LES MISERABLES' (Rated MA15+) - here this French drama film has absolutely nothing to do with the famed 1862 novel by Victor Hugo other than the fact that this film is set in the commune of Montfermeil and Hugo's novel was written and partially set in that same place. This is the feature film Directorial debut of Ladj Ly and based on his short film of the same name from 2017. It had its World Premiere showing at the May 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize. It was released in France in late November 2019 and received critical acclaim, earning twelve nominations at the Cesar Awards and winning four including Best Film. All up the film collected nineteen award wins and a further forty-eight nominations including an Oscar nod for Best International Feature Film. The film has so far grossed US$19M and has generated largely favourable Reviews. Set during the aftermath of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and based on a real-life occurrence of Police violence which took place in the city on October 14th 2008, and was observed and filmed by Ly. The story follows several characters within the commune, as a theft from a teenager spirals into the threat of a larger crisis. The film depicts abuses against poor citizens, especially teenagers of sub-Saharan African or Maghrebi ethnicities, thus emphasising the ongoing plight of the poor in Montfermeil.

'I AM WOMAN' (Rated M) - is an Australian biographical film offering Directed and Co-Produced by Unjoo Moon that saw its World Premier screening at TIFF back in September last year, before its very limited theatrical release in Australia this week and before it streams throughout Australia from 28th August onward on Stan. In 1966 aged 24, Helen Reddy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) arrives in New York with her three-year-old daughter, a suitcase and just US$230 in her back pocket. Promised a recording contract which the company then renegs on, she is left stranded in the Big Apple without a visa but she decides to stay and pursue a singing career. Then she meets with influential rock music journalist Lillian Roxon (Danielle Macdonld) and within five years she had become one of the biggest superstars of her time, with close to thirty number one US singles, her own hourly TV show and an icon of the '70's feminist movement, which adopted her power anthem 'I Am Woman'. She also meets Jeff Wald (Evan Peters), a young up & coming talent manager who ultimately becomes her agent and husband. Whilst Wald helps her get to the top of her profession, he also suffers from a drug addiction, which gradually turns their relationship toxic. The film has been largely praised.

With four 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-

WE'LL END UP TOGETHER : Tuesday 18th August 2020.

'WE'LL END UP TOGETHER' ('NOUS FINIRONS ENSEMBLE' to give this its original French title) is an M Rated film which I saw at my local independent movie theatre earlier this week. This film is the long awaited follow up to 2010's acclaimed 'Little White Lies' that is once again Written and Directed by the French filmmaker, Actor, Writer and Producer Guillaume Canet. With seventy acting credits to his name, eleven as Writer, twelve as Director and seven as Producer, Canet is currently in pre-production with his latest offering 'Asterix & Obelix : L'Empire du Millieu' in which he stars, writes and Directs. This film opened in France on 1st May 2019 where it went on to become the second highest grossing film in that country of that year, and was only released in Australia on 6th August and has garnered generally positive press so far.

The years have passed by since middle-aged restaurateur Max (Francois Cluzet) has welcomed his friends at his idyllic summer house in the chic beach community of Cap Ferret. The group have generally reconnected there for his birthday, but since things didn’t exactly go to plan last time around, they haven’t seen much of one another in the intervening years. Max is busy tidying up his beach side home away from home as the film opens up. He is alone, he sleeps a restless sleep waking up with a start, and continues cleaning inside and out. Then he hears a noise coming from outdoors and goes to investigate. To his surprise, all crouched under a window, are his long time albeit somewhat absent friends who have rocked up unannounced to help Max celebrate his 60th birthday. But, their collective presence is not altogether a welcome one.

Those close friends are Marie (Marion Cotillard), Eric (Gilles Lellouche) with his hapless buddy turned assistant Antoine (Laurent Lafitte), together with Eric's young daughter Mila and her domineering and over bearing nanny Catherine (Tatiana Gousseff), Vincent (Benoit Magimel), Alex (Mikael Wattincourt), Isabelle (Pascale Arbillot) and Sabine (Clementine Baert), Max's new love interest. In the intervening years - Marie still mourns the loss of the love of her life Ludo and drinks and smokes heavily, tells crass jokes and says that her seven year old son Nino represents 'everything she hates in the world', Eric has become a famous Actor but is strapped with his child because the mother is wasted on MDMA in Ibiza and is worse than useless, Antoine is a child trapped in a man's body who is at the beck and call of Eric, physiotherapist Vincent and his wife of fourteen years Isabelle have split and he is now gay and with choreographer Alex, Isabelle has since come out of her shell and is now a much more confident care free fun loving woman, and Sabine as Ludo's mother cares deeply for Max. After trying to dismiss all of his friends saying that it's not convenient, they weren't invited, they're taking advantage, and that he has nothing to celebrate anyway he finally relents and says that they can stay for two nights. Meanwhile, a Real Estate Agent calls around to inspect the property, because Max is wanting to sell, but Max wants this done on the hush hush and doesn't want his friends to know, or his ex-wife Vero (Valerie Bonneton) finding out.

And so having renewed acquaintances and said their hello's with lukewarm embraces, they begin to eat, drink, catch-up on old times and make merry. Max however, is teetering on a knife edge, barely able to adjust to his new found company for the weekend. In an aside conversation that Max has with Eric (having both buried the hatchet after all these years following Eric's accusations at their last meeting which resulted in Max turning his back on them all), we learn that Max is bankrupt having had to sell his hotel, his restaurant and his yacht to finance some investment that went south with all of his money and hard earned savings. His is now practically penniless hence the reason for his depressive state and for needing to sell the beach house. To take the pressure of the weekend off Max, Eric rents a nearby property right on the waters edge that has enough accommodation to house them all, plus a heated swimming pool and all the comforts of home and is within easy reach of Max's place. And so the next day, the group all decamp there, under the guise that Max has rented the place so they can be more comfortable.

That afternoon, when the group are all lounging about, Max goes back to his place to collect some wine for dinner. There he notices a 'For Sale' sign up on his front gate which he gave strict instructions not to be posted for another week. In passing Alain (Jose Garcia) pulls up with two other mates who are visiting the area for the weekend by chance. Alain is a business rival of Max's and he notices the 'For Sale' which Max abruptly pulls down. Max has no time for Alain, and after a curt conversation Max departs. Later on Veronique arrives with a friend and they are interrupted by Alain and his two buddies traipsing through the property on their own private inspection, with a view to Alain possibly buying it. Veronique enquires what they're up to and Alain lets slip that the house is for sale. Veronique is livid of course and she calls Max to vent. Max is livid that Veronique now knows. Alain suggests to Veronique that they should have a drink, and the five of them drink plenty of Max's stash of aged wines and the pair end up spending the night together.

Max's group after a hearty dinner, go out clubbing until closing time, and by the time the next morning has rolled around Vincent has slept with his ex-wife Isabelle, Eric and Marie have spent the night together and Veronique and Alain have got it on. The next morning Max, Antoine and Marie go tandem sky diving, and all three of them have the time of their life doing it, except Max wet his pants on the way down, for which he is seriously derided by the others over lunch. Max demands to pick up the tab for lunch but when he goes to pay his credit card is declined. Fortunately the restaurant manger is understanding and says to pay later, when he has the money. Some of the group then depart and go and pay Veronique a visit. Suspecting something is not quite right Max walks along the beach and peers through the fence of his property to see his friends enjoying Veronique's company and her new found friends. This sends Max into a spiral of depression, and arriving back at Eric's rented house, he throws himself off the jetty with a noose around his neck. But his attempted suicide is thwarted by a rope that is too long, a jump that is too short, and the water that is too shallow. Back on dry land, Max explains to the group his current state of affairs and his state of mind, and the group all rally round reaffirming their deep rooted friendship and love for their friend in his time of personal crisis.

Later that afternoon Vincent and Alex have fallen out because Alex suspects that Vincent got it on with his ex-wife the night before, and three teenage boys and Marie's young lad Nino go out on a catamaran without advising their respective parents. A search party is hastily arranged resulting in the boys capsized catamaran being discovered in choppy seas with the three teenagers clinging to the upturned vessel but no signs of Nino who got swept out in the current. Marie is distraught, spots him and jumps into the swell with Eric in tow, eventually rescuing the seven year old boy. That night, over dinner and a game of 'Charade's' everyone is in a much lighter mood, guards are let down, and there is an air of relaxed contentment amongst the group of friends.

The next day after a walk along the beach, the group all depart for the respective homes, each going their separate ways. Max and Sabine head for their house to meet with the Real Estate Agent and the new owners who made an on the spot offer. The new prospective buyers are down from Paris, fell in love with the place and have already hatched plans to put in an outdoor swimming pool, pull down fences, and make all manner of alterations. Their two young boys swing on the branch of a tree snapping it, and fall to the ground, unharmed. Sat around the dining table, the Real Estate Agent begins to read out the terms of the contract of sale. Max's mind begins to wander and he has a vision of his friends all rocking up, with bottles of wine in tow, begging him to come outside. Sabine sits at the end of table looking pensive. Max looks up, stops the Real Estate Agent in his tracks, and says that he's not selling, and hastily escorts the would be buyers and the Agent off his property. Sabine smiles, relieved. As they drive away from the property, Max calls his friends asking 'where are you?'

This film is an easy watch, and anyone who has been away for a weekend either to the coast, or the mountains or the wineries with friends and stayed in a big old rambling house together will be able to relate to the relationships, the dynamics, the emotions, the eating and drinking, the games and the exploits shared amongst a particular group. In that respect 'We'll End Up Together' is not unlike Rachel Ward's 2019 Australian offering 'Palm Beach' - beautiful beach side locale, check; rich mostly successful middle class long time friends, check; a dose of drama, discontent and redemption, check; plenty of wine, food and cigarettes, check again; and moments of laugh out loud humour, raw emotion and quirks that are quintessentially French, check once more! The cast all give top notch performances that are grounded in reality and believable and in particular Francois Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Gilles Lellouche and Benoit Magimel are all standouts, and all the characters look as though they are having a genuinely good time during production. On the down side this is an all Anglo-Saxon white cast with not a single person of colour to be seen, and the only minority group shown here is represented by Vincent who has jumped the fence, but has no problem it seems jumping back to whence he came. There is no political unrest, threats of terrorism going on in the background which have thwarted France in recent years, in fact everything is all sunshine and rainbows in Cap Ferret, save for the situations and circumstances of the groups own making during their weekend away at the coast. But I guess the message amongst all the angst, bickering, emotion and inevitable make-ups is that true friends stick by your side no matter what, and in this regard, the films message is unmistakable.

'We'll End Up Together' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

PROJECT POWER : Sunday 16th August 2020.

'PROJECT POWER' is an American Superhero Sci-Fi film distributed by Netflix that was released on the streaming service on 14th August. Directed by the pairing of Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost who have shared Directorial credits on such films as 'Paranormal Activity 3', 'Paranormal Activity 4', 'Nerve' and 'Viral' the film was made for a budgeted US$85M, and has so far generated mixed or average Reviews.




In a not too distant future New Orleans, a mystery distributor offers a sample of free 'Power' to a group of gathered drug dealers late at night, on the basis that they try it for themselves which will very quickly convince them of the marketability and street value that this new drug will have. The 'Power' pill, it turns out, grants superpowers, albeit unpredictable ones, for just five minutes by simply ingesting a capsule that alters the physical make up of the host subject - but reactions are mixed and even some of the subjects literally explode from within upon taking the drug.

Newt (Colson Baker) was one of the drug dealers present that night, and six weeks later, his teenage cousin Robin Reilly (Dominique Fishback) who has become a Power dealer, is nearly robbed by a gang of youths wanting to procure a supply of the drug. She is rescued by NOPD Officer Frank Shaver (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who happens to be one of her regular customers and who becomes bullet proof via super hardened skin when he ingests Power. Meanwhile, Art (Jamie Foxx) is on the search for the distributor Biggie (Rodrigo Santoro), which leads him to the home of Newt. Newt has the ability to set fire to himself and rain down hellfire on anyone or anything in his way. However, after a struggle through his apartment block, he is eventually overcome by overdosing on the drug and coming to a very wet end under a shower and over a bathtub at the hands of Art.

In the meantime, Frank foils a bank robbery by a Power-enhanced thief who has the chameleon like ability to blend in to his surroundings rendering him almost invisible. Frank is shot at very close range in the head by the thief while trying to make a getaway, but having taken Power immediately before the pursuit he is rendered bullet proof, but is subsequently suspended for using Power himself by his Captain. Captain Crane (Courtney B. Vance) reveals that government personnel are pressuring him to terminate any investigation into Power, and gives Frank a picture of the man they suspect to be the source of the drug, Art.

Art uses Newt’s phone to locate and kidnap Robin, eventually forcing her to take him to the drug cartel's safehouse. Involved in a shoot out with a number of cartel henchmen, Art is shot in the shoulder. Before exiting the scene, he discovers that Power users throughout New Orleans are being closely monitored as test subjects for the drug. Art bonds with Robin as she treats his wounds and stitches him up (a skill she learned while working in a vet clinic with her mother), and tells her that after leaving the military, he was recruited by Teleios, a private defence contractor who experimented on him to create superpowers. His daughter Tracy, who was born after the experiments were conducted, showed powers without needing the drug, and was abducted by Wallace (Tait Fletcher), a Teleios operative, for the purposes of further research and experiments.

Art and Robin track down Biggie holding a private demonstration of Project Power for a potential buyer in the basement of some clandestine bar. Biggie claims that the pill’s powers are derived from the abilities of animals, such as the chameleon or wolverine frog. As the demonstration begins, a woman locked in a glass encased chamber ingests a pill and immediately starts to freeze, breathing icy cold air and turning everything she touches to frost. A gun fight breaks out with Art gaining the upper hand. He then interrogates Biggie at gunpoint and learns of a ship, the Genesis on which his daughter is located, but Frank wades in, having tracked other users to the demonstration. As Frank is about to handcuff Art and lead him out of the club, Biggie takes a dose of Power rapidly turning him into a malformed creature of immense size and strength. This results in Art, Robin, and Frank fleeing the scene as Art kills Biggie in an gas explosion. The girl in the glass case ultimately freezes to the spot and shatters. 

Frank duly arrests Art and on the way to the Police station in a patrol car informs his Captain, but Art explains that the Power epidemic now gripping New Orleans is really mass testing in an attempt to stabilise the drug, and that his daughter Tracy is the source of the drug’s powers. In turn Art is able to convince Frank that his Captain is in all reality taking orders from Teleios.

At a roadblock which Art was able to accurately predict, he has himself purposely captured by Teleios henchmen and taken aboard the Genesis. Frank and Robin meanwhile infiltrate the ship, and Art is able to persuade a guard to free him. Frank and Art kill Wallace, while Robin locates Tracy and reunites her with her father.

As the four search for a way off the ship, Robin is captured by Dr. Gardner (Amy Landecker), the head of Project Power, who demands Tracy in exchange for Robin’s life. Art confronts Gardner, revealing that Power gives him the ability to launch directed, super-heated air that incinerates upon touch which upon swallowing a pill he uses to kill Gardner and her men and rescue Robin. Using his power, however, costs Art his life, but Tracy brings him back to life with her own powers, and they all escape the ship in a lifeboat, leaving the stricken Genesis to limp idly forward, smouldering. The next day Frank intends to expose Project Power to the press, while Art decides to move on wanting to put the whole sorry and sordid affair behind them, telling Frank that New Orleans is only the tip of the iceberg! He gives Robin his truck and a bag full of money to cover her mother's medical needs, as she needs a lifesaving operation and they don't have medical insurance. Art and Tracy drive off, free at last.

I have to say that I got up off my sofa after almost two hours feeling 'meh!'. 'Project Power' is a mash up of familiar superhero tropes; of the criminal underworld wanting to rule over all mankind with some ill conceived weapon, or super drug, or some megalomaniacal superwealthy criminal mastermind or a combination of all three; while leaving it to the few do gooders left on this mortal coil to fight fire with fire and win the day. The film is all style over substance with the action set pieces and requisite Power effects well executed, but the plot is third rate, predictable and when the climatic ending comes it can't come soon enough. Dominique Fishback gives a grounded performance of a star on the rise, and Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt add weight to a film that perhaps should take a leaf out of its own book and swallow a pill and invigorate itself for five minutes and let the movie it really wants to be, out!

'Project Power' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 20th August 2020.

Film Festivals, during the first six months of 2020, have for the most part been canned completely, postponed or held in cyberspace because of the fear of spreading COVID-19 with so many people crammed into movie theatres, presentation halls and social gatherings. But, as cinema's around the world start to re-open, albeit under certain restrictions, so too have a number of film festivals emerged from the fug of the Coronavirus with a, for now, abridged line up of events and activities to satisfy the ardent movie goer, film Critic and those connected either directly or indirectly with the film industry. Below then, is a schedule of the most noted film festivals slated in the closing months of 2020.

* Venice International Film Festival - now marking its 77th year, is scheduled to be held from 2nd through 12th September albeit in a slimmed down in-person format. Australian actress Cate Blanchett has been appointed as the President of the Jury, with 'The Ties' Directed by Daniele Luchetti, being selected as the opening film - the first Italian film in eleven years to open the festival.
* Toronto International Film Festival - now marking its 45th year, TIFF is scheduled to be held from 10th through 21st September. Organisers have acknowledged that the event will 'look different' than in past years, primarily by incorporating an online streaming component, with five days of in-person presentations. The lineup has been significantly reduced from previous years, with just fifty new feature films and five short film programmes being showcased this year.
* Atlanta Film Festival - originally scheduled for the first ten days in May, this festival was postponed and is now scheduled to take place from 17th through 27th September, marking its 44th year. The organisers are planning to host both drive-in and virtual screenings, with the lineup including 150 films and twenty educational events.
* Zurich Film Festival - now in its 16th year this festival is scheduled for between 24th September and 4th October with the organisers of this Swiss festival stating that a government ban on gatherings of over one thousand people will not impact their late-September event.

* British Film Institute London Film Festival - scheduled for 7th through 18th October, the 2020 edition will be the most accessible version of the festival to UK audiences yet. Film lovers will be given an opportunity to connect for a unique and innovative festival experience, enjoying both live and digital screenings, Q&A's, roundtable discussions and more across the twelve days of the Festival.

* Chicago Film Festival - now in its 56th year with this years edition occurring between 14th and 25th October. The organisers remain committed to producing a programme of screening, events and related activities anticipating a reduced lineup of sixty to seventy new titles being showcased this year.

This week there are just two latest cinematic releases to tempt you out to your local Odeon, kicking off with a biographical drama about an LA immigration lawyer who, off her own back, changed the asylum laws in the US to include women as a protected class, saving thousands in the process. And this is followed up by a New Zealand crime comedy about two hapless would-be crims that get caught up on the wrong side of a local crime boss with potentially dire consequences for them both - let the hilarity begin!

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it either of the two 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.

'SAINT JUDY' (Rated M) - is an American biographical drama film Directed and Co-Produced by Sean Hanish whose previous feature film Directorial outings are '29 and Holding' in 2004, 'Return to Zero' in 2014 and 'Sister Cities' in 2016. The film saw its World Premier screening at the late September 2018 Los Angeles Film Festival before going on a limited release Stateside in early March 2019, and now it gets a limited run in Australia, having taken just US$96K at the Box Office so far. Picking up one award win and four nominations, 'Saint Judy' has received mixed or average Reviews so far.

This film charts the story of Los Angeles immigration attorney Judy Wood (Michelle Monaghan), who single-handedly changed United States asylum law to include women as a protected class. Wood's victory in this regard saved the lives of tens of thousands of female immigrants around the world. Beginning as she relocates with her son Alex (Gabriel Bateman) from New Mexico to Los Angeles so her son can be closer to his dad Matthew (Peter Krause), her work in an immigration law office, then in her own law office and in particular the case of an Asefa Ashwari (Leem Lubani), a teacher from Afghanistan facing deportation to her win in the US Court of Appeals. Also starring Alfred Molina (who also Executive Produces), Common, Gil Birmingham and Alfre Woodard.

'LOWDOWN DIRTY CRIMINALS' (Rated MA15+) - this crime comedy caper from New Zealand is Directed by Paul Murphy whose previous film making credits take in 'Second Hand Wedding' in 2008 and 'Love Birds' in 2011. In the meantime Murphy has worked extensively on major Hollywood films as a Best Boy/Grip. Here Freddy (James Rolleston) loses his job as a pizza delivery guy, so he and his best buddy Marvin (Samuel Austin) find work with a small-time crook Spiggs (Scott Wills). After they mess up a routine job, Spiggs sends them on a fool’s errand - to kill gangster Donny Kong (Min Kim) who's been sleeping with his wife. When the wrong guy ends up dead, Freddy and Marvin find themselves crossing paths with someone even more frightening than their boss - gangster 'The Upholsterer' (Rebecca Gibney) and her two hapless henchmen. The resulting chaos escalates into a situation that’ll threaten their lives and force them to re-examine their career choices, which they has initially envisioned as being one of riches and women aplenty.

With two 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-