HONEST THIEF : Tuesday 27th October 2020.

'HONEST THIEF' which I saw earlier this week, is an M Rated American action thriller Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Mark Williams in only his second film making outing following 2016's 'A Family Man', although he has twenty-nine Producer credits to his name and three as Writer. Released Stateside last week, the film has so far grossed US$13M and has garnered mixed or average Reviews so far. 

Calling him the 'In-and-Out Bandit' because meticulous career bank thief Tom Carter (Liam Neeson) has stolen US$9M from twelve small-town banks across seven States while successfully managing to keep his identity a secret, and therefore keeping the Police authorities at bay for the past nine years following his life long career in bomb disposal with the Marines where he learned and honed his very particular set of skills. 

One day Carter walks into a rental self storage unit business looking to rent a unit, when he is greeted by Annie Sumpter (Kate Walsh) on the other side of the counter. She is a psychology graduate student divorced a couple of years ago, and there is instant chemistry between the pair. We then fast forward one year and Carter is showing Annie around a empty house that he has his eye on to buy, at the same time asking her if she will move in with him. It has now been a year and he says that he can think of no one with whom he would rather spend the rest of his life with. She agrees. Carter also says that there is something else he needs to tell her, but Annie has had enough surprises for one day, and it will have to wait she replies. He in turn replies it can wait. 

Carter is ready to come clean about the string of his robberies and the US$9M he has stashed away, never having spent a single dime of the money he has stolen. He picks up the phone from a hotel room where he is staying and dials the FBI and is ultimately put through to Agent Sam Baker (Robert Patrick). Initially, Baker is disbelieving of Carter's story saying that they often receive crank calls from people claiming to be the 'In-and-Out Bandit', so why should they have any faith in his story. Carter says that he wants to strike a deal for coming clean and handing himself over to the authorities with the US$9M stolen returned in full. He wants a reduced sentence down to two years, within a facility less than two hours drive from Boston, and full visiting rights. When Baker asks why - Carter simply says for love - he has met a woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life peacefully without his criminal past hanging over his head. 

And so Baker, still skeptical, sends a couple of his Agents to conduct an initial interview with Carter to determine is he is for real. There is Agent John Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Agent Ramon Hall (Anthony Ramos), who come knocking on the hotel room door later the next day. Asking if Carter can prove his story he recounts how he single handedly conducted his robberies, the banks he chose, the methods he used, and that his stolen cash is to be found in a secure self storage unit facility. Carter willingly hands over the key, gives the Agents the address and patiently awaits their return once they have located the stash of cash. At the storage unit facility, the Agents sure enough find the cash, but rather than take it in as evidence they elect to hold onto it for themselves to fund their retirements. 

They return to the hotel to meet with Carter and say they located the cash, with the intention that they will shoot him dead making it looks as though the Agents acted in self defence. Carter says that those boxes contained US$3M and there is still another US$6M stashed elsewhere (just as an added security measure). But, their plan is foiled when Agent Baker comes knocking on the door looking to question Carter for himself. When suspicions are raised, Nivens shoots Baker dead. In the ensuing scuffle, Carter and Nivens crash out the window two storeys up, landing on top of each other on the ground with Annie who has just arrived on the scene to surprise Carter with her visit. 

Carter and Annie drive off at speed with Nivens and Ramos giving chase. Meanwhile, Agent Tom Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan) arrives on the scene to survey the corpse of his partner Baker. Meyers now gets involved in the hunt for Carter, vowing to bring Baker's murderer to justice. What follows is a cat and mouse chase across the streets of Boston involving shoots outs, fist fights, car chases and car smashes as Carter seeks to clear his name and gain some sort of confession out of Nivens and Hall. Nivens is intent on killing off Annie who is a material witness to the pair of Agents loading boxes (of cash) from the storage facility into the back of their car, which she also has on a memory stick from the on site camera recordings. Nivens confronts Annie at the storage facility and a fight breaks out with Nivens getting stabbed in the leg with a pair of scissors and Annie getting knocked out cold, and almost a bullet to the head were it not for Hall intervening at the crucial moment. 

Carter arrives after the fact and rushes an unconscious Annie to the hospital for emergency treatment. Later Carter ambushes Hall at his home. Hall confesses that he is the reluctant partner in all of this, and gives up the memory stick which he secured from Annie while he frisked her when she was unconscious - a fact unknown to Nivens. Hall also states that Nivens is going to kill Annie at the hospital and that Carter should get her out of there immediately. Hall also gives over the details of the safe house where the money is stashed. When Nivens rocks up to the hospital with Hall, he orders Hall to commit the kill, but he refuses. So Nivens goes in and sees that Meyers is sat by her bedside, waiting for her to come round for questioning. Upon seeing Meyers he leaves. 

Annie by now has recovered in the comfort of a hotel room and refuses to leave saying that she wants to be in on the act to see Carter clear his name. She is present in the car when Carter blows up Nivens home yet deliberately sparing him his life. He then follows Nivens to the safe house knowing full well that he intends to make a run with the money. Carter enters with Hall, holding them both a gun point. Hall comes clean to Nivens about the memory stick, at which Nivens turns on Hall with Nivens ultimately plugging Hall with bullets killing him outright. A gunfight erupts between Carter and Nivens, with Carter sustaining a non life threatening bullet wound to his right side. Nivens escapes in his car with his stash of US$3M. 

Carter calls Nivens on his mobile phone while also tracking his journey. He warns Nivens that there is a hastily assembled improvised explosive device located directly under this car seat, and because it was so hastily assembled it is likely to be unstable. If he leaves his seat it will explode, even if he sneezes it could explode - any sudden movement, and potentially boom, they'll be scraping off bits of Agent Nivens from the road for weeks. The bomb squad arrive, the street is cordoned off, and the device is disarmed although with no detonator installed it would have been impossible for the bomb to explode. Nivens is escorted from the car and immediately placed under arrest by Meyers and two other Agents standing by. 

Following this, later that night back at FBI HQ, Meyers receives a voice recorder (dropped into his office by Annie) which recorded the conversation between Nivens and Hall before the gunfight at the safe house, proving Carter's innocence in the death of Agent Baker. Carter turns himself in, with Annie looking on, as Meyers promises to try to get a lighter sentence for him.

This film hardly ranks as one of Neeson's best, but it is a serviceable, passable yet almost instantly forgettable offering that sees the sixty-eight year old action star doing what he does best with his particular set of skills. The plot is a little lame verging on the romantic action crime genre that is saved by the convincing performances from Neeson, Walsh, Courtney and Donovan, but other than this the dialogue is questionable, the action set pieces you have seen done a hundred times before and the story moves along at such a pace that there is hardly any time to build up the suspense factor. A low on thrills, no frills by the numbers film that has a few saving graces that would elevate this to a middle of the road offering that has been the trademark of Neeson's career of the last fifteen years or so. 

'Honest Thief' 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 29th October 2020.

The 56th Chicago International Film Festival was held from 14th through to 25th October, and began in 1964 by filmmaker and graphic artist Michael Kutza to provide an alternative to the commercial Hollywood movies that dominated the city’s theatres. Seeking out the best in international cinema, the Festival has opened windows to a world of film previously or otherwise unavailable in Chicago. In addition, at more than half of the screenings each year, filmgoers have the rare and exciting chance to meet Directors, Producers, Writers and cast members who introduce their films and hold discussion sessions following the screenings. Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organisation of the Chicago International Film Festival, is a year-round non-profit cultural and educational organisation dedicated to fostering better communication between people of diverse cultures through the art of film and the moving image.

The Opening Night feature presentation was the American Documentary 'Belushi', Directed by R.J. Cutler, about the famed comedian and Actor John Belushi who by the age of thirty had conquered Hollywood as one of the founding cast members of 'Saturday Night Live' and the star of 'The Blues Brothers'. But as his fame grew, so did his struggles with substance abuse, leading to an untimely demise that shocked fans around the world. The Closing Night film was Chloe Zhao's 'Nomadland' and this American drama leads on from the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, when Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad.

The other highlights from the festival were contained in the following sections:

Special Presentation

* 'Ammonite' - from Director Francis Lee this British historical romantic drama film features Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.

* 'Belushi' - as described above.

* 'City So Real' - Directed by Steve James this American political Documentary capturing Chicago at a crossroads when it is still reeling from the shooting of Laquan McDonald and in the midst of the 2019 mayoral elections and reporting on the divisions that separate and the issues than unify the city.

* 'David Byrne's American Utopia' - Directed by Spike Lee this American concert Documentary bringing the Talking Heads frontman, David Byrne's, critically lauded Broadway show to life. 

* 'Fireball : Visitors from Darker Worlds' - Directed by Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer this environmental Documentary takes the viewer of a globe hopping journey to uncover the effects that meteorites bombarding the Earth for millennia have had on our planet. 

* 'Nomadland' - as described above.

* 'One Night In Miami' - Directed by Regina King this is a historical biographical drama depicting a fictional account of the incredible night in 1964 when underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), defeats heavyweight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall. Clay memorialized the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).

New Directors Competition

* 'Any Crybabies Around?' - Directed by Sato Takuma this is a Japanese coming of age drama. 

* 'Becoming Noma' - Directed by Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden this Dutch and Belgian Co-Production is a coming of age drama spoken in Dutch.

* 'Gaza Mon Amour' - Directed by Tarzan and Arab Nasser this Palestine, French, German, Portuguese and Qatar Co-Produced film is a comedy romance spoken in Arabic.

* 'Memory House' - Directed by Joao Paulo Miranda Maria this Brazilian and French Co-Produced offering is a mystery drama in the German and Portuguese languages.

* 'Of Fish and Men' - Directed by Stefanie Klemm this Swiss crime thriller is in the Swiss-German language.

* 'Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time' - Directed by Lili Horvat this romantic drama film is offered in the English and Hungarian languages.

* 'Schoolgirls' - Directed by Pilar Palomero this Spanish coming of age drama offering is in Spanish.

* 'Sleep' - Directed by Michael Venus, this German horror thriller film is in the German language.

* 'The Special' - Directed by Ignacio Marquez, this Venezuelan and American Co-Production is a coming of age drama in the Spanish language.

* 'Spring Blossom' - Directed by Suzanne Lindon, this French coming of age romantic drama film is presented in French.

* 'Striding into the Wind' - Directed by Wei Shujun, this Chinese coming of age drama film is presented in Mandarin.

International Competition 

* 'And Tomorrow the Entire World' - Directed by Julia von Heinz, this German political drama is spoken in German.

* 'Apples' - Directed by Christos Nikou this Greek, Polish and Slovenia Co-Produced Sci-Fi drama romance is in the Greek language.

* 'Careless Crime' - Directed by Shahram Mokri this Iranian political crime drama offering is presented in the Persian language.

* 'Dear Comrades!' - Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky this is a Russian historian political drama spoken in Russian.

* 'I'm Your Woman' - Directed by Julia Hart this American action crime drama is presented in English. 

* 'New Order' - Directed by Michel Franco this Mexican and French Co-Production is in the Spanish language.

* 'Night of the Kings' - Directed by Philippe Lacote this Ivory Coast, French, Canadian and Senegal political mystery thriller is presented in French, Dioula and Nouchi languages. 

* 'Padrenostro' - Directed by Claudio Noce this Italian coming of age crime drama film is spoken in Italian. 

* 'Sweat' - Directed by Magnus von Horn this Polish and Swedish Co-Production is presented in Polish.

* 'True Mothers' - Directed by Kawasi Naomi this Japanese drama film is presented in the language of Japan.

* 'Under the Open Sky' - Directed by Nishikawa Miwa this Japanese crime drama offering is presented in the language of Japan. 

Festival Award Winners

International Feature Film Competition

* Gold Hugo awarded to Magnus van Horn for 'Sweat'. This film was also awarded the Silver Hugo for Best Art Direction to Jagna Dobesz.

* Silver Hugo : Jury Prize awarded to Shahram Mokri for 'Careless Crime'.

* Silver Hugo : Best Director awarded to Andrei Konchalovsky for 'Dear Comrades!'.

* Silver Hugo : Best Cinematography awarded to Tobie Marier Robitaille for 'Night of the Kings'. This film was also awarded the Silver Hugo for Best Sound to Emmanuel Croset and Pierre-Jules Audet.

* Silver Hugo : Best Screenplay awarded to Stavros Raptis and Christois Nikou for 'Apples'. 

* Silver Hugo : Best Performance awarded to Yakusho Koji for 'Under the Open Sky'.

* Silver Hugo : Best Ensemble Performance awarded to 'And Tomorrow the Entire World'.

New Directors Competition

* Gold Hugo presented to Lili Horvat for 'Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time'.

* Silver Hugo presented to Ignacio Marquez for 'The Special'.

* Roger Ebert Award presented to Joao Paulo Miranda Maria for 'Memory House'.

For all the news of this years recently closed 56th Chicago International Film Festival you can visit the official website at : https://chicagofilmfestival.com/

This week there are four latest release new movies coming to your local Odeon. We kick off with a reimagining of a famed Icelandic film from 2015 that gets the Aussie treatment as two estranged brothers very reluctantly join forces to save their herd of prized sheep. Next up are a pair of American supernatural horror offerings, the first of which centres around a mythical urban legend that is being summonsed from the dead to wreak havoc and death upon the living; and the second is a sequel to a cult classic from 1996 about a group of four new teenage inductees who get more than they bargained for as they seek to form their own coven of witches. And we wrap up the week with a French film about a famed literary clinic who seeks to expose the truth behind the authorship of a bestselling novel, believed to be an illiterate pizza chef.  

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.

'RAMS' (Rated PG) - is an Australian comedy drama film Directed by Jeremy Sims whose previous film making credits include 2006's 'Last Train to Freo', 2010's 'Beneath Hill 60' and 2015's 'Last Cab to Darwin'. This film is said to be a 're-imagining' of the 2015 Icelandic film of the same name Written and Directed by Grimur Hakonarson, although judging by the trailer of this 2020 version it looks like a direct copy. That said, the film saw its Premier screening as the opening showpiece at Western Australia's CineFestOZ Film Festival in late August, and now gets its wide release from this week. 

In remote Western Australia, two estranged brothers, Colin (Sam Neill) and Les (Michael Caton), are at war. Raising separate flocks of sheep descended from their family’s prized bloodline, the two men live and work side by side but are worlds apart. When Les’ prize ram is diagnosed with a rare and lethal illness, authorities order a purge of every sheep in the valley. While Colin attempts to stealthily outwit the powers that be, Les opts for angry defiance. But can the warring brothers set aside their differences and have a chance to reunite their family, save their herd, and bring their community back together? Also starring Miranda Richardson, Asher Keddie and Wayne Blair. 

'THE EMPTY MAN' (Rated MA15+) - this American supernatural horror thriller film is Written, Directed and Edited by David Prior in his feature film debut although he has numerous Director credits for helming documentary videos mostly concerned with 'the making of' various Hollywood movies. This film is based on the 2014's graphic novel of the same name written by Cullen Bunn and Vanesa R. Del Rey. Here, following the mysterious disappearance of a number of local teenagers from a small Midwestern town, the community begin to suspect that it is the work of an urban legend known as The Empty Man. As a retired cop, James Lasombra (James Badge Dale) investigates and struggles to make sense of the stories, he discovers a secretive group and their attempts to summon a horrific, mystical entity, and soon his life, together with the lives of those closest to him, are in grave danger. The film was released in the US last week, and also stars Marin Ireland, Stephen Root, Robert Aramayo and Joel Courtney.

'THE CRAFT : LEGACY' (Rated M) - this American supernatural horror film is Written and Directed by Zoe Lister-Jones in her second feature film making outing following 2017's 'Band Aid'. This film is a standalone sequel to 1996's 'The Craft' which was a Box Office success and over the years has gone to cult status. And so here we have an eclectic mix of four aspiring teenage witches - Lily (Cailee Spaeny), Frankie (Gideon Adlon), Tabby (Lovie Simone) and Lourdes (Zoey Luna) who get in over the heads as they learn to to come to terms with their new found powers. Also starring David Duchovny and Michelle Monaghan. The film gets a limited release in Australian this week and is released through VoD in the US this week too. 

'THE MYSTERY OF HENRI PICK' (Rated M) - is a French comedy film with English subtitles that is Directed and Written by Remi Bezancon. And so, who is Henri Pick, and how is it that two years following his death, did this supposedly illiterate pizza cook come to write the acclaimed bestseller 'The Last Hours of a Love Story'? However, not everyone is convinced of the author’s authenticity of this overnight sensation. Amongst the cynics is influential literary critic Jean-Michel Rouche (Fabrice Luchini) who sets out to discover the truth behind Pick and the book that bears his name. Josephine Pick (Camille Cottin), daughter of the mysterious author, reluctantly assists Rouche in navigating the secretive Breton landscape to get to the bottom of this mystery. 

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-

IRRESISTIBLE : Tuesday 20th October 2020

'IRRESISTIBLE' which I saw at my local multiplex earlier this week is an M Rated American political comedy film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jon Stewart. The film was released in selected theatres and through Premium Video on Demand in the US at the back end of June, has so far taken US$253K and has generated mixed or average Reviews. Stewart's only other previous film making gig was with 'Rosewater' in 2014, although he has written numerous television series and specials, has forty-eight Producer credits and thirty-four Actor credits to his name too and has hosted his own long running television show, the Academy Awards (twice) and the Grammy Awards (twice) too amongst other things. 

After the opening credits sequence in which we see still photographs of a number of ex-US Presidents all from within living memory in various states of relaxed playfulness, we cut to a scene in which the successful Democratic Party campaign consultant Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell) is in a state of despair following the results of the 2016 presidential election. Zimmer is a few days later shown a video that has gone viral of Marine Colonel Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) turned local respected farmer standing up for the immigrant population of his hometown of Deerlaken, Wisconsin at a local town hall meeting chaired by Mayor Braun (Brent Sexton). At his Washington D.C. office surrounded by a number of his staffers, Zimmer makes the decision that if he can run Hastings as the Democratic mayoral candidate in the next town election, then he stands a good chance of convincing the people in the American heartland to vote Democrat in the next presidential election. 

Zimmer travels to Deerlaken in order to convince Hastings to run for mayor. Upon arriving, it would be fair to say that Zimmer is somewhat surprised and shocked by the cultural divide that exists between the ordinary rural dwelling townsfolk of Deerlaken compared to the cut & thrust, take no prisoners cashed up privileged existence of life in Washington D.C. After spending a day helping out on Hastings' farm, Zimmer meets with Diana Hastings (Mackenzie Davis), the 28 year old daughter of the Colonel, and he then pitches this idea to them both. Initially the Colonel is not struck on the idea, but Zimmer can be very convincing when he wants to be. After some reluctance, the Colonel agrees but upon condition that Zimmer personally runs the campaign from Deerlaken himself, because after all, the Colonel considers himself conservative with no real leanings towards politics, or experience in this field. 

Following his first introduction to a small gathered group of townsfolk at his farm in front of assembled cameras, the Colonel recruits his friends and neighbours as campaign volunteers to aid his efforts. A number of setbacks soon come to the fore including the fact that most of the town appears conservative and that the incumbent Mayor Braun is being funded directly by the Republican National Committee. The RNC sends Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne) Zimmer's arch nemesis to Deerlaken, to counteract him.

Zimmer decides he needs to take Hastings to New York to meet the powerbrokers there - especially the ones with the deep pockets prepared to donate to his campaign. Arriving at the private lavish townhouse residence of a Mr. Peeler (Bruce Altman), Hastings gives an impassioned speech to the gathered group of potential donors and how he needs their collective help to save his small town in country Wisconsin. On the flight back Zimmer is overcome with emotion recounting Hastings speech, and over the ensuing days the donations come flooding in, so allowing Zimmer to upgrade their approach and enlist the technology and the human resources to make a difference and thwart the incumbent mayor, Braun. 

As a result Hastings who was lagging behind in the polls to Braun, soon catches him up and they are fairly evenly matched. However, just as things appear to be going in Hastings favour, the campaign takes a nose dive when one of Zimmer's team members Tina De Tessant (Natasha Lyonne) advertises a pro-contraceptive platform to a group of single women who turn out to be nuns. Needless to see the media, and Faith Brewster, have a field day.

When Zimmer starts going off at his campaign mates, which he often does in public and in private but often being overheard, Diana convinces him to apologise and that if he is going to run her father's campaign, he needs to be more civil. When it begins to look like Braun is going to win the election, Zimmer tries to convince Hastings and Diana to play dirty and start exploiting the skeletons in Braun's cupboards. Diana is mortified that Zimmer would even consider playing dirty tricks and goes to Braun for advice. Braun and Diana decide to secretly reveal a bigger scandal about Braun so Zimmer will not go after Braun's brother, which was his original plan. The scandal it is later revealed is fake.

On the day of the election, only two votes are cast - one for each candidate, which confuses both Zimmer and Brewster. In the town hall where the candidates and their campaign staffers are all gathered to hear the final results it is revealed that the election was in fact an elaborate ruse orchestrated by Diana. She shot the video of her father's immigration speech so that Zimmer and Brewster would watch it and ultimately campaign to pour thousands of dollars into the election, which would help the town through its financial trouble due to the earlier closure of the military base there. Diana conceded that they were only looking to raise US$750K to keep Deerlaken's High School open, but they actually raised US$45M. Zimmer is shocked that Diana would play him in such a way and Diana then explains the town set this up because the D.C. politicians play small towns like theirs all the time. When Zimmer reveals that he was hoping that there was a spark between them, Diana rejects him. Fast forward six months and Diana and her Dad are seen laying out plans for several new buildings and businesses in Deerlaken and extensions to the High School with the US$45M in donations received. Diana becomes the mayor of Deerlaken after a special election, and in closing we are shown three possible love interests involving Zimmer with Diana, Zimmer with Faith Brewster, and Zimmer with Ann (Blair Sims - the owner of the local Cafe, who plies him everyday with coffee and blueberry streusel). 

As political satires go, this film isn't great, but it isn't bad either. There are no laugh out loud moments here, but it did raise a few smirks and chuckles along the way mostly thanks to the comedic expressions, one liners and deadpan delivery of Steve Carell playing the Democratic campaign activist with a sadistic streak but his heart is still in the right place. Rose Byrne also puts in a good turn, as the campaign activist on the other side of the fence but tarred with the same brush as Carell's character, while Chris Cooper and Mackenzie Davis's characters were left somewhat undercooked. As for the Writer and Director Jon Stewart who has crafted a career out of political satire I would have expected a story with a little more cutting edge sharpness and relevance to todays American political landscape - instead he opts for a middle of road, non-committal crowd pleaser that doesn't always land, but the twist in the tale at the end and the chemistry between Carell and Byrne are redeeming payoffs. Also starring Topher Grace and Debra Messing.

'Irresistible' 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 22nd October 2020.

The American Film Institute (AFI) Fest launched on 15th October and runs until 22nd October, and this year, like so many other film festivals, has chosen to go with a virtual format because of the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. The festival opened with the World Premier screening of Julia Hart's 1970's influenced crime thriller 'I'm Your Woman' and is followed by a line up of 123 other films including fifty-four feature films, and sixty-seven short films. AFI Fest is a world-class event, showcasing the best films from across the globe to captivated audiences in Los Angeles. With a diverse and innovative slate of programming, the eight-day film festival presents screenings, panels and conversations, featuring both master filmmakers and new voices. Each year, the festival showcases films in several exciting sections which include Galas, Special Screenings, New Auteurs, Documentary, World Cinema, Cinema’s Legacy and Shorts. The closing night feature is the documentary 'My Psychedelic Love Story' Directed by Errol Morris which explores the story that led Timothy Leary, the High Priest of LSD, to seemingly sell out the millions he urged to 'turn on, tune in and drop out' and become a narc in 1974, as recounted through the eyes of Leary’s lover, the Swiss-born, Paris-raised free spirit Joanna Harcourt-Smith. The highlights contained within the main feature film sections are shown below.

Special Presentations Section - from first-time Directors and established masters to fiction and nonfiction to series, these outstanding and highly anticipated films affirm the vitality and creativity of our resilient film community. Included in this section are the following :

* 'The Father' - Directed by Florian Zeller, this British and French Co-Production stars Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Mark Gatiss, Imogen Poots, Rufus Sewell and Olivia Williams.

* 'Fireball : Visitors from Darker Worlds' - Directed by Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer, this is a British documentary that seeks to unlock the mysteries inside the flaming balls of rock debris that have bombarded our planet from the far reaches of space for millennia. 

* 'I'm Your Woman' - Directed by Julia Hart this USA film stars Rachel Brosnahan, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Bill Heck and Arinze Kene. Opening night film. 

* 'My Psychedelic Love Story' - Directed by Errol Morris, this US documentary stars Timothy Leary and Joanna Harcourt-Smith. Closing night film.

* 'Pink Skies Ahead' - Directed in her film making debut by Kelly Oxford, this USA production stars Jessica Barden, Henry Winkler, Rosa Salazar, Marcia Gay Harden, Mary J. Blige and Odeya Rush. 

* 'The Reagans' - Directed by Matt Tyrnauer this four part series focuses on the rise and reign of America's ultimate power couple - Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Episodes one and two are screened as part of this section.

* 'Really Love' - Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Angel Kristi Williams in her film making debut, this American feature stars Kofi Siriboe and Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing.

* 'A Suitable Boy' - Directed by Mira Nair and Shimit Amin, this British and Indian Co-Produced television series runs over six episodes with all six screened in this section. Starring Tabu, Ishan Khatter, Tanya Maniktala and Mahira Kakkar.  

World Cinema Section - featuring a collection of diverse narrative feature films from celebrated storytellers across the world. Included in this section are the following :

* 'Farewell Amor' - Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Ekwa Msangi, this American feature film stars Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Zainab Jah, Jayme Lawson and Joie Lee.

* 'Hopper/Welles' - Directed by Orson Welles and discovered in 2017 this film features a conversation covering a vast array of topics from two masters of Old Hollywood and New Hollywood - Orson Welles and Dennis Hopper. 

* 'I Carry You With Me' - Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Heidi Ewing, this US and Mexican Co-Production stars Armando Espitia and Christian Vasquez. 

* 'My Little Sister' - Directed and Written by Stephanie Chuat and Veronique Reymond this Swiss feature film stars Nina Hoss, Lars Eidinger and Jens Albinus. 

* 'Sound of Metal' - Directed and Co-Written by Darius Marder, this American feature film stars Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Lauren Ridloff and Mathieu Amalric.

* 'Tragic Jungle' - Directed, Co-Written, Co-Produced and Co-Edited by Yulene Olaizola this Mexican, French and Colombian Co-Produced film stars Indira Andrewin and Gilberto Barraza. 

* 'Uncle Frank' - Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Alan Ball, this American produced film stars Paul Bettany, Peter Macdissi, Steve Zahn, Sophia Lillis, Judy Greer and Carson Holmes. 

* 'Under the Open Sky' - Directed and Written by Miwa Nishikawa this Japanese film stars Kofi Yakusho, and Taiga Nakano. 

* 'Wander Darkly' - Directed and Written by Tara Miele, this American production stars Sienna Miller and Diego Luna. 

New Auteurs Section - presenting a platform for new voices and new stories, these exciting narrative works push the boundaries of contemporary cinema. Included in this section are the following :

* 'Apples' - Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Christos Nikou this Greek, Polish and Slovenian Co-Production stars Aris Servetalis and Sofia Georgovassili. 

* 'The Boy Behind the Door' - Directed and Written by David Charbonier and Justin Powell this American  thriller stars Lonnie Chavis and Ezra Dewey.

* 'Jumbo' - Directed and Written by Zoe Wittock this French, Belgian and Luxembourg feature film stars Noemie Merlant, Emmanuelle Bercot and Sam Louwyck. 

* 'Luxor' - Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Zeina Durra this British production stars Andrea Riseborough,  Karim Selah, Michael Landes and Shereen Reda.

* 'Nine Days' - Directed and Written by Edson Oda this American feature film stars Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Benedict Wong, Tony Hale and Bill Skarsgard.

* 'Shadow in the Cloud' - Directed and Written by Roseanne Liang this New Zealand produced film stars Chloe Grace Moretz, Callan Mulvey and Nick Robinson. 

* 'Wildland' - Directed by Jeanette Nordahl, this Danish film stars Sandra Guldberg Kampp and Sidse Babett Knudsen. 

For all the latest news on the 2020 AFI Fest, you can visit the official website at : https://www.fest.afi.com

And so this week we have five latest release new films that give you an excuse to venture out to your local Odeon. Starting off we have a comedy drama about a Mum, a Dad and their mid-twenties year old daughter who are all career petty criminals, grifters and confidence tricksters who seize upon an opportunity to befriend their next mark, with far reaching consequences for them all. We then turn to an action thriller which sees a career thief turn himself and his ill gotten gains in to the Police all in the name of love, only to be double crossed by two bent cops, and so what does this man with a very particular set of skills do . . . ? Next up we have a New Zealand offering about a young couple expecting their first child together, but the couple have very different views on pending parenthood and how this is going to change their lives and their spirit of adventure. This is followed by an Aussie comedy drama about a bunch of retired war vets who broke out of their Vietnam PoW camp who now face the daunting prospect of breaking out of their retirement home, and we wrap up the week with a Polish film about an incarcerated young man who discovers God while inside and upon release fakes his way into becoming the Priest of a small town with far reach implications for all those around him.

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 week ahead.

'KAJILLIONAIRE' (Rated M) - is an American crime comedy drama film Directed and Written by Miranda July in only her third film making outing following 2005's 'Me and You and Everyone We Know' and 2011's 'The Future'. This film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in late January this year, was released Stateside in late September before going on VoD in the US from mid-October, having taken US$621K so far and garnered generally favourable Reviews. 

Two con artists, Robert Dyne (Richard Jenkins) and his wife Theresa (Debra Winger) have spent 26 years training their only daughter Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood) to swindle, scam and steal at every turn in Los Angeles. During a desperate and hastily conceived scam related to lost luggage insurance, the parents meet with an attractive young woman, Melanie Whitacre (Gina Rodriguez) whom they view as a potential mark into joining them as a means of gaining her trust. However, things don't go quite according to plan and following an earthquake, a confession, and another rip off they all have their worlds turned upside down.

'HONEST THIEF' (Rated M) - this American action thriller is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Mark Williams in only his second film making outing following 2016's 'A Family Man', although he has twenty-nine Producer credits to his name and three as Writer. Released Stateside last week, the film has so far grossed US$5.7M and has garnered mixed or average Reviews so far. Calling him the 'In-and-Out Bandit' because meticulous career thief Tom Carter (Liam Neeson) has stolen US$9M from small-town banks while successfully managing to keep his identity a secret and therefore keeping the Police authorities at bay. But after he falls in love with the bubbly Annie Sumpter (Kate Walsh), Tom decides to make a fresh start by coming clean about his criminal past, and turning in all the money he has stolen in exchange for a reduced sentence. But when he is double-crossed by two ruthless FBI agents - John Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Ramon Hall (Anthony Ramos) he goes on the run to clear his name and bring those no good cops to justice. Clearly this is Liam Neeson doing what he does best with his very particular set of skills! Also starring Robert Patrick and Jeffrey Donovan. 

'BABY DONE' (Rated M) - Co-Written and Directed by Curtis Vowell and Executive Produced by Taika Waititi this New Zealand film is only the second feature film offering by Vowell following his 2013 film 'Fantail'. Here, when Zoe (Rose Matafeo) and Tim (Matthew Lewis) find out they are having a baby, they are determined to not let parenthood change them. Tim runs towards being a dad, while Zoe runs away from being a mum. Terrified that her life won’t be her own anymore, Zoe is still determined to tick off her bucket list their wildest dreams before the baby arrives. Zoe’s increasing denial about her impending birth pushes her, and her relationship, to the limit.

'NEVER TOO LATE' (Rated M) - is an Australian comedy drama film Directed by Mark Lamprell whose previous directorial outings include 'My Mother Frank' in 2000, 'Goddess' in 2013 and 'A Few Less Men' in 2017. Filmed in Adelaide, in South Australia, this film saw its Premier screening at Adelaide's Young at Heart in February this year and was released on digital in the US in July so far having taken US$15K. Here we have four former prisoners of war who famously broke out of their camp during the Vietnam War and who are all now residents of the same retirement home for returned veterans. They may have lost their memory and speed, but these renegades prove it’s never too late for new adventures, even if you have to break rules to break free in an attempt to fulfil your individual dreams. Starring James Cromwell as Jack Bronson a former special forces soldier, and his fifty year long love interest Norma McCarthy (Jacki Weaver) who is resident in the Hogan Hills Retirement Home for Returned Servicemen and Women, with Jeremiah Caine (Dennis Waterman), Angus Wilson (Jack Thompson), and James Wendell (Roy Billing) with Bruce (Shane Jacobson) playing James's estranged son. 

'CORPUS CHRISTI' (Rated MA15+) - this Polish drama film is Directed by Jan Komasa which saw its Premier showing at 2019's Venice Film Festival, was also shown at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was selected as the Polish entry into this years Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. Released in its native Poland in October 2019, the film has since gone on to win fifty awards and a further twenty-one nominations from around the awards and festival circuit and has recouped US$8.6M from its initial US$1.3M budget outlay. Based on a true story, Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia) experiences a spiritual transformation while serving a sentence for second-degree murder in a youth detention centre. Although his criminal record prevents him from applying to the seminary once he is released, he has no intention of giving up his dream. Upon his release he is assigned to work in a sawmill in a small town, and while visiting the local church, he pretends to be a priest. The vicar of that church meets Daniel wholly believing his lie, and leaves him in charge of the church while he goes to rehab for a medical condition. Daniel begins performing all the duties of priesthood, and enjoys it. Initially his unorthodox methods are met favourably by the townsfolk, but ultimately the truth will out! The film has generated largely positive Press. 

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-

THE OUTPOST : Tuesday 13th October 2020.

'THE OUTPOST' which I saw this week is an MA15+ Rated American and Bulgarian Co-Produced war drama film that is Directed by Rod Lurie whose previous feature film making credits take in the likes of 'The Contender', 'The Last Castle', 'Nothing But the Truth', and 'Straw Dogs'. This film is based on the 2012 book 'The Outpost : An Untold Story of American Valor' by Jake Tapper about the Battle of Kamdesh during the war in Afghanistan. Due to see its Premier screening at South by Southwest in March of this year, when the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it was released through Premium VOD and in selected US theatres in early July this year. Last week it saw its cinematic release in Australia having earned just over US$1M at the Box Office so far and generated largely positive Reviews.

As the film opens we are introduced to a troop of soldiers being helicoptered in to a remote outpost in Afghanistan located some fourteen miles from the border with Pakistan and at the base of three steep mountains. This is Combat Outpost Keating. Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha (Scott Eastwood) is amongst the new arrivals late at night. He settles in taking a lower bunk and as he stretches out he notices that a previous occupant has inscribed the words 'it does not get better' on the underside of the upper bunk. In the camp there is a complete mix of personalities, backgrounds and ethnicities, all led by Captain Benjamin Keating (Orlando Bloom). The next morning following a quick briefing by Keating, the newly arrived troops are shown around the camp ground when they are attacked by Taliban insurgents. The short lived skirmish results in an exchange of gun fire and mortar rounds aimed at a cluster of Taliban perched on a narrow escarpment just within range.  Such skirmishes are almost a daily occurrence with Keating's men generally gaining the upper hand even though they are disadvantaged by being on the lower ground, but they have far superior weaponry and trained soldiers. 

After being introduced to various other soldiers, including Specialist Ty Michael Carter (Caleb Landry Jones), Staff Sergeant Justin T. Gallegos (Jacob Scipio), Private First Class Zorias Yunger (Alfie Stewart), Private Ed Faulkner (Will Attenborough), and following that skirmish these men all had disagreements with one another or with Captain Keating, revealing the amount of pressure and stress the men collectively were under. The next day Captain Keating meets with a group of local tribal elders during which time he states that they must all work together with a shared sense of trust and respect, and he agrees to pay them and offer contracts for projects to help support and grow their communities, including the construction of a local school. He also advises them that the United States will compensate them for anyone who agrees to lay down their arms. After some reluctance the gathered Taliban all lay down their weapons at Keating's feet, and as a show of gratitude one of the English speaking elders embraces Captain Keating.

The next day Captain Keating announces that they are to return a big truck to another military base located just thirteen miles away. But the narrow unsealed mountain roads are too precarious for a vehicle of that weight and size, and so none of the men want to go because it's seen as being way to dangerous a mission. Captain Keating volunteers to drive the truck even though it will take all night to travel the thirteen miles, and Romesha and Carter ride with him in the cabin, with army patrol cars up front and behind. On a narrow stretch of road with a sheer drop to the left, the small convoy comes to halt having spied something in the road up ahead. Romesha and Carter go to investigate and discover that it is nothing, and turning around to go back and join Captain Keating, the truck gives way with its weight on the crumbling roadside and plunges down the mountain side and erupts into a ball of flame a couple of hundred feet below. Keating is thrown free, but has sustained severe head injuries and dies a short time afterwards where he lay. After the soldiers have held a funeral and a gun salute to their deceased Captain Keating, they are introduced to Captain Robert Yllescas (Milo Gibson). 

As he is being shown around the base on his first day, the Taliban insurgents attack, and afterwards Romesha leads his men on a patrol of the surrounding area. Looking down on their camp they see for the first time just how exposed and vulnerable the outpost really is. Sometime later Sergeant Josh Kirk (Jack Kesy) observes a man with a mobile phone taking photos and video footage of the camp. The man does a runner but Kirk give chase and catches up with him, knocking him to the ground. The man advises Kirk that the elders paid him to take photos of the camp. The next day Captain Yllescas is in discussion with the elders wanting to know more details surrounding the covert photography. The elders respond asking about their arrangement with Captain Keating as they feel it is now not being honoured. Captain Yllescas withholds money from the locals which was to be used for the school and to bring clean water and power to their community. As relations with the elders begin to deteriorate the US troops are warned by a local translator Mohammed (Sharif Dorani) of an impending mass attack by the Taliban. The US troops laugh it off and do not take the warning seriously saying that Mohammed cries wolf to them almost everyday, and nothing ever eventuates from his dire warnings.

On a patrol mission headed up by Captain Yllescas, a lot of chatter is picked up over the radio. Mohammed claims that the chat is about nothing really, not realising that it is probably coded. As Captain Yllescas is crossing a narrow rope bridge over a river and talking to Yunger behind him, he is blown up and killed outright. Yunger escapes being wounded but is traumatised after the incident and goes into shock. Later that night Yunger is talked out of shooting himself in the head by Romesha, and is the next day helicoptered off camp for treatment. 

Captain Sylvanius Broward (Kwame Patterson) arrives at the camp and when it is attacked he delays the orders for his troop to fire back when engaged in gunfire by the Taliban, and subsequently berates Romesha for engaging with the enemy when they are not seen to be holding any firearms. So many changes in their leadership over such a short period of time is only adding to the tension and stress the men are feeling. Captain Broward offers to pay the men an extra US$1,000 per month for their troubles. The relationship with the elders and the locals continues to deteriorate. Mortars come raining down on the base at night. The next day at the village, Broward is confronted by the villagers with a corpse of a young woman who claim that she was killed by mortars from the camp the night before, even though it is obvious to the soldiers that she has been dead for two or three days at least. The elders demand money for the loss of one of their daughters and further state that everyone knows the troops are leaving soon. Captain Broward gets upset and questions why they think they are leaving soon? As Captain Broward tries to get an answer to his question, the sniffer dog companion of one of the US soldiers bites a local man's hand. Mohammed explains that in their culture it is extremely disrespectful to get bitten by a dog. Captain Broward then pulls out his sidearm and shoots the dog, which only serves to alienate him even more from his own men. As he turns to walk away he orders one of the men to pay US$3,500 out of the Captains discretionary fund to compensate for the loss of the young woman. 

The next day as the soldiers are letting off some steam in their quarters, Captain Broward enters and announces that he has been relieved of his duties. Broward also advises that they are scheduling the birds to come pick them up with a Captain Stoney Portis and that the Saudi's will then close up the base on October 6th and ultimately blow it to kingdom come. Broward appoints First Lieutenant Andrew Bundermann (Taylor John Smith) to assume command until then. Bundermann's first order is to remain silent on all outgoing communications about leaving as they do not want to give the Taliban the heads up. He instructs the soldiers not to talk about leaving the base to anyone on Skype, email, the radio, or over the phone.

Early morning on 3rd October, Mohammed runs around the camp screaming that the Taliban are here. In the mountains, hundreds of Taliban soldiers are seen advancing on the camp as they begin their attack using mortars, rocket propelled grenades and gunfire. Soon the soldiers find themselves in a life or death battle at a base that is fully surrounded by mountains and the Taliban have the advantage of the high ground. The attack is one of the bloodiest battles and is known as the Battle of Kamdesh, that raged through the entire day until early evening when air support finally arrived dispensing with many of the remaining attackers. 

Eight U.S. soldiers were killed and twenty-seven wounded; eight Afghan soldiers were wounded, along with two Afghan private security guards. The US military estimated that 150 Taliban militants were also killed as a result of repulsing the assault. The US soldiers killed in the battle were Staff Sergeant Justin T. Gallegos, Specialist Christoper Griffin (Alexander Arnold), Private First Class Kevin C. Thomson (Bobby Lockwood), Sergeant Michael P. Scusa (Scott Alda Coffey), Staff Sergeant Vernon W. Martin (Cory Hardrict), Specialist Stephan L. Mace (Chris Born), Sergeant Joshua J. Kirk and Sergeant Joshua M. Hardt (Jack DeVos). Twenty-seven soldiers were awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat. Thirty-seven soldiers were awarded the Army Commendation Medal with 'V' device for valour, three soldiers were awarded the Bronze Star Medal, and eighteen others the Bronze Star Medal with 'V' device for valour. Nine soldiers were awarded the Silver Star for valour. Staff Sergeant Justin Gallegos and First Lieutenant Andrew Bundermann were ultimately awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha and Staff Sergeant Ty Carter were both subsequently awarded the Medal of Honour in 2013.

'The Outpost' presents the viewer with a truly immersive rendition of the Battle of Kamdesh underpinned by a sense of urgency and hopelessness by being overcome by a group of marauding insurgents who outnumbered those US soldiers in Camp Keating eight to one. This is a realistic retelling of one of the bloodiest and boldest battles of the nineteen years of the Afghan War, that pays tribute to the brave soldiers who stood their ground and won the day against the odds, but not without sacrifice. The cast are all to be commended for their authentic depiction of the soldiers they portray with a particular stand out performance by Caleb Landry Jones, and the Director here has crafted a surprisingly visceral, gritty, intense, no holds barred depiction of the horrors of the battlefield, its bravery, its failures and the true cost of war on both sides. 'The Outpost' reminded me in some ways of Ridley Scott's 2001 'Black Hawk Down' - another true life account of American soldiers a long way from home fighting for their lives amidst seemingly impossible odds. Certainly worth watching on the big screen if you can. 

'The Outpost' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-