What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st July 2021.

Filmfest Munchen (Munich International Film Festival) runs from 1st July through until 10th July. This year marks the 38th Munich International Film Festival and is the largest summer film festival in Germany, and second only in size and importance to the Berlinale. It has been held annually since 1983 and takes place in late-June/early-July, and this year will screen seventy feature-length films from twenty-nine countries, including twenty-eight German Premieres and thirty-three World Premieres, all on the big screen, at eight open-air locations and in seven Filmfest theatres. Many of the films revolve around issues of community and belonging, sexual identity, and journeys into imagined worlds. There are a dozen competitions with prizes worth over €250K which are donated by the festival's major sponsors and partners.

This year there are ten international feature films in the Cinemasters Competition, these being :-

* 'THE MONEYCHANGER' - from Argentina, Germany and Uruguay, in the Spanish language with subtitles and Directed and Co-Written by Federico Veiroj. Money laundering meets cynical opportunism amid the fascist dictatorships of 1970s South America.

* 'ONLY THE ANIMALS' - from Germany and France, in the French language with subtitles and Directed and Co-Written by Dominik Moll. A variety of plot threads are interwoven into a thriller that reveals the dark underside of global capitalism.

* 'THE DOG WHO WOULDN'T BE QUIET' - from Argentina, in the Spanish language with subtitles, and Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Ana Katz. A comedy drama film about the disoriented generation of thirty-somethings.

* 'RIDERS OF JUSTICE' - from Denmark in the Danish language with subtitles and Directed and Written by Anders Thomas Jensen. Markus (Mads Mikkelsen), a military officer just returned home, seeks revenge over the death of his wife, and together with a small group of friends plan to strike against organised crime.

* 'LA LLORONA' - from France and Guatemala in the Mayan and Spanish languages with subtitles, and Directed, Co-Written, Co-Produced and Co-Edited by Jayro Bustamante. Supernatural events add to a political drama based on real events to create an eerily suspenseful thriller.

* 'SAINT-NARCISSE' - from Canada in English and French with subtitles, and Directed and Co-Written by Bruce LaBruce. Self-indulgence, sex, and sacrilege rule in this anarchic journey toward an imagining of family outside societal norms.

* 'SUN CHILDREN' - from Iran in the Farsi language with subtitles, and Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Majid Majidi. To make fast money and support their families, twelve-year-old Ali and his clique of other street kids work hard, doing small jobs in a garage and committing petty crimes. Ali learns of a mysterious buried treasure, located under the Sun School, a charitable institution that tries to educate street kids and child labourers.

* 'SUMMER OF 85' - from France in the French language with subtitles. Directed and Written by Francois Ozon. It’s 1985, and mid-teen Alexis and his parents have moved to a picturesque village on the coast of Normandy. One day during the hot summer, a sudden storm capsizes Alexis’s tiny sailboat. His miraculous rescue by a charismatic 18-year-old David ignites a deep summer love affair, but after a few weeks there's trouble in paradise.

* 'TOVE' - from Finland and Sweden in the Swedish language with subtitles Directed by Zaida Bergroth. This intimate biopic of Mumins-creator Tove Jansson uses vibrant imagery to portray an irrepressibly creative artist.

* 'WIFE OF A SPY' - from Japan in English and Japanese with subtitles. Directed and Co-Written by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. It’s 1940, and the population of the Japanese Empire is divided over its entry into World War II. Satoko, the wife of a fabric merchant, is devoted to her husband, but is beginning to suspect he’s up to something.

For more on the Cinemasters Competition, the other competitions running during the Munich International Film Festival, plus a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://www.filmfest-muenchen.de/en/

As I write this Greater Sydney, where I live, has gone into COVID lockdown for two weeks ending (at this stage) on Friday 9th July, which means all of our cinema's are closed until this date, which further means that the release of the movies as given below, slated for release this week, will be delayed somewhat. That said, these movies will either have been released or are set for an imminent release somewhere in the world, and as Odeon Online has an international readership, I thought it best to carry on regardless. And so, this coming week (albeit not in Australia now), there are five latest release new films coming to an Odeon close to you. And we kick off with the sequel to a 2019 psychological horror film that this time around sees the survivors of previous escape rooms find themselves in new and increasingly elaborate games filled with deadly traps. This is followed by a French offering about a chauffeur who lands a driving job to a world acclaimed perfumer who struts around like a diva, is selfish and has the temperament to go with it. Next up is a feature from Ireland about a young mother who escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system by building her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and rediscovers herself. Then we turn to video game adaptation where werewolves lay siege to a small rural community in this horror comedy offering; before closing out the week with an animated feature about a friendship that is forged between a never ageing ten-year-old vampire and an orphaned schoolboy, but a moon headed monster throws obstacles in their paths.

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.

'ESCAPE ROOM : TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS' (Rated M) - this sequel to the 2019 film 'Escape Room' which grossed US$155M off the back of a US$9M production budget making a follow up inevitable.  Once again, this film is Directed by film-maker, Actor and Writer Adam Robitel whose prior film making credits are 2014's 'The Taking of Deborah Logan', 'Insidious : The Last Key' in 2018 with 'Insidious : The Dark Realm' currently in post-production. This psychological horror film is released this week in Australia and not in the UK and the USA until mid-July, having been originally slated for a mid-April 2020 release but delayed due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19.

After surviving a series of harrowing, deadly escape rooms designed by Minos Escape Rooms Corporation, Zoey Davis and Ben Miller (Taylor Russell and Logan Miller respectively both reprising their roles as the survivors of the last film), are determined to bring it to justice for the personally witnessed deaths of those who hadn't survived them. On their way to confront Minos in New York City, they are unexpectedly trapped with several other survivors of other escape rooms. They must all work together to get through yet another gauntlet of Minos' more elaborate and dangerous escape rooms if they are to have any hope of putting a stop to its murderous games once and for all. Also starring Indya Moore, Holland Roden and Thomas Cocquerel. 

'PERFUMES' (Rated M) - is a French comedy film Directed and written for the screen by Gregory Magne in only his second feature film outing following 2012's 'L'air de rien'. The film saw its World Premier screening at France's Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival back in September 2019, went on release in France in early July 2020 and only now does it get a limited run in Australia. Anne Walberg (Emmanuelle Devos) was once the star of her industry, a perfumer whose ability to produce enticing new fragrances was second to none and which saw her rise through a competitive landscape. She remains in demand, but her often unreasonable behaviour has made her difficult to deal with. However, striking up an unlikely friendship with her equally troubled new driver, Guillaume Favre (Gregory Montel) Anne sees a way to return to the top, which might offer a solution to both their problems. The film has garnered critical acclaim.

'HERSELF' (Rated MA15+) - this drama offering is Directed by Phyllida Lloyd in her third feature film following the success of both 'Mamma Mia!' in 2008 and 'The Iron Lady' in 2011. The film saw its World Premier at the Sundance Film Festival back in January 2020 before its release Stateside in late December last year. Here then, single mother Sandra (Clare Dunne, who also co-wrote the Screenplay) has been struggling to get by with her two young daughters Molly and Emma (Molly McCann and Ruby Rose O'Hara respectively). After the housing system refuses to give her a new home, Sandra decides to build her own with the help of a friendly community and a handful of new friends. With this new purpose, Sandra rediscovers herself, that is until her abusive ex-husband Gary (Ian Lloyd Anderson) sues her for custody of their children. The film has generated largely positive critical Reviews. 

'WEREWOLVES WITHIN' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Josh Ruben who as an Actor has sixty-six credits to his name, fifteen as Director, thirteen as Producer and seven as Writer, here Directs only his second feature film following 2020's 'Scare Me'. Based on the video game of the same name, the film saw its World Premier at the recent Tribeca Film Festival in mid-June, ahead of its release in the US last week, and has generated mostly favourable Reviews. After a proposed gas pipeline has created divisions within the small town of Beaverfield, and a snowstorm traps its residents together inside the local inn, newly arrived forest ranger Finn (Sam Richardson) and postal worker Cecily (Milana Vayntrub) must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorising the local community. Also starring Michael Chernus, Michaela Watkins, Cheyenne Jackson, George Basil, Sarah Burns and Catherine Curtin.

'LITTLE VAMPIRE' (Rated PG) - this French and Belgian Co-Produced animated feature film is Directed by Joann Sfar whose previous film making credits are 'Gainsbourg : A Heroic Life' in 2010, 'The Rabbi's Cat' in 2011 and 'The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun' in 2015. Here the Director adapts his own cult comic book into this feature length film that was selected to compete at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival recently. Little Vampire (voiced by Louise Lacoste) is bored. He’s been ten years old for three hundred years and he wants to go to school to find himself a friend. Michel (Claire de la Rue du Can) is an orphan who’s prone to problem behaviour at school and who finds himself quite at ease upon discovering the enchanting universe of his undead buddy. The friendship between the two boys is instantaneous, but the terrifying Gibbous (Alex Lutz), a supernatural, moon-headed creature who has sworn to destroy the joyful little community of living dead, insists on throwing countless obstacles in their path. 

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 coming week, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

BYE BYE MORONS : Tuesday 22nd June 2021.

I saw 'BYE BYE MORONS' at my local independent movie theatre this week, and this M Rated French comedy drama film is Directed, Written and stars the French Actor, film maker and screen writer Albert Dupontel whose previous Directorial credits take in the acclaimed 2013 '9 Month Stretch' and 2017's 'See You Up There'. The film received twelve nominations at the 46th Cesar Awards back in March this year where it won seven of those twelve nods including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Dupontel. The film was released in its native France back in late October last year and rose to the top of the Box Office despite the country being gripped by tight curfews due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

And so, Suze Trappet (Virginie Efira) is in the office of her Doctor looking over some scanned images of her head, and nervous system. In a round about way he tells her that she is not long for this world having contracted auto-immune disease because of the various hair sprays she has ingested over the last twenty years in her job running a hair dressing salon. The Doctor attempts to evade the ultimate question from Suze about just how long she's got, saying that time is relative and time to him means something entirely different to her. She storms out of the office in bewilderment. 

Meanwhile, Jean-Baptiste Cuchas (Albert Dupontel) works as a Civil Servant who has just spent the past eighteen months installing and fine tuning a very sophisticated IT system into his place of work that controls everything from the lights, to the lifts, to the air conditioning together with facial and voice recognition for anyone and everyone who enters the building as well as their payroll data, tax affairs, relationship status, personal details and inside leg measurement. He gets an internal phone call from his boss, Mr. Kurtzman (Philippe Uchan) demanding he comes up to see him straight away. At that meeting Cuchas is told that he's being retrenched despite his technological brilliance because the organisation wants to be surrounded by fresher younger faces. To add insult to injury, he’ll be required to train these new younger fresh faced recruits before he leaves.

All of this cuts Cuchas to the core, and so he decides to commit suicide by shotgun in his office. He records his final farewell on his tablet, but his gun skills are no match for his computer skills and instead of killing himself he shoots a gaping hole through into the next office where Suze is sat trying to convince a clerk to investigate the whereabouts of her son who she had to give away thirty years earlier when she gave birth at just fifteen. The clerk sustains a fairly bad gunshot wound to the shoulder, and as Suze peers through the hole in the wall, Cuchas is surprised and lets off another round into the ceiling causing that to come crashing down on top of him. 

At that, blind panic breaks out amongst all the other workers in the office, who all charge from their workstations out of the building in mass hysteria. Suze meanwhile drags the unconscious Cuchas, whom she learned works in Internal Affairs, out of his now trashed office into the lift and into her car, and ends up parked on a roundabout that once was the site of the hospital she gave birth in thirty years previously. When Cuchas comes round shocked and surprised to discover where he is, Suze recruits him as her unsuspecting accomplice in tracking down her son, given that he worked for Internal Affairs at the local Council offices and therefore must be able to get her the inside word. If he doesn't co-operate she'll turn him over to the Police who already are on the hunt for him for his act of terrorism. Cuchas doesn't go along with her plan, so she drives off leaving him in the street. He eventually, however, relents and agrees to help her.

And so the pair go on the run armed with Cuchas' lap top computer to track down who's who in the zoo that can help Suze locate her son. They pay a visit to Serge Blin (Nicolas Marie) a man who was blinded in a Police shooting gone wrong many years ago and now works as a lone archivist in the Public Records Office located in the lower basement of the Council building. They trawl through all the 'T's in search of the records that show the details of Suze's birth and who her child may have been adopted by. They eventually strike pay dirt, just at the Police storm the room arresting Cuchas, but Suze and Blin flee through a back staircase. The pair pull up to the address where Suze's son is supposedly living, and she spies a man who could be her son sat on the step of the house playing with his phone. When she speaks to the man she's knows instantly that he's not her son. 

Meanwhile, Blin is stood beside the car when another car crashes into the back of it. The driver of the offending vehicle is furious that a blind man should be driving and threatens to call the Police. Panicked, Blin gets behind the wheel and drives off side swiping numerous vehicles as he does so, ultimately T-boning the Police vehicle that Cuchas was being driven back to the Police Station in. This causes the Police car to flip end of end landing on its roof. Cuchas is able to manoeuvre his way out of the car leaving Kurtzman, the driver and two other officers in the back seat hanging upside down and in a state of semi-consciousness. 

And so the three regroup and Cuchas' is able to track down Doctor Lint (Jackie Berroyer) who delivered Suze's child all those years ago. The only problem is that he's now living in a care home and has advanced Alzheimer's Disease and has no recollection of Suze, her child, or what went down that day. But by good providence, Lint's room also contains volumes of his hand written diaries, and thumbing through them Cuchas locates one of the date that is pertinent to Suze's quest. As the handwriting is in Doctor's scrawl, they track down Lint's wife Rose (Catherine Davenier) at her home in the suburbs and ask her to decipher his texts. She has limited success. However, later on Lint has a moment of clarity, and winds up at his family home reunited with Rose, and can now remember giving up Suze's newborn son to an adoptive couple who were much more deserving of the infant than handing it over to the State. 

This leads the threesome to the modest apartment of Suze's son Adrien (Bastien Ughetto) who now heads up the IT for a major city corporation. Adrien secretly has the hots for co-worker Clara (Marilou Aussilloux) but he is way to introverted to make any advances, is completely socially inept and would rather stare at his computer screens all day, and all night long, as he does when Suze first sees him through the window of his apartment. Later that evening Clara rides by on a scooter while Adrien waits at his front door for her to pass, and then ventures outside to go to work. 

This leads the trio to sit on a bench outside of the offices where they work, while Cuchas sets about controlling first the lights, then the fire alarms, then the sprinkler system and then the lifts in an attempt to evacuate the building and leave Adrien and Clara stranded alone in the external glass lift on the thirteenth floor. Success! With the pair alone in the lift Suze speaks to Adrien via the lap top into the lifts security system and tells him to tell Clara that he likes her, and that she always loved him. In the end the pair embrace, kiss and the lift is reactivated and comes down, by which time Suze and Cuchas have left as the Police arrive only to be distracted by Blin who causes a scene.

The pair flee to a car park where Cuchas uses his laptop to unlock and start up a vehicle but it is taking time. Meanwhile the Police have tracked down the pair which results in a Mexican standoff in the car park as Cuchas and Suze embrace in a passionate kiss, before the pair cry out 'bye bye morons'. 

The French are generally very good and making quirky, irreverent and somewhat out there feature films, and 'Bye Bye Morons' is no exception. The story makes for an entertaining brisk running time of 87 minutes and a lot of fun to follow. Dupontel, as Director here, embarks the trio on a journey of discovery and challenges along the way that he brings each time to a natural conclusion before starting them over again. As the Actor, Dupontel brings to the film a grounded confidence that sees him move from being a company yes man with all the nervous energy and jitters that go with it to being a confident self sacrificing protagonist and savvy sleuth by the time the end credits roll. Virginie Efira’s Suze is both feisty and comical, daring, driven and steadfast in her ultimate goal, with Nicholas Marie’s Serge who refuses to be defined by others and he has a certain force and is not afraid to use it. And as for the Police, they are seen here as unrelenting, unsympathetic, unfeeling and violent in their pursuit of justice no matter what the cost. 'Bye Bye Morons' is a film about life, about love, emotion, sacrifice, belonging and living in France's switched on, linked in, and zoned out society that bounces back and forth between satire, melodrama, mystery, tragedy, romance and dark comedy. Watch out for the Terry Gilliam cameo too. 

'Bye Bye Morons' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 24th June 2021.

This past week has seen three international film festivals draw to a close. Running from 9th June through to 20th June was the 20th Tribeca Film Festival staged in New York; running almost concurrently was the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival held from 11th June until 20th June and is considered by many to be the second largest film festival in Asia after the Tokyo International Film Festival; and then there was the 61st Annecy International Animation Film Festival which occurs in the French town of Annecy, and which this year ran from 14th June through to 19th June. 

The 'Annecy International Animation Film Festival' abbreviated as AIAFF, was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became an annual event in 1998. It is one of the four international animated film festivals sponsored by the International Animated Film Association. The festival is a competition between cartoon films of various techniques (animated drawings, cut-out papers, modelling clay, computer generated imagery, etc.) classified in various categories, namely, feature films, short films, films produced for television and advertising, student films and films made for the internet (since 2002).

This years feature films once again comprised an international line up, consisting the following :

* 'FLEE' - is an international Co-Produced animated documentary film Directed and Co-Written by Jonas Poher Rasmussen with Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau both serving as Executive Producers. The film had its World Premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in late January this year, where it won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary section. 'Flee' won the top Cristal Award for a feature film, as well as the Gan Foundation Award for distribution, and its composer Uno Helmersson received the award for Best Original Music in a feature film.

* 'HAYOP KA! THE NIMFA DIMAANO STORY' - is an  adult animated romantic comedy film from the Philippines and US and is Directed and Co-Produced by Avid Liongoren.

* 'JIANG ZIYA : THE LEGEND OF DEIFICATION' - is a Chinese 3D computer-animated fantasy adventure film Directed by Cheng Teng and Li Wei. Featuring the mythological and fictional version of the popular Chinese figure Jiang Ziya, the plot is loosely based on the novel 'Investiture of the Gods' by Xu Zhonglin. It is a follow-up to 2019's 'Ne Zha' and the second instalment of the 'Fengshen Cinematic Universe'.

* 'LAMYA'S POEM' - is a US and Canadian Co-Produced film Directed by Alex Kronemer.

* 'JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH' - is a Japanese animated romance comedy drama film, based on a Japanese short story of the same name by Seiko Tanabe. The film is Directed by Kotaro Tamura.

* 'THE CROSSING' - is a German, French and Czech Republic Co-Production that is Directed by Florence Miailhe. This film collected the Jury Distinction Award for a feature film. 

* 'MY SUNNY MAAD' - from the Czech Republic, France and Slovakia and Directed by Michaela Pavlatova. This film picked up the Jury Award.

* 'SNOTTY BOY' - from Austria and Germany and Directed by Marcus Rosenmuller and Santiago Lopez Jover.

* 'THE APE STAR' - from Sweden, Norway and Denmark and Directed by Linda Hamback.

* 'THE DEER KING' - is a Japanese fantasy novel series written by Nahoko Uehashi. An anime film adaptation is scheduled to premiere in September this year, Directed by Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji.

* 'POUPELLE OF CHIMNEY TOWN' - from Japan and is an animated fantasy film Directed by Yusuke Hirota, featuring character designs by Atsuko Fukushima. The film is based on a picture book authored by Japanese actor and comedian, Akihiro Nishino, whom also wrote the film's screenplay and was the film's Executive Producer.

For the full details of the 61st Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the other categories showcased, the winners and the also rans plus a whole lot more, you can visit the official website at : https://www.annecy.org/home

The Winter Solstice has come and gone this week which means it's all down hill to Summer, and while it's still mid-Winter what better way is there than to spend a couple of hours in a dark place with a bunch of a strangers staring at a big screen catching a movie of your choice. And so to that end, this week we have six latest release new movies coming to your local Odeon, kicking off with a sequel to a successful 2017 film that this time sees the bodyguard continue his 'friendship' with the hitman as they try to save the assassins wife and thwart a megalomaniac from over throwing Europe. This is followed by a film version of the Broadway musical in which a sympathetic New York bodega owner, saves every penny every day as he imagines and sings about a better life. Next up is a story that unfolds a year after the loss of a young lads father, so he and his mother move to Western Australian to live with boys estranged grandfather. Then we turn to filmmaker Edgar Wright who explores how one rock band can be successful, underrated, hugely influential and criminally overlooked, all at the same time, as he charts a musical odyssey exploring five weird and wonderful decades celebrating the inspiring legacy of your favourite band's favourite band. Next is a Brazilian offering about a caretaker for luxury condominiums who relies on her resourcefulness and her eye for opportunity over three summers as her employers are caught in major corruption scandals. And we close out the week with a German animated feature about a young boy who embarks on an enchanting journey together with a couple of sidekicks to rescue his little sister from the evil Moon Man.

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

'THE HITMAN'S WIFE'S BODYGUARD' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by the Australian Patrick Hughes this action comedy film is the sequel to 2017's 'The Hitman's Bodyguard' which he also Directed as well as 'Red Hill' in 2010, 'The Expendables 3' in 2014 with 'The Man from Toronto' set for a 2022 release. The first film collected US$177M at the global Box Office from a budget of US$69M making this sequel inevitable I guess, but that initial success is no guarantee of further acclaim, as this instalment has so far garnered largely negative Reviews and has taken US$25M off the back of a US$60M production budget since it opened in the US last week. 

And so here, the world's most dangerous and deadly odd couple, bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) are back in action for another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius's even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman Aristotle Papadopoulos (Antonio Banderas). Also starring Morgan Freeman, Richard E. Grant, Frank Grillo, Gary Oldman and Tom Hooper. With a cast that good, what could possibly go wrong??

'IN THE HEIGHTS' (Rated PG) - is an American musical drama film based on the stage musical of the same name by Quiara Alegria Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda which opened on Broadway in March 2008. Originally set to be adapted into a full length feature film in 2008, when that version fell through, the project was eventually started back up in 2016, with Jon M. Chu set to Direct. Chu has previously helmed other features including 'Step Up 2 : The Streets', 'G.I.Joe : Retaliation', 'Now You See Me 2', and 'Crazy Rich Asians'. And of course Lin-Manuel Miranda is the man behind the immensely successful stage play 'Hamilton' who also Co-Produces here. In Washington Heights, New York the scent of warm coffee hangs in the air just outside of the 181st St. subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies a vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is a likable and magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life. Also starring Corey Hawkins, Jimmy Smits and Marc Anthony. The film has garnered universal critical praise and has so far taken US$22M at the Box Office off the back of its US$55M budget since its release in the US earlier this month.

'BUCKLEY'S CHANCE' (Rated PG) - this Canadian and Australian Co-Produced drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Tim Brown whose previous film making outings are 'The Cradle' in 2007, 'Devil in the Dark' in 2017, the video 'Treasure Hounds' that same year with 'The Retirement Plan' due in 2022 with Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman. And so here, following the loss of his father, the young boy Ridley (Milan Burch) is forced to move to the Australian outback to live with his estranged Grandfather Spencer (Bill Nighy). During his adventures he becomes lost and befriends a dingo excluded from its own pack. A strong bond is formed in the harsh Australian outback as the two try to make their way home. Also starring Martin Sacks and Victoria Hill.

'THE SPARKS BROTHERS' (Rated M) - is a documentary film Directed and Co-Produced by Edgar Wright whose prior film making credits take in the likes of 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Hot Fuzz', 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World', 'The World's End', 'Baby Driver' and the yet to be released 'Last Night in Soho'. The film is about Ron and Russell Mael, members of the pop and rock duo 'Sparks' who are still going strong having formed in 1967 albeit under a different name, and have subsequently released twenty-four albums with a 25th currently in production. Possibly their most successful hit was 1974's 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us'. Featuring interviews and conversations with film, TV and music personalities including Beck, Flea, Bjork, Jonathan Ross, Mike Myers, Vince Clarke, Andy Bell, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Nick Heyward and many others. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival in January of this year and was released Stateside last week to universal critical acclaim.

'THREE SUMMERS' (Rated PG) - this Brazilian dark comedy drama is Directed and written for the screen by Sandra Kogut. Unfolding over the course of three consecutive summers - 2015 to 2017 - the film follows Mada (Regina Case), a fifty-something caretaker for a cluster of luxury beach-side condos owned by a wealthy Rio de Janeiro family, as she invests in a roadside snack kiosk while tending to the every need of her condescending employers. She becomes a bystander in a major money-laundering scandal, which eventually launches a whole new career for herself. With every dizzying new turn of events, Mada manages to retain her high spirits, her sense of loyalty to those who deserve it - and her eagle eye for opportunity. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the September 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.

'MOONBOUND' (Rated PG) - this German animated feature film is based on one of Germany's most popular children's books and is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Ali Samadi Ahadi. The film tells the story of Pete who embarks on a magical journey to the moon to find his little sister Anne. Together with June bug Mr. Zoomzeman and the Sandman they seek to rescue Anne from the evil Moon Man.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

CRUELLA : Tuesday 15th June 2021.

'CRUELLA' which I saw at my local multiplex this week is a PG Rated American crime comedy-drama film Directed by Craig Gillespie whose previous film making outings include 'Lars and the Real Girl', 'Million Dollar Arm', 'The Finest Hours' and 'I, Tonya' most recently in 2017. This film is based on the character Cruella de Vil, introduced in Dodie Smith's 1956 novel 'The Hundred and One Dalmatians' and specifically on the version from the Walt Disney 1961 animated film 'One Hundred and One Dalmatians'. It is the third live-action film in the '101 Dalmatians' franchise which were '101 Dalmatians' released in 1996 and '102 Dalmatians' released in 2000 both with Glenn Close playing Cruella de Vil. Those first two instalments grossed a total US$505M off the back of production budgets amounting to a combined US$160M. This film was released theatrically and simultaneously available on Disney+ with Premier Access from the end of May, has generated mostly positive Critical Reviews aside from the screenplay, has so far taken US$132M off the back of a production budget of somewhere in the vicinity of US$150M, and Disney announced earlier this month that a sequel is officially in the early stages of development with both Emma's (Stone and Thompson, who play the leads here) having stated that they would like to make a second film. 

The film opens up sometime in the early 1960's and we are introduced to young five year old Estella Miller (Billie Gadsdon) and her mother Catherine (Emily Beecham) at home fashioning clothes out of scraps of material for Estella's dolls. Already it is clear that the young child has an eye for fashion but also a mean streak, so her mother coins the nickname 'Cruella' for her. We then fast forward to Estella aged twelve (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland) and starting at a new school she is already out of sorts with her student cohort for her outlandish fashion sense, outspoken nature, rebellious streak and never say die attitude which gets her into all sorts of trouble with the Headmaster resulting in him blotting her record with black mark upon black mark. Ultimately Catherine is forced to pull Estella out of school before she is expelled, and the pair decide to travel to London to seek a fresh start there. En route, Catherine pulls over at the cliff top mansion of Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson) who is hosting a lavish ball. She asks the Baroness for financial assistance, at which Estella witnesses her mother being shoved over the edge of a cliff to her death by three of the Baroness' ferocious Dalmatian dogs. 

Needless to say the young Estella is mortified by what she witnessed and flees the scene, hitching a ride in the back of a garbage truck all the way to London. She gets out of the truck at a fountain at Regent's Park and is later the next morning greeted by two young street urchins - brothers Jasper and Horace Badun (Ziggy Gardner and Joseph MacDonald respectively). After being chased down by a Policeman on the beat the threesome all come together in an abandoned loft in what looks like a condemned building. In an attempt to go unnoticed she dies her unusual half black half white head of hair red. 

We then fast forward ten years and Estella (Emma Stone) remains with Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) and have become very adept grifters, so much so that they are able to eek out a reasonable standard of living for themselves by picking pockets, stealing wallets and sundry items of jewellery from unsuspecting members of the public and shops around the city. All the while Estella works on her fashion skills by designing their disguises. On the occasion of her birthday Jasper and Horace present Estella with a contract of employment at the Liberty department store (a store that she has always aspired to work at), albeit as an entry level cleaner. After numerous attempts to convince her boss that she is more talented than scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets, but failed, one night in a drunken stupor she changes the window dressing of a particular display much to the chagrin of her boss, but also and more importantly, much to the prise of the Baroness who happens to be the owner of the store. Estella as a result lands a much coveted job with the Baroness who is a famous highly regarded albeit very demanding and authoritarian fashion designer. 

In time Estella wins over the confidence of the Baroness, until one day Estella notices the Baroness wearing a necklace and pendant that previously belonged to her mother Catherine, and which she had given her daughter on the night on her death. In fleeing the scene of the crime, the young Estella had dropped the necklace in panic and only noticed she had lost it when she arrived in London. Estella makes a casual enquiry as to the origin of the distinctive necklace, and the Baroness responds that an employee has once stolen it. At that Estella asks Jasper and Horace to help her steal it back. 

Estella, under the auspices of Cruella and now donning her natural half black half white hair colour, crashes one of the Baroness' lavish parties to steal back the necklace. When the Baroness uses a whistle to command her Dalmatians, Estella comes to the realisation that she used the same whistle to direct her dogs to murder Catherine. 

Now fuelled by revenge for her mother's death, Estella taunts the Baroness by appearing at her parties and social gatherings and upstaging her as Cruella in ever increasingly flamboyant outfits, designed with the aid of vintage clothing store owner, Artie (John McCrea). 

Cruella's unpredictable and often outrageous appearances gain publicity through her childhood friend Anita Darling (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) a gossip columnist. However, meanwhile Cruella's egotistical and arrogant behaviour increasingly antagonises Jasper and Horace so much so that they consider going their separate ways. The Baroness in the meantime, fires her lawyer Roger (Kayvan Novak) for failing to stop Cruella. Estella also kidnaps the Baroness' three Dalmatians after one of them accidentally swallows her mother's necklace, then relies on Jasper and Horace to retrieve the necklace when it appears out of the other end of the dog that swallowed it. 

Cruella later on sabotages the latest Spring collection hosted by the Baroness and stages her own show in front of the fountain at Regents Park wearing an outfit supposedly made out of Dalmatian fur. The Baroness in the meantime has come to the conclusion that Estella and Cruella are in fact the same woman. With her heavies in tow, the Baroness infiltrates their loft and when Estella returns from her successful Regents Park gig she is confronted by a tied and bound Jasper and Horace. Estella is tied and bound, and petrol is doused all around the place, with Jasper and Horace both being framed for her untimely death. The Baroness in turn lights a flame and leaves Estella to die in the fire which quickly engulfs the building. Jasper and Horace are both arrested. 

Cruella while presumed dead and reported as such in the press, is in fact rescued by the Baroness' long serving and trusted valet John (Mark Strong). When she comes round in John's modest home he reveals that he found the necklace, cleaned it with bleach, and therein is a key to a box containing Estella's birth records. She discovers that the Baroness is in fact her biological mother, and ordered John to have the baby Estella killed so she could concentrate exclusively on her fashion career. John couldn't bring himself to commit such an act so instead gave the baby to Catherine, one of the Baroness' maids, who raised Estella in secret. Estella is initially angered by Catherine's deception but in time comes to terms with the truth in an effort to complete her vengeance, so taking on the name Cruella permanently.

Cruella breaks Jasper and Horace out of jail using a garbage truck to ram the front entrance to the Police Station where they are being held (straight out of 'The Terminator' 1984), recruiting them and Artie for her final scheme. They sneak into the Baroness' charity gala, where Cruella has previously sent out an identical costume and black and white wig for all female guests to wear on the night under the pretext that it was sent by the Baroness (straight out of 'V for Vendetta' 2005). Cruella (dressed as Estella) standing on the same spot as her mother was thrown over the cliff all those years before, reveals to the Baroness that she is her abandoned daughter. The Baroness feigns remorse for her actions and asks to hug her before pushing her over the cliff top into the raging sea below, unaware her guests had been led outside and had witnessed the whole thing. The Baroness claims that Estella jumped just as the Police arrive. Cruella survives the fall using a parachute built into her clothing and picked up in a row boat by Horace. She discards her Estella disguise before returning to witness the Baroness being arrested, as Cruella.

Having adopted the last name de Vil (inspired by her stolen Panther De Ville car), Cruella inherits Hellman Hall, shortening it to Hell Hall, as its rightful biological heir, and she, Jasper and Horace attend the funeral of Estella as the only mourners in attendance. Stay seated for the mid-credits sequence in which Cruella has delivered to Anita and Roger (now married since he got fired as the Baroness' lawyer) two Dalmatian puppies named Pongo and Perdita. Roger is now writing songs for a living and begins singing the lyrics to 'Cruella de Vil' while tapping away at his piano. 

I have to say that I enjoyed 'Cruella' a whole lot more than I was expecting. For a Disney film this is quite dark in places and wickedly entertaining in the process. Director Craig Gillespie has here fashioned a Disney origin story that we never knew we needed, and delivered the goods in spades. The production values are top notch; the set designs impressive; the make up artistry equally so; and as for the punk era costumes as worn by Cruella and the haute couture outfits as worn by the Baroness, well they are awards worthy in the own right and worth the price of your ticket alone. Both Emma's shine in their roles, underscored by a strong supporting cast and Paul Walter Hauser nails it with his London accent and is about as far removed from 'Richard Jewell' as you can get. For a live action remake of a beloved Disney animated classic this film is right up there with the best of them and as for the running time of two hours fourteen minutes - fear not, it flies by and never leaves you wanting.

'Cruella' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-