SWEET GIRL : Monday 23rd August 2021.

With Greater Sydney still in COVID lockdown now until the end of September at least, and as a result all cinema's closed until sometime after this date, I've been reviewing over the last few weeks some the latest feature films released recently onto Netflix. One such film that I watched from the comfort of my own home this week is the American action thriller 'SWEET GIRL' Directed by Brian Andrew Mendoza in his feature film making debut following his only other foray into film making with the 2009 short film 'The Via Monterey'. He has however, in the intervening years been kept busy with a number of Producer credits on such films as 'Road to Paloma' Directed, Co-Written and starring Jason Momoa, 'Braven' with Jason Momoa, on three episodes as Executive Producer of 'Frontier' with Jason Momoa, and the upcoming 'The Last Manhunt' Written by Jason Momoa. It will come as no surprise therefore, that this films headlining star is none other than Jason Momoa, who also takes a Producer credit here. The film was released on Netflix on 20th August and has generated mixed or average Reviews. 

The film opens up with Ray Cooper (Jason Momoa) and his wife Amanda (Adria Arjona) and their young daughter Rachel (Milena Rivero) enjoying peaceful and loving family time on a forest camping trip. Sometime later in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Amanda falls ill with life threatening cancer. Doctor Wu (Reggie Lee) comes to Ray with the great news that a soon to be available new drug will halt the cancer's progress in its tracks, which lifts his spirits considerably. Soon afterwards when there is no further news on this groundbreaking drug, Ray learns from Dr. Wu that the potentially life saving drug has been pulled off the market, due to the BioPrime CEO Simon Keeley's (Justin Bartha) new business move. Watching Keeley on a live debate on the TV with Congresswoman Diana Morgan (Amy Brenneman), Ray calls in to question Keeley live on air. He threatens Keeley, saying if he doesn't reverse his decision, that he'll personally kill him with his own bare hands. Keeley needless to say doesn't take the threat seriously and sometime shortly thereafter Amanda passes away, devastating both Ray and Rachel.

Fast forward six months and Ray one day out of the blue gets a phone call from a reporter Martin Bennett (Nelson Franklin) who tells him he can help him get justice for Amanda. After a goose chase, they meet on a subway train, having been unknowingly followed by Rachel (now played by Isabella Merced). Bennett tells Ray that BioPrime has been bribing anyone who questions their dirty deeds, including the company that made the drug Amanda needed to save her life. Before he has finished and Ray is trying to take all of this in, a hitman named Santos (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) attacks and kills Bennett. Ray fights back and as the train stops at a station, Santos stabs Ray and knocks out Rachel, leaving them both lying on the platform as he makes his getaway on the train.

Fast fast forward two years and father and daughter are living in some dead beat apartment. Ray has been keeping tabs on, and investigating Keeley in the meantime. He sneaks into a lavish charity fund raising event honouring Keeley, posing as a waiter. He eventually gets Keeley on his own with two of his bodyguards - one of which he thwarts with a CO2 fire extinguisher to the face and the other gets accidentally shot in the head when Ray and Keeley tussle with a gun. Holding a knife to Keeley throat, he questions him about the hit on Bennett and the bribes. As Keeley tells him it was the Chairman Vinod Shah (Raza Jaffrey) who signed off on all hits, Keeley is able to break free and in the ensuing fight, Ray wraps a sheet of plastic wrapping around his face and holds it tight from behind suffocating the CEO. 

Ray and Rachel need to abandon their apartment and quickly for fear of reprisals. They book into a motel somewhere outside town. Rachel, now growing increasingly concerned about her father's pursuit for revenge calls FBI Agent Sarah Meeker (Lex Scott Davis) and advises her to look into BioPrime. Early the next day two gun totting heavies break into the motel and Ray dispenses with them both, only adding to the tensions between the pair. They go on the run, and Meeker puts out an APB on Ray's car. They pull off the road up a dirt track in the snow and out of sight. The next day Ray plans to go after Shah alone, leaving Rachel behind but she convinces him to take her with him.

They ambush Shah's car and its convoy of two others carrying a contingent of bodyguards. Ray disables two vehicles using nails to puncture the tyres of one and a bulldozer to upturn the other leaving Shah's car stranded on a tree trunk that Ray had cut down earlier in the day blocking the exit from a tunnel. Santos has meanwhile arrived on the scene all guns blazing. He takes out Shah's one remaining bodyguard and as Ray tries to interrogate him in the tunnel, Shah is shot and killed by Santos who's also been following him. Ray and Rachel make a hasty retreat with Santos shooting out one of the tyres. Rachel recognises Santos as the man who attacked them on the subway train. They abandon their vehicle and steal a breakdown tow truck. Driving past a diner, they spot Santos' Volkswagen Kombi Van, and the three meet up there on neutral territory, with four Police Officers sat in a booth at the other end of the diner. Ray gets Santos to tell him his employer is Diana Morgan. Upon leaving, Santos calls after Rachel saying that they'll meet up again in Pittsburgh. 

Upon arriving in Pittsburgh, they're spotted by the FBI helicopters and a convoy of Police vehicles in hot pursuit. Ray gets out of the truck and heads into a baseball stadium where the game has just ended and the crowds are exiting. A foot chase ensues through the crowds and the FBI catch up with Ray on the roof of the stadium. As Meeker attempts to talk him down, it is revealed that Ray is in fact Rachel. It seems that Ray died from the stab wound at the subway station two years previously and since then Rachel, suffering from PTSD, has been on her own journey for her own brand of justice. She jumps off the rooftop into the river below. She is found and arrested by Meeker, and strapped down with her neck in a brace in the back of an ambulance. She successfully manages to thwart her captors, gain control of the steering wheel so crashing the ambulance and flees the scene.

Determined to finally get some form of justice for her Mum and Dad, Rachel breaks into Morgan's office. However, she is greeted by Santos and a knife fight breaks out. Rachel crashes through a window and clings to a set of scaffolds and clambers down several levels. Santos reaches her and the pair fight once again ending up in a fountain. Santos gains the upper hand by strangling Rachel under the water where she looses consciousness. The voice of her father telling her to wake up sees Rachel spring into action against an unsuspecting Santos, and this time it is she who has the upper hand repeatedly stabbing him in the chest finally killing him until the water runs red. She returns to Morgan's office and confronts the Congresswoman and secretly records her admitting she was bribed by BioPrime and ordered the hit that killed Bennett and in turn her father. Rachel boards a plane to an unknown destination and an uncertain future as the voice recording is received on Meeker's email. 

Ultimately there's nothing sweet about this sweet girl - more of a sour puss really who's hell bent on revenge at any cost for those no good conniving big pharma types who seem to have hitmen and politicians planted firmly in their very deep pockets. That said there does seem to be a screen presence between Momoa and Merced that carries the film forward, and Momoa shows that he's capable of portraying real raw emotion as well as the physical aspects of his prior big and small screen outings. The plot twist at two-thirds in adds a new dimension to the film that almost takes it into the realms of fantasy, but to get there Ray/Rachel has to climb up onto the roof of a baseball stadium, just so that he/she can jump of it (reminding me of the closing scene in 'The Bourne Ultimatum') - plllleeeease! The fight sequences are realistic and well choreographed but after the first couple of rounds it's more of the same, repetitive shoot 'em, knife 'em, kick & punch 'em fare with an eighteen year old girl winning the day against a far deadlier and more heavily armed foe, that thanks to that plot twist makes you lose all credibility in what went before. 

'Sweet Girl' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 26th August 2021.

Over the last couple of weeks I have shone a light on both the Locarno and Sarajevo Film Festivals. The 74th Locarno Film Festival was held from the 4th through until 14th August, and the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival was held from the 13th until 20th August. The Closing Night's film at Locarno was 'RESPECT' - the biographical musical drama film based on the life of Aretha Franklin as portrayed by Jennifer Hudson and Directed by Liesl Tommy in her feature film making debut. The Closing Night's film at Sarajevo saw the World Premier of 'TOMA' - the biographical musical drama film of the famed Yugoslavian folk singer Toma Zdravkovic as played by Milan Maric and Directed and Co-Written by the Serbian Dragan Bjelogrlic. 

The winners and grinners in the International Competition at both festivals are as given below :-

Locarno Film Festival

* Golden Leopard : awarded to 'Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash' from Indonesia and Directed and Co-Written by Edwin. Set in the 1980's in a society ruled by machismo, a hibernating 'bird' becomes a serious matter. In a life of brutality, the sleeping bird is an allegory for a peaceful and serene life, even when the whole world tries desperately to awaken it.

* Special Jury Prize : awarded to 'A New Old Play' from Hong Kong and France and Directed and Written by Qiu Jiongjiong. The leading clown role in a renowned theatre troupe passes on, and is welcomed into the Underworld. As he relives his vivid memories one last time before entering the afterlife, fifty years of art, struggle and love play out against the background of 20th Century China’s tumultuous history.

* Best Direction : awarded to Abel Ferrara for 'Zeroes and Ones' from the USA and Italy and is Written and Directed by Abel Ferrara. An American soldier stationed in Rome while the Vatican is blown up, embarks on a hero's journey to uncover and defend against an unknown enemy threatening the entire world.

* Best Actor : awarded to both Mohamed Mellali and Valero Escolar for 'The Odd Job Men' from Spain and Co-Written and Directed by Neus Ballus. A peculiar team of three handymen has to face a series of eccentric clients. Their everyday job becomes a surrealist and exhilarating experience.

* Best Actress : awarded to Anastasiya Krasovskaya for 'Gerda' from Russia and Directed and Written by Natalya Kudryashova. Lera lives in the provinces. Her mother naively believes in miracles, and her father abandoned the family for another woman. Lera wants to improve her life, but she doesn't know how. At the same time, she constantly sees dreams in which she sees her soul. And the more difficult life becomes, the more often she sees such dreams.

Sarajevo Film Festival : Heart of Sarajevo Awards

* Best Feature Film presented to 'Great Freedom' from Austria and Directed and Co-Written by Sebastian Meise. In postwar Germany, a man is repeatedly imprisoned for being homosexual. The one steady relationship in his life becomes his long time cell mate, a convicted murderer. What starts in revulsion ultimately becomes love.

* Best Director presented to Melica Tomovic, who also Co-Wrote, for 'Celts' from Serbia. The film centres around three generations who converge at a child’s birthday party against the backdrop of the former Yugoslavia’s painful breakup.

* Best Actress presented jointly to Flaka Latifi, Era Balaj and Urate Shabani for 'The Hill Where Lionesses Roar' from France, Kosovo and the US and Directed, Co-Written and also starring Luana Bajrami. Somewhere in Kosovo, in a small remote village, three young women see their dreams and ambitions stifled. In their quest for independence, nothing can stand in their way : time to let the lionesses roar!

* Best Actor presented to Georg Friedrich for 'Great Freedom' from Austria and Directed and Co-Written by Sebastian Meise.

For all the details of the other award categories and the winners and grinners therein, you can go to the official websites at : https://www.locarnofestival.ch and/or https://www.sff.ba

With Greater Sydney, where I live, still in COVID lockdown for another month ending (at this stage) at the end of September, this 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 across certain parts of Australia at least. 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 audience, I thought it best to carry on regardless.  

And so this week to tempt you to your local movie theatre in the last week of the Australian winter season, we have a story about a stand-up comedian and his opera singer wife who have a two year old daughter with a surprising gift. This is followed up by the sequel to a 1992 horror offering of the same name about a supernatural killer who can be easily summoned by those daring to repeat his name five times into a mirror. Next up is a horror thriller about a blind Navy Seam veteran who must resort to his military training to save a young orphan from a group of thugs who break into his home; and closing out the week we have a group of criminals who are brought together under mysterious circumstances and have to work together to uncover what's really going on when their simple job goes completely sideways.

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 week ahead. 

'ANNETTE' (Rated MA15+) - this French musical romantic drama film is Directed by Leos Carax (in his English-language debut), and with a screenplay by Ron and Russell Mael of 'Sparks' fame, and Carax, from an original story, music and songs by the band. Leos Carax is a French film maker whose Directorial debut came in 1984 in 'Boy Meets Girl' then 'Bad Blood', 'The Lovers on the Bridge', 'Pola X',  and 'Holy Motors' in 2012. The film was chosen as the Opening Film at this years Cannes Film Festival on 6th July and opened in France the next day, with a limited release in the USA in early August before streaming on Amazon Prime from the 20th. It cost US$15.5M to produce, has so far grossed US$2.5M and has garnered positive Critical acclaim. Leos Carax won the Best Director Award at Cannes, and the film was selected to be in competition for the Palme d'Or.

Set in the present day Los Angeles, Henry McHenry (Adam Driver) is a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humour who falls in love with Ann Defrasnoux (Marion Cotillard), a world-renowned opera singer. Under the spotlight, they form a passionate and glamorous couple. With the birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious little girl with an exceptional destiny, their lives are turned upside down. Also starring Simon Helberg, Russell Mael, Ron Mael and Leos Carax.

'CANDYMAN' (Rated MA15+) - is anAmerican supernatural slasher film directed by Nia DaCosta and Co-Written by Jordan Peele and DaCosta. It is a direct sequel to the 1992 film of the same name and the fourth film in the Candyman film series, based on the short story 'The Forbidden' from the 1984/85 anthology horror fiction novels series 'Books of Blood' by Clive Barker. This is DaCosta's second feature film outing following 2018's 'Little Woods' with 'The Marvels' (the follow up MCU film to 'Captain Marvel') currently filming and due for release in November 2022. In the present day, a decade after the last of Chicago's Cabrini Towers were torn down, Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and his girlfriend Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris) move into a loft in the now gentrified Cabrini district and occupied by upwardly mobile millennials. A chance encounter with a Cabrini Green old-timer exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman. Anxious to use these macabre details in his studio as fresh grist for paintings, he unknowingly opens a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence. The film was originally set for release in mid-June 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was pushed to late September 2020 and then again to mid-October 2020 before being delayed until this week in the US, UK, Australia and other territories. Tony Todd reprises his role as Daniel Robitaille/Candyman and Vanessa Estelle Williams also reprises her role as Anne-Marie McCoy.

'DON'T BREATHE 2' (Rated MA15+) - this American horror thriller story is Directed and Co-Written by the Uruguayan Rodo Sayagues in his feature film debut, and is the direct sequel to the 2016 film 'Don't Breathe' Directed by Fede Alvarez. That first instalment took US$158M at the global Box Office off the back of a US$10M production budget making this sequel inevitable. Set eight years after the events of the first film, former Navy Seal and blind man Norman Nordstrom (Stephen Lang) lives in relative solitude with his eleven year-old daughter Phoenix (Madelyn Grace) and his Rottweiler, Shadow, in the suburbs of Detroit. Things however, quickly go south as Norman must once again use his military training and his heightened senses of hearing, smell and touch to save a young orphan from a group of thugs who break into his home. Also starring Brendan Sexton III, the film was released Stateside earlier this month, has so far grossed US$17M off the back of a US$15M production budget and has garnered mixed critical Reviews. 

'NO SUDDEN MOVE' (Rated MA15+) - is an American period crime thriller film Directed, lensed and Edited by Steven Soderbergh, whose previous acclaimed back catalogue of feature films include 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' his 1989 debut, plus 'Out of Sight', 'Erin Brokovich', 'Traffic', the 'Ocean's' trilogy, 'Contagion', 'Magic Mike', 'Side Effects', 'Logan Lucky', 'Unsane', and 'The Laundromat'. Set in 1954 Detroit, small-time criminals are hired to steal a document. When their heist goes horribly wrong, their search for who hired them, and for what purpose, sends them meandering through all echelons of the race-torn, rapidly changing city. Starring an ensemble cast taking in Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, David Harbour, Jon Hamm, Amy Seimetz, Brendan Fraser, Kieran Culkin, Noah Jupe, Ray Liotta and Matt Damon. The film cost just US$8.2M to produce, saw its World Premier screening at the Tribeca Film Festival in mid-June, was released on HBO Max on 1st July in the US and has generated mostly positive Reviews.

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 coming week, at your local Odeon, or perhaps not!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

BECKETT : Monday 16th August 2021

With Greater Sydney still in COVID lockdown, and as a result all cinema's closed until 28th August at least now, I've been reviewing over the last few weeks some the latest feature films released recently onto Netflix. One such film that I watched from the comfort of my own home this week is the action thriller 'BECKETT' Written and Directed by the Italian filmmaker Ferdinando Cito Filomarino in only his second feature film outing following the biographical drama film 'Antonia' in 2015, although he did serve as Second Unit Director on 'A Bigger Splash' in 2015, 'Call Me by Your Name' in 2017 and 'Suspiria' in 2018. Each of these three films incidentally were Directed by Luca Guadagnino who also Co-Produces on 'Beckett'. This film saw its World Premier screening at the Locarno Film Festival on 4th August and was released onto Netflix on 13th of this month, and has so far generated mixed or average Reviews. 

We are first introduced to Beckett (John David Washington), and his girlfriend April (Alicia Vikander) in bed in an Athens hotel room. From the discussions they had a fight the night before but have since 'kissed' and made up. April draws a tiny love heart with a Sharpie on Beckett's palm. They intend to leave Athens due to a political rally set to take place in the square overlooked by their hotel room, which it is reported is going to be big, noisy and could potentially turn violent. We then see the happy couple enjoying some of the sights and scenes that ancient Greece has to be offer. While driving to their hotel later that night, with April dozing in the passenger seat, Beckett falls asleep at the wheel and sends their car crashing over an embankment and down into a nearby house. The car comes to rest on its roof, with Beckett dangling upside down restrained by his seat belt, while April was flung through the windscreen not wearing a belt. As Beckett is coming to his senses, hanging upside down and peering through the shattered windscreen, he sees a red-headed child hurried out of the room by a woman. He clambers out of the car and sees that April is lying dead on the ground having suffered a serious head wound. 

Sometime later he wakes up in a hospital room with his arm in plaster. Later while being questioned by the Police, he is told that it was lucky the house was abandoned and empty. He tells the English-speaking, Police Officer Xenakis (Panos Koronis) that the house was occupied and that he saw a red-headed boy. After leaving the Police Station he walks the four kilometres to the scene of the accident with the intention of killing himself by ingesting April's bottle of sleeping pills. Having taken one, and just about to swallow the remaining contents, a blonde woman (Lena Kitsopoulou) stood outside the building starts shooting at him. Hiding behind a bush, Xenakis appears and calls out to him, saying there has been a mistake, to come out and that he'll be safe. As soon as he raises himself, the blonde woman shoots him in the upper arm. He makes a dash for it as both the woman, and Xenakis shoot at him and give chase. He jumps off the edge of a cliff into a tree some distance below, lands roughly on the rock strewn ground and makes his getaway. 

Beckett that night takes refuge in an old abandoned wreck of a truck and is awakened by hunters the next morning. Beckett needs access to a phone and so one of the older huntsmen takes Beckett to his house to attend to his wound. While recounting his story, there is suddenly a knock at the door. The old hunter goes to the door and Xenakis and the blonde woman force their way in attacking and beating the old man. Beckett jumps out of a rear upper window and escapes. He comes across a couple of beekeepers who lend him a phone. He calls the US embassy in Athens, and explains his situation. They tell him they can come to get him the next day, and so Beckett tells them he will come to them instead because it will be quicker. Athens is about a five hour car journey away, so he cadges a lift on a school field trip bus to take him to the nearest train station. Boarding the train and taking a window seat, he fails to notice Xenakis walk past the window and board his carriage. When Xenakis tries to detain him, Beckett pulls on the train’s emergency brake and in the ensuing struggle, Xenakis shoots himself in the foot and Beckett again flees the scene.

In town, Beckett notices numerous posters being pasted to walls of the red-headed boy being put up by two female activists, an American Lena (Vicky Krieps) and a Greek woman Eleni (Maria Votti). They tell Beckett that the boy is the kidnapped son of a liberal politician who has been held by a far-right organisation, called Sunrise. They conceal Beckett in the trunk of their car and drive him to Athens, during which time he tells them his story, to which Lena is more trusting that Eleni. Beckett leaves the car to avoid a Police roadblock and having arrived in Athens takes a train to get closer to the US Embassy. While trying to avoid the Police at the subway station, he is attacked by a man with a knife and slashed across the forearm. Beckett manages to escape across the rail tracks and is helped directly to the embassy by two young men. After having his wounds dressed and a change of clothes, he meets with Tynan (Boyd Holbrook) who tells him that they located April's body and that they have had it shipped there. He is then taken to the morgue to view her body, and further told that the Embassy have called her parents to break the news of their daughter's death. 

Tynan offers to take Beckett to an honest local cop to sort things out so that he can be extradited back to the US. At first Beckett is reluctant to leave the safe harbour of the Embassy, but is convinced to go by Tynan. They drive down various side roads and into a dodgy looking neighbourhood and into a quiet lot where is parked a number of trucks. Slowing down Tynan pulls out his taser and tries to zap Beckett. Beckett instead was able to turn the taser on Tynan and escape after the car crashes into the back of a truck. 

Beckett goes to where the activists told him they were headed, under the 'clasped hands' to try and warn them. Tynan has by now shaken off the effect of the taser stun and arrives with the Police and chases Beckett into the political rally. As violence mounts and clashes with riot Police unfold, shots ring out and Beckett runs into the basement of small shopping precinct. There he is confronted by Tynan, armed with a gun, who tells him the liberal politician has just be shot and killed, that his case of being the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time is now moot and he's free to get on a plane back to the US. Becket fights him, gains the upper hand and knocks him out. 

Tynan goes back up the streets where the riot is in full swing and spots the blonde woman who shot him. He follows her to a parking garage, where she meets up with Xenakis, on the top floor. Before they can escape, Beckett shoots the cop in the hand and forcibly drags the blonde woman out of the car window. He is shot at close range in his side, but he still manages to bash her head against the concrete knocking her out. By now Xenakis has driven off making an exit out of the car park, with the muffled sound of someone banging on the roof of the car boot from the inside. Lena arrives having chased after Beckett chasing down the blonde woman. As Xenakis car exits the parking garage, Beckett launches himself onto the car from the top of the parking lot, landing squarely on the windscreen. He wrestles with Xenakis who drives the car into another coming to an abrupt halt. He knocks out Xenakis, as Lena arrives and passers by pull the boy from the boot. Beckett is being consoled by Lena as he looks down at his palm at the now faded heart April drew on his hand, saying mournfully how he should have died.

Watching Beckett survive a horrific car crash, get shot twice, stabbed, punched, kicked, hurl himself off a cliff top, and, off the roof of a multi-storey car park onto a moving car below, run, run and then keep running, and evade being captured more times than I can recall all amounts to just how much beating can a man withstand in a 24 hour period, and still come out on top? This guys is on an emotional and physical roller coaster that knows no bounds and stretches the credibility to the very limit. The political machinations of the film are underdeveloped, we know very little of Beckett's back story and so its hard to feel invested in the characters or the plot for that matter. Put simply, it's a man-on-the-run thriller that fails to elevate itself above the many other similar films in the same genre, and when the action comes it's all too pedestrian.

'Beckett' warrants two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 19th August 2021.

The 27th edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival kicked off on Friday 13th August and runs through until 20th August. Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city ​​of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is the political, financial, social and cultural centre of this south-eastern European Balkan state with regional influence in entertainment, media, fashion and the arts. The Sarajevo Film Festival has a special focus on the region of South-East Europe shining an international spotlight on films, talent and future projects from the region. High quality programming, a strong industry segment, an educational and networking platform for young filmmakers and thus generated presence of the international film industry, film authors and media representatives alongside a paying audience confirms its status as the leading film festival in the region, recognised by both professionals and the wider audience.

On the 13th August the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award was presented to the German film maker, playwright, author and photographer Wim Wenders for his exceptional contribution to the art of film. Oscar winning Bosnian Director Danis Tanovic's film 'NOT SO FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD AFFAIR' and the omnibus film 'LETTERS FROM THE ENDS OF THE WORLD' by the film collective Bistrik7, an international group of first-generation directors at the Sarajevo film.factory of the iconic Director Bela Tarr opened this year's edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival.

This year, the Sarajevo Film Festival has selected twenty-one feature films in the competition programme, which will run in-person from 13th through until 20th August. The Competition Programme for feature films offers The Heart of Sarajevo Award for the Best Feature Film, The Heart of Sarajevo Award for the Best Director, The Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Actor and The Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Actress. Then there is also the Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Documentary, the Human Rights Award and the Special Jury Award. In addition there are a further twenty-six films in competition making for a total of forty-seven films across its four competitive sections. The event will feature eighteen World Premieres and three International Premiere screenings. The other two competitive sections are for Short Films and Student Films.

In the Feature Film Competition category, ten films have been chosen for this section of the programme for fiction titles, including two world premieres, those films are :- 

* 'Bebia, A Mon Seul Desir' from Georgia and the UK and Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Juja Dobrachkous.

* 'Celts' from Serbia and Directed and Co-Written by Milica Tomovic.

* 'The Elegy Of Laurel' from Montenegro and Serbia and Directed and Written by Dusan Kasalica. World Premiere screening.
* 'Great Freedom' from Austria and Germany and Directed and Co-Written by Sebastian Meise.

* 'The Hill Where Lionesses Roar' from Kosovo and France and Directed and Written by Luana Bajrami.
* 'Looking For Venera' from Albania and Directed, Written, Co-Produced and Co-Edited by Norika Sefa.
* 'Moon, 66 Questions' from Greece and France and Directed and Written by Jaqueline Lentzou.

* 'Murina' from Croatia, Brazil, US and Slovenia and Directed and Co-Written by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic.

* 'Things Worth Weeping For' from Hungary and Directed and Co-Written by Cristina Grosan. World Premiere screening.

* 'Women Do Cry' from France and Albania and Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Mina Mileva and Vesela Kazakova. 

The Documentary section of the competition programme is comprised of sixteen titles, of which eleven are features and eight are World Premieres, with those features being :-

* 'Disturbed Earth' from Bosnia, Spain and North Macedonia and  Directed and Produced by Kumjana Novakova and Guillermo Carreras-Candi. World Premiere screening.
* 'Divas' from Hungary and Directed, Co-Written and lensed by Mate Korosi. World Premiere screening.
* 'Factory To The Workers' from Croatia and Written, Directed, Co-Edited and lensed by Srdan Kovacevic.

* 'Landscapes Of Resistance' from Serbia, France and Germany and Directed and Co-Written by Marta Popivoda.

* 'Les Enfants Terribles' from Turkey, France and Germany and Written, Directed and and lensed by Ahmet Necdet Cupur.

* 'Looking For Horses' from Bosnia, Netherlands and France and Written, Directed, Co-Edited and lensed by Stefan Pavlovic.

* 'Recipe For Hate' from Serbia and Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Filip Colovic.

* 'Reconciliation' from Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro and Directed and Written by Marija Zidar.

* 'Soldat Ahmet' from Austria and Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Jannis Lenz.

* 'Sunny' from Georgia and Co-Written and Directed by Keti Machavariani.

* 'ZZZ (Journal About Zelimir Zilnik)' from Serbia and Written and Directed by Janko Baljak. World Premiere screening.

For all the latest news, views and updates from the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival, you can go to the official website at : https://www.sff.ba

With Greater Sydney, where I live, still in COVID lockdown for another two weeks ending (at this stage) on Friday 27th August, this 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 across certain parts of Australia at least. 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 audience, I thought it best to carry on regardless. 

Turning attention to this weeks latest release new movies coming to an Odeon near you, we have Sci-Fi mystery romance that has a scientist discovering a way to relive your past and uses the technology to search for his long lost love. Following on is a biopic charting the career of the Queen of Soul from a child singing in her father's church choir to her international superstardom, comes this remarkable true story of this music icon's journey to find her voice. Next up is a psychological horror film of a widow who begins to uncover her recently deceased husband's disturbing secrets within the house he built for her. Next up is a dramatisation of real events that unfolded when a Thai youth football team becomes trapped in a cave while rescue workers scramble to save them; before closing out the week with a Hong Kong actioner about a highly respected cop with a long history of success on dangerous cases, however, his past soon comes back to haunt him when his former protege seeks revenge against all those who have wronged 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. 

'REMINISCENCE' (Rated M) - this American Sci-Fi thriller film is Written, Co-Produced and  Directed by Lisa Joy in her feature film making debut, and only her second directorial outing after helming a single episode of 'Westworld' although she is also the co-creator of that multi-award winning and nominated television series. Originally slated for a mid-April release this year, it was then moved to early September before being moved to this week in the US and Australia. The film will stream simultaneously on the HBO Max service in the United States for a period of one month. It cost US$68M to produce. 

Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman), is a private investigator of the mind, who navigates the darkly alluring world of the past by helping his clients access lost memories. Living on the fringes of the sunken Miami coast, his life is forever changed when he takes on a new client, Mae (Rebecca Ferguson). A simple matter of lost and found becomes a dangerous obsession, as Bannister fights to find the truth about Mae who has subsequently disappeared, uncovering a violent conspiracy, and must ultimately answer the question of how far would you go to hold on to the ones you love? Also starring Cliff Curtis and Thandiwe Newton.

'RESPECT' (Rated M) - is an American biographical drama film based on the life of famed American singer Aretha Franklin, and is Directed and Executive Produced by Liesl Tommy in her feature film making debut. Originally slated for a mid-August 2020 release, it was then pushed back to early October and then a limited release on 25th December 2020, followed by an expansion in early January of this year before going wide the following week. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was switched to a sole wide release for mid-January before being delayed again to this week in the US, Australia and other territories. Costing US$55M to produce, the film has garnered generally positive Reviews so far. And so here, Aretha Franklin (Jennifer Hudson, with Syke Dakota Turner playing the young Aretha) sings in her father's - The Reverend C.L. Franklin (Forest Whittaker) church choir as a child and grows up to become an international musical superstar and the Queen of Soul, while simultaneously enduring an abusive marriage and actively involved in the civil rights movement. Also starring Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald as mother Barbara Siggers Franklin, Saycon Sengbloh as older sister Erma Franklin, Hailey Kilgore as the younger sister Carolyn Franklin and Mary J. Blige. Aretha Franklin herself was involved with the development of this film up until her death on August 16, 2018.

'THE NIGHT HOUSE' (Rated M) - this American psychological horror film is Directed and Executive Produced by David Bruckner whose previous film making credits take in his debut 'The Signal' in 2007 and then segments of 'V/H/S' and 'Southbound' before 'The Ritual' and the reboot of the 1987 horror classic 'Hellraiser' currently filming. This film saw its World Premier screening back at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020 and now gets a release in Australia one week before the US, having generated mostly favourable Reviews. Reeling from the unexpected death of her husband, Beth (Rebecca Hall) is left alone in the lakeside home he built for her. She tries as best she can to keep it together, but then the nightmares begin. Disturbing visions of a presence in the house calling to her, beckoning her with a ghostly allure. Against the advice of her friends, she begins digging into her husband's belongings, yearning for answers. What she finds are secrets both strange and disturbing taking her on a journey she's determined to unravel. Also starring Sarah Goldberg, Stacy Martin and Evan Jonigkeit. 

'THE CAVE' (Rated M) - this Thai action drama film is about the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, and is Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Tom Waller. The film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in early October 2019, was released in Thailand in late November 2019 and only now does it get a limited showing in Australia. The story is written from the points of view of several individuals involved in the rescue operation, including water pump manufacturer Nopadol Niyomka, retired Thai Navy SEAL Saman Kunan, and especially, Ireland-based cave diver Jim Warny, Australian doctor Ross Clarkson and others as themselves.

'RAGING FIRE' (Rated MA15+) - is a Hong Kong Chinese action film Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Benny Chan in his final film making release before his death on 23rd August 2020. The film was released in China at the end of July and goes on release in Hong Kong and here is Australia this week, having so far grossed US$90M. Cheung Sung-pong (Donnie Yen) is an officer of the Regional Crime Unit who worked on the front line for many years and cracked many major cases. However, he is seen as an outcast due to his extremely righteous character which affected his career, but his protege, Yau Kong-ngo (Nicholas Tse), respects him as a good officer although Yau does not completely agree with Cheung's overly hard-boiled style and believes in taking shortcuts. Yau is able to gain promotion up to Cheung's level, however, fate unexpectedly brings them to different paths and pits them against one another when Yau goes rogue and swears revenge on Cheung when he testified against him, leading him to be imprisoned in the past for beating a criminal suspect to death. Benny Chan had twenty-six Director credits to his name, ten as Writer and twenty-five as Producer and his feature film making credits since his debut in 1990 with 'A Moment of Romance' also including 'Who Am I?', 'New Police Story', 'Rob-B-Hood' and 'Shaolin' all with Jackie Chan, as well as 'Fist of Fury', 'Gen-X Cops', 'Gen-Y Cops', 'Divergence', 'Invisible Target' and 'The White Storm'.

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, or perhaps not!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE SWARM : Tuesday 10th August 2021.

With Greater Sydney still in COVID lockdown, and as a result all cinema's closed until August 28th at least now, I've been reviewing over the last few weeks some the latest feature films released recently onto Netflix. One such film that I watched from the comfort of my own sofa at home this week is the French fantasy horror drama film 'THE SWARM' ('La Nuee'). Directed by Just Philippot in his feature film making debut it was selected for the International Critics' Week at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival which was subsequently canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix bought the worldwide distribution rights to the film except for China, Spain and France and released it on 6th August to generally favourable Reviews.

Virginie Hebrard (Suliane Brahim), is a single mother and widow, living in rural France with her two children, Laura (Marie Narbonne) and Gaston (Raphael Romand). She has been unsuccessfully raising locusts for protein, but is struggling to make and honest living from her endeavours because the locusts are not reproducing at a large enough volume. Her neighbour and local vineyard owner and wine maker Karim (Sofian Khammes) tells her to give them more grass and more water, but this effort proves fruitless too. Gaston keeps a small number of pet locusts in a glass case in his bedroom, and one day he discovers that the locusts seem interested in human flesh and blood after one them feeds on a wart on his finger tip. 

Virginie becomes increasingly frustrated by the fact that nobody seems willing to pay good money for the locusts, or only buy from her out of pity when Karim asks them with him heavily subsidising the purchase price. Following one such transaction, Virginie angrily enters the locust enclosure and out of frustration trashes the nests, only to slip and be knocked out by a falling shelf. When she comes round sometime later she discovers the locusts eating from an open wound on her arm that she sustained when she fell. She quickly flees the enclosure. That night, the locusts become more active. Virginie notices this change in their behaviour and in a moment of desperation, she goes into the enclosure, unbandages her arm and inserts it through an opening in the plastic sheeting allowing the locusts to feed from her open wound. 

The locusts start to reproduce at a rapid rate, allowing Virginie to sell ever increasing amounts, however, she also needs to supply them with blood and flesh. Laura is growing increasingly frustrated by her mother's obsession with the locusts, to the point where Virginie has increased the size of her operation from one enclosure initially to five now. In a fit of rage, Laura tears open one of the enclosures, so allowing a swarm to escape. Gaston is sitting in a pick-up truck under a tree nearby with his goat Huguette tied loosely to the steering wheel and standing in the back. Attracted by the goat, the swarm attacks the truck and be the time they have left, Huguette is nowhere to be found.

Upon arriving back from a trip to the local town, Gaston cries out to Virginie that Huguette was taken by the locusts. Virginie discovers that Laura caused the tear in one of the enclosures and reprimands her, after which she locates Huguette in a nearby field, covered in locusts that are feeding on her. She can't bring herself to tell Gaston that she has found his goat and so drives him around while he cries out for Huguette. 

In time Virginie's mental and emotional condition begins deteriorating as she supplies the locusts with her own blood, and she begins to kill random animals to feed the locusts, including her neighbours dog which she feeds alive to the ravenous locusts and a calf she kills late at night. Gaston is given permission by his mother to attend a soccer camp he has been wanting to go to, however, Laura is the one who has to drop him off as Virginie has been up all night feeding the locusts and is at home sleeping off the fruits of another busy night. When Laura returns home from seeing Gaston off, she finds her mother's room open and the floor covered in bloodied clothing. She rushes to one of the enclosures alerted by the sound of whimpering, only to find her mother naked and willingly being fed upon by the locusts. Horrified, Laura contacts Karim via text and tells him to come over to her home because her mother is seriously unwell.

Karim convinces Virginie and Laura to go for dinner over to his house. Alone in the kitchen with Laura, she is unable to tell Karim what's wrong with Virginie because she overhears them whispering and intervenes in the conversation, but Laura does mention the locusts. Karim says that they shouldn't go back home, but the mother is adamant. In the meantime, the neighbour goes into one of the enclosures searching for his dog. Karim returns Virginie and Laura home. When he observes that the pair have gone inside their house, he begins to snoop around the enclosures, only to discover the body of the neighbour who had been looking for his dog. The old man had been killed by the locusts who by this time had enveloped his body and were feeding on his bloody remains. Karim is attacked by the locusts, but manages to escape. This prompts him to take out a tank of gasoline from his truck, dousing the enclosures and setting them ablaze, at which point Virginie comes rushing out and attempts, albeit unsuccessfully, to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher. Needless to say, swarms of locusts fly out of the burning enclosures and surround the house in which Karim and Laura have sought safe refuge. Virginie hears Laura screaming and runs into the house, finding the locusts have gained entry and Karim completely covered and being eaten by locusts. Laura escapes from the house and runs into the forest, with Virginie giving chase.

Laura is hunted down by the swarm and hides under an upturned row boat on a lake. The swarm cover the boat, the weight of them forcing it down into the water and starting to drown Laura. Virginie sees this and slices open her palms with a pocket knife, covering her face with blood and signalling the swarm towards her. The swarm turn their collective attention on Virginie, letting Laura be. When Laura realises what has happened, she swims out from underneath the boat but there is no sign of her mother. Fearing the worst she frantically splashes around in the water trying to locate her, when Virginie suddenly bobs up. Reaching her mother Laura lifts her into her arms and the pair embrace as what's left of the now depleted swarm fly off above them.

'The Swarm' is not a bad film but it's also not that great. The only truly unsettling scene I found in the whole film is when Virginie is carrying the very much alive little dog into the locust enclosure and feeds it to them blood thirsty grasshopper types. The sound of that poor little pooch being eaten alive well and truly pulled at my heart strings. Nonetheless, all the other tropes in this creature feature are fairly predictable, but what saves the film is the mechanical and digital effects, and the four central performances which certainly elevates it above the 1978 offering of the same name which held an all star cast headed up by Michael Caine and which ranks as one of the worst films of all time. If you're a lover of bug movies like this one, you'll get a kick out of 'The Swarm' whilst possibly enjoying the underlying social commentary about farmers doing it tough, a single parent raising two children, alternate protein rich food and teenage angst all wrapped up in a desperate mother's obsession, heartache and desperation to provide for her children and be successful. The ending when it comes feels rushed and there is certainly room for a follow on film here as several hundred of them pesky blood sucking flesh chomping grasshoppers are seen fluttering away at the end to wreak havoc someplace else no doubt. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th August 2021.

This year the 74th Locarno Film Festival runs from 4th through until 14th August. Throughout its 73-year history, the festival has occupied a unique position in the landscape of the major film festivals. Every August, for eleven days the Swiss-Italian town of Locarno, right in the heart of Europe, becomes the world capital of auteur cinema. The official website reads : 'thousands of film fans and industry professionals meet here every summer to share their thirst for new discoveries and a passion for cinema in all its diversity. In Locarno they find a quality program, rich, eclectic, surprising, and where emerging talent rubs shoulders with prestigious guests'. Further, 'with eleven sections, three competitions and twenty awards, quality and variety are key. This is the framework of a Festival that explores cinema from every perspective, to discover in the present the filmmakers and films destined to have a future'. The main competition is the Concorso internazionale which features works shown primarily as World Premier screenings, coming from all around the world and competing for the prestigious Pardo d’oro (Golden Leopard). Showcasing established auteurs alongside the pleasure of discovery, storytelling and innovation, the Concorso internazionale is an open, inclusive place, which aims to mark the new territories of cinematic art. The Opening Night film was 'Beckett' Directed by Ferdinando Cito Filomarino and starring John David Washington, Boyd Holbrook, Vicky Krieps and Alicia Vikander due to be released on Netflix on 13th August. 

This year competing for the Concorso internazionale, the following prizes are awarded : the Golden Leopard being the grand prize of the festival of the City of Locarno for Best Film. The Special Jury Prize; the Pardo for Best Direction; and the Pardo for Best Actor and Best Actress are the other awards given in this section. There are seventeen films in competition within this section, with American Screenwriter, Director and Producer, Eliza Hittman serving as Jury President this year, those being :-

* 'After Blue' from France and Written and Directed by Bertrand Mandico in his second feature film set on a distant planet terrorised by a vicious killer. 

* 'Cop Secret' from Iceland and Directed and Co-Written by Hannes Thor Halldorsson in his debut feature film about a closeted undercover policeman who falls in love with his new partner.

* 'Gerda' from Russia and Directed by Natalya Kudryashova in her second feature film and is about a troubled young woman who is visited by a strange apparition. 

* 'The Giants' from Italy and Co-Written, Directed, Produced, Edited, lensed and stars Bonifacio Angius in his third feature film which follows a group of old friends who get together in a remote country house.

* 'Heavens Above' is a multi-national production Directed, Written and Co-Produced by the Serbian film maker Srdjan Dragojevic who here presents three stories about miracles that happen to individuals living in a post-communist society relearning Christianity after fifty years of atheism. 

* 'Ju-ju Stories' from Nigeria and France and Written and Directed by CJ ‘Fiery’ Obasi, Abba T. Makama, Michael Omonua who together form Nigerian new wave cinema collective 'Surreal16'. Their film is an anthology exploring Nigerian folklore and urban legend.

* 'Luzifer' from Austria and Written and Directed by Peter Brunner here tells the story inspired by real events, of a man whose remote Alpine home is threatened by a tourist development.

* 'Medea' from Russia and Directed and Co-Produced by Alexander Zeldovich here the filmmaker transposes the titular classic Greek tragedy to contemporary Moscow, as jaded members of the city’s elite find a way to restore their youthful vigour.

* 'A New Old Play' from Hong Kong and France this feature film is Written, Directed and Edited by Qiu Jiongjiong who here explores 20th-Century China’s tumultuous history through the memories of a dying theatre clown as he prepares to enter the afterlife.

* 'The Odd-Job Men' from Spain and Directed, Co-Written and Co-Edited by Neus Ballus in her third film making offering follows three men, all non-actors playing themselves, over six days at a small plumbing and electrical company in Barcelona, as a young Moroccan apprentice must win over his experienced colleagues.

* 'Petite Solange' from France and Directed and Written by Axelle Ropert comes a story of a sensitive twelve-year-old girl who is rocked by her parent’s failing marriage.

* 'The Sacred Spirit' from Spain, France and Turkey and Written and Directed by Chema Garcia Ibarra in his feature film making debut tells the story of a ufology association whose beloved leader dies unexpectedly.

* 'Secret Name' from France and is Directed and Co-Written by Aurelia Georges in her third feature film offering about a WWI nurse who assumes the identity of a deceased wealthy woman.

* 'Soul Of A Beast' from Switzerland and Directed, Written, Co-Produced, Co-Edited and jointly lensed by Lorenz Merz, this film follows a young father who falls in love with his best friend’s girlfriend.

* 'The River' from Lebanon, France, Germany and Qatar and Directed and Written by Ghassan Salhab sees a couple reuniting after a long separation who take refuge on a mountain when war breaks out in Lebanon.

* 'Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash' from Indonesia, Singapore and Germany and Directed by Edwin tells the tale of a tough Javanese fighter struggling to deal with his sexual impotence.

* 'Zeroes And Ones' from Italy, Germany and the USA and Directed by Abel Ferrara and sees Ethan Hawke playing a soldier navigating the world after a post-apocalyptic siege.

American Screenwriter, Director, Producer and Actor John Landis will be awarded the Leopard of Honour Award for lifetime achievement on 13th August. For the other competitions - 'Filmmakers of the Present', 'Leopards of Tomorrow', 'First Feature' and the 'National Competition', and the winners in each category, you can visit the official website at : https://www.locarnofestival.ch/

With Greater Sydney, where I live, still in COVID lockdown for another two weeks ending (at this stage) on Friday 27th August, this 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 across certain parts of Australia at least. 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 audience, I thought it best to carry on regardless. 

And so we kick off this weeks latest new releases with a film about an oil working father who travels from Oklahoma to France to help his estranged daughter, who has been in prison for four years for a murder she claims she didn't commit. We then have a Sci-Fi action comedy offering about a bank teller who realises he is a background character in an open world video game called Free City that will soon go offline. This is followed up by an action thriller set after a remote diamond mine collapses in far northern Canada, with ‘big-rig’ ice road driver having to lead an impossible rescue mission over a frozen sea to save the trapped miners. And closing out the week we turn to a French comedy about a young man who decides to make his dream of becoming Miss France come true.

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 week ahead. 

'STILLWATER' (Rated M) - is an American crime drama film Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Tom McCarthy whose feature film making debut came in 2003 with 'The Station Agent' which he followed up with 'The Visitor', 'Win Win', 'The Cobbler' and the multi-award winning 'Spotlight' in 2015. All up McCarthy has eight Directorial credits to his name, eleven as Writer, seven as Producer and forty-two as Actor, having collected seventy-seven award wins along the way and another ninety-nine nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. This film saw its World Premier screening at this years Cannes Film Festival in early July where it received an eight minute standing ovation having previously been scheduled for release in early November last year only to be scuppered by the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was released Stateside two weeks ago now, has so far taken US$10.5M at the Box Office from a production budget of US$20M, is released this week in Australia and has garnered generally positive Critical acclaim.

An oil worker from Stillwater, Oklahoma Bill Baker (Matt Damon) travels from his home State to Marseille, France to visit his estranged daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin) who was imprisoned four years ago for a murder she claims she did not commit. Allison seizes on a new tip that could acquit her and presses Bill to engage her legal team headed up by defence lawyer Leparq (Ann Le Ny). But Bill eager to prove his worth and regain his daughters trust, takes matters into his own hands. Confronted by language barriers, cultural differences, and a complicated legal system until he meets a local Virginie (Camille Cottin), and mother to eight-year-old Maya (Lilou Siauvaud) who offers to lend assistance in return for a favour he helped her out with. Together, this unlikely friendship begin a journey of discovery, truth, love and liberation. Also starring Deanna Dunagan and William Nadylam.

'FREE GUY' (Rated M) - this American Sci-Fi action comedy film is Directed by the Canadian film maker, Producer and Actor Shawn Levy whose previous Directorial outings take in the likes of 'Big Fat Liar' in 2002, 'Cheaper by the Dozen' in 2003, 'The Pink Panther' in 2006, the three 'Night at the Museum' films in 2006, 2009 and 2014, 'Real Steel' in 2011 and 'This Is Where I Leave You' in 2014. He has also Directed two episodes in each of the three seasons of Netflix's 'Stranger Things'. This film was initially scheduled to be released in early July 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then moved to mid-December 2020, and then a month out from that date it was removed from its upcoming release schedule until further notice, before being moved to 21st May this year with a final release date settled on for this week in the US and Australia. And so here, in the open world video game 'Free City', Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is a non-player character working as a bank teller. Thanks to a program developed by programmers Millie (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery) inserted into Free City by the publisher Antoine (Taika Waititi), Guy becomes self-aware of his world being a video game, and takes steps to make himself the hero, creating a race against time to save the game before the developers can shut it down. Also starring Lil Rel Howery, with cameo appearances by Hugh Jackman, John Krasinski, Tina Fey and Dwayne Johnson. 

'THE ICE ROAD' (Rated M) - is an American action thriller Written and Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh whose previous film making credits take in his big screen debut with 'The Punisher' in 2004, then 'Welcome to the Jungle' in 2007 and 'Kill the Irishman' in 2011. This is his first film since his 2011 offering. The film was released by Netflix in the US and on Amazon Prime Video in the UK in late June, goes on a cinema release from this week in Australia and the film has received mixed critical Reviews having taken US$1.2M at the Box Office so far. After a remote diamond mine collapses in the far northern regions of Manitoba, Canada, an ice driver Mike McGann (Liam Neeson) leads an implausible rescue mission over a frozen sea to save the lives of twenty-six trapped miners despite thawing waters and a threat they never saw coming. Also starring Laurence Fishburne, Marcus Thomas, Holt McCallany, Martin Sensmeier, Benjamin Walker and Amber Midthunder.

'MISS' (Rated M) - is a French comedy film Co-Written and Directed by Ruben Alves, that was first released in its native France at the Alpe d'Huez International Comedy Film Festival in mid-January 2020 before its delayed national release there in late October 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It now gets a limited run here in Australia. Here then, ever since childhood Alex (Alexandre Wetter) had wanted to enter the annual Miss France beauty pageant, despite being a boy. However, adolescence was not kind and Alex suffered huge blows to his self-esteem. When an unexpected encounter allows Alex to once more pursue his dreams, he does everything he can to transcend the traditional binary gender definitions that threaten to hold him back. Also starring Isabelle Nanty, Pascale Arbillot and Thibault di Montalembert. Ruben Alves had previously Written, Directed and starred in the 2013 feature 'The Gilded Cage'.

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 coming week, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-