What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 29th September 2022.

Held annually in Austin, Texas, this years 'Fantastic Fest' runs from 22nd until 29th September, and as the official website says 'Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the US, specialising in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. The festival is dedicated to championing challenging and thought-provoking cinema, celebrating new voices and new stories from around the world and supporting new filmmakers'. Working 'with various other festivals, archives, cinematheques and individuals to spotlight lesser-known film regions, luminaries and more in an ongoing effort to expand the general knowledge and appreciation of cinema, we are committed to supporting film in its most provocative, ground-breaking and underseen forms, and giving the audience a chance to find new favourites and future genre classics'. 

As a guide, here are just some of the eighty or so films being showcased at this years festival :-

* 'All Jacked Up and Full of Worms' - from the USA and Directed by Alex Phillips. A psychedelic journey of self-discovery leads to romance when a man shares his addiction to psychotropic worms . . .  and Chicago will never be the same again.

* 'Amazing Elisa' - from Spain, and Directed by Sadrac Gonzalez-Perellon. Elisa is an unusual twelve-year-old girl. Obsessed with the heroine from her favourite comic book, she’s convinced that she has the same superpowers. World Premier.

* 'The Antares Paradox' - from Spain and Directed by Luis Tinoco Pineda. Alexandra, a SETI scientist searching for extraterrestrial life, arrives for the night shift at an astronomy observatory and discovers that the radio antenna has intercepted a signal from outer space. World Premier.

* 'Attachment' - from Denmark and Directed by Gabriel Bier Gislason. Following a whirlwind romance Leah has a seizure and injures herself, and Maja accompanies her new girlfriend to the Hasidic area of London, where she must face off with Leah’s protective mother, a peanut allergy, and a dybbuk — a Jewish spirit that possesses victims.

* 'The Banshees of Inisherin' - from Ireland and the USA and Directed by Martin McDonagh. Two lifelong friends find themselves at a stalemate when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them. US Premier.

* 'Bones and All' - from the USA and Directed by Luca Guadagnino. A story of first love between Maren, a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee, an intense and disenfranchised drifter; a liberating road odyssey of two young people coming into their own, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are.

* 'Decision to Leave' - from South Korea and Directed by Park Chan-wook. Hotshot Busan detective Hae-jun’s latest case finds him staring deep into the eyes of a dead hiker and then up at the vertiginous cliff from which he fell. Was this an accident or was foul play involved? This is the riddle he must unravel when he interrogates the man’s Chinese wife, Seo-rae, a caretaker who doesn’t seem particularly heartbroken by the tragedy.

* 'Deep Fear' - from France and Directed by Gregory Beghin. Following a night of heavy drinking, Sonia surprises her pals with a tour of the Paris catacombs. Led by urban explorer Ramy, the hesitant friends are introduced to a community of 'cataphiles' offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to venture deep into a recently unearthed and completely uncharted section of the catacombs. North American Premier.

* 'The Elderly' - from Spain and Directed by Raul Cerezo and Fernando Gonzalez Gomez. An octogenarian starts behaving strangely in the wake of his wife's sudden suicide as he prepares for events leading up to a mysterious apocalypse. US Premier.

* 'Evil Eye' - from Mexico and Directed by Isaac Ezban. Left in the care of her eccentric grandmother, Nala discovers that the tough old lady has sinister plans for her chronically ill sister, Luna. International Premier.

* 'Family Dinner' - from Austria and Directed by Peter Hengl. Simi, a teenager who is self-conscious about her size, visits her nutritionist aunt Claudia hoping to lose some weight, but her trip gets off to a weird start and then quickly gets even weirder. 

* 'Final Cut' - from France and Directed by Michel Hazanavicius. Things go badly for a small film crew shooting a low budget zombie movie when they are attacked by real zombies. US Premier.

* 'The Five Devils' - from France and Directed by Lea Mysius. A young girls ability to smell and reproduce any scent transports her into her family's troubled past. 

* 'Flowing' - from Italy and Belgium and Directed by Paolo Strippoli. A broken family violently confronts their tragic past as the Roman sewers exhale a hallucinatory toxin that revives repressed memories and fears. World Premier.

* 'Holy Spider' - from Denmark and Directed by Ali Abassi. A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called 'Spider Killer', who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners.

* 'Kids vs. Aliens' - from the USA and Directed by Jason Eisener. An all-time rager of a teen house party turns to terror when aliens attack, forcing two warring siblings to band together to survive the night. World Premier.

* 'Manticore' - from Spain and Directed by Carlos Vermut. A video game designer's trauma following a fire manifests in a frightening obsession. US Premier.

* 'The Menu' - from the USA and Directed by Mark Mylod. A couple travel to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises. US Premier.

* 'Nightmare' - from Norway and Directed by Kjersti Helen Rasmussen. Mona's domestic bliss with her devoted boyfriend unravels as her night terrors intensify, but attempts at lucid dreaming reveal something sinister. World Premier.

* 'The Offering' - from the USA and Directed by Oliver Park. A family struggling with loss finds themselves at the mercy of an ancient demon trying to destroy them from the inside. US Premier.

* 'One and Four' - from China and Directed by Jigme Trinley. A mountain forest ranger is visited in his isolated cabin by one man after another on a snowy mountain where poaching is widespread.

* 'Piggy' - from Spain and Directed by Carlota Pereda. An overweight teen is bullied by a clique of cool girls poolside while holidaying in her village. The long walk home will change the rest of her life.

* 'Sick' - from the USA and Directed by John Hyams. As the pandemic steadily brings the world to a halt, Parker and her best friend Miri decide to quarantine at the family lake house alone - or so they think. US Premier.

* 'Smile' - from the USA and Directed by Parker Finn. After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. World Premier.

* 'Something in the Dirt' - from the USA and Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. A pair of Los Angeles misfits investigation into the city's occult history sends them down a rabbit hole that threatens there friendship and sanity. 

* 'Swallowed' - from the USA and Directed by Carter Smith. Forced to mule drugs on their crossing of the southern US border, two friends realise that the packages they ingested seem to be alive.

* 'Triangle of Sadness' - from Sweden and Directed by Ruben Ostlund. A celebrity model couple are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged boat captain, but what first appeared Instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival. US Premier.

* 'Venus' - from Spain and Directed by Jaume Balaguero. Injured in an attempt to steal from her boss, Lucia hides with her sister, unaware that something's very wrong with the rundown building's residents. US Premier.

* 'Vesper' - from Belgium, France and Lithuania and Directed by Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper. In a post-apocalyptic world, a peasant girl's encounter with an oligarch's daughter leads to a discovery that could reverse ecological collapse. US Premier.

* 'We Might As Well Be Dead' - from Germany and Romania and Directed by Natalia Sinelnikova. When a dog disappears from a secluded high rise building, fear spreads among the residents, threatening to turn their utopia in Absurdistan. 

For all the other films and details about this years 'Fantastic Fest' you can go to the official website at : https://fantasticfest.com/

Turning attention back to this weeks five new films coming to an Odeon near you, each Directed by a first time feature film maker, we launch with a mystery comedy offering set in the West End of 1950's London, where plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. Then we have a supernatural horror film where after witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, a doctor starts to experience frightening occurrences that she can't explain. Next up is an Irish black comedy about a prodigal son returning to his hometown to seek salvation for his sins. This is followed by two friends who form a suicide pact and set out to have one final day to take care of unfinished business, before closing out the week with a film set in downtown Manhattan, where over the course of an evening a family gathers to celebrate Thanksgiving, but soon tensions rise to the surface.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the five latest release new films 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.

'SEE HOW THEY RUN' (Rated M) - this UK and US Co-Produced mystery comedy film is Directed by Tom George in his feature film making debut. The film was released in the UK in early September, in the US in mid-September and here in Australia in late September, having so far grossed approaching US$13M and generated mixed or average Reviews along the way. 

In 1953 London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When the world-weary Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and the eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) take on the case, they find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid world of underground theatre, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril. Also starring Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, Harris Dickinson, David Oyelowo and Reece Shearsmith. 

'SMILE' (Rated MA15+) - is an American supernatural horror film Written and Directed by Parker Finn in his feature film making debut, and is based on his own 2020 short film 'Laura Hasn't Slept'. The film saw its World Premier screening at Fantastic Fest, in Austin, Texas, on 22nd September and goes on general release in the US and here in Australia from this week. After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon) starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality. Also starring Kyle Gallner, Caitlin Stasey, Rob Morgan and Kal Penn. 

'REDEMPTION OF A ROGUE' (Rated MA15+) - this Irish comedy drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Philip Doherty in his feature film making debut. Here, Jimmy Cullen (Aaron Monaghan) carries a leather, black doctor's bag around with him containing the rope he plans to hang himself with. Filled with guilt and shame, he returns to his hometown of Ballylough in the cold austere beauty of West Cavan. As soon as Jimmy visits, his ailing father breathes his last. Thunder rumbles and rain starts to pour. But there is a condition in the will . . . his father cannot be buried on a wet day. Stuck in this 'Groundhog Day-like' purgatory, days roll into weeks as Jimmy seeks redemption for sins committed in the past. Through love, he finds it in the most sacrificial and outlandish manner possible. The film has picked up three award wins and four nominations since its World Premier screening at the Galway Film Festival in Ireland in mid-July 2020, was released in Ireland in mid-August 2021, in the UK in early October 2021 and only now does it get a release in Australia, having garnered widespread critical acclaim.

'ON THE COUNT OF THREE' (Rated MA15+) - is an American black comedy Directed, Co-Produced and starring Jerrod Carmichael in his feature film making debut. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in January 2021 and was released Stateside in mid-May this year having taken just US$55K at the Box Office so far, but generating largely positive Critical acclaim. Val (Jerrod Carmichael) is sick of life. He hates his job, and freaks out when he learns his girlfriend is pregnant. The one person who gets him is his traumatised best friend Kevin (Christopher Abbott), who’s currently in hospital after a suicide attempt. And so Val breaks Kevin out and convinces him they should both go out with a bang. But only after a day that’s part reminiscence and part reckoning, as Val wants to confront his abusive dad, while Kevin seeks revenge on the child psychiatrist who abused him. Of all days, though, why must everything go pear-shaped today? Also starring Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove and Henry Winkler. 

'THE HUMANS' (Rated M) - this American psychological drama film is Written and Directed by Stephen Karam in his feature film making debut and is based on his own Tony Award winning one-act stage play of the same name. It saw its World Premier showcasing at last years Toronto International Film Festival in September 2021, was released in the US in late November last year and only now does it get a release in Australia. The film has garnered generally positive Reviews. Set inside a pre-war duplex in downtown Manhattan, we follow, over the course of an evening, the Blake family as they gather to celebrate Thanksgiving. As darkness falls outside the crumbling building, mysterious things start to go bump in the night and family tensions reach boiling point. Starring Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Steven Yuen, Beanie Feldstein and June Squibb.

With five new release movie offerings 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 at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

BODIES BODIES BODIES : Tuesday 20th September 2022.

I saw the MA15+ Rated American black comedy horror film 'BODIES BODIES BODIES' earlier this week at my local multiplex, as Directed by the Dutch Actress, Writer and film maker Halina Reijn in her English language debut, and only her second feature film after 'Instinct' in 2019. The film saw its World Premier screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival in mid-March this year before its release in the US from early August, having so far taken US$13M at the Box Office and generated largely positive reviews.

The films opens up with a close up shot of Bee (Maria Bakalova), a working class young woman from somewhere in Eastern Europe, engaged in a very passionate kiss with her wealthy girlfriend Sophie (Amandla Stenberg). Soon enough the pair are travelling in Sophie's SUV to the home of David (Pete Davidson) Sophie's childhood friend whose father is the owner of the lavish mansion hidden away in the woods for a 'Hurricane Party'. The other guests are David himself and his girlfriend and aspiring actress Emma (Chase Sui Wonders), a podcaster named Alice (Rachel Sennott) and her forty year old boyfriend Greg (Lee Pace) and Jordan (Myha'la Herrold). Max (Conner O'Malley), another guest, left the night before after getting into a fight with David. 

After spending the afternoon and early evening getting high on drink, drugs and dancing, the hurricane blows in and so the gathered guests decide to play a game of 'Bodies, Bodies, Bodies' - a murder in the dark kind of game. The initial game comes to an abrupt halt when Greg announces that he is going off to bed early and David leaves after an altercation with Emma. The hurricane starts to take hold and suddenly all the lights go out and the power supply is lost. Bee subsequently finds David outside under the verandah in the pouring rain with his throat slashed open and a bloodied Gurkha machete knife close by. En masse the girls all run to Sophie's car to alert the local authorities but find that her car battery is dead, so their not going anywhere, and they have no signal on any of their mobile phones to call in 911. 

Greg is suspected as being David's killer and so the group go up to his room to confront him, expecting to find him asleep. But his bed is empty. They search the room for clues as to his possible whereabouts and come across a survival kit containing a map of the local area with a red circle drawn around the estate, and a knife, amongst a back pack containing all manner of other survival type gear. The girls eventually track down Greg on the floor of the gym sleeping wearing a UV face mask with his ear buds in, which explains why he didn't hear them when they were calling out his name. They confront him with various weapons, including his own knife, and after realising they are serious with their accusations towards him, he returns their hostile attitude. Following a struggle, Bee hits him over the head from behind with a kettle bell, not once, but twice, just to ensure that he is dead, and he is! The group further discuss Greg and doubt that he was the killer and Emma surmises that Max, who had confessed feelings for Emma, in fact returned to kill David. Sophie, a sober addict, relapses. Emma kisses her, to Sophie's chagrin, before accepting drugs. Alice later finds Emma dead at the bottom of the stairs, and believes the group is being killed off one by one. Jordan and Alice cast their doubts about the validity of Bee's background, revealing that no one with her name is on record as having graduated from her college, and so they force Bee out of the house and into the gale force winds and torrential rain. 

Taking shelter from the pouring rain and howling wind in Sophie's car, Bee while searching for something dry and warm to wear finds underwear that matches Jordan's bra in the backseat. She goes back to the house looking to gain entry and sees Jordan holding David's father's revolver through a conservatory window. She then crawls back into the mansion through a dog door. Bee then confronts the group, stating that she dropped out of college after one semester to take care of her ailing mother, who has borderline personality disorder. An angry verbal fight breaks out between the group. Jordan, revealed to have been the 'murderer' in the Bodies Bodies Bodies game, expresses bitterness for Sophie due to her drug addiction and using David to get access to her trust fund, and claims Sophie cheated on Bee with Jordan. Sophie says why she would not date Jordan, that she avoids her friends because their behaviour challenges her sobriety, and reveals that Jordan only really 'hate-listens' to Alice's podcast. After Alice responds by insulting Jordan's insecurities, Jordan shoots Alice in the leg, and then points the gun at Sophie. A struggle for the gun follows resulting in Alice being fatally shot in the throat. As Sophie and Jordan fight, Bee pushes Jordan over the staircase bannister, with her crashing onto a glass table on the ground floor. With her dying breath, Jordan fires off the remaining rounds of the gun and tells Bee to check Sophie's text messages. Bee runs and hides from Sophie.

As daylight breaks through the next morning and the hurricane has blown over Sophie tearfully confesses to Bee that she relapsed and witnessed Emma falling down the stairs to her death. However, Bee holds her at gunpoint, demanding to see her texts. Sophie tosses her phone away and they struggle, inadvertently picking up David's phone in the process, which shows that David accidentally slashed his own throat trying to use the Gurkha machete knife to open a Champagne bottle for a TikTok video, so revealing that there never was a real murderer. As Bee and Sophie realise the night's bloodshed was all in vain, a confused Max returns to the mansion, sees the corpse of David and asks what happened here? To which the girls turn to each other with a stunned expression on their faces as the power comes back on, and Bee's mobile phone starts pinging, stating that she now has reception. Alleluia!

I have to say that in 'Bodies Bodies Bodies' if this microcosm of the young adulthood in the third decade of the 21st Century is anything to go by, then we are all doomed. Forget climate change, forget financial crisis, forget wars and political unrest, forget COVID because this group of wealthy, nihilistic, self-centred, over privileged drug and alcohol addled social-media wannabe twenty somethings are indeed a force to be reckoned with . . . and all for the wrong reasons! But maybe that's the point that Director Halina Reijn is trying to make, and in that respect she succeeds on all levels. The dialogue is quick witted, sharp and right out of the Gen Z dictionary, with aspects of social commentary coming to the fore upended with plenty of blood and gore and a rising body count, and the cast of young actors here land their roles well enough, but this film for me failed to land as either a horror or a comedy. It's all style over substance which may suit the Gen Z demographic this film is undoubtedly aimed at, but for this older film goer, I'm looking for something more!

'Bodies Bodies Bodies' 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 22nd September 2022.

The 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) drew to a close this past Sunday 18th September offering eleven days of international and Canadian cinema, special events featuring some of the biggest names in film, and TIFF’s Industry Conference, providing diverse and innovative perspectives on the art and business of film. 

This years TIFF Tribute Awards honour the film industry’s outstanding contributors and their achievements, recognising leading industry members, acting talent, directorial expertise, new talent, and below-the-line artists and creators. The recipients of these awards this year, presented earlier on in the festival were : the cast of 'My Policeman' — Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, Gina McKee, Linus Roache, David Dawson and Rupert Everett being named as the recipients of one of the two awards for Actors, marking the first time the award has been presented to an ensemble cast rather than an individual. Sam Mendes has been named as the recipient of the Director Award, with Brendan Fraser receiving a Tribute Award for his Performance in 'The Whale'.

The festival's main awards for films in the festival programme including the People's Choice Award, which is a long-standing tradition at TIFF and this year marks its 45th year. The awards consist of the People’s Choice Award, the People’s Choice Documentary Award, and the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award. The winner of the 2022 People's Choice Award went to 'The Fabelmans', Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Steven Spielberg. The First Runner Up was 'Women Talking', Written for the screen and Directed by Sarah Polley; with the Second Runner Up being 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery', Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rian Johnson.

The winner of the 2022 People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award went to 'Weird : The Al Yankovic Story' Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Eric Appel. The First Runner Up was 'Pearl', Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Ti West with the Second Runner Up being 'The Blackening' Co-Produced and Directed by Tim Story.

The winner of the 2022 People’s Choice Documentary Award went to 'Black Ice' Written and Directed by Hubert Davis. The First Runner Up was 'Maya and the Wave' Directed by Stephanie Johnes, with the Second Runner Up going to '752 is not a Number' Written, Produced and Directed by Babak Payami.

For the full line up films showcased at this years 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival, plus the recipients of all the awards presented, and a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://www.tiff.net

To tempt you out to your local Odeon in the coming weeks to watch any one or more of this weeks five new movies, we kick off with a thriller in which two best girlfriends find themselves stranded at the top of a two thousand feet tall radio tower, with seemingly no way down. Then we turn to a trio of horrors kicking off with an isolated mountain village in 19th century Macedonia, where a young girl is kidnapped and then transformed into a witch by an ancient spirit; followed by a young woman who is forced to travel with her boyfriend, and who begins to experience premonitions associated with the urban myth of The Creeper, believing that something supernatural has been summoned - and that she is at the centre of it all; and concluding this weeks horror fest we have a bunch of teens who confront a legendary supernatural spectre that emerges from the cornfields of a small Midwestern town every autumn. And closing out the week we have a family animated film about a loveable dog with a head full of dreams about becoming a samurai, who sets off in search of his destiny.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the five latest release new films 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.

'FALL' (Rated M) - is a US and UK Co-Produced survival thriller film Co-Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Scott Mann whose prior feature film making credits include his 2005 debut with 'Down Amongst the Dead Men', 'The Tournament' in 2009 with Robert Carlyle, Ving Rhames and Liam Cunningham, then 'Heist' in 2015 with Robert De Niro, Dave Bautista and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and 'Final Score' in 2018 with Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan and Ray Stevenson. This film was released in the US in mid-August, has so far taken US$12M off the back of a production budget of US$3M and has garnered generally positive critical acclaim. 

For best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. However, after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now, their expert climbing skills are put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights. Also starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Mason Gooding and Darrell Dennis.

'YOU WON'T BE ALONE' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian, UK and Serbian Co-Produced horror film is Written and Directed by Goran Stolevski in his feature film making debut, which together with 'Of an Age' is also released later this year. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in late January and was released in the US in early April, having taken so far just US$275K and garnering generally positive Reviews. Here, a naive peasant girl in 19th century Macedonia is taken from a sheltered life of solitude, turned into a shapeshifter by a witch, then abandoned. As the mute girl explores a world above ground for the first time, she learns about humanity, loss and love - but the witch is jealously watching, and her anger may tear the girl's world apart once more. Starring Noomi Rapace, Anamaria Marinca, Alice Englert, Carlotto Cotta and Felix Maritaud. 

'JEEPERS CREEPERS : REBORN' (Rated MA15+) - is an American horror film Directed by Timo Vuorensola whose prior film making efforts take in 'Iron Sky' in 2012 and its follow up 'Iron Sky : The Coming Race' in 2019, with 'The Ark : An Iron Sky Story' and '97 Minutes' both currently in post-production awaiting a future release date. This is the fourth film and a reboot in the 'Jeepers Creepers' film series intended to serve as the first in a planned trilogy set apart from the original trilogy which grossed worldwide a combined US$127M off the back of total production budgets of US$33M. Here then, the Horror Hound festival is being held for the first time in Louisiana. Among the attendees are Chase (Imran Adams) and his girlfriend Laine (Sydney Craven), who begins to experience unexplained premonitions and disturbing visions associated with the town's past, and the Creeper (Jarreau Benjamin). The film is released Stateside this week too.

'DARK HARVEST' (Rated CTC) - this American fantasy horror film is Directed by David Slade whose previous feature film making outings include 'Hard Candy' in 2005, '30 Days of Night' in 2007, 'The Twilight Saga : Eclipse' in 2010 and 'Black Mirror : Bandersnatch' in 2018. It is based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Norman Partridge. Every Autumn in a small Midwestern town, a supernatural spectre named 'Sawtooth Jack' (Dustin Ceithamer) arises from the cornfields and approaches the town's church, where violent gangs of young boys hungrily await their chance to confront the legendary nightmare in an annual harvest rite of life and death. Richie Shepard (Casey Likes) lives in the shadow of his big brother Jim (Britain Dalton) who won last year's 'October Prize' to get his ticket out of town. To prove himself and join his brother, Richie pairs up with restless dreamer Kelly Haines (E'myri Crutchfield), who will do whatever it takes to escape the dead-end town. The film was originally scheduled for release in the US on 24th September 2021, but was pulled from the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was rescheduled to be released on 9th September 2022, but was once again pulled from the release schedule.

'PAWS OF FURY : THE LEGEND OF HANK' (Rated PG) - is a computer animated martial arts comedy film that is Directed by Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier and Chris Bailey in the latter two's directing debut, while Rob Minkoff has previously Co-Directed 1994's 'The Lion King' and helmed in his own right 'Stuart Little' and 'Stuart Little 2' in 1999 and 2002 respectively, 'The Haunted Mansion' in 2003, 'The Forbidden Kingdom' in 2008, 'Flypaper' in 2011 and 'Mr. Peabody & Sherman' in 2014. A down-on-his-luck hound Hank (voiced by Michael Cera) finds himself in a town full of cats who need a hero to defend them from the ruthless villain Ika Chu (voiced by Ricky Gervais) and his evil plot to wipe their village out of existence. With help from a reluctant teacher Jimbo (Samuel L. Jackson) to train him, our underdog must assume the role of town samurai and team up with the villagers to save the day. The only problem being that cats hate dogs. Also starring the voice talents of Mel Brooks, George Takei, Michelle Yeoh, Djimon Hounsou and Gabriel Iglesias. The film was scheduled to be released in 2017, but was delayed several times, mainly due to distributor changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually getting its US release in mid-July this year and here in Australia from this week having garnered mixed Reviews and only recouping, so far, US$24M from its US$45M production budget. 

With five new release movie offerings 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 at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

BEAST : Tuesday 13th September 2022.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'BEAST' this week at my local multiplex, and this is an American survival thriller film Directed by Baltasar Kormakur whose prior Directorial outings take in the likes of his big screen debut 'Go LazyTown' in 1996 then 'A Little Trip to Heaven' in 2005, 'Inhale' in 2010, 'Contraband' in 2012, '2 Guns' in 2013, 'Everest' in 2015 and 'Adrift' in 2018. The film was released in the US in mid-August, here in Australia three weeks ago now, has so far taken US$54M from its US$36M production budget and has generated mixed or average Reviews.

The films opens up with a bunch of guys pulling up in their all terrain vehicles in the dead of night, guns raised and traipsing through the undergrowth so not to disturb their quarry, which it is revealed is a pride of lions. The lions are feeding on a snared animal, so are distracted enough to be not to worried about the approaching gunmen, who all begin firing their rifles and slaughtering the pride. However, one lion has escaped and run into the surrounding undergrowth, and is pursued by two of the poachers, leaving the others to bundle the dead lions into the back of one of their trailers. The two poachers who went in search of the lion, pretty soon end up very dead at the claws of the now rogue big cat, as do a handful of other poachers in the party. 

We then cut to a light aircraft seen flying over the Mopani Reserve in South Africa, in which are being carried Dr. Nate Samuels (Idris Elba) and his two young daughters Meredith (Iyana Halley) and Norah (Sava Jeffries) who are on a holiday with the hope that the father can reconnect with his daughters following the recent death of Nate's wife and the mother of their two girls, from cancer. Nate reunites with his long term friend Martin Battles (Sharlto Copley) - a biologist and manager of the Mopani Reserve, and who initially introduced Nate to his (future) wife. Martin takes Nate and the girls to the small village where Nate's wife was born and raised. The next morning, Martin, Nate and the girls drive out on a tour of the reserve's restricted areas. Martin shows them a local lion pride and plays with two mature lions that he raised from young cubs and then returned to the wild. He notices that one of the lioness' has a bloodied paw and suspects a bullet wound from a poacher. 

At a close by Tsonga village, Martin discovers most of the population is dead having been clawed and bitten to death. He surmises that a rogue lion is responsible, and rushes back to his 4WD truck to radio in and report the finding. On the drive back to their base camp, they encounter an injured Tsonga man on the road. Nate goes to his aid but is unable to save him, while Martin tracks the lion. Martin is subsequently mauled by the lion, and takes shelter under a tree beside a lake, but is suffering from a brutal leg injury and is losing a lot of blood. The lion then ambushes Nate, who takes cover in the 4WD with his two girls. Meredith jumps into the drivers seat and speeds away, but crashes into a tree above a rocky outcrop thereby stranding them there, with a vehicle that now won't start. 

Martin is able to barely communicate with Nate via a walkie-talkie, as he is slipping in and out of consciousness because of his excessive blood loss, but nonetheless warns him to stay away, saying the lion is using Martin as bait to coax the others out. As the radio is out of range to contact help, Nate assembles a tranquiliser rifle. He confronts the lion, hoping to subdue it with a dart for a few hours - just long enough to recover Martin and make the trek back to civilisation. The lion attacks Nate who takes shelter underneath the 4WD and repeatedly kicks the lion in the head, with little or no effect. 

Meredith meanwhile takes advantage of the distraction to locate and save Martin. Norah stabs the lion with a tranquiliser dart after it knocks the tranq gun from Nate’s hands, causing the lion to retreat. Meredith brings Martin back to the car and using the First Aid kit Nate treats his leg wound and stitches him up having stemmed the bleeding. As nighttime closes in, Martin who has come round, believes that the lion went rogue after poachers killed its pride. 

Soon after, headlights appear behind them and the poachers arrive in search of the lion. Nate pleads with them to take them to safety and they initially agree to transport the group to the village in exchange for US$5,000 which Nate agrees to pay. However, tensions soon arise after the poachers spot Martin in the back of the 4WD, and as a firm anti-poacher and having shot dead three of their kind, they are none too impressed and all bets are off. The lion then attacks and scatters the poachers, killing or badly maiming most of them. Nate manoeuvres his way past the lion and locates the poacher with the truck keys, who is in a bad way. He also grabs the poachers rifle. Back at the 4WD, Martin holds the lion off long enough to allow the sisters to escape. The lion charges at the car causing it to topple off the rocky outcrop and fall into a ravine, taking the lion with it. The lion quickly recovers itself and limps off while Martin is sat upright with the 4WD now resting on its side as petrol rains down on him. The lion returns and with its head now inside the missing windscreen Martin sacrifices himself by igniting his Zippo lighter so setting off an explosion from the leaking petrol, severely burning the lion. Nate starts the poachers truck and races away with Meredith and Norah, but notices that Meredith has sustained a deep laceration to her side.

They pull up at an abandoned schoolhouse as Nate is fearful that he going to run out of fuel. Upon gaining entry they see that the poachers used the old school building as their base. Nate treats Meredith's wound with gauze he found in an old First Aid kit and a bottle of alcohol to wash his hands and clean the wound. The lion appears and stalks the girls, but Nate returns and scares it off by firing a few rounds at it from the gun he retrieved from the dying poacher. 

Locking his daughters inside a room, Nate promises to return after subduing the lion, armed only with a knife. Luring it out into the open, Nate attracts the local lion pride which they had seen the day before and which Martin helped raise. In the ensuing struggle, the lion mauls Nate several times slashing his skin with its sharp claws and biting him fiercely, nearly killing him, until the two Alpha males of the pride intervene and kill the rogue lion. A Mopani worker arrives and saves Nate as he loses consciousness. 

Coming round in a hospital bed sometime later, a heavily bandaged up yet recovering battle weary Nate tells his daughters he loves them. Sometime later, the three return to the reserve, this time as a unified family, and recreate the photo Nate's late wife took of herself standing under her favourite tree.

'Beast' is an OK movie, it's not great, but entertaining enough to warrant you spending 93 minutes sitting on the edge of your seat and biting your nails as an apex predatory lion stalks Idris Elba and Co. The cinematography is first rate, the special effects of the rampaging lion are well executed, the story is grounded in a sense of reality, and the four lead roles are convincing enough in their performances to keep it relatable and believable. That said, the film is fairly predictable nonetheless, the characters all make some lousy questionable decisions, and going in you know exactly what you're gonna get, and in that respect this film doesn't disappoint. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 15th September 2022.

And so the 79th Venice International Film Festival drew to a close on Saturday evening 10th September. In the main international competition this year, which was overseen by Jury President, Julianne Moore, there were twenty-three films in official competition, with the winners and grinners in this category being :-

* The Golden Lion Award was presented to : 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed', Directed and Co-Produced by Laura Poitras. The documentary film examines the life and career of photographer and activist Nan Goldin and her efforts to hold Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, accountable for the opioid epidemic. 

* The Grand Jury Prize was presented to 'Saint Omer', Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Alice Diop. This French film sees Rama, a pregnant young novelist who attends the trial of Laurence Coly, a Senegalese woman accused of murdering her fifteen-month-old child by leaving her on a beach to be swept away by the tide, in order to turn the tragic event into a modern day literary retelling of the Greek Medea myth. The film is released in its native France on 23rd November. This film also won several other awards including the Luigi De Laurentiis Lion of the Future Award for a Debut Film. 

* The Silver Lion Award was presented to 'Bones and All', Directed by Luca Guadagnino. The film follows cannibalistic lovers, Maren and Lee, as they embark on a road trip across Reagan-era America. To be released in the US on 23rd November.

* The Volpi Cup for Best Actress was presented to Cate Blanchett for 'Tar', Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Todd Field. Set in the international world of classical music, the film revolves around Lydia Tar, widely considered one of the greatest living composer/conductors and first-ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra. The film is released in the US on 7th October. 

* The Volpi Cup for Best Actor was awarded to Colin Farrell for 'The Banshees of Inisherin', Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Martin McDonagh. Conflict arises between two friends when one of them abruptly ends their friendship, with alarming consequences for both of them. The film goes on limited release from 21st October.

* The Golden Osella Award for Best Screenplay was presented to Martin McDonagh for 'The Banshees of Inisherin'. 

* The Special Jury Prize was presented to 'No Bears', Directed, Written, Produced and starring Jafar Panahi. The film portrays two parallel love stories in which the lovers struggle with hidden and unavoidable obstacles, the force of superstitions and the mechanics of power.

* The Marcello Mastroianni Award (for an emerging Actor or Actress) was presented to Taylor Russell for 'Bones and All'. 

* The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to American Screenwriter and Film Director Paul Schrader and French Actress Catherine Deneuve.

For the full rundown on all of the proud recipients of an award, plus a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2022.

Turning attention then back to this weeks eight new release films coming to an Odeon near you, we kick off with a story of a divorced couple who find themselves on a shared mission to stop their lovestruck daughter from making the same mistake they once made. Next up we have a documentary exploring David Bowie's creative and musical journey; and this is followed by a black horror comedy when a group of rich twenty-somethings plan a hurricane party at a remote family mansion, and their party game turns very deadly. We then turn to an action thriller horror offering about a pastor who uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers surrounding his daughter's brutal murder. Following on we have a story of a garbage collector who is sucked into the orbit of a local crime boss and must face the violence of his past in order to find redemption; and then we have a New Zealand film about a young boxer on the cusp of a professional career who must rethink his chosen path after coming into contact with a gay Maori lad. Next is a sequel to a 1970 film about a group of children who are evacuated to a Yorkshire village during WWII, where they encounter a young soldier who, like them, is far away from home; and closing out the week is a computer animated film that sees Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman as inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime side by side in Metropolis, however, Krypto must master his own powers for a rescue mission when Superman is kidnapped. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the eight latest release new films 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.

'TICKET TO PARADISE' (Rated M) - this Australian, UK and US Co-Production is Co-Written and Directed by Ol Parker in his fourth feature film following 'Imagine Me & You' in 2005 with Lena Headey, Piper Perabo, Matthew Goode and Celia Imrie, then 'Now Is Good' in 2012 with Dakota Fanning, Paddy Considine, Josef Altin and Jeremy Irvine, and 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' in 2018 with Lily James, Meryl Streep, Cher, Amanda Seyfried, Andy Garcia, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan. Principal photography occurred in Queensland, Australia most notably on the Whitsunday Islands, the Gold Coast and Moreton Island. This film is released in the UK this week too and not in the US until 21st October. 

Here, former married couple but now divorced parents David (George Clooney, who Co-Produces here) and Georgia (Julia Roberts, who also Co-Produces) travel to Bali after learning their daughter, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever), is planning to marry a local, Gede (Maxime Bouttier), whom she has just met. They decide to work together to sabotage the wedding to prevent Lily from making the same mistake they made twenty-five years previously.

'MOONAGE DAYDREAM' (Rated M) - is a documentary film about the English singer songwriter David Bowie and is Written, Produced, Directed and Edited by Brett Morgen whose previous documentary films include 'The Kid Stays in the Picture' in 2002, 'Chicago 10' in 2007, 'Crossfire Hurricane' in 2010, 'Kurt Cobain : Montage of Heck' in 2015 and 'Jane' in 2017. The film utilises previously unreleased footage from Bowie's personal archives, including live concert footage, to illuminate the life and genius of David Bowie, one of the most prolific and influential artists of our time to explore his creative, musical and spiritual journey. The film is guided by David Bowie's own narration and is the first officially sanctioned film by the Bowie estate. The film takes its title from his 1971 song of the same name. It saw its World Premier screening at this years Cannes Film Festival, and has garnered universal critical acclaim.

'BODIES BODIES BODIES' (Rated MA15+) - this American black comedy horror film is Directed by the Dutch Actress, Writer and film maker Halina Reijn in her English language debut, and only her second feature film after 'Instinct' in 2019. Here then, when a group of twenty-somethings gets stuck at a remote mansion during a hurricane, a party game gone very, very wrong ends with a dead body on the ground and fake friends at every turn as they try to find the killer among them. The film saw its World Premier screening at the South by Southwest Film Festival in mid-March this year before its release in the US from early August, having so far taken US$10M at the Box Office and generated largely positive reviews. Starring Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson.

'THE RETALIATORS' (Rated R18+) - is an American action thriller horror film Directed by Samuel Gonzalez Jnr., Bridget Smith and Michael Lombardi. The film follows an upstanding pastor and father named John Bishop (Michael Lombardi) whose daughter is brutally murdered and he seeks vengeance for her death, while also finding out about the dark and twisted underworld she was involved in. The World Premier was held in London, England at FrightFest 2021 at the end of August last year and now gets its worldwide release this week. The film also features appearances by musicians Tommy Lee, Jacoby Shaddix, Zoltan Bathory, and The HU.

'CLEAN' (Rated MA15+) - this American Action thriller is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Paul Solet and is also Co-Written, Co-Produced, stars and scored by Adrien Brody. Solet's prior film making outings are 'Grace' in 2009, 'Dark Summer' in 2015, 'Bullet Head' in 2017 and the documentary 'Tread' in 2020. Tormented by his past, a garbage man named Clean (Adrien Brody) attempts a quiet life of redemption but when his good intentions make him the target of a local crime boss, he soon finds himself forced to reconcile with the violence of his past. Also starring Glenn Fleshler, Chandler DuPont and RZA. 

'PUNCH' (Rated CTC) - is a New Zealand drama film Written and Directed by Welby Ings in his feature film making debut, although he has Directed three short films and two segments of other feature films previously. Here, Jim (Jordan Oosterhof) is a seventeen-year-old boxer living in a small town preparing for his first professional fight, under the tutelage of his alcoholic father Stan (Tim Roth) that will potentially propel him into early professional status. However, he begins to rethink his life's trajectory and his sexuality after tangling with Whetu (Conan Hayes), a gay Maori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach. It saw its release in its native New Zealand at the end of July, after its World Premier screening at the New Zealand International Film Festival in early July. 

'THE RAILWAY CHILDREN RETURN' (Rated PG) - this British family drama film is Directed by Morgan Matthews in only his second feature film outing following 'A Brilliant Young Mind' (formerly titled 'X+Y'), however, he has also Directed nineteen documentary films with his most recent 'Williams' in 2017 about the William's Formula 1 racing family. This film is a sequel to the 1970 film 'The Railway Children' and was based on the 1905 book of the same name by Edith Nesbit. The film follows a group of children who are evacuated to the village of Oakworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1944 during the Second World War, where they encounter a young soldier who, like them, is far away from home. Starring John Bradley, Jenny Agutter, Tom Courtenay and Sheridan Smith the film has so far taken US$3.2M at the Box Office since its UK release in mid-July. 

'DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS' (Rated PG) - is an American computer animated superhero comedy film based on the DC Comics 'Legion of Super-Pets' and is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Jared Stern in only his second Directorial outing following 'Happy Anniversary' in 2018. Originally scheduled for release towards the back end of May 2021, that date was pushed back a year to the end of May this year before finally being pushed back to its US release at the end of July having so far grossed US$170M off the back of a US$90M production budget. The film has generated mixed or average reviews yet is reportedly the beginning of a new franchise based on the financial result and audience reception. Here then, Krypto the Super-Dog (voiced by Dwayne Johnson) and Superman (voiced by John Krasinski) are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime side by side in Metropolis. However, Krypto must master his own powers for a rescue mission when Superman is kidnapped, while relying too on a team he puts together of shelter-pets who were given super-powers, a hound named Ace (Kevin Hart), who becomes super-strong; a pig named PB (Vanessa Bayer), who can grow to giant-size; a turtle named Merton (Natasha Lyonne), who becomes super-fast; and a squirrel named Chip (Diego Luna), who gains electric-powers. Also starring the voice talents of Kate McKinnon, Keanu Reeves, Olivia Wilde, Jermaine Clement, Daveed Diggs, Alfred Molina, Lena Headey, Keith David and Dan Fogler. 

With eight new release movie offerings 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 at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-