What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st June 2023.

The Tribeca Festival (formerly known as the Tribeca Film Festival up until 2020) kicks off on Wednesday 7th June and runs through until Sunday 18th June. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was founded by acclaimed Actor, Director and Producer Robert De Niro, the Producer Jane Rosenthal, and real estate investor Craig Hatkoff in 2002 to spur the economic and cultural revitalisation of Lower Manhattan following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre.

Each year, the festival hosts some six hundred screenings with approximately 150,000 attendees, and awards independent artists in twenty-three juried competitive categories. This years Opening Night Film is the North American Premiere of 'Kiss the Future' - a documentary Directed by Nenad Cicin-Sain and which follows the story of a community of underground musicians and creatives throughout the nearly four-year-long siege of Sarajevo, as well as the 1997 U2 concert celebrating the liberation of the Bosnian capital. The Closing Night Film is the Robert De Niro Directorial debut 'A Bronx Tale' from 1993 which also stars De Niro as well as Chazz Palminteri and Lillo Brancato, and tells the story of a father who becomes worried when a local mobster befriends his son in the Bronx in the 1960's.

The 2023 features programme includes 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across thirty-six countries. The lineup includes ninety-three World Premieres, one International Premiere, eight North American Premieres, one US Premiere, and six New York Premieres. There are forty-three first-time Directors and twenty-nine Directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. 41%  of all feature films are Directed by women and, for the first time, more than half of competition feature films are Directed by women at 68%.

This years US Narrative Competition features the following titles :-

* 'Bad Things' from the US and Written and Directed by Stewart Thorndike. A weekend getaway for a few friends at a snowy resort becomes a psychological tailspin and bloody nightmare. Long-deceased guests and the space itself come to life in this haunting thriller. World Premiere.

* 'Cypher' from the US and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Chris Moukarbel. Documenting the astronomical rise of rapper Tierra Whack, and capturing the weird and sinister side of fame. This riveting and enigmatic pseudo-documentary will have viewers questioning everything they see. World Premiere.

* 'The Graduates' from the US and Written and Directed by Hannah Peterson. After a tragedy, a group of friends face an unsettling senior year. Feelings of loss, anger, fear, and aimlessness abound within the community. World Premiere.

* 'Lost Soulz' from the US and Written and Directed by Katherine Propper. Set to a lo-fi, genre-bending soundtrack, this film follows a young rapper as he leaves behind his surrogate family and sets out on an expedition across Texas, contemplating new and old friendships. World Premiere.

* 'Mountains' from the US and Written and Directed by Monica Sorelle. Xavier works in demolition and dreams of buying a bigger house for his family, while his adult son, caught between two cultures, struggles to find a place for himself. What results is a loving portrait of the Haitian community in Miami. World Premiere.

* 'The Secret Art of Human Flight' from the US and Directed by H.P. Mendoza. While mourning the death of his wife and fending off an ambitious detective who thinks he killed her, Ben encounters a man who claims that he can teach him to fly. World Premiere.

* 'Smoking Tigers' from the US and Written and Directed by Shelly Yo. Set in the early-2000's Southern California, this film follows a Korean American girl as she navigates derision and growing tensions while balancing the duality of her low-income family and wealthy, elite high school environment. World Premiere.

* 'Somewhere Quiet' from the US and Written and Directed by Olivia West Lloyd. Here, a woman readjusts to normalcy after surviving a traumatic kidnapping — but her grounded sense of reality soon starts to deteriorate when she travels with her husband to his wealthy family’s isolated compound. World Premiere.

For the full details of the International Narrative Competition, the Documentary Competition, and the Spotlight Narrative, Spotlight Documentary, Spotlight+, Viewpoints, Midnight and Escape from Tribeca strands, you can visit the official website at : https://tribecafilm.com/festival

This week then to tease out to your local big screen Odeon on a decidedly cool late autumnal evening we have four new movies, that kick start with a computer-animated Superhero sequel that sees Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighbourhood web-slinger catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. Next up is an adaptation of a 1973 Stephen King short story of when a desperate patient seeking help shows up at the home of a young family reeling from the recent death of the wife and mother, he leaves behind a terrifying supernatural entity that preys on families and feeds off the suffering of its victims. This is followed by an Aussie film about an Aboriginal Australian girl from a troubled family who discovers a passion for photography while participating in a youth retreat. And, we close out the week with a Chinese comedy Sci-Fi offering about an editor of a struggling science fiction magazine, who attempts to find signs of an alien civilisation. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four 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 week ahead.

'SPIDER-MAN : ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE' (Rated PG) - is an American computer-animated Superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales / Spider-Man and is Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson (in their feature film Directorial debuts). It is the sequel to 2018's 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' which grossed US$385M off the back of a production budget of US$90M, and is set in a shared multiverse of alternate universes called the 'Spider-Verse'. This film is released in the US this week too, delayed from an initial April 2022 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A third film, 'Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse', is scheduled for release on 29th March 2024, while a female-focused spin-off film is in development with 'Across The Spider-Verse' intended to be the launch pad for that character..

Set over a year after the events of 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) is unexpectedly approached by his love interest Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) to complete a mission to save every universe of Spider-People from the Spot (Jason Schwartzman), who could cause a catastrophic disaster. Miles is up for the challenge, where he and Gwen journey through the Multiverse together and meet its protectors, a group of Spider-People known as the Spider-Society, led by Miguel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac). However, Miles finds himself at odds with Miguel and the Spider-Society on how to handle the threat. Also starring the voice talents of Brian Tyree Henry, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Greta Lee, Shea Whigham and Andy Samberg. 

'THE BOOGEYMAN' (Rated MA15+) - this American supernatural horror film is Directed by Rob Savage whose three previous feature film credits are 'Strings' in 2012, 'Host' in 2020 and 'Dashcam' in 2021. This film is based on the 1973 short story of the same name written by Stephen King. Here then, high school student Sadie Harper (Sophie Thatcher) and her younger sister Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) are reeling from the recent death of their mother and neither of them are getting much support from their father, Will (Chris Messina), a therapist who is dealing with his own pain. When a desperate patient unexpectedly shows up at their home seeking help, he leaves behind a terrifying supernatural entity that preys on families and feeds on the suffering of its victims. Also starring David Dastmalchian and LisaGay Hamilton, and released Stateside this week too.

'SWEET AS' (Rated M) - is an Australian coming of age drama film Co-Written and Directed by Jub Clerc in her feature film making debut. The film had its World Premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in mid-August last year where Clerc won the Innovation Award. It saw its International Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022, where it won the NETPAC Award for best film from the Asia/Pacific region, and it also screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February this year where the film took won the Crystal Bear. In the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia, troubled sixteen-year-old Indigenous girl, Murra (Shantae Barnes-Cowan), finds herself abandoned after an explosive incident with her drug-fueled mother. On the cusp of being lost in the 'Child Protection' system, an unusual lifeline is thrown her way by her uncle Ian (Mark Coles Smith), the local cop, in the form of a unique Photo Safari. Before Murra knows it, she is careening down a dusty highway with a minibus full of 'at risk' teens and two charismatic team leaders. Will this be the lifeline Murra needs or a catalyst for her demise? 

'JOURNEY TO THE WEST' (Rated PG) - this Chinese comedy Sci-Fi film is Co-Written and Directed by Dashan Kong in his feature film debut, and saw its World Premier screening back in October 2021 in its native China, before a somewhat protracted release in other territories over the next eighteen months eventually getting a release here in Australia this week. Tang Zhijun (Haoyu Yang), an editor-in-chief of a Space Exploration magazine, a science fiction magazine that is a product of the 1980's. With the decline in the print magazine business he gradually drops out of society and becomes somewhat reclusive, yet attempts to still find signs of alien life. A strange young man claims to have received instructions from aliens, and so Tang assembles a group of misfit friends and together they head for the village of Burning Nest on Daliang Mountain hoping to find definitive proof of what Tang has always believed in. The film has collected fifteen award wins and another three nominations from around the Chinese and Hong Kong awards and festival circuit.

With four 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 coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 25th May 2023.

The 63rd Krakow Film Festival kicks off this Sunday 28th May and runs through until Sunday 4th 
June in Krakow, the second largest city in Poland. The Krakow Film Festival is one of the oldest events in the world dedicated to documentary, animated and short feature films. At its core it consists of three competitions of equal rank - documentary film competition, short film competition and national competition. During the eight festival days, the viewers have a chance to watch about 200 films from Poland and around the world. They are shown in competition sections and in special screenings. The festival is accompanied by exhibitions, concerts, open-air shows and meetings with artists. Every year, the festival is visited by approximately 900 Polish and international guests, including Directors, Producers, festival programmers and many dignitaries making up the audience. The importance of the Krakow Film Festival is asserted by the fact that it belongs to a prestigious group of festivals accredited by, among others, International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), European Film Academy (EFA) and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) - so reads the official website.

This year’s programme features over 190 films from around the world, including one hundred World and Polish Premieres.

The International Documentary Competition consists of fifteen films which will be competing for the Golden Horn and Silver Horns which opens the way to the European Film Awards and Oscars. They focus on anxieties of the contemporary world and revisit landmark historical events, family secrets and deeply hidden, systemic omissions. They show people without prospects and heroes of our times, inhabitants of metropolises and remote villages, little joys and the toil of creation, a life to be lived and a life as a monument. Using archival photographs and material, the filmmakers turned fascinating fiction into a documentary form. The selection features comics and crime fiction, family drama, social cinema and the terrifying shadow of the war in Ukraine.

In brief, those titles are as follows :-

* 'Dreaming Arizona' - from Denmark, Estonia and Norway and Directed and Written by Jon Bang Carlsen. 

* 'Is There Anybody Out There?' - from the UK and Directed by Ella Glendining.

* 'Lazaro and the Shark : Cuba under the Surface' - from Cuba and the USA and Directed and Written by William Sabourin O'Reilly.

* 'Motherland' - from Sweden, Ukraine and Norway and Directed and Written by Alexander Mihalkovich (who also Co-Produces) and Hanna Badziaka (who also Co-Edits).

* 'Much Ado about Dying' - from Ireland and the UK and Directed, Written, Co-Produced and photographed by Simon Chambers.

* 'My Name Is Happy' - from the UK and Turkey and Directed by Nick Read (who also Co-Produces) and Ayse Toprak.

* 'Radical Move' - from Poland and Directed and Written by Aniela Gabryel.

* 'Signs of War' - from Ukraine and Austria and Directed by Juri Rechinsky (who also wrote the script, Edited and Co-Produces) and Pierre Crom (who also Co-Produces).

* 'Silent House' - from Iran, Qatar, Canada and the Philippines and Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Farnaz Jurabchian and Mohammadreza Jurabchian.

* 'Songs of Earth' - from Norway and Directed and Produced by Margreth Olin.

* 'The Dmitriev Affair' - from the Netherlands and Directed, Written and co-photographed by Jessica Gorter.

* 'The Hostage Takers' - from Denmark and Directed by Puk Damsgaard and Soren Klovborg (who also Produces).

* 'The Land You Belong' - from Italy and Romania and Directed and Co-Written by Elena Rebeca Carini.

* 'Unpaved' - from Poland and Directed, Written and photographed by Mikael Lypinski.

* 'Who I Am Not' - from Romania and Canada and Directed by Tunde Skovran.

For the full synopsis of the above mentioned documentary films, plus the full details of the thirty-seven films in International Short Film Competition, the forty-one films in the National Competition and the ten films in the International DocFilmMusic Competition, together with the other ninety-six films in the ever-popular screenings sections of non-competing films dedicated to various themes, you can go to the official website at : https://www.krakowfilmfestival.pl/en/

Turning the attention then back to this weeks five new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a comedy horror offering that sees Dracula's henchman and inmate at the lunatic asylum for decades, longing for a life away from the Count, his various demands, and all of the bloodshed that comes with them. Next up we have a live action remake of an animated Disney classic that has a young mermaid making a deal with a sea witch to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress a prince. Then we turn to a French film that follows a novelist who attends the trial of Senegalese woman at Criminal Court to use her story to write a modern-day adaptation of the ancient myth of Medea, but things don't go as expected. This is followed by a RomCom about a couple in a relationship, who decide to invite their parents to finally meet about marriage, but as it turns out the parents already know one another well, which leads to some differing opinions about marriage; and closing out the week we have an action comedy that has the past coming back to haunt this pervious party animal when a murderous mobster tries to kidnap him to atone for his crimes of twenty years ago when he was a drunken student in Russia. 

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.

'RENFIELD' (Rated MA15+) - this American comedy horror film is Co-Produced and Directed by Chris McKay whose previous feature film making outings are his debut with 'The Lego Batman Movie' 2017 and 'The Tomorrow War' in 2021. This film is based on a story by Robert Kirkman of the hugely popular 'The Walking Dead' and 'Fear the Walking Dead' TV series among others, and he also serves as Co-Producer on this film, which is also inspired by characters from the 1897 novel 'Dracula' by Bram Stoker. The film had its World Premiere showcasing at the Overlook Film Festival at the end of March this year and was released in the US in mid-April, having generated mixed reviews from critics and so far grossing US$25M off the back of a US$65M production budget. 

Set in the present day, Count Dracula's loyal servant R. M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) is the tortured aide to history's most narcissistic boss, Dracula (Nicolas Cage). Renfield is forced to procure his master's prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there's a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency. Also starring Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz and Adrian Martinez. 

'THE LITTLE MERMAID' (Rated M) - is an American musical fantasy film Co-Produced and Directed by Rob Marshall whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut with the multi-award winning 'Chicago' in 2002, then 'Memoirs of a Geisha' in 2005, 'Nine' in 2009, 'Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides' in 2011, 'Into the Woods' in 2014 and 'Mary Poppins Returns' in 2018. This film is Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 animated film of the same name, itself loosely based on the 1837 fairy tale of the same title by Hans Christian Andersen. Ariel (Halle Bailey), the youngest daughter of the kingdom Atlantica's ruler King Triton (Javier Bardem), is fascinated with the human world but mermaids are strictly forbidden to explore it. After saving Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) from a shipwreck and falling in love with him, she becomes determined to be with him in the world above water. These actions lead to a confrontation with her father and an encounter with the conniving sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), making a deal with her to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress Eric. However, this ultimately places her life (and her father’s crown) in jeopardy. Also starring Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, Awkwafina and Art Malik, the film saw its World Premier in LA in early May and is released Stateside this week too.

'SAINT OMER' (Rated M) - this French legal drama film is is Co-Written and Directed by Alice Diop in her feature film making debut after helming a series of documentary films since 2005. Rama (Kayije Kagame), a literature professor and novelist, travels from Paris to Saint-Omer in northern France to observe the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda) and write about the case. Coly is a student and Senegalese immigrant accused of leaving her fifteen-month-old daughter on a beach to be swept away by the tide in Berck. Rama, who is four-months pregnant herself and, like Coly, is in a mixed-race relationship and also has a complex relationship with her own Senegalese immigrant mother, feels a personal connection to Coly. She plans to write a modern day retelling of the Greek Medea myth about the case. The film is based on the French court case of Fabienne Kabou, who was convicted of the same crime, and which Diop attended her trial in 2016 and became 'obsessed' by it. The film has collected eighteen award wins and a further forty-two nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit, following its World Premier screening in-competition at the Venice International Film Festival in early September last year where it won the Silver Lion Grand Jury prize along with the Luigi De Laurentiis Lion of the Future award. It was released in its native France towards the end of November, has so far grossed just US$823K at the Box Office but has received universal critical acclaim. 

'MAYBE I DO' (Rated M) - is an American RomCom Written and Directed by Michael Jacobs in his feature film making debut, and is based on his own 1977 play 'Cheaters'. Here, Michelle (Emma Roberts) and Allen (Luke Bracey) have reached the point in their relationship to take the next steps toward marriage. Thinking it is a good idea to invite their parents to finally meet, they set a dinner and make it a family affair. To everyone's surprise, the affair takes on a whole new meaning as the parents already know each other all too well -- they've been cheating on their spouses for months... with each other. Trapped in this precarious predicament, they try to hide their dalliances from the kids while confronting their spouses' lovers head-on. Starring Diane Keaton and Richard Gere as Michelle's parents and Susan Sarandon and William H. Macy as Allen's parents. The film was released in the US at the end of January and has so far grossed US$4.3M and has garnered mixed or average Reviews. 

'THE MACHINE' (Rated MA15+) - this American action comedy film is Co-Produced and Directed by Peter Atencio whose first feature film credit was 2010's 'The Rig' followed by 'Keanu' in 2016 and now this offering although he has notched up thirty Directorial credits mostly on TV series and short films. This film is inspired by the 2016 stand-up routine of the same name created by American stand-up comedian, podcaster, reality television host and actor Bert Kreischer, who also stars as a fictionalised version of himself. Here then Bert Kreischer and his estranged father Albert Kreischer (Mark Hamill) are kidnapped by those Bert wronged some twenty years ago while drunk on a college semester abroad in Russia. Together, Bert and his father must retrace the steps of his younger self (Jimmy Tatro) in the midst of a war within a sociopathic crime family, all while attempting to find common ground in their often fraught relationship. The film is released Stateside this week too. 

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-

HYPNOTIC : Tuesday 16th May 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'HYPNOTIC' at my local independent movie theatre this week, and this American Sci-Fi action thriller is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed, Edited and scored by Robert Rodriguez. His previous film making credits include his 1992 debut with 'El Mariachi', then 'Desperado' in 1995, 'From Dusk till Dawn' in 1996, the 'Spy Kids' franchise which has so far spawned four films with a fifth reportedly in development for Netflix, 'Sin City' in 2005 and 'Sin City : A Dame to Kill For' in 2014, 'Planet Terror' in 2007, 'Machete' in 2010 and 'Alita : Battle Angel' in 2019. This film saw its 'work-in-progress' World Premier at SXSW in late March this year, was released Stateside last week too and cost in the region of US$65M to produce and has so far grossed just US$3.5M having garnered mixed reviews. It is reportedly the worst Box Office opening for any Rodriguez film and Ben Affleck led feature, and was partly blamed on the lack of marketing by the studio behind this production. 

The film opens up with Austin Police Detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) recounting to his therapist (Nikki Dixon) the abduction of his young daughter Minnie (Lonie Nieves) which ultimately led to the break-up of his marriage. Afterwards, he is collected by his partner, Nicks (J.D. Pardo), who advises him they have received an anonymous tip that a safety deposit box at a bank is about to be robbed. 

At the stakeout, they observe a mysterious man give unheard instructions to a civilian woman, a bank teller, and two armed Police officers who seemingly without question follow his instructions as he enters the bank. Rourke beats him to the targeted safety deposit box, unlocks it and finds a solitary photograph of Minnie inside with the handwritten message 'Find Lev Dellrayne' on it. Rourke chases the man to a parking lot rooftop, where he witnesses him command two Police officers to shoot each other as he escapes, by seemingly jumping off a tall building much to Rourke's astonishment.

Rourke believes the heist has something to do with the disappearance of his daughter, and so he starts digging around. Forensics lead Rourke to the address of fortuneteller and hypnotist Diana Cruz (Alice Braga) who it turns out was the anonymous caller of the bank heist earlier in the day. After he describes the man from the heist, a client of Cruz's, under the control of the man from the bank, drives a motorcycle through Cruz's shop window before killing himself. Rourke takes Cruz into custody. She explains that the mysterious man from the bank is named 'Lev Dellrayne' (William Fichtner), and that both he and her are escaped 'Hypnotics' - powerful hypnotists trained by a secretive government 'Division' to control people's minds. Rourke is mysteriously immune to their control, more than likely caused by a block in his mind brought about by a traumatic or emotional experience in his life. Meanwhile Dellrayne, outside the station, commands Nicks to attack Rourke and Cruz, which he does with Cruz putting a bullet between his eyes to stop his onslaught.

Rourke and Cruz flee to Mexico now that they are on the TV news for the slaying of Nicks. There, they learn from a former Division contact Jeremiah (Jackie Earle Haley) that Dellrayne is looking for 'Domino', a powerful weapon developed by the Division, stolen, and hidden by Dellrayne when he escaped. 

Dellrayne then wiped his own memory leaving behind certain 'triggers' allowing him to gradually recall Domino's location and regain his own hypnotic power. Dellrayne eventually reveals himself to be Jeremiah in disguise and pursues Rourke and Cruz through a hypnotically constructed environment before Rourke taps into his own previously unknown hypnotic power and so giving them the chance to escape.

Cruz seeks out River (Dayo Okeniyi) a reclusive Division hacker, with Rourke who discovers Rourke's wife Vivian in a Division database. Later, Rourke investigates River's database himself, and discovers that Minnie is in fact Domino, the daughter of two of the most powerful hypnotics - Rourke and Cruz (who it turns out is Vivian). As 'Cruz' interrupts him, Rourke comes to the realisation that the room he is sat in and all of the events up to this time have been constructs. He wakes up in a large room populated by Division agents, all of whom he has seen or interacted with throughout the carefully constructed story, including Nicks, Dellrayne and even his therapist. 

Vivian and Dellrayne explain that Rourke and Vivian are both hypnotics, and their daughter Minnie was born and raised within the Division. He however, escaped with her to stop her from becoming their weapon. Hiding her and then wiping his memory, Rourke no longer remembers where she is, and the Division has been putting him through constructs of the search for her to make him remember, on twelve previous occasions. Rourke is plugged back into the construct for the thirteenth time now, where he repeats the session with his therapist and the stakeout at the bank heist. However, Rourke escapes using his own powers and flees as the Division realises that 'Find Lev Dellrayne' refers not to a person but a place - 'Deer Valley Lane' the location of a ranch where Rourke's foster parents have been hiding Minnie.

Rourke arrives at the ranch and is reunited with Minnie (Hala Finley), who has now aged by three years and has grown to have full control of her powers. The Division arrive en masse and surround the ranch but it is all revealed to be another construct this time of Minnie's creation. Minnie restores Vivian's memories that she was involved in Rourke and Minnie's escape, but wiped her memory so that when Minnie was powerful enough to defeat the entire Division at once, Vivian could unwittingly lead them to her. Minnie forces the Division agents to turn on each other so taking themselves out, including Dellrayne who turns his own gun on himself and plugs three bullets into his chest, after which she, her parents, and Rourke's foster parents embrace in their newfound freedom. In a mid-credits sequence, Dellrayne is shown to have survived, having constructed Rourke's foster-father Carl (Jeff Fahey) to look like him during the fight with Minnie. He is seen walking back to the helicopter from whence he came. 

'Hypnotic' is entertaining and watchable enough and at a brisk 92 minutes run time it never outstays its welcome. Here the maestro of B-grade movies Robert Rodriguez channels the likes of Christopher Nolan and Alfred Hitchcock dabbling in the worlds of Sci-Fi and thrillers with a good dose of action thrown in to keep viewers motivated enough to sit through this picture's preposterous premise which is slow to get off the ground but once the momentum builds it delivers a reasonably satisfying conclusion. Ben Affleck phones his performance in, as the grizzled square-jawed actor can see with his eyes closed that this barely above average thriller is hardly going to cause a stir in the pantheon of genre bending films of a similar ilk. 

'Hypnotic' 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 18th May 2023.

The 76th Cannes Film Festival launched on Tuesday 16th May and runs through until Saturday 27th May. Held annually in Cannes, France, the festival previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congres. It is one of the 'Big Three' major European film festivals, alongside the Venice Film Festival in Italy and the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, as well as one of the 'Big Five' major international film festivals, which consists of the three major European film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, and the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, USA.

The Swedish Director and Screenwriter Ruben Ostlund serves as Jury President this year for those films in Official Competition aided by the likes of Paul Dano, Brie Larson, Julia Ducournau and Maryam Touzani. 

This years opening film is the French 'Jeanne du Barry' Directed, Written, Co-Produced and starring Maiwenn in the title role alongside Johnny Depp as King Louis XV of France. The closing film is Pixar's computer-animated romantic comedy-drama film 'Elemental' Directed by Peter Sohn. 

Those twenty-one films in official competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or award are as given below :-

* 'About Dry Grasses' from Turkey and is Co-Written and Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

* 'Anatomy of a Fall' from France and is Co-Written and Directed by Justine Triet.

* 'Asteroid City' from the US and is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Wes Anderson and features an ensemble cast including Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and Jeff Goldblum.

* 'Banel & Adama' from Senegal and is Written and Directed by Ramata-Toulaye Sy in her feature film making debut. 

* 'Black Flies' from the US and is Directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire and stars Sean Penn, Ty Sheridan Katherine Waterston, Michael Pitt and Mike Tyson.

* 'A Brighter Tomorrow' from Italy and France and is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Nanni Moretti. 

* 'La Chimera' from Italy, France and Switzerland and is Written and Directed by Alice Rohrwacher and stars Josh O'Connor and Isabella Rossellini. 

* 'Club Zero' from the UK, France, Austria and Denmark and is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jessica Hausner and stars Mia Wasikowska and Sidse Babett Knudsen.

* 'Fallen Leaves' from Finland and Written and Directed by Aki Kaurismaki. 

* 'Firebrand' from the UK and Directed by Karim Ainouz and stars Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Sam Riley, Eddie Marsan and Simon Russell Beale.

* 'Four Daughters' from Tunisia and Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Kaouther Ben Hania.

* 'Homecoming' from France and Co-Written and Directed by Catherine Corsini. 

* 'Kidnapped' from Italy and Co-Written and Directed by Marco Bellocchio. 

* 'Last Summer' from France and Co-Written and Directed by Catherine Breillat. 

* 'May December' from the US and Directed by Todd Haynes and starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton.

* 'Monster' from Japan and is Directed and Edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

* 'The Old Oak' from the UK, France and Belgium and is Directed by Ken Loach and stars Dave Turner and Ebla Mari.

* 'Perfect Days' from Japan and Germany and is Directed by Wim Wenders and stars Koji Yakusho.

* 'The Pot-au-Feu' from France and Written and Directed by Tran Anh Hung and stars Juliette Binochet and Benoit Magimel.

* 'Youth (Spring)' from China and Directed by Wang Bing.

* 'The Zone of Interest' from the UK, Poland and the US and is Written and Directed by Jonathan Glazer.

For the full low down on those films competing for the Palme d'Or plus the other films in competition in the Un Certain Regard and Camera d'Or sections and the other strands featuring at this years Cannes Film Festival, you can visit the official website at : https://www.festival.cannes.com/en/

This week then, to tease you out on a very cool late Autumn evening to your local Odeon, we have five new cinematic release coming your way. We launch with the eleventh film in this hugely successful fast paced action franchise that sees this former criminal and professional street racer and his family being targeted by the vengeful son of a drug baron who was killed at the end of 'Fast Five'. Next up we have a neo-noir crime thriller set in 1939 LA that has a seasoned Private Detective becoming embroiled in an investigation with a wealthy family in Bay City, California after a beautiful blonde hires him to find her former lover. This is followed by an Aussie crime thriller that sees a jaded detective placed in charge of looking into a twenty-year-old outback cold case murder. Then we turn to a Moroccan drama offering in which a middle-aged tailor and his wife find their relationship upended by the arrival of a handsome new apprentice; before closing out the week with an Aussie biopic charting the life and times of an icon of the Australian music scene.

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.

'FAST X' (Rated M) - is an American action film that is a direct sequel to 2021's 'F9' and the tenth instalment and the eleventh feature film in the 'Fast & Furious' franchise. Those ten films have grossed over US$6.6B at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets of a little over US$1.4B. It should also be noted that this franchise also includes short films, a television series, toys, video games, live shows, and theme park attractions. This film is Directed by Louis Leterrier whose previous feature film credits include 'Transporter 2' in 2005, 'The Incredible Hulk' in 2008, 'Clash of the Titans' in 2010, 'Now You See Me' in 2013 and 'The Takedown' in 2022. Leterrier replaced Director Justin Lin (who helmed five of the series films) who left within the first month of principle photography due to creative differences. This film has an estimated production budget of US$340M making it the seventh-most expensive film ever made, and is released worldwide this week. Its sequel, intended to be the main series' final instalment, is slated for a release in 2025.

Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they must confront the most lethal opponent they've ever faced in the guise of Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), the son of drug lord Hernan Reyes, seeking revenge for his father's death, and who has now joined forced with Cipher (Chalize Theron). Ignited by revenge, a terrifying threat emerges from the shadows of the past to shatter Dom's world and destroy everything, and everyone, he holds dear. Also starring a who who's of acting talent including Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Cena, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, Daniela Melchior, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, Cardi B and Michael Rooker. 

'MARLOWE' (Rated MA15+) - is a neo-noir crime thriller film Co-Written and Directed by Neil Jordan based on the on the 2014 novel 'The Black-Eyed Blonde' by Benjamin Black, and based on the fictional private detective character Philip Marlowe, created by Raymond Chandler who first appeared in print in the 1939 novel 'The Big Sleep'. Neil Jordan's previous film making credits take in the likes of his feature film debut with 'Angel' in 1982, then 'The Company of Wolves' in 1984, 'Mona Lisa' in 1986, 'The Crying Game' in 1992, 'Interview with the Vampire' in 1994, 'Michael Collins' in 1996, 'The End of the Affair' in 1999, 'The Brave One' in 2007 and 'Greta' in 2018. Here then, set in Los Angeles in 1939 private detective Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson) is hired by wealthy heiress Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger) to find her missing lover, Nico Peterson (Francois Arnaud), a prop master at Pacific Film Studios. Marlowe is wary of the supposed circumstances around Peterson's death and begins to investigate further, despite lack of interest from his friend, homicide detective Joe Green (Ian Hart). As Marlowe digs deeper into the case, he uncovers a web of lies and corruption among the city's elite. Also starring Jessica Lange, Danny Huston, Alan Cumming, Colm Meaney and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. The film saw its World Premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in late September last year and was released in the US in mid-February having received mixed critical reviews and so far grossing US$5.4M at the Box Office. 

'LIMBO' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian crime thriller is Written, Co-Produced, Directed, Edited, photographed and scored by Ivan Sen whose prior feature film directorial offerings include his debut in 2002 for 'Beneath Clouds' followed by the likes of 'Dreamland' in 2009, 'Mystery Road' in 2013, 'Goldstone' in 2016 and 'Expired' in 2022. Set in the small Australian outback town of Limbo, Travis Hurley (Simon Baker), a detective, comes to investigate a twenty-year-old unsolved homicide of an Aboriginal woman. Travis discovers a collection of unpleasant truths, highlighting the intricacies of loss and injustice faced by Aboriginal Australians. This film saw its World Premier at February's Berlin International Film Festival where it was in competition for the Golden Bear, and has generated mostly positive critical reviews.

'THE BLUE CAFTAN' (Rated M) -  a Moroccan Arabic-language drama film Co-Written and Directed by Maryam Touzani in only her second feature film making outing following 'Adam' in 2019. Halim (Saleh Bakri) and Mina (Lubna Azabal) run a traditional caftan store in Sale, one of Morocco's oldest medinas. In order to keep up with demanding customers, they hire a talented young man Youssef (Ayoub Missioui) as an apprentice. Mina slowly realises just how much her husband is moved by his presence. The film had its World Premier showing at the May 2022 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, has collected nine wins and another twelve nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, and has garnered widespread critical acclaim. 

'JOHN FARNHAM : FINDING THE VOICE' (Rated M) - this Australian music documentary film is Directed by Poppy Stockwell in her second film making offering following 'Scrum' in 2015. This film tells the untold story of an Australian music icon. In this first authorised biopic, we follow John Farnham’s life from the quiet suburbs of Melbourne to 1960's pop fame, through incredible highs and lows, and ultimately to record-breaking success as ‘Australia’s Voice’. John Farnham was 38 years old when 'Whispering Jack' was released. Nobody ever questioned that Farnham could sing, but the challenge to find his artistic voice and become Australia’s most trusted and beloved performer took half a lifetime. 'Whispering Jack' remains the highest-selling Australian album of all time, and this powerful documentary tracks the personal and public journey that has made Farnham Australia’s greatest and most beloved musical artist. The film also features commentary by Olivia Newton-John, Jimmy Barnes, Robbie Williams, Celine Dion, Richard Marx, Darryl Braithwaite, Glenn and Gaynor Wheatley, James and Robert Farnham plus many more.

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-

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME 3 : Tuesday 9th May 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME 3' at my local Odeon earlier this week. This hotly anticipated American superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, and is the sequel to 2014's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 2017's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and serves as the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the second film in Marvel's Phase Five and more than likely the final instalment in this particular series. Written and Directed once again by James Gunn who recently jumped ship and now heads up, with Peter Safran, DC Studios as Co-Chairpersons and joint CEO's. Gunn's next Directorial outing is slated to be 'Superman : Legacy' due in July 2025. The film saw its World Premier screening at Disneyland, Paris on 22nd April and was released in the US, China, here in Australia and other territories last week. It has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$366M off the back of a production budget of US$250M. 

At their new home base on Knowhere, the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel) are attacked by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a Sovereign warrior created by their High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) who seems to answer to the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). After Adam overpowers them and seriously wounds Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), he is stabbed by Nebula (Karen Gillan) and forced to flee the scene. The Guardians are unable to tend to Rocket's wounds due to a kill switch attached to his heart, made by the company Orgocorp. They travel to Orgocorp's headquarters to find the override code, having at best 48 hours before Rocket dies. 

As Rocket lies unconscious, memories of his past life come flooding back. As a baby raccoon, he was experimented on by the High Evolutionary, an alien geneticist who sought to take what he viewed as lower life forms and enhance them into a perfect anthropomorphic species in order to create a Counter-Earth. 

After being modified Rocket befriended the High Evolutionary's other test animals: the otter Lylla, the rabbit Floor and the walrus Teefs. The High Evolutionary perfected the anthropomorphisation process with Rocket's advice but ordered Rocket's brain to be extracted for further research, and his friends incinerated. Rocket was able to free Lylla with an improvised electronic key card, only for the High Evolutionary to kill her, upon walking in and discovering Rocket's ruse. Rocket, enraged, mauled the High Evolutionary face and head and shot his guards, but Teefs and Floor were killed in the exchange of gunfire. Alone, angry and despondent Rocket steals a spaceship and flees. 

Meanwhile, the alternate version of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who has joined the Ravagers led by the high ranking Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone), helps the Guardians infiltrate Orgocorp, which is owned by the High Evolutionary. 

They retrieve Rocket's file, but discover that the code has been removed. The group speculates that Theel (Nico Santos), one of the High Evolutionary's advisors, has it, so they depart for Counter-Earth. They are followed by Ayesha and Adam, who are ordered by their creator, the High Evolutionary, to capture at all costs Rocket for his brain.

Arriving on Counter-Earth the Guardians are helped by a family of local residents in tracing Theel to the High Evolutionary's ship. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) remain with Gamora and Rocket as Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) travel to the High Evolutionary's ship. Nebula is forced to wait outside by guards as Quill and Groot board. Drax and Mantis chase after Quill's group. 

The High Evolutionary sets off the destruction and planned recreation of Counter-Earth, which ultimately kills all life on the planet, including Ayesha. As his ship enters orbit, Quill and Groot leap off with Theel, landing back on Counter-Earth and retrieving the code from the computer implanted into the side of his head, just as Gamora arrives with their ship. In the meantime, Nebula, Mantis, and Drax board the High Evolutionary's ship in order to rescue Quill and Groot, not knowing that had recently and literally jumped ship. As Quill's group attempts to access the code, Rocket flatlines and has a near-death experience, where he is reunited with Lylla, Teefs, and Floor. Lylla tells him that his time has not yet come and that he still has work to do, as Quill uses the code to disable the kill switch and save Rocket's life. 

On the High Evolutionary's ship, Nebula, Mantis, and Drax come across hundreds of imprisoned humanoid children, before being captured. Quill's group sets out to rescue the three, who are placed in a chamber with monstrous Abilisks. Mantis connects with the Abilisks saying they only eat batteries, and so allowing the group to escape and reunite with Quill's group, together overcoming the High Evolutionary's army. Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Cosmo the Spacedog (voiced by Maria Bakalova) arrive back on Knowhere, and Cosmo creates a telekinetic bridge connecting Knowhere to the High Evolutionary's ship to free the captured children. Rocket discovers imprisoned animals on the ship before being attacked by the High Evolutionary, but the rest of the Guardians help subdue him, remove his mask revealing the seriously disfigured face of the man and leaving him to die on his ship. The Guardians rescue the animals and lead them aboard Knowhere. Quill nearly dies by freezing in deep space trying to cross over but is saved by Adam, who had a change of heart after being saved by Groot. 

Once the dust has settled, Quill announces that he intends to leave the Guardians, bestowing the captaincy to Rocket before leaving for Earth to reunite with his grandfather Jason. Mantis embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the Abilisks, Gamora reunites with the Ravagers and is welcomed back by Stakar Ogord, and Nebula and Drax remain on Knowhere to raise the saved children. 

There is no doubt that Director James Gunn has wrapped up his final instalment of the 'Guardians' trilogy with a lot of heart, a good dose of emotion, action set pieces aplenty, some witty dialogue, a thumping soundtrack, all the colour and grandeur of the galaxy that you could ever imagine, plus a whole zoo load of animals that would make any self respecting PETA advocate squirm in horror. And for the rag tag bunch of space heroes Gunn sees them all go off in their own directions to seek out new challenges and adventures, and as for some of them if you remain in your seat for a mid-credits sequence and right until the end credits have rolled you'll catch a glimpse of what the future (possibly) holds. My only criticism of this film, and it seems that thirty-two films in now, of the MCU at large, is that the CGI action spectacles are often so beautifully rendered that their screen busyness leaves the viewer wondering where to focus the attention for fear of missing out on something happening on another part of the screen. 

'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-