What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 31st August 2023.

The 80th Venice International Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday 30th August and runs through until Saturday 9th September. The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. The Festival also organises retrospectives and tributes to major figures as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.

This years Opening Film will be 'Comandante' from Italy and Written and Directed by Edoardo De Angelis and telling the story of an episode during the Battle of the Atlantic, when the Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini sunk the Belgian ship Kabalo, and Cappellini's commander Salvatore Todaro decided to disobey orders and to rescue the Kabalo's crew, being forced to navigate in emersion for three days, making the ship an easy target for enemies. The Closing Film is 'Society of the Snow' from Spain, Uruguay and Chile and Co-Written and Directed by J.A. Bayona and is about the Uruguayan 1972 Andes flight disaster. 

This years main competition is presided over by Damien Chazelle, aided by other members of the jury including Jane Campion, Mia Hansen-Love, Martin McDonagh and Laura Poitras. Those films selected for the main international competition, of which there are twenty-three titles this year, include :-

* 'Comandante' - from Italy and Written and Directed by Edoardo De Angelis.

* 'Dogman' - from France, this action drama film is Written and Directed by Luc Besson. World Premiere.

* 'Ferrari' - from the USA, this biographical drama film is Co-Produced and Directed by Michael Mann with Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Jack O'Connell and Patrick Dempsey. World Premiere.

* 'The Killer' - from the USA, this psychological action thriller is Directed by David Fincher and stars Michael Fassbender, Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard and Tilda Swinton. World Premiere.

* 'Maestro' - from the USA, this biographical drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Bradley Cooper as the famed American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian Leonard Bernstein, who died in 1990 aged 72, with Carey Mulligan as his Costa Rican Actress wife Felicia Montealegre, Maya Hawke as Jamie Bernstein and Sarah Silverman as Shirley Bernstein. World Premiere.

* 'Memory' - from Mexico and the USA, this drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Michel Franco and stars Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard and Merritt Wever. World Premiere.

* 'Origin' - from the USA and Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Ava DuVernay and stars Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Nick Offerman and Connie Neilsen. World Premiere.

* 'Poor Things' - from Ireland, the UK and the USA and Co-Produced and Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Abbott, Margaret Qualley and Jerrod Carmichael. World Premiere.

* 'Priscilla' - from the USA and is Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Sofia Coppola and stars Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley and Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley. World Premiere.

Italian Director Liliana Cavani and Hong Kong Actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai will both receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement during the festival.

Foe all the details of the other film strands and awards being presented at this years 80th Venice International Film Festival, you can go to the official website at : https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2023

This week with seven new movies to tempt you out to your local big screen Odeon there is sure to be something for everyone in this weeks line up, kicking off with the third and final offering in this vigilante action thriller that sees our titular hero retired to Southern Italy where he must take on the Sicilian mob in order to protect his new found friends. Next up we have a horror comedy offering based on a popular theme park ride that sees a woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. This is followed by a romantic drama film about a reunion between two childhood friends as they contemplate their relationship and their own lives. Then we turn to a German offering that sees emotions run high as a group of friends gather in a holiday home by the Baltic Sea as the parched forest around them catches fire. Following this, a retired sea captain and his daughter must reassess their strained relationship after he begins a new romance with a widowed housekeeper. And we close out the week with a pair of documentaries - the first from France that follows patients and caregivers at a psychiatric centre with a unique floating structure located in the middle of the River Seine in central Paris; and the second an Aussie doco about a legend of the Australian music scene who formed his own record label in 1972 and went on to promote local, national and international music artists to the world right up to his passing aged 68 in 2021.

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

'THE EQUALIZER 3' (Rated MA15+) - this American action thriller film is Directed and Co-Produced by Antoine Fuqua and is the sequel to 2018's 'Equalizer 2' and the third and final instalment in the 'Equalizer' trilogy. Those first two films, also Directed by Antoine Fuqua grossed US$383M off the back of combined production budgets of US135M, and is loosely based on the TV series which ran for a total of eighty-eight episodes over four seasons from 1985 through until 1989 and starred Edward Woodward as the titular Equalizer, Robert McCall. 

Here then, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington reprising his role from the previous two instalments and who also Co-Produces here), since giving up his life as a Government assassin, moves to Southern Italy to escape from the horrifying things he's done in the past, but later discovers that his new friends are under the control of the Sicilian Mafia crime bosses. As events turn deadly, Robert unleashes his very particular set of skills to protect his new friends. The film also stars Dakota Fanning and David Denman, and is released Stateside this week too. 

'HAUNTED MANSION' (Rated PG) - is an American supernatural horror comedy film Directed by Justin Simien in only his third feature film making outing following his debut in 2014 with 'Dear White People' and then 'Bad Hair' in 2020. This is the second cinematic adaptation of Walt Disney's theme park attraction 'The Haunted Mansion' following the 2003 film of the same name which although it was panned by critics at the time grossed US$183M off the back of a production budget of US$90M. This film has however, done the opposite garnering mixed reviews and having so far grossed US$80M off the back of a US$157M production budget making it a Box Office failure. Here then, a recently-widowed doctor Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her son Travis (Chase W. Dillon) move from New York into Gracey Manor, New Orleans with the view of turning it into a bed and breakfast, only to learn that it is haunted with ghosts. Gabbie hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest and a historian to help exorcise her newly bought mansion. Also starring LaKeith Stanfield, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto and Tiffany Haddish.

'PAST LIVES' (Rated M) - this American romantic drama film is Written and Directed by Celine Song in her feature film Directing debut. The film saw its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival toward the end of January this year and was released in the US in early June having received universal critical acclaim and so far grossing US$11M at the Box Office. Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are separated after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Some twenty years later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life. Starring Greta Lee as the adult Nora, Teo Yoo as the adult Hae Sung and John Magaro as Arthur, Nora's husband. 

'AFIRE' (Rated MA15+) - this German drama film is Written and Directed by Christian Petzold who made his feature film Directorial debut in 2000 with 'The State I Am In' and he would follow this up with the likes of 'Yella' in 2007, 'Jerichow' in 2008, 'Transit' in 2018 and 'Undine' in 2020. This film won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its World Premiere in late February this year before its release in Germany at the back end of April, having generated universal critical acclaim and US$1.5M so far at the Box Office. In a holiday cottage on the Baltic Sea not far from Ahrenshoop in north east Germany in a hot, dry summer, a group of four friends get together. There is a forest fire nearby and slowly and unnoticeably they are enclosed by the walls of flame. Trapped, they get closer, and then the desire, love and sex overtakes them. 

'MY SAILOR, MY LOVE' (Rated PG) - is a Finnish, Irish and Belgian Co-Produced drama film Directed by Klaus Haro whose prior feature film credits include 'Elina' in 2003, 'Mother of Mine' in 2005, 'Letters to Father Jacob' in 2009 and 'The Fencer' in 2015. Howard (James Cosmo), a retired sea captain and widower lives in a house by the sea and refuses any help from his adult daughter Grace (Catherine Walker). When she hires Annie (Brid Brennan) as domestic help for him, the reclusive and stubborn Howard unexpectedly falls in love. Grace has her own crisis to unravel and finds her father's romance difficult. Annie must face the complex father-daughter relationship, while Howard and Grace must realise their own imperfections. The film has generated largely positive critical reviews. 

'ON THE ADAMANT' (Rated MA15+) - this French language documentary film is Directed and photographed by Nicolas Philibert. It won the Golden Bear at this years Berlin International Film Festival, where it saw its World Premiere at the end of February this year. The film is a portrait of the L'Adamant Day Centre in Paris, France - a floating building located at the foot of the Charles de Gaulle Bridge on the right bank of the River Seine. The unique daycare centre welcomes adults with mental disorders and offers patients a daily routine that is structured in terms of time and space and helps them to regain their footing in everyday life with therapeutic workshops and psychosocial rehabilitation support. The Adamant team consists of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists, specialist educators, psychomotor specialists, care coordinators, hospital staff, and various external artists and art therapists. The film has received generally favourable reviews and was released in its native France in mid-April.

'EGO : THE MICHAEL GUDINSKI STORY' (Rated M) - is an Australian documentary film Directed by Paul Goldman whose prior feature film credits take in his debut in 2002 with 'Australian Rules' which he would follow up with the likes of 'All the Way' in 2003, 'Suburban Mayhem' in 2006 plus a bunch of music videos for Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue, Danii Minogue, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Ross Wilson, and a couple of music doco's since. This film charts the life and times of Michael Gudinski who was an Australian record executive and promoter and a leading figure in the Australian music industry. In 1972 he formed the highly successful Australian record company Mushroom Records through which he signed several generations of Australian musicians and performers ranging from MacKenzie Theory, the Skyhooks, The Choirboys, Kylie Minogue, and New Zealand's Split Enz to newer artists such as Eskimo Joe, Evermore and others. The film includes commentary from Kylie Minogue, Dave Grohl, Sting, Jimmy Barnes, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. Gudinski was considered to be 'one of the most significant and powerful players' in the Australian music landscape. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Melbourne International Film Festival earlier this month. Gudinski died on 2nd March 2021, aged 68.

With seven 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-

STRAYS : Tuesday 22nd August 2023

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'STRAYS' earlier this week, and this American adult comedy film is Co-Produced and Directed by Josh Greenbaum whose debut as a feature film maker was 'The Short Game' in 2013, which he would follow up with 'Becoming Bond' in 2017, 'Too Funny to Fail : The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show' in 2017 and 'Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar' in 2021. The film was released in the US and here in Australia last week, has so far grossed US$12.5M off the back of a production budget of US$46M and has generated mixed or average critical reviews. 

Reggie is an over trusting Border Terrier dog (voiced by Will Ferrell) living with his owner Doug (Will Forte), a down and out drug addict who spends his time smoking bongs, jacking off to internet porn and getting drunk. Despite Doug only keeping him around to spite an ex-girlfriend he himself cheated on, Reggie is under the impression that Doug really loves him and does everything he can to make him happy, much to Doug's constant frustration. 

After Doug is served an eviction notice on the run down shack he calls a home, Reggie accidentally knocks over some packing boxes and in the process destroys Doug's favoured bong. Doug makes several attempts to ditch Reggie in the wild, which Reggie views as a game called 'fetch and fuck' with Doug lobbing the ball into the bush for Reggie to 'fetch' and then he brings the ball home and drops it at Doug's feet he is always greeted with 'oh fuck!' And so Doug in a final attempt to rid himself of Reggie once and for all, drives a long way from home to a big city, lobbs the ball down an alleyway and then drives off as Reggie is chasing his ball. 

Losing track of Doug, Reggie runs into a street-wise Boston Terrier dog named Bug (voiced by Jamie Foxx), who looks sympathetically upon Reggie and takes him under his wing. After a night out on the town as part of Reggie's initiation into the world of stray dogs with an Australian Shepherd dog named Maggie (Isla Fisher) and a therapy Great Dane dog called Hunter (voiced by Randall Park) who permanently wears a plastic cone around his head, Reggie gradually comes to realise that Doug was not the nice owner he believed him to be. And so Reggie decides to get revenge on Doug by ripping his dick off, with the other strays agreeing to join him for support. However, he hardly knows the way home, with his only clues being a giant hamster wheel (a county fair Ferris wheel), a giant cone (a hill), and a devil floating in the sky (a billboard advertising a picture of a mail delivery man).

During the journey, the group begin to bond as they get into a number of crazy situations, culminating in them getting caught by Animal Control after a hunger induced frenzy caused them to chow down on magic mushrooms which results in them hallucinating and mauling a family of rabbits to death, thinking they were stuffed toys. 

During their captivity, Bug admits that he used to have a family own him, but was forced to escape when they tried to put him down after he bit the daughter on the ankle after she trod on his paw (though he fails to comprehend what he did wrong). Following a rousing speech by Reggie to get all the other dogs in the pound to band together to hatch a plan to escape, they all shit on the floor knowing that Willy (Brett Gelman) the Animal Control Officer will be forced to enter the pound to clean up their mess. But Willy is overwhelmed by the smell and the sheer sight of all those dog turds that he slips up and ends flat on his back so leaving the all the strays the opportunity to make a bolt for it, and they do. 

After escaping the pound, Reggie's bad habits from Doug's abuse resurface when a hallucination of Doug from the high he experienced convinces him that his mistreatment was somehow his fault, leading to a falling out between Bug and him, with Maggie and Hunter left to witness the fallout. And so Reggie goes off in search of Doug to make amends, Bug ventures off on his own into the nearby forest, leaving Maggie and Hunter to begin the long walk home back to the big city. 

Reggie makes his way back to Doug, but Doug, having grown very tired of having to put up with the dog, does what he can to kill Reggie outright with a baseball bat. Fortunately, Bug, Hunter and Maggie arrive in the nick of time. Hunter shakes off his plastic cone and attacks Doug pining him down with his front paws while Maggie and Bug each grab a leg prising them apart so that Reggie can successfully rip Doug's dick off. Hunter turns round and takes a dump straight into Doug's mouth as he writhes around while Reggie bites on his dick. In the meantime, the house has ignited, and a bloodied Doug comes stumbling out the front door with his bloodied crotch, his face covered in dog poo and his house ablaze. The dogs decide it's time to get the hell outta Dodge, as a telegraph pole comes crashing down on Doug's pick-up truck.

In the aftermath, the strays begin to move on. Maggie begins training as a Police Dog and starts a relationship with Hunter, Bug is adopted by a missing Girl Scout he helped rescue, and Reggie resigns himself to being a stray and helps other new strays adjust to their life on the streets. In a mid-credits sequence Doug is seen in hospital all bandaged up. The Doctor says that they found faecal matter in his mouth and throat and that they were unable to reattach his penis, to which Doug shouts out 'oh fuck!'. 

'Strays' will not be for everyone, and for this movie you definitely want to be leaving the kids at home. This film is filled with more F-bombs and more dogs peeing and pooping and humping than anything I have ever seen before. Not that there's anything wrong with that if taken in the context of the film and the antics of these everyday stray mutts. As a dog owner myself I found myself chuckling at some of the sight gags and the one liners that I can easily relate to, but as for laugh out loud comedy then this film, for me, failed to hit those high notes. That said, this film has heart and an endearing emotional core that help elevate it above an also-ran movie, and with a brisk run time of 93 minutes it doesn't outstay its welcome - unlike Reggie! Also starring Josh Gad, Rob Riggle, Sofia Vergara and a cameo appearance by Dennis Quaid playing Dennis Quaid.

'Strays' 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 24th August 2023.

The 31st annual Chichester International Film Festival launched on Friday 4th August and runs through until Sunday 27th August. Chichester is a coastal city in the county of West Sussex in England, located about 90kms south of London. Founded in 1992 as the representation of the art of film at the Festival of Chichester, the Festival has grown to feature an outstanding variety of films and talks, including UK premieres and previews, retrospectives on the world’s best filmmakers, treasures from the archives, and an exciting array of special events such as filmmaker Q&A’s, open-air screenings and silent films accompanied by live music. 

The Opening Night Film this year was 'Asteroid City' by Wes Anderson, with the Closing Night Gala Film being 'Along Came Love' from France and Directed by Katell Quillevere in its UK Premiere screening, and is a sweeping melodrama, beginning in the aftermath of the World War II and unfolding over two decades, examining a mutually advantageous marriage of convenience that, against the odds, grows into real love.

Here is a brief run down of those films premiering at the Chichester International Film Festival this year :-

* 'Saleem' - from Jordan and Directed by Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha. This animated feature tells the story of when a young boys father is killed in an unspecified conflict, his mother and siblings leave their village for the city, where they lodge with cousins. Saleem, our hero, finds a map. UK Premiere.

* 'Finally Nearly Getting There' - from the UK and Directed by James Card. Two couples plan a car-share to attend a wedding. When one half of each couple drops out, the 'plus ones' make the long trip from Wales to East Sussex together. UK Premiere.

* 'Mysterious Ways' - from New Zealand and Directed by Paul Oremland. When a media storm threatens the marriage between a vicar and his Samoan boyfriend, something extraordinary happens. World Premiere.

* 'The Principal' - from France and Directed by Chad Chenouga. Middle school vice-principal Sabri Lahlali is prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure that his son, who is about to sit his leaving exams, will achieve the best possible academic record. But he has no idea just how far his plan will take him. UK Premiere.

* 'The Annoyed' - from Iran and Directed by Mehdi Fard Ghaderi. Three film directors battle against the odds as they try to realise their most difficult projects to date. UK Premiere.

* 'Golda' - from the UK and USA and Directed by Guy Nattiv. Focuses on the intensely dramatic and high-stakes responsibilities and decisions that Golda Meir (Helen Mirren), also known as the 'Iron Lady of Israel' faced during the Yom Kippur War. UK Premiere.

* 'Last Dance' - from Belgium and Switzerland and Directed by Delphine Lehericey. This comedy drama film sees Germain, a po-faced widower coping with the loss of his wife Lisa and the unwanted intrusion of his well-meaning loved ones. UK Premiere.

* 'The Nothingness Club' - from Portugal and Directed by Edgar Pera. A ‘Cinenigma’ is the apt description of his remarkable voyage into the mind and writings of Fernando Pessoa. UK Premiere.

* 'Afghanistan' - from the UK and Directed by James Glancy and Marty Stalker. Chronicling James Glancy, a British solder’s return to Afghanistan, just as US troops pulled out of the country amid a Taliban takeover. UK Premiere.

* 'Egon Schiele : Death and the Maiden' - from Austria and Luxembourg and Directed by Dieter Berner. Biopic of the controversial Viennese artist whose erotic expressionist paintings were inspired by his sister Gerti and, later, by the red-haired Wally - immortalised in ‘Death and the Maiden’. English Premiere.

* 'The Trouble With Jessica' - from the UK and Directed by Matt Winn. Sarah and Tom, a successful London professional couple, panic after their friend Jessica kills herself in their garden just as they are on the brink of selling the house for some urgently-needed cash. UK Premiere.

* 'Goliath' - from Kazakhstan and Russia and Directed by Adilkhan Yerzhanov. The Kazakh village of Karatas is terrorised by a criminal boss called Poshaev, a muscular no-neck thug. As the self-proclaimed ruler of his territory, surrounded by a group of armed, merciless killers tasked with punishing anyone who dares to question his unwritten laws, he is larger than life and as unpredictable as the weather conditions on the Kazakh steppe. UK Premiere.

* 'Alma and Oscar' - from Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic and Directed by Dieter Berner. Passionate love affairs between exceptional artists might only be brief, but they are remembered for much longer. That was certainly the case with the stormy romance between pianist and composer Alma Mahler and painter Oskar Kokoschka, some 110 years ago in Vienna. UK Premiere.

* 'The Moon People' - from Russia and Directed by Yuri Moroz. Renata, a high-flying Producer on Russian television, is beset by a crisis of conscience. UK Premiere.

* 'Tarrac' - from Ireland and Directed by Decland Recks. In this sporting underdog story naomhog racing is not widely known outside Ireland and even there, an all-women racing team, in this rowing boat made from wood, tar and canvas, is niche. UK Premiere.

* 'Under Spanish Skies' - from Germany and Directed by Nathan Buck. Leah, a newly bereaved and reclusive artist, invites lifelong friends to her remote farm in Andalucia. A weekend of revelation and fateful decision-making ensues. UK Premiere.

* 'And Then Come the Night Jars' - from the UK and Directed by Paul Robinson. A story of friendship and survival set against the backdrop of the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak. UK Premiere.

* 'Madeleine Collins' - from France and Switzerland and Directed by Antoine Barraud. Judith has a husband and two sons. She also has a lover and a daughter - and a second identity. Entangled in secrets and lies, her double life begins to shatter. English Premiere.

* 'Dracula the Messiah (Part 1)' - from the UK and Directed by Gregory Motton. In this quartet of films which together form an epic adaptation, four years in the making, of Bram Stoker's novel, the festival is screening the first part in its World Premiere. 

For the details of all the other feature films, documentaries, and the selected retrospective works of Cate Blanchett, Hugh Bonneville, Jean Luc Goddard and Lindsay Anderson plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://chichesterfilmfestival.co.uk/

This week then, there are five new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to home, and we kick off the week with an American biographical drama actioner based on the true story of a former government agent turned vigilante who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from sex traffickers. This is followed by an Aussie action thriller about four surfing sons who organise a tribute surfari to a small beach town for one of their fathers who was murdered thirty years earlier, but quickly come to realise that some road trips are to die for. Then we turn to an another Aussie thriller about a flawed everyman who commits a crime, and soon learns how far he is willing to go to save his child. Next up is a British biographical comedy film about a successful British van salesman who decides to open a bank that uses local money to fund local enterprises, but comes to realise that his plan is not quite as straightforward as he had hoped for. And closing out the week we have a Japanese animated feature that follows a 17-year-old lad who struggles to accomplish his late elder brother's dream of becoming a basketball star.

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.

'SOUND OF FREEDOM' (Rated M) - is an American action film Co-Written and Directed by Alejandro Monteverde in his third feature film outing after 'Bella' in 2006 and 'Little Boy' in 2015, with the biographical film 'Cabrini' due out sometime in 2024. This film was released in early July this year, and became a sleeper hit having so far grossed US$178M against a US$15M production budget. It has generated mixed reviews from critics, while audience reception has been highly positive. 

In Calexico, California, Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel) is a Special Agent for the Homeland Security Investigations where he arrests people who possess and distribute child pornography. After rescuing a boy from ruthless child traffickers, he learns the boy's sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, (as part of Ballard's 'Operation Underground Railroad', an anti-sex trafficking organisation) putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death. Also starring Mira Sorvino as Katherine Ballard, Bill Camp and Scott Haze.

'SONS OF SUMMER' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian action thriller film is Directed by Clive Fleury whose previous feature film making offerings are his 1994 debut with 'Fatal Past', and then 'Big City Blues' in 1997. Here then, to mark the 30th anniversary of his father's death, Sean (Joe Davidson) takes his friends on a road trip to his surfer dad's favourite beach. But Sean's drug-dealing friend forces him to do one last favour - to steal a heroin shipment from a local mobster Frank (Temuera Morrison) - and the crime lord retaliates by kidnapping Sean's girlfriend Katie (Isabel Lucas) in an attempt to get his drugs back. Can Sean get back to town in time to save both her life, and his own?

'MERCY ROAD' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian thriller offering Co-Written and Directed by John Curran whose prior feature films take in his 1998 debut with 'Praise', followed by 'We Don't Live Here Anymore' in 2004, 'The Painted Veil' in 2006, 'Stone' in 2010, 'Tracks' in 2013 and 'Chappaquiddick' in 2017. Here, Tom (Luke Bracey) is racing against the clock to save his daughter. A mysterious caller, calling himself The Associate (Toby Jones), contacts Tom with the horrifying news that he has kidnapped Tom’s daughter. The ransom demanded by The Associate isn’t merely an object of value - it’s piece of his soul. A high-tension journey of redemption about a flawed everyman and the lengths he’s prepared to go to save his child, Also starring Susie Porter and Huw Higginson. 

'BANK OF DAVE' (Rated M) - this British biographical comedy film is Directed by Chris Foggin whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut in 2015 with 'Kids in Love' followed by 'Fisherman's Friends' in 2018 and 'This is Christmas' in 2022. This film is based on the real-life experiences of Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear), a successful English van salesman. It follows the story of the Burnley working class and self-made millionaire, who struggles to set up a community bank to help the town's local businesses to thrive. To do so, he must battle London's elite financial institutions and compete for the first banking licence in more than one hundred years. Also starring Hugh Bonneville, Joel Fry, Phoebe Dynevor, Angus Wright, Paul Kaye and Jo Hartley. The film film was released in the UK in mid-January this year by Netflix. 

'THE FIRST SLAM DUNK' (Rated PG) - is a Japanese animated sports film Written and Directed by Takehiko Inoue and based on his own 'Slam Dunk' manga series. The film won the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year, plus it also won the Best Animated Feature Film at the 27th annual Fantasia International Film Festival earlier this month, having so far grossed US$258M at the Box Office and becoming the fifth highest grossing anime film of all time. The film follows Ryota Miyagi (in English voiced by Paul Castro Jnr.), the point guard of Shohoku high-school's basketball team. He had a brother, Sota, who was three years older than him, and who inspired his love for basketball. Ryota and his teammates Hanamichi Sakuragi (Ben Balmaceda), Takenori Akagi (Aaron Goodson), Hisashi Mitsui (Jonah Scott), and Kaede Rukawa (Aleks Le) challenge the inter-high basketball champions, the Sannoh school. The achievements that each member has earned, the past that they carry and various thoughts collide violently on the court.

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-

GRAN TURISMO : Monday 14th August 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'GRAN TURISMO' at my local multiplex earlier this week, and this American biographical sports film is Directed by Neill Blomkamp whose prior feature film credits take in his debut with the acclaimed 'District 9' in 2009, then 'Elysium' in 2013, 'Chappie' in 2015 and 'Demonic' in 2021. This film is based on the PlayStation Studios video game series of the same name, and inspired by the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a teenage Gran Turismo player aspiring to be a race car driver. Originally slated for a wide cinema release last week, this has been reduced to a limited release due to the SAG-AFTRA strike before its release proper from the 25th of this month. The film has garnered mixed critical acclaim and has so far grossed close to US$11M. 

The film opens in the home of the Mardenborough's in Cardiff, Wales with Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe) a compulsive obsessive late teenager over his Gran Turismo simulated racing game for which he is a self-confessed expert having spent literally thousands of hours perfecting his skills and constructing and deconstructing his on-line vehicles to his specifications in order to eek out the necessary speed and handling advantages over his on-line opponents. On this particular day he receives a parcel in the post containing a brand new steering wheel which will help him take his gaming skills to the next level. Jann's brother Coby (Daniel Puig) berates him for having to save up his hard earned cash from his part-time job as a shop assistant for months, in order to buy the steering wheel, but Jann responds that it only took him one month of his wage. Jann and Coby's parents are Steve Mardenborough (Djimon Housou) a former professional football player who played for Cardiff City Football Club and his mother Lesley (Geri Halliwell), who berate Jann for spending all of his waking hours playing his game rather than getting a real job or going on to university.

In the meantime, Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom) a marketing executive for Nissan is in Tokyo pitching a plan to Nissan's Board for an opportunity for the world's best Gran Turismo driver to become a real race car driver, and progress through the ranks of the GT Academy to win a spot on Team Nissan and drive in race competitions globally, and in the process open up Nissan to potentially millions of car buying customers. When the Board give the thumbs up for the competition to go ahead, on the one proviso that it is absolutely safe to do so, Danny sets about calling all of his Chief Engineer contacts who will effectively mentor and monitor the group of ten hopefuls in the GT Academy and whittle those ten down to one outright winner who will progress. The last name on Danny's list after a whole bunch of rejections is Jack Salter (David Harbour), a former race car driver who could have been a world champion were it not for a crash in the 24 hour Le Mans race after which he lost his nerve. 

After sneaking out one night with Coby to go and see Jann's would be girlfriend Audrey (Maeve Courtier-Lilley) and taking their Dad's car without his permission, they get side swiped by another car driven by a group of teenagers on their way home. Both cars are pulled over the Police, and while the officer is questioning the driver of the other vehicle, Jann decides to push the peddle to the metal and drive off at speed with the Police car giving chase. Jann's driving skills manage to evade them being caught, but with a broken wing mirror and the side panels needing a paint job, Dad is waiting outside when they pull up outside their home. As penance, Dad insists that Jann join him at his work at a rail yard, given that Jann seems to have little motivation to find a real job and only has his sights set on a pipe dream of racing cars.

And so Jann is selected to compete in a Gran Turismo race at his local gaming arcade because he clocked the fastest time, and so leaving the rail yard and rebelling against his Dad he arrives just in the nick of time to take his seat at the console. Needless to say Jann wins the race and his place on the GT Academy, located at Silverstone Race Circuit, in Northamptonshire, England. There he is joined by nine other hopefuls and are introduced to Danny, Jack (recently recruited from his Chief Engineer role at Capa Racing) and executive members of Nissan.

And so Jack puts the hopefuls through their paces which involves physical exercises to strengthen their bodies to be able to withstand extreme G-forces and speeds, their mental dexterity to make split second decisions while driving at those extreme speeds, and of course time spent behind the wheel of the cars they may one day be racing. Over the course of six weeks they are put through their paces, with Jack and Danny ultimately reducing the number from ten down to five, with the top five having to race each other in a sudden death competition with the winner taking all. And so in 2011, Jann became the third and youngest winner of the GT Academy competition, beating out 90,000 other entrants, and has his sights set on a career as a professional race car driver.

The next day, Jann is on a private Leer Jet with Danny and Jack heading off to Vienna to take part in his inaugural race. There are five races left in the season and Jann must land in the top four in one race to be granted his FIA licence to be able to drive at the top level. In his first race Jann was a back marker, in his second he ranked 17th, in his third race he came 12th and in his fourth he did not finish and crashed out. However, in his fifth race he finished fourth and so was granted his FIA licence. 

And so the next season takes us to various race circuits around Europe where Jann is always in competition with the very opinionated and aggressively competitive Nicholas Capa (Josha Stradowski) who firmly believes that a simulator driver will never stand on the winners podium, and that they are not real race car drivers. As the season progresses, the action takes us to Germany's Nurburgring race track. With the race in full swing and Jann catching Capa, his Nissan GT-R Nismo caught air and cartwheeled end over end several times through the fence into spectators, leaving one spectator dead. Jann is rushed to hospital in a helicopter while his parents watch on from their home in Cardiff in disbelief. Jann eventually comes round in a hospital bed with Danny and Jack on hand. He asks what happened, and Jack explains, and then responds with 'was anyone hurt', to which Jack responds with one spectator died. Jann is mortified. It takes Jann a while to reconcile the events of that horror crash, but later on while driving around the Nurburgring with Jack behind the wheel of a Porsche he first recounts his own experience at the Le Mans 24 hour race years earlier and teases Jann with the words 'don't let the crash define who you are - how you respond to it will'. He then tells Jann to finish his lap, on the empty track, which he does. 

His final fixture of the season was to be the 24 hour Le Mans race. In the lead up everything is good, and Jann has made a good recovery, but during the early stages of the race he is closing in on a car when it veers out of control, off the track, into the tyre wall and bursts into flames. Jann is visibly shaken by the event which occurred directly in front of him and which he then caught in his rear view and wing mirrors, which brought back memories of his horrific accident. He slows down dramatically giving up his place as seventh and falling back to fifteenth in a crisis of confidence, with Jack and Danny beside themselves in the pit lane. Jack then plays Jann his favourite Kenny G and Enya songs, which he uses to relax and compose himself prior to a race, on the team radio which brings Jann back to the here and now. Fairly quickly with his mind back on the task in hand, Jann begins to recover his lost ground rising through the rankings and ultimately battling it out for third place with Nicholas Capa and just inching ahead of his arch rival as they cross the chequered flag in a photo finish, with Jann being declared in third place and a podium finish. 

'Gran Turismo' is an entertaining sports drama biopic that has emotion, excitement, exhilaration and energy that elevates it above many of the other video game adaptations that we have seen in recent times. The production values and clever use of graphics are top notch, and the racing sequences (of which there are plenty to satisfy any petrolhead) are expertly crafted from both inside, outside and above the cars. The performances from Harbour, Bloom and Madekwe are all on point and the Direction from Neill Blomkamp all help to create an underdog racing story, that if a little generic in its formula, has enough under the bonnet to maintain your interest for its 135 minute run time. This film won't be for everyone, but if fast cars racing around closed circuits is your thing, then this movie is for you. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 17th August 2023.

The 76th annual Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) takes place this year from Friday 18th August through until Wednesday 23rd August. Established in 1947, in is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF showcases both UK and international films (all titles are World, International, European, UK or Scottish Premieres), in all genres and lengths. It also presents themed retrospectives and other specialised programming sections. 

This years Opening Night Film is 'Silent Roar' from the UK and Directed by Johnny Barrington in his debut feature film. A teenage tale of surfing, sex and hellfire set in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, this film has its World Premiere screening. The Closing Night Film is 'Fremont' from the USA and Directed by Babak Jalali. A deadpan dramedy about an insomniac Afghan woman unable to dream the American dream.

Awards are given for the following categories : The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film, with a £20K cash prize; The Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film; The Award for Best International Feature Film, with a £10K cash prize; The Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, with a £10K cash prize; The McLaren Award for Best New British Animation; The Award for Best Short Film; The Award for Creative Innovation in a Short Film; The Award for Outstanding Individual Contribution to a Short Film and The Audience Award.

In the New Feature Films section, the following titles are playing :-

* 'AFIRE' - from Germany and Directed by Christian Petzold. A procrastinating writer must face his insecurities in this sharp portrayal of creative hurdles, against the backdrop of a raging forest fire.

* 'ART COLLEGE : 1994' - from China and Directed by Liu Jian. Gnarly animation and slacker humour reign in this Chinese punk comedy.

* 'CHOOSE IRVINE WELSH' - from the UK and Directed by Ian Jefferies. Irvine Welsh in his own words, with Iggy Pop, Martin Compston, Danny Boyle and others paying tribute. World Premiere.

* 'CHUCK CHUCK BABY' - from the UK and Directed by Janis Pugh in her feature film making debut. Amid the vibrant neon lights of a chicken packaging factory, two women fall in love. World Premiere screening.

* 'FEMME' - from the UK and Written and Directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping in their feature Directorial debuts. Here this queer erotic revenge thriller is a tense neo-noir film about desire and self-loathing.

* 'THE FIRST SLAM DUNK' - from Japan and Directed by Takehiko Inoue. Exhilarating basketball action meets teenage guts in this anime adaptation of a world-popular manga series.

* 'IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?' - from the UK and Directed by Ella Glendining in her film making debut. A filmmaker examines questions of disability on a journey to find herself in others.

* 'JORAM' - from India and Directed by Devashish Makhija. Tough questions of land development and indigenous rights fuel this tense thriller featuring a woman hellbent on revenge.

* 'KILL' - from the UK and Directed by Rodger Griffiths.  Twisted grief and paranoia run through the veins of this gritty Scottish thriller.

* 'THE LYNDA MYLES PROJECT : A MANIFESTO' - from the UK and Directed by Susan Kemp. An exclusive, responsive, preview screening of Susan Kemp’s remarkable documentary in progress,  structuring this intimate and insightful portrait of Lynda Myles, invokes a form known to define, criticise, and shift paradigms in culture – the manifesto, an active document set to inspire anyone who programmes, produces or simply loves cinema today.

* 'ORLANDO, MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY' - from France and Directed by Paul B. Preciado. Here the Director creates an electrifying work of fiction/non-fiction, a polyphonic retelling of Virginia Woolf’s 'Orlando'.

* 'PASSAGES' - from France and Directed by Ira Sachs. A love triangle makes for the thorniest and horniest film of the year. 

* 'PAST LIVES' - from the USA and Directed by Celine Song. A moving examination of South Korean diaspora told through a delicate tale of star-crossed friends.

* 'PROPERTY' - from Brazil and Directed by Daniel Bandeira. An unsparing new take on the home-invasion horror genre that will surprise and disturb.

* 'RAGING GRACE' - from the UK and Directed by Paris Zarcilla in her debut feature film. This smart, chilling debut merging gothic horror about an undocumented Filipina cleaner moving from house to house in London with her impetuous daughter Grace in tow, is saving up her meagre cash payments to get a visa and a more stable home for them both.

* 'SHOWING UP' - from the USA and Directed by Kelly Reichardt. Michelle Williams and Hong Chau star in this intimate drama exploring art-making, creativity and resilience.

* 'THE STRANGE CASE OF DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE' - from the UK and Directed by Hope Dickson Leach. Jekyll and Hyde trade London for Edinburgh in this cinematic retelling of the gothic classic from Robert Louis Stevenson. World Premiere showcasing.

* 'TRENQUE LAUQUEN: PARTS 1 AND 2' - from Argentina and Germany. Laura, a botanist, has disappeared. As the two men who felt they knew her best seek out clues to her whereabouts, they realise how little of Laura they ever really knew.
* 'UNGENTLE' - from the UK and Directed by Huw Lemmey and Onyeka Igwe. Histories of British espionage and male homosexuality intertwine in a mid-length film narrated by Ben Whishaw.

* 'YOUR FAT FRIEND' - from the UK and the USA and Directed by Jeanie Finlay. Here is a rousing portrait of author, activist and podcaster Aubrey Gordon, whose illuminating critique and lived experience as a queer fat woman powerfully interrogate the structures of anti-fat bias that damage and condescend to fat people on a daily basis.

For the full low down on the other film strands playing at the EIFF, you can go to the official website at : https://www.eif.co.uk/edinburgh-international-film-festival

Turning the attention then back to this weeks six new films coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick start with a biographical comedy drama that charts the story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone. This is followed up with an American psychological thriller that follows a dominatrix and her wealthy client, and the disaster that ensues when he tries to end their relationship. Next is a crime drama thriller about a group of environmental activists who plot a daring plan to disrupt an oil pipeline. Then we turn to an Icelandic and Danish film set at the end of the 19th century, in which a young Danish priest is sent to a remote part of Iceland, but the deeper he travels into the Icelandic landscape, the more he loses a sense of his own reality, his mission and his sense of duty. Following on we have an American adult comedy movie about an abandoned dog who teams up with other stray dogs to get revenge on his former owner; before closing out the week with a South Korean offering about a man who is left in space due to an unfortunate accident while another man on Earth struggles to bring him back safely.

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

'BLACKBERRY' (Rated M) - is a Canadian biographical comedy drama film Co-Written for the screen, Directed and also stars Matt Johnson. It is loosely adapted from Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff's book 'Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry'. Matt Johnson's two previous feature film offerings are 'The Dirties' in 2014 and 'Operation Avalanche' in 2016. This film saw its World Premiere screening at this years Berlin International Film Festival in mid-February before its Canadian release in mid-May, having so far grossed US$2.6M from a production budget of US$5M and garnering generally positive critical acclaim. 

The film is a fictional account of the creation of the BlackBerry line of mobile phones by co-founders, Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson) and Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel), and investor, Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton) - the three men who charted the course of the spectacular rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone. Also starring Martin Donovan, Saul Rubinek, Michael Ironside and Cary Elwes. 

'SANCTUARY' (Rated MA15+) - this American psychological thriller film is Directed by Zachary Wigon in only his second feature film outing following 2014's 'The Heart Machine'. This film had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in mid-September last year and received a limited cinema release in the US from mid-May this year, having so far taken US$776K at the Box Office and receiving positive reviews from critics. Set over the course of one night in a single hotel room, the film tells the story of Rebecca Marin, a dominatrix (Margaret Qualley) and Hal Porterfield (Christopher Abbott), her wealthy client. About to inherit his late father's position as CEO and fortune as head of a hotel empire, Hal tries to end their relationship, but when his attempt to cut ties backfires, disaster ensues.

'HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE' (Rated M) - this American environmentalist action thriller film is Directed by Daniel Goldhaber, who also Co-Wrote the screenplay and Co-Produces here too. This is Goldhaber's second feature film following his debut in 2018 with the psychological horror film 'Cam'. This film relies on ideas advanced in Andreas Malm's 2021 book of the same name, where he examines the history of social justice movements and argues for property destruction as a valid tactic in the pursuit of environmental justice. Set for the most part in West Texas, the film follows a fictional group of eight young individuals who decide to blow up an oil pipeline at two key locations. It explores the moral validity of extreme actions in addressing the climate crisis, the question of terrorism, and the use of property damage and sabotage as activist tactics. Starring Ariela Barer, Sasha Lane, Jayme Lawson, Marcus Scribner, Jake Weary, Forrest Goodluck, Kristine Froseth and Lukas Gage. It saw its World Premiere screening at TIFF in mid-September last year, was released Stateside in early April this year, has generated largely positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$883K in Box Office sales. 

'GODLAND' (Rated M) - is an Icelandic and Danish Co-Production Written and Directed by Hlynur Palmason in his third feature film making outing after 'Winter Brothers' in 2017, and 'A White, White Day' in 2019. Set in the late 19th Century, here, Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove), a Lutheran priest from Denmark is sent to Iceland to oversee the establishment of a new parish church, only to have his faith tested and challenged by the harsh conditions of rural life, including his inability as a monolingual Danish-language speaker to communicate with his assigned Icelandic guide, Ragnar (Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson). The film saw its World Premiere showcasing in the Un Certain Regard category of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and had its North American Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year. The film has garnered universal critical acclaim and has generated just US$1.1M in Box Office receipts. 

'STRAYS' (Rated MA15+) - this American adult comedy film is Co-Produced and Directed by Josh Greenbaum whose debut as a feature film maker was 'The Short Game' in 2013, which he would follow up with 'Becoming Bond' in 2017, 'Too Funny to Fail : The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show' in 2017 and 'Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar' in 2021. When a gullible Border Terrier named Reggie (Will Ferrell) is abandoned on the streets by his selfish and ruthless owner Doug (Will Forte), an animal-hating drug addict who never wanted him, he teams up with other stray dogs including a street-wise Boston Terrier named Bug (Jamie Foxx), an Australian Shepherd named Maggie (Isla Fisher), and a therapy Great Dane named Hunter (Randall Park) to get revenge on Doug. Also starring Josh Gad, Rob Riggle, Sofia Vergara and Dennis Quaid. The film is released in the US this week also.

'THE MOON' (Rated M) - is a South Korean space survival film Written and Directed by Kim Yong-hwa, whose previous feature film output includes 'Oh! Brothers' in 2003, 2006's '200 Pounds Beauty', 'Take Off' in 2009 and 'Mr. Go' in 2013. Set in the not to distant future, Korea's first manned mission to the Moon ends in a tragic disaster when an explosion occurs on board. Five years later, a second human spaceflight is launched successfully but a strong solar wind causes it to malfunction. One astronaut, Sun-woo (Do Kyung-soo) is left stranded in space. Facing another fatal catastrophe, the Naro Space Centre turns to its former Managing Director Kim Jae-guk (Sol Kyung-gu) to help bring Sun-woo back home safely. With a production budget of about US$25M, 'The Moon' was pre-sold in 155 countries before its release date commencing with South Korea on 2nd August. 

With six 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-