To view the other film strands being showcased under the headings of 'Culinary Films & Events', 'Late Night Films', 'Documentary Feature Competition', 'Short Film Competition', 'Special Presentations' and the 'Shorts Programs', plus a whole bunch of other good content, you can go to the official website at : https://sonomafilmfest.org/festival/
This week there are seven new cinematic experiences to choose from coming to a big screen Odeon near you, and we launch with an American biographical crime drama offering that tells the story of a pair of Italian Americans who were rivals for control of a major crime family in the mid-20th century. Then we turn to an ancient Greek story of how after twenty years Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held prisoner by suitors vying to be king and his son facing death at their hands. Next up is a psychological horror film of how a judge recovering from a stroke at an assisted living facility, encounters a psychopathic patient who uses a hand puppet to abuse fellow residents. This is followed by an American action thriller that follows a thief who breaks into a luxury SUV, only to realise to his peril, that he has slipped into a sophisticated and deadly trap. Coming next is a live action remake of a Disney classic that sees a princess join forces with seven dwarfs to liberate her kingdom from her cruel stepmother the Evil Queen. Following on we have a story of young woman who unexpectedly befriends an online stranger, sharing her self-centered father's name, and this namesake's support might just transform her life; before closing out the week with a critically acclaimed and multi-award winning animated feature film about a courageous cat and its wondrous journey after its home is devastated by a great flood.
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 week ahead.
- is an American biographical crime drama film Co-Produced and Directed by Barry Levinson, whose previous feature film offerings include his debut with
'Diner' in 1982 and then the likes of
'The Natural' in 1984,
'Good Morning, Vietnam' in 1987,
'Rain Man' in 1988,
'Bugsy' in 1991,
'Disclosure' in 1994,
'Sleepers' in 1996,
'Wag the Dog' in 1997,
'Sphere' in 1998,
'Bandits' in 2001,
'What Just Happened' in 2008 and
'Rock the Kasbah' in 2015. The film is released Stateside and here in Australia this week, and cost US$45M to produce.
In the 1950's, notorious New York crime bosses Frank Costello (Robert De Niro) and Vito Genovese (Robert De Niro) vie for control of the city streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that reshapes organised crime forever. Genovese orders a hit on Costello in 1957, who survives the attempt on his life but is wounded, and ultimately decides to retire from the Mafia. Also starring Debra Messing, Katherine Narducci, Cosmo Jarvis and Michael Rispoli.
'THE RETURN' (Rated M) - this Greek, Italian and UK Co-Production is Co-Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Uberto Pasolini, and is based on Homer's ancient Greek poem
'The Odyssey'. Pasolini's prior feature film making credits take in his directorial debut in 2008 with
'Machan' and then
'Still Life' in 2013 and
'Nowhere Special' in 2020. After 20 years away, Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognisable. The king finds much has changed since he left to fight in the Trojan War. His beloved wife, Penelope (Juliette Binoche), is a prisoner in her own home and hounded to choose a new husband. Their son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) faces death at the hands of suitors who see him as an obstacle in their pursuit of Penelope and the kingdom. Odysseus is no longer the mighty warrior his people remember, but he must face his past to save his family. The film saw its World Premiere at TIFF in early September last year, was released Stateside in early December, has so far grossed US$900K and has generated largely positive critical reviews.
'THE RULE OF JENNY PEN' (Rated MA15+) - is a New Zealand psychological horror film Co-Written for the screen, Executive Produced and Directed by James Ashcroft, and is based on Owen Marshall's short story of the same name. Ashcroft made his feature film Directorial debut with
'Coming Home in the Dark' in 2021, although he has Directed a number of short films and TV series since 2015. Here then, Arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) suffers a near-fatal stroke, leaving him partially paralysed and confined to a retirement home. Resistant to the staff and distant from his friendly roommate, Mortensen soon clashes with seemingly gentle resident Dave Crealy (John Lithgow) who secretly terrorises the home with a sadistic game called 'The Rule of Jenny Pen' while wielding his dementia doll as an instrument of cruelty. What begins as childish torment quickly escalates into far more sinister and disturbing incidents. When Mortensen's pleas to the staff go unanswered, he takes it upon himself to put an end to Crealy's reign of terror. The film was released in New Zealand and the US in early March, in the UK and Ireland in mid-March and here in Australia this week, has garnered generally favourable critical reviews and has so far grossed US$391K.
'LOCKED' (Rated MA15+) - this American action thriller film is Directed by David Yarovesky who made his feature film making debut with 2014's
'The Hive', and which he would follow up with
'Brightburn' in 2019 and
'Nightbooks' in 2021. This film is an English language remake of the 2019 Argentinian action thriller film
'4'x4', and so here, a young, flippant carjacker Eddie Barrish (Bill Skarsgard) is trapped in a heavily modified car by a mysterious sociopath known only as William (Anthony Hopkins), who intends to teach him the 'consequences' of his lifestyle. With no means of escape, Eddie must fight to survive in a ride where escape is an illusion, survival is a nightmare, and justice shifts into high gear. The film is released this week too in the US.
'SNOW WHITE' (Rated PG) - is an American musical fantasy film Directed by Marc Webb, whose prior feature film making credits take in his Directorial debut in 2009 with
'500 Days of Summer', which he would follow up with
'The Amazing Spider-Man' in 2012 and
'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' in 2014,
'Gifted' in 2017 and
'The Only Living Boy in New York' in 2017. This film is a live-action reworking of Walt Disney Productions's 1937 animated film
'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', which itself is based on the 1812 fairy tale
'Snow White' by the Brothers Grimm. Here then, a Princess, known as Snow White (Rachel Zegler) determined to free her kingdom from tyranny, joins forces with seven dwarfs - Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey, to liberate her kingdom from her cruel stepmother, the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot). Also starring Andrew Burnap as Jonathan, Snow White's love interest. The film saw its European Premiere in Spain on 12th March, and goes on wide release as of this week. It cost in the region of US$255M to produce.
'BOB TREVINO LIKES IT' (Rated M) - this American comedy drama offering is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Tracie Laymon in only her second feature film outing following
'Girls! Girls! Girls!' in 2011, although she has Written, Produced and Directed many other short films and TV series episodes since. Here, a young woman named Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira) uses Facebook to pursue her estranged father, Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo). In the process, she encounters a different, childless man of the same name, Robert Trevino (French Stewart) who begins liking her posts, causing the two to correspond. Upon meeting up in real life, Bob becomes a father figure in Lily's life. The film had its World Premiere in early March 2024 at SXSW where it won the festival's Grand Jury Award and Audience Award in the Narrative Feature categories. It is released in the US this week too and has garnered generally positive critical reviews.
'FLOW' (Rated G) - is an animated adventure film Written, Co-Produced, Directed, Photographed, Edited and Co-Scored by Gints Zilbalodis. It is a Latvian, French, and Belgian Co-Production, it features no dialogue and follows a cat trying to survive along with other animals in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world as the water level dramatically rises. The film took five-and-a-half years to complete, and saw its World Premiere showcasing at the end of May 2024 at the Cannes Film Festival and was released in its native Latvia at the end of August last year. It has received widespread critical acclaim and has collected fifty-four award wins (including the Best Animated Feature Film at this years Academy Awards) and another seventy nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. The film has so far grossed US$20M from a production budget of US$3.8M, was released in the US in early December and only now is it released here in Australia.
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 coming week.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
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