MICHAEL : Tuesday 7th July 2026

I finally got around to seeing the PG Rated 'MICHAEL' which was released here in Australia on 23rd April. This American biographical musical drama film is Directed by Antoine Fuqua, whose previous feature film credits take in the likes of his debut in 1998 with 'The Replacement Killers' which he would follow up with 'Training Day' in 2001, 'Tears of the Sun' in 2003, 'Shooter' in 2007, 'Olympus Has Fallen' in 2013, 'Southpaw' in 2015, 'The Magnificent Seven' in 2016, and 'The Equalizer' trilogy in 2014, 2018 and 2023. He has also helmed a number of documentaries over the years including 'What's My Name : Muhammad Ali' in 2019. This film Premiered in Berlin on 10th April having cost in the region of US$200M to produce, but has since gone on to gross US$992M at the global Box Office despite fairly negative critical reviews. It is the highest grossing biographical film of all time, and the second highest grossing film of 2026 at the time of writing. In late May this year it was announced that a sequel was already in development. 

In 1966 in Gary, Indiana, steel factory worker Joseph Jackson (Colman Domingo) assembles his sons Jackie (Nathaniel Logan McIntyre), Tito (Judah Edwards), Jermaine (Jayden Harville), Marlon (Jaylen Lyndon Hunter), and his youngest son Michael (Juliano Krue Valdi), aged eight, into the musical band the Jackson 5, with Michael on lead vocals. 

After months of grueling rehearsals, involving corporal punishment from Joseph when their routine doesn't go according to his strict guidelines, the Jackson 5 perform at gigs until Suzanne De Passe (Laura Harrier) discovers them in Chicago in 1968, and they are signed with Motown a year later. 

Their albums top the charts, and they sell out concerts across the US, allowing them to move from their small house to the Hayvenhurst mansion in Encino, California, in 1971. Motown founder Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate) believes Michael has the potential to make it big as a solo artist - a notion that Joseph won't even entertain, for his focus sits squarely on the Jackson 5.

We then fast forward to 1978, and Michael (Jaafar Jackson) signs with Epic Records for his first solo album as an adult, 'Off the Wall' produced by Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson). Despite its success, Michael's solo career is held back by Joseph, who believes he is solely responsible for his children's success and fortunes. Michael is forced to continue touring with his brothers on the Triumph Tour (from July to September 1981 in the US and Canada). 

Feeling insecure about his appearance and developing vitiligo (a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or colour), Michael undergoes rhinoplasty surgery to alter the size and shape of his nose. Following an argument with Joseph, he takes advice from his bodyguard, driver and close friend, Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones) to create his own path in life. In 1981, he hires John Branca (Miles Teller) as his lawyer and manager, and has him fire Joseph by fax.

Michael visits sick children in hospitals and experiments with ideas for his next album, which is set for release in 1982. After watching a news report on the Crips/Bloods gang war in his home studio, he hires members of both gangs to appear in his music video for 'Beat It'. 

'Thriller', the album, is released and breaks worldwide sales records while Michael delivers a groundbreaking performance of 'Billie Jean' at Motown 25. Michael and Branca head to New York to ask the CBS Records president, Walter Yetnikoff (Mike Myers), to have MTV play Michael's music videos, despite the network not playing videos by black artists, for fear of upsetting their largely white middle class American audience. MTV agrees to give him airtime after Yetnikoff threatens to pull the CBS Records catalogue out of the network, including such famed artists as Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper and Bob Dylan.

While Michael basks in the limelight of his global success, Joseph has a private meeting with the boxing promoter Don King (Deon Cole) and proposes the 1984 Victory Tour to reunite his sons. King offers Joseph a PepsiCo sponsorship deal, provided that Michael tours with the Jacksons, to which Michael objects. While the Jacksons film a Pepsi commercial in late January 1984, a spark from the staged pyrotechnics sets Michael's hair on fire, resulting in third-degree burns and nerve damage to his scalp. 

He was rushed to Brotman Medical Centre for extensive medical treatments. Instead of suing, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Pepsi for US$1.5M, which he donated the entire sum to Brotman Medical Centre to fund a newly established burns unit. In the hospital, comforted by his mother Katherine (Nia Long), Michael, when he is well enough, meets with the other patients as he considers his options on whether to get involved with the Victory Tour.

Once Michael recovers, he agrees to tour with his siblings. During the final show at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on 9th December 1984, they perform 'Human Nature' and 'Working Day and Night'. Michael announces it is the last time the Jacksons will perform together, much to the surprise of his siblings and severing his ties finally with Joseph—much to his fathers horror. Michael performs his first solo tour, the Bad World Tour (from mid-September 1987 through until the end of January 1989, and takes in 123 shows), and at Wembley Stadium in July 1988 to an ecstatic crowd, and over the course of seven sold out concerts he promotes his seventh studio album 'Bad' released in 1987. 

Also starring Jamal R. Henerson, Tre Horton, Rhyan Hill, Joseph David-Jones and Jessica Sula as Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, Jackie and La Toya - Michael's older siblings respectively. 

Charting the early life and the golden era of Michael Jackson, the self proclaimed 'King of Pop' is here offered up in a sanitised version of his life that is a celebration of his music, his dance, and perhaps to a lesser extent his mark on fashion, and his desire to make the world a better place through the power of his music. And on that level this film succeeds, backed up by top notch performances from Juliano Valdi and Jaafar Jackson as the younger and older Michael respectively, Colman Domingo as the controlling and seemingly never satisfied Joseph Jackson, and first rate production values in recreating his song and dance routines, and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career. For fans of Michael Jackson, this film is sure to please, but if your are looking for more of what made MJ really tick and the truth behind the legend, then you will be left wanting. This film doesn't tell us anything that we didn't already know about the man, and on that front the film is a let down. Having said that, a title card before the end credits roll tells the audience that 'His Story Continues' and as we now know a sequel is in the works which you would like to believe will hopefully answer all of those unanswered questions and address the big elephant in the room. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 23rd April 2026.

The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) occurs this year from Friday 24th April through until Monday 4th May. The SFFILM Festival is the longest-running film festival in the Americas bringing the most innovative films from around the globe to the Bay Area since 1957. The programme features eleven days of hand-selected films, world class talent, captivating Festival Talks, an Industry Summit for filmmakers, College Days, and Schools at the Festival exclusively for local students. Audiences visit to find singular movies from the latest and greatest filmmakers. We teach kids about the world through film and movie-going. And we make sure independent filmmakers get their stories to the big screen. SFFILM invests in the entire cycle of the cinema experience. From world-class festivals to accessible education programmes to grants for working filmmakers, we fuel every aspect of a thriving film culture. So reads the official website.

This years two Opening Night Film presentations are 'Late Fame' from the USA and Directed by Kent Jones and tells the story of when a retired poet’s forgotten writings capture the attention of a vibrant NYC group, admiration, longing, and desire stir in this heartfelt, witty meditation on ambition and second chances. Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee star. And the second is 'The Invite' from the USA and Directed by Olivia Wilde where two San Francisco couples meet for a casual get-to-know-one-another dinner but instead find themselves traversing surprising boundaries of intimacy and relationships. Penelope Cruz, Olivia Wilde, Edward Norton, and Seth Rogen star. Closing out this years SFFILM Festival is a very special Star Wars Day (May the Fourth) screening of 'Star Wars : Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' from 1980 and Directed by Irvin Kershner.

In the Global Visions Competition, the following titles are being showcased :-

* 'The World of Love' - from South Korea and Directed by Yoon Ga-eun. Boisterous and unshakable, a young girl’s harmonious world unravels after a public clash and anonymous letters force her to confront long-buried truths, testing her sense of self and resilience.

* 'Risa and the Wind Phone' - from Argentina and Directed by Juan Cabral. In a small town where the dead call from an abandoned phone booth, a young girl discovers she alone can hear them, setting off a whimsical quest to help spirits—and find her father.

* 'Memory of Princess Mumbi' - from Kenya and Directed by Damien Hauser. In this futuristic Sci-Fi mockumentary, a filmmaker repurposes footage shot in the African nation of Umata as a love letter to the life of Princess Mumbi.

* 'Those Who Whistle After Dark' - from Turkey and Directed by Pinar Yorgancioglu. Retired Melih drifts through life as his wife and daughter pursue risky professional schemes. When ghostly figures appear, domestic absurdity spirals in this offbeat, comic, and charming portrait of family life.

* 'Salvation' - from Turkey and Directed by Emin Alper. This tense and visually striking drama explores the explosive consequences when territorial rivalries ignite in a remote Turkish mountain village.

* 'The Fox King' - from Malaysia and Directed by Woo Ming Jin. Twin brothers try to make a life for themselves with scant resources as they reel from their mother’s death.

* 'Ungrateful Beings' - from the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia and France, and Directed by Olmo Omerzu. What begins as a summer crush evolves into a snowballing disaster as a recently separated father desperately tries to reconnect with his kids.

* 'Inside Amir' - from Iran and Directed by Amir Azizi. A young man hovers on the precipice of a major life change, biking through his beloved Tehran as he awaits a visa approval.

For the details of the other two competitive strands - the Spotlights Documentary Competition and the Spotlights New Directors Competition, and the low down on the other sections being showcased, plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.sffilm.org

Turning the focus then back on this weeks seven hot new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we launch with a musical drama biopic following the life of American singer Michael Jackson, covering the period from his involvement in the Jackson 5 in the 60's to his early solo career, taking in his hit albums 'Off The Wall', 'Thriller' and 'Bad'. Then we turn to a sport action drama offering in which a once-feared MMA champion is pulled back in for the fight of his life after years away from the cage, when his younger brother is put in danger. This is followed by a Japanese psychological horror film where strange events plague a young man as he searches for the exit in an endless subway tunnel. Next up we have a Australian romantic comedy drama film about an isolated young couple who have moved from the big city to the remote countryside lose control of a joke about imaginary friends. Then we have a French historical drama focusing on the origin story of the protagonist from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, that follows this man's release from prison in 1815 and his transformative encounter with a kindly and forgiving Bishop. Following on is a Moroccan film about a woman who fights to keep her childhood house in Morocco after her daughter decides to sell it; and closing out the week we have a Japanese animated film in which a dying prisoner reflects on his final summer of freedom in 1986, when he lived with a woman and her son surrounded by Housenka flowers.

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.

'MICHAEL' (Rated PG) - this American biographical musical drama film is Directed by Antoine Fuqua, whose previous feature film credits take in the likes of his debut in 1998 with 'The Replacement Killers' which he would follow up with 'Training Day' in 2001, 'Tears of the Sun' in 2003, 'Shooter' in 2007, 'Olympus Has Fallen' in 2013, 'Southpaw' in 2015, 'The Magnificent Seven' in 2016, and 'The Equalizer' trilogy in 2014, 2018 and 2023. He has also helmed a number of documentaries over the years including 'What's My Name : Muhammad Ali' in 2019.  This film Premiered in Berlin earlier this month and is released in the US this week too, having cost in the region of US$200M to produce.

This cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of one of the most influential artists the world has ever known, telling the story of Michael Jackson's life beyond the music, tracing his journey from the discovery of his extraordinary talent as the lead of the Jackson Five, to the visionary artist whose creative ambition fuelled a relentless pursuit to become the biggest entertainer in the world. Highlighting both his life off-stage and some of the most iconic performances from his early solo career, the film gives audiences a front-row seat to Michael Jackson as never before. Starring Michael's nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role and in his film debut, with Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson (father), Nia Long as Katherine Jackson (mother), Miles Teller as John Branca (entertainment lawyer and manager) and Jamal R. Henerson, Tre Horton, Rhyan Hill, Joseph David-Jones and Jessica Sula as Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, Jackie and La Toya - Michael's older siblings respectively. Juliano Krue Valdi stars as the young Michael.

'BEAST' (Rated MA15+) - is a sports action drama film is Co-Produced and Directed by Tyler Atkins in only his second feature film making effort following 'Bosch & Rockit' (aka 'Ocean Boy'). Here, after years away from the cage, and now working as a commercial fisherman, the once-feared MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) champion Patton James (Daniel MacPherson) is pulled back in for the fight of his life when his younger brother is put in danger. Reuniting with the trainer Sammy (Russell Crowe) who once made him a legend, he commits to one final showdown against the reigning title-holder Xavier Grau (Bren Foster), a brutal fighter determined to dismantle the ex-champ's legacy in front of the world. Pushed to his breaking point, the contender's stakes are simple - win, or lose everything he's built. The film also stars Luke Hemsworth and Amy Shark, and was released Stateside earlier this month and has so far grossed US$1M.

'EXIT 8' (Rated M) - this Japanese mystery psychological horror film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Genki Kawamura, and is based on the 2023 video game 'The Exit 8'. A man, credited only as 'The Lost Man' (Kazunari Ninomiya) is trapped in a endless sterile subway passageway and must set out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple - do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor? The film had its Premiere showcasing at the Midnight Screenings of last years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May, and was released in its native Japan in late August last year. The film has received positive reviews from critics and has so far grossed US$41M.

'ALPHABET LANE' (Rated M) - this Australian romantic comedy drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by James Litchfield in his feature film making debut. Here, Anna (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) and Jack (Nicholas Denton) are a young couple who have recently moved to rural New South Wales from Sydney. With the reality of their new situation failing to live up to their expectations, as a joke they invent imaginary neighbours to cope with their growing loneliness. As letters begin to arrive from their new friends, what started out as a joke soon comes to take over their entire relationship. Also starring Henry Nixon, Alan Dukes and Lily Stewart.

'JEAN VALJEAN' (Rated M) - is a French drama film Co-Written and Directed by Eric Besnard and based on the first one hundred pages of the classic Victor Hugo novel 'Les Miserables'. The film focuses on the specific chapter of the novel where Jean Valjean (Gregory Gadebois) is turned away by society after serving nineteen years of hard labour in prison, and his release in 1815. Issued with identification that forever sees him branded a criminal and ostracised, Jean is not surprised to be repeatedly turned away as he seeks refuge for the night. Desperate, he unknowingly knocks at the door of the house of Monseigneur Bienvenu (Bernard Campan), who lives simply with his sister Baptistine (Isabelle Carre) and a lone servant Magloire (Alexandra Lamy). Against all odds, Bienvenu invites him in. On this crucial night, Jean will face a choice that will define his future. The film saw its release in its native France in mid-November last year, and has been releasing progressively in other territories since.

'CALLE MALAGA' (Rated M) - this Spanish language drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Maryam Touzani, in her third feature film outing following 'Adam' in 2019 and 'The Blue Caftan' in 2022. Seventy-nine-year-old Maria Angeles (Carmen Maura) lives an independent existence in the Spanish quarter of Tangier, Morocco. When her daughter Clara (Marta Etura), a nurse who is facing emotional turmoil and economic difficulties, arrives from Madrid to pressure her into selling the family home, where Maria has lived all her life, the stable trajectory of María's life is thrown off course, until she rediscovers her city and unexpectedly finds a romantic spark that will change her life. The film had its World Premiere in the Venice Spotlight section at last years Venice International Film Festival in late August where it won the section's Audience Award. It was released in France in mid-March, in Spain earlier this month, having generated mostly positive critical reviews.

'THE LAST BLOSSOM' (Rated PG) - is a Japanese animated film that is Co-Written and Directed by Baku Kinoshita. Here, and elderly former Yakuza inmate serving a life sentence, awaits a lonely death in his solitary prison cell, until a voice calls out to him. It belongs to a balsam flower, Housenka (voiced by Pierre Taki) that speaks like a human. Through their 'conversation', the old man begins to reflect on the life he’s led. The film was released in Japan in mid-October last year, and is released here in Australia this week. 

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-

EQUALIZER 3 : Tuesday 5th September 2023.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE EQUALIZER 3' at my local independent movie theatre this week, and 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. This film has so far grossed US$75M from a production budget of US$70M since its release last week, and has generated mixed or average reviews. Earlier last month, Antoine Fuqua is reported to have commented that there have been discussions to develop a prequel movie detailing the origins of Robert McCall, and later that while internally talks were had about this being the final film chronologically, he would be interested in returning as Director for a future instalment if Denzel Washington was interested in returning to the role. 

The film opens with a drone shot of a Land Rover driving along country lanes in Sicily surrounded by row upon row of grape vines, until the car pulls up outside a secluded winery. Out steps Lorenzo Vitale (Bruno Bilotta), leaving his young son in the passenger seat, having first retrieved his revolver from the glove box. Vitale is greeted by another man, carrying a semi-automatic weapon who tells him that he was ordered to wait outside. Vitale gingerly makes his way in the through door and down into the depths of the winery stepping over numerous dead bodies along the way, who have all seemingly died very violent deaths. Sitting in the basement is Robert McCall (Denzel Washington, who also Co-Produces here) held captive by two of Vitale's henchmen. McCall gives Vitale nine seconds to consider his options before all hell breaks loose and McCall kills the three surviving henchmen and finishes off a badly injured Vitale with a bullet to the head. McCall then removes a bunch of keys from Vitale's belt to gain access to the winery's vault and recoup money stolen in a cyber-heist (the reason he is there which is revealed later). 

On leaving the winery however, McCall is shot in the back by Vitale's young son. Slumping down on a step after the boy has fled, he considers suicide due to his injury, but instead takes the ferry back to the mainland. Later that night, McCall's car is seen pulled over somewhere on the Amalfi Coast with the lights on, and the drivers door wide open with McCall unconscious from shock. He is found and rescued by Gio Bonucci (Eugenio Mastrandrea), a local Carabiniere, who takes him to Altamonte, a remote coastal Italian town, where he is treated by the local doctor Enzo Arisio (Remo Girone) who removes the .22 calibre bullet, and stitches McCall back up. 

McCall makes a steady albeit slow recovery, having to use a walking cane and initially struggling to use the stairs, but, he is determined to get his previous strength back. He becomes acquainted with the townsfolk, including a waitress named Aminah (Gaia Scodellaro), and becomes fond of the town and its people. He makes an anonymous phone call to CIA Agent Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning) to tip her off about the winery's role in the illegal drug trade under the guise of day to day business transactions in Sicily. Collins and other CIA operatives including her superior officer Frank Conroy (David Denham) later arrive at the winery and find millions in cash along with bags of Captagon tablets hidden inside hundreds of fake wine bottles within a storeroom, confirming McCall's suspicions. She later tracks down McCall at his local cafe, who is evasive about his identity. She tells him that he is a 'person of interest' in her investigations, to which he replies that he's just an 'interesting person'. 

In the meantime, members of the local Camorra clan harass and kill villagers in an attempt to coerce them out of their housing and take over Altamonte for the purpose of building hotels, resorts and casinos in the coastal town. McCall overhears Marco Quaranta (Andrea Dodero), a high-ranking Camorra member, beat up a local seafood storeowner named Angelo (Daniele Perrone) for payments when he is unable to make his weekly dues. To make an example, the Camorra firebomb Angelo's fish store as the townsfolk attempt to douse the flames and watch on. Bonucci reviews video of the firebombing and places a call in to Italian central Police with an inquiry on the van involved. He is later attacked by the Camorra in his own home while his wife and two young daughters are forced to watch on held at gunpoint. Later, while McCall is having dinner at a local restaurant, Marco and two of his henchmen burst in and demand that Bonucci, who is also dining with his family, set up a boat for them. Overhearing them, McCall requests Marco to move their operations to a someplace else, however, when Marco refuses, McCall kills him and his goons outside in a quiet street.

The Naples' head of Police is threatened and tortured by Marco's brother and head of the local clan Vincent (Andrea Scarduzio) to find who killed him. Vincent has Collins' car rigged with a bomb, but she narrowly escapes with non-life threatening injuries after McCall warns her. Vincent later threatens to shoot Bonucci in front of the entire town if McCall doesn’t reveal himself. McCall does, but before Vincent can kill him, the gathered townsfolk begin to record the unwinding scenario on their mobile phones, causing Vincent and the rest of the Camorra clan to flee, as Police sirens are heard approaching. Later that night, McCall stealthily infiltrates Vincent's heavily guarded home and one by one executes his henchmen leaving Vincent to last but not before he has seen the extent of the carnage that McCall has bestowed upon his home. He binds Vincent to a pillar with wire around his neck and his hands and forcible feeds him a handful of the Captagon tablets. When Vincent comes around already foaming at the mouth McCall undoes his bindings and tells him he has six minutes to live before the overdose kills him. Vincent stumbles to his legs and drags himself out of his home and into the streets before finally falling on his back and succumbing to the very drugs he peddles. 

McCall later visits Collins in hospital with a back pack containing US$366,400 in cash that he had previously retrieved from the winery, saying that it is for an elderly couple living in Boston who had their life's pension fund hacked at the touch of a button, leaving them with nothing. Later Collins, visits that couple and delivers the back pack containing the cash. Back in Langley, Virginia, Collins receives a promotion for her role in ending the Altamonte drug trade. With the Quaranta brothers dead, McCall celebrates with the locals after their team wins a football game. 

With 'The Equalizer 3' Director and Co-Producer Antoine Fuqua has delivered another offering in this franchise that follows a similar well trodden formula to its two predecessors, but this time switches the setting from Boston, Massachusetts to the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. Apart from that one glaring factor, very little has changed from the previous two offerings, except that Washington has grown older, wiser and still has the ability to dispense with them bad dudes with violent aplomb in all manner of brutal ways, and, turn on the charm and the emotion when its warranted. The mid-section of the film labours a little while McCall hobbles about with the aid of a walking cane and gradually recuperates while under the watchful eye of Fanning's Collins, but is book ended by two scenes of graphic violence that show off McCall's very particular set of skills that he uses to unflinching effect to dispense with them pesky baddies. And in the closing scene all is good in the world, as Collins gets the promotion, and McCall is embraced by the locals in his new Italian home on the south coast. A fitting end to a fairly predictable run of the mill third instalment that is rescued by Washington's gravitas.

'The Equalizer 3' 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 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-