JOKER : FOLIE A DEUX - Tuesday 8th October 2024

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'JOKER : FOLIE A DEUX' earlier this week, and this American musical psychological thriller film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Todd Phillips and is the sequel to 2019's 'Joker' - also Directed by Todd Phillips which grossed US$1.08B off the back of a production budget of about US$65M. Loosely based on DC Comics characters, 'Joker' received numerous accolades, including two Academy Award wins at the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Actor (Phoenix) and Best Original Score out of eleven nominations including Best Picture, becoming the first DC film to do so. This film Premiered at this years recent Venice International Film Festival where it was in official competition, and was released in the US last week too. Coming in at a US$200M budget cost, it has divided critics, much like 'Joker' before it, has generated mixed or average reviews, and has so far grossed US$121M.

Set sometime in the early '80's and two years after the events of the first film, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), is now a patient at Arkham State Hospital in Gotham City, and is awaiting trial for the five murders he committed back then. His lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener), has in mind to argue in his defence that Arthur has dissociative identity disorder and that his 'Joker' personality was responsible for the crimes. Meanwhile, head security guard at the hospital Jackie Sullivan (Brendan Gleeson) often shares a joke with Arthur and one day takes him over to the other side of the hospital where less dangerous patients are housed, to join a music therapy session, for his recent good behaviour. While there, his attention is drawn to Harleen 'Lee' Quinzel (Lady Gaga), who is part of the group of singers. The pair strike up a private conversation while Jackie's attention is elsewhere, and Lee tells Arthur that she grew up in the same neighbourhood as he did, had an abusive father who died in a car crash, and was committed by her mother to the hospital after burning down her parents' apartment building. Lee also expresses her admiration for the Joker's crimes and personality, and saying that she watched a TV movie about Arthur/Joker twenty times and that is was great.

One evening during a screening of a film, Lee starts a fire by igniting a box of matches and dropping it into a piano. The flames very quickly take hold and all the patients and staff evacuate outside. Lee and Arthur are caught trying to escape, and Arthur is placed in solitary confinement for two weeks. 

Lee visits him at night to say she is being released because he is such a bad influence on her, but she promises to attend his trial, and they have sex. During an interview with television personality Paddy Meyers (Steve Coogan), Arthur sings to Lee through the television screen, only serving to deepen her love for him. On the day of the trial, Assistant District Attorney Harvey Dent (Harry Lawtey) calls witnesses who dismiss Arthur's claims of insanity. During a break, Maryanne reveals to Arthur that Lee was actually a psychiatry student who grew up in the Upper West Side, and her father, a doctor, is alive, and that she comes from a reasonably well off family. Additionally, she voluntarily committed herself at Arkham, checked herself out, and never burned down an apartment building. 

When Arthur confronts Lee with these new found details, she confesses that everyone lies, and her lies were an effort to get close to Arthur. She also announces to him that she is pregnant and has moved into his old apartment building to create a home for them both for when he is freed.

The next day at the trial, Arthur openly dismisses Maryanne and makes it known that he wishes to represent himself. After bringing Arthur's former clown co-worker Gary Puddles (Leigh Gill) and former neighbour with whom he had an imagined relationship Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz) to the stand, Dent rests his case. Arthur, visibly affected by Puddles testimony, offers no defence, although, during his speech, he mentions the Arkham guards in a negative light, by calling them stupid and fat.

Upon returning to Arkham, he is taken to the shower room by head guard Jackie Sullivan and two other guards, where he is brutally beaten before being dragged back to his cell partially naked. Ricky (Jacob Lofland), an inmate and friend of Arthur, verbally confronts the guards, resulting in Jackie strangling him to death. Arthur overhears this from his nearby cell.

During his closing address in court the next day in which Arthur is fully made up as Joker, a devastated Arthur renounces his Joker persona, taking full responsibility for his actions, and stating that he in fact killed six people - his mother was the last one whose face he smothered with a pillow suffocating her. Upon hearing this devastating news Lee storms out of the courtroom, and the jury finds Arthur guilty of first-degree murder. As the foreman reads the verdict, a car bomb explodes immediately outside the courthouse, killing and injuring numerous attendees and scarring half of Dent's face. In the ensuing chaos, two followers also dressed in full Joker garb, help Arthur escape by bundling him into a car.

Arthur jumps from the car and runs through the streets of Gotham eventually encountering Lee outside his old apartment, but she rejects him for renouncing his Joker persona, tells him that she's not pregnant and bids him goodbye as she walks away. The Police arrive, apprehend Arthur and return him to Arkham. The next day, a young patient approaches Arthur and begins to tell him a joke with the punchline being that he repeatedly stabs Arthur in the stomach. As Arthur bleeds out and soon dies from his wounds, the patient takes the knife he just used on Arthur and carves a smile on his face while laughing maniacally.

'Joker : Folie a Deux' was originally intended as a stand alone film and not the sequel we see here. Perhaps had that been the case critic and audience reviews would have been a whole lot more favourable. That said, for me this film also failed to live up to expectations after the mega success of its 2019 predecessor. While the performances of Phoenix and Gaga are on point (although Gaga is a little under utilised here), the plot meanders along without getting very far at all, and the film struggles to decide if it is a musical, a drama, a comedy, a psychological thriller or a super-villain offering. The production values are nonetheless very good, and while the musical interludes are more often that not a continuation of the scene in which they are set, they are at times over bearing and over used. Save yourself the price of your cinema entry and wait for it to arrive on your preferred streaming service. 

'Joker : Folie a Deux' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN : Tuesday 27th December 2022.

I saw the M Rated 'THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN' this week, and this is a black tragicomedy film Written and Directed by Martin McDonagh, whose prior film making credits take in his debut in 2008 with 'In Bruges' and then 'Seven Psychopaths' in 2012, and the critically acclaimed 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' in 2017. This film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Venice International Film Festival on 5th September, where it received a fifteen minute standing ovation from the audience. Colin Farrell won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and Martin McDonagh won the Golden Osella for Best Screenplay. It was theatrically released in Ireland, the UK, the US at the end of October and was released in Australia this week, having generated widespread critical acclaim and bringing in so far US$20M in Box Office receipts. The film was named one of the best films of 2022 by the National Board of Review, and it has received a leading eight nominations at the 80th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Director.

Towards the end of the Irish Civil War in 1923, on the remote Irish island of Inisherin, Padraic Suilleabhain (Colin Farrell) is devastated when his long term friend and drinking buddy Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) suddenly puts an end to their lifelong friendship. Padraic is generally liked well enough by the local islanders, but Colm announces that he finds him dull, and that he now wishes to spend whatever years he has left composing music, writing poetry and doing things for which he will be remembered when his time comes to move on from this mortal coil. 

Padraic is mortified by the sudden loss of one of his closest friends and becomes more and more distressed by the whole situation which he finds tough to reconcile in his own mind. Colm meanwhile becomes more determined to distance himself from his old friend as Padraic attempts to reason with him. One day at J.J.Devine's pub, and at which the pair used to meet at everyday at 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon, Colm delivers Padraic an ultimatum. Every time Padraic bothers him or tries to talk with him, Colm will cut off one of his own left fingers with a pair of sheep shears that he has back at his cottage.

Padraic's caring sister Siobhan (Kerry Condon) and local lad Dominic Kearney (Barry Keoghan) make attempts to defuse the whole sorry situation, but their efforts prove to be in vain. One night after Padraic has had a few too many Irish Whiskey's, he confronts Colm in the pub saying that he is 'nice' and he can't still understand why Colm no longer wants to be his friend. Colm responds saying that in ten years, twenty years ands fifty years from now no one will remember you for being 'nice', but people will remember your music, your poetry, your books, just as they remember Mozart from the 18th Century. The next day Padraic attempts to apologise for what he said, but Colm cuts off one of his fingers and throws the bloody digit at Padraic and Siobhan's front door. Later Padraic sees Colm meeting with a fiddler from the mainland, and laughing and chatting in the pub. Padraic sees the fiddler and offers him a ride on his horse drawn carriage and tricks the fiddler into returning home to the mainland by lying about his father's life threatening injuries after being hit by a milk cart. As the tensions grow increasingly bleak, local elder Mrs. McCormick (Sheila Flitton) warns Padraic that death will come to the island soon. Meanwhile, Siobhan diplomatically rebuffs Dominic's romantic advances towards her, which whilst he accepts leaves him devastated. 

Dominic suggests to Padraic that he should stand up for himself and be more forthright. Padraic tells Dominic what he told the fiddler in order to get him off the island, and Dominic responds by walking away in disgust saying that he thought he was one of the nicest people on the island and the truth is that he's one of the meanest. And so the 'new' Padraic visits Colm to reprimand him for behaving so badly. Colm reveals that he has finished composing his song, which he calls 'The Banshees of Inisherin'. Having seemingly made their peace, and as the church bells ring at 2:00 o'clock Padraic suggests that he should go ahead to the pub and order them a couple of pints. Colm says that would be fine. Upon leaving Padraic turns and says that he might run into the fiddler he had run off the island and that perhaps all three of them could have drinks. Colm cuts off his remaining left fingers and thumb with the shears and throws them one by one at the door of Padraic and Siobhan's cottage. 

Come 4:00 o'clock and there is till no sign of Colm at the pub. Siobhan walks in and asks what he is doing there. She tells Padraic to come home immediately as there is something she needs to discuss with him. He gets up, albeit reluctantly and she tells him that she's leaving, that she's sick of life on the island and that she has landed a job as a librarian on the mainland. Devastated by this turn of events, Padraic waves farewell to his sister from atop the cliffs overlooking the harbour where Siobhan catches the ferry boat to take her away to her new life. Padraic comes home to find his pet donkey Jenny had choked on one of Colm's fingers and consequently died, leaving him doubly distraught. He bury's Jenny in the yard of their cottage. 

Heartbroken, Padraic blames Colm for Jenny's death. He confronts Colm to tell him he will burn his house down the next day at 2:00pm either with him inside or not. Following the Sunday church service and 2:00pm comes round, Padraic sets the house on fire as promised, taking Colm's dog to safety. As Padraic leaves he takes one final look inside through a window and sees Colm sitting inside the now burning building smoking a cigarette. The local Policeman, Dominic's abusive father Peadar (Gary Lydon), goes to Padraic's house to deliver him a beating after saying in the pub that he beats up and fiddles with Dominic. However, Peadar is diverted away by Mrs. McCormick, who silently leads him to a nearby lake where Dominic's corpse is floating face up.

The next morning, Mrs. McCormick finds a chair next to one of the windows in Colm's burnt-out and still smouldering house. She sits there as Padraic, with the dog, finds Colm standing on the beach. Colm apologises for Jenny's death and suggests that by destroying the house this has ended their feud and that they are now even, but Padraic advises his former friend that it only would have ended if he'd have stayed inside the house. As Padraic turns to leave, Colm thanks him for looking after his dog, to which Padraic replies, 'any time' and continues walking.

Given the rave reviews for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' I left the movie theatre feeling a little nonplussed. Make no mistake, the acting here by Farrell, Gleeson and Keoghan is top rate and you would be hard pressed to find more nuanced performances on the big screen this year; the dead-pan black and bleak humour when it lands created some real laugh out loud moments amongst the packed cinema audience I saw this with; the cinematography of this little corner of Ireland is beautiful; and Writer/Director Martin McDonagh has crafted a telling story of two lifelong buddies gone horribly wrong and from which the gravity of their situation escalates to a point of no return and from which they will suffer the consequences for as long as they both shall live. This film won't be for everyone, it's hardly uplifting and for some it will leave you feeling melancholy and depressed, while for others it may deliver a heartfelt message about human frailty and the importance of acceptance. 

'The Banshees of Inisherin' warrants 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 2nd March 2017.

The 89th annual Academy Awards were held on Sunday evening 26th February 2017 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California hosted for the first time by Television Personality Jimmy Kimmel. Awards were presented in 24 categories in front of a global audience of several hundred million viewers, with the who's who of film and television talent announcing the winners on the night including Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Halle Berry, Mark Rylance, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, Alicia Vikander, Javier Bardem, Amy Adams, Seth Rogen, Michael J. Fox, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, Samuel L. Jackson, Warren Beatty, and Faye Dunaway. The night was not without incident, which will go down in Oscar history, when the wrong Best Picture Winner was announced after the Producers of 'La La Land' were into their acceptance speeches and had to hand their golden statues to the Producers of 'Moonlight' as the rightful recipient of this most prestigious and coveted award. All that aside, the usual glitz and glamour was on show for all the world to see on this Hollywood Night of Nights, which yielded the following list of winners & grinners in the main categories:-

* Best Picture : 'Moonlight' (eventually!)
* Best Director : Damien Chazelle for 'La La Land'
* Best Animated Feature Film : 'Zootopia'.
* Best Foreign Language Film : 'The Salesman' (from Iran)
* Best Actor : Casey Affleck for 'Manchester by the Sea'
* Best Actress : Emma Stone for 'La La Land'
* Best Supporting Actor : Mahershala Ali for 'Moonlight'
* Best Supporting Actress : Viola Davis for 'Fences'
* Best Original Screenplay :  'Manchester by the Sea' by Kenneth Lonergan
* Best Adapted Screenplay : 'Moonlight' by Barry Jenkins
* Best Original Score : 'La La Land'
* Best Original Song : 'La La Land' - 'City of Stars'
* Best Visual Effects : 'The Jungle Book'.

All up 'La La Land' took out six Oscars out of the fourteen it was nominated for, with Best Cinematography and Best Production Design in addition to those four mentioned above; 'Moonlight' took out three; 'Manchester by the Sea' and 'Hacksaw Ridge' each took out two, with the latter picking up Best Editing and Best Sound Mixing gongs.

This week there are five new release films kicking off with an ageing ailing Superhero action offering that sees a popular mutant character bow out for the last time, together with his mentor, but he won't go down without a fight! Then we turn to an Australian period piece coming of age drama set in remote Western Australia and based on  much loved book; then a modern political intrigue thriller set in the corridors of power in Washington D.C.; followed by a WWII couple trying to turn the tide against Hitler's onslaught by writing postcards, and wrapping up with Groundhog Day revisited for this student who has a few things to work out.

Remember too that you are cordially invited to record your own relevant and constructive movie going thoughts and observations by leaving a Comment below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and meanwhile, enjoy your movie experience this week.

'LOGAN' (Rated MA15+) - Hugh Jackman has been playing the character of James 'Logan' Howlett aka 'Wolverine' aka 'Weapon X' for the past seventeen years and has appeared in nine 'X-Men' films including this latest release which he says will be his last outing as the titular wisecracking adamantium clawed Superhero. He first appeared in 2000's 'X-Men' and then in 2003's 'X2', then in 2006 in 'X-Men : The Last Stand'. In 2009 Logan got his first stand alone feature in 'X-Men Origins : Wolverine' and was Directed by Gavin Hood bringing in US$374M at the global Box Office. 'X-Men : First Class' followed in 2011, then 'The Wolverine' in 2013 another stand alone feature Directed by James Mangold and bringing in US$415M in worldwide receipts. 'X-Men : Days of Future Past' was released in 2014, and then 'X-Men : Apocalypse' in 2016. All up those first eight 'X-Men' films in which Wolverine/Logan has appeared have generated US$3.6B at the Box Office from a budget outlay of US$1.2B. Now 'Logan' is back in his final instalment (allegedly) and is once again Directed by James Mangold and this time on a US$127M budget in this third stand alone offering and the tenth film in the 'X-Men' franchise. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival a few weeks ago and gets its worldwide release this week. Early reports have been very positive, with some saying it is the best 'X-Men' film to date.

Set in a near future world where the mutant population is dwindling, with no new mutant births in over twenty years. With it Professor X's (Patrick Stewart) dreams of a brave new world featuring a new stage of mutant evolution have slowly died. Logan (Hugh Jackman) has settled into a life as a limo driver somewhere on the Mexican border and scrapes together a meagre living while hustling medication for an increasingly infirm and ageing Professor X whom he cares for in a ram shackle home shared with Caliban (Stephen Merchant) who looks after and attends to the ailing Professor whose telepathic powers have now become unstable with his advancing years. Logan too is ageing and his powers aren't what they used to be. Logan's efforts at lying low and trying to escape his legacy are thwarted with the sudden arrival of mystery woman Gabriella (Elizabeth Rodriguez) who seeks his help for Laura Kinney (Dafne Keen) a young eleven year old girl with powers very similar to Logan's own - after all, she is a female clone created from his blood. Dark forces are hot in pursuit of young Laura and so Logan is drawn back into the centre of the action as he seeks to protect the young girl despite his failing abilities. Richard E. Grant and Boyd Holbrook also star.

'JASPER JONES' (Rated M) - based on the 2009 book of the same name by author Craig Silvey, this Australian drama film was made for AU$5.5M, is Directed by Rachel Perkins, and stars a line up of fine Aussie acting talent. Set in the mid 1960's in a remote Western Australian mining town, Charlie Butkin (Levi Miller) a bookish early teenage lad is visited unexpectedly on Christmas evening by Jasper Jones (Aaron L. McGrath) - a mixed white/Aboriginal rebellious outcast in the community who pleads with Charlie for his help. Jasper leads Charlie to a clearing in the bush where hanging from a tree, very dead and battered is Jaspers girlfriend. With Jasper fully aware that he is likely to be blamed for the girls death, he plans a cover up with Charlie. What ensues over the following week is an investigation, finger pointing, speculation and suspicion that will consume the whole community. Meanwhile, Charlie's coming of age story involves him facing up to the tragedy of his family break-up, him meeting his first true love and what it means to be really courageous. Also starring Toni Collette, Hugo Weaving, Matt Nable, Angourie Rice and Dan Wyllie.

'MISS SLOANE' (Rated M) - this political thriller set in Washington D.C. is Directed by John Madden, cost US$13M to make, was released Stateside in late November last year and has received generally positive Reviews and garnered its lead actress, Jessica Chastain, a Golden Globe nomination. Set amidst the power play of political activists, Elizabeth Sloane (Chastain) is revered as a political lobbyist without equal, who always wins and is known for her cunning and her never say die attitude. However, when she is confronted by the most powerful political opponent of her career, she comes to realise that perhaps there is more to life than winning. Also starring John Lithgow, Mark Strong, Sam Waterston and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

'ALONE IN BERLIN' (Rated M) - this WWII fictionalised drama is based on the 1947 novel of the same name by Hans Fallada which is based on real life couple Otto and Elise Hempel, is Directed by Vincent Perez and Premiered at the February 2016 Berlin International Film Festival and began its staggered worldwide release in Germany in September last year, eventually arriving Down Under this week. Telling the story of Otto and Anna Quangel (Brendan Gleeson and Emma Thompson respectively) who upon learning of the death of their only son, begin their personal quest to undermine the Nazi's and Adolf Hitler. The couple start writing postcards with messages urging people to stand and protest against Hitler and his Nazi's, and then placing the cards in prominent places where they will attract the most attention. Police Inspector Escherich (Daniel Bruhl) is tasked with finding the originator of the postcards, and seeing that justice is served as only the Gestapo know how to serve it.

'BEFORE I FALL' (Rated M) - based on the 2010 book of the same name by Lauren Oliver, this drama film is Directed by Ry Russo-Young and surrounds Samantha Kingston (Zoey Deutsch), a high school senior student who on 12th February, discovers that she may be living the last day of her life over and over and over again, until she gets it right! Knowing that you only had one day left on this mortal coil, what would you do, where would you go, who would you see, what would you say. Amidst all of these questions and others, she must unfathom the mystery surrounding her death and discover the true meaning of everything she may yet lose over the course of one inexplicable week. The film has received generally positive Reviews.

That's it for this week! Five films to tempt you out to your local movie theatre with a comic book adaptation, three book adaptations and a work of fiction  Plenty of varied choice then, and remember to share your views with your like minded cinephiles. In the meantime, I'll see you somewhere, sometime at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

ASSASSIN'S CREED : Sunday 1st January 2017.

I saw 'ASSASSIN'S CREED' with my fifteen year old lad at my local multiplex on the day of its Australian release, and despite the largely damning Reviews that this latest video game adaptation to the big screen has so far received, I sat in a near full theatre with a mostly male audience of all ages. The hugely popular action adventure video game upon which this film is based first appeared on our gaming consoles back in 2007 courtesy of Ubisoft. Wikipedia describes the premise as being set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the centuries-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control, and their indirect relation to an ancient species pre-dating humanity, whose society, along with much of Earth's biosphere, was destroyed by a massive solar storm. The games feature predominantly a Desmond Miles, a bartender in the present day who is a descendant of several lines of prominent Assassins. Since its early days Assassins Creed has grown into a series of nine main games and a number of supporting games too. There have also been a number of short animated films, comics, novels, graphic novels and even an Encyclopedia. The games have sold approaching 100 million copies, and so conversion to the big screen seems like a logical step. And so kick starting 2017, we have a film, based on that game, Directed by Justin Kurzel and Co-Produced and starring in the lead role, Michael Fassbender. The film was made for US$125M and has so far taken US$49M since its release in the US and France just before Christmas.

The film starts off in 1492 somewhere in Spain where a group of gathered assassins are swearing in Aguilar de Nerha to pledge his undying allegiance to their secret group of deadly assassins who for centuries have fought against the Templar Order. We then fast track to 1986 somewhere in California where a young lad is riding through the dust and dirt on his bike, and arriving home is confronted by his newly murdered mother sat at the kitchen table, with blood still pouring down her arm from a recently inflicted knife wound to the neck. Looking on is the lads father who tells the boy, Callum, that his mother needed to die and for him to run and hide as the Police come bearing down outside. We then jump thirty years forward to 2016, and that young lad, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) now grown up is on Death Row for murdering a Pimp. He is visited by a Priest to give him some last moments of solace and to seek forgiveness for his crime, before he is shackled up and led to his execution. At 6:00pm exactly the lethal injections are administered, as Lynch sits strapped to his bench, nervously awaiting for those injections to have their lasting effect.

The next day and Lynch wakes up in a clinical room gazing into the eyes of Dr. Sophia Rikkin (Marion Cotillard) in the Madrid headquarters of Abstergo Industries - the modern day incarnation of the Templar Order, headed up by her father as CEO, Allan Rikkin (Jeremy Irons). Sophia explains who she is, what he is doing here and why he was rescued. She reveals to Lynch that he is descended from a long line of Assassins that for centuries fought against the Templar Order, and that he is directly related to Aguilar de Nerha (also payed by Michael Fassbender) - a 15th Century Spanish Assassin. Dr. Rikkin proposes that Lynch be hooked up to revolutionary new technology that they have developed - The Animus - that allows him to travel back in time to 15th Century Spain by unlocking genetic memories contained in his DNA. The purpose of sending Lynch back is to locate the missing 'Apple of Eden' which was last seen by Aguilar de Nerha back in the late 15th Century. This ancient artefact seeded the first sin of mans disobedience, and as a result led to all the violence in the world - a plague which the Templars are keen to eradicate and subjugate the human race and therefore end such corruption.

And so initially Lynch is forced into The Animus against his will and travels back to 1492, albeit not physically, but mentally and emotionally through unlocked memories. There he comes to blows with The Templars who have kidnapped the Prince Ahmed de Granada in an attempt to coerce his father the Sultan Muhammad to give up the Apple of Eden which he has in his possession. Needless to say the resulting chariot chase doesn't go quite according to plan as Templars and Assassins clash leaving Aguilar dangling over a cliff edge clinging onto the young Prince for dear life with. At which point The Animus is switched off, bringing Lynch back to the here and now.

In between resting up and recovering from his experiences in The Animus Lynch gets to know others in the Abstergo facility - the majority of whom seem to be other descendants of former assassins. Lynch has one on one sessions with Sophia in which the pair get to know each other, and Sophia reveals who her father is and that her mother was killed in similar circumstances to his own. Meanwhile Allan Rikkin has to report to the elders who fund his research facility to the tune of US$3B a year, headed up by Ellen Kaye (Charlotte Rampling) who advises Rikkin that funding will cease and the project pulled due to apparent lack of success. At which point Rikkin reveals he is close to retrieving the Apple of Eden but needs a little more time, putting pressure on Sophia to fast-track Lynch into The Animus again, despite the dangers associated with it.

Back in The Animus and Aguilar and his partner Maria (Ariane Labed) are scheduled for execution by being burned alive at the stake for their crimes against the strict beliefs of The Templars. They manage to escape and what ensues is an impressive and well executed roof top foot chase involving parkour techniques that would make any such aficionado swoon, whilst thwarting numerous enemy foot soldiers with close quarter hand to hand combat involving spears, knives, bows and flying fists and feet. Cornered the chase comes to halt with Aguilar and Maria performing a huge 'leap of faith' from a roof top tower to escape their enemy, at which point Lynch is extracted for The Animus.

Back in the present day Rikkin reveals to Lynch that his father Joseph (Brendan Gleeson) is still alive and living in the Abstergo facility. Lynch believed his father to be long dead and so confronts him with the aim of killing him there and then with the original wrist blade given to him by Rikkin. When Joseph explains that his mother was an assassin who chose to die by his hand rather than be captured by The Templars, Lynch relents. Joseph also advises his son that his and Aguilar's memories are merging, enabling Lynch to assimilate his ancestors combat abilities and skills.

This time Lynch goes voluntarily into The Animus to finish what he started. There Aguilar and Maria ambush a meeting where the Sultan Muhammad is about to hand over the Apple of Eden to The Templars in exchange for his sons life. A fight breaks out resulting in Maria's death, but Aguilar has in his possession the Apple of Eden. He escapes by taking another 'leap of faith' off a bridge. He resurfaces later on in Cadiz where he hands over the Apple of Eden to a staunch supporter of the Assassins, Christopher Columbus, where he vows to take the artefact to his grave to keep it safe. Fast forward five hundred years and armed with this knowledge the Rikkin's deduce that the Apple of Eden is buried with Columbus in his crypt, and so retrieve it!

Now back out of The Animus Lynch hallucinates about his mother and his ancestors all dressed in full Assassin attire, and this gives him a new found confidence about his lineage and his newly acquired skills and abilities assimilated from Aguilar. With his fellow associates now all ready to over throw the Templars Abstergo facility, they do so and ultimately converge on The Templars sanctuary in London where Rikkin is to be honoured for retrieving the Apple of Eden, and where its powers will be unlocked finally. Despite her scientific contribution to The Animus, Sophia is overlooked by Ellen Kaye at this time of glory in favour of her father, but is told 'your time will come'! As The Assassins all gather at The Templars sanctuary for the big reveal, Lynch confronts Sophia who has become disillusioned with her fathers beliefs. Knowing the reason why Lynch is there, she does nothing to stop him, culminating with Rikkin bleeding out on the floor with a knife wound to the throat, The Apple of Eden back in the hands of The Assassins, and The Templars fleeing in fright.

'Assassin's Creed' has received generally negative feedback which for film that boasts big name Hollywood stars - Fassbender, Cotillard, Gleeson and Irons, with the former also Co-Producing and a US$125M budget is a little surprising. On the plus side the action set pieces are well rendered, fast paced, inventive and well shot. The imagery too within the Abstergo facility is believable, and the scenic shots of 15th Century Spain are well delivered and help to enhance the look and feel of the film. On the minus side however, the action is very video game oriented, and the performances of the lead cast are a little dull, with Cotillard, Irons and Gleeson especially seemingly phoning in their roles from their on set trailers! The plot is confusing at times and The Apple of Eden is a simple McGuffin to advance the story beyond well choreographed fight scenes, chase sequences and solid visuals. However, all style over substance! The thumping soundtrack too by Jed Kurzel, the brother of the Director is at times deafening to the detriment of the action which it accompanies. A franchise is in the offing, with a second film already in the early stages of development - it had better be an improvement on this first one is all I will add.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 8th-14th May 2016

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Domhnall Gleeson does on 12th May - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 33, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 8th May

• David Attenborough - Born 1926, turns 90 - Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Conservationist
• Michel Gondry - Born 1963, turns 53 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Melissa Gilbert - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actress

Monday 9th May

• Glenda Jackson - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actress | Politician
• Candice Bergen - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actress | Producer
• Rosario Dawson - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actress | Producer
• Albert Finney - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor | Producer
• James L. Brooks - Born 1940, turns 76 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Allan Bennett - Born 1934, turns 82 - Writer | Producer | Actor  

Tuesday 10th May

• Bono - Born 1960, turns 56 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Producer | Actor
• Maureen Lipman - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actress
• Meg Foster - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actress  

Wednesday 11th May

• Holly Valance - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actress
• Frances Fisher - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actress
• Tim Blake Nelson - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director  

Thursday 12th May

• Gavin Hood - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Jason Biggs - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Producer
• Domhnall Gleeson - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actor | Writer
• Emilio Estevez - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Gabriel Byrne - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Stephen Baldwin - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Ving Rhames - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer
• Emily VanCamp - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actress  

Friday 13th May

• Zoe Wanamaker - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actress
• Robert Pattinson - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actor | Producer
• Harvey Keitel - Born 1939, turns 77 - Actor | Producer
• Joe Johnston - Born 1950, turns 66 - Director | Producer
• Tim Pigott-Smith - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor
• Stephen Colbert - Born 1964, turns 52 - Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Actor  

Saturday 14th May

• Tim Roth - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director
• George Lucas - Born 1944, turns 72 - Writer | Producer | Director | Editor
• Robert Zemeckis - Born 1952, turns 64 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Danny Huston - born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Director
• Cate Blanchett - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Sofia Coppola - Born 1971, turns 45 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actress

Domhnall Gleeson was born in Dublin, Ireland, to mother Mary Weldon and Actor father Brendan Gleeson. He is the eldest of four sons - the others being Fergus, Ruairi and Brian, also an Actor. He attended Malahide Community School - a co-educational school located in Malahide, County Dublin and subsequently graduated from the Dublin Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Media Arts.

After graduating Gleeson started to Write and Direct screenplays for films and plays for the stage. In 2001 he gained his small screen debut in the mini-series 'Rebel Heart' - the story of Ireland moving towards independence following the Easter Uprising of 1916 through to Civil War in 1922. Next up he gained a part in the short film 'Six Shooter' which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. His feature length debut came in 2005 with a small part in teen zombie comedy horror 'Boys Eats Girl'. That same year he appeared in three episodes of the Irish television series 'The Last Furlong', with 'Studs' a year later in which Gleeson Jnr. starred for the first time with Gleeson Snr.

He then spent a couple of years treading the boards in a Charles Dickens adaptation of 'Great Expectations' at Dublin's 'The Gate Theatre', and 'American Buffalo' at the same playhouse that year. Gleeson also starred in the Broadway play 'The Lieutenant of Inishmore' for which he received a Tony Award nomination. In 2008 he starred with Jeff Bridges in television movie 'A Dog Year' and also 'Perrier's Bounty' - a Dublin set crime thriller starring Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Gabriel Byrne and Jim Broadbent.

After comedy sketch show in which Gleeson played various roles over six episodes on 'Your Bad Self', there came 'Never Let Me Go' written for the screen by Alex Garland, Directed by Mark Romanek, and starring Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Charlotte Rampling.  Whilst the film failed to recover its budget outlay, it was hailed a critical success. That same year came the chance to work with the Coen Brothers on 'True Grit' with Jeff Bridges once again and Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, J.K.Simmons, Barry Pepper and the young Haileee Steinfeld. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, eight BAFTA's and two SAG Awards. Also in 2010, was 'Sensation' and his first outing as Bill Weasley in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1' with 'Pt. 2' following up a year later.

Sci-Fi actioner 'Dredd' followed in 2012 with Karl Urban in the title role as the judge, jury and executioner based on the comic book 'Judge Dredd'. This was followed up by polar opposite 'Anna Karenina' as Directed by Joe Wright with Jude Law, Keira Knightly once again, Alicia Vikander and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The film won an Academy Award and a BAFTA for Best Costume Design and a further 27 wins and 52 other nominations. 'Shadow Dancer' was up next with James Marsh at the helm and starring Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson and Andrea Riseborough in this early 90's Belfast set drama.

The Romantic dramedy 'About Time' followed in 2013 as Directed by Richard Curtis with Bill Nighy, Rachael McAdams and Margot Robbie. It made US$87M off its US$12M budget.

In 2014 there was 'Frank' with Michael Fassbender, Scoot McNairy and Maggie Gyllenhaal, then 'Calvary' with Brendan Gleeson again, Chris O'Dowd, Dylan Moran, Aidan Gillan and Kelly Reilly. War time survival story 'Unbroken' for Director/Producer Angelina Jolie followed starring Jack O'Connell, Jai Courtney and Garret Hedlund. The film was a critical and commercial success bringing in US$163M and picking up thirteen award wins and 27 other nominations from around the circuit.

2015 saw 'Ex-Machina' for Director Alex Garland with Alicia Vikander again and Oscar Isaac, with 'Brooklyn' and Saoirse Ronan, Jim Broadbent once more and Julie Walters.  Next up came the much hyped and eagerly awaited 'Star Wars : The Force Awakens' in which Gleeson starred as General Hux - the ruthless First Order Starkiller Base Commander - hugely successful that really needs nothing else said about it! And then there was this years 'The Revenant' with Leonard DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Will Poulter for Director Alejandro G. Inarritu - also hugely successful more critically than commercially but still bringing in a very tidy US$527M in Box Office receipts so far before even hitting the home entertainment market which it does from later this month.


Next up for Gleeson is 'Crash Pad' due later this year with Christina Applegate and Thomas Haden Church, 'Mena' in post-production for 2017 with Tom Cruise and Jesse Plemmons as Directed by Doug Liman, 'A Futile and Stupid Gesture' with Seth Green and Will Forte currently filming and 'Star Wars : Episode VIII' also filming.







All up Gleeson has 35 acting credits, five award wins and another nine nominations. In 2015 every film he appeared in received multiple Academy Award nominations, and he has appeared in three films nominated for Best Picture - 'True Grit', 'Brooklyn' and 'The Revenant'.  With his father and brother Brian he co-founded the 'Immaturity for Charity' sketches which the three star in to raise funds for St. Francis Hospice in Dublin.

Domhnall Gleeson - like father like son; Director and Writer of several short films; you could say almost Irish royalty; and clearly increasingly sought after with an impressive recent track record and more great stuff in the pipeline - Happy 33rd Birthday Domhnall from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-