THE ODYSSEY : Tuesday 21st July 2026.

I saw the M Rated 'THE ODYSSEY' in an almost full house at a 70mm screening at my local independent movie theatre this week. This epic fantasy action film is Written, Produced and Directed by Christopher Nolan, who I'm sure requires no introduction, suffice to say his prior screen credits include his 1998 feature debut with 'Following' which he would follow up with the likes of 'Memento' in 2000, the Batman 'Dark Knight' trilogy from 2005 until 2012, 'Inception' in 2010, 'Interstellar' in 2014, 'Dunkirk' in 2017, 'Tenet' in 2020 and 'Oppenheimer' in 2023. This film is an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem the 'Odyssey', that together with his 'Illiad' are regarded as the foundational works of ancient Greek literature. With a production budget estimated to be in the region of US$250M, the film is among the most costly of Nolan's career, and the first to be shot entirely on IMAX's 70mm film cameras. The film saw its World Premiere screening in London earlier this month, went on worldwide release last week, has so far grossed US$346M at the global Box Office and has garnered universal critical acclaim.

Ithaca has for many years been without its King Odysseus (Matt Damon), who disappeared following the Trojan War with seemingly no one aware of his whereabouts or if he even still lives. Many suitors, including nobleman Antinous (Robert Pattinson), actively court Odysseus's wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) to claim the throne from Odysseus and Penelope's son Telemachus (Tom Holland). Only Penelope, Telemachus, and half-blind and faithful servant Eumaeus (John Leguizamo) still believe Odysseus will return some day. 

Telemachus plans to travel with his teacher and bodyguard, Odysseus's friend Mentor (Ryan Hurst), to meet with Menelaus (Jon Bernthal), the King of Sparta, in an attempt to learn of his father's location. Antinous learns this from his lover, Penelope's handmaid Melantho (Mia Goth). He conspires with other suitors to kill Telemachus upon his return and plunder Ithaca. Menelaus and his wife Helen (Lupita Nyong'o) speak uncertainly about Odysseus's fate and can only offer Telemachus stories about him. Rumours are rife that the Greek civilisation is in decline due to attacks by murderous 'people from the sea' who do not abide by Zeus's law, by showing mutual respect between guests and hosts.

After leaving Ithaca, Odysseus and his small flotilla of Greeks land on the shores of Troy, plotting to breach its walls. After ten years, Odysseus devises a plan to hide inside a large wooden horse to sneak into Troy, with Sinon (Elliot Page) left behind to present the horse as a gift. Sinon is killed, but the deception succeeds. Under cover of darkness, the Greeks open the gates for Menelaus's older brother, Agamemnon (Benny Safdie), to attack Troy without mercy and retrieve Helen. Agamemnon and Menelaus return home early, while Odysseus's army, including second-in-command Eurylochus (Himesh Patel), follow a slower route. 

When searching an island for supplies, they follow a herd of sheep and become trapped in a cave by a Cyclops , who feasts upon several of the soldiers over the following days. Eventually, they blind  Cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin) and escape, only to hear him cry out to his father Poseidon. Odysseus's crew deduces that the Cyclops is a son of Poseidon, and attribute the rough sea conditions they endure as a curse. They then land on Aeaea, where giant armour clad Laestrygonians kill most of their crew. The survivors mutiny, leaving Odysseus with their ship as they seek food with the witch Circe (Samantha Morton), who turns them into pigs. After killing a deer transformed from a man, Odysseus persuades her to change his men back. Circe warns Odysseus that to reach Ithaca, he must cross Oceanus into Hades.

Arriving in the blackened landscape of Hades, Odysseus meets the shade of Tiresias (James Remar), who predicts that, by divine will of the Gods, only Odysseus will return home, but Odysseus defies this. Odysseus also encounters Sinon's shade, who rebukes Odysseus for using him as a pawn, and reveals Antinous's treachery, as he was manipulated into taking Antinous's place in the Greek army. Lastly, Agamemnon's shade reveals that his wife Clytemnestra (Lupita Nyong'o) murdered him upon his return, as revenge for sacrificing their young daughter to Artemis for calm seas. The ghosts of Odysseus's fallen army then chase the survivors from Hades. Following Tiresias's guidance, Odysseus, Eurylochus, and various crewmen survive encounters with Charybdis, Scylla, and the Sirens. 

On Thrinacia, Odysseus warns his men not to kill the cattle of the Sun God, as Tiresias foretold Odysseus's men would die from doing so. Despite this, the starving men eventually slaughter a cow and feast on it late at night. When they try to escape the island, Poseidon's storms sink the ship, killing all but Odysseus. He washes ashore on Ogygia, where the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron), infatuated with him, drugs him with amnesia-inducing lotus flowers.

Some seven years later, Calypso feels pity for Odysseus's longing for his family, and aids him in remembering his past life and exploits. She then advises Odysseus to construct a makeshift raft and give himself over to the sea, facing Poseidon's punishment. He miraculously washes ashore in Ithaca, and learns from Eumaeus that suitors sent mercenaries posing as priests to assassinate Telemachus and Mentor at a temple. Mentor dies, but Odysseus rescues Telemachus and kills the assassins, calling himself 'Sinon'. Telemachus guides Odysseus to the palace. After Odysseus's old dog Argos recognises him, Argos peacefully dies, and Telemachus recognises Odysseus as his father. 

During a tense feast, Odysseus shows Antinous he knows Antinous betrayed Sinon. Antinous thrashes Odysseus before Penelope intervenes. After the meal, still disguised, he confesses to Penelope his guilt for violating Zeus's law, killing innocent Trojans, and desecrating Athena's statue after killing her priestess. Athena (Zendaya) had assumed the priestess's form to punish him in visions. He further reveals that the rumoured attackers from the sea were in fact the Greeks themselves, and begs Penelope's forgiveness. Penelope announces her readiness to remarry and instructs the suitors to come to the palace the following night.

The next evening with the suitors all gathered in the palace, Penelope declares she will marry whoever can string Odysseus's bow and shoot an arrow through a row of axe heads. The suitors all fail, only for Odysseus to meet the challenge, and so revealing his identity. The hall erupts in to a closely fought battle, with Odysseus slaying the challenging suitors. Melanthius (Logan Marshall-Green), Melantho's brother, attempts to arm the men through a hole in the ceiling, only for Telemachus to confront and kill him. As the remaining suitors surrender, Odysseus kills Antinous. Odysseus relinquishes his throne to Telemachus and leaves Ithaca with Penelope to seek peace in exile, sailing west to honour his dead soldiers. The pair expect civilisation's renewal, and surmise that time will forget Odysseus's errors of judgement.

Whatever your opinion is of 'The Odyssey' you can rely on Christopher Nolan to give the script, the production values, the cast, the cinematography and the technical wizardry his all to deliver the audience another epic tale writ large in every respect. Nolan deftly brings Homer's 3,000 year old Greek poem to life in all its mythological, gritty, emotional and breathtaking storytelling, that together adds up to a film that is greater than the sum of its parts, even if he has had to take some poetic license to commit this story to film. The cast are all on point, with particular nods to Damon, Hathaway, Holland and Pattinson. My only gripe is that the American accents grate just a little, and some of the language used is too 20th/21st Century to be relatable. That said, this film needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and this epic story is a must see even if it's the only movie you see at the Odeon this year - you won't be disappointed, and even at its run time of just shy of three hours you're sure to be engrossed for the duration. See if you spot the nod to a classic late 1960's film.

'The Odyssey' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 16th July 2026.

The 9th Malaysian International Film Festival (MIFFest) takes place this year from Saturday 18th July through until Saturday 25th July, in the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Since its establishment in 2016, MIFFest has offered a range of opportunities and platforms for filmmakers to showcase their work and connect with industry professionals. Set against Malaysia’s vibrant backdrop, MIFFest aims to be the premier cinematic hub in Southeast Asia. The one-week festival provides a platform for creatives to showcase their work, nurtures emerging talent, and features exceptional films from around the world. MIFFest opens a window to the world, offering audiences the chance to embark on a cinematic journey through films from diverse countries and cultures. At MIFFest, we believe in the power of film to inspire, connect, and transform . . . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Film presentation is 'BAGA : Tomorrow Belongs To No One' from Malaysia and Written, Produced and Directed by Ariff Zulkarnain. Set in a conservative seaside village on Malaysia’s East Coast, BAGA follows Jani and Melur, two young lovers trapped between inherited realities and dreams of escape. When an unexpected pregnancy forces them into a difficult choice, Jani turns to the drug trade in a desperate attempt to secure their future. As love collides with addiction, poverty, and tradition, the couple must confront the cost of survival in a community where opportunities are scarce and every choice carries consequences. The Closing Film is 'Yellow Letters' from Germany, France and Turkey and is Co-Written and Directed by Ilker Catak. Life is good for Derya and Aziz, a celebrated artist couple from Turkey, until an incident at their play’s premiere. Suddenly targeted by the state and struggling to balance their ideals with life’s necessities, their marriage is pushed to a breaking point.

In the Official Competition - the Malaysia Golden Global Awards recognises filmmakers for their significant performances throughout the entire year, in the categories of Best Film, Director, New Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Screenplay and Cinematography, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Audience Choice Award, the New Hope Award and the Award for Excellent Achievement in Film. There are ten feature films, as shown in brief below :-

* 'Ah Girl' - from Singapore and this coming-of-age drama is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Ang Geck Geck Priscilla. 

* 'Aisha Can't Fly Away' - from Egypt, France, Germany, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Sudan, this drama is Co-Written and Directed by Morad Mostafa.

* 'Becoming Human' - from Cambodia, and this drama film is Written and Directed by Polen Ly.

* 'Broken Voices' - from the Czech Republic, this drama film is Written and Directed by Ondrej Provaznik. 

* 'Girl' - from Taiwan and this drama film is Written and Directed by Shu Qi.

* 'Lucky Lu' - from the USA and Canada and this social drama film is Written and Directed by Lloyd Lee Choi.

* 'Riverstone' - from Sri Lanka, this drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Lalith Rathnayake.

* 'Silent Rebellion' - from Switzerland, Belgium and France, this drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo.

* 'The Red Hangar' - from Chile, Argentina and Italy, this political thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by Juan Pablo Sallato.

* 'The Waves Will Carry Us' - from Malaysia and Taiwan, this drama film is Written and Directed by Lau Kek-Huat.

For the summaries of the aforementioned films in Official Competition, plus the full details of the other films being showcased, and a whole lot of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : http://www.miffest.com.my

Turning the attention then back to this weeks two new movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a much hyped, eagerly awaited and hotly anticipated fantasy action film based on an ancient Greek poem in which following the Trojan War, the protagonist here faces a dangerous voyage back to his homeland meeting various mythical creature during his ten year journey back to reunite with his wife and son. And this followed by a CGI animated offering that is the third cinematic adaptation from an acclaimed novella of the mid-twentieth century which follows an animal revolution as pigs seize power and the farm descends into a ruthless dictatorship as the truth is rewritten and dissent is crushed.

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

'THE ODYSSEY' (Rated M) - is an epic fantasy action film Written, Produced and Directed by Christopher Nolan, who I'm sure requires no introduction, suffice to say his prior screen credits include his 1998 feature debut with 'Following' which he would follow up with the likes of 'Memento' in 2000, the Batman 'Dark Knight' trilogy from 2005 until 2012, 'Inception' in 2010, 'Interstellar' in 2014, 'Dunkirk' in 2017, 'Tenet' in 2020 and 'Oppenheimer' in 2023. This film is an adaptation of Homer's ancient Greek epic poem the 'Odyssey', that together with his 'Illiad' are regarded as the foundational works of ancient Greek literature. With a production budget estimated to be in the region of US$250M, the film is among the most costly of Nolan's career, and the first to be shot entirely on IMAX's 70mm film cameras. The film saw its World Premiere screening in London earlier this month, and is set for a worldwide release this week. 

The film follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, on his ten year long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War, chronicling his encounters with mythical beings such as the Cyclops Polyphemus (Bill Irwin), Sirens, and the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron), while attempting to reunite with his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and his son Telemachus (Tom Holland). Also starring Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Samantha Morton, Himesh Patel, Corey Hawkins, Mia Goth, Logan Marshall-Green, Elliot Page and James Remar. 

'ANIMAL FARM' (Rated PG) - this animated comedy film is Co-Produced, Directed and stars Andy Serkis, the acclaimed English Actor and film maker whose prior Directorial credits take in 'Breathe' in 2017, 'Mowgli : The Legend of the Jungle' in 2018, 'Venom : Let There Be Carnage' in 2021 and the upcoming 'Lord of the Rings : The Hunt for Gollum' slated for a 2027 release. His film acting credits are many and varied, perhaps best known however, for his animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings' film trilogy (2001–2003) and 'The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey' in 2012, 'King Kong' in the eponymous 2005 film, and Caesar in the 'Planet of the Apes' reboot series (2011–2017). This film is loosely based on the 1945 novella by George Orwell, and is the third adaptation of the novella, following the 1954 animated film and the 1999 live-action film. Here then, the film traces how a movement for equality is systematically corrupted. As the pigs consolidate control, truth is erased, dissent is crushed, and the farm descends into a ruthless dictatorship, so fulfilling Orwell’s warning about the dangers of communism. Starring the voice talents of Seth Rogen, Gaten Matarazzo, Kieren Culkin, Glenn Close, Steve Buscemi, Woody Harrelson, Jim Parsons and Kathleen Turner. It premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in early June 2025, and was released in the USA and Canada on 1st May this year having so far grossed US$6M from a production budget of US$35M and has garnered generally negative critical reviews. It is released here in Australia, the UK and Ireland this week. 

With just two 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-

OPPENHEIMER : Tuesday 25th July 2023.

'OPPENHEIMER' which I saw at my local independent movie theatre this week is an MA15+ Rated American biographical war drama film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Christopher Nolan, and is based on the 2005 biography 'American Prometheus' by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Christopher Nolan's prior film making credits take in his debut with 'Following' in 1998 then 'Momento' in 2000, 'Insomnia' in 2002, 'Inception' in 2010, 'Interstellar' in 2014, 'Dunkirk' in 2017, 'Tenet' in 2020 with the 'Batman' trilogy in between time in 2005, 2008 and 2012. The film cost US$100M to produce, saw its World Premiere showcasing in Paris on 11th July, was released in the UK, the USA and here in Australia last week, has so far grossed US$242M and has garnered universal critical acclaim.

The film opens in 1926 with a dishevelled looking 22-year-old J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) who has trouble sleeping at night and grapples with homesickness and anxiety while studying under the British experimental physicist Patrick Blackett (James D'Arcy) at the Cavendish Laboratory in the University of Cambridge, England. Oppenheimer finds Blackett demanding and injects an apple he leaves on his desk with cyanide which visiting scientist Niels Bohr (Kenneth Branagh) almost bites into but not before Oppenheimer thrusts it out of his hand and into a waste bin. Oppenheimer completes his PhD in physics at the University of Gottingen in Germany, where he is introduced to Werner Heisenberg (Matthias Schweighofer). He returns to the US, in the hope of expanding quantum physics research, and starts teaching at the University of California, Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology. During this period, he meets Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh), a member of the US Communist Party with whom he has an on-again off-again affair until her eventual suicide in 1944, and later his future wife Katherine 'Kitty' Puening (Emily Blunt), a biologist and ex-Communist whom Oppenheimer married in 1940 and with whom he has two children.

US Army General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) enlists Oppenheimer to spearhead the Manhattan Project in order to develop an atomic bomb after Oppenheimer assures Groves that he has no communist sympathies. Oppenheimer, a Jew, is particularly focused on the Nazis and the very likely possibility that they have their own nuclear weapons programme underway, headed up by Werner Heisenberg. 

Oppenheimer recruits a scientific team that includes Edward Teller (Benny Safdie), Isidor Isaac Rabi (David Krumholtz) and David L. Hill (Rami Malek), to a purpose built town in the middle of nowhere at Los Alamos, New Mexico, to begin work on secretly creating the atomic bomb. During the development, Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) discuss how such a bomb could possibly trigger a chain reaction that has the potential to destroy the world. Oppenheimer also learns of a possible Soviet spy within his ranks who has potentially leaked the Manhattan Project's secretive intelligence data to the Russians.

When Germany surrenders in May 1945 some project scientists cast doubt over the bomb's continued importance. The bomb is completed and the initial 'Trinity' test is successfully conducted on 16th July 1945 just before the Potsdam Conference involving Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin which began on 17th July in Potsdam, Germany. US President Harry S. Truman (Gary Oldman) decides to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th and 9th August 1945 respectively forcing Japan's surrender and thrusting Oppenheimer into the public eye as the 'father of the atomic bomb'. Haunted by the immense destruction and suffering the bombs caused, Oppenheimer personally urges Truman to use restraint in developing even more powerful weapons, saying that he has 'blood on his hands'. Truman perceives Oppenheimer's anxiety as a weakness, and states that, as President, he alone bears responsibility for the bomb's use. Upon leaving the Oval Office feeling very dejected Truman says to his aide that he doesn't ever want to see that 'scientist crybaby again'. Oppenheimer continues feeling intense remorse.

Oppenheimer is outspoken, in government circles, about any further nuclear development, especially of the hydrogen bomb, positioning him against Teller. His steadfast opinions become a point of contention amid the escalating Cold War with the Soviet Union. Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jnr.), chairman of the US Atomic Energy Commission, has a personal beef against Oppenheimer for publicly dismissing his concerns over the export of radioisotopes and, as per Strauss' belief, badmouthing him to Einstein. 

At a four week kangaroo court hearing in 1954 intended to remove Oppenheimer from any and all political influence, and as largely cross examined by Roger Robb (Jason Clarke), Oppenheimer is betrayed by Teller's and other associates' testimony, including the final nail in the coffin delivered by William L. Borden (David Dastmalchian),stating that he firmly believed that J. Robert Oppenheimer was an agent of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile Strauss exploits Oppenheimer's associations with current and former communists such as Tatlock and Oppenheimer's brother Frank (Dylan Arnold).

Despite Rabi and several other allies testifying in Oppenheimer's defence, Oppenheimer's security clearance is revoked by a vote of 2 -1 although his loyalty to the United States was not brought into question. However, this did damage his public image and reduced to zero his policy influence. Later, at Strauss' Senate confirmation hearing as Secretary of Commerce, Hill exposes Strauss' personal motives in engineering Oppenheimer's downfall, which results in Strauss' confirmation being denied.

In 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson presents Oppenheimer the Enrico Fermi Award (awarded to honour scientists of international stature for their lifetime achievement in the development, use, or production of energy) as a gesture of political rehabilitation. It is revealed that Oppenheimer and Einstein's earlier conversation was not about Strauss but rather nuclear weapons and their far-reaching impacts ultimately. Oppenheimer muses whether the Trinity test, to a large extent, his creation, could launch a chain reaction of events that could lead to a nuclear holocaust. 

'Oppenheimer' is possibly Christopher Nolan's best film offering yet, and that's saying something given the quality of his varied back catalogue over the past twenty or so years. Here he has crafted a film that is well scripted, stunningly photographed, and packed with emotion, intrigue, a stellar ensemble cast and an underlying message that is just as important today as it was almost eighty years ago. Cillian Murphy gives a tour-de-force performance as the torn and troubled Oppenheimer wrestling with his own inner demons over the magnitude of his creation and the implications for all of humankind, and is more than ably supported by Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Robert Downey Jnr. This is a compelling film that tells the story of war, the people wielding the power and who you can ultimately trust that needs to be viewed on the biggest screen you can get to. It deserves all the accolades bestowed upon it come awards season, and despite it being largely a dialogue driven drama grips the attention from the get go, until the final half hour where the story drags just a little - but don't let that put you off. One of the must see films of the year for sure. Also starring Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Dane DeHaan, Matthew Modine, Scott Grimes, Alden Ehrenreich, James Remar and Olivia Thirlby.

'Oppenheimer' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 20th July 2023

The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday 20th July and runs through until Wednesday 9th August. This genre film festival has been based mainly in Montreal, Canada since its founding in 1996, and focuses on niche, B-rated and low budget movies in various genres, from horror to science-fiction. By virtue of the reputation developed over the last two decades, Fantasia has been called the 'most outstanding and largest genre film festival in North America'. Its mission is to promote genre, anti-Hollywood cinema and assist independent filmmakers. Every year the programme offers master-classes and special screenings, as well as World and American Premieres, press-conferences and meetings with Actors and Directors. 

Fantasia's flagship juried section is the Cheval Noir, with the competition winners being awarded with the festival's mascot statuette, a mighty black pegasus. This section showcases a global selection of of varied genre works from new and established, groundbreaking and unconventional auteurs. There are thirteen feature films being screened within this section this year, and these are as follows :-

* 'Aporia' - from the USA and Written and Directed by Jared Moshe, this drama Sci-Fi has its World Premiere screening.

* 'The Red Rooms' - from Canada and Written and Directed by Pascal Plante, this thriller is Fantasia's Opening Night Film and sees its North American Premiere.

* 'Femme' - from the UK and Written and Directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, this drama, horror, thriller LGBTQIA+ film stars George Mackay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett in its North American Premiere. 

* 'Hippo' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Mark H. Rapaport, this drama, comedy, thriller fantasy film sees its World Premiere showcasing. 

* 'Insomniacs After School' - from Japan and Co-Written and Directed by Chihiro Ikeda, this drama family romance film has its International Premiere.

* 'Lovely, Dark and Deep' - from the USA and Written and Directed by Teresa Sutherland, this horror film stars Georgina Campbell and has its World Premiere viewing.

* 'Ms. Apocalypse' - from South Korea and Written and Directed by Lim Sun-ae, this drama film has its World Premiere.

* 'Phantom' - from South Korea and Written and Directed by Lee Hae-young, this spy action thriller film has its North American Premier showcasing.

* 'River' - from Japan and Directed by Junta Yamaguchi, this comedy Sci-Fi film sees its North American Premiere screening.

* 'Stay Online' - from Ukraine and Co-Written and Directed by Eva Strelnikova, this drama action film is the first Ukrainian feature film to have been shot since the beginning of the ongoing Russian invasion, and sees its World Premiere viewing.

* 'Tiger Stripes' - from Germany, Taiwan, France and Malaysia and Written and Directed by Amanda Nell Eu, this fantasy film has its North American Premiere. 

* 'Vincent Must Die' - from France and Directed by Stephan Castang, this thriller film sees its North American Premiere.

* 'Where the Devil Roams' - from the USA and Written, Directed and starring John Adams, Zelda Adams and Toby Poser, this horror film has its World Premier screening.

For the full synopsis of the aforementioned films, plus the films showing in the other competitive strands - including the New Flesh Competition for Best First Feature, the International Short Film Competition, the Satoshi Kon Award for Excellence in Animation and the Camera Lucida, plus the special tribute of the Cheval Noir Career Award to be presented to Nicolas Cage - the 'remarkable performer responsible for bringing life to some of the most fascinating people to grace the big screen in some of the most extraordinary films ever made'. Cage's latest film offering 'Sympathy for the Devil' is also being screened in its World Premiere viewing. The Closing Night Film is 'We Are Zombies' from Canada and France and is Written and Directed by Francois Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell and also sees its World Premiere. Get all the details plus a whole lot more good stuff, from the official website at : https://fantasiafestival.com/fr which you can translate into English at the click of a button. 

This week then to tease you out to your local big screen Odeon on a cold mid-Winter's evening, we have three new movies coming your way, and we kick off with an epic biographical drama offering from an acclaimed Director with an all star cast that tells the story of the theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear weapons. Next up is fantasy comedy offering from another acclaimed Director and also featuring an ensemble cast that sees a doll living in Barbieland, who’s forced to leave due to her so-called imperfections, and then embarking on an adventure in the real world; before closing out the week with a French drama film centering one man's ambition to become one of the top pastry chef's in the land. 

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

'OPPENHEIMER' (Rated MA15+) - this American biographical war drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Christopher Nolan, and is based on the 2005 biography 'American Prometheus' by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Christopher Nolan's prior film making credits take in his debut with 'Following' in 1998 then 'Momento' in 2000, 'Insomnia' in 2002, 'Inception' in 2010, 'Interstellar' in 2014, 'Dunkirk' in 2017, 'Tenet' in 2020 with the 'Batman' trilogy in between time in 2005, 2008 and 2012. The film cost US$100M to produce and is released in the UK, the USA and here in Australia this week. 

This is the story of American scientist and theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his role in the development of the atomic bomb, that ultimately would bring an end to WWII, and herald in the nuclear age. Also starring an ensemble cast that takes in Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer's wife, biologist and botanist Katherine 'Kitty' Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves Jr., Director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey, Jr. as Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the US Atomic Energy Commission. In addition, there is also Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Benny Safdie, Dane DeHaan, Matthew Modine, Jason Clarke, David Dastmalchian, Gary Oldman, Olivia Thirlby and Tom Conti. 

'BARBIE' (Rated PG) - is a much hyped fantasy comedy film Co-Written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach and Directed by Greta Gerwig and is based on the Barbie fashion dolls by the world's second largest toy maker, Mattel. The film is the first live-action Barbie film after many computer-animated direct-to-video and streaming TV films. Greta Gerwig's previous feature film making credits are her debut with Joe Swanberg on 'Nights and Weekends' in 2008, before her breakout 'Lady Bird' in 2017, and then 'Little Women' in 2019. Here then, Barbie (Margot Robbie, who also Co-Produces here) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) are having the time of their lives in the colourful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world on a journey of self discovery they soon learn of the joys and perils of living among humans. Also starring Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Emma Mackey and Dua Lipa as alternate versions of Barbie, and Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu and John Cena as alternate versions of Ken together with Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman and America Ferrera. The film cost US$100M to produce, saw its World Premiere screening in Los Angeles earlier this month and is released worldwide from this week. 

'SUGAR AND STARS' (Rated M) - this French drama film is Directed by Sebastien Tulard in his feature film making debut. The film centres upon Yazid (Riadh Belaiche) who for as long as her can remember, has had one big passion - that of pastry making and cooking up delicious desserts for his adoptive family. At night before drifting off to sleep he would stare longingly at the pictures of his favourite pastry chefs on the wall – propelled forward by his dream of becoming a great chef just like his heroes. Securing an apprenticeship at a prestigious Parisian restaurant, he must suddenly learn to navigate the elitist pastry world under the guidance of the chefs he so idolises. Throughout his journey, Yazid must grapple with homelessness, family issues and a lack of belonging, completely set on his goal – to compete for Paris at the International Pastry Championships. With his talent and the support of true friends, Yazid might just be one step closer to finding the secret ingredient to achieving his dreams – against all odds. This film saw its World Premiere in Epernay, France in mid-January this year, went on general release in its native France in late February, saw its Australian Premiere at the French Film Festival in early March and is now on general release here in Australia from this week. 

With three 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-

TENET : Tuesday 1st September 2020.

'TENET' which I saw this week is an M Rated much hyped eagerly awaited spy drama film Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Christopher Nolan, who I'm sure needs no further introduction, other than his film Directing credits have amassed global Box Office returns of about US$4.7B and he has won 137 awards and been nominated 228 other times, so I guess he must be doing something right! Originally slated for a 17th July release, this was subsequently pushed back because of COVID-19 to 31st July, then 12th August and saw its release in seventy countries from last week, before its release in the US and China this week. Costing somewhere in the region of US$220M to make, the film has garnered mostly favourable Reviews from Critics, and has so far recouped US$54M. Riffing off James Bond with exotic locations, extravagant action set pieces, international espionage, a Russian bad guy hell bent on bringing about the end of the world as we know it, and the good guys working for a covert secret outfit this is sure to please . . . if you can get your head around the premise.

The film opens up with all guns blazing setting the scene for the action set pieces to follow. A CIA Agent takes part in an undercover SWAT mission at the Kyiv National Opera in the Ukraine, where he rescues an exposed spy and recovers a strange artefact, but not before members of the performing orchestra are shot and killed and the entire audience is put to sleep with gas. Another masked soldier with a red tag on his back pack rescues the Agent from being shot, but at this point it remains unclear as to their identities. The Agent (John David Washington) comes around tied to a chair on a railway line with a colleague also bound, with a bunch of nasty looking henchmen counting down the time until a train comes hurtling down the tracks to kill them both.

The Agent swallows a cyanide capsule, bur he later wakes to be told that the capsule was fake, his colleagues are all dead, and congratulations, he passed the test - no others before him have got that far. The Agent's superior, Victor (Martin Donovan) tells him that one word 'Tenet' will open doors for him, but to be wary because other doors will be slammed in his face with potentially life threatening consequences, and he is to use several markers to begin his journey.

His journey eventually leads him to Laura (Clemence Poesy), a scientist studying bullets and other retrieved artefacts whose make up has been 'inverted' so that they move backwards through time, demonstrated when the Agent catches the bullet in the chamber of the gun, rather than discharging it. Studying the make up of the bullets, the Agent traces the bullets to Priya (Dimple Kapadia), an arms trafficker living in Mumbai, and also affiliated to Tenet.

Now simply going by the handle of the Protagonist, The Agent is supported by a local named Neil (Robert Pattinson) and they both successfully infiltrate Priya's heavily guarded high rise home, by reverse bungee jumping up the tower, and learn that the bullets are supplied by Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) a Russian Oligarch who is able to communicate with the future. The Protagonist meets with Sator's estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), an art auctioneer. He learns that Sator is blackmailing her over a forged Goya painting that she sold him for US$10M, but he discovered her ruse and threatened to hand her over to the authorities if she doesn't comply with his wishes, and at the same time keeping her at arms length from her beloved young son. Kat comments that the last time the couple were truly happy together was on board his super yacht in Vietnam, from which she saw a mystery woman dive when she was leaving on a motor tender with her son.

The Protagonist and Neil work with fixer Mahir (Himesh Patel) to steal the fake Goya painting from the Freeport storage facility (a tax free haven used by investors to secretly store their art works that is heavily fortified, securely guarded and tightly controlled) at Oslo Airport, by crashing a cargo jet into the adjoining hangar as a diversion. By doing so Sator would no longer have a hold over Kat, and she would effectively be free. Inside the facility, they locate a machine from which two masked men emerge, one of which is inverted. After unmasking the normal one, Neil stops the Protagonist from killing the inverted one. Priya later explains that the machine was a 'Turnstile', a time inversion device developed in the future, and that the two masked men were in fact the same person.

The Protagonist subsequently tells Kat that the painting was destroyed in the resultant fire at the Freeport, and she arranges a meeting with Sator who reveals that he had the painting moved before the crash. Sator by now is on to the Protagonist and has him captured, and threatens to kill him. However, the Protagonist mentions the events at the Ukranian Opera, at which Sator has a change of heart - for now. Kat attempts to drown Sator during a boat race but the Protagonist jumps in and saves him. Sator now feels indebted to the Protagonist and so the Protagonist offers to steal a case of plutonium that Sator desires in exchange for Kat's freedom.

The Protagonist and Neil steal the plutonium in an intricately planned and executed highway heist from an armoured convoy in Estonia, but realise upon opening the carry case that it is in fact another artefact. An inverted Sator captures both the Protagonist and Kat, and shoots her with an inverted bullet, forcing him to reveal where the artefact is. A team of Tenet operatives led by Ives (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) frees the Protagonist forcing Sator to flee. To save Kat's life (for being shot by an inverted bullet is far more deadly that being shot by a conventional bullet), the Protagonist and Neil take her through Sator's Turnstile. They travel back to the Oslo Freeport crash the previous week to un-invert themselves inside the Turnstile there. As they re-infiltrate the airport, the inverted Protagonist fights his non-inverted self, before reaching the Turnstile and un-inverting himself.

Travelling back to Mumbai, Priya explains the artefacts (of which there are nine in total) are parts of a future-developed 'Algorithm' capable of catastrophically inverting the entire world, and that future humans are using Sator to activate it in order to prevent the effects of global warming. Kat advises that Sator is dying from inoperable pancreatic cancer. They conclude that he aims to trigger the Algorithm through suicide and through a dead man's switch, believing the world should die when he does. Kat has suspicions that Sator will choose to die on that day on his yacht in Vietnam when they were last at their happiest together.

Kat inverts back in time to delay Sator's death, while Tenet tracks the assembled Algorithm to an abandoned Soviet closed city and commences a 'temporal pincer movement', meaning that half of their troops move forward in time to the blast zone (the red team led by the Protagonist and Ives), while the other half moves backwards (the blue team led by Neil and Wheeler (Fiona Dourif)). The Protagonist and Ives are prevented from reaching the Algorithm stored underground by a locked gate, until an inverted masked corpse with a red tag on its rucksack springs to life, saving the Protagonist from a gunshot and unlocking the gate. The pair fight with a henchmen, who is intent on sending the assembled component parts of the Algorithm into a chasm below and detonating it, but is prevented from doing so with a bullet to the head. Neil driving an armed vehicle above ground drops a line down into the hole in the ground directly above where the pair are located. Clinging on the assembled Algorithm device they are winched up by Neil, just as the ground below them explodes. 

Meanwhile Kat has lured Sator into a false sense of well being and security on board his yacht in Vietnam. She shoots Sator in the chest and then drops him off the side of the yacht from an upper deck as he tumbles end over end crashing against the side of the boat before landing face down in the sea. Kat then dives from the yacht's deck, where she is witnessed by her past self. Kat calls the Protagonist to let him know that she shot and killed her husband prematurely, hoping that they rescued the Algorithm in time, to which he responds with a yes. The Protagonist, Neil and Ives break up the Algorithm's component into three equal sections each vowing to store them away secretly and without the knowledge of anyone else. The Protagonist notices a familiar red tag on Neil's rucksack, and asks him how he came to be recruited by Tenet. Neil reveals that a future version of the Protagonist recruited him to Tenet years earlier, and this mission is the end of a long friendship that the Protagonist has yet to experience. Neil and Ives depart in a helicopter, leaving the Protagonist on the ground.

Sometime later, and in London, Priya attempts to kill Kat while she is picking her son up from school, but is killed by the Protagonist in the passenger seat of the car where she sat.

I liked 'Tenet' a lot, and this is one film that you need to watch on the big cinema screen where you can immerse yourself in the never before seen stunning visuals, the action set pieces, the surround sound while trying to get your head around the meaning of the inversion of time, that is the core of this films premise. Here Christopher Nolan, who allegedly spent the past two decades or so mulling over the story and his Screenplay, has crafted perhaps his most ambitiously bold and audacious film yet; the lead characters all do a fine job with particular nods to John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh in perhaps his most evil and villainous role yet. The physics of inversion aren't fully explained and as Clemence Poesy's character Laura explains 'don't try to understand it, feel it', you'll leave the cinema having been wowed by the sheer size and spectacle this film offers up, but scratching your head trying to grapple with the science behind it. This epic film is supposedly going to re-establish the movie going experience in a Post-COVID world, and in this respect Nolan has delivered a wildly entertaining thrill ride of a movie that deserves all the success it can muster, and repeat viewings to understand it.

'TENET' meets four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-