LOCKED : Tuesday 25th March 2025

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'LOCKED' this week, and this American action thriller film is Directed by David Yarovesky who made his feature film making debut with 2014's 'The Hive', and which he would follow up with 'Brightburn' in 2019 and 'Nightbooks' in 2021. This film is an English language remake of the 2019 Argentinian action thriller film '4'x4', has generated mixed or average reviews and has so far grossed US$1.1M since its release in the US and here in Australia last week. 

The film opens up with down on his luck small time criminal in an auto repair shop attempting to get his van back on the road, but with US$450 still owing on the repair job the owner of the shop tells him to get lost and come back when he has the funds to cover the cost of repairs. The guy sees a wallet on a nearby trolley and spies an opportunity, so he creates a scene involving a heavy set mechanic who man handles him forcing him back against the trolley, and with that the wallet is lifted. He promptly leaves saying he'll be back on Friday. Walking down the street his partner calls screaming down the phone saying why he didn't pick up their young daughter from school as planned. He apologises but his lame excuse falls on deaf ears. He removes a bunch of notes from the wallet, and then ditches it. He buys something to eat and three scratch cards. He then calls several 'associates' and asks them all to loan him some money, but they all hang up on him and soon as he says his name, Eddie. 

And so Eddie (Bill Skarsgard) walks along the street surreptitiously pulling at car door handles in the hope that one of them will open. He comes across a public parking lot, in the middle of which is parked a very sleek looking black SUV, with the name DOLUS emblazoned in big lettering on the rear tail gate. He pulls at the drivers side door handle and it opens, much to his amazement. He climbs in, and quickly sets about exploring the interior for anything of value that he can steal. When all he finds is a pair of sunglasses he decides to exit, but the doors are all locked. He tries frantically pulling at every door handle but to no avail. He finds a tyre wrench in the rear and first tries to pull away the trim to the drivers side door but badly cuts his arm when reaching for the lock mechanism. 

He then tries to smash the glass but its seems the glass is smash proof. He tries kicking out the window with both feet, but that's no good either. He then pulls out a revolver and shoots off one round at the window, and the bullet ricochets off the glass and straight into his lower leg. He writhes around in agony as blood pours onto the carpet. Then the phone rings with a message on the display saying 'Answer Me'. Eddie ignores it, until the caller rings off. It rings again, and again Eddie ignores it, and again, and again. Eventually Eddie answers the call. It is Friday evening. 

The caller states his name as William, the owner of the vehicle that Eddie is now trapped inside, a retired Doctor who was born in a small town in South Wales, who made his money by working hard for decades, and who now has terminal prostate cancer and has about four months to live. Eddie pleads with him to let him go, but William is not the sort of man to be bargained with, does not suffer fools lightly, and wants to teach Eddie a lesson and the consequences of his actions. 

William explains that the car has been modified to his own specifications, including bullet proof glass, one way windows so nobody can see into the car, mobile phone jamming technology, four internal cameras, soundproofing, and everything about the car can be controlled remotely. After a while Eddie falls asleep. He wakes up the next morning and his arm and leg are bandaged up. 

And so Saturday comes and goes, as does Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. During this time William and Eddie converse frequently, with Eddie pleading to be released, then cussing and cursing, then turning on the Mr. Nice Guy routine all to no avail. Every time Eddie cusses, so William sends an electric shock through the front or rear seats to teach him a further lesson. William at one point turns the air conditioning down so low for a prolonged period of time that Eddie turns blue, and on another occasion turns the aircon up so high that Eddie strips down to his jocks. William also plays Swiss yodelling music at such a high volume for hours on end, almost sending Eddie over the edge. All the while Eddie has long since exhausted his supply of water, and has taken to pissing in his water bottle and in a moment of desperation drinks his own urine to stay hydrated. He also has no food. 

And so on Tuesday night with the rain pouring down, Eddie out of frustration once again, gets into the drivers seat and stabs away at the electronic ignition repeatedly with his finger. The engine fires up, and he's elated. But his high hopes of escape are very short lived as the steering wheel is being handled remotely and a message comes up on the screen that driverless mode selected. And so the car makes its way out of the car park and across the city streets, sometimes abiding by the rules of the road and at other times driving recklessly, at speed, and weaving in and out of other cars. The vehicle passes an alleyway in which two thugs and violently beating up someone who is slumped on the ground. The car comes to a halt metres away from the pair who at first continue pummelling their victim. One of the thugs looks up and into the glare of the headlights and pulls a gun pointing it at the car. The car then lurches forward and mows down the thug and then reverses back over him. The second thug makes a bolt for it on foot and eventually comes to a chained gate, as the car comes to a halt just a few meters away. Eddie pleads with William to stop, but William is relentless and eventually crushes the thug to death against the heavily padlocked wire gate.

The car then drives to a multi-storey carpark and up to the roof top and parks beside another black vehicle. A shadowy figure gets out of the other vehicle and approaches the SUV winding down the drivers side window just one-third of the way down. He introduces himself as William (Anthony Hopkins), and gives Eddie a bottle of water to drink which he downs in one gulp. He then hands Eddie a cable tie and tells him to secure himself to the bar located under the seat. Eddie complies with this request and secures both his hands to the bar, so that he is bent down awkwardly with his head at the same level as the fascia panel above the glove box. 

William gets into the drivers seat and drives off, telling Eddie to prepare himself for a long journey. On the journey Eddie goads William asking him what his plans are for him, and how he's going to dispose of his body; and also asking him what happened to his family. William says that his daughter Amy was killed by an unknown assailant who shot Amy in the neck and she died in his arms, and the Police never actively pursued the case, which is in part the reason why he lost all faith in law enforcement. After a while of conversational toing and froing, Eddie is able to manipulate a vehicle kill switch located under the glove box with his foot (having taken a photo of the fuse box days earlier with his mobile phone). This cuts all power to the vehicle. In the ensuing fracas William fires off a round at Eddie, but as the SUV hits a rock on a tight corner in the road, the shot goes astray and the bullet hits the front windscreen, ricochets off to the passenger side window, then the rear window before ricocheting back in the direction of William's front seat, through that and into William's upper back. The car tumbles end over end down a deep ravine and comes to rest right side up at the bottom. William is barely conscious, and Eddie's face is battered, bruised and bloodied having come into contact with the fascia panel on numerous occasions. He is able to cut himself free from the cable ties, just as the engine catches fire. He scrambles to the back and smashes away at the rear window with the tyre wrench eventually breaking the glass allowing him to escape as the flames engulf the car completely. 

It is now Wednesday morning and the sun is rising. His phone rings and its his daughter Sarah, asking him if he'll collect her from school today at 2:15pm. Hardly able to speak and dog tired Eddie says yes of course, he'll be there. He scrambles back up to the road and waits for a passing vehicle, which arrives shortly after, and offers him a lift and a thick heavy jacket to keep him warm. Earlier Eddie had removed a partially scratched scratch card from his pocket revealing two $500 numbers. He scrapes away at the other two numbers to reveal a third $500 number. He has won $500 enough to clear his debt to the garage and get his van back in time for him to collect Sarah as planned at 2:15pm. At the auto shop at 2:05pm the shop owner says that he can collect his van but its parked in out back and will take about half an hour. Eddie can't wait that long. Meanwhile 2:15pm comes and Sarah (Ashley Cartwright) is waiting patiently outside the school gates for her Dad. Eddie comes bounding down the street on a kids bike that he saw in the auto repair shop, jumps off and the pair embrace. 

With 'Locked', Director David Yarovesky has delivered us a movie shot largely in a single location that serves to up the ante on the claustrophobia and the tension evident in the actions and reactions of the man trapped inside the limited confines of a souped up SUV. In this respect the film works well, and Bill Skarsgard delivers a solid enough performance to make his role convincing, ably supported by the always dependable Anthony Hopkins as the ageing and dying sociopath determined to serve up a slice of retribution as only he knows how. The mid-section meanders along a bit and gets a little repetitive at times, but at a fairly brisk 93 minute run time, this film will hold your interest and is worth the price of your ticket to see these two actors go head to head in an emotional and at times violent thrill ride. 

'Locked' 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 20th March 2025

Founded in 1997, the 28th Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) this year runs from Wednesday 19th March through until Sunday 23rd March. SIFF is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the best in independent film and filmmakers from around the world, inspiring savvy film lovers, and introducing the power of film to student filmmakers. SIFF takes place every March in the United States’ renowned Wine Country, just 45 minutes north of San Francisco. It is noted for its participation of film and media industry jurists and panelists and continues to grow its reputation in finding and cultivating new talent from around the world, creating a significant platform for networking and distribution opportunities. SIFF programmes full-length features and documentaries, as well as short films in the Live Action, Documentary and Animated categories. SIFF also showcases Culinary, Food and Wine films across all categories and presents comedies from around the world in addition to dramas and other genres. The five-day festival supports filmmakers with generous cash award prizes and an accommodation programme providing the opportunity to interact with industry professionals, community members, and our astute film audience in one of the most intimate, engaging and inspiring settings on the festival circuit - so reads the official website.

The Sonoma International Film Festival’s three tentpole films—its Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing selections, all promise an unforgettable cinematic journey filled with heart, adventure, and cultural resonance. Kicking off the festival is the Opening Night Film 'Sweet Story', a charming real-life fairy tale about a patisserie owner’s quest to save a cafe on a remote Swedish island. Directed by Sarah Justine Kerruish and Matt Maude from the UK - World Premiere. The festival’s Centerpiece, 'On Swift Horses', delves into the complexities of love and self-discovery in a sweeping 1950's period drama, and is Directed by Daniel Minahan and is from the USA, and finally, the Closing Night Film, 'The Wedding Banquet', offers a vibrant, contemporary reimagining of Ang Lee’s beloved classic, paired with a tribute to the legendary Joan Chen. Directed by Andrew Ahn and from the USA.

SIFF's Narrative Feature Competition highlights outstanding films from emerging talent worldwide—works that captivate audiences with compelling characters, unique perspectives, and masterful storytelling. This competitive category is dedicated to narrative feature films that do not yet have US distribution, offering filmmakers a prestigious platform to premiere their work, connect with industry professionals, and gain exposure in a vibrant festival setting. Those films in this competitive strand are as follows :-

* 'Cafe Chairel' - from Mexico and Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Fernando Barreda Luna. World Premiere. A lonely cafe owner and a wandering young woman forge a soulful connection over coffee.

* 'DJ Ahmet' - from North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Croatia and Serbia and Written and Directed by Georgi M. Unkovski. A North Macedonian shepherding boy´s love of techno music sets him on a path of small-town love and rebellion.

* 'Long Good Thursday' - from Finland, and Directed by Mika Kaurismaki. In a serene Finnish Summer, an ageing farmer unexpectedly finds joy and love with a free-spirited artist.

* 'Gloria!' - from Italy, and Co-Written and Directed by Margherita Vicario. A mute maid’s discovery of a pianoforte shakes up a crumbling 18th-century girls’ music school for orphans.

* 'Mexico 86' - from France and Belgium and Written and Directed by Cesar Diaz. Maria, a Guatemalan activist in exile, is torn between her noble cause and maternal love for her son, Marco. As political pressure mounts to complete her mission, Maria must protect her child while confronting past choices and dangerous secrets.

* 'The Party's Over' - from Spain and Written and Directed by Elena Manrique. A Spanish divorcee’s life is upended when she shelters a Senegalese immigrant in her shed.

* 'My Favourite Cake' - from Iran, France, Sweden and Germany and Written and Directed by Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha. A 70-year-old Iranian widow’s taxi ride takes an unexpected turn toward romance and rebellion.

* 'Waves' - from the Czech Republic and Written and Directed by Jiri Madl. Journalists in 1960's Czechoslovakia navigate the tightrope between truth and propaganda.

To view the other film strands being showcased under the headings of 'Culinary Films & Events', 'Late Night Films', 'Documentary Feature Competition', 'Short Film Competition', 'Special Presentations' and the 'Shorts Programs', plus a whole bunch of other good content, you can go to the official website at : https://sonomafilmfest.org/festival/

This week there are seven new cinematic experiences to choose from coming to a big screen Odeon near you, and we launch with an American biographical crime drama offering that tells the story of a pair of Italian Americans who were rivals for control of a major crime family in the mid-20th century. Then we turn to an ancient Greek story of how after twenty years Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, where he finds his wife held prisoner by suitors vying to be king and his son facing death at their hands. Next up is a psychological horror film of how a judge recovering from a stroke at an assisted living facility, encounters a psychopathic patient who uses a hand puppet to abuse fellow residents. This is followed by an American action thriller that follows a thief who breaks into a luxury SUV, only to realise to his peril, that he has slipped into a sophisticated and deadly trap. Coming next is a live action remake of a Disney classic that sees a princess join forces with seven dwarfs to liberate her kingdom from her cruel stepmother the Evil Queen. Following on we have a story of young woman who unexpectedly befriends an online stranger, sharing her self-centered father's name, and this namesake's support might just transform her life; before closing out the week with a critically acclaimed and multi-award winning animated feature film about a courageous cat and its wondrous journey after its home is devastated by a great flood.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the seven latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'THE ALTO KNIGHTS' (Rated MA15+) - is an American biographical crime drama film Co-Produced and Directed by Barry Levinson, whose previous feature film offerings include his debut with 'Diner' in 1982 and then the likes of 'The Natural' in 1984, 'Good Morning, Vietnam' in 1987, 'Rain Man' in 1988, 'Bugsy' in 1991, 'Disclosure' in 1994, 'Sleepers' in 1996, 'Wag the Dog' in 1997, 'Sphere' in 1998, 'Bandits' in 2001, 'What Just Happened' in 2008 and 'Rock the Kasbah' in 2015. The film is released Stateside and here in Australia this week, and cost US$45M to produce.

In the 1950's, notorious New York crime bosses Frank Costello (Robert De Niro) and Vito Genovese (Robert De Niro) vie for control of the city streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that reshapes organised crime forever. Genovese orders a hit on Costello in 1957, who survives the attempt on his life but is wounded, and ultimately decides to retire from the Mafia. Also starring Debra Messing, Katherine Narducci, Cosmo Jarvis and Michael Rispoli. 

'THE RETURN' (Rated M) - this Greek, Italian and UK Co-Production is Co-Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Uberto Pasolini, and is based on Homer's ancient Greek poem 'The Odyssey'. Pasolini's prior feature film making credits take in his directorial debut in 2008 with 'Machan' and then 'Still Life' in 2013 and 'Nowhere Special' in 2020. After 20 years away, Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) washes up on the shores of Ithaca, haggard and unrecognisable. The king finds much has changed since he left to fight in the Trojan War. His beloved wife, Penelope (Juliette Binoche), is a prisoner in her own home and hounded to choose a new husband. Their son Telemachus (Charlie Plummer) faces death at the hands of suitors who see him as an obstacle in their pursuit of Penelope and the kingdom. Odysseus is no longer the mighty warrior his people remember, but he must face his past to save his family. The film saw its World Premiere at TIFF in early September last year, was released Stateside in early December, has so far grossed US$900K and has generated largely positive critical reviews.

'THE RULE OF JENNY PEN' (Rated MA15+) - is a New Zealand psychological horror film Co-Written for the screen, Executive Produced and Directed by James Ashcroft, and is based on Owen Marshall's short story of the same name. Ashcroft made his feature film Directorial debut with 'Coming Home in the Dark' in 2021, although he has Directed a number of short films and TV series since 2015. Here then, Arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush) suffers a near-fatal stroke, leaving him partially paralysed and confined to a retirement home. Resistant to the staff and distant from his friendly roommate, Mortensen soon clashes with seemingly gentle resident Dave Crealy (John Lithgow) who secretly terrorises the home with a sadistic game called 'The Rule of Jenny Pen' while wielding his dementia doll as an instrument of cruelty. What begins as childish torment quickly escalates into far more sinister and disturbing incidents. When Mortensen's pleas to the staff go unanswered, he takes it upon himself to put an end to Crealy's reign of terror. The film was released in New Zealand and the US in early March, in the UK and Ireland in mid-March and here in Australia this week, has garnered generally favourable critical reviews and has so far grossed US$391K. 

'LOCKED' (Rated MA15+) - this American action thriller film is Directed by David Yarovesky who made his feature film making debut with 2014's 'The Hive', and which he would follow up with 'Brightburn' in 2019 and 'Nightbooks' in 2021. This film is an English language remake of the 2019 Argentinian action thriller film '4'x4', and so here, a young, flippant carjacker Eddie Barrish (Bill Skarsgard) is trapped in a heavily modified car by a mysterious sociopath known only as William (Anthony Hopkins), who intends to teach him the 'consequences' of his lifestyle. With no means of escape, Eddie must fight to survive in a ride where escape is an illusion, survival is a nightmare, and justice shifts into high gear. The film is released this week too in the US. 

'SNOW WHITE' (Rated PG) - is an American musical fantasy film Directed by Marc Webb, whose prior feature film making credits take in his Directorial debut in 2009 with '500 Days of Summer', which he would follow up with 'The Amazing Spider-Man' in 2012 and 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' in 2014, 'Gifted' in 2017 and 'The Only Living Boy in New York' in 2017. This film is a live-action reworking of Walt Disney Productions's 1937 animated film 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', which itself is based on the 1812 fairy tale 'Snow White' by the Brothers Grimm. Here then, a Princess, known as Snow White (Rachel Zegler) determined to free her kingdom from tyranny, joins forces with seven dwarfs - Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey, to liberate her kingdom from her cruel stepmother, the Evil Queen (Gal Gadot). Also starring Andrew Burnap as Jonathan, Snow White's love interest. The film saw its European Premiere in Spain on 12th March, and goes on wide release as of this week. It cost in the region of US$255M to produce. 

'BOB TREVINO LIKES IT' (Rated M) - this American comedy drama offering is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Tracie Laymon in only her second feature film outing following 'Girls! Girls! Girls!' in 2011, although she has Written, Produced and Directed many other short films and TV series episodes since. Here, a young woman named Lily Trevino (Barbie Ferreira) uses Facebook to pursue her estranged father, Bob Trevino (John Leguizamo). In the process, she encounters a different, childless man of the same name, Robert Trevino (French Stewart) who begins liking her posts, causing the two to correspond. Upon meeting up in real life, Bob becomes a father figure in Lily's life. The film had its World Premiere in early March 2024 at SXSW where it won the festival's Grand Jury Award and Audience Award in the Narrative Feature categories. It is released in the US this week too and has garnered generally positive critical reviews.

'FLOW' (Rated G) - is an animated adventure film Written, Co-Produced, Directed, Photographed, Edited and Co-Scored by Gints Zilbalodis. It is a Latvian, French, and Belgian Co-Production, it features no dialogue and follows a cat trying to survive along with other animals in a seemingly post-apocalyptic world as the water level dramatically rises. The film took five-and-a-half years to complete, and saw its World Premiere showcasing at the end of May 2024 at the Cannes Film Festival and was released in its native Latvia at the end of August last year. It has received widespread critical acclaim and has collected fifty-four award wins (including the Best Animated Feature Film at this years Academy Awards) and another seventy nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. The film has so far grossed US$20M from a production budget of US$3.8M, was released in the US in early December and only now is it released here in Australia. 

With seven new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

BRIGHTBURN : Tuesday 28th May 2019.

I saw 'BRIGHTBURN' this week, and here we have something new and seemingly fresh - a superhero horror film as Directed by David Yarovesky, Written by Mark and Brian Gunn (cousin and brother of James Gunn respectively) and Co-Produced by James Gunn. Costing US$7M to bring to the big screen, has so far taken US$19M since its release in the US last week too, and has so far garnered generally mixed or average Reviews.




The film opens up in 2006 and we are introduced to Tori and Kyle Breyer (Elizabeth Banks and David Denman respectively) who after a difficult struggle with fertility, have their dreams of parenthood come unexpectedly true with the arrival of a mysterious baby boy who crash lands on Earth somewhere in the vicinity of Brightburn, small-town Kansas, from another world it appears. Upon finding the infant, in the woods behind their farm, the couple decide to keep their discovery a secret and adopt the child as their own, calling him Brandon.

Fast forward twelve years and now approaching his teenage years Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn) hears strange voices inside his head late one night. Over the next few days Brandon comes to the realisation that he has some very special powers, including a high degree of invulnerability to any pain or injury. This is evidenced when Kyle asks Brandon to mow the grass out in the paddock. Frustrated with getting the motor started on the mower, Brandon yanks so hard on the starter cable that he sends the mower flying skyward about one hundred meters into the distance. It lands in an upturned state with the rotor blades exposed and still running. Brandon saunters up to the mower, and promptly sticks his hand into the rapidly rotating blade, which brings the mower to an abrupt halt with the blade buckled beyond repair, and nary a scratch to young Brandon's hand.

Later that night, Brandon sleepwalks to the barn, and is seen trying frantically to open a chained and bolted trapdoor in the floor which contains the wreckage of the alien spacecraft that brought him to Earth. Tori was awakened by a red glowing light emanating from the barn and went to investigate. She sees Brandon crouched down at the trapdoor and wakes him, at which he is startled and doesn't know what he is doing there.

Over the ensuing days Brandon become more distant from his parents, more disobedient and more disrespectful of them. One morning over breakfast, Brandon is distracted by other thoughts and begins chewing on his fork, mangling it. Kyle witnesses this, and begins to suspect that something is not quite right with his son. That night Brandon visits the bedroom of fellow classmate Caitlyn (Emmie Hunter) and stares at her from behind the curtains until she notices him. She screams out, and when her mother enters the room he is gone. The next evening, when Kyle is securing the barn for the night, he hears a commotion from the adjacent chicken coup. Going to investigate he comes across Brandon glaring menacingly at said chooks. Later that night Kyle is woken by the sound of the chickens giving it all they've got. By the time he reaches the coup, all the chickens have been slaughtered. Tori claims it was the work of a wolf, but Kyle is more convinced it was the work of Brandon.

The next day at school, during a trust fall exercise Brandon is placed in the centre of the ring with his fellow classmates all tasked with catching him as he falls backwards. When Brandon is passed in the direction of Caitlyn she allows him to fall by stepping aside as she did not want to touch him after their previous episode. Brandon bangs his head on the ground but is unhurt. Caitlyn is tasked by the teacher to help Brandon get up. Reluctantly she stretches out a hand, which Brandon grabs and promptly crushes so breaking her hand. In a meeting of the parents in the Principal's Office, Brandon who has risen to the ranks of star pupil at the school, is suspended for two days by the Principal, and orders him to meet with his aunt Merilee McNichol (Meredith Hagner), the school Counsellor, afterwards.

A few nights later Tori finds her son levitating above the open glowing bright red trapdoor containing the hidden spaceship, repeating the words 'take the world' in an alien language that he hears inside his head again. Her interruption results in him falling and cutting his hand against a jagged piece of the spaceship - the first time in his life he has ever been injured or bled. Tori returns Brandon to the farmhouse and tends to his injury and then reveals the truth to him about his arrival on Earth. Despite her explanation and placing a positive spin on those events and his upbringing, Brandon leaves in a rage, claiming that they lied to him all these years.

Brandon visits Caitlyn once again at her house, who tells him that her mother has forbidden her from talking to him. Furious, a masked Brandon murders Caitlyn’s mother in the town’s diner where she works. During the first of the counselling sessions at the school, Merilee becomes concerned about Brandon's lack of remorse about his injuries to Caitlyn, and tells Brandon that she is required to report his progress to the local Police. 

Later that evening Brandon appears at Merilee's home unannounced to intimidate her into not reporting her concerns to the Police. A short time later, her husband Noah (Matt Jones) returns home after shooting some pool and enjoying a few beers at the local bar with Kyle and other friends. Noah finds Brandon hiding in their closet and furiously attempts to return him to his parents. Brandon attacks Noah in the driveway of their home, but escapes in his car. Its not long however, before Brandon catches up with the fleeing vehicle and kill Noah by wrecking his car - levitating it, turning it upside down and dropping it from a significant height with him inside. 

Tori and Kyle learn of Noah's death the next morning and are alarmed when Brandon does not emotionally react to the news of the death of his favourite uncle. Kyle attempts to explain to Tori that Brandon must've killed Noah, but she won't have any of it, so leading to a rift in their relationship. To make amends, Kyle plans a hunting trip with Brandon the following weekend under the guise of repairing his relationship with his son. While in a secluded woodland area, Kyle shoots Brandon in the back of the head only to have the bullet bounce off, unharming Brandon. Heartbroken and distraught, Brandon overpowers his father and using his laser vision burns through Kyle's eyes and straight out of the back of his head, dead!

Meanwhile, Tori is visited by the local Sheriff, Deputy Deever (Gregory Alan Williams) who shows her photographs of a symbol found at both the diner and Noah's accident scene - Brandon's signature mark. After sending the Sheriff away without a warrant, Tori searches through Brandon's room and finds his notebook, which contains drawings depicting graphic acts of violence and the various murders in addition to his repeated scribblings of his now familiar signature mark. Finally coming to terms with the full extent of Brandon’s involvement in the recent deaths, Tori frantically attempts to call her husband only for Brandon to answer his phone and inform her that her husband is dead.

Brandon returns home and begins destroying the house around Tori. She manages to find some temporary refuge to call the Police. Upon the Sheriff's arrival Brandon is seen to be levitating above the house. He sweeps in and brutally murders the Sheriff and then another responding officer. Escaping through a bedroom window, and landing awkwardly, and limping Tori makes it to the barn where the spaceship is located. Having remembered that it cut him, Tori arms herself with a sharp piece of the spaceship that she breaks off to use as a makeshift dagger.

Brandon finds Tori in the barn, who tries to settle him down. Tori assures Brandon that she still loves him no matter what, and that she has every confidence that there still remains good inside him. Once they embrace, Tori tries to stab him from behind with the makeshift dagger but fails. Enraged by her betrayal, Brandon holds onto Tori and flies her high above the clouds and then lets her fall to her to her death as a plane approaches him. Brandon crashes that plane into the Breyer farm, killing everyone onboard.

In the aftermath, news reports about the deaths of Brandon's parents and his other victims are attributed to the crash. Brandon is seen eating a cookie from the back of an ambulance, with his trademark signature inscribed on the planes fuselage in blood. Final reports show Brandon, nicknamed 'Brightburn' in the media, creating havoc, destroying buildings, setting forests ablaze, killing numerous people and leaving his signature on the landscape - seemingly afraid of no-one and nothing - because after all, he's only a young lad!

Basically 'Brightburn' is an alternative twist on 'Superman' with our red caped mild mannered Superhero out to save the world and do good by all of humankind is replaced by a similarly red caped evil inclined Superhero out to destroy the world and bring all of humankind to its knees. They both crash landed somewhere near small town America from some far away solar system, on a farm, were raised by good well meaning gentle folk, and from a young age came to the realisation that they were both special and possessed super powers - bullet proof, super human strength, stamina, speed, the ability to fly, laser vision, and an invincibility to anything man made. One chose to do good with his powers and the other pure evil. It's an interesting premise, that I was pleasantly surprised by given the average Reviews read prior. The film doesn't stop short on the gory aspects of Brandon's extreme acts of violence towards his victims, and at a lean 91 minutes running time the film moves along a good pace. The supporting characters are however, one dimensional, and in Brightburn it seems no-one is intelligent enough to spot a no-good early teen wreaking murder and mayhem most foul in the local community - not the Counsellor, nor the Sheriff, and not even his parents until it costs them their lives.  That said, it's good to see an alternative Superhero offering in this day and age of Superhero overload, and view the crowded genre from the other side of the tracks. You don't need to watch this on the big screen and can easily wait for the BluRay, download or your streaming service to catch it from the comfort of your own couch or mobile device. If successful the Producers have hinted at a sequel already, which was partially set up in a mid-credits sequence starring Michael Rooker as The Big T, an online TV channel conspiracy theorist and broadcaster.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 23rd May 2019.

As reported last week, the 72nd Cannes Film Festival is now in full swing until 25th May. As well as those twenty-one films in main competition for the prestigious 'Palme d'Or' award, the 'Un Certain Regard' section sees a further eighteen films compete for the 'Prix Un Certain Regard' which was introduced to the section to recognise young talent and to encourage innovative and daring works by presenting one of the films with a grant to aid its distribution in France. The name literally translated means 'a certain glance' but is understood by French speakers to mean 'from another point of view'. Here it means films with various types of visions and styles, which tell their stories in nontraditional ways. This section presents 'original and different' works which seek international recognition. The 'Camera d'Or' ('Golden Camera') is an award of the Festival for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes' selections and is awarded during the Festival's Closing Ceremony by an independent jury. The rules define first film as 'the first feature film for theatrical screening (whatever the format; fiction, documentary or animation) of sixty minutes or more in length, by a Director who has not made another film of sixty minutes or more in length and released theatrically.

Of those films competing for the Camera d'Or, below you'll find a quick summary of the main contenders :-

* 'A Brother's Love' - here this Canadian drama comedy offering is Directed and Written by Monia Chokri about Sophia (Anne Elisabeth Bosse), an immature university graduate student who is forced to reassess her life when her brother Karim (Patrick Hivon), with whom she has always had a very close and codependent relationship, falls in love with her gynecologist Éloise (Évelyne Brochu).

* 'Les Miserables' - this is a French drama film Directed and Co-Written by Ladj Ly about the 2005 Paris riots and stars Damien Bonnard.

* 'Bull' - this American drama film is Directed and Written by Annie Silverstein and stars Vicky Kadian, Yolonda Ross and Rob Morgan.

* 'Homeward' - this is a Ukrainian drama offering Written and Directed by Nariman Aliev.

* 'Particles' - this French/Swiss Co-Produced drama film is Directed and Written by Blaise Harrison and stars Thomas Daloz, Salvatore Ferro and Leo Couilfort.

* 'Port Authority' - this is an American drama film Directed and Written by Danielle Lessovitz

* 'The Bare Necessity' - this French drama film is Written and Directed by Erwan Le Duc and stars Fanny Ardant, Maud Wyler and Swann Arlaud.

* 'The Climb' - is an American comedy film Directed and Written by Michael Covino

* 'Sick, Sick, Sick' - this Brazillian/French and Dutch Co-Produced drama offering is Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Alice Furtado and stars Digao Ribeiro, Juan Paiva and Lourenco Mutarelli.

* 'Song Without a Name' - here this Peruvian and Swiss Co-Produced drama film is Co-Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Melina Leon and stars Lidia Quipse, Lucio Rojas and Maykol Hernández.

* 'Summer of Changsha' - this Chinese crime drama film is Written and Directed by Zu Feng.

You can get the full low down on these films, plus the many more screening both in and out of competition, and all the latest news and views at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival by visiting the official website at : https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/

Putting the focus back to this weeks latest release films coming to your local Odeon, we have four new offerings to tempt the ardent cinema goer. We launch into the week with a live action remake of a critically and commercially successful Disney animated feature from 27 years ago that sees a street urchin offered a chance to make something of his life courtesy of a magic lamp, a genie and three wishes. We then have a change of pace completely with a superhero horror offering that sees the gift of a perfect baby boy turn on its head when that young lad reaches puberty and things begin to go south very quickly for those around him. Next up we have an acclaimed foreign language offering about a pair of previously wealthy women, who by virtue of inheritance, have fallen on tough times for the first time in their thirty years together. Resorting to driving well to do ladies around town to make ends meet, one of the women makes a new connection that breathes fresh and invigorating life into the old girl. We then close the week with a documentary offering a look at an ideal future twenty years hence that is well within humanities grasp to effect lasting and meaningful change based on the technologies available today, for the benefit of the next generation and those that come after it, our planet and our collective future.  

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and 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.

'ALADDIN' (Rated PG) - in 1992 Disney released a feature length animated 'Aladdin' film starring Robin Williams as our titular genie from the magic lantern, which was in turn based on the Arabic folktale of the same name from the 'One Thousand and One Nights' which dates back to the early 18th Century. That film was made for US$28M, grossed US$504M at the global Box Office, was hailed a critical success and spawned various derived works and other material inspired by the film, including two direct-to-video sequels, 1994's 'The Return of Jafar' and 1996's 'Aladdin and the King of Thieves', an animated television series of the same name, and a Broadway production. The film picked up 32 award wins and 22 other nominations including two Academy Awards wins, three Golden Globe wins and five Grammy wins. Fast forward to 2016 and Guy Ritchie (yes he of 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', 'Snatch', 'Revolver', two successful 'Sherlock Holmes' films and 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' fame amongst others) was announced to Direct a live action remake of the Disney classic of the same name.

And so here we are, opening in cinemas around the world this week, Aladdin (Mena Massoud), a young street urchin who's only friend is his kleptomaniac pet monkey Abu (voiced by Frank Welker), falls in love with Jasmine (Naomi Scott), the Princess of Agrabah who is set to marry a Prince by her Sultan father (Navid Negahban). When he and Abu find a magic lamp containing a Genie (Will Smith channelling the late great Robin Williams), however, they must protect it from the wicked Grand Vizier, Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) and his loyal parrot Iago (voiced by Alan Tudyk), who both want to rule Agrabah with the Genie’s wishes and powers most awesome.

'BRIGHTBURN' (Rated MA15+) - here we have something new and seemingly fresh - a superhero horror film as Directed by David Yarovesky, Written by Mark and Brian Gunn and Co-Produced by James Gunn. Costing US$7M to bring to the big screen, the film tells the story of Tori (Elizabeth Banks) who after a difficult struggle with fertility, has her dreams of motherhood come unexpectedly true with the arrival of a mysterious baby boy who crash lands on Earth somewhere in the vicinity of  small-town Kansas form another world it appears. Young Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn) appears to be everything Tori and her husband Kyle (David Denman) ever wanted, he's bright, talented and curious about the world. But as Brandon nears puberty, a powerful darkness seems to manifest within him, and Tori becomes consumed by terrible doubts about her son. Once Brandon begins to act on his twisted urges, those closest to him find themselves in grave danger, as the miracle child transforms into a vicious predator. The film is released in the US this week too.

'THE HEIRESSES' (Rated M) - this Paraguayan drama film is Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Marcelo Martinessi and saw its Premier screening at the Berlin International Film Festival back in February 2018 where it was in main competition for the Golden Bear, and it was also selected as the Paraguayan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at this years 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. The film has however, accumulated a total of 34 award wins and 35 other nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit and has garnered generally positive Reviews. Only now does it go on limited release in Australia. Here, Chela (Ana Brun) and Chiquita (Margarita Irun) are both descended from wealthy families in Asunción, Paraguay and have been together for more than thirty years. Recently however, their financial situation has declined leaving them no option but to sell off their inherited possessions. But when their debts result in Chiquita being imprisoned on fraud charges, Chela is forced to face a new harsh reality. Driving for the first time in years, she starts to provide a local taxi service to a group of well off elderly ladies. As Chela settles into her new life, she encounters the much younger Angy (Ana Ivanova), forging a fresh and invigorating new connection. Chela finally begins to break out of her shell and engage with the world, embarking on her own personal, intimate revolution.

'2040' (Rated G) - here Australian Actor, Writer, Producer and Director Damon Gameau delivers us this climate change documentary with a difference. This award winning Director for his debut feature length 2014 doco 'That Sugar Film', drills down on the best minds from around the world to focus on climate, economics, technology, civil society, agriculture and sustainability. '2040' maps out a pathway for change that can lead us to a more ecologically sustainable and equitable future. Motivated by his four year-old daughter who will turn 25 in 2040 and a concern for the planet she will inherit, Damon Gameau ventures out on a global journey to meet the proactive innovators and change agents at the forefront of delivering the best solutions already available to us today to improve the health of our planet and societies tomorrow, rather than the politicians who simply take a reactive approach to the matter by throwing seemingly vast sums of cash at the issue without any clear strategy. Described as an aspirational film full of hope about the possibility to make changes that will shift the course for humanity and the planet. This is the narrative the next generation needs to see, to aspire to, and to believe is possible.

With four new release movies 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 in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-