DUNGEONS & DRAGONS : HONOUR AMONG THIEVES - Tuesday 4th April 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'DUNGEONS & DRAGONS : HONOUR AMONG THIEVES' this week, and this American fantasy heist action comedy film is Directed and Co-Written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, based on the tabletop role-playing game 'Dungeons & Dragons'. This film bears no connection to the original trilogy of films that launched with the feature film 'Dungeons & Dragons' in 2000, then the made for TV 'Dungeons & Dragons : Wrath of the Dragon God' in 2005 and the direct to video third film 'Dungeons & Dragons 3 : The Book of Vile Darkness' in 2012. The film was originally set to be released on 23rd July 2021 but due to scheduling conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and various other studio delays a release date of two weeks ago in the US and last week in Australia was finally set upon, having seen its World Premier screening at SXSW earlier in March. It has garnered positive critical reviews, and cost US$150M to produce, and has so far grossed US$83M in Box Office receipts.

The film opens up in Revel's End arctic prison where Bard Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) and his barbarian accomplice Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez) have been holed up for the past two years. Edgin stands before a panel of three judges explaining his back story and the reasons why he and Holga should be pardoned for their past crimes and released. Edgin spent years as a member of the Harpers, an order of peacekeepers, until a Red Wizard he had antagonised killed his wife. Accompanied by Holga, Edgin attempted to make a new life for himself and his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) by turning to theft, teaming with amateur sorcerer Simon Aumar (Justice Smith) and rogue Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), along with the latter's mysterious acquaintance, Sofina (Daisy Head). While robbing a Harper stronghold, Edgin attempted to steal a 'Tablet of Reawakening' to bring his wife back to life, but he and Holga were captured, while their accomplices escaped with the Tablet.

We then come back to Edgin's plea for release, as he and Holga manage to escape from the prison by clinging onto a human sized bird, Chancellor Jarnathan (Clayton Grover), as he smashes through a window high up in the prison tower and glides the pair some distance away to safety as Chancellor Anderton (Nicholas Blane) cries after them that he had approved their release. And so the pair escape to Neverwinter and learn that Forge has become Lord there, after its prior Lord was stricken down by some mysterious illness. Forge has been taking care of Kira during the last two years, and has convinced her that Edgin's greed and selfishness led to his imprisonment. Sofina is revealed to be a Red Wizard, and she and Forge deliberately orchestrated the capture of Edgin and Holga.

Sofina tries, unsuccessfully, to dispense with Edgin and Holga, but they escape and decide to rob Forge's vault and bring Kira home with them during the upcoming High Sun Games at the stadium, needing the Tablet to prove their innocence. The gladiatorial games had previously been banned, but Forge resurrected them, promising the locals that the games would bring in tourists and money, and it's what the people want anyhow. Edgin and Holga track down Simon to help and he suggests also recruiting Doric (Sophia Lillis), a druid, whose forest community is battling against the forced logging handed down by Forge.

Doric gains access to Forge's castle by shapeshifting into various animal forms and finds the vault has magical defences which Simon says he lacks power to disable. Simon suggests that a magic relic, 'The Helm of Disjunction' could disable them. They travel to an old graveyard to ask Holga's ancestors where to find it. Simon resurrects the dead with a talisman long enough for them to answer five questions, with the corpses revealing they gave the Helm to Xenk Yandar (Rege-Jean Page), a paladin who fled his country, Thay, when Red Wizards turned his people into an army of the undead.

After getting to know each other Xenk, forces Edgin to swear to distribute any gained treasures to the people, leads the group through a vast subterranean network of tunnels and caverns known as the Underdark where the Helm has been secretly stashed away. With the help of a teleportation staff obtained from Holga's halfling ex-husband Marlamin (Bradley Cooper), they find the relic, but are attacked by Thayan assassins ordered by Sofina. Xenk fights off the assassins and helps the group escape from an overweight and less than agile red dragon, before exiting.

Simon is unable to master the Helm's power, so they decide to use the teleportation staff to enter the vault during the games. Simon and Holga are able to enter the magically-sealed door after Simon is able to master the Helm's power, but find the room behind it empty except for a magical trap. The whole group is captured and instead of death on the spot choose to participate in the games, but are able to escape after successfully negotiating several challenges and obstacles. Doric discovers that Forge has loaded the treasure onto a boat and is preparing to flee, so the group steals the boat for themselves and rescues Kira from Forge, who threatened Kira's life.

About a mile out to sea, the group realise that Sofina organised the games to draw a massive crowd and turn them into an army of the undead using the same curse that destroyed Thay. The group returns and transports Forge's stolen riches out of the boat with the teleportation staff and scatters them across the city, as Edgin had promised Xenk, so drawing the people out of the stadium before Sofina's spell can take effect.

Angered by her defeat, Sofina attacks the group, but Simon is able to master his magic and reverse Sofina's time-stop spell, allowing Kira to use an invisibility pendant Edgin and Holga had given her as a child to place an anti-magic bracelet on Sofina. Sofina is subsequently killed when attacked by Doric in her shapeshifting owlbear form and is then crushed by falling rubble from a building she was slammed into. However, Holga is fatally injured in the battle and dies in Kira's arms with Edgin looking on. Edgin uses the Tablet (which can only be used once) to bring her back to life, as he accepts that he wanted to bring back his wife only for his own sake while Holga had become a true part of their family. Now fully recovered from his mystery illness, the old Lord of Neverwinter declares the team heroes of the realm and Forge is sent to Revel's End, where he is seen one year into his sentence pleading with the Chancellor's for his early release, which they reject. 

'Dungeons & Dragons : Honour Among Thieves' is an OK movie, but that's as far as I would go with my praise for this fantasy action comedy offering. I didn't love it and I also didn't hate it either. It's a very simple story that unfolds well enough, but it's also quite silly in places and at times it meanders along at a snails pace before lurching into the next action set piece with barely any real impact on the storyline other than padding. Chris Pine is on good form here as the charming happy-go-lucky bard Edgin; as is Michelle Rodriquez as the type cast tough-as-nails ass-kicking heroine; with more than admirable turns from Justice Smith, Rege-Jean Page, Sophie Lillis and Hugh Grant to round out the principle cast and who all bring a not too serious light hearted tone to the picture, although I'm not sure I would rush out to see further instalments should this become a franchise.

'Dungeons & Dragons : Honour Among Thieves' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 6th April 2023.

Since 2012 the Sun Valley Film Festival has invited fans and filmmakers to America’s first ski resort to celebrate the magic of storytelling. Every (Northern Hemisphere) Spring the Festival celebrates with a slate of cutting-edge films, industry panels, engaging Coffee Talks with entertainment luminaries, a Screenwriters Lab led by award-winning writers, and a series of parties culminating with the spectacular SVFF Awards Bash. This years Festival ran from Wednesday 29th March through until Sunday 2nd April and is held in the ski resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. The Sun Valley Film Festival invites guests to be a part of the legacy of storytellers, artists and filmmakers that have defined the town’s rich cinematic history. From screenings in the snow to an unforgettable reception at Hemingway’s restored hunting lodge, SVFF captures the spirit of a bygone era, one that comes alive for one magical weekend each March as it celebrates the shared wonder of film. In tandem with the town’s cinematic past, the Festival’s intimate accessibility attracts industry icons who return year after year, creating a community of artists that define the Festival’s unique atmosphere. With over 4,000 annual attendees, SVFF is quickly becoming known as the Festival for Filmmakers - a boutique event beloved by film fans and auteurs alike.

This years slate of feature films included the following titles :-

* 'Air' - from Director, Co-Producer and star Ben Affleck, with Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina and Marlon Wayans.

* 'Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out' - from Director and Co-Producer Jake van Wagoner and starring Emma Tremblay, Jacob Buster and Will Forte.

* 'Bad Press' - from Directors Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler and starring Angel Ellis, Jerrad Moore and Lanzy Krehbiel-Burton.

* 'Birth/Rebirth' - from Director Laura Moss and starring Marin Ireland, Judy Reyes, A.J. Lister and Breeda Wool.

* 'Bobi Wine : The People's President' - this Documentary from Directors Christopher Sharp (who also Co-Produces) and Moses Bwayo (who is also Co-Cinematograhper).

* 'Deep Rising' - is a Documentary from Director Matthieu Rytz and is narrated by Jason Momoa.

* 'Dreamin' Wild' - from Director, Co-Producer and Co-Writer Bill Pohlad and starring Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins, Noah Jupe, Beau Bridges and Chris Messina.

* 'Fancy Dance' - from Director, Co-Producer and Co-Writer Erica Tremblay and starring Lily Gladstone, Isabel Deroy-Olson, Ryan Begay, Crystle Lightning, Audrey Wasilewski and Shea Whigham.

* 'Flamin' Hot' - from Director Eva Longoria in her feature film making debut, and starring Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, Matt Walsh and Tony Shalhoub.

* 'Fremont' - from Director Babak Jalali and starring Anaita Wali Zada, Jeremy Allen White and Gregg Turkington.

* 'Joyland' - from Director and Writer Saim Sadiq and starring Ali Junejo and Alina Khan.

* 'King Coal' - from Director, Co-Producer, Co-Writer and Co-Editor Elaine Sheldon and narrated by Elaine Sheldon. 

* 'Land of Gold' - from Director, Writer, Co-Producer and star Nardeep Khurmi and also starring Pallavi Sastry and Caroline Valencia.

* 'The Longest Goodbye' - this Documentary is from Director and Co-Writer Ido Mizrahy.

* 'Midday Black Midnight Blue' from Directors, Co-Producers and Co-Writers Samantha Soule and Daniel Talbott and starring Chris Stack, Samantha Soule, Will Pullen, Addie Johnson Talbott, McCaleb Burnett, Shane McRae, Dale Soules, and Merritt Wever.

* 'Nascondino' - this Documentary is Directed by Victoria Fiore.

* 'Showing Up' - from Director, Co-Writer and Editor Kelly Reichardt and starring Michelle Williams, Hong Chau, Maryann Plunkett, John Magaro, Andre Benjamin, James Le Gros, and Judd Hirsch.

* 'Surrounded' - from Director and Co-Producer Anthony Mandler and starring Letitia Wright, Jamie Bell, Jeffrey Donovan, Brett Gelman and Michael K. Williams.

* Wild Life' - this Documentary is Directed and Co-Produced by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin and stars Kristine Tompkins, Rick Ridgeway, Jimmy Chin and Yvon Chouinard. 

This years Honourees for the Vision Award was presented to Actor and Producer Josh Brolin; the Pioneer Award was presented to Actor, Writer, Producer and Director Emilio Estevez; with the Rising Star Award being presented to Sophie Thatcher.

For the full run-down on the aforementioned films, plus all the details of the SVFF Short Films and a whole lot more good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://sunvalleyfilmfestival.org/

This week then we have seven new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, kick starting with a sports bio drama that follows the history of a shoe salesman and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball. This is followed by a big screen adaptation of the popular tabletop role playing game that sees a charming and handsome thief and a band of would-be adventurous types join forces to find a long lost relic, but things don't go quite according to plan when they cross paths with various miscreants. Next up and based on a true story, we follow the Chief Exorcist of the Vatican as he investigates a young boy's terrifying possession and ultimately uncovers a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep covered up. Then we turn to a story of a geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital that is threatened with closure, and how the local community come together to fight back. Following on from this we have a film that charts the travels of a curious grey Sardinian donkey across the Polish and Italian countryside, as he experiences the highs and lows of society, all the while never losing his innocence. Next is an Aussie offering that follows a high schooler and talented dancer who rebels against the discipline required for her to succeed following an unexpected accident. And closing out the week we have an animated film telling the story of The Super Mario Bros. on their journey through the Mushroom Kingdom.

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.

'AIR' (Rated M) - this American biographical sports drama film is Directed by and stars Ben Affleck whose previous film making credits take in 'Gone Baby Gone' in 2007, 'The Town' in 2010, 'Argo' in 2012 and 'Live by Night' in 2016. This film saw its World Premier screening as the Closing Night film of SXSW in mid-March recently, has so far garnered generally positive reviews and is released Stateside this week too.

The film reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike's fledgling basketball division which revolutionised the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. This story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent, and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time. Starring Matt Damon as Sonny Vaccaro, the Nike shoe salesman who ultimately signs the young rookie Michael Jordan to a deal to wear their shoes; Ben Affleck as Phil Knight the Co-Founder of Nike; Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Michael's mother with Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, Chris Messina and Chris Tucker.

'DUNGEONS & DRAGONS : HONOUR AMONG THIEVES' (Rated M) - is an American fantasy heist action comedy film Directed and Co-Written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, based on the tabletop role-playing game 'Dungeons & Dragons'. This film is not connected to the original trilogy of films that launched with the feature film 'Dungeons & Dragons' in 2000, then the made for TV 'Dungeons & Dragons : Wrath of the Dragon God' in 2005 and the direct to video third film 'Dungeons & Dragons 3 : The Book of Vile Darkness' in 2012. Here then, a charming thief Edgin Darvis (Chris Pine) and a band of unlikely adventurers (Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page, Justice Smith and Sophie Lillis) embark on an epic quest to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people (Hugh Grant, Daisy Head and Jason Wong). The film was originally set to be released on 23rd July 2021 but due to scheduling conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and various other studio delays a release date of last week in the US and this week in Australia was finally set upon, having seen its World Premier screening at SXSW earlier in March. It has garnered generally positive critical reviews, and cost US$151M to produce. 

'THE POPE'S EXORCIST' (Rated MA15+) - this American supernatural horror film is Directed by Julius Avery whose previous feature film credits are 'Son of a Gun' in 2014, 'Overlord' in 2018 and 'Samaritan' in 2022. This film is based on the Italian Catholic Priest and Exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth of the Diocese of Rome and who lived from 1925 until 2016, and who claimed to have performed thousands of exorcisms throughout his life, as recounted in his memoirs 'An Exorcist Tells His Story' and 'An Exorcist : More Stories'. Chief Exorcist of the Vatican Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe), investigates a young boy's terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden. Also starring Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe and Franco Nero, and is released in the US next week on 14th April. 

'ALLELUJAH' (Rated M) - this British drama film is Directed by Richard Eyre who made his feature film Directorial debut back in 1983 with 'The Ploughman's Lunch' which he would then follow up over the successive years with the likes of 'Iris' in 2001, 'Stage Beauty' in 2004, 'Notes on a Scandal' in 2006, 'The Other Man' in 2008 and 'The Children Act' in 2017. This film is based on the Alan Bennett play of the same name and saw its World Premier screening at TIFF in mid-September last year, before its release in the UK in mid-March, having garnered mixed reviews. Here then, when the geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital is threatened with closure, the hospital decides to fight back by galvanising the local community, and so they invite a news crew to film their preparations for a concert in honour of the hospital's most distinguished nurse. What could possibly go wrong? Starring Jennifer Saunders, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Russell Tovey, David Bradley and Bally Gill. 

'EO' (Rated MA15+) - is a Polish drama road movie Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski that won the Jury Prize at the May 2022 Cannes Film Festival, was nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the recent Academy Awards and all up has scored another twenty award wins and a further fifty-three nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. The film follows a a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, named Eo who performs in a circus but when that circus suddenly closes down unexpectedly he is cast aside. On his journeys he encounters good and bad people, experiences joy and pain, endures the wheel of fortune as it randomly turns his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss, but not even for a moment does he lose his innocence, as we explore a vision of modern Europe through his eyes. The film has garnered universal critical acclaim and has so far taken US$2.3M in Box Office receipts.

'THE RED SHOES : NEXT STEP' (Rated PG) - this Australian family drama film is Directed by Jesse Ahern and Joanne Samuel with the former in his Directing debut and the latter helming on her second feature film following 2020's 'The Legend of the Five'. Here then, we follow high schooler and talented dancer Sam Cavanaugh (Juliet Doherty), who is about to dance the lead in ‘The Red Shoes’ ballet when her older sister Annie (Daniele Clements), a brilliant dancer, is struck by a car while on Facetime with her. Guilt-ridden, Sam quits the academy, returns to high school, runs wild with new friend Eve Leary (Lauren Esposito), and lands herself in community service, which requires her to clean studios at the academy, providing a constant reminder of the tragedy. When Gracie (Primrose Kern), ‘The Red Shoes’ principal, is injured, Sam is pressed by her ballet teacher Ms. Harlow (Carolyn Bock) to take over the role and dance with Ben (Joel Burke), an old friend, long-time crush, and renowned dancer.

'THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE' (Rated G) - is a computer animated fantasy film not to be confused with the critical and commercial failure of the 1993 live action fantasy adventure film 'Super Mario Bros.' that starred Bob Hoskins, Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo. This film is Directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and is based on Nintendo's 'Mario' video game franchise. With help from Princess Peach (voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy), the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario, an Italian Brooklyn based plumber (Chris Pratt) travels through the Mushroom Kingdom with the princess and an anthropomorphic mushroom named Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) to find Mario's brother, Luigi (Charlie Day), and to save the world from a ruthless fire-breathing Koopa named Bowser (Jack Black). Also starring Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong. The film is released Stateside this week too, and in Japan on 28th April. 

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-