THE INVITE : Tuesday 14th July 2026.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE INVITE' at my local independant Odeon this week, and this American comedy film is Directed by Olivia Wilde in her third feature film Directorial outing following 'Booksmart' in 2019 and 'Don't Worry Darling' in 2022. In addition, she has many acting roles in the likes of 'The Girl Next Door' in 2004, 'Alpha Dog' in 2006, 'Cowboys & Aliens' in 2011, 'People Like Us' in 2012, 'Deadfall' also in 2012, 'Rush' in 2013, 'Her' in 2013, 'The Lazarus Effect' in 2015, 'Love the Coopers' in 2015, 'Life Itself' in 2019 and 'Richard Jewell' in 2019, and due for release at the end of this month 'I Want Your Sex'. This film is an English language remake of the Spanish film 'The People Upstairs' Directed by Cesc Gay. The film had its Premiere showcasing at this years Sundance Film Festival in late January, saw its wide release Stateside, the UK and here in Australia last week, has so far grossed US$15M and has garnered universal critical acclaim.

Failed musician Joe (Seth Rogen) arrives home from work having ridden his fold-up bicycle all the way across town only to collapse on the floor the moment he walks in the door, suffering from an aching back. He soon learns that his stay-at-home wife Angela (Olivia Wilde) has invited their upstairs neighbours, divorcee Pina (Penelope Cruz) and widower Hawk (Edward Norton), over for dinner at their apartment, and they are due to arrive in about fifteen minutes. Angela has laid on a lavish spread of cut deli meats and cheeses, and has prepared a souffle which she places in the oven to bake off. Joe and Angela's marriage is on thin ice and they bicker and argue constantly, most recently over the loud sex noises they hear from upstairs every night. Joe plans to confront the couple, but Angela, who is desperate to make friends with their neighbours, demands he keep calm and does not broach the subject.. 

Pina and Hawk arrive at the apartment as Joe and Angela are in mid-argument. Unprepared to host a dinner party, Angela makes several awkward mistakes, such as not having any wine, not checking Pina's dietary restrictions for she doesn't eat meat, cheese or gluten products, and she also burns the souffle which goes straight in the bin. Meanwhile, Joe openly aggravates the couple, but is surprised to see they are impressed by his brutally honest nature. 

The group eventually warm to one another, over a bottle of vintage French red wine gifted to them as a wedding present which they were hoping to save for a special occasion. Joe however, still resents his neighbours for their noise and is deeply troubled when he learns Hawk has seen Angela naked through a window that looks down from their apartment into theirs.

As the evening progresses Pina and Hawk apologise for the noise they make during sex and reveal to Joe and Angela that they participate in regular group sex sessions which is the reason for the noise. Joe and Angela are titillated by this revelation. Pina admits that she and Hawk came to the dinner party hoping to invite Joe and Angela to have group sex with them. Joe and Angela are eager, but Pina, who is a psychoanalyst and sexologist, is unsure after seeing the couple constantly at each others throats throughout the evening. Instead, they decide to swap partners. However, Angela is too nervous to initiate sex with the former fire fighter Hawk, and Joe falls backwards into a bookshelf in his study while dancing with Pina and puts his back out.

Another argument breaks out between Joe and Angela, and he rebukes their neighbours. Pina gets the couple to talk about their relationship, and learns of the resentment they have to each other and the fact they have not had sex in a year. Pina suggests the couple should separate instead of sticking together for the sake of their twelve year old daughter, Maggie, who is away for the night, or find a way to reframe their relationship, as the current status appears to have run its course. Angela and Joe seemingly agree to separate, and discuss their next moves, but upon returning from the kitchen, discover Pina and Hawk have left. Joe returns to his office and plays his piano for the first time in years, with Angela retreating to Maggie's bedroom, but eventually she joins him at the keys. When they have finished playing their musical piece, Angela rests her head on Joe's shoulder.

Here Actress and Director Olivia Wilde has crafted a mature aged comedy that is a throw back to the adult sex comedies of the late '70's and '80's while updating the story with all the emotional heft, laugh out loud moments of razor sharp humour, and modern day sensibilities that make for an engaging time at the movies. The four Actors here all share the screen in equal measure, all have their own pitch perfect lines of dialogue, and all have their moment to shine individually and collectively. This is a film that almost any married couple will be able to relate to at some level, as it is thought provoking in its study of human relationships, the fragility of such and the prospect of second chances. If observing two couples experience the most tense, uncomfortable and stressful supposed dinner party of their middle-aged lives is for you, then you won't be disappointed in this cringe-worthy yet thoroughly engaging film. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

GLASS ONION : A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY - Tuesday 29th November 2022.

I saw the M rated 'GLASS ONION : A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY' on its final day of its very limited theatrical run earlier this week. This American murder mystery film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rian Johnson whose previous film making credits take in his big screen debut with 'Brick' in 2005, then 'The Brothers Bloom' in 2008, 'Looper' in 2012, 'Star Wars : Episode VIII - The Last Jedi' in 2017 and 'Knives Out' in 2019, to which this film is a standalone sequel. This film had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in mid-September this year and is scheduled to have a one-week limited theatrical release from 23rd November before its streaming release on 23rd December by Netflix. The film saw the widest theatrical release ever for a Netflix film generating US$15M in Box Office receipts towards its production costs of US$40M and garnering universal critical acclaim. 

During the height of the 2020 COVID pandemic when the world is gripped by lockdowns, we are introduced to a group of individuals who all receive a large and strange looking wooden box, with no visible means of gaining entry to it. There is Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jnr.), the head scientist for global tech company Alpha Industries; Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), a former supermodel turned fashion designer; Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), the governor of Connecticut now running for the Senate; Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), a Twitch streamer and men's rights activist; and Cassandra 'Andi' Brand (Janelle Monae), Miles's ex-business partner. Lionel hooks up with the other recipients of the same identical box (for they are all close friends of one another) and together they are able to gain entry into the box revealing an elaborate number of puzzles and games contained therein, with the final reveal being an invitation from billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) and owner of Alpha Industries to attend his very own murder mystery weekend at his private estate 'Glass Onion' which is housed on his own private Greek island. Tagging along are also Peg (Jessica Henwick) Birdie's Assistant, and Whiskey (Madelyn Cline) Duke's girlfriend and Twitch channel Assistant. 

World renowned Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is hired by Andi's identical twin sister, Helen, to investigate her sister's alleged suicide the previous week. Helen advises Blanc that Miles jettisoned Andi from her role as CEO of Alpha Industries after Andi categorically denied his request to release 'Klear', a  hydrogen-based alternative fuel that early tests have proven to be very dangerous under certain conditions. She lost a lawsuit against him due to her inability to prove that she conceived of the company and not Miles. Helen suspects that one of Miles's friends killed Andi after she found a cocktail napkin from the 'Glass Onion' bar that they all used to frequent back in the day, on which she scribbled Alpha's founding ideas, evidence that would discredit Miles. 

Blanc instructs Helen to take Andi's place for the weekend given that they were identical twins and news of Andi's death has still not hit the headlines. Arriving on the island to help him investigate undercover as though they are unknown to each other, Miles informs Blanc that he did not send him an invitation but allows him to stay, assuming that his presence was a joke arranged by one of the other guests. 

On the island, Helen sets about covertly searching for clues that could potentially lead to Andi's killer, but determines that Lionel, Claire, Birdie, and Duke are all suspects. Lionel and Claire had staked their professional reputations to support Klear, only to learn of its dangerous qualities afterward; Birdie was forced by Miles to take responsibility for hiring a sweatshop in Bangladesh to manufacture her clothing line; and Duke was attempting to coerce Miles into giving him a position at Alpha News by using Whiskey to seduce him. 

On the first evening with the weekend ahead of them, Miles lays out plans for his elaborate staged murder mystery in which he is the victim and his guests need to prove who the killer is. But Blanc, before the game has even started, solves the case much to Miles' frustration saying that he even had Gillian Flynn write his murder mystery game, and she doesn't come cheap! 

So the group parties with a number of guests considering returning home the next day. Duke suddenly collapses dead after inadvertently drinking from Miles's glass. The group begins to panic, suspecting the missing 'Andi' to be the killer and discovering that Duke's pistol (which he never goes anywhere without) is missing. Then at 10:00pm right on cue, all the lights across the island go out except for the lighthouse which intermittently illuminates the house and grounds. In the resulting chaos, the group splits up. Blanc bumps into Helen outside on the steps, who has been searching for Andi's cocktail napkin which she believes the killer stole. He instructs her to search Miles's office. An unknown assailant shoots Helen in the chest, but she survives unknown to anyone else but Blanc, due to Andi's diary in her jacket pocket having blocked the bullet. 

Blanc rounds up the remaining group in Miles's art room, where he deduces that Miles committed both murders. After Miles learned of the napkin's existence from Lionel, he had killed Andi to prevent her from revealing it to the public. Immediately following her murder, he was seen speeding away from her house by Duke who was nearly 'pancaked' on his motorcycle, and who deduced Miles's involvement with Andi's death during the party, when his newsfeed revealed her death, and as a consequence he attempted to blackmail Miles. This then prompted Miles to poison Duke with pineapple juice, which Duke was severly allergic to, before using Duke's pistol to shoot Helen. 

Helen finds the napkin in Miles's office and reveals her true identity to the group, but Miles burns the napkin with his cigar lighter as she is holding it. With no evidence against Miles and the group unwilling to side with her, Helen sets about smashing all of Miles's glass sculptures before triggering the Klear-powered mansion to explode. This destroys the Glass Onion and the Mona Lisa, which Miles had on loan from the Louvre, while it was shut due to the pandemic. With Miles's reputation now in tatters due to the worlds most famous painting's being destroyed and Klear being proven as dangerous, the group decides they will testify against him. Helen and Blanc sit on the beach as they watch the Police arrive by boat as the sun rises. 

'Glass Onion : A Knives Out Mystery' is very entertaining and I'm pleased to have seen it on the big screen at my local independent movie theatre (which was packed out I might add) rather than waiting for the small screen Netflix release at Christmas. The film shines in almost every aspect from the sun drenched Greek island setting, to all the trappings of a very wealthy tech billionaire, to the performances of the cast to the script, the humour and the direction laid on by Rian Johnson, it hardly misses a beat. This is more than a worthy follow-up to 2019's 'Knives Out' and with double the budget it is clear that no expense was spared in bringing together an ensemble cast lead by the returning Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, and the exotic location that undoubtedly contributed to the film being greater than the sum of its parts and a real crowd pleaser to boot. Also starring in cameo appearances Ethan Hawke, Angela Lansbury, Hugh Grant, Natasha Lyonne, Serena Williams and Stephen Sondheim, amongst a handful of others.

'Glass Onion : A Knives Out Mystery' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 27th February 2020.

With the recent Academy Awards closing out the awards season for another year or so, as reported last week, there remains one final ceremony that occurred just the day before The Oscars, and nestled between the BAFTA Awards, that is worthy of mention in bringing the curtain down on the 2019/20 movie season. And so the 35th Film Independent Spirit Awards were held on Saturday 8th February 2020 at the Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California and hosted by American Actress, and Producer Aubrey Plaza for the second time. Founded in 1984, these awards are dedicated to independent filmmakers. The ceremony is produced by Film Independent, a not for profit arts organisation that also produces the Los Angeles Film Festival and whose mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision.

This years winners of an Independent Spirit Award are as given below :-
* Best Feature
Awarded to 'THE FAREWELL', beating out 'A Hidden Life', 'Clemency', 'Marriage Story' and 'Uncut Gems'.
* Best International Feature
Awarded to 'PARASITE', beating out 'The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao', 'Les Miserables', 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire', 'Retalbo' and 'The Souvenir'.
* Best Director
Awarded to JOSH & BENNY SAFDIE for 'UNCUT GEMS', beating out Robert Eggers for 'The Lighthouse', Alma Har'el for 'Honey Boy', Julius Onah for 'Luce' and Lorene Scafaria for 'Hustlers'.
* Best Male Lead
Awarded to ADAM SANDLER for 'UNCUT GEMS', beating out Chris Galust for 'Give Me Liberty', Kelvin Harrison Jr. for 'Luce', Robert Pattinson for 'The Lighthouse' and Matthias Schoenaerts for 'The Mustang'.
* Best Female Lead
Awarded to RENE ZELLWEGER for 'JUDY', beating out Karen Allen for 'Colewell', Hong Chau for 'Driveways', Elisabeth Moss for 'Her Smell', Mary Kay Place for 'Diane' and Alfre Woodard for 'Clemency'.
* Best Supporting Male
Awarded to WILLEM DAFOE for 'THE LIGHTHOUSE', beating out Noah Jupe for 'Honey Boy', Shia LaBeouf for 'Honey Boy', Jonathan Majors for 'The Last Black Man in San Francisco' and Wendell Pierce for 'Burning Cane'.
* Best Supporting Female
Awarded to ZHAO SHU-ZHEN for 'THE FAREWELL', beating out Jennifer Lopez for 'Hustlers', Taylor Russell for 'Waves', Lauren Spencer for 'Give Me Liberty' and Octavia Spencer for 'Luce'.
* Best Screenplay
Awarded to NOAH BAUMBACH for 'MARRIAGE STORY', beating out 'To Dust', 'Uncut Gems', 'Clemency' and High Flying Bird'.
* Best First Screenplay
Awarded to FREDRICA BAILEY and STEFON BRISTOL for 'SEE YOU YESTERDAY', beating out 'Driveways', 'Blow the Man Down', 'Greener Grass' and 'The Vast of the Night'.
* Best First Feature
Awarded to OLIVIA WILDE for 'BOOKSMART', beating out 'See You Yesterday', 'The Climb', 'The Mustang', 'Diane' and 'The Last Black Man in San Francisco'.
* Best Documentary Feature
Awarded to 'AMERICAN FACTORY', beating out 'Apollo 11', 'For Sama', 'Honeyland' and 'Island of the Hungry Ghosts'.
* Best Cinematography
Awarded to JARIN BLASCHKE for 'THE LIGHTHOUSE', beating out 'Hustlers', 'Honey Boy', 'The Third Wife' and 'Midsommar'.
* Best Editing
Awarded to BENNY SAFDIE & RONALD BRONSTEIN for 'UNCUT GEMS', beating out 'The Third Wife', 'The Lighthouse', 'Sword of Trust' and 'Give Me Liberty'.

For the full low down on all the winners, the grinners, the also rans, and the comings and goings from this years awards ceremony, you can visit the official website at : https://www.filmindependent.org

And so this week we have six latest release new movies to tempt you out to your local Odeon in the coming week. We launch with a remake of a classic 1930's horror film based on a classic novel of the same name that sees this updated story concerning the benefactor of a wealthy estate seemingly being stalked by an unseen presence threatening the lives of her nearest and dearest while slowly turning her insane. Next up we have a 1950's set murder mystery noir from only a second time Director but an acclaimed Actor as he assembles an all star cast to find his mentors killer while running the gauntlet with the NYC's underworld. We then turn to a true story of an unsung hero of the Vietnam War who paid the ultimate price for his bravery in the face of intense battle, and after some thirty years one man seeks against the odds to have that soldier honoured. This is followed by a story of a young boy growing up in the film and TV industry and his decade long journey to reconnect with his father while rising to the dizzy heights of teenage fame only to see it all come crashing down in his early 20's. We then turn back the clock to the roaring '20's and we find an intrepid female sleuth, making the move from the small screen to the big screen, seeking to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of a young girls Bedouin tribe while getting caught up in various other mysteries along the way too. And, closing out the week we have an Australian family animated feature sure to please the littlies concerning a mischievous young possum, who makes a wish which backfires somewhat with potentially disastrous consequences, and who must undertake a perilous journey to undo the damage caused.

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

'THE INVISIBLE MAN' (Rated MA15+) - this American and Australian Co-Produced supernatural horror film is Directed, written for the screen and based on a story by the Australian Screenwriter, Producer, Actor and film maker Leigh Whannel and is a modern updated retelling of the classic H.G.Wells story and the 1933 film version both of the same name. Filmed here in Sydney, Australia, this film has been in development since 2007 and in 2016 the project was announced to have been resurrected as part of Universal Studios shared cinematic universe consisting of their classic monster characters, but when 'The Mummy' was released in 2017 to poor press and less than favourable Box Office takings the studio halted all of its projects sitting in development. Subsequently the studio revised its plans, and this film was back on track. Costing US$7M to make, the film is released Stateside this week too. In November 2019, it was announced that a spin-off film centered around the female counterpart to Invisible Man was in development. Elizabeth Banks will star in, Direct, and Produce an adaptation of 'The Invisible Woman', based on her own original pitch it seems.

And so trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) escapes in the dead of night and goes into hiding, aided by her sister Alice (Harriet Dyer), their childhood friend James (Aldis Hodge) and his teenage daughter Sydney (Storm Reid). But when Cecilia’s abusive ex-partner Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia begins to suspect that his death was faked. As a series of strange coincidences turns deadly, threatening the lives of those she holds most dear, Cecilia’s sanity slowly begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

'MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN' (Rated M) - is a 2019 American neo-noir crime film written for the screen, Co-Produced, Directed and starring Edward Norton in only his second film making outing since 2000's 'Keeping the Faith'. Based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Jonathan Lethem, this film has been a passion project of Norton's ever since he read Lethem's novel in 1999. Although the book is set in contemporary times, Norton felt the plot and dialogue lent themselves more to a noir setting, so moving it to the 1950's. Set in New York City in 1957, Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton) is a lonely private detective who doesn't let Tourette's syndrome stand in the way of his job. Gifted with a few clues and an obsessive mind, Lionel sets out to solve the murder of Frank Minna (Bruce Willis) his mentor and only friend. Scouring the jazz clubs and slums of Brooklyn and Harlem, Essrog soon uncovers a web of secrets while contending with thugs, corruption and the most dangerous man in the city. Also starring Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe, Bobby Cannavale, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Cherry Jones and Michael K. Williams, the film saw its World Premier screening at Telluride in late August last year, went on release in the US in early November, cost US$26M to make and has so far recouped US$19M, amidst mixed Reviews.

'THE LAST FULL MEASURE' (Rated CTC) - here this American Vietnam war drama film is Directed and written for the screen by Todd Robinson and the film title is taken from a quote by Abraham Lincoln at the time of his Gettysburg Address where he honoured the fallen by saying they 'gave the last full measure of devotion'. This film tells the true story of Vietnam War hero William H. Pitsenbarger (Jeremy Irvine), a U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen medic who personally saved over sixty men. During a rescue mission on 11th April 1966, he was offered the chance to escape on the last helicopter out of a combat zone heavily under fire, but he stayed behind to save and defend the lives of his fellow soldiers of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, before making the ultimate sacrifice in the bloodiest battle of the war. Thirty-two years later, respected Pentagon staffer Scott Huffman (Sebastien Stan) is tasked with investigating a Congressional Medal of Honor request for Pitsenbarger made by his best friend and partner on the mission Tully (William Hurt) and his parents Frank and Alice (Christopher Plummer and Diane Ladd respectively). Huffman seeks out the testimony of Army veterans who witnessed Pitsenbarger's extraordinary bravery including Takoda (Samuel L. Jackson), Burr (Peter Fonda) and Mott (Ed Harris). But as Huffman learns more about Pitsenbarger's valiant acts, he uncovers a high-level conspiracy behind the decades-long denial of the medal, prompting him to put his own career on the line to seek justice for the fallen airman. Also starring LisaGay Hamilton, Amy Madigan, Linus Roache, Bradley Whitford and John Savage, the film was released in the US in late January, cost US$20M to produce, has so far recovered US$3M and has received mixed or average Reviews.

'HONEY BOY' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Israeli American music video and film Director Alma Har'el in her feature film debut and based on a Screenplay written by Shia LaBeouf in turn based on his childhood and his relationship with his father which he wrote as a form of therapy while undergoing rehab. The film saw it's World Premier screening as Sundance back in January 2019, got its US release in early November, cost US$3.5M to make, has so far grossed US$7M and has been garnered positive acclaim. Here we have a young actor's stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams over a ten year period. Fictionalising his childhood ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges are the 12 year old and 22 year old Otis Lort respectively, navigating different stages in a frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the daring and therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, James Lort, an ex-rodeo clown and criminal. Artist and musician FKA twigs makes her feature acting debut, playing neighbour and kindred spirit Shy Girl to the younger Otis in their garden-court motel home.

'MISS FISHER AND THE CRYPT OF TEARS' (Rated M) - is an Australian mystery adventure film Directed by Australian TV Director Tony Tilse and based on the 'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries' television series which ran for three seasons over 34 episodes from 2012 through 2015, and the series of Phryne Fisher novels written by Kerry Greenwood. This stand-alone action-adventure feature film picks up the story from the end of the third series. And so after freeing a young Bedouin girl, Shirin Abbas (Izabella Yena) from her unjust imprisonment in Jerusalem, Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis) begins to unravel a decade-old mystery concerning priceless emeralds, ancient curses and the truth behind the suspicious disappearance of Shirin's forgotten tribe. Various members of the well to do British aristocracy whose lives were impacted by the events of World War I in Mandated Palestine get caught up in the mystery too. Also starring Nathan Page, Miriam Margolyes, Ashleigh Cummings, Jacqueline McKenzie and John Waters.

'THE WISHMAS TREE' (Rated PG) - Directed by Richard Cusso, this family friendly Australian animated film centres around a young possum called Kerry (voiced by Miranda Tapsell) whose misguided wish for a white Wishmas not only freezes her entire hometown of Sanctuary City, but also threatens the lives of everyone who lives there. Before the magical Wishmas Tree dies, Kerry must undertake a perilous journey into the WILD, so battling self-doubt, ghostly predators and ultimately, extinction itself, to reverse the damage she has caused and save her city. Also starring the voice talents of Ross Noble, Kate Murphy, Richard Cusso and Ryan Renshaw.

With six new release films 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-

ISLE OF DOGS : Tuesday 17th April 2018.

'ISLE OF DOGS' which I saw earlier in the week is a film by Wes Anderson who has been Directing, Producing, Writing and at times Acting in films since 1996 when he launched himself onto the movie making world with 'Bottle Rocket'. Since then there has been 'Rushmore', 'The Royal Tenenbaums', 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'Fantastic Mr. Fox', 'Moonrise Kingdom', 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' and now 'Isle of Dogs' on which he Directs, Co-Produces, wrote the Screenplay and came up with the original storyline in tandem with Jason Schwartzman and Roman Coppola. The film was in competition at the recent 68th Berlin International Film Festival where it was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director, before going on limited release in the US in late March before its much wider release last week, and here in Australia too. The film has been universally acclaimed for its stop motion animation, storyline and deadpan humour. It has so far taken US$30M at the Box Office.

Starring an ensemble cast of voice talent, the film here centres on a dystopian near-future Japan, in which a 'dog flu', 'snout fever' and 'canine saturation' virus spreads throughout the dog population. When, by executive decree, handed down by the ruthless Mayor of Megasaki City, Kobayashi (Kunichi Nomura), all dogs are exiled to a vast rubbish tip located just off the Japanese mainland called Trash Island. This public announcement comes despite Professor Watanabe (Akira Ito) indicating to the gathered crowd that he is close to finding a cure for the pandemic spreading through the dog population.

The first dog to be banished to Trash Island, is Spots (voiced by Liev Schreiber) the household pet and watchdog of Kobayashi, who belonged to Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin) - the twelve year old orphaned nephew and ward of the Mayor.

Some six months later on, and young Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop aeroplane and flies across the narrow stretch of sea in search of Spots. After a crash landing, in which Atari is injured but not critically so, he is rescued by a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban), Duke (Jeff Goldblum), Boss (Bill Murray) and Chief (Bryan Cranston). The pack of dogs decide to help Atari locate Spots, although Chief is reluctant to help the human boy, because he is a stray and has had bad experiences with humans earlier in the life when he was a household pet.

At the start of their journey they come across a cage in which they believe the skeleton of a dog contained therein is Spots. With the cage door still firmly locked shut there would have been no means of escape, and a broken name tag with the letters 'SPO' cements their opinion that the poor dog must have perished. However, they learn a short time afterwards that there was a mix up and the skeletal animal in the cage was 'SPORT' and not Spots, indicating that he may still be alive on the island somewhere.

Following a stand-off with a rescue team sent to retrieve Atari form the island, and some practical advice from a purebred show dog named Nutmeg (Scarlett Johansson), Chief has a change of mind and decides to accompany Atari on his quest to locate his dog. En route they come across two wise dogs - Oracle (Tilda Swinton) and Jupiter (F. Murray Abraham) who point the pack to a remote part of the island where a cannibal tribe of dogs gather.

In the meantime, Professor Watanabe has found a cure, but is poisoned by Kobayashi to keep the cat loving Mayor from having to return the dogs from Trash Island in order that they can integrate back into society. American female foreign exchange student Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig) suspects that something is not quite right in Dodge City and suspects a conspiracy behind Watanabe's death, and tries to call it out. She confronts a distraught Assistant Scientist to Watanabe, Yoko Ono (Yoko Ono) who confirms Tracy's suspicions and hands over the last remaining bottle of the cure.

Along the way to locate Spots, Atari and Chief are separated from the rest of the pack. Resting up, Atari decides to give Chief a much needed bath having noticed that he is of the same breed as his beloved Spots. In so doing Chief's coat returns to its natural white and black flecked colours rather than the filthy black that he had become. Later they catch up with the remaining pack but are set upon by an ambush of Kobayashi's men again. Spots arrives with a small army of dogs and helps fend off the attackers. In flashback we learn that Spots was rescued by the so called cannibal tribe of dogs and over the following months became the leader of the pack. Spots also advises that Chief is in fact his brother, and they are now almost identical. Spots asks Atari to transfer his guard dog responsibilities over to Chief, to which the pair agree.

Atari and his new found canine friends learn by way of an owl, that Kobayashi intends to exterminate all dogs on Trash Island as a ploy to win support in the upcoming elections. Atari and many of the pack decide to head back to Megasaki City to prevent this from happening. At the election ceremony as Kobayashi is about to give the order to exterminate, Tracy Walker steps up with an impassioned speech and announces that a cure has been found, and that their is hard evidence of corruption in Kobayashi's ranks. At this point Atari and his dog pack arrive confirming that the cure serum works.

Kobayashi sees the error of his ways but his henchman Major Domo (Akira Takayama) has different views and plans to proceed with the extermination. A fight breaks out between Atari, his dogs and the perpetrators resulting in the big red 'Execute' button being depressed. A hacker friend of Tracy's has however, intervened, and reversed the poison gas injection back on the dogs captors so allowing the Trash Island dogs to escape death and go free.

During the fight however, Atari and Spots are badly injured. So much so that Atari's only remaining kidney fails. Out of guilt Kobayashi agrees to donate one of his kidney's to save the life of his young nephew (with the operation scene shown from above probably being a world first stop motion kidney transplant from one patient directly to another!) With Kobayashi serving time in a Japanese jail cell, by law the mantle of Mayor falls to Atari who quickly decrees that all dogs be allowed to reintegrate with society and their former owners. Tracy and Atari become close friends, and Chief teams up with Nutmeg and assumes the position of guard dog for Atari. Spots recovers from his injuries, and raises his puppies somewhere peaceful and quiet hidden away within the grounds of the Kobayashi household.

The quality and level of detail in the stop motion animation is what really stands out in this film, together with the impressive voice cast who really inhibit their canine (and human) characters and bring them to life. The storyline is essentially Spots recovery over a seemingly post-apocalyptic garbage filled wasteland interspersed with moments of legend and dog character back story; clashes between canines and humans involving cotton wool clouds of dust from which periodically emerge paws, snouts and clenched fists and wayward legs; and moments of deadpan humour which won't make you laugh out loud but rather chuckle under your breath. In a way this is a sad film about the way mankind treats his 'best friend' but its also relevant for today's political landscape with fake news, dictatorships, deportation and social and cultural divide. All that said, the beauty here is in the scrappy, dirty, flea ridden dogs scavenging around the garbage heap (that upon closer inspection reveals hidden gems) seeing out their final days offered a last chance at redemption at the hands of a twelve year old lad. On the less favourable side Anderson takes liberties with his somewhat skewed view of Japan; and having the humans all speak the native Japanese (save for Tracy Walker) with subtitles when it suits, detracts from the story arc; there are a few holes in the plot along the way too and in places the film really failed to hold my attention. It's worth seeing, but you can easily wait for the BluRay, digital download or the PayTV screening. Also starring the voice talents of Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel, Ken Watanabe, Fisher Stevens, Roman Coppola, Anjelica Huston and Courtney B. Vance.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-