* Frank Vincent, died on September 13th, aged 80. With 89 Acting credits, two Co-Producer credits, three award wins and two nominations, Vincent was an American Actor of Italian decent, often being typecast in gangster and Mafia oriented roles. He starred in films such as 'Raging Bull', 'The Pope of Greenwich Village', 'Wise Guys', 'Do The Right Thing', 'Goodfellas', 'Jungle Fever', 'Casino', 'Night Falls on Manhattan' and 'Cop Land' as well as being a regular on the highly acclaimed television series 'The Sopranos' and others including 'NYPD Blue' and 'Law and Order' and lending his voice talents to a number of 'Grand Theft Auto' video games.
* Harry Dean Stanton, died on September 15th, aged 91. With 199 Acting credits to his name, and two award wins and six nominations, Stanton was an American Actor, Singer and Musician who made his television debut back in 1954 and subsequently played in numerous Westerns, particularly in his early career days. He starred in such noted television series as 'The Untouchables', 'The Lawless Years', 'Laramie', 'Bonanza', 'Rawhide', 'Gunsmoke' and more recently 'Big Love', 'Getting On' and the 2017 reboot of 'Twin Peaks'. He also had an impressive line up of feature film credits including 'How The West Was Won', 'In the Heat of the Night', 'Cool Hand Luke', 'Kelly's Heroes', 'Dillinger', 'The Godfather, Part II', 'Alien', 'Private Benjamin', 'Escape from New York', 'Christine', 'Repo Man', 'Paris, Texas', 'Pretty in Pink', 'The Last Temptation of Christ', 'Wild at Heart', 'Twin Peaks : Fire Walk With Me', 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas', 'The Green Mile', 'Inland Empire', 'Rango', 'The Avengers' and 'Lucky' just released.This week, there are four new filmic offerings to tease you out to your local independent picture house or your multiplex cinema that kick start with an already lauded Sci-Fi sequel that has been eagerly awaited and much talked about for over three decades since the original now cult classic burst onto our screens. Then we tone down the pace and head into the past with a biographical telling of an acclaimed Italian painter and sculptor; before a romantic drama with the back drop of the Rock 'n' Roll industry; and ending up with a zombie horror offering that seemingly offers something fresh and original to the genre.
Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four new release films 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 here warmly invited 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 meanwhile, enjoy your big screen Odeon experience during the coming week.
'BLADE RUNNER : 2049' (Rated MA15+) - and so 35 years after the original neo-noir Sci-Fi film 'Blade Runner' as Directed by Ridley Scott was released to polarised critical opinion and lacklustre Box Office taking just US$34M from its US$28M production budget, here we have the long awaited, eagerly anticipated, much hyped sequel. The intervening years have been kind to that original film, now elevated to cult status with many Critics hailing the film as one of the best all time Science Fiction movies, also bringing to prominence the work of Philip K. Dick upon whose book 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' the film is loosely based. Starring Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah and M. Emmet Walsh, the film was nominated for two Academy Awards, one Golden Globe, won three BAFTA's and was nominated for a further five amongst its total haul of eleven wins and eighteen nominations. Set in a dystopian Los Angeles in 2019, 'Blade Runner' depicts a future in which bioengineered androids known as 'Replicants' are manufactured by a powerful company to work on off-world colonies. When a renegade group of replicants led by Roy Batty escape back to Earth in an attempt to prolong their lives, burnt-out LA cop Rick Deckard reluctantly agrees to one last assignment to hunt them down and 'retire' them.
And so this film, which has been in development for approaching twenty years with Ridley Scott on again off again and various storylines coming and going, has finally landed with Director Denis Villeneuve at the helm, Roger Deakins on Cinematographer duty and Harrison Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard all for a production budget of US$185M. Released in the US and Australia this week, in short Officer K (Ryan Gosling), is a new Blade Runner working for the Los Angeles Police Department, who discovers a long-buried secret that potentially could bring an end to humanity as we know it. His discovery leads him on a journey to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former Blade Runner who's been missing for 30 years, and who might just be able to help him. Early Reviews of the film have met with widespread universal acclaim, with many Critics gushing about the production values, cinematography, CGI, music score, and performances of the principal cast. Also starring Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Dave Bautista and Barkhad Abdi. 
'FINAL PORTRAIT' (Rated M) - Written and Directed by Stanley Tucci in his fifth Directoral outing, this film was screened as part of this years Sydney Film Festival where it had its Australian Premier on 10th June, and I posted my Review having seen the film on 17th June. Telling the story of a three week or so period, during 1964, in the life of Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush), who was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draughtsman and printmaker who lived from 1901 until 1966, when he died in Paris, France from heart disease and chronic bronchitis. During the period in question, the world renowned artist asked his American art critic and biographer friend James Lord (Armie Hammer) to sit for him for what turns out to be his final portrait. What should have been a 24 hour sitting for Lord, turns into three weeks of continued posing for the artist dogged by flight delays after flight delays; visits to the local Bistro to eat, drink and socialise; leisurely strolls in the park to contemplate his work and the world around them; marital disruptions and disagreements; and Giacometti's mood swings. It had its World Premier at the Berlin International Film Festival in February this year, was released in the UK in early August, and only now gets its general release in Australia. The film is based on the biography by James Lord 'A Giacometti Portrait', and has received generally positive Reviews, and Rush gives his usual compelling immersive performance.
'SONG TO SONG' (Rated M) - this Written and Directed Terrence Malick romantic drama film has been a long time in gestation before finally arriving at our screens. Filming took place way back in 2012 and features an ensemble cast and a whole bunch of cameo's, and once filming wrapped it sat in post-production for over three years as Malick ordered numerous voice overs by the principle cast and had to edit down his eight hour long first cut into something more reasonable requiring the Director to go cap in hand to the financiers in order to complete his project. The film was released Stateside back in March this year to mixed critical acclaim and tells the story of the music scene set in Austin, Texas of two entwined couples — struggling lyricists Faye (Rooney Mara) and BV (Ryan Gosling), and music mogul Cook (Michael Fassbender) and the waitress whom he ensnares (Natalie Portman) as they chase down fame and fortune through a Rock ‘n’ Roll landscape of seduction and betrayal. Also starring Cate Blanchett, Val Kilmer, Holly Hunter and various music personalities.
'THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS' (Rated MA15+) - here we have a post-apocalyptic zombie horror film that Premiered in the UK over year ago in September 2016, had its US release in February this year and is only now released in limited theatres in Australia. In his second feature film after 2010's 'Outcast', here Colm McCarthy whose has a notable career so far Directing numerous episodes of television shows including 'Black Mirror', 'Peaky Blinders', 'Ripper Street, 'Injustice' and 'Spooks' here tells this story based on the novel of the same name by Mike Carey. The film tells of a dystopian future following the breakdown of society after most of humankind are wiped out by a fungal infection that has changed the global populace into mindless flesh eating zombies, and focuses on the struggle of a scientist, Dr. Caroline Caldwell (Glenn Close), a teacher, Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton) and a soldier, Sergeant Eddie Parks (Paddy Considine) who embark on a journey of survival with a special young girl named Melanie (Sennia Nanua) who appears to be immune to the fungus, as they strive to find a cure. The film cost US$5M to make and has so far recovered less than US$3M but has garnered generally positive Reviews because of its strong and original story, it's lead cast, and its fresh approach to the well overcooked zombie genre.With four new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, taking in a sequel to a cult classic Sci-Fi film that has been 35 years in the making; a historical biographical film about an Italian painter and sculptor; a music industry romantic drama and an English based zombie horror offering. Remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online, and the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
