What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 16th April 2015.

With just a few days of the Easter school holidays now left it seems we have this week the calm before the storm in terms of new movie releases to tempt us out to a local theatre. With some big budget blockbuster action fare coming our way in the next couple of months, this weeks offerings are relatively small fry compared to those, but nonetheless will find an audience for what they offer.

And what do they offer I hear you groan? First up we have an action thriller starring a Hollywood A-lister and a bunch of others who easily fall into that same category that should deliver in spades, but, is familiar territory trodden by others before! Then we have a romantic fantasy spanning decades with a woman harbouring an ageless secret that is in danger of being found out, but what will the consequences be on her and those around her; and finally a comedic sequel to a 'Segway' riding downbeat Security Cop who clearly thinks he is something he ain't, and is never likely to be, and so I wonder why are we even talking about this, but, there's sure to be a laugh in there somewhere!

When you have checked out this weeks latest cinematic offerings, or any of those still out on general release, share you views and opinions with your like minded friends in filmdom by leaving a Comment below this or any other Post. Enjoy your movie choice!

THE GUNMAN (Rated MA15+) - as a starting point this actioner is Directed by Frenchman Pierre Morel who was responsible for launching Liam Neeson's 'Taken' franchise, and is based on the 1981 novel 'The Prone Gunman' by Jean-Patrick Manchatte. Made for US$40M this action thriller sees Jim Terrier (Sean Penn) as an ex-soldier who eight years ago as part of a mercenary assassination team took out a Diplomatic Minister in The Congo, but as a result had to go into hiding to protect not only himself, but his team too for fear of retaliation. With tensions already running high in The Congo the kill added more fuel to an already uneasy fire.

Fast forward to the present day and Terrier has a new life and is working for an NGO when he returns to The Congo clearly expecting the dust to have long settled. Well, how wrong can a man be? When he is caught in the cross-fire of a hit squad there are deaths and mayhem aplenty as the net closes in around him, and those around him! Terrier goes back into hiding again all the while seeking to identify who has come out of the woodwork to move him on to the life hereafter, and why after all this time. The support cast here is strong enough to add plenty of weight to this story, including Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, and Mark Rylance, coupled with an accomplished action Director and the set pieces that action aficionados are likely to applaud.

THE AGE OF ADALINE (Rated M) - this is a romantic fantasy film spanning eight decades that is Directed by Lee Toland Krieger who got the gig after a number of other helmsmen were first associated with this outing before him. Made for US$25M this tells the story of 29 year old Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) who in the first half of the 20th century is involved in a car accident, and whilst she survives she I rendered ageless, and for all time moving forward she will forever be 29. Eight decades have past since that accident and Adaline has been able to maintain her secret by living a lonely life, not getting too involved with anyone, and keeping her distance from those who wanted to get close. One day a chance encounter with philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michael Huisman) rekindles her love of life, romance and adventure until a weekend with his parents threatens to reveal her story and the truth behind her ageless secret, that could in turn have far reaching repercussions for her forever. Also starring Harrison Ford as William Jones, Kathy Baker as Connie Jones, and Ellen Burstyn. This could be 'Benjamin Button' in reverse . . . perhaps!

PAUL BLART : MALL COP 2 (Rated PG) - the first film, Directed by Steve Carr, was released in early 2009 off the back of a US$26M production budget and brought home US$183M, so I guess it was inevitable that a sequel would come our way sooner rather than later. This time in the Director's chair we have Andy Fickman and a budget of US$38M, and like last time Adam Sandler gets a Producer credit as does the hero of the piece Kevin James who also co-wrote. So once again our Mall Cop on patrol riding his 'Segway' in and out of shopping precincts upholding justice, righting wrongs and apprehending miscreants is Paul Blart (Kevin James) who has earned a break and skips off to LA for some R&R with his teenage daughter before she heads off to College. Combining business with pleasure Blart Snr. and Blart Jnr. are there to holiday while Blart Snr. also attends a Security Expo. Stumbling across a heist on the hotel in which Blart & Blart are staying, it's the Segway riding Security enforcement officer to the rescue to foil them pesky good for nothing crooks and ensure justice, the law and the American way are upheld - no doubt with rip roaring gut busting side splitting hilarious consequences . . . maybe!

Three movies this week then giving us a mix of thrills, spills, action, romance, fantasy and comedy that won't be for everyone, but are sure to find a viewer or two willing to invest a hard earner dollar or twenty for two hours of so of big screen entertainment. If one such individual is you, then share your thoughts with us here at Odeon Online and reach out to our evert growing worldwide following.

Movies - see something this week!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

PROMETHEUS - archive from 8th June 2012.

Saw 'PROMETHEUS' last night on opening night, and then about a week later had to go and see it again, because I liked it that much! From the breathtaking opening sequence to the 'reveal' in the closing seconds this movie delivers in spades! Sir Ridley Scott's first return to the genre he made his own thirty years ago with 'Blade Runner' and 'Alien' this sees Scott back to form and once again establishes the great man as a master storyteller and moviemaker.




Set 35 years before the ill fated story of the 'Nostromo' in 'Alien', this tells the story leading up to the events of that film towards the end of the 21st Century. The spaceship 'Prometheus' follows a star map uncovered buried deep within the rocks off some remote Scottish island, that also resembles various other similar ancient inscriptions discovered from other unconnected civilisations and cultures. Believing these to be an 'invitation' to discover the origins of humanity a very wealthy industrialist funds an expedition to a distant moon that the inscriptions seem to be leading to. In 2093 the 'Prometheus' lands on the distant moon - its crew awakens from stasis, and soon afterwards discover an artificial structure that once seemed to support life, but now appears extinct, and in the process discover too the proof positive origins of mankind on Earth.

Or is everything quite what it seems? Of course not! What follows is right out of Scott's 'Alien' playbook as he ramps up the tension, the crew gradually get killed off by something that cannot be seen at first and before confronting the real terror, manifested in grand scale, of what they have uncovered. As the film progresses you will see links to the follow-on film , 'Alien' remembering that this is a 'prequel' and set 30 or so years before Sigourney Weaver did battle in outer space where no one can hear you scream! Naturally the up to date CGI and on-screen graphics make this a visual treat not seen in the previous 'Alien' instalments that relied on tension, scare tactics, shock and awe . . . but did it convincingly nonetheless (at least in 'Alien' and 'Aliens' before the franchise started to go off the rails!)

A great cast, that stars Noomi Rapace (archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw), Charlize Theron (as Meredith Vickers monitoring the expedition on behalf of the Weyland Corporation who are funding it), Michael Fassbender (as David the android, butler and maintenance man of the ship - almost unrecognisable as non-human and highly intelligent), Guy Pearce (almost unrecognisable in his make-up as the billionaire founder of Weyland Corporation, Peter Weyland, and playing both the younger and much older character), and Idris Elba (as Janek, the Captain of the Prometheus).

Visually stunning, suspense, action, attention to detail (check out David's fingerprint) and a solid story of survival moves this along at a great pace. Watch it on the big screen . . . and then see it again! Could be the best movie of the year so far, and proving almost conclusively that Ridley Scott is the master of big screen epic Sci-Fi . . . sharing the crown perhaps with James Cameron!

This film cost about US$130M to make and brought in a very respectable US$404M at the global Box Office making it a bonafide success, with talk of a sequel, which has been muted several times by both Scott and Fox Studio's, with a script well in the works, but as yet no production schedule or release date announced.The film picked up five award wins and 32 other nominations around the world including an Academy Award and BAFTA nomination for Best Visual Effects. A worthy entry to the 'Alien' canon!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-