ALLEGIANT - THE DIVERGENT SERIES : Thursday 14th April 2016.

'ALLEGIANT' which I saw during the past week is the third instalment in the popular teenage dystopian Sci-Fi series of books by Veronica Roth that follows on from 'Divergent' and last years 'Insurgent' which made US$289M and US$298M respectively off the back of a combined US$195M budget, so hardly blockbuster status. Like 'Potter', 'Twilight' and 'The Hunger Games' before it, the final book in the Divergent series is split into two films with the final piece of this puzzle 'Ascendant' due for release in June 2017. In the meantime, 'Allegiant' is Directed by Robert Schwentke, who also Directed 'Insurgent', and was made for US$110M and since its release in the US on 18th March has so far made US$152M. The film has so far received largely luke warm reviews, but is likely to find an audience of those so far following the exploits of Tris Prior & Co., as the series enters its conclusion.

Here we see the same bunch of characters that you by now know, with Tris (Shailene Woodley) wishing to escape the confines of a walled in Chicago of the future with Four (Theo James) for the first time, so leaving behind everything and (almost) everyone she knows and loves.  With the events that unfolded at the end of 'Insurgent', we join as Evelyn (Naomi Watts) has taken power and is holding those citizens  of Dauntless and Erudite captive who conspired against the uprising. Those found 'guilty' are publicly executed - with Caleb (Ansel Elgort) next on the list who remains holed up in a jail cell gazing down at Tris for sympathy who is giving none - outwardly at least.  Evelyn attempts to pressure Tris and Four into taking a leadership role within the new order, but neither are interested and turn their backs as they have their own hidden agenda now.

Knowing that the hostilities will only escalate further Tris and Four manage to have Caleb released under false pretences and make their getaway with Christina (Zoe Kravitz), Peter (Miles Teller) and Tori (Maggi Q) to the wall that encircles Chicago which has now become reinforced with a high voltage current. Despite this they succeed in their attempt to free themselves of the city, but not without chase and a casualty along the way.

Needless to say they break through, scale down a cliff face and begin their journey into who knows what? It is not long before they emerge in a red & orange coloured landscape of scorched earth and toxic waterways, and the wreckage of a civilisation long since vanished. However, they are soon picked up by a group of friendly welcoming soldiers who have been watching their every move and reassure them they are now safe. They are escorted to the Bureau of Genetic Welfare - a highly advanced city amid the desolate landscape that has risen out of the former Chicago airport on the city's fringe. Here, Tris is introduced to David (Jeff Daniels) the leader of the Bureau who advises her of the truth behind Chicago, and that is was an experiment to raise genetically pure Divergents, but the experiments failed, and only Tris is truly pure, whilst all others are 'damaged' and to varying degrees. But David can help her restore peace to Chicago which is becoming increasingly fragile as the former Evelyn's factionless prepare to battle it out for supremacy over Johanna's (Octavia Spencer) new Allegiant faction, with the threat of all out war becoming more real by the day.

As Tris' trust in David grows, so Four becomes more suspicious. He is enlisted into the military force with Christina while Peter and Caleb are given surveillance duties within the Bureau, to maintain a very close watch on the developments and the comings & goings in Chicago. On a child rescue mission into the 'fringe' which Four joins, he learns that there is more to rescuing less fortunate kids that humanitarian reasons as he was led to believe. Having witnessed first hand what becomes of the captured children and uncovered the truth behind forceful child abductions Four confronts Tris with this news, but she dismisses the notion in support of David.

As Tris is flown with David to meet the Council he reports to in an attempt to stop the violence in Chicago, Four engineers his escape from the Bureau back to Chicago in attempt to halt an all out war.  He escapes but his ship is downed and he in injured but flees to safety and eventually makes it back to Chicago where he is picked up and promptly thrown in a cell where Evelyn confronts him with her desire to go to war and quell Johanna and her Allegiant faction. Meanwhile Tris' meeting with the Council did not go well and she learns that David had the authority all along to end the violence in Chicago but chose not to - as a consequence she breaks off her partnership with him as she can longer trust what he is saying. She returns to the Bureau and hatches a quick escape plan with Caleb and Christina.

They make it back to Chicago, locate Four but not before Evelyn aided by a turncoat Peter who has struck up a clandestine deal with David, have released a gas into the atmosphere of the city to erase the memories of all its inhabitants so ending the war and bring about peace in her favour and on her terms. With Peter and Evelyn sealed away in a tightly locked vault, it would be only them who have any memory of the before and after once the gas is fully released. In the meantime, Tris, Caleb, Chritsina and Four race against time to locate the underground gas dispersion hub to prevent the gas release from deploying fully.

Of course it all comes good in the end as the gas released is halted before it's all too late, but not before Evelyn is shot by an angered Peter who then makes his escape seeking to get back to the Bureau and claim his reward on the deal he struck up with David. The citizens
are free to live another day as Tris goes on air with the truth behind the existence of the Bureau and the experiment of which they have all been part . . . but no more, as Caleb sends the shuttle which brought them back is returned packed full of explosives which detonates upon reaching its target bringing down the Bureau, everyone in it and everything it stood for.

I have to say, I found this film underwhelming. Maybe the Director and the Producers are gearing up for the huge finale that will break Box Office records for the franchise and wow us beyond belief. There are no stand out moments in this film other than perhaps the spectacle of the visuals as we venture for the first time beyond the wall. Other than that this film is pretty pedestrian and everything you would expect. The cast seem to plod their way through their lines and the action - neither of which are especially memorable, and its all fairly predictable fare. Let's hope for a whole lot more on every level in the final chapter of this series - for which we'll have to wait another twelve months. In the meantime, wait for the Bluray and DVD release so that you can watch this in the comfort of your home.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE MARTIAN : Wednesday 7th October 2015

I had to see 'THE MARTIAN' this week, being a big fan of Ridley Scott who is back doing his Sci-Fi best with his latest offering now out on general release and taken from the 2011 novel of the same name by Andy Weir. Co-Produced by Scott this film features an all star cast and was made for US$108M, and filmed on a huge sound stage in Hungary and in Jordan where a desert wadi served as a practical back drop for the red planet. The film premiered at the recent Toronto International Film Festival and at the time of writing has already grossed US$132M in Box Office receipts.

The film is set sometime in the near future, although we are not told exactly when, but suffice to say we have the technology to get a Team to Mars and build a base camp there. And so, we meet that Team of six going about their business on Mars, collecting samples, mapping out the area, and doing what you do when on a distant planet. All seems perfectly normal and copacetic until a severe storm engulfs them with only little advance warning. Needing to make a quick decision to stay or go, they board their vessel to take them back to the mothership and back home to Earth - some two years away or so. During the maelstrom Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is struck by flying debris, and thrown back into the storm and beyond reach, now believed dead since all communication with him has been lost. Commanding Officer Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) searches for a brief time, but as the storm continues to intensify the need to depart quickly becomes the overarching priority to save the remaining crew. She gives the order to depart, leaving Watney behind, presumed dead.

Back on Earth, Head of NASA Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) advises the world that Mark Watney was killed in a freak accident during a storm and that the remaining crew are safe and are now making their long way home. Watney is honoured, there is a state funeral and the focus switches to bringing the crew of the Ares III manned mission home safe on their ship Hermes. By now a few months have past on Earth, but back on Mars Mark Watney is not dead, but very much alive & kicking, albeit injured at the time of the storm but made good from some creative self-surgery and a staple gun.

Realising the challenges that lie ahead he needs to adapt to survive, or drown & die in his own sorrows. As it is Watney is made of sterner stuff, is resilient, inventive, motivated, resourceful and above all else, a Botanist. As such, he quickly converts a section of his base camp to a greenhouse, shovels in few hundred weight of Mars red soil and plants potatoes (yes, fresh spuds were stored in cryovac to cook fresh intergalactic style) in a fertilised mix of red soil and human faeces individually vac-packed away as it is in space! Lo and behold a few months later, and Watney proclaims himself 'the best Botanist on the planet '. . . and he is! With his rations having to sustain for longer and longer, there's always a humble potato to sustain with lashings of ketchup!

Meanwhile back on the home planet Sanders has revealed to the world that Watney is in fact alive having picked up various signals and broadcasts that Watney has figured out how to make using the technology he has been able to muster, repair and adapt to communicate that he is very much alive. By now months have passed by and the crew on the mothership returning to Earth have not yet been advised that the man they left behind, believed dead, is in fact still alive. At home Sanders begins to mobilise the necessary resources to return Watney, but this is going to be no easy and no speedy process, and they know that Watney's time is precious and running out.

NASA hatch a plan to send a probe to Mars with sufficient supplies aboard to sustain Watney until the next manned mission on Ares IV - which based on build time, launch and journey will be close to four years. On Mars Watney records his daily activities, his progress, his thoughts, ideas and ramblings on a video journal - this helps him maintain his sanity and moves the story along as he tries to figure out how to establish communications back to Earth and how he can get to the landing site for Ares IV which already contains some of the basic infrastructure for that planned future landing - but it is a long way away and the rover he uses for transport is only capable of travelling short distances before its batteries need recharging, and at night time out in the open the temperatures drop to freezing very quickly too.

Watney also suffers a major setback when an airlock into his base camp explodes ripping open a side wall into the makeshift greenhouse that he has fabricated in which his potato crops grow. The crop is destroyed and with it his ability to grow more, so reducing his food supply which he must now ration further. On Earth, the probe containing Watney's supplies is launched, but this was a rush job, corners were cut and pressures were bought to bear to respond quickly. With an air of excitement at NASA launch control, the probe takes off but within minutes explodes mid-air after launch, leaving the ground Teams despondent and wondering what next.

By now the world is watching every development that NASA makes and is behind the rescue mission to bring Watney home. Enter the Chinese National Space Agency who have secretly developed their own booster rocket technology that could carry the payload needed safely, reliably and accurately to Mars. They agree to share this with NASA and so preparations are made but the time it will take to reach Mars versus the calculated time that Watney has left is becoming increasingly slim, and risky.

Alternatively astrodynamicist Rich Purnell (Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino) has calculated a plan to slingshot the returning crew aboard Hermes around Earth using its gravitational pull, and to intercept the probe and return to Mars to pick up their colleague. Lewis made the decision to leave Watney behind and abort the mission in the first place and so is now torn between her overwhelming need to return to bring him home, and the safety of her remaining crew mates, and the fact that this would mean an additional 15 months+ of space time. Only by unanimous decision would she do it - and that unanimous decision is given very quickly by the crew.

And so preparations are made accordingly with the landing site of the future Ares IV mission being where Watney needs to get to in order that he can lift off from there in the launch vehicle to intercept in space with the Hermes. On Earth the Teams determine that the launch vehicle as it stands is too overladen with weight for the journey required and so they instruct Watney to strip it down to the barest of essentials, including windows and nose cone - his spacesuit will ultimately protect him against the vacuum of space and the hazards associated with this flight. As Hermes approaches the count-down is readied and Watney prepares himself for launch. All goes well with the launch but the trajectory is off and there is an increasing danger that one will not intercept with the other, so here some quick thinking is necessary by Lewis, her crew and the lone Watney, and ultimately, they all live happily ever after!

In strong supporting roles there is also Chiwetel Ejiofor as Vincent Kapoor, and Sean Bean as Mitch Henderson both NASA Mission Directors, Kristen Wiig as Annie Montrose the NASA spokesperson,  and fellow astronauts Michael Pena as Rick Martinez, Kate Mara as Beth Johanssen, Sebastian Stan as Chris Beck, and Aksel Hennie as Alex Vogel. This is a solidly entertaining film that delivers on many levels. Scott here is in familiar territory having given us so many standout Sci-Fi offerings over the years that you can tell he is in his comfort zone here adapting an already strong and popular story with great visuals, just the right amount of humour, solid performances from the principle cast, sufficient moments of action and enough tension, anticipation and excitement to sustain its 140 minutes of run time. And really, who cares how many times Hollywood has to rescue Matt Damon - this is a good wholesome mix of science and entertainment that is certainly worth checking out, and if you liked 'Interstellar' and 'Gravity', you'll enjoy this.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 8th January 2015.

In Australia the mercury continues to rise by the day with predictable clear blue skies, sunshine and humidity all the way as we approach the height of Summer. It seems that a cool air conditioned cinema is one of the few places to escape the soaring temperatures, and what better way to do so than watching one of the many great new films currently on general release, or coming your way in the week ahead.

For this week we have four new offerings - two of which are sequels - one of the action revenge genre and the other a buddy buddy comedy; one is a big name musical that might pack a few scares and some solid CGI; and the other a documentary about a recently departed legendary film critic that is likely to resonate with anyone who has more than a remote interest in films and what this guy had to say about them . . . including the author of this Blog!

There then you have it, and when you have cooled down, or warmed up (depending on which Hemisphere you live in) and seen any one (or more) of this weeks new releases Previewed below, drop a note in the Comments section immediately below this Blog Post and share your thoughts and opinions of your film experience with the rest of the growing readership of Odeon Online. Enjoy your movie!

INTO THE WOODS (Rated PG) - this film comes with a very strong pedigree - both in front and behind the camera! Firstly the source material is from those master story tellers of old - The Brothers Grimm, and combines the tales of Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) and Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone) into a modern updated tale that melds all these characters into one neat little package surrounding a cursed baker and his wife who long for a child but are unable to conceive because of a curse placed on them by the local Witch (Meryl Streep). Then we have Disney Studio's doing what they do the best - animation, musical and good storytelling transferred to the big screen. Next comes Director Rob Marshall, who has based the film on the Tony Award winning stage musical of the same name by James Lapine who wrote this screenplay, with music by Stephen Sondheim - a great package indeed!

So, offering to lift the aforementioned spell The Witch tasks the baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) with sourcing four items that have special significance for her - a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper as pure as gold. When these items are finally procured after various mishaps and misadventures, each of our fairy tale heroes discover that life is not so 'happily ever after' at all and they each have to face their own further challenges, emotional upheaval and ruinous circumstances that lead to further tragedy, doubt and uncertainty. Along the ensemble cast includes Cinderella's Prince (Chris Pine), Jack's Mother (Tracey Ullman), The Wolf (Johnny Depp), Frances de la Tour (The Giant's Wife) and Annette Crosbie (Granny) amongst others. Made for US$50M and so far having taken US$97M at the time of writing, this film has already picked up five award wins and a further 25 award nominations including three Golden Globe nods.

TAK3N (Rated M) - Bryan Mills is back again doing what he does best as the trying to be retired covert operations expert in the third and probably final instalment of this successful franchise for which the first two films brought in US$603M in worldwide receipts. Liam Neeson returns as our titular hero, but only agreed to do so if nobody in this film was 'taken' and he was paid the princely sum of US$20M. Well, voila, here we are, but this time while attempting to re-establish his home life after the events of the previous two films Mills is back reconciled with his wife Lenore (Famke Janssen), but before you know she winds up d-e-a-d! In no time at all the local Police arrive on the scene and caught seemingly red handed Mills is arrested - or at least that's what the local boys in blue attempt to do . . .  unsuccessfully! Having been framed for murder, and learning that his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) is next on the hit list Mills plays a fast paced game of cat & mouse with all manner of law enforcement agencies who have him on the run and guilty as all hell until proven innocent. With Mills employing his 'particular set of skills' to thwart the real bad guys and elude the long arm of the law whilst clearing his name and protecting his one remaining asset (daughter Kim) you can be sure this actioner will deliver on body count, creative deaths, close quarter fight sequences, ingenious weaponry, car chases and explosions aplenty before the credits roll for the last time . . .  possibly! Also starring Forest Whittaker and Dougray Scott.

DUMB AND DUMBER TO (Rated M) - it was back in 1994 that Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne respectively first emerged on the scene courtesy of Writers/Directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly. That film then was new & fresh - the gross out humour, dumb-arse laughs and sheer stupidity of these two characters made for just US$17M it grossed US$247M twenty years ago and help cement the fame of these two Actors. Now fast forward to 2014 and the pair are reunited and as stupid and dumb-arsed as ever having hardly grown up at all, but this time Harry has learned that he has a daughter, and so the pair embark on a road trip to find her with no doubt hilarious and disastrous results for all. Should be a laugh a minute . . . or not, and might appeal to teenagers who never saw the original and have nothing to compare it to!

LIFE ITSELF (Rated M) - this is a biographical documentary as made by Steve James celebrating and chronicling the life of legendary film critic Roger Ebert who died in April 2013 following a prolonged battle with cancer of the thyroid and salivary glands. Ebert was 70 when he died but made such an impact of the world of film review writing that he was the first writer to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975, and approaching his death his movie reviews were syndicated to over 200 newspapers at home in the US and internationally. He also wrote numerous books and collected works of his film reviews. He was/is the only film critic to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and his long running 25 year partnership with Gene Siskel with whom he hosted many television film review shows was hugely successful and influential. This film captures the essence of the man through his prolific film writing career, to his battle with alcoholism, and his struggles with cancer that left him physically disabled and to which he eventually succumbed. With contributions from Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, immediate family, close friends, former colleagues and collaborators this is an insightful film that pays fitting tribute to the great man, the legacy he leaves behind and his life behind the camera and in front of his keyboard.

Once more, four very different offerings to entice the price of a movie ticket from out of your wallet. Something for everyone, and when you have seen one of these, or any of those currently doing the rounds as Previewed or Reviewed in previous weeks, then drop a Comment, and share with the world!

Movies - see as many as you can in 2015!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

LOOPER - archive from 4th October 2012.

Saw 'LOOPER' tonite as Directed and Written by Rian Johnson. 

Now, here's a rarity - a science fiction time travel movie with heart, intelligence, is thought provoking, well scripted, and with just the right dose of action to keep it moving along. But, be warned because this is a complex story with time travel goings-on, sub-plots, twists and turns, and story arcs that will require your attention - otherwise you might just exclaim WTF at the end!

Bruce Willis stars as the older Joe and an almost unrecognisable Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the 30 year junior Joe needing to dispense with his older self! Confused? Hang on and stick with it because it's worth the ride! A 'looper' BTW is a an assassin who kills and disposes of victims that are sent back in time - they are paid in silver bars that are strapped to the legs of the incoming victims from the future.

Emily Blunt and Jeff Daniels also star as does Paul Dano. Set in 2074, when someone needs to be dispensed with they are sent back into the past (time travel at this point has been invented, but is illegal, yet used by the criminal underworld for their sinister intentions) and at their point of arrival are promptly taken out usually by an awaiting gunman. And so it is with Joe (senior, played by Willis) who is sent back to 2044 to be taken out by Joe (junior, played by Gordon-Levitt). At the point of arrival in 2044 the younger Joe hesitates to take out his older self, allowing Joe Senior to get away and thwart that plan. But of course, it doesn't end there. Along the way the two Joe's are forced to collaborate to overcome crime bosses, a mysterious figure known as The Rainmaker, and deal with telekinetic powers that about 10% of the population hold in the future, as well as trying to change the future in the process.

At times the pace slows right down to enable you to fully digest the story and take it all in, and at others it's bloody, relentless and powerful. The two lead actors playing the same character separated by 30 years is pulled of well by Willis and Gordon-Levitt. 

This film had a US$30M production budget and has a huge opening weekend Stateside at US$21M and garnered much critical praise along the way. It received 12 award wins and 28 other nominations from around the world, and was described as the best Sci-Fi Time Travel film since '12 Monkey's' by one enthusiastic critic.

I enjoyed this, and think you will too if you give it a chance, but you'll need to concentrate . . . and that's what in part, makes this film the success it is! 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-