THE POPE'S EXORCIST : Tuesday 18th April 2023.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE POPE'S EXORCIST' earlier this week at my local independent movie theatre, and 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, 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'. The film cost US$18M to produce, has so far brought in US$38M at the global Box Office, has generated mixed or average reviews and was released first in India earlier this month and then in the US and here in Australia last week.

The film opens up in mid-1987 and Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe), acting as the Pope's personal Exorcist pulls up at an Italian village on his Lambretta scooter where a man is allegedly possessed by a demon. With the help of a local priest, Amorth enters the room where the man is tied up, shouting obscenities in English although he has never uttered a word of English in his life up to this point. While exorcising the man, using a Saint Benedict sacramental Medal, Amorth drives the demon into a pig, which is then killed with a shotgun, leaving the man in a crumpled heap on the bed seemingly to recover.

This 'exorcism' gets Amorth into some seemingly serious trouble with a Church tribunal, since he acted without permission from his superiors. One tribunal member is a friendly African bishop, Lumumba (Cornell John), but another is an overly zealous American cardinal, Sullivan (Ryan O'Grady) who is skeptical of demonic possession, and readily discounts all of Amorth's counter arguments. Amorth replies that evil does exist, and that he did not perform a true exorcism, but instead, some psychological theatre to help the mentally-disturbed man. Amorth goes on to explain that 98% of cases can be attributed to mental or scientific reasons, but the remaining 2% are down to pure evil. However. disgusted by the accusations made by the panel before him, he walks out of the tribunal hearing.

The Pope assigns Amorth to visit a possessed boy named Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney) in Spain. Henry, his mother Julia (Alex Essoe), and his rebellious teenage sister Amy (Laurel Marsden) had traveled from America to take possession of a mysterious old Spanish abbey which was Henry's father's sole bequest to his family after he died tragically in a car accident in which Henry was present in the back seat, and saw his father impaled. The traumatised Henry has not spoken since the accident, which was one year ago now. The group of workmen, who were restoring the abbey so the family could sell it, leave after a mysterious fire breaks out in the basement. Hereafter, Henry starts behaving bizarrely and self-harms. His mother takes him to a local hospital but various blood tests and MRI scans show nothing to be out of the ordinary.

Henry, mercilessly possessed, requests a priest, and when the local Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto) arrives, Henry obscenely chastises him and sends him hurtling through the air to come crashing down against a cupboard and saying 'wrong priest'. Amorth arrives and with no alternative, enlists Esquibel as his assistant, though Esquibel is untrained as an exorcist. Amorth states the importance of prayer and staying the course despite the distractions that Henry might throw his way. However, Esquibel makes several mistakes as an assistant exorcist, including attempting to strangle Henry when he derides him, and mocks him for his sins.

The pair attempt to exorcise Henry, without success, as he utters blasphemous rantings throughout the ritual. Furthermore, without the demon's name, their attempts prove futile. Amorth finds Julia has not been a religious believer since childhood, but he convinces her to pray after she reveals she believed a guardian angel was always by her side during her early school years.

Meanwhile, back in Rome, the Pope (Franco Nero) becomes gravely ill while reading documents about the Spanish case, and is rushed into hospital. Amorth locates a well on the abbey grounds going down to an underground cavern sealed off by the Church as being demonically dangerous. He learns that a founder of the Spanish Inquisition, an exorcist, was possessed, which let him infiltrate the Church and in turn conduct much evil. Amorth also discovers that the Church covered this up centuries ago, and eventually learns the name of Henry's demon, Asmodeus, which will help with the exorcism.

Amorth and Esquibel participate in a Confession and Absolution, mutually confessing, and absolving each other of their sins - with Amorth, an Italian partisan, who survived World War II and vowed to serve God in gratitude, when later a mentally-ill woman asked for Amorth's help, and subsequently died by suicide when he did not help her due to pride, with Esquibel fornicating with a young woman he later abandoned. The two prepare themselves and Amorth instructs Esquibel to wear a Miraculous Medal necklace. During the exorcism, they are tormented by visions of the women whom they failed. The exorcism succeeds only when Amorth offers himself to be possessed, which coincides with Asmodeus's earlier stating that he wants to destroy Amorth.

Amorth attempts to hang himself, but Asmodeus doesn't allow it, preferring that Amorth infiltrate and destroy the Church from within. However, Esquibel helps Amorth drive away the demon that emerges from a well as the Blessed Virgin Mary elevating before him, as well as the demonic manifestations of the two women who so troubled the men. The Pope makes a full recovery, as does Henry who has returned to the USA with his mother and sister. The triumphant pair visit Rome, and find Sullivan has taken extended leave in Guam, being replaced by Lumumba. Amorth and Esquibel are escorted to a special Church archive with many of the relics recovered from the cavern. Lumumba tells Amorth that he will be visiting 199 other evil sites, depicted on a world map Amorth discovered at the abbey, to combat the Devil, to which Amorth replies that it will be a life's work and that he will need an assistant, to which Esquibel acknowledges his support.

'The Pope's Exorcist' is entertaining enough but it doesn't offer the viewer anything new that we haven't seen many times before. There are plenty of plot holes here too, for example, I really can't believe that Amorth rode his Lambretta scooter all the way from Rome, through northern Italy, through southern France and down into Spain; or how Julia gets slammed head first into a bathroom sink that shatters and she gets up with nary a scratch; or how Henry and Amorth seem to recover from their demonic possessions almost instantly; or . . . . well, you know what I'm sayin' here! The film is however, elevated by Russell Crowe's performance as the often quirky, not too serious, scooter riding, whisky guzzling albeit dodgy accented Father Amorth who saves the day to battle it out on another occasion as the open ended conclusion paves the way for a potential sequel. The scares here are few and far between and the tension rarely amounts to much, but stylistically and visually the films looks the part, with particular credit going to Crowe and the twelve year old DeSouza-Feighoney who add a certain gravitas to the proceedings.

'The Pope's Exorcist' 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-

OVERLORD : Tuesday 18th December 2018.

I saw 'OVERLORD' this week, and here we have an American WWII horror offering that spins a new slant on the historical D-Day Landings. Directed by Western Australian Julius Avery, whose only other feature so far has been 'Son of a Gun' in 2014, this film is Co-Produced by J.J. Abrams and is set on the eve of D-Day. Initially thought to be the fourth instalment in the 'Cloverfield' series, this rumour was subsequently denied by Abrams earlier in 2018. The film was released in the US on 9th November, cost US$38M to make, has so far grossed US$42M and has generated mixed or average Reviews so far.

On the eve of D-Day in early June 1944, American paratroopers are preparing to drop in behind enemy lines to penetrate the walls of a fortified church and destroy a radio transmitter. When their plane is shot down the five remaining soldiers Corporal Ford (Wyatt Russell), Private Boyce (Jovan Adepo), sniper Tibbet (John Magaro), photographer Chase (Iain De Caestecker) and Dawson (Jacob Anderson) must continue on foot.

When Dawson inadvertently steps on a landmine and is killed, the remaining four must continue steadfastly onward. In doing so they encounter French woman Chloe (Mathilde Ollivier) who agrees to escort the group to their ultimate destination. They learn en route that Chloe lives with her younger brother Paul (Gianny Taufer) and her aunt who was the subject of Nazi experiments in the vicinity of the church and has consequently been horribly disfigured and is in serious ill health. The group arrive at Chloe's home in the village where the church is located, and take time to take stock of their munitions and rest up, agreeing to start their mission at 3:00am, and have the church destroyed to rubble by 6:00am - the planned time of the commencement of the allied forces landings on the coast of Normandy.

Corporal Ford orders Tibbet and Chase to check on the planned rendezvous site in the event that any of the other soldiers from their downed aircraft survived and made it. Meanwhile, Ford and Boyce hang back while a routine inspection is conduced on the household by a Nazi patrol, led by SS Hauptsturmführer Wafner (Pilou Asbaek). The two soldiers remain motionless upstairs in the attic looking down on the unfolding events below through cracks in the floorboards. When Wafner attempts to rape Chloe, Boyce intervenes and they take him prisoner, with Ford rendering the Nazi Officer unconscious with a swift headbutt.

Boyce goes off in search of Tibbet and Chase to the rendezvous point, but en route comes close to the perimeter fence of the church. There he sees a cart load of naked disfigured bodies all lined up and torched several time with two flamethrowers, overseen by some official looking doctor type wearing spectacles and a white coat. Boyce is chased down by a very angry dog, and hot on his heels he manages to evade attack by jumping into the back of a truck containing the dead bodies of several of his paratrooper colleagues. The truck passes through the heavily fortified gates of the church, and the bodies are unloaded by two German soldiers. Boyce escapes the truck and begins to snoop around. He comes across a lab where seemingly bizarre experiments are being undertaken on humans.

Boyce is shocked and horrified by what he has witnessed and notices a black tar like substance that is rising up from under ground that seems to be distilled into some kind of serum, which is being injected into the less than willing patients. Boyce takes a sample of the serum already prepped up in a syringe, and rescues Rosenfeld (Dominic Applewhite) a fellow paratrooper being prepped up for experimentation, who was captured by the Nazis. The pair escape the church building through a waste tunnel.

Boyce and Rosenfeld make it back to Chloe's house, where Rosenfeld has his wounds attended to. Wafner refuses to explain what the serum is when questioned and as a result is strung up and gets a serious beating at the hands of Ford. As the squad prepare their assault on the church, Wafner attempts to escape, shooting and killing Chase in the process. Boyce is distraught by his death, and seeing the syringe close to hand injects Chase with the serum. Within minutes the serum brings Chase back to life, but he immediately begins to mutate, showing inhuman strength, a resistance to rapid close quarter gunfire, and turns hostile, forcing Boyce to pulverise his head with his rifle butt to stop him. In the ensuing chaos, Wafner escapes taking Paul as hostage, although he sustains a serious gunshot wound to his face by Ford in the subsequent shootout.

With time quickly ticking down the zero hour of 6:00am, Boyce convinces Ford that their priority must be to destroy the underground laboratories. So Tibbet and Rosenfeld are dispatched to create as much mayhem as they can at the main entrance and kill as many pesky Nazi's as the can possibly mow down between them, leaving Ford, Boyce and Chloe to enter the church through the same waste tunnel that Boyce had fled from earlier. Ford and Boyce split up to plant explosive charges - Ford to the radio control room and Boyce to the labs, while Chloe goes off in search of brother Paul.

While setting the charges, Ford is attacked by a mutated Wafner, who had previously injected himself with a potent mix of untested serums, which gave him near superhuman strength, the ability to heal his wounds while driving him increasingly insane. A fight breaks out and Wafner this time gains the upper hand. Boyce intervenes and is able to distract Wafner, so allowing the now badly injured Ford to inject himself with a sample of the serum.

They fight again, but the combination of Boyce and Ford this time forces Wafner down the pit where the compound was discovered courtesy of a gas bottle explosion. Wafner is down but he's not out, and in the ensuing minutes it takes Wafner to climb out of the pit, a badly injured Ford forces Boyce to leave him behind to finish what he started. Ford ignites a fuse to a stick of gelignite and waits for an advancing Wafner and now a number of other Nazi soldiers risen from the dead to approach, before kaboom!

Boyce successfully blows up the laboratory and with it the radio tower and the church escaping just in time for the church and radio tower to collapse behind him in a ball of flame and rubble. Following the destruction of the said target building, Boyce reports in to his commanding officer who has set up a base in the village, that is was Ford's decision to lay the explosives inside the church rather than outside to ensure its destruction, while electing to not mention the serum or the lab as Ford believed that neither side should have ownership of such a product. The officer in charge accepts Boyce's recounting of the story, and advises him that his company, what remains, will be reassigned to a new company as the war rages on.

'Overlord' starts out as any WWII actioner might, with a plane carrying its cargo of Uncle Sam's paratroopers flying over enemy lines at night with a clear cut mission in mind. As the tension mounts and the sky all around turns orange as the enemy anti-aircraft fire explodes in comic book colours of that era creating mayhem aboard and downing a squadron of airborne troop carriers wiping out too many lives in an instant, you just get a sense that this film is gonna be in yer face! And this where the normalcy of a war film of the modern era comes to an end, giving way to a horror Sci-Fi mash-up that delivers on the body horror, the gore and the nigh on immortal almost indestructible Nazi soldiers and French locals that are the subjects of clandestine underground laboratory experiments. The film is good fun, at times intense, often completely insane, the FX are well executed and it provides an alternate D-Day Landing account possibly like none you have ever seen before . . . . which is no bad thing! That said, it was not quite the horror gore fest I was imagining, and Boyce as the lead character seems as indestructible as those other antagonists all around him and manages to stumble around the old church with all its hidden secrets for the duration with nary a scrape. That said, for lovers of WWII actioners, blood and gore, wanton death and destruction underpinned by a reasonably tightly woven (alternative) story, then this is the film for you.

'Overlord' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 6th December 2018.

In November the world bid a fond farewell to a number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories . . . . Stan Lee, Ken Swofford, William Goldman, Nicolas Roeg, Ricky Jay and Bernardo Bertolucci.

* Ken Swofford : born Kenneth Charles Swofford on 25th July 1933 and died 1st November 2018, aged 85. Swofford was an American film and television Actor who amassed 125 acting credits over a career spanning six decades. His movie credits included the likes of 'The Andromeda Strain', 'Skyjacked', 'The Domino Principle', 'S.O.B.', 'Annie' (the 1982 version) and 'Thelma & Louise'. He was however, more prolific in his TV career with guest and recurring appearances on a number of popular series including 'The Virginian', 'Mission : Impossible', 'The Streets of San Francisco', 'Columbo', 'The Waltons', 'The Partridge Family', 'Gunsmoke', 'Ellery Queen', 'Rich Man, Poor Man : Book II', 'Police Story', 'The Six Million Dollar Man', 'The Rockford Files', 'Fame', 'Dynasty', 'Dallas', 'Baywatch' and 'Murder, She Wrote'.
* Stan Lee : born Stanley Martin Leiber on 28th December 1922, died 12th November 2018 aged 95. Lee was an American comic book Writer, Editor, and Publisher who was active from the '40's right through to the 2010's. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business to become Marvel Comics' uppermost creative leader for two decades, spearheading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics industry, and many would say the movie industry too. Collaborating with others at Marvel, especially fellow Co-Writer and Artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he was responsible for co-creating many popular fictional characters that are now forever ingrained in our sub-conscience, including superheroes Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, and Ant-Man, amongst others, all of whom have enjoyed considerable world wide success on the big screen over the past ten years or so. Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990's, he remained a public figurehead for the company, and frequently made cameo appearances in films based on his Marvel characters, on which he received an honorary 'Executive Producer' credit. Records show that Lee had 218 Writing credits to his name, 154 Producer credits and 121 as Actor amongst numerous others. He also was the recipient of eleven award wins and a further nine nominations. What a legacy this man leaves behind!
* William Goldman : born 12th August 1931, and died 16th November 2018, aged 87. Goldman was an American novelist, Playwright and Screenwriter who first came to prominence with the release of his first novel in 1957 titled 'The Temple of Gold'. Over the years he wrote another fifteen novels, releasing his last in 1986, as well a s number of short stories and non-fiction works. In between time he became a prolific Screenwriter penning numerous films from 1965 right up until 2015. These included 'Harper', 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', 'The Stepford Wives', 'The Great Waldo Pepper', 'Marathon Man' (based on his own novel), 'All the President's Men', 'A Bridge Too Far', 'Magic' (also based on his own novel), 'The Princess Bride' (again based on his own novel), 'Twins', 'Misery', 'Chaplin', 'Maverick', 'The Chamber', 'The Ghost and the Darkness', 'Absolute Power', 'Hearts in Atlantis' and 'Wild Card' (once more based on his own novel) amongst others. He won eleven awards including two Academy Awards for 'All the President's Men' and 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', was nominated for three Golden Globes, and won one BAFTA and was nominated for another. He was also the recipient of three wins and three nods from the Writers Guild of America. He was described as 'one of the late twentieth century's most popular storytellers'.
* Nicolas Roeg : born Nicolas Jack Roeg on 15th August 1928 and died 23rd November 2018 aged 90. Roeg was an English Director and Cinematographer who after completing National Service in 1947 got a job in the film industry working as tea boy then the clapper loader at Marylebone Studios in London. Throughout the '50's he progressed to various camera jobs graduating to the role of camera operator in which he worked on several film and television productions during the '60's including 'The Trials of Oscar Wilde', 'The Sundowners', 'Lawrence of Arabia', 'Doctor Zhivago', 1967's 'Casino Royale' and TV series 'Ghost Squad'. It wasn't until 1970 that he gained his first Directing credit with the crime drama 'Performance' starring Mick Jagger. He followed this up with 'Walkabout', 'Don't Look Now' in 1973, 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' in 1976 with David Bowie, 'Bad Timing' in 1980 with Art Garfunkel, 'Eureka', 'Castaway', 'Two Deaths' and 2007's 'Puffball' being his last feature length film. All up Roeg had 29 Director credits to his name, twenty as Cinematographer and 26 working in the camera department. He accumulated nine award wins and another fourteen nominations including three BAFTA nods and three Cannes Palme d'Or nominations. In 1999, the British Film Institute acknowledged Roeg's importance in the British film industry by naming 'Don't Look Now' and 'Performance' as the 8th and 48th greatest British films of all time. In 2011, Roeg was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
* Ricky Jay : born Richard Jay Potash on 26th June 1946 and died on 24th November 2018, aged 72. An American stage Magician, Actor, Writer and Consultant and in addition to his renown with sleight of hand tricks, he was also known and highly regarded for his card tricks, card throwing, memory feats and quick fire stage patter. He is well authored in magic and its history having published eleven books on the subject, had numerous articles published and given lectures, demonstrations and exhibitions too. Jay had 39 Acting credits to his name since his television debut on 'Simon & Simon' back in 1983. Since then he has worked regularly in both film and TV on such productions as 'House of Games', 'Homicide', 'The Spanish Prisoner', 'Boogie Nights', 'Tomorrow Never Dies', 'Mystery Men', 'Magnolia', 'State and Main', 'Heist', 'The Prestige', 'The Brothers Bloom' and his last film role in 2015's 'The Automatic Hate'. In between his movie appearances he worked on both single and multiple episodes of such television shows as 'The X-Files', 'Deadwood', 'Kidnapped', 'The Unit' and 'Lie To Me'. Jay worked with Writer and Director David Mamet on seven of his films.
* Bernardo Bertolucci : born 16th March 1941 and died 24th November 2018, aged 77. He was an Italian Director and Screenwriter whose first Directing and Writing credit was on the 1962 murder mystery thriller film 'The Grim Reaper'. He worked progressively throughout the remainder of the '60's, '70's, '80's and '90's with his output slowing in the 2000's amassing a career portfolio that took in 25 Directing credits, 25 Writing credits and three as Producer. Among his more notable works were 1972's 'Last Tango in Paris' with Marlon Brando, 1976's '1900' with Robert De Niro, 1987's multi-award winning (including nine Academy Award wins) 'The Last Emperor', 1990's 'The Sheltering Sky', 1993's 'Little Buddha' with Keanu Reeves, 1996's 'Stealing Beauty' with 2012's 'Me and You' being his last feature film outing. All up Bertolucci garnered 49 award wins including two Oscars, two Golden Globes and one BAFTA win; and a further 32 nominations. He was bestowed with the inaugural Honorary Palme d'Or at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Turning attention to this week then, we have no fewer than nine new cinematic offerings gracing an Odeon near you in the coming week. We kick off with a dystopian post apocalyptic world where a heroine emerges to stop London, now a giant city that has been propped up on wheels and roams the country side, from destroying everything in its path, whilst also trying to thwart an all powerful man she blames for the death of her mother. We then switch to a reimagining of the WWII Battle of Normandy and the eve of the D-Day Landings in this zombie gore fest tale of a small platoon of US soldiers who stumble across a Nazi experimental lab. Sticking with the undead genre we have next a British Christmas zombie comedy musical film that is quite probably something we haven't seen before; followed by a tale of college sweethearts in America whose life becomes inextricably linked by a twist of fate to a group of people in Spain. Next up is a true story about a successful writer who falls out of favour and so to make ends meet begins forging letters of the deceased rich & famous and selling them off for a tidy profit. This is followed by a RomCom about a 40 something year old Mum who has let her life pass her by, but who gets a second chance at a successful career by bluffing and faking her way into a major finance company under the guise that she is an expert Consultant. We then have another alleged true story set in the '90's in which a hip-hop dance troupe holed up in deserted school overnight and continue their celebrations whilst under the influence of illicit substances; before turning to a film surrounding two very different sisters one of which has a seemingly serious online relationship with a mystery man, whilst the other can see through the ruse and tries to prevent her siblings world form crashing in around her. We then wrap up with a supernatural horror offering set in a creepy abandoned school that harbours more deathly secrets than this mothers cares to overcome as she searches amongst its corridors and old classrooms for her missing son.

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

'MORTAL ENGINES' (Rated M) - here the supremely collaborative team of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens get their creative minds around this latest post-apocalyptic steampunk adventure offering based on the book of the same name by Philip Reeve. The threesome here Co-Produce and between them penned the Screenplay of this American and New Zealand co-production that cost US$100M to bring to the big screen, is Directed in his debut by fellow New Zealander Christian Rivers, saw its Premier in London at the end of November, is released in New Zealand and Australia this week, and the US next week.

Set hundreds of years after civilisation was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, we meet Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) who is a twenty-something Londoner who has only ever lived inside his travelling hometown, and his feet have never touched grass, land or mud. His first introduction to the world outside comes abruptly one day when Tom gets in the way of a mysterious young woman named Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar). She emerges as the only one who can stop London, now a giant, predator city on wheels from swallowing up everything in its path, whilst also attempting to execute a plan to kill Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving) a powerful man whom she blames for the death of her mother. Hester and Tom wind up getting themselves banished from the moving 'traction' city, to fend for themselves. Driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head. Also starring Stephen Lang and Patrick Malahide.

'OVERLORD' (Rated MA15+) - here we have an American WWII horror offering that spins a new slant on the historical D-Day Landings. Directed by Western Australian Julius Avery, whose only other feature so far has been 'Son of a Gun' in 2014, this film is Co-Produced by J.J. Abrams and is set on the eve of D-Day with American paratroopers preparing to drop in behind enemy lines to penetrate the walls of a fortified church and destroy a radio transmitter. When their plane is shot down the five remaining soldiers Corporal Ford (Wyatt Russell), Private Boyce (Jovan Adepo), sniper Tibbet (John Magaro), photographer Chase (Iain De Caestecker) and Dawson (Jacob Anderson) must continue on foot. En route they run into a French woman who agrees to escort them to their target, Chloe (Mathilde Ollivier). As the soldiers approach their destination, they soon come to the realisation that there's more going on in the Nazi-occupied village than a simple military operation. Making their way to an underground lab, the outnumbered men stumble upon a sinister experiment that forces them into a vicious battle against an army of the undead. The film was released in the US on 9th November, cost US$38M to make, has so far grossed US$39M and has generated mixed or average Reviews so far.

'ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE' (Rated MA15+) - sticking with the undead theme, here where we have a British Christmas zombie comedy musical of all things, Directed by John McPhail. This offering saw its World Premier at Fantastic Fest way back in September 2017, and saw its US & UK release last week before its release in Australia this week. It has so far garnered generally positive Press. This film tells the story of how a zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas time, forcing Anna (Ella Hunt) and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, as they face off against the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this brave new world, and with civilisation crumbling all around them, the only people they can truly rely on, are each other.

'LIFE ITSELF' (Rated MA15+) - this American drama film is Directed and Written by Dan Fogelman in only his second Directorial outing after 2015's 'Danny Collins'. The film follows college sweethearts Will (Oscar Isaac) and Abby (Olivia Wilde) as they fall in love, get married and prepare to bring their first child into the world. As their story unfolds in New York, fate links them to a group of people in Seville, Spain, including a troubled young woman, a man and his granddaughter, a wealthy landowner and a plantation manager all over several generations. With an ensemble cast that takes in Mandy Patinkin, Olivia Cooke, Annette Benning, Antonio Banderas and Samuel L. Jackson the film had its World Premier screening at TIFF in September, was released later that same month in the US, cost US$10M, has so far recovered about US$5M and has received generally negative Reviews.

'CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?' (Rated M) - this American biographical drama offering is brought to us by Director, Actor and Writer Marielle Heller recounting the real life exploits of Lee Israel, a noted American author who became a literary forger and thief. Based on Lee Israel's own 2008 confessional autobiographical book of the same name, the film stars Melissa McCarthy as Lee Israel who made her living through the '60's, '70's and '80's writing profiles of high-achieving women such as Katharine Hepburn, cosmetics executive Estée Lauder and journalist Dorothy Kilgallen and charts her subsequent life as she attempts to revitalise her sagging writing career in the '90's by forging letters from deceased authors and playwrights. She died in 2014 aged 75. The film also stars Richard E. Grant as her loyal and trusted friend Jack Hock. The film has received Critical praise in particular for McCarthy's and Grant's performances, and ha so far taken just $7M at the Box Office since its US release in mid-October following its Premier screening at Telluride in early September.

'SECOND ACT' (Rated M) - here we have an American RomCom Directed by Peter Segal whose previous film making credits include 'Anger Management', '50 First Dates', 'The Longest Yard', 'Get Smart' and most recently 2013's 'Grudge Match'. Here he Directs Jennifer Lopez as Maya, an under achieving forty something year old mother who has struggled with unfulfilled dreams and career frustrations. But, Maya's life is about to turnaround when she gets a chance to prove to Madison Avenue that street smarts are as valuable as book smarts, and that it's never too late for a second act when a private finance firm is misled into believing that she's an accomplished Consultant, and hire her to handle a major business deal. Also starring Vanessa Hudgens, Leah Remini, Treat Williams and Milo Ventimiglia. The film is set for release in the US the week before Christmas.

'CLIMAX' (Rated MA15+) - this French musical horror mash-up is Directed, Written, Edited and Co-Produced  by Argentinian filmmaker Gasper Noe whose previous Directing credits take in 'Irreversible', 'Enter the Void' and 'Love'. The film screened in the Directors' Fortnight category at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Art Cinema Award, cost US$3M, has so far recovered US$790K and has received widespread Critical acclaim. Allegedly based on a true story, here a troupe of young hip-hop dancers gather in a remote and empty school building to rehearse on a cold night one Winter sometime during the '90's. Their all-night celebration soon turns into a hallucinatory nightmare when they learn that their drinks have been laced with LSD. The film stars Sofia Boutella.

'NOBODY'S FOOL' (Rated MA15+) - this is an American romantic comedy drama offering from Writer and Director Tyler Perry. Released in the US earlier last month, the film has so far grossed US$32M off the back of a US$19M Budget investment, and has garnered generally lacklustre Reviews so far. And so, following a five year jail term, wild child Tanya (Tiffany Haddish) looks to her prim & proper do the right thing sister Danica (Tika Sumpter) to help her in getting reestablished into society. The feisty former prison inmate however, becomes suspicious and concerned when Danica tells her that she's in a long-distance, online relationship with a mystery man she has never met. As the polar opposites start to butt heads, Tanya quickly discovers that her sister's near perfect existence may not be quite what it seems, and her online love interest might really be a fake. Also starring Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Missi Pyle and Omari Hardwick.

'THE SCHOOL' (Rated M) - Written and Directed in his feature film debut, Aussie Storm Ashwood here crafts an Australian horror and otherworldly action fantasy offering that goes on limited release across selected cinemas this week. When Dr. Amy Wintercraig (Megan Drury) who is searching for her missing son, awakens to find herself in an abandoned school, she must survive a supernatural terror known affectionately as 'The Hungries' who are half dead teenage kids baying for blood, and a gang of youths headed up by Zac (Will McDonald) who seem to run the outlandish horror show, as well as face her own demons if she is to find the truth about where her son is. Also starring Nicholas Hope, Milly Alcock, Texas Watterston and Jack Ruwald.

With nine 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-