What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 30th June 2016.

At the mid-way point in the year now, I got to thinking about the big blockbuster fare we have seen so far in 2016, and where these sit in the grand scheme of Box Office rankings. Judging by the Top 10 released so far this year with their current all time placing and total haul as shown, a couple of things seem to ring true. Firstly, we appear to have an insatiable appetite for comic book heroes, secondly, we have an almost unquenchable thirst for well made animation and CGI, and finally only one of these is based on a real story. In order of all time Box Office rankings so far, taken from Box Office MoJo, there is :-

• 'Captain America : Civil War' - #12 with US$1.148B
• 'Zootopia' - #25 with US$1.017B
• 'The Jungle Book' - #37 with US930M
• 'Batman v. Superman : The Dawn of Justice' - #46 with US$873M
• 'Deadpool' - #62 with US$779M
• 'The Revenant' - #141 with US$533M
• 'X-Men : Apocalypse' - #146 with US$524M and still on general release.
• 'Kung Fu Panda 3' - #150 with US$519M and still on general release.
• 'Warcraft : The Beginning' - #218 with US$412M and still on general release.
• 'Finding Dory' - #228 with US$398M and still on general release.

For your further interest those films released in late 2015 but still doing the rounds into 2016 that also made a significant contribution were 'Star Wars : The Force Awakens' at #3 with US$2.068B, 'Spectre' at #43 with US$881M, 'The Hunger Games : Mockingjay Part 2' at #96 with US$654M and 'The Martian' at #101 with US$630M. A big year so far with big films doing big things at the Box Office. With more comic books heroes and more animation and cutting edge CGI coming our way in the latter half of the year, we'll have to go see for ourselves and pay our money to determine what's hot and what's not at the movies as the year plays out. 

To this weeks new release films then. These kick-off with three master story tellers - combining their talents as Author, Director and Studio to bring us a tale of good versus evil, little and large, young and old coming together where the real world clashes with one of fantasy in this live action rendition of this much loved childrens classic. Then, an action comedy buddy teaming where a couple of unlikely school buddies reunite after two decades to thwart an evil enemy to save the world, before wrapping up with two foreign language films about two women of different generations in Sicily connected by one absent man and a game of cat and mouse that ensues as they begin to bond; and a story of one mans struggle to find work in recession struck France, support his family and the moral questions he has to deal with when he does eventually get a job.

Four films offering something different once again, which when combined with those still out on general release and doing the rounds equates to plenty of choice across all genres and all age groups. When you have sat through your movie of choice in the coming week, share your thoughts and observations by recording your Comment below this or any other Post - good, bad or ugly - there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to the movies - just the emotion it stirs up in you and the entertainment/enjoyment factor you gained as  a result. Meanwhile, enjoy your film.

'THE BFG' (Rated PG) - The childrens book upon which this film is based was released in 1982 by Roald Dahl and since its release has sold in excess of 40 million copies in the UK alone and sits in the 'Top Lists' of must read children books in many countries. In 1989 the book was made into an animated feature film by Cosgrove Hall Productions, with the voice of David Jason as the 'Big Friendly Giant'. It has since been made into a theatre production, and now in 2016 it gets the full Disney treatment with master story-teller Steven Spielberg on Director duty with a budget of US$140M to bring this beloved story to the big screen in this live action version. The film Premiered out of competition at the recent Cannes Film Festival, and is released in the US on 1st July, and here in Australia the day before. With three key ingredients - Dahl, Disney and Spielberg - this has to be a recipe for success methinks!

The story here surrounds ten year old orphan girl Sophie (newcomer Ruby Barnhill) who encounters the Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance), and whilst initially scared at first by the towering giants 24 foot tall frame, soon comes to realise that he is in fact a gentle giant, quite charming, kind hearted and means her no harm, unlike the other giants who have a habit of eating children. As a result this BFG is ostracised by the other giants, and as the relationship between the young girl and the towering giant grows so the unwelcome attention of lesser meaning giants is drawn. These include 'Bloodbottler' (Bill Hader) and 'Fleshlumpeater' (Jemaine Clement) amongst others. The two decide that they must travel to London to meet with The Queen (Penelope Wilton) and convince her to rid the world of the bad giants, who have been attacking the human world, once and for all, but before they can do so they must travel through the wonders and perils of Giant Country.

'CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE' (Rated M) - Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and Co-Wriiten for the screen by him too, this action comedy buddy film was made for US$50M, has so far grossed US$84M and stars as its leads Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, so promises quite a lot, but the film has divided critics. The film follows two guys - one being the guy most likely to succeed at school in the form of athletic wisecracking liked by everyone Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) and the other Robbie Weirdicht (Dwayne Johnson) as the overweight downtrodden bullied klutz that nobody likes and everybody hassles because they can. Fast forward twenty years and Calvin is married to his high school sweetheart and works as an accountant, which he hates and gets passed over for promotion. Robbie meanwhile goes by the name now of Bob Stone, has worked out the gym everyday of his life, and is a hulking mass of muscle working for the CIA. The two come together again as a result of a pending High School Reunion, and subsequently Stone enlists Calvin's accounting skills to break some satellite codes, and prevent these falling into the wrong hands. As a result of their pairing, you can count on shoot outs, explosions, bad guys getting wasted, cars getting trashed, and stunts aplenty as the action and the comedy collide, and the world is saved . . . once again! Also tarring Amy Ryan, Aaron Paul with cameos from Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy.

'THE WAIT' (Rated M) - this Italian drama film ('L'ATESSA') was Premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September last year, released in Italy later than month, in France in December and now reaches Australian cinemas. Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Piero Messina and based on two works by Luigi Pirandello, this tells the story of young woman Jeanne (Lou de Laage) who arrives unexpectedly at the large rambling Sicilian villa of Anna (Juliette Binoche) under the auspices of spending the Easter break with her  boyfriend Giuseppe. Anna is Giuseppe's mother and is not expecting Jeanne, and furthermore Giuseppe is not there and is not expected, but this truth is kept from Jeanne. Whilst Jeanne is invited to stay and wait for her boyfriend, the two begin to form a bond as they both come out from under their respective shells . . . but where is Giuseppe, and why is he not responding to Jeanne's calls and left messages? Binoche's performance especially has been critically hailed, as has the backdrop of the Sicilian scenery, so this could be one to watch out for if you like your foreign language films intense, emotional and with a few surprises in store.

'THE MEASURE OF A MAN' (Rated M) - this French drama film ('LA LOI DU MARCHE') Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2015 where it was in competition for the Palme D'Or. Directed and Co-Written by Stephane Brize, it tells the story of Thierry (Vincent Lindon) who at age 51 was laid off his job as a factory worker. After eighteen months without work and being given the runaround by recruitment companies, training providers, and employment agencies he secures a job as a store detective. Having struggled to make ends meet and support his disabled son who is in need of round the clock care, he finds himself in a position in his new line of work of having to make decisions about people in very similar situations as his own, with all the moral dilemma's this throws up in working class France. A humbling film of very real life situations experienced by many, for which Lindon has received several Best Actor Awards for his portrayal of Thierry, and the film has garnered all up seven award wins and another seven nominations from around the traps.

Four films this week to tempt you out to your local movie theatre on a cold Southern Hemisphere winter evening to sit in a warm dark place and be entertained for two hours for just $20 or your local equivalent. What's not to like about that prospect? I'll see you at the Odeon in the week ahead!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 18th February 2016.

Sunday evening 14th February saw the 69th British Academy Film Awards as presented by BAFTA and hosted for the eleventh year by Stephen Fry from the Royal Opera House in London. This years winners & grinners saw two films scoop the majority wins with 'The Revenant' walking away with five awards and 'Mad Max : Fury Road' with four. In summary, the highlights were : Best Film - 'The Revenant', Best Leading Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio for 'The Revenant' (finally!), Best Director - Alejandro G. Inarritu for 'The Revenant', Best Sound and Best Cinematography for 'The Revenant'. Best Lead Actress went to Brie Larson for 'The Room'; Best Supporting Actor went to Mark Rylance for 'Bridge of Spies' and Best Lead Actress went to Kate Winslet for 'Steve Jobs'. Best Original Screenplay went to 'Spotlight', Best Adapted Screenplay to 'The Big Short' and Best Original Music to 'The Hateful Eight'. Finally, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Make-Up and Hair, and Best Editing all went to 'Mad Max : Fury Road'. Sincerest congratulations and a big well done to all those winners, and those nominees too. The Oscar's await in less than two weeks. You can recap on my Reviews and Previews of all of these films within these Blog pages, or go to www.batfa.org

This week there are six new release films to tease and tempt you out to a movie theatre kicking off with a couple of autobiographical offerings from the present day world of NFL and some medical revelations that threaten a national game, and a historical tale of a Hollywood Writer imprisoned on allegations of treason. Then there is a story of an ageing English couple whose life is turned upside down by an event that occurred fifty years ago which poses questions, might provide some answers, but reveals some hidden truths that they must both reach beyond. Following this is a Biblical story of what happened during the first forty days after Christ's crucifixion, and then two comedies to close out the week - two girls on the hunt for men, drinks and good times in NYC and then two guys on the hunt for a man, drugs and bad times in Miami!

So much choice and so little time! When you have sat through your movie of choice in the week ahead, share your movie thoughts, views and opinions with your friends here at Odeon Online by leaving a note in the Comments section below this or any other Post - we'd love to hear from y'all! In the meantime, enjoy your movie!

CONCUSSION (Rated M) - released Stateside at Christmas, this latest Will Smith vehicle has so far received luke warm reviews but has made US$42M off its US$35M budget. This biographical sports medical drama is based on the article written for GQ magazine in 2009 called 'Game Brain' by Jeanne Marie Laskas, and was written for the big screen and Directed by Peter Landesman.

Here we have Will Smith starring s Nigerian forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu who conducts the autopsy on NFL player Mike Webster (David Morse) and determines that he died from severe brain damage. Investigating further he comes to the conclusion that Webster suffered from long term chronic traumatic encephalopathy as a result of repeated blows to the head incurred during his NFL career. Attempting to bring this to the attention of the NFL he meets with brick walls, denial and dismissal, until further cases are revealed amidst the NFL player fraternity, and eventually the sport has to sit up and take notice. Also starring Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, Eddie Marsan and Paul Reiser.

TRUMBO (Rated M) - Sticking with the biographical theme, here we have another, this time Directed by Jay Roach and based on the book 'Dalton Trumbo' by Bruce Alexander Cook. This film is a period piece dating back to the mid-20th Century and the golden age of Hollywood when real life top Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) was blacklisted in 1947, along with numerous other contemporaries of the time, for allegedly perpetrating propaganda in the Hollywood films of the time. He refused to testify at The United States Congress and so was locked up for eleven months in a federal prison in 1950. This is his story and how using the power of words and wit he won two Academy Awards to expose the farce of the black list which engulfed the likes of John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Otto Preminger, and columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren). Also starring Diane Lane, Elle Fanning and John Goodman.The film cost US$15M to make and was released stateside in early November, and has so far recouped US$8M, and has garnered two award wins and 23 nominations together with an Academy Award nomination for Bryan Cranston for Best Actor, two Golden Globe, one BAFTA and three Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

45 YEARS (Rated M) - here we have a romantic drama film that is based on a short story and adapted for the big screen and Directed by Andrew Haigh, and starring Charlotte Rampling as Kate Mercer and Tom Courtenay as Geoff Mercer, a retired reasonably well off married childless couple living in England's Norfolk. Married for 45 years, on the eve of a big celebration get together with friends Geoff receives a letter from Switzerland advising him that the body of his girlfriend of almost 50 years ago has been discovered under the melting ice of a glacier that she fell into way back then and perished. Asked to return to identify the body he must decide between foregoing his anniversary party and the chance to see his earlier love again in all likelihood preserved in the ice, together with haunting memories that come flooding back, whilst answering all the questions that Kate will inevitable have. At the Berlin International Film Festival last year Rampling won the Silver Bear Award for Best Actress and Courtney won it for Best Actor, and Rampling too has an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Could well be a surprise performer.

RISEN (Rated M) - is a Biblical epic retelling of the first forty days following the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as Directed by Kevin Reynolds. Here long serving Roman military tribune Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) is tasked by Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) to explore rumours that a Jewish Messiah Jesus (Cliff Curtis) has risen from the dead, and he is tasked to locate the missing body. With a possible uprising in Jerusalem imminent, Clavius and his trusted aide Lucius (Tom Felton) begin a journey to disprove talk of a risen Messiah, but in so doing begin to question their own beliefs and spirituality and the truth behind what it is they are seeking.

HOW TO BE SINGLE (Rated M) - Directed by Christian Ditter this RomCom was released in London on 9th February, Stateside three days later and has so far grossed US$28M towards its US$38M budget. Starring Dakota Johnson as college graduate Alice who decides that at this point in her life she needs a break from studies, her boyfriend, life as she knows it and it's therefore time to live a little. Moving to NYC as a paralegal, she is excited by a life of freedom and adventure in the Big Apple and so befriends co-worker Robin (Rebel Wilson) who lives life large, enjoys one night stands, drinks plenty, party's hard, and does just about everything to excess. It's not long before Robin becomes Alice's guide around town and new best friend while learning quickly how to score free drinks in a bar, meet men aplenty and enjoy the single life to the max. Also starring Alison Brie and Leslie Mann.

RIDE ALONG 2 (Rated M) - the 2014 original movie Directed by Tim Story was made for US$25M and made US$155M although no thanks to me, so it was inevitable that a sequel would hit our screens sooner or later.  Now two short years later, here it is again also Directed as before by Tim Story and starring Ice Cube as Detective James Payton and sidekick Kevin Hart as rookie Officer Ben Barber. This film benefits from a bigger budget at US$40M and has so far raked in US$108M, so God help us all if this prompts the Producers to green light '3'. Travelling to Miami the dynamic duo are following up a hot lead to a drug syndicate that brings them in connection with a Homicide Detective, and a Computer Hacker A.J. (Ken Jeong) who just happens to have evidence to implicate a respected local businessman Antonio Pope (Benjamin Bratt). I am sure that much wise crackin', gun totin', cringe inducin' soft porn teen fodder action will follow - just don't expect me to Review this film!

With six new films out in the week ahead, there is plenty of choice once again coming to a cinema near you, as well as a whole raft of other great movie content still out on general release and worthy of your cinema going dollar. Be sure to catch something this week, and share your thoughts.

See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-