ROOFMAN : Tuesday 21st October 2025

I saw the M Rated 'ROOFMAN' earlier this week, and this American crime comedy drama film is Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Derek Cianfrance who made his Directorial debut with 'Brother Tied' in 1998 and would follow this up with 'Blue Valentine' in 2010, 'The Place Beyond the Pines' in 2012, and 'The Light Between Oceans' in 2016. The film had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September, was released in the US and here in Australia on 9th October, has generated largely positive press and has so far grossed US$21M from a production budget of US$18M. 

The films story opens in 1998 with Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a divorced US Army veteran living in North Carolina. He struggles to provide for his three young children, and after one of his daughters sixth birthday, he is reminded by Steve (LaKeith Stanfield), his friend and fellow member of the 82nd Airborne Division, of his powerful skills of observation. Jeffrey uses this 'superpower' for noticing and exploiting routines to rob a McDonald's, breaking in through the roof at night. Surprising the morning shift before they start work for the day, Jeffrey orders the employees into the walk-in freezer but treats them kindly, even giving the manager his own coat to keep warm, before escaping with the contents of the safe. Over the course of the following two years, Jeffrey carries out about forty-five or so robberies with the same strategy, capturing the attention of the authorities and the media as the mysterious 'Roofman'. He is subsequently caught and arrested at his daughter's birthday party after attempting to escape the clutches of the local Police, and is sentenced to 45 years in prison, while his ex-wife Talana (Melonie Diaz) meanwhile ends his contact with their children.

In July 2004, he works in the prison shop, using his attention to detail to escape by hiding underneath a delivery truck and concealing himself above a black painted plank of wood that fits snugly under the truck and is sturdy enough to bear his weight. Hitchhiking to Charlotte in makeshift street clothes, he is unable to reach his children with a manhunt underway, and his face on all the news channels. He calls Steve, who warns him to lie low for a month and make contact with nobody. He is forced to hide in the bathroom ceiling at a Toys 'R' Us store.

And so Jeffrey ventures into the employee area once the store closes for the night, and finds the security system manual and puts a stop to the stores CCTV cameras from recording. He kits out a hiding place in a hollow wall behind a bicycle display using whatever he can find from the stores shelves to make himself a mattress and a chair. Concealing himself, sleeping, watching and listening in on the remote baby monitoring system to track the staff he has set up during the day, and roaming the empty store at night. 

Helping himself to clothes from the donation bin and other merchandise, he survives on Peanut M&M's and baby food. When Mitch (Peter Dinklage), the store's manager, is unwilling to accommodate his employee Leigh's (Kirsten Dunst) schedule as a single mother, so Jeffrey accesses Mitch's computer to change Leigh's shifts himself, by viewing Mitch's log in and password through his hidden cameras.

Jeffrey steals toys to donate to the toy drive Leigh has organised at her church, and when he is pressed to enter the church by another member of the congregation he claims to be a visiting New Yorker named John Zorn and is introduced to Leigh. He pawns stolen video games to pay for dental work after living on a diet of peanut M&M's. He later evades questions at a church singles lunch event by telling Leigh and the other gathered women that he is an undercover government agent. Leigh asks 'John' on a date, and they begin a relationship. Missing his own children, Jeffrey makes a concerted  effort to bond with Leigh's daughters Lindsay (Lily Collias) and Dee (Kennedy Moyer), but is unable to persuade Leigh to start a new life together some place else.

Early one morning while washing himself at the store, a naked and soap covered Jeffrey is interrupted by Mitch who comes into work much earlier than usual. Jeffrey quickly retreats to his hideout, while Mitch frightened bolts to the relative safety of his office, leaving Police to believe a homeless man snuck in and then fled through a fire escape. Later Lindsay and Leigh get into a heated argument, as she lashes out at her mother. Jeffrey buys a used car to teach her to drive and gain some independence and takes the family on a reckless test drive, with the used car salesman (Jimmy O.Yang) sat in the passenger seat nearly crapping himself over Jeffrey's high speed driving antics. 

Steve returns after months overseas, and agrees to help Jeffrey escape the country under a new identity for US$50K. Steve's partner Michelle (Juno Temple) aids the process by co-ordinating a hair piece for disguise purposes to help him clear customs. Desperate, Jeffrey botches a break-in at the pawn shop to steal a gun, and burns down his dentist's office to cover his tracks for fear of being identified through his dental records. 

At a team meeting held by Mitch just before the onset of the busiest time of the year, Christmas, he informs his team that all hours as rostered must be worked, no exceptions, and that he expects 110% commitment from every team member to achieve the stores sales goals. Jeffrey then once again adjusts Leigh's schedule to keep her away from the store until 10:30am on the day that Jeffrey holds the Toys 'R' Us staff at gunpoint and pistol-whips an armoured car guard knocking him unconscious. However, Leigh arrives early while he is calling for an ambulance. She recognises the masked Jeffrey, who flees with the store's cash before the Police arrive, who upon investigating the store premises discover his hideout. Jeffrey pays Steve for his fake documents and leaves for the airport, but receives a call from Leigh while en route. Unwilling to abandon her, he arrives at her apartment at their designated time of 5:00pm clutching helium filled festive balloons and gifts, but it turns out to be a trap by the Police after Leigh gave him up. He is taken into custody and receives an additional forty-year sentence.

Leigh visits Jeffrey in prison and they forgive each other, and tearfully embrace. He reconnects with his own daughter as he accepts life behind bars. An epilogue reveals that Leigh remarried but visited Jeffrey again for the first time in decades, while Jeffrey made two more escape attempts in 2009 and 2017, but says that no more escape plans feature on his agenda, that he is resigned to his fate in prison, and it is where he deserves to be. He is eligible for parole in 2036. Also starring Ben Mendelsohn and Tony Revolori.

I enjoyed 'Roofman' - up to a point. This film is part RomCom, part drama and part thriller, and is ably held together by two on point performances by a likeable rogue thief in Channing Tatum, and his trusting but ultimately betrayed girlfriend Kirsten Dunst. It has heart, humour, emotion and tension and Director Derek Cianfrance knows how to weave these elements in to a neat and tidy unoffensive package, but at a run time of 126 minutes the film for me outstayed its welcome by twenty minutes and I felt it dragging at the midpoint. That said this is a crowd pleaser of a film that demonstrates that life is stranger than fiction but I would have liked to have seen more of Manchester's roofman exploits and a little less of his Toys 'R' Us squat.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 30th April - 6th May 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Kirsten Dunst does on 30th April - check out my tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 35, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 30th April

• Jane Campion - Born 1954, turns 63 - Director | Writer | Producer 
• Kirsten Dunst - Born 1982, turns 35 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director
• Gal Gadot - Born 1985, turns 32 - Actress  
• Lars von Trier - Born 1956, turns 61 - Director | Writer | Producer | Actor | Cinematographer | Editor | Songwriter

Monday 1st May

• Wes Anderson - Born 1969, turns 48 - Director | Writer | Producer | Actor
• James Badge Dale - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor 
• Jamie Dornan - Born 1982, turns 35 - Actor
• Joanna Lumley - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actress |   

Tuesday 2nd May

• Lone Scherfig - Born 1959, turns 58 - Director | Writer 
• David Suchet - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Producer 
• Stephen Daldry - Born 1960, turns 57 - Director | Producer
• Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Singer

Wednesday 3rd May

• Rob Brydon - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Television Personality
• Bobby Cannavale - Born 1970, turns 47 - Actor 
• Amy Ryan - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actress 
• Christina Hendricks - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actress  

Thursday 4th May

• Richard Jenkins - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor
• Will Arnett - Born 1970, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer  

Friday 5th May

• Lance Henriksen - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actor 
• Michael Palin - Born 1943, turns 74 - Actor | Writer | Television Personality | Singer | Songwriter
• John Rhys-Davies - Born 1944, turns 73 - Actor | Producer
• Richard E. Grant - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Henry Cavill - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actor  

Saturday 6th May

• Alan Dale - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor 
• George Clooney - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer

Kirsten Caroline Dunst was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA to mother Inez Dunst, a Lufthansa airline hostess and occasional artist and former gallery owner, and father Klaus Hermann Dunst, a medical services executive. Up to the age of eleven, the young Kirsten lived in the Brick Township of New Jersey attending the independent coeducational Ranney School. In 1993 her parents split and she relocated with her mother and younger brother, Christian, to Los Angeles where she attended Laurel Hall School in North Hollywood and then the coeducational Catholic College Notre Dame High School. Her parents divorced in 1995. By the time she had graduated from Notre Dame in 2000, Dunst had already spent ten years or so in the acting business, and chose to continue along that path that had launched her career at age three as a child fashion model on television commercials having signed up with Elite Model Management and Ford Models.

At the age of six Dunst made her feature film debut in a minor role in Woody Allen's short film 'Oedipus Wrecks' which was part of the anthology film 'New York Stories' comprising three short films with the central theme being New York City as Directed by Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. In 1989 she lent her voice talents to the English language version of the Japanese animated feature film 'Kiki's Delivery Service', and followed this up in 1990 with 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' playing the daughter to the character played by Tom Hanks. The film also starred Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Melanie Griffiths. 'High Strung' and 'Greedy' both came before 'Interview with the Vampire : The Vampire Chronicles' based on the Anne Rice best seller in which Dunst plays child vampire and surrogate daughter to the characters played by Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. She had her first on-screen kiss with Pitt, aged eleven. Her performance garnered several award wins and nominations including her first Golden Globe nod. That same year came 'Little Women' opposite Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Susan Sarandon, Christian Bale and Gabriel Byrne. 

1995 saw the release of Joe Johnston's 'Jumanji' with Robin Williams which was a commercial success raking in US$263M. In 1996 Dunst played on six episodes of 'ER' as a child prostitute taken under the stewardship of George Clooney's Dr. Doug Ross. The following years she starred in 'Tower of Terror' for 'The Wonderful World of Disney' television series, and then lent her voice work to the animated feature 'Anastasia' and followed this up that same year with Barry Levinson's 'Wag the Dog' with Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, William H. Macy and Woody Harrelson, and then 'True Heart' also that same year. Closing out the decade was 'All I Wanna Do', 'Small Soldiers', Drop Dead Gorgeous', 'Dick' and 'The Virgin Suicides' for Sofia Coppola with James Woods, Scott Glenn, Danny DeVito, Josh Hartnett and Kathleen Turner.

The turn of the new decade saw Dunst graduate from High School and lurch into 'The Crow : Salvation' the supernatural action film and the third instalment in 'The Crow' series based on the comic book of the same name. After a very limited release this film went straight to video. This was followed up by the likes of 'Luckytown', teen comedy 'Bring It On' which has become a bit of a cult classic and recovered US$90M from its US$11M budget, then 'Deeply' and then into 2001 with 'Get Over It', 'Crazy/Beautiful', Peter Bogdanovich's period drama 'The Cat's Meow', and then 'Lover's Prayer'. This leads us to 'Spiderman' based on the Marvel comic book teen web slinging hero as played by Tobey Maguire with Dunst playing Mary Jane Watson - Peter Parker's (aka Spiderman) love interest. Directed by Sam Raimi the film cost US$140M to make and brought in US$822M at the global Box Office. Dunst would reprise her role in 'Spiderman 2' released in 2004 and again in 'Spiderman 3' released in 2007. The latter two films made a combined US$1,68B against production costs of US$458M.

'Levity' came next in 2003 with Billy Bob Thornton and Morgan Freeman, then Mike Newell's 'Mona Lisa Smile' with Julia Roberts, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal followed by Michael Gondry's 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' with Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo and Tom Wilkinson. 'Wimbledon' followed in 2004 with Paul Bettany; Cameron Crowe's 'Elizabethtown' in 2005 with Orlando Bloom; Sofia Coppola's 'Marie Antoinette' in 2006 with Dunst in the title role, and then 'How to Lose Friends & Alienate People' in 2008 with Simon Pegg.

Another new decade dawned with 'All Good Things' opposite Ryan Gosling, and then Lars von Trier's Written and Directed 'Melancholia' alongside Keifer Sutherland, John Hurt, Stellen Skarsgard, Alexander Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Comedy Romance 'Bachelorette' followed in 2012 with Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplin and Rebel Wilson, and later that same year came 'On the Road' based on novel by Jack Kerouac and Directed by Walter Salles with Garret Hedlund, Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, and Elisabeth Moss. 'Upside Down' followed with Jim Sturgess, then an uncredited turn in Sofia Coppola's 'The Bling Ring', then 'Anchorman 2 : The Legend Continues' with Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, followed up with 'The Two Faces of January' with Viggo Mortensen and Oscar Isaac.

Jeff Nichols 'Midnight Special' with Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton and Adam Driver and the still on general release 'Hidden Figures' with Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae and Kevin Costner bring us up to date in terms of feature films. In between time Dunst Directed and Co-Wrote two short films - the sixteen minute 'Welcome' in 2007 and the seven minute 'Bastard' in 2010 which was shown at both the Tribeca and Cannes Film Festivals. Over the years she has also appeared in numerous made for television films such as 'The Siege at Ruby Ridge', 'Fifteen and Pregnant', and 'The Devil's Arithmetic', and television series appearances including 'Sisters' in 1993, 'Touched by an Angel' and 'The Outer Limits' in 1997 and most recently as Peggy Blomquist in the second season of the acclaimed TV adaptation of 'Fargo'.

Next up for Dunst is drama film offering 'Woodshock' starring Pilou Asbaek and Lorelei Linklater and due for release later this year. As is a remake of 'The Beguiled' for Sofia Coppola and also starring Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, Angourie Rice and Colin Farrell. Recently announced is made for television film 'On Becoming a God in Central Florida' and her own feature film Directing debut which she has also Written and is Executive Producing on - 'The Bell Jar' and will star Dakota Fanning, Patricia Arquette and Jesse Plemons and is due out in 2018.

All up Dunst has 74 Acting credits to her name, three as Director (including 'The Bell Jar' currently in pre-production), three as Writer and two as Producer. Dunst has amassed thirty award wins to her name and a further 63 nominations including two Golden Globe nods for 'Fargo' and 'Interview with the Vampire', a Primetime Emmy Award nomination also for 'Fargo' and an AACTA Award nomination for 'Melancholia'. She works with the Elizabeth Glazer Paediatric AIDS Foundation and has worked in raising awareness for Breast Cancer. In 2008 she underwent treatment for depression checking herself into a treatment centre in Utah. Last year she began dating her 'Fargo' Co-Star Jesse Plemons and they are now engaged to be married.

Kirsten Dunst - only 35 but have spent your whole life over four decades in front of the camera and with the critical and commercial success to back it up; became a German citizen in 2011; has been named on various 'Top' lists over the years including '25 Hottest Stars Under 25', Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30'. '#25 out of the Top 102 Sexiest Women in the World', and one of People Magazine's '50 Most Beautiful People in the World' in 1995 and 2002; takes tap dancing lessons; has set up her own Production Company; has sung in numerous films and music videos for well known recording artists; is Sofia Coppola's go to girl; and has amassed a varied body of work across almost all genres from the age of seven that is truly enviable. Happy Birthday to you Kirsten, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-  

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL : Wednesday 18th May 2016.

'MIDNIGHT SPECIAL' - which I saw mid-week last week is Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols, and whilst essentially a Sci-Fi drama is is also a road movie, a chase film, and a kidnapping story all rolled into one that uses many touchstones from the movie classics of the 80's and 90's - as made by Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter and written by Stephen King. Made for US$18M it so far has recovered about one-third of that sum and deserves to do so much better however, as this is a top notch close encounter of another kind that has a strong cast, a solid story, a deft Directorial touch and a warmth, emotion and conviction at its heart. Sadly, this film is not on wide release and again I had to travel half away across Sydney to catch-it, but I'm pleased I did, and you won't be disappointed either. Despite its limited release the film has received much critical acclaim around the traps for its original premise, convincing performances, and its engaging entertainment factor.

As the film opens up we are in a cheap hotel room, and Roy Tomlin (Michael Shannon) is packing up to move on out under cover of darkness with a young lad Alton Meyer (Jaeden Lieberher) accompanied by long term friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) - a former State Trooper. We learn soon enough that Roy is the birth father of young eight year old Alton and he is escaping from a religious cult in rural Texas where they lived happily for a number of years. Alton's mother Sarah Tomlin (Kirsten Dunst) has already fled having been excommunicated two years previously during which time she has not seen her son. Known as 'The Ranch' - the leader there, Calvin Meyer (Sam Shepard) is seen discussing Altons disappearance with two of his off-siders instilling in them the need to recover the boy within 72 hours at all costs. On the television news, beamed across the country is an alert for anyone to be on the lookout for Roy Tomlin who is believed to have abducted the young lad, although the relationship is unknown to the world at large it seems. In the meantime, the US Government, the FBI and other authorities have been alerted to young Alton, and also are hot on the trail.

So begins our road movie as we gain further insight into what makes Alton so special, and why so many are after him. It seems that while at 'The Ranch' the Tomlin's had to give up their son to be 'adopted' by Calvin Meyer (hence the name), and they practically worshipped Alton for the special otherworldly powers he possesses, and which they had seen manifested in various ways. The US Government have enlisted the help of Paul Sevier (Adam Driver) of the National Security Agency to help track down Alton and understand why a set of co-ordinates from a secret nuclear attack warning satellite were known to him and were being used by Calvin Meyer in his sermons. Roy and Lucas meanwhile know full well of Alton's special gift and have a preordained appointment three days from now at an undisclosed location where a possibly world changing event is to occur, and for which Alton must be present at all costs, and to which he is being drawn by a force not known by anyone else but him.

As the clock counts down on the given day, Alton's powers continue to manifest themselves when least expected, and these drain him of his energy and he grows noticeably weaker. Constantly on the look out for the FBI, the NSA, those from The Ranch, the Police and wary of television broadcasts and newspaper reports that could further identify them, Roy, Lucas and Alton travel by night and rest up by day  - a necessity also given Alton is intolerant to sunlight and needs to be shielded from it. After a number of incidents and near misses on their journey, the three arrive at the home of Sarah where mother and son are reunited. The next day, the four leave together, and along the way Alton senses an overhead patrol searching for him and urges the car to stop. He flees with Roy into the woods and finds a cave in which to hide overnight, while Sarah and Lucas continue to a motel nearby.

The next morning Alton indicates to Roy that he needs to see the sunrise, and although knowing the harm it can potentially cause Roy reluctantly agrees receiving reassurance from Alton that it will be alright. Moving into a clearing, as the sun rises behind the trees, the earth begins to shake violently and a dome of light then engulfs them. Later, they arrive at the motel where Alton is newly invigorated, energised and looking much healthier than he did just twelve hours ago, and he begins to explain that he now knows where his powers originate from, what he must do and where they must now go.

Later the four exit the motel room to continue their onward journey, but are ambushed in the process by two of Calvin Meyer's henchmen from The Ranch. They fire on Roy and Lucas, and manage to cable-tie their hands together and those of Sarah, and make off with Alton. Able to free themselves they give chase, but get caught up in traffic jam and soon discover that the vehicle carrying Alton had been halted by the FBI and Alton had been captured and taken away to a facility for questioning. Wired up to various monitors he is questioned by Paul Sevier whom Alton asked for specifically from behind a glass screen, and with whom he has had no previous contact. Alton demonstrates his powers to Sevier that he can now increasingly manifest at will, convincing the NSA Agent to co-operate and help him escape the facility to be reunited with his family so that his mission can be accomplished.

Making their escape at night and after Alton has caused a massive power outage across the whole facility so disabling security cameras, lights, gates etc. young Alton and Sevier make their getaway, meeting up with Roy, Sarah and Lucas at an isolated location where the boy can be reunited with those who will see out his mission. Travelling through open country on back roads the day has arrived when Alton's destiny becomes clear. Sevier had analysed the co-ordinates known to Alton and determined that they represent the meeting place that the family are now hurrying toward. With the FBI now laying a strict cordon around that location, Sarah and Alton continue their journey on foot as Alton increasingly senses that the place is close by. Roy and Lucas provide the necessary distraction in the vehicle.

As Sarah and Alton enter a clearing, the young lad walks on ahead, leaving Mum behind looking on - knowing that this is probably the last time she will ever see her child. Standing motionless the ground begins to shake, and a huge explosion of light creates a dome that covers most of the southeastern corner of the United States. Meanwhile, the vehicle that Roy and Lucas are travelling is set upon by FBI armoured pursuit vehicles ultimately causing it to crash and flip end over end several times coming to rest on its roof. This occurs as the dome of light is seen by Roy, Lucas, those authorities in pursuit and the entire population of that south eastern corner of the US - together with what is contained within the dome of light, which hitherto had been known by Alton and communicated to his parents and Lucas the day before after watching the sunrise. Within minutes the dome vanishes, and so too has Alton.

I really enjoyed this film - it moves along at a good pace, the story is fresh and original, and it is hard to pigeon-hole this film into any one category. The performances are solid, grounded and believable; and it contains all the elements you want from a movie - emotion, thrills, suspense, spectacle, surprises in equal measure that are not overcooked or added in just for effect. Make the effort and seek out this film where you can - you'll be pleased you did.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 21st April 2016.

Having reported in the last couple of weeks the major movies to watch out for in the balance of 2016, I thought I would round things off in a similar vein with the animated films slated for release between now and the end the year. Always finding an audience of both young, and young at heart, it is worth watching out for these top twelve animated offerings coming your way soon, with six highlighted this week and the remaining six next week. Check the release dates nearer the time as dates may vary for a whole heap of reasons.

• 12th May - 'THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE' - from Sony Pictures Imageworks on a budget of US$80M, Directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly featuring the voices of Sean Penn, Danny McBride, Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader.
• 16th June - 'FINDING DORY' - from Pixar Animation, this follow up to 2003 hugely successful 'Finding Nemo' is Directed by Andrew Stanton again and stars the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton and Bill Hader.
• 23rd June - 'ICE AGE : COLLISION COURSE' - the fifth instalment in this successful franchise from Blue Sky Studios is Directed by Mike Thurmeier and stars our usual characters voiced by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez and Simon Pegg. The first four films made a combined US$2.8B off budgets totalling US$324M which is why the ice age keeps on keeping on.
• 28th July - 'RATCHET AND CLANK' - based on the video game series of the same name, this Sci-Fi action comedy origin film stars the voices of Sylvester Stallone, John Goodman, Paul Giamatti and Rosario Dawson and is brought to us by Sony Interactive Entertainment and the originators of the video game.
• 11th August - 'SAUSAGE PARTY' - definitely not for the kids, this is adult animated comedy Written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and stars a huge voice cast that includes Seth Rogen, Kirsten Wiig, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek, Danny McBride and Bill Hader.
• 18th August - 'KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS' - this stop-motion animated fantasy film is set in ancient Japan, is Directed by Travis Knight and stars the voice talents of Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei and Rooney Mara.

And so what is happening in the week ahead at a cinema near you. Three news releases are happening that jump-start with a comedy bio-pic of a little known but perhaps fondly remembered Winter Olympic athlete who came from absolutely nowhere but achieved momentary greatness almost thirty years ago and won the hearts and minds of a nation. Then a close encounter of a new kind as father and son go on the run after discovering something very unusual and very special about the young lad that make him just about the hottest ticket in town. And to wrap things up a French foreign language offering about a famed socialite singer who couldn't really sing but she believed she could, when all around her kept up with the ruse . . . but at whose expense really I wonder. 

Aside from these three there is still plenty of great film fare still on general release that has been Reviewed and Previewed between these pages. When you have sat through your film of choice in the week ahead, share your views and opinions with our readership at Odeon Online in the Comments Box below this or any other Post - we'd love to hear from you. Meanwhile, enjoy this week films.

EDDIE THE EAGLE (Rated PG) - this true sports bio drama comedy story recounts the rise to infamy of one of England's great unsung Winter Olympic sports athletes, and is Directed by Dexter Fletcher and made for US$23M. Having had its worldwide premier at Sundance in late January, the film was released in the US in late February and in the UK in late March, and has so far grossed US$32M. Based on the story of one Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards who rose to fame during the 1988 Winter Olympics as Great Britain's first and only hope in Olympic Ski Jumping at the Calgary, Alberta Games of that year.

Here young lad Eddie Edwards (Taron Egerton) has dreams of becoming an Olympic Champion, but alas they are only dreams and he is unable, despite his best efforts, to turn this into anything approaching reality. As a young aspiring teenager he gives away his Summer Olympic dreams in favour of the Winter Olympics and in particularly ski jumping - a sport that Great Britain has not competed in for sixty years. After various setbacks and embarrassments at the hands of competing nations he is taken in by former ski jump champion Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman) who nurtures his skills and his abilities to allow him, against the odds, to compete at the highest level. Being old enough to remember the real Eddie Edwards and those Calgary Olympics and the homecoming post-games that this new national hero received despite his failings, this will be an uplifting story of the true underdog with tenacity in the face of adversity, and a competitor whose belief in taking part was more important than winning, and who never gave up hope despite the set backs, the chides, and the abuse from his competitors and those even in his own team. A must watch for the sentimentalists and those wanting a feel good tale of courage and conviction.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL (Rated M) - Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols, this Sci-Fi drama film was made for just US$18M and has a strong cast, a solid story and is already receiving much critical acclaim around the traps for its original premise, convincing performances, and its engaging entertainment factor. Telling the story of  Roy (Michael Shannon) and his eight year old son Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) who are on the run from federal and local law enforcement officers and a religious cult after it is discovered that young Alton has special otherworldly powers. With so many hot on their heels, father and son must thwart those that are chasing them as they head towards a date and time of special significance that could change everything, for everyone. Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver and Sam Shepherd also star.

MARGUERITE (Rated M) - loosely inspired by the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, this French/Czech/Belgian Co-Production was Co-Written and Directed by Xavier Giannoli and is set in the 1920's and stars Catherine Frot as Marguerite Dumont a wealthy Paris socialite. She has an overwhelming passion for the opera and for singing, and believes that she has the voice of an angel, and sings often for her friends, even though she is not particularly good at it. Her friends, family and loved ones however, are either too timid or too embarrassed to tell her about her vocal skills, and in fact play along with her fantasy. But things start to take a very different turn when she decides to perform in public in front of a real audience. What does this mean for the would-be-diva who is tone-deaf and couldn't hit a note if her life depended on it - it can go only one of two ways! Not to be confused with the Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant film 'Florence Foster Jenkins' film as Directed by Stephen Frears due out later in 2016.

With three new movies out in the week ahead, and plenty more great cinematic content still out on general release, there is no excuse not to get yourself out to your local multiplex or local independent theatre for some movie goodness. I'll see you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY - Tuesday 24th June 2014

Back to my favourite movie theatre last night - the Cremorne Orpheum Picture Palace, to see recently released 'THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY' based on a Patricia Highsmith novel first released in 1964. The scene is set and we are escorted back to 1962 Athens and straightaway we have a film that feels of that era - character driven, sharp suits, stylish locales, sun drenched scenery, glamorous couple, playful rogue and thoughtful dialogue. Almost Hitchcockian, but written and Directed by Hossein Amini in his first such outing, following his penning of the impressive 'Drive'.

Here he has assembled Viggo Mortensen and wife Kirsten Dunst (Chester and Colette MacFarland respectively) and Oscar Isaac (as Rydal) - the three linchpins of this tale. Holidaying Long Island residents husband and wife Chester and Colette meet US tour guide to the hapless tourists, Rydal, in the vicinity of The Acropolis, and so begins an unlikely relationship that unfolds over a week or so between Athens, Crete and Istanbul.

Following 24 hours or so of social niceties and tours of the real Athens, Rydal inadvertently catches Chester in a somewhat compromising position. What ensues is an unfolding story of misdemeanours, misadventures and mistrust as we get to know the three protagonists, and they all seek to gain the upper hand for fear of exposure, and the consequences that would inevitably follow. Out of desperation the action takes us from Athens via ferry boat to Crete where further misfortune awaits, and then onto Istanbul for the final chapter and the conclusion of the story.

The plot here is engaging enough, the acting is solid and believable, the screen lights up with images of ancient Mediterranean lands, but I did feel that at times this plodded somewhat. Not to the point of boredom, but almost predictability! This film is condensed into a running time of just 96 minutes, and it passed by quickly, but I wanted more! We get just the bare nuggets of character back story which could have been fleshed out a little more, and when the long arm of the law eventually catches up with them I was left wondering almost, how? Viggo Mortensen plays it solidly as he always does (think 'LOTR', 'A History of Violence' and 'Eastern Promises') and he would be one of my favourites - constantly chewing on a dart here and swilling back the Whisky - he does it so well, and really inhabits his character.

All of that said, it is enjoyable enough and it presents well on the big screen and there are a lot of positives here that do outweigh the less so. You don't need to see this on the big screen and can easily wait for the dvd/Blu-Ray in a few months.

As a foot note, films like this don't seem to get made so often anymore, and as such it is worthy of your viewing as a throw back to those of that era - good story, exotic locations, good acting, believable characters and enough suspense and intrigue to maintain your attention.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-