What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 22nd November 2018.

The 'American Film Institute Festival' (AFI Fest) ran this year from November 8th though until 15th and is, according to the official website, an 'annual celebration of international cinema from modern masters and emerging filmmakers. It takes place each Autumn in Hollywood, California, USA, and features nightly red-carpet galas, special screenings, conversations and tributes. AFI Fest remains the first and only festival of its stature that is free to the public, offering the best of current cinema in Hollywood. AFI Fest 2018 is its 32nd edition. Los Angeles' longest running international film festival remains a showcase for the best festival films of the year, and an opportunity for artists to come together with audiences in the heart of the movie capital of the world'.

Films being showcased this year fall into several categories, a sample of which is given below:-
Galas
* 'On the Basis of Sex' was the opening night film. Directed by Mimi Leder and stars Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates, Sam Waterston, Jack Reynor and Cailee Spaeny.
* 'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs', Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Tim Blake Nelson, Liam Neeson, James Franco, Tom Waits, Brendan Gleeson and Zoe Kazan.
* 'Bird Box', Directed by Susanne Bier and starring Sandra Bullock, Jacki Weaver, Trevante Rhodes, Tom Hollander and John Malkovich.
* 'Green Book', Directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali.
* 'Widows' Directed by Steve McQueen and starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Jackie Weaver, Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson, Robert Duvall, Daniel Kaluuya and Jon Bernthal and as Previewed below for release this week in Australia.
* 'Destroyer' Directed by Karyn Kusama and starring Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan and Bradley Whitford.
* 'Mary Queen of Scots' was the closing night film. Directed by Josie Rourke and starring Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, David Tennant and Guy Pearce.

Special Screenings
* 'Amazing Grace', Directed by Sydney Pollock and starring Aretha Franklin.
* 'Everybody Knows', Directed by Asghar Farhadi and starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
* 'The Favourite', Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn.
* 'I Am The Night' Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen and India Eisley.
* 'Roma' Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira.
* 'Stan & Ollie' Directed by Jon S. Baird and starring John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan.
* 'Under the Silver Lake', Directed by David Robert Mitchell and starring Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace and Grace Van Patten.
* 'Vox Lux' Directed by Brady Corbet and starring Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Jennifer Ehle.

Midnight
* 'Cam' Directed by Daniel Goldhaber and starring Madeline Brewer.
* 'In Fabric' Directed by Peter Strickland and starring Gwendoline Christie,
* 'Knife+Heart' Directed by Yann Gonzalez and starring Vanessa Paradis.
* 'Piercing' Directed by Nicolas Pesce and starring Mia Wasikowska and Christoper Abbott.

The other categories are World Cinema featuring 28 films, New Auteurs with eighteen films, American Independents with eleven films showcased, Cinema's Legacy with another six and Short Films featuring forty-seven shorts. You can gain more insights from this festival of film at the official website at : https://www.afi.com/afifest/

For this week we have four new release movies coming to your local Odeon. We launch with an updated film version of a British television series of the mid-'80's that sees four recently bereaved wives of four career criminals carry on the legacy that their dead husbands left behind. We then turn to yet another version of that Lincoln Green wearing hero of Sherwood Forest who takes from the rich and gives to the poor in this action fantasy adventure the like of which you have quite probably never seen our titular long bow wielding hero in before. Next up is a court room drama about a British High Court Judge who must decide the fate of a teenage lad who desperately needs life saving surgery which flies in the face of his family's religious beliefs, and, we then wrap up with a timely Christmas oriented offering with a new slant on a classic tale.

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

'WIDOWS' (Rated MA15+) - this American heist drama film is based on the 1983 and 1985 British television series of the same name that was written by Lynda La Plante, and which ran for two series each of six episodes. Now in 2018 that earlier inspiration has been given a makeover some thirty years later and this time is written for the screen by Gillian Flynn, the author of the acclaimed novel and later film 'Gone Girl'. Directed by Steve McQueen whose previous Directorial credits include 'Hunger', 'Shame' and '12 Years a Slave', here he has amassed an ensemble cast for a Production Budget of US$40M and what has so far received widespread Critical praise. The film saw its Premier screening at TIFF back in September, was released in the UK last week, the US and Australia this week, and has so far grossed US$21M.

The story here surrounds a Police shootout that leaves four thieves dead during an explosive armed robbery attempt in Chicago. Those men were Harry Rawlins (Liam Neeson), Carlos Perelli (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), Florek Gunner (Jon Bernthal) and Bash O'Reilly (Garret Dillahunt). Their widows Veronica Rawlins (Viola Davis), Linda Perelli (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice Gunner (Elizabeth Debicki) and Belle O'Reilly (Cynthia Erivo) have nothing in common except a debt left behind by their now dead husbands criminal activities. Hoping to forge a future on their own terms, Veronica joins forces with the other three women to pull off a heist that her husband was planning, to clear their debt and retire happy and content on the monies left over. Also starring Colin Farrell, Jackie Weaver, Daniel Kaluuya, Robert Duvall and Lukas Haas.

'ROBIN HOOD' (Rated M) - there have been many iterations of the legend of Robin Hood at both the cinema and on the television over the last century or more with more recent outings including 2010's 'Robin Hood' Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe, 1993's 'Robin Hood : Men in Tights' Directed by Mel Brooks and starring Cary Elwes, 1991's 'Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves' Directed by Kevin Reynolds and starring Kevin Costner, also in 1991 'Robin Hood' Directed by John Irvin and starring Patrick Bergin and 1976's 'Robin and Marian'  Directed by Richard Lester and starring Sean Connery. Now in 2018 we have a reimagining of that fabled folk hero of the English twelfth century in this action adventure offering tinged with just a hint of fantasy, and Directed by Otto Bathurst who has worked mostly in British television thus far Directing episodes of 'Black Mirror', 'Peaky Blinders', 'Teachers' and 'Hustle' amongst others over the years. Here we find Robin of Loxley (Taron Egerton) a war-hardened Crusader and his Moorish commander known affectionately as Little John (Jamie Foxx) mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown with thrills, spills, action, adventure, mayhem, of course a touch of romance and stylised close quarter combat along the way. Also starring Tim Minchin as Friar Tuck, Jamie Dornan as Will Scarlet, Paul Anderson as Guy of Gisborne, Eve Hewson as Maid Marian and Ben Mendelsohn as the Sheriff of Nottingham. The film has received less that favourable Press to date.

'THE CHILDREN ACT' (Rated M) - this English drama film is Directed by British film, television, theatre and opera Director Richard Eyre and is written for the screen by Ian McEwan based on his own 2014 novel of the same name. The film saw its World Premier screening at TIFF way back in  September 2017, went on general release in the UK in late August, in the United States in mid-September and now gets a go in Australia this week. The film has garnered generally positive Reviews and has so far grossed US$12M. Here, working through a marital crisis with her husband Jack (Stanley Tucci), a High Court Judge Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) must determine if she should order a life-saving blood transfusion for a seventeen year old lad Adam Henry (Fionn Whitehead) with leukaemia, despite his parents Kevin and Naomi Henry (Ben Chaplin and Eileen Walsh respectively) refusal to accept medical treatment on the grounds that they are devout Jehovah's Witnesses, and any such treatment goes against their biblical beliefs.

'THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS' (Rated PG) - this American fantasy adventure film is Directed by Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston and is a reworking of E. T. A. Hoffmann's short story 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King' and Marius Petipa's 'The Nutcracker'. The story here tells of young Clara Stahlbaum (Mackenzie Foy) who is given an egg shaped box as a Christmas present from her father Mr. Stahlbaum (Matthew Macfadyen). But Clara needs a magical, one-of-a-kind key to unlock a box that contains a priceless gift. A golden thread leads her to the coveted key, but it soon disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world. In that world, she meets a soldier named Captain Phillip Hoffman (Jayden Fowora-Knight), a group of mice and the royalty who preside over three realms. Clara and Phillip must now venture into a fourth realm to retrieve the key and restore harmony and peace to the unstable land. Also starring Helen Mirren as Mother Ginger, Keira Knightley at the Sugar Plum Fairy and the ruler over the Land of Sweets; Richard E. Grant as Shiver, the ruler over the Land of Snowflakes; Eugenio Derbez as Hawthorne, the ruler over the Land of Flowers and Morgan Freeman. The film cost in the region of US$120M to make, was released in the US earlier this month, has so far taken US$118M and has generated largely unfavourable press to date.

With four 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-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 4th May 2017.

With the release of 'A Dog's Purpose' this week, I was reminded about the plethora of canine live action movies out there that have graced our screens since cinema came into being. Crossing all genres from horror, to drama, to action, to comedy to family fare and of course not forgetting the animated features as well, the appeal of dogs in film seems to be as strong as it ever was. Listing some of the more notable live action canine cinematic choices, you may want to check out some of these :
* 'Lassie Come Home' (1943) - starring Roddy McDowall, and spawned a whole batch of Lassie sequels, remakes and reboots over the years. 'Pal' stars as Lassie.
* 'Old Yeller' (1957) - starring Tommy Kirk in this hugely successful Disney classic that has stood the test of time. 'Spike' stars as Old Yeller.
* 'Benji' (1974) - starring Patsy Garrett the film grossed US$45M off a US$500K budget. 'Higgins' stars as Benji.
* 'A Boy and his Dog' (1975) - starring Don Johnson in this post apocalyptic Sci-Fi comedy drama thriller about a boy and his telepathic dog, Blood.
* 'Cujo' (1983) - starring Dee Wallace in this psychological horror thriller based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Cujo is a rabid Saint Bernard.
* 'Turner & Hooch' (1989) - starring Tom Hanks, and Beasley the Dog as Hooch in this detective comedy film Directed by Roger Spottiswoode.
* 'K-9' (1989) starring James Belushi, and various dogs as Jerry Lee the police dog in the detective action comedy film that spawned two direct to video sequels in 1999 and 2002.
* 'Beethoven' (1992) - starring Charles Grodin and an ensemble cast this family comedy film spawned a theatrical sequel in 1993 and direct to video sequels in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2011 and 2014. Beethoven is a Saint Bernard.
* 'Fluke' (1995) - starring Matthew Modine in this drama film based on the book of the same name by James Herbert, about a workaholic husband and father reincarnated as an Irish Setter dog who returns to his family in canine form. 'Buddy' stars as Fluke.
* '101 Dalmatians' (1996) - starring Jeff Daniels in this Disney live action remake of their beloved 1961 animated classic, the film made US$321M from its US$75M budget outlay, and spawned a sequel in 2000.
* 'My Dog Skip' (2000) - starring Frankie Muniz in this family drama film about a nine year old given a Jack Russell terrier for his birthday, and the changes that ensue in the young lads life as  result. Skipper is played by 'Sweetie', 'Ginny' and 'Layla' at various stages of its life.
* 'Best In Show' (2000) - starring Eugene Levy in this highly acclaimed mockumentary comedy offering about five entrants in a renowned dog show following the exploits of the dogs and their owners and handlers in the lead up to, and during, the competition.
* 'Cats & Dogs' (2001) - starring Jeff Goldblum this is a family action comedy offering that pits cats and dogs off against each other in their age old struggle for world domination. The film made US$201M from its US$60M budget and saw a sequel released in 2008.
* 'Marley & Me' (2008) starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston in this comedy drama film about a yellow Labrador Directed by David Frankel and based on the memoir of John Grogan of the same name. It made US$248M from its US$60M budget and saw a direct to video sequel in 2011.
* 'White God' (2014) - this Hungarian drama film took out the Un Certain Regard Award at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and stars Zsofia Psotta and mixed breed dog Hagan who joins a 250 strong pack of dogs in an uprising against their abusive human owners and handlers. 'Luke' and 'Bodie' star as Hagan.

This week then there are five new cinematic offerings to tease that movie going dollar from out of your wallet. We kick off with a comedy horror offering that satirises the racial divide in the US today underpinned with a creepy story that has received both critical acclaim and commercial success for this first time Director. We then move back to the outbreak of WWII in this true story of a zookeeping couple who provide safe harbour for hundreds of Jews and hundreds of animals in the bombed out remains of the Warsaw Zoo as the Nazi's occupy Poland. Then we move to present day New Zealand and a road trip remake of a classic early '80's offering Directed by the son of the original Director upon which this film is based. We move next to a canine tale spanning many decades, many dogs, many owners but they all have one thing in common as this story comes full circle, before wrapping up with another true telling of one mans quest to either prove or disprove the legitimacy of the Christian faith.

Remember that as always your are warmly invited to leave a short summary of your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations of any of the films Previewed below, or those Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog entries here, by leaving your relevant, succinct and pertinent views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and meanwhile, enjoy your movie in the coming week.

'GET OUT' (Rated MA15+) - made for just US$4.5M this comedy horror film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jordan Peele in his debut in the Directors chair, and has so far grossed US$194M and has received much critical acclaim. Jordan Peele is one half of the Comedy Central sketch series pairing of Key & Peele. His film, seen as a satire on racism in the United States in the present day that points at the underbelly of middle class conservatives interwoven with an effective horror story, stands now as the highest grossing film Directed by a black film maker, and has also claimed the spot previously occupied by 1999's 'The Blair Witch Project' as the highest grossing debut film based on an original screenplay in Hollywood history. Not bad credentials at all!

Here the story surrounds black photographer Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya)  and his white girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) who take a weekend trip out to the country to meet Rose's parents for the first time - Dean and Missy Armitage (Bradley Whitford and Christine Keener respectively). At first meeting, Rose's parents are overly accommodating and welcoming  which Chris interprets as their nervous reaction to their daughters mixed race relationship which they had hitherto been unaware of. As the weekend wears on however, tensions begin to mount and a number of startling and shocking discoveries lead Chris to a truth that he never could have dreamed possible.

'THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE' (Rated M) - this WWII drama film is Directed by Niki Caro and is based on the 2007 non-fiction book of the same name by Diane Ackerman telling the true story of the rescue of Jews in war torn Poland from Nazi invaders. Made for US$20M and so far grossing US$16M the film Premiered in Warsaw in early March and was released in the US at the end of March and in the UK toward the end of April. Set in late 1939 in Warsaw, Poland at the onset of War, Dr. Jan Zabinski (Johan Heldenbergh) and his wife Antonina (Jessica Chastain) are the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo - one of the largest and most prolific zoos in Europe at the time. When Poland is invaded by Germany and the bombs rain down many of the Zoos prized animals are killed. When the Germans take occupation, the Zabinki's are forced to report to Hitler's recently appointed Chief Zoologist Dr. Lutz Heck (Daniel Bruhl). What begins is a plot to covertly work with the Resistance to plan the safety of hundreds of Jewish lives from what was to become the Warsaw Ghetto, and animals too, by secretly housing them in the bombed out ruins of the Zoo.

'PORK PIE' (Rated M) - is a remake of the 1981 New Zealand film 'Goodbye Pork Pie' Directed back then by Geoff Murphy, and which is largely responsible for establishing the New Zealand film industry into what it has become today. That film was overwhelmingly embraced by local audiences.  This time around this offering is Directed and Written by Geoff's son, Matt Murphy, and tells the story of three accidental outlaws on the run driving a yellow Mini from one end of New Zealand to the other as they protest about conformity, chase lost love and have the Police and a media circus in hot pursuit behind them. Starring Dean O'Gorman, James Rolleston, Ashleigh Cummings and Antonia Prebble.

'A DOG'S PURPOSE' (Rated PG) - Swedish film Director Lasse Hailstorm whose previous credits include the Academy Award nominated 'My Life as a Dog' in 1985, 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape', 'The Cider House Rules', 'The Shipping News', 'Chocolat' and more recently 'The Hundred Food Journey' here helms another story about a dog, or more accurately several dogs. Beginning sometime in the 1950's here canine narrator Toby is a feral puppy that is captured, taken away to a pound and promptly put down. Toby however, is reincarnated as a Golden Retriever puppy in 1961 and is rescued from inside a pick-up truck on a hot summer day by young Ethan, and renamed Bailey. As Ethan grows up and progresses through High School, Bailey and Ethan share a special bond. But as every dog has its day, so Bailey has his and passes away comforted by Ethan at the Vet's surgery. Sometime later, Bailey reincarnates into a German Shepherd  - a Chicago Police Department dog named Ellie sometime in the late '70's. In the mid-'80's Ellie is reincarnated as a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Tino and he dies of old age at the hand of a loving family in the late '90's. Tino is again reincarnated as a Burnese Mountain Dog and named Waffles by an uncaring couple who abandon him. Waffles goes off wandering in search of a new life and eventually is found by an older Ethan who is leading a solitary life feeling very sorry for himself. Ethan holds on to the dog, needing some companionship in his life and renames the dog Buddy. Buddy eventually convinces Ethan that he is the same dog as his beloved childhood pet all those years earlier. Starring the voice of Josh Gad as Toby, Bailey, Ellie, Tino and Buddy, with Bryce Gheisar, KJ Apa and Dennis Quaid as Ethan at various stages in their life, and Britt Robertson and Peggy Lipton as Hannah - the love interest in Ethan's younger and middle life. The film was made for US$22M and has so far grossed US$185M.

'THE CASE FOR CHRIST' (Rated PG) - Directed by Jon Gunn and based on the 1998 book of the same name by former investigative journalist and atheist Lee Strobel, this Christian drama film was made for US$3M, has so far grossed US$13M. Telling Strobel's attempts to disprove the Christian faith in which he wife has recently become a devout believer, Strobel (here played by Mike Vogel) begins his investigations in 1980 that last two years of exhaustive research and insights at the hands of thirteen evangelical Christian scholars, that eventually lead to his own acceptance of the Christian faith in late 1981. Also starring Erika Christensen as Leslie Strobel, Faye Dunaway and Robert Forster.

With five films this week all offering something completely different ranging from horror comedy with an underlying message from a first time Director, to zoological WWII real life drama, to a remake of a classic New Zealand road trip film of the early '80's, to the tale of a dog as seen through various incarnations and various owners spanning five decades and wrapping up with another true life telling of one mans journey to prove or dispel the existence of Jesus. Remember to share your thoughts with us all here, when you have sat through your film of choice, and in the meantime, I'll see you somewhere sometime in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-