What's new in Odeon's this week : 14th June 2018.

The 65th annual Sydney Film Festival is in full swing this week, having opened its doors last week on 6th June with the opening film being the New Zealand 'The Breaker Upperers'. The festival winds up on Sunday 17th June with the USA offering 'Hearts Beat Loud'. The official SFF website states as an overview 'The world’s best new films come to Sydney every June for 12 days and nights of inspiring and entertaining premieres, talks and parties. Be among the first in Australia to see the greatest, strangest and most exciting work that cinema has to offer. Sydney Film Festival takes place at our flagship venue the State Theatre, as well as cinemas in the CBD, Newtown, Cremorne, Western Sydney and more, screening more than 200 films you won’t usually find in the multiplex. 12 films are selected for the Official Competition, which celebrates “courageous, audacious and cutting-edge” cinema with a $60,000 cash prize'. The Festival Patrons are : Gillian Armstrong, Cate Blanchett, Bryan Brown, Jane Campion, Jan Chapman, Nicole Kidman, Baz Luhrmann, Dr. George Miller, Sam Neill, Phillip Noyce, Rachel Ward and Hugo Weaving.

Last week I reported on the twelve films in Official Competition at the SFF, so this week I turn attention to the 45+ feature films being showcased across the Festival and in particular those that are more than likely to get a wider release in Australia in the fullness of time. These are :
* 'Beirut' - Directed by Brad Anderson and starring Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike in this '70's and '80's set complex and intelligent political thriller. Australian Premier.
* '1%' - Directed by Stephen McCallum and starring Ryan Corr, Abbey Lee and Matt Nable about an outlaw motorcycle gang leader who is released from prison after three years to find the man who has been holding the reins in his absence has carved out his own niche that doesn't sit well with the returning gang leader.
* 'The Children Act' - Directed by Richard Eyre and starring Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci and Fionn Whitehead about a High Court Judge specialising in family law and presiding over a case involving a just under eighteen year old Jehovah's Witness boy who refuses a blood transfusion to save his own life, and the decision that the Judge must make to determine the young lads fate. Australian Premier.
* 'Disobedience'  - as Previewed below.
* 'Lean on Pete' - Directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Charlie Plummer, Chloe Sevigny, Travis Fimmel and Steve Buscemi about the inseparable bond that is forged between a young neglected boy and a racehorse called 'Lean on Pete'.
* 'Puzzle' - Directed by Marc Turtletaub and starring Kelly Macdonald and Irrfan Khan is a romantic drama that sees a whole new world open for a suburban contended albeit taken for granted mother when she discovers that she has an uncanny gift for completing jigsaw puzzles. Australian Premier.
* 'The Seagull' - Directed by Michael Mayer and starring Annette Benning, Elisabeth Moss and Saoirse Ronan based on the classic Anton Chekov play set over the course of one weekend at an idyllic country estate that sees romantic games played out between the principle cast that leave them either enamoured, or devastated. Australian Premier.
* 'Searching' - Directed by Aneesh Chaganty and starring Debra Messing and John Choo in a tense thriller about the search for a missing daughter using all the available online tools at the disposal of the father and a Detective exploring how we communicate and interact with each other in this modern switched on technologically orientated world we live in, to track down the whereabouts of the girl. Australian Premier.
* 'The Second' - Directed by Mairi Cameron and starring Vince Colosimo, Susie Porter and Rachael Blake about a successful author struggling to deliver her highly anticipated second novel.
* 'Tyrel' - Directed by Sebastian Silva and starring Jason Mitchell, Michael Cera and Caleb Landry Jones in this story about a boys weekend away that turns uncomfortable and awkward for the only black man in the group, a man named Tyler. Australian Premier.

You can find out a lot more about the goings on and screenings at this years Sydney Film Festival by visiting : sff.org.au

This week we have four new big screen offerings to tempt you out on a cold Winter's evening to your local Odeon. We start with the long awaited sequel to an animated Superhero movie that collected numerous award accolades and did well at the Box Office back in 2004, and introduced us to your average suburban family who secretly harbour super powers but have been forced underground, until they are forced out of the shadows to save the world. This follows on directly from where that first instalment left off. We then move to an action comedy offering that sees a bunch of mates playing 'catch me if you can' as they chase each other around the USofA in an attempt to thwart for the first time in their games history the friend who has never yet been caught, and this surprisingly, is based on a true story. Next we turn to a man given super powers courtesy of a very rich dude and the insertion of an experimental micro-chip into that man to wreak bloody revenge and mayhem into those who killed this wife; and we then wrap things up with a drama of the unfolding, somewhat complicated and secretive relationship within London's Orthodox Jewish community between two women years after they were forced apart.

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 here cordially invited 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.

'INCREDIBLES 2' (Rated PG) - and finally after a hiatus of fourteen years comes the long awaited sequel to 2004's 'The Incredibles' - that highly praised computer animated Superhero film from Pixar that took US$633M at the global Box Office and picked up two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Sound Editing, as well as the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature and the first entirely animated film to win the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Brad Bird wrote and Directed the first film, and it's no surprise that he reprises those two earlier roles for this second instalment, as do the majority of the principle voice cast. The film is released in the US this week too.

'Incredibles 2' takes off where 'The Incredibles' finished, with the introduction of the mole like villain The Underminer (John Ratzenberger). The Parr family struggles to maintain a degree of normalcy in their lives, while Mum Helen (Holly Hunter), as Elastigirl, continues to fight crime and campaign for the return, acceptance and acknowledgement of 'Supers'; while Dad Bob (Craig T. Nelson), aka Mr. Incredible, stays at home caring for their children Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huck Milner) and baby Jack-Jack, discovering the little one's secret powers in the process. Also, the Parrs and their ally Frozone aka Lucius Best (Samuel L. Jackson) find they must battle a new villain, who goes by the name of Screenslaver. Also starring the voice talents of Brad Bird as Edna Mode, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener and Isabella Rossellini. If this film is anything like the first instalment, it will be a blast, and worth the price of your ticket for kids of all ages from the young to the young at heart.

'TAG' (Rated M) - this American comedy offering is Directed by Jeff Tomsic and is based on a real-life group of friends known for playing a month-long game of tag. The group was profiled in The Wall Street Journal in January 2013, after which the group began receiving offers to adapt their story into a movie. They sold the rights to their story the next month, which has been subsequently Co-Produced, Co-Written for the Screen and based on a story by Mark Steilen. And so the premise for this film is that for one month every year, five highly charged and competitive mates hit the ground running for a no-holds-barred game of tag, risking their lives, their livelihood and their relationships to take one another down in a chase that takes them far and wide cross country. This time though, the game happens to coincide with the wedding of the only undefeated player, Jerry (Jeremy Renner). What should be an easy target soon becomes an all-out war as he knows they're coming to get him. The four other mates comprise Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson and Hannibal Buress with Isla Fisher, Rashida Jones, Annabelle Wallis and Brian Dennehy also starring. The film is released in the US this week too.

'UPGRADE' (Rated MA15+) - here we have an Australian Sci-Fi body horror action film mash-up, filmed in Melbourne, Directed and Written by Aussie Leigh Whannell who also acts and Produces in his spare time. This is only his second Directorial outing after 2015's 'Insidious Chapter 3' but his is also responsible for the hugely successful 'Saw' franchise in which he served as Actor, Writer and Producer; Actor and Writer on all four 'Insidious' films; and various other horror offerings before, and after. Set in a not too distant future world where a brutal and merciless mugging has left Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) paralysed and hospitalised, and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure by way of an experimental Artificial Intelligence implant called STEM that will cure him of his injuries and upgrade his body. He accepts the offer and against the odds soon is able to walk again. Trace also discovers that he has suddenly acquired superhuman strength and agility and a particular set of new found skills that he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life. The film was released in the US last week, and also stars Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Clayton Jacobson and Melanie Vallejo. This film has received largely positive Reviews and off the back of a US$5M budget has so far grossed US$10M.

'DISOBEDIENCE' (Rated MA15+) - this drama offering is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Chilean film make, Producer, Writer and Editor Sebastian Lelio who most recent highly acclaimed credit was this years Oscar winning Best Foreign Language Film 'A Fantastic Woman'. Here he adapts the 2006 novel of the same name by British Author Naomi Alderman which is set in the London suburb of Hendon. Telling the story of Ronit Krushka (Rachel Weisz), a 32 year old non-practicing Orthodox Jewish woman who returns to the strict Orthodox community after working as a photographer in New York. The death of her estranged father, a powerful Rabbi, brings her back to her childhood home from which she was sent away from after her teenage romance with a female school friend was revealed. Discovering that her cousin Dovid Kuperman (Alessandro Nivola), who is also her father's chosen successor, is married to her former lover, Esti (Rachel McAdams), forces Ronit to rethink what she left behind whilst reigniting that old flame for her former close friend. The film Premiered at TIFF back in early September last year, was released in the US late in April this year, gets a limited release in Australia this week and is not released in the UK until late November this year. Generally favourable Reviews and a Box Office take of just over US$2M so far.

With four new release films out 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. Meanwhile, 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 7th June 2018.

The 65th Sydney Film Festival launches itself on to the cinematic consciousness on Wednesday 6th June and runs through until Sunday 17th June. With in excess of 330 films being showcased the festival opens with its screening of the New Zealand comedy 'The Breaker Upperers' Directed, Written and also starring Jackie van Beek and Madeline Sami in the lead roles. The closing night film is 'Hearts Beat Loud' Written and Directed by Brett Haley.

And in between there are twelve films in official competition; ten films competing for the Documentary Australia Foundation Award; ten short films in competition; fifteen films in Special Presentation; six films showcasing the best from new Italian cinema; 45 films in the Features section; ten new films Directed by European Women; 37 International Documentaries; six family films; eight films under the heading 'Flux : Art+ Film'; David Stratton showcasing ten films by Finland's most celebrated filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki; six films under the banner 'Sounds on Screen'; seven films titled collectively as 'Freak Me Out' and a whole heap of other cinematic content screening restored classics, Australian Indigenous films, more short films being screened before features and doco's, and a bunch of VR presentations too. For more info., go to www.sff.org.au

The films running in Official Competition this year are :
* 'Aga' : Written and Directed by Bulgarian Milko Lazarov. Australian Premier.
* 'Blackkklansman' : Written and Directed by Spike Lee. Australian Premier.
* 'Daughter of Mine' : Written and Directed by Laura Bispuri. Australian Premier.
* 'The Heiresses' : Written and Directed by Paraguayan Marcelo Martinessi. Australian Premier.
* 'Jirga' : Written and Directed by Australian Benjamin Gilmour. World Premier.
* 'Leave No Trace' : Written and Directed by Debra Granik. Australian Premier.
* 'Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.' : Written and Directed by English Stephen Loveridge. Australian Premier.
* 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post' : Written and Directed by Desiree Akhaven. Australian Premier.
* 'One Day' : Written and Directed by Hungarian Zsofia Szilagyi. Australian Premier.
* 'The Seen and Unseen' : Written, Directed and Produced by Kamila Andini. Australian Premier.
* 'Transit' : Written and Directed by German Christian Petzold. Australian Premier.
* 'Wajib' : Written and Directed by Palestinian Annemarie Jacir. Australian Premier.

Turning attention back to this week, we have five new release movies coming to an Odeon near you. We launch having already had the 11, 12 and 13 in this heist franchise, and now we have the eight, with the future prospect of the nine and ten to join the dots, aided and abetted by a fine line up of female acting talent to pull off the robbery of the century. We then move to a terrifying supernatural horror that has been touted as one of the best in years that will leave you glancing over your shoulder and looking under your bed as this offering is grounded in a reality that has scared the bejeezus out of audiences thus far. Then we have a change of pace with a road movie featuring an estranged son, his dying father and several rolls of photographic film that need to be developed interstate in the last place that does so. This is followed up by a biographical WWII drama leading up to the assassination attempt of one of Hitler's most highly regarded (and evil) henchmen, and we wrap up the week with a charmingly funny and candid documentary film about four grand dames of English film, television and theatre recounting their lives, friendship and careers over the last 50+ years.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the five 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 here cordially invited 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.

'OCEAN'S EIGHT' (Rated M) - here we have the much publicised heist comedy offering out of the same mould as 2001's 'Ocean's Eleven', 2004's 'Ocean's Twelve' and 2007's 'Ocean's Thirteen' of which all were Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starred the same ensemble cast consisting of George Clooney (as the titular, charming and debonair mastermind Danny Ocean), Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Andy Garcia, Scott Caan, Don Cheadle, Julia Roberts, Elliot Gould and Carl Reiner amongst others. An 'Ocean's Fourteen' was highly unlikely as reported by Soderbergh and Clooney post 2007, but taking the story off in a another direction had credence. And so now we have 'Ocean's Eight' with Soderbergh taking a Producer credit and Gary Ross on Directing duty (whose previous credits include 'Pleasantville', 'Seabiscuit', 'The Hunger Games' and more recently 'Free State of Jones') as well as penning the story and Co-Writing the Screenplay. Here we have an ensemble cast made up almost entirely of all female acting talent with a nod or two to the original trilogy.

And so it is five years, eight months and twelve days that Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) has been holed up in the slammer planning her greatest heist yet and counting down the days to her pending release. Debbie is the estranged sister of Danny Ocean, whom she has been inspired by to assemble a crack team of like minded girls to execute the robbery of the century at New York's annual charity fundraising Met Gala, attended by the rich and famous celeb's and A-listers. The target is Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) one of those rich list A-list celebrities who plans to be wearing a neckless worth north of US$150M on the night and which Debbie and her crew aim to lift without her, or anyone else, noticing until after the fact. That crew, consist of Lou (Cate Blanchett), Nine Ball (Rihanna), Amita (Mindy Kaling), Rose (Helena Bonham Carter), Tammy (Sarah Poulson) and Constance (Awkwafina), all of whom possess a particular set of skills that make them the prefect accomplices to the perfect crime. Also reprising their roles from the trilogy series will be Matt Damon and Carl Reiner with cameo's from the likes of Katie Holmes, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Olivia Munn and Zayn Malik. James Cordon and Richard Armitage also star. The film cost US$70M to make and is released in the US this week too.

'HEREDITARY' (Rated MA15+) - this much publicised American supernatural horror film is Written and Directed by first timer Ari Aster and its is already being touted as the most scary film of 2018, and for some time before that too. The film Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and goes on release in Australia and the US this week, and the UK next week. The story unwinds in a slow burn terrifying emotional rollercoaster of a ride when Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family passes away. Her daughter's family comprising Annie Graham (Toni Collette), her husband Steve Graham (Gabriele Byrne), son Peter (Alex Wolff) and daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro) begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry as the domestic unit begins to breakdown with horrifying consequences. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. The film has garnered much positive early Reviews and has been universally acclaimed so far by audiences and Critics alike, and especially that of Toni Colette's performance.

'KODACHROME' (Rated M) - this American drama film, Directed by Mark Raso in only his second feature length outing after 2014's 'Copenhagen', and is based on a New York Times article written by A.G. Sulzberger.  The film has its World Premier screening at TIFF last September, went on release Stateside towards the end of April and now gets a limited release in Australia. The film here surrounds Matt Ryder (Jason Sudeikis), a struggling executive who finds his world in turmoil when his estranged father's nurse, Zooey Kern (Elizabeth Olsen) shows up unannounced at his place of work. Matt's father Benjamin Ryder (Ed Harris), a famed bad-boy photojournalist, is looking down the barrel of terminal cancer. Ben's dying wish is for Matt to join him on a road trip from New York to Kansas to process his last rolls of Kodachrome film before the sole remaining lab closes and those captured moments held on those rolls of film, are gone forever. Also starring Bruce Greenwood and Dennis Haysbert the film has received mixed or average Reviews. FYI, the Wikipedia explanation of 'Kodachrome' is that it 'is a brand name for a non-substantive, colour reversal film introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935. It was one of the first successful colour materials and was used for both cinematography and still photography. For many years Kodachrome was widely used for professional colour photography, especially for images intended for publication in print media. Its manufacture was discontinued in 2009, and processing ended in December 2010.'

'THE MAN WITH THE IRON HEART' (Rated MA15+) - aka 'HHhH' in France and 'Killing Heydrich' in Canada is a French and Belgian Co-Produced biographical WWII drama film Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Cedric Jimenez and based on the French author Laurent Binet's 2010 novel 'HHhH'. The film was released in France exactly one year ago on 7th June 2017, and only now does it get a limited run in Australia. The film concerns Operation Anthropoid, the codename associated with the assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich (played here by Jason Clarke) in Prague. The title is an acronym for Himmlers Hirn heißt Heydrich ('Himmler's brain is called Heydrich'), a quip about Heydrich said to have been circulated in Nazi Germany at the time. Heydrich was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and an important figure in the rise of Adolf Hitler - he was given overall charge of the Final Solution of the Jews throughout Europe. The operation was carried out in Prague on 27th May 1942, prepared by the British Special Operations Executive with the approval of the Czechoslovak government-in-exile. Wounded in the attack, Heydrich died of his injuries on 4th June 1942. He was/is regarded by many a historian as the darkest figure within the Nazi elite and Adolf Hitler described him as 'The Man with the Iron Heart'. He also went by various other monikers including 'The Hangman', 'The Butcher of Prague', 'The Blond Beast' and 'Himmler's Evil Genius'. The film also stars Rosamund Pike as Lina Heydrich, Stephen Graham as Heinrich Himmler, Jack O'Connell, Jack Reynor and Mia Wasikowska; cost US$32M and has so far recouped less than US$3M having received mixed Reviews.

'TEA WITH THE DAMES' (Rated M) - aka 'Nothing Like a Dame' stars those iconic Dames of stage, film and television Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith all playing themselves in this very candid and very funny documentary as they gossip a little, recount their many fond memories and reminisce about their careers, their friendships and their humble beginnings in theatre land dating back more than fifty years ago. Set in the country residence of Joan Plowright which she shared with her late husband, the brilliant Laurence Olivier, for a round table chat, this insight into the stellar careers of these four great Actresses is Directed by Roger Michell (whose previous credits include 'Notting Hill', 'Changing Lanes', 'Venus', 'Hyde Park on Hudson', 'Le Week-End' and more recently 'My Cousin Rachel') and is the first time these greats have appeared on screen together.

With five new release films out 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. Meanwhile, 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 June 2015.

As the mercury falls in the thermometers across Adelaide, and the wind blows its chilling gusts straight up from Antarctica there is only one sure thing to do on a cold Winter's night (well OK then - two I guess!) and the first involves putting on a thick warm Winter coat and heading out to your local multiplex to a warm place, with a glowing light, a big screen, surround sound, a bucket of popcorn and other like minded cold weather dodgers!

And so with this excellent adventure in mind to lift the spirits, warm the heart and tickle your fancy there are two films out this week each fielding a stellar cast that are sure to be a draw card on any chilly Winter's day or night. First up there is the big screen treatment of a very successful long running small screen show of the same name featuring a bunch of mates living in and around a movie star buddy; and then there is DramedyRom set somewhere exotic where boy meets girl when the old girl resurfaces to throw the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons!

There's always plenty more great cinematic content doing the rounds than those Previewed here, and so when you have sat through your film of choice, share your thoughts, observations and opinions with your friends at Odeon Online by leaving a Comment below this or any other Post. See you at the movies!

ENTOURAGE (Rated MA15+) - Written, Produced and Directed by Doug Ellin who also created the award winning hit series of the same name which ran for eight seasons up to 2011, the film 'Entourage' reunites the same cast and continues where the series left off. Executive Produced by Mark Wahlberg upon whose early Hollywood career the series is/was based, the film continues to chart the life of movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his entourage of close friends. Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) is the new head of a movie studio who agrees to bank roll Vincent's film debut as Director for a budget of $100M, but when that film goes $15M over budget Ari needs to go and convince Texan billionaire Larsen McCredle (Billy Bob Thornton) and his son Travis (Hayley Joel Osment) to part company with the funds with which to complete the production.

Vincent and his 'bros' continue to live the high life and live it large every day as Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Drama (Kevin Dillon) take full advantage of Vincent and his trappings of success, while navigating their own little personal crises aided by the likes of Alan Dale, Kid Cudi and Martin Landau. The film also sports a huge array of cameo appearances including Warren Buffet, Jessica Alba, Gary Busey, Kelsey Grammar, Armie Hammer, Piers Morgan, Liam Neeson, Ed O'Neill, George Takei, Pharrell Williams and Mark Wahlberg of course all starring as themselves. Made for just US$30M it should easily recover that sum based on the success of the TV series alone!

ALOHA (Rated PG) - Written, Produced and Directed by Cameron Crowe for US$37M and with an all-star cast set amidst the back drop of Hawaii this dramatic comedy romance sees our hero of the piece and defence contractor Brian Gilcrest (Bradley Cooper), returning to the place where he enjoyed his most successful career work as part of the US Space Programme. In doing so he is attracted to his hard nosed tough as nails watchdog assigned to look after him  - Captain Allison Ng (Emma Stone), but it's not long before Gilcrest meets up with former love interest Tracy Woodside (Rachael McAdams) and things begin to go a little haywire there on in. Also starring Bill Murray, Danny McBride and Liam Neeson with the tropical Hawaiian background this is likely to be on for the followers of the genre only! Bradley Cooper meanwhile looks as though he has stepped straight off the set of 'American Sniper' . . . perhaps he did!

That's it then for this week, but if you have the time, you may want to catch the 2015 Sydney Film Festival too starting on 3rd June with the opening night world premier of 'Ruben Gutherie' - Brendan Cowell's Directorial debut starring Patrick Brammall, Alex Dimitriades, Abbey Lee, Robyn Nevin and Jack Thompson - and described as "a hilarious, bittersweet love letter to Sydney, a beautiful city with a dark side". For the full details of what's screening, what's in competition, what to see when & where, and a synopsis of every film showing go to the website at : www.sff.org.au

Enjoy the movies, and see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

The Sydney Film Festival 2014 : 4th -15th June.

Once again the Sydney Film Festival is about to launch later this week offering us Sydneysiders and movie going tourists, film enthusiasts and cinema geeks a feast for the senses, and celluloid overload as we seek to cram in as much moving picture entertainment as is humanly possible over a twelve day period.

The Sydney Film Festival again cements its place as the world's longest continuously running film festival now in its 61st year, and judging by this years diverse offering is sure to provide some enticing entertainment for everyone, and will be sure to please. With films from across the globe from Argentina, Australia and Austria to the UK, Ukraine and the USA and just about everywhere in between, there are over 180 screenings over the period from Opening Night on 4th June to Closing Night on 15th June.

There are feature length films, short films, documentaries, retrospectives, classics, animated films, horror films, and many from first time Directors and many being premiered in Australia. There are films in official competition, and of the 180 or so screenings, over 30 are Australian.

You can see this years entries at an number of venues across Sydney, taking in The State Theatre, the George Street Event Cinemas, the Dendy Cinema at Opera Quays, the Cremorne Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, and the Skyline Drive-in at Blacktown. There will also be talks and discussions at the George Street Apple Store, and a Big Screen showing all things SFF at the Martin Place Amphitheatre, and don't forget to drop into the Sydney Film Festival Hub for lively talks, presentations, food, drink, pop-ups and perspectives - upstairs and downstairs at Sydney Town Hall throughout the Festival.

Some of the highlights this year would have to be 'Locke', 'The Rover', 'Snowpiercer', 'Calvary', 'The Captive', 'Frank', 'The Two Faces of January', 'Joe', 'Palo Alto', 'Love is Strange', 'The Skeleton Twins', 'Cold in July', 'Night Moves', 'Starred Up', and 'Babylon' amongst a plethora of others. You could also catch a Robert Altman retrospective and seat yourself in front of 'Nashville' or 'M*A*S*H' or 'Short Cuts' or five of his others screening also, and if it's a Classic you're looking for then you could go for 'Rebel Without a Cause' or the original 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'.

With so much to choose from you had better get in quick. You can get more information on all films, session times, locations and ticketing etc. by checking out the official website at : SFF.ORG.AU or you can call 1300 733 733, or you can download the app : SFF 2014 APP and carry it all around with you in your pocket. Tickets are what you would expect to pay for any singular screening at $19.50 but there are bulk deals to be had, and you can package your screening up with dinner etc., and as an added bonus many events are free too!

Have a great film festival, and see as many movies as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-