THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD : Tuesday 18th May 2021.

'THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD' is an MA15+ Rated American survival action thriller film which I saw this week at my local multiplex. It is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Taylor Sheridan and based on the 2014 book of the same name by Michael Koryta. Sheridan's previous two film making credits are 'Vile' in 2011 and 'Wind River' in 2017, although he has also written the Screenplays for various others including 'Sicario' in 2015 and its 2018 sequel 'Sicario : Day of the Soldado', 'Hell or High Water' and 'Wind River', plus numerous episodes of TV series 'Yellowstone'. The film was released in South Korea earlier this month, went on general release in Australia and the US from last week, has so far grossed US$7.5M and has generated mixed critical Reviews.

Here then, Hannah Faber (Angelina Jolie) is a smokejumper (a specially trained wildland firefighter who provides an initial attack response on remote wildland fires - they are inserted at the location of the fire by parachute) who is struggling to come to terms with the deaths of three young boys and another smokejumper last year during a forest fire which she was supposedly in charge of, and mis-read the direction the wind was blowing in, so engulfing the four fatalities in flame. She has subsequently been posted to a fire observation tower above the tree line in Park County, Montana. 

In the meantime Owen Casserly (Jake Weber) a widowed forensic accountant is preparing breakfast for his son Connor (Finn Little) when he learns over breaking early morning news that his boss and his family were blown sky high in an apparent gas explosion at their home. The reality is, that they were killed by father and son assassins Jack and Patrick Blackwell (Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult respectively). Owen is of the belief that the assassins will target him next, as the evidence revealed during the course of his forensic accounting investigations tell a story of wide spread corruption through government departments, politicians and other influential parties. And so Owen makes a snap decision to go on the run with Connor, ultimately wanting to seek refuge with his brother-in-law Ethan Sawyer (Jon Bernthal) a Deputy Sheriff in Park County, and Hannah's former boyfriend. 

En-route to Park County, and after the Blackwell's have ransacked the Casserly home to find no one there and evidence that they left in a hurry, the Blackwell's ambush Owen and Connor forcing them off the road and down a steep ravine. As Owen sits in the drivers seat dying, he gives Connor hand written evidence implicating the Blackwell's employer, mob boss Arthur Phillip (Tyler Perry). He tells Connor to get out of the car and go hide under a fallen tree and to remain silent no matter what he witnesses. At that, from the road, the Blackwell's fire a barrage of bullets into the back of the car, shredding Owen who puts his foot on the accelerator sending the vehicle crashing down the ravine even further before coming to rest in a crumpled heap on its side at the bottom.    

Ethan comes across the car wreck on his way home later that afternoon, and meanwhile Hannah encounters Connor wandering through the forest while she is out on patrol. Connor is initially untrusting of Hannah and tries to evade her, but when confronted with a twelve mile hike to the nearest town relents and reluctantly agrees to accompany her back to the tower to contact the Police and the news media for help. Jack Blackwell receives a call from Arthur Phillip who wants to meet. Phillip instructs Blackwell to hunt down Connor and kill him.

And so in order to cause a distraction for a few hours while the Blackwell's go about their business, they start a forest fire using flares that quickly ignites the dry undergrowth and before you know it is a full blown forest fire raging out of control. They then drive to Ethan's house disguised as Police Officers believing that Connor would have made it there, to be greeted by Ethan's six months pregnant wife Allison (Medina Senghore). They force their way in and beat Allison into submission until she agrees to call Ethan and ask him the whereabouts of Connor. Ultimately, another scuffle breaks out in which Allison gains the upper hand with the use of a gas cylinder which she ignites and points it flamethrower like at Jack burning him badly to the side of his face, and fires off a few shotgun rounds at Patrick in the process catching them both off guard. Allison escapes the house.

That night an electrical storm strikes and a direct lightning bolt hits the tower frying the radio, the satellite phone and all the electrics in the place. Hannah then leads Connor into town on foot but are forced to retreat back to the tower when the fire blocks their safe passage through the woodland. Hannah is struck by lightning when crossing an open field, but survives badly shaken but not stirred save for a not insignificant burn to her shoulder. Ethan hurries home with the Sheriff having been previously alerted in the phone call from Allison that something was not quite right at home. The Blackwell's emerge and shoot the Sheriff dead and then force Ethan to guide them through the forest as their tracker to hunt down Connor. 

The Blackwell's and Ethan eventually come across the tower which appears empty, except from smoke rising out of a wood burning chimney. Ethan is forced to search it while the Blackwell's watch from a tree, saying that if Connor is in there to bring him down to them, and if not, to set the lookout alight. Having returned to the tower earlier, Hannah and Connor both hide while Ethan attempts to make it appear empty in the dark. Patrick notices Ethan talking and they start shooting into the tower, injuring Ethan. Hannah and Connor manage to escape. The Blackwells try to follow them but are stopped when Allison, having tracked down Ethan by way of a GPS, starts shooting at them. Patrick and Jack split up, with Patrick going after Hannah and Connor, and Jack staying to try and kill Allison; however, she shoots him twice disabling him and then plugs him with a third round at close range killing him.

Connor is told to run ahead by Hannah who has suffered a bullet wound to the leg, while she attempts to distract Patrick but he gains the upper hand over Hannah and is savagely landing punches to her face and head. Connor returns pleading for him to stop beating Hannah. Patrick rises to his feet, and approaches Connor telling him to turn around while he draws a knife in readiness to slit the young lads throat. Hannah meanwhile rises to her feet behind Patrick and lunges at him twice and a third time with a pick axe severely injuring him to the point where he asks her to finish him off. But she declines saying that he can suffer and then leaves him to burn to death in the approaching fire which quickly and very painfully engulfs him. 

Allison reunites with Ethan in the tower but they are trapped by the fire; they put on oxygen masks and hold each other as it surrounds them. Hannah and Connor jump into a stream and watch from under the water as the fire engulfs the forest all around and above them. The next morning as day breaks Hannah and Connor are sat by the waters edge of the stream which saved them both. They walk back to the tower, just as three men from Hannah's smoke-jumping team are parachuted in to save them, and Allison in the tower. Ethan died overnight from injuries sustained from his bullet wounds. Later that morning after medical assistance had been rendered, Connor prepares to give his father's evidence to the awaiting media channels and Hannah promises to help him navigate through his uncertain future. 

The production values in 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' are pretty good it must be said, particularly the staged forest fire sequences which look authentic enough and add to the realism of the film. There is also a fine cast of A-list movie talent here that is underpinned by two up and coming stars in young Aussie Finn Little and Medina Senghore that help elevate the film somewhat, and add a few moments of tension and emotion in an otherwise fairly predictable storyline that never rises above the sum of its parts. Had this film been released sometime during the late '80's or the '90's it probably would have been a smash hit and as it is this film is a formulaic throwback to those natural disaster flicks that filled the shelves in our local video and dvd rental stores during that bygone era. The Director and Writer Taylor Sheridan has proven his abilities with action spectacle and how to get the most out of his cast in an entertaining enough feature that is often overly violent, and will leave many questions unanswered by the time the end credits roll. At a brisk running time of one hundred minutes it is fast paced and will not leave you wanting, even though within 24 hours you will have forgotten about this movie and wondering what to see next. 

'Those Who Wish Me Dead' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 13th May 2021.

'CPH:DOX' is the official name for the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, an international documentary film festival established in 2003 and held annually in Copenhagen, Denmark, and this year runs from Thursday 22nd April through until Wednesday 12th May. CPH:DOX has since grown to become one of the largest documentary film festivals in Europe from some twelve thousand admissions in its opening year to approaching 115,000 admissions in 2019. CPH:DOX is devoted to supporting independent and innovative film and to present contemporary non-fiction, art cinema and experimental film. The festival has been recognised for its sharp and daring programme profile with a special focus on exploring the hybrid field between documentary practice and various type of staging.

Juries hand out prizes in seven international competition programmes, as follows, with the winning films as given :-

* The CPH:DOX Award for international documentary features with fifteen films selected to compete in the festivals international competition, and awarded to 'The Last Shelter' as Directed by Ousmane Samassekou from Mali. This Mali, French and South African Co-Production saw its World Premier screening and centres on a refuge for travellers on the edge of Mali’s Sahel desert. Special Mention went to 'Our Memory Belongs To Us' and is Directed by Rami Farah, and Signe Byrge Sorensen and is a Syrian, Danish, French and Palestinian Co-Production that had its World Premier. Filmed in Daraa, Syria in 2011/12, the film invites a dialogue between the material and three of the men who shot it, resulting in a personal, powerful and thought-provoking interrogation, not just of the grassroots movement against the Assad regime, but also of the role played by citizen journalists in raising awareness of it.

* The F:ACT Award for films in the field between investigative journalism and documentary, and presented to 'When A City Rises' from Hong Kong and Directed by Han Yan Yuen, Cathy Chu, Iris Kwong, Ip Kar Man, Huang Yuk-kwok, Jenn Lee and Evie Cheung and had its World Premier showcasing at this festival. This film is about the protests in Hong Kong portrayed from the inside by young activists in a courageous film about an entire generation’s last chance for a democratic future. Special Mention goes to 'All Light, Everywhere' from the USA and is Directed by Theo Anthony and follows the biases on how humans view things, focusing primarily on the usage of the Police body camera.

* The NEW:VISION Award for experimental and artists' film and presented to 'All Of Your Stars Are But Dust On My Shoes' from Lebanon and Directed by Haig Aivazian here offers up street lighting, big data and social control which are all interconnected in a video collage that with simple means charts a present age obsessed with visibility. Special mention went to 'Listen To The Beats Of Our Images' from French Guiana and France and Directed by Maxime Jean-Baptiste and Audrey Jean-Baptiste and here offers up an essay film based on audiovisual archives from the National Centre for Space Studies.

* The NORDIC:DOX Award for Nordic documentaries and artists' films and presented to 'Julia & I' from Sweden and Denmark and Directed by Nina Hobert, and seeing its World Premier screening. The film centres around a friendship between two women, filmed across four intense years of their lives. Special Mention went to 'He’s My Brother' in its World Premier from Denmark and Norway and Directed by Cille Hannibal and Christine Hanberg tells the emotional story of thirty-year-old Peter who experiences life differently, through touch, smell and taste. Born without the ability to hear, see, or speak, Peter’s family must do this for him. Throughout his entire life his younger sister Christine has been by his side, guiding him and supporting their parents. She is now coming to terms with the fact that she will one day become his guardian.

* The NEXT:WAVE Award for emerging filmmakers and artists, and awarded to 'You And I' from Indonesia and Directed by Fanny Chotimah and centres on the friendship of two elderly women, Kaminah and Kusdalini, who met in jail in 1965 as political prisoners. After their release, they lived together in Surakarta, Central Java, and have grown old side by side. Special Mention went to 'Holgut' from Belgium in its World Premier screening and is Directed by Liesbeth de Ceulaer. Here, this film blends fiction with documentary as the Siberian permafrost is melting. Ancient bones rise up from the ground and wild animals seem to have disappeared. Three Yakutians venture into the vast wilderness on different quests.

* The Politiken:Danish:Dox Award awarded by a jury of film critics from the Danish newspaper Politiken. This was presented to 'Dark Blossom' from Denmark and Directed by Frigge Fri in its World Premier showing. Here, the deep friendship between three young outsider Goths is threatened when one of them falls in love and eyes a possible escape from the Danish province.

* The Eurimages Co-Production Development Award is handed out in collaboration between CPH:DOX and six other European documentary film festivals to one of the seven films nominated by the participating festivals. Presented to 'Tata/Father' from Romania, Italy and Germany and Directed by Radu Ciorniciuc, Lina Vdovii & Monica Lazurean-Gorgan and sees Co-Director Lina Vdovii deciding to finally confront her father about the years of abuse and violence that he would inflict on her and her mother, his wife, only to find out he has suffered abuse too, at the hands of his employer at a winery in Northern Italy.

For the full programme, and more details of this years CPH:DOX awards winners, you can visit the official website at : https://cphdox.dk/

Turning the focus back to the coming week and the latest round of new release films coming to your local Odeon, of which there are six, we kick off with the ninth instalment in a hugely popular and successful horror franchise in which the antagonist creates inventive ways of dispensing with his victims, with this criminal mastermind unleashing a twisted form of justice on a brash detective. Next up is a story about a teenage murder witness who finds himself chased down by twin assassins in the Montana wilderness with a survival expert tasked with protecting him, and a forest fire threatening to consume them all. This is followed by a the tale of an unexpected romance developing between a talented aspiring violinist who meets a famous young movie star on the way to her college semester abroad programme in a small coastal village in Ireland, but of course there are trials and tribulations along the way. Then we have a man who journeys through France in a Fiat 500 accompanied by a framed photograph of an unknown woman all the while pursued by five angry men in a Citroen Dyane. Coming next is an atmospheric, coming-of-age love story steeped in eerie mystery and inspired by the gothic novel of the same name; and we close out the week with a feature length documentary about a famed adventurer and expedition leader who in 1977 set out from the mouth of the Ganges to the foot of the Himalayas in a jet boat. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'SPIRAL : FROM THE BOOK OF SAW' (Rated R18+) - this American horror film is Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman whose previous horror film credits take in the likes of 'Saw II', 'Saw III', 'Saw IV', '11-11-11', 'The Barrens', 'Abattoir' and 'Death of Me' most recently. This represents the ninth instalment in the 'Saw' movie franchise which has so far grossed US$977M off the back of a total combined budget outlay of just US$77M for the first eight films in the series. Originally slated for a late October 2020 release, it was moved up the schedule to mid-May 2020, but then as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film's release was later delayed to 21st May 2021, and later pushed up to this week both in the US and Australia. The film cost US$20M to produce, and in April this year, a sequel film, titled 'Saw X', was confirmed to be in development.

Working in the shadow of an esteemed Police veteran Marcus Banks (Samuel L. Jackson), brash detective Ezekiel 'Zeke' Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner William Schenk (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city's gruesome past. Unwittingly trapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself caught in the middle of the killer's morbid game. Also starring Marisol Nichols and Zoie Palmer.

'THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD' (Rated MA15+) - this American survival action thriller film is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Taylor Sheridan and based on the 2014 book of the same name by Michael Koryta. Sheridan's previous two film making credits include 'Vile' in 2011 and 'Wind River' in 2017, although he has also written the Screenplays for various others including 'Sicario' in 2015 and its 2018 sequel 'Sicario : Day of the Soldado', 'Hell or High Water' and 'Wind River', plus numerous episodes of TV series 'Yellowstone'. And so here, pursued by father and son Jack and Patrick Blackwell (Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult respectively), two assassins who killed his father, Conner Casserly (Finn Little) meets veteran fire warden and wilderness survival expert Hannah Faber (Angelina Jolie), who offers him shelter in her lookout tower. When the assassins set fire to the forest in order to find the pair, Faber and Casserly must both survive a deadly blaze that threatens to consume them, while outwitting the killers on their trail. The film was released in South Korea earlier this month and goes on general release in Australia and the US from this week. Jon Bernthal and Tyler Perry also star.

'FINDING YOU' (Rated PG) - is an American coming of age comedy drama film and is Written and Directed by Brian Baugh whose prior film making credits are 'To Save a Life' in 2009, 'I'm Not Ashamed' in 2016, and 'The World We Make' in 2019. This film is based on the 2011 young adult novel 'There You'll Find Me' by Jenny B. Jones. Following an ill-fated audition at a prestigious New York music conservatory, Finley Sinclair (Rose Reid) travels to a coastal village in Ireland to begin a semester studying abroad. There she meets heartthrob movie star Beckett Rush (Jedidiah Goodacre), who is shooting the latest episode of his medieval fantasy-adventure franchise. They begin an unlikely romance, but when forces surrounding Beckett's stardom threaten to crush their hopes and dreams, Finley must decide how much she is prepared to risk for love. Also starring Patrick Bergin, Vanessa Redgrave and Tom Everett Scott. The film is released Stateside this week too.

'THE MAN IN THE HAT' (Rated PG) - this British comedy offering is Directed by first time film maker and multi-award winning Composer best known for his film and television scores, Stephen Warbeck. The Man In The Hat (Ciaran Hinds) sets off from Marseilles in a small Fiat 500. On the seat beside him is a framed photograph of an unknown woman. Behind him is a 2CV into which is squeezed Five Bald Men (Sylvain Thirolle, Conor Lovett, James Lailey, Richard Henry and Mike Pickering as #1-5 respectively). Why are they chasing him? And how can he shake them off? As he travels North through France, he encounters women with stories to tell, bullfights, plenty of delicious food, a damp man (Stephen Dillane), mechanics, nuns, a convention of Chrystallographers and much more. And always, on his tail, the Five Bald Men. As the Fiat 500 winds its way across the mountains, gorges and bridges of France, the 2CV hard behind him, the The Man In The Hat comes face to face with the vivid eccentricities of an old country on an old continent. Also starring Maiwenn, Claire Tran and Muna Otaru. The film has generated mostly positive Reviews so far. Stephen Warbeck also wrote the music for the film.

'CARMILLA' (Rated MA15+) - is a 2019 British romantic horror film Directed and Written for the screen by Emily Harris and based on the 1871 novella of the same name written by the Irishman Sheridan Le Fanu. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Edinburgh Film Festival in late June 2019 and only now does it get a limited showing in Australia. Set in the late 18th Century, Lara Bauer (Hannah Rae) lives with her father (Greg Wise) and her strict governess, Miss Fontaine (Jessica Raine), in total isolation, and is struggling to find an outlet for her curiosity and burgeoning sexuality. When a carriage crash nearby brings a young woman into the family home to rest and recuperate, Lara is enchanted by Carmilla (Devrim Lingnau). The pair strike up a passionate relationship, which strikes fear in the heart of Miss Fontaine, and a complex triangulate emerges between the three women.

'HILLARY : OCEAN TO SKY' (Rated PG) - Directed by Michael Dillon, this award winning documentary film was first released in 1979 and now gets a revisit. Going beyond his Mt. Everest moment, this documentary of New Zealand legend Sir Edmund Hillary explores the journey he considered his greatest— that of jet boating through India's River Ganges in its entirety from its mouth to the base of the Himalaya's, then planning on climbing to the peak of Akash Parbat. This was the only Hillary expedition that was ever comprehensively filmed, occurring two years after the tragic death of his wife and youngest daughter in an air crash. For Sir Edmund and his son Peter Hillary, it was also a healing experience, which almost ended tragically with the near death and rescue of Sir Edmund himself. Dillon has remastered existing and unseen footage, and is recounted by Peter Hillary and features interviews with crew members about Hillary's last big expedition. 

With six 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 coming week, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-