What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 11th June 2026

The 25th Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) takes place this year from Friday 12th June through until Sunday 21st June, in the capital of Romania - Cluj-Napoca, a modern city with a rich history. Founded in 2002, TIFF is the first and largest international film festival in Romania and one of the most important film events in the region, with over 100,000 participants at each edition. Open to the general public as well as industry professionals, the TIFF showcases over 250 films and its programme includes cine-concerts, concerts, as well as art exhibitions and meeting opportunities between filmmakers and the Romanian audiences. The festival has taken on the mission of discovering new voices in cinema and hosts two international competitions - feature fiction and feature documentary - dedicated to first and second-time Directors, as well as an annual showcase of contemporary Romanian cinema . . . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Gala film presentation is '3 Days in September' from Romania and Directed by Tudor Giurgiu, and will have its Romanian Premiere after its World Premiere screening at the recent International Film Festival Rotterdam. Built around a single 65-minute long take, this romantic comedy is laced with dark humour. While vacationing on the coast ahead of their wedding, a couple's plans are upended on the eve of the celebration when a mysterious woman appears and delivers a shocking revelation to the bride-to-be about her partner. What follows is an intense night that forces the protagonist to confront her deepest fears and hardest choices. 

First and second-time Directors are yet again set to compete for top honours at this years festival. Twelve films from around the world will vie for the coveted Transylvania Trophy and other accolades in the Official Competition, while ten works will compete for the top prize in the What's Up, Doc? section. Those films in Official Competition are as given, in brief, below :-

* 'Sicko' - from Kazakhstan and Directed by Aitore Zholdaskali. A cynical, hard-boiled debut from the kazakh Director, already a box-office hit in his home country;
* 'Feels Like Home' - from Hungary and Directed by Gabor Holtai. A claustrophobic debut in which family functions as the amniotic fluid required to force a human being into existence.
* 'Le Roi Soleil' ('No One Will Know') - from France and Directed by Vincent Mael Cardona. A slick, high-concept collision of heist movie and slasher, centred on a winning lottery ticket and driven by the kind of greed that can only end badly.

* 'A Useful Ghost' - from France and Directed by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke. Anarchic and oddly tender, the film uses absurdism to ask serious questions about love and the wrongs we leave unaddressed.

* 'Lionel' - from Spain and Directed by Carlos Saiz. An experiment on both sides of the lens - a road movie built around a script the cast never saw, yet one that arrives at a universal truth about fathers and sons.
* 'The Night is Fading Away' - from Argentina and Directed by Ezequiel Salinas and Ramiro Sonzini. A bittersweet love letter to cinema, in which a displaced projectionist takes a job as a night watchman at a cinema and gradually builds an unlikely community around old films;

* 'Truly Naked' - from the Netherlands and Directed by Muriel d’Ansembourg. The film makes nudity and sex matter-of-fact, then pivots to the harder question - whether shedding your clothes is the same as opening yourself up.
* 'Titanic Ocean' - from Greece and Directed by Konstantina Kotzamani. The film follows young women training to become professional mermaids in a world that never stops demanding reinvention.

* 'Butterfly' - from Norway and Directed by Itonje Soimer Guttormsen. The story tracks two sisters working through the long shadow of a guru mother, with self-knowledge serving as the film’s uneasy currency.

* 'My Father's Shadow' - from the UK and Directed by Akinola Davies Jnr. The film operates as a dream-memory of a political turning point and how it echoes through one family across generations.
* 'Our Father' - from Serbia and Directed by Goran Stankovic. The film examines the cult of a surrogate patriarch at a Serbian monastery for recovering addicts, and the difficulty of dismantling something that can’t be entirely condemned.
* 'The Red Hangar' - from Chile and Directed by Juan Pablo Sallato. A lean, pressure-cooker thriller about honour and duty during the Pinochet coup, remarkable for how much it achieves with limited means.

For a summary of the ten films in the Documentary Official Competition, plus the details of all the other films being showcased, and a whole lot of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : http://www.tiff.ro/en

Drawing the attention then back to this weeks seven hot new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a Sci-Fi offering from a Director who is a master of his craft, and that films tag line is 'If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?' - enough said! Then we have a crime thriller in which a talented piano tuner's meticulous skills for tuning pianos lead him to discover an unexpected aptitude for cracking safes, turning his life upside down. Next up is an Italian adventure drama film in which a young woman travels to Piedmont to care for her ageing grandfather, an expert truffle forager. This is followed by another Italian drama film set in early 18th century Venice, Italy, where the fate of a virtuoso violinist is transferred when her orphanage hires an ambitious composer as the new musical instructor, one Antonio Vivaldi. In a completely different vein, we have next an Aussie comedy in which a group of students and teachers from a Language school in Delhi hit the road to discover Australia and gain first-hand experience of its authentic culture and language. Then we turn to a South Korean action horror film which follows a deadly, rapidly mutating viral outbreak inside a quarantined biotech facility; before closing out the week with an American biographical musical film charting the life and times of this man from surfer to filmmaker to world-renowned musician.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the seven latest release new films 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.

'DISCLOSURE DAY' (Rated M) - is an American Science Fiction film that is based on an original story, Co-Produced and Directed by Steven Spielberg, who I'm sure needs no introduction. Spielberg is no stranger to the world of Sci-Fi having helmed 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' in 1977, then 'E.T.' in 1982, 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence' in 2001, 'Minority Report' in 2002, 'War of the Worlds' in 2005 and 'Ready Player One' in 2018. This film is released in the US this week too. 

If you found out we weren’t alone in the infinite universe, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? When cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) and Kansas City meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) discover proof of alien life simultaneously, they try to reveal the truth to the world all at once, while facing intense government secrecy. Also starring Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Eve Hewson and Wyatt Russell.

'TUNER' (Rated MA15+) - this USA and Canadian Co-Produced crime thriller film is Co-Written and Directed by Daniel Roher in his debut narrative fiction film following his documentaries 'Once Were Brothers : Robbie Robertson and the Band' in 2019 and the Academy Award winning 'Navalny' in 2022, and 'The AI Doc : Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist' which Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year and is scheduled for release later on in 2026. Niki White (Leo Woodall) a gifted young piano tuner whose heightened sense of hearing draws the attention of Israeli criminals, who see his talents as useful for opening safes as well as for tuning Steinways. With his once-promising musical career over, he works across New York with his mentor Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman), encountering a range of characters, including composition student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), with whom he forges an unexpected connection. Niki's safecracking work threatens his budding romance with Ruthie and pulls him into increasingly dangerous territory. Also starring Jean Reno, Lior Raz and Tovah Feldshuh. The film had its World Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in late August last year, was released in the US towards the end of May, has garnered generally positive critical acclaim, and has so far recouped US$5M at the Box Office from its US$7M production budget outlay.

'TRIFOLE' (Rated M) - is an Italian adventure drama film Co-Written and Directed by Gabriele Fabbro in his second feature film outing following 2021's 'The Grand Bolero' although he has helmed numerous short films and the occasional documentary. A modern fable about truffles, sustainability and family. Trifole, set in the Alba, Piedmont White Truffle region of Italy, tells the adventure of a young woman, Dalia (Ydalie Turk) who leaves London looking for her own path, and who reconnects with her ailing, truffle-hunting grandfather Igor (Umberto Orsini) and nature. Eventually, she bonds with her grandfather and learns to value tradition, the territory, and a more sustainable way of life. The film was released in its native Italy in mid-October 2024, in the USA in mid-October 2025 and only now does it get a limited release here in Australia, having so far grossed US$77K from a production budget of US$1.6M, and has generated largely favourable reviews. 

'PRIMAVERA' (Rated M) - this Italian and French drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Damiano Michieletto in his feature filmmaking debut, and is based on the 2008 novel 'Stabat Mater' by Tiziano Scarpa. Early in the 18th century, Ospedale della Pieta is the biggest orphanage in Venice, but it is also where the most talented of the orphans who live there are introduced to the study of music. A talented violinist, Cecilia (Tecla Insolia), confined to the orphanage, meets Antonio Vivaldi (Michele Riondino) who becomes her teacher. Under his mentorship and through his music, she gains courage to break free from the life she was destined for and pursue her passion. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September last year and was released in Italy on Christmas Day last year, and has generated largely positive critical press.

'HOW TO TALK AUSTRALIANS' (Rated M) - is an Australian comedy film Co-Written and Directed by Tony Rogers who made his feature film debut with 'Rats and Cats' in 2007 and has Directed multiple episodes of TV series in the intervening years. This his second feature, tells the story of a group of Indian students and teachers from The Delhi College of Linguistics who leave the classroom and head Down Under to discover Australia and gain first-hand experience of its authentic language and culture. When their plane is diverted to the country town of Dubbo due to storms, and their tour-leader is detained by customs, the hapless bunch unearth the ‘real’ Australia while never making it to Sydney, Melbourne . . . or even Brisbane. Starring Shane Jacobson, Stephen Curry, Esha Banavali, Rohan Ganju and Udara David. The film cost in the region of US$1.5M to produce. 

'COLONY' (Rated MA15+) - this South Korean action horror film is Co-Written and Directed by Yeon Sang-ho who made his feature length debut with the animated 'The King of Pigs' in 2011, and which he would follow up with another animated feature 'The Fake' in 2013. His first live action feature was the acclaimed 'Train to Busan' in 2016, which was followed by the adult animated zombie horror 'Seoul Station' as a prequel that same year. His second live action film was 'Psychokinesis' in 2018, then 'Peninsula' in 2020, 'JUNG_E' in 2023, 'Revelations' in 2025 and 'The Ugly' also in 2025. A biotechnology professor, Kwon Se-jeong (Jun Ji-hyun), is in attendance at a biotech conference that erupts into chaos with the release of a rapidly mutating virus. The outbreak results in the transformation of infected individuals, prompting authorities to seal off the facility and trap survivors inside with an escalating threat. The film Premiered in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival in mid-May this year, was released in its native South Korea on 21st May, cost in the region of US$12M to produce having so far grossed US$32M, and has received mixed or average reviews.

'JACK JOHNSON : SURFILMUSIC' (Rated PG) - is an American biographical documentary film Directed by Emmett Malloy who has Directed numerous music videos for acclaimed recording artists, including Jack Johnson, and a number of feature length films including 'Out Cold' in 2001, the musical doco 'Big Easy Express' in 2012, 'The Tribes of Palos Verdes' in 2017, and the music doco 'Biggie : I Got a Story to Tell' in 2021. This film chronicles Jack Johnson’s evolution from surfer to filmmaker to world-renowned musician. It traces how Jack’s early years making surf films with close friends became a foundation for a much broader creative life, capturing moments in and out of the water that later surfaced in his songwriting. Blending rare footage from those formative surf films and Jack’s personal and family archives with present-day reflections, the film weaves together how lived experience, friendship, and exploration shaped the sound and stories behind the music. 

With seven new release movie offerings 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 at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

PENINSULA : Tuesday 25th August 2020.

'PENINSULA' which I saw at my local multiplex cinema earlier this week is a MA15+ Rated South Korean post zombie apocalyptic action horror film, is the standalone sequel to 2016's 'Train to Busan' and is Directed by Yeon Sang-ho who also Directed that first instalment. This film was selected to be shown at this years Cannes Film Festival which was subsequently cancelled for reasons of COVID-19. And so the film was released in its native South Korea in mid-July, went on limited release in Australia two weeks ago and in the US last week. The film cost US$16M to make and has so far grossed US$48M with US$27M of that haul coming from its local audience. It is also the first time since mid-March that the total global Box Office for a new film release has achieved over US$1M. The film has generated mostly mixed or average Reviews so far.

Set four years following the total decimation of South Korea in 'Train to Busan', we learn through an American chat show that the entire Korean peninsula has been quarantined from the rest of the world, and following the zombie outbreak it took just one single day for the government to collapse as the apocalypse spread rapidly through the nation. We then join Marine Captain Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won) at the wheel of his car attempting to drive to a port so that he, his sister, her husband Chul-min (Kim Do-yoon) and his young nephew can board an evacuation boat bound for Hong Kong. En route he passes a family with a young child in desperate need of a lift, and pleading with him for a pick-up. Jung-seok ignores the woman's cries for help and keeps on driving, focused on arriving at their destination safely and in time. Having boarded the ship, sometime later crammed in like sardines, Jung-seok is alerted by one of his men that Hong Kong is now refusing entry of their ship, and as such they are being diverted to Japan. What Jung-seok doesn't realise is that one of the other passengers on the same deck where his sister, her husband and nephew are sitting is infected, and quickly turns zombie. In the ensuing chaos, the young nephew becomes infected and is being cradled by his mother. Jung-seok returns to the deck, kills as many of the marauding zombies as he can and is forced to leave behind his nephew and his mother. Chul-min returns from fetching something for his family to eat, only to be prevented from entering the cabin by Jung-seok, instead watching the horror unfold from behind a closed glass door.

Now four years later we find Jung-seok and Chul-min living in the ghettos of Hong Kong. Jung-seok is woken from his slumber by four heavies who demand that their boss wants to meet with him. It seems that the boss man has an offer for the two of them plus two others to return to the port city of Incheon on the peninsula to locate an abandoned food supply truck that contains a stash of US cash dollars amounting to twenty million bucks. On the promise of a half share of the proceeds for bringing back the cash, the gathered four agree and the next day are on a boat bound for Incheon. The next evening, they arrive under cover of darkness and are able to locate the abandoned truck after some searching in the general vicinity of where the boss man gave his instructions as to its approximate whereabouts. The four are able to escape in the truck, after being chased down by a horde of zombies.

Believing that it's now a simple journey back to the port and the awaiting boat to take them back to Hong Kong and a new life of wealth and freedom, the four are ambushed by a rogue militia outfit known as Unit 631, led by the ruthless Sergeant Hwang (Kim Min-jae). Jung-seok gets thrown out of the truck, while Chul-min hides in the back. The other two die from the ambush. Jung-seok is then rescued by two sisters - Joon (Lee Re), who is very adept at high speed, fast manoeuvres behind the wheel of a 4WD drives the car away from the scene, and her younger sister Yu-jin (Lee Ye-won).

The three arrive at a hideout, where the children live with their mother Min-jung (Lee Jung-hyun) and grandfather Elder Kim (Kwon Hae-hyo). Jung-seok quickly comes to the realisation that Min-jung is the lady that had asked for a hitch four years ago, but for now he doesn't divulge this.

The truck, now in the possession of Unit 631, arrives at the militia's compound. Chul-min is then discovered hiding in the rear and is taken prisoner, and forced to take part in an arena cat & mouse game of zombie survival with a group of other captives. Private Kim (Kim Kyu-baek) a lowly supply operative and Captain Seo (Koo Kyo-hyun) the head honcho of Unit 631 discover the stash of cash in the truck, and secretly devise a cunning plan to get themselves off the peninsula with the truck, while keeping their escape plans from the belligerent Hwang. Meanwhile, Min-jung learns from Jung-seok that there is a ship at Incheon Port waiting to extract him. She then decides to steal the truck from the compound so that the five of them can escape the peninsula together. At this point Jung-seok comes clean that they had met before. Min-jung tells him not to worry as she can't remember him, as thirty-one cars passed them by that day without stopping. The next evening after sundown (because these zombies have limited vision in the dark), close to Unit 631's compound, Joon, Yu-jin, and Elder Kim are explicitly instructed to wait in the car, while Jung-seok and Min-jung sneak inside, where they discover the truck and encounter Private Kim.

Jung-seok learns from Kim (held at gunpoint by Min-jung that Chul-min is alive in the compound and seeks to rescue him. Inside, the arena zombie survival game is in full swing with Chul-min in the middle of the fray. Jung-seok kills numerous zombies, and sets up a smoke screen so that he and Chul-min can make their escape, killing several Unit 631 soldiers in the process. Chul-min is however, shot and killed in a gunfight by Hwang. 

Jung-seok is then saved by Min-jung and the two quickly escape the compound in the truck with many Unit 631 soldiers, including Hwang and Seo, giving chase in their own souped up vehicles. Meanwhile, Joon, Yu-jin and Elder Kim have arrived to lend support in their 4WD to Jung-seok and Min-jung by helping them to out manoeuvre and out run the militia vehicles. In the ensuing chase, Jung-seok notices a glass tunnel in which are trapped a large horde of zombies, that he had observed when he first arrived. He deliberately shoots and shatters the glass panelling, freeing the horde inside, which then quickly overrun Hwang's vehicle, killing Hwang and his driver. 

The five then continue their journey onto Incheon dockside to rendezvous with their boat. Seo however, rams into Joon's 4WD and then holds her at gunpoint. Elder Kim is critically shot by Seo as he is defending Yu-jin, and in the fray Min-jung is shot in the leg by Seo, as he makes his getaway in the truck aiming for the boat and now his share of half the proceeds of the US$20M haul. He hurriedly drives the truck up into the cargo hold of the ship, to be greeted by the Hong Kong henchmen who brokered the deal with the original four. Thinking he is home and hosed, Seo is shot at point blank range by one of the henchmen who unloads his pistol into him. As Seo is slumped over the steering wheel bleeding out, he musters the strength to slam the truck into reverse, hits the accelerator and reverses the truck onto the cargo holds gate, so preventing it from closing. In rush a horde of zombies, who in no time have killed everyone inside. 

The four still grieving over the death of Elder Kim, then spot a United Nations military transport helicopter on approach, and using fireworks to donate their location, direct it to land on the port. Min-jung asks that Jung-seok bring Joon and Yu-jin to the helicopter, while she clears the path of zombies. Min-jung then traps herself in a truck and presses on the horn repeatedly, so as to attract the zombies to her and in turn sacrifice herself so that the three can escape. Jung-seok recalls that he left Min-jung standing four years earlier, and won't let that happen a second time, so returns and kills the zombies trapping her inside the truck. She quickly makes the run to the helicopter, and Jung-seok covers her by shooting the zombie horde. The four board the helicopter and escape the peninsula.

I have to say that I had higher hopes for 'Peninsula' off the back of 2016's stand out 'Train to Busan', but those hopes went largely unrealised. 'Peninsula' certainly looks the part in all its post-apocalyptic dystopian gore inducing glory, but this film borrows extensively from 'Mad Max : Beyond Thunderdome', 'World War Z' and the more recent 'Fast & Furious' instalments with a heavy reliance on obvious CGI effects for the high speed car chase sequences that look as though they were pulled straight out of early versions of the video game 'Grand Theft Auto'. Whilst its predecessor set the bar very high, this stand alone sequel fails to reach those dizzy heights instead relying on standard genre tropes, a predictable plot after the initial set up, and an ending that you can spot from a mile away. That said, it has enough sustained action to maintain the interest, I did feel invested in the main characters and the film is entertaining enough to warrant your attention if this type of fast paced CGI heavy zombie gore fest is your thing.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

TRAIN TO BUSAN : Tuesday 11th August 2020.

Whilst not a latest release, I did see this 2016 popular and successful South Korean zombie horror offering at my local multiplex this week, and 'TRAIN TO BUSAN' (Rated MA15+) did not disappoint. This film is being screened as a double bill offering with its standalone sequel 'Peninsula' which is released in Australia this week. Both instalments are Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, and this film is Sang-ho's debut live action feature. This film saw its World Premier screening in the Midnight Section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival before its initial release in its native South Korea on 20th July 2016 where it notched up eleven million theatregoers contributing to its US$98M return from a budget outlay of US$8.5M. The film garnered generally positive critical acclaim and 32 award wins and another 39 nominations from around the awards and festival circuit.

Here fund manager, Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) is a detached workaholic, a divorcee and is somewhat disconnected from his young daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an). Arriving home late one evening where he lives with his mother and daughter he presents Su-an with a birthday gift, as the next day is her birthday. But the gift is an exact duplicate of a gaming console she already has and is therefore none to impressed. All that Su-an wants to do is to travel to Busan to spend her birthday with her mother. Much to his chagrin, Seok-woo reluctantly agrees to accompany Su-an on the one hour train journey from Seoul Station to Busan.

On board the train we are quickly introduced to a mix of other passengers comprising a working-class man Sang-hwa (Ma Dong-seok) and his pregnant wife Seong-kyeong (Jung Yu-mi), the self-centred COO of the Stallion Express rail line Yon-suk (Kim Eui-sung), a high school baseball team, including Yong-guk (Choi Woo-shik) and his cheerleader girlfriend Jin-hee (Sohee), elderly sisters In-gil (Ye Soo-jung) and Jong-gil (Park Myung-Sin), and a homeless stowaway (Choi Gwi-hwa) suffering with PTSD after witnessing a zombie attack in which 'everbody's dead'. As the train is about to depart, the guard fails to notice an infected woman jump on the train, and in no time becomes a zombie and attacks an attendant who quickly turns too. All the while the passengers are settling into their seats and watching the live news broadcast on the overhead TV monitors of rioting, violence and social unrest in the cities in which the Police, armed forces and authorities seem powerless to quell.

Meanwhile, the infection begins to spread throughout the train. The group is able to escape the oncoming horde by advancing further up the train, albeit in a mad panic. The train makes a scheduled stop at Daejeon Station, which when they arrive is completely deserted. There is supposed to be an army post there to meet them to safeguard the passengers and escort them all to a safe place, but there is no sign of the army.

Gingerly exiting the station they soon discover to their horror that the army are all infected and give chase to the passengers. Seok-woo learns it for himself when an advancing soldier is completely overrun by the infected. The remaining passengers make it back to the train with Yong-guk, Sang-hwa, and Seok-woo becoming separated from Su-an, Seong-kyeong, In-gil, and the homeless man who by now have stowed themselves away in a toilet cubicle out of sight of marauding zombies.

The military sets up a quarantine zone near Busan, and the train conductor heads the train there. Seok-woo, Sang-hwa and Yong-guk who have become separated from their loved ones about four cars down train, arm themselves with Yong-guk's baseball bat, riot gear, and padded and gaffer taped wrists and lower arms to fight their way up to them through the zombies taking it one car at a time. Once reunited with their loved ones, they make their way up to the front of the train where other survivors are holed up.

However, Yon-suk has taken charge at that end of the train and as initiated by him, his fellow surviving passengers prevent the others from entering their car, fearing that they too are infected. Sang-hwa who by now is forcibly trying to prevent the horde from entering their car is bitten by a zombie and ultimately sacrifices himself to the infected horde to give the others time to enter the car by force.

Yon-suk and the other passengers demand that the survivors isolate themselves in the vestibule in the next carriage. However, Jong-gil who is disgusted at the passengers' selfishness and in despair over the loss of her beloved sister who has become a zombie – allows the infected to enter and kill them all. In an ironic twist of fate the passengers who had forced Seok-woo's group to isolate all perish as his group remains safe, for now. Yon-suk has also managed to escape by hiding in a toilet cubicle with a train attendant, with the other survivors breaking off into groups. Seok-woo, Su-an, Seong-kyeong, Jin-hee, Yong-guk, and the homeless man are in one group, and Yon-suk, and the final train attendant is in the other.

A train derailment has blocked the track at East Daegu train station which forces the survivors to stop and search for another train to continue their final leg to Busan. The captain of the train (Jeong Seok-yong) goes off in search of a new engine, but when confronted by an advancing horde Yon-suk pushes him into the path of the infected to save himself. Jin-hee is also bitten while trying to board another train to escape the advancing horde. Heartbroken, Yong-guk stays with Jin-hee until she turns and kills him.

Meanwhile another train engulfed in flames is speeding towards the survivors who have now disembarked their train in search of the other engine that the now dead Captain went in search of. That train collides with others and traps the survivors under its upturned carriages and under a train packed tight with zombies. As the sheer weight of the zombies causes the windows of the train to shatter the homeless man attempts to stave off the advancing horde momentarily by sacrificing himself so that Seok-woo has time to save Su-an and Seong-kyeong through a hole under the derailed train.

Seeing that there is a working and now moving locomotive, Seok-woo, Seong-kyeong, and Su-an narrowly evade the zombies, and the three board the working locomotive and encounter Yon-suk, who is infected and on the verge of turning. Seok-woo and Yon-suk fight and with Seok-woo gaining the upper hand and throwing him off the train, is bitten in the process. He hurriedly tells Seong-kyeong how to operate the automatic dynamic braking system, and bids an emotional farewell to his distraughtly sobbing daughter, throwing himself off the train before he turns.

The surviving pair bring the train to a halt just before a tunnel because the track is blocked with barricades and dead bodies strewn everywhere. They continue following the tracks on foot. Army snipers located at the opposite end see Seong-kyeong and Su-an advancing and once they realise they're human, and not infected, send a small group to bring them to safety.

'Train to Busan' is an accomplished mash up of 'Snowpiercer' and 'World War Z' that combines an eerily effective aesthetic with emotion, energy, tension, thrills, style, at times a dose of humour and of course plenty of gore and bloodshed delivered by them pesky no good zombie types. The film is well crafted with a reliance on practical effects that helps ground the action sequences in the real world, the performances by the principle cast are relatable and believable in their characterisations, there is both social and political commentary interwoven into the storyline, and all of the elements make for a zombie horror offering that is a cut above the generally formulaic zombie genre films that get churned out in spades. One of best, most fast paced, emotionally charged zombie gore fests to emerge in recent times. A must see for lovers of the genre.

'Train to Busan' merits four 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 August 2020.

In the past few weeks I have reported on a number of major studio films that have had their planned release dates pushed back because of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent halting or delays experienced by movie production houses, and only the partial reopening of cinemas worldwide. Those films rescheduled have been 'Tenet', 'No Time To Die', 'Wonder Woman 1984', 'The Conjuring : The Devil Made Me Do It', 'The French Dispatch', 'A Quiet Place : Part II', 'Top Gun : Maverick', 'Halloween Kills', 'The Eternals', 'Antlers', 'Ghostbusters : Afterlife', and 'Fast & Furiuos 9'. This week to keep you ever in the loop, I update you on another four major films that have seen their already publicised release dates pushed back.

'MORBIUS' - this American superhero film is Directed by Daniel Espinosa, the Swedish film maker whose earlier credits take in 'Safe House', 'Child 44' and 'Life' in 2017. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name this will be the second instalment in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters after 2018's 'Venom'. Here Jared Leto stars as Michael Morbius with Matt Smith, Jared Harris, Tyrese Gibson and Adria Arjona with Michael Keaton too. Initially scheduled for a 31st July 2020 release, this has now been delayed until 19th March 2021.

'LAST NIGHT IN SOHO' - is a psychological thriller film Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Edgar Wright whose previous Directorial credits include 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Hot Fuzz', 'The World's End', 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' and 'Baby Driver' in 2017. Here Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomas Harcourt McKenzie, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg and Terence Stamp star in this film which was originally slated for a 25th September 2020 release, but has since been pushed back until 23rd April 2021.

'SPIRAL : FROM THE BOOK OF SAW' - here we have the ninth film in the 'Saw' horror franchise that is this time Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman whose previous film making outings mostly in the horror genre include 'Saw II', Saw III', 'Saw IV', 'Mother's Day', '11-11-11', 'The Barrens' and 'Abattoir'. Here Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols star in this follow on to the earlier films but with a fresh perspective. Originally intended for a 23rd October 2020 release this was then moved forward to a 15th May 2020 release date, and this has now been rescheduled to 20th May 2021.

'VENOM : LET THERE BE CARNAGE' - is the sequel to 2018's 'Venom' which grossed US$856M off the back of a US$110M production budget making this follow up instalment inevitable. This time Andy Serkis Directs and this will be the third film in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters following on from 'Morbius'. Here Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie Brock/Venom with Woody Harrelson starring as the antagonist Cletus Kasady/Carnage with Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott and Stephen Graham. Originally intended for a 2nd October 2020 release date this was subsequently pushed back to 25th June 2021.

This week there are four new release movies showing at your local Odeon. We launch with a disaster film of post zombie apocalyptic proportions in this South Korean standalone sequel to a hugely popular and successful 2016 film, that sees a group of four soldiers return to a zombie infested wasteland to retrieve a stash of cash and get out alive . . . easy! Next we turn to another disaster, but this one brought about by a hurricane event, and a cop trying to organise the evacuation of an apartment tower in which lives a former cop now suffering ill health, as a gang of thieves close in intent on stealing a huge stash of cash hidden in said apartment block. We have next a comedy drama about an estranged father and son who embark on journey to Tuscany to visit, fix up and sell a run down old villa left to them by their late wife and mother; before closing out the week with a French offering about a man whose life long marriage is on the slide but he's given a chance to kind of 'time travel' by a stage company and so he revisits the place where he first met his future wife over forty years prior.

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 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 coming week.

'PENINSULA' (Rated MA15+) - this South Korean post zombie apocalyptic action horror film is the standalone sequel to 2016's 'Train to Busan' as is Directed by Yeon Sang-ho who also Directed that first instalment. This film was selected to be shown at this years Cannes Film Festival which was subsequently cancelled for reasons of COVID-19. And so the film was released in its native South Korea in mid-July, goes on limited release in Australia this week and in the US next week. The film cost US$16M to make and has so far grossed US$29M with US$27M of that haul coming from its local audience. It is also the first time since mid-March that the total global Box Office for a new film release has achieved over US$1M.

Set four years following the total decimation of South Korea in 'Train to Busan' Jung-seok (Gang Dong-won), a soldier who previously escaped the diseased wasteland, relives the horror when assigned to a covert operation with two simple objectives : retrieve an abandoned food truck containing a stash of cash amounting to US$20M and survive in the process. When his team unexpectedly stumbles upon survivors, their lives will depend on whether the best or worst of human nature prevails in the most deadly and dangerous of circumstances. Also starring Lee Jung-hyun and Lee Re.

'FORCE OF NATURE' (Rated MA15+) - is an American action film Directed by Michael Polish whose previous Directing credits include 'The Astronaut Farmer' in 2006 with Billy Bob Thornton, 'The Smell of Success' in 2009 with Thornton again, 'Amnesiac' in 2014 with Kate Bosworth, '90 Minutes in Heaven' in 2015 with Bosworth again and 'Nona' in 2017 with Bosworth once more. And here he teams up with Bosworth again for the latest hurricane heist set drama. And so here policeman Cardillo (Emille Hirsch) and a former cop suffering declining health Ray Barrett (Mel Gibson) married to Troy Barrett (Kate Bosworth) battle a gang of thieves led by John the Baptist (David Zayas) as they search for US$55M inside an evacuated building during a hurricane. This film seems to have divided Critics who have largely bestowed negative Press on the film, and audiences who have seemingly praised it. The film was released at the end of June on digital, DVD and Blu-Ray, gets a theatrical release in Australia this week, cost US$23M to produce and so far grossed US$150K.

'MADE IN ITALY' (Rated M) - this comedy film is Directed and Written by the English Actor James D'Arcy in his feature film making debut. Darcy has notched up nearly eighty film and television acting credits to his name in a career spanning twenty-five years. Here Robert (Liam Neeson) is estranged from his adult son Jack (Micheal Richardson), but they reunite to travel to Tuscany, Italy in order to sell the house they inherited from Robert's late wife. When they arrive they discover a run down largely dilapidated villa, that they must first set about restoring before they can even think about selling. As the renovations don't go quite according to plan, the father and son soon find themselves at odds with one another. Robert's obvious lack of DIY experience leads him to seek advice and assistance from some of the more colourful locals including the no nonsense Kate (Lindsay Duncan), an ex-pat who earns a living selling villas who also quickly captures his eye. For Jack, the state of the house seems to echo his search for memories of happier times with his mother. He soon falls for Natalia (Valeria Bilello), a vivacious young Italian chef, who restores both body and soul with culinary delights from her local trattoria, but her jealous and angry ex-husband may come between them. As Robert and Jack gradually restore the villa to its former glory, so too do they begin to heal their relationship.

'LA BELLE EPOQUE' (Rated M) - is a 2019 French romantic comedy drama film Directed and Written by Nicolas Bedos in only his second feature film making outing, although he has acted and written in various films and TV series over the years. The film first Premiered out of competition at the May 2019 Cannes Film Festival and was then released in its native France in early November last year to generally favourable Reviews. Here, Victor Drumond (Daniel Auteuil) is a man in his sixties whose forty or so year marriage to Marianne (Fanny Ardant) is on the rocks. When Victor meets Antoine (Guillaume Canet), the owner of a company which allows people to perform a version of 'time travel' by visiting a stage where the company acts out a staged historical reenactment, he takes the opportunity to revisit the moment when he first met Marianne on 16th May 1974 at a cafe in Lyon called 'La Belle Epoque', in the hope of reigniting his love for her. Also starring Doria Tillier and Michael Cohen.

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-