IT : CHAPTER TWO - Tuesday 10th September 2019.

'IT : CHAPTER TWO' is Rated MA15+  and here it is - the sequel to the hugely popular and successful 'IT' supernatural horror film of 2017 based on the 1986 Stephen King novel of the same name, which I saw earlier this week. That first instalment raked in US$701M at the global Box Office off the back of a production budget of US$35M making it the highest-grossing R-Rated horror film of all-time, the highest-grossing horror film internationally and the highest-grossing horror film of all time. The film also received positive reviews, with many Critics calling it one of the best Stephen King adaptations, and along the way it picked up eight award wins and a further 43 nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. This film saw its Premier screening in Los Angeles at the end of August, and went on general release in the US and here in Australia last week. Off the back of a Production Budget of circa US$70M, the film has so far grossed US$221M and has generated for the most part positive Press. Both instalments have been Directed by Argentinian Andy Muschietti.

It is 2016 and we open up at the Derry Carnival at night, with fair ground rides, side stalls and attractions aplenty to occupy anyone and everyone. At the carnival we are introduced to Adrian Mellon (Xavier Dolan) and his boyfriend Don Hagarty (Taylor Frey) who are attacked by a group of homophobic youths on their way home. Beating the pair up on the street out of view from the general public, the youths man handle a semi-conscious Mellon over a bridge and into the fast flowing river below. Hagarty, distraught, gives chase to his struggling boyfriend only to see him rescued from the river by Pennywise, who in turn kills him. Hagarty looks on helpless and horrified from the opposite riverbank. And so, twenty-seven years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgard), IT returns to terrorise the town of Derry, Maine once again. Later that same night Mike Hanlon (Isaiah Mustafa) overhears the incident on a Police scanner of a dismembered body found down by the riverbank, and rushes to the scene.

Mike quickly realises that 'IT' has returned. He calls the other members of the Losers Club who have now all gone their separate and independent ways and have carved out successful careers for themselves away from Derry, all except Mike who has remained in Derry throughout all the passing years. He calls Bill Denbrough (James McAvoy) now a successful mystery thriller writer based in LA and married to a famous Actress; Richie Tozier (Bill Hader) now a successful stand-up comedian also based in LA; Ben Hanscom (Jay Ryan) now a successful architect living in Nebraska and having slimmed down and toned up from the fat kid that he was; Eddie Kaspbrak (James Ransone) who is now a successful risk assessor working for a major firm in New York City; Stanley Uris (Andy Bean) who is now a successful accountant working in Atlanta; and Beverly Marsh (Jessica Chastain) who has become a successful fashion designer working in Chicago. They all take Mike's call, although need prompting to remember who Mike is as most are forgetful about their childhoods and disturbed by the calls, but agree to return given that they all swore a blood oath to reunite in Derry if Pennywise ever resurfaced. Stan, however, commits suicide after his call by slashing his wrists while taking a bath at home. Without knowing of Stanley's recent death, the Losers reunite at a local Chinese restaurant in Derry and slowly begin to remember their past over a few beers and a meal together, but then become terrified by a relentless onslaught of disturbing visions and horrific taunts implanted in their sub-conscious but seemingly very real, created by IT.

Once outside the restaurant after the horrifying visions have subsided, Beverly tries to connect with Stanley only to reach his distraught wife who informs her that he committed suicide. Richie and Eddie have already seen and heard enough, and decide to leave while Mike reveals to Bill that he met with a Native American tribe who showed him a vision of IT arriving to Earth from the stars decades ago, and informed him of the 'Ritual of Chud', the means to destroy IT forever. Bill and Mike are able to convince Richie and Eddie to stay and finish what was started. Henry Bowers (Teach Grant), having survived his apparent death, had been confined to a mental hospital for killing his father and two friends back in 1989, and with the help of IT, he escapes, intent of seeing off the Losers Club finally, one by one.

For the Ritual of Chud to be successful, each Loser must find an artifact of some personal significance from their past. Beverly goes to her old home and finds the love letter Ben wrote for her, though she still believes Bill wrote it. A Mrs. Kersh (Joan Gregson) now lives there - a seemingly sweet and gentle old lady who invites Beverly in for a nice cup of tea, but minutes later it turns out that Mrs. Kersh is anything but, as an insidious monster manifests itself and rampages through the house attacking Beverly who hallucinates other visions of Pennywise before finally escaping.

Bill meanwhile comes across a second hand shop where in the window is his old bike from when he was a kid. He goes into the store and is greeted by the shop keeper played in cameo by Stephen King who sells Bill back his bike for US$300 - steep, but as a successful author he knows that he can afford it. Bill then cycles back to his former house and goes to the storm drain where his younger brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) was killed in October 1988 and recovers his paper boat before meeting a boy named Dean (Luke Roessler), who tells Bill that he lives in Bill's old house and often hears voices coming up through the drain in the bath. 

Ben goes to the town's high school and finds his old yearbook page, which Beverly was the only person to sign. Eddie goes to a pharmacy and recovers an inhaler. Richie goes to an abandoned arcade where he finds a game token, but afterwards is confronted in the town's park by Pennywise whose taunts him with threats to reveal his dirty little secret to the world. After all have managed to evade individual encounters with IT, the Losers use a shower cap retrieved from their secret forest childhood clubhouse for Stan, and Mike finds the rock that started their fight against the Bowers gang all those years ago.

Back at the guesthouse where all but Mike are staying, Bill and Beverly share a kiss before a skateboard caked in blood and with a message written on the underside comes rolling down the staircase. Bill recognises the board from his earlier encounter with young Dean, and realises that IT is going after Dean, and chases him to the carnival in an attempt to save the boy. He sees Dean disappear into the Clown Funhouse, and into a maze of mirrors and glass panels. There he comes across Dean but on the other side of a glass panel and therefore out of reach, as Pennywise appears on the other side of Dean, also separated by a glass panel. Pennywise repeatedly slams his head against the glass panel so cracking it and so giving him access to the boy, who then devours him. 

Traumatised by his failure to save both Georgie and Dean, he returns to the run down abandoned house at 29, Neibolt Street, to murder IT alone. Bowers attacks and wounds Eddie by stabbing him in the face with his knife, but survives and in turn pulls the knife from his severely bloodied cheek and stabs Bowers in the chest. Mike is at the library waiting for the other Losers to rendezvous with him there, and is attacked by Bowers but is killed by Richie arriving just in time. The rest of the Losers depart for the Neibolt house to aid Bill, as they had always vowed to stick together to thwart IT.

Once inside the house, it is seen to have fallen further into a state of disrepair and seemingly horrors awaiting at every turn and in every decrepit room. After confronting various horrors all conjured up by IT, the group descends into an extensive cavern buried deep beneath the house and through the sewers in order to complete the Ritual. 

In forming a circle, holding hands and repeating a chant directed by Mike, the group seem to have early success, until IT reveals that he is able to withstand the Ritual, unaffected. IT takes on a giant, spider-like form with Pennywise's head, and pressures Mike into revealing to the Losers that the Natives who attempted the Ritual in the past all died in the process. 

The Losers are then all individually thrown into nightmarish scenarios that they must endure, but from which they all manage to escape from before arriving back inside the cavern from whence they came. Richie is hypnotised and elevated by IT's hypnotic 'deadlight' eyes and is about to be killed, but Eddie comes to his rescue and is immediately impaled by IT's razor sharp spider legs in the process. 

The Losers regroup and come to the realisation that IT can be killed if they stand up to IT, face their fears, show IT that they are no longer afraid and make IT feel smaller than he actually is. They surround and berate IT repeatedly with a barrage of insults making IT shrink physically and weaken mentally until they are able to tear out IT's heart and crush it so extinguishing all life from IT. At this point, the cavern begins to implode and Eddie dies from his injuries despite Richie's attempts to save him. The remaining group now need to race against time to exit the rapidly crumbling cavern and get back to the surface before it all comes crashing down around them and on top of them. They do so just about, and exit through the front door of 29, Neibolt Street, before the house collapses in on itself in a heap of old timbers and dust. 

The remaining Losers return to the quarry where they once swam together and jump in from the cliff top high above the lake to wash off the dust, the dirt, debris and blood. Sometime later, the Losers all individually receive posthumous letters from Stanley, detailing that he thought he would've held them back, but knew they could defeat IT if they were brave enough without him. Mike is seen to be packing up his belongings into his car as he decides to move out of Derry to start a new life.

Also starring as their younger selves are Jaeden Martell (aka Jaeden Lieberher) as the younger Bill,  Sophia Lillis as the younger Beverly, Jeremy Ray Taylor as the younger Ben, Finn Wolfhard as younger Richie, Chosen Jacobs as younger Mike, Jack Dylan Grazer as younger Eddie and Wyatt Oleff as younger Stanley. All those portraying their younger selves reprise their roles from the first film.

I did enjoy 'IT : Chapter Two', but not quite as much as Chapter One and felt that it meandered somewhat and at a running time of two hours and 49 minutes could have done with  little more scrutiny in the editing suite I thought. That said, Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise remains as menacing and as devilishly dastardly as he did in the first instalment, and the now adult members of the Losers Club are well cast and seem to share a nervous chemistry that just heightens their on-screen presence, interspersed with flashbacks to their younger selves that serves to recapture the essence of the first film. Director Andy Muschietti doesn't hold back on the gore, the monster effects, and the horror scares that you can see coming from a mile away but still deliver the necessary jolt to maintain the interest throughout. Certainly worth the price of your movie ticket to see the conclusion to the story that comes full circle, albeit a little too long, melodramatic at times and just a tad predictable in places.

'IT : Chapter Two' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th September 2019.

And so the 76th annual Venice International Film Festival drew to a close on Saturday 7th September with the World Premiere screening of 'The Burnt Orange Heresy' Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi and starring Claes Bang, Elizabeth Debicki, Mick Jagger and Donald Sutherland being the closing film and shown after the awards ceremony. And speaking of which, the winners and grinners of this years top awards, selected by the official Jury from 21 films in competition, were as follows :-

* The Golden Lion for Best Film was awarded to 'JOKER', Directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix (from the USA).
* The Silver Lion - The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to 'J'ACCUSE' (aka 'AN OFFICER AND A SPY'), Directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jean Dujardin (from France).
* The Silver Lion - Award for Best Director was awarded to Roy Anderrson for 'ABOUT ENDLESSNESS' (from Sweden).




* The Volpi Cup for Best Actress was awarded to Ariane Ascaride for 'GLORIA MUNDI' Directed by Robert Guediguian (from France).
* The Volpi Cup for Best Actor was awarded to Luca Marinelli for 'MARTIN EDEN' Directed by Pietro Marcello (from Italy).
* Best Screenplay was awarded to Yonfan for his animated 'No. 7 CHERRY LANE' also Directed by Yonfan (from Hong Kong).
* Special Jury Prize was awarded to 'THE MAFIA IS NO LONGER WHAT IT USED TO BE' Directed by Franco Maresco (from Italy).
* The Marcello Mastroianni Award for for Best New Young Actor or Actress was awarded to Toby Wallace for 'BABYTEETH' Directed by Shannon Murphy (from Australia).

You can get the full run down on all the news and views, the awards, the celebrations and much more from the 76th Venice International Film Festival, by visiting the official website at : https://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2019

This week we have four new cinematic releases to tempt you out to your local Odeon on an early Spring day. We start with a big screen adaptation of a much loved and hugely popular British television series set in the post WWI era on a lavish country estate involving the trials and tribulations of a very well do to family and their brigade of servants above and below stairs. This film carries on where the series left off and involves the household preparing for a very important visit. This is followed by a Sci-Fi thriller about a somewhat unhinged father and his seven year old daughter who live in a boarded up home sheltered from the outside world because of the risks and dangers inherent with venturing outside . . . but then the young girl does! Next up is a drama offering about two party animal best friends whose life comes under scrutiny when one of them becomes engaged to a concert pianist who gives up alcohol for good shortly afterwards. We then close out the week with an animated sequel to a 2016 film that sees a bunch of island dwelling birds join forces with a neighbouring islands green pigs to thwart a power hungry bird that is in possession of an advanced weapon that threatens both islands.

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

'DOWNTON ABBEY' (Rated PG) - legions of fans the world over will be salivating at the prospect of this feature length film that is a continuation of the massively popular and successful television series of the same name, created by Julian Fellowes, that ran on British television and was syndicated around the world from 2010 to 2015. The film, set in the Autumn of 1927, follows on from the TV series, which ended its original run in December 2015, after 52 episodes, with its final episode set at New Year's Eve, 1925. Directed by Michael Engler and Written and Co-Produced by Julian Fellowes,  many of the original cast members here return for this big screen feature length instalment.

In 1927, King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) plan a visit to Downton Abbey resided in by Robert Crawley, the 7th Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and his wife Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern). Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) calls Charles Carson (Jim Carter) out of retirement to help prepare for the royal visit. Royal staff members arrive before the monarchs, upsetting Downton's staff. Accompanying the monarchs are the Queen's Lady-in-Waiting, Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), who is a cousin of the Crawley family, and her maid, Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton) . The monarchs also pay a visit to their daughter, Princess Mary (Kate Phillips). A ball is hosted in their honour at the Abbey. Also starring amongst others in the ensemble cast are Brendan Coyle, Matthew Goode, Joanne Froggatt, Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton.

'FREAKS' (Rated MA15+) - is an American and Canadian Co-Produced Sci-Fi thriller Co-Directed, Co-Written and Co-Produced by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovski that saw its worldwide Premier screening at TIFF back in September 2018, and only now does it go on general release in the US and Australia this week. Kept locked inside their dilapidated house by her father (Emile Hirsch), seven year-old Chloe (Lexy Kolker) lives in fear and fascination of the outside world, being forbidden from even looking outside their bordered up windows. It's a place where 'Abnormals' are a constant threat, or so she is led to believe. But when a mysterious stranger driving a creepy ice cream truck with a handprinted 'Mr. Snowcone' sign appears outside her house she eventually builds up the courage to defy her father and escape the house. She climbs onto the truck with Mr. Snowcone (Bruce Dern) and into an adventure filled with hope, fear, and violence, but what are Mr. Snowcone's somewhat suspicious reasons for doing so?

'ANIMALS' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian and Irish Co-Produced drama film is Directed and Co-Produced by South Australian film maker, Producer and Writer Sophie Hyde who is perhaps best known for her award winning feature debut '52 Tuesdays' in 2014. This story is adapted from the 2014 book of the same name by Emma Jane Unsworth and saw its Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in January this year. Here best friends Laura (Holliday Grainger), a struggling writer working as a barista, and her best friend and flatmate Tyler (Alia Shawkat), an American woman who is estranged from her family, are both late 20's heavy partyers living in Dublin consuming large quantities of wine and drugs by night, sometimes engaging in casual sex with a man but mostly just enjoying each other's company. However, their lifestyles soon start to come under scrutiny after Laura gets engaged to a concert pianist Jim (Fra Fee) who shortly afterwards gives up alcohol completely, and then the pair form a friendship with a poet, Marty (Dermot Murphy) to whom Laura also is attracted. The film has so far garnered largely positive Reviews.

'THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE 2' (Rated PG) - this sequel to the 2016 'Angry Birds Movie' which grossed US$353M off the back of a US$73M production budget received mixed reviews from critics but was a box office success, and became the third highest-grossing film of all time to be based on a video game, behind 'Warcraft' and 'Detective Pikachu'. This film is Directed by first-timers Thurop Van Orman and John Rice, was made for US$65M, has so far grossed US$105M since its UK and US release earlier in August and has fared better than its predecessor with positive reviews from Critics who praised the animation, cast, humour and soundtrack. And so, Red (voiced by Jason Sudeikis), Chuck (Josh Gad), Bomb (Danny McBride) and the rest of their feathered friends are surprised when a green pig suggests that they put aside their differences and unite to fight a common threat. Aggressive birds from an island covered in ice are planning to use an elaborate weapon to destroy the fowl and swine way of life. After choosing their best and brightest, the birds and pigs come up with a scheme to infiltrate the island, deactivate the device and return to their respective paradises in one piece to live happily ever after. Also starring the voice work of Leslie Jones, Bill Hader, Awkwafina, Sterling K. Brown, Peter Dinklage, Nicki Minaj, Tiffany Haddish and Gaten Matarazzo.

With four new release movies 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-

THE NIGHTINGALE : Tuesday 3rd September 2019.

'THE NIGHTINGALE' which I saw earlier this week, is an MA15+ rated Australian period piece thriller Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Jennifer Kent in only her second film making outing following 2014's highly acclaimed horror offering 'The Babadook'.  This film saw its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival back in September 2018 where it won the Special Jury Prize, had its Australian Premier at the 2018 Adelaide Film Festival, saw its US release earlier in August and in Australia last week after its screening at the recent Sydney Film Festival too. It has so far received generally positive Reviews, although has divided audiences with its graphic depictions of rape and murder. Kent subsequently defended the decision to depict such violence, claiming that the film contains historically accurate representations of the colonial violence and racism that took place against the Australian Indigenous people of that time (circa 1825). The film was produced in collaboration with Tasmanian Aboriginal elders who feel that this is an honest and necessary depiction of their history, and a story that needs to be told.

Set in Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land) in 1825 and the early on-set of the Black War, Clare Carroll (Aisling Franciosi), a 21-year-old Irish convict is serving out her time working as a servant in some remote British military outpost overseen by Lieutenant Hawkins (Sam Claflin) and Sergeant Ruse (Damon Herriman). The unit is being visited by a commanding officer to determine if Hawkins is fit to be considered for promotion to the rank of Captain.

After her night shift has finished, with Clare serving the soldiers drinks and singing them a few songs, she asks Hawkins about her now long overdue letter of recommendation that would allow the family, husband Aidan (Michael Sheasby) and their baby child, their freedom. Hawkins takes her request as insolence and consequently rapes and beats her. The next night Aidan, liquored up, gets into a brawl with Hawkins, Ruse and a Private Jago (Harry Greenwood) while asking for the same letter of recommendation that Clare had enquired about the previous day. The commanding officer walks in on the brawl unfolding and bears witness to the whole sorry affair and determines that this, along with other acts of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour displayed by Hawkins and his small group of soldiers, deem him unfit for promotion.

Mightily pissed-off by this turn of events, Hawkins commands Ruse and Jago to gather supplies, a few extra convict men to help fetch and carry and a local black tracker named Charlie (Charlie Jampijinpa Brown) for an impromptu five day journey on foot through dangerous and near impenetrable bushland to the town of Launceston in order to secure his promotion via an officer contact he has there, and with whom he seems to have some sway. Before they leave early the next morning, the soldiers intercept the Carroll family attempting to flee. Hawkins taunts Aiden about the many occasions he’s had sex with Clare before he and Ruse gang rape Clare, shoot Aiden at point blank range in the neck, and Jago kills their baby and then knocks Clare unconscious with the butt end of his rifle. Clare comes round the next morning with the sight of her dead husband lying in a pool of blood and her baby's lifeless body on the hard stone floor by the door.

The next day Clare reports the incident to a suspicious Royal Military Police official, carrying the dead body of her baby, who is less than sympathetic - after all why should he believe the rantings of a convict woman over the story of Officers in the Army. She decides to seek out revenge for herself with a help of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy (Baykali Ganambarr) whom she entices with the promise of two shillings in payment. Clare is guarded about her motives and states that she wishes to catch-up with her soldier husband en route to Launceston. The travelling pair initially share a mutual hostility towards one another but begin to bond over stories about their tragic upbringings and shared hatred of the English.

Hawkins meanwhile en route with his small party takes a liking to one of the convicts, an eight year old orphan child named Eddie (Charlie Shotwell), and Ruse kidnaps an Aboriginal woman named Lowanna (Magnolia Maymuru) that he stumbled across in the bushland, to be used as a sex slave. The next day when a small group of Aboriginal men have located their missing Lowanna, they kill one of the convicts and injure Jago with a spear in the leg, in a rescue mission, but their attack proves unsuccessful as Hawkins shoots Lowanna in the back in retaliation. Clare and Billy stumble upon a limping and delirious Jago, and Clare corners and brutally kills him by stabbing him several times in the chest and smashing his face to a pulp with the butt-end of her rifle.

Billy has witnessed this and considers leaving Clare to her own devices in the dense forest, but works out her revenge motivations and decides to stay. Charlie meanwhile as the trusted tracker to Hawkins party, and as revenge for the soldiers' inhumanity, diverts the journey to a dead end on the summit of a mountain. Ruse kills Charlie but Hawkins chastises the rash decision and forces Ruse to be their guide on the way back down the mountain, handing over Ruse's former responsibilities to the eight year old Eddie. Clare and Billy come across Charlie’s body while tracing their steps, and Billy performs customary burial rites and informs Clare that he now seeks
revenge too for killing his Uncle figure.

Clare and Billy catch up with the group of four and hide behind a rocky outcrop. Armed with her rifle pointing directly at Hawkins, Clare freezes when she sees him, allowing Hawkins to retaliate fire grazing her shoulder with a shot from his rifle. Clare flees and the pair split up and are separated. Billy, however, is found and forced to be the new guide, replacing Charlie and a clueless Ruse. Billy reluctantly leads the soldiers to the main path to Launceston, at which point Hawkins commands Eddie to shoot Billy. The eight year old Eddie naturally hesitates, so allowing Billy to escape. Hawkins berates Eddie and turns his back on him saying that when he arrives in Launceston he will advise the local Police that there is a convict child running wild on the path into town. Eddie gets very upset by this threat and cries out for a second chance to prove his worth. Hawkins turns and shoots the boy dead to shut him up.

Having spent the night nestled under a tree in the forest hinterland of Launceston, Clare the next morning finds her way back onto the main path and reunites with Billy. While on their way, they come across what looks like an abandoned house. Entering they see a recently murdered couple in their bed having both suffered several gunshot wounds to the chest. From the house they take a rifle, some food and a change of clothes. Walking towards Launceston they encounter a chain gang of Aboriginals, led by three armed white fellas. In their native tongue Billy speaks of his origin and that he is seeking to reunite with his people in the north. One of the chained Aboriginals informs Billy that he is the last of his people, they had been wiped out and all killed. When the prisoner yells at his captors for their callousness, they shoot him and the others dead. Clare and Billy pass, on the pretext that Billy is Clare's prisoner and she is taking him to Launceston to see that justice is served on him.

In Launceston, Clare and Billy are sighted in the street by Hawkins and Ruse. Hawkins orders Ruse to notify the Police that a black boy is on the loose in town, and tells Clare that if he ever sees her again, he will have no hesitation in killing her. The newly promoted Hawkins joins his commanding officer in a men only bar for a welcome drink, at which point Clare bursts in and confronts Hawkins about his war crimes in front of a now silent bar full of fellow soldiers and officers all looking on. Billy watches through the window from a hiding spot. The two then flee town for the night. During the night while Clare is sleeping, Billy covers himself with white war paint and has carved two spears. He makes his way back to Launceston. By this time Clare has woken up and has given chase arriving in Launceston just as she spies Billy entering the hostel where Hawkins and Ruse are lodged. Billy first spears Hawkins right through the heart killing him instantly and then drives his second spear though Ruse's throat pinning him to a wall. Ruse however, before he died got off a single rifle shot wounding Billy in the stomach. Claire and Billy flee the commotion at the hostel on the back of Clare's horse which Hawkins has previously stolen from her. In time following the river, they arrive at a beach where Billy dances and declares himself a free man before slumping down on the wet sand as Clare sings a folk song and the two watch the sun rise over the horizon.

'The Nightingale' is a confronting film and at times an uneasy watch for its repeated rape scenes, violence and callous cold blooded murders of men, women and children mostly of native Australian origin, but also of white convicts for simply speaking up or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But, in choosing to depict such scenes of human depravity Director and Writer Jennifer Kent has captured the essence of that era in a story that has to be told as it resonates as much today as it did back then. Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambarr give powerful and convincing performances, and Sam Claflin is definitely playing against type here and does so with a disturbing intensity. It's interesting to note that the depiction of the horrors that befell Australia's Indigenous population back in the days of early white settlement is particularly apposite given last weeks Reviewed 'The Australian Dream'. Kent has here shown that she is an Australian film maker to watch and that this is a very noteworthy follow up to her debut of five years ago, that will further cement her position as a master of her craft. My only criticism is that at a running time of 136 minutes, the film drags on for a little too long and consequently becomes a tad repetitive and predictable especially in the last half an hour, when shaving off 15 or 20 minutes in the editing suite would perhaps have served for greater coherence and less monotony.

'The Nightingale' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 5th September 2019.

In August the world bid a fond farewell to a number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories . . . . Ningali Lawford, Richard Williams, Peter Fonda, Valerie Harper and Franco Columbu.

* Ningali Lawford - born in 1967 and died 11th August 2019, aged 52, Lawford was an Australian indigenous Actress of the Walmadjari people in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia. She trained in dance at the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre in Sydney, before making her stage acting debut in 1990 in 'Bran Nue Dae' in Perth, later going on to appear in the Australian feature film of the same name in 2009 starring Geoffrey Rush, Ernie Dingo, Jessica Mauboy and Missy Higgins. It was in 2002 that Lawford made her big screen debut in Phillip Noyce's 'Rabbit-Proof Fence' with Kenneth Branagh, Jason Clarke, David Gulpilil and Deborah Mailman. Her last big screen outing was in last years 'Last Cab to Darwin' with Michael Caton and Jacki Weaver. In the meantime, Lawford had several television appearances in multiple episodes of the series 'The Circuit', then made for TV movie '3 Acts of Murder', then thirteen episodes lending her voice talents to the animated series 'Little J & Big Cuz' and finally on 'Mystery Road' in 2018. Lawford had collected one award win for 'Mystery Road' as part of the Ensemble cast and three nominations for her supporting role in 'Last Cab to Darwin'.

* Richard Williams - born 19th March 1933, died 16th August 2019, aged 86, Williams was a Canadian born English resident from age 22 and was an Animator, voice Actor, Director, Producer and Writer in a career spanning seven decades. His debut came in 1958 with the animated short film 'The Little Island' which garnered Williams his first BAFTA win for Best Animated Short Film. By the early '60's Williams had established his own company, Richard Williams Animation, which completed over 2,500 TV commercials, and won numerous awards and in 1962 he completed his first commercial success, the short film 'Love Me Love Me', narrated by Kenneth Williams. From there he Directed and animated many films over the ensuing years including 'A Lecture on Man', 'The Dermis Probe', 'A Christmas Carol' in 1971 for which he won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' in 1988 for which Williams was Animation Director and which secured him a Special Achievement Academy Award 'for animation direction and creation of the cartoon characters'. His troubled 31 years in the making of 'The Thief and the Cobbler' in 1995 was not followed up until 2010 with 'Circus Drawings' and his final film 'Prologue' in 2015 which was a critical success and gained many awards and nominations, including an Oscar and a BAFTA nomination for Best Animated Short Film. Added to his work in Direction, Williams also animated the titles of many feature films including 'What's New Pussycat?' and 'The Liquidator' both in 1965, 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' in 1966, 'Casino Royale' in 1967, 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' in 1968, 'The Return of the Pink Panther' in 1975, and 'The Pink Panther Strikes Again' in 1976. All up Williams had twenty-one credits for his animation, thirteen as Director, eight as Producer, six as Writer and five as Actor, and along the way he collected eleven award wins and two nominations.

* Peter Fonda - born 23rd February 1940, died 16th August 2019, aged 79, Fonda was the product of a Hollywood dynasty - his father the multi-award wining Actor Henry Fonda, his sister the multi-award winning Actress Jane Fonda, his daughter the multi-award winning Actress Bridget Fonda and his nephew the award winning Troy Garity. After a string of early '60's television show appearances, Fonda gained his first big screen outing in 'Tammy and the Doctor' in 1963, and this was followed up that same year by his turn in 'The Victors' in which he secured his first Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. From there, more television appearances followed, with the film 'Lilith' in 1964 and his first lead role in 'The Young Lovers' also that year. By the mid-1960s, Fonda was hardly a stereotypical Hollywood 'leading man'. Playboy magazine reported, Fonda had established a 'solid reputation as a dropout'. He had become outwardly nonconformist and grew his hair long and took LSD regularly, alienating the film making 'establishment'. His first 'counterculture' film was Roger Corman's 'The Wild Angels' in 1966 which he followed up with 'The Trip' a year later again for Corman. These in turn lead to 'Easy Rider' the seminal motorcycle road drama and counterculture landmark film of 1969 Directed by Dennis Hopper, and starring Hopper, Fonda and Jack Nicholson. In 1971 Fonda turned his hand to Directing, and also starred in 'The Hired Hand' with 'The Last Movie' again Directed by Dennis Hopper also coming out that same year. He would also Direct 'Idaho Transfer' in 1973, and 'Wanda Nevada' in 1979. His other more notable film credits take in the likes of 'Race with the Devil', 'Killer Force', 'Futureworld' (a sequel to 1973's 'Westworld'), 'Certain Fury', 'Deadfall', 'Escape from L.A.', 'Ulee's Gold' in 1997 for which Fonda won a Golden Globe Award for his performance and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Then there was 'The Limey', 'Ghost Rider', 'Wild Hogs', '3:10 to Yuma', 'The Boondocks Saints II : All Saints Day', 'The Harvest', 'House of Bodies', 'The Runner', 'The Ballad of Lefty Brown', 'Boundaries' and the yet to be released 'The Last Full Measure' and 'The Magic Hours'. His more recent TV appearances include episodes on 'ER', 'Californication', 'CSI : NY', 'Hawaii Five-O', 'Blacklist' and 'Ride with Norman Reedus'. All up Fonda had 116 Acting credits to his name, three as Director, two as Writer, two as Producer and could boast thirteen award wins and a further 21 nominations including Academy Award, Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy and Screen Actors Guild awards and nods.

* Valerie Harper - born 22nd August 1939, died 30th August 2019, aged 80, Harper was an American Actress of stage, film and television whose career began with an uncredited role in the 1956 movie 'Rock, Rock, Rock!' before taking on various dancing roles on Broadway shows from 1959 through to 1962. Following a number of made for TV films, she appeared in 1974's 'Freebie and the Bean' alongside Alan Arkin and James Cann and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance as New Star of the Year. 1979's 'Chapter Two' again with James Caan earned her a second Golden Globe nod for Best Supporting Actress. 1980 saw 'The Last Married Couple in America' with George Segal and Natalie Wood and 1984 saw 'Blame it on Rio' with Michael Caine with  string of made for television movies being released in between time and subsequently right up until 2016. Here television appearances too were numerous, with her TV beginnings launching in 1970 on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' as Rhoda Morgenstern running for 92 episodes up until 1977, and then in the spin-off across110 episodes on 'Rhoda' from 1974 through until 1978. For her work on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show', she three times received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and later received the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on 'Rhoda'. She would go on to have guest appearances on a number of series over the years including 'The Love Boat', on 32 episodes of 'Valerie', on thirteen episodes of 'City', six on 'The Office' then 'Melrose Place', 'Sex and the City', 'That '70's Show', 'Family Law', 'Desperate Housewives', on eight episodes of 'The Simpsons', 'Hot in Cleveland', 'American Dad',' 2 Broke Girls' and 'Children's Hospital' most recently. All up Harper has seventy Acting credits to her name, and had garnered twelve award wins and a further eleven nominations throughout her career for her film and television work.

* Franco Columbu - born 7th August 1941, died 30th August 2019, aged 78, Columbu was an Italian born bodybuilder, powerlifter, Actor and author who started his career as a Boxer winning the Amateur Boxing Championship of Italy and then progressing to Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, and later bodybuilding, winning the title of Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981. From 1969 and for an number of subsequent years Columbu was considered to be one of the strongest men in the world. In  1977, Columbu competed in the first World's Strongest Man competition, placing fifth in overall points, which was an especially notable achievement considering Franco weighed much less than the other competitors. After his long term friend Arnold Schwarzenegger retired from bodybuilding competition in 1975 having won the Mr. Olympia title on six successive occasions up to that time, Franco Columbu became the next Mr. Olympia in 1976. After Schwarzenegger's comeback victory in the 1980 Mr. Olympia competition, Columbu followed suit and won the 1981 Mr. Olympia title. His acting career took off in 1976 with an uncredited role in 'Stay Hungry' with Jeff Bridges, Sally Field and Arnold Schwarzenegger and this was followed up by turns portraying himself in 'Pumping Iron', 'The Hustler of Muscle Beach' and 'The Comeback' before three successive outings alongside his bast mate Arnold Schwarzenegger again in 1982's 'Conan the Barbarian', 1984's 'The Terminator' and 1987's 'The Running Man'. In 1993's 'Last Action Hero' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the words 'A Franco Columbu film' appear on the opening credits of 'Jack Slater IV' (a film within the film) as a tribute to Columbu, although he does not actually get any screen time.    Following these there was largely a string of B-grade movies that took in 'Big Top Pee-wee', 'Perduta', 'Beretta's Island' (also Written by), 'Taken Alive' (also Written by), 'Doublecross on Costa's Island' (also Directed by), 'Ancient Warriors' and most recently 'One More Round'. All up Columbu has seventeen Acting credits to his name, seven as Producer, two as Director, two as Writer and he also acted as Stuntman on two further Schwarzenegger films 'Eraser' and 'End of Days'. Needless to say Columbu and Schwarzenegger were best friends for the 54 years they knew each other and could be described as brothers from another mother. Columbu also authored several books including 'Coming on Strong', 'The Bodybuilder's Nutrition Book' and 'Franco Columbu's Complete Book of Bodybuilding'.

And so to tempt you out on an early Australian Spring evening we have six new cinematic releases coming to your local Odeon. We kick off with the second and concluding chapter in this horror story that sees our clown faced antagonist return to small town America to wreak terror 27 years after his last visit having emerged stronger and more devilish than last time around. We then move to a drama surrounding an unhinged divorced mother who believes that someone else's little girl is her own and the fallout experienced by the girls parents and the woman when the truth eventually comes out. Next up is a famed 19th century story surrounding four closely knit sisters given a contemporary makeover; before we join a Chinese American family whose now grown up daughter has a special bond with her Grandmother back in China, but when that Grandmother is diagnosed with terminal cancer that family rally round, but keep the truth from Granny by claiming that the family have all converged back home to attend a wedding. This is followed by a film surrounding an old man from the remote Scottish islands who travels to the US to get treatment for a life threatening illness and reconnects with his estranged son and the impacts that this reuniting has on him; and closing out the week we have an Australian comedy about one mans lengthy hike up the Western Australian coastline to win back the heart of his girlfriend and to raise money for charity, but with some unexpected results along the way.

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 and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'IT : CHAPTER TWO' (Rated MA15+) - and so here it is - the sequel to the hugely popular and successful 'IT' supernatural horror film of 2017 based on the 1986 Stephen King novel of the same name. That first instalment raked in US$701M at the global Box Office off the back of a production budget of US$35M making it the highest-grossing R-Rated horror film of all-time, the highest-grossing horror film internationally and the highest-grossing horror film of all time. The film also received positive reviews, with many Critics calling it one of the best Stephen King adaptations, and along the way it picked up eight award wins and a further 43 nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. Both instalments have been Directed by Argentinian Andy Muschietti.

Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club defeated Pennywise the Clown (Bill Skarsgard), IT returns to terrorise the town of Derry once again. Now adults, the Losers have long since gone their separate and independent ways. However, the kids of Derry are disappearing again, so Mike (Isaiah Mustafa), the only one of the group to remain in their hometown, calls the other, now adult members of the Club, home. Damaged by the experiences of their past, they must each conquer their deepest fears to destroy Pennywise once and for all... putting them directly in the path of the Clown that has become deadlier and stronger than ever. Starring as the older and their younger selves of the Losers Club are James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough and Jaeden Martell (aka Jaeden Lieberher) as the younger Bill, Jessica Chastain as Beverly Marsh and Sophia Lillis as the younger Beverly, Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom and Jeremy Ray Taylor as the younger Ben, Bill Hader as Richie Tozer and Finn Wolfhard as younger Richie, Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon and Chosen Jacobs as younger Mike, James Ransone as Eddie Kaspbrak and Jack Dylan Grazer as younger Eddie and Andy Bean as Stanley Uris and Wyatt Oleff as younger Stanley. All those portraying their younger selves reprise their roles from the first film. The film is released in the US this week too.

'ANGEL OF MINE' (Rated MA15+) - this American and Australian Co-Produced dramatical thriller is Directed by Kim Farrant in only her second feature film outing following 2015's 'Strangerland'. Seeing its World Premier screening at the recent Melbourne International Film Festival in mid-August, and adapted from the 2008 French movie 'L’Empreinte', here divorced mother Lizzy Manning (Noomi Rapace), an emotionally imbalanced woman battling for custody of her son with her ex-husband Mike (Luke Evans), has her life turned upside down when she crosses paths with Lola (Annika Whitely), a young girl who she believes to be the daughter she lost six years ago in a hospital fire. Unable to let her suspicions go, Lizzy first stalks and then befriends Lola's mother, Claire (Yvonne Strahovski) and her husband Bernard Bradley (Richard Roxburgh) gradually nudging her way into Lola's life, to the bewilderment of her own family. Claire grows suspicious on discovering that this strange woman has begun to systematically follow her little girl, appearing everywhere. As Lizzy's obsession grows ever more intense and her behaviour becomes increasingly disturbing, Claire confronts her, which brings deeply buried secrets to the surface and the shockingly devastating truth.

'LITTLE WOMEN' (Rated PG) - this American drama offering that is the seventh big screen adaptation of the famed Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel of the same name, but this time has a modern contemporary setting. Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Clare Niederpruem to mark the 150th anniversary of the books first publication, this film was released Stateside in September 2018 and only now does it make it to Australian theatres having taken just US$1.4M at the Box Office to date and garnered mixed or average Reviews. That said, this modern retelling brings a new generation together with their mothers, sisters and friends. From four sisters playing in the attic to women living with purpose, the March sisters - Meg (Melanie Stone), Jo (Sarah Davenport), Beth (Allie Jennings) and Amy (Taylor Murphy) are committed to always supporting one another. Yet, growing up sometimes means growing apart. An aspiring writer, Jo leaves for New York determined to publish a novel. In the wake of rejection upon rejection, her Editor challenges Jo to write about something more engaging - her family. When tragedy brings the sisters back home, sticking together takes on a new meaning. Also starring Lea Thompson, Bart Johnson, Ian Bohen and Lucas Grabeel. An eighth big screen adaptation of 'Little Women' is due for release at Christmas time this year Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen as the four March sisters.

'THE FAREWELL' (Rated PG) - here we have an American comedy drama Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Lulu Wang apparently loosely based on her own life experiences. Made for just US$3M, the film saw its Premier screening at January's Sundance Film Festival before its wider US release in mid-July having taken so far US$14M and generated mostly widespread critical acclaim. Born in China, Billi Wang (Awkwafina) moved to the US with her father Haiyan Wang (Tzi Ma) and mother Jian Wang (Diana Lin) when she was a child but kept up a close, albeit long-distance, relationship with her beloved grandmother Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen), her father’s mother. When Billi learns her grandmother has terminal lung cancer and has been given only a few months to live, she’s distressed that the extended family wants to keep it a secret from Nai Nai, while gathering everyone together in Changchun to say their goodbyes under the ruse of an impromptu wedding.

'RORY'S WAY' (Rated M) - based on the bestselling novel 'La Sonrisa Etrusca' ('The Etruscan Smile') by José Luis Sampedro, this film is Directed by Oded Binum and Mihal Brezis and stars acclaimed British Actor Brian Cox as Rory MacNeil, a rugged old Scotsman who reluctantly leaves his beloved isolated Outer Hebridean island home and travels to San Francisco to seek medical treatment for a life threatening illness. Moving in with his estranged son Ian (J.J. Field) and his wife Emily (Thora Birch), Rory sees his life transformed through a newly found bond with his baby grandson and a romantic interest with the curator of a fine art museum, Claudia (Rosanna Arquette).

'THE NAKED WANDERER' (Rated PG) - in this Australian comedy romance offering Directed and Co-Produced by Alan Lindsay a devastated Jake (Angus McLaren) decides to walk all the way up the Western Australian Indian Ocean coastline for charity, butt-naked. His motivation came about when his girlfriend Jasmine (Megan Hajjar) turned down his proposal to marry. He is driven by media scoundrel Brian King (John Cleese) offer of a $200K incentive to complete the 4,000km walk coupled with him wanting to prove his worth to Jasmine. The walk makes Jake a celebrity, which appeals to Jasmine, but it's too late. Jake has fallen for mesmerising backpacker Valerie (Natasha Liu Bordizzo). A spiteful Jasmine flies in and declares she will marry Jake after all, but he turns Jasmine down and then Valerie vanishes. Also starring Sophie Kennedy Clark and Callan Durlik.

With six new release movies 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-