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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With four new release films out this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. Meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

GRINGO : Tuesday 5th June 2018.

'GRINGO' which I saw this week at my local multiplex sat in a near empty theatre is brought to us by Aussie Stuntman, Actor and only second time Director of a full length feature film, Nash Edgerton who brings us this American comedy crime caper, which he also Co-Produced. Nash Edgerton is the older brother of Actor, Director, Writer and Producer Joel Edgerton. Nash's previous feature length Directing credit was the 2008 Australian thriller 'The Square', and he has worked as Stunt Coordinator or Stuntman in numerous Hollywood movies over the years and occasionally acts too. For this film Nash has assembled an all star cast that takes in David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Thandie Newton, Sharlto Copley, Harry Treadaway, Paris Jackson and brother Joel amongst others. The film was released in the US in early March, has received mixed or average Reviews, and has so far taken US$10M at the Box Office.

Here, hapless mild-mannered and unassuming Nigerian born U.S. businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) works for a Chicago based medical technology firm that has developed the 'weed pill' (a medical marijuana that has been simplified into a pill format). Harold's bosses, CEO Richard Rusk (Joel Edgerton) and Co-owner Elaine Markinson (Charlize Theron) are interrupted having office sex by a telephone call from a frantic Harold claiming that he has been kidnapped in Mexico and that his captors are demanding a ransom of US$5M. This news takes Richard and Elaine off guard who are understandably unprepared for such an eventuality, and cut the phone call short to buy them some thinking time.

We then rewind two days and find Harold going about his business for the company he works for, Promethium, seemingly happily married to his wife Bonnie (Thandie Newton). In a coffee shop meeting over a latte, Harold meets with his Accountant, who shows him that he is verging on bankruptcy largely because of Bonnie's reckless spending habits and her huge business overheads for servicing one single Client. The Accountant also alerts Harold to the fact that he shouldn't trust his employer and that the word on the street is that the company is going to merge with another.

Harold sees that all of a sudden his livelihood is at risk, despite his long lasting and close friendship with Rusk. Arriving back at the office Richard announces unexpectedly that he, Elaine and Harold are to fly down to Mexico the next day to attend an important business meeting with the manufacturer of the weed pill, and to cease supply to a Mexican drug lord which up to now has proved very lucrative for all parties, but it must now stop for fear of jeopardising the planed merger - a fact that Harold is unaware of officially, and when quizzed, Richard is very coy about.

Meanwhile, in a city guitar shop run by Sunny (Amanda Seyfried) and her boyfriend Miles (Harry Treadaway), Nelly (Paris Jackson, daughter of Michael, in her screen debut) enters the shop to tell Miles that someone down Mexico way wants him to smuggle a small consignment of drugs into the U.S. He refuses the initial offer of US$10K for the project and then reluctantly agrees when the ante is upped to US$20K, and decides to take Sunny with him.

Harold, Richard, and Elaine arrive in Mexico where they are met at the airport by Angel (Yul Vasquez), a friend of Harold's from his previous visits. They meet with their company rep named Celerino Sanchez (Hernan Mendoza). Richard and Elaine enter his office while Harold is ordered that his presence at the meeting is not required. Richard delivers the news to cut off, forthwith, any and all supply to the Cartel, and that he isn't afraid of the idle threats of some little wannabe drug lord. The meeting is over very quickly, although Sanchez is noticeably shaken by the prospect of having to deliver this news to the head of the Cartel.

Later that night, after a stilted and hastily abandoned dinner, Harold is on a Skype call with Bonnie, where she announces that she doesn't want to be married to him anymore, and that she has met someone else, but wouldn't disclose who. She hangs up the call, leaving Harold distraught. Elsewhere in the city, Sunny and Miles have arrived. Miles maintains contact with his Mexican connection, while Sunny is oblivious to his intentions. Sanchez drives out later that night to the estate of Cartel leader Villegas, aka 'The Black Panther' (Carlos Corona). Sanchez advises Villegas about the latest development by Promethium. The drug lord is led to believe that Harold is the boss of the company, and therefore the only person equipped to open the vault at their manufacturing facility. He orders his henchmen to go locate Harold after having them cut off Sanchez's toe with bolt cutters to show that nobody messes with The Black Panther.

With Richard and Elaine having departed for Chicago early the next morning, Harold is left in Mexico to attend to business, with the Cartel now hunting him down. Harold fakes his disappearance from the hotel leaving his clothes, mobile phone, laptop, suitcase and still made up bed in the room, as though he left in a hurry. He checks into a downbeat motel in the arse end of town run by a couple of young Mexican likely lad brothers whom he later convinces to create background threatening sound effects while he calls Richard with the news of his kidnapping. After their meeting down in Mexico the previous day, Richard and Elaine are now fearful that the Cartel are catching up with them, and believe Harold's story. Richard has a plan, and calls his brother Mitch (Sharlto Copley) who is experienced at taking people out and high level extractions having served as a mercenary, but now reformed and doing humanitarian work in Haiti. Mitch agrees to the safe extraction of Harold for US$200K.

Harold spends the night feeling sorry for himself in some local cantina getting steadily drunk. The bartender who has a connection to the Cartel, alerts them and soon afterwards two of Villegas's henchmen descend upon Harold and take him for a ride home. Being able to speak Spanish, Harold recognises the banter going on between his two new 'friends' and quickly comes to his senses, when he spies one of them with a pistol resting on his lap, poised to use it in the event of any trouble. Harold in a state of panic, struggles with the armed man for the gun causing a single shot to fire out killing the driver with a bullet to the head. The car veers out of control, crashes down an embankment and comes to rest in a crumpled heap. The next morning, Harold is limping dazed and confused down a country road, when who should happen by but Sunny and Miles driving their small little compact car. Sunny urges Miles to stop, and he reluctantly does so, just as Harold passes out on the roadside. Coincidentally, all three are staying in the same motel, which is how Sunny recognised Harold.

Back at the motel, Sunny nurses Harold back to consciousness and tends to a head wound. Sunny from this point on calls Harold, Harry, because there are more famous Harry's in the world than Harold's. At this point the two likely lads in charge of the motel, attempt to kidnap Harold to claim a reward for his delivery to Villegas. Wearing full face masks and at gunpoint, they storm Harold's room. Within no time, Mitch is on the scene taking out the two would be kidnapper brothers and Miles in the process. Mitch manhandles Harold outta there and reassures him that by this time tomorrow he'll be safely back in Chicago.

At the airport Harold does a runner just before checking in believing that he is being kidnapped again, and Mitch gives chase. Mitch catches up with him and takes him back to his room where he injects him with a nano tracking device to know where he is at all times. Mitch makes a deal with Harold to try and get Richard to pay a larger sum of money for Harold's return - a share of the US$2M kidnap insurance payout. When Mitch calls Richard to make that deal, Richard tells him that the company is planning to collect a life insurance claim on Harold if he were to end up dead which is valued at US$5M. Unbeknownst to Harold, Mitch agrees to take him up on that offer for a US$2M share. To celebrate their freedom and their insurance windfall, Harold and Mitch go out on the streets where they are seen by the two brothers from the motel. In a moment of clarity, Mitch admits Richard's plan with the insurance payout. Mitch is then struck by a car driven by the brothers and winds up face down in the river. Harold is then taken to see Villegas.

The brothers rock up to the Villegas estate with a bound Harold in tow. Villegas promptly shoots dead each of the brothers, and reassures that no harm will come to Harold, as they merely want access to the drug company's vault to take a stash of surplus weed pills for themselves. Meanwhile Miles, is making his way toward the same location for his own stash of what he came for. Upon arrival the Cartel henchmen get involved in a huge firefight with the Police and Security guards with casualties inflicted on all sides. Harold recognises Angel, who reveals himself to be an undercover DEA Agent who has infiltrated both the Cartel and Promethium and has nothing good to report about either organisation.

Making their getaway outta Dodge City, Harold and Angel are run off the road by Villegas henchmen with their car ending up on its roof by the side of the road on the outskirts of town. Harold and Angel crawl out of the upturned car just as the henchmen turn back towards them. Another firefight ensues in which Harold takes out one and Mitch (who has recovered from his near death experience) having tracked Harold, takes out another, only to be shot in the head by the first henchmen who was not quite dead yet, until Harold finishes him off. Harold gives Angel a stickdrive with the information he secretly uploaded from Richard's computer a few days earlier containing the data needed to take Richard down. Harold admits he can't return home since he no longer has a job or a wife to return to, now knowing that Richard was carrying on with Bonnie in a relationship that has subsequently gone south. Angel replies that people simply vanish in Mexico all the time, and that he will turn a blind eye to allow Harold to fake his own death. Harold briefly mourns over Mitch's lifeless body before taking the taxi he commandeered, which contained several rolls of US$100 bills and forged passports, one of which was ready for 'Harry' to skip Mexico under a new identity.

In the washup, Villegas and his Cartel, along with Miles, are all arrested by Angel and the local authorities. Harold is declared dead back home, and a funeral is held for him, which a now remorseful Bonnie attends. Richard is arrested and sentenced to fifteen years jail time, and Elaine takes over the company pleading ignorance to Richard's nefarious ways. Somewhere on the Mexican coast at a deserted beach Harry has opened up a bar. He maintains contact with Sunny and sends her a message on her birthday. He looks directly at the camera with a wry smile on his dial.

Despite its impressive cast which promises so much, the film under delivers and offers nothing new that we have not seen in other similar genre movies. The characters are largely lifeless, except for Charlize Theron's Elaine who has the pick of the rapid fire one liners and delivers some great dialogue that is too risqué to reproduce here, but great fun nonetheless and to see her so brazenly flaunt her sexuality as the take no prisoners, potty mouthed, full of herself, opinionated and super confident corporate exec. is the highlight of an otherwise predictable by the numbers film. There is a lot going on in this film as story threads get compounded and short changed, never being full fleshed out until everyone gets their payday in the last five minutes. In summary, the black comedy really failed to materialise for me, it's violent in places but not overly so, and its a crime caper of sorts only - all of which failed to manifest in any real meaningful way. You don't have to see this on the big screen and can easily wait for the BluRay, DVD, digital download or streaming service to catch it from the comfort of your own home.

'Gringo' merits two claps of the clapperboard, from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 7th June 2018.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With five new release films out this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. Meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

SOLO : A STAR WARS STORY - Tuesday 29th May 2018.

'SOLO : A STAR WARS STORY' which I saw earlier this week is described as a 'Space Western' and is the second film in the Star Wars standalone anthology series which follows on the heels of 'Rogue One : A Star Wars Story' released in 2016 and is set prior to the events in 'A New Hope'. That first standalone instalment was Directed by Gareth Edwards and took in excess of US$1B at the global Box Office off the back of a US$200M Budget outlay. This film Premiered in Los Angeles on 10th May, was shown at the Cannes Film Festival on 15th May and saw its US release last week too. Filming began in January 2017 under the Directing leadership of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and after almost five months of principle photography the pair were fired from the set due to creative differences. They were replaced by Ron Howard who completed the last four weeks or so of principle photography and about another five weeks of reshoots. Lord and Miller are credited as Executive Producers. Made for a reported US$250M, early Reviews have indicated generally positive press, but a fairly lacklustre Box Office take so far of US$198M.

This film, as the name implies, centres on a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) whom we first encounter on the heavy industry planet Corellia, where he and his girlfriend Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) are being chased down by a bunch of underworld criminal types. Using his expert driving skills, Han and passenger Qi'ra manage to evade those in hot pursuit, and wanting to get off that Godforsaken planet they bribe an Imperial Officer at the airport with a small but extremely powerful and very valuable sample of Coaxium - a hyperspace fuel. Passing through screening having accepted the bribe, the two are momentarily separated causing Qi'ra to be captured on the wrong side of the departure terminal while Han has secured safe passage outta Dodge on the other. As Qi'ra is carted off, Han vows to return for her. He quickly signs up as a flight cadet in the Imperial Navy. The recruiting officer asks him which family is he from, to which Han replies he has no family, he's alone. The officer takes a few brief seconds and calls him 'solo'! From this early introduction and piecing together the approximate timeline, it is safe to assume that this film is set somewhere between 15 and 20 years before the events of 'A New Hope'.

Fast forward three years and Han is serving as an lowly canon fodder infantryman during a battle on Mimban where he happens upon a small but well organised group of criminals masquerading as Imperial Soldiers, led by one Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) and his wife Val (Thandie Newton). Han was discharged from the Imperial Navy flight school for gross insubordination in then intervening years. Han tries to wrangle his way into Beckett's gang but instead winds up getting arrested and thrown into a muddy pit to meet his fate at the hands of a marauding beast, who turns out to be a Wookie, named Chewbacca (Joonas Suotamo). Fortunately Han is able to speak limited Wookie and is able to communicate with the woolly beast, persuading him to join forces to effect their escape. This they do, as Beckett is about to take off, but comes back for the pair of escapees recognising that extra hands on deck won't go amiss. Beckett's plan is to steal a huge consignment of coaxiam from the planet Vandor.

On snow covered mountain terrain on Vandor, a high altitude speeding monorail train carrying its cargo of coaxium comes into sight with Beckett's hijacked ship hovering above. Beckett, Solo and Chewbacca jump down onto the roof of the speeding train in an attempt to attach grappling hooks which are connected by wires to the above ship, with a view to uncoupling the carriage carrying the precious cargo, and winching the sole carriage away, job done! Not so easy however, as a gang of pirates known as the Cloud Riders led by Enfys Nest (Erin Kellyman) have plans to take the haul of hyperspace fuel for themselves. What follows is an impressive action set piece that ultimately sees the cargo plunge into a mountain side destroying said mountain in the process by reducing it to mere rubble, with the Cloud Riders and Beckett's ship escaping in opposite directions high above.

Back on the ground Beckett reveals that the coaxium was being stolen for Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany) - a high ranking crime lord associated with the Crimson Dawn Syndicate, and who has history with Beckett. Thinking on his feet for fear of death for loosing the shipment, Beckett wants to go it alone to explain himself to Vos, but is convinced otherwise by Solo. Accompanied by Chewbacca, the three travel to Vos's vast ship.

Upon entering, Vos is entertaining a cacophony of  high ranking officials and criminal types from all walks of life. Han finds Qi'ra who in the three years since they last saw each other, has become Vos's top ranking lieutenant. With Vos none too pleased about the loss of his shipment and ready to kill all three of them, Han suggests a risky plan to steal unrefined coaxium from the mines on the planet Kessel. Vos approves albeit somewhat reluctantly, but sees that their outlandish plan might just work. He insists that Qi'ra accompany the team on their mission, and warns them not to come back empty handed, or attempt to cheat him out of the coaxium consignment.

Qi'ra leads them to Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), a smooth talking and debonair smuggler of some repute and a pilot who she hopes will lend them his ship to take the crew to Kessel. Han challenges Lando to a game of sabacc, betting on Lando's ship. Unbeknown to Han, Lando cheats to win the game, but agrees to join the mission in exchange for a 25% share of the profits. The team boards his ship, the Millennium Falcon, and heads for Kessel.

Upon reaching Kessel and infiltrating the mine disguised as high ranking officials, Lando's droid co-pilot L3-37 (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) instigates a slave revolt, so creating a diversion to allow Han and Chewbacca to steal a consignment of coaxium. On exiting the mine and before reboarding the Millennium Falcon a firefight breaks out between the heavily armed guards of the mine, the escaped workforce and the crew. Lando sustains a shoulder injury and L3 is severely damaged during the escape. 

With the coaxium stowed away aboard the Falcon, Han must navigate the ship along the dangerous and previous uncharted 'Maelstrom' in an attempt to evade an Imperial blockade located at the only point of exit/entry. Narrowly escaping the clutches of what can only be described as a giant space octopus the size of a small planet, and being dragged into a fire & brimstone black hole, the Falcon uses light speed and a small drop of coaxium injected into its fuel line to give it the oomph to get the Hell outta there. Badly damaged, the Falcon lands on the planet Savareen, where the coaxium is to be processed before handing it over to Vos. 

On Savareen, the crew are ambushed by Enfys Nest and her gang of Cloud Riders. During their frosty reception Lando flies off in the Falcon leaving the remaining crew grounded. Enfys reasons with Han that she and her crew are not pirates, but rather rebels trying to prevent the syndicates and the Empire from gaining power. Han understands their cause and tries to trick Vos with the now processed coaxium, but Beckett has already alerted him to the double cross. Vos sends his guards to kill Enfys, but the Cloud Riders turn the tables killing them instead, so leaving Vos without any defence. Having anticipated Vos' double crossing strategy, Han tries to take the coaxium, only for Beckett to escape with it taking Chewbacca hostage in the process. Han, Qi'ra and Vos battle it out with Qi'ra ultimately killing Vos. She sends Han after Beckett. Now alone, she contacts Vos's superior, Maul (Ray Park, and voiced by Sam Witwer), to inform him of the mission's failure and claim Vos's position within the Crimson Dawn Syndicate. Maul, orders her menacingly post haste to join him by his side, wielding his double sided lightsaber.

Han outruns Beckett and kills him. He and Chewbacca turn the coaxium over to Enfys and she offers Han a chance to join the rebellion against the Empire, which he declines. Upon leaving she gives him one vial of coaxium which should easily be enough to buy his own ship. Han and Chewbacca locate Lando and challenge him to another game of sabacc, once again betting on the Millennium Falcon. Han wins, having rumbled that Lando was a cheat and pick pocketed the card Lando was keeping up his sleeve in order to win. He and Chewbacca leave for Tatooine aboard their new ship, where Han has heard that a gangster is putting together a crew for a heist.  

I would have to say that compared to 'Rogue One : A Star Wars Story' that was the first hugely successful and well regarded stand alone film in the spin-off series that 'Solo' left me feeling a little disappointed and short changed. The casting is solid enough and for me Alden Ehrenreich delivers a convincing enough turn as the younger Han Solo, bearing in mind he has huge shoes to fill as quite possibly the most recognised and iconic movie character of all time. The visuals, action sequences and production values are also well rendered, but there is little new to see here in the story that we hadn't picked up before in Harrison Ford's earlier outings in the previous films. In this respect the film plays it safe taking us down a largely familiar path with an origin story that is a join the dots offering made good by fast paced action and relatable characters. But you can hardly blame Ron Howard for these shortcomings - after all he inherited to a very large extent the film we see today. There are nods that tie 'Solo' into the greater Star Wars universe - Solo and Chewie heading to Tatooine, and of course Qi'ra being inducted into the way of Maul (who made his first appearance in 'Star Wars : Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace', but these are fleeting nods thats serve nothing more than window dressing, at this stage, but then perhaps Disney has more in mind with future instalments. The film also features Jon Favreau voicing Rio Durant, Linda Hunt voices Lady Proxima and Anthony Daniels cameo's as Tak. 

For me this film merits three claps of the clapperboard, from a possible five. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 31st May 2018.

In May, the world bid a fond farewell to 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.

* Clint Walker : Norman Eugene 'Clint' Walker was born on May 30th 1927 and died on May 21st 2018, aged 90. He was an American Actor and Singer who gained his first big screen role in an uncredited appearance in the 1954 film 'Jungle Gents' as a Tarzan type character. Thereafter he came to the attention of Cecil B. DeMille who cast him alongside Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner and Edward G. Robinson in the epic 'The Ten Commandments'. Next up he was cast in the role for which he is perhaps best remembered as Cheyenne Bodie in 1957 in two episodes of hit Western television series 'Cheyenne' edited together too make a feature length film 'The Travellers'. The TV series 'Cheyenne' ran over seven series from 1955 through to 1963 with Walker playing the title character in all 108 episodes. He also appeared as that same character in a 1960 episode of 'Maverick', in the 1991 made for television film 'The Gambler Returns : The Luck of the Draw' and in a single episode of 'King Fu : The Legend Continues' in 1995. The Actor would go on to star in many Westerns over the following years including 'Fort Hobbs', 'Yellowstone Kelly', 'Requiem to Massacre', 'Gold of the Seven Saints', 'The Night of the Grizzly', 'More Dead Than Alive', 'Sam Whiskey', 'The Great Bank Robbery', 'Yuma', 'Hardcase', 'The Bounty Man', 'Baker's Hawk', 'The White Buffalo' and in a single episode of the epic television series of 1978's 'Centennial'. In the meantime, he also starred in Frank Sinatra's only Directorial effort, the WW2 actioner 'None But The Brave' in 1965, and then there was also his role as Samson Posey in the classic wartime 'The Dirty Dozen' in 1967 with an all star cast; the short-lived TV series spanning just thirteen episodes in the title role of 'Kodiak' as Alaskan State Patrolman Cal 'Kodiak' McKay, and his last screen role lending his voice to the character of Nick Nitro in 1997's 'Small Soldiers'. All up Walker had 42 Acting credits to his name in a career spanning five decades. He was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City in 2004.

* Margot Kidder : Margaret Ruth Kidder was born on October 17th 1948 and died on May 13th 2018, aged 69. She was an American/Canadian Actress and a political, environmental and anti-war Activist. Kidder gained her big screen debut in the 1969 docudrama 'The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kalahari'. This was followed up a year later by Norman Jewison's 'Gaily, Gaily' and then Brian de Palma's 'Sisters' in 1973, slasher horror flick 'Black Christmas' in 1974 and 'The Great Waldo Pepper' alongside Robert Redford in 1975. However, it was to be her role cast as Lois Lane in the 1978 'Superman' movie alongside Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent (aka 'Superman') that really propelled Kidder into the limelight. She reprised the role alongside Reeve in 1980's 'Superman II', 1983's 'Superman III' and 1987's 'Superman IV : The Quest for Peace'. 1979 saw another big ticket outing in the shape of the 'The Amityville Horror' in which Kidder starred alongside James Brolin as real life Kathy and George Lutz respectively. That film recouped US$87M from its US$5M Production Budget and spawned numerous sequels and reboots over the years. Following her mainstream success with the 'Superman' franchise and 'Amityville' her career took a somewhat stagnant pause although she remained active in feature films and television throughout the '80's, '90's and 2000's up until last year, but mostly in B-Grade features, made for television films, guest appearances on single or several episodes of TV series and the theatre. Her last four films were for Writer and Director Frank D'Angelo - these being 2014's 'The Big Fat Stone', 2015's 'No Deposit', 2016's 'The Red Maple Leaf' and 2017's 'The Neighbourhood' which was to be her final acting role. All up Kidder amassed 135 Acting credits to her name, and was the recipient of seven award wins and a further eight nominations.

This week there are just three new release movies coming to your local Odeon. We kick off with the second Directorial outing for this Aussie jobbing stuntman that also features his younger brother and an all star cast in a comedy crime offering about an unassuming businessman who gets into a spot of bother down Mexico way with the local drug cartel while learning that his wife back home is carrying on with one of his bosses who has hired his ex-Mercenray brother to keep him safe. We then move to a French foreign language biographical film about a famed painter at the turn of the last century who takes a leave of absence to escape Paris for the far flung remote reaches of Tahiti to rediscover his mo-jo . . . and that he does in more ways than one! And the week wraps up with a historical retelling of a 1976 passenger aeroplane hijacking that had the world on the edge of its seat before it all ended abruptly in a hail of bullets one week later.

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

'GRINGO' (Rated MA15+) - here Aussie Stuntman, Actor and only second time Director of a full length feature film, Nash Edgerton brings us this American comedy crime caper, which he also Co-Produced. Nash Edgerton is the older brother of Actor, Director, Writer and Producer Joel Edgerton. Nash's previous feature length Directing credit was the 2008 Australian thriller 'The Square', and he has worked as Stunt Coordinator or Stuntman in numerous Hollywood movies over the years and occasionally acts too.  For this film Nash has assembled an all star cast that takes in David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Thandie Newton, Sharlto Copley, Harry Treadaway, Paris Jackson and brother Joel amongst others. The film was released in the US in early March, has received mixed or average Reviews, and has so far taken US$6M at the Box Office.

Here, mild-mannered U.S. businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) works for a medical technology firm that has developed the 'weed pill' (a medical marijuana that has been simplified into a pill format.) Harold's bosses, Elaine Markinson (Charlize Theron) and Richard Rusk (Joel Edgerton), travel with him to Mexico to handle the mass production of the product. Harold fakes his own kidnapping in order to reap benefit from the company policy of paying out US$2M if anything was to happen to him in Mexico during a business trip. He learns too that his wife has left him as she is having an affair with Richard. While out drunk, Harold gets kidnapped for real by the cartel, who hold a grudge against his bosses and the company for cutting them out of their plans. Richard hires his brother Mitch (Sharlto Copley), who just happens to be an ex-mercenary, to keep Harold safe. Crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal, Harold must survive an increasingly dangerous situation that asks the question whether he is in over his head, or two steps ahead?

'GAUGUIN' (Rated M) - this biographical French foreign language offering is Directed and Co-Written by Edouard Deluc and recounts the story of French post-impressionist artist Paul Gauguin (Vincent Cassel) who lived from 1848 until 1903. Here, it is Paris, 1891 and feeling decidedly smothered by the political and bourgeois atmosphere underlying Paris at the time, with everything seemingly artificial and conventional, the artist decided that he needed to review his motivation and find a realism to renew his art. Failing to convince his wife Mette (Pernille Bergendorff) and his five children to follow him to the island paradise of Tahiti, he sets out alone. Upon arrival, he elects to settle down in Mataiera, a village far from Papeete, debunking himself to a native straw and mud hut. He soon finds his mo-jo, painting and carving in a style close to the primitive art specific to the island. During his two-year stay (he came and went over a ten year period during his latter life) Gauguin experienced solitude, poverty, heart problems and other trials and tribulations, but also happiness in the arms of Tehura (Tuhei Adams), a beautiful young, thirteen year old, native girl who helped regenerate his zest for life and had a lasting impact on his art.

'ENTEBBE' (Rated CTC) - aka '7 Days In Entebbe' in the US, this is an American crime drama Directed by Brazilian Jose Padilha (also known for the Brazilian crime drama films 'Elite Squad' and 'Elite Squad : The Enemy Within' and the 2014 'RoboCop' reboot.) This film concerns 'Operation Entebbe' - a successful counter terrorist hostage rescue mission carried out by Commandos of the Israel Defence Forces at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4th July 1976. The events of this hostage situation have been committed to film on three previous occasions - 1976's 'Victory at Entebbe', 1977's 'Raid on Entebbe' and the Israeli 1977 film 'Operation Thunderbolt'. Here, in this dramatisation, two Palestinian and two German terrorists, Brigitte Kuhlmann (Rosamund Pike) and Wilfried Bose (Daniel Bruhl) hijacked Air France Flight 139 en route from Tel Aviv, Israel to Paris, France via Athens, Greece. They held the 248 passengers and crew hostage at Entebbe Airport and demanded a ransom of US$5M for the aeroplane and the release of 53 Palestinian and pro-Palestinian militants, forty of whom were prisoners in Israel. After relocating all hostages to a disused airport building, the hijackers separated all Israelis and several non-Israeli Jews from the larger group and forced them into a separate room. Over the following two days, 148 non-Israeli hostages were released and flown out to Paris. Ninety-four, mainly Israeli passengers along with the twelve Air France crew, remained hostage and were threatened with death. The rescue operation mounted by the Israel Defence Force took a week to plan and just ninety minutes to execute. This that true story. Also starring Eddie Marsan as Shimon Peres, Lior Ashkenazi as Yitzhak Rabin and Angel Bonanni as Yonatan Netanyahu and Nonso Anomie as Idi Amin. The film has generated mixed or average Reviews at best and grossed so far US$7M since its release in the US in mid-March.

With three new release films out this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. Meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-