Tag: The Odyssey

August 31st, 2026

The Furious: This recent release in 2026 was filmed in Bangkok but set in Southeast Asia without a specified country. Directed by Kenji Tanigaki, it stars unknown actors to me Xie Maio as a mute father and Joe Taslim as the husband of a missing reporter. I will admit that I am not an avid or frequent watcher of martial arts movies. So I have a limited experience with this genre. This adds in crime and thriller, but in truth it is the martial arts, with the choreographed fights that are the selling point. The key is whether you belive, are engaged and feel entertained overall.

The story is a basic revenge story with a father searching for his kidnapped little girl. Children have been missing in the city, and Joe Taslim’s wife was investigating. She got too close. The bad guys involved are engaged in a heinous crime for which there is an ultimate family Boss, who we learn has as son-in-law who has a multi-leveled crime organization. Our hero, the mute father handy man with incredible martial arts skills, has put a monkey wrench into their operation. The plot continues with multiple well crafted and violent fight scenes. There is very little dialog. I will say that the last fighting scene is incredibly intense, long and very violent. This isn’t for the squeamish. But despite that, the fighting involved is very well done, with complex moves with multiple combatants. It is fun to watch and satisfying. The father takes a beating along with many, many others on both the bad guy side and good side. It’s much the same as a John Wick story, but with fewer guns, more knives and hand to hand combat. There is slow motion moves and plenty of blood. Of course there is an element of disbelief with the number of head shots and blows to each individual, like you need to let it pass that someone who takes a sledgehammer to the head will live to fight yet another battle. I can recommend this for those who appreciate this genre as well as those like me who don’t watch many of these movies.

Backrooms: This newly released psychological thriller stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and also Renate Reinvse. He is a divorced and angry furniture salesman, unable to become an arcitect and addresses this failing by drinking to excess. Renate plays a psychiatrist with a new book out for sale who counsels Chiwetel but also has her own addiction to deal with. The cheesey store in which Chiwetel works is having power issues, along with an apparent lack of real customers. Things happen when Chiwetel goes to investigate the power at the breaker source which are unusual to say the least. He discovers a labrynth of interconnecting rooms which he chooses to explore. There is at least one dark presence in this vast space he comes to learn.

That is about all the plot that needs to be shared at this stage. There were elements of The Blair Witch Project at play here with the first person camera perspective looking around in strange places along with fits and starts to surprise. There also is more than a little in the look and feel from Severance with ideas of a parallel universe, one in which a human character can choose to remain or not. They don’t exist simultaneously or anything. I found this very difficult to follow as it was quite strange. I also struggled with what happened to some people within the alternate rooms. It seems the human can manipulate things somewhat but not completely, living here at risk to oneself. It has been quite some time since there has been a mind fuck as complete as this one, where I finished as thought “what did I just watch?” and then “how on earth am I going to write about it”? Both ring true. The performances are decent but I do wish that there was more for Renate to do with this. She is a good actress. As I have been told, the concept of this movie came from an internet blogging idea, where one person provided a scene set up, while then others would take it on and fill in the details before handing it over to others. Conceptually it is interesting idea as not one person is expected to contribute fully to the outlook, but they build on what has been written before. In practise, what resulted was one strange movie that left me scratching my head. I was thankful that I didn’t see this in the theatre.

The Odyssey – Second Viewing: I went to see this movie again with a high school friend who had not seen it. I had known that for me seeing this another time would be a good thing as I would be picking up on a lot more than the first time. I liked this very much on first viewing and I like it even more now upon second viewing. I noticed more of the details since I wasn’t as focused on paying attention to the plot, along with being confused as to who some of the characters were (like Zendaya as Athena and Anne Hathaway as Penelope, Odysseus’ wife). Watching the details within this, I was intrigued by all the themes that are at play.

Such themes include, the arrogance of men who feel that they can defy the Gods. By defying the Gods, then there are consequences. At this time, there were Zeus’ laws and time after time those laws were being betrayed. The defiance of the Rule of Law echoed all through this film. Sometimes there were fleeting gains that were accomplished (like the falling of Troy through the means of deceiving the inhabitants by putting an army inside Athena’s gift of a horse) but it didn’t last. Those who were successful in breaching those laws for persoal gain were all punished one way or another. Throughout there is Goddess Athena (Zendaya) appearing before Odysseus and to speak with him, correcting him and challenging him. There is a theme of man, despite being given direct consequences of acts, will still act in a way that runs contrary to their best interests. Man has a difficult time seeing beyond the immediate situation, even when given orders by a superior. We also see the trials of leadership, and even a well respected leader can have his own men turn on him. Man’s alliances and allegiances can change with the tides. As well, leadership isn’t always in the form of a man, as Penelope points out that she had been running Ithaca without her King and husband for twenty years. So many tried and true themes which resonate just as loudly today as in the time of Homer. Time after time, there is acknowledgement about how “smart” that Odysseus is, from his men, his servants, his fellow leaders. Interestingly, [spoiler alert!] Odysseus is the only one of his party who survived his passage back home and yet still had to fight further battles to have any peace at home. A relatively short journey home geographically was turned into this epic journey filled with unexpected challenges at each turn.

One thing I will note is the quality of the production. From the sets, the production design, the ships used on the ocean, no expense was spared for authenticity. For example the armour used. Save for John Boorman’s King Arthur story Excalibur and its armour, I think that this is some of the most striking armour on film. In particular I will comment on the armour worn by Agamemnon. It exudes leadership, strength, protection and demands respect. It is in pristine condition as opposed to the armour worn by Odysseus and his men. I do think that the resemblance to Roman armour is distracting but never mind that.

The ships on the ocean are real, and you can sense the power of the ocean (and Poseidon) as the craft is fighting the waves. The details in the trojan horse and how it was made, left in the sand and transported to Troy was all well executed. The scenes in Ithaca with Penelope and her son keeping the suitors at bay were all well done. All of which bring together an epic tale with universal themes which reveal why Christopher Nolan wanted to make this story to begin with.

Overall this now blockbuster (surpassing $1.4B worldwide as of today) is worth your time and should be seen in the biggest and loudest theatre that you can find. My high school buddy’s reaction as a first time viewer was that he liked it, and “it was LOUD”. Yes it definitely is that.

July 27th, 2026

The Odyssey: Christopher Nolan’s most recent effort with this classic Homer story is an epic undertaking but well worth the viewing in the largest screen that you can find. I went to the IMAX theatre with bone rattling sound on a Tuesday afternoon which was almost sold out (the only available seats right at the first row). Elsewhere in Toronto, other IMAX showings this week were sold out, so there is plenty of buzz for the over 2.5 hour film. I will say that I deliberately avoided trailers and other reviews before seeing this. I want to go to the theatre with as few pre-conceived ideas as possible and a fresh outlook. Naturally with Nolan for me, I am a fan of his work and I look forward to his releases. This did not disappoint.

This is a story about the life of Odysseus (played by Matt Damon) but introduced through the characters of his son Telemachus (played by Tom Holland) and his wife Penelope (played by Anne Hathaway). Odysseus has been gone from Ithaca for many years, and some believe that he is dead. Penelope is the Queen and she believes in his still being alive but there are many suitors gathered in her castle to look to marry her and rule. So the story begins as then we go back in time as son looks to find any news of his father. Incidentally, Damon for this film is ripped. Nolan chastised Christian Bale in The Dark Knight because Bale was too ripped for that movie.

Within the retelling of the past we hear about the sacking of the city of Troy. Odysseus is Greek with his Greek army and navy, while Troy was a city of Spartans. Many who studied Greek mythology would know about the Trojan Horse which was used to hide troops as the horse was carried into the gates of Troy. Troy of course was also another movie from 2004 with Brad Pitt as the God Achilles telling the story of Helen of Troy who for love of Paris leaves her King and stays held up in Troy. A war ensues. I will note that Homer also wrote The Iliad which pairs with The Odyssey but Troy was more closed tied to Iliad. It focuses on the war, but despite this note that the Odyssey has plenty of war scenes with the sacking of Troy. This movie has a different take for the seige and defeat of Troy, with the consequences that come from it. The victors at Troy look to embark for home but they run into troubles along the way. How the soldiers with their leader manage to voyage through their travels is much of the focus, and using their wits to avoid the perils found within. That is all of the plot that I would share.

This movie is beautifully shot in IMAX and has tremendous sound. It is well acted among the principal actors. Matt Damon has plenty of screen time, and I do like his performance. Ideally I could see a younger Russell Crowe be very good for this role, and maybe now a Michael Fassbender. Damon doesn’t seem to have that harder edge to him that other actors may have brought to the role. But it is still a solid performance. There are a number of parallels between this story and for Gladiator. Much has been made by few who cannot imagine that Nolan has chosen a diverse cast, rather than what they feel should be all whites. It is a ridiculous position in my mind since Homer never made any mention, for example, of the colour of Helen of Troy’s skin. Nolan chose Lupita Nyong’o, without a doubt a beautiful woman but different than Diane Kruger from Troy, to play Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships. It doesn’t seem out of place at all, especially for a myth, to have all sorts of colours and creeds play the parts from that part of the world. For me, I was luke warm on the selection of Elliot Page in the role of Sinon. The casting of Sinon’s older brother Antinous, played by Robert Pattinson was much better. Pattinson has become an excellent character actor with depth and a flair for embracing darkness and complexity in those roles. From Tenet to The Batman and The Lighthouse he shines. Other excellent casting choices take place throughout like John Leguizamo, Charlize Theron, Corey Hawkins, Samantha Morton and Jon Bernthal. The scenes on water with the waves, wind and weather were well done. Each of the various scenes depicting island challenges are each handled so very well and will have the audience taken back to more myths. It is an interesting choice for Nolan to decide on this topic, with three Batman movies in his catalog, along with one of the best space movies (Interstellar) and other time shifting movies Inception, Tenet and Memento. He has claimed that without the success of Oppenheimer that this would not have been green lit. This seems to be a movie that people need to see and get excited about in the theatres in much the same way as Top Gun Maverick did a little over a year ago. Nolan has cemented his place among the film directing greats and this will add to his reputation. There are of course underlying messages within the story that are timeless. Concepts like the frailty and weakness of humans, and how they act despite the fact that they can be told the consequences of those actions. Others like the punishment for mankind generally for betraying the Gods and their laws but along with it the very personal impact to one man and the choices that he has made for himself, and his family. There is also a commentary into the ongoing ancient passing of leadership only from man to son, without taking into account women. All were well delivered and articulated. A movie can show you ancient times but the message delivered can be very relevant to the times that we currently live under. At the end of my viewing, people in the audience were clapping and cheering. I think this is a much better movie than Troy. I never liked the CGI in Gladiator and the images on screen here were universally excellent. There was no scrimping on the graphics to compensate for an over-extended budget like Ridley Scott had to do. I expect to watch this additional times and see what I didn’t catch the first time. This should be at the top of your summer viewing list.

The Sheep Detectives: George Hardy, played by Hugh Jackman, is a farmer in the country who tends to his sheep. He loves his sheep. He has named each of them, and each night he will read murder mysteries to them. George unexpectedly ends up dead, under mysterious circumstances. Enter his sheep who look to solve the murder. This is the premise of the new release on Prime. It is live action, with CGI for the animals involved. The live actors supporting the story include Emma Thompson, Molly Gordon and Nicholas Braun as the daft local police officer who bumbles his way through the case, his first murder case ever. Hardy’s sheep are voiced by various known actors like Bryan Cranston, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Patrick Stewart and Chris O’Dowd. The sheep are all very different from one another and Dreyfuss as Lily is the brains of the operation. Others chip in as well, with others behaving, well like sheep and going along with what the others decide.

This is family viewing, and meant to be that way. There are some family-friendly inside jokes with a live character wanting to take an inventory of Hardy’s sheep and midway through counting them he falls asleep in his car. Lily convinces the other sheep that there was a murder and that there are certain traits that such stories follow. The sheep of course speak to one another but only ever bleat to the live humans in the cast. The sheep do manage to get around, out of their enclosure (it was a significant event for Lily and Mopple to learn from Sebastian how to cross the road off the property (and yes there is a joke inserted here as well). Further they are in the town and listening in to the rambling of Braun and later the lawyer who intervenes and the two children of Hardy (his wife had passed away). Things unfold as they are meant to and the audience is left wondering who the culprit might be. I will admit that my guesses were incorrect as the story unfolds. This was light entertainment with some familiar actors and voices involved. I was surprised to see Comleth Hill (Lord Varys from Game of Thrones) with hair, and playing the local butcher. This was alright, and met with expectations. There were a few smiles and with some decent CGI for the animals. It goes without saying that with talking sheep solving a murder that one’s beliefs need to be checked at the door with the imagination being in full gear.