THE HOUSEMAID : Tuesday 30th December 2025

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE HOUSEMAID' this week, and this American psychological thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by Paul Feig, and is based on the 2022 novel of the same name penned by Freida McFadden. Paul Feig's filmography take in his debut with 'I Am David' in 2003, and which he would follow up with the likes of 'Bridesmaids' in 2011, 'The Heat' in 2013, 'Spy' in 2015, 'Ghostbusters' in 2016, 'A Simple Favor' in 2018, and 'Another Simple Favor' released earlier last year. The film was released in the US last week, has generated largely positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$70M off the back of a US$35M production budget.

The film opens with Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) driving through the streets of Long Island to locate the lavish home of the wealthy Winchester family, at which she is attending an interview with Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) for a live-in housemaid. Nina explains the details of the role, gives Millie a brief tour, and says thanks for her interest and she'll be in touch in a couple of days. Millie drives away feeling fairly downbeat about her chances of success. We then see Millie sleeping rough in her car on the rooftop of a car park. Early one morning she is woken by two Police Officers who tell her she can't sleep here and who tell her to move on. Millie makes up some story on the spot just as her phone rings. As the Police leave telling her not to drive and text, Millie answers the phone to Nina who asks when can she start. Millie says 'how about this afternoon', to which Nina replies with 'perfect', and hangs up. 

Upon arrival at the Winchester house, Nina is very enthusiastic to welcome Millie to the family. She takes Millie up to the attic room which will be her bedroom. It has one triangular window above the single bed which does not open, and the door is locked from the outside with a key and a dead bolt. Millie quickly learns first hand that Nina shows signs of severe mental illness, and repeatedly puts her in double bind situations. 

The first instance is when Nina has to make a speech at her daughter's Cecelia 'Cece' (Indiana Elle) school the next day, and needs some time by herself to write the speech. The next morning Millie wakes up late, and comes downstairs to see an irate Nina turning the kitchen upside down, throwing breakfast items on the floor and frantically rummaging through kitchen cupboards and drawers in search of her written speech, which she accuses Millie of hiding. Her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) comforts her and calms her down, and reassures Millie that everything is fine and that she's not to blame. Millie is left to clean up Nina's mess.

We learn that Andrew grew up in a privileged home and worked in a law firm owned by his father which he inherited upon his death. And now whilst he is the owner of the law firm he really wants nothing more than to be good husband and father. He's also handsome, charming, well toned, has a million dollar smile, and all the ladies swoon after him. He also designed and built the house the Winchester family now live in. 

One day, while Millie is serving afternoon tea to Nina and three of her best friends, Nina excuses herself for a few moments and the three start to tittle tattle to themselves about their disdain for Nina and saying how they don't understand how Andrew puts up with her. They further talk amongst themselves that years prior, Nina attempted to end young daughter Cece's life by drowning her in the bathtub, and her own by overdosing, which resulted in her being admitted to a psychiatric hospital for nine months to recover. 

Some time later, Nina asks Millie to arrange a weekend in the city for Nina and Andrew to see a Broadway musical that he wants to see, and stay in a hotel. Millie makes the necessary arrangements as instructed, only for Nina to deny having asked her to do that, stating the cost will be deducted from her paycheck. Millie says she can't afford for that to happen, but Nina stands firm. Andrew intervenes and says that no monies will be refunded from her paycheck. Nina is occupied that weekend, so Millie and Andrew secretly agree to attend the show together after Andrew is unable to get the tickets refunded. After enjoying the show, eating out, dancing and drinking too much the pair decide to check into the hotel but take separate rooms. Millie dozes off and comes round realising that she has missed multiple angry texts from Nina, including one firing her. She goes into Andrew's room to show him the texts, and they end up having sex. 

After they return home, Nina finds an advertising booklet from the show, which leads to a fight where Andrew demands Nina leave. She does, and Andrew and Millie begin living together as a couple. One morning, Millie is preparing breakfast when she is freaked out by the gardener Enzo Accardi (Michele Morrone) staring at her through the back door, In her fright she accidentally drops a tray and breaks a prized crockery set handed down from Andrew's grandmother and recently given to him by his mother Evelyn Winchester (Elizabeth Perkins). Andrew reassures her that it's OK and can be fixed, and she cleans up the mess and puts all the broken china in a plastic zip lock bag, only for him to later lock Millie inside her room. 

Nina is shown happy to be leaving, and sets about recording her past in a letter to Cece. Early in their relationship, after a minor dispute about her dark hair roots showing through her dyed blonde hair style, Andrew tricked her into entering the attic storage room (later Millie's room) before locking her inside. Andrew demanded that, before he free her, Nina pull one hundred strands of hair out of her scalp, follicles still attached. He then leaves her with only three small bottles of water. Eventually, she does as instructed, only for Andrew to demand she do it again, claiming one lacked the follicle. When he finally let her go, he brought her a small, drugged bottle of water which she downed straight away before running to see Cece. Nina then passed out on the floor of Cece's bedroom, after which Andrew staged events to appear as if Nina attempted to kill Cece by drowning her in a running bath, and then herself. Nina was subsequently sent to a psychiatric hospital and was kept there until she falsely confessed. 

Nina intentionally hired Millie having thoroughly investigated her background, knowing that Andrew would romantically pursue her and leave Nina for her, believing Millie to be more than capable of potentially protecting herself against him. As we learn, Millie is out on parole having served ten years of a thirteen year sentence for the murder (dropped to a manslaughter charge) of a fellow male student whilst at college, who was witnessed to be raping a female student.

Back to the present day and Andrew tells Millie through the securely locked attic door that she is being punished for breaking and not washing the bone china items she dropped. He slides a piece of broken china under the door and instructs her that she deeply cuts twenty-one long lines into her stomach (matching the number of shards of broken china) before he will free her. After sometime, she does, and Andrew enters the room to let her out. After comforting her and explaining that there are consequences for actions, Millie stabs him in the neck with a cheese knife which Nina had previously stashed there for her. After a struggle, she gains the upper hand and locks him in the room. 

She then heads downstairs, makes herself a sandwich and recovers from her ordeal. She then goes through the kitchen drawers and finds a pair of pliers. She takes the pliers and the full set of remaining bone china crockery up to the attic room door and begins systematically smashing the crockery set on the floor, as he hears what she is doing and sees broken shards coming in through underneath the door. She then passes the pliers through and tells him to pull out one of his front teeth with the pliers, putting an end to his million dollar smile which he is renowned for. She also pours petrol underneath the door and threatens to burn the house down with him inside unless he complies with her wishes. 

Meanwhile, while eating at a burger joint, Nina tells Cece that they are moving away, but Cece suggests that they should first rescue Millie. Nina returns to the house undercover of darkness and seeing the light on in the attic room assumes Millie is locked inside. She sneaks in and unlocks the door before Millie can stop her. Andrew attacks her and throws her down the stairs and then chases Millie seemingly out of the house, but she seems to have escaped. Andrew pleads with Nina to resume their life together saying that he can change and he wants to be a better man, but Nina refuses so he attempts to kill her again, before Millie reappears and pushes him over the edge of the spiral staircase, where he plummets to the hard floor below like a rag doll, killing him instantly. Nina unscrews a light bulb hanging directly over the spiral staircase and drops it on him to make it appear like an accidental death.

Investigating the incident, Policewoman Jessica Connors (Alexandra Seal) notices inconsistencies in Nina's story including the deep cut to Andrew's neck and how strange it is that he would be changing a light bulb in the middle of the night. However, knowing what happened to Andrew's first fiancee, her sister, she does not investigate further, saying that she'll just put it down to one of those obscure domestic accidents that happen from time to time. After Andrew's funeral, Millie is seen observing from a distance. Nina and Cece come over, the pair embrace and Nina slips a cheque into Millie's hand for US$100K with which to start a new life. Millie later attends another housemaid interview. The interviewer says she comes highly recommended by Nina, and indicates that her husband is abusing her. Millie replies by asking when she can start working.

'The Housemaid' is hardly going to win any major awards this season, but nonetheless it's a fun and entertaining watch, and a throwback to the late '80's and early '90's erotic film noir offerings that Michael Douglas seemed to churn out frequently enough back in the day. Paul Feig has crafted a campy, pulpy thriller that knows exactly what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else, and for this he is to be congratulated for stepping outside his usual action comedy offerings for something a little different. Amanda Seyfried shines in her role as the seemingly unhinged wife who comes good in the end, and Sydney Sweeney is also well cast as the well intentioned woman who becomes a little unhinged in the end. There are a few plot holes in the script, but otherwise the film is well worth the price of your cinema ticket to maintain your interest for 130 minutes and to see where the twists and turns take you. 

'The Housemaid' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st January 2026.

As 2025 draws to a close, all that remains for me to say is to wish you the very best for a safe, healthy, prosperous and happy New Year. Wherever you are in the world, get out and watch a movie at your local multiplex or independent cinema and support all those working tirelessly in front and behind the camera. This past year I've Reviewed fifty new movies and have Previewed 253, and so many thanks for your continuing support and readership over the past twelve months. I look forward to bringing you more of the same content throughout 2026, kicking off at the end of January, as I'm taking the next month off as many Aussie's do during the summer holiday period. Until next time . . . at your local Odeon.

Looking ahead to the first new release movies of 2026, we kick off with a biographical musical drama film charting the highs and lows of a husband and wife Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute band. This is followed up by a British historical drama offering in which a choral society's male members enlist in World War I, leaving the demanding choirmaster to recruit teenagers, and together, they experience the joy of singing. Next up we have a Chinese Sci-Fi drama film set in a society where people stop dreaming to extend their lifespan, yet some dangerous individuals still dream, warping the fabric of time. And closing out the week we have an animated fantasy adventure comedy film about an unlikely duo Mr. Fish, a pouty introvert and an energetic sea dragon, who embark on a daunting quest to find a legendary fish to grant their wish to save their homes.

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

'SONG SUNG BLUE' (Rated M) - this American biographical musical drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Craig Brewer and is based on the 2008 documentary film of the same name by Greg Kohs. Craig Brewer's prior feature film making efforts include 'Hustle & Flow' in 2005, 'Black Snake Moan' in 2006, 'Footloose' (the remake) in 2011, 'Dolemite Is My Name' in 2019, and 'Coming 2 America' in 2021. This film had its World Premiere screening at the AFI Film Festival in late October last year, has garnered generally favourable critical reviews and has so far grossed US$13M from its production budget of US$30M since its release Stateside on Christmas Day. 

Based on a true story, two down-on-their-luck musicians Mike and Claire Sardina (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band they call 'Lightning and Thunder'. Along their musical journey together they experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak, while still proving that it's never too late to find love and follow your dreams. Also starring Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi and King Princess.

'THE CHORAL' (Rated M) - is a British historical drama film that is Co-Produced and Directed by Nicholas Hytner and is Written by Alan Bennet. Hytner's previous film output takes in 'The Madness of King George' in 1994, 'The Crucible' in 1996, 'The Object of My Affection' in 1998, 'Centre Stage' in 2000, 'The History Boys' in 2006 and 'The Lady in the Van' in 2015. Here, set in 1916 as war rages on the Western Front, the Choral Society in the fictional town of Ramsden, Yorkshire has lost most of its men to the army. The Choral's ambitious committee, determined to press ahead, decides to recruit local young males to swell their ranks. They must also engage a new chorus master, and despite their suspicions that he has something to hide, their best bet seems to be Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) - driven, uncompromising, and recently returned from a career in Germany. As conscription papers start to arrive, the whole community discovers that the best response to the chaos that is laying waste to their lives is to make music together. Also starring Roger Allam, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong, Simon Russell Beale and Robert Emms. The film saw its World Premiere screening at TIFF in early September last year, was released in the UK in early November, has so far grossed US$5M and has garnered mixed or average reviews. 

'RESURRECTION' (Rated MA15+) - this epic Chinese and French Co-Produced Sci-Fi drama film is Co-Written, Directed and Edited by Bi Gan who also helmed 'Long Day's Journey into Night' in 2018. This film follows Miss Shu (Shu Qi) in a future where most of humanity has lost the capacity to dream, who discovers that one inhuman creature (Jackson Yee) is still able to experience them. She enters the monster's dreams, using her ability to perceive illusions to determine the truth in its visions of Chinese history. The film is structured into six chapters, each corresponding to one of the six senses recognised in Buddhist thought - sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind. The film had its World Premiere showcasing in late May last year at the Cannes Film Festival in Official Competition, was released in China in late November, in France in mid-December, having so far grossed US$27M and generated universal critical acclaim. 

'THE POUT-POUT FISH' (Rated G) - is an Australian and US produced animated fantasy adventure comedy film Directed by Ricard Cusso and Rio Harrington, and is based on the collection of children's books published between 2008 and 2022 by Deborah Diesen. Living on a rundown shipwreck, Mr. Fish (voiced by Nick Offerman) one day discovers a hyperactive young leafy sea dragon Pip (Nina Oyama) who had mistaken his home for a junkyard - pilfering his belongings. The heated argument that ensues leaves both their houses in ruin. But there is hope. Embarking on a seemingly impossible quest in search of the mythical Siamese fighting fish 'Shimmer' (Jordin Sparks) to grant them a wish, there's only one problem - someone else is on the hunt. Also starring Miranda Otto, Remy Hii, Mark Coles Smith, Grant Denyer and Nazeem Hussain. The film will be released towards the end of March in the US.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

AVATAR : FIRE AND ASH : Tuesday 23rd December 2025

I saw the M Rated 'AVATAR : FIRE AND ASH' earlier this week, and this American epic Sci-Fi film is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Co-Edited by James Cameron, and is the sequel to 2022's 'Avatar: The Way of Water'. This is the third instalment in the Avatar film series, which began with 'Avatar' in 2009, with those first two films grossing a total US$5.267B off the back of a combined production budget of US$587M. James Cameron made his feature film debut with 'Piranha II : The Spawning' in in 1982 which he would follow up with 'Terminator' in 1984, 'Aliens' in 1986, 'The Abyss' in 1989, 'Terminator 2 : Judgement Day' in 1992, 'True Lies' in 1994, and 'Titanic' 1997 before embarking on this monolithic film franchise. The film was released worldwide last week, with two additional sequels, 'Avatar 4' and 'Avatar 5', in various stages of production and scheduled to be released in 2029 and 2031, respectively. With a production budget of US$400M+ the film has so far recouped US$545M at the global Box Office, has garnered generally favourable critical reviews and has so far won thirteen awards and been nominated a further thirty-three times from around the awards and festival circuit.

A year after settling in with the Metkayina clan, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri's (Zoe Saldana) family grapples with grief after their first son and oldest child Neteyam's (Jamie Flatters) death in battle in the previous film. Neytiri has developed a strong disliking and a mistrust toward humans. When a fleet of flying merchant ships arrive, the Wind Traders led by Peylak (David Thewlis), Jake and Neytiri decide Spider (Jack Champion) the teenage human son of Colonel Miles Quaritch who was formerly rescued from Quaritch by Jake and Neytiri, and who have been raising him like one of their own, must leave the Metkayina, but that the family will accompany him on the trip to return him to the humans. 

After departing the Metkayina clan, the Wind Traders convoy is ambushed by the Mangkwan, an aggressive Na'vi tribe who reject Eywa (the divine, globally connected consciousness of Pandora, a vast biological network linking all life, worshipped by the Na'vi as the Great Mother). Led by their spiritual leader Varang (Oona Chaplin), the Mangkwan set fire to the ships, looting them and killing survivors. The family becomes separated and are chased down by the Mangkwan. 

Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and Corporal Lyle Wainfleet (Matt Gerald) find Jake, and they reluctantly work together to find the children. Spider's oxygen mask runs out of power, and he collapses from asphyxiation. Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) connects her queue to the ground and goes into a trance. After his body is infused with mycelia, Spider later wakens with the ability to breathe Pandora's atmosphere unaided.

Eventually, the children are trapped by the Mangkwan. Quaritch and Jake arrive, and Quaritch ventures to the Mangkwan encampment and teaches Varang how to use guns and flamethrowers. Kiri commands the flora to kill their guards, enabling her family's escape. Kiri learns that she was born of Eywa, but is blocked from connecting with her. Quaritch travels to the Mangkwan's village, bringing them plentiful supplies of firearms and flamethrowers. He convinces them to form an alliance, and begins a relationship with Varang.

Kiri helps Spider bond with the wildlife, but the two are ambushed and Spider is taken by Quaritch. Quaritch invades the Metkayina village with the Mangkwan, demanding Jake. Jake surrenders himself to avoid war, and he and Spider are taken to the RDA (Resources Development Administration) base, Bridgehead City, where the Mangkwan now reside. In captivity, Spider is subjected to many tests, and after examining Spider, Dr. Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore) and Dr. Max Patel (Dileep Rao) discover the mycelia organism inside his body, which they realise could be reverse engineered to allow every human to breathe on Pandora. Spider is also growing a neural queue on his head, allowing him to connect to Pandoran fauna just like the Na'vi do. Meanwhile, Jake is chained, locked up and called out as a traitor by the people of Bridgehead City. 

Looking for Payakan (a young bull Tulkun [large highly intelligent marine whale-like species native to the oceans of Pandora] that has been labeled as an outcast by not only the Metkayina clan, but the larger Tulkun community also). Lo'ak (Britain Dalton) the second son of Jake and Neytiri, is attacked by a group of giant squid, but he is rescued by Tulkun whales. Hundreds of Tulkun begin to congregate for an annual mating event, which could bring substantial profit when hunted for their amrita (a naturally occurring substance in the creature's brains which has the medical power to stop human ageing). RDA biologist Dr. Ian Garvin (Jemaine Clement) opposes the plans, but his advice is ignored.

With Jake scheduled to be executed at 6:00am the next morning by firing squad, Neytiri infiltrates the base, and Ian steals a giant bulldozer to free Jake. Spider escapes the RDA laboratories, and knowing they cannot afford to kill him, acts as a human shield to protect the pair as they make their escape. After fleeing to safety, Jake and Neytiri argue over Spider's liability to the potential human conquest of Pandora. Jake takes Spider into the forest and readies to kill Spider by slitting his throat, but stops at the last second. Neytiri who initially wanted to abandon Spider is now remorseful, and she finally accepts Spider into her family.

Back at the Metkayina village, the Tulkun council hear Jake's warning of an incoming massacre, but decide not to change their pacifist ways. Lo'ak brings Payakan and Tan'ok, the disfigured sole survivor of a human attack on Payakan's pod, and the Tulkun elders reconsider their stance. Jake re-bonds with the apex aerial predator Toruk and rallies the Na'vi clans to battle. 

The next day, as the RDA fleet arrives for the hunt, the Tulkun and Na'vi ambush them. The Mangkwan and Quaritch suddenly attack, inflicting heavy casualties, including Rotxo (Duane Evans Jnr.). Metkayina spiritual leader Ronal (Kate Winslet) is mortally wounded and dies in childbirth, with Neytiri taking her baby, Pril and vowing to take care of the newborn infant, but she is captured and taken to the RDA flagship. 

Kiri unlocks her ability to communicate with Eywa and asks for help. The Pandoran wildlife attacks the rest of the RDA forces. Varang tries to kill Neytiri, but she is rescued by Kiri, leading her to flee. Jake's Toruk destroys the RDA flagship as it is sucked up into a magnetic flux. Jake and Quaritch are thrown into the flux and fight each other, with Spider following. Spider shoots Quaritch with an arrow into his arm, but he falls off a floating rock, only for Quaritch to catch him. Jake reluctantly pulls them both up, and Neytiri and her children arrive. Outnumbered, clearly at a disadvantage and knackered from his intense fight with Jake, Quaritch leaps off the rock, presumably to his death.

After the battle, Spider and the Metkayina clan members connect to the underwater spirit trees, where he meets all the deceased Na'vi. Kiri introduces Spider to her mother, Grace (Sigourney Weaver), and they initiate him into the Na'vi people. 

James Cameron with 'Avatar : Fire and Ash' has once again solidified his place as a master storyteller with his Pandoran world building, the character arcs, and the sheer spectacle of Pandora's flora and fauna. This is a film that has to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and in glorious 3D to really appreciate the quality of the technical workmanship that went into rendering the amazing imagery presented on screen, and for that Cameron can't be faulted. That said, the plot is really more of the same as seen in the first two instalments, and the dialogue is at times clunky and repetitive (I lost count of the number of times 'you got this' and 'we can do this' popped out of a characters mouth!). As for the performances, Oona Chaplin's Varang adds a new dimension to Pandora's darker side, ably aided and abetted by Stephen Lang's Quaritch, with many of the returning Actor's anchored more convincingly by the advances in motion capture technology in the sixteen years since the first film hit our movie theatres. At the longest runtime of the series so far at three hours and seventeen minutes, the immersion in the films spectacle did not leave me wanting, and the battle sequences and fight scenes are expertly staged and rendered to maintain interest and propel the story along. Also starring Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Edie Falco and Brendan Cowell. As an extra bonus see if you can spot the nods to Brian De Palma's 1987 film 'The Untouchables' and Mel Gibson's 1995 film 'Braveheart'. 

'Avatar : Fire and Ash' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week - Thursday 25th & Friday 26th December 2025.

Christmas is upon us once again and every year it seems to come around quicker than the last. And so it is that time of year to wish my worldwide readership all the best for a very Merry, Happy and safe Christmas, wherever you are in world, whatever it is you do to celebrate the occasion, and whoever you share it with. Thanks for your ongoing support over the last twelve months - it is your viewership that makes my reviews and previews of the latest release new movies worthwhile, and I look forward to doing more of the same throughout 2026. Until then, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, complements of the season, may your God be with you, and enjoy your festivities - from Sydney, Australia. 

Turning the attention to this weeks slew of eight new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a psychological thriller that sees a struggling woman who seems happy to start over as a live-in maid for an affluent, elite couple who harbour sinister secrets . . . what could possibly go wrong? Then we turn to a comedy drama film about an American actor in Tokyo struggling to find purpose lands an unusual gig - working for a Japanese agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. Next up we have a pair of hapless guys going through their mid-life crises who have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favourite action horror movie, but, it might just get them killed! This is followed by a Norwegian film about a fractured relationship between an acclaimed Director and his two estranged daughters, which becomes even more complicated when he decides to make a personal film about their family history. Up next is a drama offering from a first time Director about a young addict living on the streets of London who is given a shot at redemption, but his road to recovery soon curdles into a strange odyssey from which he may never escape. Following on we have a French drama offering which has an acclaimed musical conductor who has leukemia and needs a bone marrow donor, and learning he was adopted, he finds an older brother, a musician and factory worker. Then, we have a documentary that follows the career of George Orwell, and how his political observations are still relevant in present day authoritarianism; before closing out the week with an animated adventure comedy that sees SpongeBob journey to the ocean's depths to face the Flying Dutchman's ghost, encountering challenges and uncovering marine mysteries.

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

'THE HOUSEMAID' (Rated MA15+) - is an American psychological thriller film that is Co-Produced and Directed by Paul Feig, and is based on the 2022 novel of the same name penned by Freida McFadden. Paul Feig's filmography take in his debut with 'I Am David' in 2003, and which we would follow up with the likes of 'Bridesmaids' in 2011, 'The Heat' in 2013, 'Spy' in 2015, 'Ghostbusters' in 2016, 'A Simple Favor' in 2018, and 'Another Simple Favor' released earlier this year. The film was released in the US last week, has generated largely positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$23M off the back of a US$35M production budget.

Here, we enter a twisted world where perfection is an illusion, and nothing is as it seems. Trying to escape her past, Millie Calloway (Sydney Sweeney) accepts a job as a live-in housemaid for the affluent and elite couple Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). But what begins as a dream job quickly unravels into something far more dangerous - a sexy, seductive game of secrets, scandal, and power. Behind the Winchesters' closed doors lies a world of shocking twists that will leave you guessing until the very end.

'RENTAL FAMILY' (Rated M) - this US and Japanese Co-Produced comedy drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Hikari (real name Mitsuyo Miyazaki) in only her second feature film offering following '37 Seconds' in 2019. Set in modern-day Tokyo, this film follows an American Actor Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Fraser) who has lived in Japan for seven years and who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig working for a Japanese 'rental family' agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection. The film has its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in late September and was released Stateside towards the end of November having generated largely positive press and grossing so far US$10M.

'ANACONDA' (Rated M) - is an American action comedy film that is Co-Written and Directed by Tom Gormican and serves as a meta-reboot of the 1997 film of the same name. Tom Gormican's previous feature film making efforts are 'That Awkward Moment' in 2014 and 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' in 2022. Here, wedding videographer Doug McCallister (Jack Black) and background actor Ronald 'Griff' Griffin Jnr. (Paul Rudd) who are both experiencing a mid-life crisis, travel to the Amazon to film an amateur remake of their favourite horror film, 1997's 'Anaconda'. Their project unravels when a real giant anaconda emerges, turning the light-hearted shoot into a perilous fight to stay alive. Also starring Steve Zahn, Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior with Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez making cameo appearances as themselves. The film is released Stateside this week too.

'SENTIMENTAL VALUE' (Rated M) - this Norwegian drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Joachim Trier whose previous feature film output takes in his debut with 'Reprise' in 2006, which he would follow up with 'Oslo, 31 August' in 2011, 'Louder Than Bombs' in 2015, 'Thelma' in 2017 and 'The Worst Person in the World' in 2021. Sisters Nora Borg (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes Borg Pettersen (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav (Stellen Skarsgard), a once-renowned Director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning). Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father, and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics. The film had its World Premiere showcasing at the main competition of this years Cannes Film Festival in late May where it received widespread critical acclaim, won the Grand Prix, and received a nineteen minute standing ovation. The film has so far grossed US$12M since its release, has generated universal critical acclaim and has so far collected fourteen award wins and a further ninety nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, many of which are still pending a final outcome.

'URCHIN' (Rated MA15+) - is a British drama film that is Written, Directed, stars and is Co-Produced by Harris Dickinson through the Production Company, Devisio Pictures, which he founded with Producer Archie Pearch. This is Dickinson's feature film making debut. On the streets of London, Mike (Frank Dillane) a young man experiencing homelessness, is hustling to get by. Roadside evangelists won't let him sleep in peace, his slippery friend won't pay up the money he stole, and before long, he finds himself in trouble with the law. As he struggles to reintegrate into society, shuffling between jobs as a line cook and a garbage collector, he must balance a newfound sense of community with his own itch for self-destruction. The film had its World Premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May this year where Dickinson won the FIPRESCI Prize and Dillane won the section's Best Actor award. It was released in the UK in early October, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$672K.

'MY BROTHER'S BAND' aka 'THE MARCHING BAND' (Rated M) - this French drama film Co-Written and Directed by Emmanuel Courcol in his third feature film making outing following 'Ceasefire' in 2016 and 'The Big Hit' in 2020. When acclaimed orchestra conductor Thibaut Desormeaux (Benjamin Lavernhe) is diagnosed with leukemia, a DNA test to find a bone marrow donor reveals that he is adopted. Thibaut meets his biological brother Jimmy Lecocq (Pierre Lottin), a cook in a school canteen who plays trombone in a local marching band in Lille. When the band loses its conductor, Thibaut steps in as replacement, and the brothers learn more about the circumstances that shaped each other's lives. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the Cannes Film Festival in mid-May 2024, and only now is it released here in Australia having so far grossed US$26M from a production of US$7M.

'ORWELL : 2+2=5' (Rated M) - is a French and US Co-Produced documentary film that is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Raoul Peck, whose most recent documentaries are 'I Am Not Your Negro' in 2016, 'Silver Dollar Road' in 2023, and 'Ernest Cole : Lost and Found' in 2024. He has also helmed a number of feature films, most recently 2017's 'The Young Karl Marx'. Here then, through archive photos, newsreel footage, films, contemporary documentaries, and notorious speeches, the Director explores how early 20th Century authoritarianism still echoes in contemporary life, especially during ongoing conflicts threatening democracy and public liberties, such as the Myanmar civil war, the Russo-Ukrainian war, the United States' War on terror and the January 6th Capitol attack, the Gaza War, and many others. The film saw its World Premiere at the Cannes Premiere section of this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May, where it was nominated for the L'Œil d'or. It was released in the US in early October, and will be released in France at the end of February next year. It has garnered generally positive critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$355K. The film is narrated by Damian Lewis, as George Orwell, paying particular attention to the lessons from his 1949 novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'.

'THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE : SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS' (Rated PG) - this American animated adventure comedy film is based on the 'SpongeBob SquarePants' TV series, and is Directed by series veteran Derek Drymon and stars the show's regular voice cast. This film is the fourth feature in the series after 'The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie' in 2004, 'The SpongeBob Movie : Sponge Out of Water' in 2015 and 'The SpongeBob Movie : Sponge on the Run' in 2021. There have also been two Netflix spin off instalments, with those first three films grossing at the Worldwide Box Office a total US$470M against combined production budgets of US$164M. Here then, desperate to become a 'big guy', SpongeBob (voiced by Tom Kenny), sets out to prove his bravery to Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), and so travels to the deepest depths of the ocean to face off against the Flying Dutchman (Mark Hamill). The film was released in the US last week, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far recovered US$16M from a production budget of US$64M.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

AFTERBURN : Tuesday 16th December 2025

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'AFTERBURN' earlier this week at my local multiplex, and this American post-apocalyptic action film is Directed by J.J. Perry in only his third Directorial outing following 'Day Shift' in 2022 and 'The Killer's Game' in 2024, although he has acted and performed stunt work and co-ordinated stunts and fight scenes in numerous feature films, TV movies and TV series over the years. This film is based on the Red 5 Comics graphic novel of the same name by Scott Chitwood, Paul Ens, and Wayne Nichols. The film has languished in development hell since 2008 when it was first announced that Tobey Maguire would Co-Produce 'Afterburn', and since then Antoine Fuqua, Tommy Wirkola and Jung Byung-gil have all been attached to Direct with J.J. Perry hired to Direct in early 2024. It was released in the USA in mid-September, cost US$57M to produce and has so far grossed US$833K.

Here, then we learn through the opening credits that six years ago a solar flare decimated the worlds technology, turned cities into gang ridden wastelands, toppled governments, and the rule of law no longer exists as we once knew it. We are first introduced to Jake (Dave Bautista) who pre-flare days was quite possibly the world's most acclaimed treasure hunter - there was nothing that he couldn't find, track down, and retrieve from land and sea. Then when the flare hit, he turned his very particular set of skills to working for the wealthy elite to continue his treasure hunting exploits for a hefty fee, with which he could fund his eventual escape from all the worlds ills on a sailing boat which he would live on, and sail around the world at his leisure. 

One such client is August Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), the self-proclaimed King of England, retrieving valuable pre-flare objects, which as the film opens sees Jake retrieving a prized Stradivarius Violin dating back to the late 17th or early 18th centuries from an abandoned and overgrown penthouse somewhere in London. As he blows open the vault to retrieve the violin and exits he is greeted by five men all dressed in Police uniforms, who threaten him unless he hands over the case. Jake says joking, 'you're not the real Police are you?' to which the goons respond with a definitely not. A fight ensues and Jake takes them all out without breaking a sweat. 

In exchange for having his men finish the necessary repairs to Jakes dream boat, August requests him to travel into France to retrieve the Mona Lisa with the help of Drea (Olga Kurylenko), a member of a rebellion against the tyrannical warlord General Volkov (Kristofer Hivju) who rules over part of northern France with an iron fist, aided by his right hand man Gorynych (Daniel Bernhardt). Whist Jake is initially very reluctant, he agrees and is parachuted into lawless France and is left to locate Drea. 

He locates Drea and she escorts him to a makeshift church inside an old warehouse led by Father Samson (Kevin Eldon), who is also a member of the rebellion. Meanwhile, one of Volkov's henchmen Bird Skull (Phil Zimmerman) has spotted two very dodgy looking characters weaving through the crowd and track down Jake and Drea to the church. Bird Skull pulls up with a small army in tow, and demands that whoever is inside, come out. Father Samson tells Jake and Drea to take his specially modified all terrain buggy that is fully bullet proofed and get the hell outta dodge, while he goes outside. Needless to say Father Samson is gunned down, while Jake and Drea escape and successfully evade numerous goons on motorbikes, in pursuit vehicles and in tanks. Later, Bird Skull is standing in the town square being questioned by Volkov and Gorynych, and is summarily executed on the spot for allowing two people to evade capture from his small army, and the might of his military hardware.

Chased by Volkov's forces, the two discover it in a vault at Ouvrage Simserhof, a fort on the Maginot Line. It's revealed that the Mona Lisa that Jake is after is actually an American atomic bomb, sister to Fat Man (the atomic device detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki) and Little Boy (used in the bombing of Hiroshima), sought by both August and Volkov. 

As Drea and her men are loading up Mona Lisa onto the back of a truck, they are approached by Volkov and Gorynych aboard their train which pulls up outside the vault. Opening fire and killing almost everyone, Volkov has Mona Lisa hauled up on to his train. 

After Volkov captures the Mona Lisa, Jake boards his train, and sets about killing most of Volkov's henchmen single handedly and with relative ease it seems. He steals the bomb's stop plug, as Drea detonates several blocks of C4 explosive to the support structure of a viaduct, causing the railway bridge to collapse as the train is on it. Drea looks on from a safe distance as the train collapses into the valley below and explodes in several balls of flame killing Volkov, and his remaining goons. Drea mourns the loss of Jake, as he appears behind her and the pair embrace. 

Jake brings the stop plug to August and urges him not to recover the bomb from the gorge where it had ended up. August keeps up his end of the deal and Jake sets sail with Drea with whom he had fallen in love. In a mid-credits scene, August visits a vault where he keeps his prized artefacts, and hangs the stop plug on the frame of the real Mona Lisa.

'Afterburn' is just like any other post-apocalyptic man on a mission who gets the girl in the end, action spectacle thrill ride that we have seen countless times before. The characters are cardboard cut outs, the CGI effects are questionable, the performances are exactly what you would expect, the script is mediocre at best, and the plot formulaic. At a run time of 145 minutes, if there is nothing better to see at your local Odeon you can opt for this one, leave your brain at the door, and sit in an empty theatre (as my movie buddy and I did) and be reasonably entertained, but be prepared to forget about it as soon as you exit the theatre. 

'Afterburn' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-