What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 23rd November 2017

The 21st annual Hollywood Film Awards kicked off the movie industry awards season on Sunday 5th November, celebrating 'excellence in the art of cinema'. Hosted by James Cordon for the third consecutive year at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, awards were given out in 26 categories. Here below, are the main category winners and grinners, presented on the night in front of a selected audience of Hollywood's finest movers and shakers :-

* Hollywood Career Achievement Award : Gary Oldman.
* Hollywood Actor Award : Jake Gyllenhaal for 'Stronger'.
* Hollywood Actress Award : Kate Winslet for 'Wonder Wheel'.
* Hollywood Supporting Actor Award : Sam Rockwell for 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'.
* Hollywood Supporting Actress Award : Allison Janney for 'I, Tonya'.
* Hollywood Breakout Actor Award : Timothee Chalamet for 'Call Me By Your Name'.
* Hollywood Breakout Actress Award : Mary J. Blige for 'Mudbound'.
* New Hollywood Award : Jamie Bell for 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool'.
* Hollywood Comedy Award : Adam Sandler for 'The Meyerowitz Stories'.
* Hollywood Animation Award : 'Coco'.
* Hollywood Foreign Language Film Award : Angelina Jolie and Loung Ung for the Cambodian historical biographical thriller 'First They Killed My Father'.
* Hollywood Director Award : Joe Wright for 'The Darkest Hour'.
* Hollywood Cinematography Award : Roger Deakins for 'Blade Runner  2049'.
* Hollywood Film Composer Award : Thomas Newman for 'Victoria & Abdul'.
* Hollywood Screenwriter Award : Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter for 'The Disaster Artist'.

Over the coming week we have six new release films coming to an Odeon somewhere near you. We kick off with a couple of festive season offerings that couldn't be more different - one a sequel to a 2015 comedy hit that sees this pair of fathers joined by their fathers to give their kids a Christmas holiday experience they ain't get forget in a hurry, and a home invasion horror offering that sees a Christmas time babysitting shift turn nasty. We then tone down the pace with a biographical retelling of the origins of a hunny loving bear and his friends, that managed to wield its way into the hearts and minds of children of all ages the world over; then an Aussie drama of insects and plant life that sends a father and son into a tailspin over their feelings for a fun loving free spirited florist lady. We then move to a foreign language offering surrounding a Communist era teacher and the young charges she manipulates at school for her own gain; before wrapping up with a 17th Century period piece where love, art and gambling on the speculative tulip market collide.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release films 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 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 experience during the coming week.

'DADDY'S HOME 2' (Rated PG) - released just in time for Christmas 2015, 'Daddy's Home', Directed by Sean Anders, received generally mixed or average Reviews but grossed US$243M at the worldwide Box Office off the back of a US$69M production Budget. On this basis alone a sequel was almost inevitable, and here in time for Christmas 2017 is the follow up film, once again Directed by Sean Anders, for the same Budget outlay of US$69M and so far the film has grossed US$53M since going on release Stateside earlier this month, and has fared less well than its predecessor in terms of critical response.

Following on from the events of the first film, Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) and Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg) are now the best of friends, and so they decide to join forces to give their children a Christmas they won't forget. However, their best laid plans soon get turned upside down when their own respective Dad's arrive for the holiday season - Don Whitaker (John Lithgow) and Kurt Mayron (Mel Gibson), and having to make alternative plans, they decide to take their kids to a luxury resort. Meanwhile, Dusty comes into conflict with his stepchild's biological father Roger (John Cena) all making for a rip roaring, laugh a minute, hilarity aplenty festive comedy sequel that is sure to fill your stocking . . . maybe! Also starring Linda Cardellini and Alessandra Ambrosio.

'GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN' (Rated PG) - Directed by Simon Curtis, this historical British biographical drama film recounts the life of A.A. Milne, the creator of the Winnie-the-Pooh character and collection of beloved children's stories. A.A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) is fighting in the Battle of the Somme, during WWI. He returns home suffering from shell shock and suffers from visions of his battle experiences. With his wife Daphne (Margot Robbie), they have a son, which they name Christopher Robin Milne, and hire a Nanny Olive (Kelly Macdonald) as a live in full time carer for the young boy. Relocating to a country house with acreage, A.A. Milne wants to write an anti-War book, but when his wife retreats back home to London, and the Nanny has to go and visit her dying Mother, Milne Senior and Junior are left to fend for themselves. Taking long walks in the woodland estate on which the house stands, A.A. Milne starts to tell made up tales of his son's ever expanding collection of stuffed toy animals. These stories go on to form the cornerstone for 'Winnie-the-Pooh' and 'The House at Pooh Corner' published in 1926 and 1928 respectively. Milne and his family are quickly carried along by the overnight success of the books, while the captivating stories bring hope and comfort to the rest of postwar England. But for all this success, this is an underlying personal cost to father and son. Also starring Will Tilston as young Christopher Robin and Alex Lawther as the older Christoper Robin. The film was released in the UK at the end of September, and has so far taken US$6M at the Box Office.

'THE BUTTERFLY TREE' (Rated M) - Written and Directed by Priscilla Cameron in her feature film debut, this Australian drama film Premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival earlier this year and was also screened at TIFF in September. The film here tells the story of early teenager Fin (Ed Oxenbould) who meets Evelyn (Melissa George), a former Burlesque Queen and now a florist with a liking for 1940's era fashion and a zest for life. Fin is attracted into her mysterious world of plants and insects, that seems to be the perfect antidote to his continuing grief over the death of his mother. But as Fin’s emotions for Evelyn blossom into a muddled mix of teenage desire and misplaced maternal love, it sets the scene for a showdown with his equally struggling father, Al (Ewen Leslie) especially when it become apparent that Al is also falling for Evelyn. The performances of the principal cast and the stunning visual imagery have been praised in particular, over the well trodden storyline.

'THE TEACHER' (Rated M) - this Slovak and Czech co-produced drama film Premiered at the July 2016 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and has done the international film festival circuit ever since (including Sydney and Brisbane), and now goes on a limited release in Australia this week.  Set in 1983, Maria Drazdechova arrives as a teacher at a suburban school near Bratislava. She quickly settles in and begins blackmailing the parents of her students to gain benefits from them, and those that decline see their sons and daughters receiving poor grades for their work and bullied at school. The school Headmaster is reluctant to intervene because Miss Drazdechova is the Chairperson of the local Communist Party, but when one of her students attempts suicide, the Headmaster is compelled to petition the parents for her removal. Some parents agree to sign, but not many, whilst the silent majority are afraid of Drazdechova's connections and therefore refuse to comply with the wishes of the Headmaster. Ultimately, will they stand up for what they believe in and the wellbeing of their children and accept the risk that goes with it, or will they remain silent and let things run its course? Directed by Jan Hrebejk, and starring Zuzana Maurery in the lead role as the antagonistic Maria Drazdechova, for which she was won several awards for her performance.

'TULIP FEVER' (Rated MA15+) - here we have a historical period piece that was due to go into production first off way back in 2004, but the shoot was halted literally days before filming commenced due to tax law changes impacting film production in the UK. Fast forward to 2013 and Justin Chadwick was assigned to Direct, and from there the principle cast was announced and filming commenced sometime in 2015 with the first images released at that years Cannes Film Festival. Written by acclaimed British playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard, the film is set in Holland in the 17th Century during the 'tulip mania' period during which contract prices for some bulbs of the recently introduced and fashionable tulip reached extraordinarily high levels. The film charts the story of an Amsterdam artist Jan van Loos (Dane DeHaan) who is commissioned by Cornelis Sandvoort (Christoph Waltz) to paint a portrait of his beautiful young wife Sophia Sandvoort (Alicia Vikander). The artist and his subject fall for each other and subsequently decide to invest in the speculative tulip market in the hope of making their fortune and forging a future together. Also starring Judi Dench, Holliday Grainger, Cara Delevingne, Tom Hollander, Jack O'Connell and Zach Galifianakis, the film Premiered in London in mid-August, was released in the US in early September, cost US$25M to make, has so far grossed just US$8M and has received lacklustre Reviews generally.

'BETTER WATCH OUT' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian and American co-production is touted as a festive season comedy horror offering, and is Directed and Co-Written by Chris Peckover. Set in the supposedly quiet and peaceful suburbs during the Christmas holiday period, we find Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) on baby sitting duty at the Lerner household for twelve year old Luke (Levi Miller), while Mum Deandra (Virginia Madsen) and Dad Robert (Patrick Warburton) are out for the evening. Expecting this to be a straightforward night and therefore easy money, the evening takes on more deadly implications when a group of intruders break into the home and set about terrorising the babysitter and her young charge. Defending the young Luke to the best of her ability, Ashley soon realises that this is no ordinary home invasion. Also starring Ed Oxenbould.

With six new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, with the likes of a couple of festive season howlers - one of the comedic sequel kind and the other of the horror home invasion kind; then a historical biopic of a hunny loving bear and his friends; then a drama offering as father and son compete for the affections of bohemian florist; followed by a Slovak foreign language film of teacher up to no good deeds in a 1980's school in a Communist regime; before wrapping up with a period piece set amidst the Dutch tulip fever period. Remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online, and meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-