What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 21st February 2019.

Continuing with my synopsis of this years awards season, the 72nd annual BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards were held at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday evening 10th February 2019. Honouring the best national and foreign films of 2018, accolades were presented for the best feature-length film and documentaries of any nationality that were screened at British cinemas in 2018. For the second year running, the ceremony was Hosted by British Actress, Author, Television Presenter and Activist Joanna Lumley.

In summary therefore, given below are the winners and grinners from that notable awards ceremony attended by the Who's Who of talent both in front of the camera and behind it, together with the also rans, who made it onto the nominees list :-

* Best Film : won by 'ROMA', beating out 'BlacKkKlansman', 'The Favourite', 'Green Book', and 'A Star Is Born'.
* Best Film Not in The English Language : won by 'ROMA', beating out 'Capernaum', 'Cold War', 'Dog Man' and 'Shoplifters'.
* Best Director : won by ALFONSO CUARON for 'ROMA' beating out Bradley Cooper for 'A Star Is Born', Yorgos Lanthimos for 'The Favourite', Spike Lee for 'BlacKkKlansman' and Paweł Pawlikowski for 'Cold War'.
* Outstanding British Film: won by 'THE FAVOURITE' beating out 'Beast', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Stan & Ollie' and 'You Were Never Really Here'.
* Best Documentary : won by 'FREE SOLO' beating out 'McQueen', 'RBG', 'They Shall Not Grow Old' and 'Three Identical Strangers'.
* Best Animated Film : won by 'SPIDER-MAN : INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE' beating out 'Incredibles 2' and 'Isle of Dogs'.
* Best Actor in a Leading Role : won by RAMI MALEK for 'BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY', beating out Christian Bale for 'Vice', Steve Coogan for 'Stan & Ollie', Bradley Cooper for 'A Star Is Born' and Viggo Mortensen for 'Green Book'.
* Best Actress in a Leading Role : won by OLIVIA COLMAN for 'THE FAVOURITE' beating out Glenn Close for 'The Wife', Viola Davis for 'Widows', Lady Gaga for 'A Star Is Born' and Melissa McCarthy for 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?'
* Best Actor in a Supporting Role : won by MAHERSHALA ALI for 'GREEN BOOK' beating out Timothée Chalamet for 'Beautiful Boy', Adam Driver for 'BlacKkKlansman', Richard E. Grant for 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' and Sam Rockwell for 'Vice'
* Best Actress in a Supporting Role : won by RACHEL WEISZ for 'THE FAVOURITE' beating out  Amy Adams for 'Vice', Claire Foy for 'First Man', Margot Robbie for 'Mary Queen of Scots' and Emma Stone for 'The Favourite'.
* Best Original Screenplay : won by DEBORAH DAVIS and TONY MCNAMARA for 'THE FAVOURITE' beating out 'Roma', 'Green Book', 'Cold War' and 'Vice'.
* Best Adapted Screenplay : won by SPIKE LEE, KEVIN WILLMOTT, DAVID RABINOWITZ and CHARLIE WACHTEL for 'BLACKKKLANSMAN' beating out 'A Star Is Born', 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?', 'If Beale Street Could Talk' and 'First Man'.
* Best Cinematography : won by ALFONSO CUARON for 'ROMA', beating out 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Cold War', 'The Favourite' and 'First Man'.
* Best Original Music : won by LADY GAGA, BRADLEY COOPER and LUKAS NELSON for 'A STAR IS BORN' beating out 'BlacKkKlansman'', 'If Beale Street Could Talk', 'Isle of Dogs' and 'Mary Poppins Returns'.
* Best Production Design : won by 'THE FAVOURITE' beating out 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald', 'First Man', 'Mary Poppins Returns' and 'Roma'.



* Best Special Visual Effects : won by 'BLACK PANTHER' beating out 'Avengers : Infinity War', 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald', 'First Man', and 'Ready Player One'.
* Best Sound was won by 'BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY'; Best Costume Design was won by 'THE FAVOURITE'; Best Hair and Make-Up was won by 'THE FAVOURITE'; and Best Editing was won by 'VICE' and finally as voted by members of the Public, the EE Rising Star Award was awarded to LETITIA WRIGHT. 

Turning to this weeks three latest release movies coming to an Odeon near you, we have a biographical dramedy about the latter years and final British touring swan song of perhaps the worlds greatest comedy double act, and then two musicals (of sorts) each of which couldn't be more polar opposite if they tried! First is a film of survival in the music business in the current era with success shaped by personal tragedy which eighteen years later, after fame and fortune have been established, comes back to haunt; and we then wrap up the week with the story of what and who shaped the Norwegian black metal music sub-genre of the mid-'80's and the lines that become blurred between what is real and what is the bands stage act.

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 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.

'STAN & OLLIE' (Rated PG) - here we have a much hyped biographical comedy drama Directed by the Scot Jon S. Baird whose previous big screen Directorial outings are 'Green Street Hooligans', 'Cass' and 'Filth'. The film tells the story of the latter years of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (aka Laurel & Hardy) - quite possibly the most famous comedy duo the world has seen. Stan Laurel was an Englishman who lived from 1890 until 1965 and his partner in slapstick comedy Oliver Hardy was American who lived from 1892 until 1957. The pair officially became a team in 1927 having already established themselves in the silent movie business. They went on to star in 32 short silent films, forty short sound films, and 23 full-length feature films as well as twelve guest or cameo appearances. The film Premiered at the British Film Institute London Film Festival in late October, went on release in the US in late December, in the UK in early January and now it gets a general release in Australia. The film cost US$10M to make, has so far grossed US$18M, has generated largely favourable Reviews and has so far picked up two award wins and another twenty nominations from around the awards circuit including a Golden Globe nod and three BAFTA nominations.

And so this film tells the story of Laurel & Hardy (Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly respectively) , one of the world's great comedy double acts, as they embark on a Variety Hall Tour of post-war Great Britain in 1953. With their age beginning to take its toll coupled with their golden era as the Kings of Hollywood comedy now behind them, the pair face an uncertain future. However, as their polished performances charm audiences up and down the country, they steadily re-connect with their adoring fans, but nonetheless Stan & Ollie can't quite shake off the long shadow of their past glory years; their long-buried ghosts that come back to haunt them, coupled with Oliver's failing health which combined starts to drive a wedge through their trusted partnership. Through all of this upheaval they become aware that they are fast approaching their swan song years and in doing so attempt to reconcile their differences and rediscover just how much they really mean to each other. Also starring Danny Huston as American film and television Producer, Director and Actor Hal Roach, Rufus Jones as Russian-American theatre impresario Bernard Delfont, Shirley Henderson as Lucille Hardy and Nina Arianda as Ida Laurel.

'VOX LUX' (Rated MA15+) - this American drama film is Written and Directed by Brady Corbet who has carved out a career both in front of, and behind the camera. The film saw its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival back in September last year and went onto the festival circuit thereafter before being released in the US in early December. Having garnered generally positive Reviews so far, the film has taken just US$728K. Here, teenage sisters Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) and Eleanor 'Ellie' Montgomery (Stacy Martin) survive a school shooting on Staten Island, New York in 1999, and are catapulted into stardom after writing and then performing a song about their experience at the memorial service. Tracing Celeste's career as she draws the attention of a passionate manager (Jude Law) and rises to worldwide fame, now in 2017, the 31-year-old Celeste (Natalie Portman) is mother to a teenage daughter of her own, Albertine (Raffey Cassidy again) and is preparing for a massive comeback concert while dealing with the media fallout of a terrorist attack using her own iconography as well as her own personal struggles and pitfalls of fame at a young age. Also starring Jennifer Ehle, Christopher Abbott and the narrative voice of Willem Dafoe.

'LORDS OF CHAOS' (Rated R18+) - here is a Norwegian horror thriller film Directed and Co-Written by Jonas Akerlund which Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January 2018, was released Stateside earlier this month, gets a limited showing in Australia from this week and is released in the UK at the end of March. The film is based on the 1998 non-fiction book of the same name written by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind. Opening in the mid-'80's in Oslo, seventeen year-old Euronymous (Rory Culkin) becomes fixated on creating a genre defining 'true Norwegian black metal' with his newly formed band Mayhem. The other band members are Necrobutcher (Jonathan Barnwell), Manheim  and Maniac on bass, drums and vocals respectively. Maniac and Manheim leave and are soon replaced by new drummer Hellhammer (Anthony De La Torre) and a new vocalist from Sweden called Dead (Jack Kilmer), Euronymous mounts shocking publicity stunts to put the band's name on the map, but the lines between show business and reality begin to blur with horrifying consequences for all ultimately leading to death, destruction and imprisonment. Based on a true story. Also starring Emory Cohen and Sky Ferreira.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-