What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 3rd March 2022.

The 53rd NAACP Image Awards, presented by the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People), honoured outstanding representations and achievements of people of colour in motion pictures, television, music, and literature during the 2021 calendar year. The ceremony took place on 26th February 2022 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California and was hosted for the ninth time by the Actor, Comedian and Game Show Host Anthony Anderson. Among the Special Awards presented, American Actor and Producer Samuel L. Jackson was honoured with the Chairman's Award, for his 'social activism in the 1960's, even serving as an usher at Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral. His continued public service and advocacy for social change'. The Entertainer of the Year was awarded to Jennifer Hudson, beating out Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion, Regina King and Tiffany Haddish. 

In the Motion Picture category, the following winners and nominees were announced :-

* Outstanding Motion Picture : awarded to 'The Harder They Fall', beating out 'Judas and the Black Messiah', 'King Richard', 'Respect', and 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday'. 

* Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture : presented to Shaka King for 'Judas and the Black Messiah', beating out Denzel Washington for 'A Journal for Jordan', Jeymes Samuel for 'The Harder They Fall', Lin-Manuel Miranda for 'Tick, Tick . . . Boom!' and Reinaldo Marcus Green for 'King Richard'. 

* Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture : presented to Will Smith for 'King Richard', beating out Denzel Washington for 'The Tragedy of Macbeth', Jonathan Majors for 'The Harder They Fall', Lakeith Stanfield for 'Judas and the Black Messiah' and Mahershala Ali for 'Swan Song'.

* Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture : awarded to Jennifer Hudson for 'Respect', beating out Andra Day for 'The United States vs. Billie Holiday', Halle Berry for 'Bruised', Tessa Thompson for 'Passing' and Zendaya for 'Malcolm & Marie'.

* Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture : awarded to Daniel Kaluuya for 'Judas and the Black Messiah', beating out Algee Smith for 'Judas and the Black Messiah', Delroy Lindo for 'The Harder They Fall', Idris Elba for 'The Harder They Fall' and Lakeith Stanfield for 'The Harder They Fall'.

* Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture : presented to Regina King for 'The Harder They Fall', beating out Aunjanue Ellis for 'King Richard', Audra McDonald for 'Respect', Danielle Deadwyler for 'The Harder They Fall' and Dominique Fishback for 'Judas and the Black Messiah'.

* Outstanding International Motion Picture : awarded to '7 Prisoners', beating out 'African America', 'Eyimofe (This is My Desire)', 'Flee' and 'The Gravediggers Wife'.

* Outstanding Independent Motion Picture : presented to 'CODA', beating out 'American Skin', 'Bruised', 'Test Pattern' and 'The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain'.

* Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture : presented to Danny Boyd Jnr. for 'Bruised', beating out Ariana DeBose for 'West Side Story', Jalon Christian for 'A Journal for Jordan', Lonnie Chavis for 'The Water Man' and Sheila Atim for 'Bruised'.

* Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture : presented to 'The Harder They Fall', beating out 'Coming 2 America', 'Judas and the Black Messiah', 'King Richard' and 'Respect'.

* Outstanding Animated Motion Picture : awarded to 'Encanto', beating out 'Luca', 'Raya and the Last Dragon', 'Sing 2' and 'Vivo'.

* Outstanding Character Voice Performance in a Motion Picture : presented to Letitia Wright for 'Sing 2', beating out Andre Braugher for 'Spirit Untamed', Awkwafina for 'Raya and the Last Dragon', Brian Tyree Henry for 'Vivo' and Eric Andre for 'Sing 2'.

* Outstanding Breakthrough Creative in a Motion Picture : awarded to Jeymes Samuel for 'The Harder They Fall', beating out Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson for 'Summer of Soul', Jamila Wignot for 'Ailey', Liesl Tommy for 'Respect' and Rebecca Hall for 'Passing'.

* Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture : presented to Shaka King, Will Berson, Kenny Lucas, Keith Lucas for 'Judas and the Black Messiah', beating out Janicza Bravo, Jeremy O. Harris for 'Zola', Jeymes Samuel, Boaz Yakin for 'The Harder They Fall', Virgil Williams for 'A Journal for Jordan' and Win Rosenfeld, Nia DaCosta, Jordan Peele for 'Candyman'.

For all the other winners, grinners and also rans in the other categories (Television and Streaming, Recording, Podcast and Social Media, and Literary), you can visit the official website at : https://naacpimageawards.net/

This week with five new cinematic releases to tempt you out to your local Odeon, we kick off with eagerly anticipated DC Superhero adaptation about a sadistic serial killer who begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, leading this caped crusader to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement. This is followed by a historical biographical drama film about the bright, intelligent, passionate and free youngest daughter of Karl Marx, who is among the first women to link the themes of feminism and socialism as she takes part in the workers' battles and fights for women's rights. Next up is an Aussie drama about a teen girl who's forced to share her bedroom with her Grandmother, who has dementia, and goes from hating her to loving her as she learns more about some of her family's secrets. Then we turn to a doco centering around four Zimbabwean men who form their country's first Wine Tasting Olympics team. And closing out the week we have an animated sequel to a 2017 film that sees Baba Yaga and Renfield captured by a monster hunter so the Wishbone family once again transform into a vampire, Frankensteins monster, a mummy and a werewolf in a bid to free them.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the five 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.

'THE BATMAN' (Rated M) - this much-hyped highly anticipated American superhero film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, and is a reboot of the Batman film franchise. The film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by Matt Reeves, whose previous film making credits take in 'Cloverfield' in 2008, 'Let Me In' in 2010, 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' in 2014 and 'War for the Planet of the Apes' in 2017. Development began after Ben Affleck was cast as Batman in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) in 2013. Affleck signed on to Direct, Produce, Co-Write, and star in 'The Batman', but had reservations about the project and dropped out. Reeves took over and reworked the story. This film saw its World Premier screening in London on 23rd February and gets a worldwide release from this week having been delayed twice from an initial June 2021 release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film cost somewhere in the vicinity of US$190M to produce, and has a running time of just a few minutes shy of three hours. This film is intended to be the launch pad for a Batman shared universe, with two sequels planned and two spin-off television series in development for HBO Max.

Set during his second year of fighting crime, Batman (Robert Pattinson) ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic serial killer who targets Gotham's elite citizens, known as the Riddler (Paul Dano) leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As he begins to uncover corruption that begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator's plans become clear, he is forced to make new allies, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis. Also starring Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth with John Turturro and Peter Sarsgaard.

'MISS MARX' (Rated M) - is a biographical period drama film Written and Directed by the Italian film maker, Screenwriter and Actress Susanna Nicchiarelli, and is an English language Co-Production between Italy and Belgium. The film saw its World Premiere in the main international competition section at the September 2020 Venice Film Festival and was released in its native Italy later that same month. Only now does it get a limited showing in Australia having garnered average Reviews and taken so far just $590K at the global Box Office. Here then, the educated and brilliant Eleanor Marx (Romola Garai), the youngest daughter of Karl Marx (Philip Groning), is at the forefront of promoting socialism in the UK, participating in workers' struggles, fighting for women's rights and the abolition of child labor. In 1883, she met Edward Aveling (Patrick Kennedy), a talented playwright but a selfish and wasteful man. While he is intent on getting into debt and consuming the legacy left to Eleanor by Friedrich Engels (John Gordon Sinclair), Edward does not realise that he is also consuming the entire existence of his devoted companion, who, although aware that she is experiencing the same 'moral oppression' imposed by the patriarchy and condemned by her, she is unable to redeem her own happiness, and ultimately not even her own life. The film has collected eight award wins and a further twelve nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit.

'RUBY'S CHOICE' (Rated PG) - this Australian drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and stars Michael Budd in his third feature film outing after 'Love of My Life' in 2013 and 'Life of the Party' in 2018. The film follows 16-year-old Tash (Coco Jack Gillies) as she recounts the days that changed her perception of life forever. She’s forced to share her home with her grandmother Ruby (Jane Seymour) while she listens to her parents constantly argue over money. Through Tash’s eyes, we see the humanity of dementia, the reality that there’s a person still in there with memories, emotions and value. Bonded by shared moments of wisdom and joy, secrets from the family's past are revealed as Ruby's illness threatens to push them apart, and the family struggles to make a big decision. Also starring Jacqueline MacKenzie. 

'BLIND AMBITION' (Rated M) - this documentary film is Directed, Produced and Co-Written by Warwick Ross and Robert Coe. Ross is best known for the award-winning feature documentary 'Red Obsession' and Coe was an Executive Producer for 'Red Obsession' which chronicles the history and changing nature of the French wine industry, particularly that of the famed Bordeaux region. Here then, having escaped starvation and tyranny in their homeland of Zimbabwe, four refugees - Joseph, Tinashe, Marlvin and Pardon have conquered the odds to become South Africa's top Sommeliers. Driven by relentless optimism, a passion for their craft and unshakeable national pride, they form Zimbabwe’s first ever wine tasting team and set their sights on the coveted title of ‘World Wine Tasting Champions’ (a sort of Olympics of the wine world). From the moment they arrive in France to compete, this team of mavericks turns an establishment of privilege and tradition on its head.

'MONSTER FAMILY 2' (Rated PG) - is a German and British Co-Produced computer animated horror comedy film Directed and Produced by Holger Tappe, and is a sequel to the 2017 film 'Monster Family' (also Directed and Produced by Tappe), which in itself is surprising given that the first film was a commercial failure recouping just over US$26M from its US$30M production budget. This time around to free Baba Yaga (Catherine Tate) and Renfield (Ewan Bailey) from the clutches of Monster Hunter Mila Starr (Emily Carey), the Wishbone Family of Frank, Emma, Max and Fay (Nick Frost, Emily Watson, Ethan Rouse and Jessica Brown Findlay respectively) once more transforms into a Vampire, Frankenstein's Monster, a Mummy and a Werewolf. Aided and abetted by their three pet bats, our Monster Family zooms around the world again to save their friends, make new monstrous acquaintances and finally come to the realisation that 'Nobody's Perfect' - even those with flaws can find happiness. The film cost US$40M to produce and has so far recouped just US$120K since being released in the US and the UK in mid-October last year.

With five 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-