What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 8th December 2022.

The 25th British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) were held on Sunday 4th December to recognise the best in British independent cinema and filmmaking talent from the United Kingdom. The ceremony took place at Old Billingsgate in London and was hosted by Ben Bailey Smith (aka Doc Brown), the English Actor, comedian, rapper, screenwriter, songwriter, and voiceover artist. The nominations were announced on 4th November by Actors Sam Claflin and Kosar Ali, with 'Aftersun' leading the nominations with sixteen, followed by 'Blue Jean' with thirteen and 'The Wonder' with twelve.

The winners and grinners in the main categories are as given below :-

* Best British Independent Film - awarded to 'Aftersun', beating out 'Blue Jean', 'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande', 'Living' and 'The Wonder'.

* Best Director - presented to Charlotte Wells for 'Aftersun', beating out 'Living' by Oliver Hermanus,
'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande' by Sophie Hyde, 'The Wonder' by Sebastian Lelio and 'Blue Jean' by Georgia Oakley.

* Best Lead Performance - presented to Rosy McEwen for 'Blue Jean'.

* Best Supporting Performance - awarded to Kerrie Hayes for 'Blue Jean'.

* Best Joint Lead Performance - presented to Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance for 'The Silent Twins'.

* Breakthrough Performance - awarded to Safia Oakley-Green for 'The Origin'.

* Best Screenplay - awarded to Charlotte Wells for 'Aftersun'.

* Best Documentary - presented to 'Nothing Compares'.

* Best International Independent Film  - awarded to 'The Worst Person in the World'.

* Best Cinematography - presented to Gregory Oke for 'Aftersun'.

* Best Costume Design - presented to Jenny Beavan for 'Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris'.

* Best Editing - awarded to Blair McClendon for 'Aftersun'.

* Best Effects - presented to Dadiv Simpson for 'Men'.

* Best Original Music - presented to Matthew Herbert for 'The Wonder'.

* Best Music Supervision - awarded to Lucy Bright for 'Aftersun'.

* Best Production Design - presented to Helen Scott for 'Living'.

* The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director - awarded to Charlotte Wells for 'Aftersun'.

* Best Debut Screenwriter - awarded to Georgia Oakley for 'Blue Jean'.

* Best Debut Director, Feature Documentary - presented to Kathryn Ferguson for 'Nothing Compares'.

* The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor was awarded to Samantha Morton.

For the full list of the other category winners and the also rans nominated, you can visit the official website at : https://www.bifa.film/

Turning attention then back to this weeks five new movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a cinematic adaptation of the Tony and Olivier Award winning musical that tells the story of a gifted young girl who dared to take a stand against her oppressive parents and monstrous head teacher to change her story with extraordinary outcomes. Next up we have a musical Sci-Fi that sees an intersex African hacker, a coltan miner and the virtual marvel born as a result of their union. This is followed by a story of a young woman living on a remote Scottish island who has dreams of a more exciting life, hoping to emigrate to the USA with her love interest, but he’s called up to serve during WWI as she faces the horrors of a sexual assault that leaves her pregnant - and with few options. We then close out the week with two documentaries - the first from New Zealand that sees a Journalist who finds himself in a game of cat and mouse with a mysterious stranger, and while exploring further, he discovers a series of court cases, royal connections, and ruined lives; and finally a doco from the UK that reveals how in 1959, the Dalai Lama managed to escape from Tibet over the Himalayas, embarking on a dangerous journey towards India that took thirteen days and has inspired numerous people throughout the world.

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 week ahead.

'MATILDA : THE MUSICAL' (Rated PG) - this British musical fantasy comedy film is Directed by Matthew Warchus from a screenplay written by Dennis Kelly, based on the 2011 stage musical of the same name by Warchus, Kelly and Tim Minchin, and itself based on the 1988 novel 'Matilda' by Roald Dahl. Wrachus' prior feature film making credits take in his Directorial debut in 1999 with 'Simpatico' with Sharon Stone, Jeff Bridges and Nick Nolte, then 'Pride' in 2014 with Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Dominic West and 'Present Laughter' in 2019 a National Theatre Live film. This film saw its World Premier showcasing at the BFI London Film Festival in early October, has generated largely positive critical reaction and has so far grossed US$5M at the Box Office. It was released in the UK in late November, is released here in Australia and the US from this week and is available on Netflix from Christmas Day. 

'Matilda' tells the story of an extraordinary girl Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir) who, armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results. Also starring Andrea Riseborough as Mrs. Wormwood, Stephen Graham as Mr. Wormwood (the worst parents in the world who content themselves with trashy TV and dodgy money-making schemes), Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull (the huge and villainous head of Matilda's new school, Crunchem Hall) and Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey (Matilda's inspirational new teacher).

'NEPTUNE FROST' (Rated MA15+) - is science fiction romantic musical film Co-Directed by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman, and Written by Saul Williams. The film saw its World Premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors Fortnight section in early July 2021 and was released in the US in early June this year, to critical acclaim. Ezra Miller serves as a Producer, while Lin-Manuel Miranda Executive Produces here. The film is an Afrofuturist story set in a village in Burundi made of computer parts, and centres on the relationship between Neptune (Cheryl Isheja and Elvis Ngabo), an intersex runaway, and Matalusa (Bertrand 'Kaya Free'), a coltan miner, whose love leads a subversive hacking collective that attempts a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region's natural resources, and its people. Neptune Frost was the name of a black Revolutionary soldier who served in the Continental Army in 1775. The film has so far grossed just US$204K. 

'THE ROAD DANCE' (Rated M) - this UK drama film is Written and Directed by Richie Adams in his third feature film making effort following 'Inventing Adam' in 2013 and 'Of Mind and Music' in 2014. Here then, Kirsty Macleod (Hermione Corfield) dreams of a better life away from the isolation that suffocates her in a small village on the island of Lewis in the Outer Scottish Hebrides. Suppressing these aspirations, she sees her lover Murdo MacAuley (Will Fletcher) conscripted for service in the First World War in 1916, soon to set off and fight alongside the other young men from the village. A road dance is held in their honour the evening before they depart, and it's on this fateful evening that Kirsty's life takes a dramatic and tragic turn. The film is based on the 2002 novel of the same name by Scottish news presenter John Mackay, which itself is loosely based on a true story. It was released in the UK in late May this year. 

'MISTER ORGAN' (Rated MA15+) - this New Zealand documentary film is Co-Produced and Directed by David Farrier whose previous documentary outings include the film 'Tickled' in 2016 and the docu-series 'Dark Tourist' in 2018. The documentary investigates Michael Organ, an enigmatic figure associated with Bashford Antiques, an antique store in Ponsonby, Auckland, New Zealand and a car clamping business which was known for its over-zealous car clamping policy. The documentary follows Organ's past victims, his response to Farrier's organisation, and the psychological warfare techniques he uses against Farrier. The film has its World Premier screening at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas in mid-October this year and has garnered positive critical reviews, and was released in its native NZ in mid-November.

'NEVER FORGET TIBET' (Rated PG) -  this UK documentary film is Co-Written, Produced and Directed by Jean-Paul Martinez in his film making debut and is narrated by Hugh Bonneville. Over sixty years after China's Most Wanted Man escaped from occupied Tibet, the powerful documentary follows The Dalai Lama as he recounts his escape through the Tibetan borderlands into India to tell his remarkable escape story as he fled in 1959. One of the most significant moments of 20th-century history, 'Never Forget Tibet' tells the secret story of the Dalai Lama's journey into exile told in his own words through exclusive access to the Dalai Lama and the previously unknown private diary of the Indian political officer who led him to safety, Har Mander Singh. Incorporating interviews with the Dalai Lama's family, the Tibetan Community living in Exile and those with historic ties to Tibet. 

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-