What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 2nd February 2023.

The 22nd AARP Movies for Grownups Awards were presented on Saturday 28th January at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by Alan Cumming for the third time. The awards are given out to 'champion films made by and for grownups'. Given annually by the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), they began in 2002 with the goal of encouraging Hollywood to make more movies by and about people over the age of fifty. The first awards were announced in an issue of AARP the Magazine, before moving to an annual ceremony in 2006. 

The awards in the movie category, are as given below :-

* Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups : awarded to 'Top Gun : Maverick'.

* Best Director - presented to Baz Luhrmann for 'Elvis'.

* Best Actor - presented to Brendan Fraser for 'The Whale'.

* Best Actress - awarded to Michelle Yeoh for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'.

* Best Supporting Actor - awarded to Judd Hirsch for 'The Fabelmans'.

* Best Supporting Actress - presented to Judith Ivey for 'Women Talking'.

* Best Screenwriter - awarded to Kazuo Ishiguro for 'Living'.

* Best Ensemble - presented to 'She Said'.

* Best Intergenerational Movie - awarded to 'Till'.

* Best Time Capsule - awarded to 'Elvis'.

* Best Grownup Love Story - presented to 'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande'.

* Best Documentary - awarded to 'Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down'.

* Best Foreign Film - presented to 'The Quiet Girl' from Ireland. 

In addition, Jamie Lee Curtis received the Career Achievement Award.

For all the details on the other nominated films in the above categories, plus the winners and nominees in the television awards, you can go to the official website at : https://www.aarp.org

This week we have three new movies to tease you out to a cool air conditioned picture theatre on a balmy Summer's evening, kicking off with a story about a reclusive English teacher with morbid obesity who tries to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last shot at redemption. Then we turn to a tale about a young girl and her parents, who while holidaying in a remote cabin, are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse. And closing out the week we have a film about newlyweds who embark on the romantic honeymoon of a lifetime in Venice, but when the trip is gatecrashed by the Groom's best friend, it inadvertently turns their perfect lovers’ holiday into a complete disaster.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three 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 WHALE' (Rated M) - is an American psychological drama film Directed and Co-Produced by Darren Aronofsky and is based on the 2012 play of the same name written by Samuel D. Hunter. Aronofsky's previous film credits take in the likes of his debut with 'Pi' in 1997, then 'Requiem for a Dream' 2000, 'The Wrestler' in 2008, 'Black Swan' in 2010, 'Noah' in 2014 and 'Mother!' in 2017. This film saw its World Premier at the Venice International Film Festival in early September last year where it received a six minute standing ovation and then went on limited release in the US in early December before a wide release from 21st December. It has so far grossed US$15M from a production budget of US$3M, has so far garnered thirty-four award wins and a further 118 nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, of which a number of those nods are still awaiting a final outcome. The film has divided critics although the performance of the cast, most notably that of Brendan Fraser, have been praised.

Here then, a reclusive English professor Charlie (Brendan Fraser) whose main form of contact with the outside world is the online classes he teaches with his webcam switched off, and suffering from severe obesity weighing over 600lbs is grief-stricken over the death of his partner, and is effectively trapped in his apartment due to his weight. He attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) for one last chance at redemption. Also starring Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins and Samantha Morton. 

'KNOCK AT THE CABIN' (Rated M) - this American apocalyptic psychological horror film is Directed and written for the screen by M. Night Shyamalan, and is based on the 2018 novel 'The Cabin at the End of the World' by Paul G. Tremblay. Shyamalan's previous film output includes his breakout film with 'The Sixth Sense' in 1999, then 'Unbreakable' 2000, 'Signs' in 2002, 'The Village' in 2004, then a period of less popular films before his resurgence with 'The Visit' in 2015, 'Split' in 2016, 'Glass' in 2019 and 'Old' in 2021. This film sees its release this week in Australia and Stateside too. While on holiday at a remote cabin in the woods, a young girl Wen (Kristen Cui) and her parents Eric (Jonathan Goff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) are taken hostage by four armed strangers - Leonard (Dave Bautista), Redmond (Rupert Grint), Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and Ardiane (Abby Quinn) who demand they make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. Confused, scared and with limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost.

'THE HONEYMOON' (Rated M) - this UK and Italian Co-Produced RomCom is Written and Directed by Dean Craig in only his third feature film making outing following 'Love Wedding Repeat' in 2020 and 'The Estate' in 2022. Adam (Pico Alexander) whisks his new bride Sarah (Maria Bakalova) to Venice for a honeymoon. But when Adam brings his needy best friend Bav (Asim Chaudhry) along for the ride, Bav causes one gross-out disaster after another. When charming gangster Giorgio (Lucas Bravo) falls for Sarah, he gets rid of Adam and Bav by sending them across the border on a drug-dealing mission. The film saw a limited release in the US in mid-December and was subsequently made available on Amazon Prime Video in the UK and other other European nations. 

With three 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-