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

The 12th annual AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) International Awards were announced virtually on Friday 24th February. Presented by AACTA, a non-profit organisation whose aim is to identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television, awards were given for the best films of 2022, regardless of the country of origin, and are the international counterpart to the awards for Australian films, which was held in Sydney on 7th December. 

Seven awards are handed out in the films category, with those winners and nominees, as given below:-

* Best Film : awarded to 'AVATAR : THE WAY OF WATER', beating out 'Elvis', 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and 'Top Gun : Maverick'. 

* Best Direction : presented to Baz Luhrmann for 'ELVIS', beating out James Cameron for 'Avatar : The Way of Water', Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', Martin McDonagh for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and Steven Spielberg for 'The Fabelmans'.

* Best Actor : presented to Austin Butler for 'ELVIS', beating out Joel Edgerton for 'The Stranger', Colin Farrell for 'The Banshees of Inisherin', Brendan Fraser for 'The Whale' and Hugh Jackman for 'The Son'.  

* Best Actress : awarded to Cate Blanchett for 'TAR', beating out Ana de Armas for 'Blonde', Margot Robbie for 'Babylon', Michelle Williams for 'The Fabelmans' and Michelle Yeoh for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'.

* Best Supporting Actor : awarded to Brendan Gleeson for 'THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN', beating out Woody Harrelson for 'Triangle of Sadness', Sean Harris for 'The Stranger', Brad Pitt for 'Babylon' and Ke Huy Quan for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'.

* Best Supporting Actress : presented to Kerry Condon for 'THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN', beating out Jamie Lee Curtis for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', Olivia DeJonge for 'Elvis', Stephanie Hsu for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' and Jean Smart for 'Babylon'.

* Best Screenplay : awarded to Martin McDonagh for 'THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN', beating out Todd Field for 'Tar', Rian Johnson for 'Glass Onion : A Knives Out Mystery', Ruben Ostlund for 'Triangle of Sadness' and Dana Stevens and Maria Bello for 'The Woman King'. 

For the details of the four television awards, plus a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://www.aacta.org/aacta-awards/aacta-international-awards/

This week, we have three new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, launching with the third instalment in this spin-off series of films and the ninth in the overall franchise, that sees this boxing champion thriving in both his career and family life, but when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces, the face-off is more than just a fight. This is followed by a story of a duty manager at a seaside cinema, who is struggling with mental health issues, and forms a relationship with a new employee on the south coast of England in the 1980's; and we close out the week with a Chinese WWII thriller about a group of underground workers who risked their lives to send intelligence and defend the motherland, set after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour when the Wang Jingwei regime declared war on Britain and the US.

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 coming week. 

'CREED III' (Rated M) - is an American sports drama film that stars and is Directed by Michael B. Jordan in his feature film making debut. This is a sequel to 2015's 'Creed' and 2018's 'Creed II' and is the ninth instalment in the 'Rocky' film franchise, although this is the first time that series creator Sylvester Stallone does not have a role in the film, albeit he does have a Producer credit. 'Creed III' had its World Premiere showcasing in Mexico City on 9th February and is scheduled to be released in the US and internationally from this week. In early February Michael B. Jordan confirmed that 'Creed IV' was going to happen and that potential spin-offs were also under consideration.

Following the events of the last film, Adonis 'Donnie' Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is thriving in both his boxing career and his home life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian 'Dame' Anderson (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving an eighteen year long prison sentence, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Donnie must put his future on the line to battle Dame – a fighter who has nothing to lose. Also starring Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu and Phylicia Rashad. 

'EMPIRE OF LIGHT' (Rated MA15+) - this British romantic drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sam Mendes, whose previous film making credits take in the likes of his debut in 1999 with 'American Beauty', then 'Road to Perdition' in 2001, 'Jarhead' in 2005, 'Skyfall' in 2012, 'Spectre' in 2015, and '1917' in 2019. This film saw its World Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in early September last year and was released in the US in early December and in the UK in early January this year, having garnered mixed or average reviews and has so far grossed US$5.6M at the Box Office. Here then, set in the early 1980's in the English seaside town of Margate, Hilary Small (Olivia Colman) works as a duty manager at the 'Empire Cinema'. Hilary struggles with bipolar disorder, lives alone, has been prescribed lithium by her Doctor, and is having an extramarital affair with her boss Donald Ellis (Colin Firth). A new employee, Stephen (Micheal Ward), who is Black British and lives with his mother Delia (Tanya Moodie), a nurse, starts his new job at the cinema. Hilary is taken with the handsome and charming Stephen and the two form a strong connection during those turbulent times. Also starring Toby Jones, the film was nominated for thirty-three awards including three BAFTA's, a Golden Globe for Olivia Colman and an Academy Award nod for cinematographer Roger Deakins. 

'HIDDEN BLADE' (Rated MA15+) - is a Chinese World War II espionage thriller Written, Directed and lensed by Cheng Er whose previous feature film making credits include 'Lethal Hostage' in 2012 and 'The Wasted Times' in 2016. During World War II and beginning the day after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour and at the height of China’s war of resistance against Japan, a group of courageous citizens develop a top-secret underground espionage network right under the nose of the newly established puppet regime. At increasingly great peril to themselves, the double-agents masterfully extract classified information from deep behind enemy lines, an effort that gives rise to the united front that will help turn the tide of the conflict. Starring Tony Leung and Wang Yibo, the film was released in its native China towards the end of January and in the US in mid-February having grossed so far US$123M at the Box Office, and garnered generally favourable Reviews. 

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 week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-