What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 9th March 2023.

The 75th Directors Guild of America Awards were handed out on Saturday 18th February, followed by the 34th Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday 25th February, followed by the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards on Monday 27th February, followed by the 75th Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday 5th March. The DGA Awards were hosted by Judd Apatow and held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California; the PGA Awards were also held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the SAG Awards were held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, Century City, California and the WGA Awards were also held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel. All of these awards honour the best achievement in film and television for the 2022 year. 

The winners for each of these awards ceremonies are as given below, in the feature films category :-

DGA AWARDS - honouring the outstanding Directorial achievement in feature films, documentary, television and commercials.

* Feature Film Award presented to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Todd Field for 'Tar', Joseph Kosinski for 'Top Gun : Maverick', Martin McDonagh for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and Steven Spielberg for 'The Fabelmans'.

* Documentaries Award presented to Sara Dosa for 'Fire of Love', beating out Matthew Heineman for 'Retrograde', Laura Poitras for 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed', Daniel Roher for 'Navalny' and Shaunak Sen for 'All That Breathes'. 

* First Time Feature Film Award presented to Charlotte Wells for 'Aftersun', beating out Alice Diop for 'Saint Omer', Audrey Diwan for 'Happening', John Patton Ford for 'Emily the Criminal' and Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic for 'Murina'.

PGA AWARDS - honouring the best film and television Producers.

* Darryl F. Zanuck for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures Award presented to Jonathan Wang, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out the Producers of 'Avatar : The Way of Water', 'The Banshees of Inisherin', 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever', 'Elvis', 'The Fabelmans', 'Glass Onion : A Knives Out Mystery', 'Tar', 'Top Gun : Maverick' and 'The Whale'. 

* Outstanding Producers of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures Award presented to Guillermo del Toro, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley for 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio', beating out the Producers of 'Marcel the Shell with Shoes On', 'Minions : The Rise of Gru', 'Puss in Boots : The Last Wish' and 'Turning Red'.

* Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures Award presented to Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris for 'Navalny', beating out the Producers of 'All That Breathes', 'Descendant', 'Fire of Love', 'Nothing Compares', 'Retrograde' and 'The Territory'. 

SAG AWARDS - honouring the best achievements in film and television performances.

* Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Award presented to Brendan Fraser for 'The Whale', beating out Austin Butler for 'Elvis', Colin Farrell for 'The Banshees of Inisherin', Bill Nighy for 'Living' and Adam Sandler for 'Hustle'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Award presented to Michelle Yeoh for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Cate Blanchett for 'Tar', Viola Davis for 'The Woman King', Ana de Armis for 'Blonde' and Danielle Deadwyler for 'Till'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Award presented to Ke Huy Quan for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Paul Dano for 'The Fabelmans', Brendan Gleeson for 'The Banshees of Inisherin', Barry Keoghan for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and Eddie Redmayne for 'The Good Nurse'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Award presented to Jamie Lee Curtis for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Angela Bassett for 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever', Hong Chau for 'The Whale', Kerry Condon for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and Stephanie Hsu for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Award presented to 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out 'Babylon', 'The Banshees of Inisherin', 'The Fabelmans' and 'Women Talking'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture Award presented to 'Top Gun : Maverick', beating out 'Avatar : The Way of Water', 'The Batman', 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever' and 'The Woman King'. 

WGA AWARDS - honouring the best writing in film, television and radio.

* Best Original Screenplay Award presented to 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, beating out 'The Fabelmans', 'The Menu', 'Nope' and 'Tar'.

* Best Adapted Screenplay Award presented to 'Women Talking' Written and Directed by Sarah Polley, beating out 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever', 'Glass Onion : A Knives Out Mystery', 'She Said' and 'Top Gun : Maverick'.

* Best Documentary Screenplay Award presented to 'Moonage Daydream' Written, Directed, Produced and Edited by Brett Morgen, beating out '2nd Chance', 'Downfall : The Case Against Boeing', 'Last Flight Home' and 'Viva Maestro!'.

For all the details of the TV Awards and those others given out where applicable, you can go to the official websites for the Directors Guild Awards at : https://www.dga.org/awards/annual.aspx; the Producers Guild Awards at : https://producersguild.org/category/all-news/awards/; the Screen Actors Guild Awards at : https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/29th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards; and the Writers Guild Awards at : https://awards.wga.org/awards/nominees-winners.

This week we have seven new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, kicking off with a Sci-Fi actioner that sees an astronaut crash landing on a mysterious planet, only to learn that he's not alone! This is followed by a film inspired by true events in which a West Texas single mother wins the lottery and squanders it just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. Next we have another real life drama telling the story set in 1955, and after the brutal murder of her fourteen year old son, his mother vows to expose the racism behind the attack while seeking to have justice served on those perpetrators of that crime. Then we turn to the sixth instalment in this horror franchise that sees the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start afresh in New York City, or so they thought! Next up is another true story of a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of missteps, is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. Following on we have a highly acclaimed documentary showing rare footage and intimate interviews providing an insight into the life and work of renowned photographer and activist Nan Goldin; before closing out the week with an Aussie doco telling the true story of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance.

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

'65' (Rated M) - this American Sci-Fi action thriller film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods in their third feature film pairing that has previously brought us 'Nightlight' in 2015 and 'Haunt' in 2019. The pair also penned the script for 2018's multi-award winning and nominated 'A Quiet Place'. With a budget of US$91M this film is released Stateside too this week. The film was originally slated for release at the end of April last year, before being moved several times to its current release window.

Here, following a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Adam Driver) quickly discovers he is stranded on Earth 65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at rescue, Mills and the only other survivor from a passenger list of thirty-five, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive. Also starring Chloe Coleman and Nika King. 

'TO LESLIE' (Rated M) - is an American independent drama film directed by Michael Morris in his feature film Directorial debut, that saw its World Premier screening at South by Southwest in March 2022 before its limited release Stateside in early October. Costing less that US$1M to produce the film has so far collected just US$32K at the Box Office but has garnered universal critical acclaim, and has collected six award wins and another eight nominations including an Oscar nod for lead Actress Andrea Riseborough. Inspired by true events, a West Texas single mother Leslie 'Lee' Rowlands (Andrea Riseborough) wins the lottery of US$190K and squanders it just as fast on alcohol and drugs, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. Six years later, with her charm running out and nowhere to go, she reunites with her estranged twenty-year-old son James (Owen Teague) and fights to rebuild her life and find redemption when a motel owner offers her a job. Also starring Allison Janney, Marc Maron and Stephen Root. 

'TILL' (Rated M) - is an American biographical drama film Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Chinonye Chukwu in her third feature film making effort following 'alaskaLand' in 2012 and 'Clemency' in 2019. The film saw its World Premier showcasing at the New York Film Festival in early October last year, was released in the US in mid-October and in the UK in early January, and is released in Australia this week, having generated widespread critical acclaim and collecting eighteen award wins and another eighty-three nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. It has so far grossed US$11M from its US$20M production budget. Based on real life events, in 1955, after fourteen-year-old Emmett Till (Jalyn Hall) is murdered in a brutal lynching while visiting his cousins in Mississippi, his mother Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler) vows to expose the racism behind the attack while working to have those involved brought to justice. Also starring Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg and Sean Patrick Thomas.

'SCREAM VI' (Rated MA15+) - this American slasher horror film is Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, whose last feature film offering was 2019's 'Ready or Not' and before that 'Devil's Due' in 2014. This is the sixth instalment in the 'Scream' franchise with Wes Craven Directing the first four films in the series and Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett Directing the last two. The first film in the series was released in 1996, with 'Scream' the fifth offering released in January last year, with a total Box Office haul so far of US$745M off the back of combined production budgets of US$142M. Following on from the events of 2022's 'Scream', here the survivors of the latest Ghostface killings, sisters Samantha (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) Carpenter and twins Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks (Jasmin Savoy Brown), leave Woodsboro behind and begin a new chapter of their lives in New York City, only to again be plagued by a streak of murders by a new Ghostface killer. Also starring Dermot Mulroney, Samara Weaving, Hayden Panettiere, Henry Czerny and Courteney Cox. The film is released Stateside too this week.

'CHAMPIONS' (Rated M) - is an American comedy sports film Directed by Bobby Farrelly in his first solo Directorial outing following his numerous film making credits with his brother Peter including 'There's Something About Mary' in 1998, 'Me, Myself and Irene' in 2000, 'Shallow Hal' in 2001, 'Stuck On You' in 2003, 'Fever Pitch' in 2005, 'Hall Pass' in 2011 and 'Dumb and Dumber To' in 2014. This film is a remake of the 2018 Spanish film of the same name and tells the story of a temperamental minor-league basketball coach, Marcus (Woody Harrelson) who finds himself in legal trouble. In order to satisfy a community service requirement, he is ordered by the court to coach a basketball team consisting of players with intellectual disabilities and works with them to compete in the Special Olympics. Also starring Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson and Cheech Marin. 

'ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED' (Rated R18+) - this American documentary film is Co-Produced and Directed by Laura Poitras whose previous documentary film credits take in the likes of 'The Oath' in 2010, 'Citizenfour' in 2014 and 'Risk' in 2016. This film had its World Premier showing in early September last year at the Venice International Film Festival, where it was awarded the Golden Lion, making it the second only documentary to win the top prize at Venice. It also screened at the 2022 New York Film Festival, where it was the festival's centre piece film. The film examines the life and career of photographer and activist Nan Goldin and her efforts to hold Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, accountable for the opioid epidemic. Goldin, a well known photographer whose work often documented the LGBT subcultures and the HIV/AIDS crisis, founded the advocacy group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) in 2017 after her addiction to Oxycontin, and had a near fatal overdose of Fentanyl. P.A.I.N. specifically targets museums and other arts institutions to hold the art community accountable for its collaboration with the Sackler family and its well publicised financial support of the arts. Since P.A.I.N.'s activities most of the targeted museums have severed all ties with the Sackler family and in 2021 Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy. Released in the US in late November last year where it has received critical acclaim, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards and has so far grossed US$950K in Box Office receipts. The film has so far collected twenty-nine award wins and another forty-seven nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, and is mostly narrated by Nan Goldin.

'SHACKLETON : THE GREATEST STORY OF SURVIVAL' (Rated PG) - is an Australian historical adventure documentary film that is Directed by Bobbi Hansel and Caspar Mazzotti. Twenty-eight lost adventurers must fight for their lives after their only lifeline is destroyed in November 1915 in the most uninhabitable place on Earth, Antarctica. The film reveals the true story of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance, told by the only man ever to have repeated their incredible feat – explorer and adventurer Tim Jarvis. Following in the beset crew’s footsteps, Tim reveals the enduring legacy of Shackleton’s crisis leadership in the face of seemingly impossible odds. Starring the voices of Rupert Degas as Ernest Shackleton and Tim Jarvis. 

With seven 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-