SPRINGSTEEN : DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE : Tuesday 28th October 2025

I saw the M Rated 'SPRINGSTEEN : DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE' this week, and this American biographical musical drama film is Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Scott Cooper who made his Directorial debut with the critically acclaimed 'Crazy Heart' in 2009 and would go on to Direct 'Out of the Furnace' in 2013, 'Black Mass' in 2015, 'Hostiles' in 2017, 'Antlers' in 2021 and 'The Pale Blue Eye' in 2022. This film is based on the 2023 book 'Deliver Me from Nowhere' by Warren Zanes. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Telluride Film Festival at the end of August with its US and Australian release last week. It has received mixed reviews from critics, and has so far grossed US$18M from a production budget of US$55M.

The film opens in 1957 with a young Bruce Springsteen (Matthew Anthony Pellicano) driving in his family car with his mother Adele (Gaby Hoffman) to a local bar, where Bruce is told to go inside and get his father Douglas (Stephen Graham) to come home. He gingerly taps his father, sitting at the bar, on his back and tells him its time to come home. Douglas turns around and tells him to go and wait outside. Fast forward to 1981 and Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) reaches the end of his latest sold-out concert tour. Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong), his manager and record producer, rents a house for Bruce to lay low from his growing fame, near Freehold, New Jersey where he grew up. 

Bruce's friend and mechanic Matt Delia (Harrison Gilbertson) drives him to the house in Colts Neck, New Jersey and Bruce buys his first new car - a Chevrolet Camaro Z28. Playing with local bands at the Stone Pony (a live music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey), he meets Faye Romano (Odessa Young), an old classmate's younger sister. On the heels of his first top-ten song, 'Hungry Heart', his record label has high expectations of another hit album, and Bruce suggests trimming studio costs, which he had hitherto funded largely himself, by preparing a demo himself. 

Locked away in his retreat at Colts Neck he reads the works of Flannery O'Connor (an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist), Bruce catches the 1973 Terrence Malick Directed film 'Badlands' on TV with Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, and is drawn to research the crime spree of Charles Starkweather who killed eleven people in Nebraska and Wyoming between late 1957 and early 1958. Inspired, he writes a song in the killer's own voice, and later takes Faye on a first date to Asbury Park.

At the house, Bruce enlists the support of his guitar technician Mike Batlan (Paul Walter Hauser) to turn the bedroom into a makeshift studio, with a four-track recorder to arrange the demo themselves. As Bruce's relationship with Faye grows, he writes a collection of stark, somber songs with a blue-collar viewpoint, influenced by his childhood memories, especially of his father with whom he had a complicated and less that ideal relationship. Jon informs Bruce of other opportunities piling up, including a possible movie role written by Paul Schrader and set to star Robert De Niro called 'Born in the U.S.A.' but Bruce is committed to his new music. Recording his new tracks unaccompanied, he makes the risky choice to embrace an imperfect, unvarnished sound quality.

Later, Mike personally delivers to Jon the only copy of the completed demo, a single cassette tape, and Jon confides in his wife about the unexpectedly darker and very personal sounding songs. Now living in California, Adele calls Bruce for help with an increasingly erratic Douglas, who has been fired from his job and is off his medications. After visiting his father, Bruce arrives in New York City to record the new album, reuniting with the E Street Band. They lay down several successful tracks, including 'Born in the U.S.A.' which he wrote for the soundtrack to his abandoned movie offer, but Bruce is unhappy with the overall full-band studio sound of the record.

Following another two weeks of recording and Bruce is still not satisfied with his acoustic vision for the album. Abandoning Faye, he insists on shelving the potential hits ('Born in the U.S.A.', 'Glory Days' and 'I'm On Fire') until he is satisfied. Jon agrees to use Bruce's raw demo, unchanged, as the new record, suspecting Bruce fears losing himself in the face of success. Using older equipment to recreate the demo tape as a vinyl master recording, Bruce's original sound is successfully preserved for the new album, 'Nebraska'.

Columbia Record Executive Al Teller (David Krumholtz) is dismayed by this new stylistic approach, and the absence of any prospective hit singles, but Jon defends Bruce's artistic vision and decision to let the album speak for itself, with no singles, tours, or press appearances, not even his face on the cover to promote the album. Bruce tells Faye that he is moving to California alone, and that he has purchased a house in Los Angeles. She tearfully accuses him of refusing to face his fears. He suffers a mental breakdown as Matt drives him across the country, but they reach his new home in LA. Thinking about suicide, Bruce reaches out to Jon, who urges him to seek professional help, and Bruce visits a therapist and breaks down emotionally.

Ten months later, Bruce is back on tour with Jon's support, and is visited by his proud parents. Douglas asks the 32-year-old Bruce to sit on his lap for the first time, reconnecting with his son and acknowledging that he had not always been a good father but that he is very proud of his son. The pair embrace. An epilogue reveals that 'Nebraska' reached number three on the Billboard charts, while the hits included on Bruce's following album 'Born in the U.S.A.' launched him to global superstardom, as he continued to suffer bouts of depression, but now always with help and hope. 

Make no mistake, this is Jeremy Allen White's film in the way he embodies Bruce Springsteen's mannerisms, his emotions, his working class roots and his raw energy when he's belting out those songs on stage, or in the quieter moments when he's writing his songs and laying them down himself on his four-track recorder in his bedroom. Whilst this film is sure to please the Springsteen fans among us, for me concentrating purely on the recording of one of his least commercially successful albums (despite going to #3 on the album chart), was perhaps a misstep, and I would have preferred to see a little more of his later years, and his rise to legendary status. That said, 'Springsteen : Deliver Me From Nowhere' is worthy of your attention, although you can wait to catch it on your favoured streaming service in due course, but be warned, this is no 'Bohemian Rhapsody' or 'Rocket Man' or 'Elvis'.

'Springsteen : Deliver Me From Nowhere' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 30th October 2025.

The 48th Denver Film Festival this year runs from Friday 31st October through until Sunday 9th November. Founded in 1978, the Denver Film Festival was one of the first film festivals in the country. Now, in its 48th year, the Festival is an annual celebration of cinema that takes place in the vibrant city of Denver, Colorado, USA. As one of the region’s premier film events, the Festival showcases an exceptional lineup of thought-provoking, innovative, and diverse films from around the world. With a history spanning over four decades, the Denver Film Festival has established itself as a destination for film enthusiasts, industry professionals, and cultural explorers alike. It provides a platform for emerging filmmakers to showcase their work, while also featuring acclaimed films from established Directors. In addition to the outstanding film screenings, the Denver Film Festival presents a range of Red Carpet presentations, special events, including filmmaker Q&A sessions, panel discussions, workshops, receptions, and industry networking opportunities . . . . . so reads the official website. 

This years Opening Night Presentation is 'Wake Up Dead Man : A Knives Out Mystery' Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rian Johnson and is the third film in the 'Knives Out' series. Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for his darkest case yet when a murder in a small upstate New York church challenges faith, reason, and everything in between. With an ensemble cast including Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church, the film weaves suspense with sharp humour and gothic overtones. 

The six films in Competition for the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature Film are as detailed below :-

* 'Left-Handed Girl' - from Taiwan and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Shih-Ching Tsou. Single mother Shu-Fen returns to Taipei with her two daughters to open a stall at a vibrant night market. Each must readapt to the city’s rhythm while keeping the family together. But when her traditional grandfather forbids his youngest, left-handed granddaughter from using her ‘devil hand’, buried generational secrets begin to unravel.
* 'The Love That Remains' - from Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and France and Written, Directed and photographed by Hlynur Palmason. Across the changing seasons, artist Anna and her husband Magnus navigate the aftermath of separation while raising three children. Playful, tender moments slip into surreal ruptures as their home life teeters between routine and unraveling. 

* 'My Father's Shadow' - from Nigeria, the UK and Ireland and Co-Written and Directed by Akinola Davies Jnr. During the upheaval of Nigeria’s 1993 election crisis, two young brothers spend a day in Lagos with their estranged father, experiencing the city’s vastness for the first time. 

* 'The President's Cake' - from Iraq, the USA and Qatar and Written and Directed by Hasan Hadi. While people across 1990's Iraq struggle to survive war and food shortages, the President orders every school in the country to prepare a cake for his birthday. Despite her efforts to escape notice, nine-year-old Lamia is chosen by her classmates and must summon her wits and imagination to find the impossible ingredients. 

* 'Sirat' - from Spain and France and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Olivier Laxe. In the Moroccan desert, a middle-aged father searches for his missing daughter, only to stumble into a nomadic rave community on the edge of collapse.

* 'Sound of Falling' - from Germany and Co-Written and Directed by Mascha Schilinski. Four girls, Alma, Erika, Angelika, and Lenka, each spend their youth on the same farm in northern Germany. As the home evolves over a century, echoes of the past linger in its walls, and though separated by time, their lives begin to mirror one another.

For the details of the five films in the American Independent Competition, and the eleven films in the Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary, plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://www.denverfilm.org

Turning the attention then back to this weeks seven new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we launch with an absurdist black comedy offering centering on two conspiracy-obsessed men and the CEO of a major company who they kidnap, after becoming convinced that she's an alien who wants to destroy our little blue and green planet. Next up we have a thriller about a close-knit family who is caught in the turmoil of a controversial rising movement known as 'The Change'. Then we turn to dark comedy body horror film about society's obsession with youth and good looks, as a once beloved actress challenges a beauty firm CEO. Following on we have a Aussie doco about intrepid explorer Richard Harris, key in the Thai cave rescue, who risks all diving New Zealand's potentially deepest cave system. Up next is a supernatural comedy film about a well-meaning but inept angel, who swaps the lives of a struggling gig worker and a wealthy venture capitalist. This is followed by a musical drama offering about a political prisoner who shares a cell with a window dresser convicted of public indecency, and the two form an unlikely bond. And closing out the week we have another Aussie doco about Italian women in 1940's Australia who faced family separation, yet they persevered alone, later helping rebuild post-WWII lives and influencing Australian culture in fashion, business, and leadership.

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.

'BUGONIA' (Rated MA15+) - this absurdist black comedy film is Co-Produced and Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos who made his feature film Directorial debut with 'My Best Friend' in 2001 and would make his English language debut with 'The Lobster' in 2015 which he would follow up with 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' in 2017, 'The Favourite' in 2018, 'Poor Things' in 2023 and 'Kinds of Kindness' in 2024. This film is an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film 'Save the Green Planet!' Written and Directed by Jang Joon-hwan. It had its World Premiere in the main competition of this years Venice International Film Festival at the end of August and was released in the US last week, has so far grossed US$2M on a production budget of about US$50M, and has garnered generally positive critical reviews.

Two conspiracy-obsessed young men Teddy (Jesse Plemons) and his cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. Also starring Alicia Silverstone and Stavros Halkias. 

'ANNIVERSARY' (Rated CTC) - is an American thriller film Directed by Jan Komasa whose previous big screen output includes 'Suicide Room' in 2011, 'Warsaw 44' in 2014, 'Corpus Christi' in 2019, 'The Hater' in 2020 and 'Good Boy' in 2025. When Ellen (Diane Lane) and Paul's (Kyle Chandler) son Josh (Dylan O'Brien) introduces his new girlfriend one lovely afternoon at their 25th anniversary party, no one suspects that it is the beginning of the end for this happy family. The new girlfriend is Liz (Phoebe Dynevor), Ellen's former student expelled from the university some years before for her radical views. Also starring Zoey Deutch, Mckenna Grace, Daryl McCormack and Madeline Brewer. The film is released this week too in the US.

'SHELL' (Rated MA15+) - this American black comedy body horror film is Co-Produced and Directed by Max Minghella in only his second Directorial outing following 'Teen Spirit' in 2016, although he has acted in numerous films and TV series including perhaps his most noteworthy role as Nick Blaine in 'The Handmaids Tale'. Desperate to reclaim her career, once-beloved actress Samantha Lake (Elisabeth Moss) gets drawn into the glamorous world of wellness mogul Zoe Shannon (Kate Hudson) the CEO os wellness company Shell, only to uncover a monstrous truth beneath the seemingly flawless surface. The film had its World Premiere at TIFF in mid-September 2024, was released in the USA in early October this year, and has generated mixed or average reviews.

'DEEPER' (Rated M) - is an Australian action adventure documentary film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jennifer Peedom whose previous credits include the BAFTA nominated doco's 'Sherpa' in 2015, 'Mountain' in 2017 and 'River' in in 2021. Here, she follows Richard 'Harry' Harris, one of the heroes of the Thai cave rescue, as he attempts to enter a cold, dark and mysterious cave system in New Zealand - one that has the potential to be the deepest dived cave in the world. There’s no question that this is the highest stakes dive he has ever attempted. Underground, underwater, with a finite amount of gas to breathe, it’s a dangerous game to play, and as he pushes limits underground with limited air, he questions his motivations and impact on loved ones. 

'GOOD FORTUNE' (Rated M) - this American supernatural comedy film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Aziz Ansari in his feature film making debut. A well-meaning but rather inept budget guardian angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker Arj (Aziz Ansari) and a wealthy venture capitalist Jeff (Seth Rogen). The film premiered at TIFF in early September, was released in the US two weeks ago, has so far grossed US$13M off the back of a US$30M production budget, and has generated largely favourable reviews. 

'KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN' (Rated M) - is an American musical drama film written for the screen and Directed by Bill Condon and is based on the 1976 novel of the same name by the Argentinian author Manuel Puig. It is the second big screen adaptation following the critically acclaimed and multi-award winning 1985 film which was Directed by Hector Babenco and starred William Hurt, Raul Julia and Sonia Braga. Bill Condon's previous feature film making credits include his debut with 'Sister, Sister' in 1987 and then 'Gods and Monsters' in 1998, 'Kinsey' in 2004, 'Dreamgirls' in 2006, 'The Twilight Saga : Breaking Dawn - Parts 1 and 2' in 2011 and 2012, 'The Fifth Estate' in 2013, 'Beauty and the Beast' in 2017, and 'The Good Liar' in 2019. Here then, Valentin Arregui (Diago Luna), a political prisoner, shares a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), a window dresser convicted of public indecency. The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favourite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). The film saw its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in late January this year, and was released Stateside in mid-October having so far grossed US$2M from a production budget of US$30M and has garnered generally positive critical reviews.

'SIGNORINELLA : LITTLE MISS' (Rated PG) - this Australian documentary is Written, Produced and Directed by Jason David McFadden, Angelo Pricolo and Shannon Swan and celebrates the indomitable women who did everything from harvesting cane fields when the men were rounded up and placed in internment camps during WWII, to back-breaking factory work, founding restaurant and fashion empires, radio stations and representing their communities in parliament. These people include game-changing fashionistas Carla Zampatti and Mariana Hardwick, revered foodie Olimpia Bortolotto, NSW politician Franca Arena and Young Talent Time-turned internationally treasured pop singer Tina Arena, who share their stories of hardship, resilience and triumph. Through personal narratives and historical insights, this documentary is a tribute to the power of determination, creativity, and the enduring spirit of women who dared to dream, and who helped shape the Italian-Australian community.

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-

ROOFMAN : Tuesday 21st October 2025

I saw the M Rated 'ROOFMAN' earlier this week, and this American crime comedy drama film is Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Derek Cianfrance who made his Directorial debut with 'Brother Tied' in 1998 and would follow this up with 'Blue Valentine' in 2010, 'The Place Beyond the Pines' in 2012, and 'The Light Between Oceans' in 2016. The film had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September, was released in the US and here in Australia on 9th October, has generated largely positive press and has so far grossed US$21M from a production budget of US$18M. 

The films story opens in 1998 with Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a divorced US Army veteran living in North Carolina. He struggles to provide for his three young children, and after one of his daughters sixth birthday, he is reminded by Steve (LaKeith Stanfield), his friend and fellow member of the 82nd Airborne Division, of his powerful skills of observation. Jeffrey uses this 'superpower' for noticing and exploiting routines to rob a McDonald's, breaking in through the roof at night. Surprising the morning shift before they start work for the day, Jeffrey orders the employees into the walk-in freezer but treats them kindly, even giving the manager his own coat to keep warm, before escaping with the contents of the safe. Over the course of the following two years, Jeffrey carries out about forty-five or so robberies with the same strategy, capturing the attention of the authorities and the media as the mysterious 'Roofman'. He is subsequently caught and arrested at his daughter's birthday party after attempting to escape the clutches of the local Police, and is sentenced to 45 years in prison, while his ex-wife Talana (Melonie Diaz) meanwhile ends his contact with their children.

In July 2004, he works in the prison shop, using his attention to detail to escape by hiding underneath a delivery truck and concealing himself above a black painted plank of wood that fits snugly under the truck and is sturdy enough to bear his weight. Hitchhiking to Charlotte in makeshift street clothes, he is unable to reach his children with a manhunt underway, and his face on all the news channels. He calls Steve, who warns him to lie low for a month and make contact with nobody. He is forced to hide in the bathroom ceiling at a Toys 'R' Us store.

And so Jeffrey ventures into the employee area once the store closes for the night, and finds the security system manual and puts a stop to the stores CCTV cameras from recording. He kits out a hiding place in a hollow wall behind a bicycle display using whatever he can find from the stores shelves to make himself a mattress and a chair. Concealing himself, sleeping, watching and listening in on the remote baby monitoring system to track the staff he has set up during the day, and roaming the empty store at night. 

Helping himself to clothes from the donation bin and other merchandise, he survives on Peanut M&M's and baby food. When Mitch (Peter Dinklage), the store's manager, is unwilling to accommodate his employee Leigh's (Kirsten Dunst) schedule as a single mother, so Jeffrey accesses Mitch's computer to change Leigh's shifts himself, by viewing Mitch's log in and password through his hidden cameras.

Jeffrey steals toys to donate to the toy drive Leigh has organised at her church, and when he is pressed to enter the church by another member of the congregation he claims to be a visiting New Yorker named John Zorn and is introduced to Leigh. He pawns stolen video games to pay for dental work after living on a diet of peanut M&M's. He later evades questions at a church singles lunch event by telling Leigh and the other gathered women that he is an undercover government agent. Leigh asks 'John' on a date, and they begin a relationship. Missing his own children, Jeffrey makes a concerted  effort to bond with Leigh's daughters Lindsay (Lily Collias) and Dee (Kennedy Moyer), but is unable to persuade Leigh to start a new life together some place else.

Early one morning while washing himself at the store, a naked and soap covered Jeffrey is interrupted by Mitch who comes into work much earlier than usual. Jeffrey quickly retreats to his hideout, while Mitch frightened bolts to the relative safety of his office, leaving Police to believe a homeless man snuck in and then fled through a fire escape. Later Lindsay and Leigh get into a heated argument, as she lashes out at her mother. Jeffrey buys a used car to teach her to drive and gain some independence and takes the family on a reckless test drive, with the used car salesman (Jimmy O.Yang) sat in the passenger seat nearly crapping himself over Jeffrey's high speed driving antics. 

Steve returns after months overseas, and agrees to help Jeffrey escape the country under a new identity for US$50K. Steve's partner Michelle (Juno Temple) aids the process by co-ordinating a hair piece for disguise purposes to help him clear customs. Desperate, Jeffrey botches a break-in at the pawn shop to steal a gun, and burns down his dentist's office to cover his tracks for fear of being identified through his dental records. 

At a team meeting held by Mitch just before the onset of the busiest time of the year, Christmas, he informs his team that all hours as rostered must be worked, no exceptions, and that he expects 110% commitment from every team member to achieve the stores sales goals. Jeffrey then once again adjusts Leigh's schedule to keep her away from the store until 10:30am on the day that Jeffrey holds the Toys 'R' Us staff at gunpoint and pistol-whips an armoured car guard knocking him unconscious. However, Leigh arrives early while he is calling for an ambulance. She recognises the masked Jeffrey, who flees with the store's cash before the Police arrive, who upon investigating the store premises discover his hideout. Jeffrey pays Steve for his fake documents and leaves for the airport, but receives a call from Leigh while en route. Unwilling to abandon her, he arrives at her apartment at their designated time of 5:00pm clutching helium filled festive balloons and gifts, but it turns out to be a trap by the Police after Leigh gave him up. He is taken into custody and receives an additional forty-year sentence.

Leigh visits Jeffrey in prison and they forgive each other, and tearfully embrace. He reconnects with his own daughter as he accepts life behind bars. An epilogue reveals that Leigh remarried but visited Jeffrey again for the first time in decades, while Jeffrey made two more escape attempts in 2009 and 2017, but says that no more escape plans feature on his agenda, that he is resigned to his fate in prison, and it is where he deserves to be. He is eligible for parole in 2036. Also starring Ben Mendelsohn and Tony Revolori.

I enjoyed 'Roofman' - up to a point. This film is part RomCom, part drama and part thriller, and is ably held together by two on point performances by a likeable rogue thief in Channing Tatum, and his trusting but ultimately betrayed girlfriend Kirsten Dunst. It has heart, humour, emotion and tension and Director Derek Cianfrance knows how to weave these elements in to a neat and tidy unoffensive package, but at a run time of 126 minutes the film for me outstayed its welcome by twenty minutes and I felt it dragging at the midpoint. That said this is a crowd pleaser of a film that demonstrates that life is stranger than fiction but I would have liked to have seen more of Manchester's roofman exploits and a little less of his Toys 'R' Us squat.

'Roofman' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 23rd October 2025.

The 12th annual Doc'n Roll Film Festival takes place this year from Thursday 23rd October through until Sunday 9th November. Doc'n Roll is a women-led film agency that platforms and champions marginal voices in the music industry - we are passionate about independent film and music of all genres. Our mission is to celebrate music subcultures by providing a unique platform to support creative, compelling and unforgettable documentaries that celebrate the performers, labels, scenes and stories. Doc'n Roll began life in 2013, when we launched the UK's Music & Arts Documentary Film Festival as an arts discovery film fest, convinced it was time to show some love to outlier music, arts and subculture documentaries that were all too often ignored by risk-averse film programmers. Now some 10+ years on, via our now UK-wide annual festival, one-off events and special screenings, we provide our audience with the opportunity to watch these killer documentaries in ace cinemas, as they were designed to be watched : LOUD. Doc'n Roll programmes encore event screenings and special one-off premieres year-round in the UK. Additionally, Doc'n Roll screens in Dublin, Amsterdam, New York City, San Francisco and Dubai. The 12th edition of Doc'n Roll Film Festival UK & Ireland, our headline festival, runs across ten of the city's best-loved cinemas. It will open at Barbican Cinemas and close at BFI Southbank, with additional screenings in Dublin and Brighton . . . . so reads the official website.

The feature films being showcased at this years Doc'n Roll Film Festival are as follows :-

* 'Butthole Surfers : The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt' - from the USA and Directed by Tom Stern. The film traces how two accounting students from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, found solidarity in their shared strangeness, gathered a tribe of like-minded outsiders - queers, weirdos, and nonconformists, including the unforgettable naked performance artist/dancer Kathleen Lynch - and launched one of the most radical and unpredictable paths in rock history. UK Premiere.

* 'A Way To Die : The Short-Films of COIL' - from France and Directed by Xavier Laradji and Maxime Lachaud. After paying tribute to and introducing the photographic and pictorial work of Peter Christopherson (1955-2010) and John Balance (1962-2004) to a larger audience, founding members of the cult formation COIL, Timeless editions have had the duo’s filmed archives restored, from their early films in adolescence in the early 1970's to the more accomplished works of the 1980's/90's, uncovering a first-rate cinematic body of work. UK Premiere.

* 'I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol' - from the USA and Directed by Nick Mead and Andre Relis. A compelling filmic setting for the wry, honest and often hilarious firsthand stories of Glen Matlock, the founding member of the Sex Pistols who co-wrote ten of the twelve iconic songs on their only studio album, 'Never Mind the Bollocks', only to have his contributions later downplayed. Hear his account of the Pistols’ rise in a frank, insightful portrait of a group of malcontents determined to change the music business and attack society’s hypocrisy and stale conventions. UK Premiere.

* 'Big Mama Thornton : I Can't Be Anyone But Me' - from the USA and Directed by Robert Clem. Willie Mae 'Big Mama' Thornton was a major figure in American popular music for forty years. From a rural Alabama background, she defied gender norms, wore jeans, a cowboy hat and boots, stood over six feet tall and weighed as much as 300 pounds. Mike Stoller tells us it was her demeanor - and the two scars on her forehead - that inspired him and Jerry Lieber to write 'Hound Dog' expressly for her. After Hound Dog became a #1 R&B hit in 1952, she won acclaim in Europe as part of the American Folk Blue Festival. She was a major part of the US blues revival in the late 60's and 70's with her unique style of performing, her humour and her rawness were a hit at festivals and clubs all over America and in Europe. UK Premiere.

* 'Para Vivir : The Implacable Times of Pablo Milanes' - from Mexico, Spain and the USA and Directed by Fabien Pisani. A deeply personal portrait of Cuban music icon Pablo Milanes, captured in self-imposed exile during his final years. Milanes, co-founder of the Nueva Trova movement with Silvio Rodriguez, was a major voice in Cuba's revolutionary cultural movement. This film combines interviews with musical luminaries such as Serrat, Chico Buarque, Harry Belafonte and Fito Paez, alongside intimate moments of Milanes in his final years, looking frail and reflecting on the fading Cuban Utopia.

* 'Sound of a Dream : Lee Burridge' - from the USA and Directed by Hoj Jomehri. This intimate portrait follows underground DJ Lee Burridge, whose lifelong goal has been to bring people together through music. Blending cinematic storytelling, rare archival footage and access to Burridge’s inner world, the film traces a 40-year journey from a small seaside village in Dorset to some of the world’s most iconic stages, from Fabric London to Burning Man and Coachella. Burridge’s story is one of persistence and passion, and also impermanence. World Premiere.
* 'In Time : Donal Lunny' - from Ireland and Directed by Nuala O'Connor. Donal Lunny is one of Ireland’s most outstanding artists, and this is the first film account of his life - a portrait that reveals his peerless contribution to Irish culture and music. A founding member of Planxty, The Bothy Band and Moving Hearts, Lunny played a central role in reviving and transforming Irish traditional and folk music for new generations. International Premiere.

* 'Felix Dare to Dream' - from Italy and Directed by Valerio Bariletti and Morgan Bertacca. The story of Felix Leu is one of defiance, creativity, and the search for freedom. A fascinating story of an existential journey - that of Felix Leu, artist, pioneer of modern tattooing, and patriarch of one of the most iconic and respected families on the international scene - the Leu Family, a bohemian clan that turned freedom and creativity into their way of life. UK Premiere.

* 'Nash the Slash Rises Again' - from Canada and Directed by Tim Kowalski. In the late 1970s, Nash the Slash emerged as one of music’s true enigmas, an electric violinist and sonic alchemist blending classical finesse with punk rebellion. From scoring Un Chien Andalou live to mesmerising audiences with his analog arsenal, Nash pushed the boundaries of performance and sound. His singular vision drew him to the UK, signing with Richard Branson’s DinDisc alongside Gary Numan, yet his refusal to compromise collided with the industry’s demands. Returning to Toronto, he embarked on wild adventures with Iggy Pop and forged a path beyond rock, composing for films, installations, and silent cinema. World Premiere.

* 'The Big Johnson' - from the USA and Directed by Lola Rocknrolla. Dean Johnson was a famous New York drag queen, rock star, sex party promoter and late in life escort. In 2007 Dean went on a job and never came back. Was it just an accidental OD, Dean had a history of drug use or was it something more sinister? Another escort died in the same apartment four days earlier. The mystery of his death is only part of Dean Johnson's wild life. Dean was the first in many things, the first bald drag queen, the first to throw sex parties in the 80's during the AIDS crisis, the first openly gay singer on Island records (which cost him his record deal). The first and only person to throw a LGBTQ party at the iconic rock club CBGBs. International Premiere.

* 'Monk in Pieces' - from the USA, Germany and France and Directed by Billy Shebar and David C. Roberts. Meredith Monk - composer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist – is one of the great artistic pioneers of our time, yet her profound cultural influence is largely unrecognised. With Monk’s music at its centre, and featuring interviews with Bjork and David Byrne, Monk in Pieces is a mosaic that mirrors the structure of Monk’s own work, and illuminates her wildly original vocabulary of sound and imagery. UK Premiere.

* 'Tony Foster : Painting at the Edge' - from the USA and Directed by David C. Schendel. Award-winning visual artist Tony Foster has spent nine of the past thirty-five years living in a tadpole tent, using his art as a platform to advocate for the conservation of wild land and raise awareness of climate change. Part explorer, part artist, he routinely risks his life to find the perfect undiscovered landscape. He does not use photography or sketches but paints on site, often in the most difficult weather and uncomfortable circumstances. World Premiere.

* 'Chasing Rainbows : My Visual Duet with Jimmy Scott' - from the USA and Directed by Storm Di Scozia. A 30-years in the making duet between a legendary American jazz singer (Jimmy Scott) and a Scottish rock singer (Storm Di Scozia) in 2014, setting in motion an incredible adventure that will shed light on the extraordinary career and life of Cleveland's most beloved singer, Jimmy Scott, and his biggest fan, Scottish rock singer Storm Di Scozia. UK Premiere.

* 'A Beautiful Place - Lebanon Hanover' - from the Netherlands and Directed by Isolde Woudstra. Taking us on an intimate journey with darkwave icons Lebanon Hanover during their 2024 tour. As the enigmatic duo, William Maybelline and Larissa Iceglass, traverse Europe playing electrifying shows in Bristol, London, Paris, and Berlin, the film unveils the raw emotion behind their haunting sound while exploring the deep, symbiotic bond between the band and their devoted fans, capturing the essence of melancholy, passion, and connection. UK Premiere.

* 'Pieces of Heaven : Porridge Radio' - from the UK and Directed by Ella Margolin. Filmed at the Centre Pompidou in 2024 to mark the release of the band’s final album, 'Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me'. Led by songwriter Dana Margolin, it moves through inertia, heartbreak and dysphoria as she distils over a decade of music into one unforgettable hour. World Premiere.

* 'Boy George & Culture Club' - from the USA and the UK and Directed by Alison Ellwood. A provocative, chaotic and impossibly fun look at one of music’s most groundbreaking bands. An intimate portrait of Culture Club’s rise to fame, dramatic split, and remarkable reunion for the film. For the first time, Boy George, Roy Hay, Mikey Craig and Jon Moss come together to share their story, offering candid insights into their creative process and personal relationships, and the band’s towering cultural impact. UK Premiere.

* 'Move Ya Body : The Birth of House' - from the USA and Directed by Elegance Bratton. A celebration of the new sound that emerged from the underground clubs of Chicago’s South Side, which sparked a global movement of joy, freedom and radical togetherness. Young Chicagoan Vince Lawrence embarked on a journey that would change music history. From his father’s record store to the underground clubs of the South Side, Vince and a group of visionary friends experimented with drum machines and synthesisers, crafting a revolutionary new sound - house music.

* 'Scab Vendor : The Life and Times of Jonathan Shaw' - from the USA and Directed by Mariana Thome and Lucas Barros. Scab Vendor is a documentary exploring the extraordinary life of Jonathan Shaw whose youth was marked by rebellion against his glamorous lineage and his mother’s alcoholism. After a near-fatal heroin overdose in his 20's, Shaw embarked on a transformative journey by hitchhiking from Los Angeles to Rio de Janeiro, honing his craft under legendary old-school tattoo masters, and ultimately redefining tattoo culture. UK Premiere.
* 'Rockers Don't Stop : The Revival of Rockers Revenge' - from the USA and Directed by Arthur Baker. A comeback story with grit and groove. New York's 1980's Dance pioneers Rockers Revenge reunite decades later to finally record their debut album, transforming nostalgia into a powerful journey of friendship, resilience, and unfinished dreams. From the front lines of New York’s COVID crisis to the pulse of Black Lives Matter, their music channels loss, hope, and defiance. World Premiere.

* 'How Tanita Tikaram Became a Liar' - from the UK and Directed by Natacha Horn. Revealing the maverick music icon as never before, Tikaram delivers, in her own words, a raw, political, and personal account of life as a brown, queer woman growing up in the UK - echoing the themes of her new album LIAR (Love Isn’t A Right), the sequel to her multi-million selling debut Ancient Heart. World Premiere.

For the details of the Short Film also being screened, and a whole lot of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://www.docnrollfestival.com

Turning the focus back on this weeks six hot new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we launch with a gothic Sci-Fi film based on a classic early 19th Century novel that has been made into countless movies over the last almost one hundred years and surrounds a brilliant albeit self obsessed scientist who creates a living breathing monster that ultimately leads to the undoing of both of them. Next up is a biographical musical drama charting the early years of this New Jersey Rocker while crafting his 1982 album 'Nebraska', which emerged as he recorded 'Born in the USA' with the E Street Band. Then we turn to a drama set in the 1970's in a sedate corner of Massachusetts, an unemployed carpenter turned amateur art thief plans his first big heist, but when things go haywire, his life unravels. This is followed by a psychological black comedy about two men who lost their respective twin brothers develop a growing friendship after meeting in a support group. Up next is a drama offering from a first time Director about an octogenarian woman who transitions to life in assisted living as she contends with her conflicting relationship to herself and her caregivers; before closing out the week with a romantic drama film that centres on the strained relationship between a young mother and her teenage daughter, exacerbated by the mothers husbands tragic death.

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

'FRANKENSTEIN' (Rated MA15+) - is an American gothic Sci-Fi film that is Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Guillermo del Toro and is based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel of the same name. del Toro's previous feature film output includes his feature film debut in 1992 with 'Cronos' and then the likes of 'Mimic' in 1997, 'The Devil's Backbone' in 2001, 'Hellboy' in 2004, 'Pan's Labyrinth' in 2006, 'Hellboy II : The Golden Army' in 2008, 'Crimson Peak' in 2015, 'The Shape of Water' in 2017, 'Nightmare Alley' in 2021 and 'Pinocchio' in 2022. This film had its World Premiere in the main competition at this years Venice International Film Festival in early September, is followed by a limited cinema release from 17th October and a global release on Netflix on 7th November. 

A brilliant but egotistical scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) brings a creature (Jacob Elordi) to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation. Also starring Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, Christoph Waltz, Charles Dance, Lauren Collins, Ralph Ineson and Burn Gorman. The film has generated largely favourable critical reviews, and cost US$120M to produce.

'SPRINGSTEEN : DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE' (Rated M) - this American biographical musical drama film is Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Scott Cooper who made his Directorial debut with the critically acclaimed 'Crazy Heart' in 2009 and would go on to Direct 'Out of the Furnace' in 2013, 'Black Mass' in 2015, 'Hostiles' in 2017, 'Antlers' in 2021 and 'The Pale Blue Eye' in 2022. This film is based on the 2023 book 'Deliver Me from Nowhere' by Warren Zanes. This film chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen's 1982 album 'Nebraska' when he was a young musician (Jeremy Allen White) on the cusp of global superstardom, struggling to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past. Recorded on a 4-track recorder in Springsteen's New Jersey bedroom, the album marked a pivotal time in his life and is considered one of his most enduring works, servings as a stark, somber acoustic record portraying the lives of blue-collar workers who try to succeed in life but fail at every turn, while searching for a deliverance that never comes. Also starring Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young, Gaby Hoffman and Marc Maron. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Telluride Film Festival at the end of August with its US and Australian release this week. It has received positive reviews from critics.

'THE MASTERMIND' (Rated M) - is a US and UK Co-Production that is Written, Directed and Edited by Kelly Reichardt who made her feature film Directorial debut with 'River of Grass' in 1994 and went on to Direct the likes of 'Old Joy' in 2006, 'Meek's Cutoff' in 2010, 'Night Moves' in 2013, 'Certain Women' in 2016, 'First Cow' in 2019 and 'Showing Up' in 2022. In a sedate Massachusetts suburb circa 1970, unemployed family man, carpenter and amateur art thief James Blaine Mooney (Josh O'Connor) sets out on his first heist. With the museum cased and accomplices recruited, he has an airtight plan to steal four paintings. Or so he thinks. When holding onto the art proves more difficult than stealing them, Mooney is relegated to a life on the run. Also starring Alana Haim, Hope Davis, Bill Camp, John Magaro and Gaby Hoffman. The film had its World Premiere at the main competition of this years Cannes Film Festival in late May, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or. It was released Stateside last week, has received generally positive critical reviews, and has so far grossed US$104K.

'TWINLESS' (Rated MA15+) - this American psychological black comedy film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars James Sweeney in only his second feature film outing following 2019's 'Straight Up'. Here, two young men meet in a support group for twinless twins and form an unlikely friendship. Roman (Dylan O'Brien) and Dennis (James Sweeney) both search for solace and an identity without their other halves and soon become inseparable outside the group. But when Roman meets Dennis' ebullient co-worker, Marcie (Aisling Franciosi), all is revealed to be not what it seems, as each man harbours secrets that could unravel everything. The film saw its World Premiere in the US Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival in late January this year where it won the Audience Award, went on release Stateside in early September, has so far grossed US$1.3M and has garnered generally positive critical reviews.

'FAMILIAR TOUCH' (Rated M) - is an American drama film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sarah Friedland in her feature film making debut. The film follows an octogenarian woman Ruth Goldman (Kathleen Chalfant) as she transitions to life in an assisted living facility contending with her relationship to herself and her caregivers while dealing with cognitive decline. It had its World Premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in early September 2024 in the Horizons section, where Director Sarah Friedland won the Luigi de Laurentiis Lion of the Future prize for best first film, alongside the Best Director award, while Kathleen Chalfant won the Best Actress award. It was released in the US in mid-June this year, has so far grossed US$258K and has garnered universal critical acclaim.

'REGRETTING YOU' (Rated M) - this romantic drama film is Directed by Josh Boone in his fourth feature film making effort following his debut in 2012 with 'Stuck in Love', then 'The Fault in Our Stars' in 2014, and 'The New Mutants' in 2020. This film is based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover. Here, Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) and her daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace) whose relationship is already strained, are forced to explore what's left behind after a devastating accident resulting in the tragic death of Morgan's husband Chris (Scott Eastwood), reveals a shocking betrayal and forces them to confront family secrets, redefine love, and rediscover each other. Also starring Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Willa Fitzgerald and Clancy Brown. The film is released in the US this week too.

With six 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-