This years
Sun Valley Film Festival (SVFF) takes place between Wednesday 3rd and Sunday 7th December in the resort city of Sun Valley in the western USA, in Blaine County, Idaho. Since 2012, the Sun Valley Film Festival has invited fans and filmmakers to connect through the power of cinema in Hollywood’s original ski Shangri-la. Annually, SVFF celebrates with a slate of cutting-edge film and television premieres, engaging Coffee Talks with entertainment luminaries, thought-provoking discussions and unforgettable parties. Outside of the Festival, SVFF enhances the cultural fabric of the community through its Monthly Movies, filmmaker discussions and educational programmes. In 2025 SVFF moves to December, and positions itself as a 'must-stop' on the industry awards circuit and not-to-be missed kick off for the holiday season.
The festival will screen sixteen narrative and documentary features and thirty-two shorts, including the
Opening Night Film presentation
'The Brotherhood' from the US and Directed by Mandon Lovett this documentary feature film follows the trailblazing National Brotherhood of Snowsports – the first all-Black ski group. Once shut out of a sport built for the privileged, Black athletes carved their own path and created a thriving community that now spans 50+ chapters and thousands of members. The
Closing Night Film 'Is This Thing On?' from the US and Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and starring Bradley Cooper. As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form.
The other titles in the Narrative Feature strand are :
* 'Above the Line' - from the US and this action comedy is Co-Written and Directed by Jeffrey Scott Collins. On Christmas Eve, six fledgling Hollywood hopefuls get a mysterious knock at their door and an envelope of $$$ at their feet. It contains the 'opportunity of a lifetime' - to go burglarise a mutually despised Producer that once screwed them over. Who organised this holiday heist? Who will go through with this preposterous plan? Will these desperate idiots pull it off? World Premiere.
* 'Carolina Caroline' - from the US this romantic action thriller is Co-Produced and Directed by Adam Carter Rehmeier. Samara Weaving stars as Caroline, living her small life in a small town, caring for her father. When she observes a handsome drifter pulling a sly con for a few bucks, her curiosity sparks an introduction which begins as an apprenticeship and soon blooms into a passionate romance. The duo leave a wave of crime and passion behind them as they hustle their way through the Southeast, robbing banks. Starring Kyle Gallner, Kyra Sedgwick and Jon Greis.
* 'Dead Man's Wire' - from the US and this action thriller film is Directed by Gus Van Sant. On the morning of 8th February 1977, Indianapolis entrepreneur Anthony G. 'Tony' Kiritsis entered the office of Richard O. Hall, President of the Meridian Mortgage Company, and took the man hostage with a sawn-off 12-gauge shotgun wired to his head, and follows Tony’s misbegotten attempt to seek retribution from the Hall family for cheating him out of what he felt he was owed. Starring Bill Skarsgard, Al Pacino, Cary Elwes, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo and Myha'la.
* 'Is This Thing On?' - refer above.
* 'The Plague' - from Romania and the USA and this thriller is Written and Directed by Charlie Polinger. At an all-boys water polo camp, a socially anxious twelve-year-old is pulled into a cruel tradition targeting an outcast with an illness they call 'The Plague'. But as the lines between game and reality blur, he fears the joke might be hiding something real. Starring Joel Edgerton, Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin and Kenny Rasmussen.
* 'The Testament of Ann Lee' - from Hungary, Sweden and the USA this docu drama is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Mona Fastvold. The extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the devotional sect known as the Shakers, stars Amanda Seyfried as the Shaker's irrepressible leader, who preached gender and social equality and was revered by her followers. The film captures the ecstasy and agony of her quest to build a utopia. Also starring Thomasin Mckenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Matthew Beard, Scott Handy, Viola Prettejohn and Jamie Bogyo.
* 'Train Dreams' - from the US and this drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Clint Bentley. Orphaned at a young age, Robert Grainier grows into adulthood (Joel Edgerton) among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest, where he helps expand the national railroad empire during the early 20th Century, alongside men as unforgettable as the landscapes they inhabit. After a tender courtship, he marries Gladys (Felicity Jones) and they build a home together, though his work often takes him far from her and their young daughter. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled. Also starring Nathaniel Arcand, Clifton Collins Jr., John Diehl, Paul Schneider, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy and narrated by Will Patton. US Premiere.
Arnold and
Patrick Schwarzenegger will be among the honourees at this year’s Festival. The father and son duo will receive the
Vision Award and
Rising Star Award, respectively;
Gus Van Sant will also receive the
Vision Award; while
Clint Bentley and Co-Writer
Greg Kwedar will be honoured with the
Disruptor Award for
'Train Dreams'.
For more information on the other film strands being showcased, and a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org
Turning the attention then back on this weeks five new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a psychological thriller historical drama offering that tells the story as the Nuremberg trials are set to begin, with a US Army psychiatrist locking horns in a dramatic psychological showdown with accused Nazi war criminal Hermann Goring. This is followed by a fantasy RomCom about a woman who must choose between two men with whom to spend eternity in the afterlife. Next up we have a supernatural horror offering that is a sequel set one year after the original film that finds young Abby Schmidt sneaking out to reconnect with her animatronic friends, leading to events that reveal the true origin of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Then we turn to a UK doco about a UK model and cultural icon, real name Lesley Lawson, whose career kickstarted in the swingin' '60's; and closing out the week we have a musical comedy spanning three decades, about the turbulent relationship between a composer and his two lifelong friends, a writer and a lyricist and playwright.
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 coming week.
- is an American psychological thriller historical drama film that is Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by James Vanderbilt in only his second Directorial outing following his 2015
'Truth', although he is perhaps best known as a prolific script writer and Producer of many Hollywood blockbusters and has worked with numerous top Directors. This film is based on the 2013 book
'The Nazi and the Psychiatrist' by Jack El-Hai. The film had its World Premiere in the Gala Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival in early September this year where it received a four-minute standing ovation, one of TIFF's longest standing ovations ever, and was released theatrically in the US in early November having received generally positive reviews from critics, and so far taking US$16M at the Box Office.
The film tells the story of the eponymous Nuremberg trials held by the Allied Forces against the defeated Nazi regime between 20th November 1945 and 1st October 1946 in which twenty-two of the most important surviving leaders of Nazi Germany in the political, military, and economic spheres, as well as six German organisations were tried. Centering on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), who is tasked with determining whether Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes and finds himself in a complex battle of wits with Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe), Hitler's right-hand man. Also starring Michael Shannon, Richard E. Grant, Colin Hanks, John Slattery, Leo Woodall, and Lydia Peckham.
'ETERNITY' (Rated M) - this American fantasy romantic comedy film is Co-Written and Directed by David Freyne who made his feature film Directorial debut with 2017's
'The Cured' and would follow this up with
'Dating Amber' in 2020. In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with Larry Cutler (Miles Teller) and her first love and husband Luke (Callum Turner), who died young in war and has waited decades for her to arrive. The film had its World Premiere screening at TIFF in early September this year, was released Stateside last week, has so far grossed US$5.5M and has garnered generally favourable reviews.
'FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 2' (Rated M) - is an American supernatural horror film based on the video game series
'Five Nights at Freddy's' and is the sequel to the 2023 film adaptation. The film is Directed by Emma Tammi who also Directed the first film and who made her feature film making debut in 2018 with
'The Wind'. Here, one year has passed since the supernatural nightmare at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. The stories about what occurred there have been twisted into a campy local legend, inspiring the town's first ever Fazfest. Former security guard Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) and Police Officer Vanessa Shelly (Elizabeth Lail) have kept the truth from Mike's 11-year-old sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), concerning the fate of her animatronic friends. But when Abby sneaks out to reconnect with Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy, it will set into motion a terrifying series of events, revealing dark secrets about the true origin of Freddy's, and unleashing a long-forgotten horror hidden away for decades. Also starring Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard and Mckenna Grace. The film cost US$51M to produce and is released this week too in the US.
'TWIGGY' (Rated M) - this UK documentary film is Co-Produced and Directed by Sadie Frost in only her second feature length film offering following
'Quant' in 2021, although she has acted in and Produced numerous movies, TV series and short films in her decades long career. An intimate, star-studded dive into the birth of an icon, born Lesley Hornby in a working class home, and everything that followed. A look inside the life of the greatest it-girl of all time, who changed her name to Twiggy as a teenager and whose career began in the swingin'-'60's in the world of fashion, that morphed into movies and back again. Featuring contributions from Dustin Hoffman, Paul McCartney, Lulu, Joanna Lumley, Sienna Miller, Brooke Shields, Zandra Rhodes and many more, the film is an exploration of the model's upbringing, career, relationships, and everything else that has made her the woman she is today, and the first time the icon has told her story first-hand. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the BFI London Film Festival in mid-October 2024 before going on general release in the UK and Ireland in early March this year, and only now is it released here in Australia having generated largely positive critical acclaim.
- is an American musical comedy film Directed by Maria Friedman. Spanning three decades, and told in reverse order, the film charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard (Jonathan Groff) and his two lifelong friends - Writer Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) and lyricist and playwright Charley Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe), as he abandons his career and friends in New York and heads to Hollywood to Produce movies. The 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, and originally adapted into a Broadway stage production in 1981, then becoming an inventive cult classic ahead of its time, the musical features some of Stephen Sondheim's most celebrated and personal songs. The 2023-2024 Broadway production, directed by Maria Friedman, redefined the show for a new era, bringing Stephen Sondheim's intricate score and George Furth's book to vivid life with extraordinary depth and clarity. This film is not to be confused with another film based on the success of the 2022 Off-Broadway production of
'Merrily We Roll Along' which led Director Richard Linklater to undertake a film adaptation, of the same name starring Paul Mescal, Beanie Feldstein, and Ben Platt, and which is currently in production and is being filmed over the course of twenty years.
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 week ahead.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
