What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 20th February 2025

The 78th British Academy Film Awards (the BAFTAs) were held on Sunday evening 16th February at London's Royal Festival Hall within the Southbank Centre, and hosted, for the second year in a row by the Scottish stage and screen Actor, David Tennant. The awards honour films of any nationality that were screened in British cinemas in 2024, with 'Conclave' receiving the most nominations with twelve, followed by 'Emilia Perez' with eleven and 'The Brutalist' with nine. 

The winners, grinners and also rans in the main categories, are as given below :-

* Best Film - awarded to 'Conclave', beating out 'Anora', 'The Brutalist', 'A Complete Unknown' and 'Emilia Perez'. 

* Best Director - awarded to Brady Corbet for 'The Brutalist', beating out Jacques Audiard  for 'Emilia Perez', Sean Baker for 'Anora', Edward Berger for 'Conclave', Coralie Fargeat for 'The Substance' and Denis Villeneuve for 'Dune : Part Two'.

* Best Actor in a Leading Role - presented to Adrien Brody for 'The Brutalist', beating out Timothee Chalamet for 'A Complete Unknown', Colman Domingo for 'Sing Sing', Ralph Fiennes for 'Conclave', Hugh Grant for 'Heretic' and Sebastian Stan for 'The Apprentice'.

* Best Actress in a Leading Role - awarded to Mikey Madison for 'Anora', beating out Cynthia Erivo for 'Wicked', Karla Sofia Gascon for 'Emilia Perez', Marianne Jean-Baptiste for 'Hard Truths', Demi Moore for 'The Substance' and Saoirse Ronan for 'The Outrun'.

* Best Actor in a Supporting Role - presented to Kieran Culkin for 'A Real Pain', beating out Yura Borisov for 'Anora', Clarence Maclin for 'Sing Sing', Edward Norton for 'A Complete Unknown', Guy Pearce for 'The Brutalist' and Jeremy Strong for 'The Apprentice'.

* Best Actress in a Supporting Role - presented to Zoe Saldana for 'Emilia Perez', beating out Jamie Lee Curtis for 'The Last Showgirl', Selena Gomez for 'Emilia Perez', Ariana Grande for 'Wicked', Felicity Jones for 'The Brutalist' and Isabella Rossellini for 'Conclave'. 

* Best Original Screenplay - awarded to Jesse Eisenberg for 'A Real Pain', beating out 'Anora', 'The Brutalist', 'The Substance' and 'Kneecap'.

* Best Adapted Screenplay - presented to Peter Straughan for 'Conclave', beating out 'Emilia Perez', 'Nickel Boys', 'Sing Sing' and 'A Complete Unknown'.

* Best Animated Film - awarded to 'Wallace & Gromit : Vengeance Most Fowl', beating out 'Flow', 'Inside Out 2' and 'The Wild Robot'.

* Best Documentary - awarded to 'Super/Man : The Christopher Reeve Story', beating out 'Black Box Diaries', 'Daughters', 'No Other Land' and 'Will & Harper'.

* Best Film Not in the English Language - presented to 'Emilia Perez', beating out 'All We Imagine as Light', 'I'm Still Here', 'Kneecap' and 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig'.

* Best Casting - awarded to Sean Baker and Samantha Quan for 'Anora', beating out 'The Apprentice', A Complete Unknown', 'Conclave' and 'Kneecap'.

* Best Cinematography - presented to Lol Crawley for 'The Brutalist', beating out Stephane Fontaine for 'Conclave', Greig Fraser for 'Dune : Part Two', Paul Guilhaume for 'Emilia Perez' and Jarin Blaschke for 'Nosferatu'. 

* Best Costume Design - presented to Paul Tazewell for 'Wicked', beating out 'Blitz', 'A Complete Unknown', 'Conclave' and 'Nosferatu'.

* Best Editing - awarded to Nick Emerson for 'Conclave', beating out 'Anora', 'Dune : Part Two', 'Emilia Perez' and 'Kneecap'.

* Best Make-Up and Hair - presented to Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stephanie Guillon, Frederique Arguello, and Marilyne Scarselli for 'The Substance', beating out 'Dune : Part Two', 'Emilia Perez', 'Nosferatu' and 'Wicked'.

* Best Original Score - awarded to Daniel Blumberg for 'The Brutalist', beating out 'Conclave', 'Emilia Perez', 'Nosferatu' and 'The Wild Robot'.

* Best Production Design - awarded to Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales for 'Wicked', beating out 'The Brutalist', 'Conclave', 'Dune : Part Two' and 'Nosferatu'.

* Best Sound - presented to Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Gareth John, and Richard King for 'Dune : Part Two', beating out 'Blitz', 'Gladiator II', 'The Substance' and 'Wicked'.

* Best Special Visual Effects - awarded to Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Gerd Nefzer, and Rhys Salcombe for 'Dune : Part Two', beating out 'Better Man', 'Gladiator II', 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' and 'Wicked'.

* Outstanding British Film - presented to Edward Berger, Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Michael A. Jackman, and Peter Straughan for 'Conclave', beating out 'Bird', 'Blitz', 'Gladiator II', 'Hard Truths', 'Kneecap', 'Lee', 'Love Lies Bleeding', 'The Outrun' and 'Wallace & Gromit : Vengeance Most Fowl'. 

* Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer - awarded to Rich Peppiatt for 'Kneecap', beating out Luna Carmoon for 'Hoard', Dev Patel for 'Monkey Man', Sandhya Suri, James Bowsher and Balthazar de Ganay for 'Santosh' and Karan Kandhari for 'Sister Midnight'.

* Best Children's & Family Film - presented to 'Wallace & Gromit : Vengeance Most Fowl', beating out 'Flow', 'Kensuke's Kingdom' and 'The Wild Robot'.

Additionally, the BAFTA Fellowship Award was presented to the British Actor and TV Presenter Warwick Davis, and the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award was presented to MediCinema, a UK-based registered charity that builds, installs and manages state-of-the-art cinemas, screening the latest releases the film industry has to offer in hospitals and health facilities.

For the full low down on all matters relative to the 2025 Bafta Awards ceremony, you can go to the official website at : https://www.bafta.org/awards/film

Turning attention back to this weeks four new movie offerings coming to a big screen Odeon close to home, we launch with a horror comedy offering based on an acclaimed authors 1980 short story about twin brothers who find their father's old monkey toy in the attic, after which a series of gruesome deaths start, and when the siblings decide to throw the toy away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years, they must come together once again to thwart the evil toy that has come back into their lives. This is followed by a historical action drama set in 14th Century Switzerland, where a once peaceful hunter leads his people to rebellion after his family and country are threatened by a tyrannical Austrian King. Next up we have a drama film about a seasoned showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a thirty-year run; before closing out the week with a coming of age drama film about a twelve year old girl who lives with her half-brother and her father, who raises them alone in a squat in northern Kent, but he doesn't have much time to devote to them both and so the daughter looks for attention and adventure elsewhere.

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

'THE MONKEY' (Rated MA15+) - this American horror comedy film is Written for the screen and Directed by Osgood Perkins, whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut with 'The Blackcoat's Daughter' in 2015, 'I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House' in 2016, 'Gretel & Hansel' in 2020, 'Longlegs' more recently in 2024, and 'Keeper' set for a release in early October this year. This film is based on the 1980 short story by Stephen King, is released in the US this week too, and cost US$11M to produce. It has generated largely positive critical reviews. Stephen King has praised the film claiming it to be 'batshit insane'.

After stumbling upon their father's vintage toy monkey in the attic, twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn (both played by Theo James, with Christian Convery playing the younger Hal and Bill) witness a string of horrifying deaths unfolding around them. In an attempt to leave the haunting behind, the brothers discard the monkey and pursue separate paths over the ensuing years. However, when the inexplicable deaths resurface, the brothers are compelled to reconcile and embark on a mission to permanently eliminate the cursed toy. Also starring Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood and Adam Scott. 

'WILLIAM TELL' (Rated M) - is a UK, Italian and Swiss Co-Production written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Nick Hamm who made his feature film debut with 1998's 'The Very Thought of You' and would follow this up with 'The Hole' in 2001, 'Godsend' in 2004, 'Killing Bono' in 2011, 'The Journey' in 2016, 'Driven' in 2018 and 'Gigi & Nate' in 2022. Here then, in the early years of the 14th Century Switzerland, a once peaceful hunter, William Tell (Claes Bang) leads his people in rebellion after his family and country are threatened by a tyrannical Austrian King. As the Holy Roman Empire crumbles, the quiet lives of the Swiss peasants are upended. Also starring Connor Swindells, Rafe Spall, Emily Beecham, Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the TIFF in early September last year, and was released in the UK in mid-January

'THE LAST SHOWGIRL' (Rated M) - this American drama film is Co-Produced and Directed by Gia Coppola who made her feature film Directorial debut with 'Palo Alto' in 2013 and followed this up with 'Mainstream' in 2020. Here, when the glittering Las Vegas French style revue at a casino resort she has headlined for decades announces it will soon close, a glamorous showgirl Shelley Gardner (Pamela Anderson) must reconcile with the decisions she’s made and the community she has built as she plans her next act. Also starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd and Jason Schwartzman, the film had its World Premiere screening at TIFF in early September last year, has so far grossed US$4.5M from a production budget of less than US$2M and has garnered generally positive critical reviews. It has so far won six awards and a further twenty-three nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit.

'BIRD' (Rated MA15+) - is a UK, US, French and German Co-Produced coming of age drama film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Andrea Arnold whose previous feature film output takes in her debut in 2006 with 'Red Road', then 'Fish Tank' in 2009, 'Wuthering Heights' in 2011, and 'American Honey' in 2016. Twelve-year-old Bailey (Nykiya Adams) lives with her devoted but chaotic single dad Bug (Barry Keoghan) and wayward half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda) in a squat in Gravesend, north Kent. Approaching puberty and seeking attention and adventure, Bailey's fractured home life is transformed when she encounters Bird (Franz Rogowski), a mysterious stranger on a journey of his own. The film had its World Premiere screening at last years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May, was released Stateside in early November, has so far grossed US$1.6M, has received generally positive critical reviews, and has won six awards and another twenty-two nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit so far.

With four 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-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 3rd November 2016.

It's good to see Mel Gibson back in the Director's Chair after an absence of ten years! The American born, Australian raised Actor, Director, Producer and Screenwriter has to a large extent been languishing in the Hollywood wasteland since his alcohol induced drink driving arrest and subsequent anti-Semitic rant back in mid-2006 which led to him being dropped by his agency and the movie offers well & truly drying up. With just six films made as an Actor in the last ten years including the recently released 'Blood Father', his last duty as Director came in 2006 with the acclaimed 'Apocalypto', with the much praised, commercially successful and controversial 'The Passion of the Christ' in 2004, the multi-award winning 'Braveheart' in 1995 and 'The Man Without a Face' in 1993. Being no stranger to multiple Academy Award and other noteworthy wins and nominations for his Directing efforts, Gibson is back in full force and it seems, finally once again, with the full blessing of Hollywood that appears prepared to forgive and hopefully forget those troubles of a decade ago now. This week sees the Australian release of his latest film behind the camera in the true story of WWII conscientious objector hero Desmond T. Doss who saved the lives of seventy-five or more men without firing a shot in anger, carrying a weapon or killing an enemy soldier. 'Hacksaw Ridge' was filmed entirely in Australia and largely in remote New South Wales where the battlefield scenes replicating the Japanese island of Okinawa were shot on a 500 hectare spread of cleared land near Bringelly, located about 70kms from the heart of Sydney. Featuring a who's who of Aussie acting talent and Andrew Garfield playing the lead role of Desmond Doss, 'Hacksaw Ridge' is already receiving much Oscar buzz. Marking thirty years since Gibson made a film in Australia ('Mad Max : Beyond Thunderdome' in 1985) lets hope that this latest offering puts Mel back in the driving seat, in demand, and doing what he does best - both in front and behind the camera.

This week there are  four new films to entice you out to your local Odeon kick starting with a true telling of a WWII hero who never fired a gun or killed another man but saved countless others, and is Directed by one of Australia's favourite sons - his first in ten years. This is followed up by a super smart mathematician (un)cooking the books for known criminals who discovers more than he bargained for when he takes on a seemingly legit company and bodies start dropping like flies. Up next is a teen coming of age story about the new found freedom of life on the road with a bunch of misfits travelling across the American mid-west discovering for themselves the good, the bad and the ugly of what the world has to offer. We then wrap up with an Australian post-WWI period piece of a couple desperate for a child, a baby thrust upon them and the decisions they make that in later years will have far more reaching consequences than they ever imagined.

With more adult fare on offer this week, there is plenty of choice with these films as Previewed below, and those Reviewed and Previewed in previous Posts throughout this Blog, and still out on General Release. When you have seen your film of choice, feel free to share your moviegoing thoughts, views and opinions by leaving a Comment below this or any other Post. As always, we'd love to hear from you. Meanwhile, enjoy your film.

'HACKSAW RIDGE' (Rated MA15+) - Mel Gibson is back - finally - and in the Director's chair for the first time since his acclaimed 'Apocalypto' in 2006 which he also Co-Wrote and Co-Produced. Since then he has starred in six films only, and most recently 'Blood Father' released only a few months ago to critical praise but lacklustre Box Office. Hollywood turned their back on Gibson for reasons that are well known and well documented, and so too did the movie going public, but in 'Hacksaw Ridge' it seems the Actor, Director, Producer and Screenwriter has served his time and there has been widespread applause for this, his latest Directorial offering which Premiered at the Venice Film Festival in early September to a ten minute standing ovation. After languishing in film development hell for a very long time, and having turned down the film twice before, Gibson finally agreed to helm the movie in 2014. Made for US$40M and filmed entirely in Sydney and rural New South Wales, Australia, this film features a string of fine Australian acting talent, and is already touted for Academy Award recognition come next February.

The film is set in WWII and principally around the Battle of Okinawa, an island 550kms off the Japanese coast, that saw intense and ferocious fighting that lasted for 82 days and saw extensive casualties on both sides. In particular, the film surrounds the true story of US Army Medic Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) who was a devout Seventh Day Adventist and wanted to enlist and serve his country but refused to carry a weapon into battle or kill an enemy soldier. As a conscientious objector he single handedly saved the lives of more than 75 men under a barrage of constant enemy fire whilst upholding his firm religious beliefs. He was discharged from the US Army in 1946 and spent the next five years recovering from his own injuries (he was shot three times) and illness. He died in 2006 aged 87, having been awarded the Medal of Honour in November 1945 by President Harry S. Truman, as well as The Bronze Star and Purple Heart, and numerous others. This is his story, and the film also stars Vince Vaughn, Hugo Weaving, Sam Worthington, Richard Roxburgh, Ryan Corr, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer and Rachel Griffiths. Nominated for thirteen AACTA Awards, this is one not to be missed.

'THE ACCOUNTANT' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Gavin O'Connor for US$44M and so far making back US$84M this drama thriller film has garnered mixed Reviews, despite its strong cast with Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff in the lead role as a forensic Accountant - a maths savant with more in common with numbers than personalities. He works for a small town Certified Public Accountants Office in Illinois, which he uses as a cover to effectively uncook the books of dangerous underworld and criminal organisations. When Treasury Agent Raymond King (J.K.Simmons) starts to close in on Wolff, The Accountant takes on a legitimate Client, Living Robotics - a state of the art robotics technology company which he soon discovers has its own financial discrepancies amounting to millions of dollars. Before you know it, the body count starts to rise as Wolff gets closer to the truth, and with various antagonists closing in, The Accountant reveals his true colours and his particular set of skills acquired over the years from dealing with various shady characters and organisations. Also starring Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow.

'AMERICAN HONEY' (Rated MA15+) - Written and Directed by British film-maker Andrea Arnold, made for just US$3.5M and selected to compete for the Palme D'Or at this years Cannes Film Festival and winning the Jury Prize at Cannes, this film has so far garnered positive reviews albeit lacklustre Box Office recovering just US$1.3M since its release a month ago in the US, and mid-October in the UK. Telling the story of Star (newcomer Sasha Lane) who has grown up on the poverty line in an abusive home, decides to break free of those shackles, experience the world and try to make a different life for herself. On the verge of adulthood, she teams up with a group of similarly aged young adults peddling magazine subscriptions door to door across America's mid-west, headed up by Jake (Shia LaBeouf) and Krystal (Riley Keough). Jake invites Star to join them and its not long before she finds herself embroiled in the culture of life on the road with a bunch of new young misfit friends - hard drinking, drugs, partying, abusing the law, the trials of young love and the big cities they pass through with a hapless abandonment, adventure and joy despite the harsh realities of life. At a running time of just over 160 minutes, you'll need to be patient with this one, but that patience is likely to be rewarded.

'THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS' (Rated M) - this romantic drama period piece is based on the 2012 debut best selling novel of the same name by M.L. Stedman, is Directed by Derek Cianfrance and is set off the coast of Western Australia in the post WWI years (although filmed in New Zealand and Tasmania). Here Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) is a Great War veteran who after the war is hired as the lighthouse keeper at Janus Rock off the Western Australia coast. In 1921 he marries local lass Isabelle Graysmark (Alicia Vikander) and over the next few years Isabelle suffers two miscarriages, and wonders if she'll ever have a pregnancy go full term. After her second miscarriage, Tom discovers an abandoned rowing boat washed up on the shore near the lighthouse - contained therein is the dead body of an older man, and a young baby girl. The couple unofficially adopt the baby girl as their own and name her Lucy. Years later when they discover Lucy's true parentage they are faced with a moral dilemma and the consequences of their actions to raise the child as their own in secret. Also starring Rachel Weisz, Jack Thompson and Bryan Brown, the film has so far received US$16M from its US$20M budget outlay.

Four top choice films to tempt you out to your local multiplex in the week ahead, with decidedly adult oriented fare. When you have sat through your favoured screening, share your thoughts with us here. In the meantime, I'll see you at the Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-