IS THIS THING ON? : Tuesday 10th February 2026

I saw the M Rated 'IS THIS THING ON' earlier this week, and this American comedy drama film is Co-Written for the screen, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Bradley Cooper in his third Directorial outing following 'A Star is Born' in 2018 and 'Maestro' in 2023, as well as his numerous acting and Producing credits. This film is based loosely on the life of English comedian John Bishop, who was given a story credit on the film, after he met Will Arnett and told him about the night he decided to become a stand-up comedian, and how ultimately it helped save his marriage. The film had its World Premiere as the closing film of the New York Film Festival on 10th October last year, was released in the US on 19th December and here in Australia last week, has so far grossed US$12M and has garnered generally positive critical reviews. 

After twenty years of marriage and twenty-six years since they first started dating, Alex and Tess Novak (Will Arnett and Laura Dern respectively) have decided on an amicable end to their marriage. They now face an uncertain future as Alex moves out and takes a rental apartment while Tess remains in the family home. They continue to share co-parenting responsibilities with their two young sons Felix (Blake Kane) and Jude (Calvin Knegten). One evening after they have separated Alex finds himself unable to pay the US$15 cover charge at the Olive Tree Cafe, and so puts his name down for the open mic night at the Comedy Cellar, located in the basement of the Cafe. Alex begins to regularly do stand-up comedy routines, and he forms a bond with the other stand-up comic regulars at the cafe. In turn he has a one night stand with Jill (Jordan Jensen), a fellow comic. Tess returns to her passion of volleyball having retired from the sport after representing the USA at a professional level to raise a family. She is later offered a place as Assistant Coach for the 2028 Summer Olympics, and has dinner with Laird (Peyton Manning) a mid-40 year old former Netball player also turned coach, and also divorced. 

After dinner with Laird, he offers to take Tess to the Comedy Cellar which as it happens is the same night that Alex is offered a ten minute slot as a featured act. During his routine Alex opens up about having had sex with another woman for the first time in over twenty years and says that he was never unfaithful to his wife, and comments that he is not very good at it. Laird offers to leave but Tess wants to stay and can't believe her eyes and ears! Outside, Alex and Tess confront each other about moving on so quickly, but the two reconcile, laugh it off and have sex later that night. Later on, at Jude's tenth birthday party the pair seem to reconnect, while having fun with their family and close friends, but choose to maintain a casual distance at this point for fear of confusing their children.

When Alex and Tess see their friends Balls (Bradley Cooper) and Christine (Andra Day) at a coastal weekend getaway Balls confides in Alex that his separation has inspired him to consider the idea of separating from Christine. Balls is a background Actor who has aspirations beyond his talents it seems, but has been offered a role as a ranch hand in Season Four of a Western series being shot in Texas. Meanwhile Christine says that she has been looking down on Alex due to him reminding her of her past self, and his withering away has also led to herself reconsidering her marriage to Balls.

Tess gets upset when she hears from Alex about his hanging up a large blown-up photo of her from behind in mid-flight as a volleyball athlete at his apartment, as she later brings up during an argument that it makes it look like Alex was only in love with an idea of her. The two then accuse each other of not having each others backs during their relationship.

As a result of that argument Alex's next stand up routine is a bitter rant about relationships, where Alex's Dad Jan (Ciaran Hinds) is in the audience, unknown to Alex. After his routine Alex is sat on a step outside the Comedy Cellar having a cigarette, when he sees his Dad exiting. He tells his son that his thinking is dangerous and that two people in a relationship need to rub against each other. The pair embrace and upon parting company Jan tells Alex to include some jokes next time. 

Balls later visits Alex one morning at his apartment and says that he has talked things out with Christine, saying that they are okay with being confused with each other. Balls also says that they killed off his character in the series, but he has written a part with his character coming back as a ghost to wreak havoc on the ranch, which he is going to pitch to the Producers. He and Christine spent nine days in Texas on set and that helped work things out between them. Alex then shows up at Tess' door, saying that he was not unhappy 'with' their relationship, but rather unhappy 'in' their relationship and that he wants to be unhappy with Tess. The two then show up to Felix and Jude's school performance of 'Under Pressure' and Alex and Tess kiss, and seem very happy together in their renewed relationship.

This character study of Generation X'ers has enough comedy, drama and romance to satisfy anyone in the audience of that era, and in Director Bradley Cooper, he has here delivered a grounded, realistic and authentic tale of a couples fateful decision, and their ultimate retrieval from that decision into a stronger, solidified relationship. Laura Dern and Will Arnett give truly standout performances, whereas Cooper's role is under utilised, almost as though he had bitten off more than he could chew in this his third Directorial offering. Whilst this comedy drama is a shift in genre for Director Cooper, and for some I can see it failing to live up to those expectations, this is nonetheless a noteworthy entry in his film making portfolio and as such worthy of your consideration. That said, despite the ups, downs and up again of their relationship, I came away from the movie theatre with a sense that love conquers all, and that's no bad thing.

'Is This Thing On?' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 5th February 2026.

This years 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), is in full swing having opened on Thursday 29th January and running through until Sunday 8th February. This annual film festival is held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and is largely focused on independent and experimental films. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental filmmaking by showcasing emerging talents and established auteurs. The festival also places a focus on presenting cutting edge media art and arthouse film, with most of the participants in the short film programme identified as artists or experimental filmmakers. IFFR also hosts CineMart and BoostNL, for film Producers to seek funding.

The Opening Night feature film presentation this year, was 'Providence and the Guitar' from Portugal and is Co-Written and Directed by Joao Nicolau. Life's tough for traveling 19th Century performers Leon and Elvira. Between moody Police Officers, rival performers, and mischievous demons, they rely on newfound friends to keep faith in their art. The Closing Night film is 'Bazaar' from France and Directed by Remi Bezancon and centres on a crime writer and his film professor partner who are swept up in a real-life mystery when they begin to suspect their neighbour of murder. Both films are World Premiere screenings. 

IFFR’s trade mark competition - 'The Tiger Competition' celebrates the innovative and adventurous spirit of up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world. The competition was founded in 1995 with the aim of discovering, raising the profile of and rewarding up-and-coming international film talent. The Tiger Award is accompanied by a €40K cash prize, to be shared between the Director and Producer of the winning film. Two Special Jury Awards worth €10K will also be presented for exceptional artistic achievement within the competition.

This years titles, competing for this prize, are as given briefly below :-
* 'La belle annee' - Directed by Angelica Ruffier and from Sweden and Norway.
* 'A Fading Man' - Directed by Welf Reinhart from Germany.

* 'The Gymnast' - Directed by Charlotte Glynn from the USA.
* 'A Messy Tribute to Motherly Love' - Directed by Dan Geesin and from the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.
* 'My Semba' - Directed by Hugo Salvaterra from Angola.
* 'Nangong Cheng' - Directed by Shao Pan from China.
* 'O profeta' - Directed by Ique Langa and from Mozambique, South Africa and Qatar.
* 'Roid' - Directed by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon from Bangladesh.

* 'Supporting Role' - Directed by Ana Urushadze and from Georgia, Estonia, Turkey, Switzerland and the USA.
* 'Unerasable!' - Directed by Socrates Saint-Wulfstan Drakos from Belgium, Thailand and Sweden.
* 'Variations on a Theme' - Directed by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar and from South Africa, Netherlands and Qatar.
* 'Yellow Cake' - Directed by Tiago Melo from Brazil.

For the full descriptors of the aforementioned films in the Tiger Competition, plus the other competitive strands being showcased, the full line of some 650 feature films and short films being screened and a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : http://www.iffr.com/en/

And so looking ahead to this weeks seven new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a Gothic romantic fantasy film which after his wife dies, a 15th century Prince renounces God and becomes a vampire, and centuries later in 19th century London, he sees a woman resembling his late wife and pursues her, sealing his own fate. This is followed by a comedy drama offering that tells the story of a marriage quietly imploding, and so the husband seeks new purpose in the New York comedy scene while the wife confronts the sacrifices she made for their family. Next we have an action thriller about a reclusive former assassin living on a remote island who must protect a young girl he rescues from a storm, drawing him into conflict with past enemies. Then we turn to the third and final chapter in horror franchise that see the only survivor from the previous films that has our protagonist squaring off against the masked killers one last time in a brutal, full-circle reckoning of survival and revenge. Following on we have a survival thriller film that after a catastrophic military disaster, the dead don't just rise, they hunt, and so a wife searches for her missing husband, but what she finds is far more terrifying. Up next is a sports film about the Republic of Ireland national football team and the eponymous Saipan incident between player and team Captain, and the Club Manager in the lead up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup; before closing out the week with a Japanese animated fantasy action film about the eponymous Princess who can cross time and space on a quest of vengeance after her father is murdered.

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.

'DRACULA' (Rated MA15+) - is an English language French Gothic romantic fantasy film based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel 'Dracula'. This film is written for the screen and Directed by Luc Besson, whose previous feature film output takes in the likes of 'La Femme Nikita' in 1990, 'Leon : The Professional' in 1994, 'The Fifth Element' in 1997, 'The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc' in 1999, 'Lucy' in 2014, 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' in 2017 and 'Dogman' in 2023. The film was released in France at the end of July last year, is released in the USA, Canada and here in Australia this week, has so far grossed US$6M and has generated mixed or average reviews. 

When a 15th-century Prince Vladimir of Wallachia (Caleb Landry Jones) witnesses the brutal murder of his wife Elisabeta (Zoe Bleu), he renounces God and damns Heaven itself. Cursed with eternal life, he is reborn as Dracula, an immortal warlord who defies fate in a blood-soaked crusade to wrench his lost love back from death, no matter the cost. On the verge of reuniting some four hundred years later with his reincarnated wife Mina Murray (Zoe Bleu) Dracula is hunted by a relentless priest (Christoph Waltz), sworn to end his immortal reign.

'IS THIS THING ON?' (Rated M) - this American comedy drama film is Co-Written for the screen, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Bradley Cooper in his third Directorial outing following 'A Star is Born' in 2018 and 'Maestro' in 2023, as well as his numerous acting and Producing credits. This film is based loosely on the life of English comedian John Bishop, who was given a story credit on the film, after he met Will Arnett and told him about the night he decided to become a stand-up comedian, and how ultimately it helped save his marriage. Here then, 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 his wife 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. Also starring Bradley Cooper, Andra Day, Sean Hayes and Ciaran Hinds. The film had its World Premiere as the closing film of the New York Film Festival on 10th October last year, was released in the US on 19th December, has so far grossed US$11M and has garnered generally positive critical reviews.

'SHELTER' (Rated M) - is a UK and USA Co-Produced action thriller film Directed by Ric Roman Waugh whose prior feature film output includes 'Felon' in 2008, 'Snitch' in 2013, 'Shot Caller' in 2017, 'Angel Has Fallen' in 2019, 'Greenland' in 2020, 'Kandahar' in 2023 and the yet to be released 'Greenland 2 : Migration' expected later this year. On a remote Scottish coastal island, a reclusive man, Mason (Jason Statham) rescues a young girl Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) from a deadly storm, drawing them both into danger. Forced out of isolation, he must confront his turbulent past while protecting her, sending them on a tense journey of survival and redemption. Also starring Bill Nighy and Naomi Ackie. The film had its World Premiere screening in London on 20th January and was released last week Stateside. 

'THE STRANGERS : CHAPTER 3' (Rated MA15+) - this American horror film is Directed by Renny Harlin whose previous feature film credits take in the more popular offerings including 'Die Hard 2' in 1990, 'Cliffhanger' in 1993, 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' in 1996, 'Deep Blue Sea' in 1999, 'Driven' in 2001, 'The Bricklayer' in 2023 and then 'The Strangers : Chapter 1' and 'The Strangers : Chapter 2' in 2024 and 2025 respectively. This film serves as the fifth instalment in 'The Strangers' film franchise and the final instalment in a new trilogy. Here, in this decisive and brutal conclusion to the trilogy, the survivors seeking rehabilitation from their past encounters with the masked strangers are thrust back into a fight for their survival. In their struggle, they uncover unsettling secrets that threaten to alter their fate, jeopardising their lives as the line between reality and peril blurs. Starring Madelaine Petsch as Maya the only survivor of the terrorising Strangers with Gabriel Basso, Ema Horvath and Richard Brake reprising their roles from the pervious instalment. The film premiered in Los Angeles in mid-January, and is released in the US this week too.

'WE BURY THE DEAD' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian and US Co-Produced survival thriller film Written and Directed by Zak Hilditch, who made his feature film debut in 2003 with 'Waiting for Naval Base Lilly', and which he would follow up with his better known projects including 'These Final Hours' in 2013, '1922' in 2017 and 'Rattlesnake' in 2019. Here then, Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley), a desperate woman, searches for her husband in the aftermath of a catastrophic military experiment. Hoping to find him alive, Ava joins a 'body retrieval unit', but her search takes a chilling turn when the corpses she's burying start showing signs of life. Also starring Mark Coles Smith, Brenton Thwaites and Matt Whelan, the film had its World Premiere at SXSW in March last year, was released Stateside on 2nd January and here in Australia this week, has generated largely positive critical reviews, and has so far grossed US$4M. 

'SAIPAN' (Rated MA15+) - this sports film from Ireland is Directed by the husband and wife team of Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D'Sa in their joint fourth feature film offering following 'Cherrybomb' in 2009, 'Good Vibrations' in 2012 and 'Ordinary Love' in 2019. Set in 2002, shortly before the FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the Irish national football team arrives on the Pacific island of Saipan where they are to bond and train before moving to Japan. But the management’s relaxed approach does not match team captain Roy Keane’s (Eanna Hardwicke) expectations, and so he decides to forfeit his place in the squad after a heated disagreement with the Irish manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan). The Manchester United star player is here after all, to win it. The film had its World Premiere screening at TIFF in September last year, was released in its native Ireland on 1st January, the UK on 23rd January and here in Australia this week having garnered generally positive critical reviews.

'SCARLET' (Rated M) - is a Japanese animated fantasy action film that is Written and Directed by Mamoru Hosoda whose previous animated films as Director include 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' in 2006, 'Wolf Children' in 2012, 'The Boy and the Beast' in 2015, 'Mirai' in 2018 and 'Belle' in 2021. Inspired by the Shakespearean tragedy 'Hamlet', Scarlet (voiced by Mana Ashida), a medieval-era, sword-fighting Princess is on a dangerous quest to avenge the death of her father. After failing in her mission and finding herself fatally injured in a surreal world, she encounters an idealistic young man from our present day who not only helps her to heal but shows her the possibility of a future free from bitterness and rage. When confronted once more by her father’s killer, Scarlet faces her most daunting battle - can she break the cycle of hatred and find meaning in life beyond revenge? The film had its Premiere out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival in early September last year, was released in Japan on 21st November, and here in Australia and the US from this week, having generated largely favourable reviews.

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-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 7th December 2023.

The Red Sea International Film Festival marks its third edition this year, running from Thursday 30th November through until Saturday 9th December. Over the course of ten days, the festival celebrates the best of local and international filmmaking talents in an exciting platform for everything film-related. With eleven film categories to choose from, the Red Sea Film Festival programme has something for everyone, satisfying every cinematic palate under the sun. Each section is expertly curated by a team of internationally renowned programmers, delivering the best in Arab and world cinema, television, and VR. You will also get to rediscover old favourites and restored classics, and enjoy an exciting collection of experimental and short films. It is an expansive roundup of the year’s international hits and audience and critics’ favourites, hot from the international cinematic circuit, as well as the best Saudi films, all competing in the heart of Jeddah. 

This years International Spectacular strand, the following feature films are being showcased :-

* 'Copa 71' - from the UK and Co-Written and Co-Directed by Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine, this documentary is about why the first Women's World Cup has been written out of history.

* 'Chicken Run : Dawn of the Nugget' - from the UK and Directed by Sam Fell, this animated adventure comedy film tells the story of how, having escaped from the farm, Ginger and Rocky welcome a new little adventurer into their lives. Back on the mainland, the whole of chicken-kind faces a terrible new threat. Starring the voice talents of Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton, Timothy Spall and Miranda Richardson.

* 'Dammi' - from France and the UK and Co-Written and Directed by Yann Mounir Demange and starring Riz Ahmed and Isabelle Adjani, this short drama film tells the story of a man who travels back to Paris while navigating his past experiences and weird glimpses of the present in an effort to reconnect with his estranged father. He is forced to face his fears and guilt while also reclaiming his lost Arab identity.

* 'The President's Wife' (aka 'Bernadette') - from France and Written and Directed by Lea Domenach, this biographical comedy drama film stars Catherine Deneuve following Bernadette Chirac during the two French presidential mandates of her husband, Jacques Chirac from 1995, until the election of Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007.

* 'The Boy and the Heron' - from Japan and Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this animated adventure drama film sees Mahito, a young 12-year-old boy, who struggles to settle in a new town after his mother's death. However, when a talking heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world.

* 'Origin' - from the USA, India and Germany and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Ava DuVernay, this drama film charts the unspoken system that has shaped America and chronicles how lives today are defined by a hierarchy of human divisions. Starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Vera Farmiga, Connie Neilsen, Jon Bernthal, Nick Offerman, Blair Underwood and Finn Wittrock.

* 'Priscilla' - from the USA and Italy and Co-Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Sofia Coppola this musical biographical drama film is based on the 1985 memoir 'Elvis and Me' by Priscilla Presley and follows the life of Presley (Cailee Spaeny) and her relationship with Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi).

* 'Silent Night' - from the USA and Co-Produced and Directed by John Woo, this action film stars Joel Kinnaman, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Kid Cudi about a grieving father who enacts his long-awaited revenge against a ruthless gang on Christmas Eve.

* 'Ferrari' - from the USA and Co-Produced and Directed by Michael Mann this biographical sports drama film stars Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, Jack O'Connell and Patrick Dempsey. In the summer of 1957, Enzo Ferrari, reeling from the death of his son Dino, the deteriorating marriage with his wife Laura, and his company's impending bankruptcy, enters his racing team to the 1957 Mille Miglia. Chosen as the Closing Night Gala Film presentation. 

For the other film strands including the Arab Spectacular, the Red Sea : Competition, Red Sea : Treasures and Special Screenings plus a whole lot more, you can go to the official website at : https://redseafilmfest.com/en/

To tease you out to your local big screen Odeon in this first week of Summer, there are no less than eight movies coming your way, kicking off with a biographical offering from only a second time Director but a seasoned Actor nonetheless that charts the lifelong love between a famed music conductor and composer and his Costa Rican wife. Following on, we have a crime thriller about a meticulous horticulturist who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager. Next up is an actioner from an acclaimed Director of the genre about a grieving father who enacts his long-awaited revenge against a ruthless gang on Christmas Eve. Then we turn to an Aussie Sci-Fi thriller that sees two drug-dependent best friends in Melbourne heist a bag of time-travelling crystal in order to pay off their debt to a volatile dealer; which is followed by a romcom drama offering about a woman who is unexpectedly forced to choose between the husband she has long thought dead and the fiance who has finally brought her back to life. This is followed by a Japanese animated film that follows a young boy who discovers an abandoned tower in his new town and enters a fantastical world with a talking grey heron; and then a documentary combining interviews with secretly shot footage, that focuses on the difficulties facing North Korean defectors, revealing a way of life unknown to most of the world. And closing out the week we have a musical comedy about two self-obsessed businessmen who discover they're long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric, divorced parents.

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

'MAESTRO' (Rated M) - this American biographical film is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Bradley Cooper in his second feature film making outing after the critically acclaimed and multi award winning 'A Star is Born' in 2018. Also taking Producing credits are Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. This film saw its World Premiere screening at the Venice International Film Festival in early September this year where is was in competition for the Golden Lion, saw a limited cinema release in the US from 22nd November and here in Australia from this week before streaming on Netflix from 20th December. 

This complex love story chronicles the lifelong relationship of famed conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and Costa Rican Actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein (Carey Mulligan) from the time they met at a party in 1946 and continuing through two engagements, a 25 year marriage, and three children - Jamie Bernstein (Maya Hawke), Alexander Bernstein (Sam Nivola) and Nina Bernstein Simmons (Alexa Swinton). Also starring Sarah Silverman as Bernstein's sister Shirley. 

'MASTER GARDENER' (Rated M) - is an American crime thriller film Written and Directed by Paul Schrader whose previous film making credits take in the likes of his debut offering with 'Blue Collar' in 1978 and then 'American Gigolo' in 1980, 'Cat People' in 1982, 'The Comfort of Strangers' in 1990, 'Dying of the Light' in 2014, 'First Reformed' in 2017 and 'The Card Counter' in 2021. Here, a meticulous horticulturist Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate owned by a wealthy dowager Norma Heverhill (Sigourney Weaver). When he's told to take on her troubled great-niece Maya Core (Quintessa Swindell) as an apprentice, his life is thrown into chaos and dark secrets from his past emerge. The film saw its World Premiere out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival in early September 2022, and was released in the US in mid-May this year having so far grossed US$1.4M at the Box Office off the back of a US$4M production budget and garnering generally favourable reviews.

'SILENT NIGHT' (Rated MA15+) - this American action film is Co-Produced and Directed by John Woo whose prior feature film output includes 'A Better Tomorrow' and 'A Better Tomorrow II' in 1986 and '87, 'The Killer' in 1989, 'Bullet in the Head' in 1990, 'Hard Boiled' in 1992, and then his first Hollywood actioner 'Hard Target' in 1993 followed by 'Broken Arrow' in 1996, 'Face/Off' in 1997, 'Mission : Impossible 2' in 2000, 'Paycheck' in 2003 with 'Red Cliff : Part I' and 'Red Cliff : Part II' in 2008 and 2009 amongst a whole swathe of others. This film is John Woo's first American production since 'Paycheck' twenty years ago and sees a man, Brian Goodluck (Joel Kinnaman) witnesses the death of his young son when the boy gets caught in crossfire between warring gangs on Christmas Eve. Recovering from a wound that cost him his voice, he soon embarks on a bloody and gruelling quest to punish those responsible. The film was released last week in the US and has so far grossed US$3.5M.

'TIME ADDICTS' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian Sci-Fi thriller Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sam Odlum in his feature film making debut. In debt to their volatile drug dealer, best friends, Denise (Freya Tingley) and Johnny (Charles Grounds), agree to a sketchy job to pay off their last hit. After breaking into a run down stash house in Melbourne, Victoria to steal a bag of mysterious drugs, escape proves more troublesome, as the pair find themselves trapped inside with a madman. With no way out and not one to miss an opportunity, Johnny smokes the new drug and promptly travels into the past, triggering alarming new events in the future. Separated through time, Denise is left alone to confront her past, their dealer's real identity, and her very own existence.

'ONE TRUE LOVES' (Rated PG) - this American romantic comedy drama film is Co-Produced and Directed by Andy Fickman whose previous film making efforts include 'She The Man' in 2006, 'The Game Plan' in 2007, 'Race to Witch Mountain' in 2009, 'Parental Guidance' in 2012, and 'Playing with Fire' in 2019. This film is an adaptation of the 2016 novel of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid. After her husband Jesse (Luke Bracey) disappears in a helicopter crash, Emma (Phillipa Soo) moves back to Massachusetts in an effort to mend her life back together. Four years later, Emma runs into her old best friend, Sam (Simu Liu), and they become inseparable. Newly engaged, Emma receives an unexpected phone call revealing Jesse is alive. Completely torn, Emma must now choose between a husband and a fiance. The film was released in the US in early April this year and has generated largely unfavourable reviews.

'THE BOY AND THE HERON' (Rated PG) - is an Japanese animated fantasy film Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki and is Produced by Studio Ghibli. Hayao Miyazaki's previous film credits take in the likes of 'Castle in the Sky' in 1986, 'Princess Mononoke' in 1997, 'Spirited Away' in 2001, 'Howl's Moving Castle' in 2004, 'Ponyo' in 2008 and 'The Wind Rises' in 2013 amongst others. All up Miyazaki has won seventy-nine awards and been nominated a further forty-eight times for his work in Japanese animation. Here, Mahito (voiced by Luca Padovan in the English over-dubbed version), a young twelve-year-old boy, struggles to settle in a new town after his mother's death. However, when a talking heron informs Mahito that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, which takes him to another world. The English version includes the voice talents of Robert Pattinson, Gemma Chan, Christian Bale, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe and Dave Bautista. The film has garnered universal critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$84M at the Box Office since its release in its native Japan in mid-July with a US and Australian release set for this week. 

'BEYOND UTOPIA' (Rated M) - this American documentary film is Directed and Edited by Madeleine Gavin in her third feature doco film since her debut in 2003 with 'What I Want My Words to Do to You : Voices from Inside a Women's Maximum Security Prison' and 2016's 'City of Joy'. The documentary centres around Sengeun Kim, a pastor who defected from North to South Korea and who facilitates North Korean defections of families as they attempt to escape oppression in North Korea, revealing a world most of us have never seen. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at this years Sundance Film Festival in late January, went on limited release in the US in late October, has so far grossed just US$28K yet had generated universal critical acclaim and has collected six award wins and another thirteen nominations from around the awards and festival circuit.

'DICKS : THE MUSICAL' (Rated MA15+) - is an American musical comedy film Co-Produced and Directed by Larry Charles whose prior film making credits take in 'Masked and Anonymous' in 2003, 'Borat' in 2006, 'Bruno' in 2009, 'The Dictator' in 2012 and 'Army of One' in 2016. This film is based on the off-Broadway musical 'Fucking Identical Twins' by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson. Here then, two business adversaries Craig and Trevor (Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson respectively) realise they're identical twin brothers, and decide to switch places to reunite their divorced parents so they all can become an actual family again. Also starring Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Megan Thee Stallion, Sonya Eddy, Danielle Perez and Nick Offerman, the film saw its World Premiere screening at this years Toronto International Film Festival in early September before going on release in the US in early October, having so far grossed US$1.4M and generating mixed or average critical reviews.

With eight 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 coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME 3 : Tuesday 9th May 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME 3' at my local Odeon earlier this week. This hotly anticipated American superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, and is the sequel to 2014's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 2017's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and serves as the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the second film in Marvel's Phase Five and more than likely the final instalment in this particular series. Written and Directed once again by James Gunn who recently jumped ship and now heads up, with Peter Safran, DC Studios as Co-Chairpersons and joint CEO's. Gunn's next Directorial outing is slated to be 'Superman : Legacy' due in July 2025. The film saw its World Premier screening at Disneyland, Paris on 22nd April and was released in the US, China, here in Australia and other territories last week. It has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$366M off the back of a production budget of US$250M. 

At their new home base on Knowhere, the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel) are attacked by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a Sovereign warrior created by their High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) who seems to answer to the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). After Adam overpowers them and seriously wounds Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), he is stabbed by Nebula (Karen Gillan) and forced to flee the scene. The Guardians are unable to tend to Rocket's wounds due to a kill switch attached to his heart, made by the company Orgocorp. They travel to Orgocorp's headquarters to find the override code, having at best 48 hours before Rocket dies. 

As Rocket lies unconscious, memories of his past life come flooding back. As a baby raccoon, he was experimented on by the High Evolutionary, an alien geneticist who sought to take what he viewed as lower life forms and enhance them into a perfect anthropomorphic species in order to create a Counter-Earth. 

After being modified Rocket befriended the High Evolutionary's other test animals: the otter Lylla, the rabbit Floor and the walrus Teefs. The High Evolutionary perfected the anthropomorphisation process with Rocket's advice but ordered Rocket's brain to be extracted for further research, and his friends incinerated. Rocket was able to free Lylla with an improvised electronic key card, only for the High Evolutionary to kill her, upon walking in and discovering Rocket's ruse. Rocket, enraged, mauled the High Evolutionary face and head and shot his guards, but Teefs and Floor were killed in the exchange of gunfire. Alone, angry and despondent Rocket steals a spaceship and flees. 

Meanwhile, the alternate version of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who has joined the Ravagers led by the high ranking Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone), helps the Guardians infiltrate Orgocorp, which is owned by the High Evolutionary. 

They retrieve Rocket's file, but discover that the code has been removed. The group speculates that Theel (Nico Santos), one of the High Evolutionary's advisors, has it, so they depart for Counter-Earth. They are followed by Ayesha and Adam, who are ordered by their creator, the High Evolutionary, to capture at all costs Rocket for his brain.

Arriving on Counter-Earth the Guardians are helped by a family of local residents in tracing Theel to the High Evolutionary's ship. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) remain with Gamora and Rocket as Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) travel to the High Evolutionary's ship. Nebula is forced to wait outside by guards as Quill and Groot board. Drax and Mantis chase after Quill's group. 

The High Evolutionary sets off the destruction and planned recreation of Counter-Earth, which ultimately kills all life on the planet, including Ayesha. As his ship enters orbit, Quill and Groot leap off with Theel, landing back on Counter-Earth and retrieving the code from the computer implanted into the side of his head, just as Gamora arrives with their ship. In the meantime, Nebula, Mantis, and Drax board the High Evolutionary's ship in order to rescue Quill and Groot, not knowing that had recently and literally jumped ship. As Quill's group attempts to access the code, Rocket flatlines and has a near-death experience, where he is reunited with Lylla, Teefs, and Floor. Lylla tells him that his time has not yet come and that he still has work to do, as Quill uses the code to disable the kill switch and save Rocket's life. 

On the High Evolutionary's ship, Nebula, Mantis, and Drax come across hundreds of imprisoned humanoid children, before being captured. Quill's group sets out to rescue the three, who are placed in a chamber with monstrous Abilisks. Mantis connects with the Abilisks saying they only eat batteries, and so allowing the group to escape and reunite with Quill's group, together overcoming the High Evolutionary's army. Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Cosmo the Spacedog (voiced by Maria Bakalova) arrive back on Knowhere, and Cosmo creates a telekinetic bridge connecting Knowhere to the High Evolutionary's ship to free the captured children. Rocket discovers imprisoned animals on the ship before being attacked by the High Evolutionary, but the rest of the Guardians help subdue him, remove his mask revealing the seriously disfigured face of the man and leaving him to die on his ship. The Guardians rescue the animals and lead them aboard Knowhere. Quill nearly dies by freezing in deep space trying to cross over but is saved by Adam, who had a change of heart after being saved by Groot. 

Once the dust has settled, Quill announces that he intends to leave the Guardians, bestowing the captaincy to Rocket before leaving for Earth to reunite with his grandfather Jason. Mantis embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the Abilisks, Gamora reunites with the Ravagers and is welcomed back by Stakar Ogord, and Nebula and Drax remain on Knowhere to raise the saved children. 

There is no doubt that Director James Gunn has wrapped up his final instalment of the 'Guardians' trilogy with a lot of heart, a good dose of emotion, action set pieces aplenty, some witty dialogue, a thumping soundtrack, all the colour and grandeur of the galaxy that you could ever imagine, plus a whole zoo load of animals that would make any self respecting PETA advocate squirm in horror. And for the rag tag bunch of space heroes Gunn sees them all go off in their own directions to seek out new challenges and adventures, and as for some of them if you remain in your seat for a mid-credits sequence and right until the end credits have rolled you'll catch a glimpse of what the future (possibly) holds. My only criticism of this film, and it seems that thirty-two films in now, of the MCU at large, is that the CGI action spectacles are often so beautifully rendered that their screen busyness leaves the viewer wondering where to focus the attention for fear of missing out on something happening on another part of the screen. 

'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

NIGHTMARE ALLEY : Tuesday 25th January 2022.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'NIGHTMARE ALLEY' this week, which is an American neo-noir psychological thriller film Directed, Co-Written for the screen and Co-Produced by Guillermo del Toro whose previous film making credits take in 'Hell Boy', 'Pacific Rim', 'Crimson Peak' and the Academy Award winning 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'The Shape of Water'. This film is based on the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham, and is the second feature film adaptation following the 1947 film starring Tyrone Power. The film has garnered generally positive Reviews and has recovered US$15M in Box Office receipts from its US$60M production budget so far, having been released Stateside in mid-December last year. It has also so far won fourteen awards and been nominated a further seventy-seven times (of which some of those nominations are still awaiting an outcome) from around the awards circuit. 

The film opens up in 1939, and we see Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper, who also Co-Produces here) dragging a bundled up body across the floor of a ramshackle dwelling and dumping that body under the floorboards. He then douses the body and the surrounding room with petrol, strikes a match, and walks out of the rural house perched on a hill as it becomes engulfed in flames. He gets on bus, and sleeps. When he wakes its nighttime and the bus has reached the end of the line. He gets out and walks toward a travelling carnival, ultimately securing a job as an employee (a carny) on that travelling carnival. When the carnivals resident 'geek' becomes ill, the owner Clem Hoately (Willem Dafoe) has Carlisle help him drop off the body at a nearby inner-city Church, on the promise of a steak and eggs dinner. Over dinner, Clem explains that he finds alcoholics or drug addicts, who are often men with a troublesome history, and coaxes them in with promises of a temporary job, somewhere to sleep and regular meals, but gives them alcohol that contains a few drops of opium tincture. He uses their gradual dependence to physically and mentally abuse them until they sink into madness and depravity, thus creating a geek for his carnival. Later that night Clem shows Carlisle where he stores the moonshine he brews to control the other carnies, warning him not to mistake it for the wood alcohol for pickling medical specimens he stores in jars nearby, for that stuff will easily kill a man.

After a lot of fetching and carrying, erecting and dismantling the big carnival tents and sideshows, often in the pouring rain, Carlisle lands a job with clairvoyant act Madame Zeena (Toni Collette) and her alcoholic husband Pete (David Strathairn). Zeena and Pete use an ingenious coded language system, devised by Pete, to make it seem that she has extraordinary mental powers, which Pete begins teaching to Carlisle. Pete and Zeena warn him not to use these skills to continue leading patrons on when it comes to the dead, which they refer to as a 'spook show'. They always tell their customers after the show that it is a deception for fear of people getting hurt. Meanwhile, as Carlisle becomes more and more familiar with their act, and he grows in confidence, he is attracted to fellow performer Molly (Rooney Mara) and approaches her with an idea for a two-person act away from the carnival, using his new found mentalist abilities. 

One night, after Pete asks Carlisle to secure him a bottle of Clem's moonshine, he gives Pete the wrong bottle (possible accidentally) and the old man dies the next morning in Zeena's arms from consuming wood alcohol. In the aftermath, Carlisle swears his love to Molly and reiterates his plan. She accepts, and they leave the carnival behind. Two years later, Carlisle has successfully reinvented himself as 'The Great Stanton', a mentalist act for New York's wealthy ruling class, together with Molly as his assistant, using Zeena and Pete's tried and tested techniques. During a performance, their act is interrupted by psychologist Dr. Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), who attempts to expose their system of code. Stan's line of questioning allows him to gain the upper hand over Ritter, keeping their act safe while publicly humiliating her. He is later approached by the wealthy Judge Kimball (Peter MacNeill), who engaged Ritter to test Carlisle. He is now convinced of Carlisle's abilities and offers to pay him handsomely to allow him and his wife Felicia (Mary Steenburgen) to communicate with their dead son who died in Nomansland during WWII at the age of 23. Despite Molly's objections to the unwritten 'spook show' ruling, Carlisle agrees.

Ritter invites Carlisle to her office. She knows full well that he is a con man, but is nevertheless intrigued by his skills of mental manipulation. Through her recorded sessions with her clients, she has accumulated a wealth of potentially sensitive information about various members of New York's movers and shakers and the rich and famous. Sharing a connection, she and Carlisle begin an affair, and they conspire together to manipulate Kimball, with Ritter secretly providing private and sensitive information to fuel his pretence. She does this on the condition that she can start therapy sessions with Carlisle, based on complete honesty, who reveals his guilt over Pete's death, and his hatred of his alcoholic father, who he killed in their home before joining the carnival. 

Kimball introduces Carlisle to the powerful and very private Ezra Grindle (Richard Jenkins), whose lover, Dory, died of a forced abortion. Despite warnings from Ritter that Grindle is dangerous, Carlisle begins to scam Grindle and starts to drink, having told her previously that he 'never' touches the stuff!. Ritter feeds information to Carlisle, which he supplements by doing his own clandestine investigations, to use against Grindle as revenge for him previously attacking her. She shows Carlisle a scar down her chest and abdomen she received from Grindle. Molly becomes increasingly uncomfortable, and upon learning of the affair with Ritter, leaves Carlisle. He begs her to stay, but she refuses, only agreeing to help him one last time. 

She poses as Dory for Carlisle's ultimate act: manifesting herself as Dory from the other side for Grindle so that he can ask for her forgiveness. However, he loses control of Grindle, who reveals himself to be a violent abuser of many women due to his guilt for Dory. He then clutches hold of Molly wrist before she can exit the escalating out of control scene and realises that his vision of Dory is a fake. Unknown to Carlisle, Grindle's head of personal security, Anderson (Holt McCallany), hears a radio broadcast announcing that Judge Kimball and his wife have been found dead in an apparent murder-suicide, because of Carlisle's promises to Felicia that they would be reunited with their dead son after their own deaths. She had shot dead her husband and then turned the gun on herself. Knowing that Carlisle was recommended to Grindle by the Judge, he goes to check on what was going down between the two.

Upon coming to the realisation that 'Dory' is fake, Grindle becomes enraged and promises to ruin Carlisle. A tussle breaks out between the two men and Carlisle beats him to death with repeated blows to the face, then kills Anderson during their escape by running over him, twice, in their car. As he begins to smash up their car to create the impression that it was stolen, Molly leaves Carlisle for good. Carlisle goes to Ritter for help but discovers she has been scamming him all along, revealing that she wanted revenge for what happened during their initial meeting. She speaks of her disappointment in realising that he was nothing more than a base money-driven petty criminal. She calls the Police and threatens to use her recordings of their sessions as evidence that he is mentally disturbed should he try to implicate her. Ritter shoots Carlisle in the ear, and he tries to strangle Ritter using the telephone cable with the line to the Police still open but as the Police arrive, he flees.

Wanted, injured, with no money, nowhere to go and only the clothes on his back, Carlisle jumps a train and hides behind a wall of chicken coups, as the Police search the carriages but find no evidence of him. He wanders around for years as an aimless alcoholic tramp. At his limit, he tries to get a job as a mentalist at another carnival. The owner (Tim Blake Nelson) turns him away but offers him a drink and a 'temporary' job as the new geek at the last minute, using the same patter that Clem recounted to him all those years previously. Carlisle accepts, laughing out, 'I was born for it'. Seemingly aware of his fate, his laughs turn to tears.

In 'Nightmare Alley' Director Guillermo del Toro has here hung up his all too familiar horror fantasy tropes and traded these in for a psychological melodramatic offering that is bathed beautifully in the colours and images of the era in which the film is set with the emphasis on meticulous detail, whilst still retaining the filmmaking DNA that del Toro is so renowned for. Cooper here shines in his role as the fractured tormented soul with regrets about his past 'indiscretions' but willing to brush these under the carpet for his share of the limelight and all the trappings of his success only for it to all come crumbling down around him that ultimately brings him full circle. And the other A-listers in supporting roles including Blanchett's femme fatale, Collette, Dafoe, Mara, Strathairn and Jenkins all give top notch performances that lend an authenticity to the early 1940's setting, some more menacingly than others. This is a film of life on the road as a travelling carny, of dark and stormy nights, of misdirection and deception, of regret and redemption and of murder most foul all wrapped up in a morality tale that transcends the ages. My only gripe is that of the 150 minute running time, del Toro could easily have shaved twenty-minutes off without sacrificing the story or his undeniable artistic integrity. 

'Nightmare Alley' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-