What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 25th November 2021.

The 32nd edition of the Stockholm International Film Festival wrapped up on 21st November after twelve days of showcasing a host of one hundred or so feature films, short films and documentaries from around the world, as well as in person and digital conversations with Directors including Kenneth Branagh, Joachim Trier, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Jane Campion and Robin Wright. This years Opening Night film was Pedro Almodovar's 'Parallel Mothers' with the Closing Nights film being Kenneth Branagh's 'Belfast'.  

In competition for the Bronze Horse, which is open to Directors who have made a maximum of three films only, were a selection of sixteen feature films. These were :-

* 'Rhino' - from Ukraine, Germany and Poland and Written and Directed by Oleh Sentsov. During the chaotic 90's in post Soviet Ukraine a rebellious small-time criminal is caught in a spiral of violence and more and more serious crime. He quickly ascends in the criminal hierarchy and is finding it exceedingly more difficult to stop. Winner of the Bronze Horse for Best Film, and the star of the film Serhii Filimonov was awarded the prize for Best Male Actor for his portrayal of the criminal Rhino.

* 'The Hill Where Lionesses Roar' - from Kosovo and France and Written, Directed, Co-Produced and starring Luana Bajrami. Three young women in a remote Kosovan village challenge the status quo as they go out on a tour filled with rebellious behaviour, petty crime and lust for life. The festival's youngest Director, the Kosovan 20-year-old Luana Bajrami, was awarded two Aluminum Horses in the categories Best Debut and Best Screenplay for this film.

* 'Our Men' - from Belgium and France and Written and Directed by Rachel Lang. Maxime and Vlad, two very different men united by the infamous Foreign Legion – a place where men from all over the world seek out a new family and future.

* 'Hive' - from Kosovo, Switzerland and Albania and Written and Directed by Blerta Basholli. This true story centres on Fahrije, who lost her husband and had to start her own business to survive. Due to the conservative views of her hometown, she is met with disapproval from the citizens.

* 'Feathers' - from Egypt, Netherlands, Greece and France and Co-Written and Directed by Omar El Zohairy. Somewhere between an absurd comedy and social realism we take part in a passive mother’s journey to take on a whole new role in the family after her husband accidentally is transformed into a chicken during a kids magic show.

* 'Miracle' - from Romania, Czech Republic and Latvia and Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Bogdan George Apetri. Two individuals - the first is Cristina, a nun who sneaks out from her monastery on urgent business but is instead faced with an unexpected turn of events. The second is Marius, a detective who is trying to get to the bottom of what happened to Cristina by following in her footsteps. 

* 'Luzzu' - from Malta and Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Alex Camilleri. Jesmark, a hard-working fisherman must turn his back on generations of tradition and risk everything by joining the black market to make ends meet and support his wife and newborn.

* 'Prayers for the Stolen' - from Mexico, Germany, Brazil and Qatar and Written and Directed by Tatiana Huezo. Nine-year-olds Ana, Maria and Paula live in a Mexican mountain village where corn fields coexist with violence and drug trafficking. The rule of the cartels affects everyone, and to make the girls unattractive to kidnappers, Ana's mother cuts their hair in short hairstyles. As the violence draws closer, the three friends create a refuge in an abandoned house. Tatiana Huezo was awarded an Aluminum Horse for Best Director.

* 'Jockey' - from the USA and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Clint Bentley. A jockey, at the end of his career, has to come to terms with his ageing and problematic lifestyle he’s been keeping during many years of strenuous competitive riding. As he is preparing for his last competition he is contacted by a young jockey claiming to be his son.

* 'A Chiara' - from Italy, France and the USA and Written and Directed by Jonas Carpignano. The Guerrasio family is in the middle of an extravagant birthday party as uninvited guests show up in the neighbourhood. The father of the family flees the scene without explanation. While looking for answers to explain the father’s disappearance, family secrets are revealed. Film Photographer Tim Curtin was awarded the Best Photo.

* 'Ballad of a White Cow' - from Iran and France and Written and Directed by Maryam Moghadam & Behtash Sanaeeha. Mina, grieving without a husband in conservative Iran because he was innocently executed, is isolated both socially and professionally. She is busy with the responsibility of maintaining the everyday life of her daughter and, at the same time, dealing with the unfair sentence her husband was subjected to.

* 'Ted K' - from the USA and Directed and Co-Produced by Tony Stone and starring Sharlto Copley. Professor Ted Kaczynski lives in a cabin in the woods of Montana without electricity and running water, totally isolated. As his beard grows, so does his hatred for how society relies on and worships technology. Seeds of radicalisation are slowly planted in the mind of the man who’s about to become the most hunted man in America.

* 'True Things' - from the UK and Directed and Co-Written by Harry Wootliff and starring Ruth Wilson, Tom Burke and Hayley Squires. Kate lives a monotonous life in a sleepy British coastal town when she meets charismatic Blonde, a meeting that quickly leads to a relationship. Kate, drunk on infatuation, is soon obsessed with his sporadic acts of attention, and the relationship quickly becomes destructive. Ruth Wilson was awarded Best Actress.

* 'Azor' - from Switzerland, France and Argentina and Directed and Co-Written by Andreas Fontana. A Swiss banker brings his wife to Argentina, in the middle of the military juntas strict rule, to cover up for his business partner who suddenly disappeared. Is he there to ensure the wealthy clients that their money and privileges are in safe hands or is he looking for the truth?

* 'Small Body' - from Italy, France and Slovenia and Co-Written and Directed by Laura Samani. During the early 1900's a young woman seeks out a mysterious church that claims to be able to resurrect her stillborn child.

* 'Clara Sola' - from Sweden, Costa Rica, Belgium and Germany and Co-Written and Directed by Nathalie Alvarez Mesen. The 40-year-old, withdrawn Clara lives with her family in a small abandoned Costa Rican mountain town, under the wings of an overprotective matriarch. Clara is said to have contact with God, and with her inherent healing powers, she helps the religious locals.

For the full details of the other category award winners - the Stockholm Documentary Competition, the Stockholm Short Film Competition, the FIPRESCI Prize, the Rising Star Award and the the World's Shortest Short Film Award, plus a whole lot more besides, you can visit the official website at : https://www.stockholmfilmfestival.se/en

This week we have seven latest release new movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, and kick starting the weeks cinematic offerings is the sequel to a Marvel Comics character that sees Eddie Brock as he attempts to reignite his career by interviewing serial killer Cletus Kasady, who becomes the host of a new chaotic symbiote and escapes prison after a failed execution. This is followed up by a one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder who takes a job to bring a man's young son home, and away from his alcoholic mother. Next up, a cranky, retired author reluctantly embarks on a final book tour to help out a young publisher. Then we have an acclaimed French offering that following a series of unexplained crimes, a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for ten years. Following on from this is a story of a woman who is released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime and re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past; before closing out the week with two family oriented films, the first is an origin story of Father Christmas, as an ordinary boy sets out on an extraordinary adventure to find his father who is on a quest to discover the fabled village of Elfhelm; and we close out the week with a computer animated offering that is a sequel to a 2017 film that when a vicious professor attempts to destroy childhoods, the Boss Baby sets out on a mission to put a stop to his plans.

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

'VENOM : LET THERE BE CARNAGE' (Rated M) - Directed by Andy Serkis, this American superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics character Venom and is a sequel to 2018's 'Venom' which grossed US$856M off the back of a production budget of US$110M. Andy Serkis will need little introduction as an acclaimed Actor in his own right, but as a Director he has helmed 'Breathe' in 2017, then 'Mowgli : Legend of the Jungle' in 2018 as well as being the Second Unit Director on all three of Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit' trilogy in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Originally slated for an early October 2020 release, this film was subsequently pushed back several times throughout 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with an advanced screening in London in mid-September before its wide release in the US from 1st October. The film has so far grossed US$455M off the back of a budget of US$110M and has garnered mixed or average Reviews from critics. A third film is apparently in the works and Andy Serkis has expressed his desire to return to Direct. 

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting alien symbiote Venom. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) also becomes host to an alien symbiote that is the chaotic spawn of Venom, and escapes from prison, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror. Also starring Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott and Stephen Graham.

'CRY MACHO' (Rated M) - this American neo-Western drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and stars Clint Eastwood and is based on the 1975 novel of the same name by N. Richard Nash. The film was made on a budget of US$33M and has so far grossed US$13M following its release Stateside in mid-September to mixed or average Reviews so far. Here then, Mike Milo (Clint Eastwood), a one-time rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder who, in 1979, takes a job from an ex-boss to bring the man's young son Rafo (Eduardo Minett) home from Mexico. Forced to take the backroads on their way to Texas, the unlikely pair faces an unexpectedly challenging journey, during which the world-weary horseman finds unexpected connections and his own sense of redemption. Also starring Dwight Yoakam and Natalia Traven.

'BEST SELLERS' (Rated M) - is a comedy drama film Directed by Lina Roessler in her feature film making debut having Directed three short films since 2014, although as an Actress she has thirty-five screen acting roles to her credit. Lucy Stanbridge (Aubrey Plaza) has inherited her father's publishing house, but the ambitious would-be editor has nearly sunk it with failing titles. She discovers she is owed a book by Harris Shaw (Michael Caine), a reclusive, cantankerous, booze-addled author who originally put the company on the map decades earlier. In a last-ditch effort to save it, Lucy and Harris release his new book and embark on a tour from hell that changes them both in ways they didn't expect. Also starring Scott Speedman, Cary Elwes and Veronica Ferres, the film was released in the US and Canada in mid-September having been in the official selection at this years Berlin International Film Festival in early March, although it didn't have its planned World Premier screening at this festival because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions at the time. 

'TITANE' (Rated R18+) - is a 2021 body horror film Written and Directed by Julia Ducournau in only her second feature film making outing following the highly acclaimed 'Raw' in 2016. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the Cannes Film Festival in mid-July this year where Ducournau became only the second female Director to win the Palme d'Or, the festival's top award, as well as the first female filmmaker to win solo. It has also been selected as the French entry for the Best International Feature Film at next years Academy Awards. As a child, Alexia (Adele Guigue) is involved in a car accident that leaves her with a head injury. When she emerges from surgery with a titanium plate, she seems to have a strange emotional and visceral connection to cars. Years later, Alexia (Agathe Rousselle in her feature film debut) works as an exotic dancer at motor shows where she writhes provocatively on automobiles, to a leering male audience. When one man harasses her, he is swiftly dispatched, kicking off a series of murders. But just as the violence ratchets up, Alexia takes on the role of a long-missing son Adrien, of firefighter Vincent (Vincent Lindon). Released in its native France and Belgium in July this year, the film has so far taken US$4.5M at the Box Office and has generated mostly positive Reviews. 

'THE UNFORGIVABLE' (Rated M) - this American and German Co-Produced film is Directed by Nora Fingscheidt following 2019's 'System Crasher' which picked up thirty-three wins and another twenty-five nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. This film is based on the 2009 British three-part mini-series 'Unforgiven' by Sally Wainwright, and is Co-Produced by the films star Sandra Bullock and Veronica Ferres. Released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime, Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock) re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past. Facing severe judgment from the place she once called home, her only hope for redemption is finding the estranged younger sister she was forced to leave behind. Also starring Jon Bernthal, Vincent D'Onofrio, Viola Davis, Richard Thomas, Aisling Franciosi and Rob Morgan, this film goes on a limited release from this week before streaming on Netflix from 10th December. 

'A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS' (Rated PG) - is a British Christmas fantasy film Directed and Co-Written for the screen by Gil Kenan whose prior film making credits take in 'Monster House' in 2006, 'City of Ember' in 2008 and 'Poltergeist' in 2015. This film is based on the 2015 book of the same name by Matt Haig. Here then, an ordinary young lad, Nikolas (Henry Lawfull) sets out on an adventure into the snowy north in search of his father who is on a quest to discover the fabled village of the elves, Elfhelm. Taking with him a headstrong reindeer called Blitzen and a loyal pet mouse Miika (voiced by Stephen Merchant), Nikolas soon meets his destiny. Also starring Jim Broadbent, Sally Hawkins, Toby Jones, Maggie Smith, Kristen Wiig, Michiel Huisman and Joel Fry. 

'THE BOSS BABY : FAMILY BUSINESS' (Rated PG) - this is the second instalment in this seemingly popular American computer animated franchise that is the sequel to 2017's 'The Boss Baby' which grossed US$528M off the back of a US$125M production budget. Like the first film ,here Tom McGrath returns to the Director's chair, and his previous film making credits include his debut 'Madagascar' in 2005, then 'Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa' in 2008, and 'Madagascar 3 : Europe's Most Wanted' in 2012 with 'Magamind' in between in 2010, and now this new franchise of two films and counting, with a third in the early stages of development apparently. Now adults, Tim Templeton (voiced by James Marsden) is a stay-at-home Dad for two adorable daughters Tina (voiced by Amy Sedaris) and Tabitha (voiced by Ariana Greenblatt), while his estranged brother, Ted (voiced by Alec Baldwin), is a big-shot CEO. They come together in an unexpected way when they take a magical formula that transforms them into babies for 48 hours. Joining forces with Tim's secret-agent daughter, they must go under cover to prevent an evil genius Dr. Erwin Armstrong (voiced by Jeff Goldblum) from turning fellow toddlers into monstrous brats. The film was released in the US in early July, has so far grossed US$128M from a budget of US$82M and has generated mostly unfavourable critical Reviews, whereas audiences have said the opposite. 

With seven new release films 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-

RICHARD JEWELL : Tuesday 25th February 2020.

'RICHARD JEWELL' which I saw earlier this week, is an M Rated American biographical drama film Directed and Produced by Clint Eastwood (who needs no further introduction), written for the screen by Billy Ray, and is based on the 1997 Vanity Fair article 'American Nightmare : The Ballad of Richard Jewell' by Marie Brenner. The project was initially announced in February 2014, when Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill teamed up to Produce and star in the film, Paul Greengrass began negotiations to Direct the film with other Directors considered including David O. Russell, before Clint Eastwood was officially attached in early 2019. DiCaprio and Hill do not star in the film, though they remained as Producers. The film saw its World Premier screening at the American Film Institute Fest in late November last year before going on general release Stateside in mid-December. With a production budget of US$45M the film has so far grossed US$40M turning it into a Box Office bomb! Despite this, 'Richard Jewell' was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the ten best films of the year, and for her performance, Kathy Bates was recognised as the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as earning nominations at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. Eastwood here continues with his real life stories of individuals battling the odds, as seen now with this his sixth biographical drama film in a row with 'J. Edgar', 'Jersey Boys', 'American Sniper', 'Sully' and 'The 15:17 to Paris' coming before, whilst not forgetting both 'Invictus' and 'Bird' previously.

The films opens up in 1986, and a Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) is working as an office supply clerk in a small public law firm, where he befriends attorney Watson Bryant (Sam Rockwell). Jewell seems super efficient, observant and deeply committed to his role. In time, he leaves the firm to become a security guard at Piedmont College, hoping to make the step up into law enforcement ultimately, but is let go by the Principal after multiple complaints of acting beyond his jurisdiction and coming on too heavy handed with the students. Jewell moves in with his mother Bobi (Kathy Bates) in Atlanta. In the summer of 1996, he lands a job working security at the Atlanta Olympic Games, monitoring Centennial Park - a post games concert venue.

Early in the morning of 27th July 1996, after chasing off a small group of drunk students during an end of day music concert, Jewell notices a suspicious back pack hidden beneath a bench. He reports it to his more senior colleagues who initially are dismissive of his concerns, but then an explosives expert confirms that the suspect package does in fact contain a pipe bomb - the biggest he has seen. The security team, including police officers, FBI agent Tom Shaw (Jon Hamm), and Jewell's friend Dave Dutchess (Nico Nicotera), are desperately trying to move concert attendees out of potential harms way to form a permitter of one hundred yards away from the bomb when it detonates. Shrapnel in the form of nails explodes in all directions injuring dozens of innocents and killing two. Jewell is heralded as a hero.

At the FBI's Atlanta's office, Shaw and his team quickly arrive at the decision that Jewell, as a white, male, wannabe police officer, fits the common profile of those who have committed similar atrocities, comparing him to others who sought recognition and praise by rescuing those from a dangerous situation they themselves created. One night while drinking alone in a bar, Shaw is approached by journalist Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) of the local Atlanta-Journal Constitution daily newspaper. In exchange for sex, Shaw reveals that Jewell, the hitherto hero, is under FBI suspicion, although he urges Scrugg's not to go public or to reveal her source. The Constitution publishes Scruggs' story on the front page, disclosing the FBI's interest in Jewell as a prime suspect. Scruggs makes particular note of Jewell's physique, the fact he lives with his mother, and work history to reaffirm to herself that he fits the profile. The story quickly hits the headlines worldwide in the press and the broadcast media. 

Jewell is initially ignorant of the changing public views towards him. He is lured to the FBI office by Shaw under the pretext of them needing to film urgently a training video and that they wish to use Jewell's recent experience as a real life example. He initially cooperates but refuses to sign an acknowledgement that he has been read his Miranda rights, and instead phones Watson Bryant for legal advice. Bryant, who has since left the public law firm and is now running his own struggling law business without any clients on the horizon, agrees to represent Jewell and makes him aware he is a prime suspect, and to sign and say nothing.

The FBI searches Bobi's home and confiscates property including police investigative books and a stash of firearms belonging to Jewell, which he says he uses for hunting purposes - this is Georgia after all! Bryant asks Jewell if he has any others secrets he wishes to disclose and he admits that he has not paid his taxes for the past two years and was once arrested for stepping over the limits of his authority. Bryant berates Jewell for being too overly friendly and accommodating with the police officers who have him under suspicion and want to 'fry' him. Jewell admits his ingrained respect for law enforcement makes it hard for him not to show respect, even when the authorities are trying to nail him to the wall. When Bryant is outside being questioned by the gathered throng of media, Shaw and his partner Dan Bennet (Ian Gomez) persuade Jewell to record his voice into a taped telephone call several times repeating the words the bomber called in to the authorities giving a thirty minute warning. When Bryant returns seeing how they coerced Jewell into making the recording he looses it, but the FBI already have the recording, so they don't care about his rantings and ravings. 

Jewell and Bryant confront Scruggs in the full view of the office at the Atlanta-Journal Constitution newspaper, demanding a retraction and an apology, but she stands by the integrity of her reporting, and her right to publish what is in the best interests of the public and the community. Bryant and his long-suffering secretary Nadya (Nina Arianda) time the distance it takes to walk from the bomb site to the the phone booth where the call was made alerting the authorities. They quickly draw the conclusion that it was not possible for someone to phone in the bomb threat and discover the bomb at the time it was found. Scruggs subsequently takes the same steps and comes to the same determination - her story now in tatters! She approaches Shaw with this revelation and he too has already made the same conclusion.

The FBI changes their picture of the bombing to include an accomplice. As their case begins to falter, the FBI link Dutchess to Jewell as a possible homosexual accomplice. Bryant arranges an independent polygraph examination which Jewell passes unequivocally, removing any doubt in Bryant's mind about his innocence. 

Bobi holds an emotional press conference with Bryant, in which she pleas for the investigation to cease so that she and her son can get on with their lives, and some normalcy can be restored after four weeks of evasive media scrutiny and intense FBI investigations have turned their lives upside down. 

Jewell and Bryant meet with Shaw and Bennet at the FBI office. Bryant urges Jewell to say nothing in response to their line of questioning and to let him do the talking. However, after a number of irrelevant questions, including those that have been covered previously, Jewell realises they have not a single shred of evidence against him. When he asks directly if they are ready to charge him, Shaw and Bennet look blankly at each other and their silence convinces him to leave. Jewell states that he used to look up to the FBI as the pinnacle in law enforcement and an organisation he would aspire to, but now he has lost his sense of respect and admiration for law enforcement officers. 

Eighty-eight days after being named 'a person of interest', Jewell is informed by formal letter hand delivered by Agent Shaw to a diner where Jewell and Bryant are eating, that he is no longer under investigation. Bryant first takes receipt of the letter before handing it to Jewell. Shaw makes the closing remark that despite the contents of that letter, he still believes that Jewell is 'as guilty as all hell'. Bryant comforts Jewell as he breaks down out of relief. Some six years later, Jewell is now a police officer in Luthersville, Georgia. One day out of the blue, he is visited by Bryant who tells him that an Eric Rudolph has confessed to the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. They got him! An epilogue states that on 29th August 2007, Jewell passed away at the age of 44 of complications from diabetes and heart failure, and that Bryant married his assistant Nadya and they have two children which Bobi babysits for every Saturday night. 

I went in to see 'Richard Jewell' with mixed expectations - wondering where the disconnect lays between the poor Box Office receipts and the mostly highly critically acclaimed Reviews were. But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by once again Clint Eastwood's efficiency with his story telling and his deft touch behind the camera; the strong performances of Hauser, Rockwell and Bates especially; and the message with which governments and media control the thought processes of the masses as much today as they did almost 25 years ago, all the while chewing up, spitting out and forgetting a fallen hero. As the movie poster says 'The World Will Know his Name and the Truth' and in that respect Eastwood sets the record straight, and ensures that Jewell's name endures as the hero he deserved to be in film that combines Jewell's moments of raw emotion, comedy, bewilderment, anxiety, respect and reckoning that is Hauser's stand out performance.

'Richard Jewell' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard, from a potential five claps.  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 24th January 2019.

As awards season ramps up, the 24th annual 'Critics Choice Awards' were held on Sunday 13th January 2019 at the Barker Hanger at the Santa Monica Airport, California. Honouring the finest achievement in 2018 film making, the ceremony was Hosted by American Actor and Singer Taye Diggs. And so the Critics have spoken, voiced their opinion, and selected their picks of the top films that graced our screens in 2018. Here, are the list of the main winners and grinners that took out the awards.

* Best Picture : won by 'ROMA' beating out 'Black Panther', 'BlacKkKlansman', 'The Favourite', 'First Man', 'Green Book', 'If Beale Street Could Talk', 'Mary Poppins Returns', 'A Star Is Born' and 'Vice'.
* Best Foreign Language Film : won by 'ROMA' beating out 'Burning' (South Korea), 'Capernaum' (Lebanon), 'Cold War' (Poland), and 'Shoplifters' (Japan).
* Best Action Movie : won by 'MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT', beating out 'Avengers : Infinity War', 'Black Panther', 'Deadpool 2', 'Ready Player One' and 'Widows'.
* Best SciFi or Horror Movie : won by 'A QUIET PLACE', beating out 'Annihilation', 'Halloween', 'Hereditary' and 'Suspiria'.
* Best Comedy : won by 'CRAZY RICH ASAINS' beating out 'Deadpool 2', 'The Death of Stalin', 'The Favourite', 'Game Night' and 'Sorry to Bother You'.
* Best Animated Feature : won by 'SPIDER-MAN : INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE', beating out 'The Grinch', 'Incredibles 2', 'Isle of Dogs', 'Mirai' and 'Ralph Breaks the Internet'.
* Best Director : won by Alfonso Cuaron for 'ROMA' beating out Damien Chazelle for 'First Man', Bradley Cooper for 'A Star Is Born', Peter Farrelly for 'Green Book', Yorgos Lanthimos for 'The Favourite', Spike Lee for 'BlacKkKlansman' and Adam McKay for 'Vice'.
* Best Actor : won by Christian Bale for 'VICE' beating out Bradley Cooper for 'A Star Is Born', Willem Dafoe for 'At Eternity's Gate', Ryan Gosling for 'First Man', Ethan Hawke for 'First Reformed', Rami Malek for 'Bohemian Rhapsody', and Viggo Mortensen for 'Green Book'. 
* Best Actress : won by Glenn Close for 'THE WIFE', and Lady Gaga for 'A STAR IS BORN' in a tie, beating out Yalitza Aparicio for 'Roma', Emily Blunt for 'Mary Poppins Returns', Toni Collette for 'Hereditary', Olivia Colman for 'The Favourite' and Melissa McCarthy for 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?'

* Best Supporting Actor : won by Mahershala Ali for 'GREEN BOOK', beating out Timothée Chalamet for 'Beautiful Boy', Adam Driver for 'BlacKkKlansman', Sam Elliott for 'A Star Is Born', Richard E. Grant for 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?' and Michael B. Jordan for 'Black Panther'.

* Best Supporting Actress : won by Regina King for 'IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK', beating out Amy Adams for 'Vice', Claire Foy for 'First Man', Nicole Kidman for 'Boy Erased', Emma Stone for 'The Favourite' and Rachel Weisz for 'The Favourite'.

* Best Actor in a Comedy : won by Christian Bale for 'VICE', beating out Jason Bateman for 'Game Night', Viggo Mortensen for 'Green Book', John C. Reilly for 'Stan & Ollie', Ryan Reynolds for 'Deadpool 2' and Lakeith Stanfield for 'Sorry to Bother You'.

* Best Actress in a Comedy : won by Olivia Colman for 'THE FAVOURITE', beating out Emily Blunt for 'Mary Poppins Returns', Elsie Fisher for 'Eighth Grade', Rachel McAdams for 'Game Night', Charlize Theron for 'Tully' and Constance Wu for 'Crazy Rich Asians'.

* Best Original Screenplay : won by Paul Schrader for 'FIRST REFORMED',

* Best Adapted Screenplay : won by Barry Jenkins for 'IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK'.

* Best Cinematography : won by Alfonso Cuaron for 'ROMA'.

* Best Visual Effects : won by 'BLACK PANTHER' beating out 'Avengers : Infinity War', 'First Man', 'Mary Poppins Returns', 'Mission : Impossible – Fallout' and 'Ready Player One'.

 * Best Song : won for 'Shallow' from 'A STAR IS BORN'.

This week there are just three new release movies coming to your local Odeon. The first is an already highly acclaimed semi-biographical comedy drama offering recounting a road trip back in 1962 involving an Italian decent driver and his Client - a world class Jamaican decent jazz pianist as they tour America's deep south with all the prejudices, and cultural and racial intolerances that existed back in the day, and how this unlikely pairing forged a bond because of it. We then turn to a true story of an octogenarian drug courier who began transporting across US state lines for a Mexican drug cartel in order to make ends meet at home, and he got away with it - for a while. And we wrap up the week with a doco about a record breaking free climb ascent of a Yosemite Park sheer rock face that is not for those suffering from vertigo.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and 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.

'GREEN BOOK' (Rated M) - this highly acclaimed comedy drama offering is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by Peter Farrelly. The film had its World Premiere showing at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year, where it won the People's Choice Award, and was released in the US in mid-November. It has received positive Reviews and was selected by the National Board of Review as the best film of 2018, as well as one of the Top 10 by the American Film Institute, and, has so far won 43 awards and a further 83 nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, including five Oscar nods and four BAFTA nods. For some historical context, the film is named after 'The Negro Motorist Green Book', that was published from 1936 through to 1966 and was a guidebook for African-American road trippers written by Victor Hugo Green, to help them find motels and restaurants that would accept them in an age when in America's deep south especially, open and often legally prescribed discrimination against non-whites was widespread. The film has garnered generally positive Reviews and has grossed US$46M from its US$23M production budget so far.

Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) is a world-class Jamaican-American jazz pianist and composer, who is about to embark on an eight week concert tour in America's Deep South in 1962, with a plan to return home by Christmas Eve. In need of a driver and protection, Shirley recruits Frank 'Tony Lip' Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a tough-talking bouncer from an Italian-American neighbourhood in the Bronx. Despite their cultural and racial differences, the two men soon develop an unexpected bond while confronting racism and danger in an era of segregation. The film was also scripted by Vallelonga's son, Nick Vallelonga, based on interviews with his father and Shirley, as well as letters his father wrote to his mother during the period of that 1962 tour. Also starring Linda Cardellini.

'THE MULE' (Rated M) - Clint Eastwood here Directs, Co-Produces and stars in this American crime drama film based on the New York Times article 'The Sinaloa Cartel's 90-Year-Old Drug Mule' written by Sam Dolnick. That article tells the true story of Leo Sharp, a World War II veteran in his twilight years who became a drug courier for the Sinaloa Cartel. The film was released in the US in mid-December, cost US$50M to make, has so far grossed US$102M and has garnered generally mixed or average Reviews. That said, broke, alone and facing foreclosure on his business, 90-year-old WWII veteran and world renowned horticulturist Earl Stone (Clint Eastwood playing the real Leo Sharp) takes a job as a drug courier for the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel running cocaine through Illinois. His immediate success (for he faces little suspicion due to his age, race, spotless criminal history and strict adherence to the rules of the road) leads to easy money and increasingly larger shipments that soon draws the attention of hard-hitting DEA agent Colin Bates (Bradley Cooper). When Earl's past mistakes start to weigh heavily on his conscience, he must decide whether to right those wrongs before law enforcement and the Cartel henchmen catch up to him. Also starring Michael Pena, Andy Garcia, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Weist, Alison Eastwood and Taissa Farmiga.

'FREE SOLO' (Rated M) - this highly acclaimed multi-award winning American National Geographic documentary film is Directed and Co-Produced by Documentarian Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and professional climber, mountaineer, skier, Director and photographer Jimmy Chin who also stars and was also one of three Cinematographers on this film. 'Free Solo' saw it Premier screening at the Telluride Film Festival back in late August, went on a limited release in the US in late September and has so far taken US$15M at the Box Office. The film profiles 31 year old American rock climber Alex Honnold, on his quest to perform a free solo climb of El Capitan in June 2017. Free Solo climbing is a form of free climbing and solo climbing where the climber (or free soloist) performs alone and without using any ropes, harnesses or other protective equipment, relying entirely on his or her ability instead. El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about 3,000 feet from base to summit along its tallest face. Alex Honnold was the first free solo ascent on El Capitan on June 3, 2017 in a time of three hours and 56 minutes - this is his story of that climb.

With three new release films 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 in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 8th February 2018.

In January, the world bid a fond farewell to number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories.

* Peter Wyngarde - Born 23rd August 1927, died 15th January 2018, aged 90. Most famed for his role as the flamboyant and stylish author turned investigator Jason King in the popular British television series 'Department S' which ran for 28 episodes from 1969 to 1970, and then a spin off series 'Jason King' which ran for 26 episodes from 1971 to 1972.  Mike Myers is reported to have been inspired to base his Austin Powers character upon Wyngarde. His career launched in 1949 with an uncredited role on the film 'Dick Barton Strikes Back' and then a number of television films before the big screen epic 'Alexander the Great' in 1956 with Richard Burton. A number of feature length films followed over the years including 1980's 'Flash Gordon', but mostly his work in television continued throughout the '50's, '60's, '70's and '80's and into the early '90's. His last screen credit came in 1994 rounding out a career spanning five decades in which he notched up 62 acting credits to his name.

* Peter Mayle - Born 14th June 1939, died 18th January 2018, aged 78. Mayle was a prolific British actor most noted for his international best selling book 'A Year In Provence' and his memoirs of his life after he relocated to Southern France from his home in Devon, England in the late '80's. 'A Year in Provence' was subsequently made into a television series starring John Thaw in 1993, and Ridley Scott made a feature film based on his novel 'A Good Year' in 2006 starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard. A 1983 short film 'Keep Off The Grass' was also based on one of his earlier works and starred Patricia Rutledge and a young Hugh Laurie.

* Dorothy Malone - Born 29th January 1924, died 19th January 2018, aged 93. Malone was an American Actress whose film and television career launched with a series of uncredited roles back as far as 1940. Over her career spanning six decades in which she amassed 113 acting credits, she garnered one Academy Award win for her role as Best Supporting Actress to Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack in the 1956 'Written on the Wind' and she was a three time Golden Globe nominee too. She is perhaps best remembered for her recurring role in 430 episodes as Constance Mackenzie Carson in the hugely popular television drama romance series 'Peyton Place' which ran from 1964 through until 1969, and saw a number of attempted revivals over the subsequent years. Her last acting role came in 'Basic Instinct' in 1992 with Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone.

* Warren Miller - Born 15th October 1924, died 24th January 2018, aged 93. Miller was a skiing and snowboarding filmmaker and author, with a prolific career spanning six decades when he first started filming the action on the ski slopes of Sun Valley ski resort in Idaho in 1946 with an 8mm movie camera. He founded Warren Miller Entertainment and  Directed, Produced and Narrated his own films until 1988 when he sold his company to his son. Over the years he has made a film every year for 55 years with the last one coming in 2004, always about skiing. While moving out of his executive role, Miller still maintained his creative position as Director and Narrator but distanced himself from being actively involved from 2004 onwards. His credits include over 750 sports films, eleven books and hundreds of published non-fiction stories.

Turning attention to this weeks latest in big screen release films we have the third and final instalment in a successful film franchise based on a series of best selling erotic romantic drama novels; then a couple of real life based on true events dramatic biographical terrorism stories - the first recounting the aftermath of the Boston Bombing in 2013 on one particular impacted innocent bystander, and the second how a trio of friends thwarted a shooter aboard a packed passenger train travelling to Paris in 2015. Then we have a foreign language bleak black comedy surrounding one dysfunctional Calais dwelling family that sees three generations living under one roof all with an axe to grind; followed by another foreign language film set in New York's Orthodox Jewish community that sees a man struggling to find a new wife so that he can regain custody of his young son. We then wind up with the fourth instalment in a supernatural horror franchise that despite its commercial success is a by the numbers offering that has passed its use by date, but worth a look for followers of this series.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six new release films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here warmly invited 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 experience during the week ahead.

'FIFTY SHADES FREED' (Rated MA15+) - the hugely popular trilogy of erotic romantic drama novels by E.L.James have transferred to hugely successful (in dollar terms) film offerings if not necessarily sharing the same level of critical success. That said, the first instalment in the series was released in 2015, 'Fifty Shades of Grey' was Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and made for US$40M and it recouped a worldwide gross of US$571M at the Box Office. It's second instalment came in 2017 this time Directed by James Foley at a cost of US$55M and that film 'Fifty Shades Darker' grossed US$371M. Now in 2018 with have the third and final instalment in the series 'Fifty Shades Freed' again Directed by James Foley and again with a Production Budget of US$55M. The film goes on general worldwide release this week.

Once again Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson reprise their roles from the previous two films as Christian Grey and Anastasia 'Ana' Steele respectively. He is a handsome, brilliant super wealthy, international jet setting business tycoon, and she a former University literature student who by accident first encounters Grey during an interview she was conducting with him on behalf of her college room mate. The pair fall head over heels for each other, he initially wanting complete control over her leading to various secrets and desires coming to the surface, and then she reverses the tables on him in the second film. Now in the third instalment, the pair are newlyweds and here very much hoping that they have left behind the shadowy figures from their past, the happy couple fully embrace an inextricable connection and shared life of luxury. But just as Ana begins to embrace her role as Mrs. Grey, and Christian eases himself into an unfamiliar stability and routine, new threats emerge that could jeopardise their happily ever after before it has even begun. The film also stars Kim Basinger, Rita Ora, Marcia Gay Harden and Luke Grimes.

'STRONGER' (Rated MA15+) - here hot on the heels of last years 'Patriot's Day' we have another film offering about the Boston Marathon Bombing of April 2013, but this biographical drama film tells a very different story. Directed by David Gordon Green at a cost of US$30M and based on the memoir of the same name by Jeff Bauman and Bret Witter, this film has received generally positive Reviews but tanked at the Box Office so far recovering just US$7M to date. The film was released in the US in late September last year and only now gets its release in Australia. The film tells the story of Jeff Bauman (here played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who loses both legs when two bombs explode during the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, close to the finish line where Jeff is standing cheering on a female friend about to finish. He wakes up in hospital and is able to help law enforcement authorities identify one of the terrorist suspects that he believed he saw just before the explosion. But, his own battle is just starting out. With unwavering support from his family and loved ones, Bauman begins a long and heroic journey to physical and emotional repair and rehabilitation, spurred on by the people of Boston who have proclaimed him a hero. Also starring Miranda Richardson and Clancy Brown as Jeff's mother and father.

'THE 15:17 TO PARIS' (Rated M) - here we have another true life biographical drama account of a thwarted terrorist attack, this time abroad a train bound for Paris. Directed and Co-Produced by Clint Eastwood, and based on the autobiography 'The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Soldiers' by Jeffrey E. Stern, Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, and Alek Skarlatos. The film recounts the the real-life story of three men whose brave and selfless act turned them into heroes during a high-speed railway journey. During the evening of August 21, 2015, the world watched in stunned silence as the media reported a thwarted terrorist attack on Thalys train #9364 bound for Paris from Amsterdam—an attempt prevented by three courageous young Americans travelling through Europe. The film charts the friends’ lives, from the struggles of growing up through finding their purpose in life, to the series of unlikely events that lead up to the attack. Throughout the harrowing ordeal, their friendship is never questioned, making it their greatest asset and leading them ultimately to save the lives of over five hundred passengers. The heroic trio is comprised of Anthony Sadler, Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, and U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Spencer Stone, who play themselves in the film.

'HAPPY END' (Rated M) - this French, German and Austrian Co-Production is Written and Directed by Austrian film maker and screenwriter Michael Haneke whose previous film making credits include 'Funny Games', 'The White Ribbon' and 'Amour'. Screened in competition for the Palme d'Or at Cannes last year, the film went on release in the US in late December and has so far taken just over US$1M at the Box Office despite generally positive Reviews from the Critics. Here a dysfunctional and detached upper class family living in Calais encounter a number of setbacks and challenges in their individual lives with the back drop of the worsening European refugee crisis unfolding in their own backyard just a few kilometres away from their home. The Laurent family headed up by octogenarian patriarch Georges (John-Louis Trintignant) suffering dementia lives together with his immediate family in a mansion. There is his daughter Anne Laurent (Isabelle Huppert), the owner of a construction company founded by her father, that has just had a fatal accident at the workplace; and his son Thomas Laurent (Mathieu Kassovitz) twice married already and Anne's son Pierre (Franz Rogowski) who seemingly has an alcohol problem. Around the edges dance Eve (Fantine Harduin) a troubled teenager and daughter to Thomas by his first wife who is being looked after in the family home while her mother recovers from a drug overdose. She has been secretly poisoning her mother with sedatives, experimenting on the pet hamster and filming it in its death throes and posting the footage to social media. Then there is Thomas' current wife Anais Laurent (Laura Verlinden) and her English boyfriend Lawrence Bradshaw (Toby Jones). This bleak black comedy about an unloving and uncaring family unit living in a world of privilege, but devoid of joy and happiness will not be for everyone, but for followers of Haneke's output, it is sure to please.

'MENASHE' (Rated PG) - here we have a Yiddish language drama film that Premiered over a year ago at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2017 going on a limited release in the US in July last year, where it has so far made just under US$2M at the Box Office. Directed by Joshua Z. Weinstein and Co-Produced and Co-Written by him too, the film tells the story of Menashe (Menashe Lustig) a recently widowed Hasidic Jewish man living in New York. He is seeking to regain custody of his ten year old son Rieven (Ruben Niborski) who is currently living with his aunt and uncle. The local Rabbi (Meyer Schwatrz) has ruled that it must be so for to raise a family there must be a complete family unit, and so Menashe must first find a wife to provide a proper home for his son. Menashe is a man of simple means, he works in a grocery store, has barely enough money to provide for himself, is reluctant to find another wife on the strength that his first marriage was unhappy, and prefers not to wear the traditional black coat and top hat in public. Shot over the course of two years in Brooklyn, in the home of the largest population of Orthodox Jewish people outside of Israel this is an effecting, insightful glimpse at a culture generally very guarded about itself, and shut off to the majority of us.

'INSIDIOUS : THE LAST KEY' (Rated M) - and here we have a sequel to the prequel set after the first two instalments in this now four film supernatural horror franchise. These low budget horror offerings are clearly doing something right as the Box Office numbers would attest. 2011's 'Insidious' Directed by James Wan was made for a meagre US$1.5M and grossed US$97M; 2013's 'Insidious : Chapter 2' also Directed by James Wan was made for a more substantial US$5M and grossed US$162M; and 2015's 'Insidious : Chapter 3' was Directed by Leigh Whannell and cost US$10M and grossed US$113M. This instalment was made for US$10M also, was released Stateside in early January, is Directed by Adam Robitel and has so far grossed US$156M. Off the back then of a less than combined US$27M  Budget, the franchise has so far returned US$510M - not a bad return in anyone's books! Here gifted parapsychologist Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye reprising her role for the fourth time) receives a disturbing phone call from a man who claims that his house is haunted. Even more disturbing is the instantly recognisable address 413, Apple Tree Lane, Five Keys, New Mexico - the family home where Elise grew up. Accompanied by her two trusty investigative partners, Rainier ventures to Five Keys to confront and destroy her greatest fear - the demon known as Key Face, that she accidentally set free years earlier. Also starring Leigh Whannell reprising his role too from the previous films as is Angus Simpson with Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins and Barbara Hershey all seen in archival footage from earlier instalments. Despite its Box Office take, the film has received average Reviews at best, with many citing that this franchise has run its course!

With six new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online, and meanwhile, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-