What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 9th February 2023.

The 52nd edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) was recently held in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands between Wednesday 25th January and Sunday 5th February. 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 films. In 2022, IFFR recorded in excess of 177,250 online and 3,350 in person visits and more than 1,500 attending film professionals, making IFFR one of the largest audience and industry-driven film festivals in the world. The festival's Official Selection generally includes approaching 600 feature, mid-length, and short films from almost ninety countries and also offering a high-quality line-up of exhibitions, performances, masterclasses and talks.

The Tiger Competition is IFFR’s trade mark competition that celebrates the innovative and adventurous spirit of up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world. The Tiger Award is accompanied by a €40,000 cash prize, to be shared between the Director and Producer of the winning film. Two Special Jury Awards worth €10,000 will also be presented for exceptional artistic achievement within the competition.

The Tiger Award was presented to 'LE SPECTRE DE BOKO HARAM' from Cameroon and Directed by Cyrielle Raingou and is a deeply affecting documentary that explores the lives of a group of children navigating life in a war zone. This film beat out '100 arstider' from Sweden, 'Birdland (Indivision)' from Morocco, 'Gagaland' from China, 'Geology of Separation' from Tunisia, 'Letzter Abend' from Germany, 'Mannvirki' from Iceland, 'Munnel' from Sri Lanka (winner of the Special Jury Award), 'New Strains' (winner of the Special Jury Award) from the USA, 'Notas sobre un verano' from Spain, 'Numb' from Iran, 'Nummer achttien' from the Netherlands, 'La Palisiada' (winner of the FIPRESCI Award) from Ukraine, 'Playland' from the USA, 'Thiiird' from Lebanon, and 'three sparks' from Albania.  

In the Big Screen Competition this year, the winner and also rans are as given below. The winner of the Big Screen Award wins a cash prize of €30,000, half of which goes to the distributor who decides to buy the film. 

The Big Screen Award was presented to 'ENDLESS BORDERS' from Germany and Directed by Abbas Amini, and tells the story of an exiled Iranian teacher who helps an Afghan refugee family triggering a multi-layered crisis of commitment. This film beat out 'Avant l'effondrement' from France, 'Before the Buzzards Arrive' from Mexico, 'Copenhagen Does Not Exist' from Denmark, 'Drawing Lots' from Georgia, 'Le formiche di Mida' from Austria, 'Four Little Adults' from Finland, 'La hembrita' from the Dominican Republic, 'Joram' from India, 'Luka' from Belgium, 'My Little Nighttime Secret' from Russia, 'The Nothingness Club' from Portugal, 'Okiku and the Wind' from Japan, 'One Win' from South Korea, 'La Sudestada' from Argentina, and 'Voyages en Italie' from France. 

For all the details of the complete IFFR programme, plus the other awards presented, you can got to the official website at : https://www.iffr.com/en

Turning attention then back to this weeks four new movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a tale of a man whose busy life with a new wife and their baby son is thrown into disarray when his ex-wife turns up with their teenage son who is facing challenges of his own. Next up is third and final film in this successful franchise that sees a male stripper take to the stage again, following a business deal that went bust, and head off to London with a wealthy socialite who lures him with an offer he can't refuse. This is followed by a story of an Austrian Empress, who confronted with a future of strict ceremonies and royal duties, rebels against her public image and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy; before closing out the week with a life-affirming story of how a male married couple's  relationship is transformed and deepened when one of them falls ill.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'THE SON' (Rated M) - is a drama film Co-Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Florian Zeller, and based on Zeller's 2018 stage play of the same name. Zeller's previous film making offering came with his much lauded debut in 2020 with 'The Father' which won thirty-six awards (including two Oscar's and two BAFTA's) and a further 160 nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. This film saw its World Premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in early September last year and was released nationally in the US on 20th January having so far grossed US$638K and garnered mixed or average Reviews at best. The film is released in the UK on 17th February and in France from 8th March. 

Here, Peter Miller (Hugh Jackman), whose hectic life with his new born son and his new wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) is upended when his ex-wife Kate (Laura Dern) appears at his door to discuss their son Nicholas (Zen McGrath), who is now a seventeen year old young man. It turns out that Nicholas has been missing school for months and is deeply troubled. Peter strives to take care of Nicholas as he would have wanted his own father Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) to have taken care of him while juggling his and Beth's new son, and at work an offer of a dream position in Washington. However, by reaching for the past to correct its mistakes, he loses sight of how to hold onto Nicholas in the present. Despite the Reviews, Jackman was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for his performance at the Golden Globe Awards in early January this year.

'MAGIC MIKE'S LAST DANCE' (Rated M) - this American comedy drama film is Directed by Steven Soderbergh, and is a sequel to 2015's 'Magic Mike XXL' that was Directed by Gregory Jacobs which in turn was a sequel to 2012's 'Magic Mike' Directed by Steven Soderbergh. The first two films grossed US$290M off the back of a combined production budget of US$22M making this third and allegedly final instalment a no brainer. Here then, Mike Lane (Channing Tatum, who also Co-Produced here) takes to the stage once again when a business deal that went bust leaves him broke and bartending in Florida. Hoping for one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite Maxandra Mendoza (Salma Hayek) who lures him with an offer he can't refuse - and an agenda all her own. With everything on the line, he soon finds himself trying to whip a hot new roster of talented dancers into shape. The film is released Stateside this week too. 

'CORSAGE' (Rated M) - is an international Co-Production between Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and France and is Written and Directed by the Austrian filmmaker Marie Kreutzer whose prior filmmaking credits take in her 2011 debut with 'The Fatherless' and 'The Ground Beneath My Feet' in 2019. This film saw its World Premier in the 'Un Certain Regard' category of last years Cannes Film Festival, before its release in Austria and Germany in early July 2022, and in France at the end of January 2023, having so far taken US$3M at the Box Office off the back of a US$8.1M production budget. This film tells the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (born December 1837 and died September 1898, aged 60, and as portrayed here by Vicki Krieps) who is semi-estranged from her philandering husband Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria (Florian Teichtmeister) begins to act oddly as she nears her 40th birthday. The empress is renowned for her beauty and spends an obsessive amount of time measuring her weight, refusing to eat, and parsing comments about her looks. She travels to England and Bavaria, visiting former lovers and old friends, seeking the excitement and purpose of her youth. With a future of strictly ceremonial duties laid out in front of her, Elisabeth rebels against the exaggerated image of herself and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy. It has so far collected seven award wins and another thirty-two nominations from around the awards and festival circuit.

'SPOILER ALERT' (Rated M) - this American romantic drama film is Directed by Michael Showalter, the American Comedian, Actor, Director, Writer, and Producer, whose previous feature filmmaking offerings include 'Hello, My Name is Doris' in 2015, 'The Big Sick' in 2017, 'The Lovebirds' in 2020 and 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' most recently in 2021. This film is based on the 2017 memoir 'Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies' by Michael Ausiello. The film tells the story of Michael Ausiello (Jim Parsons) and Kit Cowan's (Ben Aldridge) thirteen year gay relationship, which takes a tragic turn when Cowan is diagnosed with terminal cancer and died of a rare form of neuroendocrine cancer in early February 2015. The film also stars Sally Field, has generated mixed or average Reviews and has so far taken US$1.4M at the Box Office since its release in the US in early December. 

With four new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st April 2021.

Last week the 73rd Writers Guild of America Awards and the 32nd Producers Guild of America Awards were held on 21st and 24th March respectively, and both via virtual ceremonies. The former honours the best writing in film, television and radio of 2020, while the latter honours the best film and television Producers of 2020.

In the film categories, the winners and the grinners, and the also rans are as given below :-

WGA Awards

Best Original Screenplay

* Awarded to 'PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN' written by Emerald Fennel, beating out 'Judas and the Black Messiah', 'Palm Springs', 'Sound of Metal' and 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'. 

Best Adapted Screenplay

* Awarded to 'BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM' written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman and Lee Kern, beating out 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom', 'News of the World', 'One Night in Miami' and 'The White Tiger'.

Best Documentary Screenplay

* Awarded to 'THE DISSIDENT' written by Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel, beating out 'All In : The Fight for Democracy', 'Herb Alpert Is . . . ', 'Red Penguins' and 'Totally Under Control'. 

PGA Awards

Daryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

* Awarded to 'NOMADLAND' Produced by Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey, beating out 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm', 'Judas and the Black Messiah', 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom', 'Mank', 'Minari', 'One Night in Miami', 'Promising Young Woman', 'Sound of Metal' and 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'.

Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

* Awarded to 'SOUL' Produced by Dana Murray, beating out 'The Croods : A New Age', 'Onward', 'Over the Moon' and 'Wolfwalkers'.

Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures

* Awarded to 'MY OCTOPUS TEACHER' Produced by Craig Foster, beating out 'David Attenborough : A Life on Our Planet', 'Dick Johnson Is Dead', 'Softie', 'A Thousand Cuts', 'Time' and 'The Truffle Hunters'. 

For the complete run down of all the awards as bestowed by the WGA and the PGA, plus a whole lot more, you can go to the official websites for the WGA at : https://awards.wga.org and for the PGA at : https://producersguild.org 

This week then there are five latest release new films coming to an Odeon near you. And we kick off with a critically lauded film about a man who refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages, and as he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality. This is followed by a true story of a Cold War spy, Greville Wynne, and his Russian source who attempt to put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. Next up we have an all out actioner that follows a man who helps a stranger being harassed by a group of men, only to become the target of a vengeful drug lord, who then utilises a very particular set of skills to win the day. And we then close out the week with two animated features, both sequels - the first seeing a chaotic battle unfold between arch enemies Jerry Mouse, who has taken refuge in NYC's Royal Gate Hotel, and Tom Cat, who is hired to drive him away before the day of a big wedding; and finally a tale of two misfit castaways who are adrift on a raft following a storm and who later struggle to reunite an unconventional family, out-run a volcano, and negotiate peace on a creaking Ark.

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

'THE FATHER' (Rated M) - this French and British Co-Produced film is Directed and Co-Written for the screen by the acclaimed French novelist, playwright and Director Florian Zeller in his feature film making debut, and is based on his own play 'Le Pere' which premiered in 2012. This film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in January 2020, had a limited release in the US from the end of February, is released in Australia this week, and in the UK on 11th June. The film cost US$20M to make, has so far recovered US$2M and has received the highest praise from Critics picking up twenty-one award wins so far and another 135 nominations including six Oscar nods, six BAFTA nods and two SAG nominations, all of which remain pending at the time of writing. The performances of the two lead actors - Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman have been singled out for particular praise.

Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) is 80, mischievous, living defiantly alone and rejecting the carers that his daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman), encouragingly introduces. Yet help is also becoming a necessity for Anne as she is unable to make daily visits anymore and Anthony’s grip on reality is steadily diminishing. As we experience the ebb and flow of his memory, how much of his own identity and past can Anthony cling to? How does Anne cope as she grieves the loss of her father, while he still lives and breathes before her? Also starring Imogen Poots, Mark Gatiss, Olivia Williams and Rufus Sewell. 

'THE COURIER' (Rated M) - this historical drama film is Directed by Dominic Cooke whose prior film making outings take in two 'National Theatre Live' performances for 'The Comedy of Errors' in 2012 and 'Follies' in 2017 with 'On Chesil Beach' in 2017 and three episodes of the TV mini-series 'The Hollow Crown' in 2016. This film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival way back in January 2020, was released Stateside in the US on 19th March, in the UK not until 17th May and here in Australia this week having generated US$3M at the Box Office so far and generally favourable critical Reviews. Telling the true story of the British businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch) who helped MI6 penetrate the Soviet nuclear programme during the Cold War. Wynne is approached by a spy from MI6 and a spy from the CIA and asked to pose as a business partner of Russian  Oleg Penkovsky (codenamed Ironbark, and played by Merab Ninidze) in order to gain intelligence relating to Soviet missiles being transported to Cuba. Ultimately, Wynne and his Russian source, provided crucial intelligence that brought an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also starring Jessie Buckley, Rachel Brosnahan and Angus Wright. 

'NOBODY' (Rated MA15+) - is an American action thriller Directed by the Rissian musician and filmmaker Ilya Naishuller whose only previous feature film was 2015's 'Hardcore Henry' for which he also Produced, Wrote, acted in, composed the music for and also lensed. Released in the US on 26th March, the film has so far grossed US$3M and has generated favourable Reviews. And so, here Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) fails to defend himself or his family when two thieves break into his suburban home one night. The aftermath of the incident soon strikes a match to his long-simmering rage. In a barrage of fists, knives, gunfire and squealing tyres, Hutch must now save his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), son Blake (Gage Munroe) and daughter Sammy (Paisley Cadorath) from a dangerous Russian drug lord Yulian Kuznetsov (Aleksei Serebryakov), and ensure that he will never be underestimated again as a nobody. Also starring Christopher Lloyd, Michael Ironside and RZA. 

'TOM AND JERRY' (Rated G) - here, this American live-action/computer-animated comedy film is based on the cartoon characters and animated theatrical short film series of the same name created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It is the second theatrical film based on the characters following 1992's 'Tom and Jerry: The Movie' and is Directed by Tim Story whose previous directorial outings include his 1992 debut 'One of Us Tripped', then 'Fantastic 4' in 2005 and its 2007 follow up 'Fantastic 4 : Rise of the Silver Surfer', 'Hurricane Season' in 2009, 'Ride Along', 'Ride Along 2' and the recently announced 'Ride Along 3' with 'Shaft' in 2019. And so a legendary rivalry reemerges when Jerry Mouse moves into New York City's finest hotel on the eve of the wedding of the century, forcing the desperate event planner Kayla Forester (Chloe Grace Moretz) to hire Tom Cat to get rid of him. As mayhem ensues, the escalating cat-and-mouse battle soon threatens to destroy her career, the wedding, and possibly the hotel itself. Tom and Jerry are voiced by William Hanna, Mel Blanc, and June Foray via archival recordings, alongside Frank Welker and Andre Sogliuzzo, with additional voices provided by Bobby Cannavale, Lii Rel Howery with live action provided by Michael Pena, Colin Jost, Rob Delaney, and Ken Jeong. The film was released in the US at the end of February, cost US$70M to produce, has so far recouped US$78M and has generated largely negative press. 

'TWO BY TWO : OVERBOARD' (Rated PG) - this follow up to 2015's 'Two by Two' (aka 'Ooops! Noah is Gone') is once again Directed by the pairing of Toby Genkel and Sean McCormack, with this animated adventure comedy offering seeing the young Nestrian Finny (voiced by Max Carolan) and his best mate Leah (voiced by Ava Connolly), a Grymp, accidently fall off the ark and are swept out to sea. Out on their own on a raft, they get separated by a storm. While Finny finds a whole colony of Nestrians underwater, Leah lands on a beautiful island that seems to shake regularly and smoke pours from the top of the mountain. As these two misfit castaways struggle to reunite an unorthodox family, out-run a volcano, and negotiate a peace deal on a creaking Ark, they also have other dangers and adventures to face along the way. 

With five 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-