Quick Takes : The movies I saw in January 2025.

Although I was off-line throughout January enjoying the heat of an Aussie summer, as well as some much needed summer rain, this didn't stop me from enjoying my weekly trip to my local movie theatre to catch a film of choice. Below are my quick takes of the latest films seen this past month.

'NOSFERATU' (Rated M) - Tuesday 7th January 2025.

This American supernatural horror film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Robert Eggers whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut in 2015 with 'The Witch', and he followed this up with 'The Lighthouse' in 2019, and 'The Northman' in 2022. This film is a remake of the classic silent film of 1922 of the same name by Director F.W. Murnau and an unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel 'Count Dracula'. This film saw its World Premiere screening in Berlin, Germany in early December, was released in the US on Christmas Day, in Australia on New Years Day having garnered widespread critical acclaim, has so far grossed US$167M from a production budget of US$50M and has collected thirty-two award wins and another 164 nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit, with a number of those award nods still pending an outcome.

Set in 1838 in the town of Wisborg, Germany, the film follows estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) as he travels to Transylvania's Carpathian Mountains for a fateful meeting with Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard), a prospective client who wants to sell his run down old castle in the mountains and relocate to Wisborg. In his absence, Hutter's new bride, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), is left under the care of their friends, Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Anna (Emma Corrin) Harding. Plagued by horrific visions and an increasing sense of dread, Ellen soon encounters an evil force that's far beyond her control. Also starring Willem Dafoe, Ralph Ineson and Simon McBurney. 

In his fourth feature film outing Writer, Producer and Director Robert Eggers here has delivered us a very worthy remake of the 1922 and 1979 (Directed by Werner Herzog) films with an updated version that is a chilling, macabre, Victorian era horror story from which he eeks out first rate awards worthy performances from Depp, Hoult and Dafoe while lensman Jarin Blaschke adds a foreboding sense of dread and fear to the films aesthetic. 

'Nosferatu' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

'DEN OF THIEVES : PANTERA' (Rated M) - Tuesday 14th January 2025.                              This American heist film is a sequel to the 2018 film 'Den of Thieves' and is Written and Directed once again by Christian Gudegast in only his second feature film making outing. The film was released here in Australia and the US on 9th and 10th January respectively, has so far recovered US$48M from its US$40M production budget and has generated mixed or average reviews. Here then, Nicholas 'Big Nick' O'Brien (Gerard Butler, who also serves as Co-Producer here) the recently divorced LASD Sheriff is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson who also Co-Produces), who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world's largest diamond exchange in Nice, Southern France. Also starring Evin Ahmad. Gerard Butler has already indicated his willingness to make a third film in the franchise and not to leave it too long for the next instalment. 

I have to say that I went into this viewing with fairly average expectations, but came out just a little more than surprised by what Writer and Director Christian Gudegast has delivered. The two lead Actors in Butler and Jackson have a natural on screen chemistry, the sun drenched locations of the French Riviera, the well executed action sequences and the staging of the heist on the World Diamond Centre all amount to a well crafted film, albeit one that you can leave your brain at the door, and is fairly predictable run of the mill fare. In the final analysis you know exactly what you're gonna get from this follow up instalment that adds nothing new to the heist genre, but does it in an acceptable fashion.

'Den of Thieves : Pantera' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

'WOLF MAN' (Rated MA15+) : Tuesday 21st January 2025 - is an American horror film Co-Written and Directed by Leigh Whannell, whose three prior feature film credits are 'Insidious : Chapter 3' in 2015, 'Upgrade' in 2018, and 'The Invisible Man' in 2020, with his Writing and Executive Producer credits taking in the majority of the 'Saw' franchise films, plus a few others in between time. The film was first muted in mid-2014 and was to be part of the Dark Universe, a shared cinematic universe surrounding the Universal Studios Monsters. However, following the critical and commercial failure of 2017's 'The Mummy' Universal moved its focus to standalone films, although the success of Whannell's 2020 'The Invisible Man' reignited Universal's interest in the Monsters franchise. This film serves as a reboot of the 1941 film 'The Wolf Man', has garnered mixed or average critical reviews and has so far grossed US$28M from its production budget of US$25M. 

Here, Blake (Christopher Abbott), his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and their young daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) are attacked by an unseen animal in rural Oregon and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside Blake's inherited remote farmhouse as the creature stalks the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognisable that soon places his family in grave danger. Leigh Whannell's 'Wolf Man' I would describe more as a thriller than a horror offering that is light on jump scares, edge of your seat tension, nail biting emotion and dramatic punch. That said the performances of Abbott and Garner are on point, the visuals from the PoV of a transformed Blake add a fresh dimension, but I found the transformation of Blake into the titular Wolf Man to be sub-par when compared to the John Landis classic 1981 'An American Werewolf in London' which set the standard by which all other lycanthropic films are judged . . . and that was 44 years ago! 'Wolf Man' is an OK film albeit a fairly predictable one.

'Wolf Man' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

'A COMPLETE UNKNOWN' (Rated M) : Tuesday 28th January 2025. This American biographical drama film is Co-Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by James Mangold, whose prior film making credits take in the likes of 'Cop Land' in 1997, 'Girl, Interrupted' in 1999, 'Walk the Line' in 2005, '3:10 to Yuma' in 2007, 'The Wolverine' in 2013, 'Logan' in 2017, 'Ford v Ferrari' in 2019 and 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' in 2023. This film is based on the 2015 book 'Dylan Goes Electric!' by Elijah Wald, and is about the early formative years of singer and songwriter Bob Dylan. The film has so far grossed US$75M from a production budget of about US$60M, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far collected sixteen award wins and a further 109 nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit with many of those nods still pending a final decision. 

The film opens up in New York City in 1961, where amidst the backdrop of a vibrant music scene and tumultuous cultural upheaval, an enigmatic 19-year-old Bob Dylan (Timothee Chalamet, who also Co-Produces here) from Minnesota arrives with his acoustic guitar, harmonica and revolutionary talent, destined to change the course of American music. He forges intimate relationships with music icons of Greenwich Village including a very sick and in ill health in hospital Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro) and later Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) on his meteoric rise, culminating in a groundbreaking and controversial performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival at which Dylan and his band were the closing act, that reverberates worldwide. Also starring Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Dylan's girlfriend at the time. Chalamet is a compelling watch in the biopic of the great American singer/songwriter, more than ably supported by especially Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro. Mangold's deft Direction and his superlative attention to the early 1960's production values, when coupled with Chalamet's commitment to learning to play the guitar and harmonica, and, master Dylan's voice over a five year period all add up to a film that is more than worthy of your attention, and the price of your movie ticket. My only criticism is that at times Chalamet's voice is a little too gravelly and verging on the indecipherable. Nonetheless, Chalamet and Mangold deserve all the accolades they get.

'A Complete Unknown' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's : Wednesday 1st January 2025

As 2024 draws to a close, all that remains for me to say is to wish you the very best for a Happy New Year that is safe, healthy and prosperous. Wherever you are in the world, get out and watch a movie at your local multiplex or independent cinema and support all those working tirelessly in front and behind the camera. Thanks for your continuing support over the past twelve months and I look forward to bringing you more of the same content in the year ahead, kicking off at the end of January, as I'm taking the next month off as many Aussie's do during the summer holiday period. Until next time . . .

This week there are just three new movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, starting with a remake of a classic 1922 horror film of the same name that tells the story of the obsession between a haunted young woman, and the ancient Transylvanian vampire stalking her bringing untold horror with him. This is followed by an American drama offering set during a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills, where a seventeen year old young woman navigates the clash of egos between her father and his oldest friend; before closing out the week with the third instalment in this popular family live action animated franchise that sees this beloved bear travel with his adopted English family as they visit an Aunt in Peru, but a mystery sends them to the Amazon rainforest and up Peruvian mountains.

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

'NOSFERATU' (Rated M) - this American horror film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Robert Eggers whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut in 2015 with 'The Witch', and he followed this up with 'The Lighthouse' in 2019, and 'The Northman' in 2022. This film is a remake of the classic silent film of 1922 of the same name by Director F.W. Murnau and an unauthorised adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel 'Count Dracula'. This film saw its World Premiere screening in Berlin, Germany in early December, was released in the US on Christmas Day, having garnered universal critical acclaim, and has so far grossed US$44M from a production budget of US$50M.

Set in 1838 in Germany, the film follows estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) as he travels to Transylvania for a fateful meeting with Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard), a prospective client. In his absence, Hutter's new bride, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), is left under the care of their friends, Friedrich (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Anna (Emma Corrin) Harding. Plagued by horrific visions and an increasing sense of dread, Ellen soon encounters an evil force that's far beyond her control. Also starring Willem Dafoe and Ralph Ineson. The film has so far collected eighteen award wins and another 56 nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit.

'GOOD ONE' (Rated CTC) - is an American drama film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by India Donaldson in her Directorial debut. The film had its World Premiere showcasing at the Sundance Film Festival in late January 2024, was released Stateside in early August, has generated universal critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$351K. Here, seventeen-year-old Sam (Lily Collias) embarks on a three-day backpacking trip in the Catskill Mountains, in southeastern New York State with her dad, Chris (James Le Gros) and his oldest friend, Matt (Danny McCarthy). As the two men quickly settle into a gently quarrelsome brotherly dynamic, airing long-held grievances, Sam, wise beyond her years, attempts to mediate. But when lines are crossed and Sam's trust is betrayed, tensions reach a fever pitch, as Sam struggles with her dad's emotional limitations and experiences the universal moment when the parental bond is tested.

'PADDINGTON IN PERU' (Rated PG) - this live action animated adventure comedy film is Directed by Dougal Wilson in his feature film Directing debut after helming numerous music videos and TV commercials. This is the third film in the Paddington Bear franchise following 2014's 'Paddington' and 2017's 'Paddington 2' which between them grossed US$495M off the back of combined production budgets of US$97M. Here then, when Paddington Bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) discovers his beloved Aunt Lucy (voiced by Imelda Staunton) has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears, he and the Brown family (Hugh Bonneville as father Henry, Emily Mortimer as mother Mary, Madeleine Harris as daughter Judy and Samuel Joslin as son Jonathan) head to the jungles of Peru to find her. Determined to solve the mystery, they soon stumble across a legendary treasure as they make their way through the rainforests of the Amazon. Also starring Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and Hayley Atwell. The film has so far grossed US$47M since its release in the UK on 8th November last year, is scheduled for a US release on 14th February, and has gained positive critical reviews. It has been reported that a fourth Paddington film is already in the works due for a release sometime in 2027/28, along with a spin-off TV series.

With three 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-

THE NORTHMAN : Tuesday 26th April 2022.

Having this week returned from a break in England, which should explain my absence from this Blog for the past month or so, I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE NORTHMAN' at my local independent movie theatre earlier this week. Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Robert Eggers whose previous two feature films were 'The Witch' in 2015 and 'The Lighthouse' in 2019, this epic historical action film cost US$90M to produce and has so far garnered largely widespread critical acclaim, having thus far recouped US$27M. Following its World Premier showcasing in Stockholm on 28th March, advance screenings we held in certain cities in early April before its wide release (including Australia and the US) from last week onwards. Normal service of my Blog BTW, will be resumed form next week onwards. 

The film opens up with a number of Viking longboats sailing towards a remote windswept island upon which sits a settlement. It is A.D.895 and the returning King Aurvandill War-Raven (Ethan Hawke) is welcomed back triumphantly with the riches he has pillaged from various overseas lands. He is met by his wife, the Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman) and his young son and heir Prince Amleth (Oscar Novak). Also in the returning party is Fjolnir (Claes Bang), Aurvandill's younger brother and Amleth's uncle. Later on Aurvandill and Amleth take part in a spiritual ceremony that marks Amleths passage into manhood. The ceremony is overseen by Aurvandill's jester Heimir (Willem Dafoe). 

The next morning as father and son are exiting the place of the ceremony, several warriors on horseback all descend upon the King wounding him with arrows and spears. Fjolnir is among them as the leader of the pack, and ultimately beheads Aurvandill. Having hidden behind a rock nearby and witnessed the slaying of his father, his village massacred and his mother taken away screaming by his uncle, Amleth flees the island by row boat repeatedly uttering the words 'I will avenge my father, save my mother and kill my uncle'. 

We then fast forward to years later and the now adult Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) is rowing a Viking longboat down river in the land of Rus. It seems that he was found by a band of Vikings and raised among them as a berserker. After a bloody attack on a village, Amleth comes across a Seeress (Bjork) in the temple of Svetovit. She predicts that Amleth will exact out his revenge on Fjolnir. Amleth learns that Fjolnir was overthrown by Harald of Norway and now lives in exile in Iceland. Amleth sneaks aboard a slave ship headed for Iceland. Posing as a slave, he encounters a Slavic slave named Olga of the Birch Forest (Anya Taylor-Joy), who lays claim to being a sorceress. Upon arrival, Amleth and the other slaves are shackled and taken to Fjolnir's farm, where it is revealed that Queen Gudrun, now Fjolnir's wife, has borne him a son, Gunnar (Elliott Rose).

One night, Amleth flees the farm and comes across a He-Witch (Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson), who facilitates a spiritual discussion between Amleth and the late Heimir, revealed to have been murdered by Fjolnir by gouging out his eyes, cutting out his tongue and slicing off his ears while he still lived. He then tells Amleth about Night Blade, a magical sword that can only be drawn at night, and its whereabouts, which Amleth later obtains through fighting and overcoming an undead spirit for the sword.

The next day Amleth is chosen to compete in a game of knattleikr. Needless to say this is a brutal and bloody game which turns violent and Amleth saves Gunnar, who runs to play, from the rival team's champion Thorfinnr (Hafþor Julius Bjornsson). Amleth wrestles Thorfinnr to the ground and repeatedly heads butts his opponent until his skull cracks open. As a reward, Thorir (Gustav Lindt), Fjolnir's eldest and adult son allows Amleth to claim Olga as his wife and makes him a supervisor over the other slaves, but warns him that he will never be free of a life of slavery himself. 

During the celebrations later that same evening, Amleth and Olga make love. They commit to work together to overthrow Fjolnir and his men. Over the ensuing nights, Amleth kills a number of Fjolnir's men. Olga meanwhile mixes the men's food with magic mushrooms, causing them all to hallucinate, so allowing Amleth to enter Fjolnir's house. There he meets his mother, Gudrun, who tells him that she was originally taken into slavery, and that Amleth was the result of rape. She also reveals that it was her order for Fjolnir to kill Aurvandill and Amleth, and that she prefers Fjolnir and her new son Gunnar. Amleth leaves, distraught and angered and promptly kills Thorir in his sleep and rips out his heart. 

Fjolnir is determined to find his son's killer and promptly begins slicing the throats of random slaves if they don't give him the answer he is looking for. He threatens to kill Olga, resulting in Amleth revealing himself as responsible and trading Olga's life for Thorir's heart. Amleth is taken captive, strung up and severely beaten to within an inch of his life. Amleth is released from his restraints by a flock of ravens who peck away at his bindings. Olga rescues Amleth from the farm and the two escape, planning to go to Amleth's kin on Orkney island. Departing Iceland by boat, Amleth kisses a wound on Olga's throat, caused by the knife held to her neck previously by Fjolnir. This triggers a vision that she is pregnant with twins, and believing that his children will never be safe as long as Fjolnir lives, Amleth, against Olga's wishes, determines to finally kill Fjolnir and jumps overboard and swims back to shore.

Back at the farm, under cover of darkness, Amleth frees the slaves and kills the majority of Fjolnir's men. The slaves burn the farm down to the ground. While looking for Fjolnir, Amleth is attacked by Gudrun and, after, by Gunnar. Amleth defends himself, but, in the ensuing melee, kills both, but is seriously wounded from multiple stab wounds. Fjolnir discovers the bodies and arranges a fight to the death with Amleth at the Gates of Hel—the actively spewing volcano Hekla, to resolve their conflict. At the volcano, the pair engage in a fierce swordfight, resulting in Fjolnir being decapitated and Amleth fatally wounded. As Amleth lies dying, he has a future vision of Olga embracing their twin children safe on Orkney, and sees his ascent on horseback to Valhalla.

'The Northman' will not be a film for everyone, which probably explains the lacklustre Box Office performance (as at the time of writing), but having said that I don't think that Director Robert Eggers is too worried about that given the overwhelming critical acclaim the film has generated. For me, I certainly was entertained and thoroughly engaged for the duration of the 135 minute run time by the authenticity of the production values that Eggers insisted on, the storyline (which while simple enough is hardly complex but engrossing nonetheless), the strong cast of A-list talent, and the brutality and blood soaked violence of the Viking era where life meant so much less than it does today. All of that said, the film does labour at times and the VFX of Amleth's family tree branching out from his heart with passing images of his ancestors and ultimately his own children felt clunky and somewhat ill paced. Despite these minor observations however, Eggers continues to demonstrate his ability over his craft and this time with a much more sizeable budget that expands on the historical worlds he created in his two previous cinematic outings and offers the viewer an original gripping story that alas, we see far too little of today. 

'The Northman' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE LIGHTHOUSE : Tuesday 18th February 2020

I finally got around to seeing earlier this week, the MA15+ Rated psychological horror offering 'THE LIGHTHOUSE' some three weeks after its initial Australian release. Shot in black and white and a 'narrow, vintage' nearly square 1.19:1aspect ratio on 35mm film here American film maker, Co-Producer and Co-Writer of 'The Lighthouse' Robert Eggers, Directs only his second feature film following 2015's highly acclaimed mid-17th Century supernatural horror film 'The Witch'. This film saw its World Premier screening at Cannes in May last year, was released in the US in mid October, has garnered universal Critical acclaim, has collected twenty-two award wins and a further 92 nominations, and has made US$17M off the back of a US$4M production budget.

It is the late19th Century and Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) is sent on a boat to serve a contract job as a wickie (lighthouse keeper) for four weeks on an isolated island off the coast of New England, under the supervision of an irritable ageing man named Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe). Familiarising himself with his new surroundings, Winslow notices a hole in his mattress which he has unrolled from his bed. As he digs into it, he discovers a scrimshaw of a small mermaid and places it in to his jacket pocket. Winslow later that night, notices Wake going up to the lighthouse's lantern room and stripping naked. Winslow begins having visions and dreams of octopus like tentacles in the lantern room, tree stumps floating in the water close to the shoreline and images of a mermaid (Valeriia Karaman).

Over the course of the ensuing weeks Wake demands Winslow (whom her refers to as 'lad') take the more taxing jobs that involve heavy lifting and carrying, or are seen as more menial. Refueling the light with cumbersome wheelbarrow loads of coal carted over rough ground, carrying heavy kerosene containers, cleaning out the lighthouse keepers cottage and scrubbing the floor, repainting the lighthouse in the obligatory white, disposing of the two men's chamber pots, and attending to the cistern to ensure there is sufficient clean drinking water are among the jobs tasked to Winlsow. As the weeks progress, Winslow repeatedly encounters a one-eyed gull that begins to taunt him. Wake warns Winslow that it is bad luck to harm a seagull, as he is superstitious that they are the souls of reincarnated sailors. One night over dinner, the two get to know each other a little better fuelled by increasing amounts of alcohol, and discuss Wake's previous second wickie. Wake says that he died shortly after losing his sanity. Winslow states that he used to work in Canada as a timberman, but decided to change professions, and is now looking to earn enough income to be able to buy his own place where no one can tell him what to do.

The day before Winslow is due to leave the island, he notices the water pump is releasing a thick black sludge and investigates. He checks the cistern to see a dead and rotting gull floating inside. The one-eyed seagull flies down and attacks Winslow, who wrestles with it and beats it to a pulp against the cistern. Later that same day, the wind dramatically changes direction. That night, a storm hits the island, and the two men get drunk. The next morning the pair wait down by the shoreline for the tender to arrive in the lashing rain. The tender does not arrive needless to say due to the high seas, fierce wind and driving rain, so the pair retreat back inside the cottage. When the storm has abated somewhat Winslow sees a body washed up on the shore which he approaches and observes that it is a mermaid. He briefly fondles the mermaids face and breasts, and then she comes around and screams, causing him to step back in fright and run back to the cottage. There Wake advises that the remaining rations were badly damaged by the storm. They dig up a crate said to contain extra rations, but it only contains more alcohol.

As the storm continues to rage outside, the two men grow closer fuelled by yet more alcohol, while still remaining somewhat confrontational. Winslow has visions of a lobster trap containing the severed, half-blinded head of Wake's previous wickie who apparently went insane. One night, Winslow confesses to Wake that his real name is in fact Thomas Howard and that he assumed the identity of Ephraim Winslow, Howard's foreman who died in an accident that he failed to prevent. That night he tries to escape on a small fishing boat, but Wake destroys it with an axe. Wake chases Howard into the cottage, but inside, Wake states that it was Howard who attacked him. With no alcohol left, the two begin alcohol improvisation by mixing turpentine with honey, and getting steadily drunk on that. The storm reaches a crescendo that sees waves crash through the windows of the cottage.

The next morning when the pair come round from their drunken stupor, Howard finds Wake's log floating in the waterlogged cottage. In it Wake has noted down all of his failings and infractions since commencement and recommends severance without pay. Wake abuses Howard for his work performance while Howard accuses Wake of mental abuse. Wake further chides Howard, and Howard attacks him. While seeing visions of the mermaid, Wake as a sea monster, and the real Winslow, Howard beats Wake into submission. Howard leashes Wake like a dog with a rope and forces him to walk on all fours before burying him alive in the ration pit. Howard removes the keys from Wake's coat and prepares to go up to the lantern room, but Wake appears from behind and hits him in the shoulder with a savage blow from an axe. Howard disarms Wake with a kettle pot and kills him with the same axe before climbing the lighthouse up to the lantern room, which hitherto Wake has forbidden him from entering. 

He approaches the Fresnel lens, weakened and blood stained. He is drawn to its light, mesmerised and it stops revolving and opens up to him. Howard gazes into the mirrored interior in ecstasy and reaches his arm inside. He then lets out distorted screams as the light brightens, growing louder and brighter, before slipping backwards, breaking his leg and falling all the way down the lighthouse spiral stairway to the bottom. Howard is finally seen lying naked on the rocks, with one eye missing, gazing up at the sky as a flock of seagulls circle overhead and several others gulls shit on him and peck away at his now exposed internal organs, slowly eating him alive.

'The Lighthouse' is a weird concoction of a film to be sure, but its redeeming features far outweigh those going against it. Director Robert Eggers has here proven that he's no one trick pony with a straight off the blocks win with 2015's 'The Witch', and with his eerie, claustrophobic, doom laden and insanity inducing follow up has firmly positioned himself as a film maker totally in control of his craft, and one to watch out for. The cinematography by Jarin Blaschke is top notch too in recreating the sense of dread and foreboding of living on a remote weather beaten lighthouse station for weeks on end, with a complete stranger only for company at the end of the 19th Century. And then there are the performances of the two principle characters here with both Dafoe and Pattinson giving their all in truly convincing and authentic roles. The former plays the old salty sea dog who has seen it all before and will gladly recount his tall tales to anyone who will listen, likes a drink or five, farts a lot and it's never made clear if indeed he can be trusted or relied upon. And Pattinson who continues to shine in his film making choices, gives arguably the best performance of his career to date as the put upon, struggling to make a go of his life, nose to the grindstone, never say die young servant to Dafoe's old master. Everything about this film is ramped up to the Nth degree from the stunning black and white (and often starkly grey) visuals; to the constant cacophony of noise and sound; to the claustrophobia of the internal scenes; to the wild landscape battered by the boiling sea, the crashing waves, the driving rain, the howling wind; the intensity of the bright light that is the lantern; the dialogue taken straight from that bygone era and the intensity with which the pair's relationship develops and then unravels in the closing scenes as madness takes hold. Some of the urban legends and myths of the sea you'll take with a pinch of salt, but they help propel the films theme along, although at times you'll be scratching your head at the surreal weirdness of it all.

'The Lighthouse' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-