HERETIC : Tuesday 3rd December 2024

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'HERETIC' this week, and this American psychological horror film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods who jointly created the story for and Co-Wrote the post-apocalyptic horror film 'A Quiet Place' in 2018, and Wrote and Directed the 2015 supernatural thriller 'Nightlight', the 2019 slasher film 'Haunt', and the 2023 science fiction action thriller '65'. This film saw its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September, was released in the US earlier this month, has received positive reviews from critics and has grossed US$38M so far, from a production budget of less that US$10M.

Here then, two young missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) from the Church of the Latter-Day Saints, are on a mission to recruit new members into their church. Somewhere in small town America the two very properly dressed young women go about the business riding their bikes from house to house and knocking on doors. Eventually as the day draws to a close and the weather starts to close in with the heavens opening to thundering rain, they arrive at the home of a reclusive man, Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). 

He invites them in, assuring them that his wife is preparing a blueberry pie in the kitchen out the back. After breaking the ice and engaging in some small talk, they begin to discuss religion, with Reed making several uncomfortable comments about their Mormon faith and the nature of belief. When Reed steps out of the room, Barnes realises that the smell of blueberry pie is from a candle. The women decide it is time to leave, but Reed has taken their coats and in the pocket of one of the coats is the key to the bicycle lock that they chained their bikes to up at the front gate of the house. The front door is locked, and they also have no phone signal, because of the metal cladding in the roof and the walls of the house which Reed alluded to when they first arrived.

They reluctantly follow Reed to his study, and plead with him to allow them to leave. He gives them a threatening lecture arguing that all religions are adaptations of one another, variations on a theme and claims to have found the one true religion, having studied multiple religions over the last ten years and taught theology at university. He gives the girls a choice of two doors to go through to exit through the back of the house - one if they still believe in God, and one if they disbelief. Barnes rebels, dismissing several of his claims. They enter the 'Belief' door, but discover both doors lead down to the same dungeon.

After fruitlessly searching for a way out, a decrepit woman appears covered in sack cloth carrying a blueberry pie. She begins eating it and within minutes is dead. Reed states that the pie was poisoned and further claims that she is a prophet of God and the pair will witness her resurrection. Church elder Kennedy (Topher Grace) arrives looking for the girls but leaves without hearing their screams for help. The prophet resurrects and briefly describes the afterlife. Barnes rejects the prophet's description, noting its similarity to common hallucinations from near-death experiences. When Barnes gives Paxton a signal to attack Reed with a letter opener she has stashed away while in his study, he slashes the throat of Barnes and claims that she will also resurrect. 

After Barnes bleeds out, Reed removes a two inch long metal pin from inside her arm, claiming it is a microchip that proves that Barnes was not real and the world is a simulation. Paxton recognises the object as a contraceptive implant, and realises that everything was planned by Reed - while the girls were distracted by the elder's arrival, a second woman hid the prophet's corpse, took her place and delivered the afterlife description as scripted by Reed, adding an unplanned comment - 'It's not real'. Reed's killing of Barnes and attempt to convince Paxton of a simulated reality was a ruse to cover the plan going adrift. Paxton discovers an underground ladder in which the Prophet's corpse was hidden and climbs down, with Reed promising it will reveal to her the 'one true religion'.

After pulling aside the bolts of various doors, eventually Paxton enters a chamber full of emaciated women in cages, locked with the bike lock she used before entering Reed's house. She realises Reed's conclusion - that the desire to control others is the root of all religions. Paxton stabs Reed in the throat with the letter opener, but Reed stabs her with a box cutter in the stomach as she tries to escape. Paxton runs through the house searching for a way out, and eventually finds herself back down in the basement, followed by Reed. As they bleed in the basement, Paxton prays, telling Reed that it is done to show kindness to others rather than to produce material results, as numerous tests have revealed. Reed prepares to finish her off, but Barnes, who was still alive, kills him with a plank of wood with three protruding nails to the temple before finally succumbing to her wounds in Paxton's arms. Paxton climbs out of a window and a butterfly lands on her hand having previously expressed a desire to be reincarnated as a butterfly that appears on the hands of her loved ones. It vanishes, leaving Paxton alone in the snowy bushland.

With 'Heretic' it's refreshing to see Hugh Grant playing against type in his first true horror film outing, and he is more than ably supported by Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher who also add weight to the collective performances. Grant chews up the screen with his sharp, at times witty and always on point dialogue that will have you guessing up to the end and pondering on religious matters long after the credits have rolled. Joint Directors Beck and Woods have crafted a lean, effective, original and surprising horror film that relies more on psychological thrills than traditional jump scares, and on that level the film succeeds in being right up there as one of the best horror entries of 2024.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 28th November 2024

The 21st annual Marrakech International Film Festival takes place this year from Friday 29th November through until Saturday 7th December, in the city of Marrakech, the fourth largest city in Morocco, Africa. Founded in 2001, the Festival today is a place of expression and discovery that takes up the challenges of diversity, exchange and enrichment. It is also an opportunity for Morocco to welcome and pay tribute to great personalities of the world of film. The event attracts a large audience, both national and international, and benefits from a strong reputation and its prestigious image. The Festival is distinguished not only by the quality of its programming, but also by its editorial and artistic position, which provides a wide space for cinema, and it is further distinguished by its geographical location - Marrakech, whose history, values and international influence have long made it a destination city . . . so reads the official website.

The official selection features an international competition of first and second features dedicated to the discovery of filmmakers from around the world, as well as a wide selection of films of different genres from nations worldwide. The Festival’s several sections include Galas, Special Screenings, the 11th Continent—a section dedicated to bold and innovative films—a Panorama of Moroccan Cinema, Cinema for Young Audiences, and open-air screenings.

This years Jury presiding over the competitive strands include Luca Guadagnino as Jury President, Patricia Arquette, Virginie Efira, Jacob Elordi and Andrew Garfield. Those films in Official Competition, vying for the five awards which are The Festival Grand Prize where an award of US$50K is shared between the Director and the Producer; the Best Directing Prize; the Jury Prize; Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor, are :-

* 'Across the Sea' - from France, Morocco and Belgium and Directed by Said Hamich Benlarbi.

* 'Bound in Heaven' - from China and Directed by Huo Xin.

* 'The Cottage' - from Argentina, Brazil, Spain and Chile and Directed by Silvina Schnicer.

* 'Happy Holidays' - from Palestine, Germany, France, Italy and Qatar and Directed by Scandar Copti.

* 'Happyend' - from Japan and the USA and Directed by Neo Sora.

* 'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life' - from France and Directed by Laura Piani.

* 'Ma-Cry of Silence' - from Myanmar, Singapore, France, Norway, South Korea and Qatar, and Directed by The Maw Naing.

* 'One of Those Days When Hemme Dies' - from Turkiye and Directed by Murat Firatoglu.

* 'Perfumed with Mint' - from Egypt, Qatar, Tunisia and France and Directed by Muhammed Hamdy.

* 'Silent Storms' - from France and Belgium and Directed by Dania Reymond-Boughenou.

* 'Sudan, Remember Us' - from France, Tunisia and Qatar and Directed by Hind Meddeb.

* 'Under the Volcano' - from Poland and Directed by Damian Kocur.

* 'The Village Next to Paradise' - from Austria, France, Germany and Somalia and Directed by Mo Harawe.

* 'The Wolves Always Come at Night' - from Australia, Mongolia and Germany and Directed by Gabrielle Brady.

For the full synopsis of these films in official competition as shown above, together with a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://marrakech-festival.com/en/home/

This week we have six new movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to home, launching with a psychological horror offering that sees two young religious women drawn into a game of cat-and-mouse in the house of a strange English man. Following on we have a sequel to a 2016 animated film that sees this curious girl of a Village Chief journey to the far seas of Oceania after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors. Next up is a RomCom horror offering that sees a soft-spoken Actress finding her voice again when she meets a terrifying but weirdly charming monster that lives in her closet. Then we turn to a French historical drama set in 1870 about a young woman born with her face and body covered in hair, which she shaves daily to stay safe and to fit in, until she marries an indebted bar owner. This is followed by a drama film that sees a family of refugees from Syria, an English teacher from Afghanistan and a border guard all meet on the Polish-Belarusian border during the most recent humanitarian crisis in Belarus; before closing out the week with an Aussie coming of age doco shot over seven years that charts the ups and downs of three skateboarders who go from childhood to adulthood as they pursue their Olympic dreams. 

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

'HERETIC' (Rated MA15+) - is an American psychological horror film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods who jointly created the story for and Co-Wrote the post-apocalyptic horror film 'A Quiet Place' in 2018, and Wrote and Directed the 2015 supernatural thriller 'Nightlight', the 2019 slasher film 'Haunt', and the 2023 science fiction action thriller '65'. This film saw its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September, was released in the US earlier this month, has received positive reviews from critics and has grossed US$30M so far, from a production budget of less that US$10M.

Here then, two young missionaries Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) from the Church of the Latter-day Saints, become ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse when they knock on the door of the diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant). Trapped in his home, they must turn to their faith if they want to make it out alive.

'MOANA 2' (Rated PG) - this American animated musical adventure film is Produced by Walt Disney Studios and is the sequel to 2016 'Moana', which grossed US$687M worldwide off the back of a production budget of about US$160M, making this follow-up a no-brainer, and it won twenty-two awards and picked up a further ninety nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. This film is Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller in their feature Directorial debuts. Set three years after the events of the first film, Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) receives an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors and forms her own crew, reuniting with her friend, the demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson). As they journey to the far seas of Oceania to break the god Nalo's curse on the hidden island of Motufetu, which once connected the people of the ocean, they confront old and new foes, including the Kakamora and underworld goddess Matangi (Awhimai Fraser). Also starring the voice talents of Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Rachel House and Alan Tudyk, the film is released Stateside this week too.

'YOUR MONSTER' (Rated M) - is an American romantic comedy horror film that is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Caroline Lindy and is based on her own short film from 2019. The film tells the story of the soft-spoken Actress Laura Franco (Melissa Barrera), who is dumped by her longtime boyfriend Jacob Sullivan (Edmund Donovan) while recovering from surgery and retreats to her childhood home to recover. With her future looking less than rosy, insult is added to injury when Laura discovers that Sullivan is staging a musical that she helped him develop. But out of these gut-wrenching life changes emerges a monster (Tommy Dewey) with whom she finds a connection, encouraging Laura to follow her dreams, open her heart and fall in love with her inner rage. The film was released in the US on 25th October, has so far grossed US$724K and has garnered generally favourable reviews.

'ROSALIE' (Rated M) - this French and Belgian Co-Production is Co-Written and Directed by Stephanie Di Giusto in only her second feature film making outing following 2016's 'The Dancer'. Set in 1870's Brittany, France, Rosalie Deluc (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) is a young woman who hides a secret, she is a bearded lady. In an effort to not to be rejected, she forces herself to shave. Abel (Benoit Magimel), owner of a cafe and in debt, marries Rosalie for her dowry without knowing his fiancee's secret. The film saw its World Premiere at the May 2023 Cannes Film Festival, was released in France in mid-Aril this year, has so far grossed US$811K at the Box Office and has received generally positive reviews.

'GREEN BORDER' (Rated M) - is a Co-Production between Poland, France, the Czech Republic and Belgium, that is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Agnieszka Holland. In the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so-called 'green border' between Belarus and Poland, refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Finding themselves pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia (Maja Ostaszewska), a recently minted activist who has given up her comfortable life, Jan (Tomasz Włosok), a young border guard, and a Syrian family intertwine. The film competed for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2023, where it won the Special Jury Prize amongst its total haul so far of twenty-four award wins and another twenty-six nominations, has so far grossed US$4.2M and has generated universal critical acclaim.

'QUEENS OF CONCRETE' (Rated CTC) - this Australian coming of age documentary film is Directed by Eliza Cox and was filmed over the course of seven years charting the trajectory of three young girls - Hayley (14), Ava (13) and Charlotte (9) who each had aspirations to join the Australian Olympic skateboarding team. Already nationally recognised as being among the best competitors in their age groups, they’re buoyed by the news that the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be the first ever to feature competitive skateboarding. Charting the trio’s highs and lows as they face the immense physical and emotional demands of daily training regimens, fraught relationships with coaches, and intensive preparations for high-stakes events. In the lead-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, this documentary provides a gripping and at times devastating look into the challenges these girls must endure while navigating the complexities of growing up.

With six 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-

65 : Tuesday 14th March 2023.

I saw the M Rated '65' earlier this week, and this American Sci-Fi action thriller film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods in their third feature film pairing that has previously brought us 'Nightlight' in 2015 and 'Haunt' in 2019. The pair also penned the script for 2018's multi-award winning and nominated 'A Quiet Place'. With a budget of US$91M this film was released Stateside too last week, and has so far grossed US$24.5M, having garnered mixed or average Reviews along the way. The film was originally slated for release at the end of April last year, before being moved several times to its current release window. 

The film opens up on the planet Somaris, and there we find pilot Mills (Adam Driver), his wife Alya (Nika King) and their young daughter Nevine (Chloe Coleman) discussing a two year deep space expedition that Mills has been offered. While he is reluctant to be away from his family for such an extended period of time, he feels compelled to take the job in order to pay for Nevine's treatment for her much needed life threatening illness. We then fast forward to sometime in to that two year journey, and while Mills is sleeping his spacecraft hits an uncharted asteroid belt and ultimately crashes on an uncharted planet, with his ship split in two. He comes round, ventures outside and finds that the atmosphere is breathable, but also finds signs of 'alien' life.

However, his thirty-five passengers on board who were all in cryo-sleep have perished in the crash landing. After surveying his surrounds and deducing that all is lost, he contemplates suicide, until a beacon reveals that there is in fact one solitary survivor - a young nine year old girl named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt). Mills instantly decides to care for Koa and get her back home, but the pair have trouble communicating because they speak different languages. 

Mills soon discovers that the other half of the ship contains a functioning escape shuttle and sends several distress messages for rescue. Mills tells Koa that they're going to the mountain where the shuttle is located, which is about 12kms away. He lies though about her parents being alive to encourage her to go with him. As they steadily make their way across the terrain, they bond, while Mills protects Koa from attacking dinosaurs, having deduced that they are on Earth some 65 million years ago. 

The pair hunker down near a cave opening to rest up for the night protected by motion sensors dotted around them. Koa watches a number of video replays of Nevine, who died mid-way through Mills journey, before the pair fall asleep. Mills is woken by the motion sensors to find a giant T-Rex sniffing around the cave's entrance in the pouring rain. Mills shoots at the T-Rex injuring it, and then they retreat further inside the cave. A rockfall separates the pair, leading the two to fend for themselves before reuniting outside, with Koa going forward and Mills having to retrace his steps. Mills also discovers that an asteroid, whose debris caused his ship to crash, will strike Earth in about twelve hours, resulting in a catastrophic extinction event.

The two reach the ship, but Koa is angry and upset when she discovers that Mills lied to her about her parents still being alive. Mills opens up to Koa about losing Nevine and promises to protect her. In the escape pod they learn that rescue is on the way, and they are given the coordinates to aim for. The two board the escape shuttle, but the asteroid's debris which is now raining down all around them causes it to fall down the mountain, and land the wrong side up. Mills and Koa manage to fend off two large T-Rex, but the predator that they injured prior starts attacking them in the ship eventually righting it for take-off. Mills runs across the terrain to distract the T-Rex which follows him into a steaming geyser field, where the pair manage to kill it in a hot geyser blast. The two quickly return to the ship and blast off towards rescue as the asteroid collides with Earth, causing a catastrophic shockwave across the planet.

'65' can hardly be described as redefining the creature feature or the dinosaur movie in the way that 'Jurassic Park' and then 'Jurassic World' did. It's not great, but it's also not bad either despite a number of plot holes and lack of dialogue between the two protagonists, which leave Directors Woods and Beck with little option but to throw action set pieces at Mills and Koa - some of which land while others feel like they serve as fillers to move the story along. Adam Driver is convincing enough, but Ariana Greenblatt plays second fiddle here with next to no dialogue and to run around scared for her life, only to pull something out of the bag when you least expect it. And of course when the ending comes it is predictable and you always knew that they were gonna get the hell outta Dodge by the skin of their teeth. At a brisk running time of ninety-three minutes the film at least doesn't outstay its welcome.

'65' warrants two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

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

The 75th Directors Guild of America Awards were handed out on Saturday 18th February, followed by the 34th Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday 25th February, followed by the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards on Monday 27th February, followed by the 75th Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday 5th March. The DGA Awards were hosted by Judd Apatow and held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California; the PGA Awards were also held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the SAG Awards were held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, Century City, California and the WGA Awards were also held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel. All of these awards honour the best achievement in film and television for the 2022 year. 

The winners for each of these awards ceremonies are as given below, in the feature films category :-

DGA AWARDS - honouring the outstanding Directorial achievement in feature films, documentary, television and commercials.

* Feature Film Award presented to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Todd Field for 'Tar', Joseph Kosinski for 'Top Gun : Maverick', Martin McDonagh for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and Steven Spielberg for 'The Fabelmans'.

* Documentaries Award presented to Sara Dosa for 'Fire of Love', beating out Matthew Heineman for 'Retrograde', Laura Poitras for 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed', Daniel Roher for 'Navalny' and Shaunak Sen for 'All That Breathes'. 

* First Time Feature Film Award presented to Charlotte Wells for 'Aftersun', beating out Alice Diop for 'Saint Omer', Audrey Diwan for 'Happening', John Patton Ford for 'Emily the Criminal' and Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic for 'Murina'.

PGA AWARDS - honouring the best film and television Producers.

* Darryl F. Zanuck for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures Award presented to Jonathan Wang, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out the Producers of 'Avatar : The Way of Water', 'The Banshees of Inisherin', 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever', 'Elvis', 'The Fabelmans', 'Glass Onion : A Knives Out Mystery', 'Tar', 'Top Gun : Maverick' and 'The Whale'. 

* Outstanding Producers of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures Award presented to Guillermo del Toro, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley for 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio', beating out the Producers of 'Marcel the Shell with Shoes On', 'Minions : The Rise of Gru', 'Puss in Boots : The Last Wish' and 'Turning Red'.

* Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures Award presented to Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris for 'Navalny', beating out the Producers of 'All That Breathes', 'Descendant', 'Fire of Love', 'Nothing Compares', 'Retrograde' and 'The Territory'. 

SAG AWARDS - honouring the best achievements in film and television performances.

* Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Award presented to Brendan Fraser for 'The Whale', beating out Austin Butler for 'Elvis', Colin Farrell for 'The Banshees of Inisherin', Bill Nighy for 'Living' and Adam Sandler for 'Hustle'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Award presented to Michelle Yeoh for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Cate Blanchett for 'Tar', Viola Davis for 'The Woman King', Ana de Armis for 'Blonde' and Danielle Deadwyler for 'Till'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Award presented to Ke Huy Quan for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Paul Dano for 'The Fabelmans', Brendan Gleeson for 'The Banshees of Inisherin', Barry Keoghan for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and Eddie Redmayne for 'The Good Nurse'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Award presented to Jamie Lee Curtis for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Angela Bassett for 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever', Hong Chau for 'The Whale', Kerry Condon for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and Stephanie Hsu for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Award presented to 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out 'Babylon', 'The Banshees of Inisherin', 'The Fabelmans' and 'Women Talking'.

* Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture Award presented to 'Top Gun : Maverick', beating out 'Avatar : The Way of Water', 'The Batman', 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever' and 'The Woman King'. 

WGA AWARDS - honouring the best writing in film, television and radio.

* Best Original Screenplay Award presented to 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Written, Directed and Co-Produced by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, beating out 'The Fabelmans', 'The Menu', 'Nope' and 'Tar'.

* Best Adapted Screenplay Award presented to 'Women Talking' Written and Directed by Sarah Polley, beating out 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever', 'Glass Onion : A Knives Out Mystery', 'She Said' and 'Top Gun : Maverick'.

* Best Documentary Screenplay Award presented to 'Moonage Daydream' Written, Directed, Produced and Edited by Brett Morgen, beating out '2nd Chance', 'Downfall : The Case Against Boeing', 'Last Flight Home' and 'Viva Maestro!'.

For all the details of the TV Awards and those others given out where applicable, you can go to the official websites for the Directors Guild Awards at : https://www.dga.org/awards/annual.aspx; the Producers Guild Awards at : https://producersguild.org/category/all-news/awards/; the Screen Actors Guild Awards at : https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/29th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards; and the Writers Guild Awards at : https://awards.wga.org/awards/nominees-winners.

This week we have seven new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, kicking off with a Sci-Fi actioner that sees an astronaut crash landing on a mysterious planet, only to learn that he's not alone! This is followed by a film inspired by true events in which a West Texas single mother wins the lottery and squanders it just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. Next we have another real life drama telling the story set in 1955, and after the brutal murder of her fourteen year old son, his mother vows to expose the racism behind the attack while seeking to have justice served on those perpetrators of that crime. Then we turn to the sixth instalment in this horror franchise that sees the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start afresh in New York City, or so they thought! Next up is another true story of a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of missteps, is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. Following on we have a highly acclaimed documentary showing rare footage and intimate interviews providing an insight into the life and work of renowned photographer and activist Nan Goldin; before closing out the week with an Aussie doco telling the true story of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance.

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

'65' (Rated M) - this American Sci-Fi action thriller film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods in their third feature film pairing that has previously brought us 'Nightlight' in 2015 and 'Haunt' in 2019. The pair also penned the script for 2018's multi-award winning and nominated 'A Quiet Place'. With a budget of US$91M this film is released Stateside too this week. The film was originally slated for release at the end of April last year, before being moved several times to its current release window.

Here, following a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Adam Driver) quickly discovers he is stranded on Earth 65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at rescue, Mills and the only other survivor from a passenger list of thirty-five, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive. Also starring Chloe Coleman and Nika King. 

'TO LESLIE' (Rated M) - is an American independent drama film directed by Michael Morris in his feature film Directorial debut, that saw its World Premier screening at South by Southwest in March 2022 before its limited release Stateside in early October. Costing less that US$1M to produce the film has so far collected just US$32K at the Box Office but has garnered universal critical acclaim, and has collected six award wins and another eight nominations including an Oscar nod for lead Actress Andrea Riseborough. Inspired by true events, a West Texas single mother Leslie 'Lee' Rowlands (Andrea Riseborough) wins the lottery of US$190K and squanders it just as fast on alcohol and drugs, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. Six years later, with her charm running out and nowhere to go, she reunites with her estranged twenty-year-old son James (Owen Teague) and fights to rebuild her life and find redemption when a motel owner offers her a job. Also starring Allison Janney, Marc Maron and Stephen Root. 

'TILL' (Rated M) - is an American biographical drama film Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Chinonye Chukwu in her third feature film making effort following 'alaskaLand' in 2012 and 'Clemency' in 2019. The film saw its World Premier showcasing at the New York Film Festival in early October last year, was released in the US in mid-October and in the UK in early January, and is released in Australia this week, having generated widespread critical acclaim and collecting eighteen award wins and another eighty-three nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. It has so far grossed US$11M from its US$20M production budget. Based on real life events, in 1955, after fourteen-year-old Emmett Till (Jalyn Hall) is murdered in a brutal lynching while visiting his cousins in Mississippi, his mother Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler) vows to expose the racism behind the attack while working to have those involved brought to justice. Also starring Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg and Sean Patrick Thomas.

'SCREAM VI' (Rated MA15+) - this American slasher horror film is Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, whose last feature film offering was 2019's 'Ready or Not' and before that 'Devil's Due' in 2014. This is the sixth instalment in the 'Scream' franchise with Wes Craven Directing the first four films in the series and Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett Directing the last two. The first film in the series was released in 1996, with 'Scream' the fifth offering released in January last year, with a total Box Office haul so far of US$745M off the back of combined production budgets of US$142M. Following on from the events of 2022's 'Scream', here the survivors of the latest Ghostface killings, sisters Samantha (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) Carpenter and twins Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy Meeks (Jasmin Savoy Brown), leave Woodsboro behind and begin a new chapter of their lives in New York City, only to again be plagued by a streak of murders by a new Ghostface killer. Also starring Dermot Mulroney, Samara Weaving, Hayden Panettiere, Henry Czerny and Courteney Cox. The film is released Stateside too this week.

'CHAMPIONS' (Rated M) - is an American comedy sports film Directed by Bobby Farrelly in his first solo Directorial outing following his numerous film making credits with his brother Peter including 'There's Something About Mary' in 1998, 'Me, Myself and Irene' in 2000, 'Shallow Hal' in 2001, 'Stuck On You' in 2003, 'Fever Pitch' in 2005, 'Hall Pass' in 2011 and 'Dumb and Dumber To' in 2014. This film is a remake of the 2018 Spanish film of the same name and tells the story of a temperamental minor-league basketball coach, Marcus (Woody Harrelson) who finds himself in legal trouble. In order to satisfy a community service requirement, he is ordered by the court to coach a basketball team consisting of players with intellectual disabilities and works with them to compete in the Special Olympics. Also starring Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson and Cheech Marin. 

'ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED' (Rated R18+) - this American documentary film is Co-Produced and Directed by Laura Poitras whose previous documentary film credits take in the likes of 'The Oath' in 2010, 'Citizenfour' in 2014 and 'Risk' in 2016. This film had its World Premier showing in early September last year at the Venice International Film Festival, where it was awarded the Golden Lion, making it the second only documentary to win the top prize at Venice. It also screened at the 2022 New York Film Festival, where it was the festival's centre piece film. The film examines the life and career of photographer and activist Nan Goldin and her efforts to hold Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, accountable for the opioid epidemic. Goldin, a well known photographer whose work often documented the LGBT subcultures and the HIV/AIDS crisis, founded the advocacy group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) in 2017 after her addiction to Oxycontin, and had a near fatal overdose of Fentanyl. P.A.I.N. specifically targets museums and other arts institutions to hold the art community accountable for its collaboration with the Sackler family and its well publicised financial support of the arts. Since P.A.I.N.'s activities most of the targeted museums have severed all ties with the Sackler family and in 2021 Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy. Released in the US in late November last year where it has received critical acclaim, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards and has so far grossed US$950K in Box Office receipts. The film has so far collected twenty-nine award wins and another forty-seven nominations from around the awards and festival circuit, and is mostly narrated by Nan Goldin.

'SHACKLETON : THE GREATEST STORY OF SURVIVAL' (Rated PG) - is an Australian historical adventure documentary film that is Directed by Bobbi Hansel and Caspar Mazzotti. Twenty-eight lost adventurers must fight for their lives after their only lifeline is destroyed in November 1915 in the most uninhabitable place on Earth, Antarctica. The film reveals the true story of polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance, told by the only man ever to have repeated their incredible feat – explorer and adventurer Tim Jarvis. Following in the beset crew’s footsteps, Tim reveals the enduring legacy of Shackleton’s crisis leadership in the face of seemingly impossible odds. Starring the voices of Rupert Degas as Ernest Shackleton and Tim Jarvis. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-