What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 16th March 2023.

The 95th Academy Awards were presented on Sunday 12th March in a ceremony held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The awards honour films released in 2022, and the ceremony was Hosted by Comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for the third time, after the 89th and 90th editions of the ceremony in 2017 and 2018. 

So, in case you missed out on all the winners, grinners and also rans attended by the glitterati and glamourati at this years Oscar ceremony, below is a summary of the main categories :-

* Best Picture : awarded to 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out 'All Quiet on the Western Front', 'Avatar : The Way of Water', 'The Banshees of Inisherin', 'Elvis', 'The Fabelmans', 'Tar', 'Top Gun : Maverick', 'Triangle of Sadness' and 'Women Talking'.

* Best Director : presented to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Martin McDonagh for 'The Banshees of Inisherin', Steven Spielberg for 'The Fabelmans', Todd Field for 'Tar' and Ruben Ostlund for 'Triangle of Sadness'.

* Best Actor : presented to Brendan Fraser for 'The Whale', beating out Austin Butler for 'Elvis', Colin Farrell for 'The Banshees of Inisherin', Paul Mescal for 'Aftersun' and Bill Nighy for 'Living'.

* Best Actress : awarded to Michelle Yeoh for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Ana de Armas for 'Blonde', Cate Blanchett for 'Tar', Andrea Riseborough for 'To Leslie' and Michelle Williams for 'The Fabelmans'. 

* Best Supporting Actor : presented to Ke Huy Quan for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out Breadan Gleeson for the 'Banshees of Inisherin', Brian Tyree Henry for 'Causeway', Judd Hirsch for 'The Fabelmans' and Barry Keoghan for 'The Banshees of Inisherin'.

* Best Supporting Actress : awarded 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'.

* Best Original Screenplay : awarded to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out 'The Banshees of Inisherin', 'The Fabelmans', 'Tar' and 'Triangle of Sadness'.

* Best Adapted Screenplay : presented to Sarah Polley for 'Women Talking', beating out 'All Quiet on the Western Front', 'Glass Onion : A Knives Out Mystery', 'Living', and 'Top Gun : Maverick'.

* Best Animated Feature Film : awarded to 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio', beating out 'Marcel the Shell with Shoes On', 'Puss in Boots : The Last Wish', 'The Sea Beast' and 'Turning Red'.

* Best International Feature Film : presented to 'All Quiet on the Western Front' Directed by Edward Berger, beating out 'Argentina, 1985', 'Close', 'EO' and 'The Quiet Girl'.

* Best Documentary Feature : awarded to 'Navalny', beating out 'All That Breathes', 'All the Beauty and the Bloodshed', 'Fire of Love' and 'A House Made of Splinters'.

* Best Original Score : presented to Volker Bertelmann for 'All Quiet on the Western Front', beating out 'Babylon', 'The Banshees of Inisherin', 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' and 'The Fabelmans'.

* Best Sound : presented to Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, and Mark Taylor for 'Top Gun : Maverick', beating out 'All Quiet on the Western Front', 'Avatar : The Way of Water', 'The Batman' and 'Elvis'. 

* Best Production Design : awarded to Christian M. Goldbeck and Ernestine Hipper for 'All Quiet on the Western Front', beating out 'Avatar : The Way of Water', 'Babylon', 'Elvis' and 'The Fabelmans'.

* Best Cinematography : awarded to James Friend for 'All Quiet on the Western Front', beating out 'Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths', 'Elvis', 'Empire of Light' and 'Tar'.

* Best Make-Up and Hair Styling : presented to Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, and Anne Marie Bradley for 'The Whale', beating out 'All Quiet on the Western Front', 'The Batman', 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever' and 'Elvis'. 

* Best Costume Design : awarded to Ruth E. Carter for 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever', beating out 'Babylon', 'Elvis', 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' and 'Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris'. 

* Best Film Editing : presented to Paul Rogers for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', beating out 'The Banshees of Inisherin', 'Elvis', 'Tar' and 'Top Gun : Maverick'.

* Best Visual Effects : awarded to Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, and Daniel Barrett for 'Avatar : The Way of Water', beating out 'All Quiet on the Western Front', 'The Batman', 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever' and 'Top Gun : Maverick'.

For the full run down of this years Oscar Ceremony, you can visit the official website at : https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2023

Turning back to this weeks latest cinematic offerings, we kick off with a British drama set in 1950's London, where a humourless civil servant decides to take time off work to experience life after receiving a grim diagnosis. This is followed by a psychological horror film that is a prequel to a hugely successful and popular 2022 horror film that this time is set in 1918, where a young woman on the brink of madness pursues stardom in a desperate attempt to escape the drudgery, isolation and lovelessness of life on her parents' farm. Next up is the twelfth offering in the DCEU that continues the story of teenage Billy Batson and his foster siblings who, upon reciting the magic word 'SHAZAM!' is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam, who this time must face off against the Daughters of Atlas to ultimately save the world. Then we turn to a doco that takes us on a transformative and immersive journey through the New York music scene of the early 2000's that reverberated around the world; before closing out the week with an intimate look at the photographs and photographers that defined the image of Queen Elizabeth II during her reign. 

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

'LIVING' (Rated PG) - is a British drama film Directed by the South African filmmaker and writer Oliver Hermanus from a screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro, adapted from the 1952 Japanese film 'Ikiru' Directed by Akira Kurosawa, which in turn was inspired by the 1886 Russian novella 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' by Leo Tolstoy. Oliver Hermanus previous feature film offerings take in his 2009 'Shirley Adams', 'Beauty' in 2011, 'The Endless River' in 2015 and 'Moffie' in 2019. This film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival in late January 2022 before its release in the UK in early November and only now is it released here in Australia, having so far grossed US$10.5M at the Box Office and garnered universal acclaim. 

Overwhelmed at work and lonely at home, Rodney Williams (Bill Nighy) is a senior London County Council bureaucrat in 1953 London. His life, however, takes a heartbreaking turn when a medical diagnosis tells him his time is short. Influenced by a local decadent and a vibrant woman, Margaret Harris (Aimee Lou Wood), he continues to search for meaning until a simple revelation gives him a purpose to create a legacy for the next generation. The film has so far collected nine award wins and a further forty-six nominations including a Best Actor nod for Bill Nighy at this years Academy Awards. 

'PEARL' (Rated MA15+) - with its subtitle 'An X-traordinary Origin Story' is a psychological horror film Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Ti West and serves as the prequel to 2022's 'X' also Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Co-Edited by Ti West and which returned US$15M from its US$1M budget outlay, and is the second offering in the 'X' film series, which continues with 'MaXXXine' which is currently in post-production awaiting a future release date. This film saw its World Premier showcasing at the Venice International Film Festival back in September last year and was released Stateside in mid-September, having so far grossed US$9.5M from its US$1M production budget and has garnered generally positive Critical reviews. Here then, trapped on her family's isolated farm in Texas with her German immigrant parents, Pearl (Mia Goth, who also Co-Writes here with Ti West) must tend to her ailing father (Matthew Sunderland) under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother Ruth (Tandi Wright). Lusting for a glamorous life like she's seen in the movies, Pearl finds her ambitions, temptations, and repressions all colliding.

'SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS' (Rated M) - is an American Superhero film Directed by David F. Sandberg and is based on the DC Comics character 'Shazam' which had his first DCEU outing in 2019 also Directed by Sandberg, grossing US$366M off the back of a production budget of about US$90M. This film serves as the twelfth instalment in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) and was originally slated for release in April 2022 but was subsequently delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, giving rise to its release here in Australia and the US from this week. Billy Batson aka Shazam (Zachary Levi) and his foster siblings, who transform into superheroes by saying the word 'Shazam!', are forced to get back into action and fight the Daughters of Atlas - Anthea (Rachel Zegler), Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Hespera (Hellen Mirren), who arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago. Shazam and his allies get thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and they must stop them from using a weapon that could destroy the world. Also starring Asher Angel, Adam Brody, Meagan Good, Ross Butler and Djimon Hounsou. This instalment cost US$125M to produce. 

'MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern whose previous feature documentary films are 'No Distance Left to Run' in 2010 and 'Shut Up and Play the Hits' in 2012, this film takes us on an immersive journey through the New York music scene of the early 2000's, as a new generation kick-started a musical rebirth for New York City that reverberated around the world. Featuring era defining bands including The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol and Vampire Weekend, it is based on the 2017 book 'Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001–2011' by music journalist Lizzy Goodman. The book and this film is named after the Strokes song of the same name from their 2003 album 'Room on Fire'. The film saw a limited cinema release in early November last year in the US before streaming from the end of that same month.

'PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN' (Rated CTC) - Directed by award-winning photographer Fabrizio Ferri based on the best-selling book 'Elisabetta II: Ritratto di Regina' by Paola Calvetti, this documentary centres around the image of one of the most iconic women of our time and her extraordinary relationship with photography - Queen Elizabeth II. Narrated by the British Actor Charles Dance with contributions from Emma Blau, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Isabella Rossellini and Susan Sarandon amongst others, the film offers an original portrayal of the story of The Queen from a totally new perspective - through the most intense, amazing, revealing photographic portraits of her, as shared by the extraordinary photographers who accompanied and often created the image of the British monarchy itself. Special focus is given to each of The Queen's most intense, intimate, faithful portraits, symbols of 20th century history, appraised by the photographers who portrayed Her Majesty - Brian Aris, Jason Bell, Julian Calder, Chris Levine, David Montgomery, and John Swannell.

With five 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-

CREED III : Tuesday 7th March 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'CREED III' at my local multiplex earlier this week, and this American sports drama film stars and is Co-Produced and Directed by Michael B. Jordan in his feature film making debut. This is a sequel to 2015's 'Creed' and 2018's 'Creed II' and is the ninth instalment in the 'Rocky' film franchise, although this is the first time that series creator Sylvester Stallone does not have a role in the film, albeit he does have a Producer credit. 'Creed III' had its World Premiere showcasing in Mexico City on 9th February and was released in the US and internationally last week. The film cost US$75M to produce, has so far grossed US$117M and has garnered generally positive critical reviews. In early February Michael B. Jordan confirmed that 'Creed IV' was going to happen and that potential spin-offs were also under consideration.

The film opens up in Los Angeles back in 2002 with a young Adonis 'Donnie' Creed (Thaddeus J. Mixon) sneaks out late one night with his best friend and Golden Gloves champion Damian 'Diamond Dame' Anderson (Spence Moore II), to see him compete in an underground boxing match. After Dame's victory, he tells Donnie about his dream to turn professional and become a world champion. During a stop off at a liquor store, Donnie impulsively attacks a man named Leon punching him repeatedly to the head, before Dame arrives and pulls a gun ordering Leon's men to stand clear.

We then fast forward fifteen years and Donnie (Michael B. Jordan) is in the ring fighting Ricky Conlon (Tony Bellew), recently released from his sentence and working his way back to be a contender for a championship fight, in a rematch and ultimately wins. After this Donnie retires from boxing as a World Champion, to concentrate his efforts on his music producer wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson) and their young daughter Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). Fast forward again to the present day and Donnie runs Delphi Boxing Academy with his coach Tony 'Duke' Evers Jr. (Wood Harris), and is promoting his protege, World Champion Felix Chavez (Jose Benavidez Jnr.), in a match against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu). Donnie and Bianca maintain a watchful eye over the declining health of Donnie's adoptive mother Mary-Anne (Phylicia Rashad), while Amara seems intent on following in her fathers footsteps to become a boxer, which gets her into trouble at school for punching another student.

Dame (Jonathan Majors) meanwhile has recently been released from his eighteen year prison sentence for pulling a gun at the liquor store back in 2002 and for various other priors, and reconnects with Donnie outside his gym. The pair go to a local diner for a bite to eat, during which Dame shares his wish to continue his boxing career, saying that despite his age he has continued to train and maintain in shape during his time inside. Donnie reluctantly invites him to the gym to spar with Chavez, however, his aggressive style draws contempt from Chavez and Duke. Later Dame is invited to Donnie's home for dinner, where he meets his family and shares with Bianca their time together at a group home when they were young boys, which Bianca was clueless about. Privately, Dame asks for a title shot against Chavez, giving Donnie's previous one-in-a-million shot as an example of how it is possible, which Donnie refuses.

Dame is invited to a party for Bianca's record label, during which he cryptically tells Bianca about Leon and that Donnie was keeping it a secret from her. At the party, Drago is attacked by an unknown assailant, and becomes too injured to participate in his match against Chavez, which is scheduled for about ten days time. With there being no way of Drago healing in time and not wanting to lose the money spent on the event, Donnie suggests Dame as an opponent to Chavez, pitching an underdog fight much like Rocky Balboa's first title shot, which Chavez accepts. During the fight, Dame fights dirty but is let off with a warning, but knocks out Chavez, so becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

Following the match, Donnie visits Mary-Anne, who shows him letters Dame wrote to Donnie over the years while in prison that she kept from him due to believing that he was a bad influence. One letter contained a photograph showing Dame with his fellow inmates, one of which Donnie recognised as the one who assaulted Drago. Realising that Dame orchestrated the attack, Donnie confronts him in a park where he is celebrating his win with his homies. An angry Dame reveals that he manipulated all their encounters to set him up as a champion, before punching him and giving him a black eye. Donnie is unable to confide to Bianca about his guilt over Dame, who revels in his newfound fame and publicly slanders Donnie as a fake who deserted him.

Mary-Anne has another stroke and subsequently dies. After her funeral, Donnie confesses to Bianca the truth, that Leon was the abusive caregiver in the group home he and Dame lived in before he was adopted. After Donnie attacked Leon at the liquor store, Dame pulled out a gun just as the Police arrived. Donnie fled the scene, but Dame was arrested, which led to his eighteen year jail term. In an attempt to wipe out the memory, Donnie never once contacted Dame out of shame and guilt. Knowing Dame would not stop defaming him, Bianca tells him there's only one way to bring him down.

Donnie goes on live TV broadcast 'First Take', where Dame calls in to goad Donnie over the phone. Donnie there and then decides to come out of retirement and challenge Dame for the championship, which he accepts. Following the obligatory training montage with Duke and a recovered Drago, Donnie faces Dame in the 'Battle of Los Angeles' at Dodger Stadium in front of a capacity crowd. 

Donnie faces Dame in an exhausting, evenly matched bout during which Donnie has visions of his abusive foster home and Dame's life in jail, leading to a knockdown in the twelfth and final round. Donnie sees his family in the crowd and lets go of his fear and guilt, as advised by Duke. Adonis rises and intimidates a tired Dame, delivering a knockout in the closing minute or so to win the match and the World Championship. Afterwards, Donnie walks into Dame's changing room and reconciles with a dejected Dame, with both men admitting it was not the other's fault. 

With 'Creed III' Director, Co-Producer and lead Actor here Michael B. Jordan more than ably demonstrates his deft touch here both behind and in front of the camera. All the touchstones are in place here from the original 'Rocky' franchise to the more recent 'Creed' spin-offs, and Jordan has proven that you don't need Sylvester Stallone in the picture to continue with the legacy that he first created some 46 years ago now. This film more than stands on its own two feet and punches well above its weight with both the emotional heft of a compelling back story coupled with the trademark fight sequences culminating (as always) with the big pay off for our titular hero who wins the day against the odds. Whilst its all familiar territory and previously well trodden ground, 'Creed III' serves to embellish the 'Rocky' franchise with a film of powerful performances (both Jordan and Majors are excellent as pugilistic adversaries with a connecting back story), shifting family elements, and well choreographed fight scenes that help propel the drama along at a steady pace.

'Creed III' merits four 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-

COCAINE BEAR : Tuesday 28th February 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'COCAINE BEAR' earlier this week, and this American dark comedy action film is Co-Produced and Directed by the American Actress, Producer, Writer and Director Elizabeth Banks in her third feature film making effort following 2015's 'Pitch Perfect 2' and 2019's 'Charlie's Angels'. Released in the US and Australia last week, the film has so far grossed US$34M from a production budget of US$35M and has garnered mixed or average Reviews. 

This film is inspired by real events that occurred in December 1985, and opens up with Andrew C. Thornton II (Matthew Rhys) hauling duffel bags filled with cocaine from his light aircraft. As he is preparing himself to parachute out of the aircraft carrying a duffel bag loaded with coke, he inadvertently knocks himself out on the door frame, falls out of said aeroplane and lands in a crumpled heap, very dead, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The body of Thornton is recognised by Bob (Isiah Whitlock Jnr.) a local Detective who deduces that the drug stash he was carrying is from a Syd White, operating out of St. Louis. In the meantime, somewhere in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia, an American Black Bear consumes some of the cocaine and as a consequence becomes very aggressive and sets upon two hikers, Elsa (Hannah Hoekstra) and her partner Olaf (Kristofer Hivju), killing Elsa. 

Middle schooler Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince) lives with her mum, Sari (Keri Russell), a nurse. Dee Dee bunks of school with her best friend Henry (Christian Convery) to paint a picture of the falls in the forest. On the trail to the falls, the pair finds a lost brick of cocaine, and try eating some before they are attacked by the bear. 

Sari goes into the forest to search for the kids with Park Ranger Liz (Margo Martindale) and Peter (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), a wildlife activist. The three find Henry half way up a tree clinging on for dear life, hiding from the bear. The bear attacks, first of all homing in on Henry, while Peter stumbles through a pile of cocaine, and slashing Liz on the butt cheek in the process. Attracted to a cocaine-coated Peter, who has now also climbed a nearby tree, the bear clambers up and kills him, ignoring Henry. While the bear dispenses with Peter, Henry climbs down and he and Sari flee deeper into the forest, and Liz sends for help.

In St. Louis, Syd (Ray Liotta in one of his final film appearances before his untimely death in May 2022, aged 67) sends his fixer Daveed (O'Shea Jackson) to recover the remaining cocaine. Daveed travels to Georgia with Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich), Syd's son, who is depressed following the death of his wife and has abandoned his son. They arrive in Georgia, as does Bob. At the forest station, Daveed gets into a brawl with the Duchamps gang, three delinquents who cause trouble in the forest, overpowering them easily. One of the members, Stache (Aaron Holliday), takes Daveed and Eddie to recover some of the cocaine he stashed in a gazebo. 

Liz arrives back at the station, pursued by the bear. Liz accidentally shoots one of the Duchamps in the head killing him outright before the bear slaughters the other. Paramedics Beth (Kahyun Kim) and Tom (Scott Seiss) arrive and collect Liz who has been further slashed to the shoulder after a brief skirmish with the bear. They leave with Liz in an ambulance, but the bear pursues and jumps into the back of the vehicle, which ultimately results in the death of all three.

Sari and Henry discover that Dee Dee has left them a trail of paint and clothing, with which they are able to track her. Daveed and Eddie arrive at the gazebo with Stache, but find Bob there stranded on the roof with a duffel bag stashed full of cocaine. The bear appears but Bob distracts it with the bag of coke which it swallows whole. Bob is suddenly fatally shot by Syd, who reveals that he is under a huge amount of pressure by his superiors to retrieve the cocaine. 

Sari and Henry come across Olaf mourning over the loss of Elsa. He leads them to Dee Dee’s hiding place in a cave containing the bears two cubs, revealing that the bear is a mother. Olaf leaves and is killed by the bear returning to her cave. Syd, Eddie, and Daveed also find the cave, which leads out to a ledge behind the falls. The bear returns to the cave. Sari, Henry, and Dee Dee jump into the water below to safety, followed by Eddie and Daveed - who have chosen to quit the drug business together - and they all survive. However, Syd refuses to leave the duffel bag of cocaine found in the cave. He shoots and wounds the bear but is unsuccessful in killing it and is shortly thereafter disemboweled by the bear and her cubs.

With 'Cocaine Bear' what you're gonna get is exactly what's written on the side of the tin - a bear stoned on cocaine, just like those other aptly named movies 'Snakes on a Plane' and 'Sharknado' for instance. Director Elizabeth Banks takes a lot of liberties with this story inspired by real events - sure an American black bear did consume a duffel bag full of cocaine dropped from a light aeroplane somewhere over north Georgia in late 1985 but that's where the similarities end. The real 'Cocaine Bear' did not go on a murderous rampage and no one got killed as a result, and the bear wound up dead three months later, found beside dozens of opened containers of cocaine. All of that said, this film is entertaining enough with the emphasis more on comedy than on horror, although there is plenty of blood and gore to satisfy the gore hounds amongst us, but the plot is silly and contrived despite the A-list cast doing the best they can with what they've been given and the lean 95 minute run time just about ensures this film does not outstay its welcome. 

'Cocaine Bear' merits 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 2nd March 2023.

The 12th annual AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) International Awards were announced virtually on Friday 24th February. Presented by AACTA, a non-profit organisation whose aim is to identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements in film and television, awards were given for the best films of 2022, regardless of the country of origin, and are the international counterpart to the awards for Australian films, which was held in Sydney on 7th December. 

Seven awards are handed out in the films category, with those winners and nominees, as given below:-

* Best Film : awarded to 'AVATAR : THE WAY OF WATER', beating out 'Elvis', 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and 'Top Gun : Maverick'. 

* Best Direction : presented to Baz Luhrmann for 'ELVIS', beating out James Cameron for 'Avatar : The Way of Water', Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', Martin McDonagh for 'The Banshees of Inisherin' and Steven Spielberg for 'The Fabelmans'.

* Best Actor : presented to Austin Butler for 'ELVIS', beating out Joel Edgerton for 'The Stranger', Colin Farrell for 'The Banshees of Inisherin', Brendan Fraser for 'The Whale' and Hugh Jackman for 'The Son'.  

* Best Actress : awarded to Cate Blanchett for 'TAR', beating out Ana de Armas for 'Blonde', Margot Robbie for 'Babylon', Michelle Williams for 'The Fabelmans' and Michelle Yeoh for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'.

* Best Supporting Actor : awarded to Brendan Gleeson for 'THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN', beating out Woody Harrelson for 'Triangle of Sadness', Sean Harris for 'The Stranger', Brad Pitt for 'Babylon' and Ke Huy Quan for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'.

* Best Supporting Actress : presented to Kerry Condon for 'THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN', beating out Jamie Lee Curtis for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once', Olivia DeJonge for 'Elvis', Stephanie Hsu for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' and Jean Smart for 'Babylon'.

* Best Screenplay : awarded to Martin McDonagh for 'THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN', beating out Todd Field for 'Tar', Rian Johnson for 'Glass Onion : A Knives Out Mystery', Ruben Ostlund for 'Triangle of Sadness' and Dana Stevens and Maria Bello for 'The Woman King'. 

For the details of the four television awards, plus a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://www.aacta.org/aacta-awards/aacta-international-awards/

This week, we have three new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, launching with the third instalment in this spin-off series of films and the ninth in the overall franchise, that sees this boxing champion thriving in both his career and family life, but when a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces, the face-off is more than just a fight. This is followed by a story of a duty manager at a seaside cinema, who is struggling with mental health issues, and forms a relationship with a new employee on the south coast of England in the 1980's; and we close out the week with a Chinese WWII thriller about a group of underground workers who risked their lives to send intelligence and defend the motherland, set after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour when the Wang Jingwei regime declared war on Britain and the US.

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. 

'CREED III' (Rated M) - is an American sports drama film that stars and is Directed by Michael B. Jordan in his feature film making debut. This is a sequel to 2015's 'Creed' and 2018's 'Creed II' and is the ninth instalment in the 'Rocky' film franchise, although this is the first time that series creator Sylvester Stallone does not have a role in the film, albeit he does have a Producer credit. 'Creed III' had its World Premiere showcasing in Mexico City on 9th February and is scheduled to be released in the US and internationally from this week. In early February Michael B. Jordan confirmed that 'Creed IV' was going to happen and that potential spin-offs were also under consideration.

Following the events of the last film, Adonis 'Donnie' Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is thriving in both his boxing career and his home life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian 'Dame' Anderson (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving an eighteen year long prison sentence, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Donnie must put his future on the line to battle Dame – a fighter who has nothing to lose. Also starring Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu and Phylicia Rashad. 

'EMPIRE OF LIGHT' (Rated MA15+) - this British romantic drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sam Mendes, whose previous film making credits take in the likes of his debut in 1999 with 'American Beauty', then 'Road to Perdition' in 2001, 'Jarhead' in 2005, 'Skyfall' in 2012, 'Spectre' in 2015, and '1917' in 2019. This film saw its World Premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in early September last year and was released in the US in early December and in the UK in early January this year, having garnered mixed or average reviews and has so far grossed US$5.6M at the Box Office. Here then, set in the early 1980's in the English seaside town of Margate, Hilary Small (Olivia Colman) works as a duty manager at the 'Empire Cinema'. Hilary struggles with bipolar disorder, lives alone, has been prescribed lithium by her Doctor, and is having an extramarital affair with her boss Donald Ellis (Colin Firth). A new employee, Stephen (Micheal Ward), who is Black British and lives with his mother Delia (Tanya Moodie), a nurse, starts his new job at the cinema. Hilary is taken with the handsome and charming Stephen and the two form a strong connection during those turbulent times. Also starring Toby Jones, the film was nominated for thirty-three awards including three BAFTA's, a Golden Globe for Olivia Colman and an Academy Award nod for cinematographer Roger Deakins. 

'HIDDEN BLADE' (Rated MA15+) - is a Chinese World War II espionage thriller Written, Directed and lensed by Cheng Er whose previous feature film making credits include 'Lethal Hostage' in 2012 and 'The Wasted Times' in 2016. During World War II and beginning the day after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour and at the height of China’s war of resistance against Japan, a group of courageous citizens develop a top-secret underground espionage network right under the nose of the newly established puppet regime. At increasingly great peril to themselves, the double-agents masterfully extract classified information from deep behind enemy lines, an effort that gives rise to the united front that will help turn the tide of the conflict. Starring Tony Leung and Wang Yibo, the film was released in its native China towards the end of January and in the US in mid-February having grossed so far US$123M at the Box Office, and garnered generally favourable Reviews. 

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-