HIM : Tuesday 7th October 2025

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'HIM' earlier this week, and this American supernatural psychological sports horror film that is Co-Written and Directed by Justin Tipping in only his second feature film Directing outing following 2016's 'Kicks'. He has Directed a number of TV series episodes including four episodes of 'Twenties' in 2020, three each of 'Flatbush Misdemeanours' and 'Run the World' in 2021, and four of 'Joe vs. Carole' in 2022. The film is Produced by Jordan Peele's ('Get Out', 'Us' and 'Nope') Monkeypaw Productions. The film was released in the US on 19th September, and here in Australia last week, has so far grossed US$26M off the back of a US$27M production budget and has generated less than favourable critical reviews.

The film opens with a young Cameron 'Cam' Cade (Austin Pulliam) sat patiently in front of his big screen TV waiting for the American football final to begin. His favourite football team, the San Antonio Saviors win the league championship, but his joy turns to sadness when his quarterback idol, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) suffers a compound fracture to his leg while scoring the game winning touchdown. Cam's father, Cam Snr. (Don Benjamin) tells him that real men are willing to make sacrifices. We then fast forward fourteen or so years and Cam (Tyriq Withers) is now a rising football star in his own right, and his father has passed away. Encouraged by his mother Yvette (Indira G. Wilson) and his girlfriend Adrienne (Tierra Whack) he trains for the league combine (a week-long showcase occurring every February where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Football League coaches, general managers, and scouts). One evening, while practicing late on an empty field, Cam is approached from behind but someone wearing a goat costume, who beats him over the head with a blunt instrument causing a head injury that has the potential to end his career aspirations.

Spurred on by his agent, Tom (Tim Heidecker), Cam plans to attend the combine to pursue the Saviors' quarterback position, despite the risk of permanent brain damage if he succumbs to another head injury. While overstimulated due to his concussion, Cam lashes out at his cousin and Tom, and refuses to take part in the combine. Tom later reveals that Isaiah is considering retirement with his contract due to expire at the end of the year, and has offered to train Cam for a week at a remote desert compound to prove himself a worthy successor. Cam accepts and travels there, encountering crazed Isaiah fans led by Marjorie (Naomi Grossman), who attempt to intimidate him out of replacing their hero. Cam meets Isaiah for the first time in person, and after introducing themselves and each bestowing complements on the other, they get down to the serious business of why Cam is there. 

At the compound, Isaiah puts Cam through disturbing challenges each day - with day #1 being Fun, Day #2 Poise, Day #3 being Respect, Day #4 being Leadership, Day #5 Vision and Day #6 Sacrifice. On one such day this includes a practice drill where a jugs machine repeatedly hits a player in the face causing a seriously blackened eye, a knocked out tooth and a lot of blood, but nonetheless seemingly pleased and honoured to have been of service. And on another occasion during a drill Cam severely headbutts another player, where that other player ends up writhing around on the ground concussed. 

Cam secretly receives shots of Isaiah's blood, which he is led to believe will boost his energy, and he subsequently experiences frequent hallucinations of masked figures, which he attributes to his own concussion. While in a sauna, Cam is attacked by Marjorie and overpowers her by almost choking her to death, before Isaiah arrives and emotionlessly kills her, much to Cam's consternation. As Cam tries to leave, Isaiah's wife, Elsie (Julia Fox), apologises for her husbands actions, and seduces him. Cam wakes the next morning to Isaiah holding him at gunpoint, demanding to know if Cam and Elsie slept together, which he denies. Isaiah ridicules Cam for feeling guilty about his girlfriend, telling him that winners have no remorse.

On the Thursday evening Elsie invites Cam to a secret party to meet the owners of the Saviors. Upon arrival, Marco (Jim Jefferies), the team doctor, whispers to Cam to 'run' before leaving. The owners toast Cam and give him a glass of a strange red liquid, which he knocks back in one go, unaware that it is in fact Isaiah's blood. A disoriented Cam wanders into a side room and finds Marco's severed head perched up on a table. Elsie comforts him as he loses consciousness. Cam wakes up later in an ice bath at Isaiah's compound, connected to an IV of Isaiah's blood. He rips out the IV, injects a syringe with the word 'run' handwritten on the side left by Marco, and grabs a heavy glass trophy, with the intent on killing Isaiah and escaping. 

Cam finds Isaiah watching a video of his adoring cheering fans. Isaiah reveals he is part of a line of manufactured 'Greatest of All Time' (GOAT) players who gain enhanced abilities from ritual blood transferred down a lineage from one GOAT player to the next. Isaiah tells Cam they must fight to the death with one GOAT transfusion victor. After a struggle, Cam beats Isaiah unconscious with a helmet which he repeats twice more before dropping the helmet and finishing the job with his bare fists.

Cam leaves the room bloodied, and steps onto a football field in the bright sunlight where he finds Elsie, the Saviors' owners, and Tom, all wearing animal masks. They present him with a contract to sign, sight unseen, revealing that Cam's father arranged for him to be the next GOAT. They explain that the earlier masked attack was staged to lead Cam to the Saviors. Cam refuses to sign the contract and, in a violent outburst, kills Elsie, all the owners, and the masked attacker, who is revealed to be Isaiah and Cam's trainer, Malek, using a dual hammer and spike, and sword. However, he spares Tom, who is subsequently dragged into a pentagram and destroyed by some unseen force. A blood soaked Cam walks past masked cheerleaders and marching band members and out of the compound. 

There's not too many films out there that attempt to blend a sport with the horror genre, and on this basis Director and Co-Writer Tipping and Writers Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie deserve kudos for giving it a go, and trying to deliver us something relatively new and fresh. The first two acts are solid enough, but by the time the third act ratchets into gear it's lost its way and the film gives way to an over the top violent bloodfest that we have seen hundreds of times before and that begs more questions than answers. Marlon Wayans carries this film on his broad shoulders and Tyriq Withers gives a more than passable performance, and as for Jordan Peele's contribution as Producer, lets just say that when the team doctor Marco tells Cam to 'run' he could just as well have said 'Get Out' and we would have known we were watching a Peele production! The film looks good, makes the most of its relatively modest budget of US$27M, but in the final analysis is all style over substance, and certainly won't go down in history as one of the GOAT.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 9th October 2025

The 69th BFI London Film Festival this years takes place between Wednesday 8th and Sunday 19th October at several South Bank and West End cinema venues and select partner cinema venues across the UK. The twelve
-day programme is jam-packed with the world’s best new films, series and immersive storytelling, presenting your opportunity to delight in the undiscovered, as all feature films and series are being shown in the UK for the first (and sometimes the only) time. 

The festival will showcase 247 films from seventy-nine countries. The Opening Night Gala presentation is the American mystery film 'Wake Up Dead Man : A Knives Out Mystery', Written and Directed by Rian Johnson, and the Closing Night Gala film is the UK and US Co-Produced historical fantasy film '100 Nights of Hero' Written and Directed by Julia Jackman.

This years Headline Gala section features twenty-one films, and these are outlined in brief as below :-

* 'After the Hunt'  - from the USA and Directed by Luca Guadagnino.

* 'Ballad of a Small Player' - from the UK and Directed by Edward Berger.

* 'Blue Moon' - from the USA and Ireland and Directed by Richard Linklater.

* 'Bugonia' - from the UK and Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

* 'The Choral' - from the UK and Directed by Nicholas Hytner.

* 'Christy' - from the USA and Directed by David Michod.

* 'Die, My Love' - from Canada and Directed by Lynne Ramsay.

* 'Frankenstein' - from the USA and Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

* 'H is for Hawk' - from the UK and Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe.

* 'Hamnet' - from the UK and Directed by Chloe Zhao.

* 'The History of Sound' - from the USA, the UK and Italy and Directed by Oliver Hermanus.

* 'Is This Thing On?' - from the USA and Directed by Bradley Cooper.

* 'It Was Just an Accident' - from Iran, France and Luxembourg and Directed by Jafar Panahi.

* 'Jay Kelly' - from the USA, the UK and Italy and Directed by Noah Baumbach.

* 'The Mastermind' - from the USA and Directed by Kelly Reichardt.

* 'No Other Choice' - from South Korea and Directed by Park Chan-wook.

* 'Nouvelle Vague' - from France and Directed by Richard Linklater.

* 'Pillion' - from the UK and Directed by Harry Lighton.

* 'Roofman' - from the USA and Directed by Derek Cianfrance.

* 'Sentimental Value' - from Norway, France and Germany and Directed by Joachim Trier.

* 'Springsteen : Deliver Me from Nowhere' - from the USA and Directed by Scott Cooper.

For the details of the ten films in Official Competition, plus the Special Presentations section, the First Feature Competition, the Documentary Competition and the Thematic Strands, plus a whole heap of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp

Looking forward to this weeks seven new movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to you, we kick off with a political thriller in which US government officials must deal with a single nuclear missile attack on the city of Chicago. This is followed by a Sci-Fi action film that is the third in the series, and this time mankind encounters AI beings for the first time when a highly sophisticated programme, leaves the digital world for a dangerous mission in the real world. Next up we have a WWII action horror drama which finds a group of young soldiers, who become stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean after their ship is sunk by the enemy and must battle for their lives against a giant hungry great white shark. Then we turn to an Aussie drama about a stage designer who returns to Australia to bid farewell to his dying mother, however, his planned quick trip descends into chaos, drama, and funny moments. Following on, we have a drama film from a first time Director that tells the story of how after seventy years with her best friend, this old lady moves to New York City for a fresh start, but making new friends at ninety-four years of age proves difficult. Up next is an Aussie survival thriller where after her husband goes missing in the aftermath of a catastrophic military experiment, a woman joins a body retrieval unit in the hopes of finding him alive; before closing out the week with a doco in which archival footage and interviews provide insight into the partnership, both professional and personal, between film Director James Ivory and film Producer Ismail Merchant.

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.

'A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE' (Rated M) - this American political thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by Kathryn Bigelow who made her feature film Directorial debut in 1981 with 'The Loveless' and which she would follow up with other titles including 'Blue Steel' in 1990, 'Point Break' in 1991, 'Strange Days' in 1995, 'K-19 : The Widowmaker' in 2002, 'The Hurt Locker' in 2008, 'Zero Dark Thirty' in 2012, and 'Detroit' in 2017. This film saw its World Premiere showcasing in the main competition at this years recent Venice International Film Festival in early September where it was nominated for the Golden Lion.

This film based at the White House, where US government officials scramble to deal with an incoming single nuclear missile launched by an unidentified enemy at the city of Chicago. It boasts an ensemble cast taking in Idris Elba as the American President, with Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke and Kaitlyn Dever. It will have a limited cinema release in the UK on 3rd October and here in Australia and the USA this week, before streaming globally on Netflix from 24th October. 

'TRON : ARES' (Rated M) - is an American Sci-Fi action film Directed by Joachim Ronning, whose previous feature length Directing credits are 'Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead me Tell No Tales' in 2017, 'Maleficent : Mistress of Evil' in 2019, and 'Young Woman and the Sea' in 2024. This film is the third instalment in the 'Tron' series following the original 'Tron' in 1982 and a sequel to 2010's 'Tron : Legacy', and this film follows a highly sophisticated programme, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind's first encounter with A.I. beings. The film has an ensemble cast including Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, and Gillian Anderson, with Jeff Bridges reprising his role as Kevin Flynn from the previous films. The first two films in the series scored a worldwide Box Office haul of US$450M off the back of combined production budgets of US$187M, with this third offering coming in at a budget of US$150M. The film is released this week too in the USA.

'BEAST OF WAR' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian WWII action horror drama film is Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Kiah Roache-Turner whose prior feature film output takes in 'Wyrmwood : Road of the Dead' in 2014, 'Nekrotronic' in 2018, 'Wyrmwood : Apocalypse' in 2022 and 'Sting' in 2024. Here, and based on actual events, a group of young soldiers, fresh out of boot camp, during World War II in 1942, when a Japanese fighter sinks an Australian warship in the Timor Sea. Clinging to a makeshift raft, a handful of soldiers soon find themselves in a desperate fight for survival as a giant and very hungry great white shark circles in the water. Starring Mark Coles Smith, Joel Nankervis, Sam Delich and Steve Le Marquand. The film saw its World Premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival in mid-August and is released Stateside in mid-October. 

'THE TRAVELLERS' (Rated M) - is an Australian drama film that is Written and Directed by Bruce Beresford who made his feature film Directing debut in 1972 with 'The Adventures of Barry McKenzie', and would follow this up with the likes of 'Don's Party' in 1976, 'Breaker Morant' in 1980, 'Puberty Blues' in 1981, 'Her Alibi' and 'Driving Miss Daisy' both in 1989, 'Paradise Road' in 1997, 'Double Jeopardy' in 1999, 'Mao's Last Dancer' in 2009 and 'Ladies in Black' in 2018. Here then, Stephen Seary (Luke Bracey), a charismatic and successful stage designer, returns to Australia to say goodbye to his dying mother. What was to be a quick trip descends into a frustrating and sometimes quirky challenge as family responsibilities, a difficult relationship with his curmudgeonly father Fred (Bryan Brown), unresolved conflicts with long-forgotten antagonists, romantic interludes, and the presence of an annoying sister make his return to Europe and the opera he has contracted to design increasingly problematic. Also starring Susie Porter and Nicholas Hammond. 

'ELEANOR THE GREAT' (Rated PG)  - this American drama film is Co-Produced and Directed by Scarlett Johansson in her feature film making debut. Here, Eleanor Morgenstein (June Squibb), a 94-year-old Floridian woman, strikes up an unlikely friendship with a 19-year-old student Nina (Erin Kellyman) in New York City, after she tries to rebuild her life following the death of her best friend of seventy years. The film saw its World Premiere screening at this years Cannes Film Festival in late May where it was nominated in the Un Certain Regard and Camera d'Or categories. The film was released in the USA on 26th September and early critical reviews has rated this mixed or average. The film also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jessica Hecht.

'WE BURY THE DEAD' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian and US Co-Produced survival thriller film Written and Directed by Zak Hilditch, who made his feature film debut in 2003 with 'Waiting for Naval Base Lilly', and which he would follow up with his better known projects including 'These Final Hours' in 2013, '1922' in 2017 and 'Rattlesnake' in 2019. Here then, Ava Newman (Daisy Ridley), a desperate woman, searches for her husband in the aftermath of a catastrophic military experiment. Hoping to find him alive, Ava joins a 'body retrieval unit', but her search takes a chilling turn when the corpses she's burying start showing signs of life. Also starring Mark Coles Smith, Brenton Thwaites and Matt Whelan, the film had its World Premiere at SXSW in March this year, is released here in Australia this week, but not in the US until sometime in 2026, and has generated largely positive critical reviews.

'MERCHANT IVORY : THE DOCUMENTARY' (Rated PG) - this 2023 doco is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Stephen Soucy and documents the history of Merchant Ivory Productions, which produced films such as 'A Room with a View' in 1985, 'Howards End' in 1992 and 'The Remains of the Day' in 1993. It covers the partnership between Ismail Merchant, an Indian-born Producer, and James Ivory, an American Director, from their meeting in 1961 through their collaboration on over forty films. The documentary addresses their focus on literary adaptations and period dramas, as well as challenges like financial constraints and cultural differences. It includes interviews with Actors such as Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Grant and Vanessa Redgrave, and other associates of Merchant Ivory Productions. The film saw its World Premiere at DOC NYC Festival in November 2023, went on limited release in the US at the end of August 2024 and only now is it released here in Australia. 

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-

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER : Tuesday 30th September 2025

I saw the M Rated 'ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER' this week, and this American action thriller film is Written, Co-Produced, and Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and is loosely based on the 1990 novel 'Vineland' by Thomas Pynchon. Anderson made his feature film debut with 'Hard Eight' in 1996, which he would follow up with the likes of 'Boogie Nights' in 1997, 'Magnolia' in 1999, 'There Will Be Blood' in 2007, 'Inherent Vice' in 2014, 'Phantom Thread' in 2017 and 'Licorice Pizza' in 2021. His accolades include a BAFTA Award, and nominations for eleven Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, and a Grammy. He is also the only person to have won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and the Silver and Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. This film was released here in Australia and Stateside last week, has garnered universal critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$66M against a production budget of somewhere between US$130 and US$175M.

The film opens with Pat 'Ghetto' Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) who are both very active members of the far-left revolutionary group known as the French 75, busting out detained illegal immigrants from a detention centre in California undercover of darkness. Perfidia wakes the snoozing commanding officer, Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) and humiliates him, while also stealing his cap and his sidearm. Lockjaw develops a sexual fascination with her. Pat and Perfidia become lovers as the French 75 carry out attacks on politicians' offices, banks, and the electricity supply grid. Sometime later Lockjaw catches Perfidia planting a bomb inside a toilet cubicle in a government building, but lets her go after she agrees to have sex at a motel. 

Nine months later and Perfidia gives birth to a baby girl, Charlene, but Pat is unable to convince her to live as a family, saying that he is more interested in baby Charlene that he is in her, and that his revolutionary leanings having given way to fatherhood. She walks out on them both them to continue her revolutionary activities. After Perfidia is captured at a botched bank robbery in which she shoots dead a security guard, Lockjaw arranges for her to avoid prison in exchange for information about the French 75. She enters witness protection as Lockjaw hunts down her comrades and shoots many of them on sight, forcing the others to go on the run. As Pat and Charlene are forced to live in hiding with new assumed identities as Bob and Willa Ferguson, Perfidia escapes Lockjaw's custody and flees across the border into Mexico.

We then fast forward sixteen years, and living in the sanctuary city of Baktan Cross, Bob has become a paranoid drug addict. He is overprotective of Willa (Chase Infiniti), who has grown into a self-reliant and spirited teenager. Through his vigorous anti-immigrant efforts, Lockjaw has gained promotion to the rank of Colonel, and is invited to join the Christmas Adventurers Club, a covert society of white supremacists. He hunts for Willa to cover up his interracial relationship, which is forbidden by the club. He hires an Indigenous bounty hunter, Avanti Q (Eric Schweig), who captures Bob's comrade Howard Sommerville (Paul Grimstad), triggering a distress signal to the remaining French 75. 

Under the auspices of an immigration and drug enforcement operation, Lockjaw dispatches his troops to Baktan Cross to find Bob and Willa. Deandra (Regina Hall), a trusted member of the French 75, rescues Willa before her school dance is raided. Lockjaw's men attack Bob's home while he is high, but he manages to evade capture by escaping through a tunnel and calls the French 75 for help, but is unable to remember the password to mobilise their assistance. 

He seeks out Willa's karate teacher and community leader Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio Del Toro) who evacuates a stream of immigrants through a hidden tunnel. Fleeing with Sergio's skateboarding students across the rooftops, Bob falls while jumping from building to building with only the branches of a tree breaking his fall, and is immediately tasered and arrested. Deandra brings Willa to a convent of revolutionary nuns, where she learns the truth about her mother's betrayal.

The Christmas Adventurers uncover evidence of Lockjaw's relationship with Perfidia, and send a member, Tim Smith (John Hoogenakker), to eliminate him and Willa. Raiding the convent, Lockjaw forcibly tests Willa's DNA, confirming he is her biological father. Her being his biological daughter makes his membership in the Christmas Adventurers Club impossible and he decides to eliminate her. Had she not been his daughter he might have let her go free. 

Sergio arranges for Bob to escape custody and drives him to the convent, throwing him from the car before being pulled over by Police. Hot-wiring another car, Bob reaches the convent but fails to kill Lockjaw with Sergio's rifle. The colonel hires Avanti to kill Willa but he refuses saying that he doesn't kill children and so he agrees to take her to a group of mercenaries, who will kill her. Smith tracks Lockjaw down and shoots him, causing him to crash his car over a ravine at speed, and leaves him for dead hanging upside down and bleeding heavily.

Avanti delivers Willa to the mercenaries, but frees her and dies gunning the others down. Willa takes Avanti's car and pistol and is chased by Smith until she lures him into a crash by exploiting a blind summit along the road. He stumbles out of his car and she shoots him dead when he does not know the revolutionary countersign, and tearfully reunites with Bob who arrives a minute or so later and observes the carnage. An injured and bloodied Lockjaw is seen walking at pace from the scene of his crash, and is later on badly scarred and is seemingly welcomed into the Christmas Adventurers Club. Having been welcomed to his new corner office overlooking the city he sits back in his chair with his feet upon his new desk, and is instead gassed to death and his body immediately cremated in an incinerator. Returning home with his daughter, Bob gives Willa a letter of hope from her mother, and his blessing as she sets off to join a protest some three hours away in Oakland, no longer stressful about his daughter's future. 

There a lot going on in 'One Battle After Another', from the nuances of a father and daughter relationship, to the political machinations that mirror what is going down in the US currently, to the covert operations of an out of control Police force, to the secret cabal of white supremacists, to immigration, revolutionaries, mercenaries for hire and just about everything in between it seems. Here PTA has delivered us the entire package of action, laughs, great characters, a flawless script, and outstanding performances most notably from DiCaprio, Penn, Taylor, Hall and first-timer Chase Infiniti. Make no mistake this would rank as one of the best movies of the year so far, easy Academy Award bait, and even at its lengthy 161 minute run time it will not leave you wanting.

'One Battle After Another' merits five claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 2nd October 2025

The 36th edition of the Dinard British and Irish Film Festival takes place between Wednesday 1st and Sunday 5th October in the north western town of Dinard, in Brittany, France. With its international film festival, villas, sumptuous hotels and casino, Dinard is regarded as one of the most prestigious seaside resorts in all of France. Founded in 1989 by Thierry de la Fourniere, the British Film Festival introduces professionals and film buffs alike to the richness of a dynamic and original production. The Dinard British Film Festival and British film production have grown in parallel. As the number of films produced in Great Britain doubled in the early '90's, the Festival saw its reputation and attendance grow. From social chronicles to wacky comedies, British cinema is a force to be reckoned with. True to its original spirit, the Dinard Festival has become an important vector for all films wishing to conquer the European market. The event is also an opportunity for the many distributors present to discover films that will be able to find a network of theatres after the festival . . . so reads the official website.

This years Jury overseeing the Official Competition of five feature films comprises Jury President Rupert Everett ably supported by Ruby Wax and Jennifer Saunders amongst others. The Festival’s emblematic prize, the Golden Hitchcock is awarded by each year’s Jury to the best film in the selection, as well as the Hitchcock for Best Performance, the Special Jury Prize and the Audience Award to the film that viewers liked best.

Those five films are detailed in brief here :-

* 'Dragonfly' - from the UK and this drama film is Written and Directed by Paul Andrew Williams. Two troubled women form an uneasy relationship when the younger Colleen takes it upon herself to care for her elderly neighbour, Elsie. Against a backdrop of austerity, inadequate social care and fractured family relations, suspicions arise that Colleen's intentions may not be what they seem. Starring Andrea Riseborough, Brenda Blethyn and Jason Watkins.

* 'Mr. Burton' - from the UK and this biographical drama film is Directed by Marc Evans. The story of the relationship between Port Talbot schoolmaster Philip Burton and a wild young schoolboy called Richard Jenkins, the son of a wayward drunk, to become known worldwide as Richard Burton. Richard dreamed of becoming an Actor, but his ambitions were in danger of being derailed by family trouble, the pressure of war, and his own lack of discipline. Mr Burton recognised the raw talent in his pupil, becoming his tutor, strict taskmaster and eventually his adoptive father. Starring Toby Jones, Harry Lawtey and Lesley Manville.

* 'My Father's Shadow' - from the UK and Nigeria and this drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Akinola Davies Jnr. This semi-autobiographical story is set in a single day in the Nigerian megalopolis of Lagos during the 1993 electoral crisis. A father tries to guide his two young sons through the sprawling city as political unrest threatens. 

* 'The Damned' - from the UK, Iceland, Ireland, Belgium and the USA this folk horror film is Directed by Thordur Palsson. Fighting for survival at an isolated 19th-century Icelandic fishing outpost, the widow Eva and her crew are cursed after making a dramatic choice to not help a sinking ship off the coast and instead to let them perish. They face the consequences of chaos - a darkness of eerie visions and mysterious deaths which consumes them all. Starring Odessa Young, Joe Cole and Siobhan Finneran.

* 'The Thing with Feathers' - from the UK and this drama film is Written for the screen and Directed by Dylan Southern. A young father whose grip on reality crumbles after the death of his wife, as a strange presence begins to stalk him in the dark corners of the apartment he shares with his two young sons. This mysterious creature, known as 'Crow', who seems to have come to life in the pages of his illustrator's work, becomes a very real part of their lives, ultimately guiding them to the new shape the family must take. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, David Thewlis, Richard Boxall, Henry Boxall and Eric Lampaert.

For the other film strands being showcased, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://www.dinardfestivaldufilm.fr/en/

Turning the attention then back to this weeks four new movies heading your way, we kick off (quite literally) with a supernatural spots horror film in which we follow the trials of a young up-and-coming American football player training at the isolated compound of an ageing, nearly retired quarterback. This is followed by a biographical sports drama film about an MMA fighter back in the early days of the sport who reaches the peak of his career, but faces personal hardships along the way. Next up we have a supernatural horror thriller film about a woman's obsessive search for her missing sister that leads her into a terrifying mystery at the hands of an unknown evil; before closing out the week with a family friendly comedy film from the UK about a troubled young girl who begins a new life with her tough aunt and discovers a supernatural talent that might help her win the contentious local pumpkin-growing contest.

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

'HIM' (Rated MA15+) - is an American supernatural psychological sports horror film that is Co-Written and Directed by Justin Tipping in only his second feature film Directing outing following 2016's 'Kicks'. He has Directed a number of TV series episodes including four episodes of 'Twenties' in 2020, three each of 'Flatbush Misdemeanours' and 'Run the World' in 2021, and four of 'Joe vs. Carole' in 2022. The film is Produced by Jordan Peele's ('Get Out', 'Us' and 'Nope') Monkeypaw Productions. The film was release in the US on 19th September, has so far grossed US$21M off the back of a US$27M production budget and has generated less than favourable critical reviews.

Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) is a rising quarterback who suffers a potentially career-ending injury after being attacked by an unhinged fan, and suffers a brain injury. Just when all seems lost, Cam receives a lifeline when his hero, the legendary quarterback for the San Antonio Saviors Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), offers to train him at an isolated compound. However, as the training accelerates, Isaiah's charisma turns into something darker, sending Cam down a disorienting rabbit hole that may cost him more than he ever bargained for. Also starring Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker and Jim Jefferies.

'THE SMASHING MACHINE' (Rated M) - this American biographical sports drama film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Benny Safdie whose previous feature film Directing credits, with his brother Josh, are their debut 'Daddy Longlegs' in 2009, 'Lenny Cooke' in 2013, 'Heaven Knows What' in 2014, 'Good Time' in 2017 and 'Uncut Gems' in 2019. This film is Benny Safdie's first solo Directing feature. This powerful true story of pioneering mixed martial arts/UFC fighter Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson), who helped grow the sport’s popularity in its early days, but the fights’ brutal demands took a toll, eventually leading to painkiller addiction. The constant need to travel, since the most lucrative early matches were always in Japan, didn’t help either, and standing by his side was his devoted partner Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt), tormented by the price he pays. Also starring Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten and Oleksandr Usyk, the film had its World Premiere showcasing in the main competition of this years Venice International Film Festival in early September where it won the Silver Lion. It is released in the US this week also, cost US$40M to produce and has generated positive critical reviews.

'SHELBY OAKS' (Rated CTC) - is an American supernatural horror thriller film that is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Chris Stuckmann in his feature length Directorial debut. The film follows Mia Brennan (Camille Sullivan) as she frantically searches for her sister Riley (Sarah Durn), who ominously disappeared in the last tape of her investigative series, ‘Paranormal Paranoids’. As Mia discovers new and disturbing leads related to Riley’s disappearance, she uncovers evidence of a hidden supernatural evil dating all the way back to her and Riley’s childhood. Also starring Brendon Sexton III, Michael Beach, Robin Bartlett and Keith David. The film had its World Premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in late July last year, is released here in Australia this week and in the US on 24th October, has generated mixed or average reviews and cost in the region of US$2M to produce.

'GROW' (Rated PG) - this UK family comedy film is Directed by John McPhail whose feature film credits take in his debut in 2015 with 'Where Do We Go from Here?', which he would follow up with 'Anna and the Apocalypse' in 2017 and then 'Dear David' in 2023. Here, a no-nonsense farmer, Dinah Little (Golda Rosheuvel) living in the self-proclaimed 'Pumpkin Capital of the World', takes in her estranged niece Charlie (Priya-Rose Brookwell). Charlie decides to enter the local pumpkin growing competition where she and the other pumpkin growers face fierce competition, sabotage and a genetically engineered rival. As she nurtures her pumpkin 'Peter' and watches him grow, so does her bond with the townsfolk, farm and her new way of life. Also starring Nick Frost, Tim McInnerny, Jane Horrocks and Joe Wilkinson. The film was released in the UK in mid-August and is released Stateside this week too. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-