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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 26th December 2024.

Christmas has arrived once again, and as such it would be remiss of me not to wish my worldwide readership all the very best for a Merry, Happy and safe Christmas, wherever you are in world, whatever it is you do to celebrate the occasion, and whoever you share it with. Thanks for your continued support over the last year - it is your viewership that makes my reviews and previews of the latest release new films all the more worthwhile, and I look forward to doing more of the same throughout 2025. Until then, Merry Christmas, happy holidays and complements of the season, from Sydney, Australia.  

This week with seven hot new releases to tease you out to your local Odeon, we kick off with an English language Spanish drama film about two grown up middle aged women who were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine, and who after years of being out of touch, meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet circumstance. This is followed by a story of two mismatched cousins who reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved late grandmother. Then we turn to a semi-autobiographical film based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of a British pop superstar. Next up is an American romantic comedy drama that follows the beleaguered marriage between a young sex worker and the son of a Russian oligarch. Following on we have an Italian and French film about an Italian woman who searches for happiness during the long summers of her youth, falling in love with her city and its many memorable characters. Then we have an international co-production set in Mumbai, where a nurse's routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband, while her younger roommate tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. And closing out the week we have the third instalment in this video game adaptation franchise that sees Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles ally with Dr. Robotnik to defeat a new enemy.

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.

'THE ROOM NEXT DOOR' (Rated M) - is a Spanish drama film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Pedro Almodovar, whose prior feature film credits include 'All About My Mother' in 1999, 'Talk To Her' in 2002, 'Volver' in 2006, 'Broken Embraces' in 2009, 'The Skin I Live In' in 2011, 'Julieta' in 2016, 'Pain and Glory' in 2019 and 'Parallel Mothers' in 2021. This film is based on the 2020 novel 'What Are You Going Through' by the American writer Sigrid Nunez, and is Pedro Almodovar's English language full feature length debut. It was awarded the Golden Lion, the top prize of the Venice Film Festival where is saw its World Premiere in early September this year. The film was released in its native Spain in mid-October, in the US last week, has so far received generally favourable critical reviews and has grossed US$9M. 

Here, Ingrid Parker (Julianne Moore) and Martha Hunt (Tilda Swinton) were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war correspondent, and they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation. Also starring John Turturro and Alessandro Nivola.

'A REAL PAIN' (Rated MA15+) - this American and Polish Co-Produced comedy drama film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Jesse Eisenberg in only his second Directorial outing following 'When You Finish Saving the World' in 2022. Here mismatched and hitherto disconnected American Jewish cousins David Kaplan (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother and to connect with their heritage. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. Also starring Will Sharpe and Jennifer Grey. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year, was released in the US in early November, has garnered universal critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$8M against a production budget of just US$3M. It has so far picked up twenty-two award wins and a further forty-one nominations from around the awards and festival circuit with a number of those nominations still pending an outcome. 

'BETTER MAN' (Rated MA15+) - is a semi-autobiographical film about the British singer and songwriter Robbie Williams, and is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Michael Gracey whose previous feature film credits are 'The Greatest Showman' in 2017 and the documentary film 'Pink : All I Know So Far' in 2021. This film charts the life story over three decades of pop singer Robbie Williams stardom, but with Williams portrayed as a chimpanzee (voiced by Robbie Williams with Jonno Davies as the young Robbie) because, as he puts it, he always felt 'less evolved' than other people. Also starring Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman, Damon Herriman, Anthony Hayes and Kate Mulvaney. The film was shot in Melbourne and London, has generated mostly positive reviews, saw its Premiere screening at the Telluride Film Festival in early September and is released this week too in the US.

'ANORA' (Rated MA15+) - this American romantic comedy drama film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Sean Baker whose prior film making credits include his debut in 2000 with 'Four Letter Words', 'Take Out' in 2004, 'Starlet' in 2012, 'Tangerine' in 2015, 'The Florida Project' in 2017 and 'Red Rocket' in 2021. Here then, Anora 'Ani' Mikheeva (Mikey Madison) is a 23 year old sex worker from Brooklyn whose life takes an unexpected turn when she meets and impulsively marries Ivan 'Vanya' Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), the impetuous son of a Russian billionaire Nikolai Zakharov (Aleksei Serebryakov) and his wife Galina Zakharova (Darya Ekamasova). However, when Vanya's parents catch wind of the union, they send their henchmen to annul the marriage, setting off a wild chase through the streets of New York. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at this years Cannes Film Festival in late May and won the Palme d'Or Award, was released Stateside in mid-October, has garnered universal critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$29M off the back of a production budget of US$6M. 

'PARTHENOPE' (Rated MA15+) - this Co-Produced Italian and French film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Set in the sundrenched coastal Italian city of Naples, the smiling Parthenope  (Celeste Dalla Porta, with Stefania Sandrelli as the older Parthenope) recalls her childhood, in which her brothers were obsessed with her. Her anthropology professor finds her a brilliant student. She considers becoming an actor, but is not inspired by her eccentric acting coach. She wonders about becoming an aesthete, and meets the drunken writer John Cheever (Gary Oldman), whose work she admires. Or perhaps she could have a romantic fling with the ugly bishop who attends the miracle of the dried blood that turns liquid each year, the phenomenon she is studying in anthropology. The film was in competition for the Palme d'Or at this years Cannes Film Festival in late May where it saw its World Premiere and received a near ten minute standing ovation, but has subsequently garnered mixed or average critical reviews, and has so far grossed US$8M. It was released in Italy in late October, is released in France 12th March and the US on 7th February. 

'ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT' (Rated M) - is an international Co-Produced film involving companies from France, India, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy, and is Directed by the Indian film maker Payal Kapadia in her feature film debut. The film had its World Premiere at this year Cannes Film Festival in late May and was the first film from India to compete in the main competition since 1994, and won the Grand Prix. The film centres on two roommates who also work together in a city hospital - head nurse Prabha (Kani Kusruti) and recent hire Anu (Divya Prabha), plus their coworker, cook Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam). Prabha, her husband from an arranged marriage living in faraway Germany, is courted by a doctor at her hospital; Anu carries on a romance with a Muslim man, which she must keep a secret from her strict Hindu family and Parvaty finds herself dealing with a sudden eviction from her apartment. It was released in limited theatres in India in late September before going wide there in late November and in France in early October. A US release date has not yet been confirmed. It has met with widespread critical acclaim and has so far grossed US$1.9M at the Box Office. 

'SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3' (Rated PG) - this US and Japanese Co-Produced action adventure comedy film is based on the Sega video game series of the same name, and is Directed by Jeff Fowler who also Directed the previous two instalments in the franchise in 2020 and 2022, and which grossed a combined US$725M off the back of a total US$190M production budget. Here then, Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz), Tails (Colleen O'Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) face a powerful and mysterious new adversary, Shadow the Hedgehog (Keanu Reeves). The trio form an unlikely alliance with Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) in the hope of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet. However, the stakes become raised when Robotnik is reunited with his thought-to-be-long-lost grandfather, Gerald Robotnik (also Jim Carrey), who seems to have his own sinister plans for Shadow. Also starring James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Krysten Ritter and Natasha Rothwell. The film was released last week in the US and the UK, has generated positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$28M off the back of a US$122M production budget. 'Sonic the Hedgehog 4' is slated for an early 2027 release.

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-

KRAVEN THE HUNTER : Tuesday 17th December 2024

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'KRAVEN THE HUNTER' earlier this week, and this American Superhero film features the Marvel Comics characters of the same name and is the sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. It is Directed by J.C. Chandor who made his feature film making debut with 'Margin Call' in 2011 and would follow this up with 'All Is Lost' in 2013, 'A Most Violent Year' in 2014, and 'Triple Frontier' in 2019. The film was released here in Australia and the US last week, cost a reported circa US$120M to produce, has so far grossed US$29M worldwide and has garnered generally negative critical reviews. Apparently, earlier this month and following the projected financial failure of the film, it was reported that 'Kraven the Hunter' would be the final film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, ending any chance for a sequel or crossover film, although one well known publication stated that this will not be the last film in the franchise . . . . . so who do you believe?

The film opens up with a convoy of prison vehicles driving along a snow covered landscape deep inside Siberia. The convoy comes to halt at a fuel stop so that the prisoners can relieve themselves before continuing their onward journey. One of the prisoners is Sergei Kravinoff aka Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who is assigned a cell with a mean looking MoFo of a man. Kravinoff tells his fellow inmate to give him just three days before he escapes. The next day Kraven is brought to the attention of Seymon Chorney (Yuri Kolokolnikov) a Russian crime lord and fellow inmate, after he successfully overpowers two of Chorney's henchmen in the exercise yard. Chorney asks Kraven who he is, to which comes the reply that he is the Hunter, with Chorney responding that it's just a myth. Within a minute Chorney and his two henchmen are dead, stabbed with the tooth of a lion which Kraven plucked from a lion skin rug on the floor. Kraven then makes his escape through the prison effortlessly clambering up walls, running along roof tops, jumping barbed wire fences, and evading a hail of bullets from the prison guards. Once outside he runs into a snow storm in which is waiting an aircraft to transport him back home. 

We then back track sixteen years, and following the death of his mother, Sergei Kravinoff (Levi Miller), along with his half-brother Dmitri Smerdyakov (Billy Barratt), are taken out of school by their father Nikolai (Russell Crowe) to prepare to take over his drug trafficking operations. During a hunting trip in Tanzania, Sergei is mortally wounded protecting his brother from a legendary apex lion. Almost dead from the savage mauling, he is found by a girl named Calypso (Diaana Babnicova), who, having been forewarned by her grandmother that she would intervene in an accident very soon and give its victim great power, heals him with a serum gifted by her grandmother, and calls for rescue, leaving a tarot card in the hands of an unconscious Sergei. A few days later Sergei comes around in a hospital bed having been officially pronounced dead for three minutes, but now appears to be fighting fit. Nikolai discharges his son from hospital and the three return to their grand home on the outskirts of London. Nikolai reveals he killed the lion to teach his sons a lesson about showing no fear, and in his world it is very much survival of the fittest. Sergei, meanwhile having discovered his physical attributes have become animal like, becomes sickened by his father's actions and his intentions for his sons, and retreats to a sanctuary his mother owned in the remote wilderness of eastern Russia, leaving Dmitri behind to fend for himself.

Fast forwarding to the present day and Kraven travels to London for Dmitri's (Fred Hechinger) birthday, which he does every year. Unable to sleep that night on the sofa of Dmitri's lavish apartment, he goes for a walk falling asleep in the park outside Dmitri's building. He wakens the next day and goes back up to the apartment to find Dmitri gone and blood stains on his pillow and bed sheets. Dmitri had been captured by mercenaries, and when Nikolai refuses to pay the US$20M ransom, Kraven tracks down Calypso (Ariana DeBose), now working as an investigative lawyer in London, and convinces her to help track down his brother's kidnappers. 

Meanwhile, Dmitri is met by his kidnappers' boss Aleksei Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola) who took part in an experiment spearheaded by a cutting edge New York doctor, granting him the strength and outward appearance of a rhinoceros which he is able to control by way of a back pack containing a serum which continually drip feeds via a tube into his lower side. When he unplugs the tube, he turns into Rhino but says the process is extremely painful. Aleksei proposes an alliance to overthrow Nikolai, but upon discovering Kraven's connection to Dmitri, Aleksei lures him to an abandoned monastery in Turkey, with the intention of taking out Kraven there, but he survives the ambush. 

Aleksei is then approached by the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott), an assassin who uses ocular hypnosis to disorientate his targets, with an offer to kill Kraven, having carefully studied his modus operandi for years. Tracking Kraven and Calypso to his sanctuary in eastern Russia and using Dmitri as bait, Aleksei and the Foreigner ambush Kraven. Drugging him with neurotoxin, the Foreigner attacks Kraven and is successful in overpowering and paralysing him but just as he is standing over Kraven and about to pull the trigger of the gun pointed at his head Calypso kills him with an arrow straight in to his eye, and revives Kraven with a vile of the serum. Kraven then uses a buffalo stampede to trap Aleksei, who, despite turning into the Rhino and briefly overpowering him, is killed. 

Having determined that Nikolai was the one who revealed his existence to Aleksei, Kraven tracks his father down to a snow covered Siberian forest for answers. There in the dead of night Nikolai states that he knew Aleksei was targeting him and manipulated his sons to remove him. Kraven refuses to kill his father and turns his back on him and as he walks away he drops the ammunition he unloaded from his fathers shotgun on the ground just as Nikolai is attacked and killed by a bear. 

One year later on the occasion of Dmitri's birthday, Kraven again visits his brother in London. Dmitri in the meantime has gained shapeshifting abilities from the doctor who experimented on Aleksei, and after discovering this new found ability disowns Kraven, stating that despite his claims of being morally superior, he and Nikolai were the same - big game hunters searching for their next big trophy. Dmitri demonstrates this to Kraven by changing his appearance before becoming chameleon like and then changing back to his natural appearance. 

At his family home, Kraven comes across a note left for him by Nikolai along with a vest made from the skin and the mane of the killed lion that mauled Sergei when he was young, which he puts on, and takes a seat in front of a mirror.

'Kraven the Hunter' is not a bad film, but it's also not that good either. The plot is fairly thin on the ground, the action set pieces are well enough choreographed, but the CGI is left wanting and sub-par for a film costing well north of US$100M, and, nothing that we haven't already seen before. The dialogue is also pretty lame, and the only saving grace is in the performances of Taylor-Johnson, Crowe, Nivola and DeBose, with the latter being given too little screen time and too little to contribute. J.C. Chandor whose previous film output has been far far better, has crafted a film that seems to have had too much studio and Producer interference, resulting in a film that is sure to disappear into the annals of mediocrity and leaving Sony's Spider-Man Universe to bow out on a whimper.

'Kraven the Hunter' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 19th December 2024.

With the 2024 Film Festival Season now drawing to a close, and as we set our sights on the upcoming Awards Season kicking off with the Golden Globes in early January, below is a list of some of the forthcoming Film Festivals to look out for in 2025.

* Sundance Film Festival - January 23rd to February 2nd 2025. Held in Park City, Utah, USA.

* International Film Festival Rotterdam - 30th January to 9th February 2025. Held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

* Berlin International Film Festival - February 13th to 23rd 2025. Held in Berlin, Germany.

* Slamdance Film Festival - February 20th to 26th 2025. Held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

* South by Southwest (SXSW) - March 7th to 15th 2025. Held in Austin, Texas, USA.

* Ann Arbor Film Festival - March 25th to 30th 2025. Held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

* Cannes Film Festival - May 13th to 24th 2025. Held in Cannes, France.

* Sydney Film Festival - June 4th to 15th 2025. Held in Sydney, Australia.

* New York City Tribeca Film Festival - June 4th to15th 2025. Held in New York City, USA.

* Munich International Film Festival - June 27th to July 6th 2025. Held in Munich, Germany.

* Karlovy Vary International Film Festival - July 4th to 12th 2025. Held in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.

* Fantasia International Film Festival - July 17th to August 3rd 2025. Held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

* Locarno Film Festival - August 6th to 16th 2025. Held in Locarno, Switzerland.

* Melbourne International Film Festival - August 7th to 24th 2025. Held in Melbourne, Australia.

* Edinburgh International Film Festival - August 14th to 20th 2025. Held in Edinburgh, Scotland.

* Venice Film Festival - August 28th to September 7th 2025. Held in Venice, Italy.

* Telluride Film Festival - August 30th to September 2nd 2025. Held in Telluride, Colorado, USA.

* Toronto International Film Festival - September 5th to 15th 2025. Held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

* Filmfest Hamburg - September 25th to October 4th 2025. Held in Hamburg, Germany.

* BFI London Film Festival - October 8th to 19th 2025. Held in London, UK.

* Adelaide Film Festival - October 15th to 26th 2025. Held in Adelaide, Australia.

* Tokyo International Film Festival - October 23rd to November 1st 2025. Held in Tokyo, Japan.

* Austin Film Festival - October 24th to 31st 2025. Held in Austin, Texas, USA.

* Cork International Film Festival - 8th November to 18th 2025. Held in Cork, Ireland.

* Cairo Film Festival - November 13th to 22nd 2025. Held in Cairo, Egypt.

* Goa - The International Film Festival of India - November 20th to 28th 2025. Held in Goa, India.

Having summarised many of the aforementioned film festivals in my weekly Blog Posts over the last twelve months, I will continue to bring you the highlights of the same as they fall due throughout 2025. 

This week there are just two new release movies coming to your local Odeon, and the first of these is the story of a lost and alone orphaned lion cub who meets another sympathetic lion cub who is the heir to a royal bloodline, with their chance meeting setting in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destinies. And secondly, we have a British stop-motion animated comedy film that sees a highly intelligent pet beagle dog grow ever more concerned that its eccentric inventor master has become over-dependent on his inventions, which proves justified, when he invents a smart gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own.

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

'MUFASA : THE LION KING' (Rated PG) - this American photorealistic animated musical drama film is directed by Barry Jenkins and serves as both a prequel and sequel to the 2019 remake of the 1994 Walt Disney film 'The Lion King'. Barry Jenkins prior feature film making credits are 'Medicine for Melancholy' - his 2008 debut feature, which he would follow up with the critically acclaimed and multiple award winning 'Moonlight' in 2016 and then 'If Beale Street Could Talk' in 2018. This film saw its Premiere screening in Los Angeles on 9th December and is scheduled to be released in the US this week too. The 1994 film and the 2019 remake grossed worldwide a combined US$2.64B off the back of a total production budget of US$295M, making this follow on movie a no-brainer for Disney Studios. 

In the Pride Lands of Tanzania after the events of 2019's 'The Lion King', Rafiki (voiced by John Kani) the mandrill tells the origin story of two lions, Mufasa (voiced by James Earl Jones in the 2019 film and the 1994 original and who died in September this year) and Taka (voiced by Chiwetel Ejiofor in the 2019 film), to Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter) — the granddaughter of Mufasa and daughter of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyonce Knowles-Carter). The story follows the orphan Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), who is befriended by the young prince Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jnr.) and adopted by Taka's family; the pair become as close as brothers. Timon (Billy Eichner) the meerkat and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) the warthog add commentary. Also starring the voice talents of Mads Mikkelsen, Thandiwe Newton, Lennie James, Keith David and Tiffany Boone amongst others.

'WALLACE & GROMIT : VENGEANCE MOST FOWL' (Rated PG) - is a British stop motion animated comedy film Directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham, featuring Park's characters from the 'Wallace & Gromit' series. It is the sixth Wallace & Gromit film overall, the first since 'A Matter of Loaf and Death' in 2008 and the second feature-length film following 2005's 'The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' and serves as a full-length sequel to 1993's 'The Wrong Trousers'. Here then, Gromit's concern that Wallace (voiced by Ben Whitehead, who replaced Peter Sallis who died in 2017) is becoming too dependent on his inventions proves justified when Wallace invents a 'smart' gnome that seems to develop a mind of its own. When it emerges that a vengeful figure from the past might be masterminding things, it falls to Gromit to battle sinister forces and save his master, or Wallace may never be able to invent again! The film gets a limited cinema release Stateside this week too, airs on BBC One in the UK on Christmas Day and is then released on Netflix on 3rd January. It has generated universal critical acclaim.

With just two 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-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th December 2024

The 16th edition of the Les Arcs Film Festival this year takes place from Saturday 14th through until Saturday 21st December. The official website reads 'A major cultural event, the festival's aim is to promote the diversity of European cinema and showcase the many talents on our continent. Set in the heart of the Alps, in one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the world, the festival is an opportunity to enjoy the first snows and film screenings throughout the day in the presence of filmmakers and actors. All this in a festive atmosphere with unforgettable evenings, entertainment, concerts and DJs!'

There are eight films in competition for the Crystal Arrow Award which reveal the many facets of European Cinema today. These films are :-

* 'The New Year That Never Came' - from Romania and Directed by Bogdan Muresanu. Romania stands on the brink of revolution. It is 20th December 1989. Authorities are preparing for New Year’s festivities as if nothing is amiss, yet the official facade is beginning to crack. Amidst the fervour of protest, six lives intersect over the course of an extraordinary day. 

* 'Kneecap' - from Ireland and Directed by Rich Peppiatt. There are 80,000 native Irish speakers in Ireland. 6,000 live in the 'North of Ireland'. Three of them became a rap group called Kneecap. This is the real life story of how this anarchic Belfast trio became the unlikely figureheads of a civil rights movement to save their mother tongue.

* 'Loveable' - from Norway and Directed by Lilja Ingolfsdottir. Approaching her forties, Maria's world falls apart when her husband asks for a divorce. She will have to learn to reconcile with herself and seize the opportunity for self-discovery, growth, and confronting the unconscious and dysfunctional patterns within her.

* 'Moon' - from Austria and Directed by Kurdwin Ayub. Former martial artist Sarah leaves Austria to train three sisters from a wealthy family in the Middle East. What sounds initially like a dream job soon becomes unsettling - the young women are cut off from the outside world and under constant surveillance. Sport doesn’t seem to interest them. So why has Sarah been hired?

* 'Peacock' - from Austria and Germany and Directed by Bernhard Wenger. Matthias is a master of his profession. Do you need a 'cultured boyfriend' to impress your friends? A 'perfect son' to influence your business partners’ opinion of you? Or maybe just a sparring partner to rehearse an argument? Whatever it is, just rent Matthias! While he excels at pretending to be someone else every day, just being himself is the real challenge.

* 'Toxic' - from Lithuania and Directed by Saule Bliuvaite. Abandoned by her mother, 13-year-old Maria is forced to live with her grandmother in a bleak industrial town. During a violent clash on the street, Maria meets Kristina, a girl of the same age who is striving to become a fashion model. Trying to get closer to her, Maria enrols in a mysterious modelling school, where the girls are preparing for the biggest casting event in the region. Her ambiguous relationship with Kristina and the intense, cult-like environment of the modelling school force Maria on a quest to discover her own identity.

* 'Vittoria' - from Italy and Directed by Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman. Jasmine is 40 and has everything she ever wanted. But after her father’s death, she experiences a recurring dream in which a young girl runs into her arms, offering Jasmine a new sense of fulfilment and completeness she can’t ignore. She decides to follow her dream of a daughter and dives headfirst into the challenging world of international adoption – risking her marriage, her sons’ well-being, and her own moral compass along the way. The entire family is in crisis, until they finally realise that the only way out is together.

* 'When the Light Breaks' - from Iceland, France, Netherlands and Croatia and Directed by Runar Runarsson. Day breaks on a long summer's day in Iceland. From one sunset to the next, Una, a young art student, encounters love, friendship, grief and beauty.

For the details of the other film strands being showcased, plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://lesarcs-filmfest.com/en/festival/les-arcs-film-festival

This weeks four new movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to home, kick starts with a visceral stand-alone story about how and why one of Marvel's most iconic villains came to be, and what motivated him to become the greatest and most feared hunter. Next up we have a Chinese drama offering about a man who, following a period of incarceration, comes home and takes a job ridding a town of stray dogs in time for the Olympic Games. This is followed by an Irish set film centering around two estranged cousins who never knew each other, but try to make amends for many generations of family dispute, before closing out the week with an anime fantasy film about the untold story behind Helm's Deep, nearly two hundred years before the fateful war, telling the life and bloodsoaked times of its founder, Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan.

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 coming week.

'KRAVEN THE HUNTER' (Rated MA15+) - this American Superhero film features the Marvel Comics characters of the same name and is the sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. It is Directed by J.C. Chandor who made his feature film making debut with 'Margin Call' in 2011 and would follow this up with 'All Is Lost' in 2013, 'A Most Violent Year' in 2014, and 'Triple Frontier' in 2019. 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Sergei Kravinoff aka Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster and crime-lord father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared. Also starring Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola and Christopher Abbott. The film is released in the US this week too, and cost a reported US$130M to produce. 

'BLACK DOG' (Rated M) - is a Chinese drama film Co-Written and Directed by Guan Hu and saw its World Premiere screening at this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May where it won the Un Certain Regard award. Here former stunt motorcyclist and musician Lang (Eddie Peng) returns to his hometown on the outskirts of the Gobi Desert, where he was a local celebrity prior to his imprisonment on a manslaughter charge ten years previously. Now residing with his father, Lang must avoid the spiteful local gangster 'Butcher Hu', who aims to take revenge on Lang for his role in his nephew's death. Lang decides to seek the bounty placed on a wild dog as part of a larger programme to remove unwanted animals in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and eventually strikes up an unlikely friendship with the canine. The film was released in its native China in mid-June, in Singapore at the end of July and only now is released in Australia, having so far grossed US$4.6M at the Box Office, garnered generally favourable reviews and collected twelve award wins and another eight nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. 

'THE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE' (Rated M) - this Irish set buddy comedy film is Directed by Chris Cottam and is Co-Written, Co-Produced and also stars Paul Reiser. Here then, honouring his father’s dying wish to reconnect with the American side of the family, Irishman Ciaran (Colm Meaney) reaches out to his cousin Barry (Paul Reiser), inviting him to visit Ireland. Eager to escape the daily grind of his New York real estate job, Barry agrees to make the long trip. After an initially warm reunion, tensions quickly escalate when it's revealed that Barry has unexpectedly been left half of Ciaran’s father’s inheritance. The discovery sparks a bitter feud fuelled by greed and jealousy, leading to a series of petty squabbles and comedic misadventures. As the situation spirals out of control, the question remains—will these two stubborn cousins ever find a way to make peace? The film had its World Premiere at the Austin Film Festival in October 2023, was released Stateside in early October and in Ireland in early November.

'THE LORD OF THE RINGS : THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM' (Rated M) - is an anime fantasy Directed by Kenji Kamiyama and is based on the characters created by J.R.R. Tolkein. Set 183 years before the events of the Peter Jackson's 2001-2003 'The Lord of the Rings' film trilogy, 'The War of the Rohirrim' tells the story of Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox), a legendary king of Rohan, and his family (most notably his daughter Hera voiced by Gaia Wise) as they defend their kingdom against an army of Dunlendings (led by Wulf voiced by Luke Pasqualino). Helm goes on to be the namesake for the stronghold Helm's Deep. Also starring the voice of Miranda Otto as Eowyn who narrates the film. Peter Jackson and his Co-Writer and wife Fran Walsh are credited as Executive Producers. 

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-

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-