HEART OF THE BEAST : Tuesday 29th September 2026

I saw the M Rated 'HEART OF THE BEAST' earlier this week, and this American survival thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by David Ayer who made his feature film Directorial debut with 'Harsh Times' in 2005, and which he would follow up with the likes of 'Street Kings' in 2008, 'End of Watch' in 2012, 'Fury' in 2014, 'Suicide Squad' in 2016, 'Bright' in 2017, 'The Beekeeper' in 2024 and 'A Working Man' in 2025. This film was released in Australia and the US last week, having been shown out of competition at the recent San Sebastian International Film Festival on 22nd September, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$56M from its US$82M production budget. 

The film opens up with what appears to be a stray German Shepherd dog stood in the middle of a deserted road somewhere in Alaska on a bright sunny day. A young woman (Anna Lambe) pulls up close by in her Ford pick-up truck, gets out of the car and walks gingerly toward the still motionless canine, looking on at the approaching woman. We then back track one week to a light sea plane flying high above the Alaskan mountain tops and glaciers, piloted by former Special Forces Officer James Belmont (Brad Pitt, who also Co-Produces here) and his retired combat dog Odin (Uber). Eventually, Belmont lands their plane on a remote lake, and sets up camp for the night. Both retired veterans suffer from PTSD and vivid nightmares from their time spent in combat missions in the world's more volatile hot spots. 

The next day, while out exploring the surrounding forest, Belmont cautiously encounters Watkins (J.K. Simmons), an outgoing stranger. They strike up, at first, an uneasy conversation, and Watkins sets up camp next to Belmont and they talk into the night around a camp fire and knocking back a few Belgian beers, about how they all came to be in this remote part of the world, and what they did in their past lives. The next morning, Watkins departs at day break in his kayak, and leaves Belmont a book in exchange for a beer he had taken from the camp overnight, highlighting a particular passage. 

Later that same morning, and with a storm closing in Belmont and Odin pack up and depart by plane, and flying above the clouds to get out of the storm front. Mid-flight however, Belmont suffers a heart attack and collapses unconscious at the controls, and losing altitude the plane descends rapidly into a heavily wooded forest and crashes into a lake coming to rest upside down in about five metres of water. Odin is ejected from the Cessna Skywagon plane during the crash. Belmont swims free to the nearby lake shore and goes in search of Odin, finding him nearby, weak but still alive. He returns to the wreckage and dives down to salvage his gear. After a day or so Odin's condition improves, and so the pair set out on foot to hike back to the nearest road and hence civilisation, which is about 58 miles away, according to Belmont's calculations.

During their journey, they are confronted by a huge grizzly bear, which Odin faces down until it retreats. They later reach a precarious moss covered wooden bridge like structure made up of two long fallen trees that spans a valley with a fast flowing river below. Belmont slips and Odin has to be swung to safety, but in doing so Belmont falls into the rapids below, and being carried downstream he sustains various knocks to his head and gets his arm wedged between rocks and breaking it. Odin chases Belmont as he is carried downstream, and when he reaches calmer waters, Odin drags him to shore, then helps him reset the compound fracture to his lower arm. Using the First Aid kit that Odin carries with him in a vest, Belmont bandages himself up and places his injured arm in a sling. 

Continuing their hike back to the road, they come to a clearing in the forest and in the near distance, they spot a pack of grey wolves attacking a moose calf, so they decide to retreat, and take the long way round to avoid alerting the wolves of their presence. However, the pair are subsequently stalked and then ambushed by the pack of wolves. Belmont attempts to fend off the attack using a spear and a hunting knife, while Odin attacks the wolves, although Belmont is pulled in all directions by three attacking wolves and is severely bitten in the stomach, but in the process he kills the alpha male. Belmont then patches up his stomach wound again using the First Aid kit, and continues onward. They reach a swamp which they must wade through to get to the road that lies in the distance beyond. Suffering from two serious wounds, Belmont becomes trapped under a downed tree truck in the brown murky water, but emerges the other side gasping for air. 

Weakened and unable to continue, they come to rest on a rocky outcrop. Belmont writes a note recording his final wishes for Odin, along with an account of their ordeal, and clear instructions that Odin suffers PTSD, his eating habits, his favourite games, and the commands that he responds to, but warning never to say the word 'bite' unless in the event of an emergency or if you should be in danger, for Odin, it was revealed early on, has titanium teeth thanks to an insurgent hurling a brick at Odin during his active duty and which took his teeth out. Belmont shot that insurgent in the head. Belmont also leaves the rest of his money for whoever takes Odin in, and says not to come looking for his body as he has given himself up to the wilderness. Belmont bleeds out from his wounds overnight and dies and Odin stays with him until the morning. Odin leaves his side and reaches the nearby road, where he is found by the young woman in the Ford pick-up truck, who reads Belmont's note. She embraces him, and he jumps in the vehicle and the pair drive off together. 

In a pre-credits scroll, we are told that some three thousand combat dogs served in active duty in modern times and helped save thousands of soldiers lives. Upon retirement those dogs are rehomed with caring and loving families. 

In crafting 'Heart of the Beast' Director David Ayer has given us perhaps his most pared back movie yet. Beautifully and astutely filmed in and around Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand standing in for the Alaskan wilderness, this film has tense and exciting set pieces, paired with moments of real tenderness and emotion that shows the very real bond that exists between man and his canine best friend. Two battle hardened souls that have witnessed the worst man can do and the best that man can do too, and who just want to spend their lives together in peace, quiet and as far away from those war torn locations as possible. Brad Pitt delivers a compelling performance, but this film belongs to Uber, who deserves a Best Actor nomination at the 2027 Academy Awards or at least the Palm Dog Award at next years Cannes Film Festival. Bring a pack of Kleenex tissues, because the ending is a real tear jerker, and for dog owners everywhere, you'll understand why. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st October 2026.

The 49th annual Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) takes place this year from Thursday 1st October through until Sunday 11th October. Presented by the California Film Institute, the MVFF has developed a reputation for launching new films and creating awards-season buzz. MVFF has earned a reputation as a 'filmmakers' festival' by celebrating the best in American independent and world cinema alongside high-profile and prestigious award contenders. It takes place each October in Mill Valley, a city in Marin County, California, USA located about 14 miles (23 kms) north of San Francisco and 52 miles (84 kms) from Napa Valley, and welcomes more than 200 filmmakers, representing more than fifty countries, each year. This year there are 96 feature films (including thirty documentaries and nine feature length animated films) and eighty shorts, in what is described as one of the most diverse programmes yet.

This years Opening Night film presentation is 'Wild Horse Nine' from the USA and Chile and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Martin McDonagh and starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Parker Posey, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Mariana di Girolamo. The Centrepiece film is 'I Play Rocky' from the USA and Co-Produced and Directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Anthony Ippolitto, Toby Kebbell, P.J.Byrne, AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Dillon and Jay Duplass. The Closing Night film is 'The Debut' from the USA and Written, Co-Produced, Directed and starring Jesse Eisenberg with Paul Giamatti, Julianne Moore, and Halle Bailey. 

Playing in the Spotlight section of this years festival, there are nine titles, as shown below in brief :-

* 'All of a Sudden' - from France, Japan, Belgium and Germany and Co-Written and Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Marie-Lou (Virginie Efira) is the director of a nursing home in the Parisian suburbs who attempts to introduce a humane care technique known as Humanitude, in spite of resistance. Her life is changed when she meets a terminally ill Japanese playwright named Mari Morisaki (Tao Okamoto).

* 'Elsinore' - from the UK and Directed by Simon Stone. This biographical drama film centres on Scottish Actor Ian Charleson (Andrew Scott) and focuses on his performances as Hamlet at the National Theatre in the final months of his life, and the odds he faced in preparing for and performing the role while seriously ill from AIDS. Also starring Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Juliet Stevenson and Peter Mullan. 

* 'Gentle Monster' - from Austria, Germany and France and Written and Directed by Marie Kreutzer. Here, Lucy Weiss (Lea Seydoux) a successful pianist who must confront Philip (Laurence Rupp) her husband's shocking crimes. Also starring Catherine Deneuve. 

* 'Josephine' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Beth de Araujo. After eight-year-old Josephine (Mason Reeves) witnesses a brutal assault in Golden Gate Park, she begins to experience fear and paranoia, while her parents, Mum Claire (Gemma Chan) and Dad Damien (Channing Tatum) struggle with how to help her. 

* 'La Bola Negra' - from Spain and France, and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. Weaving together three interconnected stories spanning nearly a century into a deeply moving meditation on memory, love, and the lives history tried to erase, the film moves between wartime Spain in 1932 and 1937 and the present in 2017, gradually revealing the emotional threads connecting lives marked by bloodshed, persecution, and the quiet wounds left by intolerance. Starring Penelope Cruz and Glenn Close.

* 'Misty Green' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced, Directed and starring Chris Rock. Award-winning Actress Misty Green (Rosalind Eleazar), stuck in the throes of a fading career, revisits her past and addresses her personal demons as she tries for a comeback after reconnecting with her former talent agent Randy (Topher Grace). Also starring Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick and Ice-T. 

* 'Mouse' - from the USA and Written by Kelly O'Sullivan, Co-Produced by Alex Thompson and Directed by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson. When Callie Bell (Chloe Coleman) and Minnie Dunn's (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) relationship is upended on the eve of their senior year, Minnie forms a complicated friendship with Callie's mother, Helen (Sophie Okonedo). Also starring Tara Mallen, Iman Vellani and David Hyde Pierce. 

* 'Paper Tiger' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by James Gray. Two brothers - Gary Pearl (Adam Driver) and Irwin Pearl (Miles Teller) pursue a lucrative business opportunity in 1980's Queens, New York City only to find themselves caught up in a scheme involving the Russian mafia, which ends up terrorising their suburban family and puts their own sibling bond to the test. Also starring Scarlett Johansson.

* 'Possible Love' - from South Korea and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Lee Chang-dong. A story of two married couples - a laid-off worker and his spouse Ho-Seok and Mi-ok (Sul Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon respectively), and a documentary filmmaker and her spouse Ye-ji and Sang-wo (Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo-in Sung respectively) crossing paths to film a documentary and facing their different lives and hidden desires. The film had its Premiere in the Main Competition at this years Venice International Film Festival on 6th September, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize.

The Mind The Gap Award honours filmmakers and others who have made a significant commitment to advancing gender equity in film and in our lives. This years MTG Award, Director is presented to Marie Kreutzer for 'Gentle Monster' and the MTG Award, Groundbreaking Work goes to Sophie Okonedo for 'Mouse'. 

For the details of the other section included in this years line up, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : http://www.mvff.com

Turning the focus then back to this weeks four new movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with a black comedy in which the world's most powerful man sets out to prove that he can literally save the world from a disaster he created. This is followed by a psychological erotic thriller in which a struggling writer is hired to ghostwrite the remaining books in a successful series for a renowned author, who is left incapacitated by a mysterious accident. Then we have a survival monster horror offering that sees a team of doctors embarking on a local mission in the Amazon rainforest, but it soon becomes clear that not everybody, or everything, is happy to see them. And, closing out the week we have a Chinese animated comedy detective story in which an unlikely duo are forced to team up to investigate a bizarre murder case that threatens this fantastical mechanised city's peace where humans and demons co-exist, and uncovers deeper secrets.

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.

'DIGGER' (Rated MA15+) - is a US, UK and Mexican Co-Produced black comedy film Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, whose previous feature film making credits take in his 2000 debut with 'Amores perros' and which he would follow through with '21 Grams' in 2003, 'Babel' in 2006, 'Biutiful' in 2010, 'Birdman' in 2014, 'The Revenant' in 2015, and 'Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths' in 2022. This film came in at a production cost of US$125M and is released internationally this week, with early critical reviews proving divisive.

The film follows Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise, who also Co-Produces here), an oil baron and 'the most powerful man in the world' as he attempts to prove himself humanity's saviour and fix a disaster he unleashed before it destroys everything. Also starring John Goodman as POTUS, Riz Ahmed, Sandra Huller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Robert John Burke, Emma D'Arcy, Burn Gorman, Sophie Wilde and Pip Torrens. 

'VERITY' (Rated MA15+) - this American psychological erotic thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by Michael Showalter whose previous feature film Directing credits take in the likes of his debut with 'The Baxter' in 2005 and which he would follow up with other titles including 'Hello, My Name Is Doris' in 2015, 'The Big Sick' in 2017, 'The Lovebirds' in 2020, 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' in 2021, 'The Idea of You' in 2024 and 'Oh. What. Fun.' in 2025. This film is based on Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name published in 2018. Hired to be a ghostwriter for renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), Lowen Ashleigh's (Dakota Johnson) assignment takes a dark turn when she discovers chilling autobiographical notes. As she wrestles with disturbing and twisted confessions about Verity's husband Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett), she soon finds it hard to separate fiction from reality, manipulation from attraction, and opportunity from obsession.The film cost US$40M to produce, and is released internationally this week. 

'BEWARE BOIUNA' (Rated MA15+) - is a US and German Co-Produced survival monster horror film that is Directed by Mike P. Nelson who made his feature film debut Co-Directing with four others on 'Summer School' in 2006 and went on to Direct in his own right 'The Domestics' in 2018, 'Wrong Turn' in 2021, and 'Silent Night, Deadly Night' in 2025. Here, Deep in the Amazon rainforest along the Curuca River, a routine humanitarian medical mission turns into a desperate struggle for survival when the group's presence awakens the 'Boiuna' - a colossal, ancient mythical serpent determined to reclaim its domain. Starring Kiana Madeira, Jessica Rothe and Logan Marshall-Green, the film Premiered at Fantastic Fest in mid-September and is released in the USA and here in Australia this week. 

'DEMON AGENT' (Rated PG) - this Chinese animated comedy detective film is Co-Written and Directed by Cheng Teng, and is set in the fantastical and magnificent city of Chang’an, a city woven with gears and mechanisms, and home to both humans and demons living side by side beneath its upturned eaves. Di Shao (voiced by Lei Songran), a genius young man aspiring to become 'Chang’an’s Number One Detective', possesses exceptional crime-solving skills and a sharp tongue; while Asa (voiced by Zhang Cheng), a rookie wolf demon constable, is formidable in martial arts yet kind-hearted. A bizarre murder case forces these two adversaries to team up, embarking on a hilarious and bickering detective journey. As clues point to the heart of the city, can this unreliable duo protect the joyful daily life of this fantastical city? And what earth-shattering secret lies hidden behind the bustling and prosperous Chang’an? The film was released in its native China in late August, and is released in select theatres this week here in Australia. 

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 coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE WEIGHT : Tuesday 22nd September 2026

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE WEIGHT' this week at my local independent movie theatre, and this German and American Co-Produced historical drama film is Directed and Co-Edited by Padraic McKinley in his feature film making debut. The film had its World Premiere screening at this years Sundance Film Festival in late January and had its International Premiere out of competition at the Berlin International Film Festival in mid-February. It was released in the US last week too, having garnered generally favourable critical reviews, and so far grossing US$2.5M.

The film opens with an aerial shot of a deserted gravel back road in Eugene, Oregon in 1933 - four years into the Great Depression. Driving down that road at almost break neck speed in Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) with his young daughter Penny (Avy Berry) sat in the back seat whooping for joy while getting tossed around and urging her father to go faster. We then see the pair in their apartment later that night with Murphy attempting to darn a hole in a sock, and saying that he can fix motor cars, build an engine, and that he even made Penny, and that he can sure mend a hole in a sock, to which Penny retorts that she's not so sure. The next day or two and the pair climb the stairs to their apartment to find all their worldly possessions out on the landing and the lock changed - they have been evicted, and must find a new place to live. Later, down an alley way with Penny. while knocking on a prospective landlord’s door, three men approach, demand to know what they’re up to, and warn them against 'squatting'. The resultant confrontation quickly rises into an all out brawl. As it transpires one of the men Murphy punched was a plainclothes Policeman. The authorities place Penny in children's home and sentence her father to one year in the remote Deschutes County Convict Labor Camp, overseen by Warden Clancy (Russell Crowe) - an imposing man who seems to relish in breaking down his prisoners spirits through intimidating, punishing, and by assigning tasks he knows are almost impossible.

Clancy then puts Murphy in charge of one such task - to remove a huge boulder that sits in the way of a road, and that needs to be cleared today, because tomorrow is Sunday, and the Warden has a baseball game planned for the prisoners versus the guards and the result is one game all, and if the boulder is not removed today then the prisoners forfeit the game and Clancy will not be happy, at all. Murphy surprises Clancy by taking charge and getting the job done with ingenuity, by using two pump up jacks, and getting two other prisoners to hammer two holes in the rock on opposite sides, and having them then insert the ends of their wooden pick axe handles into the holes and pushing with all their might. Eventually, the boulder moves, only slightly at first, but with momentum it is eventually shifted and rolled away. Watching Murphy successfully accomplish the task, Clancy realises he’s a good leader with many useful skills, who is a man of his word and gets the job done without fuss. 

So, after getting Murphy to fix up his Ford Model 18 which had several mechanical problems and which he had purloined from some criminal bootlegger who was now serving time, Clancy offers him a chance at freedom and getting his daughter back. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had recently set in motion a proclamation whereby in an attempt to slow down or even halt the currency deflation that was extending the Depression, his administration had decided to take the US off the gold standard, and began sending federal marshals around the country to withdraw gold held in vaults by the Federal Reserve Bank. Murphy will lead a team of three other trustworthy inmates to steal the gold bars kept at Klamath Falls gold mining camp deep in the forest before the Feds get their hands on them, then bring them to Clancy, who will divide them between himself and his partners. The drop off point is fifty miles away through dense forest terrain, and Murphy and his team have six days to make the rendezvous. For successfully completing the mission, Clancy will give the participating inmates early release papers dated to the day of their return with the gold. Murphy can hardly refuse the offer, as Penny will become a ward of the State in five months, long before his sentence ends.

And so the gang of four set out, having been giving their strict orders by Taggert (Alec Newman), who in no uncertain terms sets out his very clear expectations for their upcoming mission. There is Singh (Avi Nash) an Indian American socialist, Olson (Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen) a Scandinavian immigrant, Rankin (Austin Amelio) the bad apple of the group, and Anna (Julia Jones) an Indigenous runaway who was living at the mining camp, but decided to flee and hooks up with the gang after the fact and acts as their cook and medic. And then accompanying the group there are two of Clancy's armed foot soldiers who are loyal to the Warden, and are not afraid to throw their weight around - Letender (George Burgess) and Amis (Sam Hazeldine).

What follows is a series of action set pieces that put the group through their paces, that involve them traversing a rickety old rope bridge; a river crossing involving a log jam in which Murphy gets caught under; stealing a couple of boats belonging to a group of nefarious locals who seem determined to come between the group and their mission; and a brutal fist fight between Letender and Murphy. Needless to say it doesn't end well for two of the group. 

And so after six days battling the elements and each other, the remaining group make their rendezvous point ahead of time. They rest up for the night, and are greeted the next morning with three members of the group missing and Taggert having pulled up in his car waiting for the knapsacks full of gold bars to be loaded onto his vehicle. Singh and Amis are the only ones around, and Murphy appears out of the woods having just fought with Letender, who was strangled to death by Rankin. A shoot out follows in which Murphy guns down Amis, while Taggert makes off in his car laden with the gold bars. Murphy commandeers a passing US Government car which has a speed limiter of 35MPH, and so stops the car with little hope of catching up to Taggert. He opens up the hood, plays around with the engine and disengages the speed limiter, and so the chase is back on. Murphy catches up with Taggert and runs his vehicle off the road causing it to flip end over end down a steep embankment and coming to rest on its roof. 

Murphy, Anna, Singh and Rankin return to the work camp and confront Clancy. They have the gold in their possession but Murphy outlines how the deal is going to go down, saying that they are prepared to split the gold equally including a share for the Olson family and for him to take a share, in exchange for signing their release papers there and then, for his silence and for their silence in not revealing his complicity in the crime. And one other thing Murphy asks for - the vehicle that he fixed up for the Warden the previous week, and the registration papers to be signed over. The deal is done, and everyone walks away happy and content, and Murphy is reunited with Penny as they drive off at speed in their new car down the back roads of Oregon. 

For first time Director Padraic McKinley, he has delivered us a film with 'The Weight' that is a throw back to the movies of yesteryear with an all too relatable story, strong performances, beautiful scenery, some moments of tension and a thumping soundtrack. All kudos must go to the understated everyman performance of Ethan Hawke, who is light on dialogue but high on emotional facial expressions in this tale of stolen gold bullion and ne'er do well crims masquerading as upstanding law abiding citizens. Beautifully filmed, this is a movie for Dad's everywhere wanting to sit back and enjoy a confidently made historical survival thriller the like of which is all too thin on the ground these days. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 24th September 2026

This years 23rd Reykjavic International Film Festival (RIFF) runs from Thursday 24th September through until Sunday 4th October in Iceland's capital city of Reykjavic. It is one of the largest and most diverse cultural events in Iceland, and is an independent and non-profit festival. For eleven days every Autumn, Icelanders flock to the cinema to see the best and freshest in international filmmaking. Furthermore, guests are invited to engage in discussions with Directors about their works, attend seminars, lectures, concerts and art exhibitions, and watch films under unconventional conditions including its signature Swim-in Cinema, Cave Cinema and Drive-In Cinema experiences. RIFF is also a significant platform for Icelandic filmmakers to showcase their works to the world. Many foreign journalists and industry professionals attend the festival annually, and their interest in Icelandic films is evident. The festival strives to feature the past year’s productions, premiere the latest films, and elevate Icelandic short filmmaking. At RIFF, the belief is that cinema can change the world. Documentaries are increasingly prominent in the festival programme, and feature films that particularly address human rights, quality of life, and environmental issues are given substantial space . . . . . so reads the official website.

The Opening Film presentation is 'The Last First : Winter K2', Directed by Amir Bar-Lev, and this American documentary film tells the gripping, harrowing and moving story of the historic winter attempt on K2 (the second highest mountain on Earth), centred on Icelandic mountaineer John Snorri Sigurjonsson, who tragically lost his life on the mountain in 2021. 

In New Visions film category, new filmmakers take to the stage with their first or second film and compete for RIFF’s highest award - the Golden Puffin. Here, new and bold voices in film are heard - works that challenge tradition, play with form and point the way to the future of storytelling on the big screen. From unconventional storytelling methods to original subject matter - New Visions is the platform for new and fresh artists. There are nine films competing for the Golden Puffin award, as detailed in brief below :-

* 'Adult Supervision' - from Sweden, and Directed by Alex Schulman. When three fathers chaperone their teenage daughters on a rowdy school trip to a remote island, tensions quickly escalate and their grip on the situation begins to slip. As buried memories resurface, games turn into power struggles, and power into violence. Soon no one can tell who is in charge, and who is in danger?

* 'Chronovisor' - from the USA and Written and Directed by Jack Auen and Kevin Walker. An armchair mystery in which the life of a reclusive academic collides with the story of a clandestine technology that can photograph the past. Icelandic Premiere.

* 'Club Kid' - from the USA and Directed by Jordan Firstman. A hard-partying New York City club promoter sees his whirlwind lifestyle upended by the arrival of the ten-year-old son he never knew he had.

* 'Congo Boy' - from the Central African Republic, France, Democratic Republic of Congo and Italy, and Co-Written and Directed by Rafiki Fariala. Bangui, Central African Republic, and 17 year-old Robert dreams of a career in music, but civil war is tearing the country apart. When both his parents are thrown into prison, he is left to look after his four younger siblings on his own, juggling daily life, odd jobs, school exams and concert stages, determined to follow his dream. Icelandic Premiere.

* 'A Day in the Life of Jo : Chapter Phaedra' - from Greece, Germany and France and Directed by Jacqueline Lentzou. Jo is wild, melancholic, only fifteen and today she misses the school bus, once again. Her mother insists she doesn't have a car, even though it's parked outside. Furious, Jo tries to damage the car. Her mother intervenes, and that is the last time they will meet in the physical world – at least in body form. Throughout the day, subtle signs and symbols from the dream world quietly surface around her, but she fails to recognise them, indeed Jo is unaware that she is living the last day of her life. Icelandic Premiere.

* 'Dua' - from Kosovo, Switzerland and France and Co-Written and Directed by Blerta Basholli. Prishtina, Kosova, late 1990's. As war looms and ethnic tensions escalate, thirteen-year-old Dua struggles to find her place among her peers and within her changing body. After an incident shakes her community, she becomes a target herself and bonds with a fearless girl, Maki, who draws her toward an unexpected form of resistance. Between the daily violence and the growing threat of exile, there is little room for quiet awakenings. Icelandic Premiere.

* 'La Gradiva' - from France and Italy and Directed by Marine Atlan. A class of high school students travel to Pompeii to discover ruins and bodies petrified by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The trip becomes a rare moment when the force of youth meets a world frozen in time. Their desires start to surface with unexpected intensity, leading them toward an irreversible fracture. Icelandic Premiere.

* 'Light Pillar' - from China and Directed by Xu Zao. Set in the future, during the Winter. Space travel is no longer a dream. A lonely janitor tends the grounds of a dilapidated bankrupt film studio with only a former cat actor for company until he embarks on a romantic journey with a female player in a beautiful virtual world. Icelandic Premiere.

* 'Skateboarding Is Not For Girls' - from North Macedonia, Belgium, Slovenia and Croatia, and Co-Written and Directed by Dina Duma. When the conservative tradition of selling a bride is proposed as the answer to her family’s financial troubles, Adela is thrust into an unfamiliar world, caught between the demands of tradition and the promise of modern life. Icelandic Premiere.

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 : http://www.riff.is/en/

Turning the attention then back on this weeks five new movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to your home, we kick off with a survival thriller where, following a harrowing plane crash, a Special Forces officer and his combat dog find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness, and together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements. This is followed by a romantic offering in which a young couple, Harper and Charlie, leave their hometowns to start a new life together in a new city. Next up is a French biographical drama film that sees Otto von Spreckelsen, a real-life architecture teacher from Copenhagen, who surprised the world when he won an open-call competition launched by French President Francois Mitterrand in 1983. Then we turn to an animated fantasy film that tells the story of a monstrous creature that escapes from a melting iceberg, and a self-doubting teenage humpback whale who must face his fears and dive into the darkest depths with his friends, to discover a mystical song that can save the oceans from destruction. And closing out the week we have a musical doco where, after a seven-year hiatus following the devastating loss of their beloved bandmate Chester Bennington, Linkin Park's remaining members struggle to find their way forward.

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.

'HEART OF THE BEAST' (Rated M) - is an American survival thriller film Co-Produced and Directed by David Ayer who made his feature film Directorial debut with 'Harsh Times' in 2005, and which he would follow up with the likes of 'Street Kings' in 2008, 'End of Watch' in 2012, 'Fury' in 2014, 'Suicide Squad' in 2016, 'Bright' in 2017, 'The Beekeeper' in 2024 and 'A Working Man' in 2025. This film is released in the US this week too, having been shown out of competition at the recent San Sebastian International Film Festival. 

The film follows Special Forces officer James Belmont (Brad Pitt, who also Co-Produces here) and his retired combat dog Odin (Uber) after a plane crash in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. Stranded in the desolate and harsh landscape, they face cold weather, danger and other wild animals as they fight to survive and battle the fierce elements that would likely see an end to any other man or dog. Also starring J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe. 

'CHARLIE HARPER' (Rated M) - this American romance film is Written by Tom Dean and Directed by Tom Dean and Mac Eldridge in their respective feature film making debuts. The film tells the story of a young woman, Harper (Emilia Jones), and a young man, Charlie (Nick Robinson), who after meeting leave their lives behind and attempt to build a life together in a new city. As Harper works to build a career as a chef, and Charlie struggles to get himself on track, their relationship faces growing challenges. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September last year and is released Stateside and here in Australia this week. 

'THE GREAT ARCH' (Rated PG) - is a French biographical drama film Written and Directed by Stephane Demoustier who made his feature film debut with '40-Love' in 2014, and which he would follow up with 'The Girl with a Bracelet' in 2019 and 'Borgo' in 2023. This film is based on Laurence Cosse's 2016 novel 'La Grande Arche'. In 1983, French President Francois Mitterrand (Michel Fau) decides to launch an international architectural competition for the flagship project of his mandate : the Great Arch of La Defense, aligned with the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. Against all odds, Otto von Spreckelsen (Claes Bang), a Danish architect, wins the competition. Overnight, this 53-year-old man, unknown in France, arrives in Paris where he is propelled at the helm of this extravagant project. While the architect intends to build the Great Arch exactly as he envisioned, his ideas quickly clash with realistic constraints and the unpredictable changes of politics. Also starring Sidse Babett Knudsen, Xavier Dolan and Swann Arlaud. The film had its World Premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival in mid-May 2025, was released in its native France in early November, and only now does it reach Australian cinema's. It has generated largely positive critical reviews.

'THE LAST WHALE SINGER' (Rated PG) - this English language animated fantasy film is a German, Czech Republic and Canadian Co-Production that is Written and Directed by Reza Memari, whose only other feature film making credit is 'A Stork's Journey' from 2017 which he Co-Directed. Here, Vincent (Vincent Tong), a teenage humpback whale, the orphaned son of Humphrey (Chimwemwe Miller), and the last Whale Singer, whose magical song once protected the oceans. Burdened by the loss of his parents, Vincent doubts his own abilities. When the monstrous Leviathan escapes from a melting iceberg, threatening all marine life with its deadly ink, Vincent must go on an adventurous journey to find his own song to save the oceans, joined by Walter (Bruce Dinsmore), his finicky suckerfish nanny, and Darya (Jenna Wheeler-Hughes), a brave deaf orca. The film was released in Germany in mid-February and the USA in early June this year having garnered largely positive critical press. Apparently Writer and Director Reza Memari is working on a sequel. 

'LINKIN PARK : UNSHATTER' (Rated M) - is a music documentary film Directed by Joseph Hahn and Mark Ritchie. Joseph Hahn's only other feature film credit is 2014's 'Mall' and he appears to have Directed the majority of Linkin Park's music video's over the past fifteen years or so, as well as being the bands DJ/turntablist. Mark Ritchie has a long list of TV series, TV specials and TV movies that he has Directed over the past 25+ years. Here, after seven years, Linkin Park's surviving members reunite with two new bandmates - Emily Armstrong on vocals and Colin Brittain on drums, to forge a path forward following Chester Bennington's death in 2017 and Rob Bourdon leaving the band thereafter. Through studio sessions, performances, and interviews, a journey of healing and reinvention emerges, leading to the creation of their album 'From Zero'. 

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-