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-

'FALL 2 : DEADPOINT' - Tuesday 15th September 2026

I saw the M Rated 'FALL 2 : DEADPOINT' earlier this week, and this American survival thriller film is Directed by Peter and Michael Spierig, the German/Australian film making brothers whose previous Directing credits take in their debut feature with 'Undead' in 2003, and which they would follow up with 'Daybreakers' in 2009, 'Predestination' in 2014, 'Jigsaw' in 2017 and 'Winchester' in 2018. This film is the sequel to 2022's 'Fall' that was Directed by Scott Mann (who serves as Co-Writer and Co-Producer on this second instalment). The film was released Stateside and here in Australia earlier this month, has garnered mixed critical reviews and has so far grossed US$11M. Apparently a third instalment in this franchise is already in development and allegedly principle photography was due to commence once filming had wrapped on 'Fall 2', with Scott Mann returning to Write and Direct.

Following the death of Shiloh Hunter (Virginia Gardner) in the first film, whose hair raising dare devil exploits seemingly captured the attention of the nation via her social media feed, and which we see in flashback to bring us up to speed. Her grieving sister Jax (Harriet Slater) meets up with Shiloh's friend Luce (Arsema Thomas) to sell Shiloh's recovered pick-up truck. Inside the truck, Luce finds Shiloh's scrapbook of her scribbled notes, photographs and post cards depicting the future locations that she wanted to climb and perform stunts for her social media followers. Eventually, Luce convinces Jax to go with her to a plank walk on Mount Kwan in Thailand to see a dragon statue that will 'eat your fears', and Jax is the complete opposite of her sister, possessing a fear of anything that involves risk or has an element of danger it seems. However, later Jax agrees to accompany Luce to do the plank walk in honour of Shiloh.

The pair arrive in Thailand and head to a secluded bar that is located at the foot of Mount Kwan. There, they use a code phrase that leads them to a non-native guide named Jon Platt (Tom Bittney), who agrees to take them on the plank walk for the sum of US$5,000. The girls try to bargain him down to US$3,000, but Jon walks away. Jax says that they can't afford the asking price but Luce says that she'll cover it. Jon warns them that the mountain has been permanently closed due to risks of earthquakes, rock slides, and heavy rain. 

The next day, after being rigged up with all the appropriate harnesses, safety gear, oxygen bottles and two way radio, the three begin climbing the restricted mountain, by way of a ladder that is chained to a sheer rock wall. Jax nearly falls from the ladder, but manages to save herself. Once they reach the start of the plank walk, at an altitude of 4,000 feet above sea level, Jon instructs them to  'clip-in clip-out' of the chain link rail bolted into the side of the mountain. 

They are able to walk past the 'Devil's Elbow' and make it closer to the statue. With dark clouds closing in followed by thunder and lightning, a heavy downpour of rain causes a rock slide from high above separating Jax and Luce from Jon, who is presumed dead having been knocked off his perch by falling rocks. While attempting to head back, another rock slide smashes through the planks, nearly pulling Jax off the plank from her clip. The two women are  left stranded at the Devil's Elbow, with no way forward or back and their backpack hanging on a nearby, but out-of-reach, support.

That night, Jax and Luce use Jon's laser pointer to get the attention of the bar's employees, but the bartender shuts the blinds, despite seeing the origin of the laser and the flashlight from Shiloh's video camera high up on the mountain side. The next day, Luce tells Jax that she has terminal cancer and has been ignoring her parents' calls. Later, Jax's grief, fear, exhaustion, and altitude sickness begin affecting her perception. She uses her oxygen bottle to calm herself.

While Luce sleeps, Jax plays back Shiloh's old video camera footage, and discovers that the woman next to her isn't the Luce from Shiloh's life. When she wakes up and is confronted by Jax with this news, 'Luce' comes clean, revealing her name is really Billie. A big fan of Shiloh's social media channel, she found out that Jax was selling her truck. Billie knew that Jax would not sell it to a fan, so she pretended to be one of Shiloh's college friends, Luce. Billie eventually became close enough with Jax to help her to overcome her fear and grief of Shiloh's death by taking her on the plank walk, having developed an emotional connection.

The next day, Jax and Billie realise that they are growing steadily weaker, and if they don't take action now to try and save themselves they are more the likely going to die. Over their backpack two way radio, they hear Jon attempting to establish contact. Billie attempts to retrieve the backpack but is badly injured and nearly falls to her death before being saved by Jax. 

With a renewed focus, Jax is able to make it to the support pipe that once supported the plank walk, calling Jon for help. Jon finds the two telling them that he was knocked unconscious from the rock slide, and extracts them from the Devil's Elbow. He gets in contact with the authorities and requests a helicopter to meet them atop the other side of the mountain. The three reach the dragon statue, with Jax paying tribute to Shiloh. 

The final part of the plank walk is a highly unstable forty feet long foot bridge spanning a tall gap between the peaks of Mount Kwan, which the trio cross gingerly one at a time. Exhausted, Billie opens one of their oxygen tanks that Jon gave them before the walk, finding drugs inside of it. Jon reveals that he was willing to take them on the illegal climb because he is smuggling fentanyl across the border into Myanmar, using his walkers as cover and unwitting drug mules. Jon also reveals that the helicopter coming is not the authorities, but more traffickers. Billie, furious at the situation, throws one of the oxygen tanks off the mountain, enraging Jon who then pushes her off the mountain to her death. 

Jon attempts to kill Jax in a fit of rage, but ultimately falls off the rickety bridge suffering the same fate as Billie. The helicopter arrives and Jax uses the remaining drugs as a bargaining chip to extract herself off the mountain and is taken back to the bar. She orders two whiskey's and down's both to remember Billie. Jax opens Shiloh's scrapbook and finds another destination - Hell's Chasm. Sometime later Shiloh's friend Becky Connor (Grace Caroline Currey) receives an invitation in the mail to Hell's Chasm to celebrate Shiloh's life. 

With 'Fall 2 : Deadpoint' the Spierig Brothers have delivered us a follow up to 2022's far superior edge of your seat offering, that fails to deliver on the dizzying heights of that first film. Sure there are moments of tension and excitement, but for me this film lacked the sense of suspense, raw unbridled fear and sudden rushes of adrenalin that comes with being stranded some 3,000 feet up a sheer mountain side with no where to turn, and little or no hope of being rescued. Some of the CGI effects are questionable, including the cardboard cut-out of Mount Kwan in the distance nestled between two islands in the foreground; the plot is all too predictable; and we learn, through various flashbacks, more about the recently departed Shiloh, than we do about Billie and Jax, and their performances are largely one dimensional. At a brisk running time of 98 minutes, however, this film doesn't outstay its welcome. 

'Fall 2 : Deadpoint' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 17th September 2026.

The 74th San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF) will take place this year from Friday 18th to Saturday 26th September in San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa, Spain. It is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain, and lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, 20kms (12 miles) from the French–Spanish border. Founded in 1953, it is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) in the 'competitive film festivals' category. 

This years Opening Night film presentation is 'Ghost Song', and this German fantasy drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Faith Akin. Farasha (Mariam Dawoud) and Faris (Eren M. Guvercin), who meet at a graduation party when they are aged twenty and instantly fall in love. That same night, Farasha dies, but she finds a way to stay connected to Faris by entering his dreams. For forty nights, she visits him there, allowing their love to grow across two worlds until their final meeting.

Closing out the festival is the Belgian historical drama film 'Le Faux Soir' Co-Written and Directed by Michale R. Roskam. In November 1943, Belgian Resistance fighters launched a groundbreaking psychological warfare operation by publishing Faux Soir. They distributed a satirical replica of Le Soir, Belgium's leading daily newspaper, which had been seized as a tool of German propaganda. This audacious stunt widely recognised as history's first media hack aimed to humiliate the German occupiers and ignite public defiance. The parody newspaper electrified occupied Europe, providing a massive boost to civilian morale. 

This year there are seventeen films in the Official Competition, competing for the Golden Shell, presided over by American film maker Ira Sachs as Jury President and ably assisted by Brazilian Actress Alice Braga, Spanish Actress Patricia Lopez Arnaiz, Swedish Actor Bill Skarsgard, and British Producer and former Screen International Editor Mike Goodrich. Included in those seventeen film in the official selection are the following titles :-

* '5 More Minutes' - from Spain and this fantasy comedy film is Directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera. As a couple in crisis move to a house in the countryside to spend a weekend of rural tourism, they become trapped in a 5-minute time loop after the tourism company agent hands them the keys.

* 'The Bad Father' - from Spain, and this comedy drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Roberto Bueso. Renowned writer and scholar Santiago Balmes reunites with his three children, long estranged from him after he left the family for another woman. He proposes them spending Christmas together in the old summer house, proving to be an opportunity to face past rifts.

* 'Brace Your Heart' - from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Bulgaria, this drama film is Written and Directed by Amanda Kernell. Set in a remote Sami (formerly known as Lapland) village in the mountains of Sweden, we follow twenty-year-old Ejva as she inherits her father's reindeer herd and fights to preserve the ancestral tradition entrusted to her.

* 'The Debut' - from the USA and this musical comedy film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed, stars and has songs written by Jesse Eisenberg. A shy woman is unexpectedly cast in a local production of an original musical. Under the spell of the 'strong-willed' and 'enigmatic' Director, she loses herself in the role of a community theatre production. Starring Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu and Bernadette Peters. 

* 'Ghost Song' - refer above Opening Night film presentation.

* 'Growth of the Soil' - from Norway, and this epic romantic drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Hans Petter Moland. A farmer seeks to build a life and start a family in the remote Norwegian wilderness.

* 'Milo' - from France and this comedy drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Nicole Garcia. After leaving prison, Alice starts working as a waitress in a small cafeteria next to an auto repair garage. She befriends a young man named Milo, who works at the garage. Alice's real reason for getting close to the young man is deeply personal: Milo is her son. Starring Marion Cotillard, Theodore Pellerin, Laure Calamy and Charles Burling.

* 'Les Miserables' - from France and this action drama film is Written for the screen and Directed by Fred Cavaye. and is an adaptation of the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo. The film follows Jean Valjean who after nineteen years in prison, seeks redemption while being relentlessly pursued by Inspector Javert. Starring Vincent Lindon, Tahar Rahim, Noemie Merlant, Camille Cottin and Benjamin Lavernhe. 

* 'On Behalf of My Son' - from Brazil, this drama film is Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Gabriel Martins. It follows Vicentina, a 75-year-old retired teacher who seeks out the families of victims after the death of her son Wesley in a bus accident in Belo Horizonte. 

* 'Saints' - from Spain and Italy, this drama film is Written and Directed by Mikel Gurrea. Set in the Sants neighbourhood in southern Barcelona, the plot follows Lali, a woman who after years drifting around the world returns to Barcelona to take care of her dying mother. She joins a group of thieves of religious figures. 

* 'Tender Loving Care' - from the UK, this comedy drama film is Written and Directed by Mike Leigh. Amy, a government child protection worker, moves back with her upbeat best friend Rosie, a social services officer facing daily anger and resentment. Amy's aging parents worry about her happiness while dealing with their own crisis.

In addition, the Donostia Honorific Awards this year are presented to the German film maker, Actor, Opera Director, author and documentarian Werner Herzog, and the British Actress Naomi Watts together with her latest film 'The Housewife' being screened as part of the awards ceremony. 

For the details of the other film strands being showcased including those Out of Competition, the New Directors, Latin Horizons, Perlak, and Made in Spain sections, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.sansebastianfestival.com

Turning the focus back to this weeks six new movies arriving at your local cinema this week, we launch with a historical drama film where desperate to save what is left of his family, during the height of the Great Depression a battle-scarred veteran is hired to help smuggle a fortune in gold across 100 miles of impenetrable wilderness. This is followed by a horror offering in which a hapless courier tasked with delivering a package to a remote hospital, soon finds himself caught in the middle of an outbreak and must fight through hordes of mutated creatures to survive. Next we turn to an experimental road drama film that sees a sports photographer mysteriously vanish while documenting rural soccer fields across Georgia. Then we have a live action animated courtroom comedy that has ACME products failing him one too many times in his dogged pursuit of the Road Runner, and so Wile E. Coyote decides to hire a down-on-his-luck lawyer to sue the corporation. Following on there is a stop motion animated comedy horror film set on the eve of Halloween at Mossy Bottom Farm, where excitement turns to dismay when the clumsy Farmer ruins the pumpkin patch, and Shaun tries fixing it with science experiments, but things go wrong when a wild beast appears in the woods. And closing out the week, we have an animated fantasy adventure comedy that has two two best friends who become stranded on the mystical world of Nakali, where their only escape might cost them their shared lifetime of memories.

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

'THE WEIGHT' (Rated MA15+) - is a German and American Co-Produced historical drama film 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 is released in the US this week too, having garnered generally favourable critical reviews.

In Oregon in 1933, Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) is torn from his daughter Penny (Avy Berry) and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy (Russell Crowe) tempts him with early release and a cleared record if he smuggles gold out of a remote mine through one hundred miles of unforgiving wilderness, but betrayal festers within the crew, and Murphy questions how far he’ll go to see his child again. Also starring Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, George Burgess, Alec Newman and Sam Hazeldine. 

'RESIDENT EVIL' (Rated MA15+) - this horror film is Co-Written and Directed by Zach Cregger who made his feature film debut with 'Miss March' in 2009 and which he would follow up with the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 'Barbarian' in 2022 and 'Weapons' in 2025. This film is the second reboot and eighth film overall in the Resident Evil film series, and is based on Capcom's 'Resident Evil' video game franchise. Those first seven films in the series grossed a combined Box Office haul of US$1.28B off the back of total production budgets of US$313M. The film follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier in the process of making a delivery to Raccoon City General Hospital, who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival against bloodthirsty mutated creatures as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos. Also starring Zach Cherry, Paul Walter Hauser and Kali Reis. It will have its Premiere showcasing at Fantastic Fest on 17th September and is released here in Australia and the USA this week, having cost US$80M to produce.

'DRY LEAF' (Rated PG) - is a German and Georgian experimental road film that is Written, Co-Produced, Directed, photographed and Edited by Alexandre Koberidze in his third feature film offering following his debut in 2017 with 'Let the Summer Never Come Again', and then 'What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?' in 2021. Here, when Lisa, a young photographer, disappears, her father Irakli (David Koberidze) decides to search for her. He sets off on a journey through Georgia with her best friend Levani (Otar Nijaradze), an invisible person, as Lisa had recently been photographing football stadiums across the country. As the landscape passes by and they travel from one football stadium to the next, the people and their stories change, and with each football pitch and village, the chances of finding Lisa diminish. The film had its World Premiere in the main competition at the 2025 Locarno Film Festival in mid-August last year where it won the Special Mention prize, and since then it has appeared in many film festivals, and most recently at the Melbourne International Film Festival earlier last month. The film has garnered largely positive critical reviews.

'COYOTE VS. ACME' (Rated PG) - is an American animated live action courtroom comedy film Directed by Dave Green in only his third feature Directorial outing following his debut in 2014 with 'Earth to Echo' and 2016's 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : Out of the Shadows'. After more years than you care to remember of being blown to bits by bombs, detonated by dynamite, mangled by magnets, beaten by boulders, trampled by trains, tricked by tunnels, sprung by springs, steamrolled by steamrollers, maligned by misfires, rattled by rockets and rocket skates, upended by unicycles, quaked by quake pills, rubberised by rogue bands, and hurled headlong off every cliff in the Southwest, Wile E. Coyote finally fights back. Teaming up with billboard accident lawyer Kevin Avery (Will Forte), he takes on slick corporate counsel Buddy Crane (John Cena) and ACME, Inc., the profit-obsessed conglomerate behind every one of the Coyote's chaotic catastrophes. Also starring Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Martha Kelly, Luis Guzman, P.J. Byrne, and Kenneth Choi plus the voice talents of Eric Bauza as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Porky Pig, The Road Runner and Tweety amongst others. The film was released in the US at the end of August, has garnered positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$66M from a production budget of US$70M. 

'SHAUN THE SHEEP : THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM' (Rated G) - this British stop motion animated comedy horror film is Directed by Steve Cox and Matthew Walker and is based on the Aardman Animation television series 'Shaun the Sheep', itself a spin-off of the 'Wallace & Gromit' short film from 1995, 'A Close Shave'. This film is the third in the franchise following 2015's 'Shaun the Sheep Movie' and 2019's 'A Shaun the Sheep Movie : Farmageddon'. Those first two films grossed a total of US$149M at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets of US$50M. During the lead up to Halloween on the Mossy Bottom farm, the Farmer (voiced by John Sparkes) accidentally destroys his sheep flock's pumpkin patch. Shaun (voiced by Justin Fletcher) becomes a mad scientist to fix the problem, but circumstances worsen subsequently, as the Farmer goes missing and a wild beast is found roaming the woods of Mossingham. The film is released this week too in the UK.

'FORGOTTEN ISLAND' (Rated PG) - is an American animated fantasy adventure comedy film Written and Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, and Produced by DreamWorks Animation. Joel Crawfords previous two Directed animated features are 'The Croods : A New Age' in 2020 and 'Puss In Boots : The Last Wish' in 2022. Here, set in the Philippines during the 1990's two childhood friends, Jo (H.E.R.) and Raissa (Liza Soberano), promise to remain close forever. After graduating high school, Raissa prepares to move to the USA for college at the urging of her parents. Fearing the loss of their bond, Jo tries to persuade her to stay. However, the two are suddenly transported through a portal to the fantastical world of the forgotten island of Nakali, where memories gradually fade the longer one remains. Also starring the voice talents of Dave Franco, Manny Jacinto, Jenny Slate, Lae Salonga, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy and Ronny Chieng. The film is released Stateside next week.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-