WILD HORSE NINE : Tuesday 10th November 2026

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'WILD HORSE NINE' at my local independent movie theatre this week, and this black comedy political thriller film that is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Martin McDonagh, whose previous feature filmmaking credits take in his 2008 debut with 'In Bruges' and which he would follow up with 'Seven Psychopaths' in 2012, 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' in 2017, and 'The Banshees of Inisherin' in 2022. This film had its World Premiere screening in the main competition at this years Venice International Film Festival in early September, where it won lead Actor John Malkovich the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. It was released in the UK, the USA and here in Australia last week, critical reviews have been generally positive, and the film has so far grossed US$14M.

Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup d'etat, South American CIA bureau chief MJ (Steve Buscemi) dispatches officers Chris Carlisle (John Malkovich) and Lee Chesterfield (Sam Rockwell) from Santiago, Chile to Easter Island, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. At the airport, they encounter Monica (Mariana di Girolamo) and Alicia (Ailin Salas), two young far-left students. Chris jokes to them that they are CIA agents there to destabilise their government, which is quickly brushed off by Lee as a joke. 

During their trip, Chris' at times obnoxious behaviour and morphine addiction is of constant annoyance to Lee, though it is mostly tolerated and dismissed. Chris is 72 years of age, is in poor health and has begun recording a memoir on his voice recorder of his various involvements during his career (allegedly including the Guatemalan coup d'etat in 1954, the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, the assassination of Congo's Patrice Lumumba also in 1961 and the John F. Kennedy assassination in 1963, among other questionable deeds). However, this is opposed by bureau chief MJ, who, we learn later, has instructed Lee to kill Chris should he divulge such potentially damaging confidential information.

The pair travel to various destinations on the island to look at the world famous 'Heads' or 'Moai' as they are officially termed by the local indigenous peoples. We learn that Chris has dementia and terminal cancer with about a week to live (he was given six months, six months ago). He has asked Lee to kill him at the end of their trip, though he himself no longer remembers this fairly important fact. Chris believes that they are being followed and becomes increasingly paranoid and volatile. When Lee tries to confirm their plans with Chris, he responds that he'd rather visit Venice, Italy as that seems to be a much more fitting place to die than boring old Easter Island. He insists that Lee book a new itinerary, and so feeling indebted to Chris owing to their longtime friendship and CIA partnership, Lee agrees.

Meanwhile, MJ pressures Lee, who is divided between his duty and his loyalty to Chris, to tie up loose ends while they're on Easter Island and not to book any flights to Venice. He needs Lee to locate a rifle, which was used to assassinate Kennedy. Lee finds their hotel receptionist Rosa (Paola Giannini) sifting through Chris' belongings one night, and discovers that she is acting upon instructions from MJ. MJ coerces Lee by kidnapping his wife Marge (Parker Posey) and children, and decides to travel to Easter Island himself to take control of the seemingly unravelling situation. 

Chris meets Monica again down at a local beach and apologises for his earlier remarks. Monica tells him that he needs to stop lying, which Chris says that he has been doing his whole life, but agrees and the pair shake hands on it. At a concert they go to in a local bar later that evening, he convinces her that Chilean President Allende will be overthrown in early September, and activists like her and Alicia will be persecuted. He warns her to flee, but she angrily rebuffs him. While leaving, Chris observes that Monica's car had been the one following him, as evidenced by the two bullet holes he fired into her rear window, when he chased, whoever was driving and taking photographs, away.

MJ flies onto the island, and Lee goes alone to meet him. He pleads with MJ to spare Chris and let them go in peace to Venice. However, MJ refuses and insists Chris is to be killed on the island, before the end of the day. During their time together in the car, Lee discovers MJ is a heroin addict, after having laughed off Chris calling MJ a 'junkie' previously. Cornered, after Lee discovers the needle marks on his arm, MJ tries to deny being an addict by saying 'I'm not an addict. I just like heroin!'

MJ, Alicia (a CIA mole who was working for MJ all along), and Lee head to find Chris, who has forced Monica at gunpoint to drive him away from the hotel. After confirming that she is not a spy, he tells her to never stop fighting if she is being made to get into a car, or finds herself under attack for her beliefs. As Monica drives away, having dropped Chris off in the middle of nowhere, she is stopped by MJ. As his men drag Monica towards a car, they are shot dead by Chris with the rifle allegedly used to kill Kennedy and she escapes after running over Alicia, following Chris' advice. 

MJ orders Lee to kill Chris, but Lee, disillusioned, shoots MJ in the head instead. Lee and Chris share one final conversation, during which Chris gives Lee a Super 8 film reel of the Kennedy assassination to be used as leverage to save Lee's family, as MJ's operatives back in Santiago are under orders to kill Marge and the children if they don't hear from him by the end of the day. Chris finally asks Lee to kill him, which he does with single bullet to the head using Chris's gun, which he then places in his hand to make it look like suicide. Lee then reaches to Chris' inside jacket pocket, and pulls out his suicide note addressed 'To Whom It May Concern', which he then tucks back into the pocket. 

As Lee walks back to his car, a final voiceover has Chris saying 'I will keep my suicide note brief because I don't want people to say 'Even his suicide note was shit - his entire life was'. Like there's a New York Times Review of suicide notes. I think, in the end it boils down to this. I could have killed a lot less people (68 by his own reckoning). And I should've hung out with a lot more horses. I guess that's it'.

I exited the movie theatre feeling just a little underwhelmed by 'Wild Horse Nine'. This film for me at least, isn't up there with Director McDonagh's previous works, who here has delivered up a movie that has its quirks, but really is not that humorous, is entertaining on one level but not to the extent that its entirely likeable, and drops more 'F' and 'C' bombs than I think were in 'In Bruges', and that's saying something! The bromance between Rockwell's Lee and Malkovich's Chris help elevate this film's dynamic beyond the also rans that are worthy of all the recognition they get come awards season, and, I would have liked to see more of the respective thorns in their sides in Posey's Marge and Buscemi's MJ. This is hardly classic McDonagh, but there is some lively banter between Lee and Chris, and the viewer would be forgiven for pondering the two big unanswered questions at the end of the film - 1) what became of Lee's wife and children, and 2) what will the CIA do when they find Lee's bullet wedged inside MJ's head?

'Wild Horse Nine' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th November 2026

The 24th Inverness Film Festival takes place this year from Friday 13th upto and including Thursday 19th November in the city of Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands on Scotland's north east coast. You are cordially invited for a week of compelling stories, bold filmmaking and exciting discoveries from around the world. From award-winning international cinema to undiscovered gems, thought-provoking documentaries and emerging Scottish talent, there’s plenty to explore across dozens of brand new feature and short films. 

This years Opening Night Film presentation is 'Ink' from the UK, France and the USA and Directed by Danny Boyle. In late 1969 Rupert Murdoch (Guy Pearce) persuades newspaper editor Larry Lamb (Jack O'Connell) to oversee his newly acquired but flagging daily rag, The Sun. But how can they grab readers in the highly competitive British media market? Be extreme, throwing anything onto the page that will make a splash, the more titillating, the better. Also starring Claire Foy.

 

The Closing Night Film is 'The Debut' from the USA and is Written, Co-Produced, Directed, stars and features songs written by Jesse Eisenberg. A shy New Jersey housewife Mona Friedman (Julianne Moore) is unexpectedly cast in a local production of an original musical. Under the spell of the strong-willed and enigmatic Director Jerry Blankenbuehler (Paul Giamatti), she loses herself in the role and the high-stakes world of this community theatre production.

There are thirty three films in the Feature and Documentary categories that are being screened over the course of the seven days that the festival is in session, plus a whole bunch of short and family oriented films. The feature and documentary strands are divided into 'Highlights', 'World Cinema' and 'Documentaries'. Those nine films being showcased in the Highlights section are as given below :-

* 'Marama' - from New Zealand and the UK and this horror thriller film is Directed by Taratoa Stappard. Set in 1859, a young, Maori woman is summoned from New Zealand to North Yorkshire, where she uncovers the horrific truth of her colonial heritage, and she must destroy the titled Englishman who has devastated her family. Starring Ariana Osborne, Toby Stephens, Umi Myers and Errol Shand.

* 'Elsinor' - from the UK and this drama film is Directed by Simon Stone. The deeply emotional and inspirational true story of Ian Charleson, a gifted Actor whose greatest challenge becomes his greatest triumph. Facing his own mortality with unflinching honesty, wit, and grace, Charleson, who is dying of AIDS, courageously plays Hamlet at London’s National Theatre delivering a performance, following Daniel Day-Lewis’ departure, that becomes a source of healing and inspiration for those around him. Starring Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Billie Piper and Johnny Flynn.

* 'A Talent for Murder' - from the USA and Italy and this drama thriller film is Directed by Anton Corbijn. A mysterious young man from a New York publisher, Edward Ridgeway (Alden Ehrenreich) travels to Switzerland to persuade renowned writer Patricia Highsmith (Helen Mirren) to pen one final instalment of her famous Ripley series. Also starring Olivia Cooke and Juliet Stevenson.

* 'Josephine' - from the USA, this drama film is Directed by Beth de Araujo. Eight-year-old Josephine (Mason Reeves) accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, but struggles to find answers. Her parents Claire and Damien (Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum respectively) are helpless to console her as she begins to experience fear and paranoia. 

* 'Mouse' - from the USA, this drama film is Directed by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson. When Callie (Chloe Coleman) and Minnie's (Katherine Mallen Kupferer) relationship is upended on the eve of their senior year, Minnie forms a complicated friendship with Callie's mother (Sophie Okonedo).

* 'Paper Tiger' - from the USA and this drama thriller film is Directed by James Gray. Two brothers Gary and Irwin Pearl (Adam Driver and Miles Teller respectively) become entangled in a scheme that turns out to be too good to be true in 1980's Queens, New York. As they try to navigate their way through the dangerous world of the Russian Mafia, family bonds begin to fray with life-altering consequences. Also starring Scarlett Johansson. 

* 'The Education of Jane Cumming' - from Germany, Switzerland and the UK, this drama film is Directed by Sophie Heldman. This film is based on the real life story of Marianne Woods (Clare Dunne) and Jane Pirie (Flora Nicholson) who were accused by their pupil Jane Cumming (Mia Tharia) of lesbianism in Scotland in the early 19th Century. Also starring Fiona Shaw.

* 'A Long Winter' - from the USA and Canada, and this drama film is Directed by Andrew Haigh. In 1951, high in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Mike’s (Fred Hechinger) world is thrown into uncertainty when his mother Louise (Caitriona Balfe) vanishes into the wilderness. Alongside his complicated father Lester (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and with their small mountain community rallying together against the unforgiving winter, Mike embarks on a search that leads him toward an unexpected journey of self-discovery, belonging and the quiet strength required to carry on. Also starring Kit Connor, Martin Freeman, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo.

* 'Tender Loving Care' - from the UK and this drama film is Directed by Mike Leigh. Set in post-Brexit England, Amy (Kate O'Flynn), a government child protection worker, moves in with her upbeat best friend Rosie (Alice Bailey Johnson), a social services officer facing daily anger and resentment. Amy's ageing parents worry about her happiness while dealing with their own crisis. Also starring Marion Bailey and Paul Jesson.

For the full details of the other film strands being screened, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.eden-court.co.uk/inverness-film-festival

Turning the focus back on this weeks haul of nine new movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a documentary of how thirty-four days before she’s sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. Then we have a thrilling ghost story set in Dickens' London, following one man's supernatural journey to face his past, present and future as he fights for a second chance at redemption. This is followed by an action comedy heist film where a crew of social media-savvy bank robbers put everything on the line for their beliefs - with their most ambitious heist yet. Next up we have a crime comedy offering in which professional shoplifters embark on a wild adventure as they target a cutthroat fashion mogul. Then we turn to a WWII action drama sports film set in the aftermath of Pearl Harbour, where four college football stars discover the strength of brotherhood and the cost of war when they enlist in the US Marines. Following on we have a horror thriller offering centring on a courageous ten year old girl who is locked in a shed and must survive inconceivable odds whilst trying to discover what happened to her family. Up next is a biographical film set in 1949, that sees German writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika embarking on a road trip across a Germany in ruins, from US-dominated Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar. Then, we turn to a political drama film in which a family descends into turmoil after a simple act of disobedience triggers authoritarian persecution; before closing out the week with a British concert film featuring George Michael's 1988 Faith Tour performances at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, captured on 35mm over two nights during the European leg of his tour to promote his debut solo album.

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

'YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING' (Rated M) - this American metacinema documentary film is Co-Produced, Co-Directed and Co-Stars Nathan Fielder (in his feature film Directing debut) and Lance Oppenheim whose previous feature film output takes in the documentaries 'Some Kind of Heaven' in 2020 and 'Spermworld' in 2024, and the feature film 'Primetime' released recently. The film Premiered as a secret screening at this years Telluride Film Festival in early September, was released in the US in mid-October, has received widespread acclaim from critics and has grossed US$80M against a US$7M production budget.

In 2023, 34 days before Elizabeth Holmes begins her eleven-year prison sentence for defrauding investors through her company Theranos, she and her partner Billy Evans invite filmmakers Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim to document their lives at a rented beach house in Del Mar, California. Despite having extensive access to their personal lives, Fielder suspects them of withholding information. When Fielder questions Holmes about how she promoted Theranos's defective blood-testing device, she denies intentionally misleading anyone about its capabilities, claiming her words were semantically misinterpreted. Her trial in the case of U.S. v. Holmes, et al. ended in January 2022 when Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors and acquitted of defrauding patients. She was sentenced to serve eleven years and three months at Federal Prison Camp, Bryan, Texas, beginning on 30th May 2023. She and the Theranos COO Ramesh 'Sunny' Balwani were ordered to pay US$452M in restitution to the victims of the fraud. 

'EBENEZER' (Rated M) - this UK and US Co-Produced dark comedy film is Directed and Co-Edited by Ti West whose prior feature film Directing credits include his debut with 'The Roost' in 2005, 'Cabin Fever 2 : Spring Fever' in 2009, 'The Innkeepers' in 2011, 'In a Valley of Violence' in 2016, 'X' and 'Pearl' both in 2022 and 'MaXXXine' in 2024. This film is based on the 1843 novella by Charles Dickens. Set in early Victorian London the film follows the miserly businessman Ebenezer Scrooge (Johnny Depp) as he is forced through visions of the past, present, and future during a supernatural journey toward a chance at redemption on the eve of Christmas. Also starring Rupert Grint, Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman, Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Ellie Bamber and Sir Ian McKellen. The film is released in the UK, the USA and here in Australia this week.

'HOW TO ROB A BANK' (Rated M) - is an American action comedy heist film Co-Produced and Directed by David Leitch who made his Directorial debut (albeit uncredited with Chad Stahelski) on 'John Wick' in 2014 and would go onto Direct in his own right 'Atomic Blonde' in 2017, 'Deadpool 2' in 2018, 'Hobbs & Shaw' in 2019, 'Bullet Train' in 2022 and 'The Fall Guy' in 2024 with 'Jason Statham Stole My Bike' currently in production for a 2027 release. Here, a crew of social media-savvy bank robbers broadcast their daring heists to a social media account, unaware that their growing viral fame has put them in the crosshairs of a veteran FBI agent and a brilliant software engineer. Despite the unlikely duo closing in, the crime ring pushes past their limits, putting everything on the line for their beliefs, and their most ambitious heist yet. Starring Nicholas Hoult, Zoe Kravitz, Pete Davidson, John C. Reilly and Christian Slater. It is released Stateside and here in Australia this week. 

'I LOVE BOOSTERS' (Rated MA15+) - this American crime comedy film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Boots Riley in only his second feature film outing following 'Sorry to Bother You' in 2018. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Corvette (Keke Palmer), Mariah (Taylor Paige), and Sade (Naomi Ackie), known collectively as the 'Velvet Gang', routinely shoplift from the Metro Designers fashion chain run by designer Christie Smith (Demi Moore). They sell the clothes they steal at a discount to make ends meet in what they call 'Fashion Forward Philanthropy'. Also starring Eiza Gonzalez, LaKeith Stanfield, Will Poulter and Don Cheadle. The film saw its Premiere showcasing at South by Southwest Film and Television Festival in mid-March this year, was released in the USA at the end of May, has so far grossed US$10M from a production budget of US$20M and has received positive critical reviews. 

'THE MOSQUITO BOWL' (Rated MA15+) - is an American WWII action drama sports film that is Co-Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Peter Berg who made his feature film Directing debut with 19978's 'Very Bad Things' and would follow this up with the likes of 'Friday Night Lights' in 2004, 'Hancock' in 2008, 'The Losers' in 2010, 'Battleship' in 2012, 'Lone Survivor' in 2013, 'Deepwater Horizon' and 'Patriot's Day' both in 2016 and 'Spenser Confidential' in 2020. This film is based on the 2022 novel 'The Mosquito Bowl : A Game of Life and Death in World War II' written by Buzz Bissinger. Here, following the attack on Pearl Harbour, four of America's top college football stars set their fame aside to enlist in the US Marine Corp. As they prepare for the brutal invasion of Okinawa, they'll play in a legendary game, known as the Mosquito Bowl on 24th December 1944, featuring some of the greatest players in history - a game that, for many, will be the last they ever play. Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgard, Ray Nicholson, Tom Francis, Brent Comer and Pat McAfee. The film was released in the USA on 30th October, is released this week in Australia and is available to stream on Netflix from 25th November, having generated mixed or average critical reviews.

'SHED' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian horror thriller film is Written and Directed by Steven J. Mihaljevich whose previous feature film credits take in 'The Xrossing' in 2020 and 'Violett' in 2023. On Christmas Eve in rural Australia, 10-year-old Mia (Mani Shanks) is accidentally locked inside a workshop shed. As she is trapped, a violent serial killer (John Jarratt) descends on her house. Alone, and unable to fully understand the nightmare unfolding around her, she is forced to endure hunger, fear, and the horrifying realisation that something terrible has happened to her family. Hidden only a few metres from the killer, Mia must rely on patience, instinct, and sheer will to survive in order for her to escape the nightmare unfolding around her.

'FATHERLAND' (Rated PG) - is a Polish, German, Italian and French biographical film Co-Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Paweł Pawlikowski who made his feature film debut with 'Last Resort' in 2000, and who would follow through with 'My Summer of Love' in 2004, 'The Woman in the Fifth' in 2011, 'Ida' in 2013 and 'Cold War' in 2018. This film centres on the relationship between the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas May (Hans Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller), actress, writer and rally driver. In the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, father and daughter embark on a challenging and emotional road trip in a black Buick taking them across a Germany in ruins, from US dominated Frankfurt to Soviet controlled Weimar. Returning home after sixteen years in exile in California, USA, Thomas Mann has to face not only a divided fatherland, but also a deep fracture within his own family. Also starring August Diehl. The film saw its World Premiere screening in the main competition at this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May where Pawlikowski won the Best Director award, has so far grossed US$8M against a production budget of US$11M and has garnered universal critical acclaim.

'YELLOW LETTERS' (Rated M) - this German, Turkish and French political drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Ilker Catak whose prior feature film offerings include 'I Was, I Am, I Will Be' in 2019 and 'The Teachers' Lounge' in 2023. Life is good for Derya (Ozgu Namal) and Aziz (Tansu Bicer), a celebrated artist couple from Turkey, until an incident at their play’s premiere. Suddenly targeted by the state and struggling to balance their ideals with life’s necessities, their marriage is pushed to a breaking point after they move to Istanbul to live with Aziz's parents, and they and their 13-year-old daughter Ezgi (Leyla Smyrna Cabas) have to redefine their way of life. The film had its World Premiere showcasing in the main competition of this years Berlin International Film Festival in mid-February, where it won the Golden Bear, was released in Germany in early March, and only now does it get a showing in Australia having generated largely positive critical reviews.

'GEORGE MICHAEL : THE FAITH TOUR' (Rated M) - is a British concert film featuring the late English singer-songwriter George Michael, and is Directed by Andy Morahan and David Austin. The concert footage is from the 30th and 31st May 1988 filmed cross two consecutive shows at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France during the Faith Tour. It is his first headlining solo concert tour and represented Michael's discography from Wham! to his solo debut album Faith, depicting performances of most songs on the tour's set list. The theatrical release of the film will be opened by a short film by Mary McCartney entitled 'Finding Faith'. The short will feature unseen photographs of Michael by American photographer Herb Ritts, an unheard voice-over interview by Michael recorded between 1986 and 1988, as well as behind-the-scenes footage from the music video shoot for 'Faith'. The film Premiered in London in late October, and was released in UK cinema's last week. 

With nine 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-

PRIMETIME : Tuesday 3rd November 2026

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'PRIMETIME', earlier this week at my local multiplex, and this American psychological thriller film is Directed and Co-Produced by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature film debut, although he has also Directed the documentaries 'Some Kind of Heaven' in 2020, 'Spermworld' in 2024 and 'You Can See Everything' in 2026 which follows Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the defunct health technology company Theranos. This film is based on the 2007 Esquire magazine article 'Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die' by Luke Dittrich, has so far grossed US$57M from a production budget of US$14.5M since its release Stateside at the end of September, and has generated positive critical reviews. 

The film is set in 2006, and Dateline NBC journalist Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson, who also Co-Produces here) is the host of the 'To Catch a Predator' TV series in which he conducts sting operations with the anti-pedophilia vigilante group 'Perverted-Justice'. 

They lure would-be child predators, expecting to engage in sex with minors, played by decoy actor Del Harvey (Phoebe Bridgers) of legal age, to houses where Hansen and his camera crew confront them before they are arrested. 'To Catch a Predator' is a ratings success, and NBC's head Jeff Zucker (as himself), despite disliking the show, places it in the primetime 9:00pm slot to go up against ABC's hit show 'Lost'. 

Meanwhile, Dan Plum (Skylar Gisondo), a down on his luck aspiring Actor with just one TV commercial to his credit for Toys 'R' Us is seeking credits for membership in the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), is cast as one of 'To Catch a Predator's' decoys, because of his mid-teens looks despite the fact that he is 23 years of age. Although he is initially disturbed by the shooting process, he quickly becomes adjusted to the routine and comes to admire Hansen. 

Hansen breaks off an extramarital affair with Krysten,(Caroline Hebert) a younger woman at a restaurant, unaware he is being photographed. A few days later a National Enquirer reporter begins calling Hansen for comment on an upcoming story about the affair. Disturbed by the threat of his affair going public and under pressure to maintain the show's ratings, Hansen becomes consumed in making 'To Catch a Predator' a commercial success. 

An ABC executive, Patty Patterson (Jessica Hecht) makes contact with Hansen's Producer Andie Bender (Merritt Wever) and attempts to coax her over for 'What Would You Do?', a reality TV series inspired by 'To Catch a Predator'. Andie thinks about it for a few days but then declines, but reconsiders as Hansen's behaviour grows more and more erratic. Dan confides to Hansen that he is concerned that 'To Catch a Predator' will do little to advance his career aspirations. Hansen tells Dan that their work is 'cleansing the world of an ancient evil' and recounts his time in India back in the mid-90's investigating the mysterious disappearance of numerous children where he was told of this 'ancient evil' retreating into a cave after the villagers resorted to killing one another out of desperation. 

Sometime later and after receiving a letter from a fan in Murphy, Texas, Perverted-Justice founder Xavier Von Erck (Matthew Maher) begins searching on-line for pedophiles in the area. He finds a prospective predator who painstakingly covers their tracks and, upon discovering they are attending a funeral for a Texas state senator in Denton, excitedly concludes that they may be a government official. Under pressure from NBC's Jeff Zucker to improve ratings and eager to catch a high-profile 'whale', Hansen cancels a planned shoot in New Jersey, much to Andie's consternation, and takes the team to Texas instead.

The 'whale' in question is very reluctant to meet in person, and upto now has communicated with Xavier via a computer screen only. However, after Xavier has baited the 'whale' they eventually give up their phone number, exposing their identity as Bill Conradt (Alex Winter), an Assistant District Attorney for Rockwall County, Texas. Andie, re-energised, calls Patty Patterson of the ABC that she will not be joining 'What Would You Do?'. Forgoing the usual protocols, Hansen decides to confront Conradt at his house, which heavily armed police officers surround, headed up by Chief of Police, Cortland Gunn (Bokeem Woodbine). Before going to air, Hansen receives a call from his wife Mary (Anna Faris), who tells him the National Enquirer called her for comment about his affair. Hansen responds that he loves her and that it meant nothing and is over, but she replies with what is she supposed to say to their two young sons and hangs up on him.

As Hansen and his team make final preparations and take up position outside the grand house at night, and heavily armed Police prepare to move in, Conradt glares through a window at Hansen, who sees Conradt as the manifestation of the 'ancient evil' from his trip to India, before Conradt shoots himself in the head and blood spatters on the window. Andie is disappointed they never got to interview Conradt but plans to interview the Police Officers to salvage the episode. Hansen cries while repeating incantations as he sees the 'ancient evil' escape back into the woods. A shaken Dan walks away from the scene. Fast forward a year, and Dan is now living in Mesa, Arizona. He receives a knock at his apartment door from a neighbour who has his mail, in which is a letter from the Screen Actors Guild with his SAG membership card, issued in recognition for his work on 'To Catch a Predator'.

'Primetime' is a good, slickly made, gritty looking, well performed docudrama thriller, but it's not great. On the one hand the performances by Pattinson, Wever and Gisondo are all first rate, with Pattinson delivering perhaps a career best turn as the egotistical, win at all costs yet slightly unhinged Chris Hansen. The cinematography from David Bolen with his use of multiple cameras (both old and new), split screen, close ups, the colour palette, and to create for some scenes a grungy look and feel, all adds to the authenticity of how the show might have looked some twenty years ago now. Lance Oppenheim in his first narrative feature film has clearly proven his Directing skills beyond his hitherto documentary films, and is a film maker to watch if 'Primetime' is anything to go by. On the other hand however, I found the script somewhat clunky, the mid-section meanders just a little too long, and this film is a lot of style over substance, and you'ld have to question what the point of this movie is really all about?

'Primetime', warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 5th November 2026.

The 24th annual SCANORAMA European Film Festival is held this year from Thursday 5th November through until Sunday 22nd November in Lithuania, in the Baltic region of Europe. The festival was usually held in three cities - Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda and in 2025 the reach was extended to ten cities in Lithuania. The largest and most prominent international film and cultural event of the autumn season, annually bringing together more than 40,000 cinema lovers. Every November, it presents a carefully curated selection of European films alongside critically acclaimed works from across the globe. The main criterion behind the SCANORAMA programme selection is high artistic value. Films shaping new trends in European cinema are presented in specially curated programme sections, allowing audiences to explore the cinematic fields that interest them most in greater depth. The festival’s distinctive identity is recognised and appreciated both by Lithuanian film industry professionals and international experts alike . . . . . so reads the official website.

There are ten films being screened in the International Feature Film Competition - a programme of films by European filmmakers with unique aesthetics and styles, aimed at discovering and highlighting bold and original works that are rarely distributed outside their own countries. Those films are as given in brief below :-

* 'Do You Love Me' - from France, Lebanon, Germany and Qatar, this documentary is Co-Produced and Directed by Lana Daher. Drawing on films, news reports, home movies and popular songs spanning the past seventy years, the film explores the Lebanese collective consciousness, shaped equally by joy and grief. Images of the civil war give way to Israeli bombardments, while rituals of everyday life - weddings and domestic scenes - punctuate the political narrative.

* 'I Want to Be Human' - from Lithuania, this documentary is Written, Directed and Co-photographed by Rinaldas Tomasevicius. Beneath the rough language, chilling stories, and isolated daily lives of prisoners, the Director manages to reveal that even under the most hopeless circumstances, humanity remains a possibility.

* 'Low Expectations' - from Norway and Denmark, and this drama film is Written and Directed by Eivind Landsvik. After years of gruelling studio sessions, relentless touring and hard partying, 29-year-old musician Maja succumbs to a distinctly twenty-first-century affliction: burnout. Unable to bear the pressure and weight of fame, she moves back in with her mother and takes a part-time job at a local secondary school. Colleagues and friends gradually draw her out of a debilitating depression, while her new reality teaches her to see both life and herself afresh.

* 'Paris Paris' - from Belgium and this drama film is Written and Directed by Isabelle Tollenaere. In a ghostly, seemingly abandoned apartment block in Paris, Yi-En, Junior and Hamzah build a home together. All three have left their countries behind and carry the burden of exile. They share not only a living space, but also memories, dreams and different ideas of what home means. Their unlikely household teems with life, offering shelter to a stray cat and a rescued fish, yet the refuge they have so carefully created remains fragile.

* 'Petty Thieves' - from Croatia, France, Germany and Serbia, this drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Mate Ugrin. In summer, the resorts along the Adriatic coast are packed with tourists. Rio works in a local hotel kitchen, supplementing his meagre wages by stealing from foreign holidaymakers. When Andrea discovers his thefts, they agree to join forces and split the spoils. What begins as a pragmatic arrangement develops into an unexpected intimacy.

* Shame and Money' - from Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia and Belgium, this drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Visar Morina. Shaban and his wife Hatixhe run a small cattle farm in rural Kosovo. After a family dispute costs them their herd, their main source of income, they move to Pristina with their daughters in search of work. When Hatixhe’s family offers them jobs cleaning a nightclub, Shaban accepts, but the help brings him more humiliation than relief.

* 'Supporting Role' - from Georgia, Estonia, Turkiye, Switzerland and the USA, and this drama film is Written and Directed by Ana Urushadze. Niaz was once a celebrated star of Georgian cinema. Now back in his homeland, he longs to act again, but the film industry has long since forgotten him. At an audition, a young Director offers him the supporting role of an eccentric old man in her debut feature. The old-fashioned Niaz takes offence - young Directors, he concludes, no longer respect Actors. Given three days to decide, he wanders the streets of Tbilisi, contemplating his own transience, both as an Actor and as a man.

* 'The Patron' - from Sweden, this drama thriller film is Written and Directed by Julia Thelin. A cleaner dreams of escaping her routine and finding a more meaningful life. One evening, posing as an influential art patron, she invites two art students into her employer’s empty home. Intoxicated by her newfound power, she becomes increasingly entangled in the deception, but what begins as an innocent game soon takes a more troubling turn.

* 'Trial of Hein' - from Germany, this drama is Written and Directed by Kai Stanicke. After fourteen years on the mainland, Hein returns to the fishing village where he grew up, on a remote island. The isolated community greets him coldly, and even his closest relatives suspect him of being an impostor. When a trial is convened to establish his identity, it emerges that Hein’s memories differ even from those of his childhood friend. The villagers’ suspicion hardens into open hostility, and Hein resorts to drastic measures to prove his version of the truth.

* 'Under a Bad Star' - from France, this drama film is Co-Written, Co-photographed and Co-Directed by Yann Berlie and Lola Cambourieu. Kiki and her partner Alex are trapped in a paralysing cycle of action and reaction, driven by a distorted, reality-detached notion of love. The couple’s young daughter, Malone, becomes a witness to this relationship drama - over the course of 24 hours, she observes Kiki’s emotional journey as she navigates the twists and turns of pain, passion, confusion, tenderness, and desperation.

For the details of the other film strands being showcased at this years festival, plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.scanorama.lt

Turning the focus back to this weeks seven new movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we begin with a black comedy political thriller in which a pair of CIA agents face a trust-testing mission from Santiago in Chile to Easter Island in the south-east Pacific Ocean in 1973. Then we have a romantic fantasy comedy drama in which an ostracised fisherwoman tasks the local basketmaker to weave her a husband, but when her wicker creation proves unexpectedly extraordinary, his presence ignites jealousy and upheaval that threatens their peaceful village. Next up, is an action offering that sees a weapon systems engineer and former Green Beret protecting his Wyoming neighbours against a ruthless corporation threatening their rural community. Then we turn to a historical musical drama film in which two brothers find themselves forced onto opposite sides of the American Revolutionary War, turning a fight for freedom into a personal battle for family and forgiveness. This is followed by a Japanese epic kaiju film that is set in 1949, with the Shikishima family having to confront a fresh catastrophe two years after surviving their previous ordeal with this legendary monster. Turning next to a RomCom in which a former lawyer pivots to a career as an event planner after a public professional fallout; and closing out the week we have an Aussie doco about a former Victoria Police detective who spent 27 years on the force, including fifteen years in the homicide, rape, and missing persons units.

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.

'WILD HORSE NINE' (Rated MA15+) - is a black comedy political thriller film that is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Martin McDonagh, whose previous feature filmmaking credits take in his 2008 debut with 'In Bruges' and which he would follow up with 'Seven Psychopaths' in 2012, 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' in 2017, and 'The Banshees of Inisherin' in 2022. This film had its World Premiere screening in the main competition at this years Venice International Film Festival in early September, where it won lead Actor John Malkovich the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. It is released in the UK, the USA and here in Australia this week. Early critical reviews have been generally positive. 

Shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup d'etat, CIA bureau chief MJ (Steve Buscemi) dispatches officers Chris Carlisle (John Malkovich) and Lee Chesterfield (Sam Rockwell) from Santiago, Chile to Easter Island, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Among the island's iconic statues, the longtime partners wrestle with their dark pasts and present conspiracies, while Chris's newfound bond with a pair of rebellious students Monica and Alicia (Mariana di Girolamo and Ailin Salas respectively) threatens to send everyone's trip to this remote paradise sideways. Also starring Parker Posey and Tom Waits.

'WICKER' (Rated MA15+) - this UK, US and Australian Co-Produced romantic fantasy comedy drama film is Written and Directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, and is based on the short story 'The Wicker Husband' by Ursula Wills. Here, In a small medieval farming town with rigid social hierarchy and patriarchal culture, a reclusive fisherwoman (Olivia Colman, who also Co-Produces here) is ostracised due to her persistent fish smell and rejection of institutionalised marriage. When the japes at her spinster status intensify, she sarcastically commissions for herself a husband made out of wicker. The master weaver (Peter Dinklage) brings the Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgard) to life, where his utility and dedication to his wife creates a romance so pure it causes absolute chaos amongst the villagers of the closed-minded town. Also starring Elizabeth Debicki and Richard E. Grant. The film premiered at this years Sundance Film Festival in late January, was released in the US and the UK in late October and here in Australia from this week, having garnered generally positive critical acclaim, and has so far grossed US$17M from a US$10M production budget.

'GHOST SOLDIER' (Rated CTC) - is an American action film that is Directed by William Eubank who made his feature film Directorial debut with 'Love' in 2011, which he would follow through with 'The Signal' in 2014, 'Underwater' in 2020, 'Paranormal Activity : Next of Kin' in 2021, 'Land of Bad' in 2024, with 'The Last Druid' currently in post-production and set for a release sometime in 2027. Henry 'Fitz' Fitzgerald (Jim Caviezel) is a former US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) soldier who lives off the grid in Wyoming designing weapons for a US military research projects agency. When an asset management company employs corrupt law enforcement officers and foreign agents to seize vast swaths of ranch land and water for their own benefit, Fitz steps up to protect his neighbours from their aggressive schemes. Also starring Olivia Thirlby, Shea Whigham, Garret Dillahunt and Beau Knapp. The film is released Stateside on 11th November to coincide with Veteran's Day. 

'DRUMMER BOY' (Rated PG) - this American historical musical drama film is Directed by Ben and Joel David Smallbone. Ben Smallbone made his feature film Directorial debut with 'Priceless' in 2016 and would go on to helm 'A Rush of Hope : Find Answers to Life's Questions' in 2020, 'Johnny Cash : The Redemption of an American Icon' in 2022, 'Fame : Fortunes, Failure and Faith' in 2023, 'Stoned Cold Country' in 2023. 'Homestead' in 2024 and 'For King + Country : No Turning Back' in 2025. Here then, as America's fight for independence begins, a young drummer boy Benjamin Clem (Lucas Leach), an enslaved woman Emmaline (India Brown), and a divided family each search for freedom in a world built to deny it. With music carrying hope through battle and loss, Drummer Boy turns the Revolution into a deeply human story of faith, forgiveness, and the belief that no person is born to live in chains or be forgotten. Also starring Joel David Brown as Jeremiah Clem, Ioan Gruffudd as Nathaniel Clem, Melora Hardin as Rachel Clem and Iain Glen as Major John Ambrose. The film is released by Angel Studio's this week also in the US and is the second film released by the studio this year set during the American Revolution, after July's 'Young Washington'.

'GODZILLA MINUS ZERO' (Rated M) - this Japanese epic kaiju film is Written, Directed, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki, and is the sequel to 2023's 'Godzilla Minus One' which grossed US$116M of the back of a US$10M production budget, and was also Directed by Takashi Yamazaki. This film is the 39th film in the Godzilla franchise which began in 1954 with 'Godzilla'. Set in 1949, the effects and aftermath of WWII reduced Japan to zero, and Godzilla plunged it into minus. Two years have passed since then, and the country has faced agonising struggles to achieve recovery and finally reclaim its daily life. Just as humanity managed to cling to a hard-won peace, a new threat strikes, crushing hope in an instant. There is no third time. Everything ends here as Japan faces a new threat from King Ghidorah, a three headed dragon like creature, and Godzilla regenerates and resurfaces to combat the monster. The film saw its Premiere screening at the New York Film Festival at the end of September and is released in the USA and here in Australia this week, having garnered generally positive early critical reviews.

'LOVE ON DECK' (Rated G) - is an Australian romantic comedy film Directed by Colin Budds who made his feature film Directing debut with 'Hurricane Smith' in 1992 and woulds go on to helm the documentary 'Danger Zone : Stunt School' in 2007, 'Romance at the Vineyard' in 2023 and 'A Vintage Christmas' in 2024, as well as Directing numerous TV series and short films throughout his career to date. Here then, after a devastating professional betrayal, ex-lawyer Samara Hart (Rhiannon Fish) has rebuilt her life from the ground up - trading courtrooms for creativity as the owner of her own event-planning business. When her longtime friend Liv Stevens (Lana Golja) hires her to plan her parents' lavish 40th wedding anniversary celebration aboard a luxury yacht in tropical Queensland, Samara thinks it's the perfect job . . . until she discovers the charter captain is Nate Lawson (Daniel Lissing), the former colleague she blames for destroying her career. Forced together at sea, their stubborn banter gives way to undeniable chemistry neither can ignore.

'THE POLICEWOMAN' (Rated MA15+) -  this Australian true crime feature documentary film is Co-Produced, photographed, Directed and Edited by Steven Pasvolsky who made his feature film debut with 'Deck Dogz' in 2005 and would follow this up with other doco's including 'Calibrate' in 2021 and 'The Power of Activism' in 2023. This film chronicles Narelle Fraser's journey from young constable in the 1980's, to a respected and highly skilled detective with Victoria Police. It depicts her 'real life' story, yet is told with creative license, including archival footage, interviews and re-enactments using miniature models. These re-enactments support her memories in an internal way as she recounts the events and encounters that shaped her Police life. 

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-