SPIDER-MAN : BRAND NEW DAY - Tuesday 4th August 2026.

I saw the M Rated 'SPIDER-MAN : BRAND NEW DAY' this week, and this American Superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and is the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It is the fourth instalment in the MCU 'Spider-Man' series following 'Spider-Man : Homecoming' in 2017, 'Spider-Man : Far From Home' in 2019 and 'Spider-Man : No Way Home' in 2021. These first three films, all starring Tom Holland as the web-slinging hero, grossed a total US$3.94B at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets of US$535M. This instalment is Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton who made his feature film debut with 'I Am Not a Hipster' in 2012, and which he would follow up with the likes of 'Short Term 12' in 2013, 'The Glass Castle' in 2017, 'Just Mercy' in 2019, and 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' in 2021 - also an MCU offering. This film is part of the MCU's 'Phase Six' which began with 'The Fantastic Four : First Steps' released in mid-2025. 'Spider-Man : Brand New Day' had its Premiere in Los Angeles on 27th July and was released in the US, here in Australia and all major territories last week. The film has garnered generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed US$1.18B at the global Box Office off the back of a US$225M production budget becoming the second-highest opening weekend gross of all time worldwide, the highest opening weekend gross of all time in the USA and Canada, and the highest grossing film of 2026 to date. 

Following Dr. Stephen Strange's spell at the end of the last instalment - 'Spider-Man : No Way Home', the world has forgotten that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) exists. Four years later, Parker anonymously protects New York City but has deliberately distanced himself from those he used to know and love. This self imposed seclusion also extends to his former girlfriend Michelle 'MJ' Jones-Watson (Zendaya) and his best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon). Later, while speaking on his mobile phone to NYPD Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colon-Zayas), Parker intercepts a message about a tank running amok through the city streets heading for the Department of Damage Control (DODC) building. The driver had been telepathically possessed, and the telepath is able to body hop from person to person to help Mac Gargan (aka Scorpion [Michael Mando]), an enhanced criminal Parker previously captured, to escape. Parker enquires with Yelena Belova (aka Black Widow [Florence Pugh]) at a city bathhouse she uses as her office, who tells him someone has repeatedly attacked the DODC in search of 'V-Max'. Parker questions DODC director Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman) at his office, who claims to have no knowledge of this V-Max.

Parker meets with Ned and MJ, who have moved back to New York after graduating from MIT at a house warming party in MJ's apartment, but fail to recognise him. Parker returns home distressed, and wakes up the next morning with heightened senses and organic webs coming out of his wrists. He tracks down Gargan, now possessed by the telepath, who tries to break back into the DODC. The telepath mocks him, and Parker reacts with uncharacteristic violence, brutally beating Gargan and inadvertently injuring a responding Police Officer. 

Hoping to control his new mutations, Parker visits Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to enquire about the inhibitor device that uses siRNA to control his alter ego, the Hulk. On Banner's suggestion, Parker makes his own inhibitor to limit his powers, while also working on a second 'universal inhibitor' to suppress the telepath's abilities. Before Parker can finish, the telepath finds him and, after learning about MJ, possesses her and tricks Parker into revealing his true identity. 

After the telepath leaves MJ, Parker takes her to Frank Castle's (aka Punisher [Jon Bernthal]) hideout to keep her safe. With Castle's equipment and MJ's insight, Parker completes both inhibitors, and discovers that the telepath is named Jean Grey (Sadie Sink). When Jean attacks the DODC again, this time in person and using a possessed Hulk, Parker subdues her using his universal inhibitor, and turns her over to the DODC. Before losing consciousness, Jean mentions someone named Sara. 

Metzger claims that Sara is a recently deceased colleague Jean learned about while possessing his mind. When Parker returns to Castle's hideout, MJ confronts him with the letter she found but which he never delivered, that Parker had written for her and Ned to explain the spell that erased their memories. He explains himself and declares his love for MJ, but she responds that she does not know him and therefore does not love him. Despite this, she invites him to her apartment, where they and Ned spend time bonding.

After hearing MJ recount how she is unable to remember anything while being telepathically possessed, Parker realises that Metzger lied to him. He contacts Yelena, who learns from redacted DODC files that Sara (Olivia Booth-Ford) is Jean's sister, another telepath who was kidnapped by the DODC. Metzger meanwhile has begun experimenting on Jean's mind, as she realises 'V-Max' is the fading text on the label on the air conditioning vent above the holding cell, the last thing Sara saw before she died. Enraged, Jean psionically locks the area around her for a radius of about a mile from where she sits. 

Parker, who is still resistant to her abilities, enters the DODC to stop her. Jean rebuffs him and possesses a large group of the Hand ninjas, who have been working for the DODC. Initially overwhelmed, he removes his inhibitor and embraces his mutations, using his new abilities to defeat the Hand. Parker allows Jean to enter his mind, where she finds a memory of his aunt May (Marisa Tomei), who accepted his abilities and loved him for himself. Parker offers Jean understanding over her loss and shields her from Castle, who tries to shoot her from outside using a long range rifle, sustaining a near-fatal wound.

Parker wakes up in the hospital with Castle, who explains that Jean kept him alive while in critical condition. From his hospital bed he sees that the walls are adorned with get well soon wishes from his legion of fans, many of which have also gathered outside the hospital to catch a glimpse of their superhero. In the aftermath, a guilt-ridden Jean quietly leaves the city, Metzger disappears, and the DODC comes under investigation. Parker, placing fresh flowers beside his Aunt May's gravestone, vows he does not need to be alone to be Spider-Man. Seeing Ned again, he introduces himself using their old handshake, a gesture which Ned reciprocates and acknowledges his old friend simply saying 'Peter?' 

With 'Spider-Man : Brand New Day' Director Destin Daniel Cretton has delivered us a MCU instalment that doesn't feel as convoluted, over paced, chock full of otherworldly CGI or has many of us suffering from Superhero fatigue. Instead what we have here is a story of loneliness, isolation, emotion, charm, wit, energy, drive and the obligatory well executed action sequences that all add up to an enjoyable night at the movies. Tom Holland has matured and settled into the role in this his fourth outing as your friendly neighbourhood webslinger, who inhabits his character with conviction and who wears his heart well and truly on his sleeve. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon as returning MJ and Ned respectively all add an emotional depth to this film perhaps not seen in previous outings, Jon Bernthal as the Punisher adds a brutal and at times comedic interlude to the proceedings and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey the antagonist turned protagonist lands a grounded performance and I'm sure we'll see her again in future MCU offerings. Overall, its not surprising to see the Box Office receipts for this film or the largely positive critical press, and maybe, just maybe, this film will revitalise the recently flagging MCU.

'Spider-Man : Brand New Day' 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 6th August 2026.

This years 74th Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) runs from Thursday 6th August through until Sunday 23rd August in the capital city of Melbourne, in the State of Victoria, Australia. MIFF is an independent not-for-profit organisation that has been continuously running since 1952, making it the premier film festival in Australia and one of the world’s oldest film festivals, alongside Venice (founded in 1932), Cannes (founded in 1939) and Berlin (founded in 1951). Presenting a curated global programme of innovative screen experiences and the world’s largest showcase of exceptional Australian filmmaking, MIFF is an accessible, iconic cultural event that provides transformative experiences for audiences and filmmakers alike. MIFF will continue to innovate and build on its decades of achievements to ensure that Melbourne retains its place as the cultural capital of Australia and that MIFF remains Australia’s largest and most significant film festival in terms of international profile, industry engagement, audience size, and the quality and breadth of both its festival and industry programmes . . . so reads the official website. 

This years Opening Night Gala film presentation is 'Wicker' from the USA and this romantic fantasy film is Written and Directed by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, and stars Peter Dinklage, Richard E. Grant, Elizabeth Debicki, Nabhaan Rizwan, Marli Siu, Alexander Skarsgard and Olivia Colman. A fisherwoman lives on the fringes of a seaside village; she is unmarried, stinky, and constantly teased. One day, sick of her stuffy, narrow-minded neighbours, she orders a wicker husband for herself. Australian Premiere screening.

MIFF’s film competition, Bright Horizons, celebrates filmmakers on the ascent, featuring an extraordinary international line-up of first- and second-time filmmakers competing for one of the richest film prizes in the world.

There are ten films competing for the Bright Horizons Award. These are as given in brief below :-

* 'Big Girls Don't Cry' - from New Zealand, this drama film is Written and Directed by Paloma Schneideman in her debut feature. Australian Premiere.

* 'Blue Heron' - from Canada and Hungary, this drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sophy Romvari. Australian Premiere.

* 'Elephants in the Fog' - from France, Germany, Brazil, Nepal and Norway, this drama film is Directed by Abinash Bikram Shah. Australian Premiere. Winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at this years Cannes Film Festival.

* 'The Friend's House Is Here' - from the USA and Iran, this drama film is Written, Produced and Directed by Hossein Keshavarz and Maryam Ataei, and Edited by Hossein Keshavarz. Australian Premiere. Winner of the US Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast at this years Sundance Film Festival.

* 'Goodbye, Cruel World' - from France, and this drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Felix de Givry in his feature film debut. Australian Premiere.

* 'Josephine' - from the USA, this drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Beth de Araujo in her feature film making debut, and stars Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan. Australian Premiere. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in this years Sundance Film Festival US Dramatic Competition,

* 'La Gradiva' - from France and Italy, this drama film is Co-Written, Co-Photographed and Directed by Marine Atlan in her feature film Directorial debut. Australian Premiere. Winner of this years Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week Grand Prize.

* 'Sweet Milk Lake' - from Australia and this drama film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Harvey Zielinski in his feature debut. World Premiere. 

* 'Wicker' - from the USA and this historical fantasy drama comedy film is Written and Directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson. Refer above Opening Night Film presentation. 

* 'Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep' - from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Palestine and Qatar, this drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rakan Mayasi in his feature Directorial debut. Australian Premiere.

For the descriptors of the above named films in official competition, plus the full low down on all of the other strands being showcased, and a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.miff.com.au

Turning the focus back to this weeks tranche of seven new movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to your home, we begin with a pair of American slasher horror offerings, the first of which is about a queer Director making a slasher film franchise sequel who becomes obsessed with casting the original film's 'final girl', leading both women into psychological and sexual chaos; and this is followed by a story set during an idyllic summer that turns into sheer terror as an ice cream man serves up sweet delights, with horrifying results. Then we have a British black comedy period piece where a gloriously unscrupulous social climber and his razor-sharp wife prepare to host a dinner party for a Duke and Duchess in 18th-century England. Next up is an American historical biographical war drama in which a young man faces war, betrayal and impossible choices that ultimately will forge a leader. Following on we have a Canadian and New Zealand Co-Production that sees a lost boy in search of heaven, three odd nuns on a mission, a car powered by God (and stolen money), all embarking on a road trip like no other. Then we turn to an Aussie comedy drama film about a celebrated composer facing death, his volatile working-class neighbour, and a sharp New York writer who together form an uneasy alliance over the course of one weekend in Far North Queensland; before closing out the week with the third instalment in this mildly successful franchise that sees the Troopers try to bring down a new drug ring, while Farva's wildly over-the-top engagement to the Senior Troopers sister spirals into chaos.

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 week ahead.

'TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA' (Rated MA15+) - is an American slasher horror film that is Written and Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, whose previous Directing outings are 'We're All Going to the World's Fair' in 2021 which they would follow up with 'I Saw the TV Glow' in 2021. This film had its World Premiere screening in mid-May as the opening film of the Un Certain Regard section at this years Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Queer Palm. It is released in the US this week also.

After years of slapdash sequels and waning fandom, the long-running 'Camp Miasma' slasher franchise is handed over to an enthusiastic young queer Director Kris (Hannah Einbinder) for resurrection. But when she visits the original movie's star Billie Presley (Gillian Anderson), she becomes fixated on the prospect of casting the now-reclusive Actress who is shrouded in mystery. As the two women begin to work together, they fall into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear, and delirium. Also starring Jack Haven and Patris Fischler. 

'ICE CREAM MAN' (Rated R18+) - this American slasher horror film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Eli Roth, whose prior Directorial credits take in the likes of his debut with 'Cabin Fever' in 2002, then 'Hostel' in 2005, 'Hostel : Part II' in 2007, 'The Green Inferno' in 2013, 'Knock Knock' in 2015, 'Death Wish' in 2018, 'Thanksgiving' in 2023 and 'Borderlands' in 2024. Here, an idyllic suburban town descends into madness when a mysterious ice cream man (Ari Millen) serves sweet treats that turn children into homicidal maniacs with horrifying results. The film is released Stateside this week too, and this is the first film in Eli Roth's founded horror label 'The Horror Section'. 

'SAVAGE HOUSE' (Rated CTC) - is a British black comedy period film Written, Co-Produced, Directed, Edited and scored by Peter Glanz in only his second feature film Directorial outing following 'The Longest Week' in 2014. Set in 18th-Century England, the film follows Sir Chauncey Savage (Richard E. Grant), a gloriously unscrupulous social climber propped up by debt and bravado. When invited to host the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire because a massive pox outbreak and the Jacobite uprising, Chauncey and his razor-sharp wife, Lady Savage (Claire Foy), launch a bid to impress. Their desperate attempts to climb the social ladder and mask the decay of their crumbling estate spiral into infidelity, duels, decadence and bloodshed, as their performance spins way out of control. Also starring Jack Farthing, Bel Powley and Kila Lord Cassidy. The film was released in the UK, Ireland and the USA in early June, has so far grossed US$464K and has generated largely positive critical press.

'YOUNG WASHINGTON' (Rated M) - this American historical war drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jon Erwin who together with his brother Andrew Erwin helmed their debut feature film in 2011 with 'October Baby' and would go on to Direct 'Mom's Night Out' in 2014, 'Woodlawn' in 2015, 'I Can Only Imagine' in 2018 and 'American Underdog' in 2021 amongst others. Before he became the first President of the United States of America, he was a soldier fighting to survive. A single misstep thrusts young George Washington (William Franklyn-Miller) into the centre of a global conflict, testing his honour, loyalty, and courage. As alliances crumble and the frontier erupts into the French and Indian War of 1753-1755, he must confront not only his enemies but the man he's becoming. Also starring Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis, Kelsey Grammer, Mary-Louise Parker, Joel Smallbone and Mia Rodgers. The film has garnered mixed critical reviews and has so far grossed US$41M from a production budget of US$20M, having been released Stateside in early July. A sequel is already in the works allegedly titled '1776' and tracing Washington's experiences during the American Revolution. 

'HOLY DAYS' (Rated PG) - is a Canadian and New Zealand Co-Produced comedy film Written and Directed by Nat Boltt in her feature film making debut, and is based on the book of the same name by Dame Joy Cowley. Accompanied by an unhappy young boy Brian Collins (Elijah Tamati), three unconventional nuns Sister Agnes (Judy Davis), Sister Luke (Miriam Margolyes) and Sister Mary Clare (Jacki Weaver) embark on a wild and chaotic road trip across New Zealand to retrieve the deeds to their convent. When an unexpected snowstorm derails their journey, they soon find themselves confronting loss, mortality and the transformative power of love, forgiveness and connection. The film had its World Premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in early February this year, and was released in New Zealand on 26th February, and the USA on 27th March, having so far grossed US$340K and has generated mixed or average critical reviews.

'STORM BIRD' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian comedy drama film is Co-Produced and Directed by James Ivor and Eryk Lenartowicz in their joint feature film making debut, and is Written, and stars James Ivor. Here, Richard Hollingsworth (Anthony Phelan), a once-revered composer now a reclusive nihilist, living out his final months in isolation. When Jack Sprawling (James Ivor), a tough but kind-hearted working-class neighbour facing jail time, saves him from a sudden heart attack, their lives unexpectedly intertwine. Together with Carla (Serena ven Sandalwood), a sharp New York author documenting Richard’s life, the three unlikely companions spend a transformative weekend in Far North Queensland confronting the past, unearthing personal truths, and forging unexpected bonds across social divides.

'SUPER TROOPERS 3' (Rated MA15+) - is an American comedy film Directed and starring Jay Chandrasekhar who also Directed the previous two offerings in this franchise in 2001 and 2018, with those two films grossing a combined US$55M off the back of total production budgets of US$16M. When Trooper Rodney 'Rod' Farva's (Kevin Heffernan) wildly over-the-top Indian engagement to Thorny's sister Sarita Makundan (Hannah Simone) spirals into chaos, the Super Troopers must navigate Senior Trooper Arcot 'Thorny' Ramathorn (Jay Chandrasekhar) schemes to break up the relationship, while trying to crack a pernicious new drug ring - all to save the day and maybe the wedding itself. Also starring Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Brian Cox, Erik Stolhanske, Nat Faxon and Marisa Coughlan. The film is released in the US this week too. 

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 coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

WHAM! 10 DAYS IN CHINA - Tuesday 28th July 2026.

I saw the M Rated 'WHAM! 10 DAYS IN CHINA' earlier this week and this UK documentary film is Directed by Mike Christie who has over forty Directing credits specialising in films, TV series and documentaries about action sports, music and arts.  This 90-minute film consists of 'newly restored footage' and personal interviews with Andrew Ridgeley, 'members of the touring party', and fans. This film has had just a little bit of troubled history in that George Michael and Director Andy Morahan took over to re-edit the original film from the one filmed by Director Lindsay Anderson titled 'If You Were There' after he was dismissed because the group considered his cut of the film to concentrate more on life in the Communist led country rather than the duo themselves. The re-edited film was retitled 'Wham! in China : Foreign Skies' which Premiered at Wham!'s farewell concert on 28th June 1986. After public screening of Anderson's cut was blocked by Michael and his estate, 'If You Were There' was finally screened publicly at the BFI Southbank in May 2024, with the co-operation of George Michael Entertainment and Ridgeley. This film was released worldwide this week before being broadcast in the UK on BBC Two and BBC Music, and has generated positive critical reviews.

In 1985, Wham! performed in China as part of their 1984/85 tour, The Big Tour. The duo, which consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, became the first Western pop group to visit the country. Their manager Simon Napier-Bell, had hatched a plan for how the duo could potentially break into the elusive US market, without the need to travel the country for months on end playing small venues to crowds of people who didn't know them from Adam. After about eighteen months of negotiations with Communist Party authorities, his patience and resilience paid off with his securing the Wham lads two gigs, in Beijing and Guangzhou, with various publicity appearance in between time and a a photo call with various western media journalists on the Great Wall. 

It's fair to say the boys hated all the media attention, especially Andrew, while George was a little more accepting. And who can blame them? Here they were, two young twenty-something year olds thrust into a strange land and being expected to act diplomatically, answer political questions, and be accepting of the cultural differences in a land that was only just beginning to open up to western influences. Running alongside the media circus, they also had film Producer Martin Lewis propose a fly-on-the-wall documentary, to be helmed by noted Director Lindsay Anderson who had previously Directed 'This Sporting Life' in 1963, 'if . . .' in 1968, 'O Lucky Man!' in 1973 and 'Britannia Hospital' in 1982. Anderson accepted, but ultimately kept on leaning towards a more culture-clash theme to the film, while the music people just wanted a glorified promotional film. Anderson was fired after the tour, having been bad tempered and cynical the whole time, and making no secret of his dislike for the music of Wham! - he was sixty-two years of age at the time however!

The duo performed concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou on 7th and 10th April respectively. The two concerts couldn't have been more polar opposite in terms of the reception from the audience. The first at the Peoples Gymnasium in Beijing on 7th April was played out in front of a crowd of some 13,000 people. The gathered audience largely remained seated the whole time; were seemingly non-plussed about how they were expected to interact with the music and George, Andrew, their backing vocalists Pepsi and Shirley and the other band members; and when they clapped their hands they did so out of time to the music and with their hands in their laps. After this very stilted reception George commented 'the first feeling was of failure, there was no way we could communicate. And when we actually found out what had gone on [with people being told not to dance] I was just furious. Obviously, I felt responsibility at the time to represent my generation from the west in a good light and pop music in a good light'. 

The next day the boys had to front up to the British Ambassador's residence in Beijing for a bit of hob nobbing with the social elite, which again made the lads feel ill at ease, but again for the sake of the gathered press and photo journalists they made the best of it. The day after was a rest day, in which the boys are seen playing a game of football against a team of locals, with Andrew proving that he's quite adept at the game while George was a lost cause. Later that day the other band members and crew flew out to Guangzhou leaving George and Andrew in Beijing to fly out early the next day. George and Andrew stayed behind for an interview with CBS News Reporter Phyllis George, which was beamed across to all the major news channels in the USA later that same day, giving them instant exposure and putting them on a trajectory to break the American market as was George's desire all along. 

The concert in Guangzhou on 10th April was much more in line with what the boys had been used to from their western audiences. Guangzhou is much closer to the border with Hong Kong than Beijing is, and as such Guangzhou had already begun to open up to western culture some two or so years earlier, and was also on the receiving end of TV and radio channels broadcast from Hong Kong, which had a far more western influence. This audience were up and dancing, arms raised above heads clapping in time with the music, and singing along, and even the police security were taking part. George, Andrew, the band and the crew were on a high after that gig. Four months after the boys left China they were playing to packed out arenas in the USA and had truly made their mark on American soil, as was the intention of Simon Napier-Bell when he set up these two gigs, over ten days in China. 

And so I saw 'WHAM! 10 Days in China' at my local independent cinema, and the film was preceded by a George Michael and Wham tribute band who played a 45 minute set and got the packed out theatre dancing and singing along in the aisles - great fun! If like me you are a product of the 1980's and grew up in the UK during the Margaret Thatcher years, on a diet of bands like WHAM!, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Tears for Fears, Heaven 17, ABC, Simple Minds, Human League and others of that ilk, then this film is a nostalgic trip down memory lane to a time that was much more simple and easy going, less complicated and less stressful. It was a time of great music that still resonates to this day, and whose influence still has a place in 2026. Whether you're a fan of WHAM! and/or the late great George Michael then this film is a must see, and even if you're not then go see it for the interesting and informative insight into the power of music and its ability to unite across cultural divides.

'WHAM! 10 Days in China' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 30th July 2026

The New Zealand International Film Festival this year takes place from Wednesday 29th July through until Sunday 9th August in the city of Auckland, located in the north of New Zealand's North Island. This is a national event whose aim it is to enhance the appreciation of, and engagement with, global art and culture by providing access to a diverse range of high-quality film. A programme of between 150-170 features is presented in Auckland and Wellington. The Festival opens in Auckland one weekend and gets underway in Wellington the next, overlapping for ten of their respective seventeen-day seasons. A smaller programme then travels to eleven further centres including Dunedin, Hamilton, Nelson,  Napier and Christchurch. The consolidation of several separately evolved Festivals into a single event known as The New Zealand International Film Festival occurred for the first time in 2009. In 2020, the Festival was rebranded 'Whanau Marama : New Zealand International Film Festival' . . . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night Film presentation is 'Big Girls Don't Cry' from New Zealand and is Written and Directed by Paloma Schneideman in her debut feature film. It’s the summer school holidays of 2006 and stormy fourteen-year-old Sid (Ani Palmer) is desperate to reinvent herself. She lives with her dad (Noah Taylor) and older sister (Tara Canton) in a rural town near Omaha in the Auckland Region, the usually-sleepy beach destination that, during the summer, brings an influx of holidaymakers - a fresh audience for Sid’s performance of her ideal self. Not a girl, not yet a woman, she’s aching to be recognised as a grown up by her family, by boys, by the bewitching older girls who seem so impossibly at ease in themselves and their bodies, namely her older sister’s friend Freya (Rain Spencer). 

The Closing Night Film is 'Coward' from Belgium, France and the Netherlands and is Co-Written and Directed by Lukas Dhont. Set in the trenches of World War I, on the Western Front, a platoon of young Belgian soldiers joins the ranks of the foot soldiers fighting the Germans in the mud and dread. Among them is Pierre (Emmanuel Macchia), a tall farmer of few words who soon witnesses the atrocities of the battlefield. When away from the front, the soldiers find respite in the extravagant performances of a cabaret troupe led by the dainty son of a tailor, Francis (Valentin Campagne). His delicate appearance and his imaginative singing and dancing casts a spell on dreamy-eyed Pierre, who feels an intimate connection that he dares not speak about.

In the 'Fresh' strand of films being showcased, this section is representative of first narrative features from bold new voices in international cinema. There are fifteen films in this strand as given briefly below :-

* '9 Temples to Heaven' - from France, Norway and Thailand, and Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Sompot Chidgasornpongse. A gently funny exploration of family, faith and the tensions between Thailand’s spiritual and modernist dimensions.

* 'Ben'Imana' - from France, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Norway and Rwanda and is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo. This powerful drama wrestles with truth, justice and forgiveness during community-based reconciliation proceedings eighteen years after the horrors of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.

* 'Blue Heron' - from Canada and Hungary and Directed by Sophy Romvari. A portrait of a family in crisis told through the perspective of a young child as she struggles to understand her older brother’s increasingly unsettling behaviour.

* 'Elephant's in the Fog' - from Nepal and Co-Written and Directed by Abinash Bikram Shah. A missing daughter. A forbidden love. A community the world has never seen on screen – until now.

* 'First Light' - from Australia and the Philippines and Written and Directed by James J. Robinson. A ruthless workplace cover-up by a powerful family throws a nun into an existential crisis.

* 'Goodbye, Cruel World' - from Belgium and France and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Felix de Givry. A bullied 14-year-old sends farewell letters to his classmates and vanishes, but when a girl from his school spots him wandering the streets at night, the two begin to build a fragile, secret world of their own.
* 'If I Go They Will Miss Me' - from the USA and Directed and Co-Edited by Walter Thompson-Hernandez. A portrait of a young boy caught between his own burgeoning artistic identity and his father's rigid expectations of masculinity.

* 'La Gradiva' - from France and Italy and Co-Written, Directed and Co-Photographed by Marine Atlan. Following a high school group travelling to Naples and Pompeii, frames this story of unrequited love and adolescent turmoil against a backdrop of precious artefacts from ancient history.

* 'Sad Girlz' - from France, Mexico and Spain and Written and Directed by Fernanda Tovar. This film explores the power of female teenage friendship in the aftermath of a sexual assault at a New Year’s Eve party.

* 'Sleepless City' - from France and Spain and Co-Written and Directed by Guillermo Galoe. This film portrays a vivid depiction of the maligned, frequently misrepresented Roma shanty-towns on the fringes of Madrid.

* 'Strange River' - from Germany and Spain and Co-Written and Directed by Jaume Claret Muxart. Seeped in sunshine with rhythmic hints of fleeting childhood fantasy, this film is a sensitive, poetic and intuitive exploration of adolescent awakening.

* 'Too Many Beasts' - from France and Germany and Co-Written and Directed by Sarah Arnold. Set amid the forests and farmlands of northeastern France, this film transforms a local feud between farmers, hunters and corrupt authorities into a wildly entertaining reflection on power, class and humanity’s uneasy relationship with nature.

* 'Trial of Hein' - from Germany and Written and Directed by Kai Stanicke. Mystery swirls around Hein's return to his native island after fourteen years on the mainland. Is it really him? The villagers hold a trial, to determine if it is really him and probe into the strangers identity.

* 'We Are Aliens' - from Japan and Directed and Co-Edited by Kohei Kadowaki. This anime feature is set in an ordinary Japanese town, where two boys, Gyotaro and Tsubasa, form a friendship as primary school students but as years drag on, betrayal and rejection fracture their once special bond. Later, lingering impacts of school bullying set off a chain of events that will ultimately lead to a violent confrontation as adults.

* 'Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep' - from Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rakan Mayasi. A truck in flames, a woman gone, and two sisters left to pay the price.

For the full run down of all the other film strands being screened at this years NZIFF, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www. nziff.co.nz

Turning the focus back to this weeks three new movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with the 38th instalment in the MCU that sees our forgotten Peter Parker now living alone as a full-time web-slinging hero until mounting pressure triggers a dangerous change and a powerful new enemy emerges. Then we have a Brazilian dystopian drama film in which to maximise economic productivity, the government orders elderly people to move to remote housing colonies, but a 77-year-old woman refuses and embarks on a journey through the Amazon that will change her destiny forever. And closing out the week we have a documentary that showcases restored footage that reveals the untold story of the iconic tour that helped launch WHAM!

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

'SPIDER-MAN : BRAND NEW DAY' (Rated M) - this American Superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and is the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and the fourth instalment in the MCU 'Spider-Man' series following 'Spider-Man : Homecoming' in 2017, 'Spider-Man : Far From Home' in 2019 and 'Spider-Man : No Way Home' in 2021. These first three films, all starring Tom Holland as the web-slinging hero, grossed a total US$3.94B at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets of US$535M. This film is Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton who made his feature film debut with 'I Am Not a Hipster' in 2012, and which he would follow up with the likes of 'Short Term 12' in 2013, 'The Glass Castle' in 2017, 'Just Mercy' in 2019, and 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' in 2021 - also an MCU offering. This film is part of the MCU's 'Phase Six' which began with 'The Fantastic Four : First Steps' released in mid-2025. 

Following Dr. Stephen Strange's spell at the end of the last instalment - 'Spider-Man : No Way Home', the world has forgotten that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) exists. Four years later, Parker anonymously protects New York City as the hero Spider-Man and investigates a powerful new threat while his superpowers undergo a surprising and potentially dangerous evolution. Also starring Zendaya as MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle aka Punisher, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner aka Hulk, Michael Mando as Mac Gargan aka Scorpion, Tramell Tillman and Sadie Sink. The film is released this week too in the US.

'THE BLUE TRAIL' (Rated M) - is a Brazilian, Mexican, Chilean and Dutch Co-Produced dystopian drama film, and is Co-Written and Directed by Gabriel Mascaro, who made his narrative feature film debut with 'August Winds' in 2014, and would follow this up with 'Neon Bull' in 2015 and 'Divine Love' in 2019. In an effort to boost the economy, the government creates distant colonies for the elderly, ensuring them a comfortable end to their lives. Teresa (Denise Weinberg), a 77-year-old, finds herself unexpectedly included in the programme due to a lowered age threshold. With only days left before her relocation, she decides to defy her fate and embarks on a journey through the Amazon to fulfill one last wish - to take her first aeroplane ride. Because permission is refused, she secretly embarks on a boat trip as an illicit passenger and has numerous encounters along the way. The film saw its World Premiere at the main competition of the Berlin International Film Festival in mid-February 2025, where it won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. It has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$345K at the Box Office, having done the rounds at many worldwide film festivals throughout last year. 

'WHAM! 10 DAYS IN CHINA' (Rated M) - this UK documentary film is is Directed by Mike Christie who has over forty Directing credits specialising in films, TV series and documentaries about action sports, music and arts. In 1985, Wham! performed in China as part of their 1984/85 tour, the Big Tour. The duo, which consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, became the first Western pop group to visit the country. During their ten-day visit, the duo performed concerts in Beijing and Guangzhou on 7th and 10th April respectively. The 90-minute film consists of 'newly restored footage' and personal interviews with Andrew Ridgeley, 'members of the touring party', and fans. The film is released worldwide this week before being broadcast in the UK on BBC Two and BBC Music. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-