OBSESSION : Tuesday 26th May 2026.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'OBSESSION' at my local multiplex earlier this week, and this American supernatural horror film is Written, Directed and Edited by Curry Barker who made his feature film debut with 'Milk & Serial' in 2024. He also has 'Anything But Ghosts' currently in post-production for an as yet undisclosed release date. This film saw its Premiere showcasing at TIFF in early September last year, was released Stateside and here in Australia earlier this month, has garnered favourable critical acclaim, cost just US$1M to produce, and has so far taken US$96M at the global Box Office.  

Baron 'Bear' Bailey (Michael Johnston) has romantic feelings for his childhood friend Nikki Freeman (Inde Navarrette), with whom he works at a music store together with their friends Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless). Bear returns home after practicing his chat-up lines to a waitress in a diner, as Ian watched on and gives his less than enthusiastic opinion. As Bear walks into his kitchen, he is greeted by the sight of his cat, Sandy, lying dead on the floor having gotten into a container of pills and consumed a reasonable amount. Bear is devastated. Later that evening he receives a call from Nikki asking him if he is intending on joining her, Ian and Sarah at a local trivia night. Bear declines, but he is reluctantly persuaded by Nikki to go. While on the call Nikki looses a crystal necklace and so Bear goes shopping for a replacement for Nikki at a mystic shop, but instead on buying a new crystal he buys a 'One Wish Willow' instead - a novelty toy that claims to grant one wish when broken in two. 

Later that evening after trivia, Bear drops Nikki off at her house and she asks him if he likes her - which he denies out of fear and complete lack of confidence around women. Frustrated with himself, Bear breaks the One Wish Willow, wishing for Nikki to love him more than anyone in the world. Nikki reappears and asks to sleep at Bear's house, revealing her father is dying of cancer. In Bear's bed, she kisses him, but abruptly screams and pushes him away, apologising profusely just a moment later.

The next morning, Nikki creates a memorial on the kitchen floor with the remains of Bear's cat by taking its body from the trash. This greatly disturbs Bear. She later explains her erratic behaviour as a result of taking MDMA and admits her feelings for him. In turn, they become a loving couple, to the complete amazement of Ian and Sarah, and their friendship group.

At a restaurant over dinner, Nikki and Bear are sharing each others goals and aspirations in life. Bear, perhaps jokingly says he'd like to be a food critic. Ian calls Bear and tells him that Nikki expressed disinterest in Bear shortly before they got together and that her estranged father is not dying of cancer but is in fact fit and healthy. Upon being confronted with this news, Nikki causes a scene at the restaurant and becomes very upset until Bear de-escalates the situation and promises not to mention it again. That night, Bear wakes up at about 3:00am to find Nikki not in bed next to him. He looks around the darkened room, and Nikki reveals herself from a far corner saying that she was watching him sleep, and accuses him of not loving her as much as she loves him. The next morning, she duct tapes the front door shut. Bear forces the door open and still leaves for work, where he discovers, having taken a couple of bites, that Nikki packed him a sandwich made from Sandy's cooked remains, with a post it note which on one side read for the food critic and on the other, how do you like cat? Needless to say he vomits it up.

Bear calls One Wish Willow's customer support as written on the back of the packaging, hoping to alter his wish. The voice on the other end says the wish cannot be altered or reversed, and will only expire when Bear or Nikki dies, then asks if Bear would like to contact Nikki - when Bear answers yes, he hears Nikki screaming in anguish, and he abruptly hangs up. 

Nikki joins Bear at a party at Ian's house, which was originally intended as a boys night because Ian didn't want Nikki there, because of her increasingly erratic and unpredictable nature. Nikki however, became emotionally unstable again when Bear said he was going to Ian's on a boys only night, and so he relented and let her join. During a game of drunk Jenga, Nikki recites a violent, incestuous retelling of Hansel and Gretel, disturbing and horrifying the guests. Bear draws a block daring him to kiss the person to his left, which is Sarah. Nikki ousts Sarah from her seat and kisses Bear instead, then suddenly begins screaming and stabbing her own face with a broken bottle, before snapping back. Back home that evening, Nikki threatens suicide to make Bear join her in bed. 

Later that night as Bear and Nikki lie in bed, with Bear wide awake and Nikki sleeping, Sarah texts Bear at about 2:00am, asking him to meet her in a nearby park. While Bear gingerly untangles himself from Nikki and attempts to leave, the real Nikki claims her obsessive persona is asleep and pleads with Bear to kill her, but Bear refuses and leaves. In her car, Sarah reveals Ian and Nikki were in a casual sexual relationship for years, before hinting at her own attraction to Bear. Nikki suddenly appears, smashes the window and then repeatedly slams Sarah's head into a brick, mangling her face completely to mush, and killing her outright. Nikki calmly reminds Bear that this is what he wished for and instructs him to go home while she disposes of Sarah's body.

Bear revisits the mystic shop and buys the last two One Wish Willows and tries to use one to reverse his wish, but it fails to break in two as hard as he tries to snap it, as each person is limited to just one wish. He explains everything to Ian and begs him to use another One Wish Willow to undo the wish on his behalf. Ian, in disbelief, instead wishes for a billion dollars and cash immediately begins raining down on them both from his ceiling, much to Bear’s frustration.

Feeling hopeless, Bear returns home with the last One Wish Willow to ask Nikki to reverse his wish. He discovers Sarah's nude, mangled corpse sitting in an arm chair in the lounge and Nikki wearing Sarah's clothing, and has new tattoo's above her breast and on her upper arm, just as Sarah did. Nikki threatens Bear and herself at gunpoint. Ian arrives exclaiming his joy that the One Wish Willow came true, and Nikki shoots him dead with a bullet to the head before he could even finish his sentence. Bear says that they should go take a shower to wash off the blood and gore from their faces and bodies, but Bear locks Nikki out of the bathroom. She frantically bangs on the door demanding to be let in, but Bear has decided to kill himself. After deciding not to shoot himself though the heart or in the head with the gun he extracted from Nikki, he decides to overdose on oxycodone instead to forcibly end the wish. After swallowing a mouthful of pills he has second thoughts and attempts to make himself vomit, but before he can, Nikki uses the final One Wish Willow on Bear. Under the control of Nikki's wish, Bear emerges from the bathroom and kisses Nikki before he collapses from the overdose and dies in her arms, Heartbroken, Nikki prepares to shoot herself, but once Bear dies she becomes her real self again and starts wailing upon seeing the carnage around, and on her.

With 'Obsession' the horror genre has has found its latest auteur in Curry Barker, who here has delivered us a film that is creepy and freaky, gruesome, emotional, at times darkly humorous and one which adds a chilling dimension to the traditional RomCom with an innate sense of atmospheric dread. Inde Navarrette gives an outstanding performance as the obsessive and possessive Nikki, changing from seemingly lovey dovey sweetness and light girlfriend to totally unhinged yet at times relatably believable antagonist. The film will leave you pondering over its meaning and messages long after the end credits have rolled, and hails a new voice in the genre just as it did with Zach Cregger with 'Barbarian', Jordan Peele with 'Get Out' and Ari Aster with 'Hereditary'. The only downside to this movie is that at times its gets a little repetitive, but don't let that stop you from seeing this film on a big screen, and as a timely reminder, be careful what you wish for!

'Obsession' warrants 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 28th May 2026.

The 66th Krakow Film Festival (KFF) this year is held from Sunday 31st May through until Sunday 7th June in the Polish city of Krakow. Founded in 1961 when it was called the Polish Short Film Festival, the Krakow Film Festival is one of the oldest events in the world dedicated to documentary films, short animations and short feature films. The core of the festival consists of four equal competitions - documentary, DocFilmMusic, short film and Polish one. During the eight days of the festival, viewers have the opportunity to watch about two hundred films from around the world. They are presented in competitions and numerous special sections. The festival is accompanied by exhibitions, concerts, outdoor screenings and meetings with filmmakers, as well as KFF Industry – an event aimed at the film industry . . . . . so reads the official website. 

In this years International Documentary Film Competition, there are thirteen titles from across the globe - works that refuse to look away from the burning questions of our time whilst boldly pushing beyond the boundaries of classical documentary filmmaking. The Krakow Film Festival invites its audiences to reflect on the future of cinema, encounter extraordinary personalities, and to journey to the furthest corners of the world. Competing for this year’s top honours are films of formal daring and emotional intensity - unafraid of intimacy, and wholly capable of casting a critical eye over reality. 

Those thirteen films are as given in brief, below :-

* 'Around Paradise' - from Germany and Written and Directed by Yulia Lokshina. A group of well-off Europeans are trying to flee as far as possible from vaccines, taxes, Islam, the spectre of a third world war and a climatic catastrophe. They are searching for freedom in poor regions of southern Paraguay, where they set up a self-sufficient enclave.

* 'Holofiction' - from Germany and Austria and Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Michal Kosakowski. Few historical events have been portrayed on screen as often as the Holocaust. And few have become so entrenched in cliches, stereotypes and conventions. We are treated to a daring video essay compiled from clips of over 3,000 feature films made in the period from the late 1930's right up to the present day. The images, edited thematically, come together to form a single coherent work, engaging (without words!) with fictional representations of the Holocaust.

* 'If Pigeons Turned to Gold' - from the Czech Republic and Slovakia and Written, Directed, Co-Photographed and Edited by Pepa Lubojacki. Filmed over a seven year period, the film follows the lives of four family members, whose shared past has grown into a fragmented, contrasting present.

* 'Magic Hour' - from Poland and Written and Directed by Marcin Borchardt. The film tells a story of a brilliant clan of Polish cinematographers focusing on Piotr Sobocinski, whose Hollywood career and untimely death reveal the dark side of success in the film industry.
* 'Redlight to Limelight' - from India, Finland and Latvia and Written and Directed by Bipuljit Basu. CAM-ON is an amateur film group made of sexual workers from Calcutta and their children. In the real setting of slums, they are working on their first feature film based on their own, often painful, experiences.

* 'Silent Flood' - from Ukraine and Germany and Directed, Co-Photographed and Co-Edited by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk. On the banks of the Dniester in Western Ukraine lives an isolated community that ignores socioeconomic development. The Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupts their idyllic daily life and becomes a challenge to their pacifist views.

* 'Synthetic Sincerity' - from the UK and Co-Written, Produced, Directed, Photographed and Edited by Marc Isaacs. How to make a face generated by artificial intelligence to be more human? For example, you can train AI on the characters of documentary films. The Director agreed that his work be used. The result is a witty hybrid of documentary and fiction exposing the blurring of many boundaries in the AI era.

* 'The Arctic Circle of Lust' - from Finland, Germany and Sweden and Written and Directed by Markku Heikkinen. In the Far North, emotions and passions can reach fever pitch. A middle-age farming couple find out about it for themselves when the man discovers he is not attracted only to women, and she gives him the go-ahead.

* 'The Fabulous Time Machine' - from Brazil and Co-Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Eliza Capai. Although they live in one of the poorest regions of Brazil, they almost burst the screen with girlish energy. The protagonists invite us to a very colourful world on the cusp of carefree fun and coming of age, which usually brings a definitive end to innocence.

* 'The Tale of Silyan' - from North Macedonia and the USA and Co-Produced and Directed by Tamara Kotevska. What could an old Macedonian legend about a boy turned into a stork possibly have in common with farmers’ protests on the fringes of modern-day Europe?

* 'The Winning Generation' - from the Netherlands and Co-Written and Directed by Marco de Stefanis. For twelve years the camera had followed a young Armenian activist who, over time, became a politician and is fighting for the sovereignty of his country, which remains under constant threat from Moscow.

* 'Tickling the Devil' - from Poland and Co-Written, Produced, Directed and Co-Photographed by Piotr Malecki. Christopher Morris took part in twenty-eight wars. Armed with a photographic camera, he documented bloody conflicts across the world. Today, he tries to lead a peaceful family life, but the demons of war continue to haunt him, and turbulent American reality calls out to him at every turn.

* 'Tristan Forever' - from Switzerland and Co-Written, Directed, Photographed and Co-Edited by Tobias Nolle. The eponymous Island is considered the most isolated of all inhabited places on Earth. It is here where a Parisian physician returns after thirty years with a plan to stay forever this time.

For the full details of the other competitive strands - the Short Film Competition (36 films), the National Competition (41 films) and the DocFilmMusic Competition (eight films), and the other sections being showcased, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.krakowfilmfestival.pl/en/66th-kff/

Turning the focus back to this weeks four hot new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a musical comedy drama offering about a past-his-prime wedding singer, who meets a fading boy-band star during a gig, and the two bond over music and a late-night jam session, in this feel-good story about music, self-respect, friendship, and the price of ambition. Next up we have a biographical drama film in which, after the sudden death of her father, a woman turns to the ancient art of falconry, training a wild goshawk named Mabel to navigate her profound loss. Then we turn to a Sci-Fi horror story where, after a therapist's patient disappears into a dimension beyond reality, she must venture into the unknown to save him. And closing out the week we have a Hong Kong film telling the story of how after being raped, a Pastor's daughter committed suicide, and years later, when the rapist is released from prison, he joins the Pastor's church!

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

'POWER BALLAD' (Rated M) - is an American and Irish musical comedy drama film Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by John Carney, whose Directorial debut in his own right, 'On the Edge' was released in 2001, and he would follow this up with other movies taking in 'Once' in 2007, 'Begin Again' in 2013, 'Sing Street' in 2016 and 'Flora and Son' in 2023. This film saw its World Premiere screening at the Dublin International Film Festival in early March this year, is released in the US, the UK, Ireland and here is Australia this week, and has garnered generally favourable critical reviews.

Rick Power (Paul Rudd), wedding singer, meets washed up former boy band singer, Danny Wilson (Nick Jonas), at a wedding one night and bonds with him over a jam session. After the jam session, Danny steals one of Rick's songs, and it becomes a number one hit that brings Danny back into popularity, leading to Rick seeking out revenge and the recognition he believes he is owed - even if it means risking everything he cares about. Also starring Havana Rose Liu, Jack Reynor, Peter McDonald (who also Co-Wrote the screenplay with John Carney) and Sophie Vavasseur.

'H IS FOR HAWK' (Rated M) - this UK and US Co-Produced biographical drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe in her third feature film outing following 'Swallows and Amazons' in 2016 and 'Misbehaviour' in 2020. This film is based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by naturalist Helen MacDonald. The film chronicles Helen Macdonald’s (Claire Foy) experience of grief following the sudden death of their father Alisdair Macdonald (Brendan Gleeson) and their decision to train a goshawk named Mabel, as a means of coping with that loss. The narrative interweaves two strands - Macdonald’s personal bereavement and the practical and psychological challenges of falconry. Also starring Denise Gough, Sam Spruell, and Lindsay Duncan. It saw its Premiere showcasing at the Telluride Film Festival in late August last year and was released in the UK and the USA towards the end of January this year, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$3M.

'BACKROOMS' (Rated M) - is an American Sci-Fi horror film Directed by Kane Parsons, in his feature film making debut, and is based on his own web series published in January 2022 as the short film 'The Backrooms (Found Footage)' which he posted to his YouTube channel, and which went viral and expanded into twenty-four more short films culminating in a web series that has had 77 million views as of May 2026. Here then, Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) a depressed and misanthropic furniture store owner feeling stuck in the simplicity of his life, seeking help from his therapist Dr. Mary Kline (Renate Reinsve), one night discovers a doorway in his store that transports him into the haunting and seemingly never ending backrooms. Also starring Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett and Lukita Maxwell. The film cost less than US$10M to produce and is released in the US this week too. 

'VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH' (Rated MA15+) - this Hong Kong crime drama film is Co-Directed by Sen Lam and Antonio Tam and Written by Antonio Lam. Here, Pastor Leung (Anthony Wong) who preaches God's forgiveness, finds himself in a dire situation when Chi Lok (George Au), a young man who raped and caused the death of his daughter years ago, is released from prison and unexpectedly joins his church. Can the pastor forgive him despite his instinct for vengeance? The film was released in early June 2025 in its native Hong Kong, having seen its Premiere screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival in late October 2024, and only now does it get a limited showing in Australia, having so far grossed US$645K and garnering mixed or average reviews.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

IN THE GREY : Tuesday 19th May 2026

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'IN THE GREY' earlier this week, and this American action thriller film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Guy Ritchie, best known for his feature films including 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' his 1998 Directorial debut, then 'Snatch' in 2000, 'Sherlock Holmes' in 2009 and 'Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows' in 2011, 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' in 2015, 'The Gentlemen' in 2019, 'Operation Fortune : Ruse de Guerre' in 2023, 'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' in 2024 and 'Fountain of Youth' in 2025. This film was released in the USA and Australia last week, has so far grossed US$5M, and has generated mixed or average critical reviews. 

The film opens up with a SUV driving down a road hugging the side of a mountain, before it pulls off. Inside the car is Braxton (Darrell D'Silva), his henchman and Axel Olsson (Kristofer Hivju). Braxton takes a call and asks the two to leave the vehicle and step out side momentarily. Braxton says to the caller that he has the signed paperwork, and that Salazar agreed to pay the US$1B debt that he owes. Axel then shoots dead the henchman, and Braxton who by now now has exited the SUV in a panic. He too is shot dead, and Axel leans over his corpse, retrieves the letter, and calls Salazar, who tells him to destroy it. In the meantime, Rachel Wilde (Eiza Gonzalez) a street smart, tough as nails specialist lawyer, whose particularly adept at recovering large sums of money from those who aren't supposed to have it, visits New York banking Executive Bobby Sheen (Rosamund Pike), whose employer is wanting to recover the US$1B it loaned to criminal dictator Manny Salazar (Carlos Bardem), who has successfully evaded capture over recent years by adopting numerous aliases. Rachel says she can do the job, but wants a commission for her troubles of 20%, but Bobby negotiates her quickly down to 15%, with US$10M upfront payment in addition bargains Rachel, which Bobby accepts. 

Rachel has at her disposal a crack team of other lawyers, plus various other experts in surveillance, computer hacking, cyber security etc. plus a pair of assets in Bronco (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Sid (Henry Cavill) who in turn have a team of mercenaries for hire at their disposal. They are armed to the teeth with the latest gadgets, vehicles, weapons, covert surveillance gear and the wherewithal to take out a small country - which is exactly what they need to do, as Salazar owns and rules over a small island off the coast of Portugal, which they need to infiltrate. 

And so Bronco travels to Salazar's island with his team, while Sid travels to Jeddah and is met by his contact there with the aim of shutting down Salazar's construction of a major hotel development. And so Sid bribes the building engineer to the tune of US$25K, and in the process laying off some 400 Saudi construction workers and costing Salazar millions each week in lost productivity. Next up Rachel targets Salazar's private jet and then his ocean going super yacht which she has forfeited, and then a giant oil rig waiting dockside to be imminently commissioned. Meanwhile, Salazar's own lawyer William Horowitz (Fisher Stevens) is beside himself at Rachel's doggedness at pursuing Salazar and has to front up to his boss every time there is another development to explain away her actions. Needless to say Salazar is becoming increasingly frustrated and anxious, and unusually demands a face to face meeting with Rachel. 

And so Rachel flies onto the island and is flanked by Sid and Bronco who join her at her cosy little meeting at Salazar's private villa. Salazar says that he is prepared to pay US$400M of the debt and not a penny more, and if she doesn't agree she can fuck off. The meeting ends there with Rachel walking away. The plan was then to extract Rachel off the island by using one of three planned escape routes which Bronco and Sid had meticulously planned and rehearsed multiple times over the previous several weeks, and covering off on all possible scenarios. 

As a consequence Rachel digs in hard and goes after Salazar's business interests by having court injunctions taken out on all of his known company's, thereby having them effectively closed down with the front doors chained, padlocked and guarded. This naturally causes Salazar more financial pain and anguish, so he calls another face to face meeting with Rachel, at which he offers her US$800M to pay off his debt. Rachel won't budge however, and replies that she knows every last detail of every shell company he has dotted all around the world, and will happily expose his nefarious deeds to the very long arm of the law. Salazar relents and agrees to pay back the US$1B on the condition that all of his assets are returned to him and that his various business interests are freed up. Rachel agrees.

Upon leaving, Salazar orders Axel to hunt them down and kill them. And so begins an all guns blazing chase as Sid and Bronco and their four mercenary colleagues attempt to extract Rachel off the island, against Salazar's team of Police and his own militia of about fifty men try to thwart their enemy. Needless to say it doesn't end well for Salazar's small army that may have the numbers of boots on the ground, but they don't have Sid and Bronco's latest technical wizardry, military grade weapons, specialist vehicles or pre-set booby traps which are all used to great effect, including taking down Alex with a bazooka as he fires on our two likely lads and Rachel from a helicopter. 

As Rachel is taken off the island by boat, Sid and Bronco remain behind to attend to some last minute business, saying that they'll catch them up. And so the pair return to Salazar's villa posing as maintenance men. Salazar appears and orders them to leave, but Bronco steps up behind him and injects him with a serum that knocks him old cold. Wrapping him up in cling film leaving only his mouth and nose exposed, they load him into a shipping container and send him off to Miami, Florida. There, the FBI converge on the container to find a battered and bruised Salazar sat on the floor sucking on a cigar. The FBI Officer calls out Salazar's name to which he responds, my name is Smith. 

In the opening voiceover Rachel comments that she and her team exist somewhere between what is legal and illegal, between what is moral and immoral, and between what is black and what is white - in the grey! And so it is with scribe and film maker Guy Ritchie who has crafted a film which is full of exposition like he's spoon feeding the audience with his on-screen graphics of what's about to play out. The action sequences are all reasonably well staged but offer up nothing we haven't seen a hundred times before; the banter and the quips between Sid and Bronco come thick and fast with some landing and others falling by the wayside; and the cast are all beautifully coiffed and kitted out in designer wear that wouldn't look out of place in 'The Devil Wears Prada 2'. As for the plot, well you can leave your brain in neutral and go along for the ride, which exists 'in the grey' - it's neither that good, nor that bad either, and at a brisk 98 minute run time doesn't outstay its welcome.

'In the Grey' 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 21st May 2026.

The 30th American Black Film Festival (ABFF) takes place this year from Wednesday 27th through to Sunday 31st May, at Miami Beach, Miami, Florida, USA. This premier annual event is dedicated to empowering emerging talent and showcasing film and television content by and about people of African descent. Founded in 1997, the festival was conceived to strengthen the independent film community through resource sharing, education, and artistic collaboration. From its trailblazing start as a destination film festival, ABFF has evolved into Hollywood’s leading talent discovery platform. Today, it attracts a global community of creators, executives, and enthusiasts. Featuring a dynamic mix of film screenings, panel discussions, master classes, networking events, and lifestyle experiences, the five-day festival in Miami Beach draws more than 7,000 attendees annually, serving as a vital platform for emerging voices and creative excellence in the industry. This year ABFF celebrates its 30th anniversary under the theme 'Homecoming', as a tribute to the festival’s rich legacy and the global community it has cultivated over three decades. This milestone event will honour the past while looking toward the future, reaffirming ABFF’s role as the premier destination for discovering and elevating diverse talent in Hollywood and beyond . . . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night film is 'Strung', which is an American psychological thriller film Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, and is about a talented violinist who takes a prestigious job as a music tutor for the gifted daughter of an influential and enigmatic family. As she becomes entangled in their opulent world, unsettling secrets begin to surface, forcing her to question her safety, her dreams, and even her sanity. Starring Chloe Bailey, Lynn Whitfield, Lucien Laviscount, Anna Diop, Coco Jones, and Romy Woods. 

In the Narrative Features (US & International) competitive section of feature-length films Directed by, or Written and Produced by persons of African descent. Selected films compete for Jury Awards, including the Grand Jury Prize for Best US Narrative Feature, Directing Award, Screenwriting Award, and Performance Award. International films are eligible to compete for the Grand Jury Prize for Best International Feature. There are twenty titles in this section, as detailed briefly below :-

* 'Garden of Silence' - from Brazil and Italy and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Henrique Dantas. World Premiere.

* 'Southside Kev' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jamel Furlow. World Premiere.

* 'Athena A.I.' - from the USA and Directed by Corey Grant. World Premiere.

* 'Bust!' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced, Directed and starring Richie Kamtchoum.

* 'Waking Up Horny' - from the USA and Written and Directed by Michael Arcell. World Premiere.

* 'Otra' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced, Directed and starring Armani Ortiz. World Premiere.

* 'That's Her' - from the USA and Co-Written and Directed by Nina Lee. World Pemiere.

* '93 'til' - from the USA and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Alterik Miller. World Premiere.

* 'Funny Feelings' - from the USA and Directed by Rhonda Baraka. World Premiere.

* 'Sr.' - from the USA and Co-Written and Directed by Toroes Thomas Jnr. 

* 'Lights Out' - from Cameroon and Directed by Enah Johnscott. US Premiere.

* 'Seahorse' - from Canada and Written, Directed and starring Aisha Evelyna. 

* 'Small Gods' - from the UK and Co-Written and Directed by Asher Rosen. US Premiere.

* 'Voices : The Musical' - from the USA and Directed by Deante Gray. World Premiere.

* 'A Story About You' - from the USA and Co-Produced and Directed by Joseph E. Austin II. 

* 'Three Colours : Pan-African' - from the USA and Directed by Elijah Davis, Allison A. Waite, Tyler Ocasio Holmes, and Co-Written and Co-Produced by Elijah Davis. 

* 'Hoop Street' - from the USA and Directed by Princeton James. US Premiere.

* 'Girl Dad' - from the USA and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Solvan Slick Naim, and starring Courtney B. Vance. World Premiere.

* 'Homage' - from the USA and Co-Produced, Directed and starring Miles Mussenden. World Premiere.

* 'Montmartre' - from the USA and France and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Leon Hendrix III. 

For the full synopsis of the above named films, plus the details of the other official selections including the Spotlight Screenings, Documentary Features, the Short Film Award Showcase, the Voices of Culture shorts section, African Stories shorts section and more, plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.abff.com

Looking ahead then to this weeks six new movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to your home, we kick off with an epic Sfi-Fi action adventure offering that is part of a near fifty year old franchise set in a galaxy far far away, in which the evil empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy, and so a fledgling New Republic enlists the help of this duo to protect everything the Rebellion fought for during the Empire’s reign, in a time where remaining Imperial warlords threaten the tender peace of the star system. This is followed by an Aussie black comedy about a man who is evicted from his rental home, moves back with his pregnant wife into his parents house, and while focusing on his parents wealth, decides to achieve success through unimaginable actions. Next up there is a supernatural horror film that follows a couple tormented by a demonic entity after a highway accident. Then we turn to a British RomCom about a lovesick musician who is given the wrong number for his dream girl, and so he teams up with a driven psychology student to find her. Following on we have a biopic that transports us back and forth in time, from early 20th Century Prague through to the present day, in this richly detailed portrait of one of literature's most influential and elusive figures. And closing out the week we have a French comedy drama offering where an elderly billionaire woman gives hundreds of millions of euros to a younger gay artist she is close to, only for her daughter to file a complaint for abuse of a vulnerable person, and a scandal erupts.

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 week ahead.

'THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU' (Rated M) - AKA 'Star Wars : The Mandalorian and Grogu' is an American Sci-Fi action fantasy film Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jon Favreau, the American Actor and filmmaker whose previous feature film Directorial efforts include his debut with 'Made' in 2001, which he would follow up with the likes of 'Elf' in 2003, 'Iron Man' in 2008, 'Iron Man 2' in 2010, 'Cowboys & Aliens' in 2011, 'Chef' in 2014, 'The Jungle Book' in 2016, and 'The Lion King' in 2019. This film forms part of the 'Star Wars' franchise and a continuation of the Disney+ TV series 'The Mandalorian' which has so far run for three seasons.

Following the fall of the Galactic Empire, during a period where remaining Imperial warlords threaten the galaxy, the New Republic enlists Din Djarin/The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and his apprentice Grogu to rescue Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White) in exchange for information from the Hutt clan on a New Republic target. The film also stars Sigourney Weaver, cost US$165M to produce and is released in the US this week too.

'BIRTHRIGHT' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian black comedy satire film is Written and Directed by Zoe Pepper in only her second feature film offering following 'Fads & Miracles' in 2022. Here, set against the housing crisis in Australia that makes it very difficult for young people to purchase their first home, as demand far outweighs supply and as the cost of both apartments and houses skyrockets making Australia one of the most expensive property markets in the world. Cory (Travis Jeffrey) who recently lost his job and his pregnant wife Jasmin (Maria Angelico) are evicted from their rental property and move back into the home of Cory's parents Richard (Michael Hurst) and Lyn (Linda Cropper) on the outskirts of the city. What begins as uneasy dependence spirals into paranoia, as both generations confront their failures and fears. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC in early June last year, and subsequently screened at all the major Australian film festivals throughout the remaining months of 2025. The film has generated largely positive critical reviews.

'PASSENGER' (Rated MA15+) - is an American supernatural horror film that is Directed by Andre Ovredal whose prior feature film credits take in 'Trollhunter' in 2010, 'The Autopsy of Jane Doe' in 2016, 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' in 2019 and 'The Last Voyage of the Demeter' in 2023. A few weeks into their van life adventure, a young couple Maddie (Lou Liobell) and Tyler (Jacob Scipio) witnesses a horrific accident that leaves the driver dead. Soon they're being pursued by a demonic stalker known as The Passenger (Joshua Lopez) who's impossible to outrun, follows them wherever they go and won't stop until it claims them both. The film also stars Melissa Leo, and is released Stateside this week also. 

'FINDING EMILY' (Rated M) - this British RomCom is Directed by Alicia MacDonald in her feature filmmaking debut. When a lovesick musician Owen (Spike Fearn) is given the wrong number for his dream girl, he teams up with a driven psychology student Sami (Angourie Rice) to find her. So he decides to send a text message to all 318 Emily's on campus in an attempt to find his dream girl. Together, Owen and Sami, spark a hilarious, campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way. Also starring Minnie Driver. The film is released in the UK this week too and not in the US until 28th August.

'FRANZ' (Rated MA15+) - is a Czech Republic, Polish, French, German and Turkish Co-Produced biographical film Directed by Agnieszka Holland who made her feature length debut with 'Provincial Actors' in 1979, and would follow this up with other titles including 'Angry Harvest' in 1985, 'Europa Europa' in 1990, 'The Secret Garden' in 1993, 'Washington Square' in 1997, 'In Darkness' in 2011, 'Mr. Jones' in 2019 and 'Green Border' in 2023. Here then, Prague at the beginning of the 20th Century, and Franz Kafka (Idan Weiss) is torn between the strict expectations of his father Hermann (Peter Kurth), his monotonous daily routine at an insurance company, and his deep-rooted urge to write and thus give literary expression to his innermost feelings. His texts finally receive initial attention, while he continues to try to lead a life between conforming to others, such as his dominant father, and self-realisation. Time and again, Franz experiences intense relationships with women who enchant him to the utmost, inevitably facing the tensions between closeness and withdrawal. Supported by his friend and publisher Max Brod (Sebastian Schwarz), the picture emerges of a man searching for his place in the world - between a sense of duty, inner turmoil and creative expression, before his premature death from tuberculosis in 1924 aged just 40. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival back in early September last year. 

'THE RICHEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD' (Rated M) - this French and Belgian Co-Produced comedy drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Thierry Klifa who made his feature length debut in 2004 with 'Une vie a t'attendre', and would follow this up with other titles taking in 'His Mother's Eyes' in 2011, 'All That Divides Us' in 2017 and 'Rachel's Game' in 2023. Here, Marianne Farrere (Isabelle Huppert), heir to a major cosmetics empire and considered the richest woman in the world, meets Pierre‑Alain Fantin (Laurent Lafitte), a Parisian writer‑photographer, during a photoshoot. Their unexpected encounter develops into a close and ambiguous friendship that blends admiration, fascination, and tension. As Marianne navigates her immense wealth, she faces family secrets, shifting loyalties, and a series of increasingly high‑stakes emotional and financial entanglements. The film saw its World Premiere screening at last years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May, and was released in its native France at the end of October, has garnered generally favourable reviews and has so far grossed US$7.5M at the Box Office.

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 coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

HOKUM : Tuesday 12th May 2026.

I saw the M Rated 'HOKUM' earlier this week, and this Irish, UAE and US Co-produced supernatural horror film is Written and Directed by Damian McCarthy, in his third feature film making outing following 'Caveat' in 2020 and 'Oddity' in 2024. The film Premiered at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in mid-March this year, was released Stateside and here in Australia the week ending 1st May, has received generally positive critical reviews, and has so far grossed US$18M from a production budget of US$5M.

The film opens with reasonably successful novelist Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) struggling to write the Epilogue of his 'Conquistador' trilogy. After experiencing a brief vision of the ghost of his mother at home, Ohm decides to visit The Bilberry Woods Hotel in rural Ireland, where his parents had honeymooned, to lay their ashes finally to rest. Upon arrival, he is greeted by the hotel staff - owner Cob (Brendan Conroy), his son-in-law and front desk clerk Mal (Peter Coonan), groundskeeper Fergal (Michael Patric), bartender Fiona (Florence Ordesh) and bellhop Alby (Will O'Connell). 

While checking in for his week long stay, Ohm overhears Cob tell two children the story of a local witch who kidnaps children, clasps their hands in shackles and leads them in chains on a tour through the underworld, where they are clawed at by the souls who live there. Ohm is abrasive and dismissive toward the staff, but strikes up a friendlier rapport with Fiona after she identifies the location of a photo his mother took, standing next to a redwood tree. While spreading his parents' ashes - his mothers which he places thoughtfully around the roots of the tree, and his fathers which he empties out randomly next to the same tree, he meets and bonds with Jerry (David Wilmot), a local living in his van who frequently consumes milk laced with the ground up powder of magic mushrooms. He offers Ohm some of his homemade 'moonshine', which he gratefully knocks back a few sips before returning the bottle and going on his way.

Later that night in the bar while downing a couple of glasses of whisky, Fiona and Alby tell Ohm that the honeymoon suite is locked off, has been for many years and is supposedly haunted by a witch that Cob had trapped inside. Ohm dismisses this as 'hokum'. After belittling Alby's dreams of a writing career, Ohm returns to his room. Concerned, and having left his voice recorder and the photo of his mother at the bar, Fiona goes to check on Ohm and has Alby unlock his door. As she walks in to his room and switches on the light Fiona discovers he has hanged himself. Ohm comes round in hospital, alive thanks to Fiona's intervention. When he returns to the hotel, Mal informs him that Fiona has been missing since the hotel's Halloween party and Jerry is the #1 suspect for both Fiona's disappearance and the murder of his wife some years prior. The hotel is in final preparations to close for the winter season, and so Ohm collects his luggage and leaves.

However, Ohm pulls up a short distance away, and confronts Jerry at his van, who claims to have seen Fiona's ghost in the hotel directing him to the honeymoon suite. Ohm doesn't believe Jerry's story but agrees to check the suite with him. Jerry confesses to killing his wife, but says it was a mercy killing due to her terminal illness. With the hotel now closed for the season, Ohm and Jerry break in to investigate, once all staff and their vehicles have left, and undercover of darkness. 

Fergal remained back at the hotel however, and knocks Jerry unconscious, cable ties his hands together and bundles him into the back of his van before driving him to the Gardai (the national Police and Security Service of the Republic of Ireland). Fergal doesn't see Ohm who has snuck out of sight when Fergal appears. Ohm sneaks into the honeymoon suite, where he is haunted by supernatural visions of his mother and memories of shooting her dead by accident with his father's gun as a child. Ohm falls asleep on the honeymoon bed and is abruptly woken by Mal, who pleads with Ohm that they must return back downstairs and out of the honeymoon suite. 

Ohm inspects a dumbwaiter, discovering Fiona's corpse inside, dressed in her Halloween bunny outfit. Mal locks Ohm in the suite and flees the hotel. Ohm finds his tape recorder on Fiona and learns from her voice recordings that she was pregnant with Mal's baby, and that Mal drugged her and locked her in the suite to prevent his family finding out.

Jerry comes round in Fergal's van and is able to cut through the cable ties with a pocket knife, and jumps out of van's rear doors and escapes to the hotel. The hauntings intensify as Ohm struggles to find a way out. Spotting a fire escape on a map of the basement, Ohm removes Fiona's body to a nearby chair and descends via the dumbwaiter. He reaches the fire escape but finds it bricked up. Hearing eerily ghost like noises following him he quickly rushes back to the dumbwaiter and ascends to whence he came from. The Witch (Sioux Carroll) though follows him, enters the room but he fends her off with a circle of chalk he draws around the honeymoon bed. He falls asleep and wakes up the next morning with no sign of the Witch. A short time later Mal arrives at the hotel to dispose of Ohm and is surprised to find a badly injured Jerry from his fall out of the van. Ohm manages to ring the suite bell, alerting Jerry to his presence. Ohm starts a fire in the suite by covering an electric plug in heater with a thick blanket. Meanwhile, Mal shoots Jerry dead with Fergal's crossbow, as Jerry attempts to break into the suite to release Ohm. 

Ohm flees into the basement again, and is pursued by Mal. Ohm draws another chalk circle to protect himself in the narrow basement corridor, but not before being shackled and chained himself. Mal is also confronted by the witch, who shackles and chains his hands and leads him to the underworld. Ohm makes peace with his mother's ghost and removes his own chains before escaping back up the dumbwaiter and out of the honeymoon suite. As the hotel burns, Ohm is saved by Fergal after he hears Fiona's spirit calling to him. 

Alby visits Ohm in hospital, telling him Fiona and Jerry's remains have been found but Mal is missing. Alby admits to vengefully spiking Ohm's whisky with Jerry's magic mushroom powder. Ohm notices he still has bruises on his wrists consistent with being placed in shackles, and recalls Jerry telling him that drugs allow people to open their mind to the supernatural. Ohm agrees to read Alby's manuscript the next day, and finishes opening his laptop and writing a more hopeful ending to his Conquistador (Austin Amelio) trilogy. 

With 'Hokum' Writer and Director Damian McCarthy has here crafted a modern day ghost story replete with tension, emotion, drama, the requisite jump scares, horror elements and a few moments of real jet black humour, as the perfectly cast Adam Scott delivers his sardonic, depressed and guilt ridden role with a deft touch. The atmosphere and sense of dread created on screen is almost palpable, which when added to the sound mix and production design make for a very worthwhile entry into the Irish horror folklore genre, that is certainly worth the price of your cinema ticket despite there being a couple of fairly glaring plot holes (spot them if you can!)

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-