What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 10th September 2026.

The 51st edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this years runs from Thursday 10th September though until Sunday 20th September in Toronto, the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. TIFF is dedicated to presenting the best of international and Canadian cinema and creating transformational experiences for film lovers and creators of all ages and backgrounds. As Canada's premiere home of cinema, TIFF offers screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals, workshops, events, professional development and opportunities to meet, hear and learn from filmmakers from Canada and around the world. At TIFF, you can celebrate with the best of Canadian and global cinema, special events and talks with stars, plus TIFF : The Market, where the global film, series, and innovation industries come together to power the future of the screen sector . . . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Film presentation is 'Being Heumann' and this biographical drama film is Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Sian Heder, and is s an adaptation of the memoir 'Being Heumann : An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist' by Judith Heumann. In 1977, disability rights activist Judy Heumann (Ruth Madeley) leads a historic 28-day occupation of San Francisco's Federal Building, uniting protesters in a fight for accessibility laws and equal rights. Also starring Mark Ruffalo, Dylan O'Brien, Rob Delaney and Ray Fisher. The Closing Film is 'Villeneuve : The Rise of a Legend' and this biographical drama film is Directed by Yan Lanouette Turgeon and charts the early life of Canadian racing driver Gilles Villeneuve (Remi Goulet), centring on his early efforts to establish his racing career. 

This year there are twenty-four feature films in the Gala Presentations section of the festival, which include the following titles :-

* 'Always Lalisa' - from the USA and this documentary film is Co-Produced and Directed by Sue Kim, and it features Thai rapper and singer Lisa Manobal, following a year in Lisa's life as she naviagtes the challenges of launching a solo career independently of her group 'Blackpink' pursuing acting, and building her brand while maintaining her personal life. 

* 'The Assassin(s)' - from South Korea, and this crime political thriller is Directed by Hur Jin-ho and is set in 1974 and follows the attempted assassination of Korean President Park Chung-hee on 15th August of that year.

* 'Atonement' - from the USA and this drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Reed Van Dyk. A troubled US marine seeks to reconcile with the survivors of a family his unit fired on in Iraq in 2003. Starring Boyd Holbrook, Kenneth Branagh and Hiam Abbass.

* 'Babies' - from the USA and this comedy drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Lauren Miller Rogen. A couple struggling with whether to have kids or not have their lives upended when their newly-divorced friend moves into their home with her child. Starring Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, Kate Berlant, Issa Rae, Dan Stevens, Sharon Stone, Ed Helms, David Strathairn and Ashley Park. 

* 'Being Heumann' - refer above Opening Night film presentation.

* 'Bunker' - from France and Spain, and this psychological thriller film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Florian Zeller. An architect's marriage is tested after he accepts a project to build a bunker for a billionaire. Starring Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Stephen Graham, Paul Dano, Partick Schwarzenegger, Mark Gatiss and Eileen Atkins.

* 'Evil Genius' - from the USA and this crime thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by Courteney Cox. The film tells the story of the death of Brian Wells, a high-profile 2003 incident often referred to as the 'collar bomb' or 'pizza bomber' case. The FBI investigation into his death uncovered a complex plot described as 'one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI'. Starring Patricia Arquette, David Harbour, Garret Dillahunt, Danielle Macdonald and Owen Teague.

* 'Girl Group' - from the USA, the UK and Australia, this comedy film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rebel Wilson. The film follows a Korean American high school student and her friends as they enter a global talent competition for the chance to open for the world’s biggest K-pop boy band. Along the way, they receive guidance from a former British girl-group member and an ex-K-pop trainee while trying to earn their place on an international stage. Starring Rebel Wilson, Randall Park, Melanie Chisholm, Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts, Sally Hawkins and Jennifer Coolidge. 

* 'The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd' - from the USA and this prison drama thriller film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Tim Blake Nelson. A teacher in an abusive relationship takes a job at a maximum security prison, where she falls for a charismatic inmate. Starring Amanda Seyfried, Scoot McNairy and Missi Pyle.

* 'Misty Green' - from the USA and this drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Chris Rock. Award-winning actress Misty Green, stuck in the throes of a fading career, revisits her past and addresses her personal demons as she tries for a comeback after reconnecting with her former agent. Starring Rosalind Eleazar, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace and Chris Rock.

* 'The Only Living Pickpocket in New York' - from the USA and this crime thriller film is Written and Directed by Noah Segan. Aging career pickpocket Harry Lehman is forced into a desperate, high-stakes race against time through the streets of his city. Starring John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Steve Buscemi and Jamie Lee Curtis.

* 'Onwards and Sideways' - from the UK and this drama film is Directed by John Madden. A school teacher and a composer meet after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease on the same morning. Starring Laura Linney, Rhys Ifans, Monica Dolan and Rory Kinnear.

* 'Prima Facie' - from the UK and Australia, and this drama film is Directed by Susanna White. Tessa Ensler has risen from a working class background to be a confident and successful defence barrister. However, her confidence is shaken one night by the actions of a colleague. Starring Cynthia Erivo, Daniel Ings, Simon Russell Beale and Harry Treadaway.

* 'A Talent for Murder' - from the USA, the UK, Switzerland and Italy, this thriller film is Directed by Anton Corbijn. A young man travels from New York to Switzerland to try to persuade acclaimed thriller writer Patricia Highsmith to write one final instalment of her Tom Ripley series, with his efforts gradually turning more sinister. Starring Helen Mirren, Alden Ehrenreich, Olivia Cooke and Juliet Stevenson. 

* 'Tenzing' - from Nepal, Australia and the USA and this biographical drama film is Co-Produced and Directed by Jennifer Peedom. The untold and inspiring tale of one of the most important mountain climbers in history who, with Edmund Hillary, became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Starring Genden Phuntsok, Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe and Caitriona Balfe. 

* 'Up Against It' - from the USA and this romantic comedy film is Co-Produced and Directed by Trudi Styler. When a divorced couple's daughter falls ill, doctors tell her parents the only cure is for them to have another child who could save their sister. Starring Antonio Banderas, Eva Birthistle, Forest Whitaker, Richard E. Grant and Mickey Sumner.

* 'Villeneuve : The Rise of a Legend' - refer above Closing Night film presentation.

The recipients of the TIFF Tribute Awards include Rosalind Eleazar and Isabelle Huppert as the winners of the Performer Award, Lee Chang-dong as the winner of the Director Award, Sian Heder as the winner of the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media, Penelope Cruz and Fan Bingbing as recipients of the Special Tribute Award, Seth Rogen for the Norman Jewison Award, and Helen Mirren as recipient of the Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award.

For the details of the other films in the Gala Presentations section, plus the other strands being showcased, including Special Presentations, Centrepiece, TIFF Docs, Discovery, Platform and Midnight Madness, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.tiff.net

Turning the focus back to this weeks eight new movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we begin with a romantic fantasy film that is a sequel to a film that first hit cinemas 28 years ago, and here we find those same two two witches who must confront the dark curse that threatens to unravel their family once and for all. This is followed by a South Korean Sci-Fi action thriller in which a Police Chief, a rookie Policewoman and a group of hunters try to track down and kill a mysterious creature that's laying waste to a Korean village. Then we turn to an action comedy thriller where a high-end courier has three hours to transport a liver from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. Next up is a comedy Sci-Fi that sees an aspirational millennial couple who become unwitting custodians of a sentient kombucha strain while trying to decide between children and a career. Following on we have a Hong Kong drama romance film about a twenty-something year old woman living with cerebral palsy who longs for connection and bonds with her volunteer carer, and as they draw closer, she redefines love beyond her physical limits, finding the courage to embrace intimacy. Up next is an Aussie hybrid docudrama that explores family obligation, aging, and generational trauma in contemporary China. Turning next to a music doco about the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom. And closing out the week we have a Canadian animated adventure comedy film aimed at our younger audience where the Paw Patrol crash-lands on a dinosaur populated island and are thrown into a series of rescues.

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

'PRACTICAL MAGIC 2' (Rated M) - this American romantic fantasy film is Directed by Susanne Bier, is based on the 2021 novel 'The Book of Magic' by Alice Hoffman, and is the sequel to 1998's 'Practical Magic'. The first film was Directed by Griffin Dunne, received mixed critical acclaim at the time, but has since gone on to gain a cult following and grossed just US$68M from a production budget of about the same. Susanne Bier's previous feature film output take in her debut with 'Freud Leaving Home' in 1991 and which she would follow up with the likes of 'After the Wedding' in 2006, 'Things We Lost in the Fire' in 2007, 'Love Is All You Need' in 2012, 'Serena' in 2014 and 'Bird Box' in 2018.  The film Premiered in London on 26th August and is released in the US and here in Australia this week.

Set twenty-five years after the events of the first film, the story follows the Owens family as they face a new crisis when a discovery regarding the family's history and the origins of their magic comes to light. When Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) daughter Kylie (Joey King) begins to uncover hidden family secrets and develops her own dark abilities, the family is plunged into a multi-generational struggle to finally break the curse that has haunted their lineage for centuries. The Owens women Sally, Gillian (Nicole Kidman), and their aunts Frances and Bridget 'Jet' Owens (Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest respectively) must once again unite, traveling from their home in Massachusetts to the UK to confront the source of their magic and save the next generation of their family. Also starring Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, Xolo Mariduena and Solly McLeod.

'HOPE' (Rated MA15+) - is a South Korean epic Sci-Fi action thriller film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Na Hong-jin whose previous filmography are his debut in 2008 with 'The Chaser', then 'The Yellow Sea' in 2010 and 'The Wailing' in 2016. The film centres on a village Police Chief Bum-seok (Hwang Jung-min) and his rookie deputy Sung-ae (Hoyeon) who must defend his local community from a mysterious creature after wildfires sever all communications, while a local hunting party led by Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) find themselves hunted instead deep in the mountains. What begins as ignorance plants the seed of disaster, escalating through human conflict into a tragedy of cosmic proportions. Also starring Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Cameron Britton and Taylor Russell. The film had its World Premiere in the main competition of this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May where it competed for the Palme d'Or. It was released in its native South Korea in mid-July, has so far recovered US$35M against its production budget of US$46M and has generated positive critical reviews. It is released in the US and here in Australia this week. 

'RUNNER' (Rated M) - is an American action comedy thriller film Directed by Scott Waugh whose previous feature film making credits include 'Act of Valor' in 2012, 'Need for Speed' in 2014, 'Hidden Strike' in 2023 and 'Expend4bles' also in 2023. A delivery man and former soldier, Hank Malone (Alan Ritchson) is tasked with bringing a new healthy liver to a sick girl and is forced to escort the man who brought the liver, Ben Bishop (Owen Wilson) while evading ruthless mercenaries who plan on taking the liver for their benefit. Also starring Rodrigo Santoro, Leila George and Adriana Barraza. The film is released this week also in the US. 

'ZOMBUCHA!' (Rated M) - this Australian comedy Sci-Fi film is Directed by Claudia Dzienny in only her second feature film outing following 'Frisky' in 2015, although she has Directed several short films and TV series in the intervening years. Here, after one particularly catastrophic day at their respective workplaces, busy professionals Maddie (Emma Leonard) and Leo (Ryan O'Kane) find themselves both unemployed. Dreaming of a fresh start but needing reliable income to support the family they hope to start together, the couple have a chance encounter with Kai (Stephen Madsen), a smouldering kombucha artisan raking in the cash. Seeing dollar signs, Maddie and Leo swipe Kai's kombucha culture to kickstart their own enterprise, but when they mix in some mysterious herbs from a neighbour's garden, the culture gains sentience and proves deadly. With their relationship hanging by a thread, can Maddie and Leo unite to prevent a full-blown zombucha apocalypse? Also starring Gary Sweet and Jackie van Beek. 

'SOMEONE LIKE ME' (Rated MA15+) - is a Hong Kong drama romance film Written and Directed by Wai Ching Tam in her second feature film offering after 'In Your Dreams' in 2017. Mui (Fish Liew) was born with mild cerebral palsy. For her past 20-odd years on Earth, Mui has merely been surviving, not living. Everything in her life is about convenience; she has never even put on makeup or dressed up, let alone fall in love. However, Mui discovers newfound independence and self-acceptance through her encounters with a specialised organisation that helps people with disabilities explore their sexuality, and through her 'volunteer' Ken (Carlos Chan). As Mui finds herself flourishing from the emotional and physical liberation brought on by Ken, Mui’s over-protective mother responds by tightening her emotional leash around her daughter. Will Mui finally achieve the emancipation she has been seeking all her life?

'TIME AND TIDE' (Rated CTC) - is an Australian hybrid nonfiction docudrama film Written, Co-Produced, Directed, Edited and also starring Vee Shi in his feature length debut. Set in a remote town in China, when a once-proud patriarch suffers a stroke, the burden of his care falls on his estranged wife, who has long wanted to leave their unhappy marriage, and his second daughter, a single mother struggling to make ends meet. This is a film about contemporary China, seen through the eyes of a multi-generational family navigating ageing, hurt and the weight of family responsibility. 

'DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER' (Rated MA15+) - this documentary film is Directed by Will Loveless and Dylan Southern and the pair have collectively helmed the prior music doco's 'No Distance Left to Run' in 2010, 'Shut Up and Play the Hits' in 2012, 'Aziz Ansari : Buried Alive' in 2013 and 'Meet Me in the Bathroom' in 2022. This film is Written by Stephen Knight - he who penned the hit Netflix series 'Peaky Blinders'. It follows the 2025 reunion tour of English rock band Oasis. Alongside rehearsal, backstage and onstage footage, it features the first joint interview of Liam and Noel Gallagher after more than fifteen years of estrangement. The film saw its World Premiere screening out of competition at the Venice International Film Festival on 5th September, goes on release in select cinemas from this week before streaming on Disney+ later this year. 

'PAW PATROL : THE DINO MOVIE' (Rated G) - is a Canadian animated adventure comedy film and is Co-Written and Directed by Cal Brunker, who made his feature film Directing debut with 'Escape from Planet Earth' in 2013 and would follow this up with 'The Nut Job 2 : Nutty by Nature' in 2017, 'Paw Patrol : The Movie' in 2021, and 'Paw Patrol : The Mighty Movie' in 2023. The first two films in the series grossed a combined US$356M against production budgets of US$56M, making this third offering a no brainer. When their ship gets caught in a storm, the PAW Patrol pups wash up on a tropical island that's teeming with dinosaurs. They soon befriend Rex, a baby dino who's been stranded on the island for years. When Mayor Humdinger's mining plans cause a huge volcano to erupt, the pups spring into action to save Rex's home before everything becomes extinct. Featuring the voice talents of Mckenna Grace, Terry Crews, Ron Pardo, Jennifer Hudson, Bill Nye, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Hayden Chamberlain, Carter Young and Rain Janjua. The film was released in Canada and the US on 14th August, has so far grossed US$138M off the back of a US$40M production budget and has garnered largely positive critical reviews. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE DOG STARS : Tuesday 1st September 2026.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE DOG STARS' earlier this week, and this post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi film is Co-Produced and Directed by Ridley Scott, who I'm sure needs no introduction. Suffice to say some of his more acclaimed prior feature film making credits take in the likes of 'Alien' in 1979, 'Blade Runner' in 1982, 'Thelma & Louise' in 1992, 'Gladiator' in 2000, 'Black Hawk Down' in 2002, 'American Gangster' in 2007, 'Prometheus' in 2012, 'The Martian' in 2015, 'House of Gucci' in 2021, 'Napoleon' in 2023, and 'Gladiator II' in 2024. This film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Peter Heller, was released last week too in the USA, has so far recovered US$21M at the Box Office from its US$70M production budget and has generated mixed or average critical reviews. 

Set in 2035 many years after a devastating flu pandemic almost wiped out all of the human race, Hig (Jacob Elordi), a former mechanic, lives in a self contained heavily fortified compound in Erie, Colorado, with his dog named Jasper, and Bangley (Josh Brolin), a hardened former Marine turned survivalist. Hig from time to time pilots a small single prop Cesna light aircraft into an abandoned and desolate Denver to gather supplies of fuel, food and medical stores. To Bangley's chagrin, Hig also supplies a nearby Mennonite community, led by Aaron (Benedict Wong) with food and occasional mechanical repairs.

When two opportunistic teenage strangers approach uninvited (referred to affectionately as 'roaches') Bangley shoots them dead in quick succession from his distance look-out point, creating a conflict with the more sympathetic Hig. They douse the bodies with petrol and burn them. 

While out flying his plane one day with Jasper, Hig picks up a distorted radio signal originating from Grand Junction, Colorado, that suggests human life there. Hig has picked up this signal on various occasions over recent years, but always quickly lost contact.

While sleeping outside one night under the stars Hig and Jasper are awakened by a larger group trying to ambush their home. The pair fight them off until Bangley appears and finishes them off. The next morning they douse the bodies with fuel and burn them. Jasper, however dies in the attack, spurring Hig to visit Denver to bury him next to his deceased wife Melissa (Sai Bennett) at their former home. 

Heartbroken and distraught, Hig decides he must find the source of the Grand Junction radio signal, believing there to be more to life out there than the confines of their compound. Bangley, who does not approve of the journey, stays behind in Erie, seemingly bringing an end to their five years partnership. After experiencing a mechanical failure, Hig lands his Cesna in a valley bringing the plane to an abrupt halt within inches of a stand of trees. Within a few minutes there is a stampede of wild buffalo that causes minor damage to the plane while Hig takes cover under the fuselage. Dusting himslef off he spies a donkey in the distance with a bell around its neck. He follows the donkey and comes to a remote farmstead where a father and daughter, Pops (Guy Pearce) and Cima (Margaret Qualley), live. The two form an uneasy alliance with Hig, as he repairs his plane and cuts down trees to make a runway, using the donkey to pull out the tree stumps. Hig starts a romantic relationship with Cima, who asks him to stay with them.

After their farm is raided in an attack by a marauding group of roaches on horseback Hig, Cima, and Pops flee on Hig's plane. They make it to Grand Junction Regional Airport, where the radio operator hesitantly allows them to land and enter their community unarmed. Upon arrival, they feel a sense of unease. Darlene (Allison Janney), a former flight attendant who is the leader of the community, orders Cima to marry a soldier, due to her previous medical education, making her a most welcome catch. Hig, Cima and Pops escape, having discovered the community's cannibalism, as evidenced by the dismembered corpses hanging in plastic bags in a walk-in freezer through which they make their escape. As they fly away, they bomb Grand Junction with grenades from the air, which Bangley had handed to Hig when he left, as a precautionary measure in the event that he ran into any trouble.

The three fly back to Erie to check on Bangley, where they discover a major attack occurred at the compound and much of it had been wiped out. There is no sign of Bangley but there are plenty of dead roaches strewn around the place, which are already being picked on by carrion birds. Bangley is found injured but alive, and welcomes the group with fresh brewed coffee, after which nurse Cima stitches up his wounds. He then reluctantly joins them at the Mennonite (which he refers to as Mormons) community in the mountains to establish a new settlement there.

'The Dog Stars' is hardly going to go down as Ridley Scott's finest film in his fifty or so year long film making career, or his best entry into the Sci-Fi canon for that matter too, but there are some moments nonetheless when the Ridley Scott magic shines through. Such as the sweeping vistas of river valleys and looming mountain terrain, the snow capped peaks, the desolate cityscape that once was Denver, and the Grand Junction airport terminal that looks as though it was lifted straight out of 'Blade Runner'. That said there's nothing new here in the story that we haven't seen before in other post apocalyptic dystopian thrillers such as '28 Days Later', 'The Last of Us', 'I Am Legend' and countless others. The performances of Josh Brolin and Allison Janney (as brief as her screen time is) are on point, but I found Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley's undercooked and too sugar coated. And to cap it off there are a couple of glaring plot holes that I will not expand on here, but see if you can spot them for yourselves.

'The Dog Stars' 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 3rd September 2026.

The 9th Edition of the Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF) this year takes place from Friday 4th September through until Saturday 12th September in the Belgian capital city of Brussels. For nine days, Brussels’ most beautiful cinemas come alive with screenings, red carpets, and encounters with film teams. On the programme are highly anticipated Premieres, rare films from all over the world, gripping competitions, tributes to cinema legends, open-air screenings, and concerts. It is a festival designed as much for the general public as for passionate film lovers, and for anyone who simply dreams of experiencing cinema in a different way . . . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Film presentation is 'A Man of His Time' ('Notre Salut') from Belgium and France and this WWII drama film is Written and Directed by Emmanual Marre in only his second feature film offering following 'Zero Fucks Given' in 2021. In 1940, Henri Marre (Swann Arlaud) arrives in Vichy with aspirations to publish his manuscript Notre Salut (Our Salvation), which he hopes will rescue France from the Vichy regime. The film saw its World Premiere at the main competition at this Cannes Film Festival in late May where it won the Best Screenplay prize.

Through three competitions, the festival highlights outstanding works and celebrates the talent of filmmakers and their teams. By rewarding those who make contemporary cinema, it helps films reach a wider audience, broaden their visibility, and support their journey far beyond the festival itself. Those competitive sections are : International Competition showcasing powerful stories from around the world, presented as Belgian premieres; National Competition, presenting Belgian cinema in all its richness and diversity; and Director's Week focusing on Europe’s emerging talents. 

There are nine films in the International Competition exploring life choices, doubts and questions, resistance and collaboration. While some are still wondering what they want to make of the life ahead of them, others are forging their own path with strength and determination. Those nine films are as given in brief below :-

* 'Notre Salut' ('A Man of His Time') - refer above Opening Film presentation.

* 'Shame and Money' - from Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia and Belgium, and Co-Written and Directed by Visar Morina. A couple in their 40's live with their extended family in rural Kosovo making a modest living on their farm. Following a familial dispute, their livelihood is lost. They are forced to move to Pristina where the pressure to provide for their family weighs heavily on the parents as they do their best to find work and a place to stay.

* 'The Meltdown' - from Chile, the USA, Spain and Mexico, and Written and Directed by Manuela Martelli. Set in Chile in 1992, staying at her grandparents’ remote hotel near an Andean ski resort, nine year old Ines befriends fifteen year old Hanna, a German skier. When Hanna vanishes without a trace, the search for her exposes hidden truths.

* 'If I Were Alive' - from Brazil and Written and Directed by Andre Novais Oliveira. The film opens in 1970's Contagem, Brazil, a town that is still growing, where a young Gilberto tries to win back Jacira. Fifty years later, the couple is in their mid-seventies and still together, sharing a quiet, affectionate life.

When Jacira is suddenly hospitalised, Gilberto faces strange, disorienting events that bend time and space.

* 'Six Months in a Pink and Blue Building' - from Mexico, Brazil and Denmark and Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Bruno Santamaria Razo. Mexico City, early 1990's. The day Bruno turns eleven years of age, his growing feelings for his best friend Vladimir clash with the sudden announcement that his father has HIV. Like in salsa songs, his family tries to sing and dance their pain away. Thirty years later Bruno films, reimagining the memory of what he could not quite perceive as a child.

* 'Rose' - from Austria and Germany and Co-Written and Directed by Markus Schleinzer. Set in the 17th Century, it follows mysterious soldier Rose (Sandra Huller), a woman disguised as a man, who appears in a secluded Protestant village. She declares herself the heir of a long-abandoned farmstead and produces a document to support her claim to the suspicious villagers.

* 'Chronicles from the Siege' - from Algeria, France and Palestine, and Written and Directed by Abdallah Alkhatib. During the siege of their city, a group of ordinary people struggle to survive amid hunger, snipers, and bombardments, while clinging to human connection, love, and small daily pleasures. Faced with impossible moral choices and deep psychological strain, their lives become inseparable from the siege itself.

* 'I'll Be Gone in June' - from Germany, Switzerland and the USA, and Written and Directed by Katherina Rivilis. In 2001, Franny, a 16-year-old exchange student from Germany, arrives in the sleepy desert town of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Far from home, Franny struggles through awkward school days, stifling heat, and restless nights until she meets Elliott, a boy whose quiet sadness mirrors her own. As America reels from 9/11, something resonates within Franny and an unexpected tenderness begins to bloom.

* 'The Son and the Sea' - from the UK and Co-Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Stroma Cairns. Two best mates, Jonah and Lee, take a trip to the Northeast coast of Scotland, where Jonah hopes he’ll escape the mess he’s making of his life in London. They meet Charlie, who is profoundly deaf and visiting his twin brother. Through the darkness that meets them on this wild coast, they form a friendship that ultimately brings Jonah to discover the courage to be vulnerable and that joy can be found despite loss.

For the details of the other films in competition, plus those playing Out of Competition, and a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.briff.be/en/

Turning the focus then back to this weeks seven hot new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we begin with an historical crime drama in which a notorious Mafia hitman and a young black FBI Agent team up to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in Mississippi in 1966. Next up is a survival thriller about two young women who find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives when a mountain rock slide leaves them stranded on a fragile plank more than 3,000 feet above the ground. Then we have a true crime documentary film that details the wild true story of Scott Scurlock, one of the most prolific bank robbers in American history. This is followed by a horror thriller that follows a friend group of graduates who go on a late night drive, but accidentally turn onto a two-lane highway which appears to go on indefinitely. Turning next to the first instalment in a two part WWII epic that in June 1940, France collapses and signs the armistice, but in the midst of the chaos, one man refuses to give up - alone against the odds, this unknown General flees to London to save what remains of freedom. And closing out the week we have two doco's - the first, an eye-opening look at how powerful figures weaponise defamation laws to silence survivors of gender-based violence in the post-#MeToo era; and the second, features a motley crew of para ice hockey skaters who fight to keep their grassroots sporting club on the rink. 

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.

'BY ANY MEANS' (Rated MA15+) - this American historical crime film is Co-Produced and Directed by Elegance Bratton whose previous feature length films include the documentaries 'Pier Kids' in 2019 and 'Move Ya Body : The Birth of House' in 2025 and the drama film 'The Inspection' in 2022. 

Based on a true story, a young Black Special FBI Agent Wayne Strider (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is sent into 1960's Mississippi to investigate a wave of brutal killings targeting civil rights leaders. Forced to work alongside notorious Mafia hitman turned FBI informant Greg Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg), he finds himself pulled into a deadly hunt where justice and vengeance begin to blur. When the system is broken, two men divided by everything agree on one thing, that the law has limits. They don't. Also starring Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Lucas, David Strathairn, Ethan Embry and LisaGay Hamilton. The film is released this week too in the US.

'FALL 2 : DEADPOINT' (Rated M) - is an American survival thriller film Directed by Peter and Michael Spierig, the German/Australian film making brothers whose previous Directing credits take in the debut feature with 'Undead' in 2003 which they would follow up with 'Daybreakers' in 2009, 'Predestination' in 2014, 'Jigsaw' in 2017 and 'Winchester' in 2018. This film is the sequel to 2022's 'Fall' that was Directed by Scott Mann (who serves as Co-Writer and Co-Producer on this second instalment). Here, following the death of Shiloh Hunter, in the first film, her sister Jax (Harriet Slater) agrees to a tribute proposed by Shiloh's daring friend, Luce (Arsema Thomas). The two travel to Thailand to conquer a treacherous plank walk on Mount Kwan, but a sudden rockslide leaves them trapped at a terrifying height of 3,000 feet, forcing the duo to push their limits and cooperate to stay alive. The film is released Stateside this week too.

'HOW TO ROB A BANK' (Rated M) - this American documentary film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Stephen Robert Morse and Seth Porges. The film centres on Scott Scurlock, also known as 'The Hollywood Bandit', who robbed nineteen confirmed banks in Seattle between 1992 and 1996. Featuring interviews with the Hollywood Bandits bank robbers themselves, law enforcement and characters from the Pacific Northwest, the documentary chronicles the rise of Scott Scurlock as he becomes the bank robber known as 'Hollywood', America's most successful bank robber. This film premiered on Netflix back in early June 2024, and now gets a limited release in theatres in Australia. This film is not to be confused with the American action comedy heist film of the same name Directed by David Leitch and starring Nicholas Hoult, Pete Davidson, Zoe Kravitz, John C. Reilly and Christian Slater and is due for release in mid-November this year. 

'IT ENDS' (Rated MA15+) - is an American horror thriller film Written, Directed and Edited by Alexander Ullom in his Directorial debut. A group of three recent grads - James (Phinehas Yoon), Day (Akira Jackson) and Fisher (Noah Toth) head out on a late night drive for food after being picked up by their friend Tyler (Mitchell Cole) who they haven't seen in a year, hoping to enjoy one final hangout before their paths diverge. Instead, they accidentally turn onto a never-ending, two lane hellscape surrounded by untold horrors and cosmic forces beyond their understanding. The film had its Premiere screening at the South by Southwest Festival in early March 2025, was released in the US last week, has so far grossed US$810K from a production budget of just US$80K, and has received positive critical reviews.

'DE GAULLE PART ONE : RESISTANCE' (Rated MA15+) - is the first instalment in a two-part epic biographical drama film Co-Written and Directed by Antonin Baudry, in only his second feature film making outing following 'The Wolf's Call' in 2019, and is based on the nonfiction book 'A Certain Idea of France : The Life of Charles De Gaulle' by Julian Jackson. The film follows Charles de Gaulle (Simon Abkarian), who rose from being a French army officer, to leading the French Resistance against Nazi Germany during World War II. The formation of his government-in-exile in London, his tumultuous relationship with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Simon Russell Beale), as well as the Resistance's operations in Africa - especially the Battle of Bir Hakeim - are featured prominently. The first part, 'Resistance' had its World Premiere out of competition at this years Cannes Film Festival in late May, followed by its release in France in early June. The second part, 'Liberte' was released in France toward the end of June. The two films have so far grossed a combined US$32.5M off the back of total production budgets of US$86.5M. 

'SILENCED' (Rated M) - is a biographical documentary film Co-Written and Directed by Selina Miles whose prior feature documentary films take in 'Martha : A Picture Story' in 2019, and 'Harley & Katya' in 2022 with 'Poster Boy : Becoming Zyzz' due for release later this year. After the #MeToo movement broke the cultural silence on gender violence, survivors swiftly found themselves facing a new kind of silencing and fear as defamation laws became weaponised against women for speaking out. International human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson takes audiences into the courtroom and behind the headlines to reveal how the legal system is used to discredit and re-victimise survivors, with lawsuits designed to emotionally and financially ruin those who dare to speak their truth. Robinson brings unrivalled access to the women and journalists at the centre of high-profile legal battles across the globe, including Amber Heard and Brittany Higgins. The film Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in late January this year and a various other international film festivals since, including the Sydney Film Festival in mid-June, and the Melbourne International Film Festival in mid-August. It is released this week also in the USA. The film has generated critical acclaim. 

'HARD AS PUCK' (Rated M) - this Australian documentary film is Co-Written and Directed by Isaac Elliott in his feature length Directorial debut. The film follows a struggling para ice hockey club in Western Australia. With no money, no sponsors, and barely enough players, they rely on grants and sponsorships to get by. But when the enigmatic founder Dan Perrett prepares to step away, the club is thrown into turmoil. Through setbacks and personal clashes, bitter losses and hard-fought wins, Hard as Puck explores what it takes, and means, to run a local sports club with unexpected international ambitions for a place on the Australian team in its first ever appearance at the Women’s World Para Ice Hockey Championships in Slovakia. 

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-

MUTINY : Tuesday 25th August 2026

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'MUTINY' earlier this week at my local Multiplex, and this UK and US Co-Produced action thriller film is Directed by Jean-Francois Richet, whose previous feature film making credits take in his debut with 'Inner City' in 1995, and which he would follow up with the likes of 'Assault on Precinct 13' in 2005, 'Blood Father' in 2016, 'The Emperor of Paris' in 2018 and 'Plane' in 2023. This film was released in the US and the UK last week too, has so far recovered US$17M from its production budget of US$40M and has garnered mixed or average critical reviews. 

The film opens in Bangkok and we are introduced to Cole Reed (Jason Statham, who also Co-Produces here) who is a former English Police Officer and Commando now working for the past five years as bodyguard for billionaire shipping magnate and CEO of cargo shipping company KMG, Tibu Campallo (Ramon Tikaram). 

One evening after playing a game of chess with Tibu at his palatial Bangkok residence, Reed and Tibu go on a drive before being ambushed. Reed kills all the attackers, but Tibu dies from a stray gunshot on the backseat of his car, and with his dying words Tibu's tasks Reed with taking care of his son, Kameron (Chaneil Kular). Reed is instantly framed for Tibu's murder.

After learning that Tibu's assassins will be boarding a cargo ship named Artemis due to leave the port at midnight that same night, Reed assumes the identity of a dead assassin and secrets himself aboard the ship. Reed encounters another KMG employee named Angie Ellis (Annabelle Wallis), who was summoned to the ship last minute to replace the assassin Reed assumed the identity of. Once the ship is out to sea, Reed starts to covertly inspect the ship, discovering a container on the lower deck filled with the victims of a human trafficking operation. He explains that he will get water, food and medical supplies for the victims and tells them to wait. Angie who has heard Reed from an upper deck goes to investigate and also comes across the same container. She releases the victims and reports to the Captain of the Artemis Marko Madsen (Roland Moller). 

Reed frees the hostages and leads them to a life boat, before killing a crew member who attacks him after finding the hostages escaping. After discovering that the crew is complicit in the trafficking, Angie sends out a distress signal from the ship that is intercepted by the US Coast Guard before being shot in the shoulder and subdued. The hostages are recaptured.

Reed realises that the ship's Captain takes orders from Jaran Daniles (Simon Kluth), the person responsible for ordering Tibu's assassination, and that they had Tibu killed to delay the sale of KMG, and to have Kameron sell the company to them. Meanwhile, Reed and Angie have teamed up, with Reed extracting the bullet from Angie's shoulder down in the engine room, and dressing the wound. 

After killing most of the crew in a hail of bullets and close quarter knife play, Reed fights with Marko and kills him by shooting him through the head with a harpoon gun. The Coast Guard arrive at the ship's coordinates after Captain Adam Spencer (Adrian Lester) deduced that something wasn't quite right with the intelligence he was being given by the Artemis' Captain, and having his own men research the Artemis crew, and Cole Reed. 

They surround Reed, believing he is responsible for Tibu's death but are stopped by Angie, who lies that Reed died on the ship and that his body was thrown overboard. Angie leaves to return to her six year old daughter in the US while Reed, no longer on the run due to being declared dead, returns to Thailand in a motorboat to find and kill Daniles.

At Tibu's funeral, Reed confronts Kameron, who claims he was used by Daniles and the human traffickers and that they attempted to pressure him into selling KMG to them. Reed reprimands Kameron, saying that he should have informed him of his situation, and that Kameron will have to live with the knowledge for the rest of his life that his carelessness caused his father's death. Reed leaves to find Daniles.

Later, at night Reed intercepts a car with Daniles inside, crashes into it sending it flipping end over end before coming to rest right side up. He kills the driver, and interrogates Daniles. Daniles reveals that Tibu's death gave the company to Kameron, and that he planned on having Kameron sell KMG to him so he could inherit the company's wealth and assets. Daniles attempts to bribe Reed in exchange for having his life spared, saying 'what do you want' but Reed smashes his head into the car and shoots him dead with a bullet to the head, and avenging Tibu just as he responded 'vengeance' before walking away.

With 'Mutiny' you know exactly what you're in for the moment you purchase your movie ticket. Jason Statham does what he does best with his fists and his legs and the available hardware at his disposal, and on that level the action sequences and the close quarter combat scenes don't disappoint. That said, this film doesn't offer us anything new that we haven't already seen before, and is best summed up as 'Die Hard on a Cargo Ship', offering up mindless, albeit serviceable B-movie style entertainment, while proving that the Stath still has what it takes in the butt kicking creative kills department. You can easily however, save yourself the price of your cinema ticket and wait a few weeks to catch this film on your streaming service of choice. 

'Mutiny' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-