READY OR NOT 2 : HERE I COME - Tuesday 31st March 2026

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'READY OR NOT 2 : HERE I COME' at my local multiplex this week, and this American comedy horror film serves as a direct sequel to 2019's 'Ready or Not' and is once again Directed by Matt Bittinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. The first film collected US$58M at the Box Office from a US$6M production budget and garnered positive critical reviews. This film saw its Premiere at the SXSW Film & TV Festival in mid-March before its release Stateside and here in Australia two weeks ago. It has generated positive critical press, and has so far collected US$25M at the worldwide Box Office from a production budget of US$14M.

The film follows on immediately following where the first film left off, with Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving) collapsing directly out the front of the burning Le Domas mansion on the steps, still wearing her very bloodied wedding gown. She lights up a cigarette, as Police and emergency services sirens are heard approaching, and then promptly falls unconscious from exhaustion and her wounds endured during the previous evenings game of Hide and Seek. She is taken by ambulance to hospital, where she later that day comes round handcuffed to her bed, with Police Detective Bassett (Grant Nickalls) standing over her. 

Into the room walks Grace's estranged younger sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) whom she has not spoken to since she left for college, some seven years previously. Faith is still registered on Grace's phone as the person to contact in the event of an emergency, hence her appearance. Bassett tells her that she needs to accompany him to the Police Station for questioning as she is the prime suspect in the murder investigation of two people whose corpses were recovered from the building, and the blood on her dress is not her own. 

In the meantime, the Council, an order of six elite families are notified of the Le Domas' demises and prepare to unite at the Danforth estate for another game. The head members include twin siblings Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy) Danforth, Wan Chen Xing (Olivia Cheng), Viraj Rajan (Nadeem Umar-Khitab), Ignacio El Caido (Nestor Carbonell), and Bill Wilkinson (Kevin Durand). Prior to their arrival at the Danforth estate, Ursula and Titus kill their elderly father Chester (David Cronenberg), the current 'High Seat' of the Council, by suffocating him with a pillow, so they can enter the game simultaneously. Chester's last duty before his death was to text a message to the remaining families that 'the game is in play'. Bill attempts to kill Grace at the hospital, but he and the Wilkinsons explode in a shower of blood because they failed to wait for the game's official commencement at 2:31pm that afternoon.

Grace and Faith are gassed as they try to make their escape from the hospital, and come round bound and gagged at the Danforth estate while Le Bail's representative, the 'Lawyer' (Elijah Wood), explains their new found situation, which due to Grace's victory at the Le Domas' hide and seek game, the four remaining families must kill her before dawn to acquire the High Seat, and a ring with seemingly infinite worldwide power will be provided to the winner. The players are not allowed to kill each other, and their deaths allow the next eldest member of their family to enter the game. Grace initially refuses to take part, but agrees when Faith's life is threatened with a knife to the throat. The pair are then drugged, as the eldest members each in turn sign a blood oath and the next game commences at the allotted time.

The sisters are handcuffed together and put on a golf course, on hole 9. After evading attempts from different families, they manage to kill Viraj in an industrial sized washing machine sending him spinning round and round at high speed in very hot water, so that his skin melted. Wan Chen Xing finds them and reveals a loophole, whereby if Grace marries one of the elite's family members, the game immediately ceases, granting her husband the High Seat and allowing her to live. Grace refuses as it would mean selling her soul to the Devil. Ignacio interrupts them, and Chen Xing unintentionally kills him with a Japanese katana sword. The Wans explode into blood as Ignacio's daughter and Alex Le Domas' ex-fiancee Francesca (Maia Jae) prepares to enter the game. Faith berates Grace's refusal of the opportunity of marriage.

Viraj's death allows his brother Madhu (Varun Saranga) to enter the game, but he cowardly forfeits head status to his wife Martina (Masa Lizdek) signing over all of his worldly possessions to her. Instead of playing, she drives off from the hunt at speed destroying the front gate in the process. Madhu then relents and says he's ready to enter the game, but alas says the Lawyer, its too late and that he has nothing, zip, diddly squat possessions to his name, and as his wife still lives there is absolutely nothing that can be done. Ursula nearly kills Grace with a foot long metal spike right through her shoulder and is about to cut her throat with a blade as Faith saves her and the pair flee. Grace lambasts Faith's return and wishes they had never reunited, resulting in a downtrodden Faith to leave. Titus attacks Faith, beats her up and is about to kill her when Ursula intervenes and says she's better use to them alive than dead. They take her hostage while Francesca targets Grace, though Grace acquires a shotgun from the Guardhouse and kills her. Through an intercom, Titus taunts Grace and forces her to the main lounge where Faith is being held captive.

Grace storms into the lounge blasting away with her shotgun, until she runs out of cartridges. She locks herself in a walk-in coolroom in the kitchen, but is cornered by the surviving players. Using Chen Xing's previously advised loophole, Grace suggests she marries Titus to ensure her and Faith's safety, handing over the High Seat to the Danforths and concluding the game despite Faith begging her not to. Both Grace and Faith are washed, cleaned up and their injuries attended to by a group of maids, after which Ursula privately warns Grace about Titus' psychopathy and her fears of what could develop under his worldwide order. Ursula suggests that she and Grace work together to control Titus after the marriage. Titus, having overheard, kills Ursula by strangulation, as there is no rule against killing family members. At an underground cavernous altar, the marriage ceremony begins before a crowd of Satanic cult members and presided over by the Lawyer. 

After they sign their intertwined familial blood pacts, Grace stabs Titus with a fountain pen repeatedly in the neck, and Faith then kicks him into an open circular pit full of the skeletons of sacrificed human and animal bodies, killing him. Now with rightful ownership of the High Seat, Grace announces everyone in attendance to kneel, and they obligingly do so. She then further states her removal from the organisation and throws the ring into the pit. Since the High Seat now belongs to whoever is wearing the ring at dawn, which is just three minutes away before the sun rises, the wedding guests all jump headlong into the pit for a chance at locating the ring, murdering one another as they do. As Grace and Faith look on at the melee unfolding before them, no one succeeds before dawn and the entire Council erupts in a torrential explosion of blood and guts covering the recently cleaned up pair. As they turn to leave, Le Bail's spirit briefly appears behind the alter, and nods to both Grace and Faith as they are finally free. The sisters walk out of the premises holding hands at the beginning of a brand new day, and Grace promises never to leave Faith again.

'Ready or Not 2 : Here I Come' is a fun and entertaining enough follow up to 2019's sleeper hit, but I'm not sure that I'd describe it as a comedy horror offering as the jump scares and frightening scenes are very thin on the ground, and by very thin I mean non-existent! That said, the film ramps up the bloodletting, the creative kills, the emotion, the chaos and the dark humour which is no bad thing, and the chemistry between Weaving and Newton as estranged sisters brought back together under very trying circumstances, works a treat. Once again it's good to see two working class girls rise to the challenge of dispensing with the controlling elitist hierarchy of this world, as their individual and collective demise is meted out in interesting and inventive ways, courtesy of their grit, determination and sisterly bond, unlike the antagonists who just want to play a high stakes game of cat and mouse. It's a worthy follow-up, but I'm not sure there's much room left in this universe for 'Ready or Not 3'!

'Ready or Not 2 : Here I Come' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

    

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 2nd April 2026

The 44th Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF) takes place this year from Friday 3rd April through until Saturday 18th April, in the Belgian capital city of Brussels. The BIFFF offers more than just horror movies. It is first and foremost a genre film festival that is open-minded, and offers a great deal of variety. Its programme serves up thrillers, science fiction films, fantasy films, black comedies, action films, as well as many other genres. As one of the most famous genre film festivals in the world, the BIFFF does not limit itself to screening feature films and shorts. In the course of its sixteen days, almost twenty peripheral activities will be on offer. The programme includes the famous vampire ball, the must-see make-up competition, an art exhibition, as well as many other surprising events. During the festival, you can enjoy more than a hundred features and shorts and get the opportunity to discover a truly unique audience. Thanks to the master classes held by prestigious guests, lively debates, exceptional exhibitions, and breathtaking animations, this is not merely a festival you are going to attend. It is an experience like no other! So reads the official website.

The main International Competition of the festival consists of eight to ten feature films each year. In this section you’ll find the cream of the crop in terms of recent fantastic features from around the globe. The selected films can win the grand prize of the festival, the Golden Raven, or one of two Silver Ravens, two incentive prizes for film Directors that show great potential. Those films in this main competitive category are :-

* 'Back to the Past' - from Hong Kong and China, and this action Sci-Fi film is Directed by Jack Lai and Yuen Fai Ng.

* 'Gaua' - from Spain, and this fantasy horror film is Written and Directed by Paul Urkijo Alijo.

* 'Imposters' - from the USA and this Sci-Fi psychological horror film is Written and Directed by Caleb Phillips. European Premiere.

* 'Never After Dark' - from Japan and this mystery ghost story is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Dave Boyle. European Premiere.

* 'Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie' - from Canada and this time travel Sci-Fi comedy film is Written and stars Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol and is Directed by Matt Johnson.

* 'Saccharine' - from Australia and this crime horror thriller film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Natalie Erika James.

* 'The Home' - from the USA and this horror film is Co-Written and Directed by James DeMonaco, and stars Pete Davidson, John Glover and Bruce Altman.

* 'The Red Mask' - from the USA and this black comedy slasher film is Directed by Ritesh Gupta.

* 'Tristes Tropiques' - from South Korea and this action thriller film is Written, Produced and Directed by Hoon-jung Park.

* 'Whistle' - from Ireland and the USA and this supernatural horror mystery film is Directed by Corin Hardy and stars Dafne Keen, Nick Frost and Sophie Nelisse.

For the descriptors of the above named films, plus the full details of the the other competitive strands being showcased, together with a summary of each of the 132 films being screened over the duration of the festival, and a whole heap of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.bifff.net

Turning the focus back on this weeks five new release movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we launch with a comedy drama in which estranged siblings reunite after years apart, forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents. Then we have a RomCom where a happily engaged couple get put to the test when an unexpected revelation sends their wedding week way off track. This is followed by a film from Iraq that tells the story of while people across 1990's Iraq struggle to survive, a nine-year old girl has been selected to prepare a cake to celebrate President Saddam Hussein's birthday. Next up is a Vietnamese horror offering where a young woman returns to her family's dyeing workshop after years of being ostracised, only to be confronted by a supernatural entity. And closing out the week we have an Aussie doco about ten young dance hopefuls who score the chance of a lifetime to audition for a London dance theatre company under the guidance of a renowned choreographer.

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

'FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER' (Rated M) - is a comedy drama anthology film Written and Directed by Jim Jarmusch whose filmography takes in his feature film debut with 'Permanent Vacation' in 1980, which he would follow up with the likes of 'Stranger than Paradise' in 1984, 'Down by Law' in 1986, 'Dead Man' in 1995, 'Ghost Dog : The Way of the Samurai' in 1999, 'Broken Flowers' in 2005, 'Only Lovers Left Alive' in 2013 and 'The Dead Don't Die' in 2019. This film Premiered in the main competition at last years Venice International Film Festival at the end of August where it won the Golden Lion. It has generated mostly positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$7.5M following its US release on Christmas Eve last year. It is released in the UK and Ireland next week.

Carefully constructed in the form of a triptych, the three stories all concern the relationships between adult children, their somewhat distant parent (or parents), and each other. Each of the three chapters takes place in the present, and each in a different country. In 'Father', siblings Emily and Jeff (Mayim Bialik and Adam Driver) make a dutiful trek to their father (Tom Waits) somewhere in rural USA, whose destitution may be an act; in 'Mother', Charlotte Rampling presides over ritual tea with daughters Lilith (Vicky Krieps) and Timothea (Cate Blanchett) in Dublin, Ireland; and in the third 'Sister Brother', Skye (Indya Moore) and Billy (Luka Sabbat) sift through the residue of their parents lives in Paris, France. Also starring Sarah Greene and Francoise Lebrun.

'THE DRAMA' (Rated MA15+) - this American RomCom is Written and Directed by Kristoffer Borgli who made his feature length film Directorial debut with 2017's 'Drib', and which he would follow up with 'Sick of Myself' in 2022 and 'Dream Scenario' in 2023. Here, a happily engaged couple - Emma Harwood (Zendaya) a bookstore clerk from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Charlie Thompson (Robert Pattinson) a British museum Director - just days before their wedding, has their relationship shaken when one partner learns of unsettling truths about the other which sends their wedding week off the rails. The film also stars Mamoudou Athie and Alana Haim, and is released this week too in the US.

'THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE' (Rated M) - is an Iraq, Qatar and US Co-Produced drama film Written and Directed by Hasan Hadi, in his feature film making debut. Set in the 1990's, it’s 'draw day' across Iraq, when schools select students for the honour of bringing items to their mandatory local celebrations of President Saddam Hussein’s birthday. Nine-year-old Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef) lives in the historic marshes with her spirited grandmother, Bibi (Waheed Thabet Khreibat). Before school, Bibi teaches Lamia clever tricks to avoid being chosen for the president’s cake. However, when Musa (Ahmad Qasem Saywan), the authoritative teacher, calls Lamia’s name for the most challenging task - the birthday cake - she has no choice but to accept. Refusing could mean imprisonment or even death. The film had its World Premiere showing at the Directors' Fortnight section of last years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May where it won the section's Audience Award and the Camera d'Or. It had its US release in early February, has garnered widespread critical acclaim and has so far generated US$2M in Box Office receipts. 

'THE CORPSE 2' (Rated MA15+) - this Vietnamese supernatural horror film is Directed by Pom Nguyen and serves as a prequel to the 2025 film 'The Corpse' which was also Directed by Nguyen. Here, a young woman, Minh Nhur returns to her family's dye workshop after years of exile, only to confront supernatural phenomena and the brutal truth behind her mother's death and a blood pact from the past. As karma comes full circle, can Minh Nhur escape the grip of the evil that surrounds her? The film was released in its native Vietnam in mid-March and has garnered average reviews.

'DANCE FOR YOUR LIFE' (Rated PG) - is an Australian documentary film Co-Produced, Directed, photographed and Edited by Luke Cornish in only his second feature length film after 'Keep Stepping' in 2022. Here, ten young Australian dancers from Australia's leading commercial dance school - Brent Street Performing Arts School in Sydney, compete for a spot with an international dance company, traveling to London to audition for Shapehaus Dance Theatre under choreographer and Artistic Director Dean Lee. The film serves as a powerful testament to the transformative power of dance, where every leap is a story, every setback a lesson and every moment a chance to be seen. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

PROJECT HAIL MARY : Tuesday 24th March 2026

I saw the M Rated 'PROJECT HAIL MARY' earlier this week, and this American Sci-Fi adventure film is Co-Produced and Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, whose previous Co-Directing credits are 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' in 2009, '21 Jump Street' in 2012, 'The Lego Movie' in 2014 and '22 Jump Street' also in 2014. The film is based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Andy Weir. It saw its Premiere showcasing in London earlier this month, and was released world wide last week, having garnered generally favourable critical reviews. The film cost US$200M net to produce, and has so far grossed US$164M at the global Box Office.

The film opens with Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling, who also Co-Produces here) slowly waking up from an induced coma on a spaceship. He is disorientated, his muscles are weak, he is suffering from retrograde memory loss, and while in his enforced sleep he has grown a long beard and hair. We don't know how long he has been in stasis. Grace quickly discovers that his other two crew members have died while in their induced comas. He then scribbles away on a white board deducing that he is 113 light years away from Earth in a distant planetary system.

Grace's memory gradually starts to return and he remembers that he is a middle school science teacher and former molecular biologist. In the past, scientists have observed the dimming of our Sun, which has coincided with the formation of an infrared line from the Sun to Venus called the Petrova line. The dimming, is seemingly caused by a microorganism known as Astrophage rapidly increasing its population on the Sun's surface, which will result in a catastrophic global cooling of Earth within the next thirty years, which we are told will wipe out half of all humankind, animal and plant life. Government agent Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller) recruits Grace and a few hundred other scientists from across the world to study Astrophage.

Grace is tasked with examining samples of Astrophage under strictly controlled lab conditions. He discovers that Astrophage is a cell which is impenetrable to any form of electromagnetic radiation, and that it thrives on Venus through the planet's carbon dioxide rich atmosphere and energy from the Sun. Researchers also discover that Astrophage is a very effective, albeit volatile, fuel source. It has also infected other stars within our solar system. Stratt discloses Project Hail Mary, a plan to send a crew on a suicide mission to Tau Ceti, the only undimmed nearby star. The Hail Mary spacecraft only has enough Astrophage as fuel for a one-way trip, but will carry probes to send the crew's findings back to Earth.

Back in the present, as Grace approaches Tau Ceti, his on board computers alert him to an alien object approaching. That object turns out to be an alien spacecraft, vastly larger than his own ship. It docks with the Hail Mary, and Grace determines it is made of 'xenonite' (solid xenon - a dense, colourless, odourless gas found in Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts.). The pilot of the alien ship is a rock-like, five-legged alien from Eridani. Grace names it 'Rocky' after the Eridian's appearance and Rocky Balboa (voiced by James Ortiz).

Grace deduces that Eridians see via echolocation, and creates a laptop computer translation system for Rocky's music like speech. There were twenty-three other Eridian's on Rocky's ship but they all perished. Rocky explains that he is a mechanic and also the sole survivor of a mission to stop the Astrophage. Neither can survive in the other's atmosphere, so Rocky enters Hail Mary using a small, multi-sided transparent ball like structure as a spacesuit.

Grace has a memory flashback where he recalls meeting the commander Yao Li-Jie (Ken Leung), engineer Olesya Ilyukhina (Milana Vayntrub), and scientist Annie Shapiro (Liz Kingsman) for Hail Mary, along with their backups. While handling Astrophage, a mishap kills the scientist and backup three days before launch in a massive explosion at command base. With no time to train a replacement, Stratt requests that Grace take the place of the deceased scientists giving him three hours to make up his mind. When Grace refuses to go, Stratt tries to convince him that he will be saving humanity and the planet, but he still maintains that its not for him, and that he'll face his fate with the rest of humanity. Stratt has him drugged and forcibly placed in an induced coma on the Hail Mary.

Following Tau Ceti's Petrova line, Grace and Rocky find that the planet Tau Ceti e, which they name 'Adrian' after Rocky's mate and Adrian Balboa, holds an organism which preys on Astrophage, so controlling its population. After learning that Grace cannot return home, Rocky offers enough Astrophage to refuel Hail Mary. Shortly after gathering the organism from the upper atmosphere of Adrian, a fuel leak causes the Hail Mary to spin uncontrollably, which results in Grace being slammed into a control bank and being knocked out. 

Rocky breaks his spacesuit, saves Grace, and is able to bring the ship back under control by stabilising the ships gyroscopes at the touch of a button, but is severely injured in the process. With Rocky in a state of hibernation to recover, and Grace maintaining a watchful eye on his alien colleague, he finds a way to breed the Astrophage-consuming organism, which he calls 'Taumoeba' (an amoeba from the planet Tau). Rocky revives, and he and Grace part as friends, to return to their own solar systems, and home planets.

During the return journey back to Earth, Grace is awakened from a sleep by a contaminate alarm sounding throughout the ship. He isolates the alarm to the ships labs where he has stored the Taumoeba in xenonite flasks. He subsequently discovers that Taumoeba has evolved the ability to pass through their xenonite containers and is eating Hail Mary's fuel. Grace fixes the problem on his ship by ejecting the offending fuel tank, but realises that Rocky's entire ship is made of xenonite, which will allow the Taumoeba to consume all of his fuel. Left with the choice of returning to Earth or saving Rocky and his home world, Grace chooses to save his friend, sending Taumoeba and his research notes and video diaries to Earth via four probes, which he names John, Paul, George and Ringo - a journey that will take a little over four years.

The probes deliver to a now older Stratt on Earth what humanity needs to kill Astrophages, as she watches his video diaries from the bridge of an ice breaker ship carving through a frozen seaway in what is clearly a cooling world. The Eridians meanwhile have created a biodome on their planet for Grace to live in, and he clearly has a very comfortable existence on his new home away from home. Rocky later tells him that scientists have finished preparing the Hail Mary to enable him to return to Earth. While contemplating the news, Grace begins another day of teaching science to Eridian children, who all bounce around the room enthusiastically when he asks 'what is the speed of light'?

I really enjoyed 'Project Hail Mary' and by and large it seems that the critics and the movie going audience do too. It's a crowd pleaser of a film that combines science fact, science fiction, emotion, heart, connection, danger and moments of laugh out loud humour into a neat package that doesn't outstay its 156 minute runtime. The production values are top notch, and Ryan Gosling carries the weight of the film firmly on his shoulders as he grapples at first with the loneliness of infinite space, then befriending an alien rock, and ultimately saving Earth from near extinction. Directors Lord and Miller have here crafted what is sure to become a classic of the genre - a wholly immersive piece of film making that is a cinematic experience to be savoured. It's also a pleasing change to see an alien that is friendly, welcoming and collaborative on the big screen rather than those Hell bent on the widespread destruction of all mankind and our tiny blue planet, as is usually the case. If I have one gripe, however, it centres around the disconnect between timelines from the start of the film and the end of the film, the passage of time in between, and the fact that Stratt clearly ages, yet Grace doesn't, and although I haven't read Andy Weir's novel, I'm told that this isn't addressed in the book either! A minor criticism in what is otherwise an almost flawless film. Enjoy it on the biggest screen possible - you won't be disappointed.

'Project Hail Mary' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 26th March 2026

The 29th annual Sanoma International Film Festival (SIFF) kicked off on Wednesday 25th March and runs across five days up to and including Sunday 29th March. Since its inception in 1997, the festival has grown from a small gathering of passionate filmmakers and cinephiles to a vibrant event showcasing groundbreaking cinema from around the globe. SIFF takes place every March in the United States’ renowned Wine Country, just 45 minutes north of San Francisco, in Northern California. SIFF is noted for its participation of film and media industry jurists and panelists and continues to grow its reputation in finding and cultivating new talent from around the world, creating a significant platform for networking and distribution opportunities. SIFF programmes full-length features and documentaries, as well as short films in the Live Action, Documentary and Animated categories. SIFF also showcases Culinary, Food and Wine films across all categories and presents comedies from around the world in addition to dramas and other genres. The five-day festival supports filmmakers with generous cash award prizes and an accommodation programme providing the opportunity to interact with industry professionals, community members, and our astute film audience in one of the most intimate, engaging and inspiring settings on the festival circuit . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night feature film presentation is 'Poetic License' from the USA and Directed by Maude Aaptow in her feature debut. Liz Cassidy (Leslie Mann), untethered in a new town, impulsively audits a poetry class at her husband’s university and strikes up a friendship with two adoring students, Sam Soloman (Andrew Barth Feldman) and Ari Zimmer (Cooper Hoffman). What begins as flattery spirals into a hilariously awkward tangle of longing, boundaries, and self-discovery. The Closing Night film is 'Under the Lights' from the USA, Written and Directed by first time feature film maker Miles Levin and filmed in Sonoma County. This is a heartwarming coming-of-age drama about Sam (Pearce Joza), a teen with epilepsy who risks everything to attend prom, knowing full well that the flashing lights could trigger a seizure. Also starring Randall Park, Nick Offerman and Mark Duplass. 

The Centrepiece Film is 'The Christophers' from the UK and Directed by Steven Soderbergh, in which the estranged children - Barnaby Sklar (James Corden) and Sallie Sklar (Jessica Gunning) of a well-known artist Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) employ a forger Lori Butler (Michaela Coel) to finish his incomplete paintings in order to sell them, so that they might claim an inheritance after he dies.

The Grand Jury Prize Awards, selected by a panel of industry professionals, will recognise excellence in multiple categories, including Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Live Action Short, Best Animated Short, and Best Documentary Short. With its commitment to championing bold and original storytelling, SIFF’s Awards Program offers filmmakers a prestigious platform to gain recognition and elevate their work on the global stage.

In the Narrative Feature Competition there are eight films vying for the top prize. Theses are as given below :-

* 'Ky Nam Inn' - from Vietnam and Directed by Leon Le. The film follows a young translator (Lien Binh Phat) assigned to adapt 'The Little Prince' and a reserved, older widow (Do Thi Hai Yen) who survives by cooking and keeping her distance. In Saigon, a city still shadowed by history, their unlikely connection deepens into something quietly transformative.

* 'Maspalomas' - from Spain and Directed by Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi. After a stroke leaves 76-year-old Vicente (Jose Ramon Soroiz) displaced in a conservative nursing home, the openly gay man who once fought for his freedom finds himself slipping back into the closet. As memories of his liberated life in Gran Canaria resurface, so does his determination to reclaim it.

* 'My Tennis Maestro' - from Italy and Co-Written and Directed by Andrea Di Stefano. A fiercely driven 13-year-old tennis player Felice (Tiziano Menichelli) is paired with a washed-up former champion Raul Gatti (Pierfrancesco Favino), and their cross-country tournament tour becomes a hilarious clash of discipline and decadence. As losses mount and egos bruise, the unlikely duo form a bond that shifts from frustration to fierce loyalty.

* 'Orphan' - from Hungary, France, Germany and the UK, and Co-Written and Directed by Laszlo Nemes. Set in 1957 amid Soviet repression and lingering wartime trauma, a young Jewish boy Andor (Bojtorjan Barabas) searches for the truth about his missing father, clinging to hope in Budapest, a city scarred by violence and suspicion.

* 'Silent Rebellion' - from Switzerland, Belgium and France and Co-Written and Directed by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo in her feature film debut. This WWII-era drama is set in rural Switzerland at a time of rigid social codes and male domination. When a young housemaid, Emma (Lila Gueneau) finds herself at odds with her puritanical village, she must summon extraordinary courage to chart her own future.

* 'Sundays' - from Spain and France and is Written and Directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azua. A seventeen year old woman Ainara (Blanca Soroa) - brilliant, idealistic, and on the cusp of university - announces she wants to become a cloistered nun, deepening family rifts featuring her aloof father Inaki (Miguel Garces) and her more involving aunt Matie (Patricia Lopez Arnaiz). What follows is an emotionally charged reckoning as love, belief, and personal freedom collide.

* 'The Soundman' - from Belgium and Written and Directed by Frank Van Passel. In 1940 Brussels, a spirited young actress and a gifted introverted sound technician fall in love at the Flagey Radio Station. As war looms and the Nazi threat looms ever closer, their passion for radio drama and each other becomes a beacon of hope amid darkening times, fuelled by urgency, innovation, and the fragile magic of live radio.

* 'Vanilla' - from Mexico and Written and Directed by Mayra Hermosillo. When an eviction notice threatens their home, eight-year-old Roberta (Aurora Davila) and her lively, multi-generational household of seven women band together to fight foreclosure. What unfolds is a portrait of resilience powered by fierce love, sharp humour, and unbreakable bonds. As tempers flare and loyalties are tested, the women rediscover their shared strength and the meaning of belonging.

For the details of the other competitive film strands being showcased, and the complete line-up of the 110 films being screened over the five days of the festival, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://www.sanomafilmfest.org

Looking ahead to this weeks five latest release new films coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a family musical fantasy adventure offering in which a modern family move to the English countryside and discover a magical tree inhabited by creatures like Silky and Moonface, transporting them to fantastical lands. This is followed by a horror action comedy where a woman takes a job as a housekeeper in a NYC high-rise, unaware of the building's history of disappearances, and where she soon realises the community of residents is shrouded in mystery. Then we turn to a British biographical drama telling of the real life story of John Davidson, a Scottish campaigner living with severe Tourette syndrome. Next up we have comedy horror film in which three young female retail employees run a secret cult out of the basement of their shopping mall store, but when a new employee joins the team this has the potential to ruin their tight little group with dire consequences for them all. And closing out the week there is an animated Sci-Fi comedy film that has an animal lover seizing an opportunity to use technology that places her consciousness into a robotic beaver, uncovering mysteries within the animal world. 

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

'THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE' (Rated G) - this UK and US Co-Produced musical fantasy adventure film is Directed by Ben Gregor who made his feature film Directorial debut with 2013's 'All Stars' and which he would follow up with the music doco 'Fatherhood' in 2018, plus multiple episodes of TV series over the years including 'Doc Martin', 'Britannia', 'Bloods', 'Black Ops' and most recently 'Brassic'. This film is based on the Enid Blyton book series of the same name. 

When siblings Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Fran Thompson (Billie Gadsdon) are forced to move to the remote English countryside with their parents Polly and Tim (Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield respectively), they discover a towering magical tree hidden deep within the forest, home to eccentric residents including Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning) and the ever-curious Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns). At the very top, a gateway leads to ever-changing lands filled with surprises, mischief and adventure. As each new world unfolds, the children are swept into playful journeys that bring their family closer together. Also starring Nicola Coughlan, Lenny Henry, Michael Palin, Jennifer Saunders, Simon Russell Beale and Rebecca Ferguson. 

'THEY WILL KILL YOU' (Rated MA15+) - is an American horror action comedy film that is Co-Written and Directed by Kirill Sokolov who made his feature film Directorial debut with 'Why Don't You Just Die!' in 2018 and which he would follow up with 'No Looking Back' in 2021. Here then, a young woman - Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz) answers a help-wanted ad to be a housekeeper in a mysterious New York City up market high-rise apartment block, called the Virgil. What she doesn't realise is that she is entering a community that has seen a number of disappearances over the years. Asia must fight for her life to survive the night at the hands of a demonic cult's mysterious and twisted death-trap of a lair, before becoming their next offering. Also starring Myha'la, Tom Felton, Heather Graham and Patricia Arquette. The film Premiered at SXSW last week, and is released Stateside this week too. 

'I SWEAR' (Rated MA15+) - this British biographical drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Kirk Jones whose prior feature film Directing output take in his debut in 1998 with 'Waking Ned Devine' and which he would follow up with 'Nanny McPhee' in 2005, 'Everybody's Fine' in 2009, 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' in 2012 and 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2' in 2016. Based on the true life story of Scottish man John Davidson (Robert Aramayo) who was the subject of the 1989 television documentary 'John's Not Mad'. Diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome at fifteen years of age for which there is no cure, and targeted as 'insane' by his peers, he struggled with a condition few had witnessed. Campaigning for better understanding and acceptance of the condition of Tourette's as an adult, he finds his life's purpose and accepted his MBE from the Queen in 2019. Also starring Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson and Peter Mullan. The film Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September last year, was released in the UK in mid-October, has so far grossed US$8.3M and has generated largely favourable critical reviews. 

'FORBIDDEN FRUITS' (Rated CTC) - is an American comedy horror film that is Co-Written for the screen and Directed by Meredith Alloway in her feature film making debut. She co-wrote the screenplay with Lily Houghton, and is based on Houghton's 2019 stage play 'Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die'. Free Eden employee Apple (Lili Reinhart) secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the mall store after hours – with fellow 'fruits' Cherry (Victoria Pedretti) and Fig (Alexandra Shipp). But when new hire Pumpkin (Lola Tung) challenges their performative sisterhood, the women are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate. The film had its Premiere screening at the SXSW Film and TV Festival earlier this month, and is released Stateside this week too.

'HOPPERS' (Rated PG) - this American animated Sci-Fi comedy film is Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, and is Directed by Daniel Chong in his feature film making debut. The film is based on a story Co-Written by Daniel Chong also. Here, the story follows Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda), a nineteen-year old animal loving American-Japanese college student. After Scientists discover how to 'hop' human consciousness into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to communicate with animals as animals, Mabel transfers her mind into a lifelike robotic beaver to save their habitat from human destruction, inadvertently starting an uprising in doing so, whilst uncovering mysteries within the animal world that are beyond anything she could have imagined. Also starring the voice talents of Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Dave Franco, Isiah Whitlock Jnr., and Meryl Streep. The film Premiered in LA toward the end of February, was released Stateside earlier this month, has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$244M off the back of a US$150M production budget.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

HOW TO MAKE A KILLING : Tuesday 17th March 2026

I saw the M Rated 'HOW TO MAKE A KILLING' earlier this week, and this French and UK Co-Produced black comedy thriller film is Written and Directed by John Patton Ford in only his second feature film making outing following 'Emily the Criminal' in 2022. This film is based on the Roy Horniman 1907 novel 'Israel Rank : The Autobiography of a Criminal' which in turn was used as the basis of the Screenplay of the highly-regarded 1949 black comedy 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' Directed by Robert Hamer and starring Alec Guinness playing all eight members of the family whom he must kill off to inherit the family fortune. This film was released in the US in mid-February, was released here in Australia on 5th March, in the UK on 11th March, and upcoming in France on 25th March. The film has so far received mixed or average critical reviews, and has grossed US$9M from its US$15M production budget.

Convicted of murder and waiting to be put to death in a little over 24 hours, Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell, who also Co-Produces here), recounts his story to a priest, Father Morris (Adrian Lukis) on how he came to be there in the first place. As a child, Becket (Grady Wilson) is raised by his single mother, Mary (Nell Williams), who was outcast from her wealthy Redfellow family for choosing to keep her teenage pregnancy at just eighteen years of age. As a young lad, Becket befriends the more well to do Julia Steinway (Maggie Toomey). Prior to her death in hospital, Mary stresses to young Becket that he should fight for the life he 'deserves' to have.

One day, a now adult Becket who works as a suit salesman in a bespoke tailors shop is noticed by a now married Julia (Margaret Qualley) who by chance is in the shop looking for suits for her husband. They briefly catch-up on each others lives having not seen one another for many many years. Later Becket gets  demoted from his job as a suit salesman, and pushed out to the company warehouse, whereupon he promptly resigns. Becket decides to eliminate the remaining Redfellows in order to claim his inheritance to the family fortune which runs into the tens of billions of dollars.

Becket first kills his cousin Taylor (Raff Law), an investment banker, by tying an anchor to his leg while he sleeps off a hangover on his private motor boat and tosses the anchor overboard taking Taylor with it. Becket then meets Taylor's father Warren (Bill Camp) at the funeral, who offers him Taylor's old job at his financial investment firm. While planning the murder of his other cousin Noah (Zach Woods), an artist, Becket befriends Noah's girlfriend Ruth (Jessica Henwick). After killing Noah, by rigging an explosion in his photographic dark room, two FBI agents approach Becket, discussing the two suspicious deaths, though they do not accuse Becket of murder. Becket pretends to not know whether he is eligible for the inheritance. Julia appears in Becket's office, claiming her husband Lyle is broke and asks for a US$300K loan, which he denies. 

Becket and Ruth begin dating and move in together into a lavish high-rise apartment, now that he has moved onward and upward in his new job. Despite being welcomed with open arms by Warren, rapidly promoted in his job and content with his relationship with Ruth, Becket kills three more Redfellows -  cousin Steven (Topher Grace), aunt Cassandra (Bianca Amato), and uncle MacArthur (Alexander Hanson). Warren, who Becket is unable to bring himself to kill because of the kindness and generosity he had shown him, has a heart attack and dies as they are both leaving the office one day reeling from a looming financial crisis, leaving only one more living Redfellow, Becket's grandfather Whitelaw (Ed Harris).

Whitelaw sends a personal invitation to Becket for dinner at his mansion on the night of Becket and Ruth's engagement party. He calls Ruth to explain that he must attend and she makes him promise to be home by 7:00pm which he agrees to. Julia reveals to Becket that she has photographic evidence of his murders, which she will reveal unless he gives her the US$300K she had asked for previously, and that this must be delivered personally by him to her husband Lyle (James Frecheville) at his place of work. Becket complies, going to Lyle's office to hand-deliver a cheque to him. Becket forgoes his engagement party to go to the mansion, where he meets Whitelaw, who locks the doors and attempts to kill him with a WWI pump action shotgun. Becket kills Whitelaw in self-defence using a bow and arrow taken from an arrangement hanging on the wall. This makes Becket the sole inheritor to the family fortune. At a celebratory party at the mansion, Becket is approached again by the FBI agents, who arrest him for the murder of Lyle, who was found stabbed to death in his office using a letter opener that Becket touched when he delivered the cheque, leaving fingerprint evidence.

With the clock counting down the hours until his execution, Julia visits Becket in jail. During their timed three minute meeting, she tells him that there was a suicide note written by Lyle that was withheld from the trial. Becket pressures Julia to release the note, which she agrees to only if Becket signs over the entire Redfellow fortune to her. Becket reluctantly agrees, and signs the necessary paperwork from his jail cell. Julia then releases the note as promised. With Becket's innocence now without question, he is set free. Ruth waits for him outside the prison, only to return his mother's locket to him containing a lock of her hair as a keepsake. She leaves afterwards without saying a word to Becket and speeds off in her beat up old car. Becket sees Julia waiting for him with the Redfellow family driver, and the pair travel to the Redfellow family mansion together in the comfort of a Rolls Royce.

As a big almost life long fan of 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' I left the movie theatre feeling underwhelmed by this modern 21st century set in New York retelling that is 'How to Make a Killing'. On the plus side Glen Powell gives an OK frequently smirking like the proverbial Cheshire Cat performance backed up by the always dependable Margaret Qualley and Ed Harris, with the latter being banished to the penultimate sequence in which he perishes courtesy of two well aimed arrows. On the downside however, the six murders are all wrapped up with relative ease, are totally bloodless, and are skirted over like they've been concocted by a ten year old with access to Google. The script would have benefitted too from a little more polish, and being just a tad nastier, more witty, and less predictable. In summary, the film has all the touchstones to be greater than the sum of its parts . . . it just fails to hit them.

'How to Make a Killing' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-