What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th November 2015.

As the financial expectations around movies these days gets bigger and bigger and the competition to get bums on seats in front of a big screen or some other device intensifies, and the time between cinema release and DVD/Blu-ray release shortens, so the Marketing guys have to work harder and harder to promote their films, capture interest, stimulate the movie going audience and come up with more & more creative ways to promote their films. In Bond's case the global marketing budget for the below Previewed film stretches to close to US$100M I understand, but is that hardly surprising with so much at stake? Looking at the Top 10 Box Office hits of all time, nine have been released in the last six years and of those, four this year alone, and all of them big budget, big studio, big name action fare. So I guess it goes to show that the bigger the better in Hollywood is what gets bums on seats!

Will it therefore be the same in the week ahead for one of these in that category? We have just three films to get you out to your local movie theatre and given the release this week of one long standing titular '00' Secret Agent it is hardly surprising that no other films wanted to go head to head with this release (even 'Mission Impossible : Rogue Nation' moved its release date to earlier in the year to avoid this clash). Added to this then there is a seldom Director but reputed nonetheless doing what he does best with a big cast, and big ideas and a big film that might not be what you expect; and finally a thought provoking must see documentary of a true young heroine of our time forced upon the world stage for all the wrong reasons.

The smart money this week would be on the immediately below Previewed film, with the two further below coming in as also rans but will easily wait for another week or subsequent release on DVD and Blu-ray. Whatever you see though, enjoy the experience and share your thoughts afterwards with the readership here at Odeon Online by leaving your views and opinions in the Comments Box below this or any other Post. Enjoy your film!

SPECTRE (Rated M) - this surely has to be one of the most highly anticipated films of the year (after 'The Force Awakens' perhaps) which is hardly surprising after the monumental success of its predecessor 'Skyfall' which took the Bond franchise to record breaking new heights off the back of a US$150-200M budget. With a worldwide sales haul of US$1.1B it peaked at the seventh highest grossing film of all time, but today sits in the #13 place. By comparison 'Spectre' was made for a budget of somewhere between US$245-300M and since its UK release on 26th October has grossed already US$290M - no wonder Sam Mendes as Director of the former was invited back again! Of course all the characters we have come to know and love from the more recent Bond outings are back again, not the least being Daniel Craig as our favourite secret agent and the shaken but not stirred man himself, Bond, James Bond, for his fourth time. Ralph Fiennes is in the MI6 saddle now as the new M, although Judi Dench makes a cameo appearance as the former M, and we have Ben Whishaw back as Q, Naomie Harris back as Eve Moneypenny, Rory Kenner back as Bill Tanner and introducing Christoph Waltz as Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld (aka Franz Oberhauser) and the Bond ladies Lea Seydoux as Dr. Medeline Swann and Monica Belluci as Lucia Sciarra.

Spectre (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) has been absent from the Bond canon since 1971's 'Diamond's Are Forever' and featured heavily in the plots during the Connery years. Spectre has however, featured in the story arc linking together Craig's journey through the films so far coming now to the forefront of this 24th instalment of the franchise. When Bond receives a cryptic message from the former M he is sent on a chase that takes in Mexico, Austria, Italy, Morocco and England in search of an infamous underworld criminal, a sinister secret organisation, and its head who has a chilling connection back to Bond's own past. All the while back in London M is at loggerheads with a newly merged MI5 and MI6 wanting to disband the '00' Agents, and with his activities suspended Bond goes rogue to uncover more secrets and more danger and intrigue than perhaps he bargained for.

KNIGHT OF CUPS (Rated M) - this film has already been doing the rounds for sometime having Premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February this year with its US release slated for March next year. Directed and Written by Terrence Malick this film has an all star cast and as with all Malick's offerings is likely to tie you in knots with his imagery, hidden messages, inner meanings and thought provoking style that will leave you wondering WTF long after the credits have rolled. For this reason 'Knight of Cups' is not likely to be a film for everyone, but more for followers of his films ('Tree of Life' as a most recent example), and so here we have Rick (Christian Bale) an LA based Screenwriter working in the Hollywood system who has his fare share of success but is in despair over his empty life, meaningless relationships, casual sexual encounters and his roller coaster existence - living the dream life on paper in the stories he scripts, but certainly not off it. Also starring Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Imogen Poots, Jason Clarke, Joel Kinnaman, Isabel Lucas, Antonio Banderas, Ben Kingsley, Frieda Pinto and Brian Dennehey you'll just have to judge for yourself if the Tarot Cards fall your way on this one.

HE NAMED ME MALALA (Rated PG) - you will have heard about this shocking true story when it rocked the worlds head lines and social media pages back in October 2012 when this young teenage Pakistani girl was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen because she dared speak out about education for women and her calls for girls to be able to attend school. Making an unexpected recovery she continued to be active under the watchful and somewhat protective eye of the world and subsequently two years later became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. This documentary film is Directed by Davis Guggenheim who also brought us 'An Inconvenient Truth', and stars the young girl, Malala Yousafzai and her father Zlauddin, recounting the events that led up to that infamous day and what has transpired since. A story here of the power of the father/daughter relationship and how just one person can make a difference that is likely to be courageous, confronting, emotional and inspiring. A film that should make you grateful for what you have and the liberties most of us can enjoy, including an education and free speech.

Three films this week only of which one has to be a shoe-in, and really it's no surprise that there is anything else in the running against the mammoth machine that is James Bond. Will it out perform 'Skyfall' - time will tell, but only you can get it there, so some great content doing the rounds and these latest offerings, get yourself to the movies this week and catch some solid entertainment.

See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-