What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 4th February 2016.

On 30th January at the Shrine Auditorium in L.A. the 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were held with the following Outstanding Awards presented : Ensemble Cast to 'Spotlight' with Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Rachel McAdams, Billy Crudup and Stanley Tucci. Male Actor in a Leading Role went to Leonardo DiCaprio for 'The Revenant' following on his success at the Golden Globes and setting the tone for the upcoming Academy Awards and BAFTA's. Female Actor in a Leading Role went to Brie Larson for her starring role in 'Room'; with Supporting Roles going to Idris Elba for 'Beasts of No Nation' and Alicia Vikander for 'The Danish Girl'. The Most Outstanding Stunt Ensemble went to 'Mad Max : Fury Road'. Next up are the BAFTA Awards on 14th February and thereafter the Academy Awards on 28th February. Watch out for further updates as these dates pass.

And so to this weeks latest releases, of which there are five. Kicking off we have a stop motion animated feature that is already creating much critical buzz and is sure to warm the cockles; then a bio-pic of a recently passed computer guru who changed the way we interact with technology on a daily basis; a search & rescue story on a grand scale, involving so many, for so long and in a place far away, and deep! And then there is a romantic drama of two people thrown together by fate who need to make the tough decisions which may well determine their future lives together; and finally a documentary of alternative energies, sustainability and environmental awareness that is about more than just huggin' a tree!

With five new offerings and still some great movies doing the rounds as Reviewed and Previewed on these pages before, there is plenty of choice to tempt your $20 from out of your wallet. When you have sat in the dark for two hours or so with a bunch of strangers all staring in the same direction with necks craned up at a big screen, share your thoughts on your filmic experience by leaving your own critique in the Comments section below this, or any other Post. In the meantime, enjoy your movie.

ANOMALISA (Rated MA15+) - this is a stop motion animated film Written, Produced and Directed by Charlie Kaufman. Made for just US$8M this is not a film for everyone, but has had much critical praise bestowed up on it with 17 award wins to date and another 54 nominations. It is the first R-Rated animated feature film (Stateside) to be nominated for an Academy Award, and it is the first animated film to win the Grand Jury Prize at the most recent Venice International Film Festival.

Featuring the voice work of just three actors - David Thewlis as Michael Stone an author specialising in customer service around the conference and convention circuit, who despite his teaching & preaching skills is unable to connect with people in the real world, as he has a lack of interest in what other people do, think and feel. On a business trip though Stone meets up with lively, energetic Lisa Hesselman (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who slowly shows him what can be, and lifts his negative views on life and what it takes to lift it from the mundane to the more adventurous. Everyone else is voiced by Tom Noonan.  Don't be put off by the fact that this is an animated feature, with stop motion work that is up there with the very best seen before. This is a thought provoking human story of emotion, discovery and  hope.

STEVE JOBS (Rated M) - starring Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs, Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak, Jeff Daniels as Apple CEO John Sculley and Kate Winslet as Apple and NeXT Marketing Executive Joanna Hoffman, this biopic drama is Directed by Danny Boyle  and was made for US$30M and has so far raked in US$32M since its Stateside release in October last year. The film tells the story of Jobs life from 1984 up to the late nineties and just before the release of The Macintosh in 1984, the NeXT computer in 1988 and the iMac G3 in 1998. Nominated for two Oscars, three BAFTA's, and winning two Golden Globes for Kate Winslet and Aaron Sorkin for Best Screenplay as well as eleven other awards wins and 77 other nominations, this is up there on this years must see list - if only because the man whom this films is based upon has touched so many lives for so many years with his forward thinking technology.

THE 33 (Rated M) - this English language Chilean film is based on the real events that unfolded following the collapse of the San Jose gold & copper mine in Chile on August 5th 2010 that trapped thirty-three men two thousand feet below the surface. Above the surface teams of rescue workers toiled for 69 days to free the men, families set up a tent city in a vigil of hope, longing and support, and the Government dealt with the media frenzy that gripped the world as events unfolded and attempts at rescue faltered, but in time came good. Below the ground, 33 men had to come to terms with their fate, struggled with the suffocating heat of their underground captivity, the need to ration limited food and water supplies, remain motivated and confident, and the need to remain focused on their survival. Starring Antonio Banderas, James Brolin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bob Gunton, Gabriel Byrne and Juliette Binoche this film is Directed by Patricia Riggin and based on the book 'Deep Down Dark' by Hector Tobar.

THE CHOICE (Rated PG) - Directed by Ross Katz and based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks we are introduced to Travis Shaw (Benjamin Walker) - an easy going non-committal ladies man who's world is turned upside down when feisty, out there medical student Gabby Holland (Teresa Palmer) moves in next door with the intention of settling down with her boyfriend. But, fate draws Travis and Gabby together and as their lives are turned upside down unexpectedly. As their relationship grows, so decisions need to be made on just how far they are prepared to go to keep their love alive. Also starring Tom Wilkinson and Tom Welling.

LIFE OFF GRID (Rated PG) - for two years from 2011 to 2013 Director Jonathan Taggart and Producer Phillip Vannini travelled across Canada to find 200 'off-gridders' and learn more of their lives without connection to the electricity or natural gas grid infrastructure. Those that have chosen to opt out of the energy sources we traditionally take for granted often live in remote rural areas and have found alternative ways of sustaining themselves and their way of life with often innovative, inventive and imaginative ways, but also often grounded in tradition. Chronicling along the way the experiences, challenges, hopes & dreams of those 'off-gridders' in their new lives, this will reveal what is possible and that it is still possible to live with the creature comforts but in new & different ways.

Whatever film you decide upon in the coming week tell us what you thought of you cinematic experience, and then tell a friend and encourage them to get to the movies and enjoy a big screen experience . . . it's the only way! See you at the Odeon!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-