What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th January 2017.

And hot of the press and kicking off Awards Season, comes the news of this years Golden Globe winners and grinners. Presented for the 74th year on Sunday evening 8th January at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills and hosted by Actor and Television Talk Show Host, Jimmy Fallon, the full force of Hollywood's glitterati and glamourati were out parading the red carpet in the lead up to the mind numbing sleep inducing three hour awards ceremony. 'La La Land' made Golden Globe history by winning an unprecedented seven awards - all those it was nominated for.

The winners in the film category are as given below :
* Best film - Drama : 'MOONLIGHT' (released in Australia on 26th January),
* Best film - Musical or Comedy : 'LA LA LAND',
* Best Animated Film : 'ZOOTOPIA',
* Best Foreign Language Film : 'ELLE',
* Best Actor Performance - Drama : CASEY AFFLECK for 'Manchester by the Sea' (released in Australia on 2nd February),
* Best Actress Performance - Drama : ISABELLE HUPERT for 'Elle',
* Best Actor Performance - Musical or Comedy : RYAN GOSLING for 'La La Land',
* Best Actress Performance - Musical or Comedy : EMMA STONE for 'La La Land',
* Best Supporting Actor Performance : AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON for 'Nocturnal Animals',
* Best Supporting Actress Performance : VIOLA DAVIS for 'Fences' (released in Australia on 9th February),
* Best Director : DAMIEN CHAZELLE for 'La La Land',
* Best Screenplay : DAMIEN CHAZELLE for 'La La Land',
* Best Music Score : JUSTIN HERWITZ for 'La La Land',
* Best Original Song : 'CITY OF STARS' for 'La La Land',
* The Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award - MERYL STREEP.

And so to this weeks latest release films coming to your neighbourhood cinema. We kick off with a biographical drama of America's First Lady following the traumatic and dramatic events that rocked the world in November 1963. We then lurch into a weepie drama of love, time and death featuring an ensemble gathering brought in to rescue a damaged man from himself, before centering on three kid friendly films for the tail end of the school holidays with a middle school adventure of one lads determination to break every rule in the school book, followed by a senior school lad who builds mega trucks powered by some otherworldly friendly speed freak beings (not the 'Transformers' kind either!), before closing with a delightful animated feature set in 1880's Paris and one girls dream to escape the shackles of an orphanage by dancing her way to fame and fortune.

As always, be reminded to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations when you have sat through your film of choice in the week ahead, by leaving a constructive and relevant Comment below this or any other Post. With five films out this week, and a whole raft of other great cinema content still doing the rounds and as Reviewed and Previewed here in previous weeks, you have every reason to get out to your local movie theatre and catch a film of choice. Enjoy your movie. in the meantime.

'JACKIE' (Rated MA15+) - this biographical drama film follows the week or so immediately following the assassination of President John. F. Kennedy in late 1963 through the eyes of his wife Jackie Kennedy as played here to much critical acclaim by Natalie Portman in a career defining role. Directed by Pablo Larrain the film Premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in early September where it was in competition for the Golden Lion, and went on a very limited US release from early December, with a wider release to coincide with its international release. Made for US$9M it has so far recovered that investment, and Natalie Portman was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. So far the film has garnered 29 award wins and a further 98 nominations.

Following her husband's assassination at which she is present in the back of the car beside President John F. Kennedy while driving in the cavalcade in Dallas, Texas on that fateful day in November 1963, wife Jacqueline Kennedy is heavily traumatised and shattered as her world comes crashing in around her in a split second as shots ring out fired by Lee Harvey Oswald. In the days that follow and reeling from grief and the sudden loss she must come to terms with, Jackie must console her two young children, plan her husbands state funeral in a manner befitting the stature of the great man and reconcile herself with vacating the White House that she had so painstakingly and lovingly restored, and which she had expected to inhabit for a few more years yet . . . and happily. All the while, she strives to fully determine how history will define the legacy that JFK left behind, and how she too will be remembered as America's First Lady of a truly beloved assassinated President. Also starring Peter Sarsgaard as Robert Kennedy, Greta Gerwig, Richard E. Grant, John Hurt and Billy Crudup.

'COLLATERAL BEAUTY' (Rated M) - Directed by David Frankel whose previous credits include 'The Devil Wears Prada', 'Marley & Me' and 'Hope Springs', made for US$36M and so far making US$60M and starring an ensemble cast, you would be mistaken for thinking this was going to be a sure fire hit - but, this tear jerking drama has been critically panned. Starring Will Smith as Howard - a brilliant, creative charismatic advertising executive who suffers the incomprehensible loss of his young daughter, and so retreats within himself shutting out the world almost to the point of suicide. He believes that humans are motivated by three things - Love, Time and Death (we long for love, we wish we had more time, and we fear death!). And so in his isolation, and to gain some solace in his now shattered world he begins writing letters to Love, Time and Death. While his friends and concerned work colleagues try to reach out to him, he begins receiving personal responses to his letters, and then Love, Time and Death manifest themselves to him in human form. Little does he know that Love, Time and Death are portrayed by three struggling Actors (Keira Knightley as Love, Jacob Lattimore as Time and Helen Mirren as Death) hired by his concerned work colleagues Michael Pena, Edward Norton, Naomi Harris and Kate Winslet. In time he begins to see that even in the most tragic of circumstances, there can emerge meaning, beauty and redemption.

'MIDDLE SCHOOL : THE WORST YEARS OF MY LIFE' (Rated PG) - this family comedy offering from Director Steve Carr was released in the US in early October and is already out on DVD and BluRay over there. It was made for US$9M, has so far grossed US$21M and is based on the book of the same name from 2011 by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts. The premise here is that quiet and imaginative teenager Rafe Khatchadorian (Griffin Gluck) is done with his new school's regime of strict rules compliance at the expense of creativity and freedom. Desperate to shake things up and rid the school of the burden of rules, rules and more rules, Rafe and his new friend Leo (Thomas Barbusca) decide to break every rule in the school book by concocting a cunning plan and letting their fellow school kids run riot. In the meantime tyrannical Principal Ken Dwight (Andy Daly) is hot on their heels trying to restore law and order to the school campus and deal with the miscreants, while Rafe is chasing the affections of Jeanne Galletta (Isabelle Moner), and battle a gang of school bullies.

'MONSTER TRUCKS' (Rated PG) - this is a family oriented live action combined with computer generated action comedy that is Directed by Chris Wedge, cost US$125M to bring to the big screen and has so far grossed just US$9M and a whole lot of largely negative reviews. The story here surrounds Tripp Coley (Lucas Till) who is a high school senior student looking at a way of beating his hum drum lifestyle and getting the hell outta Dodge for a life less ordinary. He builds monster trucks using redundant car parts, scrap metal and all manner of automotive bits and pieces he can cobble together. One day however, following an accident at a local oil drilling rig, a strange alien like creature is displaced from underground. It seems that this creature which Coley names Creech, has a penchant for speed and a talent to match, and from here on in the two form an unlikely friendship, that might just be their ticket outta Dodge and their one way ride to fame and fortune. Also starring Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Barry Pepper, Jane Levy and Amy Ryan.

'BALLERINA' (Rated G) - this French/Canadian Co-Production is a computer animated musical fantasy adventure story Directed by Eric Summer and Eric Warin at a cost of US$30M and so far it has recovered US$19M since its release in France and Canada before Christmas and ahead of its US release on 3rd March under the title of 'Leap'. Telling the story of Felicie (Elle Fanning) who back in 1880's Brittany has dreams of escaping the orphanage where she lives and becoming a Ballerina in Paris. She runs away to Paris with her young friend and budding inventor, Victor (Dane DeHaan) but they become separated. Winding up at the acclaimed school of the Paris Opera Ballet she finds the harsh training regime and fitting in with more gifted young dancers challenging. But not to be out done she finds a gifted mentor willing to give her time and patience, Odette (Carly Rae Jepsen) a former prima ballerina who takes the young  Felicie under her wing and in to her tutelage. With the courage of her convictions and desperately wanting to turn her dreams into reality, she works hard to be successful in her audition for the forthcoming production of 'The Nutcracker'. The film has garnered solid reviews so far for its engaging story and quality animation.

With five new release films coming to a big screen near you this week ahead, remember to share your views and opinions of your movie going experience with us all here at Odeon Online, or any of those others doing the rounds and still out on general release. In the meantime, I'll see you somewhere, sometime in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-