What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 28th September 2023.

The 31st 'Filmfest Hamburg' takes place between Thursday 28th September and Saturday 7th October this year. The first film festival opened in Hamburg, Germany in 1992. To date, around three thousand national and international film productions have celebrated their World, European or German Premieres at the festival, which has grown continuously over the years, with the number of visitors increasing tenfold since 1992. Every Autumn, Filmfest Hamburg attracts more than 45,000 cinema fans, and over the course of ten days around 130 national and international feature films and documentaries are showcased across fourteen screens. The programme spectrum in ten sections ranges from cineastically sophisticated art house films to innovative mainstream cinema and a colourful film and event programme for the youngest cinema-goers. As a platform for cultural exchange and dialogue, the majority of the films are presented by the filmmakers themselves in Hamburg. Numerous events make Filmfest Hamburg an important meeting place for cinema enthusiasts and the film industry alike.

The Opening Night film is 'Inshallah A Boy' from Jordan, France, Saudi Arabia and Qatar and is Co-Written and Directed by Amjad Al Rasheed in his debut feature film. Death and inheritance in a patriarchy - a dense, tightly-told story from Jordan of a widow fighting for her existence. The Closing Night film is 'Paradise is Burning' from Denmark, Finland, Italy and Sweden and is Co-Written and Directed by Mika Gustafson in her feature film debut. Three sisters aged 7 to 16, live alone after their mother vanishes for whole swathes of time, but when the social services demand a family meeting, oldest sister Laura plans to find a stand in for their mother. 

In ten sections, Filmfest Hamburg shows national and international feature films and documentaries as World Premieres, European or German Premieres. The programme spectrum ranges from sophisticated art house films to innovative mainstream cinema. Those sections are :-

* Grosse Freiheit - curtain up for German cinema from idiosyncratic to elaborate, this section brings together the debuts of young talents and the latest films by experienced Directors.

* Asia Express - sometimes spiritual, sometimes rebellious, the filmmaking from East and Southeast Asia presents itself as usual polyphonic and heterogeneous.

* Veto! - this selection with exclamation marks is not satisfied with the current state of the world and is entirely dedicated to political cinema.

* Transatlantik - the programme window for films from the USA and Canada features the creme de la creme of North American auteur and independent cinema.

* Vitrina - in this Spanish and Portuguese-language cinema, there are no limits to narrative and aesthetic diversity. There is room for everything from bank robber films to silent film collages.

* Voila! - Francophone contemporary cinema encompasses the film countries France, Belgium and Quebec and offers cinematic highlights by renowned filmmakers as well as many new discoveries.

* Kaleidoskop - this cinematographic journey across the continents stops in countries like Bulgaria, Iceland, Jordan and even Sudan and is a reservoir of the most diverse stories.

* Televisionen - here the festival brings TV productions to the cinema even before they are broadcast on television. Classic TV dramas meet series formats.

* Michel Children's & Youth Film Festival - within this section section Michel shows German and international feature and animated films in their original version, which are spoken live in German in the cinema hall and also subtitled in German.
* Hamburger Filmschau - films 'Made in Hamburg', as colourful and cosmopolitan as the city in which they were shot or produced.

For all the more detailed films featured in the aforementioned sections, plus the awards on offer and a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://www.filmfesthamburg.de/en/

Kicking off this weeks six new release movies for your cinematic indulgence, we have a Sci-Fi actioner set against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, where a former soldier must hunt and track down the secret weapon - a robot in the form of a young child. Next up we have the tenth offering in this hugely successful horror franchise that sees this infamous serial killer, armed with a newfound purpose following a scam to cure him of his cancer, uses deranged and ingenious traps to turn the tables on the con artists who wronged him. This is followed by an erotic thriller in which an unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund pushes a newly engaged couple's relationship to the brink. Then we turn to the true story of a young woman who arrives in Oxford with the singular goal of gaining her PhD, but through a turbulent friendship with a charming man awakens to the possibility of love. Following on we have a doco about the birth and rise of freeride mountain biking; before closing out the week with an animated sequel about a group of young pups who magically gain superpowers after a meteor strike, however, things take a turn for the worse when a former Mayor and a mad scientist steal their powers and turn themselves into supervillains.

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

'THE CREATOR' (Rated M) - is an American Sci-Fi action thriller film that is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Gareth Edwards, whose previous feature film output take in his debut with 'Monsters' in 2010, then 'Godzilla' in 2014 and 'Rogue One : A Star Wars Story' in 2016. Having cost US$80M to produce, the film sees its World Premiere screening at Fantastic Fest on 26th September before its release in the US and here in Australia from this week. 

Set in the throes of a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, Joshua (John David Washington), a hardened ex-special forces soldier grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war . . . and all of humankind. Joshua and his team of elite operatives journey across enemy lines, into the heart of AI-occupied territory only to learn that the world-ending weapon he's been instructed to destroy is in fact an AI in the form of a young child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). Also starring Allison Janney, Ken Watanabe, Gemma Chan and Sturgill Simpson. 

'SAW X' (Rated MA15+) - this American horror film is Directed and Edited by Kevin Greutert whose previous feature film outings take in his debut with 'Saw VI' in 2009, 'Saw 3D' in 2010, 'Jessabelle' in 2014, 'Visions' in 2015 and 'Jackals' in 2017. This film is the tenth offering overall in the Saw film series and serves as both a direct sequel to 2004's 'Saw' and as a prequel to 2005's 'Saw II'. The first nine films in the franchise have grossed US$1,017B at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets totalling just US$97M, so making this ongoing series a no-brainer. Here then, John Kramer aka 'Jigsaw' (Tobin Bell) travels to Mexico hoping for a miracle cure for his cancer. However, he soon realises that the entire operation is a fraudulent scheme targeting vulnerable individuals. Finding a new purpose, the infamous serial killer returns to putting con artists in his signature death defying traps. Reprising her role as Amanda, Shawnee Smith returns in her fifth instalment in the series.

'FAIR PLAY' (Rated MA15+) - is an American erotic thriller film Written and Directed by Chloe Domont in her feature film making debut. When a coveted promotion at a cutthroat financial firm arises, once supportive exchanges between lovers Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) begin to sour into something more sinister. As the power dynamics irrevocably shift in their relationship, the couple must face the true price of success and the unnerving limits of ambition. Also starring Eddie Marsan and Rich Sommer. The film saw its World Premiere at this years Sundance Film Festival back in late January, has a limited cinematic release from this week before a streaming release on Netflix on 13th October.

'SURPRISED BY OXFORD' (Rated PG) - this romantic drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Ryan Whitaker in only his second feature film outing following 'After' in 2012. Based on the award-winning memoir by Carolyn Webber, this film is the incredible true story of Caro Drake (Rose Reid), a young, headstrong, brilliant but emotionally guarded American who lands a coveted scholarship to the University of Oxford for her postgraduate studies. Burdened with trust issues and intellectually hostile towards the abstract, Caro begins her time in Oxford with the singular goal of attaining her PhD. But through a turbulent friendship with a charming young man and the wise counsel of the college’s first female provost, Caro begins to open herself up to mystery, vulnerability, and the possibility of love. Also starring Simon Callow, Phyllis Logan and Mark Williams.

'NOTHING'S FOR FREE' (Rated CTC) - Directed by Derek Westerlund this is the real story of the birth and legacy of freeride mountain biking. Chronicling the blue-collar story and rise of a cult sport to a global phenomenon that put the race-driven sport of mountain biking on the map in the world of action sports and the mainstream. The narrative features the biggest names in mountain biking from the early pioneers of adventure to modern-day internet superstars like Danny Macaskill and Brandon Semenuk.

'PAW PATROL : THE MIGHTY MOVIE' (Rated PG) - this Canadian computer-animated superhero comedy film is based on the television series 'PAW Patrol' and is the sequel to 2021's 'PAW Patrol : The Movie'. It is Co-Written and Directed by Cal Brunker whose three prior feature film making credits are 'Escape from Planet Earth' in 2012, 'The Nut Job 2 : Nutty by Nature' in 2017 and 'PAW Patrol : The Movie' in 2021. And so, all of her life, Skye (voiced by Mckenna Grace) has felt like she has been unappreciated by the rest of the PAW Patrol. Eager to prove she can be an asset to the team, Skye gets a chance when a magical meteor crash-lands in Adventure City, giving her and the other PAW Patrol members superpowers as they become the Mighty Pups. In order to steal the pups' powers, Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) escapes from prison and teams up with a meteor expert named Victoria Vance (Taraji P. Henson) to steal the pups' crystals. Also starring the voice talents of Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Kim Kardashian, Chris Rock, James Marsden, Kristen Bell, Lil Rel Howery and Serena Williams. The film is released in Canada and the US this week also. 

With six 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-