What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 11th January 2024.

The 81st Golden Globe Awards were held on Sunday 7th January at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, California, USA and was hosted by Jo Koy, the American stand-up comedian and Actor.  The Golden Globes are presented for film and American television productions of 2023. 

Today, the Golden Globes recognise achievements in twenty-seven categories - fifteen in motion pictures and twelve in television. Those winners, grinners and also-rans in the feature film categories are as given below :-

* Best Motion Picture : Drama - awarded to 'Oppenheimer', beating out 'Anatomy of a Fall', 'Killers of the Flower Moon', 'Maestro', 'Past Lives' and 'The Zone of Interest'. 

* Best Motion Picture : Musical or Comedy - presented to 'Poor Things', beating out 'Air', 'American Fiction', 'Barbie', 'The Holdovers' and 'May December'.

* Best Motion Picture : Animated - awarded to 'The Boy and the Heron', beating out 'Elemental', 'Spider-Man : Across the Spider-Verse', 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie', 'Suzume' and 'Wish'.

* Best Motion Picture : Non-English Language - awarded to 'Anatomy os a Fall', beating out 'Fallen Leaves, 'Io capitano', 'Past Lives', 'Society of the Snow' and 'The Zone of Interest'.

* Cinematic and Box Office Achievement - presented to 'Barbie', beating out 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3', 'John Wick: Chapter 4', 'Mission : Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One', 'Oppenheimer', 'Spider-Man : Across the Spider-Verse', 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' and 'Taylor Swift : The Eras Tour'.

* Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Drama : Actor - presented to Cillian Murphy for 'Oppenheimer', beating out Bradley Cooper for 'Maestro', Leonardo DiCaprio for 'Killers of the Flower Moon', Colman Domingo for 'Rustin', Barry Keoghan for 'Saltburn' and Andrew Scott for 'All of Us Strangers'.

* Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Drama : Actress - awarded to Lily Gladstone for 'Killers of the Flower Moon', beating out Annette Bening for 'Nyad', Sandra Huller for 'Anatomy of a Fall', Greta Lee for 'Past Lives', Carey Mulligan for 'Maestro' and Cailee Spaeny for 'Priscilla'. 

* Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy : Actor - awarded to Paul Giamatti for 'The Holdovers', beating out Nicolas Cage for 'Dream Scenario', Timothee Chalamet for 'Wonka', Matt Damon for 'Air', Joaquin Phoenix for 'Beau Is Afraid' and Jeffrey Wright for 'American Fiction'.

* Best Performance in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy : Actress - presented to Emma Stone for 'Poor Things', beating out Fantasia Barrino for 'The Color Purple', Jennifer Lawrence for 'No Hard Feelings', Natalie Portman for 'May December', Alma Poysti for 'Fallen Leaves' and Margot Robbie for 'Barbie'. 

* Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture : Actor - presented to Robert Downey Jnr. for 'Oppenheimer', beating out Willem Dafoe for 'Poor Things', Robert De Niro for 'Killers of the Flower Moon', Ryan Gosling for 'Barbie', Charles Melton for 'May December' and Mark Ruffalo for 'Poor Things'.

* Best Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture : Actress - awarded to Da'Vine Joy Randolph for 'The Holdovers', beating out Emily Blunt for 'Oppenheimer', Danielle Brooks for 'The Color Purple', Jodie Foster for 'Nyad', Julianne Moore for 'May December' and Rosamund Pike for 'Saltburn'. 

* Best Director - presented to Christopher Nolan for 'Oppenheimer', beating out Bradley Cooper for 'Maestro', Greta Gerwig for 'Barbie', Yorgos Lanthimos for 'Poor Things', Martin Scorsese for 'Killers of the Flower Moon' and Celine Song for 'Past Lives'. 

* Best Screenplay - presented to Justine Triet and Arthur Harari for 'Anatomy of a Fall', beating out 'Barbie', 'Poor Things', 'Oppenheimer', 'Killers of the Flower Moon' and 'Past Lives'. 

* Best Original Score - awarded to Ludwig Goransson for 'Oppenheimer', beating out 'Poor Things', 'The Boy and the Heron', 'The Zone of Interest', 'Spider-Man : Across the Spider-Verse' and 'Killers of the Flower Moon'. 

* Best Original Song - presented to  'What Was I Made For?' from 'Barbie' by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell.

For all the details of this years Golden Globe's ceremony including the TV awards, you can go to the official website at : https://goldenglobes.com/

Turning the attention then back to this weeks four new movies coming to a big screen Odeon near you, we kick off with an American comedy drama film that sees a a cranky history teacher at a remote prep school who is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a troubled student who has no place to go. This is followed by a man’s personal journey of vengeance which takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organisation. Next up we turn to an American musical comedy offering that sees a high school newcomer who becomes a hit with the Plastics, an A-list girl clique at her new school when she makes the mistake of falling for the ex-boyfriend of the alpha Plastic. And closing out the week we have an animated comedy film about an American family who moves into Canterville Chase, a stately countryside mansion that has been haunted by the ghost of Sir Simon De Canterville for 300 years.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four 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 HOLDOVERS' (Rated M) - is an American Christmas comedy-drama film Directed by Alexander Payne, whose previous feature film making credits take in the likes of ‘Election’ in 1999, ‘About Schmidt’ in 2002, ‘Sideways’ in 2004, ‘The Descendants’ in 2011 and ‘Downsizing’ in 2017. This film saw its World Premiere screening at the Telluride Film Festival at the end of August last year and was released in the US on 27th October. It received positive reviews and has grossed US$21M. It was named one of the top ten films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and has received so far 53 award wins and another 130 nominations including three nominations at this years Golden Globe Awards.

Set in 1970, the film follows a bad-tempered history teacher Paul Dunham (Paul Giamatti) at a remote New England boarding school who is forced to chaperone a handful of students with nowhere to go during the Christmas break. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) and with the school's head cook Mary Lamb (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War. 

'THE BEEKEEPER' (Rated MA15+) - this American action thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by David Ayer, whose prior feature film making credits take in the likes of his Directing debut in 2005 with 'Harsh Times' then 'Street Kings' in 2008, 'End of Watch' in 2012, 'Fury' in 2014, 'Suicide Squad' in 2016 and 'Bright' in 2017. Here, Mr. Clay (Jason Statham, who also Co-Produces here) is a former operative of a clandestine organisation called 'Beekeepers'. After his friend and neighbour dies by suicide after falling for a phishing scam, Mr. Clay sets out to exact revenge against the company responsible. Also starring Minnie Driver, Jeremy Irons and Josh Hutcherson. The film is released Stateside this week too. 

'MEAN GIRLS' (Rated PG) - is a musical comedy film Directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. in their feature film Directorial debut, from a Screenplay written by Tina Fey, and based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on Mark Waters's 2004 comedy film, both written by Tina Fey. Here new student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called 'The Plastics', ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George (Renee Rapp) and her minions Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood) and Karen Shetty (Avantika Vandanapu). However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina's ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she finds herself then prey and in Regina's crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group's apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis 'Imi'ike (Auli'i Cravalho) and Damian Hubbard (Jaquel Spivey), she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all - high school. Also starring Tina Fey (who also Co-Produces) and Tim Meadows who reprise their roles from the original film, and Jon Hamm. This film is released in the US this week too. 

'THE CANTERVILLE GHOST' (Rated PG) - this animated comedy film is Directed by Kim Burdon and Robert Chandler in their feature film Directorial debuts. The film tells the story of a modern American family that moves to their recently purchased country home, Canterville Chase in England, only to find it is haunted by a ghost. Effectively, Sir Simon de Canterville (Stephen Fry) has been haunting the grounds of Canterville Chase successfully for over 300 years, but he meets his match when he tries to scare out the new arrivals. Also starring the voice talents of Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton, Freddie Highmore and Toby Jones. 

With four 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-