What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 25th July 2024.

The 33rd Woods Hole Film Festival kicks off on Saturday 27th July and runs through until Saturday 3rd August and is both an in-person and a virtual event. The festival is an eight day showcase of independent film featuring daily screenings, workshops, panel discussions, special events, master classes, parties, awards ceremony and more. Held annually from the last Saturday of July through to the first Saturday of August, it is the oldest independent film festival on Cape Cod and the Islands of the US state of Massachusetts. The festival programmes and events are designed for filmmakers and non-filmmakers alike, in fact anyone who is interested in the moving image.

The feature films being showcased take in the following titles :-

* 'Abroad' - from the USA and South Korea and Directed by Giovanni Fumu.

* 'African Giants' - from the USA and Directed by Omar S. Kamara.

* 'Agua Sala (Salt Water)' - from Colombia and Directed by Steven Morales Pineda.

* 'All Happy Families' - from the USA and Directed by Haroula Rose.

* 'Champions of the Golden Valley' - from the USA and Directed by Ben Sturgulewski.

* 'Crookedfinger' - from the USA and Directed by Julia Halperin and Jason Cortlund.

* 'Egghead & Twinkie' - from the USA and Directed by Sarah Kambe Holland.

* 'Hangdog' - from the USA and Directed by Matt Cascella.

* 'Him w/ Fast Food' - from the USA and Directed by Rebecca Wahls.

* 'If That Mockingbird Don't Sing' - from the USA and Directed by Sadie Bones.

* 'Katie's Mom' - from the USA and Directed by Tyrrell Shaffner.

* 'Lie of the Land' - from the UK and Ireland and Directed by John Carlin.

* 'Lost Nation' - from the USA and Directed by Jay Craven.

* 'Okie' - from the USA and Directed by Kate Cobb.

* 'Porcelain War' - from Australia, the USA and Ukraine and Directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev.

* 'Riley' - from the USA and Directed by Benjamin Howard.

* 'The Body Politic' - from the USA and Directed by Gabriel Francis and Paz Goodenough.

* 'The Compatriots' - from the USA and Directed by Spencer Cohen.

* 'The Rhapsodist' - from Greece and Directed by Nikolai Hamel.

* 'The Strangers Case' - from Jordan and Directed by Brandt Andersen.

* 'Three Birthdays' - from the USA and Directed by Jane Weinstock.

* 'We Strangers' - from the USA and Directed by Anu Valia.

For the summaries of the above named feature films, plus all the details of the documentaries, shorts and a whole heap of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://woodsholefilmfestival.org

Turning attention then back on this weeks hottest new movies to grace a cinema near you this week, we have a truly international selection kicking off with the third instalment in this long awaited franchise that sees two Superheroes, one recovering from his injuries and the other described as the Merc with a Mouth, teaming up to defeat a common enemy. Next up we have a British horror offering centring around a family living deep in the wilds of English woodland, where a young girl witnesses her father undergo a terrible transformation. This is followed by a Spanish drama of the buried memories of the Spanish Civil War being unearthed as a woman searches for the remains of her great grandfather and discovers the story of an idealistic young teacher from Tarragona. Then we turn to a Mexican film about a seven-year-old girl who spends the day at her grandfather's home, for a surprise party for her father, but as nightfall approaches, she comes to understand that her world is about to change dramatically. Next is a French comedy about two down-on-their-luck friends who set up a company running horse trekking tours in the French Pyrenees mountains, in order to turn around their fortunes; and closing out the week we have an Australian family animated movie about a young sloth who moves to the big city with her family, where they all must adapt to life in the fast lane, whilst remembering and honouring their familial and cultural practises.

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 coming week.

'DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE' (Rated MA15+) - this much hyped, eagerly awaited and highly anticipated American Superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics characters Deadpool and Wolverine, and is the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and a sequel to 2016's 'Deadpool' and 2018's 'Deadpool 2'. Those first two films in the franchise grossed a total US$1.57B at the worldwide Box Office off the back of a combined production budget of US$168M. Tim Miller Directed that first instalment with David Leitch on duty for the second, and Shawn Levy taking the helm on this third offering, who also gets a Co-Writer and a Co-Producer credit too.

Six years following the events of 'Deadpool 2' Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) lives a quiet life, having left his time as the mercenary Deadpool behind him, until the Time Variance Authority (TVA), a bureaucratic organisation that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline, pulls him into a new mission. With his home universe facing an existential threat, Wilson reluctantly joins an even more reluctant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) on a mission that will change the history of the MCU. Also starring Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin, Brianna Hildebrand, Jennifer Garner and Dafne Keen.

'THE BEAST WITHIN' (Rated CTC) - this UK horror film is Co-Written and Directed by Alexander J. Farrell in his debut feature film after helming a number of documentaries that are 'Lighthouse Lesvos' in 2016, 'Refugee' in 2018 and 'Making a Killing' in 2023. After a series of strange events leads her to question her family's isolated life on a fortified compound deep in the English wilds, 10-year-old Willow (Caoilinn Springall) follows her parents on one of their secret late-night treks to the heart of the ancient forest. But upon witnessing her father (Kit Harrington) undergo a terrible transformation, she too becomes ensnared by the dark ancestral secret they've tried so desperately to conceal. Also starring James Cosmo, Ashleigh Cummings, and Caylee Cowan.  

'THE TEACHER WHO PROMISED THE SEA' (Rated M) - is a Spanish historical drama film, is Directed by Patricia Font and is based on the book by Francesc Escribano. The film traces the story of Catalan teacher Antoni Benaiges (Enric Auquer), destined in 1935 to a small village in the province of Burgos (introducing innovative and inspiring teaching methods from France among the children before being murdered by Falangists during the Civil War), as well as the present-day story of Ariadna (Laia Costa), searching for her great-grandfather, who disappeared during the Spanish Civil War. The film saw its World Premiere screening in late October last year at the Valladolid International Film Festival, has generated positive critical acclaim and has so far grossed €1.7M.

'TOTEM' (Rated M) - this Mexican, Danish and French Co-Production is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by the Mexican Lila Aviles and is her second feature film following her 2018 debut with 'The Chambermaid'. This film was entered into the main competition at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival, where it saw its World Premiere screening and went onto win the Ecumenical Award for Best Film, and it was also selected for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at this years awards ceremony. Here then, Sol (Naima Senties), a seven-year-old girl, goes to her grandfather's home, where her aunts Nuri (Montserrat Maranon) and Alejandra (Marisol Gase) are throwing a birthday party for her father. It is probably his last, so in a sense it is also a farewell ceremony. With the onset of dusk, an unfamiliar and unrestrained atmosphere takes over, breaking the family bonds. For Sol, the world is about to change as she learns the essence of letting go and feels the breath of life. 'Totem' has garnered universal critical acclaim and has so far grossed just US$165K, and has collected twenty wins and a further forty-four nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit.

'PETAOUCHNOK' (Rated M) - aka 'Wilderness Therapy' is a French comedy offering Co-Written and Directed by Edouard Deluc whose first feature film was 'Welcome to Argentina' in 2012, and which he followed up in 2017 with 'Gauguin : Voyage to Tahiti' with Vincent Cassel in the title role. Deep in the Pyrenees, two close friends, Ludo (Pio Marmai) and Richard (Philippe Rebbot), who have hit rock bottom have the idea of the century - to pull themselves out of their misery, they will launch a horse trekking tour, a voyage through the mountains for tourists in search of nature, silence and adventure. What could possibly go wrong??? 

'THE SLOTH LANE' (Rated PG) - this Australian animated family adventure film is Directed by Tania Vincent and Ricard Cusso and Co-Written by Tania Vincent too. The storyline here is that 12-year-old sloth Laura (voiced by Teo Vergara) is devastated when a big storm destroys her family’s restaurant and forces them to relocate from the peaceful countryside to the big city. The sloths take only their prized family recipe book with them – and an old van. They open a food truck, and soon business is booming. There's just one problem. Famous entrepreneur Dotti Pace (voiced by Leslie Jones) – a cheetah with big ambitions and a failing fast-food chain – is determined to buy their family business. When the sloths decline to sell, Dotti resorts to nefarious tactics to steal their family legacy. Can Laura stop her before it’s too late? 

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 week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-