What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 15th August 2024.

The 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival runs this year from Thursday 15th August through until Wednesday 21st August. Spanning seven days, the relaunched EIFF will honour 70+ years of festival history, showcasing the very best talent in filmmaking in a re-energised format that is rooted in a local Scottish context whilst embracing the international diversity of creative expression. The EIFF’s August fixture now runs in parallel to a host of creative festivals taking place in Edinburgh, including Edinburgh International Festival and the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The EIFF will encourage general audiences, film buffs and industry professionals to make the trip this Summer to Edinburgh, which is universally recognised as a place of beauty, history, discovery and adventure, so reads the official website.

EIFF is poised to accelerate the discovery of new talent through the inauguration of two major competitions, The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence and The Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence, with significant prize-money awarded to the filmmakers.

This years Opening Night Films are the UK Premiere of 'The Outrun' from Germany and the UK and Directed by Nora Fingscheidt and starring Saoirse Ronan with Saskia Reeves and Stephen Dillane, before kicking off the Midnight Madness screenings with the UK Premiere of Fede Alvarez’s 'Alien: Romulus' starring Cailee Spaeny, Archie Renaux and Isabel Merced. The Closing Night Films are the World Premiere of documentary 'Since Yesterday : The Untold Story of Scotland's Girl Bands' Directed by Blair Young and Carla J. Easton, before the Midnight Madness Closing Film being 'The Substance' from the UK and USA and Directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid and Hugo Diego Garcia.

The Competition Features strand is showcasing the following films, all competing for the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Film Excellence and a cash award to fund future projects of the nominated film maker of £50K :-

* 'The Ceremony' - from the UK and Directed by Jack King. World Premiere.

* 'Fugue' - from Belgium, France, Netherlands and Peru and Directed by Benedicte Lienard and Mary Jimenez. World Premiere.

* 'Xibalba Monster' - from Mexico and Directed by Manuela Irene. World Premiere.

* 'To Kill A Wolf' - from the USA and Directed by Kelsey Taylor. World Premiere.

* 'Sunlight' - from the UK and Directed by Nina Conti. World Premiere.

* '*smiles and kisses you*' - from the USA and Directed by Bryan Carberry. World Premiere.

* 'A Shrine' - from Canada, France and Iran and Directed by Abdolreza Kahani. World Premiere.

* 'Lollipop' - from the UK and Directed by Daisy-May Hudson. World Premiere. 

* 'All The Mountains Give' - from Iran and Directed by Arash Rakhsha. World Premiere.

* 'Lillies Not For Me' - from the USA, South Africa and the UK and Directed by Will Seefried. World Premiere.

For the summary of the above named films, plus details of the other strands being showcased and a whole lot more besides, you can visit the official website at : https://www.edfilmfest.org/

This week there are five new movies coming to a big screen Odeon close to you that hail from Australia, the USA, France and Vietnam, and we launch with the seventh offering in this highly successful long running Sci-Fi horror franchise that goes by the tagline 'in space, no one can you hear you scream' with this film set somewhere between the first two instalments that came out 45 and 38 years ago now. This is followed up by an Aussie horror offering that sees the youngest brother believed to be demonically possessed, with the two estranged older brothers having to reunite to confront a dreadful family secret. And sticking with the Aussie theme, we have a documentary film that charts the journey of blind Australian surfer on a personal quest to conquer one of the worlds largest surf breaks. Then we turn to a French film about a woman who on the cusp of turning 50 takes the advise of a stranger and embarks on an affair, only to have numerous suitors knocking on her door. And closing out the week there is a Vietnamese horror movie about a vengeful spirit who lurks within the Mekong Delta who lures unsuspecting children into their watery grave, and one woman's quest to prevent the spirit from taking her daughter.

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

'ALIEN : ROMULUS' (Rated MA15+) - is an American Sci-Fi horror film Co-Written, Executive Produced and Directed by Fede Alvarez, whose previous film making credits take in 2013's 'Evil Dead' in his feature Directorial debut, then 'Don't Breathe' in 2016, 'The Girl in the Spider's Web' in 2018, and now this film. It is the seventh instalment in the Alien series and serves as a standalone film set between the events of 1979's 'Alien' Directed by Ridley Scott and 1986's 'Aliens' Directed by James Cameron. The first six films in the franchise grossed at the global Box Office US$1.35B off the back of combined production budgets of US$376M, with Ridley Scott returning to Direct 'Prometheus' in 2012 and 'Alien : Covenant' in 2017, with him taking a Producer credit on this film.

Here then, the story surrounds a group of young space colonists who, while scavenging a derelict space station, come face to face with the most terrifying life form in space. Starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fern and Aileen Wu. The film is released this week too in the US and UK. Early critical reviews have been positive. 

'THE DEMON DISORDER' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian horror film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Steven Boyle in his screen debut although he has a long credit list of world class production in the arena of Special FX. The film tells the story of Graham (Christian Willis), Jake (Dirk Hunter) and Phillip (Charles Cottier) Reilly and their deceased father George (John Noble). Their pasts collide when a family secret is discovered, leading their father's garage to become the site of revenge from beyond the grave. The film is released this week in cinema's before streaming on Shudder from September. 

'THE BLIND SEA' (Rated PG) - is an Australian documentary film Written, Directed and Edited by Daniel Fenech in his feature length debut, and tells the inspirational and breathtaking story of Australian Matt Formston, Paralympian and 4x World Champion blind surfer. Diagnosed with Macular Dystrophy at age five, Matt shares some of his processes that have enabled him to succeed at the highest level - both in and out of the water, despite facing a lifetime of judgment and prejudice. With only 3% vision remaining, Matt aims to inspire the next generation as we follow him around the world, as he pushes his mettle to the limits and attempts his most fearsome and dangerous challenge yet, breaking the world record for a blind surfer and surfing the monster waves of Nazare in Portugal. 

'IRIS AND THE MEN' (Rated M) - aka 'IT'S RAINING MEN' - this French romantic dramedy is Co-Written and Directed by Caroline Vignal in only her third feature film outing since 'Girlfriends' in 2000 and 'My Donkey, My Lover and I' in 2020. Iris (Laure Calamy) has a seemingly flawless husband Stephane (Vincent Elbaz), two wonderful daughters Anna (Zoe Richard) and Lili (Daphne Crepieux), a dental practice with a relentless stream of customers, a nice apartment in an area she loves, friends who understand her, and pretty soon she'll be 50. And then a stranger plants a seed in her head - 'take a lover'! Iris open Pandora's box and candidates emerge as if from nowhere - as if it were raining men. The film was released in its native France in early January this year, and only now does it get a limited release in Australia.

'MA DA : THE DROWNING SPIRIT' (Rated M) - is a Vietnamese made horror film with English subtitles, that is Directed by Nguyen Huu Hoang in his third feature film outing following 'Murder in the Lens' in 2018 and 'Song Song' in 2021. Here, Corpse collector Le confronts MA DA, the vengeful drowning spirit that lures unwary children into their watery graves, after it abducts her daughter. Determined to save her child, Mrs. Le (Viet Huong) embarks on a desperate rescue to prevent her child's ghostly fate that lurks beneath the surface of the Mekong River. 

With five 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-