What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 17th April 2025.

The 68th annual San Francisco International Film Festival this year takes place from Thursday 17th through until Sunday 27th April. Founded in 1957, the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. The annual event features a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, compelling documentaries, short and mid-length films, live music performances, and dazzling red carpet events. The SFFILM Festival is deeply rooted in the culture and process of film appreciation - film as an art form and as a meaningful agent for social change - and is an important showcase for the most searching and innovative films from around the globe, so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night Film is 'Rebuilding' from the USA and Written and Directed by Max Walker-Silverman, and tells the story of communal love and resilience, as uncertain and mild-mannered man Dusty (Josh O’Connor) determined to rebuild his family ranch and recapture his purpose as a cowboy. Also starring Meghann Fahy, Amy Madigan, Lilly LaTour and Kali Reis. The Closing Night Film is 'Outerlands' from the USA and is Written and Directed by Elena Oxman and is about a gig worker in San Francisco who balances multiple jobs, including dealing party drugs. When their crush asks them to watch her daughter, what starts as temporary childcare evolves into an unexpected journey of self-discovery and healing.

Presented at the Festival since its inaugural year in 1957, the Golden Gate Awards are among the most significant honours for emerging global film artists in the USA. Prizes are traditionally awarded in twelve narrative, documentary, and short film categories and include cash awards. Those films in the Narrative Feature Competition are as follows :-

* 'The Quiet Son' - from France and Written and Directed by the sister duo of Delphine and Muriel Coulin. 

* 'Xoftex' - from Germany and France and Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed, photographed and Co-Edited by Noaz Deshe.

* '3670' - from South Korea and is Written, Executive Produced, Directed and Edited by Joonho Park.

* 'Cactus Pears' - from India, the UK and Canada and Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Rohan Parashuram Kanawade.

* 'Sukkwan Island' - from France, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the UK and Written and Directed by Vladimir de Fontenay.

* 'All That's Left of You' - from Germany, Cyprus, Palestine, Jordan, Greece, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Cherein Dabis.

* 'Ricky' - from the USA and Co-Written and Directed by Rashad Frett.

* 'Surviving Earth' - from the UK and is Written and Directed by Thea Gajic.

* 'That Summer in Paris' - from France and Co-Written and Directed by Valentine Cadic.

For the synopsis of the above highlighted films, plus all the details of the other films in competition, the film sections being showcased, and a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://sffilm.org/

Turning back to this weeks five hottest new release movies gracing a big screen Odeon close to your home, we launch with a supernatural horror film about twin brothers who return to their hometown but are faced with a greater evil. Next up is a modern telling of war as a surveillance mission goes south for a platoon of American Navy SEAL's in insurgent territory in Iraq. Then we turn to a mystery thriller in  which a widowed mother's first date takes a terrifying turn when she's bombarded with anonymous threatening messages on her phone, leaving her questioning if her charming date is behind the harassment. This is followed by a biographical drama offering telling the story of the arrest, trial and imprisonment of an Australian journalist, who while reporting on the Arab Spring uprising becomes entangled in a deadly game of rivalries. And closing out the week we have a comedy drama about an Englishman who experiences personal and political changes after adopting a penguin during a turbulent time in Argentina's history.

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 week ahead.

'SINNERS' (Rated MA15+) - is an American period supernatural horror film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Ryan Coogler, whose former feature film output includes his big screen debut with 'Fruitvale Station' in 2013, which he would follow up with 'Creed' in 2015, 'Black Panther' in 2018 and 'Black Panther : Wakanda Forever' in 2022. The film is released this week too in the US and had a production budget of US$90M. 

Here then, set in the 1930's in the Southern United States during the height of the Jim Crow era, the film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who are attempting to leave their troubled lives behind, as they return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. Also starring Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, Jayme Lawson and Delroy Lindo. 

'WARFARE' (Rated MA15+) - this war action film is Written and Directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland and is based on Mendoza's experiences during the Iraq War as a former US Navy SEAL. Alex Garland's prior feature film making credits take in his debut with 'Ex Machina' in 2014, then 'Annihilation' in 2018, 'Men' in 2022 and 'Civil War' most recently last year. Here then, a platoon of Navy SEAL's embark on a dangerous surveillance mission in Ramadi, Iraq in 2006, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event. Starring D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Ray Mendoza with Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor, Michael Gandolfini, Charles Melton, Noah Centineo, Henry Zaga and Alex Brockdorff. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing in mid-March, was released in the USA last week, here and in the UK this week, has garnered generally favourable critical press and has so far grossed US$8.5M from a production budget of US$20M.

'DROP' (Rated MA15+) - is an American mystery thriller film Directed by Christopher Landon who made his feature film Directing debut with 'Burning Palms' in 2010 and would follow this up with 'Paranormal Activity : The Marked Ones' in 2014, then 'Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse' in 2015, 'Happy Death Day' in 2017, 'Happy Death Day 2U' in 2019, 'Freaky' in 2020 and 'We Have a Ghost' in 2023. Here then, Violet (Meghann Fahy), a widowed mother, is on a date with Henry (Brandon Sklenar) when she is terrorised by a series of anonymous messages to her mobile phone. The caller instructs her to tell nobody, and follow increasingly malicious instructions, or her younger sister, Jen (Violett Beane), and her son, Toby (Jacob Robinson) will be killed, culminating with her being told to kill Henry. The film had its premiere at the SXSW in early March, was released in the US last week, has received positive reviews from critics and has so far grossed US$11M from a production budget of US$11M.

'THE CORRESPONDENT' (Rated M) - this biographical legal thriller film is Directed by Kriv Stenders whose prior feature film output includes 'The Illustrated Family Doctor' in 2005, 'Boxing Day' in 2007, 'Lucky Country' in 2009, 'Red Dog' in 2011, 'Kill Me Three Times' in 2014, 'Red Dog : True Blue' in 2016, 'Australia Day' in 2017 and 'Danger Close : The Battle of Long Tan' in 2019. This film is based on the 2017 memoir 'The First Casualty' by Peter Greste. The film is based on the real-life story of Australian foreign correspondent and journalist Peter Greste (Richard Roxburgh), who was arrested in Cairo, Egypt after being accused of spreading false news and aiding the Muslim Brotherhood. Imprisoned for seven years despite his innocence, he survives on wits alone before being released in 2015. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the Adelaide Film Festival back in September last year and is released this week here in Australia. 

'THE PENGUIN LESSONS' (Rated M) - is a comedy drama film Directed by Peter Cattaneo who made his feature film Directorial debut with 1997's 'The Full Monty' and which he would follow up with 'Lucky Break' in 2001, 'Opal Dream' in 2006, 'The Rocker' in 2008 and 'Military Wives' in 2019. This film is based on the 2015 memoir of the same name by Tom Michell. Inspired by the true story of a disillusioned Englishman, Tom Michell (Steve Coogan) who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, Tom discovers a divided nation and a class of unteachable students. However, after he rescues a penguin from an oil-slicked beach at a Uraguayan resort, his life is turned upside-down, as the penguin then kept following him and so he took it back to the school, where it became a popular pet. Also starring Jonathan Pryce as the school Headmaster. It premiered as a gala presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year, was released in the US in late March and is released in the UK, Ireland and here in Australia this week. It has so far grossed almost US$3M and has generated mixed or average reviews.

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 coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 12th November 2020.

The 65th Cork International Film Festival launched this week on Wednesday 4th November and runs through until Sunday 15th November. This years CIFF2020 is a 'blended' festival, showcasing the latest and best film both in cinemas (from 4th-8th November) and to audiences nationwide online (from 9th-15th November). The official website reads 'Cork International Film Festival’s mission is to present Ireland’s most exciting, diverse, and ambitious annual film festival, connecting and stimulating audiences and artists through a carefully curated selection of the best films, to create a unique shared cultural experience, rooted in Cork, open to the world'. The 'Cork International Film Festival is a local, national and international celebration of cinema, running annually for eight days in November. Award-winning films from the international film festival circuit, new discoveries and cinema classics are selected by our experienced curatorial team, to be premiered online via the Festival Digital Platform, available to viewers nationwide'. The first film festival in Cork 'was recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers Association, one of only five globally to be approved at their 1950 Congress in Cannes where this Film Festival’s spark was ignited, travelling from Cannes to Cork; our influence, nearly 65 years later, reaches from Cork to Hollywood'.

This years showcasing of international fiction feature films in cinema screenings include:

Opening Gala on Wednesday 4th

* 'Nomadland' from the USA by Director Chloe Zhao and starring Frances McDormand.

Irish Gala on Thursday 5th

* 'The Bright Side' from Ireland in its World Premier from Director Ruth Meehan and starring Gemma-Leah Devereux.

Documentary Gala on Friday 6th 

* 'Castro's Spies' from Ireland in its World Premier from Directors Ollie Aslin and Gary Lennon.

Family Gala on Sunday 8th

* 'Soul' from the USA this animated Pixar/Disney production is Directed by Pete Docter and Kemp Powers and stars the voices of Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey.

65th Anniversary Gala on Sunday 8th

* 'The Racer' from Ireland, Luxembourg and Belgium is Directed by Kieron J. Walsh and stars Louis Taipe.

* 'Working Girls' from Belgium and France and Directed by Frederic Fonteyne and Anne Paulicevich and stars Sara Forestier, Noemie Lvovsky and Annabelle Lengronne.

* 'A Common Crime' from Argentina, Brazil, Germany and Switzerland and Directed by Francisco Marquez and stars Elisa Carricajo.

* 'The Salt of Tears' from France and Switzerland and Directed by Philippe Garrel and stars Logann Antuofermo, Oulaya Amamra, Louise Chevillotte and Souheila Yacoub.

* 'Luxor' from Egypt and the UK and Directed by Zeina Durra and stars Andrea Riseborough and Michael Landes.

* 'Rascal' from France and Directed by Peter Dourountzis and stars Pierre Deladonchamps.

* 'My Brother Chases Dinosaurs' from Italy and Spain and Directed by Stefano Cipani and stars Alessandro Gassmann and Isabella Ragonese.

* 'The Trouble With Being Born' from Austria and Germany and Directed by Sandra Wollner and stars Lena Watson and Dominik Warta.

* 'Another Round' from Denmark and Directed by Thomas Vinterberg and stars Mads Mikkelsen. 

* 'The Edge of Chaos' from Ireland and Directed by Sam Uhlemann and stars Aoibhinn McGinnity, Sean Mahon and Gerry Cannon. 

* 'Summer White' from Mexico and Directed by Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson and starring Sophie Alexander-Katz, Fabian Corres and Adrian Ross.

* 'H is for Happiness' from Australia and Directed by John Sheedy and stars Daisy Axon, Richard Roxburgh, Emma Booth, Miriam Margolyes and Alessandra Tognini.

* 'The Castle' from Ireland and Lithuania and Directed by Lina Luzyte and stars Barbora Bareikyte, Gabija Jaraminaite, Martyna Peszko and Andrei Ciopec.

* 'Undine' from Germany and France and Directed by Christian Petzold and stars Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski.

* 'Into Dad's Woods' from Belgium, France and Switzerland and Directed by Vero Cratzborn and stars Leonie Souchaud, Ludivine Sagnier and Alban Lenoir.

* 'The Last Shift' from the USA and Directed by Andrew Cohn and stars Richard Jenkins, Ed O'Neill, Shane Paul McGhie and Da'Vine Joy Randolph. 

* 'Honeymood' from Israel and Directed by Talya Lavie and starring Abigail Harari and Ran Danker.

* 'County Lines' from the UK and Directed by Henry Blake and starring Conrad Khan and Ashley Madekwe.

* 'Wildfire' from Ireland and Directed by Cathy Brady and starring Nora-Jane Noone and Nika McGuigan.

* 'Falling' from the US and Canada and Directed by Viggo Mortensen and starring Lance Henriksen and Viggo Mortensen.

* 'My Name Is Baghdad' from Brazil and Directed by Caru Alves de Souza and starring Grace Orsato.

* 'All The Dead Ones' from Brazil and France and Directed by Marco Dutra and Caetano Gotardo and stars Mawusi Tulani, Clarissa Kiste, Carolina Bianchi, Thaia Perez and Agyei Augusto.

* 'A L'Abordage' from France and Directed by Guillaume Brac and stars Salif Cisse, Asma Messaoudene and Soundos Mosbah.

* 'Bad Tales' from Italy and Switzerland and Directed by Damiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo and stars Elio Germano and Barbara Chichiarelli. 

* 'Games People Play' from Finland and Directed by Jenni Tolvoniemi and stars Laura Birn, Emmi Parviainen and Eero Milonoff.

* 'Siberia' from the USA and Directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Willem Dafoe.

For the complete programme guide and all the details and the news from this years Cork International Film Festival, you can visit the official website at : https://corkfilmfest.org/the-65th-cork-film-festival-2020/

This week there are four latest release new movies coming to your local Odeon, and we kick off with a story about an aging down on his luck Producer, indebted to the Mob who'd decides to make a film and kill off his lead Actor to claim the insurance money and pay down his debt, but things don't go quite according to plan! This is followed up by a horror comedy about a senior high school girl who inadvertently swaps bodies with the towns mysterious serial killer on the eve of her schools Homecoming and with just 24 hours to swap back again before the arrangement becomes permanent, the clock is counting down as the bodycount goes up. Next up we have a film from an acclaimed Director about a former Marine and Yale Law student who returns home to his low income working class roots in southern Ohio to deal with a family crisis. And closing out the week we have an Aussie film about a man returning to Sydney following eighteen months in Syria to see his sick mother, but first he must overcome the many questions posed by his immediate family.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new movies 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 COMEBACK TRAIL' (Rated M) - is an American crime comedy film Written and Directed by George Gallo who has twenty-two Writer credits, ten as Producer and sixteen as Director to his name including 'Double Take', 'Local Color', 'Homeland Security', 'Middle Men', 'Columbus Circle' and 'The Poison Rose'. This film is a remake of the 1982 film of the same name Directed by Harry Hurwitz. Featuring an ensemble cast, this film saw its Premier screening at the 43rd Mill Valley Film Festival in California in mid-October this year and now gets a run in Australia ahead of its originally slated release Stateside in mid-December which has subsequently been pushed back to sometime next year. 

Here, grindhouse movie Producer Max Barber (Robert De Niro) is in debt to mob boss Reggie Fontaine (Morgan Freeman) after his latest film bombs. In order to save his skin, Max decides to produce a dangerous new film, with the intention of killing off his lead in a stunt so he can rake in the insurance. But when Max casts Duke Montana (Tommy Lee Jones), he never expects the washed up aging and depressed old drunk to be revitalised by being in front of the camera. Unable to kill Duke in a basic stunt, Max puts him into ever more dangerous situations. And as Duke survives stunt after stunt, Max ends up making the best movie of his career. Also starring Emile Hirsch, Zach Braff and Eddie Griffin. 

'FREAKY' (Rated MA15+) - Co-Written and Directed by Christopher Landon (the son of Actor, Writer, Director and Producer Michael Landon who died in 1991) whose previous film making credits take in 'Burning Palms', 'Paranormal Activity : The Marked Ones', 'Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse', 'Happy Death Day' and its follow-up 'Happy Death Day 2U' most recently in 2019. Due for a release in the US this week too, this supernatural slasher comedy film has so far garnered generally positive Reviews. And so, here tormented high school student Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) becomes the newest target of Barney Garris (Vince Vaughn), an infamous albeit aging serial killer known as the 'Blissfield Butcher', during her senior year. When the killer's magic dagger causes her to swap bodies with him, Millie discovers she has only one day to reverse the switch before it becomes permanent. Hunted by the police, who are determined to catch the infamous Butcher, Millie must find Garris, who is using her body to target her classmates at the schools Homecoming celebrations. Also starring Katie Finneran and Alan Ruck. 

'HILLBILLY ELEGY' (Rated M) - this American drama film is Directed and Co-Produced by Ron Howard and is based on the memoir of the same name from 2016 by J. D. Vance. The film gets a limited theatrical run before being released on Netflix on 24th November and costs US$45M to bring to the screen. The story follows J.D. (Gabriel Basso), a former U.S. Marine and Yale Law student from southern Ohio who comes home to his working class low income family in the Appalachian region of the US to deal with a family crisis involving his mother, Bev (Amy Adams), who is living with addiction, struggling to find work and living with a multi-generational family. He also has flashbacks to his grandmother, Mamaw (Glenn Close). Also starring Haley Bennett, Freida Pinto and Bo Hopkins. 

'THE LION RETURNS' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian drama offering is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and also stars the second time Aussie film maker Serhat Caradee following his 2009 debut feature 'Cedar Boys'. The story centres around Jamal Alamein (Tyler De Nawi) who has just returned to Australia after spending the past eighteen months in Syria. No-one knows what he did or who he was with. He's back in Sydney and wants to see his terminally ill mother Manal (Helen Chebatte), however has to deal with his strong minded older brother Omar (Danny Elacci), his wife Heidi (Jacqui Purvis) and their young son, but most importantly his unforgiving father Yusef (Taffy Hany). But why has Jamal really come back?

With four new release films 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 in the coming week, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 14th February 2019.

In January the world bid a fond farewell to a number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories . . . . Carol Channing, Windsor Davies, and Andrew Vajna.

* Carol Channing - born January 31st 1921, and died January 15th 2019, aged 97. Channing was an American Actress, singer, dancer and comedienne whose lifetime credits take in eight decades of stage, screen and television appearances that began in 1941 in a New York stage production from which she would never look back. From there she moved to Broadway and secured regular work on various stage productions and in 1948 she picked up the Theatre World Award which really launched her career as a star player. In the latter half of the '50's she worked with George Burns on his television comedy show, and in 1961 she gained a Tony Award nomination for 'Show Girl' and in 1964 won the Tony Award for her portrayal of Dolly Levi in the smash Broadway musical comedy 'Hello, Dolly!'. Channing had 37 film and television credits to her name throughout her career which launched with the feature film 'The First Travelling Saleslady' in 1956 opposite Ginger Rogers, Clint Eastwood, Barry Nelson and James Arness. In 1967 she starred in 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' for which she won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for the Oscar in the same category. This was followed up a year later with 'Skidoo' with an all star cast taking in Jackie Gleason, Frankie Avalon, Peter Lawford, Burgess Meredith, George Raft, Cesar Romero, Mickey Rooney and Groucho Marx. She also lent her voice talents to various animated feature films and animated television series episodes over the years. Her last film role was in a 2011 documentary of her life 'Carol Channing : Larger than Life' and on television in 2016's 'RuPaul's Drag Race'. She released her autobiography 'Just Lucky I Guess' in 2002. All up Channing won seven awards including four Tony Awards, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe and further six nominations.

* Windsor Davies - born August 28th 1930, and died January 17th 2019, aged 88. Davies was a Welsh born Actor who starred in many British films and television series between 1962 and 2004. Perhaps his best known role was over 56 episodes spanning eight seasons of the hit British sitcom 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' starring as Battery Sergeant Major Williams which ran from 1974 through until 1981. He also appeared in television series 'The Onedin Line', 'Callan', 'Never The Twain' and 'Oh, Doctor Beeching!'. Of his film appearances, he had roles in 'The Pot Carriers' in 1962 his first feature film, and then the likes of 'Murder Most Foul', 'The Alphabet Murders', 'Drop Dead Darling', 'Adold Hitler : My Part in His Downfall', 'Carry On Behind', 'Carry On England', 'Confessions of a Driving Instructor', 'Grand Slam' and 'Old Scores'. All up Davies had 128 Acting credits to his name, and a UK Number One record with 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' co-star Don Estelle in 1975 with 'Whispering Grass'. He also worked extensively on television commercials adding his distinctive Welsh accented voice.

* Andrew Vajna - born Andras Gyorgy Vajna on August 1st 1944 and died January 20th 2019, aged 74. Vajna was a Hungarian born American film Producer. After various ventures in the Far East and Hong Kong including a film acquisition and distribution business, he met Lebanese Film Producer Mario Kassar at Cannes in 1975 and the pair went on to form Carolco a company specialising in the financing, sales and distribution of films worldwide. In less than four years, Carolco became one of the top three foreign sales organisations in the motion pictures industry. In 1982 Vajna and Kassar made their film production debut with 'Rambo: First Blood', starring Sylvester Stallone. The film was a critical and commercial success giving rise to numerous sequels over the years. At Carolco the pair also Produced 'Rambo : First Blood Part II' and 'Rambo III' as well as 'Angel Heart', 'Total Recall', 'Air America' and 'Jacob's Ladder'. In late '89, Vajna sold his interest in Carolco to form  Cinergi Productions for the financing, development, Production and distribution of major event releases. 'Medicine Man', 'Tombstone', 'Color of Night', 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' 'Judge Dredd', 'Nixon' and 'Evita' were among Cinergi's Productions. Never forgetting his Hungarian background, Vajna played a significant role in many films being shot in Budapest including 'Evita', 'Escape to Victory', 'Read Heat' and 'I Spy'. In the late '90's Vajna reteamed with his former business partner Mario Kassar and in 2003 Produced 'Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines' and thereafter also acted as Executive Producer on 'Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles' and 2009's 'Terminator Salvation'. From 2011 Vajna worked as the Government Commissioner in charge of the Hungarian film industry where he conceived the Hungarian National Film Fund since which time the Hungarian film industry has won more than 130 international awards while the number of foreign films produced in Hungary has increased significantly.

This week there are six latest release movies coming to your local Odeon. We launch with a Sci-Fi epic based on a popular Japanese manga set five hundred years hence where a dismembered cyborg is taken in by a good doctor and given a new body only to awaken with no recollection of who she is or where she is. Her journey to discover who she really is reveals much more than anyone bargained for.  We then turn to an already highly acclaimed romantic drama film set in the early '70's surrounding a couple and the challenges faced by both which need to be resolved before the birth of their child. Next up is a biographical drama charting the last years of a famed but troubled painter up to his death in 1890, followed by a story of survival in the frozen depths of the Arctic Circle as one man struggles  against the elements to find salvation and civilisation. Then we have a remake of a successful 2000 film that gives one lucky lady the ability to hear mens thoughts, but this in itself creates more challenges than she bargained for. And wrapping up the week we have a horror sequel about a girl stuck in a time loop who must die time and time again in order to save her friends and thwart a maniacal masked killer.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and 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.

'ALITA : BATTLE ANGEL' (Rated M) - this American cyberpunk action film is Directed by Robert Rodriguez, and Co-Produced and Co-Written for the screen by James Cameron based on the Japanese manga artist Yukito Kishiro graphic novel 'Gunnm' (aka 'Battle Angel Alita'). Going back to 2000, Kishiro's manga was brought to the attention of James Cameron by Guillermo del Toro who so liked what he saw and read that he immediately registered a domain name for the film and by 2003 was announced as Director on a feature length live action film. Then Cameron's 'Avatar' got in the way and it was slated for a 2009 release. In 2010 Cameron stated that the film was still in development but no plans existed as to a release date. In 2013 he set a Production start date of 2017 and in the meantime Robert Rodriguez was in discussions to Direct if he could condense Cameron's script and sizeable notes into a workable Screenplay. Filming began in late 2016 with Rodriguez Directing with Cameron Producing, and a budget of somewhere between US$150 and 200M. Digital effects were provided by Peter Jackson's New Zealand based Weta Digital, amongst others. The film is released in the US this week too.

Set some five hundred years in the future, the abandoned disembodied 'core' of a cyborg, Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Dr. Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious Alita to his clinic and fits her out with a new body. When Alita wakes, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the post apocalyptic world destroyed by a technological meltdown that she now finds herself in. They soon discover that Alita is more than what she seems and has an extraordinary past. As she learns to navigate her new life, and the often deadly streets of Iron City she battles other machines who are empowered with skills, while Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past. Also starring Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Michelle Rodriguez and Casper Van Dien. If successful, this will set up a series of films.

'IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK' (Rated MA15+) - here we have another acclaimed offering doing very well around the awards and festival circuit with 73 wins so far and another 138 nominations including three Oscar nominations, yet to be announced. Directed, Co-Produced and Written for the screen by Barry Jenkins (of 'Moonlight' fame), based on the 1974 novel by American author James Baldwin. The title of the book is a reference to the 1916 W.C. Handy blues song 'Beale Street Blues', named after Beale Street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. The film saw its World Premier showing at TIFF back in September, went of general release in the US in mid-December, and has so far recovered US$15M from its US$12M production budget outlay. And so this American romantic drama film is set in early 1970's Harlem. Daughter and wife-to-be Clementine 'Tish' Rivers (KiKi Layne) vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt (Stephen James), who goes by the nickname 'Fonny'. Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a lasting future together, but their plans go awry when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit. With the support of close family and friends Tish seeks to clear Fonny's name and prove that he is innocent, before the birth of their child. Also starring Regina King, Brian Tyree Henry, Colman Domingo, Ed Skrein, Finn Wittrock, Diego Luna, Perdro Pascal and Dave Franco.

'AT ETERNITY'S GATE' (Rated PG) - this biographical drama film is Directed and Co-Written by American painter and filmmaker Julian Schnabel and has already done much around the awards and festival circuit. It saw its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival back in  early September and was released in the US in mid-November and only now does it get a showing in Australia. Garnering generally positive Press, the film has so far picked up three award wins and another fifteen nominations mostly for Lead Actor Willem Dafoe in his portrayal of Vincent van Gogh, including an Oscar nod. The film primarily focuses on the painters latter years from 1888 when he based himself in Arles in the south of France and during which time he broadened his subject matter to include series of olive trees, wheat fields and sunflowers in a much brighter colour palette. Then in 1890 van Gogh discharged himself from a psychiatric hospital and relocated himself to  Auvers-sur-Oise near Paris where he was cared for by a homeopathic doctor. His bouts of depression and anxiety continued right up until late July 1890 when van Gogh shot himself in the chest, from which he died two days later aged 37. The film also stars an ensemble cast including Oscar Isaac as Paul Gaugin, Rupert Friend as Theo van Gogh, Mathieu Amalric, Mads Mikkelsen and Vincent Perez, and has so far taken US$7M at the Box Office.

 
'ARCTIC' (Rated M) - this Icelandic Arctic Circle survival thriller Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year where it competed for the Camera d'Or and is Directed and Co-Written by Brazilian musician and filmmaker Joe Penna. Following an aeroplane crash, Overgard (Mads Mikkelsen) is stranded in the Arctic. About to receive a long-awaited rescue, the helicopter that finds him crashes in a blizzard. The pilot is killed with the passenger, a young woman, severely injured (Maria Thelma Smaradottir). He must now decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp in the stricken aeroplane and again wait it out until the next rescue attempt, if there is to be one, or to embark on a potentially deadly trek through the unknown snow covered and harsh wilderness in the hope of making it out alive. Made for just US$2M this film was released in the US on 1st February. Filmed over the course of nineteen days in Iceland, Mikkelsen later commented that it was the most difficult shoot of his career.

'WHAT MEN WANT' (Rated M) - if this title sounds familiar it's because this is a remake of the 2000 Nancy Meyers Directed film 'What Women Want' which starred Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt and off the back of a US$70M production budget grossed US$374M. Here this fantasy comedy offering is Directed by Adam Shankman and centres around Ali Davis (Taraji P. Henson), a successful sports agent who is repeatedly left out by her male counterparts. When Ali is by-passed for a well-earned promotion, she begins to wonder what more she needs to do to succeed in a male dominated world. Hoping to find some direction from a psychic, Ali drinks a strange potion that allows her to hear mens thoughts. Using her newfound skill, Ali starts to outsmart her boisterous obnoxious male colleagues while racing to sign the next basketball superstar, but the lengths she has to go to will put her relationship with her best mates, and a potential new love interest, to the test. Also starring Tracy Morgan, Aldis Hodge, Kellan Lutz and Richard Roundtree. Also released in the US this week.

'HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U' (Rated M) - Jason Blum, of Blumhouse Productions knows a thing or two about the horror genre and how to create a winning formula, clearly having proved himself on numerous occasions over recent years. Here he is at it again, in this sequel to 2017's 'Happy Death Day' which cost a tad less than US$5M to make and grossed US$126M. Blum once again takes a Producer credit, with Christopher Landon once again in the Directors chair on this horror slasher offering that reunites some of the characters from the first instalment and plants them a couple of years on from the first film. And so trapped in a time loop once more, college student Theresa 'Tree' Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) must die over and over again to save her friends from a psychotic masked killer. Determined to escape the time loop now that she has learned that her friends are also involved, and that the original masked killer Lori Spengler (Ruby Modine) has been murdered, Tree must now face a new killer threat, uncover its identity and break free now once and for all. Also starring Israel Broussard and Suraj Sharma. The film is released in the US this week too, and cost US$9M to bring to the screen.

With six new release films 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 in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-