SUPERGIRL : Tuesday 30th June 2026.

I saw the M Rated 'SUPERGIRL' earlier this week, and this American superhero film is based on the titular character from DC Comics. The film is Directed by Craig Gillespie and is the second film in the DC Universe (DCU), following 2025's 'Superman' which was Written and Directed by James Gunn - the joint CEO of DC Studios with Peter Safran, and starred David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. Craig Gillespie's prior feature film making credits take in his 2007 debut with 'Mr. Woodcock', and which he would follow up with the likes of 'Lars and the Real Girl' also in 2007, 'Fright Night' in 2011, 'I, Tonya' in 2017, 'Cruella' in 2021 and 'Dumb Money' in 2023. This film forms part of the DCU's 'Chapter One : Gods and Monsters', and as recently as last month Peter Safran commented that Supergirl would have a major role in the future of the DCU beyond her return in the Superman follow-up film 'Man of Tomorrow' scheduled for release on 9th July 2027. This film had its World Premiere screening in Brooklyn, New York on 22nd June, and was released worldwide from the 25th June onward. It has so far grossed US$79M from a production budget somewhere in the region of US$180M, and has generated mixed or average reviews.

The film opens in the present day with Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl (Milly Alcock) celebrating her 23rd birthday, with her dog Krypto by travelling to several planets across the galaxy and drinking excessively, getting drunk and waking up the next morning with the mother of all hang overs - a routine she repeats frequently it seems. Her elder cousin Clark Kent aka Superman (David Corenswet) calls her often, out of concern that she is spending way too much time off-world and seemingly unable to settle on planet Earth.

During one such off planet stops, Supergirl encounters Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), the last survivor of her family who were murdered by the Brigand leader Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts), who heads up a group of space pirates and human traffickers. Ruthye requests Supergirl's assistance in her quest for vengeance, but is denied. Krem hijacks Supergirl's ship together with several other Brigands, and shoots Krypto with a poisonous dart when he tries to stop them. Upon learning that Krypto has only three days left to live, Supergirl decides to pursue Krem to retrieve an antidote that he keeps on person, while also reluctantly taking on Ruthye as her companion.

After a brief run-in with the Sklarian Raiders, a group of all female space pirates, aboard an interstellar bus, Supergirl interrogates them and learns of Krem's location on the planet Bilquis. There, Supergirl and Ruthye learn from a local couple, Bomar (Kadiff Kirwan) and Mareck (Thalissa Teixeira), that the Brigands have been kidnapping young women to force them to be their brides. Mareck attempts to drug Supergirl to trade her and Ruthye to the Brigands in exchange for their daughter Sarna (Asha Soetan), but Supergirl resists and fights the Brigands, and is assisted by the bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa), who is targeting the Brigands' lieutenant Drom Baxton (Diarmaid Murtagh). 

During the battle, Supergirl stops Ruthye from killing Krem, allowing him to escape after killing Bomar and his family. A guilt-ridden Supergirl decides to go after Krem alone, and is escorted by several local aliens to the Brigands' location on the planet, Barenton. However, Supergirl is weakened by the planet's green sun, and is tended to by Ruthye, who secretly followed her and who pulls her into a cave and out of the way of the harmful green suns rays, but not out of danger.

In a moment between Supergirl and Ruthye we learn of Kara's backstory. During the destruction of the planet Krypton, scientist Zor-El (David Krumholtz) and his wife Alura (Emily Beecham) evacuate along with many Kryptonians to Argo City, where Zor-El activates a force field system that separates a chunk containing the city from the planet, preventing it from being destroyed when its core explodes. However, before doing so the infant Kal-El is shipped off to Earth in a pod. Eight years later, Alura gives birth to her and Zor-El's daughter, Kara. Eventually, it is discovered that the separation of Argo City exposed a mineral known as 'Kryptonite', which is slowly killing the citizens through radiation. After Alura dies from Kryptonite poisoning, Zor-El decides to send the ten year old or so Kara and her puppy Krypto off in a pod bound for Earth, where she will join her older cousin. Upon landing, and unable to speak the Earth language, they are greeted by Kal-El, who is living a double life as Clark Kent and Superman. Although she is unable to understand, Superman tells Kara that her powers will very soon start to kick-in. Kara later tries to adjust to her new life on Earth, and in Metropolis, while also adopting the alias 'Supergirl'.

Ruthye is later kidnapped by the Brigands after she exits the cave to fetch a drink of water for Supergirl, and is taken to their ship, where Lobo is also imprisoned. Ruthye manages to escape her cell and free Lobo, but is caught by Krem as she makes it topside. She is then saved by Supergirl, who has managed to recover after the planet rotates to a yellow sun. 

With Lobo's aid, Supergirl defeats the Brigands and frees the captive women on board. She pleads with Ruthye to not kill Krem, convincing her that it would not ease her pain, and if she did then that is something she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

As Ruthye walks away, Supergirl picks up her sword and uses it to kill Krem herself. She recovers the antidote and returns to Krypto, saving him in time. Later, as Supergirl bids a tearful farewell to Ruthye, she relents and invites her to join her aboard her retrieved ship in celebrating the rest of her 23rd birthday week. Sometime later, Supergirl reunites with Superman on Earth, where she states her wish to stay indefinitely, reaffirming that the planet is now her home.

This DCU second instalment represents solid enough entertainment, but it is fairly predictable, derivative and offers up nothing that we haven't really seen before. Milly Alcock as the titular Supergirl plays the sassy blond with attitude and a penchant for hard liquor and kicking ass, with conviction and determination, and it will be interesting to see what she does next with the character, and under a different Director. As for the other principle cast, Jason Momoa is well cast as Lobo and you can tell he was relishing the role, but Eve Ridley as Ruthye lapsed more than once into her native English language that she sounded more royal than the Princess of Wales, and was sidelined with seemingly nothing to do but twiddle her thumbs while the action played out around her. Matthias Schoenaerts character of Krem is a one dimensional villain leading a group of other one dimensional villains who serve as nothing more than the keeper of an antidote with which to revive the obviously CGI created Krypto, and they all naturally buy the farm in the end. It's a serviceable enough introduction to Supergirl, but the plot is paper thin, the CGI FX at times questionable, and the film is shot to a large extent in dark muted tones that makes it hard to discern what is happening on screen. 

'Supergirl' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 25th June 2026.

The 43rd Munich International Film Festival will take place this year from Friday 26th June to Sunday 5th July. It is the largest summer film festival in Germany and second in size and importance to the Berlinale, and has been held annually since 1983 and takes place in late June or early July. It presents around 150 feature films and feature-length documentaries on more than eighteen screens, and the festival has an annual attendance of around 80,000. It accredits more than six hundred members of the international press and media as well as over 2,500 film industry professionals. It has always been a popular meeting place for industry insiders throughout Germany and Europe. With the exception of retrospectives, tributes and homages, all of the films screened are German, European and World Premieres. There are a dozen competitions with prizes worth over EU€250K which are donated by the festival's major sponsors and partners.

This years Opening Film presentation is the Polish, German, Italian and French Co-Produced 'Fatherland' that is Co-Written and Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. Starring Sandra Huller and Hanns Zischler as Erika Mann and exiled German novelist Thomas Mann respectively, as they embark on a road trip from Frankfurt, West Germany, to Weimar, East Germany, during the Cold War in 1949. The film had its World Premiere in the main competition at this years Cannes Film Festival on 14th May, where Pawlikowski won the Award for Best Director. 

This years competition for the best international film presents new works of master Directors from all over the world - in this competition they will be presented to the Munich audience long before the official German theatrical release. They compete for the CineMasters Award which is endowed with EU€10K. In this section there are twelve films all competing, as given in brief below :-

* 'All of a Sudden' - from Belgium, Germany, France and Japan, and Co-Written and Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and starring Virginie Efira. 

* 'Chasing Summer' - from the USA and Directed by Josephine Decker and starring Iliza Shlesinger.

* 'Two Pianos' - from France and Co-Written and Directed by Arnaud Desplechin and starring Francois Civil and Charlotte Rampling.

* 'Gentle Monster' - from Germany, France and Austria and Written and Directed by Marie Kreutzer and starring Lea Seydoux and Catherine Deneuve. 

* 'I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning' - from the UK and Directed by Clio Barnard and starring Anthony Boyle and Joe Cole.

* 'If I Go They Will Miss Me' - from the USA and Written, Directed and Co-Edited by Walter Thompson-Hernandez and starring Danielle Brooks and J. Alphonse Nicholson.

* 'Double Freedom' - from Argentina, Chile, Germany, Luxembourg and the UK, and is Written and Directed by Lisandro Alonso and stars Misael Saavedra and Catalina Saavedra.

* 'Landmarks' - from Argentina, Denmark, France, Mexico, the Netherlands and the USA, and Co-Written and Directed by Lucrecia Martel.

* 'Forever Your Maternal Animal' - from Belgium, France and Mexico and Written and Directed by Valentina Maurel, and starring Daniela Marin, Mariangel Montero, Marina De Tavira and Reinaldo Amien.

* 'The Man I Love' - from the USA and Co-Written and Directed by Ira Sachs, and starring Rami Malek, Luther Ford, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Tom Sturridge and Rebecca Hall.

* 'The Sun Rises On Us All' - from China and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Shangjun Cai, and starring Zhilei Xin, Songwen Zhang and Shaofeng Feng.

* 'Shame and Money' - from Germany, Kosovo, Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia and Belgium, and Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Visar Morina, and starring Astrit Kabashi, Flonja Kodheli, Kumrije Hoxha, Fiona Gllavica and Alban Ukaj.

For the brief synopsis of the aforementioned films, plus the details of the other competitive film sections being showcased including Cinecopro Competition (for best international co-production), the Cinevision Competition (best international debut film), the Cinerebels Competition (for extraordinary films), and the Cinekindl Competition (intelligent entertainment not only for children) and a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : http://www.filmfest-muenchen.de/en/

Looking to this weeks five new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with the second offering in the DCU as Kara Zor-El joins forces with an unlikely companion on an interstellar journey of vengeance and justice when an unexpected adversary strikes too close to home. Then we have a comedy drama in which after 35 years in Chicago, Donal reluctantly returns to the Scottish Highlands to reconcile with his estranged older brother and owner of the 200 year old family whisky distillery. Next up is a French fantasy drama where a fifteen-year-old orphan witnesses the shoot for a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its lead Actress. This is followed by a French comedy drama film that has an unexpected road trip bringing a dysfunctional family together for one last journey with their elder matriarch, sparking moments of connection, joy, and reconciliation; and closing out the week, we have the seventh instalment in this hugely successful animated comedy franchise that sees the Minions banding together to save the day after unleashing monsters upon an unsuspecting world in the Hollywood of old.

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.

'SUPERGIRL' (Rated M) - is an American superhero film and is based on the titular character from DC Comics. The film is Directed by Craig Gillespie and is the second film in the DC Universe (DCU), following 2025's 'Superman' which was Written and Directed by James Gunn - the joint CEO of DC Studios with Peter Safran, and starred David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. Craig Gillespie's prior feature film making credits take in his 2007 debut with 'Mr. Woodcock', and which he would follow up with the likes of 'Lars and the Real Girl' also in 2007, 'Fright Night' in 2011, 'I, Tonya' in 2017, 'Cruella' in 2021 and 'Dumb Money' in 2023. This film forms part of the DCU's 'Chapter One: Gods and Monsters', and as recently as last month Peter Safran commented that Supergirl would have a major role in the future of the DCU beyond her return in the Superman follow-up film 'Man of Tomorrow' scheduled for release on 9th July 2027.

Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) celebrates her 23rd birthday by traveling across the galaxy with her dog Krypto. Along the way, she meets the young Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley) and encounters a tragedy that leads her on a 'murderous quest for revenge'. Also starring Matthias Schoenaerts, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet and Jason Momoa. The film is released this week too in the US.

'GLENROTHAN' (Rated M) - this British comedy drama film is Directed by Brian Cox in his feature film making debut, although he will be well known the world over for his screen acting achievements in his seven decade spanning career in the theatre, in film and in television. Here then, set in the Scottish Highlands, two headstrong brothers Donal and Sandy (Alan Cumming and Brian Cox respectively), who last got together on the day of the mothers funeral in which they had a violent exchange with their father, are brought back together at the country home of their 200-year-old family whisky distillery after Donal relocated himself to Chicago, USA thirty-five years previously. Sandy needs Donal to take over the family's whisky distillery or he will be forced to sell and give up on the family's legacy. But their reunion forces the brothers to confront the past and the real reason Donal left Glenrothan. Also starring Shirley Henderson and Alexandra Shipp. The film saw its Premiere screening at TIFF in mid-September last year, was released in the UK in mid-April this year and has received average reviews at best.

'THE ICE TOWER' (Rated M) - is a French, German and Italian Co-Production that is Co-Written and Directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic whose prior feature film making efforts take in her 2004 critically acclaimed debut 'Innocence' and then 'Evolution' in 2015 and her English language debut 'Earwig' in 2021. Set in the 1970's, the enigmatic Actress Cristina (Marion Cotillard) is shooting a film adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale 'The Snow Queen', in which she plays the title character. At the same time, Jeanne (Clara Pacini), a runaway teenage orphan, takes refuge in the studio where the film is being shot and falls under Cristina's spell, and a mutual fascination grows between them. Also starring August Diehl and Gaspar Noe. The film had its World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in mid-February 2025, where it won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. It was released in its native France in mid-September last year, has so far grossed US$46K at the Box Office from a production budget of US$5.6M and has garnered generally positive critical reviews.

'BON VOYAGE, MARIE' (Rated M) - this French comedy drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Enya Baroux in her feature film debut, although she has helmed a number of short films and a TV series since 2017. Marie (Helene Vincent) is 80 years old and has a plan that she dares not confess. When her irresponsible son Bruno (David Ayala) and granddaughter Anna (Juliette Gasquet) insist on knowing why she wants to travel to Switzerland, Marie improvises an incredible story - an inheritance forgotten in a bank. What starts out as a white lie turns into a crazy family trip in an old motorhome, joined by Rudy (Pierre Lottin), a social worker they barely know, who is caught up in the adventure against his will. Along the way, amidst reproaches, laughter and secrets, this unexpected trip will bring three generations together again . . . even if that’s not what they were looking for. The film was released in its native France in mid-March 2025, and has so far grossed US$3.9M at the Box Office. 

'MINIONS & MONSTERS' (Rated PG) - is an American animated comedy film Co-Written and Directed by Pierre Coffin and Produced by Illumination. It is the third instalment in the 'Minions' prequel series and the seventh instalment overall in the 'Despicable Me' franchise. The first six films in the franchise grossed a total Box Office haul of US$5.46B off the back of combined production budgets of US$479M making the continuation of the series a no-brainer. Pierre Coffin Directed the first three 'Despicable Me' films in 2010, 2013 and 2017 and the first 'Minions' film in 2013. And so, this is the rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story of how the Minions conquered 1920's Hollywood, became movie stars, lost everything, unleashed monsters onto the world and then banded together to try and save the planet from the mayhem they had just created. Starring the voice talents of Pierre Coffin as the Minions, and Zoey Deutch, Jeff Bridges, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Bobby Moynihan, Phil LaMarr and Trey Parker. The film Premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival earlier this week and will be released in the USA on 1st July.

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-

DUMB MONEY : Tuesday 7th November 2023

I finally got around to seeing the MA15+ Rated 'DUMB MONEY' after my three week sojourn in the UK. This American biographical comedy drama film, which was released here in Australia on 5th October, is Directed by Craig Gillespie whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut with 'Mr. Woodcock' in 2007 and 'Lars and the Real Girl' also in 2007 and then 'Fright Night' in 2011, 'Million Dollar Arm' in 2014, 'The Finest Hours' in 2016, 'I, Tonya' in 2017 and 'Cruella' in 2021. This film is based on the 2021 book 'The Antisocial Network' by Ben Mezrich, and saw its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September and was released in the US in limited theatres a week later before expanding into a wider release on 29th September. The film garnered generally favourable reviews and has so far grossed US$17.5M against a production budget of US$30M.

Keith Gill (Paul Dano) is a lower middle class man working as a financial analyst for MassMutual in Brockton, Massachusetts. During his spare time, he maintains a watchful eye on the stock market subreddit r/WallStreetBets, and posts his opinions on it via YouTube live streams under the name Roaring Kitty, with the disclaimer that he is not offering financial advice. He struggles to provide for his wife Caroline (Shailene Woodley) and his young child, and has a net worth of about US$98K. His presence on his home based YouTube channel is constantly being mocked by his brother Kevin (Pete Davidson) as nerdy rubbish. 

In June 2020, following the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Keith notices that video game retailer GameStop's stock is falling and sinks more than half of his life savings (US$53K) into buying stock in it, frequently live streaming updates with his followers. 

Despite Kevin, and Keith's colleague Briggsy (Deniz Akdeniz) claiming this is a waste of time and money, by January 2021, activity on r/WallStreetBets reveals that several hedge fund investment firms, including Melvin Capital Management and its founder Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen), have been short selling stock in the chain on the assumption it would close, causing a mass increase in GameStop's overall stock price when online retail mum and dad stock buyers, including struggling nurse Jennifer Campbell (America Ferrera), GameStop retail employee Marcos (Anthony Ramos), and lesbian college couple Riri (Myha'la Herrold) and Harmony (Talia Ryder), start aggressively buying up stock, causing Plotkin and other investment CEO's to lose hundreds of millions of dollars within the same timeframe, and Keith to be heralded as a financial sensation.

Things take a turn for the worse when r/WallStreetBets is temporarily shut down for 'inflammatory and vulgar content' (even though that had been the way for years), causing a mass surge of panic selling in GameStop's stock in an attempt to beat a perceived price drop. When the commission-free stock trading website Robinhood is unable to adequately pay the US$3B for the sales, co-chairman Vlad Tenev (Sebastian Stan), at the behest of Citadel owner and multi-billionaire Ken Griffin (Nick Offerman), places a freeze on all purchasing of GameStop's stock in an attempt to drive down the price. 

The play ultimately works, but the subsequent negative backlash results in an investigation by the United States House Committee on Financial Services, with Tenev, Griffin, Plotkin, and Keith all being subpoenaed, the former three for their roles in the fiasco and the latter on suspicion of using the situation to trick the public into making himself rich. As the investors struggle to defend their actions, Keith adamantly denies any wrongdoing in the hearing on 18th February 2021, saying 'I did not solicit anyone to buy or sell the stock for my own profit' and further stating that he was only doing what anyone with a passing awareness of investment banking would do in that situation, while concluding that 'I like the stock', by which time his initial investment of US$53K had turned into a personal fortune of US$48M all largely off the back of GameStop. 

In the months that followed, pre-credits text shows how several of the individuals were impacted, namely Plotkin was forced to shut down Melvin Capital because of the net losses the incident caused; Robinhood was the target of several lawsuits following the fiasco and wound up with its IPO starting in the stock market significantly lower than it was prior; Harmony was able to use the money she obtained to pay off her family's debt issues and continues her relationship with Riri; Marcos sold half of his GameStop stock and quit his position in the company; Jennifer remains marginally in debt but has retained her shareholding; Keith retired from YouTube in late April to get out of the public eye and sold a small portion of his now US$33M fortune to buy Kevin a brand new red Porsche 911 as a way to stop his nagging about how he will not loan him his car for his food deliveries work. Kevin still calls him a nerd however.

'Dumb Money' is a compelling story mainly because it fell in such recent times that just about all of us with the remotest interest in the stock market will remember the events that unfolded around GameStop and the events that came to pass as part of the zeitgeist of the pandemic era. The acting is on point here with particular nods to Dano and Davidson, and this cautionary tale is dramatic, humorous and entertaining and you can't help but be carried along by the stories of the little people beating the mega rich of Wall Street at their own game. The term 'dumb money' BTW was coined by Wall Street for retail mum & dad investors, whereas 'smart money' is used to describe institutional, or professional, investors. The film also stars Vincent D'Onofrio, Clancy Brown, Dane DeHaan and Olivia Thirlby. 

'Dumb Money' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard out of a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 5th October 2023.

The 67th British Film Institute London Film Festival this year runs from Wednesday 4th October through until Sunday 15th October. Held in London, England for two weeks in October every year, it is estimated that around 240 feature films and 150 short films from more than seventy countries are screened at the festival each year.

This years Opening Night Gala Film is 'Saltburn' written, Co-Produced and Directed by Emerald Fennel and starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant and Archie Madekwe. The film is set in the mid-2000's, and follows a young university student who becomes infatuated with his aristocratic schoolmate and his wealthy but eccentric family. The Closing Night Gala Film is 'The Kitchen' Directed by Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya and also Co-Written and Co-Produced by Kaluuya, and sees a dystopian future London where all social housing has been eliminated, where a man and a young lad fight to navigate the world as residents of The Kitchen - a community that refuses to abandon their home.

The following films were selected for the Galas section, which screens World, European, and British Premieres of the most anticipated films :-

* 'All of Us Strangers' is a British fantasy drama film Written and Directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell and Claire Foy.

* 'One Life' is a British biographical drama film Directed by James Hawes and stars Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonathan Pryce, and Lena Olin.

* 'Chicken Run : Dawn of the Nugget' is a British stop motion animated comedy film Directed by Sam Fell and is a sequel to 2000's 'Chicken Run'. Starring the voice talents of Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton and Miranda Richardson.

* 'The Bikeriders' from the USA is Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols and stars Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Norman Reedus, Boyd Holbrook and Damon Herriman.

* 'The Book of Clarence' from the USA and is an epic biblical comedy drama film Written, Co-Produced, Directed and scored by Jeymes Samuel and starring LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, Anna Diop, David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodard, James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch.

* 'The Holdovers' from the USA and this comedy drama film is Directed by Alexander Payne and stars Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa and Da'Vine Joy Randolph.

* 'The Killer' is from the USA this neo-noir action thriller is Directed by David Fincher and stars Michael Fassbender, Charles Parnell, Tilda Swinton and Arliss Howard.

* 'Killers of the Flower Moon' from the USA and this epic Western crime drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow and Brendan Fraser.

* 'Maestro' from the USA and is a biographical drama film that is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and starring Bradley Cooper with Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke and Sarah Silverman. 

* 'May December' is from the USA and this romantic drama film is Directed by Todd Haynes and stars Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton.

* 'Nyad' from the USA and this biographical sports drama film is Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin and stars Annette Bening, Jodie Foster and Rhys Ifans.

* 'Poor Things' from the UK, Ireland and the USA this steampunk dark comedy fantasy film is Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and stars Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael and Margaret Qualley.

In Competition, celebrates the highest creative achievements of British and international filmmakers, of which there are awards for Best Film, First Feature awarded for Directorial debut, Documentary feature film and Short Film. Most of the out-of-competition films have been organised into strands, each based on a different mood or emotion - these being Love, Debate, Laugh, Dare, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Create, Experimenta, Family and Treasures. 

For the full run down on the aforementioned films, those films competing for awards and the films strands being showcased, plus a whole lot more, you can go to the official website at : https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp

Turning the attention then back to this weeks slew of new movies to grace a big screen Odeon near you, of which there are six, we kick start with the fourth offering in this action franchise that sees this team of elite mercenaries go head to head with a ruthless terrorist intent on igniting WWIII. Next up we have a horror film that is a direct sequel to a classic 1973 film that sees a 12-year-old girl and her friend possessed by a mysterious demonic entity, forcing her father to seek the help of two priests, and the only person who has witnessed such events before, to save her. This is followed by a biographical comedy drama film about a group of rag-tag investors who banded together to put the squeeze on at least two hedge funds that had bet that GameStop shares would fall. Then we turn to a Norwegian offering about a young woman who becomes increasingly overshadowed by her boyfriend's recent rise to fame as a contemporary artist creating sculptures from stolen furniture, so she hatches a vicious plan to reclaim her rightfully deserved attention within the milieu of Oslo's cultural elite. Following this up, we have an Aussie drama about a young Iranian mother and her six year old daughter who find refuge in an Australian women's shelter over the two week period of the Iranian new year festivities; before closing out the week with an Aussie music drama film about a terminally ill forty-something year old musician who forms an unlikely bond with a teenage runaway.

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.

'THE EXPEND4BLES' (Rated MA15+) - this American action film is Directed by Scott Waugh whose previous feature film offerings include 'Act of Valor' in 2012, 'Need for Speed' in 2014, '6 Below : Miracle on the Mountain' in 2017 and 'Hidden Strike' released on Netflix earlier this year. This is the fourth instalment in 'The Expendables' film series, following 2014's 'The Expendables 3' and the previous two films released in 2010 and 2012. Those first three films in the franchise grossed worldwide US$804M off the back of combined production budgets of $US275M, with this fourth, and seemingly final instalment so far grossing US$40M off the back of a budget of US$100M since its release in the US on 22nd September. The film has generated largely unfavourable reviews.

Armed with just about every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world's final line of defence and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give 'new blood' a whole new meaning. The cast takes in returning Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture joined by that new blood, Megan Fox, 50 Cent, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio and Andy Garcia. 

'THE EXORCIST : BELIEVER' (Rated MA15+) - is an American supernatural horror film that is Co-Written and Directed by David Gordon Green whose prior feature film making efforts take in his debut in 2000 with 'George Washington' and then the likes of 'Pineapple Express' in 2008, 'Our Brand Is Crisis' in 2015 and then 'Halloween', 'Halloween Kills' and 'Halloween Ends' in 2018, 2021 and 2022 respectively. This film is the sixth instalment in 'The Exorcist' franchise, and serves as a direct sequel to 1973's 'The Exorcist'. When his daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett), and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum), show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom Jnr.) to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn, reprising her role from the first film), the only person alive who's witnessed anything like it before. The film is released this week too in the US and is the first in a new trilogy of films, with the second 'The Exorcist : Deceiver', also to be Directed by Green, due for release in mid-April 2025.

'DUMB MONEY' (Rated MA15+) - this American biographical comedy drama film is Directed by Craig Gillespie whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut with 'Mr. Woodcock' in 2007 and 'Lars and the Real Girl' also in 2007 and then 'Fright Night' in 2011, 'Million Dollar Arm' in 2014, 'The Finest Hours' in 2016, 'I, Tonya' in 2017 and 'Cruella' in 2021. This film is based on the 2021 book 'The Antisocial Network' by Ben Mezrich. Based on the true story  of everyday people who turn the tables on Wall Street and get rich by turning GameStop into one of the world's hottest companies in January and February of 2021. In the middle of everything is Keith Gill (Paul Dano), a regular guy who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock. When his social media posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets wealthy, until the billionaires fight back and both sides find their worlds turned upside down. The film saw its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September and was released in the US in limited theatres a week later before expanding into a wider release on 29th September. The film garnered generally favourable reviews and stars Pete Davidson, Vincent D'Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley, Seth Rogan and Dane DeHaan. It has so far grossed US$8M against a production budget of US$30M.

'SICK OF MYSELF' (Rated MA15+) - is a Norwegian film Written, Directed and Edited by Kristoffer Borgli. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and was released in its native Norway in early September last year, and only now does it get a limited showing in Australia, having so far grossed US$1M at the Box Office and having garnered generally favourable reviews. Signe (Kristine Kujath Thorp) and Thomas (Eirik Saether) are in an unhealthy, competitive relationship that takes a vicious turn when Thomas suddenly breaks through as a contemporary artist. In response, Signe makes a desperate attempt to regain her status by creating a new persona hell-bent on attracting attention and sympathy.

'SHAYDA' (Rated M) - this Australian drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Noora Niasari in her feature film debut having Directed a number of short films and the documentary 'Antunez House' in 2017. The film had its World Premiere screening at this years Sundance Film Festival in late January where it won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition and has subsequently been selected as the Australian entry in the Best International Feature Film category for the 2024 Academy Awards. Here, a young Iranian mother Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) and her six-year-old daughter (Selina Zahednia) find refuge in an Australian women's shelter during the two weeks of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz) while trying to escape the manipulations of her separated, abusive husband. Also starring Leah Purcell and Osamah Sami. The film has garnered widespread critical acclaim.

'THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH' (Rated M) - this Aussie music drama film is Written and Directed by first time feature film maker Claire Pasvolsky, and is inspired by the real life story of singer and songwriter Jackie Marshall. If Angie (Jackie Marshall) wasn't so self-sabotaging, she could have been one of Australia's leading musicians. Now in her forties, she finds herself terminally ill and alone. She struggles financially and plays in a seedy downbeat pub to help finance the recording of her final album. When Angie meets Ruby (Maisie Owens), a teenage runaway, the two form an unlikely bond when Angie teaches her to play guitar and write songs, but as Ruby becomes increasingly dependent on Angie, it becomes unbearable for Angie to tell her new young friend that she only has months to live.

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-