THE LONG WALK : Wednesday 17th September 2025

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'THE LONG WALK' at my local independent movie theatre this week, and this American dystopian survival thriller film is Co-Produced and Directed by Francis Lawrence who after years of Directing music videos turned his hand to feature films with his debut in 2005 with 'Constantine', which he would follow up with 'I Am Legend' in 2007, 'Water for Elephants' in 2011, 'The Hunger Games : Catching Fire' in 2013, 'The Hunger Games : Mockingjay - Parts 1 & 2' in 2014 and 2015, 'Red Sparrow' in 2018, 'Slumberland' in 2022 and 'The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' in 2023. This film is based on the 1979 novel by Stephen King (writing under his pseudonym Richard Bachman), and has been in development Hell since 1988 when George A. Romero was first linked to Direct the film adaptation, and since then it has been on again off again as numerous film makers have come and gone, until Lawrence took the helm. On a production budget of US$20M the film has so far grossed US$18M since its release Stateside and here in Australia last week and has garnered generally positive critical reviews.

Here then, set in a dystopian United States ruled by a dictatorial regime, as a result of a war that broke out some time in the past, every year, thousands of teenage boys apply to participate in the Long Walk. This event in which fifty randomly chosen young men are given water and rations, must walk without stopping along a pre-determined route while soldiers escort them. Any walker who falls below three miles per hour is given a verbal warning, but can invalidate it by maintaining speed for an hour. If a walker receives three warnings and falls below speed again, he is shot on the spot and killed by the soldiers. The Walk ends when there is but one survivor left, who receives a substantial cash prize and can have one wish, any wish, fulfilled. 

Raymond 'Ray' Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) arrives at the starting point, and bids an emotional farewell to his mother Ginnie Garraty (Judy Greer) and meets the other participants, including Peter McVries (David Jonsson), Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), Arthur Baker (Tut Nyuot), Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick), Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer), Hank Olson (Ben Wang), and Richard Harkness (Jordan Gonzalez), along with the Major (Mark Hamill), who oversees the whole event. After each walker is given a dog tag bearing a number from one to fifty, and a quick set of rules and obligations is read out by the Major, the walk begins.

During the first day, Ray gets to know the other walkers and forms a close bond with Peter. A boy named Thomas Curley (Roman Griffin Davis) is the first to be killed, after he develops a painful cramp in his leg and is unable to keep up the minimum speed. Barkovitch is given a wide berth by the group for provoking another walker named Rank (Daymon Wrightly) into attacking him, resulting in Rank's execution. 

As the walk progresses, Ray reveals why he signed up to Peter, but makes him promise not to divulge this to anyone else. If successful in being the last man standing, his wish is for a guard's Carbine rifle and to use it to kill the Major, as revenge for executing his father for his staunch opposition to the political regime, a fact that he was prepared to die for. Peter tries to talk Ray out of it and confesses that when he is too tired to keep walking, he intends to stop and wait to die.

Harkness and many of the other walkers perish over the next few days, particularly when walking up a long steep incline late at night. Hank becomes delirious and attempts to attack the soldiers, who shoot him down and let him slowly bleed to death as punishment, and a deterrent to the other walkers. The next morning, the boys learn that Hank was married to Clementine, and the only man amongst the other forty-nine who was married. They all agree that the winner should give some of the prize money to his widow. Riddled with guilt over Rank's death, Barkovitch begs Ray to accept him into the group. Ray agrees, but Barkovitch suffers a mental breakdown soon afterward and fatally stabs himself several times in the throat with a spoon.

Eventually, only Ray, Peter, Stebbins, Arthur, and Collie remain. Stebbins, who has fallen ill, tries to persuade the others not to help each other anymore, so as not to prolong their suffering. Meanwhile the sole of Ray's shoe has come off, and he quickly discards both shoes and continues the walk in his bloodied socks. While walking through a town, Ray spots his mother watching and is given his third warning while trying to get to her, until Peter pulls him away just in time. 

Collie manages to steal a guard's rifle, shoots the guard, and then turns the gun on himself after the other soldiers wound him with several bullets to the gut. Arthur develops internal hemorrhaging and decides to stop walking, and is executed. As Stebbins' sickness worsens and he realises he no longer has a chance to win, he reveals to Ray and Peter why he chose to join the walk - he is one of the Major's many illegitimate children, and he intended to use his wish to force the man to accept him over tea at his house. He then tells the pair it was an honour to walk with them before stopping and allowing himself to be killed, leaving Ray and Peter as the final two walkers. 

Ray and Peter arrive at another town in the pouring rain late at night, where a crowd all sheltering under umbrellas has gathered to see who wins. Peter intentionally sits down, only for Ray to pick him up and encourage him to keep going. He does so, failing to notice that Ray himself has now stopped walking. The Major executes Ray and congratulates Peter for winning, while Peter cries out for his friend. When asked to state his wish, Peter carries out Ray's plan by asking for a Carbine rifle. The major responds saying that his wish will be granted and that he'll receive it in due course. Peter turns to a nearby guard and says that he wants his, to which the Major asks the guard to hand over his weapon. At which, Peter points the loaded rifle at the Major and says 'this is for Ray', pulls the trigger and kills him. He then continues walking down the road.

With 'The Long Walk' Director Francis Lawrence has delivered us one of the better Stephen King big screen adaptations in some years. However, this film is repetitive with forty-nine of the 'contestants' all buying the farm in some shape or form for stepping out of line, and not keeping up the pace, but, having said that it what these young men signed up for! Also you can figure out easily enough from the get go, who the last two men left standing are going to be, and in that respect the outcome is fairly predictable. On the positive front, the performances by Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson are top notch, and the bond the pair forge during their 330 or so mile long walk feels real and unforced. There are also some relevant present day messages at play in this film like the Major espousing pre-MAGA movement rhetoric, political unrest, economic and social downturn, the price of sacrifice and the true value of friendship, loyalty and the priorities we place on our lives and those of others. 'The Long Walk' is a solid enough film without being great, but it will leave you thinking long after the end credits have rolled, and hoping that this is a world we never get to see.

'The Long Walk' merits 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 11th September 2025.

The 45th edition of the Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) takes place from Wednesday 10th September through until Wednesday 17th September this year in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Since its beginnings in 1981 as a grassroots initiative in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the Atlantic International Film Festival has blossomed into one of Atlantic Canada’s premier cultural events. Relocated to Halifax in 1982, AIFF continues to thrive in the heart of downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. Each September, AIFF transforms the city into a cinematic hub, offering an immersive experience for film lovers, filmmakers, and industry professionals from around the globe, by offering world-class films including local, national, international, World Premiere's and retrospective screenings; industry programming and special events and gatherings . . . so reads the official website. 

This years Opening Night Gala film presentation is 'At the Place of Ghosts' from Canada and Written and Directed by Bretten Hannam, that sees siblings Mise’l (Blake Alec Miranda) and Antle (Forrest Goodluck) were close confidants as children, but have drifted apart as adults. When a malevolent spirit begins tormenting them, the siblings are forced to reunite and journey into a primordial forest that exists outside of time, to confront their violent past. As long-buried wounds resurface, the siblings must face their trauma and the spectral echoes of their ancestors. The Closing Night Gala film is 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' from the USA and is Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Bill Condon and is set in 1980's Argentina, where Molina (Tonatiuh) is a flamboyant window dresser who shares a cell with political prisoner Valentin (Diego Luna). Their unlikely friendship blossoms as Molina recounts his favourite film and Hollywood musical star, played by the captivating Jennifer Lopez.

In the World Cinema section of this years festival there are twenty-four films in total being showcased. Included in this segment are the following titles :-

* 'Blueberry Grunt' - from Canada and this drama film is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sherry White. The film stars Joel Thomas Hynes and Liisa Repo-Martell as Harold and Vivian, a married couple whose relationship begins to unravel on a camping trip. World Premiere.

* 'Dancing on the Elephant' - from Canada and this comedy drama film is Directed by Julia Neill and Jacob Z. Smith and stars Sheila McCarthy as Nora, a woman involuntarily placed in a retirement home by her family, who meets fellow retiree Edna (Mary Walsh) and sets out to reclaim control of her life by embarking on an adventure with her new friend. World Premiere.

* 'Dreams (Sex Love)' - from Norway and this drama film is Written and Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud, and is the second part of a trilogy. The film follows Johanne's (Ella Overbye) infatuation with her French teacher Johanna (Selome Emnetu), which ignites tensions within her family, as her mother and grandmother confront their own unfulfilled dreams and desires.

* 'Hangashore' - from Canada and this thriller is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Justin Oakey. The film stars Hera Hilmar as Vera, an Icelandic artist haunted by recurring nightmares about her missing father. She travels to Newfoundland in search of him, and becomes drawn into a relationship with Jack (James Frecheville), a local seal hunter. World Premiere.

* 'The History of Sound' - from the US and the UK and this historical romantic drama film is Co-Produced and Directed by Oliver Hermanus. The film follows the relationship between Lionel (Paul Mescal) and David (Josh O'Connor), who meet in 1917 while attending the Boston Music Conservatory, and after World War I travel together recording folk songs of their countrymen in rural Maine in the summer of 1920. Also starring Chris Cooper.

* 'It Was Just an Accident' - from Iran, France and Luxembourg and this thriller is Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Jafar Panahi. The film explores political repression in Iran and morality.

* 'Lovely Day' - from Canada and this comedy drama film is Written and Directed by Philippe Falardeau. The film follows a Lebanese Canadian man struggling to navigate the emotional and interpersonal challenges that threaten to derail the day of his wedding.

* 'The Mastermind' - from the US and the UK and this heist thriller film is Written, Directed and Edited by Kelly Reichardt. The plot follows a suburban family man living a double life as an art thief in the 1970's. Starring Josh O'Connor, Alana Haim, Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffman and John Magaro. 

* 'Mile End Kicks' - from Canada and this RomCom is Written and Directed by Chandler Levack. The film stars Barbie Ferreira as Grace Pine, a young woman who moves to Montreal, Quebec, with the goal of writing a book about Alanis Morissette's album Jagged Little Pill but instead becomes romantically involved with two members of an indie rock band and takes a job as the band's publicist. Also starring Jay Baruchel and Devon Bostick.

* 'Nouvelle Vague' - from France and the USA this comedy drama film is Directed by Richard Linklater. Starring Guillaume Marbeck as Jean-Luc Godard, Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg, and Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo, it follows the shooting of 'Breathless', one of the first feature films of the Nouvelle Vague era of French cinema, in 1959.

* 'Peak Everything' - from Canada and this English and French RomCom is Written and Directed by Anne Emond. The film stars Patrick Hivon as Adam, a kennel owner from Montreal who suffers from depression and climate anxiety. After buying a light therapy box to counter his symptoms, he falls in love with Tina (Piper Perabo), the customer service representative who helps him set up the device over the phone, and sets off to Sudbury to find her.

* 'A Private Life' - from France and this black comedy mystery film is Co-Written and Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski. The films sees the renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner (Jodie Foster) mounting a private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered. Also starring Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira and Mathieu Amalric.

* 'Sentimental Value' - from Norway, France, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the UK and this comedy drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Joachim Trier. Starring Stellan Skarsgard, Renate Reinsve and Elle Fanning this film is about a movie Director’s bid to revive his career and repair his family’s broken bonds.

* 'Sound of Falling' - from Germany and this drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Mascha Schilinski, and follows four generations of girls connected by a farm in the Altmark region of Germany.

* 'The Things You Kill' - from Turkey, Poland, France and Canada and this mystery film is Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Co-Edited by Alireza Khatami, and is about a university professor living and working in the USA who solicits his gardener to seek vengeance after the suspicious death of his mother in Turkey. 

For the Narrative New Waves, Late Night Visions, Documentaries and Short Films sections of the festival, plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://atlanticfilmfestival.ca/

This week we have six new release movies to tease you out to your local Odeon, kicking off with a Stephen King adaptation in which teenage young men participate in a gruelling high-stakes contest where they must continuously walk or be shot by a member of their military escort. Then we turn to an Aussie and New Zealand Co-Production where two strangers are possessed by grief, shared trauma and the same ghost. Next up we have an American comedy telling the story of a husband whose wife asks for a divorce, and so he runs to his friends for support, only to learn that the secret to their happiness is an open marriage. This is followed by a British historical drama offering that is the third and possibly final instalment in the film franchise that is set in the summer of 1930, where the Crawleys grapple with the threat of social disgrace when Mary finds herself at the centre of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble. Following on we have an American fantasy comedy offering in which a young girl’s monster drawings come to life after falling into a strange pond, unleashing chaos, and so her family must reunite to save their town before it's too late; before closing out the week with an Aussie adult animated Sci-Fi comedy in which a space princess is thrust out of her sheltered life and into a galactic quest to save her bounty hunter ex-girlfriend from the Straight White Maliens.

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 LONG WALK' (Rated MA15+) - is an American dystopian horror thriller film Co-Produced and Directed by Francis Lawrence who after years of Directing music videos turned his hand to feature films with his debut in 2005 with 'Constantine', which he would follow up with 'I Am Legend' in 2007, 'Water for Elephants' in 2011, 'The Hunger Games : Catching Fire' in 2013, 'The Hunger Games : Mockingjay - Parts 1 & 2' in 2014 and 2015, 'Red Sparrow' in 2018, 'Slumberland' in 2022 and 'The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' in in 2023. This film is based on the 1979 novel by Stephen King (writing under his pseudonym Richard Bachman), and has been in development Hell since 1988 when George A. Romero was first linked to Direct the film adaptation, and since then it has been on again off again as numerous film makers have come and gone, until Lawrence took the helm. 

Here then, set in a dystopian United States ruled by a totalitarian regime, a group of young men enter an annual walking contest in which they must maintain a speed of at least three miles per hour or risk execution. The contest ends when only one walker remains alive. Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Mark Hamill, Judy Greer and Josh Hamilton. The film is released Stateside this week too, and early critical reviews have given it a generally positive rating.

'WENT UP THE HILL' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian and New Zealand Co-Production is Co-Written and Directed by Samuel Van Grinsven in his second feature film following 'Sequin in a Blue Room' in 2019. Here, Jack (Dacre Montgomery) returns to his native New Zealand to attend the funeral of his birth mother, from whom he was taken away and placed into foster care. There he meets his mother's widow Jill (Vicky Krieps) for the first time, only for his mother to return in spirit form and inhabit both Jack and Jill, using each of their bodies to speak to the other, and leaving the living to grapple with the destruction she left behind while fighting for their own survival. The film Premiered as a special presentation at last years Toronto International Film Festival in early September 2024, has garnered generally positive critical reviews, and has so far grossed US$36K following a limited US release in mid-August. 

'SPLITSVILLE' (Rated MA15+) - is an American comedy film that is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and also stars Michael Angelo Covino in only his second feature film Directorial outing following 2019's 'The Climb'. When Ashley (Adria Arjona) asks for a divorce, the good-natured Carey (Kyle Marvin) runs to his friends, Julie (Dakota Johnson) and Paul (Michael Angelo Covino), for support. He is shocked to learn that the secret to their happiness is an open marriage - that is, until Carey crosses the line and throws all of their relationships into chaos. The film had its World Premiere showcasing at this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May, went on wide release in the US from 5th September having so far grossed US$1.3M and has generated mostly positive critical reviews.

'DOWNTON ABBEY : THE GRAND FINALE' (Rated PG) - this British historical drama film set in the late 1920's is Directed by Simon Curtis and is based on the hugely popular television series written by Julian Fellows which ran for fifty-two episodes over six series between 2010 and 2015. This film is the third and final film in the cinema franchise which launched in 2019 with 'Downton Abbey' and then 'Downton Abbey : A New Era' in 2022. Here then, we follow the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930's. When Mary finds herself at the centre of a public scandal caused by her divorce and the family faces financial challenges, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepare for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Elizabeth McGovern, Dominic West, Penelope Wilton, Simon Russell Beale, Paul Giamatti, Alessandro Nivola and Joely Richardson. 

'SKETCH' (Rated PG) - is an American fantasy comedy film Written and Directed by Seth Worley in his full length feature film making debut. When a young school girl Amber (Bianca Belle) sketchbook falls into a strange pond, her drawings come to life - unpredictable, chaotic, and dangerously real. As the town unravels, she and her brother Jack (Kue Lawrence) must track down the creatures before they leave permanent damage. Their father Taylor (Tony Hale), racing to find them through the fallout, must navigate a town in crisis to reunite his family and stop the disaster they never meant to unleash. The film was released Stateside in early August, has so far grossed US$8M from a US$3M production budget and has garnered generally favourable critical reviews. 

'LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS' (Rated MA15+) - this Australian adult animated Sci-Fi comedy film is Written and Directed by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese in the feature film making debuts. Here, an anxious and introverted space princess Saira (voiced by Shabana Azeez), who has thus far led a sheltered life, launches into a galactic quest to save her ex-girlfriend Kiki (Bernie Van Tiel), a bounty hunter, from the 'Straight White Maliens' (Aunty Donna - an Australian surrealist comedy group consisting Mark Bonanno, Zachary Ruane and Broden Kelly). A runaway gay-pop idol named Willow (Gemma Chua-Tran) joins her as she encounters dangerous maniacs wielding blades, 'gloom goo', and other hazards, as well as 'the scariest thing of all' – her own self-doubt. Also starring the voice work of Richard Roxburgh. The film saw its World Premiere screening at the Berlin International Film Festival in mid-February this year where the film won the Teddy Award (an international film award for films with LGBT topics).

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-

THE HUNGER GAMES : THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES - Tuesday 5th December 2023.

I finally got around to seeing the M Rated 'THE HUNGER GAMES : THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES' at my local multiplex this week following its release in the US and here in Australia on 16th November. This American dystopian science fiction action film is Directed by Francis Lawrence, is based on the 2020 novel 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' by Suzanne Collins, serves as a prequel to 2012 film 'The Hunger Games' and is the fifth instalment in 'The Hunger Games' film series. Francis Lawrence Directed the last three films in the franchise with 'Catching Fire' in 2013 and 'Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2' in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Those first four films in the series grossed close to US$3B at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets of US$493M making this eventual prequel a no brainer. This film has so far grossed US$247M off the back of a production budget of US$100M and has generated mixed reviews. 

The film opens up in 'The Dark Days' three years before the first Hunger Games where a young Coriolanus Snow and his older cousin Tigris scavenge the war torn streets of Panem under cover of darkness for scraps of food. Returning home later that evening the pair are greeted by their Grandma'am (Fionnula Flanagan) who tells them that their father Crassus Snow has died. Fast forward thirteen years and Coriolanus (Tom Blyth), now eighteen-years-old, is one of twenty-four Academy students selected to mentor a tribute in the 10th Annual Hunger Games. Coriolanus determines to restore his family's prosperity by earning the Plinth Prize scholarship to Panem University. Games creator and Academy dean, Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) advises mentors to focus on entertaining viewers rather than tributes winning the Games, as viewership has waned over recent years, and for the Games to survive it needs to re-establish a strong audience. 

During the reaping ceremony, in which Coriolanus is assigned to mentor the District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), she first slips a snake into Mayor Lipp's daughter Mayfair's dress and then charms Capitol viewers by breaking into song. Coriolanus earns Lucy Gray's trust, by riding with her to the Capitol Zoo in a train carriage with the other chosen tributes, and helps her win Capitol citizens' sympathy, much to Highbottom's chagrin, as he paired Coriolanus with a District 12 tribute so he would fail. 

Coriolanus proposes a sponsorship scheme to Head Gamemaker, Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), where Capitol viewers donate supplies to tributes via their mentors during the Games to increase viewership. Coriolanus' classmate, Clemensia Dovecote (Ashley Liao), takes the credit for the scheme. Gaul meanwhile has placed the proposal document into a tank of genetically modified snakes that do not attack familiar scents. Gaul has Clemensia retrieve it. Not recognising Clemensia's scent, the snakes critically wound her, but Gaul's assistants are on hand to administer an anti-venom, thus confirming it was Coriolanus' proposal all along.

During a Games-arena tour the day before the games are due to commence, several rebel bombs explode causing much damage to the arena and killing several mentors including the President's son, Felix Ravinstill, and tributes. Lucy Gray saves Coriolanus when he is pinned under falling debris, and so as a gesture of thanks he gifts her deadly rat poison to use as a weapon, contained in his mothers silver make-up compact. 

The Games begin the next day as planned, with Host Lucretius 'Lucky' Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman) presiding over the event. Several tributes perish in the initial bloodbath. Lucy Gray is able to escape through an explosion-caused hole in the ground hiding in a service tunnel beneath with fellow District 12 tribute Jessup (Nick Benson). Coriolanus' wealthy friend and fellow mentor, Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andres Rivera), resenting the Games' cruelty and everything it stands for, sneaks into the arena and mourns next to his fallen tribute Marcus, a former District 2 classmate. Gaul persuades Coriolanus to retrieve Sejanus from the arena. When tributes turn on them, Coriolanus kills one by clubbing him to death.

To avenge Felix's death, Gaul releases her snakes into the arena, killing every tribute except Lucy Gray, as Coriolanus had secretly put a handkerchief containing her scent into the snake tank. Gaul refuses to declare her the victor until Capitol viewers pressure her into doing so. After the victory celebration, Highbottom confronts Coriolanus with the handkerchief and poison and sentences him to serve twenty years as a Peacekeeper for cheating. Sejanus is similarly punished for entering the arena. Coriolanus bribes an enrolment officer to transfer him to District 12, where he and Sejanus begin their Peacekeeper training.

Coriolanus and Sejanus visit the Hob bar where Lucy Gray performs with the Covey, a nomadic band, and they rekindle their friendship in secret. Coriolanus overhears Sejanus helping rebels planning to escape, and so he uses a jabberjay to record Sejanus' voice and sends it to Gaul. Coriolanus finds Sejanus talking to rebel Spruce (George Somner), Lucy Gray's old boyfriend Billy Taupe (Dakota Shapiro), and his girlfriend Mayfair Lipp (Isobel Jesper Jones), leading to an argument. Coriolanus fatally shoots Mayfair and Spruce kills Billy. Sejanus and Spruce are subsequently hanged for treason while Lucy Gray and Coriolanus escape. However, in the meantime Coriolanus has passed an intelligence and aptitude test with flying colours and is offered a transfer to District 2 for Officer training by Commander Hoff (Burn Gorman) and reluctantly accepts. 

Despite his offer for fast track promotion, Coriolanus and Lucy Gray flee north and decide to rest up overnight in a lakeside cabin. There, Coriolanus finds Spruce's weapons stash concealed under the floorboards. Lucy Gray runs away after realising Coriolanus betrayed Sejanus. As Coriolanus pursues her, a snake set in a trap bites him. Disoriented, he shoots his rifle blindly after hearing jabberjays mimicking Lucy Gray's voice. Coriolanus is unsure if she was shot after her footprints in the mud disappear on a path, leaving her fate a mystery.

Coriolanus returns to the Capitol, where Gaul reveals she had him honourably discharged and enrols him at the University. Sejanus' parents, who remain unaware he caused their son's death, make him an heir, so restoring the Snows' wealth. Coriolanus visits Highbottom, who confesses the Games were never intended to be reality. It was merely his idea one night heavily under the influence of alcohol that Crassus had stolen, and he set Coriolanus up as revenge for the bloodshed he indirectly caused. Coriolanus kills Highbottom by slipping rat poison into his vials of morphling, which he knocks back when Coriolanus has left, and is dead within minutes. Gaul later trains Coriolanus as a Gamemaker, so setting him up on his eventual rise to power.

For me 'The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' failed to ignite the interest, the level of excitement or the sense of urgency that the four original films in the franchise were able to capture, and at the longest run time of 156 minutes in the franchise outstays its welcome somewhat. That said Tom Blyth as the smiling assassin Snow, Rachel Zegler as mentee and love interest Lucy Gray, ably supported by a strong ensemble cast including Davis, Dinklage and Schwartzman do elevate this film above the also-ran, but, I can't help thinking that this young dystopian musical action drama film is enough to bridge the gap between the younger Snow and his older self as portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the original film series, so lets hope this puts an end to this franchise, particularly considering this is the most underperforming film at the Box Office in the series, and by a country mile!

'The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 16th November 2023

The 68th Cork International Film Festival runs this year from Thursday 9th through until Sunday 26th November. Established in 1956, the festival presents 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. It is Ireland’s first and largest film festival and one of Cork’s most significant and popular annual cultural events. Cork International Film Festival is a local, national and international celebration of cinema, running annually in venues and online in November. Award-winning films from the international film festival circuit, new discoveries and cinema classics are selected to be premiered in cinemas in Cork and screened online via the Festival Digital Platform, available to viewers nationwide. 

This years Opening Night Gala presentation is 'Poor Things' Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Jerrod Carmichael and Ramy Youssef and tells the incredible story about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. The Closing Night film is 'The Holdovers' Directed by Alexander Payne and starring Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa about a curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school who remains on campus during the Christmas break in the 1970's to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go.

The Festival presents twelve awards, including the CIFF Best New Irish Feature Award, Spirit of the Festival Award, Award for Cinematic Documentary, and two Audience Awards (for features and shorts). Its awards for Grand Prix Irish Short, Grand Prix International Short and Grand Prix Documentary Short Award are Academy Award qualifying, ensuring that the winners in Cork automatically join the Oscars long-list.

Those films competing for the Best New Irish Feature Award are :-

* 'So This Is Christmas' - Directed by Ken Wardrop this film illuminates the challenges often unseen beyond the toys, trees and tinsel, where characters in a small Irish village reflect on their difficult relationships with Christmas.

* 'One Night in Millstreet' - Directed by Andrew Gallimore. The St. Patrick’s weekend of 1995 witnessed an extraordinary thing, a world championship boxing match deep in the countryside of County Cork, between Super Middleweight Champion, Chris Eubank, and the hungry challenger from Cabra, Steve Collins. World Premiere.

* 'All You Need Is Death' - Directed by Paul Duane. Young couple Anna and Aleks collect folk ballads, the rarer the better, and the more money they can sell them for. Following a tip from a fellow collector, they secretly record a song so ancient that it is in a forgotten dialect. But once they begin to translate the song, they discover the terrifying reason why it was never meant to be passed on.

* 'Prospect House' - Directed by Paul Mercier. A group of protesters film a period re-enactment in a dilapidated 18th century house in a last ditch effort to save it from demolition.

* 'The Days of Trees' - Directed by Alan Gilsenan. An intimate beautifully wrought and deftly handled meditation on trauma, offering hope and insight.

The Spirit of the Festival Award comprises the following films :-

* 'The Girls Are Alright' - from Spain and Directed, Written, Co-Produced and starring Itsaso Arana. Four actresses and a writer spending a week in a secluded country house rehearsing a period play, chatting, and getting artistic inspiration from their own lives.

* 'Embryo Larva Butterfly - from Greece and Directed and Written by Kyros Papavassiliou. Penelope and Isidoro navigate their relationship in a world where time is non-linear, and past, present and future skip back and forth arbitrarily every time they wake.

* 'Animal' - from Greece, France and Poland and Directed by Sofia Exarchou. The team of dancers, singers and entertainers in an all inclusive tourist resort prepare for the upcoming season and we slowly get to know all the characters, including Kaila, natural leader of the group. As the summer heats up the make-up and facades begin to melt.

* 'Excursion' - from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, France, Norway and Directed by Una Gunjak. Iman is an ordinary teenage girl from Sarajevo that falls for an older boy and, in order to protect their half-imaginary relationship, comes up with a little white lie that spirals out of control.

* 'Negu Hurbilak' - from Spain and Directed by Colectivo Negu. At the end of the Basque conflict in 2011, when the ETA announces their ceasefire, a young woman goes on the run to escape political persecution, hoping to cross the border. She arrives at a quiet border village, Zubieta - a place where time appears to stand still, and she waits, as all the while the weight of her situation hangs around her.

* 'Camping du Lac' - from Belgium and France and Directed and starring Eleonore Saintagnan. Following her car breakdown in the middle of France, Eleonore has to make a stop at the mostly abandoned campsite with mobile homes and a view of a lovely lake. During her stay encounters interesting characters and searches for the mysterious lake monster.

For the full details of the other awards being presented; the remaining documentary, feature and short film strands being showcased; and a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can go the official website at : https://corkfilmfest.org/

So turning the attention then back to this weeks six new movies gracing a big screen Odeon close to home, we kick off with an offering from a second time Director about a young Oxford University student who becomes infatuated with his aristocratic schoolmate and his wealthy but eccentric family. This is followed by a prelude to a hugely popular and successful film franchise that sees a young Coriolanus Snow mentoring and developing feelings for the female District 12 tribute during the 10th fight to the death for the teenage tributes from each of the twelve Districts. Next up we have slasher horror film that following a Black Friday riot which ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer goes on a murderous rampage in Plymouth, Massachusetts - the birthplace of the infamous holiday. Then we turn to a French full-bodied RomCom that tells the story of a fifty year old divorced bear-with-a-sorehead who runs a small rural wine shop, and despite numerous obstacles, finds true love in unexpected quarters thanks to a woman with her own set of issues. Moving on we have a Danish/Swedish documentary in which the filmmakers examine both humanity's obsession with the camera's image and its social consequences, from the first camera to the 45 billion existing worldwide today; before closing out the week with an Aussie doco that takes us into the world of this prominent Australian artist and peels back the layers of his intimate journey.

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 week ahead.

'SALTBURN' (Rated MA15+) - is a psychological thriller drama film Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Emerald Fennel in her second feature film outing following the highly acclaimed 'Promising Young Woman' in 2020 which reaped 116 award wins and another 193 nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. This film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Telluride Film Festival in late August and is set for release in the US, the UK and here in Australia from this week having so far generated mostly favourable reviews. 

Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's sprawling estate, for a Summer never to be forgotten. Also starring Rosamund Pike as Elsbeth Catton and Richard E. Grant as Sir James Catton - Felix's mother and father respectively, and Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan and Paul Thys. 

'THE HUNGER GAMES : THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES' (Rated M) - this American dystopian science fiction action film Directed by Francis Lawrence, is based on the 2020 novel 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' by Suzanne Collins, serves as a prequel to 2012 film 'The Hunger Games' and is the fifth instalment in 'The Hunger Games' film series. Francis Lawrence Directed the last three films in the franchise with 'Catching Fire' in 2013 and 'Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2' in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Those first four films in the series grossed close to US$3B at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets of US$493M making this eventual prequel a no brainer. Set 64 years before the events of the first film, we here follow the events that eventually lead a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blythe) on the path to becoming the tyrannical leader of Panem (played by Donald Sutherland in the original films), including his relationship with the Hunger Games tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) from the impoverished District 12 during the year of the 10th Hunger Games. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and political savvy, they race against time to ultimately reveal who's a songbird and who's a snake. Also starring Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman and Viola Davis, the film is released in the US this week also, having cost US$100M to produce.

'THANKSGIVING' (Rated R18+) - is an American slasher horror film Directed by Eli Roth, and based on a story and the mock trailer that Roth created for the 'Grindhouse' film Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino in 2007. Roth who is no stranger to the genre also Directed such other features including his debut with 'Cabin Fever' in 2002 then 'Hostel' and 'Hostel : Part II' in 2005 and 2007 respectively, 'Knock Knock' in 2015, 'Death Wish' in 2018, and the documentary 'Fin' in 2021. Here then, after a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious serial killer, known only as 'John Carver', comes to Plymouth, Massachusetts, with the intention of creating a Thanksgiving carving board out of the town's inhabitants. The films stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim and Gina Gershon and is released in the US this week too.

'LA DEGUSTATION' (Rated M) - aka 'The Tasting' is a French comedy romantic drama film Written and Directed by Ivan Calberac whose previous feature film making credits take in his debut in 2002 with 'Irene', then 'Cheating Love' in 2006, 'Alternate Weeks (and Half the Vacation)' in 2009, 'The Student and Mr. Henri' in 2015 and 'Venice is not in Italy' in 2019. Jacques Dennemont (Bernard Campen) is divorced and runs a small wine shop, on the verge of bankruptcy. Hortense Le Bris (Isabelle Carre), determined not to end up single and an old maid walks into his store one day and decides to sign up for a tastings workshop. This film was released in its native France at the end of August 2022, and only now does it get a release in Australia having so far grossed US$2.2M at the Box Office. 

'FANTASTIC MACHINE' (Rated M) - is a Danish and Swedish documentary film Written, Produced and Directed by Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck that charts the history of the first camera to forty-five billion (and counting) cameras worldwide today. Here the film makers explore, explain and expose how our unchecked obsession with image has grown to change our human behaviour. From Camera Obscura and the Lumieres Brothers all the way to Youtube and the world of social media, the film chronicles how we went from capturing the image of a backyard to a multi-billion- euro content industry in just 200 years. After doing the rounds across the worldwide festivals circuit and collecting three award wins (including Berlin and Sundance) plus another eight nominations, the films goes on limited release here in Australia this week. 

'BROMLEY : LIGHT AFTER DARK' (Rated M) - this Australian documentary film is Directed by Sean McDonald in his Directorial debut. David Bromley found that art appeased the voices in his head and helped him find beauty in the world. So he made the life-changing decision to commit his whole being to something meaningful. This feature doco takes us into the world of this prominent Australian artist. With intimate access, we peel away the layers of anxiety, phobias and suicide survival, whilst embracing the humour, energy, and love that is ever-present in the Bromley world. The Director has here documented David and his wife Yuge for over five years, leading to this incredibly intimate and unique documentary on one of Australia’s most prolific and iconic artists.

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 coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-