SPIDER-MAN : NO WAY HOME : Tuesday 21st December 2021.

'SPIDER-MAN : NO WAY HOME' which I saw at my local multiplex last week, is the eagerly anticipated M Rated American Superhero film based on the Marvel comics character Spider-Man and is the follow up to 2017's 'Spider-Man : Homecoming' and 2019's 'Spider-Man : Far From Home' and is again Directed by Jon Watts. This film is the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is the fourth film in Phase Four of the MCU following 'Black Widow', 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' and 'The Eternals' with 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' coming next in May 2022 followed by a string of others through 2023. This film saw its World Premier screening in Los Angeles on 13th of this month and was released worldwide later that same week having so far grossed US$1.05B off the back of a production budget of US$200M and has garnered generally positive critical acclaim. A sequel is already in development.

After Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) identity as Spider-Man was exposed by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) at the end of 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' with J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) the Executive Reporter of the sensationalist news website TheDailyBugle.net who is provided a doctored video exposing Spider-Man's identity prompting him to broadcast it to the entire world. He frames Parker for the attack on London, claiming Mysterio as a hero, and Spider-Man as a murderer. Needless to say Parker's life and Spider-Man's reputation are turned upside down. Parker, his girlfriend M.J. (Zendaya), best friend Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) are arrested without charge and interrogated at the Department of Damage Control. Lawyer Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is able to wrangle Parker out of any charges as the group wrestle with the negative worldwide publicity that has been thrown their way. Meanwhile, Parker, M.J. and Ned are eagerly awaiting the results of their applications to M.I.T. and when they arrive in the post they all convene at the cafe where M.J. works to open their envelopes at the same time. Needless to say, all three are rejected on the grounds of the negative publicity surrounding them which the university doesn't want to get entrenched in. 

Down but not out, Parker visits Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) at the Sanctum Sanctorum and asks for his help, in creating a spell that will make the world forget that Parker is Spider-Man. Reluctantly, Strange agrees and sets about casting his magic. However, during the process, Parker repeatedly interrupts by asking for exceptions that should include M.J., Ned and Aunt May and a few others to be precluded from forgetting. This causes the spell to become corrupted, but thankfully, Strange is able to contain it. Parker leaves, believing that nothing has happened. 

Parker decides to track down the M.I.T. Administrator who is on her way to the airport, at the suggestion of Stephen Strange to simply have a conversation and ask her to reconsider M.J.'s and Ned's applications as they were only innocent bystanders in the recent events that brought them all to this point. Stuck in traffic, Parker is suddenly attacked by Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Octavius tears open Parker's nanotechnology Iron-Spider suit which in turn links up with his own mechanical octopus tentacles which gives Parker the opportunity to take control and disable them. Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe) then arrives and also attacks. Strange teleports Parker back to the Sanctorum and does the same with Octavius only locking the latter in a cell next to Curt Connors aka The Lizard (Rhys Ifans). Strange tells Parker that the corrupted spell briefly allowed people from other universes who know Spider-Man's identity to enter our own, and as a consequence orders Parker, M.J., and Ned to locate and capture them to minimise the harm they are likely to cause. 

Parker captures Max Dillon aka Electro (Jamie Foxx) and Flint Marko aka Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) as Osborn reclaims control of himself from his alter-ego Green Goblin persona. Osborn goes to a F.E.A.S.T. (Food, Emergency Aid, Shelter and Training) building, where May comforts him before Parker retrieves him. While discussing their previous battles with Spider-Man, Osborn, Octavius, and Dillon come to realise that they were pulled from their universes just before their deaths at Spider-Man's hands. Strange prepares a spell that will send the villains back to their own universes, but Parker counters that they should first cure the villains' powers to avoid them dying when they return. Parker steals the boxed spell, and following a foot chase in the Mirror Dimension in which Parker successfully traps Stephen Strange takes the villains to Happy Hogan's (Jon Favreau) apartment with Aunt May. There, using Stark Industries hi-tech, Parker is successful in curing Octavius, but Osborn's Goblin alter-ego takes control and convinces the uncured villains to betray Parker. As Dillon, Marko, and Connors all escape, Osborn and Spider-Man fight with the latter coming off worse. Osborn fatally injures May, who in her dying breath says to Parker that 'with great power, there must also come great responsibility' before succumbing to her injury. Parker is distraught at the death of his beloved Aunt. 

Ned discovers he can create portals using Strange's sling ring, which he and M.J. use in an attempt to locate Parker. They find 'Peter-Two' (Tobey Maguire) and 'Peter-Three' (Andrew Garfield), alternate versions of Parker who were summoned from their respective universes by Strange's spell. Ned and M.J. locate Parker and comfort him while the other Parkers share stories of losing loved ones. They encourage Parker to fight in May's honour. The three Parkers develop cures for the villains and coax Dillon, Marko, and Connors to the Statue of Liberty, where Peter-Two and Parker cure Marko and Connors. Octavius arrives to help and cures Dillon.

Ned frees Strange from the Mirror Dimension where he had been trapped for twelve hours, just as Osborn arrives and destroys the boxed spell, rupturing the barrier between universes. While Strange tries to maintain the barrier, an enraged Parker attempts to kill Osborn this time gaining the upper hand, but Peter-Two stops him. Peter-Three and Parker inject Osborn with his cure, so restoring his sanity. Parker realises the only way to protect the multiverse is to erase himself from everyone's memory and requests that Strange do so, promising M.J. and Ned that he will find them again. Strange casts the spell returning everyone to their respective universes and wiping everyone's memory of Parker in his universe. Two weeks later, Parker visits M.J. and Ned at the cafe to reintroduce himself, but thinks better of it. While mourning at May's grave, he has a conversation with Hogan who doesn't recognise him, but as a consequence is inspired to carry on. He moves into an apartment, makes a new Spider-Man suit and jumps out the window continuing with his web-slinging superheroics, just as J. Jonah Jameson beams over the airwaves that Spider-Man hasn't been seen for three weeks now and that he should come forward and reveal his true identity. 

Watch out for the mid-credits sequence featuring Eddie Brock aka Venom (Tom Hardy) and the end credits scene featuring a brief clip from 'Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness' due in cinema's in May 2022. 

'Spider-Man : No Way Home' deserves all the critical praise that is being bestowed upon it, and at in excess of US$1B at the global Box Office deserves to be the highest grossing film of 2021. Here Jon Watts has assembled a film that is chock full of heroes and villains, an impressive ensemble cast, large scale action, moments of laugh out loud humour, sharp dialogue, romance, emotion, grief and visual effects that very successfully pull together three Spider-Man franchises into one very satisfying well rounded conclusion. Here we see a grown-up more mature Peter Parker who is more willing to accept the consequences of his actions and take ownership of the end result, whilst still sharing a laugh and joke with 'Peter Two', 'Peter Three' Stephen Strange and Doc Ock in genuine heartfelt moments. Benedict Cumberbatch and Willem Dafoe add weight to an already impressive line up of acting talent. With a follow-up film already in development, who knows where the franchise will take us next, and even if Tom Holland will feature, but you can be sure that this will be a tough act to follow. My only criticism, and it's a small one at that, is that at a run time of two and a half hours, it could have been trimmed by fifteen minutes at least me thinks. That said, fans of the franchise certainly won't be disappointed. 

'Spider-Man : No Way Home' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 16th December 2021.

The 11th AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards were held in Sydney, Australia on Wednesday evening 8th December at the Sydney Opera House. The AACTA Awards (formerly the AFI [Australian Film Institute] Awards) have honoured screen excellence in Australia for over 60 years, since the first AFI Awards were held in 1958. Held annually in Sydney in recognition and celebration of Australia's highest achievements in film and television, the AACTA Awards present over fifty-five awards across two major ceremonies. The peer-assessed AACTA Awards are the only Australian industry body to honour practitioners across all crafts and industry sectors, including feature film, documentary, short film, television, online, visual effects and animation. Over the past 60 years, the Awards have grown to become a world-class marker of screen excellence alongside the Academy Awards and the BAFTA's. Many of Australia's most iconic and successful screen talent, both in front of and behind the camera have come through the ranks and been recognised among their peers at the AFI and AACTA Awards before going on to achieve international accolades and become household names. The AACTA International Awards are held annually in Los Angeles in early January. 

In the feature film categories, the winners and nominees were as follows :-

Best Film 

* Awarded to 'NITRAM', beating out 'The Dry', 'The Furnace', 'High Ground', 'Penguin Bloom' and 'Rams'.

Best Direction

* Awarded to JUSTIN KURZEL for 'Nitram', beating out Rob Connolly for 'The Dry', Roderick MacKay for 'The Furnace', Stephen Maxwell Johnson for 'High Ground' and Glendin Ivin for 'Penguin Bloom'.

Best Original Screenplay

* Awarded to SHAUN GRANT for 'Nitram', beating out Monica Zanetti for 'Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt)', Roderick MacKay for 'The Furnace', Chris Anastassiades for 'High Ground' and JJ Winlove for 'June Again'.

Best Adapted Screenplay

* Awarded to ROB CONNOLLY and HARRY CRIPPS for 'The Dry', beating out Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps for 'Penguin Bloom', Will Gluck and Patrick Burleigh for 'Peter Rabbit 2' and James Duncan for 'Rams'.

Best Lead Actor

* Awarded to CALEB LANDRY JONES for 'Nitram', beating out Simon Baker for 'High Ground', Eric Bana for 'The Dry', Ahmed Malek for 'The Furnace' and Jacob Junior Nayinggul for 'High Ground'.

Best Lead Actress

* Awarded to JUDY DAVIS for 'Nitram', beating out Rose Byrne for 'Peter Rabbit 2', Noni Hazlehurst for 'June Again', Genevieve O'Reilly for 'The Dry' and Naomi Watts for 'Penguin Bloom'.

Best Supporting Actor

* Awarded to ANTHONY LAPAGLIA for 'Nitram', beating out Michael Caton for 'Rams', Baykali Ganambarr for 'The Furnace', Sean Mununggurr for 'High Ground' and Jack Thompson for 'High Ground'.

Best Supporting Actress

* Awarded to ESSIE DAVIS for 'Nitram', beating out Claudia Karvan for 'June Again', Esmerelda Marimowa for 'High Ground', Miranda Tapsell for 'The Dry' and Jacki Weaver for 'Penguin Bloom'.

Best Cinematography

* Awarded to STEFAN DUSCIO for 'The Dry', beating out Andrew Commis for 'High Ground', Germain McMicking for 'Mortal Kombat', Germain McMicking for 'Nitram' and Sam Chiplin for 'Penguin Bloom'.

Best Editing

* Awarded to NICK FENTON for 'Nitram', beating out 'The Dry', 'Friends and Strangers', 'High Ground' and 'Peter Rabbit 2'. 

Best Original Music Score

* Awarded to CHRISTOPHER GORDON for 'June Again', beating out 'The Dry', 'Nitram', 'Penguin Bloom' and 'Rams'.

Best Sound

* Awarded to ROBERT MCKENZIE, STEVE BURGESS and PHIL HEYWOOD for 'Mortal Kombat', beating out 'Ascendent', 'The Dry', 'Nitram' and 'Peter Rabbit 2'.

Best Production Design

* Awarded to NAAMAN MARSHALL for 'Mortal Kombat', beating out '2067', 'Nitram', 'Penguin Bloom' and 'Peter Rabbit 2'.

Best Costume Design

* Awarded to ERIN ROCHE for 'High Ground', beating out 'The Dry', 'Mortal Kombat', 'Nitram' and 'Rams'.

Best Indie Film

* Awarded to 'ELLIE AND ABBIE (& ELLIE'S DEAD AUNT)', beating out 'Disclosure', 'Lone Wolf', 'Moon Rock For Monday', 'My First Summer' and 'Under My Skin'.

For the complete run down on the other category award winners and nominees from this years 11th AACTA Awards, you can go to the official website at : https://www.aacta.org/

Turning attention then back to this current weeks new release films, we kick off with the 27th film in the MCU that sees the webslingers true identity now revealed, so he asks the Master of the Mystic Arts for help in making the world forget, but, when a spell goes awry, dangerous enemies from other worlds start to appear. Next up we have an acclaimed drama about a woman's beach vacation on an idyllic Greek island that takes a dark turn when she begins to confront the troubles of her past. This is followed by two roommates' whose lives are upended after finding out that their new Manhattan apartment holds a dark secret. And we close out the week with a German and French offering about a woman working as a historian lecturing on Berlin's urban development, but, when the man she loves leaves her, an ancient myth catches up with her, that says she has to kill the man who betrays her and return to the water.

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 coming week.

'SPIDER-MAN : NO WAY HOME' (Rated M) - this eagerly anticipated American Superhero film is based on the Marvel comics character Spider-Man and is the follow up to 2017's 'Spider-Man : Homecoming' and 2019's 'Spider-Man : Far From Home' and is again Directed by Jon Watts. This film is the 27th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is the fourth film in Phase Four of the MCU following 'Black Widow', 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' and 'The Eternals' with 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' coming next in May 2022 followed by a string of others through 2023. This film saw its World Premier screening in Los Angeles on 13th of this month and is released worldwide this week.

After Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) identity as Spider-Man was exposed by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) at the end of 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' with J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) the Executive Reporter of the sensationalist news website TheDailyBugle.net who is provided a doctored video exposing Spider-Man's identity prompting him to broadcast it to the entire world. He frames Parker for the attack on London, claiming Mysterio as a hero, and Spider-Man as a murderer. Needless to say Parker's life and Spider-Man's reputation are turned upside down. Parker seeks out Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to help restore his secret identity with magic, but this breaks open the multiverse, allowing supervillains from alternate realities who previously fought alternate versions of Spider-Man to arrive. Also starring Zendaya as MJ, John Favreau as Happy Hogan, Marisa Tomei as May Parker, Benedict Wong as Wong, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds with Jamie Foxx, Alfred Molina, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church and Rhys Ifans all reprising their roles as the supervillains from previous 'Spider-Man' films. 

'THE LOST DAUGHTER' (Rated MA15+) - is a Greek and American Co-Production Directed and written for the screen by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her film making debut and based on the 2006 book of the same name by the Italian novelist Elene Ferrante. The film saw its World Premiere showing at the Venice International Film Festival in early September this year, where Gyllenhaal won the Golden Osella Award for Best Screenplay, in all so far collecting nine award wins and another ten nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. Here then, a woman, Leda Caruso (played by Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley as the younger Leda) while on a summer holiday, finds herself becoming obsessed with another woman and her daughter, prompting memories of her own early motherhood to come back and unravel her. Also starring Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, Ed Harris, Paul Mescal and Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and is released here in Australia and the US this week before streaming on Netflix on 31st December, having garnered universal critical acclaim. 

'THE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST' (Rated R18+) - this American horror thriller film is Directed, Co-Written and stars Dasha Nekrasova, the Belarusian/American Actress and first time feature film maker who won the Award for Best First Feature Film at this years Berlin International Film Festival in early March this year. While out apartment hunting, college pals Noelle (Madeline Quinn) and Addie (Betsey Brown) stumble upon the deal of a lifetime - a posh duplex on Manhattan's Upper East Side. But soon after moving in, a more sinister picture of the apartment emerges when a mysterious woman arrives and claims the property used to belong to the infamous and recently-deceased Jeffrey Epstein, compelling the pair to uncover, and relive, the shady secrets of their new home. The film is released in Australia this week, in the US next week and has generated mostly positive critical reviews. 

'UNDINE' (Rated M) - is a German and French Co-Produced romantic drama fantasy film Written and Directed by Christian Petzold whose more recent film making outings take in 'Barbara' in 2012, 'Phoenix' in 2014 and 'Transit' in 2018. This film saw its World Premier screening at the Berlin International Film Festival way back in February 2020, before its cinema release in Germany in early June 2020, having picked up eight award wins and a further sixteen nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit since. Undine Wibeau (Paula Beer) lives in Berlin and works as a historian specialising in the urban development of modern day Berlin. Lurking beneath her apparent everyday city life, lies an old legend that says if the man she loves betrays her, she must kill him and return to the water from whence she originated. When her lover later leaves her for another woman, Undine feels her destiny is preordained, until she meets Christoph (Franz Rogowski) and falls in love with him. In time love blossoms and the pair are happy together, but Christoph has a feeling that Undine is hiding from something. She must therefore either confront her curse or risk losing the relationship with Christoph. This film has garnered generally favourable reviews and has taken just US$1.1M at the Box Office so far. 

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 at your local Odeon in the week ahead.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-