THE NEST : Tuesday 9th February 2021.

'THE NEST' which I saw earlier this week is an MA15+ Rated psychological thriller offering Directed, Written and Co-Produced by the Canadian Sean Durkin, in only his second film making outing following the acclaimed 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' in 2011. This film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in January 2020, went on release in the US in mid-September, has garnered generally favourable Reviews, has so far grossed US$902K and has picked up four award wins and another twelve nominations from around the awards and festival circuit.

Here Englishman Rory O'Hara (Jude Law), an ambitious entrepreneur and commodities broker, persuades his American wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), and their children Benjamin (Charlie Shotwell) and Samantha (Oona Roche) to leave the comforts of suburban America and return to his native England during the 1980's. Rory believes that his time in the US is up, and new opportunities are becoming increasingly scarce and that London is the up and coming place to be in his particular line of business. As the film opens up we see Rory at the window of his home in the New York suburbs on the phone to his former boss and mentor in England, Arthur Davis. Rory has lived in America for the last ten or so years. 

Despite being fairly reluctant at first, Allison soon gives way and agrees to the move with some coercion from her mother (Wendy Crewson), who thinks it will be a good move for the family. And so Rory goes on ahead leaving Allison to pack up the family and follow on afterwards. In the meantime Rory has rented a huge old 17th Century mansion with extensive acreage in rural Surrey, and paid a years rent up front. Soon after arriving, Rory buys a horse for Allison (she used to train horse riding back in the US and had her own stables) named Richmond so that she can get back in the saddle and begin her horse riding lessons again. He also commissions the building of a stables on the property, which he has made it clear that he intends to buy after the initial one year period is up. 

Meanwhile, Rory takes Allison to lavish parties hosted by Arthur Davis (Michael Culkin), where he can show off his American trophy wife and schmooze with his colleagues. Several weeks pass by and Allison notices that the builders are no longer working on the construction of her stables. She calls the builder and asking why, only to be told that Rory's initial cheque payment bounced and he said he would post another and he never did, so the builders downed tools and refuse to do any more work. 

Allison looks into their bank account details to discover that there is only six hundred pounds therein. Confronting Rory over their money situation, he responds saying that he is expecting a big pay day to come in within the next couple of weeks and that this will see an end to their monetary woes. The pair get into an explosive argument over their financial situation and Rory's reckless behaviour masquerading as rich and successful when in fact he's the opposite. 

At the office, Rory announces to Arthur that he may wish to consider selling his company and enjoy the retirement he has worked toward his entire life. Rory behind the scenes has been in discussion with a larger American firm looking for a London office, and the deal could be very lucrative for them all. This is the big pay day that Rory eluded to previously to Allison, but after some consideration, Arthur backs out of the deal believing that the deal does not represent a good fit. Rory explodes at Arthur with this news, but is quickly put back in his box by the older statesman who tells him to go and do what he's good at - trading the stock market. Back at the house meanwhile, Richmond is being put through her paces by Allison when the horse collapses in pain. Allison is forced to go to a neighbouring farmer, who puts the horse down.

In order to provide for some basic income to support the family home and pay the basic bills, Allison starts working for the farmer who put the horse down. Sam makes some questionable friends from the local area and Ben gets into a fight at school with some bullies. Rory and one of his long standing colleagues Steve (Adeel Akhtar) organise a potentially very lucrative deal with a Norwegian fish-farming outfit and host their clients with their respective partners at an upmarket restaurant in the city. Over dinner Allison openly derides her husband in front of the other guests, and then storms out, goes to a nightclub and drinks and dances the night away, alone. Rory is embarrassed and tries to downplay Allison's outburst in front of the clients. Outside the restaurant when the clients have left Rory says that as he's missed the last train home he and Steve should hit the town. Steve refuses saying that the clients only want to deal with him and have cut Rory out. Rory catches a cab back to Surrey and confesses his many indiscretions to the cab driver, claiming his job is 'pretending to be rich'. With Rory's confessions making it clear that he is both broke and a liar, the driver surmises that he will be unable to pay for the long fare home and orders him out of the cab leaving him in the middle of nowhere, miles from his home. 

In the meantime, Sam has organised an impromptu party at the family home while Mum and Dad are in the city. The house is overrun with drugged up and drunken teenagers who over the course of the evening wreck the place. As the party increasingly gets more and more out of control, Ben was outside when he noticed the mound of earth under which Richmond had been hastily buried had risen up exposing the carcass of the dead horse, presumably from the build of gas and due to an improper burial in the first place. 

The next morning Allison wakes up behind the steering wheel of her parked car in some country lane. She drives home to find the place trashed and offensive graffiti sprayed on the walls inside the house. She calls out for Sam and Ben. Ben responds first having taken refuge in a secret room. He takes her to the grave of Richmond showing her the horse's risen body which is now almost totally exposed. She breaks down clawing at the soil as Sam joins them. Sam and Ben both turn away walking back to the house leaving Allison to grieve further for the dead animal. Sam and Ben agree to rustle up breakfast for them all. Rory walks in and finds his family seated at the table eating their breakfast. He starts proposing another relocation, and says that Arthur's firm is not for him and he has a plan to set up his own brokerage business and consultancy using his extensive network, but Allison simply tells him to 'stop'. Rory breaks down in tears, as Sam gets up and puts her arms around him. She then pulls up a chair for him at the table, sets a place, and he joins them for breakfast holding Allison's hand.

'The Nest' is a slow burn movie that has at its heart rage, resentment and despair that starts out all lovey dovey and shortly after relocating from the US to England the cracks in the relationship start to appear, and by the end there is a reconciliation of sorts and a thin sliver of hope for this dysfunctional family. Jude Law and Carrie Coon are on top form in their portrayal of husband and wife keeping the rapport and the emotional rollercoaster ride very real and believable as their seemingly idyllic marriage and lifestyle slowly begins to unravel before our very eyes. Law plays it like an English version of Gordon Gecko from 'Wall Street' - same era that coined the phrase 'greed is good' and whilst like Gecko, Rory O'Hara has seemingly all the trappings of his success, unlike Gecko Rory's riches are made up, the tank is empty and he can never be entirely happy or satisfied with his lot. As for Director and Writer Sean Durkin, he has crafted a film that pays attention to the detail in building the tension, developing the story behind each of the characters, and unfolding the marital implosion in small yet nuanced ways. That said, I was left a little frustrated and depressed by this film's bleakness and the unanswered questions that were left hanging once the end credits rolled, but despite this the film is worth a look for Law's and Coon's convincing, possibly never been better performances. 

'The Nest' warrants 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 4th February 2021.

The National Board of Review announced its 2020 award winners in New York on 26th January. Since 1909 the National Board of Review has dedicated its focus on the support of cinema as both a form of art and entertainment. Each year, a select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals, educators and students of a variety of ages and backgrounds will watch over 250 films and participate in uplifting conversations with Directors, Actors, Producers and Writers before announcing their nominations for the best work of the year. Since first recognising year end movie making achievements in 1929 the National Board of Review has heralded a vast array of outstanding studio, independent, documentary, foreign language and animated films. The 2020 awards continue the National Board of Review's long established tradition going back 112 years to recognise excellence in the film making craft. This year a total 281 films were viewed by that select group, with the voting ballots being tabulated by an independent certified public accounting firm. The organisation also works to foster commentary on all aspects of film production by underwriting educational film programs and seminars for film students.

The full list of 2020 National Board of Review winners is as shown below :-

* Best Film - awarded to 'DA 5 BLOODS',
* Best Director - awarded to Spike Lee for 'DA 5 BLOODS',
* Best Actor - awarded to Riz Ahmed for 'SOUND OF METAL',
* Best Actress - awarded to Carey Mulligan for 'PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN',
* Best Supporting Actor - awarded to Paul Raci for 'SOUND OF METAL',
* Best Supporting Actress - awarded to Youn Yuh-jung for 'MINARI',

* Best Adapted Screenplay - awarded to Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies for 'NEWS OF THE WORLD',
* Best Original Screenplay - awarded to Lee Isaac Chung for 'MINARI',
* Breakthrough Performance - awarded to Sidney Flanigan for 'NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS',
* Best Directorial Debut - awarded to Channing Godfrey Peoples for 'MISS JUNETEENTH',
* Best Animated Feature - awarded to 'SOUL',
* Best Foreign Language Film - awarded to 'LA LLORONA',

* Best Documentary - awarded to 'TIME',
* NBR Icon Award - presented to Chadwick Boseman (posthumously),
* NBR Freedom of Expression Award - presented to 'ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI',
* NBR Spotlight Award - presented to Radha Blank for Writing, Directing, Producing and starring in 'THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION'
* Best Ensemble - awarded to 'DA 5 BLOODS',
* Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography - awarded to Joshua James Richards for 'NOMADLAND'.

Top Ten Films (in alphabetical order) :-
* 'First Cow', 'The Forty-Year-Old Version', 'Judas and the Black Messiah', 'The Midnight Sky', 'Minari', 'News of the World', 'Nomadland', 'Promising Young Woman', 'Soul' and 'Sound of Metal'.

Top Five Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order) :-
* 'Apples', 'Collective', 'Dear Comrades', 'The Mole Agent' and 'Night of the Kings'.

Top Five Documentary Films (in alphabetical order) :- 
* 'All In : The Fight for Democracy', 'Boys State', 'Dick Johnson is Dead', 'Miss Americana' and 'The Truffle Hunters'.

Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order) :- 
* 'The Climb', 'Driveways', 'Farewell Amor', 'Miss Juneteenth', 'The Nest', 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always', 'The Outpost', 'Relic', 'Saint Frances' and 'Wolfwalkers'.

For the complete Review of this years NBR Awards and a whole lot more, you can visit the official website at : https://nationalboardofreview.org/

This week then we have four latest release new movies coming to your local Odeon. And we kick off with a psychological drama about an entrepreneur and his family who relocate from America to a rural English country manor in the 1980's only to see their tight knit family unit unravel as secrets emerge. Next up we have an American drama film that sees conflicts arise in an Irish family when the patriarch threatens to hand over their farm to an American nephew instead of his own son. We then turn to a Danish film about three women of near retirement age who all find themselves single for various reasons and decide to escape to Italy for a week long cooking course and rediscover themselves in the process; and closing out the weeks new releases we have a Japanese animated feature about an English orphaned girl who grew up not knowing that she is the daughter of a witch. 

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.

'THE NEST' (Rated MA15+) - this psychological thriller offering is Directed, Written and Co-Produced by the Canadian Sean Durkin, in only his second film making outing following the acclaimed 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' in 2011. This film saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in January 2020, went on release in the US in mid-September, has garnered generally favourable Reviews, has so far grossed US$902K and has picked up four award wins and another twelve nominations from around the awards and festival circuit.

Here Rory O'Hara (Jude Law), an ambitious entrepreneur and former commodities broker, persuades his American wife, Allison (Carrie Coon), and their children Benjamin (Charlie Shotwell) and Samantha (Oona Roche) to leave the comforts of suburban America and return to his native England during the 1980's. Sensing opportunity, Rory rejoins his former firm and leases a centuries-old country manor in rural Surrey, with grounds for Allison’s horses and plans to build a stable. But soon the promise of a lucrative new beginning starts to unravel as the family buckles beneath an unaffordable lifestyle and increasing isolation. As they head towards an inevitable implosion, the couple have to face the unwelcome truths lying beneath the surface of their marriage.

'WILD MOUNTAIN THYME' (Rated PG) - is an American drama film Written and Directed by John Patrick Stanley and based on his own play 'Outside Mullingar' which ran on Broadway in 2014. This is Stanley's third feature film as Director after 'Joe Versus the Volcano' in 1990 and 'Doubt' in 2008 although he has been busy with screenwriting duties on the likes of 'Moonstruck' in 1987, 'The January Man' in 1989, 'Alive' in 1993 and 'Congo' in 1995 as well as scriptwriting and Directing a number of off-Broadway theatre productions. And so set in Ireland, the headstrong farmer Rosemary Muldoon (Emily Blunt) has her heart set on winning her neighbour Anthony Reilly’s love. The problem is Anthony (Jamie Dornan) seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung by his father Tony Reilly (Christopher Walken) plans to sell the family farm to his American nephew Adam Kelly (Jon Hamm), Anthony is jolted into pursuing his dreams. Also starring Dearbhla Molloy and Danielle Ryan, the film saw its US release in mid-December, has so far grossed US$214K off the back of a US$5.5M production budget and has generated mostly mixed or average Reviews. 

'THE FOOD CLUB' (Rated M) - this Danish comedy drama offering is Directed by Barbara Topsoe-Rothenborg and tells the story of three life long girlfriends from elementary school, all very different women, but with one thing in common. Now as they find themselves in the autumn of their lives they all feel how ruthless old age can be. Marie (Kirsten Olesen) has been abandoned by her husband Henrik (Ptere Hesse Overgaard) on Christmas Eve, and her entire identity as part of a happy family falls away. Berling (Stina Ekblad) is the eternal 'bachelorette' who outwardly denies her age and lives the sweet life, but in the backdrop she is affected by a complicated relationship with her daughter. Vanja (Kirsten Lehfeldt), on the other hand, lives in the memories of her late husband and has difficulty moving on. The three women travel to Italy together to attend a food course in Puglia, and here they each have the chance to reinvent themselves. But only when they are able to face reality, will they be able to change. The film was released in its native Denmark at the back end of October last year. 

'EARWIG AND THE WITCH' (Rated PG) - this Japanese  computer-animated film is Directed by Goro Miyazaki, and is based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. It is the first full 3D CG animated film by the hugely successful Studio Ghibli. In 1990's England, Earwig (voiced in the English version by Taylor Paige Henderson), a ten-year-old orphan girl who grew up without knowing that she is a witch's daughter. Earwig is in turn taken from the orphanage by a strange duo who bring her to her new spooky home filled with mystery and magic. Also featuring the voices of Vanessa Marshall, Richard E. Grant, Dan Stevens and Kacey Musgraves. The film was released in Japan on 30th December 2020 following its Premier screening at the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon Metropolis in mid-October, and sees its USA, Canadian and New Zealand release this week too.

With four new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-