What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 20th November 2025

Established in 1987 and marking its 38th year this year the Foyle Film Festival is Northern Ireland's longest running film festival. Taking place from Wednesday 19th through until Sunday 30th November in venues across Derry~Londonderry, the festival aims to bring the best of international cinema and industry players to the city. Over twelve days in November, Foyle Film Festival brings together all the expertise in film, music, creative learning and culture, in a unique celebration of local, national and international cinematic excellence. The festival also delivers screenings, events and workshops throughout the year, as well as Educational and Community Outreach Screenings. The prestigious Light In Motion (LIM) competition is open to filmmakers and animators across the world, with winners qualifying for consideration in the Live Action and Animated Short Film categories of the Academy Awards and BAFTA . . . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night Gala film presentation is 'Trad' from Ireland and Written and Directed by Lance Daly. The film follows gifted fiddle player Shona McAnally (Megan Nic Fhionnghaile) and her young brother (Dallan Woods) as they leave their home in the Donegal Gaeltacht and take to the road with a troupe of wandering musicians on a cross-country journey of adventure, romance, and musical exploration. The Closing Night Gala film screening is 'Rental Family' from Japan and the USA and is Written and Directed by Hikari. Set in modern-day Tokyo, the film follows an American Actor (Brendan Fraser) who struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig - working for a Japanese 'rental family' agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. As he immerses himself in his clients’ worlds, he begins to form genuine bonds that blur the lines between performance and reality. Confronting the moral complexities of his work, he rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the quiet beauty of human connection.

In the World Cinema section of this years festival are the following seven titles :-

* 'The Voice of Hind Rajab' - from Tunisia, France and the USA and is Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania. On 29th January 2024, Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A six-year old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Using actual call recordings and scripted re-enactments based on first-hand testimony, Oscar nominated Director Kaouther Ben Hania blends documentary and fiction to devastating effect.

* 'Alpha' - from France and Belgium and Directed by Julia Ducournau. Alpha (Melissa Boros), a troubled thirteen-year-old lives with her single mother (Golshifteh Farahani). Their world collapses the day she returns from school with a tattoo on her arm. Blending coming-of-age story, melodrama and Ducournau’s trademark body horror, Alpha features a trio of mesmerising central performances including Tahar Rahim as Alpha’s uncle Amin and with supporting cast including Emma Mackey and Finnegan Oldfield.

* 'Romeria' - from Spain and Germany and Directed by Carla Simon. Marina, eighteen and orphaned at a young age, must travel to Spain’s Atlantic coast to obtain a signature for a scholarship application from the paternal grandparents she has never met. She navigates a sea of new aunts, uncles, and cousins, uncertain whether she will be embraced or met with resistance. Stirring long-buried emotions, reviving tenderness, and uncovering unspoken wounds tied to the past, Marina pieces together the fragmented and often contradictory memories of the parents she barely remembers.

* 'The Love that Remains' - from Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and France, and Directed by Hlynur Palmason. Though in the throes of splitting up, Anna and Magnus still spend time together for the sake of their three children, Ida and twins Porgils and Grimur. While there are clear indications of why the separation is happening, there's also the familiarity of a long-held love and a glimmer of a chance of reconciliation.

* 'Nouvelle Vague' - from France and the USA and Directed by Richard Linklater. After several years writing for Cahiers du cinema, a young Jean-Luc Godard decides making films is the best film criticism. He gets producer Georges de Beauregard to fund a low-budget feature, creating a treatment with fellow new-wave icon Francois Truffaut about a gangster couple. This is the story of Jean-Luc Godard making the 1960 influential film 'Breathless' told in the style and spirit in which Godard made that film.

* 'A Private Life' - from France and Directed by Rebecca Zlotowski. When renowned Paris-based psychiatrist Lilian Steiner (Jodie Foster) learns of the death of one of her patients, she is deeply troubled. Convinced that it was murder, she decides to investigate with help from her ex-husband Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil), tumbling further down the rabbit hole in the process, as the mystery unravels with unexpected results.

* 'It Was Just an Accident' - from Iran, France and Luxembourg, and Directed by Jafar Panahi. What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences. Vahid, an Azerbaijani auto mechanic, was once imprisoned by Iranian authorities. During his sentence, he was interrogated while blindfolded. One day, a man named Eghbal enters his workshop. His prosthetic leg creaks, and Vahid thinks he recognises one of his former torturers.

For the other film strands being showcased including the Light In Motion Competition, and the Documentary and Irish Films sections, plus a whole bunch of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://www.foylefilmfestival.org

This week there are four new movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, kicking off with a coming of age comedy drama film about a famous movie Actor who embarks on a journey of self discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager. This is followed by a wartime action film about a man who returns to dismantle his family's house, where they were murdered in war, to rebuild it elsewhere, but when the killer, a Red Army commander, tracks him down, a brutal cross-country pursuit begins. Next up is a musical fantasy sequel that follows Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North; before closing out the week with a documentary film that offers an intimate, first-hand perspective of life in war torn present day Gaza, told through a series of video calls between the filmmaker and a young Palestinian photojournalist.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four 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.

'JAY KELLY' (Rated M) - this coming of age comedy drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Noah Baumbach whose prior feature film making credits take in his debut with 'Kicking and Screaming' in 1995, and which he would follow up with the likes of 'The Squid and the Whale' in 2005, 'Greenberg' in 2010, 'Francis Ha' in 2012, 'While We're Young' in 2014, 'The Meyerowitz Stories' in 2017, 'Marriage Story' in 2019 and 'White Noise' in 2022. This film had its World Premiere in the main competition of this years Venice International Film Festival in late August where it was nominated for the Golden Lion. It is released in select theatres from mid-November, followed by its global release on Netflix on 5th December. The film has generated largely favourable critical reviews.

Here, we follow famous movie Actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they've made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they'll leave behind. Also starring Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Jim Broadbent, Stacy Keach, Patrick Wilson, Greta Gerwig, Emily Mortimer, Isla Fisher, Lenny Henry and Alba Rohrwacher.

'SISU : ROAD TO REVENGE' (Rated MA15+) - is a Finland and US Co-Produced war action film that is the sequel to 2022's 'Sisu' and like the first film is once again Written and Directed by Jalmari Helander. Here, after returning in 1946 to Soviet-occupied Karelia, where his family was brutally murdered toward the end of World War II, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) aka 'the man who refuses to die', dismantles his old family house, loads it on a truck, and is determined to rebuild it somewhere safe in their honour. When the Red Army discovers Korpi's arrival on their soil, Igor Draganov (Stephen Lang), the man who killed his family, comes back hellbent on finishing the job, by killing the legendary ex-soldier by any means necessary. Also starring Richard Brake as the KGB Officer who sends Draganov to capture Korpi. The film cost US$12M to produce, has so far grossed US$2M, saw its World Premiere screening at Fantastic Fest in late September, was released in its native Finland in late October, is released in the US and here in Australia this week and has garnered universal critical acclaim. 

'WICKED : FOR GOOD' (Rated PG) - this American musical fantasy film is is a direct sequel to 2024's 'Wicked' which grossed US$756M off the back of a production budget of US$150M and, like this film, was also Directed by Jon M. Chu. This film adapts the second act of the 2003 stage musical, which was loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, a reimagining of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' and its 1939 film adaptation. Here then, years after the events of 'Wicked', Elphaba Thropp, now known as the Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo), continues her fight for animal rights while living as a fugitive. Meanwhile, Glinda Upland, now recognised as the Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande), is a public figure watched over by the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). As they face the consequences of their actions, their relationship is put to the test by a series of events, which includes the surprising arrival of Dorothy Gale from Kansas, that will change the Land of Oz forever. Also starring Jonathan Bailey, Peter Dinklage, Colman Domingo and Marissa Bode. The film saw its World Premiere in Sao Paolo, Brazil on 4th November, is released in the US and here in Australia this week and cost US$150M to produce.

'PUT YOU SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK' (Rated M) - is a French, Palestine and Iran Co-Produced documentary film that is Co-Produced, photographed, Directed, stars and Edited by Sepideh Farsi. The film depicts life in Gaza during the ongoing Israeli military campaign, captured through Farsi's year long video calls with a young female Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna living there, who was interviewed by Farsi for the film, and was killed in an Israeli airstrike alongside nine members of her family on 16th April 2025, the day after the film was selected for the ACID parallel section of this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May where the film had its World Premiere showcasing. 

With four 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-

BUGONIA : Tuesday 11th November 2025.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'BUGONIA' earlier this week, and this absurdist black comedy film is Co-Produced and Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos who made his feature film Directorial debut with 'My Best Friend' in 2001 and would make his English language debut with 'The Lobster' in 2015 which he would follow up with 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' in 2017, 'The Favourite' in 2018, 'Poor Things' in 2023 and 'Kinds of Kindness' in 2024. This film is an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film 'Save the Green Planet!' Written and Directed by Jang Joon-hwan. It had its World Premiere in the main competition of this years Venice International Film Festival at the end of August and was released here Australia and in the US at the end of October, has so far grossed US$25M on a production budget of about US$50M, and has garnered generally positive critical reviews.

Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) is the high profile and subtly demanding CEO of the big pharma corporation Auxolith, whose face has appeared on the cover of Time magazine, and is a darling of the media. She is seemingly unmarried and has no children. One day after arriving home from work she is abducted by conspiracy theorist Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons) and his intellectually disabled cousin Don (Aidan Delbis). Teddy and Don live in the house together that Teddy grew up in. Teddy is of the very firm belief that Michelle is a member of a malicious alien species known as the 'Andromedans' who are killing Earth's honeybees, destroying communities, and forcing humans into a numb compliance. 

Teddy and Don chain Michelle to a bunk bed in their basement, having shaved her head, and cover her head, arms and legs in a thick layer of antihistamine cream to prevent her from sending out a distress signal to other Andromedans. Teddy explains that she has four days to negotiate a meeting with the Andromedan emperor before an upcoming lunar eclipse, so permitting the Andromedan mothership to enter Earth's atmosphere undetected. 

In a flashback showing a younger Teddy caring for his mother Sandy (Alicia Silverstone), who took part in a clinical trial for an Auxolith drug that rendered her comatose. While torturing Michelle with electric shock treatment, Teddy comes to the conclusion that her high pain threshold is evidence she is actually a high-ranking member of the Andromedan royal family, and as such his stance towards her becomes more civil and less confrontational, and so he invites her upstairs for dinner, chaining her legs to a chair which is in turn chained to the floor. However, the conversation turns tense resulting in a physical fight between the two with Teddy getting stabbed in the arm with a fork and Michelle being knocked out cold by the butt of a gun held by Don. They are then interrupted by the appearance of Casey Boyd (Stavros Halkias), the local Police Sheriff and Teddy's childhood babysitter, who is searching the local area for Michelle. Meanwhile, Don returns the unconscious Michelle to the basement and chains her up again, and holds her at gunpoint while Teddy distracts Casey by showing him his apiary in their backyard. 

When Michelle comes round, she offers to help Don if he reports Teddy to the Police. Don replies that he only wants to go to outer space with Michelle, and after she promises to take him, he turns the gun on himself and shoots himself in the head. Casey, who is awkwardly apologetic for his implied sexual harassment of Teddy, hears the gunshot. Caught by surprise, Teddy kicks over one of the beehives and removes Casey's protective sleeves and head gear and is promptly covered by a swarm of bees, and then to make doubly sure, he bludgeons Casey to death with a shovel, and returns to the basement to be greeted by a very dead Don and a blood soaked Michelle. She convincingly tells a frantic Teddy that a bottle of antifreeze in her car is secretly an Andromedan antidote that will cure his mother. Teddy rushes to her car, retrieves the antifreeze and then cycles at break neck speed to the hospital and injects the antifreeze into Sandy's IV bag, killing her within a few minutes. Meanwhile, Michelle unchains herself and in her bid to escape, discovers a room where Teddy had previously abducted and killed several other people he suspected of being Andromedans.

Teddy frantically returns to the house on his push bike, where Michelle reduces him to tears by recounting an alternative version of his alien conspiracy - out of guilt over accidentally causing the mass extinction of the dinosaurs, the Andromedans created humanity and have spent thousands of years benevolently trying to guide humans away from their seemingly ingrained flawed, unhappy and destructive nature. She claims that her mothership has the information needed to save humanity, and agrees to arrange the meeting between Teddy and the Andromedan Emperor at the Auxolith HQ.

They arrive at the office on the night of the lunar eclipse with Michelle wearing a long brunette wig to conceal her shaven head, and Teddy carrying a shot gun which he hides down his trouser leg. Michelle's co-workers are very surprised to see her given that she has been missing for four days, there is a Police search and rescue team out looking for her and media coverage of her disappearance has been extensive. Once inside her office which she curtains off from view by her team, Teddy reveals himself to be wearing a suicide vest, which he activates. She pulls out a device which resembles a large desk calculator and says she needs to enter a 58 digit code to send a signal to the mothership to initiate the teleport process. Michelle instructs Teddy to enter her closet, which she claims is the location of the teleporter to her ship. As Teddy enters the closet, she counts down 3-2-1 and the suicide vest detonates, killing Teddy, with his dismembered head flying out of the closet across the room and knocking Michelle unconscious. She wakes up in an ambulance, but jumps out and runs back to her office, where she enters the closet and teleports to the Andromedan mothership.

Michelle, is now revealed as the genuine Andromedan Empress, who consults with her fellow Andromedans and together conclude that despite their best efforts the human experiment has failed. Using a pointed blade, she pops a clear dome over a model of a flat Earth, instantly killing every human on the planet, but animal life it appears still thrives. Michelle gazes out at Earth, now totally devoid of any and all human life, as bees gradually return to Teddy's apiary.

'Bugonia' is at once quirky, at times laugh out loud humorous, has something to say about the have's and the have not's of this world, is conspiracy theory fuelled, has moments of extreme violence and offers up twists and turns aplenty to maintain your interest and keep you glued to your seat until the very end. Both Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone are on top form in their roles as Teddy and Michelle respectively, and all credit to Aidan Delbis for his portrayal of Don as the beating heart and soul of the film. Yorgos Lanthimos has here crafted a film that although is a remake of a 2003 South Korean film, is nonetheless quite possibly his most mainstream effort to date and will leave you questioning what is real and what is imagined. This film won't be for everyone, but for those of us who relish in the blackly absurdist comedy genre then this would be up there as one of the must see films of the year.

'Bugonia' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 13th November 2025

The 29th annual Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (BNFF), or POFF (Pimedate Oode FilmiFestival) kicked off on Friday 7th November and runs through until Sunday 23rd November, in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. POFF is one of the largest film festivals in Northern Europe, and in 2014, it was upgraded to an A-list festival by FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations), ranking amongst other notable film festivals including Berlin, Cannes, Shanghai, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Venice, San Sebastian, Warsaw, Tokyo and Cairo. The aim of the festival is to present a comprehensive selection of world cinema from the last two years to a local and international audience, offering fresh film production with high artistic value. Today, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival with Industry @ Tallinn & Baltic Event and with the two sub-festivals, Just Film and POFF Shorts, has grown into one of the biggest film festivals in Northern Europe and the busiest regional industry platforms. The festival is an important meeting point for a rapidly growing number of industry professionals from around the globe . . . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night Film was 'They Will Be Dust' from Spain, Switzerland and Italy this drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet. When Claudia, a vibrant septuagenarian, is diagnosed with an incurable illness, she decides to end her days in a Swiss clinic. Flavio, her inseparable husband of over forty years, feels unable to face life without her. This sets in motion their plan to end their lives together in Switzerland. Meanwhile, their daughter Violeta becomes an involuntary mediator between them while trying to clarify her own thoughts. The three embark on a fascinating and profound journey of love and self-discovery.

In the Official Selection Competition section are the following titles :-

* 'Veins' - from Canada and this thriller is Co-Written and Directed by Raymond St.Jean. 

* 'Hungarian Wedding' - from Hungary this musical is Co-Produced and Directed by Csaba Kael.

* '18 Holes to Paradise' - from Portugal, Italy and Argentina, this drama film is Directed by Joao Nuno Pinto.

* 'The Dashed Lines' - from Spain, this drama film is Written and Directed by Anxos Fazans.

* 'The Good Daughter' - from Spain, and this coming of age drama film is Co-Written and Directed by Julia de Paz Solvas.

* 'Think of England' - from the UK, this historical drama comedy film is Co-Written and Directed by Richard Hawkins. 

* 'The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat' - from Japan, this drama film is Directed by Yukihiro Morigaki. 

* 'LifeLike' - from Turkey, Greece and Romania, this drama film is Written and Directed by Ali Vatansever.

* 'The Stories' - from Austria, France, Belgium, Egypt and Sweden, this drama film is Written and Directed by Abu Bakr Shawky.

* 'Versalles' - from Mexico, and this drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Andres Clariond.

* 'Duality' - from Iran, and this experimental film is Written, Produced and Directed by Abbas Nezamdoost.

* 'Mira' - from Morocco, and this drama film is Written, Produced and Directed by Nour-Eddine Lakhmari.

* 'No Comment' - from Norway, and this comedy film is Directed by Petter Naess.

* 'The Muralist' - from Mongolia, and this drama film is Written and Directed by Sengedorj Janchivdorj.

* 'The Fog and the Water' - from Germany, and this road movie is Co-Written and Directed by Thomas Stuber.

* 'The Moon is a Father of Mine' - from Luxembourg, Turkey, Georgia, Germany, Czechia and Bulgaria, this dramatic adventure thriller film is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by George Ovashvili.

* 'Sisa' - from the Philippines, this drama is Written and Directed by Jun Robles Lana. 

For the full descriptors of the aforementioned films in Official Competition, plus the full details of all the other film strands being showcased, and a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://poff.ee.en

Turning the attention then back on this weeks eight new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a remake of a 1987 film that is a dystopian actioner in which a man joins a hugely popular TV game show in which contestants, allowed to go anywhere in the world, are pursued by 'hunters' hired to kill them. Next we have the third instalment in this heist franchise that sees a diamond heist reuniting the retired Horsemen illusionists with three new young performers as they target dangerous criminals. Then we turn to a horror offering where a wife becomes isolated in a secluded cabin and has to fend off an unspeakable evil. Following on, with her life crashing down around her, a woman tries to navigate her daughter's mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist. Turning to a European historical drama offering set in 1937 in the USSR where a newly appointed prosecutor discovers an undestroyed letter from a prisoner that reveals corruption in the secret police, that results in his search for the truth becoming very dangerous. And finishing off the week we have three Aussie offerings - the first of which is a comedy thriller where  desperation meets opportunity, as two perpetually broke buddies fall headfirst into a black market teeming with macabre riches. And we wrap up the week with two Aussie doco's, the first of which chronicles the transformative journey, through the healing powers of song, of a small group of women from the Adelaide Women's Prison; and concluding with an Aboriginal elder's final year, preserving his culture, while his homeland is poisoned by asbestos, and his fight against cancer.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the eight 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.

'THE RUNNING MAN' (Rated MA15+) - is an American dystopian action thriller film that is Co-Written for the screen, Co-Produced and Directed by Edgar Wright, and is based on the 1982 novel written by Stephen King under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. It is also the second big screen adaptation following the 1987 film of the same name that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Directed by Paul Michael Glaser. Edgar Wright's pervious feature film output takes in his feature debut with 1995's 'A Fistful of Fingers' and then 'Shaun of the Dead' in 2004, 'Hot Fuzz' in 2007, 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' in 2010, 'The World's End' in 2013, 'Baby Driver' in 2017, and 'Last Night in Soho' in 2021. The film is released here in Australia, the UK and the US this week.

In a near future society The Running Man is the top-rated show on television - a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive for thirty days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favourite, and a threat to the entire system. Also starring Colman Domingo, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, William H. Macy, Jayme Lawson and Emilia Jones.

'NOW YOU SEE ME : NOW YOU DON'T' (Rated M) - this American heist film is Directed by Ruben Fleischer, and is the sequel to 2016's 'Now You See Me 2' which was Directed by Jon M. Chu and is the third instalment in the 'Now You See Me' film franchise. Those fist two films in the series grossed worldwide US$687M off the back of combined production budgets of US$165M. Ruben Fleischer's prior feature film output takes in his 2009 debut with 'Zombieland' which he would follow up with the likes of 'Gangster Squad' in 2013, 'Venom' in 2018, 'Zombieland : Double Tap' in 2019, 'Venom : Let There Be Carnage' in 2021 and 'Uncharted' in 2022. Here, The Four Horsemen - J. Daniel 'Danny' Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) reunite to recruit three skilled illusionists - Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco Leroy (Dominic Sessa) and June (Ariana Greenblatt) for a high-stakes heist involving the theft of the world's largest queen diamond from a powerful family crime syndicate headed up by Veronika Vandenberg (Rosamund Pike). Morgan Freeman also stars reprising his role as Thaddeus Bradley. The film is also released in the US this week, and it has been reported that a fourth film is already in development, and is set to be Directed by a returning Ruben Fleischer. 

'KEEPER' (Rated MA15+) - is an American surrealist horror film Directed by Osgood Perkins who made his Directorial debut with 'The Blackcoat's Daughter' in 2015, and would follow this up with 'I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House' in 2016, 'Gretel & Hansel' in 2020, 'Longlegs' in 2024 and 'The Monkey' released earlier this year. Here, Liz (Tatiana Maslany) and Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland) head to a secluded cabin for their anniversary weekend. Liz, alone after Malcolm suddenly returns to the city, is approached by an evil entity that unveils the cabin's secrets. This film is released Stateside this week too.

'IF I HAD LEGS I'D KICK YOU' (Rated M) - this American psychological drama film is Written, stars and is Directed by Mary Bronstein in only her second feature film offering following 2008's 'Yeast'. The film saw its World Premiere screening at this years Sundance Film Festival in late January, and was released in the US in early October having so far grossed US$1M. With her life crashing down around her, Linda (Rose Byrne) tries to navigate her daughter's (Delaney Quinn) mysterious illness, her absent husband Charles (Christian Slater), a missing person Caroline (Danielle Macdonald), and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist (Conan O'Brien). Also starring A$AP Rocky. At this years Berlin International Film Festival, Byrne won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance., and the film has garnered generally favourable critical reviews. 

'TWO PROSECUTORS' (Rated PG) - this European historical drama film is Written and Directed by Sergei Loznitsa, and is based on the novella of the same name by Georgy Demidov. In 1937, Kornyev (Aleksandr Kuznetsov), a young and naive prosecutor, receives a letter written in blood from a prisoner Stepniak/Pegleg (Aleksandr Filippenko) alleging that the state secret police have abused their power and tortured him. Determined to meet the sender and learn about what’s occurring behind the walls of the gulag, Kornyev journeys into the heart of Russian secrecy to bring the case to Moscow. But inside a system designed to intimidate and deter, this proves to be an almost impossible challenge with staggering repercussions. The film had its World Premiere in the main competition at this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May where it won the Francois Chalais Prize. It has generated universal critical acclaim.

'SNATCHERS' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian comedy thriller film Written by, Co-Produced, starring, Co-Directed and Edited by Craig Alexander and Co-Produced and Co-Directed also by Shelly Higgs in their joint feature film making debuts. A pair of lifelong friends and hospital orderlies Wolfe 'Mac' MacFarlane (Craig Alexander) and Jason Fettes (Justin Hosking) try to make a quick buck by selling the organs of a fresh corpse, but get thrown a curve ball when she, Jane Doe (Hannah McKenzie) wakes up on the operating table in the not too distant dystopian future. The film premiered in London at the Raindance Film Festival in mid-June this year.

'SONGS INSIDE' (Rated M) - this Australian observational documentary film is Directed by Shalom Almond and follows the story of Singer / Songwriter Nancy Bates and her ground-breaking music programme to teach women in prison how to play an instrument and write songs about their experiences of incarceration, in the lead up to a performance with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra inside the prison, with two hundred other inmates, staff and special guests. The documentary aims to showcase how music can be a powerful tool for healing and transformation. The film had its World Premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival in late October last year where it was awarded the AFF Audience Award for Best Documentary and Sydney Film Festival's Documentary Australia Award.

'YURLU | COUNTRY' (Rated PG) - is an Australian documentary film Directed by Yaara Bou Melhem. Back in 1934, Australian industrialist Lang Hancock staked a claim for Blue Asbestos at Wittenoom Gorge near his childhood home of Mulga Downs Station in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The traditional owners of the land were not consulted and did not give approval, and today, 46,840 hectares of Banjima Country, including Hancock’s childhood home, is a toxic exclusion zone. Asbestos now paints the red rocky landscape black, and the people of the area, including proud Banjima elder Maitland Parker, are locked out of their lands. For Maitland, though, the damage to the land takes an even more personal toll as he fights to to heal his mining impacted homeland and preserve his culture for future generations. 

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 6th November 2025

This years 70th Cork International Film Festival plays out in the Irish city of Cork from Thursday 6th November through until Sunday 16th November. This 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 by our experienced curatorial team, to be premiered in cinemas in Cork and screened online via the Festival Digital Platform, available to viewers nationwide. Established in 1956, CIFF is the oldest film festival in Ireland, and it plays a vital and catalytic role in presenting, supporting and celebrating film. Film is an art form that can take many shapes, but, regardless of these variations, the direct way it connects with us is universally recognised, in all parts of the world. At its best, thanks to this extraordinary power of expression, it can cross social, cultural and national boundaries and bring people together in celebration. It can open our eyes to other mindsets and cultures, making things palpable that would be otherwise out of our reach. We can explore beyond our comfort zone, willingly. A film can fill our hearts with the strongest emotions. Its lights shine from various angles, clarifying what we respond to and why, who we are, and how we relate to others and the world at large . . . . . so reads the official website.

This years Opening Night Gala presentation is 'Saipan' from Ireland and Directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D'Sa. 2002, shortly before the FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The Irish national football team arrives on the Pacific island of Saipan where they are to bond and train before moving to Japan. But the management’s relaxed approach does not match team captain Roy Keane’s expectations. The Manchester United star player is here to win it. Irish Premiere. The Closing Night Gala feature film is 'Is This Thing On?' from the USA and is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and stars Bradley Cooper. As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and seeks new purpose in the New York stand-up comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family - forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form. Loosely inspired by the true story of comedian John Bishop’s personal journey into comedy.

Bringing to you the best of new European cinema, these filmmakers wowed us with their first or second feature film and will compete for the Spirit of the Festival Best Film and Best Screenplay Awards. Those eight selected films are as detailed briefly below :-

* 'A Year of School' - from Italy and France and is Co-Written and Directed by Laura Samani. Set in 2007 in Trieste, Italy, the film follows a seventeen year old Swedish girl 'Fred' (Stella Wendick) who enrols in an Italian high school and befriends three of her all male classmates.

* 'Bearcave' - from Greece and Written and Directed by Krysianna Papadakis and Stergios Dinopoulos. A mystical cave, a nettle pie and an unexpected betrayal spur a romantic adventure between two childhood friends.

* 'Reedland' - from the Netherlands and Belgium and Written and Directed by Sven Bresser. Johan (Gerrit Knobbe) is a reed cutter who, after finding the lifeless body of a little girl on his land, is overcome with a vague sense of guilt. As he cares for his granddaughter, he becomes increasingly obsessed with finding answers and unraveling the evil lurking in his close-knit rural community.

* 'Six Weeks On' - from Germany and Co-Produced and Directed by Jacqueline Jansen. After the death of her mother, Lore must deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in her small former home town in Western Germany, whilst navigating bureaucracy, red tape and traditional family beliefs, all the while finding a path to her own grief and paying her final respects.

* 'Solomamma' - from Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, Finland and Co-Written and Directed by Janicke Askevold. Edith (Lisa Loven Kongsli), a journalist in her 40's, chose to become a single mother through an anonymous sperm donor. She is now the happy mother of a five-year-old son. But the emotional weight of parenting alone begins to wear on her, and doubts creep in. When she unexpectedly discovers the donor’s identity—a nearby successful game developer named Niels, curiosity leads her to meet him on the pretext of an interview.

* 'Strange River' - from Spain and Directed by Jaume Claret Muxart. Sixteen-year-old Didac and his family are spending the summer holidays on a cycling trip along the Danube. An unexpected encounter with another boy changes the course of the journey. His enigmatic presence awakens new feelings in Didac and disrupts his relationship with his family.

* 'The Girl in the Snow' - from France and Directed by Louise Hemon. On the cusp of the 20th century, schoolteacher Aimee arrives at a remote hamlet located on the edge of the Alps. Her goal is to educate the young children of the isolated community, one which is steeped in ancient folklore and tradition. Soon, the winter grows harsher, and the locals grow suspicious of the young teacher.

* 'We Believe You' - from Belgium and Written and Directed by Charlotte Devillers and Arnaud Dufeys. Today, Alice stands before a judge, knowing there's no room for error. She must speak up for her children and confront their father, as custody is being called into question. Can she make their voices heard and protect them before it's too late?

For the details of the other competitive strands and all the sections being showcased, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can go to the official website at : https://corkfilmfest.org

Homing back on this weeks six hot new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with a drama offering about a logger who lives all of his years in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, working on the land, helping to create a new world at the turn of the 20th Century. This is followed by a black comedy drama film about a writer and young mother, who slowly descends into madness, and while isolated in an old house in Montana, her increasingly agitated and erratic behaviour leaves her husband worried and helpless. Next up is a Sci-Fi actioner about an alien hunter cast out from its clan, and an unlikely ally who embark on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. Then we turn to an action thriller in which a woman must infiltrate a commune she had escaped from in order to rescue her captive sister. Following on we have an Aussie comedy drama about two young women who reunite in Melbourne for a weekend together as they try to navigate life's ups and downs; before closing out the week with a New Zealand doco that chronicles Jacinda Ardern's tenure as New Zealand PM, navigating crises while redefining global leadership through her empathetic yet resolute approach.

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. And BTW, the reason I'm posting this two days ahead of my usual Wednesday release, is because I'm taking a short break down the south coast where there is limited internet access, however, normal service will be resumed next week.

'TRAIN DREAMS' (Rated M) - this American drama film is Directed by Clint Bentley in only his second feature film Directorial outing following 'Jockey' in 2021, although he wrote the screenplay and Produced 'Sing Sing' in 2023. Bentley Co-Wrote this screenplay also with Greg Kwedar and is based on the 2011 novella of the same name written by Denis Johnson. This film saw its World Premiere showcasing at this years Sundance Film Festival in late January, is scheduled for a limited cinema release here in Australia and the US from this week before streaming globally on Netflix on 21st November. The film has garnered universal critical acclaim.

Logger Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) works to develop the railroad across the United States at the turn of the 20th Century in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, causing him to spend vast amounts of time away from his wife Gladys (Felicity Jones) and daughter, and is struggling with his place in a rapidly changing world. When his life takes an unexpected turn, Robert finds beauty, brutality and newfound meaning for the forests and trees he has felled. Also starring Clifton Collins Jnr., Kerry Condon, William H. Macy, Paul Schneider and Will Patton as the Narrator. 

'DIE, MY LOVE' (Rated MA15+) - is an American psychological black comedy drama film Directed by Lynne Ramsay, from a screenplay she Co-Wrote based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Ariana Harwicz. Lynne Ransay's previous feature film Directing credits are her debut in 1999 with 'Ratcatcher', which she would follow up with 'Morvern Callar' in 2002, 'We Need to Talk About Kevin' in 2011 and 'You Were Never Really Here' in 2017. Grace (Jennifer Lawrence, who also Co-Produces here) and Jackson (Robert Pattinson), a young couple who move from New York City to Jackson’s rural childhood home in Montana, are in search of a quieter life. As they adjust to their new surroundings and become parents, Grace begins to struggle with feelings of isolation and psychological distress. Her deteriorating mental health gradually drives their marriage into unsettling and unpredictable territory. Also starring LaKeith Stanfield, Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek, the film saw its World Premiere showcasing at this years Cannes Film Festival in mid-May where it received a nine-minute long standing ovation, has garnered generally positive critical reviews, and is released this week too in the USA.

'PREDATOR : BADLANDS' (Rated M) - this American Sci-Fi action film is based on a story by, Co-Produced and Directed by Dan Trachtenberg who made his feature film Directing debut with '10 Cloverfield Lane' in 2016 and then three films in the 'Predator' franchise, including 'Prey' in 2022 and the animated film 'Predator : Killer of Killers' released earlier this year, and this latest instalment. Set in the future on a remote, isolated and deadly planet, a young Predator, named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) outcast from his clan for being a runt, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning) a damaged Weyland-Yutani (Wey-Yu) synth, and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. The film is released in the US this week also, and Trachtenberg has already stated that depending on the success of this film, he has in mind to Direct a third instalment. 

'STONE COLD FOX' (Rated CTC) - is an American neo-noir action thriller film that is Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Sophie Tabet in her feature film Directorial debut. Here, set in the 1980's, Fox (Kiernan Shipka) breaks out of an abusive commune, but when the queenpin Goldie (Krysten Ritter) kidnaps her little sister and sends a crooked cop, Sergeant Billy Breaker (Kiefer Sutherland) after her, Fox has no choice but to infiltrate the very place she escaped from. The film also stars Karen Fukuhara, Lorenza Izzo, Mishel Prada and Jamie Chung and is released Stateside this week too.

'FWENDS' (Rated M) - this Australian comedy drama film is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Edited by Sophie Somerville in her feature film making debut, and tells the story of old friends Em (Emmanuelle Mattana) and Jessie (Melissa Gan) who reconnect for a weekend in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, as they explore the city and share their stories. Their conversations flow naturally, covering light topics and deep emotions. They represent a generation of resilient young women navigating life's ups and downs with honesty and humour. The film has premiered internationally at various film festivals including Berlin in mid-February, in Sydney and Melbourne in June and August respectively, in London in early October and in Hawaii in mid-October.

'PRIME MINISTER' (Rated M) - is a US and New Zealand Co-Produced Documentary film Directed by Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe that documents the five years of Jacinda Ardern's tenure as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 2017 to 2023, including both her political and private life. It contains audio recordings of the Political Diaries project of the Alexander Turnbull Library and home videos recorded by Ardern's husband Clarke Gayford. The film includes information on the Christchurch mosque shootings in which fifty-one people were killed and eighty-nine others were injured, including forty by gunfire; the 2019 Whakaari / White Island volcanic eruption in which twenty-two people died and another twenty-five suffered injuries; and her science backed approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film saw its World Premiere at this years Sundance Film Festival in late January where it won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary, was released in the US in mid-June, in New Zealand in late September and this week in Australia, having garnered generally favourable critical reviews. 

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-