Birthday's to share this week : 3rd - 9th July 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Toby Kebbell does on 9th July - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 34, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 3rd July 

• Tom Cruise - Born  1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer
• Tom Stoppard - Born 1937, turns 79 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Patrick Wilson - Born 1973, turns 43 - Actor
• Connie Nielsen - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actress

Monday 4th July

• Eva Marie Saint - Born 1924, turns 92 - Actress
• Neil Simon - Born 1927, turns 89 - Writer | Producer  

Tuesday 5th July

• RZA (aka Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Director
• Edie Falco - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress  

Wednesday 6th July

• Eva Green - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actress
• Jennifer Saunders - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Singer
• 50 Cent (aka Curtis James Jackson III) - Born 1975, turns 41 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Writer | Producer
• Kevin Hart - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Geoffrey Rush - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor | Producer
• Sylvester Stallone - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director 
• Ned Beatty - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor

Thursday 7th July

• Akiva Goldsman - Born 1962, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Ringo Starr - Born 1940, turns 76 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Producer | Director
• Shelley Duvall - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actress | Writer | Producer

Friday 8th July

• Anjelica Huston - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Kevin Bacon - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Wally Pfister - Born 1961, turns 55 - Cinematographer | Director | Cameraman
• Billy Crudup - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actor | Singer
• Jaden Smith - Born 1998, turns 18 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter

Saturday 9th July

• Toby Kebbell - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actor
• Tom Hanks - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
• Jimmy Smits - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actor | Producer
• Chris Cooper - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor 
• Richard Roundtree - Born 1942, turns 74 - Actor
• Brian Dennehy - Born 1938, turns 78 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Kelly McGillis - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actress | Producer

Tobias Alistair Patrick Kebbell was born in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, England, and grew up in Nottinghamshire. He was raised by his mother Michelle Mathers, a cook and landscape gardener after she divorced her husband and father of Toby, Robert Kebbell, an engineer, when the young lad was just eighteen months old. Toby is the fourth of five children. He attended a Catholic Primary School, and at fifteen dropped out of school, and two years later joined a Carlton Television Workshop and attended an 'over 16' audition which gave him the framework to launch an acting career.

He came to early prominence at age twenty when cast by Director and Writer, Shane Meadows, in the British psychological thriller 'Dead Man's Shoes', Co-Wriiten and also starring Paddy Considine. Whilst the film did little by way of commercial success, critically it was hit appearing on many 'Top Film' lists - not only for the year of its release (2004) - but for all time - 'Empire', 'Total Film' and 'Time Out' voting it so. The young Actor also picked up an award nomination as Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards. This was followed up that same year with Oliver Stone's 'Alexander' alongside Anthony Hopkins, Jared Leto, Angelina Jolie, Colin Farrell and Val Kilmer, and then a year later in Woody Allen's 'Match Point' with Scarlett Johansson, Brian Cox and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

2006 brought horror film 'Wilderness' and then the critically lauded Anton Corbijn Directed biopic of Joy Division's frontman Ian Curtis, played by Sam Riley in 'Control'. Kebbell played Rob Gretton, the manager of the band, for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the British Independent Film Awards.

In 2008 Guy Ritchie cast Kebbell as Johnny Quid in 'RocknRolla' alongside Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy and Thandie Newton. The next year saw 'Cheri' Directed by Stephen Frears with Michelle Pfeiffer.

The new decade saw 'Prince of Persia : Sands of Time' with Jake Gyllenhaal; 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' with Nicolas Cage, and 'The Conspirator' with James McAvoy, and Directed by Robert Redford. 'The Veteran' followed in 2011, as did Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse' with Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Marsan, David Thewlis and Emily Watson.

'Wrath of the Titans' with Sam Worthington came next, then 'The East', and then Ridley Scott's 'The Counsellor' with Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz. 2014 saw Kebbell venture down MoCap territory with his role as Koba in 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' - a scarred bonobo ape and lieutenant to Caesar as played by Andy Serkis in the first instalment of this rebooted franchise 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'.

2015 gave us Marvel's attempt at resurrecting 'Fantastic Four' with Kebbell starring as Victor von Doom/Doom alongside Miles Teller (Mr. Fantastic), Michael B. Jordan (The Human Torch), Jamie Bell (The Thing), and Kate Mara (The Invisible Woman). The film recovered its budget and then some, but was critically panned. Then came 'Buddha's Little Finger' and the recently released Duncan Jones fantasy action epic 'Warcraft : The Beginning', with Kebbell returning to MoCap again for his role as Durotan a nobel orc chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan. The film has so far made US$414M off its US$160M budget outlay, but has not fared so well with the critics.

Next up there is 'Gold' with Matthew McConaughey; Timur Bekmambetov's remake of the classic 'Ben Hur' and 'A Monster Calls' with Liam Neeson all due later in 2016. 'Kong : Skull Island' with Tom Hiddleston, John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson is due in 2017, and then 'Category 5' with Ryan Kwanten as Directed by Rob Cohen. In the meantime Kebbell has starred in several short films, a couple of made of television movies, and television series 'The Street', 'Black Mirror' and 'The Escape Artist' as well as a number of theatre productions.

All up Kebbell has 38 Acting credits, he has one Award win and another four nominations. In 2009 he was linked to entrepreneur and founder/CEO of 'Peek.com' Ruzwana Bashir, but has since stated that he is in no hurry to marry. 

Toby Kebbell - quite possibly the most acclaimed, successful sought after Actor you have never heard of; right up there with Andy Serkis for their MoCap efforts and prowess; a Yorkshire lad done good and very much a star on the rise. Happy Birthday to you Toby, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES : archive from 16th August 2011.

The image of Charlton Heston peering up at the half buried Statue of Liberty poking out of the sand, in the closing minute of the 1968 'Planet of the Apes' film would rank as one of the most iconic images in film history. Anyone who has seen this film nearly always refers to that one scene when Heston's character - George Taylor comes to the realisation that he is in fact on planet Earth at some undisclosed future date and there is every chance that he is stuck there with little or no way of getting back to his own world. This film spawned a movie franchise, a spin off television series, an attempted reboot courtesy of Tim Burton in 2001, and now a whole new imagining in 2011 - 43 years after Heston's future world offering.

And so, with great expectation and eager anticipation, I saw 'RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES' last night. I have to say that this is powerful and respectable retelling of the classic 60's novel that has had so many big and small screen treatments go before it. But here, once again, we have a whole new audience who will know very little about that rich back catalogue, hence this new updated take. This origin story Directed by Rupert Wyatt, sets the tone for a new franchise updated for 2011 from the Apes perspective.

Here we have an ape - Caesar (Andy Serkis yet again proving he is the king of mo-cap and the king of the apes!) that is being raised in largely domestic surroundings in a San Francisco suburb by scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) who works for biotechnology company 'Gen-Sys'. Caesar's mother was killed in the lab some years earlier while being tested upon for a cure for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's using an experimental viral drug known as ALZ-112. The 112 virus was passed genetically onto Caesar who now growing, is showing increasing signs of intelligence and human-like ability.

Various events unfold that lead to Caesar being locked up in a shelter with other chimps where he is treated cruelly by the keeper, and the other chimps. But Caesar is no ordinary monkey and he learns quickly to break free from his cage, gain access to a common area and overcome the alpha male chimp. At the same time 'Gen-Sys' has taken the drug to the next level with ALZ-113 now in a gaseous form and ready for testing. Rodman takes several canisters home for intended use on his dying father in a last ditch attempt to save him from the ravages of age, cancer and Alzheimer's, and, is able also to have Caesar released with the intention of taking him home too, but Caesar escapes, gets there first, steals a number of the drug canisters and makes off.

The now motivated Caesar returns to the lock-up and sprays the other chimps and apes with ALZ-113 so enhancing their cognitive and intellectual powers overnight. They then escape releasing all from that compound and do likewise with all the simian inmates at San Francisco Zoo too. The set piece of the films is staged on the Golden Gate Bridge as ape and human armies collide with the police forces attempting to halt the apes path to the forested San Francisco hinterland. The apes however, having grown strong physically, in numbers, in their determination and in their motivation overcome the human barricade and flee to the hills but not before a path of destruction has been left in their wake.

As the film draws to a close we see and hear Caesar utter his first human words to Rodman who has given chase in an attempt to warn his ape friend that the humans will hunt them and kill them without mercy, and that Caesar should return home - to which Caesar replies 'Caesar is home!'. As the credits roll we see the neighbour of Rodman leave for work as an airline pilot. He was previously infected by the new ANZ-113 drug that has adverse effects on humans but not on apes. As he arrives at San Francisco International Airport for his flight to Paris, his nose drips blood onto the ground. The closing graphic shows the spread of the virus rapidly across the world via airline travel, and the consequences this will have on the future of humanity, and the rise of the apes!

Disturbing in some ways but compelling viewing & well executed in many others. James Franco, John Lithgow (as Charles Rodman - Will's father and tester of ALZ-112), Brian Cox (as John Landon - the manager of the primate shelter where Caesar finds himself holed up for a while) and David Oyelowo (as Rodman's boss at 'Gen-Sys') all do well, but Andy Serkis steals the show with his powerful take on Caesar, laced with solid storyline that comes to this updated telling with a fresh approach and the latest technology to take the series to the next level. Recommended viewing, and you can now catch 2014's 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' and watch the two back to back! 'Rise' was made for US$93M and grossed US$482M which when coupled with 'Dawn' at a US$709M take, make for a very successful franchise so far!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES : Tuesday 15th July 2014.

At a cost of US$93M to make with a global box office haul of just under US$500M it was inevitable that 2011's 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' would spawn a sequel - particularly given the magnitude of the 'Apes' franchise spanning now six decades. And so with a bunch of mates I saw 'DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES' earlier this week. The production has been ramped up in this instalment with an estimated budget this time around of US$170M and a new Director at the helm - Matt Reeves.

The action takes us ten years on from 'Rise' (so effectively the mid 2020's) when a global simian flu has all but wiped out the worlds population. The opening montage tells us that just one in 500 humans survived because those that did are genetically immune. The simian flu came about through human researchers injecting monkeys with various viruses in test laboratories, and when the monkeys escaped, they gave it back to us humans and we got wiped out - ahhh, the circle of life!

With the world literally in ruins, cities in collapse, no infrastructure, no electricity, no communication, no transport systems and petrol supplies almost run dry, there are small enclaves of human colonies scattered about the globe. The action here is centred around a community holed-up in San Francisco (where the action is 'Rise' came to such a dramatic climax) led by Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) and supported by Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and various others doing their damnedest to survive with what is left of civilisation.

The Apes are led by a grown 'Caesar' now (expertly cast once again by Andy Serkis who has proved himself the master of motion-capture movie making technology) living in a forest in the San Francisco hinterland. The apes number in their hundreds and are advanced in their intelligence using sign language, learning to read, write and for many, speak. Caesar however, as leader, is the most developed having got off to a good start by his teacher and mentor from 'Rise' - James Franco. We learn early on that there has been no Ape/Human contact for over two Winters now, and the Apes wonder if in fact the human race has died out completely.

Then, right on cue, all this changes! As Malcolm and a band of explorers search through the forest they needless to say come across two straying apes. There are gunshots and the ape colony is alerted and quickly descend on the explorers. There is a standoff between Caesar and Malcolm in which dialogue is exchanged and the two groups part company going back to whence they came agreeing never to darken each others doors again! If only it were that simple? The humans are searching for a dam, which has a dormant hydro electric power plant attached to it, and if this can be rebooted then San Fran can have power restored, and some degree of normalcy can be reinstated.

What ensues is a battle of wits between apes and humans, where latitude is shown by both parties, but there are factions on both sides who are not satisfied with the genuine intentions of the others, there is in-fighting, there is bloodshed and there is ultimately a climatic battle which is likely to change the ape/human landscape again forever.

This film is far richer than 'Rise', the story more detailed, the characterisation has more depth, and the ape effects by those actors donning the mo-cap suits day in day out during filming are outstanding. The stature, the mannerisms, the expressions, the horse riding, and the way the apes walk, run, grunt and behave with one another is so real and life like that even 'Caesar' comments that the apes have more in common with the humans than they know! The dystopian landscape of an overgrown San Francisco is reminiscent of Will Smith's 'I am Legend' and is almost faultless. This is Andy Serkis' film and quite rightly he gets top billing as Caesar and his other ape 'family' counterparts do a pretty good job too - most notably Toby Kebbell as 'Koba', Karin Konoval at 'Maurice', Terry Notary as 'Rocket' and Nick Thurston as 'Blue Eyes' - son of Caesar.

This is a strong sequel that should be seen on the big screen. I saw it in 2D and this was more than acceptable - 3D would add to the richness and depth of imagery but you can live without it I would think. Needless to say the ending sets up another sequel with Director Matt Reeves set to return and a release date already announced for July 29th 2016.

  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 10th July 2014.

With the end of the school holidays fast approaching, the new releases for this week are a little thinner on the ground than in previous weeks, but nonetheless, there is still plenty of celluloid delight to warm the cockles of the heart, stimulate the brain, and excite your ears and eyes. And so with three new releases for the week ahead we have the sequel to a long established cult classic franchise rebooted just a few years ago to some critical acclaim laying waste to an earlier rebooted effort at the turn of the century. Then we have a serving of lunchtime shenanigans across the streets of an Indian city, and an Aussie doco-drama charting the rise and fall of two world class skaters.

And so whether you tune in and chill out to a new release this coming week at your local movie theatre, or catch one of those Reviewed in previous weeks but still doing the rounds, drop me a line and comment on your experience for the benefit of my other reader! Enjoy the experience!

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (Rated M) - 2011 saw the rebooting of this age weary franchise that first kicked off in the 60's with Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall and spawned many sequels. But, it was Tim Burton's 2001 effort 'Planet of the Apes' that seemed to have killed off the franchise for ever . . . well a decade at least until Director Rupert Wyatt took the helm and rebooted the story for the modern era in 2011 under the title 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' and gave it all the action, effects and Hollywood treatment that lead to its success, and another outing this year as a result. And so we have a new Director in Matt Reeves and largely a whole new cast, because since 2011's (re)introduction another ten years have elapsed, and the genetically evolved Ape population led by Caesar (Andy Serkis in fine form again with his mo-cap capabilities knowing no equal) gaining strength, numbers, intelligence and a hunger for supremacy. With Earth as we know it falling into decay, civilisation crumbling and humanity dying out thanks to a virus unleashed ten years earlier, there are some human survivors determined to re-establish some sense of normalcy to the planet, and their lives. So a peace and an understanding is struck with Caesar and his simian followers, but it is short-lived as one battles against the other for dominance. Starring Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, and Kodi Smit-McPhee this sees the action, the effects and the storyline amped up markedly as the war between man and beast plays out to establish this franchise for further future instalments.

ALL THIS MAYHEM (Rated M) - This story of two young tough nut brothers from the suburbs of Melbourne is shown in doco-drama style charting the rise and fall of Ben and Tas Pappas as determined young dudes to becoming champion professional skateboarders who at one time were ranked the #1 & 2 on the global skate ramp stage. However, as is often the case things turn bad as drugs, alcohol and who knows what else get involved that see these two spiral out of control and into despair, with only their deep love, immense bond, and brotherly spirit for one another to save them.  Directed by Eddie Martin and starring Tas and Ben Papas with a cast of other pro-skaters, wannabes, movers & shakers, duckers and divers, and bobbers and weavers, this is a warts & all, gritty look at the darker side of pro-skateboarding and the human fall out that can come from success.

THE LUNCHBOX (Rated PG) - everyday across Mumbai some 5,000 couriers deliver lunch boxes to those working in offices across the city. One such lunchbox prepared by longing housewife  (Nimrat Kaur) intent on rekindling her relationship with her husband, is delivered to the wrong man (Irrfan Khan) who becomes smitten with the delightful food sent and the accompanying notes that they soon begin exchanging. The notes speak of intimate little confessions between the two strangers - loneliness, regrets, memories, fears and the joys experienced every day. Directed by first timer Ritesh Batra this is a slow burning film that is likely to surprise and delight in its story, its charm, and its humour.

Three very different offerings once more, but sure enough, something for (almost) everyone. Whatever you see this week - enjoy the movie, tell your friends, tell this Blog and keep going to the movies!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-