ANTON YELCHIN - dies aged 27 - R.I.P.

Anton Viktorovich Yelchin died tragically, aged just 27, on the morning of 19th June 2016, in what is described as a freak car accident at his home in Los Angeles, California. Due at a rehearsal later that day, when he was a no-show his friends drove over to his house and found him pinned against a brick wall and security gate by his car, dying in the process from blunt traumatic asphyxia. The Jeep Grand Cherokee car which caused his death was a 2015 model that had been recalled for a roll away risk. Truly tragic circumstances.

Born in Leningrad, Russia on 11th March 1989 to ice skating champions Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin his family were subjected to political and religious oppression, and so at the age of just six months, his family relocated to the USA having gained refugee status.

His first acting role came at the age of nine, when he was cast in 'A Man is Mostly Water' with a part on 'E.R' that same year.  This was quickly followed up with 'Delivering Milo' with Albert Finney, 'Along Came a Spider' with Morgan Freeman, 'Hearts in Atlantis' with Anthony Hopkins, and then a heap of television series including 'Taken', 'The Practice', 'Without a Trace', 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'NYPD Blue' - all before he was even 15 years of age. More big Hollywood fare followed with 'House of D' with David Duchovny, 'Fierce People' with Donald Sutherland, 'Alpha Dog' with Bruce Willis, 'Charlie Bartlett' with Robert Downey Jnr. and 'Middle of Nowhere' with Susan Sarandon. In between there were further television appearances on 'Huff', 'Criminal Minds' and 'Law & Order : Criminal Intent'.

In 2009 J.J. Abrams cast Yelchin as Pavel Chekov in the reboot of the Star Trek franchise in 'Star Trek' - a role he would reprise again in 2013 in 'Star Trek : Into Darkness' and again in the yet to be released 'Star Trek : Beyond' due later this year, and with an all star cast. It is perhaps for this role that he is best well known fitting into the shoes created by Walter Koenig in the original Gene Roddenberry television series of the '60's and seven of the first series of feature films up until 1994.

Immediately following the Star Trek reboot in 2009, came another reboot of a hugely successful franchise founded in the early 80's, with 'Terminator : Salvation' with his role as Kyle Reece opposite Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. 'Like Crazy' came next with Jennifer Lawrence, then the Roland Joffe Directed 'You and I', followed by Jodie Foster's 'The Beaver' with Mel Gibson, then the remake of the classic horror 'Fright Night' with Colin Farrell, and 'Odd Thomas' based on the Dean Kootz novel with Willem Dafoe.

'Only Lovers Left Alive' with Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, '5 to 7', 'Cymbeline', and 'Burying the Ex' for Joe Dante, 'Dying of the Light' for Paul Schrader, 'Experimenter', 'Broken Horses', 'The Driftless Area' and 'Green Room' bring us up to date, with the latter only being released in Australia last month. In the meantime there were further television series appearances, a number of short films, and his voice talents as 'Clumsy' in 'The Smurfs' and 'The Smurfs 2', and 'From Up On Poppy Hill' 

Yelchin has 65 acting credits, with five films still yet to be released - those being - 'Star Trek : Beyond', 'Rememory' with Peter Dinklage, 'Thoroughbred', 'We Don't Belong Here' and 'Porto'. He had six award wins to his name and another eleven nominations.

So much achieved at just 27 years of age from an acting career already spanning 18 years. With a diverse acting range from cute & cuddly Smurfs to zombie beaters, to neo nazi horror, to near future terminators, to going boldly where no man has gone before to RomCom, action and Mexican drug cartels, Yelchin was up for anything and everything and was a rising star, in demand, and will be sorely missed by those closest to him, those that had the pleasure of working with this young gifted talent, and by us - the film going public.

Anton Yelchin - Rest In Peace
1989-2016

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 12th-18th June 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Dave Franco does on 12th June - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 31, 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 12th June

• Dave Franco - Born 1985, turns 31 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Richard Ayoade - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Frances O'Connor - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress

Monday 13th June

• Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen - Born 1986, turn 30 - Actresses | Producers  
• Ally Sheedy - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actress
• Tim Allen - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Stellen Skarsgard - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor | Producer
• Simon Callow - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Malcolm McDowell - Born 1943, turns 73 - Actor | Producer
• Chris Evans - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Aaron Taylor-Johnson - Born 1990, turns 26 - Actor
• Kodi Smit-McPhee - Born 1996, turns 20 - Actor

Tuesday 14th June

• Will Patton - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actor
• Diablo Cody - Born 1978, turns 38 - Writer | Producer | Director  

Wednesday 15th June

• Pia Miranda - Born 1973, turns 43 - Actress
• Courtney Cox - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Helen Hunt - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director 
• James Belushi - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Ice Cube aka O'Shea Jackson - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Jake Busey - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor | Producer
• Neil Patrick Harris - Born 1973, turns 43 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer 

Thursday 16th June

• Daniel Bruhl - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor
• John Cho - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actor
• Arnold Vosloo - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer  

Friday 17th June

• Ken Loach - Born 1936, turns 80 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Bobby Farrelly - Born 1958, turns 58 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Thomas Haden Church - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Greg Kinnear - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Jason Patric - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer
• Will Forte - Born 1970, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer  
• Louis Leterrier - Born 1973, turns 43 - Producer | Director

Saturday 18th June

• Paul McCartney - Born 1942, turns 74 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Writer | Actor | Producer | Director
• Richard Madden - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actor
• Barbara Broccoli - Born 1960, turns 56 - Producer
• Isabella Rossellini - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director  

David John Franco was born in Palo Alto, California to mother Betsy Verne, a poet, author, editor and occasional Actress, and father Eugene Franco a business owner/operator in Silicone Valley who passed away in 2011. He is the younger brother of Actors James and the lesser known Tom. Franco grew up in California where he attended the University of Southern California with designs on becoming a high school creative writing teacher. However, his brother James' Manager led him to take up theatre classes in his second year at University where his interest in acting was first sparked.

His acting career kicked off with '7th Heaven' in 2006 for The CW Television Network in which he appeared in a single episode. That same year he appeared in the short film 'Frat Boys' before scoring a place on 'Superbad' in 2007 with the likes of Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Emma Stone. The film was generally well received and took US$170M from its US$20M outlay. Later that year was 'After Sex' in which he starred as one half of a couple having conversations after sex, whilst exploring the modern day complexities of relationships as seen through the eyes, hearts and minds of seven other couples.

2008 saw five episodes on 'Do Not Disturb' (seven episodes were filmed, four aired and then promptly the show was cancelled). 'Greek' was next which ran for 74 episodes over four seasons with Franco gaining a spot on six, and then came 'Privileged' which aired for eighteen episodes over just one season in which Franco appeared in five. 'Milk' also came out that year in which Franco played a small role alongside brother James, Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin and Victor Garber. The film was critically very well received and made back almost three times its production budget. Seeing out the decade was the low budget direct to DVD horror thriller 'The Shortcut', a short film never released called 'A Fuchsia Elephant', and thirteen episodes in the ninth and final series of 'Scrubs'.

The new decade launched with the Noah Baumbach Written and Directed 'Greenberg' with Ben Stiller, Rhys Ifans, Greta Gerwig, Brie Larson, Juno Temple and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The film was positively received but it made less than 25% of its production costs. 'Charlie St. Cloud' followed later that year with Zac Efron, Ray Liotta and Kim Bassinger, with 'The Broken Tower' following. This film was Directed, Written, Produced, Edited and starring his brother James Franco, his mother Betsy and Michael Shannon and made by James as part of his film-making thesis for New York University. 'Fright Night' - the remake of the 1985 film of the same name also starred Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Toni Collette and Imogen Poots and received critical acclaim and the recovery of its budget. Comedy horror 'Bad Meat' saw out 2011.

The Dave Franco penned short film 'Would You' also starred his mother Betsy and once again Christopher Mintz-Plasse. 2012 also saw '21 Jump Street' with Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, and Brie Larson - he would reprise his role in the 2014 sequel, '22 Jump Street' albeit uncredited, together with a bunch of other uncredited appearances by Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, Anna Faris and Queen Latifah. The 2013 ZomRomCom 'Warm Bodies' with Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and John Malkovich did well critically and commercially in which he also starred.


This gave way to his first turn as Jack Wilder - one of the Four Horsemen, in 'Now You See Me' opposite Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Isla Fisher. Although the film received mixed Reviews, it made US$352M from its US$75M budget outlay and spawned a very recently released sequel 'Now You See Me : The Second Act' in which Franco reprises his role. 'NYSM 3' has already been announced, and was so as early as a year ago already. The 2014 'Lego Movie' starred an ensemble voice cast that included Franco in a voice cameo, with a sequel in the works too for a May 2018 release date given the critical acclaim and the US$470M haul it took. 'Bad Neighbours' followed with Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne and regular running mate Christopher Mintz-Plasse which again on the strength of its US$271M Box Office take spawned a sequel earlier this year for which Franco also reprised his role. So far the Box Office receipts for the second instalment 'Bad Neighbours 2 : Sorority Rising' stands so far at just US$91M.

Last year there was 'Unfinished Business' with Vince Vaughn, Tom Wilkinson, Nick Frost and Sienna Miller which tanked commercially and critically. In the meantime there were television series appearances on 'Young Justice' and 'Other Space' and the upcoming Netflix comedy series 'Easy'. There have also been multiple videos on the comedy video website 'Funny or Die' in which Franco has starred, Written and/or Directed.





Next up is 'Zeroville' Directed by brother James and also starring brother James with Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell and Megan Fox it tells the story of a late 60's Hollywood and the change the film industry was going through at that time. Franco here plays screen legend Montgomery Clift. Also Directed by James Franco and to follow up is 'The Masterpiece' with Zac Efron (again), Seth Rogen (again), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (again), Bryan Cranston, Josh Hutchinson, Alison Brie and Sharon Stone that looks behind the scenes of the making of that cult film for all the wrong reasons - 'The Room' in 2003. Then there is 'Nerve' with Juliette Lewis and Emma Roberts and 'The Little Hours' for 2017 with Alison Brie and John C. Reilly.

All up Franco has 41 Acting credits, eight Writer credits, three as Producer and one as Director. He has three award wins and one other nomination. He has been engaged to Actress and occasional Co-Star Alison Brie since August 2015.

Dave Franco - younger brother to multi-talented James Franco but determined not to be overshadowed by him and to carve out his own career in the movie business; good buddies and frequent collaborator on screen and off it with Christopher Mintz-Plasse; describes himself as small & shifty, a cat person and the proud owner of two, tough critically on himself and not comedic. With that determination, those credentials and your track record to date things will undoubtedly continue on the up for you. Happy Birthday Dave, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-