JURASSIC WORLD : Wednesday 17th June 2015.

'JURASSIC WORLD' - the fourth film in the popular 'Jurassic' franchise has arrived with a record breaking new story twenty-two years after Steven Spielberg first bought us 'Jurassic Park' in 1993 that in itself grossed in excess of US$1B after the release of the 2013 20th Anniversary 3D Edition. In 1997 'Jurassic Park : The Lost World' followed, again Directed by Spielberg and in 2001 'Jurassic Park III' came along this time with Joe Johnston on Director duty. Those first three films made US$2,02B from combined budgets of US$229M. For fourteen years the idea and various scripts came and went languishing in development hell, until Colin Trevorrow came on board in 2013 with the resulting fourth instalment which I saw earlier this week.

This film is set twenty-two years after the disastrous events of 'Jurassic Park' took place with a now fully functioning dino theme park 'Jurassic World' open for business on the island of Isla Nublar off the Central American coast - the location of the first film too. As the film opens brothers Zach & Gray Mitchell (Nick Robinson & Ty Simpkins respectively) are being packed off for a VIP trip to Jurassic World where Aunt Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) oversees the entire operation. Arriving via plane, ship & monorail on Isla Nublar the gates open on the new luxury theme park to hordes of eager tourists and sightseers keen to experience the biggest, scariest, baddest beasts of yesteryear roaming around wild and free (albeit captive on the island). When they arrive Claire is too busy to give them any attention and sends them off with VIP passes to go enjoy themselves. See ya later!

The park is operated by InGen and today the owner of said park, one of the world's richest men, Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) of the Masrani Corporation is visiting to check out his latest, and yet to be revealed, exhibit. Back in the lab Masrani converses with Chief Geneticist Dr. Henry Wu (B.D.Wong) returning from the series opening film but since promoted (big time). With the need to showcase new, big, exciting attractions to satisfy the tourists, secure additional sponsorship dollars and encourage more & more visitation Wu has engineered 'Indominus rex' from several predatory dinosaur genes as well as those from other modern animals (although Wu keeps the gene cocktail a closely guarded secret). Before Masrani shows off his latest greatest dinosaur creation he calls for Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) - the parks Velociraptor trainer, to check out Indominus and its purpose built enclosure for readiness, and presumably safety.

Meanwhile InGen's Head of Security Vic Hoskins (Vincent D'Onofrio) has a view that Grady's trained Velociraptor's could be trained for military purposes so creating an army of intelligent, agile, killing dinosaurs that could thwart any foe. After some Velociraptor shenanigans that show us what Grady has achieved with his four 'trained' reptiles, we move to the Indominus enclosure where Grady and Dearing are assessing its preparedness for opening. This is the first time that Grady sets eyes upon the engineered dinosaur, and quickly learns that this is one intelligent badass MoFo not to be toyed with. Needless to say that inspection doesn't go well and Indominus escapes leaving a trail of death and destruction quickly in its wake, and setting the scene for mayhem and misfortune aplenty.

Across the island 22,000 visitors on the day are enjoying interacting with dinosaurs large & small, friendly and vicious, carnivores and herbivores all. Oblivious about the fate that awaits, Dearing swings into action to close off the section of the island where Indominus is now roaming and doing its thang! We are talking about an intelligent agile animal here though with various abilities built into its engineered make-up, as well as its sheer scale, brute force and its basic need to eat. With various heavily armed security patrols sent out to capture and contain Indominus their fate too is not pretty and short-lived. The Mitchell brothers meanwhile check out the island in a gyrosphere sweeping across the grassland dodging non-dangerous dinosaurs and enjoying the spectacle. Until of course they venture across Indominus!

By now the island is in lock down and all tourists make there way back to the central hub to take shelter and prepare for evacuation . . . all 22,000 of them! As the dino-crap hits the fan Masrani (a chopper pilot in the making) takes off with two machine gun totting soldiers to track down Indominus from the air and end its trail of destruction. If only it were that simple! The rampaging animal smashes through into the pterosaur aviary unleashing a flock of vicious swooping winged killers, that as they escape take out Masrani's helicopter and head for the islands central hub and a tasty lunch . . . of the human kind.

With Masrani gone Hoskins assumes command of the island and the situation convincing Grady to use his four trained Velociraptors to hunt down and kill Indominus. Clearing out the lab of precious embryos Hoskins gets Wu off the island quickly with a bunch of safely secured samples (nicely setting up the sequel), and finishes off helping pack up more, when they are confronted by Grady, Dearing and the Mitchell brothers amidst all the carnage. Hoskins admits to them that Jurassic World is merely a vehicle with which to cultivate and engineer a super-army of genetically modified dinosaurs, at which point he is promptly munched upon by a Velociraptor.

This then sets the show down between Indominus, the Velociraptors and a T-Rex released deliberately to thwart the larger beast. More mayhem and destruction ensues across the central hub as night time descends on the park leaving Grady, Dearing and the Mitchells to dodge wrecked building debris and flying dinosaur bodies as the final fight to the death unfolds before us writ large, loud & proud on screen.

When the dust settles, the visiting public are evacuated back to Costa Rica and the island stands calm, peaceful and empty - except for the one victorious dinosaur and all those others that escaped and now roam free, and free of any human intervention.

This is a very respectable fourth film in the franchise and is well handled by Director Colin Trevorrow. The story is solid enough, it moves along at a good pace, the action set pieces are very well handled, the creature effects are first rate and the nods to the original film are a nostalgic touch. You should see this on the big screen, and given that this instalment has generated already US$760M as of 20th June and smashed a whole bunch of records, you can bet that another film will follow and that Chris Pratt will also star, having signed up for more Jurassic World outings.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 21st - 27th June 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Chris Pratt does on 21st June - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 36, 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 21st June

• Chris Pratt - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actor
• Lana Wachowski - Born 1965, turns 50 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Juliette Lewis - Born 1973, turns 42 - Actress | Singer | Songwriter

Monday 22nd June

• Klaus Maria Brandauer - Born 1943, turns 72 - Actor | Director
• Uwe Boll - Born 1965, turns 50 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Bruce Campbell - Born 1958, turns 57 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Kris Kristofferson - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Randy Couture - Born 1965, turns 32 - Actor
• Meryl Streep - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actress | Producer
• Lindsay Wagner - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actress | Producer

Tuesday 23rd June

• Frances McDormand - Born 1957, turns 58 - Actress | Producer
• Selma Blair - Born 1977, turns 43 - Actress
• Joss Whedon - Born 1964, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Joel Edgerton - Born 1974, turns 41 - Actor | Producer | Writer

Wednesday 24th June

• Peter Weller - Born 1947, turns 68 - Actor | Director
• Dan Gilroy - Born 1959, turns 56 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Nancy Allen - Born 1950, turns 65 - Actress

Thursday 25th June

• Ricky Gervais - Born 1961, turns 54 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Timur Bekmambetov - Born 1961, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer

Friday 26th June

• Paul Thomas Anderson - Born 1970, turns 45 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Jason Schwartzman - Born 1980, turns 35 - Actor | Writer
• Chris O'Donnell - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Robert Davi - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer

Saturday 27th June

• J.J.Abrams - Born 1966, turns 49 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Composer
• Tobey Maguire - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actor | Producer
• Sam Claflin - Born 1986, turns 29 - Actor

Christopher Michael Pratt was born in Virginia, Minnesota to mother Kathleen Louise Indahl, a supermarket worker, and father Daniel Clifton Pratt who worked in mining and latterly home renovation - he passed away last year. Pratt was raised in Lake Stevens, Washington with his two siblings Cully and Angie - both older than he. As a high school student he came fifth in the State Wrestling Championship, but had little clue about what to do with his life, except that he knew he would be famous and make lots of money. He dropped out of the local community college in his first semester and worked several jobs including as a daytime stripper, but ended up in Hawaii, homeless and living on a beach in Maui, sleeping rough and working just enough to eat, drink and smoke weed.

Working as a waiter at the 'Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant' the 19 year old Pratt was discovered by Actress and Director Rae Dawn Chong who cast him in her Directorial debut - the short horror film 'Cursed, Part 3'. That was 2000. In 2002 he was cast in 'Everwood' - the television series that ran until 2006 with his regular appearance as Harold Brighton Abbott over 89 episodes. When that show was cancelled he picked up a run of nine shows on 'The O.C.' in 2006 & 07, with 'Parks and Recreation' from 2009 up until this year and 117 episodes. 

In the meantime, his early films included 'The Extreme Team' in 2003, 'Strangers with Candy' in 2005, 'Wieners' in 2008 and then action fantasy offering 'Wanted' also in 2008 with Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. 'Bride Wars' followed in 2009 with Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway with 'Deep in the Valley' and 'Jennifer's Body' that same year. 

In 2007 Pratt met his future wife, Anna Faris whilst filming 'Take Me Home Tonight', although this film wasn't released until 2011 due to the Studio delaying its release because of its drug related subject matter. He went on to the acclaimed Brad Pitt vehicle 'Moneyball' in 2011, then 'What's Your Number' and '10 Years' also that year. Next up was 'The Five Year Engagement' and 'Zero Dark Thirty' in 2012, with 'Delivery Man' and then the lauded 'Her' with Joaquin Phoenix and a big name cast.

He had previously auditioned for lead roles in both 'Star Trek' as Captain James T. Kirk, and 'Avatar' as Jake Sully but was declined for both. When the role as Peter Quill/Star-Lord came along he was very apprehensive for going for the role fearing a repeat of those earlier two let downs. However, Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios was won over by Pratt and so 'Guardians of the Galaxy' was released in 2014 to critical acclaim and huge Box Office takings that surprised just about everyone. Pratt signed a multi-film deal with Marvel so expect a sequel in 2017, and possible film cross-overs into the Marvel Universe in the years ahead. He also voiced Emmet Brickowski in 'The Lego Movie' that same year which also brought critical and commercial success.

His lead role in the very recently released 'Jurassic World' as Owen Grady will further cement his star status. Made for US$150M this film has already grossed US$731M as at 19th June and has taken the biggest opening weekend Box Office receipts of all time. Next up is 'Passengers' currently in pre-production for a 2016 release, and then the Antoine Fuqua remake of 'The Magnificent Seven' due in 2017 and currently filming. To date Pratt has garnered five award wins and another nineteen nominations.

He dated his 'Everwood' co-star Emily VanCamp before meeting his wife Anna Faris whom he married in Bali in 2009 - together they have a son Jack, born in 2012.

Chris Pratt - a fluent German speaking star on the rise; tall, handsome, and a little goofy; and someone who doesn't take himself too seriously - Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 11th June 2015.

Another week and another raft of cinematic content coming your way, boosted Down Under by the Sydney Film Festival in full swing as I tap away at my keyboard to bring you the Previews of this weeks latest releases. With many films in competition and many getting their Premier at the SFF, this gives us six new movies that are a mash up of Hollywood Blockbuster, comedy, foreign language, documentary and drama from mainstream to independent. Once again this spells plenty of choice and diversity in the offing which can only be a good thing for the likes of you and me.

With this in mind, first up we have the reboot of a hugely successful prehistoric theme park franchise that has so far given us three successful films, and after an absence of fourteen years the gates are open once again. Then there is an action comedy offering what seems to be the usual cop on the run protecting some poor downtrodden waif pursued across the USofA by badass gun totting henchmen; then some big name stars relocated to small hicksville backwater outback town in far away country Australia where dust storms, lost kids and finger pointing are the order of the day; followed up by a Spanish entry into the canon as two very different detectives must unite to hunt down a serial killer before more women die; then a old wild west tale of a young lad out of his depth and out of his comfort zone searching for his love guided by a mystery high plains drifter through treacherous country; and finally a documentary examining the great divide in Great Britain.

With some solid offerings coming your way in the week ahead you can't not be tempted by what is on offer. Get yourself to your local movie theatre and do yourself a favour, and when you have sat through your movie of choice drop us a Comment or two afterwards in the box immediately following this or any other Post and share your thoughts, observations and opinions with the your friends at Odeon Online. Enjoy your film!

JURASSIC WORLD (Rated M) - Back in 1993 Steven Spielberg Directed the first in this hugely successful franchise that changed how we perceive animated creatures on screen forever. 'Jurassic Park' back then was made for US$63M and generated US$1.03B at the global box office and in after sales making it (at that time) the most commercially successful film of all time. In 1997 Spielberg followed this up with 'Jurassic Park : The Lost World' which he made for US$73M and it raked in US$619M, and in 2001 Joe Johnston made 'Jurassic Park III' for US$93M and it brought in US$369M - the least successful so far. Now, in 2015 (after about ten years in 'development hell') Colin Trevorrow has turned his Directing attention to the world of Jurassic Park, and with a budget of US$150M++, and Steven Spielberg on Producer duty, brings us to the all new, all singing, all dancing open for business 'Jurassic World'.

Set 22 years after the events of the last film the vision that John Hammond had back then for his dinosaur theme park is now fully realised back on Isla Nublar, off the Central American Pacific Coast. With a change of ownership to The Masrani Corporation, the park is attracting visitors aplenty and all is good at Jurassic World . . . for a little while at least! Of course any theme park needs to keep reinventing itself, need to refresh and reinvest and so it is at this one too. Ordered to create a new dinosaur with which to lure more crowds to visit, the scientists and geneticists set about engineering a hybrid dinosaur which they call 'Indominus rex'. Needless to say when Indominus decides to form its own opinion, wise up and get smart it runs amok and you just know it's gonna get ugly and there'll be people munching aplenty! It falls to on-site dino-trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Operations Manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), and InGen Security Head Vic Hoskins (Vincent D'Onofrio) to save the day as the body count start to rise, the carnage becomes more widespread and the lovely animals turn less so!

STRANGERLAND (Rated MA15+) - This is the Directorial debut for Kim Ferrant, and a film I saw in a test screening back at Fox Studios in Sydney last August. Here we have a typical family comprising pharmacist husband Matthew Parker (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Catherine (Nicole Kidman), and their two kids Lily (Madison Brown) and Tommy (Nicholas Hamilton). They have had to relocate to the desert outback escaping from the big smoke (which is explained later on as the film progresses) and so have wound up in Nathgari. It's a fresh start but hardly one that really any of them would wish for. They are a pleasant unassuming family who largely keep themselves to themselves living on the outskirts of the community. One day as a dust storm approaches the town the two young kids go walkabout and wander off into the desert - not to be seen again. As the dust storm engulfs the town so emotions rise and a search is mounted afterwards by the locals and the community cop David Rae (Hugo Weaving), but as the search proves fruitless and the temperature rises with the searing heat, so too does the rumour, suspicion, speculation and finger pointing as every day passes. The tension mounts and increasingly Matthew and Catherine find themselves at odds with each other, the townsfolk and what has become of their children.

MARSHLAND (Rated MA15+) - this is a Spanish film that was released in Spain back in September 2014 and it took out ten awards at the 'Goya Awards' in February this year honouring the best in Spanish film making. Directed by Alberto Rodriguez and set in 1980, this sees two detectives from Madrid with a very different set of ideals who must work together on a double murder case in the remote town on the Guadalquivir Marshes in Seville province, Andalusia, in southern Spain where the men have been sent following their reprimand back in Madrid. Working together they must put their differences aside to find the killer who has been preying on young girls for many years, and do so before he strikes again.

SLOW WEST (Rated M) - Writer and first time Director John Mclean has crafted an 1870's Colorado based frontier Western filmed in New Zealand and Scotland, that is out already on a very limited Aussie cinema release. Starring Michael Fassbender as Silas Selleck - a bounty hunter and chaperon to young lovelorn teenager Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who has made the trek from his native Scotland to the wild west frontier in search of his true love Rose Ross (Caren Pistorios) and her father John Ross (Rory McCann). Along the way there are various other bounty hunters, opportunists and miscreants all on the trail of Rose & John and a hidden agenda by Silas that add humour, violence, and sweeping scenery along the way. An award winner at this years Sundance Film Festival, for genre followers this is worth seeking out. Check out my full Review Posted earlier this week.

HOT PURSUIT (Rated M) - This film is Directed by Anne Fletcher and stars a couple of big name draw card female Actors that seriously make me think WTF are you doing in this? Made for US$35M is has already clawed that back since its US release one month ago, but I can't help thinking this is formulaic fluff that we have seen a hundred times before. Here we have intense, never-off-duty, workaholic Police Officer for the San Antonio PD Rose Cooper (Reece Witherspoon, who also Produces here) who is assigned to escort and protect a drug cartel informant Felipe Riva (Vincent Laresca) and his wife Daniella (Sofia Vergara) who are soon to testify against Vincente Cortez (Joaquin Cosio). Cooper is paired up with a Senior Detective Jackson and upon arriving at the Riva household there is a welcome committee and pretty soon Jackson and Felipe wind up dead! At this point Cooper and Daniella need to buddy up, quickly and get the hell outta there, and so they go on the run, getting chased down by the badass hoods while dodging crooked Coppers too, and bonding along the way as girls do in such circumstances until a double-cross gets thrown into the mix and it all goes pear shaped! Of course it's all good in the end as the baddies get thwarted, the goodies get rewarded, and those sat somewhere in between pay the price but come out smiling! Yawn!

THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES (Rated M) - Written and Directed by the acclaimed Michael Winterbottom this Documentary seems to be in the style of that other Michael who has carved out a career poking a big stick into even bigger issues - Moore that is - and has done so successfully for the last fifteen years - gun laws, 9/11, healthcare and the world of high finance to name a few. And so it is Winterbottom's turn with confident orator/actor/comedian and spokesperson of the world Russell Brand in front of the camera. Here the subject matter is the great divide between the rich and the poor, the have's and the have not's, the privileged and the downtrodden and those travelling in first class and the schmucks back in economy! This film will attempt to probe into the world's economic centres and those pulling the strings within them, and ask what lessons were learned from 2008's GFC, what have we done as a result and why is the great divide growing increasingly greater by the year. Will this film gel you into action, make you think, create a difference and lead to a more balanced, equal and fair society for all - only you can decide, but if nothing else it is likely to be enlightening and entertaining all at once.

Six new release films then this week to get you out amongst it for a whole array of differing reasons not the least of which will be sheer unadulterated entertainment. When you have done so and pondered the enormity of your movie choice after the fact, share away and spread the word.

Movies - see another this week!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

The Odeon Online Top 20 movies coming your way in 2015.

2015 is going to be BIG at the movies in what is shaping up to be a year of sequels, reboots, Sci-Fi, dystopian worlds and several epic adventures set to hit our big screens that may well topple the US$1B Box Office mark as their predecessors have done before them. Along the way there are a few crime capers, real life stories, Westerns, comedies, thrillers and chillers and animated features that are all likely to tease and please as we wait in eager anticipation for 12 months of strong cinematic content that has already kicked off and has hit the ground running.

Take your pick of any of these movies, and the whole raft of others that will roll out as 2015 progresses - this year, see as many as you can!

January 1st : 'THE IMITATION GAME' - Benedict Cumberbatch never better in this WWII Enigma Code breaking drama of Alan Turing who led the team that helped save the lives of millions and bring the war to a premature end. Already reviewed and awarded five claps by this Blog. Oscar worthy stuff!

January 15th : 'BIRDMAN' - Michael Keaton in a career best as the retired film Superhero trying to reignite his former fame and fortune through a Broadway play. Directed by Alejandro Inarritu and starring Edward Norton, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts this is already gaining all the buzz as one of the best movies in a very long time featuring outstanding performances, a great story and some nifty camerawork. Oscar worthy stuff also!

January 22nd : 'AMERICAN SNIPER' - Clint Eastwood Directs Bradley Cooper in this true story of crack shot US Army sniper Chris Kyle and his four tours of duty in Iraq in which he had 160 confirmed kills, and, the impact this has on his life and those close to him. Oscar worthy stuff too!

January 29th : 'FOXCATCHER' - starring Steve Carell playing it straight with Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo this is a story of Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz and his brother David hired by billionaire businessman John du Pont (Carell) to lead his own wrestling team to success whilst training from his adapted farm  - the 'Foxcatcher Estate' of the title in readiness for the 1988 Seoul Olympics . . . but this comes at a price to all involved! Oscar worthy stuff again!

January 29th : 'THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING' - Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking from his days studying for his Doctorate at Cambridge through his diagnosis with MND, his marriage to Jane Wilde (his first wife) and his life beyond all expectations confined to a wheelchair but nonetheless still sharp, brilliant and engaging. Oscar worthy stuff once more!

February 12th : 'FIFTY SHADES OF GREY' - this hugely successful best selling book (70 million copies sold) makes it to the big screen and is likely to do well because of it, and it's erotic content which has been toned down to get it to the screen. Starring Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele.

February 19th : 'JUPITER ASCENDING' - the Wachowski's are back in full Sci-Fi mode after their earlier mega-successful 'Matrix' franchise with a down at heel human chick Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) set to inherit the Cosmos with the help of intergalactic man hunter Caine (Channing Tatum) - but needless to say it won't be as simple as it sounds as other interplanetary bad guys have their own designs on what should be going down when the time comes. Also starring Eddie Redmayne, and Sean Bean.

March 19th : 'INSURGENT' - the second outing in this series rolling hot on the heels of last years 'Divergent', sees the same characters reunited as Tris (Shailene Woodley) is on the run with Four (Theo James) trying to find her now divided comrades and the reasons behind the death of her parents, their own history and what they were protecting.

March 19th : 'IN THE HEART OF THE SEA' - Ron Howard Directs Chris Hemsworth in this true story of the incidents that inspired the classic story 'Moby Dick'. Set in 1820 the 'Essex' whaling ship was pressed by a whale of such huge and revengeful proportions that it pushed the crew to their absolute limited as they struggle to survive out at sea for 90 days. Brendon Gleeson, Cillian Murphy and Ben Wishaw also star.

April 23rd : 'THE AVENGERS : AGE OF ULTRON' - the first of several films from the Marvel stable this year ('Ant Man' out on July 17th and 'The Fantastic Four' out on August 7th) and you know this is just going to be massive! Writer/Director Joss Whedon is back reuniting Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow and Nick Fury against intelligent robot Ultron (James Spader) who is hell bent on world domination, and more thank likely, beyond! It's going to be epic in every sense!

May 14th : 'MAD MAX : FURY ROAD' - the fourth instalment in this franchise helmed by George Miller and shot in Namibia has taken a very long time to get to the big screen after several earlier failed attempts. Tom Hardy is Max Rockatansky starring with Charlize Theron as Furiosa, and following the events of 'Beyond Thunderdome' sees the last vestiges of the human race fighting it out with each other over the necessities of life in a parched desert landscape.

May 21st : 'TOMORROWLAND' - based on another Disney theme park attraction (think 'Pirates of the Carribbean') this futuristic Sci-Fi offering is Directed by Brad Bird and stars Britt Robertson as Casey Newton, a gifted teenager thrown together with George Clooney as Frank Walker an ageing cantankerous inventor as they embark on a journey to locate a place in time and space that only exists in their memory . . . or so they think, and, what will the consequences be when and if they get there?

June 12th : 'JURASSIC WORLD' - twenty or so years have past since 'Jursassic Park' went haywire and all manner of ancient beasts were let loose on an unsuspecting world. Now 'Jurassic World' is updated, renewed and ready to throw open it's gates as John Hammond had originally intended in the initial film(s). Directed by Colin Trevorrow with Chris Pratt in the lead role as a staffer researching a Velociraptor whilst at the same time those pesky scientists have created a new kind of dinosaur in the lab . . . it's not gonna end well methinks for the staffers, the tourists, the owners and probably this poor little dinosaurs!

July 1st : 'TERMINATOR : GENISYS' - just to see Arnie utter those immortal words 'I'll be back!' will be worth the price of a ticket alone. This is the fifth film in the franchise and this reboot is the first of a planned trilogy. Arnie is back doing what he does best and we are back to those characters we know from before - Sarah Connor, John Connor, Kyle Reece, the T-800 and T-1000 and, The Terminator. The shorts are reminiscent of T2, and this has to be another must see for your film diary.

August 13th : 'THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E' - Guy Ritchie Directs this retelling of the classic 60's TV spy series, set also in the 60's with the backdrop of the Cold War and two opposing sides having to join forces against an evil enemy playing with nuclear weapons and technology. Starring Hugh Grant as Waverly, Henry Cavill as Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer as Ilya Kuryakin we know that Ritchie has the pedigree from the recent 'Sherlock Holmes' movies to deliver.

November 13th : 'THE HATEFUL EIGHT' - Quentin Tarantino back in full Western mode with a story of eight red-neck travellers holed up together taking refuge from a blizzard. As the storm takes hold out travellers are stranded in a old shop on a mountainside, and gradually they come to realise they may not make it to their ultimate destination. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Kurt Russell, Channing Tatum and Jennifer Jason Leigh this is sure to please as only QT can!

November 19th : 'THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY Part 2' - after a lacklustre Part 1 (for me anyway) this had better pull out all the stops and deliver us a grand finale that is a fitting closure to what has gone before. You know the story, you know what is coming and you know what is needed - let's hope we are not disappointed!

November 19th : 'SPECTRE' (aka Bond 24) - Bond, James Bond is back! After the hugely successful 'Skyfall' Daniel Craig is back as our titular MI6 spy hero with Director Sam Mendes and Ralph Fiennes as 'M', Ben Wishaw as 'Q' and Christophe Waltz as enemy #1 Oberhauser. Bond is tracking down the sinister 'Spectre' organisation from his past that potentially could destroy everything he has fought to protect. Any sign of Blofeld, and his cat, anyone?

December 17th : 'STAR WARS : THE FORCE AWAKENS' - if you haven't seen the recently released trailer for this then you have been caught napping methinks! J.J. Abrams is on Director duty for Episode VII that sees us 35 years into the future after 'Return of the Jedi' with many of that former cast reunited with new players for this next instalment. You can expect C3PO, R2D2, the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Chewbacca and heaps of new great stuff! Roll the opening credits!

December 26th : 'MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE 5' - plot details at this point are just about non existent! What we do know is that filming is currently drawing to a close having begun in Vienna about four months ago and this next instalment is Directed by Christopher McQuarrie and stars once again Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, Jeremy Renner as William Brandt, Ving Rhames as Luther Stickel, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn with Alec Baldwin heading up the CIA this time around. Light that touch paper!

Wow - that's a big year, and there is so much more to look out for too including - 'Unbroken', 'Poltergeist'(remake), Point Break'(remake), 'The Gambler'(remake), 'The Gunman', 'Black Sea', 'Black Mass', 'The Kingsmen', 'Ted 2', 'The Riot Club', 'The Second Best Marigold Hotel', 'Ex Machina', 'Chappie', 'Pan', 'Cinderella', 'Mordecai' and 'The Martian' plus a host of animated features too amongst others.

As always, look out for all the latest news, Reviews and Previews here at Odeon Online, and feel free to share your comments with our rapidly expanding worldwide readership, by using the 'Comments' box below this and all Posts.

Enjoy your movies, and, see as many as you can in 2015.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-