Showing posts with label Kelly Asbury. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kelly Asbury. Show all posts

Thursday, 2 July 2020

The Odeon Online Obituary : The screen celebrities who passed away in June 2020.

In June, the world bid a fond farewell to a number of stars of the silver screen and the small screen. In brief, shown below, is my passing tribute to those stars who leave an indelible mark on the entertainment industry, and in particular the world of film and television. May you all Rest In Peace, and thanks for the memories . . . . Mary Pat Gleason, Marion Hansel, Mel Winkler, Patrick Poivey, Vera Lynn, Ian Holm, Joel Schumacher, Steve Bing, Michael Falzon, Taryn Power, Stuart Cornfeld, Kelly Asbury, Louis Mahoney, Carl Reiner and Dan Hicks. 

* Mary Pat Gleason - born Mary Patrick Gleason on 23rd February 1950, died 2nd June 2020, aged 70. Gleason was an American Actress of film and television who amassed 174 credits to her name in a career which began in 1980 on the TV movie 'Paul's Case'. Her subsequent film appearances over the ensuing forty years took in the likes of 'Easy Money', 'Troop Beverly Hills', 'Basic Instinct', 'Lorenzo's Oil', 'Speechless', 'A Walk in the Clouds', 'The Crucible', 'Traffic', 'Evolution', 'Bruce Almighty', 'Suddenly 30', 'A Cinderella Story', 'The Island', 'Because I Said So', 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry', 'Bottle Shock', 'Drillbit Taylor', 'Blended', 'Nina' right up to the recently completed and yet still to be released 'Pencil Town'. Her small screen roles were also numerous, including 'The Guiding Light' in 1983 and for which she shared a Writing Team Daytime Emmy Award win in 1986, then 'Quantum Leap', 'L.A. Law', 'Murder, She Wrote', 'Friends', 'Lois & Clarke : The New Adventures of Superman', 'ER', 'NYPD Blue', 'Sex and the City', 'Malcolm in the Middle', 'Nip/Tuck', on twelve episodes of 'The Middleman', 'United States of Tara', 'The Mentalist', 'Hawaii Five-0', 'Desperate Housewives', 'Bones', '2 Broke Girls', on four episodes of '1600 Penn', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'Shameless', 'Will & Grace', she lent her voice to all eleven episodes of the animated series in 2019 of 'WTF 101', and on eight episodes of 'Mom' up until last year.

* Marion Hansel - born 12th February 1949, died 8th June 2020, aged 71. Hansel was a French born, Belgian film Producer, Director, Actress and Screenwriter who accumulated 35 Producer credits, seventeen Director credits, fourteen as an Actress and fourteen as a Writer throughout her career which launched with her appearing in the 1969 film 'Palaver'. Her first Directing and Writing credit came with the 1977 twelve minute short film 'Equilibres'. Her first feature film which she Directed, wrote and starred in was 1982's 'Le lit' followed by 'Dust' in 1985 which picked up two awards and a Golden Lion nomination at the Venice Film Festival amongst others. In 1995 her next acclaimed film starred Stephen Rea in 'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. 'The Quarry' followed in 1998, with 'Sounds of Sand', 'Black Ocean', 'Tenderness' and 'Upstream' being her final directorial outing in 2016. She also Co-Produced, and Wrote these five films and all up garnered seven award wins and another nine nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. She continued producing feature films and documentaries right up until this year with her final work being 'Matisse voyageur, en quete de lumiere' about how the many voyages of famed French artist Henri Matisse influenced his artistic vision.

* Mel Winkler - born 23rd October 1941, died 11th June 2020, aged 78. Winkler was an American Actor and voice Actor of film, television and video games who appeared mostly in minor live action roles but is perhaps best known for adding his voice talents to five 'Crash Bandicoot' video games between 1998 and 2004, as Lucius Fox on four episodes of the animated series 'The New Batman Adventures' and on seventeen episodes of the animated series as Johnny the Snowman on 'Oswald'. His screen acting career, comprising of 63 credits, launched on  68 episodes of 'The Doctors' between 1969 and 1970, with big screen outings on 'Across 110th Street' in 1972, 'All the Right Moves' in 1983 with Tom Cruise, 'Heaven Help Us' in 1985 with Donald Sutherland, 'Doc Hollywood' in 1991 with Michael J. Fox, and 'Convicts' that same year with Robert Duvall, 'Devil in a Blue Dress' with Denzel Washington in 1995, 'City Hall' in 1996 with Al Pacino, 'A Life Less Ordinary' in 1997 with Ewan McGregor, 'Coach Carter' in 2005 with Samuel L. Jackson with 'The Disciple' in 2008 being his final screen role. In the meantime, there were largely one off appearances in TV shows taking in the likes of 'Lois & Clarke : The New Adventures of Superman', 'Star Trek : Voyager', 'Babylon 5', 'The Guardian', 'ER', 'NYPD Blue', 'Numb3rs', 'The Shield' and 'The Unit' amongst others.

* Patrick Poivey - born 18th February 1948, died 16th June 2020, aged 72. Poivey was a French Actor and voice Actor for which he was almost certainly best known, having over dubbed Bruce Willis' voice in French in every movie that star had made from 1988 with 'Sunset' and 'Die Hard' right up until 'Red 2' in 2013. His acting career began in 1980 in the French romantic drama 'Loulou' with Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert and he followed this up over the years with another 48 screen acting credits taking in French short films, feature films, TV series and made for TV movies right up until 2019. His voice dubbing work into French took in 124 credits for the aforementioned Bruce Willis, and the likes of Bill Murray, Mickey Rourke, Jeff Daniels, Tom Cruise, Kevin Costner, Don Johnson and James Belushi on multiple occasions, amongst a raft of other named actors.

* Vera Lynn - born Vera Margaret Welch on 20th Match 1917, died 18th June 2020, aged 103. Lynn was a British singer, songwriter, early Actress and entertainer, whose musical recordings and performances were hugely popular throughout the Second World War. She was widely known as 'the Forces' Sweetheart', and gave outdoor concerts for the British troops serving in Egypt, India and Burma during the war as part of Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The songs most associated with her are 'We'll Meet Again', 'The White Cliffs of Dover', 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square' and 'There'll Always Be an England'. Her screen acting career as brief as it was, began with an uncredited role in 1935's 'A Fire Has Been Arranged' which she followed up with 'We'll Meet Again' in 1943, then 'Rhythm Serenade' that same year, 'One Exciting Night' in 1944, and her final film role being the Danish comedy war film in 1962 'Venus fra Vesto'. Her songs however, have been immortalised on 74 soundtracks of feature films, short films, documentaries and TV series including most notably 'The Wind Cannot Read' in 1958, Stanley Kubrick's 'Dr. Strangelove' in 1964, 'A Safe Place' in 1971, Alan Parker's 'Pink Floyd : The Wall' in 1982, Peter Weir's 'The Year of Living Dangerously' in 1982, Adrian Lyne's 'Lolita' in 1997, Neil Jordan's 'The End of the Affair' in 1999, Guillermo del Toro's 'Hellboy' in 2004, Richard E. Grant's 'Wah-Wah' in 2005, Danny Boyle's 'T2 Trainspotting' in 2017 and 'Kong : Skull Island' also in 2017 amongst numerous others. She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the United Kingdom and the U.S. In 2009, at the age of 92, she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart with the compilation album 'We'll Meet Again: The Very Best of Vera Lynn'. In 2014, she released the collection 'Vera Lynn: National Treasure' and in 2017, she released 'Vera Lynn 100', a compilation album of hits to commemorate her centennial year—it was a #3 hit, making her the first centenarian performer to have a Top 10 album in the charts. Amongst her many accolades she was awarded the War Medal 1939-1945, the Burma Star, the Order of the British Empire, was appointed an Officer of the British Empire by HRH the Queen in the 1969 New Years Honours List, was appointed a Dame of the British Empire by HRH the Queen in the 1975 Birthday Honours List, and made a Member of the Order of Companions of Honour by HRH the Queen 2016 Birthday Honours List. In 2000, Lynn received a 'Spirit of the 20th Century' Award in a nationwide poll in which she won 21% of the vote as the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th Century.

* Ian Holm - born Ian Holm Cuthbert on 12th September 1931, died 19th June 2020, aged 88. Holm was an English Actor of stage, screen and television who amassed 137 screen acting credits to his name in a career spanning seven decades. He also was the recipient of twenty award wins and another 24 nominations including an Academy Award nod for Best Supporting Actor in 1981's 'Chariots of Fire', two Primetime Emmy nominations, four BAFTA nominations and two wins for 'Chariots of Fire' and his breakout feature film debut role in 'The Bofors Gun' in 1968. Among his extensive catalogue of feature films were Richard Attenborough's 'Oh! What a Lovely War' in 1969, Richard Attenborough's 'Young Winston' in 1972, 'Robin and Marian' and 'Shout at the Devil' both in 1976, Ridley Scott's 'Alien' in 1979 as the android Ash, Terry Gilliam's 'Time Bandits' in 1981, 'Greystoke : The Legend of Tarzan, The Lord of the Apes' in 1984, 'Brazil' for Terry Gilliam once again in 1985, 'Henry V' for Kenneth Branagh in 1989, 'Hamlet' for Franco Zeffirelli in 1990, 'Naked Lunch' for David Cronenberg in 1991, 'Frankenstein' for Kenneth Branagh again in 1994 and 'The Madness of King George' that same year, 'Night Falls on Manhattan' for Sidney Lumet in 1996, 'The Fifth Element' in 1997 for Luc Besson and 'A Life Less Ordinary' for Danny Boyle also that year, 'eXistenZ' for David Cronenberg again in 1999, then his role as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's epic sagas 'The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring' in 2001, 'The Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King' in 2003, 'The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey' in 2012, and his film screen outing 'The Hobbit : The Battle of the Five Armies' in 2014. In the meantime there was also Zach Braff's 'Garden State', Roland Emmerich's 'The Day After Tomorrow' and Martin Scorsese's 'The Aviator' all in 2004, then 'Lord of War' and the Pixar animated 'Ratatouille' to which he lent his voice talents. For his stage roles Holm also received the 1967 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for his performance as Lenny in 'The Homecoming' and the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in the title role of 'King Lear'. In 1989 he was honoured by HRH the Queen in her Birthday Honours List as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) and in 1998 he was further honoured by HRH the Queen as a Knight Bachelor of the British Empire (KBE).

* Joel Schumacher - born 29th August 1939, died 22nd June 2020, aged 80. Schumacher was an American film and occasional television series Director, Writer, Producer and early on his career a Costume Designer also. His career as a film maker began in 1974 with a made for TV movie 'Virginia Hill' and continued for the next five decades amassing 35 screen Directing credits, twelve as a Writer, nine as a Producer and six as a Costume Designer. He also accumulated nine award wins and a further nine nominations from around the awards and festivals circuit. His feature film debut came in 1981 with 'The Incredible Shrinking Woman' with Lily Tomlin and Charles Grodin, and he followed this up with the hugely successful 'Brat Pack' movies 'St. Elmo's Fire' in 1985 with Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, Andi MacDowell and Ally Sheedy and then 'The Lost Boys' in 1987 with Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Alex Winter and Dianne Wiest. 'Flatliners' followed in 1990 with Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, Oliver Platt, and William Baldwin before 'Falling Down' in 1993 with Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall, then the first of two John Grisham adaptations with 'The Client' in 1994 with Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon and 'A Time to Kill' in 1996 with Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, Donald and Kiefer Sutherland, Sandra Bullock, Oliver Platt and Kevin Spacey. Then came the first of his two 'Batman' instalments with 1995's hugely successful 'Batman Forever' in which he replaced Michael Keaton as the caped crusader with Val Kilmer, and then the disastrous 'Batman & Robin' in 1997 in which he replaced Val Kilmer with George Clooney. After this there was '8MM' in 1999 with Nicolas Cage, 'Tigerland' in 2000 with Colin Farrell, 'Bad Company' in 2002 with Anthony Hopkins, 'Phone Booth' that same year with Colin Farrell, 'Veronica Guerin' in 2003 with Cate Blanchett, 'The Phantom of the Opera' in 2004 with Gerard Butler, 'The Number 23' in 2007 with Jim Carey, 'Blood Creek' in 2009 with Henry Cavill with 'Trespass' in 2011 with Nicolas Cage being his last film making outing. In the meantime, he also Directed music videos for INXS, Seal, Lenny Kravitz, The Smashing Pumpkins and The Killing Floor and Directed two episodes in 2013 of 'The House of Cards'. Schumacher is credited with advancing the careers of Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland and Matthew McConaughey especially.

* Steve Bing - born Stephen Leo Bing on 31st March 1965, and died on 22nd June 2020, aged 55. Bing was an American businessman, film Producer and Writer, and philanthropist. He was one of the founders of Shangri-La Entertainment who financed and produced a number of feature films and documentaries from 2001 onward. This included the financing of 'Polar Express' and 'Beowulf', and production credits on the likes of 'Get Carter' in 2000 with Sylvester Stallone, 'Night at the Golden Eagle' in 2001, 'The Big Bounce' in 2004 with Owen Wilson, 'Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World' with Albert Brooks, 'Youth in Revolt' in 2009 with Michael Cera, 'Girl Walks into a Bar' with Carla Gugino,  'Hotel Noir' with Rufus Sewell, 'Rock the Kasbah' with Bill Murray and 'Rules Don't Apply' with Warren Beatty most recently in 2016. In the meantime there were also several music documentaries taking in the likes of 'Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars' in 2005, 'CSNY/Deja Vu' charting the Crosby Stills Nash & Young 'Freedom of Speech Tour' in 2008, 'Shine a Light' as Directed by Martin Scorsese with an in depth account of The Rolling Stones 'A Bigger Bang' Tour, 'Marley' in 2012 exploring the life, the music and the legacy of Bob Marley, and currently filming for a 2021 release is a Jerry Lee Lewis documentary feature. Bing also wrote the characters for 'Missing in Action' in 1984, wrote the story for its sequel in 1985 'Missing in Action 2 : The Beginning' and was also credited for the characters in the third instalment in 1988 with 'Braddock : Missing in Action III'. His only Directing credit, together with a writer and producer credit was on 1994's 'Every Breath' with Judd Nelson and he also wrote the screenplay and the story for 'Kangaroo Jack' in 2003. At the age of eighteen Bing inherited US$600M from his grandfather - a New York real estate developer who amassed his fortune in the city in the 1920's. In 2012, Bing committed to join 'The Giving Pledge', set up by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and willingly donated the majority of his wealth to the charity, after giving substantial sums to the Democratic Party and a number of its higher ranking candidates and to the William J. Clinton Foundation amongst other noteworthy and newsworthy causes that he believed in.

* Michael Falzon - born 16th May 1972, died 23rd June 2020, aged 48. Falzon was an Australian musical theatre/rock tenor, Actor, and Producer, who ran his own Production Company, Good Egg Creative. He was chiefly known for his roles in the stage rock musicals 'We Will Rock You', 'Rock of Ages', and 'Hedwig and The Angry Inch' and to arena performances in 'Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'. His film and TV credits, of which there were only eight, launched with the made for television movie 'The Pirates of Penzance' in 1994, followed by another made for TV movie 'H.M.S. Pinafore' in 1997, before the straight to video 49 minute short film 'Computer Boy' - a parody on 'The Matrix', in which Falzon channels Keanu Reeves as Neo garnering him the Best Actor Award at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival in 2000. In 2003 he starred in 'Ned' - the Aussie action comedy western based on the life of the infamous Ned Kelly, then three episodes on 'Blue Heelers' before the cinematic release of the acclaimed stage show ''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds Alive on Stage! The New Generation' in 2013. Then there was four episodes on 'The Wright Way', closing out his film and TV career with the feature film 'Down Under' in 2016. His other stage roles included 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat', 'Chess', 'Jesus Christ Superstar', 'Evita' and 'Sweeney Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'.

* Taryn Power - born 13th September 1953, died 26th June 2020, aged 66. Power was an occasional American Actress and one of two daughters born to Hollywood Actors Tyrone Power and Linda Christian, both at their peak in the 1940's and '50's. Of her total eleven screen acting credits, nine of these were in feature films taking in her screen debut in the title role in the 1972 film 'Maria', followed by the made for TV movie 'The Count of Monte-Cristo' in 1975 with Richard Chamberlain, Tony Curtis, Donald Pleasance and Trevor Howard, 'House of Pleasure for Women' in 1976, 'Tracks' that same year with Dennis Hopper and Dean Stockwell, 'Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger' in 1977, 'The Sea Serpent' in 1985, and 'Eating' in 1990 which was to be her final film and television appearance until returning to the big screen with 'On My Shoulders' due for a release in September of this year. Her parents divorced in 1956, so her mother took Taryn and her elder sister Romina to live all around the world, mainly spending their childhoods in Italy and Spain, with her father dying of a massive heart attack in 1958 when she was just five years of age.

* Stuart Cornfeld - born 13th November 1952, died 26th June 2020, aged 67. Cornfeld was an American film Producer and occasional Actor and business partner of Ben Stiller in the Production Company Red Hour Productions. With forty-one Producer credits and nine acting credits to his name, his career in film production began in 1980 with the Anne Bancroft Directed, Written and starring 'Fatso'. From here he went on to Produce the likes of 'The Fly' in 1986, 'Kafka' in 1991, 'Zoolander' in 2001, 'Duplex' in 2003, 'Starsky & Hutch' in 2004, 'Dodgeball : A True Underdog Story' also in 2004, 'Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny' in 2006 with these latter five films all starring Ben Stiller, then 'Blades of Glory' in 2007, 'The Ruins' in 2008 and 'Tropic Thunder' with Ben Stiller again also in 2008, 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' with Ben Stiller also in 2013 and then 'Zoolander 2' in 2016 with Ben Stiller once more and 2017's 'The Polka King' being his last feature film credit. In the meantime he acted as Executive Producer on a number of TV shows including on ten episodes of 'The Birthday Boys', on ten episodes of 'Next Time on Lonny', on ten episodes of 'Big Time in Hollywood, FL', on 24 episodes of 'The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail' and on 32 episodes of 'Another Period'. He also had small acting roles in 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High', 'Darkman', 'Loser', 'Old School', 'The TV Set' and 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'.

* Kelly Asbury - born 15th January 1960, died 26th June 2020, aged 60. Asbury was an American film Director, Screenwriter, voice Actor, storyboard artist and published author. During his career he accumulated five Directing credits, four writing credits, six acting credits and a further twenty-two credits as storyboard artist, character designer and visual development artist. His Directing credits launched in 2002 with 'Spirit : Stallion of the Cimarron' and then 2004's 'Shrek 2', 2011's 'Gnomeo & Juliet', 2017's 'Smurfs : The Lost Village' and 2019's 'Ugly Dolls'. He lent his voice talents to multiple characters on 'Shrek 2', 'Shrek the Third', 'Gnomeo & Juliet', 'Smurfs : The Lost Village', 'Sherlock Gnomes' and 'Ugly Dolls'. His works in animation and art departments took in over the years the likes of 'The Black Cauldron', 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Rescuers Down Under', 'Toy Story', 'Chicken Run', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', 'James and the Giant Peach', 'The Prince of Egypt', 'Kung Fu Panda', 'Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa', 'Wreck-It Ralph', 'Frozen' and 'The Addams Family' most recently. He was also the author and illustrator of twelve published children's books and in 2003 he released a non-fiction book 'Dummy Days' charting the life and times of five of the 20th Century's most famed ventriloquists - a life long passion of his. He garnered two award wins and a further ten nominations including three Annie Award nods, two Cannes Film Festival nods, a Hugo Award nod and a win at the Hollywood Film Awards for 'Shrek 2'.

* Louis Mahoney - born Louis Felix Danner Mahoney on 8th September 1938, died 28th June 2020, aged 81. Mahoney was a Gambian born British Actor who relocated to England in the late 1950's to study to become a doctor but abandoned those thoughts for attending drama school in the 1970's. He accrued ninety-six screen acting credits to his name in a career spanning six decades which launched in 1962 with an appearance on the TV series 'Sword in the Web', followed by an uncredited role in the feature film 'Guns at Batasi' in 1964. His other film appearances included 'Curse of the Voodoo', 'The Plague of the Zombies', 'Slave Girls', 'Praise Marx and Pass the Ammunition', then an uncredited role in Roger Moore's debut as James Bond in 1974's 'Live and Let Die', 'The Final Conflict' in 1981, 'Amin : The Rise and Fall' also that same year, Richard Attenborough's 'Cry Freedom' in 1987 with Denzel Washington, and 'White Mischief' also that year, 'Shooting Dogs' in 2005, 'Captain Phillips' in 2013 for Paul Greengrass and with Tom Hanks his final feature film role. In the intervening years there were numerous appearances on British TV series including 'Danger Man', 'Dixon of Dock Green', 'Jason King', 'Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?', 'Z Cars', 'Doctor Who', 'Fawlty Towers', 'Crown Court', 'General Hospital', 'The Professionals', 'The Lenny Henry Show', 'Yes, Prime Minister', 'The Bill', 'Waking the Dead', 'River', 'Holby City' and 'The Split' most recently this year. Mahoney was an anti-racist activist and long-time campaigner for racial equality within the acting profession. He represented African-Asian members on the Council of the Actors' Union, Equity, becoming Vice President between 1994 and 1996.

* Carl Reiner - born 20th March 1922, died 29th June 2020, aged 98. Reiner was an American Comedian, Actor, Producer, Director and Screenwriter whose career spanned eight decades, amassing  one hundred credits as an Actor, twelve as a Producer, twenty-one as Director and twenty-five as a Writer. In total he won twenty-one awards and a further eighteen nominations including nine Primetime Emmy wins and a further seven nods. His acting career began in 1948 in the TV series 'The Fashion Story' which he followed up with intermittent appearances on 'Playhouse' TV productions during the 1950's. His career really took off in the '60's with his first two big screen roles coming in 1959 with 'Happy Anniversary' with David Niven and then  'The Gazebo' with Glenn Ford. He followed this up with roles in 'The Thrill of It All' in 1963 with Doris Day and 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World' that same year. Then there was 'The Comic' in 1969 with Dick Van Dyke, 'The Jerk' in 1979 with Steve Martin, 'Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid' in 1982 with Steve Martin again, 'The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle' in 2000, 'The Majestic' in 2001 with Jim Carey, then 'Ocean's Eleven', 'Ocean's Twelve' and 'Ocean's Thirteen' in 2001, 2004 and 2007 respectively, 'Toy Story 4' in 2019 and 'Saddle Up' that was in pre-production at the time of his death. In the meantime there were numerous regular and infrequent appearances on TV shows including on thirty-two episodes of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' between 1961 and 1966, on thirteen episodes of 'Good Heavens' in 1976, 'Frasier', 'Mad About You', 'Crossing Jordan', 'Ally McBeal', 'Boston Legal', 'House M.D.', 'Two and a Half Men', 'Hot in Cleveland' as well as lending his voice talents on 'King of the Hill', 'Father of the Pride', 'American Dad!', 'Jake and the Never Land Pirates' and 'Family Guy'. His Directing credits included his debut 'Enter Laughing' in 1967, then 'The Comic', 'Oh, God!', 'The One and Only', 'The Jerk', 'Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid', 'The Man with Two Brains', 'All of Me', 'Summer Rental', 'Summer School', 'Sibling Rivalry' and 'That Old Feeling' in 1997 being his final film making gig. He acted as Producer on 148 episodes of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and on six of 'The New Dick Van Dyke Show' and was also the creator/writer of multiple shows for Dick Van Dyke along the way. Carl Reiner was the father of acclaimed film and television Actor, Director, Producer and Writer Rob Reiner.

* Dan Hicks - born 19th July 1951, died 30th June 2020, aged 68. Hicks was an American Actor who accumulated thirty-six acting credits to his name in a career that kicked off in 1987 in Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead II', followed by 'Maniac Cop', 'Intruder', and then for Sam Raimi again in 1990's 'Darkman' with Liam Neeson. 'Wishmaster' came after with a bit part in Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man 2' in 2004 with Tobey Maguire playing the young webslinger, 'My Name Is Bruce' Directed and starring his former Co-Star from 'Evil Dead 2' Bruce Campbell, 'Porkchop' and its not to be missed follow up 'Porkchop 3D', 'Oz the Great and Powerful' for Sam Raimi again in 2013, 'Elder Island' and 'Blood Hunter' most recently. He also acted as Associate Producer (his only Producer credit) and starred in the 2018 horror action comedy offering 'Dick Johnson & Tommygun vs. The Cannibal Cop : Based on a True Story'. Hicks also appeared in a number of short horror, drama and comedy films over the years.

Fifteen deaths reported this month from the film and television community at large, and that community is just a little bit poorer as a result. As some governments the world over ease their COVID-19 restrictions, while others are enforcing another stage of lockdowns because of a second spike in cases, remember the basic principles still being advocated - maintain a safe distance, and hand hygiene especially - together we can all beat this thing. Stay safe and remain healthy.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Wednesday, 18 September 2019

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 19th September 2019.

The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was this year held from 5th to 15th September. Starting out in 1976 as a collection of films from other festivals — a 'festival of festivals' if you will, the Toronto International Film Festival has gone on to become one of the worlds most beloved cinematic events, universally regarded as an ideal platform for filmmakers to launch their careers and to premiere their latest works. The Festival has been described as 'the most important film festival in the world — the largest, the most influential, the most inclusive'.

The opening gala was announced as the Canadian documentary film 'Once Were Brothers : Robbie Robertson and The Band', Directed and Co-Edited by Daniel Roher, with the festivals closing night film being the screening of the biographical film 'Radioactive', Directed by Marjane Satrapi and starring Rosamund Pike, Sam Riley and Anya Taylor-Joy. In addition to its regular film awards, the festival announced prior to commencement that Meryl Streep will be the inaugural recipient of the TIFF Tribute Actor Award, a new lifetime achievement award to honour distinguished work in film acting. Congratulations Meryl.

This years top awards in the final analysis, from the plethora of international and Canadian films being showcased, were as follows :

People's Choice Award (the film rated as the year's most popular film with festival audiences)
* 'JOJO RABBIT' - this American black comedy is Directed, Co-Produced, Written for the Screen and starring by Taika Waititi, with Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant and Alfie Allen.
People's Choice Awards - First and Second Runner's Up
* 'MARRIAGE STORY' - this American comedy drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Noah Baumbach, and, 'PARASITE' is a South Korean black comedy thriller Directed and Co-Written by Bong Joon-ho respectively.

People's Choice Award - Documentary (film rated as the year's most popular documentary film with festival audiences)
* 'THE CAVE' - this Syrian Danish Co-Production is Directed and Co-Written by Feras Fayyad.
People's Choice Award - Documentary - First and Second Runner's Up
* 'I AM NOT ALONE' - this Armenian and American Co-Production is Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Gavin Hovannisian, and, 'DADS' an American documentary Directed and Co-Produced by Bryce Dallas Howard and her father Ron Howard respectively.

People's Choice Award - Midnight Madness (the film rated as the year's most popular film in the festival's 'Midnight Madness' stream of underground and cult films)
* 'THE PLATFORM' - this Spanish satirical science fiction film is Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.
People's Choice Award - Midnight Madness - First and Second Runner's Up
* 'THE VAST OF NIGHT' - this American fantasy Sci-Fi thriller is Directed by Andrew Patterson, and, 'BLOOD QUANTUM' is a Canadian horror film Directed and Written by Jeff Barnaby respectively.

Platform Prize (awarded to films of 'high artistic merit that also demonstrate a strong Directorial vision')
* 'MARTIN EDEN' - this Italian and French Co-Produced historical romantic drama film is Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written for the Screen by Pietro Marcello.
Platform Prize - Honourable Mentions
* 'ANNE AT 13,000 FT.' - is a Canadian drama film Directed, Co-Produced and Written by Kazik Radwanski, and, 'PROXIMA' a French drama film Directed and Co-Written by Alice Winocour.

Best Canadian Feature Film
* 'ANTIGONE' - is a drama film Directed, Written, lensed and Co-Edited by Sophie Deraspe.
Best Canadian Feature Film - Honourable Mention
* 'THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN' - is a drama film Directed and Written by Elle-Maija Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn. Elle-Maija Tailfeathers also stars.




Best Canadian First Feature Film (awarded to the film judged to be the best Canadian feature film made by a first-time Director)

* 'THE TWENTIETH CENTURY' - is a comedy drama film Directed, Written and Edited by Matthew Rankin.

For more on the winners and grinners from this years Toronto International Film Festival, plus all the latest news in wrapping up the festival line up, visit the official website at : https://www.tiff.net

This week there are six latest release movies coming to your local Odeon, and we kick off with the latest and possibly the last instalment in this all American action thriller franchise that first ventured onto our cinema screens 37 years ago starring our tortured yet very resourceful Vietnam War vet anti-hero as he fights the establishment, drug barons and anyone he considers the enemy using his very particular set of skills. Next up is a Sci-Fi thriller about a daring Astronaut who must travel to the far reaches of the solar system to try and locate his missing father and save all of humankind back on Earth in the process. Then we turn to a comedy offering about three sixth grade best buddies who are invited to a party and seek advice in various forms only to have that backfire on them leaving their friendship fractured. These are followed up by a live action rendition of a popular animated kids television series that sees this adventurous explorer deep in the Peruvian jungle in search of a lost civilisation, and her parents; and then we close out the week with two animated offerings featuring a displaced Yeti and a small band of kids who vow to take him back to his home on top of the world; and finally a town inhabited by various ugly dolls and play things who come across another town where the residents are all near perfect waiting to be shipped out to the children of the world, but can one now exist without the other?

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.

'RAMBO : LAST BLOOD' (Rated R18+) - here we have what is likely to be (judging by the title) the last in the 'Rambo' action thriller film franchise that Actor, Director and Writer Sylvester Stallone has made his own. The franchise launched in 1982 with 'First Blood', then in 1985 with 'Rambo : First Blood Part II', then in 1988 with 'Rambo III' and in 2008 with 'Rambo', with 'Last Blood' marking the fifth instalment. The series of four films so far were made for a combined US$153M and grossed worldwide US$728M and gave rise to an animated television series, comic books, novels, video games and a Bollywood remake. Created by David Morrell in his debut 1972 novel 'First Blood' Stallone has played the title character of John Rambo in all films as a US Army Green Berets veteran who is traumatised by his experience in the Vietnam War, and uses the skills he gained there to fight police, enemy troops, and drug cartels. Stallone Co-Wrote the screenplays of all five films, and Directed 2008's 'Rambo'.

Here in only his second feature film Directing gig, after 'Get the Gringo' with Mel Gibson in 2012, Adrian Grunberg was announced as Director in August 2018 after ten years of to-ing and fro-ing on again off again Writing and Directing false starts. But now we have John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) who travels to Mexico to save his niece Gabrielle (Yvette Monreal) who suddenly has been taken hostage by a sadistic Mexican cartel headed up by Hugo Martinez (Sergio Peris-Mencheta). Paz Vega and Adriana Barraza also star. The film is released in the US this week too.

'AD ASTRA' (Rated M) - this American Sci-Fi adventure offering has so far received universal acclaim following its World Premier screening at the Venice International Film Festival on the 29th August, and was Directed, Written and Co-Produced by James Gray whose previous film making credits include his 1994 debut 'Little Odessa' and then 'The Yards', 'We Own the Night', 'Two Lovers', 'The Immigrant' and 'The Lost City of Z' most recently. Made for circa US$85M and getting its US release this week too, the story here surrounds Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) who travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his lost father, a renegade Scientist, Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) and to ultimately unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of humans on Earth. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and its place in the cosmos. Also starring Donald Sutherland, Liv Tyler, Ruth Negga, LisaGay Hamilton and John Ortiz. Gray described his desire for the film to be 'the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie'.

'GOOD BOYS' (Rated MA15+) - Directed by Ukranian born American first timer Gene Stupnitski and Co-Written by him too with his business partner Lee Eisenberg, this American comedy film saw its World Premier screening at South by Southwest in early March this year, went on general release in the US in mid-August, cost US$20M to bring to the big screen, has so far grossed US$92M and has garnered largely positive Press so far. The film here surrounds three sixth grade student best buddies Max (Jacob Tremblay), Lucas (Keith L. Williams) and Thor (Brady Noon). When Max is invited to his first kissing party, he asks his best friends Lucas and Thor for some much sought after advice on how to pucker up. When they hit a dead end, Max decides to use his Dad's (Will Forte) drone to spy on the teenage Hannah (Molly Gordon) who lives next door. When the boys ditch the drone and it is destroyed, they skip school and hatch a plan to secretly replace it before Max's Dad can learn the truth. But, the truth will out leading to the boys drifting apart before reconciling and promising to be besties forever.

'DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD' (Rated PG) - based on the popular kids television series 'Dora the Explorer' here this live action adventure comedy film is Directed by James Bobin whose previous film making credits include 'The Muppets' in 2011, 'Muppets Most Wanted' in 2014, 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' in 2016 and now this Australian filmed adaptation. Having spent most of her life exploring the Peruvian jungle, nothing could prepare Dora Marquez (Isabelle Moner) for her most dangerous adventure yet - high school in Los Angeles. Accompanied by a ragtag group of teens and Boots the monkey, Dora embarks on a quest to save her parents - father Cole Marquez and mother Elena (Michael Pena and Eva Longoria respectively) while trying to solve the seemingly impossible mystery behind the hidden Incan city of Parapata. Also starring Temuera Morrison, Adriana Barraza, Eugenio Derbez with the voices of Danny Trejo and Benicio del Toro. Released in the US in early August, the film has so far taken US$91M off the back of a US$49M production budget and has generated largely positive Reviews.

'ABOMINABLE' (Rated G) - this computer animated adventure film is an American and Chinese Co-Production between DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio and is Written and Directed by American Animator Jill Culton, whose previous Directing outing was 2006's 'Open Season'. Here teenager Yi (Chloe Bennet) comes across a young Yeti (or Abominable Snowman) on the roof of her apartment building in Shanghai (as you do!). She and her cheeky friends Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai) give him the name 'Everest' and so begins a journey to return the magical creature to his family at the highest point on Earth. But the group of young friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish (Eddie Izzard), a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) to help get Everest back to his rightful home. The film had its World Premier screening at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, goes on release in the US on 27th September, in the UK on 11th October and here in Australia this week.

'UGLY DOLLS' (Rated G) - here is a computer generated animated musical adventure comedy film Directed by Kelly Asbury and based on a story penned by Robert Rodriguez. Asbury's previous Directing credits include 'Spirit : Stallion of the Cimarron', 'Shrek 2', 'Gnomeo & Juliet' and 'Smurfs : The Lost Village' most recently. In the adorably cute and somewhat different town of Uglyville, weirdness is lauded, strangeness is celebrated and beauty is embraced as being more than skin deep. After travelling to the other side of a mountain, Moxy (Kelly Clarkson) and her Ugly Doll friends discover the town of Perfection, where more conventional dolls receive training before embarking out into the real world to find the love of a child. Soon, the Ugly Dolls learn what it means to be different and ultimately coming to the realisation that they don't have to be perfect to be amazing. Also starring the voice talents of Janelle Monae, Pitbull, Charli XCX, Ice-T, Jane Lynch, Emma Roberts and Nick Jonas, the film saw its release Stateside in early May, in the UK in mid-August, cost circa US$50M to make, has so far grossed US$28M and has met with mostly unfavourable Reviews.

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-