ANT-MAN AND THE WASP : QUANTUMANIA - Tuesday 21st February 2023.

I saw 'ANT-MAN AND THE WASP : QUANTUMANIA' this week, and this M-Rated American superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics characters of Scott Lang (aka Ant-Man) and Hope van Dyne (aka The Wasp) and is the direct sequel to 2015's 'Ant-Man' and 2018's 'Ant-Man and The Wasp', is the 31st entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the lunching film of Phase Five of the MCU. As with the two previous films, Peyton Reed returns as Director for this third instalment. The film saw its Premier screening in Los Angeles on the 6th February, before its worldwide release last week, having gained mixed Reviews from critics, although it has so far earned US$288M off the back of a production budget of US$200M, making it the third highest grossing film of 2023 so far. 

The film begins with the back story of Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) trapped for some thirty years in the Quantum Realm, where one day she encounters Kang (Jonathan Majors) an exiled traveller who crash lands his craft, and who explains that they can both escape from the Realm if she helps him repair the Multiversal Power Core that is necessary for him to leave and for Janet to return to Earth to be reunited with her daughter. After many attempts to repair it have failed they one day have success but as Janet plugs in the power core she sees a vision of Kang conquering and destroying entire timelines. Kang reveals he was exiled by his own variants out of fear, which leads Janet to turn on him. Outmatched, Janet uses her Pym Particles to enlarge the Power Core and therefore render it useless.

Back in the present day and following the Battle of Earth, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has become a successful memoirist having penned a best selling autobiography titled 'Look Out For The Little Guy' which charts his adventures with The Avengers, and has been living happily with his girlfriend, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). Scott's now-teenage daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) has become a political activist, resulting in her doing jail time before being bailed out by her father. While visiting Hope's parents, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet, Cassie reveals that she has been working on a mechanism that can establish a link to the Quantum Realm. 

When demonstrating how the device works, Janet panics and shuts it down, but contact had already been established so opening up a portal which sucks Janet, Hank, Cassie, Hope and Scott down into the Quantum Realm. Scott and Cassie land together and are found by natives who are rebelling against their ruler, while Hope, Janet, and Hank land in close proximity elsewhere and set off to a sprawling city to find Scott and Cassie. 

Hope, Janet, and Hank meet with Lord Krylar (Bill Murray), a former close friend of Janet's, who explains that things have changed since she left, and that he now answers to Kang, who is now the Realm's ruler. The three are forced to flee and steal Krylar's ship. The Langs, meanwhile, are told by rebel leader Jentorra (Katy O'Brian) that Janet's involvement with Kang is indirectly responsible for his rise to power. The rebels soon come under attack by Kang's forces led by M.O.D.O.K. (Mechanised Organism Designed Only for Killing), who is revealed to be Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), having survived his apparent death at Scott's hands when he was unevenly shrunken to subatomic size in the Quantum Realm and became a mutated, cybernetically enhanced individual with an oversized head. 

Scott and Cassie are taken to Kang, who has them detained in cells. He demands that Scott helps get his power core back and restore it to its normal workable size or else he will kill Cassie. Scott is taken to the core's location and shrinks down. Once inside he is overwhelmed by a mass of variants of himself, but Hope arrives and helps him gain the power core and using several Pym Particles reduces it in size. Kang, surprise surprise, reneges on his deal with Scott, and captures Janet and destroys her ship with Hank on it. 

After being rescued by his ants, who were also pulled into the Quantum Realm, they evolved rapidly, and became hyper-intelligent, Hank helps Scott and Hope as they make their way to Kang, aided in vast numbers by an army of ants, and Scott who has grown to an enormous size that he towers over Kang's domain. Cassie rescues Jentorra and they begin an offensive uprising against Kang and his army. During the fight, Cassie convinces Cross to turn sides and fight Kang, though he sacrifices his own life in the process.

Janet is able to fix the power core as she, Hank, Hope, and Cassie jump through a portal home, but Kang appears before Scott is able to make the jump and attacks him nearly beating him into submission. Hope returns and, together with Scott, destroy the power core and knock Kang into it, causing him to be pulled into oblivion. Cassie reopens the portal at her end for Scott and Hope to return home. As Scott happily resumes his life, he begins to rethink what he was told about Kang's death being the start of something terrible happening, but quickly dismisses the notion as he joins the family to celebrate Cassie's unbirthday at a restaurant, making up for all her birthday's that Scott missed. Remember to remain in your seat for the customary mid-credits and end credits sequences. 

'Ant-Man and The Wasp : Quantumania' is everything you have come to expect from a big budget, big spectacle MCU offering, with its heavy handed use of CGI to build a world and all the fantastical creatures and structures contained within it, to its use of A-list acting talent to give the film gravitas, to the introduction of a new cosmic villain that we are likely to see across multiple MCU films into the future in Kang the Conqueror all wrapped up with Scott Lang's quirky and not too serious take on his world and his new found place as an Avenger. All of that said, there is so much seemingly endless spectacle on screen here, that at times it's difficult to keep track of exactly what is going on. The story is also pedestrian and predictable and the plot is thin on the ground and seems to serve no other purpose than to introduce us to a new super villain and establish the next phase of the MCU. However, at a lean 123 minutes running time it doesn't outstay its welcome.

'Ant-Man and The Wasp : Quantumania' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP : Tuesday 10th July 2018.

'ANT-MAN AND THE WASP' which I saw this week keeps the Marvel machine grinding forever onwards churning out superhero fare for us to spend our $20 or so on at the local multiplex. And so it is too with this sequel to 2015's 'Ant-Man', which off the back of a US$110M Budget grossed US$520M at the global Box Office, was generally well received by Critics and audiences alike, and picked up three award wins and another 33 nominations from around the circuit. This 20th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Directed by Peyton Reed once again, who came on board one month after the release of the first instalment. This film was released in the US last week too, but not in the UK until early August. Paul Rudd, who plays Ant-Man/Scott Lang also takes a Co-Writer credit this time around. The film cost US$162M to make, has so far grossed US$185M and has been generally well received. This is the first MCU film to have the name of a female Superhero protagonist in its title . . . . about time methinks!

Set two years following the events that unfolded with 'Captain America : Civil War' and prior to the events that came to pass just recently in 'Avengers : Infinity War' and now under house arrest (explaining his absence from 'Avengers : Infinity War') Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) struggles with balancing his choices as both a father to young Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson) and a responsible superhero. Having had to put his mantle of 'Ant-Man' on ice for the last two years for being caught in the middle of the Avengers fight which was in violation of the Sokovia Accords, Lang is now only three days away from being able to step foot outside his own home. He has been patient, compliant and responsible, while Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her father Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) - a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, entomologist, and physicist who became the original Ant-Man way back when, have gone underground, are also in hiding and have cut all ties these past years with Lang.

Then one day, Hope and Pym are able to open a portal through to the Quantum Realm where Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) was lost back in 1987, has not been seen since and is presumed dead. At that same precise moment Lang has a vision of Janet with whom he became entangled when he himself was in the Quantum Realm two years earlier and from which he was able to successfully return. Lang calls Pym for the first time in two years to explain his vision, but gets Hank's voicemail. A short time later Hope kidnaps Lang, miniaturises them and sets a decoy back at his house so as not to arouse suspicion by the FBI Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) that he has broken the terms of his house arrest.

Pym believes that Lang's vision was a message that Janet is still alive, albeit trapped within the Quantum Realm. Needing a piece of hi-tech equipment to create a stable tunnel through which to access the Quantum Realm, Hope meets with her 'supplier' - a black market arms trader named Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins). But Burch has other plans for Hope when he realises the potential of what she is working on, and he wants in on the action. A fight breaks out between Hope, who by now has assumed the powers of her alter-ego 'The Wasp' and is able to thwart Burch and his goons, but not so with a mysterious figure come to be known as 'Ghost' (Hannah John-Kamen) for her power to be able to travel through solid matter.

In the fracas Ghost escapes with Pym's miniaturised laboratory causing him, Hope and Lang to visit the one man they think can help them retrieve it - Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburn), a former partner of Pym's but they fell out decades before and had not spoken in thirty years. Reluctantly, Foster helps Pym locate his lost laboratory at Ghosts place of residence. Gaining entry Ghost is able to easily overpower the threesome and reveals that her name is Ava Starr and she has suffered from molecular instability since she was a child when her father, also a former partner of Pym's, died in an explosion with her mother too, while conducting a Quantum experiment which resulted in Ava's unstable condition. Foster reveals that his is in cahoots with Ava and is in fact her guardian, and is determined to make Ava better by harnessing Janet's Quantum energy. But Pym will have none of this as he believes that this would kill Janet, and so they escape with the aid of some giants ants.

With their laboratory back Pym and Hope resume their plan to fire up the tunnel. They are able to contact Janet through Lang, who gives them detailed coordinates with which to locate her in the Quantum Realm. But time is of the essence and they only have a limited window of two hours before the opportunity is lost for a century or so. Burch meanwhile has reassembled his gang of goons and through Lang's security company 'X-Cons' and his partners Luis (Michael Pena), Dave (Tip 'T'.I.' Harris) and Kurt (David Dastmalchian) are able to locate Pym's lab. Burch calls an FBI Agent he has on the payroll, who in turns contacts Woo and alerts them to Lang's presence while supposedly under house arrest. Lang hot foots it back to his house just in time for Woo to walk in expecting to catch him out - but not so. However, with Ant-Man indisposed, the FBI converge on Pym's lab and arrest him and Hope leaving Ghost to once again steal the miniaturised lab.

Lang let off the hook by Woo, is able to come to the rescue of Pym and Hope and help them escape custody, and they locate the lab in a well executed and at times completely over the top car chase sequence through the streets of San Francisco as Ant-Man goes from being very little to very large. Lang and Hope divert Ava while Pym enters the Quantum Realm to retrieve Janet. Luis, Dave, and Kurt help apprehend Burch, so Lang and Hope can stop Ava who has already begun sapping Janet of her energy. Pym and Janet arrive back safe from the Quantum Realm, and Janet voluntarily grants some of her energy to Ava to temporarily stabilise her.

Lang returns home once again, just in time for a now suspicious Woo to unbuckle his ankle bracelet at the end of his house arrest period. Ava and Foster go into hiding, with Foster vowing to find a cure for her. Wait for the mid-credits sequence, which brings us right up to date, and naturally Stan Lee's obligatory laugh out loud one liner cameo.

It's good to see some levity arriving in the MCU in the form of 'Ant-Man and The Wasp' after the more depressing and distressing 'Captain America : Civil War' and 'Avengers : Infinity War' episodes. Here the more light handed approach works well with the storyline that is not overly complicated and delivers just the right amount of humour to keep it grounded. The action set pieces are well executed and work best when Ant-Man and The Wasp are reduced down to their insect size or conversely Ant-Man grows to be a towering giant of some sixty feet. Both Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly have settled well into their roles and despite their occasional verbal sparring, feel comfortable around each other and with their gifted super powers. Michelle Pfeiffer's role is a little under cooked, and Walton Goggins is half baked, but these are minor criticisms of a worthy and respectable sequel that is fast paced, good humoured, light hearted and still packs a punch.

'Ant-Man and The Wasp' merits four claps of the clapperboard, from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

'WALL STREET : MONEY NEVER SLEEPS' : archive from 26th October 2010.

'WALL STREET : MONEY NEVER SLEEPS' - is the sequel to Oliver Stone's 1987 classic 'Wall Street' which was made for just US$15M, made US$44M, snagged its lead star Michael Douglas the Best Actor Academy Award, and co-starred a who's who of acting talent including Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, Daryl Hannah, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Terence Stamp, Sean Young and John C. McGinley. It beautifully captured the excesses of the mid 80's finance power brokers, the traders, the movers and shakers up and down Wall Street and in particular one Gordon Gekko (Douglas) who muttered those immortal lines 'greed is good'.

Fast forward to 2010 and we now have a fitting follow up to that 1987 classic retaining many of the original elements - sharp dialogue, sharper suits and Gordon Gekko still at his razor sharpest and reprised by Michael Douglas. With Oliver Stone once again Directing, this film was made for US$70M and brought home US$135M but in the process divided audiences and the critics.

This film opens in 2001 and Gordon Gekko is being released from prison having served eight years for insider trading and fraud. Fast forward to 2008 and Gekko releases his book 'Is Greed Good' which foretells of a global economic downturn, which as we all know hit in October of that year. When the brown sticky smelly stuff hits the fan a number of top finance institutions go into meltdown - including the one where Louis Zabel (Frank Langella) is MD, who promptly throws himself in front of a train. At this same company works Jacob Moore (Shia LaBeouf) who is a successful trader, and he just happens to be dating the estranged daughter of Gordon Gekko  - Winnie (Carey Mulligan), and financially supporting his mothers (Susan Sarandon) fledgling Real Estate business. Meanwhile Bretton James (Josh Brolin) who heads up another rival Wall Street institution is up to no good profiting from the mis-fortunes of his rivals and who now find themselves in strife, or have done so in  the past . . . including Louis Zabel.

From here paths cross and double cross, deals rise and fall and huge sums of money change hands as each seek to get the upper hand and discredit the other. Charlie Sheen makes a reappearance as Bud Fox from the original film, and Josh Brolin chews up the screen as the uber successful & evil man of Wall Street. Michael Douglas recaptures his cut & thrust, his wheeling & dealing and his smooth suited & booted smiling financial assassin who comes good in the end, and ends up back on top having fallen from grace 15 or so years earlier.

I enjoyed this slice of Oliver Stone Wall Street nostalgia, and whilst hardly an essential sequel it was/is a good watch nonetheless with once again a strong cast that includes too Eli Wallach in his final role before his passing in 2014, Jason Clarke and Oliver Stone himself in his usual cameo appearance. Rent it on DVD or BluRay or download it, but catch the 1987 first instalment before you do so that you grasp the origin story and the continuity . . . as well as the wide lapels, fat ties and big hair!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

'ANT-MAN' : Monday 20th July 2015.

I like a Marvel film, and so I saw the latest offering in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the just released 'ANT-MAN' earlier this week. Introducing us to a not seen before comic book hero but referencing many a character from the MCU that we have come to know and love, this film stands alone from the eleven films that have gone before but ties in to those that we have so far followed, and it does so well. Made for US$130M and at the time of writing has brought in US$120M this film has been a long time in gestation having been in development since early 2006 when Edgar Wright was hired to write a script with Joe Cornish. Fast forward to late 2013 and the film went finally into pre-production with Edgar Wright Directing and Paul Rudd set to play Scott Lang (aka Ant-Man). By May 2014 Edgar Wright had left the Director's chair citing creative differences with the Studio. The next month Peyton Reed was introduced as the new Director, with Wright & Cornish still gaining a storyline and screenplay credit.

The film opens in 1989 when a young Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) quits S.H.I.E.L.D. as Howard Stark (John Slattery) makes attempts to replicate his Ant-Man shrinking technology for other means. Vowing to keep his technology a secret until his dying day we fast forward to the present day and Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), a former protege of Pym has forced him out of his own company with designs on finalising his own shrinking technology - and it seems that Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Pym's estranged daughter, is part of Cross' grand plan to militarise the technology.

Meanwhile Scott Lang is about to be released from a stint in San Quentin prison where he served time for robbery. His ex-wife Maggie (Judy Greer) and young daughter now live with Paxton (Bobby Cannavale), a police officer, who are both reluctant to let Lang access to his daughter until he gets a home, gets a job, gets a life and gets the means to support his young daughter. Trying to get on the straight and narrow and leave his cat burgling life behind, after a string of failed jobs in his wake he agrees to a home robbery that should be an easy bust. But of course it's not, and this 'robbery' is in fact a set-up by Hank Pym to snare Lang for his own means, and whom he has been watching for sometime now. During the household heist however, Lang recovers what looks like an old motorcycle suit & helmet.

Back home, Lang out of curiosity tries on the suit, presses a few buttons and in an instant is shrunken to the size of an insect. What follows is a montage of a tiny Scott Lang battling all the elements of a suddenly very big world - getting trampled underfoot, washed down a drain, and other terrifying larger than life experiences that he would rather forget. These effects by the way are handled very well with just the right amount of humour to add levity to the action, and create a degree of realism to the new world that Lang is confronted with.

This in turn leads to Lang's introduction to Pym, at which he is given the low-down on the shrinking suit, the ins & outs of the technology, the do's and dont's of the outfit, and what it is that Pym wants of Lang. The bottom line is that Darren Cross is developing his own shrinking technology and is inching ever closer to perfecting the procedure. Cross has developed a 'yellowjacket' suit which he has weaponised and militarised and is seeking to sell to the highest bidder once his own technology is perfected . . . but for now Pym has the upper hand for a short while longer.

With a sequence of 'training' that is conducted by Pym's not so estranged daughter Hope, who is using her estrangement as a front to win the confidence of Darren Cross, we see the new Ant-Man put through his strength paces, his at will shrinking ability, and his control of the ant kingdom to use as necessary to thwart the enemy foe. When Lang is able to control his new found abilities and his ant colleagues at will, he is given his mission to infiltrate Cross HQ, overpower him, and prevent him from using the 'yellowjacket' suit, but Ant-Man is just too late, leading to the final showdown.

As Ant-Man and Yellowjacket collide in both large and small form with an impressive enough fight sequence coupled with some laugh out loud moments that largely take place around a Thomas the Tank Engine train track, it all comes down to survival of the fittest, fastest and smallest. As good conquers evil, the little guy kicks the big guys ass, and old tech beats new tech so all's well that ends well. As the credit's roll stay seated for the mid-credits scene that help sets up the next instalment and then stay seated until the end credits for The Avengers 'The Falcon' and 'Captain America' leading us into the upcoming 'The Avengers : Civil War' . . . maybe!

Ant-Man is a welcome addition to the Marvel big screen canon and is certainly worth the price of your ticket and worth catching on the big screen.

  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthdays to share this week : 21st - 27th September.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Do you share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer or 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!

Check out too the spotlight on this weeks Birthday Girl who celebrates on 25th September, Catherine Zeta-Jones (on the same day as husband Michael Douglas), at the end of this feature.

Sunday 21st September

• Bill Murray - Born 1950, turns 64 - Actor | Writer
• Stephen King - Born 1947, turns 67 - Writer | Producer | Actor
• Luke Wilson - Born 1971, turns 43 - Actor | Writer | Director
• David Wenham - Born 1965, turns 49 - Actor
• Ethan Coen - Born 1957, turns 57 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Jerry Bruckheimer - Born 1943, turns 71 - Producer

Monday 22nd September

• Nick Cave - Born 1957, turns 57 - Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Scott Baio - Born 1969, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Director

Tuesday 23rd September

• Anthony Mackie - Born 1978, turns 36 - Actor
• Jason Alexander - Born 1959, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director
• John Woo - Born 1946, turns 68 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Alex Proyas - Born 1963, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Bruce Springsteen - Born 1949, turns 65 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Producer

Wednesday 24th September

• Pedro Almodovar - Born 1949, turns 65 - Director | Producer | Actor | Writer | Singer | Songwriter
• Brad Bird - Born 1957, turns 57 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Kevin Sorbo - Born 1958, turns 56 - Actor | Producer

Thursday 25th September

• Catherine Zeta-Jones - Born 1969, turns 45 - Actress
• Michael Douglas - Born 1944, turns 70 - Actor | Producer
• Michael Madsen - Born 1957, turns 57 - Actor | Producer
• Will Smith - Born 1968, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Mark Hamill - Born 1951, turns 63 - Actor | Producer
• Jason Flemyng - Born 1966, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
• Heather Locklear - Born 1961, turns 53 - Actress

Friday 26th September

• Linda Hamilton - Born 1956, turns 58 - Actress
• Jim Caviezel - Born 1968, turns 46 - Actor
• Olivia Newton-John - Born 1948, turns 66 - Actress | Singer

Saturday 27th September

• Gwyneth Paltrow - Born 1972, turns 42 - Actress | Singer
• Denis Lawson - Born 1947, turns 67 - Actor
• Irvine Welsh - Born 1958, turns 56 - Writer | Producer
• Meat Loaf - Born 1947, turns 67 - Singer | Actor

Catherine Jones was born in Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales. She is named after her two Grandmothers - Catherine Fair (on her Mother's side) and Zeta Jones (on her Father's). The young Catherine took an avid interest in entertainment from an early age, and began singing and dancing from aged four. By ten years of age she had secured her first professional acting role in 'Annie', with 'Bugsy Malone' - the stage musical following from ages 11 and 12.

She attended Dumbarton House School in Swansea but chose to leave early at age 15 without completing her O'Levels so as to pursue a career in acting. She moved to London to attend The Arts Educational School in Chiswick studying musical theatre for a three year full-time course. In the meantime, aged 17 she starred in 'The Pyjama Game' which toured throughout the UK, and a year later aged 18 she secured the lead role in the stage revival of '42nd Street'.

Having graduated from The Arts Educational School she travelled to France in 1989 and scored the lead role in her first feature film - the French Directed 'Les 1001 Nuits'. It was however, her role s Mariette in the hugely successful TV Series 'The Darling Buds of May' which ran from 1991-1993 that catapulted her to the attention of the television audience across the nation, and the tabloid press.

During this time she also dabbled with a singing career with several songs that made it inside the UK Top 40. Concurrently, she gained some acting roles in the US appearing in the TV Series 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles' and the 1992 film 'Christopher Columbus : The Discovery'. The mid-90's bought the comedy film 'Splitting Heirs' with John Cleese, Eric Idle and Rick Moranis, the big screen adaptation of the comic book 'The Phantom' with Billy Zane in the title role, the 1995 miniseries 'Catherine the Great' and the 'Titanic' miniseries a year later in 1996.

Steven Spielberg noticed her in 'Titanic' and suggested to Martin Campbell that he should consider her for his upcoming 1998 'The Mask of Zorro' which she did secure alongside fellow Welshman Anthony Hopkins, and Antonio Banderas. She threw herself into the role as Elena, and gained much critical acclaim as a result. As the decade drew to a close there was 'Entrapment' with Sean Connery, and 'The Haunting' with Liam Neeson.

In 2000 she starred with future husband Michael Douglas in 'Traffic' which gained much critical praise and earned her a first Golden Globe nomination. She followed this up in 2001 with RomCom 'America's Sweethearts' which was less favourably received. Jones bounced back big-time in 2002 though with her role as Velma Kelly in screen musical 'Chicago' with Richard Gere and Rene Zellweger gaining her an Academy Award and a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress.

From there she starred with a number of Hollywood heavyweights from Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bruce Willis, John Malcovich, Jude Law and Russell Crowe right up to the present day, and in the meantime reprised her role as Elena in the 2005 'The Legend of Zorro'.

Jones has 36 film acting credits to her name and six stage acting credits. Aside from those films already mentioned, her filmography includes 'High Fidelity', 'Intolerable Cruelty', 'Ocean's Twelve', 'No Reservations', 'Rock of Ages', 'Death Defying Acts', 'The Rebound', 'Playing for Keeps', 'Broken City', 'Side Effects' and most recently 'Red 2'. She has also lend her voice talents to the animated feature 'Sinbad : Legend of the Seven Seas'.

Throughout her career to date she has been recognised with nineteen stage and screen award wins and a further 24 nominations. These have included the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 'Chicago'; two Golden Globes for Best Actress for 'Chicago' and Best Supporting Actress in 'Traffic'; a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Support Role for 'Chicago'; and a Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for 2010's 'A Little Night Music'.

Jones married Actor Michael Douglas in 2000 - they share the same birthday albeit separated by 25 years. They have two children together - Dylan Michael born in 2000, and Carys Zeta born in 2003.  She has appeared in TV commercials for Elizabeth Arden for whom she is also the worldwide spokesperson, T-Mobile and Alfa Romeo. In 2010 she was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the film and television industry with a C.B.E (Commander of the Order of the British Empire).

Catherine Zeta-Jones - speaker of four languages (English, Welsh, Spanish and French), known for your sexy looks and voluptuous figure, deep sultry voice, and singing and dancing ability as well as a diverse acting talent; together with your husband Michael Douglas; Happy Birthday from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 7th August 2014.

Just three new offerings hitting our big screens this week, but still plenty of cinematic content counting on your support from weeks gone by that are sure to ensure all ages, all tastes and all genres are well provided for. This week at your local Odeon you can catch the latest from the Comic Book giant as the action jumps off the page and onto the silver screen in a change of direction from this powerhouse of Superhero talent. We also have an ageing RomCom to delight the fans of this genre that pitches two Hollywood heavyweights together with a youngster thrown in to bind the two together . . . maybe! And then we have an unusual pairing set amidst the street music of New York that could be described as a musical RomCom . . . maybe!

So whatever your taste in movies, whether you are young or not so young, whether you like your films big and epic or small and personal, there is always something for you at the movies. And when you have sat through the film of your choice, finished your popcorn, and downed that bucket of brown fizzy sludge - drop me a line in the 'comments' box, and let my other Reader know what you thought of the whole experience!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (Rated M) - this film has been hyped to the Nth degree already and really, that is hardly surprising! Marvel Studios have done great things with their portfolio of Superheroes - Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, The X-Men, The Avengers, Spiderman all have been huge success stories and all have brought in massive box office, and will continue to do so as future instalments are produced. As for 'Guardians of the Galaxy' - this is a real departure from their tried and tested formula, but you can be sure that at some future date there may well be a melding of the latter with those of the former in a Marvelverse far far away!

This story is set out there in space, and could almost be described as Marvel's stab at it's own attempt at 'Star Wars'. Directed by James Gunn we have five characters who are said 'Guardians' - and included in that line up is a walking tree, a gun totting Racoon, a green woman and a hulking maniac and the leader of this rag tag bunch of intergalactic miscreants is a thief who is actually human, and transported from the 80's! Our thief is Peter 'Star Lord' Quill (Chris Pratt) thrown together with green skinned assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Rocket (the genetically engineered Racoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Groot (the walking tree person voiced by Vin Diesel). When Quill steals an orb that is much coveted by the treacherous Ronan the Accuser, the latter becomes mightily upset and sets about to steal it from Quill for himself. To counteract this Quill enlists the support of his four new friends to fight Ronan and save the galaxy and our world from his villainous power. Also starring an impressive cast including Glenn Close, John C. Reilly, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Rooker and Djimon Hounsou this is a big budget (US$170M) epic that looks huge and impressive on screen, and given Marvel's pedigree, this is sure to do well - as the early indications already suggest!

BEGIN AGAIN (Rated M) - Directed and Written by John Carney this could be described as a love letter to New York, to music, to family, to relationships, and to the beauty of life thrust together in unusual circumstances and when you least expect it! Sounds like a Woody Allen film . . . but no! Here we have failing music A&R man Dan (Mark Ruffalo) who hits a bar to drown his sorrows and stumbles across dejected heartbroken sorrowful Greta (Keira Knightley) who has just separated from her long term boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine from Maroon 5) who has just been signed to a major record label. Greta is an occasional song writer and performer, and hearing her dulcet tones on stage Dan is instantly bowled over by her raw talent. So much so that they decide to record an album on the streets and alleyways of New York using the city's ambient everyday sounds and the street talent they come across. Bonded by their love of music, the relationships all around them that work with them and against them, and the soundtrack of the city to inspire them, this is a heartfelt uplifting tale that is sure to please those that like a slower, easier, engaging pace.

AND SO IT GOES (Rated M) - Directed by Rob Reiner and starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton this is the tale of Oren Little (Douglas) who is a successful Real Estate Agent but opinionated, obnoxious and stubborn and on the verge of retirement, but wanting to make one last big sale so that he can do so even more comfortably. One day his estranged son drops off a nine year old girl who just turns out to be the granddaughter he never knew he had, Sarah (Sterling Jerins) and being clueless in the ways of relating to a little person he palms her off to the loving, warm, approachable neighbour Leah (Diane Keaton), so that he can continue with his comfortable existence in just the way he likes it. But, where would the story be in that? Over time, we see the warmer, human, more engaging side of Oren begin to unfold as his guard is let down, his heart opened up, and his feeling runs free for life, for Leah, for Sarah and his family.

Three new releases then to get you out to your local multiplex or independent cinema and enjoy some big screen entertainment. When you've done that, share your thoughts on this Blog . . . you know where!

Movies - see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-