Birthday's to share this week : 4th - 10th June 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Paul Giamatti does on 6th June - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 50, 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 4th June

• Geoffrey Palmer - Born 1927, turns 90 - Actor
• Bruce Dern - Born 1936, turns 81 - Actor 
• Sean Pertwee - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor 
• Russell Brand - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Angelina Jolie - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actress | Director | Producer | Writer

Monday 5th June

• Kathleen Kennedy - Born 1953, turns 64 - Producer
• Mark Wahlberg - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter  

Tuesday 6th June

• Robert Englund - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor | Director | Producer
• Jason Isaacs - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actor | Producer 
• Paul Giamatti - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actor | Producer
• Jonathan Nolan - Born 1976, turns 41 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Sandra Bernhard - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actress | Writer 

Wednesday 7th June

• James Ivory - Born 1928, turns 89 - Director | Writer | Producer 
• Ronald Pickup - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actor 
• Liam Neeson - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actor | Producer
• William Forsythe - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Karl Urban - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actor
• Bill Hader - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer
• Michael Cera - Born 1988, turns 29 - Actor | Director | Producer | Writer | Composer | Singer

Thursday 8th June

• Jerry Stiller - Born 1927, turns 90 - Actor | Producer
• Griffin Dunne - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Director   

Friday 9th June

• James Newton Howard - Born 1951, turns 66 - Composer | Orchestrator | Songwriter
• Michael J. Fox - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Aaron Sorkin - Born 1961, turns 56 - Writer | Producer | Actor | Director
• Johnny Depp - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
• David Koepp - Born 1963, turns 54 - Writer | Director | Producer 
• Eddie Marsan - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actor 
• Natalie Portman - Born 1981, turns 36 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer  

Saturday 10th June

• Gina Gershon - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Jeanne Tripplehorn - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actress 
• Elizabeth Hurley - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actress | Producer
• Leelee Sobieski - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actress | Producer
• Jurgen Prochnow - Born 1941, turns 76 - Actor | Producer

Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti was born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA to mother Toni Marilyn Smith, a housewife and English teacher who taught at the private co-ed Hopkins School in New Haven, and who had previously done some Acting, and father Angelo Bartlett Giamatti, a Yale University Professor who went on to become the President of the University and the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. He is the youngest of three children, having an older brother Marcus, an Actor, and an older sister Elena a designer of jewellery. He attended the co-ed private Foote School in New Haven and in 1985 graduated from the Choate Rosemary Hall private boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut. From there he attended Yale University where he was active in the theatre scene working with fellow students and aspiring Actors, Edward Norton and Ron Livingstone. In 1989 he graduated from Yale with a bachelor's Degree in English. He subsequently earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the Yale School of Drama. During the late '80's and early '90's he appeared in many stage productions, including a period on Broadway before television and film roles started to come his way.

Giamatti scored his first role in the television movie 'She'll Take Romance' in 1990, and followed this up a year later with 'Past Midnight' with Rutger Hauer and Clancy Brown, and then Cameron Crowe's Written and Directed 'Singles' with Bridget Fonda and Kyra Sedgwick the year after. 'Mighty Aphrodite' came next for Woody Allen starring, writing and Directing in 1995, and Sydney Pollack's 'Sabrina' that same year with Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond. Mike Newell's 'Donnie Brasco' with Al Pacino, Johnny Depp and Michael Madsen followed in 1997, then the autobiographical film based on the life of Howard Stern, 'Private Parts', followed by the likes of 'My Best Friend's Wedding', 'Deconstructing Harry' for Woody Allen again, Peter Weir's 'The Truman Show', Steven Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan', F. Gary Gray's 'The Negotiator', Tim Robbins all star historical political drama 'Cradle Will Rock' and Milos Forman 'Man on the Moon' saw out the '90's. In between there were appearances on television shows including 'NYPD Blue', 'New York News', 'Homicide : Life on the Street' and 'American Experience'.  

The new decade launched with 'Big Momma's House' and 'Duets' in 2000 before Tim Burton's reimagining of 'Planet of the Apes' in 2001. Shawn Levy's 'Big Fat Liar' was released in 2001 and followed up with 'Thunderpants', 'Confidence' and then the critically acclaimed 'American Splendour' which really put Giamatti on the map with several awards nominations from around the circuit. John Woo's actioner 'Paycheck' with Ben Affleck followed and then another highly acclaimed role as the Pinot Noir loving, Merlot hating Miles in Alexander Payne's California wine country road trip comedy drama film 'Sideways'. The film garnered much critical praise and secured more award wins and nominations for Giamatti including a Golden Globe nod. Ron Howard's 'Cinderella Man' was also highly praised picking up an Oscar and a Golden Globe nod for Giamatti's role as Joe Gould alongside Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger, plus a swag of other wins and nominations along the way. 

'The Hawk is Dying' came in 2006, and then 'The Illusionist' opposite Edward Norton and Jessica Biel, 'The Lady in the Water' for Writer and Director M. Night Shyamalan, 'Shoot 'Em Up' with Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci, 'The Nanny Diaries' with Scarlett Johansson, 'Fred Claus' opposite Vince Vaughn, Paul Schneider's comedy 'Pretty Bird', 'Cold Souls', Tony Gilroy's Written and Directed 'Duplicity' with Clive Owen again and Julia Roberts, and then Russian historical drama 'The Last Station' with Helen Mirren and James McAvoy saw out the decade. In between time there was also the seven part television mini-series 'John Adams' in which Giamatti plays the second President of the United States and one of its founding fathers, John Adams, in the country's first half century.

This past decade to date has brought a diversity of roles kicking off in 2010 with the title role in 'Barney's Version' opposite Rosamund Pike, then in 2011 a swathe of films that started with the sporting drama Written and Directed by Tom McCarthy, 'Win Win' and that same year the 13th Century England action adventure 'Ironclad' in which Giamatti portrays the tyrannical King John alongside an ensemble cast, followed by 'The Hangover, Part II', the George Clooney Written, Directed and starring 'The Ides of March' and Curtis Hanson's 2008 biographical drama made for television film 'Too Big to Fail' in which Giamatti plays Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve at the time of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.

Horror Sci-fi followed in 2012 'John Dies at the End', then David Cronenberg's 'Cosmopolis', and 'Rock of Ages' with Tom Cruise, 'The Congress', Steve McQueen's highly acclaimed '12 Years a Slave', 'Parkland' recounting the events at the Dallas Parkland Hospital on the day that President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed, 'Saving Mr. Banks', 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2', 'Madame Bovary', the Beach Boys biopic about Brian Wilson 'Love & Mercy' and then disaster epic 'San Andreas'. Working for Director F. Gary Gray again on NWA mid-'80's Hip-Hop biopic 'Straight Outta Compton', and then baseball story 'The Phenom' and 'Morgan' bring us up to date. In the intervening years Giamatti has also lent his voice talents to many an animated character including on such films as 'Ratchet & Clank', 'The Little Prince', 'The Ant Bully', 'Turbo', 'Robots' and the English language versions of 'April and the Extraordinary World', 'Asterix and the Vikings' and 'Ernest & Celestine'.

Two successful seasons already aired is financial drama set in New York, 'Billions', with Giamatti starring as US Attorney Chuck Rhoades who has hedge fund king, Bobby 'Axe' Axelrod (Damian Lewis) in his sights and wants to bring him down in this tale of two powerful personalities pitched against each other. Season three goes to air in 2018. Currently in post-production is 'The Catcher Was A Spy' about a major league baseball player who lived a double life also working for the Office of Strategic Services and also starring Guy Pearce, Mark Strong, Paul Rudd, Connie Nielsen and Sienna Miller, and so too is 'Private Life' about a strained husband and wife relationship as a result of the wife undergoing multiple fertility treatments in an attempt to get pregnant.

All up Giamatti has one hundred Acting credits to his name and five as Producer. He has garnered throughout his career to date 45 award wins and another 59 nominations including an Academy Award nomination for 'Cinderella Man', three Golden Globe nods and two wins for 'Barney's Version' and 'John Adams', three Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a win for 'John Adams' and three SAG Awards nominations and four win for 'Sideways', 'John Adams', 'Cinderella Man' and 'Too Big to Fail'. Giamatti is also an occasional stage actor having appeared in a number of productions over the years including 'The Iceman Cometh' and 'Hamlet' more recently.

Giamatti has been married to Elizabeth Cohen since 1997, and together they have a son, Samuel, born in 2001, who is raised by his wife's religion of Judaism, whereas he is an atheist.

Paul Giamatti - master of the hang-dog expression, is renowned for playing unscrupulous business men, or the reasonable other half of the protagonist, has played historical figures, has played in small independent features and big screen epics too and has worked for just about every major movie Director you care to poke a stick at. We love your work and your versatility, whether playing some character from the history books, the good guy, the bad guy, the loser, no hoper, the downtrodden, the visionary or the man of success we'll keep watching as long a you keep turning it on. Like a good bottle of wine that has been stored sideways and under ideal conditions, you just keep maturing with age. Happy 50th Birthday to you Paul, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON - Tuesday 15th September 2015.

I'm a product of the 80's and I was aware in the latter half of that decade of the emergence of a radical new band of Gangsta Rappers blazing a trail across the music scenes telling in no uncertain terms the stories of their lives, the violence, the injustice, the hardship and their life experiences - they were Niggaz Wit Attitude (N.W.A.) and hailed from the south Los Angeles suburb of Compton. 25+ years on the story of these groundbreaking yet notorious boys from da hood is told in F. Gary Gray's biopic of their lives in 'STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON' which I saw this week.



Director F. Gary Gray has crafted a strong telling here of the rise and fall of that revolutionary California hip hop group that rose to prominence for mostly the wrong reasons given their outspoken vocals, the messages in their lyrics, their views and opinions, their frequent run-ins with the Police and the party hi-jinx as their star status began to rise. Gray also Produces, as does Ice Cube and Dr. Dre and the film was made for US$28M and at the time of writing this review Box Office receipts have topped US$180M.

As the film opens it's 1986 and friends Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), DJ Yella (Neil Brown), MC Ren (Aldis Hodge), and Arabian Prince (Brandon Lafourche) form the band N.W.A. and release their first single under their own label, Ruthless Records. Spotted by has been music manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) he throws Eazy-E a line about how he can open doors, pave the way and put the newly formed act on the map. After the small time concert circuit in their very early days they begin to develop a following and are eventually picked up by Priority Records who provide the resources for the band to cut their first album - 'Straight Outta Compton'.

Such is the success of their first album, that the group embark on a national tour playing to larger crowds in larger venues and increasingly living large, although at this point it is only Eazy-E who has a formalised contract with Heller - none of the others do not, which in itself starts to create friction and in-fighting. At a concert in Detroit, the band is told by the local Police not to sing their smash hit 'Fuck tha Police' fearful that this will incite a disturbance and potentially a riot. Needless to say, the boys do, having been egged on by the crowd, and yes, a riot ensues during which our N.W.A. are cuffed up and thrown in the back of a Police truck on trumped up charges, which they dodge of course and are released.

Shortly after, things come to a head between Heller and Ice Cube resulting in the latter's resignation from the group to pursue his own singing and acting career. Ice Cube's first solo album - 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' was released in mid-1990 and met with big critical and commercial success outstripping the reception received from the earlier N.W.A. offering 'Straight Outta Compton'. What followed was a tit for tat campaign between N.W.A. and Cube with each side dissing each other in their lyrics resulting in more acrimony, more ill feeling and more angst between the former friends who drifted further and further apart as a result.

As N.W.A. cut their second album 'Niggaz4Life', Dr. Dre becomes more disillusioned with Heller and gets entwined with Suge Knight (R. Marcos Taylor) and the two form 'Death Row Records'. With his new freedoom and seemingly the world at his feet Dre records his own solo album 'The Chronic' released in late 1992 as well as Producing new up & coming talent - the likes of which included Snoop Dog and Tupac Shakur. Dre's lyrics too on his new solo album diss Eazy-E, leaving the latter out in the cold with no new revenue stream, a band in disarray and mounting debts. This leads to a confrontation with Heller, at which Eazy-E fires Heller for embezzling funds from the bands coffers.

A chance meeting at a nightclub between Eazy-E and Ice Cube allow the two to reconcile their differences and talk about the band reforming out of the shadow of Heller now. Next up Eazy-E reaches out to Dr. Dre who also agrees to getting the guys together, and soon afterwards the are reunited with DJ Ren and MC Yella to begin work on a new album. Eazy-E though is not in the best of health and collapses at the house with his friends. Fast forward to a hospital bed and Eazy-E is confronted with the news by the Doctor that he has tested positive from the AIDS virus HIV and has six months to live. One by one, his fiends come by to visit, show support, and rally round before his death in March 1995. The film wraps with Dr. Dre confronting an out of control Suge Knight at the 'Death Row' Studios saying he is done and is walking way to form his own label - 'Aftermath Entertainment'. Subsequently Dre signs up the likes of 50 Cent, Eminem, Busta Rhymes and Kendrick Lamar, and goes on to create Beats Electronics which he sold to Apple in mid-2014 for US$3B. Ice Cube pursued a successful film and television acting and music career that is still going strong today.

I said at the beginning that I was aware of N.W.A. back in the late 80's & early 90's, but, was never a follower of this genre of music. However, I found this a fascinating story and got sucked in by the strong performances, the arc of how the boys from da hood grew from nothing but found their voice through their experiences, the prejudices, the violence, the guns, the drugs, the culture in which they grew up that came out in their music and lyrics, and ultimately found an audience . . . and a very significant one at that. But within ten years they came and went - passed away, moved on, faded out and some with greater success than others.

This is well told; well acted with solid performances especially from those portraying Dre, Cube, Eazy-E and Heller; and as well the music paints a picture of the social commentary of the time - gun crime, racial and social unrest, Police violence, injustice and prejudice, AIDS, sex, drugs and rock & roll, and the Rodney King riots. At 147 minutes this is a long film which toward the end I felt a little drawn out and perhaps overly long, and the stories of how MC Ren, DJ Yella and Arabian Prince contributed in those early years and after were skirted over and had little significance over their more prominent band members.

That said, this is worth checking out, and for anyone around in the 80's and 90's who remembers that era and lived through it this is a great slice of nostalgia and well delivered.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 9th July 2015.

As the weeks advance on the latter end of the year it would be fair to say that for this week at least we can leave the big budget blockbusting epics behind that have peppered the first half of 2015 and concentrate on just two new release films - one set in the past and one in the present, but both very different. Of course in the weeks to come we will return to the bigger fare but this week we take a breather for the comedic dramatic and the periodic.

First up is a sequel to a successful 2012 film loosely charting the early undressing life exploits of a now famous Hollywood star, and then there is a remake of a classic French novel that has had the big and small screen treatment many times in the past.

As in the past I invite you to share your thoughts and observations of your movie choice in the week ahead, or for any still doing the rounds and out on general release, by Posting a Comment in the box below this or any other Blog Post. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

MAGIC MIKE XXL (Rated MA15+) - In 2012 Steven Soderbergh Directed, Edited and acted as Cinematographer on this Channing Tatum film based loosely on his early life as a male stripper working in Tampa, Florida. That film was made for a very modest US$7M and returned a very respectable US$167M and as well as being a commercial hit was critically acclaimed too. On the strength of this a sequel was inevitable. And so here it is, waiting to get it's kit off on a big screen near you this week! This time Directed by Gregory Jacobs with Soderbergh taking an Editor and Cinematographer credit again, this film had double the budget at US$15M and an expanded cast.

Set three years after the close of the first film Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) has long since retired from the male stripper life but he misses the energy, excitement and eroticism of life on stage shedding his clothes in front of a largely female audience. He misses too his tight knit buddies ('The Tampa Kings') with whom he used to perform on stage. When an offer comes along to regroup and travel to a stripper convention to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Mike can hardly contain his excitement and agrees to get back with the stripper gang for a revisit to the good times, the fun, the thrills and the excitement on stage and with clothes off! Also starring Matt Bomer, Gabriel Iglesias, Adam Rodriguez, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Banks, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Probably one for the girls mostly methinks!

MADAME BOVARY (Rated M) - Not to be confused with the recent 'Gemma Bovery' film released on 28th May this year and previously Previewed at this Blog, this is another big screen adaptation of the famed 1856 debut novel of the same name by French author Gustave Flaubert. The first film based on this book came out in 1932, then another in 1949, again in 1969, in 1991, a couple of TV mini-series over the years, a Hindi version of the film in 1992, and now in 2015 French Director Sophie Barthes is at it with Mia Wasikowska in the lead role. The story is set in Normandy in France and Emma Bovary, a farmers daughter marries Charles Bovary (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) a local Doctor. It is not long before Emma grows bored of Charles and her eyes and mind start wandering toward a life more fulfilling, romance and adventure. But, as her extra-marital affairs provide a distraction and the happiness she desires, they only lead to a greater sense of depression as time marches on. Also starring Ezra Miller, Paul Giamatti and Ryhs Ifans.

Two totally differing films on offer this week that will find an audience and be sure to please for varying reasons. So, get out amongst it and see a movie this week, and then let us all know what you thought.

See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 25th June 2015.

This week with the mid-year school holiday upon us there are a few limited offerings in the week ahead that are for a more mature audience it must be said, but there is a heap of action and animated fare out there for the youngsters, the teenagers and kids of all ages that have been Previewed here in previous weeks, and are still out there on general release.

Three offerings then this week that offer a range of films that take us from a sequel of a not so cute & cuddly animated kids toy in a grown mans world; an adaptation of a classic English novel getting its big screen remake after 50 or so years; and then a musical bio-pic of a legend of the 60’s becoming a troubled man in the 80’s.

As always, when you have seen your movie of choice in the week ahead, you are invited to record your own critique here in the Comments Box below this, or any other Post, and share your thoughts and observations with your friends at Odeon Online. Enjoy your film.

TED 2 (Rated MA15+) - The 2012 comic cuddly and not so cute 'Ted' movie was Directed, Produced, Written  and Starred Seth MacFarlane and was made for US$50M and went on to gross US$550M worldwide in the final analysis. It also garnered an Academy Award nomination, 13 awards wins and 26 other nods, so it was inevitable that a sequel would follow. Here we are then three short years later and 'Ted 2' has arrived at our screens with the same Seth McFarland input as before and the same Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett, Jessica Barth as Tami-Lynn, Giovanni Ribisi as Donny and a host of other names to add gravitas  . . . apparently!

This next instalment sees Teddy Bear Ted marrying Tami-Lynn, his girlfriend from the first film, and wanting to have a child together this is where complications naturally set in. When Ted asks life long friend and thunder buddy John to be a sperm donor for artificial insemination purposes, the couple must prove in a court of law that Ted is in fact human and therefore suitable to have custody of the future child. No doubt there will be gross-out humour, hilarity aplenty, pratt falls and comedic misadventure to make this one another sure fire success with Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson also involved.

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (Rated M) - Based on the 1874 book of the same name by Thomas Hardy this was adapted for the big screen most notably in 1968 and Directed by John Schlesinger and starred Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch and Alan Bates. Now in 2015 we have this version and the fourth big screen outing for this story as Directed by Thomas Vinterberg and starring Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba Everdene a young headstrong farm owner in Victorian England. Attracting the attention and the passions of three very different suitors there is Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts) a sheep farmer; William Boldwood (Michael Sheen) a wealthy bachelor; and Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge) a reckless and care free Sergeant. What's a girl to do, other than fly in the face of tradition and social expectations and check them all out one by one, have some fun along the way and carve out her our own life path. Strong performances are deftly handled by Vinterberg this is sure to please lovers of the genre, and those who know the source book.

LOVE & MERCY (Rated M) - Directed and Produced by Bill Pohlad this is a bio-pic of 'Beach Boys' creative legend, driving force and front man Brian Wilson who was the mop-haired surf singing musical maestro back in the 60’s when the band of beach brothers were riding the crest of a wave, and before the younger Wilson started to lose his grasp on reality. Here the 1960’s Brian Wilson, enjoying hit after hit record success, is played by Paul Dano, and for his middle aged 1980’s persona it is John Cusack playing the broken unstable confused psycho analysed singer/songwriter. Playing his manipulative psychotherapist Dr. Eugene Landy is Paul Giamatti, and as his future wife Melinda Ledbetter is Elizabeth Banks determined to be the saviour of Wilson against Landy's controlling ways. Not your average or typical musical bio-pic this features strong performances from Paul Dano especially, and a master-stroke of casting to have the two Actors playing the one man and two very different personalities.

That wraps up this weeks movie releases leaving you a few more possibilities to ponder for your big screen entertainment. When you have enjoyed your movie of choice, let us know and don't be shy!

See you at the Odeon!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE IDES OF MARCH - archive from 3rd December 2011.

Saw 'THE IDES OF MARCH' this week. George Clooney Produces, Directs, Co-Writes and leads this film with his usual enigmatic intense approach to movie making that sees him as polished, smart, likable and affable US Governor of Pennsylvania Mike Morris who is bidding for the big chair in the Whitehouse. This is a good solid political drama set with the backdrop of the Ohio Primary Elections . . . yes you guessed it, in March, and Clooney is backed up by a strong cast and a very solid storyline.

Ryan Gosling plays a strong supporting role as Stephen Meyers rather than his usual shoot 'em up action fuelled roles played hitherto, and here he is the staffer #1 and aide to Mike Morris on the campaign trail. He moves & shakes with the media, he is the speech writer, he schmoozes when he needs to and can back stab with the best of them . . . but for all this he is young and still wet behind the ears! When he succumbs to a moment of temptation with a female campaign volunteer he sets off a chain reaction from which there is no going back and which has repercussions on those around him - including his boss - Governor Mike Morris, who after all it would appear is hardly whiter than white himself, and no knight in shining armour either! Well, there's a surprise - do we know any Politicians that are?

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti add gravitas as always as the other big players caught up in this burgeoning web of political intrigue with Morris & Co. Hoffman here is Paul Zara - the campaign manager and superior to Gosling's Meyers who has to deal with the fall out from Meyer's moment of weakness and the impending scandal and that may emanate from it. Giamatti is Tom Duffy the campaign manager for Ted Pullman (Michael Mantell) - an Arkansas Senator competing directly against Morris who comes to learn of said shenanigans and strives to use this for Pullmans political gain, but there are other forces at work here too.

All of this comes to a rather abrupt ending that doesn't really end too well for anyone (just another day in Politics!) but nonetheless it is a reasonably good story well played out by cast and Director. The film was made for just US$12.5M and grossed in the final analysis US$76M, and it picked up an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, four Golden Globe nominations, and two BAFTA Nominations. All up worldwide it received ten award wins and a further thirty nominations. Worth seeking out at your local DVD Store if Political Drama's are your thing!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

ROCK OF AGES - archive from 19th June 2012.

Had to see 'ROCK OF AGES' last night - what a blast and very enjoyable it was too! Tom Cruise like you never seen him before (except for Les Grossman maybe!) and living it up in a 1987 LA as ageing Rock God Stacee Jaxx channelling in equal measure Iggy Pop, Axl Rose, Keith Richards, Jim Morrison with a little Bon Jovi and Def Leppard thrown in - he laps up the role, is clearly enjoying the self mockery, looks great (check out the cod-piece) and is quite brilliant. He prepared for the role by taking singing lessons for five hours a day, convinced early on that he wouldn't be able to pull it off. All actors sang their own songs in the film production!

The plot is paper thin but that doesn't really matter with star turns from a heap of supporters that are clearly relishing the nostalgia - Catherine Zeta-Jones, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Bryan Cranston and Mary J. Bligh amongst others. The story surrounds young kids migrating from country hicksville to the big smoke with dreams of hitting it big in the music industry; the local live music club with tax payment issues in fear of being closed down; the straight laced local politicians campaigning against such devil music and the venues that play it; and the infighting between Stacee Jaxx and his band, Arsenal, and the repercussions of this. Somewhere in there too there is some love interest, betrayal, reconciliation . . . and, sex and drugs and surprise surprise Rock 'n' Roll, and guess what too . . . everyone lives happily ever after!

Some great tunes belted out by the cast with the best for the Cruisemeister himself which he turns in very well. Catherine Zeta-Jones is not left out and nor are Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand who do a great romantic ballad together that you have to see! There are cameo's too from a number of Rock personalities from that era still belting out a tune today that add weight to the story, and there is a monkey too which is amusing in its own way!

All that said, it's worth the price of the ticket alone to see Tom Cruise strutting his stuff replete with six pack abs, waving locks and tattoo's aplenty, and doing it so well - he IS Stacee Jaxx! At a cost of US$75M to make, this film tanked at the global Box Office limping home with a haul of just US$60M. The film picked up one award win and nine other nominations in the final analysis including the win for Favourite Movie Actor for Diego Boneta at the ALMA Awards, as well as Worst Film from the Village Voice Film Poll! Rent it on DVD or BluRay now and decide for yourself!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

12 YEARS A SLAVE - 5th February 2014

There is a lot of buzz around '12 YEARS A SLAVE' which I saw last night at The Cremorne Orpheum Picture Palace. Hardly surprising really given that it will tick many of the Academy's boxes - strong cast, period piece, true story, human tragedy, adversity, courage, well filmed if a little art house - all the makings of an Oscar win or two.

This film introduces us to accomplished violinist Solomon Northrup (played brilliantly by Chiwetel Ejiofor) residing as a free man with his family in Saratoga in 1841. Life is good, and as a free man he can almost do as he pleases, until after a drunken celebratory evening with new found 'friends' wakes up locked up and banged up in chains somewhere in Washington. Savagely beaten by his keepers for being black, he is shipped off down South and given the new name of 'Platt' which he carries through with him for the next twelve years as a slave on the timber, then cotton and then sugar cane plantations working for the ruling white man.

Sold off by Paul Giamatti, initially to Benedict Cumberbatch who treats him with some respect, gives a degree of responsibility and offers random acts of kindness including the provision of a violin. A couple of years in though and as a result of a run-in with a 'Master' on the timber plantation, Platt is sold to Michael Fassbender (Edwin Epps) who is a very different box & dice altogether. Nasty, malicious, controlling and prepared to go to any length to exert his supreme authority over his black 'property' this is where the film veers into grim, sadistic, heart wrenching, and horrific territory. Fassbender delivers a strong believable performance however, that will have you gawping in disbelief at the cruelty humans are capable of doing to each other because of the colour of their skin (bearing in mind this is a true story of an era that Americans would rather forget!).

For a brief time Platt is sold off to third Master for just one cotton season before returning to the Epps plantation and back to the waiting, wringing hands of Fassbender. Brad Pitt appears in two closing scenes as Platt's white slavery abolitionist saviour and ticket back to freedom, his family and Saratoga ultimately.

This is not an uplifting film, even at the end when Solomon Northrup is reunited with his grown family. There is much hardship, adversity, anguish, violence and horror in this film, but it is a story worth telling, and Director, Steve McQueen handles the subject matter well, and has given us a film experience that will leave you thinking long after the credits have rolled.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-