Birthday's to share this week : 16th - 22nd July 2017

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Juno Temple does on 21st July - check out my tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 28, 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 16th July

• Phoebe Cates - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actress 
• Will Ferrell - Born1967, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter
• Scott Derrickson - Born 1966, turns 51 - Writer | Director | Producer 
• Corey Feldman - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Writer | Director

Monday 17th July

• Donald Sutherland - Born 1935, turns 82 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• David Hasselhoff - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actor | Writer | Singer 
• Jason Clarke - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Producer 
• F. Gary Gray - Born 1969, turns 48 - Director | Producer | Actor

Tuesday 18th July 

• Paul Verhoeven - Born 1938, turns 79 - Director | Producer | Writer
• James Brolin - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Vin Diesel - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Elizabeth McGovern - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actress | Producer
• Kelly Reilly - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actress | Producer
• Kristen Bell - Born 1980, turns 37 - Actress | Singer | Producer  

Wednesday 19th July

• George Dzundza - Born 1945, turns 72 - Actor 
• Abel Ferrara - Born 1951, turns 66 - Director | Writer | Producer | Actor | Songwriter
• Atom Egoyan - Born 1960, turns 57 - Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Actor | Cinematographer 
• Benedict Cumberbatch - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actor | Producer  

Thursday 20th July

• Cormac McCarthy - Born 1933, turns 84 - Writer | Producer
• Josh Holloway - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
• Diana Rigg - Born 1938, turns 79 - Actress
• Sandra Oh - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actress | Producer  

Friday 21st July

• Charlotte Gainsbourg - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actress | Singer
• Juno Temple - Born 1989, turns 28 - Actress
• Norman Jewison - Born 1926, turns 91 - Director | Producer
• Ross Kemp - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Television Personality | Producer
• John Lovitz - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer
• Josh Hartnett - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor     

Saturday 22nd July

• Terence Stamp - Born 1938, turns 79 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Danny Glover - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Paul Schrader - Born 1946, turns 71 - Writer | Director | Producer
• Albert Brooks - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor | Writer | Director 
• Willem Dafoe - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• John Leguizamo - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer
• David Spade - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer
• Rhys Ifans - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actor 
• Franka Potente - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actress | 
• Selena Gomez - Born 1992, turns 25 - Actress | Producer | Singer | Composer

Juno Violet Temple was born in Hammersmith, London, England to mother Amanda Pirie, a film and television Producer, and father Julien Temple, a film, documentary and music video Director. Juno spent the first four years of her life living in the US, an then her parents moved the family back to England where she grew up in Taunton, Somerset and attended Enmore Primary School, then the co-educational independent boarding and day Beadles School in Petersfield, in Hampshire, and then the independent co-educational boarding and secondary day school - King's College, Taunton. From the age of four she had already decided that she wanted to become an Actress, and by fifteen she told her parents that she had serous acting aspirations. She has two younger brothers - Leo and Felix. 

The young Juno began her acting career as a child Actress in the 1997 bio-pic 'Vigo : Passion for Life', as Directed by her father about French film Director Jean Vigo who lived from 1905 to 1934 and was an influence on the French New Wave cinema of the late '50's and early '60's. However, her part ended up on the cutting room floor, but all was not lost. From here she was cast by her father again at the tender age of eleven in the 2000 film 'Pandaemonium' which also starred Andy Serkis, John Hannah and Linus Roache about the early lives of English Poets - William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Her next big screen role came in 2006 in 'Notes on a Scandal' with Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett and Bill Nighy and this was followed up a year later with Joe Wrights acclaimed 'Atonement' with James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan and Benedict Cumberbatch. 'St. Trinian's' comes next in 2007 - for which she would reprise her role in 2009 in 'St. Trinian's 2 : The Legend of Fritton's Gold'. 

In the meantime there was historical drama film offering 'The Other Boleyn Girl' featuring an all star cast comprising the likes of Eric Bana, Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Kristen Scott Thomas, Mark Rylance and Benedict Cumberbatch; then 'Wild Child'; the Harold Ramis Written and Directed comedy 'Year One' with Jack Black; 'Mr. Nobody' with Jared Leto, Rhys Ifans and Diane Kruger; boarding school dramatic thriller 'Cracks' with Eva Green and Imogen Poots; and then early WWII dramatic thriller 'Glorious 39' with Bill Nighy, Eddie Redmayne, Christopher Lee and Hugh Bonneville seeing out the decade.

2010 saw things really take off for Temple with Noah Baumbach's Written and Directed 'Greenberg' with Ben Stiller, then 'Kaboom', followed by 'Dirty Girl' and a couple of short films - the fifteen minute 'Swerve' and the seven minute 'Bastard' for Writer and Director Kirsten Dunst. 'Little Birds' came next in 2011, then historical actioner 'The Three Musketeers' for Paul W. S. Anderson with Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Mads Mikkelsen, Logan Lerman and Mathew Macfadyen, and 'Killer Joe' followed up these for William Friedkin with Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch.

2012 opened with 'Small Apartments' with an ensemble cast consisting the likes of Billy Crystal, James Caan, Matt Lucas, Dolph Lundgren, Johnny Knoxville, Peter Stormare, Rebel Wilson and Saffron Burrows. Romantic horror drama came next with 'Jack & Diane', then a turn in Chris Nolan's epic 'The Dark Knight Rises' followed up by fantasy comedy thriller film 'The Brass Teapot'. 

'Afternoon Delight', 'Magic Magic', the Bio-Pic of Linda Lovelace's life 'Lovelace' with Amanda Seyfried, Sharon Stone, Peter Sarsgaard, James Franco, Robert Patrick and Chloe Sevigny, and then fantasy horror drama 'Horns' alongside Daniel Radcliffe saw out 2013.

Disney's 'Maleficent' with Angelina Jolie and then the Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez Directed 'Sin City' follow-up 'Sin City : A Dame to Kill For' with an all star cast including Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Josh Brolin, Ray Liotta, Eva Green, Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson amongst others wrapped up 2014. The next year saw the period piece based on the Thomas Hardy novel 'Far from the Madding Crowd' with Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts before 'Safelight', an uncredited appearance in 'Meadowland', then 'Len and Company' with Rhys Ifans, and Boston gangland Bio-Pic 'Black Mass' about the criminal life and times of James 'Whitey' Bulger with Johnny Depp in the lead role and an ensemble cast taking in Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon and Peter Sarsgaard.

2016 saw Temple star in all ten episodes of Season One of the Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese Co-Written '70's New York music industry drama 'Vinyl' and she followed this up with northern English set drama film 'Away' with Timothy Spall. Then came two episodes on 'Drunk History' whereby historical re-enactments by A-list acting talent are presented by inebriated storytellers. Bringing us up to date is the historical Bio-pic of Madelyn Murray O'Hair - an outspoken and opinionated activist and founder of the American Atheists whose activities led to her kidnapping in 1995. The film, 'The Most Hated Woman in America' was released on Netflix earlier this year.

Recently released Stateside is 'One Percent More Humid', and due for release in December this year is the latest Written and Directed offering from Woody Allen, 'Wonder Wheel' starring Kate Winslet,  Justin Timberlake and James Belushi, with 'The Pretenders' that has wrapped filming and is due for release in 2018 and is Directed and stars James Franco.

All up to date, Temple has 43 Acting credits to her name. She has two award wins and two nominations, and included in these is the BAFTA Rising Star Award given in 2013. She was romantically involved with her 'The Brass Teapot' male lead Michael Angarano, and the pair lived together in Los Angeles for a time, but this relationship ended subsequently.

Juno Temple - a child Actress whose done good, a star on the rise, clearly in demand, and already with a varied body of work. So much achieved in your seventeen active years in front of the camera that the future shines brightly, and the movie going public will continue to watch your ascent with much interest. Happy Birthday to you Juno, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 3rd - 9th May 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Rosario Dawson does on 9th May - check out the tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 36, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 3rd May

• Amy Ryan - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress
• Rob Brydon - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Television Personality
• Joseph Kosinski - Born 1974, turns 41 - Director | Producer | Writer

Monday 4th May

• Will Arnett - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Rolf de Heer - Born 1951, turns 64 - Director | Writer | Producer

Tuesday 5th May

• Henry Cavill - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actor | Producer
• John Rhys-Davies - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
• Lance Henrikson - Born 1940, turns 75 - Actor
• Richard E. Grant - Born 1957, turns 58 - Actor | Director
• Michael Palin - Born 1943, turns 72 - Actor | Writer

Wednesday 6th May

• George Clooney - Born 1961, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Alan Dale - Born 1947, turns 68 - Actor

Thursday 7th May

• Richard O'Sullivan - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
• Alexander Ludwig - Born 1992, turns 23 - Actor
• Traci Lords - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress

Friday 8th May

• David Attenborough - Born 1926, turns 89 - Naturalist | Television Personality | Producer
• Michel Gondry - Born 1963, turns 52 - Director | Producer | Writer

Saturday 9th May

• Albert Finney - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actor
• James L. Brooks - Born 1940, turns 75 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Alan Bennet - Born 1934, turns 81 - Writer | Actor
• Rosario Dawson - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actress | Producer
• Candice Bergen - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actress | Producer
• Glenda Jackson - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actress

Rosario Isabel Dawson was born in New York City to mother Isabel Celeste, a writer/singer of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban origins. Isabel was just 16 when Rosario was born, and her biological father Patrick Harris moved on and the two never married. The young mother to Rosario married construction worker Greg Dawson a year later, and he brought Rosario up as though she were his own, and it is her whom Rosario has always referred to as Dad. Isabel and Greg had a son together - Rosario's half-brother Clay - the couple divorced in 2001.

In the mid-80's Isabel and Greg moved the growing family into an abandoned building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan where the two fixed up the plumbing and the electrics and created for themselves somewhere affordable for the young family to live and grow. During this time other family members came and went and took an active part in caring for the young Rosario and Clay - most of whom were also on the poverty line.

Dawson's first screen appearance came briefly on 'Sesame Street', and was discovered subsequently at age 15 by photographer Larry Clark and the young writer at the time Harmony Korine for a film script he was penning - 'Kids' about a 24 hour snapshot into the sex and drug fuelled lives of the New York teenage skater community. Rosario got the part in the 1995 controversial film, and from there scored a few roles in the latter half of the 90's including Spike Lee's 'He Got Game' with Denzel Washington and 'Light It Up' with Forest Whitaker.

With an active interest too in singing, Dawson teamed up with Prince for the re-release of his 80's smash '1999' in 1999, and subsequently with The Chemical Brothers on 'Out of Control' and then OutKast on 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below' double album.

As the new decade clicked over smaller supporting roles came along, with the likes of 'Down to You', 'Josie and the Pussycats', 'Sidewalks of New York', 'Chelsea Walls' Directed by Ethan Hawke, and then 'Men In Black II' and a reteaming with Spike Lee on '25th Hour' with Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

By the middle of the decade more substantial fare was coming with the likes of 'Alexander' for Oliver Stone, 'Sin City' for Robert Rodriguez, 'Rent' for Chris Columbus for which she could add her singing talents, 'Death Proof' for Quentin Tarantino, 'Killshot' for John Madden, and several others starring such names as Will Smith, Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shia LeBeouf, Bruce Willis, Robert Downey Jnr., and Channing Tatum.

From here too there have been several television shows over the years including 'Robot Chicken', Gemini Division', and most recently 'Daredevil', and a song too on the Kasabian album on 'West Ryder Silver Bullet'.

After 'Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief' in 2010, there was 'Unstoppable' for Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington, 'Zookeeper', 'Fire with Fire', '10 Years', 'Trance' for Danny Boyle and 'Sin City : A Dame to Kill For' for Robert Rodriguez once more and reprising her role as Gail. Most recently there has been Chris Rock's 'Top Five', with 'Puerto Rican's in Paris' currently in post-production for later this year and 'Clerks III' due for a 2016 release. Dawson has lent her voice talents to several video games including 'Syndicate', 'Wonder Woman', 'Tinkerbell and the Legend of the NeverBeast' and 'Justice League : Throne of Atlantis'.

She has 66 acting credits to her name, three Producer credits and has performed songs on 'Pluto Nash', 'Rent' and 'Trance'. Dawson is the winner of nine awards for her film roles and a further 31 nominations. She also co-created the comic book 'Occult Crimes Taskforce' in 2006, and has her own Production Company called 'Trybe'.

Dawson remains single but has been romantically linked to Actor Jason Lewis until late 2006, and more recently to Danny Boyle her Director on 'Trance'. She is actively involved in numerous charities and care organisations including Global Cool, the ONE Campaign, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians And Gays). She is also a spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy.

Rosario Dawson - beautiful, multi-talented, dramatic, comedic, philanthropic and not afraid to push the boundaries. So much more still to come - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 15th - 21st February 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week? 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt does, on 17th February - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 34, 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 15th February

• Jane Seymour - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actress | Producer
• Jessica De Gouw - Born 1988, turns 27 - Actress
• Sarah Wynter - Born 1973, turns 42 - Actress
• Matt Groening - Born 1954, turns 61 - Producer | Writer | Animator

Monday 16th February

• Christopher Eccleston - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actor
• Ice T - Born 1958, turns 57 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Elizabeth Olson - Born 1989, turns 26 - Actress

Tuesday 17th February

• Paris Hilton - Born 1981, turns 34 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Heiress
• Denise Richards - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actress | Producer
• Rene Russo - Born 1954, turns 61 - Actress | Producer
• Hal Holbrook - Born 1925, turns 90 - Actor
• Lou Diamond Phillips - Born 1962, turns 53 - Actor | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Born 1981, turns 34 - Actor | Director | Writer
• Dominic Purcell - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actor | Producer
• Michael Bay - Born 1965, turns 50 - Director | Producer | Actor | Cameraman

Wednesday 18th February 

• John Travolta - Born 1954, turns 61 - Actor | Producer | Pilot
• Matt Dillon - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actor
• George Kennedy - Born 1925, turns 90 - Actor
• Milos Forman - Born 1932, turns 83 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Greta Scacchi - Born 1960, turns 55 - Actress
• Cybill Shepherd - Born 1950, turns 65 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Molly Ringwald - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress

Thursday 19th February

• Lisa McCune - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actress | Producer
• Benicio Del Toro - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actor | Producer
• Jeff Daniels - Born 1955, turns 60 - Actor | Director | Singer
• Ray Winstone - Born 1957, turns 58 - Actor | Producer

Friday 20th February

• Sidney Poitier - Born 1927, turns 88 - Actor | Director
• Mike Leigh - Born 1943, turns 72 - Director | Writer
• Brenda Blethyn - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actress
• Cindy Crawford - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actress | Model
• Rhianna - Born 1988, turns 27 - Singer | Actress

Saturday 21st February 

• Jennifer Love Hewitt - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer
• Tyne Daly - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actress
• Anthony Daniels - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actor
• William Baldwin - Born 1963, turns 52 - Actor
• Kelsey Grammer - Born 1955, turn s60 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer
• Alan Rickman - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actor | Writer | Director

Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in the Sherman Oaks district. Whilst from a Jewish family  his parents were the joint founders of the 'Progress Jewish Alliance' in 1999 to assert Jewish interest in the campaign for social justice in Southern California which houses the second largest Jewish community in the US. His mother Jane Gordon ran for US Congress in the 1970's for the 'Peace and Freedom Party', and his father Dennis Levitt was the news Director for Pacifica Radio KPFK-FM. His maternal Grandfather was a Hollywood Director from the 1940's through to the 70's.

At age four, the young Joseph was already playing musical theatre, which then led to a number of television commercials for 'Pop-Tarts', 'Cocoa-Pops', shoes and peanut butter amongst others. By the end of the decade of his birth  he had already starred in two made for TV films - 'Stranger on my land' in 1988 and 'Settle the Score' in 1989. In between he had also starred in several episodes of the television show 'Family Ties', followed up by eleven episodes on 'Dark Shadows' in 1991 before three more TV films that same year - 'Changes', 'Hi Honey - I'm Dead' and 'Plymouth' - all by the time he had reached the tender age of ten years! Not bad!

1992 saw 13 episodes of 'The Powers That Be' with John Forsythe, with the odd guest appearance on other TV shows in the meantime. That same year there was 'Beethoven' with Charles Grodin and a huge St. Bernard hound, and 'A River Runs Through It' Directed by Robert Redford and starring too a young up & coming Brad Pitt.

The first half of the 90's also brought 'Gregory K', 'Holy Matrimony' with Patricia Arquette, 'Road Flower' (aka 'Road Killers') with Josh Brolin, 'Angels in the Outfield' with Danny Glover, and 'The Juror' with Alec Baldwin. All of this was before his breakout role in as Tommy Solomon with John Lithgow in '3rd Rock from the Sun' which ran for 139 episodes from 1996 to 2001. During this time he was attending Van Nuys High School in Los Angeles, graduating in 1999 with honours.

After appearing with Jamie Lee Curtis in 'Halloween H20' he starred in '10 Things I Hate About You' in 1999 with Heath Ledger, and in 2000 he joined Columbia University School of General Studies in New York studying history, literature and French poetry becoming fluent in French in the process. He however, dropped out in 2004 to concentrate on his acting career, with a handful of films during this period - 'Picking up the Pieces' with Woody Allen in 2000, 'Manic' with Don Cheadle in 2001, and 'Latter Days' in 2003, 'Mysterious Skin' in 2004 and then 'Brick', 'Havoc' and 'Shadowboxer' all in 2005.

He went on to 'The Lookout' in 2007 with Jeff Daniels, 'Stop-Loss' with Channing Tatum in 2008 together with 'Miracle St. Anna' and an uncredited cameo in 'The Brothers Bloom' that same year. He has been a busy jobbing Actor ever since knocking out six films in 2009 - 'Killshot', 'Big Breaks' (short), '(500) Days of Summer', 'Uncertainty', 'Women in Trouble' and 'G.I.Joe : Rise of Cobra'.

2010 brought 'Hesher', 'Electra Luxx' and 'Inception' for Christopher Nolan. 2011 saw '50/50' only with Seth Rogen, and then a return to his usual busyness in 2012 with the release of 'The Dark Knight Rises' for Christoper Nolan once more, 'Premium Rush' for David Koepp, 'Looper' with Bruce Willis, and 'Lincoln' for Steven Spielberg.

In 2013 he was occupied with his acclaimed Writing and Directing debut in 'Don Jon' in which he also starred with Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore. In 2014 he played the role of fractured gambler with a hidden agenda in the Robert Rodriguez follow up to his earlier film 'Sin City' with 'Sin City : A Dame to Kill For'. Then came an uncredited cameo in the now infamous 'The Interview', with 'The Walk' in post-production for a late 2015 release, an as yet untitled Christmas project with Seth Rogen also in post-production for a late end of year release, and an Oliver Stone bio-pic with Gordon-Levitt playing Edward Snowdon and due for a 2016 release and currently in pre-production.

Gordon-Levitt has 68 acting credits to his name, seven Director Credits (which include five short films), three Producer credits and three Writing credits. He has been nominated for two Golden Globes for '50/50' and '(500) Days of Summer', won a Primetime Emmy for 'HitRECord on TV' with 21 other wins and 49 other nominations so far in his career. His older brother Dan died in 2010 and in December 2014 he married Tasha McCauley. He plays drums and guitar, and he is the founder and Director of 'hitRECord' - an online collaborative media production company.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - dimpled, youthful and possessing boyish good looks; action star, dramatic lead, romantic playboy; and already at just 34 has worked in the business for 30 years and has an aver increasing body of work to show for it and keep us entertained. Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 18th September 2014.

This week with the advent of school holidays just about to click in, and the sun shining now more on a regular basis as Springtime takes hold across Australia, there is a plethora of new releases in the week ahead that will offer something for everyone - from the young, to the not so young. There are animated features, action Sci-Fi, graphic novel noir, a coming of age tale and a family introspective dramedy from a second time Director.

There is much to like in the week ahead and plenty to tempt you out once again from in front of the small screen to in front of a big screen with the eye-popping hi-def and ear piercing surround sound that only the movie going experience can provide. When you've been out to your local multi-plex this coming week and sat in the dark for two hours watching the film of your choice, drop me a line at Odeon Online, in the comments box immediately following this regular weekly feature, and let me and my other frequent reader know what you thought! Enjoy your cinema experience!

SIN CITY : A DAME TO KILL FOR (Rated MA15+) - it has taken Co-Directors Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez almost ten years to bring the second 'Sin City' instalment to our big screens. Once again based on the graphic novel written by Frank Miller, it's predecessor the 2005 film 'Sin City' has become a cult classic and performed well at the box office given its gritty subject matter, its interwoven stories, strong cast and its excellent dark, noir, brooding look on screen - the likes of which we had never seen before. Fast track to 2014 and Miller and Rodriguez have amassed the budget and the cast to do it all again, this time combining four stories from the Sin City series whilst retaining all the key elements from that original outing, but enhanced digitally given that technology has marched on another decade since the first film.

This time around we once again have a stellar cast with a few names reprising their roles from earlier. The grizzled hard boiled citizens of Basin City that make up an unsavoury but nonetheless entertaining bunch of killers, criminals, thugs, pimps, prostitutes, pushers and losers consist of Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Powers Booth, Ray Liotta, Stacy Keach, Christopher Lloyd, Dennis Haysbert and Jeremy Piven with our femme fatales made up of Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson and Eva Green . . . and even Lady Gaga gets a gig somewhere in there too! With four stories - 'Just Another Saturday Night', 'The Long Bad Night - Parts 1&2', 'A Dame to Kill For' and 'Nancy's Last Dance' these stories twist and turn and are interwoven with the unscrupulous Senator Roarke (Powers Booth) being the glue that sticks it all together. If you liked the first instalment; are a follower of the genre, the cast and the film makers; and want another unique visual experience following closely in the footsteps of the first - then this is a must watch over the coming weeks!

THE MAZE RUNNER (Rated M) - adapted from the 2009 book of the same name by James Dashner this is likely to be the first in a trilogy if it performs well enough, and there is every chance it will given its storyline, its visuals and its targeted audience (largely in the same vein as 'Divergent', and 'The Hunger Games'). Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) awakes in a lift not knowing how he got there or why, only to be deposited in a corn field with sixty or so other teenage boys all glaring down at him. We learn that these boys have been there for two years or so, that a new boy arrives every thirty days and they are living in a completely enclosed environment surrounded by very high walls that keep them in a state of captivity. Their only means of escape is through their surrounding maze, but no one has yet been successful, the maze is ever changing and lurking out there are nightmarish mechanical creatures ('Grievers') preying on would-be escapists. Then, when they least expect it a girl arrives carrying a note saying she is 'the last one ever' and things begin to change for Thomas and the group as they seek to escape and find answers to their past and their future confronting much adversity, danger and adventure along the way.

THE INFINITE MAN (Rated MA15+) - another offering to add to the canon of solid Australian film content to be released in recent times, 'The Infinite Man' is from South Australian Screenwriter and Director Hugh Sullivan and is an original little film with a little cast and a big idea set in the middle of nowhere! Starring Josh McConville as Dean, he is the amateur scientist who takes his girlfriend Lana (Hannah Marshall) away to a remote outback hotel to celebrate their anniversary (filmed in Woomera, of all God forsaken places!). During their little holiday they split up and Lana's ex. Terry also arrives,  (Alex Dimitriadis) just complicating things further leaving Dean to lick his wounds and invent a time-machine (as amateur would-be scientists do!) in an attempt to rectify those wrongs in the relationship and win her back on the same day. Creating a time-travelling devise fashioned from odd bits of audio equipment and a head covering of some sort, the net effect is that multiple versions of Dean are created as he jumps back in time several times to get it right - which only serves to complicate a complicated matter further. With Dean having conversions with his other selves, and all at odds with Terry and Lana this is a set up for complications and confusion aplenty, madness and hilarity, and an original story with a soft core despite the harshness of its surroundings.

WE ARE THE BEST (Rated M) - a Swedish/Danish collaboration this has a limited release. Directed by Lukas Moodysson and based on a comic book written by his wife Coco, this is about three teenage friends growing up in 1982 Stockholm who decide to form a Punk band to prove to themselves and the world that Punk is still alive, kicking and doing the pogo! Bobo (Mira Barkhammar) and Klara (Mira Grosin) recruit young guitar legend Hedvig (Liv LeMoyne) to their 'band' despite the fact that they have no instruments and negativity from everyone around them. This is a story not of the music, but more of relationships unfolding, the teenage spirit, and youthful innocence that is likely to pull us in just as 'Stand By Me' did in 1986.

WISH I WAS HERE (Rated M) - Directed, written and starring Zach Braff this is his second Directorial outing after 2004's 'Garden State', and sees him as Aidan Bloom a doting father and husband but hapless provider as a budding actor who fails at just about every audition he goes for. At 35 he still lacks meaning and purpose in his life, and when his ageing and sick father (Mandy Patinkin) announces that he can no longer afford the school fees for his two grandchildren, Tucker (Pierce Gagnon) and Grace (Joey King), Aidan decides it is time he schooled them at home. Starring Kate Hudson as the wife Sarah, Aidan's journey while home schooling Tucker and Grace lead to some interesting discoveries about himself, love, family, relationships and perhaps the meaning of life!

THE BOXTROLLS (Rated PG) - based on the Alan Snow children's book 'Here Be Monsters' this film is a stop-motion animated feature that looks delightful, has a strong voice cast including Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette and Elle Fanning and is sure to please for its creative, heart-warming, humorous story and visuals. Based in and under the town of Cheesebridge, orphaned lad Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) has been raised by underground dwelling inventors known as 'The Boxtrolls' (surprisingly, trolls who carry themselves around in recycled boxes!). Undercover of darkness and in the dead of night The Boxtrolls clamber up the sewers and ransack the garbage bins of the townsfolk for hidden 'treasures' that they can recycle for their clever inventions. Despite them being largely harmless, fun loving intelligent inventive little creatures the city slickers above ground believe them to be ruthless, child napping, thieving criminals intent on stealing the towns prized cheeses. Above ground Boxtroll Exterminator, Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Ben Kingsley) is intent on ridding the town once and for all of the evil below ground dwelling menace and taking his rightful place in society.  Eggs, as the only human in the Boxtroll clan, ventures above ground and meets future friend and support Winnie Portly-Rind (voiced by Elle Fanning) to overcome Snatcher and win over the townsfolk once and for all.

PLANES : FIRE & RESCUE (Rated G) - Disney spent US$50M making this sequel to the 2013 'Planes' animated feature so they must consider it a worthwhile exercise to give this another go! With a voice cast that includes Ed Harris, Hal Holbrook, Stacy Keach and Teri Hatcher we see our avionic hero Dusty (voiced by Dane Cook) given the news that he has terminal engine damage and will never likely race again. He needs to take it easy and so becomes an aerial firefighter joining up with veteran fire and rescue helicopter, Blade Ranger and his team. With a huge bushfire raging wildly out of control Dusty quickly learns what it is to become a real hero! One definitely for the kids on a wet afternoon methinks!

Seven new Odeon offerings to tempt you out this week and again something for almost everyone, and if it's not one of the above, then there is still plenty of cinematic content from previous weeks still doing the rounds and on-show at a theatre near you!

Enjoy the movies - see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-