Birthday's to share this week : 29th May-4th June 2016

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Duncan Jones does on 30th May - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 45, 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 29th May

• Annette Bening - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actress  
• Rupert Everett - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Ted Levine - Born1957, turns 59 - Actor
• Danny Elfman - Born 1953, turns 63 - Composer | Songwriter | Actor 

Monday 30th May

• Duncan Jones - Born 1971, turns 45 - Director | Writer 
• Harry Enfield - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director    

Tuesday 31st May

• Clint Eastwood - Born 1930, turns 86 - Actor | Director | Producer | Composer | Singer | Songwriter
• Tom Berenger - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Colin Farrell - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actor | Producer  
• Brooke Shields - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actress | Producer

Wednesday 1st June

• Amy Schemer - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actress | Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Director  
• Brian Cox - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Producer 
• Powers Boothe - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actor
• Jonathan Pryce - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Singer
• Robert Powell - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor
• Tom Holland - Born 1996, turns 30 - Actor
• Morgan Freeman - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer

Thursday 2nd June

• Wentworth Miller - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actor | Writer
• Kevin Feige - Born 1973, turns 43 - Producer
• Dominic Cooper - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Singer
• Zachary Quinto - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Producer  
• Liam Cunningham - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor 
• Dennis Haysbert - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actor | Producer
• Stacy Keach - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director

Friday 3rd June

• James Purefoy - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor
• Imogen Poots - Born 1989, turns 27 - Actress | Singer

Saturday 4th June

• Angelina Jolie - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer 
• Russell Brand - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Sean Pertwee - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor | 
• Keith David - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Bruce Dern - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor | Producer
• Geoffrey Palmer - Born 1927, turns 89 - Actor  

Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones, aka Zowie Bowie, is the only child from mother Angie Barnett - a Cypriot/American model, actress and musician, and father David Bowie the legendary English singer, songwriter, actor and record producer who died earlier this year aged 69. He was born in Bromley, London, but spent much of his younger years living between London, Berlin, and Vevey in Switzerland. His birth in 1971 prompted his father to write 'Kooks' which is included in his 'Hunky Dory' album of that same year. He studied at The International School in Lausanne, and in 1980 when his parents divorced, his father was granted custody. At that point he went by the name Zowie, but by twelve years of age he decided that he preferred Joey, which he shortened to Joe in his later teen years. At fourteen he was enrolled in the renowned Scottish boarding school, Gordonstoun. He had designs on becoming a professional wrestler while growing up with his father often commenting on his 'natural strength'. By eighteen he reverted to using his birth name of Duncan. In 1995 he graduated from The College of Wooster in Ohio with a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy. He went onto Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a PhD but quit before completion to attend the London Film School, graduating as a Director in 2001.

In 1997 Jones was one of many cameramen working on his fathers televised 50th Birthday celebrations at Maddison Square Garden. He worked similarly again in 2000 at the two BowieNet concerts in New York City. In 2002 he Co-Produced, wrote and Directed his first short film - the thirty minute long 'Whistle' about an ultra-technological assassin who becomes involved in the life of one of his victims. He followed this up a year later with the video game 'Republic : The Revolution' on which he acted as Cinematic Director as well as penning elements of the script. In 2006 he Directed a relaunch campaign for fashion label French Connection.

2009 saw his feature film Directorial debut with 'Moon' which he also co-wrote the script for based on his own story. Made on a shoestring budget of just US$5M it made double that and in the process picked up eighteen award wins and another seventeen nomination including a BAFTA Award win for Jones as Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, and numerous other wins either for Jones directly or the film. Starring Sam Rockwell and the voice of Kevin Spacey, the film was largely critically well received.



'Source Code' came next in 2011 - his second Directed feature film starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan. Made for US$32M it took US$148M at the global Box Office and was hailed both a commercial and critical success winning one award for best Original Screenplay and eight further nominations. The story here surrounds Gyllenhaal as a soldier waking up in someone else's body and learning that he is part of a government experimental programme to locate a bomber aboard a busy commuter train. The catch here though is that he has just eight minutes to locate the bomber and prevent the explosion so completing his mission - but, he can relive that same eight minutes time after time after time, learning something new every time to thwart the bomber.

Next up and due for imminent release is 'Warcraft : The Beginning' based on the hugely popular video game and books set in the fantasy world of Azeroth. Made for US$160M the film has been in development for ten years with Jones announced to Direct in 2013. Starring Travis Fimmel, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell and Clancy Brown the story tells of Azeroth being on the brink of war as its civilisation, led by the humans, comes under attack from rampaging orcs fleeing their world of Draenor, which is dying. As the leaders of both worlds collide, the fate of their families, their people, their homes and their worlds hang in the balance.

Following this it has been announced that his next film will be 'Mute' with Paul Rudd and Alexander Skarsgard - set in Berlin forty years from now it follows a mute bartender investigating his partners disappearance, and said to be influenced by Jones favourite film of all time - 'Blade Runner'.

All up Jones has garnered thirteen award wins and another twelve nominations. He has five Director credits to his name, four Writing credits and one as Producer. In late 2012 he married photographer Rodene Ronquillo, who was diagnosed with breast cancer that same day, but has since been given the all clear, and the couple are now expecting their first child to be born in June.

Duncan Jones - the son of a music legend; was Best Man at his fathers wedding to Iman in 1992; has already achieved so much from so little and is an emerging talent increasingly playing in the big league as his works grow in acclaim and as his film progression continues. Long may your success last and very Happy Birthday to you Duncan, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 13th-19th December 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Jake Gyllenhaal does on 19th December - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy, turning 35, 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 13th December

• Jamie Foxx - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
• Steve Buscemi - Born 1957, turns 48 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Christopher Plummer - Born 1929, turns 86 - Actor | Producer
• Dick Van Dyke - Born 1925, turns 90 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Robert Lindsay - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actor

Monday 14th December

• Vijay Amritraj - Born 1953, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Tennis Ace
• Rebecca Gibney - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actress | Producer
• Sophie Monk - Born1979, turns 36 - Actress

Tuesday 15th December

• Don Johnson - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actor | Producer
• Alex Cox - Born 1954, turns 61 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Editor

Wednesday 16th December

• Theo James - Born 1984, turns 31 - Actor
• Benjamin Bratt - Born 1963, turns 52 - Actor | Producer
• Shane Black - Born 1961, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Ben Cross - Born 1947, turns 68 - Actor
• James Mangold - Born 1963, turns 52 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Miranda Otto - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actress

Thursday 17th December

• Milla Jojovich - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actress | Singer
• Giovanni Ribisi - Born 1974, turns 41 - Actor
• Bill Pullman - Born 1953, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Rian Johnson - Born 1973, turns 42 - Director | Writer
• Eugene Levy - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Bernard Hill - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor

Friday 18th December

• Brad Pitt - Born 1963, turns 52 - Actor | Producer
• Steven Spielberg - Born 1946, turns 69 - Director | Producer | Writer | Editor
• Ray Liotta - Born 1954, turns 61 - Actor | Producer
• Steve Austin - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | WWF Wrestler & Ringmaster
• Katie Holmes - Born 1978, turns 37 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Rachel Griffiths - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress | Writer

Saturday 19th December 

• Jennifer Beals - Born 1963, turns 52 - Actress | Producer
• Jake Gyllenhaal - Born 1980, turns 35 - Actor | Producer

Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal was born in Los Angeles, California to mother Naomi Achs - a film Producer and Screenwriter and father, Stephen Gyllenhaal, a film Director. He has an older sister - Maggie  - also an acclaimed Actress who is married to Actor Peter Saragaard. His parents divorced in 2009. He has Swedish noble blood running through his veins on his fathers side that dates back to 1652 when the name first appeared, descended from cavalryman Nils Gunnarsson Haal. His mother is of Jewish origin and Gyllenhaal considers himself Jewish. In his early teens he worked as a volunteer at a homeless shelter, as a Summer Holiday lifeguard and as a Busboy is a family friends restaurant - all to keep him grounded given the trappings of a Hollywood lifestyle enjoyed in his privileged upbringing. He graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in LA in 1998, and then attended Columbia University, but after two years dropped out to concentrate on an acting career.

His acting career started when he was just ten years old starring as Billy Crystal's son in 'City Slickers'. Two years later he starred in 'A Dangerous Woman' as Directed by his father and written for the screen by his mother, and starring alongside his sister with Gabriel Byrne, David Strathairn, Debra Winger and Barbara Hershey. His father would Direct him again in 1998 in 'Homegrown' with John Lithgow, Billy Bob Thornton, Hank Azaria and Jamie Lee Curtis; with Joe Johnston's 'October Sky' in 1999 closing out the decade with Chris Cooper and Laura Dern.

Critical acclaim would come with the first film of the new decade in 2002 with 'Donnie Darko' - set in 1988 Gyllenhaal plays the title character alongside his sister once again, and Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore and an eight feet tall menacing white rabbit called Frank. Whilst barely a commercial success, it has subsequently over the years risen to 'cult status'.

A number of teenage romance films followed the forgettable 'Highway' in which he starred with future Oscar winner Jared Leto, and these included 'The Good Girl', 'Lovely and Amazing', and 'Bubble Boy'.

The Roland Emmerich disaster epic 'The Day After Tomorrow' saw Gyllenhaal in the lead role as the Northern Hemisphere freezes over, and in the process grossing a cool US$545M at the Global Box Office. After this there was really no going back, with Ang Lee's 'Brokeback Mountain' starring Heath Ledger and winning a swag of awards including Academy Awards, BAFTA's and Golden Globes totalling 122 wins and another 106 nominations from around the traps.





That same year Gyllenhaal also put out 'Proof' with Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth Paltrow, and the Desert Storm story of 'Jarhead' as Directed by Sam Mendes and starring brother-in-law and good friend Peter Sarsgaard, and Jamie Foxx. Afterwards came the murder mystery thriller for David Fincher, 'Zodiac', about the as yet unsolved serial killings by 'The Zodiac Killer' between December 1968 and October 1969. This was followed up later that year with 'Rendition' in which he co-starred with Peter Sarsgaard once again and Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon. The decade drew to a close with 'Brothers' - a wartorn film with Afghanistan as the backdrop with Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman. After this came the movie adaptation of the video game 'Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time' and then the RomCom 'Love and Other Drugs' with Anne Hathaway, for which Gyllenhaal received a Golden Globe nomination.

2012 saw 'End of Watch' - the highly acclaimed LA buddy cop movie starring Michael Pena. In between time there was 'Source Code' for Duncan Jones, and following 'Prisoners' with Hugh Jackman and Paul Dano, and then doppelganger 'Enemy' - the latter two films both Directed by Denis Villeneuve. 'Nightcrawler' was next in 2014 and one of this Reviewers favourite films of that year, with 'Accidental Love', 'Southpaw' and 'Everest' all released earlier this year. Next up is is 'Demolition' in early 2016 with Chris Cooper and Naomi Watts, with 'Nocturnal Animals' in post-production for a 2016 release, and then 'The Current War', 'Stronger', 'Okja' all currently in pre-production, and 'The Man Who Made It Snow' for Antoine Fuqua recently announced.

All up Gyllenhaal has 38 Acting credits and three Producer credits. He has garnered thirty Award wins including the 2006 BAFTA win for 'Brokeback Mountain' and a nomination for 'Nightcrawler' plus two Golden Globe nominations and an Academy Award nomination for 'Brokeback Mountain' too. He has a total 75 nominations all up to date.

Having been raised in the Hollywood Acting community, Paul Newman and Jamie Lee Curtis were/are his Godparents, and he is Godfather to Matilda Rose Ledger, daughter of the late Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams. He has been romantically linked to Kirsten Dunst, Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Swift, and model Alyssa Miller. He is politically active, supporting the Democrats and John Kerry in the past. He is also environmentally active supporting recycling, tree planting, climate change as well as supporting various charities too.

Jake Gyllenhaal - born into the industry and active in it already for 25 of his 35 years; has nobility in his ancestry; the recipient of numerous on-screen and off-screen official and unofficial awards; continues to draw a crowd with a diverse portfolio of work; and just keeps getting better with every role - Happy Birthday to you Jake, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

SOURCE CODE : archive from 24th May 2011.

Saw 'SOURCE CODE' last night and loved it -  original story, clever premise, well crafted and Directed by relatively new up & coming talent to watch Duncan Jones AKA Zowie Bowie AKA son of one David Bowie. This film was made for US$32M and grossed US$147M and along the way picked up an award and a handful of nominations from the awards circuit. Nonetheless it garnered positive reviews from this second time Director whose first offering was the acclaimed 'Moon' and next up has 'Warcraft' due for release in 2016.

And so to the story! Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a US Army chopper pilot whose last recollection was flying a sortie in Afghanistan. He wakes up on a commuter train at 7:40am heading for Chicago. All around him he is just an ordinary early morning traveller heading into the city with his travelling mate Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan). But something is not quite right - why is he there, who is he with, and why isn't he in Afghanistan? To the outside world and the person staring back at him in the toilet mirror though he is Sean Fentress - a school teacher - he gets agitated, then, the train on which he is travelling explodes, killing all on board.

He regains consciousness and is inside a cockpit communicating through a video link to Captain Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) who confirms his identity as Colter Stevens and commands that he remains on mission to locate the train bomber before another bomb takes out downtown Chicago in six hours time. In reality Steven's is inside the 'Source Code' - an enclosed self contained chamber developed by scientist Dr. Rutledge (Jeffrey Wright) that allows him to experience the final eight minutes of another persons compatible life but in an alternate timeline. Confused - stick with it, because it's worth it!

As each eight minute period comes and goes with increasing urgency and desperation, Stevens must relive those eight minutes but each time learn from the previous experience to find the bomber and prevent the tragedy.  He will die time and time again and witness the horrors of the explosion, the death and carnage, but his purpose is clear and his instructions explicit, even though he may not agree with them. But of course he doesn't know the full story nor yet does he see the full picture.

As time progresses Stevens gets closer to the truth, the location of the bomb and the bomber, but he also gets closer to his travelling companion Christina with whom he begins to fall in love. He believes he can prevent the tragedy but because he is not travelling back in time, but simply reliving eight minutes in time he cannot change what has happened, merely understand it and try to stop it from occurring within those eight minutes. But, he chooses to test the theory but must do so before his time runs out, and before those controlling the 'Source Code' interrupt the proceedings.

One of the most intelligent present day sci-fi movie outings since 'Inception', and a great second offering from Duncan Jones. This film will leave you pondering the story, wondering at the ending, and debating the pieces of the puzzle just seen. If you missed this first time around catch it now on DVD, BluRay or download and enjoy Gyllenhaal for the reliable grounded solid performance he always gives coupled with a great story.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-