Birthday's to share this week : 3rd - 9th September 2017

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Michael Keaton does on 5th September - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 66, 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 September

• Jean-Pierre Jeunet - Born 1953, turns 64 - Director | Writer | Producer 
• Charlie Sheen - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Noah Baumbach - Born 1969, turns 48 - Writer | Director | Producer | Actor
• Garrett Hedlund - Born 1984, turns 33 - Actor | Singer
• Pauline Collins - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actress 

Monday 4th September

• Charlotte Le Bon - Born 1986, turns 31 - Actress
• Damon Wyans - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director   
• Noah Taylor - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor

Tuesday 5th September

• George Lazenby - Born 1939, turns 78 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Werner Herzog - Born 1942, turns 75 - Director | Writer | Actor | Producer
• Michael Keaton - Born 1951, turns 66 - Actor | Producer | Director 
• Paddy Considine - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Raquel Welch - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actress | Singer
• Rose McGowan - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actress | Singer | Writer
• Carice van Houten - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actress  

Wednesday 6th September

• Rosie Perez - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer | Choreographer
• Naomi Harris - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actress
• Idris Elba - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer  

Thursday 7th September

• Dario Argento - Born 1940, turns 77 - Writer | Director | Producer | Actor | Composer
• Toby Jones - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor
• Tom Everett Scott - Born 1970, turns 47 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Alex Kurtzman - Born 1973, turns 44 - Producer | Writer | Director
• Julie Kavner - Born 1950, turns 67 - Actress | Singer
• Angie Everhart - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actress | Producer
• Evan Rachel Wood - Born 1987, turns 30 - Actress | Singer  

Friday 8th September

• Martin Freeman - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Singer  
• David Arquette - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer

Saturday 9th September

• Topol - Born 1935, turns 82 - Actor | Producer | Singer 
• Hugh Grant - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actor | Singer
• Adam Sandler - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Michelle Williams - Born 1980, turns 37 - Actress | Singer
• Zoe Kazan - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actress | Writer | Producer

Michael John Douglas was born in Coraopolis, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, west of Pittsburgh, to mother Leona Loftus, a housewife and homemaker, and father George Douglas a civil engineer and surveyor. He is the youngest of seven children. He attended Montour High School located in the Robinson Township of Allegheny County, and thereafter he attended Kent State University, in Kent, Ohio where he studied speech for two years and appeared in several stage productions during that time before dropping out and making his way back to Pittsburgh.  

After trying his hand at stand-up comedy and proving unsuccessful at that venture he spent a time as a television cameraman and then decided he would rather appear in front of the camera rather than behind one. He gained his first television role in local Pittsburgh public television programmes, including on 'Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood' in 1975, on which he also served as a Production Assistant, and then on five episodes of 'All's Fair', and then the likes of 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman', sitcoms 'Maude', 'The Tony Randall Show', the comedy variety show 'Mary' hosted and starring Mary Tyler Moore, and then drama 'Family'. Keaton got his first big screen break in a small role in the Joan Rivers Co-Written and Directed 'Rabbit Test' with Billy Crystal and Roddy McDowell. It was about this time that the young aspiring Actor relocated himself to Los Angeles, but realising that there was another Michael Douglas rising through the ranks of film and television stardom, as well as a television talk show host and Actor named Mike Douglas, Keaton needed a stage name to satisfy the Screen Actors Guild guidelines. So while allegedly flicking through a magazine article in which Actress Diane Keaton was profiled, he decided that Keaton was a reasonable enough sounding surname for him to adopt and so from that point forward Michael Douglas became Michael Keaton, although he has never officially changed his name.

Next up, he scored a regular slot of nine episodes on the short lived sitcom 'Working Stiffs' with James Belushi, and then eleven episodes on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Hour'. Both of these aired in 1979. In 1982 he starred as Murphy in the single season of six episodes of 'Report to Murphy' as well as his next big screen role in the Ron Howard Directed comedy film 'Night Shift' with Henry Winkler and Shelley Long. His performance here earned him some critical praise, leading to his next starring role in 'Mr. Mom' opposite Teri Garr, then 'Johnny Dangerously' with Danny DeVito and Peter Boyle, followed by the Ron Howard Directed 'Gung Ho' with Mimi Rogers and John Turturro, and then 'Touch and Go' and 'The Squeeze'. Perhaps his breakout role came in 1988 when Director Tim Burton cast Keaton as Betelgeuse in the fantasy comedy offering 'Beetlejuice' alongside Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. The film was critically acclaimed as was Keaton's performance, and it took US$74M from its US$15M budget outlay making it a financial winner too. Later that same year saw Keaton star with Morgan Freeman in 'Clean and Sober' in which his dramatic performance was also acclaimed.

1989 saw Keaton team up with Tim Burton once again in the DC Comics big screen adaptation of 'Batman'. Keaton's casting was the subject of much controversy amongst the legions of ardent Batman fans, believing that the Actor has become typecast as a comedy Actor, and was therefore unable to portray a serious role of this nature. Starring alongside Jack Nicholson as The Joker, Kim Bassinger, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Palance and Jerry Hall, Keaton proved the naysayers wrong and delivered a critically praised performance, and the film grossed US$412M off the back of its US$35M budget and became the fifth highest grossing film of all time, at the time of its release. It also picked up ten award wins including the Oscar for Best Art Direction, and a further 26 nominations. Keaton reprised his role once again in 1992's 'Batman Returns' for Tim Burton once again and this time starring Danny DeVito as The Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Christopher Walken. The second instalment grossed US$267M from its US$80M budget. After this second instalment Keaton bowed out of the burgeoning franchise to make way for Val Kilmer in 'Batman Forever' in 1995 and George Clooney in 1997's 'Batman and Robin' both Directed by Joel Schumacher.

In between time there was John Schlesinger's Directed psychological thriller 'Pacific Heights' with Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine; 'One Good Cop' with Rene Russo; the Kenneth Branagh Directed, Co-Produced, Written for the screen and starring RomCom based on the Shakespeare play 'Much Ado About Nothing' in 1993 with an ensemble cast including Emma Thomson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, Ben Elton, Richard Briers, Imelda Staunton, Brian Blessed and Kate Beckinsale. This in turn led to 'My Life' with Nicole Kidman, 'The Paper' for Director Ron Howard again with Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei and Jason Alexander. RomCom 'Speechless' came next, then 'Multiplicity' for Director Harold Ramis.

'Jackie Brown' for Screenwriter and Director Quentin Tarantino came along in 1997 with Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson, Bridget Fonda, Pam Grier and Robert Forster in this Elmore Leonard adapted story. Keaton plays the role of Agent Ray Nicolette - a role he would play again the following year in the Steven Soderbergh Directed crime comedy caper 'Out of Sight' with George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames and Don Cheadle. 'Desperate Measures' with Andy Garcia, and Christmas offering 'Jack Frost' closed out the decade. 

2002 offered up 'A Shot at Glory', the HBO Produced television movie 'Live from Baghdad' with Helena Bonham Carter, direct to video offering 'Quicksand' with Michael Caine, his turn as US President John Mackenzie in 'First Daughter' alongside Katie Holmes, the supernatural horror film 'White Noise', then a reboot of the much loved 'Herbie' franchise whose origins date back to 1968 with 'Herbie : Fully Loaded' in 2005 and also starring Lindsay Lohan, Matt Dillon and Justin Long. 'Game 6' was also released in 2005 with Robert Downey Jnr. and Griffin Dunne, then the Dramedy 'The Last Time' with Brendan Fraser and Neal McDonough, and then 'The Merry Gentleman' which Keaton also Directs for the first time. RomCom 'Post Grad' and the action comedy 'The Other Guys' with Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Coogan and Dwayne Johnson saw out another decade.

2014 saw 'Blindsided', then the remake of the 1987 part man, part machine, all cop shoot first ask questions later 'Robocop' with Joel Kinnaman in the title role and also starring Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Jackie Earle Haley, and Abbie Cornish, and then 'Need for Speed' with Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper and Imogen Poots. That same year came the highly acclaimed the world over 'Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)' with Keaton's lead role as Riggan Thomson, an Actor famed for his performance back in the day as the iconic titular superhero, 'Birdman'. As Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Alejandro G. Inarritu the film also starred Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Amy Ryan and Andrea Riseborough. The film picked up four Academy Award wins and five nominations, Keaton won the Golden Globe for his performance and was nominated too for the Oscar and the BAFTA in a total haul of 193 award wins and 277 other nominations.

Keaton followed this up straight away with another turn in a highly acclaimed film - 'Spotlight' with Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup, John Slattery and Rachel McAdams in this true Boston Globe newspaper investigative journalism piece into child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, that blew the lid off such scandals world wide and the repercussions of which are still being seen today. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay amongst its total awards tally of 119 wins and 136 further nominations, and it recovered US$93M for its US$20M budget investment.

The story behind the McDonald's fast food empire came next in 2016 in 'The Founder' with Keaton playing businessman Ray Kroc who ousts control of the fledgling company from Richard and Maurice McDonald and turned it into the global success story it is today. And then bringing us up to date is his most recent run as Adrian Toomes/Vulture in this second reboot of the 'Spider-Man' franchise with the Jon Watts Directed 'Spider-Man : Homecoming' released back in July having cost US$175M and so far grossing US$738M. The film stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man with Robert Downey Jnr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei and Zendaya.

Next up for Keaton is action thriller 'American Assassin' due for imminent release as Directed by Michael Cuesta and starring Dylan O'Brien, Taylor Kitsch and David Suchet; and due for release in 2019 and currently filming is the live action fantasy adventure film 'Dumbo' based largely on the 1941 Walt Disney animated classic with Tim Burton on Director duties and also starring Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Alan Arkin, and Eva Green. In between time Keaton has lent his voice talents to the English language version of the Japanese animated comedy adventure film 'Porco Rosso' in 2005, to the 2006 Pixar Animation 'Cars' featuring an all star voice cast, to the voice of Ken in the Pixar Animation 'Toy Story 3' in 2010 which went on to gross US$1.07B off the back of a US$200M production budget, and the voice of Walter Nelson in the Illumination Entertainment animated spin-off to the 'Despicable Me' franchise with 'Minions' which from a budget of US$74M grossed worldwide US$1.17B. He has also lent his voice talents over the years to single episodes of 'The Simpsons', 'King of the Hill', 'Gary the Rat' and had guest appearances on 'Frasier', 'The Company' and '30 Rock'.

All up Keaton has 76 Acting credits to his name, three as Producer and one as Director. He has amassed a haul of 64 award wins and a further 39 nominations including the nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for 'Birdman', he won the Golden Globe for the same role and was also nominated for 'Live from Baghdad', was nominated for the BAFTA for 'Birdman', won the AACTA for it, and won the SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast for both 'Birdman' and 'Spotlight' as well the nod for Best Lead Actor in 'Birdman' and 'The Company'. Keaton was married to Actress Caroline McWilliams from 1982 to 1990 and with whom they had a son together, Sean Douglas born in 1983.

Michael Keaton - an avid fly fisherman, mountain biker, horse rider, golfer and snowboarder; and is a keen fan of the 'Pittsburgh Pirates' baseball team, the 'Pittsburgh Penguins' ice hockey team and the 'Pittsburgh Steelers' American football team. Was either considered for, or turned down leading roles in more films than you could care to mention including 'Ghostbusters', 'Speed', 'The Fly', 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Philadelphia', 'Splash', 'Police Academy', 'JFK', 'Cutthroat Island', 'Mars Attacks', 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and television series 'Lost', and was in his early years typecast in RomCom's or comedies, but has since proven himself across multiple genres and in dramatic and thrilling roles, and winning the accolades and gaining the recognition to prove it. Enjoying your second wind of great roles that continue to surprise and delight your audience, keep up the good work Michael, and a very Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online- 

SPOTLIGHT : Tuesday 2nd February 2016

'SPOTLIGHT' which I saw earlier this week is a truly compelling film account of the true life facts surrounding the systematic abuse of children by the Catholic Church spanning decades. Directed by Tom McCarthy and with an all star award winning ensemble cast, this film was made for US$20M and has so far made US$37M having premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in early September before general release in the US on 6th November and here in Australia on 20th January. Nominated for six yet to be announced Academy Awards, those being for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor and Actress, as well as three  also yet to be announced BAFTA nominations for Best Actor, Best Film and Best Screenplay. Additionally, it has garnered along the way 84 award wins and another 107 award nominations - not so bad at all, and, hardly surprising given the acting talent on display here, the story telling and the manner in which the subject matter is handled on screen.

And so to that subject matter which make this so compelling, and a story that had to be told, and that as a consequence, had much further reaching implications worldwide. The film opens with the appointment of a new Editor to The Boston Globe newspaper in 2001 - Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) who is quickly introduced to Walter 'Robby' Robinson (Michael Keaton) who heads up the famed 'Spotlight' Team for the newspaper. This small but experienced group of investigative journalists work tirelessly on hand picked cases to investigate and expose, often taking months and up to a year to bring their story and its findings to print. The Spotlight Team has been operating since 1970, and is the longest running continuous newspaper investigative team working in the US. Baron, of Jewish decent, picks up on a former case about a paedophile priest and a lawyer Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci) who knew that the Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Bernard Law (Lou Cariou) knew of the priests sexual abuse of children but did nothing about it. This case was reported in Globe but only a few column inches were dedicated to it and it was quickly covered up and buried by the Church.

Gathering Robinson and Ben Bradlee (John Slattery) together who both work as investigators and Editors at The Globe and on the Spotlight Team, Baron tasks them with digging deeper and to investigate the story thoroughly putting whatever resources necessary toward their case. Robinson and Bradlee agree somewhat reluctantly believing there to be just one priest who has moved around through the years. And so the remaining team are each assigned tasks - Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo on fine form and noticeably slimmed down),  Matt Carroll (Brian d'Arcy James) and Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) begin to quickly uncover more than they bargained for.

Rezendes meets with Garabedian who has ongoing direct contact with such victims of abuse but has been banned for speaking about such cases by the Church - but he is a reliable source of information and history. Pfeiffer and Robinson meet up with a guy who leads a victims rights group and provides evidence of abuse and cover ups by the Church going back many years, but the group has dwindled to just a handful because some have moved on, many are embarrassed and ashamed, and many are too tired to pursue any action of recompense further. But, it provides further evidence for the investigative Team. In turn they track down attorney Eric MacLeish (Billy Crudup) who has defended a number of priests against such claims but is sworn to not disclose any matters relating to those cases. Pfeiffer and Carroll also start interviewing willing victims all of whom have their own shocking stories to tell of their younger years at the hands of their caring local neighbourhood priest.

As their digging deepens so it becomes evident that there have been cover ups by the Church for many many years, and indications lead to thirteen priests in all that now come under much closer scrutiny across the Boston area. The Team further learns through Richard Sipe (Richard Jenkins in telephone voiceover only), a former Benedictine priest of almost twenty years, and now professional psychotherapist who has worked with rehabilitating paedophile priests, that in his expert estimation there is likely to be 6% of the priesthood who are offenders, and therefore by his estimation that would be ninety priests in the Boston area. This statistic stuns the Team, but gels them into further intensity in their investigations.

In doing so The Spotlight Team soon uncover 87 names that they have determined are legitimate repeat child sex offenders and that Cardinal Law knew about this, and did nothing to stop it, and allowed further ongoing abuse . . . and so did a number of public officials, spanning decades. To support the case The Boston Globe wins the right to have a number of legally sealed evidentiary documents  released into the public domain, which provide firm conclusive proof that Cardinal Law knew of these activities and chose to ignore them. As a result the Team set about preparing their final work for release in the newspaper early in 2002.

As a consequence of their work on exposing this case and bringing it to the worlds attention, the Spotlight Team win The Boston Globe the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. This story which eventually saw over 240 priests exposed in the Greater Boston area (as the end credits tell us) had more far reaching implications around the world as more and more evidence of systematic Catholic Church child abuse came to light, and continues to do so. This film made be pleased not to be a Catholic!

This is a film that had to be told because we have heard these stories in the news all too frequently in more recent years, which of course make this all the more real, relevant and abhorrent. The performances of the Spotlight Team are first rate - nuanced, grounded, emotional and especially that of Ruffalo who has recreated his character with all the nervous energy, mannerisms and expressions and unique characteristics that are worthy of his award nominations, if not a win at least! A truly riveting film that unravels slowly as the Spotlight Team go about their investigative work uncovering more revelations, cover-ups and abuse by those supposedly closest to God! Tom McCarthy who wrote the script with Josh Singer has crafted a brave, relevant, compelling story that is one of this years must-sees!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 28th January 2016.

Well G'Day and I'm very pleased to return to these humble pages following a family holiday to Vietnam. Much has happened during that time in the movie world  including the Golden Globe Awards winners & grinners were announced on January 10th with 'The Revenant' picking up Best Drama Film, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and Best Director for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu; 'The Martian' picked up Best Musical or Comedy Film and Best Actor for Matt Damon; Best Actress went to Brie Larson for 'Room' and Jennifer Lawrence for 'Joy' in each category; Best Supporting Actor went to Sylvester Stallone for 'Creed' and the Actress win to Kate Winslett for 'Steve Jobs'. We also mourned the very sad and premature passing of two film greats in David Bowie and Alan Rickman - the former on 10th January whose contribution as Singer/Songwriter first and foremost and then as an Actor is almost without equal; and Alan Rickman who passed on 14th January with 68 acting credits to his name and who can forget his Hans Gruber from 'Die Hard', Alexander Dane from 'Galaxy Quest' and Professor Severus Snape from the 'Harry Potter' series - both will be sorely missed, but their lasting legacy lives on. And of course the 'Star Wars' behemoth continues to roll on with global Box Office takings now nudging US$2B making it the third highest grossing film of all time. And finally, let's not forget that Odeon Online turned two years of age on 26th January - launched on Australia Day 2014, thanks to all for your well wishes, support and readership over that time.

There has also been a haul of new movie content released during that time, with a few others due out this week which include a long term abduction story of a mother and her son born into forced captivity whose only knowledge of the world is from within a 3x3 square shed, until they risk a bid for freedom, but at what cost to them both? Then we have a Catholic Church child sex abuse film uncovered by intrepid newspaper reporters determined to go to print with their findings whilst others in power will do what they can to prevent their cause; and finally an Australian family drama as a teenage girls goes missing.

When you have sat through your movie(s) of choice and wish to share your views and opinions with other like minded cinephiles, you can leave your own Review in the Comments section below this or any other Post, and let us know what you think. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

ROOM (Rated M) - I saw this film a few days before its Australian release, and have already Posted my Review earlier in the week, awarding this film Four Clapperboards. This is likely to be as much an emotional rollercoaster ride, a tear jerker and heart wrenching film as any you're likely to see this year that could easily be based on real life events, as have unfolded in the worlds media in very recent years. Already doing very well around the awards circuit with 54 wins and another 98 nominations including four Oscar nominations pending for Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actress for Brie Larson who has already scooped the Golden Globe for her performance, this film is directed by Lenny Abrahamson and is based on the book of the same name by Emma Donoghue.

The story here centres around Joy Newsome (Brie Larson) known to her young five year old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) as Ma. Joy would be in her mid-twenties and we quickly learn that for the last seven years she has been held captive in a room that measures no more than three metres square. It is a squalid room and this is the world for Ma and young Jack. There are four solid walls and the roof with only a skylight window which allows natural light in but cannot be opened, and the room is sound proofed and its only door is controlled by means of an electronic security keypad. For Jack, this is the world as he knows it, but turning five, his world is about to be turned upside down! 'Room' had its world wide premier at the Telluride Film Festival in early September last year and a limited US release in mid-October and reaches our shores this week. Made for just US$6M it has so far grossed US$9M and also stars Joan Allen, William H. Macy, and young Jacob Tremblay who is also receiving much awards attention as the young son to Brie Larson's mother character.

SPOTLIGHT (Rated M) - Directed by Tom McCarthy this film has an all star cast and tells the true story of the real 'Spotlight' Team who in 2001 working for The Boston Globe on a long term investigative journalism piece, uncover multiple child sex abuse allegations within the Catholic Church within the greater Boston area, and which has been going on for many many years. What they also uncover is that these activities have been going on under the full knowledge of the city's higher echelons of power, and that Catholic Priest offenders were allowed to re-offend. A slow burn investigative journalism offering that will piece together like a jigsaw puzzle in the end, but the fun is getting there in the first place! Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup and Rachel McAdams this film is in the running for six Oscars and has already picked up 79 award wins and another 105 nominations. Made for US$20M it has so far taken US$34M, and judging by the accolades bestowed up it, this is another to add to your must-see list!

LOOKING FOR GRACE (Rated M) - this little Australian family drama is Directed and Written by Sue Brooks and released on Australian Day (26th January) it clearly has the intention of attracting some home spun family drama from beneath the family barbecue. When teenage daughter Grace (Odessa Young) goes missing with Dad's cash savings so Mum Denise (Radha Mitchell) and Dad Dan (Richard Roxburgh) go in search of her but along lifes winding roads the journey reveals more about inner secrets than perhaps should be brought to the fore, given the circumstances!

That's it for this week, but of course there is also a whole heap of other great film content still out on general release and as either Reviewed or Previewed between these pages.  Do your bit and get out there to see a movie this week, and support the film industry in the process.

See you at the movies.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 22nd - 28th November 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Mark Ruffalo does on 22nd November - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 48 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 22nd November

• Mark Ruffalo - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Terry Gilliam - Born 1940, turns 75 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Robert Vaughn - Born 1932, turns 83 - Actor
• Mads Mikkelsen - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actor
• Scarlett Johansson - Born 1984, turns 31 - Actress | Director
• Jamie Lee Curtis - Born 1958, turns 57 - Actress

Monday 23rd November

• Vincent Cassel - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actor | Producer
• Franco Nero - Born 1941, turns 74 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Robert Towne - Born 1934, turns 81 - Writer | Producer | Director

Tuesday 24th November

• Stephen Merchant - Born 1974, turns 41 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Colin Hanks - Born 1977, turns 38 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Billy Connolly - Born 1942, turns 73 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Kaherine Heigl - Born 1978, turns 37 - Actress | Producer

Wednesday 25th November

• Christina Applegate - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actress | Producer
• Dougray Scott - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actor | Producer
• Joel Kinnaman - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actor

Thursday 26th November

• Julien Temple - Born 1953, turns 62 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Tina Turner - Born 1939, turns 76 - Singer | Writer | Actress

Friday 27th November

• Katherine Bigelow - Born 1951, turns 64 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Robin Givens - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actress | Producer
• William Fichtner - Born 1956, turns 59 - Actor | Producer 
• Sharlto Copley - Born 1973, turns 42 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director

Saturday 28th November

• Ed Harris - Born 1950, turns 65 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Judd Nelson - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actor
• Ryan Kwanten - Born 1976, turns 39 - Actor
• Alfonso Cuaron - Born 1961, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer | Cinematographer | Editor
• Joe Dante - Born 1946, turns 69 - Director | Producer | Writer | Editor
• Randy Newman - Born 1943, turns 72 - Composer | Singer | Songwriter
• Jonathan Mostow - Born 1961, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Born 1984, turns 31 - Actress | Producer

Mark Alan Ruffalo was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA to mother Marie Herbert, a hairdresser and stylist, and father Frank Lawrence Ruffalo, a construction painter. He has two sisters Tania and Nicole and brother Scott who was shot dead at his Beverly Hills condominium in December 2008. He was raised a Catholic and attended a Catholic School having grown up in a family unit that he describes as 'very big' with 'lots of love' and that he was a 'happy kid'. Spending his teenage years at Virginia Beach, Virginia, he took part in school wrestling competitions in his native Wisconsin and then Virginia  and upon graduating from First Colonial High School the family moved to San Diego and then Los Angeles, California. He enrolled at the Stella Adler Conservatory acting school in New York and he was co-founder of the Orpheus Theatre Company for which he wrote, Directed and starred in a number of stage plays. During this time and for nine or so years he worked as a bar tender in order to make ends meet. 

His television acting career kicked off in 1989 with a single episode on 'CBS Summer Playhouse'. His big screen debut came in the 1994 horror film 'Mirror, Mirror 2 : Raven Dance', with 'Mirror, Mirror III : The Voyeur' the following year. The next few years brought bit parts in the likes of 'The Dentist' and 'The Last Big Thing' in 1996; 'Safe Men' and '54' in 1998; and then Ang Lee's American Civil War Western drama 'Ride with the Devil' in 1999. A chance meeting with playwright, screen writer and Director Kenneth Lonergan in the mid-90's led to a number of successful collaborations in his stage play 'This is Our Youth' in 1996 and then his Oscar nominated film in 2000 'You Can Count On Me' for which Ruffalo received much critical praise.

The new decade brought more significant fare with 'The Last Castle', 'XX/XY' and 'Windtalkers' in 2002; 'My Life Without Me', 'In The Cut' in 2005; and 'The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', '13 Going On 30', and 'Collateral' in 2004. The balance of the decade saw 'Zodiac', 'Reservation Road', 'Blindness', 'The Brothers Bloom', and briefly 'Where The Wild Things Are'.

His Directorial debut came in 2010 with 'Sympathy for Delicious' which Premiered and won the Special Jury Prize at The Sundance Film Festival. That same year he starred in 'The Kids Are All Right' and Scorsese's 'Shutter Island' with Leonardo DiCaprio.

In 2012 Ruffalo joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dr. Bruce Banner AKA 'The Hulk' in the first 'The Avengers' instalment. He remains under contract to reprise the role in any future film appearance of the character in a Marvel Studios produced movie - a very astute move methinks! As a result there was a post-credits sequence in 'Iron Man 3' and this years 'The Avengers : Age of Ultron' with 'Thor : Ragnarok' due in 2017.

In between time there has been 'Thanks for Sharing' in 2013, 'Now You See Me' that same year and Ruffalo is set to reprise his role from that film in 2016's 'Now You See Me : The Second Act' currently filming. There has also been 'Begin Again', 'Infinitely Polar Bear' and 'Foxcatcher' this year with 'Spotlight' due out at Christmas.

All up Ruffalo has 62 Acting credits, four Producer credits and one Director credit. He has two Academy Award and two BAFTA nominations for 'Foxcatcher' in 2015 and 'The Kids Are All Right' in 2011,and two Golden Globe nominations for 'Foxcatcher' too and 'The Normal Heart' also from this year. He also garnered a Primetime Emmy Award win and a nomination in two different categories. both for 'The Normal Heart' in 2015 as well as a haul so far of sixteen other award wins and 77 other nominations. Plus, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his stage play role in 'Awake and Sing'.

Ruffalo is married to Actress Sunrise Coigney and together they have three children - Keen (born 2001), Bella Noche (born 2005) and Odette (born 2007). He has strong political views speaking out publicly against the War in Iraq, the Bush Administration, and the torture of prisoners. In 2006 he spoke at 'The World Can't Wait' protest in NYC; appeared on the 2008 'Penn & Teller : Bullshit' series on an episode called 'World Peace'; has supported several Democratic candidates; is pro-choice on abortion rights; and is a supporter of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. He is staunchly opposed to fracking and has publicly spoken out about this too, as well as openly criticising the Israel Defence Force for targeting a Gaza Strip hospital for attack.

Despite all his outspokenness, Mark Ruffalo has a social conscience, a moral compass, a heart in the right place and he is highly sought after playing it straight, playing it funny, playing the Superhero and you can bet we'll keep watching. Happy Birthday to you Mark, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-