TALK TO ME : Tuesday 8th August 2023.

I saw the MA15+ rated 'TALK TO ME' this week, and this Australian supernatural horror film is Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou and Co-Written by Danny Philippou in their feature film making debut. The film saw its Preview Screening at last years Adelaide Film Festival as the Closing Night Film and had its World Premiere showcasing at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year, before its release in the US, the UK and here in Australia from the end of July. It has so far grossed US$26M off the back of a production budget of US$4.5M and has garnered generally favourable reviews. Earlier this month Danny and Michael Philippou revealed that they had already completed principal photography on a prequel film and that they intend to release this project in the future. Additionally, the Philippou's confirmed plans to develop a sequel, stating that they've already written sequences for the project.

Our film opens up with a man, Cole (Ari McCarthy) stumbling through a crowded house party as he attempts to track down his brother Duckett (Sunny Johnson), who has locked himself in a bedroom. Cole shoulder barges the door to gain entry and retrieves an injured Duckett who has deep cuts to his back, before taking him into the kitchen and then outdoors where all the partygoers are recording the unfolding antics on their mobile phones. Duckett stabs his brother in the chest with a large kitchen knife and then himself in the face, killing himself in front of the house guests.

In the meantime 17-year-old Mia (Sophie Wilde) is struggling with the anniversary of her mother Rhea’s suicide and her strained relationship with her father, Max (Marcus Johnson). Mia, has been staying at her best friend Jade's (Alexandra Jensen) house with the blessing of Jade's mother Sue (Miranda Otto). One night Mia, Jade and Jade's younger brother Riley (Joe Bird) sneak out to a house party hosted by Hayley (Zoe Terakes) and Joss (Chris Alosio) where the main attraction is the severed, embalmed and inscribed hand of a satanist or powerful medium, which they use to conjure spirits by lighting a candle and speaking the words 'talk to me', before saying 'I let you in' for full possession. The candle must then be blown out before ninety seconds has lapsed otherwise the spirits crossover into our world. Mia volunteers to go first, and is possessed by a spirit that threatens Riley before Joss and Hayley rip the hand away and blow out the candle, bringing Mia back to her usual self.

Mia, has a sense of euphoria over the sensations the hand brought her, along with Hayley, Joss and Jade’s boyfriend Daniel all gather at Jade’s house the next night while Sue is out working. Riley repeatedly asks to be allowed to play the game but Jade refuses, and she leaves the room. Riley asks again and Mia agrees to allow him to play but only for a maximum of fifty seconds. 

And so Riley volunteers, only to be possessed by Rhea’s spirit (Alexandria Steffensen), who attempts to reconcile with Mia. The time limit is exceeded and Riley’s body is overtaken by the spirits, who cause the young lad to try to gouge out his own eye and then repeatedly smash his face against the edge of the table and cupboard causing him to be hospitalised. Jade returns to the room to witness Riley's intense acts of self-harm. Mia, is now haunted by visions of of her mother, and is rebuked by Jade and her mother, who blame her for Riley’s severe facial injuries.

Mia seeks comfort from her former boyfriend Daniel (Otis Dhanji) who is now with Jade, and invites him to sleepover as she doesn't want to be alone. Daniel is at first reluctant saying that it would be weird, but then accepts the invitation feeling sorry for Mia. She then assaults him while he sleeps by sucking on his foot after she’s possessed by a spirit, causing Daniel to wake horrified and leave in disgust. Mia realises that the spirits have followed them. Having secretly taken the embalmed hand from Jade’s house, Mia uses it to contact her mother, who tells her that her death was purely accidental and that she needs to help Riley, who is seemingly still possessed. While Jade is gently bathing Riley at the hospital he attacks her and falls to the tiled floor, then proceeds to violently and repeatedly bash his head against the tiled wall behind and then licks up his blood in front of her. 

Mia, Jade, Daniel, Hayley and Joss track down Cole (who survived the stabbing incident), who tells them that Joss was the one to give Duckett the hand which led to his death, and that Riley’s body will eventually reject the spirits and kick them out. Mia deduces that they need to complete the ritual by blowing out the candle, which they failed to do the first time, to save Riley. In the hospital by Riley's bedside Mia pulls out the hand and holds Riley's hand to it, and says 'Talk to Him', but nothing happens. Mia then holds the hand and she connects with the spirit of a little girl who shows her a vision of Riley being tortured in the netherworld. 

Afterwards Mia returns home, where Max reveals that Rhea’s death was no accident, and reads her a suicide note that he had hidden from her to prevent her from blaming herself. Mia retreats to her bedroom where Rhea’s spirit tells her that Max is lying before she is attacked by an evil spirit in the form of her father. Hearing the commotion, Max investigates and arrives just as the spirit disappears, and Mia inadvertently stabs her father in the neck with a pair of scissors.

The spirit of Rhea tells Mia that Riley needs to die in order to be set free, and so Mia tricks Jade and Sue into leaving the hospital. Mia goes to the hospital and enters Riley’s room, where he takes on the appearance of a rotting aged spirit, but she is unable to kill him. Jade meanwhile arrives at Mia’s house where she finds Max bleeding out before returning to the hospital just as Mia is seen pushing Riley in a wheelchair toward the highway. The spirits attempt to convince Mia to push Riley into oncoming traffic, but coming to her senses and realising this would hand him over to the spirit realm completely, Mia instead jumps in front of a car herself, saving Riley who is rescued by Jade.

An injured and bloodied Mia gets up off the highway and is suddenly transported to the hospital in which she sees a fully healed Riley, accompanied by Jade and Sue, and Max leaving. As she attempts to reach her father, she is transported into a black landscape with a circle of white light at the end, which she walks toward. Emerging, she finds herself on the side of the embalmed hand while other partygoers play the game, showing that she died saving Riley and is now herself, a spirit.

I have to say that I didn't find 'Talk to Me' to be that scary or horrific, especially given that it had been touted as the horror film of the year, but that said, the Philippou brothers for their feature debut have here crafted a solid and entertaining supernatural thrill ride that marks their firm entry into the genre. The young cast are all standouts, particularly Sophie Wilde and Joe Bird, who all carry off their characters convincingly, aided by a strong script, top notch practical effects and a sound design that helps levitate the tension beyond the ordinary. The Director's here have sacrificed the all too often over utilised jump scares for a story that creates a strong sense of atmosphere, fear, dread, grief and excitement by tapping into this otherworld of nefarious spirits for their teenage characters kicks, and in this respect the film delivers, and then some. In addition, at a run time of a lean 95 minutes this film does not outstay its welcome.

'Talk to Me' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 27th July 2023.

The 32nd Woods Hole Film Festival is taking place in Woods Hole, in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The festival this year runs from Saturday 29th July through until Saturday 5th August and is an eight day showcase of independent film featuring daily screenings, workshops, panel discussions, special events, master classes, parties, awards ceremony and more. It is the oldest independent film festival on Cape Cod and the Islands. As a not-for-profit organisation, the Woods Hole Film Festival is supported by donations, sponsorships, grants, and event admissions to produce and present the excellent programming enjoyed by attendees and the film community at large.

This year, there are twenty narrative feature films, twenty-six documentary films and ten short films in the make up of the programme. A brief synopsis of the narrative feature films being showcased is given as below :-

* '7000 Miles' - from the USA and Directed by Amy Glazer. Jo Standish, a passionate young pilot, is challenged by her grandmother to live her life on her own terms, but she finds herself at a crossroads when that could mean revealing her grandmother’s long-buried secrets.

* 'A Kind of Kidnapping' - from the UK and Written and Directed by D.G. Clark. Brian and Maggie, a struggling couple, decide to kidnap London MP Richard Hardy while visiting their local area. Hoping for a big payout, they’re disappointed when Hardy’s wife refuses to pay the ransom. US Premiere.

* 'All Men Are Wicked' - from the USA and Directed by Peggy O'Sullivan and Michael Hansen. After a run in with the local hangman, a young outlaw finds himself bound and dangling by the ankles from an old ranch gate. He’s accused of robbing a stagecoach and making off with $1200 worth of bank bonds. And he isn’t alone. Strung up beside him are two others, accused of the same crime.

* 'Ariel - Back to Buenos Aires' - from Argentina and Canada and Written and Directed by Alison Murray. This is the story of a brother and sister who return to Argentina, the country of their birth, for the first time in their adult lives. Against the backdrop of the glamorous tango clubs of Buenos Aires, they uncover dark family secrets and the reason why their parents emigrated to Canada. World Premiere.

* 'Bolan's Shoes' - from the UK and Directed by Ian Puleston-Davies. This film takes us on a tumultuous journey from the height of T. Rex mania in 1970's Liverpool to the present-day poignancy of what would have been Marc Bolan’s 75th birthday. 

* 'Coyote' - from Canada and Directed by Katherine Jerkovic. A cook in his heyday, Camilo is now a worn-out fifty-year-old who works for a cleaning company. He is looking for a way to get back on track when an opportunity to rediscover his culinary passion finally presents itself.

* 'Earlybird' - from the USA and Directed by Martin Kaszubowski. A struggling theatre owner resuscitates his ailing business with off-the-wall productions, all the while losing sight of why he chose this life at all.
* 'Eden' - from Spain and Directed by Estefania Cortes. Four strangers come to Eden, a clandestine company in the middle of nature, to escape the troubles that plague them once and for all, but is it so simple to escape from the deepest trials of life? North American Premiere.

* 'Everybody Wants To Be Loved' - from Germany and Co-Written and Directed by Katharina Woll. On a blisteringly hot summer day, psychotherapist Ina notices something about her is amiss. But she doesn’t have time to worry about it, and although she wants to please everyone, a life-altering discovery changes everything.

* 'Intermedium' - from the USA and Directed by Erik Bloomquist. When an obsessive-compulsive teenager discovers her new home is haunted by the ghost of its previous occupant, she searches for a way to help him move on, only to discover they have far more in common than expected. World Premiere.

* 'Jess Plus None' - from the USA and Written and Directed by Mandy Fabian. Following a miserable breakup, Jessica must now play Maid-of-Honour at her best friend’s off-the-grid wedding in the woods, where she will be confronted by her more successful friends from college, her perfect ex-girlfriend, and every bad decision she’s made in life so far.

* 'Know Your Place' - from the USA and Directed by Zia Mohajerjasbi. Set in present-day Seattle, WA. Robel Haile, a fifteen year old Eritrean-American boy, embarks on an errand to deliver a huge and heavy suitcase across town destined for a sick family member in his parents’ homeland. He enlists the help of his best friend, Fahmi Tadesse. An unexpected turn transmutes his simple task into an odyssey across the city of Seattle.

* 'Lakelands' - from Ireland and Directed by Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney. Taking place in a small town in the midlands of Ireland – the sort of place where Gaelic football is religion and identity is defined by what one can do on the pitch. Here, Cian Reilly, a young Gaelic footballer who struggles to come to terms with a career-ending injury after a violent attack on a night out, but then he begins a friendship with Grace, a nurse who is back in town to look after her ailing father.

* 'Let's Meet Half Way' - from the USA and Directed by Max Schmitz and Dana Dveris. A long-distance couple meet in a small town between them once a month in an attempt to save their relationship. Over the course of six months, they begin to lose grip on what they once had.

* 'My Love Affair With Marriage' - from the USA and Directed by Signe Baumane. More than anything 8-year-old Zelma wants love. Only love will make her complete, the Mythology Sirens insist. But love is elusive when you are an outcast at school and a loner at home. Zelma’s story into adulthood represents a journey of all women who try to fit in – to be the best woman they could be according to standards they did not set.

* 'Pacific Coast' - from the USA and Directed by Mark Kiefer. In this coming-of-middle-age comedy, two brothers make a road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles in order to move their somewhat estranged father into a retirement home.

* 'Scrap' - from the USA and Directed by, and starring Vivian Kerr. Beth has recently been laid off work and struggles to maintain the appearance of a successful middle-class lifestyle as she bounces around Los Angeles. Hoping to land a new job and change her situation before her estranged older brother Ben finds out, Beth must confront her own pride in order to reconnect with him and provide for her young daughter, Birdy.

* 'Somewhere Quiet' - from the USA and Directed by Olivia West Lloyd. After escaping a kidnapping, Meg travels with her husband, Scott, to his family’s isolated compound in Cape Cod. When they arrive, they discover they are not alone on the property. Scott’s odd aristocratic cousin, Madelin, is staying next door. Soon, Madelin’s presence is inescapable and Meg and Scott’s already fragile relationship begins to fracture.

* 'The Banality' - from the USA and Directed by Michael Stevantoni and Strack Azar. A small town reels from the sudden and mysterious death of 'Feral Boy', a local legend since his discovery in the woods as a child. Father Moss, a priest with a loose grip on the faith, attempts to counsel the forlorn couple that raised the boy.

* 'The Harvest' - from the USA and Directed by Caylee So. After a car accident leaves his family in need of his help, Thai returns home to Southern California, only to find his whole world in disarray. With mounting medical bills and secrets of their own, the family watches as Cher, a tough and stubborn Hmong father, suffers through the devastating effects of kidney failure.

For the full details of the Woods Hole Film Festival, the other film strands being showcased, and a whole lot more besides, you can go to the official website at : https://woodsholefilmfestival.org/festival-2023/

To tempt you out to your local big screen Odeon during the coming week, we kick start this weeks new movies with a WWII action thriller from Finland that sees an ex-Commando who discovers gold in the Lapland wilderness and tries to take his find to the nearest city some 560 miles away but first he must do battle with a group of Nazi soldiers led by a brutal SS officer. Next up we have a Sci-Fi thriller set in the near future in which a humanoid A.I.'s attempt at winning a grieving widow's heart puts it in the path of a government agent trying to stop the rise of machine consciousness. This is followed by an Aussie supernatural horror film about a group of friends who learn how to connect with the dead through an embalmed hand, ultimately unleashing terrifying supernatural forces. And closing out this week, we have a highly acclaimed Spanish offering centering around this family who has made a living from the summer harvest of their peach orchard in the Catalan town of Alcarras for generations, however, after the death of the owner of the property, his heir wants to sell the land to make way for a solar farm. 

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'SISU' (Rated MA15+) - is a Finnish historical action thriller Written and Directed by Jalmari Helander in his third feature film making outing following 'Rare Exports : A Christmas Tale' in 2010 and 'Big Game' in 2014. This film has garnered generally favourable reviews, has so far grossed US$13M off the back of a US$6.5M production budget and saw its World Premier at TIFF in early September last year before its release in its native Finland in at the end of January and in the US at the end of April. 

During the last desperate days of WWII, a former legendary Finnish Commando and solitary gold prospector, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the Nazis steal his gold, they quickly discover that they have just tangled with no ordinary miner. The word 'Sisu' is a Finnish concept described as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness, and is held by Finns themselves to express their national character. And so this legendary ex-commando will embody what sisu means, and no matter what the Nazis throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back, even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path.

'SIMULANT' (Rated M) - this Canadian Sci-Fi thriller film is Directed by April Mullen whose prior feature film making credits take in her debut with 'GravyTrain' in 2010 followed by the likes of 'Dead Before Dawn' in 2012, '88' in 2015, 'Farhope Tower' also in 2015, 'Badsville' in 2017 and 'Wander' in 2020. Here, a woman named Faye (Jordana Brewster) tries to replace her newly deceased husband, Evan (Robbie Amell), with a humanoid simulator. That humanoid has to enlist a global hacker in order to remove all restrictions on his thoughts and capabilities, triggering an A.I. uprising and a government manhunt to eliminate the rise of the machine consciousness. Also starring Simu Liu and Sam Worthington. The film was released in its native Canada in early April, in the US in early June and this week here in Australia having garnered mixed or average reviews along the way.

'TALK TO ME' (Rated MA15+) - is an Australian supernatural horror film Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou in their feature film making debut. When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. Starring Sophie Wilde, Miranda Otto and Zoe Terakes the film saw its Preview Screening at last years Adelaide Film Festival as the Closing Night Film and had its World Premiere showcasing at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year, before its release in the US and here in Australia from this week, and has garnered generally favourable reviews. 

'ALCARRAS' (Rated M) - is a Spanish Italian drama film Co-Written and Directed by Carla Simon in only her second feature film offering following 'Summer 1993' in 2017. This was film is set and was shot in the town of Alcarras in north western Spain in Catalonia, is spoken in the Catalan language and features a cast on non-professional Actors. Here, the story surrounds a family battling against the disappearance of their agricultural activities, revolving around the intention to install solar panels in an agricultural plot hitherto occupied by a peach orchard, bringing the members of the Sole family to a stand off. The film has generated universal critical acclaim, has picked up eighteen award wins, including the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival, plus a further fifty-five nominations from around the awards and festival circuit. It has so far grossed US$3.1M. It saw its release in its native Spain in late April last year, in late May in Italy and only now is it released in Australia. 

With four new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 9th - 15th July 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Chiwetel Ejiofor does on 10th July - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 40, 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 9th July

• Kelly McGillis - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actress 
• Courtney Love - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress | Singer | Songwriter
• Brian Dennehy - Born 1938, turns 79 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Richard Roundtree - Born 1942, turns 75 - Actor
• Chris Cooper - Born 1951, turns 66 - Actor 
• Jimmy Smits - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Producer
• Tom Hanks - Born 1956, turns 61 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer 
• Toby Kebbell - Born 1982, turns 35 - Actor   

Monday 10th July

• Chiwetel Ejiofor - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actor | Writer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Sofia Vergara - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actress | Producer  

Tuesday 11th July

• Rachel Taylor - Born 1984, turns 33 - Actress | Writer
• Stephen Lang - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actor | Writer 
• Mark Lester - Born 1958, turns 59 - Actor 

Wednesday 12th July

• Bill Cosby - Born 1937, turns 80 - Television Personality | Actor | Producer | Writer | Composer | Singer | Songwriter
• Brian Grazer - Born 1951, turns 66 - Producer | Writer | Actor
• Topher Grace - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Cheryl Ladd - Born 1951, turns 66 - Actress 
• Michelle Rodriguez - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actress   

Thursday 13th July

• Patrick Stewart - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Robert Forster - Born 1941, turns 76 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Harrison Ford - Born 1942, turns 75 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Cheech Marin - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Director
• Cameron Crowe - Born 1957, turns 60 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor | Songwriter
• Ken Jeong - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer  

Friday 14th July

• Harry Dean Stanton - Born 1926, turns 91 - Actor | Singer
• Joel Silver - Born 1952, turns 65 - Producer 
• Scott Rudin - Born 1958, turns 59 - Producer 
• Jackie Earle Haley -   Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Director
• Matthew Fox - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor
• Deborah Mailman - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actress | Writer | Director

Saturday 15th July

• Celia Imrie - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actress
• Brigitte Nielsen - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actress | Producer
• Diane Kruger - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actress | Producer
• Ken Kercheval - Born 1935, turns 82 - Actor 
• Jan-Michael Vincent - Born 1944, turns 73 - Actor 
• Forest Whitaker - Born 1961, turns 56 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Travis Fimmel - Born 1979, turns 38 - Actor | Writer | Producer

Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor was born in the east London suburb of Forest Gate, England, to Nigerian parentage - his mother, Obiajulu was a pharmacist and his father Arinze was a Doctor. In 1988 when the young lad was just eleven years old, he and his family were travelling in Nigeria to attend a wedding. After the celebrations, he and his father were involved in a head on crash with a truck, killing his father and badly injuring Chiwetel, who still bears the scars clearly visible to his forehead. He began acting in school plays at age fourteen at the independent boys school, Dulwich College. He was thereafter accepted into the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art but gave this up after his first year, because he was cast by Steven Spielberg to appear in his historical drama film 'Amistad' in 1997 - his big screen debut. He followed this up with 'G:MT Greenwich Mean Time' in 1999 which saw out the decade, as well as a number of stage appearances in 'Othello' in the lead role in 1995 at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London's borough of Camden, and then in 1996 at Glasgow's Theatre Royal. He also starred in a production of 'Macbeth' at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in 1997.

2000 opened up with 'It Was an Accident', and then 'My Friend Soweto' and made for TV movie 'Mind Games' both in 2001. 2002 saw the Stephen Frears Directed 'Dirty Pretty Things' alongside Audrey Tatou, then six episodes on the BBC's one season airing of corporate law firm series 'Trust' with Ian McShane and Robson Green. This led to '3 Blind Mice' with Edward Furlong, and then highly acclaimed Richard Curtis Written and Directed 'Love Actually' with an ensemble cast. 'She Hate Me' for Spike Lee with Anthony Mackie, and then 'Red Dust' for Tom Hooper opposite Hilary Swank. This led to 'Melinda and Melinda' for Writer and Director Woody Allen with Will Ferrell, Radha Mitchell and Jonny Lee Miller.

2005 saw action crime drama 'Four Brothers' for John Singleton with Mark Wahlberg, and then Sci-Fi actioner 'Serenity' for Writer/Director Joss Whedon. 'Kinky Boots' followed that same year with Joel Edgerton, for which Ejiofor received numerous award nominations including a Golden Globe, a British Independent Film and London Critics Circle Film Awards nods. Spike Lee cast Ejiofor again in the bank heist/hostage drama film 'Inside Man' with Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster, and up next with Clive Owen again was Alfonso Cuaron's drama near future Sci-Fi offering 'Children of Men' with Julianne Moore and Michael Caine too. Historical bio-pic 'Talk to Me' with Don Cheadle came next in 2007, and then another crime drama bio-pic this time for Ridley Scott was the multi-award winning 'American Gangster' with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. David Mamet's mixed-martial arts sport drama 'Redbelt', then historical drama 'Endgame' with William Hurt, Jonny Lee Miller and Mark Strong and end of the world big screen epic actioner '2012' saw out the decade.

In the intervening period there were also further television and stage appearances. On television there were made for TV films of 'Twelfth Night' and 'Tsunami : The Aftermath' and on stage there were 'Blue/Orange', 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Peer Gynt' all at the Royal National Theatre in London, 'The Seagull' and then 'Othello' again at Covent Gardens NFP Donmar Warehouse Theatre.

Action thriller 'Salt' opened up 2010 for Director Phillip Noyce and starring Angeline Jolie as its lead, which was followed up by historical drama 'Savannah' with Jim Caviezel and then Director Steve McQueen's American slave trade period drama '12 Years A Slave' with Ejiofor playing the principal lead of Solomon Northup - the author on whose memoir the film is based. The film was universally acclaimed picking up a total 238 award wins and a further 326 nominations including numerous award wins and nods for Ejiofor's performance, not the least being Oscar and Golden Globe nods, and BAFTA, SAG and AACTA wins. The Box Office receipts worldwide also pointed to a commercial success bringing in a total US$188M from a US$17M budget investment.

Nigerian Civil War historical drama offering 'Half of a Yellow Sun' came next in 2013 with Thandie Newton and John Boyega, and this was followed by Sci-Fi drama 'Z for Zachariah' with Chris Pine and Margot Robbie, which was critically praised but commercially a dud! Ridley Scott's Sci-Fi drama 'The Martian' came next with an all star cast including Matt Damon as our Earthling stranded on Mars and all alone with Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, and Jeff Daniels all supporting the cause to bring him home.

2015 saw the release of psychological thriller 'Secret in Their Eyes' with Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts. John Hillcoat's crime thriller 'Triple 9' was released in 2016 and despite its all star cast that included Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Gal Gadot, Aaron Paul and Norman Reedus the film failed to make any real impact either critically or commercially. 'Doctor Strange' for Director Scott Derrickson and the fourteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe starred Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role with Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Rachel McAdams and Benjamin Bratt and the film was hailed a critical and commercial success taking US$678M from its US$165M budget outlay.

This brings us up to date in terms of released movies, with appearances on BBC television series 'The Shadow Line' and 'Dancing on the Edge', and on stage in 'A Season in the Congo' and 'Everyman' back at the Royal National Theatre. Currently in post-production and due for release later on this year are 'Come Sunday' with Ejiofor in the lead role of an evangelist ostracised by his church for preaching that Hell does not exist. The film also stars Martin Sheen and Danny Glover. Then there is 'Mary Magdalene' for Director Garth Davies with Rooney Mara playing the Biblical Mary Magdalene, with Joaquin Phoenix and Ryan Corr also. Recently completed filming is 'Tonight at Noon' and also starring Ethan Hawke, Connie Nielsen, Joan Chen and Rutger Hauer.

All up Ejiofor has 46 Acting credits to his name, two as Director  and two as Writer both on short films 'Slapper' in 2008 and 'Columbite Tantalite' in 2013. He has amassed an awards haul of 53 wins and a further 75 nominations including an Academy Award nomination for '12 Years a Slave', five Golden Globe nods, one Primetime Emmy nomination, two SAG Award nods, and a  BAFTA and an AACTA win also for '12 Years a Slave'.

Ejiofor is good friends with occasional Co-Star Benedict Cumberbatch and has been long term friends with Idris Elba. In 2008 he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by HRH Queen Elizabeth II for his services to the arts, and in 2015 in the Queen's Birthday Honour's List this was upgraded to a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to drama.

Chiwetel Ejiofor - critically praised on the big screen, the small screen and on stage; equally at home in small independent fare as well as big budget epics; has often played in historically set films, depicting real life characters; likes to truly immerse himself into his roles; and is at home playing almost any genre - for which we keep watching and applauding the diversity, range and realism you bring to your roles. Turning the BIG 4-Oh this week - Happy Birthday to you Chiwetel, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-