THE IRISHMAN : Thursday 14th November 2019

'THE IRISHMAN' which I saw on the big screen at my local independent movie theatre while I still could earlier last week, has already been hailed as Martin Scorsese's finest film in twenty odd years. This American epic crime drama film which is rated MA15+ is Directed and Co-Produced by the acclaimed Scorsese and based on the 2004 memoir 'I Hear You Paint Houses' by Charles Brandt. After languishing in development hell for about ten years, 'The Irishman' was confirmed as Scorsese's next film following 'Silence' in 2016. De Niro and Pacino were confirmed to star as was Pesci, who came out of his unofficial retirement to star after being asked allegedly fifty times to take the role by his good friend De Niro. 'The Irishman' saw its World Premier screening at the recent New York Film Festival, has received widespread critical acclaim, went on a limited cinematic release from early November and is then available via digital streaming on Netflix from 27th November onward. The film stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Jesse Plemons and Anna Paquin amongst others, has a run time of 209 minutes and cost US$159M - being one of Scorsese's most expensive films to date.

The film opens up with the camera panning down the hallways of a nursing home, past orderlies, patients sat in wheelchairs or hobbling around on zimmer frames, eventually settling on an ageing white haired man sat in a wheelchair and holding a walking stick. This is Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a WWII veteran who saw active duty in Italy (where he learned to speak Italian), France and Germany serving 411 days in total. He begins recounting his life post his discharge from the 45th Infantry Division, as a mafia hitman.

In Pennsylvania in the 1950's, Sheeran aged in his early 30's begins his civilian career by driving meat delivery trucks and starts selling off some of the sides of beef to a local gangster, who has a liking for quality cuts of steak. After getting accused by his company of theft, lawyer Bill Bufalino (Ray Romano) gets him off a conviction against all the odds after Sheeran refuses to give the judge any names of who he was selling to. That evening the pair go to a local club hangout to celebrate and there Bufalino introduces Sheeran to his cousin Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), the head of the northeast Pennsylvania crime family, and Angelo Bruno (Harvey Keitel) the head of the Philadelphia crime family. Sheeran and Russell hit it off instantly, and consequently Sheeran begins to do odd jobs for Russell, including the occasional murder.

In time Russell introduces Sheeran to Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino), the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who has financial ties with the Bufalino crime family and is at odds with fellow rising Teamster Anthony Provenzano (Stephen Graham), as well as increasing pressure from the federal government. Hoffa forms a close bond with Sheeran and his family, and Sheeran becomes Hoffa's main bodyguard while he is out on the road travelling the country, visiting the local Teamster branches, and speaking at rallies.

In 1960 John F. Kennedy is elected into the Whitehouse. Bufalino is thrilled with this news but Hoffa sits on the other side of the fence and is none too pleased to say the least at this latest turn of political events. Conversely, when JFK is assassinated in late 1963 Bufalino is distraught with the news, while Hoffa can hardly conceal his joy - to the point that above the Teamsters offices where he sees the US flag is waving at half mast, he instantly has it raised to its full height.

Kennedy's brother Robert F. Kennedy, is named Attorney General, and forms a 'Get Hoffa' campaign in an attempt to discredit Hoffa, who is eventually arrested in 1964 for the attempted bribery of a grand juror, jury tampering and fraud in two separate convictions and was sentenced to thirteen years in prison in 1967. While in prison, his replacement as the head of the Teamsters Frank Fitzsimmons (Gary Basaraba) begins overspending the groups' accumulated pension funds and making loans out to the mafia. Hoffa's relationship with Provenzano, who was himself arrested for extortion, and winds up serving his sentence in the same facility as Hoffa at the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania deteriorates beyond repair while they are inside. Hoffa is eventually released via a Presidential pardon from Richard Nixon in 1971 just four years into his sentence, although he is forbidden from taking part in any Teamsters business until 1980.

Despite the terms of his early release, Hoffa begins his plans to resume power as the head of the organised unions. With Sheeran he travels down to Florida to seek Provenzano's endorsement, but that meeting goes far from well, with the two getting into a brawl. In turn, Hoffa's growing disrespect for other Teamster leaders and related crime family interests begins to concern Russell Bufalino.

During a testimonial dinner held to honour Sheeran, Bufalino tells Sheeran to confront Hoffa and warn him that the heads of the crime families have deep concerns with his behaviour. Sheeran has already attempted such conversations in the recent past, and believes that Hoffa is too head strong and too determined to heed his warnings, despite their close bond. Hoffa then discloses to Sheeran that he knows what Bufalino and the other dons don't know, and further claims that he is untouchable because if anything ever happened to him, they would all end up in prison.

In 1975, while driving their way to the wedding of Bill Bufalino's daughter in Detroit, Russell tells Sheeran that things have gone far enough with Hoffa, and his death has been authorised. The two drive to an airport where Sheeran boards a small private jet to Detroit, leaving Russell waiting in the car for Sheeran's return after the planned three hour round trip. Sheeran tells Hoffa he will be in town early in the day, but arrives later in the afternoon. Hoffa, who had scheduled a meeting at a local diner with Provenzano and Anthony Giacalone (Patrick Gallo), is surprised to see Sheeran arriving in a car with Hoffa's foster son Chuckie O'Brien (Jesse Plemons) and Sal Briguglio (Louis Cancelmi). They advise Hoffa that the meeting was moved to a house where Provenzano and Bufalino are waiting for them. Sheeran assures Hoffa that everything is fine and joins them in the car. Upon entering the house, Hoffa realises that no one else is there and that it's a set up. As Hoffa turns to speak with Sheeran, he shoots Hoffa twice in the head, dead, before laying the gun on the lifeless body in the hallway, and making a quick exit.

In the fullness of time, Sheeran, Russell, Provenzano and various others are eventually convicted on various charges not related to Hoffa's murder, and one by one their lives all succumb to life behind bars, expect for Sheeran who is eventually released and placed in a Philadelphia nursing home. He tries to make peace with his alienated daughters, but Peggy (Anna Paquin) never forgives him for Hoffa's disappearance, who of all Sheeran's associates and friends, Peggy was the closest too and most at ease with. Sheeran died of cancer on December 14, 2003, aged 83, in that nursing home.

'The Irishman' is an epic mob gangster film in terms of its run time, its fine ensemble casting especially from the three principle leads who are all in their mid to late 70's (as is the Director), its storytelling narrative, its production values and of course its Direction from the master of his craft, Martin Scorsese. Make no mistake, this is not as hard hitting as 'Goodfellas', or 'Casino', but is a reflection on one mans rise through the ranks of a Pennsylvania crime family and the Teamsters Union and for whom no job, no crime was too much. It's the story of a man who struggles to verbalise his inner feelings or his emotions, but is not afraid to let those feelings manifest themselves in acts of extreme violence, without showing any remorse or regret for his actions. It's the story of how age creeps up on all of us, with a telling line by Sheeran as he sits in his nursing home contemplating his end of days 'you don't know how fast time goes by 'til you get there'. And it's the story of how this man in particular counts the painful costs of a life of crime - not through remorse but regret in dying alone in a nondescript nursing home having alienated his daughters. And its a history lesson (some or all or none of it may be true) involving Presidents, the second most powerful man in America at the time, the mafia, those on the periphery and how they are all intertwined. There are some carefully placed one liners that will make you laugh out loud, there is plenty of blood letting, random acts of violence, and the dialogue is straight out of the mobsters playbook. De Niro, Pacino and Pesci are all on fine form here, as is the strong supporting cast who all give 100%. The one negative about this story is how a more meaty role wasn't included for a female lead - Anna Paquin as the disapproving daughter who ultimately turns her back on her father is the only female character who shines in her all too brief on screen appearances. Certainly worth the price of entry is you can catch it on the big screen somewhere, and failing that be sure to catch it from the comfort of your own sofa at home when it streams on Netflix from the 27th of this month.

'The Irishman' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 31st October 2019.

The International Rome Film Festival is a film festival that takes place in Rome, Italy, during the month of October, and this year ran from Thursday 17th through until Sunday 27th October.  The actual complete name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. Even though it is quite a young festival, having been founded only in 2006, the importance of the hosting city as well as the strong economic investment has placed the Rome Film Festival among the most important film festivals in the world, with huge media coverage and world-famous artists in attendance.

This year, there were thirty-three films in Official Selection all aiming for the top awards and recognition. Among these were :-

* 'THE AERONAUTS' - from the USA, Directed by Tom Harper and starring Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Phoebe Fox and Tom Courteney. In 1862, daredevil balloon pilot Amelia Wren teams up with pioneering meteorologist James Glaisher to advance human knowledge of the weather and fly higher than anyone in history.

* 'ANTIGONE' - from France, Directed by Sophie Deraspe and starring Nahema Ricci. Following the murder of her parents, young Antigone, her sister, two brothers, and her grandmother take shelter in Montreal, where they live a quiet life in a small apartment in a working-class neighbourhood. Tragedy explodes when one brother is killed by police while they are arresting the other, a small-time drug dealer.

* 'DOWNTON ABBEY' - from the UK, Directed by Michael Engler and starring Hugh Bonneville, Michel Dockery, Jim Carter, Imelda Staunton, Maggie Smith and Elizabeth McGovern. The famous British TV series 'Downton Abbey' becomes a film for the big screen, that picks up and continues the story of the aristocratic Crawley family, returning to their grand estate with the most illustrious guests that the Crawleys could hope to entertain, the sovereigns of the United Kingdom, King George V and Queen Mary.

* 'DROWNING' - from the USA and Directed by Melora Walters and starring Melora Walters, Gil Bellows, Mira Sorvino and Jay Mohr. A mother is forced to come to grips with suffering when, despite her worst fears and her best efforts to dissuade her son, he decides to join the army and go fight in Iraq.

* 'THE FAREWELL' - from the USA and China and Directed by Lulu Wang and starring Awkwafina, Tzi Ma and Diana Lin. Chinese-born, U.S. raised Billi reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that her beloved grandmother, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, although everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself.

* 'FETE DE FAMILLE' - from France, Directed by Cedric Kahn and starring Catherine Deneuve and Emmanuelle Bercot. On a summer's day, a family gathers to celebrate mother Andrea's 70th birthday. Attending are the husband, the two sons – one with his wife and twins; the other with his new fiancee Rosita – a video-camera to capture the happy event and an eighteen year-old who grew up there, plus, the unexpected arrival of the youngest daughter Claire, who had disappeared some years before.

* 'HONEY BOY' - from the USA, Directed by Alma Har'el and starring Shia LaBoeuf (who also wrote the Screenplay), Lucas Hedges, Noah Jupe and Natasha Lyonne, explores the life of a young actor, from his troubled childhood to early adulthood. He does everything he can think of to come to understand and reconcile with his father, by means of cinema, his own dreams, art as a form of therapy, or imagination as a form of hope.

* 'HUSTLERS' - from the USA, Directed by Lorene Scafaria and starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles and Cardi B. In 2007, Destiny has become a stripper so she can provide for herself and her grandmother, but her life will change when she meets Ramona, the star of the strip joint, and the two immediately hit it off. Destiny quickly learns the 'ropes' from Ramona and soon start raking in more money than they can spend, until the Global Financial Crisis of late 2008 occurs, when by necessity they have to change the rules of their game. 

* 'THE IRISHMAN' - from the USA, Directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Stephen Graham and Anna Paquin. An epic crime saga of organised crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century.

* 'JUDY' - from the USA, Directed by Rupert Goold, and starring Renee Zellweger, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon and Jessie Buckley. In the winter of 1968, Judy Garland arrives in London to perform in a series of concerts. It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in 'The Wizard of Oz' - her voice may have weakened, but its dramatic intensity shines increasingly bright.

* 'MILITARY WIVES' - from the UK, Directed by Peter Cattaneo and starring Kristen Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan and Jason Flemyng. Separated from their husbands and staring down the barrel of anxiety and loneliness, the quiet bravery and sacrifice of military wives goes largely unnoticed while they live with the dread of a fateful knock on the door. But Kate, an officer’s wife, bears it all with grace and stoicism. She finds freedom in song, and persuades a group of women on the base in the same situation to form the first Military Wives Choir.

* 'MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN' - from the USA, Directed by Edward Norton and starring Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. In 1950's New York, a private investigator and a loner, who suffers from Tourette Syndrome, is trying to get to the bottom of the murder of his mentor and only friend. Armed with just a few clues and his own obsessive intelligence, he starts to discover a number of well-kept secrets upon which the future of New York City depends. This film served as the Festival's opener.

* 'MYSTIFY : MICHAEL HUTCHENCE' - from Australia, Directed by Richard Lowenstein and starring Michale Hutchence and those family and friends closest to him. A powerfully intimate and insightful documentary portrait of the INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, a complex and sensitive man who with his extraordinary voice and reckless lifestyle, his charm and sensuality, enchanted audiences for an all-too-short time on and off the stage.

* 'NOMAD : IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BRUCE CHATWIN' - from the UK and Directed by Werner Herzog. When writer and adventurer Bruce Chatwin was dying, he summoned his friend Werner Herzog, asking to see his recent film about tribesmen of the Sahara. In exchange, as a parting gift, Chatwin gave Herzog the rucksack he’d carried on his travels around the world. 30 years later, carrying the rucksack, Herzog sets out on his own journey, inspired by their shared passion for the nomadic life.

* 'PAVAROTTI' - from the USA, Directed by Ron Howard and starring Luciano Pavarotti, Nicoletta Mantovani, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan. This documentary relies on original film clips and rare interviews with the singer's family and colleagues to illustrate the life, career and enduring legacy of an artist who was an icon of lyric opera, a giant in music and a man worthy of respect and admiration.

* 'RUN WITH THE HUNTED' - from the USA, Directed by John Swab and starring Ron Perlman, Michael Pitt, Tree Hemmingway and Mark Boone Jnr. A young boy commits murder to save his best friend from an attack, and is forced to escape the country town he was born in and leave everything behind. He thus escapes to the nearest city, where he becomes part of a gang of young street thieves.

* 'SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK' - from the USA, Directed by Andre Ovredal and starring Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris and Gil Bellows. In 1968 in a house, located on the edges of the city, Sarah, a girl who conceals terrible secrets, has transformed her tormented existence into a series of scary stories, written in a book that has reached beyond the boundaries of time. Stories that become far too realistic for a group of young people who, on the night of Halloween, delve into Sarah's terrifying case.

* 'WAVES' - from the USA, Directed by Trey Edwards Shults and starring Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell, Sterling K. Brown, and Lucas Hedges. The future looks bright for Tyler, a young African-American who seems to have everything he needs: a wealthy family to support him, a spot on the high school wrestling team and a girlfriend he is madly in love with. But just when he is pushed to the limit, Tyler’s apparently perfect life begins to show cracks, and the stage is set for tragedy.

* 'WESTERN STARS' - from the USA, Directed by Thom Zimmy and starring Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa. This is a cinematic film version of Bruce Springsteen’s album of the same name, and offers the opportunity to see him perform all thirteen songs on the album. Springsteen’s first studio album in five years, the album marks a departure for the singer while still drawing on his roots.

For the full programme of events, you can visit the official website at : http://www.romacinemafest.it

And so turning attention to this weeks six latest cinematic offerings, we start with the sixth instalment in this hugely successful and influential franchise, but as seen by the film makers as a direct follow on to the second film, about a new type of liquid metal humanoid robot sent back from the future to hunt and destroy a hybrid cyborg human that is being aided by our titular gun totting heroine one Sarah Connor and her old T800 ally. This is followed up by an epic crime story from an acclaimed Director with an ensemble cast about a fella of Irish descent who turns hitman for the mob. Next up is a German film about a daring escape plan from the East to the West in 1979 concerning two families and their home made hot air balloon. We then turn to a comedy drama about a party hard New Yorker who gets a dose of reality from her doctor, and decides to shape up, get fit, loose weight and run a marathon all the while facing a few other life challenges along the way. Next up we have a sequel to a 2017 horror offering of the bitey kind that this time sees four female teenage divers come face to face with a school of great white's in the sunken subterranean depths of an ancient Mayan city. And we close out the week with a biodrama offering of a slightly off the rails young Cuban kid who is given the chance of a lifetime at a local dance school, where he discovers his true passion that ultimately leads him to international stardom in his chosen field.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the six latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and 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.

'TERMINATOR : DARK FATE' (Rated MA15+) - finally hitting our big screens this week is the highly anticipated, much hyped and eagerly awaited American Sci-Fi actioner Directed by Tim Miller in only his second feature film Directing gig after 2016's critical and commercial success that was 'Deadpool'.  The film is Co-Produced and adapted from a story by James Cameron amongst others.  It will be the sixth instalment in the 'Terminator' franchise and the first since 1991's 'Terminator 2 : Judgement Day' to have franchise creator James Cameron involved. The first five films in the franchise have earned a collective Box Office gross of US$1.85B off the back of combined Production Budgets of US$463M. Cameron considers the film a direct sequel to his 1984 film 'The Terminator' and 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day', while 2003's 'Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines', 2009's 'Terminator Salvation', 2015's 'Terminator Genisys' and the television series 'Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles' are described as occurring in alternate timelines. This instalment cost in the vicinity of US$180M to bring to the big screen, and is released in the US this week too.

Set some 27 years after the events of 'Terminator 2 : Judgement Day', a new, modified liquid metal prototype Terminator known as the Rev-9 (Gabriel Luna) is sent from the future by Skynet in order to terminate Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), a hybrid cyborg human known as Grace (Mackenzie Davis), and her friends. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) comes to their aid, as well as the original Terminator - the T800 Model 101 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) which has gained autonomy from its original programming and has integrated into human society and is now living a secluded life and known as Carl, for a fight for the future. Also starring Edward Furlong as John Connor and Diego Boneta.

'THE IRISHMAN' (Rated CTC) - already hailed as Martin Scorsese's finest film in twenty odd years, this American epic crime drama film is Directed and Co-Produced by the acclaimed Scorsese and based on the 2004 memoir 'I Hear You Paint Houses' by Charles Brandt. After languishing in development hell for about ten years, 'The Irishman' was confirmed as Scorsese's next film following 'Silence' in 2016. De Niro and Pacino were confirmed to star as was Pesci, who came out of his unofficial retirement to star after being asked allegedly fifty times to take the role by his good friend De Niro. The film tells the story of Frank Sheeran, a mob hitman and World War II veteran who develops his own particular set of skills during his wartime service in Italy. Now an old man, he reflects on the events that defined his career as a hitman, particularly the role he played in the disappearance of labour leader Jimmy Hoffa, his longtime friend, and his involvement with the Bufalino crime family. 'The Irishman' saw its World Premier screening at the recent New York Film Festival, has received widespread critical acclaim, goes on a limited cinematic release from 1st November and is then available via digital streaming on Netflix from 27th November onward. The film stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Harvey Keitel, Bobby Cannavale, Jesse Plemmons and Anna Paquin amongst others, has a run time of 209 minutes and cost US$159M - being one of Scorsese's most expensive films to date.

'BALLOON' (Rated M) - this true story is Directed and Co-Written by acclaimed German film maker, comedian, Actor, voice artist and author Michael Herbig whose previous hit films in his native Germany were 2001's 'Manitou's Shoe' and 2004's 'Dreamship Surprise'. It is 1979, East Germany at the height of the Cold War, and Gunter Wetzel (David Kross), a bricklayer, and his friend Peter Strelzyk (Friedrich Mucke), an electrician, have reached the end of their tether in the oppressive DDR regime. The two men and their wives Petra Wetzel (Alicia von Rittberg) and Doris Strelzyk (Karoline Schuch) commit themselves to undertake a mission to secretly build a hot air balloon from scratch that will carry them and their families over the border fence into West Germany and to their freedom. Over the course of the next eighteen months they sew 1,000 square metres of cloth, and gather countless weather reports from West German radio, but their first attempt fails due to adverse weather and the balloon crash lands just metres from the border. With the Stasi State Police hot on their tails having found the wreckage, they must now race against time to build a more robust weather resisting balloon that will ensure their success, before being caught. Also starring Thomas Kretschmann.

'BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON' (Rated M) - first time film maker and Screenwriter Paul Downs Colaizzo brings us this comedy drama offering that saw its World Premier screening at the Sundance Film Festival back in January this year, went on general release in the US in late August, has generated largely positive press and has grossed US$7M at the Box Office so far. Jillian Bell stars as Brittany Forgler a humorous, friendly, hot mess of a New York dweller who knows how to have a good time and party hard, but at 27, her late-night adventures and early-morning walks-of-shame are starting to catch up with her. When she stops by a doctor's office in an attempt to score some Adderall, she finds herself slapped with a prescription she never wanted. Forced to face reality for the first time in a long time, Brittany laces up her training shoes and runs around one city block working up a sweat. The next day, she runs two. Soon she runs a mile. Brittany finally has some much needed direction in her life and sets herself the goal of running the New York Marathon. But before she can do so, she must overcome a number of challenges along the way! Also starring Michaela Watkins, Alice Lee, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery and Micah Stock.

'47 METRES DOWN : UNCAGED' (Rated M) - here we have a sequel to the 2017 survival horror film '47 Metres Down' which grossed US$63M off the back of a less than US$6M Production Budget despite its mixed Reviews. Now just two years later we have the inevitable follow up that like its predecessor is Directed and Co-Written by British mistress of the horror genre Johannes Roberts. Also like its predecessor this film has garnered mostly mixed Reviews and has so far grossed US$37M from a US$12M Budget. The story here surrounds four teenage girls - Sasha (Corinne Foxx), Mia (Sophie Nelisse), Alexa (Brianne Tju) and Nicole (Sistine Stallone) who decide to go scuba diving to a sunken Mayan city but soon discover that the sunken subterranean ruins are also a hunting ground for deadly great white sharks with evolved senses. With their air supply steadily declining, the frightened girls must navigate the underwater labyrinth of claustrophobic caves and eerie tunnels in their increasingly frantic search for a way out of their watery nightmare.

'YULI' (Rated M) - here Spanish Director, Producer, Writer and Actress Iciar Bollain brings us this biographical drama film about Yuli, the nickname given to Carlos Acosta (played by himself) by his father Pedro (Santiago Alfonso). From a young age, Yuli shied away any kind of discipline and education, instead preferring the streets of a run-down neighbourhood in Havana, Cuba where he learned most of his schooling. But Pedro knows his son has natural talent and forces him to attend Cuba’s National Dance School. Against his will and despite his initial indiscipline, Yuli ends up being captivated by the world of dance, and from childhood he will begin to forge his own legend, as one of the best dancers of his generation, often breaking taboos and becoming the first black artist to dance Romeo in the Royal Ballet in London, where he forged a legendary career as a principal dancer for seventeen years from 1998 through 2015. He has danced with with many companies including the English National Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, Houston Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, and in early 2020 will become the Artistic Director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The music score for the film was written by Alberto Iglesias and the film has so far picked up four award wins and another thirteen nods from around the festival and awards circuit.

With six new release movies 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 in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

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

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Jack Huston does on 7th December - check out my tribute to this Actor 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 3rd December

• Jean-Luc Godard - Born 1930, turns 87 - Director | Writer | Editor | Actor | Producer | Cinematographer
• Brendan Fraser - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actor | Producer 
• Julianne Moore - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Daryl Hannah - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer
• Amanda Seyfried - Born 1985, turns 32 - Actress | Producer | Singer  

Monday 4th December

• Pamela Stephenson - Born 1949, turns 68 - Actress | Writer 
• Marisa Tomei - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress | Producer
• Jeff Bridges - Born 1949, turns 68 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter 
• Jay Z (aka Shawn Corey Carter) - Born 1969, turns 48 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Producer | Actor  

Tuesday 5th December

• Nick Stahl - Born 1979, turns 38 - Actor | Producer
• Frankie Muniz - Born 1985, turns 32 - Actor | Producer | Writer  

Wednesday 6th December

• Tom Hulce - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Nick Park - Born 1958, turns 59 - Writer | Producer | Director | Animator 
• Judd Apatow - Born 1967, turns 50 - Producer | Writer | Director | Actor | Songwriter
• JoBeth Williams - Born 1948, turns 69 - Actress | Producer | Director | Singer  

Thursday 7th December

• Ellen Burstyn - Born 1932, turns 85 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Emily Browning - Born 1988, turns 29 - Actress | Singer
• Tom Waits - Born 1949, turns 68 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Actor 
• Jeffrey Wright - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actor | Singer
• Jeff Nichols - Born 1978, turns 39 - Writer | Director | Producer
• Jack Huston - Born 1982, turns 35 - Actor | Singer
• Nicholas Hoult - Born 1989, turns 28 - Actor   

Friday 8th December

• Rick Baker - Born 1950, turns 67 - Make-Up Artist | Special FX Director | Actor | Producer
• Dominic Monaghan - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actor | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Matthias Schoenaerts - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Kim Basinger - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actress | Producer 
• Teri Hatcher - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress  

Saturday 9th December 

• Felicity Huffman - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actress 
• Judi Dench - Born 1934, turns 83 - Actress | Singer
• Beau Bridges - Born 1941, turns 76 - Actor | Director | Producer
• John Malkovich - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer

Jack Alexander Huston was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England to mother Lady Margot Cholmondeley and father Tony Huston, an Actor, Writer and Assistant Director. His mother is English and his father is American, and his paternal aunt is Actress Anjelica Huston and his paternal uncle is Actor Danny Huston, his paternal grandfather was Director John Huston and he is the great grandson of Canadian Actor Walter Huston. On his mothers side, his great grandfather George Cholmondeley, the 5th Marquess, Jack is descended from Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of Britain, and from Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the founder of the Rothschild international banking dynasty. Jack had made his mind up to become an Actor after appearing in a school production of 'Peter Pan' at just six years old. He attended the private, residential co-educational Hurtwood House, a sixth form college located in Dorking, Surrey where he studied drama. 

Huston gained his first film role in the made for television film adaptation of 'Spartacus' in 2004 alongside Goran Visnjic, Alan Bates, Angus Macfadyen, Ben Cross, Ross Kemp and Rhona Mitra. This led to the horror thriller 'Neighbourhood Watch' in 2005, then the biographical drama 'Factory Girl' with Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Jimmy Fallon, Hayden Christensen, James Naughton, Mena Suvari and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in 2006, and horror comedy offering 'Shrooms' in 2007. Sci-Fi actioner 'Outlander' followed in 2008 with Jim Caviezel, Ron Perlman and John Hurt with dramatic thriller 'The Garden of Eden' that same  year with Mena Suvari, Matthew Modine, and Richard E. Grant. 2009 saw comedy drama 'Shrink' with Kevin Spacey with comedy drama 'Boogie Woogie' also starring Danny Huston, Gillian Anderson, Alan Cumming, Heather Graham, Christopher Lee, Stellen Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling and Amanda Seyfried seeing out the decade. 

2010 saw his appearance on eight out of the thirteen episode single season of the fantasy drama television series 'Eastwick', and then the biographical crime comedy caper 'Mr. Nice' with Rhys Ifans, David Thewlis and Chloe Sevigny. He then made a brief appearance in the 2010 instalment of the Stephanie Meyer novel big screen adaptation of 'The Twilight Saga : Eclipse' before scoring a turn in the Al Pacino Directed, Co-Written and starring docudrama 'Wilde Salome'. This led to the drama based on real events 'The Hot Potato' with Ray Winstone, and then '2 Jacks' alongside Danny Huston again, Sienna Miller, Jacqueline Bisset and Billy Zane in 2012. That year also saw 'Not Fade Away' and the five part television mini-series 'Parade's End' with Benedict Cumberbatch, Rupert Everett, Miranda Richardson and Rebecca Hall amongst notable others.

Up next for Huston was the biographical drama 'Kill Your Darlings' about the lives of acclaimed poets drawn together through a murder - Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, with Daniel Radcliffe playing the former, Ben Foster the latter and Huston the guy in the middle. 'Night Train to Lisbon' followed with Jeremy Irons, Tom Courtenay, Bruno Ganz, Christopher Lee and Charlotte Rampling in this mystery romantic thriller, and then the highly acclaimed 'American Hustle' as Co-Written and Directed by David O'Russell with an ensemble cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner and Michael Pena. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards but failed to win one, but it did win three Golden Globes  and was nominated for four others, it won three BAFTA's and was nominated for a further seven, it won one SAG Award and was nominated for one more and it won two AACTA Awards and was nominated for a further five. All up it picked up seventy award wins and 218 nods, and took US$252M at the global Box Office from its US$40M budget outlay.

In between time, Huston starred in 41 episodes of the 57 episode series running over five seasons between 2010 and 2014 of the highly acclaimed 'Boardwalk Empire'. Starring as Richard Harrow alongside the likes of Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon, Stephen Graham, Michael Kenneth Williams, Dabney Coleman, Kelly Macdonald and Gretchen Mol, the series won 64 awards and was nominated another 182 times, including multiple Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy and SAG Awards and nominations.

'Posthumous' was released in 2014, then the romantic drama 'The Longest Ride' with Scott Eastwood and Brit Robertson, then the undead period piece of rampaging flesh eaters marauding through 19th Century England in this romantic action horror offering of 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' with Lily James, Lena Headey, Charles Dance, Matt Smith, and Sam Riley released in 2016. As was the Coen Brother's mystery comedy of Hollywood in the '50's starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Alden Ehrenreich, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand in 'Hail, Caesar'!'. The film was awarded eleven wins and a mother 39 nominations from around the traps including an Oscar and a BAFTA nod.

2016 also saw Timur Bekmambetov's remake of the classic swords and sandals epic 'Ben-Hur' with Huston playing Judah Ben-Hur, alongside Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbel, Rodrigo Santoro and James Cosmo. The film cost US$100M plus marketing and distribution costs and failed to recoup that investment bringing home just US$94M at the worldwide Box Office, making it a bomb, as well a being poorly received by Critics and clearly audiences alike. This was followed up by WWII romantic comedy drama 'Their Finest' Directed by Lone Scherfig and also starring Bill Nighy, Sam Claflin, Richard E. Grant, Jeremy Irons, Eddie Marsan and Gemma Arterton. Closing out 2017 to date, the Iraq War drama 'Yellow Birds' was released early in the year and starred Jennifer Aniston, Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette and Jason Patric. Meanwhile, there was also the television mini-series which ran for four episodes in 2014 'The Great Fire' recounting the events that unfolded during the Great Fire of London in early September 1666, with Huston playing King Charles II.

Next up for Houston is the recently wrapped Phillip Noyce Directed crime action thriller 'Above Suspicion' also starring Emilia Clarke, Thora Birch and Johnny Knoxville. In Post-Production is the comedy offering 'An Actor Prepares' also with Jeremy Irons, Matthew Modine and Will Patton, and currently filming is new television series from the creator of 'Mad Men' with 'The Romanoffs' due for airing sometime in 2018. Starring Aaron Eckhart, Paul Reiser, John Slattery, Corey Stoll, Christina Hendricks, Isabelle Huppert, Diane Lane and Amanda Peet amongst others, the first series is currently scheduled for six episodes on Amazon. Also filming for a 2018 release is the Martin Scorsese Directed biographical crime drama film 'The Irishman' starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Bobby Cannavale, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Jesse Plemmons and Anna Paquin in a story about a mob hit man recounting his possible involvement with the slaying of Union Boss, Jimmy Hoffa.

All up Huston has 38 Acting credits to his name, and he has so far garnered eight award wins for 'American Hustle', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Kill Your Darlings' with another four nominations. Huston is in a long term relationship with American model Shannan Click since 2011, with whom he has a daughter, Sage Lavinia (born in April 2013) and a son, Cypress Night (born in January 2016).

Jack Huston - hails from Hollywood Royalty and English Aristocracy; has played English Royalty (Charles II) and Roman Aristocracy (Judah Ben-Hur); has played across just about all genres except Sci-fi but seems to lean toward Biographical retellings, historical offerings and straight up drama; never typecast; is increasingly in demand; a star on the up; and another Brit doing great things Stateside and at home. Happy 35th Birthday to you Jack, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-