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- 

Birthday's to share this week : 21st-27th August 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Kristen Wiig does on 22nd August - check out my tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 43, 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 21st August

• Peter Weir - Born 1944, turns 72 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Carrie-Anne Moss - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress | Producer
• Kim Catrall - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actress | Producer
• Hayden Panettiere - Born 1989, turns 27 - Actress | Producer | Singer  

Monday 22nd August

• Kristen Wiig - Born 1973, turns 43 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Singer
• Valerie Harper - Born 1939, turns 77 - Actress
• Honor Blackman - Born 1925, turns 91 - Actress
• Ty Burrell - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actor
• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Richard Armitage - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor
• Rodrigo Santoro - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actor  

Tuesday 23rd August

• Alexandre Desplat - Born 1961, turns 55 - Composer | Conductor | Songwriter
• Roger Avery - Born 1965, turns 51 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Charley Boorman - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Scott Caan - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director  

Wednesday 24th August

• Rupert Grint - Born 1988, turns 28 - Actor
• James D'Arcy - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actor
• Steve Guttenberg - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Stephen Fry - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actor | Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Director
• Kevin Dunn - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actor
• Anne Archer - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actress | Producer  

Thursday 25th August

• Blake Lively - Born 1987, turns 29 - Actress
• Alexander Skarsgard - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actor
• Tom Hollander - Born1967, turns 49 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Tom Skerritt - Born 1933, turns 83 - Actor | Director
• Tim Burton - Born 1958, turns 58 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Animator
• John Savage - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actor | Producer
• John Badham - Born 1939, turns 77 - Director | Producer | Actor
• Sean Connery - Born 1930, turns 86 - Actor | Producer  

Friday 26th August

• Chris Pine - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Macaulay Culkin - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actor
• Melissa McCarthy - Born 1970, turns 46 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer  

Saturday 27th August

• Tuesday Weld - Born 1943, turns 73 - Actress
• Peter Stormare - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Tom Ford - Born 1961, turns 55 - Director | Producer | Writer | Fashion Designer
• Dean Devlin - Born 1962, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Aaron Paul - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor | Producer 
• Ellar Coltrane - Born 1994, turns 22 - Actor 

Kristen Carroll Wiig was born in Canandaigua, New York to mother Laurie Johnston, an artist, and father Jon Wiig who managed a lakeside marina in Western New York. Her father is of Norwegian decent hence the surname which originates from a county in Western Norway. The family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania when Kristen was three years old, attending Nitrauer Elementary School and then Mannheim Township Middle School. At age thirteen the family moved to Rochester, New York where she attended Allendale Columbia School before graduating from Brighton High School. Undecided about her career aspirations she attended a local community college participating in a three month long outdoor living programme. She went on to the University of Arizona from where she majored in Art. Needing to complete her course programme she took acting classes and was persuaded by her teacher to continue the craft, whereupon she moved to Los Angeles to begin eeking out an acting career. She was nineteen years of age.

Upon arrival in LA she found work performing with the 'Empty Stage Comedy Theatre' and 'The Groundlings' - an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school located on Melrose Avenue in LA, feeling that improv. was more suited to her talents than straight acting. In 2003 she appeared on the reality television hoax show - 'The Joe Schmo Show' which ran for three seasons with her appearance as 'The Quack Marriage Counsellor' Patricia 'Dr. Pat' Lane. She was encouraged to try for 'Saturday Night Live' and she gained her debut in November 2005 on Season 31, and became a full member of the cast from Season 32 in 2006 through until 2012. Along the way she picked up Primetime Emmy Award nominations for 'Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series' in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, and in 2009 'Entertainment Weekly' voted her in their list of Top 25 Funniest Women in Hollywood.

Over the years Wiig has had numerous television series roles on single and multiple episodes. These have included 'The Drew Carey Show', '30 Rock', 'Flight of the Conchords', Bored to Death', 'The Cleveland Show', 'The Simpsons', 'Portlandia', 'Arrested Development', 'The Spoils of Babylon', 'The Spoils Before Dying' and made for TV movie 'A Deadly Adoption'. She was also the voice of Lola Bunny on the 'Looney Tunes Show' from 2011 until 2014.

Wiig got her big screen break in the 2006 Christmas film 'Unaccompanied Minors' for Director Paul Feig. 2007 brought 'Knocked Up' for Director Judd Apatow with Seth Rogen, and then 'Meet Bill' with Aaron Eckhart, 'The Brothers Solomon' with Will Arnett and Will Forte, and rounding out a year of comedy 'Walk Hard : The Dewey Cox Story' with John C. Reilly.

2008 saw more comedy fare with 'Semi-Pro', 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall', 'Pretty Bird' and 'Ghost Town', and then in 2009 more of the same with 'Adventureland', 'Whip It' in Drew Barrymore's Directorial debut and 'Extract'. 2010 followed up with 'Date Night', 'MacGruber' before her first non-comedic offering 'All Good Things' with Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst which made just US$645K back of its US$20M budget outlay. Sci-Fi comedy 'Paul' with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and then 'Bridesmaids' came next in 2011 which Wiig also wrote. That film became a critical and commercial success grossing US$289M off its US$33M budget with Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations forthcoming for Wiig in the Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay categories.

'Friends with Kids', 'Revenge for Jolly', 'Girl Most Likely', 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' for Director and Co-Star Ben Stiller and 'Anchor Man 2 : The Legend Continues' saw out 2013. 'Hateship, Loveship', 'The Skeleton Twins' and 'Welcome To Me' which Wiig also Co-Produced wrapped up 2014. A mixed bag of commercial success and failures here with 'Walter Mitty' bringing in US$203M and 'Anchor Man' US$174M compared to 'Friends with Kids' at US$12.2M, 'The Skeleton Twins' at US$5.7M, 'Welcome To Me' just US$625K and 'Hateship, Loveship' a very poor US$81K despite its strong cast including Nick Nolte, Guy Pearce, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Hailee Steinfeld.

The next year brought 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl', 'Nasty Baby', 'The Martian', 'Zoolander 2' for Director and Co-Star once again Ben Stiller, the all girl 'Ghostbusters' for Paul Feig again with Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Lesley Jones and still out on general release, and 'Sausage Party' just released bringing us up to date.




Next up and due later this year is 'Masterminds' with Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Jason Sudekis and 'Ghostbusters' Co-Stars Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. Also due out this year is 'The Heyday of Insensitive Bastards' and 'Downsizing' with Matt Damon due in 2017. Wiig has lent her voice talents over the years to 'Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinosaurs', 'How to Train Your Dragon', 'Despicable Me', 'Despicable Me 2', 'Her', 'How to Train Your Dragon 2', 'Sausage Party' and is reprising her roles as Agent Lucy Wilde in 'Despicable Me 3' and Ruffnut Thorston in 'How to Train Your Dragon 3' due in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Also announced is 'Now That's What I Call' with Leonard Di Caprio and 'The Greatest Showman on Earth' with Hugh Jackman.

All up Wiig has 82 acting credits to her name, nine as Producer, three as a Writer, and, she can sing too. She has nine award wins and 59 other nominations including one Academy Award, one Golden Globe, one BAFTA and six Primetime Emmy nods. Wiig was married to Actor Hayes Hargrove from 2005 until 2009, and is currently dating Actor, Writer and Producer Avi Rothman. She is a vegetarian and is known for her love of chocolate.

Kristen Wiig - best known for her comedy track record, improv. skills and observational humour that puts her right up there as one of the best in the business; but, also carving out a reputation for more serious, dramatic and straight roles; has achieved much in ten years and is much in demand as a result; is keen to write her own material and to turn her hand at Directing; and is brutally honest with herself, about her fears and foibles and what she likes and what she doesn't. Keeping it real Kristen and keeping us well humoured and entertained as your star continues to rise - Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 20th - 26th March 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Jessica Chastain does on 24th March - check out my tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 39, 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 20th March

• Carl Reiner - Born 1922, turns 94 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• William Hurt - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actor | Producer
• David Thewlis - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Writer
• Spike Lee - Born 1957, turns 59 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Holly Hunter - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actress | Producer

Monday 21st March

• Rosie O'Donnell - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actress | Producer | Writer
• Timothy Dalton - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor
• Matthew Broderick - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor
• Gary Oldman - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Scott Eastwood - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actor | Producer

Tuesday 22nd March

• William Shatner - Born 1931, turns 85 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Matthew Modine - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Bruno Ganz - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor
• M. Emmett Walsh - Born 1935, turns 81 - Actor
• Stephen Sondheim - Born 1930, turns 86 - Composer | Songwriter | Writer
• Andrew Lloyd Webber - Born 1948, turns 68 - Composer | Songwriter | Writer | Producer
• Reese Witherspoon - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actress | Producer | Singer

Wednesday 23rd March

• Amanda Plummer - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actress
• Catherine Keener - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actress | Producer
• Michelle Monaghan - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actress | Producer
• Keri Russell - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actress

Thursday 24th March

• Jessica Chastain - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actress | Producer
• Lara Flynn Boyle - Born 1970, turns 46 - Actress | Producer
• Kelly LeBrock - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actress
• Keisha Castle-Hughes - Born 1990, turns 26 - Actress
• Curtis Hanson - Born 1945, turns 71 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Partick Malahide - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actor

Friday 25th March

• Edgar Ramirez - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Producer
• Lee Pace - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor
• Paul Michael Glazer - Born 1943, turns 73 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Sarah Jessica Parker - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actress | Writer

Saturday 26th March

• Keira Knightly - Born 1985, turns 31 - Actress | Singer
• James Caan - Born 1940, turns 76 - Actor
• Alan Arkin - Born 1934, turns 82 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Francis Lawrence - Born 1971, turns 45 - Director | Producer
• Martin McDonagh - Born 1970, turns 46 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Martin Short - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer
• Alan Silvestri - Born 1950, turns 66 - Composer | Songwriter

Jessica Michelle Chastain was born in Sacramento, California, USA to mother Jerri Renee, a vegan chef, and father Michael Monasterio, a rock musician who died in early 2013 aged 55. Chastain was estranged from her father for her entire life and has never publicly acknowledged him, with his name not appearing on her birth certificate. She was raised by her mother and her stepfather Michael Hastey - a fireman, whom she does regard as her father to all intents and purposes. She retains her mothers maiden name (Chastain) as did her sister Juliet, who died aged 25 in 2003. She grew up with her siblings from her mothers second marriage - William, Daniel and Jacquelyn Hastey. She is perhaps closest to her maternal grandmother Marilyn who first sparked the interest in Acting in the young seven year old Jessica after attending a performance together of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat' starring David Cassidy. She attended El Camino High School in Sacramento where she struggled academically, and then went on to Sacramento City College before gaining a scholarship donated by Robin Williams that allowed her to attend Juilliard School in New York City where she actively participated in drama, theatre and film projects, before graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 2003.

Her early career saw her move to Venice Beach, California where she started to audition for roles and was subsequently picked up by a talent agency, although she struggled to secure roles because of her red hair and somewhat unconventional looks. Her television debut came with a remake of a popular 1960's gothic series 'Dark Shadows' but the show failed to live up to expectations and was not picked up for broadcast. That was 2004, and the following four years saw several appearances on the likes of 'E.R', 'Close to Home', 'Veronica Mars' and 'Law & Order : Trial by Jury'. About this time she gained an introduction and a recommendation to Al Pacino who was searching for an unknown talent to star in his new theatre production of 'Salome' - he hired her on the spot, and as a result of the plays sell out success she came to much wider attention.

In 2008 Chastain made her film debut in the lead role of 'Jolene' - the story of an abused foster child told over a ten year period from age 15. She receive generally positive reviews and won a Best Actress Award on the film circuit. Next up was 'Stolen' which crashed and burned, and then a year later came the 'Murder on the Orient Express' episode of 'Agatha Christie's : Poirot'.

2010 saw 'The Debt' for Director John Madden and starring Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Sam Worthington, and then 'Take Shelter' with Michael Shannon which was critically lauded and had much praise bestowed upon it, including for the film and the performances of both her and Shannon, picking up numerous awards along the way.

2011 was a particularly busy year with the Ralph Fiennes Directed 'Coriolanus' based on a modern adaptation of the Shakespeare play; then Terrence Mallick's highly acclaimed 'Tree of Life' with Brad Pitt and Sean Penn; 'The Help' with Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer which was also highly acclaimed with the Oscar going to Octavia Spencer for her supporting performance. The documentary drama of 'Wilde Salome' as Directed and starring Al Pacino recounted the story of what led him to stage his play at the Wadsworth Theatre in West Los Angeles; and the year closed out with 'Texas Killing Fields' with Sam Worthington, Jason Clarke and Chloe Grace Moretz.

John Hillcoat's 'Lawless' followed in 2012 with an all star cast that included Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, and Jason Clarke. 'Zero Dark Thirty' came next garnering Chastain an Oscar nomination for this highly praised film Directed by Kathryn Bigelow being the story of the ten year hunt for one Osama bin Laden, resulting in his final capture and death . . .  allegedly!

Horror fantasy 'Mama' was next in 2013 and that same year the film of 'Salome' Directed and starring Al Pacino based on the Oscar Wilde play was released, bringing the saga full circle from Pacino's stage play to film docudrama to full blown movie production. Next up came a trio of films under the banner of 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby' and subtitled 'Him', 'Her' and 'Them' with Chastain playing the title role alongside James McAvoy. 'Miss Julie' came next with Colin Farrell, and then Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar' with Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine and Anne Hathaway. 'A Most Violent Year' followed after this run with Oscar Isaac in the J.C. Chandor Directed film of a most violent 1981 New York.

2015 brought along 'The Martian' for Ridley Scott and with Matt Damon, and then 'Crimson Peak' for Guillermo del Toro and with Tom Hiddleston. Next up is 'The Zookeeper's Wife' with Daniel Bruhl in post-production currently for release later this year; 'The Huntsman : Winter's War' for release soon; 'The Death and Life of John F. Donovan' in pre-production; 'Miss Sloane' for Director John Madden currently filming and 'Woman Walks Ahead' recently announced. 

Chastain has 42 Acting credits to her name and has so far garnered seventy award wins and another 94 nominations including two Academy Award nominations for 'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'The Help'; two Golden Globe nominations for 'A Most Violent Year' and 'The Help' with a win for 'Zero Dark Thirty' and two BAFTA nominations for 'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'The Help'. She also lent her voice talent to 'Madagascar 3 : Europe's Most Wanted'.

Chastain is a feminist, and a vegan, and is involved in the suicide support group 'To Write Love On Her Arm'. She turned down roles in 'Iron Man 3', 'Oblivion' and 'Diana', has picked up numerous fashion awards, appears on numerous 'Top' lists, and in the last four years has starred in four  films all nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards - 'The Martian' in 2015, 'Zero Dark Thirty' in 2012, 'The Help' and 'Tree of Life' both in 2011.

Jessica Chastain - so much achieved in such a short space of time, diverse acting range across all genres (although perhaps not yet comedy), highly acclaimed, much in demand, bankable, keeping it real, keeping it grounded and very watchable. Happy Birthday to you Jessica, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE MARTIAN : Wednesday 7th October 2015

I had to see 'THE MARTIAN' this week, being a big fan of Ridley Scott who is back doing his Sci-Fi best with his latest offering now out on general release and taken from the 2011 novel of the same name by Andy Weir. Co-Produced by Scott this film features an all star cast and was made for US$108M, and filmed on a huge sound stage in Hungary and in Jordan where a desert wadi served as a practical back drop for the red planet. The film premiered at the recent Toronto International Film Festival and at the time of writing has already grossed US$132M in Box Office receipts.

The film is set sometime in the near future, although we are not told exactly when, but suffice to say we have the technology to get a Team to Mars and build a base camp there. And so, we meet that Team of six going about their business on Mars, collecting samples, mapping out the area, and doing what you do when on a distant planet. All seems perfectly normal and copacetic until a severe storm engulfs them with only little advance warning. Needing to make a quick decision to stay or go, they board their vessel to take them back to the mothership and back home to Earth - some two years away or so. During the maelstrom Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is struck by flying debris, and thrown back into the storm and beyond reach, now believed dead since all communication with him has been lost. Commanding Officer Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) searches for a brief time, but as the storm continues to intensify the need to depart quickly becomes the overarching priority to save the remaining crew. She gives the order to depart, leaving Watney behind, presumed dead.

Back on Earth, Head of NASA Teddy Sanders (Jeff Daniels) advises the world that Mark Watney was killed in a freak accident during a storm and that the remaining crew are safe and are now making their long way home. Watney is honoured, there is a state funeral and the focus switches to bringing the crew of the Ares III manned mission home safe on their ship Hermes. By now a few months have past on Earth, but back on Mars Mark Watney is not dead, but very much alive & kicking, albeit injured at the time of the storm but made good from some creative self-surgery and a staple gun.

Realising the challenges that lie ahead he needs to adapt to survive, or drown & die in his own sorrows. As it is Watney is made of sterner stuff, is resilient, inventive, motivated, resourceful and above all else, a Botanist. As such, he quickly converts a section of his base camp to a greenhouse, shovels in few hundred weight of Mars red soil and plants potatoes (yes, fresh spuds were stored in cryovac to cook fresh intergalactic style) in a fertilised mix of red soil and human faeces individually vac-packed away as it is in space! Lo and behold a few months later, and Watney proclaims himself 'the best Botanist on the planet '. . . and he is! With his rations having to sustain for longer and longer, there's always a humble potato to sustain with lashings of ketchup!

Meanwhile back on the home planet Sanders has revealed to the world that Watney is in fact alive having picked up various signals and broadcasts that Watney has figured out how to make using the technology he has been able to muster, repair and adapt to communicate that he is very much alive. By now months have passed by and the crew on the mothership returning to Earth have not yet been advised that the man they left behind, believed dead, is in fact still alive. At home Sanders begins to mobilise the necessary resources to return Watney, but this is going to be no easy and no speedy process, and they know that Watney's time is precious and running out.

NASA hatch a plan to send a probe to Mars with sufficient supplies aboard to sustain Watney until the next manned mission on Ares IV - which based on build time, launch and journey will be close to four years. On Mars Watney records his daily activities, his progress, his thoughts, ideas and ramblings on a video journal - this helps him maintain his sanity and moves the story along as he tries to figure out how to establish communications back to Earth and how he can get to the landing site for Ares IV which already contains some of the basic infrastructure for that planned future landing - but it is a long way away and the rover he uses for transport is only capable of travelling short distances before its batteries need recharging, and at night time out in the open the temperatures drop to freezing very quickly too.

Watney also suffers a major setback when an airlock into his base camp explodes ripping open a side wall into the makeshift greenhouse that he has fabricated in which his potato crops grow. The crop is destroyed and with it his ability to grow more, so reducing his food supply which he must now ration further. On Earth, the probe containing Watney's supplies is launched, but this was a rush job, corners were cut and pressures were bought to bear to respond quickly. With an air of excitement at NASA launch control, the probe takes off but within minutes explodes mid-air after launch, leaving the ground Teams despondent and wondering what next.

By now the world is watching every development that NASA makes and is behind the rescue mission to bring Watney home. Enter the Chinese National Space Agency who have secretly developed their own booster rocket technology that could carry the payload needed safely, reliably and accurately to Mars. They agree to share this with NASA and so preparations are made but the time it will take to reach Mars versus the calculated time that Watney has left is becoming increasingly slim, and risky.

Alternatively astrodynamicist Rich Purnell (Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino) has calculated a plan to slingshot the returning crew aboard Hermes around Earth using its gravitational pull, and to intercept the probe and return to Mars to pick up their colleague. Lewis made the decision to leave Watney behind and abort the mission in the first place and so is now torn between her overwhelming need to return to bring him home, and the safety of her remaining crew mates, and the fact that this would mean an additional 15 months+ of space time. Only by unanimous decision would she do it - and that unanimous decision is given very quickly by the crew.

And so preparations are made accordingly with the landing site of the future Ares IV mission being where Watney needs to get to in order that he can lift off from there in the launch vehicle to intercept in space with the Hermes. On Earth the Teams determine that the launch vehicle as it stands is too overladen with weight for the journey required and so they instruct Watney to strip it down to the barest of essentials, including windows and nose cone - his spacesuit will ultimately protect him against the vacuum of space and the hazards associated with this flight. As Hermes approaches the count-down is readied and Watney prepares himself for launch. All goes well with the launch but the trajectory is off and there is an increasing danger that one will not intercept with the other, so here some quick thinking is necessary by Lewis, her crew and the lone Watney, and ultimately, they all live happily ever after!

In strong supporting roles there is also Chiwetel Ejiofor as Vincent Kapoor, and Sean Bean as Mitch Henderson both NASA Mission Directors, Kristen Wiig as Annie Montrose the NASA spokesperson,  and fellow astronauts Michael Pena as Rick Martinez, Kate Mara as Beth Johanssen, Sebastian Stan as Chris Beck, and Aksel Hennie as Alex Vogel. This is a solidly entertaining film that delivers on many levels. Scott here is in familiar territory having given us so many standout Sci-Fi offerings over the years that you can tell he is in his comfort zone here adapting an already strong and popular story with great visuals, just the right amount of humour, solid performances from the principle cast, sufficient moments of action and enough tension, anticipation and excitement to sustain its 140 minutes of run time. And really, who cares how many times Hollywood has to rescue Matt Damon - this is a good wholesome mix of science and entertainment that is certainly worth checking out, and if you liked 'Interstellar' and 'Gravity', you'll enjoy this.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st October 2015.

Last week I mentioned that the Adelaide Film Festival kicks off in mid-October with a raft of local, national and international films in competition and being showcased for the first time, gaining their Australian Premier and in some cases a Worldwide Premier. Every genre is offered crafted by the likes of Scott Hicks, Jocelyn Moorhouse, Todd Haynes, Peter Greenaway and starring such acclaimed names as Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Kate Winslet, Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Lily Tomlin, Colin Farrell, John C. Reilly, Michael Keaton, and Mark Ruffalo amongst others. What's not to like? Check out more at : http://adelaidefilmfestival.org

This week there are four new movie releases kicking off with a survival, search & rescue mission stretching across millions of miles from the most acclaimed Sci-Fi Director of our time; Shakespeare retold for the first time on film in decades in his bloodiest play; an ageing boss man teaching a young boss woman new tricks in the on-line business world; and an iconic album refreshed and given the insightful epic big screen treatment.

Get along to your local multiplex or local independent theatre in the week ahead, and catch a film, any film, and when you have done so share your thoughts with a few observations, views and opinions in the Comments box immediately below this or any other Post. In the meantime, enjoy your movie.

THE MARTIAN (Rated M) - Ridley Scott is back doing his Sci-Fi best with his latest offering about to hit our big screens with this adaptation of the 2011 novel by Andy Weir of the same name. Co-Produced by Scott this films features an all star cast and was made for US$108M, and filmed on a huge sound stage in Hungary and in Jordan where a desert wadi served as a back drop for the red planet. The film premiered at the recent Toronto International Film Festival on September 11th and is being released worldwide this week.

This film sees a manned mission to Mars go awry when a fierce storm on the Red Planet forces the crew to abandon their mission and head home, leaving co-astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) behind, believed dead. Of course he's not, and so Watney finds himself alone, stranded and millions of miles away from home, on a hostile planet, with very limited resources and no way of getting back to whence he came. Using all his wits, ingenuity, skills, experience and spirit to survive, and signal those back on Earth that he is indeed alive & kicking this is a story of incredible bravery and strength of character in the face of the most impossible odds, and how a whole planet back home gather together to bring their man home. Also staring Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Sean Bean and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

MACBETH (Rated MA15+) - Based on Shakespeare's great play, this British big screen adaptation is Directed by Australian, Justin Kurzel and stars Michael Fassbender as the tortured Scottish King, Macbeth. Whilst famed and revered for his fighting prowess on the battlefield and the leadership of his armies, this Duke receives a foretelling by three witches that one day he will become King. Consumed by ambition and growing increasingly impatient he is spurred on by his wife Lady Macbeth (Marion Cotillard) and so murders the King and seizes control of the throne, but subsequently becomes racked by paranoia, guilt, remorse and increasingly tyrannical. Also starring are David Thewlis, Sean Harris, Paddy Considine, and Elizabeth Debicki this is an updated retelling of a classic story told in all its bloody, violent, savage and emotional glory.

THE INTERN (Rated M) - I do wonder about Robert De Niro's filmic choices sometimes, and this would be one of those occasions. When I think of the legend De Niro I think of 'Taxi Driver', 'Casino', 'The Deer Hunter', 'Raging Bull', 'Goodfellas', 'Heat' and 'Cape Fear' and less about 'Analyse This/That' and 'The Fockers' trilogy, and so it is with his latest offering! This film is Directed by Nancy Meyers and cost US$40M to make and here De Niro is Ben Whitaker a retired 70 year old widower and former Business Executive. Realising that retirement ain't all it's cracked up to be, he enlists in a local community outreach programme where seniors will intern at the firm of Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway) - the founder and CEO of 'About the Fit'  - an online fashion company. Pretty soon Whitaker becomes Mr. Popular around the office with his younger co-workers, including Ostin, and as the story unfolds the moral of this comedy is make time for family, respect you elders, recognise experience, and acknowledge the wisdom of others - lessons in life for us all methinks! Rene Russo and Adam DeVine also star.

ROGER WATERS THE WALL (Rated M) - I was at College when this groundbreaking album - 'The Wall' by Pink Floyd went to #1 as the 70's clicked over into the 80's. I still have that double album on vinyl, I have the CD, I watched the 1982 Bob Geldof starring movie of the album numerous times, and I've downloaded the album digitally, and after 35 years this record is still as fresh now as it was then. It has stood the test of time, and so with Rogers Waters the former front man for the concept band performing the album in its entirety coupled with his intimate immersive insights and unscripted Q&A with former band mate Nick Mason, this is a not to be missed music film event of a true classic iconic album that still has something to say, and still has a worldwide audience. This film has a limited release, so catch it when & where you can.

As is often the case, there is plenty of variety in this weeks latest release offerings - SciFi, Shakespeare, Comedy and Music, and there's also plenty more great content still out on general release as Reviewed and Previewed within the pages of this Blog. When you have checked out your film of choice, share your thoughts with your fellow readers here, and then we'll do it all again next week.

See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-