Showing posts with label The Spectacular Now. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Spectacular Now. Show all posts

Saturday, 18 February 2017

Birthday's to share this week : 19th - 25th February 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Miles Teller does on 20th February - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 30, 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 19th February
  • Jeff Daniels - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Writer | Director
  • Ray Winstone - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actor | Producer
  • Benicio Del Toro - Born 1967, turns 50 - Actor | Producer
Monday 20th February
  • Sidney Poitier - Born 1927, turns 90 - Actor | Producer | Director
  • Mike Leigh - Born 1943, turns 74 - Director | Writer
  • Peter Strauss - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor | Producer
  • Miles Teller - Born 1987, turns 30 - Actor
  • Brenda Blethyn - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actress  
Tuesday 21st February
  • Tyne Daly - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actress
  • Jennifer Love Hewitt - Born 1979, turns 38 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer
  • Ellen Page - Born 1987, turns 30 - Actress | Producer
  • Sophie Turner - Born 1996, turns 21 - Actress
  • Anthony Daniels - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Producer
  • Kelsey Grammer - Born 1955, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer
  • William Baldwin - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actor | Producer  
Wednesday 22nd February
  • Jonathan Demme - Born 1944, turns 73 - Director | Producer | Writer
  • Kyle MacLachlan - Born 1959, turns 58 - Actor
  • Julie Walters - Born 1950, turns 67 - Actress | Singer
  • Drew Barrymore - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actress | Producer | Director | Singer
Thursday 23rd February
  • Emily Blunt - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actress | Singer
  • Dakota Fanning - Born 1994, turns 23 - Actress | Producer | Singer
  • Peter Fonda - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer  
Friday 24th February
  • Edward James Olmos - Born 1947, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Director
  • Dennis Waterman - Born 1948, turns 69 - Actor | Singer  
  • Billy Zane - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Director
  • O'Shea Jackson Jnr. - Born 1991, turns 26 - Actor
Saturday 25th February
  • Tom Courtenay - Born 1937, turns 80 - Actor
  • Lee Evans - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Writer | Composer
  • Sean Astin - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Director  
  • James and Oliver Phelps - Born 1986, turn 31 - Actors
  • Tea Leoni - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actress | Producer
  • Rashida Jones - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
Miles Alexander Teller was born in Downingtown, Pennsylvania to mother Merry, a Real Estate Agent and father Michael Teller, a nuclear power plant engineer. Growing up Miles lived in various places because of the relocation necessary in his fathers career, spending time in Florida, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. He attended the Lecanto High School in Florida where he played saxophone, piano, guitar and the drums, he was President of the Drama Club and played baseball too, hoping to turn the game into his vocation of choice. He then attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University where he studied method acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.

He began his screen acting career by appearing in a number of short films - in 2004's eighteen minute 'Moonlighters', then 2007's ten minute 'Specific Recipe', 2008's eleven minute 'The Musicians' and 2010's eleven minute 'The Track Meet'. His feature film debut came in the 2010 drama 'Rabbit Hole' for which he was singled out by Co-Star Nicole Kidman for the role and also starring Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest and Sandra Oh. 2011 saw the remake of the classic 1984 musical dance movie 'Footloose' starring Andie McDowell and Dennis Quaid with Kenny Wormald in the lead role. The film received generally positive Reviews and returned US$64M from its US$24M budget. In 2013 he starred in '21 & Over' and then his more critically lauded screen performance to date in 'The Spectacular Now' with Co-Star Shailene Woodley and also Brie Larson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kyle Chandler. The film made just US$7M from its US$2.5M budget, but was well received by Critics.

'Whiplash' came next in 2014 for Director Damien Chazelle with Teller starring as promising young student drummer Andrew Neiman enrolled at the Shaffer Conservatory in New York, with Terence Fletcher (J.K.Simmons) as his over bearing domineering and abusive jazz instructor. The film gained universal acclaim, returned US$49M from its meagre US$3.3M budget and garnered three Academy Award wins, one Golden Globe win, three BAFTA wins and a SAG win with J.K.Simmons and Damien Chazelle receiving numerous accolades. All up the film took home 91 award wins and another 134 nominations.

That same year, 2014, saw RomCom 'That Awkward Moment' with Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan and Imogen Poots, and then the first in a recurring role as Peter Hayes in the first instalment of the Veronica Roth series of books to be adapted for the big screen, 'Divergent'. This was followed up by 'Insurgent' in 2015 and 'Allegiant' in 2016, with the final instalment 'Ascendant' in pre-production for a release later this year as a television movie, due to the lacklustre Box Office performance of the 'Allegiant' film bringing in US$179M from its US$110M budget outlay.


RomCom 'Two Night Stand' was also released in 2014, and then in 2015 the reboot of Marvel's 'Fantastic Four' franchise which had seen earlier live action adaptations in 2005 and 2007. Starring Teller as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic with Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, Kate Mara as Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman and Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm/The Thing with Toby Kebbell and Vicor von Doom, this picture tanked critically and commercially taking US$168M from its US$126M budget investment, and picking up several 'Worst' awards.

Comedy 'Get A Job' followed in 2016 with Anna Kendrick, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Alison Brie, Bryan Cranston and Marcia Gay Harden, and then true story comedy drama 'War Dogs' as Directed by Todd Phillips and Co-Starring Jonah Hill and Bradley Cooper about the real life arms dealers Efraim Diveroli (Hill) and David Packouz (Teller) who win a US Army contract to supply munitions for the Afghan National Army worth about US$300M without any prior experience, credentials, contacts or expertise in this field. The film received mixed Reviews and returned US$86M from its US$40M budget.

The biographical boxing drama film 'Bleed for This' was released in the US in mid-November last year, but has not seen a theatrical release in Australia. With Teller starring as Vinny Pazienza an American professional boxing champion and Aaron Eckhart as his trainer Kevin Rooney, the film charts the story of the boxer who after a near fatal car accident leaves him with severe neck and spinal injuries and not knowing if he'll ever walk again, let alone fight. And fight he does, in one of the most incredible comeback stories from inside the ring. Although the film received generally positive Reviews, it was a bomb at the Box Office taking just US$5.5M from its US$6M budget costs.

Next up Teller is lending his voice talent to the animated feature 'The Ark and the Aardvark' due later this year, then in PTSD effected returning servicemen and women drama 'Thank You for Your Service' based on the book by David Finkel also due later this year and in post-production. 'Ascendent' the last instalment in the 'Divergent' series is in pre-production and then 'Granite Mountain' is in post-production with Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Taylor Kitsch, Jennifer Connolly, and Andie MacDowell about an elite crew of men who fought a wildfire in Arizona in 2013 that claimed the lives of nineteen of their team..

Since 2013 Teller has been in a relationship with model Keleigh Sperry. All up Teller has 27 acting credits to his name and he has garnered four award wins and 21 other nominations including the BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2015.

Miles Teller - increasingly in demand and taking on more adult mature film roles, is musical, a dancer, was very academic at school, and has ambition to succeed and go the distance. We wish you well Miles and Happy 30th Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Saturday, 14 November 2015

Birthday's to share this week : 15th - 21st November 2015

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Shailene Woodley does on 15th November - check out my tribute to this Birthday girl turning 24 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 15th November
  • Shailene Woodley - Born 1991, turns 24 - Actress
  • Jonny Lee Miller - Born 1972, turns 43 - Actor
  • Edward Asner - Born 1929, turns 86 - Actor | Producer
  • Sam Waterston - Born 1940, turns 75 - Actor | Producer
  • Yaphet Kotto - Born 1939, turns 76 - Actor
  • Roger Donaldson - Born 1945, turns 70 - Director | Producer | Writer
Monday 16th November
  • Maggie Gyllenhaal - Born 1977, turns 37 - Actress
Tuesday 17th November
  • Zoe Bell - Born 1978, turns 36 - Actress | Stuntwoman
  • Rachel McAdams - Born 1978, turns 37 - Actress
  • Sophie Marceau - Born 1966, turns 48 - Actress | Director
  • Lauren Hutton - Born 1943, turns 71 - Actress
  • Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio - Born 1958, turns 56 - Actress
  • Martin Scorsese - Born 1942, turns 72 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
  • Danny DeVito - Born 1944, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
Wednesday 18th November
  • Damon Wayans Jnr. - Born 1982, turns 32 - Actor | Writer
  • Owen Wilson - Born 1968, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Writer
  • Delroy Lindo - Born 1952, turns 62 - Actor
Thursday 19th November
  • Ted Turner - Born 1938, turns 76 - Producer | Actor | Media Mogul
  • Adam Driver - Born 1983, turns 31 - Actor
  • Charlie Kaufman - Born 1958, turns 56 - Writer | Producer | Director
  • Jodie Foster - Born 1962, turns 52 - Actress | Producer | Director
  • Meg Ryan - Born 1961, turns 53 - Actress | Producer | Director
Friday 20th November
  • Bo Derek - Born 1956, turns 58 - Actress
  • Sean Young - Born 1959, turns 55 - Actress
Saturday 21st November
  • Goldie Hawn - Born 1945, turns 69 - Actress | Producer
Shailene Diann Woodley was born in San Bernardino County, California to mother Lori Victor, a middle school counsellor, and father Lonnie Woodley a school Principal. She has a younger brother, Tanner. She attended the Simi Valley High School and from the tender age of four began modelling commercially. Acting followed although she claims by accident, as she never sought to be an actress and it was not something she aspired to be.

Her screen debut came in 1999 in the television movie 'Replacing Dad' and from that point on she has worked regularly in both television and film, although it would be another ten years or so before her big screen debut would present itself. As the new decade turned over there were several episodes on 'The District' from 2001-2003 and then singular episodes on 'Without a Trace', 'Everybody Loves Raymond', six episodes on 'The O.C.', four on 'Crossing Jordan', two on 'Jack & Bobby' and the television movies 'A Place to Call Home', 'Felicity : An American Girl Adventure' and 'Once Upon a Mattress'. More television work followed with the likes of 'My Name Is Earl', C.S.I. : NY', 'Close to Home' and 'Cold Case'.

At 15 years of age not only did her parents divorce, but she was diagnosed with scoliosis - a medical condition causing curvature of the spine. This resulted in the young teenage Actress having to wear a chest to hip plastic body brace to limit her spinal movement so allowing it to mend, and to prevent any further curving.

Before landing the principle role in 'The Secret Life of an American Teenager' in 2008 she had considered studying interior design at the University of New York, but the lure of the longer term gig doing exactly what she wanted to do was too great, with that show running for 121 episodes up until 2013.

During this period Woodley secured her breakout big screen debut alongside George Clooney as his troubled daughter in 'The Descendants' for which she received much critical acclaim, and a Best Supporting Golden Globe nomination. Next was 'The Spectacular Now' with Miles Teller for which again the young Actress received critical praise including the Special Jury Prize for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival. She followed this with 'White Bird in a Blizzard', and then the role as Mary Jane Watson opposite Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' although all her scenes ended up on the cutting room floor because Director Marc Webb needed to streamline the story.

The first film in the Veronica Roth novelisation series 'Divergent' came in 2014 with her lead role as Beatrice 'Tris' Prior with its follow up 'Insurgent' released earlier this year. 'Allegiant' is now due on 28th March 2016 and 'Ascendant' is currently filming for for a 24th March 2017 release. The first two films made a combined US$584M worldwide off a US$195M production budget.





2014 also brought 'The Fault in Our Stars' with Ansel Elgort, Laura Dern and Willem Dafoe and off US$12M made US$307M - so a bona fide blockbuster on that basis and again much critical applause for her lead performance as a 16 year old cancer sufferer. Currently in post-production is Oliver Stone's 'Snowden' due in May 2016 with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden, the notorious CIA Agent who leaked thousands of classified documents to the press just a few years ago.

Interestingly Woodley was considered for the role of Katniss Everdeen on that other similar movie franchise based on a dystopian future world 'The Hunger Games'. That role went to Jennifer Lawrence as we know. She auditioned for 'I Am Sam' in 2001 and lost out to Dakota Fanning; she auditioned for 'Les Miserable' in 2012 and lost out to Amanda Seyfried; she turned down 'Tomorrowland' with George Clooney once more, and that role went to Britt Robertson; and she turned down too 'Fifty Shades of Grey' which went to Dakota Johnson.

Woodley has thirty Acting credits under her belt, has a Golden Globe and a BAFTA nomination and another 32 award nominations and a total 31 wins so far . . . and she only turns 24 this week.

Shailene Woodley - seemingly can hardly make a wrong turn, critically acclaimed, sought after, the face of a major franchise, and already so much achieved with so much more to come - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-