Birthday's to share this week : 3rd - 9th April 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Russell Crowe does on 7th April - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 52, 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 April

• Eddie Murphy - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Ben Mendelsohn - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor
• Alec Baldwin - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Matthew Goode - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor 

Monday 4th April

• Robert Downey Jnr. - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actor | Producer
• Hugo Weaving - Born 1960, turns 56 - Actor | Producer
• Barry Pepper - Born 1970, turns 46 - Actor | Producer
• Craig T. Nelson - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• David E. Kelley - Born 1956, turns 60 - Producer | Writer
• Estelle Harris - Born 1928, turns 88 - Actress

Tuesday 5th April

• Hayley Atwell - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actress
• Mitch Pileggi - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actor
• Roger Corman - Born 1926, turns 90 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Peter Greenaway - Born 1942, turns 74 - Director | Writer | Actor | Editor

Wednesday 6th April

• Paul Rudd - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer
• Michael Rooker - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actor | Producer
• Zach Braff - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Barry Levinson - Born 1942, turns 74 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Roy Thinnes - Born 1938, turns 78 - Actor

Thursday 7th April

• Russell Crowe -  Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer
• Jackie Chan - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Stuntman
• Francis Ford Coppola - Born 1939, turns 77 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Andrew Sachs - Born 1930, turns 86 - Actor

Friday 8th April 

• Taylor Kitsch - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Robin Wright - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Patricia Arquette - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actress

Saturday 9th April

• Kristen Stewart - Born 1990, turns 26 - Actress
• Elle Fanning - Born 1998, turns 18 - Actress
• Dennis Quaid - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actor | Producer
• Jay Baruchel - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer

Russell Ira Crowe was born in the Wellington suburb of Strathmore Park, in New Zealand to mother Jocelyn Wemyss and father John Crowe who worked as film set caterers, with John also managing a hotel. At age four, the Crowe family moved to Sydney, Australia where the parents continued to work in on-set catering. At age six, the young Crowe was hired to appear on Australian series 'Spyforce' with a single line of dialogue opposite Jack Thompson whom he would later star with in the film 'The Sum of Us'. Two years later he appeared in a single episode of 'The Young Doctors' in 1977. Crowe attended Sydney Boys High School and at fourteen the family returned to New Zealand where he attended Auckland Grammar School with brother Terry, and his cousins Martin & Jeff Crowe who would become New Zealand Cricket Captains. He went on to Mount Roskill Grammar School where he finished his education at sixteen, to pursue a career in acting.

In New Zealand as a late teenager, Crowe started performing as a musician under the stage name Russ Le Roq. He released several singles but found little success. At 21, he returned to Sydney with every intention of attending NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art). Instead, he was offered his first professional role in a stage production of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' from 1986-1988 which subsequently toured through Australia and New Zealand. After spending six months busking because he couldn't find work, he was cast in the stage musical 'Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom' in 1989. In the meantime he has scored several episodes on 'Neighbours' in 1987 and a TV movie 'Living with the Law'.

His feature film debut came with 'The Crossing' which also starred Danielle Spencer, and then that same year, 1990, 'Blood Oath' with Bryan Brown and George Takei in this Japanese wartime offering. 'Proof' and 'The Efficiency Expert' with Anthony Hopkins came next in 1992 before 'Romper Stomper' later that year for Director Geoffrey Wright which garnered Crowe much critical acclaim for his Melbourne based Nazi Skinhead role as Hando.

Following several films in 1993, 'The Sum of Us' followed in 1994 with Jack Thomson. Following early success in Australian produced films, he turned his attention to the USA with a string of films to close our the 90's including 'Virtuosity' with Denzel Washington, 'The Quick and the Dead' with Sharon Stone, 'Rough Magic' with Bridget Fonda, and then the highly acclaimed multi-award winner 'L.A.Confidential' with an all star cast including Kevin Spacey and Kim Bassinger. 'Mystery, Alaska' with Burt Reynolds followed and Michael Mann's 'The Insider' in 1999 saw out the decade with his Oscar nominated turn as Jeffrey Wigand in this expose of the Big Tobacco industry.

'Gladiator' came next in 2000 for Ridley Scott which saw Crowe win the Best Actor Academy Award - one of five including Best Picture. After this came 'Proof of Life', then Ron Howard's 'A Beautiful Mind' with Crowe starring as the brilliant mathematician John Nash in this multiple award winning film which also picked up the Best Picture Academy Award - a year after 'Gladiator'.

2003 brought us 'Master and Commander : The Far Side of the World' for Peter Wier before reuniting with Ron Howard again in 2005 for 'Cinderella Man' as 1930's boxer James Braddock. In 2006 he teamed up again with Ridley Scott for 'A Good Year' before a return to the Western genre with '3:10 to Yuma' with Christian Bale in 2007. 'American Gangster' followed for Ridley Scott again and with Denzel Washington, and then 'Body of Lies' with Leonardo DiCaprio and once more for Ridley Scott.

'Tenderness' and 'State of Play' cane before another teaming with Ridley Scott in 2010's 'Robin Hood' with Crowe in the lead role opposite Cate Blanchett as Marion. 'The Next Three Days' and 'The Man with the Iron Fists' came before 'Les Miserables' in the highly acclaimed multi-award winning 2012 big screen adaptation of the stage musical.




The following year 'Broken City' with Mark Wahlberg was released and thereafter he played Superman's biological father Jor-El in Zack Snyders's 'Man of Steel' - the first film in the DC Extended Universe. 'Winter's Tale' and 'Noah' were next with Crowe playing the title role of the Biblical character chosen by God to save human and animal kind from the Great Flood.

In 2014 Crowe turned his attentions to Directing his first film with 'The Water Diviner' which he also starred in. Telling a story of a fathers quest to return the remains of his three sons presumed killed in the WWI fighting at Gallipoli, the film was made for US$22M and made US$31M and garnered a number of award wins and nominations on the Australian awards circuit. 'Father's and Daughter's' closed out 2015, with 'Nice Guys' due for release soon with Ryan Gosling in this 1970's LA set comedy thriller Directed by Shane Black, with 'In Sand and Blood' currently in pre-production.

Crowe has 36 award wins to his name including the Best Actor Academy Award for 'Gladiator', the Best Actor Golden Globe and a BAFTA for 'A Beautiful Mind' and multiple Australian Film Institute wins for 'Proof', 'Romper Stomper', Cinderella Man', and 'State of Play'. He also has 66 other nominations from around the traps.








He has continued with his love of music forming '30 Odd Foot of Grunts' which disbanded in 2005 to form 'The Ordinary Fear of God' which toured successfully in Australia and the US throughout 2005 and 2006. In 2003 Crowe married his Co-Star from 'The Crossing' Danielle Spencer with whom he has two sons Charles Spencer Crowe (born December 2003) and Tennyson Spencer Crowe (born July 2006). The couple separated in late 2012. He is a supporter of New Zealand's national rugby union team - The All Blacks and has been an avid supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs since his childhood years. He has supported the struggling Club with sponsorships, donations and a 75% ownership of the club taken out in 2006 at a cost of AU$3M with a local business partner. The Club went onto win the NRL Grand Final in 2014 - the first time in 43 years. He also plays cricket, has commentated for Sky Sports and captained the 'Australian' side in the 'Hollywood Ashes'.

Russell Crowe - multiple award winner; frequent collaborator with Ridley Scott and Ron Howard; often plays real life characters; turned down 'Collateral', 'Black Hawk Down', 'Lord of the Rings' and the role of 'Wolverine' but has made up for it with multiple roles in Academy Award Best Picture nominated films - six from 1997 to 2012; and at times controversial, but always watchable and a drawcard, Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

The AACTA Awards - Thursday 29th January 2015.

Sydney's 'The Star' Hotel and Casino played Host yesterday to the 4th Annual AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards at which the glitterati and glamourati turned out in all their finery to honour and acknowledge the last twelve months and all that is best in the Australian world of film & TV. Hosted this year by Cate Blanchett and Deborah Mailman with 'guest' appearances throughout by AACTA President Geoffrey Rush, it would be fair to say that (in this reviewers humble opinion) there were a few glaring omissions and some questionable decisions in the final analysis of the movie achievements for the 2014 year, as shown below.

Two things though that I was particularly pleased about were referenced by our Hosts in their opening address to the gathered crowd, the viewing nation and the world at large streaming it live or watching it delayed on TV or via the Internet. Two very simple messages that were 1) the illegal downloading of movies from the Internet and watching pirated copies is just that . . . illegal, and it will kill the industry in the fullness of time! And 2), as film loving Aussie's we need to support our own movies much more than we do. What a tragedy that last year we saw some great home grown cinema content get only a limited release and then disappear almost without a trace because no one went to see them! Tragic indeed! It seems that overseas viewers have more confidence in Australian films that we do living here! That's  pretty sad state of affairs!

Nonetheless, here is the list of the winners & grinners from the 4th Annual AACTA Awards :

Best Film : shared between 'The Babadook' and 'The Water Diviner'
Best Direction : Jennifer Kent for 'The Babadook'

Best Lead Actor : David Gulpilil for 'Charlie's Country'
Best Lead Actress : Sarah Snook for 'Predestination'
Best Supporting Actor : Yilmaz Erdogan for 'The Water Diviner'
Best Supporting Actress : Susan Prior for 'The Rover'


Best Original Screenplay : 'The Babadook'
Best Adapted Screenplay : 'The Railway Man'

Best Editing : 'Predestination'
Best Cinematography : 'Predestination'
Best Production Design : 'Predestination'
Best Costume Design : 'The Water Diviner'

Best Sound : 'The Rover'
Best Original Music Score : 'The Railway Man'
Best Visual Effects or Animation : Animal Logic for 'The LEGO Movie'

Inaugural 'Trailblazer' Award - Rose Byrne 

By my estimation then this gives 'Predestination' four awards and rightly so, and there is no question that Sarah Snook was the best choice as recipient of the Best Lead Actress Award for her work in this great film, and one of this Critic's favourites of the year. In my mind too it should have won Best Film or tied with 'The Babadook' as it is streets ahead of 'The Water Diviner' and deftly handled too by the Spierig Brothers on joint Director duty.

I have not seen 'The Babadook' as it got such a limited release here in Australia, but everything I have read and heard about this little South Australian filmed horror chiller thriller that cost just US$2M to produce, has been top notch, and it is good to see something of this genre getting the exposure it has/is. These three awards will only help further.

I was surprised to see a lack of other great Aussie fare missing from the list of nominations - films such as Joel Edgerton's Written, Produced and Starring 'Felony' picked up a solitary nomination for Best Sound only, and the Zak Hilditch Directed 'These Final Hours' didn't get a single look in! 'Healing' got a single nomination for Best Original Music, and 'Tracks' did well out of the nominations with four for Best Film, Cinematography, Costume and Lead Actress for Mia Wasikowska, but failed to score a gong!

Closing out the Awards Season we have the BAFTA's up next on 8th February and then the Academy Awards on 22nd February - stay tuned for more, and remember . . . support your home grown Aussie movies in 2015!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE WATER DIVINER : Tuesday 13th January 2015.

I went into Russell Crowe's Directorial debut offering, 'THE WATER DIVINER' with reasonably high expectations and came out feeling decidedly let down. Aussie Russ is an Oscar winner after all; has built up a relatively strong portfolio of films; worked with some of the best Directors, Screenwriters and Cinematographers that are working today; has come across a story that could have been far greater than the sum of its parts; and has a story too that should resonate with just about every living soul in Australia and New Zealand at least given that its subject matter is about to have its centenary.

This is a fairly simple tale of northern Victoria farm dwelling Joshua Connor (Crowe, with lead Actor credit too) in the immediate lead up to and the aftermath of WWI. It is 1919, and he owns and lives on a huge farm and, you guessed it, has water divining skills too. These skills we see fairly early on as he walks around some distant paddock with a couple of wire coat hangers searching for water, and behold, when said wires cross and remain crossed - there be water! And so he starts to dig in the belting heat of the day until he is fifteen feet down and strikes . . . water! Clearly the man has talent!

What we then learn is that Joshua and his wife have three sons - all in their late teens who have packed themselves off to war in 1914, and Joshua reminisces about their departure with the three young lads literally ride off into the sunset to go to war. We then fast forward to late 1915, and the ANZAC's have been battling it out in their fiercest fighting with the Turks at Gallipoli. Overcome by the weight of sheer numbers the ANZAC's eventually retreat having sustained some 10,000 casualties versus 70,000 on the side of the Turks. In flashback however, we see some close quarter fighting between these two opposing sides and in the exchange of machine gun fire sons Edward (James Fraser) and Henry (Ben O'Toole) are killed leaving Arthur (Ryan Coor) injured by their sides.

Back to 1919 rural country Victoria and Joshua and his wife Eliza (Jacqueline McKenzie) try to keep the dream alive that there sons have survived the war against all hope. Tragically Eliza takes her own life racked with the pain of their loss, and burying her in the local cemetery Joshua vows to bring his sons home to lie beside her. And so he jumps on a boat in no time to make the three months journey to Istanbul where his search begins.

What follows is Joshua being hijacked by a little trumped up kid who nicks his bag and all his belongings but leads him to a hotel where he meets Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko) the owner of the establishment looking for paying guests in the aftermath of a war stricken country. First Ayshe greets Joshua warmly, but when she learns that he is Australian she wants him evicted, excommunicated and extracted immediately given what went down at Gallipoli. Interestingly though it is no time at all before Ayshe becomes the love interest and romantic glances and playful conversation ensue! Meanwhile Joshua starts his search via the local war office to determine the whereabouts of his believed dead sons, with the aid of a diary whose last entry was August 7th 1915. He gets very short shrift from the stereotypical stuck-up stiff upper lipped pompous arse that is Captain Charles Brindley (Dan Wyllie) who wants to promptly return Joshua back from whence he came and let the Army deal with such matters. Having none of it and getting no where fast Ayshe gives Joshua a lead of a sailor friend who can get him to Gallipoli quickly and efficiently by water if he crosses his palm with silver, and so Joshua does just that.

Before you know it Joshua is there face to face with Lt. Col. Cyril Hughes (Jai Courtney) who presents a warm considerate caring hand to Joshua, but sees his quest as fruitless amongst the 10,000 or so ANZAC bodies that have to be found, identified and accounted for - what hope is there of finding three young lads across the whole peninsula? But, let's not forget that Joshua IS 'The Water Diviner' and surely he can divine human remains too . . . and yes he can! It seems that fairly easily he has a sense for where they are likely to be and behold a few inches under the surface beneath caked mud and clay Hughes' men dig up the remains of Edward and Henry as evidenced by their dog tags. But no Arthur!

All of this is overseen by Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdogan) who gives the most solid and convincing performance of the entire cast. He was the man leading the campaign for the Turks at Gallipoli and therefore responsible for the death of so many ANZAC's - including probably Edward & Henry. Now post-war he is aiding the Australian contingent locate their dead soldiers given his intimate knowledge of the Gallipoli terrain. An unlikely friendship develops between Joshua and Hasan that eventually leads Joshua to learn that Arthur may still be alive having been taken prisoner after his brothers were killed.

And so the search shifts to Arthur amidst the backdrop of continuing Greek and Turk unrest across the streets of Istanbul and beyond, the love interest between Joshua and Ayshe, Ayshe's own family troubles, and the brick walls that Brindley continues to build around Joshua. Eventually riding through some remote Turkish village on horseback with Hasan and set upon by Greek rebels Joshua has a divining sense that Arthur is holed up somewhere in the locale . . . and by Jove, he is!

As for Crowe's Directing achievement, on the one hand we see some moments of real tension - a billowing dust storm in flashback sweeping toward the farm where Joshua comes to the rescue of his three young sons; some moments of beauty - inside Istanbul's Blue Mosque more for artistic effect than anything else - a gap filler almost because this film was the first ever to be allowed to film inside this famed temple; but everything else is stilted, disjointed, the acting wooden and the storyline plods along with stereotype characters, scene fillers and cheesy dialogue.

As an Actor I like Russell Crowe and he has more than proven his credentials over the years, but as a first time Director - he still has some way to go to fine tune his Directing skills if he is to add this skill to his Resume with any real merit. You don't need to see this on the big screen and can easily wait for the DVD/BluRay. Having been released in Australia and New Zealand on Boxing Day 2014, it get its US release on 24th April 2015 . . . not an insignificant date!

 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Friday 26th December 2014.

Merry Christmas to the national and international readership of this Blog, and best wishes to you all for a happy, healthy and safe festive season from your friends at Odeon Online.

And so the biggest day in the movie release year is upon us with another raft of new film content coming to our big screens on Boxing Day. December kicked off with ten new release movies and then the brakes were applied in successive weeks in anticipation of the Christmas week releases to capitalise upon the holiday season and some eagerly awaited offerings that once again are sure to offer something for everyone.

For the week ahead then we have the epic final chapter in a monumental saga that has been fifteen years in the making; one of Australia's favourite sons has turned Director for the first time to deliver us a tale of WW1 in the wake of Gallipoli; Disney Studio's have come good with their animation to deliver us a heart warming futuristic story that ticks many boxes; then there is probably Hollywood's most grumpy old man who forges an unlikely friendship with his polar opposite in almost every sense, that is being touted as a long-term best for this grumpy old Actor; we then have an English period piece about a renowned ageing painter as he struggles in his later years to come to terms with what is going on all around him; and finally, and next up is the third instalment in another successful franchise that reunites a familiar cast and a Hollywood great that we sadly lost earlier this year.

There it is then, six new films to tempt, tease and tantalise your taste buds with big screen entertainment that will deliver on spectacle; be sure to  surprise and delight; make you laugh and maybe make you choke back a tear and all will certainly entertain in 2D or 3D over the coming week. Drop me a Comment when you've chosen your filmic entertainment in the week ahead and sat through the experience, and share your views and opinions with your favourite movie Blog and the cinema going world. We'll be pleased to hear from you!

THE HOBBIT : THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (Rated M) - Peter Jackson's closing chapter in his 'Hobbit' trilogy brings to an end over fifteen years of film making that started the J.R.R. Tolkien saga with the first instalment of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy in 2001 and which went on to yield US$2.92B in Box Office receipts off a US$281M production budget. This series of three has so far cost US$745M to bring to the big screen and has made (out of the first two films) US$2.13B, so looks set to surpass the global haul from all three L.O.T.R films if past performance is anything to go by.

Following on from where 'The Desolation of Smaug' left off, we see the same bunch of characters led by Bilbo recapture Erebor as Smaug has fled and in so doing destroys Laketown. With Bilbo and the dwarves led by an increasingly obsessive and distant Thorin, they must now protect The Lonely Mountain with the help of the Elves, Men and The Great Eagles against an oncoming army of Orcs unleashed by the evil enemy Sauron. Effects laden, CGI heavy with huge set-pieces culminating in the battle to end all battles (until the next one), 'The Battle of Five Armies' has already earned US$358M since its US and European release earlier in December. A must see, with expectations running high and given what we know Peter Jackson is more than capable of.

THE WATER DIVINER (Rated M) - Russell Crowe here delivers his Directorial debut, and stars in this telling of Water Diviner Joshua Connor (Crowe) who makes the journey from his native Australia to Gallipoli in search of his three missing sons in the aftermath of that tragic battle in World War 1. Four years have passed since, and in travelling to Turkey he forges a relationship with the owner of the hotel where he is staying in Istanbul, Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko) and enlists the help of Australian Lt. Col Cyril Hughes (Jai Courtney) and his Turkish opposite Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdogan) to search for his missing boys. Will his water divining skills enable him to devine his missing-in-action-presumed-dead sons and so bring them home to Australia to be laid to rest in peace in there. This of course is the crux of the story intertwined with beautiful Turkish scenery, some Hollywood screen magic, and a story of endless hope, courage, faith, determination, love and friendship amidst the backdrop of tragedy, loss and death on an unfathomable scale.

ST. VINCENT (Rated M) - this Comedy Drama stars an A-List Hollywood Actor known for being grumpy and who has become very selective in the roles he now plays, and with whom. Originally intended for Jack Nicholson who turned it down, the role ended up with Bill Murray who puts in a tour-de-force as Vietnam Vet Vincent who has led a squandering stubbornly self-satisfied life which in his twilight years have left him with next to nothing. When Vincent's new neighbours need a babysitter for teenage son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher), Vincent agrees, but for a fee. What unfolds is an unlikely friendship between these two polar opposites as Vincent downloads on Oliver his adult experiences of alcohol, gambling, bad food, loose women and over indulgence in life. What Oliver offers Vincent is an inward looking view of a lonely existence and a secret past that perhaps he would prefer laid to rest but must now confront - particularly as life events take an unexpected turn for the worse for Vincent leading both to move in a direction that neither they or those around them could ever have imagined. Directed and Written by Theodore Melfi and starring too Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts and Chris O'Dowd.

MR. TURNER (Rated M) - this is the story of 19th Century English landscape and seascape painter J.M.W. Turner as played by Timothy Spall. Set during the last 25 years of his life this is a detailed, nuanced, finely balanced film that sees Turner at the height of his fame, popularity and output but torn between his ever faithful housekeeper and mistress of 40 years, Hannah Danby (Dorothy Atkinson) and his seaside landlady with whom he forms a relationship, Sophia Booth (Marion Bailey) and eventually resides in Chelsea unbeknownst to most, and where he eventually dies. During this time, the film charts the many exploits and idiosyncrasies of Turner - the man, the artist, the eccentric, the socialite and the obsessive. Spall gives a career defining performance in this Mike Leigh Directed film that could well be the sleeper hit at the upcoming Academy Awards.

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM : SECRET OF THE TOMB (Rated PG) - Directed by Shawn Levy this film stars two Hollywood greats who very sadly passed away earlier this year - Mickey Rooney as Gus reprising his role from the first film and Robin Williams who has appeared in all three as Teddy Roosevelt. Ben Stiller is back at Larry Daily the night watchman at New York's Museum of Natural History only now he has gained promotion to 'Director of Night-time Operations'. The 'tablet' which gives the museum artifacts the power to become animated at night-time is beginning to lose its powers, and as such those exhibits are beginning to exhibit some strange behaviours. Investigating further Larry learns that the tablet's powers are not infinite and that 'the end will come', only now sooner rather than later. The only way to prevent this is to travel to London to the British Museum of Natural History and the origin of the tablet that can only be regenerated by moonlight. As the tablets powers begin to wane so does the staying power of the animated exhibits who begin to age and turn back to wax. As the tablet falls into the wrong hands of an  historical English figure, a race against time begins in the London museum and across the city as Larry and his friends seek to retrieve the tablet before it crumbles away to dust forever, and any chance of retaining its magic disappears completely. Starring also Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Ben Kingsley, Dick Van Dyke and a host of historical figures, animals and set pieces this is sure to please for a number of reasons, including those aforementioned two late great Hollywood legends.

BIG HERO 6 (Rated PG) - Disney Studio's have pulled out all the stops to bring this animated feature to life and in doing so have created a delightful story with heart, great visuals, an east meets west backdrop and the rich pedigree of Marvel Comics. Following on from their recent success too with 'Frozen' this is set in a futuristic San Fransokyo and sees an oversize inflatable health-care robot called 'Baymax' (a mix of the 'Michelin Man' and 'Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man') who was designed to be activated upon hearing the word 'ouch' and continues administering aid until the 'patient' proclaims 'I am satisfied with your care'! This is all good until our hero of the piece - young Hiro (voiced by Ryan Potter) whose recently killed older brother Tadashi (Daniel Henney) was working on various robotic devices with his friends GoGo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Fred and of course Baymax at the local University. Hiro himself is a robot whizz and so he and Baymax adopt each other with a view to continuing brother Tadashi's work. But all is not well as they soon discover, and someone else is mass producing robots for potential unsavoury gain, and so Baymax is re-programmed by Hiro to thwart the no-good enemy, discover the truth behind his brothers death, and ultimately continue the good work his brother had initiated. This film is Directed by Don hall and Chris Williams and stars the voice talents too of Scott Adsit as Baymax, Damon Wyans Jnr. as Wasabi and James Cromwell as Professor Callaghan amongst others. There is an animated short film shown before the main event and remain seated through the credits for additional footage that lays the foundation for a possible sequel.

Wow - some big releases this coming week as you would expect for Boxing Day. Get out there and see something on the big screen and take in the spectacle of what these films have to offer - something for everyone, young and young at heart. Plenty of choice - enjoy your movies, enjoy Christmas, best wishes, and we'll report next week for the first of 2015's new releases.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-