Birthday's to share this week : 6th - 12th September 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Idris Elba does on 6th September - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy 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 6th September

• Idris Elba - Born 1972, turns 43 - Actor | Producer 
• John Polson - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Director  
• Rosie Perez - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actress | Producer | Director

Monday 7th September

• Evan Rachel Wood - Born 1987, turns 28 - Actress
• Toby Jones - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actor   
• Dario Argento - Born 1940, turns 75 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor   

Tuesday 8th September 

• Martin Freeman - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actor 
• David Arquette - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director 

Wednesday 9th September

• Adam Sandler - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter
• Hugh Grant - Born 1960, turns 55 - Actor
• Michelle Williams - Born 1980, turns 35 - Actress

Thursday 10th September

• Guy Ritchie - Born 1968, turns 47 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Coln Firth  - Born 1960, turns 55 - Actor | Producer
• Ryan Phillippe - Born 1974, turns 41 - Actor | Director | Wtiter 

Friday 11th September

• Brian De Palma - Born 1940, turns 75 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Harry Connick Jnr :- Actor | Singer | Songwrie
• Tony Gilroy - Born 1956, turns 59 - Director | Producer | Writer  

Saturday 12th September

• Hans Zimmer - Born 1957, turns 58 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Ian Holm - Born 1931, turns 84 - Actor 
• Freddie Jones - Born 1927, turns 88 - Actor
• Linda Gray - Born in 1940, turns 75 - Actress | Director
• Rachel Ward - Born 1957, turns 58 - Actress | Director | Writer

Idrissa Akuna 'Idris' Elba was born in the London suburb of Hackney to mother Eve, a Ghanaian working a clerical job, and father Winston, from Sierra Leone and a Ford Motor Company factory worker. The young Elba was raised in East Ham and went to school in Canning Town where his interest in acting was first sparked. Reading the weekly publication 'The Stage'  which covers the entertainment industry, Elba responded to an advertisement, auditioned for a stage play and was successful and subsequently hooked up with his first Agent. In 1986 he also started DJ'ing to help out in his Uncle's business and a year later he started up his own DJ company. He left school in 1988 having secured a place at London's National Youth Music Theatre, and was able to secure regular work on the BBC 'Crimewatch' programme acting out murder reconstructions. At 19 he was working the nightclub scene as 'DJ Big Driis' but within a year was auditioning for television roles.

His career kicked off in television in 1994 with a string of TV series that saw out the rest of the decade starting with '2point4 Children', 'Space Precinct', 'Absolutely Fabulous', 'Bramwell', two episodes of 'The Bill', four episodes of the 'Ruth Rendell Mysteries', two episodes on 'The Governor', six on 'Insiders', seven on 'Family Affairs' and six on 'Ultraviolet' before his 1999 film debut on the French comedy 'Belle maman' with Catherine Deneuve. There was then twelve episodes of 'Dangerfield' that saw out the end of the decade.

From that time on he dipped into both film and television roles constantly having moved to New York City early on in the new decade. In 2001 there was a support role on 'Law and Order' before 'The Wire' which for Elba ran from 2002 until 2004 across 37 episodes. In the meantime there were movies 'Sorted' and 'Buffalo Soldiers' with Joaquín Phoenix and Ed Harris, with brief stints on 'CSI : Miami', 'Hack', 'Soul Food', 'Girlfriends' and 'Jonny Zero'.

From here films started to feature more regularly with the likes of 'The Gospel' in 2005, 'Daddy's Little Girls' in 2007, and horror thriller 'The Reaping' that same year with Hilary Swank. Later that year there was '28 Weeks Later' with Jeremy Renner and Robert Carlyle, 'American Gangster' for Director Ridley Scott and starring Denzel Washington, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin and Russell Crowe, and then a complete change of pace in closing out a busy year with 'This Christmas' with Delroy Lindo.

2008 & '09 brought the 'Prom Night' remake, Guy Ritchie's London gangster flick 'RocknRolla' with Gerald Butler, Tom Hardy and Tom Wilkinson, 'The Human Contract' with Jason Clarke, 'The Unborn' with Gary Oldman, 'Obsessed' with Beyoncé Knowles before seven episodes on 'The Office' to wind up another decade.

2010 kicked off with 'Legacy : Black Ops', 'The Losers' with Zoe Saldana and Chris Evans, 'The Takers' and Marvel's 'Thor' in 2011 with Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins. Of course Elba has reprised his role of Heimdall in 2013's 'Thor : The Dark World' and in 2015's 'Avengers : Age of Ultron'. 

In between there was the forgettable 'Ghost Rider : Spirit of Vengeance', the more memorable  'Prometheus' for Ridley Scott once again, 'Pacific Rim' for Guillermo del Toro, and his star turn and Academy Award nominated role as Nelson Mandela in 'Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom'. 'No Good Deed', ' Second Coming' and 'The Gunman' with Sean Penn have been more recent.

During this time there has been four seasons of the BBC's highly acclaimed 'Luther' for which Elba was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for all four seasons and won the gong in 2012, as well as three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. There is talk too of concluding the successful small screen series with a big screen feature length film.

Next up there is 'Beasts of No Nation', 'A Hundred Streets' and 'Bastille Day' in post-production, 'The Jungle Book' and 'Finding Dory' both filming for a 2016 release and to which Elba has lent his voice talents, 'Star Trek : Beyond' also filming and 'The Trap' due in 2017 and starring too Al Pacino, Benicio del Toro, and James Franco.

Amongst big and small screen acting gigs, Elba has carved out a respectable music career appearing in numerous music videos, recording his own work, DJ'ing and rapping his way around various other artists and guest appearances or doing his own thing.

All up Elba has 74 acting credits to his name, he won the Golden Globe for 'Luther' and has nine other award wins and 38 nominations. He was married first time around in 1999 to Hanne 'Kim' Nasgaard with whom he has a daughter Isan born in 2002, then Sonya Nicole Hamlin in 2006 for a brief time, and now he is hooked up with Naiyana Garth since 2013 with whom he has a young son, Winston, born in 2014.

Idris Elba - deep baritone voice; jobbing disc jockey; New York resident; works across all genres with a track record in Sci-Fi, Superhero fare, crime and horror; has been voted best dressed, most beautiful and sexiest man over the years so there is much to celebrate, and, it's your Birthday too - Happy Birthday Idris, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THOR : archive from 14th May 2011.

The fourth film in the Marvel Universe hit our big screens this week with the arrival of 'THOR'. Contained within an all star cast and an accomplished Actor/Director at the helm, and with the backing of a solid comic book storyline and a solid Studio. I must admit I went into this not expecting much, but came out pleasantly surprised! With a budget of US$150M Ken Branagh has crafted a solid rendering of the Marvel Comic Book which subsequently went on to generate US$450M at the global Box Office and give us the sequel 'Thor : The Dark World' in late 2013 with 'Thor : Ragnarok' now due for a late 2017 release. 'Thor' has had a troubled history going back as far as 1991 when Sam Raimi developed a concept for a big screen adaptation. After kicking around in film development hell, it went to various studios and Matthew Vaughn over the successive years before landing at the feet of Kenneth Branagh . . . and the rest, as they say, is history!

With Australia's Chris Hemsworth as our Viking God like hero Thor, the story kicks off on a land far far away in Asgard where Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is about to give his throne to his son, & heir Thor. But, the celebrations are interrupted by an attack from The Frost Giants who seek to retrieve the long held 'Casket of Ancient Winters' from the Asgardians and return it to their own realm. Thor goes in hot pursuit despite the wishes of Odin to Jotunheim to retrieve the casket and confront their ruler. Thor, his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and three others are outnumbered and outmatched by the mighty Frost Giants, until Odin arrives and brings things to heel.

Returning to Asgard, Odin is none too pleased and banishes Thor for his disobedience to the third rock from the sun, AKA Midgard AKA Earth, now stripped of his Godly powers to live as a mere mortal joined only by his hammer, Mjolnir, with which to protect and defend himself. Travelling through a wormhole he descends to Earth landing in New Mexico where he eventually teams up with travelling astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her small entourage of Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard).

When Mjolnir is found by the locals protruding out of a crater in the nearby desert, S.H.I.E.L.D Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) is dispatched to investigate. When Thor locates his magical hammer (which only he can wield) he seeks to retrieve it but discovers he is unable to lift it, having seemingly lost his former powers. He is captured, manages to escape, resigns himself to life as an Earthling and settles down to a romance with Jane Foster.

Back on Asgard other forces are at work conspiring against Odin, and Thor back on Planet Earth. Loki has discovered that in fact he is not Thor's brother but is Odin's adopted son, and in fact his father is Laufey - King of the Frost Giants. In all his rage Loki offers Laufey a deal in exchange for his ascension to the throne of Asgard, while Odin has been sent into a deep sleep, and Thor is in exile in some other far away place. When a number of Odin's loyal followers get wind of this plan, they hatch their own plan to alert Thor but must travel through the 'Bifrost' - an intergalactic bridge that connects two worlds - that is guarded by the all-seeing all-hearing Heimdall (Idris Elba).

Loki though gets word of the plan and sends a giant killing robot like machine to dispense with Thor and those that have followed, and so back in sleepy Hicksville, New Mexico a battle royal breaks out between Thor, his returned mates from Asgard, and Loki's killing machine - mayhem and wanton destruction ensues, including Thor being taken out and subsequently knocking on death's door. At this though his powers return and he is able to wield the necessary forces over Mjolnir as his strength returns and thwart the robotic killing machine sent by Loki.

As Thor and his buddies return to Asgard through the Bifrost, Loki dispenses with Laufey and puts a spin on recent events to convince Odin that he is a worthy successor to the throne - especially now that Thor is out of the way . . . or so he thinks! As Thor & Loki clash back on Asgard, Odin eventually intervenes saving Thor, as Loki falls into an abyss caused by the destruction of the Bifrost which he had intended to use to destroy Jotunheim. Thor reconciles with Odin, but comes to terms with the fact that he is not yet ready for the throne, while back on Earth love interest Jane Foster, seeks a way to open up the portal to Asgard.

Also starring Renee Russo (as Odin's wife and Thor's mother Frigga) and uncredited cameo's by Samuel L. Jackson (as Nick Fury of course), Jeremy Renner (as Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye) and watch out for the obligatory appearance of Stan Lee. A solid first instalment for this superhero and future 'Avenger' and worth a look on DVD & BluRay now, if you missed it on the big screen.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

AVENGERS : AGE OF ULTRON - Tuesday 28th April 2015.

The first outing for the assembled 'Avengers' way back in 2012 was Directed by Joss Whedon and made by Marvel Studios for a lean mean lazy US$220M and grossed a record beating US$1.52B making it the third highest grossing film of all time. With that, a sequel was a foregone conclusion, and so over the ensuing years Joss Whedon set to work again on the next instalment which was made for US$280M this time, and has just been released, grossing US$287M within the first two weeks after it's so far limited global release only. And so I saw 'THE AVENGERS : AGE OF ULTRON' earlier this week, and can recommend this to you as a worthy sequel that further expands the Marvel Universe, reunites the Team and introduces a few new characters along the way.

Our film opens up with a Bondesque pre-credit tongue in-cheek but nonetheless well executed opening action sequence as The Avengers mount a raid on the Hydra mountain hide away in the eastern European country of Sokovia. Here Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is conducting human experiments using the sceptre retrieved from Loki, Thor's estranged intergalactic brother. Needless to say the mere Hydralings are no match for the mighty force of The Avengers who now are a lean mean focused fighting machine determined to rid the world of otherworldly foes, world domineering megalomaniacs, and various crims intent on stirring up a shit storm. Von Strucker though has a few ideas of his own including the Maximoff twins - Pietro (Aaron Taylor Johnson) who can move at superhuman speed and his sister Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) who has the ability to harness magic and control telekinesis and hypnosis. With their powers they can thwart The Avengers and so they team up with Ultron as the story progresses.

As far as Ultron is concerned, it is a former programme that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr.) was developing to create a safe world where The Avengers services were no longer required or necessary. Stark's thinking is that he can retire peacefully and sip Pina Colada's by the beachside without a care in the world - yeah, dream on Iron Man! With the Loki sceptre retrieved from the Hydra hide-away and now at Avengers HQ safe & sound, Stark and Banner (Mark Ruffalo) seek to reinstate Ultron using the artificial intelligence they have discovered within the gemstone encased within the sceptre. Of course they have no idea what they are dealing with and while The Avengers and gathered guests are celebrating their win over Hydra, Ultron secretly springs to life sucking up all of J.A.R.V.I.S.'s (Paul Bettany) intelligence in the process. Keep an eye out here for Stan Lee's ever dependable cameo!

When Ultron manifests itself in A.I. robot form all hell breaks out in Avengers HQ setting up the second set piece where an unprepared Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) face off against their unsuspecting newly formed foe. Needless to say they survive to fight another day.

When the other Avengers discover that Stark & Banner sought to reinstate Ultron they are none too pleased and so dissent in the ranks starts to manifest itself, while Ultron is out there running amok, growing more intelligent by the day, replicating an army of mini-Ultrons with which to annihilate the world as we know it, and take down The Avengers . . .  and Stark first & foremost, front & centre!

Before all this goes down Wanda bends the minds of our Avengers friends and causes them to hallucinate and lose track of who, what & where they are, With this Banner goes into overdrive, morphs into the Hulk and promptly trashes a few city blocks - his first public show of strength which shows the world watching on TV that he is a menace to society! To calm him down it is Iron Man to the rescue which sees our third set piece as as few city blocks get trashed well & truly and Iron Man in his souped up Hulk busting suit 'Veronica' go head to head with no due care whatsoever for life, property or city & public wellbeing.

Eventually The Avengers reunite, regroup and re-examine what they stand for and how they stand, but not before Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has made an appearance and sets them back on the straight and narrow in the name of truth, justice, integrity and the American way! As Ultron continues to replicate itself on his path of destruction and world domination by wiping it out so that it can rebuild itself, The Avengers seek an alternative saviour through an Internet connection that might just be their salvation. Whilst J.A.R.V.I.S. was banished to cyberspace oblivious in the mind of Ultron, his blueprint still remains hidden in the deep, dark recesses of the inter web, which of course Tony Stark is able to uncover, and reboot his former stablemate and trusted cyber-companion.

This all leads us to the final set piece back in Sokovia where it all began with the final showdown between Ultron and his amassed army of replicants, and The Avengers which by now have been joined by Quicksilver (AKA Pietro Maximoff), Scarlet Witch (AKA Wanda Maximoff), War Machine (Don Cheadle) and perhaps more importantly by Vision (AKA the former J.A.R.V.I.S.) now rebooted into almost human form, that Ultron had previously wanted for his own form.

It's all impressively executed, albeit perhaps a tad too long and drawn out but these are minor faults only. It is fairly predictable, but nonetheless enjoyable, well executed fare with a solid story line that is up there with the first instalment in 2012, backed up with tried & tested performances. I am not sure if this will do well as the first but it is solid, very well realised, well crafted and well acted by all the principle characters we have come to know & love. Catch it on the big screen soon - I know you won't be disappointed.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 23rd April 2015.

Life is full of opposites! As I sit here in Adelaide it is a cool near Winter evening trademarked by clear night skies, a chill in the air and a slight breeze to drop the temperatures a little more; but my friends and family back home in Sydney are gripped by storms, floods, winds, rain and all manner of apocalyptic tempest to mark the end of the world as they know it . . . well almost! And so it is with this weeks new release films - opposites!

Kick starting your week is the eagerly awaited, highly anticipated and much hyped follow up to the third highest grossing movie of all time, and with it comes huge expectations on the studio behind it, the Director, the stellar cast and all the minions behind the camera that give us movie magic . . . no pressure then, you collective lot! Then we have a story of a music teacher pushing a young lad to discover his talent against all the odds (sound rather like another movie of a very similar ilk that did well on last years awards circuit!), and to wrap things up a WWI period piece recounting the coming of age of a young girl during those troubled years in Britain and what this ultimately inspires her to do post-war.

With such diverse and different films gracing our big screens in the coming weeks, together with those still on general release and as Previewed and Reviewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, there is no excuse not to get out in the bleak mid-Autumnal months and experience some great filmic entertainment to warm the soul and stir the emotions. When you have done so, leave a Comment below this or any other Blog Post and share your cinematic thoughts with our ever growing readership. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

THE AVENGERS : AGE OF ULTRON (Rated M) - Director Joss Whedon helmed the first 'The Avengers' film back in 2012 and in fact came up with the storyline and wrote the Screenplay too, and managed to lash out US$220M to make the film that went on to gross an incredible US$1.52B making it the third highest grossing film of all time - not bad for a bunch of comic strip characters! Since that first instalment, the inhabitants of The Marvelverse have been waiting eagerly for the release of the second film to see if Joss Whedon can weave his magic once more, using and even greater stash of cash that this time is estimated at US$250M+

Our favourite Marvel characters are back with Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Heimdall (Idris Elba) and War Machine (Don Cheadle) all joined by some new super-characters and the grand-daddy of them all 'Ultron' (James Spader). The latter was created by Tony Stark as a peacekeeping programme and is a self aware, self teaching A.I. who having laid dormant for some time is reactivated by Stark so that our merry band of superheroes can stop saving the world by eradicating violence, crime and megalomaniacs once and for all. But when Ultron is reactivated things don't go quite according to plan and our man/machine Ultron decides it would be a good idea to wipe out humanity and destroy the world as we know it. And so our superhero friends need to team up, tool up, and boot up to save the world again and thwart Ultron in the process, whilst crossing paths with various new action heroes along the way . . . some good and some, not so good! Be prepared for action on a grand scale, and for things to go bad, very bad, before they get better!

BOYCHOIR (Rated PG) - here we have another American musical drama film involving a talented young musician, and older experienced teacher and a rise to the top whilst overcoming adversity, personal challenges and a troubled life. If this sounds like 'Whiplash' think again because here we have a drum kit traded for a young boys choir and a lad whose vocal talents open doors of opportunity that lead to acknowledgement, appreciation and acceptance - three things he has never experienced before. Directed by Francois Girard this is a film about eleven year old Stet (Garrett Wareing) whose single mother is killed in a car accident on the same day that his school Principal Ms. Steel (Debra Winger) persuades Headmaster Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman) of the fictitious American Boychoir School, to audition for their elite chorister programme. Stet's Dad, Gerard (Josh Lucas) is in a relationship with another woman but he has neglected to tell her about Stet's very existence. When Carvelle recognises a raw talent in Stet that he has never seen before, he is offered a place which Gerard promptly accepts and writes big cheques for, in order to send his estranged son away and maintain the peace at home. At the ABS Stet is out of his depth as he is not from a privileged background like many of the other boys, nor is he particularly disciplined enough for the school staff. But he works hard and is committed and quickly rises through the ranks as he shows increasing promise as one of the best choristers. Touted as an emotional, feel good family drama with strong performances that will tug at your heart strings, and maybe your vocal chords, this could well be up there with that aforementioned drum beating music school drama of earlier this year. Also starring Eddie Izzard and Kathy Bates.

TESTAMENT OF YOUTH (Rated M) - Directed by James Kent, this is a true story based on the book by Vera Brittain, about her own recollection of growing up in the lead up to, during and after The Great War. After a fairly privileged upbringing in the English countryside Vera (Alicia Vikander) who shares a close bond with family and especially brother Edward (Taron Egerton) are torn asunder when her fiancé Roland Leighton (Kit Harington), and close friends Victor (Colin Moragn) and Geoffrey (Jonathan Bailey) and Edwards are sent off to fight on the front line. Having sacrificed so much her male friends and loved ones now do battle for King and Country in far away war torn lands that she decides to follow suit and so leaves her Oxford college education and joins the Voluntary Aid Detachment and travels as a nurse from London to Malta to France witnessing first hand and at close quarters the horrors of war and the implications on those closest to her. Following the war Brittain becomes a writer, a pacifist and a feminist - she died in 1970. The film also stars Dominc West and Emily Watson as Mr. & Mrs. Brittain respectively, Miranda Richardson and Hayley Attwell.

Three films to get you out and amongst it at your local independent theatre or multiplex in the coming week, and when you have done so and sat through your cinematic experience share your views and be a co-contributor to Odeon Online - we'd love to hear from you!

Movies - see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 28th December 2014 - 3rd January 2015.

It's New Year week - do you celebrate your Birthday this week? Anthony Hopkins does, on 31st December - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy 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 28th December

• Denzel Washington - Born 1954, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Stan Lee - Born 1922, turns 92 - Writer | Producer | Actor
• Alex Dimitriades - Born 1973, turns 41 - Actor
• Sienna Miller - Born 1981, turns 33 - Actress
• Noomi Rapace - Born 1979, turns 35 - Actress
• Maggie Smith - Born 1934, turns 80 - Actress

Monday 29th December

• Patricia Clarkson - Born 1959, turns 55 - Actress | Producer
• Mary Tyler Moore - Born 1936, turns 78 - Actress | Producer | Singer | Television Personality
• Jude Law - Born 1972, turns 42 - Actor | Producer
• Jon Voight - Born 1938, turns 76 - Actor | Producer
• Ted Danson - Born 1947, turns 67 - Actor | Producer
• Andy Wachowski - Born 1967, turns 47 - Director | Producer | Writer

Tuesday 30th December

• Tracey Ullman - Born 1959, turns 55 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director

Wednesday 31st December 

• Barbara Carrera - Born 1945, turns 69 - Actress
• Val Kilmer - Born 1959, turns 55 - Actor | Producer
• Ben Kingsley - Born 1943, turns 71 - Actor
• Anthony Hopkins - Born 1937, turns 77 - Actor | Producer | Director | Composer

Thursday 1st January

• Frank Langella - Born 1938, turns 77 - Actor
• Verne Troyer - Born 1969, turns 46 - Actor

Friday 2nd January

• Cuba Gooding Jnr. - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actor | Producer
• Todd Haynes - Born 1961, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Taye Diggs - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actor | Producer
• Paz Vega - Born 1976, turns 38 - Actress
• Kate Bosworth - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actress | Producer
• Tia Carrere - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actress | Producer

Saturday 3rd January

• Victoria Principal - Born 1950, turns 65 - Actress | Producer
• Dabney Coleman - Born 1932, turns 83 - Actor
• Robert Loggia - Born 1930, turns 85 - Actor
• Mel Gibson - Born 1956, turns 59 - Actor | Producer | Director

Philip Anthony Hopkins was born in Margam, Port Talbot in South Wales on New Years Eve to mother Annie Muriel Yeates and father Richard Arthur Hopkins. He was not an academic child but did immerse himself in painting, drawing and learning the piano at school. He was enrolled at Jones' West Monmouth Boys School and then Cowbridge Grammar School. At age 15 he briefly met Richard Burton who greatly influenced the young Hopkins and coincidentally was also from Port Talbot. As a result he attended the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff where he graduated from in 1957. After completing his obligatory national service he relocated himself to London where he further studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

His first stage appearance came in 1960 at the Palace Theatre, Swansea in 'Have a Cigarette'. In 1965  he was seen by Lord Laurence Olivier who invited him to join the Royal National Theatre where he went on to become Olivier's understudy. His small screen career started off in 1967 in a BBC televised play 'A Flea in Her Ear' and that same year he appeared in the short film 'The White Bus' (aka 'Red, White and Zero'). However, 1968 saw his first big screen role playing King Richard I in 'The Lion in Winter' with Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn and Timothy Dalton which went on to take out three Academy Awards that year. He continued to tread the boards, but progressively moved toward more television and film roles starring in this earlier years in the likes of 'The Looking Glass War', 'Hamlet', 'When Eight Bells Toll', 'Young Winston' for Director Richard Attenborough, 'The Girl from Petrovka', 'Juggernaut' and then 1977's 'A Bridge Too Far' again Directed by Richard Attenborough and with an all star cast. In the meantime there had been numerous television series and made for television movies, the most notable of which was the TV Mini-Series 'War & Peace' in which he starred in all seventeen episodes running over 1972 and '73.

The 1980's opened up opposite John Hurt in 'The Elephant Man' followed by 'A Change of Seasons' and then as William Bligh in 'The Bounty' with Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson and Edward Fox. 'The Good Father', '84, Charring Cross Road' and again various television series and made for TV films also featured - 'A Married Man', 'Strangers and Brothers' and 'Hollywood Wives' amongst others.

It was the 1990's however, that really saw Hopkins movie career take off with the hugely successful and highly acclaimed Jonathan Demme Directed 'Silence of the Lambs' in 1991 which won the 'Big-5' Academy Awards including the Best Actor Award for Hopkins. He was nominated a further three times in the 90's for the golden statue - for 'Remains of the Day', 'Nixon' and 'Amistad'. There were other notable films too during the decade that included 'Howard's End', 'Dracula', 'Chaplin', 'Shadowlands' with Richard Attenborough Directing once more, 'Legends of the Fall', 'The Edge', 'The Mask of Zorro', 'Meet Joe Black', 'Instinct' and 'Titus'.

As the new century rolled over Hopkins reprised his role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter twice again - in 2001's 'Hannibal' Directed by Ridley Scott, and then Brett Ratner's 2002 'Red Dragon'. What followed included 'The Human Stain', 'Alexander' for Oliver Stone who also Directed Hopkins in 'Nixon', 'Proof', 'Fracture', 'The World's Fastest Indian', the CGI animated 'Beowulf' and his own Written, Directed and Starring 'Slipstream' in 2007.

More recently there has been 'The Wolfman'. 'The Rite', Marvel's 'Thor' and it's sequel 'Thor : The Dark World', '360', 'Hitchcock' as the great Director himself opposite Helen Mirren, 'RED 2' and 'Noah' most recently. 

Coming up there is 'Autobahn' and 'Kidnapping Freddy Heineken' due in 2015, 'Solace' in post-production currently and 'Go with Me' presently filming. The 'Westworld' Television series is filming too for 2015 and 'The Dresser' television movie is in pre-production now.

All up Hopkins has 127 acting credits to his name, three Directer credits for which he also composed his own music scores and a total 51 worldwide award wins and 44 other nominations. The Academy Awards were mentioned before, and in addition there are six Golden Globe nominations and the 2006 Cecil B. DeMille Award win; two Primetime Emmy Award wins for 'The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case' and 'The Bunker' and two other nominations; and four BAFTA Award wins for 'War & Peace', 'Silence of the Lambs', 'Shadowlands' and The Academy Fellowship win in 2008, plus four other nominations.

During his career he has played British Prime Minister David Lloyd George; English King - Richard the Lionheart; two US Presidents - John Quincy Adams and Richard Nixon; German Dictator Adolf Hitler; renowned artist Pablo Picasso; renowned film Director Alfred Hitchcock; and renowned literary scribe Charles Dickens, amongst other real life characters.

He was married to Petronella Barker from 1967 to 1972; to Jennifer Lynton from 1973 to 2002; and to Stella Arroyave from 2003 until the present day. He has a daughter - composer and actress Abigail Hopkins, born in 1968. He has both British and American citizenship and his charitable and philanthropic efforts extend to his Presidency of the National Trust's 'Snowdonia Appeal' to which he personally donated one million pounds sterling. He is  patron of his hometown YMCA and is a volunteer teacher at Santa Monica's Ruskin School of Acting. Additionally he is a prominent member of 'Greanpeace' and a patron of the 'Rehabilitaion for Addicted Prisoners Trust'. He is a reformed alcoholic having given up on Christmas day 1975, he has quit smoking and has been vegetarian now for some years, and he is a piano virtuoso. In the Queen's Birthday Honour's List in 1987 he was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire); in 1992 she bestowed upon him in the New Year's Honour's List the KBE (Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire); and in 2008 he was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Anthony Hopkins - owner of deep blue piercing eyes and a deep smooth voice, often playing restrained archetypal English roles, character actor and known for roles of historical personalities, trademarked as bringing to life one of cinemas most chilling characters, and still much in demand and still turning it on for us at 77 - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE AVENGERS - archive from 2nd May 2012.

Saw 'THE AVENGERS' last night, and subsequently saw it again with my young lad and a mate in tow. For the first time on the big screen this live action offering brings together the Marvel stable of Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America and lesser known heroes Hawkeye and Black Widow led by S.H.I.E.L.D helmsman Nick Fury. The former four Superheroes you may have seen in their own individual films that have done huge Box Office singularly and collectively, and have helped cement Marvel Studio into the movie production powerhouse that it now is.

This is G-R-E-A-T entertainment make no mistake - it's big, bold, brash and well done with a stellar cast - Robert Downey Jnr. (Iron Man), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Scarlett Johanssen (Black Widow) and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) brought together to do Earth shattering battle with the evil Loki (Thor's brother, played with menacing aplomb by Tom Hiddleston) from Asgard. 

The story essentially surrounds Loki who has been promised that if he can secure 'The Tesseract' (a mightily powerful energy source who's potential is not fully understood) then he will be given an army with which to overpower Earth. The Tesseract is located on Earth and is under the watchful eye and close scrutiny of S.H.I.E.L.D. Scientists, and when visited by Fury the Tesseract activates opening a worm hole that allows Loki to gain access to Earth. Upon arrival Loki seizes control of the Tesseract and makes off with it, but not before leaving a path of destruction and mayhem in his wake. 

This of course prompts Fury to reactivate 'The Avengers Initiative' bringing our merry band of Superheroes together to defeat Loki, seize back the Tesseract, and save our humble little planet! Along the way of course our Superheroes allow their over sized egos to get in the way of their mission; they fall out, fight, argue, kiss and make up and ultimately save the day in downtown New York in what is a great action set piece that seems never to let up!

Joss Whedon who has Directed and wrote the story and screenplay has done a terrific job in bringing this to the big screen and his vision is pitch perfect - great action set pieces, humorous one liners, big boys toys, other worldly foes, and equal screen time for the major players. This film was shot for a budget of US$220M and raked in an astonishing US$1.52B at the global Box Office making it the biggest grossing film of 2012, and the third highest grossing film of all time. There are a whole bunch of other vital statistics about this film that underscores its greatness, which you can review in your own time and if you are so inclined. In addition, the film scored a nomination at both the Academy Awards and BAFTA's for Best Visual Effects, and all up world wide it brought in 30 award wins and 65 nominations.

Suffice to say, a sequel is on its way - 'The Avengers : Age of Ultron' is due for release on 23rd April 2015 - also Written and Directed by Joss Whedon and with an estimated budget this time around of US$250M . . . it's gonna be big, and it will bring your favourite Superhero friends together again, and possibly a few more - can't wait!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-