Birthday's to share this week : 28th February - 5th March 2016

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Zack Snyder does on 1st March - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 50, 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 February

• John Turturro - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actor | Director | Writer
• Mike Figgis - Born 1948, turns 68 - Director | Producer | Writer | Cinematographer | Editor | Composer | Musician

Monday 29th February

• Joss Ackland - Born 1928, turns 88 - Actor

Tuesday 1st March

• Roger Daltry - Born 1944, turns 72 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Producer
• Javier Bardem - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer
• Ron Howard - Born 1954, turns 62 - Director | Producer | Actor
• Zack Snyder - Born 1966, turns 50 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Dirk Benedict - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actor | Director
• Harry Belafonte - Born 1927, turns 89 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Producer
• Lupita Nyong'o - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actress

Wednesday 2nd March

• Bryce Dallas Howard - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actress | Producer | Writer | Director
• Rebel Wilson - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actress | Writer | Producer
• Daniel Craig - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actor | Producer | 007

Thursday 3rd March

• George Miller - Born 1945, turns 71 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Miranda Richardson - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actress
• Jessica Biel - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actress | Producer

Friday 4th March

• Patsy Kensit - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actress
• Len Wiseman - Born 1973, turns 43 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Paul W. S. Anderson - Born 1965, turns 51 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Adrian Lyne - Born 1941, turns 75 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Scott Hicks - Born 1953, turns 63 - Director | Writer

Saturday 5th March

• Matt Lucas - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Dean Stockwell - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor
• Samantha Eggar - Born 1939, turns 77 - Actress
• Eva Mendes - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actress

Zachary Edward Snyder was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA to mother Marsha Reeves, a painter and photography teacher at Daycroft School - a co-ed private boarding school which the young Snyder would later attend. His father, Charles Edward Snyder was an executive recruiter. He was raised in Riverside, Connecticut and as a Christian Scientist. His mother inspired him to study painting and after he completed high school he attended the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London, England, after which he attended The Arts Centre College of Design in Pasadena, California where he shared classes with a young Michael Bay.

Snyder started his career shooting music videos for the likes of Morrissey, Soul Asylum and Alexander O'Neal, and then television commercials for Subaru, Nissan, Audi and BMW, as well as Nike, Reebok and Gatorade. He launched his movie career in 2004 with the remake of George A. Romero's classic horror 'Dawn of the Dead' which he did so on a budget of US$26M from which it made US$103M.





In 2007, he followed this up with both Screenwriter and Director credits on the big screen adaptation of Frank Miller's '300' which delivered US$456M from US$65M and largely cemented Snyder's place and that of its star Gerard Butler, on the road to cinema success. Two years later Snyder Directed the previously deemed 'unfilmable' 'Watchmen' based on the limited series DC characters that appeared in the mid-80's. This filmed grossed US$185M off its US$130M budget, and it would be fair to say that it polarised audiences and critics the world over, which would explain why perhaps we have yet to see a sequel or a reboot.

His next offering was released in 2010 and was a change in pace and a change in direction with a CG animated fantasy epic aimed squarely at the family audience. Directed by Snyder, 'Legend of the Guardians : The Owls of Ga'Hoole' cost US$80M and delivered US$140M, and as an US/Australian co-production it starred a whole bunch of Aussie voice talent that read like a Who's Who of the local film industry - Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving, Joel Edgerton, Anthony LaPaglia, David Wenham, Sam Neill, Richard Roxburgh, Barry Humphries, Barry Otto, Ryan Kwanten and Abbie Cornish as well as some imports including Helen Mirren, John Hurt and Jim Sturgess.

The following year , Snyder Wrote, Produced and Directed 'Sucker Punch' which barley recovered its budget bringing in just US$90M and very lacklustre reviews. Starring Abbie Cornish, Emily Browning, Jena Malone with Oscar Isaac, Jon Hamm and Scott Glenn, the original concept for the film was all his with a female asylum inmate imagining herself and three other female inmates all teaming up to escape before she undergoes a lobotomy. This female driven multi-levelled fantasy action film clearly failed to strike a chord with audiences the world over despite its high production values, strong cast, unusual storyline and the creative imagination of its originator! You can't win 'em all Sucker!

From here however, he recovered quickly to Direct the Superman reboot with 'Man of Steel' in 2013 with Henry Cavill in the red cape and blue body suit acting out the first instalment of the DC Extended Universe, and off its US$225M budget brought home US$668M in Box Office takings, and paving the way for this years much hyped and eagerly awaited 'Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice'.





In the meantime, Snyder took a Producer and Writer credit on 2014's '300 : Rise of an Empire', and is an Executive Producer on 'Suicide Squad' due in August this year. With the DC Extended Universe ramping up with the very soon to be released 'Batman v Superman : Dawn of Justice' we have here Henry Cavill reprising his Superman role from a few years prior and following up from the antics with General Zod (Michael Shannon) at the end of that last film and rejoined by Amy Adams, Diane Lane and Laurence Fishburn with Ben Affleck at Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Mamoa at Aquaman, Jesse Eisenberg at Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons as Alfred all joining the DC Extended Universe anew.

Next up Snyder is Producing 'Wonder Woman' which is filming currently for a 2107 release, 'The Flash' and 'Aquaman' both for 2018, and he is Directing 'The Justice League Pt. 1' for 2017, and 'The Justice League Pt. 2' for 2019. Spearheading the DC Extended Universe on Directing or Producing duties, Snyder is clearly most at home in the superhero and comic book genre.

All up, he has twelve Directing credits to his name, eight as Producer, five as Writer and he has so far picked up three award wins and seven nominations for his work. His Directing efforts have grossed so far over US$1.6B. In 2004 he formed Production Company 'Cruel and Unusual Films' with his wife Deborah Snyder with who he has worked on every film since '300', and whom he married in 2004 and with whom they have a son - Eli - often cast by his father to star in his films. Snyder has six children, four by his former marriage to Denise Weber.

Zack Snyder - packs a punch in the body count stakes, often relies on heavily stylised slo-mo action sequences but also is at home in the fast paced ramped up combat scenes, got it wrapped up with DC and intending to give Marvel Studios a run for their money! Is he the man for the job - Zack's the man who can! Loving' your work and looking forward to more - Happy 50th Birthday Zack, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-