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

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Toby Kebbell does on 9th July - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 34, 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 July 

• Tom Cruise - Born  1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer
• Tom Stoppard - Born 1937, turns 79 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Patrick Wilson - Born 1973, turns 43 - Actor
• Connie Nielsen - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actress

Monday 4th July

• Eva Marie Saint - Born 1924, turns 92 - Actress
• Neil Simon - Born 1927, turns 89 - Writer | Producer  

Tuesday 5th July

• RZA (aka Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Director
• Edie Falco - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actress  

Wednesday 6th July

• Eva Green - Born 1980, turns 36 - Actress
• Jennifer Saunders - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Singer
• 50 Cent (aka Curtis James Jackson III) - Born 1975, turns 41 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Writer | Producer
• Kevin Hart - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Geoffrey Rush - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor | Producer
• Sylvester Stallone - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director 
• Ned Beatty - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor

Thursday 7th July

• Akiva Goldsman - Born 1962, turns 54 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Ringo Starr - Born 1940, turns 76 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Producer | Director
• Shelley Duvall - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actress | Writer | Producer

Friday 8th July

• Anjelica Huston - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Kevin Bacon - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Wally Pfister - Born 1961, turns 55 - Cinematographer | Director | Cameraman
• Billy Crudup - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actor | Singer
• Jaden Smith - Born 1998, turns 18 - Actor | Singer | Songwriter

Saturday 9th July

• Toby Kebbell - Born 1982, turns 34 - Actor
• Tom Hanks - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
• Jimmy Smits - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actor | Producer
• Chris Cooper - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor 
• Richard Roundtree - Born 1942, turns 74 - Actor
• Brian Dennehy - Born 1938, turns 78 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Kelly McGillis - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actress | Producer

Tobias Alistair Patrick Kebbell was born in South Elmsall, Yorkshire, England, and grew up in Nottinghamshire. He was raised by his mother Michelle Mathers, a cook and landscape gardener after she divorced her husband and father of Toby, Robert Kebbell, an engineer, when the young lad was just eighteen months old. Toby is the fourth of five children. He attended a Catholic Primary School, and at fifteen dropped out of school, and two years later joined a Carlton Television Workshop and attended an 'over 16' audition which gave him the framework to launch an acting career.

He came to early prominence at age twenty when cast by Director and Writer, Shane Meadows, in the British psychological thriller 'Dead Man's Shoes', Co-Wriiten and also starring Paddy Considine. Whilst the film did little by way of commercial success, critically it was hit appearing on many 'Top Film' lists - not only for the year of its release (2004) - but for all time - 'Empire', 'Total Film' and 'Time Out' voting it so. The young Actor also picked up an award nomination as Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards. This was followed up that same year with Oliver Stone's 'Alexander' alongside Anthony Hopkins, Jared Leto, Angelina Jolie, Colin Farrell and Val Kilmer, and then a year later in Woody Allen's 'Match Point' with Scarlett Johansson, Brian Cox and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

2006 brought horror film 'Wilderness' and then the critically lauded Anton Corbijn Directed biopic of Joy Division's frontman Ian Curtis, played by Sam Riley in 'Control'. Kebbell played Rob Gretton, the manager of the band, for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the British Independent Film Awards.

In 2008 Guy Ritchie cast Kebbell as Johnny Quid in 'RocknRolla' alongside Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy and Thandie Newton. The next year saw 'Cheri' Directed by Stephen Frears with Michelle Pfeiffer.

The new decade saw 'Prince of Persia : Sands of Time' with Jake Gyllenhaal; 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' with Nicolas Cage, and 'The Conspirator' with James McAvoy, and Directed by Robert Redford. 'The Veteran' followed in 2011, as did Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse' with Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Marsan, David Thewlis and Emily Watson.

'Wrath of the Titans' with Sam Worthington came next, then 'The East', and then Ridley Scott's 'The Counsellor' with Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz. 2014 saw Kebbell venture down MoCap territory with his role as Koba in 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' - a scarred bonobo ape and lieutenant to Caesar as played by Andy Serkis in the first instalment of this rebooted franchise 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'.

2015 gave us Marvel's attempt at resurrecting 'Fantastic Four' with Kebbell starring as Victor von Doom/Doom alongside Miles Teller (Mr. Fantastic), Michael B. Jordan (The Human Torch), Jamie Bell (The Thing), and Kate Mara (The Invisible Woman). The film recovered its budget and then some, but was critically panned. Then came 'Buddha's Little Finger' and the recently released Duncan Jones fantasy action epic 'Warcraft : The Beginning', with Kebbell returning to MoCap again for his role as Durotan a nobel orc chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan. The film has so far made US$414M off its US$160M budget outlay, but has not fared so well with the critics.

Next up there is 'Gold' with Matthew McConaughey; Timur Bekmambetov's remake of the classic 'Ben Hur' and 'A Monster Calls' with Liam Neeson all due later in 2016. 'Kong : Skull Island' with Tom Hiddleston, John Goodman and Samuel L. Jackson is due in 2017, and then 'Category 5' with Ryan Kwanten as Directed by Rob Cohen. In the meantime Kebbell has starred in several short films, a couple of made of television movies, and television series 'The Street', 'Black Mirror' and 'The Escape Artist' as well as a number of theatre productions.

All up Kebbell has 38 Acting credits, he has one Award win and another four nominations. In 2009 he was linked to entrepreneur and founder/CEO of 'Peek.com' Ruzwana Bashir, but has since stated that he is in no hurry to marry. 

Toby Kebbell - quite possibly the most acclaimed, successful sought after Actor you have never heard of; right up there with Andy Serkis for their MoCap efforts and prowess; a Yorkshire lad done good and very much a star on the rise. Happy Birthday to you Toby, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 20th - 26th December 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Jared Leto does on 26th December - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy, turning 44, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 20th December

• Jonah Hill - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Todd Phillips - Born 1970, turns 45 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Jenny Agutter - Born 1952, turns 63 - Actress

Monday 21st December 

• Jane Fonda - Born 1937, turns 78 - Actress | Producer
• Julie Delpy - Born 1969, turns 46 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director | Editor | Singer | Composer
• Samuel L. Jackson - Born 1948, turns 67 - Actor | Producer
• Kiefer Sutherland - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actor | Producer | Director
• John Avildsen - Born 1935, turns 80 - Director | Producer | Editor
• Steven Yuen - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actor

Tuesday 22nd December

• Ralph Fiennes - Born 1962, turns 53 - Actor | Director
• Hector Elizondo - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actor
• David S. Goyer - Born 1965, turns 50 - Writer | Director | Producer
• Vanessa Paradis - Born 1972, turns 43 - Actress | Singer

Wednesday 23rd December

• Nick Moran - Born 1969, turns 46 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director

Thursday 24th December

• Ryan Seacrest - Born 1974, turns 41 - Actor | Writer | Producer

Friday 25th December

• Sissy Spacek - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actress

Saturday 26th December

• Jared Leto - Born 1971, turns 44 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Director | Writer | Producer
• Steve Bisley - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actor
• Fred Schepisi - Born 76 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Steve Le Marquand - Born 1967, turns 48 - Actor

Jared Joseph Bryant was born in Bossier City, Louisiana, USA, to Constance Metrejon and Anthony Bryant. His parents divorced when he was young and the Leto name he adopted was that of his stepfather. Growing up Jared and his older brother Shannon, with their mother lived with their maternal grandparents. When Jared was just eight years old his father committed suicide having remarried and leaving behind two sons - Jared's younger half-brothers. His mother joined the hippie movement from where her two sons became active in the arts - having spent much time around creative types - painters, photographers, musicians, actors and artists. He had a creative upbringing and from early on started playing music with his brother. He graduated from Flint Hill School at Oakton, Virginia and then enrolled at The University of Arts in Philadelphia where in particular he was interested in large scale visual art, and then film-making having moved to The School  of Visual Arts in NYC.

In 1992 he relocated himself to LA to chase a career in Directing with the aim of Acting on the side. He gained some early roles in various single episodes of television series including 'Camp Wilder', 'Almost Home' and 'Rebel Highway' and the made for television movie 'Cool and the Crazy' in 1994 with Alicia Silverstone. He received critical acclaim for his breakout television role, albeit short lived, in 'My So Called Life' which ran for just nineteen episodes opposite Claire Danes. This in turn led to his first movie role in 1995 in 'How To Make An American Quilt' with Winona Ryder, Elleyn Burstyn, and Anne Bancroft as Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse. 'The Last of the High Kings' followed and the lead role in 'Prefontaine' charting the life of young Olympic running hopeful Steve Prefontaine - a role he immersed himself in during his preparation, and the like of which he would repeat often for future roles.

'Switchback', British period drama 'Basil', horror thriller 'Urban Legend' all followed before Terrence Malick's 'The Thin Red Line' with an all star cast including Clooney, Nolte, Penn, Brody, Harrelson, Cusack, Reilly and Travolta. 

In 1998 Leto formed 'Thirty Seconds to Mars' - a rock band with his brother Shannon. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2002 amidst generally positive feedback, and eventually sold two million copies, with Jared writing the majority of songs. Subsequently the band released further studio albums in 2005 with 'A Beautiful Lie' selling four million copies; 'This Is War' in 2009 selling a further four million; and most recently in 2013 'Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams'.

During this time, Leto continued his acting career with 'Black and White' in 1999 with Robert Downey Jnr.; 'Fight Club' with Brad Pitt and 'Girl Interrupted' with Winona Ryder again, to see out the nineties.

'American Psycho' with Christian Bale broke in the new decade in 2000, and then his highly acclaimed role as heroin addicted Harry Goldfarb in Darren Aronofsky's 'Requiem for a Dream'. Leto was praised for the extraordinary lengths he went to in order to prepare for the role and portray his character with physical and emotional realism. 'Highway' came next with Jake Gyllenhaal in 2002, together with 'Panic Room' with Jodie Foster that same year and for David Fincher again after 'Fight Club'.

'Alexander' came next in 2004 for Oliver Stone; then 'Lord of War' with Nicolas Cage; and then 'Lonely Hearts' with John Travolta and James Gandolfini. 'Chapter 27' came in 2007 with Leto starring as Mark David Chapman - the man who shot John Lennon - a role he was again praised for given the physical transformation he went through with weight gain in order to truly portray his character.

'Mr. Nobody' came next in 2009 playing the lead role of Nemo Nobody - the last mortal on Earth playing various versions of the same character from age to 34 to 118 years old. In 2012 Leto turned his attention to his Directorial debut with 'Artifact' about the US$30M lawsuit his band had with EMI a few years before over royalties and which was eventually settled out of court. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival where it won The Peoples Choice Award for Best Documentary.

Having spent a number of years on the road touring with 'Thirty Seconds to Mars' writing music and releasing their fourth studio album in 2013 'Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams', Leto returned to the big screen in 2013 with 'Dallas Buyers Club' with Matthew McConaughey. His role as the drug addled AIDS suffering transgender woman garnered him widespread critical acclaim and multiple award wins including Best Supporting Actor Awards at The Academy Awards, The Golden Globes and The Screen Actors Guild Awards. Next up Leto stars as 'The Joker' in 'The Suicide Squad' with Ben Affleck, Will Smith, Jai Courtney, Joel Kinsman and Margot Robbie due in mid-2016.

All up Leto has 28 Acting credits, seven Producer credits, six as Director and a Writing credit for 'Into The Wild' - the story behind his Bands record breaking two year 309 concert world tour that is officially the longest running tour in the history of rock music.

Leto is also an astute businessman with interests in social media management company 'The Hive'; full end to end service company for festivals, concerts and events 'Adventures in Wonderland'; the on-line platform 'VyRT'; he is an investor in 'Surf Air' , 'Reddit' and 'Robinhood Markets'. He is a vegan and actively supports animal rights; gay rights; and during the 2008 Presidential election campaign sided with Barack Obama. He is active too in charitable causes including for those associated with helping and supporting children with serious medical conditions, and Type 1 Diabetes research. Additionally, he has supported 'The Nature Conservancy', 'Habitat for Humanity', 'Aid Still Required', 'The J/P (Jenkins/Penn) Haitian Relief Organisation' and he is a global ambassador for the 'World Wide Fund for Nature'.

Jared Leto - Actor, Musician, Director, Writer, Producer, Businessman, Humanitarian, snow and skateboarder; has by passed numerous film roles to concentrate on his Band instead; and puts his body, his mind and his persona through extreme lengths to get into and stay in character - there is no doubting his commitment, his dedication, his energy and his love of his craft - all of them - Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 3rd - 9th May 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Rosario Dawson does on 9th May - check out the tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 36, 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 May

• Amy Ryan - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress
• Rob Brydon - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Television Personality
• Joseph Kosinski - Born 1974, turns 41 - Director | Producer | Writer

Monday 4th May

• Will Arnett - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Rolf de Heer - Born 1951, turns 64 - Director | Writer | Producer

Tuesday 5th May

• Henry Cavill - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actor | Producer
• John Rhys-Davies - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
• Lance Henrikson - Born 1940, turns 75 - Actor
• Richard E. Grant - Born 1957, turns 58 - Actor | Director
• Michael Palin - Born 1943, turns 72 - Actor | Writer

Wednesday 6th May

• George Clooney - Born 1961, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Alan Dale - Born 1947, turns 68 - Actor

Thursday 7th May

• Richard O'Sullivan - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
• Alexander Ludwig - Born 1992, turns 23 - Actor
• Traci Lords - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress

Friday 8th May

• David Attenborough - Born 1926, turns 89 - Naturalist | Television Personality | Producer
• Michel Gondry - Born 1963, turns 52 - Director | Producer | Writer

Saturday 9th May

• Albert Finney - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actor
• James L. Brooks - Born 1940, turns 75 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Alan Bennet - Born 1934, turns 81 - Writer | Actor
• Rosario Dawson - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actress | Producer
• Candice Bergen - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actress | Producer
• Glenda Jackson - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actress

Rosario Isabel Dawson was born in New York City to mother Isabel Celeste, a writer/singer of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban origins. Isabel was just 16 when Rosario was born, and her biological father Patrick Harris moved on and the two never married. The young mother to Rosario married construction worker Greg Dawson a year later, and he brought Rosario up as though she were his own, and it is her whom Rosario has always referred to as Dad. Isabel and Greg had a son together - Rosario's half-brother Clay - the couple divorced in 2001.

In the mid-80's Isabel and Greg moved the growing family into an abandoned building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan where the two fixed up the plumbing and the electrics and created for themselves somewhere affordable for the young family to live and grow. During this time other family members came and went and took an active part in caring for the young Rosario and Clay - most of whom were also on the poverty line.

Dawson's first screen appearance came briefly on 'Sesame Street', and was discovered subsequently at age 15 by photographer Larry Clark and the young writer at the time Harmony Korine for a film script he was penning - 'Kids' about a 24 hour snapshot into the sex and drug fuelled lives of the New York teenage skater community. Rosario got the part in the 1995 controversial film, and from there scored a few roles in the latter half of the 90's including Spike Lee's 'He Got Game' with Denzel Washington and 'Light It Up' with Forest Whitaker.

With an active interest too in singing, Dawson teamed up with Prince for the re-release of his 80's smash '1999' in 1999, and subsequently with The Chemical Brothers on 'Out of Control' and then OutKast on 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below' double album.

As the new decade clicked over smaller supporting roles came along, with the likes of 'Down to You', 'Josie and the Pussycats', 'Sidewalks of New York', 'Chelsea Walls' Directed by Ethan Hawke, and then 'Men In Black II' and a reteaming with Spike Lee on '25th Hour' with Edward Norton and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

By the middle of the decade more substantial fare was coming with the likes of 'Alexander' for Oliver Stone, 'Sin City' for Robert Rodriguez, 'Rent' for Chris Columbus for which she could add her singing talents, 'Death Proof' for Quentin Tarantino, 'Killshot' for John Madden, and several others starring such names as Will Smith, Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shia LeBeouf, Bruce Willis, Robert Downey Jnr., and Channing Tatum.

From here too there have been several television shows over the years including 'Robot Chicken', Gemini Division', and most recently 'Daredevil', and a song too on the Kasabian album on 'West Ryder Silver Bullet'.

After 'Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief' in 2010, there was 'Unstoppable' for Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington, 'Zookeeper', 'Fire with Fire', '10 Years', 'Trance' for Danny Boyle and 'Sin City : A Dame to Kill For' for Robert Rodriguez once more and reprising her role as Gail. Most recently there has been Chris Rock's 'Top Five', with 'Puerto Rican's in Paris' currently in post-production for later this year and 'Clerks III' due for a 2016 release. Dawson has lent her voice talents to several video games including 'Syndicate', 'Wonder Woman', 'Tinkerbell and the Legend of the NeverBeast' and 'Justice League : Throne of Atlantis'.

She has 66 acting credits to her name, three Producer credits and has performed songs on 'Pluto Nash', 'Rent' and 'Trance'. Dawson is the winner of nine awards for her film roles and a further 31 nominations. She also co-created the comic book 'Occult Crimes Taskforce' in 2006, and has her own Production Company called 'Trybe'.

Dawson remains single but has been romantically linked to Actor Jason Lewis until late 2006, and more recently to Danny Boyle her Director on 'Trance'. She is actively involved in numerous charities and care organisations including Global Cool, the ONE Campaign, Oxfam, Amnesty International, and PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians And Gays). She is also a spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy.

Rosario Dawson - beautiful, multi-talented, dramatic, comedic, philanthropic and not afraid to push the boundaries. So much more still to come - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week - Thursday 4th December 2014.

With Australian Summer time now officially underway; Private Schools having finished their year now and embarking on an eight week Summer Holiday until the end of January; and the mercury steadily rising in those thermometers, we can expect a slew of new cinematic offerings over the coming weeks and it kicks starts here on 4th December with a swathe of new films to get you out in to the temperature controlled air conditioned comfort of a cinema seat.

With no less that ten, yes ten, new release films this week alone we have everything from the Biblical epic on the grandest scale; there is a cult classic Ozploitation from the early 80's remade for a whole new audience; a Disney offering telling us it's a bad day in 'da family hood' as things go from bad to worse for this close knit clan; a number of foreign language films to tempt; a weepie; an Aussie love story that turns sour; and an animated Sci-Fi that fuses real and computer generated life together in a cyber world of the future.

There has gotta be something here for just about everyone; and so when you have checked any one or more of this weeks impressive haul of new releases, drop me a line in the Comments Box immediately below this or any other Post and share your thoughts on your filmic experience with the world. Enjoy your film!

EXODUS : GODS AND KINGS (Rated M) - Sir Ridley Scott (profiled in my Birthday Tribute this week) is back at doing what he perhaps does best - delivering us epic scale, big spectacle, well crafted and visually stylish movies. He has done it before propelling us into space travel Sci-Fi horror ('Alien' & 'Prometheus') and future dystopian landscapes ('Blade Runner'), and thrusting us back in time to ancient civilisations, cultures and myths ('Gladiator', 'Kingdom of Heaven' and 'Robin Hood'). This time though it's the Old Testament taking us a back to circa 1200BC as we see Moses (Christian Bale) rising up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton) to free 600,000 Hebrew slaves and escort them through Egypt to flee the land gripped by plague, and Ramses tortuous regime.

Filmed largely on location in southern Spain and finished off at Pinewood at a budget of US$140M there will be everything here that your learned in school - rivers of blood; plagues of locusts, frogs, bats; a parting of The Dead Sea; burning bushes; epic conflict; bloodshed; wars, tears, gnashing of teeth and table beating with clenched fists. Ridley Scott does this stuff so well, and has amassed a cast too that reunites him with Sigourney Weaver as Tuya and supported by Aaron Paul as Joshua, Ben Kingsley as Nun, John Turturro at Seti, Ben Mendelsohn at Hegep and a cast of some 6,000 or so extras spread over several filming locations. This is big and the trailers seen so far make this look very impressive on the big screen, and for the second epic offering of the season so far (after 'Interstellar') it has got to be on your must-see list!

TURKEY SHOOT (Rated MA15+) - the original film of the same name on which this remake is based is/was a 1982 Ozploitation cult-classic Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith. Set in a future post-apocalyptic dystopian world where deviants, mutants, weirdo's and miscreants are rounded up into prison camps and then randomly set free as canon fodder in a game of cat & mouse to the death for the pleasure of their captors - only one such captors has ideas on survival of his own. And so to 2014 and this time helmed by Jon Hewitt and starring Dominic Purcell as a disgraced Navy Seal thrust into a survival reality TV game show with a bunch of other killers, assassins and undesirables all needing to take each other out by any means foul or fair to win their freedom. Rick Tyler however (Purcell) claims his innocence all along, and in fighting for his own survival he must also prove his innocence. Is this likely to go down in the annals of gore-heavy cult-classic remakes - probably not, but sill could be entertaining enough for a (re)visit!

THE CAPTIVE (Rated MA15+) - Canadian Director Atom Egoyan has given us a taught, tense psychological thriller surrounding the disappearance of ten year old Cass and the long search for her over an eight year or so period. When father Matthew (Ryan Reynolds) leaves her unattended for just a few moments he returns only to find her gone. Reporting this immediately to the Police he quickly becomes the prime suspect. Over time his search continues, his marriage breaks down, and he continues to be questioned by Police once a year as time passes on the anniversary of her disappearance at the hands of a paedophile ring. Whilst she might be dead Matthew never gives up hope even as the years clock by, and then little trinkets of Cassie's begin to appear at the hotel where mother Tina (Mireille Enos) now works as a cleaner. Disturbing, dark, emotional and bleak subject matter this may resonate a little like last years 'Prisoners' but this goes deeper than a revenge story as questions go unanswered for years but parental anguish never subsides for the love of a lost one unaccounted for.

THE CONGRESS (Rated M) - written and Directed by Ari Folman this combines both human elements and animated Sci-Fi fantasy as the two become fused together in the second half of the film when ageing actress (Robin Wright playing herself) sells her digital image to a movie production house in order that her digitised self can continue to be used well into the future and beyond her human use by date. Fast forward twenty years and Wright is invited to speak at The Congress in The Animated Zone which she can only enter by taking a drug allowing herself to become an animated version of herself. When the studio announces plans to sell Wright so that anyone can become an animated version of her, she at first agrees but then detracts and voices her opinion to the gathered crowds at The Congress against becoming a 'product'. As the film progresses so we toy with newer technologies still and the blurriness with what is perceived as real or not, and just how far can technology take us in cyberspace and beyond the Internet age. Starring John Hamm, Kodie Smit-McPhee, Harvey Keitel, Danny Huston and Paul Giamatti this is likely to test your observation, concentration and powers of deduction and will leave you pondering long after the credits have rolled.

HUMAN CAPITAL (Rated MA15+) - this Italian offering based on the American book of the same name by Stephen Amidon comes to us from Director Paolo Virzi and has already won a raft of awards. In short we see the repercussions on two families in the aftermath of a waiter knocked off his bike when cycling home from work one evening just before Christmas. The driver of the vehicle doesn't stop, and the injured waiter lies in the road left to suffer. The next day in hospital, the waiter's life is ebbing away.  This is where the films begins, and then we are taken back six months exploring the intricacies, anxieties, failings and desires of the two families responsible for this accident, but not yet knowing who is the perpetrator of the crime. On one side is a very wealthy banking family and on the other a struggling hard-up little hope middle class family whose lives become interwoven as a consequence of this accident, but not before we have visited the main players back stories and how these collide in a heap of greed, manipulation, emotion and excess. Nominated as the Italian entry for Best Foreign Language Film at next years Academy Awards.

THE MYSTERY OF HAPPINESS (Rated PG) - this Argentinian offering from Director Daniel Burman tells the story of Eugenio (Fabian Arenilles) and his life long business partner Santiago (Guillermo Francella) - they set up business together in their youth and have been together ever since. They are soul mates and have come to know each other almost inside out. One day Eugenio disappears without any trace it seems and so Santiago and Eugenio's wife Laura (Ines Estevez) embark on a search to find him but in time discover that they have a connection and prefer to remain together in each others company rather than finding the lost husband and business partner. A film about love, loyalty, relationships, the search for happiness and fulfilment and following your dreams.

THE GREEN PRINCE (Rated M) - this doco/drama/thriller is based on the real life events surrounding Mosab Hassan Yousef a Palestinian living in Ramallah. Growing up he is intent at going to fight the Israeli's but at 17 is arrested for gun smuggling and interrogated by the Shin Bet - Israel's Security Forces, and is sent off to prison. In prison he witnesses first hand the tactics, torture and treatment by Hammas of the inmates, and hears of the ever escalating campaign of suicide bombings. Fearful for his own safety he agrees to turn spy for Israel but is deeply ashamed for doing so, and as for his new Shin Bet handler Gonen he is deeply pleased for securing such a prize, as he has 'bagged' the eldest son of a founding member of Hammas. Yousef aided and abetted the Israeli Security Forces for ten years, and 'The Green Prince' was the name given to him by his handlers given his background.

LOVE IS NOW (Rated M) - this little Aussie flick charts young love across one long Summer as Audrey (Clare van der Boom) and Dean (Eamon Farren) - the former an experienced photographer, and the latter a happy snapper - embark on a journey following the New South Wales Summer harvest trail. With love in the air, the free spirit in the wind, and a world of adventure beckoning what unfolds is a journey of discovery that neither of them had anticipated. Directed by Jim Lounsbury and filmed entirely using a Nikon digital single reflex camera.

YOU'RE NOT YOU (Rated M) - this is likely to be this weeks big weepie so take your box of Kleenex, and be prepared. Directed by George C. Wolfe and based on the book of the same name by Michelle Wildgen, this stars Hilary Swank as Kate who is a talented classical pianist recently diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - a neurodegenerative disorder resulting in difficulty to eat, swallow and breathe due to muscle wasting). Husband Evan (Josh Duhammel) enlists the help of Bec (Emmy Rossum) - a young college student who has little or no experience of such things, and is needed because the marriage between Kate & Evan is about to implode. As time progresses the two opposing female characters forge a close bond despite their differences and both come to face their demons, explore new emotions and learn more of who they really want to be.

ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY (Rated PG) - 12 year old Alexander (Ed Oxenbold) has been having a run of bad luck but nobody takes his seriously! At midnight on his 12th Birthday he wishes that everyone else in his family could experience the sort of bad luck he has had to contend with, and so the next day everyone else in his family fall foul to the worst of luck you can imagine. Brother, sister, mum and dad all have the worst luck just when they need things to go right for drivers license test, stage performance, car pooling, job interview . . . and that's just the beginning! It gets worse and young Alex feels somehow responsible . . . be careful what you wish for! Also starring Steve Carrel as Ben Cooper (Dad), Jennifer Garner as Kelly Cooper (Mum), Dylan Minnette as Anthony Cooper (older brother) and Kerris Dorsey as Emily Cooper (older sister) needless to say it all goes horribly wrong before the day rights itself and everything turns out sunshine & rainbows in the end!

WOW! what a big week for movies! Something for every taste almost and plenty to choose from. Get out there and keep cinema alive, and then share your thoughts with your favourite Blog - Odeon Online.

Movies - see as many as you can!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-