JUSTICE LEAGUE : Tuesday 21st November 2017.

'JUSTICE LEAGUE' which I saw earlier this week is here finally after all the hype, the media attention and the speculation surrounding this long awaited and eagerly anticipated fifth film in the DC Extended Universe following hot on the heels of 2013's 'Superman', 2016's 'Batman v. Superman : Dawn of Justice', and 'Suicide Squad', and 'Wonder Woman' earlier this year. Zack Snyder Directed 'Man of Steel' which grossed US$668M, and 'Batman v. Superman : Dawn of Justice' which grossed US$874M, with David Ayer Directing 'Suicide Squad' which grossed US$746M and Patty Jenkins on Director duty for 'Wonder Woman' which grossed US$822M. Once again Zack Snyder is back in the Directors chair for this collective Superhero offering featuring a cast of DC characters thrust together for the first time in a live action instalment, an ensemble cast and a price tag of US$300M to bring to the big screen, making 'Justice League' one of the most expensive films ever made. But, I guess on the strength that the first four films cost a combined US$800M and grossed a collective sum total of US$3.1B, then this fifth film should represent a sure bet for the numerous Production Companies involved. A sequel to this film was scheduled for a mid-2019 release date, which has subsequently been pushed back to make way for a stand alone 'Batman' film. At the time of publishing this Post, 'Justice League' had taken US$308M at the Box Office.

This story then follows on several months after the end of 'Batman v. Superman : Dawn of Justice' in which Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) who is now inspired by Superman's selfless act to sacrifice himself for the greater good of all humanity, teams up with new ally Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) to fend off a new threat, with the help of a few others yet to be recruited to the Team.

That threat comes in the form of Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciaran Hinds) - an alien high ranking military officer who is immortal and possesses superhuman strength, speed and stamina from the planet Apokolips, and who has a very specific mission on Earth that could have catastrophic consequences for our humble little green planet. He leads an army of winged flying Parademons who extend into their countless thousands, are fiercely loyal to their leader, have heightened strength and high pain tolerance, carry powerful weapons and resemble giant pesky flies only twice as ugly and much more menacing! Steppenwolf wants to capture three 'Mother Boxes' and combine their energy source into 'The Unity' to remake Earth into the hellish domain he can call home and rule over. Back in the day Steppenwolf and his legions of giant pesky flying armed creatures were thwarted by the combined forces of Olympian Gods, Amazons, Atlantians, Green Lanterns and humans, and the three all powerful Mother Boxes secreted away in various places of hiding around the world to lie dormant for thousands of years . . . . until now!

Following the death of Superman, the Mother Boxes are all triggered back into life which prompts Steppenwolf's return to Earth to retrieve them. The first such box is housed underground in Themyscira, the island home of Diana Prince, which he successfully overruns and escapes with his Parademons in tow. Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) sends a warning to Diana Prince that Steppenwolf is on his way. This prompts Bruce and Diana to try and muster the support of other known metahumans Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) and Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) which Bruce goes in search of, and Victor Stone (Ray Fisher) which Diana searches out. They fail to convince both Curry and Stone to join their Team, but Allen is very enthusiastic and enlists immediately, giving the young lad some purpose in his otherwise meandering wasteful life. Stone joins the group after his father Silas (Joe Morton) is kidnapped by Steppenwolf searching out the Box left to the humans. Curry also joins too after Atlantis is attacked and the second Mother Box buried deep within the ocean is retrieved by Steppenwolf.

Commissioner James Gordon (J.K.Simmons) advises that he has learned that the Parademons are underground. Surmising that the only location is a long abandoned facility under Gotham Harbour, he advises Batman, Wonder Woman and The Flash, now joined also by Cyborg and they converge on the facility and engage with Steppenwolf and his Parademons. In the ensuing close quarter fight, the walls of the facility are ruptured allowing torrents of water to flood into the underground chamber.  Aquaman comes to the rescue and holds back the water so allowing the others to escape.

Stone has been in possession of the third remaining Mother Box, as it was the energy from it that allowed his father Silas, to develop the power to rebuild his son into the Cyborg he is today. Batman hatches a plan to resurrect Superman using the same energy from the Mother Box. This would enable them to fight Steppenwolf on another level and overcome this formidable enemy, whilst at the same time restoring some hope in the world that all is not lost.

Reluctantly Prince and Curry agree although are not too happy with the prospect. Stone and Allen exhume Clark Kent's body and take it to the Kryptonian Ship with the Mother Box. Kent is laid in the incubation waters, and with Allen generating enough electricity they are able to bring Clark Kent back from the dead. However, Superman (Henry Cavill) is suffering from some memory loss and makes a sharp exit out of the ship and into a nearby park where he attacks The Flash, Cyborg who inadvertently tried to kill him, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Batman. With Superman as expected gaining the upper hand in any battle, things don't go so well for the group or the gathered Police. Until that is, Batman brings out his secret weapon - Lois Lane (Amy Adams), at which point his memories come flooding back. While the Team are distracted with all this in-fighting and Clark and Lois reconnecting, the third Mother Box is left unguarded and easy pickings for Steppenwolf, which he claims from right under their noses.

Cyborg tracks Steppenwolf and the heightened seismic activity from the three Mother Boxes now drawn together, to a remote Russian Village - the scene of a nuclear disaster some decades earlier and where a small enclave of people still reside. With Steppenwolf commencing The Unity, time is fast running out for the world as we know it. The Team of five make their way via the supersonic Bat Jet arriving with a plan to distract the Parademons while Cyborg sets about separating the three Boxes. The team of the remaining four are no match for Steppenwolf and his hordes of Parademons, who are unable to provide sufficient distraction to allow Cyborg to be effective. Until that is, Superman arrives and beats the crap out of Steppenwolf; saves the lives, with The Flash too, of multiple families trying to flee the conflagration; and helps Cyborg separate the Mother Boxes successfully so stripping Steppenwolf of his power. Seeing their leader overcome with fear, the Parademons descend on Steppenwolf just like flies on a freshly laid turd, and transport him instantly back to the world from whence they came.

In the closing scenes we see Alfred (Jeremy Irons) escorting Bruce and Diana to the burnt out shell of Wayne Manor. They agree to rebuild it as the centre of operations for the new Team, with room for future expansion as more metahumans join. The newly formed Team then all default to what they do best - Curry returns to his home of Atlantis; Stone works with his father on developing his cyborg technology and abilities; Prince take her place in the spotlight as a hero of truth and justice; Kent takes up his former role as Superman; and Allen gets an official job with the Police Department of Central City impressing his imprisoned father Henry Allen (Billy Crudup). Remain seated for the mid-credits sequence which sees The Flash race Superman to the Pacific coast, and the end credits scene in which Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) breaks out of Arkham Asylum with a new and deadly ally.

I enjoyed 'Justice League' perhaps more than most Critics who seem intent on bagging the Hell out of the DCEU in favour of the MCU. Sure this film is not perfect, and the MCU still has the upper hand in the Superhero stakes - both singularly and collectively, but this film is moving the DCEU in the right direction that's for sure. There is more levity in this film from the principal cast members which makes them more grounded, approachable and human; the action sequences are well executed; the storyline whilst a little thin is relatable; and in particular Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa steal the show, whilst Ben Affleck's Batman often looks bewildered and confused by all the going's on. After all he should be centre stage as the corner stone, the originator of the forming Justice League, but is sidelined by his colleagues who do (unlike him) possess real super powers - he's just super 'rich' after all! As an origin story for The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg there is just enough back story to set the scene (remembering that a standalone 'Aquaman' film has just wrapped production, and arrives in our cinemas in December 2018), but Steppenwolf as the big bad villain in the piece is very one dimensional and he just barks orders as his Parademons and beats up anyone or anything that gets in his way, until Superman arrives on the scene. The film is fun and fast paced, and holds promise for future DCEU instalments - I wish it well, and in giving those guys at the MCU a run for their money!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 3rd - 9th September 2017

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Michael Keaton does on 5th September - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 66, 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 September

• Jean-Pierre Jeunet - Born 1953, turns 64 - Director | Writer | Producer 
• Charlie Sheen - Born 1965, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Noah Baumbach - Born 1969, turns 48 - Writer | Director | Producer | Actor
• Garrett Hedlund - Born 1984, turns 33 - Actor | Singer
• Pauline Collins - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actress 

Monday 4th September

• Charlotte Le Bon - Born 1986, turns 31 - Actress
• Damon Wyans - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director   
• Noah Taylor - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor

Tuesday 5th September

• George Lazenby - Born 1939, turns 78 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Werner Herzog - Born 1942, turns 75 - Director | Writer | Actor | Producer
• Michael Keaton - Born 1951, turns 66 - Actor | Producer | Director 
• Paddy Considine - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Raquel Welch - Born 1940, turns 77 - Actress | Singer
• Rose McGowan - Born 1973, turns 44 - Actress | Singer | Writer
• Carice van Houten - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actress  

Wednesday 6th September

• Rosie Perez - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer | Choreographer
• Naomi Harris - Born 1976, turns 41 - Actress
• Idris Elba - Born 1972, turns 45 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer  

Thursday 7th September

• Dario Argento - Born 1940, turns 77 - Writer | Director | Producer | Actor | Composer
• Toby Jones - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor
• Tom Everett Scott - Born 1970, turns 47 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Alex Kurtzman - Born 1973, turns 44 - Producer | Writer | Director
• Julie Kavner - Born 1950, turns 67 - Actress | Singer
• Angie Everhart - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actress | Producer
• Evan Rachel Wood - Born 1987, turns 30 - Actress | Singer  

Friday 8th September

• Martin Freeman - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Singer  
• David Arquette - Born 1971, turns 46 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer

Saturday 9th September

• Topol - Born 1935, turns 82 - Actor | Producer | Singer 
• Hugh Grant - Born 1960, turns 57 - Actor | Singer
• Adam Sandler - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer
• Michelle Williams - Born 1980, turns 37 - Actress | Singer
• Zoe Kazan - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actress | Writer | Producer

Michael John Douglas was born in Coraopolis, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, west of Pittsburgh, to mother Leona Loftus, a housewife and homemaker, and father George Douglas a civil engineer and surveyor. He is the youngest of seven children. He attended Montour High School located in the Robinson Township of Allegheny County, and thereafter he attended Kent State University, in Kent, Ohio where he studied speech for two years and appeared in several stage productions during that time before dropping out and making his way back to Pittsburgh.  

After trying his hand at stand-up comedy and proving unsuccessful at that venture he spent a time as a television cameraman and then decided he would rather appear in front of the camera rather than behind one. He gained his first television role in local Pittsburgh public television programmes, including on 'Mister Rogers' Neighbourhood' in 1975, on which he also served as a Production Assistant, and then on five episodes of 'All's Fair', and then the likes of 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman', sitcoms 'Maude', 'The Tony Randall Show', the comedy variety show 'Mary' hosted and starring Mary Tyler Moore, and then drama 'Family'. Keaton got his first big screen break in a small role in the Joan Rivers Co-Written and Directed 'Rabbit Test' with Billy Crystal and Roddy McDowell. It was about this time that the young aspiring Actor relocated himself to Los Angeles, but realising that there was another Michael Douglas rising through the ranks of film and television stardom, as well as a television talk show host and Actor named Mike Douglas, Keaton needed a stage name to satisfy the Screen Actors Guild guidelines. So while allegedly flicking through a magazine article in which Actress Diane Keaton was profiled, he decided that Keaton was a reasonable enough sounding surname for him to adopt and so from that point forward Michael Douglas became Michael Keaton, although he has never officially changed his name.

Next up, he scored a regular slot of nine episodes on the short lived sitcom 'Working Stiffs' with James Belushi, and then eleven episodes on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Hour'. Both of these aired in 1979. In 1982 he starred as Murphy in the single season of six episodes of 'Report to Murphy' as well as his next big screen role in the Ron Howard Directed comedy film 'Night Shift' with Henry Winkler and Shelley Long. His performance here earned him some critical praise, leading to his next starring role in 'Mr. Mom' opposite Teri Garr, then 'Johnny Dangerously' with Danny DeVito and Peter Boyle, followed by the Ron Howard Directed 'Gung Ho' with Mimi Rogers and John Turturro, and then 'Touch and Go' and 'The Squeeze'. Perhaps his breakout role came in 1988 when Director Tim Burton cast Keaton as Betelgeuse in the fantasy comedy offering 'Beetlejuice' alongside Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. The film was critically acclaimed as was Keaton's performance, and it took US$74M from its US$15M budget outlay making it a financial winner too. Later that same year saw Keaton star with Morgan Freeman in 'Clean and Sober' in which his dramatic performance was also acclaimed.

1989 saw Keaton team up with Tim Burton once again in the DC Comics big screen adaptation of 'Batman'. Keaton's casting was the subject of much controversy amongst the legions of ardent Batman fans, believing that the Actor has become typecast as a comedy Actor, and was therefore unable to portray a serious role of this nature. Starring alongside Jack Nicholson as The Joker, Kim Bassinger, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Palance and Jerry Hall, Keaton proved the naysayers wrong and delivered a critically praised performance, and the film grossed US$412M off the back of its US$35M budget and became the fifth highest grossing film of all time, at the time of its release. It also picked up ten award wins including the Oscar for Best Art Direction, and a further 26 nominations. Keaton reprised his role once again in 1992's 'Batman Returns' for Tim Burton once again and this time starring Danny DeVito as The Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Christopher Walken. The second instalment grossed US$267M from its US$80M budget. After this second instalment Keaton bowed out of the burgeoning franchise to make way for Val Kilmer in 'Batman Forever' in 1995 and George Clooney in 1997's 'Batman and Robin' both Directed by Joel Schumacher.

In between time there was John Schlesinger's Directed psychological thriller 'Pacific Heights' with Melanie Griffith and Matthew Modine; 'One Good Cop' with Rene Russo; the Kenneth Branagh Directed, Co-Produced, Written for the screen and starring RomCom based on the Shakespeare play 'Much Ado About Nothing' in 1993 with an ensemble cast including Emma Thomson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, Ben Elton, Richard Briers, Imelda Staunton, Brian Blessed and Kate Beckinsale. This in turn led to 'My Life' with Nicole Kidman, 'The Paper' for Director Ron Howard again with Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei and Jason Alexander. RomCom 'Speechless' came next, then 'Multiplicity' for Director Harold Ramis.

'Jackie Brown' for Screenwriter and Director Quentin Tarantino came along in 1997 with Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson, Bridget Fonda, Pam Grier and Robert Forster in this Elmore Leonard adapted story. Keaton plays the role of Agent Ray Nicolette - a role he would play again the following year in the Steven Soderbergh Directed crime comedy caper 'Out of Sight' with George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames and Don Cheadle. 'Desperate Measures' with Andy Garcia, and Christmas offering 'Jack Frost' closed out the decade. 

2002 offered up 'A Shot at Glory', the HBO Produced television movie 'Live from Baghdad' with Helena Bonham Carter, direct to video offering 'Quicksand' with Michael Caine, his turn as US President John Mackenzie in 'First Daughter' alongside Katie Holmes, the supernatural horror film 'White Noise', then a reboot of the much loved 'Herbie' franchise whose origins date back to 1968 with 'Herbie : Fully Loaded' in 2005 and also starring Lindsay Lohan, Matt Dillon and Justin Long. 'Game 6' was also released in 2005 with Robert Downey Jnr. and Griffin Dunne, then the Dramedy 'The Last Time' with Brendan Fraser and Neal McDonough, and then 'The Merry Gentleman' which Keaton also Directs for the first time. RomCom 'Post Grad' and the action comedy 'The Other Guys' with Mark Wahlberg, Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Steve Coogan and Dwayne Johnson saw out another decade.

2014 saw 'Blindsided', then the remake of the 1987 part man, part machine, all cop shoot first ask questions later 'Robocop' with Joel Kinnaman in the title role and also starring Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Jackie Earle Haley, and Abbie Cornish, and then 'Need for Speed' with Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper and Imogen Poots. That same year came the highly acclaimed the world over 'Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)' with Keaton's lead role as Riggan Thomson, an Actor famed for his performance back in the day as the iconic titular superhero, 'Birdman'. As Directed, Co-Produced and Co-Written by Alejandro G. Inarritu the film also starred Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Amy Ryan and Andrea Riseborough. The film picked up four Academy Award wins and five nominations, Keaton won the Golden Globe for his performance and was nominated too for the Oscar and the BAFTA in a total haul of 193 award wins and 277 other nominations.

Keaton followed this up straight away with another turn in a highly acclaimed film - 'Spotlight' with Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup, John Slattery and Rachel McAdams in this true Boston Globe newspaper investigative journalism piece into child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, that blew the lid off such scandals world wide and the repercussions of which are still being seen today. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay amongst its total awards tally of 119 wins and 136 further nominations, and it recovered US$93M for its US$20M budget investment.

The story behind the McDonald's fast food empire came next in 2016 in 'The Founder' with Keaton playing businessman Ray Kroc who ousts control of the fledgling company from Richard and Maurice McDonald and turned it into the global success story it is today. And then bringing us up to date is his most recent run as Adrian Toomes/Vulture in this second reboot of the 'Spider-Man' franchise with the Jon Watts Directed 'Spider-Man : Homecoming' released back in July having cost US$175M and so far grossing US$738M. The film stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man with Robert Downey Jnr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei and Zendaya.

Next up for Keaton is action thriller 'American Assassin' due for imminent release as Directed by Michael Cuesta and starring Dylan O'Brien, Taylor Kitsch and David Suchet; and due for release in 2019 and currently filming is the live action fantasy adventure film 'Dumbo' based largely on the 1941 Walt Disney animated classic with Tim Burton on Director duties and also starring Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Alan Arkin, and Eva Green. In between time Keaton has lent his voice talents to the English language version of the Japanese animated comedy adventure film 'Porco Rosso' in 2005, to the 2006 Pixar Animation 'Cars' featuring an all star voice cast, to the voice of Ken in the Pixar Animation 'Toy Story 3' in 2010 which went on to gross US$1.07B off the back of a US$200M production budget, and the voice of Walter Nelson in the Illumination Entertainment animated spin-off to the 'Despicable Me' franchise with 'Minions' which from a budget of US$74M grossed worldwide US$1.17B. He has also lent his voice talents over the years to single episodes of 'The Simpsons', 'King of the Hill', 'Gary the Rat' and had guest appearances on 'Frasier', 'The Company' and '30 Rock'.

All up Keaton has 76 Acting credits to his name, three as Producer and one as Director. He has amassed a haul of 64 award wins and a further 39 nominations including the nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for 'Birdman', he won the Golden Globe for the same role and was also nominated for 'Live from Baghdad', was nominated for the BAFTA for 'Birdman', won the AACTA for it, and won the SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast for both 'Birdman' and 'Spotlight' as well the nod for Best Lead Actor in 'Birdman' and 'The Company'. Keaton was married to Actress Caroline McWilliams from 1982 to 1990 and with whom they had a son together, Sean Douglas born in 1983.

Michael Keaton - an avid fly fisherman, mountain biker, horse rider, golfer and snowboarder; and is a keen fan of the 'Pittsburgh Pirates' baseball team, the 'Pittsburgh Penguins' ice hockey team and the 'Pittsburgh Steelers' American football team. Was either considered for, or turned down leading roles in more films than you could care to mention including 'Ghostbusters', 'Speed', 'The Fly', 'When Harry Met Sally', 'Philadelphia', 'Splash', 'Police Academy', 'JFK', 'Cutthroat Island', 'Mars Attacks', 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and television series 'Lost', and was in his early years typecast in RomCom's or comedies, but has since proven himself across multiple genres and in dramatic and thrilling roles, and winning the accolades and gaining the recognition to prove it. Enjoying your second wind of great roles that continue to surprise and delight your audience, keep up the good work Michael, and a very Happy Birthday to you, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online- 

Birthday's to share this week : 25th - 31st January 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week? Christian Bale does, on 30th January - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 41, 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 25th January

• Tobe Hooper - Born 1943, turns 72 - Director | Producer | Writer

Monday 26th January

• David Strathairn - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actor
• Scott Glenn - Born 1941, turns 74 - Actress
• Ellen DeGeneres - Born 1958, turns 57 - Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Actress
• Odeon Online - Born 2014, turns 1 - Movie Blog of choice!

Tuesday 27th January

• Mimi Rogers - Born 1956, turns 59 - Actress | Producer
• Bridget Fonda - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actress
• James Cromwell - Born 1940, turns 75 - Actor | Producer
• Frank Miller - Born 1957, turns 58 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor
• Alan Cumming - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer

Wednesday 28th January

• Alan Alda - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Frank Darabont - Born 1959, turns 56 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Elijah Wood - Born 1981, turns 34 - Actor | Producer
• Rosamund Pike - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actress

Thursday 29th January 

• Katherine Ross - Born 1940, turns 75 - Actress
• Oprah Winfrey - Born 1954, turns 61 - Television Personality | Actress | Writer
• Heather Graham - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Tom Selleck - Born 1945, turns 70 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Edward Burns - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Marc Singer - Born 1948, turns 67 - Actor

Friday 30th January

• Christian Bale - Born 1974, turns 41 - Actor
• Gene Hackman - Born 1930, turns 85 - Actor
• Phil Collins - Born 1951, turns 64 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor
• Vanessa Redgrave - Born 1937, turns 78 - Actress | Producer

Saturday 31st January

• Minni Driver - Born 1970, turns 45 0 Actress | Producer
• Portia de Rossi - Born 1973, turns 42 - Actress
• Justin Timberlake - Born 1981, turns 34 - Singer | Songwriter | Actor | Producer
• Anthony LaPaglia - Born 1959, turns 56 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Philip Glass - Born 1937, turns 78 - Composer | Songwriter
• Dexter Fletcher - Born 1966, turns 49 - Actor | Writer | Director | Producer

Christian Charles Philip Bale was born in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales to English parents. His mother Jenny James was a circus performer and his father David Charles Howard Bale was a commercial pilot and talent manager. His childhood years were spent in various locations from Wales to southern England to Portugal to the United States. He attended Bournemouth Boys Grammar School and left at 16. The next year he moved to Los Angeles with his father when his parents divorced in 1991. 

His first screen acting role came in a fabric softener television commercial in 1982 and then a 'Pac-Man' breakfast cereal advertisement a year later. In 1984 he played for the first time in a theatre production opposite Rowan Atkinson in 'The Nerd' on London's West End. With work coming in as an up & coming Actor he auditioned for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Central School of Speech and Drama and was offered a place by all three institutions to study his craft but was convinced by his parents at the time to continue working - a decision he regrets still to this day!

His big screen debut came in in 1986 in the television film 'Anastasia : The Mystery of Anna' which quickly led to a starring role in in the television mini-series 'Heart of the Country', and then the fantasy film 'Mio in the land of the Faraway' opposite Christopher Lee. It was the 'Anastasia : The Mystery of Anna' movie that brought the young Bale to the attention of Steven Spielberg who cast him in his breakout role in 1987's 'Empire of the Sun'. This brought Bale much critical acclaim, winning too the inaugural award by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures for the Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor.

The success of 'Empire of the Sun' Bale found hard to adjust to and almost gave up acting as a career choice there & then. Kenneth Branagh however, convinced him to take a role in the 1989 big screen telling of Shakespeare's 'Henry V' with a critically acclaimed all star cast. From there he starred with Charlton Heston in 'Treasure Island', in Disney's 'Newsies' with Robert Duvall, 'Swing Kids' with Kenneth Branagh again, and then 'Little Women' with Wynona Ryder who introduced Bale to his future wife in 1994. He returned to Disney in 1995 to provide the voice for Captain John Smith in the animated feature 'Pocahontas' and in 1997 he played alongside Ewen McGregor in 'Velvet Goldmine'.

He saw out the decade and saw in the new with another big screen adaptation of Shakespeare in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' with again an all star cast and 'All the Little Animals' with John Hurt. This was followed up by his turn as Patrick Bateman in 'American Psycho'. In it Bale inhibited his character of the deranged murdering Wall Street executive for which he trained obsessively to develop his body and prepare his mental state to match that of his character as depicted in the Brett Easton Ellis book.

Next up came 'Shaft' alongside Samuel L. Jackson, 'Captain Correlli's Mandolin' with Nicolas Cage and then in quick succession came 'Laurel Canyon', 'Reign of Fire' and 'Equilibrium'. 2004 saw Bale back to prominence as Trevor Reznik in 'The Machinist' - a role for which he slimmed down drastically by 63lbs (27kgs) to a body weight of just 128lbs (55kgs) by taking a crash diet and going without sleep for prolonged periods.

His next role was the polar opposite requiring Bale to regain all those lost kilos and bulk up considerably gaining 105lbs (45kgs) in muscle in six months to play the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's 2005 'Batman Begins'.  The success of this brought two hugely successful sequels in 2008 with 'The Dark Knight' and then again in 2012 with 'The Dark Knight Rises'. The three films together and as a complete package, and singularly, were received to both critical and commercial acclaim generating US$2.5B in Box Office and after sales receipts off a total production cost of US$585M.

In the meantime, and since, there has been 'The New World' and 'Harsh Times' in 2005; 'Rescue Dawn' and 'The Prestige' in 2006; '3:10 to Yuma' and 'I'm Not There' in 2007; and then 'Terminator : Salvation' and 'Public Enemies' in 2009. 'The Fighter' in 2010 with Mark Wahlberg brought more critical success, leading to 'The Flowers of War' in 2011, 'Out of the Furnace' and 'American Hustle' in 2013 and most recently 'Exodus : Gods and Kings' with Director Ridley Scott in 2014 and still on general release. Next up is Terrence Malick's 'Knight of Cups' with Cate Blanchett due for release later this year, and an as yet untitled project for the same Director which is currently in post-production. Then will come 'Creed of Violence' and 'Jungle Book : Origins' for 2016/17.

Bale has 48 acting credits to his name and a total 59 award wins and a further 58 nominations. He won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for 'The Fighter' and was nominated for Best Actor for 'American Hustle'. The same was true of the Golden Globes and he was nominated similarly at the BAFTA's.

He has been married to Sandra 'Sibi' Blazic since 2000 and together they have a daughter Emmaline born in 2005 and a son born in mid-2014. He is an active supporter of 'Greenpeace', the 'World Wildlife Fund' and he and his wife sit on the Board of Trustees of the 'Dian Fossey Gorilla Foundation'.

Christian Bale - intense character Actor going to extraordinary lengths to portray the physical, mental and emotional states of his roles; often teams up with Christopher Nolan and Terrence Malick; a natural at putting on an accent - American especially; and often plays either historical roles or those of fractured, obsessive, detached and lonely characters and always with conviction and intensity. Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthdays to share this week : 10th - 16th August.

Is it your Birthday this week?

Do you share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer or 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!

Check out too the spotlight on this weeks Birthday Boy on 15th August, Ben Affleck, at the end of this feature.

Sunday 10th August

• Antonio Banderas - Born 1960, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Rosanna Arquette - Born 1959, turns 55 - Actress

Monday 11th August

• Chris Hemsworth - Born 1983, turns 31 - Actor
• Viola Davis - Born 1965, turns 49 - Actress | Producer
• Ian McDiarmid - Born 1944, turns 70 - Actor
• Hulk Hogan - Born 1953, turns 61 - WWF Wrestler | Actor | Producer

Tuesday 12th August

• Casey Affleck - Born 1975, turns 39 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Bruce Greenwood - Born 1956, turns 58 - Actor
• George Hamilton - born 1939, turns 75 - Actor | Producer
• William Goldman - Born 1931, turns 83 - Writer

Wednesday 13th August

• Paul Greengrass - Born 1955, turns 59 - Director | Producer | Writer
• John Slattery - Born 1962, turns 52 - Actor | Director

Thursday 14th August

• Mila Kunis - Born 1983, turns 31 - Actress
• Halle Berry - Born 1966, turns 48 - Actress | Producer
• Steve Martin - Born 1945, turns 69 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Wim Wenders - Born 1945, turns 69 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Antonio Fargas - Born 1946, turns 68 - Actor
• James Horner - Born 1953, turns 61 - Composer

Friday 15th August

• Jennifer Lawrence - Born 1990, turns 24 - Actress
• Ben Affleck - Born 1972, turns 42 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Natasha Hentsridge - Born 1974, turns 40 - Actress
• Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Born 1963, turns 51 - Director | Writer | Producer
• Nicolas Roeg - Born 1928, turns 86 - Director | Cinematographer

Saturday 16th August

• Steve Carell - Born 1962, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• James Cameron - Born 1954, turns 60 - Director | Producer | Writer | Editor | Explorer
• Madonna - Born 1958, turns 56 - Singer | Songwriter | Actress | Producer
• Angela Bassett - Born 1958, turns 56 - Actress
• Bruce Beresford - Born 1940, turns 74 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Rumer Willis - Born 1988, turns 26 - Actress

It's going to be a busy time this week ahead in the Affleck household as young Casey turns 39 on Tuesday and older brother Ben turns 42 on Friday. Born Benjamin Geza Affleck-Boldt in Berkeley, California and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts the young Ben had aspirations to be an actor from his earliest years on. He scored his first job on a Burger King commercial in 1984 aged 12. It was just a few short years before, that he met his lifelong friend and collaborator Matt Damon who lived just a few blocks away. In their early teen years they took acting classes together, and also secured small roles in TV movies and series including 'Hands of a Stranger' in 1987 and 'The Second Voyage of the Mimi' in 1988 having played also in 'The Voyage of the Mimi' four years earlier.

His introduction to feature length films cakes in 1993 with the acclaimed 'Dazed and Confused' and other small independent offerings such as 'Mallrats' in 1995 and 'Chasing Amy' in 1997 for which he was garnering some critical acclaim.

However, already Affleck was getting restless with not securing more significant roles in bigger films. Sharing an apartment with brother Casey, and friend Damon who was experiencing similar challenges in his quest for movie stardom, the two decided to take their destiny into their own hands and take control of the process by writing their own script . . . and so 'Good Will Hunting' was released in 1997 through Miramax Studios who paid US$600K for the piece, whilst agreeing to give Affleck and Damon the control they wanted over the movie's production. The rest, as they say, is history and the stuff of legend as the film went on to gain nine Academy Award nominations and winning two including Best Screenplay for Affleck and Damon - with Affleck, at 25 years of age, being the youngest person ever to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

With this big breakthrough, Affleck and Damon had the film making world at their feet. For Affleck this led to big budget epic fare including 'Armageddon' and 'Shakespeare in Love' in 1998 and 'Pearl Harbour' in 2001.











As the new decade broke Affleck made some 'interesting' choices including the critically panned 'Gigli'  'Jersey Girl' and 'Daredevil' which he has subsequently  has said that it's "the only movie I actually regret . . . it just kills me!" There were others too in that sickly schmaltzy RomCom genre that did him no favours. At the same time he had high profile relationships with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez having been engaged to the latter for a short while at a cost of US$3.5M for the engagement ring alone and maybe this is why he was admitted for alcohol rehab. too. But sometimes you just gotta hit the bottom before you can rise up, and rise up Ben certainly has!

In 2005 he married co-star actress Jennifer Garner and now has three children with her - Violet Anne, Seraphina Rose and Samuel Garner. He continues to write and has Directed three films to much critical acclaim. He has appeared in four films nominated for Best Picture Academy Awards - 'Field of Dreams', 'Good Will Hunting', 'Shakespeare in Love' and 'Argo'. He wrote the Screenplays for 'Good Will Hunting', 'The Town' and 'Gone Baby Gone', and Directed 'Argo', 'The Town' and 'Gone Baby Gone' and  has numerous Production credits to his name, and 58 acting credits so far.


His filmography other than those already mentioned include : 'Forces of Nature', 'Dogma', 'Boiler Room', 'Bounce', 'Reindeer Games',' Changing Lanes', 'The Sum of all Fears', 'Paycheck', 'Hollywoodland', 'Smokin' Aces', 'State of Play', 'The Company Men', 'Runner Runner' and the late 2014 release 'Gone Girl'. Currently filming for a 2016 release is 'Batman vs Superman : Dawn of Justice' and recently announced for release sometime thereafter is 'Justice League' when Affleck will again reprise his role as the Batman/Bruce Wayne caped crusader. For release in 2016 also will be the Affleck screen scripted and Directed 'Live By Night' - described as a 'big sweeping gangster-epic morality story'.

When Affleck was announced to play Batman/Bruce Wayne last year it caused much uproar and gnashing of teeth given his earlier outing in the panned 'Daredevil'. At 40+ years of age he will be the oldest actor to play the character - but that shouldn't deter us given that he will have played two Frank Miller created characters on the big screen - 'Daredevil' being the other. Bearing in mind that he has also played 'Superman' in the telling of the story surrounding the mysterious death of George Reeves - the first actor to play the original superhero in the TV series of the 50's - he is clearly drawn to the super hero types battling crime and injustice at every turn. He will though be the third Oscar winning actor to play the caped crusader after George Clooney and Christian Bale, so he is in esteemed company!

Ben Affleck is an avid Poker player but does so always within his limits. In 2004 he won the California State Poker Championship with a winning purse of US$356K. He has an active interest in Politics and is vocal and transparent about where his allegiances lie. He is charitable and support humanitarian projects, having founded in 2010 the 'Eastern Congo Initiative' to support relief efforts to the humanitarian crisis there.

He won the Best Picture Academy Award for 'Argo' and Best Screenplay Award for 'Good Will Hunting'. He won the Golden Globe for Best Director for 'Argo' and Best Screenplay for 'Good Will Hunting' and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for 'Hollywoodland', and he won the BAFTA for Best Film and Best Director for 'Argo' and nominated for Best Lead Actor for that same film. He has a total haul of 56 award wins and 75 other award nominations globally.

Ben Affleck - acclaimed Actor, Director, Writer; charitable humanitarian; a man who has made some questionable choices but like a Phoenix that has risen from the ashes; multi-talented and with your achievements going from strength to strength - Happy Birthday from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 4th - 10th May.

Do you share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Writer, Director, Producer, Editor or Songwriter of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming week? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this little but not insignificant 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 over the coming week. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Check out too the spotlight on this weeks Birthday Boy on 6th May, George Clooney, at the end of this feature.

Sunday 4th May

• Rolf de Heer - Born 1951, turns 63 - Director | Writer | Producer
• Will Arnett - Born 1970, turns 44 - Actor | Producer

Monday 5th May 

• Henry Cavill - Born 1983, turns 31 - Actor
• John Rhys-Davies - Born 1944, turns 70 - Actor
• Lance Henriksen - Born 1940, turns 74 - Actor
• Richard E. Grant - Born 1957, turns 57 - Actor
• Michael Palin - Born 1943, turns 71 - Actor

Tuesday 6th May

• George Clooney - Born 1961, turns 53 - Actor | Director | Producer | Writer
• Alan Dale - Born 1947, turns 67 - Actor

Wednesday 7th May

• Traci Lords - Born 1968, turns 46 - Actress

Thursday 8th May

• Michel Gondry - Born 1963, turns 51 - Director | Writer | Producer
• David Attenborough - Born 1926, turns 88 - Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Conservationist
• Enrique Iglesias - Born 1975, turns 39 - Singer | Songwriter

Friday 9th May

• Rosario Dawson - Born 1979, turns 35 - Actress
• Albert Finney - Born 1936, turns 78 - Actor | Producer
• Candice Bergen - Born 1946, turns 68 - Actress
• James L. Brooks - Born 1940, turns 74 - Writer | Director | Producer
• Glenda Jackson - Born 1936, turns 78 - Actress
• Alan Bennet - Born 1934, turns 80 - Writer

Saturday 10th May

• Bono (Paul Hewson) - Born 1960, turns 54 - Singer | Songwriter | Humanitarian

George Timothy Clooney turns 53 this week. Born in Lexington, Kentucky he is a much accomplished Actor, Director, Producer and Screenwriter and is as active in his screen life as he is off it supporting many Hunamitarian causes that he still manages to fit into his ever busy schedule - ending the Darfur Conflict, gay rights and raising funds for disaster stricken areas - the result of earthquakes, tsunami's and terror attacks supporting those victims of 9/11.

He got his small screen break in 1978 with a bit-part in the TV adaptation of James A. Mitchener's 'Centennial' before hitting the big time on the small screen as Dr. Doug Ross in the 1990's TV phenomenon 'ER'. Before doing so however, he has a string of appearance in such TV show as 'Murder, She Wrote', 'The Golden Girls' and 'Roseanne' amongst many others.

His first big screen Hollywood break came at the hands of Quentin Tarrantino and Robert Rodriguez in the 1996 film 'From Dusk till Dawn' and from that film onward there has been no looking back. A number of big screen successes followed including 'Three Kings', 'Perfect Storm' 'The Peacemaker', 'One Fine Day' and 'Out of Sight' - the latter being the first of many collaborations with Director Steven Soderbergh, and with whom he would eventually set up his own Production Company. This partnership gave rise to the remake of the Rat Pack classic and for Clooney the role made famous by Frank Sinatra in 'Ocean's Eleven' in 2001. This was followed by two sequels in 2004 and 2007 with a cast list of the Hollywood Who's Who as long as your arm.

In 2002 Clooney turned his hand to Directing with 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind', subsequently going on to Direct also 'Good Night and Good Luck', 'Leatherheads', 'The Ides of March' and more recently 'The Monuments Men', as well as a short film titled 'Martin Scorsese Easts a Cookie'.

His accolades are too numerous to mention - suffice to say 78 wins, a further 123 nominations. He has Directed six films, Produced 24 and acted in 46 to date. He has been nominated in six different Academy Award categories - the only actor in history to do so! He has been voted the sexiest man alive, he played Superhero 'Batman' (which he later described as a waste of money!), and he got himself engaged on 27th April to 36 year old English Barrister beauty Amal Alamuddin. 

He is the proud recipient of two Oscar wins - Best Motion Picture for 'Argo' and Best Supporting Actor for 'Syrianna' and has been nominated a further four times. He has won three Golden Globes and nominated seven more times, and has won the BAFTA once and been nominated five other times.

George Clooney - a living breathing walking talking Hollywood success story, all round nice guy - a very Happy Birthday to you and congratulations on your recent engagement from all at Odeon Online.

 -Steve, at Odeon Online-