Birthday's to share this week : 29th May-4th June 2016

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Duncan Jones does on 30th May - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 45, 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 29th May

• Annette Bening - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actress  
• Rupert Everett - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Ted Levine - Born1957, turns 59 - Actor
• Danny Elfman - Born 1953, turns 63 - Composer | Songwriter | Actor 

Monday 30th May

• Duncan Jones - Born 1971, turns 45 - Director | Writer 
• Harry Enfield - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director    

Tuesday 31st May

• Clint Eastwood - Born 1930, turns 86 - Actor | Director | Producer | Composer | Singer | Songwriter
• Tom Berenger - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Colin Farrell - Born 1976, turns 40 - Actor | Producer  
• Brooke Shields - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actress | Producer

Wednesday 1st June

• Amy Schemer - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actress | Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Director  
• Brian Cox - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Producer 
• Powers Boothe - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actor
• Jonathan Pryce - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Singer
• Robert Powell - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor
• Tom Holland - Born 1996, turns 30 - Actor
• Morgan Freeman - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor | Producer | Director | Singer

Thursday 2nd June

• Wentworth Miller - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actor | Writer
• Kevin Feige - Born 1973, turns 43 - Producer
• Dominic Cooper - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Singer
• Zachary Quinto - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Producer  
• Liam Cunningham - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor 
• Dennis Haysbert - Born 1954, turns 62 - Actor | Producer
• Stacy Keach - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director

Friday 3rd June

• James Purefoy - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor
• Imogen Poots - Born 1989, turns 27 - Actress | Singer

Saturday 4th June

• Angelina Jolie - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer 
• Russell Brand - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actor | Writer | Producer
• Sean Pertwee - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor | 
• Keith David - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actor | Producer | Singer
• Bruce Dern - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor | Producer
• Geoffrey Palmer - Born 1927, turns 89 - Actor  

Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones, aka Zowie Bowie, is the only child from mother Angie Barnett - a Cypriot/American model, actress and musician, and father David Bowie the legendary English singer, songwriter, actor and record producer who died earlier this year aged 69. He was born in Bromley, London, but spent much of his younger years living between London, Berlin, and Vevey in Switzerland. His birth in 1971 prompted his father to write 'Kooks' which is included in his 'Hunky Dory' album of that same year. He studied at The International School in Lausanne, and in 1980 when his parents divorced, his father was granted custody. At that point he went by the name Zowie, but by twelve years of age he decided that he preferred Joey, which he shortened to Joe in his later teen years. At fourteen he was enrolled in the renowned Scottish boarding school, Gordonstoun. He had designs on becoming a professional wrestler while growing up with his father often commenting on his 'natural strength'. By eighteen he reverted to using his birth name of Duncan. In 1995 he graduated from The College of Wooster in Ohio with a Bachelors Degree in Philosophy. He went onto Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a PhD but quit before completion to attend the London Film School, graduating as a Director in 2001.

In 1997 Jones was one of many cameramen working on his fathers televised 50th Birthday celebrations at Maddison Square Garden. He worked similarly again in 2000 at the two BowieNet concerts in New York City. In 2002 he Co-Produced, wrote and Directed his first short film - the thirty minute long 'Whistle' about an ultra-technological assassin who becomes involved in the life of one of his victims. He followed this up a year later with the video game 'Republic : The Revolution' on which he acted as Cinematic Director as well as penning elements of the script. In 2006 he Directed a relaunch campaign for fashion label French Connection.

2009 saw his feature film Directorial debut with 'Moon' which he also co-wrote the script for based on his own story. Made on a shoestring budget of just US$5M it made double that and in the process picked up eighteen award wins and another seventeen nomination including a BAFTA Award win for Jones as Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, and numerous other wins either for Jones directly or the film. Starring Sam Rockwell and the voice of Kevin Spacey, the film was largely critically well received.



'Source Code' came next in 2011 - his second Directed feature film starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan. Made for US$32M it took US$148M at the global Box Office and was hailed both a commercial and critical success winning one award for best Original Screenplay and eight further nominations. The story here surrounds Gyllenhaal as a soldier waking up in someone else's body and learning that he is part of a government experimental programme to locate a bomber aboard a busy commuter train. The catch here though is that he has just eight minutes to locate the bomber and prevent the explosion so completing his mission - but, he can relive that same eight minutes time after time after time, learning something new every time to thwart the bomber.

Next up and due for imminent release is 'Warcraft : The Beginning' based on the hugely popular video game and books set in the fantasy world of Azeroth. Made for US$160M the film has been in development for ten years with Jones announced to Direct in 2013. Starring Travis Fimmel, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Toby Kebbell and Clancy Brown the story tells of Azeroth being on the brink of war as its civilisation, led by the humans, comes under attack from rampaging orcs fleeing their world of Draenor, which is dying. As the leaders of both worlds collide, the fate of their families, their people, their homes and their worlds hang in the balance.

Following this it has been announced that his next film will be 'Mute' with Paul Rudd and Alexander Skarsgard - set in Berlin forty years from now it follows a mute bartender investigating his partners disappearance, and said to be influenced by Jones favourite film of all time - 'Blade Runner'.

All up Jones has garnered thirteen award wins and another twelve nominations. He has five Director credits to his name, four Writing credits and one as Producer. In late 2012 he married photographer Rodene Ronquillo, who was diagnosed with breast cancer that same day, but has since been given the all clear, and the couple are now expecting their first child to be born in June.

Duncan Jones - the son of a music legend; was Best Man at his fathers wedding to Iman in 1992; has already achieved so much from so little and is an emerging talent increasingly playing in the big league as his works grow in acclaim and as his film progression continues. Long may your success last and very Happy Birthday to you Duncan, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 28th January 2016.

Well G'Day and I'm very pleased to return to these humble pages following a family holiday to Vietnam. Much has happened during that time in the movie world  including the Golden Globe Awards winners & grinners were announced on January 10th with 'The Revenant' picking up Best Drama Film, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and Best Director for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu; 'The Martian' picked up Best Musical or Comedy Film and Best Actor for Matt Damon; Best Actress went to Brie Larson for 'Room' and Jennifer Lawrence for 'Joy' in each category; Best Supporting Actor went to Sylvester Stallone for 'Creed' and the Actress win to Kate Winslett for 'Steve Jobs'. We also mourned the very sad and premature passing of two film greats in David Bowie and Alan Rickman - the former on 10th January whose contribution as Singer/Songwriter first and foremost and then as an Actor is almost without equal; and Alan Rickman who passed on 14th January with 68 acting credits to his name and who can forget his Hans Gruber from 'Die Hard', Alexander Dane from 'Galaxy Quest' and Professor Severus Snape from the 'Harry Potter' series - both will be sorely missed, but their lasting legacy lives on. And of course the 'Star Wars' behemoth continues to roll on with global Box Office takings now nudging US$2B making it the third highest grossing film of all time. And finally, let's not forget that Odeon Online turned two years of age on 26th January - launched on Australia Day 2014, thanks to all for your well wishes, support and readership over that time.

There has also been a haul of new movie content released during that time, with a few others due out this week which include a long term abduction story of a mother and her son born into forced captivity whose only knowledge of the world is from within a 3x3 square shed, until they risk a bid for freedom, but at what cost to them both? Then we have a Catholic Church child sex abuse film uncovered by intrepid newspaper reporters determined to go to print with their findings whilst others in power will do what they can to prevent their cause; and finally an Australian family drama as a teenage girls goes missing.

When you have sat through your movie(s) of choice and wish to share your views and opinions with other like minded cinephiles, you can leave your own Review in the Comments section below this or any other Post, and let us know what you think. In the meantime, enjoy your film.

ROOM (Rated M) - I saw this film a few days before its Australian release, and have already Posted my Review earlier in the week, awarding this film Four Clapperboards. This is likely to be as much an emotional rollercoaster ride, a tear jerker and heart wrenching film as any you're likely to see this year that could easily be based on real life events, as have unfolded in the worlds media in very recent years. Already doing very well around the awards circuit with 54 wins and another 98 nominations including four Oscar nominations pending for Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actress for Brie Larson who has already scooped the Golden Globe for her performance, this film is directed by Lenny Abrahamson and is based on the book of the same name by Emma Donoghue.

The story here centres around Joy Newsome (Brie Larson) known to her young five year old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) as Ma. Joy would be in her mid-twenties and we quickly learn that for the last seven years she has been held captive in a room that measures no more than three metres square. It is a squalid room and this is the world for Ma and young Jack. There are four solid walls and the roof with only a skylight window which allows natural light in but cannot be opened, and the room is sound proofed and its only door is controlled by means of an electronic security keypad. For Jack, this is the world as he knows it, but turning five, his world is about to be turned upside down! 'Room' had its world wide premier at the Telluride Film Festival in early September last year and a limited US release in mid-October and reaches our shores this week. Made for just US$6M it has so far grossed US$9M and also stars Joan Allen, William H. Macy, and young Jacob Tremblay who is also receiving much awards attention as the young son to Brie Larson's mother character.

SPOTLIGHT (Rated M) - Directed by Tom McCarthy this film has an all star cast and tells the true story of the real 'Spotlight' Team who in 2001 working for The Boston Globe on a long term investigative journalism piece, uncover multiple child sex abuse allegations within the Catholic Church within the greater Boston area, and which has been going on for many many years. What they also uncover is that these activities have been going on under the full knowledge of the city's higher echelons of power, and that Catholic Priest offenders were allowed to re-offend. A slow burn investigative journalism offering that will piece together like a jigsaw puzzle in the end, but the fun is getting there in the first place! Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup and Rachel McAdams this film is in the running for six Oscars and has already picked up 79 award wins and another 105 nominations. Made for US$20M it has so far taken US$34M, and judging by the accolades bestowed up it, this is another to add to your must-see list!

LOOKING FOR GRACE (Rated M) - this little Australian family drama is Directed and Written by Sue Brooks and released on Australian Day (26th January) it clearly has the intention of attracting some home spun family drama from beneath the family barbecue. When teenage daughter Grace (Odessa Young) goes missing with Dad's cash savings so Mum Denise (Radha Mitchell) and Dad Dan (Richard Roxburgh) go in search of her but along lifes winding roads the journey reveals more about inner secrets than perhaps should be brought to the fore, given the circumstances!

That's it for this week, but of course there is also a whole heap of other great film content still out on general release and as either Reviewed or Previewed between these pages.  Do your bit and get out there to see a movie this week, and support the film industry in the process.

See you at the movies.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-