Birthday's to share this week : 17th - 23rd December 2017.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Katheryn Winnick does on 17th December - check out my tribute to this Actress Birthday Girl turning 40, 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 17th December

• Sarah Paulson - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actress | Singer
• Milla Jovovich - Born 1975, turns 42 - Actress | Singer | Songwriter
• Katheryn Winnick - Born 1977, turns 40 - Actress
• Armin Mueller-Stahl - Born 1930, turns 87 - Actor | Writer | Director
• Bernard Hill - Born 1944, turns 73 - Actor 
• Eugene Levy - Born 1946, turns 71 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer | Songwriter
• Bill Pullman - Born 1953, turns 64 - Actor | Director | Producer 
• Peter Farrelly - Born 1956, turns 61 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Rian Johnson - Born 1973, turns 44 - Director | Writer | Editor 
• Giovanni Ribisi - Born 1974, turns 43 - Actor | Producer

Monday 18th December

• Keith Richards - Born 1943, turns 74 - Songwriter | Singer | Musician | Composer | Actor
• Steven Spielberg - Born 1946, turns 71 - Producer | Director | Writer | Actor
• Ray Liotta - Born 1954, turns 63 - Actor | Producer
• Brad Pitt - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actor | Producer 
• Steve Austin - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Producer
• Robson Green - Born 1964, turns 53 - Actor | Producer 
• Casper Van Dien - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Rachel Griffiths - Born 1968, turns 49 - Actress | Director | Producer | Writer
• Katie Holmes - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actress | Producer | Director | Singer

Tuesday 19th December

• Jennifer Beals - Born 1963, turns 54 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Jake Gyllenhaal - Born 1980, turns 37 - Actor | Producer  

Wednesday 20th December

• Todd Phillips - Born 1970, turns 47 - Producer | Director | Writer | Actor | Songwriter
• Jonah Hill - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director
• Jenny Agutter - Born 1952, turns 65 - Actress   

Thursday 21st December

• Jane Fonda - Born 1937, turns 80 - Actress | Producer
• Julie Delpy - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actress | Writer | Director | Producer | Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Editor
• Samuel L. Jackson - Born 1948, turns 69 - Actor | Producer | Singer 
• Ray Romano - Born 1957, turns 60 - Actor | Writer | Producer 
• Kiefer Sutherland - Born 1966, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Steven Yuen - Born 1983, turns 34 - Actor 

Friday 22nd December

• Hector Elizondo - Born 1936, turns 81 - Actor | Producer
• Ralph Fiennes - Born 1962, turns 55 - Actor | Director | Producer | Singer
• Vanessa Paradis - Born 1972, turns  45 - Actress | Singer 

Saturday 23rd December

• Estella Warren - Born 1978, turns 39 - Actress
• Nick Moran - Born 1969, turns 48 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director 

Katerena Anna Vinitska (aka Katheryn Winnick) was born in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada (now part of the greater City of Toronto). She is of Ukrainian descent and spoke Ukrainian as her first language at home until she was eight years of age, before speaking English. From the age of seven she began training in martial arts, and by the time she turned thirteen she had already attained her first black belt. She opened her first martial arts studio at the age of sixteen, and by the time she was 21 she had opened two others - one in Toronto and the other in New York. She holds a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo and a second-degree black belt in Karate, and is also a licensed bodyguard. She was kicked out of Summer Camp when she was fourteen for reckless behaviour, and clearly needing something to vent her anger and frustration at the world, so she turned wholesale to martial arts ultimately winning silver at the Canadian National Taekwondo finals. She studied at the York University in Toronto, and then acting at New York's William Esper Studio before actively pursuing an acting career initially in New York and then Los Angeles. 

Winnick gained her television debut on an episode of 'PSI Factor : Chronicles of the Paranormal' in 1999 and then on five episodes of high school television series 'Student Bodies' and a single episode of Tia Carrere's television series 'Relic Hunter' that same year too. Winnick secured her first film role in the 2001 Sci-Fi horror mystery offering 'Biohazardous' and 'Smoking Herb' the following year together with mystery drama thriller 'Fabled' and 'Two Weeks Notice' with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. Crime drama 'What Alice Found' was released in 2003, then '50 First Dates' with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and then horror crime film 'Satan's Little Helper' in 2004 and 'Going the Distance' also that year. In between time there were one off appearances on television shows including 'Oz', '1-800-Missing', 'Wild Card' and 'CSI : Miami'.

In 2005 Winnick played Ivana Trump in the biographical drama film 'Trump Unauthorised' (if only she knew then what she knows now!!), then the straight to video horror offering 'Hellraiser : Hellworld', the made for television movie '13 Graves', then the sport comedy 'Cloud 9' with Burt Reynolds and the RomCom 'Failure to Launch' with Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. 'Kiss Me Again', 'Tipping Point', horror thriller 'Amusement' and 'Cold Souls' with Paul Giamatti saw out the decade. Meanwhile there had been further appearances on television shows including 'Criminal Minds', 'House', ' Law & Order' and 'CSI : Crime Scene Investigation'. 

'Tranced', action RomCom 'Killers', 'Radio Free Albemuth', Edward Zwick's 'Love & Other Drugs' with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway and the 48 minute short film 'Night and Day' were all released in 2010. The following year saw crime horror drama 'Choose' with Kevin Pollack and Bruce Dern, then 'Bat $#*! Crazy' and 'Stand Up Guys' with Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin and then Roman Coppola's 'A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III' with Charlie Sheen, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. 'The Art of the Steal' with Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon and Jay Baruchel came along in 2013 and in the meantime there had been more regular TV work on seven episodes of 'Bones', and ' The Glades', 'Nikita', and 'Transporter : The Series'.

In 2013 she starred in the History Channel's acclaimed television series 'Vikings' in so far fifty two episodes spanning now six seasons as Lagertha who according to legend was a Viking shieldmaiden and ruler from what is now Norway and the onetime wife of famous Viking Ragnar Lodbrok played in the series by Travis Fimmel. Over the years this series has been nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards and has amassed a total 22 wins and 75 nominations so far. Winnick has herself been nominated six times for her portrayal of Lagertha, and it has been reported that her role as Lagertha 'may be the most exciting feminist character on TV'.

Whilst filming episodes of 'Vikings' Winnick also appeared in a single episode of 'Person of Interest', the twelve minute short film 'Stripped' in 2016, and the Stephen King adapted 'The Dark Tower' earlier this year with Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba which went on to gross US$112M at the Box Office from its US$60M budget outlay despite its generally negative Reviews. Next up for Winnick is crime drama 'Speed Kills' with John Travolta, Matthew Modine, Kellan Lutz, James Remar and Jennifer Esposito, and she lent her voice to the cast of video game 'Call of Duty : WWII' recently released.

All up Winnick has sixty Acting credits to her name and she has so far garnered two award wins and another seven nominations. In 2009 she was selected by Vanity Fair magazine to appear in the high-profile and very selective 'Vanities' section, and in 2015 Winnick was named brand ambassador for luxury Swiss watch maker Raymond Weil, and in 2016 the face of their feminine Shine Collection.

Katheryn Winnick - a self confessed 'tom-boy'; the literal translation of her name in Ukrainian is 'winemaker'; has served her time in horror films, straight to video productions, one off television appearances and has risen to prominence with 'Vikings'; has worked with some big name Hollywood heavy hitters; has the talent, the brains and the beauty and is definitely on the up and up. Happy 40th Birthday to you Katheryn, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE DARK TOWER : Friday 18th August 2017.

'THE DARK TOWER' which I saw late last week started life way back in 1982 when prolific American author Stephen King first penned the initial book in a series of eight books titled 'The Dark Tower : The Gunslinger'. The series incorporates themes from a multitude of genres, including dark fantasy, science fantasy, horror, and Western. It describes a titular 'gunslinger' and his journey to protect the Dark Tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical and which supports all realities. King's series was written over the ensuing years with the last instalment appearing in 2012. The series, and its use of the Dark Tower, expands upon Stephen King's multiverse and in so doing, brings together many of his other works. In addition to the eight novels of the series, many of King's other books relate to the story, introducing concepts and characters that come into being as the series continues. There have been various formats developed over the years to the series including comic books, audio books, an online game, talk of a television series and now a major film adaptation that has been on again off again since 2007 when J.J. Abrams was connected to the film for a number of years before handing over the baton to Ron Howard. In 2015 Danish Director Nikolaj Arcel was hired to helm the film that we have today. Costing US$60M to make, the film was released Stateside in early August to generally poor press having so far recouped US$72M.

Here then we have eleven year old lad Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) living in New York City and experiencing repetitive nightmares of an old West style gunslinger, a man dressed in black and a tall tower. He commits his visions to pencil drawings depicting in some detail what he sees when he sleeps. At the same time as his visions occur NYC, and indeed others parts of the world, experience earthquakes and severe tremors that are occurring more frequently and with greater impact. Jake's mother Laurie (Katheryn Winnick), her live in boyfriend and Jake's psychiatrist dismiss his visions as simple dreams resulting from the death of his father a year or so ago now. This irks Jake that no one will take him seriously, and his ramblings about strange figures and another world equally irks his mother who is becoming less and less tolerant of his behaviour.

One day, at his apartment home a pair of workers from a specialist psychiatric centre appear offering to take Jake for treatment over the course of one weekend. His mother is all in favour of this as a last resort, after all, what harm can it do, and he'll be in the care of professional experts. Jake quickly realises however, that something is not quite right with the pair, recognising their kind from his visions as monsters wearing human skin to disguise themselves, and by their hand gestures. He flees the apartment with the two giving chase but manages to evade them on the busy city streets. Meanwhile he traces a ramshackle old house he saw in his visions, as having some important meaning and heads there believing it to be connected in some way, but he knows not how or why. He gains access to the boarded up old house, and discovers a digital key pad mounted on the wall. He punches in a number, 19-19, which he also saw in his visions, and a portal opens up with destination Mid-World - a post-apocalyptic place.

He reluctantly steps into the portal and emerges out the other side in a desert wasteland. The portal closes behind him. He walks and walks eventually coming across a Gunslinger, Roland Deschain (Idris Elba) who is initially wary of young Jake believing him to have been sent by the 'Man in Black'. Jake shows him a picture of a pencil drawing he made of the Gunslinger from his visions, as well as others. This appeases Roland, who agrees to let Jake travel with him to a village where his visions and his drawings can be interpreted by a seer. As the two get to know each other it emerges that the Gunslinger has made it his life's mission to chase down and kill Walter Padick, the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), also appearing in Jake's visions, for killing his father Steven (Dennis Haysbert). Roland explains to Jake that Walter has been abducting young psychic children to harness their powers to destroy the Dark Tower - a tall monolithic structure that is at the very centre of the universe that connects all worlds and realities. By destroying it, this will allow the monsters from the dark outside to gain access and ultimately destroy reality. Walter has had some success with direct hits on the Dark Tower explaining the earthquakes and tremors felt on Earth. What occurs in one world is echoed in the adjoining worlds!

Roland and Jake arrive at the village and meet with the most powerful seer there who warns Jake that his 'shine' (his psychic ability) is so powerful that he needs to control it, otherwise it acts like a beacon which will enable Walter to track him. Meanwhile Walter has visited Earth to learn from the two undercover specialist psychiatric centre abductors how they were thwarted by an eleven year old, and to learn of his whereabouts. He ends up at Jake's apartment, and quickly dispenses with Laurie's boyfriend and then interrogates her to determine Jake's last known whereabouts by reading her mind. Then he dispenses with her too. Walter visits the house where the portal is located that allowed Jake to access Mid-World, and deduces that the boy is there, and is with the Gunslinger. He has also come to realise that Jake's psychic abilities are so powerful that he can single handedly destroy the Dark Tower.

Back in the village the seer explains that Walters base of Earth operations is in New York City, and to gain access to Walter in Mid-World it is easiest and quickest to do so via a portal there, or travel on foot across Mid-World - a journey taking six months. There is a portal in the village which has not been fired up for some time, and in doing so is likely to alert Walter, but they have no choice. Walter sends in his minions to capture Jake, but Roland almost single handedly dispenses with them all, so allowing the pair to successfully step through the portal to Earth and New York City. Jake returns to his apartment home to check up on his mother and her boyfriend, only to find them both dead. Roland comforts a distraught Jake vowing vengeance. He teaches Jake the Gunslingers creed and how to handle a gun - 'I do not aim with my hand … I aim with my eye. I do not shoot with my hand … I shoot with my mind. I do not kill with my gun … I kill with my heart'.

Ready to do battle with the Man in Black and confront him once and for all, Roland stockpiles up on a necessary haul of bullets, which are in short supply on Mid-World but ever plentiful on Earth. In the gun store Walter appears and captures Jake, taking him through a portal straight to his base on Mid-World. There he straps Jake to a chair to harness his psychic powers to bring down the Dark Tower.

Meanwhile back on Earth, Roland goes head to head with Walter's henchmen led by Sayre (Jackie Earle Haley) who prove to be no match for the well seasoned Gunslinger. Jake, in the meantime is able to use his psychic powers, despite his predicament, to convey a message back to Roland alerting him of his whereabouts.

Walter uses the portal to transport himself back to his base in New York City where Roland has just finished 'tidying up', with the intention of dispensing with the Gunslinger in a final face off. The two are evenly matched but in the end Walter wounds Roland, and as he lay on the ground, his guns just beyond reach and now defenceless, Jake sends a psychic message to Roland reminding him of the Gunslingers Creed. This is enough for Roland to muster his strength, and using a trick shot, takes out Walter with a couple of bullets, the final blow striking him dead centre in the forehead. Dead! With the portal remaining open Roland destroys the machine to which Jake was harnessed, allowing Jake to make a narrow escape through the portal before it is closed.

And so the Dark Tower remains intact, and life on Earth can carry on as it has. With Roland and Jake chowing down on a hot dog - the concept of which Roland doesn't quite understand, the Gunslinger announces that he must return to Mid-World. Jake is disheartened by this news, but Roland then speaks up inviting Jake to join him as his companion, after all, he has no reason now to stay on Earth. Jake smiles, and accepts the offer. They disappear into a nondescript building, in which is a portal through which they transport themselves back to Mid-World.

'The Dark Tower' has come in for some fairly scathing Reviews from both fans and critics alike, largely expecting a more faithful adaptation of the source material, rather than the film being Hollywoodised. That said, unlike the legions of all knowing fans, I have not read any of Stephen King's Dark Tower series of novels, and so the film represents a whole new experience for me and an introduction to the series that may well become a franchise. At about ninety minutes running time, this film does not outstay its welcome. It moves along at a brisk pace and maintains the interest throughout. Both Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey are top notch in their respective roles, and I found the storyline to be cohesive, easy to follow, but little that we haven't seen before. What was lacking for me was some back story about Jake, Roland, Walter and the Dark Tower itself especially - how they came to be, their motivations, what drives them and what is it about the Dark Tower that makes one want to protect it with all his being, and the other destroy it with all his being? King's novels have been adapted to the big screen with mixed results for over thirty years now, and this just adds another notch to the Gunslingers holster. It is neither a great film nor a bad one, it has some redeeming features, and if a sequel does follow together with the planned television series then perhaps there is life in the franchise yet. You don't need to see this on the big screen, and can easily wait for the BluRay or download.

 -Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 17th August 2017.

Back in 1989, the then 26 year old American movie Producer, Director, Writer, Cinematographer and Editor Steven Soderbergh became the youngest filmmaker to take out the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival with his feature film debut 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' - and thereupon almost single handedly changed the face of independent cinema forever. Since then he has amassed a portfolio of feature films, short films and television series credits that amount to 43 Producer credits, 41 as Director, 26 as Cinematographer, nineteen as Editor and ten as Writer. He has also garnered 29 award wins and another 79 nominations, including a Best Director Academy Award for 2000's 'Traffic'. In 2013 Soderbergh announced in several interviews his intention to transition out of feature film making around about the time of his fiftieth birthday, because of the obstacles that filmmakers face in the current corporate Hollywood environment that he no longer could subscribe to. In early 2016 Soderbergh stated that he was coming out of self imposed retirement to Direct his NASCAR heist film 'Logan Lucky' (Previewed below) and that the film would be produced entirely by his own doing with no studio involved in anything other than theatrical distribution.

Below is a quick snapshot of some of Soderbergh's credits amassed so far throughout his prolific and illustrious career :-
 * 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' - released in 1989 - Director, Writer, Editor - starring James Spader and Andie McDowell.
* 'Schizopolis' - released in 1996 - Director, Writer, Editor, Cinematographer, Actor - starring Steven Soderbergh and Betsy Brantley.
* 'Out of Sight' - released in 1998 - Director - starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez.
* 'The Limey' - released in 1999 - Director - starring Terence Stamp and Lesley Anne Warren.
* 'Erin Brockovich' - released in 2000 - Director - starring Julia Roberts and Albert Finney.
* 'Traffic' - released in 2000 - Director and Cinematographer - starring Michael Douglas and Benicio del Toro.
* 'Ocean's Eleven' - released in 2001 - Director - starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon (and an ensemble supporting cast).
* 'Solaris' - released in 2002 - Director, Writer, Editor and Cinematographer - starring George Clooney and Natascha McElhone.
* 'Ocean's Twelve' - released in 2004 - Director and Cinematographer - starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon (and an ensemble supporting cast).
* 'Bubble' - released in 2005 - Director, Cinematographer, Editor - starring a cast of non-professional actors.
* 'The Good German' - released in 2006 - Director, Cinematographer and Editor - starring George Clooney and Cate Blanchett.
* 'Ocean's Thirteen' - released in 2007 - Director and Cinematographer - starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon (and an ensemble supporting cast).
* 'Che' - released in 2008 - Director and Cinematographer - starring Benicio del Toro and Demian Bichir.
* 'The Girlfriend Experience' - released in 2009 - Director, Editor and Cinematographer - starring Sasha Grey.
* 'The Informant' - released in 2009 - Director and Cinematographer - starring Matt Damon and Scott Bakula.
* 'Contagion' - released in 2011 - Director and Cinematographer - starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Marion Cotillard.
* 'Haywire' - released in 2011- Director, Editor and Cinematographer - starring Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, and Ewan McGregor.
* 'Magic Mike' - released in 2012 - Director, Editor and Cinematographer - starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer and Matthew McConaughey.
* 'Side Effects' - released in 2013 - Director, Editor and Cinematographer - starring Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Rooney Mara and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
* 'Behind the Candelabra' - released in 2013 - Director, Editor and Cinematographer - starring Matt Damon and Michael Douglas.
* 'Magic Mike XXL' - released in 2015 - Editor and Cinematographer - starring Channing Tatum, Andie McDowell and Jada Pinkett Smith.
* 'Logan Lucky' - released in 2017 - Director, Editor and Cinematographer - starring Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and Daniel Craig.
* 'Mosaic' - to be released later in 2017 - Director - starring Garrett Hedlund and Sharon Stone.
* 'Unsane' - to be released in 2018 - Director, Editor and Cinematographer - starring Claire Foy and Juno Temple.
* and finally, Producer credits only on 'Pleasantville' (1998); 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind', 'Insomnia', 'Welcome to Collinwood' and 'Naqoyqatsi' (all 2002); 'Keane' (2004); 'Syriana', 'Good Night, and Good Luck', 'The Jacket' and 'Rumour Has It ...' (all 2005); 'Pu-239' and 'A Scanner Darkly' (all 2006); 'I'm Not There', 'Michael Collins' and 'Wind Chill' (all 2007); 'Playground' and 'A Solitary Man' (all 2009); 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' (2011); 'Citizenfour' and 'Da Sweet Blood of Jesus' (all 2014), and upcoming 'Ocean's Eight' (2018).

This week we have four new cinematic releases coming to an Odeon near you. We kick off with the big screen adaptation of an epic series of science fantasy novels by a prolific American author combing a modern day city with a parallel old West universe and a monolithic structure that guides them all. We then move to a heist movie of everyday down on their luck folk, looking for a reversal of fortune when an opportunity presents itself. Next up is a French dinner comedy drama that sees a well meaning host and an interloping guest both get more than they bargained for out of this dining experience, before rounding out with an English RomCom based loosely on a true story of a long established squatter, property developers and an American widow who comes to the aid of the squatter in more ways than one.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four new releases as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are here invited to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and meanwhile, enjoy your cinematic experience during the coming week.

'THE DARK TOWER' (Rated M) - this film started life way back in 1982 when prolific American author Stephen King first penned the initial book in a series of eight books titled 'The Dark Tower : The Gunslinger'. The series incorporates themes from a multitude of genres, including dark fantasy, science fantasy, horror, and Western. It describes a titular 'gunslinger' and his journey to protect the Dark Tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical and which supports all realities. King's series was written over the ensuing years with the last instalment appearing in 2012. The series, and its use of the Dark Tower, expands upon Stephen King's multiverse and in so doing, brings together many of his other works. In addition to the eight novels of the series, many of King's other books relate to the story, introducing concepts and characters that come into being as the series continues. There have been various formats developed over the years to the series including comic books, audio books, an online game, talk of a television series and now a major film adaptation that has been on again off again since 2007 when J.J. Abrams was connected to the film for a number of years before handing over the baton to Ron Howard. In 2015 Danish Director Nikolaj Arcel was hired to helm the film that we have today. Costing US$60M to make, the film was released Stateside in early August to generally poor press having so far recouped US$55M.

Here then we  have Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, who is locked in an age old battle with Walter O'Dim (aka The Man in Black) (Matthew McConaughey). The Gunslinger must prevent the Man in Black from destroying the Dark Tower, the key that holds the universe together, and does so with the aid of eleven year old lad named Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) who has had vision of a gunslinger and a man dressed in black. Jake discovers an abandoned house as seen in one of his visions in which he comes across a portal to another dimension - the post-apocalyptic Mid-World, and stepping through it encounters the last gunslinger who is pursuing the Man in Black who has been abducting children with psychic powers to harness their collective power to destroy the Dark Tower. Taking place in modern day New York City and the old West styled parallel universe, the fate of two worlds is at stake, leading the two men to go head to head and toe to toe in the ultimate battle of good versus evil. Also starring Jackie Earle Haley and Denis Haysbert.

'LOGAN LUCKY' (Rated M) - 'Behind the Candelabra' (the dramatisation of the last ten years in the life of Liberace starring Matt Damon and Michael Douglas as released in 2013) was intended to be Steven Soderbergh's last film as a Director, but here he has been coaxed out of self imposed 'retirement' by a script that he noted was an 'anti-glam version of an Ocean's movie where nobody dresses nice. Nobody has nice stuff. They have no money. They have no technology. It's all rubber band technology'! And so having amassed an ensemble cast, here Soderbergh has crafted a film (on which he is Director, Cinematographer and Editor) that has met with widespread critical acclaim. Here, West Virginian siblings Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum), sister Mellie (Riley Keough), and one armed brother Clyde (Adam Driver) set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina during Memorial Day weekend, and at the same time dispel an apparent curse on the family that saw Jimmy lose out a career as a major league football star thanks to a leg injury, and Clyde lose an arm during the Iraq War. Jimmy also enlists demolition and safe cracking expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) who they need to break out of prison to help them break into the track's underground cash retrieval system. Complications arise, however, when a mix-up forces the crew to pull off the heist during a popular NASCAR race while also trying to dodge a relentless FBI agent. Also starring Seth MacFarlane, Dwight Yoakham, Sebastian Stan, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank and Katherine Waterston. The film is released in the US this week too.

'MADAME' (Rated M) - this French Produced comedy drama is Written and Directed by French novelist, playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker Amanda Sthers. Here well networked and wealthy American couple Bob (Harvey Keitel) and Anne (Toni Collette) who live in a Paris mansion, decide to spice up their marriage a little by hosting a lavish dinner party for a small select gathering of their sophisticated international friends. Inviting ten guests to the party, Bob and Anne's son arrives home unexpectedly meaning now there will be thirteen people sat around the dinner table. Anne is superstitious, and so she asks her maid Maria (Rossy de Palma) to masquerade as a wealthy Spanish socialite and join the table for dinner so bringing the numbers up to a much more acceptable fourteen. Over the course of the evening, and with a few wines consumed Maria endears herself to a British art broker, David (Michael Smiley). This emerging romance will see Anne chasing Maria all over Paris while secretly devising a plot to undo this budding love affair.

'HAMPSTEAD' (Rated PG) - this RomCom is Directed by Joel Hopkins and is based on the real life story of one Harry Hallowes who in 2007 assumed squatters rights to a patch of English ground in the trendy and wealthy London suburb of Hampstead, on the Heath, where during his squat he even managed to legally dispense with a bunch of property developers from his makeshift camp and home. Here Harry is portrayed as Donald Horner (Brendan Gleeson) as a man living a frugal, yet contented life in the grounds of a long redundant hospital, quietly going about his own business unencumbered by all the trappings of modern society for the past seventeen years. Enter windowed American girl Emily Walters (Diane Keaton) a financially and socially struggling ex-pat who lends support in the most unexpected of ways when Donald is faced with eviction at the hands of developers who need his land. Also starring Lesley Manville, Simon Callow and James Norton, this film has so far garnered lacklustre Reviews.

With four new releases this week to tempt you out on a cool Winter evening, ranging from science fantasy Western, to down on their luck small time heist offering to a French dinner comedy drama to a RomCom set in a squat in a well to do London suburb, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-