Birthday's to share this week : 8th-14th May 2016

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Domhnall Gleeson does on 12th May - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 33, 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 8th May

• David Attenborough - Born 1926, turns 90 - Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Conservationist
• Michel Gondry - Born 1963, turns 53 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Melissa Gilbert - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actress

Monday 9th May

• Glenda Jackson - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actress | Politician
• Candice Bergen - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actress | Producer
• Rosario Dawson - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actress | Producer
• Albert Finney - Born 1936, turns 80 - Actor | Producer
• James L. Brooks - Born 1940, turns 76 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Allan Bennett - Born 1934, turns 82 - Writer | Producer | Actor  

Tuesday 10th May

• Bono - Born 1960, turns 56 - Singer | Songwriter | Composer | Producer | Actor
• Maureen Lipman - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actress
• Meg Foster - Born 1948, turns 68 - Actress  

Wednesday 11th May

• Holly Valance - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actress
• Frances Fisher - Born 1952, turns 64 - Actress
• Tim Blake Nelson - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director  

Thursday 12th May

• Gavin Hood - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Jason Biggs - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Producer
• Domhnall Gleeson - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actor | Writer
• Emilio Estevez - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Gabriel Byrne - Born 1950, turns 66 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• Stephen Baldwin - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Ving Rhames - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer
• Emily VanCamp - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actress  

Friday 13th May

• Zoe Wanamaker - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actress
• Robert Pattinson - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actor | Producer
• Harvey Keitel - Born 1939, turns 77 - Actor | Producer
• Joe Johnston - Born 1950, turns 66 - Director | Producer
• Tim Pigott-Smith - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor
• Stephen Colbert - Born 1964, turns 52 - Television Personality | Writer | Producer | Actor  

Saturday 14th May

• Tim Roth - Born 1961, turns 55 - Actor | Producer | Director
• George Lucas - Born 1944, turns 72 - Writer | Producer | Director | Editor
• Robert Zemeckis - Born 1952, turns 64 - Writer | Producer | Director
• Danny Huston - born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Director
• Cate Blanchett - Born 1969, turns 47 - Actress | Producer | Director
• Sofia Coppola - Born 1971, turns 45 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actress

Domhnall Gleeson was born in Dublin, Ireland, to mother Mary Weldon and Actor father Brendan Gleeson. He is the eldest of four sons - the others being Fergus, Ruairi and Brian, also an Actor. He attended Malahide Community School - a co-educational school located in Malahide, County Dublin and subsequently graduated from the Dublin Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Media Arts.

After graduating Gleeson started to Write and Direct screenplays for films and plays for the stage. In 2001 he gained his small screen debut in the mini-series 'Rebel Heart' - the story of Ireland moving towards independence following the Easter Uprising of 1916 through to Civil War in 1922. Next up he gained a part in the short film 'Six Shooter' which won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. His feature length debut came in 2005 with a small part in teen zombie comedy horror 'Boys Eats Girl'. That same year he appeared in three episodes of the Irish television series 'The Last Furlong', with 'Studs' a year later in which Gleeson Jnr. starred for the first time with Gleeson Snr.

He then spent a couple of years treading the boards in a Charles Dickens adaptation of 'Great Expectations' at Dublin's 'The Gate Theatre', and 'American Buffalo' at the same playhouse that year. Gleeson also starred in the Broadway play 'The Lieutenant of Inishmore' for which he received a Tony Award nomination. In 2008 he starred with Jeff Bridges in television movie 'A Dog Year' and also 'Perrier's Bounty' - a Dublin set crime thriller starring Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Gabriel Byrne and Jim Broadbent.

After comedy sketch show in which Gleeson played various roles over six episodes on 'Your Bad Self', there came 'Never Let Me Go' written for the screen by Alex Garland, Directed by Mark Romanek, and starring Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Charlotte Rampling.  Whilst the film failed to recover its budget outlay, it was hailed a critical success. That same year came the chance to work with the Coen Brothers on 'True Grit' with Jeff Bridges once again and Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, J.K.Simmons, Barry Pepper and the young Haileee Steinfeld. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, eight BAFTA's and two SAG Awards. Also in 2010, was 'Sensation' and his first outing as Bill Weasley in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 1' with 'Pt. 2' following up a year later.

Sci-Fi actioner 'Dredd' followed in 2012 with Karl Urban in the title role as the judge, jury and executioner based on the comic book 'Judge Dredd'. This was followed up by polar opposite 'Anna Karenina' as Directed by Joe Wright with Jude Law, Keira Knightly once again, Alicia Vikander and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The film won an Academy Award and a BAFTA for Best Costume Design and a further 27 wins and 52 other nominations. 'Shadow Dancer' was up next with James Marsh at the helm and starring Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson and Andrea Riseborough in this early 90's Belfast set drama.

The Romantic dramedy 'About Time' followed in 2013 as Directed by Richard Curtis with Bill Nighy, Rachael McAdams and Margot Robbie. It made US$87M off its US$12M budget.

In 2014 there was 'Frank' with Michael Fassbender, Scoot McNairy and Maggie Gyllenhaal, then 'Calvary' with Brendan Gleeson again, Chris O'Dowd, Dylan Moran, Aidan Gillan and Kelly Reilly. War time survival story 'Unbroken' for Director/Producer Angelina Jolie followed starring Jack O'Connell, Jai Courtney and Garret Hedlund. The film was a critical and commercial success bringing in US$163M and picking up thirteen award wins and 27 other nominations from around the circuit.

2015 saw 'Ex-Machina' for Director Alex Garland with Alicia Vikander again and Oscar Isaac, with 'Brooklyn' and Saoirse Ronan, Jim Broadbent once more and Julie Walters.  Next up came the much hyped and eagerly awaited 'Star Wars : The Force Awakens' in which Gleeson starred as General Hux - the ruthless First Order Starkiller Base Commander - hugely successful that really needs nothing else said about it! And then there was this years 'The Revenant' with Leonard DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Will Poulter for Director Alejandro G. Inarritu - also hugely successful more critically than commercially but still bringing in a very tidy US$527M in Box Office receipts so far before even hitting the home entertainment market which it does from later this month.


Next up for Gleeson is 'Crash Pad' due later this year with Christina Applegate and Thomas Haden Church, 'Mena' in post-production for 2017 with Tom Cruise and Jesse Plemmons as Directed by Doug Liman, 'A Futile and Stupid Gesture' with Seth Green and Will Forte currently filming and 'Star Wars : Episode VIII' also filming.







All up Gleeson has 35 acting credits, five award wins and another nine nominations. In 2015 every film he appeared in received multiple Academy Award nominations, and he has appeared in three films nominated for Best Picture - 'True Grit', 'Brooklyn' and 'The Revenant'.  With his father and brother Brian he co-founded the 'Immaturity for Charity' sketches which the three star in to raise funds for St. Francis Hospice in Dublin.

Domhnall Gleeson - like father like son; Director and Writer of several short films; you could say almost Irish royalty; and clearly increasingly sought after with an impressive recent track record and more great stuff in the pipeline - Happy 33rd Birthday Domhnall from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE REVENANT : Tuesday 26th January 2016.

I finally got around to see the much talked about 'THE REVENANT' earlier this week, and was not disappointed given the attention that this film has so far garnered. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Produced and Written for the screen by him too and based loosely on the book of the same name by Michael Punke, this is an epic early Western film the like of which we have not seen before. Filmed in some of the wildest country known to man across Canada, the USA and Argentina with a budget that started off at US$60M that rose to US$95M and ended at US$135M and certainly not without its location, weather, crew and filming challenges. But for all of that Inarritu's has delivered a master stroke of film making using inhospitable but beautiful locations, expertly shot by lensman Emmanuel Lubezki using mostly only natural light, and delivering two outstanding performances from the lead actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy especially. Released on 25th December in time to qualify for the upcoming Academy Awards, the film has so far grossed US$225M and has secured twelve Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production, Costume, Make-Up & Hair, Sound Mixing and Editing and Visual Effects. Similarly it is up for eight BAFTA Awards and it walked away with three Golden Globe wins for Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Actor.

And so to the story. Set in the early 1820's and based on the experiences of expert fur trapper and frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) who in the harsh lands of Montana and South Dakota lead a group of men to secure prized animal pelts for sale at a high price. Hunting in the harshest of lands Glass and his men, that include John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy); Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) as Captain of the hunting party; Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) as a younger trapper; and Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) as Glass' young adult half-Indian son; must battle the toughest terrain, not to be trusted French soldiers, not to be trusted work colleagues, blood thirsty native Indians, ever changing weather conditions, and fierce animals that can either hunt or be hunted. Definitely not for the faint hearted, and Inarritu and Lubezki capture this beautiful, bleak and foreboding landscape and all its dangers with a deft touch that is richly rewarding, technically brilliant and totally consuming.

Early on when the hunting party are unexpectedly and savagely attacked by Arikara Indians, the trappers flee by boat but not before many deaths, and the loss of many pelts. With what's left they abandon the boat downstream to hide the remaining valuable pelts for fear of further attacks, and with less to carry over the mountains on foot their journey back to Fort Kiowa will be easier and faster. With only ten men left now out of an original group of 40+, the men make camp for the night. Waking early the next morning Glass wanders off into the woods alone and is mauled by a fully grown grizzly bear protecting its cubs. Not once, but twice, in a scene that is so raw and savage that it will have you on the edge of you seat as you contort and grimace as every bone crunching, flesh shredding, blood letting frame that leaves Glass alive . . . but only just!

Unable to speak, stand, and barely move with his life seemingly ebbing away he is recovered by the remaining group who commit to get Glass back to the fort and so rig up a makeshift stretcher. Fitzgerald though believes that Glass is so close to death that they should end his pain & suffering there, but he is over ruled by the others and Henry who offers up a cash reward for those that stay behind until Glass perishes and then bury him properly. With cash on offer Fitzgerald and Bridger offer to stay behind, accompanied by Glass' dutiful son, Hawk.

Ultimately what unfolds is that Fitzgerald kills Hawk whilst Bridger is out of sight, and this is witnessed by Glass who is powerless to do anything about it. Believing that Glass is near death, Fitzgerald convinces Bridger that Hawk has succumbed to an Indian attack and that they should leave Glass behind and return to the Fort, tell Henry they did the right thing by Glass and claim their cash reward. And so they do, turning their back on Glass who is dragged into a shallow ditch despite his life threatening injuries and covered with damp soil . . . to die!

The film plays out with Fitzgerald and Bridger making their way on foot across the harsh Winter terrain back to Fort Kiowa, as Glass hauls himself out of his shallow grave and drags himself to safety for fear of further Indian attacks. As time progresses Glass does recover slowly but surely, and with a dogged determination to exact out his revenge on Fitzgerald. Hungry, thirsty, nursing open wounds and unable to walk Winter is closing in as he reaches a river, and to escape Indians on his trail he floats down the rapids to safety for the time being. He encounters danger and hostile conditions almost every step of the way but as the weeks pass his health begins to improve, he can stand on two feet, but his wounds are still gaping. He crosses paths with a friendly Pawnee Indian who shares a recently killed bison with him and they travel together with the Pawnee helping nurse Glass back to health as best as he can and provide shelter from the worsening Winter weather.

Glass must endure further hardships and set backs at the hands of French soldiers, marauding Arikara Indians again, and freezing temperatures as he continues his journey south. By now Fitzgerald and Bridger have arrived at Fort Kiowa, spin their story to Henry and take their cash reward. As more weeks pass Glass continues south on foot having lost his horse in a spectacular cliff fall that leaves the horse dead, but still with purpose for Glass who needs to find shelter and warmth from the bitter cold and snow storm closing in.

In time Glass makes it on foot to the Fort and so the truth will out . . . by which time Fitzgerald has made off with his money and that held in the Fort's strong box, and now believed to be heading to Texas to enlist. Glass and Henry give chase and it all comes to an end in a bitter hand to hand fight down beside a snow covered riverbank.

DiCaprio immerses himself in the role and plays his character with such conviction that if  he doesn't win the Best Actor Oscar at the upcoming Awards then he should give up his chosen career for something less challenging and demanding. You can tell that he put his heart and soul into the Hugh Glass character, and what he doesn't say on screen but what he portrays through his actions, mannerisms, pain, fear and emotion speak volumes louder. Tom Hardy is also thoroughly believable as the villain in the piece and is deserving too of his Supporting Actor nomination. All credit though must go to Alejando Gonzalez Inarritu for his vision for this story, the deeply committed performances he pulled out of his cast, the richness of the cinematography, and the rugged landscapes he used as the backdrop to this film despite the challenges endured by all, and the escalating budget.

Intense, uncompromising, raw, and beautiful, this is one of the best films of the year without doubt. Do yourself a favour and see it on the big screen and immerse yourself for 150 minutes in an accomplished piece of filmmaking on almost every level. For me the writing is already on the wall at the Academy Awards!

 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 7th January 2016.

The 73rd Golden Globe Awards will be announced at another lavish ceremony on 10th January at the Beverly Hilton Hotel hosted once more by Ricky Gervais. Up for grabs are a whole host of awards that for the eventual winners & grinners are often seen as a sure sign of success at the subsequent Oscar Ceremony to be held for the 88th time on 28th February. In the Best Film and Director categories this year the nominations for Best Film - Drama are : 'Mad Max : Fury Road', 'Room', 'Spotlight', 'Carol' and 'The Revenant'. Those nominated for Best Film - Musical or Comedy are : 'Trainwreck', 'Joy', 'Spy', 'The Martian' and 'The Big Short'; with Best Director going to one of the following : Todd Haynes for 'Carol', George Miller for 'Mad Max : Fury Road', Tom McCarthy for 'Spotlight', Ridley Scott for 'The Martian' and Alejandro Inarritu for 'The Revenant'. A number of these films only get there Australian release this month - those being 'The Revenant' as Previewed below on 7th January, with 'Carol' and 'The Big Short' on 14th and 'Room' and 'Spotlight' both on 28th. You can see the full list of nominees and hopefuls for all film and television categories at : goldenglobes.com

Turning then to this week there are just two new movies due for their Australian release - the first being a early American frontier story of survival and revenge from an accomplished Director and an acclaimed cast; and the second a sibling comedy with strong writing credentials and acting chemistry from the two female leads to ensure this finds an audience wanting to party!

And so, when you have seen any one of these films, or any one of the many top movies still out on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed previously amongst these pages, be sure to share your own views and opinions with your fellow readers by leaving your own critique in the Comments section below this or any other Post. Meanwhile, enjoy your movie.

THE REVENANT (Rated MA15+) - Acclaimed Director, Producer and Screenwriter Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is hoping to scoop his fourth Academy Award for this his seventh feature film after winning Best Motion Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for last years 'Birdman' as well as the astonishing other 94 award wins and 124 nominations he so far has under his belt. This film which had its Worldwide Premier on December 16th, a limited release on 25th December and its worldwide release this week has already garnered seventeen award wins and another 88 nominations, many of which are still pending. I think on this basis we are in for the first must see movie of 2016 without doubt. In the event that you didn't know already, Wikipedia describes a revenant as 'a visible ghost or animated corpse that was believed to return from the grave to terrorise the living'.

And so to this story which has its foundation on real events so we are told. Set way back in 1823 in the mid-west America, essentially this is a survival and revenge story after a group of hunters and trappers under the guidance of Captain Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson)  are brutally attacked and ambushed by Arikara Indians. Fleeing the fray fur trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is badly mauled by a Grizzly Bear and left for dead. As a result Glass's young son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), is killed by John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Fitzgerald concocts a story that neither Glass nor his son could be saved from the ravages of the wilderness, but when Glass does in fact survive so begins a trail of revenge on the man who killed his son that takes in over 300 kms of Canadian wilderness, the harshest of Winter conditions, unforgiving terrain, blood thirsty natives, untrustworthy colleagues, and French soldiers. Shot largely using natural light, and allegedly in chronological order for a US$135M budget this film is likely to be as tense, gripping, raw, jaw dropping and emotional as any as you'll likely to see this year.

SISTERS (Rated CTC) - Directed by Jason Moore, written by Paula Pell and starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler this comedy was made for US$30M and has so far grossed US$69M since its December 18th opening Stateside. When sisters Maura and Kate Ellis (Poehler and Fey respectively) learn that their mother and father Bucky and Deana Ellis (James Brolin and Dianne Wiest respectively) are to put the family home in Orlando on the market and move into a Condo, and they have just one week in which to clear out their old bedroom. Sifting through the junk and the memories of their old home the recently divorced Maura and impetuous Kate decide to throw a last party in their former home to relive the good old bad old days with their former classmates and long lost friends. However, as the party to end all parties rages increasingly out of control the girls need to save themselves and the house from oblivion, otherwise, there may nothing left to sell when the fog clears. Also starring John Cena and John Leguizamo.

Just two new films for the week ahead and both at completely different ends of the cinematic spectrum. Once you have made your choice and sat through either of both of these, share your views - we'd love to hear from you.

See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 13th - 19th September 2015.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Tom Hardy does on 15th September - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 38 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 13th September

• Colin Trevorrow - Born 1976, turns 39 - Director | Producer | Writer 
• Frank Marshall - Born 1946, turns 69 - Director | Producer  
• Jacqueline Bisset - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actress

Monday 14th September

• Andrew Lincoln - Born 1973, turns 42 - Actor 
• Sam Neill - Born 1947, turns 68 - Actor | Director | Producer
• Joon-ho Bong - Born 1969, turns 46 - Director | Producer | Writer  

Tuesday 15th September

• Tom Hardy - Born 1977, turns 38 - Actor | Producer
• Tommy Lee Jones - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Oliver Stone - Born 1946, turns 69 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor  

Wednesday 16th September

• Mickey Rourke - Born 1952, turns 63 - Actor | Writer  
• Amy Poehler - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actress | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer 

Thursday 17th September

• Paul Feig - Born 1962, turns 53 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Bryan Singer - Born 1965, turns 50 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Neill Blomkamp - Born 1979, turns 36 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Baz Luhrmann - Born 1962, turns 53 - Director | Producer | Writer 

Friday 18th September 

• Jason Sudeikis - Born 1975, turns 40 - Actor | Writer
• Tim McInnerny - Born 1956, turns 59 - Actor
• Jada Pinkett Smith - Born 1971, turns 44 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer 

Saturday 19th September

• Adam West - Born 1928, turns 87 - Actor
• Jeremy Irons - Born 1948, turns 67 - Actor | Producer | Director  
• David McCallum - Born 1933, turns 82 - Actor

Edward Thomas Hardy was born in the London suburb of Hammersmith to mother Elizabeth Anne Barrett, an artist and painter, and father Edward Hardy, a novelist and comedy writer. He attended Tower House School, an independent junior boys school, and then Reed's School an independent boys secondary school in Cobham, Surrey, and then onto Richmond Drama School and the Drama Centre London. At age 21 he won a modeling competition gaining a short contract with the Models One agency. His late teens and early 20's were spent fighting drug and alcohol dependency and delinquency , and he says that after seeking treatment in 2002 it was his addictions that ended his five year marriage to Sarah Ward in 2004. He has however, been sober since 2003.

His small screen debut came in 2001, securing the role of Private John Janovec in Spielberg's WWII epic series 'Band of Brothers', and that same year he gained his big screen debut too in Ridley Scott's Somalia war torn actioner 'Black Hawk Down'. The next year saw Hardy play the clone villain in 'Star Trek : Nemesis' which did little at the Box Office, but it did give him valuable international exposure.

In 2003 too Hardy took to the stage with 'In Arabia We'd All Be Kings' at the Hampstead Theatre, and 'Blood' at The Royal Court Theatre for which he was awarded the Outstanding Newcomer Award at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards. He was also nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer. That same year he knocked out three films too - 'The Reckoning' with Willem Dafoe, 'dot the i' with Gael Garcia Bernal and horror offering 'LD50 | Lethal Dose'.

The following year saw 'Layer Cake' with yet to be Bond, Daniel Craig, with a couple of TV movies to follow - 'Gideon's Daughter' and 'A for Andromeda' as well as a couple of TV series stints on 'Colditz' and 'The Virgin Queen'.

2006 through to 2010 saw thirteen feature films including 'Scenes of a Sexual Nature', 'Flood', 'WAZ', 'The Inheritance', Guy Ritchie's London crime flick 'RocknRolla', 'Bronson' and culminating in 2010's 'Inception' for Christopher Nolan. During this time too there were further TV series appearances on 'Cape Wrath', 'Oliver Twist' as Bill Sykes, 'Wuthering Heights' as Heathcliffe and 'The Take' as well as 'The Man of Mode' at The National Theatre, and 'The Long Red Road' at Chicago's Goodman Theatre as Directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Since then there have been a number of standout roles including 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' with his hero Gary Oldman, 'Warrior' with Joel Edgerton, his unforgettable role as arch villain Bane in Christopher Nolan's concluding Batman trilogy instalment 'The Dark Knight Rises', John Hillcoat's Prohibition era bootleggin' moonshine swillin' 'Lawless' with Gary Oldman again; and then 'Locke', and 'The Drop' with Noomi Rapace and James Gandolfini last year.

In 2015 so far there has been 'Child 44' with Gary Oldman and Noomi Rapace once more, and George Millers long overdue reprisal of the cult classic character Max Rockatansky in 'Mad Max : Fury Road'. Next up there is 'London Road', 'Legend' for Director Brian Helgeland in which Hardy plays both underground criminal brothers in 60's era London, Ronnie and Reggie Kray, 'The Revenant' with Leonardo DiCaprio currently in post-production, TV mini-series 'Taboo' in pre-production for 2016 and 'Mad Max : The Wasteland' recently announced.

Hardy has 48 Acting credits to his name and two Producer credits. He has won eleven awards including the Rising Star BAFTA Award in 2011, and a British Independent Film Award for 'Bronson' as Best Actor. There have been a further 37 nominations also.

Having divorced Sarah Ward in 2004, Hardy was linked to Rachel Speed from 2004 until 2009 with whom he has a son, Louis Thomas born in 2008. In mid-2014 he married Actress Charlotte Riley, and the couple announced recently that they are expecting their first child. Hardy is also an ambassador for The Prince's Trust.

Tom Hardy - muscular, toned and tattooed; deep gravelly voice; able to dramatically change his physical appearance from film to film; has a diverse range across all genres (almost); and appears to be in just about every other film out at the moment whether big studio fare or small independent stuff, but, we'll keep on coming back for more as long as you keep doing what you do best - Happy Birthday to you Tom, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-