Showing posts with label Trance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trance. Show all posts

Saturday, 2 May 2015

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

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Rosario Dawson does on 9th May - check out the tribute to this Birthday Girl turning 36, at the end of this feature.

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

Sunday 3rd May
  • Amy Ryan - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress
  • Rob Brydon - Born 1965, turns 50 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Television Personality
  • Joseph Kosinski - Born 1974, turns 41 - Director | Producer | Writer
Monday 4th May
  • Will Arnett - Born 1970, turns 45 - Actor | Writer | Producer
  • Rolf de Heer - Born 1951, turns 64 - Director | Writer | Producer
Tuesday 5th May
  • Henry Cavill - Born 1983, turns 32 - Actor | Producer
  • John Rhys-Davies - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
  • Lance Henrikson - Born 1940, turns 75 - Actor
  • Richard E. Grant - Born 1957, turns 58 - Actor | Director
  • Michael Palin - Born 1943, turns 72 - Actor | Writer
Wednesday 6th May
  • George Clooney - Born 1961, turns 54 - Actor | Producer | Director
  • Alan Dale - Born 1947, turns 68 - Actor
Thursday 7th May
  • Richard O'Sullivan - Born 1944, turns 71 - Actor
  • Alexander Ludwig - Born 1992, turns 23 - Actor
  • Traci Lords - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress
Friday 8th May
  • David Attenborough - Born 1926, turns 89 - Naturalist | Television Personality | Producer
  • Michel Gondry - Born 1963, turns 52 - Director | Producer | Writer
Saturday 9th May
  • Albert Finney - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actor
  • James L. Brooks - Born 1940, turns 75 - Writer | Producer | Director
  • Alan Bennet - Born 1934, turns 81 - Writer | Actor
  • Rosario Dawson - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actress | Producer
  • Candice Bergen - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actress | Producer
  • Glenda Jackson - Born 1936, turns 79 - Actress
Rosario Isabel Dawson was born in New York City to mother Isabel Celeste, a writer/singer of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban origins. Isabel was just 16 when Rosario was born, and her biological father Patrick Harris moved on and the two never married. The young mother to Rosario married construction worker Greg Dawson a year later, and he brought Rosario up as though she were his own, and it is her whom Rosario has always referred to as Dad. Isabel and Greg had a son together - Rosario's half-brother Clay - the couple divorced in 2001.

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





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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Saturday, 18 April 2015

Birthday's to share this week : 19th - 25th April 2015

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

James McAvoy does on 21st April - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 36, at the end of this feature.

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

Sunday 19th April
  • James Franco - Born 1978, turns 37 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
  • Tim Curry - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actor | Singer
  • Hayden Christensen - Born 1981, turns 34 - Actor | Producer
  • Ashley Judd - Born 1968, turns 47 - Actress | Producer
  • Kate Hudson - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actress | Producer
Monday 20th April
  • Jessica Lange - Born 1949, turns 66 - Actress
  • Andy Serkis - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actor | Producer | Director | MoCap Aficionado
  • Ryan O'Neal - Born 1941, turns 74 - Actor | Producer
  • George Takei - Born 1937, turns 78 - Actor | Producer | Writer
  • Leslie Phillips - Born 1924, turns 91 - Actor | Producer
Tuesday 21st April
  • James McAvoy - Born 1979, turns 36 - Actor | Producer
  • Toby Stephens - Born 1969, turns 46 - Actor
  • Charles Grodin - Born 1935, turns 80 - Actor | Writer
  • Tony Danza - Born 1951, turns 64 - Actor | Producer | Director
  • Andie MacDowell - Born 1958, turns 57 - Actress | Writer
Wednesday 22nd April
  • Jack Nicholson - Born 1937, turns 78 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
  • John Waters - Born 1946, turns 69 - Director | Writer | Actor
  • Lee Tamahori - Born 1950, turns 65 - Director
  • George Cole - Born 1925 - turns 90 - Actor
Thursday 23rd April
  • Dev Patel - Born 1990, turns 25 - Actor
  • Lee Majors - Born 1939, turns 76 - Actor | Producer
  • John Hannah - Born 1962, turns 53 - Actor | Producer
  • Michael Moore - Born 1954, turns 61 - Director | Producer | Writer
  • Judy Davis - Born 1955, turns 60 - Actress
Friday 24th April
  • Barbra Streisand - Born 1942, turns 73 - Singer | Actress | Writer | Director | Producer
  • Kelly Clarkson - Born 1982, turns 33 - Singer | Actress
  • Shirley MacLaine - Born 1934, turns 81 - Actress | Producer | Director | Writer | Singer
  • Djimon Hounsou - Born 1964, turns 51 - Actor | Producer
  • Richard Donner - Born 1930, turns 85 - Director | Producer
Saturday 25th April
  • Al Pacino - Born 1940, tun 75 -  Actor | Producer | Writer
  • Hank Azira - Born 1964, turns 51 - Producer | Actor
  • Renee Zellwegger - Born 1969, turns 46 - Actress | Producer |writer
  • Talia Shire - Born 1946, turns 69 - Actress | Producer 
James McAvoy was born in Glasgow, Scotland to mother Elizabeth Johnstone, a psychiatric nurse and father James McAvoy Snr. a builder. At age seven his parents divorced, and as his mother suffered from poor health it was determined best that the young James should live with his maternal grandparents in the Drumchapel area of Glasgow.His mother came and went intermittently, but he lost all contact with his father whom he has not seen since those early childhood years. He has a sister, Joy, and a half-brother, David. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Jordanhill, Glasgow, and while at school, aged sixteen, there was visit by Actor/Director David Hayman which sparked his interest in acting. As a result, Hayman, offered him a role in his upcoming 1995 film 'The Near Room' which was to be this young Actor's screen debut.

He joined the 'PACE Youth Theatre' although never considered acting as a career choice, and in fact had been accepted to join the Royal Navy, when he was offered a place at the 'Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama', from which he graduated in 2000 and relocated to London thereafter. By this time he had already appeared in an episode of TV's long running 'The Bill' series and movies 'An Angel Passes By' and 'Regeneration' in 1997.

The start of the decade brought German slasher horror flick 'Swimming Pool' followed up by the Stephen Fry Written and Directed 'Bright Young Things' with the likes of Peter O'Toole, Jim Broadbent, Dan Aykroyd and Emily Mortimer. 'Bollywood Queen' followed with 'Wimbledon' next in 2004 starring the likes of Paul Bettany, Kirsten Dunst and Sam Neill. During this time too there were numerous television appearances including 'Band of Brothers', 'Murder in Mind, 'White Teeth', 'Foyle's War', 'Frank Herbert's Children of Dune', 'State of Play' and 'Early Doors'.

Running concurrently were various stage plays that came and went up and down the country with 'The Tempest', 'Romeo and Juliet', 'West Side Story', 'Lovers', 'Out in the Open' and 'Privates on Parade' amongst others. None of these stage appearances did the young actor any harm at all, and in fact brought him to the attention of Director's Joe Wright and Sam Mendes, and it was while working for Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks on 'Band of Brothers' that he met his good friend and future co-star Michael Fassbender.

It was however, McAvoy's role on thirteen episodes of the highly acclaimed comedy drama 'Shameless' in 2004/05 that really started to bring the Actor acclaim, for which he was nominated for the 'Best TV Comedy Newcomer Award'. Further acclaim followed with 2005's 'The Chronicles of Narnia' in which he plays the faun 'Mr. Tumnus', and then 'Inside I'm Dancing' - for both films he was nominated the Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor Awards respectively by the London Film Critics Circle. 2006 and 2007 proved to be breakout years - first with 'The Last King of Scotland' starring opposite Forest Whitaker's Idi Amin, and then 'Atonement' for Joe Wright and starring Keira Knightley and Saoirse Ronan - both films bringing huge critical acclaim and multiple award wins and nominations.

In between there was 'Starter for 10', 'Becoming Jane' and 'Penelope' which fared less well. Following 'Atonement' came comic book actioner 'Wanted' with Angeline Jolie and Morgan Freeman and Directed by Russian Timur Bekmambetov. A critical and commercial success this led to 'The Last Station', 'The Conspirator', and then his first outing as the young Professor Charles Xavier in 2011's 'X-Men : First Class' Directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring also Michael Fassbender. He reprised this role again last year in 'X-Men : Days of Future Past' this time for Director Bryan Singer. The two films grossed in excess of US$1.1B, with 'X-Men : Apocalypse' now in pre-production for a 2016 release.

There was 'Welcome to the Punch', Danny Boyle's 'Trance' and 'Filth' in the meantime all of which delivered more award wins for the Actor. Bringing us up to date there has been 'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby' film series 'Him', 'Her' and 'Them', a cameo in 'Muppet's Most Wanted', 'Victor Frankenstein' currently in post-production for release later this year, and voice talent work over the years on 'Arthur Christmas', 'Gnomeo & Juliet' and 'Strings'.

McAvoy has 43 screen acting credits to his name, a Producer credit for 'Filth' and eleven awards wins and 23 other monitions including a Golden Globe and BAFTA nomination for 'Atonement', a BAFTA nomination for 'The Last King of Scotland' and the BAFTA Rising Star Award, as well as two BAFTA Awards, Scotland, for 'Filth' and 'The Last King of Scotland'.


In 2006 McAvoy married his 'Shameless' co-star Anne-Marie Duff in a quiet ceremony, and together they have a son Brendan, born in 2010. He lives a modest life which he says is just the way he likes it and is seemingly not caught up or bogged down by the trappings of fame and fortune. He enjoys the fantasy genre and is a devout follower of Celtic Football Club. His role in 'The Last King of Scotland' drove him to support the Ugandan childrens charity 'Retrak' and the 'British Red Cross' for the work they do there too.

James McAvoy - a talented unmistakable Scot, with a diverse body of work amassed already and able to play intense believable characters on the big screen, the small screen and on stage - keep it comin' young Jimmy, and we'll keep watching - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Sunday, 19 October 2014

Birthday's to share this week : 19th - 25th October 2014.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week? Danny Boyle does, on 20th October  - check out the tribute to this Birthday Boy 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 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!

Sunday 19th October
  • Jon Favreau - Born 1966m turns 48 - Actor | Director | Producer
  • Michael Gambon - Born 1940, turns 74 - Actor
  • Jason Reitman - Born 1977, turns 37 - Director | Producer | Writer
  • John Lithgow - Born 1945, turns 69 - Actor
  • Trey Parker - Born 1969, turns 45 - Writer | Producer | Actor
  • John le Carre - Born 1931, turns 83 - Writer | Producer
Monday 20th October
  • Viggo Mortensen - Born 1958, turns 56 - Actor | Producer
  • Danny Boyle - Born 1956, turns 58 - Director | Producer | Writer
  • Thomas Newman - Born 1955, turns 59 - Songwriter | Composer | Musician
  • Timothy West - Born 1934, turns 80 - Actor
Tuesday 21st October 
  • Carrie Fisher - Born 1956, turns 58 - Actress | Writer
  • Ken Watanbe - Born 1959, turns 55 - Actor | Producer
Wednesday 22nd October
  • Jeff Goldblum - Born 1952, turns 62 - Actor | Producer
  • Christopher Lloyd - Born 1938, turns 76 - Actor
  • Bill Condon - Born 1955, turns 59 - Director | Producer | Writer
  • Spike Jonze - Born 1969, turns 45 - Director | Producer | Actor | Writer
  • Derek Jacobi - Born 1938, turns 76 - Actor
  • Jan de Bont - Born 1943, turns 71 - Director | Producer | Cinematographer
  • Catherine Deneuve - Born 1943, turns 71 - Actress
Thursday 23rd October
  • Ryan Reynolds - Born 1976, turns 38 - Actor | Producer
  • Sam Raimi - Born 1959, turns 55 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
  • Ang Lee - Born 1954, turns 60 - Director | Producer | Writer
Friday 24th October
  • Kevin Kline - Born 1947, turns 67 - Actor
  • F. Murray Abraham - Born 1939, turns 75 - Actor
  • Martin Campbell - Born 1943, turns 71 - Director | Producer
Saturday 25th October
  • Gale Anne Hurd - Born 1955, turns 59 - Producer | Writer
  • Katy Perry - Born 1094, turns 30 - Singer | Songwriter | Actress
Daniel 'Danny' Boyle was born in Radcliffe, Lancashire to Irish parents. Raised in a working class Irish environment, he was an alter boy for eight years with his parents intentions that the young Danny would enter the priesthood. He studied at Thornleigh Salesian College in Bolton, and then Bangor University where he studied English and Drama. 

After leaving school he started his career at the Joint Stock Theatre Company in London before moving to the Royal Court Theatre where he Directed several plays including a number for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has subsequently and more recently returned to the theatre to Direct 'The Children's Monologues' in 2010 and 'Frankenstein' in 2011. He was also the Artistic Director for the 2012 London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony titled 'Isles of Wonder' which was much lauded at home and overseas.

In 1987 Boyle started work as a Producer for BBC Northern Ireland and then as a Director on various TV shows including 'Screenplay' and 'Inspector Morse'. Up to 1994 he worked as Director and/or Producer on several TV films, but it was his 1994 breakout feature film debut 'Shallow Grave' that became the most commercially successful British film of 1995. This in turn led to the big screen adaptation of Irvine Welsh's book 'Trainspotting' in 1996 which not only brought Boyle further critical acclaim, but established too the careers of Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle.

Having established himself as a British filmmaker of some repute he moved to Hollywood to shoot 'A LIfe Less Ordinary' again with Ewan McGregor and an up & coming Cameron Diaz in 1997. From there he moved onto 'The Beach' - the adapted Alex Garland novel shot in the idyllic coastal islands off Thailand and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and again Robert Carlyle.



Before Directing the post apocalyptic zombie horror thriller '28 Days Later' in 2002 he Executive Produced 'Twin Town' which was the launchpad for Rhys Ifans in this Swansea based crime film. '28 Days Later' largely reinvigorated the zombie genre that is still going strong to this day. This screenplay was written by previous collaborator Alex Garland - it made over ten times its budget at the global Box Office and therefore was sure to spawn a sequel - which it did in 2007 with '28 Weeks Later' which Boyle did not Direct, but he did Executive Produce. Working with Alex Garland again, he Directed the Sci-Fi offering 'Sunshine' in 2007.

2008's 'Slumdog Millionaire' was a huge success for Boyle. Costing just US$15M to make it raked in US$380M globally and garnered eight Academy Award wins including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Song as well as two further nominations. All up, 'Slumdog Millionaire' brought in 149 Awards and 81 other nominations across the world.







This was followed up in 2010 with '127 Hours' which Boyle Directed, Produced and Wrote and starred James Franco as Aron Ralston who literally finds himself 'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' in Blue John Canyon in Utah. Resorting to drastic measures to free himself, this film collected six Academy Award nominations but failed to win any, but, did bring in 26 worldwide Award wins and 118 total nominations.

In between his commitments to the 2012 London Olympic Games he Directed and Produced 'Trance' in 2013 with James McAvoy in this hypnotherapy fine art heist film where not everything is quite as it seems. Next up for Boyle is 'Jobs' currently in pre-production with Christian Bale rumoured to play Steve Jobs, and thereafter 'Porno' - the long awaited Irvine Welsh follow-up to 'Trainspotting' for a possible 2016 release.

When not behind the camera, Boyle is a Trustee of the UK African Arts Charity 'Dramatic Need', sending music, arts and entertainment professionals to host workshops in underprivileged communities in rural Africa, as a means of promoting creative expression to overcome some of the challenges faced in these locations. He is also a Patron of 'HOME' in Manchester - a centre for arts, film, theatre and books due to open in 2015. He has three children - Caitlin (born 1985), Gabriel (born 1989) and Grace (born 1991) from a former relationship with Gail Stevens from 1983 - 2003.

Danny Boyle - diverse film making talent; theatre, film and TV lauded; the brains behind one of the greatest shows on Earth; and often surrounded with familiar acting, writing and sound collaborators - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Thursday, 1 May 2014

TRANCE - archive from 13th April 2013

Saw Danny Boyle's latest offering this week - 'TRANCE' and liked it . . . a lot!

This is a clever, intelligent film that weaves a complex plot that delivers surprises, keeps you guessing, has a few shocks along the way, and will keep the conversation going long after the credits have rolled. James McAvoy, Vincent Cassell and Rosario Dawson head up the cast and seem to relish the roles that this film commands. There are twists & turns, cross & double cross, things are not as they always seem, and there is violence, emotion, and amnesia . . . all of it bought on by the elaborate theft of a painting!

With a single but effective nod to Peter Jackson's early 'Braindead' and Chris Nolan's 'Inception' this is a great offering from this very talented and diverse Director who is at the top of his form, and who keeps surprising us - from 'Trainspotting' to '28 Days Later' to '127 Hours' to 'Sunshine' to 'Slumdog Millionaire' to the 2012 Olympics!

Worthy of a second viewing too.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-