Birthday's to share this week : 20th-26th November 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Mads Mikkelsen does on 22nd November - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 51, 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 20th November

• Bo Derek - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actress
• Andrea Riseborough - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actress  

Monday 21st November

• Goldie Hawn - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actress | Producer  

Tuesday 22nd November

• Jamie Lee Curtis - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actress | Director
• Scarlett Johansson - Born 1984, turns 32 - Actress | Producer | Singer
• Terry Gilliam - Born 1940, turns 76 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor | Animator
• Tom Conti - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor
• Mads Mikkelsen - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actor
• Mark Ruffalo - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director  

Wednesday 23rd November

• Franco Nero - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer
• Vincent Cassel - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor | Producer
• Miley Cyrus - Born 1992, turns 24 - Singer | Songwriter | Actress | Producer  

Thursday 24th November

• Katherine Heigel - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actress | Producer
• Billy Connolly - Born 1942, turns 74 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Singer | Songwriter
• Stephen Merchant - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Colin Hanks - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | Producer | Director  

Friday 25th November

• Dougray Scott - Born 1965, turns 51 - Actor | Producer
• Joel Kinnaman - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor
• Christina Applegate - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actress | Producer | Singer  

Saturday 26th November

• Tina Turner - Born 1939, turns 77 - Singer | Actress
• Mark L. Lester - Born 1946, turns 70 - Director | Producer | Writer

Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen was born in Osterbro, Copenhagen, Denmark to mother Bente Christiansen, a nurse, and father Henning Mikkelsen, a bank clerk and Trade Union official. He has an older brother, Lars, also an Actor. He was raised in Norrebro in Copenhagen. In his younger years he had aspirations on becoming a gymnast and pursuing athletics professionally. He then studied dancing at the ballet academy in Gothenburg, and worked as a professional dancer for almost a decade before turning his attention to studying drama at the Arhus Drama School in 1996 so kick starting his career in acting.

He made his acting debut in the 43 minute short film 'Blomsterfangen' and the 16 minute short 'Cafe Hector', both in 1996 before his full length feature film debut in Nicolas Winding Refn Danish crime drama that was also the Director's debut feature - 'Pusher' which was the launchpad for Refn, Mikkelsen, and other starring Actors. That was also 1996 and the film was hailed a critical and commercial success. 'Wildside' Written and Co-starring fellow countryman Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was released in 1998 with 'Angel of the Night' and then 'Bleeder' for Nicolas Winding Refn in 1999.

The new decade kicked off with 'Flickering Lights' before a couple of comedies with 'Monas verde' and 'Shake It' in 2001; 'I Am Dina' in 2002 with Gerard Depardieu and Christopher Ecclestone; 'The Green Butchers' and 'Torremolinos 73' in 2003. It was perhaps Antoine Fuqua's telling of 'King Arthur' in 2004 that helped propel Mikkelsen on to the international scene with its huge ensemble cast and winning action, adventure and drama storyline. That same year he returned as Tonny in Nicolas Winding Refn's sequel to his first film with 'Blood on My Hands : Pusher II' for which the Actor picked up three Best Actor award wins.

'After the Wedding' which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, 'Prague' and 'Exit' with Alexander Skarsgard followed in 2006, before his noted role as arch villain Le Chiffre in the 21st Bond outing 'Casino Royale' with the new James Bond, Daniel Craig later that year. In the meantime there had been the long running Police crime drama series 'Unit 1' in which Mikkelsen played a leading role over 32 episodes spanning four noted seasons from 2000 through until 2004, and then 'Julie' across five episodes of this short-lived family comedy series in 2005. This was followed up by 'Flame and Citron', and then his turn as Igor Stravinsky in the period romantic drama 'Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky' in 2009, before another offering with Nicolas Winding Refn at the helm of 'Valhalla Rising' and then 'The Door' that same year.

2010 saw the Louis Leterrier retelling of 'The Clash of the Titans' with an all star cast, before another fantasy period piece with Paul W.S. Anderson's 'The Three Musketeers' and 'A Royal Affair' with Alicia Vikander in 2012. 'The Hunt' followed to much critical acclaim, with 'Move On', 'Charlie Countryman' and 'Age of Uprising : The Legend of Michale Kohlhaas' coming next with Danish Western 'Salvation', 'Men & Chicken' and the recent turn as villain Kaecilius in the still on general release latest Marvel offering 'Doctor Strange' which has so far taken over US$500M at the global Box Office.

Meanwhile there has been 39 episodes across three seasons of the acclaimed NBC series 'Hannibal' with Mikkelsen playing the famed Dr. Hannibal Lecter based on the Thomas Harris character. Despite its critical success the series has been pulled after just three seasons due to declining viewership. Next up is 'Rogue One : A Star Wars Story' due in December this year for Director Gareth Edwards featuring an all star cast and Mikkelsen playing Galen Erso.

All up Mikkelsen has 47 acting credits to his name accumulating a haul so far of 25 award wins and another 33 nominations. He married his long term girlfriend Hanne Jacobsen in 2000 with whom he has a daughter Viola, and a son Carl.

Mads Mikkelsen - he of the chiseled Danish features and high cheek bones who cried tears of blood for Bond, James Bond and is the go to guy for Director Nicolas Winding Refn; keeps us entertained across just about all genres; and gives us his all with a gritty realism and grounded performances. Happy Birthday to you Mads, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

DOCTOR STRANGE : Sunday 30th October 2016

'DOCTOR STRANGE' which I saw last weekend is the fourteenth instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the guise of one Doctor Stephen Strange, a lesser known character in the comic canon, but one nonetheless who has carved out a niche following and who has been around since being created by artist Steve Ditko in 1963, with Stan Lee penning the mystical mind bending story. Made for US$165M, the early Reviews of 'Doctor Strange' have been very positive, with Marvel looking as though they have backed another winner, with the Box Office tally so far amounting to US$123M, with it's US release date being 4th November. With Scott Derrickson in the Director's Chair and also taking a Screenplay and Story credit, Benedict Cumberbatch playing the title role and ably supported by a strong cast that includes Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Rachel McAdams and Benjamin Bratt, and all the touchstones from the MCU that we have come to know, love and expect, I think it's fair to say that we are going to be seeing more of the good Doctor in future standalone and cross-over instalments.

The film opens in an ancient looking library of sorts where arrives Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) and two of his henchmen through some kind of magical portal. They behead the librarian and steal some select pages from an ancient and mystical book, and with their business done they disappear from whence they came. Meanwhile, we are introduced to the brilliant and world acclaimed neurosurgeon Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he preforms intricate surgery on a patient, assisted by Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) - his former love interest. Strange whilst brilliant is egotistical, self-opinionated and not good on a personal level with emotions, empathy and relationships. He has all the trappings of a hugely successful career though - penthouse suite overlooking the city, fast car, public speaking engagements, designer suits, and an extensive exclusive watch collection for every occasion. He is much sought after for his brilliance on the operating table, and is keen to keep pushing the envelope of medical research to advance his know how, his skills and to keep at the top of his game.

One evening en route to a high profile public speaking engagement at the wheel of his sports car, he veers out of control and through a mountain side crash barrier, down a ravine being turned every which way as his car crumples around him gradually coming to rest on its end and half submerged in the water on the outskirts of the city. He comes round sometime later after having had extensive surgery performed on him to repair the damage done to both of his crushed hands. He is distraught, as his hands are the very tools he so relies on to perform the intricate surgery that he is world renowned for. What is he to do?

After months of seeking out the means with which to repair his hands and restore them to their former abilities, and only failing in the process and using up all of his accumulated wealth in the meantime, Strange seeks out a Jonathan Pangborn (Benjamin Bratt) whom he has been told was a paraplegic who mysteriously was able to walk again. Pangborn tells Strange that his healing must come from within and directs him to Kathmandu and to a place known as Kamar-Taj. And so using the last of his available funds he travels to Nepal out of desperation and in a last ditch attempt to find a cure for his hands to heal, the way Pangborn has been healed.

Arriving at Kamar-Taj he is taken in by Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and introduced to The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) - the Sorcerer Supreme who has lived for a very long, albeit undisclosed, time and has taught all comers over that time. The initial introductions do not go according to plan and Strange is kicked out on the street for his arrogance, but eventually the two relent and allow the Doctor back in. The Ancient One shows Strange her power to help him believe in the power beyond our own understanding, our own universe and our own dimensions. 'Through the mystic arts we harness energy to shape reality' she tells him. This time Strange eats humble pie and begs for The Ancient One to teach him. Months pass as Strange becomes the model pupil, devouring the books from the library to quench his thirst for knowledge and understanding, aided by Librarian Wong (Benedict Wong), and practicing the mystical arts to a point where he can harness such powers and command them.

Strange learns of Kaecilius and that he was a former pupil of Kamar-Taj and The Ancient One, and that it was he who killed the librarian and stole the pages from the The Ancient One's collection of books and forbidden texts from the same place he has now taken up residence in. Strange also learns that the world is protected from the otherworldly dimensions by a spell that connects three buildings (called Sanctums) located in London, New York and Hong Kong. The task of the sorcerers, through Kamar-Taj, is to protect all three Sanctums. Pangborn, however, chose to pass up on this opportunity and channel his newly learned mystical powers into regaining the use of his legs and making his body whole again. As for Kaecilius, he moved to the dark side following the death of those closest to him, believing that everyone should have the opportunity to live as long as The Ancient One, and as such has turned against Kamar-Taj for his own personal gain and immortality.

Kaecilius and his henchmen begin to call up the all powerful ruler of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu. In the Dark Dimension time does not exist and therefore everyone can live forever. Dormammu sees our humble little green planet as rich pickings for a take over. Kaecilius sets his energy in motion using the stolen texts from The Ancient One back at Kamar-Taj. The London Sanctum is destroyed, leaving Strange to exit Kamar-Taj post haste and to make to New York to protect the Sanctum there. Here, Strange and Kaecilius meet head to head, fist to fist and toe to toe for the first time. Strange is aided by the mystical red 'Cloak of Levitation' which sourced him out having a will of its own, and which helps keep his antagonists at bay until Mordo and The Ancient One arrive to provide the necessary back up.

A foot chase follows through the streets of New York, where Kaecilius uses his dark mystical powers to distort reality as the city scape inverts itself, building collapse in on themselves, and the world is turned upside down, inside out and every which way unimaginable. This is minding bending stuff the like of which we saw in 'Inception' a few years ago, but not to this scale it must be said, and all the while, Strange and Co. and chasing, fighting and evading Kaecilius and Co. It's a wild ride man! In the fracas The Ancient One is injured, but not before Kaecilius reveals that she has gained her strength and longevity by tapping into The Dark Dimension for her power. Her injuries are life threatening and she dies on the operating table back in Strange's own hospital, with a bewildered Palmer looking on, wondering WTF just happened here?

With Strange and Mordo distracted with the death of The Ancient One, Kaecilius departs for the Hong Kong Sanctum. By the time Strange and Mordo arrive, the Dark Dimension has already been summonsed and is beginning to engulf the city with mounting destruction and a rising body count. Strange has another trick up his sleeve, in the form of the mystical 'Eye of Agamotto' - an amulet he retrieved form Kamar-Taj that he now wears around his neck and with which he can command time. Strange turns back time so reversing the effect of The Dark Dimension on the city and its people. In the process he creates an ever lasting time loop in which he and Dormammu are seemingly caught forever reliving the same moment over, and over and over again. In time with constant chiding by Strange, Dormammu grows weary of the repetitiveness and agrees to leave Earth and take his disciples with him, in exchange for Strange breaking the loop.

Needless to say all's well that ends well for Strange, and the people of Hong Kong and the citizens of the world. Mordo however, exits stage left disgusted that Strange and The Ancient One dare defy the forces of nature by bending time to save humanity. Strange becomes The Sorcerer Supreme now that The Ancient One has left this mortal coil, and retreats back to the New York Sanctum acting as the guardian there armed to the teeth with his new found and already proven metaphysical abilities, and his now trademark red Cloak of Levitation.

Watch out for the mid-credits sequence involving a one on one fireside chat over a never ending litre of beer with Thor in which Strange questions Thor's decision to bring his brother Loki to Earth to search for their father Odin. Strange wants Loki off our planet quick smart and agrees to help Thor in his search - a nod here to the upcoming 'Thor : Ragnarok' due in November 2017. In the end credits sequence, Mordo visits Pangborn in his workshop and steals back the powers that he has to walk claiming that Earth already has too many sorcerers, leaving Pangborn in a crumpled crippled state on the floor! And finally, watch out for the obligatory Stan Lee cameo - hilarious!

I enjoyed this new mystical mind bending, time warping, psychedelic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Cumberbatch is perfectly cast in the role and does the character justice in this origin story that sets the foundation for more to come as we are told after the end credits have rolled. Marvel have here once again proved themselves far superior in bringing their rich comic heritage to the big screen in new, inventive and unique ways that keep us entertained, amused and ultimately coming back for more - far more so than those from the other side of the fence, DC! This film and this character is unlike any we have hitherto seen, and as such Doctor Strange provides a welcome shot in the arm for the SuperHero genre, that will help invigorate that universe and take it in a new direction. 'The Avengers protect the world from physical dangers, we safeguard it against more mystical threats' exclaims Wong, and here the portal opens setting the scene for future Strange instalments and cross-over episodes as inevitably worlds collide. Bring it on! Catch 'Doctor Strange' on the big screen - it's well worth your $20 for the solid story, the great visuals and strong performances.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 27th October 2016.

The heavily hyped, highly anticipated next instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is released this week in the form of 'Doctor Strange' as Previewed below. Representing the 14th film in the MCU, the good Doctor is a lesser known character in the rapidly expanding portfolio of Marvel superheroes to get the big screen treatment as the MCU enters its third stage which launched with the hugely successful 'Captain America : Civil War' earlier this year. Stephen Vincent Strange - world acclaimed neurosurgeon - first appeared in Marvel's Comic Books back in July 1963 created by artist and conceptualist Steve Ditko with the storyline coming from Stan Lee. Since then there have been a long line of comic books, novels, video games, cross-over animated television series and a few films including a 1978 live action film titled 'Dr. Strange' with Peter Hooten in the lead role, the animated direct to DVD 'Doctor Strange : The Sorcerer Supreme' in 2007, and a brief cameo in the 2010 animated 'Planet Hulk'. Now in 2016, after a gestation period that commenced in 1986 when a movie adaptation went into pre-production and then faltered, various Writers including David S. Goyer, Alex Cox and Wes Craven coming and going over subsequent years, and as Studios came and went, finally Scott Derrickson scored the gig to Direct. As a self-confessed fan of the mystic superhero since childhood, he had his mind set on just one Actor to play the lead role - Benedict Cumberbatch. After this outing, we'll see Cumberbatch reprising his role as Doctor Strange in 'Avengers : Infinity War' due in May 2018.

This week there are just three new cinema releases coming to an Odeon near you, but each have been critically acclaimed and therefore merit your strongest consideration when pondering what to see on the big screen in the week ahead. We kick off with the latest offering from your favourite cinematic universe that has already yielded thirteen films of superhero goodness, with this fourteenth introducing us to a new lesser known character who learns to fight mystical threats against our humble world using newly acquired metaphysical powers and a higher learning. We then move to rural Texas and a modern day game of cops and robbers in the mid-West that brings a couple of young guns up against an old hand Ranger and his trusted pardner. The week then wraps up with a French foreign language film about rape, female empowerment and revenge from a Director not too concerned about courting controversy.

As always, remember to share your views and observations with your like minded readers here, by leaving your Comment below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear form you, and in the meantime, enjoy your film.

'DOCTOR STRANGE' (Rated M) - the fourteenth instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is upon us in the guise of one Doctor Stephen Strange, a lesser known character in the comic canon, but one nonetheless who has carved out a niche following and who has been around since being created by artist Steve Ditko in 1963, with Stan Lee penning the mystical mind bending story. Made for US$165M, the early Reviews of 'Doctor Strange' have been very positive, with Marvel looking as though they have backed another winner, with Scott Derrickson in the Director's Chair and also taking a Screenplay and Story credit, and Benedict Cumberbatch playing the title role ably supported by a strong cast.

And so Doctor Stephen Strange is a world acclaimed neurosurgeon - both brilliant and egotistical. When a car accident robs him of the use of both hands and therefore his ability to perform surgery he scales the globe seeking a cure that will repair and restore the use of his hands. When this doesn't eventuate and he has lost his way in life and used up all of his accumulated wealth, he comes across 'The Ancient One' (Tilda Swinton) in a mysterious mountain enclave known as the Kamar-Taj located in the Himalayas. Here The Ancient One shows him what might be and what he is capable of, and he also learns that those others of the enclave represent the front line of defence against dark forces intent of destroying reality. 'Through the mystic arts we harness energy to shape reality' she tells him. It's not long before Strange is caught between the world he once knew, and giving that all up to defend the world against mystical threats as an all powerful sorcerer using his new found metaphysical abilities. Also starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Benjamin Bratt, Benedict Wong and Rachel McAdams.

'HELL OR HIGH WATER' (Rated MA15+) - released Stateside in mid-August having Premiered at Cannes in May this year, and only now reaching Australian shores, this film has already received high praise from the critics and has made US$30M from its US$12M budget. Directed by David Mackenzie this modern day Western crime thriller tells the story of two brothers, Tanner (Ben Foster) and Toby Howard (Chris Pine) whose mother has recently died, leaving the family farm in West Texas facing foreclosure if the mortgage isn't paid off imminently. Needing to raise some fast cash to pay off the loan to secure the house and farm, and set themselves up, the two brothers embark on a spree of local bank robberies on the Texas Midlands Bank. What they don't count on though is that local wise, grizzled and fast approaching retirement Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and his partner in law enforcement Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham) are hot on their tails and closing in. This cops and robbers saga plays out until the final showdown, when Ranger Marcus Hamilton just might prove that in fact this is a country for old men!

'ELLE' (Rated MA15+) - this French foreign language film is Directed by Paul Verhoeven in his first feature film outing in ten years and his first in French. The film Premiered in competition at Cannes earlier this year and it has been chosen as the French entry into the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards in February 2017. The film has been critically acclaimed. Telling the story of hard as nails high flying corporate Chief Executive Officer of a Paris based video game production company, Michele LeBlanc (Isabelle Huppert) who lives her love life as tough and as ruthless as her business life. Until that is, one day she is raped in her own home by an unknown assailant, which changes her life forever. When Michele, determined to track down her attacker, finally does so, what begins is a cat and mouse game of violent sexual encounters that could escalate out of control at any time, but which nonetheless she appears to be aroused by - or is this just part of her plan to exact revenge on the perpetrator?

Three highly acclaimed films then to choose from this coming week that give you ample excuses to get out to your local Odeon at least once over the next seven days. When you have done so, share a Comment with us and let us know what you thought of you movie going experience. In the meantime, I'll see you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-