Birthday's to share this week : 11th-17th December 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Theo James does on 16th December - check out my tribute to this Birthday Lad turning 32, 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 11th December

• Hailee Steinfeld - Born 1996, turns 20 - Actress
• Mo'Nique (Monique Imes) - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress | Producer
• Jean-Louis Trintignant - Born 1930, turns 86 - Actor | Writer | Director  

Monday 12th December

• Bill Nighy - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actor | Producer
• Jennifer Connolly - Born 1970, turns 46 - Actress  

Tuesday 13th December

• Dick Van Dyke - Born 1925, turns 91 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Singer
• Christopher Plummer - Born 1929, turns 87 - Actor | Producer
• Robert Lindsay - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actor | Singer
• Steve Buscemi - Born 1957, turns 59 - Actor | Director | Producer | Singer | Writer
• Jamie Foxx - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actor | Producer | Writer | Director | Singer

Wednesday 14th December

• Rebecca Gibney - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actress | Producer | Writer
• Sophie Monk - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actress

Thursday 15th December

• Don Johnson - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actor | Producer 
• Stuart Townsend - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actor | Director  

Friday 16th December

• Ben Cross - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor
• Shane Black - Born 1961, turns 55 - Director | Producer | Writer | Actor
• Benjamin Bratt - Born 1963, turns 53 - Actor | Producer
• James Mangold - Born 1963, turns 53 - Director | Producer | Writer
• Theo James - Born 1984, turns 32 - Actor
• Miranda Otto - Born 1967, turns 49 - Actress 

Saturday 17th December

• Tommy Steele - Born 1936, turns 80 - Singer | Actor 
• Bernard Hill - Born 1944, turns 72 - Actor 
• Eugene Levy - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director | Singer
• Bill Pullman - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Peter Farrelly - Born 1956, turns 60 - Producer | Writer | Director
• Rian Johnson - Born 1973, turns 43 - Director | Writer
• Giovanni Ribisi - Born 1974, turns 42 - Actor | Producer
• Milla Jovovich - Born 1975, turns 41 - Actress | Singer | Songwriter  

Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis was born in Oxford, England, to mother Jane Martin who worked for the National Health Service, and father Philip Taptiklis, a business consultant. He is the youngest of five children - having two older brothers and two older sisters. From age eleven he attended Aylesbury Grammar School - a boys school located in the county of Buckinghamshire, and then went on to the University of Nottingham where he earned an undergraduate degree in Philosophy. He learned his acting craft at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, although throughout his school life and at University he appeared in numerous plays and short films.

He gained his first television appearance opposite Billie Piper in the mini-series 'A Passionate Woman' in 2010, followed up that same year in his feature film debut in a small role in Woody Allen's 'You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger' with Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin, Antonio Banderas, Naomi Watts and Pauline Collins. This then led to an episode on 'Downton Abbey' before possibly his breakout role as Jed Harper on televisions 'Bedlam' in 2011 - about the drama and supernatural forces at work in an apartment building converted from a former insane asylum. The series ran for two seasons, with James appearing in all six of the first season.  

Next up came 'The Inbetweeners Movie' in which he starred as the night club rep., before being cast as David in the fourth film in the successful vampire/werewolf franchise 'Underworld : Awakening' in 2012. He would reprise his role in the recently released 'Underworld : Blood Wars' opposite Kate Beckinsale and Charles Dance once again. Also in 2012, James appeared in two episodes of British crime drama mini-series 'Case Sensitive' for the ITV Network opposite Darren Boyd and Olivia Williams, and then the BBC's two part mini-series of 'Room at the Top'.

2013 followed with James in the lead role of Walter William Clarke Jnr. in the CBS series of 'Golden Boy' about Clarke, an ambitious cop whose meteoric rise through the ranks sees him becoming the youngest Police Commissioner in New York's history. The series aired for thirteen episodes over just one season before being cancelled. This was followed up by the first instalment in the big screen adaptation of the hugely successful Veronica Roth novels 'Divergent' set in a future post-apocalyptic dystopian world where the surviving people are split into distinct factions based on their personality traits and human virtues. The story surrounds Beatrice 'Tris' Prior (Shailene Woodley) who learns that she is a rare 'Divergent' and will therefore never fit into one of the factions, and she quickly learns of a sinister plot afoot in their seemingly perfect world. Along the way she befriends Tobias 'Four' Eaton (James) and the two become close allies as the film series unfolds. This first film released in 2014 collected US$289M at the global Box Office.

A year later came the follow up, and the second in 'The Divergent Series' with 'Insurgent' with Woodley and James reprising their roles together with those of an all star cast including Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, Maggie Q, Octavia Spencer and Zoe Kravitz. This film returned US$297M. The third film in the franchise 'Allegiant' was released earlier this year, with the two principle characters reposing their roles once more, supported by much the same cast with the addition of Jeff Daniels and Bill Skarsgard, However, this film was less well received critically, and commercially was the least preforming of the three so far, generating a return of US$179M. This has prompted speculation of budget cuts to the fourth and final film in the series 'Ascendant' due supposedly in 2017, and the possibility that it may be released as a television movie instead of a feature film with a theatrical release. As a result both Woodley and James have aired their views on this stance that they will not be involved if this is the case. Watch this space!

These gave way to 'The Benefactor' (aka 'Franny') in 2015 with Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning, and then the also recently released 'War on Everyone' for Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh with Alexander Skarsgard and Michael Pena with James playing 'Lord' James Mangan who the two bad cops played by Skarsgard and Pena down Albuquerque way run in to with unexpected results. There was also 'The Secret Scripture' for Writer/Director Jim Sheridan with Rooney Mara, Eric Bana, Aidan Turner and Vanessa Redgrave which has not yet been released in Australia. This brings us up to date with current releases.

Next up is the thriller 'London Fields' with Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, Jason Isaacs, Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and Cara Delevingne. The film was due for release a year or so ago but has been delayed due to legal action between the Director and the Producers. Due for release in 2017 is 'Backstabbing for Beginners' with Ben Kingsley and Jacqueline Bisset - with James playing UN Oil-for-Food Programme whistleblower who uncovers a major corruption scandal. And then there is the disputed 'Ascendant' final instalment in 'The Divergent Series' which may or may not get off the ground.

All up James has twenty-one Acting credits to his name so far, and he has garnered three award wins and another seven nominations. In his early acting days he also played in the London based band 'Shere Khan' as guitarist and singer, but in late 2012 the band split.

Theo James - private in his off-screen life, but well known for his role in two major film franchises; clearly in demand and on the rise; auditioned for James Bond but reportedly failed to get the gig; but has the smarts and the looks to go a long way yet. Happy Birthday to you Theo, from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 1st December 2016.

From Werewolves, to Vampires, to Zombies and from blood suckers to flesh eaters and everything in between, we seem to have an insatiable appetite for the genre as evidenced by the hundreds of films that have been made over the years pitching them pesky critters individually against poor unsuspecting humans, against aliens from some galaxy far far far away and against each other in cross over offerings. With the release of this weeks 'Underworld : Blood Wars' I did some digging around in the archives. The first time a Werewolf appeared at the cinema was back in 1913 in a eighteen minute film called aptly 'The Werewolf'. The next offering came along in 1925 in 'Wolf Blood', with 'Werewolf of London' in 1935 representing the first mainstream Hollywood Werewolf movie, and since then as we know the floodgates opened across all undead blood curdling shapeshifting alternatives over the last one hundred years or so. As for the Vampire genre, many believe that the F.W. Murnau Directed and Max Schrek starring 1922 film 'Nosferatu' was the first cab of that rank, although further research would indicate that in fact there were a number (as many as twenty) films featuring Vampires that were produced before 'Nosferatu' going back a decade or so. The 1932 offering 'White Zombie' is accredited by many to be the first feature length Zombie film with Bela Lugosi in the lead role. For this Blogger, my personal favourites across the three genres remain the 1981 classic 'An American Werewolf in London', 'From Dusk till Dawn' from 1996 and '28 Days Later' from 2002 . . . and lets not forget 'The Walking Dead' either!

This week there are seven new films to kick-off your Summer of Cinema (at least if you live in the Southern Hemisphere) beginning with the fifth instalment in this horror action franchise that sees the eternal battle of werewolves and vampires still raging; then we move to a couple of Aussie offerings the first of which is an office based ZomCom and the second a historical biopic of Australia's Most Wanted of close to two hundred years ago. We then move to another historical biopic but of more recent times set in the African world of a high stakes board game; before moving to a psychic mystery serial killer thriller and a French RomCom of a short and a tall and a little and a large couple getting together and overcoming the difference between them. We then wrap up with an animated feature of cutesy multi-coloured dolls that first appeared over fifty years ago and here get their first big screen treatment trying to save their world.

When you have sat through your film of choice over the coming week, remember that we'd love to hear your views and opinions of the film just seen, so leave us a Comment below this or another Post - whether it be for any film Previewed below, or any of those others still out on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed here previously. Meanwhile, enjoy your movie!

'UNDERWORLD : BLOOD WARS' (Rated MA15+) - I must confess that I have not seen any of the 'Underworld' horror action series of films, and this latest instalment 'Blood Wars' marks the fifth film in the franchise. The first film 'Underworld' was released in 2003 based on characters and the Screenplay co-created and co-written by Len Wiseman and Danny McBride. 'Underworld : Evolution' came next in 2006, 'Underworld : Rise of the Lycans' in 2009, 'Underworld : Awakening' in 2012 and now 'Blood Wars'. Len Wiseman Directed the first two films, and cast his then wife, Kate Beckinsale as the principal character Selene, and he has acted as Co-Producer on all films since. Beckinsale has appeared in all films except 'Rise of the Lycans' which as the third instalment is a prequel to the first film. So far the first four films were made for a combined US$177M and grossed collectively close to US$460M. A sixth film is already in development, and Beckinsale is said to reprise her role once more.

And so to this instalment which is Directed by Anna Foerster and sees Death Dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) continuing in her struggle against the Lycan clan and the Vampires who betrayed her. With both sides vying for her blood and that of her daughter, so that a Lycan/Vampire hybrid can be created, Selene must work with her only allies David (Theo James) and his father Thomas (Charles Dance) as they attempt to bring an end to the eternal war between Lycans and Vampires, but at what cost ultimately? Also starring Tobias Menzies and Trent Garrett replacing the Scott Speedman character from previous films. The film is not released in the US until early January.

'THE MENKOFF METHOD' (Rated M) - this situational workplace comedy is Directed by David Parker and is set in a Data Processing Centre of a major Australian banking corporation. David Cork (Lachlan Woods) is a daydreaming processing clerk whose real interest lies in the world of Japanese Manga and he secretly draws away his time at work recreating his favoured character, female superhero Foxy Chaos, and imagined scenes. Things take a turn for the worse when the CEO is suddenly dumped and the replacement enlists the wisdom of an HR 'expert' to help drives some efficiencies in the workplace and change the culture. That 'expert' is Russian Max Menkoff (Noah Taylor) and he comes with a groundbreaking 'method' of increasing productivity among the workforce. But, Menkoff comes with some baggage including a background in the KGB, a couple of henchmen, an assassin after his blood, and a secret formula that turns David's fellow colleagues into a horde of mindless zombies. Only David it seems and Ruby Jackson (Jessica Clarke) from Corporate Head Office stand in the way of Menkoff. Described as 'part spy movie, part anime, part office comedy - and all heart'!

'THE LEGEND OF BEN HALL' (Rated M) - this Australian historical drama film tells the true story of notorious Aussie bushranger Ben Hall who lived from 1837 until 1865 and was shot dead at the age of 27 by Police. He carried out many audacious raids across central New South Wales and his death was mired in controversy at the time, even though he was not directly responsible for any deaths himself, although his associates were. His life is one of folklore legend and the subject of many ballads and films. Produced and Directed by Matthew Holmes, and starring Jack Martin as Ben Hall this film tells the story of Hall being on the run for two years and with the long arm of the law closing in, with the only option seeming to be that of surrender. When he is drawn back into the world he knows best by an old friend John Gilbert (Jamie Coffa) and with new gang recruit John Dunn (William Lee) the there men soon become Australia's most wanted, following a series of robberies resulting in the deaths of two Policemen. With an estranged son, an ex-wife, the passing of new Government laws, and being sold out to the authorities by a seemingly trusted friend - the future doesn't look so promising for Ben Hall!

'THE QUEEN OF KATWE' (Rated PG) - this biographical sports drama is Directed by Mira Nair (who has previously brought us 'Mississippi Masala', 'Monsoon Wedding', 'Amelia' and 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'), and is based on the true story of Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) who grew up in the slums of Katwe on the outskirts of Kampala in Uganda. Raised by her single mother Nakku Harriet (Lupita Nyong'o), the young generally happy Phiona one day wanders into a missionary classroom enticed by the promise of free porridge. There she meets Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) who teaches soccer and chess. Out of curiosity Phiona approaches the game and soon becomes intrigued and learns the intricacies of chess over time, becoming a top player and winning several local competitions and tournaments. Her newly learned skills puts her on a trajectory to even greater success at the World Chess Olympiad, and with that success comes life changing events in a way that she never thought possible. The film screened at TIFF this year in September before release Stateside later that month. Made for US$15M, it has so for grossed US$10M.

'SOLACE' (Rated MA15+) - this film has been kicking around for a while having been filmed in 2013. Planned as a sequel to David Fincher's highly acclaimed 1995 film 'Se7en' but along the way that notion was scrapped, the story re-written, and here we have 'Solace'. Directed by Brazilian Afonso Poyart the film first Premiered in Turkey way back in April 2015, then was shown at TIFF in September of that same year and was due for release in September of this year. That got pushed back, and the film finally gets it's US release on 16th December, two weeks after it's Australian limited release. Telling the story of a retired psychic doctor John Clancy (Anthony Hopkins) who teams up with FBI Special Agent Joe Merriweather (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to track down a serial killer Charles Ambrose (Colin Farrell). Clancy however, wants nothing to do with the case having isolated himself from the world after the death of his child two years before, and the collapse of his marriage. He changes his mind after having visions of the untimely and violent demise of Merriweather's partner Special Agent Katherine Cowles (Abbie Cornish). What Clancy doesn't count on though is that Ambrose has more powerful psychic abilities than he does, which gives the killer the upper hand and keeps him well out in front of the doctor. The film has so far taken US$22M.

'UP FOR LOVE' (Rated M) - this French RomCom Is Directed by Laurent Tirard and is a remake of a 2013 Argentinian/Brazilian film titled 'Corazon de Leon'. Here Diane (Virginie Efira) is a successful lawyer who divorced her husband two years before. One day she loses her mobile phone and then receives a call from the guy who found it. That man is Alexandre (Jean Dujardin) - an architect who sounds like the prefect gentleman and a charming witty man. Over the phone the two hit it off and agree to meet up the next day. Diane heads off to her first date with great expectations only to be confronted by a man who is knee high to a grasshopper and whom she towers over. Needless to say love conquers all, and Diana tries to put her prejudices and her pre-conceived notions aside in the name of love, life and finding that perfect partner!

'TROLLS' (Rated G) - this animated feature from Dreamworks is based on the doll with the furry combed up hair originally created in 1959 by Danish fisherman and woodcutter Thomas Dam that became one of the biggest selling toy fads of the '60's, and subsequently went through various reincarnations in the '70's, '80's and '90's. Now in 2016 they have been given the big screen treatment in this CGI comedy musical Directed by Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn for a budget cost of US$125M that has so far raked in US$275M. Featuring a who's who of voice talent 'Trolls' tells the story of the Troll Village being invaded by the Bergens (large unhappy creatures who can only feel happiness by eating a Troll) and the Village being taken captive. Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) is the happiest Troll ever born to Trolldom who joins forces with Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake), an over-cautious grumpy Troll. Between them set off on a journey to rescue their Troll families and friends, but along the way must deal with various adventures, challenges and mishaps whilst putting up with one another just long enough to ensure the success of their mission. Also starring Zooey Deschanel, Russell Brand, John Cleese, Gwen Stefani, Christoper Mintz-Plasse, James Corden and Jeffery Tambor.

Well in the week ahead there really is something for everyone from cutesy colourful coiffed characters to zombies, werewolves and vampires to biographical drama to French comedy and psychic serial killers on the lose. With such a choice on offer there is every reason to get out to your local cinema to catch any one or more of these films as Previewed here, or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous weeks. When you have done so, share your cinematic opinions with your like minded fellow readers. In the meantime, I'll see you at the Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-