Latest news with #AltoKnights
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
After Sinners, I've Seen All Four Major Dual Performance Movies So Far In 2025, And There's A Clear Best And A Clear Worst
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains some spoilers for Sinners. If you have not yet seen the film, A) what are you waiting for?!, and B) proceed at your own risk. In the early decades of cinema, having a single actor play two different characters performing together in a single scene was a magical feat that blew the minds of audiences… but on a technical level, it has become pretty basic in modern Hollywood. Between visual effects, advanced editing procedures, and cameras that can be programmed to repeat precise movements in multiple takes, contemporary filmmaking has taken the shine off that particular apple. What can still make dual performances stand out, however, is the caliber of the actor pulling double duty – and we've seen a fascinating array of them in the first four months of 2025 alone between Christian Convery and Theo James in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey, Robert Pattinson in Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17, Robert De Niro in Barry Levinson's Alto Knights, and Michael B. Jordan in Ryan Coogler's Sinners. It's been a bit odd to see all of these movies released in close proximity to one another, and each employs the cinematic trick differently, but along the titles, there is a standout that executes it best and a standout that executes it worst. Dual Performances Of 2025! The Monkey Review: Gory, Wild Madness Unlike Any Other Stephen King Movie--The Alto Knights Review: I Never Imagined A Robert De Niro-Led Gangster Movie Could Be This Epically Bad--Mickey 17 Review: Bong Joon Ho's Parasite Follow-Up Is Goofy And Smart But Also Flawed--Sinners Review: I Don't Know If I Love It More As A Crime Movie Or A Horror Movie. That's Awesome As far as capturing a dual performance is concerned, Ryan Coogler flexes his filmmaking skills early in Sinners, with the very first scene between Michael B. Jordan's twin brothers Smoke and Stack featuring a moment where one lights the other's cigarette. There isn't a drop of artifice to it (certainly no faint line down the middle of the screen that the characters never cross), and the work has you see the two men independently, wearing stylish, color-accented suits and waiting for the opportunity to close the real estate deal that is the first step towards achieving their dream. Our eyes tell us that we are watching two brothers, but it's truly Jordan's performance that maintains the illusion throughout the horror/crime epic. A lot of movies that utilize a dual performance in their storytelling use it as an opportunity to showcase a star's range. The same actor plays two characters who look alike but otherwise have wildly divergent personalities – and it's often the case that they will be protagonist and antagonist (The Monkey presents a textbook example of this, with the shy, introverted Hal presented in contrast to the bullying, aggressive Bill). This is a significant part of what makes Michael B. Jordan's work in Sinners stand apart, however. They aren't a study of opposites; it's a masterpiece of realistic subtlety. Let's quickly examine who Smoke and Stack are. Elijah and Elias Moore are twin brothers who grew up together in the Mississippi Delta and are forever bonded from the trauma of their abusive father. They found freedom from that horror together, and when they matured, they chose to move to Chicago together to find their fortune. Their lives are intertwined from birth, and through their shared experiences, they developed shared goals. This is not a story for twins who mature in extreme contrast. But it's not as though Michael B. Jordan is playing two incarnations of the same character. If I can loosely play on the significance of music in Sinners, they are variations on a theme. Every person is wired differently, looks at the world through different eyes, and has experiences that impact their filters and behavior. In a dependent relationship, one's shortcomings can be compensated for by the other's skill. The blue and red accents of the costuming by Ruth E. Carter give away how Smoke and Stack fit this reality. We see this best expressed in their romantic relationships: the former having his history with his estranged wife, Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), the tragic loss of their child permitting Jordan to add extra layers of emotional depth; and the latter carrying on a fiery affair with the once-spurned Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), which ultimately leads to his monstrous transformation. Sinners presents an atypical version of the dual performance, and while I love what Christian Convery and Theo James do in The Monkey and how Robert Pattinson plays the various clones Mickey 17, Michael B. Jordan pulls off something special. And all of them are leagues better than what was attempted by all of the legendary talent behind the gangster film Alto Knights. To be blunt, there is no real reason why Robert De Niro plays both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese in Alto Nights, and that does nothing to help the performance's standing in this conversation. Unlike with The Monkey or Mickey 17 or Sinners, the characters are neither twins nor clones, and the real people on whom they are based have some shared features but are hardly identical. The filmmakers could have easily paired De Niro with another renowned actor from the gangster movie genre to amplify marketability, but they went with De Niro in a dual role as a hook. Or to use a more loaded, (very) purposefully negative term, a gimmick. Without a natural justification for the double duty part, there is an onus put on the characterization and performance to make it make sense, and that test is failed. The personalities come down to 'equanimity' versus 'anger management issues,' and neither possesses any particular charisma or dynamism to remind audiences of what made De Niro a legend in the genre. This particularly becomes clear in scenes where Frank and Vito sit down in scenes together, which never feel like anything more than a cinematic trick with the actor in costume and makeup talking to himself. It's been strange to see high-profile dual performances at a rate of one per month in 2025 so far, but it has successfully showcased fascinating utility for storytelling and has exemplified the best and worst way to do things. I'm not sure how many more of these movies we'll get in the rest of the year 2025, but I'll certainly be hopeful that they will all be more Sinners than Alto Knights.
Metro
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Robert De Niro's daughter 'stepping into new identity' as she comes out as trans
Robert De Niro's daughter Airyn has given her first interview, officially coming out publicly as a trans woman, and talking about navigating her journey in the public eye while trying to remain private. The 29-year-old was born to the Taxi Driver and Alto Knights star, 81, and model Toukie Smith, 72, via a surrogate and alongside her twin brother Julian in October 1995. An aspiring actress herself – although one who has forged her own path and avoided using her father's extensive contacts as a Hollywood legend – Airyn spoke with Ava Pauline Emilione for Them, a leading LGBTQ+ outlet. Previously snapped with her long pink hair while visiting her dad at the Greenwich Hotel in New York, she now reveals that she booked her first appointment at a Black salon after being inspired by Halle Bailey's locs in Disney's 2023 live-action version of The Little Mermaid. She has been left 'surprised' by the sudden media attention after living away from the glare of the spotlight. 'Obviously no parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight. They wanted it very private. They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible,' she told the outlet. While Airyn has been 'femme-presenting since middle school' and initially came out as a gay man in high school, she made the decision to begin hormone therapy in November 2024 so she could maintain her femininity as she got older – 'Who wants to be an old man?' she asks. With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! 'There's a difference between being visible and being seen,' Airyn added to Them of making her gender identity public. 'I've been visible. I don't think I've been seen yet.' She revealed she's been inspired by seeing other people being 'honest and open, especially [in] public spaces like social media and getting to see them in their success', which made her realise that 'maybe it's not too late for me'. Airyn also spoke about the importance of specifically embracing Black femininity, and the influence Black women have had on her, during her transition. 'I think stepping into this new identity, while also being more proud of my Blackness, makes me feel closer to them in some way.' She is also training to be a mental health counsellor, which she juggles with auditions for on-screen and voice-only roles – which included the role of Jules in Euphoria that ultimately went to Hunter Schafer. Airyn also said she's been 'ghosted or rejected by most casting directors' as she forges her own way in Hollywood, separate to that of her father and mother. 'I wasn't brought up having a side part in one of dad's movies or going to business meetings or attending premieres. My dad was very big on us finding our own sort of path. I would want [success] to happen on my own merit,' she shared. Alongside Airyn and Julian, two-time Oscar-winner De Niro has five other children. With his ex-wife Dihanne Abbott, whom he divorced in 1988, the pair share son Raphael, while the acting icon also adopted Abbott's daughter Drena from a previous relationship. More Trending In 1997, he married second wife Grace Hightower, separating after 20 years of marriage in 2018. He and Grace share son Elliot and daughter Helen, while De Niro has since gone on to welcome his seventh child, daughter Gia, at the age of 79 in April 2023 with girlfriend Tiffany Chen, who is in her 40s. De Niro is also a grandfather of four through his two oldest children, although the family suffered a tragic loss with the death of his grandson Leandro De Niro Rodriguez aged 19 in July 2023. His cause of death was later confirmed as a drug overdose. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 80s rock icon celebrates 36th wedding anniversary after cheating confession MORE: 80s rock icon finally reveals tragic reason behind infamous rift with bandmate MORE: Chilling new details in Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa's autopsy revealed
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prospective jurors in Harvey Weinstein sex assault retrial say they can't judge fairly: ‘He is a really bad guy'
NEW YORK — Jury selection commenced Tuesday at Harvey Weinstein's Manhattan retrial, where dozens of New Yorkers stuck their hands up to say they couldn't sit on the case — several because they couldn't do so with an open mind. Weinstein, 73, a Hollywood power player before facing sexual assault allegations by more than 80 women, was a familiar face to several Manhattan residents called in for jury duty. Nobody had been seated by 4 p.m. 'I don't like the guy; he is a really bad guy,' Mark Axelowitz, who plays the Manhattan district attorney in the new Robert De Niro movie 'Alto Knights,' said. A restaurant maître'd, who declined to provide their name, said, 'I don't see how anyone can be impartial.' Another prospective panelist was seen mouthing 'wow' at the person beside her after learning who the defendant in the case was. Wearing a navy blue suit and a light blue tie, Weinstein was brought into court shortly after 11 a.m. in a wheelchair, carrying a copy of 'Nobody's Fool' by Harlan Coben. He was back on trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, where he was convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison in early 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape stemming from allegations by three women, two of whom, former aspiring actress Jessica Mann and former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, testified at his first trial. The identity of the third woman is not public; she has alleged Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. New York's Court of Appeals threw out Weinstein's landmark conviction last May after finding that the trial court judge erroneously allowed testimony about sexual assault incidents for which Weinstein was not charged. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg later said his office would retry the case. In 2022 he was convicted in a separate case in Los Angeles on rape and sexual assault charges and subsequently sentenced to 16 years in prison, which he's set to continue serving regardless of the outcome of his current trial. Lindsay Goldbrum, an attorney representing the anonymous accuser, said she would go public when she takes the stand. 'As she has told me her experience, and again told the DA her experiences, one thing has been crystal clear: that this was not consensual,' Goldbrum said. 'There will be a lot of pundits, commentators and so-called experts, discussing whether or not these acts were consensual. But what matters here is the facts, and I'm confident that a jury will find that these acts were not consensual and they will convict.' Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said his client was 'cautiously optimistic.' 'Harvey's been struggling with all kinds of physical ailments, all kinds of health issues. But there's a degree of nervous energy in a positive way to finally have his voice heard and have his day in court under very different circumstances than five years ago,' he said. _____
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prospective jurors in Harvey Weinstein sex assault retrial say they can't judge fairly: ‘He is a really bad guy'
NEW YORK — Jury selection commenced Tuesday at Harvey Weinstein's Manhattan retrial, where dozens of New Yorkers stuck their hands up to say they couldn't sit on the case — several because they couldn't do so with an open mind. Weinstein, 73, a Hollywood power player before facing sexual assault allegations by more than 80 women, was a familiar face to several Manhattan residents called in for jury duty. Nobody had been seated by 4 p.m. 'I don't like the guy; he is a really bad guy,' Mark Axelowitz, who plays the Manhattan district attorney in the new Robert De Niro movie 'Alto Knights,' said. A restaurant maître'd, who declined to provide their name, said, 'I don't see how anyone can be impartial.' Another prospective panelist was seen mouthing 'wow' at the person beside her after learning who the defendant in the case was. Wearing a navy blue suit and a light blue tie, Weinstein was brought into court shortly after 11 a.m. in a wheelchair, carrying a copy of 'Nobody's Fool' by Harlan Coben. He was back on trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, where he was convicted and sentenced to 23 years in prison in early 2020. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape stemming from allegations by three women, two of whom, former aspiring actress Jessica Mann and former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, testified at his first trial. The identity of the third woman is not public; she has alleged Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. New York's Court of Appeals threw out Weinstein's landmark conviction last May after finding that the trial court judge erroneously allowed testimony about sexual assault incidents for which Weinstein was not charged. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg later said his office would retry the case. In 2022 he was convicted in a separate case in Los Angeles on rape and sexual assault charges and subsequently sentenced to 16 years in prison, which he's set to continue serving regardless of the outcome of his current trial. Lindsay Goldbrum, an attorney representing the anonymous accuser, said she would go public when she takes the stand. 'As she has told me her experience, and again told the DA her experiences, one thing has been crystal clear: that this was not consensual,' Goldbrum said. 'There will be a lot of pundits, commentators and so-called experts, discussing whether or not these acts were consensual. But what matters here is the facts, and I'm confident that a jury will find that these acts were not consensual and they will convict.' Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said his client was 'cautiously optimistic.' 'Harvey's been struggling with all kinds of physical ailments, all kinds of health issues. But there's a degree of nervous energy in a positive way to finally have his voice heard and have his day in court under very different circumstances than five years ago,' he said. _____
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CRIME HUNTER: New Mafia movie Alto Knights focuses on Costello-Genovese war
'This is for you, Frank,' the young hitman snarled before firing at mob boss Frank Costello outside New York's Waldorf-Astoria. The bullet only grazed Costello – known as the Prime Minister of the Underworld for his diplomatic skills – but it was enough to send him into retirement, leaving the reins of the Luciano Crime Family to arch-rival Vito Genovese. The rivalry between the two gangsters is the premise of a new mob movie, Alto Knights, starring Robert DeNiro playing both arch-criminals. In addition to DeNiro, the crime drama also stars Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, and Michael Rispoli. The film – directed by Barry Levinson and was written by Nick Pileggi, who also penned GoodFellas – was out Friday. *** The year 1957 was a blockbuster year in the American underworld. Costello was hit in May by up-and-coming gangster Vincent 'The Chin' Gigante, later called The Oddfather by the New York tabloids. Costello never pointed the finger at 'The Chin' and decades later the former boxer would become boss of the Genovese family. Once Costello was out of the way, the greedy, violent and ambitious Genovese was looking to tie up loose ends. One of those loose ends was Albert Anastasia. Known as the Mad Hatter and Lord High Executioner for his volatile demeanour, the 55-year-old ran what would become the Gambino crime family. 'A glare from Genovese's dark eyes from beneath bushy eyebrows intimidated the bravest mafioso,' mob expert Selwyn Raab wrote in Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America's Most Powerful Mafia Empires. Costello found himself in the Genovese's crosshairs. The bloodthirsty rebel wanted to be capo di tutti capi – boss of bosses. That meant taking over the commission, the board of directors of the national crime syndicate. Genovese and Carlo Gambino decided to take out Murder Inc. founder Anastasia. On Oct. 25, 1957, while getting a shave in the barber shop of New York's posh Park-Sheraton Hotel, two gunmen entered and shot Anastasia to death as he rested in the barber's chair. Everything was going Genovese's way. Three weeks later, on Nov. 14, 1957, Genovese ordered a summit of the nation's mafia leaders for what he hoped would be his coronation. The meet would be held at the rural home of mobster Joseph 'Joe the Barber' Barbara in Apalachin, New York, west of Binghampton. On the agenda were drugs, loansharking, Cuba and divvying up the spoils of Albert Anastasia's empire. Around 100 mobsters from the U.S., Canada and Italy were in attendance. Then it all came off the rails when a local state trooper noticed all the limos with out-of-state licence plates. Cops moved in and more than 60 gangland czars were pinched. Some were jailed, and some were hit with hefty fines, but the true damage was that Cosa Nostra was no longer in the shadows. The debacle was the beginning of the end for Genovese. *** Vito Genovese's throbbing resentment toward Costello went back nearly three decades, according to author Tony DeStefano, who wrote the 2018 book Top Hoodlum: Frank Costello Prime Minister of The Mafia, followed in 2021 by The Deadly Don: Vito Genovese, Mafia Boss. Both criminals had been under the command of Mafia visionary Lucky Luciano during the days of prohibition. 'I think the main problem was that Genovese felt envious of Costello, who was the more polished, politically connected and more astute businessman,' the author said. 'For those reasons, Costello was given the leadership of the family by Luciano after Genovese left for Europe in the face of the murder rap.' And that grated on the petty Genovese. 'Upon his return to New York City in 1945, [Genovese] realized he had missed out on many opportunities in the rackets and wanted Costello to compensate him a share, which didn't happen,' DeStefano told MobMuseum. He added: 'Genovese saw Costello in the 1950s as the main impediment to his control of the family. So Genovese got Gigante to try and kill Costello in the failed assassination attempt.' *** Genovese's ride at the top didn't last long. In 1959, the cold-blooded killer was convicted on narcotics conspiracy charges for peddling heroin. There has long been a belief among cops and gangsters alike that Genovese was set up by his old boss, Lucky Luciano. According to the narrative, Luciano – by then living in exile in Rome – had soured on Genovese for his machinations and belief he was bad for business. So the mobster paid $100,000 to a Puerto Rican dope dealer to falsely implicate his former protege. Genovese got 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. There, he gave longtime trusted soldier Joe Valachi the infamous kiss of death. Valachi flipped and gave the feds a birds-eye view of the Cosa Nostra's inner workings and with the publication of the Valachi Papers, a pop culture star. Genovese died of a heart attack in 1969. HUNTER: Mob-like Morris Conte dismemberment murder a personal affair LAMEFELLAS: Mafia bosses moan about 'low' calibre aspiring wiseguys MOB WAR: Bloodbath feared in Mafia heartland after scion's murder *** Unlike Genovese, Costello remained respected elder statesman in the underworld. The Godfather character of Don Vito Corleone was long-reputed to be based on Costello. Four years after Genovese pegged out in a Missouri prison, death came for the Prime Minister of the Underworld. Costello died quietly of natural causes in 1973. He was 82. 'If ever there was an organized crime figure who came out pretty good, it was Frank Costello,' screenwriter Nick Pileggi said. bhunter@ @HunterTOSun
