Latest news with #DonnieDarko
Time Out
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The founder of Alamo Drafthouse is debuting a swanky new movie theater in Chelsea
How to get Tim League, the founder of the famously strict Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chains, to allow phones and chatter during a screening? Metro Private Cinema, his upcoming venture in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, is the unique, if pricey, solution. Opening sometime this summer (late August or early September is the current target), the 20-screen complex will allow cinephiles to rent plush screening rooms for groups of four to 20 people. Each four-hour booking includes a pre-movie dinner and your pick of flick. Recent releases are prioritized, with a rotating selection of classics (all-timers like Jaws and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and off-beat ones, like Donnie Darko and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, are first on the slate) available. Want to screen an even deeper cut? Metro will find it for you, for an extra fee. Speaking of fees, experiences range from $200, for the smallest room, to $1,000 for the 20-count. Meals are $100 per person with alcoholic drinks upping the bill an extra $50 or more. But League maintains this is a way to eventize moviegoing at a time when the practice is in peril of disappearing, and when social media is filled with complaints about bad behavior, service and quality at most multiplexes. On par with Alamo's creative upscale cuisine, menus will be seasonal, and some films will get their unique culinary adventures. (Look out for special Paddington 2 and Goodfellas menus, and Les Blank's 1980 documentary, Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers, will have a particularly pungent pairing.) And, from the looks of the theater's website, rooms will have vibe-setting features like vinyl record players and a variety of seating options, for those who prefer a spine-correcting stool over a comfy couch. Stationed near many of New York's most accessible subway lines, this first iteration will serve as a pilot for future Metro Private Cinemas.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Tom Cruise co-star who also acted on Friends is unrecognizable at 75... can you guess who she is?
A veteran character actress with decades of experience in Hollywood was spotted out and about in Los Angeles this week. On the big screen, she has featured in movies with a dazzling array of top-flight stars including Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, Steve Carell and Jake Gyllenhaal. Her television work has ranged from The Golden Girls and Friends to CSI and Six Feet Under, with more recent roles on The Mindy Project and How I Met Your Mother. She was the image of summery style when she surfaced recently in California, looking as spry as ever at the age of 75. Her snappy outfit included a nautical chic set of navy and white shorts, teamed with a long-sleeved polo shirt and an elegant wide-brimmed straw hat. Can you guess who she is? The actress in question is none other than Beth Grant, who featured in the 1988 film Rain Man starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Dustin played an autistic man called Ray who insists on maintaining a rigorously fixed routine, with Tom featuring as his brother Charlie. In one memorable scene, the brothers stop into a strange family's farmhouse so that Ray can carry out his daily ritual of watching The People's Court. Beth plays the mother of the family, to whom Charlie has to explain: 'That man right there is my brother and if he doesn't get to watch People's Court in about 30 seconds he's going to throw a fit right here on your porch.' Her other famed movies include the 2001 sci-fi thriller Donnie Darko, with its formidable cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze. Jake plays a teenager called Donnie plagued by visions of a man in a rabbit costume, resulting in increasingly erratic behavior that his unhinged gym teacher Kitty Farmer - played by Beth - tries to curtail by giving him 'attitude lessons.' Beth's has also been in such movies as A Time to Kill with Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson and Matthew McConaughey, as well as Little Miss Sunshine with Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette. She had guest shots on a wide variety of television programs, including The Golden Girls, Criminal Minds, CSI, Six Feet Under and even Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She was the image of summery style when she surfaced recently in California , looking as spry as ever at the age of 75 Her television work has ranged from The Golden Girls and Friends to CSI and Six Feet Under, with more recent roles on The Mindy Project and How I Met Your Mother Beth is still working, having landed a principal role on this year's Amazon Prime series The Bondsman, starring Kevin Bacon as a resurrected bounty hunter On the early Friends episode The One with the Thumb, Beth played a vagrant whom Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) knew back when she herself was homeless. In the 2010s she was part of the main cast of The Mindy Project as Beverly, a receptionist at the hospital where Mindy Kaling's character works as an OB/GYN. Beth is still working, having landed a principal role on this year's Amazon Prime series The Bondsman, starring Kevin Bacon as a resurrected bounty hunter. She has roles in a number of upcoming projects as well, having recently filmed the Netflix movie Remarkably Bright Creatures starring Sally Field alongside Bill Pullman's son Lewis Pullman, who is now dating Cindy Crawford's daughter Kaia Gerber. On the personal front, Beth has been married to fellow actor Michael Chieffo for 40 years, and their daughter Mary Chieffo, 32, has followed her parents' footsteps into the profession, featuring on Star Trek: Discovery.
Gulf Today
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Harris Dickinson's directorial debut born of gut feeling
Harris Dickinson is sitting on a rooftop terrace in Cannes, trying to find all the movie tattoos on his body. There's a little one for 2001's 'Donnie Darko,' but there's a much larger one on his arm for 'Kes,' Ken Loach's seminal British social realism drama from 1969. 'I'm sure there's a few more on my legs,' Dickinson says, smiling. 'I can't remember.' But the spirit of Loach runs strong in Dickinson's directorial debut, 'Urchin.' The film, which premiered the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, stars Frank Dillane as a homeless London addict. A sensitive and preceptive character study, 'Urchin' has been widely hailed as a standout at Cannes. Just as the 28-year-old Dickson, who starred in last year's 'Babygirl,' is emerging as a major movie star, he's revealed himself to be a filmmaker to watch, too. 'Before we screened, I was debilitated by nerves,' Dickinson said the day after the premiere. 'I felt so vulnerable - which I do normally with acting, but not as much. I suddenly realized what an exposing thing this is. Like you said, it's showing a different side of myself and putting that out there to be obliterated.' But Dickinson, who first emerged in Eliza Hitman's 2017 film 'Beach Rats,' only expanded audience's notions of him with 'Urchin.' As he explained in an interview, making it was important enough to him, even if it meant sacrificing parts at the very moment Hollywood won't stop calling. Next, Dickinson will star as John Lennon in Sam Mendes' four-film Beatles project. How did your artistic journey start? Was acting or directing first? I wanted to direct from a very young age. I wanted to make films. I was making these skateboard videos and I was doing a lot of short films on YouTube. I had a web series where I would release episodes weekly. It was like a sketch show. That was first love, just making things. Acting kind of kicked off a little bit once 'Beach Rats' came out at Sundance. It was weird. I had to earn my stripes, of course, as an actor. But I couldn't go to film school because I was acting. So I just carried on my own interest in it and thought: Hopefully someday I can do it. Then the short film happened and the BBC took a chance on me, commissioning 'Urchin.' Was it hard to juggle your priorities? Hard to figure out, yeah. And particularly when we're in a world where people don't always love someone trying to doing multiple things. And rightly so. There are times when you shouldn't be trying to be a basketball player, or whatever. A lot of people do go, 'Oh, I fancy doing that now,' particularly when they get to a more successful position. But this has always been a love of mine and I've just been waiting for the moment to do it. That must of required a lot of effort, especially after all the attention of 'Babygirl.' Did it mean saying no a lot? Yeah, for sure. But it's easy to say no to things. 'Urchin' was all I could think about it. It was pouring out of me. It was all that was on my mind. It's easy to say no when you've got something to take you away from that, you know? Nothing that came in would make me question my own film, which is a sign that I had to make it at this time. I don't know, maybe that sounds self-important. What was it about this character that compelled you? The discovery of Mike happened over a long time. I really started with the intention to create a very focused character study of someone who was ultimately battling against themselves. I wanted to show a full person in all of their ugliness and all of their humanity and their charm. And that was a hard process to get right. Associated Press
San Francisco Chronicle
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Harris Dickinson is one of the most in-demand actors, but he had to direct a film first
CANNES, France (AP) — Harris Dickinson is sitting on a rooftop terrace in Cannes, trying to find all the movie tattoos on his body. There's a little one for 2001's 'Donnie Darko,' but there's a much larger one on his arm for 'Kes,' Ken Loach's seminal British social realism drama from 1969. 'I'm sure there's a few more on my legs,' Dickinson says, smiling. 'I can't remember.' But the spirit of Loach runs strong in Dickinson's directorial debut, 'Urchin.' The film, which premiered the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, stars Frank Dillane as a homeless London drug addict. A sensitive and preceptive character study, 'Urchin' has been widely hailed as a standout at Cannes. Just as the 28-year-old Dickson, who starred in last year's 'Babygirl,' is emerging as a major movie star, he's revealed himself to be a filmmaker to watch, too. 'Before we screened, I was debilitated by nerves,' Dickinson said the day after the premiere. 'I felt so vulnerable — which I do normally with acting, but not as much. I suddenly realized what an exposing thing this is. Like you said, it's showing a different side of myself and putting that out there to be obliterated.' But Dickinson, who first emerged in Eliza Hitman's 2017 film 'Beach Rats,' only expanded audience's notions of him with 'Urchin." As he explained in an interview, making it was important enough to him, even if it meant sacrificing parts at the very moment Hollywood won't stop calling. Next, Dickinson will star as John Lennon in Sam Mendes' four-film Beatles project. AP: How did your artistic journey start? Was acting or directing first? DICKINSON: I wanted to direct from a very young age. I wanted to make films. I was making these skateboard videos and I was doing a lot of short films on YouTube. I had a web series where I would release episodes weekly. It was like a sketch show. That was first love, just making things. Acting kind of kicked off a little bit once 'Beach Rats' came out at Sundance. It was weird. I had to earn my stripes, of course, as an actor. But I couldn't go to film school because I was acting. So I just carried on my own interest in it and thought: Hopefully someday I can do it. Then the short film happened and the BBC took a chance on me, commissioning "Urchin." AP: Was it hard to juggle your priorities? DICKINSON: Hard to figure out, yeah. And particularly when we're in a world where people don't always love someone trying to doing multiple things. And rightly so. There are times when you shouldn't be trying to be a basketball player, or whatever. A lot of people do go, 'Oh, I fancy doing that now,' particularly when they get to a more successful position. But this has always been a love of mine and I've just been waiting for the moment to do it. It's strange as well because I'm also at a point in my acting where I had to take a lot of time out to make this film. But I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. AP: That must of required a lot of effort, especially after all the attention of 'Babygirl.' Did it mean saying no a lot? DICKINSON: Yeah, for sure. But it's easy to say no to things. 'Urchin' was all I could think about it. It was pouring out of me. It was all that was on my mind. It's easy to say no when you've got something to take you away from that, you know? Nothing that came in would make me question my own film, which is a sign that I had to make it at this time. I don't know, maybe that sounds self-important. AP: What was it about this character that compelled you? DICKINSON: The discovery of Mike happened over a long time. I really started with the intention to create a very focused character study of someone who was ultimately battling against themselves. I wanted to show a full person in all of their ugliness and all of their humanity and their charm. And that was a hard process to get right. It also happened with Frank, who came on and tapped into those things so beautifully. I kept coming back to the no judgment thing, not allowing us to feel sorry for him too much. Just observe him and go through situations and see how he acts. AP: I admire that he's trying to get his life in order, but he's also sabotaging himself. DICKINSON: He can't transcend his own behavior, which is so common for a lot of people, especially when they've been through a certain degree of trauma. How do you get out of that? How do you change your behavior? When your support network's gone, even the institution is not enough to get someone out of these cycles. As people, what interests me is that we're an incredibly advanced civilization but at the end of the day, we're quite rudimentary in our design. We're quite basic in the way we go back to things. AP: Did the film proceed out of work you've done with a charity for homeless people or were you inspired firstly by social realists like Ken Loach? DICKINSON: I'm always a bit reluctant to talk about this because it's something I've been doing in private and not trying to be like a heroic thing of a cause. I'm just a minor, minor part of a much bigger cause that is ultimately made up hundred of thousands of individuals that are collectively working toward change. But it was always important to have the bones of this film lay in that space. It had to have the uncurrent to it. It had to have that factual reality to it. And, yeah, Loach, Meadows. Ken Loach, he's one of the greats, for good reason. He's made incredibly important films. And I don't know if this film has the through line of a social realism drama or a social political film. I think it has the beginnings of it because we enter the world and then stay there very observationally. But then the language changes. AP: Do you expect to keep making films interspersed between acting? DICKINSON: I hope so. I hope people let me do it again. That's the goal. But it takes a lot of you. I think my partner is probably happy for me to not be a neurotic person for a bit. AP: Well, playing John Lennon is no piece of cake, either. ___ Jake Coyle has covered the Cannes Film Festival since 2012. He's seeing approximately 40 films at this year's festival and reporting on what stands out. ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit:
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Harris Dickinson is one of the most in-demand actors, but he had to direct a film first
CANNES, France (AP) — Harris Dickinson is sitting on a rooftop terrace in Cannes, trying to find all the movie tattoos on his body. There's a little one for 2001's 'Donnie Darko,' but there's a much larger one on his arm for 'Kes,' Ken Loach's seminal British social realism drama from 1969. 'I'm sure there's a few more on my legs,' Dickinson says, smiling. 'I can't remember.' But the spirit of Loach runs strong in Dickinson's directorial debut, 'Urchin.' The film, which premiered the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, stars Frank Dillane as a homeless London drug addict. A sensitive and preceptive character study, 'Urchin' has been widely hailed as a standout at Cannes. Just as the 28-year-old Dickson, who starred in last year's 'Babygirl,' is emerging as a major movie star, he's revealed himself to be a filmmaker to watch, too. 'Before we screened, I was debilitated by nerves,' Dickinson said the day after the premiere. 'I felt so vulnerable — which I do normally with acting, but not as much. I suddenly realized what an exposing thing this is. Like you said, it's showing a different side of myself and putting that out there to be obliterated.' But Dickinson, who first emerged in Eliza Hitman's 2017 film 'Beach Rats,' only expanded audience's notions of him with 'Urchin.' As he explained in an interview, making it was important enough to him, even if it meant sacrificing parts at the very moment Hollywood won't stop calling. Next, Dickinson will star as John Lennon in Sam Mendes' four-film Beatles project. AP: How did your artistic journey start? Was acting or directing first? DICKINSON: I wanted to direct from a very young age. I wanted to make films. I was making these skateboard videos and I was doing a lot of short films on YouTube. I had a web series where I would release episodes weekly. It was like a sketch show. That was first love, just making things. Acting kind of kicked off a little bit once 'Beach Rats' came out at Sundance. It was weird. I had to earn my stripes, of course, as an actor. But I couldn't go to film school because I was acting. So I just carried on my own interest in it and thought: Hopefully someday I can do it. Then the short film happened and the BBC took a chance on me, commissioning 'Urchin.' AP: Was it hard to juggle your priorities? DICKINSON: Hard to figure out, yeah. And particularly when we're in a world where people don't always love someone trying to doing multiple things. And rightly so. There are times when you shouldn't be trying to be a basketball player, or whatever. A lot of people do go, 'Oh, I fancy doing that now,' particularly when they get to a more successful position. But this has always been a love of mine and I've just been waiting for the moment to do it. It's strange as well because I'm also at a point in my acting where I had to take a lot of time out to make this film. But I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. AP: That must of required a lot of effort, especially after all the attention of 'Babygirl.' Did it mean saying no a lot? DICKINSON: Yeah, for sure. But it's easy to say no to things. 'Urchin' was all I could think about it. It was pouring out of me. It was all that was on my mind. It's easy to say no when you've got something to take you away from that, you know? Nothing that came in would make me question my own film, which is a sign that I had to make it at this time. I don't know, maybe that sounds self-important. AP: What was it about this character that compelled you? DICKINSON: The discovery of Mike happened over a long time. I really started with the intention to create a very focused character study of someone who was ultimately battling against themselves. I wanted to show a full person in all of their ugliness and all of their humanity and their charm. And that was a hard process to get right. It also happened with Frank, who came on and tapped into those things so beautifully. I kept coming back to the no judgment thing, not allowing us to feel sorry for him too much. Just observe him and go through situations and see how he acts. AP: I admire that he's trying to get his life in order, but he's also sabotaging himself. DICKINSON: He can't transcend his own behavior, which is so common for a lot of people, especially when they've been through a certain degree of trauma. How do you get out of that? How do you change your behavior? When your support network's gone, even the institution is not enough to get someone out of these cycles. As people, what interests me is that we're an incredibly advanced civilization but at the end of the day, we're quite rudimentary in our design. We're quite basic in the way we go back to things. AP: Did the film proceed out of work you've done with a charity for homeless people or were you inspired firstly by social realists like Ken Loach? DICKINSON: I'm always a bit reluctant to talk about this because it's something I've been doing in private and not trying to be like a heroic thing of a cause. I'm just a minor, minor part of a much bigger cause that is ultimately made up hundred of thousands of individuals that are collectively working toward change. But it was always important to have the bones of this film lay in that space. It had to have the uncurrent to it. It had to have that factual reality to it. And, yeah, Loach, Meadows. Ken Loach, he's one of the greats, for good reason. He's made incredibly important films. And I don't know if this film has the through line of a social realism drama or a social political film. I think it has the beginnings of it because we enter the world and then stay there very observationally. But then the language changes. AP: Do you expect to keep making films interspersed between acting? DICKINSON: I hope so. I hope people let me do it again. That's the goal. But it takes a lot of you. I think my partner is probably happy for me to not be a neurotic person for a bit. AP: Well, playing John Lennon is no piece of cake, either. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. DICKINSON: I'll probably be neurotic, as well. I'll probably be just as neurotic. ___ Jake Coyle has covered the Cannes Film Festival since 2012. He's seeing approximately 40 films at this year's festival and reporting on what stands out. ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit:
