Latest news with #LeavingLasVegas
New European
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New European
Matthew d'Ancona's culture: Why you must see The Fifth Step
From the opening needle drop of Johnny Cash's I'm Just an Old Lump of Coal, David Ireland's succinct, powerful play has the audience guessing. 'I think I might be an incel,' declares Luka (Jack Lowden) to James (Martin Freeman) – and so commences an hour and half of whip-smart dialogue. Luka is an alcoholic in the early stages of recovery, jittery and unfocused, while the older man has many years of sobriety under his belt. After some back-and-forth about the nature of Alcoholics Anonymous, James agrees to be his sponsor, guiding him through the programme's 12 steps. There have been many memorable portrayals of alcoholism and its price: Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend (1945), Blake Edwards's Days of Wine and Roses (1962) and Mike Figgis's Leaving Las Vegas (1995). Ireland, who gave up drinking more than 20 years ago, certainly addresses addiction and AA (which did not work for him) in the exchanges between Luka and James. The play takes its title from the programme's fifth step, in which alcoholics admit 'to God, to oneself, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs'. But Finn den Hertog's production, which received its premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival last year, can just as easily be seen as a broader exploration of contemporary masculinity, belief and deceit. James and Luka share a resentment of their respective fathers. The younger man struggles with porn addiction; the older also has sexual issues in his past. As Luka gains confidence and spiritual strength – his awakening involves an apparently hallucinatory vision of a movie star in a gym – the power dynamics shift fast. Affection vies with treachery, faith with cynicism. There is plenty of banter, and lines are recited from Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980) alongside consideration of Buddha, the Bible and Spotify's algorithms. In the hands of performers as accomplished as Freeman and Lowden, the nuances of this evolution are captivating. In an interview with the Guardian last August, Ireland said: 'I've been trying to be Quentin Tarantino my whole career and now I want to be CS Lewis!' The Fifth Step certainly wrestles with profundity. But it is also supremely compassionate and funny. Go see. BOOK Horace: Poet on a Volcano by Peter Stothard (Yale University Press) The most obvious bequest to modernity of the poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65-8 BCE) is aphoristic: in medias res ('begin in the middle of the action'); carpe diem ('seize the day'); sapere aude ('dare to know'). For those still lucky enough to be offered the classics at school, there are his Odes and Satires. But little attention is now paid to his life and times. Step forward Peter Stothard who, after a quarter century of distinction as editor of The Times and the Times Literary Supplement, has written a series of excellent books about the ancient world. In this biography, he nestles Horace's artistry squarely in the politics, society and culture of the Augustan age, describing him, intriguingly, as a 'a war poet' who 'became a laureate poet in an autocratic empire'. The son of a freed slave, Horace travelled from Venusia in southern Italy to Athens, where he met Brutus, plotting his next move after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Marching with the assassins' army, he briefly shared command of a legion at the decisive battle of Philippi (42 BCE) at which Brutus and Cassius were defeated by Mark Antony and Octavian (later Augustus). Horace survived and rose in Rome as a poet of pithy ferocity and wit, initially describing the fetid squalor of the Subura quarter. He befriended Vergil, calling him 'one half of my soul' – though he had no desire to emulate the epic form of the Aeneid. After Vergil's death, it fell to Horace to write a song for the all-important Ludi Saeculares or Centenary Games, mounted by Augustus in 17 BCE. As Stothard reflects in one of his best chapters: 'This was the most important public event of his life, of anyone's life… Nothing could be allowed to go wrong'. As in his previous books, the author brings the classical world to life vividly and with wit, stretching out a scholarly hand to those with little knowledge of antiquity. Horace wrote that, in his poetry, 'I have built a monument more lasting than bronze.' He now has a modern biographer worthy of his legacy. STREAMING Garbo: Where Did You Go? (Sky Arts/Now) 'What a waste of the best years of my life – always alone – it was so stupid not being able to partake more,' wrote Greta Garbo to Cecil Beaton in 1948. 'Now I'm just a gypsy, living a life apart, but I know my ways and I must not see people.' The reflex of cultural historians has long been to categorise the Swedish film star alongside JD Salinger, Thomas Pynchon and Bobby Fischer as a compulsive recluse. But the truth, as Lorna Tucker's absorbing documentary makes clear, was more nuanced. Born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson in the slums of Stockholm in 1905, she was scouted at the department store where she worked and cast in a promotional film. After she played a small part in Erik A Petschler's Peter the Tramp (1922) and then a leading role in Mauritz Stiller's The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924) – it was Stiller who renamed her 'Garbo' – Hollywood came calling. Her rise to global celebrity was sensational, thanks to movies such as Fred Niblo's The Temptress, Clarence Brown's Flesh and the Devil (both 1926), and A Woman of Affairs (1928, also directed by Brown). She formed an electrifying on- and off-screen partnership with John Gilbert, the model for Brad Pitt's character in Damien Chazelle's Babylon (2018) – though, after years of heavy drinking he was to die in 1936, aged only 38. In 1930, Garbo was receiving 3,000 letters a day – considerably more than the 800 sent to President Hoover. Even more remarkable was the success with which, unlike so many of her contemporaries, she made the transition from silent movies to the era of sound. Her first line in a talkie, an adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie (1930), was a sensation in itself: 'Gimme a whiskey, ginger ale on the side, and don't be stingy, baby!' Though she was never allowed to live down her famous demand in Edmund Goulding's Grand Hotel (1932) – 'I want to be alone!' – she fought hard against stereotype and, in Rouben Mamoulian's Queen Christina (1933) embraced androgyny and hinted at bisexuality. Though she hated the attentions of what were not yet called the paparazzi, she was even more dismayed by the rise in censorship and moral condemnation of art. Her performance in George Cukor's Two-Faced Woman (1941) – a movie attacked by the National Legion of Decency and church leaders – was to be her last. She was only 36. That she cordoned off her private life in New York is a matter of record. But what Tucker shows is that privacy is not the same as solitude. Her friendships with figures such as Beaton, Charlie Chaplin, and John F Kennedy remained a rich source of pleasure; she travelled under the alias 'Miss Harriet Brown'; and collected art, including three Renoirs. She died in 1990 aged 84, almost half a century after she had turned her back on the movies. In the same year, Madonna released the single Vogue, the lyrics of which helped to entrench Garbo's unique (and unwanted) iconic status. STREAMING Wick is Pain (video on demand) I have often thought that the masterly John Wick action movies are God's way of apologising for Sally Rooney. While the literary world swooned over drearily prim middle-class people mumbling about their feelings in her novels, Keanu Reeves and his former stunt coordinator, Chad Stahelski, turned a wild idea for a 'gun fu' revenge movie into a thrilling billion-dollar franchise that has more or less reinvented the genre. Though Jeffrey Doe's documentary is doubtless intended to generate hype for next month's spin-off movie, Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, it is enjoyable in its own right as a case study in cinematic world-building and the colossal odds that confront any first-time film-maker – even with a star of Reeves's cachet on board. The first Wick (2014), in which the assassin comes out of retirement after (against all Hollywood rules) his dog is killed by the bad guys, was co-directed by Stahelski's friend and fellow stunt expert, David Leitch. By their own admission, they had no idea how to direct a feature film and – had the actor Eva Longoria not underwritten the movie to the tune of $6 million at the very last minute – would have had to ditch the whole enterprise. Initially, none of the studios wanted to distribute the film either and it was only when Lionsgate decided to buy the US as well as the foreign rights that the movie was launched, with huge success. In the three subsequent sequels (2017, 2019 and 2023) the action became more ambitious, the locations more exotic and the co-stars more famous (Halle Berry, Anjelica Huston, Bill Skarsgård). A constant presence at the neutral-ground Continental Hotel in New York is its manager Winston (Ian McShane), aided by his concierge Charon (the late Lance Reddick). The mythology of the series and its High Table of killers became ever more elaborate. As for Reeves, who is now 60, he was pushed to the very limit, and beyond (hence, the film's title). Why has it worked? 'We love wuxia [fantastical, chivalric kung fu] films,' explains Stahelski, 'we love chambara [samurai] films, we love Westerns, we love John Ford, we love Sergio Leone. We love Bernardo Bertolucci, we love Tarkovsky, we love Wong Kar-Wai, we love Zhang Yimou, you know, Akira Kurosawa, we love Steven Spielberg…bWell, fuck it. We're just gonna combine everything we love and build our own franchise.' Thus are the greatest popcorn movies made.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Madden' movie image gives fans first look at Nicolas Cage as John Madden, Christian Bale as Al Davis
Nicolas Cage is playing legendary Oakland Raiders coach and NFL broadcaster John Madden in a movie. That's about all the tease you need to know it's going to be worth watching, right? Well, prepare to get even more excited after Amazon MGM Studios released its first image of Cage as Madden. The image also features Christian Bale as former Raiders owner Al Davis. It's quite the sight. Your first-look at Nicolas Cage as John Madden and Christian Bale as Al Davis on set of the upcoming film, Madden. Production is currently underway. The film follows Madden's remarkable journey—from his Super Bowl-winning partnership with Al Davis and the Raiders, to creating… — Amazon MGM Studios (@AmazonMGMStudio) May 14, 2025 The film, which is being directed by David O. Russell, will chronicle Madden's life, from his Super Bowl-winning year with the Oakland Raiders to his involvement in the video-game franchise that bears his name. John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn and Sienna Miller will also star in the film, which is titled "Madden." The movie does not have a release date yet. The movie should have more than enough to cover. Madden led quite an interesting life. He coached the Raiders for 10 seasons, putting up a .759 winning percentage. He won one Super Bowl with the team, but retired early due to health-related concerns brought on by coaching. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Shortly after his coaching career, Madden became a broadcaster. He developed into one of the most iconic voices in the sport until he retired in 2009. During his broadcasting journey, Madden decided to lend his voice — and expertise — to video games. John Madden Football was released in 1988 and has since grown into one of the biggest franchises in gaming. Madden regularly sells millions of copies each year. Madden continued to be involved with the franchise after his retirement from the broadcast booth in 2009. The game still bears his name. Given Madden's contributions to the game and his outsized personality, portraying him in a movie is no easy task. Cage, who won an Academy Award for "Leaving Las Vegas", should be more than up to the challenge.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Madden movie image gives fans first look at Nicolas Cage as John Madden, Christian Bale as Al Davis
Nicolas Cage is playing legendary Las Vegas Raiders coach and NFL broadcaster John Madden in a movie. That's about all the tease you need to know it's going to be worth watching, right? Well, prepare to get even more excited after Amazon MGM Studios released its first image of Cage as Madden. The image also features Christian Bale as former Raiders owner Al Davis. It's quite the sight. The film, which is being directed by David O. Russell, will chronicle Madden's life, from his Super Bowl winning year with the Oakland Raiders to his involvement in the video-game franchise that bears his name. John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn and Sienna Miller will also star in the film, which is titled "Madden." The movie does not have a release date yet. Advertisement The movie should have more than enough to cover. Madden led quite an interesting life. He coached the Raiders for 10 seasons, putting up a .759 winning percentage. He won one Super Bowl with the team, but retired early due to health-related concerns brought on by coaching. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Shortly after his coaching career, Madden became a broadcaster. He developed into one of the most iconic voices in the sport until he retired in 2009. During his broadcasting journey, Madden decided to lend his voice — and expertise — to video games. John Madden Football released in 1988 and has since grown into one of the biggest franchises in gaming. Madden regularly sells millions of copies each year. Madden continued to be involved with the franchise after his retirement from the broadcast booth in 2009. The game still bears his name. Given Madden's contributions to the game, and his outsized personality, portraying him in a movie is no easy task. Cage, who won an Academy Award for "Leaving Las Vegas" should be more than up to the challenge.
Metro
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Nicolas Cage calls famous Terry Wogan interview 'obnoxious' 35 years later
Nicolas Cage has called his infamous 1990 interview with Terry Wogan, where he somersaulted and stripped off, 'obnoxious.' The Oscar-winning actor, 61, is well-known for his onscreen meltdowns – from Deadfall to Leaving Las Vegas and many more – but one notorious interview trumps them all. In 1990, Cage appeared on the talk show Wogan promoting the iconic David Lynch film Wild At Heart, in which the actor stars as Sailor Ripley, who goes on the run with girlfriend Lula Fortune (Laura Dern). And Cage really was wild at heart as he was introduced on the show, immediately proceeding to do a somersault and several karate kicks. After throwing money into the audience, he finally sat down for his interview – but not without removing his t-shirt and handing it to Wogan halfway through. The bizarre momentum kept going throughout, with the National Treasure star admitting that if he hadn't become an actor, he might have enjoyed 'robbing banks' instead. Now, 35 years on, Cage has said he feels the fever-dream chat show appearance might have been a little bit 'obnoxious.' 'I remember Terry Wogan was a very nice man and I enjoyed the interview with him, although I thought I was both obnoxious and somewhat wild,' the Longlegs star told The Guardian. 'I guess it's no secret that I was promoting a movie called Wild at Heart, so I was sort of play acting to that.' The Renfield actor also elaborated on why he decided to wear nothing but a leather jacket for his talk with Wogan, who died aged 77 in 2016 of prostate cancer. 'I remember, as a child, I was in a car, a guy was walking down the street, and he had a leather jacket on and no shirt on underneath. I thought: 'Well, that's an interesting look',' Cage continued. 'I don't know why that came back to me when I went on Terry's show, but I thought, 'I'm going to create that look again.' It was incredibly absurd and irreverent. I don't have that leather jacket anymore.' It comes as Cage's latest film, bizarre thriller The Surfer, comes to cinemas. In the film, there is yet another signature wild Cage moment that sees his character killing a rat and later eating it, a moment the actor has revealed was entirely his idea. In a new interview with The Guardian, Cage confirmed that it was he who wanted to say 'Eat the rat!' before being inspired by the quality of the rubber prop to go one step further. More Trending 'I had gotten the idea from an old Billy Wilder movie called Sabrina, where Humphrey Bogart takes an olive out of a martini glass, puts it in his uncle's mouth and says: 'Eat it',' he revealed. 'I couldn't stop laughing when I saw that moment. When I saw the prop rat, I said, 'I'll put it in my pocket,' because I liked the way the rubber tail was moving,' he explained, adding that he found it 'amusing' and felt he could 'use' it in some way. Cage decided to 'channel it in more of a punk rock way than Bogart did with the olive, by shoving the rat in Pitbull's [Alexander Bertrand] mouth'. He continued: 'It was a cathartic moment. By that point in the movie, I thought my character has gone through enough suffering and that he's earned the right to go big and shove a rat in the guy's mouth.' 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: Miley Cyrus emotionally breaks silence on 'feud' with parents Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus MORE: The little known musician richer than Taylor Swift and Beyoncé with $1billion net worth MORE: Johnny Rodriguez, first ever Hispanic country music star, dies aged 73
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Heartbroken' Nicolas Cage's Ex Accuses Law Enforcement Of Abandoning Her After Son's Alleged Attack
Nicolas Cage's ex-wife, Christina Fulton, is calling out law enforcement for abandonment after her son, Weston Coppola Cage, allegedly attacked her. This comes just weeks after she filed a lawsuit against her ex-husband, accusing him of failing to intervene in their son's long-standing struggles with mental health and violence. Christina Fulton is speaking out after the alleged attack, which took place last year, claiming she has been left heartbroken by the ordeal. Fulton did not hold back about the pain she has carried for months as she returned to the court on Monday. "I have been heartbroken as a mother for a very long time. I've done this alone. I've been left alone, if not blocked," she said. She placed particular blame on the LAPD, claiming they failed her in her time of need. "I hold a lot of people responsible, especially the LAPD, who left me on the ground bleeding. I called you for help," she stated, recalling the aftermath of the alleged assault. Despite the harrowing situation, Fulton maintains that her actions stem from love. "I'm here again as a mother. I love my son, tough love," she shared. TMZ reported that she emphasized the seriousness of the issue, pointing to the broader mental health crisis affecting families nationwide. Fulton has filed a lawsuit against Weston, citing assault, battery, negligence, and emotional distress. Beyond the legal action against Weston, Fulton also turned her attention to Cage, making it clear that she holds him accountable for what she believes led to this moment. She revealed that Cage has blocked her, further solidifying their deep divide. "He is his father," she stated, emphasizing her belief that he failed to intervene in their son's struggles before things escalated. While the legal battle continues, one thing is certain: Fulton is not backing down from holding accountable those she believes are responsible. Last month, The Blast reported that Fulton has filed a lawsuit against Cage, accusing him of negligence, negligent supervision, and negligent undertaking. In court documents obtained, Fulton's lawsuit stated, "Nicolas has been aware of Weston's history and nevertheless failed to take action to prevent Weston from committing acts of violence and harming others." Fulton's lawsuit paints a picture of a parent who ignored warning signs. She claims Cage repeatedly bailed Weston out of jail after past incidents and even drank alcohol with him despite knowing about his history of substance abuse. Additionally, she alleges that the 61-year-old financially supported Weston without ensuring he received proper psychiatric care or any structure to prevent further violent episodes. Through his legal team, the actor made it clear he will not be taking the blame. The "Leaving Las Vegas" star's attorney issued a firm response to the legal action, dismissing Fulton's claims as baseless. The statement read, "The allegations by Christina Fulton against Nicolas Cage are absurd and frivolous." The legal team went on to emphasize that Weston is an adult and is fully responsible for his own actions; his father has no control over his behavior. "Weston Coppola is a 34-year-old man. Mr. Cage does not control Weston's behavior in any manner and is not responsible for Weston's alleged assault of his mother," the statement read. Following his arrest for the alleged assault on his mother, Weston suffered another personal setback. The actor finalized his divorce from Hila Cage Coppola, but the outcome of their custody battle was far from favorable for him. The Blast reported that as part of their divorce settlement, Coppola was awarded sole legal and physical custody of their twin daughters, Cyress and Venice. She has full authority over all major decisions regarding their upbringing, including their education, health, and residence. Under the terms of the agreement, Weston was stripped of any visitation rights for the time being. If he hopes to see his daughters again, he will have to wait for a future court ruling to determine whether visitation will be granted. Coppola also holds the right to apply for passports for their children without needing Weston's approval. However, the agreement prevents her from taking the twins out of the United States for more than two months at a time. With Christian Fulton standing her ground, this legal showdown is far from over.
