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The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Review: Michael Madsen pops up in Mas Bouzidi's movie Concessions
Shot entirely on 16 mm, this feature debut from 23-year-old American director Mas Bouzidi is an unashamedly wordy, studiously quirky and occasionally delirious hotchpotch of a film dedicated to cinema and the big screen movie experience. A love letter, if you like, though not perhaps as Shakespeare would have wrought it. He certainly wouldn't have peppered his sonnets with jokes about Kevin Bacon. The century old Lafayette Theater in the town of Suffern in New York state doubles for the down-at-heel Royal Alamo, which has reached the end of its useful life and is gearing up for its final day of screenings as we join it and its oddball staff. There's owner and manager Luke (Steven Ogg), whose father built the place. Lorenzo (Jonathan Lorenzo Price) and Hunter (Rob Riordan), who sell hot dogs and nachos from the concessions stand which gives the film its title. And über-cool box office assistant Deana (Lana Rockwell, daughter of New York indie stalwart Alexandre Rockwell and Flashdance star Jennifer Beals). She's photographing staff and punters alike on this final day. Actor Michael Madsen died in July (Image: PA) Parked outside for the Alamo's last stand are local TV reporter Linda Chung (Ivory Aquino) and perma-stoned busker Sergio (Volkan Eyaman) with his two bandmates. They're selling CDs but mostly they provide commentary, both social and filmic. Lines like: 'Wanting is for the material drones who fall prey to the pitfalls of capitalism'. Or: 'Orlando has wonderful mise-en-scène.' The second is a reference to Sally Potter's celebrated 1992 adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel. Sergio is a big fan of the English director Potter and of Orlando's star, Tilda Swinton. Under his poncho he wears a T-shirt bearing her name. That's just one of the threads cinephiles will enjoy pulling at in a film which also nods to Richard Linklater (Slacker is an obvious touchstone) and Robert Altman (Luke makes regular M*A*S*H-style tannoy announcements) but which points in other directions as well. To Goodbye, Dragon Inn, perhaps, Tsai Ming-liang's ravishingly beautiful study of a Taipei cinema's last screening, King Hu's 1967 wuxia epic Dragon Inn. Or, as Lorenzo and Hunter discuss the lack of Black and Jewish characters in the early Star Wars films and Bouzidi executes a 'dolly zoom' shot, to Alfred Hitcock's Vertigo, which first used the technique, and perhaps also to 1975 summer blockbuster Jaws, which made it famous. Two cinema patrons in Tsai Ming-liang's masterpiece were actors in the film the cinema is showing. Bouzidi plays the same trick. Sort of anyway. Enter the late Michael Madsen in one of his final roles as ex-stunt man Rex Fuel, one time stunt double for Kevin Bacon (or 'The Baconater' as he calls him). Read more Rex has turned up to see another film he worked on, Bad Bloke On Bedford Avenue, about an Aussie cop in Brooklyn. Like the other two movies the Alamo is screening – Taft! The Musical, a Hamilton-style riff on inconsequential 27th US president William Howard Taft, and Schindler's List: Refuelled, whose plot is better left unguessed at – it isn't real. But Bouzidi shows clips from it anyway. Elsewhere discourses abound – on the impact of streaming on cinema-going, for example – and rabbit holes open for us to fall down. In one glorious segment, a patron breaks the fourth wall for a straight-to-camera mini essay on cinema's ability to melt reality. Concessions is downbeat and occasionally patchy – but tyro director Bouzidi has served up a defiantly indie debut with lashings of verve, confidence and passion. A world premiere, Concessions features in The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence strand of the EIFF and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Concessions screen as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 16-17 (venues vary) For tickets for Edinburgh Festival shows, click here
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
This modest and well-meaning story has impeccable historical detail
Inspirational teachers enjoy a well-deserved niche at the movies. To Sir, With Love, with Sidney Poitier, was a landmark in the sixties, while The Teacher Who Promised the Sea is a recent entry in the Spanish language. The late Robin Williams was unforgettable as one of these special, brilliantly motivational people in Dead Poets Society. While Mr Burton charts the success of a teacher who was indispensable to the development of one of the great movie stars, it also reveals the early life of an actor who seemed destined for the same life as his alcoholic father, a rough Welsh coal miner. The hardship Richard Burton endured in his early life may come as a shock, but it also serves as an insight into the destructive personal struggles in his later life, when it seemed he had everything. A classic film about an inspirational teacher, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, was running in cinemas in 1939, around the time that 17-year-old Richard Burton (Harry Lawtey) was nearing his last year at school in a mining town in Wales. Life with his beloved elder sister Cis (Aimee Ffion-Edwards) would be alright, were it not for her coalminer husband, Elfed (Aneurin Barnard), who had no interest in letting him finish his schooling. However, his gifted literature teacher, who also delved in theatre and radio, somehow saw the potential that his sulky, wilful student had to be a great actor. And the rest is history. Philip Burton (Toby Jones) assumed guardianship of the young man, Richard Jenkins, who then adopted his name. Their mentoring relationship became as close as father and son, with Richard able to finish his schooling, consider a place at university, and make his way through rounds of auditions until he triumphed on stage in Shakespeare's Henry IV at Stratford-Upon-Avon in the early 1950s. It was a truly remarkable transformation. There had been so many obstacles to a life beyond Port Talbot, let alone to achieving international success on stage and screen. Richard was the 12th of 13 children, had lost his mother at the age of two and seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of his father, Dic (Steffan Rodhri), a pugnacious coal miner who spent his time outside the pits at the pub downing pints. How could young Richard imagine a future beyond the daily grind? The answer is, of course, through the arts. Mr Burton is a Welsh production. It is told as a period drama, modestly mounted with impeccable historical detail, effectively capturing the ambience of gloomy mid-century Welsh mining towns and the kind of characters that they produced. In this modest, well-meaning story directed by Marc Hyams and based on a screenplay written by Josh Hyams and Tom Bullough, we leave off at the start of Richard Burton's brilliant career. A little abruptly, perhaps, even though his life and career were soon to become public property. Before the final fade, there is no hint at all of the glamorous world in which he would become a famous player, critically acclaimed and able to command a huge fee for his Hollywood performances. And then there was the uniquely beautiful actor he married, twice, Elizabeth Taylor. What makes a great actor? It is always a question worth asking. Richard Burton's teacher had his work cut out. The accent would need modulating, and the anger and frustration would need tempering, but how did he come by that special something with which an actor makes a connection with audiences? his touching tale of success against the odds at least reveals the vulnerability that can lie behind mesmerising performance. Inspirational teachers enjoy a well-deserved niche at the movies. To Sir, With Love, with Sidney Poitier, was a landmark in the sixties, while The Teacher Who Promised the Sea is a recent entry in the Spanish language. The late Robin Williams was unforgettable as one of these special, brilliantly motivational people in Dead Poets Society. While Mr Burton charts the success of a teacher who was indispensable to the development of one of the great movie stars, it also reveals the early life of an actor who seemed destined for the same life as his alcoholic father, a rough Welsh coal miner. The hardship Richard Burton endured in his early life may come as a shock, but it also serves as an insight into the destructive personal struggles in his later life, when it seemed he had everything. A classic film about an inspirational teacher, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, was running in cinemas in 1939, around the time that 17-year-old Richard Burton (Harry Lawtey) was nearing his last year at school in a mining town in Wales. Life with his beloved elder sister Cis (Aimee Ffion-Edwards) would be alright, were it not for her coalminer husband, Elfed (Aneurin Barnard), who had no interest in letting him finish his schooling. However, his gifted literature teacher, who also delved in theatre and radio, somehow saw the potential that his sulky, wilful student had to be a great actor. And the rest is history. Philip Burton (Toby Jones) assumed guardianship of the young man, Richard Jenkins, who then adopted his name. Their mentoring relationship became as close as father and son, with Richard able to finish his schooling, consider a place at university, and make his way through rounds of auditions until he triumphed on stage in Shakespeare's Henry IV at Stratford-Upon-Avon in the early 1950s. It was a truly remarkable transformation. There had been so many obstacles to a life beyond Port Talbot, let alone to achieving international success on stage and screen. Richard was the 12th of 13 children, had lost his mother at the age of two and seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of his father, Dic (Steffan Rodhri), a pugnacious coal miner who spent his time outside the pits at the pub downing pints. How could young Richard imagine a future beyond the daily grind? The answer is, of course, through the arts. Mr Burton is a Welsh production. It is told as a period drama, modestly mounted with impeccable historical detail, effectively capturing the ambience of gloomy mid-century Welsh mining towns and the kind of characters that they produced. In this modest, well-meaning story directed by Marc Hyams and based on a screenplay written by Josh Hyams and Tom Bullough, we leave off at the start of Richard Burton's brilliant career. A little abruptly, perhaps, even though his life and career were soon to become public property. Before the final fade, there is no hint at all of the glamorous world in which he would become a famous player, critically acclaimed and able to command a huge fee for his Hollywood performances. And then there was the uniquely beautiful actor he married, twice, Elizabeth Taylor. What makes a great actor? It is always a question worth asking. Richard Burton's teacher had his work cut out. The accent would need modulating, and the anger and frustration would need tempering, but how did he come by that special something with which an actor makes a connection with audiences? his touching tale of success against the odds at least reveals the vulnerability that can lie behind mesmerising performance. Inspirational teachers enjoy a well-deserved niche at the movies. To Sir, With Love, with Sidney Poitier, was a landmark in the sixties, while The Teacher Who Promised the Sea is a recent entry in the Spanish language. The late Robin Williams was unforgettable as one of these special, brilliantly motivational people in Dead Poets Society. While Mr Burton charts the success of a teacher who was indispensable to the development of one of the great movie stars, it also reveals the early life of an actor who seemed destined for the same life as his alcoholic father, a rough Welsh coal miner. The hardship Richard Burton endured in his early life may come as a shock, but it also serves as an insight into the destructive personal struggles in his later life, when it seemed he had everything. A classic film about an inspirational teacher, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, was running in cinemas in 1939, around the time that 17-year-old Richard Burton (Harry Lawtey) was nearing his last year at school in a mining town in Wales. Life with his beloved elder sister Cis (Aimee Ffion-Edwards) would be alright, were it not for her coalminer husband, Elfed (Aneurin Barnard), who had no interest in letting him finish his schooling. However, his gifted literature teacher, who also delved in theatre and radio, somehow saw the potential that his sulky, wilful student had to be a great actor. And the rest is history. Philip Burton (Toby Jones) assumed guardianship of the young man, Richard Jenkins, who then adopted his name. Their mentoring relationship became as close as father and son, with Richard able to finish his schooling, consider a place at university, and make his way through rounds of auditions until he triumphed on stage in Shakespeare's Henry IV at Stratford-Upon-Avon in the early 1950s. It was a truly remarkable transformation. There had been so many obstacles to a life beyond Port Talbot, let alone to achieving international success on stage and screen. Richard was the 12th of 13 children, had lost his mother at the age of two and seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of his father, Dic (Steffan Rodhri), a pugnacious coal miner who spent his time outside the pits at the pub downing pints. How could young Richard imagine a future beyond the daily grind? The answer is, of course, through the arts. Mr Burton is a Welsh production. It is told as a period drama, modestly mounted with impeccable historical detail, effectively capturing the ambience of gloomy mid-century Welsh mining towns and the kind of characters that they produced. In this modest, well-meaning story directed by Marc Hyams and based on a screenplay written by Josh Hyams and Tom Bullough, we leave off at the start of Richard Burton's brilliant career. A little abruptly, perhaps, even though his life and career were soon to become public property. Before the final fade, there is no hint at all of the glamorous world in which he would become a famous player, critically acclaimed and able to command a huge fee for his Hollywood performances. And then there was the uniquely beautiful actor he married, twice, Elizabeth Taylor. What makes a great actor? It is always a question worth asking. Richard Burton's teacher had his work cut out. The accent would need modulating, and the anger and frustration would need tempering, but how did he come by that special something with which an actor makes a connection with audiences? his touching tale of success against the odds at least reveals the vulnerability that can lie behind mesmerising performance. Inspirational teachers enjoy a well-deserved niche at the movies. To Sir, With Love, with Sidney Poitier, was a landmark in the sixties, while The Teacher Who Promised the Sea is a recent entry in the Spanish language. The late Robin Williams was unforgettable as one of these special, brilliantly motivational people in Dead Poets Society. While Mr Burton charts the success of a teacher who was indispensable to the development of one of the great movie stars, it also reveals the early life of an actor who seemed destined for the same life as his alcoholic father, a rough Welsh coal miner. The hardship Richard Burton endured in his early life may come as a shock, but it also serves as an insight into the destructive personal struggles in his later life, when it seemed he had everything. A classic film about an inspirational teacher, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, was running in cinemas in 1939, around the time that 17-year-old Richard Burton (Harry Lawtey) was nearing his last year at school in a mining town in Wales. Life with his beloved elder sister Cis (Aimee Ffion-Edwards) would be alright, were it not for her coalminer husband, Elfed (Aneurin Barnard), who had no interest in letting him finish his schooling. However, his gifted literature teacher, who also delved in theatre and radio, somehow saw the potential that his sulky, wilful student had to be a great actor. And the rest is history. Philip Burton (Toby Jones) assumed guardianship of the young man, Richard Jenkins, who then adopted his name. Their mentoring relationship became as close as father and son, with Richard able to finish his schooling, consider a place at university, and make his way through rounds of auditions until he triumphed on stage in Shakespeare's Henry IV at Stratford-Upon-Avon in the early 1950s. It was a truly remarkable transformation. There had been so many obstacles to a life beyond Port Talbot, let alone to achieving international success on stage and screen. Richard was the 12th of 13 children, had lost his mother at the age of two and seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of his father, Dic (Steffan Rodhri), a pugnacious coal miner who spent his time outside the pits at the pub downing pints. How could young Richard imagine a future beyond the daily grind? The answer is, of course, through the arts. Mr Burton is a Welsh production. It is told as a period drama, modestly mounted with impeccable historical detail, effectively capturing the ambience of gloomy mid-century Welsh mining towns and the kind of characters that they produced. In this modest, well-meaning story directed by Marc Hyams and based on a screenplay written by Josh Hyams and Tom Bullough, we leave off at the start of Richard Burton's brilliant career. A little abruptly, perhaps, even though his life and career were soon to become public property. Before the final fade, there is no hint at all of the glamorous world in which he would become a famous player, critically acclaimed and able to command a huge fee for his Hollywood performances. And then there was the uniquely beautiful actor he married, twice, Elizabeth Taylor. What makes a great actor? It is always a question worth asking. Richard Burton's teacher had his work cut out. The accent would need modulating, and the anger and frustration would need tempering, but how did he come by that special something with which an actor makes a connection with audiences? his touching tale of success against the odds at least reveals the vulnerability that can lie behind mesmerising performance.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Michael Madsen pops up in Mas Bouzidi's movie Concessions
Shot entirely on 16 mm, this feature debut from 23-year-old American director Mas Bouzidi is an unashamedly wordy, studiously quirky and occasionally delirious hotchpotch of a film dedicated to cinema and the big screen movie experience. A love letter, if you like, though not perhaps as Shakespeare would have wrought it. He certainly wouldn't have peppered his sonnets with jokes about Kevin Bacon. The century old Lafayette Theater in the town of Suffern in New York state doubles for the down-at-heel Royal Alamo, which has reached the end of its useful life and is gearing up for its final day of screenings as we join it and its oddball staff. There's owner and manager Luke (Steven Ogg), whose father built the place. Lorenzo (Jonathan Lorenzo Price) and Hunter (Rob Riordan), who sell hot dogs and nachos from the concessions stand which gives the film its title. And über-cool box office assistant Deana (Lana Rockwell, daughter of New York indie stalwart Alexandre Rockwell and Flashdance star Jennifer Beals). She's photographing staff and punters alike on this final day. Actor Michael Madsen died in July (Image: PA) Parked outside for the Alamo's last stand are local TV reporter Linda Chung (Ivory Aquino) and perma-stoned busker Sergio (Volkan Eyaman) with his two bandmates. They're selling CDs but mostly they provide commentary, both social and filmic. Lines like: 'Wanting is for the material drones who fall prey to the pitfalls of capitalism'. Or: 'Orlando has wonderful mise-en-scène.' The second is a reference to Sally Potter's celebrated 1992 adaptation of Virginia Woolf's novel. Sergio is a big fan of the English director Potter and of Orlando's star, Tilda Swinton. Under his poncho he wears a T-shirt bearing her name. That's just one of the threads cinephiles will enjoy pulling at in a film which also nods to Richard Linklater (Slacker is an obvious touchstone) and Robert Altman (Luke makes regular M*A*S*H-style tannoy announcements) but which points in other directions as well. To Goodbye, Dragon Inn, perhaps, Tsai Ming-liang's ravishingly beautiful study of a Taipei cinema's last screening, King Hu's 1967 wuxia epic Dragon Inn. Or, as Lorenzo and Hunter discuss the lack of Black and Jewish characters in the early Star Wars films and Bouzidi executes a 'dolly zoom' shot, to Alfred Hitcock's Vertigo, which first used the technique, and perhaps also to 1975 summer blockbuster Jaws, which made it famous. Two cinema patrons in Tsai Ming-liang's masterpiece were actors in the film the cinema is showing. Bouzidi plays the same trick. Sort of anyway. Enter the late Michael Madsen in one of his final roles as ex-stunt man Rex Fuel, one time stunt double for Kevin Bacon (or 'The Baconater' as he calls him). Read more Rex has turned up to see another film he worked on, Bad Bloke On Bedford Avenue, about an Aussie cop in Brooklyn. Like the other two movies the Alamo is screening – Taft! The Musical, a Hamilton-style riff on inconsequential 27th US president William Howard Taft, and Schindler's List: Refuelled, whose plot is better left unguessed at – it isn't real. But Bouzidi shows clips from it anyway. Elsewhere discourses abound – on the impact of streaming on cinema-going, for example – and rabbit holes open for us to fall down. In one glorious segment, a patron breaks the fourth wall for a straight-to-camera mini essay on cinema's ability to melt reality. Concessions is downbeat and occasionally patchy – but tyro director Bouzidi has served up a defiantly indie debut with lashings of verve, confidence and passion. A world premiere, Concessions features in The Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence strand of the EIFF and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Concessions screen as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 16-17 (venues vary) For tickets for Edinburgh Festival shows, click here
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Neena Gupta once told Masaba Gupta that Vivian Richards wasn't a ‘family man': 'It is very difficult to get in touch with him'
has always been known for speaking her mind, both on and off screen. Whether it's about love, life or motherhood, she never hides behind filters. In the late 1980s, her relationship with West Indies cricket legend became the talk of the town. The two never married, but Neena chose to raise their daughter, , on her own. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Despite society's judgment, Neena stood strong. Today, she's celebrated not just for films like 'Badhaai Ho' and 'Metro… In Dino', but also for her honesty about her personal journey, especially as a single mother. Raising Masaba on her own One of the most emotional parts of Neena's journey has been explaining Richards' absence to Masaba as she grew up. In an interview with Bombay Times back in 2015, the 'Uunchai' actress opened up about how hard it was for Masaba when her father wasn't around or in touch. 'I told her how her father is not a family man and how he was like this and this. In the beginning, she would feel bad that Vivian was not in touch with her till the age of about 20, but then he got in touch. His problem also is that he is not net savvy and so, it is very difficult to get in touch with him,' she explained. An unpredictable connection Neena spoke openly about how Vivian's involvement was inconsistent. Sometimes, he'd show up or call, sometimes, he wouldn't. As she added, 'Sometimes, he would call her on her birthday and sometimes, he would not call for even three years. Sometimes, he would come here and meet and sometimes not. By then, I knew him and how he was.' The 'Goodbye' actress further explained, 'If I told him I needed something, he would go mad finding it to bring it for me, but on his own, he would not bring anything. He is a person who cannot express his emotions.' A soft side of Viv Richards Despite everything, Neena had kind things to say about Vivian. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She remembered watching him play a cricket match in Jaipur, where his team lost by just one run. She recalled, 'I was in Jaipur watching a match in which he was playing. They lost the match by a run and as a captain, I saw him almost crying and I liked that about him. He is a very nice guy, down-to-earth, disciplined, but you can expect only that much from him. I feel that God gave me my father instead of him. ' Neena Gupta's recent projects Neena's acting career continues to shine. She was recently seen in the film 'Metro… In Dino', directed by Anurag Basu, where she starred alongside , , Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ali Fazal and . She also received wide praise for her role as Manju Devi in the popular web series 'Panchayat'.
Time of India
27-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Neena Gupta once recalled Vivian Richards' reaction to her pregnancy: 'If you don't want this child then...'
From powerful performance in 'Metro In Dino' to winning hearts in 'Panchayat Season 4', is truly having a golden run. But while her career is shining, she's also known for being brutally honest about her personal life. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The 'Badhaai Ho' actress has never shied away from speaking about her past, no matter how unconventional it may have seemed at the time. One such chapter in her life was her relationship with legendary West Indies cricketer . Neena once opened up about the moment she told him she was pregnant, and how he responded. Vivian's support meant everything to her In a past chat with Humans of Bombay, the 'Uunchai' actress shared how she broke the news to Vivian during a phone call. She was upfront about her situation and offered him the choice to step away if he didn't want the responsibility. She explained, 'I was not very giddy with joy. I was happy because I loved him. I called him and asked him that if you don't want this child then I won't have it. He said, 'No no I would love for you to have this child'. ' Facing judgement from those around her Back then, having a child outside marriage was still taboo in many circles. Neena revealed that everyone around her was against the idea of raising a child alone. Her father, too, wasn't in favour of the decision at first, but time helped change his mind, 'Everyone told me, 'No, no, no how can you do it alone?' because he was already married and I couldn't marry him and go to Antigua to live there.' She didn't let the negative voices stop her. Like many people in love, she followed her heart, even when others thought she was making a mistake. Neena says, 'Jawani mein you are blind' Looking back, Neena knows that love in your younger years often makes you ignore advice and warnings. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She admits,'But what happens is jawani mein you are blind. (You are blind in your youth) When you are in love, you don't listen to anybody. No children will listen to their parents and I was the same.' Neena's unique take on love In the same interview, Neena spoke openly about how she views love between a man and a woman. According to her, 'I don't think there is anything called love between a man and a woman. It starts with lust and then If you get along, you become affectionate to each other and then, it becomes a habit. The only love that I have felt is for Masaba. I don't know what other people might have felt, but mujhe nahi love samajh mein aata (I don't understand love). ' Her daughter Masaba is her world The 'Goodbye' actress further explained that the only form of love she truly believes in is the one she feels for her daughter Masaba, 'Ye sab wo lust hota hai shuru me, uske baad (there is lust in the beginning, but after that) it can take any direction, you marry or you go to somebody else. It's only with a child that I feel that love, that I can do anything for her. For my husband I will do, I do a lot, but I will not do anything for him like I will do for Masaba. ' Life after Vivian Richards While Neena and Vivian Richards never got married, their relationship during the late 1980s was an important part of her life. She made the bold choice to become a single mother and raise Masaba on her own. Years later, in 2008, Neena got married to Vivek Mehta, a chartered accountant based in Delhi.
