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Hotel (2001 Film)
''Hotel'' is a 2001 British-Italian comedy horror-thriller film co-written and directed by Mike Figgis. It stars Salma Hayek, Rhys Ifans, David Schwimmer, Lucy Liu, Burt Reynolds, and John Malkovich. Plot While a British film crew are shooting a version of ''The Duchess of Malfi'' in Venice, they in turn are being filmed by a sleazy documentary primadonna while the strange hotel staff share meals which consist of human meat. The story expands to involve a hit man, a call girl and the Hollywood producer. The film itself makes several mentions of the Dogme 95 style of film-making, and has been described as a "Dogme film-within-a-film." Reception The film was not a financial success and received mixed reviews. Roger Ebert noted this and pointed out the complex nature of the film: Many critics have agreed that ''Hotel'' is not successful, but I would ask: Not successful at what? Before you conclude that a movie doesn't work, you have to determine what it intends to do. This is n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Figgis
Michael Figgis (born 28 February 1948) is an English film director, screenwriter, and composer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work in ''Leaving Las Vegas'' (1995). Figgis was the founding patron of the independent filmmakers online community ''Shooting People''. Early life Figgis was born in Carlisle, Cumberland, and grew up in Nairobi, Kenya until he was eight. The rest of his childhood was spent in Newcastle upon Tyne. Career Figgis's early interest was in music. He played trumpet and guitar in The People Band and is audible in their first record (produced by Charlie Watts) in 1968. He also played keyboards for Bryan Ferry's first band. In 1983 he directed a theatre play, produced in Theatre Gerard-Philipe (Saint-Denis, Paris). This play performed with great success at Festival de Grenada and in Theater der Welt (Munich). After working in theatre (he was a musician and performer in the experimental group People Show) Figgis made his feature film deb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hit Man
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be a person, group, or organization. Contract killing has been associated with organized crime, government conspiracies, dictatorships, and vendettas. For example, in the United States, the Jewish-American organized crime gang Murder, Inc. committed hundreds of murders on behalf of the National Crime Syndicate during the 1930s and '40s. Contract killing provides the hiring party with the advantage of not having to carry out the actual killing, making it more difficult for law enforcement to connect the hirer with the murder. The likelihood that authorities will establish that party's guilt for the committed crime, especially due to lack of forensic evidence linked to the contracting party, makes the case more difficult to attribute to the hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2001 Films
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. In conventions of sign where zero is considered neither positive nor negative, 1 is the first and smallest positive integer. It is also sometimes considered the first of the infinite sequence of natural numbers, followed by 2, although by other definitions 1 is the second natural number, following 0. The fundamental mathematical property of 1 is to be a multiplicative identity, meaning that any number multiplied by 1 equals the same number. Most if not all properties of 1 can be deduced from this. In advanced mathematics, a multiplicative identity is often denoted 1, even if it is not a number. 1 is by convention not considered a prime number; this was not universally accepted until the mid-20th century. Additionally, 1 is the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laura Morante
Laura Morante (born 21 August 1956) is an Italian film actress. Life and career Morante was born in Santa Fiora, province of Grosseto (Tuscany), the daughter of lawyer and playwright Marcello Morante, who was the son of Irma (née Poggibonsi) (a schoolteacher of Jewish descent) and Francesco Lo Monaco, from Sicily, and brother of the novelist Elsa Morante. Laura's mother is Maria Bona Palazzeschi. Originally a dancer, Morante started her acting career on stage at 18 years old, in the theatrical company of Carmelo Bene. She made her film debut in ''Oggetti Smarriti'' (''Lost Belongings'')., directed by Giuseppe Bertolucci, whose brother would direct the second film in which Morante would appear, ''La Tragedia di un uomo ridicolo'' (''The Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man''). She eventually had her Breakout role, breakout thanks to Nanni Moretti, who gave her the title role in ''Bianca (1984 film), Bianca''. After her marriage to French actor Georges Claisse, Morante moved to Paris, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ornella Muti
Ornella Muti (born Francesca Romana Rivelli; 9 March 1955) is an Italian actress. She made her film debut as Francesca Cimarosa in the 1970 film ''La moglie più bella.'' Early life Muti was born in Rome to a Neapolitan journalist father and Ilse Renate Krause, a Baltic German sculptor from Estonia. Her maternal grandparents emigrated from Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg, Russia) to Estonia. Career Muti modeled as a teenager and made her film debut in the 1970 film ''La moglie più bella'' (''The Most Beautiful Wife''). She has primarily worked in Italian films but made her English-speaking film debut as Princess Aura in ''Flash Gordon'' in 1980. American movies she appeared in include '' Love and Money'' (1982), ''Casanova'' (1987), ''Wait Until Spring, Bandini'' (1989), '' A Season of Giants'' (1990), ''Oscar'' (1991), '' Once Upon a Crime'' (1992), ''Somewhere in the City'' (1998) and '' To Rome with Love'' (2012). In 2008, Muti introduced her own line of jewelry and subs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danny Sapani
Danny Sapani (born 15 November 1970) is a British actor who works in British, American, and Indian films. He is best known for appearing in ''Misfits'', '' Doctor Who'', ''Penny Dreadful'', ''The Crown'', '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' and '' Black Panther''. Early life Sapani was born in London, one of six children of immigrant Ghanaian parents. He was raised in Hackney, and first pursued his interest in acting at the Weekend Arts College in Kentish Town. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Career Sapani appeared in Danny Boyle's film ''Trance''. His stage credits include August Wilson's ''Joe Turner's Come and Gone'' and ''Radio Golf'', Errol John's Caribbean classic ''Moon on a Rainbow Shawl'' and The National Theatre production of Euripides' ''Medea''. He has also acted in the 2013 Indian action film, '' Singam II'' as drug lord Michael Kong (same codename as himself). In 2021 he played alongside Adrian Lester in the streamed version of Lolita Chakraba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Strong
Mark Strong (born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia; 5 August 1963), is a British actor, best known for his film roles such as Prince Septimus in '' Stardust'' (2007), Archibald in ''RocknRolla'' (2008), Lord Henry Blackwood in ''Sherlock Holmes'' (2009), Frank D'Amico in '' Kick-Ass'' (2010), Jim Prideaux in ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (2011), Sinestro in ''Green Lantern'' (2011), George in ''Zero Dark Thirty'' (2012), Major General Stewart Menzies in ''The Imitation Game'' (2014), Merlin in ''Kingsman: The Secret Service'' (2014) and ''Kingsman: The Golden Circle'' (2017), Doctor Sivana, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana in ''Shazam! (film), Shazam!'' (2019), and John in ''Cruella (film), Cruella'' (2021). Early life Strong was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in the Islington district of London on 5 August 1963, the son of an Austrian mother and an Italian father. His father left the family soon after Strong's birth, and Strong was brought up by his mother while she worked as an au pair. He later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrea Di Stefano
Andrea Di Stefano (born 15 December 1972) is an Italian actor and film director. Life and career Born in Rome, he moved to New York City to study acting at the Actors Studio. In the U.S. he played in ''Smile'', an independent movie directed by Andrew Hunt. He played the leading role in the 1997 film '' Il principe di Homburg'' directed by Marco Bellocchio and entered into the 1997 Cannes Film Festival. He has played in films such as '' Il fantasma dell'opera'' by Dario Argento, ''Almost Blue'' by Alex Infascelli, and '' Angela'' by Roberta Torre. Lately, he played the role of Giancarlo in the movie ''Cuore Sacro'' directed by Ferzan Özpetek. Andrea Di Stefano has also appeared in many TV episodes. In 1999 he played the role of Fabrizio Canepa in ''Ama il tuo nemico'' by Damiano Damiani. In 2006 he played in the TV movie ''I colori della gioventù'' directed by Gianluigi Calderone and in the most recent ''Medicina generale'' broadcast in spring 2007 in which he played Giacomo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valentina Cervi
Valentina Cervi (born 13 April 1976) is an Italian film and television actress. Cervi was born in Rome, Italy. She is the daughter of director Tonino Cervi and granddaughter of actor Gino Cervi. Her mother is the Italian producer of Austrian-Hungarian origin Marina Gefter. Cervi started her acting career at age ten in Carlo Cotti's 1986 film ''Portami la luna''. She also played an English-language role in Jane Campion's 1996 '' The Portrait of a Lady''. One of her most acclaimed roles was the lead in the 1997 film '' Artemisia'', directed by Agnès Merlet. It was loosely based on the painter Artemisia Gentileschi's life, but controversially portrayed the relationship between Agostino Tassi (played by Miki Manojlović) and Artemisia as a passionate affair rather than as rape. In 2011, she appeared as Arianna in BBC TV's Italian detective mini-series ''Zen''. She also appeared as "Valentina" in Canale 5's series ''Distretto di Polizia'' in 2011. Cervi appeared as Bertha Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Max Beesley
Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. (born 16 April 1971) is an English actor and musician. He has appeared in a variety of television shows such as ''Bodies'', ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', '' Survivors'', '' Mad Dogs'', ''Homeland'', '' Suits'', '' The Last Enemy'', ''Ordinary Lies'', Jamestown, The Outsider, Operation Fortune, and most recently Kingdom. Early life Beesley was born on 16 April 1971 in Burnage, Manchester. His father, Maxton Beesley Sr, is a professional jazz drummer and actor, and his mother was a jazz singer who performed under the stage name Chris Marlowe. He has a step-brother, Jason Milligan, who is also an actor. He has a brother Gary who is a teacher. His parents divorced when he was a baby. His middle name was inspired by the American actor Gig Young. His father was also a regular guest on the Ted Rogers show ''3-2-1'', doing impressions amidst several sketches. Career Acting Beesley studied in New York under teacher Sheila Gray. He is an advocate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danny Huston
Daniel Sallis Huston (born May 14, 1962) is an Italian-born American actor and film director. A member of the Huston family of filmmakers, he is the son of director John Huston and the half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston. He is known for his roles in films such as ''Ivans Xtc'' (2000), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead, '' 21 Grams'' (2003), ''Birth'' (2004), '' The Aviator'' (also 2004), '' The Proposition'' (2005), ''The Constant Gardener'' (also 2005), ''Marie Antoinette'' (2006), '' Children of Men'' (also 2006), '' The Kingdom'' (2007), '' 30 Days of Night'' (also 2007), ''Robin Hood'' (2010), ''Hitchcock'' (2012), '' The Congress'' (2013), ''Big Eyes'' (2014) and the DC Extended Universe superhero film ''Wonder Woman'' (2017). Huston portrayed The Axeman on the FX series '' American Horror Story: Coven'' and Massimo Dolcefino on '' American Horror Story: Freak Show''. He played Ben "The Butcher" Diamond on '' Magic City'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Neil Steinberg of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' said Ebert "was without question the nation's most prominent and influential film critic," and Kenneth Turan of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called him "the best-known film critic in America." Ebert was known for his intimate, Midwestern writing voice and critical views informed by values of populism and humanism. Writing in a prose style intended to be entertaining and direct, he made sophisticated cinematic and analytical ideas more accessible to non-specialist audiences. While a populist, Ebert frequently endorsed foreign and independent films he believed would be appreciated by mainstream viewers, which often resulted in such film ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
