Happy Birthday: Bela Lugosi (1882–1956)

October 20, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday Bela Lugosi (1882–1956)

Bela Lugosi (1882–1956)

Born: October 20, 1882 in Lugos, Kingdom of Hungary, Austria-Hungary [now Lugoj, Timis County, Romania]
Died: August 16, 1956 (age 73) in Los Angeles, California, USA

[on being typecast in villain roles] I find that, because of my language and gestures, that I am cataloged as what you call a heavy. My accent stamped me, in the imagination of the producers, as an enemy. Therefore, I must be a heavy.

Dracula
1931
dir. Tod Browning
Karl Freund
Cast
Lugosi
Dwight Frye

Murders in the Rue Morgue
1932
dir. Robert Florey
Cast
Sidney Fox
Bela Lugosi

Mark of the Vampire
1935
dir. Tod Browning
Starring
Lionel Barrymore
Lugosi

Ninotchka
1939
dir. Ernst Lubitsch
Starring
Garbo
Melvyn Douglas

The Devil Bat
1940
dir. Jean Yarbrough
Cast
Lugosi
Suzanne Kaaren

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
1948
dir. Charles Barton
starring
Wilbur Grey
Chick Young

Plan 9 From Outer Space
1959
dir. Edward D. Wood Jr.
Starring
Gregory Walcott
Mona McKinnon

THE WOLF MAN
1941
dir. George Waggner
Starring:
Lon Chaney Jr.
Claude Rains

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Happy Birthday: Danny Boyle

October 20, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday actor, Danny Boyle, Happy Birthday

Danny Boyle

Born: October 20, 1956 in Manchester, England, UK

[on Slumdog Millionaire (2008)] – You leave India, but it never leaves you. It’s an extraordinary place and you learn about yourself as a person and as a filmmaker. It’s an incredibly generous place and it’s an incredibly contradictory place. And these contradictions are on a viciously extreme scale: the poverty and the wealth, the nuclear status [but] no toilets – half the population of Mumbai have no toilets. I was trying to capture some of that, really, and we did it by some extreme storytelling. People say, ‘How can you go from the deliberate maiming of a child to a big Bollywood song and dance in the end?’ Well, you don’t try to smooth the path from one to the other. I was trying to put all the elements into the film that belong to the city, that are a part of that city.

Shallow Grave
1994
dir. Boyle
Starring
Kerry Fox
Ewan McGregor

Trainspotting
1996
dir. Boyle
Cast
Ewan McGregor
Ewen Bremner

The Beach
2000
dir. Boyle
Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio

28 Days Later
2002
dir. Boyle
starring
Cillian Murphy
Naomie Harris

TRANCE
2013
dir. Danny Boyle
Stars:
James McAvoy
Rosario Dawson

127 HOURS
dir. Danny Boyle

Millions
2004
dir. Boyle
Starring
Alex Etel
Lewis McGibbon

Sunshine
2007
dir. Boyle
starring
Cillian Murphy
Rose Byrne

Slumdog Millionaire
dir. Boyle
Starring
Dev Patel
Freida Pinto

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Happy Birthday: Trey Parker

October 19, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday, Uncategorized actors, Happy Birthday, Trey Parker

Trey Parker

Born: October 19, 1969 in Conifer, Colorado, USA

(On his friendship with partner and collaborator, Matt Stone): “If anything, the friendship becomes greater because you share something special together that you don’t share with your other friends”.

BASEKETBALL
1998
dir. David Zucker
Stars:
Trey Parker
Matt Stone

TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE
2004
dir. by Trey Parker
Voices by
Trey Parker
Matt Stone

South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut
1999
dir. by Trey Parker
Voices by
Trey Parker
Matt Stone

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Happy Birthday: Michael Gambon

October 19, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday actor, Happy Birthday, Michael Gambon

Michael Gambon

Born: October 19, 1940 in Cabra, Dublin, Ireland

I’ve always tried to be an actor who… I just plod on and try to keep my mouth shut, mind my own business. I find the whole thing about people’s lives… I can’t understand it. I’m always astonished that people want to know anything about me.

(On replacing Richard Harris as Dumbledore) Richard was in heavy, heavy costume, he could hardly sit, you know, and I turned up and they put me in two layers of silk, so I played him much lighter – you know, floating around in a pair of slippers, a bit of a hippy.

The Book of Eli
dir. Albert Hughes
Allen Hughes
Stars
Denzel Washington
Mila Kunis

THE KING’S SPEECH
2010
dir. Tom Hooper
starring
Helena Bonham Carter
Colin Firth

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
dir. David Yates
Starring
Daniel Radcliffe
Harry Melling

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
2009
dir. David Yates
Starring
Daniel Radcliffe

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS
dir. David Yates
Stars:
Daniel Radcliffe
Emma Watson

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOW PART 2
dir. David Yates

THE GOOD SHEPHERD
2006
dir. Robert DeNiro
Stars:
Matt Damon
Angelina Jolie

QUARTET
2013
dir. Dustin Hoffman
Stars:
Maggie Smith
Michael Gambon

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2004
dir. Anderson
starring
Bill Murray
Kate Blanchett

Fantastic Mr. Fox
dir. Anderson
Stars:
George Clooney
Meryl Streep
Bill Murray

AMAZING GRACE
2006
dir. Michael Apted
Cast:
Ioan Gruffudd
Romola Garai

96. MOVIE

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
2004
dir. Kerry Conran
Cast
Jude Law
Gwyneth Paltrow

Gosford Park
2001
dir. Altman
Starring
Helen Mirren
Kristen Scott Thomas

LAYER CAKE
2004
dir.Matthew Vaughn
Cast:
Daniel Craig
Tom Hardy

Sleepy Hollow
1999
dir. Burton
Starring
Johnny Depp
Christina Ricci

95. MOVIE

The Good Night
2007
dir. Jake Paltrow
Starring
Paltrow
Simon Pegg

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004
dir. Alfonso Cuaron
Starring
Gary Oldman

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005
dir. Mike Newell
starring
Alan Rickman
Ralph Fiennes

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Happy Birthday: Jon Favreau

October 19, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday actors, Happy Birthday, Jon Favreau

Jon Favreau

Born: October 19, 1966 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Married to:
Joya Tillem (24 November 2000 – present) (3 children)

(on briefly working in banking): I gave two weeks’ notice a week before Black Monday. But it was very strange because I thought I would be working on Wall Street my whole life. It was the go-go ’80s; there were yellow ties. It was just an exciting moment. And although I wasn’t involved in the trading side of things, I was still around that culture, and I ultimately decided it just wasn’t for me. As a matter of fact, I wanted to be a New York City firefighter. I didn’t make it in, though.

Batman Forever
1995
dir. Schumacher
Starring
Val Kilmer
Jim Carrey

Swingers
1996
dir. by Doug Liman
starring
Favreau
Vince Vaughn

Iron Man 2
dir. Jon Favreau
Stars
Robert Downey Jr.
Mickey Rourke

Wimbleton
2004
dir. Richard Loncraine
Cast
Kirsten Dunst
Paul Bettany

The Replacements
2000
dir. Howard Deutch
Starring
Keanu Reeves
Gene Hackman

COWBOYS & ALIENS
dir. Jon Favreau
Stars:
Daniel Craig
Harrison Ford

Iron Man
2008
dir. Favreau
Starring
Robert Downey Jr.
Gwyneth Paltrow

G-Force
2009
dir. Hoyt Yeatman
Starring
Will Arnett
Penélope Cruz
Zach Galifianakis

Four Christmases
dir. Seth Gordon
Starring
Vince Vaughn
Reece Witherspoon

Couples Retreat
dir. Peter Billingsley
Starring
Favreau
Vince Vaughn

IDENTITY THIEF
2013
dir. Seth Gordon
Stars:
Jason Bateman
Melissa McCarthy

IRON MAN 3
2013
dir. Shane Black
Stars:
Robert Downey Jr.
Guy Pearce

CHEF
2014
dir. Jon Favreau
Stars:
Robert Downey Jr.
Scarlett Johansson

THE BREAK-UP
2006
dir. Peyton Reed
Stars:
Jennifer Aniston
Vince Vaughn

ZATHURA: A SPACE ADVENTURE
2005
dir. Jon Favreau
Stars:
Jonah Bobo
Josh Hutcherson

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
2013
dir. Martin Scorsese
Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio
PJ Byrne

OPEN SEASON
2006
dir. Roger Allers
Jill Culton
Stars:
Ashton Kutcher

ELF
2003
dir. Jon Favreau
Stars:
Will Ferrell
James Caan

RUDY
1993
dir. David Anspaugh
Stars:
Sean Astin
Jon Favreau

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Happy Birthday: Ciara Renée

October 19, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday actors, Ciara Renée, Happy Birthday

Ciara Renée

Born: October 19, 1990 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

I did a lot of trapeze stuff when I did ‘Pippin’ and continued to do it afterward. Flying is so fun, and I was used to the harness idea, but these harnesses are like intense, full bodysuit things.

I’ve never really had a fear of heights; in fact, I love being up high, so hanging from wires high above everyone’s head has always sort of felt natural for me.

I wasn’t instructed to do any special training for ‘Hawkgirl,’ but I had started boxing a few weeks prior and stuck with that for several months leading up to the start of production.

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Happy Birthday: Rebecca Ferguson

October 19, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday, Uncategorized actors, Happy Birthday, Rebecca Ferguson

Rebecca Ferguson

Born: October 19, 1983 in Sweden

[on when she heard about the job in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)] I was on a camel! In the desert. In Ouarzazat [Morocco]. Filming The Red Tent (2014) for Lifetime. I had just popped over to London to meet Tom Cruise to see if the chemistry worked and 12 hours later I’m back on the camel, wrapping up production and I got a phone call. They say: ‘You’ve got the next lead!’ So I’ll be back in Ouarzazat but on a motorbike! And there I was a month later.

[on what inspired her to become an actress] I wasn’t brought up in the acting world-my father is a lawyer. But as a teenager, I had the opportunity to audition for this television series: a daytime soap opera. And I got the lead part. I had just finished ninth grade in school, so I skipped what we called gymnasium and started working instead. And realized that this is a life I can see myself living.

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Happy Birthday: Freida Pinto

October 18, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday, Uncategorized actor, Freida Pinto, Happy Birthday

Freida Pinto

Born: October 18, 1984 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India [now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India]

This industry is for fighters and those who do not give up! It is very important to believe in yourself. Even when a hundred people rejected me, I did not lose hope and, finally, one of the biggest directors of all times [Danny Boyle] believed in me! Also working in this film [Slumdog Millionaire (2008)] has taught me a lot, not just in terms of acting but also about myself, which is an integral part of being a good actor!

MIRAL
dir. Julian Schnabel
Stars:
Freida Pinto
Hiam Abbass

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
dir. Rupert Wyatt
Stars:
James Franco
Andy Serkis

Slumdog Millionaire
dir. Boyle
Starring
Dev Patel
Freida Pinto

IMMORTALS
dir. Tarsem Singh
Stars:
Henry Cavill
Mickey Rourke

TOP FREIDA PINTO PHOTOSSEE – WITHOUT MAKEUP PHOTO

SEE – BLACK DRESS PHOTO

SEE – SUMMER DRESS PHOTO

SEE – WHITE DRESS PHOTO

SEE – YELLOW DRESS PHOTO

SEE – BLUE DRESS PHOTO

SEE – SHORT HAIR PHOTO

SEE -SMOKING PHOTO

SEE – AND ROHAN ANTAO PHOTO

SEE – AND JAMES FRANCO PHOTO

SEE – GLAMOUR PHOTO

SEE – ROLLING STONE PHOTO

SEE – MAXIM PHOTO

SEE -ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY PHOTO

SEE – ELLE PHOTO

SEE – COSMOPOLITAN PHOTO

SEE – VOGUE PHOTO

SEE – GQ PHOTO

SEE – LEATHER SKIRT PHOTO

SEE – BEDROOM PHOTO

SEE – BACK PHOTO

SEE – AND DANNY BOYLE PHOTO

SEE – OSCAR DRESS PHOTO

SEE – SILVER DRESS PHOTO

SEE – DEV PATEL PHOTO

SEE – BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTO

SEE – BIKINI PHOTO

SEE – BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO

SEE – BODY PHOTO

SEE – BOOTS PHOTO

SEE – BOYFRIEND PHOTO

SEE – CURLY HAIR PHOTO

SEE – HAIRSTYLE PHOTO

SEE – MEASUREMENTS PHOTO

SEE – MINI DRESS PHOTO

SEE – MINI SKIRT PHOTO

SEE – ON THE STREET PHOTO

SEE – PANTS PHOTO

SEE – PHOTO SHOOT PHOTO

SEE – PONYTAIL PHOTO

SEE – POSE PHOTO

SEE – PROFILE PHOTO

SEE – RED CARPET PHOTO

SEE – SHOES PHOTO

SEE – SHORT DRESS PHOTO

SEE – SHORT SKIRT PHOTO

SEE – SHORTS PHOTO

SEE – SKINNY PHOTO

SEE – SMILE PHOTO

SEE – STOCKINGS PHOTO

SEE – STYLE PHOTO

SEE – SUNGLASSES PHOTO

SEE – SWIMSUIT PHOTO

SEE – TEETH PHOTO

SEE – UPDO PHOTO

SEE – UNDERWEAR PHOTO

SEE – WALLPAPER PHOTO

SEE – YOUNG PHOTO

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Happy Birthday: Jean-Claude Van Damme

October 18, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday actor, Happy Birthday, Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Born: October 18, 1960 in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium

Married to:
Gladys Portugues (25 June 1999 – present)
Darcy LaPier (3 February 1994 – 1997) (divorced) (1 child)
Gladys Portugues (3 January 1987 – 1992) (divorced) (2 children)
Cynthia Derderian (24 August 1985 – 1986) (divorced)
Maria Rodriguez (25 August 1980 – 1984) (divorced)

I took his (Alex Van Damme) name, in fact from his father because his father sent me for the first time in Hong Kong to be a picture model. I’m not enough tall to be a catwalk model, plus too big for that, and we became very good friends and I took his name as an honor. Because my name, by the way, is too complicated, it’s Van Veren Berg, so in America it sounds like “Van Varen Berg” (said with American accent). So Van Damme it’s punchy, short, and clear. – [on adopting the name ‘Van Damme’]

KUNG FU PANDA 2
dir. Jennifer Yuh
Stars:
Jack Black
Angelina Jolie

BLOODSPORT
1988
dir. Newt Arnold
Starring:
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Donald Gibb

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER REGENERATION Movie Poster

Universal Soldier: Regeneration
dir. John Hyams
Cast
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Dolph Lundgren

ie Poster

JVCD
2008
dir. Mabrouk El Mechri
Starring:
Jean-Claude Van Damme
François Damiens

TIMECOP
1994
dir. Peter Hyams
Starring:
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Mia Sara

THE EXPENDABLES 2
dir. Simon West
Stars:
Sylvester Stallone
Liam Hemsworth

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Happy Birthday: Ne-Yo

October 18, 2016 festreviews Happy Birthday Happy Birthday, musician, Ne-Yo, singer

Ne-Yo

Born: October 18, 1982 in Camden, Arkansas, USA

His stage name is taken from Keanu Reeves character in The Matrix (1999).

RED TAILS
dir. Anthony Hemingway
Stars:
Nate Parker
David Oyelowo

The Princess and the Frog
dir. Ron Clements
John Musker
Stars:
Anika Noni Rose
Oprah Winfrey

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
dir. Jonathan Liebesman
Stars:
Aaron Eckhart
Michelle Rodriguez

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire Movie Poster

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
dir. Lee Daniels
Stars:
Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe
Mo’Nique

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Festival Reviews

Showcasing the best of movies, and film festivals from around the world.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday: Bela Lugosi (1882–1956)

Happy Birthday: Danny Boyle

Happy Birthday: Trey Parker

Happy Birthday: Michael Gambon

Happy Birthday: Jon Favreau

Happy Birthday: Ciara Renée

Happy Birthday: Rebecca Ferguson

Happy Birthday: Freida Pinto

Happy Birthday: Jean-Claude Van Damme

Happy Birthday: Ne-Yo