Latest news with #OnceUponaTimeinHollywood
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Last of Us star's 'exquisite' period film everyone is watching
Lena Dunham's period film Catherine Called Birdy is taking the world by storm, with viewers flocking to watch the comedy as the budding actor takes centre stage The historical film is brimming with recognisable faces, but at the centre of it all is emerging British actor Bella Ramsey before they became a household name in the hit series The Last Of Us. Catherine Called Birdy is a 2022 comedy flick, inspired by a 1994 novel and directed by Lena Dunham. After creating the renowned HBO show Girls and featuring in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the filmmaker returned to the director's chair to craft this amusing coming-of-age story that viewers can't seem to get enough of. Birdy, as Catherine is affectionately known, is a young girl of 14, living in the English countryside during the 13th century with her father, Lord Rollo, and their family. When the family coffers take a hit, Rollo decides the best solution is to arrange a marriage for his daughter Birdy. In her characteristic mischievous style, Birdy does everything in her power to fend off potential suitors in an attempt to resist growing up and maintain her independence. Through a series of bizarre antics, she continues to ward off suitors, and through her diary entries, she documents the lessons learned along the way. A review on Rotten Tomatoes reads: "Bella Ramsey delivers a standout performance in Catherine Called Birdy, effortlessly bringing to life the rebellious, witty, and fiercely independent Birdy. With a magnetic screen presence, Ramsey captures the spirit of a young girl pushing back against medieval societal norms with sharp humour and modern sensibility, all while staying grounded in the emotional weight of her circumstances. Another captivated viewer shared: "Brilliant. Excellent dialogue. Engaging. Performances were top-notch", reports the Express. Meanwhile, another described the film as both "exquisite" and "flawless". Taking on the role of Birdy's father is none other than Andrew Scott, renowned for his role in BBC's Fleabag, whilst her mother is portrayed by British TV icon Billie Piper. Adding to the star-studded cast are Joe Alwyn and Paul Kaye, alongside Harry Potter's David Bradley. The film introduced many fans to Bella Ramsey for the first time, following their appearance in Netflix's Hilda, but before their rise to stardom in The Last of Us alongside Hollywood heartthrob Pedro Pascal. However, the filming in Shropshire back in 2021 was a world away from the red carpets they would soon be gracing. Viewers have been quick to laud the performance of the rising star, writing: "Consistently funny and with great performances throughout. The dialogue and pacing are great - not a dull moment!" Lena Dunham, known for her sharp wit, has channelled her comedic prowess into another venture, a Netflix project titled Too Much. This series, while retaining the humour of Catherine Called Birdy and featuring a female lead, delves into the experiences of an American navigating life in London. For those craving Dunham's endearing character development and Ramsey's powerful performance, Catherine Called Birdy is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michael Madsen, ‘Reservoir Dogs' Actor, Dies at 67
Michael Madsen, the rough-and-tumble actor best known for his work in the Quentin Tarantino films Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, died Thursday morning. He was 67. Madsen was found unresponsive by deputies responding to a 911 call at his Malibu home and pronounced dead at 8:25 a.m., a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. More from The Hollywood Reporter Maureen Hingert, Actress in 'The King and I' and 'Gunmen From Laredo,' Dies at 88 'The Residence' and 'Pulse' Canceled at Netflix Charlize Theron on Why She Hasn't Revealed Name of Director Who She Says Sexually Harassed Her Liz Rodriguez, his rep at EMR Media Entertainment, told THR 'we understand Michael had a cardiac arrest.' Madsen's official bio notes that he 'balanced intensity with introspection … whether delivering chilling dialogue or quietly capturing a moment behind the camera, his commitment to storytelling remained constant. He brought both edge and soul to every role, and his enduring influence on American cinema is undeniable.' His big-screen body of work included WarGames (1983), The Natural (1984), The Doors (1991), Thelma & Louise (1991), Free Willy (1993), Species (1995), Mulholland Falls (1996), Donnie Brasco (1997), Die Another Day (2002), Sin City (2005) and Scary Movie 4 (2006). He has 346 acting credits and counting on IMDb in a career that began in the early 1980s. 'Fame is a two-edged sword,' he told THR's Scott Roxborough in 2018. 'There are a lot of blessings but also a lot of heavy things that come with it. I think it has a lot to do with the characters I've played. I think I've been more believable than I should have been. I think people really fear me. They see me and go: 'Holy shit, there's that guy!' 'But I'm not that guy. I'm just an actor. I'm a father, I've got seven children. I'm married, I've been married 20 years. When I'm not making a movie, I'm home, in pajamas, watching The Rifleman on TV, hopefully with my 12-year-old making me a cheeseburger. I sure as hell had my rabble-rousing days, but sooner or later you have to get over that and move on.' He appeared in dozens of films in the past five years alone, many of which were forgettable. 'Well, sometimes people forget that sometimes you have to pay the mortgage, sometimes you have to put your kids through school,' he said. 'You can't always pick the greatest script. And you pick a project you probably shouldn't be involved in and then you have to live with it all your life.' 'Michael was one of the greatest American actors,' his friend and lawyer Perry Wander said in a statement. 'His onscreen presence was macho, but he was a very sweet, sensitive man who wrote incredible poetry and had it published in a number of books. He was my dearest friend and client for the past 20 years and I will miss him. I'm so sad. I know his soul is at peace.' One of three kids, Madsen was born in Chicago on Sept. 25, 1957. His father, Calvin, was a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department, and his mother, Elaine, was an author turned filmmaker who won an Emmy in 1983 for producing the documentary Better Than It Has to Be, about the history of movie-making in the Windy City. His folks divorced when he was 11. Inspired by Robert Mitchum in the war movie Heaven Knows Mr. Allison (1957), Madsen began his acting career at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, where he learned from John Malkovich and appeared in Of Mice and Men as Carlson, the ranch hand who kills an innocent dog. After moving to Los Angeles and working as a mechanic at a gas station in Beverly Hills, he appeared in two episodes of NBC's St. Elsewhere in 1982, then played a cop in WarGames, directed by John Badham. In Tarantino's directorial debut film, Reservoir Dogs (1992), Madsen landed the role of the ultra-cruel Mr. Blonde. He said he really wanted to play Mr. Pink because he had more lines with the veteran Harvey Keitel, but Steve Buscemi got that part. It was the psychotic Mr. Blonde or nothing, Tarantino told him. 'I had never met Quentin before,' he told The Independent in a 2016 interview. 'I walked in the room at the 20th Century Fox lot and he was standing there with his arms folded, Harvey sitting on the couch in bare feet.' He did get to cut off a cop's ear in the movie, however. For Tarantino's follow-up, Pulp Fiction (1994), Madsen declined the role of Vincent Vega, which went to John Travolta in what would be an Oscar-nominated turn; he had already committed to playing Virgil Earp in Lawrence Kasdan's Wyatt Earp (1994). In the martial arts action films Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2, released in 2003 and 2004, Madsen portrayed the assassin Budd (code name Sidewinder) and strip club bouncer who is an early target of the avenging Bride (Uma Thurman). He then was the quiet cowpoke Joe Gage in The Hateful Eight (2015) and Sheriff Hackett on Bounty Law, the fictional 1960s TV show at the center of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). 'Quentin is, in my estimation, the best director of my generation. He's up there with George Stevens and Alfred Hitchcock, Elia Kazan,' he told Roxborough. 'Because of that, because of my relationship with him, it became bigger than anything I ever did. And then Kill Bill put the final stamp on that one. It's a great blessing to have that and at the same time, it is really hard to get out of it. And people don't want you to get out of it. 'But if you're an actor, you want to act, you want to try different stuff. But it is becoming a very, very desperate game, it is becoming a very, very hard, competitive industry. And social media is really brutal. The funny thing is if you look for good things, you are going to find them. If you look for bad things, you are going to find them, too. And most people, sadly, want to look for bad things.' In addition to his mother, survivors include his two sisters, Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen and Cheryl; his third wife, DeAnna, whom he married in 1996; and his children, Christian, Max, Kal and Luke. His son Hudson died by suicide in 2022 at age 26. Wrote Virginia Madsen on Facebook: 'We're not mourning a public figure. We're not mourning a myth — but flesh and blood and ferocious heart. Who stormed through life loud, brilliant, and half on fire. Who leaves us echoes — gruff, brilliant, unrepeatable — half legend, half lullaby. I'll miss our inside jokes, the sudden laughter, the sound of him. I'll miss the boy he was before the legend; I miss my big brother.' Madsen also was a published poet and accomplished photographer, and he has a book, Tears For My Father: Outlaw Thoughts and Poems, due out next year. Writes Tarantino in the foreword: 'For me, the real journey that Michael the writer is exploring is what it means to be a man in a world where the notions of manhood that some of us grew up with are barely remembered. But then if everybody embarked on the hero's journey, everybody would be a hero, wouldn't they?' Hilary Lewis contributed to this report. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
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First Post
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Brad Pitt wants to see his ex-wife Angelina Jolie's private messages. Here's why
Hollywood actor Brad Pitt has filed a motion to obtain his ex-wife Angelina Jolie's private messages ahead of the trial over their French winery. The former couple who went through a bitter divorce are now engaged in yet another legal spat. Here's what happened read more Hollywood star Brad Pitt wants access to his ex-wife Angelina Jolie's private messages. The actors, who split in 2016, are engaged in a legal battle over their French winery. Ahead of the trial, the F1 star has reportedly filed a motion in a court in the United States to obtain Jolie's texts. But why does Brad Pitt want his ex-wife's private messages? What is the case? We will explain. The legal battle between Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are involved in an ugly court battle over their French winery Château Miraval. The duo had bought Château Miraval together in 2008. Two years after marriage, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016. The Fight Club actor held his share of the winery in a company called Mondo Bongo. The Maleficent star kept her shares in a company named Nouvel. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As per Us Weekly, Jolie said in 2021 that she wanted to sell her shares in the French winery, leading to Pitt and his team offering $55.4 million for her stake. In February 2022, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star sued Jolie for selling her shares in the winery to Stoli Group. He claimed she went ahead with the sale without his approval, which was required. Pitt called the move a 'vindictive' attempt to get back at him during their bitter divorce. As per the Bullet Train actor, he and his ex-wife began negotiations so he could purchase her out. But the talks fell apart after they began fighting over the custody of their six children — Maddox Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox. 'In the summer of summer of 2021, amid a heated child custody dispute with Pitt, Jolie terminated those discussions and secretly purported to sell a 50 per cent stake in the family home and family business to Tenute del Mondo,' Pitt's legal team alleged. 'Tenute del Mondo is part of the Russia-affiliated spirits conglomerate Stoli Group, which is owned and controlled by billionaire Yuri Shefler. Shefler, who has been designated as an 'oligarch in the Russian Federation' by the US Treasury Department, had previously sought to buy Miraval, and Pitt had turned him down.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jolie filed a countersuit in September 2022, claiming Pitt had been 'waging a vindictive war against' her since she filed for divorce. The 50-year-old claimed that she pulled out of the deal due to Pitt trying to insert a non-disparagement clause to cover up his 'years of abuse.' The 61-year-old Hollywood actor denied her allegations. Why Brad Pitt wants Angelina Jolie's texts Brad Pitt filed a motion to obtain access to Angelina Jolie's private messages, which he believes could be crucial evidence in the legal battle over the French winery. The legal documents obtained by Page Six reveal Pitt's struggle to depose a man called Alexei Oliynik of Stoli Group. The actor claimed that in June, he 'attempted to meet and confer' with Oliynik regarding the legal matter but has failed to make any progress. In his document filed in the Superior Court of California, Pitt alleged that Oliynik, a Switzerland native, has 'refused' to comply with the legal process, citing Switzerland's 'authority that foreign nationals cannot be made to travel to California for deposition.' Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are engaged in a bitter legal battle over their French winery. File Photo/Reuters As per Us Weekly, Pitt claimed the man was aware of the negotiations with Jolie and her team. He asserted that the documents requested go 'directly to his core claims' in the case. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A source close to the case tells Us, 'this is another example of the defendant's repeated opposition to sharing documents that would provide insight.' 'These requests go directly to key allegations about Pitt's objections to the sale,' the actor's legal team wrote in his filing, and 'easily meet the standard for discoverability given Pitt's allegations that Jolie acted with malice in selling to Stoli, a counterparty she knew Pitt opposed.' Speaking to Page Six, a source familiar with Pitt's legal situation said the filing is 'not just about Alexei [Oliynik], it's about Stoli [Group] as a whole.' The insider claimed that Pitt's hand 'has been forced.' 'Stoli has consistently chosen to avoid or challenge evidentiary court rulings,' a second source added. 'They've been failing to comply with the typical legal process.' The judge is yet to rule to Pitt's request. A trial date is also not set for the former couple's dispute over the winery. With inputs from agencies STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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India.com
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Brad Pitts Legal Encounter With Angelina Jolie Gets Intense As He Looks For Private Messages Related To Winery Sale
Los Angeles : Hollywood Actor Brad Pitt has demanded private communications from ex-wife Angelina Jolie in their ongoing legal fight over Chateau Miraval, the French winery the former couple once co-owned. According to court documents filed on June 30 and obtained by PEOPLE, the 61-year-old actor requested records and a deposition from Alexey Oliynik, an employee of the Stoli Group. Pitt believes Oliynik has key information about Jolie's 2021 sale of her stake in the winery to Stoli's wine division, Tenute del Mondo. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star claims that Jolie made the sale without his consent, violating a past agreement that neither of them would sell their share without the other's approval. In February 2022, he sued Jolie, while Jolie responded in September 2022 with a countersuit, accusing Pitt of "waging a vindictive war" against her since their separation in 2016. As per PEOPLE, in Pitt's new document filed in the Superior Court of California, Oliynik has refused to provide documents or sit for questioning, stating that he cannot be forced to do so since he resides in Switzerland. Pitt's team argues these records are important to prove that Jolie "acted with malice" by selling her share to a buyer Pitt had long opposed. Jolie's legal team has previously claimed Pitt would only buy her out if she signed a non-disclosure agreement meant to keep her from speaking about alleged abuse. That includes an incident on a private jet in 2016, where Pitt was reportedly verbally and physically abusive. Authorities investigated but did not press charges, and Jolie did not pursue legal action at the time, PEOPLE reported. The two, who share six children, finalised their divorce in December 2023, but the legal battle over Chateau Miraval remains unsettled. In 2024, a judge ordered Jolie to submit eight years' worth of NDAs she issued to others as part of the dispute over the terms Pitt allegedly asked her to agree to. A source close to Jolie told PEOPLE that she hopes the family can find peace. According to PEOPLE, a source close to Pitt shared that Jolie's actions have caused "tremendous collateral damage to those in and around the family."
Mint
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Brad Pitts legal clash with Angelina Jolie heats up as he seeks private messages related to Winery sale
Los Angeles [US], July 10 (ANI): Hollywood Actor Brad Pitt has demanded private communications from ex-wife Angelina Jolie in their ongoing legal fight over Chateau Miraval, the French winery the former couple once co-owned. According to court documents filed on June 30 and obtained by PEOPLE, the 61-year-old actor requested records and a deposition from Alexey Oliynik, an employee of the Stoli Group. Pitt believes Oliynik has key information about Jolie's 2021 sale of her stake in the winery to Stoli's wine division, Tenute del Mondo. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star claims that Jolie made the sale without his consent, violating a past agreement that neither of them would sell their share without the other's approval. In February 2022, he sued Jolie, while Jolie responded in September 2022 with a countersuit, accusing Pitt of "waging a vindictive war" against her since their separation in 2016. As per PEOPLE, in Pitt's new document filed in the Superior Court of California, Oliynik has refused to provide documents or sit for questioning, stating that he cannot be forced to do so since he resides in Switzerland. Pitt's team argues these records are important to prove that Jolie "acted with malice" by selling her share to a buyer Pitt had long opposed. Jolie's legal team has previously claimed Pitt would only buy her out if she signed a non-disclosure agreement meant to keep her from speaking about alleged abuse. That includes an incident on a private jet in 2016, where Pitt was reportedly verbally and physically abusive. Authorities investigated but did not press charges, and Jolie did not pursue legal action at the time, PEOPLE reported. The two, who share six children, finalised their divorce in December 2023, but the legal battle over Chateau Miraval remains unsettled. In 2024, a judge ordered Jolie to submit eight years' worth of NDAs she issued to others as part of the dispute over the terms Pitt allegedly asked her to agree to. A source close to Jolie told PEOPLE that she hopes the family can find peace. According to PEOPLE, a source close to Pitt shared that Jolie's actions have caused "tremendous collateral damage to those in and around the family." (ANI)
