The actor, 43, talks about irreverence, trying to look more awake, his love of music, and the pursuit of art
I have mixed feelings about being the first non-white actor to win a Bafta. I was very grateful, but it also raised questions. I remember watching The Buddha of Suburbia and Bhaji on the Beach as a kid. British-Asian culture didn’t start in 2017, when I won. It’s weird to think it wasn’t recognised until that point.
Working on Four Lions with Chris Morris was a great lesson in irreverence. Even if people insist you take things seriously, you don’t have to. Actually, it’s probably more important not to. Comedy can take the teeth out of even the most serious issues.
I only started acting because my mum wanted me to pronounce my “T”s properly. When I was seven, she took me to speech and drama lessons.
I have mixed feelings about being the first non-white actor to win a Bafta. I was very grateful, but it also raised questions. I remember watching The Buddha of Suburbia and Bhaji on the Beach as a kid. British-Asian culture didn’t start in 2017, when I won. It’s weird to think it wasn’t recognised until that point.
Working on Four Lions with Chris Morris was a great lesson in irreverence. Even if people insist you take things seriously, you don’t have to. Actually, it’s probably more important not to. Comedy can take the teeth out of even the most serious issues.
I only started acting because my mum wanted me to pronounce my “T”s properly. When I was seven, she took me to speech and drama lessons.
- 4/6/2024
- by Michael Hogan
- The Guardian - Film News
The Beatles were one of the most literate bands ever. Paul McCartney said The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” reminded him of two books. John Lennon discussed a literary passage that inspired the song.
Why Paul McCartney and John Lennon loved The Beatles’ ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul recalled the writing of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” “John had the title and he had the first verse,” he said. “It started off very Alice in Wonderland: ‘Picture yourself in a boat, on the river.’ It’s very Alice. Both of us had read the Alice books and always referred to them, we were always talking about ‘Jabberwocky’ and we knew those more than any other books really.” “Jabberwocky” is a poem from the second Alice book, Through the Looking-Glass.
“And when psychedelics came in, the...
Why Paul McCartney and John Lennon loved The Beatles’ ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul recalled the writing of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” “John had the title and he had the first verse,” he said. “It started off very Alice in Wonderland: ‘Picture yourself in a boat, on the river.’ It’s very Alice. Both of us had read the Alice books and always referred to them, we were always talking about ‘Jabberwocky’ and we knew those more than any other books really.” “Jabberwocky” is a poem from the second Alice book, Through the Looking-Glass.
“And when psychedelics came in, the...
- 11/20/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Dragons are a part of nearly every major culture. While some of us seem to think that this means they were once real creatures that terrorized our ancestors, it’s more likely that there’s something inherently and universally fascinating about reptilian monsters hovering above humankind on the food chain.
That’s why it makes sense that there are so many unique dragons in media, both friendly and demonic. However, some of these fire-breathing creatures are more monstrous than others, and that’s why we’ve decided to compile a list of six of the scariest dragons in film, as we horror hounds tend to prefer fantasy stories with a hint of darkness.
To be included on this list, dragons need to stand out in either their villainous behavior or nightmarish design, but they don’t necessarily have to appear in a traditionally scary movie. And for the purposes of this article,...
That’s why it makes sense that there are so many unique dragons in media, both friendly and demonic. However, some of these fire-breathing creatures are more monstrous than others, and that’s why we’ve decided to compile a list of six of the scariest dragons in film, as we horror hounds tend to prefer fantasy stories with a hint of darkness.
To be included on this list, dragons need to stand out in either their villainous behavior or nightmarish design, but they don’t necessarily have to appear in a traditionally scary movie. And for the purposes of this article,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
Paul McCartney and John Lennon were both inspired by surreal and colorful imagery and often incorporated these images into The Beatles‘ songs. The two were fans of Lewis Carroll, who is responsible for some of the most imaginative stories, such as Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Their interest in Carroll can be heard in their songwriting, as Carroll’s writing inspired several Beatles songs.
Here are 5 Beatles songs inspired by Lewis Carroll books ‘Yellow Submarine’ Paul McCartney and John Lennon | Cummings Archives/Redferns
“Yellow Submarine” was written by McCartney and Lennon, and featured contributions from Scottish musician Donovan. The Revolver track was The Beatles’ attempt at creating a children’s song, and Donovan said Alice in Wonderland was an inspiration for this.
“Children’s songs were easy for me because I had absorbed so much poetry,” he explained in a 2008 Goldmine interview. “My father had read me Robert Louis Stevenson,...
Here are 5 Beatles songs inspired by Lewis Carroll books ‘Yellow Submarine’ Paul McCartney and John Lennon | Cummings Archives/Redferns
“Yellow Submarine” was written by McCartney and Lennon, and featured contributions from Scottish musician Donovan. The Revolver track was The Beatles’ attempt at creating a children’s song, and Donovan said Alice in Wonderland was an inspiration for this.
“Children’s songs were easy for me because I had absorbed so much poetry,” he explained in a 2008 Goldmine interview. “My father had read me Robert Louis Stevenson,...
- 3/13/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Cinematography retrospectives are the way to go—more than a thorough display of talent, it exposes the vast expanse a Dp will travel, like an education in form and business all the same. Accordingly I’m happy to see the Criterion Channel give a 25-film tribute to James Wong Howe, whose career spanned silent cinema to the ’70s, populated with work by Howard Hawks, Michael Curtz, Samuel Fuller, Alexander Mackendrick, Sydney Pollack, John Frankenheimer, and Raoul Walsh.
Further retrospectives are granted to Romy Schneider (recent repertory sensation La piscine among them), Carlos Saura (finally a chance to see Peppermint frappe!), the British New Wave, and groundbreaking distributor Cinema 5, who brought to U.S. shores everything from The Man Who Fell to Earth and Putney Swope to Pumping Iron and Scenes from a Marriage.
September also yields streaming premieres for the recently restored Bronco Bullfrog, Ang Lee’s Pushing Hands,...
Further retrospectives are granted to Romy Schneider (recent repertory sensation La piscine among them), Carlos Saura (finally a chance to see Peppermint frappe!), the British New Wave, and groundbreaking distributor Cinema 5, who brought to U.S. shores everything from The Man Who Fell to Earth and Putney Swope to Pumping Iron and Scenes from a Marriage.
September also yields streaming premieres for the recently restored Bronco Bullfrog, Ang Lee’s Pushing Hands,...
- 8/22/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Mubi is kicking off the new year with a selection of our 2021 highlights, including some of which haven’t picked up proper distribution yet. Most notably, their own release, Alexandre Koberidze’s dazzling What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?, will premiere along with a New Voices in Georgian Cinema series. Also arriving is Salomé Jashi’s Taming the Garden, Ana Katz’s The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet, Alex Camilleri’s Luzzu, and Nino Martínez Sosa’s Liborio.
As part of a series of first films, they’ll also feature works from Janicza Bravo, Noah Baumbach, Garrett Bradley, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Terry Gilliam, and more. A double bill of Federico Fellini classics, Nights of Cabiria and The White Sheik, will also come to the platform.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
January 1 | Kicking & Screaming | Noah Baumbach | First Films First
January...
As part of a series of first films, they’ll also feature works from Janicza Bravo, Noah Baumbach, Garrett Bradley, Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Terry Gilliam, and more. A double bill of Federico Fellini classics, Nights of Cabiria and The White Sheik, will also come to the platform.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
January 1 | Kicking & Screaming | Noah Baumbach | First Films First
January...
- 12/17/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Jabberwocky
Blu-ray
Criterion
1977/ 1:85 / 105 Min. / Street Date November 21, 2017
Starring Michael Palin, Harry H. Corbett, John Le Mesurier
Cinematography by Terry Bedford
Written by Charles Alverson, Terry Gilliam
Music by Hector Berlioz, Modest Mussorgsky
Edited by Michael Bradsell
Produced by Sanford Lieberson
Directed by Terry Gilliam
The prospect of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky directed by Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam promised a brave new world of sophisticated nonsense; The Mad Hatter meets the Ministry of Silly Walks.
Equally appetizing was the thought of illustrator John Tenniel’s hideous creature brought to life by Gilliam, the Python’s premiere visual satirist. But Gilliam, working in a chaotic British climate that saw Harold Wilson being upstaged by the Sex Pistols, had other ideas, exemplified by the film’s title sequence which rolls by over some of Pieter Bruegel’s most unnerving canvasses.
The Dutch artist was no Pollyanna (his most famous painting was...
Blu-ray
Criterion
1977/ 1:85 / 105 Min. / Street Date November 21, 2017
Starring Michael Palin, Harry H. Corbett, John Le Mesurier
Cinematography by Terry Bedford
Written by Charles Alverson, Terry Gilliam
Music by Hector Berlioz, Modest Mussorgsky
Edited by Michael Bradsell
Produced by Sanford Lieberson
Directed by Terry Gilliam
The prospect of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky directed by Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam promised a brave new world of sophisticated nonsense; The Mad Hatter meets the Ministry of Silly Walks.
Equally appetizing was the thought of illustrator John Tenniel’s hideous creature brought to life by Gilliam, the Python’s premiere visual satirist. But Gilliam, working in a chaotic British climate that saw Harold Wilson being upstaged by the Sex Pistols, had other ideas, exemplified by the film’s title sequence which rolls by over some of Pieter Bruegel’s most unnerving canvasses.
The Dutch artist was no Pollyanna (his most famous painting was...
- 1/9/2018
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
This week features several must-own/import titles for our friends in the UK and those with region-free players elsewhere in the world. While there are many more titles out this week, I’ve highlighted nine titles that our readers will appreciate.
This week the Criterion Collection is releasing Terry Gilliam’s Jabberwocky in the UK and the Us. The BFI is putting out Jacques Rivette’s Celine and Julie Go Boating. Artificial Eye is releasing a mammoth 10-disc box set of the films of Aki Kaurismaki.
The folks from Arrow are releasing a non-limited version of their new 4K restoration of John Carpenter’s The Thing, along with Steve Buscemi’s Animal Factory (this will see a Us release next week from Arrow). Indicator is releasing Wolf and The Eyes of Laura Mars, both region-free. The Masters of Cinema are finally releasing their Buster Keaton box set and
Eyes of...
This week the Criterion Collection is releasing Terry Gilliam’s Jabberwocky in the UK and the Us. The BFI is putting out Jacques Rivette’s Celine and Julie Go Boating. Artificial Eye is releasing a mammoth 10-disc box set of the films of Aki Kaurismaki.
The folks from Arrow are releasing a non-limited version of their new 4K restoration of John Carpenter’s The Thing, along with Steve Buscemi’s Animal Factory (this will see a Us release next week from Arrow). Indicator is releasing Wolf and The Eyes of Laura Mars, both region-free. The Masters of Cinema are finally releasing their Buster Keaton box set and
Eyes of...
- 11/20/2017
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
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