#Donald Sumpter

[mndvx]

DOCTOR WHO — Hell Bent (S09E12) directed by Rachel Talalay | written by Steven Moffat ››› Donald Sumpter as Lord President Rassilon ››› Clare Higgins as High Priestess Ohila

[storekn1fe]

[nathalieskinoblog]

[earhartsease]

let's face it, a guy with a face like this was never going to escape being in Doctor Who and its spinoffs

[ljones41]

"EASTERN PROMISES" (2007) Review

"EASTERN PROMISES" (2007) Review Many years ago, I had seen for the first time, the crime thriller directed by David Cronenberg called,”A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE”. Viggo Mortensen had starred in the movie, portraying a happily married café owner, whose Good Samaritan actions against two thugs led to his disclosure as a former mob enforcer. Both Cronenberg and Mortensen reunited two years later to collaborate on another crime thriller called, "EASTERN PROMISES".

Based upon a screenplay written by Steve Knight, ”EASTERN PROMISES” began with a gangland murder and the death of a 14 year-old Russian-born prostitute after giving birth to an infant girl. The two incidents would resonate over the lives of a London hospital midwife of Russian descent named Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts), a Russian mob boss and restaurant owner named Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), his wastrel son Krill (Vincent Cassel), and the mob boss’ enigmatic chauffeur, Nikolai Luzhin (Mortensen). The plot is a little too complex for me to explain in this review. Needless to say that it centered around the mob boss’ attempt to recover the dead prostitute’s diary, which found itself in the hands of the hospital midwife. I would suggest that one find a way to see the movie. It will not disappoint. I know I found it very interesting. Yes, it has violence, but not as much that was found in ”A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE”. But the amount of blood shown in the film – especially in the gangland slaying and the prostitute’s death – seemed to like a metaphor of the story’s theme . . . and the connection between the major characters. On the surface, ”EASTERN PROMISES” seemed like a typical crime thriller centered around a Russian crime family in London. But the plot – like three of the major characters – turned out to be something quite different than what appears to be on the surface. What seemed like a gang war, turned out to be a lurid family secret that brings down the Russian mobster. As I had earlier pointed out, this theme is also apparent in three of the four major characters: *Krill – who seemed like a crude and murderous monster on the surface, who proves to be more benign *Semyon – a talented cook and mob boss, whose grandfatherly demeanor hides a darker and more ruthless personality *Nikolai – the enigmatic chauffeur, whose practical and cynical nature makes him unsuited to merely be the family’s driver. As in the case of Semyon and Krill, he turns out to be someone very different. And it is through the eyes of the London midwife, Anna that the audience becomes acquainted with the exotic (at least for American and British eyes) world of Russian émigrés mingled with the violence and degeneracy of the Vory v Zakone (Russian Mafia). Thanks to Cronenberg’s direction, the world of the Vory v Zakone seemed so exotic and something never seen before. In fact, it seemed so insular that the usual British atmosphere of London almost seemed miles away, despite the presence of Scotland Yard. One sequence that came to mind is the hand-to-hand fight between Nikolai and two Chechen assassins seeking revenge for the gangland murder featured in the movie’s opening scene. The sight of a nude Mortensen viciously defending his life against two burly assassins inside a London bathhouse is one that I will never forget. And I suspect that it will become an unforgettable scene in the minds of moviegoers for years to come. I was also impressed by the performances in the movie. Despite having the least interesting character, Watts managed – with her usual competency – to infuse pathos and spirit into the London midwife. And Mueller-Stahl did an excellent job of portraying a brutal and ruthless man who manages to hide these traits under a veneer of warmth and civility. But I feel that Cassel deserves an Oscar nod for his portrayal of the pathetic Krill, who tries to hide his weaknesses (or what he conceives as weakness) with a crude and extroverted persona. Finally, there is Viggo Mortensen, whose portrayal of the enigmatic Nikolai might finally allow the critics to truly appreciate his skills as an actor. Instead of using words or openly expressed emotions, Mortensen manages to reveal his character to the audience through subtle words (in a Russian accent that surprisingly works), body language, costume and especially in his eyes. What makes Mortensen so remarkable as a film actor is that he has no need for big speeches (which he had attempted in ”LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING”) or outbursts of emotions to convey to express his characters’ personalities. This certainly seemed true in the scene in which Nikolai has sex with one of the prostitutes, in the whorehouse owned by Krill’s father. Nikolai does not simply have sex with the woman. He IS FORCED to do so . . . on the orders of Krill, who wants Nikolai to prove that he is not a homosexual. The audience was well aware that the prostitute felt violated and exploited. But Mortensen managed to convey through his eyes, Nikolai's feelings of violation, exploitation . . . and disgust at Krill’s desire to watch him have sex with the prostitute. Good performances by Mortensen, Cassel and the actress who portrayed the prostitute. What else can I say about "EASTERN PROMISES"? I do not regard it as one of the best movies from 2007. But I feel that it is a fascinating and emotionally complex story that seems different from the usual crime thriller. Unlike "A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE", it is not capped by a violence sequence that gives us the last word on the protagonist’s fate. Yet, all the same, I found it very tense and emotional.

[mydarkmaterials]

[fourorfivemovements]

Films Watched in 2022:

107. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) - Dir. Bharat Nalluri

[shelma32entertainment]

Agatha Christie's Poirot | The ABC Murders | REACTION | 4x01| Part 03

[kcdahippie]

The characters name s Enrico Casali and he's played by Donald Sumpter.

Also this random space man is attractive.

[sdcfrvgbthy]

spence: this place is a lot like mcdonalds illonka: what?! spence: you'll find out soon later the day anya: welcome to mctherapy can i take your disorder amesh: ive about mcfucking had it with this spence: say that one more time and ill beat the mcshit out of you illonka: what did i get myself into

[recycledmoviecostumes]

In the 1990 film adaptation of Tom Stoppard's play, 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒛 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂���, actor Donald Sumpter wore this golden and bejeweled crown as King Claudius. Later, Timothy West donned the piece as King Francis in the 1998 movie 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓.   Follow us for more reused costumes every day! Bit.ly/Acces054      

[mndvx]

DOCTOR WHO — Hell Bent (S09E12) directed by Rachel Talalay | written by Steven Moffat ››› Donald Sumpter as Lord President Rassilon ››› Peter Capaldi as The Doctor ››› Ken Bones as Kenossium / The General

[actorsinunderwear]

Donald Sumpter in The Black Panther (1977)

[nathalieskinoblog]

[nessjo]

20th anniversary of Peter Pan (2003)

Peter Pan

International theatrical release poster

Directed by: P. J. Hogan

Screenplay by:

P. J. Hogan

Michael Goldenberg

Based on: Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie

Produced by:

Lucy Fisher

Douglas Wick

Patrick McCormick

Starring:

Jeremy Sumpter

Jason Isaacs

Rachel Hurd-Wood

Richard Briers

Olivia Williams

Lynn Redgrave

Ludivine Sagnier

Geoffrey Palmer

Cinematography: Donald McAlpine

Edited by:

Garth Craven

Michael Kahn

Music by: James Newton Howard

Production companies:

Universal Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Revolution Studios

Red Wagon Entertainment

Allied Stars Ltd

Distributed by:

Universal Pictures (English-speaking territories and South Africa)

Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (International)

Release dates:

18 December 2003 (Australia)

24 December 2003 (United Kingdom)

25 December 2003 (United States)

Running time: 113 minutes

Countries:

United Kingdom

United States

Australia

Language: English

Budget: $130 million

Box office: $122 million

[thessalian]

Thess vs Sandman S2 Casting

I am up at an unreasonable hour, probably because someone was riniging doorbells throughout the block of flats for reasons, or something, I dunno. Anyway, I figured it gave me more Forbidden West time, and it will, but I noted through the traditional morning social media trawl that there was a bit of news about Sandman S2 (one of the few reasons I'm keeping Netflix around at the moment).

Delirium - a piece of casting that I personally have been waiting for, because acting that kind of character is hard - is being played by Esme Creed-Miles. And I knew I knew that name, so I looked into it. And hey, yes, I do. From The Legend of Vox Machina, in point of fact. She voices Cassandra. Which gives me some confidence that the part will be as well-handled as all the other casting decisions so far.

And then, the other important part - "the Prodigal", aka Destruction. Now, he's not really done much in the way of anything in the genres I usually like, but he's done the usual stuff that British voice actors ... well, do (go look sometime; more often than not, any British voice actor you care to name will have done at least one episode of a soap opera called Doctors - that, Casualty, or The Bill), but he's mostly known for Captain Price in the Call of Duty series. Clips suggest he should be pretty good.

Then, no less important but still a little ... background-ish - Destiny. They've got Adrian Lester for this, and his pedigree's a little less ... British TV. He has played a lot of Shakespeare - Hamlet, Othello, the Prince in Romeo and Juliet. Also, if anyone's watched the British version of Being Human, he apparently played Herrick in the pilot. Which might have been interesting if they were going for Portentous Vampire Guy, but... Honestly, I'm glad they went with Jason Watkins in the end. I like that unassuming twinkle-in-the-eye juxtaposed with Wannabe Vampire Emperor.

And because I fell down an IMDB rabbit hole again, I note that Jason Watkins will be playing the villain again - Graham Coats in a TV adaptation of Anansi Boys. Big change from Harold Wilson in The Crown.

Also - Donald Sumpter, man. Was checking in on him via his role as Kemp in Being Human, but also he was Maester Lewin in Game of Thrones, he's been an awful lot of movies, and he's acted in Doctor Who both before and after the hiatus between Paul McGann (who I mostly know as "...and I" in Withnail and I, but never mind) and Christopher Ecclestone... Honestly, Sumpter's been in more things than I can count, even if I haven't seen most of them. He's been established in his acting career ten years longer than I've been alive and not only is he still working, but he still has more acting chops in his little finger than I will ever have in my entire body.

I will get out of the rabbit hole with the statement: "Damn, between Sandman, American Gods, and now Anansi Boys, someone is going hard on the @neil-gaiman TV adaptations, and that alone is a reason for good cheer. Even at this horrible hour of morning".

(I still like the ending of the book version of Stardust better than I did the movie version.)