John Turturro

John Turturro

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Biography

John Turturro - (born 28.2.1957) John Turturro is a very well established American actor, director and writer. His career spans to over sixty films and he has worked with the likes of Spike Lee, Adam Sandler and the Coen Brothers. Some of his most renowned films are 'Do the Right Thing' (1989), 'Miller's Crossing' (1990), 'Barton Fink' (1991), 'Quiz Show' (1994), 'The Big Lebowski' (1998), 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' (2000) and the 'Transformers' films. John Turturro: Childhood Turturro was born in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Nicholas Turturro was a carpenter, construction worker and former Navy sailor while his mother Katherine was a jazz singer. He was brought up a Roman-Catholic and moved to Queens, New York when he was six. He studied Theatre Arts at the State University of New York and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at the Yale School of Drama. John Turturro: Acting career John Turturro's first on screen performance was a non-verbal role in Martin Scorsese's 'Raging Bull' (1980). He won an Obie award for 'Danny and the Deep Blue Sea' in 1984. Turturro starred alongside Tim Robbins in 1987 film 'Five Corners' where he was noticed by notoriously controversial director Spike Lee. Turturro worked in nine of Spike Lee's films including 'Do the Right Thing' (1989) and 'Summer of Sam' (1999). Turturro starred in many of the Coen Brothers films including Miller's Crossing (1990) playing a bookie, Bernie Bernbaum, Barton Fink (1991) playing the protagonist of the same name and The Big Lebowski (1998) where he plays Jesus Quintana, antagonist of Jeff Bridges character. He then starred alongside George Clooney in 'O, Brother Where Art Thou' (2000). Turturro worked alongside Adam Sandler in 'Mr.Deeds' (2002) and 'You Don't Mess with the Zohan' (2008). The film 'Illuminata' (1999) was his first work as producer, director and actor. In 2010, he acted and directed in his film 'Passione'. His latest film was 'Fading Gigolo' starring alongside Woody Allen. Turtorro first starred in television in an episode of 'Miami Vice '(1985). He also played the title character in 'Monk' and, in 2007, played himself in 'Flight of The Concords'. John Turturro: Personal Life Turturro is married to actress Katherine Borowitz; they have two children Amedeo (born 1990) and Diego (born 2000). He is also a judge for a local New York City Film Festival (NYICFF). In 2011 became a dual Italian and American citizen.



Biography by Contactmusic.com

Transformers: The Last Knight Review

Bad

With this fifth Transformers movie, it seems clear that Michael Bay is still trying to define this franchise. The first film was solidly entertaining, but the sequels have been hit and miss. And this jarringly chaotic episode never finds its feet. Is it aimed at teen boys (robots hitting each other), young children (a random little girl in the cast) or action fans (Mark Wahlberg being heroic)? Meanwhile, the plot only barely connects a stream of wildly overblown set-pieces.

We find Wahlberg's mad inventor Cade now in hiding protecting the good Autobots, while government meathead Lennox (Josh Duhamel) chases the evil Decepticons. Somewhere in space, tentacled temptress Quintessa (Gemma Chan) has turned heroic Transformer Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) to the dark side, and now they're heading to suck the life out of Earth, as you do. Humanity's only hope is in a mysterious talisman Cade possesses and the staff of Merlin the magician (Stanley Tucci in an Arthurian prologue), which only Oxford professor Vivian (Laura Haddock) can wield. She's accompanied by dotty Sir Edmund (Anthony Hopkins), who helpfully explains the mythology with the assistance of robot butler Cogman (Jim Carter). Then everyone converges on Stonehenge for an epic battle.

To be fair, Bay does have an eye for spectacle, and the film looks properly amazing in Imax 3D, especially as Bay throws everything he can think of at the screen, including some adorable baby dinosaur robots, a submarine chase, various elements from Star Wars and Alien, and a military invasion that desperately wants to outdo Saving Private Ryan's opening scene. All of this is piled into a blender and edited together with absolutely no sense of logic or geography.

Continue reading: Transformers: The Last Knight Review

Mia Madre Trailer


Margherita is an Italian filmmaker whose high-flying career doesn't compensate for the turmoil she's struggling with in her everyday life. Her mother is in hospital terminally ill, and it isn't something she can readily accept. Meanwhile, her teenage daughter is more than a handful and their relationship is somewhat on the rocks. Directing her latest film isn't even a good enough distraction from her personal problems, because now she's got to work alongside a famous American actor named Barry Huggins who has no memory for lines and is virtually impossible to work with. Her brother Giovanni is there to support her, but even he knows she's got to change if she wants to see a positive outcome from all this.

Continue: Mia Madre Trailer

Exodus: Gods And Kings Review


Good

Aside from impressive 21st century digital effects, this new take on the Moses story pales in comparison to Cecil B. DeMille's iconic 1956 version, The Ten Commandments, which is far more resonant and intensely dramatic. Biblical epics are tricky to get right, and Ridley Scott certainly knows how to make them look and feel terrific (see Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven), but his films are generally about the spectacle rather than the human emotion. So this version of the biblical story will only appeal to viewers who have never seen a better one.

It's set in 1300 BC, when the Israelites have been in captivity in Egypt for 400 years. Now rumours of liberation are circling, centring on Moses (Christian Bale), the adopted son of Pharaoh Seti (John Turturro), raised as a brother alongside the future Pharaoh Ramses (Joel Edgerton). When it emerges that Moses is actually a Hebrew, he is sent into exile in the desert, where he finds a new calling as a shepherd and marries his new boss' sexy daughter Sefora (Maria Valverde). Moses also has a run-in with the Jewish God, who appears in the form of a young boy (Isaac Andrews), challenging Moses to free the Israelites. As Moses attempts to spark a slave revolt, God sends seven horrific plagues to convince Ramses to let his people go.

The script struggles to have its cake and eat it too, finding rational explanations for the plagues and miracles while still maintaining God's supernatural intervention. It's a rather odd mix that demonstrates just how compromised the movie is: it's a big blockbuster rather than a story about people. Several elements work well, such as depicting God as a boy, although the screenplay never manages to make much of the female characters. And only Ben Mendelsohn manages to inject any proper personality as the weaselly overseer of the slaves. Bale and Edgerton both catch the complexity of their characters' situations, privilege mixed with personal revelations. But Scott is more interested in parting the Red Sea than taking them anywhere very interesting.

Continue reading: Exodus: Gods And Kings Review

Exodus: Gods and Kings - Featurettes


Director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven) talks about world of his new film, 'Exodus: Gods and Kings'. The film follows the life of Moses (Christian Bale), and works on "the complexity of his character". Scott also talks about what drew him to the material, namely, the "beauty in the massive scale of it". He discusses the process of using computers to turn four thousand extras look like twenty thousand soldiers. Aside from the battle scenes, we see evidence of the biblical plagues that come from the original story at work. 

Continue: Exodus: Gods and Kings - Featurettes

God's Pocket Review


Good

Despite a strong sense of the characters and the setting, this film struggles to engage viewers with its downbeat story about how tough life is. Even though the performances are powerful enough to hold the attention, the film feels like it drifts aimlessly along, never coming into focus in a meaningful way. And since everything is right on the surface, there isn't much subtext to help the events resonate with the audience.

In the God's Pocket neighbourhood in 1980s Philadelphia, everyone knows everything about each others' lives. Mickey (Philip Seymour Hoffman) works as a driver delivering meat, but spends just as much time planning small-time scams with his pal Arthur (John Turturro). Then his life is thrown out of balance when his hothead stepson Leon (Caleb Landry Jones) dies in what is suspiciously described as a workplace accident. Mickey's wife Jeanie (Christina Hendricks) struggles to cope with her son's death, so Mickey is easily pressured by the local mortician (Eddie Marsan) into buying a funeral he can't afford. To make some extra cash, he plans a heist with Arthur and their careless pal Sal (Domenick Lombardozzi), which predictably goes awry. Meanwhile, a famed local journalist (Richard Jenkins) starts looking into Leon's death.

It's not like the film is low on plot: there are plenty of story strands to push each character further into their own personal desperation. And the tightly knit setting provides an intriguing counterpoint as everyone's dirty laundry is aired for all to see, which pushes their true emotions even further underground. This lets the actors deliver riveting performances, even as they're all beaten down to mere husks of humanity. In one of his final roles, Hoffman is terrific as a guy for whom everything goes relentlessly wrong. Hendricks is pretty wrenching as the rather drippy Jeanie, whose interaction with Jenkins is both warm and depressing. Thankfully, Turturro and Marsan provide a spark of energy, as does Joyce Van Patten in a scene-stealing role as Arthur's gun-crazy aunt.

Continue reading: God's Pocket Review

See Heavily Eye-Linered Christian Bale As Moses In Ridley Scott's 'Exodus: Gods And Kings' [Trailer & Pictures]


Ridley Scott Christian Bale Aaron Paul Joel Edgerton John Turturro Ben Kingsley Sigourney Weaver Steven Zaillian

Director Ridley Scott has dealt with some epic stories whether it's the might of the Roman Empire and the obsession with gladiators, slavering murderous aliens in space or legends of British folklore. But now the 76-year-old director is tackling the Bible and is adapting the story of Moses for the big screen in Exodus: Gods and Kings

Exodus: Gods and Kings
Joel Edgerton and Christian Bale star as Rhamses and Moses in Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Read More: Christian Bale's Representative Dismisses True Detective Rumours.

Continue reading: See Heavily Eye-Linered Christian Bale As Moses In Ridley Scott's 'Exodus: Gods And Kings' [Trailer & Pictures]

Exodus: Gods And Kings Trailer


Moses and the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses grew up together as brothers after the former was saved from drowing in the Nile. However, Moses has not forgotten the reason why he was cast into the river; all newborn Israelites were condemned to death by the past Pharaoh for fear of their growing numbers. Now he is enlisted by God to save the Israelites from their slavery at the hands of the Pharaoh's people, but to do so he must turn his back on his brother and friend. The Egyptians fight back as Moses defiantly leads the Israelites on an arduous journey across the desert, while God unleashes a series of horrific plagues and turns their Nile to blood. Egypt face new dangers as God decides that rules need to be laid down for Moses and his people.

Continue: Exodus: Gods And Kings Trailer

Will John Turturro Reprise Cult Fave Jesus Quintana For Big Lewbowski Spin-Off?


John Turturro Coen Brothers

Big news for Big Lebowski fans: John Turturro is seeking legal clearance to reprise the role of Jesus Quintana, a colourful bowler with a chequered history, for a new film in 2015. 

John TurturroJohn Turturro's Jesus Quintana could be making a comeback

The news came about as Turturro chared his thoughts with the crowd during a masterclass at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily on Saturday.  “If I can get the permission I need, I’d like to return to the role,” he announced, according to The Hollywood Reporter. His words were met with reassuring cheers. 

Continue reading: Will John Turturro Reprise Cult Fave Jesus Quintana For Big Lewbowski Spin-Off?

God's Pocket Trailer


God's Pocket seems to be an ordinary working class neighbourhood at face value; full of people with ordinary jobs and ordinary families. However, a dark undertone begins to show when Mickey Scarpato's insane stepson Leon dies following a so-called accident at a construction site. Mickey wants people to believe he slipped and fell to his death (not that anybody cares that the town is short of a man like Leon), but Leon's mother Jeanie is desperate to know what really happened. While Mickey tries to comfort his wife, Jeanie is approached by a shameless reporter named Richard Shellburn who is also investigating any mystery behind the death. All Mickey wants is the body in the ground and a large debt of his to be repaid - but it looks like his life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.

Continue: God's Pocket Trailer

John Turturro, Katherine Borowitz and Diego Turturro - John Turturro and his family were spotted boating and swimming off the coast of Taormina on the island of Sicily, Italy - Taormina, Italy - Friday 20th June 2014

John Turturro, Katherine Borowitz and Diego Turturro

Fading Gigolo Review


Very Good

With a witty observational script, amusing characters and a jazzy sense of life in New York, this feels like an old-fashioned Woody Allen movie, even though Allen merely costars in it. Instead, it was written and directed by leading actor John Turturro, with an easy-going charm that's irresistible even if it feels vaguely dated. And despite its potentially controversial premise, the film is so gentle that it's unlikely to ruffle many feathers.

Turturro stars as Fioravante, a florist whose life hasn't gone as planned. His one-time mentor Murray (Allen) has just been forced to close his grandfather's rare-book shop, and with too much time on his hand has started working on Fior's life. Murray thinks Fior could make a living as an escort, and sends him on a date with his dermatologist (Sharon Stone). When that goes well, a string of wealthy clients follow, including the man-eating Selima (Sofia Vergara). But one of Murray's friends is more reluctant: the devout Avigail (Vanessa Paradis) is a widowed rabbi's wife who can't have contact with other men. As she and Fior begin a tentative friendship, there might be something meaningful developing. Then a jealous community cop (Schreiber) notices that something is amiss.

As a director, Turturro keeps the scenes grounded in real situations that centre on the characters rather than the machinations of the plot. This offers a lively depiction of this neighbourhood as a melting pot of African-Americans, Italians and Hasidic Jews who are part of each others' lives. Some of this might feel a bit contrived (Murray also adopts a sprawling black family), but the interaction is jaggedly funny and packed with a generous stream of honest emotion.

Continue reading: Fading Gigolo Review

John Turturro, Vanessa Paradis and Sofia Vergara - Press conference for 'Fading Gigolo' held at The Crosby Hotel - New York City, New York, United States - Friday 11th April 2014

John Turturro, Vanessa Paradis and Sofia Vergara

John Turturro - The funeral service for Emmy award-winning Sopranos actor James Gandolfini at the Cathedral of St. John The Divine in New York City, NY, USA on June 27, 2013. Best known for his portrayal of mob boss Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series "The Sopranos", Gandolfini died of a heart attack at the age of 51 while on vacation with his family in Rome, Italy on June 19, 2013. His big screen credits include The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Zero Dark Thirty and Killing Them Softly - New York, NY, United States - Thursday 27th June 2013

John Turturro - John Turturro and Family Wednesday 18th July 2007 at the Special Screening of 'I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry' saluting New York Firefighters held at the Ziegfield Theater

John Turturro

John Turturro Quick Links

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John Turturro

Date of birth

28th February, 1957

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Male

Height

1.84




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John Turturro Movies

Transformers: The Last Knight Movie Review

Transformers: The Last Knight Movie Review

With this fifth Transformers movie, it seems clear that Michael Bay is still trying to...

Transformers: The Last Knight Trailer

Transformers: The Last Knight Trailer

Where is Optimus Prime when we need him most? Despite the fact that Earth is...

Transformers: The Last Knight Super Bowl Trailer

Transformers: The Last Knight Super Bowl Trailer

Has humanity been left to defend itself against the ruthless Decepticons now that Optimus Prime...

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Transformers: The Last Knight - Teaser Trailer

Transformers: The Last Knight - Teaser Trailer

With the few remaining Autobots in hiding, the world is a dark place. Galvatron is...

Hands Of Stone Trailer

Hands Of Stone Trailer

Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Duran was fierce in the ring, his poor upbringing on the...

Mia Madre Trailer

Mia Madre Trailer

Margherita is an Italian filmmaker whose high-flying career doesn't compensate for the turmoil she's struggling...

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Exodus: Gods and Kings Movie Review

Exodus: Gods and Kings Movie Review

Aside from impressive 21st century digital effects, this new take on the Moses story pales...

Exodus: Gods and Kings Trailer

Exodus: Gods and Kings Trailer

Director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven) talks about world of his new film,...

God's Pocket Movie Review

God's Pocket Movie Review

Despite a strong sense of the characters and the setting, this film struggles to engage...

Exodus: Gods And Kings Trailer

Exodus: Gods And Kings Trailer

Moses and the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses grew up together as brothers after the former was...

God's Pocket Trailer

God's Pocket Trailer

God's Pocket seems to be an ordinary working class neighbourhood at face value; full of...

Fading Gigolo Movie Review

Fading Gigolo Movie Review

With a witty observational script, amusing characters and a jazzy sense of life in New...

Fading Gigolo Trailer

Fading Gigolo Trailer

Strapped for cash, handsome but middle-aged bookshop worker Fioravante decides to accept an offer of...

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