In Richard Kelly's excellent recent book Ten Bad Dates With De Niro: A Book of Alternative Movie Lists, one of the standout contributions was from the celebrated filmmakers the Coen brothers. It detailed the five films these leading lights of contemporary cinema would like to see remade. One, perhaps obviously, was The Godfather. But they had a caveat: Christopher Walken had to play every single role. It wasn't such a bad idea. Walken is, right now, probably America's greatest living screen villain: you have to surmise it would probably be the most terrifyingly believable gangster film ever.
Walken is that remarkable and rare beast, an actor who makes anything he stars in watchable. This is why he was top of the web-traffic charts last month for simply reading the lyrics to Lady Gaga's Poker Face, deadpan, on a chat show. Two months before that, he was top again, this time for a video which saw him cooking chicken with pears. There was something delightfully menacing in the subtext to the simple line: "What I do is I take some of this - fat. And I cut that off." And now, he is the talk of Broadway after signing up to the Irish playwright Martin McDonagh's new black comedy, A Behanding in Spokane.
"Behanding", one imagines, is a related - if less terminal - torture to beheading. What is interesting here is that Walken, who has played characters driving into oncoming traffic and shooting good guys, isn't performing the act himself. McDonagh's play, which opens in February, involves Walken's character searching for his own missing hand and encountering two con artists and a hotel clerk (played by Sam Rockwell) along the way.
Whether McDonagh will make Walken's character scary, funny, weird, or a combination of all three will be interesting. And, in the best possible way, totally irrelevant. As his incredibly varied career has proved, Walken really can do it all.
His reputation for embodying sadistic characters is, though, well founded. Walken first came to global attention in 1978 as an unhinged Vietnam veteran in The Deer Hunter. It won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but this role has been overshadowed by his performance in True Romance. It is tempting to suggest, watching him politely and then violently threaten Dennis Hopper's character, that there has never been a more threatening scene in a Quentin Tarantino film. He was, memorably, in "a vendetta kinda mood". He has also bleached his hair as a Bond baddie in A View to a Kill, been a remorseless drug dealer in King of New York and a barbaric gangster in Last Man Standing.
But typecasting Walken as the go-to guy for menace seems to rather amuse him. The 1981 film Pennies From Heaven saw him confound those expectations in one easy step:he performed a tap-dancing striptease. He would go on to use those dance moves in one of the most memorable music videos ever. The humour in the award-winning Spike Jonze treatment of Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice came from the knowledge that we were watching a man famous for his villainous roles happily dancing around a hotel. That was precisely the point.
It was also not actually that much of a stretch for Walken - this is a man, after all, who trained as a dancer in musical theatre. He has appeared in countless Broadway shows already, taking on everything from Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice) to Tennessee Williams (The Rose Tattoo) and winning the celebrated Tony Award for his performance in the musical James Joyce's The Dead in 2000.
Then there's the comedy. He is dryly hilarious in both Biloxi Blues and Wayne's World 2. These are the roles that give perhaps the greatest clues to Walken's off-screen persona. Certainly, interviews usually begin with the journalist expecting the kind of intimidating encounters that characterise some of Walken's best films and end with the writer glowingly reporting what a lovely, accommodating and humane man he is.
It is true that a memorable lead role has escaped Walken, but in a sense he has used this to his advantage. It is difficult to think of another actor who is so consummately able to make use of every second of his limited screen time. He is the classic character actor: someone who can, as he once said himself, make the line "pass the salt" have six different subtexts.
Most of those subtexts are, in his characters, deeply unsettling. And for all his comic turns and dance steps, it was an interview in 2004 which really summed up Walken's career. "I think people respect me, but they're always wondering if there's something innately mean inside me," he said. "But I take it as a compliment that audiences get caught up with the characters I play. When I play a villain, I want people to be scared and gripped by the character. That's the art, that's the desired effect."
In Walken's hands - or should that be hand? - A Behanding in Spokane will surely be gripping. It should also be an utter treat to see this versatile actor live on stage.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
The%20specs
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani