Willem Dafoe answers the age old question: are children scared of him?

It’s no secret Willem Dafoe has terrified me for sometime now. I’m not exactly sure which role did it, but the dude is scary. On screen, that is. I interviewed Dafoe In Brisbane this morning about his new film The Hunter – which is excellent by the way – and I was pleasantly surprised at what an utterly lovely and non-threatening person he is. He even gave me a hug! But it turns out quite a few people have that reaction to Dafoe and the actor said it’s usually related to his portrayal of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in the first two Spiderman films. He explains:

“What happens sometimes is parents see me and they’ll run up and want me to get a picture because they think the kid will appreciate it but the kid is not into it all. Just recently when I arrived in Brisbane a woman was pushing a kid to me and I said `come on, let the guy go’ because he looked terrified. I don’t know if he’s terrified of me or because of the character which I don’t think so because I don’t look like the character. Everybody forgets to that 90 per cent of that role was Norman Osborn, which to me is the more interesting part.”

Yes, but for the remaining 10 per cent you looked like this *shiver*.

Favourite Movie Friday with The Amity Affliction's Troy

The Amity Affliction have the hottest live show in Australia at the moment and they've been selling out gigs all over the shop. I spoke to their guitarist Troy Brady last week and he spilled his fave movie Friday picks:

"American History X, you definitely get a message from that movie. I'm going to put it out there and say a bunch of stoner flicks. I saw Your Highness recently and it's probably one of greatest movies I've ever seen. I love Pineapple Experience. You can't go wrong with typical stoner flicks like Half-Baked, stuff like that."

X-Men puns 101

Hugh Jackman on Wolverine: "It’s really been the backbone of my career."
Me: "The metal-plated backbone would you say?"
Hugh Jackman: “Oh, nice. The sub-editors are going to love that one.”

Actual Hugh Jackman article coming.

Footloose star kiss and Teller's

How do you follow up your debut film role alongside Nicole Kidman in the Oscar-nominated Rabbit Hole? For 23-year-old Miles Teller (above) the answer was starring in the remake of eighties classic Footloose. When casting was first announced critics called it a dumb move, but its one that's clearly working out for Teller. Since filming Footloose he has shot Project X, a comedy produced by The Hangover director Todd Phillips, and is currently on the set of 21 and Over, a comedy directed and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (The Hangover, The Change Up).

Teller is speaking to Movie Mazz from the 21 and Over set after injuring himself in one of the film's stunts.
“I'm nursing a sprained ankle and a sprained knee with ice,'' he says.
“I got run over by a golf cart.
“A buddy of mine was driving it in a scene where I'm supposed to jump into a moving golf cart and he ran over me.”

Such are the hazards of filmmaking.
Teller got to experience more of them in the lead up to shooting Footloose when he hazarded a trip to the internet.
“It's definitely a film people did not want us to remake,'' he says.
“Going on the net in the past few months and seeing what was being said, I never realised how sacred it was.”
When Craig Brewer, the director of edgy drama Hustle and Flow, was announced as the writer/director more than a few eyebrows were raised. The scepticism turned to outright hostility when dancers Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough were named as the leads Ren McCormack (played by Kevin Bacon in the original) and Ariel Moore (Lori Singer). But it's a film that has been winning over critics and audiences alike, screening by screening Brewer's direction is electric and the talented team manage to overcome the originals cheesiness, while at the same time paying homage to it. Undoubtedly it will be one of the big surprises of the year for audiences and Teller laughs knowingly at the praise.
“We'd always rather surprise than disappoint.”

Teller plays Ren's close friend and small town hick Willard (above, red cap) in the film.
Despite having “no interest” in seeing the original Footloose, it's a role Teller is very comfortable with as he played the same character in a Broadway version when he was at college.
Coming from a small town in Florida, Teller says he also had plenty of real life experience to draw from.
“When I first moved to Florida I was 12,” he says.
“I remember getting to middle school and sitting in the office being introduced to the principal when in walks a Willard-looking guy in Wrangler jeans, boots and a cowboy hat.
“I didn't know what was going on, I thought he was in the school play.
“When I started walking around the school I saw about 30 to 40 more Willards.
“It was a town of 6000 people and Walmart and Applebee's were big things.”

Footloose next Thursday, October 6.

Favourite Movie Friday with Eve

Yep, as in that Eve. As in rapper Eve. As in actress Eve. As in `she with the paw-printed breasts' Eve. I interviewed the Grammy Award winner yesterday when she arrived in my home town for her Australian tour. The lovely lady complimented me on my zombie necklace, which instantly made me love her, and she also shared her favourite movie picks. They'll blow ya mind *boom tish*.

"That’s a tough question. It’s hard because I like all kinds of movies. I love black and white movies. Horror is my favourite genre and one of my favourite horror movies of all time is Rosmary’s Baby, the original, and I love Carrie, the orginal. I like all the orginals, I’m not into all those whack remakes. My favourite kids movie of all time is The Goonies. And one of my favourite family movies of all time is Soul Food. I don’t know, I have a wide, wide range."

Eve is on Twitter @therealeve

Abduction - where sexy llamas don't wear helmets

Famous for being the oft-shirtless werewolf Jacob Black in The Twilight Saga, the big question is can Taylor Lautner carry a film? The 19-year-old is the top-billed star in action/thriller Abduction, which is saying something considering the supporting cast features the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Maria Bello, Alfred Molina and Jason Isaacs.

Lautner plays testosterone-fuelled teen Nathan, whose past times including riding on the top of car bonnets for funsies, wrestling and driving a motorbike without a helmet. But when his crush Karen (Lily Collins) discovers his baby photo on a missing persons website, Nathan is forced to question his true identity and whether his parents are really his parents. Turns out they're actually spies and after they're killed by Russian hit men - no big surprise there, it's shown in the trailer - Nathan and Karen go on the run from shady government and underground agencies.

Abduction is everything you would expect from director John Singleton, who's past credits include Boyz n the Hood, Shaft, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Four Brothers. The film is heavy on the action and makes no apologies for it. In fact, Abduction is at its best during the big-budget shoot outs and bone-cracking fight scenes. It's the plot that lets the film down with inconsistencies in the central mystery and nonsensical subplots that go unresolved or completely unaddressed by the films end. Abduction is like a dumbed-down version of the Jason Bourne films and male viewers under 25 won't have a problem with that. After all, you don't go and see a Singleton film for the story. Lautner makes a convincing action star and although he might lack the acting chops of previous Singleton alumni like Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, he has something they lacked; physical skill. Continuous shots of showcase Lautner's ability as a martial artist as he back flips and high kicks his way into the Jason Statham league. Like Statham, Lautner's range is limited as an actor, but for action movie purposes the phsyciality takes priority. And that he has.

Stellar actors fill out a black and white supporting cast of spy-movie characters, but the highlight here is the Hollywood debut of Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist (above). A familiar face to adult audiences as protagonist Mikael Blomkvist in the film adaptations of Stieg Larsson's The Millenium Trilogy, he makes a charismatic and engaging villain. Like his co-star Noomi Rapace, hopefully he's someone we'll be seeing a lot more of.

Lively and Lawrence to get high as Kite?

Director David Ellis has his eye firmly trained on Blake Lively or Jennifer Lawrence for the leading role in his next film Kite. I spoke with Ellis earlier today about his new film Shark Night 3D and the former stuntman was more than willing to spill the beans on his next project.

News broke last fortnight that the Snakes On A Plane director was signed on to bring a real-D version of edgy Japanese anime Kite to the big screen. The original 1998 film follows a young girl, Sawa, who sets out to track down the killer of her father, who was a cop. The characters occupy a post-financial collapse failed state where corrupt security traffics young women for profit.

Ellis said he was first introduced to the anime version of Kite by his son, who’s a big fan.
“I was aware of it because my son’s really into Japanese anime and I watched Kite with him,” he said.
“Then when the script started floating around and they were looking for another director my agent sent it to me.
“I read it and loved it.
“I had lunch with the producers and I talked about my vision for that world.
“It reminds me of that Mad Max: Road Warrior universe.”Ellis said they’re ready to start filming in South Africa by the end of the year and that he envisions either Blake Lively or Jennifer Lawrence in the role of heroine Sawa (above).
“I would love either Blake Lively of Jennifer Lawrence for the lead,” he said.
“Both are really good, but we’ll have to see if we can afford them and if they’re available.
“There are a lot of people we like for Kite and we’re still getting on to that side of things.
“We’re waiting for a new script which comes out next week and the casting director is getting started.”

Lively or Lawrence would definitely be interesting choices and the part of Sawa is no doubt going to be a whole coveted one. It would be an edgy choice for any Hollywood actress, given the sexual abuse sub-plot and general violence inflicted at her hands. Basically it’s like a younger version of The Bride aka Beatrix Kiddo from Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Lawrence may be a tad hesitant to sign on to Kite, however, given she’s already committed to playing one strong female heroine in a post-apocalyptic world in The Hunger Games and its potential sequels. Anant Singh (I Capture The Castle, Pulse) and Brian Cox (Pulse, Don’t Look Up) are producing. Ellis, a former professional surfer and stunt co-coordinator on films such as Scarface and Patriot Games, has helmed mainly horror films since sitting in the director’s chair. But he has impressive pedigree. Ellis has been second unit director and in charge of filming the heavy duty action in flicks such as Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World and The Matrix Reloaded. He said he’s definitely up for the job and looking forward to some of Kite’s hardcore moments.
“I love action and Kite’s an action film,” he said.
“I’m excited to get to do that and I’m ready to step outside the genre I’ve been working in.”

Taylor Lautner: ABduction

When John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Four Brothers) directs a film, you know what you're getting; action, explosions and testosterone. He's also helped shape some of the biggest action movie stars in Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L Jackson, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Ice Cube and Christian Bale. So where did he go to find his new leading man? The world's most popular romance series, The Twilight Saga.

Taylor Lautner, best known for playing werewolf Jacob black, is the star of Singleton's new film Abduction which follows a seemingly ordinary teen forced to go on the run from shady government agencies after he discovers his photo on a missing persons site. It's a welcome shift for Lautner who says although he's "extremely thankful'' for his Twilight fanbase, Abduction was the opportunity to do "something new.''
"The Twilight universe has given me a lot, but the great thing about Abduction is it was a new way to challenge myself,'' he says.



Those challenges were welcomed by the fit 19-year-old, who was able to utilise over a decade of martial arts training by performing majority of the his own stunts.
"I was super fortunate to be able to do most of it,'' he says.
"I started martial arts when I was six and I was able to use some of that in the movie in the fights, flips and kicks.
"Then the things I hadn't done I had training for, like riding on top of a car in the opening scene was a blast and learning to ride a motorcycle, the boxing and wrestling.''

Coming from the more female-targeted Twilight universe, Lautner says it was ``very cool'' to work with Singleton on a film for the boys.
"I really think Abduction is a movie for everyone because it does have the action for the guys, but at its core it's a great story,'' he says.
"The characters are very interesting, there's a love story, plus it's a mystery that has those twists and turns.''

Going from family films such as The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lavagirl straight to international heart throb status as a teenager with the Twilight films has been an interesting journey for Lautner. For someone who's still trying to find his way in Hollywood, he says he was able to learn a lot from the cast of showbiz veterans in Abduction.
"It was great for me to go from the Twilight cast, where we've been working together for years and are like a comfortable family, to an impressive cast like this.
"Sigourney Weaver is a legend, not to mention everyone else like Maria Bello, Alfred Molina, Lily Collins and Jason Isaacs, who's just about the funniest person I've ever met.
"The advice they gave me and just being able to observe and watch them was awesome.''

Abduction is out Thursday, September 22.

Favourite Movie Friday with Taylor Lautner

For realsies. Last month I interviewed Taylor `I'm a sexy llama' Lautner when he was in Australia promoting his new flick Abduction. We spoke about Breaking Dawn Part 1 briefly and you can read that chat here, plus the Abduction story is coming next week. In the meantime, the world's most famous werewolf shared his favourite movie friday picks. Surprisingly, there's a bit of an Australian connection.

“I’m a big Braveheart and Gladiator fan. I’m trying to think of a few more recent ones. A lot of funny movies recently have been great, like Bridesmaids, and I’m a big Ironman fan. I don’t know why, but out of all the superhero movies that’s the one I love the most.”

Stay tuned for my chat with Taylor next week about Abduction, also out next week.

Jack Thompson talks Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark, BYO scary voices

When it comes to legends of Australian cinema, you don’t get much more legendy* than Jack Thompson. The award-winning 70-year-old has epitomised what Australia stands for in many of the country's greatest films such as The Man from Snowy River, Breaker Morant, Sunday Too Far Away and shed-loads of others. He’s also one of the stars of Spanish visionary Guillermo del Toro’s latest Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark.

Filmed in Melbourne last year, the eerie horror/thriller stars Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes as young parents who move into a classic new home with their daughter (Bailee Madison). It’s not long before creepy lil’ creatures start terrorising the child and the wizened gardener (Thompson) is the only one who believes her (below). Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy franchise) wrote the script based on the cult TV movie of the same name and also serves as executive producer. I spoke with Thompson last month when he was in Darwin promoting his latest poetry collection and, being the iconic storyteller that he is, he put on a scary voice to give more detail on DBAOTD’s plot.
“It was almost two years ago now since with filmed it with Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes and a wonderful young American child actor named Bailee Madison,” he said.
“It’s a great scary movie about a little girl who says `mummy and daddy there are things under the bed’ and they say `no, no, go back to sleep.’
“But *insert scary voice here* I play the old gardener at the house who’s worked there for a long time and of course I know there actually are things under the bed.”

Thompson, who’s filming Baz Luhrmann’s 3D version of The Great Gatsby in Sydney at the moment, last starred in a horror flick in shocker Man-Thing in 2005. His best entry into the genre was in cult Aussie gem Wake In Fright in the seventies and he says it was great to return to the horror genre.
“I think all of us can enjoy scary movies and the gothic, dark side of life,” he said.
“I think there’s a little child in all of us that loves horror movies and that feeling of being scared.”

Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark is currently screening in limited release.

*legendy: I herby deem this a word.

Get some action! Boom!

And cue explosions. Seriously, what a bad-ass poster, no? The official poster for the 2011 Gold Coast Film Festival was launched last week and I’ve got to give kudos to the creative team over at Carnival Studios who designed it.

My local film festival has an action film-orientated focus this year and the `get some action’ tagline ties in nicely. The official line-up isn’t announced until mid-October, but I know for a fact festival director Casey Marshall Siemer has snagged one of the best line-up's of any Australia film festival this year. Behind the Melbourne and Sydney International Film Festivals, the GCFF should be on the must-attend list for cinephiles.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Favourite Movie Friday with Andy Bull

Lower the red flag kids, because Andy Bull is charging at you for this week's installment of Favourite Movie Friday. The Sydney singer/songwriter has the penmanship skills of Dylan with the voice of, well, a pretty and magnificent-sounding lady. Point is, his music rocks and if you haven't been exposed I suggest you click here. In the meantime, here are Bull's favourite movie picks:

"I studied film at university, it is the funnest degree and very inspiring. It gives you lots of ideas musically. Anyway, Wes Anderson’s films I love, just as every university student does. I love Jim Belushi films, Broken Flowers and all that kind of stuff. Also anything by David Lynch if you want to get knocked sideways and the music in all his films is really good too. The music is Wes Anderson’s, Belushi’s and Lynch’s films is all really important. A lot of it is pop music, but left-of-centre pop music."

Andy Bull plays at The Loft, Gold Coast tonight.

Lights, Cameron, Mitchell

Knee-high black, vinyl boots snake up her leg and are met by zebra-print tights. Their loud pattern is interrupted by a bare, toned mid-drift which leads to the beginning of a cut-off top with the words `punk rock' emblazoned across the chest. Fishnet gloves, metallic eye shadow and waist-length blonde hair complete the look. Her name is Hedwig and she, is actually a he. The East German transgender singer and front person of fictional rock band the Angry Inch has become a cult icon; portrayed by actor John Cameron Mitchell as a cross between Frank N Furter and Steve Tyler.

He first played her in a hit off-Broadway production followed by a flashy independent film he wrote, composed and directed. The young, gay actor saw something in this star-crossed lover that resonated with him and his arduous journey of bringing her to the big screen has been rewarded with a devoted cult following and a Golden Globe nomination for Cameron Mitchell's raw portrayal of the transgender romantic.
``Hedwig is, like, the greatest investment I've ever made,'' says Cameron Mitchell.
``The annual celebrations of it are prodigious.
``It's never been a big money maker, but that's not why I made it.
``I would have made something more mainstream if I wanted it to be a big money maker.''

Cameron Mitchell's last film, Rabbit Hole, couldn't be further from a transgender musical. It has a third of the budget of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a cast of movie stars and an Oscar nomination to boot. The night before the Oscars, Cameron Mitchell spoke to the Movie Mazzupial from his agent's home in Los Angeles. The now 47-year-old attended the prestigious ceremony to support the film's producer and star Nicole Kidman, who was nominated for best actress for her performance in Rabbit Hole. She lost out to Natalie Portman in Black Swan, but the significance of Cameron Mitchell making not only an Oscar-worthy film but one that's accessible to the masses is huge. After all, his second directorial effort, Shortbus, remains one of the most controversial films of the past decade.

Also written and directed by Cameron Mitchell, it sought to integrate realistic and explicit sex scenes into mainstream cinema, with one critic dubbing it an ``orgasm drama''.
``Our goal was to make an audience friendly film that used the language of sex in a way we hadn't seen before, that wasn't negative or pornographic, but funny and about some deep-seeded things in the way we all connect,'' he says.
``You can redefine sex with any type of metaphor and it feels good that we've been able to free-up sex from the prison of pornography and sad French films.''
Like Hedwig (above), Shortbus found an international audience among misfits and sexually marginalised. Sure, it was banned in countless countries, but Cameron Mitchell (who took a step back from acting in Shortbus, only popping up on screen for a short time as a ``sextra'') says he finds it ``funny'' just how far people will go to see it - legally or illegally.
``I love that it's found its way all around the world because of the internet.
``That mightn't have been the case a few years ago.
``In many countries it was banned, but I love seeing in forums online that kids in Indonesia and Korea and the Philippines are watching it.
``They've pirated it, but it's better to be seen illegally than never seen at all.''

Cameron Mitchell says his ``favourite response'' to the film was in Korea where it rewrote the country's censorship laws thanks to a passionate and dedicated audience.
``Shortbus was banned there but the people took it to the censorship board and had it overturned,'' he says.
``We were front page news over there. I love that.''

So with two bold, controversial and critically acclaimed films under his belt, Cameron Mitchell took the unexpected step of teaming up with Nicole Kidman for a subdued look at the nature of love and loss. No transgender rock stars. No sex. No outcasts. Instead, Rabbit Hole was a poignant look at two people Becca (Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) struggling to come to terms with the accidental death of their son eight months after the fact. Kidman, who served as executive producer, developed the script based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name and after a 20-minute phone conversation with Cameron Mitchell, took him on as director.

Although it's the first of his features for which he didn't write the script or act, Rabbit Hole (below) is a very personal story for the filmmaker.
``I lost a brother when I was a teenager, so all the emotions hit home,'' he says.
``It felt real and was something I wanted to do for myself as a sort of personal healing.''When Cameron Mitchell was 14, his four-year-old brother Samuel died. He had suffered heart complications since birth, but Cameron Mitchell says his passing changed his ``whole family''. After finding an ill Samuel in his bedroom, he watched his father frantically try to give him mouth-to-mouth before the ambulance came and rushed him to hospital. All Cameron Mitchell says they were encouraged to do at the time was ``pray'', as both a Catholic and military family. Up until then he says he considered himself quite pious and was even an altar boy for a period. But after Samuel died, Cameron Mitchell says for him, so too did God.

His fearless explorations of sexuality and identity have led cinephiles to dub Cameron Mitchell as the new Gus Van Sant and one of the modern pioneers of queer cinema. For someone who's reluctant to label anyone or anything, that's a title he's actually quite comfortable with.
``I'm fine with it and as you develop, those things become broader,'' he says.
``My heroes were Todd Haynes and Gus Van Sant who were the generation before me and doing fantastic things.
``I wanted to be in their movies and was cast in a few, but the way they make their films . . .they don't do them for money either, they do it for love.
``That purity lasts a lifetime.
``They're fine with being called gay directors. Their work has queer aesthetics and although the films don't have gay characters all the time, you feel that queer sentimentality.
``Sexuality is just a part of your life. Other directors, like the ones I've mentioned, look at gender and sexuality and that's what probably queerness is in term.''

But Cameron Mitchell says the price of acceptance is a broadness of definition.
``One thing I do worry about with young gay people being given so much freedom these days is that they'll become gay republicans.''
Cameron Mitchell is currently using his freedom to explore the genius of graphic novelist and author Neil Gaiman (Coraline, Stardust). For his next project, the filmmaker is writing and directing an adaptation of Gaiman's 2006 science fiction short story How To Talk To Girls At Parties. It's another step away from his ``queer filmmaker'' tag and towards the careers of his idols - Van Sant and Haynes - who tackled a variety of genres and issues with their ``queer sensibility.''

Anyone left hungry?

Is it just me or were you also unimpressed when The Hunger Games teaser aired at the MTV Video Music Awards last week? I’m sorry, but the hundreds of glowing tweets and fan-reaction videos posted online are making me sick. After all, what did we really see? Jennifer Lawrence running through a forest as Katniss and a terrible CGI-d burning tree. Oh, apologies, she also shot an arrow. NOW EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!

Gale’s (Liam Hemsworth) narration over the top of the footage was boring and the whole thing was utterly underwhelming. Look, I’m a huge fan of the book series – it’s like 1984 on steroids – but I’ve made no secret of my reservations regarding the big screen adaptation. Anyway, I’m too annoyed with the footage to post it but you can watch the teaser over at Screen Rant. To stay up to date on all the latest The Hunger Games news and gossips, The Hob is my pick

Boom, boom, boom, let me hear you say Bayo

There are few people I love to hate more than director Michael Bay (Transformers franchise, Armageddon, Bad Boys). Not only does he value explosions over acting and nonsensical action over storytelling, my pet peeve with Bayhem is he depicts females in only two ways a) complete sluts or b) complete idiots. Frankly, I resent both representations but I'm not here to get all feminist on you. I am here to highlight the magnificent oral history GQ ran on Michael Bay in last month's issue. To enjoy all its supreme awesomeness I suggest you read the full eight page version here. In the mean time, here are some choice quotes with the best bits bolded:

John Turturro (actor, Transformers): He likes blowing things up

Basinger: "All the film majors wore black! They liked death!" He sees them as one giant goth! Wesleyan was not a very big frat school, but Michael belonged to one.

Bay: By week two, Martin (Lawrence) was being a dick to me. And I was like, "What is this attitude?" He didn't trust the white man. That was the deal.

Bay: [Eventually] I took him aside and said, "Dude, what's your deal? I'm busting my ass to make you look good, make you look funny. And you just keep belittling me." And then here's the speech, almost like it was ready to come out. He says, "I'm a black man that made it from nothing!" And I said, "You know what? I'm a white guy who made it from nothing, too. I grew up in the fuckin' Valley." Instant respect.

Pantoliano: Michael would say, "Look, I only got $23 million, okay?

Bay: He kept calling me "boy." And one time he called me a "cock." [In Connery accent] "You cocksucker!" It was his last day of the shoot, and he didn't like holding his breath underwater. I had United States SEALs holding him down because there was a fireball going over the water, and if he came up, he would burn his face off. So whatever, he called me names.

Thornton: I was sitting at the table read-through with Owen [Wilson] and Buscemi, and we were all sitting there kind of nervously. And Steve looks at me and goes, "What the fuck are we doing here?"

Waldman: We must have blown something up every day.

Bay: I don't change my style for anybody. Pussies do that.

Joel Negron (editor, various Bay films): I think the recurring editorial theme is: Guess. But guess correctly.

Scarlett Johansson (actor, The Island): I ran into him leaving a party once and asked him if I could be the Easy-Bake Oven Transformer. He looked at me in all seriousness and said, "There isn't one."

Bay: Well, it was only two [blonds]. But that was two in a row. Normally I don't go out with blonds.

White: I just can't see him with somebody over 35.

LaBeouf: So I'm playing my song and he finally says to me, "No, we're not going to play that song." And he puts on some orchestral Batman soundtrack shit. Not for me, you know?

Bay: (on LeBeouf) Then he called me a "cocksucker." But I knew that he had just broken up with his girlfriend. So I didn't go after him. I just said, "That's rude. Don't call me that."

Will Smith: One day he comes to our trailer and says, "Can you guys step out here for one second?" So we go, and he points up to the sky and says, "You see that big fucking orange thing? When that goes down, this scene's over. So I don't give a fuck what you say—just make sure you say it in my shot."

Michael Clarke Duncan (actor, Armageddon): He's like one of those Chihuahuas that's always barking.

Bates: He's just a real pain in my ass—and you can write that. I love him like my brother, but I don't talk to my brother. We call him socially retarded sometimes.

Bay: The scene [in Bad Boys] where Martin shoots the guy out of the plane. I said to the line producer, “This is where the audience claps. This is the end of the movie.” He was like, “I don’t care. We’re not doing the shot.” He was just a studio flunky. I was literally going to punch him out.

In summary, Michael Bay is everything you ever imagined. It's almost unfathomable to think the real thing is more macho than The Rock's tweets, but I envision him to be like those only with added C4.

Favourite Movie Friday with Kenny Sabir from The Herd

The title says it all, here's Kenny Sabir aka Traksewt from Ausralian hip hop royalty The Herd'
s movie picks:

"Just for an old arthouse movie there’s one called The Conformists which is talking about people fleeing parts of Eurpoe around the rise of Nazism. That was always one of my favouriute movies when I was young. It always comes to mind when I think of favourite movies. I’m a sucker for all cheap fantasy movies and I’m also a war movie nut. In recent years I've been watching more TV series. I've got into Game Of Thrones; I read all the books over the last 10 years and going through the fifth one at the moment. They've done a really careful job getting it close to the books which was excellent. Of course, The Wire and I'm watching Community as well at the moment, which I love."

Black comedy is the boss

Actors Charlie Day (above) and Jason Sudeikis take their comedy like their coffee - black.
That's why the two funny men are perfectly suited for their leading roles, alongside Jason Bateman, in black comedy Horrible Bosses. Directed by Seth Gordon (The King Of Kong), the film follows three bullied employees (Bateman, Day, Sudeikis) who plot to kill their awful bosses (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston).

Day and Sudeikis were both recently in the country for the Australian premiere of Horrible Bosses and said the dark undertones behind the premise were what attracted them.
"Working in this business, you always want to do something clever,'' said Day.
"I think we deliver on that and Horrible Bosses is definitely smarter and darker than your usual (comedy).''
Sudeikis added: "That's our promise to you.''

Best known for his role in The Office, Horrible Bosses is Sudeikis' second time in a lead role after Hall Pass earlier this year, and it's a first time lead for Day. The pair co-starred in rom-com Going The Distance and Sudeikis said the opportunity to work with Day again was a "no brainer.''
"Oh, and then they dropped in Oscar-winners and a lot of buzz into the supporting cast,'' he said.
Day was equally star struck: "To me it was really exciting that the people supporting you in the story are huge, successful movie stars.
"It helps draw an audience too.''

A crowd certainly hasn't been an issue for Horrible Bosses, with the film grossing $170 million and counting at the global box-office. Day said the word of mouth buzz on the film has been "very rewarding.''
"You always want people to go and enjoy the movie and that's why you're making it,'' he said.
"You don't want to feel like you've made something great and then no one sees it.
"Box-office dollars aren't rewarding to us, but the fact people see it and then tell they're friends to see it is very rewarding.''

In the film, Bateman, Day and Sudeikis' characters go and see a "murder consultant'' - played by Jamie Foxx - to organise a hit on their bosses. Although Sudeikis said they "all enjoyed working with each other on the film'', working in Hollywood has sometimes made him want to see another type of consultant.
"Maybe not a murder consultant, but definitely a punch in you face consultant,'' he said.

Horrible Bosses is currently in cinemas.