Category Archives: Interviews

Actor David Carradine dies aged 72

Posted on June 4, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Associated Press has reported out of Bangkok that actor David Carradine, star of the 1970s TV series “Kung Fu” who had a wide-ranging career in the movies, has been found dead in the Thai capital. … Continue reading →

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Colin Firth on ‘A Summer in Genoa’ and spandex tights

Posted on May 11, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – It was a demonstration of Colin Firth’s considerable acting range when he donned Spandex tights and cavorted about to Abba tunes at Pinewood Studios for the monster hit “Mamma Mia!”. An even greater testament to the … Continue reading →

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How a nightclub doorman’s stories became a film in ‘Clubbed’

Posted on March 8, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett It has taken many years for Geoff Thompson’s book “Watch My Back”, which details his time as a doorman at nightclubs in Coventry in the 1980s, to become a film. When “Clubbed”, as the film version is … Continue reading →

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John Hurt talks about returning to play Quentin Crisp

Posted on February 14, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – British actor John Hurt told me that he is the straight actor who has played the greatest number of gay characters onscreen and he returns to the most famous one of them all, Quentin Crisp, in … Continue reading →

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Mickey Rourke pounds pavement for ‘The Wrestler’

Posted on February 4, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett British director Darren Aronofsky says he thinks Mickey Rourke still hasn’t seen “The Wrestler”, the picture they made about a beat-up fighter that has resurrected the actor’s career. He might not have seen it but, boy, has … Continue reading →

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‘Yes Man’ Jim Carrey pays tribute to my friend Blackie

Posted on January 8, 2009 by admin

By Ray Bennett It was great to see that Jim Carrey still pays tribute to my late friend Bruce Blackadar for helping the Canadian comedian break into the big time. At a London press conference for his new film “Yes … Continue reading →

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How Radiohead helped Giles Borg to make rock film ‘1234’

Posted on December 9, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON — If you want to make a film about kids who dream of becoming rock stars, it helps if you know one or two genuine rock stars. For Giles Borg, knowing Ed O’Brien of Radiohead from … Continue reading →

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VENICE: Guillermo Arriaga worries about ‘The Burning Plain’

Posted on September 8, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett VENICE – Veteran screenwriter and first-time director Guillermo Arriaga sat by the pool at a hotel on the Venice Lido and confessed that he was not calm, not calm at all. He completed his film “The Burning … Continue reading →

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Sydney Pollack on film music and Dave Grusin

Posted on May 27, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett Director Sydney Pollack, who has died aged 73, was a filmmaker who really knew what to do with music in his pictures and his longest collaboration with a composer was with the great Dave Grusin. The filmmaker, … Continue reading →

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‘Small Town’ folk with big time plans

Posted on May 6, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON – With little more than a digital camera and the New Forest, four resourceful filmmakers from Ringwood in Hampshire who call themselves Gumboot Pictures have made a fantasy horror movie titled “Small Town Folk” that has … Continue reading →

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