Category Archives: Interviews

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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A musical tale of ‘Atonement’ and a special typewriter

Posted on February 8, 2008 by admin

By Ray Bennett LONDON — Writing plays a major role in Joe Wright’s Oscar- and BAFTA-nominated feature “Atonement”, so composer Dario Marianelli decided that the sound of a typewriter went perfectly with what he had in mind for the score. … Continue reading →

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Recalling … a bumpy ride with Linda Gray

Posted on April 29, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett There’s a scene in an early episode of “Dallas” in which Linda Gray as Sue Ellen Ewing in a long gown bumps downstairs on her backside. She wore jeans beneath the gown and in her back pocket was a … Continue reading →

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Road less travelled for Kate Dickie

Posted on March 1, 2007 by admin

By Ray Bennett No argument with Helen Mirren’s Oscar win for “The Queen”: she’s brilliant and deserves every accolade that comes her way. But the best performance by an actress in a British film last year was not by England’s … Continue reading →

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