Hugh Jackman talks Wolvie 2

And now, in a break from my heavily Attack The Blog orientated programming . . . last month I interviewed Hugh Jackman ahead of the release of his robots punching other robots flick Real Steel. You can read that full interview here where he spoke about his family, boxing, and being a stage dad.

We also spoke about his much-troubled sequel to X-Men Origins: Wolverine. With directors like Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) dropping in and dropping out, production scheduled to start and then delayed, Jackman said it has been hard to maintain enthusiasm for his passion project.
“I’ve always been enthusiastic about it, but it was frustrating,” he said.
“Earlier this year I gained about 20 to 25 pounds for the role and then we were delayed again and I lost it.
“It’s physically and mentally demanding.” Now things are looking considerably better for the squel – titled The Wolverine – with filming set to begin in the “June or July” 2012 once Jackman gets off his record breaking Broadway run and wraps filming Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables. There’s also a new director on board, James Manogold (Girl Interupted, Walk The Line), someone Jackman said he’s “really” looking forward to working with.
“He’ a great director,” he said.
“I worked with him on Kate and Leopold and he’s very smart.
“I know he’s going to make an amazing film and this is the best script we’ve ever had.”

The Wolverine story picks up where the last film left off and loosely follows Frank Miller’s acclaimed Wolverine arc where he-of-the-many-claws heads to Japan and learns the ways of the Samurai. Along with facing off against new villain Silver Samuari, Jackman said X chromosomes will definitely be featuring more heavily.
“There will be more chicks for sure,” he said.
“It was very testosterone heavy last time.”

The Wolverine is tagged with a 2013 release.

A slice of Cornish pie

It has been a busy year for British filmmaker and comedian Joe Cornish. Based in London, Cornish has spent most of 2011 touring the world after the runaway success of his debut film Attack The Block.
``I've had a fun year with all the travelling and I've been taking a lot of exciting meetings and reading scripts,'' says Cornish, who has just returned to his UK home after more ``exciting meetings'' in LA.
``Attack The Block has been a big success. It's not Harry Potter huge, but I'm amazingly gratified genre fans have taken to it.
``I haven't really had time to reflect yet. I'm a geek and sci-fan in my forties and after a life watching and sharing and enjoying films like that, to have it embraced by those sort of people is really cool.''

Cornish says the film really gained momentum when it premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) in March and won the audience award. From there it's been a fairytale for the Brit, whose good friend filmmaker Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World) served as executive producer on the film. Attack The Block follows a youth gang who have to defend their South London housing block from an alien invasion. Playing at countless film festivals around the world, Attack The Block has become one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year and a cult hit amongst genre aficionados. And to think, it all stemmed from Cornish getting mugged in the neighbourhood he grew up in.
``I was robbed of my phone and wallet by an enterprising young gang with masks and hoods,'' he says.
``It didn't seem real. The whole time it seemed like something out of a film.
``Later I started thinking about beginning a movie like that. Then by introducing the sci-fi alien element I could turn those kids around and make them take responsibility.
``They would become self sacrificial and altruistic.
``Most decent science fiction is saying something about the present as much as it is about the future.''

Cornish, who made a name for himself in the UK on popular sketch comedy The Adam and Joe Show, headed into the belly of the beast and worked with troubled youths in South London to develop the story and authentic street slang used in the film.
``Good sci-fi films have their own language that doesn't mean anything to people outside of the film, like Klingon,'' he says.
``With Attack The Block that happens with the slang they use. As well as being an exciting alien invasion movie, it's a wicked language lesson.
``And the BMX bikes they ride are very E.T. while in that urban environment the block itself looks very futuristic, like a space ship.'' Cornish says those hours spent with the youth groups are responsible for much of the humour in the film because “teenagers in general are so hilarious”.
“I got their responses to the story and asked them what they would do. My experiences from that are reflected in the film,” he says.
“I met kids who had done bad things but I was impressed by how even the most troubled young person - once you talked to them and gained their trust – they were so witty and funny.
“You saw how much potential they had.
“It gave me even more enthusiasm to show that when you’re a kid, you’re defined by the options life gives you; where you’re born etc.
“These kids come from pretty troubling and difficult environments - I don’t want to excuse the stuff they did - but I left with a lot of empathy for them.
“Certainly Attack The Block is all about taking responsibility, not just monsters.” Cornish says he spent time with the kids in a “very laid back” environment which helped bring out their “normal kid” sides.
“It was youth groups, there wasn’t thick Perspex between me and the kids. There were no orange boiler suits,” he says.
“The way we portray the character of Moses was influenced by this one kid I met and the way he used his baseball cap to hide his eyes.
“He covered them with the brim of his cap for most of the interview but then, slowly, as we continued and he relaxed he started to lift it and make eye contact.
“By the end of the interview he was just a normal kid.”

Amongst the street attitude and plethora of geek references and, Attack The Block features plenty of horror movie elements. From vicious aliens with glow in the dark jaws to a ``good bit of splatter'', Cornish says he wanted the teenage characters to be in genuine peril.
``It's not real, the actors are still alive,'' he says.
``But that was a horror film thing like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, The Thing or Alien where the cast is eliminated one by one.
``I remember in eighties movies more so than now you would go to a Spielberg film like Jaws or Raiders of the Lost Ark and a head would explode.
``Those were family films and there would be quite hardcore gore in them. I remember that being exciting.''
For a Spielberg diehard like Cornish it doesn't get more exciting than working with the legendary director on his latest film The Adventures Of TinTin, co-directed by Peter Jackson. Cornish and Wright reworked Steven Moffat's script for the comic-book blockbuster and Cornish says it was like working with a ``parent or a teacher you really loved''.
``It wasn't too stressful but when I did something that's wasn't up to scratch it was like disappointing your dad,'' he says.
``When you did something right and he went `Oh! That's great!' it was the best thing ever. I felt like E.T. was going to come out and give me a hug.''

The Adventures Of TinTin is out Boxing Day.

Attack The Block opens Thursday, December 1.

Stay peeled for my upcoming interview with Cornish on Ant Man and a possible Attack The Block sequel.

Favourite Movie Friday with Joe Cornish

With Attack The Block closing the Gold Coast Film Festival on Sunday night and opening in Australia next week, what better time to grill the writer/director Joe Cornish about his favourite flicks. He said:

“Gah, that is such an impossible question, there are lots of movies I love. E.T. is up there, I love Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander, Die Hard, Over The Edge which was this American movie directed by Jonathan Kaplan and John Carpenter’s Halloween is an incredible film. There are so many, it’s unfair to choose one. I just love movies.”

Stay tuned for my full interview with Cornish later this weekend.

Attack The Boyega

You may not know the name John Boyega (above) now, but you will. He was the 17-year-old kid plucked from a London stage to carry director Joe Cornish's ghetto alien invasion flick Attack The Block. Boyega plays Moses, the leader of a teen gang in South London as they try to defend their housing block from an alien invasion. Written and directed by Cornish, Attack The Block closes the Gold Coast Film Festival tomorrow night next week.

Applauded by critics and audiences alike, Boyega snagged the role after the casting directors saw him performing in a play in North London.
“At the time I was doing my first job as a professional actor on stage,'' he said.
“The producer and the casting director came to see me and I was only on stage for 10 minutes.
`”It was crazy.''
Boyega auditioned for the role six times - "it was recall after recall'' - but Cornish had already made his decision.
“He said I had the part after the first audition, he just wanted to see my chemistry with the others,'' said Boyega.
“I was like `man, why didn't you just tell me?' I was sweating.'' He joined a cast of young unknown British actors with many, like Boyega himself, native to the area depicted in the film.
“It's the closest urban script I've ever read,'' he said.
“I'm from South London and when I'm with my boys, the energy . . . there's something you just can't explain. It was fun to have that sort of script.”
Boyega said it was a great experience to "share our first film together'' with the teen cast. Yet there were also some Hollywood heavyweights on set including executive producer Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun Of The Dead, Scott Pilgrim, ) – “he's just like Batman'' - and Nick Frost (Paul, Hot Fuzz, Shaun Of The Daed) – “we call him Uncle Nick. Nick is like your all year round Santa Claus''.

Boyega said his parents now see him as their own action movie star.
“My mum sees me in a different light, she thinks I'm an action superhero. Therefore whenever she hears something creaking downstairs in the kitchen she's like `John, you get it. Do something like you did in the film.'
“Dad thinks I'm incredibly cool but he still wants me to get to the level of Bruce Willis because he's a big Bruce Willis fan.''

Touted as “the next Denzel Washington'', Boyega has officially broken into Hollywood with Attack The Block and said he has been getting a lot of “interesting'' offers.
“I'm an audience member as much as an actor," he said.

"I would love to do something of the same ilk but a different character.
“I'm very much into creating other people so that when you watch me on screen and see me in real life, you can say those are two totally different people.
“That's the magic of acting.
“I just got signed by CAA management and the scripts that I've been getting have been very, very interesting in terms of people not giving me the same old.
“The way they want to go is of epic proportions, let me just say that. I may be leading some sort of army again.''

Attack The Block closes the Gold Coast Film Festival on Sunday, November 27 at Birch Carroll and Coyle Cinemas, Australia Fair at 7.30pm. For more information visit http://www.gcfilmfestival.com/

Attack The Block opens in Australian cinemas nationally on December 1. Trust.

Favourite Movie Friday with Cameron Bailey

Hollywood, meh. The Asia Pacific Screen Awards are the Oscars for the rest of the world (and by rest of the world I mean the region that accounts for 60 per cent of the global population). With the ceremony set to get underway next Thursday, APSA jury member and co-director of the Toronto International Film Festival Cameron Bailey shared his favourite movie picks. Dig:

“That’s always a difficult question, it’s impossible to pick just one. I like Hitchcock a lot, Vertigo is my favourite film of his. Also, I love Jerry Maguire. That used to be my girlfriend test. I’d make a girl sit down and watch it and if she liked it I knew she was okay. It’s impossible to pick just one and what I love about the job is almost every day I’m exposed to something new in cinema.”

For more information on the APSAs and list of nominees click here.

Breaking Dawn stars talk immortal love, marriage, and vampire babies in a carriage

Love it or hate it, The Twilight Saga has sunk its fangs into audiences. With an international box office gross of over $US1.7 billion so far, the film franchise is up there with Harry Potter as the movie event of a generation. It has created a legion of loyal fans, Twihards, and turned its top-billing cast into Hollywood stars. And yet it is the beginning of the end. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 is released worldwide on tomorrow and marks the first of the final two films based on Stephenie Meyer's best-selling books.

Like the last Harry Potter instalment, the fourth and concluding novel in the saga, Breaking Dawn, is split into two films. It follows the continued tension between werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) prepares to marry her vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Things reach boiling point when Bella returns from the honeymoon pregnant with a supernatural fetus. Stewart was handpicked to play Bella by the original director, Catherine Hardwicke, and said she has become attached to the character.

The 21-year-old said there was a lot of pressure going into production on the final films but they remain "sincere'' to the Twilight story.
"We've been building up to these moments for fours years from when I started doing this (series) when I was 17,'' she said.
"All of these moments are complete fantasy but they're all very rooted in reality and situations I can see myself being in.
"I can't draw a line between myself and what I do. With everything I do it's hard for me to take myself out of it, not just this.
"I tried to just go for it and I feel it's very, very close to the book.''
Breaking Dawn director Bill Condon added; "There's no bigger fan of Twilight than Kristen.
"She's always pushing, pushing, pushing to know that she's capturing that moment and that feeling.'' Condon is the fourth filmmaker to take on the thinly veiled celibacy fable after Hardwicke (Twilight), Chris Weitz (New Moon) and David Slade (Eclipse). It's considerably different territory for the veteran filmmaker who won an Academy Award for his work on the Chicago screenplay. Better known for directing films such as Dreamgirls and Kinsey, Condon dipped his toe in the supernatural genre with 1995 horror film Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh. He said sitting in the directors chair for the final two parts of The Twilight Saga satisfied a lifelong fascination he has had with vampires.
"When I was a kid I would run home from school to see that show Dark Shadows will all the vampires, creatures and those (supernatural) characters,'' he said.
"Whatever new vampire movie or book comes out, I've always been interested.
"I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with growing up in an intense Catholic household.''
Condon said the nature of the characters central to Meyer's story was also appealing.
"It sounds really pretentious to say that, but I do really hook into characters that are outsiders,'' he said.

Stewart herself was much of an outsider, carving a career with critically acclaimed roles in smaller films such as Into The Wild, What Just Happened and Undertow. It was her portrayal of Bella that broke her into the mainstream and Stewart is now one of the most sought after actresses in Hollywood. It's a comfortable position, allowing her to work on passion projects such as The Runaways, Adventureland and Welcome To The Rileys between blockbusters like The Twilight Saga and Snow White and the Huntsman, currently filming.

Although Stewart said she misses the anonymity of being an indie actress, she's glad Twilight turned into a box office juggernaut.
"If this was a tiny little independent movie that only ran at Sundance (Film Festival) we wouldn't be able to do the story justice,'' she said.
"Maybe you could do that with the first film, but not this one (Breaking Dawn: Part 1). It's a big film.
"It's nice to be indulgent and be able to shoot for six months with an A-Lister (like Robert Pattinson).''

Yet the Twihard frenzy does have its downsides. The intense media coverage of the stars and the shoot itself made it difficult for the studio to keep images under wraps before they show on the big screen. Stewart said the producers on set were like the "secret service'' filming the highly anticipated wedding scenes.
"During the wedding we weren't allowed any cell phones, no checking emails, nothing,'' she said.

"I had a Volturi cloak on to try and cover up the (wedding) dress as helicopters were circling above.
"I was so thankful for the crew and everyone giving up the technology because I was thinking `if this dress ends up on the internet I'll die.''
As the first half of the final book in the film franchise, Stewart said Breaking Dawn: Part 1 contains several "iconic'' scenes fans have been dying to see. Among them is the controversial birth scene where Edward and Jacob have to forcibly remove Bella's unborn child from the womb. Desipte both films having a mild M rating, Pattinson said the scene is "very graphic''.
"I think the birth scene is so different to everything else in the movie,'' he said.
"For a fantasy series that has a pretty young audience, it goes quite far.
"But if you read the book there's like literally no other way to do it.
"You can't be tame. It goes all the way.''

Real life couple Pattinson and Stewart become parents in the film to half-vampire half-human daughter Renesmee. Stewart spent weeks mentally preparing herself for the moment when she sees her daughter for the first time and said discovering she would be holding a doll and not a real baby was "jarring''.
"In the book that was raw and one of my favourite parts,'' she said.
"Then to know you won't be looking at a child and a doll instead . . . it was hard.''
"It kept reminding me of a Chucky doll,'' added Pattinson.
"I don't know if you've ever seen a baby with a wig on, but it looks like a troll.
"Chucky.''

The situation didn't become any easier when real children were brought into play their daughter through her various stages of advanced growth.
"We have Mackenzie Foy who's an amazing little kid playing her for the most part,'' said Stewart. "Then we had other kids come in that played younger versions of her but I couldn't pick up the kids.
"It was ridiculous, I was very awkward.''

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 opens worldwide on Thursday, November 17.

Twihard or go home

If you thought Star Wars fans were hardcore, Twihards are giving them a run for their geek dollar. With the stars walking the red carpet at The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 world premiere as we speak, I figure what better time to look at some of the weirdest entries into the Twilight merchandise cannon.Shower Curtains: More terrifying than Psycho's shower scene, these are regular sell outs courtesy of makers at online hand-made retailer Etsy. After all, who hasn't wanted to have a bath while a teen vamp scowls at you from just inches away? Ah-hem.

Female hygiene products: For that oh-so-uncomfortable time of the month. This raises the `ick' factor to an all time high.

Lip Venom: Sparkly, just like your favourite vampire family, the Twilight lip venom from DuWop is a hit with tween Twihards. Usually teamed with the Edward Cullen body glitter.

Band aids: Have an owie? The Twilight gang will make it all better.

Twilight crop circles: If you thought the Twilight tampons were bad, in 2009 the minds at Utah's largest corn maze decided to create 24-acre portraits of Jacob Black and Edward Cullen. Less a sign of higher intelligence and more a sign of the apocalypse we think.

Twilight hip flasks: If you can't drink the immortal drink, no dramas. The Edward and Bella hip flask can hold your blood substitute.

Edward Cullen bedding: Adore Edward Cullen's brooding stare? Then have him watch you while you sleep! Although the unofficial line hasn't been extended to include often shirtless werewolf Jacob Black, the Edward bedding range is a best seller and includes pillow cases and doona cover.

Twilight Vibrator: Yup, the cold sparkle Vamp dildo from Tantus crosses more lines than we dare count. Lets just hope there's not a werewolf range.

The 2011 Gold Coast Film Festival program - at a glance

It’s that time of year again! No, not the Christmas. Puh-lease, that is so B.C. The Gold Coast Film Festival is just over a week away *cue excited squeals*. This year’s theme is `get some action’ and with the program announced last month, the GCFF is certainly delivering on that promise. There are 30 films playing over the seven day event and I’m not going to go through them all because, well, there’s 30. Here are a few highlights:

Let The Bullets Fly
The fattest man in international cinema, Chow Yun Fat, stars in this Chinese action epic that smashed records at their domestic box office. Let The Bullets Fly grossed a staggering 730 million Yuan (US$111.1 million), making it the highest grossing domestic film in China's cinematic history.

Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below

He has been touted as `the new Miyazaki’ and Makoto Shinkai’s new animated film leaves little doubt he’s a Japanese visionary. A coming of age story, the flick looks at young love amid a dark world of grief and personal loss. To read my chat with Shinkai last week, click here. Alternatively, just scroll down the page you lazy git.

The Killage
One of a handful of impressive Queensland films playing at this year’s GCFF, The Killage is a horror/comedy from Brisbane filmmaker Joe Bauer. Full of gore and gags, this is must-see for genre fans.

Super

Not to be confused with Super 8, Superbad, Superman Returns, or the host of other films released in the past five years with `super’ in the title. After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy (Rainn Wilson) transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, though he lacks for heroic skills. The oddball comedy also stars Ellen Page, Kevin Bacon and Liv Tyler. Laugh out loud funny, Super will have you proudly leaving the cinema with your underwear on the outside of you pants.

Viva Riva
Contrary to popular belief, Michael Critchton’s Congo – about the eyeball eating gorillas and such – isn’t actually a Congolense film. With that fact bubble, I present the first film from the Congo in two decades – Viva Riva. An action film alike anything you’ve seen before, it looks at modern Congo the only way it can – through a crime story. Fresh off screenings at the Toronto, Berlin and South by Southwest films festivals, this is a rare cinematic event.

Attack The Block It opened Brisbane International Film Festival last fortnight and it’s closing GCFF, which is fantastic news for local sci fi/horror geeks. I checked out this puppy at San Diego Comic Con in July and it’s up there with Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris for my favourite film of the year so far. Funny, tense, scary, and just f***ing awesome, Attack The Block is the directorial debut of Joe Cornish and produced by Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim). It follows a gang of kids living in South London who have to defend their housing block from an alien invasion. Stay posted for my interview with Wright and the films star John Boyega (he’s the next Denzel, I’m telling you).

The Gold Coast Film Festival plays at Birch Carroll and Coyle Cinemas, Australia Fair, from November 21-27. Visit www.gcfilmfestival.com for the full program and ticket dets.

First Snow White and the Huntsman trailer will make you jizz

Doubt me? Shut up watch this highly explosive 1.52 minute trailer for the film that debuted on Apple. It. Looks. WICKED!

Click here.

HOLY FUCKSICLES! Am I right or am I right? Since attending the Snow White and the Huntsman panel at San Diego Comic Con earlier this year I've been pumped about British director Rupert Sanders' debut. The test footage we saw has definitely progressed into the trailer, especially the scenes with Charlize Theron. At the Con Sanders said he envisioned the film as part of a The Lord Of The Rings scale trilogy and it certainly has that epic feel. The trailer gave me goose bumps.In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth aka mighty Thor) is ordered to take Snow White (Kristen Stewart) into the woods to be killed but winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron). SWATH is one of two big budget Snow White flicks opening next year. The other is directed by Tarsem Singh (Immortals) and stars Lily Collins as Snow and Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen. To be honest, I was always more enthusiastic about Sanders' take and now after comparing his trailer to the others official pics, SWATH is going to slay Singh's technicolour lolly fare. Its title? The Brothers Grimm: Snow White. Boring.

Props to the marketing team by the way, who have not only released a bunch of ready-to-go-posters (see above, middle, below) but the trailer debut is a very well planned strategy. Given production only started in the UK less a month ago, you wouldn't think they would have enough finished and special-effected footage for a 30 second trailer let alone a meaty one. But they've pumped out a spectacular trailer and utilised the interest in Kristen Stewart at the moment (given the release of Breaking Dawn Part 1 next week).

I haven't been this excited about a movie in a long time. Oh, wait, I am about The Dark Knight Rises. And Avengers. And The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Lets just say 2012 is going to be the year of the worthwhile blockbuster.

Favourite Movie Friday with Hugh Jackman

During his worldwide press dominion for Real Steel, I spoke to Hugh Jackman. Wolvie himself sunk his claws into favourite movie picks:

“I love Indiana Jones Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Singin' In The Rain, Casablanca, When We Were Kings and I love One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.”

For a flashback to my interview with Hugh, click here and here.

The men of Twilight

Team Edward. Team Jacob.
They're the characters that have split female audiences into teams and helped feed the frenzy of Twihards around the world. For Robert Pattinson, 25, and Taylor Lautner, 19, they're the characters that made them Hollywood heart throbs. But it's the beginning of the end for the male portion of the Twilight love triangle. The second last film in the billion dollar franchise, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, is released next week and marks one year until the whole phenomenon is over.

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Bill Condon, this instalment features some of the most anticipated scenes for lovers of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling book series. From the wedding of Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Pattinson) to werewolf pack rivalries, Lautner says he sympathises with fans as it was too hard to pick a single favourite moment.
“I've always been able to choose one out of each of the movies every single time, but this one I couldn't,'' he says.
“There's so much going on in this movie and all of the characters are dealing with their own little things.
“Especially Jacob. He changes so much from beginning to end.'' The Breaking Dawn films, parts 1 and 2, see Lautner's Jacob Black go through perhaps the biggest transformations of any of the Twilight characters. This, Lautner says, was "exciting'' to bring to the big screen.
“The most interesting thing about Jacob in this movie is from the beginning to the end he becomes a totally different person,'' he says.
“At the start he's immature, he doesn't handle situations very well. Throughout the course (of it) he's forced to become a man, to mature.''

The final two halves of The Twilight Saga certainly deal with more adult issues than their predecessors. With everything from sex scenes to a bloody birth, there was a lot for its stars to be nervous about. For Lautner the most “challenging'' aspect was trying to portray the connection he has with Bella and Edward's child.
“I was pretty nervous about imprinting,'' he says.
“I was given an X on the wall to look at and pretend it was the baby and I thought `there isn't an ideal scenario here'.
“I had to walk into the room on the verge of killing this baby and then stop and imprint, whatever that means.
“I spent a lot of time talking to Bill (Condon) and Stephenie (Meyer) going `what exactly does imprinting look like?''

Pattinson was nervous for entirely different reasons.
“Embarrassingly the thing I was most nervous about was taking my shirt off,'' he says.
“So much of the books are about Edward's body and I managed to avoid that for most of the movies. But in Breaking Dawn it's like every three pages.
“When they wanted me to go swimming (on the honeymoon) I was like `can I keep my shirt on? Can I wear a onesie or something?'' Adored as much for their abs as their acting, female fans of the series - Twihards and Twi-mums - have been known to get a touch hysterical over Pattinson and Lautner. Despite the sometimes mania, Pattinson says he's “not creeped out at all by it''.
“To be creeped out by it you'd have to be creeped out by all women in general. I'm not at all,'' he says.
“Different folks, different strokes I guess.''
“We love our Twi-mums,'' adds Lautner.

Filmed back to back, shooting wrapped on the Breaking Dawn films more than 12 months ago for Pattinson and Lautner. After developing close relationships with the cast and crew over the four yearss working on the franchise, Lautner said “it was sad'' to call it a day. The good news is The Twilight Saga might not be staked in the heart just yet. With the Bree Tanner spin-off novella published last year, speculation is rife Meyer will continue the series at some point. Unable to add any truth to the rumour, Pattinson says he would be happy to return to the role at a later date but “it's up to Stephenie (Meyer) really.''
Condon adds; “She (Meyer) always says it's the end of the Bella and Edward story. But there are so many characters I suspect she'll want to revisit them.''

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 opens on Thursday, November 18. Stay tuned for my feature with Kristen Stewart, Bill Condon and Pattinson next week.

King of the creature feature

David Ellis had no intention to be a film director. In the seventies he was one of America's top "action athletes'' and the third highest ranked surfer in the world. Then everything went off script.

"I met these stunt people in Malibu and I started hanging out with them and they were telling me all their stories,'' he says.

"They called me up one day because they brought a guy in to do this tricky water stunt and he couldn't do it.

"I went down and did it for them and that's how I got into the business.''

Ellis says being a Hollywood stunt man was the perfect career transition because he was still achieving "that adrenaline rush''. Working on classics such as Scarface, Lethal Weapon and Patriot Games, Ellis says being on set was like "getting paid to go to film school''.

"Coming up through the ranks I got to work with so many great directors with different styles,'' he says.

"I got to understand how action could be executed and the best way to capture that.''

His eye for action led Ellis to second unit directing roles on films such as The Devil's Own, the Perfect Storm and The Matrix Reloaded - he was responsible for creating the three-way chase scene - and to directing his own features including Final Destination 2 and Cellular.But it was the Samuel L. Jackson vehicle Snakes On A Plane that really put Ellis on the motherfucking map.An instant cult hit, Ellis says he still gets letters from fans saying "they've seen the movie over 200 times''.

"I was really surprised with the cult following that happened,'' he says.

"When MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) inducted it into their museum archives . . . it was crazy.

"It's got some classic stuff in there you will never see in a movie, ever, like the guy that gets bitten in the bathroom. Not every movie has that.''

Certainly audiences haven't seen six different species of shark fighting over a group of tasty college students like they will in his latest film Shark Night 3D. Although Ellis says he likes his films to "not take themselves too seriously'', Shark Night 3D "taps into a universal fear''

"People are inherently afraid of sharks,'' he says.

"Sharks mystify people. It's a guilty pleasure being terrified of sharks and people are aware of that when they're in oceans and now, because of my movie, in lakes.''

Shark Night 3D follows seven college students who retreat to a lake house for the weekend.Little do they know the lake is filled with ravenous sharks whose owners are using the kids as bait.

"Real bull sharks have gone miles up river and been found in places you would never expect,'' Ellis, who says there is an element of reality to his horror comedy.

"You're trying to put people in situations where they feel like they're trapped.

"These kids are trapped on island with sharks in the water, previously it was being trapped on a plane with snakes.

"They're ridiculous movies with an element of fun to them.''

Due to the different species of sharks used in the film Ellis says "unfortunately'' they weren't able to film real ones.Instead they relied on CGI and animatronic sharks, technologies he was comfortable using after working second unit on another big shark film; Deep Blue Sea, also with Samuel L. Jackson.

"It definitely helped me,'' he says.

"I've done second unit directing on a lot of water films and from working with the animatronic sharks on that, I knew what their limitations were.

"It was a big plus because I was able to plan a scene with either CGI or a model to make it as terrifying as possible.''

Shark Night 3D is out today. To read my story on David Ellis' next project, Kite, click here.

Favourite Movie Friday with Merlin’s Colin Morgan

He’s TVs favourite wizard – sorry Waverley Place – and Colin Morgan is in Australia at the moment for the Supanova Pop Culture Expo, which kicked off in Brisbane last week. Unfortunately I had to pull out of the podcast I was supposed to be co-hosting at Supanova because I came down with a severe case of tonsilitis. Worst. Timing. Ever. Anywho, I was originally going to post this portion of my chat with Morgan the day before Supanova but since I've been out of action for six days . . . favourite movie Friday on Wednesday! Woo! I spoke to the Merlin star last fortnight and he shared his favourite movie picks:

“I’ve got so many all time favourites. I’ve got to say American Beauty and 21 Grams, definitely. In the next few years one that will become one of my favourites is Drive. I saw it the other day and it’s absolutely amazing. It has one of those soundtracks where as soon as you walk out of the theatre you say `I need that now.’ Richard Wilson (Merlin co-star) introduced me to Akira recently, which is phenomenal. I’ve got loads but those are just some.”

For Supanova dets click here.

Lovegood by name, Lovegood by nature

When it comes to fairytales, it doesn't get more magical than the story of 20-year-old Irish actress Evanna Lynch. A “massive'' Harry Potter fan, Lynch begged her parents to take her along to an open audition for the role of Luna Lovegood in the fifth film; Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix. With no acting experience and nothing to recommend her outside of being “in love'' with J.K Rowling's book series, a then 15-year-old Lynch went along to the auditions with thousands of other hopefuls.
"I had one audition, then a week later I had a screen test with (director) David Yates and Daniel Radcliffe,'' she said.
"It all happened in the space of two weeks, it was just so hard to process.
"I was in love with Daniel Radcliffe in particular and when I had to do the screen test with him I tried to keep my cool.
"It got really awkward because I couldn't converse like a normal human being.
"I kept standing there, looking around at the set and thinking `you might never be here again'.
"I went home from the screen test that day and just cried and cried because it was the best day of my life.''

But as fans of the billion dollar Harry Potter film franchise know, Evanna Lynch did get to go there again after she was cast in the role of Luna for the remaining four films. Lynch said playing Luna was a dream come true as she was always the character she identified most with.
"I find Luna inspiring,'' she said.
"I get offended when people call her weird because that implies something is out of balance and that's just not Luna.
"I just admired that's she was different and quirky and never questioned herself.
"I was 12 when she came into the books and I've always been a bit different, but I wasn't cool with it like she was.
"I always felt uncomfortable and then she came along. I had been trying to fit in but she was 10 times cooler because she doesn't try to.
"I can't stress how much she helped me.''I’m speaking to Lynch via telephone from her home in Los Angeles, where she is “trying to sort out” he career post-Harry Potter. She said she has been in the states for a month, but is freaking out after seeing a screening of romantic drama Like Crazy a day earlier where the central character gets deported from the US
“It really scared me because you can get deported if you overstay your Visa, I didn’t realise that,” she said.
Lynch said she’s still getting used to the “hot” L.A. climate and its abundance of wildlife.
“I saw a lizard the other day and I freaked out, I was so excited.”

Australian Harry Pottheads will be freaking out tomorrow when Lynch appears at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo at the RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, which runs until Sunday. Her first time Down Under, Lynch said there is one tourist activity she "must'' do.
"Does heading to the beach count? It would be really funny to go to the beach in November because back home it's freezing and you would never dream of it.
"I'd love to see some weird animals too because we have nothing like that back home.
“Even if the koalas are smelly.”

It’s been a big year for Lynch, who’s been busy on the Harry Potter press tour with the release of the final film and moving to the States. Despite being a “very close” cast and crew, Lynch said there wasn’t a sad feeling during the final days of shooting “at first.”
“We were all so excited because it was just so big,” she said.
“Especially the final battle scenes; they were huge.
“For many days we had all the cast together and it was just great to be one person amongst this big picture.
“In the last week it did get that feeling of `oh my God, this isn’t happening, this is ending.’
“When they said `cut’ on the last day we all hugged and got together for this huge cast photo.
“Then the world starts collapsing and this family you’ve had start leaving and you’re like `where is everyone going?’
“We’re all proud of what we’ve done, but it’s like when school ends and you’re stomach drops.
“I’m still trying to get used to it.”Lynch said the climatic battle of Hogwarts was one of her favourite memories in her time filming the series. Yet despite having a multi-million dollar budget and the pressure of ending history’s most successful film franchise, Lynch said the crew always remained “so nice.”
“They were so nice, everyone without exception,” she said.
“They were all so good about the hours. I know some people work 18 hours straight until they get the scene done but with us - because it started with kids – we had a 9.5 hour rule that once that time was up we were done.
“It should have ended when we turned 16, but Dan (Radcliffe) and Emma (Watson) were so focused on their studies and the producers were really good with that.
“They recognised what a sacrifice it was for Dan, Em and Rupert (Grint); it was a sacrifice of their time and their childhood.”

Supanova Pop Culture Expo is on from Friday, November 4 to Sunday, November 6 at RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane. For ticket and guest information visit www.supanova.com.au

Meet the new Hayao Miyazaki

Animation is no longer a thing for kids. In fact, according to Japanese filmmaker Makoto Shinkai, the genre has taken on a new life in the past 20 years and won over a legion of adult fans just as loyal as the kids. And Shinkai would know. As one of Japan's most acclaimed anime filmmakers, Shinkai has helped bring the once underground genre into the mainstream. Along with Academy Award winner Hayao Miyazaki (Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo), Shinkai has been leading the Japanese invasion of the genre with his critically acclaimed features 5 Centimetres Per Second and The Place Promised in Our Early Days.

His new film Children Who Chase Voices From The Deep Below will have its Australian premiere at the Gold Coast Film Festival later this month as part of their Cool Japan program. Shinkai said the mass appeal of all forms of animation now is "something to be celebrated''.
"When I was a child, animation and comics were things for children,'' he said.
"But thanks to the efforts of creators and producers animation now has a charm and depth that can be enjoyed by a wide age range.
"I think it's a good thing.'' Shinkai wrote, directed and produced Children Who Chase Voices From The Deep Below which has already screened at several prestigious international film festivals. Shinkai said underneath the light visuals there are some darker issues dealt with in the film.
"One day, a girl named Asuna meets a mysterious boy from a different world and makes an emotional connection with him,'' he said.
"A few days later, however, the boy suddenly disappears.
"In addition, there is a man named Morisaki who has been searching for a way to revive his late wife for ten years. Asuna and Morisaki depart for an underground world in order to meet the deceased one more time.''

Hailed as "the new Miyazaki'' by overseas critics, Shinkai has been working in the animation industry for a 10 years and directing from "the very beginning''. Although the mind blowing visuals are what intially drew attention to his work, Shinkai said the stories have left a lasting impression on audiences.
"I'm ecstatic to receive praise for the beauty of the visuals,'' he said.
"The visuals, however, are a tool for telling the story and need to be beautiful in order to tell the story well.
"In other words, the story comes first, and the visuals follow.''

The Gold Coast Film Festival plays at Birch Carroll and Coyle Cinemas, Australia Fair, from Monday, November 21, to Sunday, November 27. Visit http://www.gcfilmfestival.com/ for more info

Movie Mazz is co-hosting a podcast at Supanova!

Movie Mazz is co-hosting a podcast! This makes her orange with joy!

Australia's premiere geek event - the Supanova Pop Culture Expo - kicks off at the RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane tomorrow afternoon. Running until Sunday, there's a massive line-up of pop culture personalities appearing at the convention including Val Kilmer (Batman Forever, Top Gun), Christopher Lloyd (Back To The Future), Billy Boyd (The Lord Of The Rings trilogy), Colin Morgan (Merlin), Julie Benz (Dexter, Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Renee O'Connor (Xena), Evanna Lynch (Harry Potter franchise) and many more.

Also broadcasting from the event is film and pop culture internet radio show The Reel Thing. Usually recorded in Melbourne, host Paul Turner will air the show live from the event at booth 76. I will be co-hosting the podcast which will include interviews with Michael Parks from Kevin Smith's Red State, Claudia Wells from Back To The Future and Michael Gross Family Ties.

There will be three recordings of the podcasts on Saturday and another three on Sunday and Turner says it's a great opportunity for the Supanova crowd to ``have a chat.''
"We're going to have some fun, talk to some cool people and get the crowd involved,'' he says.
"We want the audience to be able to ask some questions of our guests and there will be prizes, quizzes and give aways too.''

Of all the talent to be interviewed, with more acts yet to be announced, Turner says Parks will be a fascinating guest.
"He used to sing with Johnny Cash and he's done so many things people don't know about,'' he says.
"I love the work he's done with Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez as Earl McGraw.
"He died in the first movie they did together but has come back with a role in six more.''

For those who miss the live shows The Reel Thing can be downloaded as a podcast from The Reel Thing's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheReelThing.

Supanova Pop Culture Expo is on tomorrow to Sunday at RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane. For ticket and guest information visit http://www.supanova.com.au/