MAD MEN

American filmmaker Paul Feig was always the bridesmaid and never the bride when it came to his career. At least that's how he saw it. But at 48-years old he's now the blushing bride. The writer, director and producer's latest film Bridesmaids is a colossal success, having just passed the $130 million mark at the US box office and opening in Australia last week. Feig said he relates to the central character Annie (Kristen Wiig) who's at a slump in her professional and personal life.

``It's the exactly kind of story I do in everything,'' he said.
``This person doesn't know where they belong in the grand scheme of things and that appeals to me because that's how I feel in every single moment of my life, even when things are going right.
``That's how I felt for a lot of my career. I mean, I think I'm making good work and then . . .
``Bridesmaids is the first thing I've had a big part in that's been successful.''

Success is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to Feig. After meeting Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year Old Virgin) when they were both teenagers and doing stand-up together, the pair created Emmy-nominated teen series Freaks and Geeks. It was cancelled before the end of the first season, but not before it launched the careers of its stars James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Linda Cardellini. It also became a cult hit. Feig went on to direct several unsuccessful features such as I Am David and Unaccompanied Minors, before making a considerably more successful return to TV directing Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Mad Men, Weeds and the US version of The Office.

But it was Apatow who coaxed him back to the big screen with a ``fantastic script'' from former Saturday Night Live star Kristen Wiig and her writing partner Annie Mumolo.

``With Bridesmaids, we wanted to tell a very relatable and real story that appealed to both women and men,'' he said.
``It was easy to avoid all the pitfalls of the chick flick genre because it's not how any of us thought.
``Those types of films come from people doing things they think women want to see, which is really condescending.
``We knew we wanted to go R-rated with it and we wanted women to see other women on screen who are just as dirty as they are.''

From suffering food poisoning in a bridal shop to dropping the C-bomb, the ensemble cast of Bridesmaids don't play clean. Feig said he and executive producer Apatow even shot a PG-version of every scene in case the women at test screenings didn't like it.

``But they loved it,'' he said.

The film follows a rag-tag group of Bridesmaids as they're led through the pre-wedding rituals of bachelorette parties, bridal showers and dress fittings. Led by Wiig, Bridemaids also stars Melissa McCarthy, Jon Hamm, Aussies Rose Byrne and Rebel Wilson (Thank God You're Here, Fat Pizza) in her first big Hollywood role. Wilson plays the sister of Annie's weird room mate, Little Britain's Matt Lucas.

``I'm so happy Rebel's in it, I'm such a big fan of hers,'' said Feig.
``The room mates weren't originally in the script but we knew Matt Lucas wanted to do something in the film but we didn't know where or what.
``Then Rebel came in to audition for one of the bridemaids and she was so hilarious, I turned and said to Judd `she looks like Matt's sister.'
``She's such a great improvisational comedienne and it's so exciting to have her in it.''

With Bridemaids a financial and critical success and talk of a sequel, Feig and Apatow are now working on another comedy starring Mad Men's Jon Hamm. Hamm has openly spoken about his appreciation of the skilled and suave Fieg - who's known for wearing a suit to work everyday.

``Other directors are just a bunch of slobs,'' joked Feig, in reference to the director's stereotype of casual dressers.
``I've been doing it for the past 11 years.
``In fact, I went to direct Mad Men and I showed up on the first day and they thought I was there for casting.''

"A Rodriguez regular, the character and film were created around Trejo and his signature, erm, charm..."

Ah yes, with 2011 comfortably over it's time to shift focus to the films of 2012. Not to get ahead of myself, but it's going to FREAKIN' AWESOME BRO! Even Bane's excited. Although there were some gems last year — as evidenced in my top 10 and honourable mentions — in general the films of '12 could be summed up with one word; disappointing. From Sucker Punch to Red Riding Hood, blockbuster after blockbuster sucked. It was the small films from unexpected corners of Hollywood that brought audiences to the proverbial yard.

In 2012 that's likely to be the opposite. With two new films from Tim Burton, the first instalment in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, the superhero movie to end all superhero movies Avengers, Robert Rodriguez’s Machete, World War Z, The Great Gatsby, Tarantino's newbie Django Unchained and SO many other massive flicks, it's safe to have our expectations set relatively high. There are big directors making big movies this year. There are also some smaller gems that will bring an entirely different (yet tasty) meal to the table. I'm talking genre flicks like Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters from the stylish team behind Dead Snow, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and a movie adaptation of one of my favourites books Warm Bodies. Out of left field there’s The Grey which pits Liam Neeson against wolves, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Michelle Williams vehicle My Week With Marilyn, the hilarious A Few Best Men and Ralph Fiennes directorial debut Shakespeare war film Coriolanus.

The film I’m most looking forward to in 2012 is unsurprisingly The Dark Knight Rises. Everything else I’m excited about is on this list, including the epic looking Snow White and The Huntsman and animated charmer The Pirates! Band Of Misfits. I’m also going to make an early call and predict Mirror, Mirror as the worst film of the year and The Hunger Games as the biggest disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a colossal fan of Suzanne Collins' book series but from the casting to the severely disappointing trailers, I think this is going to be a disaster. I hope I’m wrong.

Let me preface this by saying; I'm not joking. I actually interviewed Kim Sasabone (the one at the top end of the rocket) a few weeks ago ahead of their first Australian tour in over a decade. My eight-year-old self would have been so please with 23-year-old me. When the Vengabus isn't coming and everyone's not jumping, Kim says she enjoys nothing more than chilling out and watching a movie. What movie, you ask? Read on:

"Oh, that's hard because there are so many I love. One of my favourites from my childhood is The Wizard Of Oz. That's such a beautiful movie with so many great songs and moments. If we're talking about later on in life I'd have to really think about it. The Wizard Of Oz is my stand out favourite though.''

See Also «My Favourite Films of 2008»

If you’re talking about Australia’s heavy music scene there’s really only one name you need to be discussing; Parkway Drive. The Byron Bay boys have had a hectic past 12 months, touring everywhere from Guatemala to Kolkata. I spoke to drummer Ben «Gaz» Gordon ahead of their gigs at the 20th Big Day Out and, naturally, I asked him the tough questions like `what are your favourite movies of all time?’ Here’s what he said:

“I’m a bad person to ask about movies because I mainly like to watch documentaries. I guess my favourite series would have to be the Die Hard movies. (I tell him there’s going to be a fifth Die Hard movie) No way, that’s awesome. I reckon he’s going to die in this one. Bruce Willis is a legend.
Besides that I haven’t watched many movies in the past 10 years. I’m a terrible person to watch movies with because I’m very judgemental of the Hollywood system. My favourite documentaries are The Human Planet, it’s the best, and Frozen Planet. Also anything that David Attenborough has touched or is involved with is awesome.”

Parkway Drive have a new concert DVD and album scheduled for release in 2012.

Electrofunk duo Chromeo

From his breakout hit Boy to starring in next year’s blockbuster Green Lantern (above), New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi is a shining light in Hollywood. The 35-year-old Maori writer, director, producer and artist first burst onto the scene in 2016 with his Oscar-nominated short film Two Cars, One Night and followed that success in 2015 with his debut feature Eagle Vs Shark. It starred his close friend Jermaine Clement of Flight Of The Conchords fame and Waititi also came on board to write and direct several episodes of the hit show. But it is his latest film Boy that is truly putting him on the world stage.

Whilst in competition at the prestigious Sundance film festival earlier this year, executives from Warner Brothers Studio saw Waititi performing in Boy and quickly approached him about a role in Green Lantern. Despite coming from an acting background in live theatre and perfoming in a comedy troupe with Jermaine, Waititi said it was strange to give up the creative reigns and return to performing.

“They saw Boy and were looking for someone to play this character, so I read for it and then suddenly I was an actor again,” he said.
“It was weird because it wasn’t part of the plan for me. I just wanted to do my thing and keep making films and be a director.
“It was very, very weird and I found it kind of strange to go from someone whose been in control for ages to sitting around on set waiting for your scene.
“Your part of it, but your also not part of it.
“It was fucking weird to be honest, but I loved it and watching how everything is done.”Green Lantern is the $150m mega blockbuster based on the DC Comics series of the same name and stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role (above). Waititi said he plays the role of Green Lantern’s faithful sidekick Thomas Kalmaku in the film.
“I can’t even pronounce his name properly because he’s supposed to be of Native American heritage,” he said.
“He doesn’t have any powers or do any of the action scenes.
“It’s basically that….the guy is like a tech geek. That old chestnut.
“It’s not a giant role or anything and you never know if you’re still going to be in it at the end of the movie.
“While I was shooting I was thinking, as a filmmaker, you don’t really need this scene. But I wasn’t going to tell them that.”

Tipped as being the biggest blockbuster of 2011, there has been a lot of hype surrounding the special effects used on Green Lantern. Reynolds suit, for instance, is being created using CGI technology and will constantly evolve throughout the film. Although Waititi said he didn’t get to see what the suit looked like during filming, what he did see of the production was `amazing’.

“I haven’t seen any of the suit stuff because they hadn’t even decided what the suit was going to look like when we were shooting,” he said.
“They’ve had almost a year since filming to develop that now, but the art I saw was amazing. “It’s going to look incredible.
“That was very exciting for me because although I saw some of the green screen stuff, there’s no way to imagine what it’s going to look like.
“I just gave up and said my lines.
“I imagined it would look awesome down the track but at that moment it was just a bunch of weird people in normal clothes standing around with cameras.
“I wasn’t even in those scenes, I just went to watch their spotted-suit acting.”
Being involved in one of the most highly anticipated comic-book movies was a dream come true for Waititi (above), who said he used to `collect comics’ when he was younger.
“I was not really into the Green Lantern mythology, but I was more of a Batman guy,” he said.
“Batman was just a guy with determination who was badass and good at beating people up and fighting.
“He had the dark past and that appealed to me.
“I was a little bit into X-Men, but it got quite complicated with all the characters.”

But don’t get too excited, because Waititi said he is not likely return to the superhero genre anytime soon.

“It’s not really my style,” he said.
“I’m better suited to these character pieces and its sort of my background.
“There’s less stress and less stuff that’s over my head.”

Here is where. I chatted with the friendly P-Thugg (above right) from electrofunk duo Chromeo yesterday about music, movies, his BFF Dave 1 and asked the question a legion of Yo Gabba Gabba fans have been wanting to know — does he wash his hands?

“Yeah, always,” he said.
So, now that’s settled, here are his favourite movies:
“Scarface, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ghost Busters, Beverley Hills Cop and Naked Gun.”

For those who haven’t been exposed to their brilliance before, I suggest you check out Chromeo’s video for their ridiculously catchy new song Don’t Turn The Lights On, off their forthcoming album Business Casual.

El Rico

What happens when a stuntman, actor/director and screenwriter walk into a Gold Coast bar? They come up with the concept for an action fantasy film that is already raising eyebrows in Hollywood no joke. Rene Perrin, Avelino `El Rico' Lescot and Susan Macguillicuddy are the trio behind The Black Sun, which recently took out the Most Ambitious Screenplay award at the 2015 International Action on Film Festival in Los Angeles.

The locals are hoping the added hype surrounding their screenplay will push the project into production and attract the eye of distributors. Lescot, a Gold Coast-based actor, stuntman and filmmaker who has worked on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Peter Pan and The Condemned, said The Black Sun incorporates several genres.

``It's enchanting and mystical,'' he said.
``It's a gypsy, action, adventure, romance, western with a strong supernatural feel that is set in the Pacific Islands, Mexico, China, New Zealand and here.
``At the moment the film industry needs something different but financially manageable and that's The Black Sun.''

He said The Black Sun's `twist ending' had helped draw attention to the project. The film follows a warrior's worldwide journey on the Matariki boat, which Lescot said is `like another star of the film'. Lescot and Perrin have an impressive international fanbase thanks to the success of their action film Among Dead Men. It won several awards for best fight choreography and generated considerable profits in DVD sales in Canada, Germany, Thailand, Cambodia, Poland, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Hong Kong. It also grossed several times its $7000 budget in DVD sales through Walmart in the US. Perrin, who has worked as a stunt performer on films such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Daybreakers, Nim's Island, Fool's Gold and Ghost Ship, said they wanted to combine their `love of action with a love of romance' in The Black Sun.

Balancing out the testosterone on the team is screenwriter Susan Macguillicuddy. Despite having worked with the likes of Cate Blanchett, Jessica Alba, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffiths, Macguillicuddy said working with `the boys' on The Black Sun has been her `most cherished writing experience'.

``It's like we each started at one end of the canvas and worked our way to the middle, fine-tuning the parts of the script we liked,'' she said.
``It took us about a year and hundreds of meetings but we're happy with the finished product.
``We wanted to do something very avant garde with the genre and something new.
``Getting the Most Ambitious Screenplay award means we really pushed the genre, which is what we set out to do.''

International distributors have shown interest in The Black Sun and the trio is currently in the process of looking for investors.

The Melancholia

I had the privilege of catching a screening of Lars Von Trier's Melancholia at last night's Talk Cinema event on campus. I'd been wanting to see this movie since I saw the trailer over the summer (and after hearing about all of the controversy at Cannes), and I thought I was going to have to wait until November to see it. Luckily, my friend saw the email for the event and we were able to grab some $5 tickets yesterday! Since movies tickets usually cost $11, this was a total steal.

The movie was great. The actors' performances were brilliant. The score was beautiful. The visuals were breathtaking. I also really fell in love with the style of the sisters, Justine (played by Kirsten Dunst) and Claire (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg). I loved the slouchy tees and sweaters, the fitted pants, the polished riding outfits. Of course, the wedding fashions were lovely, too. I especially loved the bare-faced, no-makeup look that both sisters sported throughout the majority of the film. Stunning. I wanted to leave you with a few stills so you can get a feel for the style!

Want to learn more about the film?

Style Icon: Audrey Horne

My most recent style icon just so happens to be a fictional character - Audrey Horne from the television show Twin Peaks! The show, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, ran from 1990 until 1991. It follows an FBI agent's investigation of a young woman's murder in the small town of Twin Peaks. I started watching the show on Netflix this summer and I was hooked from the start! There's all kinds of great drama, as well as lots of humor, too.

Audrey, the daughter of a wealthy hotel owner, was played by the super beautiful Sherilyn Fenn. Ah, just look at how perfect those brows are! Who wouldn't want to be this girl?

Audrey's look is all about the sweater. She's often seen sporting tight-fitting sweaters in soft colors: perfect for fall! The addition of the saddle shoes to this outfit make it so perfect. Sweet and fun. For anyone who thinks that a sweater and skirt combo is "too stuffy", or "too preppy", just take a gander at this next photo:

Um, hello! How sexy is that look? She looks great - super polished and very classy. Now if only I could learn to tie a cherry stem with my tongue... (Oh yeah, she looks great in a Little Black Dress, too!)

Aside from having great fashion sense, Audrey Horne is cool, intelligent, and confident. I think that makes her a pretty great style icon, wouldn't you say so?