New Zealand Bans Elijah Wood’s Maniac
Elijah Wood’s new film Maniac has been officially banned in New Zealand after censors decided it was too graphic and disturbing for the public. The decision by the Office of Film and Literature Classification means that the movie cannot be now be screened or distributed on DVD in New Zealand. The film previously premiered without incident at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Official Midnight Screening selection.
Maniac is written and produced by the same team behind horror hits such as The Hills have Eyes, Switchblade Romance and Mirrors. The film focuses on a withdrawn mannequin store clerk called Frank, who embraces a violent passion for killing after developing a friendship with a young artist.
Maniac continues Elijah Woods’s deliberately disturbing trend of playing psychotic serial killers whenever he ventures away from the idyllic fantasy world of Middle Earth. It looks like it’s a performance with far more in common with his sinister turn in Sin City than as Lord of The Rings benign hobbit hero Frodo.
UK horror fans can already pick up Maniac on DVD following its release at the start of the month, unlike the deprived people of New Zealand…
Oona Chaplin On Game Of Thrones Red Wedding Episode
Game of Thrones star Oona Chaplin spoke to Red Carpet News tonight at the European Premiere of action sequel RED 2. The beautiful actress is the granddaughter of cinema icon Charlie Chaplin and a rising star in her own right.
Oona spoke about the recent controversy surrounding the now infamous Red Wedding episode of the third season of the hit HBO fantasy show. Oona shared her experiences of filming the violent massacre that left many fans, critics and co-stars stunned. Oona admitted that she was in tears on set and that her own family has struggled to watch the entire notoriously bloody episode.
However Oona was quick to defend the violent scenes, explaining that in her mind the show actually ultimately promotes peace! She also shared her excitement for season four, revealing that although she’d heard some interesting things about it during her time on set, she now wants to keep enjoy the series as a regular fan.
Oona also revealed she’s currently working on a new series with the creative team behind The League of Gentlemen, so it won’t be too long before we see one of our favorite rising stars back on screen.
Johnny Depp Talks Native American Rights
Johnny Depp joined thousands of delighted fans and his co-stars on the red carpet in London for the UK premiere of The Lone Ranger yesterday. The famously versatile actor plays the Lone Ranger’s trusty Native American ally Tonto, a role which appealed to Depp in part because of his own ancestry.
Johnny spoke to our good friend Kevin Hughes about his passion for the project, working with co-star Armie Hammer and his own children’s reaction to finished film. Check out what the man in the stylish tinted shades had to say below….
Ewan McGregor Talks Trainspotting Sequel Porno
Ewan McGregor spoke exclusively to Red Carpet News TV at the glittering Aston Martin Centenary Party in London over the weekend. The rugged star shared his enthusiasm for the iconic British car and explained his own well documented love of the open road.
Ewan also told us about working with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts on his new black comedy film August: Osage County. He also teased about having signed on for an unannounced but very exciting project sicne revealed to be joining Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow in Mortdecai.
Ewan also spoke about the recent exciting news that Director Danny Boyle intends to finally make the long awaited sequel to cult classic Trainspotting. Speaking about the plans for a sequel Ewan admitted that he’s excited to return to the character of Renton that helped catapult him to a-list stardom.
Ewan confirmed that Director Danny Bolye plans to start filming in 2016 and will indeed be basing the sequel as expected on Irvine Welsh’s follow up novel Porno. Although the original novel was set only ten years after the events of Trainspotting, the new film will in fact be set 20 years after the original, reflecting the real life passage of time.
Ewan also offered his opinion on what made Trainspotting such a significant landmark in British cinema, citing the obvious genius of Danny Boyle and its memorably superb soundtrack.
Nicolas Cage Turns Down Expendables 3
Nicolas Cage has categorically denied he’ll be one of the new stars joining the testosterone fueled third installment of The Expendables. Cage had long been rumored as one of the big names set to add even more firepower to the third film in the popular franchise, but it now seems pretty clear he’s declined the chance to join the impressive collection of aging action superstars.
Most recently Mel Gibson was all but confirmed as the villain of The Expendables 3 by Sylvester Stallone via Twitter. Stars like Milla Jovovich, Jackie Chan and Wesley Snipes are all also rumored to be in talks, as Stallone’s more ambitious hopes of landing Harrison Ford or Clint Eastwood seem to have evaporated.
Video clip below of Nic Cage at the world premiere in London for The Frozen Ground, issuing a pretty firm denial of any involvement in The Expendables 3 and ruling out an always unlikely Kick Ass 2 cameo:
Cage is however starring in crime drama The Frozen Ground alongside Vanessa Hudgens and John Cusack, here’s a full length interview below where he explains his famously flamboyant acting style and sings the praises of young co star Hudgens: