The big bad movie-verse is filled with the deafening sound of voices from the lips of various actors, directors, producers, et al. Whether it is the promotion of a movie, the denial of a scandal, or a buttock kissing, these sounds surround the media like a rain cloud. And every so often, if you perk your ears up, the sound of one person making a nasty comment regarding another director or actor’s work (or in some cases, slamming their own contributions) can just about be heard and instantly picked up on. The majority are very professional and well trained in keeping such feelings private, but then there is a small percentage who simply feel the strong overwhelming need to mouth off Robert Downey ‘F**k DC Comics’ Jnr style.
Here are Movie Moron’s top ten recent movie star insults:
10. Gene Wilder.
When the news of a Willy Wonka remake reached the ears of Gene Wilder, the comic actor was less than impressed. When asked his initial thoughts about Johnny Depp stepping into his shoes during an interview with the Telegraph, Wilder instantly dismissed the entire Tim Burton project as being ‘all about the money’.
‘It's just some people sitting around thinking 'How can we make some more money?' Why else would you remake Willy Wonka? I don't see the point of going back and doing it all over again.’
If Wilder was asked to return to the original Wonka role, would he seriously have turned down the money, one wonders?
9. Ben Jones.
The announcement of a big screen version of the Dukes of Hazzard made Ben Jones, who played Cooter in the original TV series, a very narky bunny. Jones made his thoughts on the remake very clear on his website, describing the film as a ‘sleazy insult’.
And it gets better: ‘Rather than honoring our legendary show, they have chosen to degrade it’ he rants.
And the blasting goes on. Jones referred to the script as ‘profanity laced’, and the plot was ‘full of blatant sexual situations that mock the good clean family values of our series.’ He then concluded: ‘Don't go unless they clean it up!’
Even John Schneider, who played Bo Duke in the TV show, was far from impressed with the movie, telling Moviehole.net ‘My gosh...it was terrible!’
8. Dustin Hoffman.
How often do you hear one of the movie world’s most respected and highly regarded actors describing the industry’s current state as being ‘in the craphouse’? Well Rain Man star, Dustin Hoffman made it clear that he was not a fan of the recent string of movies hitting our screens, using a film conference to platform his opinion on the subject and pretty much voice what the majority of us are feeling.
"You go to the cinema and you realise you're watching the third act. There is no first or second act’ said Hoffman.
"You can tell how much money the film is going to make by how it does on the first weekend.
"The whole culture is in the craphouse.’
Quite an ironic statement from a man who then went on to star in Meet the Fockers.
7. Gabriel Byrne
It looks like Hollywood portrayal of Northern Ireland conflicts is getting Gabriel Byrne very vexed these days. Talking to Jam! Showbiz in April 2008, the Usual Suspects star said the movie industry had ‘trivialised and sentimentalised the conflict’, and directed most of his venom towards the 1997 flick, The Devil’s Own, starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt.
‘A tragedy I lived through in my lifetime in the north of Ireland became an action film with Harrison Ford running around as the
sane American sorting out the Irish.
‘That to me was a truly offensive film. And there are many of them.’
Oh dear.
6. Paris Leonti
Looks like new director on the block, Paris Leonti had his claws sharpened, and was ready to lay them into Guy Ritchie.
The Daylight Robbery director hit out at Ritchie’s trademark gangster movies dismissing them as ‘plastic’. Speaking to the Press Association, Leonti said: ‘I like to think that I'm nowhere near Guy Ritchie. As I said before, Guy Ritchie makes plastic gangster films. He writes about characters that [are] caricatures. Whereas mine are real characters, they are actually London boys, they're robbing a bank.
"It's the real thing and hopefully when people watch it they will appreciate what I'm trying to do. I am trying to change people's minds on all these over-played, exaggerated gangster movies."
We are eagerly awaiting a response to that from the Ritchie camp.
5. Matt Damon.
Are you starting to think that the whole James Bond franchise is dated now? Matt Damn certainly thinks so. Speaking at the 2007 London premiere of The Bourne Ultimatum, Damon said the James Bond movies were ‘stuck on the past’, and insisted that his Jason Bourne character is completely different.
‘The Bond character will always be anchored in the 1960s and the values of the 60s.
‘Bond is an imperialist and a misogynist who kills people and laughs about it and drinks Martinis and cracks jokes. Bourne is a serial monogamist whose girlfriend is dead and he does nothing but think about her - he doesn't have the support of gadgets and feels guilty about what he's done.’
All together now; ‘OOOOOOOOOHHHH! Get her!’
4. Diane Kruger.
Picture the scene; you are an actor who finally gets your big break in a big budget movie with big name stars, and a big name director. It is not very well received, but the role makes you a household name. Would you regret it? Diane Kruger does.
Kruger confessed to Esquire magazine she was not happy with her 2004 breakout movie, Troy, co-starring Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom, and that her involvement in the project, where she played Helen of Troy, ‘kind of sucked’.
‘You can't tell whether I can act or not in Troy.’ Kruger staid in her interview.
‘It kind of sucked, to be honest. I was just starting out and didn't want to play all the parts I was subsequently offered in these big movies. I had to get out.’
She doesn’t sound very grateful, does she?
3. Mark Wahlberg.
Mark Wahlberg took time out of his busy schedule promoting his M. Night Shyamalan movie, The Happening, to slag off the second ‘Oceans’ movie during an interview with Zoo magazine.
Wahlberg is reported to have said that he was initially offered a role in Oceans Eleven but turned it down. The role was eventually given to Matt Damon.
When asked about turning down that part, Wahlberg replied ‘Yeah - and it was well worth it! The second one sucked! People tell George Clooney it's great, but we all know it sucked.’
Well, at least he was being honest.
2. Rob Schneider.
The arrival of George Lucas’ latest Star Wars appears to have hacked off Rob Schneider in a big way!
Schneider told Movies.ie that George Lucas should be "beheaded" for his work on the recent Star Wars movie, The Clone Wars, and even felt the need to add that Lucas deserves punishment for the series of prequels that followed the original trilogy.
‘If there is a cinematic corporal punishment, and God knows people want me to have it, but Lucas himself should get it,’ the Deuce Bigalow star told Movies.ie.
‘He should be beheaded for those last three movies. I don't care if I p*** off George Lucas, he probably doesn't know who I am.’
Lucas probably doesn’t care who you are either, Rob.
1. Michael Pitt.
You’ve seen my movies, haven’t you?
For an actor who has not made much of a ripple within the movie-verse, indie actor, Michael Pitt’s opinion was certainly the harshest one on our list. The star of Bernardo Bertolucci flick, The Dreamers lashed out at those who criticised his recent movie, Funny Games, and also took a swipe at Saw fans; all in one interview.
Whilst talking to Giant Magazine, Pitt said: ‘I don’t even know what Saw or Hostel are. Are they like Texas Chainsaw Massacre? I guess I’m drawn to things like Lawrence of Arabia.’
Ok, so Pitt wants us to know that he is a serious actor, who likes to watch and work on serious films about serious subjects. Fair enough. However, why Pitt suddenly felt it was necessary to come out with this response is unclear:
‘Audiences that don’t like Funny Games can kiss my ass. I hope they do [get angry with] Funny Games. It challenges you. If you’re not up to the challenge, go see Saw."
Could this have been an attempt to inject a level of controversy in an otherwise bland movie existence, or is Pitt merely displaying passion and enthusiasm for his new movie?
You decide.
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