"A Most Violent Year" is the Best of the Year, According to National Board of Review

The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, which is made up of film enthusiasts, academics, students, and filmmakers, historically launches the movie awards season.

The National Board of Review revealed its 2014 awards on Tuesday, December 9, 2014.  The NBR is first group to name, A Most Violent Year as the best film, although the film won't have a theatrical release until December 31, 2014 (which will be a limited release).  Written and directed by Oscar-nominee, J.C. Chandor, A Most Violent Year is set during what was statistically the worst year in New York City for violent crimes.

2014 National Board of Review of Motion Picture awards:

Best Film:  A Most Violent Year

Best Director:  Clint Eastwood – American Sniper

Best Actor (TIE):

• Oscar Isaac – A Most Violent Year
• Michael Keaton – Birdman

Best Actress: Julianne Moore – Still Alice

Best Supporting Actor:  Edward Norton – Birdman

Best Supporting Actress:  Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year

Best Original Screenplay:  Phil Lord & Christopher Miller – The Lego Movie

Best Adapted Screenplay:  Paul Thomas Anderson – Inherent Vice

Best Animated Feature:  How to Train Your Dragon 2

Breakthrough Performance:  Jack O’Connell – Starred Up & Unbroken

Best Directorial Debut:  Gillian Robespierre – Obvious Child

Best Foreign Language Film:  Wild Tales

Best Documentary:  Life Itself

William K. Everson Film History Award:  Scott Eyman

Best Ensemble:  Fury

Spotlight Award:  Chris Rock for writing, directing, and starring in – Top Five

NBR Freedom of Expression Award:  Rosewater

NBR Freedom of Expression Award:  Selma

Top Films:
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
Fury
Gone Girl
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Lego Movie
Nightcrawler
Unbroken

Top 5 Foreign Language Films:
Force Majeure
Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem
Leviathan
Two Days, One Night
We Are the Best!

Top 5 Documentaries:
Art and Craft
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Keep On Keepin’ On
The Kill Team
Last Days in Vietnam

Top 10 Independent Films:
Blue Ruin
Locke
A Most Wanted Man
Mr. Turner
Obvious Child
The Skeleton Twins
Snowpiercer
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Starred Up
Still Alice

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http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/

Dave Bautista Talks "Guardians," Zoe Saldana, and WWE Merchandising

Walt Disney Home Entertainment provided the following question-and-answer interview with actor Dave Bautista as a promotion for its Blu-ray and DVD release of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy.  "Q" is the anonymous questioner and "A" is Bautista:

AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVE BAUTISTA (Drax the Destroyer) FOR THE BLU-RAY AND DVD RELEASE OF GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Q: What were the big physical challenges for you on Guardians Of The Galaxy?

A: I didn’t actually find it physically super-challenging, to be honest. It was so much fun, man. I don’t want to make it seem like it was a simple project because it wasn’t that by any means, but I didn’t wake up in the morning thinking ‘Goddammit, I’ve gotta go to work’. I was happy and excited. It’s hard to say it was challenging because it was such a good time.

Q: How did you deal with the long hours in the make-up chair?

A: I just zoned-out, but I’m usually a pretty quiet person. I know that’s a really boring answer but it’s true. It wasn’t as bad as people might think because it was kind of like hanging out with your friends for a few hours, just talking, and the time flies by. It was more of a chore taking the make-up off – getting gunk out of your ears and your nose.

Q: You’ve said you can relate to the character of Drax. Can you explain that a little further?

A: Your first assumption with Drax is that he’s just this one-note, stereotypical warrior who looks menacing and scary, but the way I approached him is as a father and a husband who’s really suffering from a lot of heartbreak. He channels his heartbreak into revenge. I can relate to him because I’m not the person I appear to be at first glance. It’s kind of a double-edged sword for me because I actually look this way as a result of the way I am internally. I spent my whole life being very shy and introverted and I kind of found my release and therapy in the gym. I became this big, menacing physical stature of a man but internally I’m still kind of insecure. [Laughs] Warm, fuzzy and gooey.

Q: How was working with Zoe Saldana (Gamora)?

A: I have the toughest time describing her to people because there are different sides to her personality. On one hand she’s very strong and intelligent, but at the same time she’s like a princess. If you say she’s a princess it’s gonna make her sound like a little ditzy thing and if you say she’s strong and intelligent it makes her sound very stern. I always say she’s a diva, but not in a bad way. With most people you say ‘She’s a diva’ and people think ‘Well, that means she’s a bitch’ but Zoe’s like a diva in a good way.

Q: Given your WWE background, did your fellow cast members look to you for advice on falling without hurting themselves etc?

A: Actually, it was so different from anything I’d ever done that I put myself in the student role. What they do in films is so different; it seems so much more precise and it’s working towards camera angles whereas in wrestling it’s physical improvisation and the cameras are moving to suit us, you know? We’re not working for the cameras; we’re working for a live audience, so it’s really different. There were things I wasn’t qualified to do, like a lot of the big stunts. I didn’t feel safe doing those.

Q: How was Guardians director James Gunn to work with?

A: He had such a clear vision and he made it super-simple. You always knew exactly what he wanted. I learned from Zoe to ask a lot of questions. As I say, I’m usually very quiet and I don’t say much, but I learned to start thinking of things from different angles and different peoples’ perspectives and to ask questions that made total sense to put you in the mood. James always had an answer.

Q: Was there a defining moment when you decided you wanted to try acting?

A: I’d done a few bits and pieces, some TV stuff, when I was with the WWE but still I had no interest in pursuing acting. Then I did a cameo in a movie which was not a great movie; it was called The Wrong Side Of Town and I did a cameo in it as a favor for a friend. I went to shoot it on the first day and I realized how bad I was at acting. I thought it would be easy, for some reason, but I could feel how horrible I was. I was a little bit embarrassed. But I usually find that I want to pursue things that I’m terrible at because it’s a challenge for me. It was a defining moment because I realized I sucked as an actor.

Q: Do you collect action figures of yourself?

A: I used to collect the wrestling ones but there were just so many of them so I gave up. They’d put out a new one like every week. It was ridiculous. That’s what the WWE does – they’re a merchandising machine. I was injured for a while, I was on TV and I had to wear this stupid Ace bandage. I was given a pretty light schedule and I went to do an autograph signing session. I was sitting there one day, this kid came through and he had this action figure with an Ace bandage. I said ‘That’s cool, did you make that?’ and he said ‘No, I bought it’. While I was still injured they’d put out an injury edition Bautista doll. That’s how fast they’re on it. It’s insane.


Guardians Of The Galaxy is available on Blu-ray, Digital HD and  Disney Movies Anywhere December 9, 2014

- ENDS -

Willie Horton Ad President Who Appointed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court Gets Special Screening of "Selma"

PARAMOUNT PICTURES HOSTED A SPECIAL SCREENING OF “SELMA” FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE H. W. BUSH AND BARBARA BUSH

HOLLYWOOD, CA (December 11, 2014) – Paramount Pictures hosted a special advance screening of its critically acclaimed upcoming film “SELMA” in Houston on Tuesday, December 9, 2014 for President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush and their guests.

“’Selma’ magnificently recreates the strong emotions felt across our nation, vividly taking us back to when Martin Luther King, Jr. led the civil rights movement,” said President Bush. “Together, the filmmakers and cast not only captured the pain and conflict of that challenging time, but also how far we have come as a society – and, in so doing, reminded us how the freedom to protest peacefully and the power of human spirit make America so great.”

Guests included the Bushes’ close family and friends, members of the president’s secret service team and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, and local politicians, among others.

SELMA is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition.  The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.  Director Ava DuVernay’s SELMA tells the real story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history.  Starring David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

The film is produced by Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. Written by Paul Webb. Directed by Ava DuVernay.


About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

57th Grammy Nominations Announced; Beyonce Among Nominations Leaders

Beyoncé, Sam Smith, and Pharrell Williams Lead GRAMMY® Nominations with Six Each

Beck, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, and Pharrell Williams Vie for Album of the Year at the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards® Feb. 8, 2015, Live on CBS

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nominations for the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards® were announced tonight by The Recording Academy® and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by The Academy's voting members. The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Feb. 8, 2015, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

    “This year's nominees are a reflection of the music community's diversity and range of talent, and a testament to The Academy's voting process”

This year, Beyoncé, Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams top nominations, garnering six each. Iggy Azalea, Beck, Eric Church, Tom Coyne, Drake, Gordon Goodwin, Jay Z, Miranda Lambert, Sia, Usher, and Jack White earn four nominations each. Additionally, Azalea, Bastille, Brandy Clark, Haim, and Sam Smith vie for the Best New Artist award.

"This year's nominees are a reflection of the music community's diversity and range of talent, and a testament to The Academy's voting process," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "The Recording Academy is pleased to celebrate this talented crop of artists, nominated to receive music's greatest honor for their contributions to their respective genres. The tone for Music's Biggest Night® has undoubtedly been set, and we look forward to producing one of the most exciting telecasts in GRAMMY® history."

Nominations were revealed on a rolling basis throughout the day, starting with four categories on "CBS This Morning," followed by a series of video announcements posted by a variety of artists and celebrities on Twitter. The day culminated with the unveiling of Album Of The Year nominations on the one-hour entertainment special, "A Very GRAMMY Christmas," which featured performances of holiday classics and current pop songs.

Following is a sampling of nominations across 83 categories from the GRAMMY Awards' 30 Fields. For a complete nominations list, please visit www.grammy.com. For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

GENERAL FIELD

Album Of The Year:
Morning Phase — Beck
Beyoncé — Beyoncé
X — Ed Sheeran
In The Lonely Hour — Sam Smith
Girl — Pharrell Williams

Record Of The Year:
"Fancy" — Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX
"Chandelier" — Sia
"Stay With Me" (Darkchild Version) — Sam Smith
"Shake It Off" — Taylor Swift
"All About That Bass" — Meghan Trainor

Song Of The Year:
"All About That Bass" — Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor, songwriters (Meghan Trainor)
"Chandelier" — Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin, songwriters (Sia)
"Shake It Off" — Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
"Stay With Me" (Darkchild Version) — James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)
"Take Me To Church" — Andrew Hozier-Byrne, songwriter (Hozier)

Best New Artist:
Iggy Azalea
Bastille
Brandy Clark
Haim
Sam Smith

POP FIELD

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
"Fancy" — Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli XCX
"A Sky Full Of Stars" — Coldplay
"Say Something" — A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera
"Bang Bang" — Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
"Dark Horse" — Katy Perry Featuring Juicy J

DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC FIELD

Best Dance Recording:
"Never Say Never" — Basement Jaxx
"Rather Be" — Clean Bandit Featuring Jess Glynne
"F For You" — Disclosure Featuring Mary J. Blige
"I Got U" — Duke Dumont Featuring Jax Jones
"Faded" — Zhu

ROCK FIELD

Best Rock Performance:
"Gimme Something Good" — Ryan Adams
"Do I Wanna Know?" — Arctic Monkeys
"Blue Moon" — Beck
"Fever"— The Black Keys
"Lazaretto"— Jack White

ALTERNATIVE FIELD

Best Alternative Music Album:
This Is All Yours — Alt-J
Reflektor — Arcade Fire
Melophobia — Cage The Elephant
St. Vincent — St. Vincent
Lazaretto — Jack White

R&B FIELD

Best Urban Contemporary Album:
Sail Out — Jhené Aiko
Beyoncé — Beyoncé
X — Chris Brown
Mali Is… — Mali Music
Girl — Pharrell Williams

RAP FIELD

Best Rap Performance:
"3005" — Childish Gambino
"0 To 100/The Catch Up" — Drake
"Rap God" — Eminem
"I" — Kendrick Lamar
"All I Need Is You" — Lecrae

Best Rap Album:
The New Classic — Iggy Azalea
Because The Internet — Childish Gambino
Nobody's Smiling — Common
The Marshall Mathers LP2 — Eminem
Oxymoron — Schoolboy Q
Blacc Hollywood — Wiz Khalifa

COUNTRY FIELD

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
"Gentle On My Mind" — The Band Perry
"Somethin' Bad" — Miranda Lambert With Carrie Underwood
"Day Drinking" — Little Big Town
"Meanwhile Back At Mama's" — Tim McGraw Featuring Faith Hill
"Raise 'Em Up" — Keith Urban Featuring Eric Church

Best Country Album:
Riser — Dierks Bentley
The Outsiders — Eric Church
12 Stories — Brandy Clark
Platinum — Miranda Lambert
The Way I'm Livin' — Lee Ann Womack

JAZZ FIELD

Best Improvised Jazz Solo:
"The Eye Of The Hurricane" — Kenny Barron, soloist
"Fingerprints" — Chick Corea, soloist
"You & The Night & The Music" — Fred Hersch, soloist
"Recorda Me" — Joe Lovano, soloist
"Sleeping Giant" — Brad Mehldau, soloist

GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC FIELD

Best Gospel Album:
Help — Erica Campbell
Amazing (Live) — Ricky Dillard & New G
Withholding Nothing (Live) — William McDowell
Forever Yours — Smokie Norful
Vintage Worship — Anita Wilson

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album:
If We're Honest — Francesca Battistelli
Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong. — For King & Country
Hurricane — Natalie Grant
Welcome To The New — MercyMe
Royal Tailor — Royal Tailor

LATIN FIELD

Best Latin Pop Album:
Tangos — Rubén Blades
Elypse — Camila
Raíz — Lila Downs, Niña Pastori And Soledad
Loco De Amor — Juanes
Gracias Por Estar Aquí — Marco Antonio Solís

AMERICAN ROOTS FIELD

Best American Roots Performance:
"Statesboro Blues" — Gregg Allman & Taj Mahal
"A Feather's Not A Bird" — Rosanne Cash
"And When I Die" — Billy Childs Featuring Alison Krauss & Jerry Douglas
"The Old Me Better" — Keb' Mo' Featuring The California Feet Warmers
"Destination" — Nickel Creek

SPOKEN WORD FIELD

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):
Actors Anonymous — James Franco
A Call To Action — Jimmy Carter
Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America — John Waters
Diary Of A Mad Diva — Joan Rivers
A Fighting Chance — Elizabeth Warren
We Will Survive: True Stories Of Encouragement, Inspiration, And The Power Of Song — Gloria Gaynor

COMEDY FIELD

Best Comedy Album:
Mandatory Fun — "Weird Al" Yankovic
Obsessed — Jim Gaffigan
Oh My God — Louis C.K.
Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time — Patton Oswalt
We Are Miracles — Sarah Silverman

This year's Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nominations go to Paul Epworth, John Hill, Jay Joyce, Greg Kurstin, and Max Martin.

This year's GRAMMY Awards process registered more than 20,000 submissions over a 12-month eligibility period (Oct. 1, 2013 – Sept. 30, 2014). GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 17, 2014 to The Recording Academy's voting members. Ballots are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 16, 2015, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the 57th GRAMMY Awards telecast.

The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, and Louis J. Horvitz is director.

"A Very GRAMMY Christmas," hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J featured the announcement of Album Of The Year nominees as well as performances by Ariana Grande with Big Sean, Maroon 5, Tim McGraw, Sam Smith, and Pharrell Williams.

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like "The GRAMMYs" on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs' social communities on Google+, Instagram, Tumblr and YouTube.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 7 to 13, 2014 - Update #9

NEWS:

From GuardianUK:  Did not know that Ava DuVernay and Ryan Coogler were part of this protest.

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From HitFix:  Ava Duvernay talks her Golden Globe nomination.

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From the IndependentUK:  Ridley Scott and "Mohammed So-and-So"

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From TheVerge:  J.J. Abrams is prepping an alien invasion flick, while working on Star Wars.

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From HuffingtonPost:  J.K. Rowling to release 12 new stories set in the world of Harry Potter, one per day until Christmas.

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From Variety:  The winner of the December 5th to 7th, 2014 box office is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 with an estimated take of $21.6 million.


COMIC BOOKS:

From WSCS:  Shailene Woodley would like to be in a Marvel movie.

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From TheVerge:  The Sony Pictures hack has apparently revealed that Marvel Studios negotiated with Sony to get the use of Spider-Man for their next Captain America film.  Sony owns the film rights to Spider-Man.


STAR WARS:

From YahooGames:  Episode 7 starts to put names to faces.

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From IBTimes:  Rumors about the character(s) Andy Serkis will play in Episode 7.

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From HuffingtonPost:  Someone else tries to explain a "Black storm trooper" to segregationist fanboys and nerds.

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From TheVerge:  A rundown of George Lucas' interview with Page Six about the new Star Wars teaser.


TRAILERS:

From 20th Century Fox: A new trailer for Kingsman: The Secret Service.

Chris Pratt Talks "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Walt Disney Home Entertainment provided the following question-and-answer interview with actor Chris Pratt as a promotion for its Blu-ray and DVD release of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy.  "Q" is the anonymous questioner and "A" is Chris Pratt:

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS PRATT (Peter Quill/Star-Lord) FOR THE BLU-RAY AND DVD RELEASE OF GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Q: You’ve been pretty busy lately. Does it feel like your time has come?

A: [Laughs] Man, I am busy! And yes, it does feel like that. But is it overwhelming? Not really. I have the benefit of not over-thinking much in my life. I’m kind of just along for the ride. Also, I learned at a very early stage in my career to always lower my expectations, no matter what. If you don’t, you just get your heart broken. [Laughs] So I’m just expecting that something is going to go horribly wrong.

Q: Amy Poehler from Parks And Recreation says you’re a brilliant improviser. Was there much call for that on Guardians Of The Galaxy?

A: We got to do a little bit but you’ve got to be careful when you’re on a movie that costs, you know, $15,000 a second. You can’t just go blowing takes by trying out some new material. It was less improvisation and more collaboration in terms of the comedy. I would go to James [Gunn, the director and co-writer] and say ‘Hey, this is what we should do in this scene…’ Like having people go ‘Star-Lord who?’ That whole thing was not written that way originally. I said ‘People don’t know who Star-Lord is, you know? It’d be kind of funny if everyone is going “Who?” That was a collaboration, and there were little things like the joke about the legend of Footloose. I came up with that because I was thinking, ‘If this kid was nine years old when he left earth he would have seen Star Wars and he would have seen Footloose, all the movies I loved when I was his age’. We were both born in 1979 and I was nine years old in 1988, just like he was. That kid is the kid I was too. Granted our circumstances were very different; his mom dies and he gets thrown into space and is given the opportunity to be a space adventurer.

Q: You’ve said that your spirit was right for the character of Peter Quill. Can you explain that further?

A: I didn’t have to change all that much. If anyone else had done the movie it would be a different movie. I didn’t pull a Daniel Day-Lewis or anything like that. I just threw on a space jacket and pretended it was me, and I think it works. That’s what I meant by that.

Q: What were the biggest physical challenges?

A: The preparation. That was a big part of it. The first five months of my involvement on this film were spent transforming myself physically. I was in LA working with personal trainers and nutritionists every single day. It became my job. The thing I loved most about comic books as a kid was the imagery: The covers and these super-ripped dudes and mega-sexy women. It was fantasy to me. It’s what I appreciated most as a kid and it was what was most important to me in approaching this role – so I tried to get my body to look as much like those guys as I could. I enjoyed it but it was pain.

Q: Were you on a strict diet?

A: Definitely. It was like chicken, broccoli and rice; chicken, broccoli and rice; chicken, broccoli and rice.

Q: What was your wife Anna Faris’ reaction to your new physique?

A: She would vacillate between being turned on and happy and like ‘Oh my God honey, look at your body, that’s crazy!’ That was one side but the other side was ‘Oh will you just eat something, you grumpy bastard!’

Q: How did you feel when you looked in the mirror and suddenly saw this amazing body?

A: Well, it wasn’t that short of a process. Maybe to the media it seemed that way, going from Parks And Recreation and Delivery Man to this, but it was about seven months in total, working hard every single day. So I saw the process slowly and I was documenting it as I went. I was taking photos. But for the first three months there was almost no change. I was gaining muscle but my body weight stayed the same, although my body composition changed. I would lose fat and gain muscle, lose fat and gain muscle, but I stayed around 270 lbs. for the longest time. I couldn’t break below 270 and then I couldn’t break below 260. I kept hitting these plateaus where I couldn’t lose any weight, then all of a sudden I’d drop 7 lbs., then there was another plateau. I just kept pushing through. It feels from the outside looking in that it was an instant transformation but it did take a pretty long time. I was probably training for three hours a day and I put in something like 400 or 500 hours in the gym.

Q: You’ve mentioned that Peter is a mix of Han Solo and Marty McFly. Why those two iconic characters in particular?

A: They were two of my favorites growing up. I imagined that for this kid who would have seen Star Wars and Back To The Future they’d be some of his favorite characters too. I wasn’t necessarily aiming for that so as I’ve talked about the movie since it probably seems it was more intentional than it actually was. But it’s a good way to describe Peter Quill… If you’re looking at the taxonomy of it he’s one part that, he’s one part this. [Laughs] But really I didn’t know what I was doing, I was just trying not to get fired every day!

Q: Your son Jack is going to love you when he’s a bit older and he realizes his dad was in The Lego Movie and Guardians Of The Galaxy…

A: He’s too young now, but there’ll be a moment when he figures it out. [Laughs] He’s gonna be completely screwed up.

Q: Is working on a Marvel movie like a dream come true for you?

A: It is, yeah. Of all the roles that are out there, anything that could potentially be a franchise, something that’s different and something that caters to my strengths in a nice way – anything like that would be a dream role. But the fact that it’s commercially successful, that’s an extra bonus. It’s like the full house and I’m feeling pretty good about it.

Q: For a kid, seeing Guardians for the first time must be as exciting as seeing Star Wars for the first time….

A: I just missed seeing Star Wars in the theater but I remember it being this all-consuming thing. I’d be playing in the back yard with a fake light saber and I was either Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader or my brother was like Luke Skywalker and I was Darth Vader. I had Chewbacca toys too. So Star Wars was a big part of my childhood and Guardians does feel like that. Having read about it or seen documentaries about it, I now know what Star Wars was at the time. There was all this mythology around it. The actors had seen it and kind of thought it sucked. Then there was the first screening, after George Lucas had put in the score and added the effects, and it was amazing. There were moments on this film where I was, like, dancing in front of 200 alien extras and they were going ‘Oh my God, this is the movie they’re making?’ There were moments where I too wasn’t fully able to see James’ vision, just as all those guys weren’t able to see George Lucas’s vision. With Star Wars nothing like it had ever come out before and it had pushed technology to its absolute limits. It was an epic space adventure with fabulous music. There were a lot of similarities, so yeah, I think this is going to be something that will last.

Q: How does it feel to think that, just as you pretended to be Luke Skywalker when you were a kid, there are now kids who will pretend to be Peter Quill?

A: I guess it’s a bit surreal. There’s not an appropriate feeling to process so I guess I don’t feel anything quite yet. I feel fortunate, I guess. Fortunate and kind of weirded-out! I know it’s a good thing. I don’t want to over-think it but down the line I could have Peter Quill’s wardrobe at home and there is something that Russell Wilson, the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks, does. I’m from Seattle and I’m a big fan of the Seahawks and he’s a great quarterback. Anyway, every Tuesday he goes to the Seattle Children’s Hospital and he hangs out with the kids. You see these pictures on Twitter and he’s there with these kids who are in various stages of terminal illness or who are really injured or hurt. They have this huge smile on their face and they feel so special because the winner of the Superbowl has come to their room to say hi to them. I’ve thought about that a lot, you know? There’s a possibility that this character could become so iconic that all I’d have to do is throw on this wardrobe, drive down to some hospital or set it up with them, and I could give a kid a memory and a picture that they would never forget. That would be really cool.

Q: Do your friends react differently to you now you’re a big movie star?

A: They make fun of me. Have you ever heard of Flat Stanley? It’s this cultural phenomenon where there’s this little paper doll named Stanley and people take him places and have a picture with him. You take Flat Stanley to the Grand Canyon or you take Flat Stanley to the ocean. Well, my friends are doing that with my Star-Lord doll. They’re going ‘Hey, I’m having lunch with Star-Lord’. The weirdest one? My friend somehow snapped a picture of himself in the toilet with Star-Lord watching. That wasn’t very respectful!

Q: What kind of director is James Gunn? What is it like to work with him?

A: You have to be a maniac to direct a movie like this. [Laughs] There has to be something wrong with you mentally, I think. It requires a type of hyper-focus over the course of many years. Day in and day out you’re thinking about the same thing, which is basically micro-managing and making critical choices when it comes to every single department. He’s somebody who has a strong point of view and he was perfect for this movie. He’s a huge fan of Marvel comic books and of all comic books. He knows all of the comic books, how they go back, how all of the characters were introduced – he’s a fanboy so the audience is in good hands. I remember seeing the animatics for the pod chase sequence – a cartoon that he essentially directed before he even shot the movie. He showed me my character and what he’d be doing, this little animatic Peter Quill, so he knew exactly what he wanted. Then when he shot the movie he matched it to the cartoon he’d already directed. It’s a pretty awesome way to do things. The cartoon of the whole movie probably took six months to direct, then he made the actual movie based on that. I remember watching this cartoon of the pod chase and I was like ‘That’s good enough for me’. I would have paid 12 bucks just to watch the cartoon, it was so good. I was amazed but James was looking at it and going ‘It’s not right, do it again’. At that moment I thought ‘Wow, I could never be a director’. When you have this magnitude of scope and budget you’re seeing the most amazing toys you’ve ever seen and the most amazing sets you’ve ever seen, but James was never blinded by the enthusiasm of seeing all that. It never deterred him from his critical thinking. He knew exactly what he wanted and the reason the movie is as good as it is is because he never settled for anything less than perfect.

Q: On set, how did he direct you personally?

A: He develops techniques for working with each actor. He had to learn how to wear me out. He’d beat me down and wear me out. Two thirds of the way through the movie I was really easy to direct because I was tired. He told me exactly what to do and I did it. There was one time where I was going ‘It doesn’t make any sense to me’ and he said ‘It doesn’t matter what you think or feel’. Was I OK with that? Yes I was because I get neurotic and I get inside my own head, and I don’t have the experience on film that he does. He was right; at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what I feel. He has an overall vision knowing exactly what this thing is going to look like whereas I, as an actor, assume the entire thing lives or dies by this moment I’m creating. That moment is maybe just three percent of what’s happening. You’ve got everything leading up to that moment, you’ve got all the music surrounding it, you’ve got the camera moves, you’ve got the visual spectacle of it all… Watching that animatic I realized all I had to do was speak as clearly as the words were written at the bottom of the cartoon and it would work. The only way I could screw it up would be by not speaking clearly and you wouldn’t believe how hard it was sometimes because as an actor you don’t always want to speak clearly, you’re like ‘I have to take a moment to act, I have to take a moment to process’. I can’t tell you how many times James was like, ‘Dude, just say it louder and faster’. I’d be like ‘That’s not an actionable direction’ and he’d go, ‘Just shut up, say it louder and say it faster!’ I’d get so furious but when I watched the movie I was going, ‘I wish I’d said it louder and faster’.

Q: Are there any scenes that were cut out you’d be happy to see in the DVD and Blu-ray extras?

A: I think the film is perfectly paced and pretty economical. I don’t think it should be any longer than it is. It’s the perfect length. But there were some comedic moments I’d be happy to see on there - things that play up Peter’s penchant for the femaliens.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is available on Blu-ray, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere December 9, 2014

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"Fargo," Matthew McConaughey Top HitFix's 2014 TV Critics Poll

"Fargo" Tops HitFix's Third Annual Television Critics Poll

"True Detective"'s Matthew McConaughey named best performance of 2014

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HitFix (http://www.hitfix.com) announced today that "Fargo" has been chosen as the top television series of 2014 in HitFix's Third Annual Television Critics' Poll.  FX and MGM's Emmy winning series follows "Breaking Bad" which won the first two editions of the poll.

    “Breaking Bad' was the obvious winner for the first two years of the poll, but 2014 was such a wide-open year, with so many great series in so many places, that we had no idea what show would get the most support from our voters”

After "Fargo," the rest of this year's list includes (in the following order) "The Good Wife," "Game of Thrones," "Transparent," "True Detective," "The Americans," "Mad Men," "Orange is the New Black," "Louie," and "Broad City." 

Participants were also asked to vote on for the top 10 new television programs and the best performance of 2014. FX's "Fargo" came out on top for best new show and Matthew McConaughey of "True Detective" won the best performance poll.

“Breaking Bad' was the obvious winner for the first two years of the poll, but 2014 was such a wide-open year, with so many great series in so many places, that we had no idea what show would get the most support from our voters," said Alan Sepinwall, HitFix's Sr. Editor and TV Critic. "FX's 'Fargo' was a worthy winner in both the overall and new series polls, and the three polls together present a terrific cross-section of an exciting year in TV, where if you can't find something great to watch, you're just not looking hard enough."

Over 50 critics from outlets such as USA Today, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, NPR, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Buzzfeed and Vulture participated. The vote totals for each critic as well as every show that received a vote are available at HitFix.com/TVCriticsPoll.

Each critic submitted their top 10 television programs, new shows and performances of the year.  The votes were determined on a ranked system (#1 pick receives 10 votes, #2 pick receives 9 votes, etc.).

A complete list of all this year's critics and programs can be found at HitFix.com/TVCriticsPoll.

About HitFix: HitFix (www.HitFix.com) is the fastest growing multi-screen entertainment news brand, focused on driving consumer choices across movies, TV shows, streaming content, music and events. With top editorial critics and a hard-to-reach millennial audience, HitFix delivers breaking news, expert analysis and engaging original video content to 300 million monthly viewers. Through their 360-degree cross-platform approach, HitFix surrounds consumers throughout their day spanning desktop, mobile, social, in-home devices and out-of-home digital displays, quickly becoming The Entertainment Authority. Everywhere.

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