• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give

Doctor Strange

Meet The Rocket Man: 1on1 with Sean Gunn (AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR)

April 15, 2018 by Steve Norton 2 Comments

While he is perhaps best known from his time playing the affable Kirk Gleason in Gilmore Girls, Gunn has stepped into the forefront recently for his role as Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxyfilms. However, he has also found himself in the unique position of serving as physical stand-in for CGI fan-favourite Rocket the Raccoon as well. As Gunn prepares for the return of Rocket in Avengers: Infinity War, he credits his brother, Guardiansdirector James Gunn, for bringing him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“Really, it was when my brother got involved,” he starts. “I know that my brother, James, was at a point in his career where he was a little down on directing movies because it was such a hard job to get it on one of these big tent-pole movies. Then, when he ended up being up for Guardians, getting that job, I was totally ecstatic for him.”

“I play both Kraglin on-screen and I also play Rocket [the Raccoon] on-set. That kind of came about during the first movie. [James] and I had worked together so much on various things in our career and he knew that he wanted an actor that he knew, trusted and had worked with to be able to play Rocket on set so that he’d have a real actor there to do it and not just a tennis ball on a stick or a PA holding up script in their hands or something like that. So, he asked me to do it and we ended up kind of figuring out on the go what the method was for that to work. Then, it turned out that it was basically me just getting down on my hands and knees and playing Rocket just as though he was there and it was really helpful to the other actors and the visual effects team. They weren’t able to use me for reference them when they started to animate the character and then I think it was a matter of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. So, then you know, it worked so well for the first movie that I ended up doing it again for Guardians Vol. 2and then for both Infinity Warmovies as well.”

Though most people associate Rocket the Raccoon with Bradley Cooper who supplies his voice, it’s Gunn’s work that lays the groundwork for the performance. By providing much of the physical acting for the character, Gunn appreciates the hard work of the animators who can take his movements and bring Rocket to life.

“I play Rocket the entire time on-set…,” he recalls. “Then, the visual effects team then goes in and they start to put together a draft based on what I did–our movements, hand movements, and particularly my face, some facial expressions, things like where Rocket’s looking… For just little things like that, the animators will use what I’m doing as a reference. Then, later Bradley Cooper comes in and he does the voice of the character and they can change things then. He’ll flesh the character out and sort of put his thing on it and then if they want to make some changes based on either what he’s doing or some combination thereof, they can make those changes at that point as needed.”

Of course, playing two different characters within the same film brings its own set of challenges as well. During scenes where Rocket and Kraglin shared screen time, Gunn claims that he had work twice as hard in order to be prepared.

“There are four different scenes where [Rocket and Kraglin] are not only together [in Vol. 2], but they both have dialog. We really would just kind of shoot around each character and plug me in as much as we could. I always think that the preparation and focus are the most important components to go to acting on set and I had to sort of double my preparation and double my focus on those days. It wasn’t easy because I can’t really squat down as Rocket in Kraglin’s wardrobe. So, I was also having to do these costume changes where I would get and jumpsuit, which is a little stiff and hard to maneuver, and into my Rocket sweats, which is basically a track suit that I’m wearing. So yeah, we’d just have to go back and forth. We’d really have to just take a little longer to shoot and I would be doing the scene twice from the point of view of each character.”

Of course, the Guardians franchise signaled a shift in tone for the Marvel Cinematic Universe upon its release. While offering more humour and brighter colour schemes than other franchises (and not to mention the best soundtracks in the MCU), the most interesting thing about the Guardiansfranchise has been its ability to help audiences fall in love with the anti-hero. When asked about whether he feels this franchise looks for the good in the ‘bad guys’, Gunn argues that the backstories of characters like Rocket gives them the chance to explore what it means to be a hero.

“Well, I certainly don’t view them as bad guys,” he explains, “but they’re not motivated by altruistic qualities the way that the Avengers are certainly… But, I agree with your premise that over the course of the movies, I think the arc of those characters are still learning to identify the goodness that’s already inside of them. I think they’d had lives that have encouraged them to squash the goodness, like Quill living with the Ravagers or Rocket having been where he’s been, sort of lonely most of his whole life. They’ve been encouraged to not think about the good inside of them so I think part of the movies is them finding that.”

Having worked with an ensemble cast on Guardians, his experience on Avengers: Infinity Warmoves to another level entirely. Billed as the ‘largest cross-over event in history’, the film features most (if not all) of the major characters that Marvel has introduced to audiences over the last decade. Nevertheless, Gunn believes that the film honours each character and hopes that the fans agree.

“There are a lot of characters and I think that that’s handled particularly well over the course of the two movies–which, if I can’t talk about the first one, imagine how little I can say it about the second one,” he muses. “We filmed them back to back. There’s still some additional photography to do for the second movie as is always the case and but I think the way that that issue of all these different characters participating in one story is really interesting and I think it works really well. We’ll have to wait and see what people think about. It certainly is a lot of balls in the air to juggle.”

Providing the motivation for the Avengers to assemble this time is the impending threat of alien overlord, Thanos. Hell-bent on destroying the universe, Thanos’ quest for the Infinity Stones is rumoured to give the film a darker tone than other entries into the MCU. Despite its intensity, Gunn also feels that Infinity Waralso balances it with Marvel’s trademark humour.

“I haven’t seen the movie yet so I’ve got to start with that,” he begins, “but I do think that it has a heaviness to it that I think is super cool. I think it’s warranted, personally. I mean you can’t have all these disparate franchises that you’re tying together under one massive banner and be sort of glib about it. I think that these movies are going to be serious. There’s certainly plenty of comedy though. I mean, you know, we have the Guardians in there. We’ve got the crew from Ragnarok in there. I think there’s a lot of laughs, but I think the overall tone of piece is not super light. I think fans will like that because it’s pretty serious. Thanos is serious business.”

Furthermore, one of the highlights for Gunn of working on Infinity War was the opportunity to combine the Guardians crew with a more diverse cast, allowing new interactions and conflicts.

Says Gunn, “I think every actor in one way or another helps define who the character you’re playing is, particularly from Rocket’s point of view. Rocket has been in space his whole life. He knows very little about Earth or the people who live there other than what he knows through his friendship with [Peter] Quill. So, his whole relationship to the earth is based on what Quill has told him and when he comes across any of these people from the Avengers universe, he has a very different perspective of them than any of us would have of them from down here. If anything, I think they’re not quite so impressive to Rocket.”

With his success in the Marvel Universe and Gilmore Girls, one might wonder what Gunn hopes to do next. Still, rather than get preoccupied with what is to come, he prefers to simply focus on looking for great stories to help bring to life.

“I try not to prognosticate or wish too much about where my career is going to go because then you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment. I’ve been very, very lucky to work with incredibly talented people with my brother in Guardians, with the Russos and everyone else they’re working with on Avengers and the list goes on and on, but also with Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Dan, on Gilmore Girls. They’re such great writers and I’ve been so lucky and I really just try to chase the words. I think story is king still. Good stories and good content still rule the day and I just want to keep doing stuff like that. I’d love to revisit Kirk on Gilmore girls if we ever make more, which I don’t think would happen anytime soon. I’d take a look at the character again at some point down the line. I’d love it.”

To hear full audio of our conversation with Sean, click here.

Avengers: Infinity War opens April 27th, 2018.

Filed Under: Film, Interviews, Podcast Tagged With: Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, Benedict Cumberbatch, Black Widow, Captain America, CGI, Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Doctor Strange, Groot, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hulk, Iron Man, James Gunn, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr, Rocket Raccoon, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Gunn, spider-man, Star Lord, tom holland

Doctor Strange: Marvel’s Magical Formula

February 28, 2017 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

strngeBenedict Cumberbatch is everywhere, and I don’t even mind. Sometimes Khan and sometimes Sherlock Holmes, occasionally historic and periodically period piece, Cumberbatch now arrives as the latest name actor to populate the Marvel Universe. As mangled Dr. Stephen Strange, Cumberbatch shines with an American accent, action figure moves, and a magnetic, sardonic sense of vicious humor. For fans longing to see what happens when the Marvel Studios’ lens is turned toward the mystical corners of the comic universe, Doctor Strange is just the mind-bending, faith-and-science combo that they’ve been hoping for.

strange3Strange is a ‘class A’ jerk (and gifted surgeon) before  a traffic accident mutilates his hands and leaves him unable to grip anything. Exhausting his medical options, he heads to Kamar-Taj where he meets the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) and her other Masters, chiefly Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejifor). Before he can fully be indoctrinated in the ways of the Mystic Arts, Kaecilius (Madds Mikkelsen) and his hench-wizards blow into town and cause all kinds of trouble.

Marvel's DOCTOR STRANGE..Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen)..Photo Credit: Film Frame ..©2016 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

What follows is a mind-bending spectacle of epic proportions that seems more grounded than the visuals of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, highlighting the way that writer/director Scott Derrickson has kept the world we can see closely wound to the spiritual one in his previous films. While this film takes us into spiritual dimensions that seem inspired by LSD (and given Marvel’s background with the title, seem probable), it also has a darkly funny and poignant take on humanity, spouting witty near Kung Fu-isms that seem to be Matrix-like morals we’d get if we blended Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi together.

strang4Is it derivative? Well, no, but it certainly reeks of the Marvel Formula for a standalone story of our heroes, both well known and obscure. We might even recognize that Strange solves the ‘big’ problem in the film by making the same choice that Tony Stark does in The Avengers… even if he does so in a more humorous, less final, way. We might even say that Doctor Strange (gasp!) seems to echo not just the Marvel use of pattern-making for debuts, but that first modern hero film (when we switched from a ‘white’ knight to a slightly muddy, gray hero with issues): Batman Begins. That is not, however, to say that I didn’t enjoy or appreciate the film because I did.

When the Ancient One tells Strange to “forget everything you know,” we realize he’s about to have his mind blown. When she tells him that he will never have control until he relinquishes control, we might hear Jesus telling his disciples to let go of their lives to find them (Luke 9:24). When she tells him that he has tried everything he knows, everything scientifically possible, and now he wants to ignore the mystical possibilities, we can see the development of a person’s faith – or the journey toward recognition – in every person, not just in a Marvel superhero. All of that is to say that Derrickson has imbued this film with more than the formula even if, underneath some of the more meaty parts, the skeleton remains the same.

Disney’s plus-size special features include the audio commentary by Derrickson, deleted scenes, and a lighter gag reel. But on the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD, audiences will also get “A Strange Transformation” (basically, the making of featurette) plus “Strange Company” (a more nuanced cast’s take on doing a Marvel film), “The Fabric of Reality” (the set assembly), a look at the Phase 3 ideas brewing (Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, and, of course, Infinity War), and the unexpected laugh looking at Thor and his roommate in “Team Thor: Part 2.”

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Ancient One, Benedict Cumberbatch, Doctor Strange, Madds Mikkelsen, Marvel, Scott Derrickson, Tilda Swinton

Most Intriguing Films of Fall 2016

September 5, 2016 by Jacob Sahms 4 Comments

magnificentseven
Here’s my annual preview of my most anticipated films for the fall. The beauty of a list like this is that that everyone will agree – especially my cohorts here at ScreenFish! So check out my list, and consider what I’ve missed – and let us know.

deepwaterhorizon
In the disaster film category, there are two major options for your consideration: Sully (out Sep. 9) and Deepwater Horizon (out Sep. 30). The first stars the incomparable Tom Hanks as Chelsea Sullenberger, the airline pilot who safely landed his commercial plane in the Hudson River in 2009, and the second stars Mark Wahlberg as Mike Williams, a worker on the oil rig that caught fire in 2010. Of the two, Sully looks more intriguing based on the grand inquisition Sullenberger experienced after safely landing the plane.

storks

The first of two animated films that I have my eye on, Storks (Sep. 23) is a funny, family-oriented lark that captures more amusement than the trailer and asks us to consider how families work. [Editor’s note: I’m cheating a bit, because I’ve already seen that one.

sing

The other animated flick is Sing (Dec. 21) features a vocal ensemble aimed at small town’s American Idol-like competition. But it’s an animal town a la Zootopia, with the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton and Nick Kroll providing the voices. It’s all about finding your gift and following your call…

queenofkatwe

Speaking of finding your gift, The Queen of Katwe (Sep. 23) stars one of my favorite actors, David Oyelowo, as a missionary with the Sports Outreach Institute, alongside Lupita Nyong’o. Give me a sports story (yes, it’s about chess) and a strong cast any day.

birthofanation

There’s controversy surrounding Nate Parker, but his film, The Birth of a Nation (Oct. 7) is bound to make waves. I know that The Girl on the Train stars Emily Blunt and is the “buzz” movie of October, but I’ll take a film about Nat Turner named after a KKK promotional piece. That takes guts.

monster

On October 21, we’ll have our mandatory Liam Neeson sighting in A Monster Calls. Well, we’ll hear his voice as the monster, the visual realization of twelve-year-old Conor’s emotional state. There’s something spiritual about the imagination personified, and the film is shooting up my list of ‘must see’ films this fall. The rest of October, hello, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and Inferno, are entertaining, but not blowing my mind.

hacksaw ridge

For all of his problems, Mel Gibson makes good films. Hacksaw Ridge (November 4) is the real life story of a conscientious objector, Desmond Doss, who refused to take up a weapon but won the Medal of Honor for his efforts during World War II. The second Spiderman, Andy Garfield, stars as Doss, but Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, and Hugo Weaving guest star. This one smells like an award winner – and is the one I’m most excited about this fall. Yes, I said it.

doctorstrange

But I might have to pull a double feature that day because Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange arrives the same day. Benedict Cumberbatch plays another curmudgeon, only this time it’s one of Marvel’s heroes who is a surgeon-turned-magician with a big ego and damaged hands. Tilda Swinton guest stars, which of course, has caused a whole set of controversy because the Ancient One is supposed to be an old Asian dude.

fantasticbeasts

Can Harry Potter, er, J.K. Rowling’s, world make it in America? Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne will try and discover the answer in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Nov. 11). It’ll be eye-popping, and probably well scripted.

thefounder

On December 16… The Founder comes out. You were expecting something else? Michael Keaton stars as the guy who gets credit for McDonald’s. There’s something going on there though – and it’s not just about how they make the fries so addictive.

rogueone

I’m actually more excited about this one, Rogue One, than I was about The Force Awakens. In some ways, that one made me a believer. Now, with an eclectic, diversely ethnic cast, behind a female lead, I think the Star Wars universe is going where no man has gone before. See what I did there? While The Space Between Us and Passengers may explore AI questions and bigger pictures, my money will most likely get spent in George Lucas’ universe.

spacebetweenus

Have I convinced you? I doubt it. So tell me what I got wrong!

Filed Under: Editorial, Featured, Film Tagged With: Benedict Cumberbatch, Birth of a Nation, David Oyelowo, Doctor Strange, Hacksaw Ridge, Katwe, Liam Neeson, Mark Wahlberg, Nate Parker, Rogue One

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • GIVEAWAY! Digital Copy of OUR FRIEND! (Canada Only)
  • The Sister: Haunted by the Truth
  • The Spirit of the Story: 1on1 with Casey Affleck (OUR FRIEND)
  • You Will Die at Twenty: How to Live
  • Our Friend: From Friend to Family
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

GIVEAWAY! Digital Copy of OUR FRIEND! (Canada Only)

The Sister: Haunted by the Truth

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee