Roadie, which will be released in theaters on January 6^th, opens with a man on his cell phone, undoubtedly using the last of his persuasive energy to keep from betraying his true pathos. Juxtaposed with the glamour of Bolex shots taken of his adventure-studded career as an accessory to rock-star life, the lead character of the film^, instantaneously ropes the viewer into his tragic plight.

The man responsible for bringing the character of Jimmy Testagross to life is Ron Eldard, a film and theatre veteran last seen onscreen in J.J. Abrams’ homage to Steven Spielberg, Super 8. Eldard is also known for his roles starring alongside heavyweights such as Oscar-winners Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly in House of Sand and Fog, Ewan McGregor and Josh Hartnett in Black Hawk Down, and Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, and Brad Pitt in Sleepers. When he’s not committed to a film or TV project, Eldard practices his craft on Broadway, with roles like Father Flynn in Doubt, and Biff in Death of a Salesman. Eldard’s roles often find him in complicated positions, gray areas that demand sympathy or reservation of judgment by the audience. It’s not hard to guess why; because the actor’s droopy-lidded, dimpled visage, and long tough-guy hair make you want to secretly hug him, have a beer with him, and hear him out. Roadie is no different.

The film, stars Jill Hennessy (TV’s Crossing Jordan) as Nikki and Bobby Cannavale (Win Win) as Randy, both of whom participate in Jimmy Testagross’ twenty-four hour adventure immediately upon his return to their hometown. Having been unceremoniously fired from his gig as Blue Oyster Cult’s roadie of over twenty years, Jimmy is a man flung into the ether, forced to quickly gather himself among the ghosts of his childhood and the illusions of adulthood. Written by Michael and Gerald Cuesta and directed by Michael Cuesta, Roadie hits a wide range of notes; from Jimmy’s relationship to his aging mother (True Blood’s Lois Smith) to his relationship with his former high school girlfriend, it all strikes a poignant, honest chord.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ron Eldard about his work on Roadie. The extremely talented and charmingly modest actor discussed the new film, broken hearts, director Michael Cuesta, his favorite scene in the movie, and getting to work with Blue Oyster Cult.

Journeyman actor Ron Eldard has had a long and distinguished career in both films and on television, you may not recognize him by name but trust me; you would definitely know his body of work. The actor first gained attention for his role as Paramedic Ray “Shep” Shepard on the extremely popular NBC series ER, and then went on to be featured in a slew of successful films including Deep Impact, Black Hawk Down, and House of Sand and Fog. But the actor is perhaps best known for his starring role in the short-lived Steven Bochco series Blind Justice, as well as playing opposite Brad Pitt, Jason Patric, Billy Crudup, and Kevin Bacon in Barry Levinson’s Sleepers, which also co-starred acting legends Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman. After a recent short stint on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the actor returned to the big screen this summer in the hugely successful J.J. Abrams directed film Super 8, which was produced by Steven Spielberg and is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

The film takes place in the summer of 1979, in a small fictional Ohio town called Lilian. Eldard plays Louis Dainard, a single father with a drinking problem, who works in the town’s local factory. One day Louis is too drunk to go to work and the woman that takes over his shift, the wife of Deputy Jackson (Kyle Chandler), is killed as a result. Blaming himself for the accident, Louis visits Jackson at his wife’s wake to give his condolences but is instead taken into custody by the Deputy. Four months later, the deputy’s son, Joe (Joel Courtney), is helping his friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) make a low-budget zombie movie on Super 8 film and convinces Dainard’s daughter Alice (Elle Fanning), who Joe has a crush on, to act in the film. However, both Dainard and Deputy Jackson forbid their respective children from interacting together, causing a very “Romeo and Juliet” type theme. The two kids defy their single parents and eventually start to fall for each other. Things get even more complicated when the kids are shooting one night near the train tracks and witness a truck purposely derail an oncoming locomotive in order to free something that the government is transporting inside. This begins a chain of events that will force the kids to work together in order to solve the mystery of what was on the train, and save the town from a misguided military, and a frightened extra-terrestrial creature that only wants to go home.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to actor Ron Eldard about his role in Super 8, as well as his distinguished acting career. Eldard spoke candidly with me about the film, how and why he got the part, working with J.J. Abrams; his collaboration with Steven Spielberg, making an Amblin film, his emotional scene with Kyle Chandler, the film’s excellent cast of young actors, creating the alien/monster, and which one of his past projects he is most proud of.

Ever since Walt Disney Studios acquired Marvel Comics in 2009 fans have been wondering just what the studio has planned for “The House of Ideas” vast catalog of characters and material. We know that they plan to continue what Marvel Studios began doing on the big screen in 2008 with Iron Man, which will culminate with next summer’s highly anticipated superhero team-up movie The Avengers, but what about on the small screen? Disney does own ABC after all and there has not been a live-action TV series based on a Marvel property on network television since The Incredible Hulk starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno in the late ‘70s. But that could all change soon as it was announced last year that Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg would write and executive produce a pilot for ABC based on the extremely popular Marvel comic book series "Alias" by Brian Michael Bendis.

"Alias," which will be re-titled AKA Jessica Jones for TV, tells the story of Jessica Jones (“Jewel”), a former superhero who gave up costumed crime fighting to become a private detective. While Rosenberg’s biggest success has come from penning the entire Twilight film series, she’s no stranger to writing for television as she’s a former writer and executive producer of Dexter. She is even familiar with writing comic book adapted material having penned several episodes of the Batgirl inspired series Birds of Prey. I recently had a chance to speak with screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg about the status of AKA Jessica Jones while she was out promoting The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, which will be in theaters on November 18^th.

You might not know him by name, but you would definitely recognize actor Greg Ellis if you saw his face. Ellis has appeared on dozens of popular television shows such as X-Files, Nip/Tuck, Trust Me, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and season three of 24 as biological weapons dealer Michael Amador. He’s also had roles in several successful feature films including the Academy Award-winning Titanic, Beowulf, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek where the actor had the honor of being the new franchise’s first official “red shirt” (a stock character who dies soon after being introduced). But Ellis is best known for his role as Lieutenant Theodore Groves in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, including last summer’s mega-hit Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.

Ellis first played Groves in the original Pirates movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and while he did not appear in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, he did return to the series for the third chapter, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. But the actor’s largest role in the series came with the most recent edition to the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. In the film, Groves is promoted to Lieutenant Commander while working with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) aboard the H.M.S. Providence to find the Fountain of Youth. He aids Barbossa and Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) on their quest to find the Fountain and claims it for the British Empire before ultimately battling Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and the Spaniards.

I recently had a chance to speak with actor Greg Ellis about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The actor spoke candidly with me about the film, his character’s evolution, playing sidekick to Geoffrey Rush’s Barbossa, the differences between working with the film’s director Rob Marshall and former Pirates director Gore Verbinski, his reaction the first time he saw Johnny Depp play Jack Sparrow, playing the first “red shirt” in Star Trek, and the loophole that J.J. Abrams has come up with so that Ellis can possibly appear in Star Trek 2.

In my opinion, pound-for-pound, one of the best actresses working in the film industry today is Michelle Monaghan. After small roles in movies like Unfaithful, The Bourne Supremacy, and Constantine, not to mention a short stint on the TV series Boston Public, Monaghan finally gained national attention acting opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer in Shane Black’s fan-favorite buddy-comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. But it was her role as Tom Cruise’s girlfriend in J.J. Abrams' Mission: Impossible III that made the actress a star. Since then she has gone on to appear in a string of popular films such as Gone Baby Gone, Eagle Eye, Due Date, and Source Code. Now the actress returns to the big screen once again with another outstanding performance in the new film Machine Gun Preacher, which opened September 23^rd in limited release.

Machine Gun Preacher tells the true story of biker/preacher Sam Childers who after a life of crime devotes himself to God and becomes a defender of Sudanese orphans. Actor Gerard Butler (300) gives an Oscar worthy performance as Childers, while Monaghan plays his loving wife Lynn, who introduces him to his faith and supports him on his quest. The film is directed by Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) and features very strong supporting performances from Michael Shannon (Man of Steel) as Childers’ drug addicted best friend Donnie, Kathy Baker (Edward Scissorhands) as Childers’ mother, and Souleymane Sy Savane (TV’s Damages) as Deng, a Sudanese rebel that joins Childers on his quest to save the orphans.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of speaking with Michelle Monaghan about Machine Gun Preacher and her impressive career. The actress spoke candidly to me about the new film, portraying a non-fictional character on screen, meeting the real Lynn Childers, acting opposite Gerard Butler, Sam Childers’ amazing accomplishments, her next few film projects, and the possibility of a sequel to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Mystery novelist James Patterson has seen his most popular creation, detective/psychologist Dr. Alex Cross, portrayed twice on the big screen by Oscar winning actor Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby). First in ‘1997s Kiss the Girls co-starring Ashley Judd (Heat), and secondly in ‘2001s Along Came a Spider co-starring Monica Potter (Con-Air). But soon actor/director Tyler Perry (Madea’s Big Happy Family, I Can Do Bad All by Myself) will be taking over the role from Freeman in the upcoming film I, Alex Cross, which will act as a prequel to the other films. The movie is directed by Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, xXx) and in addition to Perry stars Ed Burns (Saving Private Ryan, She’s the One), Rachel Nichols (Star Trek, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Conan the Barbarian), Jean Reno (Ronin, Leon: The Professional), Matthew Fox (Lost, Speed Racer), John C. McGinley (Platoon, Seven), Giancarlo Esposito (The Usual Suspects, Smoke), and Cicely Tyson (The Help, Bustin’ Loose).

Today I had a chance to speak with actress Rachel Nichols about her new film A Bird of the Air, which opens in select theaters on September 23^rd. While I had the actress on the phone I asked her about I, Alex Cross, how filming is going, her character, director Rob Cohen’s vision for the movie, and how Tyler Perry is doing taking over the role from Morgan Freeman. I also took the opportunity to ask the actress about J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (which also featured Tyler Perry) and her role as Orion born Starfleet Academy Cadet Gaila. I asked the popular actress what she’s heard about the impending sequel, and if she thinks that her character will make a return. Here is what she had to say:

You may not know him by name … but you definitely know his music. Academy Award winning film composer Michael Giacchino has written some of the most recognizable themes in film and on television in the last decade including Lost, Mission: Impossible III, The Incredibles, Star Trek, Cloverfield, Ratatouille, and Up, which earned him his Oscar. He’s also composed the scores for two of the biggest hits of the summer, director J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, and the Pixar sequel Cars 2, which opened last weekend and earned over $66 million in its debut.

I recently had a chance to sit down and speak with composer Michael Giacchino about his work on Cars 2, his impressive career, the craft of composing, collaborating with directors, and a few of his upcoming projects. Here is what he had to say:

Opening in theaters on June 10th is the latest mysterious film from Star Trek director, and Cloverfield producer J.J. Abrams called Super 8. The movie stars Kyle Chandler (TV's Friday Night Lights), Ron Eldard (Black Hawk Down), and Noah Emmerich (Fair Game), as well as child actors Elle Fanning (Babel), Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, and Zach Mills (Changeling). IAR's Managing Editor Jami Philbrick recently had a chance to sit down exclusively with the film's child-star Joel Courtney, as well as director J.J. Abrams to discuss the film, the director's vision for the movie, Abrams' fear of having too many similarities to Cloverfield, and what it was like for him to collaborate with producer Steven Spielberg.

Actor, director, writer and producer Tyler Perry may have begun his career as a playwright but has transitioned himself into one of the most powerful filmmakers in Hollywood. He is probably best known to audiences for his role as Madea, which he has played in six of his films including Diary Of A Mad Black Woman, Madea's Family Reunion, Meet the Browns, Madea Goes To Jail, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and Madea's Big Happy Family, which opens in theaters on April 22nd. Perry also produced the Oscar winning film Precious, which earned an Academy Award for supporting actress Mo'Nique.

When it comes to J.J. Abrams and his film's, acquiring early production information is nearly impossible. The man loves to keep his projects as secretive as possible, and he’s quite successful at managing this feat. Therefore, it should be no surprise that we really don’t know too much about his latest effort, Super 8.