Names and faces

English film director Ridley Scott poses for photographers during the premiere of the film 'Exodus' in Madrid, on Thursday Dec. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Abraham Caro Marin)
English film director Ridley Scott poses for photographers during the premiere of the film 'Exodus' in Madrid, on Thursday Dec. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Abraham Caro Marin)

• The biblical film Exodus: Gods and Kings has come under fire for white actors being cast in the main roles as Egyptians. But director Ridley Scott has a message for those trying to boycott the movie: "I say, 'Get a life.'" Scott said he had to assemble the "best possible cast ... on a budget of this scale." The film cost an estimated $140 million. Actor Christian Bale supported his director, saying working with him was "a true partnership." The Oscar-winning actor understands the controversy over the film's casting choices, though he sees the business side of it. "No doubt it would have been a melting pot between Europe and the Middle East and North Africa," Bale said. But he praised Scott for doing what was needed to finance the movie. "He's been incredibly honest in getting a large, big-budget film like this made," he said. Bale was alluding to the fact that investors feel safer with big-name actors. "I don't think fingers should be pointed, but we should all look at ourselves and say, 'Are we supporting wonderful actors in films by North African and Middle Eastern filmmakers and aactors?' Because there are some fantastic actors out there," Bale said.

• The Los Angeles Film Critics Association named Richard Linklater's 12-year experiment Boyhood as the best picture of 2014 on Sunday. Linklater also earned a best director honor for his film while Patricia Arquette picked up best actress -- though IFC will be pushing her performance in the supporting actress category for all major awards. Julianne Moore, meanwhile, who is largely considered an Oscar front-runner for her portrayal of an Alzheimer's patient in Still Alice, was awarded runner-up in the category. In the past week, Boyhood has become the consensus choice for critics groups. The Boston Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle and the New York Film Critics online have all chosen the film as the year's best. The only outlier is the National Board of Review, which gave that prize to A Most Violent Year. The LA Film Critics Awards often overlap with eventual Oscar nominees and sometimes winners but are also known for some quirky choices as well. Just take best actor recipient Tom Hardy, whose nearly solo performance in the little-seen thriller Locke earned him critical raves, but who is notably absent from any serious awards conversation.

A Section on 12/09/2014

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