“What we forget is that the Academy is a star-maker, or it reinforces t...” — Michael Cimino Quote

What we forget is that the Academy is a star-maker, or it reinforces the stardom of people.

I love to scout locations.

I would never suggest that the geography or visual environment of the film is more important than what's going on with the people, but it's a major factor in getting the right tone. Certainly, it influences the actors tremendously.

It's silly - you go to a plastic chapel in Vegas, you get married in 10 minutes, and it takes you 10 years to get divorced.

There's nothing good that comes out of war. It's simply hell on earth, and people survive, and people don't.

The team behind 'The Lego Movie' approached me. They wanted to do something extra special for the Academy Award performance of best song nominee 'Everything is Awesome.' They had seen my earlier version of a Lego Oscar statue, and I was happy to take on the challenge.

The function of combat is not merely to perpetrate violence, but to perpetrate violence on command, instantaneously and reflexively. The function of the service academies is to prepare men for leadership positions where they may someday exercise that command.

Speaking as a parent, I don't think parents think all the time about structures. I know from conversations I've had with other mums, I'll ask: 'Is your child's school an academy or a local authority school?' - and they'll look at me blankly.

So I did a program with the Recording Academy, the Grammy Museum. So pretty much they take, like, one hundred kids during the summer and for a week or two every day they go over something different in music history. Then during the music history part of the program, they would just tell us about the different eras.