Dave Meyers

Biography


David "Dave" Meyers is a popular American music video director known for being creative and inventive. He has directed almost 200 high-profile videos including Jay-Z's 'Dirt Off Your Shoulder', Brandy's 'Talk About Our Love', Hilary Duff's 'Come Clean', and Dave Matthews Band's 'The Space Between'. He is also a frequent collaborater with Pink, and Missy Elliott, with whom he co-directed Lose Control, winning the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 2006.
Meyers enrolled into Loyola Marymount University upon graduation from Berkeley High School (California), acquired degrees in Film Production and Philosophy, and worked his way through the studio systems at Paramount and Fox before filming his first music video with underground rap crew The Whoridas. He once said "I think there is always about 80 percent of the music videos playing that are lousy." His video for 'Work It' won the 2003 MTV Video Music Award for Best Video of the Year. He directed the 1999 Eddie Griffin comedy Foolish, and this year's remake of The Hitcher (2007 film).

Mel Gibson

Biography

Date of Birth

3 January 1956, Peekskill, New York, USA

Birth Name

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson

Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson was born on January 3, 1956, in Peekskill, New York, USA as the sixth of eleven children to parents Hutton Gibson, a railroad brakeman, and Ann Gibson, who was born in Australia and died in December of 1990. Though born in the US, Mel and his family moved to New South Wales, Australia. After high school, Mel studied at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, performing at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts alongside future film thespians Judy Davis and Geoffrey Rush. After college, Mel had a few stints on stage and starred in a few TV shows. Eventually, he was chosen to star in Mad Max (1979) and in a movie called Tim (1979), co-starring Piper Laurie. The small budgeted movie Mad Max (1979) made him known worldwide, while Tim (1979) garnered him an award for Best Actor from the Australian Film Institute (equivalent to the Oscar). Later, he went on to star in Gallipoli (1981), which earned him a second award for Best Actor from the AFI. In 1980, he married Robyn Moore and, as of today, they are still together and have seven children. In 1984, Mel made his American debut in The Bounty (1984), which co-starred Anthony Hopkins. Then in 1987, Mel starred in what would become his signature series, Lethal Weapon (1987), in which he played "Martin Riggs". In 1990, he took on the interesting starring role in Hamlet (1990/I), which garnered him some critical praise. He also made the more endearing Forever Young (1992) and the somewhat disturbing The Man Without a Face (1993). 1995 brought his most famous role as "Sir William Wallace" in Braveheart (1995), for which he won two Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. From there, he made such box office hits as The Patriot (2000), Ransom (1996), and Payback (1999/I). Today, Mel remains an international superstar mogul, continuously topping the Hollywood power lists as well as the Most Beautiful and Sexiest lists. His $25 million paycheck for The Patriot (2000) is the latest milestone for actor's salaries.

IMDb Mini Biography By: TrendEkiD@aol.com

Biography

Date of Birth

27 January 1957, Olney, Maryland, USA

Height

6' 1½" (1.87 m)

Mini Biography

Frank Miller was a big comics writer/artist in the 70s and 80s. He wrote and penciled the Marvel series "Daredevil" for a long time. Friend Klaus Janson inked. He also wrote two spinoffs about the character Electra and did a miniseries about the "X-Men" character Wolverine. His hit miniseries "Ronin" was published by DC in the mid-eighties. His greatest success came with DC's character Batman. In 1980, he wrote the acclaimed "Batman" story "Wanted - Santa Claus - Dead or Alive!" for DC Comics. In 1986, his most notable comic-book work, the groundbreaking "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," an alternate history story about Batman in a grim future, was published by DC. Miller wrote and penciled, In 1988, he wrote the acclaimed "Batman: Year One," about Batman's first year on the job, for DC. In 1996, he wrote "Spawn versus Batman," a one-shot issue published by DC and Image Comics. Miller also co-created the Robocop character. He wrote the major motion pictures _Robocop 2 (1990)_ and RoboCop 3 (1993) and did the "Robocop" comic series for a little while.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Sean Murphy

Spouse

Lynn Varley

(? - ?)

Trade Mark

Is best known for his grim film-noirish comic book stories using characters like Batman and Daredevil as well as original works like Sin City.

Often features characters with a physical or mental affliction. Both Miho and Kevin from Sin City are mute, whilst Marv's mother, Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Stick and Manute are all blind. Both Sin City's Hartigan and Batman in Dark Knight Returns suffer heart problems.

Often features characters who are 'killed', disfigured or mortally wounded, only to be surgically rebuilt stronger and deadlier than before, eg. Robocop, Dwight, Batman.

Trivia

Writes, draws, and inks all of his Sin City comics.

Has worked for both Marvel Comics and DC Comics.

His comic book series Sin City is on the Dark Horse Comics label.

In mid-2003, a comic book company called Avatar is publishing a comic book series adapting his original screenplay for _Robocop 2 (1990)_ , which allegedly had enough subplots and material for several movies.

He claimed in the introduction to "The Dark Knight Returns" that he got the idea of writing of a Batman in his mid 60s from a age crisis he had. He "could stand that his little brother was older than Spider-Man, but that he himself getting older than Batman, was something that had to be stopped." He was 29 years old, closing up on 30, writing "The Dark Knight Returns."

Has told in several interviews that he got the inspiration for the "noir and gritty experience" of all his comics (especially Sin City) from noir writers Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett. The pacing was very influenced by the Lone Wolf & Cub manga by Goseki Kojima & Kazuo Koike

Moved to New York in 1976, when he was 19. Within a week of his arrival he had found work as a comic book artist.

Has said that the Romantic Manifesto by Ayn Rand, a book of collective essays about art and romanticism, helped him to determine how he'd go about creating his heroics.

Was approached by New Line Cinema in 1988 to write and direct "A Nightmare On Elm Street 5". He declined due to prior commitments.

Created the comic book character Elektra who has gone on to appear in the movies 'Daredevil (2003)' and 'Elektra (2005)' , played by Jennifer Garner.

Personal Quotes

"I figured Daredevil must be Catholic because only a Catholic could be both an attorney and a vigilante."

"You can't have virtue without sin. What I'm after is having my characters' virtues defined by how they operate in a very sinful environment. That's how you test people."

"I was always into noir. When I lived in Vermont I was drawing stuff that looked like an amateur doing 'Sin City'. When I first got to New York I was swiftly informed that they only did guys in tights."

"I realized that I was about to turn 30, and Batman was permanently 29. And I was going to be damned if I was older than Batman."

[about his inspirations] I'm a comic book artist. So I think too myself, what do I like to draw? I like to draw hot chicks, fast cars and cool guys in trench coat. So that's what I write about.

[on Batman Begins] "I totally thought they did a damned good job. It was the first 'Batman' movie I've genuinely liked. I sat there, I watched it, and I came out of there going, 'Well done, man.' Sure, they used my stuff - they used everybody's stuff, but they used my stuff a lot - but they did it well, and that's all I care about. It was Batman. What I mean by that is, I thought the character was true. You understand, when I work on a character, I have a very, very hard time seeing anybody else's interpretation. I get very possessive. But when I went out to see this thing, I said, 'This is a pretty cool Batman.' I wasn't sitting there going, 'This is a merchandising tool.' I felt like it really had heart and substance, and Christian Bale with no doubt performed the best Batman I have ever seen."

Where Are They Now

(2001) Writing and illustrating "Sin City," a comic series, for Dark Horse; co-writing the script for "Batman: Year One," a feature film adaptation of his comic series for Warner Brothers; writing and illustrating "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" for DC, a sequel to "The Dark Knight Returns;" outlining "Jesus!", a comic-book version of the life of Christ for Dark Horse Maverick.

(2004) Just finished filming Sin City (2005) together with Robert Rodriguez, in late post-production. Also preparing stories for future Sin City graphic novels.

Justin Lin

Biography

Justin Lin's tale will sound remarkably familiar to countless aspiring filmmakers who have paid their dues by maxing out their credit cards and spending sleepless nights starving while wondering if their projects will ever reach the screens. Dead broke and frustrated that his films had not been financially lucrative, Lin decided to take one last shot at becoming a director, literally pouring in every ounce of energy and creativity that he could muster up in order to craft a feature that would make or break his career. Fortunately for Lin, his gamble was a success and his solo debut feature, Better Luck Tomorrow (Lin had previously co-directed Shopping for Fangs with filmmaker Quentin Lee), received both critical acclaim and a distribution deal with MTV films. Since then, Lin has been cited as one of the film industry's most promising young directors.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, and raised in Buena Park, CA, Lin had little interest in movies as a child, putting most of his energy into sports and other extracurricular activities; however, after a chance encounter with a camera, Lin was hooked. An education at UCLA School of Film and Television followed, and it wasn't long before the burgeoning talent had earned his BA and MFA in film directing. In addition to his schoolwork, Lin also found the time to join Lee behind the camera for the decidedly bizarre Shopping for Fangs. Though the film showed at film festivals, it went largely unseen, and Lin continued his work as production coordinator of the Media Arts Center at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Lin also worked closely with youth in teaching sports and media, a job that found his interest in the mindset of the younger generation growing. Compelled by the differences in mentality between himself and his young students, Lin began penning a screenplay that was to become his short-form thesis script. An insightful tale of youthful malaise among the Asian American high-school set, Lin's script was polished and tight, though he was convinced that the idea could easily become a feature -- soon bringing in writers Ernesto Foronda and Fabian Marquez to help flesh out the screenplay. When the script was completed, it began to get buzz around town, and Lin decided to set a date and begin shooting on digital video no matter what problems arose. When Fiji caught wind of the project, they offered Lin 20,000 feet of film for no charge, and though the offer was tempting, the young director approached Kodak -- whose Vision stock Lin thought perfectly suited his vision -- to see if they would match the offer. When Kodak agreed the following day, Lin's film went from DV to 35 mm, and things began to look up. Of course, there were still plenty of other expenses to be covered by maxed-out credit cards, but in the end, the success of Better Luck Tomorrow more than made up for any previous financial strain. A dark tale of crime that resonated loudly with the younger generations, Better Luck Tomorrow was acquired by MTV Films and released to much acclaim. In the years that followed, Lin continued to ponder his future as a filmmaker, and in 2004, he began pre-production on the Navy boxing drama Annapolis. Though that film wouldn't fare particularly well at the box-office, Lin's subsequent effort, The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift found the emerging director shifting into action mode to impressive results. A gas-guzzing, peddle to the metal sequel that introduced American filmgoers to the Japanese art of "drift" racing, The Fast and the Furious 3 earned a healthy keep at the multiplex while potentially pointing Lin's career in a whole new direction. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Martin Campbell

Biography

Date of Birth

24 October 1940, Hastings, New Zealand

Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

Martin Campbell knows how to entertain an audience when he steps behind the camera. When he directed The Mask Of Zorro, the movie earned Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and launched the international careers of Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Next, when he helmed Vertical Limit, the film was well received by the critics and earned over $200 million in worldwide box office sales. In addition, Campbell is credited with rejuvenating the James Bond franchise when he directed GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan's first outing as the famed British spy, which went on to gross more than $350 million. He is directing the next Bond feature as well, Casino Royale.

Born in New Zealand, Campbell moved to London where he began his career as a cameraman. He went on to produce the controversial British feature Scum, as well as Black Joy, which was selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Campbell made his directorial debut on the British police action series "The Professionals," and continued with the popular BBC series "Shoestring" and Thames TV's "Minder."

Considered one of the U.K.'s top directors by the mid 1980s, he directed the highly praised British telefilm, "Reilly: Ace Of Spies." For his work on "Edge Of Darkness," a five-hour BBC miniseries about nuclear contamination in England that depicted murder and high-ranking corruption, he won six BAFTA awards.

Campbell's first Hollywood movie was Criminal Law and he went on to direct Defenseless and No Escape. Some of his American credits include directing HBO's "Cast A Deadly Spell" and two episodes of NBC's "Homicide: Life On The Street," among others. He also directed the epic romance Beyond Borders starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Sol E. Romero

(6 October 2006 - present)

Trade Mark

Frequently sets important portions of the film or has characters fighting one another atop very high places.

Personal Quotes

I like pre-production and post the best. I don't like shooting at all. I find it grueling and tough, but I love post and the whole process of seeing the film finally come together. You start ironing out all the rough spots, and the really bad bits you just throw away. So from day one of post to the last day, you see nothing but improvements.

"He's a young Steve McQueen and I wanted to show that. As a first-time director, I wanted to make sure I hired people who were good actors. That was really important, to make my life easier. Daniel is so on the cusp of becoming a big star, and I hope this is the catalyst." - On Daniel Craig

Brett Ratner

Biography

Date of Birth

28 March 1969, Miami Beach, Florida, USA

Height

5' 8" (1.73 m)

Mini Biography

Ratner grew up in Miami Beach, the only child of a famous Jewish socialite mother. He attended Miami Beach Senior High and was President of the Leo Club in 1986. He was also a member of the "fraternity" Royal Palm. He attended NYU film school currently lives in a $3.6 M house in Beverly Hills. Ratner is also a good friend of Def Jam mogul Russell Simmons, and has directed music videos for many rap stars.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Fratboy2

Trade Mark

Opens his movies with a character singing.

Frequently casts Don Cheadle, Chris Tucker and Ken Leung.

Frequently casts Don Cheadle.

Frequently casts 'Ken Leung' .

Trivia

Engaged to Rebecca Gayheart [1997]

Got his start by directing rap and hip-hop videos for his friend Russell Simmons. When the original director of Money Talks (1997) had to be replaced, Russell Simmons recommended him.

Attended Miami Beach Senior High

Once vowed he would not direct movies until he had directed at least 100 music videos.

Without knowing him, Steven Spielberg sent him $5000 to finish his final film project at NYU after he sent out 20 letters to producers asking for help.

Dating Serena Williams. [2004]

His favorite film is Scarface (1932).

Was in pre-production for a remake of John Cassavetes' The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) after he finished Rush Hour (1998). It was to be written by Cassavetes' son, Nick Cassavetes and Warren Beatty was set to star. Ratner left the project when he was offered The Family Man (2000).

Favorite film director is Hal Ashby.

After meeting with real life FBI agents, he decided that it would not be authentic to have Scott Glenn reprise the role of Jack Crawford in Red Dragon (2002), his The Silence of the Lambs (1991) prequel. Instead, he cast Harvey Keitel, in a role originally created by Dennis Farina in Manhunter (1986). Keitel and Farina had also both played Ray Barbone in the film Get Shorty (1995). Ratner was considered for directing the sequel to Get Shorty, entitled Be Cool (2005), in which Keitel also appears.

Ranked #81 on Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. He did not rank on the 2004 list.

At Miami Beach Senior High School was a drama student of well-known instructor Jay W. Jensen.

Replaced director Matthew Vaughn just two months before filming began on X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).

Was for some time attached to direct Superman Returns (2006). He left the project because of repeated delays and difficulty in casting a lead actor. The project then went to Bryan Singer, while Ratner went on to direct X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), the two previous movies in the saga having been directed by Singer.

In Red Dragon (2002), digital technology was used to smooth over some of Anthony Hopkins's facial features so that he would look younger than he was in The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Similar technology was used in the first scene of X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), so that Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen could play their characters twenty years younger.

Considered directing Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).

Personal Quotes

"There's no difference between a tacky Jew from Miami and a rap star. They both want the Cadillac and the Rolex with the diamonds."

"In Hollywood you gotta keep the movement. You gotta have three or four projects and whichever one comes in first, or better, that's the one you're going to do."

"There are very few perfect films. I think Reservoir Dogs (1992) is close to being a perfect film".

"Why do I need final cut? Final cut is for artistes quote unquote--directors whose movies don't make a lot of money. Maybe Scorsese should have final cut because a guy like Harvey Weinstein or a studio might change it to make it a little more accessible or a little more commercial and he has a vision of what he wants it to be. He wants it to be four hours long or whatever."

[Explaining his recasting of the role of "Jack Crawford" with Harvey Keitel in Red Dragon (2002)]: When Jonathan Demme said make your own version, I couldn't see anyone but Anthony Hopkins and I couldn't see anyone but Anthony Heald as "Dr. Chilton". I can't see another acting doing it. But what happened was I went down to the FBI, and discovered they're like tough New York Cops. They weren't like Scott Glenn.

"No matter how successful you are, you are not invincible. The studio is writing the checks. It's all about leverage and who has the power. The goal is to get the biggest deal you can, because you are going to have to give something back to the studios anyway."

Salary

Red Dragon (2002)	$6,000,000
Rush Hour 2 (2001)	$5,000,000
The Family Man (2000)	$5,000,000

Gore Verbinski

Biography

Date of Birth

16 March 1964, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

Birth Name

Gregor Verbinski

Height

6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Biography

Gore Verbinski, one of American cinema's most inventive directors who was a punk-rock guitarist as a teenager and had to sell his guitar to buy his first camera, is now the director of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) which made the industry record for highest opening weekend of all time ($135,600,000) and grossed over $1 billion dollars worldwide.

He was born Gregor Verbinski on March 16, 1964, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States. His father was of Polish descent, he worked as a nuclear physicist at the Oak Ridge Lab. In 1967 the Verbinski family moved to California, and young Gregor grew up near San Diego. His biggest influences as a kid were Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis and Black Sabbath's Master of Reality. He started his professional career as a guitarist for punk-rock bands, such as The Daredevils and The Little Kings, and also made his first films together with friends. After having developed a passion for filmmaking, he sold his guitar to buy a Super-8mm camera. Then Verbinski attended the prestigious UCLA Film School, from which he graduated in 1987 with his BFA in Film. His first professional directing jobs were music videos for alternative bands, such as L7, Bad Religion, and Monster Magnet. Then he moved to advertising and directed commercials for Nike, Canon, Skittles, United airlines and Coca-Cola. In 1993 he created the renowned Budweiser advertising campaign featuring croaking frogs, for which he was awarded the advertising Silver Lion at Cannes and also received four Clio Awards.

Verbinski made his feature directorial debut with Mousehunt (1997), a remarkably visual cartoonish family comedy. His next effort, The Mexican (2001), came to a modest result. However, Verbinski bounced back with a hit thriller The Ring (2002), grossing over $230 million dollars worldwide. His biggest directorial success came with the Disney theme park ride based Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), with a brilliant acting ensemble, grossing over $650 million dollars, and bringing five Oscar nominations and many other awards and nominations. Disney ordered two more films which Verbinski shot one after another on location in the Carribean islands, for which he had to endure both tetanus and typhoid immunization shots. After having survived several hurricanes, dealing with sick and injured actors, and troubleshooting after numerous technical difficulties of the epic-scale project, Verbinski delivered. He employed the same stellar cast in the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and the third installment of the 'Pirates' franchise Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).

Gore Verbinski does not like publicity. He has been enjoying a happy family life with his wife and his two sons. He is currently residing with his family in Los Angeles, California.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Shelokhonov

Trivia

Winner of 4 Clio Awards and one Cannes advertising Silver Lion.

Creator of the Budweiser frogs.

Was guitarist of punk band, The Daredevils, with Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion and Josh Freese of The Vandals.

Was guitarist in punk band, Little Kings.

Was brought in to take over the last 18 days of shooting on The Time Machine (2002), as director Simon Wells was suffering from "extreme exhaustion". Wells returned for post-production.

Ranked #79 on Premiere's 2004 annual Power 100 List. It is his first appearance on the list.

Was a 1987 graduate of the prestigious UCLA film school

His Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) holds many box office distinctions, such as: highest opening weekend of all time ($135.6M), fastest film to reach $100M (in just two days), most tickets sold in a single day ($55.8M worth), and largest sum earned in seven days ($196M total and counting). The blockbuster sequel also reached $200M in eight days, tying the industry record.

Shawn Levy

Biography

SHAWN LEVY

American Shawn Levy originally had his heart set on acting and studied the craft at Yale University. After graduating at the age of 20, he moved to Los Angeles to make his fortune. Landing small roles on series like 21 Jump Street, thirtysomething, Beverly Hills 90210 as well as in films such as Wild Thing (1987) and Made in America (1993), Levy found his acting experience becoming less interesting, and the director's chair was beckoning.

Leaving the world of acting behind, Levy went back to school to learn the craft of directing. While enrolled in the Masters Program at USC Film School, he produced and directed the short, Broken Record (which was awarded the Golden Plaque award at the Chicago Film Festival).

Beginning his directing career on the small screen, Levy made waves early on, earning a nomination from the Director's Guild Awards for his work on the series, The Secret World of Alex Mack. Other projects landed on his doorstep, including directing episodes of The Journey of Allen Strange, Cousin Skeeter, Animorphs and First Wave. He went on to direct television pilots for So Weird, Caitlin's Way, and The Famous Jett Jackson. The latter earned him a regular gig as a director, writer, and even gave him the opportunity to guest star.

Throughout his years of television directing, Levy also worked on a number of feature films, including Just In Time (1997), and Big Fat Liar (2002). By 2003, he concentrated his efforts towards directing for the big screen, with films like Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and The Pink Panther (2005), both starring Steve Martin.

Filmography (director):

Night at the Museum (2006)
The Pink Panther (2006)
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
Just Married (2003)
Big Fat Liar (2002)
Address Unknown (1997)
Just in Time (1997)


Filmography (actor):

Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
Big Fat Liar (2002)
Made in America (1993)
The Kiss (1988)
Wild Thing (1987)
Zombie Nightmare (1986)

Brad Bird

Biography

Date of Birth

11 September 1957, Kalispell, Montana, USA

Birth Name

Phillip Bradley Bird

Spouse

Elizabeth Canney

(1988 - present) 3 children

Trade Mark

Use of the letter/number sequence A113, his classroom number at Cal Arts

Trivia

Started training as an animator at 14.

Trained as a Disney animator.

Graduated from Corvallis High School (Corvallis, Oregon), 1975.

His son is Nicholas Bird who did the voice of "Squirt" in Finding Nemo (2003) and "Little Boy on the Tricycle" in The Incredibles (2004).

His oldest son is Michael Bird, and he provided the voice of "Tony Rydinger" in The Incredibles (2004).

Personal Quotes

When I write things, often at the moment I'm writing, I'm thinking of camera angles; it's not a separate part of the process, it kind of comes out all at the same time. So I have really strong opinions about how things are presented, but at the same time I'm thinking about things that I want to present. It's like when somebody speaks, they assemble words in a certain way, but it's not always that conscious, it just comes out. That's the way film is for me.

Well, I like superheroes, but I'm not one of those guys who knows what issue 437 is of "Whatever." And I think people assume that because The Incredibles is about superheroes, that I know all that stuff. I kind of got it second-hand, from the movies. I'm happy to hear from anybody that does know that stuff, but I'm fairly oblivious to that really large volume of comic book lore that's been generated.

I think there's a tendency [among some animators] to wink at the audience so much that you feel that you're above the world that you're presenting-like the filmmaker doesn't really believe in the world that he's putting on screen. And there's a safety in that, because if you try to make the audience feel something besides comedy, like if you try to make them feel moved, you risk looking really silly if it doesn't work.

I love, love, love the medium of film. But that is the strange dichotomy of film, is that the medium is so unbelievably magical and wonderful, and the business is so--UGH! It's kind of the price you pay. Some friend of mine said you're not getting paid to work in the medium; you'd almost do that for free. But you're getting paid to suffer all the, you know-[Laughs].

There is a contingent of the digital-effects community to whom that is the holy grail - to create photographically real humans. To me that is the dumbest goal that you could possibly have. What's wonderful about the medium of animation isn't recreating reality. It's distilling it.

"Really, really little kids should not see this movie. They should wait till they get older. We're getting some reactions from people who were disappointed that their four-year-old was a little freaked out by it. Well, I don't want to compromise the intensity in order to please a four-year-old." [on 'Incredibles, The']

"I reject that whole point of view - that animation is a children's medium. The way people talk about it is, well, hey, it's a good thing I have kids, because now I get to see this. Well, hey, no, man! You can just go and see it. There's no other art form that is defined in such a narrow way. It's narrowminded, and I can't wait for it to die."

(About Ed Catmull, John Lasseter and Steve Jobs at Pixar): "I refer to those guys as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Ed, who invented this cool medium and is the designer of the human machine that is Pixar, is the Father. John, its driving creating force, is the Son. And you-know-who is the Holy Ghost."

People think of animation only doing things where people are dancing around and doing a lot of histrionics, but animation is not a genre. And people keep saying, "The animation genre." It's not a genre! A Western is a genre! Animation is an art form, and it can do any genre. You know, it can do a detective film, a cowboy film, a horror film, an R-rated film or a kids' fairy tale. But it doesn't do one thing. And, next time I hear, "What's it like working in the animation genre?" I'm going to punch that person! [From the audio commentary on the DVD for The Incredibles (2004)]

Tony Scott

Biography

Date of Birth

21 June 1944, North Shields, Northumberland, England, UK

Birth Name

Anthony D. L. Scott

Nickname

T-Scott

Height

5' 6½" (1.69 m)

Spouse

Donna W. Scott	(24 November 1994 - present) 2 children
Gerry Scott	(1967 - 1974) (divorced)
Glynis Sanders	(? - ?) (divorced)

Trade Mark

Constantly wears a faded red baseball cap. It often appears in his films.

Often casts Denzel Washington and Christopher Walken.

[director's trademark - camera pan across a large tower]. The "top of the world" tower at the casino in Domino and Beat The Devil, The tower in Mexico City at the start of Man on Fire

Has used dogs in many of his movies including Top Gun, True Romance, Crimson Tide, The Fan, Enemy of the State, Man on Fire, and Domino.

Kinetic, choppy editing

Trivia

Brother of director Ridley Scott

Uncle of Jake Scott

Partner, with Ridley Scott, in Scott Free Productions.

Once had a biography of Mexican icon Pancho Villa in production. At the same time, his brother, Ridley Scott, also had a Pancho Villa project in development. The story made headlines, and although both brothers are careful to note differences in the two projects, neither project has yet been produced (2001).

His films are known for their rich visual style, with dazzling cinematography and beautiful production designs.

Visual trademarks include heavy use of smoke, colored filters, and shafts of light breaking through windows, often through blinds.

Often works with film editor Chris Lebenzon

Starred in brother Ridley Scott's first filmmaking effort, "Boy and Bicycle", in 1960 at the age of 16, playing the title role. The film is currently owned by the British Film Institute, and video copies are currently available for purchase.

Is an avid mountain climber

Graduated from the Royal College Of Art In London, England.

Has directed literally thousands of television commercials, most for his brother Ridley Scott's company RSA (Ridley Scott Associates), between the early 1970s and the early 1980s.

Once linked romantically to Brigitte Nielsen, whom he directed in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). Both were married at the time, Nielsen to Sylvester Stallone. Scott has since admitted the affair was what led to his divorce from his second wife.

Turned down a chance to direct Beautiful Girls (1996), because he felt he couldn't do justice to Scott Rosenberg's script, which placed characterization and dialogue above dramatic event.

In the early 1980s, was reported to be a contender to direct the highly regarded screenplay Starman (1984), since British commercial veterans were suddenly in vogue in Hollywood ('Alan Parker' , Adrian Lyne, Hugh Hudson, Ridley Scott, etc.) However, the reaction to his debut film, The Hunger (1983), was so negative that his stock in Hollywood sank almost instantly. Starman was ultimately directed by John Carpenter, and Scott's next film was Top Gun (1986), three years later.

Son of Elizabeth Jean Scott.

Uncle of actress Jordan Scott

Dedicated his movie Spy Game (2001) to the memory of his mother Elizabeth Jean Scott who died that year.

Performance (1970) by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg is one of his favourite films.

Unlike brother Ridley Scott, he utilizes mostly American actors in lead roles. (Only four leads in his features have not been American since The Hunger (1983): Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie in The Hunger (1983); Nicole Kidman in Days of Thunder (1990)) and Keira Knightley in Domino (2005)).

Often works with editor Christian Wagner

He and his brother Ridley have both worked with the following actors: Tom Skerrit (Alien, Top Gun), Tom Cruise (Legend, Top Gun), Viggo Mortensen (G.I. Jane, Crimson Tide), Brad Pitt (Thelma & Louise, True Romance), Giancarlo Giannini (Hannibal, Man on Fire), and Gary Oldman (Hannibal, True Romance).

Was classmates with Stephen Goldblatt and Richard Loncrain in Film School.

Often casts Denzel Washington.

Personal Quotes

About Ridley Scott: "Nobody does toga movies like my brother."

Where Are They Now

(September 2001) Tony and Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions signs a 3-year production deal with Fox. Each will produce (separately and together) films for Fox and each will direct at least one film at Fox in that time.

Joe Carnahan

Biography

Date of Birth

9 May 1969, Sacramento, California, USA

Birth Name

Joseph Aaron Carnahan

Height

6' 2" (1.88 m)

Trade Mark

Hi-speed "zoom in" shots.

Frequently changes the speed of some scenes.

Trivia

Graduated from Fairfield High School, Fairfield, California in 1987.

Worked in the promotions department at Channel 31 in Sacramento, California.

Named among Fade In Magazine's "100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know" in 2005.

Is the brother of Matthew Michael Carnahan.

Considered a legend in the theatre and film community in his Hometown of Fairfield, CA. Several Plaques are hung in the Film dept of Solano Community College where his journey to greatness began.

For a small time was a student of George Maguire (Fight Club, Leonard Part 6)

Frequently uses rap stars as actors in his movies, Busta Rhymes was in Narc and Alicia Keys and Common were in Smokin Aces.

Usually uses Mauro Fiore as the director of cinematography for his recent films (Ticker and Smokin' Aces).

Was hired to direct "Mission: Impossible III" (2006) but left the project.

Is a fan of the legendary English soccer team Manchester United, aka 'The Red Devils'.

Darren Aronofsky

Date of Birth

12 February 1969, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Mini Biography

Darren Aronofsky was born February 12, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, Darren was always artistic: he loved classic movies and, as a teenager, he even spent time doing graffiti art. After high school, Darren went to Harvard University to study film (both live-action and animation). He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, "Supermarket Sweep", starring Sean Gullette, which went on to becoming a National Student Academy Award finalist. Aronofsky didn't make a feature film until five years later, in February 1996, where he began creating the concept for Pi (1998). After Darren's script for Pi (1998) received great reactions from friends, he began production. The film re-teamed Aronofsky with Gullette, who played the lead. This went on to further successes, such as Requiem for a Dream (2000) and, most recently, the American remake of the Japanese film series Lone Wolf and Cub (2008).

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Trade Mark

Frequently uses a technique known as the hip-hop montage, which is a sequence of images or actions shown in fast-motion with accompanying sound effects, usually shown to simulate a certain action, such as taking drugs.

Fade to white for emphasis, a break in the story, or an end of an Act/Section in the story.

Use of sounds to objects that are not always seen on screen (i.e., a train horn, or slurping liquid).

Uses a string instrument and techno beat combination for the soundtrack to his films.

Use of the Snorricam (a camera device that is rigged to the body of the actor).

Trivia

Attended Harvard University.

Attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, New York.

Attended the American Film Institute.

Frequently casts Sean Gullette.

Engaged to British actress Rachel Weisz.

Named among Fade In magazine's 100 People in Hollywood You Need to Know in 2005.

During 2001/2002, he was attached to direct and co-write a screen adaption of Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One". Darren's co-writer was, of course, Frank Miller, who had also written "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" and the "Sin City" graphic novels.

2004: Lives in New York with actress Rachel Weisz.

He and his fiancée, Rachel Weisz, became the parents of a boy Henry Chance, on May 31st 2006.

His first computer was a TRS-80.

Personal Quotes

"I try to live my life where I end up at a point where I have no regrets. So I try to choose the road that I have the most passion on because then you can never really blame yourself for making the wrong choices. You can always say you're following your passion."

"There's always been a lot of pressure and tension on the line. If Pi (1998) didn't work out, I have no idea what my career would be. I don't think I would have gotten another shot at it. If Requiem for a Dream (2000) didn't work out, they would have called me a 'one-hit wonder with a sophomore slump'".

"To me, watching a movie is like going to an amusement park. My worst fear is making a film that people don't think is a good ride."

Salary

Requiem for a Dream (2000)

$50,000

Where Are They Now

(December 2002) Working on _Batman: Year One (2003)_ with Frank Miller.

(March 2004) Currently working on Lone Wolf and Cub (2008).

(July 2006) Completed 'The Fountain', working on 'Flicker' and 'Lone Wolf and Cub' scripts.

Sam Raimi

Biography

Date of Birth

23 October 1959, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA

Birth Name

Samuel Marshall Raimi

Nickname

Sammy

Height

5' 11" (1.80 m)

Mini Biography

Highly inventive US film director/producer/writer/actor Sam Raimi first came to the attention of film fans with the savage, yet darkly humorous, low-budget horror film The Evil Dead (1981). From his childhood Raimi was a fan of the cinema and before he was ten years old, he was out making movies with an 8mm camera. He was a devoted fan of The Three Stooges, so much of Raimi's film work in his teens, with good friends Bruce Campbell and Robert G. Tapert, was slapstick comedy based around what they had observed from Stooges movies.

Among the three of them they wrote, directed, produced and edited a short horror movie titled Within the Woods (1978), which was then shown to prospective investors to raise the money necessary to film The Evil Dead (1981). It met with lukewarm interest in the US with local distributors, so Raimi took the film to Europe, where it was much more warmly received. After it started gaining positive reviews and, more importantly, ticket sales upon its release in Europe, US distributors showed renewed interest, and "Evil Dead" was eventually released stateside to strong box office returns. His next directorial effort was Crimewave (1985), a quirky, cartoon-like effort that failed to catch fire with audiences. However, he bounced back with Evil Dead II (1987), a racier and more humorous remake/sequel to the original "Dead" that did even better at the box office. Raimi was then given his biggest budget to date to shoot Darkman (1990), a comic book-style fantasy about a scarred avenger. The film did moderate business, but Raimi's strong visual style was evident throughout the film via inventive and startling camera work that caught the attention of numerous critics.

The third chapter in the Evil Dead story beckoned, and Raimi once again directed buddy Campbell as the gritty hero "Ash", in the Gothic horror _Army of Darkness (1993)_ . Raimi surprised fans when he took a turn away from the fantasy genre and directed Gene Hackman and Sharon Stone in the sexy western The Quick and the Dead (1995); four years later he took the directorial reins on A Simple Plan (1998), a crime thriller about stolen money starring Bill Paxton and Bridget Fonda. In early 1999 he directed the baseball film For Love of the Game (1999) and in 2000 returned to the fantasy genre with a top-flight cast in The Gift (2000). In 2002 Raimi was given a real opportunity to demonstrate his dynamic visual style with the big-budget film adaptation of the Stan Lee comic book superhero Spider-Man (2002), and fans were not disappointed. The movie was strong in both script and effects, and was a runaway success at the box office. Of course, Raimi returned for the sequel, Spider-Man 2 (2004), which surpassed the original in box-office takings.

Raimi remains one of Hollywood's most creative, exciting and intelligent filmmakers.

Trade Mark

Raimi is a huge fan of The Three Stooges. He made many super-8 films that resembled classic Stooge shorts. He uses Stooge-like sequences in many of his movies.

Often credits a character called a "Shemp", a homage to the Three Stooges. Most frequently it is a "Fake Shemp", a reference to the Three Stooges shorts where a stunt man was used in place of Shemp Howard.

Often has a voiceover from a principal character at the end of his films.

On-going in-joke feud with Wes Craven.

Frequently casts Bruce Campbell, 'Theodore Craven' .

Kinetic, wild camera movement.

Likes the "whip pan," possibly inspired by Martin Scorsese.

Frequently figures out difficult shots by "reverse motion acting" (filming the actor acting backwards and playing in reverse).

Usually wears a jacket and tie on the set of his films, a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock.

Often includes scenes in his movies in which large clocks/clock towers play important parts; for example, The Quick and the Dead (1995), Spider-Man 2 (2004).

Often has his Oldsmobile appear in his films.

Trivia

Attended Michigan State University, East Lansing MI, as an English major.

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen use many of Raimi's trademark camera movements in their films.

Brother of Ted Raimi and Ivan Raimi.

Has had an automobile named "the classic" in every one of his films.

Always has his car (a yellow 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88) somewhere visible to the audience in all of his films (including a modified covered wagon, according to Bruce Campbell, in The Quick and the Dead (1995)) It is even visible in the Spider-Man (2002) trailer (the car that Spider-man jumps on).

During the mid-80s, Raimi used to live in an apartment with actor Bruce Campbell, writer/director Scott Spiegel, writer/director Joel Coen, writer/producer Ethan Coen and actresses Holly Hunter, Frances McDormand and Kathy Bates.

His wife Gillian is the daughter of Lorne Greene.

Often casts his brother, Ted Raimi, in his films.

Is a avid fan of Spider-Man comic books.

Friends with director John Landis. Had cameos in Landis' Spies Like Us (1985) and Innocent Blood (1992), while Landis did cameos in Raimi's Darkman (1990) and Spider-Man 2 (2004). Both also appeared in Stephen King's ABC mini-series "The Stand" (1994) (mini).

Many years before landing the role of director on the Spider-Man movies, Raimi planned to create a film based on Marvel's comic interpretation of "The Mighty Thor" with Stan Lee. While the movie never materialized, Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man and many other Marvel characters, became good friends with Raimi and later appeared in cameos on the Spidey flicks.

In 2004, both he and the Coen brothers cast J.K. Simmons and Bruce Campbell in one of their movies; Spider-Man 2 (2004) and The Ladykillers (2004).

Has worked with actor J.K. Simmons four times - Spider-Man (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), For Love of the Game (1999), and The Gift (2000).

Born on the same day as 'Weird Al' Yankovic' .

His oldest brother, Sander, died in a swimming pool accident at the age of 15 while on a scholarship trip to Israel. Sander used to perform magic tricks for Sam and his friends; when he died, Sam learned to perform the tricks himself.

His family name was changed from the German name Reingewertz.

Ranked #33 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List #48 on the 2004 list and #37 in 2003.

He wanted to adapt and direct The Shadow (1994), but was denied the rights to do it. Instead, he created his own superhero with his film Darkman (1990).

Ranked #33 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. Had ranked #48 in 2004.

Ranked #23 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked #33 in 2005.

His breakthrough project, the low-budget horror cult film "The Evil Dead" (1981), had an estimated budget of $350,000. Twenty-five years later he helmed a production with an estimated budget at 1,000 times the cost of that film, "Spider-Man 3" (2007), with an estimated production cost of $350,000,000, making it the most expensive motion picture produced up to that time.

1977 graduate of Birmingham Groves High School, Birmingham, Michigan.

Personal Quotes

"I love the Spider-Man character. And that's what's at the heart of it. That's why I really love it. But there's another fun thing that I never had before where you make your movie and a lot of people see it and they seem to like it. So it's like oh my god, I've always been the nerd, lame ass guy on the side, but I made something that a lot of people like. I know that won't last for long, and I'm obviously riding the Spider-Man thing. He's a popular character for 40 years. So anyone who makes a Spider-Man movie gets to make a popular movie. But it's fun to be popular, even if it's a brief, lame thing, and even though I know it's not important. I can't help it. It's really fun and I know how quickly things turn in Hollywood."

"Audiences really don't go see a lot of movies - except in L.A. and New York I think, and maybe one or two other cities, maybe Chicago - where there are foreign-born, foreign-speaking actors. That's just the culture we are."

"And it was great making movies in college because if you made the right movie you'd get this cigar box full of $5 and $1 bills, you'd have like 500 bucks after a weekend. And it was like oh my god, we're rich! We've got to make another picture. But if the movie bombed, you spent a lot of money on the movie, on the ads at the State news, renting the theater, lugging these heavy speakers, the projector bulbs, [and] it was a washout, you realize this movie is not making money. I'm broke. I've got to make the movie that they want to see. So it was a great learning experience."

And I do think there's a new crop of American filmmakers coming. And they're in high school right now. They're in Mrs. Dawson's English class! They've got new tools, they've got computers and the video cameras, which are the equivalent of our super-8mm training ground. It's even better because they can shoot for free. We had to gather up like four bucks, five bucks to buy a roll of film, another three bucks to process it, and that was a very limiting [thing], in high school you've gotta rake leaves for three hours to shoot a roll of film! So these new filmmakers have these advanced editing tools with the incredible manipulation of imagery available on a standard computer."

"I think if people love the source material, and that's really whey they're making the movie, then that's a natural outcome. That the things we all love, and work with the creators of the movie to save the things that were so effective. I think it's situations where people don't love the material, they just say, oh that was a big hit, it could be a big hit here. It's just generalizing. Things got lost if you don't understand why people like a thing. When you love something, it's easy to say, 'That's my son, cut out his heart? No, he needs the heart.' It's harder when you don't love the thing yourself."

"At every step of the way wanted to be careful to make sure that what they thought worked in Japanese horror got translated into this. [Taka and Shimizu] didn't want to have solid explanations for everything. That was the challenge, to somehow make it acceptable to the American audience, rules being one of the many things we talked about but not lose what make it striking and unique." [on 'Grudge, The']

In an American horror film, you usually have a character and a shot of them. Then their point-of-view moving down a hallway, approaching a door and they're coming closer to the door. And a hand reaches for the knob, and you know, the moment or the moment before or the moment after, based on the timing of the editor and the director, there'll be a big moment of an attack or a scare. What Shimizu does is a moment where Sarah Michelle Gellar is opening this closet, to see what's inside, and we Americans think something is going to jump out, there's nothing in the closet but darkness. And then you start to realize, within that darkness, you see a shape. Is it a knee? Oh, yes it's a knee, and there's a face in there. That's always been there. That I can just perceive within the blackness. And it unnerves me in the freakiest way! And in a completely different way than the sledgehammer technique of some of our cruder American directors. [pause] Such as myself!"

Robert Rodriguez

Biography

Date of Birth

20 June 1968, San Antonio, Texas, USA

Birth Name

Robert Anthony Rodriguez

Nickname

The Wizard

Height

6' 2" (1.88 m)

Mini Biography

Robert Rodriguez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, USA. At a very young age he showed an interest in cartooning and filmmaking and devoted all his time to this developing fascination. Finally it resulted for him in making real movies, and just first of them - Mariachi, El (1992) - made him the legend of independent ultra-low budget filmmaking. His further career is a sign for young filmmakers that even the most wild dream may come true if you are brave enough to follow your own path. Since then Robert has written, directed, and/or produced up to 10 cool movies, such as Desperado (1995), From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), The Faculty (1998) and Spy Kids (2001).

IMDb Mini Biography By: fan@rodriguez.al.ru

Mini Biography

Of all the people to be amazed by the images of of John Carpenter's 1981 sci-fi parable, Escape from New York (1981), none were as captivated as the 12-year-old Tejano boy who sat with his friends in a crowded cinema. Many people watch films and arrogantly proclaim "I can do that." This young man said something different: "I WILL do that. I'm gonna make movies." The young man in question is Robert Rodriguez and this day was the catalyst of his dream career.

Born and raised in Texas, Robert was the middle child of a family that would include 10 children. While many-a-child would easily succumb to a Jan Brady-sense of being lost in the shuffle, Robert always stood out as a very creative and very active young man. An artist by nature, he was very rarely seen sans pencil-in-hand doodling some abstract (yet astounding) dramatic feature on a piece of paper. His mother, not a fan of the "dreary" cinema of the 1970s, instills a sense of cinema in her children by taking them on weekly trips to San Antonio's famed Olmos Theatre movie house and treats them to a healthy dose of Hollywood's "Golden Age" wonders, from Sergio Leone to the silent classic of Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

In a short amount of time, young Robert finds the family's old Super-8 film camera and makes his first films. The genres are unlimited: action, sci-fi, horror, drama, stop-motion animation. He uses props from around the house, settings from around town, and makes use of the largest cast and crew at his disposal: his family. At the end of the decade, his father, a salesman, brings home the latest home-made technological wonder: a VCR, and with it (as a gift from the manufacturer) a video camera.

With this new equipment at his disposal, he makes movies his entire life. He screens the movies for friends, all of whom desperately want to star in the next one. He gains a reputation in the neighbourhood as "the kid who makes movies". Rather than handing in term papers, he is allowed to hand in "term movies" because, as he himself explains, "[the teachers] knew I'd put more effort into a movie than I ever would into an essay." He starts his own comic strip, "Los Hooligans". His movies win every local film competition and festival. When low academic grades threaten to keep him out of UT Austin's renowned film department, he proves his worth the only way he knows how: he makes a movie. Three, in fact: trilogy of short movies called "Austin Stories" starring his siblings. It beats the entries of the school's top students and allows Robert to enter the programme. After being accepted into the film department, Robert takes $400 of his own money to make his "biggest" film yet: a 16mm short comedy/fantasy called Bedhead (1991). Pouring every idea and camera trick he knew into the short, it went on to win multiple awards.

After meeting and marrying fellow Austin resident Elizabeth Avellan, Robert comes up with a crazy idea: he will sell his body to science in order to finance his first feature-length picture (a Mexican action adventure about a guitarist with no name looking for work but getting caught up in a shoot-'em-up adventure) that he will sell to the Spanish video market and use as an entry point to a lucrative Hollywood career. With his "guinea pig" money he raises a mere $7,000 and creates Mariachi, El (1992). But rather than lingering in obscurity, the film finds its way to the Sundance film festival where it becomes an instant favourite, wins Robert a distribution deal with Columbia pictures and turns him into an icon among would-be film-makers the world over.

Not one to rest on his laurels, he immediately helms the straight-to-cable movie _Roadracers (1994)_ (TV) and contributes a segment to the anthology comedy Four Rooms (1995) (his will be the most lauded segment). His first "genuine" studio effort would soon have people referring to him as "John Woo from south-of-the-border". It is the "Mariachi" remake/sequel Desperado (1995). More lavish and action-packed than its own predecessor, the movie--while not a blockbuster hit--does decent business and single-handedly launches the American film careers of Antonio Banderas as the guitarist-turned-gunslinger and Salma Hayek as his love interest (the two would star in several of his movies from then on). It also furthers the director's reputation of working on low budgets to create big results. In the year when movies like Batman Forever (1995) and GoldenEye (1995) were pushing budgets past the $100 million mark, Rodriguez brought in "Desperado" for just under $7 million.

The film also featured a cameo by fellow indie film wunderkind, Quentin Tarantino. It would be the beginning of a long friendship between the two sprinkled with numerous collaborations. Most notable the Tarantino-penned vampire schlock-fest From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). The kitschy flick (about a pair of criminal brothers on the run from the Texas Rangers, only to find themselves in a vamp-infested Mexican bar) became an instant cult favourite and launched the lucrative film career of "ER" (1994) star George Clooney.

After a two-year break from directing (primarily to spend with his family, but also developing story ideas and declining Hollywood offers) he returned to "Dusk till Dawn" territory with the teen/sci-fi/horror movie The Faculty (1998), written by _Scream (1996)_ writer, Kevin Williamson. Although it's developed a small following of its own, it would prove to be Robert's least-successful film. Critics and fans alike took issue with the pedestrian script, the off-kilter casting and the flick's blatant over-commercialization (due to a marketing deal with clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger).

After another three-year break, Rodriguez returned to make his most successful (and most unexpected) movie yet, based on his own segment from Four Rooms (1995). After a string of bloody, adult-oriented action fare, no one anticipated him to write and direct the colourful and creative Spy Kids (2001), a movie about a pair of prepubescent Latino sibs who discover that their lame parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are actually two of the world's greatest secret agents. The film was hit among both audiences and critics alike.

After quitting the Writers' Guild of America and being introduced to digital filmmaking by George Lucas, Robert immediately applied the creative, flexible (and cost-effective) technology to every one of his movies from then on, starting with an immediate sequel to his family friendly hit: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) which was THEN immediately followed by the trilogy-capper Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003). The latter would prove to be the most financially-lucrative of the series and employ the long-banished movie gimmick of 3-D with eye-popping results.

Later the same year Rodriguez career came full circle when he completed the final entry of the story that made brought him to prominence: "El Mariachi". The last chapter, Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), would be his most direct homage to the Sergio Leone westerns he grew up on. With a cast boasting Antonio Banderas (returning as the gunslinging guitarist), Johnny Depp (as a corrupt CIA agent attempting to manipulate him), Salma Hayek, Mickey Rourke, Willem Dafoe and Eva Mendes, the film delivered even more of the Mexican shoot-'em-up spectacle than both of the previous films combined.

Now given his choice of movies to do next, Robert sought out famed comic book writer/artist Frank Miller, a man who had been very vocal of never letting his works be adapted for the screen. Even so, he was wholeheartedly convinced and elated when Rodriguez presented him with a plan to turn Miller's signature work into the film Sin City (2005). A collection of noir-ish tales set in a fictional, crime-ridden slum, the movie boasts the largest cast Rodriguez has worked with to date. Saying he didn't want to mere "adapt" Miller's comics but "translate" them, Rodriguez' insistence that Miller co-direct the movie lead to Robert's resignation from the Director's Guild of America (and his subsequent dismissal from the film _John Carter of Mars (2006)_ as a result). Nevertheless, he has looked back on his decision with no regrets.

Playing by his own rules or not at all, Robert Rodriguez has redefined what is and is not for a film-maker to do. Shunning Hollywood's ridiculously-high budgets, multi-picture deals and the two most powerful unions for the sake of maintaining creative freedom are decisions that would (and have) cost many directors their careers. Robert Rodriguez has turned these into his strengths, creating some of the most imaginative works the big-screen has ever seen. Where will his career lead him next ? It's hard to say. He's too busy making movies to think about a time when he can't make them anymore.

By: Buddy-L, Daly City, Ca.

Spouse

Elizabeth Avellan

(9 July 1990 - present) (separated) 5 children

Trade Mark

DVD releases of his movies always include a do-it-yourself/behind-the-scenes features on the movies entitled "10-minute Film School" (although they are rarely actually ten minutes). Beginning with the disc for Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), he's also begun including "10-minute Cooking School" to show how to cook the trademark dishes his characters dine on.

Frequently sets his films in Texas.

Frequently begins films with a scene where a supporting character is talking to another supporting character about the main character. See: Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Characters getting shot in the hand (See: El Mariachi, From Dusk Till Dawn).

Trivia

Wrote a book named "Rebel Without A Crew," about his experience making the movie Mariachi, El (1992).

Brother of Elizabeth Rodriguez, Christina Rodriguez, David Rodriguez, Rebecca Rodriguez, Patricia Vonne, and Angela Lanza.

Went to St. Anthony's High School.

Studied at St. Anthony's University, The University of Texas at Austin.

He earned most of the $7000 it cost to make Mariachi, El (1992) by subjecting himself to experimental drug studies.

In April of 1996, headed the list of "25 Most Powerful Hispanics in Hollywood", published by Hispanic Magazine.

Cousin of Álvaro Rodríguez.

In May 1999 he was honored with the Outstanding Young Texas Award by the Ex- Students' Association.

Sons: Racer Rodriguez, Rocket Rodriguez, Rebel Rodriguez.

One of the experimental drugs that was tested on Rodriguez was a "speed healer." He has two divots in his arms as a result of the removed sample.

Frequently uses Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Elijah Wood and Robert Patrick.

Famous for working and delivering on relatively low budgets. His most expensive movie cost $35 million, most are budgeted $20 million or lower.

Has final cut and final approval of all marketing materials in his contracts.

Ranked #80 in Premiere's 2003 annual Power 100 List. Had ranked #94 in 2002.

Set up a symphony orchestra in his garage to record the score for Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002).

He wrote two scripts for "Predator 3" (which later became _AVP: Alien Vs. Predator (2004)_ ). One took place at a ship in the 17th century, while the second one was about Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover's characters being taken to the alien planet, as trophies.

Turned down the chance to direct Kevin Smith's script for "Superman Lives" (which as of 2004 is not being made in to a feature film, having been replaced with another script).

His production company was called "Los Hooligans", named after the comic strip he drew in college, but it is now titled "Troublemaker Studios".

Left the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) in late 2001, citing the organization had "too many rules and just take your money."

Kevin Smith also pursued Rodriguez to helm his controversial religious satire Dogma (1999). Rodriguez turned it down, insisting that the project was so personal that Smith ought to do it himself.

Left the Directors' Guild of America (DGA) in March 2004 when they refused his request to share the directors' credit with Frank Miller on Sin City (2005). Other notable DGA "defectors" include his close friends George Lucas and Quentin Tarantino.

The last of his movies shot on film was Spy Kids (2001). During post-production of that film at Skywalker Ranch, George Lucas introduced him to 24p HD film-making and Rodriguez was immediately converted. He owns two Sony HDW-F900 cameras, the same model used by Lucas on the Star Wars prequels.

Was originally chosen to direct _John Carter of Mars (2006)_ for Paramount and had already begun some of the preproduction in early 2004. However, once he left the DGA, Paramount (which will only allow their films to be directed by DGA members) replaced him.

Directed parts of the scene in Pulp Fiction (1994) where Quentin Tarantino appears as Jimmy. (Rodriguez was uncredited for his directing.)

After seeing John Carpenter's Escape from New York (1981) at age 12, he knew he wanted to be a filmmaker.

Edited Mariachi, El (1992) at a public access station in Austin, Texas. He edited from late at night to the early hours in the morning, because the time was cheaper. However the station would often close up, setting the alarm; this meant he would have to stay at his editing bench for eight hours at a time without restroom breaks.

Absolutely loathed the fact that he had to shoot his movies on film to enter them into film festivals. Soon after Bedhead (1991) and Mariachi, El (1992) hit, many festivals began admitting video formats.

Directed, shot and edited a concert film for Del Castillo entitled _Del Castillo: Live (2003)_ (V) . He and Castillo share several band members. Rodriguez uses them in his newly-formed band, Chingon (Spanish for "bad ass"). They recently released an album and played on the end credits for Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) for his friend, Quentin Tarantino.

Cousin of actor Danny Trejo.

Salma Hayek is his children's godmother.

Is an accomplished chef.

Has resigned from the DGA twice. The first time was so he could directed the non-guild Four Rooms (1995) with Quentin Tarantino and two other directors. The second time was in 2004 when he wanted to give Frank Miller a co-director credit for Sin City (2005).

Ranked #48 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. Had ranked #61 in 2004.

His adult-oriented movies always feature a fictional brand of beer called "Cerveza Chango". Chango is the Orisha (a deity as in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria - an amalgam of African tradition and Catholocism) of fire, lightning and dance. Chango is renowned for the way he avenges crimes against the innocent, a recurring theme in Rodriguez-movies in which the fictional beer appears.

Since 1998, he has possessed the film rights to the comic book "Madman" by Mike Allred. Although the film has yet to be produced, Allred is the one who helped Rodriguez get in touch with Frank Miller, which led to the latter's own comic property becoming the movie Sin City (2005). As of 2006, Rodriguez and Allred have gone on record as saying that a screenplay for the "Madman" movie (based on an outline by the two of them) had been written by George Huang, with hopes to start shooting before the end of 2006.

Daughter: Rhiannon Elizabeth

Has 5 children, 4 boys and 1 girl. Rocket, Racer, Rebel, Rogue and Rhiannon.

Personal Quotes

"I didn't want Frank [Miller, creator of the comic "Sin City" and co-writer on the film] to be treated just as a writer because he is the only one who has actually been to 'Sin City'. I am making such a literal interpretation of his book that I'd have felt weird taking directing credit without him. It was easier for me to quietly resign because otherwise I'd have been force to make compromises I was unwilling to make, or set a precedent that might hurt the guild later on." -- March, 2004 in response to why he left the Directors' Guild of America just before the filming of Sin City (2005)

"I always consider Salma [Hayek] for my projects, even for male roles."

Lee Tamahori

Biography

Date of Birth

1950, Wellington, New Zealand

Mini Biography

Beginning as a commercial artist and photographer, he joined the New Zealand film industry in the late 1970s as a boom operator. He became an assistant director a decade later. Making international award-winning commercials for 10 years, he has also directed several TV series. His first feature film, Once Were Warriors (1994), won the PEN First Book Award.

IMDb Mini Biography By: L.H. Wong

Trivia

His father is Maori, his mother is British.

Past jobs have included: commercial artist, photographer, boom operator, and assistant director

Personal Quotes

"Sex should not be in the movies and should be in the home, and violence should be in the movies and not in the home."

Zack Snyder

Biography

Date of Birth

1 March 1966, Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

Height

5' 7" (1.70 m)

Spouse

Deborah Snyder	(25 September 2004 - present)
Denise Snyder	(? - ?) (divorced) 4 children

Trivia

Turned down a chance to direct S.W.A.T. (2003) because it wouldn't be rated R.

Attended Art Center College of Design at Pasadena, California.

Studied visual art at Heatherlies School in London.

Directed a commercial for Subaru WRX. He used it in his debut, Dawn of the Dead (2004), as the commercial before the "Special Report" on TV.

Edgar Wright

Biography

Date of Birth

18 April 1974, Poole, Dorset, England, UK

Nickname

Eball

Height

5' 8" (1.73 m)

Trade Mark

Frequently works with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

Fast action style editing, usually of mundane tasks.

Trivia

Brother Oscar Wright is an artist.

[Director Trademark]: Whip pans and crash zooms.

Is a huge fan of action films.

Is a huge fan of George A. Romero's zombie films, and his film Shaun of the Dead (2004) is filled with references to them. He also made a cameo appearance (along with star and co-writer of Shaun of the Dead (2004) Simon Pegg) in George A. Romero's fourth zombie picture, Land of the Dead (2005).

"Genuinely likes" (according to a radio interview) Michael Bay's action film Bad Boys II (2003).

Directed the fake film trailer "Don't" that appeared between "Death Proof" and "Planet Terror" in Robert Rodriguez's and Quentin Tarantino's double feature, Grindhouse (2007).

Asked Simon Pegg to turn down a part in Dog Soldiers, as Wright wanted Pegg's first role in a horror film to be in Shaun of the Dead.

Personal Quotes

(On Spaced): "It's a show by geeks, for geeks."

"There were zombie films prior to George [Romero], but he pretty much invented the cannibalistic aspect. What we now think of as zombies really are Romero zombies."

"I think it's good to have pressure on yourself. The worst crime is to get kind of really complacent. Me and Simon worked really hard on the script and we kind of beat ourselves up and we're very kind of hypercritical, and so it's good to have pressure. I mean it was weird in terms of when we made Shaun of the Dead. There wasn't really that much expectation about us making a film. There was from people who liked our TV show, but you know we could kind of do it under the radar and this time it was a bit different. Even just filming it on location was kind of interesting because you'd have people watching the entire time."

"Everything that I've done so far has had a bigger budget than the last, but I've never ever felt the benefit of the bigger budget because the ideas always exceed the budget."