the A- Z of cOoL
"ice cool in the afternoon."
Q - T
Reefer Madness, Republic of Loose, Rescue Me, Robert Rodriguez, Rocked with Gina Gershon, Roger Dodger, Mickey Rourke, Repo Man, Risk, Rules of Attraction, Rushmore, Martin Scorsese, Scissor Sisters, Scream, Secretary, Serenity, Seven, Shallow Grave, Shivaree, Shock Movie Massacre, Sin City, Frank Sinatra, Six Feet Under, Kevin Smith, The Sopranos, Kevin Spacey, Spaced, Star Wars Trilogy, Swingers, Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Tilly, To Die For, True Romance, Twin Peaks
* = latest entries are highlighted
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REEFER MADNESS: THE MOVIE MUSICAL (2005) http://www.reefermadness.org/
starring: Christian Campbell, Kristen Bell, Alan Cumming, Steven Weber, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Spanger, John Kassir, Robert Torti, Neve Campbell
director: Andy Fickman genre: musical comedy
REPO MAN (1984) http://id.mind.net/~extang/acRepo.html
starring: Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton
director: Alex Cox genre: sci-fi comedy drama
REPUBLIC OF LOOSE http://www.republicofloose.com/
A "seven-piece ensemble from Dublin who sound like a cross between the sloppy blues of 70s-era Stones and the sparse funk of Red Hot Chili Peppers with a large slice of Southern-fried gospel on the side and a hefty dose of hip hop attitude."
Their live shows are almost the stuff of legend already, and the band have performed several sold-out shows in Ireland and to enthusiastic packed crowds in both London and New York recently.
"Republic of Loose's debut is an astonishing work of wit and soul, blurring musical boundaries in a distinctly 21-st century fashion, and I believe its sheer individuality will force it to wider attention..."
RESCUE ME (2004 - ?) http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/rescueme/main.html
starring: Denis Leary (Tommy Gavin), Mike Lombardi (Mike Silletti), James McCaffrey (Jimmy Keefe), Jack McGee (Chief Jerry Reilly), Steven Pasquale (Sean Garrity), Andrea Roth (Janet Gavin), John Scurti (Kenny Shea), Daniel Sunjata (Franco Rivera)
creators: Denis Leary & Peter Tolan genre: comedy drama
why it's cool: Denis Leary is brilliant as the tragic soul haunted by the victims he failed to save in this cracking firefighter drama. Plus this has to be the only show on tv at the moment, which is as funny as it it sad. Terrific stuff.
number of series: 2 (26 episodes) (so far) shown on: Sky One availability: Season One available on Region 1 dvd
RISK (2000)
starring: Tom Long, Bryan Brown, Claudia Karvan
director: Alan White genre: crime thriller
ROBERT RODRIGUEZ http://www.exposure.co.uk/makers/minute.html
The man behind some of the most innovative, creative, and visually inventive action films of the late '90s and early 2000s, director Robert Rodriguez is the epitome of the do-it-yourself attitude and a renaissance man of cinema. Directing, shooting, and editing nearly every one of his films, Rodriguez 's energetic and self-immersing approach to filmmaking has resulted in some of the most stylish and exciting action films in cinematic history.
Born in July of 1968 into a large family that included ten siblings, Rodriguez was never lacking in inspiration due to the antics of his brothers and sisters and became fascinated with cartooning and filmmaking at an early age. Prompted to jump behind the camera after becoming enamored by John Carpenter 's Escape From New York at age 12, the fledgling director's brothers and sisters served as a capable cast and crew, and with his father's Super-8 camera in hand, Rodriguez took his first steps toward auteurhood. Shocked by the cost of developing films, the junior director showed early signs of budget-consciousness when he switched to video due to its versatility and the room it gave him to experiment. Awarded a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin soon after his graduation from St. Anthony's High School, Rodriguez inked a popular comic-strip entitled Los Hooligans (inspired by the antics of his siblings) and continued to make films despite being rejected from the institution's film school due to poor academic promise. Undaunted by the rejection, it was Rodriguez who would have the last laugh as his 16 mm film Bedhead won multiple awards and opened many doors. A humorous tale of a girl who gains psychic powers after receiving a bump on the head, the film's unique humor stood out among the usually morose film-festival entries and charmed audiences and judges alike.
Also recognized by Columbia University for his skills as a comic writer and artist during this period, Rodriguez soon began setting his sights on making a feature-length film. Once again intimidated by the high cost of processing film, the resourceful director came up with one of the most unique forms of financing ever conceived by a filmmaker desperate for funding. Serving as a human guinea pig by subjecting himself to experimental drug studies, Rodriguez secured the 7,000 dollars he needed to get El Mariachi off the ground. With his good friend Carlos Gallardo serving as the hapless lead and a ragtag crew working round-the-clock in a Mexican border town, shooting was completed in 20 days for intended distribution in the Spanish video market. Bought by Columbia Pictures for distribution in the United States, El Mariachi was hailed for not only its unique style and energy, but also for the remarkably resourceful circumstances surrounding its creation as well. Brought in at the last minute to direct the made-for-cable feature Roadracers (1994) soon after, and helming "The Misbehavors," arguably the most entertaining segment in the ill-received Four Rooms the following year, it wasn't long before Hollywood was calling for a sequel to Rodriguez 's maiden effort. As much a remake as a sequel, though this time with the noted lead of Antonio Banderas (whom Rodriguez had worked with on "The Misbehavors"), Desperado displayed further indication of its director's resourcefulness but failed to capture the core energy of the original.
Re-teaming with his Four Rooms cohort Quentin Tarantino for the super-kinetic, schizophrenic crime / horror extravaganza From Dusk Till Dawn , the director continued to find his groove in the land of bloated budgets, and despite its dark humor and giddy energy, the film was criticized by many for not sticking to the conventions of a single genre. His follow-up, the subversive sci-fi teen romp The Faculty , was equally compelling, though lost in a sea of post- Scream (1996) self-conscious thrillers . In subsequent years, Rodriguez would remain only slightly involved with the two straight-to-video From Dusk Till Dawn sequels, and many may have found it ironic that the director would receive his most substantial critical success yet with what was essentially a children's film.
A massive box-office hit that offered a family friendly adventure yarn served with a distinctively stylish and surreal twist, Spy Kids (2001) retained all the elements that had endeared Rodriguez to fans and critics, sans the graphic violence and adult elements that rendered his previous works unsuitable for the small fry. Alarmed by the fact that numerous kids had approached him and expressed their love of his very adult-oriented previous features, Rodriguez set out to craft an energetic adventure that called back to his more lighthearted early efforts and shifted away from the latter-career trend of excessive violence. With its deliciously twisted Willy Wonka -inspired villain, bizarre set-pieces, high-tech gadgetry, and positive messages pertaining to the worth of a healthy self-image and the importance of family, Rodriguez won over a whole new generation of fans while simultaneously retaining his already solid and fiercely loyal fan base. Again turning out a stylish and flashy finished product on a remarkably tight budget ( Rodriguez edited much of the film in his garage), the established director proved that his talent spanned numerous genres and his appeal was far reaching. Soon beginning work on a sequel to Spy Kids , Rodriguez also kept busy by beginning production on his longtime dream project, the epic Once Upon a Time in Mexico . He will next be seen directing the comic-book adaptation Sin City.
Fimography
Bedhead (91), El Mariachi (92), Roadracers (94), Desperado (95), Four Rooms (95), From Dusk Till Dawn (96), Mimic (2nd AD - 97), Scream 2 (97), The Faculty (98), Spy Kids (01), Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (02), Delayed (actor - 02), Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (03), Once Upon A Time In Mexico (03), Kill Bill Volume Two (music - 04), Sin City (05), The Adventures of Lava Boy & Shark Girl (05), Grind House (06), Sin City 2 (06)
ROCKED WITH GINA GERSHON (2004) http://www.ifctv.com/ifc/index
starring: Gina Gershon, Girls Against Boys, Lenny Kravitz, Chris Rock, Drea De Matteo, Shelly Cole
director: David Roma genre: documentary
why its cool: Nothing strikes fear more than an actor who decides to branch out and become a singer. But every so often, the marriage of thespian and musician within one exceeds expectations. Another attractive, photogenic celebrity courageously tosses her hat into the ring risking public ridicule: Gina Gershon. You know, the sexy brunette actress with the killer smile, gypsy eyes, lips of perfection, and a smoky voice most men would kill to hear on their answering machine after a hard day at the office.
Weeks away from the release of her longtime pet project and first film as a producer ( Prey for Rock and Roll ), the L.A.-bred performer had an unusual challenge ahead. Unless she went on tour and gave concerts like the character she portrayed in her movie, the distributor would only open it on three screens. Never one to shy in the face of fear, Gershon began the tedious process of looking for a backing band in New York. Eventually, she engaged the services of indie-rock faves Girls Against Boys, a power trio that was not only able to recreate the tough, punk-ish mettle of Prey's soundtrack offerings, but, in Gershon's words, were "the cutest."
Rocked with Gina Gershon, a limited-run series originally seen on cable's IFC, is the equivalent of an all-access, V.I.P. pass inside a four-week, coast-to-coast eight-city tour that documents her transition from "nice Jewish girl" to take-no-prisoners rock and roll frontwoman...
...More fun than a week at a rock and roll fantasy camp, Rocked with Gina Gershon is as revelatory as it is enjoyable. Packed with the most memorable songs from Prey , impressive new material (Gershon's Midnight Girl is an adult alternative hit waiting to happen), and classic rock chestnuts (including The Stooges I Wanna Be Your Dog with high school chum Lenny Kravitz guesting on harmony vocals and lead guitar), don't be surprised if you start scouring store shelves in search of both the Prey DVD and its companion soundtrack.
Read the full review here: http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/showreview.php3?ID=6243
number of series: 1 (6 episodes) shown on: Independent Film Channel availability: available on Region 1 dvd
ROGER DODGER (2002)
starring: Campbell Scott, Jesse Eisenberg, Elizabeth Berkley, Jennifer Beals, Isabella Rossellini, Mina Badie
director: Dylan Kidd genre: comedy drama
MICKEY ROURKE http://www.thebadboymickeyrourkewebsite.com/
Before devoting his energies to New York's Actor's Studio and becoming an actor, Mickey Rourke aspired to be a professional baseball player and boxer. Rourke launched his acting career with small roles in 1941 (1979) and Heaven's Gate (1981) before being noticed in Body Heat (1981) and Diner (1982). He followed with admirable work in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984), and then gave a bravura performance as fanatically determined police captain Stanley White in Year of the Dragon (1985). When the film was slammed by critics, Rourke defended director Michael Cimino and refused critics' requests for interviews. He immediately gained a reputation as a perfectionist, agreeing only to work with directors and on projects that met with his high standards. His 1987 performances in Angel Heart , A Prayer for the Dying , and Barfly attest to this, but starring roles in the infamous 9 1/2 Weeks (1986) and Wild Orchid (1990) gave him a "Eurotrash" taint that was only enhanced by his hot temper and maverick nature. These qualities, however, while career poison in the U.S., did nothing to hurt Rourke 's reputation in France, where he was well-loved. From the late '80s through the '90s, the career of this disillusioned actor with the potential of Robert De Niro suffered a downward spiral. He wrote, produced, and starred in Homeboy (1988), a film about a near brain-dead prize fighter. It was given no theatrical release and went straight to home video. The masochistic connection between this film and his subsequent "new career" as a boxer was undeniable, though he continued to appear sporadically in small films and supporting roles. In 1997, Rourke reprised his role as a sexual sadist in Another 9 1/2 Weeks , a virtual remake of the original, only without the redeeming presence of Kim Basinger.
Although Rourke 's career consisted primarily of direct-to-video titles, he had enough friends and respect among some of his peers that he did make an occasional appearance in big-budget films. In 1997, he had a small role in Francis Ford Coppola 's adaptation of John Grisham 's The Rainmaker . The following year, Vincent Gallo , an unapologetic fanatic of Rourke 's, cast him as the bad guy in Gallo 's directorial debut, Buffalo '66 . Rourke showed flashes of his former brilliance in Steve Buscemi 's Animal Factory (2000), and was one of a number of impressive cameos in Sean Penn 's The Pledge . Rourke was also given one of his largest roles in a major Hollywood release by Robert Rodriguez in the third of that director's Mariachi films, Once Upon a Time in Mexico in 2003.
In 2005, he received much critical praise for his brilliant performance as Marv in comic-book adaptation Sin City. He'll next be seen alongside Keira Knightley in Tony Scott's actioner Domino.
Filmography
Heaven's Gate (80), Body Heat (81), Diner (82), Rumble Fish (83), The Pope of Greenwich Village (84), Year of the Dragon (85), Nine & a Half Weeks (86), Angel Heart (87), Barfly (87), Homeboy (88), The Rainmaker (97), Buffalo 66 (98), Thursday (98), Animal Factory (00), Get Carter (00), The Pledge (01), Picture Claire (01), Spun (02), Masked and Anonymous (03), Once Upon A Time In Mexico (03), Man on Fire (04), Sin City (05), Domino (05), Killshot (06), Sin City 2 (06)
THE RULES OF ATTRACTION (2002) http://www.rulesofattraction.co.uk/
starring: James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Ian Somerhalder, Jessica Biel, Kip Pardue, Clifton Collins Jnr, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Kate Bosworth, Russell Sams, Swoosie Kurtz, Faye Dunaway
director: Roger Avary genre: comedy drama
RUSHMORE (1998)
starring: Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, Bill Murray, Seymour Cassel, Brian Cox, Connie Nielsen, Luke Wilson
director: Wes Anderson genre: comedy drama
SCISSOR SISTERS http://www.scissorsisters.com/
Pop music has exploded, in an edgy, sexy, supremely tuneful commotion – thanks to the uncommonly brilliant sounds of the Scissor Sisters.
Creative sparks first ignited five years ago, when a then 19-year-old explosion of energy called Jake Shears was introduced to a multi-instrumentalist who goes by the title of Babydaddy. Both fired up by a passion for solid songwriting and off-the-wall humour, they joined forces to write hook-studded tunes, adopted NYC as their home – and agreed on a cheeky name that's caused confusion and provoked many blushes in turn. 'None of us are lesbians, though,' say Scissor Sisters, helpfully.
Scissor Sisters bring together rollicking guitar riffs, throbbing synths and a whole bunch of wicked lyrics. Their influences skitter through glimmers of vintage Bowie, Roxy Music and Elton John to Giorgio Moroder, burlesque theatre and rock opera. At college, Jake had majored in Fiction Writing, and numbers like the catchy glam rockin' groove of their debut major single 'Laura' ('I gotta give myself one more chance/To be the man that I know I am') weave feature-length stories through song. Sometimes, it sounds like they're partying hard on cheap champagne; at other points, the moods are downtempo and beautifully, surprisingly wistful: radio-friendly soundtracks for the morning after.
Music this sparky calls for a suckerpunch live presence to match, and before they were honing their studio skills, Scissor Sisters were whipping up a storm with their shows, on home turf at first, and more recently extending to Europe (in Barcelona not long ago, one impressed spectator described them as 'a life-changing experience').
It was on the New York live circuit that the original duo teamed up with a third full-time Scissor Sister: performance artist Ana Matronic; 'She's tough, amazing, glamorous...' the boys enthuse. The hostess of a decadent cabaret show in the Lower East Side who'd learned her magic on the San Francisco scene ('At 20, I realised I'm a drag queen stuck in a woman's body!' she laughs), she first met Jake at a Halloween party, where she'd dressed as a Warhol Factory reject, and he was in the guise of, erm, 'a back-alley abortion'. She recalls: 'We both took one look at each other and thought: "hey, you're cool!"'
Scissor Sisters actually made their debut live appearance at Ana's club in late 2001, and now the stately lady is a fixture at their dates (where the trio are joined by charismatic friends Del Marquis on guitar and Patrick Seacor on drums), and lends her own crisp tones to record. Ana neatly sums up the outfit's stance: 'What we do is about people displaying their fantasies on the outside, trying to break out of the everyday, and look like their dreams.'
There's no denying that they've encouraged a great deal of audience interaction too, which has already included an enthusiastic 75-year-old fan at one show. 'When it's 4.30am and you've got grandma on stage partying with you, you know something works,' laughs Jake.
It's little wonder that The Village Voice lauded Scissor Sisters as 'a rock unit who aren't afraid to play 'disco'; another surefire highlight of their repertoire has them reworking Pink Floyd's prog rock rehab classic 'Comfortably Numb' into a full-blown bootylicious disco anthem, with Jake skilfully providing Bee Gees-styled vocals ('I've always loved singing in falsetto!') and a 'Frankie Says Relax' retro twist. Perhaps the fusion shouldn't work, but they genuinely make the song their own, with massive glitterball panache.
'I don't think we're afraid to play anything,' adds Jake. 'Pop should be meaningful again – it shouldn't be a dirty word. We're not making fun of anything we do, and there's no way we're going to sound manufactured. Our songs are accessible enough to break through barriers. Actually, I've been meaning to write some country music...' Before they go down that particular road for real (anything's possible, as Jake regards songwriting as 'divine intervention'), Babydaddy points out: 'Of course we love the dancefloor, but a nice melange of influences is always going to take you someplace new. From the very beginning, we were saying: "Let's make this larger-than-life".'
And so it is. With three unmistakably individual and attitude-packed New Yorkers at the core (Jake: 'I would have never got together with this group of people in any other place'; Babydaddy: 'We do what we want without compromising'), Scissor Sisters' mission to inject fun and frisson back into pop culture has just gotta be big. Cutting edge has never sounded more irresistibly decadent.
MARTIN SCORSESE http://www.martin-scorsese.net/ http://www.scorsesefilms.com/
For more info, click here.
Click here for a filmography.
SCREAM (1996)
starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Jamie Kennedy, W.Earl Brown, Drew Barrymoore
director: Wes Craven genre: comedy horror thriller
SECRETARY (2002) http://www.secretarythemovie.co.uk/html/home.html
starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, Jeremy Davies
director: Stephen Shainberg genre: twisted romantic comedy drama
SERENITY (2005) http://www.serenitymovie.com/ http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/
starring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Krumholtz
director: Joss Whedon genre: sci-fi thriller
SE7EN (1995) http://www.newline.com/sites/seven/ http://www.angelfire.com/grrl/amelie/movies/seven.html
starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey
director: David Fincher genre: mystery thriller
SHALLOW GRAVE (1994)
starring: Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor, Ken Stott, Keith Allen
director: Danny Boyle genre: thriller
SHIVAREE http://capitolrecords.com/shivaree/
Taking their name from a word meaning a drunken serenade, the trio Shivaree is led fronted by Ambrosia Parsley . Born in the San Fernando Valley and inspired by her grandmother, who would play ukulele around town, Parsley 's first gig was singing with a 99-piece senior-citizen banjo band at a local pizza place. At the age of 13, she left home, traveling the country and pursuing her love of music. She met guitarist Duke McVinnie, whom had worked with Exene Cervenka , Johnny Otis , and J.J. Cale , at a recording studio where Parsley was tracking, and he began to work with her after making some suggestions. When keyboardist Danny McGough, who had toured with Tom Waits , heard Parsley 's music at a party, he introduced himself, completing the trio which was initially known as Junebug . With their name changed to Shivaree ( Parsley came across the word in a Jesse James bio), they recorded a debut which was promptly discarded. Enlisting singer/songwriter Joe Henry as a producer, they recorded I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in This Dump in Henry 's backyard. Released in 1999, the album was well-received, with Parsley 's striking looks and their quirky take on Americana and alt-country drawing comparisons ranging from Tom Waits to Cowboy Junkies to Billie Holiday . The band spent a lengthy stint on the road where Parsley , overcoming stage fright, captivated crowds, particularly in Europe where they were drawing enthusiastic praise. Shivaree returned with Rough Dreams , which bowed on Capitol in September 2002.
Discography
I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in This Dump (99), Rough Dreams (02), Who's Got Trouble? (05)
SHOCK MOVIE MASSACRE (2003 - ?) http://www.bouffante.tv/shock/
starring: Emily Booth director: Craig Blackhurst genre: cult movie show
why it's cool: First off, Emily Booth's in it. If you recognise her then that's no surprise. She's what you'd call a cult movie goddess. Most recently, she presented the Making of Evil Dead for the trilogy box set. She knows her stuff. To cult movie fans, she's the kind of person you'd dream of dating. The kind of person you have everything in common with. On top of this, she's also really rather lovely. With 'Shock Movie Massacre', she brings you her usual unique brand of quirky humour, lovable personality and kick-ass attitude while at the same time providing you with an in-depth guide to the world of cult movie-making. Sure, alot of the films are pretty shit but who really cares. Its just a bit of fun. At times, silly, strange, funny, informative, violent, sexy and downright rude, this is easily one of the guiltiest pleasures on the box.
"Do you like B-movies? Do you like to watch the underbelly of the movie world? The part that slithers, slimes and, sometimes, high-kicks, across our screens? If you live in the UK, or have Sky satellite, then you must watch Shock Movie Massacre (SMM) on Bravo, Monday to Friday at 10.30pm. Presented by the dynamic and delectable Emily Booth , or Bouff to her fans, the show examines the cult in TV and movies. So far we've seen interviews with a German gore director, the creator of some of the best Hong Kong female assassin movies, a group of loonies in Italy who think they can film the dead, the ins and outs (literally) on a hard core porn movie in Hollywood, and lots more zaniness. Emily Booth is fearless in her search for the wacky and tasteless in the movie industry worldwide, and anything else that takes her fancy. She's a great host for the show and dives into her material with cheerful humour. Emily is more than willing to collude with the weird demands of her interviewees. Recently she was "decapitated", and her disembodied head conducted the interview from a cardboard box.
Yep, it's cheesy, silly and it takes you to some of the most outlandish places in the world, but if you have a penchant for trashy films ( raises hand ) then you should be watching this show. Of course, the added benefit is that you can watch Emily Booth, who is up for anything - and has nice abs too. I first saw her on Bravo's other show that monitors the worst of trashy films: outTHERE 3 . If you're serious about your b-movies, then this is a funny, lighthearted look at some of the best and the worst on offer at the moment." - Maura McHugh
number of series: 1 (15 episodes) (so far) shown on: Bravo, FTN
SIN CITY (THE COMIC) (1992 - ?) http://hem.passagen.se/fm4/sincity.html
writer/artist: Frank Miller
genre: action film noir publisher: Titan
why it's cool: because it is
number of books: 7 (so far) availability: buy the entire series from Amazon.co.uk
SIN CITY (THE FILM) (2005) http://www.sincitythemovie.com/
starring: Jessica Alba, Devon Aoki, Alexis Bledel, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Clarke Duncan, Carla Gugino, Josh Hartnett, Rutger Hauer, Jaime King, Michael Madsen, Frank Miller, Britanny Murphy, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Marley Shelton, Nick Stahl, Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood
directors: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino genre: comic-book film noir
FRANK SINATRA (1915 - 98) http://www.franksinatra.com/ http://www.blue-eyes.com/
Once the idol of swooning female fans, he continued to sing in his own inimitable style through the eras of the big bands, rock and roll and hard rock, never compromising his reputation as ``The Voice.'' On the way he became a legend, for his Grammy-winning music, Oscar-winning acting and a larger-than-life personality. He boasted friendships with presidents and less savory types and even the cocky angle of his hat drew favorable notice.
His unique tenor voice made songs as ``My Way,'' ``New York, New York,'' ``Witchcraft'' and 'The Lady is a Tramp'' memorable hits to generations. Away from the spotlight he was an unpredictable, snappy superstar who fought with the media, lived the life of a potentate and was famed for his romances with the likes of Ava Gardner, Laureen Bacall and Mia Farrow.
A half-century after his first public appearance, he was still packing stadiums and theaters from New York to London, Paris to Las Vegas. A star of more than 50 films, he sold records by the millions. Even in the 1990s, Francis Albert Sinatra, known as the ''Chairman of the Board'' to his colleagues in the entertainment industry and ``Ol' Blue Eyes'' to his millions of adoring fans, could still top the charts.
Titled simply ``Duets,'' it showcased Sinatra with younger singers who once had rejected his brand of music and was hailed as a symbolic healer of that generational gap. The Rolling Stone Encyclopia of Rock and Roll calls Sinatra ``the model and envy of rockers from the beginning.'' Although he mellowed in recent years, the tough background of a boy who grew up in Hoboken, N.J., still showed itself in flashes of temper. But his big heart was evidenced by the fortunes he raised for various charities and the help he gave friends in need.
Though he never graduated from high school, he made millions of dollars and knew how to spend it. From his sprawling, heavily guarded mansion in the millionaires' resort of Palm Springs, Calif., Sinatra ran private planes and limousines for his numerous house guests.
He traveled with an entourage, including bodyguards and his lawyer, and his party often occupied entire hotel floors. It was a far cry from his early days in an Italian and Irish neighborhood in Hoboken, then a gritty riverfront city of saloons, sailors and machine politics across from New York. ''Everyone carried a 12-inch pipe then -- and they weren't studying to be plumbers,'' he once said.
His Sicilian-born father was a fireman and an amateur boxer and encouraged his son to box. His mother, born in Genoa, Italy, was a strong-minded woman who dabbled in politics and was reputed to be a back street abortionist. Sinatra, born December 12, 1915, had hoped to become a sportswriter and worked as an office boy on the local Hudson Observer newspaper. But he became a fan of Bing Crosby and Billie Holiday and formed a singing quartet called the Hoboken Four.
The quartet did not last long, but Sinatra sang ``Night and Day'' on a radio amateur show and was given a job as a singing waiter at a roadhouse. His big break came when he joined the Harry James band in 1939. The same year he cut his first record on which he sang ``From the Bottom of My Heart'' and ''Melancholy Mood.'' But after only six months with James he was lured away by rival bandleader Tommy Dorsey. Singing with Dorsey, he became a sensation in 1940s. Young girls, known as ``bobby-soxers,'' packed each performance to scream and faint in ecstasy as Sinatra sang.
Sinatra developed his own intimate crooning style. ``It occurred to me that the world didn't need another Crosby,'' wrote Sinatra in a 1965 Life magazine article. ``I decided to experiment a little and come up with something different. What I finally hit on was more the bel canto Italian style of singing without making a point of it.''
He developed a style of touching the higher notes softly, gliding the vowels and dragging his voice gently to the lower notes -- without losing one syllable. By this time, Sinatra had married his childhood sweetheart, the former Nancy Barbato, and they had three children, Nancy, Frank and Tina, before their marriage broke up in 1951.
Sinatra made his film debut in 1941 in ``Las Vegas Nights'' and starred in such musicals as ``Anchors Aweigh'' (1945), and ''On the Town'' (1949). But his career slumped in 1950 when he suffered vocal hemorrhages, and his tempestuous behaviour, including public brawls with reporters, was too much even for his sponsors. Few thought he would return, but in typical Sinatra style he clawed his way back. In 1952, he offered to play the role of Maggio in the film ``From Here to Eternity'' for only $8,000 instead of his previous asking fee of $150,000. His performance won an Oscar for best supporting actor.
His film roles ranged from the dramatic -- ``The Man with the Golden Arm'' (1956) and ``The Manchurian Candidate'' (1962) -- to musicals such as ``Guys and Dolls'' (1956), ``High Society'' (1956) and ``Pal Joey'' (1957). He followed this by creating some of his biggest hit songs, including ``Chicago'' (1957), ``It Was a Very Good Year'' (1965), ``Strangers in the Night'' (1966) and ``My Way'' (1969).
Other hits included ``Witchcraft,'' ``I Get a Kick out of You,'' ``The Lady is a Tramp'' and ``New York, New York.'' He was honored with Grammy awards in 1959, 1965 and 1966. Sinatra also became famous for the parties he threw with his ``Rat Pack,'' a group of friends including Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. He was chummy with President Kennedy and Kennedy's actor brother-in-law, Peter Lawford.
On the matrimonial front, Sinatra's stormy marriage to actress Ava Gardner lasted less than six years, of which they were mostly apart. In 1966, when he was 50, he married actress Mia Farrow, then 21. They separated the following year and were divorced in 1968. Though he allowed himself to be photographed with mobsters, Sinatra always denied any links with the Mafia. Appearing before the House of Representatives' Select Committee on Crime, he accused members of what he called indecent and irresponsible action in allowing an admitted murderer to deliver hearsay evidence linking him with members of organized crime.
Sinatra lost his Nevada gambling license in 1963 after a Mafia leader, Sam Giancana, was seen in the Cal-Neva Lodge gambling casino in which Sinatra then held a major interest. The license was restored in 1981. The singer's fourth wife, Barbara, a former model and dancer who had been married to Zeppo Marx, of the Marx Brothers, had a calming effect on her husband.
In November 1986, Sinatra underwent an emergency operation to remove a foot-long piece of his large intestine. In March 1994, he collapsed on stage from heat exhaustion in Richmond, Va., midway through ``My Way'' and was in the hospital briefly. In November 1995, musicians spanning a half century from Peggy Lee and Tony Bennett to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen joined together on stage to wish him a happy 80th birthday.
Sinatra was hospitalized again on Nov. 1, 1996. Although his publicist insisted he was only suffering from a pinched nerve there were reports that he was also being treated for pneumonia and heart problems.Two months later he was again in hosptial -- this time doctor said he suffered an ``uncomplicated'' heart attack.
Select Songs
My Way, Strangers in the night, New York New York, I get a kick out of you, Somethin' stupid, Moon river, Summer wind,
Love and marriage, My kind of town, Fly me to the moon, I've got you under my skin, Best is yet to come, It was a very good year, Come fly with me, That's life, Girl from Ipanema, Lady is a tramp, Mack The Knife, Let's face the music and dance, Come rain or come shine, Night and day, Pennies from Heaven, All the way, In the wee small hours of the morning, Way you look tonight, You are the sunshine of my life, Send in the clowns, It had to be you, Best of everything, Too Young to Die
SIX FEET UNDER (2001 - ?) http://www.hbo.com/sixfeetunder/
starring: Peter Krause (Nate Fisher), Michael C. Hall (David Fisher), Frances Conroy (Ruth Fisher), Lauren Ambrose (Claire Fisher), Rachel Griffiths (Brenda Chenowith), Freddy Rodriguez (Federico Diaz), Matthew St. Patrick (Keith Charles), Jeremy Sisto (Billy Chenowith) (2001, 2003), James Cromwell (George Sibley) (2003 - ?), Richard Jenkins (Nathaniel Fisher), Lili Taylor (2002 - 2003)
creator: Alan Ball genre: black comedy drama
why its cool: Another HBO success story from Alan Ball, the writer of 'American Beauty'. A surprise hit when it debuted on screens in 2001, it received a record 23 Emmy nominations at the 2002 ceremony (unfortunately taking home none). Its mix of pitch-black humour, strong language and adult themes coupled with an excellent ensemble cast make it a close cousin to 'The Sopranos'. With a theme tune from Thomas Newman, several of the scenes have a similar theme to 'American Beauty' (he wrote the score), while the occasional fantasy sequences have a Twin Peaks/David Lynch sort of feel to them.
number of series: 5 (64 episodes) shown on: E4, Channel 4 availability: Series 1 & 2 are available on dvd
KEVIN SMITH http://www.viewaskew.com/ http://www.newsaskew.com/
One of the most unique voices to emerge during the American independent filmmaking renaissance of the 1990s, Kevin Smith was born in New Jersey on August 2, 1970. Smith later attended the New School for Social Research's creative writing program, dropping out after administrators contacted his parents to report that their son had been caught launching water balloons out of his dormitory window. He subsequently enrolled in the Vancouver Film School, but again ended his stay after just four months. Returning home to New Jersey, Smith accepted a job in a local convenience store and began plotting his next move. Inspired by the success of director Richard Linklater 's 1991 low-budget hit Slacker , he contacted former film-school comrade Scott Mosier , and together the duo began discussing producing their own feature.
After rounding up just over 27,000 dollars -- collected from parents, credit-card advances, and the sale of Smith 's beloved comic book collection -- they shot Clerks , a hilariously scabrous look at American consumer culture steeped in Smith 's own experiences behind the cash register. Shooting each night in the same convenience store where the director worked by day, they completed production in just three weeks and began promoting the feature on the festival circuit. In 1994, Clerks debuted at the Sundance Film Festival , becoming the breakout hit of the event. Suddenly Smith , with his flair for raunchy yet heavily stylized dialogue, colorful characterizations, and keen cultural perceptiveness, was the toast of the indie community, swiftly acquiring Creative Artists Agency representation and a distribution deal with Miramax.
After winning a court battle to replace the often-vulgar movie's NC-17 rating with a more commercially palatable "R," Clerks hit the arthouse circuit, where it recouped its initial investment many times over and became a critical smash. Soon Smith was at work on the 1995 comedy Mallrats , the second chapter in his self-described "New Jersey trilogy." Despite reprising a number of characters from the previous film -- including the director's own onscreen alter ego, Silent Bob -- Mallrats was both a commercial and critical disaster, and while members of his avid cult audience remained enthusiastic, he publicly "apologized" for making the movie at the 1995 Independent Spirit Awards ceremony. In 1997, Smith resurfaced with Chasing Amy , the final film in the trilogy and his most mature effort to date. Unlike its predecessor, the film won wide critical acclaim, with many critics praising Smith 's insightful exploration of love and loss.
In 1999, Smith was back in the spotlight with Dogma , a film centering on the last living descendent of Jesus Christ , a woman named Bethany ( Linda Fiorentino ) who works as a clerk in an abortion clinic. Unsurprisingly, the film, which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival , garnered more than its share of controversy even before being released theatrically. Dogma 's distributor, the Disney -owned Miramax Pictures , announced that they would not release the picture and intended to sell it to another distributor. They did so, as Smith all the while maintained that the film -- which also starred Alanis Morrisette as God -- was about the importance of faith, rather than an attempt to ridicule it.
Scaling down his themes somewhat, Smith dedicated his next film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back , to the stoner duo who appeared on the sidelines in each of his first four efforts. Prepped for a wide, late-August 2001 release, the 20-million-dollar road comedy seemed affable in terms of overall concept, until a sneak preview left representatives of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) up in arms over the film's derogatory language and recurring gay-sex jokes. Stopping short of issuing an apology, Smith again defended his right to portray uncouth characters: Jay and Silent Bob 's homophobia, he argued, further illustrated their idiocy. Unconvinced, Smith 's detractors compelled him to tack on a closing-credit anti-defamation comment and make a 10,000-dollar goodwill donation to the Matthew Sheperd Foundation. Little of this mattered to critics or fans, as JASBSB garnered mixed-to-poor reviews and decent (if precipitous) opening weekend box-office totals, proving that Smith had indeed cultivated a core audience.
After a turn in front of the camera in 2003's Daredevil , Smith returned to directing with 2004's Jersey Girl . The film had plenty of buzz surrounding it because it was one of two films starring uber-couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez slated for release. However, when the other film Gigli became a failure of nearly-Ishtarian proportions and the celebrity-duo called off their wedding, that buzz turned into a stigma. Attempting to remove some of the Gigli -residue on the film, Smith retired to the editing room and excised much of Lopez 's role in the film. Nonetheless, Jersey Girl was largely panned and was a box-office failure.
Looking for a hit in the wake of Jersey Girl, Smith opted for a return to the film that started it all and began work on a sequel to Clerks.
Filmography
Clerks (94), Mallrats (95), Chasing Amy (97), Dogma (99), Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back (01), An Evening With Kevin Smith (02), Daredevil (actor - 03), Jersey Girl (04), Green Hornet (writer - 05), The Passion of the Clerks (05), Southland Tales (actor - 06), Fletch Won (06)
THE SOPRANOS (1999 - ?) http://www.hbo.com/sopranos http://www.sopranoland.com/
starring: James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano) , Lorraine Bracco (Dr. Jennifer Melfi) , Edie Falco (Carmela Soprano), Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti), Dominic Chianese (Corrado "Junior" Soprano) , Steven Van Zandt (Silvio Dante), Vincent Pastore (Salvatore 'Pussy' Bonpensiero) (1999- 2000), Tony Sirico (Paulie Wallnuts), Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Meadow Soprano), Robert Iller (Anthony Soprano Jr.), Nancy Marchand (Livia Soprano) (1999- 2001), Drea De Matteo (Adriana La Cerva), Jerry Adler (Herman "Hesh" Rabkin), John Ventimiglia (Artie Bucco), David Proval (Richie Aprile) (2000), Aida Turturro (Janice Soprano) (2000- ?), Federico Castelluccio (Furio Giunta) (2000- ?) Joe Pantoliano (Ralph Cifaretto) (2001- 2002)
creator: David Chase genre: black comedy drama
why it's cool: In my opinion, the best television series of all time. Rumoured to be finishing at the end of it's 6th series, this highly controversial (several Italian American groups have filed lawsuits against the show for baddening Italian American life...and lost) series has set a benchmark for other shows to follow. The humour is as black as coal, the violence is shocking, the language is frequent and the sex is frank. Tony Soprano is now one of television's most memorable characters and James Gandolfini's performance is magnetic. Edie Falco's Carmela is equally as good. They are ably supported by a supporting cast matched by none. The direction is perfect, the writing is sensational and the soundtrack rocks (the opening episode of Season 3 has one of the best uses of music ever).
number of series: 5 (62 episodes) (so far) shown on: E4, Channel 4 availability: Seasons 1-4 available on DVD
SPACED (1999 - ?) http://www.spaced-out.org.co.uk/
starring: Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, Nick Frost, Julia Deakin, Mark Heap, Katy Carmichael
creators: Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, Edgar Wright genre: surreal comedy
why its cool: Fans of movies and comedy rejoice. 'Spaced' both reflects your love of cult TV and cinema and is absolutely hilarious at doing it. Good comedy penned by a team of writers that treat you with the respect you deserve without ramming the point home. The series is full of references to and pastiches of movies/TV series, some quite obvious and some amazingly obscure. The more prominent references include The Star Wars Trilogy, The Shining, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Scooby Doo, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The A*Team, 2001: A Space Oddesey, The Matrix, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Taxi Driver and The Omen. Read more trivia on the show here. Oh and then they went and made a little zombie movie called 'Shaun of the Dead'. I don't know if you've heard of it.
number of series: 2 (14 episodes) (so far) shown on: Channel 4 availability: both series are available on dvd
KEVIN SPACEY http://www.drivingmrspacey.com/
An actor whose remarkable versatility has often been described as chameleon-like, Kevin Spacey has made an art of portraying a gallery of morally ambiguous characters ranging from the mildly shady to the all-out murderous. Spacey has won acclaim not only for his film work but also for his television and stage performances. His reputation as one of the best-respected actors of his generation has been verified by an Oscar, a Tony, and an award as Best Actor of the Decade from England's Empire magazine in 1999.
The son of a technical procedure writer and a secretary, Spacey was born in South Orange, NJ, on July 26, 1959. His family moved a great deal thanks to his father's job, eventually settling for a time in Los Angeles. It was there that Spacey -- who had previously done a stint at military school -- attended Chatsworth High School, where he was very active in the theater. Some of his high school contemporaries included Mare Winningham and Val Kilmer ; Spacey was Von Trapp to the former's Maria in a production of The Sound of Music and was encouraged to go to Juilliard by the latter. After an attempt at standup comedy , Spacey did go to Juilliard, where he continued to act with Kilmer , who was two years his senior. His time at Juilliard was cut short after his second year, when Spacey decided to quit school to begin his career.
He made his theatrical debut in 1981 with Shakespeare in the Park , performing alongside the likes of Kilmer , Mandy Patinkin , and John Goodman . The actor continued to be a fixture on the theater scene throughout the decade, performing both on Broadway and in regional productions. It was through the theater that he got his first big break: While auditioning for a Tom Stoppard play, Spacey was approached by director Mike Nichols , who cast him in his production of David Rabe 's Hurlyburly . The actor's work in the play -- in which he eventually played all of the male leads -- led Nichols to cast him as a subway mugger in his 1986 Heartburn . Two years later, the director and actor worked together again in Working Girl , in which Spacey had a small but memorable role as a sleazy businessman.
By this time, Spacey was starting to work steadily in film, although he maintained his stage work, winning a 1990 Tony Award for his role in the Broadway production of Lost in Yonkers . He also did a substantial amount of television work, appearing on the series Wiseguy as deranged criminal Mel Proffitt . Criminal or morally questionable activities were to figure largely in Spacey 's subsequent portrayals: His first starring role in a film was as the husband of a murdered woman in the 1992 Consenting Adults . The same year, he won acclaim for his portrayal of a foul-mouthed, leech-like real estate agent in Glengarry Glen Ross .
Spacey 's next memorable film role was as yet another foul-mouthed jerk in the 1994 Swimming With Sharks , which he also co-produced. He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his portrayal of an abusive studio executive, and he gained further recognition the same year for his entirely different role in The Ref , in which he played one half of a constantly arguing married couple. However, it was with his performance in the following year's The Usual Suspects that Spacey fully stepped into the spotlight. As the enigmatic, garrulous "Verbal" Kint , Spacey was one of the more celebrated aspects of the critically lauded sleeper hit, winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work. If that weren't enough, the actor won additional acclaim the same year for his role as a serial killer in the stylish and unrelentingly creepy thriller Seven .
Having secured a place on Hollywood's A-list, Spacey went on to make his directorial debut the following year with Albino Alligator . A New Orleans-based crime drama starring Matt Dillon , Faye Dunaway , and Gary Sinise , the film won some positive reviews, though it made little impact at the box office. In addition to directing, Spacey kept busy with acting, appearing the same year in A Time to Kill and Al Pacino 's documentary Looking for Richard .
The actor went on to star in Clint Eastwood 's highly anticipated 1997 adaptation of John Berendt 's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and then had a sizable role in the big-budget The Negotiator in 1998. The same year, he also lent his voice to the computer-animated A Bug's Life and starred in the screen adaptation of Hurlyburly . While doing steady film work, Spacey also continued to appear on the stage, winning raves for his performance in an adaptation of Eugene O'Neill 's The Iceman Cometh , first on the London stage in 1998, and then on Broadway the following year. Also in 1999, Spacey won an Academy Award as Best Actor for American Beauty , director Sam Mendes ' dark comedy about a man experiencing a mid-life crisis. Following up Beauty with starring roles in The Big Kahuna and Ordinary Decent Criminal , Spacey would later appear as a mental patient who claims to be from a distant planet in K-PAX . K-Pax proved to be a minor flop, as did the actor's other major film in 2001, Lasse Hallstrom 's adaptation of The Shipping News . Although Spacey drew positive notices for his portrayal of a man trying to start a new life in Newfoundland, the film, which also starred Julianne Moore , Cate Blanchett , and Judi Dench , quickly sank at the box office and received only a lukewarm reception from critics.
Spacey kept busy the following year, appearing in three disparate projects that reflected his versatility. Besides popping up as himself in the third Austin Powers outing, Austin Powers in Goldmember , he played the title character of The Life of David Gale , the story of a University of Texas professor whose anti-capital punishment stance assumes very personal meaning when he is convicted of rape and murder and lands on death row. Spacey also starred in The United States of Leland , playing the father of a fifteen-year-old ( Ryan Gosling ) who murders an autistic child. In 2004, he directed himself in the title role of Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea. He'll next be seen as Lex Luthor in Superman Returns.
Filmography
Henry & June (90), Glengarry Glen Ross (92), Swimming With Sharks (94), Outbreak (95), The Usual Suspects (95), Se7en (95), A Time to Kill (96), Albino Alligator (dir: 96), L.A. Confidential (97), Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil (97), The Negotiator (98), Hurlyburly (98), A Bug's Life (98), American Beauty (99), Ordinary Decent Criminal (00), Pay It Forward (00), K-PAX (01), The Shipping News (01), The United States of Leland (03), The Life of David Gale (03), Beyond the Sea (dir: 04), Edison (05), Superman Returns (06)
STAR WARS TRILOGY
starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker, Frank Oz, Alec Guinness, Ian McDiarmid, Warwick Davis, Jeremy Bulloch, James Earl Jones
directors: George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand genre: sci-fi adventure
SWINGERS (1996) http://www.angelfire.com/pa/205/links0.html
starring: Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Patrick Van Horn, Alex Desert, Heather Graham, Brooke Langton
director: Doug Liman genre: comedy drama
QUENTIN TARANTINO http://www.tarantino.info/
Director/screenwriter/actor/producer Quentin Tarantino was perhaps the most distinctive and volatile talent to emerge in American film in the early '90s. Unlike the previous generation of American filmmakers, Tarantino learned his craft from his days as a video clerk, rather than as a film school student. Consequently, he developed an audacious fusion of pop culture and independent art house cinema; his films were thrillers that were distinguished as much by their clever, twisting dialogue as their outbursts of extreme violence. Tarantino initially began his career as an actor (his biggest role was as an Elvis impersonator on an episode of The Golden Girls ), taking classes while he was working at Video Archives in Manhattan Beach, CA.
During his time at Video Archives, the fledgling filmmaker began writing screenplays, completing his first, True Romance , in 1987. With his co-worker, Roger Avary (who would later also become a director), Tarantino tried to get financial backing to film the script. After years of negotiations, he decided to sell the script, which wound up in the hands of director Tony Scott . During this time, Tarantino wrote the screenplay for Natural Born Killers . Again, he was unable to come up with enough investors to make a movie and gave the script to his partner, Rand Vossler . Tarantino then used the money he made from True Romance to begin pre-production on Reservoir Dogs , a film about a failed heist. Reservoir Dogs received financial backing from LIVE Entertainment after Harvey Keitel agreed to star in the movie. Word-of-mouth on Reservoir Dogs began to build at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival , which led to scores of glowing reviews, making the film a cult hit. While many critics and fans were praising Tarantino , he developed a sizable amount of detractors. Claiming he ripped off the obscure Hong Kong thriller City on Fire , the critics only added to the director/writer's already considerable buzz. During 1993, Tarantino wrote and directed his next feature, Pulp Fiction , which featured three interweaving crime story lines; Tony Scott 's big-budget production of True Romance was also released that year.
In 1994, Tarantino was elevated from a cult figure to a major celebrity. Pulp Fiction won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival that May, beginning the flood of good reviews for the picture. Before Pulp Fiction was released in October, Oliver Stone 's bombastic version of Natural Born Killers hit the theaters in August; Tarantino distanced himself from the film and was only credited for writing the basic story. Pulp Fiction soon eclipsed Natural Born Killers in both acclaim and popularity. Made for eight million dollars, the film eventually grossed over 100 million dollars and topped many critics' top ten lists. Pulp Fiction earned seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay ( Tarantino and Avary ), Best Actor ( John Travolta ), Best Supporting Actor ( Samuel L. Jackson ), and Best Supporting Actress ( Uma Thurman ).
After the film's success, Tarantino was everywhere, from talk shows to a cameo in the low-budget Sleep With Me . At the beginning of 1995, he directed a segment of the anthology film Four Rooms and acted in Robert Rodriguez 's sequel to El Mariachi , Desperado , and the comedy Destiny Turns on the Radio , in which he had a starring role. Tarantino also kept busy with television, directing an episode of the NBC TV hit ER and appearing in Margaret Cho 's sitcom All-American Girl .
The latter half of the '90s saw Tarantino continue his multifaceted role as an actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. In 1996, he served as the screenwriter and executive producer for the George Clooney schlock-fest From Dusk Till Dawn , and the following year renewed some of his earlier acclaim as the director and screenwriter of Jackie Brown . The film, in which Tarantino had a voice-over cameo, reunited him with Fiction star Samuel L. Jackson and won him the raves that had been missing for much of his post- Fiction career. Also in 1997, Tarantino appeared in Full Tilt Boogie , a documentary about the making of From Dusk Till Dawn . His film work the following year was essentially confined to a role in Julia Sweeney 's God Said, Ha! , and in 1999, he was back behind the camera as the producer for From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money .
Though Tarantino would lay relatively low in the early years of the new millennium, he did make a prominent guest-starring appearance in 2001 on a two-episode story arc of the spy show Alias . In late 2002/early 2003, hype would soon start to build around his fourth feature, Kill Bill (2003). A kinetic homage to revenge movies of the 1970s, Kill Bill features Uma Thurman as a former assassin known as " The Bride ." Waking from a five-year coma after her former comrades turn her wedding day into a frenzied bloodbath, The Bride vows vengeance on both the assassins and her former boss, Bill ( David Carradine ).
Filmography
Reservoir Dogs (91), Natural Born Killers (story - 92), True Romance (writer - 93), Pulp Fiction (94), Desperado (actor - 95), Four Rooms (actor/director - 95), Killing Zoe (executive producer - 95), From Dusk Till Dawn (actor/writer - 96), Jackie Brown (97), Little Nicky (actor - 01), Alias (actor - 01, 03) Kill Bill Volume One (03), Kill Bill Volume Two (04), Sin City (05), Grind House (06), Inglorious Bastards (07)
JENNIFER TILLY
Beginning her career in the early '80s, Jennifer Tilly appeared as a regular on the now-you-see-it-now-you-don't 1984 sitcom Shaping Up . Many of her earlier films were on par with the 1985 Police Academy clone Moving Violations . Tilly enjoyed a career breakthrough when she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Woody Allen 's Bullets Over Broadway (1994), which cast her as the vacuous, staggeringly untalented girlfriend of a mobster. The actress subsequently appeared in films of widely divergent quality, most notably the Wachowski brothers' Bound (1996), a stylish post- noir thriller that cast Tilly as the bisexual girlfriend of a bottom-dwelling criminal. Whatever the quality of her films, Tilly can claim to have worked steadily in Hollywood, and she has earned a dedicated number of followers for her work in such cult films as Bride of Chucky , which cast her as the spouse of a demonic children's toy. The younger sister of Meg Tilly , Jennifer was her sister's body double in 1993's Body Snatchers .
Filmography
Shaping Up (tv: 84), Hill Street Blues (tv: 84 - 85), The Fabulous Baker Boys (89), The Doors (91), The Getaway (94), Bullets Over Broadway (94), Bound (96), Liar Liar (97), Bride of Chucky (98), Stuart Little (99), Dancing at the Blue Iguana (00), The Cat's Meow (01), Monsters, Inc (01), The Haunted Mansion (03), Home on the Range (04), Seed of Chucky (04), Bailey's Billions (05), Tideland (05)
TO DIE FOR (1995)
starring: Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Illeana Douglas, Dan Hedaya, Wayne Knight
director: Gus Van Sant genre: black comedy thriller
TRUE ROMANCE (1993)
starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Bronson Pinchot, Michael Rapaport, Saul Rubinek, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Samuel L. Jackson
director: Tony Scott genre: romantic crime drama
TWIN PEAKS (1990 - 91) http://www.lynchnet.com/
starring: Kyle MacLachlan (FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper), Michael Ontkean (Sheriff Harry S. Truman), Madchen Amick (Shelly Johnson), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Richard Beymer (Benjamin Horne), Lara Flynn Boyle (Donna Hayward), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), Warren Frost (Dr. Will Hayward), Peggy Lipton (Norma Jennings), James Marshall (James Hurley), Everett McGill (Big Ed Hurley), Jack Nance (Pete Martell), Kimmy Robertson (Lucy Moran), Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Joan Chen (Josie Packard), Piper Laurie (Catherine Martell), Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), Eric DaRe (Leo Johnson), Harry Goaz (Deputy Andy Brennan), Michael Horse (Deputy Hawk), Russ Tamblyn (Dr. Lawrence Jacoby)
creators: Mark Frost, David Lynch genre: mystery drama
why it's cool: Who killed Laura Palmer? This was the question that was posed in the pilot episode and wasn't answered until series two. 'Twin Peaks's main strength was the mystery surrounding her death and the feeling that nothing is ever what it seems. One can sense that something is up but one can never quite put their finger on what that something is. This creepy tone has stuck with David Lynch throughout his entire career (he creates atmosphere like noone else). The fact remains though that 'Twin Peaks' is one of those few shows which really was scary at times; and very funny at others. Kyle MacLachlan as Agent Dale Cooper is also f***ing brilliant in this and Sherilyn Fenn's Audrey Horne is the sexiest character in television history. I won't reveal too much more about the content of the show. All I'll say is that it is like nothing else currently showing on television.
number of series: 2 (29 episodes) shown on: BBC 2 availability: Series 1 is available on dvd