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Batteries Not Included (film)
''Batteries Not Included'' (stylized as ''*batteries not included'') is a 1987 American science fiction comedy film directed by Matthew Robbins about small extraterrestrial living spaceships that save an apartment block under threat from property development. The story was originally intended to be featured in the television series ''Amazing Stories'', but executive producer Steven Spielberg liked the idea so much that he decided to adapt it into a film. It was the feature film screenwriting debut of Brad Bird. Plot Frank and Faye Riley, an elderly couple who manage an apartment building and café in the East Village, come under threat by a nearby property development. The development manager, Lacey, sends a hoodlum named Carlos and his gang of thugs to bribe the couple and their tenants to move out. When the tenants resist, Carlos and his thugs punch through artist Mason Baylor's door, intimidate pregnant single mother Marisa Esteval, and break retired boxer Harry Noble's jar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drew Struzan
Drew Struzan (; born March 18, 1947) is an American artist, illustrator and cover designer. He is known for his more than 150 movie posters, which include ''The Shawshank Redemption'', ''Blade Runner'', ''Mallrats'', as well as films in the ''Indiana Jones'', ''Back to the Future (film series), Back to the Future'', and ''Star Wars'' film series. He has also painted album covers, collectibles, and book covers. Early life Struzan was born on March 18, 1947 in Oregon City, Oregon. In 1965, at age 18, he enrolled at the Art Center College of Design, then in West Los Angeles. Career Early career A counselor asked Struzan about his interests and told him he had a choice between fine art or illustration. The counselor described the two careers, telling Struzan that as a fine artist he could paint whatever he wanted, but as an illustrator he could paint for money. Struzan chose to be an illustrator, saying, "I need to eat." In his first year, he married and became a father. Stru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spielberg is the recipient of various accolades, including three Academy Awards, a Kennedy Center honor, a Cecil B. DeMille Award, and an AFI Life Achievement Award. Seven of his films been inducted into the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Spielberg was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He moved to California and studied film in college. After directing several episodes for television including ''Night Gallery'' and '' Columbo'', he directed the television film ''Duel'' (1971) which gained acclaim from critics and audiences. He made his directorial film debut with ''The Sugarland Express'' (1974), and became a household name with the 1975 summer blockbuster ''Jaws''. He then directed box office succe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an immigrant, working-class neighborhood, it began rapid gentrification in the mid-2000s, prompting the National Trust for Historic Preservation to place the neighborhood on their list of America's Most Endangered Places in 2008. The Lower East Side is part of Manhattan Community District 3, and its primary ZIP Code is 10002. It is patrolled by the 7th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. Boundaries The Lower East Side is roughly bounded by East 14th Street on the north, by the East River to the east, by Fulton and Franklin Streets to the south, and by Pearl Street and Broadway to the west. This more extensive definition of the neighborhood includes Chinatown, the East Village, and Little Italy. A less extensive definit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Location Scouting
Location scouting is a vital process in the pre-production stage of filmmaking and commercial photography. Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work that is shot outside of the studio, the search for a suitable place or "location" outside the studio begins. Location scouts also look for generally spectacular or interesting locations beforehand, to have a database of locations in case of requests. Location scouts often negotiate legal access to filming locations. Location requirements Suitability of a location to the task at hand takes into consideration many factors, including: *overall aesthetic *financial cost to production * logistic feasibility including but not limited to distance from base of operations or other locations scheduled *availability of parking and facilities to keep crew and talent (principal actors or models and extras) safe and dry at all times *availability of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wendy Schaal
Wendy Schaal (born July 2, 1954) is an American actress known for her work in Joe Dante films such as '' Innerspace'', ''The 'Burbs'', and '' Small Soldiers''. Her other film credits include starring in films such as ''Where the Boys Are '84'', '' Creature'', ''Going Under'', and '' Munchies''. She had many guest roles in television series of the mid-1980s, most notably as Marilyn Kelsy in ''Airwolf''. Since 2005 she has primarily worked in voice acting, most notably voicing Francine Smith in the animated comedy television series ''American Dad!'' Early years Schaal was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Lois Schaal ( Treacy) and actor Richard Schaal. She is the former stepdaughter of actress Valerie Harper. From birth until she was five, Schaal lived with her parents in Crete, Illinois, at which time she moved with her mother to Newport Beach, California after her parents divorced. Schaal studied acting with Viola Spolin in Chicago when she was nine years old, later ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Aldredge
Thomas Ernest Aldredge (February 28, 1928 – July 22, 2011) was an American television, film and stage actor. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for playing the role of Shakespeare in ''Henry Winkler Meets William Shakespeare'' (1978). His Broadway stage career spanned five decades, including five Tony Award nominations. He played both the Narrator and the Mysterious Man in the original Broadway cast of ''Into the Woods''. He also appeared on television in programs including '' Ryan's Hope'', ''Damages'', and ''Boardwalk Empire'', with a notable role as Hugh De Angelis on ''The Sopranos''. Life and career Aldredge was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Lucienne Juliet (née Marcillat) and William Joseph Aldredge, a colonel in the United States Army Air Corps. He originally planned to become a lawyer and was a Pre-Law student at the University of Dayton in the late 1940s. In 1947 he decided to pursue a career as an actor after attending a performance of the original Broadway producti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Greene
Michael Harris Greene (November 4, 1933 – January 10, 2020) was an American actor who was active from the 1960s through the 1990s. Career Greene was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Gladys () and Harry Greene. Early in his career, Greene was frequently featured in westerns, and was credited with over 100 television and film appearances, including the 1962 film '' This is Not a Test'' (as Mike Green). In October of 1966, he appeared as the character, Nubu, in the episode, Space Circus, of the TV series, ''Lost in Space'', as well as a leading role in the 1973 film ''The Clones''. He played Jimmy Hart, William Petersen's ill-fated partner in '' To Live and Die in L.A.''. He is perhaps best remembered in his co-starring role as Deputy U.S. Marshal Vance Porter in the short-lived ABC-Warner Brothers western series ''The Dakotas'', where he co-starred with Larry Ward, Jack Elam, and Chad Everett. The series was controversially cancelled by ABC after only 19 episodes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Pankow
John Pankow (born April 28, 1954) is an American actor. He began his career on-stage in New York, in numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway plays including Peter Shaffer's ''Amadeus'', John Patrick Shanley's ''Italian American Reconciliation,'' and Brian Friel's ''Aristocrats.'' After a starring role in William Friedkin's '' To Live and Die in L.A.,'' he began appearing regularly in film and on television, playing Ira Buchman for all eight seasons of ''Mad About You'' and later Merc Lapidus on ''Episodes.'' Early life and education Pankow was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a Catholic family of German and Irish descent, the sixth of nine siblings. His elder brother is trombonist/composer James Pankow, a founding member of the rock group Chicago. Pankow grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, and attended Maine South High School and Northeastern Illinois University. He left the university in his junior year after he attended a performance of David Mamet's ''The American Buffalo'' at the St ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Carmine
Michael Carmine (March 6, 1959 – October 14, 1989) was an American actor. Early life Carmine was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He graduated from the High School of Performing Arts at the age of sixteen, and went on to study acting at the California Institute of the Arts. Career He made his first film appearance as an extra in the disaster film ''Rollercoaster'' (1977) and played his first speaking part on ''Hill Street Blues'' in 1982. A small role in Brian De Palma's '' Scarface'' (1983) was followed by the role of Snake in Michael Mann's television series ''Miami Vice'', which led to his first major role in Mann's ''Band of the Hand'' (1986), directed by Paul Michael Glaser. On stage, Carmine appeared in both Broadway and Off-Broadway productions of Reinaldo Povod's play ''Cuba and His Teddy Bear''. He also played Papo in Povod's ''La Puta Vida''. Carmine went on to appear in supporting roles in the films ''Batteries Not Included'' (1987) and ''Leviathan'' (1989). In h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dennis Boutsikaris
Dennis Boutsikaris (; born December 21, 1952) is an American character actor who has won the Obie Award twice. He is also a narrator of audiobooks, for which he has won 13 Golden Earphone Awards and 8 Audie Awards. He won Best Audiobook of the Year from Amazon for his reading of American Gods. Early life and education Boutsikaris was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Greek American father and Jewish mother, and grew up in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. He took up acting while a student at Governor Livingston High School, because he felt he was too small to succeed in athletics. A graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, Boutsikaris toured the country with John Houseman's The Acting Company doing classical theatre. Career Boutsikaris' film credits include leading roles in '' *batteries not included,'' '' The Dream Team,'' ''Crocodile Dundee II,'' ''Boys on the Side'' and '' In Dreams,'' among many others. His most recent indie films include ''Cherry Crush,'' ''Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elizabeth Peña
Elizabeth Maria Peña (September 23, 1959 – October 14, 2014) was an American actress, writer and musician. Her work in films included ''Nothing like the Holidays'', ''Batteries Not Included'', '' La Bamba'', '' Down and Out in Beverly Hills'', ''Jacob's Ladder'', '' Rush Hour'', ''The Incredibles,'' and ''Lone Star'''','' for which she won the 1996 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and a Bravo Award for Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film. She was also a founding member of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors. Peña also voiced Rosa Santos in ''Maya and Miguel''. Early life Peña was born on September 23, 1959, in Elizabeth, New Jersey and raised by her Cuban immigrant parents, Peña was destined for a career in the arts. Her father, Mario, was a playwright, director, actor, and designer in their native Cuba, who opened up the Latin American Theatre Ensemble after establishing a life for him and his family in New York. In 1975, she was a foun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank McRae
Frank McRae (March 18, 1941 – April 29, 2021) was an American film and television actor, and a professional football player. Early life McRae was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He graduated from Tennessee State University with a double major in drama and history. He was a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears in the 1967 NFL season appearing in 6 games. Career Among his acting roles are bank robber Reed Youngblood in ''Dillinger'' (1973); a shouting police captain in '' 48 Hrs.'' (1982), a role he later parodied in ''Last Action Hero'' (1993) and ''Loaded Weapon 1'' (1993); the history teacher, Mr. Teasdale, in ''Red Dawn'' (1984); James Bond's friend Sharkey in ''Licence to Kill'' (1989); and former professional boxing champion Harry Noble in ''Batteries Not Included'' (1987). He also appeared opposite Sylvester Stallone in 4 films: '' F.I.S.T.'' (1978), ''Paradise Alley'' (1978), '' Rocky II'' (1979), and '' Lock Up'' (1989), as well as a protective trucker in ''The Wizard' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
