Darkman
''Darkman'' is a 1990 American superhero film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi. Based on a short story Raimi wrote that paid homage to Universal's horror films of the 1930s, the film stars Liam Neeson as scientist Peyton Westlake, who is brutally attacked, disfigured, and left for dead by ruthless mobster Robert Durant (Larry Drake), after his girlfriend, attorney Julie Hastings (Frances McDormand), runs afoul of corrupt developer Louis Strack Jr. (Colin Friels). After a treatment to cure him of his burn injuries fails, Westlake develops super-human abilities, which also have the unintended side-effect of rendering him mentally unstable and borderline psychotic. Consumed with vengeance, he decides to hunt down those who disfigured him. Unable to secure the rights to ''The Shadow'', Raimi decided to create his own superhero and struck a deal with Universal Studios to make his first Hollywood studio film. It was produced by Robert Tapert, and was written by Raimi, his brother ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Darkman (character)
Darkman (Peyton Westlake) is a fictional antihero and the protagonist of the 1990 superhero film '' Darkman'' and its sequels, '' Darkman II: The Return of Durant'' and '' Darkman III: Die Darkman Die''. The character originated in a short story written by the film's director, Sam Raimi, titled "The Darkman" and is based on the Universal Pictures' movie monsters while retaining traits of the DC Comics World War II disfigured hero the Unknown Soldier and the superpowers of the DC supervillain Clayface. He was portrayed by Liam Neeson in the original film and Arnold Vosloo in the sequels. Fictional character biography In the third film and the un-aired television pilot, his biography is slightly retconned, but the character's canonical history is as such: Peyton Westlake was a mild-mannered and brilliant scientist working on a synthetic "skin" capable of aiding burn victims. He had a good relationship with district attorney Julie Hastings, who indirectly caused his injuries ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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The Return Of Durant
''Darkman II: The Return of Durant'' is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Bradford May. It is a direct-to-video sequel to the film ''Darkman'', with series creator Sam Raimi serving as executive producer. The film stars Arnold Vosloo (replacing Liam Neeson from the first film) as Peyton Westlake/Darkman and Larry Drake reprising his role as Robert G. Durant. It was followed by the third installment in the trilogy, '' Darkman III: Die Darkman Die'', also starring Vosloo. Plot Sometime after the events of the original film, scarred scientist Peyton Westlake continues to work on perfecting his synthetic skin cell formula, funding his research by stealing from the criminals he fights as the vigilante "Darkman". His synthetic skin still has a 99-minute timeframe before light causes it to break down. Robert G. Durant, Westlake's old enemy, awakens from a coma after Darkman left him for dead in their last encounter. Durant quickly reforms his old gang and helps a prisoner, Dr. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Die Darkman Die
''Darkman III: Die Darkman Die'' is a 1996 American superhero film and the second sequel to Sam Raimi's ''Darkman''. It was released direct-to-video in 1996. Like the second film, it was directed by Bradford May, a television director and cinematographer who also served as the director of photography. Series creator Sam Raimi serves as an executive producer. Plot Peyton Westlake is still searching for the key to creating a permanent liquid-skin formula to repair his burned face and hands. After Westlake, as his alter-ego Darkman, stops a criminal exchange spearheaded by corrupt businessman and crime boss Peter Rooker, he is approached by Dr. Bridget Thorne. Thorne, one of the physicians who saved Westlake's life following his brutal attack at the hands of Robert G. Durant, convinces him that she wants to help perfect his liquid skin, and also repair his nervous system, allowing him to finally regain some of his sensory loss. Using a laboratory Thorne has set up in an abandoned i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Larry Drake
Larry Richard Drake (February 21, 1950 – March 17, 2016) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known as Benny Stulwicz in ''L.A. Law'', for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards. He also appeared as Robert G. Durant in both ''Darkman'' and '' Darkman II: The Return of Durant'', a homicidal mental patient who escapes an insane asylum in the slasher black comedy ''Dr. Giggles'', and was the voice of Pops in ''Johnny Bravo''. Early life Larry Richard Drake was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on February 21, 1950, the son of Raymond John Drake, a drafting engineer for an oil company, and Lorraine Ruth (née Burns), a homemaker. He graduated from Tulsa Edison High School and the University of Oklahoma. Career Drake is mostly remembered for his portrayal of developmentally disabled Benny Stulwicz in ''L.A. Law'', from 1987 until the show's end in 1994, for which he twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. in 1988 and 1989. He retur ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007) and the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present). He also directed the 1990 superhero film ''Darkman'', the 1995 revisionist western ''The Quick and the Dead (1995 film), The Quick and the Dead'', the 1998 neo-noir crime-thriller ''A Simple Plan (film), A Simple Plan'', the 2000 supernatural thriller film ''The Gift (2000 film), The Gift'', the 2009 supernatural horror film ''Drag Me to Hell'', and the 2013 The Walt Disney Company, Disney fantasy film ''Oz the Great and Powerful''. His films are known for their highly-dynamic visual style, inspired by comic books and slapstick comedy. Raimi has also produced several successful television series, including ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and its spin-off ''Xena: Warrior Princess''. He founded the production company Renaissance Pictures in 1979 and Ghost Ho ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robert Tapert
Robert Gerard Tapert (born May 14, 1955) is an American film and television producer, writer and director, best known for co-creating the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. He is also one of the founding partners of the film production companies Renaissance Pictures and Ghost House Pictures. Personal life Tapert has two sisters, Dorothy and Mary Beth Tapert. He also has a younger brother, Jeff Tapert. He has been married to actress Lucy Lawless since 28 March 1998; the couple has two sons. Lawless played the title character in ''Xena: Warrior Princess''. Film Tapert first became involved with filmmaking while attending Michigan State University where he was studying economics. Through his friend and roommate Ivan Raimi, Tapert would meet future longstanding filmmaking partners Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Tapert and director Sam Raimi experimented on several short films before endeavoring on their first feature-length picture, a graphic horror film titled '' The ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Renaissance Pictures
Raimi Productions (formerly Renaissance Pictures) is an American film and television production company. It was founded by director Sam Raimi, producer Robert Tapert, and actor Bruce Campbell, with help from publicist Irvin Shapiro, on August 10, 1979, to produce their film ''The Evil Dead'', along with its sequels ''Evil Dead II ''Evil Dead II'' (also known in publicity materials as ''Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn'') is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi. It is considered both a remake and sequel (or "re-quel") to the 1981 film ''The Evil Dead'', and wa ...'' and '' Army of Darkness''. Filmography Films Television series References * Warren, Bill. ''The Evil Dead Companion'', . Film production companies of the United States Mass media companies established in 1979 1979 establishments in New York City Companies based in New York City Sam Raimi {{US-film-company-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tony Gardner (designer)
Tony Gardner (born in September 25, 1965, Cleveland, Ohio) is an American makeup designer, special effects designer and puppeteer. He has designed and created effects for many feature films, including the films ''Zombieland'', ''127 Hours'', ''Smokin' Aces'', ''Hairspray (2007 film), Hairspray'', ''Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa'', ''The Addams Family (1991 film), The Addams Family'', ''Seed of Chucky,'' ''Shallow Hal'' and ''There's Something About Mary''. Gardner helped create the signature helmets for Daft Punk, as well as an animatronic robot for their "Technologic" music video. He wrote and directed Daft Punk's music video for the song "The Prime Time of Your Life," which also, his two daughters were in (Brianna and Krya) and associate produced and populated a world full of robots for the duo's feature-length directorial debut, ''Daft Punk's Electroma''. Beyond the film-making arena, Gardner's special effects company Alterian, Inc. has also designed and created the popular GEIC ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Chuck Pfarrer
Charles Patrick Pfarrer III (born April 13, 1957) is an American writer, film producer, and former United States Navy SEAL. As an author, he has penned published screenplays, novels, comic book, and non-fiction works. Regardless of medium, his work usually deal with themes pertaining to the military, and he has worked on blockbuster films like ''Navy SEALs'', ''Darkman'', and ''Hard Target''. Life and education Pfarrer was born April 13, 1957, in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Charles Patrick Pfarrer, Jr., a career naval officer, and Joan Marie Pfarrer, a registered nurse. He graduated from Staunton Military Academy in 1975, and studied Clinical Psychology at California State University at Northridge and the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. Military career Pfarrer entered active duty with the United States Navy in October 1980 and completed Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I in 1981. After his commission as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy, he reported to Basic U ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Danny Elfman
Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered international recognition for composing over 100 feature film scores, as well as compositions for television, stage productions, and the concert hall. Elfman has frequently worked with directors Tim Burton, Sam Raimi, and Gus Van Sant, with achievements including the scores of 17 Burton films such as '' Batman'', ''Batman Returns'', ''Edward Scissorhands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland'', and ''Dumbo''; Raimi's '' Darkman'' (1990), '' A Simple Plan'' (1998), '' Spider-Man'', ''Spider-Man 2'', ''Oz the Great and Powerful'', and ''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness''; and Van Sant's Academy Award-winning films ''Good Will Hunting'' and ''Milk''. He wrote music for all of the ''Men in Black'' and ''Fifty Shades of Gre ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ivan Raimi
Ivan Mitchell Raimi, D.O. (born June 21, 1956) is an American emergency medicine physician and screenwriter, and a brother of filmmaker Sam Raimi and actor Ted Raimi. Ivan works as an emergency physician in Chicago, traveling to Los Angeles occasionally to work in Hollywood. Life and career Ivan M. Raimi was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. He is third of five children born to Celia Barbara (née Abrams), who owned lingerie shops, and Leonard Ronald Raimi, who owned home furnishing stores. Ivan was raised in Conservative Judaism, and his ancestors emigrated from Russia and Hungary. His sister remains in Michigan. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and received his medical degree from the Des Moines University medical school in 1984. Raimi then completed an emergency medicine residency at the Southside Medical Center. He is dually board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine. Raimi sometimes collaborate ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and producer. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award, making her one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting". Additionally, she has received two Golden Globe Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. Although primarily recognized for her roles in small-budget independent films, McDormand's worldwide box office gross exceeds $2.2 billion helped by her appearances in '' Transformers: Dark of the Moon'' (2011) and '' Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted'' (2012). McDormand was educated at Bethany College and Yale University. She has been married to Joel Coen of the Coen brothers since 1984. She has appeared in a number of their films, including ''Blood Simple'' (1984), ''Raising Arizona'' (1987), ''Mill ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |