|
Jack Rapke
Jack Rapke is an American film producer who has produced such films as the 2000 Robert Zemeckis film ''Cast Away''. Biography Upon his graduation from New York University Film School in 1974, Jack Rapke moved to Los Angeles to embark on a career in the entertainment industry. His first stop was the mailroom of the William Morris Agency in 1975. Four years later, Rapke joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where he rose, over the course of the next seventeen years, to become one of the most successful agents in Hollywood. During a seven-year tenure as co-chairman of CAA's motion picture department, Rapke cultivated a high-profile client list that included Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, Harold Ramis, Michael Bay, Terry Gilliam, Bob Gale, Bo Goldman, Steve Kloves, Howard Franklin, Scott Frank, Robert Kamen, John Hughes, Joel Schumacher, Marty Brest, Chris Columbus, Ezra Sacks, and Ron Howard. Instrumental in building production companies around his clients, it was only a matter of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Zemeckis
Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He first came to public attention as the director of the action-adventure romantic comedy ''Romancing the Stone'' (1984), the science-fiction comedy ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy (1985–1990), and the live-action/animated comedy ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' (1988). He subsequently directed the satirical black comedy ''Death Becomes Her'' (1992) and then diversified into more dramatic fare, including ''Forrest Gump'' (1994), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and the film won Best Picture. He has directed films across a wide variety of genres, for both adults and families. Zemeckis is regarded as an innovator in visual effects. His exploration of state-of-the-art special effects includes the early use of insertion of computer graphics into live-action footage in ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989) and ''Forrest Gump'', the insertion of hand-drawn animation into live-action footage in ''Who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Kamen
Robert Mark Kamen (born October 9, 1947) is an American screenwriter, best known as creator of '' The Karate Kid franchise'', as well as for his later collaborations with French filmmaker Luc Besson, which includes the screenplay for ''The Fifth Element'' (originally devised by Besson) and the '' Transporter'' and '' Taken'' franchises. He now produces wine from his vineyards near Sonoma, California. Early life and education Kamen was born in 1947. He grew up in the Bronx in New York City. He graduated from New York University in 1969. He received his Ph.D. in American Studies from The University of Pennsylvania. Career Kamen is a frequent collaborator of French writer and director Luc Besson, who co-created ''The Fifth Element'', ''The Transporter'', and the ''Taken'' series. The two first worked together on the Natalie Portman and Jean Reno thriller '' The Professional''. After the success of ''The Fifth Element'', Besson invited Kamen to join him in his goal of creating a "m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Christmas Carol (2009 Film)
''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas Carol'' recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man. Dickens wrote ''A Christmas Carol'' during a period when the British were exploring and re-evaluating past Christmas traditions, including carols, and newer customs such as Christmas cards and Christmas trees. He was influenced by the experiences of his own youth and by the Christmas stories of other authors, including Washington Irving and Douglas Jerrold. Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was inspired following a visit to the Field Lane R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beowulf (2007 Film)
''Beowulf'' is a 2007 3D CGI fantasy action film directed and co-produced by Robert Zemeckis, written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary and based on the Old English epic poem of the same name. Starring the voices of Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman and Angelina Jolie, the film features human characters animated using live-action motion-capture CGI animation, which was previously used in ''The Polar Express'' (2004) and '' Monster House'' (2006). Produced by Zemeckis' ImageMovers and Shangri-La Entertainment, the film premiered at Westwood, Los Angeles on November 5, 2007 and was released theatrically in the United States on November 16, 2007, by Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros. Pictures handling international distribution. The film received moderately positive reviews from critics, who complimented the CGI visual-effects, CGI performance-capture and voice acting whilst criticizing aspects of the i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monster House (film)
''Monster House'' is a 2006 American computer-animated haunted house film directed by Gil Kenan in his directorial debut and written by Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler, about a neighborhood being terrorized by a sentient haunted house during Halloween. The film features the voices of Mitchel Musso, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kevin James, Nick Cannon, Jason Lee, Fred Willard, Jon Heder, Catherine O'Hara, and Kathleen Turner, as well as human characters being animated using live action motion capture stop motion animation, which was previously used in ''The Polar Express'' (2004). It was Sony's first computer animated film produced by Sony Pictures Imageworks. Produced by Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers, Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment (marking their first theatrically-released fully animated film since ''Balto'') and Relativity Media (their first animated film), the film was released theatrically by Columbia Pictures on July 21, 200 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Last Holiday (2006 Film)
''Last Holiday'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Wayne Wang and written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. The film is loosely based on the 1950 British film of the same name by J. B. Priestley. The film stars Queen Latifah as Georgia, a humble department store assistant who is told that she has a rare brain condition and only has a few weeks to live. She promptly decides to spend her remaining funds on a luxury holiday in Europe before she dies. Price and Seaman wanted John Candy for the main role but, after Candy's death, Latifah's agent suggested a new version starring her. Produced by Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers, the film was released by Paramount Pictures on January 13, 2006. The film underperformed at the box office, having grossed $43.3 million against a budget of $45 million and received mixed reviews from critics, though Latifah's performance was universally praised for her charm and humor. Plot Georgia Byrd is a shy, unassuming salesperso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Prize Winner Of Defiance, Ohio
''The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio'' is a 2005 American biographical film written and directed by Jane Anderson. It is based on the book by Terry Ryan, and stars Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, and Laura Dern. The film received a limited release on October 14, 2005. Plot ''The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio'' is based on the true story of housewife Evelyn Ryan, who helped support her husband, Kelly, and their 10 children by winning jingle-writing contests. Kelly failed to support his family, in part due to apparent alcoholism and low self-esteem. He dreamed of being a singer, but lost his singing voice in a car accident, and was often cruel and abusive. Evelyn wins a large freezer, ice buckets, a washer, and dryer set, a trip to New York City, sleds, boots, a pony, a palm tree, a window, a sports car, a shopping spree in her local grocery store, ice crushers, a camera, dance shoes, a boat motor, pogo sticks, a case of dog food, and a lifetime supply of bird seed. Kelly, who fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matchstick Men
''Matchstick Men'' is a 2003 black comedy film directed by Ridley Scott and based on Eric Garcia's 2002 novel of the same name. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, and Alison Lohman. The film premiered on September 2, 2003 at the 60th Venice International Film Festival and was released in the United States on September 12, 2003. It received generally positive reviews and grossed $65 million against its $62 million budget. Plot Roy Waller is a con artist with severe tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder from Los Angeles. Alongside his partner and protégé Frank Mercer, Roy operates a fake lottery, selling overpriced water filtration systems to unsuspecting customers. After Roy experiences a violent panic attack, Frank suggests he see a psychiatrist, Dr. Harris Klein. Klein provides Roy with medication, and in therapy has Roy recall his past relationship with Heather, his ex-wife who was pregnant during the divorce. At Roy's behest, Klein informs Roy he call ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
What Lies Beneath
''What Lies Beneath'' is a 2000 American supernatural horror thriller film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as a couple who live in a haunted house. It was the first film by Zemeckis' production company ImageMovers. The film opened in 2,813 theaters in North America, and grossed $291 million at the worldwide box office, becoming the tenth-highest-grossing film of the year. It received mixed reviews, but was nominated for three Saturn Awards. Plot Former cellist Claire Spencer and her husband Norman, an accomplished scientist and professor, live a quiet life in Vermont. Their relationship seems slightly strained, particularly after Claire's daughter, Caitlin, leaves for college. Claire notices the new neighbors, Mary and Warren Feur, appear to have a volatile relationship. After Mary is unseen for several days, Claire suspects Warren may have killed her. While by the lake next to their house, Claire believes she sees a woman's body in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ImageMovers
ImageMovers (IM), known as South Side Amusement Company until 1997, is an American production company which produces CGI animation, motion-capture, live-action films and television shows. The company is known for producing such films as ''Cast Away'' (2000), ''What Lies Beneath'' (2000), ''The Polar Express (film), The Polar Express'' (2004), ''Monster House (film), Monster House'' (2006), and ''Beowulf (2007 film), Beowulf'' (2007). From 2007 to 2011, The Walt Disney Company and ImageMovers founded a joint venture animation facility known as ImageMovers Digital which produced two motion-captured CGI-animated films: ''A Christmas Carol (2009 film), A Christmas Carol'' (2009) and ''Mars Needs Moms'' (2011) for Walt Disney Pictures, neither of which were financially successful. History South Side Amusement Company (1984–1997) On March 1, 1984, Robert Zemeckis incorporated and founded the company as South Side Amusement Company. The company was in-name only from the beginning. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He gained national attention for playing young Opie Taylor, the son of Sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) in the sitcom ''The Andy Griffith Show'' from 1960 through 1968. During this time, he also appeared in the musical film ''The Music Man'' (1962), a critical and commercial success. He was credited as Ronny Howard in his film and television appearances from 1959 to 1973. Howard was cast in one of the lead roles in the coming-of-age film ''American Graffiti'' (1973), and became a household name for playing Richie Cunningham in the sitcom ''Happy Days'', a role he would play from 1974 to 1980.Stated on ''Inside the Actors Studio'', 1999 In 1980, Howard left ''Happy Days'' to focus on directing, producing and sometimes writing a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chris Columbus (filmmaker)
Chris Joseph Columbus (born September 10, 1958) is an American filmmaker. Born in Spangler, Pennsylvania, Columbus studied film at Tisch School of the Arts where he developed an interest in filmmaking. After writing screenplays for several teen comedies in the mid-1980s, he made his directorial debut with a teen adventure, ''Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987). Columbus gained recognition soon after with the highly successful Christmas comedy ''Home Alone'' (1990) and its sequel '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1992). The comedy ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' (1993), starring Robin Williams, was another box office success for Columbus. He went on to direct several other films throughout the 1990s, which were mostly met with lukewarm reception. However, he found commercial success again for directing the film adaptations of J. K. Rowling's novels, ''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' (2001) and its sequel, ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' (2002), which are his highest-gros ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Robert Zemeckis")
.jpg "Click for more on -> Beowulf (2007 Film)")
