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Crimewave
''Crimewave'' is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Sam Raimi, from a screenplay he co-wrote with the Coen brothers. It stars Reed Birney, Sheree J. Wilson, Paul L. Smith, Brion James, Louise Lasser and Bruce Campbell, with the latter also serving as a co-producer. An unusual slapstick mix of film noir, black comedy, Hitchcockian suspense, and B-movie conventions, ''Crimewave'' portrays bizarre situations involving a nebbish everyman (Birney) entangled in a murderous plot while pursuing his love interest (Wilson). Following the commercial success of ''The Evil Dead'' (1981), Raimi and Campbell decided to collaborate on another project. Joel Coen of the Coen brothers served as one of the editors on ''The Evil Dead'' and worked with Raimi on the screenplay. Production was difficult for several members of the crew, and the production studio, Embassy Pictures, refused to allow Raimi to edit the film. Several arguments broke out during the shoot of the film due to continued ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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, who co-wrote it with Scott Spiegel. The second installment in the ''Evil Dead'' film series, it is considered both a remake and sequel (or "requel") to ''The Evil Dead'' (1981). It stars Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, who vacations with his girlfriend to a remote cabin in the woods. He discovers an audio tape of recitations from a book of ancient texts, and when the recording is played, it unleashes a number of demons which possess and torment him. After the critical and commercial failure of '' Crimewave'' (1985), Raimi, producer Robert Tapert, and Campbell began work on a sequel to ''The Evil Dead'' at the insistence of their publicist Irvin Shapiro. Having endorsed the original film, author Stephen King brought the project to the attention of producer Dino De Laurentiis, with whom he had been making his directorial debut ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sam Raimi
Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the superhero movie '' Darkman'' (1990), the revisionist western '' The Quick and the Dead'' (1995), the neo-noir crime thriller '' A Simple Plan'' (1998), the supernatural thriller '' The Gift'' (2000), the supernatural horror '' Drag Me to Hell'' (2009), the Disney fantasy '' Oz the Great and Powerful'' (2013), and the Marvel Studios film '' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' (2022). His films are known for their highly dynamic visual style, inspired by comic books and slapstick comedy. He founded the production companies Renaissance Pictures in 1979 and Ghost House Pictures in 2002. Raimi has also produced several successful television series, including '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', its spin-off '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Tapert
Robert Gerard Tapert (; born May 14, 1955) is an American film and television producer, writer and director. He is best known for co-creating the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. Career Film Tapert first became involved with filmmaking while attending Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ... 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 Evil Dead'', which Tapert produced, Raimi directed, and Bruce Campbell starred. It was a success with the crowd at the Cann ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ted Raimi
Theodore Raimi (born December 14, 1965) is an American character actor, director and writer. He is known for his roles in the works of his brother Sam Raimi, including a fake Shemp in ''The Evil Dead'', possessed Henrietta in ''Evil Dead II'', and Ted Hoffman in the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy.Peter David's novelizations of the films reveal his first name to be Ted, after the actor who plays him. He later reprised his role as Henrietta in the television series '' Ash vs. Evil Dead'', in which he also played the character Chet Kaminski. He is also known for his roles as Lieutenant JG Tim O'Neill in ''seaQuest DSV'', his recurring role as the merchant in '' Legend of the Seeker'' and Joxer the Mighty in both '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' and '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys''. Raimi has appeared in minor roles including the films '' Crimewave'', '' Intruder'', '' Shocker'', '' Darkman'', '' Candyman'', ''Army of Darkness'', ''Clear and Present Danger'', '' The Grudge'', '' Drag Me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coen Brothers
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (1984), '' Raising Arizona'' (1987), '' Miller's Crossing'' (1990), '' Barton Fink'' (1991), '' Fargo'' (1996), '' The Big Lebowski'' (1998), '' O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' (2000), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), '' A Serious Man'' (2009), '' True Grit'' (2010) and '' Inside Llewyn Davis'' (2013). The brothers generally write, direct and produce their films jointly, although due to DGA regulations, Joel received sole directing credit while Ethan received sole production credit until '' The Ladykillers'' (2004), from which point on they would be credited together as directors and producers; they also shared editing credits under the alias Roderick Jaynes. The duo started directing separately in the 2020s, resulting in Joel's '' The Traged ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Symonds
Robert Symonds (December 1, 1926 – August 23, 2007) was an American actor. He was the associate director of the Repertory Theater of Lincoln Center from 1965 through 1972. Career His stage credits with the Lincoln Center include productions of ''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'', ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', ''The Miser'', ''Twelfth Night'', and ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. His motion picture credits include ''The Exorcist'' (1973, as Dr. Taney), '' Linda Lovelace for President'' (1975), '' Gray Lady Down'' (1978), '' ...And Justice for All'' (1979), ''Superstition'', '' The Ice Pirates'' (1984), '' Crimewave'' (1985), ''Rumpelstiltskin'' (1987), ''Mandroid'' (1993), ''Primary Colors'' (1998), '' Inferno'' (1999) and ''Catch Me If You Can'' (2002). On television, Symonds played Benjamin Franklin in the 1976 PBS mini-series The Adams Chronicles and the recurring role of Dr. Jonas Edwards on ''Dynasty'' from 1982 to 1987, and guest-starred on many series, including ''The Rockford Fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known best for his role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' horror series, beginning with the short movie '' Within the Woods'' (1978). He has also featured in many low-budget cult movies, such as '' Crimewave'' (1985), '' Maniac Cop'' (1988), '' Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat'' (1989), and '' Bubba Ho-Tep'' (2002). Campbell had the main roles of the television series '' The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'' (1993–1994) and '' Jack of All Trades'' (2000), and a recurring role as Autolycus, King of Thieves in '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' (1995–1999) and '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' (1995–1999). He played Sam Axe on the USA Network series ''Burn Notice'' (2007–2013) and reprised his role as Ash for the Starz series '' Ash vs. Evil Dead'' (2015–2018). He also appeared in '' The Escort'' (2015). Campbell directed, produced, and featured in the documentaries '' Fanal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Louise Lasser
Louise Lasser (born April 11, 1939) is an American actress, television writer, and performing arts teacher and director. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera satire '' Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', for which she was Primetime Emmy Award nominated. She made her Broadway debut in the musical '' I Can Get It for You Wholesale'' (1962). She was married to Woody Allen from 1966 until 1970 and acted in several of his early films including '' Take the Money and Run'' (1969) and ''Bananas'' (1971). She hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1976 and took guest roles in ''The Bob Newhart Show'', ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', '' Laverne and Shirley'' and ''St. Elsewhere''. Her later roles include black comedy films such as Todd Solondz's ''Happiness'' (1998) and Owen Kline's '' Funny Pages'' (2022). She portrayed Beadie in the Lena Dunham-created HBO coming-of-age series '' Girls'' from 2013 to 2014. She is also a life member of The Actors Studi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Evil Dead
''The Evil Dead'' is a 1981 American independent film, independent supernatural horror film written and directed by Sam Raimi (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly as five college students vacationing in an isolated cabin in the woods, where they find an audio tape that, when played, releases a legion of demons and spirits. Four members of the group suffer from demonic possession, forcing the fifth member, Ash Williams (Campbell), to survive an onslaught of increasingly gory mayhem. Raimi, Campbell, producer Robert Tapert, Robert G. Tapert, and their friends produced the 1978 short film ''Within the Woods'' as a proof of concept to build the interest of potential investors, which secured US$90,000 to begin work on ''The Evil Dead''. Principal photography took place on location in a remote cabin in Morristown, Tennessee, in a filming process that proved extremely uncomfortable for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and film producer. In a 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 three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and seven Critics' Choice Awards. Recognized for her roles in small-budget independent films, McDormand's worldwide box office gross exceeds $2.2 billion. McDormand has been married to Joel Coen of the Coen brothers since 1984. She has appeared in several of their films, including '' Blood Simple'' (1984), '' Raising Arizona'' (1987), '' Miller's Crossing'' (1990), '' Barton Fink'' (1991), '' Fargo'' (1996), '' The Man Who Wasn't There'' (2001), '' Burn After Reading'' (2008), and '' Hail, Caesar!'' (2016). McDormand won three ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reed Birney
Reed Birney (born September 11, 1954) is an American actor. Birney is known for his performances on stage and screen often acting on and off Broadway. Birney gained acclaim in 2016 for his role in '' The Humans'' winning the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He was also nominated previously in the same category for his performance in '' Casa Valentina'' in 2014. He starred in the films ''Mass'' (2021), and '' The Menu'' (2022). He is also known for his recurring roles in ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2009), ''House of Cards'' (2013–2017), ''The Blacklist'' (2014–2015), and '' Home Before Dark'' (2021–2022). He has also acted in ''The Americans'', ''The Handmaid's Tale'', and ''Succession''. Career Birney attended the Boston University College of Fine Arts for two years. After moving to New York City, he attended classes sponsored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Birney appeared off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 1976 in '' Gemini'' by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Embassy Pictures
Embassy Pictures Corporation (also and later known as Avco Embassy Pictures as well as Embassy Films Associates) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was active from 1942 to 1986. Embassy was responsible for films such as ''The Graduate'', '' The Producers'', '' The Fog'', '' The Howling'', '' Escape from New York'', '' This Is Spinal Tap'', '' Watership Down'', and '' Swamp Thing'', and television series such as '' The Jeffersons'', '' One Day at a Time'', and '' The Facts of Life''. Embassy was founded in 1942 by Joseph E. Levine as a foreign film distributor, before branching out into film production in 1945. In 1967, Embassy was acquired by Avco. The company struggled in the 1970s before focusing on lower-budget genre films at the end of the decade. In 1982, television producer Norman Lear and his partner Jerry Perenchio bought the studio, and it became involved in television production. In 1985, Embassy was sold to The Coca-Cola ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
