William Hootkins
William Michael Hootkins (July 5, 1948 – October 23, 2005) was an American character actor, most famous for supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Star Wars, Batman and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Early life
At the age of 15, Hootkins found himself caught up in the FBI’s investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy when he was interviewed about Mrs. Ruth Paine, the woman “harboring” Marina Oswald, the Russian wife of the presumed assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Read the rest of this entry »
George Lucas
I’ve always tried to be aware of what I say in my films, because all of us who make motion pictures are teachers — teachers with very loud voices.
— George Lucas
Occupation: Director
Date of Birth: May 14, 1944
Place of Birth: Modesto, Calif., USA
Sign: Sun in Taurus, Moon in Aquarius
Relations: Ex-wife: Marcia Lucas (nee Griffin; film editor); former companion: Linda Ronstadt (singer); kids: Amanda, Katie, and Jett (all adopted); has three siblings Read the rest of this entry »
Harrison Ford
I’m an assistant storyteller. It’s like being a waiter or a gas-station attendant, but I’m waiting on six million people a week, if I’m lucky.
— Harrison Ford, on being an actor
BEHIND every Great American Movie Star, there seems to be a Great American Hard-Luck Story. Harrison Ford wasn’t exactly born in a log cabin, but [...]
Mark Hamill
I know people are laughing– “Luke Skywalker wants to direct!” Well let me tell you, so did Opie, Laverne and Meathead.
— Mark Hamill
Occupation: Actor
Date of Birth: September 25, 1952
Place of Birth: Oakland, Calif., USA
Sign: Sun in Libra, Moon in Sagittarius
Relations: Wife: Marilou York; kids: Chelsea, Nathan and Griffin
Man Meets Bug
How different would the history of contemporary cinema be if Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers had been released in 1977 instead of George Lucas’ Star Wars? Very different. Where Lucas (along with Spielberg) set into motion twenty years of Hollywood fixation with its own history of spectacle — Errol Flynn and Saturday matinee serials and B-movie [...]
Obvious, But Effective
After the narrative blur of Supernova, the self-parody of Lost In Space, and the drudgery of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, David Twohy’s back-to-basics, sci-fi B-movie, Pitch Black, looks like an exemplary piece of good old, otherworldly nonsense for a Saturday matinee.
Alas, the Future Is Now
I have seen the future of American movies, and it’s a complete drag.
Everything many of us found simultaneously exciting and ominous about the eventual, complete union of software and celluloid — beyond Forrest Gump, beyond Jurassic Park, beyond Titanic — is now here in George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.
Lead Balloon
Director–Alan Pakula
Starring Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford
Drama Thriller 110 min
Arnold Schwarzenegger can do it. Sylvester Stallone can do it. Mel Gibson can do it. But Harrison Ford, who used to be able to do it, apparently can’t anymore. By “it,” I’m referring to the fine art of self-parody.
Cool Universe
Fifteen years after its heralded release as a groundbreaking excursion into cutting edge animation, Heavy Metal returns to the big screen with a fresh coat of technological paint and a super-sized soundtrack. But despite all the advances in computer wizardry and digital this and thats, the movie still doesn’t make a Columbia Pictures.
Who Cares About Bugs?
Walt Disney
Director–John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton
Starring Bonnie Hunt, David Foley, David Hyde Pierce, Denis Leary, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Kevin Spacey
Animation Comedy 96 min
Technologically, A Bug’s Life picks up where Toy Story left off: More complex, eye-popping graphics. More characters. More detail. More elaborate scenes.
