SAM RAIMI

Highly inventive US film director/producer/writer/actor Sam Raimi first came to the attention of film fans with the savage, yet darkly humorous, low-budget horror film The Evil Dead (1981). From his childhood Raimi was a fan of the cinema and before he was ten years old, he was out making movies with an 8mm camera. He was a devoted fan of The Three Stooges, so much of Raimi's film work in his teens, with good friends Bruce Campbell and Robert G. Tapert, was slapstick comedy based around what they had observed from Stooges movies.

Among the three of them they wrote, directed, produced and edited a short horror movie titled Within the Woods (1978), which was then shown to prospective investors to raise the money necessary to film The Evil Dead (1981). It met with lukewarm interest in the US with local distributors, so Raimi took the film to Europe, where it was much more warmly received. After it started gaining positive reviews and, more importantly, ticket sales upon its release in Europe, US distributors showed renewed interest, and "Evil Dead" was eventually released stateside to strong box office returns. His next directorial effort was Crimewave (1985), a quirky, cartoon-like effort that failed to catch fire with audiences. However, he bounced back with Evil Dead II (1987), a racier and more humorous remake/sequel to the original "Dead" that did even better at the box office. Raimi was then given his biggest budget to date to shoot Darkman (1990), a comic book-style fantasy about a scarred avenger. The film did moderate business, but Raimi's strong visual style was evident throughout the film via inventive and startling camera work that caught the attention of numerous critics.

The third chapter in the Evil Dead story beckoned, and Raimi once again directed buddy Campbell as the gritty hero "Ash", in the Gothic horror _Army of Darkness (1993)_. Raimi surprised fans when he took a turn away from the fantasy genre and directed Gene Hackman and Sharon Stone in the sexy western The Quick and the Dead (1995); four years later he took the directorial reins on A Simple Plan (1998), a crime thriller about stolen money starring Bill Paxton and Bridget Fonda. In early 1999 he directed the baseball film For Love of the Game (1999) and in 2000 returned to the fantasy genre with a top-flight cast in The Gift (2000). In 2002 Raimi was given a real opportunity to demonstrate his dynamic visual style with the big-budget film adaptation of the Stan Lee comic book superhero Spider-Man (2002), and fans were not disappointed. The movie was strong in both script and effects, and was a runaway success at the box office. Of course, Raimi returned for the sequel, Spider-Man 2 (2004), which surpassed the original in box-office takings.

Raimi remains one of Hollywood's most creative, exciting and intelligent filmmakers. (via IMDB)


From The Blogsphere

EXCLUSIVE: 'World Of Warcraft' Film Lands 'Saving Private Ryan' Writer, Says Sam Raimi

via mtv.com ( 39 Days ago )
In a phone interview with "Drag Me To Hell" director Sam Raimi last week, MTV's Eric Ditzian managed to sneak in a few questions about "Warcraft." Among the revelations Raimi had to share was the news that "Saving Private Ryan" writer Robert Rodat will be tackling the "Warcraft" script as well (a subsequent call to Rodat's agent confirmed this as true). Raimi confirmed that the story, [...]

Spidey 4 Start Date Set?

via ign.com ( 39 Days ago )
Sam Raimi may have taken a break from the Spidey-verse long enough to make a return to horror with Drag Me to Hell (out on DVD this week!), but the man who brought Peter Parker to the land of live action isn't done with the franchise yet. And now Raimi is talking about when production might start on Spider-Man 4.

DVD: Contest:Win Drag Me To Hell on DVD

via avclub.com ( 39 Days ago )
That's right, you can win Sam Raimi's latest jam, the critically acclaimed Drag Me To Hell, on DVD. We've got 10 copies to give away to you, lucky readers. Just send an e-mail here with your mailing address. Contest ends October 25. ARV of prize:$29.98. US addresses only. Employees of Onion Inc and their families are not eligible. Synopsis and trailer below! "Christine Brown (Alison [...]

Robert Rodat Penning Warcraft Movie

via comingsoon.net ( 40 Days ago )
MTV alerted us that Sam Raimi revealed to them in a phone interview last week that Saving Private Ryan and The Patriot screenwriter Robert Rodat is writing the script for the Warcraft movie, a project Raimi is expected to take on after Spider-Man 4 . Here's a clip: The aim is to adapt the game, rather than a previously conceived story written within that world. "We want [...]

Directors We Love: Sam Raimi

via cinematical.com ( 40 Days ago )
Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell comes out on home video next week. Universal's essential DVD release contains both the unrated "director's cut" and the theatrical cut, although the unrated cut runs just a few seconds shorter than the theatrical cut. The major change -- I'm told -- is a moment's hesitation before the main character considers... well... it has to do with a cat. In the [...]

Neil Marshall & Sam Raimi To ‘Burst’ In 3D

via screenrant.com ( 41 Days ago )
Earlier this year, Sam Raimi brought us one of the most purely fun tongue-in-cheek horrors I’ve seen in a long time with Drag Me To Hell, a welcome return to his horror roots after many years of directing in other genres. However, as some you may know, Raimi has been prolific in the horror department on the producing side of things, with his Ghost House Pictures being responsible [...]

Neil Marshall and Ghost House Pictures Will Burst in 3-D

via firstshowing.net ( 42 Days ago )
Sam Raimi has always had a penchant for turning what's usually cheesy and wholly unbelievable into fun motion pictures. While the Evil Dead series could easily have turned into horror junk, it instead reached cult classic status quickly. And with the Spider-Man franchise, I think Raimi successfully blended melodrama with spectacular action for a mostly fantastic (forget about [...]

Spider-Man 4 Planned For Early March 2010 Start

via screenrant.com ( 42 Days ago )
MTV News had a chance to speak with Sam Raimi today and got him to reveal the planned start date for Spider-Man 4. The official Spider-Man 4 release date was set way back in March when Marvel Studios pushed back and re-arranged the release schedule for their upcoming films. From reports and speculation, we had an idea that it would start principal photography next spring but now [...]

Spider Man 4 to Start Filming in March

via screencrave.com ( 42 Days ago )
Sam Raimi was pinned down by MTV and revealed that Spider-Man 4 will finally start shooting in early March of 2010. The fourth film in the franchise won’t hit theaters until 2011, but after so much talk of unsuccessful scribes and screenplays, many of you might have gotten a bit worried, but according to Raimi Gary Ross is working on a screenplay right now (as you read this). Check [...]

Neil Marshall Set To Direct Burst 3D

via screencrave.com ( 42 Days ago )
Lionsgate and Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures have teamed up to release a new horror film, Burst 3D. In addition, Neil Marshall, writer and director of The Decent, has been chosen to direct the film. The movie is about a group of travelers who are stranded together during a blizzard, but an evil force is lurking and causing people to randomly explode. Doesn’t that sound [...]