Sayles, born in Schenectady, New York in 1950, attended Williams College in Massachusetts. While working in a Boston factory after he graduated, he wrote and published fiction in his free time. National Book Award nominee for his 1977 novel Union Dues, Sayles quickly garnered attention from Hollywood. Much like James Cameron and Martin Scorsese, he wrote screenplays for famed B-movie producer/director Roger Corman to get his start in the business. In the past 28 years, he has directed 16 films—including "Lianna" (7th CIFF) and "Men with Guns" (22nd CIFF)—and written the screenplays for over 30 films for both himself and other directors. In order to fund these independent projects, Sayles worked as a script doctor," editing problem scripts for other writers, and directed several music videos for Bruce Springsteen (including "Born in the USA" and "Glory Days").
In addition to countless other awards, two of Sayles's films, "Lone Star" (1992) and "Passion Fish" (1996), received Academy Award nominations for Best Screenplay. In 1997, "Secaucus Seven" was one of the 25 films chosen for preservation in the National Film Registry. Sayles is also one of the few American directors to shoot films in a foreign language. "Men with Guns," primarily in Spanish, earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1999.
John Sayles' Filmography:
Honeydripper (2007)
Silver City (2004)
Casa de los babys (2003)
Sunshine State (2002)
Bruce Springsteen: The Complete Video Anthology 1978-2000 (2001)
Limbo (1999)
Men with Guns (1997)
Lone Star (1996)
The Secret of Roan Irish (1994)
Passion Fish (1992)
City of Hope (1991)
"Shannon's Deal" (1990)
Bruce Springsteen: Video Anthology 1978-1988 (1989)
Eight Men Out (1988)
Matewan (1987)
The Brother from Another Planet (1984)
Baby It's You (1983)
Lianna (1983)
Return of the Seacaucus Seven (1980)
"This CD is a must-have just for the simple pop culture value. This isn't one of those dramatic instrumental soundtracks, but instead is a lot of fun, especially for people who have grown up singing every word that ABBA ever wrote.
The eighteen songs (17 + hidden track) are all familiar ABBA hits, and you'll find yourself singing along to the classics performed by Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Christine Baranski and Amanda Seyfried.
Surprisingly, as none would be considered professional musicians, their renditions are pretty decent, and some will make you smile while others may make you shake your head, but there's no denying that this soundtrack would make a great stocking stuffer or just-because gift for your favorite baby boomer."
Willard Christopher Smith Jr. has done something that not many others have managed: he’s jumped from grammy-winning musician, to television sitcom fame, to being one of the biggest movie stars on the face of the planet. Furthermore, he’s not just lent his talents to some of the biggest blockbusters of the last decade--most recently his lead role in the sci-fi smashes Hancock and I Am Legend--but he’s also picked up a couple of Oscar nominations too, most prominently for his colossal leading role in Ali, a performance he’s arguably yet to beat.
Able to switch seemingly effortlessly between comedy (Hitch), drama (The Pursuit Of Happiness) and action/thrillers (Bad Boys, Enemy Of the State, Independence Day), the man who was once The Fresh Prince Of Bel~Air has come very far very quickly.
And if the box office totals from the aforementioned I Am Legend are any indication, there’s no sign of his star power waning.
Best Performances:
I Am Legend: Cementing his leading man status, Smith is pretty much the sole actor on screen for the bulk of this exciting sci-fi blockbuster.
Ali: Perhaps his best performance to date, in this intricate biopic of the world’s finest boxer.
Independence Day: Still the king when it comes to box office take for one of his movies, this was one of the earliest blockbuster hits for Smith, as he sets about saving the world.
Hitch: A first romantic leading role, and another mammoth worldwide hit. Smith’s likeable, funny performance is the major reason why.
Bad Boys: A blockbuster leading role outside of the science-fiction arena, and perhaps the first real proof that Will Smith could carry a movie.
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