Killer Movie is a comedy horror film released in the United States in April 2008.^[2] The film premiered during the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.^[3] It stars Paul Wesley, Kaley Cuoco, Jason London, Torrey DeVitto and Leighton Meester and was written and directed by Jeff Fisher.^[4] "Killer Movie" was Produced by Cornelia Ryan Taylor, Michael Sanchez and Jeff Fisher.

Plot[link]

Celebrity Jake Tanner (Paul Wesley) travels to a small town to film a reality TV-show about the towns hockey team. However, town local Jaynie (Leighton Meester) is soon murdered, being decapitated by a piece of wire hung up between two trees, but the murder is passed off as an accident. Jake meets with the shows producers, Lee (Cyia Batten) who now want to investigate the murder.

As Jake goes to the local high school, he meets Keir (Gloria Votsis), part of the shows crew, who believes Jaynie was murdered and suspects the hockey teams coach, Coach Carhartt (Stephen Pelinski). Jake meets the rest of the crew, including Mike (Jason London), Daphne (Adriana DeMeo), Luke (Al Santos) and Greg (Hal B. Klein) while also meeting the team captain, Vance (Andy Fischer-Price) and head cheerleader Erin (Maitland McConnell). Meanwhile, cheerleading coach Mrs Falls (Jennifer Murphy) is murdered by a masked killer, who drags her into a circular saw. The crew interview Vance, who swears he will get vengeance on whoever murdered Jaynie.

Controversial celebrity Blanca Champion (Kaley Cuoco) soon arrives with her assistant Nik (Robert Buckley) to work on the show. The crew travel to meet Jaynie's father, Coach Hansen (Bruce Bohne), who recently was released from prison for the murder of his wife. Hansen becomes angered however, and forces the crew to leave. While back at the school, Connor (Jackson Bond) tells Jake that Jaynie's death was not an accident. That night, the crew go to a bar, and discover of Mrs Falls death, but again the locals pass the death off as an accident, before Coach Hansen turns up and warns the crew away from the town. The next day, Lee fall out as Lee is changing the show to center around the deaths of the locals. Nick is sent to Coach Hansen's house to retrieve equipment that was left there previously. On arrival, Nick finds Coach Hansen dead, before the killer butchers Nick with a pickaxe.

After Erin and Blanca have an argument, Blanca attempts to leave the town but realizes there is no signal for mobile phones in the town. After the crew film a hockey match, the crew go to the bar, but Luke remains behind to work out. He is attacked by the killer, who chops off his hand before finally stabbing him to death. Daphne decides to leave the bar, but while on her way home she discovers Greg's car. She stops and investigates, only to find Greg's throat slit. The killer then turns up and kidnaps her.

The next day, the remaining crew discover of their missing co-workers, causing arguments between the survivors. Lee goes down to the boiler room where she finds the killer is filming the murders using the aid of a lipstick camera. Before she can warn the others though, the killer hangs her. After more filming, Jake, Blanca and Keir go back to a cabin to find the others. However, they find footage of Daphne being captured. They go back to the school and drop Blanca off so she can contact help on a Cb radio, while Jake and Keir go to where Daphne was captured. Meanwhile, Phoebe is in a local shop when she is attacked by the killer. She hides until Coach Carhart arrives and the pair flee to the coaches car. As they are about to leave, the killer slices open the coaches neck, while Phoebe runs to the school. The killer catches up with her though and strangles her to death.

Jake and Keir discover the killers lair in the forest, but as they are about to leave Jake steps on a bear trap, so Keir leaves for help. Back at the school, Blanca fails to get help from the radio but finds Connor down in the boiler room, who shows Blanca a video the killer has made devoted to her. As the pair are leaving the school, they discover Daphne's dead body. Blanca soon becomes locked in a room, but Connor escapes. Keir arrives, but the killer quickly knocks her out, before finding Blanca. She escapes the room through the vents, but is confronted by the killer who is revealed to be an obsessed Mike, who murdered everyone to be close to her. Keir attempts to save Blanca, but Mike stabs her, however Jake, Vance and Connor arrive and shoot Mike.

The next morning, the police arrive and put Mikes body in a body bag. Jake finds out Keir survived being stabbed, however soon discovers Mike was wearing a bullet proof vest and has escaped.

Cast[link]

The cast and director attend the movie's premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

• Paul Wesley as Jake Tanner
• Kaley Cuoco as Blanca Champion
• Gloria Votsis as Keir
• Jason London as Mike
• Cyia Batten as Lee Tyson
• Adriana DeMeo as Daphne
• Al Santos as Luke
• Nestor Carbonell as Seaton Brookstone
• Hal B. Klein as Greg
• Maitland McConnell as Erin Gorman
• Robert Buckley as Nik
• Leighton Meester as Jaynie Hansen
• Andy Fischer-Price as Vance Carhartt
• Stephen Pelinski as Coach Carhartt
• Jackson Bond as Connor
• J.C. Chasez as Ted Buckley
• Jennifer Murphy as Mrs. Falls
• Bruce Bohne as Coach Hansen

Release[link]

The film originally had a release date in the summer of 2008. It was also released to Video One Demand in winter 2008. The film was released to a mixed critical reception.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Killer Movie at the Internet Movie Database

Leighton Meester
Meester at Chanel's SoHo store re-opening, September 9, 2010
Born	Leighton Marissa Meester (1986-04-09) April 9, 1986 (age 26) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer, model
Years active	1999–present
Website
leightonmeestermusic.com

Leighton Marissa Meester (born April 9, 1986)^[1] is an American actress and singer. Meester first garnered attention and critical acclaim for playing Blair Waldorf in the CW's teen drama television series Gossip Girl. She most recently appeared in the 2010 country drama film Country Strong, the 2011 thriller The Roommate, and the 2011 romantic-comedy Monte Carlo.

Early life[link]

Meester was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Constance and Douglas Meester and lived most of her life in New York City and Los Angeles.^[2][3][4] Meester's last name is the Dutch word for "master" or "teacher".^[5]

At the time of her birth, her mother was serving time in a federal prison for her involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the United States. She was able to give birth to Leighton in a hospital and nurse her for three months in a halfway house, before returning to prison to complete her sentence,^[2][3] after which Leighton's grandmother cared for her. She has a brother, Alexander, who is 8 years younger.

Meester has maintained that her parents gave her a normal upbringing and, despite their criminal past, are good people with experience that has only made Meester more open-minded and non-judgmental, "It made me realize that you can't judge anyone — especially your parents — for what they've done in their past, because people change."^[6] Meester has joked, "Look, I could've turned out a lot worse."^[7] She has cited her mother as her style icon.^[8]

Meester grew up in Marco Island, Florida, where she participated in productions at a local playhouse.^[9] When she was 11 years old, Meester and her mother moved to New York City.^[9] Meester attended the Professional Children's School and also began working as a model with Wilhelmina, booking a Ralph Lauren campaign shot by Bruce Weber and working with then photographer (now film maker) Sofia Coppola^[9][10] as well as many commercials including Tamagotchi toys and Clearasil. She has also posed for Limited Too campaigns alongside fellow future actress, Amanda Seyfried, in which Seyfried recalls, "Leighton was very confident."^[11] Meester made her television acting debut as a murder victim's friend on an episode of Law & Order.^[9][10] At 14, Meester moved to Los Angeles, California, wanting more stable work, and attended Hollywood High School and Beverly Hills High School.^[10][12] She then transferred to a small private school and graduated a year early.^[13]

Career[link]

Acting[link]

Meester at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival for the premiere of Killer Movie

After her television debut in 1999 playing Alyssa Turner in Law & Order, Meester appeared as a guest in two more series before landing her big role in the movie Hangman's Curse, based on the best-selling book by Frank Peretti. She appeared in Tarzan, which ran for only eight episodes. Meester then started to land guest roles in other series such as Crossing Jordan, 8 Simple Rules, 7th Heaven, Veronica Mars, 24, and Entourage.^[9]

In 2005, Meester began a regular role in the series Surface as Savannah Bennet. Meester appeared in two more 2006 movies, Flourish and Inside. She also guest appeared in Numb3rs and in two episodes of House M.D. as Ali, a young girl who has a crush on House.^[9] She had guest roles on CSI: Miami and Shark, and played the female lead in the horror film Drive-Thru.

In 2007, Meester was cast in the CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl as Blair Waldorf.^[9] The show is based on the book series by Cecily von Ziegesar about the lives of New York's privileged Upper East Side young adults. Her performance is the most critically acclaimed of the show, with Blair being cited as the series' breakout character, and also garnering much media recognition due to her wardrobe.^[14][15] She dated Gossip Girl co-star Sebastian Stan.^[16]

Meester appeared on the television film The Haunting of Sorority Row, and played a part in the ensemble comedy/drama Remember the Daze. She also appeared in the horror/thriller film Killer Movie in 2008.

Meester starred in three films in 2010 with small roles in the comedies Date Night and Going The Distance^[17] and a bigger role in Screen Gems' country drama Country Strong starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Garrett Hedlund. The Boston Globe found the best thing in the film was Meester because "she’s just doing Reese Witherspoon’s June Carter Cash in Walk the Line with dabs of Miley Cyrus and Kellie Pickler. But it’s not an impersonation; it’s a performance with its own comedy and sweetness."^[18] USA Today was also positive towards her performance writing "Meester shows she can do more than play one of Gossip Girl’s privileged Manhattan socialite."^[19]

In 2011, she played the role of Rebecca, an obsessive bipolar girl in the thriller The Roommate.^[20] Though the film mainly received negative reviews, Meester's portrayal was praised by critics. Entertainment Weekly found she was the only one to bring "the slightest trace of something fascinating to her role"^[21] while Los Angeles Times wrote "her performance often has the feeling of a sports car in neutral. When she punches it for quick changes of tone from manic to wounded or around the bend, she shows how much more she is capable of."^[22] Meester's second film of the year was the young femme comedy Monte Carlo, loosely based on Jules Bass's young-adult book Headhunters, in which she plays Selena Gomez's sister and Katie Cassidy's friend.^[23] Movieline noted that "As in Country Strong, Meester's crack timing and irresistible poignancy illuminate a part that would leave other actresses simpering themselves off the screen."^[24] Her last film of 2011 was the indie dramatic comedy The Oranges opposite Hugh Laurie, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

She will next star in the comedy That's My Boy, alongside Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Milo Ventimiglia, which is set to release in June 2012.^[25][26] She is also attached to The Uncatchable Cowgirl Bandits of Nottingham, Texas alongside Amber Heard.^[27]

Music[link]

Meester performing in June 2011

In April 2009, Meester signed a recording contract with Universal Republic.^[28] Meester's first official single, "Somebody to Love", featuring R&B singer Robin Thicke, was released for airplay on October 13, 2009, and became available for digital download on October 14, 2009.^[29] In November 2009, Meester revealed that Lil Wayne had worked with her on one of her songs titled "Make It Rain", which hasn't been released.^[30] Her second single, "Your Love's a Drug", was digitally released on March 30, 2010.^[31]

Meester is featured on Cobra Starship's song "Good Girls Go Bad", which reached the Top 10 on Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #7, and on Stephen Jerzak's song "She Said".^[32][33] She recorded a cover of the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for the compilation album A Very Special Christmas 7.^[34] For her 2010 country drama film Country Strong, she recorded a cover of the song "Words I Couldn't Say" by Rascal Flatts as well as "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans featured on the film's soundtrack; a promotional single titled "Summer Girl"; and a duet with Garrett Hedlund titled "Give In To Me".^[35]

In October 2010, Meester said she had been working with a band called Check in the Dark and had been writing for the last six months being inspired by Country Strong, "I've just been having fun and writing from my heart". She revealed her influences, "I love Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, that style of music, and as far as songwriting I think that's where my heart is."^[36] On April 22, 2012, Meester announced via Twitter a five-city tour with Check in the Dark, which will start on May 29 and end on June 4.^[37][38][39]

Endorsements[link]

Meester has fronted many charity as well as advertising campaigns. In 2008, she was a spokesperson for Sunsilk's "Life Can't Wait" campaign^[40] to motivate women to pursue their dreams and collaborated with Safe Horizon to raise awareness about and prevent domestic violence.^[41] Early in 2009, Meester partnered with Reebok to model their new Top Down sneakers.^[42] Outside of Gossip Girl, Meester has worked with co-star Ed Westwick in a Nikon Coolpix series camera advertisement and both were faces for a Korean clothing line called ASK Enquired.^[43] In 2010, Meester signed on to be the spokesperson for Herbal Essences hair products.^[44] In the same year, Meester took part in Bulgari's humanitarian efforts for the Save the Children organization with Isabella Rossellini and Maribel Verdútaken.^[45] Vera Wang has also chosen Meester to be the face of her newest scent Lovestruck, breaking in summer of 2011, stating that the actress's "beauty, talent and spirit will inspire all the young women that I hope will enjoy this passionate, new young fragrance."^[46] In 2011, Italian fashion house Missoni revealed they have tapped Meester to be part of their Spring/Summer 2011 campaign.^[47] She fronts another South Korean brand, this time a beauty campaign, called eSpoir.^[48] Leighton is additionally the new face of Vera Wang's scent "Lovestruck" which was first sold in Harrods on June 9, 2011. In May 2012, she became an endorser for Philippine clothing brand Penshoppe's campaign "All Stars".^[49]

In the media[link]

Meester was listed several times in Maxim's Hot 100, starting #48 in 2008,^[50] #12 in 2009,^[51] #17 in 2010^[52] and #16 in 2011.^[53] BuddyTV ranked her #32 on its TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2010 list.^[54] She was ranked #75 by AskMen.com readers in the list "Top 99 Women of 2010" and #53 in 2011.^[55] Men's Health ranked her #30 in its "Hottest Women in 2011" list.^[56] Glamour ranked her #5 among the Most Glamorous Celebrities of 2011.^[57]

Personal life[link]

From 2008 to 2010, Meester dated actor Sebastian Stan.^[58] In July 2011, Meester and her mother filed lawsuits against each other regarding Meester's financial support of her younger brother, who has multiple health problems.^[59] Meester's suit claims the money she sent was misused by her mother; her mother's suit makes a cross-claim alleging breach of contract and physical abuse.^[59] In November 2011, Constance Meester dropped the $3 million claim for damages against her daughter. As a result, Leighton obtained a default judgement on December 7, 2011.^[60] Leighton is also said to be seeking custody of her 17-year-old brother Alexander, who has suffered health problems, including recently undergoing brain surgery.^[61] Meester is currently dating Remember the Daze co-star Aaron Himelstein, after meeting and briefly dating in 2007. ^[62]

Filmography[link]

Meester at the 2009 CW Upfront presentation.

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Featured singles[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Leighton Meester

• Official website
• Leighton Meester at the Internet Movie Database
• Leighton Meester at AllRovi

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (July 2009)

Bryan Singer
Singer at WonderCon 2006
Born	Bryan Jay Singer (1965-09-17) September 17, 1965 (age 46) New York, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Film director and producer

Bryan Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American film director, writer and producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.

Early life[link]

Singer was born in New York City, and was adopted by Grace Singer (née Sinden), an environmental activist, and Norbert Dave Singer, a corporate executive.^[1] He grew up in a Jewish household in West Windsor Township, New Jersey. He attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (formerly just West Windsor-Plainsboro High School), graduating in 1984.^[2] For college, Singer studied filmmaking for two years at New York's School of Visual Arts and later transferred to the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles.^[3] Actors Lori and Marc Singer are his cousins. He is openly gay and has said that his life experiences of growing up as a minority influenced his movies.^[4] He was diagnosed with dyslexia.^[5]

Professional career[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010)

After graduating, Singer directed a short film called Lion's Den involving a number of friends, including actor Ethan Hawke whom he knew from his childhood in New Jersey^[6] and editor John Ottman who he had met while working on a friend's short film.^[7]

After a screening of Lion's Den, Singer was approached by someone who knew of a Japanese company that funded low-budget films. Singer wrote the concept for Public Access with high school friend Christopher McQuarrie, and fellow USC student Michael Feit Dougan wrote the first draft in ten days about a supposedly idyllic small town. Ottman again served as editor but this time also composed the score for the film. At the 1993 Sundance Film Festival the film was named as co-winner of the Grand Jury Prize.^[8][9]

While attending the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, Singer and McQuarrie began discussing an idea that McQuarrie had for a story where "five criminals meet in a police line-up". The film, The Usual Suspects, won a number of awards including the 1995 BAFTA Award for Best Film and Saturn Award for Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film. Writer McQuarrie won the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay and the BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay, composer/editor Ottman won the BAFTA Award for Best Editing and the Saturn Award for Best Music and actor Kevin Spacey won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 1998, Singer directed Apt Pupil from a screenplay written by Brandon Boyce, another of his friends. The story, adapted from a Stephen King novella of the same name (collected in the book Different Seasons), tells of a young boy who develops a morbid fascination with a Nazi war criminal.

Singer was initially approached by 20th Century Fox to direct X-Men after directing The Usual Suspects, but not being a fan of comics and being unaware of the characters, Singer turned them down. However his friend, Tom DeSanto, a big fan of the comics and partner in his production company Bad Hat Harry Productions, eventually persuaded Singer to reconsider and, after reading the comics and becoming familiar with the characters, Singer signed on to direct. Rejecting all the scripts and storylines that were developed over a decade of failed production attempts, Singer developed the story for the film with DeSanto in a week and then worked on the script with writers Ed Solomon, Christopher McQuarrie, Joss Whedon, and finally David Hayter (who had started out as Singer's driver). Only Hayter received onscreen credit for writing the film. Singer won the 2000 Saturn Award for Best Direction for X-Men.

In early 2001, Singer was planning to direct Confessions of a Dangerous Mind with Johnny Depp in the lead role, from Charlie Kaufman's script based on the Chuck Barris book of the same name. Financial troubles delayed production and Singer moved on. The film was later directed by George Clooney for Miramax Films with Sam Rockwell in the lead role. Singer has said that he was "very impressed" by Clooney's debut as a director, and the film itself.

In late 2001, Singer was planning to help DeSanto produce a new Battlestar Galactica television series for Studios USA (now NBC Universal Television Studio) and the FOX network. Singer was scheduled to direct the mini-series which would have served as a backdoor pilot for a potential series. Speaking to Variety in February 2001, Singer said he was "confident that the Galactica brand is a sleeping giant. It was a show I watched during its initial run, from the pilot to the final episode. The essence and the brand name is quite potent in a climate where there's a great deficit of sci-fi programming."^[10] Despite his enthusiasm, production delays caused by the September 11, 2001 attacks meant Singer had to drop out due to his commitment to direct X-Men 2. FOX then lost interest in Galactica and Studios USA took the project to the Sci Fi Channel and a different production team. This resulted in the new Battlestar Galactica 2003 mini-series and 2004 television series.

In June 2002 filming began on X2 in Canada with Singer again directing, this time from a screenplay written by David Hayter, Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty. In 2004, X2 was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, but lost to Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

In 2002, having learned that Singer was a lifelong Star Trek fan, Patrick Stewart arranged for Singer to visit the set of Star Trek Nemesis and appear in the finished film as a Starfleet officer on the bridge of the Enterprise.

On November 16, 2004, a new medical drama debuted on FOX called House, with Singer attached as an executive producer. He also directed the pilot and the third episode, then appeared in a brief cameo as himself in the twelfth episode.

In mid-2004, Singer was in negotiations to direct X-Men: The Last Stand for Fox. Fox and Singer could not meet an agreement and, after an extended détente, Singer was offered the chance to direct the new Superman film, which was ready to go. On July 19, 2004, Variety reported that Singer had signed on to direct Superman Returns for Warner Bros. In retaliation, Fox terminated their production deal with Bad Hat Harry Productions, Singer's production company.^[11] Superman Returns was filmed in Australia in 2005, and was released on June 28, 2006. Singer claims that though he had not read the comics, he had always admired and identified with the character, citing the fact that he and Superman are both orphans. He instead based Returns on his love of the 1978 film made by Richard Donner.^[12]

Before embarking on the Superman sequel, Singer openly discussed helming a smaller project going back to the days of thrillers The Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil. In late 2006, screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie presented to Singer a story that took place in World War II, Valkyrie. In the following months, the two collaborated on the project, an original thriller that would be a multi-character ensemble piece. In March 2007, the duo brought the project directly to United Artists partners Paula Wagner and Tom Cruise, who immediately agreed to finance the film. The script is based on the actual events of German generals plotting to assassinate Adolf Hitler during World War II. Singer invited Tom Cruise to take the lead role, which Cruise accepted. Filming began on July 19, 2007 in Berlin, and the movie was released on December 25, 2008.

Upon finishing Valkyrie at the end of 2007, Singer was scheduled to jump directly into the upcoming Superman sequel, which was to begin filming around March 2008. Attending the 2007 Saturn Awards along with Superman Returns writers Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and producer Gil Adler, Singer stated that the story had been locked down, and the first draft would be completed near the end of 2007. Plans for the sequel included more action sequences, an alien villain, and Singer's promise to "go all Wrath of Khan on it". Production has not begun and plans for the movie are unclear.^[13] In February 2009, Production Weekly listed it as "in development".^[14]

In August 2009, Universal Pictures announced that Singer would direct and produce a big screen reimagining of the Battlestar Galactica television series of the late-1970s, which would not draw any material from the Syfy Channel reimagined series.^[15]

On September 10, 2009, it was announced NBC has partnered with Bryan Singer and Bryan Fuller to adapt Augusten Burroughs's Sellevision into a series. The one-hour dramatic comedy, to be written by Fuller and directed by Singer, will focus on the inner workings of a fictional home shopping network, according to The Hollywood Reporter.^[16]

At the premiere of James Cameron's Avatar on December 16, 2009, Singer confirmed that he will be directing a film called Jack the Giant Killer for Warner Bros., and that he signed on to do X-Men: First Class,^[17][18] but conflicts between the two projects led to Singer being only a producer and co-screenwriter on First Class,^[19] with Matthew Vaughn taking over directorial duties.^[20]

Bryan produced the commercials for the ice cream Magnum Gold, which star Benicio del Toro.^[21]

Filmography[link]

Actor

• Star Trek Nemesis (2002)
• X2 (2003)
• House (2004)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bryan Singer at the Internet Movie Database
• Bad Hat Harry Productions at the Internet Movie Database
• Short The Movie Reporter video interview with Singer (2005)
• Tribute.ca Director Bio: Bryan Singer
• Bryan Singer at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

John Woo
John Woo attending the 2005 Cannes Film Festival
Chinese name	吳宇森 (Traditional)
Chinese name	吴宇森 (Simplified)
Pinyin	Wú Yǔsēn (Mandarin)
Jyutping	Ng4 Jyu5 Sam1 (Cantonese)
Origin	Hong Kong
Born	(1946-05-01) 1 May 1946 (age 66) Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
Occupation	Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Editor
Spouse(s)	Annie Woo
Awards Hong Kong Film Awards Best Picture 1986 A Better Tomorrow Best Director 1989 The Killer Best Film Editing 1990 Bullet in the Head 1992 Hard-Boiled Other awards Saturn Award for Best Direction 1997 Face/Off

John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (born 1 May 1946) is a Hong Kong film director, writer, and producer.^[1] Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion.^[2] Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard Boiled and Red Cliff.^[2] His Hollywood films include Hard Target, Broken Arrow, Face/Off and Mission: Impossible 2.^[2] He also created the comic series Seven Brothers, published by Virgin Comics. Woo was described by Dave Kehr in The Observer in 2002 as "arguably the most influential director making movies today".^[3] Woo cites his three favorite films as David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï.^[2]

Early life[link]

Woo was born amidst the chaos of the Chinese Civil War in 1946. The Christian Woo family, faced with persecution during Mao Zedong's early anti-bourgeois purges after the communist revolution in China, fled to Hong Kong when he was five.^[4][5] Impoverished, the Woo family lived in the slums at Shek Kip Mei. His father was a teacher, though rendered unable to work by tuberculosis, and his mother was a manual laborer on construction sites.^[6] The family was rendered homeless by the big Shek Kip Mei fire of 1953.^[5] Charitable donations from disaster relief efforts enabled the family to relocate; however, violent crime had by then become commonplace in Hong Kong housing projects.

At age three he was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. Following surgery on his spine, he was unable to walk correctly until eight years old, and as a result his right leg is shorter than his left leg.^[7] Woo went to Concordia Lutheran School and received a Christian education^{[citation needed]} (his Christian background shows influences in his films^[8]). As a young boy, Woo had wanted to be a Christian minister. He later found a passion for movies influenced by the French New Wave especially Jean-Pierre Melville.^[2] Woo has said he was shy and had difficulty speaking, but found making movies a way to explore his feelings and thinking and would "use movies as a language".^[2]

The local cinema would prove a haven of retreat. Woo found respite in musical films, such as The Wizard of Oz and in American Westerns. He has stated the final scene of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid made a particular impression on him in his youth: the device of two comrades, each of whom fire pistols from each hand, is a recurrent spectacle later found in his own work.

Woo married Annie Woo Ngau Chun-lung in 1976 and has three children.^[5] He has lived in the United States since 1993.

Hong Kong career[link]

In 1969, aged 23, Woo was hired as a script supervisor at Cathay Studios. In 1971, he became an assistant director at Shaw Studios, where he was mentored by the noted director Chang Cheh.^{[citation needed]} His directorial debut in 1974 was the feature film The Young Dragons (鐵漢柔情, Tiě hàn róu qíng). In the Kung fu action genre, it was choreographed by Jackie Chan and featured dynamic camera-work and elaborate action scenes. The film was picked up by Golden Harvest Studio where he went on to direct more martial arts films. He later had success as a comedy director with Money Crazy (發錢寒, Fā qián hàn) (1977), starring Hong Kong comedian Ricky Hui.

By the mid-1980s, Mr. Woo experienced professional burnout. Several of his films were commercial disappointments. In response, he took residence in Taiwan.^{[citation needed]} It was during this period of self-imposed exile that director/producer Tsui Hark provided the funding for Woo to film a longtime pet project called A Better Tomorrow (1986).

The story of two brothers—one a law enforcement officer, the other a criminal—the film became a financial blockbuster. A Better Tomorrow gained prominence as a defining achievement in Hong Kong action cinema^{[9][citation needed]} for its combination of emotional drama, slow-motion gunplay, gritty atmospherics, and trenchcoat-and-sunglasses fashion appeal. Its signature narrative device of two-handed, two-gunned fire fight within confined quarters—often referred to as "gun fu"—would later inspire American filmmakers such as Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and the Wachowski brothers.^{[citation needed]}