Samuel Marshall Raimi (born October 23, 1959) is an American film director, producer, and writer. He is best known for directing the classic cult-horror film The Evil Dead and the blockbuster Spider-Man films.

Raimi was born in Royal Oak, Michigan to a conservative Jewish family of Polish ancestry; his father was Leonard Ronald Raimi and his mother was Celia Barbara Raimi. His original surname was Rengewrtz, but was shortened Raimi after his grandfather immigrated to the United States. His father's close cousin was Harry Margolis who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1941 season. He attended Michigan State University and majored in English.

Film

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He became fascinated in making films when his father brought a camera home one day and he began to make Super 8 movies with friend Bruce Campbell. At college, he teamed up with his brother's room-mate Robert Tapert and Campbell to raise money for a low-budget horror film. The Evil Dead (1981) became a major hit and he began work on his second film Crimewave (1985), intended as a live-action comic book - the film was not successful, due in part to unwanted studio intervention. Raimi returned to the horror genre with the seminal Evil Dead II (which toned down the savageness of the original in favour of slapstick, showcasing his love of the Three Stooges). A long-time comic book buff, he attempted to adapt "The Shadow" into a movie, but was unable to secure the rights. So he created his own super-hero, Darkman (1990). The film was his first major studio picture, and was only moderately successful, but he was still able to secure funding for Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness, which turned away almost totally from horror in favour of fantasy and comedy elements.

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Movies Reviews

Review for The Dark Knight - Must Go! - One of the Best movies of the last several years
Totally blown away by the film and completely disturbed by Heath's performance. I always found Jacks portrayal of the Joker as "a clown with a gun" but I found Heath's rendition of the Joker like "a sociopath in a Clown suit with a gun and some grenades (and pencil)."
Review for The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience - Must Go! - If you believe that Bruce Wayne can dress like a Bat...
.... then you're already way ahead of the curve on this one. Yes, I'm sure you've heard about Ledger's outstanding performance as the Joker - but it's not just a "say-nothing-ill-of-the-dead" review. It's a truly original, as well as faithful performance. Jack Nicholson didn't really perform the genius of the Joker as much as his craziness; it was more like Nicholson doing macabre vaudeville. It wasn't the real Joker. This is the real Joker through and through, but re-envisioned with a dose of realism. The entire cast is the strongest of any recent movie I've seen, but I will say there's one moment where Bale's raspy voice as the Dark Knight is kind of awkward. No movie's perfect, but this one may well inspire a three-time viewing.
Review for Mamma Mia! - Must Go! - Mamma Mia! Here I go again...
I must admit that I was really excited to see how they were going to take the smash Broadway hit into the big screen and I must say that she did a great job! From the moment it started until the end of the credits I was captivated and it felt like if I was watching the Broadway production but with better stage production/props. I appreciate the fact that they kept the story the same as the musical and did not change anything. I also love the fact that they paid really close attention to small details such as the Swedish flag on the boat and featuring Benny Anderson from ABBA playing the piano during Dancing Queen. Even though they kept the same story line as the musical, extending some of the musical scenes in the movie was a really great addition it. The movie is definitely a great experience, if you haven't gotten the chance to see the musical, watching the movie will help you get a broad picture of what the musical is and I promise you will be singing all the way through.

L.A. Times - Movie Reviews

'Mamma Mia'
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
More like: Oh, no! The stage-to-screen adaptation is loaded with excess. But, hey, Meryl Streep comes off well. Couldn't they have just let "Mamma Mia!" be "Mamma Mia!"?
'Felon'
Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
In this intermittently satisfying prison drama, Stephen Dorff stars as a family man convicted of killing a burglar, with Val Kilmer as the inmate-guru who helps him survive. A hard-working, clean-living family man (Stephen Dorff) is sent to prison after he accidentally kills a burglar. Thrown into the violent world of life behind bars, with its indecipherable codes of behavior, racial disharmony and dehumanizing violence, he struggles to get by. That is until he is made cellmates with a philosopher/poet/mass-murderer (a girthy Val Kilmer) who shows him the ropes.
'The Dark Knight'
Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Christopher Nolan's powerful, disturbing Batman sequel is fueled by Heath Ledger's indelible Joker. GIVEN THE success of "Batman Begins" three years ago, adventurous, eclectic director Christopher Nolan could have gone anywhere and done anything with his next film. So why did he elect to return to the mythical city of Gotham, to the confines of a superhero movie and the narrow world of a caped crusader imprisoned by the secret of who he really is?

Movies

WALL-E
David Denby Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File
The Dark Knight
David Denby Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:00:00 -0000
The Film File
Movies
Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:00:00 -0000
OPENING AMERICAN TEEN A documentary, directed by Nanette Burstein, about five high-school seniors in Indiana. Opening July 25. (In limited release.) BAGHEAD Reviewed below in Now Playing. Opening July 25. (Empire 25 and Sunshine Cinema.) BOY A A drama, directed by John Crowley, about a notorious twenty-four-year . . .

Rolling Stone Movie Reviews

Dark Knight
Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:50:04 -0700
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron E... Review: Heads up: a thunderbolt is about to rip into the blanket of bland we call summer movies. The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's absolute stunner of a follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins, is a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. But Nolan is just warming up. There's something raw and elemental at work in this artfully imagined universe. Striking out from his Batman origin story, Nolan cuts through to a deeper dimension. Huh? Wha? How can a conflicted guy in a bat suit and a villain with a cracked, painted-on clown smile speak to the essentials of the human condition? Just hang on for a shock to the system. The Dark Knight creates a place where good and evil — expected to do battle —... Rating: 3.5 Stars
Mamma Mia!
Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:44:55 -0700
Starring: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Jul... Review: Meryl Streep can do anything: sing, dance, do splits, act her heart out. She (almost) saves this clumsy, overwrought film version of the Abba musical that's been running on stages from Broadway to Barcelona since 1999, grossing over $2 billion and luring more than 30 million ticketbuyers to hear Abba songs by Sweden's Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson shoehorned into a plot where they don't really fit. Who can argue with that kind of "money, money/Always sunny/In a rich man's world success?" I can, at least where the movie is concerned, because the three formidable women responsible for the show — producer Judy Craymer, writer Catherine Johnson and director Phyllida Lloyd — let the magic slip through their fingers on the treacherous trip from stage to screen. The ... Rating: 2 Stars
Meet Dave
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:44:15 -0700
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Union, Judah Friedlander... Review: Eddie Murphy — was that Oscar nominated performance in Dreamgirls just something I imagined? — continues to trash his very real talent with bottomfeeding material. In Meet Dave, Murphy limits himself to two roles (none human). He plays a pint-sized alien from outer space and the spacecraft he rode in on. If you think I'm going to explain that lame premise, think again. But know this: Murphy, teaming again with his Norbit director Brian Robbins, is assuming we'll all line up for lazyass toilet jokes and pay for the privilege. Prove him wrong, people, please. Rating: 1 Star

Rotten Tomatoes: Top Movies

95% The Dark Knight
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:05:01 -0700
Dark, complex and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga.
53% Mamma Mia!
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:05:01 -0700
This jukebox musical is full of fluffy fun but rough singing voices and a campy tone might not make you feel like "You Can Dance" the whole 90 minutes.
38% Hancock
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:05:01 -0700
Though it begins with promise, Hancock suffers from a flimsy narrative and poor execution.

NPR Topics: Movies

Dear Oscars, Popular Movies Are Good Too
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:00:00 -0400
The Oscars telecast has experienced poor ratings in recent years. Recent summer films gave critic Andrew Wallenstein an idea about how to get more people to watch the Academy Awards ceremony: nominate films people actually go to see.
A Band Of 'Brothers' And A Barrel Of Laughs
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:49:00 -0400
The team behind the car-racing comedy Talladega Nights is taking another lap. Director Adam McKay and actors Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly talk about their new film, Step Brothers, and the laughs they had making it.
Ledger Likely Is A Long Shot For Oscar, Critic Says
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:59:00 -0400
The late Heath Ledger gave a brilliant, creepy performance in the new Batman movie, and he's got the sympathy of his industry. But one critic says Hollywood's a tough town when it comes to awarding posthumous Oscars.

NYT > Red Carpet

The Lawsuit Over Producer Credit for 'Crash' Gets Personal
SHARON WAXMAN Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
A top executive of the movie academy described one of the producing team behind the best-picture winner, "Crash," as throwing a tantrum in suing over credit for the film.
News Analysis: Los Angeles Retains Custody of Oscar
DAVID CARR Tue, 07 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
Los Angeles, a place where race is discussed rarely, saw itself in "Crash," a film where encounter and understanding are just a random fender-bender away.
'Crash' Walks Away With the Top Prize at the Oscars
DAVID M. HALBFINGER and DAVID CARR Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0400
In a stunning twist, the motion picture academy turned its back on "Brokeback Mountain," awarding the Oscar for best picture to "Crash."

Village Voice | Films

Man on Wire Documents When the Sky Was the Limit
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500
A group of foreign nationals slips into the World Trade Center, carrying suitcases filled with thousands of pounds of equipment, including cables, ropes, knives, and a bow and arrow. They sneak up 110 stories, set up shop overnight, and in the early overcast morning, commit a crime that grips the...
Ferrell, Reilly, McKay Will Be Boys in Step Brothers
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500
I haven't seen much at the movies in the past two years that has given me as much unbridled comic pleasure as the sight of Will Ferrell as the win-at-any-cost NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby, calling on Jesus, Tom Cruise, and Oprah Winfrey to put out the psychosomatic flames engulfing his body in director...
Murder, in Shades of Gray, in Boy A
Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500
LOS ANGELES—Where can Batman and Boy A possibly converge? At the intersection of Michael Caine. The actor may be the hardest-working compulsive in show business, but he knows enough to put director John Crowley on hold when a Dark Knight calls. Because Caine's absence delayed ...

Film News from Times Online

Is Man on Wire the most poignant 9/11 film?
Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:03 -0000
Watch Director James Marsh and Philippe Petit discuss Man on Wire
Donkey Punch
Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000

WALL-E
Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0000


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