This is an old revision of this page, as edited by WMMartin (talk | contribs) at 15:53, 22 July 2008 (Remove supposedly interesting, but actually entirely coincidental, trivia item. The directors have no generational or stylistic connection.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 15:53, 22 July 2008 by WMMartin (talk | contribs) (Remove supposedly interesting, but actually entirely coincidental, trivia item. The directors have no generational or stylistic connection.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Alexander Cox (b. December 15, 1954) is a British film director and sometime actor, notable for his idiosyncratic style and approach to scripts. Cox has previously cited Luis Buñuel and Akira Kurosawa as influences. His film Repo Man is often credited as one of the first modern independent movies. It was this film that brought him critical attention.
Biography
Alex Cox was born in Bebington, Wirral, Nr. Liverpool, Merseyside. Cox studied at Wirral Grammar School and later at Worcester College, Oxford, then embarked upon a course in film studies at Bristol University and UCLA in California.
As well as directing films, Cox helped pen a rejected screenplay for the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (first draft only). He has also written on the subject of film for publications such as Sight and Sound, The Guardian, The Independent, and Film Comment. From 1988 to 1994, he presented the television series Moviedrome on BBC Two, providing introductions to a series of alternative or obscure films that would otherwise be unknown to the general public. As a film aficionado, Cox also lent his opinions to numerous film documentaries, and provided introductions for ITV4's Spaghetti Western series made by Free@Last TV and directed by Katie Kinnaird. He has also provided introductions to DVDs such as the BFI edition of Kurosawa's Red Beard and Eureka Video's release of Kaneto Shindo's Onibaba. In June 2008 he introduced the films in BBC Four's Western Weekend.
During his career, Cox has turned down offers to direct the films Robocop, Three Amigos, and The Running Man . Following his success with Repo Man, Cox had planned to direct a semi-sequel in the mid-90s, entitled Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday, in which he intended to star Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton, Rebecca De Mornay, and Willem Dafoe. However, funding was never established, but in April 2008 it was released as a graphic novel. The script is available for download at alexcox.com. In 1996, De Mornay co-produced The Winner, with results Cox disowns, referring to the released version as his Alan Smithee film.
In the documentary, Breakfast With Hunter, we learn of Cox's misinterpreretation of Hunter S.Thompon's vision for his book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Cox is married to Tod Davies, who wrote and produced Three Businessmen and produced Revengers Tragedy. Their production company is called Exterminating Angel, named after the Luis Buñuel film.
Partial filmography
Feature films
- Sleep Is for Sissies (1980)
- Repo Man (1984)
- Sid & Nancy (1986)
- Straight to Hell (1987)
- Walker (1987)
- El Patrullero (1992)
- The Winner (1996)
- Death and the Compass (1996)
- Three Businessmen (1998)
- Revengers Tragedy (2002)
- The Searchers 2.0 (2007)
Documentaries
- Kurosawa: The Last Emperor (1999)
- Emmanuelle: A Hard Look (2000)
Television
- Mike Hama Must Die! (2002)
- I'm A Juvenile Delinquent - Jail Me! (2003)
- The election broadcasts for the three UK Green parties (2005)
References
- Alex Cox - Kurosawa: The Last Emperor
- Alex Cox Interview with The Onion
- Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday
- See http://www.alexcox.com/dir_winner.htm
External links
- Alex Cox website
- Alex Cox interview, from The Onion - September 20, 2000
- Interview from The Onion - March 14, 2008
- The Brooklyn Rail interview
- Biography on (re)Search my Trash