Alex Cox
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"What is a cult film? A cult film is one that has a passionate following, but does not appeal to everybody. James Bond movies are not cult films, but chainsaw movies are. Just because a movie is a cult film does not automatically guarantee quality: some cult movies are very bad; others are very, very good. Some make an awful lot of money at the box office; others make no money at all. Some are considered quality films; others are exploitation." —Alex Cox in his introduction to The Wicker Man on Moviedrome, 1988 |
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Alexander Cox (b. December 15, 1954) is a British film director and sometime actor, well known for his idiosyncratic style and scripts. His film Repo Man is often credited as one of the first truly independent movies. It was this film that brought him critical acclaim. He is also fondly remembered for his television programme Moviedrome.
Biography
Alex Cox was born in Bebington, Wirral, Nr. Liverpool, Merseyside. (Interestingly, the Wirral produced another major British film director in Charles Crichton. He was born in nearby Wallasey and was famous for his comedies for Ealing Studios). Cox studied at Wirral Grammar School and Worcester College,Oxford. Later he studied film studies at Bristol University and UCLA.
Cox is the author of a number of screenplays, and he has also written on film for Sight and Sound, The Guardian, The Independent, and Film Comment. From 1988 to 1994, he presented Moviedrome on BBC Two, providing introductions to series of alternative or obscure films. As a film expert, Cox also lent his talent to numerous film documentaries, and provided introductions for ITV4's Spaghetti Western series made by Free@Last TV and directed by Katie Kinnaird.
Cox turned down offers to direct Robocop, Three Amigos, and The Running Man. He planned to direct a semi-sequel to Repo Man in the mid-90s, entitled Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday, which would have starred Emilio Estevez, Harry Dean Stanton, Rebecca De Mornay, and Willem Dafoe. Funding was never established. The script is available for download at alexcox.com.
In the documentary, Breakfast With Hunter, Cox is mercilessly shot down in his direction for Hunter S. Thompson's film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas after suggesting the 'wave' speech be animated.
Partial filmography
- 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)
- Kurosawa: The Last Emperor (1999)
- Emmanuelle: A Hard Look (2000)
- Revengers Tragedy (2002)
- Mike Hama Must Die! (2002)
- I'm A Juvenile Delinquent - Jail Me! (2003)
- The election broadcasts for the three UK Green parties (2005)
- The Searchers 2.0 (2007)
