Maltin on Movies

Sean Gunn has scores of TV and movie credits to his name and two distinct fan followings: those who watched him for seven seasons on Gilmore Girls and others who marvel at his work for Marvel in such movies as Guardians of the Galaxy, where he stands in for Rocket Raccoon. He is a versatile actor who just happens to be the brother of writer-director James Gunn. His latest film, Appofaniacs, drops this weekend and it deals with the world of Deep Fakes. But let us assure you: Sean Gunn is the real thing.

John Knoll has a list of credits as long as anyone's arm, serving as visual effects supervisor on such movies as The Abyss, Star Wars Episodes I, II and III,  Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, and most recently The Mandalorian and Grogu. He also holds the title of Creative Director at George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic company, otherwise known as ILM. Oh, and one more thing: he and his brother are the inventors of Adobe Photoshop.

After some years in the business world, Jim Curtis decided to become a writer and specialize in biographies. Since then he has turned out superior, often definitive books about Spencer Tracy, W.C. Fields, and Preston Sturges, among others. His latest book is the biography of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, charting the colorful tale of how this "comedy to end all comedies" came to be. It's called Comedy is a Grim Business and Leonard, for one, likes it better than the film itself!

The same man who directed such cherished films as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (his feature debut), October Sky, Hidalgo, andThe Rocketeer started out as an artist and designer. His creations include the Millennium Falcon and…wait for it… Yoda!  Joe Johnston has had a remarkable career in many phases of movie production and has stories to go with all of them. Leonard and Jessie listened in rapt attention, and we suspect you will, too.

If he had don't nothing beyond production design for E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Jim Bissell's name would shine in movie history. Happily for us he has no intention of changing careers or slowing down. His other credits include Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, 300, Good Night and Good Luck, and The Spiderwick Chronicles. He was also a founding member of the Art Directors Guild, which subsequently presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He is one of the unsung heroes of Hollywood and doesn't have to brag: his resume speaks for itself.