The Specials (2000)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Craig Mazin

Writer:

James Gunn (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Before They Could Save the World, They Had to Save Themselves.

Plot:

A group of almost superheroes pursue their rightful place in the harshly competitive world of comic books and action figures.

Plot Keywords:

Superhero Team | Shrinking | Miniaturization | Miniature People | Superheroine

Cast

Paget Brewster	...	Ms Indestructible / Emily Tilderbrook
Thomas Haden Church	...	The Strobe / Ted Tilderbrook
Kelly Coffield	...	Power Chick / Nancy
Judy Greer	...	Deadly Girl
James Gunn	...	Minute Man / Tim Tilderbrook
Sean Gunn	...	Alien Orphan / Doug
Jamie Kennedy	...	Amok
Jordan Ladd	...	Nightbird / Shelly
Rob Lowe	...	The Weevil / Tony
Mike Schwartz	...	U.S. Bill
Jim Zulevic	...	Mr. Smart / Seymore
John Doe	...	Eight
Johnny Mountain	...	News Anchor
Abdul Salaam El Razzac	...	Eight
Lauren Cohn	...	Eight
Tom Dorfmeister	...	Eight
Chuti Tiu	...	Eight
Johann Stauf	...	Eight
Brian Gunn	...	Eight
Samantha Cannon	...	Eight
Barry Del Sherman	...	Zip Boy / Jerry
Mark A. Altman	...	Hazmat Recovery Team
Robert Meyer Burnett	...	Hazmat Recovery Team
Mark Gottwald	...	Groover Busboy
Matt Champagne	...	Joel Tippin, Kosgro Toys
Taryn Manning	...	Autograph Hound
Beau Weaver	...	Kosgro Toy Commercial Announcer
Jordan Warkol	...	Kosgro Toy Commercial Kid (as Jordan Blake Warkol)
Austin Bates	...	Kosgro Toy Commercial Kid
Louis Martin Braga III	...	Kosgro Toy Commercial Kid
Valerie Long	...	Reporter (as Valery Long)
Lee Kirk	...	Reporter
Caren Saiet	...	Reporter
Christopher Shea	...	Reporter
Jenna Fischer	...	College Girl
Patricia Gaul	...	U.S. Bill's Mom
Dana Wieluns	...	Cocktail Waitress
Scott Torrence	...	Pinball Wizard
Lisa Steinmetz	...	Mr. Smart's Girl
Frank Medrano	...	Orestes
Melissa Joan Hart	...	Sunlight Grrrll
Judith Drake	...	Verdict's Sectreary
Michael Weatherly	...	Verdict, Crusader Industries
Chase Masterson	...	Moira Murphy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ellie Cornell	...	Linda (uncredited)
Greg Erb	...	Man (uncredited)
Kate Lily Souza	...	Hotel Manager (uncredited)

Directed by
Craig Mazin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
James Gunn		writer

Produced by
Mark A. Altman	....	producer
Dan Bates	....	producer
Ellie Cornell	....	executive producer (as Ellie Gottwald)
Mark Gottwald	....	executive producer
James Gunn	....	co-producer
Sean Gunn	....	co-producer
Jamie Kennedy	....	co-producer
Craig Mazin	....	co-producer
Robert Meyer Burnett	....	associate producer
Rick Mischel	....	producer
Braxton Pope	....	associate producer
Peter Safran	....	co-executive producer
Ron Singer	....	line producer

Original Music by
Brian Langsbard

Cinematography by
Eliot Rockett

Film Editing by
Stephen Garrett
Jeremy Kasten

Casting by
Christine Sheaks

Production Design by
Dorian Vernacchio

Set Decoration by
Greta Grigorian

Costume Design by
Nickolaus Brown

Makeup Department
Lucy Fleetwood	....	makeup artist
Akiko Matsumoto	....	key makeup artist
Charles Porlier	....	special makeup effects artist
Karen D. Toole	....	makeup artist
Teresa Vest	....	makeup supervisor
Kentaro Yano	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jonathan Persky	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Matt James	....	first assistant director
Cecily Jordan	....	second second assistant director
Anthony J. Nahar	....	additional second second assistant director
Josh Oliver	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Thomas Bodmer	....	prop master (as Tommy 'Flash' Bodmer)
Jamie Boyce	....	art swing gang
Chris Davis	....	art swing gang (as Chris Davis)
Bryce Holtshousen	....	lead man
Terrell Lewis	....	assistant property master
Whitney Maxson	....	set dresser
Patrick Russo	....	art swing gang (as Patrick Ruso)
Tony Dale Russo	....	art swing gang
Foster Vick	....	art swing gang

Sound Department
James H. Coburn IV	....	sound mixer
Gary Day	....	boom operator
John DiLuigi	....	boom operator (as John Di Luigi)
Caleb Duffy	....	boom operator
Brandon Elsey	....	boom operator
Eric Justen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sean Keegan	....	foley mixer
Jennifer Nabors	....	boom operator
Chris Rudland	....	sound intern
Jussi Tegelman	....	sound effects editor

Visual Effects by
John Allardice	....	on-set digital effects supervisor
Adam Buckner	....	digital compositor
Sherry Hitch	....	supervising visual effects compositor
Adam 'Mojo' Lebowitz	....	visual effects supervisor
Brandon MacDougall	....	visual effects
Scott Christian Sava	....	title animation
Pam Vick	....	digital effects artist
Dave A. West	....	visual effects animator
Christopher Dusendschon	....	hazeltine optical element timing: THDX (uncredited)
Christopher Dusendschon	....	in-show optical compositor: THDX (uncredited)

Stunts
Eliza Coleman	....	stunt double: Ms. Coffield
Charles A. Tam	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Steve Austin	....	24 frame video operator
Kevin Boyle	....	assistant camera: second unit
Jeremiah Crowell	....	camera loader
Michele De Lorimier	....	first assistant camera
Jeremy Graham	....	grip
Sheri Lane	....	still photographer
Patrick McGraw	....	camera loader
Rob Monroy	....	camera loader
Chris Nardone	....	second assistant camera
Al Ortega	....	still photographer (as Albert Ortega Jr.)
Christopher Probst	....	director of photography: second unit
Jorge A. Quiñonez	....	best boy
Jorge A. Quiñonez	....	grip
Mark Scott	....	24 frame video operator
Lilith Simcox	....	second assistant camera
Brett Skinner	....	second assistant camera
Melissa St. Hilaire	....	additional grip
Tom Van Otteren	....	jimmy jib operator

Casting Department
John Barba	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carol H. Beule	....	costume supervisor (as Carol Beule)
Sarah Bucy	....	costume assistant
Ellen Sedor	....	costumer

Editorial Department
J.F. Kinyon	....	additional post-production services (uncredited)

Music Department
Spring Aspers	....	music supervisor

Other crew
M.C. 'Max' Berryhill	....	production assistant
Brent Burpee	....	systems engineer
Crystal Connell	....	craft service
Eric Harbert	....	assistant production coordinator
Gillian Luera	....	assistant location manager (as Gillian Evans)
Mary Shellogg	....	script supervisor
Lynn M. van Kuilenburg	....	location manager
Katie Whittemore	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Brillstein-Grey Entertainment
• Mindfire Entertainment

Distributors

• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Fluid Entertainment (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Regent Entertainment
• Starmedia Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Transformer (2002) (Japan) (DVD)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language.

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Brillstein-Grey Entertainment

Trivia:

Filmed in 18 days.

Quotes:

Amok: We may not be the prettiest, or the smartest, or the most powerful. But we don't exist for the beautiful people of the world, Ted! We're there for the oddball, the rebel, the outcast, the geek!

Movie Connections:

References "Starsky and Hutch" (1975)

Soundtrack:

Double Dutch Bus

Eric Rohmer directs MYSTERY MEN

Nifty low-budget variant on MYSTERY MEN, with a script that's about four times as good. Here, the superheroes are less dysfunctional and more beset by the amorous pangs and gnawing dissatisfactions of everyday life; the humor ranges from the gulpingly broad to the surprisingly observant, deft, life-sized. The movie is visually hideous, but the script is astonishingly lively, and some members of the cast burst out at you. As the Shatneresque team leader, the Strobe, Thomas Haden Church is like a concentrated Swat team of extreme earnestness. And there is a lovely scene--not really funny, but you can feel the audience beaming at it--in which a mongoloid "space orphan," dandled like a pinhead mascot through most of the movie, takes the stage at a techno nightclub and breakdances to "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)."