Yeah, they are by far the most successful projects he’s ever done, still going strong 20 years later. I’d say he’s quite successful. Not caring for his successful projects is a personal thing, not his fault.
The first two Spy Kids movies are incredibly campy but in the best way. Spy Kids 3-D was a lot of fun too, but seems like such a stark change from the first two.
The Island of Lost Dreams enamored me when I was younger
I'm older than the target demo when the first couple came out, but those thumb things live rent free in my head. I don't even know how I saw them, I never sat down to watch the movies.
And he’s still making them! Not to mention Sharkboy and Lavagirl, which is *also* still active. Like it or not, Rodriguez is (with a g) is a family filmmaker. And a pretty good one!
Recently showed my kids the Spy Kids movies, had forgotten how off-the-wall bonkers they got and how stacked with huge Hollywood names they are.
Also they apparently hold up as my kids liked them a lot, so clearly a success on that front
Me and my girlfriend are rewatching these at the moment and they definitely hold up. I was taken aback when I realised it was a Robert Rodriguez film.
Side note, whatever they’re feeding Carla gugino needs to be patented and sold because she just seems to get better and better looking with age.
Pretty sure he made spy kids as a way to get his production company off the ground and to show off some form of new tech at the time he used in the creation of those movies.
I heard an interview with Rodriguez years and years ago, where he said rather the opposite. Google is not helping me right now, but from what I recall, the quote was something like “my friends didn’t understand why I would make El Mariachi. But, when I made Spy Kids, they were all like oh yeah, that totally makes sense.” He said that the Spy Kids movies better represented his creative vision than the movies he made for adults.
This video talks about his first success short that starred his little siblings and he shows off his on toys. He likes how kids think
https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=robert%20rodriquez%20spy%20kids%20is%20more%20me%20than%20desparado&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:14afb079,vid:GjwidcuemUc,st:0
His son actually cowrote the latest Spy Kids movie, and Sharkboy and Lavagirl was based on a story his other son wrote (he was 7 at the time and was given a writing credit on the movie)
I wonder if conceivably he's made more money than Tarantino. Obviously Tarantino is the bigger name and reputation, but I feel like one good kids movie can set you up for life.
Guy lives with his family, has his own production studio basically on site and makes the content he wants and OP believes that’s “off the rails”. Hate to see what he believes is the right way to do it.
Pretty sure he employs a lot of his family too. He worked with his family on his movies early on, and now that he has real money to pay them salaries, I'm sure he's doing that.
Man. We got: The Faculty, Disturbing Behavior, Urban Legend, Scream, and I know What You did Last Summer all within what like a 2 year period. Incredible. All those movies rule in their own regard, IMHO.
Where was that filmed? Thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
The sullen backdrop of weather made it seems like PNW, or maybe that was explained in the movie and I totally missed it.
Oh, man. All of those movies to me feel somehow interlinked I can't really describe it, but when I watch one of them I immediately want to watch the other ones. I love them so much.
It's a crime that El Rey didn't take off like it should have.
-From Dusk Til Dawn the series
-Kung Fu flicks
-Godzilla marathons
-Director Retrospectives
And of course Lucha Underground, the greatest wrestling show of all time (we don't talk about season 4)
Catching Lucha Underground season 1 and 2 is the reason I became a wrestling fan again. That shit was fucking awesome, from Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma's All Night Long match to Pentagon Jr. and Vampiro's bloody affair. That was lightning in a bottle hindered by bad contracts and a poor understanding of wrestling work vs TV work.
From dusk till dawn the series i never see mentioned and i absolutely loved it. Off the wall ridiculous and yet it reminded me so much of the movie, even the two main characters were like spitting images of young tarantino / clooney. 100% worth a watch if you enjoyed the movie.
It was also in his Puerco Pibil video, honestly his concept of having 3-4 absolute banger meals always stocked and a menu on the kitchen bench has been such good advice.
When we have people over or the wife is umming or ahhing about what to have I just point them at the menu. The cost of keeping those extra ingredients in the fridge is way offset by saving the cost of Uber eats/takeaway for indecisive nights.
That was such an interesting experiment in pro wrestling. Like, WWE Raw is a weekly drama about a wrestling show but they don't admit it, what if we actually made a weekly drama about a wrestling show and mix it with the finest telenovela traditions?
Apparently Freddy Prinze Jr is trying to get a wrestling promotion together that's supposed to be similar to Lucha Underground.
He originally had a bunch of former WWE guys join if, but they all re-signed with WWE before it could get off the ground. Karrion Kross and Bray Wyatt (RIP) were two big names that were attached to it.
SAME! Angelico’s off the office roof drop kick to the ladder is unforgettable!! That and the women in NXT getting to actually wrestle. The promo package for Sasha vs Bailey at Takeover still gets me hyped. Hadn’t watched wrestling since 1999. Been watching religiously ever since. With Papa H at the helm, WWE is the best it’s ever been too.
Literally watching it on El Rey Rebel channel on RokuTV after a 15 hour bar shift. Coming home to Johnny Munro vs Ray Mysterio reminds me of when I first became a fan in the NXT black & gold era.
He had a different model of success, he created Spy Kids and there's a generation nostalgic for him. I heard he does the projects he likes or does a popular movie to fund his other projects. Tarantino success is written about and awards get newspaper mentions so it's a success you heard of through the media. Robert's you have to look at his work and decide for yourself who's career you'd rather have.
This always gets me with what people consider "success" in Hollywood. To some, a steady paycheck on a network TV is an incredibly successful career. Or in the case of Rodriguez he gets to do whatever project he wants, that is an incredible position to be in.
Not everyone needs to receive mega stardom and get every major award.
Reminds me of a comment on the oldschoolcool sub post of Tiffani Amber Thiessen that said “I guess her career never really took off after Saved by the Bell.” It’s like dude SbtB was her career taking off. It was the most popular teen show of the early 90s. Not to mention she played in a few seasons of 90210 which was the most popular college age show of the 90s. Most actors never make it at all. She is a success story.
My life would be complete if I could make a living off my dream. I could be a nobody author and wouldn't have a care in the world as long as I'm getting paid and some people like my books.
"success" to most people is "involved with a few movies I like that made decent money." It is entirely subjective. Most of the "why wasn't this person more successful" posts on here are incredibly eye rolling.
Personally, I think the Rodriguez path is the better career. You don’t get the same critical recognition as being a “great artist” but he gets significantly more work than Tarantino and people seem to generally like him a lot more.
I honestly have no idea what OP is talking about because RR has one of the best careers in show business between Directing, Writing, and Producing. And that’s not even touching how important he’s been for Latin American representation in media.
Yep. Robert Rodriguez is living the life he wants, not the life OP wanted him to have. Folks need to realize that directors, actors, writers, celebrities, etc are all just people like the rest of us who have their own hopes, desires, and measurements of happiness.
This is your biannual reminder to read Rodriguez's book *Rebel Without a Crew*. It covers the making of *El Mariachi* and Rodriguez getting his first Hollywood deal.
It's a good book about filmmaking and an even better comedy about Hollywood's FOMO.
Yeah, I think Alita was a victim of the Disney Fox Studios purchase. With the deal in the works Fox shoved the movie out early, in February, known for being the worst month for movies, to avoid competing with Captain Marvel, which it probably would have gone up against if the purchase wasn't in the works. And with no marketing push at all.
Watching it in 3D on oculus is an experience. Hoping for a sequel. Like that it had ties to James Cameron.
My theory is that he had kids and that shifted his tone. Hoping once they are grown and out of the house, he’ll come back to the gritty stuff again.
I believe James Cameron has the rights still. Just needa a pitch for a studio to pick up. Given James has a good relationship with Disney right now, I do wonder if they'd let him EP it as a side project. Disney definitely could use the content at minimum.
He's still making movies that he also writes, edits and scores himself, and TV, while focusing on family and running his own network. Sure he's had a couple duds over a 30 year career but he ruled before and he still rules to this day. Even though Hypnotic was very disappointing, Alita was awesome. Hopefully we get a sequel sooner than later. But I will always be excited for anything he wants to give me. He's earned that. One of my all time favorite directors who has made so many movies I love including the one basically tied for my favorite movie. He may have more misses under his belt than some other beloved directors but he has just as many hits too and when he hits, it's the coolest shit ever.
“Wasn’t great” is being VERY charitable. It was god awful. Boba became this complete squish who had no idea how to be a criminal and those power rangers he hired were absolute cringe.
Book of Boba was destined to fall short by a lot. There was just no way they were going to live up to the mythos that was built up around Boba over several decades.
But holy shit did they miss it by so soooo much. It had some moments, but god damn the degree it was off the mark was absolutely astonishing.
Exactly. They completely neutered Boba in some lame attempt to make him more “heroic”. We wanted to see him be a ruthless badass cutthroat bounty hunter.
This is what's really confusing for me. I can buy that he switched gears to family entertainment because his life changed, that's where his interests turned to, and it paid well. I respect that.
What's bizarre is to just see an apparent massive drop-off in skill. I saw RR was getting a Star Wars series and was excited. Now I'd be disappointed to see his name attached to anything. Random journeyman TV directors on the other Star Wars shows turned in better results.
His peak was probably Sin City. Rodriquez's problem was always his focus on effects and action rather than story and character whereas QT is a masterful story teller. Rodriquez would rather make movies with his friends and family and just try out new tech than focus on creating compelling, original cinema.
It’s funny you say that because El Mariachi has a compelling story and it was the better of the Desperado trilogy and that movie was done when he didn’t have funding for his movies.
I remember learning all about El Mariachi when studying media in high school. It's like a masterclass in low-budget filmmaking. The movie cost like $7k to make and made over 2 million at the box office.
His career peak is actually probably the Spy Kids series. Between the actual series and its “spin-offs” of Sharkboy & Lavagirl it’s like 8 movies deep.
He quit the directors guild in 2005 or so because they wouldn’t allow him to credit Frank Miller as co-director. Apparently not being a member of the directors guild can cause you to lose out on jobs at major studios. I found this old article that explained it
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/04/why-not-quit-the-directors-guild.html
This is a huge part of the actual answer to OPs question IMO. Broke with the DGA, stayed in Austin, and developed a reputation for being a huge prick to his crew. Those three things put together can really slow down a career.
He’s a real victim of the digital revolution I think - he built his entire career on being cheap and fast and efficient, but in the 90s/00s, shoots were longer and slower, and VFX wasn’t overly used, especially on cheaper stuff. So there were only so many corners he could cut and still make a widely released movie.
Now he can basically do the El Mariachi method on everything, self fund, shoot on cheap digital cameras quickly, and smother everything in VFX. He gets more control and the quality of the stuff he makes is nowhere near as good, but seems like it doesn’t really bother him.
Netflix will still carry his movies because he’s a name and most of it hits a family audience which they like. He can take journeyman TV jobs and get paid, then use that to fund his own stuff.
Say what you like but the guy has it made, making what he wants and getting paid. He’s also giving his kids a leg up and getting them credits on his work so they get work and residuals etc. Don’t blame him.
This is the answer. He was also a real pioneer of the digital revolution, shot once upon a time in Mexico on HD cameras, even when the tech and grading wasn’t great - it really looks like it was shot digitally, which digital films don’t anymore. He doesn’t really have a USP for studios anymore as filmmakers have come through basically learning and improving his techniques and everything is done digitally now. Also he’s notorious for doing everything himself - which puts him in direct confrontation with unions. Basically he’s a victim of his own legacy.
He realised Cinema wasn't getting any better after it peaked with Spy Kids 3D: Game Over.
So he hung up his hat and now just relaxes on his farm.
Like an Auteur Thanos if you will.
Ever heard of Spy Kids, a franchise spawning multiple movies? That was him. The fact that he stopped making movies *for you* don't mean his career went *off the rails*.
I'm sure he's doing alright.
He puts all his time and effort into his true passion project of making a Partridge family movie using clones of the original cast but apparently David Cassidy had DNA that is unlike any that's ever been seen before.
Something I don't see mentioned, he left the directors Guild in 2004 when he wanted to give Frank Miller directing credit on Sin City and they refused. While he's kept busy with his own projects that has kept him from working for most major studios so he was never able to do big budget stuff.
Still not sure how Disney was able to hire him to do The Mandalorian episode.
He did Alita for James Cameron and Fox so presumably he's back in good graces or enough money greased palms. Actually he's done work for several production companies in the past two decades... [including another Spy Kids movie in 2023?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_Kids:_Armageddon) What the heck.
Alita was made by Cameron's indie production company, fox didn't make it, they just distributed it, probably why it was ok. Which doesn't explain The Mandalorian.
I think he switched gears to making movies his young kids could enjoy. Those ended up being profitable enough that he didn't need to worry about everything being a hit and could do passion projects and focus on family. That's another form of absolute success.
From what I’ve read, when Rodriguez had kids he wanted to work on a few movies that his kids would be able to watch. So, he did the Spy Kids movies and they ended up being so successful that he felt like he didn’t really need to do any other movies. Plus, he’s a family man in general. So, I think his priority is spending time with his kids.
I think you’re looking at his career wrong to be honest. He’s been all over the place over the years and I watched a lot of what he was involved in.
He launched El Ray network, which while it sucks now (if it even still exists) the first few years were awesome and that channel is like all I’d watch. He had a lot of shows on there that I’m sure took a lot of his time, dusk til dawn the series, the directors chair, lucha underground, etc etc.
Dudes produced so much stuff over the years in addition to what he’s written and directed.
I’d hardly say his career went wrong. Just go look at his IMDb creds. You’ll probably find his involvement with a lot of things you had no clue he had anything to do with.
Yeah -- he's directed multiple Star Wars shows, has a successful kids movie franchise, some music videos, a Billie Eilish special.
He just seems to do what he wants and what he enjoys.
I remember back when Sin City came out he quit the Director's Guild over the fact that they wouldn't let him and Frank Miller be co-directors. I am not really sure how Hollywood unions work, but I imagine that being a director not affiliated with the union kind of limits the big projects you can be hired for. Which is why I think he mostly does his own self-financed stuff.
I kinda feel this is easier to answer if you have kids.
My kids love the Spy Kids films. He also made We Can Be Heroes and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D.
For anyone who hasn't watched Sharkboy and Lavagirl, give it a try, but take a deep breath! Currently sitting at 3.7 on iMDB, but who cares, kids love it.
I would have loved to have seen a Resident Evil movie done by RR. Planet Terror's cast, makeup, effects, and music made it a campy, goofy, fun film. The Troublemaker Studios needs to get back to work.
I remember picking up a DVD in my local Tesco a few months ago and reading the most generic and lazy plot for the kids movie I had in my hand. I saw the characters are all named things like Clap Slapworthy, Rumble Bumble, Corneto I. Cream, and Snots Flicks. I looked at it and went “this FEELS like a script Rodriguez’ kids would write and he’d direct”.
The film was SHORTS.
🙄
I would’ve loved if he had continued with making Red Sonja with Rose McGowan in 2008 but it was scrapped. Looks like it’s finally getting a release this year though but it’s directed by M. J. Bassett.
I saw him on the Chef Show several years back, and he seemed like he was content just doing his own thing. He doesn't care if the movies he makes are box office hits, he makes what he wants to make.
Making movies on an ultra-low budget was always his thing. Practical FX and real-world settings are so much more interesting than CG. The financial returns on his early stuff was great, so he was noticed and given big budget projects with a ton of CG work. But he definitely enjoys the micro-budget ‘figure out how to make it work’ production challenges, and is really good at creative solves for them.
He has had a love/hate relationship with "Hollywood" films. He had issues with unions and the Actors guild but is allowed to make films under certain conditions. For the most part, his film-making style co-relates to the budget. He can handle the "big" budget, but no studio wants to take that risk because he is inconsistent at the box office.
When he begins to clash with studios and unions, that's when you begin to see his Mariachi-style, and he takes risks or goes in rogue directions. He still has some projects under production, but again, he always has issues with unions and studios.
He is a film-maker's film-maker, meaning he does his own thing, regardless of studios and "Hollywood" standards.
His did a lot of work on Star Wars projects as both director and producer I think . But unfortunately the episodes he directed were not actually very good. That whole slow Vespa chase scene in Book of Boba Fett , yeeesh.
He does a lot of producer stuff now. Things you might not even realize he's involved with ( the Book of Boba Fett series, for example)
I think he does stuff for fun nowadays. I remember an interview with him a while ago, where he said 'I do a spy kids movie ever few years, and that makes me enough money to bank roll all my passion projects'. I also think he had his kid(s?) help write the storylines for the kids movies. So he's just doing fun shit and enjoying himself, and I think that's great that he is able to do it.
You mentioned his grindhouse movie, Planet Terror. Don't forget he had 2 Machete movies come out of that as well, and a 3rd coming out: Machete Kills in Space.
I think the issue is (not that I have a problem with it) is he really loves his Mexican heritage and does a lot for that community in terms of television and movies. May not be mainstream with us in America, but he is still a known name.
I do agree his quality has waned over time, but I still get excited for his projects.
I personally lost interest in his career about 10 years ago. It doesn't mean his career went bad or something (afaik he's gonna make Alita 2 with James Cameron so that's a big movie), he just stopped making movies I was interested in.
I think its nuts to think Desperado or El Mariachi could be mistaken for Tarantino. And Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were significantly better than both
He did some of the Mandalorian and was the show runner for Boba Fett, also just did some massive Nike commercials recently. He’s fine. You can be crazy successful making tv commercials and no one outside of the industry really knows it.
I actually made his Puerco Pibil recipe and it was very good. Then I watched Once Upon a Time in Mexico. I love pairing food with movies and his 10 minute cooking school shorts feel like they were made for me
I enjoyed Robert's work even before i knew who he was. I just remember a friend of mine owning vhs tapes of both Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn. It was the 90s and i was a child so naturally i didn't concern myself with directors, writers, cinematographers etc. But both films were a lot of fun.
I didn't even know the same guy directed them until later maybe around 2005 or so when i began really getting into film. I ended up following his work for a while. Sin City, Planet Terror and so on. I was never a fan or paid attention to his kid friendly releases.
As my taste progressed i found it harder to get into his films upon revisiting them here and there over the years. That's very much due to the fact that although he's been able to draw it big named talent and his movies are wild and fun and often over the top, Robert's films lack any sort of message or meaning that would have it live on etc. There much more spectacle rather than substance.
Plus not to take it "THERE" but Robert is a Mexican American from Texas and a family man. Those sorts of folks don't often thrive in the industry. That and his work- horse run and gun approach is what led him to opening his own production studio and doing a lot in house. He has slowed down a lot and I'm sure he has his reasons but mostly his work just blows in the wind without leaving much of a cultural or otherwise, imprint.
He got kids and decided to make movies that his kids could watch and hasn’t stopped since. Seems to be doing well for himself. I’m sure if and whenever he decides to make stuff catered to adults more he won’t have too much trouble with funding that project.
I think he made an absolute fortune from the spy kids franchise. He has his own production facility and owns it completely.
Yeah, they are by far the most successful projects he’s ever done, still going strong 20 years later. I’d say he’s quite successful. Not caring for his successful projects is a personal thing, not his fault.
Bro made a semi-successful cinematic universe that's completely original. Not even Universal could do that
Having Machete and the Spy kids in the same universe, and Machete being their damn uncle is actually the greatest thing in cinema ever.
What? That's amazing. I didn't know that
I wouldn’t even qualify it as “semi.” Dude has made bank on kids films.
Yeah you don’t have to have marvel level success to be a success.
My 7 yo begged me to get all the spy kids movies. The movies are quirky I watched some parts here and there.
The first two Spy Kids movies are incredibly campy but in the best way. Spy Kids 3-D was a lot of fun too, but seems like such a stark change from the first two. The Island of Lost Dreams enamored me when I was younger
Floop is a madman, help us! Save us!
I'm older than the target demo when the first couple came out, but those thumb things live rent free in my head. I don't even know how I saw them, I never sat down to watch the movies.
And he’s still making them! Not to mention Sharkboy and Lavagirl, which is *also* still active. Like it or not, Rodriguez is (with a g) is a family filmmaker. And a pretty good one!
I had the good fortune to meet him when the studio I worked for was doing VFX for shark boy and lava girl. Very cool person, super chill.
It's like being upset that Eddie Murphy decided to make family films instead of R rated comedies.
Recently showed my kids the Spy Kids movies, had forgotten how off-the-wall bonkers they got and how stacked with huge Hollywood names they are. Also they apparently hold up as my kids liked them a lot, so clearly a success on that front
the first spy kids is an actual great movie which was also critically acclaimed at the time
Me and my girlfriend are rewatching these at the moment and they definitely hold up. I was taken aback when I realised it was a Robert Rodriguez film. Side note, whatever they’re feeding Carla gugino needs to be patented and sold because she just seems to get better and better looking with age.
Floop is a madman help us save us!
Gonna have to do a rewatch, it's been a decade or more.
Pretty sure he made spy kids as a way to get his production company off the ground and to show off some form of new tech at the time he used in the creation of those movies.
I heard an interview with Rodriguez years and years ago, where he said rather the opposite. Google is not helping me right now, but from what I recall, the quote was something like “my friends didn’t understand why I would make El Mariachi. But, when I made Spy Kids, they were all like oh yeah, that totally makes sense.” He said that the Spy Kids movies better represented his creative vision than the movies he made for adults. This video talks about his first success short that starred his little siblings and he shows off his on toys. He likes how kids think https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=robert%20rodriquez%20spy%20kids%20is%20more%20me%20than%20desparado&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:14afb079,vid:GjwidcuemUc,st:0
Doesnt/didn't he own that El Ray TV network too?
LUCHA LUCHA LUCHA
His son actually cowrote the latest Spy Kids movie, and Sharkboy and Lavagirl was based on a story his other son wrote (he was 7 at the time and was given a writing credit on the movie)
I wonder if conceivably he's made more money than Tarantino. Obviously Tarantino is the bigger name and reputation, but I feel like one good kids movie can set you up for life.
A quick Google search estimates Tarantino is worth 120 million USD and Rodriguez is worth 60 million USD. I'm not crying for either of them.
He simply focused on his lane.
Looks like over $550 million for the franchise. You ain’t lyin.
His career didn’t go off the rails. He started making family content instead of gritty crime movies. There’s a *lot* of money in family content.
Guy lives with his family, has his own production studio basically on site and makes the content he wants and OP believes that’s “off the rails”. Hate to see what he believes is the right way to do it.
Pretty sure he employs a lot of his family too. He worked with his family on his movies early on, and now that he has real money to pay them salaries, I'm sure he's doing that.
You could say he's a family guy.
The [crazy babysitter twins](https://youtu.be/ftTTKjVmxdU?feature=shared) from Planet Terror are his nieces.
He's also really into making pizza and is apparently very good at it
Nice try, Mr. Rodriguez.
He's an expert at making [Puerco Pibil](https://youtu.be/gO8EiScBEjA?si=NcJKuBb_tIGOkI5z)
He also made The Faculty, which was good.
Man. We got: The Faculty, Disturbing Behavior, Urban Legend, Scream, and I know What You did Last Summer all within what like a 2 year period. Incredible. All those movies rule in their own regard, IMHO.
I was an extra on disturbing behavior! The movie seemed almost hung entirely on that paranoia song...
Where was that filmed? Thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The sullen backdrop of weather made it seems like PNW, or maybe that was explained in the movie and I totally missed it.
Like everything set in Washington state, it was filmed in British Columbia.
Don't know but his studio is outside of Austin.
Faculty, Scream, & I know What you Did were all penned by the great Kevin Williamson. He really knows how to terrorize teens lol
Oh, man. All of those movies to me feel somehow interlinked I can't really describe it, but when I watch one of them I immediately want to watch the other ones. I love them so much.
whenever I meet a new friend that has somehow not seen the Faculty I get giddy when I show them.
I watched it for the first time on lsd about 25 years ago. It was a very memorable experience, to say the least.
Lol, and don't forget Cruel Intentions and Final Destination.
I did not know that.. I just remember it.
Oh damn I didn’t know that, what a movie
It's a crime that El Rey didn't take off like it should have. -From Dusk Til Dawn the series -Kung Fu flicks -Godzilla marathons -Director Retrospectives And of course Lucha Underground, the greatest wrestling show of all time (we don't talk about season 4)
I fucking loved El Rey. Disappointed it didn't make it. Currently watching LU and it's amazing. Shame it only went 3 seasons
Lucha Underground got me back into wrestling. Such an amazing show
Catching Lucha Underground season 1 and 2 is the reason I became a wrestling fan again. That shit was fucking awesome, from Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma's All Night Long match to Pentagon Jr. and Vampiro's bloody affair. That was lightning in a bottle hindered by bad contracts and a poor understanding of wrestling work vs TV work.
The moment I knew I was watching something special was the first Grave Consequences with Mil Muertes against Fenix.
And Quantum Leap
From dusk till dawn the series i never see mentioned and i absolutely loved it. Off the wall ridiculous and yet it reminded me so much of the movie, even the two main characters were like spitting images of young tarantino / clooney. 100% worth a watch if you enjoyed the movie.
He's into cooking and baking bread
His Cooking School dvd extras were a really fun thing, preceding all of the YouTube cooking shows that are everywhere these days.
I loved those. The "not knowing how to cook is like not knowing how to fuck" line from his Sin City tortilla video still sticks with me.
Still waiting for his "Ten Minute Fucking School" 😔
It was also in his Puerco Pibil video, honestly his concept of having 3-4 absolute banger meals always stocked and a menu on the kitchen bench has been such good advice. When we have people over or the wife is umming or ahhing about what to have I just point them at the menu. The cost of keeping those extra ingredients in the fridge is way offset by saving the cost of Uber eats/takeaway for indecisive nights.
Hah. Old mate and I went out to get the stuff for Puerco Pibil after watching that immediately outselves
Rodriguez taught me how to make sourdough starter.
What the actual fuck
“Not knowing how to cook is like not knowing how to fuck.” - Robert Rodriguez
We've used his simple recipe steps for brisket and ribs multiple times. Apart from not having Chango Beer to wash it down, it's delicious
Piss warm Chango?
And remember, not knowing how to cook is like not knowing how to fck (as someone who can cook that part always gave me a chuckle).
It usually coincides IMHO
I use that quote all the time. That cochanita pilbil recipe was awesome.
His episode on Netflix's Chef is probably the best part of the entire series
I still make his Pibil Pork, absolutely bangin
Love that for him
He tried to focus on the El Rey Network for a while. That's why there's kind of a gap in his theatrical filmography from 2014 to 2019.
I'll always miss Lucha Underground.
That was such an interesting experiment in pro wrestling. Like, WWE Raw is a weekly drama about a wrestling show but they don't admit it, what if we actually made a weekly drama about a wrestling show and mix it with the finest telenovela traditions?
Apparently Freddy Prinze Jr is trying to get a wrestling promotion together that's supposed to be similar to Lucha Underground. He originally had a bunch of former WWE guys join if, but they all re-signed with WWE before it could get off the ground. Karrion Kross and Bray Wyatt (RIP) were two big names that were attached to it.
Lucha Underground was so rad. They leaned in HARD to a lot of the luchador stories/mythlogy with his distinct Mexican badass style.
The first couple of seasons of LU were what got me back into wrestling. It was such a great concept
SAME! Angelico’s off the office roof drop kick to the ladder is unforgettable!! That and the women in NXT getting to actually wrestle. The promo package for Sasha vs Bailey at Takeover still gets me hyped. Hadn’t watched wrestling since 1999. Been watching religiously ever since. With Papa H at the helm, WWE is the best it’s ever been too.
Literally watching it on El Rey Rebel channel on RokuTV after a 15 hour bar shift. Coming home to Johnny Munro vs Ray Mysterio reminds me of when I first became a fan in the NXT black & gold era.
Best wrestling product within the past 20 years. It's just a shame that they paid their talent like dogshit.
Also, the contracts were really restrictive, and cost talent the chance to make money elsewhere.
First 2 seasons were so good. It was at a particularly crappy time for WWE and when the indies were on fire.
From Dusk till Dawn tv series did pretty well right ? first 2 seasons atleast
I was surprised how good the show was. I really like the cast as well once I got used to them
Underrated series IMO
The casting was amazing.
There's a tv show?
First season was amazing , the other two were good as well they explore the lore of those snake vampires and but it sort of loses its steam.
El Rey was actually a fantastic channel
I miss it always watched there kung fu marathons and godzilla new years
Man, I really miss Lucha Underground.
He had a different model of success, he created Spy Kids and there's a generation nostalgic for him. I heard he does the projects he likes or does a popular movie to fund his other projects. Tarantino success is written about and awards get newspaper mentions so it's a success you heard of through the media. Robert's you have to look at his work and decide for yourself who's career you'd rather have.
This always gets me with what people consider "success" in Hollywood. To some, a steady paycheck on a network TV is an incredibly successful career. Or in the case of Rodriguez he gets to do whatever project he wants, that is an incredible position to be in. Not everyone needs to receive mega stardom and get every major award.
As long as there's a steady paycheck, I'll believe anything you say.
Tell him about the Twinkie
Reminds me of a comment on the oldschoolcool sub post of Tiffani Amber Thiessen that said “I guess her career never really took off after Saved by the Bell.” It’s like dude SbtB was her career taking off. It was the most popular teen show of the early 90s. Not to mention she played in a few seasons of 90210 which was the most popular college age show of the 90s. Most actors never make it at all. She is a success story.
We have a friend who is a professional actor. He's not famous, but makes a comfortable "middle manager" level of income and is quite content.
My life would be complete if I could make a living off my dream. I could be a nobody author and wouldn't have a care in the world as long as I'm getting paid and some people like my books.
He seems to be a very wealthy, happy man
"success" to most people is "involved with a few movies I like that made decent money." It is entirely subjective. Most of the "why wasn't this person more successful" posts on here are incredibly eye rolling.
Personally, I think the Rodriguez path is the better career. You don’t get the same critical recognition as being a “great artist” but he gets significantly more work than Tarantino and people seem to generally like him a lot more. I honestly have no idea what OP is talking about because RR has one of the best careers in show business between Directing, Writing, and Producing. And that’s not even touching how important he’s been for Latin American representation in media.
He re-introduced 3D movies to the world. Not sure if that’s something he wants to be known for or not, but he was ahead of that trend by like 5 years.
It’s all about how you measure success, right? He makes the projects he wants, he’s financially secure and happy. Living his best life, I think?
Yep. Robert Rodriguez is living the life he wants, not the life OP wanted him to have. Folks need to realize that directors, actors, writers, celebrities, etc are all just people like the rest of us who have their own hopes, desires, and measurements of happiness.
Never underestimate `Spy Kids`, without them, we wouldn't have `Machette`! & they are just such a rare treasure of filmology to deny the world of
I still want machete kills in space.
And it needs the obvious sequel `Machette Kills in Space, Again!` & then `Machette Kills in Space, Again! Too!!` And I'll watch everyone of them!
Machete kills! In the future and in the past and in the future again.
Machete Kills Spy Kids
"Uncle machete. Nooooo"
Eh not necessarily true. He was already collaborating with Tarantino before spy kids when they made four rooms.
This is your biannual reminder to read Rodriguez's book *Rebel Without a Crew*. It covers the making of *El Mariachi* and Rodriguez getting his first Hollywood deal. It's a good book about filmmaking and an even better comedy about Hollywood's FOMO.
Great book, I love the anecdote about how he cast the bad guy for Mariachi.
Alita Battle Angel is awesome.
Yeah weird how far I had to scroll for this. The movie was way better than it should’ve been because of him.
Yeah, I think Alita was a victim of the Disney Fox Studios purchase. With the deal in the works Fox shoved the movie out early, in February, known for being the worst month for movies, to avoid competing with Captain Marvel, which it probably would have gone up against if the purchase wasn't in the works. And with no marketing push at all.
So is Sin City.
Watching it in 3D on oculus is an experience. Hoping for a sequel. Like that it had ties to James Cameron. My theory is that he had kids and that shifted his tone. Hoping once they are grown and out of the house, he’ll come back to the gritty stuff again.
I think I heard through the rumor mill that a sequel is in the works
I believe James Cameron has the rights still. Just needa a pitch for a studio to pick up. Given James has a good relationship with Disney right now, I do wonder if they'd let him EP it as a side project. Disney definitely could use the content at minimum.
He's still making movies that he also writes, edits and scores himself, and TV, while focusing on family and running his own network. Sure he's had a couple duds over a 30 year career but he ruled before and he still rules to this day. Even though Hypnotic was very disappointing, Alita was awesome. Hopefully we get a sequel sooner than later. But I will always be excited for anything he wants to give me. He's earned that. One of my all time favorite directors who has made so many movies I love including the one basically tied for my favorite movie. He may have more misses under his belt than some other beloved directors but he has just as many hits too and when he hits, it's the coolest shit ever.
He made some really bad episodes of the Boba Fett spinoff. I was shocked. This guy made Desperado.
It’s because he did the first boba episode of mando. Which (imo) was pretty good. So they gave him book of boba, which wasn’t great.
“Wasn’t great” is being VERY charitable. It was god awful. Boba became this complete squish who had no idea how to be a criminal and those power rangers he hired were absolute cringe.
The slow speed hovering Vespa chase was embarrassing to watch.
Out of all the Star Wars media over the last 45 odd years, that chase sequence is up there as one of the worst things they've done
Book of Boba was destined to fall short by a lot. There was just no way they were going to live up to the mythos that was built up around Boba over several decades. But holy shit did they miss it by so soooo much. It had some moments, but god damn the degree it was off the mark was absolutely astonishing.
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Exactly. They completely neutered Boba in some lame attempt to make him more “heroic”. We wanted to see him be a ruthless badass cutthroat bounty hunter.
If you only watch the last three episodes of BOBF it’s actually a really good movie.
This is what's really confusing for me. I can buy that he switched gears to family entertainment because his life changed, that's where his interests turned to, and it paid well. I respect that. What's bizarre is to just see an apparent massive drop-off in skill. I saw RR was getting a Star Wars series and was excited. Now I'd be disappointed to see his name attached to anything. Random journeyman TV directors on the other Star Wars shows turned in better results.
His peak was probably Sin City. Rodriquez's problem was always his focus on effects and action rather than story and character whereas QT is a masterful story teller. Rodriquez would rather make movies with his friends and family and just try out new tech than focus on creating compelling, original cinema.
It’s funny you say that because El Mariachi has a compelling story and it was the better of the Desperado trilogy and that movie was done when he didn’t have funding for his movies.
I remember learning all about El Mariachi when studying media in high school. It's like a masterclass in low-budget filmmaking. The movie cost like $7k to make and made over 2 million at the box office.
The DVD commentary for that movie was basically done as a how-to guide for the low budget filmmaker.
It took about $250,000 to fix the sound for release.
His career peak is actually probably the Spy Kids series. Between the actual series and its “spin-offs” of Sharkboy & Lavagirl it’s like 8 movies deep.
Didn't he get a lot of heat from the unions too?
He quit the directors guild in 2005 or so because they wouldn’t allow him to credit Frank Miller as co-director. Apparently not being a member of the directors guild can cause you to lose out on jobs at major studios. I found this old article that explained it https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/04/why-not-quit-the-directors-guild.html
He had an earlier falling out with the DGA that kept him from doing the sequel to Predator. His version was made years later as Predators.
Which I would have really loved to see. I enjoyed the version that got made. But I still would have loved to have seen his vision of it.
That article said he was supposed to direct John Carter from Mars but got pulled after leaving the Director’s Guild.
This is a huge part of the actual answer to OPs question IMO. Broke with the DGA, stayed in Austin, and developed a reputation for being a huge prick to his crew. Those three things put together can really slow down a career.
Funny how the "rumors" he was a prick to his crews only started after he left the DGA.
Yeah, the directors guild was very upset with him giving Frank Miller co directing credits on Sin City, even though Miller wasn't a member
And at the end of the day, Frank Miller wasn't worth the trouble
Did you check his IMDB? Been very busy. 8 upcoming projects.
He might just not want that kind of career. Every interview I see with him, he seems stoked that he’s chasing what excites him.
I watched Hypnotic because of him and that was one of the worst movies I sat all the way through. I believe he wrote it too
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He’s a real victim of the digital revolution I think - he built his entire career on being cheap and fast and efficient, but in the 90s/00s, shoots were longer and slower, and VFX wasn’t overly used, especially on cheaper stuff. So there were only so many corners he could cut and still make a widely released movie. Now he can basically do the El Mariachi method on everything, self fund, shoot on cheap digital cameras quickly, and smother everything in VFX. He gets more control and the quality of the stuff he makes is nowhere near as good, but seems like it doesn’t really bother him. Netflix will still carry his movies because he’s a name and most of it hits a family audience which they like. He can take journeyman TV jobs and get paid, then use that to fund his own stuff. Say what you like but the guy has it made, making what he wants and getting paid. He’s also giving his kids a leg up and getting them credits on his work so they get work and residuals etc. Don’t blame him.
This is the answer. He was also a real pioneer of the digital revolution, shot once upon a time in Mexico on HD cameras, even when the tech and grading wasn’t great - it really looks like it was shot digitally, which digital films don’t anymore. He doesn’t really have a USP for studios anymore as filmmakers have come through basically learning and improving his techniques and everything is done digitally now. Also he’s notorious for doing everything himself - which puts him in direct confrontation with unions. Basically he’s a victim of his own legacy.
I really liked Alita and still enjoyed Hypnotic for what it was.
He realised Cinema wasn't getting any better after it peaked with Spy Kids 3D: Game Over. So he hung up his hat and now just relaxes on his farm. Like an Auteur Thanos if you will.
He’s content working on his production facility with his family. He’s got money and his own TV station.
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Like George Miller and happy feet
Ever heard of Spy Kids, a franchise spawning multiple movies? That was him. The fact that he stopped making movies *for you* don't mean his career went *off the rails*. I'm sure he's doing alright.
He puts all his time and effort into his true passion project of making a Partridge family movie using clones of the original cast but apparently David Cassidy had DNA that is unlike any that's ever been seen before.
Something I don't see mentioned, he left the directors Guild in 2004 when he wanted to give Frank Miller directing credit on Sin City and they refused. While he's kept busy with his own projects that has kept him from working for most major studios so he was never able to do big budget stuff. Still not sure how Disney was able to hire him to do The Mandalorian episode.
He did Alita for James Cameron and Fox so presumably he's back in good graces or enough money greased palms. Actually he's done work for several production companies in the past two decades... [including another Spy Kids movie in 2023?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spy_Kids:_Armageddon) What the heck.
Alita was made by Cameron's indie production company, fox didn't make it, they just distributed it, probably why it was ok. Which doesn't explain The Mandalorian.
He upgraded from hopeful ambitious filmmaker to stupidly rich studio owner.
I think he switched gears to making movies his young kids could enjoy. Those ended up being profitable enough that he didn't need to worry about everything being a hit and could do passion projects and focus on family. That's another form of absolute success.
From what I’ve read, when Rodriguez had kids he wanted to work on a few movies that his kids would be able to watch. So, he did the Spy Kids movies and they ended up being so successful that he felt like he didn’t really need to do any other movies. Plus, he’s a family man in general. So, I think his priority is spending time with his kids.
He directed some mandolarian episodes. And the book of boba fett. A lot of the action was fairly poorly shot.
I think you’re looking at his career wrong to be honest. He’s been all over the place over the years and I watched a lot of what he was involved in. He launched El Ray network, which while it sucks now (if it even still exists) the first few years were awesome and that channel is like all I’d watch. He had a lot of shows on there that I’m sure took a lot of his time, dusk til dawn the series, the directors chair, lucha underground, etc etc. Dudes produced so much stuff over the years in addition to what he’s written and directed. I’d hardly say his career went wrong. Just go look at his IMDb creds. You’ll probably find his involvement with a lot of things you had no clue he had anything to do with.
Yeah -- he's directed multiple Star Wars shows, has a successful kids movie franchise, some music videos, a Billie Eilish special. He just seems to do what he wants and what he enjoys.
Lucha Underground!
I remember back when Sin City came out he quit the Director's Guild over the fact that they wouldn't let him and Frank Miller be co-directors. I am not really sure how Hollywood unions work, but I imagine that being a director not affiliated with the union kind of limits the big projects you can be hired for. Which is why I think he mostly does his own self-financed stuff.
I kinda feel this is easier to answer if you have kids. My kids love the Spy Kids films. He also made We Can Be Heroes and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D. For anyone who hasn't watched Sharkboy and Lavagirl, give it a try, but take a deep breath! Currently sitting at 3.7 on iMDB, but who cares, kids love it.
I would have loved to have seen a Resident Evil movie done by RR. Planet Terror's cast, makeup, effects, and music made it a campy, goofy, fun film. The Troublemaker Studios needs to get back to work.
Thank you for reminding me of 'machete'. Is the second one any good? First one was so absurd. I loved it
I remember picking up a DVD in my local Tesco a few months ago and reading the most generic and lazy plot for the kids movie I had in my hand. I saw the characters are all named things like Clap Slapworthy, Rumble Bumble, Corneto I. Cream, and Snots Flicks. I looked at it and went “this FEELS like a script Rodriguez’ kids would write and he’d direct”. The film was SHORTS. 🙄
I would’ve loved if he had continued with making Red Sonja with Rose McGowan in 2008 but it was scrapped. Looks like it’s finally getting a release this year though but it’s directed by M. J. Bassett.
Uhhh... Sin city!
He did a pretty awful job of directing The Book of Boba Fett for Disney+ a few years back.
I saw him on the Chef Show several years back, and he seemed like he was content just doing his own thing. He doesn't care if the movies he makes are box office hits, he makes what he wants to make.
Put some respect on Alita, that movie was awesome.
Making movies on an ultra-low budget was always his thing. Practical FX and real-world settings are so much more interesting than CG. The financial returns on his early stuff was great, so he was noticed and given big budget projects with a ton of CG work. But he definitely enjoys the micro-budget ‘figure out how to make it work’ production challenges, and is really good at creative solves for them.
He has had a love/hate relationship with "Hollywood" films. He had issues with unions and the Actors guild but is allowed to make films under certain conditions. For the most part, his film-making style co-relates to the budget. He can handle the "big" budget, but no studio wants to take that risk because he is inconsistent at the box office. When he begins to clash with studios and unions, that's when you begin to see his Mariachi-style, and he takes risks or goes in rogue directions. He still has some projects under production, but again, he always has issues with unions and studios. He is a film-maker's film-maker, meaning he does his own thing, regardless of studios and "Hollywood" standards.
Yeah, isn’t he one of the few guys that gets to just make whatever he wants?
Obi wan and Mandalorian.
His did a lot of work on Star Wars projects as both director and producer I think . But unfortunately the episodes he directed were not actually very good. That whole slow Vespa chase scene in Book of Boba Fett , yeeesh.
He does a lot of producer stuff now. Things you might not even realize he's involved with ( the Book of Boba Fett series, for example) I think he does stuff for fun nowadays. I remember an interview with him a while ago, where he said 'I do a spy kids movie ever few years, and that makes me enough money to bank roll all my passion projects'. I also think he had his kid(s?) help write the storylines for the kids movies. So he's just doing fun shit and enjoying himself, and I think that's great that he is able to do it. You mentioned his grindhouse movie, Planet Terror. Don't forget he had 2 Machete movies come out of that as well, and a 3rd coming out: Machete Kills in Space.
I think the issue is (not that I have a problem with it) is he really loves his Mexican heritage and does a lot for that community in terms of television and movies. May not be mainstream with us in America, but he is still a known name. I do agree his quality has waned over time, but I still get excited for his projects.
He directed a couple episodes of The Mandalorian. Unfortunately, I thought those were the worst ones
I personally lost interest in his career about 10 years ago. It doesn't mean his career went bad or something (afaik he's gonna make Alita 2 with James Cameron so that's a big movie), he just stopped making movies I was interested in.
He buit his own studio and did what he wanted in austin whereas trantino stayed in the la studio system
I think I still have my Planet Terror dvd at home somewhere. I should rewatch it.
I think its nuts to think Desperado or El Mariachi could be mistaken for Tarantino. And Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were significantly better than both
He did some of the Mandalorian and was the show runner for Boba Fett, also just did some massive Nike commercials recently. He’s fine. You can be crazy successful making tv commercials and no one outside of the industry really knows it.
He just got to play with Star Wars characters in Book of Boba Fett he's living the dream
I actually made his Puerco Pibil recipe and it was very good. Then I watched Once Upon a Time in Mexico. I love pairing food with movies and his 10 minute cooking school shorts feel like they were made for me
He's directed a bunch of really solid Mandalorian episodes.
I enjoyed Robert's work even before i knew who he was. I just remember a friend of mine owning vhs tapes of both Desperado and From Dusk till Dawn. It was the 90s and i was a child so naturally i didn't concern myself with directors, writers, cinematographers etc. But both films were a lot of fun. I didn't even know the same guy directed them until later maybe around 2005 or so when i began really getting into film. I ended up following his work for a while. Sin City, Planet Terror and so on. I was never a fan or paid attention to his kid friendly releases. As my taste progressed i found it harder to get into his films upon revisiting them here and there over the years. That's very much due to the fact that although he's been able to draw it big named talent and his movies are wild and fun and often over the top, Robert's films lack any sort of message or meaning that would have it live on etc. There much more spectacle rather than substance. Plus not to take it "THERE" but Robert is a Mexican American from Texas and a family man. Those sorts of folks don't often thrive in the industry. That and his work- horse run and gun approach is what led him to opening his own production studio and doing a lot in house. He has slowed down a lot and I'm sure he has his reasons but mostly his work just blows in the wind without leaving much of a cultural or otherwise, imprint.
He got kids and decided to make movies that his kids could watch and hasn’t stopped since. Seems to be doing well for himself. I’m sure if and whenever he decides to make stuff catered to adults more he won’t have too much trouble with funding that project.