American film producer
Michael Finnell is a film producer active from the 1970s to the present. He has produced several horror-comedy films, particularly with the director Joe Dante. Finnell worked for the American producer Roger Corman before emerging as a producer in his own right.
His first films were Avalanche (1978) and Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), with Corman. One of the first without Corman was the movie Airplane!, in which he was listed in the end credits as "generally in charge of a lot of things". Working with Dante, Finnell then produced the modest hit The Howling in 1981 and the blockbuster Gremlins in 1984. Dante and the special effects designer Chris Walas have said that Finnell's producing style was influenced by Corman, in that Finnell was very concerned about budgeting and wanted to make sure even cheap purchases contributed to the final film. The anecdote Walas told was of Finnell engaging in long phone calls over the purchase of a kitchen knife to be used in Gremlins.[1]
Finnell continued to produce several of Dante's films, including Explorers (1985), The 'Burbs (1989), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Matinee (1993) and Small Soldiers (1998). Without Dante, Finnell's films include Milk Money (1994) and Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999). For one of his films produced without Dante, Newsies, Finnell was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Picture.
Filmography
He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.
Film
Year | Film | Credit | Notes | Ref. |
1978 | Avalanche | Associate producer | | |
1979 | Rock 'n' Roll High School | | | |
1981 | The Howling | | | |
1983 | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Associate producer | Uncredited | |
1984 | Gremlins | | | [2] |
1985 | Explorers | Executive producer | | |
1987 | Innerspace | | | |
1989 | The 'Burbs | | | |
1990 | Gremlins 2: The New Batch | | | |
1991 | Deceived | | | |
1992 | Newsies | | | |
1993 | Matinee | | | |
1994 | Milk Money | Executive producer | | |
1998 | Small Soldiers | | | |
1999 | Teaching Mrs. Tingle | Co-executive producer | | |
- Miscellaneous crew
Year | Film | Role |
1976 | Hollywood Boulevard | Production assistant |
Cannonball |
1980 | Airplane! | Generally in charge of a lot of things |
- As an actor
Year | Film | Role |
1976 | Cannonball | Helicopter Pilot |
2003 | 21 Grams | Fat Prisoner |
- Production manager
Year | Film | Role |
1977 | Grand Theft Auto | Production manager: Second unit |
1978 | Starhops | Production manager |
- Thanks
Television
Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
1998 | The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy | Executive producer | Television film |
2002−03 | Jeremiah | Executive producer | |
- Miscellaneous crew
Year | Title | Role |
2003−04 | Jeremiah | Executive consultant |
References
- ^ DVD commentary; Steven Spielberg presents Gremlins. Special edition. Warner Home Video, 2002.
- ^ "Gremlins is getting the 4K Special Edition treatment thanks to Zavvi". The Digital Fix. November 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
External links