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W. D. Richter is a Director, Scriptwriter, Associate Producer and Additional Writing American born on 7 december 1945 at New Britain (USA)

W. D. Richter

W. D. Richter
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Nationality USA
Birth 7 december 1945 (78 years) at New Britain (USA)

W. D. Richter (born 7 December 1945, New Britain, Connecticut) is a screenwriter and film director and producer. He is best known for adapting Invasion of the Body Snatchers, directing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension and co-writing Big Trouble in Little China.

Biography

Richter graduated from Dartmouth College and attended USC film school. He began script writing for Hollywood in the 1970s. He wrote the hit comedy Slither (1973), followed by two similarly styled comedies, Peeper (1975) and Nickelodeon (1976). He branched into other genres starting with the Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake in 1978. He continued writing scripts throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In the early 1980s Richter formed his own production company (with producer Neil Canton), Canton/Richter, and directed the science fiction cult classic The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. The film did poorly at the box-office and the company broke-up. Richter continued to write screenplays however, and has since written Home For The Holidays and Stealth.

Best films

Brubaker (1980)
(Story)

Usually with

Billy Vera
Billy Vera
(2 films)
Robert Ito
Robert Ito
(2 films)
Garry Goodrow
Garry Goodrow
(2 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of W. D. Richter (15 films)

Display filmography as list

Director

Late for Dinner, 1h39
Directed by W. D. Richter
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Comedy-drama, Romance
Actors Peter Berg, Ross Malinger, Brian Wimmer, Marcia Gay Harden, Colleen Flynn, John Prosky
Rating64% 3.244763.244763.244763.244763.24476
In 1962, best friends and brothers-in-law, Willie Husband (Brian Wimmer) and simple-minded Frank Lovegren (Peter Berg), are running from the police because Willie shot and killed a man. It was self-defense, but a witness intends to frame them both for kidnapping and murder.
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, 1h43
Directed by W. D. Richter
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Romance, Comic science fiction
Themes Comedy science fiction films
Actors Peter Weller, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Lloyd, Ronald Lacey
Rating61% 3.098663.098663.098663.098663.09866
Banzai (Peter Weller) prepares to test his Jet Car, a modified Ford F-350 pickup truck powered by a jet engine and capable of exceeding the speed of sound. The car is also equipped with a secret device called an "oscillation overthruster", which Banzai and his associates hope will allow it to drive through solid matter. The test is a success: Banzai stuns onlookers by driving the Jet Car directly through a mountain. Emerging on the other side, Banzai finds that an alien organism has attached itself to the undercarriage.

Scriptwriter

Stealth
Stealth (2005)
, 2h1
Directed by Rob Cohen
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, War, Thriller, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Transport films, Aviation films, United States Armed Forces in films
Actors Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Sam Shepard, Joe Morton, Richard Roxburgh
Roles Writer
Rating51% 2.5526152.5526152.5526152.5526152.552615
In the near future, the United States Navy develops an aviation program to deal with international terrorists and other enemies of the state quickly and quietly, and project controller Captain George Cummings (Sam Shepard) is authorized to develop new technology to achieve these objectives. The project's first brainchild are "F/A-37 Talon" single-seat fighters with impressive payload, speed, and stealth capabilities. Over 400 pilots apply to participate, but only three are chosen: smart hotshot Lieutenant Ben Gannon (Josh Lucas), tomboyish Lieutenant Kara Wade (Jessica Biel), and street-wise, philosophical Lieutenant Henry Purcell (Jamie Foxx). Their first test mission scores 100/100, inflicting maximum casualties with minimum collateral damage.
Home for the Holidays, 1h43
Directed by Jodie Foster
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romance
Themes Films about families, Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film
Actors Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Claire Danes, Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Dylan McDermott
Rating65% 3.2980453.2980453.2980453.2980453.298045
Claudia Larson is a single mom who has just been fired from her job as an art restorer due to budget cuts. She flies from Chicago to spend Thanksgiving at the Baltimore home of her parents, Adele and Henry Larson, while her only child Kitt decides to stay home and spend the holiday with her boyfriend. Kitt informs Claudia that she intends to have sex with her boyfriend for the first time.
Needful Things, 1h56
Directed by Fraser Clarke Heston
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Fantastic, Action, Horror
Themes Films about religion, Demons in film
Actors Max von Sydow, Ed Harris, Bonnie Bedelia, J. T. Walsh, Amanda Plummer, Ray McKinnon
Rating62% 3.1000953.1000953.1000953.1000953.100095
A mysterious proprietor named Leland Gaunt (von Sydow), claiming to be from Akron, Ohio, opens a new antiques store called "Needful Things" in the small town of Castle Rock, Maine. The store sells various items of great personal worth to the residents (some of which, like a pendant that eases pain or a toy which predicts the outcome of horse races, are clearly supernatural). Gaunt demands payment both in cash and in small "favors", usually pranks played by his customers on their neighbors. Gaunt's first customer is a kid named Brian Rusk (Meier) who buys off a rare baseball card in exchange for a prank.
Big Trouble in Little China, 1h39
Directed by John Carpenter
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Martial arts, Fantastic, Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Horror, Martial arts
Themes Sports films, Transport films, Trucker films, Martial arts films, Road movies, Kung fu films
Actors Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong, Victor Wong, Kate Burton
Roles Adaptation
Rating71% 3.599993.599993.599993.599993.59999
Truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) and his friend, restaurant owner Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), go to the airport to pick up Wang's fiancée Miao Yin (Suzee Pai), who is arriving from China. A Chinese street gang, the Lords of Death, tries to kidnap another Chinese girl at the airport who is being met by her friend Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall), intending to sell her as a sex slave. After Jack intervenes, they take Miao Yin instead. In Jack's big-rig truck, he and Wang track the Lords of Death to the back alleys of Chinatown, where they find a funeral procession that quickly erupts into a street fight between the Chang Sing and Wing Kong, two ancient Chinese societies. When "The Three Storms" (Thunder, Rain, and Lightning) appear, slaughtering the Chang Sing, Jack tries to escape but runs over Lo Pan (James Hong), a powerful and legendary sorcerer, as well as the leader of the Wing Kong. Horrified, Jack exits his truck, only to find Lo Pan, who is merely annoyed. Wang hurriedly guides Jack through the alleys, escaping the carnage and mayhem, but Jack's truck is stolen.
All Night Long, 1h28
Directed by Jean-Claude Tramont
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Barbra Streisand, Gene Hackman, Diane Ladd, Dennis Quaid, Kevin Dobson, Terry Kiser
Roles Writer
Rating55% 2.7505052.7505052.7505052.7505052.750505
George Dupler (Gene Hackman), a married man nearing middle age, is demoted after a temper tantrum at work (throwing a chair out of his boss's window) and reduced to working as the midnight-shift manager of an all-night pharmacy/convenience store.
Brubaker
Brubaker (1980)
, 2h12
Directed by Bob Rafelson, Stuart Rosenberg
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Crime
Themes Prison films
Actors Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Alexander, Morgan Freeman, David Keith, Everett McGill
Roles Story
Rating70% 3.5484053.5484053.5484053.5484053.548405
In 1969 a mysterious man (Robert Redford) arrives at Wakefield State Prison in Arkansas. As an inmate, he immediately witnesses rampant abuse and corruption, including open and endemic sexual assault, torture, worm-ridden diseased food, insurance fraud and a doctor charging inmates for care. Brubaker eventually reveals himself—during a dramatic standoff involving a deranged prisoner who was being held in solitary confinement—to be the new prison warden to the amazement of both prisoners and officials alike.
Dracula
Dracula (1979)
, 1h49
Directed by John Badham
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Horror, Romance
Themes Films about magic and magicians, Théâtre, Dracula films, Vampires in film, Films based on plays
Actors Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan, Sylvester McCoy, Trevor Eve
Rating64% 3.248133.248133.248133.248133.24813
In Whitby, England in 1913, Count Dracula (Frank Langella) arrives from Transylvania via the ship Demeter one stormy night. A sickly Mina Van Helsing (Jan Francis), who is visiting her friend Lucy Seward (Kate Nelligan), discovers Dracula's body after his ship has run aground. The Count visits Mina and her friends at the household of Lucy's father, Dr. Jack Seward (Donald Pleasence), whose clifftop mansion also serves as the local asylum. At dinner, he proves to be a charming guest and leaves a strong impression on the hosts, Lucy especially. Less charmed by this handsome Romanian count is Jonathan Harker (Trevor Eve), Lucy's fiancé.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1h55
Directed by Philip Kaufman
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Thriller, Horror
Themes Films about religion, Films based on science fiction novels, Films set in the future, Films about extraterrestrial life, Political films, Dystopian films, Films about extraterrestrial life, Alien invasions in films, Disaster films
Actors Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Art Hindle
Rating73% 3.698393.698393.698393.698393.69839
In deep space, a race of gelatinous creatures abandon their dying world. Pushed through space by the solar wind, they make their way to Earth and land in San Francisco. Some fall on plant leaves, assimilating them and forming small pods with pink flowers. Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams), an employee at the San Francisco Health Department, is one of several people who bring the flowers home. The next morning, Elizabeth's boyfriend, Geoffrey Howell, DDS (Art Hindle), suddenly becomes distant, and she senses that something is wrong. Her colleague, health inspector Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland), suggests that she see his friend, psychiatrist Dr. David Kibner (Leonard Nimoy). While driving to a book party Kibner is attending, they are accosted by a hysterical man (Kevin McCarthy, in a direct homage to the original film). The man runs off, and is soon seen dead, surrounded by a crowd of emotionless onlookers. At the party, Matthew calls the police about the incident, and finds them strangely indifferent. An agitated party attendee starts declaring that her husband is not her real husband. Kibner works to reconcile them. He also suggests that Elizabeth wants to believe that Geoffrey has changed because she is looking for an excuse to get out of their relationship.
Nickelodeon, 2h1
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about films
Actors Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds, Tatum O'Neal, Brian Keith, Stella Stevens, John Ritter
Roles Writer
Rating61% 3.098163.098163.098163.098163.09816
In 1914, going from a lawyer to a writer, and then to a film director, is the career path on which we find Leo Harrigan (Ryan O'Neal). But Leo has problems as well, such as being hopelessly smitten with his leading lady, who chooses to grab his attentions by getting herself engaged to his vulgar and ignorant leading man, Buck Greenaway (Burt Reynolds). Leo is forced to move from New Jersey to California to keep one step ahead of the Motion Picture Patents Company, who are out to destroy any non-authorized equipment violating the Edison Trust. Leo finally settles in with other filmmakers in Hollywoodland, California, and makes a series of dramatic, romantic, and comedic shorts as throwaways. While initially believing movies are just a brief flickering kind of entertainment, Leo is profoundly affected by the 1915 world premiere of D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation, which transforms the motion picture industry.
Peeper
Peeper (1975)
, 1h27
Directed by Peter Hyams
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Comedy thriller
Themes Children's films
Actors Michael Caine, Timothy Carey, Natalie Wood, Kitty Winn, Michael Constantine, Thayer David
Roles Writer
Rating56% 2.802872.802872.802872.802872.80287
1947 à Hollywood. Lou Anglich échappe à une filature en frappant son poursuivant avec sa valise. Lorsque Leslie C. Tucker, un détective privé anglais, revient à son bureau, il trouve Anglich, qui le charge de retrouver a fille Anna, placée dans un orphelinat 29 ans auparavant. Anglich dit à Tucker qu'il a beaucoup d'argent et qu'il veut le donner à sa fille avant que ses "associés" le retrouvent et le tuent...
Slither
Slither (1973)
, 1h37
Directed by Howard Zieff
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Comedy, Crime
Themes Transport films, Road movies
Actors James Caan, Peter Boyle, Sally Kellerman, Louise Lasser, Allen Garfield, Diana Darrin
Roles Writer
Rating61% 3.097293.097293.097293.097293.09729
Car thief Dick Kanipsia gets a parole from a penitentiary. He intends to go straight, but first he goes directly to see an old friend, Harry Moss, only to be shocked to see Harry get shot. Harry's dying words tell Dick to go find Barry Fenaka, a guy who supposedly knows where to find a stash of stolen cash that Harry has hidden. Instead of dying slowly, Harry blows himself up with dynamite. As Dick flees the scene, a black van lurks in the trees.

Producer

Late for Dinner, 1h39
Directed by W. D. Richter
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Comedy-drama, Romance
Actors Peter Berg, Ross Malinger, Brian Wimmer, Marcia Gay Harden, Colleen Flynn, John Prosky
Roles Producer
Rating64% 3.244763.244763.244763.244763.24476
In 1962, best friends and brothers-in-law, Willie Husband (Brian Wimmer) and simple-minded Frank Lovegren (Peter Berg), are running from the police because Willie shot and killed a man. It was self-defense, but a witness intends to frame them both for kidnapping and murder.