Mike Mills (director)
Encyclopedia
- This article is about Mike Mills, the film director. For the R.E.M. bassist, see Mike MillsMike MillsMichael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...
. For the Irish journalist, see Michael MillsMichael MillsMichael Mills was an Irish journalist who served as Ireland's first Ombudsman for two terms beginning in 1984. He retired from the office in 1994....
.
Michael C. "Mike" Mills (born March 20, 1966) is an American film
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and music video director
Music video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
and graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
er. He is perhaps best known for his independent films Thumbsucker
Thumbsucker (film)
Thumbsucker is a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Mills adapted from the Walter Kirn novel of the same name. The movie focuses on teenager Justin Cobb and how he copes with his thumb sucking problem, and his experiments with hypnosis, sex and drugs.-Plot:Justin Cobb is a shy...
and Beginners
Beginners
Beginners is a 2010 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Mills. It tells the story of Oliver , a man reflecting on the life and death of his father while trying to forge a new romantic relationship with a woman dealing with father issues of her own.Beginners premiered at the 2010...
.
Early life
Mills was born in BerkeleyBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He graduated from Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
in Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His mother died of brain cancer in 1999. A week after she died his father Paul came out as gay at the age of 75 and after 44 years of marriage. Five years later his father died of lung cancer. His father was an art historian and museum director.
Career
Mike Mills has created music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s for such musical acts as Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
and Air. Air named the fifth song on their album Talkie Walkie
Talkie Walkie
Talkie Walkie is the fourth full-length album by Air, released on January 27, 2004. The album was possibly named after the song "Le Talkie Walkie" by Serge Gainsbourg, a known influence of the duo...
after Mills.
He has also worked as a graphic designer on promotional material and album covers for such acts as Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
, and Ol' Dirty Bastard
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Russell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB...
. In addition he has created graphics for X-Girl, Marc Jacobs, and currently produces his own line of posters and fabrics called Humans by Mike Mills.
Mills played guitar and performed background vocals with the short-lived indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Butter 08
Butter 08
Butter 08 was a short-lived musical side project whose members consisted of Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto, Russell Simins of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Rick Lee of Skeleton Key and director Mike Mills. The band released just one album, the self-titled "Butter 08" in 1996 on the...
along with Yuka Honda
Yuka Honda
Yuka Honda is a Japanese musician who resides in New York City. She is a multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, record producer, and co-founder of the band Cibo Matto...
and Miho Hatori
Miho Hatori
is a singer, songwriter, and musician. She is primarily known as the vocalist of the New York City group Cibo Matto, and the first person to provide the voice of Gorillaz member Noodle.-Biography:...
of Cibo Matto
Cibo Matto
Cibo Matto are a New York City-based band formed by two Japanese women, Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, in 1994...
, Russell Simins of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...
, and Rick Lee of Skeleton Key. The band released one self-titled album in 1996 on the now defunct Grand Royal
Grand Royal
Grand Royal was the Los Angeles, California based vanity record label set up in 1992 by the Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings....
record label.
Thumbsucker
Thumbsucker (film)
Thumbsucker is a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Mills adapted from the Walter Kirn novel of the same name. The movie focuses on teenager Justin Cobb and how he copes with his thumb sucking problem, and his experiments with hypnosis, sex and drugs.-Plot:Justin Cobb is a shy...
(2005) is his feature-film directorial debut, for which he also created the film posters. He followed this up with Beginners
Beginners
Beginners is a 2010 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Mills. It tells the story of Oliver , a man reflecting on the life and death of his father while trying to forge a new romantic relationship with a woman dealing with father issues of her own.Beginners premiered at the 2010...
in 2010.
He has released some of his art/documentary photography works with the two books, Gas Book 11 (2003) and Humans (2006). In 2009, the popular Berlin-based culture magazine 032c
032c
032c magazine is an English-language, bi-annual contemporary culture magazine that covers art, fashion, and politics. The magazine is published in Berlin....
devoted an issue to Mills. For the occasion Mills was interviewed by Nick Currie, best known for his work as Momus, in a piece called "Getting Through the New Depression."
Films
- BeginnersBeginnersBeginners is a 2010 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Mills. It tells the story of Oliver , a man reflecting on the life and death of his father while trying to forge a new romantic relationship with a woman dealing with father issues of her own.Beginners premiered at the 2010...
(2010) - Does Your Soul Have A Cold? (2007, 82 min)
- ThumbsuckerThumbsucker (film)Thumbsucker is a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Mills adapted from the Walter Kirn novel of the same name. The movie focuses on teenager Justin Cobb and how he copes with his thumb sucking problem, and his experiments with hypnosis, sex and drugs.-Plot:Justin Cobb is a shy...
(2005, 96 min) - Not How Or When Or Why But Yes (2004, 24 min)
- AIR: Eating Sleeping Waiting & Playing (Air) (2003, 96 min)
- PaperboysPaperboys (documentary)Paperboys is a 2001 documentary film by American director Mike Mills. The 41-minute film, produced by Jack Spade, profiles six paperboys from Stillwater, Minnesota. They invite Mills into their homes, show him their personal effects, and answer questions about their lives and the future of paperboys...
(2001, 42 min) - Deformer (Ed TempletonEd TempletonEdward "Ed" Templeton is a professional skateboarder and a contemporary artist who resides in Huntington Beach, California. -Biography:...
) (2000, 17 min) - The Architecture of Reassurance (1999, 24 min)
- Hair Shoes Love and Honesty (1998, 40 min)
- "Richard June's Backyard" (Kate SpadeKate SpadeKate Brosnahan Spade is the co-founder and namesake of the designer brand, Kate Spade New York .- Early life and beginnings :...
) (1998, 3 min) - "Skating with Dave and Jared" (1995, 3 min)
- "An Introduction to Harmolodics" (Ornette ColemanOrnette ColemanOrnette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
) (1995, 11 min) - Lost Episode III-Cheese (Frank BlackFrank BlackBlack Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
) - Lost Episode I-Los Angeles (Frank Black)
- Men in Black (Frank Black)
- 1997 CDFA Awards (Kate Spade)
- Birthday (Kate Spade)
- Rock Star (Lauren HoffmanLauren HoffmanLauren Hoffman is an American singer-songwriter. She was signed to Virgin Records America and released her debut album titled Megiddo in 1997. She parted ways with the label in 1999, following her disenchantment with their lack of promotion for her, whilst Virgin went on to issue her sophomore...
) - Banking (Marc JacobsMarc JacobsMarc Jacobs is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for Marc Jacobs, as well as Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, with more than 200 retail stores in 60 countries. He has been the creative director of the French design house Louis Vuitton since 1997...
) - Entertainment (Marc Jacobs)
- Look Presents: Qui est-vous New York (Marc Jacobs)
- VH-1 Fashion Awards 2001 (Marc Jacobs)
- Bummer
Music videos
- "All I NeedAll I Need (Air song)"All I Need" is a song by French electronic band Air, released as the third single from their 1998 album Moon Safari. Vocals on the song are provided by Beth Hirsch, who co-wrote the song along with Air.-Song information:...
" - Air - "Kelly Watch the Stars" - Air
- "Le soleil est près de moi" - Air
- "Sexy BoySexy Boy"Sexy Boy" is a single by French band Air and was featured in the film 10 Things I Hate About You as well as the British television series Queer as Folk.-Music video:...
" - Air - "23" - Blonde RedheadBlonde RedheadBlonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of vocalist/rhythm guitarist Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace , which formed in New York City in 1993....
- "The Dress" - Blonde Redhead
- "My Impure Hair" - Blonde Redhead
- "Silently" - Blonde Redhead
- "Top Ranking" - Blonde Redhead
- "Afrodiziak" - Bran Van 3000Bran Van 3000Bran Van 3000 is an electronica collective from Manhattan, New York City, New York and Montreal, Quebec. Founded by DJ James Di Salvio and E.P...
- "Bad AmbassadorBad Ambassador"Bad Ambassador" is the name of a song by The Divine Comedy. It was released as the second single from the album Regeneration. A live version of the track serves as the A-side on the second CD single....
" - The Divine ComedyThe Divine Comedy (band)The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine... - "Temperamental" - Everything But the GirlEverything but the GirlEverything but the Girl was a two-person English band, formed in Hull during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt . They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday...
- "2 Kindsa Love" - Jon Spencer Blues ExplosionJon Spencer Blues ExplosionThe Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin...
- "Sometimes" - Les Rhythmes Digitales
- "Legacy" - MansunMansunMansun were an English alternative rock band formed in Chester in 1995. The band comprised vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper, bassist Stove King, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Dominic Chad, and drummer Andie Rathbone. The band broke up in May 2003....
- "Stardust" - Martin GoreMartin GoreMartin Lee Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
- "Run On" - MobyMobyRichard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
- "Walking on Thin IceWalking on Thin Ice"Walking on Thin Ice" is a New Wave/dance song by Yoko Ono, released in 1981. She and John Lennon concluded the recording of the song on December 8, 1980. It was upon their return from the recording studio to The Dakota that Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman...
" - Yoko OnoYoko Onois a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon... - "Concrete SkyConcrete Sky EP"Concrete Sky" was the first single released by Beth Orton, found on her 2002 release Daybreaker. It contains four songs, and was released on CD. The single also features vocals from Ryan Adams.-Track listing:# "Concrete Sky"# "Ali's Waltz"...
" - Beth OrtonBeth OrtonBeth Orton is a BRIT Award–winning English singer-songwriter, known for her 'folktronica' sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s. However, these were not Orton's first... - "Hey Hey You Say" - Papas FritasPapas FritasPapas Fritas is an American indie-rock band that formed in 1992 and released three studio albums before quietly breaking up around 2001. The band's name is Spanish for "French fries" but is also a pun on the phrase "Pop has freed us," which they used as both the name of their music publishing...
- "Spokes" - PondPond (band)Pond was a band from Portland, Oregon. They formed in 1991 and broke up in 1998. They were signed to Sub Pop and the Work Records sub-label of Sony Records ....
- "Party HardParty Hard (Pulp song)"Party Hard" is a song by British alternative rock band Pulp. The song was released on 7 September 1998 as the fourth and final single from the album This Is Hardcore, charting at #29 in the UK Singles Chart...
" - PulpPulp (band)Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks .... - "1, 2, 3, 4" - TitánTitánTitán is a Mexican electronic band formed in 1992 from the industrial band Melamina Ponderosa, where Emilio Acevedo and Julián Lede first met each other, later Jay de la Cueva joined the band....
- "It's Automatic" - Zoot WomanZoot WomanZoot Woman are a British electronic music band consisting of Adam Blake, Johnny Blake and Stuart Price.Known for their live shows, the group has gained a worldwide following. With the album Living In A Magazine Zoot Woman established themselves on the music scene.Credited by many within the...
Record sleeves
- "Kelly Watch the Stars" single - Air
- "Moon SafariMoon SafariMoon Safari is the first full-length studio album by the French band Air, released in 1998.On April 14, 2008 Virgin Records released a reissue of Moon Safari to mark the album's 10-year anniversary...
" - Air - "Playground Love" single - Air
- "Sexy BoySexy Boy"Sexy Boy" is a single by French band Air and was featured in the film 10 Things I Hate About You as well as the British television series Queer as Folk.-Music video:...
" single - Air - "The Virgin Suicides" soundtrack - Air
- "Root Down" EP - Beastie BoysBeastie BoysBeastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
- "Socks, Drugs, and Rock and Roll" - Buffalo DaughterBuffalo DaughterBuffalo Daughter is a Japanese rock group formed in 1993. The three main members are suGar Yoshinaga on guitar, Yumiko Ohno on bass, and Moog Yamamoto on turntables and graphic design...
- "Butter 08Butter 08Butter 08 was a short-lived musical side project whose members consisted of Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto, Russell Simins of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Rick Lee of Skeleton Key and director Mike Mills. The band released just one album, the self-titled "Butter 08" in 1996 on the...
" - Butter 08Butter 08Butter 08 was a short-lived musical side project whose members consisted of Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto, Russell Simins of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Rick Lee of Skeleton Key and director Mike Mills. The band released just one album, the self-titled "Butter 08" in 1996 on the... - "Viva! La WomanViva! La WomanViva! La Woman is an album by Cibo Matto released in 1996 by Warner Bros. Records. The genre has been described as "urban trip-hop". The album received mostly favorable reviews...
" - Cibo MattoCibo MattoCibo Matto are a New York City-based band formed by two Japanese women, Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, in 1994... - "Runaway" single - Deee-LiteDeee-LiteDeee-Lite was an American house and club/dance group, formed in New York City, United States. The group's best-known single was "Groove Is in the Heart", from their 1990 debut album, World Clique. However, Deee-Lite achieved longer lasting success on the U.S...
- "Thank You Everyday" single - Deee-LiteDeee-LiteDeee-Lite was an American house and club/dance group, formed in New York City, United States. The group's best-known single was "Groove Is in the Heart", from their 1990 debut album, World Clique. However, Deee-Lite achieved longer lasting success on the U.S...
- "Experimental RemixesExperimental RemixesExperimental Remixes is an EP by American punk blues band The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion released in 1995 by Matador Records which consists of six remixes of the group's songs and a hidden bonus track called "Tour Diary"...
" - Jon Spencer Blues ExplosionJon Spencer Blues ExplosionThe Jon Spencer Blues Explosion are an American alternative rock trio, formed in 1991 and based out of New York City, New York. The band consists of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin... - "A Picture of NectarA Picture of NectarA Picture of Nectar is the third official studio album and first on a major-label by the American rock band Phish, released on February 12, 1992, through Elektra Records...
- PhishPhishPhish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band... - "Logan's SanctuaryLogan's SanctuaryLogan's Sanctuary is an electronica album by Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Brian Reitzell, conceived as the soundtrack for an imagined sequel to the film Logan's Run....
" - Roger Joseph Manning Jr.Roger Joseph Manning Jr.Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. is an American keyboard player and founding member of bands Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, The Moog Cookbook, and TV Eyes. He has also spent several years as an integral member of Beck's backing band, and made contributions to several recordings by the band Air. He is...
& Brian ReitzellBrian ReitzellBrian Reitzell is a musician, composer, producer and music supervisor best known for his contributions to several film soundtracks. He was formerly the drummer for the punk band Redd Kross. He has also collaborated with the French electronica duo Air, having performed drums on their 2001 album 10... - "Washing Machine" - Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
- "Back to SkullBack to Skull-Track listing:# "Snail Shell" - 3:21# "Ondine" - 2:31# "She Was A Hotel Detective" - 3:21# "Mrs. Train" - 3:00# "Snail Dust" - 3:38...
" - They Might Be GiantsThey Might Be GiantsThey Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are... - "John HenryJohn Henry (album)John Henry is the name of They Might Be Giants' fifth original album, although it is the sixth disc in their discography. It was released in 1994. It is the first album in which John Linnell and John Flansburgh utilized a full band, as opposed to playing most or all of the instruments themselves....
- They Might Be Giants - "Future Crimes" b/w "Glass Tambourine" single - Wild FlagWild FlagWild Flag is an American four-piece group based in Portland, Oregon and Washington, D.C.. The group consists of Carrie Brownstein , Mary Timony , Rebecca Cole and Janet Weiss...
Commercials
- GapGap (clothing retailer)The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
- AdidasAdidasAdidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
- NikeNike, Inc.Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
- Apple ComputerApple ComputerApple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
- MastercardMasterCardMastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
- VolkswagenVolkswagenVolkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
- DuPontDuPontE. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...