A presentation by Scott McNab

Who They Are The Wachowskis, also

known as the Wachowski Brothers, are directors, writers and producers.

Laurence (Also known as Larry and sometimes Lana) is the older brother, on the left. He is rumoured to have had a sex change, hence the pseudonym “Lana” Wachowski.

Andrew (Commonly known as Andy) is the younger brother, on the right.

Background Information Andy and Larry were born into a Polish

American family in Chicago in the late 1960s (Larry being born in ’65, Andy in ‘68).

Both attended the same elementary and high schools.

Both dropped out of college before graduation.

Before they got into filmmaking, the pair ran a carpentry business together, creating comic books and coming up with ideas for the Matrix trilogy in their spare time.

Before Larry and Andy became film-makers, they wrote several comics for Marvel and Epic Comics.

These included work on the likes of:

Marvel Clive Barker's Ectokid

Epic Clive Barker's HellraiserClive Barker's Nightbreed

Pre-Matrix Work

Pre-Matrix Work

The first film the pair made together was “Bound” in 1996. This film was a neo-noir crime thriller and involved two women who have a romantic affair together and scheme to get $2 million from the Mafia.

It was highly commended for its humour and style, and for the realistic portrayal of a lesbian relationship between the two leads.

The Matrix (1999)

In 1999, the brothers filmed The Matrix, the first of the Matrix trilogy of films.

It was praised for its fighting sequences and bullet time, derived from Hong Kong action cinema, most likely because it had never been seen before by the western moviegoing market.

The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions (2003)Reloaded and Revolutions are the second and third

films in the Matrix trilogy respectively.

They are generally put together because they were both filmed at the same time, and released in the same year, Reloaded in June 2003 and Revolutions in November 2003.

Both are seen as inferior to the Matrix, most likely because they were less interesting – Revolutions especially was more plot-based rather than action based, which is what most fans were not expecting to see.

Burlyman Entertainment

After the release of Revolutions, the brothers created Burlyman Entertainment, their own comic company.

Under the Burlyman label they made comic books based on the Matrix trilogy, and also made two original series:

Shaolin CowboyDoc Frankenstein

Burlyman Entertainment

In recent years, however, there have not been any comic book releases from the company and nor has the official site been updated.

Therefore by public assumption the company is now defunct.

Ninja Assassin (2009)

Ninja Assassin is the most recent movie in which the Wachowskis have had a hand in making.

The brothers produced the movie, and by watching trailer footage of the film there is definitely a Wachowski influence in many of the fighting sequences.

Awards & Commendations

BOUND:International Fantasy Film Awards“Best Film”, “Best Actress” (Jennifer Tilly)GLAAD Media Awards“Outstanding Film”

Awards & CommendationsTHE MATRIX:

Oscars“Best Film Editing”, “Best Sound Mixing” “Best Sound Editing”, “Best Visual Effects”Saturn Awards“Best Science Fiction Film”, “Best Direction”BAFTAs“Best Sound”,“Best Achievement in Visual Effects”

Awards & Commendations

NINJA ASSASSIN:

MTV Movie Awards“Biggest Badass” (Rain)