Sin City

One Sin City player did attempt to revolt against the tech tyranny: Quentin Tarantino, whom Rodriguez asked to helm a truly Tarantinoesque passage — a long drive-and-talk between Owen and Del Toro. It was a challenge to the Kill Bill director, designed to settle a debate between them. Digital filmmaking: bliss or blasphemy? At first, Tarantino insisted on a real car. But after one take, the director became bothered by the limited range of camera angles, ditched the wheels, and put the actors on crates. (Not surprisingly, Rodriguez takes great pleasure in telling this story.)

Sin City may be the most faithful comic-book adaptation ever, but there have been some changes. Like the nudity. ''Frank never intended his comics to be a movie,'' says Rodriguez. ''I'd say, 'Do we really want this guy's dork hanging out here?' And Frank would say, 'Oh, yeah. That would be distracting.''' And while the plan always called for selective uses of color, Rodriguez is currently adding more as he wraps the film from home, in his teched-out garage. (He often works in his jammies.) Commercial considerations aren't a factor, insists the director (who has final cut), and it's hard to believe the studio is sweating a lack of color — not with a scene where Del Toro gets dunked in an unflushed toilet, then spits up yellow water. Asked if he's tossing and turning over Sin City's violence, Dimension boss Bob Weinstein points to saving graces like Dawson's outfit: ''I know what I think about when I go to sleep at night.''

Miller himself is dreaming of sequels. ''I want the job,'' says the artist, whose next comics project — a new Batman series, which he's writing — has fanboys foaming. (Miller tells EW he's also working on a timely-as-it-sounds graphic novel tentatively called Holy Terror Batman!)Rodriguez is game for more Sin; he likes the thought of having all of Miller's yarns together on DVD.

Until then, Rodriguez is keeping it clean — and close to home. He just wrapped another 3-D family movie, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl, based on an idea of his 7-year-old son, Racer. It will mark a turning point for Rodriguez: His longtime patrons, the Weinstein brothers, are expected to soon leave Disney, and the filmmaker is likely to follow. ''[Working together after Disney] is 100 percent in the cards,'' says Bob Weinstein. ''We're lifers.'' In fact, Rodriguez says Sin City was a clarifying experience. ''I couldn't have done Sin City with anyone else. What we have is really hard to build anywhere else.'' The Weinsteins certainly want to keep him happy. After nearly losing him to Princess of Mars, they promised he could make a big-budget opus with them, whenever he's ready. It might be a while. Rodriguez wants to follow Shark Boy with yet another family film made with his wife and sons. ''Like a giant home movie. That's where I started with El Mariachi,'' he says. ''Sometimes I think I'll grow up and do a really serious movie. But I'm already 36. I don't think there's much hope!''