REBEL WITHOUT A CREW: OR HOW A 23-YEAR-OLD FILMMAKER WITH $7,000 BECAME A HOLLYWOOD PLAYER

REBEL WITHOUT A CREW: OR HOW A 23-YEAR-OLD FILMMAKER WITH $7,000 BECAME A HOLLYWOOD PLAYER Robert Rodriguez (Dutton, $22.95) Robert Rodriguez won critical acclaim and the attention of every studio in Tinseltown with his action-packed debut feature, El Mariachi -- but the question remains: However did he write, direct, shoot, and edit the flick all by his lonesome...and for a paltry $7,000? You'll find that out and more in this straight-talking and highly entertaining memoir-cum-moviemaking primer that includes the film's screenplay, Rodriguez's irreverent answer to formalized movie education (a chapter entitled ''The Ten-Minute Film School''), and El Mariachi-related entries from his diary. These take us from the surreal month he spent as a human guinea pig in a hospital (enduring up to 10 blood draws a day) to earn financing for his film to the miraculous 21-day shoot itself, when Rodriguez fearlessly made use of whatever and whoever crossed his path (including a turtle). Then there are his unflinching descriptions of smarmy agents and clueless industry big-wigs that make The Player look like, well, a Hollywood movie. If you're not already so inclined, Rodriguez won't succeed in inspiring you to become a fellow filmmaker -- ''Who has this guy's talent, or energy?'' you'll think -- but you will never view an independently made movie (or $7,000) the same way again. A-