Wasn't there a similar thread like this posted a while back? As it was already said, loads of practice - Practice Anatomy, Observe forms and details, always be practicing art fundamentals, etc. Make mistakes and learn new skills. Basically, practice!!!
Also to skip the texturing process entirely, use dDo to generate one :D I think what people are getting at is you need to research a lot of stuff and practice yourself, there's no sure fire way to making incredible characters from the start.
Gnomon has a few DVDs about effects, modeling, and texturing for cinematics. You would have to learn more about using displacement maps, skin shaders, high-end lighting and rendering techniques, and compositing. Rendering for cinematics requires using multiple layers and passes that take a lot of time and care. You need to…
Hey man, why don't you post some of your work in the P&P section and people can gauge how far you are along, give you crits and generally give you pointers on how you can improve? That way you can progress faster than just asking questions here. There is no golden answer as to how to make amazing shaders, etc, like its…