The world recently said farewell to Roger Corman, the legendary B-movie producer, writer, director, and performer who passed away at the well-lived age of 98. Corman completely revolutionized the film industry, not only with his independent spirit and penchant for low-budget fare, but also serving as a launchpad for some of cinema's greatest creatives, including Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, Jack Nicholson, and Penelope Spheeris, and that's just scratching the surface.
Known by many for his hundreds of produced films, Corman was also a well-decorated director in his own right, helming 55 films before his death. Corman dabbled in any and all genres, with comedy, drama, horror, exploitation, monster, sci-fi, sexploitation, gothic, and action all well-represented throughout his filmography. In honor of the King of B-movies and one of the most prolific filmmakers of all time, here are his 10 best films as a director, ranked.
Known by many for his hundreds of produced films, Corman was also a well-decorated director in his own right, helming 55 films before his death. Corman dabbled in any and all genres, with comedy, drama, horror, exploitation, monster, sci-fi, sexploitation, gothic, and action all well-represented throughout his filmography. In honor of the King of B-movies and one of the most prolific filmmakers of all time, here are his 10 best films as a director, ranked.
- 5/17/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Roger Corman, the fabled “King of the B’s” producer and director who churned out low-budget genre films with breakneck speed and provided career boosts to young, untested talents like Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Gale Anne Hurd and James Cameron, has died. He was 98.
The filmmaker, who received an honorary Oscar in 2009 at the Governors Awards, died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, his family told The Hollywood Reporter.
“He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him,” they said in a statement. “When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.’”
Corman perhaps is best known for such horror fare as The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and his series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations starring Vincent Price, but he became celebrated for drugs-and-biker sagas like The Wild Angels...
The filmmaker, who received an honorary Oscar in 2009 at the Governors Awards, died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, his family told The Hollywood Reporter.
“He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him,” they said in a statement. “When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.’”
Corman perhaps is best known for such horror fare as The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and his series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations starring Vincent Price, but he became celebrated for drugs-and-biker sagas like The Wild Angels...
- 5/12/2024
- by Duane Byrge and Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro, who is the former head of the Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, is starting to put his stamp on the Swiss fest dedicated to indie cinema with a lineup comprising comedies and genre films alongside more straightforward auteur cinema, driven by a desire to make the selection “more audience friendly,” as he puts it. Nazzaro spoke to Variety about some of the choices that reflect this new course. Excerpts.
Since taking the reins you’ve repeatedly talked about taking the fest in different directions. How is that reflected, now that the lineup is out?
My idea is that a festival can be quite highbrow and entertaining at the same time. That is why in this year’s lineup we have three comedies –– or sort of, it depends on your idea of humor –– we also have some “genre” films, and also some straightforward auteur films.
Since taking the reins you’ve repeatedly talked about taking the fest in different directions. How is that reflected, now that the lineup is out?
My idea is that a festival can be quite highbrow and entertaining at the same time. That is why in this year’s lineup we have three comedies –– or sort of, it depends on your idea of humor –– we also have some “genre” films, and also some straightforward auteur films.
- 8/6/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Movie legend Roger Corman made his Tfh debut with this commentary for his 1970 fantasia on the Depression-era Barker crime family. Aip wanted him to shoot it on the Warner Bros. backlot, but he convinced them to shoot on Arkansas locations, which made all the difference. A no-holds-barred Shelley Winters is the definitive Ma Barker.
The post Bloody Mama appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Bloody Mama appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 8/21/2020
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Pairing wine with movies! See the trailers and hear the fascinating commentary for these movies and many more at Trailers From Hell. What else are you doing while stuck at home? You can’t blow out your candles while wearing a mask, and who needs birthday cake when there’s a bottle of wine sitting right there?
Robert De Niro turns 77 this week, so a celebration is in order. And, yes, I am talking to you. De Niro has a mantle full of awards for his acting and he helped create a vodka company, so we like him even more. Italy likes him so much that they made him an honorary citizen, over the objections of the Sons of Italy. That group says anyone who made his bones playing Italian-descended mobsters should get the boot from Italy. Suggested punishment: Drink only Chianti from a bottle covered in straw.
In 1974, DeNiro...
Robert De Niro turns 77 this week, so a celebration is in order. And, yes, I am talking to you. De Niro has a mantle full of awards for his acting and he helped create a vodka company, so we like him even more. Italy likes him so much that they made him an honorary citizen, over the objections of the Sons of Italy. That group says anyone who made his bones playing Italian-descended mobsters should get the boot from Italy. Suggested punishment: Drink only Chianti from a bottle covered in straw.
In 1974, DeNiro...
- 8/18/2020
- by Randy Fuller
- Trailers from Hell
We're celebrating the centennial of Shelley Winters. Here's Cláudio Alves…
In October 1966, less than six months after her second Best Supporting Actress Oscar win, Shelley Winters appeared in two episodes of the Batman TV show. Winters once again played a villainous mother. Unlike most Batman villains though, Winters' Ma Parker wasn't based on a comic book character but a historical figure. Kate Barker, commonly known as Ma Barker, was the matriarch of a criminal family who terrorized Arizona during the first decades of the 20th century. Boisterous, vicious, merciless, and bad to the bone, this monster mother was, in many ways, a perfect role for Shelley Winters in this period of her career.
It's no wonder then, that four years after the Batman episodes had aired, Winters returned to the iconic part. This time, however, there were no euphemisms or layers of superhero camp between the actress and the character.
In October 1966, less than six months after her second Best Supporting Actress Oscar win, Shelley Winters appeared in two episodes of the Batman TV show. Winters once again played a villainous mother. Unlike most Batman villains though, Winters' Ma Parker wasn't based on a comic book character but a historical figure. Kate Barker, commonly known as Ma Barker, was the matriarch of a criminal family who terrorized Arizona during the first decades of the 20th century. Boisterous, vicious, merciless, and bad to the bone, this monster mother was, in many ways, a perfect role for Shelley Winters in this period of her career.
It's no wonder then, that four years after the Batman episodes had aired, Winters returned to the iconic part. This time, however, there were no euphemisms or layers of superhero camp between the actress and the character.
- 8/17/2020
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman
Happy 94th Birthday to a legend! Roger Corman has directed more than 50 low-budget drive-in classics, produced and/or distributed 450 more, and helped the careers of hundreds of young people breaking into the industry. A partial list: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Irvin Kershner, Monte Hellman, Peter Bogdanovich, Gail Ann Hurd, James Cameron, Jonathan Kaplan, Joe Dante, Robert Towne. Considering Corman’s own films, Jonathan Demme has stated. “Roger is arguably the greatest independent filmmaker the American film industry has seen and probably ever will see.” We Are Movie Geeks has taken a look at Corman’s career and here are what we think are the ten best films that he has directed:
Honorable Mention. The Premature Burial
The Premature Burial (1962) is the ‘odd man out’ among the series of Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations because of the absence of Vincent Price...
Happy 94th Birthday to a legend! Roger Corman has directed more than 50 low-budget drive-in classics, produced and/or distributed 450 more, and helped the careers of hundreds of young people breaking into the industry. A partial list: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Irvin Kershner, Monte Hellman, Peter Bogdanovich, Gail Ann Hurd, James Cameron, Jonathan Kaplan, Joe Dante, Robert Towne. Considering Corman’s own films, Jonathan Demme has stated. “Roger is arguably the greatest independent filmmaker the American film industry has seen and probably ever will see.” We Are Movie Geeks has taken a look at Corman’s career and here are what we think are the ten best films that he has directed:
Honorable Mention. The Premature Burial
The Premature Burial (1962) is the ‘odd man out’ among the series of Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations because of the absence of Vincent Price...
- 4/5/2020
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Shout! Factory TV will launch a 13-part digital docuseries called Cult-Tastic: Tales from the Trenches with Roger and Julie Corman that premieres Nov. 15 on Shout Factory TV’s Amazon Prime Video Channel and via Roku Channel’s Premium Subscription.
Created, written and co-produced by Ashley Sidaway and Robert Sidaway, Cult-Tastic features new, extensive, and in-depth interviews and represents the first docuseries from Shout! Factory TV. The subject matter is a rich and vivid one: Roger and Julie Corman and their seven decades as trailblazing indie filmmakers.
One of the most prolific producers in cinema history, Roger Corman is known as the Pope of Pop Culture and the King of the Cult Film after producing more than 350 films and directing 60 more, among them Machine Gun Kelly, A Bucket of Blood, X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes, Bloody Mama and Frankenstein Unbound. Roger Corman was honored with the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2009.
Julie Corman,...
Created, written and co-produced by Ashley Sidaway and Robert Sidaway, Cult-Tastic features new, extensive, and in-depth interviews and represents the first docuseries from Shout! Factory TV. The subject matter is a rich and vivid one: Roger and Julie Corman and their seven decades as trailblazing indie filmmakers.
One of the most prolific producers in cinema history, Roger Corman is known as the Pope of Pop Culture and the King of the Cult Film after producing more than 350 films and directing 60 more, among them Machine Gun Kelly, A Bucket of Blood, X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes, Bloody Mama and Frankenstein Unbound. Roger Corman was honored with the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2009.
Julie Corman,...
- 10/29/2019
- by Geoff Boucher
- Deadline Film + TV
Freshly divorced from American-International Pictures, Roger Corman leaps into the filmic mainstream with a fairly large-scale World War One aviation picture. He competes with the big studios but retains his nonconformist attitude: his retelling of the story of the Red Baron fixates on the theme of the death of chivalry in combat. For his star player Corman picks John Phillip Law, whose on-screen persona is a good fit for one of the first warrior aces of the sky.
Von Richthofen and Brown
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: John Phillip Law, Don Stroud, Barry Primus, Corin Redgrave, Stephen McHattie, Hurd Hatfield
Robert La Tourneaux, Ferdy Mayne, Peter Masterson, Clint Kimbrough, George Armitage.
Cinematography: Michael Reed
Film Editor: Alan Collins
Original Music: Hugo Friedhofer
Written by John William Corrington, Joyce H. Corrington
Produced by Gene Corman, Jimmy T. Murakami
Directed by...
Von Richthofen and Brown
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 97 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: John Phillip Law, Don Stroud, Barry Primus, Corin Redgrave, Stephen McHattie, Hurd Hatfield
Robert La Tourneaux, Ferdy Mayne, Peter Masterson, Clint Kimbrough, George Armitage.
Cinematography: Michael Reed
Film Editor: Alan Collins
Original Music: Hugo Friedhofer
Written by John William Corrington, Joyce H. Corrington
Produced by Gene Corman, Jimmy T. Murakami
Directed by...
- 5/14/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman
Happy 92nd Birthday to a legend! Roger Corman has directed more than 50 low-budget drive-in classics, produced and/or distributed 450 more, and helped the careers of hundreds of young people breaking into the industry. A partial list: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Irvin Kershner, Monte Hellman, Peter Bogdanovich, Gail Ann Hurd, James Cameron, Jonathan Kaplan, Joe Dante, Robert Towne. Considering Corman’s own films, Jonathan Demme has stated. “Roger is arguably the greatest independent filmmaker the American film industry has seen and probably ever will see.” We Are Movie Geeks has taken a look at Corman’s career and here are what we think are the ten best films that he has directed:
Honorable Mention. The Premature Burial
The Premature Burial (1962) is the ‘odd man out’ among the series of Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations because of the absence of Vincent Price...
Happy 92nd Birthday to a legend! Roger Corman has directed more than 50 low-budget drive-in classics, produced and/or distributed 450 more, and helped the careers of hundreds of young people breaking into the industry. A partial list: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Irvin Kershner, Monte Hellman, Peter Bogdanovich, Gail Ann Hurd, James Cameron, Jonathan Kaplan, Joe Dante, Robert Towne. Considering Corman’s own films, Jonathan Demme has stated. “Roger is arguably the greatest independent filmmaker the American film industry has seen and probably ever will see.” We Are Movie Geeks has taken a look at Corman’s career and here are what we think are the ten best films that he has directed:
Honorable Mention. The Premature Burial
The Premature Burial (1962) is the ‘odd man out’ among the series of Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations because of the absence of Vincent Price...
- 4/5/2018
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This classy Fox production was considered the epitome of sick film subject matter in the pre- Psycho year of 1959, the true story of jazz-age thrill killers Leopold & Loeb. Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman are the nihilistic child murderers; Orson Welles stops the show with his portrayal of Clarence Darrow, going under a different name.
Compulsion
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date March 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Richard Anderson, Robert F. Simon, Edward Binns, Gavid McLeod, Russ Bender, Peter Brocco.
Cinematography: William C. Mellor
Film Editor: William Reynolds
Original Music: Lionel Newman
Written by Richard Murphy from a novel by Meyer Levin
Produced by Richard D. Zanuck
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Movies about serial killers and psychos with exotic agendas were much different before Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, which hit America in 1960 like a thrown brick.
Compulsion
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1959 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date March 7, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Richard Anderson, Robert F. Simon, Edward Binns, Gavid McLeod, Russ Bender, Peter Brocco.
Cinematography: William C. Mellor
Film Editor: William Reynolds
Original Music: Lionel Newman
Written by Richard Murphy from a novel by Meyer Levin
Produced by Richard D. Zanuck
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Movies about serial killers and psychos with exotic agendas were much different before Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, which hit America in 1960 like a thrown brick.
- 3/12/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Rich Drees
Roger Corman's work both as a director and a producer has often been characterized as exploitation, quickly and cheaply produced product that promised some cheap thrills – be they violence or sex – for the theater-goers' admission. It was certainly not an accusation he would ever shy away from. But that didn't mean that he didn't ensure that there wasn't at least a certain level of craft to be found in his films. And sometimes, even a bit of art sneaks through the process.
Such is the case with “Boxcar Bertha,” the second feature from filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Corman was looking for something that could serve somewhat as a sequel to his recently released “Bloody Mama” when his wife discovered the fictional account of a woman who rode the rails of the South during the Depression. The story and resultant film had more than a few echoes of...
Roger Corman's work both as a director and a producer has often been characterized as exploitation, quickly and cheaply produced product that promised some cheap thrills – be they violence or sex – for the theater-goers' admission. It was certainly not an accusation he would ever shy away from. But that didn't mean that he didn't ensure that there wasn't at least a certain level of craft to be found in his films. And sometimes, even a bit of art sneaks through the process.
Such is the case with “Boxcar Bertha,” the second feature from filmmaker Martin Scorsese. Corman was looking for something that could serve somewhat as a sequel to his recently released “Bloody Mama” when his wife discovered the fictional account of a woman who rode the rails of the South during the Depression. The story and resultant film had more than a few echoes of...
- 12/16/2016
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
'The Beast with a Million Eyes': Hardly truth in advertising as there's no million-eyed beast in Roger Corman's micro-budget sci-fi thriller. 'The Beast with a Million Eyes': Alien invasion movie predates Alfred Hitchcock classic Despite the confusing voice-over introduction, David Kramarsky's[1] The Beast with a Million Eyes a.k.a. The Beast with 1,000,000 Eyes is one of my favorite 1950s alien invasion films. Set in an ugly, desolate landscape – shot “for wide screen in terror-scope” in Indio and California's Coachella Valley – the screenplay by future novelist Tom Filer (who also played Jack Nicholson's sidekick in the 1966 Western Ride in the Whirlwind) focuses on a dysfunctional family whose members become the first victims of a strange force from another galaxy after a spaceship lands nearby emitting sound vibrations that turn domestic animals into aggressive killers. Killer cow First, the lady-of-the-house is pecked by a flock of chickens and,...
- 5/12/2016
- by Danny Fortune
- Alt Film Guide
Guns! Guns! Guns! John Milius' rootin' tootin' bio of the most famous of the '30s bandits has plenty of good things to its credit, especially its terrific, funny cast, topped by the unlikely star Warren Oates. The battles between Dillinger's team of all-star bank robbers and Ben Johnson's G-Man aren't neglected, as Milius savors every gun recoil and Tommy gun blast. Dillinger Blu-ray + DVD Arrow Video U.S. 1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 107 min. / Street Date April 26, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Michelle Phillips, Cloris Leachman, Harry Dean Stanton, Geoffrey Lewis, John Ryan, Richard Dreyfuss, Steve Kanaly, John Martino, Roy Jenson, Frank McRae. Cinematography Jules Brenner Special Effects A.D. Flowers, Cliff Wenger Edited by Fred R. Feitshans, Jr. Original Music Barry De Vorzon Produced by Buzz Feitshans Written and Directed by John Milius
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There it was in the dentist's office, an article in either...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
There it was in the dentist's office, an article in either...
- 4/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman
Happy 9oth Birthday to a legend! Roger Corman has directed more than 50 low-budget drive-in classics, produced and/or distributed 450 more, and helped the careers of hundreds of young people breaking into the industry. A partial list: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Irvin Kershner, Monte Hellman, Peter Bogdanovich, Gail Ann Hurd, James Cameron, Jonathan Kaplan, Joe Dante, Robert Towne. Considering Corman’s own films, Jonathan Demme has stated. “Roger is arguably the greatest independent filmmaker the American film industry has seen and probably ever will see.” And he’s still going strong, currently producing the upcoming actioner Death Race 2050. We Are Movie Geeks has taken a look at Corman’s career and here are what we think are the ten best films that he has directed:
Honorable Mention. The Premature Burial
The Premature Burial (1962) is the ‘odd man out’ among the...
Happy 9oth Birthday to a legend! Roger Corman has directed more than 50 low-budget drive-in classics, produced and/or distributed 450 more, and helped the careers of hundreds of young people breaking into the industry. A partial list: Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Irvin Kershner, Monte Hellman, Peter Bogdanovich, Gail Ann Hurd, James Cameron, Jonathan Kaplan, Joe Dante, Robert Towne. Considering Corman’s own films, Jonathan Demme has stated. “Roger is arguably the greatest independent filmmaker the American film industry has seen and probably ever will see.” And he’s still going strong, currently producing the upcoming actioner Death Race 2050. We Are Movie Geeks has taken a look at Corman’s career and here are what we think are the ten best films that he has directed:
Honorable Mention. The Premature Burial
The Premature Burial (1962) is the ‘odd man out’ among the...
- 4/5/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
If you were looking for a primer on Jean-Luc Godard, you couldn't do much better than J. Hoberman's latest piece for the Nation. Also in today's roundup of news and views: Matthew Asprey Gear on the conspiracy thriller Orson Welles never got around to making, Imogen Sara Smith on Jacques Tati's Playtime, Julien Allen on Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death, Adam Nayman on George Stevens’s Shane, Robert Cashill on Richard Fleischer's Che!, Christopher Sharrett on Roger Corman's Bloody Mama, Leonard Quart on Nicholas Ray's The Lusty Men, interviews with Martín Rejtman, Andrei Zvyagintsev, Matt Porterfield, David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), Daniel Wolfe (Catch Me Daddy)—and much more. » - David Hudson...
- 2/27/2015
- Keyframe
If you were looking for a primer on Jean-Luc Godard, you couldn't do much better than J. Hoberman's latest piece for the Nation. Also in today's roundup of news and views: Matthew Asprey Gear on the conspiracy thriller Orson Welles never got around to making, Imogen Sara Smith on Jacques Tati's Playtime, Julien Allen on Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death, Adam Nayman on George Stevens’s Shane, Robert Cashill on Richard Fleischer's Che!, Christopher Sharrett on Roger Corman's Bloody Mama, Leonard Quart on Nicholas Ray's The Lusty Men, interviews with Martín Rejtman, Andrei Zvyagintsev, Matt Porterfield, David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), Daniel Wolfe (Catch Me Daddy)—and much more. » - David Hudson...
- 2/27/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
For the week of Thanksgiving, there aren’t a lot of horror and sci-fi titles being released on DVD and Blu-ray, but the ones that are making their home debuts are a fun assortment of cult classics and new indie horror flicks. The Mystery Science Theater gang is getting a brand new Collector’s Edition box set from the good folks over at Shout! Factory, and the original Nazi zombies from Shock Waves are making their high-def debut this week as well. We’ve also got a handful of Blumhouse/Universal titles coming our way- Mercy, Mockingbird and Stretch- and Scorpion Releasing is giving fans a chance to own the Roger Corman produced remake of The Masque of the Red Death too.
Spotlight Titles:
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Turkey Day Collection Limited Edition (Shout! Factory, DVD)
Mst’ies and bowlers share an enduring love of turkeys. This latest...
Spotlight Titles:
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Turkey Day Collection Limited Edition (Shout! Factory, DVD)
Mst’ies and bowlers share an enduring love of turkeys. This latest...
- 11/25/2014
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
We have him to thank for The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), The Trip, Bloody Mama and a half-dozen Poe adaptations. His producer credits include Piranha, Boxcar Bertha, TNT Jackson, Rock 'n' Roll High School and Sharktopus. (Perhaps best to disregard that last one.) He's notorious for shooting movies on little money in less than a week using sets from other films he'd just completed. Actors/filmmakers who worked on their earliest movies with him include Jack Nicholson, Dick Miller (pictured above in A Bucket of Blood), Robert Towne, John Sayles, Francis Ford Coppola, Joe Dante and Martin Scorsese. Roger Corman has 56 director credits and 409 producer credits on IMDb, and he's still producing.
And Austin Film Society programmer Lars Nilsen had to narrow it down to four features -- plus a bonus documentary on Dick Miller -- for the latest Afs Arthouse series: "Films of Roger Corman." The series, screening Fridays and Sundays at the Marchesa,...
And Austin Film Society programmer Lars Nilsen had to narrow it down to four features -- plus a bonus documentary on Dick Miller -- for the latest Afs Arthouse series: "Films of Roger Corman." The series, screening Fridays and Sundays at the Marchesa,...
- 8/4/2014
- by Jette Kernion
- Slackerwood
In 1995 and 1997, Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. had Heat and Jackie Brown released into cinemas. Not his best films or his best performances, perhaps, but mesmerising work in excellent pictures directed by master filmmakers: the former saw him convince for Michael Mann as the cool, meticulous leader of a gang of career criminals; the latter had Quentin Tarantino give viewers a dim crim whose uncontrollable anger contributes to the unravelling of a heist.
For a whole generation of moviegoers who have grown up since, however, the adulation that's universally showered upon De Niro must be perplexing. Occasionally he summons up a portion of his old intensity – his turns in What Just Happened, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle are the (slim) picks of the last 15 years – but for anyone who got into movies from the late '90s on, he's the funny guy in Analyze This and Meet The Parents,...
For a whole generation of moviegoers who have grown up since, however, the adulation that's universally showered upon De Niro must be perplexing. Occasionally he summons up a portion of his old intensity – his turns in What Just Happened, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle are the (slim) picks of the last 15 years – but for anyone who got into movies from the late '90s on, he's the funny guy in Analyze This and Meet The Parents,...
- 8/2/2014
- Digital Spy
Kino Lorber and Scorpion Releasing Announce First Eight Titles to be Released Under New Multi-Year Distribution Deal
in August
Kino Lorber and Scorpion Releasing have announces the inaugural releases of eight films under the companies' new multi-year distribution deal. Over the next year and after, there will be additional releases by Kino Lorber from the Scorpion library, including new acquisitions that will be available for the first time.
Among the first selection of titles to be released in August are Green Ice, starring Ryan O'Neal and Omar Sharif; Grizzly, starring Christopher George (both out on DVD August 5th); A Summer Story, starring Susannah York (out g August 12th), the award-winning Australian drama Careful He Might Hear You (out on August 12th), Jack Hill's Sorceress, produced by Roger Corman (out on August 19th); The Girl in a Swing, starring Meg Tilly (out on DVD on August 19th); the acclaimed drama Friendly Fire, starring Carol Burnett, and the 1982 TV movie version of The Elephant Man (both streeting on DVD on August 26th)
"Green Ice"(1981)
Director: Ernest Day
Cast: Ryan O'Neal, Anne Archer, Omar Sharif, John Larroquette
In the Andes mountains a group of archaeologists are murdered after they discover uncut emeralds. Back in New York, Joseph Wiley (Ryan O'Neal, "Love Story") is down on his luck and runs off to Mexico where he meets Lilian Holbrook (Anne Archer, "Fatal Attraction"). The two are instantly attracted to each other, but Lilian is on her way to meet Meno Argenti (Omar Sharif, "Doctor Zhivago"), the man who intends to marry her. Wiley is mistakenly drawn into perilous adventure when a mysterious caller tells him to look at the samples - stolen emeralds. Lilian's sister is killed and, suspecting Argenti, Wiley and Lilian, in a bid to avenge her murder, plan a daring raid on Argenti's vault of emeralds - green ice. Also starring John Larroquette (TV's Night Court).
"Grizzly" (1976)
Director: William Girdler
Cast: Christopher George, Andre Prine, Richard Jackel, Joan McCall
When an eighteen-foot, two-thousand-pound grizzly bear starts mauling campers and hikers at a state park, a park ranger (Christopher George, "The Exterminator") springs into action. But the job is too big to tackle alone, so he enlists the aid of a naturalist (Richard Jaeckel, "The Dirty Dozen") and a helicopter pilot (Andrew Prine, "The Evil") to take this freak of nature down. Meanwhile, the giant grizzly, not content with picnic baskets, continues to kill indiscriminately, leaving pools of blood and piles of body parts in his wake. Can the ranger and his cronies end the grizzly's reign of terror without resorting to excessively extreme measures? This post-Jaws, nature-runs-rampant thriller was directed by William Girdler ("Day of the Animals"), and was a box office hit and the top-grossing independent film of 1976.
"A Summer Story" (1988)
Director: Piers Haggard
Cast: James Wilby, Susannah York, Jerome Flynn
A country girl has a brief, life-shattering moment when she falls for a young lawyer. Adapted from John Galsworthy'sThe Apple Tree, the film tells of the relationship between a young London lawyer, Frank Ashton (James Wilby,"Handful of Dust") and Megan David (Imogen Stubbs, "True Colors"), the innocent girl who helps him during his recovery from a twisted ankle at the farm where she lives. The attraction between the two is overpowering; they make love in the farm hayloft and vow never to be parted. But Frank goes to Torquay where he meets an old schoolfriend and his lovely sister Stella (Sophie Ward). Thus, Frank's plans become muddled and Megan comes looking for him. A Summer Story of young love. Also starring Susannah York (Tom Jones) and Jerome Flynn (TV's Game of Thrones).
"Careful, He Might Hear You" (1983)
Director: Carl Schultz
Cast: Wendy Hughes, Robyn Nevin, Nicholas Gledhill
Winner of 8 Australian Film Institute Awards - Nominated for 5 more - National Board of Reviews: Winner (Top 10 Films)
Set in Australia in the 1930s, this drama stars Nicholas Gledhill as P.S., a six-year old boy who lives with his Aunt Lila (Robyn Nevin, "The Matrix Reloaded," "The Matrix Revolutions") and Uncle George (Peter Whitford, "Strictly Ballroom"). P.S.'s mother died in childbirth, so her sister Lila took him in, and while George and Lila don't have much money, they always done the best they could to the give the boy a good home. One day, Lila's older sister, Venessa (Wendy Hughes, "My Brilliant Career") arrives from a trip around the world; Vanessa is quiet wealthy, and upon her return to Australia, she expresses interest in taking custody of the child. Lila is willing to let the boy meet his aunt, but decides to fight her in court when she decides that she wants the boy full time. The case becomes more complicated by the arrival of the boy's long-absent father, Logan (John Hargreaves, "Emerald City"), an alcoholic who loves his son, but is incapable of caring for him. Careful He Might Hear You won 8 Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Hughes) and Best Supporting Actor (Hargreaves).
"Sorceress" (1982)
Director: Jack Hill
Cast: Leigh Harris, Lynette Harris, David Millbern
From legendary producer Roger Corman ("Bloody Mama") comes the box office hit of 1982, "Sorceress." When an evil Wizard Traigon makes a pact with the dark forces to sacrifice his first born to his God Caligara to gain the highest degree of power, but things get complicated when his gives birth to twin. Having knowledge of her husband's plan she runs away and her two daughters grow up to be beautiful warriors played by playboy playmates Leigh and Lynette Harris. After the death of their mother and adopted families at the hands of Traigon and his army, the twins blessed with the forces of light and strength given to them by the magical warrior Krona, join forces with Baldar the Viking and Erlik the Barbarian to take down Traigon and avenge their mother's death. Standing in their way is all sorts of Traigon's minions, from an army of ape man to undead zombies which leads us to a climax in an all out battle between good and evil! Now watch this cult classic, not only from a brand new HD master, but from a previously never-before-seen longer version!
"The Girl in a Swing" (1988)
Director: Gordon Hessler
Cast: Meg Tilly, Rupert Frazer, Nicholas Le Prevost, Elspet Gray
A London art broker (Rupert Frazer, "Empire of the Sun") goes to Copenhagen where he requires the services of a secretary fluent in Danish, English, and German. He falls deeply in love with the woman (Meg Tilly, "The Big Chill"), despite the fact that he knows virtually nothing about her. She insists on not being married in a church, and after they are married, some bad things from her past begin surfacing in subtly supernatural ways, and he must find the best way to deal with them without destroying their relationship. Based on the best selling novel by Richard Adams ("Watership Down") and directed by horror specialist Gordon Hessler ("Cry of the Banshee," "The Oblong Box").
"Friendly Fire" (1979 TV Movie)
Director: David Greene
Cast: Carol Burnett, Ned Beatty, Sam Waterston, Timothy Hutton, David Keith
The true story of Peg (Carol Burnett, "The Four Seasons") and Gene Mullen (Ned
Beatty, "Deliverance") who pursue the truth over their son's death in Vietnam. After their son is killed in Vietnam the couple's on-going inquiries eventually establish he was killed by 'artillery fire from friendly forces'. This beautifully orchestrated, harrowing story, assembled with uncommon sensitivity, is one of the most dramatic works ever made about the Vietnam War. Directed by David Greene ("Hard Country") and based on the novel by C.D.B. Bryan ("So Much Unfairness of Things") The wonderful cast includes Sam Waterston ("The Killing Fields"), Timothy Hutton ("Ordinary People") and David Keith ("An Officer and a Gentleman"). Winner of 4 Emmy Award® including Best Director and nominated for 3 more including Best Actor and Best Actress. 1980 Peabody Award Winner and DGA nominee foe Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Specials or Movies Made for TV.
"The Elephant Man " (1982 TV Movie )
Director: Jack Hofsiss
Cast: Philip Anglim, Kevin Conwak, Glenn Clsoe
The story of John Merrick (Philip Anglim), The Elephant Man, and of his triumph over his terrible affliction. It is a story of life and the affirmation of life; timeless, tragic, uplifting and heroic; an exultation of the humanity of a man trapped inside the twisted, lesion-ridden grip of a terminally disfiguring disease. We see John Merrick as a man with many admirers, beginning with the witty and beautiful actress, Mrs. Kendal (Penny Fuller), who, so taken with Merrick, brought a who's who of English society to visit him regularly. The stellar cast includes Glenn Close as Princess Alexandra and Kevin Conway. Directed by DGA nominee Jack Hofsiss (1984 TV Movie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof). Winner of 1 Emmy Award® for Best Supporting Actress (Fuller) and nominated for 3 more including Best Actor, Philip Anglim who also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Made for TV Motion Picture.
in August
Kino Lorber and Scorpion Releasing have announces the inaugural releases of eight films under the companies' new multi-year distribution deal. Over the next year and after, there will be additional releases by Kino Lorber from the Scorpion library, including new acquisitions that will be available for the first time.
Among the first selection of titles to be released in August are Green Ice, starring Ryan O'Neal and Omar Sharif; Grizzly, starring Christopher George (both out on DVD August 5th); A Summer Story, starring Susannah York (out g August 12th), the award-winning Australian drama Careful He Might Hear You (out on August 12th), Jack Hill's Sorceress, produced by Roger Corman (out on August 19th); The Girl in a Swing, starring Meg Tilly (out on DVD on August 19th); the acclaimed drama Friendly Fire, starring Carol Burnett, and the 1982 TV movie version of The Elephant Man (both streeting on DVD on August 26th)
"Green Ice"(1981)
Director: Ernest Day
Cast: Ryan O'Neal, Anne Archer, Omar Sharif, John Larroquette
In the Andes mountains a group of archaeologists are murdered after they discover uncut emeralds. Back in New York, Joseph Wiley (Ryan O'Neal, "Love Story") is down on his luck and runs off to Mexico where he meets Lilian Holbrook (Anne Archer, "Fatal Attraction"). The two are instantly attracted to each other, but Lilian is on her way to meet Meno Argenti (Omar Sharif, "Doctor Zhivago"), the man who intends to marry her. Wiley is mistakenly drawn into perilous adventure when a mysterious caller tells him to look at the samples - stolen emeralds. Lilian's sister is killed and, suspecting Argenti, Wiley and Lilian, in a bid to avenge her murder, plan a daring raid on Argenti's vault of emeralds - green ice. Also starring John Larroquette (TV's Night Court).
"Grizzly" (1976)
Director: William Girdler
Cast: Christopher George, Andre Prine, Richard Jackel, Joan McCall
When an eighteen-foot, two-thousand-pound grizzly bear starts mauling campers and hikers at a state park, a park ranger (Christopher George, "The Exterminator") springs into action. But the job is too big to tackle alone, so he enlists the aid of a naturalist (Richard Jaeckel, "The Dirty Dozen") and a helicopter pilot (Andrew Prine, "The Evil") to take this freak of nature down. Meanwhile, the giant grizzly, not content with picnic baskets, continues to kill indiscriminately, leaving pools of blood and piles of body parts in his wake. Can the ranger and his cronies end the grizzly's reign of terror without resorting to excessively extreme measures? This post-Jaws, nature-runs-rampant thriller was directed by William Girdler ("Day of the Animals"), and was a box office hit and the top-grossing independent film of 1976.
"A Summer Story" (1988)
Director: Piers Haggard
Cast: James Wilby, Susannah York, Jerome Flynn
A country girl has a brief, life-shattering moment when she falls for a young lawyer. Adapted from John Galsworthy'sThe Apple Tree, the film tells of the relationship between a young London lawyer, Frank Ashton (James Wilby,"Handful of Dust") and Megan David (Imogen Stubbs, "True Colors"), the innocent girl who helps him during his recovery from a twisted ankle at the farm where she lives. The attraction between the two is overpowering; they make love in the farm hayloft and vow never to be parted. But Frank goes to Torquay where he meets an old schoolfriend and his lovely sister Stella (Sophie Ward). Thus, Frank's plans become muddled and Megan comes looking for him. A Summer Story of young love. Also starring Susannah York (Tom Jones) and Jerome Flynn (TV's Game of Thrones).
"Careful, He Might Hear You" (1983)
Director: Carl Schultz
Cast: Wendy Hughes, Robyn Nevin, Nicholas Gledhill
Winner of 8 Australian Film Institute Awards - Nominated for 5 more - National Board of Reviews: Winner (Top 10 Films)
Set in Australia in the 1930s, this drama stars Nicholas Gledhill as P.S., a six-year old boy who lives with his Aunt Lila (Robyn Nevin, "The Matrix Reloaded," "The Matrix Revolutions") and Uncle George (Peter Whitford, "Strictly Ballroom"). P.S.'s mother died in childbirth, so her sister Lila took him in, and while George and Lila don't have much money, they always done the best they could to the give the boy a good home. One day, Lila's older sister, Venessa (Wendy Hughes, "My Brilliant Career") arrives from a trip around the world; Vanessa is quiet wealthy, and upon her return to Australia, she expresses interest in taking custody of the child. Lila is willing to let the boy meet his aunt, but decides to fight her in court when she decides that she wants the boy full time. The case becomes more complicated by the arrival of the boy's long-absent father, Logan (John Hargreaves, "Emerald City"), an alcoholic who loves his son, but is incapable of caring for him. Careful He Might Hear You won 8 Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Hughes) and Best Supporting Actor (Hargreaves).
"Sorceress" (1982)
Director: Jack Hill
Cast: Leigh Harris, Lynette Harris, David Millbern
From legendary producer Roger Corman ("Bloody Mama") comes the box office hit of 1982, "Sorceress." When an evil Wizard Traigon makes a pact with the dark forces to sacrifice his first born to his God Caligara to gain the highest degree of power, but things get complicated when his gives birth to twin. Having knowledge of her husband's plan she runs away and her two daughters grow up to be beautiful warriors played by playboy playmates Leigh and Lynette Harris. After the death of their mother and adopted families at the hands of Traigon and his army, the twins blessed with the forces of light and strength given to them by the magical warrior Krona, join forces with Baldar the Viking and Erlik the Barbarian to take down Traigon and avenge their mother's death. Standing in their way is all sorts of Traigon's minions, from an army of ape man to undead zombies which leads us to a climax in an all out battle between good and evil! Now watch this cult classic, not only from a brand new HD master, but from a previously never-before-seen longer version!
"The Girl in a Swing" (1988)
Director: Gordon Hessler
Cast: Meg Tilly, Rupert Frazer, Nicholas Le Prevost, Elspet Gray
A London art broker (Rupert Frazer, "Empire of the Sun") goes to Copenhagen where he requires the services of a secretary fluent in Danish, English, and German. He falls deeply in love with the woman (Meg Tilly, "The Big Chill"), despite the fact that he knows virtually nothing about her. She insists on not being married in a church, and after they are married, some bad things from her past begin surfacing in subtly supernatural ways, and he must find the best way to deal with them without destroying their relationship. Based on the best selling novel by Richard Adams ("Watership Down") and directed by horror specialist Gordon Hessler ("Cry of the Banshee," "The Oblong Box").
"Friendly Fire" (1979 TV Movie)
Director: David Greene
Cast: Carol Burnett, Ned Beatty, Sam Waterston, Timothy Hutton, David Keith
The true story of Peg (Carol Burnett, "The Four Seasons") and Gene Mullen (Ned
Beatty, "Deliverance") who pursue the truth over their son's death in Vietnam. After their son is killed in Vietnam the couple's on-going inquiries eventually establish he was killed by 'artillery fire from friendly forces'. This beautifully orchestrated, harrowing story, assembled with uncommon sensitivity, is one of the most dramatic works ever made about the Vietnam War. Directed by David Greene ("Hard Country") and based on the novel by C.D.B. Bryan ("So Much Unfairness of Things") The wonderful cast includes Sam Waterston ("The Killing Fields"), Timothy Hutton ("Ordinary People") and David Keith ("An Officer and a Gentleman"). Winner of 4 Emmy Award® including Best Director and nominated for 3 more including Best Actor and Best Actress. 1980 Peabody Award Winner and DGA nominee foe Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Specials or Movies Made for TV.
"The Elephant Man " (1982 TV Movie )
Director: Jack Hofsiss
Cast: Philip Anglim, Kevin Conwak, Glenn Clsoe
The story of John Merrick (Philip Anglim), The Elephant Man, and of his triumph over his terrible affliction. It is a story of life and the affirmation of life; timeless, tragic, uplifting and heroic; an exultation of the humanity of a man trapped inside the twisted, lesion-ridden grip of a terminally disfiguring disease. We see John Merrick as a man with many admirers, beginning with the witty and beautiful actress, Mrs. Kendal (Penny Fuller), who, so taken with Merrick, brought a who's who of English society to visit him regularly. The stellar cast includes Glenn Close as Princess Alexandra and Kevin Conway. Directed by DGA nominee Jack Hofsiss (1984 TV Movie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof). Winner of 1 Emmy Award® for Best Supporting Actress (Fuller) and nominated for 3 more including Best Actor, Philip Anglim who also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Made for TV Motion Picture.
- 7/18/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
“A small band of efficient, dedicated, highly trained warriors can defeat any number of rabble. That’s my theory of filmmaking.”
—Roger Corman
What sort of creature is 21st century cinema going to be? Two-headed beast or tentacular jellyfish? Branded or brain-dead entertainment? Elitist pastime or popular food for thought? To be on the safe side and remind future generations of the genetic foundations of this untamed living being called cinema, at the venerable age of 87 year-old, Roger Corman has opened his own YouTube channel. From king of the drive-in to elder librarian of the digital cinematheque of Babel, Corman’s protean genius is anything but nostalgic. Instead of mourning the cyclical “death of cinema” the legendary producer keeps injecting new life and ideas into the changing shape of films. While his output has significantly decreased throughout the years his relevance has not, nor, it would appear, has his maverick spirit.
—Roger Corman
What sort of creature is 21st century cinema going to be? Two-headed beast or tentacular jellyfish? Branded or brain-dead entertainment? Elitist pastime or popular food for thought? To be on the safe side and remind future generations of the genetic foundations of this untamed living being called cinema, at the venerable age of 87 year-old, Roger Corman has opened his own YouTube channel. From king of the drive-in to elder librarian of the digital cinematheque of Babel, Corman’s protean genius is anything but nostalgic. Instead of mourning the cyclical “death of cinema” the legendary producer keeps injecting new life and ideas into the changing shape of films. While his output has significantly decreased throughout the years his relevance has not, nor, it would appear, has his maverick spirit.
- 7/2/2013
- by Celluloid Liberation Front
- MUBI
Cold-blooded statements from cinema's most notable tough-nuts
Clip joint regular FreakyChucker ventures above the line for the first time for this week's offering.
What's not to love about a bad-ass one-liner? A single piece of dialogue that instantly freezes the breath right there in your chest, leaving you in no doubt whatsoever that what you are dealing with here is one stone-cold tough melon farmer.
Note that the whole "one line" thing is kind of crucial here. So there'll be no Samuel L Jackson, Pulp Fiction-style striking down with furious vengeance in this list. Neither will George C Scott's opening speech from Patton be making an appearance. Those examples were part of some long (though admittedly bad-ass) speeches – and 'bad–ass speeches' are a whole different Clip joint. (As is the comparable killer comebacks topic – Ed).
Also, while we're throwing parameters around, you will find no Clint Eastwood "Do you feel lucky?...
Clip joint regular FreakyChucker ventures above the line for the first time for this week's offering.
What's not to love about a bad-ass one-liner? A single piece of dialogue that instantly freezes the breath right there in your chest, leaving you in no doubt whatsoever that what you are dealing with here is one stone-cold tough melon farmer.
Note that the whole "one line" thing is kind of crucial here. So there'll be no Samuel L Jackson, Pulp Fiction-style striking down with furious vengeance in this list. Neither will George C Scott's opening speech from Patton be making an appearance. Those examples were part of some long (though admittedly bad-ass) speeches – and 'bad–ass speeches' are a whole different Clip joint. (As is the comparable killer comebacks topic – Ed).
Also, while we're throwing parameters around, you will find no Clint Eastwood "Do you feel lucky?...
- 6/13/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
Beginning with The Student Nurses in 1970 and culminating with The Candy Stripe Nurses in ’74, these softcore sex films appealed to a broad audience and helped start an entire subgenre: the young nympho professionals. Thanks to the boxoffice success of The Student Nurses, (the first title ever released by New World Pictures), films surrounding the sexual exploits of stewardesses, teachers and every other female-dominated occupation became ubiquitous throughout the decade.
What set the Corman Nurse titles apart from the rest was the surprising social and political commentary that was often intertwined within the sexual escapades. Indeed, several of the nurse films touched upon such weighty issues as abortion, civil rights, pollution, drug addiction and group therapy. Corman was a shrewd businessman and knew what kind of hot button topics would appeal to the young exploitation audience.
He would essentially give young filmmakers free reign with the script, as long as they delivered certain non-negotiable elements.
What set the Corman Nurse titles apart from the rest was the surprising social and political commentary that was often intertwined within the sexual escapades. Indeed, several of the nurse films touched upon such weighty issues as abortion, civil rights, pollution, drug addiction and group therapy. Corman was a shrewd businessman and knew what kind of hot button topics would appeal to the young exploitation audience.
He would essentially give young filmmakers free reign with the script, as long as they delivered certain non-negotiable elements.
- 4/7/2012
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
He’s the most mild-mannered of men, yet he’s responsible for such groundbreaking exploitation titles as Caged Women, Bloody Mama, and Attack Of The Crab Monsters. The new documentary Corman’S World: Exploits Of A Hollywood Rebel tracks the career of writer-director-producer Roger Corman, the true godfather of independent filmmaking. St. Louisans will have the opportunity to see Corman’S World: Exploits Of A Hollywood Rebel when it plays here this weekend at Webster University. Now 86 years old, Corman’s influence on modern American cinema is almost incalculable. In 2009, he was honored with an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. Over his amazing career, Mr. Corman has produced films, built studios, and launched the careers of so many young filmmakers and actors, some of whom have gone on to become the biggest names in Hollywood. Corman has been been interviewed many times in the past and this new film doesn...
- 3/6/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It's hard to overestimate Roger Corman's significance. As the director of low-budget fare like It Conquered the World and Creature from the Haunted Sea, Corman is often regarded as a schlockmeister. And though that may be true, Corman is also a groundbreaking filmmaker without whom the landscape of contemporary cinema would look very different.
Thankfully, to remind us of Corman's immense importance to Hollywood comes Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, an in-depth new documentary from Alex Stapleton — and I cannot think of a better Christmas gift.
Corman got his start back in the 1950s, working extensively for American International Pictures, the independent production house responsible for so many of the B-movie drive-in flicks made during the '50s, '60s and '70s. Along the way, he shepherded the careers of budding filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese.
With the mandate "make...
Thankfully, to remind us of Corman's immense importance to Hollywood comes Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, an in-depth new documentary from Alex Stapleton — and I cannot think of a better Christmas gift.
Corman got his start back in the 1950s, working extensively for American International Pictures, the independent production house responsible for so many of the B-movie drive-in flicks made during the '50s, '60s and '70s. Along the way, he shepherded the careers of budding filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese.
With the mandate "make...
- 12/19/2011
- by Theron
- Planet Fury
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman
Celebrated producer and director Roger Corman will be in St. Louis this weekend to help kick off the Vincentennial Vincent Price Film Festival. We Are Movie Geeks has decided to take a look at the directing career of the man known as .King of the B.s’, a Hollywood legend who.s discovered so much talent and gave so many future directors and actors their starts, that he has to be considered a one-man movie industry. Since we just posted the Top Ten Best of Vincent Price last week and included three of the eight Corman/Price collaborations in that list, we decided to leave off the films he made with Price this week and focus on other films that he directed. Roger Corman will be at the Hi-Pointe Theater at 1005 McCausland Ave. in St. Louis on Saturday May 21 to speak...
Celebrated producer and director Roger Corman will be in St. Louis this weekend to help kick off the Vincentennial Vincent Price Film Festival. We Are Movie Geeks has decided to take a look at the directing career of the man known as .King of the B.s’, a Hollywood legend who.s discovered so much talent and gave so many future directors and actors their starts, that he has to be considered a one-man movie industry. Since we just posted the Top Ten Best of Vincent Price last week and included three of the eight Corman/Price collaborations in that list, we decided to leave off the films he made with Price this week and focus on other films that he directed. Roger Corman will be at the Hi-Pointe Theater at 1005 McCausland Ave. in St. Louis on Saturday May 21 to speak...
- 5/18/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Craig here (from Dark Eye Socket) with Take Three. Today: Brooke Smith
Take One: Series 7: The Contenders (2001)
Smith's performance as Dawn “Bloody mama” Lagarto in Daniel Minahan’s Series 7: The Contenders is a goldmine of maternal aggression. Dawn is a risk-taking, self-serving, take-no-prisoners single pregnant woman with a gun and a hit list of new Contenders to wipe out. It's as far from life-affirming as it gets making Dawn the kind of caustically fantastic role that most A-list actresses would give their right arm... to steer clear of. Thank the gods of indie cinema that they gave us Brooke Smith, then. We first see her enter a convenience store to shoot an old guy in the back. “You got any bean dip?” she asks the cashier. The humour is black and she dishes it dry. In one of the film’s sickest/funniest TV-montage parodies we see Dawn...
Take One: Series 7: The Contenders (2001)
Smith's performance as Dawn “Bloody mama” Lagarto in Daniel Minahan’s Series 7: The Contenders is a goldmine of maternal aggression. Dawn is a risk-taking, self-serving, take-no-prisoners single pregnant woman with a gun and a hit list of new Contenders to wipe out. It's as far from life-affirming as it gets making Dawn the kind of caustically fantastic role that most A-list actresses would give their right arm... to steer clear of. Thank the gods of indie cinema that they gave us Brooke Smith, then. We first see her enter a convenience store to shoot an old guy in the back. “You got any bean dip?” she asks the cashier. The humour is black and she dishes it dry. In one of the film’s sickest/funniest TV-montage parodies we see Dawn...
- 5/1/2011
- by Craig Bloomfield
- FilmExperience
Calling all Roger Corman fans! MGM HD is having a Roger Corman tribute every friday night in March and we have a special Prize Pack Giveaway for five lucky winners! Each winner will get the Roger Corman Collection DVD Box Set which includes: Bloody Mama, A Bucket of Blood, The Trip, Premature Burial, The Young Racers, The Wild Angels, Gas-s-s and X. How to enter? All you have to do is post a comment to this blog post [one comment per entrant, please] with your answer to the following question - which is your favorite Roger Corman movie? Enter one comment from now until end of day on March18th, 2011, and then we'll randomly select the winners, and send you all the goods! The Roger Corman tribute runs on MGM HD every Friday night...
Read More
Read Comments...
Read More
Read Comments...
- 3/4/2011
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
Robert De Niro has hit one more record! In a “horrifying” new study he has “died” on screen more than any other Hollywood star!
“The long kiss goodnight. The big dirt nap. Kickin’ the toilet. Buying the farm. 187 (cop code in some countries)…”
There are so many urban names for death. Reaching the top of the Hollywood usually means you play the hero, get the girl, and ride into the sunset. But sometimes, you don’t even make it to the final fade out. Sometimes, you just have been put out of your misery. These guys have had maybe not the best but certainly the most death scenes on the film:
1. Robert De Niro (14 films)
Bloody Mama, Bang the Drum Slowly, Mean Streets, Brazil, The Mission, Cape Fear, This Boy’s Life, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , Heat, The Fan, Jackie Brown(high ranked), Great Expectations, 15 Minutes and Hide & Seek
Curiosity:...
“The long kiss goodnight. The big dirt nap. Kickin’ the toilet. Buying the farm. 187 (cop code in some countries)…”
There are so many urban names for death. Reaching the top of the Hollywood usually means you play the hero, get the girl, and ride into the sunset. But sometimes, you don’t even make it to the final fade out. Sometimes, you just have been put out of your misery. These guys have had maybe not the best but certainly the most death scenes on the film:
1. Robert De Niro (14 films)
Bloody Mama, Bang the Drum Slowly, Mean Streets, Brazil, The Mission, Cape Fear, This Boy’s Life, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein , Heat, The Fan, Jackie Brown(high ranked), Great Expectations, 15 Minutes and Hide & Seek
Curiosity:...
- 12/29/2010
- by Nikola Mraovic
- Filmofilia
ChaCha put together a list of actors who have died the most in their movies. Topping the list is Robert De Niro with fifteen deaths, including ones in "Cape Fear," "Frankenstein" and "Jackie Brown." Bruce Willis also made the list and was actually killed twice by his ex-wife Demi Moore in "Mortal Thoughts" and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle." Brad Pitt is in top ten as well, but his deaths are a bit odd. He died in "Cool World," but returned as an animated character. He died in "Fight Club," but never actually existed. And he died in "Meet Joe Black," but came back as Death. The list is far from perfect, since it doesn't include Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed, Titanic, Blood Diamond), Kevin Spacey (Se7en, American Beauty, La Confidential), Samuel L. Jackson (Deep Blue Sea, True Romance, Jurassic Park), or John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Face/Off, The Punisher). Plus, there...
- 12/28/2010
- WorstPreviews.com
Vol.3: Big Bad Mama
Stars: Angie Dickinson, Tom Skeritt, William Shatner, Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee | Written by William W. Norton & Frances Doel | Directed by Steve Carver | Produced by Roger Corman
Directed by Steve Carver (Lone Wolf McQuade, An Eye For An Eye), Big Bad Mama stars Angie Dickinson as Wilma, a gangster’s moll who takes control of her boyfriend’s bootlegging business following his death and becomes involved in a rollercoaster crime spree. Assisting her are two ne’er-do-wells in the form of bank robber Fred Diller (Skerritt) and conman William J. Baxter (Shatner), as well as her uncontrollable but comely daughters, Billy Jean (Sennett) and Polly (Lee).
A strange mix of exploitation movie and female empowerment flick, Big Bad Mama is a fast-paced action packed comedy that walks a fine line between over-the-top acting and plot, and a poignant tale of family love and loyalty. Mixing an abundance of nudity,...
Stars: Angie Dickinson, Tom Skeritt, William Shatner, Susan Sennett, Robbie Lee | Written by William W. Norton & Frances Doel | Directed by Steve Carver | Produced by Roger Corman
Directed by Steve Carver (Lone Wolf McQuade, An Eye For An Eye), Big Bad Mama stars Angie Dickinson as Wilma, a gangster’s moll who takes control of her boyfriend’s bootlegging business following his death and becomes involved in a rollercoaster crime spree. Assisting her are two ne’er-do-wells in the form of bank robber Fred Diller (Skerritt) and conman William J. Baxter (Shatner), as well as her uncontrollable but comely daughters, Billy Jean (Sennett) and Polly (Lee).
A strange mix of exploitation movie and female empowerment flick, Big Bad Mama is a fast-paced action packed comedy that walks a fine line between over-the-top acting and plot, and a poignant tale of family love and loyalty. Mixing an abundance of nudity,...
- 3/25/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Honorary Award recipient Roger Corman, the producer-director of cult classics such as House of Usher, Pit and the Pendulum, Tower of London, The Terror, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, The Tomb of Ligeia, The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, and Bloody Mama, arrives at the 2009 Governors Awards ceremony held at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland on Saturday, November 14. Academy Award-nominated actress Sally Kellerman (in the supporting category, for M*A*S*H, in 1970) and Academy Award winner Anjelica Huston (also as best supporting actress, for Prizzi’s Honor in 1985) Five-time Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, among whose credits are The Black Stallion, The Right Stuff, The Natural, and The Passion of the Christ Photos: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S. Click on [...]...
- 11/16/2009
- by Joan Lister
- Alt Film Guide
Past Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award recipients Dino de Laurentiis, Warren Beatty, Saul Zaentz, George Lucas, Norman Jewison, Walter Mirisch, Steven Spielberg presenting this year’s Thalberg Award to John Calley, who was unable to attend the 2009 Governors Awards ceremony in the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland on Saturday, November 14. Honorary Award recipient Roger Corman, the producer-director of numerous low-budget films including Attack of the Crab Monsters, Carnival Rock, Bloody Mama, and House of Usher Honorary Award recipient Gordon Willis, the cinematographer of classics such as The Godfather, Annie Hall, and Manhattan, with Jeff Bridges, one of the stars of Bad Company, a 1972 Western shot by Willis Richard Harbaugh (Willis/Bridges, group photo), Matt Petit (Corman) / ©A.M.P.A.S. Click on the photos [...]...
- 11/15/2009
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
Even Roger Corman admits that his name was unlikely to be associated with an Academy Award. Yet the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to give Corman an honorary lifetime achievement Oscar, nonetheless. Corman told The Associated Press that he was surprised by the announcement.
I predicted that I would not win because I make low-budget films, and I felt the Academy would not give an award to someone who made low-budget films. I was truly surprised when I got the call.
Corman began his career producing and directing low-budget fare like 1955's Swamp Women and Monsters from the Ocean Floor, Corman quickly found that what he did best was provide opportunities to young director and actors like Martin Scorsese (1972's Boxcar Bertha), Jack Nicholson (1960's Little Shop of Horrors), Robert De Niro (1970's Bloody Mama), Francis Ford Coppola (Dementia 13), and Ron Howard (1977's Grand Theft Auto...
I predicted that I would not win because I make low-budget films, and I felt the Academy would not give an award to someone who made low-budget films. I was truly surprised when I got the call.
Corman began his career producing and directing low-budget fare like 1955's Swamp Women and Monsters from the Ocean Floor, Corman quickly found that what he did best was provide opportunities to young director and actors like Martin Scorsese (1972's Boxcar Bertha), Jack Nicholson (1960's Little Shop of Horrors), Robert De Niro (1970's Bloody Mama), Francis Ford Coppola (Dementia 13), and Ron Howard (1977's Grand Theft Auto...
- 11/14/2009
- by Ryan Gowland
- Reelzchannel.com
He gave life to teenage cavemen and candy-stripe nurses. Crab monsters and humanoids from the deep. T-bird gangs and towns that dreaded sundown. His name is Roger Corman. And on Nov. 14, he will receive an honor that no one would have predicted: an honorary Academy Award. The 83-year-old B-movie titan has made nearly 400 films as a director and producer. From the start, Corman was a magnet for hungry young actors, writers, and directors who would work for slave wages for the chance to make their first film. They called it the "University of Corman," and the alumni include Francis Ford Coppola,...
- 11/13/2009
- by Chris Nashawaty
- EW.com - PopWatch
The list of Roger Corman protégés is amazingly long and stuffed with goodies of all persuasions. There are the famous men: Scorcese (Box Car Bertha); Demme (Caged Heat, Crazy Mama), Nicholson (Little Shop of Horrors), Joe Dante (Cockfighter), Francis Coppola (Battle Beyond the Sun), Ron Howard (Grand Theft Auto) Sylvester Stallone (Death Race 2000), Bruce Dern, Robert De Niro (Bloody Mama) Peter Fonda ( The Wild Angels), Peter Bogdanovich (Saint Jack) Curtis Hanson (Sweet Kill) and Jonathan Kaplan (Night Call Nurses) and those are just a few of the guys who wrote to the Motion Picture Academy to advocate for the award that Corman is finally getting this weekend. Corman with Jonathan Demme. They said, "it is virtually impossible to separate our various entries into the film industry from Roger Corman and his obsession with working with newcomers." Or how about...
- 11/13/2009
- by Patricia Zohn
- Huffington Post
Los Angeles – Roger Corman, memorably dubbed "the Orson Welles of the Z-Movie" and "the Pope of Pop Cinema," never expected the words "Academy Award recipient" would accompany his name.The man, whose 350 movie credits include such low-budget fare as "The Masque of the Red Death" and "X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes," is receiving an honorary Oscar for a lifetime of achievement that includes mentoring such filmmakers as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron and Ron Howard.Corman, 83, said he was aware the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was considering him for the honor. He felt certain he would not make the cut, though."I predicted that I would not win because I make low-budget films, and I felt the academy would not give an award to someone who made low-budget films. I was truly surprised when I got the call,...
- 11/11/2009
- backstage.com
Tim Burton invades New York, New Italian Cinema hits Los Angeles, Harold and Kumar spread holiday cheer in Austin and everywhere you look, they're celebrating All Tomorrow's Parties -- just some of the holiday film fun you can have this winter at your local repertory theater.
More Holiday Preview: [Theatrical Calendar]
[Repertory Calendar] [Anywhere But a Movie Theater]
New York
92YTribeca
In November, the 92YTribeca Screening Room will have some special guests in the house when it hosts the already sold out "A Conversation with Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartzman" on November 10th, with the two longtime collaborators discussing their latest film "Fantastic Mr. Fox." But tickets are still available for the night before (Nov. 9th), when actor Ben Foster and director Oren Moverman will screen their acclaimed new post-war drama "The Messenger". Much of the rest of the month is devoted to Cinema Tropical's Ten Years of New Argentine Cinema series with screenings of Adrián Caetano's immigration...
More Holiday Preview: [Theatrical Calendar]
[Repertory Calendar] [Anywhere But a Movie Theater]
New York
92YTribeca
In November, the 92YTribeca Screening Room will have some special guests in the house when it hosts the already sold out "A Conversation with Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartzman" on November 10th, with the two longtime collaborators discussing their latest film "Fantastic Mr. Fox." But tickets are still available for the night before (Nov. 9th), when actor Ben Foster and director Oren Moverman will screen their acclaimed new post-war drama "The Messenger". Much of the rest of the month is devoted to Cinema Tropical's Ten Years of New Argentine Cinema series with screenings of Adrián Caetano's immigration...
- 11/3/2009
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Actress Shelley Winters, the larger-than-life movie star who became one of only two women to win two Best Supporting Actress Oscars, died Saturday in Beverly Hills; she was 85. The actress died of heart failure early Saturday morning, following hospitalization at the Rehabilitation Center in Beverly Hills after suffering a heart attack in October. A woman with a zest for living and a loud, brassy attitude to match her appetites, Winters was born Shirley Schrift in East St. Louis, IL, and started her career as a chorus girl before moving on to stage parts in New York; she would later study at the legendary Actors Studio under Lee Strasberg. Signed to a contract with Columbia in the 40s, the actress received her new name and a number of unmemorable, and mostly uncredited, supporting parts before returning to Broadway. She was lured back to Hollywood, though, by Universal, which transformed her into a stunning blonde bombshell, and her first memorable role was opposite Oscar winner Ronald Colman in A Double Life. Her reputation as an actress was cemented with her amazing performance in 1951's A Place in the Sun alongside Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor; her heart-wrenching role, which forced her to tone down her glamorous image, earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination and put her on the Hollywood map. Other films in the 50s included the classic The Night of the Hunter, I Am a Camera, and Executive Suite. She capped the decade with The Diary of Anne Frank, and her turn as Mrs. Van Daan won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, which she later donated to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. As Winters' fame in movies grew, so did her reputation as a life-loving, outspoken, lustful, political, provocative woman. Her romances were as legendary as any male star of the era, and she counted William Holden, Burt Lancaster, Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, Sean Connery, Sterling Hayden and Errol Flynn among her conquests. She was married three times, first to businessman Paul Meyer, then to actors Vittorio Gassman (with whom she had a daughter) and Anthony Franciosa; both marriages to the Italian actors were notoriously volatile. In 1962, Winters played the mother of the nymphet Lolita in the Stanley Kubrick film, a turning point at which her performances would become broader and more outrageous. She won her second Best Supporting Actress Oscar for 1965's A Patch of Blue, and her hateful role as the mother of a blind woman was in stark contrast to her previous Oscar-winning performance. (Aside from Winters, the only other actress to win two Best Supporting Actress Oscars is Dianne Wiest.) Winters also appeared in Alfie, Harper, and A House is Not a Home in the 60s, and the 70s brought on such movies as Bloody Mama, Who Slew Auntie Roo and Cleopatra Jones, though her sentimental and winning performance in The Poseidon Adventure, as an overweight woman whose swimming talents help lead her fellow passengers to safety, received yet another Oscar nomination. (Winters gained 30 pounds for the role, which she often commented she never lost again.) Talk show appearances, TV films and lesser-known movies dotted the rest of her career, though she made memorable appearances in S.O.B. and The Portrait of a Lady, and had a recurring role on the sitcom Roseanne as the star's overbearing grandmother. Winters also wrote two best-selling autobiographies, Shelley: Also Known as Shirley and Shelley II: The Middle of My Century. She is survived by her daughter, Vittoria, two grandchildren, and her longtime companion, Jerry DeFord. --Prepared by IMDb staff...
- 1/14/2006
- IMDb News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.