Undisputed Fact: Roger Corman is the greatest B picture producer of all time. His ability to find (and exploit, if we’re being honest) amazing talent and pull together movie miracles on miniscule budgets is nothing short of astonishing. However, it’s often downplayed what a smart, succinct director he was on many a project. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963) is a stellar example of his talent behind the lens.
Released by Aip in September, X turned a tidy profit on top of its $250,000 budget. Critics were generally kind, but dismissive, calling X well made hokum, essentially. And due to its meager fundage X certainly shows its pedigree through petty set design. But…there’s a kinetic buzz that permeates every frame of X, a swirling colorgasm that bleeds through with Corman’s gift for storytelling. X rises from pulp to a lucid perfection.
Dr. Xavier (Ray Milland...
Released by Aip in September, X turned a tidy profit on top of its $250,000 budget. Critics were generally kind, but dismissive, calling X well made hokum, essentially. And due to its meager fundage X certainly shows its pedigree through petty set design. But…there’s a kinetic buzz that permeates every frame of X, a swirling colorgasm that bleeds through with Corman’s gift for storytelling. X rises from pulp to a lucid perfection.
Dr. Xavier (Ray Milland...
- 6/4/2016
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
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
Born in St. Louis on May 27, 1911, iconic actor Vincent Price retained a special fondness for his place of origin, and that love was reciprocated with Vincentennial, a celebration of his 100th birthday in his hometown back in May of 2011 (for summary of all the Vincentennial activities go Here). One of the guests of honor at Vincentennial was Vincent Price’s daughter Victoria Price. Because of their close relationship and her access to his unpublished memoirs and letters, Victoria Price was able to provide a remarkably vivid account of her father’s public and private life in her essential book, Vincent Price, a Daughter’s Biography, originally published in 1999. .In 2011, her biography of her father was out of print. but now it’s been re-issued and Victoria will be in St. Louis this weekend (October 9th – 10th) for three special events. In addition to the biography, she will also be signing...
- 10/6/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
British actress Elizabeth Shepherd is best known for her dual performance as the strong-willed Lady Rowena and the ghostly Lady Ligeia opposite Vincent Price in director Roger Corman’s The Tomb Of Ligeia in 1965. Ms Shepherd has enjoyed a long career in movies and in British television since 1959 and her most recent big screen role was as Hillary Swank’s mother-in-law in the 2008 Amelia Earhart biography Amelia. However, it’s the stage is where she most loves to perform and that’s where we caught up with her for this interview as she was preparing for her role in an upcoming production of the play Pygmalion in Houston. We had invited Ms Shepherd to be a guest of honor at Vincentennial, the Vincent Price 100th Birthday Celebration in May of 2011 here in Price’s hometown of St. Louis, but she had committed to the play and was unable to accept our invitation.
- 5/28/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
We’ll be celebrating the 5th year anniversary of Super-8 Movie Madness at The Way Out Club in St. Louis on Tuesday October 7th with an encore performance of our most popular show. It’s Super-8 Vincent Price Movie Madness in 3D, the show that we took on the road to promote Vincentennial back in 2011. We’ll be honoring the hometown horror hero by showing condensed (average length: 15 minutes) versions of several of Price’s greatest films on Super-8 sound film projected on a big screen. They are: Master Of The World, War-gods Of The Deep, Pit And The Pendulum, The Raven, Witchfinder General, Tim Burton’s Vincent, Two Vincent Price Trailer Reels, Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein and The Mad Magician in 3D (We’ll have plenty of 3D Glasses for everyone)
The non-Price movies we’re showing October 7th are The Three Stooges in Pardon My Backfire...
The non-Price movies we’re showing October 7th are The Three Stooges in Pardon My Backfire...
- 10/1/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Versatile production designer, screenwriter and producer of Hollywood films
Popular legend has it that the new wave of American film-making in the late 1960s and early 1970s was an exclusively masculine phenomenon, a myth bolstered by the hard-living excesses documented in Peter Biskind's book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. But women were instrumental in many of the movies which defined that era, and few more so than Polly Platt, who has died aged 72 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
"I call myself a confused careerist," she said of her switches from production and costume design to writing and producing. She was credited as production designer on the films which brought to prominence her second husband, the director Peter Bogdanovich, notably The Last Picture Show (1971) and Paper Moon (1973), but her contribution extended far beyond that job description. "They discussed every shot," wrote Biskind of the making of The Last Picture Show.
Popular legend has it that the new wave of American film-making in the late 1960s and early 1970s was an exclusively masculine phenomenon, a myth bolstered by the hard-living excesses documented in Peter Biskind's book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. But women were instrumental in many of the movies which defined that era, and few more so than Polly Platt, who has died aged 72 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
"I call myself a confused careerist," she said of her switches from production and costume design to writing and producing. She was credited as production designer on the films which brought to prominence her second husband, the director Peter Bogdanovich, notably The Last Picture Show (1971) and Paper Moon (1973), but her contribution extended far beyond that job description. "They discussed every shot," wrote Biskind of the making of The Last Picture Show.
- 8/7/2011
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
I just found out producer Polly Platt is dead at 72, in the middle of working on her documentary of Roger Corman.
I hope we still get to see that movie...
Polly Platt was an art director in films who was married to Peter Bogdonivich when he left her for barely-legal Cybill Shepherd (how'd that work out, by the way, Pete?) on the set of The Last Picture Show, Shepherd's first film. But Platt didn't leave the industry - instead, she became a producer and basically discovered Matt Groening, allowing him to make The Simpsons into the phenomenon it is now. Wes Anderson also owes his fame to her eye for talent - she produced his first movie Bottle Rocket.
"She couldn't walk into a gas station and get gas without mentoring somebody," James L. Brooks, who produced The Simpsons with Platt through the company Gracie Films, said to The Los Angeles Times.
I hope we still get to see that movie...
Polly Platt was an art director in films who was married to Peter Bogdonivich when he left her for barely-legal Cybill Shepherd (how'd that work out, by the way, Pete?) on the set of The Last Picture Show, Shepherd's first film. But Platt didn't leave the industry - instead, she became a producer and basically discovered Matt Groening, allowing him to make The Simpsons into the phenomenon it is now. Wes Anderson also owes his fame to her eye for talent - she produced his first movie Bottle Rocket.
"She couldn't walk into a gas station and get gas without mentoring somebody," James L. Brooks, who produced The Simpsons with Platt through the company Gracie Films, said to The Los Angeles Times.
- 7/28/2011
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
American contemporary artist, graphic designer, and illustrator Shepard Fairey became known for his “André the Giant Has a Posse” (…Obey…) sticker campaign, but his work became more widely known after he designed the Barack Obama “Hope” poster, and later appeared in the hit documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop. Nows the Alamo Drafthouse and their art boutique Mondo hired Fairey to create a poster for John Carpenters’s They Live, starring Rowdy Roddy Piper.
They Live was a welcome return to form by the legendary cult film. The film revolved around a lonely drifter (Piper) who gets hold of a pair of sunglasses through which the terrible truth can be seen: the rich are aliens who have already taken over the earth! Billboard advertisements and television broadcasts actually contain subliminal messages such as “Consume,” “Watch Television” and “Marry and Reproduce”. Fairey’s Obey campaign was heavily inspired by the film.
They Live was a welcome return to form by the legendary cult film. The film revolved around a lonely drifter (Piper) who gets hold of a pair of sunglasses through which the terrible truth can be seen: the rich are aliens who have already taken over the earth! Billboard advertisements and television broadcasts actually contain subliminal messages such as “Consume,” “Watch Television” and “Marry and Reproduce”. Fairey’s Obey campaign was heavily inspired by the film.
- 6/10/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Sun City - What are you going to when it comes time to retire? Do you really have enough money saved up to last you for the rest of your life? Can you hold out till Willard Scott puts you on the Smuckers jar and wishes you a happy 100th? Will you really be enjoying the good life with round the clock sponge baths from young orderlies? Have you done the math to figure out how much it’ll cost for a day at a retirement community in 20 years? Can your 401K hold out?
Odds are the answer is a resounding, “Maybe?”
The golden years require platinum reserves. With talk that Medicare is about to be destroyed, your budget for health insurance is about to go completely out of control. When is the last time Blue Cross hyped individual policies for people hitting 90? Even the most frugal of senior citizens...
Odds are the answer is a resounding, “Maybe?”
The golden years require platinum reserves. With talk that Medicare is about to be destroyed, your budget for health insurance is about to go completely out of control. When is the last time Blue Cross hyped individual policies for people hitting 90? Even the most frugal of senior citizens...
- 6/10/2011
- by UncaScroogeMcD
Elizabeth Shepherd, the beautiful British co-star of the final Vincent Price/Roger Corman collaboration Tomb Of Ligeia (1965) had been invited to be a guest of honor at the recent Vincentennial, the Vincent Price 100th Birthday Celebration here in Price.s hometown of St. Louis last month but she is still a working actress, had committed to a play, and was unable to accept the invitation. I interviewed her on May 2nd for We Are Movie Geeks and that interview can be found Here. She also filmed a four-minute testimonial toasting Vincent Price on the centennial of his birth that we showed after a 35mm screening of The Tomb Of Ligeia on May 21st at The Hi-Pointe Theater that was preceded by an on-stage interview with director Roger Corman moderated by Video Watchdog‘s Tim Lucas. Thanks to British Vincent Price superfan Peter Fuller for posting this to Youtube and a big thanks to Charles Lum,...
- 6/6/2011
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman
Born in St. Louis on May 27, 1911, iconic actor Vincent Price retained a special fondness for his place of origin, and that love is now reciprocated with Vincentennial, a celebration of his 100th birthday in his hometown. Price was not only a notable St. Louisan but one of the 20th century.s most remarkable men. To do full justice to the range of his accomplishments, Vincentennial features not only a 10-day film festival but also a pair of exhibits, a stage production, two publications, and illuminating discussions by Price experts and film historians. We decided to do a special edition of Top Ten Tuesday here at We Are Movie Geeks in honor of the many great films that Vincent Price starred in, and after we had assembled the list we realized that all ten of these films will be showing at the...
Born in St. Louis on May 27, 1911, iconic actor Vincent Price retained a special fondness for his place of origin, and that love is now reciprocated with Vincentennial, a celebration of his 100th birthday in his hometown. Price was not only a notable St. Louisan but one of the 20th century.s most remarkable men. To do full justice to the range of his accomplishments, Vincentennial features not only a 10-day film festival but also a pair of exhibits, a stage production, two publications, and illuminating discussions by Price experts and film historians. We decided to do a special edition of Top Ten Tuesday here at We Are Movie Geeks in honor of the many great films that Vincent Price starred in, and after we had assembled the list we realized that all ten of these films will be showing at the...
- 5/10/2011
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Interview conducted by Tom Stockman
May 2, 2011
British actress Elizabeth Shepherd is best known for her dual performance as the strong-willed Lady Rowena and the ghostly Lady Ligeia opposite Vincent Price in director Roger Corman’s The Tomb Of Ligeia in 1965. Ms Shepherd has enjoyed a long career in movies and in British television since 1959 and her most recent big screen role was as Hillary Swank’s mother-in-law in the 2008 Amelia Earhart bio Amelia. However, it’s the stage is where she most loves to perform and that’s where we caught up with her for this interview as she was preparing for her role in an upcoming production of the play Pygmalion in Houston. We had invited Ms Shepherd to be a guest of honor at the upcoming Vincentennial, the Vincent Price 100th Birthday Celebration next month here in Price’s hometown of St. Louis, but she had committed to...
May 2, 2011
British actress Elizabeth Shepherd is best known for her dual performance as the strong-willed Lady Rowena and the ghostly Lady Ligeia opposite Vincent Price in director Roger Corman’s The Tomb Of Ligeia in 1965. Ms Shepherd has enjoyed a long career in movies and in British television since 1959 and her most recent big screen role was as Hillary Swank’s mother-in-law in the 2008 Amelia Earhart bio Amelia. However, it’s the stage is where she most loves to perform and that’s where we caught up with her for this interview as she was preparing for her role in an upcoming production of the play Pygmalion in Houston. We had invited Ms Shepherd to be a guest of honor at the upcoming Vincentennial, the Vincent Price 100th Birthday Celebration next month here in Price’s hometown of St. Louis, but she had committed to...
- 5/3/2011
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The honorees for the upcoming 2010 Governors Awards were selected by the Academy’s Board of Governors at a specially convened meeting last night on August 24.
The official press release from AMPAS:
Beverly Hills, CA . The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted last night to present the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producer-director Francis Ford Coppola and Honorary Awards to historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, director Jean-Luc Godard and actor Eli Wallach. All four awards will be presented at the Academy.s 2nd Annual Governors Awards dinner on Saturday, November 13, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.
.Each of these honorees has touched movie audiences worldwide and influenced the motion picture industry through their work,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .It will be an honor to celebrate their extraordinary achievements and contributions at the Governors Awards..
Brownlow is widely regarded as the...
The official press release from AMPAS:
Beverly Hills, CA . The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted last night to present the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producer-director Francis Ford Coppola and Honorary Awards to historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, director Jean-Luc Godard and actor Eli Wallach. All four awards will be presented at the Academy.s 2nd Annual Governors Awards dinner on Saturday, November 13, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.
.Each of these honorees has touched movie audiences worldwide and influenced the motion picture industry through their work,. said Academy President Tom Sherak. .It will be an honor to celebrate their extraordinary achievements and contributions at the Governors Awards..
Brownlow is widely regarded as the...
- 8/25/2010
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Director Peter Bogdanovich.
Interviewing Peter Bogdanovich for the April 2002 issue of Venice Magazine was a thrill for me. Like Francis Coppola, John Frankenheimer, and William Friedkin before him, Bogdanovich was one of those filmmakers whose one-sheets hung on my bedroom walls growing up. Plus the fact that he himself had a renowned career as a film historian and interviewer of his own childhood heroes, such as John Ford, Howard Hawks, Orson Welles, and dozens of others, made our talk a real feast.
Not long after the article was printed, I received a letter with a New York City postmark. The note enclosed said simply: “Dear Alex, thanks for doing your homework so well, and thanks for the good vibes. All the best to you of love and luck, Peter Bogdanovich.”
Our chat remains one of my favorites during my 15 year tenure as a film writer. --A.S.
Peter Bogdanovich’S...
Interviewing Peter Bogdanovich for the April 2002 issue of Venice Magazine was a thrill for me. Like Francis Coppola, John Frankenheimer, and William Friedkin before him, Bogdanovich was one of those filmmakers whose one-sheets hung on my bedroom walls growing up. Plus the fact that he himself had a renowned career as a film historian and interviewer of his own childhood heroes, such as John Ford, Howard Hawks, Orson Welles, and dozens of others, made our talk a real feast.
Not long after the article was printed, I received a letter with a New York City postmark. The note enclosed said simply: “Dear Alex, thanks for doing your homework so well, and thanks for the good vibes. All the best to you of love and luck, Peter Bogdanovich.”
Our chat remains one of my favorites during my 15 year tenure as a film writer. --A.S.
Peter Bogdanovich’S...
- 5/28/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
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.