Roger Corman

Director Alex Stapleton CORMAN’S WORLD Interview

by Sheila Roberts    Posted: December 15th, 2011 at 9:35 am

Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel is an entertaining tribute to independent filmmaker Roger Corman that shows why Hollywood and audiences alike owe him a debt of gratitude. Director Alex Stapleton provides a thoughtful look at his influential career by weaving archival footage from his early days of genre-defining classics such as the original Little Shop of Horrors, House of Usher, and The Wild Angels with interviews with producers, directors and actors who started out with him like Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Jack Nicholson and William Shatner and video of Corman and his wife Julie on location today as they continue to produce and distribute profitable low budget films outside the studio system.

We sat down with Stapleton at a roundtable interview to talk about her feature directorial debut and the challenge of culling through hours of interviews to produce a fascinating film. She told us what inspired her to make a documentary about Corman, why this film and its message to filmmakers is so timely, and how she was moved by Jack Nicholson’s heartfelt tribute to the man who helped launch his career. Stapleton revealed why she believes Corman’s lasting legacy is not only as one of the true greats of indie cinema, but also as a generous human being who encouraged and inspired other artists and gave them a chance. Stapleton also discussed her upcoming projects: a mini-series on the history of street art and graffiti and a Corman-inspired sci-fi feature about intergalactic love.

Roger Corman CORMAN’S WORLD Interview

by Sheila Roberts    Posted: December 12th, 2011 at 2:41 pm

Roger Corman has been a seminal force in modern filmmaking since he began making profitable low budget indie movies in the 1950s. Alex Stapleton’s tantalizing documentary, Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, chronicles how Hollywood’s most prolific writer-director-producer created his cult film empire, one low-budget success at a time, capitalizing on undiscovered talent, and pushing the boundaries of independent filmmaking. The film features interviews with numerous Hollywood icons, many of whom launched their careers within Corman’s unforgettable world of filmmaking, including Paul W.S. Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert De Niro, Peter Fonda, Pam Grier, Ron Howard, Eli Roth, Martin Scorsese, William Shatner and Jack Nicholson.

We sat down at a roundtable interview with Corman to talk about how it felt after so many years of being behind the camera to switch roles and be in front of the camera as the subject of this entertaining documentary. He told us what his reaction was when he saw the completed film for the first time, how he felt about the outpouring of emotion from industry colleagues like Jack Nicholson, and why he thinks James Cameron‘s Avatar and Christopher Nolan’s Inception exemplify great imagination and originality. He also discussed why his 1963 film, X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, might be ready for a remake and revealed his latest project, The Undead, which he will begin shooting on location in Guangzhou, China in January.

New Posters for Cameron Crowe’s WE BOUGHT A ZOO, INTO THE ABYSS and CORMAN’S WORLD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 8th, 2011 at 1:13 pm

We’ve got a few new posters to share with you today. First up is the theatrical poster debut for Cameron Crowe’s new film We Bought a Zoo. I’m kind of in love with the design, as it’s equal parts gorgeous and adorable. The film tells the true story of a man (Matt Damon) who moves his family to a zoo following his wife’s death. Crowe wrote and directed the pic, which also stars Scarlett Johansson and Thomas Haden Church. We’ve also got a new poster for Werner Herzog’s death row documentary Into the Abyss. The film examines the death penalty through Herzog’s lens. Matt caught the film at TIFF and wasn’t a fan.

Finally, we’ve got a new poster for the documentary Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel. The pic shines a light on writer-director-producer Roger Corman and his influence on Hollywood. Matt also reviewed this flick and found it entertaining, saying it both provides an overview of Corman’s career and “provides a thoughtful look at why audiences and Hollywood owe him a debt of gratitude.” We Bought a Zoo opens December 23rd, Into the Abyss opens November 11th, and Corman’s World opens this December. Hit the jump to check out the posters.

Sundance 2011: CORMAN’S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 22nd, 2011 at 7:46 pm

Roger Corman is perhaps the most prolific and influential Hollywood filmmaker mainstream America has never heard of.  Alex Stapleton’s documentary Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel attempts to rectify that injustice by not only examining Corman and his filmography, but also by attempting to explain why the writer-director-producer is more than just a low-budget schlockmeister.  Yes, the majority of Corman’s filmography is populated by cheap exploitation flicks, but through Stapleton’s documentary, we get a clearer picture of Corman’s contribution to American cinema.  Corman’s World is a great primer on Roger Corman’s filmography and an uplifting celebration of an unknown Hollywood legend.

Sundance 2011: First Images from CODEPENDENT LESBIAN SPACE ALIEN SEEKS SAME and CORMAN’S WORLD: EXPLOITS OF A HOLLYWOOD REBEL

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 3rd, 2011 at 8:53 am

This morning, we have new images from Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same and Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel.  Both films will be playing at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival as part of the Park City at Midnight program. Codependent is about a greeting card store employee who falls for a lesbian space alien while Corman’s World is a documentary about legendary low-budget movie director Roger Corman.

Hit the jump to check out the images along with a brief synopsis for each film.  The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th.

Mondo Posters on Sale Today for JULIA’S EYES, X: THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 19th, 2010 at 7:44 am

Mondo (the boutique shop of the Alamo Drafthouse) has six posters going on sale today at their official website.  Five of them we showed you earlier but now they’ll be available to purchase online: X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, Nevermore, Red White & Blue, the Roger Corman Tribute poster, and the official poster for Fantastic Fest 2010.  There’s also a new poster for the Guillermo del Toro-produced thriller Julia’s Eyes, which also played at this year’s Fantastic Fest.  Hit the jump to check out all of the posters along with their prices, size, edition, and artist.  Be sure to follow @MondoNews for the official announcement of when these posters will be available for purchase.

Collider’s FANTASTIC FEST Diary Day 2: GALLANTS, FIRE OF CONSCIENCE, RUBBER, MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED

by Germain Lussier    Posted: September 25th, 2010 at 10:18 am

Friday at Fantastic Fest 2010 featured a movie about a tire that makes people’s heads explode. Then, two other movies almost made MY head explode: one out of sheer awesomeness and the other out of bored frustration. And that’s just part of how day two at the world’s largest genre film festival based in Austin, Texas went. Click here to read about day one, then hit the jump to find out which film did what out of Clement Sze-Kit Cheng & Chi-kin Kwok’s Gallants, Dante Lam’s Fire of Conscience, Quentin Dupleux’s Rubber and Mark Hartley’s Machete Maidens Unleashed.

Fantastic Fest Posters for LET ME IN, Roger Corman, RED WHITE & BLUE, NEVERMORE, RUBBER, and X: THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 22nd, 2010 at 11:32 am

If everything I’ve heard about Fantastic Fest is even half-true, then people attending this year’s festival are going to have a blast.  There’s a killer line-up which includes Let Me In, Red, Stone, and tributes to Roger Corman and Bill Pullman.  The festival has also announced that Alamo Drafthouse CEO and Fantastic Fest co-founder Tim League will debate/box Michelle Rodriguez over whether or not Avatar deserved to win the Oscar for Best Picture.  It’s worth noting that Rodriguez’ breakthrough role was as a female boxer in the 2000 film Girlfight.

Additionally, there are going to be some incredible posters created specifically for Fantastic Fest and Mondo, the Alamo Drafthouse’s collectible art botique.  Hit the jump to check out the incredible posters for Let Me In, Roger Corman, Red White & Blue, Nevermore, Rubber, and X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes .  Fantastic Fest starts tomorrow and runs to September 30th.

Fantastic Fest to Honor Roger and Julie Corman with Lifetime Achievement Award; Will Host World Premiere Gala Screening of SHARKTOPUS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 7th, 2010 at 3:48 pm

This year’s Fantastic Fest will honor legendary filmmakers Roger and Julie Corman with a Lifetime Achievement Award.  Following the award ceremony will be the world premiere of the Cormans’ new Syfy movie Sharktopus.  For those who don’t know, the Cormans are the minds behind numerous cult classics including Death Race 2000, X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, and The Little Shop of Horrors.  The two also helped discover acting and directing luminaries including Jonathan Demme, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Joe Dante, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Charles Bronson, Robert De Niro, and Sylvester Stallone.

Sharktopus will play as the second-part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Mark Hartlety’s documentary about Philippine exploitation films of the 70s and 80s, Machete Maidens Unleashed! (check out the great trailer here).  The presentation of the Lifetime Achievement award will take place between the two films.  Tickets for the gala double-feature go on sale tomorrow at noon (CST) at Fantastic Fest’s official website.  Hit the jump to check out the press release.

Roger Corman Cult Classics BATTLE TRUCK, DEATHSPORT, and HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP DVD Reviews

by Laura Kelley    Posted: August 22nd, 2010 at 8:00 am

Whether you love his work or hate it, you’ve got to admire Roger Corman’s dedication to schlock cinema, as he’s been making movies like SyFy’s upcoming grand opus Sharktopus for over 50 years.  Battle Truck, Deathsport, and Humanoids from the Deep are Shout Factory’s latest restored Corman productions, on sale on DVD today.  If you’re a Corman fan or just looking for something crazy to watch, you might want to check these out.  Hit the jump for reviews.

DEATH RACE 2000 DVD Review

by Hunter Daniels    Posted: July 2nd, 2010 at 6:38 am

Death Race 2000 is the real deal. A truly epic piece of Roger Corman produced madness, full of blood, guts, ridiculous character names, car crashes, and of course those wonderful, pre-plastic surgery era gratuitous nipple shots.* But what makes Death Race 2000 stand out from say, Gone in 60 Seconds, is that it’s more than just the above elements. Underneath the slapstick gore and voyeuristic charms Death Race 2000 is also a sly social and political satire that is every bit as prescient as Network or Robocop. More after the jump:

Roger Corman Brings the SPLATTER

by David Corbin    Posted: October 15th, 2009 at 8:44 am

Roger Corman is back. True, he’s been producing up a storm in recent years but movies like “Dino Croc,” “Scorpius Gigantus” and “Death Race” (yes, the one with Jason Statham), are not of the same quality as his earlier work. However, the man who first introduced the voracious Audrey Jr. in “The Little Shop of Horrors” is once again ready to show audiences a good time. Corman, in association with Netflix, has produced a three webisode long series, “Splatter,” for the movie rental giant. Joining him on the project are co-producer Julie Corman (“The Westing Game”), director Joe Dante (“Gremlins,” “The Howling”) and…wait for it…actor Corey Feldmen (“The Lost Boys”) in the titular role of rock ‘n roller Johnny Splatter. If you want to know what goes “bump” in the night, hit the jump.

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design