When the news of Roger Corman’s passing was announced, the online film community immediately responded with a flood of tributes to a legend. Many began with the multitude of careers he helped launch, the profound influence he had on independent cinema, and even the cameos he made in the films of Corman school “graduates.”
Tending to land further down his list of achievements and influences a bit is his work as a director, which is admittedly a more complicated legacy. Yes, Corman made some bad movies, no one is disputing that, but he also made some great ones. If he was only responsible for making the Poe films from 1960’s The Fall of the House of Usher to 1964’s The Tomb of Ligeia, he would be worthy of praise as a terrific filmmaker. But several more should be added to the list including A Bucket of Blood (1959) and Little Shop of Horrors...
Tending to land further down his list of achievements and influences a bit is his work as a director, which is admittedly a more complicated legacy. Yes, Corman made some bad movies, no one is disputing that, but he also made some great ones. If he was only responsible for making the Poe films from 1960’s The Fall of the House of Usher to 1964’s The Tomb of Ligeia, he would be worthy of praise as a terrific filmmaker. But several more should be added to the list including A Bucket of Blood (1959) and Little Shop of Horrors...
- 5/24/2024
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
Gas-s-s-s – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen/ 79 min. / Street Date October 18, 2016 / Gas-s-s-s / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Elaine Giftos, Robert Corff, Cindy Williams, Bud Cort, Ben Vereen, Tally Coppola, Lou Procopio.
Cinematography: Ron Dexter
Film Editor: George Van Noy
Original Music: Country Joe and the Fish
Written and Produced by George Armitage
Directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman finally accepted himself as an iconic filmmaker for this, his final show for A.I.P.. Barely released and long considered a failure, Gas-s-s-s – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It sees Corman and his writer associate George Armitage attempting a Mad magazine- like amalgam of all the counterculture trends of the late 1960s. That tactical mistake becomes eighty minutes of unfocused and unfunny satire. Armitage’s script and dialogue might occasionally hit some serendipitous notes,...
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1970 / Color / 1:85 widescreen/ 79 min. / Street Date October 18, 2016 / Gas-s-s-s / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Elaine Giftos, Robert Corff, Cindy Williams, Bud Cort, Ben Vereen, Tally Coppola, Lou Procopio.
Cinematography: Ron Dexter
Film Editor: George Van Noy
Original Music: Country Joe and the Fish
Written and Produced by George Armitage
Directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman finally accepted himself as an iconic filmmaker for this, his final show for A.I.P.. Barely released and long considered a failure, Gas-s-s-s – Or – It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It sees Corman and his writer associate George Armitage attempting a Mad magazine- like amalgam of all the counterculture trends of the late 1960s. That tactical mistake becomes eighty minutes of unfocused and unfunny satire. Armitage’s script and dialogue might occasionally hit some serendipitous notes,...
- 1/17/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This four-feature set is the weirdest cinematic treasure box of the year, a sort of anti-matter film school. Three of the films are derived from a single Yugoslavian picture rejected by Roger Corman. His acolytes Jack Hill and Stephanie Rothman proceeded to add serial killings, supernatural hauntings, a goofy vampire, and an ending that could be called 'Zombies In The Wax Museum.' Tim Lucas tells the whole story in a fascinating feature-length extra docu. Blood Bath Blu-ray Arrow Video (USA) 1963 - 1966 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen / 95 - 81 - 62 - 75 min. / 2-Disc Limited Edition / Street Date May 30, 2016 / 49.95 Starring William Campbell, Patrick Magee, Rade Marcovic, Miha Baloh, Irena Prosen; Marissa Mathes, Linda Saunders, Sandra Knight, Carl Schanzer, Biff Elliot, Sid Haig, Jonathan Haze. Cinematography Nenad Jovicic, Dan Telford, Alfred Taylor. Original Music Bojan Adamic, Ronald Stein, Written by Vlasta Radovanovic, Vic Webber, Jack Hill & Stephanie Rothman Directed by Rados Novakovic, Michael Roy,...
- 5/24/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Menahem Golan, best known for producing and directing scores of schlocky ’80s action pics under the Cannon Films banner—including the likes of Bloodsport and some of the Death Wish sequels—died Friday, Haaretz reports. He was 85.
Obsessed with movies from a young age, the Israeli-born Golan got his start working with B-movie master Roger Corman on 1963’s The Young Racers. He eventually teamed up with his cousin Yoram Globus to head up The Cannon Group, a fledgling production company that they bought in 1979. They transformed Cannon into a veritable force in the industry by the mid-’80s, producing testosterone-driven...
Obsessed with movies from a young age, the Israeli-born Golan got his start working with B-movie master Roger Corman on 1963’s The Young Racers. He eventually teamed up with his cousin Yoram Globus to head up The Cannon Group, a fledgling production company that they bought in 1979. They transformed Cannon into a veritable force in the industry by the mid-’80s, producing testosterone-driven...
- 8/8/2014
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW - Inside Movies
The cinephile and prolific Israeli filmmaker who led Cannon Films with his cousin and produced a Death Wish sequel and The Delta Force has died. He was 85.
Golan was born to parents of Polish descent and joined the Israeli Air Force in his youth.
He studied film in London and New York and went to work for Roger Corman on The Young Racers. Golan directed his first feature shortly after that in 1963.
He and Golbus founded Noah Films, which made Israeli foreign-language Oscar nominee I Love You Rosa among other acclaimed titles. Golan himself directed an Israeli foreign-language nominee in the form of the 1977 thriller Operation Thunderbolt (Mivtsa Yonatan).
He and his cousin Yorum Globus acquired Cannon Films in the late 1970s and ran it for 10 years, making such films as the Death Wish sequels, The Delta Force and Kickboxer, itself now the subject of a remake.
Golan and Globus were featured in Hilla Medalia’s recent...
Golan was born to parents of Polish descent and joined the Israeli Air Force in his youth.
He studied film in London and New York and went to work for Roger Corman on The Young Racers. Golan directed his first feature shortly after that in 1963.
He and Golbus founded Noah Films, which made Israeli foreign-language Oscar nominee I Love You Rosa among other acclaimed titles. Golan himself directed an Israeli foreign-language nominee in the form of the 1977 thriller Operation Thunderbolt (Mivtsa Yonatan).
He and his cousin Yorum Globus acquired Cannon Films in the late 1970s and ran it for 10 years, making such films as the Death Wish sequels, The Delta Force and Kickboxer, itself now the subject of a remake.
Golan and Globus were featured in Hilla Medalia’s recent...
- 8/8/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The cinephile and prolific Israeli filmmaker who led Cannon Films with his cousin and produced a Death Wish sequel and The Delta Force has died. He was 85.
Golan was born to parents of Polish descent and joined the Israeli Air Force in his youth.
He studied film in London and New York and went to work for Roger Corman on The Young Racers. Golan directed his first feature shortly after that in 1963.
He and Golbus founded Noah Films, which made Israeli foreign-language Oscar nominee I Love You Rosa among other acclaimed titles. Golan himself directed an Israeli foreign-language nominee in the form of the 1977 thriller Operation Thunderbolt (Mivtsa Yonatan).
He and his cousin Yorum Globus acquired Cannon Films in the late 1970s and ran it for 10 years, making such films as the Death Wish sequels, The Delta Force and Kickboxer, itself now the subject of a remake.
Golan and Globus were featured in Hilla Medalia’s recent...
Golan was born to parents of Polish descent and joined the Israeli Air Force in his youth.
He studied film in London and New York and went to work for Roger Corman on The Young Racers. Golan directed his first feature shortly after that in 1963.
He and Golbus founded Noah Films, which made Israeli foreign-language Oscar nominee I Love You Rosa among other acclaimed titles. Golan himself directed an Israeli foreign-language nominee in the form of the 1977 thriller Operation Thunderbolt (Mivtsa Yonatan).
He and his cousin Yorum Globus acquired Cannon Films in the late 1970s and ran it for 10 years, making such films as the Death Wish sequels, The Delta Force and Kickboxer, itself now the subject of a remake.
Golan and Globus were featured in Hilla Medalia’s recent...
- 8/8/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
American actor known for his roles in horror films and Star Trek
The actor William Campbell, who has died aged 87, had a long and varied career in films and on television, finding recognition from his association with several low-budget horror pictures and with the TV sci-fi series Star Trek. However, although he had the hooded eyes and languid manner of Robert Mitchum and something of the laid-back anarchism of Jack Nicholson, entry into the major league of stardom eluded him.
Campbell was in the first series of Star Trek, in an episode entitled The Squire of Gothos (1967), in which he has a field day as General Trelane, a foppish, childish humanoid, swinging wildly from joviality to sulkiness to anger. In The Trouble With Tribbles (1967), in the second season, Campbell was equally impressive as Koloth, a bearded, bureaucratic Klingon, a character that he revived 27 years later, towards the end of his working life,...
The actor William Campbell, who has died aged 87, had a long and varied career in films and on television, finding recognition from his association with several low-budget horror pictures and with the TV sci-fi series Star Trek. However, although he had the hooded eyes and languid manner of Robert Mitchum and something of the laid-back anarchism of Jack Nicholson, entry into the major league of stardom eluded him.
Campbell was in the first series of Star Trek, in an episode entitled The Squire of Gothos (1967), in which he has a field day as General Trelane, a foppish, childish humanoid, swinging wildly from joviality to sulkiness to anger. In The Trouble With Tribbles (1967), in the second season, Campbell was equally impressive as Koloth, a bearded, bureaucratic Klingon, a character that he revived 27 years later, towards the end of his working life,...
- 6/20/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Year: 2010
Directors: Francis Ford Coppola
Writers: Francis Ford Coppola
Amazon Link
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: agentorange
Movie Rating: 6 out of 10
Blu-ray Rating: 5.5 out of 10
I've seen Dementia 13 a number of times, but was particularly interested to check it out on Blu-ray. Like a lot of American International Pictures releases, Dementia 13 is public domain which means there's been numerous releases on VHS and DVD - each seemingly worse than the last. No one has really taken the time to remaster the film for digital, but now that HD Cinema Classics and Film Chest have swooped in I figured we might be seeing something really special here. Something on the level of what Shout!, Severin or Blue Underground are doing. Alas, this is not the case. While this latest Blu-ray release of the film is the best I've seen - remastered from the original 35mm print long thought...
Directors: Francis Ford Coppola
Writers: Francis Ford Coppola
Amazon Link
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: agentorange
Movie Rating: 6 out of 10
Blu-ray Rating: 5.5 out of 10
I've seen Dementia 13 a number of times, but was particularly interested to check it out on Blu-ray. Like a lot of American International Pictures releases, Dementia 13 is public domain which means there's been numerous releases on VHS and DVD - each seemingly worse than the last. No one has really taken the time to remaster the film for digital, but now that HD Cinema Classics and Film Chest have swooped in I figured we might be seeing something really special here. Something on the level of what Shout!, Severin or Blue Underground are doing. Alas, this is not the case. While this latest Blu-ray release of the film is the best I've seen - remastered from the original 35mm print long thought...
- 5/10/2011
- QuietEarth.us
Hey Fiends! Happy Monday! Let’s take a look at your DVD and Blu-Ray Releases for tomorrow – April 23, 2011. We have some Hi-Def upgrades that you freaks will definitely want to pick up. Check beyond the break to get the full list!
All Descriptions of the following titles are provided by Amazon.com unless otherwise noted. If you plan on buying a flick from this list, please click on the links provided or click on the cover as it helps us pay the bills around here. Also, unlike most sites, we provide the Netflix widget which we think is pretty convenient to add these films to your queue. If you don’t have Netflix, feel free to click on “Free Trial” and try it out!
Blow Out (The Criterion Collection)
Format: DVD | Blu-Ray
————————————-
In the enthralling Blow Out, brilliantly crafted by Brian De Palma (Sisters, Carrie, Scarface), John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever,...
All Descriptions of the following titles are provided by Amazon.com unless otherwise noted. If you plan on buying a flick from this list, please click on the links provided or click on the cover as it helps us pay the bills around here. Also, unlike most sites, we provide the Netflix widget which we think is pretty convenient to add these films to your queue. If you don’t have Netflix, feel free to click on “Free Trial” and try it out!
Blow Out (The Criterion Collection)
Format: DVD | Blu-Ray
————————————-
In the enthralling Blow Out, brilliantly crafted by Brian De Palma (Sisters, Carrie, Scarface), John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever,...
- 4/25/2011
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
I'll be the first to admit it. I'm officially a Blu-ray snob. It took a while to get there, but you know what? When you see first-hand how cool Blu-ray technology is, you'll be sold, too. Three classics are coming our way in glorious 1080p, and we've got the scoop on them for ya!
From the Press Releases
Dementia 13: Future film-making legend Francis Ford Coppola makes his big-screen directorial debut with this cult horror classic, available for the first time in spectacular High-Definition Blu-Ray. Following the abrupt death of her husband from a heart attack, the scheming Louise Haloran (Luanda Anders) travels to her in-laws' estate in Ireland, only to find herself trapped in a creepy, decrepit castle with her ex-husband's demented family. Upon arrival, she is introduced to a pair of maladjusted brothers (William Campbell, Bart Patton) and a distraught mother-in-law (Eithne Dunn), still grieving for...
From the Press Releases
Dementia 13: Future film-making legend Francis Ford Coppola makes his big-screen directorial debut with this cult horror classic, available for the first time in spectacular High-Definition Blu-Ray. Following the abrupt death of her husband from a heart attack, the scheming Louise Haloran (Luanda Anders) travels to her in-laws' estate in Ireland, only to find herself trapped in a creepy, decrepit castle with her ex-husband's demented family. Upon arrival, she is introduced to a pair of maladjusted brothers (William Campbell, Bart Patton) and a distraught mother-in-law (Eithne Dunn), still grieving for...
- 3/21/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
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...
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- 3/4/2011
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
You haven't seen Iranian Kidney Bargain Sale? Then you haven't dipped a toe into the motliest crew on record
The other day I finally got a chance to see Iranian Kidney Bargain Sale, a documentary I'd been meaning to get to for some time. Chronicling the adventures of assorted young Iranians who sell their kidneys to buy a taxi, or finance their education, or pay off debts, Iranian Kidney Bargain Sale is not the kind of movie that is readily available at most local video stores. But it is available – free – in the movie section at YouTube. So is a lot of other stuff.
Mostly when I visit YouTube it is to watch cats falling off chairs, parodies of Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker or sportscasters being tormented by stalking sock puppets. But it was recently pointed out to me that YouTube also has a section that is...
The other day I finally got a chance to see Iranian Kidney Bargain Sale, a documentary I'd been meaning to get to for some time. Chronicling the adventures of assorted young Iranians who sell their kidneys to buy a taxi, or finance their education, or pay off debts, Iranian Kidney Bargain Sale is not the kind of movie that is readily available at most local video stores. But it is available – free – in the movie section at YouTube. So is a lot of other stuff.
Mostly when I visit YouTube it is to watch cats falling off chairs, parodies of Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker or sportscasters being tormented by stalking sock puppets. But it was recently pointed out to me that YouTube also has a section that is...
- 1/14/2010
- by Joe Queenan
- The Guardian - Film News
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