Roger Corman would have a field day coming up with a title for this one.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s about an 87-year-old man who refuses to yield ground to the behemoths that have invaded his home world.<\/p>\n
Corman, known for 60 years of low-budget films with titles such as \u201cThe Navy vs. the Night Monsters\u201d and \u201cAttack of the 50ft. Cheerleader,\u201d concedes his own story is beginning to take on the tenor of one of his far-fetched films, which now number more than 450 that he\u2019s produced or directed (he\u2019s lost count).<\/p>\n
And with the help of YouTube, the Syfy network and a resurgence of shoestring-budget cinema, Corman is back like a zombie with the munchies:<\/p>\n
\u201cCrab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen, and Candy Stripe Nurses: Roger Corman: King of the B-movie,\u201d hit shelves last month, detailing his films and some of the careers he helped launch, including Jack Nicholson\u2019s and Robert De Niro\u2019s.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Joe Dante will direct \u201cThe Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes,\u201d a Corman biopic. No release date is set.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Earlier this year he launched \u201cCorman\u2019s Drive-In,\u201d a YouTube channel that provides 30 of his classic B-films monthly for $3.99 a month.<\/p>\n
Corman is tickled that there\u2019s a resurgence \u201cin that camp quality\u201d to movies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve hit a saturation point with $150 million movies,\u201d he says from his Los Angeles office. \u201cLately, very few of them have been made well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not that Corman made his own reputation producing Oscar bait. But in a frail economy, bringing a movie in under budget and on time has become a premium video service. And he\u2019s scoring solid ratings with Syfy, producing original movies such as \u201cDinoshark, Sharktopus\u201d and \u201cDinocroc vs. Supergator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corman acknowledges that his movies \u201cmaybe get a break\u201d from viewers used to Hollywood blockbusters, but with good reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a David and Goliath element to the movies I make,\u201d he says. \u201cI think people look on those kind of films fondly. Plus, the movies are almost always entertaining. And every once in a while, they\u2019re good.\u201d