Retro Soviet Sci-Fi: Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet (1965)

Written By: Ken Hulsey

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet may be the most interesting science fiction film produced in the 1960s’. Although the film in itself is very well done and features some excellent special effects shots, it’s the films origin and two different Americanized versions that may be of most interest to fans of this genre. You see the film was not an American product, but a film made in the former Soviet Union. Although scenes that starred Basil Rathbone and Faith Domergue filmed by Roger Corman were inserted into the film for American viewers the film is still basically “Planeta Bur” (Planet of Storms – 1962) in most respects. In this version almost all Soviet references were removed from both the film and its credits, although it was hard not to notice the Russian insignias on all the spacecraft. American International must have been very nervous about releasing a Soviet sci-fi film during the middle of the “Cold War.”



The weirdest version of the film was “Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women” which was directed by Peter Bogdanovich and featured pterosaur worshiping sirens that spend endless hours lounging around on the beach in see-through togas. Not even the casting of Mamie Van Doren as Moana the leader of this blonde coven of Venusians can save these poorly intercut scenes from dragging down what is essentially “Planeta Bur” with the Corman footage removed. It can only stand to reason that Bogdanovich just needed an excuse to film attractive women on a beach. It would seem unfathomable to believe that he thought this new footage could add anything to the original material. These new scenes only make a very good sci-fi film hard to follow and effectively ruin the films pacing. Trust me even good “eye-candy” couldn’t help this one from heading straight to B-movie hell.

But I have gotten off point.

On the other hand “Voyage to a Prehistoric Planet” is a surprisingly good sci-fi film. Even with the extra American footage added it still retains the maturity and charm of the original Russian production. The acting of Basil Rathbone and Faith Domergue is fairly “wooden” but those scenes are early in the film and are only used to establish an Americanized story line. In other words they are brief enough to be ignored. Also surprising are the quality of the films special effects. The miniature space ships and creative props are very convincing. In fact the movies human sized robot and hover-car really steal the show. It can only be fair to say that the effects are mostly on par with the quality of work seen on many American films from the same time period. Possibly better?

The story is very well thought out and well executed. A group of explores and scientists set out to land on Venus. A mysterious accident causes the two groups to land on two separate sides of the planet. While trying to link back up with each other they discover that Venus was once inhabited by a human-like race that destroyed itself in some form of nuclear holocaust. The planet has begun a new genesis that has reached a stage that resembles the prehistoric past of Earth complete with dinosaurs and lizard-men. All the while the adventurers are plagued by constant wails from the souls of the now extinct Venusians. Possibly trying to warn their human visitors not to follow down the same path of destruction they did. An anti-nuclear message in a Russian film in the middle of the “Cold War?” It would seem so. It would be interesting to note that fears of nuclear war were a reality on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Food for thought.

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965)
AKA: Planeta Bur (1962), Planet of the Storms (1962), Planet of Storms (1962), The Storm Planet (1962), Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1968), Voyage to a Prehistoric Planet (1965)
American International

Directed By: Curtis Harrington and Pavel Klushantsev
Written By: Curtis Harrington
Executive Producer: Roger Corman

Cast:
Basil Rathbone as Prof. Hartman
Faith Domergue as Dr. Marsha Evans
Marc Shannon as Uncredited Cast
Christopher Brand as Uncredited Cast
John Bix as John the Robot
Lewis Keane as Uncredited Cast
Gennadi Vernov as Andre Ferneau
Georgi Zhzhyonov as Hans Walters
Yuri Sarantsev as Allen Sherman
Georgi Tejkh as Dr. Kern
Vladimir Yemelyanov as Cmdr. Brendan Lockhart

Runtime: 74 Minutes
Color: Color
Sound: Mono
Released: August 1, 1965 (USA)

Check Out:

Sci Fi Saturday Morning - Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles (1966-67)(CBS)

Images Without Context: Welcome To The Space Age!

Ellen Dubin - The Beauty Behind The Beasts

BIGONE Inc Launches Kickstarter To Raise Funds For 'Getter Robo' Movie Trailer

Tales of the Unexplained - The Texas Big Bird Of 1976

It's Giant Robots 70s Style - Johnny Sokko And His Flying Robot

Godzilla Goes Prime-Time! - Godzilla vs Megalon On NBC In 1977

When Dinosaurs Ruled The 1970s - The Land That Time Forgot (1975)

Sci Fi Saturday Morning: Valley of the Dinosaurs (1974)(CBS)

Shout! Factory To Acquire Roger Corman Film Library

From The Hollywood Reporter

Indie film godfather Roger Corman has sold his New Horizons Pictures library to Shout! Factory and China-based Ace Film HK Company.

Terms of the deal were not available, but around 270 films and an action sci-fi TV series, including Rock‘N’Roll High School, Battle Beyond the Stars and Piranha, Galaxy of Terror, were purchased from Corman and Julie Corman, the veteran film director and producer's wife and long-time business partner.

"During the past decade our personal and professional relationships with Shout! Factory's Bob Emmer, Richard and Garson Foos, and Ace Film's Henry Luk and Adam Yuchen Ren have shown us that their independent, entrepreneurial spirit, respect for our work and creative methods of distribution and production make them especially well-suited to carry on with the New Horizons film library." Roger and Julie Corman said in a joint statement on Thursday.

The announcement was made by Shout! Factory’s founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos, and Henry Luk and Adam Yuchen Ren, CEO and COO of Ace Film HK Company. The acquisition deal hands Shout! Factory all rights to the New Horizons library in North America, Europe, Australia, and Russia.

ACE gets all rights for China, Asia, Africa, and South America. Corman properties in the deal included Bloodfist, Black Scorpion, Eat My Dust!, Humanoids from the Deep, Slumber Party Massacre and Forbidden World.

The New Horizons Picture library acquisition follows Shout! Factory’s home entertainment and digital distribution exploitation of Corman’s Cult Classics-branded films since 2010. "We’ve loved working with them over the last eight years and are thrilled to now be the custodians of these beloved films, making sure that film buffs and fans everywhere discover them like we did,” Shout! Factory’s founders added in their own joint statement.

Corman, now 91 years old, has been credited with discovering talent through the years such as Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern, Diane Ladd, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard and James Cameron. Over his career, he has produced and directed over 500 films.

Corman also founded New World Pictures in the 1970s, which grew to become the largest independent motion picture distribution company in the country. Shout! Factory and Ace Film plan to tap the 270 film and TV titles in the New Horizons library for new content development, remakes, merchandise licensing programs, digital media content and syndication across streaming, TV, digital and VOD platforms.

The deal was negotiated by Emmer and Bruce David Eisen of Media Advisory Services for Shout! Factory, Henry Luk for ACE, and Alan Schwartz and Robert Sherman of Greenberg Traurig, LLP on behalf of Roger and Julie Corman.

Throwback Thursday: Great Stuff From Our Past Years Lists

2008: Haruka Ayase - The Hottest Women of the Year!

One of the highest grossing films in Japan that year was "Cyborg She" (My Girlfriend Is A Cyborg), so it is no surprise that the film's lead actress, Haruka Ayase, would be a sought after commodity. Haruka found working on the film to be a challenge due to the language barrier between her and Korean movie director, Jae-Yong Kwak. "Mr Kwak taught me acting through gestures and facial emotions." Ayase also took a very playful approach to her robot character, "“Because I don’t have an opportunity to punch men, I enjoyed doing it during production.” I'm sure there are a lot of men out there that are happy that she got to live that fantasy out on the set.

Now male fans worldwide will want their very own Haruka Ayase cyborg. I guess it's time to trade in my "Lucy Liu Bot" for a new model!

See: Top Ten Hottest Women Of 2008

2008: Murphy As The Riddler? Weisz As Catwoman? Labeouf As Robin? Here We Go Again!

You know that Batman sequel that Christopher Nolan has been denying for months, well now it reportedly has a cast and a title. According to sources close to Nolan, the film will be titled, "Gotham" and will feature Rachel Weisz as Catwoman, Eddie Murphy as The Riddler and Shia Labeouf as Batman's trusted sidekick Robin.

As recently as October Nolan was making public statements that he wasn't sure that he even wanted to make a third Batman movie, worrying that he couldn't pull off a decent film.

Things reportedly changed in the Nolan camp, and changed in a hurry.

Weisz is the latest of the names to associated with the Catwoman character. For months it was believed that Angelina Jolie was the front-runner for the part. At one time even Cher's name was reported to be on the short-list. Weisz, however, now seems to be a lock.

It is interesting to note that Christopher Nolan didn't want to do a third film because third films generally "suck" (Those are his words), yet by bringing in three new characters, he seems to be following the same formula for disaster. Fans often refer to the adding too many elements into one films as the "Too Many Villains Syndrome." What generally happens here is that too many new characters get put into one film, limiting their character development, which bogs down the films plot. Examples of this are, "Spider-man 3", "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin." Fans generally point out that the best superhero films almost always feature one villain.

READ MORE

See: The Most Talked About Stories Of 2008

2009: Allison Scagliotti

Just like last year's top cutie, Haruka Ayase, this years favorite, Allison Scagliotti, is more of a down to Earth, girl-next-door type.

I guess that this just goes to prove that what guys are 'really' looking for is a girl they can take home to mom.

Am I right guys?.....guys?.....guess I lost a few there.


Anyway, "Warehouse 13" is huge hit for the SyFy Channel and the fact that Scagliotti is on the show, certainly helped the actress capture our number one.

On "Warehouse 13" Scagliotti plays Claudia Donovan, a young, hip, brilliant techno-wiz, who manages to successfully breach the Warehouse's complex security system in order to track down Artie (Rubinek). With a natural aptitude for science and technology, Donovan's talents enable her to manipulate and activate many of the objects contained in the Warehouse to help the Team.

See: The Top Ten Hottest Women Of 2009

2010: GHOST ADVENTURES - Zak Bagans, Nick Grof And Aaron Goodwin At Comic Con 2010

Like I mentioned in my previous article, my experience at Comic Con was a little 'different' than that of the 'typical' fan. Instead of lusting after the 'trendy' movies and shows, my family and I were excited about a lot of things that weren't so mainstream.

One of these was the television series, "Ghost Adventures", and my wife April, son Christopher and I were really looking forward to meeting the shows stars Zak Bagans, Nick Grof and Aaron Goodwin at an autograph signing later in the afternoon.

As luck would have it, the very same people, Zak, Nick and Aaron,that we so strongly wanted to see, arrived at the convention at the exact same time that we did. Amazingly, they were just milling around in the area adjacent to the check-in and autograph areas. To our delite, we were able to snap a few photos and talk to Aaron for a few seconds. My wife was very happy to have told him that 'he was the shit!'

To our surprise, no one else even recognised them.

READ MORE

See: The Top Monster / Sci Fi Stories Of 2010

2010: The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Dinoshark'

Isn't it wonderful that giant mutant monsters are popular again. After J.J. Abrams unleashed his giant monster movie, "Cloverfield", in theaters two years ago, there has been a non-stop parade of independent features where the motto, "bigger is better", has really been taken seriously.

Last year, The Asylum, made a huge media splash with their film "Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus". The film featured former 80s pop sensation, Debbie Gibson, playing second fiddle to a titanic shark and an equally gigantic octopus. Likewise, films of the same vein like, "Dinocroc vs. Supergator", "Megaconda," and even The Asylum's follow-up to "Mega Shark", called "Megapiranha", were all rushed into production by the end of 2009.

Now it seems that the king of B movie monsters, Roger Corman, was feeling a little left-out by all of this, so he has developed his own giant monster film for the SyFy Channel called, "Dinoshark."

Lets see....Megaconda....Dinocrock.....Mega Shark........Dinoshark. Makes perfect sense in the grand scheme of things, doesn't it?

READ MORE

2010: Alessandra Torresani

Alessandra Torresani (born Alessandra Olivia Toreson; May 29, 1987) is an American actress. She is credited as Alessandra Toreson for her work prior to 2007.

Torresani's television debut was at age nine when she hosted the "Kids' WB Club" for San Francisco's KBWB (Channel 20). She co-starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Going to the Mat. Her other television credits include Even Stevens, JAG, ER, The War at Home, Malcolm In The Middle, Arrested Development, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and CSI among others.

In May 2008, Torresani was cast as Zoe Graystone in Syfy's pilot for Caprica, a prequel spin-off of Battlestar Galactica, which debuted in January 2010.

In 2009 she was cast to play Lita Ford in the biopic The Runaways about the all-girl punk band of the same name. However, the role was later given to Scout Taylor-Compton.

See: The Top Ten Hottest Women Of 2010

2012: Dynamite Baby, Grindhouse Dynamite!

Grindhouse is an American term for a theater that mainly shows exploitation films. Named after the defunct burlesque theaters located on 42nd Street in New York City where 'bump n' grind' or striptease was featured.

Grindhouse films characteristically contain large amounts of sex, violence or bizarre subject matter. One genre of film featured were "roughies" or sexploitation, a mix of sex, violence and sadism. Quality varied, but low budget production values and poor print quality were common. Critical opinions varied regarding typical grindhouse fare, but many films acquired cult following and critical praise. Double, triple, and "all night" bills on a single admission charge often encouraged patrons to spend a long time in the theater. The environment was faithfully captured at the time by the magazine ‘Sleazoid Express’.

By the 1980s, home video and cable threatened to make grindhouse obsolete. By the end of the decade, these theaters had vanished from Los Angeles's Broadway and Hollywood Boulevard, New York City's Times Square and San Francisco's Market Street. By the mid-1990s, these particular theaters had all but disappeared from the United States and very few are in existence today.

READ MORE

2012: Classic Tales Of Cryptozoology: Does The Creature Really Walk Among Us?

For centuries people from all corners of the globe have claimed to have seen all kinds of creatures ranging from dinosaurs to werewolves and if you are inclined to believe so, a real life "Gill-Man".

Way back in the summer of 1972 two young men claimed that they were chased from the beach at Thetis Lake, British Columbia, Canada by the "Creature From The Black Lagoon" or at least something that looked very much like it.

Was it a case of mistaken identity or overactive imaginations run wild after an afternoon of watching monster movies?

At the time the local police believed the two youths and began a search for the monster. Four days later the story seemed to be validated when two fishermen spotted the monster on the opposite side of the lake. Of course the search didn't turn up any man-fish at the time yet reports of the aptly named "Thetis Lake Monster" continued on for two more decades.

READ MORE

See: The Top Ten Most Popular Stories Of 2012!

Stacey! She's A Very Private Detective!

Stacey is a 1973 exploitation film directed by Andy Sidaris. Half the budget was provided by Roger Corman for his New World Pictures the rest was raised by Sidaris. It was re-released in 1975 as Stacy and Her Gangbusters.

The film features an empowered babe in a masculinized action role. She is "a very private detective" in a crime-fighting film. This was the first attempt of Sidaris to produce a film with a female protagonist facing crime. The film thus serves as a precursor to many 1980s films, including those produced by Sidaris himself. In these films "soft" women adopt "hard" personae. It is also a precursor to 1990s softcore films where gender has little to do with a heroine's career, as by that point women's advance into the workplace was no longer an exploitable hot topic.

The protagonist is Stacey Hanson (Anne Randall), a private eye and race car driver. She is hired by aging heiress Florence Chambers (Marjorie Bennett) to investigate the close members of her family who live in her mansion. Stacey is to determine whether the members of Florence's family are worthy to be included in her will. They are three: Florence's nephew John (John Alderman), his wife Tish (Anitra Ford), and Florence's grand-niece Pamela (Cristina Raines).

As it happens, all three potential heirs have something to hide. John is a discreet homosexual, Tish is having an affair with the houseboy, and Pamela has dubious friends. Stacey uncovers some family secrets but a greater scandal is about to begin. The scheming houseboy Frank (James Westmoreland) is murdered. Stacey now has to find the identity of the murderer before he/she can kill again. Frank was sleeping with and/or blackmailing nearly all members of the family, so everyone is a suspect.

Stacey's investigation leads to a helicopter and car chase and gunplay. The murdered turns out to be Pamela who is a member of a cult reminiscent of the Manson family. She was planning to frame John and stand as the last viable heir to the family fortune. - Wiki

Attack of the Crab Monsters - 8 x 10 Poster Print - From the depths of the Sea ... A Tidal Wave Of Terror! - Roger Corman

From View Obscura

Attack of the Crab Monsters - 8 x 10 Poster Print - From the depths of the Sea ... A Tidal Wave Of Terror! - Roger Corman

$5.00 - View Obscura

This is high quality 8 x 10 HD print of the movie poster for Roger Corman's cult classic "Attack of the Crab Monsters.

Note: Watermark Does NOT Appear on actual photo!

A group of scientists travel to a remote island to study the effects of nuclear weapons tests, only to get stranded when their airplane explodes. The team soon discovers that the island has been taken over by crabs that have mutated into enormous, intelligent monsters. To add to their problems, the island is slowly sinking into the ocean. Will any of them manage to escape? - IMDB

'Die, Monster, Die!'

From Pop Matters

The 1965 horror film Die, Monster, Die! resembles, more than a little bit, the Edgar Allan Poe Cycle of horror films produced by Roger Corman. Like the Edgar Allan Poe films, Die, Monster, Die! was produced by American International Pictures, features lavish sets and colors and stars a bona fide Horror Icon (Boris Karloff instead of Vincent Price).

However, Die, Monster, Die!, ostensibly based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story The Colour Out of Space, is much more than just a similar film from the same studio. This film also closely matches elements of two of the Poe Cycle films, Fall of the House of Usher (1960) and The Haunted Palace (1963). In that the latter film only borrows its name from a Poe poem and derives its plot from another H.P. Lovecraft story (“The Case of Charles Dexter Ward”), this might bring us full-circle, however the similarities to Fall of the House of Usher are much more pronounced.

In Die, Monster, Die!, tough American scientist Stephen Reinhart (Nick Adams) arrives in English town of Arkham (as opposed to Lovecraft’s Arkham, Massachusetts) to meet with his fiancée Susan Witley (Suzan Farmer), much like their counterparts from House of Usher unite. Reinhart is daunted from his task when he discovers that all of the townspeople mistrust and abhor “The Witley House” and consider it to be dangerous or even supernatural, much like the townspeople in The Haunted Palace mistrust and abhor “The Curwen House” and believe that it must house a warlock.

Once Reinhart arrives (on foot) at the Witley house, he is barred from seeing his fiancée by her overbearing father, as played by Karloff (their counterparts in House of Usher are initially prevented from meeting each other by the young lady’s overbearing older brother). In an oddball combination of House and Palace, the family’s nervousness regarding strangers is said to relate to a multigenerational madness that threatens to keep coming back, as the overhanging portraits of the scary Witley ancestors can attest to.

READ MORE

Aip Rises From the Dead With Roger Corman Remakes

From Fearnet

Back in the 1950s, the film industry went through some major changes. The studio system (in which the major studios had directors, actors, and writers under contract and matched them up for films) was dying, and the studios had lost ownership of most theater chains due to anti-trust laws, which meant theaters had more freedom in what they could screen. This gave rise to the independent studios, who would hire no-name directors and actors on a per-project basis, could churn out low-budget flicks with sensational topics that could turn a bigger profit.

American International Pictures (Aip) was one of the biggest independent studios of its time, with over 500 films produced and/or distributed by the company. Aip produced Roger Corman's earliest films. The company specialized in "teeny-bopper" films: juvenile crime, horror, and sci-fi tales. Throughout the years, Aip was bought and merged into a number of companies, with MGM...

READ MORE

Naked lust that builds to a climax of death

The Big Doll House (1971) - Female prisoners in a Phillippine jail are being subjected to sadistic torture. Five of the women along with the help of two men plot an escape.

Director Jack Hill named the sadistic prison warden "Dietrich" after German producer Erwin C. Dietrich, with whom Hill had had a very unpleasant experience after Dietrich hired him to shoot a film in Switzerland.

In the sequence in which Judith Brown is tortured by having a snake dangled over her head, only a pane of glass separated Brown from said snake.

A graphic lesbian scene was shot, but cut from the final finished version of the film.

A Filipino porn actress was originally cast as Ferina, but left after the first day of shooting.

Roberta Collins' infamous "Get it up or I'll cut it off" line was improvised on the spot by director Jack Hill. - IMDB

Not to be confused with ...

See more about  HOT women locked away on an island of sex and torture at: Dynamite Baby, Grindhouse Dynamite!

THE CHEETAH WHORES Score A Hit For SHARKTOPUS And SyFy

Source: NBC / Universal

As if the cinematic delight of Syfy’s eagerly anticipated Sharktopus isn’t enough, now there’s a sharktastic theme song available on iTunes to accompany the melodic sounds of the beast chomping on sun-bathers.

The Sharktopus Song is sung by the up-and-coming all-female band, The Cheetah Whores. The band was handpicked by Sharktopus director, Declan O’Brien (Wrong Turn 3, Rock Monster, Cyclops) to write and sing the breakout pop song based on their unique, catchy sound and high-powered live performances.

The song is available at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sharktopus-single/id383310145.

Sharktopus premieres on Syfy Saturday, September 25, at 9PM (ET/PT).

The 6th annual Fantastic Fest will honor Roger and Julie Corman with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Premiere of Sharktopus on Friday, September 24, 2010 at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX. The film will play as the second part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a documentary about Philippine exploitation films from the 70's and 80's directed by Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood), which features Roger Corman prominently. The Lifetime Achievement award ceremony will take place between the two shows, each of which will include classic Corman trailers and surprises.


In Sharktopus, Eric Roberts (The Expendables/The Dark Knight) plays a research scientist who, with his talented daughter (Sara Malakul Lane/Belly of the Beast), develops a secret military weapon -- a hybrid shark/octopus that can be controlled by electrical implants. But when the controls break down, the monster goes on a killing rampage at the resort beaches of Mexico.

Roberts received Golden Globe nominations for his starring roles in King of the Gypsies (1978) and Star 80 (1983). He was nominated for the 1985 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Runaway Train. In 1987, he won the Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut performance in Burn This.

In The Dark Knight, Roberts portrayed Sal Maroni, a Gotham City Mafia boss who hires The Joker (Heath Ledger) to kill Batman (Christian Bale). His other memorable roles include The Expendables, Raggedy Man, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Nobody’s Fool, Final Analysis and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.

Roger Corman, who received an Honorary 2010 Oscar, is the legendary director and producer of numerous low-budget cult classics, among them It Conquered the World, Teenage Doll, The Little Shop of Horrors, House of Usher, Pit and the Pendulum, Premature Burial, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, The Wild Angels and The Trip.

Sharktopus is produced by Roger Corman and Julie Corman.

See Also: SyFy / Roger Corman Finally Get It Right With SHARKTOPUS Trailer / SHARKTOPUS! And GIANT SQUID!, Yet More Terrors From The Deep / The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Sharktopus!' / The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Dinoshark' / Tiffany To Star In The Asylum's 'Very Brady' Megapiranha Movie / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus - The Deborah Gibson Interview / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus: How Big Is Too Big? / Black Scorpion #1 - A Comic Book Review / Shout! Factory To Release Roger Corman Classics On DVD / A Special Effects Video Bonanza - Galactic Raiders - Dinocroc vs Supergator / Jim Wynorski Releases Images Of The Late David Carradine From 'Dinocroc vs. Supergator' / Dinocroc vs. Supergator - Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

StarCrash Coming To DVD And Blu-Ray From Shout! Factory

Source: Shout! Factory (Press Release)

A couple of weeks back I broke the story that Shout! Factory was going to be releasing "StarCrash" on DVD and Blu-Ray as part of their "Roger Corman's Cult Classics" line.

From the press release below, it really looks as if the video distributor has gone all-out on this one, which shout make the fans of this cult-classic, and the ultra-sexy Caroline Monro, absolutely ecstatic.

STARCRASH

Starring Caroline Munro, David Hasselhoff, Christopher Plummer,
Joe Spinell and Marjoe Gortner

2-DISC SPECIAL-EDITION BLU-RAY™ AND DVD
Digitally Remastered and Presented in Widescreen for the First Time with a Galaxy’s Worth of Special Features!

Crashing Home Entertainment Shelves Nationwide September 14, 2010 From Shout! Factory

One of the most eagerly awaited inter-galactic science-fiction adventures, released by Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, will finally be made available for the first time to the home entertainment shelves as StarCrash, directed by Luigi Cozzi, will debut September 14, 2010 on 2-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray and DVD from Shout! Factory, in association with New Horizons Picture Corporation. An adventure like no other, the StarCrash 2-Disc Special Edition contains anamorphic widescreen presentation of the movie with DTS HD 5.1 surround sound (Blu-ray), a reversible cover featuring vintage art for original movie posters and a payload of bonus content including all-new interviews and commentaries with cast and crew, rare behind-the-scenes footage and much more! A must-have for loyal fans of Roger Corman and Luigi Cozzi, science fiction enthusiasts and collectors, StarCrash 2-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray and DVD mark the latest installments from the popular ROGER CORMAN’S CULT CLASSICS home entertainment series from Shout! Factory. Each Special Edition Blu-ray and DVD is sold separately. Blu-ray is priced to own at $26.97; and DVD is available at $19.93.

Produced in Italy in the wake of Star Wars’ phenomenal success, StarCrash (also known as The Adventures of Stella Star in overseas territories) became an international blockbuster in its own right. This 1979 film became one of New World Pictures’ biggest box-office hits. Critics might have laughed, by so did audiences, who grooved to its campy humor, wildly imaginative special effects (some of them quite good!) and non-stop adventure. Where Star Wars dared not go, StarCrash went -- at warp speed!

The lasting peace of the galaxy is threatened by the diabolical and relentless Count Zarth Arn (cult icon Joe Spinell, Rocky, The Godfather and The Godfather - Part II), who is determined to take the universe for himself and make each planet his plaything, each inhabitant his slave. There is no question that the Count is evil, given his propensity for cackling at every opportunity.

Can anyone save the universe from this megalomaniacal madman? Indeed there is, and she’s quite a beauty.

Brave, bikini-clad star warrior Stella Star (Caroline Munro, The Spy Who Loved Me, At the Earth’s Core) and her co-pilot Akton (child evangelist-turned-actor Marjoe Gortner, Food of the Gods, Mausoleum) are pressed into service to thwart the evil Zarth Arn’s plot. If they succeed, galactic peace will be achieved. If they fail, the universe will fall into decay and destruction at the hands of its sadistic new overlord.

Have no fear, because Stella Star is here!

The film’s zesty, star-studded cast also includes People’s Choice Award winner David Hasselhoff (Knight Rider, Baywatch) in one of his first big-screen roles, noted screen tough guy Robert Tessier (The Longest Yard, The Cannonball Run) and legendary two-time Emmy® and Tony® Award winner, and Academy Award® nominee Christopher Plummer (The Last Station, Murder by Decree, The Sound of Music) as The Emperor.

StarCrash was written and directed by fan favorite Luigi Cozzi (AKA Lewis Coates), whose other cult masterworks include Alien Contamination (an “homage” to Alien) and the unforgettable Lou Ferrigno vehicle Hercules (an “homage” to Conan the Barbarian). The film also boasts a rousing score by five-time Academy Award® winner John Barry (Dances With Wolves, Out of Africa, 10 James Bond films).

Alas, StarCrash would prove to be the only big-screen Stella Star adventure ... but as its worldwide legion of fans will attest, it was one to remember!

STARCRASH 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY and DVD BONUS CONTENT

New Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer (1.85:1) and DTS HD 5.1 Surround Sound (Blu-ray), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (DVD)

Disc One:

• Interview with writer/director Luigi Cozzi
• StarCrash: the music of John Barry, a detailed analysis of the score by
Mars of Deadhouse Music
• 2 feature-length commentaries by StarCrash historian Stephen Romano:

Commentary 1: the history of StarCrash, the making of the film and its importance in 1970s fantastic cinema.

Commentary 2: StarCrash scene-by-scene: production trivia, anecdotes and critical analysis.

• Behind-the-scenes image gallery, featuring storyboards, art, and rare, never-before-seen photos!
• Promotional art gallery, featuring photos, posters, lobby cards and early poster designs by Drew Struzan
• Fan art gallery, featuring an exclusive look at the all-new, sexy Stella Star art from fantasy illustrator Robin Greenville Evans
• Theatrical trailer with commentary by Eli Roth from Trailersfromhell.com and an all-new exclusive trailer commentary by filmmaker/editor Joe Dante!
• TV spots and radio Spots

DISC TWO
• Interview with actress Caroline Munro (60 min.)
• 17 Deleted and alternate scenes
• The complete, original StarCrash screenplay, illustrated with original storyboards and early, full-color concept art
• Exclusive 20-minute behind-the-scenes footage reel, with commentary
• The making of the special effects of StarCrash by Armando Valcauda with exclusive, never-before-seen special-effects footage

Shout! Factory will continue to present ROGER CORMAN’S CULT CLASSICS home entertainment releases on a monthly basis. Upcoming highlights include The Slumber Party Massacre collection, The Evil, Twice Dead, The Warrior and The Sorceress, Barbarian Queen, Not of This Earth, Terror Within, Streets, Angel in Red, Lady in Red, Crazy Mama, Big Bad Mama, among others.

Independent filmmaker-producer Roger Corman’s storied career ranks as one of Hollywood’s most amazing success stories. Having produced more than 350 films and directed 50 others, his influence on American film goes far beyond his own energetic, creative low-budget movies. He is arguably one of Hollywood’s most gifted and masterful filmmakers. In 2009 he was the recipient of an honorary Academy Award for his contribution to the medium of film.

Noted for his keen ability to spot young talent, Corman’s most lasting legacy will undoubtedly be the legion of producers, directors, writers and actors he has fostered, among them: Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Peter Fonda, Jonathan Demme, Gale Anne Hurd, Diane Ladd, Tommy Lee Jones, William Shatner, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern, Talia Shire, Charles Bronson, Joe Dante, Carl Franklin, Jonathan Kaplan, Bill Paxton, Dennis Hopper, Curtis Hanson, Peter Bogdanovich, John Sayles, David Carradine and Sally Kirkland.

Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. With its fingers on the pulse of pop culture, Shout! Factory continues to impact the entertainment media landscape through acquisition of top quality programming for home entertainment releases. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit http://www.shoutfactory.com/

See Also: Starcrash And Gamera DVD News / B Movie Queen Caroline Monro To Make A Special UK Appearance / Starcrash (1979)

SyFy / Roger Corman Finally Get It Right With SHARKTOPUS Trailer

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Twitch / Avery Guerra

Over the past couple of years we have had a great time poking fun at all of the crazy monster mash-up movies that have been churned out by The Asylum, Roger Corman and the SyFy Channel. With films like "'Dinocroc vs. Supergator", "Dinoshark", "Mega Piranha", "Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus" and the upcoming "Mega Shark vs Giganotosaurus", it was all too easy to point a finger and laugh out loud at all of the cheesy, over-the-top, monster antics, with 80s pop-stars added in for nostalgia, and to hook in all of us Gen-x types.

As you can probably imagine, when I heard that SyFy was teaming up with legendary film producer Roger Corman for a film called, "Sharktopus", I naturally assumed that it was going to be another film in a long line of films that were big on hype, big on spectacle, with little true entertainment value.

That was until I saw the trailer this morning.

I have to be honest, It took me by complete surprise, it was good, and it actually made me want to see the final product.

Granted, "Sharktopus" is a low-budget monster mash just like all the films I mentioned before, except this time, from what can be seen in the trailer, it looks like Corman has gone back to the tried and true formula that made many of his prior works such cult classics, a great monster design, wacky 1950s era pseudo-science, violence and tons of lovely ladies in bikinis.

Everything about this trailer, even the music, is a throw-back to old monster films, which is what makes it work.

This one looks like a monster film that only a master like Corman could have made and the bikini clad hotties are getting eaten up faster than California Rolls and an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet.

Plot:

Sharktopus is about a research scientist (Eric Roberts) and his talented daughter who develop a secret military weapon, a hybrid shark/octopus that can be controlled by electrical implants. But when the controls break down, the monster goes on a killing rampage at the resort beaches of Mexico.

From that, you can see why I was kinda thinking that we were going to get more of the same old stuff here.

True, the trailer may actually give way too much away, and the footage may be the cream of the crop here, but it did the trick, I'm now on board for this one.

Here is the surprisingly good trailer for "Sharktopus":



See Also: SHARKTOPUS! And GIANT SQUID!, Yet More Terrors From The Deep / The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Sharktopus!' / The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Dinoshark' / Tiffany To Star In The Asylum's 'Very Brady' Megapiranha Movie / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus - The Deborah Gibson Interview / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus: How Big Is Too Big? / Black Scorpion #1 - A Comic Book Review / Shout! Factory To Release Roger Corman Classics On DVD / A Special Effects Video Bonanza - Galactic Raiders - Dinocroc vs Supergator / Jim Wynorski Releases Images Of The Late David Carradine From 'Dinocroc vs. Supergator' / Dinocroc vs. Supergator - Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

Starcrash And Gamera DVD News

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Amazon.com

While researching a DVD for a loyal MIN reader, I stumbled upon three upcoming DVD releases from Shout! Factory that will be of interest to many of you.

Though Shout! has not officially announced them yet, they will be releasing "Starcrash", "Gamera Vs. Guiron" / "Gamera Vs. Jiger" (2 DVD Set) and "Gamera Vs. Gyaos" / "Gamera Vs. Viras" (2 DVD Set) this September.

Since none of these DVDs have been officially announced, there are no details to report yet.

The Gamera DVDs have a tentative release date for September 21st while "Starcrash" will be falling to Earth a week earlier on September 14th.

Each of these can be preordered through Amazon:

Starcrash (Roger Corman Cult Classics) DVD $17.99

Gamera Vs. Gyaos / Gamera Vs. Viras [Double Feature]DVD $17.99

Gamera Vs. Guiron / Gamera Vs. Jiger [Double Feature] DVD $17.99

Here is an excerpt of my review of "Starcrash":

In a galaxy of neon colored stars, two would be space pirates, Stella Star and Arkton, are forced into a quest to find a secret weapon that could destroy the ruling galactic empire. Of course there is the evil Count Zarth Arn who uses his forces to thwart the two as they search for it. Thrown into the mix are a tribe of Amazons and a missing prince who was believed dead, but turns out to be very much alive. All mixed in together with over the top laser fights and girls running around in as little clothes as possible. Hardly the kind of film that would be considered "original."

See Also: B Movie Queen Caroline Monro To Make A Special UK Appearance / Starcrash (1979)

"Destroy All Planets 2010": The Case of the Missing DVD / "Destroy All Planets 2010" Controversy - Part II / DESTROY ALL PLANETS Possible Legal Issues - My Two Cents / Fight Over "Destroy All Planets" Rights Brewing / DESTROY ALL PLANETS Gets A DVD Release While No One Was Looking / Shout! Factory To Release Gamera Vs. Barugon DVD July 6th! / A Classic Movie Monster Comic Strip - The Monsters That Devoured Canarsie / Monster Uber Geekdome- Ultraman Collages, Playing Cards & Alien vs Pooh / Shout! Factory To Release Gamera DVD / Scientists Ready To Unleash "Gamera" And Giant Cows Upon Mankind / Showa Gamera Movies To Be Released By Shout Factory / ADV Films: Rest In Peace / Ayako Fujitani Returns To The Spotlight In Michel Gondry’s Interior Design / "Gamera The Brave" Box Art / Gamera The Brave Comes To DVD December 30th!

The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Sharktopus!'

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: Avery Guerra / Twitpic

How do you combine a shark with an octopus? And how could such a biological pairing occur?

These are the very questions that were recently put in front of legendary cult film maker, Roger Corman, when he was approached by the SyFy Channel to develop a made for TV film called, 'Sharktopus!'

Even before Corman could begin to figure out how to meld two of the ocean's greatest predators into one, the network hit him with another idea. Combine a shark with a dinosaur. That movie, called "Dinoshark", aired last weekend on SyFy.

Combining a shark and a dinosaur, no problem, but a shark and an octopus, well that's another matter.

"'Sharktopus!' is more difficult because you can imagine a prehistorical crocodile like the Dinocroc, but there's no such thing as prehistoric half-shark, half-octopus," Corman said. "I tried to figure out how to do this."

The solution? The U.S. Navy has commissioned a group called Blue Water to genetically engineer a half-shark, half-octopus to help combat Somali pirate ships. Then things go wrong.

"It's fairly difficult to believe, but we only ask the audience to accept this one thing," he said. "After that, we take great care that everything else is logical from then on and is something that could happen."

May be a bit convoluted, but don't blame Corman, it's not that easy to figure out how to make these genetic abominations fly.

Today we have the first look at Corman's shark-octopus hybrid as it arrived on location for filming. Granted the image doesn't reveal very much about the overall look of the thing, but at least we know that it is 'shark-size' instead of hundreds of feet long, like the kind of creatures The Asylum has been coming up with.

Speaking of Corman, the legendary film maker will be appearing on Cult Radio A Go Go, tomorrow to talk about 'Sharktopus!', and his long career in film making.

Check that out at: http://www.cultradioagogo.com/welcome.html

There is yet another radio interview with Corman from KROQ radio, here in Los Angeles: http://kroq.radio.com/2010/02/24/damn-you-sharktopus/

And if you really feel ambitious, here is a Facebook group you may want to check out: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&ref=mf&gid=338907011947

That should keep you busy for at least fifteen minutes. The rest of the day is up to you.

See Also: The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Dinoshark' / Tiffany To Star In The Asylum's 'Very Brady' Megapiranha Movie / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus - The Deborah Gibson Interview / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus: How Big Is Too Big? / Black Scorpion #1 - A Comic Book Review / Shout! Factory To Release Roger Corman Classics On DVD / A Special Effects Video Bonanza - Galactic Raiders - Dinocroc vs Supergator / Jim Wynorski Releases Images Of The Late David Carradine From 'Dinocroc vs. Supergator' / Dinocroc vs. Supergator - Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

Eric Roberts Will Take On Corman's 'Sharktopus'

Source: NBC / Universal

Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Eric Roberts will star in the highly anticipated new Syfy Saturday Original Movie Sharktopus, produced by cult movie legend Roger Corman, scheduled to premiere later in 2010.

Already the talk of the Internet, Sharktopus is about a research scientist (Roberts) and his talented daughter who develop a secret military weapon, a hybrid shark/octopus that can be controlled by electrical implants. But when the controls break down, the monster goes on a killing rampage at the resort beaches of Mexico.

Eric Roberts received Golden Globe nominations for his starring roles in King of the Gypsies (1978) and Star 80 (1983). He was nominated for the 1985 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the escaped convict Buck in the film Runaway Train. In 1987, he won the Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut performance in Burn This.

Roberts's other starring roles included Raggedy Man, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Nobody's Fool, Final Analysis and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. He appeared in The Dark Knight as Sal Maroni, a Gotham City Mafia boss who hires The Joker (Heath Ledger) to killer Batman (Christian Bale).

On television, Roberts has co-starred in the ABC sitcom Less than Perfect, along with guest appearances on Heroes, CSI: Miami, Law & Order: SVU and The L Word.

Roger Corman, who received an Honorary 2010 Oscar, is the legendary director and producer of numerous low-budget cult classics, among them It Conquered the World, Teenage Doll, The Little Shop of Horrors, House of Usher, Pit and the Pendulum, Premature Burial, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, The Wild Angels and The Trip.

Corman is also credited with opening the door to a number of young filmmakers including Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Jonathan Demme and Ron Howard.

Sharktopus is produced by Roger Corman and Julie Corman, and directed by Declan O'Brien (Wrong Turn 3, Cyclops, Monster Ark, Rock Monster).

See Also: The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Dinoshark' / Tiffany To Star In The Asylum's 'Very Brady' Megapiranha Movie / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus - The Deborah Gibson Interview / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus: How Big Is Too Big? / Black Scorpion #1 - A Comic Book Review / Shout! Factory To Release Roger Corman Classics On DVD / A Special Effects Video Bonanza - Galactic Raiders - Dinocroc vs Supergator / Jim Wynorski Releases Images Of The Late David Carradine From 'Dinocroc vs. Supergator' / Dinocroc vs. Supergator - Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

The First Look At Roger Corman's 'Dinoshark'

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter / Avery Guerra

Isn't it wonderful that giant mutant monsters are popular again. After J.J. Abrams unleashed his giant monster movie, "Cloverfield", in theaters two years ago, there has been a non-stop parade of independent features where the motto, "bigger is better", has really been taken seriously.

Last year, The Asylum, made a huge media splash with their film "Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus". The film featured former 80s pop sensation, Debbie Gibson, playing second fiddle to a titanic shark and an equally gigantic octopus. Likewise, films of the same vein like, "Dinocroc vs. Supergator", "Megaconda," and even The Asylum's follow-up to "Mega Shark", called "Megapiranha", were all rushed into production by the end of 2009.

Now it seems that the king of B movie monsters, Roger Corman, was feeling a little left-out by all of this, so he has developed his own giant monster film for the SyFy Channel called, "Dinoshark."

Lets see....Megaconda....Dinocrock.....Mega Shark........Dinoshark. Makes perfect sense in the grand scheme of things, doesn't it?

Originally SyFy was playing around with two other monster film ideas, which they wanted Corman to help develop, "Dinocroc 2" and "Sharktopus!". In the end they passed on "Dinocroc 2", but went ahead with "Sharktopus!", which presented Corman with the challenge of figuring out how to combine a shark with an octopus.

"'Sharktopus!' is more difficult because you can imagine a prehistorical crocodile like the Dinocroc, but there's no such thing as prehistoric half-shark, half-octopus," Corman said. "I tried to figure out how to do this."

The solution? The U.S. Navy has commissioned a group called Blue Water to genetically engineer a half-shark, half-octopus to help combat Somali pirate ships. Then things go wrong.

"It's fairly difficult to believe, but we only ask the audience to accept this one thing," he said. "After that, we take great care that everything else is logical from then on and is something that could happen."

Sounds like a lot to swallow to me.

For "Dinoshark", Corman turned to a more traditional approach for a giant monster movie, something more reminiscent to the classic creature features of the 50s and 60s, something with a "Godzilla" feel to it.

"Global warming causes the glaciers to break apart," Corman explains. "We start the picture with real beautiful shots of the glaciers falling into the ocean. The unborn egg of the Dinoshark that has been frozen for millions of years is released."

Actually, if you take a close look at the image of the Dinoshark (above), you can see a hint of the "King of the Monsters" there, but mostly it just looks like a monster shark with a T-Rex head attached.

Look for "Dinoshark" to premiere on SyFy, March 13th.

Dinosharks, Mega Sharks, Sharktopus, Dinocrocs? Good grief! This thing is really getting out of hand.

I'm going to develop my own creature, Dinotopuscrocshark! It's going to be one bad-ass monster.....that's very complicated......and has an identity crisis.

See Also: Tiffany To Star In The Asylum's 'Very Brady' Megapiranha Movie / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus - The Deborah Gibson Interview / Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus: How Big Is Too Big? / Black Scorpion #1 - A Comic Book Review / Shout! Factory To Release Roger Corman Classics On DVD / A Special Effects Video Bonanza - Galactic Raiders - Dinocroc vs Supergator / Jim Wynorski Releases Images Of The Late David Carradine From 'Dinocroc vs. Supergator' / Dinocroc vs. Supergator - Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

Black Scorpion #1 - A Comic Book Review

Written By: Ken Hulsey

What could be cooler than a comic book heroine created by legendary film maker Roger Corman?

Last August Bluewater Comics and Corman announced that they had agreed on a partnership that would bring many of the director/producer's creations to print.

One of the first of these titles to emerge from Bluewater's Washington state digs, is a series about the revenge driven female character, "Black Scorpion", who has already graced cable television, played by the buxom Michelle Lintel, in the form of two made for Showtime movies and a twenty-two episode series on the Sci Fi Channel (SyFy).

The first issue's story, as you would probably guess, is a straight forward 'origin' story. Detective Darcy Walker is not afraid to stick her nose into places where it doesn't belong, a trait that she inherited from her father who just happens to be the Police Commissioner. Of course, the lovely detectives rogue antics drive her higher-ups bonkers.

While attempting to apprehend a sinister criminal, known as 'The Prankster", who has just wasted a hostage and gotten away with a hefty amount of ransom money, Walker's straight-forward approach allows the criminal to get away, and lands her a nasty crack to the noggin.

Now, I want to stop here for a second to talk a little bit about "The Pankster". "Prankster".....hmm....."Prankster?".......sound like any other comic book villain?

.....hmmm.......maybe like....Oh, I dunno...."The Joker!"

Well. that is exactly what we have here......literally, an African-American version of "The Joker", complete with scared smile, but no clown makeup.

As the story unfolds, The Prankster manages to bribe the mayor and other city officials to look the other way as the master criminal and his gang begin to eliminate all that oppose them and go on a crime spree.

As you may assume, Commissioner Walker, isn't the kind of guy that you can buy off, so he gets murdered in cold blood.

The elder Walker dies in his daughter Darcy's arms in a very emotional, and very cliche, scene.

Seeking revenge, the young detective fixates on a Scorpio pendant that her father gave her just a day prior, and ala "Spider-Man", the "Black Scorpion" is born. Though we don't get to see the shapely Darcy Walker in the latex in this issue.

Overall the quality of this issue is pretty good, albeit the story, by Paul J. Salamoff, is fairly cliche, and the main villain is 'borrowed' from "Batman".

The art-work, produced by the combined talents of Darren G. Davis, Wilson Ramos Jr., Zac Atkinson and Daniel Cuchacovich is quite good.

It will be interesting to see just how this story will develop over the next few issues, hopefully expanding into more Corman-esque fair with a sense of camp and a more creative story line.

See Also: Cape Town South Africa Is Under Attack By Six-Legged Cephalopods! / Vincent Price Presents - A Wonderful Horror Comics Anthology From Bluewater / Plan 9 From Outer Space Strikes Again / The First Look At The Giant Octopus From It Came From Beneath The Sea.... Again / The First Image From Todd Tennant's It Came From Beneath The Sea Again / Todd Tennant To Illustrate Blue Water Comics It Came From Beneath The Sea Again / The Work Of Ray Harryhausen Comes To Comics In Matt Frank's Wrath Of The Titans: Cyclops