Corman's World: Expoits of a Hollywood Rebel [Sundance '11]

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Synopsis: Independent film maverick. Trailblazing writer/director who takes chances with style and script. Inspirational humanist. Box-office success. Indie filmmaker from the 1970s or 1990s? No—Roger Corman! While known for working fast—some of his films were made in two days—and wallowing in the B-movie world of monsters, bad special effects, schlocky acting, and plentiful nudity, Corman is also a respected rebel of cinema. He dealt with hot-button social topics like race and feminism. He created his own production and distribution company, tagging it "America's Biggest Independent." And he taught the next generation of film greats, including Scorsese, Demme, even Ron Howard. From Corman's first 1955 feature to the set of his new film, Dinoshark, this entertaining documentary has all the blood and guts of Corman's lurid and fascinating career, with essential insights from contemporaries and students. Learn the roots of indie filmmaking, laced with boobs and violence!

Buzz: A great doc for cinephiles and film geeks.

My mini-review via The Playlist: "Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel" wasn't playing in competition but was one of the best films at the fest. This great documentary is a long overdue record of legendary film producer/director Roger Corman. As a producer he has nearly 400 credits to his name and has been making films for over five decades. Despite being driven out of the multiplexes by higher budget versions of the kinds of films he used to make, he continues to produce films today including fun schlock like "Dinoshark" and "Dinocrock vs. Supergator" for SyFy. But the film, and his career, is not a celebration of "bad movies," it's a look at how hugely influential he has been in the industry. With his low budget, independently made films, he's been responsible for starting the careers of a laundry list of amazing filmmakers and actors. Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Jack Nicholson, Jonathan Demme, John Sayles, Bruce Dern, Peter Fonda, Robert De Niro, Joe Dante, Ron Howard and many more all show up in the film to sing his praises. These revealing interviews along with a wealth of footage from his films make this a must-see for cinephiles everywhere.