MONSTERZERO NJ’S MOVIE MEMORIES: HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY FORBIDDEN WORLD (1982)

HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY FORBIDDEN WORLD (1982)

The doomed research station on the planet Xarbia!!

Roger Corman’s production of Forbidden World was released 40 years ago today and I was there opening night with friends, at the now long-gone Stanley Warner Quad Theater in Paramus NJ. A big fan of Corman’s films already, I couldn’t wait to see this, especially after having seen and loved Corman’s Galaxy of Terror the previous November on Thanksgiving Night. It was an absolute blast, with its combination of babes, blood and beasts, and the energetic music video editing style was way ahead of its time! A fun flick!

Sexy space scientists perfectly dressed for a lurking genetic mutant on the loose!

Forbidden World is directed by director Allan Holzman with an almost psychedelic music video style, as it tells the story, written by Tim Curnen, R.J. Robertson and Jim Wynorski, of a soldier, Mike Colby (Jesse Vint) sent to an isolated research station on the remote planet Xarbia to deal with a genetic experiment that has gotten out of control. Colby not only has to battle a growing and hungry genetic mutant, but handle not one, but two hot and very horny female scientists (Dawn Dunlap and June Chadwick). The type of B movie they just don’t make anymore. One of the last of its kind. Crack a few beers and enjoy!

The constantly evolving mutant in its most lethal form!

-MonsterZero NJ

 

BARE BONES BOOK REVIEW: CELLULOID WARS: THE MAKING OF BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS by ALLAN HOLZMAN

CELLULOID WARS: THE MAKING OF BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS by ALLAN HOLZMAN

Battle Beyond The Stars is a cult classic Roger Corman production that was made to cash in on the Star Wars sci-fi craze of the 70s and 80s, but is now recognized on it’s own merit. Allan Holzman was an editor on the film and after four decades, has released his journal of the making of this legendary flick that he wrote while the film was in production.

This is a wonderful and fun look at the making of a cult classic by a man whose task it was to put all the fractured pieces together and make a movie out of them. Holzman’s entries detail a very troubled production, populated by a large group of artists and creative people struggling to make it all work, delivering an FX filled epic on a shoestring budget and tight schedule. There are tales of cramped work spaces, unexperienced directors, demanding producers and almost unusable footage. We get Holzman’s account of trying to make an almost impossible release date, with FX work falling dangerously behind and the shots he was getting, an editor’s nightmare to piece together. It’s is a fascinating look at filmmaking, especially from the perspective of the unsung editing process. It’s also a fun look back at how legendary producer Roger Corman made movies back then and a nostalgic look at how some now acclaimed film talents, like James Cameron, John Sayles, James Horner, Gale Anne Hurd and Holzman himself, started out.

If you love movies, Roger Corman films, are a fan of some of today’s most heralded filmmakers, or all of the above, this is a must have book that also features some great bonus interviews with model builders and FX legends Robert and Dennis Skotak and Battle’s costume designer Durinda Wood! Allan Holzman is planning a sequel about his directorial debut on Corman’s Forbidden World and one can’t wait for that after enjoying this delightful book.

-MonsterZero NJ

COOL STUFF: ALLAN HOLZMAN’S CELLULOID WARS-THE MAKING OF BATTTLE BEYOND THE STARS!

ALLAN HOLZMAN’S CELLULOID WARS: THE MAKING OF BATTTLE BEYOND THE STARS!

Can’t wait to start reading this! Director and editor Allan Holzman (Forbidden World) has released his journal about the making of the 1980 cult classic Battle Beyond The Stars! The book is loaded with anecdotes, interviews and photos from the production of one of Roger Corman’s biggest and most famous flicks. Holzman was an editor on the film and below is the official description of his tome from the back of the book itself!…

“The Year was 1980, and SCI-FI had the motion picture industry in its grip…

The first producer to rush to meet the demand for more SciFi Adventure was Roger Corman who gambled on making the biggest picture his studio, New World Pictures, had ever undertaken. He hired a bunch of hungry, talented filmmakers to produce Battle Beyond The Stars including future award winners James Cameron, John Sayles, Robert & Dennis Skotak, James Horner, Gale Ann Hurd, Jimmy Murakami, and many others… including the author of this book, ACE and Emmy award-winning editor, Allan Holzman.

Taken from Holzman’s diary during production, Celluloid Wars offers an insider’s view of the production headaches that turned into lifelong lessons and the thought process behind the “Roger Corman School of Filmmaking.” This is a case study of a film that according to Nerdist.com “…succeeds in being a fresh, fun, charming sci-fi romp with some excellent effects and damn fine music.”

You’ll see it all – the highs, the lows, the winners and the losers, and all the drama in between – from the point of view of the editor who had to weave all of these different elements and emotions together to help create one of the most successful movies ever produced at New World Pictures, launching a dozen movie careers, and changing the face of Hollywood forever…

BONUS

• Exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes photos with Special FX gurus Robert & Dennis Skotak on their experiences producing eye-popping visuals on a pennywise budget.

• Costume designer Durinda Wood discusses creating the unique looks for Battle, and how that movie allowed her to create the look of the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Celluloid Wars: The Making of Battle Beyond The Stars can be purchased on Amazon.com!

 

 

MonsterZero NJ

COVER PHOTOS: Amazon.com