Roger Corman Honored at the Oscars

[mrsphyllistorgo]

While watching the Oscars telecast, between gasps ("Yay, Jeff Bridges!" "SANDRA BULLOCK WON??!!") and moans ("Why are they dancing? What's going on? Who the hell did that to Vera Farmiga's hair?") They showed clips of the Governor's awards, and our freind and mentor, Roger Corman, was among them.

And I say hooray! The Mads, and we, have been hard on ol' Roger, but I say with all sincerity that without him, none of us would be where we are today. His ability to make an entertaining film and his spotting and nurturance of major talents are really nothing short of that horribly overabused word, Legendary. So congratulations, sir, and Excelsior!

Plus, he looked great, rocked that tux, and was in the same room with Lauren Bacall purring "Now I'll have a two legged man in my house, darlings!" while clutching her statue. We all should be so blessed.

[stevehadcrackers]

I thought that it was really cool that the Academy honored Roger Corman. I know the brains love to pick on him and talk about how he is really a terrible director who should in no way be considered "good," but I disagree. His Vincent price/Poe adaptations are some of my favorite movies. As a fan of low-budget horror, I'm a big Corman supporter, and I really believe he has brought a lot to an industry that can be so snooty and snobbish. He proved that you can be a successful filmmaker without lots of money and industry backing. To see him honored alongside Lauren Bacall (who still looks gorgeous at the age of 200) was pretty neat.

[Mr. Atari]

Evidence for Corman being a good director:

• Multiple young actors & directors mentored who became exceptional players in Hollywood, such as Ron Howard, Jack Nicholson, etc.
  
• A love for filmmaking, even if on limited time and budget
  
• A catalog bursting with interesting ideas
  
• Beverly Garland and Allison Hayes
  

Evidence for Corman being a colossal hack:

• Digger Smolken
  

I think the data points to a clear conclusion.