The Life and Work of Roger Corman Celebrated at Sundance!
New Horizon’s is excited to announce that tonight, at 9:30pm, a pre-screening dinner was held to celebrate the premier of Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel at the Sundance Film Festival. Roger and Julie were there to celebrate with family and friends as they looked back on Roger’s impact on filmmaking in Hollywood.
Click here for some information about the film.
The film’s director, Alex Stapleton, has been coordinating with Roger for some time, and she is as excited to share Roger’s story as she is to premier her directorial debut. The film will debut on an as-yet to be determined date on A&E. No trailer has been released, but we’ll post it as soon as we receive it! For now, check out the invite that Roger received for his honorary dinner (of which he exclaimed, “This photo was taken while I was directing Robert De Niro in Bloody Mama!”), as well as the invitation for the after party:
We’ll have more information on what happened at the events when Roger returns next week!
Monte Hellman, 50 years later…
There are a few names on the Roger Corman list of alumni that seem a bit too obvious to write about, as their success is evident through the fact that their names have become household items; Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and James Cameron to name a few. These are filmmakers whose works have gained them personal artistic notoriety and have also influenced, and will continue to influence, both cineastes and general movie-goers alike. And yet, at the same time, there are a few Corman alumni whose works have had a major impact on modern filmmakers and film history but have had to wait some time to gain the attention necessary to put them in the public spotlight. And by ‘some time’ we mean 50 years…
Monte Hellman began working for Roger Corman in the late 1950’s. After graduating from Stanford University—also Roger’s alma mater—he studied film at UCLA and soon thereafter joined classmates Francis Ford Coppola and Jack Hill as an employee of Roger. Monte directed his first feature, Beast from Haunted Cave, for Roger in 1959.
Monte directed four more pictures for Roger, including The Terror (co-directed with Roger Corman, Jack Hill, and Francis Ford Coppola), Ride in the Whirlwind and The Shooting (both featuring Jack Nicholson), and Cockfighter. Monte earned his big break in 1971, directing Two-Lane Blacktop for Universal Pictures, but the film was ill-received by studio executive Lew Wasserman and was ultimately discarded and given little publicity with a limited release. Monte never made another studio-funded picture, but he continued to independently produce films for the next 30 years.
Today, Monte is a professor and teaches courses in directing at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Since his time with Roger, Monte has made an indelible mark on cinema as his films have reached a cult status in their own right, amassing a large base of dedicated fans. Ride in the Whirlwind and The Shooting have become favorites of the acid western genre, and Two-Lane Blacktop was recently restored and released on DVD by the Criterion Collection (where you should also see Monte’s 10 Favorite Criterion Titles).
Monte’s following is due in large part to his keenness in creating independently produced projects. His do-it-yourself methods (as learned during his years as a protégé to Roger) have been an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers. Of Monte’s greatest fans is famed director Quentin Tarantino, whose first film Reservoir Dogs was executive produced by Monte in 1991. This past summer at the 67th Venice Film Festival, Quentin—who was head of the Jury—attended the premiere of Monte’s latest film, Road to Nowhere, and presented Monte with a Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award.
This past weekend, to continue with his overdue and well-deserved accolades, the Palm Springs International Film Festival held ‘A Tribute to Monty Hellman.’ On Saturday, January 15th, Monte, Roger Corman, Scott Cooper (director of Crazy Heart), and Steve Gaydos (Exec. Editor of Variety) sat together in a panel to discuss Monte’s body of work and his humble cinematic beginnings with Roger. And after the discussion ended, and before a screening of Road to Nowhere, an act of poetry was had as Monte was presented the Maverick Award. And the presenter? Well, the only person qualified to give such an award to Monte, as their name and reputation as a maverick are notorious and synonymous with independent production; none other than Roger Corman.
For his commitment to being an independent in the truest sense, for his persistence in originality and vision, and for his exceptional influence on filmmakers-to-be, Roger Corman and New Horizons congratulate Monte Hellman on all of his success. We hope that you will seek out and appreciate Monte’s work as much as we do.
Kick off the New Year with Spice
The holidays flew by and you probably thought we forgot about you. But we’ve just been squirreled away preparing the next top-secret action packed Corman movie. We know you’re as excited as we are, but since we aren’t going to be divulging our secrets now, we’ve got something to spice up your night.
No cameras flashed and whirred at the New Horizons annual holiday party, but every person in the room raved about Vikram Kale’s homemade Egg Curry. Vikram has been a video editor at New Horizons for five years, and this was the first time he shared this delicious recipe from Mumbai. Egg curry is a common Indian dish, but one that you will rarely see on the menu in a US Indian restaurant. And after tasting Vikram’s curry, we all agree that this is too good not to share.
Thanks to Vikram’s generosity, everyone at New Horizons would like to wish you a happy new year by offering the recipe for this unusual and delicious dish.
VIKRAM’S EGG CURRY
INGREDIENTS:
(1) 4 Tbsp Olive oil
(2)
2 Bay Leaves
6 Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick
(3)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Fennel seeds
(4) 2 Medium onions – finely chopped
(5)
1/2 tsp Tumeric
Red chili powder according to taste (recommend at least 1/2-1 tsp)
2 tsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Chicken Masala – likely only found at an Indian market or a health-food store
(6)
1 cup Tomato puree
2 tsp Sugar
Salt – according to taste (recommend 1 tsp)
(7) 2 – 13.5 ounce cans of Coconut milk
(8) 10 – 12 Hardboiled eggs
(9) A few sprigs of Cilantro
(10) 1/2 cup cooked rice per person
(11) A wedge of lime per person
(12) *optional* raw green chiles and salt
STEPS (stir entire time)
Heat oil on medium
Add (2) for a few seconds
Add (3) and let it roast for a few seconds until you smell the aroma
Add (4) and let it cook until the onions become golden-brown (approximately 3-4 minutes)
Add (5) and stir for a few seconds
Add (6) and let it cook for a few minutes until the puree becomes darker
Add (7) and bring to a boil until it reaches desired thickness (at least 4-5 minutes)
Cut (8) into quarters and add to the curry immediately before serving
Add a few (9) cilantro leaves for dressing
Serve over (10) rice
Squeeze a (11) wedge of lime over each individual serving for additional zing (do not skip this step)
*Optional* Serve dish of (12) raw green chiles and salt to bite (dip chili into salt and eat raw)
This recipe tastes best when consumed with friends
Recommended beverage, for adults, is beer (find a traditional Indian beer)
