#fighting mad

[drmonkeysetroscans]

You go girl.

[greensparty]

Roger Corman, Giant of Independent Filmmaking, Dies at 98

The fabled "King of the B’s" producer and director influenced the careers of Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese,

Remembering Roger Corman 1926-2024

This one hurts! One of the giants of indie film Roger Corman has died at 98. While he might have been known for B movies, his influence is immeasurable to all movies (A-Z).

If there was some sort of an It's a Wonderful Life scenario where we could see what life would be like if Corman hadn't been born, the entire history of film would look very different. As a producer / director / writer, he discovered and gave early career breaks to Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Joe Dante, Ron Howard, Alan Arkush, John Sayles, James Cameron, Gale Ann Hurd and countless others. In 2010 when Corman received an honorary Academy Award, Quentin Tarantino did the tribute. Afterwards QT posed for a photo with many of Corman's proteges and made reference to feeling like he was an honorary member of the Corman Film School!

Demme directing Corman in Silence of the Lambs. The student became the master!

But most notably for me is that he discovered one of my favorite filmmakers of all time Jonathan Demme. Early Corman-produced films that Demme worked on included Angels Hard as They Come, and The Hot Box. Then the first three features Demme directed were for Corman's New World Pictures: Caged Heat, Crazy Mama, and Fighting Mad. Once he moved on to bigger films, Demme never forgot Corman as he cast him in small roles in Swing Shift, The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, The Manchurian Candidate, and Rachel Getting Married. One of the things Demme talked about quite often that Corman taught him was that you need to keep the eye engaged in a film, because if the eye gets bored, the brain (and the viewer) will too, and also that the picture will only be as strong as the hero and antagonist. In 2010 when Demme received an award from Coolidge Corner Theatre, Corman was in attendance and spoke as well. My friend Jake Mulligan taught a class about Corman at the Coolidge a few years ago and had a section about Demme and Corman as well.

Bucket of Blood movie poster

In all of this praise about Corman as a producer and the "Corman Film School" of directors he gave early opportunities to, it's easy to overlook his own directing. My favorite of his own films are the underrated A Bucket of Blood (having a lot to say about beatniks and the art world) and The Little Shop of Horrors (featuring Jack Nicholson in an early role as an eager patient).

In my own directing class in college, my professor would often make reference to Corman, not just the themes and ideas in his films but his approach to low-budget filmmaking. If you've ever seen Corman in an interview you can't help but absorb his bits of wisdom.

I'd highly recommend checking out the 2011 documentary Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel for more about the man himself. I included it in my Best Documentaries of the 2010s list.

The link above is the obit from Hollywood Reporter.

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[schlock-luster-video]

On April 29, 1982, Death Force (also released as Fighting Mad) debuted in West Germany.

[heartsmade4more]

**this song has been altered to convey a different meaning than what the artist originally intended.

[peopletellmeilooklikehansolo]

Earliest uses of Jonathan Demme’s trademark close-up/POV shot

Caged Heat, 1974, DoP: Tak Fujimoto / Fighting Mad, 1976, DoP: Michael Watkins

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Fighting Mad

[mcparty27]

Therapy for the Berserker 1 (w/out proof read)

I'm tired of trying to set the good example Tired of trying to wear a righteous mantle Elohim Adonai You are good You are righteous I am not Not even close I shouldn't get weary of doing good I shouldn't get tired of doing what's right I shouldn't be frustrated in avoiding wicked paths But not much can be said for shoulds It doesn't change reality That I find these wicked ways in me Desires for not behaving righteously I need to vent To blow off steam One heart attack to the next I can't keep track with what all is happening This isn't solved or satisfied By alcohol or nicotine Raw adrenaline Is another thing Entirely The moment before a disaster The heart rush therein and after Your whole body pounding Every synapse on fire Needing a grounding Dragging bike pegs through a corner A child falling without anyone there to warn her Surviving death Despite every sense screaming warners Every time coming out on top Every time a growing fire That can't be stopped Adrenaline loaded and locked Like an arrow nocked Pulled and held The tension ever building As the string to the archer’s face meld What is going on? Can I not be free and those Who self - righteously impose Rules for good boys and girls Because good Christians don't fuss Don't cuss Never struggle with lust They just pray it away Don't argue, there's nothing to discuss Luke 13:32, Matthew 23:33 But I am a sinner In the hands of a jealous God There's nothing I can do No good deed for enough I love others As I love myself For we're made in the image Of the Creator Himself His death and resurrection Is the only way to perfection A daily struggle An exercise of sorts Like a five-foot, eight-inch, 260 pound man running It looks terrible It's not exactly cunning But it works out the waste Cleans out the disgrace And one day will give way To something desirable to face Breath Ken Breath There are greater needs Than your own desires Those too Can fuel this fire Check the lusts Check the liars Keep them all down Put them under guard Of the loudest crier Put them to death Again and again Step after step The fight never ends The war never dies You will always struggle With what's inside Turn your anger And aggravation Into focused rage Against the true enemy Of Messiah Who provides salvation