Dinosaur Island | |
---|---|
Directed by | Fred Olen Ray Jim Wynorski |
Written by | Bob Sheridan Christopher Wooden |
Produced by | Fred Olen Ray Jim Wynorski |
Starring | Ross Hagen Richard Gabai Antonia Dorian |
Cinematography | Gary Graver |
Edited by | Wayne Schmidt |
Music by | Chuck Cirino |
Production companies | Win-Ray Media American Independent Productions Curb/Esquire Films |
Distributed by | Image Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $190,000 [1] |
Dinosaur Island is a 1994 B-movie directed by Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski. Wynorski called it "a very 1950s type of picture, like The Lost Continent except that we're going to have better dinosaurs and more girls." [2]
An U.S. Army captain is flying three misfit deserters home for a court martial when the airplane has engine trouble and they crash-land in the ocean near an uncharted island. There they find a primitive society of cave women who routinely sacrifice virgins to appease The Great One, the top-dog dinosaur on the island. Mistaken for gods as part of a prophecy, the men must destroy The Great One or face death, but meanwhile they fall in love despite the advice of their Queen, who tries to dissuade them from being corrupted by the outsiders' ways.
Wynorski said that Roger Corman asked him and Fred Olen Ray to make the film after Jurassic Park came out. "It wasn't so much a Jurassic Park rip off as a cavewoman movie", Wynorski said. [1]
Wynorski and Ray said they rewrote the script entirely. They knew who they were going to cast, employing actors they had worked with before, and tailored the script accordingly. They based the characters of the soldiers on characters in Stripes . Another influence was The War that Time Forgot , part of the Star Spangled War Stories comic book series. [3]
The movie was shot at Vasquez Rocks and David Carradine's ranch at Sun Valley over ten days. Wynorski says he and Ray made it "on a wing and a prayer". [1]
Several of the dinosaur props, namely the Deinonychus pet of the tribe and the antagonistic Great One were reused and refurbished from the previous year's film, Carnosaur , which Corman had produced. [4]
Wynorski later said, "I'd never co-directed a movie before, but it was smooth sailing all the way. When one of us got tired, the other would take over. I'd usually go back to the comfort of the air-conditioned motor home and hang out with the girls. You really can't beat that." [5]
"Roger ended up hating the movie," said Wynorski. "He didn't think the girls in it were pretty and he thought the story was too campy. But it did really well." [1] The film performed better on television than on video. [3]
Wynorski says he was at a party when he met Joe Pesci who told him he loved the film, saying "everytime I watch it I feel like I want to go there." [1] Paste listed the film among the 100 Best B Movies of all time (#56). [6]
Roger William Corman was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he was known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film.
Attack of the Crab Monsters is a 1957 independently made American black-and-white science fiction-horror film, produced and directed by Roger Corman, that stars Richard Garland, Pamela Duncan, and Russell Johnson. The film was distributed by Allied Artists as a double feature showing with Corman's Not of This Earth.
Fred Olen Ray is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter of more than 200 low-to-medium-quality feature films in many genres, including horror, science fiction, action/adventure, erotic thrillers, crime dramas, and holiday films.
Chopping Mall is a 1986 American independent techno-horror film co-written and directed by Jim Wynorski, produced by Julie Corman, and starring Kelli Maroney, Tony O'Dell, John Terlesky, Russell Todd, Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov, and Barbara Crampton. It focuses on three high-tech security robots turning maniacal and killing teenage employees inside a shopping mall after dark.
Jim Wynorski is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Wynorski has been making B-movies and exploitation movies since the early 1980s, and has directed over 150 feature films. His earliest films were released to film theaters, but his later works have predominantly been released through the cable or straight-to-video market. He often works under pseudonyms such as "Jay Andrews," "Arch Stanton," "H.R. Blueberry," "Tom Popatopolis," and "Noble Henry." His adult films often spoof popular horror movies: Cleavagefield, for example, parodies Cloverfield, The Bare Wench Project parodies The Blair Witch Project, and Para-Knockers Activity parodies Paranormal Activity.
Creature from the Haunted Sea is a 1961 horror comedy movie directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the movie is a parody of spy, gangster, and monster movies, concerning a secret agent, XK150, who uses the name "Sparks Moran" in order to infiltrate a criminal gang commanded by Renzo Capetto, who is trying to transport an exiled Cuban general with an entourage and a large portion of the Cuban treasury out of Cuba. Filmgroup released the movie as a double feature with Devil's Partner.
Bikini Cavegirl is a softcore pornographic film made by Fred Olen Ray under the pseudonyms "Nicholas Medina" and "Sherman Scott". It has been described as "a sexy makeover", but not a remake, of Ray's earlier film Dinosaur Island. It was released directly to video in 2004 under the title Teenage Cavegirl, and is shown on cable as Bikini Cavegirl.
Beast from Haunted Cave is a 1959 horror/heist film directed by Monte Hellman and starring Michael Forest, Frank Wolff and Richard Sinatra. It was produced by Gene Corman, Roger Corman's brother. Filmed in South Dakota at the same time as Ski Troop Attack, it tells the story of bank robbers fleeing in the snow who run afoul of a giant spider-like monster that feeds on humans. The film was released as a double feature with The Wasp Woman (1959).
The Wasp Woman is a 1959 American independent science-fiction horror film produced and directed by Roger Corman. Filmed in black-and-white, it stars Susan Cabot, Anthony Eisley, Michael Mark, and Barboura Morris. The film was originally released by Filmgroup as a double feature with Beast from Haunted Cave. To pad out the film's running time when it was released to television two years later, a new prologue was added by director Jack Hill.
Sorority House Massacre II is a 1990 American slasher film directed by Jim Wynorski, featuring scream queens Melissa Ann Moore and Gail Harris. It follows five sorority sisters who are stalked and murdered by an unknown assailant after purchasing a large house. Much like its predecessors, Sorority House Massacre II has received a cult following over the years.
Deathstalker II, also known as Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans, is a 1987 Argentine-American fantasy comedy-adventure film directed by Jim Wynorski and a sequel to 1983's Deathstalker. It was written by Neil Ruttenberg and starring John Terlesky, Monique Gabrielle, John LaZar and María Socas. Terlesky replaced Rick Hill, the protagonist from the previous film, in the starring role of Deathstalker. This is the last sword and sorcery movie that Roger Corman produced in Argentina during the 80s.
Stripped to Kill is a 1987 American erotic thriller/sexploitation film directed by Katt Shea and starring Greg Evigan, Kay Lenz and Norman Fell. Its plot follows a female Los Angeles police detective who goes undercover posing as a stripper to investigate a series of slayings connected to a strip club near Skid Row.
Night Call Nurses is a 1972 American sex comedy film directed by Jonathan Kaplan. It is the third in Roger Corman's "nurses" cycle of films, starting with The Student Nurses (1970).
Ski Troop Attack is a 1960 American war film directed by Roger Corman and starring Michael Forest, Frank Wolff, Richard Sinatra and Wally Campo. Filmgroup released the film as a double feature with Battle of Blood Island (1960).
Atlas is a 1961 peplum film directed by Roger Corman and starring Michael Forest and Frank Wolff. It was filmed in Greece. Corman called it "my last attempt to do a big picture on a low budget." Writer Charles B. Griffith said "Atlas was a mess. It was a doomed project. "
The Wasp Woman is a 1995 television body horror film directed by Jim Wynorski and starring Jennifer Rubin, and Doug Wert. It is a remake of the 1959 film of the same name, which was produced and directed by Roger Corman. The film first aired on the Showtime Network in 1995.
The Filmgroup was a production and distribution company founded by filmmakers Roger Corman and Gene Corman in 1959. Corman used it to make and distribute his own movies, as opposed to ones he was making for American International Pictures. The company ultimately folded, however, lessons from running the company helped Corman make a success later of New World Pictures. Filmgroup also produced early feature work of Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Charles B. Griffith, Curtis Harrington, Jack Hill, Monte Hellman, Robert Towne and Jack Nicholson.
Screwballs is a 1983 Canadian teen sex comedy film that was inspired by the success of Porky's.
Bad Girls from Mars is a 1991 American black comedy science fiction slasher film written by Mark Thomas McGee and directed by Fred Olen Ray. It stars Edy Williams, Oliver Darrow, Brinke Stevens and Jay Richardson.
Mark Thomas McGee is a screenwriter and author. Most of his movie work was for Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski. Although he played bit parts in some of these movies, he is not an actor and has been confused with a Mark McGee who actually is an actor. When he was in high school, Mark teamed with Dennis Muren and David Allen to make The Equinox ... A Journey into the Supernatural, released to theaters in an altered version by producer Jack H. Harris.