Despite having a directorial resume of 21 films and a writing credit on over 80 properties, the New York auteur doesn't get recognized much these days the way he should. Cohen hasn't directed a film since his Masters of Horror segment in 2006 and hasn't written a script in over 5 years. That doesn't mean we'll forget him, though! Let's look back through the movies Cohen helmed as a director...which one is your favorite?
Q the Winged Serpent. Michael Moriarty's character was kind of a scumbag... and his performance and the writing made me care about him and even agree with a lot of what he was saying. Excellent character motivation. Damn fine socio-political commentary too (and very ahead of its' time: Rupert Murdoch name-drop). Also, I loved the monster, the camerawork was great, and it was unpredictable in all the best ways. Candy Clark worked my last nerve though.
God Told Me To, followed by The Ambulance, A Return to Salem's Lot and Full Moon High. I never cared for any of the It's Alive movies or The Stuff at all.
Agreed, Q is fantastic. I didn't like it the first time I saw it, but Cohen's off-beat style has grown on me over the last few years. And of all the one's I've seen (probably less than half of what's up there), out of all the one's that I now like very much (God Told Me Too, It's Alive, It Lives Again), Q is at the top of the list. It's pretty hysterically funny at some points, too ("Eat him! Eat him! Ca-runch! Ca-runch!").
Q for me. This flick got a lot of play for me as a kid. On HBO quite a bit and still wore our my dubbed VHS. I'm long overdue for a viewing.
I like a lot of his films, but God Told Me To would probably be my favorite. I also really like Wicked Stepmother, even though it was a problematic production and generally considered a pretty bad movie.
Larry Cohen will be appearing in person as a guest at the upcoming CHILLER THEATRE in April. This event will be held in Parsippany, NJ. Can't wait to meet him and have him sign my Q original vinyl soundtrack!
Q for me, one of my all time favorites. I love how they mix the feel of a seventies urban crime exploitation drama with the classic monster film. The cast is incredible too, in particular, Michael Moriarty in a tour de force performance as the troubled anti-hero. Also, the early shot of the woman sunbathing stayed with me as a kid. LOL. Great film.
Larry Cohen films are never boring. His dvd commentary tracks are always informative and entertaining. Of the Cohen films I have seen, here are my top five: Q: The Winged Serpent God Told Me To The Stuff Hell Up In Harlem It's Alive
There are a few on this list that I haven't seen yet. But, I doubt any of them will surpass "God Told Me To" But, the "It's Alive" trilogy is probably a great example of how to make sequels that really expand upon the themes and world of the original. If taken as a whole, I think that's probably the best thing he's directed. But, I will also add that I think his best work overall is the script for "Phone Booth" It's a masterpiece of high-concept gimmick. He's truly one of the most imaginative writers out there.
I'm with the majority on this one. Q has all the elements of the ideal low-budget creature feature: a witty script, charming old school effects, the expected graphic violence and nudity, and a strong cast giving enthusiastic performances. Cohen's enthusiasm for the genre and playful incorporation of visual gags results in a whole lot of fun.
I often think Cohen's films feature "A+" IDEAS but are compromised by weak elements,be they budgetary,performance or simply schuduling.Though I can TELL a Cohen film by the feel of it and consider myself a fan I have to admit they vary considerably as to how successful they are.I too am gonna vote for Q here,it may not be his deepest film but it might be the one that hangs together best.For a Cohen movie it is well produced (the old school stop motion effects are charming) and it has a strong cast,including a great Michael Moriarty,Candy Clark,David Carradine and Richard Roundtree to keep it humming.Rather quotable too.Most of Cohen's pics are worth a look but Q is one of his most effective and most polished.
I like every movie I have seen of his. That being said I need to still see a lot of them including Q and God Told Me To, so I didn't vote. As of right now though my favourite is The Stuff, such a crazy fun flick with some great practical effects.
Just caught "Full Moon High" on Netflix. This movies is a lot of fun! Some of the best one-liners I hope they will release it one day on DVD/BR.
Lately I've been enjoying watching episodes of the series "Branded" with Chuck Connors. It's interesting to see a western tv program with a protagonist with such a dark backstory that continues through the series. Compared to other western television programs of its ilk, it has a flawed hero vibe to it more in line with today's tv dramas then what was on the air then. I'm gonna have to go with other than, as Cohen was the series' creator.
"What do you do when you're BRANDED...and you know your a MAN ?" Cohen also created the cult science fiction series THE INVADERS.Like Branded it had a lone hero,a haunted man trying to convince the world that aliens disguised as humans were invading the Earth.Cohen seems to identify with loners,his protaganists are often outcasts,shunned.An interesting trait in his body of work.
I finally got to watch the Blu-ray of Q. I honestly cannot tell whether I liked it or not.It felt like Larry C tried to blend several genres and the result is one big (awesome) mess
Scream Factory should pursue this. It's in the MGM library. Except that no one could consider it horrifying (just painfully bad). So, more up Shout's alley. If Saturday the 14th hasn't been Blu'd yet, the two really MUST double-up.
