King Cohen (2017) User Reviews

Interesting look at a pioneer in the industry

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 8/10 · 24 December 2018]

This was a film that I was immediately intrigued by when some of the podcasts I listen to had the chance to see this when it was making its festival rounds. I knew who Larry Cohen was, because my father had his film The Stuff on VHS. It was a film I didn't fully grasp as a child, but still one that I have nostalgia for having it seen it all those years ago. The official synopsis for this is a feature length documentary acclaimed work and eclectic career of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen.

As the synopsis states, this film follows the career of Cohen. We learn about where he grew up and how he got his start in the movie industry. At the time of watching this film, I had seen some of his works and some of them I had seen without realizing it, so it is fun to learn more about a guy that I'm a fan of.

What I like about the structure of this documentary is that we learn about his early career as a writer and how that was his break into the industry through television shows. It was amazing to me how nice of a guy Cohen is, even thought the executives were screwing him out of money he probably was entitled to. It really inspires me to see a guy who despite things not necessarily going his way, his hard work still paying off.

This really picks up for me when Cohen decides to shift to directing. He is really one of the original guerilla filmmakers. Things that he did and got away with when not having permits and shooting in New York had me in awe as well as laughing. This works even more for me since I have worked on an independent feature length film and some shorts. Seeing what he could do with such small budgets is quite amazing.

Even more than that, I'm a big fan of seeing interviews and learning about the making of films. Many of the ones in this film I haven't seen yet, but after watching this they are going on my 'To See List' I have going. I knew that Cohen had done horror films, but I had no idea about the spy/crime thrillers or the blacksxploitation films he did. Having such a range of what he could produce is crazy to me as an inspiring writer. The film does interview and give the background story of pretty much every film he directed. It also does this for films that he produced or wrote as well. They brought in as many cast and crew member as they could. Not everything that he says meshes with what others say, but I do like the film got both perspectives.

The documentary really does focus on his works, but what I liked as well is that we got to really learn about Cohen as a man. Those he worked with pretty much only had good things to say about him and his works are lower in budget, but what he could pull off was great. Hearing about the great things he would do for those around him and trying to help those he could was what really touched about Cohen. Even his ex-wife is a part of the documentary and she really only had good things to say about him as well. As a cinephile, what he produced in the films is great, but knowing the true story behind it and how great a person he is makes it even better for me.

I would say this documentary is very well done. They got so many people from his films and those he worked with to appear in this documentary. That is part of a testament to how great of a person he is that they would be willing. I also like that we get film historians and experts as well to give some idea of the significance of some things to add just another layer to this film.

Now with that said, this is a shorter review as documentaries are a little bit harder to talk about it. This is very well made and the stories that are shared in this are interesting. It runs almost two hours long, but I had to admit, it doesn't feel like it. There is so much knowledge and information that it flies past. I would definitely say that if you are a fan of Cohen, his films or just interested in hearing stories behind the scenes of how films are made, I would recommend this. It is even more interesting that he did most of his work outside of the Hollywood model, which is even more interesting for independent filmmakers. I would say this is a good documentary and worth a viewing.

Fast-paced and informative

[mstrysuz · 8/10 · 30 August 2018]

I confess that I have never seen a Larry Cohen movie. But I really enjoyed this documentary about the maverick film maker. The extraordinary amount of archival footage, along with the commentary through interviews with a variety of people who are familiar with Larry Cohen and the way he works, made this an easy-to-watch and thoroughly entertaining documentary. Hearing the comments from industry insiders (directors, actors, cinematographers, etc.), as well as Larry Cohen himself, gives the film a contemporary feel and a sense of both the seriousness and playfulness of his approach to film making. Definitely worth watching.

an expert guerilla filmmaker

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 1 August 2018]

Greetings again from the darkness. "That's not the way it's done." Larry Cohen admits to having heard those words many times over the years, but in fact, it's an accurate description of his 6 decade career as a Producer-Director-Writer. Filmmaker Steve Mitchell serves up a biopic and career retrospective of Mr. Cohen, and kicks it off with Cohen fan director JJ Abrams telling a story about the IT'S ALIVE prop baby and crossing paths with the man himself.

Larry Cohen might be described as a schlock movie maker known only to those who are drawn to B-movie horror films. But that would be an injustice to the man who sold his first script at age 17, was the creative force behind numerous TV series, and has been a successful screenwriter for the films he directed, and many he didn't. Walking us through a mostly chronological order of his life and career are Mr. Cohen himself, as well as numerous other industry folks ... plus his current and ex-wife.

Mr. Cohen relays a story about his grandfather's wish to play the banjo, and how that story convinced young Larry that we was going to do what he wanted to do, and not be talked out of it. That turned into the mantra for his life and career. We learn that he was a talented and creative writer who only began making movies himself because he tired of other directors and producers messing up his work. Typically working with a very limited budget, Mr. Cohen mastered the art of guerilla filmmaking - "stealing scenes" when he had no authorization or permit to film. This includes a clip of Andy Kaufman joining an NYPD parade whilst dressed in full uniform. He also regularly filmed at his own house ... a beautiful home originally built by William Randolph Hearst.

Filmmaker Mitchell generates a treasure trove of inside stories from such recognizable figures as actor Yaphet Kotto, who explains how BONE and BLACK CAESER started the Blaxploitation boom; legendary make-up and effects artist Rick Baker describing the IT'S ALIVE baby; actor Michael Moriarty speaks in reverent tones about his multiple collaborations with Cohen; Fred Williamson sparks a battle of egos in recollections of events; and Traci Lords, James Dixon, both of Cohen's wives, Mick Garris, Eric Roberts, and Robert Forster all add their flavor to the lore of working with Larry Cohen. Directors Joe Dante and Martin Scorsese speak to his influence and how credible the work is viewed by other filmmakers.

Even more fascinating stories are presented as Cohen talks about working with the great film composer Bernard Hermann, and then the shock of losing his friend to an unexpected early passing. The Betty Ford story is also quite funny in how it relates to Cohen getting THE SECRET FILES OF J EDGAR HOOVER filmed at Quantico and at Hoover's home. There are also segments about Cohen's work with two cinematic legends - Sam Fuller and Bette Davis. Not many can match this diverse list throughout their career, and Larry Cohen just seems to accept it as doing what needs to be done.

He is described as "the master of the premise" as he has no shortage of fresh ideas, and his name would likely be more well-known were he more interested in self-promotion. Instead, he concentrated on projects that were entertaining and profitable, and importantly, filled with social commentary and humor. His process of writing scripts in long-hand or dictating into a handheld recorder contrasts with today's technology, but it has not been detrimental to his daily writing. It's hard to know if this film works better as a treat for fans of Cohen's work or as an education for those unfamiliar. Mr. Cohen jokes that one film is not enough time to share all of his experiences. On second thought, he's not joking.

**Note: Larry Cohen's younger sister was Ronni Chasen, the Hollywood publicist who was shot dead at a Beverly Hills traffic light in 2010.

Bloody Brilliant Documentary...

[haldon-365 · 9/10 · 5 June 2018]

Steve Mitchell has captured a wonderful piece of work revolving around one of cinemas greatest pieces of work as Mitchell takes us from the beginnings of Cohens career on TV in the 60s to his prolific work on Blaxsploitaion through the 70s and 80s to writing one of my favorites of the 90s (Phone Booth) by tackling each project one by one. We hear some really interesting stories from some of the guys who knew him best and get a real good personal loving look at Larry Cohen and his long spanning career.

My Review Of "King Cohen"

[ASouthernHorrorFan · 9/10 · 9 August 2018]

The documentary is a classic cut for cut recollection of a truly unique and paramount figure in modern cinema. Larry Cohen if a frontiersman for the independent film community and "King Cohen" establishes this fact with informative and entertaining biography and interviews. The most value to this film comes in the form of first person accounts from Mr. Cohen himself offering back story to some truly monumental cult classic film and television projects given to us from his sheer genius of creativity.

"King Cohen" keeps with the standard documentary format, but still manages to be compelling and entertaining beyond your typical shtick seen in DVD extras, or basic documentary styles. With a fangasm worthy amount of first person accounts and anidotes from Larry about his work, plus the exploration and acknowledgement of the volume of his genre-bending films, "King Cohen : The Wild World Of Filmmaker Larry Cohen" is a great documentary, one truly a long time coming - and decades in the making...and it's about time!

Terrific Documentary on Cohen

[Michael_Elliott · 31 August 2018]

King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (2017)

**** (out of 4)

Excellent documentary that takes a look at the career of screenwriter and director Larry Cohen. The documentary comes in just shy of two hours and it features interviews with the man himself as well as Martin Scorsese, Rick Baker, John Landis, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Robert Forster, James Dixon, Eric Roberts, Megan Gallagher, Michael Moriarty, Traci Lords, Daniel Pearl, Nathaniel Thompson, Yaphet Kotto and Fred Williamson.

KING COHEN is a terrific documentary for fans of Cohen and if you're not familiar with Cohen's work then there's no question that you're going to be curious about after watching this. It's really great that there are so many definitive documentaries being made about these types of filmmakers and especially since they're all getting up there in age. If you're familiar with the work of Cohen then there's no question that you're going to love the behind-the-scenes stories to his films as well as his life.

I think some of the greatest stuff presented here is the discussion about his early television work. I'm sure a lot of people have seen his credits at various sites but I doubt too many know some of the stories. What's great is that Cohen is on hand to discuss these early television programs and we get some terrific stories about them. Once the movie stuff comes along then you get even more details from Cohen as well as the other filmmakers paying their respects and discussing what made his films work and especially on their budget.

There are a lot of really great stories told here but some of the best deal with Cohen and his ability to steal scenes without getting permits. We learn about why he does this and we get some great stories including one dealing with Q THE WINGED SERPENT. The majority of the film's that he directed are covered and that includes WICKED STEPMOTHER with Bette Davis. We finally get to hear what really happened on the set of that picture that had Davis walk off and eventually badmouth Cohen. Other great stories include the production of ORIGINAL GANGSTAS as well as some dealing with Cohen's anger at what some director's did to his screenplays.

All in all, KING COHEN is a really great documentary that gives you a terrific insight into the filmmaker and his movies.

IT'S STILL ALIVE

[js-66130 · 7/10 · 29 August 2018]

A lifelong (anti) Hollywood hustler, Larry Cohen relishes recounting some of the fabulous tales that make up his subversive career. And what a career!

As a prolific writer, Cohen penned scripts for numerous television (remember television?) shows in the sixties (The Fugitive!), and soon the big screen bug bit, and Larry succumbed. Perturbed at losing creative control to others, Cohen began a string of independent films with a gonzo attitude and a very tight wallet, berthing such B-movie classics like "Bone" (aka: "Dial Rat for Terror"), "Q: The Winged Serpent" and "It's Alive". Even though those movies are quite, uh, unique, there's no denying the spirit of their cinematic father.

Cohen often worked directly on location, with no permits, using the unsuspecting public during his guerilla shoots, adding a decidedly unpredictability wow factor to many of his wildly uneven films.

"King Cohen" takes a fanboyish documentary peek at one of Hollywood's true, overlooked treasures. Glowing accounts from bigwigs like Martin Scorsese and J.J. Abrams, are interspersed with fond filming recollections from actors Michael Moriarty and Fred Williamson, but most importantly is Larry himself, who remains a crackerjack trove of crazy ideas. Well worth the watch.

King of B: Legendary Larry Cohen

[shagee7977 · 10/10 · 2 June 2018]

I was asked to review King Cohen. The New documentary directed by Steve Mitchell. This was a labor of love. Never have I been so excited and blown away by a documentary. I grew up during the time of Mr. Cohen's reign at the box office. Larry is responsible for such classics including Bone, Black Caesar, It's Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent, and The Stuff. He was also jump started the Black exploitation films of the 1970s, and lil people know was the screenwriter for the Hollywood classic Phone Booth. He was also responsible for getting Kiether Sutherland to play the voice of the Sniper.

His Black Exploitation movies were my favorite. I would run to see the double features down on the notorious strip on 42 ND st. Were these classics played. Black Ceaser and Hell up in Harlem starring the great Fred Williamson. He has inspired me so much and after watching this and the behind the scenes see he is a lot like me. His well known style of hit and run and lil prep while filming has become a staple of mine, There are behind the scenes which will keep everyone entertained.Steven explores so much of this Hollywood Icons life from his humble start as a young kid growing up in NY loving movies. He would sell stuff on the street and when he had enough money would spend the rest of the day at the movies. Those days movies ran all the time and you can easily spend all day at the theater. Which Larry Did. He would watch any type of movie and loved them all. They would kick him out when it got dark because of his young age. He knew at an early age he wanted to get into the movies. His next stage was a stand up comedian. Larry loved comedy and was a stand up for awhile. He loved being around people and creating material to perform. That lead to a writing job for TV shows after getting hired at a studio, After doing a few successful TV scripts most notably The Invaders. He started clashing creatively. He complained Directors were destroying his scripts. So he said time for him to start directing. His first movie was called Bone. Yaphet Kotto as a thief that breaks into a wealthy families home. He pushed the envelope with this one having a interracial sex scene which was very daring in the early 70;s. But this got me aware of this young filmmaker and had everyone interested. Larry's hey day was pre 911. Were he loved filming in his hometown of NYC. He would do things that you could not do nowadays. He had car chase in Halram. Chase scenes on on sidewalks, shootings on Manhattan streets. Chases in airports. These were all done with no permits or permission and just shot the day the scene was planned. Peoples reactions were real. It was his vision and his way. Nobody else could of pulled this off wit such success. While filming Q on top of the Chrysler building he had actual shoots out with blank shells falling from the top on to street level. These crazy shoots go the attention of the police and were questioned and made the news. Larry most notable entry in the horror genre was the Its alive trilogy most notable the original. It was the scariest and most popular horror series of the days. Even more scary than a lil movie competing against it at the time called The Exorcist. I could gush on and on about this wonderful documentary but want you to see for ourselves. The makes make it like your hanging out with Larry for the day. You get to relax and hear all about his humble beginnings to the present day and the convention. Also what is on he horizon. Larry has the gift to entertain and and tell a story. This is the perfect platform. This is a film students bible on if you want to make a movie with balls follow the Larry Cohen way. Also to the film buffs out there that want to know everything about the King of B's. His story is told through live interviews just for the documentary in an around his lovely house/studio. There are interviews with past actors,producers and everyone else who helped him for-fill his dreams. Classics clips from the classic TV show Branded with Chuck Commons and the show that changed his life Invaders. Also famous stars and other Directors, Producers etc... Martin Scorsese, J.J. Abrams, John Landis, Michael Moriarty, Fred Williamson, Yaphet Kotto, Traci Lords, Eric Roberts, Eric Foster, Rick Baker, Eric Bogosian, Barbara Carrera, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, and many more. But the highlight is to hear Larry recollect the past! I was so happy to watch and when released will be adding this to my collection proudly. Thank you Larry Cohen for such a career and being such an inspiration.

King Cohen begins its theatrical run July 27 in markets including Los Angeles and New York. Special event screenings of the film will also be held throughout July and August in cities including Asheville, VA and Yonkers,NY.

Winner of the 2017 Fantasia Fest Best Documentary Feature Audience Award, King Cohen hails from Rondo Award-winning writer/director Steve Mitchell, whose film and television credits include co-writing the beloved cult horror/comedy Chopping Mall. King Cohen is a La-La Land Entertainment production, in association with Big And Tall Pictures and Off The Cliff Productions. It is directed and produced by Steve Mitchell and produced by Matt Verboys and Dan McKeon.

Nice overview

[jellopuke · 8/10 · 24 March 2021]

There's nothing earth shattering here, just a nice look at a career of interesting movies. You don't really get much in the way of behind the scenes info for all of them, but the stories you do get are fun. Sort of breezes by, but it will make you want to track some of the movies down, so it's a win for that.

YOU KNEW BUT NEVER KNEW

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 9/10 · 15 September 2018]

When it comes to famous directors there are names that are so well remembered that when you hear that director has a new movie coming out that's enough to get you ready to buy a ticket. Alfred Hitchcock was a director like that. Martin Scorsese is one like that. And for some Larry Cohen is that type of name as well. If the name doesn't sound familiar to you, you might be surprised to learn that you've seen one of his movie. Or a movie he scripted. Or a TV show he scripted or created. If you don't believe me consider these items on his resume. He created the Chuck Connors series BRANDED and the sci fi series THE INVADERS. He wrote episodes of SURFSIDE 6, THE DEFENDERS, CHECKMATE, THE FUGITIVE and THE RAT PATROL. As a director he made movies like BLACK CAESAR, HELL UP IN HARLEM, IT'S ALIVE and its two sequels, GOD TOLD ME TO, FULL MOON HIGH, Q, THE STUFF, SPECIAL EFFECTS, A RETURN TO SALEM'S LOT and THE AMBULANCE. I'm guessing at least one of those items is something you've watched. But Cohen was never what you would call a mainstream Hollywood director. Instead he was part of the independent scene where creativity was more important that kowtowing to studio bigwigs who more often than not didn't have a clue as to what people really enjoyed seeing. With his New York City background Cohen was more inclined to do things his way and like most auteurs he was able to do this with style and panache, shooting without permits, filming off the cuff and changing things up on the fly to make the best movie he possibly could. The films credited to his name prove he was more than capable of doing so. KING COHEN: THE WILD WORLD OF FILMMAKER LARRY COHEN is a loving tribute to Cohen, a documentary about his life and his films. Director Steve Mitchell combines an array of interviews with Cohen himself, his wives, his crew members and his contemporaries in the film business. Here again are names you will know like John Landis, Martin Scorsese and Joe Dante and names you will not recall like Paul Glickman, Daniel Pearl and David Schow. Each one contributes their own bits and pieces of the life and films of Cohen. Cohen himself is as interesting and inventive in his moments on screen as his films make him out to be. He jokes while walking down a hallway at a film convention that no one recognizes him in spite of the films he's done. He reflects on his films like they were his children which they are in a way. He talks about the obstacle put in his way by producers and how he made his way around those to create some great movies. The structure of the film is easy to follow beginning with an introduction to Cohen and overview moving on to the story of his early life and going into television. From there he moves into films and his beginnings in low budget filmmaking set the stage for what was to come later. Each film he made is discussed with clips from each alongside interviews with cast and crew from those films. If you can find a director with people willing to speak kindly about him after all these years that in itself is a compliment. While watching and listening to each of these films and the stories of what went on behind the camera it makes you want to search you shelves for any films of his that you have on hand, to go back and watch them with a different perspective. But it also reminds you of how much fun you had watching the film the first time you saw it and to have that desire to sit back and watch it through those eyes as well.

My first exposure to Larry Cohen that I can honestly recall was his film IT'S ALIVE. I'd booked it on campus at Ball State. I'd heard of it but it never played anywhere I had a chance to see it. The look of the film was a bit fuzzy (it was a well-used 16mm print after all), it didn't have the high tech camera wizardry that many Hollywood films had but at the same time I thought this is incredible. This movie has more going for it than so many that came out at the same time. It gave us not just a solid story but a new monster to add to the list of so many that had come over the years without being just another retread of the same ones we'd seen before. After that I knew when a Cohen movie came out and I had access to it I wanted to see it. Watching this film and learning move about Cohen makes you want to get to know him too. He seems like such a nice guy, friendly and jovial. He seems like someone who would be fun to sit with and talk about his career and what he thinks about movies. I don't know that I could say that about a lot of directors. I think some would be too caught up in themselves or discuss film using technical terms and fifty cent words where a simple word would be enough. Cohen seems like a regular guy who just loves making movies. One can only hope that he continues making films. The movie ends showing him at home working on new scripts, post it notes covering a wall with ideas. That's how creative minds work. He doesn't seem at all to be 77 years old but he is. He jokes in the final moments of the film that you can't tell his story in one film. I just hope he's right and that many more Cohen films are made while I look forward to PART TWO. I can't recommend this movie enough for both movie fans and those who just like watching movies. Then go find a copy of IT'S ALIVE.

A Love Letter To A Master

[benjithehunter · 9/10 · 12 March 2020]

I'll be honest - I didn't know a lot about Larry Cohen going into this movie, but I came out of it with a newfound respect and admiration for the man. His refusal to play the system and to do things his own way is the mark of a true indie film god and he's probably the closest thing to a true indie filmmaker I can think of.

Cohen was sick of having Hollywood come in and change his scripts or tell him that this or that couldn't be done, so he bypassed them altogether and write, produced, and directed his films himself. I can only imagine how inspiring this film will be to indie filmmakers who struggle with trying to get things financed or pay the Hollywood system. Turns out, you don't have to.

Even better, Cohen comes across as a laid back, calm man at peace with his life and the interviews with all the people he's worked with paint him in such a wonderfully positive light (many of them say working with him was one of the best creative experiences of their lives). It really says something when even your ex-wife has only glowing things to say about you.

King Cohen is a total love letter to a filmmaking genius whose smart, independent films will live on for years to come thanks to the singular, untampered vision of their creator.

Pure love

[BandSAboutMovies · 8/10 · 13 November 2018]

If you need any proof just how much Larry Cohen means to this site, you need only look up how many of his films I've reviewed. I've had so many questions for this directorial force about how he got into films, how he ended up directing so many films that meant so much over so many years and where his ideas come from. Luckily, this documentary and its bonus features answer all of them and then some.

Not only does this movie feature Larry Cohen breaking down his career year-by-year, from breaking into television to his blacksploitation and exploitation film career. And not only do you get to hear from Cohen himself, there are also appearances by everyone from J.J. Abrams, Yaphet Kotto and John Landis to Michael Moriarty, Joe Dante, Mick Garris, Fred Williamson and more.

So many of the reviews of this film talk about how it legitimatizes Cohen's work, elevating it from the world of exploitation to films with merit. All films are exploitation, all seeking to make money. Cohen's films succeed because even they're deeply personal pieces of moviemaking. Even a trifle like Wicked Stepmother exists because Cohen saw the chance to give work to a legend like Bette Davis. And Yaphet Kotto relates that while films like Black Caesar and Hell Up in Harlem are blacksploitation, they also smashed down the doors so that black actors and actresses could get work. And one need look no further than The Stuff or God Told Me To for proof of Cohen's genius. Not many other directors could transform tales of alien yogurt and ancient astronauts into moral tales that have kept their power for decades.

The blu ray release also includes nearly an hour of Cohen's stories about his films, more than half an hour of other remembrances by friends and co-workers, a look at the monsters of Cohen's movies and footage of a convention appearance. I loved the extra Cohen stories, as he's as unguarded as it gets, unafraid to both bury and praise people as he rambles on about his career.

Do you love movies? Then you owe it to yourself to find this and watch it. It'll inspire you to look up much of Cohen's catalog and watch it for yourself.

The career of Larry Cohen.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 8/10 · 5 May 2020]

Since reading Kim Newman's magnificent Nightmare Movies book,I've been interested in learning more about the late auteur Larry Cohen. Looking down the list of titles on Shudder,I stumbled on a doc that I could not find anywhere else, dedicated to Cohen.

View on the film:

Skipping past his childhood with just a few comments and photos, director Steve Mitchell bites into juicy archive footage of the TV shows Larry Cohen got his start on, with insightful narration over the clips capturing Cohen's ability to see a job opening, along with a growing desire to break out of the restrictions placed on TV programs at the time.

Opening with J.J. Abrams talking about his memories of meeting him as a teenager, Mitchell gathers a excellent selection of interviewees to discuss Larry Cohen's impact, from Martin Scorsese on the way Cohen shot New York in, to fellow indie genre director, the super cool Fred Williamson talking about the push and pull relationship they had when working together.

Covering each era of his TV/film works with archive footage and behind the scenes clips, Mitchell's extended interview with the film maker goes into his gleeful guerilla style film making, in some cases coming up with scenes on the spot! Featuring a touching tribute to the last time he met Bernard Herrmann, Steve Mitchell in turn presents a delightful tribute to the unique career of Larry Cohen.