I've recently started a trend of reading up on all the crazy movies we see for this site. So far I have two under my belt: one about the Italian zombie craze of the late 70's/80's, and now this book about Roger Corman.

I'm ashamed to say I haven't seen many of Corman's actual works, though it would be notoriously difficult to see a multitude of B-movies and not run across, at the very least, a movie produced by him, or influenced in some way. This is what Metaphysics on a Shoestring is really about, at its core; detailing the tremendous influence Corman not only had over the B-movie sector, but in authentic film as well.

The book is layed out thusly: we are introduced to Corman's history, how he began his career up until present day, showing some key elements along the way. After that, we are taken film by film through his portfolio, as it were. From early goofballs such as "Attack of the Crab Monsters" and "The Day the World Ended," to later goofballs such as "Frankenstein Unbound" and "Gas-s-s-s," the authors portray Corman not only as the notorious cheapskate he is known for being, but also a deep, philosphical man, who was deeply concerned with the plight of humanity and issues such as feminism. Accentuating these points are small clips from Corman himself, basically summing up what the authors have put forth.

Is the book captivating? For the most part, yes. I was kept interested for the entire book while learning about the wild stories of how Corman learned to cut corners, overcame hardships, all while simultaenously influencing greats such as Jack Nicholson and Jonathan Demme.

There are some faults. I really wish the authors had included Corman's thoughts into their own descriptions of the films, as the way they have it now makes the flow of the book a little off. Mixing the two would have made each movie description and analysis seem more complete, instead of seeming to offer two points of view.

Also, keeping in with tradition of Corman's work, the book more or less just ends, with no summary of events or last minute thoughts. A one-page analysis or summary would have rounded the book out a little more.

Still, it doesn't pretend to be anything it isn't. It is a book about a man that made cheap, goofy movies that are loved by millions to this day, a man who managed to wind his influence throughout the movie industry over a career spanning fifty years.

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