By the early 90s there were two huge crazes running rampant through the minds of the world’s youth. The 80s brought a resurgence of robot obsessions with Transformers and Gundam, but equally if not more enticing was the concept of DINOSAURS. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I had caught dino fever from an early age. My parents graciously got every Rupert Oliver dinosaur book which detailed the environment and diet of different species, and told a story for each one that made learning engaging. I had a set of about 100 cards with realistic dinosaur illustrations and impossibly small text packed full of information on each one. These are a few of the things that taught me how to read. Movies and TV shows tapped into this interest with Land Before Time, Dino-Riders, and even Barney and Friends. But those were all small potatoes compared to what was to come in 1993. A legendary director would use skillful practical effects to spin a tale of genetic engineering gone wrong. That’s right, 1993 was the year Roger Corman’s Carnosaur came out! Just kidding; while Corman’s low-budget schlocky horror flick did release a few weeks prior, Spielberg’s Jurassic Park mesmerized audiences with some of the best effects ever seen and changed film forever. While Jurassic Park is inarguably a better movie, arguably one of the best films ever made, I still have a soft spot for Carnosaur. It is not good, but it is way off the deep end, the effects are fun, and for an 11 year old kid was excitingly violent and gory. And for anyone who appreciates practical effects on a low budget, Roger Corman was one of the best. It’s worth watching his films if for nothing else than to appreciate how far he could stretch a dollar, and how many greats were graduates from the “Roger Corman Film School.” Not an official organization, but Corman was an independent pioneer who worked with and influenced Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Martin Scorcese, Joe Dante and many others. Joining Spielberg and Corman in the ’93 dinosaur rampage through the silver screen was returning director Takao Okawara in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.

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