Billy Corben Movies
- 2008
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In this documentary sequel to the film that followed the development of the cocaine trade in 1980s-era Miami, filmmaker Billy Corben details the rise of Oakland, CA-based cocaine dealer Charles Cosby, who went from small-time drug slinger to multi-millionaire in a matter of months. Back in the early '90s, Cosby was selling ounces on the street and struggling to survive. Later, after writing a fan letter to "Cocaine Godmother" Griselda Blanco, who was serving a sentence in a federal prison, Cosby and Blanco struck up a lucrative partnership. Just six short months later, Cosby and Blanco were lovers, and the former fan now placed in charge of Blanco's 40-million-dollar a year cocaine business. But over the years, Blanco had earned the nickname "The Black Widow" for her propensity to drain men dry and permanently dispose of them when they ceased to be of use to her. Before long, Blanco becomes obsessed with ensuring that Cosby is faithful to her, and the former small-time drug dealer finally begins to realize that he may have inadvertently gotten in over his head. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
In the early '80s, a new business emerged in Miami, FL, that changed the face of the city forever. That business was cocaine smuggling; as America developed a growing appetite for the drug, Colombian suppliers found that Miami was a good place to bring it into the United States, and a new breed of outlaws were more than happy to face the risks of importing cocaine in exchange for the massive profits to be made. At one time, cocaine runners were making so much money that the city's banks were running out of room to store the cash, and smugglers were developing new ways to move the product, from floating tanks with radio tracking devices dropped into the ocean to cars stashed with drugs so well-connected drivers with tow trucks could haul them away and abandon them if necessary. The profits from Miami's cocaine explosion helped to transform the city into a major American playground, but it also brought a criminal element interested in more than just dealing drugs, as bloody reprisals between competing gangs of smugglers became commonplace, and hitmen began working overtime to keep up with the demand for revenge. Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman are a pair of Miami-based filmmakers who were able persuade a number of key figures from Miami's '80s cocaine trade to speak on-camera about their exploits, as well as law enforcement officials who struggled to keep up with them. The result was Cocaine Cowboys, a true-life thriller about the underworld culture that helped spawn the film Scarface and the television series Miami Vice. Jan Hammer, who composed the Miami Vice theme song, created a like-minded score for the documentary. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Roberts, Mickey Munday, (more)
- 2001
A highly graphic account of a sordid rape case involving an exotic dancer, Billy Corben's independent video production concerns what many considered to be an act of brutality on a college campus. The film follows the nights of February 26th and February 27th, 1999, at the Delta Chi fraternity at the University of Florida at Gainesville, where a group of frat boys hired a couple of strippers for a party. After indulging in alcohol and marijuana, the men and women began to engage in lap dances, and one of these encounters turned into nonconsensual sex, argues stripper Lisa Gier King. Two bystanders with 8 mm home video cameras recorded the evening in full, and with the aid of this footage, the documentary recounts the events of the alleged rape of King by frat boy Michael Yarhaus. After filing a sexual assault charge the next day, King's case was thrown out, and several groups backed her cause, including the National Organization for Women. After pressure from various groups, as well as State Attorney Rod Smith, the tape was made available so that the evidence could be viewed on its own. Raw Deal was transferred to 35 mm from video shot by Lawrence Janus. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- 1992
- PG13
This lightweight horror movie is geared towards younger audiences as it follows the exploits of a little boy who is firmly convinced that the woman his father plans to marry is really a horrible monster in disguise. It all begins when his rather dull architect father George, as compared to young Todd's highly imaginative and much-loved grandfather, takes a job designing the immense country home for the seductively beautiful Denise. In time, Todd begins believing that scaly green monsters called tropopkins, are living in the forest near her house. Suddenly, his mother mysteriously vanishes and Todd is sent to live with his grandparents while his father completes his job. Six months pass and George returns with Denise, his new fiancee in tow. Things happen that cause Todd to suspect this step-mother-to-be is the leader of the tropopkins. No one believes him and Todd is sent into therapy. He remains convinced though and continues trying to postpone the wedding until he, his grandfather, his older sister and her boy friend Phlegm and can figure out how to destroy her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Thicke, Robin Riker, (more)
- 1990
Archie Andrews and his Riverdale buddies Jughead, Betty, and Veronica, from the enduring adolescent comic book, are all grown up and trying to deal with the '90s in this live-action comedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Rich, Lauren Holly, (more)
