Showing posts with label Electric Boogaloo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Electric Boogaloo. Show all posts
9/14/14
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: Final Screening!
Set your most determined scowl, tie your headband tightly and remember the oath you swore to your ninja master to see Lucinda Dickey interviewed about her movies. There's one more chance to see Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films today!
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO Final Screening:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
9/10/14
Video: Electric Boogaloo Complete Post-Screening Q&A With Director Mark Hartley
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story Of Cannon Films had it's international premiere Monday night at midnight madness. Marking director Mark Hartley's third documentary about genre films and also his third time at the Toronto International Film Festival. Here is the complete post-screening Q&A.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO Final Screening:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
Pics From the Premiere of ELECTRIC BOOGALOO!
From the moment that Colin Geddes asked the audience to scream out our favourite Cannon film, we knew that we'd be in for one of director Mark Hartley's signature trips down cinematic memory lane. Electric Boogaloo didn't disappoint, and it was nothing short of a salacious party as Hartley and producer Brett Ratner brought Cannon's signature ostentatiousness back around for a critical look. Ian Goring was there to capture how it all went down.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO FINAL SCREENING:
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
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| Mark Hartley and Brett Ratner walk the red carpet for ELECTRIC BOOGALOO! |
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| Director Mark Hartley |
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| Mark Hartley and programmer Colin Geddes |
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| Robert Mitchell chats with Mark Hartley for the Blog! |
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| The crew of ELECTRIC BOOGALOO (and Colin Geddes)! |
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| Colin Geddes hypes up the audience for ELECTRIC BOOGALOO! |
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| Mark Hartley and Colin Geddes poll the audience about their favourite Cannon films! |
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| Brett Ratner, Colin Geddes, and Mark Hartley |
If you missed out on the Midnight screening of Electric Boogaloo, you've got one more chance to see it at TIFF!
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
9/9/14
Look Who's Talking ELECTRIC BOOGALOO On Social Media!
Last night it was a twisted trip down memory lane as we revisited the ninjas, cyborgs, and monsters of the Cannon films ouvre with Mark Hartley's documentary about the beleagured and beloved studio. Jonny Bunning has been monitoring social media to find out what people thought of the wild ELECTRIC BOOGALOO!
If you missed ELECTRIC BOOGALOO or would just like to catch it again, check out one of the upcoming screenings while you still can!
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
If you missed ELECTRIC BOOGALOO or would just like to catch it again, check out one of the upcoming screenings while you still can!
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
Video: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: Red Carpet Interviews. The Wild, Untold Story Of Cannon Films
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Story Of Cannon Films premiered tonight at midnight madness. Electric Boogaloo marks director and Midnight Madness Alumnus Mark Hartley's third film at the Toronto International Film Festival after Not Quite Hollywood and Machete Maidens Unleashed! Intrepid reporter Robert A. Mitchell was on the red carpet and spoke with director Mark Hartley, actress Robin Sherwood (Death Wish II) and Richard Kraft, the head of music at Cannon Films.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
9/8/14
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: Some of the Stars of Cannon Films!
With Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films premiering in a couple of hours, we thought it might be a good time to look at a few of Cannon's stars. We've already covered Lucinda Dickey, so if there's any Lucinda Dickey in this post, it's probably some kind of ninja illusion.
Charles Bronson's sequels to Death Wish (1974) powered Cannon for years. You'd think that all we needed was the first film. You'd be wrong. Menahem Golan and Yoraum Globus knew the world needed Death Wish II (1982) ; Death Wish 3 (1985); Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987); and Death Wish 5: Face of Death (1994). At the end of Death Wish 5: Face of Death, protagonist Paul Kersey tears off his mask and reveals to the meddling criminals, rapists and drug dealers of the world that he is not a mild-mannered architect/lethal vigilante at all, but rather Death himself. [Correction: This is not what happens in Death Wish 5: Face of Death at all].
Among the many films Bronson did for Cannon was Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989). I love the trailer for that because it comprises all of the obsessions of the 1980s in one place.
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| Death always brings a gun to a chess match. |
Chuck Norris was the other piston in the two stroke engine that powered Cannon Films. Engines have more than 2 pistons, you say? Not engines powered by Chuck Norris and Charles Bronson. Norris starred in a variety of action movies where kicked ass and brought virtue and honor back to the U.S.A. Or roundhouse kicked it back into the U.S.A. Movies like: Missing In Action (1984); Invasion U.S.A. (1985); Delta Force (1986); Delta Force 2: The Columbian Connection (1990); Missing In Action 2: The Beginning (1985); Braddock: Missing In Action 3 (1988). And when his Cannon days were done, Norris went on to do a little show called Walker, Texas Ranger.
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| Shooting liberty and justice for all. |
MM Alumnus Jean-Claude Van Damme was a Menahem Golan discovery, in the sense that JCVD worked hard to be discovered by Golan. He got a role as an extra in Breakin' (1984) before going on to star in Bloodsport (1988), which has some rare footage of the now destroyed Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. In Cyborg (1989) he plays Gibson Rickenbacker, a man who destroys hooligans of the future post-apocalyptic wasteland with only the power of his name. He also helps save humanity by protecting a woman with the secret to curing a future plague.
Poor Michael Dudikoff. He was supposed to be the next big thing in martial arts action, but he never really got there . He was Cannon's American Ninja, starring in three sequels to the first American Ninja (1985): American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987); American Ninja III: Blood Hunt (1989); and American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1990). In 1986, he used his ninja skills to replace Chuck Norris in the Invasion U.S.A. franchise, playing the hero, Matt Hunter in Avenging Force (1986).
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| Master of All Forms of Freedom-jitsu. |
Sho Kosugi was in a whole passel of Cannon ninja movies, playing the evil ninja or, sometimes, the mentor ninja. He faced off against Ninja Franco Nero in Enter The Ninja (1981). But he was the hero of Revenge of the Ninja (1983). In Ninja III: The Domination (1984) he fights with Lucinda Dickey (who plays an aerobic instructor possessed by the restless spirit of a dead ninja). According to wikipedia, he heads the Sho Kosugi Institute. I'm sure it's not an center for Advanced Ninja Studies.
And a special, personal shout-out to director Albert Pyun. His film Cyborg will always hold a special place in my heart.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO Poster!
Sweet poster designed for Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon films designed by Simon Sherry.
Peruse his other work here.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: Tobe Hooper's SPIDER-MAN???
Decades before Sam Raimi brought Spider-Man to the big screen, the rights to Peter Parker and his alter-ego, Spider-Man were purchased by Cannon Films. The rights were purchased on the title alone, as neither Golan nor Globus knew about the comic book. Their intention was to make a film about a creature who was half-man and half-spider. They then hired Tobe Hooper, the director of Texas Chainsaw Massacre to direct.
It's unclear at what point their hopes of making a creature feature were dashed but I would assume Stan Lee might have had something to do with it. After finding out what Spider-Man ACTUALLY was, Cannon Films released the ad below to entice investors to invest in the film. It's probably for the best that the film was never made, but at the same time, I reeeeally wish it had been.
For more great stories about Cannon Films, be sure to check out Mark Hartley's Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
It's unclear at what point their hopes of making a creature feature were dashed but I would assume Stan Lee might have had something to do with it. After finding out what Spider-Man ACTUALLY was, Cannon Films released the ad below to entice investors to invest in the film. It's probably for the best that the film was never made, but at the same time, I reeeeally wish it had been.
For more great stories about Cannon Films, be sure to check out Mark Hartley's Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films.
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS Premieres Tonight!
Since there isn't a trailer for the film, please enjoy a 10 minute edit of Death Wish 3.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
9/6/14
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: An Ode to Lucinda Dickey
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| Goddess, yes. Also possessed by the angry spirit of a ninja this one time. No bigs. |
Lucinda Dickey is a goddess among mere mortals. She stars in three Cannon films: Breakin', Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, and Ninja III: The Domination. She dances, she kicks ass, she can climb a telephone pole, and she doesn't take crap from anyone. In honour of Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films we present to you, o lucky readers of the Midnight Madness blog, an Ode To Lucinda Dickey! *trumpet sounds*
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| "My street name is Special K. What's yours? Thought so." |
We first meet Lucinda Dickey as Kelly in Breakin'. This movie is all sorts of bad ass because there's dancing, popping, locking, Ice-T rapping (seriously), even more dancing, the flyest clothes you'll ever lay eyes on, and Christopher MacDonald conducting business. DID WE MENTION THE DANCING?! The low-down: Kelly isn't satisfied with her boring ol' jazz dance class. She meets Turbo and Ozone, discovers her own street name (Special K) and her love of popping and locking. With her new dance crew, nothing can stop them! Not the evil dance crew, Electro Rock, not her old dance instructor, not even those square judges.
Who Lucinda Dickey doesn't take crap from in Breakin': her gross dance instructor, appropriately named Franco, when he gets handsy with her, Ozone and Turbo when they think she might be too square, her agent James for not immediately falling in love with street dancing, that dastardly evil street dancing team, Electro Rock, and those pansy-ass judges for not believing in the gospel of street dancing. WE ARE NOT WORTHY, LUCINDA DICKEY.
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| "Hey, it says right here you wish you were as cool as me." |
And because we didn't get enough in Breakin', Special K, Ozone, and Turbo are back in Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo! We have no idea how much time has past since we last left our intrepid street dancers. A week? Months? Either way, we imagine this is how it went down in that first pre-production meeting:
"We need more dancing in this one. How can we do that?"
"Well, the problem is there's a plot and we can only have so many dance numbers within the plot."
"Eh, but do we need a plot?"
"Um..."
"Get rid of the plot! Less plot! More dancing!"
"Yessir."
"Also, get me some bulldozers! And dancing pregnant ladies!"
"Okay?"
"And make sure Ice-T shouts more in this one!"
"On it!"
And so it was done and Breakin' 2 was born. Amen. Sometimes sequels aren't as good, but this one increases the number of amazing Lucinda Dickey outfits by at least 300%, and also has at least once dance sequence every ten minutes, and introduces a much crazier plot line involving a community centre being shut down by The Evil Man (Oh no!) and the crew must dance to save it (Yeah!). And don't forget the dancing pregnant ladies we mentioned.
Who Lucinda Dickey doesn't take crap from in Breakin' 2: her stupid chorus dancing gig because blah, the lame-o chicks who try to tell her she doesn't belong with Ozone (say what?!), The Man, the bulldozers that The Man brings to the community centre, her parents for not believing in her, the guy her parents want her to marry but he is such a square (gross, mom!), and every hater who didn't think the crew could raise enough money to save the community centre. Take that, jabrones. WE BOW DOWN TO YOU, LUCINDA DICKEY.
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| "Hey, Ozone? Yeah, sorry, I'm being a ninja right now. BBL!" |
Who Lucinda Dickey doesn't take crap from in Ninja III: that cop who was hitting on her and being a skeeze but then she changed her mind and made him lick V8 off her chest but it was her decision so that's cool, the ninja-murdering cop that she struck down in the hot tub, the ninja-murdering cop she struck down in his home, all the rest of those ninja-murdering cops, that tree she climbed like it was nobody's business, the Black Ninja for putting his spirit inside of her because nobody puts their ninja spirit inside of Lucinda Dickey without asking permission, and mystic James Hong for trying to take the spirit out of her because nobody takes a spirit out of Lucinda Dickey unless she's good and ready. YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF OUR LIVES, LUCINDA DICKEY.
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| Uh, the best way to get your daily intake of vegetables might be to ingest it. |
If you love Lucinda Dickey as much as we do, you've probably already marked your calendar for the midnight screening of Electric Boogaloo. If not, what are you waiting for?! Do it for Special K, Ozone, and Turbo. Do it for dancing. Do it for that can of V8. But most importantly, do it for yourself.
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films is screening at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Midnight Madness Programme. Check out more Midnight Madness films on the official Festival Website.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Monday, Sept 8th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wednesday, Sept 10th 9:00 AM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sunday, Sept 14th 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 14
Wednesday, Sept 10th 9:00 AM, THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sunday, Sept 14th 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 14
9/1/14
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO Poster and Top 5 So-Bad-They're-Good Cannon Films
Like the poster for Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films says: 52 Movies A Year Just Wasn't Enough. Cannon was clearly going with quantity over quality. When you're putting that much celluloid out there you're bound to make some that are so bad they're good. With that in mind here's my list of 5 of the best so bad they're good Cannon films.
#5 Hercules: I hate picking on Lou Ferrigno because he seems like such a likable guy. All I'll say is that it's a good thing that The Incredible Hulk TV show never needed Ferrigno to flex his acting muscles... Just watch a few minutes of Hercules and you'll see why.
#4 The Delta Force: Before becoming the subject of an internet meme Chuck Norris was one of Cannon's go to guys, starring in a series of Missing in Action films, Invasion USA, and the two of the Delta Force films (just to name a few). The original Delta Force lands on this list thanks to its comically over the top patriotism, distinctly 80's synth heavy score, and some jaw droppingly bad casting. I love Robert Forster, but just giving him a tan and a bad Freddie Mercury mustache doesn't make him a credible Arab terrorist.
#3 Bloodsport:
1) Choreograph some killer fights utilizing martial arts from all over the world.
2) Have Jean-Claude Van Damme do a split.
3) Tie it together with a shoestring plot about an underground MMA competition or something. Voila, you've got a movie!
#2 Masters of the Universe: Dolph Lundgren as a mullett sporting He-man battling Skeletor on Earth (not Eternia) with a pre-Friends Courtney Cox along for the ride. What's not to love?
#1 Superman 4: The Quest for Peace: Making a half way decent Superman movie is hard enough, but doing it with a budget that seems to be entirely made up entirely of change found in people's couch cushions? Forget it. Test audiences found it so bad that the producers cut over 45 minutes from the final film. Between the visible wires used to make Christopher Reeve "fly" and the deadpan delivery of laughably bad dialogue you can't help but laugh at this cinematic monstrosity.
So, you want the back story behind some of these films? Then come check out Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films at Midnight Madness!
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS Screening times.
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
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| That's right people, Lou Ferrigno didn't just play The Incredible Hulk! |
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| The Siege, The Ordeal, and The Rescue also refer to the audience's feelings at the beginning, middle, and end of the film. |
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| Just think of it as a prequel to JCVD |
1) Choreograph some killer fights utilizing martial arts from all over the world.
2) Have Jean-Claude Van Damme do a split.
3) Tie it together with a shoestring plot about an underground MMA competition or something. Voila, you've got a movie!
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| What hero doesn't look 100% better with a mullet? |
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| That nuclear warhead shouldn't damage too much when it comes crashing back to Earth |
So, you want the back story behind some of these films? Then come check out Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films at Midnight Madness!
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS Screening times.
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
8/30/14
INTERVIEW: Mark Hartley Talks ELECTRIC BOOGALOO
Mark Hartley makes his second appearance in Midnight Madness with Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films. Hot of a triumphant World Premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Hartley was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us.
Midnight Madness: Every Cannon Film probably could have a feature length doc made about it. How difficult was it to tell the whole Cannon story in just one film?
Mark Hartley: There are soooooooo many Cannon Films (for starters just try counting the America Ninja sequels!) but obviously we had to be a little bit selective. If you want to see an in-depth discussion of HOT CHILI or DETECTIVE SCHOOL DROPOUTS, you will be sadly disappointed – but I think we’ve covered most of the fan favorites as well as a few jaw-dropping curios.
MM: This is your 2nd Midnight Madness entry and 3rd TIFF Film. Are you really going to stop making docs? Do you think you have any more docs in you?
MH: I keep telling people that this is my final doc – and no one believes me, but it is the truth. I’m an accidental, wildly undisciplined documentary filmmaker – and it’s now time to leave this caper to the professionals. I had the opportunity to finally make a narrative feature in 2013 with PATRICK – and I had such a wonderful and thrilling experience during that production that I really want to invest all my energies into narrative filmmaking. The incredible thing about having made these three genre docs is that I often meet movie lovers that tell me that these films have encouraged them to explore their own National cinema. Job done.
MM: While many of the Cannon films are so bad they're good, there are many that are borderline unwatchable. How often during pre-production did you find yourself saying: I can't watch another minute of these films!
MH: It wasn’t the quality that was daunting--it was the quantity! I’m not sure how healthy a steady diet of Golan & Globus productions was on my sanity--but they made them, so I felt I should watch them. To be honest, I did draw the line at the Lou Ferrigno star-vehicle, Sinbad of the Seven Seas – and the last six Lemon Popsicle sequels.
MM: Was it difficult getting people to talk about parts of their career that they'd rather forget?
MH: I’ve been lucky with my docs that they’ve covered subjects that haven’t been overly explored--and so telling these stories is a novelty (and sometimes therapy) for many of the interviewees. I’m not sure how many dinner party conversations have started with, “So tell me about working on Bolero…”
Certainly with Not Quite Hollywood and Electric Boogaloo, the subject matter covered was a training ground for many. Generally, people are fond and nostalgic about their introduction to the business--no matter how badly treated they were… and if they’re still scarred, well, it makes for even better drama.
MM: Having spent so much time exploring the seedy underbelly of cinema, are you ready to run screaming from the business and never look back?
MH: Not at all. I’m ready to launch myself from a cannon, slam into the evil heart of this business and hopefully start filling up my IMDb page.
MM: After Not Quite Hollywood, you decided that Patrick was ripe for a remake. Any particular Cannon film you'd like to reboot?
MH: More important is the fact that there are certain Cannon films that should be left untouched by the reboot machine. Can you imagine anyone topping the scope, scale and lunacy of Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce? If there’s one film that we should get on our knees and thank Golan & Globus for, it’s that visionary masterwork. Another jewel in the Cannon crown is Boaz Davidson’s The Last American Virgin--which I do believe Millennium are planning to remake. I’ll have to ask our co-producer, Brett Ratner, if he was inspired by Cannon’s Hercules. I have my doubts.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS screening times:
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
Midnight Madness: Every Cannon Film probably could have a feature length doc made about it. How difficult was it to tell the whole Cannon story in just one film?
Mark Hartley: There are soooooooo many Cannon Films (for starters just try counting the America Ninja sequels!) but obviously we had to be a little bit selective. If you want to see an in-depth discussion of HOT CHILI or DETECTIVE SCHOOL DROPOUTS, you will be sadly disappointed – but I think we’ve covered most of the fan favorites as well as a few jaw-dropping curios.
MM: This is your 2nd Midnight Madness entry and 3rd TIFF Film. Are you really going to stop making docs? Do you think you have any more docs in you?
MH: I keep telling people that this is my final doc – and no one believes me, but it is the truth. I’m an accidental, wildly undisciplined documentary filmmaker – and it’s now time to leave this caper to the professionals. I had the opportunity to finally make a narrative feature in 2013 with PATRICK – and I had such a wonderful and thrilling experience during that production that I really want to invest all my energies into narrative filmmaking. The incredible thing about having made these three genre docs is that I often meet movie lovers that tell me that these films have encouraged them to explore their own National cinema. Job done.
MM: While many of the Cannon films are so bad they're good, there are many that are borderline unwatchable. How often during pre-production did you find yourself saying: I can't watch another minute of these films!
MH: It wasn’t the quality that was daunting--it was the quantity! I’m not sure how healthy a steady diet of Golan & Globus productions was on my sanity--but they made them, so I felt I should watch them. To be honest, I did draw the line at the Lou Ferrigno star-vehicle, Sinbad of the Seven Seas – and the last six Lemon Popsicle sequels.
MM: Was it difficult getting people to talk about parts of their career that they'd rather forget?
MH: I’ve been lucky with my docs that they’ve covered subjects that haven’t been overly explored--and so telling these stories is a novelty (and sometimes therapy) for many of the interviewees. I’m not sure how many dinner party conversations have started with, “So tell me about working on Bolero…”
Certainly with Not Quite Hollywood and Electric Boogaloo, the subject matter covered was a training ground for many. Generally, people are fond and nostalgic about their introduction to the business--no matter how badly treated they were… and if they’re still scarred, well, it makes for even better drama.
MM: Having spent so much time exploring the seedy underbelly of cinema, are you ready to run screaming from the business and never look back?
MH: Not at all. I’m ready to launch myself from a cannon, slam into the evil heart of this business and hopefully start filling up my IMDb page.
MM: After Not Quite Hollywood, you decided that Patrick was ripe for a remake. Any particular Cannon film you'd like to reboot?
MH: More important is the fact that there are certain Cannon films that should be left untouched by the reboot machine. Can you imagine anyone topping the scope, scale and lunacy of Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce? If there’s one film that we should get on our knees and thank Golan & Globus for, it’s that visionary masterwork. Another jewel in the Cannon crown is Boaz Davidson’s The Last American Virgin--which I do believe Millennium are planning to remake. I’ll have to ask our co-producer, Brett Ratner, if he was inspired by Cannon’s Hercules. I have my doubts.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS screening times:
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
The Life and Films of Manahem Golan
On August 8th, the world lost one of cinema's greats, Manahem Golan. Golan, along with his cousin, Yoram Globus were the men behind Cannon Films. Without them, we wouldn't know what a kumite was (Bloodsport), there would be no films that paired up Lee Marvin and Chuck Norris (Delta Force), there would probably never have been a film made about competitive arm wrestling (Over the Top), and the Village People most definitely would never have made a film musical starring Steve Gutenberg (The Apple).
Though Manahem Golan is no longer with us, his work left an indelible mark on generations of genre film fans, and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. I can't wait to see dozens (if not hundreds) of my favourite film moments up on the big screen in Mark Hartley's Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films.
The New York Times wrote this very nice article about Manahem Golan's career after his passing.
Though Manahem Golan is no longer with us, his work left an indelible mark on generations of genre film fans, and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. I can't wait to see dozens (if not hundreds) of my favourite film moments up on the big screen in Mark Hartley's Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films.
The New York Times wrote this very nice article about Manahem Golan's career after his passing.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times: Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
8/29/14
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: The Buzz From Melbourne
Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films is director Mark Hartley's latest documentary. Hartley's Not Quite Hollywood also screened at midnight madness in 2008 and was extremely well received. For those unfamiliar with the Cannon films produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus think of the Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson Jean Claude Van Damme movies from the eighties and nineties and that is only a fraction of the output of films made by Cannon Films. Here are some reviews from the premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
"The film works as a fascinating look behind the scenes of a genuine outsider company. it feels about a half an hour shorter than it's 107 minutes, thanks to how much damn fun it is to experience these cult 'classics' in a fast paced, greatest hits format." - SilverScreenSnobs.com
"Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Film doesn't pull its punches." And "Hartley's film is consistently entertaining..." - The Hollywood Reporter
"Mark Hartley's follow-up to Not Quite Hollywood is an amusingly enjoyable excavation of Cannon Films, the definitive 1980s B-movie production house run by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yorham Globus. "Outlaws...hustlers...junk peddlers," - The Sydney Morning Herald.
"The best parts of this film are the archival footage of Menahem Golan in action on set, doing business in his office and doing publicity for his copious films. This is one charismatic, fascinating dude[.]" And, "In what could easily devolve into simply bashing these films for the low-budget schlock they generally were, Hartley treats the topic with reverence and he hits the tone of the documentary just right." sorryimlate.com
"Like Hartley's previous documentaries, Electric Boogaloo is an energetic confection, buoyed by zippy editing and more than occasional use of animation." - melbournecentral.com.au
"'Cannon films were the epitome of the '80's in terms of stars and films,' Hartley reflects. 'It's also a great story - it's about a couple of outsiders taking on the might of the studios. There's a real David and Goliath element to this.'" - Beat Magazine
"Hartley's films play like a wildly enthusiastic thesis submissions from the ultimate student of exploration cinema." - screen-space.squarespace.com
"[I]t was bloody marvelous to see so many of these past stars, directors and writers up on the screen again. I was also reminded of movies I had forgotten about and will now seek and find." - fakeshemp.net
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO screening times:
Mon., Sept. 8th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Wed., Sept. 10th, 9:00 AM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept. 14th, 12:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 11
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