They were one of the great independent producing teams of all time – even if the produce they created wasn’t that great.
ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS attempts to get some context behind some of the most famous – and infamous – releases in independent movie history, when the cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus had a steely determination to become one of the biggest entertainment forces in the business.
Beginning with their humble but successful beginnings in Israel, where they worked exclusively in the local film industry and exhibition sector, they took over a flailing company called Cannon and with the acumen of sales and hard sell, turned the company into one of the most productive and exclusive places to go.
By the 1980s their films attracted the likes of Chuck Norris, Charles Bronson and top film-makers like John Frankenheimer and Andrei Konchalovsky, but the stories behind the making of those films are recounted – sometimes without apology – by some of the talent behind them, including the likes of Dolph Lundgren, Catherine Mary Stewart, Alex Winter and Richard Chamberlain.
The producers didn’t authorise this documentary, which makes it all the more watchable and compelling all the same, with plenty of clips.
In fact, the legacy of Cannon has been unfairly scrutinised over the years, as there are plenty of titles in their library that have endured and become cult classics (BREAKIN’ (BREAKDANCE), INVASION USA, MISSING IN ACTION, RUNAWAY TRAIN and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2)
Tobe Hooper talks a little about the deal he had with the producers for the remake of INVADERS FROM MARS, LIFEFORCE and CHAINSAW 2 and there are vintage interviews and clips from the late Michael Winner on films like DEATH WISH II and III.
A fascinating and very watchable documentary – and a classic of its’ ilk.