Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
classified 18Please note: This was screened in June 2015
Mark Hartley follows his affectionate salutes to Australian (Not Quite Hollywood) and Filipino (Machete Maidens Unleashed!) exploitation cinema with this delightful look at the rise and fall of 1980s action-movie juggernauts Cannon Films.
Bought by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus in 1979, Cannon’s distinctive brand of cheap, cheerful (and often quite terrible) films such as American Ninja, The Delta Force, Death Wish II and Masters of the Universe were loathed by critics but adored by the public. Charting the course of the company, the people behind it and the work they produced, Electric Boogaloo covers their triumphs and disasters, fads, failures, press stunts and catalogue of cheese. Treating low-brow classics with the respect they deserve, this hugely entertaining documentary shines a light on a studio determined to give audiences exactly what they wanted: explosions, ninjas, alien invasions, breakdancing, and a whole lot of muscle. Naturally.
- The evening screening of Electric Boogaloo on Tue 23 June is part of our Cinébites deal: get a cinema ticket, veggie or meat Thai bites, and a drink (wine/beer or soft drink) for only £15.