Anyone else love Cannon Films?

[Kirkman1987]

My friends and I love 80's action and exploitation films and recently decided to dedicate our viewing time to nothing but movies made by Cannon.

Death Wish 3, Missing in action, American Ninja, Invasion U.S.A, Over The Top, Bloodsport, King Solomon's Mines, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Delta Force......just to name some of the classics

This logo should be is a mark of quality for anyone who loves over the top action movie cheese. I wasn't born until 1987, so I missed most of their output on release, but remember renting their videos constantly (Those oversized VHS boxes featuring ninjas, Chuck Norris, American flags and kickboxing were very appealing to a young boy ). Cannon films were also a staple of early 90's cable and late night movie lineups.

I know Cannon gets a bad rap in many circles, and much of it is deserved. I think their ambition eventually caused them to overextend themselves. They went from making cheap and dependable exploitation fare to trying to make more expensive films like Masters of the Universe, which was a huge failure. Clearly Superman IV shows that they were out of their element. They were also known for shady business practices (In addition to genius ones such as buying out sequel rights to popular films, mastering the Home Video market and foreign distribution etc.)

So am I going to get slammed for bad taste or are there some Cannon fans on this board? What are some of your favorites? any fond Cannon related memories?

My all time favorite Cannon film has to be Death Wish 3. It's the best cheesy action movie next to Commando and Road House.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agyuMM09yAE[/yt]

 

[Captaindemotion]

I think we all just need to count our blessings that Cannon never got their hands on the Spider-man franchise, as I believe they almost did.

 

[Kirkman1987]

I think we all just need to count our blessings that Cannon never got their hands on the Spider-man franchise, as I believe they almost did.

http://www.cannon.org.uk/spiderman.htm

This site has information about that. The film had been cast and sets and costumes had been built. Promotional material even exists. A lot of the stuff they had built ended up being used in the Van Damme film Cyborg.

 

[cylkoth]

Oh man, fellow Cannon action lover here. How could you leave out Lifeforce?! Breakin? Breakin 2 Electric Boogaloo! Okay, so those weren't actioners, but still...I miss Cannon. I think Warner Bros owns most of their library, but not entirely sure. Finding them is a bit difficult except for the Bronson/Norris flicks-though Starz' Movieplex has run SupermanQFP recently.

And I also miss Charles Band's Empire/Epic Films. They aren't shown as much anymore either-cable runs dominated for a few years. I ran across ''Arena'' (1989), and was surprised at how much fun and imaginative it was. Yes there was plenty of cheese, but not cheesy bad in the groaning Syfy Sat nite kind of way.

 

[FPAlpha]

I grew up with that logo.. whenever i saw it i knew shit was about to happen and that i'd be entertained for two hours.

Yeah.. i was a teenager back then who didn't know better but who cares?

This is also why i absolutely adore the Expendables movies.. they are essentially a big bow to 80s action movies and have most of thei stars in their ranks.. all that's left out is the Cannon logo

 

[scotpens]

And I also miss Charles Band's Empire/Epic Films.

Same here, and how about Andy Sidaris' cheap, cheesy but entertaining bullets-bombs-and-babes epics? Man, I used to love that stuff when it frequently showed up on cable channels back in the '80s.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Invasion USA is a particular guilty pleasure!

 

[Dantheman]

One neat bit of Cannon Films lore I heard: The reason that Lifeforce has so much nudity in it was because the director, Tobe Hooper, was pissed at Cannon films for some reason or another, and filmed Lifeforce in such a way that they couldn't show it on television without major editing as revenge, to deny them that source of income on it.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

^That's awesome. Mathilda May's titties were the first that I'd ever laid eyes on. I somehow convinced my parents that Lifeforce was rated R just because of violence. We went to see it at a drive-in. Boy was I happy.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Loved the Cannon movies with Bronson, Chuck and Van Damme.

My all time favorite Cannon film has to be Death Wish 3. It's the best cheesy action movie next to Commando and Road House.

Death Wish 3 has the strangest cartoon vibe, it kind of fascinates me.

 

[TemporalFlux]

I wish we still had stuff with the personality Cannon had. These days we seem to have most things trying to be Oscar worthy with the exceptions being the joke stuff from The Asylum and Uwe Boll.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

A lot of these movies were crap but a lot of them were enjoyable and fun especially the Chuck Norris stuff. I ate that shit up like it was candy. Awesome!

 

[Brikar99]

Ah, yes. Cheesy 80s action movies rule!

 

[Kirkman1987]

I wish we still had stuff with the personality Cannon had. These days we seem to have most things trying to be Oscar worthy with the exceptions being the joke stuff from The Asylum and Uwe Boll.

I think that personality comes from Golan and Globus themselves. Everything I've read suggest that people loved working with those guys (At least before the money ran dry). They loved making movies, from the exploitation fare to their art films, and never looked down on their product. The team's right wing pro-Israel (and thus pro-America) views was a perfect fit in the decade of Reagan, and they tapped into that more than other filmmakers at the time. They were maybe the last of the true Hollywood moguls, the big producer with a cigar who dreams up a picture in an afternoon and commands it to be shot studio-system style.

As part of this Cannon films also reused directors, cast, and crew, so all the films have that signature Cannon feel.

Cannon isn't known for their soundtracks, but a few were interesting. The Delta Force theme by Alan Silvestri is very catchy, and I love Jerry Goldsmith's music for King Solomon's Mines.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-fI5wcd-io&feature=related[/yt]

 

[Disruptor]

Were they the last real exploitation movies? At least ones that saw actual significant theatrical releases.

People throw the word around today, but only for parodies and homages.

These days we seem to have most things trying to be Oscar worthy with the exceptions being the joke stuff from The Asylum and Uwe Boll.

Maybe it's just nostalgia, but these days even our b-movies and direct to video stuff seems worse than it was 20+ years ago.

 

[ITL]

Death Wish 3, Missing in action, American Ninja, Invasion U.S.A, Over The Top, Bloodsport, King Solomon's Mines, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Delta Force......just to name some of the classics

The American Ninja films were some of the cheesiest ham ever filmed. But in the right state of mind, hilariously entertaining.

 

[inflatabledalek]

The He-Man film is surprisingly good. I mean, it's got Mr. Strickland in it! Playing Mr. Strickland after he changed his name and became a cop.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Were they the last real exploitation movies? At least ones that saw actual significant theatrical releases.

People throw the word around today, but only for parodies and homages.

These days we seem to have most things trying to be Oscar worthy with the exceptions being the joke stuff from The Asylum and Uwe Boll.

Maybe it's just nostalgia, but these days even our b-movies and direct to video stuff seems worse than it was 20+ years ago.

I don't think that it's nostalgia...the cheesy movies in the 80's were well made cheese. They had character and a fun vibe. The crap that Asylum and their ilk put out is just poorly made. it's bland, boring, drab and even the has been actors look like they just doing it for money and no other reason and look bored. Actors in 80's cheesefests looked like they were having the time of their lives.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Ah, yes. Cheesy 80s action movies rule!

Specifically, Tim Thomerson rules.

 

[stj]

The He-Man film is surprisingly good. I mean, it's got Mr. Strickland in it! Playing Mr. Strickland after he changed his name and became a cop.

Agreed, James Tollan rocks. Also, it has Frank Langella and Meg Foster. And Robert Duncan McNeill when he could still pass for a graduate student! And a low-mileage Courtney Cox.

This movie really is a kind of cinematic marvel. Think about it: It's based, not on a real story, but an extended product placement (called an animated series) for a set of boys' dolls! For that to merely be endurable is a triumph of filmmaking skill. It's even watchable.