Updates, News and errr… Cannon Stuff

JULY 2008 (see main menu for older news)

Got a better image, information or something I’m missing or I have wrong? Like to add something? See the Contact Me page on the main menu

MOVING AROUND cannon.org.uk

main menu

If you came here through Google, gotten lost or are not using cannon.org.uk you might not see the main menu on the left. To always go back to the main page click on one of the main logos (at the top

or bottom of the page) or blue link at the bottom or where you see main menu and it’ll take you to the front page with the menu @ cannon.org.uk

cannon.org.uk will always be the registered domain for the site. Any other URL is only for storage or temporary. If any links don’t work please let me know.

…AND ALSO

Some kind person has spent lots of their time adding this site to IMDb under “Photographs”, but they’ve used the wrong URL of cannonfilms.co.uk and linking into a section that doesn’t really work if

you’re not coming here via the main menu Best to stick with the simple www.cannon.org.uk Thank you for your help anyway and if you’d like to add the URL to people involved with Cannon (Golan,

Dudikoff etc) that would be great and save me a lot of time! Thanks.

QUINT

click for larger Don Shor

Found an interesting article on Black Moon Rising (1986) from Cinemafantastique from 1986.

Great cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Hamilton, Robert Vaughn, Richard Jaeckel, Bubba Smith. For me, sadly, a bad film. Still, I like the trailer as it has the great Don LaFontaine™ and it’s well put together.

Cannon handled this in the UK on home video and at the cinema (I own that poster) when they took over the Screen Entertainment release contract with New World.

Watch the trailer here and a nice little featurette here

More Don: www.donlafontaine.com

CANNON BAD HAIR AWARD

click for further evidence

This is a rare and auspicious nomination as this is the first time there’s been a co-nomination. Peter Paul™ and David Paul™ whose limitless and undeniably elaborate coiffurage appeared in Ruggero

Deodato's Cannon Classic, The Barbarians (1987).

Trailer for The Barbarians (1987) here

While on the subject I see it has a release on DVD in Italy. Looks like it’s in Italian only.

The Barbarians (1987) reviewed @ Stomp Tokyo www.stomptokyo.com/movies/b/barbarians.html

DVD WATCH

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Joel ‘Lambada’ Silberg’s classy late-Cannon Prison Heat (1993) (same people who brought us Chain of Command (1994), Hellbound (1994), American Cyborg: Steel Warrior (1993),

The Mummy Lives (1993), American Samurai (1992)) is out there on DVD. The Philipines, Thailand and Denmark all get a release. They all seem to have English soundtracks. The

film was severely (over 4 minutes) cut in the UK and elsewhere so I'm not sure which version these DVDs are.

Here's the original sell:

"Four American babes on vacation in the Middle East run into trouble when they are imprisoned by corrupt army officials and

that's where the fun begins. A basic soft-porn, babes-in-bondage, chained-and-caged, women-in-prison flick."

With Rebecca Chambers, Lori Jo Hendrix, Kena Land, Toni Naples, Gilya Stern & Uri Gavriel.

Watch the trailer here

Great IMDb comment:

Masterpiece Awful, 7 January 2001

Author: w_washburn

With a climax escape scene rivaling the frightfully awful belly laughs of Plan 9 From Outer Space, Prison Heat boasts a bevy of bimbos behind bars enduring a host of midnight male abuse from the usual suspects.

If one isn't careful to pay close attention to what would seem was just another excuse to drop drawers in the wee B-hours, one could miss the genius behind this stupendous assault on cinema.

Clad in mini-skirts and body stockings for their stretch in a Turkish cooler, a quartet of framed females sidestep lesbian lovers and Curly Joe prison guards with an arsenal of lame escape tactics that would put the Lucy Show to shame in the just-crazy-enough-to-work department.

The four foxy heroes play it painfully straight in contrast to their cartoonish stereotype-on-steroids foes.

(As Prison Heat can be enjoyed many times over for connoisseurs of bad film, those who have yet to see the film might not want to read the following as some key elements are revealed.)

The whimsical writing flip flops the characters from 'fraidy cats to vicious vixens without missing a beat of nutcase rhythm. At first, the girls seem skittish to actually hurt anybody. Rather than shooting anyone with their purloined pistol, they dump sleeping pills down the gurgling gullets of guards and others in their way.

But the kid gloves come way off when they whittle down the sadistic warden by conking his cranium with everything from crash cymbals to the kitchen sink -- before castrating him with a penknife (!) and making a run for an unattended rental car.

And what prison escape epic would be complete without breaking into a melancholy sing along of `Oh Susannah?'

The quirky, weird-o-rama dynamics of Prison Heat are guaranteed fun for lovers of scatterbrained B-hits.

Review of Prison Heat (1993) over at Bad Movie Planet

I’ve been looking for a scan of the UK VHS (or any other VHS/Betamax etc), if you can help see the Contact Me page on the main menu

HUNGARY AND WOLVES POSTERS

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Some nice big posters for Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981) from Hungary and The Company of Wolves (1985) (Cannon distributed this in the USA only from what I know –I read they controlled it in

France -but seen very little evidence). Review of Company from Roger Ebert with some DVD/Blu-Ray screen grabs from the UK here Never been a fan of Neil Jordan’s film but it’s always nice to see a

film get a good video transfer. I think Cannon got control of this through the purchase of some rights from Palace (like Mona Lisa (1986)) or through some of ITC’s old back catalogue.

Anyone seen a Cannon cinema trailer for Company or got any other promotional material? See the Contact Me page on the main menu if you can help.

SHADOWS

Watched House of the Long Shadows (1983) last night. Very tiresome I have to say. Felt like something from 1943 although it was nice to see the star turns. Took some screen grabs from the VHS and

added them to Film & Image with a mini-gallery too.

I’ve had a European distributor email asking about the rights of a DVD he wants to release and of course I pointed him to MGM. They may not own the rights as a few London-Cannon projects were

sold off prior to the end of The Cannon Group. Would be nice to see a cleaned-up DVD with some extras.

Watch the trailer here

KANE

Nice poster from Spain.

YOU ARE…

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Here’s the old ZX Spectrum video game tape from Death Wish 3 (1985).

Full game synopsis and intructions in multiple laguages here and here

Scan of case here

High quality technology.Cannon style.

MENAHEM GOLAN: THE MOVIE

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No translation required. I like to guess.

MARK’S ARCHIVE

Mark Burger from the USA has very kindly sent me a great Cannon archive of newspaper stories, cuttings, adverts and other bits and pieces. I love looking through old stuff like this and I’ll be posting it all here of course.

Here’s the first article:

May 1986 click for The New York Times full article.

A big thank you to Mark!

If you have something about Cannon you’d like to share see the Contact Me page on the main menu

DETECTIVE SCHOOL DROPOUTS / ASILO DI POLIZIA –DVD watch

Detective School Dropouts (1986)

Nice to see Filippo Ottoni’s Detective School Dropouts (1986) get a DVD release. David Landsberg and Loris Dreyfuss were watchable and I remember reading they’d planned several Cannon

productions. We did get Dutch Treat (1987) but nothing else. The Italian DVD is in Italian only I believe.

See the Detective School Dropouts (1986) trailer here

NINJA, STILE ITALIANO

Ninja III: The Domination (1984)

Love the Italian artwork. Still looking for the VHS cover for this.

WAITING…

Delta Force 2

I’ve been away for a few days so sorry if there was a delay getting back to you via email.

SHO’ ‘NUFF!

www.shokosugitheninja.com

You will never need another resource for Mr Sho Kosugi.

VIDEO COVERS

The Great Bookie Robbery (1986) UK VHS part 1 Cannon Screen Entertainment –final cover from this trilogy. Great TV drama this, which is now on DVD in the UK from Eureka Entertainment

Praying Mantis (1982). UK VHS Cannon Screen Entertainment

-And thanks to Cristiano for these excellent Chuck video covers from Italy:

-will be added to the Cannon Stars gallery in the next few days –Thanks Cristiano!

BUSY CENSORS

Frank and I (1983)

Someone has decided that the trailer for Frank and I (1983) is pornography and it’s been removed from my Cannon trailers on YouTube. Cannon Film Distributors released this in the UK and MGM

handled the USA home video. Obviously some moron has been offended.

Frank and I [AKA Lady Libertine] (1983) @ the IMDb here

I tried uploading it to AOL’s uncutvideo.com today and tinypic.com and it was also removed. It’s a film with absolutely no pornographic content so I’m not sure what the problem is.

I’ll have to find somewhere to host it. If anyone wants the file I will email you a temporary link.

Which reminds me, this and Black Venus (1983) (another 1983-84 Cannon release) has had a DVD release from www.privatescreeningcollection.com Region 0 apparently. Reviews here

Both films were produced by Harry Alan Towers (also used the pseudonym Peter Welbeck often (eg The Hitman (1991) ) who worked with Cannon again on at least 10 films. Towers is a fascinating

character and it would be nice to see him celebrated in some way.

Try and avoid the British DVD of Frank and I (1983) because it has been censored and cut according to www.melonfarmers.co.uk

3:08s minutes were cut from the 1984 cinema release and these cuts have found there way into the video/DVD releases of 1985 & 2006

* When 'Frank' is caned by Charles who believes she is male, sight of cane in front of her bare buttocks was removed. Most of the blows were also removed so idea is established only enough for

him to realise she is a woman. No welts may be featured on Frank's buttocks.

* Dialogue "Weren't you angry when I beat you?", "No,somehow after it I loved you more - it was terrible but very exciting..."was removed.

* In scene in which Madam beats blonde with slipper, close up of bare buttocks before beating begins was removed, cutting away after skirt is

lifted.

* In brothel entertainment, entire enactment of sequence: "Punishment of a Nihilist in a Russian prison" was removed. (the longest censor cut)

* When Charles meets the Count on stairs, dialogue line: ...including a little more punishment was removed.

* Flagellation scene after 'Frank' asks Charles to punish her with cane was reduced to absolute minimum, resuming as he asks her for forgiveness.

The version playing on the UK satellite channel Movies 4 Men as Lady Libertine is also uncut. So maybe would no longer be cut if the full version were to be submitted, or maybe not.

GREGORY GOODELL'S NO RETURN

Kent Church has written an excellent review of the script for this intended Cannon/Don Carmody/Charles Bronson project. You will find it under Cannon, Could Have Been on the main menu

X-RAY / HOSPITAL MASSACRE

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Some artwork from Mexico and Switzerland for Hospital Massacre [AKA X-Ray] (1982). Never seen the film. I’m sure it’s on DVD somewhere. More artwork in the IMDb A-Z.

Thanks to maDDDin for the Swiss cover.

BEFORE AND AFTER –THE HORROR

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Always a shock to see the destruction of cinemas but those pictures really bring it home. Just as horrific is the pictures of the Cannon Wakefield Can anyone help with a Cannon Wakefield picture with Cannon logos?

Also don’t forget to check out the series of pictures by Martin Dusashenka, Death of a Cinema in the Cannon Cinemas UK section.

-Thanks to Ian for the kind permission to use his great photography.

DON CARMODY -Interview by KENT CHURCH

Don Carmody The Hitman (1991) –a Don Carmody production

Don Carmody is one of the most respected producers in Hollywood. He’s produced such classics as Cannon’s The Hitman and The Wraith – one of my all time faves. He also produced the highly enjoyable actioners The Art of War and 3,000 Miles to Graceland and has been involved with heftier fare like Sean Penn’s The Pledge. Believe it or not, he also produced 2003 Oscar winner Chicago.

Mr. Carmody was kind enough to participate in this interview. Without him, it wouldn’t have been possible. The interview took place during some down time he had on Amelia - the Hilary Swank movie he's shooting. It sure does give some serious insight into Cannon and how bad things were for them around the 1990s.

THE INTERVIEW:

KC: As the writer of The Hitman, how did you come up with the idea for the screenplay?

DC: Robert Geoffrion and I were working on a screenplay that was similar and I submitted it to Cannon.

KC: How did Chuck Norris become involved?

DC: Cannon gave it to Chuck and his brother Aaron to read. They liked it and we got together and did revisions and Cannon agreed to finance it.

KC: Was anyone else ever considered to star or was it always Chuck?

DC: Originally I was thinking of Charles Bronson

KC: Was it your/the studios intention to make a more gritty/nasty Chuck Norris movie than usual?

DC: It was Chuck and Aaron’s idea to have Chuck go in a different direction.

KC: Was it hard to shoot the film with Cannon being on shaky financial ground?

DC: I didn’t know from week to week whether the payroll for that week would show up and after filming the lab seized the negative and held it until Cannon finally came up with a payment schedule.

KC: Where you happy with the script-to-screen treatment of the film?

DC: The film was much sexier and the relationship with Alberta Watson was quite steamy, but Chuck kept getting squeamish about doing these scenes, which I think would have helped the plot and character arc.

KC: Did you hope that the film would have performed better than it did? (I know I did)

DC: Of course, but Cannon were broke and couldn’t afford to promote it better.

KC: Do you collect memorabilia from your films? And if so, what memorabilia from Hitman do you have?

DC: I think I have a rubber replica of Chuck’s sawed off shotgun which was made for a stunt sequence. Generally I collect weapons of some sort from my action films – knives, gun replicas and things like that - key props that figured in the plot or character.

-Kent Church

kent@cannon.org.uk

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Thanks to Kent for the work bringing us this interview and of course to Don Carmody for taking the time to give us a look at his work for Cannon Pictures. More on Don Carmody at the IMDb here

He’s obviously had some very interesting and varied projects in his long career.

Don’s excellent official site: www.doncarmody.com

See the trailer for The Hitman (1991) here

PHOTOSHOP GONE BAD

POW: The Escape (1986) Original one sheet USA poster -click for larger

That’s the UK DVD for POW: The Escape (1986) . What a complete mess.

See the trailer for the film here

Available from:

www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000WN56H2

www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/3476983/Attack-Force-Nam/Product.html

I don’t affiliate links and there’s no advertising or adverts on this site. If you’d like to donate towards the hosting click on Want to help this site? page on the main menu

JUNE 2008 -MENAHEM GOLAN

Photos by Scott Downie

Looking very well in West Hollywood for the 23rd Israel Film Festival Gala, where he was awarded the Cinema Pioneer Award.

www.israelfilmfestival.com

Festival Honoree, Menahem Golan is one of the most significant Founding Fathers of the Israeli film industry. The IFF will present him with the 2008 Cinema Pioneer Award for his tireless

Contributions in helping make Israel an important film center. His productions portray the intricate prism of Israeli life, from the Oscar nominated Operation Thunderbolt and I Love You Rosa,

to the most popular Israeli film ever, Lemon Popsicle -By APRIL MACINTYRE

Menahem Golan

Cinema Pioneer Award

By DEBRA KAMIN

Menahem Golan is often called the founding father of Israeli cinema. With his cousin Yoram Globus, Golan ran Cannon Films and produced a string of fan-fave pics featuring such stars as Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Sean Connery.

The helmer-producer wrapped his first pic in 1962 and has accumulated more than 200 feature film credits since. Among them is 1977's "Operation Thunderbolt," based on the true story of Israel's raid to rescue Jewish hostages at Entebbe airport in Uganda. Pic nabbed an Oscar nom for best foreign film.

Golan was also responsible for bringing the production of several American pics to Israel, including 1986's antiterrorist pic "Delta Force," starring Chuck Norris.

"All my life I've been in cinema," says Golan, 79. "I'm very proud to get such an award, but I want to go on, I want to keep making movies."

Golan's next project is "Badenheim 39," a prewar Holocaust pic about Jews reluctant to believe in the possibility of destruction. He hopes to find a topliner while in Los Angeles for the fest.

www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=features&id=3162&articleid=VR1117987268

-Retrospective: June, November and December 2008

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The film festival (in 3 cities) also has a retrospective featuring Golan’s Kazablan (1974). I don’t think that has ever appeared with the Cannon name. It’s interesting that Variety describes The Delta Force (1986) as “antiterrorist”. Lazy journalism. Aren’t almost all films “anti-terrorist?”. Many would say The Delta Force (1986) was an Arab-bashing film and I’m sure it’s somewhere in between. Also showing in the retrospective are, Boaz Davidson's Lemon Popsicle (1978) and Golan's Operation Thunderbolt (1977).

FIRE!

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Cannon's 1969 "Re-Release” of Sam’s Song AKA The Swap (1969) -late UK home video release from "Missing in Action" distributors. Note Christopher C. Dewey's (former head honcho at Cannon)

name on the front of the box. MIA is a strange name for a distributor and it must be linked to Cannon as "MIA" first appeared on some Cannon Screen Entertainment UK releases. You can see the

tape's logo intro here. As you can see from the cover there's mention of VCI (Video Collection International) who I believe is now owned by Granada (who sold their cinemas and some film product

to Cannon in the late 1980s). VCI handled a lot of Cannon re-release home video product including House of the Long Shadows (1983) and The Wicked Lady (1983) (both previously released on Guild

Home Video).

I did try to watch this (the pain I have to put myself through for Cannon!) but it was far too awful. It is at least 2 films stitched together too.

Got a better image, information or something I’m missing or I have wrong?

Like to add something? See the Contact Me page on the main menu

www.cannon.org.uk

use only and has no connection whatsoever with The Cannon Group, Inc.