Umbrella Entertainment Double Feature - Electric Boogaloo & Machete Maidens Unleashed - Blu-ray

Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus were Israeli cousins with an unshakeable belief in the commercial potential of movies about ninjas, mercenaries, revenge, aerobics, and Charles Bronson. In 1979 they acquired the struggling Cannon Films and spent the following decade making it one of the most prolific — and most polarizing — production companies in Hollywood history. At their peak they were releasing thirty films a year: Chuck Norris action vehicles, the Death Wish sequels, American Ninja, The Delta Force, Missing in Action, Masters of the Universe, Superman IV, Breakin' and its sequel, and a remarkable number of films that nobody can fully explain. Their approach to financing, pre-selling distribution rights at Cannes before a frame had been shot, changed the way independent film operated globally. Their approach to quality is a separate discussion. Electric Boogaloo assembles the people who were there — directors, actors, writers, crew members, distributors — and lets them tell the story of Golan and Globus, their impossible ambition, their genuine love of cinema, and the spectacular implosion that ended it all.

Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films is a 106-minute documentary written and directed by Mark Hartley — the Australian filmmaker behind Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! and Machete Maidens Unleashed! — produced by RatPac Documentary Films and Wildbear Entertainment, with funding from the Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere Fund, Screen Queensland, Film Victoria, and Screen Australia. It premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival on August 2, 2014, and screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2014. The film received critical acclaim and is considered the definitive documentary account of Cannon Films. This is the Australian Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray double feature release — Electric Boogaloo paired on a single disc with Machete Maidens Unleashed! (Hartley's 2010 documentary about Filipino exploitation cinema). The disc is region-free (plays on Region A, B, and C players) and was released April 4, 2017.

Notable Staff & Featured Interviewees

Director / Writer: Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood, Machete Maidens Unleashed!)
Producers: Brett Ratner, James Packer, Veronica Fury
Editor: Jamie Blanks, Sara Edwards & Mark Hartley
Music: Jamie Blanks
Production: RatPac Documentary Films / Wildbear Entertainment

Featured Interviewees include:
• Menahem Golan (Cannon Films co-founder)
• Yoram Globus (Cannon Films co-founder)
• Dolph Lundgren
• Bo Derek
• Molly Ringwald
• Olivia d'Abo
• Richard Chamberlain
• Franco Nero
• Elliott Gould
• Mimi Rogers
• Andrew Stevens
• Cassandra Peterson
• Catherine Mary Stewart
• Albert Pyun
• Boaz Davidson
• Alex Winter
• Charles Matthau
• Barbet Schroeder
• Avi Lerner
• And many others

Blu-ray Features (Umbrella Entertainment, Australia, April 4, 2017)

• Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (~106 min)
• Machete Maidens Unleashed! (~84 min) — bonus documentary on Filipino exploitation cinema
• Region Free — plays on Region A, B & C players
• 1080p HD 1.78:1 widescreen
• Note: No North American physical Blu-ray release exists — this Australian import is the only Blu-ray edition available worldwide

Spoken Language: English

Edition Details

Runtime: ~106 Minutes (Electric Boogaloo) + ~84 Minutes (Machete Maidens Unleashed!) = ~190 Minutes Total
Director: Mark Hartley
Blu-ray Release Year: 2017 (Australia, April 4 — Umbrella Entertainment double feature)
Original Premiere Date: August 2, 2014 (Melbourne International Film Festival)
Publisher: Umbrella Entertainment (Australia)
Rating: MA 15+ (Australia)
Region: Region Free (A, B & C)
Note: Australian import — region-free, plays worldwide. No North American Blu-ray release exists. Paired on single disc with Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010). Definitive documentary on Cannon Films / Golan-Globus.
Genre: Documentary, Film History
Themes: Cannon Films, Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus, 1980s Exploitation Cinema, B-Movie Production, Hollywood Independent Film History

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.