 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Jun 22, 2023 - 2:46 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Jim Brown co-starred with Keenan Ivory Wayans in the 1988 spoof of Blaxploitation films I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA. Wayans played Army veteran "Jack Spade" who has returned to his home town to avenge the death of his brother, with the help of local crime-fighting legend "John Slade" (Bernie Casey). Slade, in turn, approaches two of his crime fighting buddies: “Hammer” (Isaac Hayes) and “Slammer” (Jim Brown), who are now restaurateurs. They agree to aid Slade in bringing down “Mr. Big” (John Vernon).
Isaac Hayes and Jim Brown in I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA
Keenan Ivory Wayans also made his directorial debut with the film. It was Bernie Casey's third film with co-star Jim Brown. None of David Michael Frank's score appeared on the song-track album released by Arista. Initially, the $3 million production opened in only four cities, but once MGM/UA was convinced of its drawing power, it opened in another 300 locations. The film ultimately grossed $13 million domestically.
Based on the success of the film, MGM/UA and Ivory Way Productions tried to turn it into a television series focused on the three characters of “Hammer, Slammer, & Slade,” with Hayes, Brown, and Casey reprising their roles from the film. A one-hour pilot was produced for ABC in 1990, but the network didn’t pick it up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Jun 22, 2023 - 10:20 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Larry Cohen and Fred Williamson hadn’t worked together since 1973’s BLACK CAESAR and HELL UP IN HARLEM. Cohen got the opportunity to direct the 1996 black action film ORIGINAL GANGSTAS because Fred Williamson called him up, wanting to collaborate with him again. Larry stated "I got a call from Fred out of the blue, saying he wanted to make a picture up in Gary, Indiana about a bunch of ex-gang members who return to Gary and find themselves facing the new gangs that have sprung up, which are much more violent and deadly than his gang ever was when he was a kid. So he'd already had a script written on it, he had a screenplay, and he wanted me to direct the picture."
In addition to Fred Williamson, the cast included a Who’s Who of 1970 Blaxploitation stars: Jim Brown (SLAUGHTER), Pam Grier (COFFY), Paul Winfield (GORDON’S WAR), Ron O’Neal (SUPERFLY), and Richard Roundtree (SHAFT).
Jim Brown, Paul Winfield, Pam Grier, and Fred Williamson in ORIGINAL GANGSTAS
The film was shot primarily on location in Gary, Indiana. At one point, Larry Cohen found out that Jim Brown was leaving to go to some political rally in New Jersey. Cohen stated: "He can't leave, he still has three scenes to shoot." So, Cohen went up to Brown and asked him about it, and Jim said: "Fred [Williamson] knew I was leaving today.” Cohen asked, "Will you come back?” To which Jim replied, "I'll come back for one day if you fly me back.” So, Cohen went to Williamson and said: "Listen, we gotta get a private aircraft and fly this guy back." Williamson didn't like spending that money, so Cohen shot Brown's last three scenes in one day. If he hadn't, Brown wouldn't have been in the last fifteen minutes of the movie.
ORIGINAL GANGSTAS opened the same day as TWISTER, "and TWISTER had the biggest opening of the year,” said Cohen. “It was a very highly-publicized picture -- tremendous amount of advertising. It must have been in 3000 theaters. And we were supposed to open a week before, but for some stupid reason Orion decided to postpone the opening and move it back a week. And TWISTER, which was supposed to open two weeks later, they moved their date up. So they ended up on the same day as us, and we were facing the most potent motion picture release of the year. So we were the second-highest grossing picture, and the second-highest theater average picture in the country. But that didn't do us any good, because TWISTER just wiped everybody out.”
“[Our] picture got unusually good reviews, surprisingly, from the New York Times and from all the papers -- really rave reviews.” Critics likened the film to BOYZ N THE HOOD, and pictures like that, Cohen stated: "And they said it was a serious commentary on the conditions in Gary, Indiana and the people, and a worthwhile movie. And a New York critic said it was the most fun he'd had at the movies all year. So in a way it was a better picture than TWISTER, and I'm sure over the years it's picked up most of its audience on DVD and cable.”
Cohen was right about his film’s competition with TWISTER, except for one fact. ORIGINAL GANGSTAS was not the second-highest grossing picture that opened the weekend of 10-12 May 1996. It was the ninth-highest grossing picture. But on its 474 screens, it did have the second-highest per-theater average. That weekend, TWISTER pulled in $41 million, nearly double the gross of the next 15 pictures combined. ORIGINAL GANGSTAS grossed $1.2 million on its opening. It actually increased its gross in the second week, after everyone had seen TWISTER, nearly doubling the take of the first weekend, and it finished its run with a total gross of $3.7 million.
None of Vladimir Horunzhy’s score appeared on the all-hip-hop soundtrack CD released by Noo Trybe Records. ORIGINAL GANGSTAS was the final film directed by Larry Cohen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Jun 23, 2023 - 11:03 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
In the 1998 animated action-adventure SMALL SOLDIERS, when missile technology is used to enhance toy action figures, the toys soon begin to take their battle programming too seriously. Director Joe Dante made a point of casting some alumni of THE DIRTY DOZEN to voice the characters of some of the toy soldiers—Ernest Borgnine (“Kip Killagin”), Jim Brown (“Butch Meathook), Clint Walker (“Nick Nitro”), and George Kennedy (“Brick Bazooka”). In addition, Dick Miller (who was uncredited as an MP in THE DIRTY DOZEN) appeared on screen in SMALL SOLDIERS as "Joe," a deliveryman. Richard Jaeckel, a sixth cast member of THE DIRTY DOZEN, was originally cast as the voice of “Link Static,” but died during principal photography. Bruce Dern took over the role. Charles Bronson, who had also appeared in THE DIRTY DOZEN refused to lend his voice to one of the soldiers.
Jerry Goldsmith's score was released by Varese Sarabande, who released an expanded version in 2018. The $40 million production did reasonably well at the box office, with a $71 million worldwide gross.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Jun 25, 2023 - 10:09 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Jim Brown’s next film with Spike Lee was the theatrical feature SHE HATE ME. In the film, “John Armstrong” (Anthony Mackie) works at a pharmaceutical company ready to go live with a revolutionary cure. When a friendly coworker suddenly commits suicide on the eve of this momentous news, John begins to suspect something is wrong with his company. After some digging, he uncovers a plot to cover up the less than stellar results from the drug test. Now, without a job, John has to resort to impregnating women at $10,000 each to make ends meet. Armstrong's father “Geronimo,” a now-disabled ex-sports star, is played by Jim Brown.
Jim Brown and Anthony Mackie in SHE HATE ME
Terence Blanchard’s score for this 2004 comedy-drama was released by Milan. The $8 million production was a worldwide flop, grossing just $1.5 million.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Jun 26, 2023 - 2:29 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Made for Showtime, Spike Lee’s 2004 feature-length TV movie SUCKER FREE CITY was hoped to be the pilot for a series that would further explore the conflicts set up in its initial two hours. In overlapping storylines laid out in San Francisco’s Hunters Point, Mission and Chinatown neighborhoods, “Lincoln” (Ken Leung), “Nick” (Ben Crowley) and “K-Luv” (Anthony Mackie), while a part of different and in some ways directly competitive social and ethnic groups, are all low-rung players in their larcenous realms (collecting gambling debts for the Chinese mafia, identity theft, and enforcing for the V-Dubs street gang, respectively). Jim Brown had a small role in the film as “Don Strickland.”
Showtime rejected the idea for the series, and after considering turning it into a limited 6-episode series, dropped the idea completely. The film played in a few film festivals before Showtime aired it on 12 February 2005. Terence Blanchard’s score for the film has not had a release.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Jun 27, 2023 - 9:51 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Jim Brown’s last film appearance was a cameo playing himself, along with other NFL personalities, in DRAFT DAY. The film saw Kevin Costner playing “Sonny Weaver, Jr.,” the General Manager of the Cleveland Browns, who has a lot to think about on draft day. The team's owner “Anthony Molina” (Frank Langella) is concerned with the teams' commercial viability. Head coach “Vince Penn” (Denis Leary) has indicated the new signings he wants. The players attached to the Browns have their thoughts on the draft. Sonny's role is under the microscope after he fired his father, “Sonny Weaver, Sr.” (David Gragg), from the position of head coach, the previous season. Now with things settling into his hands, will Sonny go for the "splash," signing “Bo Callahan” (Josh Pence), as wanted by Anthony; will he relent to the needs of the head coac; or does he have his own plans?
Ivan Reitman directed the 2014 film. John Debney’s score was released by Lakeshore Records. The $25 million production grossed only $29 million in the U.S. and a miniscule $1 million overseas, since American football is little known outside of the U.S.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Jun 27, 2023 - 1:40 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Nightingale
(Member)
|
In spring 1964, producer Martin Ransohoff optioned film rights to Alistair MacLean’s 1963 novel, ICE STATION ZEBRA. No distribution deal was set at that time, although Ransohoff’s Filmways, Inc. was said to have existing deals with both Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Columbia Pictures. Filming was scheduled to begin in late spring 1965, with location shooting to be done in the Arctic Circle. The 26 March 1965 Daily Variety stated that Paddy Chayefsky had recently completed the script, and confirmed that MGM would act as distributor.
Gregory Peck was signed to star in the film. Following Peck’s casting, co-stars George Segal, Karl Malden, and David Niven were brought on, and John Sturges was named as director. Ransohoff hoped to cash in on Peck and Niven’s connection to the film adaptation of an earlier MacLean novel, THE GUNS OF NAVARONE. Production was now slated to begin in November 1965, but filming was delayed until January 1967 due to David Niven and George Segal’s scheduling conflicts.
In addition, the United States Department of Defense objected to some of the depiction of Navy life on the submarine in the script by Paddy Chayefsky. As such, Douglas Hayes was brought in to rewrite the screenplay. The project was further postponed, and on 6 February 1967 the Los Angeles Times announced that Rock Hudson now had the starring role, and credited Harry Julian Fink, Jr. as the screenwriter. (He ultimately received story credit.) Hudson revealed in an interview that he had sought out the script on his own and lobbied Ransohoff for the role of “Comdr. James Ferraday.” Jim Brown played Marine Captain “Leslie Anders,” a character that did not appear in Alistair MacLean’s novel.
I really like this movie, but hated, Hated, HATED! the way they killed him off in the film. I suspect this movie is why Samuel L. Jackson insisted he not go out "like a bitch"
Tony Bill, Jim Brown, and Ernest Borgnine in ICE STATION ZEBRA
It was estimated that the production would cost between $7 and $8 million, an estimated $2 million of which would be spent on sets. Shooting occurred on the MGM studio lot in Culver City, CA, on Stages 3, 5, 12, 14, and 30. The fictional “U.S.S. Tigerfish,” modeled after the U.S.S. Skate and the interior of the U.S.S. Thresher, was an estimated 300 feet long and five stories high, including the sail.
Lloyd Nolan’s character (“Admiral Garvey”) was added during post-production, necessitating re-shoots that took place in late February and early March 1968 at MGM. The studio arranged a reserved-seat, “roadshow” release of the picture. On 23 October 1968, the film had its world premiere at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, CA. The theater had been closed for three days in advance, so that the screen could be opened up to full Cinerama dimensions. The picture was advertised outside the Cinerama Dome by a display measuring twenty-by-twelve feet, which entailed a model submarine crashing through fake polar ice against a “cyclorama of Russian planes and paratroops.
Reserved-seat screenings began at the Cinerama Dome the day after the premiere, on 24 October 1968. While the New York City opening was initially scheduled to take place in early 1969, the release date was moved up to 20 December 1968, displacing another MGM roadshow attraction, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, from its Cinerama theaters.
Following mixed reviews, the picture finished in the top 30 films of the year at the U.S. box office, with a domestic gross of $13.3 million. Director of photography Daniel L. Fapp received an Academy Award nomination for Cinematography, while H. E. Millar, Sr. and J. McMillan Johnson were nominated for Special Visual Effects.
Michel Legrand’s score was released on an MGM LP, which was re-issued on CD by PEG in 1997. The complete score was released by Film Score Monthly in 2003.
I really like this film, but hate, Hate, HATE! the way they killed off his character. He deserved a much better death scene. I suspect this movie is why Samuel L. Jackson insisted he not be killed off "like a bitch" in Star Wars-Revenge of the Sith (and who can blame him?!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Jun 28, 2023 - 11:18 AM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Jim Brown is the only man to be inducted during his lifetime into three sports Halls of Fame: Pro Football, College Football, and Lacrosse. (Brown was a both a great football player and lacrosse player at Syracuse University.)
Among the favorites of his own films were THE DIRTY DOZEN, SLAUGHTER, and MARS ATTACKS! Jim Brown will be remembered as one of the first black action film stars. Farewell, Jim.
Jim Brown with the Cleveland Browns
with Ernest Borgnine and Tony Bill in ICE STATION ZEBRA
in DARK OF THE SUN
with Burt Reynolds in 100 RIFLES
on “T.J. Hooker” (1984)
Isaac Hayes, Bernie Casey, Keenan Ivory Wayans, and Jim Brown in I’M GONNA GIT YOU, SUCKA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
