Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

This is an odd documentary, much like its subject, Cannon Films. Or maybe it’s more appropriate to say it’s a strange documentary BECAUSE of its subject. Plenty of studios have name recognition, but few anymore carry with it an imprint and a reflection of the movie under its banner, outside of maybe Disney and Troma. But once upon a time, that logo before the movie could tell you a lot about what you were getting. Cannon was one of those logos. A Cannon movie was … well, it was a Cannon movie. Low budget, but not cheap. Tacky but not gross. Sleazy but not exploitative. You’ve heard of B-movies … Cannon was a B+ movie. For every cash grab, cliche-ridden action movie, there was a provocative movie like The Last American Virgin or Life Force. For every overly sexualized romp like Bolero, there was a surprise hit like Breakin’. Cannon was, as the kids say, a whole ass mood. Electric Boogaloo explores the rise and fall of this bizarre studio run by two very wild and bold men. They are the only ones who didn’t participate in it, likely because this is a warts and all production, and they were very much the kind to control the narrative. The movie doesn’t suffer for their absence, though; there is a full picture painted here by literally dozens of people, from Cannon execs to directors to actors and more. Their crazy business model, the crazy movies they put out that had no chance but they believed in them anyway. They ran the McDonald’s of Hollywood, and it is a fascinating tale. But that fascinating part may only play to those who lived it. Like I said, Cannon was a MOOD. If you weren’t there, if you didn’t grow up seeing that logo come before a movie and know that something bizarre and memorable was about to go down, it may not have the same impact. Few of Cannon’s films are held in high or even good regard, so most young cinephiles just won’t be inclined to sit through the Death Wish sequels and Lady Chatterly’s Lover and Over The Top to understand the singular weirdness that is the Cannon catalog. And I think that might hold back this movie a little for some people. But if you were there and you took the ride and you wanna know more about this bananas company and their quick rise and fall, this is an enjoyable watch. It may even inspire you to go back and watch a couple of the movies they mention. Somehow, they make Death Wish III look GOOD.