Van Dammage: Day of Days II

As you should have gathered by now, it's been a long few weeks and months with my office project finally being completed but there's still lots to do. Many days I didn't feel like I could get ahead and just this week I to pop in at 11:00 PM and be back at 5:00 AM. An end of day meeting invite turned out to be a ruse as I walked into a room and there he was, again, the one and only JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME. With him was long time assistant Kathy and a man I recognized instantly as Kamel Krifa, a childhood friend of JCVD turned actor, trainer and choreographer who popped up as the bartender in Double Impact ("just the way you like it boss, very hot") among many other flicks as well as a young fit, tattooed covered gentleman who handles the social media. I was totally surprised, thinking I'd walked into and interrupted a meeting but it was all planned in a wonderfully thoughtful gesture after some very long weeks.

Mr. Van Damme rose to his feet to shake my hand, at first looking a little tired and mentioning the photos we took the last time we met. We chatted about his recently wrapped Amazon show from Ridley Scott and Peter Atencio, how he had just flown in and was dead tired at the Hollywood Keanu premiere and how they wanted him to play a passive trainer in the Kickboxer remake which he said he couldn't so they added some unique fight scenes. A September release is in the works but JCVD is not involved with the currently shooting part III. By now Van Damme is coming to life, animated, smiling and joking around as he playfully pulled my sleeve up, complimenting my chest and biceps. For a guy who is world famous, arguably the most well known person from an entire country, inspired millions to follow their dreams and hit the gym, Van Damme is very funny, humble and makes you feel at ease nearly immediately.

Now it's time for some photos and knowing JCVD's talent as an artist, I suggest he sign the social wall which leads to a doodle of a muscular man performing a jump kick. We joke about Stallone and Seagal, Van Damme does a hilarious impression of Stallone, and then strips off his sweater and tells me we have to roll our sleeves up to flex. But holy cow are his arms ripped and I did not want to try and compete so I played up the "whaaaa" factor instead. We take lots of photos messing around, in the karate "on guard" position then bring in the rest of the team to take some funny group shots. A giant teddy bear had caught Van Damme's eye and he ran over to take some more hilarious photos.

People in the office are drifting over wondering what the heck is going on because we were having a little party. I chatted with Kamel a bit who was super cool as we talked Double Impact, my screenings with Sheldon Lettich, him knowing Jean-Claude since they were teens, how he ended up in Los Angeles, popping up in Under Siege and working choreography with Seagal and his death scene in Maximum Risk. I look forward to doing a full interview with him in the future.

I had now had my second once in a lifetime encounter with the second most influential man in my life behind my father, several dozen photos and a beaming smile that would last until the next day. It was a firm reminder to keep pushing, keep training, keep smiling and of course, keep it #MEGAPOSITIVE.

View In Peace: Geoffrey Lewis

Woke up to the news that awesome character actor Geoffrey Lewis passed away. Known for his many collaborations with Clint Eastwood, I'll always remember him being the dim witted and funny sidekick Orville from Every Which Way But Loose. You know, where Clint Eastwood plays a truck driving bare knuckle brawler who has a pet orangutan won in a fight against four guys? Classic. And as "uncle" Frank Avery from Double Impact as the hard ass veteran helping twin Jean-Claude Van Damme's take revenge on the baddies who killed their parents? Terrific. Besides a half dozen flicks with Eastwood, Lewis appeared in films filled with the likes of Steven McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Redford and Sean Connery in flicks like Dillinger, The Great Waldo Pepper, The Wind and the Lion and Tom Horn for directors including John Milius, Michael Cimino, George Roy Hill and Irvin Kershner.

Lewis was a part of my formative cinema viewing years as Stallone's Captain Schroeder in Tango & Cash, Sheldon Lettich's Double Impact, hard and disillusioned teacher Kerrigan to former student Mark Dacascos in Only the Strong, a Sheriff opposite Dolph Lundgren in Army of One then as banker Eugene in Richard Donner's Mel Gibson starring Maverick before appearing as depressed, suicidal hitman Abner in The Way of the Gun. I'd have to say Lewis's work in Every Which Way But Loose and Double Impact are what I'll always know him for. As Clint Eastwood's buddy and pseudo manager, Lewis is quite funny in the face of rude roadside market shoppers, angry bikers and gets the gal in the form of future Vacation star Beverly D'Angelo.

Double Impact is one of my favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme flicks and it's nice to see the then young and upcoming karate star opposite a few seasoned veterans like Lewis and Philip Chan. I asked Sheldon about how Lewis was cast and if I recall correctly, his name came up through the casting director. The duo would reteam on Lettich's next directorial effort, Only the Strong. Lewis plays Frank Avery, adopted uncle of Chad Wagner (Van Damme), a raised in Paris but living in Hollywood karate and aerobics instructor. Turns out Chad has a twin brother, Alex, in Hong Kong. The duo were separated at birth when their parents were killed by vicious gangsters over a lucrative tunnel construction project. Frank saved the kids, leaving Alex at an orphanage and taking Chad with him. 25 years later, Frank is going to take his revenge and the kids are coming with him. Arming themselves to the teeth, Frank, Chad and Alex take on Hong Kong thugs, greasy haired enforcers, high kicking baddies with spurs on their boots and a buff female bodyguard with thighs that can kill using explosives disguised as cognac, sniper rifles, high kicks, Johnny Walker Red, black silk underwear and lots of flexing. Ah the 90's...

Born in San Diego, Lewis was raised in Rhode Island before moving back to California at age 10.  First appearing on television and short films in 1970, Lewis would earn a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe nomination for 1980's Flo, a CableACE Award nomination for 1984's Maximum Security and a California Independent Film Festival Best Actor award for 2005's Old Man Music.

Van Dammage: To Be or Be To

"I knew I was going to succeed, and I have got a trick in life. If you can say thank you in advance for something, if you really believe in something then you've got to accept it's done...Be To Have - I am an actor, becoming an actor is just a work, and two: it's already gone, I'm on my way there so Be To Have, we have to think we are that person before becoming successful and saying thank you, in advance, to the Gods of life. So when I came to America and Hong Kong I knew I was an actor and a movie star, even if no one knew me. But I put this in myself and I was acting like I was the biggest star I knew and by doing that you present yourself to people with conviction and slowly it will happen to you."

Jean-Claude Van Damme

And there you have it, the philosophy, along with an extremely hard work ethic and the ability to do the splits, that lead The Real JC...VD to becoming a household name.  Mr. Van Damme celebrated his 54th birthday this past Saturday, October 18th.  I felt a little funny not throwing an office party for the guy as I have done for the last three years complete with champagne, appetizers and a ten-foot Double Impact banner.  Alas, times change.  Today, JCVD is in Turkey to attend a soccer match between Galatasaray and Borussia Dortmund...yeah I have no clue about soccer or futbol but that's cool. 

While 2011's reality series, Behind Closed Doors just started airing in the United States, it's been a little quiet on the JCVD news front.  Action thriller Pound of Flesh is in the can, the tale of a man who attempts to help a woman in trouble and for his efforts wakes up the next day missing a kidney.  Car chases, kicks to the face and shootouts ensue, I'll bet.  Van Damme looked a little thin on the set to which he countered that a real actor would know what a man would look like after losing a kidney.  6 Bullets and Assassination Games Ernie Barbarash directs what looks like a cool action thriller shot on the streets of Hong Kong.  I hope he teams up with a mainstream Asian star in the future a la Jackie Chan, Jet Li or Donnie Yen.  Over the summer, former UFC welterweight champion and Van Damme fan Georges St. Pierre challenged his idol to take the Ice Bucket Challenge to support ALS.  Van Damme obliged, dumping a bucket of ice water on himself in the shower then challenging his three kids.

Long gestating passion project Full Love resurfaced at the Shanghai International Film Festival where JCVD rubbed elbows with the likes of JC Jackie Chan before the gala premiere.  Strangely, reviews and word of mouth from the screening are scarce.  Van Damme has been reediting the movie for years now and added some intense action scenes recently after initial reviews found the film a little too out there for a drama-thriller starring the Muscles From Brussels.  Still no release date on the film though.  In the meantime you can play with your own miniature version of Wham Bam Van Damme in the form of an Enterbay Real Masterpiece statue/action figure complete with 30 points of articulation to recreate his famous split.

Happy birthday, shidoshi!

Van Dammage: Behind Closed Doors

"I'm tired, I want some rest. I've been doing, how many movies now? I don't even know. I never count them, I never look at them. Been around the world for 20, 30, 40 times...seeing same hotels, getting older with me. They change the wall papers of the room but my face get more cripple..."
     Jean-Claude Van Damme

Believe it or not, a few years ago I was out of work with no clue what was coming next as a random temp job lead to a decent opportunity at a huge corporation for nearly 4 years.  That came to an end and I found myself struggling to figure out next steps.  But for 8 wonderful weeks in 2011, every Tuesday I'd have at least one constant in my life, Jean-Claude Van Damme's reality show, Behind Closed Doors.  Produced for the United Kingdom's ITV4, BCD followed the Muscles From Brussels as he jetted around the world making movies, meeting fans, playing with his dogs and just trying to relax while partying into the wee morning hours, training for a kickboxing match and speaking from his big heart.  Now, U.S. cable network REELZ will be broadcasting the series starting in October, coincidentally the month Wham Bam Van Damme entered the world. 

The first episode finds JCVD visiting a quiet church in his hometown of Brussels, Belgium, discussing the drive that saw him drop out of high school, take up karate, ballet and weights, move to America, struggle and eventually become one of the world's most famous movie stars.  The glory days of his career a distant memory, Van Damme's brand recognition is still enough to keep him headlining movies for the Direct to Video market made in Eastern Europe.  His two kids, Kristopher and Bianca join their famous dad while saving stray dogs.  Van Damme travels to Russia to film a cameo in a 3D comedy based on Napoleon, parties early into the morning then returns to Belgium to see his mother, father and half dozen dogs he's rescued from around the world.  It's a very intimate look into the life of a very famous person known for his professional, self-made accomplishments and personal, self-destructive antics.  After so many years of charming audiences with a boyish innocence mixed with muscular, martial arts fueled mayhem, it might be a shock to casual fans to see the modern Van Damme so sensitive and prone to tears.  But for anyone who has followed the Belgian Bomber through his career, it's that surprising mix of heart and physicality that makes him just a little more interesting than Arnold or Sly.

During shooting of the show, we watch JCVD work on movies like Weapon, Dragon Eyes and Kung-Fu Panda 2 while trying to get healthy for a proposed kickboxing match with Thai Gold medalist boxer Somrak Khamsing.  Not discussed on the show is Van Damme's minor heart attack or complication.  The Muscles From Brussels looks a bit frail in some segments but a hilarious Christmas episode finds him in terrific shape as he puts his family and daughter's boyfriend through a holiday workout.  Van Damme regulars like writer/director Sheldon Lettich, longtime karate coach Claude Goetz along with Bloodsport and Double Impact co-star Bolo Yeung pop up in addition to recent co-stars Scott Adkins and Cung Le.  Action weirdos like me will spot fitness model and martial artist Julien Greaux along with 87Eleven fight choreographer Larnell Stovall training and auditioning daughter Bianca.

Showcasing his still worldwide appeal, Mr. Van Damme travels the globe, hitting up Vancouver, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Paris, Russia, Dubai, Belgium and more filming cameos, commercials and meeting with local investor types looking to get into the Van Damme business.  During filming, Van Damme had received a request but not a script for Expendables 2 from Stallone and seemed determined to clean up his rock and roll lifestyle to get in shape for the fight to clean up his soul.  Cut to 3 years later, Expendables 2 has come and gone, heck, a third installment was just released in August.  One powerful scene shows Van Damme erupting in anger and sadness when he learns that the producers of the Bloodsport reboot don't want him involved.  That film probably isn't any closer to being produced than it was then. The fight with Khamsing never materialized and Van Damme has kept busy post EX2 with his first foray into comedy, Welcome to the Jungle and starred in well received commercials for Volvo, GoDaddy and Coors Light.  Another reality show, 360 World Tour, was teased but has yet to be broadcast.  Same goes for a years in the making workout video.  As for me?  I'm kicking ass and doing so well I almost can't live with myself.  Wade Garrett style.

Ask Me a Question: Double Impact w/ Sheldon Lettich

 "Hey, bro, we did it!" 

That's about how I felt after everything was said and done on Dammaged Goods' first live event, a Van Damme Double Dip featuring 1991's Double Impact and 1988's Bloodsport with Q&A featuring writer/director Sheldon Lettich.  Hosted by the awesome New Beverly theater, this whole thing came together rather quickly.  After a false start on trying to show Lionheart (Universal has no print, lame) then attempting to recruit Bolo Yeung (out of town), we forged ahead with the special evening(s).  The New Bev had a Bloodsport poster and Sheldon provided an original Double Impact one sheet for the lobby.  At showtime, my plan was to introduce myself, the blog and the movies then move into trivia with prizes like WWJCVDD? shirts and a VHS copy of Double Impact to be signed by Sheldon himself.  Upon hearing these ideas, Mr. Lettich dug into his own personal collection and came back with awesome promos from the release like industry invites, VHS release postcards and a press kit!  Questions ran the gauntlet of number of shooting days (63), number of times Sheldon has directed Van Damme (4), co-stars and more.

The print of Double Impact was quite good, some of the colors were washed out at times but otherwise very clean.  On the big screen you realize how frigging violent this movie is.  From the opening minutes massacre of Paul and Katherine Wagner to bloody, 90's style squib hits, multiple broken necks to kicks to the throat that look just a little too real, Double Impact delivers the Van Dammage.  Being Van Damme's first big budget, more mainstream affair, the action isn't just fists and feet as we get various shootouts, fights, chases on foot and water and explosions galore.  The movie is randomly hilarious, thanks to JCVD's acting as both the Hollywood playboy, karate and aerobics instructor Chad and the cigar chomping, woman slapping, mahjong parlor owning smuggler Alex who team up to take down the evil gangsters that killed their parents and stole their birthright to an expensive tunnel project.  Fighting through thugs, a bodybuilding, maybe lesbian security enforcer, a high kicking henchman with spurs on his boots for slicing throats and the mighty Bolo Yeung as Moon, Chad and Alex finally confront the men who killed their parents and separated them at birth.

One of my favorite parts in the movie is Chad's wearing of and Alex's multiple mentions of black silk underwear as an example of how soft Chad is and how hard Alex is for having been raised on the streets alone.  I asked Sheldon about the then throwaway line and he was flummoxed it's one of the most popular lines 20 some years later.  The scope of the film is much larger than anything Van Damme had done before as the exotic and grimy locales of Hong Kong are put on full display with the crowded streets, frog slicing markets, boat filled water front, jungle filled islands complete with abandoned hotels, shipping yards, cranes and whatnot.  We had a great crowd Sunday who hooted, hollered, clapped and laughed throughout.  Monday was a little more reserved but as the movie(s) continued, they got into the spirit too.

After the film, Sheldon, who is a great storyteller and has them for days, hit the audience with candid talk about meeting and working with Van Damme, working with Cannon, developing Lionheart, Double Impact, the twinning effects, his start as a writer and director and much more.  It was all kind of a blur being up front and asking him questions so here's some morsels of what I recall:

- Has a degree in Photography then studied Cinematography at AFI but switched to writing and directing after seeing how not great other students majoring in those fields were.

- Met Van Damme over the phone who was discussing the script to Bloodsport with Frank Dux in Hong Kong.  Lettich had met Dux earlier and during a car ride on the 101, Dux was telling his stories about a secret tournament dubbed "Bloodsport" which Sheldon thought was a great title.
- Cannon's Menahem Golan did not believe in JCVD.  The first cut of Bloodsport was a disappointment, potential had not been realized.  Van Damme went off to other companies to make movies and then when Blood hit, Golan came calling but still didn't think he was bankable, dubbed him "poison" and would never be a star like Michael Dudikoff.
- Talks about Frank Dux being a Walter Mitty style dreamer but never comes back to reality and had no proof he did anything notable in the military or underground martial arts tournaments.  In fact, his discharge form shows service dates so brief that he was most likely canned.  Claims to have won medal of honor but isn't on the actual public list.  Dux claims his work was so secret it has to be kept out of public record.
- Van Damme really did reedit the fight scenes in Bloodsport to make them what they became.
- Went to Paris for first time scouting for Corsican Brothers, Cannon went under and after a lawsuit, Sheldon walked away with the rights and that became Double Impact.
- Title came from Van Damme in the editing room, saying to show a punch from another angle to give it that "Double Impact".

- Twinning effects achieved in a non-CGI, computer era where each performance was shot with VD on one side, stand in on other, had a set of twins for over shoulder stuff and stunt men for fights who learned VD's kicking style, Van Damme would have to shower and change then do scenes from other side, reacting to audio from best takes then that is put together with an optical printer.
- A stunt man is hit by/throws himself at a car, looked so real, Sheldon went to see if he was still alive but the coordinator said he was just acting and held him back to not ruin the shot.
- Said the notion of playing two characters was not Van Damme's idea or an attempt to broaden his range, all started with original script Cannon had for Corsican Brothers.
- 1/3 of the film was shot in Valencia, outside Los Angeles, the Mahjong parlor, etc
- For whatever reason, got along fine with tough guys like Sylvester Stallone, Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, Mark Dacascos and Steven Seagal, maybe it was from his Marine Corp. background or that they knew he wasn't direct competition in a sense.

Of course much more was discussed over two nights so I'll try to come back and do another post to follow up.  Thanks again to the staff at the New Bev, everyone on the Facebook page, readers here, the Van Damme Fans, Action Elite, Manly Movie, Twitter and Sherdog for all the positive vibes.  It was definitely a great way to start things off and we'll do it again soon.

(Almost) Ask Me a Question: Van Damme Double Feature

You feel that?  Feels like it's almost time to rock n' roll!  Tonight is a night of firsts: my first time seeing Double Impact on the big screen, hosting a Q&A and of course, Dammaged Goods' first live event!  A big thanks to everyone who has helped make this idea into a reality starting with writer/director Sheldon Lettich for agreeing to appear both nights as he prepares to work on a new movie, to Michael Torgan and the staff at the New Beverly for hosting, to VanDammeFan for being the best community of JCVD supporters known to man, to The Action Elite and Manly Movie for supporting the event with ticket giveways and all of my awesome friends who have joined the FB page, tweeted it out and helped get the word out.

Tonight is going to be fun, the first 10 people in the door will receive a free popcorn, pre-movie trivia will see fans walking away with custom JCVD swag and some items from Mr. Lettich's private collection then Sheldon will be on hand between films for Q&A and questions from the audience.

First up is Double Impact, Van Damme's first big budget foray into martial arts action filmmaking from 1991.  Originally a take on Alexandre Dumas' novella The Corsican Brothers, which sees conjoined twins separated at birth who can feel each others pain, Double Impact would see Van Damme as both a city slick, hot shot federal agent and his long lost twin, a European country bumpkin armed with a shotgun and fur vest.  Things change and the released film co-written and directed by Sheldon Lettich sees VD as Hollywood karate and aerobics instructor Chad and Hong Kong street tough smuggler Alex as reunited twins fighting an evil mobster who killed their parents to take control of a lucrative construction project.  Early twinning effects, black silk underwear, spinning karate kicking, Asian mullets, exploding Cognac and early 90's non-PC name calling antics ensues.

Post chatting with Sheldon it's Bloodsport, Jean-Claude's star making role from 1988.  The now debunked story of martial artist Frank Dux, Bloodsport follows a karate kicking Army Captain who travels to Hong Kong to compete in the Kumite, a secret, underground tournament to find the world's finest warrior.  Bromance, coin tricking, underwear pulling up, gold tooth finding, brick breaking, mustard suit wearing, Forest Whitaker, Bolo Yeung pec popping, monkey VS sumo VS karate VS boxing hijinks set to awesome 80's synth pop soundtrack classicness follows.

It's going to be a good night.  See you there!

Van Dammage: I Believe I Can Fly

 

"When you know who you are in life, you can go so high.  I really believe so."

    Jean-Claude Van Damme

Congratulations to everyone at Volvo and team Jean-Claude Van Damme for their recent sweep at this years Webby Awards as they won Best Online Commercial, Best Viral Marketing and Best Branded Entertainment Short Form for The Epic Split.

Van Damme's self-improving, self-reflecting and self-searching attitude has always been an inspiration to me and I'm sure subconsciously fueled my recent uptick in activity lately as I've hunkered down and just started Doing.  Life is for living so if you know what you like, go out and do it.  And if anybody has a problem with that, tell them you're sorry but not sorry they lead such an empty existence with no interests or passions.  For me, it's been a busy few weeks with 3 conventions in a month, screenings galore, launching the Facebook page and putting together Dammaged Goods' first live event while laying down groundwork for future nights of cinematic wonder.  Oh yeah, I also work full time and am in the midst of several large projects.  This page isn't for publicity or profit, it's just a forum for the things I like and want to share with those who don't get to experience all the cool events Los Angeles (and surrounding) has to offer due to schedule, geographic or monetary reasons.  At the end of the day, things are what you make of them so make them great.  It really is that simple.

In the meantime, The New Beverly Cinema has posted the Double Impact and Bloodsport screenings set for Sunday and Monday, May 4th and 5th with Sheldon Lettich Q&A on their site:

And you can get a custom WWJCVDD? shirt over at Etsy from TeeRexellent:

Then you can watch this video for your daily dose of sensitive yet inspirational Van Dammage:

(Pre) Ask Me a Question: Double Impact & Bloodsport Screening! Los Angeles!

You read that headline and all of those exclamation points right, Dammaged Goods has now moved into Phase II of it's non-planned existence, live events!  Very happy and excited to announce a night of Jean-Claude Van Damme martial arts action classics on the big screen at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles, Double Impact and Bloodsport!  These are prints straight from the vaults of Park Circus/MGM and will screen on Sunday and Monday, May 4th and 5th.  Rambo III and Bloodsport co-writer and Lionheart, Double Impact and Only the Strong director Sheldon Lettich will be appearing, schedule permitting, between films to discuss his career, working with Jean-Claude Van Damme and much much more.  I believe Double Impact last screened in Los Angeles in 2008 and Bloodsport played in 2010 so this is some rare shit, Sonny Grasso style.

The New Beverly Cinema started as a vaudeville theater before being converted into a night club.  In the 50's, the New Bev became a movie theater showing foreign films, pornos and grindhouse features.  In 1978, Sherman Torgan took over the joint and turned it into a repertory revival house with double feature programming.  Sadly, Torgan died in 2007 and the New Bev's fate was in peril as redevelopment firms looked to pounce.  That same year, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino bought the building and essentially became the landlord.  Today, the New Bev is still going strong, showcasing films new and old, familiar and obscure with programming assists from guests ranging from Edgar Wright, Patton Oswalt, Jason Reitman, Walter Hill, Michael Biehn, Thomas Jane and many, many more directors, actors and writers.  Sherman's son Michael has worked at the theater for years and currently runs the operation; curating programs, booking films, selling tickets and whatever else needs to be done in order to keep this piece of film history alive.

More details to come and we'll see you there!