A couple of years ago I visited Austin for the first time to attend a special screening of Lionheart and Only the Strong with writer and director Sheldon Lettich. Local Alamo Drafthouse programmer and editor Greg is a huge action movie fan, putting on marathons for the likes of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sylvester Stallone and Nicolas Cage (who attended the recent 4th edition). Russellmania was a celebration of the Saint of Being Charmed Kurt Russell and we attended the sequel a couple of weeks ago as a long weekend getaway. Luckily the lady is a huge Kurt Russell fan and spent some time in Austin growing up so everything just lined up. Five mystery films, a themed menu and a few surprises seemed like the perfect way to spend a Sunday.
Starting at 11:30 AM, the Ritz on Sixth was already packed and there were plenty of Jack Burton tee shirts and tanks in the crowd. The 200 person theater sold out in a day and each patron was greeted with a special menu for the day along with buttons with Russell's visage from The Thing, Tombstone, Used Cars and so many more. Random and hilarious clips from Russell's vast filmography, from roles as a child actor in Disney flicks to providing voice over for DMV spoofs played along with trailers before each film. Greg welcomed the crowd and shared that Kurt Russell would not be attending but he was able to talk to the man and send him the line up. Russell and long time partner Goldie Hawn had both just finished whirlwind PR tours for Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and Snatched, and it was time for a trip to unwind.
Big Trouble In Little China, I was a little disappointed this kicked things off as it played in the first Russellmania and of course we saw it at Beyond Fest with Russell in attendance last fall. But it doesn't take you long to fall back into the film as it's one of my favorite movies of all time and one of Russell's best roles/performances. Greg debated showing it again but when he proposed it to Russell, the response was "if you have Freebird, play Freebird", fair enough.
Overboard, this was a title I thought would play since Russell and Hawn had films this summer and received side by side stars on the Walk of Fame. It's still a fun flick with questionable morals but nothing you can't come back from. Plus you begin to notice Russell's beautiful hair and penchant for tank tops. It was a nice treat for the lady because she grew up watching the flick with her family.
Backdraft, this was one I didn't quite expect but should have since it was Russell's first big budget headlining film. Ron Howard does an excellent job crafting a solid drama with intense action sequences with real fire in the pre-CGI 90's. Sure it's a bit 90's cheese with William Baldwin and Iron Eagle's Jason Gedrick as part of the random montage that shows the danger of fire fighting along with the mundane day to day. Robert De Niro does his De Niro thing aka repeats himself to glorious effect. Awesome supporting cast here too with Scott Glenn, J.T. Walsh, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rebecca DeMornay and Donald Sutherland. The lady was not a fan of William Baldwin though. Short hair this time out but tank top? Check.
Tango & Cash, this was the wildcard title but I thought it should play because Stallone and Russell were both in Guardians 2. I could tell it was T&C from the opening Warner Brothers logo and gave out a big holler to express my excitement. Just the most random (delivery guy leaving with pizza? Russell's Gabriel Cash is really upset a bad guy shot his shirt that cost nine bucks), patriotic (don't let a limey jerk off cut your head off, let an American!), homoerotic (multiple men ask each other if marriage jokes are proposals, Cash dresses as a woman to escape police, he and Tango get to prison and immediately shower together) but fucking awesome 80's flick you could ask for. Between Backdraft and Tango, I realized that Russell is one of cinema's greatest screamers. He just goes into "scream mode" and you totally believe it and it makes you laugh. See Swing Shift "you want it pal, come get it!", Tombstone "Hell's coming with me you hear?!", Dark Blue "because they built it with bullets!", Death Proof "you really gotta be sitting in my seat!", etc. for more examples.
The Thing wound things down but I was pretty tired as I'd been fighting a cold for a couple of weeks and while John Carpenter's film classic, it's a movie I've seen on the big screen more than once. Greg and the staff made for a great day as there's full service food and booze you can order any time. We went for Jameson and Ginger Beers, a burger, a Tombstone themed pizza, popcorn and a cookie trio a la mode. There's still so many more films for a Russellmania 3 but sounds like Keanu Reeves might be the next star to get an Alamo marathon.
Space opera fans had much to celebrate as Thursday was May the Fourth Be With You and Friday was Revenge of the Fifth. At the office I had the films playing in random order, themed menu items and restrooms were decorated with Luke, Leia, Finn and Rey. We watched The Force Awakens at home and picked up a Poe Dameron figure on sale at the local Disney store. Now I have the hankering to watch Ex Machina... The Han Solo movie is currently in production and Episode VIII: The Last Jedi hits theaters in December.
Thursday also saw the summer movie season take off with the release of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. We ended up taking in a double feature at the nearby Arclight Cinema. Part one still plays quite well as an entertaining, space trotting thrill ride even if it doesn't hold up to much deep thinking or scrutiny. Written and directed by James Gunn, Volume 2 starts off with a big and funny action sequence but surprisingly goes into character depth mode with Chris Pratt's Star-Lord being found by his dad (KURT RUSSELL), Zoe Saldana's Gamora tries to reconcile with sister who tried to kill her last movie Nebula (Karen Gillan), Dave Bautista makes a would be lady friend then Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Yondu (Michael Rooker) bicker because they're afraid to lose their adopted families. While things seemed to move quickly, the character beats and humor work but it felt like nothing really happened. Kurt Russell is great as the manifestation of an entire planet but badass assassin Gamora gets little to do. Sylvester Stallone shows up in a small role opposite Rooker for a nice Cliffhanger reunion even if we don't get a Tango & Cash or Tombstone one. All in I probably liked the film an extra 20% because of Russell and Stallone.
It was great to see Russell doing so much press for the flick and Stallone did his fair share as well. Russell and long time partner Goldie Hawn were honored with Stars on the Walk of Fame this week as Hawn has Snatched with Amy Schumer opening next week. Since taking a bit of a hiatus from filmmaking in 2006 to make wine, it's been awesome to see Russell return with Quentin Tarantino, Peter Berg, the Fast and Furious movies and now Marvel. Located past the Pantages theater, we checked out the shiny new stars and did the Tango & Cash high five over them. Now we just need Jean-Claude Van Damme to work with Spielberg, Nolan, Marvel or DC to get his honor.
Since seeing Kurt Russell at Beyond Fest a couple months ago I've been revisiting his vast body of work like Tombstone, Captain Ron, Stargate, Big Trouble In Little China, Unlawful Entry, Miracle, Sky High and the 1996 classic action thriller Executive Decision. I'd nearly forgotten that Steven Seagal gets high billing but is killed off in the film's first act. Remember when I told you my theory that Dammaged Goods style action movies died in 1996? The kind starring charismatic, physical heroes who took care of the job with machine guns, muscles, martial arts and one liners? To refresh your memory, check out my piece on Sylvester Stallone, who along with Arnold Schwarzenegger, ushered in a cottage brand of action flick in the 80's and paved the way for lesser cinematic icons Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme. While no other action star would reach the heights of the two kings, mysterious Aikido expert and would be CIA agent Seagal nearly got there after bursting onto the scene with 1988's Warner Brothers starring vehicle Above the Law with no prior acting experience. The sub-$10 million flick grossed nearly $20 million.
Before that, Seagal had the distinction of allegedly being the first non-Japanese to open his own Aikido studio in the mother land. Working in Hollywood it's rumored that he broke Sean Connery's wrist while training the James Bond star for Never Say Never Again and impressed uber agent Michael Ovitz who got Seagal in with Warner Brothers. While Jean-Claude Van Damme toiled with low budget filmmakers, independent studios, first time directors, no name casts and $1 million budgets, Seagal had a major studio behind him and familiar faces beside him his first time out. Follow up Hard to Kill more than doubled Law's take and audiences were hooked on the tall, often pony tailed hero who spoke in whispers and took out dozens without ever taking a punch with painful looking joint locks and throws. Fight scenes in Seagal movies always elicited real groans and winces as it looked like people really got slammed into the floor or through a table. Seagal's "aura of invincibility" went with his mysterious past as a martial arts instructor in Japan coupled with his own hints of working with or for the CIA.
By 1992, Warner Brothers had already produced or distributed three of Seagal's four titles and backed Under Siege, a reported $35 million, Die Hard style actioner set on a battle ship. Above the Law director Andrew Davis had already lent a bit of class to Chuck Norris with Code of Silence before doing the same for Seagal on Law and was recruited for a second run. As former Navy S.E.A.L. turned cook Casey Ryback, Seagal fights, shoots, stabs and sabotages his way through a terrorist takeover lead by more than capable actors like Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey. A true action classic, Under Siege would open to $15 million opening weekend, good enough for the 9th largest of the year on it's way to an $83 million U.S. take and $156 million worldwide. Now on top of the world, Seagal would exercise his spirit and ego on his next film, the ecological themed On Deadly Ground, which he would also produce and direct. The $50 million Alaska set film takes on oil cartels and Inuit treatment head on while ending with a monologue by the star discussing how the world is dying. A noble endeavor but the film would gross less than half of Under Siege and earn few critical marks.
With success always comes controversy and rumors of Seagal's prickly attitude and unbelievable ego on and off set began to surface. A dispute with writers on Marked for Death, kicking Gary Busey off the sequel to Under Siege, thinking he could easily deliver an Academy Award winning performance if Hollywood hadn't pigeonholed him, taking potshots at JCVD on late night TV, misrepresenting the tribal nations people of Alaska, being accused of sexual harassment, Seagal's quick rise to the top was now catching up to him. Warner's had signed him to a four picture deal but pumped the brakes on Ground as the budget swelled to reevaluate. They also wanted any budget overages on 1995's $50-60 million Under Siege 2: Dark Territory to come out of the leading man's $10 million salary. Territory would hardly recapture the spirit, scale or excitement of the original but would still gross a solid $100 million worldwide.
But 1996's Executive Decision marked the beginning of the end. Long had Seagal carried a film as a super badass who never got hurt but now in Decision, he was making room for the guy who couldn't fight or shoot, the glasses wearing, tuxedo sporting analyst Kurt Russell. We see Seagal and his commando team slashing throats and taking out bad guys right away but it's Russell's smarts that save the day and stop a plane full of nerve agent from crashing into Washington D.C. While Seagal sacrifices himself for the mission and dies 40 minutes in, his career would never be the same. Warner Brothers fully backed Executive Decision with a reported $55 million budget, in house super producer Joel Silver (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon) was behind the scenes and legendary company editor Stuart Baird (Superman, Gorillas in the Mist) was making his directorial debut. I'm sure it was a shock in 1996 to see THE Steven Seagal get killed in the film but by the end you kind of forget he was even in it.
1996 follow up The Glimmer Man, a $45 million buddy picture with Keenan Ivory Wayans that he starred, produced and wrote music for, would gross a paltry $20 million compared to Decision's $69 million. 1997's Fire Down Below, another big budget action movie with an environmental message, would only bring in $16 million, $3 million less than Above the Law had nearly 10 years earlier but with $40 million more budget. By 1998 the party was truly over as The Patriot went Direct to Video. Joel Silver would provide some career juice with 2001's Exit Wounds that was part of a short stint of martial artists paired with rappers that also gave us Jet Li's Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 the Grave. From there it mainly DTV fare with Seagal gaining more and more weight but appearing in the films less and less with filmmakers not caring if the audience could tell they were using a double or not. Seagal would crank out 2-3 films a year and still command a $5 million fee while dealing with FBI investigations, private investigators and very public lawsuits from former associates that hinted at mafia involvement.
As the home video market fell out in the 2000's, Seagal's output stayed steady as budgets got smaller and schedules shorter. A stint on reality TV followed with the short lived Steven Seagal: Lawman as the fully commissioned deputy performed his civic duty for the Sheriff's office in Louisiana. A villainous turn in Robert Rodriguez's Machete marked a return to cinemas after a near 9 year layoff. Seagal hasn't lacked for work though as he's released SIX films in 2016 alone. His latest, Contract to Kill comes out this weekend and features none other than Dammaged Goods favorite Russell Wong so it will be the first Seagal flick I've actively watched in years. Now "put your hands up!".
Speaking of books, over the summer I picked up a copy of Rutger Hauer's autobiography All Those Moments from an awesome garage sale for a buck. The hosts must have worked at nearby Sony as they had tons of memorabilia in forms of posters, shirts, books and promotional items. I also grabbed a bitching Escape Plan shirt that's super soft and excellent for wearing to the gym. Anyways, All Those Moments is a brief overview of iconic genre actor Rutger Hauer's career. Most know him from Blade Runner but he was also great in the likes of Ladyhawke, Blind Fury and Nighthawks, worked with Robocop's Paul Verhoeven, a fellow Dutchman, several times and showed up in varied fare like The Hitcher, Batman Begins, Sin City, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and so many more.
The book is a breezy read, never getting too detailed and skipping over a lot of his filmography. We get a picture of Hauer's poor upbringing to poor acting parents and how he was on the first Dutch television show, directed by Verhoeven. They'd work together multiple times with Hauer always having to ask and never being invited as Verhoeven was always looking for someone new. Hauer describes traveling to America and loving being here while working with Stallone on Nighthawks was a little more challenging as the Rocky star was clearly in control leading to a butting of heads. A funny side of Hauer is revealed as the actor drove a giant truck/RV deal around to sets in Europe leading Dick Donner to yell at him in disbelief when he showed up on the set of Ladyhawke. I could have used an entire book on the making of Blind Fury but it does get a chapter so I'll take what I can get.
The American Cinematheque's Aero Theatre hosted a retrospective of writer and director Ted Kotcheff, concluding with 1982's classic First Blood. While Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo would go on to be remembered for the muscles, red head band, machine guns and mayhem, it's easy to forget just how solid First Blood is. Based on David Morrell's novel, the film takes place in Hope, a small northwestern town surrounded by mountains and forest. Vietnam veteran John Rambo comes to town looking for an old friend but gets harassed by local police chief Teasle (Brian Dennehy). After being mistreated by an overzealous deputy, Rambo escapes and soon a manhunt and war you won't believe besieges Hope. I've always defended First Blood as a drama as that's exactly what it is. There's some great action in it but it's not simply an action film.
Watching it on the big screen a few thoughts ran though my head. First off, the production is beautiful. In an age when a film can arguably be deemed "good" by the fact it was shot in nature and was a hard shoot, First Blood highlights British Columbia's majestic beauty as well as Mother Nature's harsh conditions. I mean Leo got to wear a giant bear rug while he was in the snow and water but here's Stallone in jeans and a tank top in the cold, riding a motorcycle, climbing mountain faces and running through frigid water. Second, this was my first time viewing the film on the big screen and the character parts really stood out. Teasle isn't a bad guy per se, he's just trying to protect his town, gets in over his head, messes up but now can't stand back and has to go all in. His deputies played by the likes of Jack Starett, Chris Mulkey and David Caruso add another layer of humanity and surprisingly effective light comedy to the shebang. Third, Stallone is and always has been an excellent actor. I didn't realize he only speaks in about three sections of the film, each of them haunting and sincere. His end monologue about losing his friends in Vietnam and coming home to a country that rejected him makes you want to shed a tear while applauding the performance. Like Spartacus or The Great Escape, I don't find the ending sad as there's beauty in the struggle of personal glory, even if that means sacrifice.
After the film, director Kotcheff took to the stage to a standing ovation. He was intelligent, passionate and a very interesting guy:
- Grew up a musician and compares all art to music. Generally aims for sonata where everything builds up and climaxes into a big finish.
- Warner Brothers hired him to work on the project, went off and rewrote in 3 months then WB said there was no audience for Vietnam movies.
- Kotcheff was very vocal about how poorly Vietnam vets were treated. They didn't ask to go, they were drafted. Whereas World War II and Korean War veterans were hailed as conquering heroes, Vietnam vets were protested, spit on and called baby killers upon return.
- Into the 1980's, 300 Vietnam Veterans committed suicide a month.
- One story of a young man who did his two years and on his penultimate day of duty, base attacked, he was only survivor and then sent home next day. No time to readjust or deal with emotional trauma.
- Knew producers Andrew Vajna and Mario Kassar causally and when pair kick started Carolco, asked Kotcheff what he wanted to direct, who said First Blood. Producers spent a year getting the rights from Warner Brothers.
- Stallone was always first choice even though the Rocky star had suffered failure after failure outside of the boxing franchise. But Kotcheff liked his inner and outer strength and knew he'd do a good job.
- Went to see Kirk Douglas in San Francisco where the acting legend was doing a play with Burt Lancaster. Douglas loved the script and reported to set. But once there, wanted multiple script changes that Kotcheff and crew tried to appease but ultimately gave him a final script. Douglas soon took a flight back to Los Angeles and Richard Crenna was brought in over a weekend.
- Enormous respect for Sylvester, who impacted two major parts of the story and character. One was having Rambo not kill any of the lesser trained weekend warriors and second, not dying at the end after having character go through so much and show death being only way out.
- Dubbed the film a "suicide mission", as when Rambo is on the bridge, he turns back as he has nothing to lose, no friends left and going head on with the Sheriff.
- No reservations on doing Uncommon Valor as next film and revisiting Vietnam War. Says veterans groups have thanked him profusely for making the films.
- Considered having Rambo be silent through film but realized he needed to speak at key moments.
- Loved composer Jerry Goldsmith and did several films together.
- Stallone was being paid millions and Kotcheff made him earn it by dumping live rats on him.
It was a great night and gave me a deeper appreciation of the film, Stallone, Kotcheff, the Vietnam War and it's veterans who went through so much for so little acknowledgement.
Two San Diego Comic-Con's ago, a guy stopped me and asked, "you're that Van Damme guy, right?", referring to the Los Angeles screenings of Bloodsport, Double Impact and Universal Soldier I had set up with the likes of Sheldon Lettich, Brian Thompson, Harrison Page, Joey Ansah, Craig Baumgarten, Darren Shahlavi and Dolph Lundgren in attendance. Answering in the affirmative, David J. Moore introduced himself and from there we have enjoyed a terrific #ActionMovieBro dynamic that has traversed meals, conventions, screenings and premieres. A prolific writer for magazines of all genres, Moore had just released his first book, World Gone Wild: A Survivor's Guide to Post-Apocalyptic Movies that encapsulated nearly 1,000 reviews and dozens of cast and crew interviews. Now deep into a one of a kind look at action movies and films, Moore recruited me to provide a few last minute reviews as well as my Q&A turned print interview with Carl Weathers.
On Tuesday I received a copy of The Good, the Tough & the Deadly: Action Movies & Stars 1960- Present, from Schiffer Publishing. Published author could now be checked off my imaginary list of life accomplishments and/or goals. What struck me immediately was the size and heft of the tome that includes around 1,500 reviews and 80 some interviews. The hardcover art is gorgeous and inside are glossy pages and color photos galore. Moore's introduction sets up the parameters of the book, this being a guide of action stars who came from an athletic or professional background. So Arnold from bodybuilding, Jean-Claude Van Damme from karate, Carl Weathers, Jim Brown and Fred Williamson from football and Steven Seagal from Aikido, etc. Or actors generally identified by the action genre a la Charles Bronson and Sylvester Stallone. That means titles from the likes of big screen favorites Bruce Willis, Kurt Russell and Mel Gibson are not included. Moreover, I saw it as a study of the new type of action hero that emerged from the 1980's where Arnold and Sly were kings with JCVD and Seagal their eager successors. The type of larger than life hero who cut through red tape, took on an army of bad guys and got the job done. Usually while branding a machine gun, tossing a one liner or using their hands and feet to dispatch all enemies in bone breaking or face mashing fashion. While acting talent and charisma would be fairly overlooked in favor of muscular and hyper developed physicality.
In the 80's and 90's, Cannon Films and Carolco helped usher in the age of international box office while capitalizing on burgeoning home video revenue. While the four kings of action ruled theaters, less expensive alternatives, many from the worlds of kickboxing, bodybuilding and martial arts like Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Michael Dudikoff, Roddy Piper, David Bradley and Oliver Gruner could have their names above titles and faces brandished across posters and VHS boxes around the world. Good, Tough and Deadly is a study of these films; the muscles, machine guns and VHS era. Along for the ride with Moore are half a dozen contributors who produced nearly 1,500 reviews and conducted 80 interviews. Subjects range from golden age stars like Weathers, Lundgren and Wesley Snipes to writer/directors including Sheldon Lettich (Double Impact, Rambo III) and Craig Baxley (Action Jackson, Stone Cold) to PM Entertainment's once prolific Joseph Merhi. Modern age filmmakers like John Hyams, Jesse Johnson and Isaac Florentine along with stars Scott Adkins, Tony Jaa and Michael Jai White also get their light.
As a total 80's and 90's kid, I can certainly recall seeing VHS covers with Billy Blanks, Jeff Wincott, Gruner and more but never taking the plunge since I was catching up on JCVD or Seagal titles I couldn't see in a theater. And let's be honest, there's a reason why talent rises, they've got the IT factor Hollywood can't produce but loves to exploit. Don Wilson might be a more accomplished kickboxer than Van Damme but he's sure not as interesting to watch. So reading reviews and the thoughts of so many B-level stars without much knowledge of their work was interesting. No Retreat, No Surrender 2's Loren Avedon comes off as a bit egotistical, even when talking about being broke by 2000, eating crow and going from headlining low budget martial arts flicks to doing stunts anywhere he could. Or Gruner, a French Special Forces soldier and champion kickboxer turned low rent movie-star in the likes of Angel Town and Nemesis, thinking he should have been in The Expendables along with half a dozen stars who actually had theatrical careers.
Moore's style of interview gets subjects to open up about the triumphs of becoming a working actor and action star, the harsh realities of the business and what happens when your shelf life expires. Creative control and lack thereof is a constant cause of retiring, along with the fact that the video market simply dried up so there was no use in denying it. Bruce Lee is a frequent inspiration and for the younger guys, it's Jean-Claude Van Damme. Experiences with, observations of and basic example being elevates JCVD to enigma status and rightfully so, he's a force of nature. Reviews are generally two paragraphs, one to set up the story and cast and the other to state opinion. Some of my contributions were for Bruce Lee's The Chinese Connection and Van Damme's Timecop. After an off and on marathon of skimming reviews and reading interviews, I finished The Good, the Tough and the Deadly, cover to cover, late into last night. I'm extremely happy and proud to have been invited to the party and contribute. Thank you, David. I'm also excited that it was the #1 New Release on Amazon for Film/TV books! Keep laughing and lifting, or alternatively, keep punching and pumping.
After Dice ended it's 6 episode run on Showtime, I was still hankering for the Andrew Dice Clay fix so I picked up his recent autobiography The Filthy Truth and polished it off in just a few weeks. Co-written by David Ritz, it's not overly long and generally pretty entertaining. Dice came to prominence in the late 80's and early 90's with his vulgar, angry and sex filled opinions on life. The book dives into his childhood and family growing up in New York, being a natural drummer, getting into trouble and honing a showbiz persona that at first was an act where he'd go from goofy Jerry Lewis to slicked back cool guy John Travolta in Grease. Ending up in Los Angeles and crafting his Dice Man character for over 10 years, Clay's comedy would be branded the kind of thing you think but never say. But putting it out there worked wonders for Clay as his albums went Platinum, he was the first comic to sell out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row and was signed to a three picture deal with Fox studios among other achievements.
Along the way, Dice discusses his professional ups and downs, trying to stick to his guns, how his manager father might not have had his son's best interests in mind after the money started coming in, brushes with the mafia and oh so many sex stories, most of them about blowjobs or pleasuring women. Dice mentions the likes of Mickey Rourke and Sylvester Stallone as two 80's allies, even working out with Stallone's long time trainer for years. There's a funny yet ridiculous story about super producer Joel Silver calling Dice in for an emergency meeting in regards to The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and berating the comic for not taking the movie seriously as he was caught eating pizza. Silver would not make a film with a fat star so Dice went on some Hollywood cleanse before filming started.
Of course what goes up, must come down and Dice's career hit the skids after being labeled a misogynist and homophobic while his personal life crumbled with failed marriages and a near death experience. But always the fighter, and what's old is new again, Dice managed to parlay a guest stint on Entourage into a new comedy special, the book, a Woody Allen movie appearance, the Showtime series and working for Martin Scorsese. Keep it coming, Dice Man. Oh!
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.
After Monday's excellent outing for Mad Max: Fury Road, it was off to The American Cinematheque's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood for a real treat, Rocky 7 aka Creed with a Q&A from Best Supporting Actor nominee Sylvester Stallone! A block of tickets came available and apparently a woman showed up at 11:00 AM looking to claim one when the box office opened at 6:00 PM. That's dedication! The shindig was sold out and Warner Brothers provided several displays for lobby and courtyard photos. I caught up with oh so many Dammaged Goods allies and talked the #ActionMovieBro hardships as I lined up Sheldon Lettich for Q&A at Laemmle's NoHo7 Bloodsport happening at the same time. DG even got an unsolicited shout out during the introduction since I lined up Dolph Lundgren then Carl Weathers to appear at the historic venue. Already a box office and critical hit, Creed is the story of Apollo's (Carl Weathers) child from an affair who grows up to be the angry and hungry Adonis (Michael B. Jordan). Young Doni seeks out unofficial uncle Rocky Balboa (Stallone, come on) and makes a run at creating his own legacy. The film was better the second time around, flowing much smoother and displaying director and co-writer Ryan Coogler's skills in front and behind the camera with great music, editing, tempo, inspiring training sequences and exciting fights. I was surprised at how much training and fighting were in the film as the first viewing came off as more of a drama like the original Rocky. But make no mistake, this is a boxing movie with drama.
After the film, the man himself, Mr. Sylvester Stallone, looking dapper and fit, came out for Q&A to a standing ovation:
- Thought doing a story of Rocky getting sick would be anti-climatic as audiences did not enjoy seeing the downside of success with part V.
- Pushed from all sides, dubbed a "coward" for being precious.
- Describes Michael B. Jordan as young, athletic and competitive. The two playfully sparred with Stallone delivering some cheap shots to the young leading man to remind him he still had teeth.
- Impressed with Jordan's physical transformation.
- Didn't think the one take fight scene would work and suggested a few cutaways just in case. They say it was the 11th take but Stallone felt it was 20 or something as he had nothing to do but yell.
- Approached the role with no vanity and avoided looking in a mirror during production.
- His friends were envious of the film's quality and success. Dolph Lundgren loved it. Carl Weathers did as well. Weathers' opinion was very important to Stallone as it's his character and performance that provided a film 40 years later.
- Describes Rocky I & II as one long, 4 hour movie, that's why they look and feel the same.
- Now a money making franchise, III & IV got away from the original intents to keep the story moving, as III became flashy and Rocky vain and protected, etc.
- Cher, Bette Midler and Carrie Snodgrass were in the running for Adrian before Talia Shire walked in and was instant fit, like Weathers.
- Wrote Rocky as "heroic" for the general audience, the people with potential who never got a shot.
- On Oscar night, was nervous after Burgess Meredith and Bill Conti lost and were going in behind Network and All The President's Men.
- Original Sound guy didn't care about the film, didn't run sound during a crucial scene and took his name off the picture. Irony was that film won for Best Sound and he wasn't credited. This is interesting because I heard a story about Stallone on set lamenting, "I hate packing, unpacking and sound guys". So maybe that sheds a little light on why...
- What is most endearing to him is how much the film and character mean to people so many years later as the people who asked questions were hardcore fans.
With that, the place rushed the front and Sly coolly signed for a few minutes before being whisked off. It was a great night and inspiration to just keep punching.
Remember how I told you Carl Weathers is awesome? So it's good to see him popping up so much in recent days. In November, would be surprise award flick Creed garnered plenty of positive buzz, critical accolades and boffo box office. Not bad for the 7th movie of a franchise that started 40 years ago. The film utilized deceased Apollo to give us a new generation of screen lead with Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Johnson aka Creed. Weathers showed up at the premiere looking dapper and fit as usual, rubbing elbows and making fists with Stallone and Jordan. There's rumors that a sequel would employ Weathers in flashback scenes akin to The Godfather II. The same month, Weathers and fellow 80's icon Mickey Rourke co-starred in Nissan's The Delivery, an online short film showing off a new cargo van in a send up of action flicks and The Expendables that's garnered over a million views on YouTube alone. This past Thursday the 14th, Weathers turned 68 years young as we head into the premiere of Colony, Carlton Cuse's (Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Nash Bridges, Lost) new show starring Josh Holloway about a future split up into factions of authorities and rebels. Weathers will guest star in multiple episodes as a cop of some type I believe. Happy birthday, Carl, keep it coming!
As you know, we hit an astounding 22 comic book and popular culture themed shows last year. After a short reprieve, we're right back on the trail as the semi regular Los Angeles Comic Book & Science Fiction Convention kicked things off downtown. Held at The Reef, access is pretty easy, there's paid lots of street spots, food trucks and it's only $12.00 to get in. There were posters and swag for the likes of upcoming The 5th Wave as well as released flicks Hunger Games and The Night Before. The show isn't huge but enough to keep you busy for a couple of hours. Transformers artist and Sunbow Celebration friend Livio Ramondelli was a featured guest and it's always great to see him on the circuit. The LA show always has actors and artists signing and this week it was Lando Calrissian himself, Billy Dee Williams along with much of the cast from Aliens including Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Mark Rolston, Jeanette Goldstein, Carrie Henn and Ricco Ross. It would be cool if the show hosted a panel or Q&A with the guests instead of just having them out charging but it's their show.
Towards the end of last year I felt like all the cons were blending together, selling the same stuff and hocking the usual swag. But this time I quite enjoyed seeing what was on offer as new items and fads have arrived. Right away there was a guy selling DVD's for $2 so I grabbed Season 4 of Two and a Half Men along with the Mel Gibson-Richard Donner paranoid thriller Conspiracy Theory and the special edition of Witness. Once upon a time postcards were all the rage leading to buttons and now you've got booths full of branded metal lunchboxes. The Predator themed mini-mates hit the shelves so of course I picked up Dutch, Dillion and the creatures. I'll grab sweaty shirted Harrigan next month. A few years ago I grabbed some awesome laserdiscs from a guy at WonderCon as the oversized covers are like a vinyl piece of art. A gent had a crate full of Stallone titles but at $5 each my walls were fine without them. The dollar and fifty cent comic bins were calling my name but we didn't have time to flip through too much stock. I ended up with a short stack of the Jim Lee and Frank Miller All-Star Batman, isn't that the one where Bats says "are you retarded? are you dense? I'm the god damned Batman!"? I shall find out. A new line of Funko surprise Science-Fiction icons were around the floor and using the ol' box weight trick I figured I'd pulled either the Queen Alien or Godzilla. It was the fire breathing green machine.
The guests weren't scheduled to start signing until noon but 20 minutes before hand, lines were already formed and moving as Biehn, Rolston and Henriksen were rocking and rolling. I was hoping Mrs. Biehn, Jennifer Blanc, would be attending so I could ask about when their next films were coming out but looks like she didn't make it. The Biehn was rocking a knit cap to fight the winter chill which probably made for some interesting selfies. We had to get moving to LA Live to catch Star Wars in 4DX but walking out I was very happy with my haul and am looking forward to their next show in February along with Long Beach and then WonderCon in March. See ya at the show!
Do you have a movie you or your family randomly watches around the Holidays? It could be a staple like Christmas Vacation, Love Actually or It's a Wonderful Life. Then you've got titles like Die Hard or Lethal Weapon as action movies set at Christmas in the mix. A friend told me on The O.C. the family watched Stallone's truck driving/father-son story Over the Top while non-action movie junkie colleagues tell me their family randomly watches Bloodsport or Under Siege 2 at festive gatherings. For me, it seems like 1994's Street Fighter has come full circle to become part of my Christmas tradition. My mom took me to see it on Christmas day over twenty years ago and it's been a regular part of my Jean-Claude Van Damme viewing ever since. As I've stated before, it's not a Street Fighter film, it's a G.I. Joe meets James Bond flick that is handsomely produced, includes lots of exciting action and fights while cracking wise and generally being pretty Damme entertaining.
Street Fighter came back this Christmas because my lady gifted me with some bitching trading cards from the 90's. Remember Upper Deck and Topps? When retailers were trying to create a collector's market out of cards, comic books and Beanie Babies? The over abundance of product meant most of this stuff is near worthless but it sure does bring back memories. Along with The Rocketeer, The Phantom, Batman Returns, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, The Punisher and Judge Dredd, my gift included two packs of Street Fighter trading cards. I used to buy these at Wal-Mart and they were not cheap, I recall maybe $3 bucks a pack. That was a lot of dough for a not yet working pre-teen! The labels on these listed $1.47 so maybe I'm mistaken or they were cheaper on their way out. Either way, I had a lot of these cards back in the day where you had to collect them all to complete your set, buy the plastic pages to hold them and put them all in a big 3 ring binder to flip through. The Street Fighter cards are a nice mix of photos and drawings that take you through the movie's narrative, behind the scenes, actors involved (Van Damme is listed as being 5'11" and 190lbs) and the video game's history along with playing tips.
The cards were a great gift and a total excuse to introduce the film to my lady who knows I'm a big Street Fighter fan in general. At only 90 minutes, the time investment wouldn't be too much to ask and to sweeten the deal I suggested we watch the film as a drinking game. Sure enough we found one online where you sip anytime the name "Bison" is uttered, there's some cheesy/clever bantering going on ("You will choke on those words, Guile." 'Anytime, dickhead!'), a line from the video game is delivered ("Are you man enough to fight with me?" 'Anyone who opposes me will be destroyed') and you're supposed to take a shot when someone does a special move. That means the ending gets a bit messy since at least half of the 15 characters deliver a line from the game or perform a special move like the Flash Kick, Hadouken and Psycho Crusher...
The film plays very well and I still contend it was ahead of its time. Writer/director Steven E de Souza does a tremendous job of building the world, introducing and keeping track of so many characters, moving the story along all while setting up lots of fights and action. You have super hero outfits and a larger than life meets current events tone. There are characters of multiple cultures and actors of Asian, African and indigenous tribes descent receiving nearly as much screen time as leading man Van Damme. Quite a feat when compared to today where Emma Stone plays Asian, or Egyptians become white and filmmakers apologize for the white washing months before the film has even come out. Street Fighter was fun as a drinking game and my lady seemed to enjoy it, only questioning Van Damme's orange-ish blonde hair so I had to show her what Guile looked like in the game and how that would be impossible for a film. Dolph Lundgren from Rocky IV would have been a great Guile but Van Damme was just a much bigger star. She also asked if Van Damme was trying to do an American accent and wondered if a dialect couch was on the set. Since in his first scene he more or less grunt-talks but later slides back into his usual stop and go English with hundred sounding like "han-dread" or emphasizing certain letters and making out become "Ow-Teh". That set off an interesting conversation as the Swedish born Lundgren never had much of an accent in his films, Arnold's German inflections were never explained yet Van Damme was always getting a line about being from New Orleans, being born in Belgium but raised in Los Angeles or playing semi-pro hockey in Montreal...
Ah December, time for Christmas decorations, Holiday movies and of course, eggnog. The origins of the thick, sweet, milk like drank are debated. Medieval English types used to drink posset, a beverage made with hot milk and the nog may have evolved from there. Popular with the aristocracy as it was only for those who could get milk, eggs and some booze like brandy it was also served as breakfast, sans alcohol. Back in the day the stuff was made with raw eggs but you can't do that no mo' cause of salmonella concerns. Apparently if you refrigerate alcoholic eggnog, the taste will mature over time. We picked up three kinds this past weekend to start the holiday party season off right along with Costco's delectable box of chocolate covered cookies. For the workout section of my brain, the heavy cream and egg based concoction evoked thoughts of Vince Gironda who advocated drinking raw cream mixed with free-range eggs to gain weight. But with a base of cream, sugar, eggs, spices and booze, eggnog, like the nutlog, is very heavy in calories and fat. So maybe limit yourself to a short glass a day to maintain the ol' figure.
Next week, on the night before Star Wars, we're checking out Heritage Auctions display of Sylvester Stallone memorabilia that includes the motorcycle ridden in Rocky III, boxing trunks, a Rambo machete, the electric chair from Lock Up, a Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship ring gifted to Stallone by Shaquille O'Neal (?!) and much more. To prepare, the lady needed to be exposed to more Sly beyond The Expendables or Rocky sequels while sipping on some spiked eggnog. Our first view? 1982's iconic First Blood, based on the novel by David Morrell. Inspired by Morrell's interaction with returning from Vietnam veterans, First Blood tells the tale of John Rambo, a would be drifter pushed by a king-shit cop (Brian Dennehy) to shave and not display his affiliation with the Army. Just wanting something to eat, Rambo snaps and takes out a precinct full of cops before escaping to the wilderness and waging a one man war against the small town. It is revealed that Rambo is a decorated former Green Beret who has had difficulty adjusting to civilian life where people spit and protest those who put their lives on the line for their country. By the end scene break-down where Rambo recalls his friends dying and not being able to hold a job, the lady was shockingly surprised at the real/sad-ness of the film and that Stallone doesn't always come off as the dim witted but lovable palooka of Rocky. Acting! While First Blood's 90 minute, on the move runtime helped usher in a new era of action film; viewers tend to forget that only a handful of people die and they're not directly at the hands of the star.
While guys like Stallone and Arnold are remembered as over the top and cartoonish heroes due to their oversized muscles, egos, paychecks and personalities, it's easy to forget that they both got to the top the hard way. Stallone is a writer, director and painter who gave us dramatic efforts in the likes of Rocky, Nighthawks and F.I.S.T. but audiences only responded to his boxer from Philadelphia and Rambo roles. Schwarzenegger was perfectly cast as Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator but was smart enough to align himself with talented filmmakers like John Milius and James Cameron while amassing millions with a mail order business and real estate. With Stallone garnering award chatter for his role in Creed, it's nice to see him getting a little respect along with decades worth of worldwide fame and fortune.
In other Rambo news, it was recently announced that Fox was developing a new show to feature Stallone's John J. and his former-Navy Seal son. This seemed a bit strange as Fox was already working on an Expendables TV series. After four Rambo films and a long discussed fifth and final chapter, television seemed like an odd outlet but lots of movies are going to TV lately like Limitless, Rush Hour, Beverly Hills Cop, Minority Report, etc. With the original First Blood dealing with soldiers returning home to an unloving country, a new Rambo seemed like the perfect opportunity to shed light on the plight of current veterans returning home with emotional, mental and physical issues as they struggle with employment, injuries and homelessness. But word came out this week that while Stallone was in negotiations to participate as a producer and possible co-star, a deal was never made and the star has now stated he would have nothing to do with the project. Could he be holding out for a final feature film? So far we've heard rumors of a supernatural take based on James Byron Huggins' novel Hunter where Rambo would lead a crew of elite soldiers in an Antarctica set hunt of a hybrid man-prehistoric creature killer. Then there was word of Rambo returning home to Arizona and getting caught up with violent Mexican drug cartels. Neither iteration has come to fruition. We'll see what Sly does with the heat coming off of Creed, push out another leading man Expendables or find more thoughtful supporting roles in studio flicks. Until then, nothing is over! Nothing!
On Friday, news hit that veteran character actor Robert Loggia had passed away after a battle with Alzheimer's. With a career that started in the 1950's and included 230 plus acting credits, Loggia had a gravely voice and tough guy demeanor. Roles in Scarface and Big would be highlights but to me he'll always be the evil father in law to Stallone's truck driving, arm wrestling underdog in Cannon Films' shot at legitimacy Over the Top. As business magnate Jason Cutler, Loggia gave Lincoln Hawk (Stallone) a hard time over grandson Michael (David Mendenhall) as dying mother Christina (Susan Blakely) wanted the father and son to bond before she passed. Lincoln and Michael set out on a road trip and reconnect over truck stop menus, learning to drive, working out and taking it over the top as Hawk is competing in the national Arm Wrestling championships in Las Vegas. Cutler tries to kidnap Michael and pay off Lincoln but he just can't overcome the father-son relationship as Michael runs away to Vegas to watch his dad win the finals. It's an awesomely 80's, heartwarming flick that Stallone received an alleged $12 million bucks for but the film would go on to gross an anemic $16 million bones at the box office. In the 90's, Loggia would send up his tough guy image in a hilarious commercial for Minute Maid Orange Juice.
With a long weekend filled with much eating, working out was essential. On Thanksgiving Day I hit the empty gym (it's always kinda empty at 5:30 AM) for a total body session to offset the impending feasts of bread, cheese, turkey, sides, pies and booze:
4 circuits took under 45 minutes and I was spent! Mixing up the functional exercises with cardio helped keep my heart rate up and focus sharp. Moving from station to station keeps the mind occupied while going from upper body to lower to cardio keeps the body guessing.
On Friday morning I was a bit sore from the day before so taking a page from Creed, opted for a boxing themed workout in the complex gym:
Shoulder Circuit - 30 seconds each of various shoulder moves like side/front/rear laterals, "climbing" a ladder, etc. You can do these without weights or some light dumbbells to get warmed up. Then it was 3 rounds of jump rope, you can do this for time (2-3 minutes) or skips, say 300. After that it was 3 minutes of burpees where you aim for reps, 10-20, then rest for the remaining seconds. 3 rounds of shadow boxing then 3 rounds of Thai boxing with some knees and finished off with 3 more rounds of jump roping and abs.
It's easy to stuff your face then figure you can take the long weekend or holidays off, but just get back to it the next day. Lying on the couch watching movies and reading was terrific but I still managed to get off my duff 3 of the 4 days so don't use the holidays as a crutch, workouts only take an hour!
After the less than thrilling Spectre and Hunger Games, it was up to Creed to reverse the Fall Flicks slump. I'd been looking forward to the new Rocky flick for a while as the story seemed to be taking the character in a reasonable new direction while injecting some fresh blood. 2006's Rocky Balboa was a solid end to the saga, wrapping up the underdog story by showing the character as an aging, grieving but still hungry man meeting a new challenge. Bringing in former rival turned coach and friend Apollo Creed's son could have been a cheap cash in but franchise super fan turned writer/director Ryan Coogler along with co-scripter Aaron Covington along with stars Michael B. Jordan and Stallone craft an excellent chapter that harkens back to the original's dramatic set up while still delivering pugilistic excitement. Coogler is a tremendous filmmaker as the flick looks slick yet feels authentic and the use of music, slow motion, long takes, etc is superb. While the story treads familiar ground like daddy issues, living up to your name, a convenient yet believable romance; the film is rousing, inspiring, funny and exciting when it needs to be. While I almost shed some dude tears at the end and the film soared at parts, I wasn't engaged the entire runtime. Probably because Adonis and Bianca's (Tessa Thompson) characters and ensuing romance wasn't as endearing as Rocky and Adrian's. I thought it was funny that Adonis Creed's fake name was Donnie Johnson (like Don Johnson, get it? You don't get it...) while wondering why there was no mention of Tony Burton's Duke the Trainer since he raised Apollo then took Rocky under his wing.
Not having to write or direct, Stallone is free to simply act and from his first line of dialog, reminds audiences why they love Rocky in the first place. The $37 million dollar film has already brought in $43 million and there's talk of Stallone being in the mix as Best Supporting Actor come award time. I thought 2006's Balboa was much more convincing with more heart and drama than 2008's overrated yet multi-nominated The Wrestler so here's hoping Stallone gets his critical due this time. It will be interesting to see what direction Creed moves to for a sequel. I vote putting him in the ring with Ivan Drago's son followed up by Michael B. Jordan tackling a sequel/reboot to Carl Weathers' awesomely 80's flick, Action Jackson.
