Review of Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014) by Brett B — 07 Apr 2015

ELECTRIC BOOGALOO is a wonderful, ultra-affectionate ode to one of the most wild, out-there, and schlocky film studios ever to exist. Fundamentally, this documentary paints a very vivid picture of two men - Golan and Globus - who were incredibly driven and colorful characters full of seemingly boundless enthusiasm for the often low-rent pictures they produced, and totally unashamed of sleaze or allegations of bad taste.

The film is so effective that you can't help but find yourself admiring their passion, even as we're painfully aware that almost all of their output was decidedly less than stellar (though there were certainly some genuinely good films that slipped through); it almost reminds one of Tim Burton's ED WOOD in that sense.

The doc relies heavily (exclusively, really) on talking heads and film clips, but that's kind of the only way this particular tale could be told; indeed, the various talking head participants regale the audience with some truly bonkers, nuts anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories, some of which are truly hard to believe.

Ultimately, ELECTRIC BOOGALOO makes no attempt to defend the entire Cannon Films catalog, but it gives us a clear understanding of the thought process that led Golan and Globus to make the films they did.

Any fans of juicy tell-alls or the backroom deal-making process that goes on in the world of cinema will probably find a ton of stuff to enjoy in here.