Remembering the legend that is GOLAN-GLOBUS

[Todd R.]

Just watched Jean-Clude in Pyun's CYBORG the other day. I can't recall any other film that exhausts all of its plot in the first five minutes. Anyway, I started thinking about all the joy brought to us via the unique genius of GOLAN-GLOBUS. (I prefer to think of them not as individuals, but as a single entity called GOLAN-GLOBUS.) Do any of you have any fond (or extremely painful) GOLAN-GLOBUS memories?

Believe it or not, I can actually think of two good GOLAN-GLOBUS films: MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE and John Frankenheimer's 52 PICK-UP. Every other GOLAN-GLOBUS production (unless I'm forgetting something) is good only in a bad way. (And, yes, I'm not forgetting LIFEFORCE. Fun to watch, but horrendously ridiculous.)

[Lancer]

I think MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE is one of those movies that was made 10 years too early...

I do agree that MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE should be given a golden egg for being a very crappy made film, as well as suprising has nothing to do with the cartoon story...

Why this movie sucks so bad...

* The movie was written by those that havent seen the cartoon show... In hopes to make money off a very well selling show (as well as Toys)
* New Characters (new toys???)
* Many of the 1980's flicks would carry one or the other story ideas..."Misplaced Person of the 80's" and "I like to join the Breakfeast Club Pack." But this movie played them both...
* Budget??? I do think budget has much to do with this movie... that is why I think this movie was made 10 years too soon... ( I do think this could count for 90% of the crap in the movie... maybe they retooled the script to work with the budget... and then if they did how much was their budget??? your talking about a best selling toy and cartoon show...

[Chadzilla]

Yeah, I have many fond memories of Golan/Globus.  Many a dreary evening has been enlivened by their product and, yes, Frankenheimer's 52 Pick-Up is an underrated gem of a thriller.

[The Burgomaster]

GOLAN-GLOBUS films are wonderful because you can spot them from a mile away. They seem to have a certain unmistakeable "look" to them. You can be rapidly clicking through cable channels at 2 a.m. and as soon as you land on a channel that is showing a GOLAN-GLOBUS movie, it seems to jump right off the screen at you.

I find the same to be true for Roger Corman's New World Pictures. DEATH RACE 2000, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP, THE BIG BIRD CAGE . . . they all seem to have a look that screams: NEW WORLD! CORMAN! CHEAP!

But I think the king of unmistakeable movies is AL ADAMSON. You can spot one of his trash classics from TEN miles away.

[Squishy]

Funny you should mention them; B-Masters (including And You Call Yourself A Scientist!) are going to have a 'round' about their films. Go to Lyz's excellent site and look for the "Go Go Go-Go Boys! The World According To Golan-Globus" banner. It's not ready YET, but coming soon.

[Andrew]

I like to hold up "America 3000" as a definitive Golan-Globus film.  Low budget, quirky, entirely mired in 1950's b-movie acting and direction, but  mostly watchable.

Which reminds me, for the longest time I thought that "Megaforce" was by G-G.  It surprised me when I found out it was not.

[Todd R.]

I think I've stated this before, but one of the reasons for my liking MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE so much is that it didn't try to ape the Filmation cartoon series, which I've never liked. In the cartoon, Skeletor was a buffoon who never left Snake Mountain, and the whole Prince Adam/He-Man thing was utterly absurd. The film seemed to be a step toward moving the story back to its Conan/swords-and-sorcery-inspired roots.

And to think that no one has mentioned SUPERMAN IV yet.

Oh, and I really do enjoy typing GOLAN-GLOBUS in all caps.

[Neville]

Sure I remember myself! It was thanks to this pair that I discovered the concept "so bad it is good" on my teens (a tv channel reran most of their movies). If I have to think of exact titles, I guess the ones I remember better are the different "Missing in action" movies starring Chuck Norris, or the incredibly hilarious "Invasion U.S.A.".

[tooshea]

I remember THE DELTA FORCE 1985 as the most offensive of em.  Granted Chuck Norris and his related ego effects aren't my favourite, but the message about terrorism is somewhat relevant to-day.  I just screened it a year ago.
michaelTodd R. wrote:
>
> Just watched Jean-Clude in Pyun's CYBORG the other day. I
> can't recall any other film that exhausts all of its plot in
> the first five minutes. Anyway, I started thinking about all
> the joy brought to us via the unique genius of GOLAN-GLOBUS.
> (I prefer to think of them not as individuals, but as a
> single entity called GOLAN-GLOBUS.) Do any of you have any
> fond (or extremely painful) GOLAN-GLOBUS memories?
>
> Believe it or not, I can actually think of two good
> GOLAN-GLOBUS films: MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE and John
> Frankenheimer's 52 PICK-UP. Every other GOLAN-GLOBUS
> production (unless I'm forgetting something) is good only in
> a bad way. (And, yes, I'm not forgetting LIFEFORCE. Fun to
> watch, but horrendously ridiculous.)

[Lee]

How I miss Golan-Globus! They were responsible for some of my favorites. They were pretty much low budget but they were energetic and very 80's. Gotta love that!

[Todd R.]

We still haven't mentioned ALLAN QUATERMAIN AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD. Gotta love a screaming James Earl Jones swinging a big plastic axe...

[Dolph Lundgren]

I'm convinced that GOLAN-GLOBUS was the best thing to hit film since Dolph Lundgren.  Just take a look at Menahem Golan's profile over at IMDB.com, the man was a b-movie producing GOD in the 80's!  Here are a few of his classics:  

Over the Top
Revenge of the Ninja/Enter the Ninja/Pray for Death/Ninja III
Delta Force 1 & 2
Missing in Action 1/2/3
Invasion USA
American Ninja
Cobra
Masters of the Universe

The list goes on and on!  Does anyone know what happened to Golan-Globus?  Why did they just disappear?

Nick

[Chadzilla]

Nick wrote:
>
> The list goes on and on!  Does anyone know what happened to
> Golan-Globus?  Why did they just disappear?
>
>

They went bankrupt in 1989.  Menahem Golan tried to create a new studio or two, but faded away.  They still make direct to video stuff, but nothing near the almost one movie a week release madness that was Cannon's heyday.

Cannon's films are currently owned by MGM/UA, who are releasing them on DVD.  Most are on my Amazon wishlist.