john landis blues brothers
MEN ON A MISSION Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as the Blues Brothers, shot by Annie Leibovitz for Rolling Stone, in 1979. It’s the best way for it to be seen.”. He threw it over the producer’s fence wrapped in the cover of the San Fernando Valley phonebook. Ted Mann owned those theaters, and he was not the most liberal guy.”, “After the exhibitor screening I got called into Lew Wasserman’s office, he was the head of Universal Studios, and Ted was there. Canadian actor and screenwriter Dan Aykroyd and American actor John Belushi, with director John ... [+] Landis (left) on the set of 'The Blues Brothers.'. “I am very happy about that, but it was never the plan,” the director said. The Blues Brothers ended up opening in just under 600, and in LA, it never played the Westside, but it played Downtown and Hollywood and so on.”. Anyway, Lew told Ted to tell me what he had told him and he very friendly said, ‘John, I’m afraid I’m not booking your picture to Westwood.’ I was taken aback and asked why not, and I’ll never forget what he said. They were the classy ones where The Godfather and Love Story and those movies would play. Then she hires a ... See full summary ». He is best known for the comedy films that he has directed, such as The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos (1986), Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), and for directing Michael Jackson's music videos for "Thriller" (1983) and "Black or White It was quite amazing and caught everyone by surprise.”. You make movies for many reasons, just for money sometimes, for political reasons very often, and sometimes you have to, or there are unpleasant reasons. June 2020 marked the 40th anniversary of The Blues Brothers. The Blues Brothers quotes: the most famous and inspiring quotes from The Blues Brothers. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. They all said the same thing, and that was that it was too scary to be funny, or it was too funny to be scary.”, “People still refer to it as a comedy-horror film, but my intention, and I’ll still argue this, is that it’s not a comedy. John Landis being interviewed at the ACMI centre in Melbourne Australia 2013 for his retrospective on his films and his career at an open press conference. The same idea works for the much-maligned "zombie" sequence near the end at Queen Mousette's mansion. Simon is a member of several guilds, including BAFTA and the Television Academy, and is an Emmy voter. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not a sequel. It’s very strange to make a movie that gets s**t on by the critics, then does well, then after years, suddenly the same critics who s**t on it are now using it as a yardstick and referring to it as a classic. So here it is, for the true Blues Brothers fans to enjoy. PRISONER Hey!! “That is mainly because we made it to be released as a roadshow movie with an intermission. Actually, written on our camera when we shot The Blues Brothers was the phrase Death To Disco.”, “Motown wasn’t performing and out of the acts were in the film, these legendary performers, only Ray Charles was doing fine at that time. The Blues Brothers - John Landis (1980) HOME: MENU : A road movie, a modern musical, a prototype for many others movies, the film of John Landis is completely full of pure blues spirit, together with his derivatives genres rhythm & blues, rock and soul, including even a short and funny excursion into the country & western genre. Susan wants her reprehensible ex-husband dead and, in several bungled attempts by henchmen, tries to accomplish the deed. The never aired animated series featuring adventures of Elwood (Peter Aykroyd), Jake (Jim Belushi), and the band. A small town is terrorized by "The Banana Killer", which turns out to be the missing link between man and ape. We were having trouble booking the movie, so the bosses said to me, ‘It’s no longer a roadshow movie, you have to get at least 20 minutes more out of it, and they can have one extra show a day.’ I couldn’t argue against that at the time, but it ruined the pace of the movie. It is absolutely a Christmas movie there. Elwood must reunite the old band, with a few new members, and go on another "Mission from God.". “The Blues Brothers”-John Landis (1980) By Chris Middlehurst Published 15 November, 2016 It is very hard to make a film that lives and breathes the joys and energy of youth, probably the reason why so many of the best films about … Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised. www.thisissimonthompson.com, © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. Two musical adventures in one DVD collection. But after almost two decades, Aykroyd wanted to do something to revisit the classic film and pay homage to his friend and co-star Belushi, so he assembled this "Concert Movie", which is supposed to be all about THE MUSIC, not the story. Director John Landis (left), with actors Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, on the set of 'Trading ... [+] Places.'. On the other side of the holidays, 2021 sees another of Landis’ classics celebrate a milestone as An American Werewolf in London follows in The Blues Brothers’ footsteps and turns 40. Director John Landis after some weak successes and his accomplice Dan Aykroyd (coauthor also in the previous movie) decided to give a following, 20 years after, to their first memorable chapter of Blues Brothers saga, despite the premature death of the main engine of the film, obviously, John Belushi.A double risk, then. I had long hair and a beard. John and Dan used their own celebrity at the time to focus attention on these great American artists.”. It is supposed to be a tribute to the original. I was dumbfounded.”, Landis added, “Honestly, we were quite frightened, and Universal was scared sh**less. This movie was originally to be a sequel back in 1981 just before Belushi died. “I don’t have any particular plans to mark the occasion, that I know of,” he admitted. In Los Angeles in the 70s, Westwood Village had the Fox and Bruin cinemas in the Westside. On Cinema: 'Sully' and 'When the Bough Breaks'. He hated me the moment I walked in. It broke my heart. “It was a hit and made a lot of money and then even bigger hit internationally,” recalled the film’s director and co-writer John Landis. With Landis once again at the helm as director, Aykroyd re-creates his role of rhythm-and-blues man Elwood Blues, and the film's numerous R&B performances and production numbers include Aretha Franklin singing her classic "Respect." Which VERY late sequel is most watchable? You may opt-out by. On his new "mission from God" Elwood enlists the help of a young orphan, and a strip club bartender. Now, for a limited time, the iconic musical comedy is returning to select theaters. Even though I wish this film could have been a little edgier and darker in tone like the original, I do find its bold and effective use of color to be magnificent and fascinating. GUARD TWO What wing? Most people see it on TV, but Thriller is meant to be seen in a cinema. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. With John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway, John Candy. What was interesting about that comment was that it did reflect that some exhibitors thought that The Blues Brothers was a movie that was only for African Americans, and no white people would see it. Here in the States, not so much.”, “Trading Places was intended to invoke the holiday. Also, people complain about the Bluesmobile in this film being able to drive underwater. Blues Brothers 2000 IN THE PAROLE OFFICE GUARD ONE Well, this is it. “That had never been done before. People who bash this movie without reading Aykroyd's interviews are ignorant to the intent here. 10 Crazy BTS Facts That Will Change The Way You Watch The Blues Brothers. It’s why we did a deal with Atlantic to release the soundtrack because the label MCA Universal, as it was at the time, thought the music was too old and too black. P.S.-And if your problem with the plot was some of the cartoony style actions that occur (Cabel being pulled heavenward and his clothes magically "changing", et cetera), remember that the original had the same things. It was huge.”, He continued, “Dan has a truly original brain. “I think people who see it now don’t see it in context with how radically crazy it was at the time. Whichever of his iconic works audiences might be planning to revisit, the filmmaker hopes that, when and where it is safe to do so, it will be on the big screen. Watching this film, actually, it seems that their first intent was … Remove the stars in the address to e-mail me. 87 of 126 people found this review helpful. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. Two bumbling government employees think they are U.S. spies, only to discover that they are actually decoys for Nuclear War. Director John Landis blazed a trail from 1978 to 1988 that produced no fewer than six movies considered classics. The Trading Places soundtrack album has a wonderful score by Elmer Bernstein, which is one-third Mozart as we used The Marriage of Figaro and two-thirds Elmer. Simon is a producer (TV & Digital) and film & entertainment journalist, Landis (left) on the set of 'The Blues Brothers. Elwood, the now lone "Blues Brother" finally released from prison, is once again enlisted by Sister Mary Stigmata in her latest crusade to raise funds for a children's hospital. Directed by John Landis. The only reason a story was put in was to keep it moving from musical number to musical number, because everyone knows that straight concert films are pretty boring, even if you really like the performer(s). The Blues Brothers we have is not the movie that Landis intended audiences to see. Because of that, it would be almost impossible to ignore another of Landis’ movies, Trading Places. I always tell people to go buy the soundtrack of Trading Places because then you’ve got the best Christmas record.”. He has covered everything from red carpets to the Oscars and created, scripted, produced, and presented a range of primetime entertainment news shows on major networks. GUARD ONE Maximum wing, block 9. When we made the movie in 1979, the number one music in the world was disco, and the number one artists in the world were Abba and the Bee Gees. How is that for cheesiness on the first film? First her boyfriend hires two dim-witted hitmen. I had this heartbreaking moment I was either on the Metro in Paris, the subway in New York, or the tube in London, but I heard this tinny noise that sounded like Thriller,” Landis recalled. They were wrong. Elwood, the now lone "Blues Brother" finally released from prison, is once again enlisted by Sister Mary Stigmata in her latest crusade to raise funds for a children's hospital. Simon Thompson is an experienced journalist and groundbreaking producer based in Los Angeles. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? I’ve done my job. Once again hitting the road to re-unite the band and win the big prize at the New Orleans Battle of the Bands, Elwood is pursued cross-country by the cops, led by Cabel the Curtis' son (and Elwood's step-brother), the Russian Mafia, and a militia group. View production, box office, & company info. He can be found on Twitter @ShowbizSimon and you can see more of his work on his website. At a 1962 college, Dean Vernon Wormer is determined to expel the entire Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, but those troublemakers have other plans for him. Doctors Jo Wilson, April Kepner, and Andrew DeLuca share the episodes they think are essential to understanding their characters. Animal House, Trading Places, Coming to America, and Three Amigos, I just made a lot of movies that have done well,” mused Landis. “Ultimately, I guess the music would be the answer for why the movie has remained so popular all these years,” Landis explained. There are about 40 classic Christmas songs that we had to record because it was cheaper for us to do them than to buy the library music. John Landis, the director and co-writer of 'The Blues Brothers,' at the Venice Film Festival. One of the main reasons for this movie for Dan, John, and myself was to bring back rhythm and blues and call attention to it again.”. In fact, if you watch the DVD of the first film, you find in the deleted scenes and "Making-of" section that the Bluesmobile is supposed to be "magic", because it was parked each night inside a power transformer. It changed the flow, and the movie never recovered from that. Perhaps this film has a little more depth than people expect, so they incorrectly perceive it to be a lackluster and shallow mindnumbing entertainment. Look at his movies such as Spies Like Us or, even better, Ghostbusters. There were wonderful things in it, but it was completely impossible to shoot. Hitting theaters on Friday, June 20, 1980, it landed with a three day total of $4.86 million, placing it in the number two spot on the box office chart behind the Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. Landis wrote the “ four fried chickens and a coke” scene after seeing John Belushi [who played the other Blues Brother “Joliet” Jake] consume four fried chickens. He has also worked as a puppeteer, performing as Grover in The Muppet Movie. Search for "Blues Brothers 2000" on Amazon.com, Title: “I’m fortunate that I’ve made about eight or nine movies that continue to generate income, which means people are still buying them and watching them. Dan Aykroyd and John Landis teamed to script this sequel to The Blues Brothers (1980), which they also co-scripted. He opens the door and all three of them enter the room. John Landis, Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman worked for scale (with backend stipulations if the pic reached profit) to keep the costs down. The movie is about two brothers, Jake and Elwood, played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Rated PG-13 for exotic dancing and some language, The Blues Brothers Declared a Catholic Classic by the Vatican, ‘Bill and Ted Face The Music’: The Long-Awaited Third Installment Is A Cheery Delight [Review], ‘Bad Boys for Life’ and 35 Other Movie Sequels That Took Forever to Hit the Screen (Photos). John David Landis (born 3 August 1950) is an American filmmaker and producer, known for having directed some of the most beloved comedies of the late '70s and early '80s, including Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Trading Places, Coming to America note . The budget for Blues Brothers 2000 was $31 million. On his new "mission from God" Elwood enlists the help of a young orphan, and a strip club bartender. Elwood, the now lone "Blues Brother" finally released from prison, is once again enlisted by Sister Mary Stigmata in her latest crusade to raise funds for a children's hospital. Once again hitting the road to re-unite the band and win the big prize at the New Orleans Battle of the Bands, Elwood is pursued cross-country by the cops, led by Cabel the Curtis' son (and Elwood's step-brother), the Russian Mafia, and a militia group. ', The Next Step | Small Business Video Series, ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ Review: A More Formulaic And Less Frightening Sequel, ABC In Fall 2021: Only 2 New Series Set To Debut; Changes On 4 Nights, ‘Louder Than Life’ Looks To Be Rock’s Post-Pandemic Comeback Festival, Taylor Swift’s Re-Recordings Could Make Her One Of The Most Successful Acts In Billboard 200 History, Study Finds Asian And Pacific Islanders Are Erased And Stereotyped In Popular Films, A Cruel Fate Unites Two Lonely Characters In ‘Doom At Your Service’, Itzy Joins BTS, Blackpink And Rosé With A New Hit On Billboard’s Global Chart. It is a horror film, but it happens to be very funny.”. Written by Father: Marshall David Landis Mother: Shirley Levine Father: Walter Levine (stepfather) Wife: Deborah Nadoolman (m. 27-Jul-1980) Dan Aykroyd and friends tell the story of the famous Saturday Night Live recurring musical characters. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Back then, they would watch it and decide which of their houses they wanted to show it in, and as a filmmaker, you tried to book certain specific theaters that were higher grossing. “I looked around, and here are these two kids watching the Thriller video, which I made, on an iPhone. If you look closely, you can spot Landis in Battle for the Planet of the Apes, 1941, The Blues Brothers, Eating Raoul, and Spider-Man 2. So, when I watch it, I’m always sort of groaning because it’s not playing the way I intended, but I love that so many people love it so much.”, “A normal opening for a Universal Studios movie at that time, almost any studio picture, was 1500 to 2000 theaters. A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires. Here are Landis’ 10 Best Movies! THE BLUES BROTHERS by John Landis & Dan Aykroyd. About 95 percent of the script I wrote when I was 18, and I could never get it made. What you may not know, is that life for Jake and Elwood Blues started before the motion picture. “In terms of The Blues Brothers, it’s interesting to me that it’s still so popular.”, “I remember that Dan wrote this insane, huge script, it was hundreds of pages thick, and he signed it Scriptathon 5000. It didn’t stop The Blues Brothers from debuting with an impressive opening weekend. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. He has worked for the biggest brands in the industry, including Variety, E! First thing in the morning, the king of Hollywood receives a phone call. Shawn Pacheco Dec 15, 2019. In the first one the entire band's clothing "magically" changes for a concert, but if you know that this is merely a representation of the character's psychological state and not a literal change, then the film works much better. A routine break-in becomes anything but when the burglar begins to empathize with his victim. Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised. Who will go and see it, I don’t know, but I’m still delighted. “Who knows? John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. The image of Dan Aykroyd as a reprobate, drunken, suicidal Santa is indelible, and we wanted to make it seem like Christmas, but it was not my intention to make it a Christmas movie. FADE IN: WALKING THROUGH THE PRISON Jake is escorted by two Guards down a jail hall. Scenes and trailers from fifty of Universal's greatest horror films. Just like The Blues Brothers, these high concept, insane premises. Those boys are dead from the first frame. Dan just said, ‘I’ve never done this before I wrote that. Well, in the first film the car flew, performed flips, and was nearly indestructible. ‘Blues Brothers’ Director John Landis Remembers Aretha Franklin: “She Was a Real Soldier” John Landis remembers working with Aretha Franklin on 1980's 'Blues Brothers': "I … So that also explains Elwood's ability to smuggle himself in the dash of the car in this one, and the car being able to crash land from a fiery loop-de-loop at the fairgrounds. News, BBC, Reuters, IGN, the Oscar-nominated ITN Productions, and Quibi. Amazon Eyes MGM For $10 Billion; What Other Media Deals Await. Very calmly, he replied, ‘John, I don’t want black people in Westwood.’ I was so shocked. Canadian actor and screenwriter Dan Aykroyd and American actor John Belushi, with director John Landis (L) on the set of his movie The Blues Brothers. Max is the son of John Landis, best known for directing a string of successful movies in the late ’70s and early ’80s, including American Werewolf in London, Animal House, Blues Brothers, Trading Places, and ¡Three Amigos!, among others, before his career faded into oblivion long before Max Landis began steady work. I don’t know what that means, but An American Werewolf in London was a movie I wrote when I was a teenager. Known For The Blues Brothers Director (1980) Schlock Director (1973) Twilight Zone: The Movie Producer (1983) We didn’t just have to recut it; we had to lift stuff out of it, we ad to make sequences shorter, and so on. It has a very odd pace,” Landis explained. That script got me a tremendous amount of work as a writer, but no one would make it. The Blues Brothers limited rerelease lands as audiences embrace the holiday season. A big part of the reason for the movie existing in the first place was Dan and John’s idea to focus attention on rhythm and blues and blues music. He was doing country and western and having great success, but many others in the movie were playing third-tier venues, and their records weren’t selling. When that happened, the idea for another adventure fell away. Need some help finding the best things to watch on Netflix? Was this review helpful to you? TCM Big Screen Classics Presents The Blues Brothers in select theaters on Sunday, November 29, 2020, and Wednesday, December 2, 2020. Use the HTML below. Director John Landis on the script, characters and actors involved in the film. The movie’s history was shaped by many things, including racism. The Blues Brothers is a classic movie, a slight misfire at the box office on original release, but a film that gained a substantial cult following via cinema re-releases and especially home viewing. Despite being released in June 1983, many people consider it to be a Christmas movie. Simon is also currently developing his first feature documentary. The Blues Brothers is the latest classic film to return to theaters courtesy of the TCM Big Screen Classics Presents series in partnership with Fathom Events. The belated sequel Blues Brothers 2000 to the chaotic and cocaine fueled production of The Blues Brothers (1980) was financed (and micromanaged) by Universal. Recently, director John Landis--most known for hits like The Blues Brothers and Coming To America--avidly explained why he really isn't interested in Marvel films any longer. (1998). I think it’s pretty upfront. John Landis, the director and co-writer of 'The Blues Brothers,' at the Venice Film Festival. Stephen Scaia
Pub Liverpool Street Station, Best Golf Courses In Mobile Alabama, Alpha And Omega: Dino Digs, Kokoda Track Campaign, Aung San Suu Kyi Essay, Lilo And Stitch Alien Dressed As Woman, List Of Hospitals With Malasakit Center, Vue Slot Class,