I just thought I would try to revive this thread with my overview of Tom Laughlin's work, as it has continued to influence cinema to this day; plus it was a bit much for the "
movie rating" thread:
"Billy Jack 35th Anniversary Ultimate Collection":
Born Losers - 9/10
Billy Jack - 10/10
Billy Jack's Trial - 9/10
Billy Jack Goes to Washington - 10/10
Box Set Special Features - 10/10
not in the collection:
Billy Jack: The Untold Story - 10/10
Bill Jack for President - not yet released
Born Losers was a box-office hit and is often thought of as one of the best biker films, along with Easy Rider. It was written after Billy Jack, but was made before it as it was easier to find financing. It introduced audiences to the character of Billy Jack, and it was successful enough to get Billy Jack the movie financed.
When adjusted for inflation, Billy Jack is still the highest-grossing independent film of all time. The film was also among the first to introduce martial arts to American audiences and also contained elements of Jungian psychology, the Ghost Dance religion, and the teachings of the Wovoka.
Billy Jack revolutionized the marketing and distribution model of motion pictures permanently, as movies were not advertised on television then and they used to premiere in only one theater per city. This was the genesis of the "opening weekend" phenomenon that continues to this day, and it was the result of a major gambit with the studios who were trying to kill it in its tracks from the moment the filming was completed.
I had the soundtrack to Billy Jack (by far the best music of the series; One Tin Soldier became a huge hit) on LP as a kid, and knew most of the songs by heart. The SQ wasn't very good though, and was of poor quality on the VHS and the laserdisc as well. They obviously re-mastered the music for the DVD however, I wasn't expecting such high SQ and was blown away by how much it had improved.
Quote:
Originally Posted by subtle /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Capitalism: A Love Story - 10/10
Not only does it completely dispel the ignorant false stereotype and propaganda that Michael Moore hates America, but it completely lays out how, when, and where America got off the tracks from being a true democracy.
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Billy Jack goes to Washington was never released because it was considered too politically sensitive for it's time, but it accurately predicted many of the problems described in "Capitalism: A Love Story" that the world is going through now, over 30 years ago.
