Goodbye.’ I told him I’d have to change it a bit, and he was like, ‘Go ahead.’ So revised it, he took a look at it, and we ended up working on it together.”, “Dan wrote the line, ‘There’s 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes,’ then John would say, ‘Hit it.’ I just changed that a bit, so it was, ‘...half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark, and we’re wearing sunglasses.’ I also put in the whole thing about being on a mission from God, which was me teasing Dan because he was evangelistic about this music. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 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 . Remove the stars in the address to e-mail me. Also, people complain about the Bluesmobile in this film being able to drive underwater. 87 of 126 people found this review helpful. It’s the best way for it to be seen.”. 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. The never aired animated series featuring adventures of Elwood (Peter Aykroyd), Jake (Jim Belushi), and the band. Directed by John Landis. 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. The Blues Brothers is a seminal film from 1980, a movie which manages to straddle genres like no other, combining comedy, music, action and crime. When that happened, the idea for another adventure fell away. FADE IN: WALKING THROUGH THE PRISON Jake is escorted by two Guards down a jail hall. An incredibly dull-witted family unknowingly stumble upon an illegal weapons deal while on the trail of their "stolen" garbage. I’ve done my job. GUARD ONE Maximum wing, block 9. www.thisissimonthompson.com, © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. The belated sequel Blues Brothers 2000 to the chaotic and cocaine fueled production of The Blues Brothers (1980) was financed (and micromanaged) by Universal. Here in the States, not so much.”, “Trading Places was intended to invoke the holiday. Written by 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. How is that for cheesiness on the first film? That’s a movie that is much bigger in England than it is in America. “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. Perhaps this film has a little more depth than people expect, so they incorrectly perceive it to be a lackluster and shallow mindnumbing entertainment. 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 Scenes and trailers from fifty of Universal's greatest horror films. Now, for a limited time, the iconic musical comedy is returning to select theaters. Dan just said, ‘I’ve never done this before I wrote that. This movie was originally to be a sequel back in 1981 just before Belushi died. He can be found on Twitter @ShowbizSimon and you can see more of his work on his website. 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.”. Because of that, it would be almost impossible to ignore another of Landis’ movies, Trading Places. TCM Big Screen Classics Presents The Blues Brothers in select theaters on Sunday, November 29, 2020, and Wednesday, December 2, 2020. “It’s a lopsided movie. First thing in the morning, the king of Hollywood receives a phone call. Watching this film, actually, it seems that their first intent was … THE BLUES BROTHERS by John Landis & Dan Aykroyd. I don’t know what that means, but An American Werewolf in London was a movie I wrote when I was a teenager. Most people see it on TV, but Thriller is meant to be seen in a cinema. They were wrong. It is a horror film, but it happens to be very funny.”. 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. “Who knows? Search for "Blues Brothers 2000" on Amazon.com, Title: Doctors Jo Wilson, April Kepner, and Andrew DeLuca share the episodes they think are essential to understanding their characters. I always tell people to go buy the soundtrack of Trading Places because then you’ve got the best Christmas record.”. Canadian actor and screenwriter Dan Aykroyd and American actor John Belushi, with director John ... [+] Landis (left) on the set of 'The Blues Brothers.'. The budget for Blues Brothers 2000 was $31 million. John Landis, the director and co-writer of 'The Blues Brothers,' at the Venice Film Festival. 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. ', 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. (1998). You may opt-out by. Ultimately, there was only one 70 mm print made, and when we previewed it, I thought, ‘Oh s**t, this is too long.’ I took about 15 minutes out of it, and then we had a very odd and horrifying response to the movie from the exhibitors. Was this review helpful to you? 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. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Which VERY late sequel is most watchable? The Blues Brothers we have is not the movie that Landis intended audiences to see. Let our editors help you find what's trending and what's worth your time. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. So here it is, for the true Blues Brothers fans to enjoy. There were wonderful things in it, but it was completely impossible to shoot. The movie’s history was shaped by many things, including racism. It has a very odd pace,” Landis explained. 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 following year, they starred alongside musical heroes Ray Charles, James Brown and Aretha Franklin in John Landis' now legendary The Blues Brothers. Need some help finding the best things to watch on Netflix? John Landis, Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman worked for scale (with backend stipulations if the pic reached profit) to keep the costs down. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not a sequel. People who bash this movie without reading Aykroyd's interviews are ignorant to the intent here. ‘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 … Simon is a member of several guilds, including BAFTA and the Television Academy, and is an Emmy voter. 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. Dan Aykroyd and John Landis teamed to script this sequel to The Blues Brothers (1980), which they also co-scripted. That’s another long story.”, “In any case, I’m delighted The Blues Brothers is being rereleased theatrically again. Then she hires a ... See full summary ». It is supposed to be a tribute to the original. Very calmly, he replied, ‘John, I don’t want black people in Westwood.’ I was so shocked. He hated me the moment I walked in. About 95 percent of the script I wrote when I was 18, and I could never get it made. “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. 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 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. “I looked around, and here are these two kids watching the Thriller video, which I made, on an iPhone. “That is mainly because we made it to be released as a roadshow movie with an intermission. On Cinema: 'Sully' and 'When the Bough Breaks'. “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. 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. Simon is a producer (TV & Digital) and film & entertainment journalist, Landis (left) on the set of 'The Blues Brothers. I think it’s pretty upfront. That script got me a tremendous amount of work as a writer, but no one would make it. The Blues Brothers john belushi (Actor), dan aykroyd (Actor), john landis (Director) 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. 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. Dan Aykroyd and friends tell the story of the famous Saturday Night Live recurring musical characters. 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. Father: Marshall David Landis Mother: Shirley Levine Father: Walter Levine (stepfather) Wife: Deborah Nadoolman (m. 27-Jul-1980) In The Blues Brothers, Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Ackroyd) comb the back alleys of Chicago to recruit performers for their orphanage benefit concert, a house-rockin' roster that includes Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Cab Calloway and James Brown, with cops, Nazis and country-western bands in hot pursuit. He has worked for the biggest brands in the industry, including Variety, E! Stephen Scaia . Simon Thompson is an experienced journalist and groundbreaking producer based in Los Angeles. News, BBC, Reuters, IGN, the Oscar-nominated ITN Productions, and Quibi. 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.”. Amazon Eyes MGM For $10 Billion; What Other Media Deals Await. It is absolutely a Christmas movie there. Those boys are dead from the first frame. He threw it over the producer’s fence wrapped in the cover of the San Fernando Valley phonebook. John Belushi, Aretha Franklin and Dan Aykroyd in The Blues Brothers. 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. 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. 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. The movie is about two brothers, Jake and Elwood, played by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. 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. Despite being released in June 1983, many people consider it to be a Christmas movie. Shawn Pacheco Dec 15, 2019. Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised. The Blues Brothers limited rerelease lands as audiences embrace the holiday season. Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised. “I am very happy about that, but it was never the plan,” the director said. 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. View production, box office, & company info. Just like The Blues Brothers, these high concept, insane premises. “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 … Director John Landis on the script, characters and actors involved in the film. “I don’t have any particular plans to mark the occasion, that I know of,” he admitted. 10 Crazy BTS Facts That Will Change The Way You Watch The Blues Brothers. 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. June 2020 marked the 40th anniversary of The Blues Brothers. First her boyfriend hires two dim-witted hitmen. They put Jake’s old band back together to raise money to save the orphanage where they were both brought up. 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. The Blues Brothers, which grossed $115.2 million against a $30 million budget, is, according to Landis, the first US movie to gross more money overseas than it did at the domestic box office. It broke my heart. He opens the door and all three of them enter the room. 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. In Los Angeles in the 70s, Westwood Village had the Fox and Bruin cinemas in the Westside. Director John Landis (left), with actors Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, on the set of 'Trading ... [+] Places.'. On his new "mission from God" Elwood enlists the help of a young orphan, and a strip club bartender. It was huge.”, He continued, “Dan has a truly original brain. It changed the flow, and the movie never recovered from that. In 1981, John appeared in the movie Continental Divide, playing a hard-nosed Chicago newspaperman who finds romance in Colorado with eagle expert Blair Brown. “I’ll never forget when people started watching TV and movies on their phones. Blues Brothers 2000 Susan wants her reprehensible ex-husband dead and, in several bungled attempts by henchmen, tries to accomplish the deed. “In Italy, Trading Places, for the last 25 years or so, has been this traditional Christmas Eve movie that they play on Rai, one of their networks. IN THE PAROLE OFFICE GUARD ONE Well, this is it. Here are Landis’ 10 Best Movies! 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. GUARD TWO What wing? 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