The Big Brawl
The Big Brawl known as Battle Creek Brawl, is a 1980 martial arts film which marked Jackie Chan's first attempt to break into the American movie market. A joint Hong Kong and American production, it was directed by Robert Clouse and featured much of the crew from Enter the Dragon; the film is set in Chicago, Illinois in the 1930s and follows Chan's character, a Chinese American martial artist, as he single-handedly takes on the Mafia. The film featured an appearance from Lenny Montana, who had famously played Luca Brasi in The Godfather. While a moderate success in North America and Hong Kong, The Big Brawl was a disappointment as it performed below expectations. Despite this, the film went on to have more success in other European markets; the film's disappointing performance in North America, led to Chan being advised to try supporting roles such as the Japanese racing car driver in The Cannonball Run. Chan made another attempt to break into the American market with 1985's The Protector, which suffered the same fate as this film.
It was not until 1995 with Rumble in the Bronx that a Chan film showcasing his signature humor and stunt-work was a hit in American theaters. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Jerry Kwan leads a easy-going life with his girlfriend and his family, his father owns a restaurant, one day, he is threatened by the mob to pay a part of his profits. As the mob exits, Jerry rushes out the door to catch up with them, he answers back by taking them on and catches the eye of the mob for his unique and talented fighting abilities. In effect, he is forced to join the Battle Creek Brawl fight in Texas; the mob promises to return his brother's fiancèe and give him the prize money as long as Jerry wins the tournament. He gets help from his uncle a kung-fu teacher to train him for the Battle Creek Brawl, they focus on Jerry's speed and agility as he must fight tough opponents, one of them including Billy Kiss, the big, unbeatable winner from previous battles who kisses his opponents after they are defeated. Jackie Chan as Jerry Kwan José Ferrer as Dominici Kristine DeBell as Nancy Mako as Herbert Ron Max as Leggetti David Sheiner as Morgan Rosalind Chao as Mae Lenny Montana as John Peter Marc as Jug The film received a mixed-to-positive reception from critics, holding a 67% average critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Variety magazine gave it a favorable review at the time, calling it "an amusing chopsocky actioner whose appeal is not limited to the usual audience for this genre."In an interview with Chan on the region 2 DVD, Chan discusses the differences between Chinese and American styles of action. In his early US films, The Big Brawl and The Protector, Chan had to perform the typical American fight sequences involving punches and doing few takes, all the way to the end of the action scene, it was not until Rumble in the Bronx that Chan was allowed to use more of his preferred action style, in which he works together with his stunt team and co-stars. It was then that he was able to do as many takes as he needed in order to capture the sequences adequately. In his autobiography I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Chan relates one scene in the production in which Robert Clouse was not interested in Chan's idea, to flip out of a car. Clouse wanted Chan to walk from the car to his father's restaurant. Chan responded, "No one will pay money to see Jackie Chan walk!", felt that the lack of freedom to choreograph sequences the way he wanted underlined the reason for the film's failure.
The Big Brawl opened on August 1980 on 231 North American screens. In its opening weekend, it grossed US$1,108,025, it ended its run with US$9 million, making it a moderate success against a budget of US$4 million, ranking among the year's top 70 highest-grossing films. However, it was a disappointment to distributor Warner Brothers and Jackie Chan, who were expecting an Enter the Dragon sized hit. In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$5,776,530. While this made it the year's second highest-grossing film at the Hong Kong box office, the film's performance in Hong Kong was a disappointment to Golden Harvest; the film had more success in other international markets. In Taiwan, it grossed NT$8,546,008 from 296,931 admissions, becoming the second most-watched film of 1980. In Japan, it grossed ¥940 million at the box office. In South Korea, it was the second highest-grossing film of 1980, with 233,674 box office admissions in Seoul, equivalent to ₩467.35 million. It was a success in France, where the film was released as Le Chinois and sold 1,510,009 box office admissions, making it the 24th highest-grossing film of 1981.
At an average ticket price of 30 F, it grossed 45,300,270 F in France. In Germany, it was the 43rd highest-grossing film of 1981, with 174,967 box office admissions. At an average ticket price of US$2.78, the film grossed US$490,000 in Germany. Combined, the film's total worldwide box office gross was US$25 million, equivalent to US$85 million adjusted for inflation in 2018. Jackie Chan filmography List of martial arts films The Big Brawl on IMDb The Big Brawl at AllMovie
Darker than Amber (film)
Darker than Amber is a 1970 film adaptation of John D. MacDonald's mystery/suspense novel, Darker than Amber, it was directed by Robert Clouse from a screenplay by Ed Waters. The film starred Rod Taylor as Travis McGee, the protagonist of a series of successful novels by MacDonald. Darker than Amber and The Empty Copper Sea remain the only McGee novels adapted to the big screen to date; the film marked the final onscreen appearance of actress Jane Russell prior to her death in 2011, with the exception of a documentary appearance in 2007. Critical reception was positive. Travis McGee and his close friend Meyer are fishing underneath a bridge in their coastal Florida home. To their shock a young woman is thrown off the bridge. Travis saves her, learning her name is Vangie, he is surprised when she insists that he not contact the police and Travis finds himself falling in love with the mysterious woman. She opens up to Travis, admitting that she was nearly killed due to her involvement in a prostitution ring and a murder scheme.
Vangie was part of a team that worked in male/female pairs on cruise ships: pretty young women lured rich lonely men and drugged their drinks to rob them when they were passed out. The male partner, a sadistic bodybuilder named Terry, throws the men overboard to drown. Vangie became a target when she objected the murders, having been led to believe the men would only be robbed. Despite Travis and Meyer's efforts to protect Vangie, Terry tracks murders her. Travis and Meyer set out to dismantle the gang, they locate. On a cruise ship, Travis poses as a wealthy man traveling alone, serving as bait for Terry and his new partner Del. Del approaches Travis and invites him to her room -- but knowing their scheme he refuses to take the drinks she serves and warns that her life is in danger. Angry that Travis has located him, lying in wait in an adjoining room, savagely attacks Travis, overwhelmed after wounding Terry. Terry flees the cruise ship where Merrimay are waiting at the pier. Merrimay, her hair dyed to closer resemble Vangie, calls out to Terry.
Bloodied by his fight with Travis, Terry goes berserk at the idea that Vangie survived and storms down the gangplank towards her, punching anyone in his way. Security guards try stopping Terry, but they only slow him until Travis appears and takes down the muscle-bound killer with a blow from a wooden 2x4; the movie ends with Merrimay talking on his houseboat The Busted Flush. She asks if he still is in love with Vangie and hints that she might want a relationship with him, but McGee replies by saying he will need time to consider if he is ready for a new love in his life. Rod Taylor as Travis McGee Theodore Bikel as Meyer Suzy Kendall as Vangie / Merrimay Jane Russell as Alabama Tigress William Smith as Terry Ahna Capri as Del Janet MacLachlan as Noreen Robert Phillips as Griff James Booth as Burk Oswaldo Calvo as Manuel Sherry Faber as Nina Marcia Knight as Landlady James H. Frysinger as Dewey Powell Harry A. Wood as Judson Jack Nagle as Farnsworth Judy Wallace as Ginny Michael DeBeausset as Doctor Jeff Gillen as Morgue Attendant Chris Robinson as Roy Other actors considered for the role of Travis McGee were Jack Lord and Robert Culp.
John D. MacDonald pushed for Vic Morrow; the movie was shot on location in Nassau. Though it did not gross well in the box office, Darker than Amber earned many positive reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 stars out of a possible 4. He wrote that Taylor, somewhat playing against type by showing more warmth than his usual taciturn performances, was well-cast as McGee and that the plot managed to transcend standard detective cliches to become "a good movie". Howard Thompson of The New York Times gave the film reserved praise, stating that the cinematography was "excellent" and that the film was "better than average for this type " and Smith was "a horrendous giant of a psycho", but that the screenplay lagged in parts despite the good material to work from, that the real star of the film was its Florida setting, it is a cult film, due to its scarcity, to the fact it is never shown on broadcast or on cable TV, when it is, the fight scene is edited to some extent. If and when a print can be located, there are always missing minutes.
Though many cuts of this film exist, pristine American prints seem to have disappeared years ago. The film played a rare theatrical screening at Anthology Film Archives in New York City, New York, on August 14, 2009; the film recorded admissions of 17,351 in France. The film recorded a loss of $2,958,251. Producer Jack Reeves had bought the rights for another McGee novel The Deep Blue Goodbye but it was decided not to proceed with it. Rated R in the United States, it became rated PG; the film was considered graphically violent for its time the fist fight scene that ends the film, between Rod Taylor's Travis Mcgee and the film's villain, Terry. Director Steven Soderbergh said. With the cameras rolling Rod Taylor hit William Smith who retaliated in kind, a staged fight scene became a real fight. Smith reported that Taylor was "a tough guy" who broke three of his ribs while he broke Taylor's nose. After Darker Than Amber ran its course in theaters, both Rod Taylor and William Smith would be considered for the part of Caucasian martial artist Roper in
Orange Sky Golden Harvest
Orange Sky Golden Harvest SEHK: 1132 known as Golden Harvest from 1970 to 2009, is a film production and exhibition company based in Hong Kong. It dominated Hong Kong box office sales from the 1970s to 1980s and played a major role in introducing Hong Kong films to the Western market those by Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung. Notable names in the company include its founders, the veteran film producers Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho. Chow and Ho were executives with Hong Kong's top studio Shaw Brothers but left in 1970 to form their own studio, they succeeded by taking a different approach from the centralised Shaw model. Golden Harvest contracted with independent producers and gave talent more generous pay and greater creative freedom; some filmmakers and actors from Shaw Brothers defected. But what put the company on the map was a 1971 deal with soon-to-be martial arts superstar Bruce Lee with the film The Big Boss, after he had turned down the low-paying standard contract offered him by the Shaws.
In 1973, Golden Harvest entered into a pioneering co-production with Hollywood for the English-language Bruce Lee film, Enter the Dragon, a worldwide hit made with the Warner Brothers studio and Concord Production Inc. Following Lee's death, Golden Harvest found success with the Hui Brothers' comedies such as Games Gamblers Play, The Last Message, The Private Eyes, The Contract and Security Unlimited. Golden Harvest supplanted Shaw Brothers as Hong Kong's dominant studio by the end of the 1970s and retained that position into the 1990s, its greatest asset for years was that from the 1980s until recently, it produced all of the films of Jackie Chan. Golden Harvest has produced a number of films with Jet Li and Donnie Yen. Golden Harvest produced The Cannonball Run and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy in the United States. In 1992, Golden Village, a 50:50 joint venture between Golden Harvest and Village Roadshow of Australia was set up to develop and operate modern, multiplex cinemas in Singapore.
In 1993, Golden Harvest sold its film library to Star TV. Golden Harvest was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1994. Golden Harvest's activity has declined since the death of Leonard Ho in 1998. In 2003, they withdrew from film-making to concentrate on film financing and cinema management in Hong Kong and in Mainland China. In 2004, Li Ka-shing and EMI became shareholders of the company. In 2007, Raymond Chow sold the company to Chinese businessman Wu Kebo, who owns the China-based Orange Sky Entertainment Group. In early 2009, Golden Harvest was renamed Orange Sky Golden Harvest. In 2009, Golden Harvest announced their relaunch and previewed a new trailer set for movies in 2010. In October 2017, Golden Harvest acquired the other 50% stake of Golden Harvest from its joint venture partner, Village Roadshow, therefore having full ownership of Golden Village; this was after a prior bid by Singapore-based media mini-conglomerate MM2 Asia to acquire the Village Roadshow stake in June 2017, as Village Roadshow failed to secure the approval of Golden Harvest.
It is unknown whether the Village name will be dropped from Golden Village as a result of the acquisition. Orange Sky Golden Harvest has cinemas not only in Hong Kong, but in Mainland China and Singapore. Most of these are joint ventures. Golden Village, now owned by Orange Sky Golden Harvest, was a former joint venture with Village Roadshow responsible for the operation of Gold Class cinemas and Asia's first multiplex. In Malaysia, the group was instrumental in the formation of the country's two largest cinema chains: Golden Screen Cinemas, a joint venture with Malaysia's PPB Group who bought out Golden Harvest's stake for full ownership, TGV Cinemas, a joint venture with Tanjong of Malaysia and Village Roadshow of Australia, the former having bought out the remaining stakes for full ownership; the company has acquired Warner Village in Taiwan. Cinema of Hong Kong Hong Kong action cinema Mei Ah Entertainment Bordwell, David. Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.
ISBN 0-674-00214-8 Teo, Stephen. Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions. London: British Film Institute, 1997. ISBN 0-85170-514-6 Yang, Jeff. Once Upon a Time in China: A Guide to Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese Cinema. New York: Atria, 2003. ISBN 0-7434-4817-0 http://www.goldenharvest.com
Richard Norton (actor)
Richard Norton is an Australian martial artist, action film star, stunt/fight coordinator or fight choreographer, martial arts trainer. After high school, Norton worked as a bodyguard in the entertainment business before pursuing an acting career, he has attained a 9th Degree in Australia. His first screen appearance was in the 1980 Chuck Norris film The Octagon, he has worked on over 80 feature films and television programs. Norton worked as a personal bodyguard for The Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, David Bowie, ABBA, John Belushi, Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks. Norton has been on the cover of martial arts magazines including Black Belt twice, Australasian Fighting Arts in 1983, Blitz Magazine, Impact with Cynthia Rothrock in 1993, with Jackie Chan in 1997, Inside Kung Fu, MA Training, Martial Arts & Combat Sports, Martial Arts & Combat Sports. In 2014 Norton was inducted into the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame, he is the Head Instructor of the Richard Norton Brazilian Jiu Jitsu organisation.
Norton is known for his appearances in Hong Kong action films. Norton's Hong Kong credits include The Magic Crystal, Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars, City Hunter, Millionaire's Express, Mr. Nice Guy. A signature catchphrase of Norton's characters is "Painful?" asked after striking a decisive blow. The most comical example is in Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars, where he faces Sammo Hung and in the movie Millionaire's Express against Yasuaki Kurata. Over his career, Norton has faced off with many top martial arts action stars, including Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yasuaki Kurata, Benny "the Jet" Urquidez, Don "The Dragon" Wilson, Cynthia Rothrock. Norton served as fight coordinator on the 2007 film The Condemned, he starred in a contemporary drama, Under the Red Moon. In August 2010, Norton appeared at Berlin Movie Con, a convention of martial arts where he was joined by ten other stars of Martial arts cinema in a two-day show, it was staged in the Universal hall in Berlin Germany. Among his fellow stars were Cynthia Rothrock, Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Conan Lee.
ABBA: The Movie – as himself and fitness trainer The Octagon – Kyo Force: Five – Ezekiel Forced Vengeance – Herb Gymkata – Zamir Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars – Caucasian Assassin American Ninja – MP Equalizer 2000 – Slade Future Hunters – Matthew Millionaire's Express – – Bandit Magic Crystal – Karov Return of the Kickfighter – Brad Cooper The Fighter – Ryan Travers Fight to Win – Armstrong Not Another Mistake – Richard Straker Jungle Assassin Hawkeye Licence to Kill The Sword of Bushido – Zac Connors Hyper Space – Thomas Stanton The Blood of Heroes – Bone Blood Street China O'Brien – Matt Conroy China O'Brien II – Matt Conroy Raiders of the Sun – Brodie Rage and Honor – Preston Michaels Lady Dragon – Ludwig Hauptman Ironheart – Milverstead City Hunter – MacDonald Rage and Honor II – Preston Michaels Walker, Texas Ranger - various roles, incl.. Norton has trained in many aspects of the martial arts in his 55 years of training, including Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Thai boxing and several Japanese weapons systems.
He used this experience to co-create the hybrid martial art Zen Do Kai with fellow security guard Bob Jones. He has a 5th-Degree Shihan rank Black Belt in Goju Ryu, 8th-Degree Masters rank in Chun Kuk Do, 5th-Degree Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a 9th-degree Black Belt in Zen Do Kai Karate, he has trained extensively with such Martial Arts legends as Tino Ceberano, Tadashi Yamashita, Fumio Demura, Bill'Superfoot' Wallace, Pete "Sugar Foot" Cunningham, the Machado brothers and Chuck Norris. Norton is in con
Game of Death
The Game of Death is an incomplete 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film directed, produced by and starring Bruce Lee, in his final film attempt. Lee died during the making of the film. Over 100 minutes of footage was shot prior to his death, some of, misplaced in the Golden Harvest archives; the remaining footage has been released with Lee's original Cantonese and English dialogue, with John Little dubbing Lee's Hai Tien character as part of the documentary entitled Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey. Most of the footage, shot is from what was to be the climax of the film. During filming, Lee received an offer to star in Enter the Dragon, the first kung fu film to be produced by a Hollywood studio, with a budget unprecedented for the genre. Lee died of cerebral edema before the film's release. At the time of his death, he had made plans to resume the filming of Game of Death. After Lee's death, Enter the Dragon director Robert Clouse was enlisted to finish the film using two stand-ins; the original plot involves Lee playing the role of Hai Tien, a retired champion martial artist, confronted by Korean underworld gangs.
They tell him the story of a pagoda where guns are prohibited, under heavy guard by skilled martial artists who are protecting something held on its top level. The gang boss wants Hai to be a part of a group, they would be the second group to try to do so as the first attempt with a previous group had failed. When Hai refuses, his younger sister and brother are kidnapped. Hai, as well as four other martial artists fight their way up a five-level pagoda, encountering a different challenge on each floor; the setting of the pagoda was at Beopjusa temple in Songnisan National Park in South Korea. The pagoda, called Palsang-jon, is the only remaining wooden pagoda in South Korea. At the base of the pagoda they fight all black belts in Karate. While inside the pagoda, they encounter a different opponent on each floor, each more challenging than the last. Although his allies try to help out, they are handily defeated, Hai must face each of the martial artists in one-on-one combat, he defeats Filipino Eskrima master Dan Inosanto, Korean Hapkido master Ji Han-jae, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who fights with a free and fluid style mirroring Lee's Jeet Kune Do.
Because Abdul-Jabbar's character has great size and strength in addition to a fighting style as potent as Lee's, he can only be defeated once Hai recognises that an unusually high sensitivity to light is his greatest weakness. After defeating the giant guardian, Hai turns around and descends the staircase, heading out of the pagoda. Despite all the talk of something awaiting up top of the flight of stairs, there is no mention of anyone going up to retrieve it. No surviving material explains how this will affect his captive siblings. Although the pagoda was supposed to have five floors, complete scenes were only shot for three of the floors: the "Temple of the Tiger," where Lee faced Inosanto. Hapkido master Hwang In-Shik was slated to play the guardian of the first floor, a master of a kick-oriented style, while Bruce's long time student and good friend Taky Kimura was asked to play the guardian of the second floor, a stylist of praying mantis kung fu; the goal of the film's plot was to showcase Lee's beliefs regarding the principles of martial arts.
As each martial artist is defeated, the flaws in their fighting style are revealed. Some, like Dan Inosanto's character, rely too much on fixed patterns of offensive and defensive techniques, while others lack economy of motion. Lee defeats his opponents by having a fighting style that involves fluid movement, an eclectic blend of techniques, his dialogue includes comments on their weaknesses. Several years Bruce Lee historian John Little released Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey, a documentary revealing the original footage and storyline of The Game of Death; the documentary includes a in-depth biography of Lee and leads into the filming of The Game of Death. Fans still believe. Meant to be a documentary in its own right, now it can be found on the second disc of the 2004 Special Edition DVD release of Enter the Dragon, along with the documentary Bruce Lee: Curse of the Dragon. In 2000, the Japanese film Bruce Lee in G. O. D 死亡的遊戯 was released on DVD; this film shows Lee's original vision of the film through the existing footage, shot for the film before he died and historical re-enactments of what went on behind the scenes.
A "special edition" DVD was released in 2003. Bruce Lee as "Hai Tien" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as "Mantis, the 5th Floor Guardian" James Tien as "Mr. Tien, the Second Fighter" Chieh Yuan as "Yuan, the Third Fighter" Dan Inosanto as "Dan, the 3rd Floor Guardian" Ji Han-jae as "4th Floor Guardian" Lee Kwan as "Mr. Kuan the Locksmith" Hwang In-shik as "1st Floor Guardian" Taky Kimura as "2nd Floor Guardian" Robert Wall as "Mr. Wall, the American Fighter and Hai Tien's ally" George Lazenby as "Hai Tien's master" Nora Miao as "Hai Tien's sister" Uncast Child Actor as "Hai Tien's brother" Carter Wong as "Mr. Wong" Shih Kien as "Crime Lord" Tony Liu as "Huang" Wan Kam Leung as "Lee Guo Hao, the Fifth Fighter" Betty Ting Pei as "Hai Tien's wif
Kent L. Wakeford
Kent Lon Wakeford is an American cinematographer, the co-founder of Wakeford / Orloff Productions and founder of Kent Wakeford and Associates, two commercial production companies. Wakeford is most known for working on Martin Scorsese's films Mean Streets and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, as well as on the films Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade and Wedding Bell Blues. Wakeford grew up in south Los Angeles. While finishing up high school, Wakeford apprenticed with fashion photographer Earl Scott. Following his apprenticeship, Wakeford landed a job as a cameraman at The Douglas Aircraft Company. There he was responsible for filming new missiles and classified weapons tests at White Sands New Mexico and Edwards Air Force Base, becoming one of the early experts in super high speed cinema. Wakeford’s work at The Douglas Aircraft Company led him to the United States Army where Kent spent two years in the Signal Corp. as a motion picture cameraman in New York City and Germany. Following his time in the Army, Wakeford began shooting documentary films.
One of his early documentary films was on Wernher von Braun whom Wakeford had met and developed a relationship with at Douglas Aircraft. He furthered his documentary career by shooting films with Willard Van Dyke, a leading social documentary filmmaker who went on to be director of the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art. To supplement his documentary work, Wakeford began freelancing on commercial projects. One of his first jobs was as a cameraman for Danger is My Business, a reality show that traveled around California filming dangerous professions. During this time, he created art films, including Fish which explored movement of color in synch to music and won an award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Wakeford began shooting live action that would be incorporated into animation. Wakeford began working for animators in Hollywood like Jose Cuauhtemoc "Bill" Malendez, Hanna & Barbera, among others. With this success, Wakeford started a commercial production company with John Orloff called Wakeford / Orloff Productions.
Wakeford/Orloff Productions shot national commercials for brands including Budweiser, Hot Wheels, Boeing, Post Cereal, United Airline, Max Factor, Procter & Gamble, Rice o Roni, Gallo Wine, Kellogg's, McDonald's. Wakeford's first major motion picture was Mean Streets directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro. Wakeford shot the film using handheld camera techniques to capture the self-destructive lives of shady characters in Little Italy New York; the Huffington Post called the cinematography by Wakeford "arguably the most original for this genre at the time and has been copied endlessly in other movies, down to his audacious tracking shots. The innovative handholding and lighting techniques used by Wakeford have since become mainstream practice in American cinema." In 1997, the United States National Film Registry elected to preserve Mean Streets for being "culturally or aesthetically significant." On set with director Joel Hershman on Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me in 1992.
Wakeford went on to shoot Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Ellen Burstyn and Kris Kristofferson. The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures called Wakeford's cinematography "inventive." The film won the Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Diane Ladd and Best Original Screenplay for Robert Getchell. Kent transitioned back into commercial work by starting production company Kent Wakeford & Associates, he spent a season shooting the television show L. A. Law. However, after 14 episodes he turned his attention to small independent films and shot over a dozen independent films over the next decade. Most of the films were action oriented using his gritty street-like sensibility from Mean Streets, he has shot short films such as the This Ain't Bebop segment of Imagining America, directed by Ralph Bakshi and starring Harvey Keitel and Ron Thompson. Mean Streets Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls Black Belt Jones Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore The Princess Academy The Women's Club L.
A. Law This Ain't Bebop China O'Brien China O'Brien II The Last Hour Total Exposure Night Eyes II Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me Ironheart Grey Knight Love, Cheat & Steal Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade Frame-Up II: The Cover-Up Loser Boy Crazy, Girl Crazier Power 98 Wedding Bell Blues Last Lives Waking Up Horton Halfway Home Kent L. Wakeford on IMDb
Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. It is a division of a United Kingdom-based publisher and conference company; the company was founded in 1852 when William Francis joined Richard Taylor in his publishing business. Taylor founded his company in 1798, their subjects covered agriculture, education, geography, mathematics and social sciences. From 1917 to 1930 Francis' son, Richard Taunton Francis was sole partner in the firm. In 1965 Taylor & Francis began book publishing. In 1988 it acquired Hemisphere Publishing and the company was renamed Taylor & Francis Group to reflect the growing number of imprints. In 1990 Taylor & Francis exited from the printing business to concentrate on publishing. In 1998 Taylor & Francis Group went public on the London Stock Exchange and in the same year the group purchased its academic publishing rival Routledge for £90 million. Acquisitions of other publishers has remained a core part of the group's business strategy.
Taylor & Francis merged with Informa in 2004 to create a new company called T&F Informa, since renamed back to Informa. Following the merger, T&F closed the historic Routledge books office in New Fetter Lane and relocated to its current headquarters in Milton Park, Oxfordshire. Taylor & Francis Group is now the academic publishing arm of Informa and accounted for 30.2% of Group Revenue and 38.1% of Adjusted Profit in 2017. Taylor & Francis publishes more than 2,700 journals, 7,000 new books each year, with a backlist of over 140,000 titles available in print and digital formats, it uses the Routledge imprint for its publishing in humanities, social sciences, behavioural sciences and education and the CRC Press imprint for its publishing in science, technology and mathematics. In 2017, T&F sold assets from its Garland Science imprint to W. W. Norton & Company and ceased to use that brand. Although considered the smallest of the'Big Four' STEM publishers, its Routledge imprint is claimed to be the largest global academic publisher within humanities and social sciences.
The company's journals have been delivered through the Taylor & Francis Online website since June 2011. Prior to that they were provided through the Informaworld website. Taylor & Francis ebooks are now available via the TaylorFrancis website. Taylor & Francis operates a number of Web services for its digital content including Routledge Handbooks Online, the Routledge Performance Archive, Secret Intelligence Files and Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism. Taylor & Francis offers Open Access publishing options in both its books and journals divisions and through its Cogent Open Access journals imprint. Taylor & Francis is a member of several professional publishing bodies including the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association, the International Association of Scientific and Medical Publishers, the Association of Learned & Professional Society Publishers and The Publishers Association. In 2017, after collaborating for several years, T&F purchased specialist digital resources company Colwiz.
The group has 1,800 employees located in at least 18 offices worldwide. Its head office is based in Milton Park, Abingdon in the United Kingdom, with other offices in Stockholm, New York, Boca Raton, Kentucky, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Melbourne, Cape Town and New Delhi; the old Taylor and Francis logo depicts a hand pouring oil into a lit lamp, along with the Latin phrase "alere flammam" - to feed the flame. The modern logo is a stylised oil lamp in a circle. In 2013, the entire board of the Journal of Library Administration resigned in a dispute over author licensing agreements. In 2016 Critical Reviews in Toxicology was accused of being a "broker of junk science" by the Center for Public Integrity. Monsanto was found to have worked with an outside consulting firm to induce the journal to publish a biased review of the health effects of its product "Roundup". In 2017, Taylor & Francis was criticized for getting rid of the editor-in-chief of International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, who accepted articles critical of corporate interests.
The company replaced the editor with a corporate consultant without consulting the editorial board. The journal Cogent Social Sciences accepted a hoax article, "The conceptual penis as a social construct", rejected by another Taylor & Francis journal, NORMA: International Journal for Masculinity Studies; when the authors announced the hoax, the article was retracted. In December 2018, the journal Dynamical Systems accepted the paper Saturation of Generalized Partially Hyperbolic Attractors only to have it retracted after publication due to the Iranian nationality of the authors; the European Mathematical Society condemned the retraction and announced that Taylor & Francis had agreed to reverse the decision. Previous instances of Taylor & Francis journals discriminating against Iranian authors were reported in 2013. Taylor & Francis academic journals Munroe, Mary H.. "Taylor & Francis". The Academic Publishing Industry: A Story of Merger and Acquisition. Northern Illinois University Libraries. Archived from the original on 2012-05-04.
Retrieved 2008-06-20. Brock, W. H. & Meadows, A. J.. The Lamp Of Learning: Taylor & Francis And Two Centuries Of Publishing. Taylor & Francis. Official website Taylor & Francis online journals and reference works Taylor & Francis eBooks Informa Divisions - Academic Publishing
