Rolling Thunder Pictures
Encyclopedia
Rolling Thunder Pictures was a short-lived film distribution company, set up under Miramax Films
by Quentin Tarantino
, that was headed by Jerry Martinez and Tarantino. It specialized on releasing independent, cult, or foreign films to theaters.
The company was created in 1995 but closed in 1998. The company was named after the film Rolling Thunder
. The following films were re-released under the Rolling Thunder Pictures label:
The label also released the independent films Hard Core Logo
and Curdled
. The 1994 Jet Li
film Fist of Legend
had been scheduled for a Rolling Thunder Pictures release, but eventually Dimension Films
released it. Other production companies re-released on DVD later.
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
by Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
, that was headed by Jerry Martinez and Tarantino. It specialized on releasing independent, cult, or foreign films to theaters.
The company was created in 1995 but closed in 1998. The company was named after the film Rolling Thunder
Rolling Thunder (1977 film)
Rolling Thunder is a 1977 film starring William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones. The film was directed by John Flynn. The screenplay was by Paul Schrader and Heywood Gould.-Plot:...
. The following films were re-released under the Rolling Thunder Pictures label:
- The Beyond (in association with Grindhouse ReleasingGrindhouse ReleasingGrindhouse Releasing is a Hollywood-based cult film distribution company owned by director/actor Sage Stallone and headed up by film editor Bob Murawski...
) - Chungking ExpressChungking ExpressChungking Express is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. The film consists of two stories told in sequence, each about a lovesick Hong Kong policeman mulling over his relationship with a woman...
- Detroit 9000Detroit 9000Detroit 9000 is a 1973 American cult film directed by Arthur Marks from a screenplay by Orville Hampton. Originally marketed as a blaxploitation film, it had a resurgence on video 25 years later.-Plot:...
- Mighty Peking Man
- SonatineSonatineis a 1993 Japanese film by Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano. It won numerous awards and became one of Kitano's most successful and praised films, garnering him a sizable international fan base.-Plot:Kitano plays Murakawa, a Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life...
- Switchblade SistersSwitchblade SistersSwitchblade Sisters is a 1975 action and exploitation film detailing the lives of high school-aged female gang members. It was directed by Jack Hill and stars Joanne Nail, Robbie Lee and Monica Gayle. A personal favorite of Quentin Tarantino, the film was re-released in 1996 under Tarantino's...
The label also released the independent films Hard Core Logo
Hard Core Logo
Hard Core Logo is a 1996 Canadian mockumentary adapted by Noel Baker from the novel of the same name by author Michael Turner. Director Bruce McDonald illustrates the self-destruction of punk rock...
and Curdled
Curdled (film)
Curdled is 1996 black comedy written and directed by Reb Braddock. The film stars Angela Jones as a Colombian immigrant who takes a crime scene cleanup job, and discovers evidence about a local serial killer dubbed the "Blue Blood Killer" for his targeting of socialites...
. The 1994 Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
film Fist of Legend
Fist of Legend
Fist of Legend is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts action film directed by Gordon Chan and features action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping, and also produced by and starring Jet Li. It is a remake of the 1972 film Fist of Fury, which starred Bruce Lee as the lead character...
had been scheduled for a Rolling Thunder Pictures release, but eventually Dimension Films
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
released it. Other production companies re-released on DVD later.