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Cuba Gooding, Jr., The King of Redbox -- A Study in Movie Posters

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Seriously Random Lists | Comments (37)

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Standing in line at the grocery store yesterday (following proper grocery story etiquette), I noticed among the Redbox selections was a movie called Ticking Clock, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. And I thought, “That’s where he’s been!”

But when I returned home and checked iMDB, I learned that Ticking Clock was only a tiny fraction of the truth. In fact, Cuba Gooding, Jr. is probably one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood right now. The difference between Gooding and Nic Cage, however, is that, while Cage continues to release moves on 3,000 screens, Cuba Gooding, Jr. has become something of the King of Redbox.

Since 2007, Cuba Gooding, Jr. has made 10 movies. You’ve probably never heard of a single one of them. I haven’t, even though along the way his co-stars have included Harvey Keitel, Val Kilmer, Christian Slater, Taryn Manning, Henry Rollins, Jason London, Lance Reddick, Ally Sheedy, Nicki Blonsky, and Ray Liotta, among many, many other recognizable names. My conclusion: There’s an entire universe of movies that most of us have no fucking clue about. And the King of that Universe is Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr., whose face on a movie poster is apparently enough to sway enough individuals to rent his movies and keep his career afloat.

My mind? Kind of blown.

And if you don’t believe me, check this out: The movie posters/DVD covers for the last 10 movies that Cuba Gooding, Jr. has made.

How many have you heard of?

Hero Wanted

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Harold

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Linewatch

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Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story

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The Way of the War

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The Devil’s Tomb

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Lies & Illusions

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Hardwired

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Wrong Turn at Tahoe

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Ticking Clock

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Comments

Maybe he just likes seeing his name above the title.

Posted by: Todd at January 10, 2011 11:18 AM

This is ripe. And I mean ripe in the way like you didn't wait long enough to jump into an airplane bathroom. You can just smell the long, meandering path through the bowels of failure as it sucker punches you, yet fortifies and sits heavy, lingers and infects as you cycle through the fecal-encrusted fall from providence.

Posted by: D-Day at January 10, 2011 11:21 AM

Some of those titles do seem at least partially familiar, but I got to agree that I haven't actually heard of any of them.

Posted by: Kargoyle at January 10, 2011 11:22 AM

What I've learned is that Cuba likes to pose with guns... a lot. Not sure what that says about where his career is right now.

Posted by: luthien26 at January 10, 2011 11:23 AM

Gifted Hands I'm familiar with. The rest...wow. Hey, at least he's working.

Posted by: KatSings at January 10, 2011 11:28 AM

Is it my imagination or does he have the exact same expression in every single one of those posters?

Posted by: TK at January 10, 2011 11:29 AM

Six of those posters show him with a gun.

My theory is that Gooding provides his own weapons and saves the prop department some cash, which must make him irresistible to low budget producers.

Posted by: clocker at January 10, 2011 11:30 AM

Kargoyle - those titles aren't familiar - they're generic.

They're titles that you won't quite remember and maybe confuse with similar (but better) movies. The same goes for the cover art and the title font.

They are the cuckoo chicks of the video store. Designed to attract the attention of bird-brained punters who don't know any better.

Posted by: Simon at January 10, 2011 11:30 AM

That makes sense.

Posted by: Kargoyle at January 10, 2011 11:31 AM

What? No Snow Dogs 2?

Posted by: admin at January 10, 2011 11:34 AM

I actually had to go to imdb to check you hadn't just photoshopped these yourself. Because...wow. Never heard of them.

Posted by: Carrie at January 10, 2011 11:35 AM

I just re-watched Iron Man recently and I'd completely forgotten he was in that. Did he get replaced in the sequel, or did he leave of his own accord?

Posted by: Big Moo at January 10, 2011 11:36 AM

No, Big Moo, that was Terence "Baby Wipes" Howard... I heard he left because he demanded too much money for the sequel. Anyways, he was replaced by Don Cheadle, which IMHO is totally an upgrade.

Posted by: Maureen at January 10, 2011 11:45 AM

WHERE is the money coming from for these?
Is there some sort of secret millionaire puppet master who only funds Cuba Gooding Jr films?

"I have a screenplay about Charlemagne."
"Will my good friend Cuba be Charles le Man?"
"Well, no, see Charlemagne was Europ-"
"No Cuba, no money. Now get off my submarine."

Posted by: Ian at January 10, 2011 11:50 AM

Never heard of any of these.

Is it just me or does Ron Perlman look like a basset hound in the poster for The Devil's Tomb?

Posted by: Mattfactor at January 10, 2011 11:57 AM

OK, now I look all racist not being able to tell Cuba and Terence apart... Thanks for the clarification Maureen, and completely agree on the Cheadle upgrade.

Posted by: Big Moo at January 10, 2011 12:16 PM

For some reason I've heard of Harold. The rest, not so much.

Posted by: aroorda at January 10, 2011 12:19 PM

There's a lesson here: Never accept a gun from Cuba Gooding, Jr. Because you don't know where that gun's been.

Posted by: Todd at January 10, 2011 12:34 PM

Netflix wants me to watch The Devils's Tomb, but otherwise I've never heard any of these

Posted by: KaGe at January 10, 2011 12:37 PM

There was a huge hole left in the heart of the straight to DVD market that needed to be filled when Wesley Snipes was put in the clink. They've found their champion in Cuba Gooding Jr. Personally, I can't wait for all the movies they'll be starring in together when Wesley Snipes is released.

The Pot and The Kettle
- Incendiary drama about the economic and social divide between two very different men who come to realize, they're not so different after all. Co-starring Delroy Lindo as a would-be Morgan Freeman.

Hermanos Negros
- When their brother (Ving Rhames, Michael Clarke Duncan, or some other Black actor that needs the work) is slain by a Mexican drug cartel, two brothers venture beyond the border on a mission of vengeance. Co-starring John Leguizamo, Cheech Marin, and Rosie Perez.

Line of Sight
- Competing sniper assassins form an uneasy alliance in order to take down the organization behind the death of a former mentor. Co-starring Ray Liotta, Simon Baker, and Amy Smart.

Badminton
- Dwayne and Dale put the "bad" in Badminton. Street Badminton. But can the Black Birdies beat out rival team, The Shuttlecocks, to make an Olympic bid in 2012 thus saving their crumbling community center? We'll find out in this screwball comedy from the minds that worked as PA's on Dodgeball. Co-starring Eddie Griffin, Dan Fogel, DJ Qualls, Chris Kattan, Nia Long.

Posted by: jM at January 10, 2011 12:46 PM

Oh, Neal McDonough, WHY?

Posted by: birdgal at January 10, 2011 12:53 PM

When I first read it, I thought the tagline for The Way Of War was "He has only one mission. To explode the truth."

It's not, but I know now that I want more than anything to see the movie that does have that tagline.

Posted by: Mario Speedwagon at January 10, 2011 1:14 PM

They photoshopped a chin on Val Kilmer in the Hardwired picture. Check it out.

No, get high first. Then check it out.

Posted by: superasente at January 10, 2011 1:31 PM

Hero Wanted was just on one of the premium channels last night. I know because I flicked past Cuba Gooding's face and used it to prove to my fiance that the premium channels don't even have new movies anymore.
Apparently, I was wrong.

Posted by: ninetwenteetoo at January 10, 2011 1:38 PM

Wow, there is a lot of chin on The Devil's Tomb.

The ass photoshopping on that first poster is NOT flattering.

Posted by: Even Stevens at January 10, 2011 2:00 PM

I scoured CGJ's IMDB listings and I could not identify his Mendoza Line (the way-point film which torpedoed his career). Ergo, his career is a sham.

To finish his eradication from the record books, Hollywood should replace his name with Terrance Howard's on Jerry McGuire and call it a day. Obviously, there will be none the wiser.

Posted by: gunnertec at January 10, 2011 3:29 PM

The photoshopping on the Val Kilmer picture is horrendous. It's not even close to looking like a normal human jawline. Well, maybe Heidi Montag's jawline, but that's it.

Also, the director of The Devil's Tomb is none other than the son of James Bond. Connery...Jason Connery. The poor bastard was disowned by his father because he wanted his son to work as hard as he had in life. What father doesn't want that for their kid??? "Son, I could teach you values but also give you a nice life or I could be a total bastard and light cigars with $100 bills while you make movies with Cuba Gooding, Jr."

Posted by: Chris from Delaware at January 10, 2011 5:12 PM

I've seen most of these covers from working at Blockbuster last year. All of the customer there love him. But I really wish he would give up.

Posted by: Jared Smith at January 10, 2011 7:19 PM

Sadly, I've heard of about 7 of those abominations. The "premium" movie channels in my area (of Canuckland) have them on heavy rotation. I've watched a few while sick and/or half-loaded. It didn't help.

Posted by: Uriah Creep at January 10, 2011 9:16 PM

I scoured CGJ's IMDB listings and I could not identify his Mendoza Line (the way-point film which torpedoed his career). Ergo, his career is a sham.

Norbit

Posted by: Lennon at January 11, 2011 12:40 AM

I had noticed a preponderance of B-grade snoozers disguised as exciting movies starring Cuba. I feel like that's his own fault for Snow Dogs. Val Kilmer gets a pass for not making willfully stupid (*cough* Snow Dogs) career choices.

Posted by: HappyGobo at January 11, 2011 1:08 AM

i thought "this is easy, i've seen cuba's obscure movies" thinking you might be exaggerating.

holy heck, only saw "line watch" and haven't even remotely heard of the rest of them. cuba is the new wesley snipes.

Posted by: BlackCinemaAtLarge at January 11, 2011 4:34 AM

I swear I dozed through at least a couple of these back in the nineties when sick as a dog. Damn.

Posted by: Fuckchop at January 11, 2011 5:09 AM

WTF is Redbox...?

Posted by: Sarah J-Town at January 11, 2011 6:52 AM

The reason most of you haven't heard of these films is because you undoubtedly live in the continental US. Those of us residing in Ye Olde Country recognize all of the above from our dvd rental places. Cause we don't have this thing you call Netflix.
And you wonder why US popularity has plummeted in the past decade? It ain't just Bush and the depression you insist on calling a recession, folks. It's this stuff here. No joke.

Posted by: cinekat at January 11, 2011 7:32 AM

OH I GOD I SAW THE DEVIL'S TOMB ON INSTANT NETFLIX.

...7/14/10 ALWAYS FORGET. I enjoy horrible, campy movies. But this... this tried SO HARD to be serious and great. And it failed so terrifically. Almost majestically. But it was still absolute torture to watch. I looooove Ron Pearlman so it gave me some major sads.

Posted by: AlexaCastro at January 12, 2011 5:38 AM

while browsing Netflix instant movies I noticed several Cuba Gooding Jr movies that I never heard of and most with him holding a gun in the movie poster. If I run out of anything good to watch I might give these a try!

Posted by: tonyoso at January 29, 2011 10:21 PM