HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE (1987, TUBI) I'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA (1988, FREEVEE)' BLACK DYNAMITE (2009, BLU-RAY... streaming on TUBI).
By the late '80's blaxploitation had to adapt to changing attitudes toward sex, violence and new industry trends. This opened the door to then-young black filmmakers like Robert Townsend and Keenen Ivory Wayans to stretch their limited resources to make basically feature-length sketch comedies that made the blaxploitation tropes digestible for mainstream audiences. And since K.I. Wayans was heavily involved in both "Hollywood Shuffle" (co-writer/supporting player) and "l'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (star/writer/producer/director), these two pictures can be considered unofficial pilots/test runs for then-future Fox Network TV mainstay "In Living Color."
"Shuffle" tries to at least have a throughline story (Townsend's Bobby Taylor struggling to make a living while pursuing stereotypical black movie/TV roles made by clueless white filmmakers, to the understanding of some of his family/friends and disapproval of others) and social message (trading one's racial/social dignity for the sake of an entry-level, humiliating first step into showbusiness) tying together the many comedic skits Townsend and Wayans concoct. While a few of these vignettes stand on their own (the 'Black Acting School' TV commercial with white instructors showing how to move/talk black had me in stitches :-D) many come across as "Billy Liar"-type flights of creative fancy by a star-struck newcomer to Hollywood. "Shuffle's" pace is rather slow and lackadaisical when Bobby is going around his family life, which the funny skits (a "Siskel & Ebert"-type movie review show by brothers sneaking into theaters after watching other movies) compensate for while the lame/bad ones (a B&W noir detective show) seem to go on forever. And as someone on my fourth year of employment at the US Post Office the finale to me felt tragic, hilarious and... too real? :'( 3 WINKY DINKY DOGS W/CHEESE (out of five).
"Sucka" is less interested in social messages (they're still there if you care to look for them) and more on celebrating actors (Bernie Casey as John Slade, John Vernon as Mr. Big) and the empowering feel that blaxploitation brought to audiences. It often gets too silly (death by too many gold chains, butt-kicking mama w/too-obvious stuntman switch, etc.) but its highs come more frequently and hit higher/stronger than "Shuffle's." While Steve James (an actor whose star has risen by appearing in many Junesploitation! favorites like the "American Ninja" films) has a small role in "Shuffle" his Kung Fu Joe character in "Sucka" absolutely blossoms. Of all the old-school black actors brought back for another action round I was shocked the pairing of Issac Hayes and Jim Brown worked the best. Seriously, whenever Hammer and Slammer were together (blink and you'll miss a cameo by baby-faced Chris Rock buying a single chicken rib) l was happy. The pace is still too slow and uneven compared to ZAZ and Mel Brooks comedies of the era, but K.I. Wayans and his cast (including every Wayans sibling that went on to appear on the Fox TV show) did the best they could with the inexperience and resources they had. 3.5 PATCHES IN JACK SPADE'S JACKET (out of five).
Has it really been 16 years since "Black Dynamite" delivered such a pitch-perfect blaxploitation parody that it also works as the genuine article it's poking fun at? It's a once-in-a-generation storm of the right lead (Michael Jai White, past his "Spawn" prime but still looking/acting/fighting like a chiseled star straight out the genre's golden age) and tone-attuned filmmakers (director Scott Sanders, music composer/editor Adrian Younge, cinematographer Shawn Maurer, etc.) tackling a ridiculous premise (which I wouldn't dream of spoiling for J! newcomers) with winking-but-determined panache. I love this movie, have seen it so many times it's practically memorized ('The militants turn startled' :-D). Can you dig it? 4.65 ANACONDA MALT LIQUOR CRATES (out of five).
WINKY DINKY DOG!! I saw Hollywood Shuffle when it was originally released in the theater and WINKY DINKY DOG! has been one of my rallying cries ever since! Also, loved the Sneakin' Into the Movies segment; "We give Dirty Larry THE FINGER!"
Wish the real Siskel & Ebert had had the balls to give their middle fingers to the really, really bad movies they hated so much. They'd hide behind that 'Dog of the Week' segment for the worst of the worst, but a couple of "birds" would have been glorious. :-D
Exorcist remake with Captain Howdy inserts and a globe trotting sex demon. You'd think a movie that ends with an exorcism in a disco would be more entertaining. Carol Speed at least looks like she had a good time making it.
I'll be honest I watched this late last night and wasn't in the best of moods. I'm sure if I'd seen this with a crowd or at least in a better state of mind I'd have liked it more.
George Lattimer, a 12-year veteran of the Washington D.C. Police Department, feels the pressure: his mother just passed away and he has to travel to her funeral, his teenage daughter is going through a rebellious phase, he cheats on his wife and is afraid of getting caught, he was once again passed over for a promotion, the racism he encounters daily feels ever-present and pervasive, and he's beginning to feel like a small cog in a large machine of oppression. All these pressure points cause him to periodically lapse into an increasingly bizarre fantasy world where he imagines himself as a heroic astronaut, while his real life behavior becomes more and more erratic.
A fascinating little character study that slowly escalates through its entire runtime. I have a feeling this will reward rewatches. Writer-director-producer-star Christopher St. John had a lot to say, and while I'm sure not nearly all of it landed with me (after all, I'm separated from the 70's Black American experience the movie depicts by time, geography, and race), I have to admire the big swing. I know it's early, but a movie will have to be something special to dethrone this as my favorite of the month!
One of my biggest blind spots gets finally taken care of. This is a grim, bloody, and ultimately tragic tale of three small time criminals who violently steal the mob's drug money, and then find themselves hunted all over Harlem by both the ruthless gangsters and the world-weary cops (led by Yaphet Kotto and Anthony Quinn). Unlike some examples of the genre, 110 Street eschews any kind of playful swagger, opting instead for a bleak, confrontational tone and stark, ugly realism. Blaxploitation doesn't get much grittier or more hard-hitting than this. Heartily recommended.
The second feature on a Vinegar Syndrome disc that I have owned for eight years and finally getting to it today. With its Nevada setting and mobster story, Lady Cocoa is not a typical blaxploitation film. The title character, the girlfriend of a Harlem gangster, is in jail in Nevada until she agrees to testify against him. When she decides to do so and is brought to a casino to hide out, the gangster’s henchmen are not far away. Lady Cocoa herself is a sassy woman with demanding tastes, which she makes abundantly clear to the policemen guarding her. I was not sure I would like this one when it began, but the idiosyncrasies of the film won me over. The casino setting is used very effectively, including in a surprising action sequence. Though not an essential entry in the genre, Lady Cocoa entertains in many ways.
Gotta admit, I had a bit of a hard time picking something this year. This category pops up almost every Junesploitation, and I feel like I’ve already burned through most of the big classics. Truth be told, it’s not really a genre that totally clicks with me. But hey, I’m a team player, so I dove in anyway.
This time I checked out Cotton Comes to Harlem, a proto-blaxploitation flick featuring a cop duo with pretty cool names: Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson.
The real standout? A surprisingly badass car chase, plus a bunch of scenes that lean more into straight-up comedy — including one where a smooth-talking sexy suspect absolutely roasts a clueless white cop. Good times.
Overall? It was... okay. Not a new favorite, but I’m glad I gave it a shot.
I think all of us have categories that we have a hard time connecting with, Cedric. Sometimes you give it a good try, knowing that there is a chance of being disappointed. Other times (I am certainly guilty of this) you look at the days ahead and save your energy for something that you really want to watch. Keeping up the momentum for the whole month is not easy.
I had to pick a Jim Kelly flick for today as i love his work.
This is one wonderful batsh@t-crazypants movie! For starters it instantly wins Junesploitation genre bingo. Its got: Blacksploitation, Martial Arts, Cultsploitation, Bondsploitation, Swordsploitation, Vulture Fu, and so so much more. At face value its a blacksploitation martial arts movie with a smidge of samurai swordplay. But, maybe moreso, its a complete James Bond riff with Kelly as bond. This includes a tricked out sports car with gadgets, a jet pack, and an over the top villain in an evil lair. Also a non stop parade of quirky henchman.
The best part of this viewing is the discovery that they, apparently, decided to add no less than 25% of the movies dialogue AFTER completing the flick. This means ADV vocals over countless scenes where someone ISNT moving their lips. The highlight being a final fight between Kelly and one henchman which goes on for many minutes and they added an entire dialogue of shit talking where you can clearly see no one is talking. Even better? The ADR was done by multiple DIFFERENT actors such that you cant even figure out who's supposed to be talking. Amazing.
Without question this will be one of my fav viewings this month. Fingers crossed a boutique label releases a Jim Kelly 4k set some day!
After Blacula and Scream, AIP had already combined Blaxploitation and horror. Now, Diana “Sugar” Hill (Marki Bey) is using zombies to get revenge on mob boss Morgan (Robert Quarry in his last film for the studio) for the death of her man, nightclub owner Langston (Larry D. Johnson). She goes to Mama Maitresse (Zara Cully) and together, they call on the Lord of the Dead, Baron Samedi (Don Pedro Colley), for his assistance.
Unlike the post-Romero zombies, this is calling back to the zombies of movies made in the 1930s. The preserved bodies of slaves brought to the United States from Guinea, they only cost Sugar her soul to get the vengeance she needs. By that, I mean feeding bad guys to pigs and saying, “I hope they like white trash.”
This is the only film directed by Paul Maslansky, who also produced Castle of the Living Dead, Death Line, The She Beast, Damnation Alley, Race With the Devil and, perhaps most importantly, the Police Academy movies. Writer Tim Kelly also scripted Black Fist and Cry of the Banshee.
There weren’t enough mixes like this, but there’s also Blackenstein, Abby, Ganja and Hess, JD’s Revenge, Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde, Petey Wheatstraw, Bones, Def by Temptation, Hood of Horror, Black Devil Doll from Hell, Tales from the QuadeaD Zone, Killjoy and the Tales from the Hood series.
Kitchen-sinky in terms of tone, but Davis has a lot to say about the opportunism and hypocrisy that stifle change in our most vulnerable communities. Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques are a fun buddy cop team.
TRUCK TURNER (1974) Isaac Hayes plays the title character, a bounty hunter taking a big job in hopes of getting his girlfriend out of jail. Everyone describes this as a Shaft wannabe, but Truck is very much his own character. He’s more chill and less intense than Shaft. The supporting cast includes Nichelle Nichols, Yaphet Kotto, Scatman Crothers, and OF COURSE Dick Miller. Nichols is especially good in a very non-Uhura role. And yes, Hayes has several songs on the soundtrack as well. The movie can’t decide if it’s a crime thriller or a hangout comedy, but it’s pretty fun overall.
30 days of Georges Melies, day 4: BARON MUNCHAUSEN’S DREAM (1911) The infamous baron has too much to drink one night, and he experiences some wild dreams. I’m unclear who these Greek mythology-looking characters are who menace the baron, but maybe I’m not meant to. It gets weirder and weirder as it goes along -- you know, like a dream. I like the effect where the Baron jumps in and out of his mirror, which is a neat little trick.
Fred Williamson stars in a great movie that starts as an extremely satisfying revenge thriller that morphs halfway through into something unexpected and ultimately even more interesting. I don't want to spoil any aspect of this other than saying it might be my new favorite Fred Williamson movie plus Pam Grier co-stars. Highly recommended.
There's no doubt that Pam Grier is on the Exploitation Mt. Rushmore. In Coffy, one of her more iconic roles, she is, according to the poster, "...The baddest One-Chick Hit Squad that ever hit town!" I would probably agree with that. She's a nurse by day, a vigilante by night, and unbelievably sexy all of the time. Going after dope pushers for hurting her sister, she shoots guys in the head, blowing their heads clean off, and in the crotch, blowing only what you can imagine clean off. Directed by exploitation auteur Jack Hill, it was called "a stupid movie" by Gene Siskel - who gave it zero stars! It makes me wonder if one day, 50 years from now, I'll be mocked for giving some 2025 crap on Tubi a half-star on Letterboxd because it turns out it was an exploitation masterpiece.
I knew I was going to love this movie from the opening theme song. Because, if you've got Isaac Hayes... However, I found the language in the screenplay to be so extreme that I'm not sure I can recommend it to anyone who doesn't know what they're getting into.
This one rips. Jim Brown, Brenda Sykes, Bernie Casey, Martin Landau and especially Bruce Glover are great. An appearance by Jeanne Bell early in the movie sadly turns out to be her only scene. Oakland A’s ace Vida Blue also makes an appearance to represent baseball in a movie dominated by football players. The editing is a bit of a letdown considering the cinematography is excellent.
Hell hath no fury like Pam Grier—and no one can say "motherf-er" quite the way she does. Kicking ass from start to finish, and all of them chumps underestimating her deserved it! The songs made for the movie were cherries on top.
GOODBYE UNCLE TOM (Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, 1971, Italian Cut, 136 minutes)
TAGLINE: EVERY SCENE LOOKS YOU STRAIGHT IN THE EYE… AND SPITS!
The makers of the shockumentaries MONDO CANE and AFRICA ADDIO move into mockumentary territory here in this distressing, shocking, and frequently disgusting portrait of the antebellum American South and the slave trade. Breaking the third wall and addressing the viewers directly, white slavers justify their revolting behaviors and beliefs, and we are witness to the ugly actions the arise from their racist ideas.
There’s really no way to amply catalog the atrocities here—take my word that you are in for a nauseating ride that will leave you uncertain about both the existence and significance of this film. My conclusion is that it's an uncomfortable but important watch, one that uses exploitation staples of sex, violence, sadism and degradation to achieve its emotional impact. It’s horribly racist and would never fly today, yet it also accurately depicts the horrors of the time. It left me stunned and feeling the need for a shower.
In addition to the atrocities displayed, there’s an extra element that adds to the ambivalent reaction to the film. Jacopetti and Properi filmed portions of this in Haiti, using Haitians to play the slaves and paying them next to nothing to be degraded and abused. Leave it to Italian filmmakers to exploit those depicting exploitation!
Cannot recommend and cannot NOT recommend-- it’s just one of those movies. It definitely spits in your eye, and you can’t look away.
I did some research following my screening and found this video interview of William Lustig by $Reelblack enlightening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28pYrYpWz5g
Also found this article from the Jim Crow Museum thoughtful and critical: https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/question/2010/august.htm
Watch at your own risk and prepare to have a reaction. Probably several.
I am planning a re-watch of Good-bye Uncle Tom at some point. There is no movie about the slave trade quite like it. Though extraordinarily exploitative and frequently offensive, it is honest about the inhumanities of the system. Hearing directors Jacopetti and Prosperi defend the film in the documentary The Godfathers of Mondo is interesting.
COOL BREEZE (1972, B. Pollack) First-time watch on a VHS-lookin' DVD from Blax Film, 7/10. Thalmus Rasulala has one of the great names in cinema. Adolph Caesar's voice-over on the FRIDAY FOSTER trailer first introduced it to my eardrums, though I'd already encountered him on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" & in ABOVE THE LAW. The man's got presence, even though no one in this picture is quite likeable. A heist beset by bad choices & unfortunate circumstance folds in on itself in the aftermath. Pam Grier's around for minute, Raymond St. Jacques is up to something & Lincoln Kirkpatrick is the law. This is no RIFIFI, it's an untidy picture that doesn't seem as liked to the degree I enjoyed it. But I'm good for a messy story about difficult people. Side characters get some spotlight, enhancing the feeling that nothing is under control.
A Franco-phile suggests: THE GIRL FROM RIO (1969) Another Harry Alan Towers-era film with fun costumes & post-Bond intrigue. This isn't one of my faves, but it's an easy one to watch, full of kitsch & camp. Now playing on Tubi & Plex.
After exploring new territory in the first few days of this holiday month, I felt like I needed a familar banger tonight.
Black Dynamite shakes the tree by the roots and rakes up the fruits, giving all those diabolical dick-shrinkin' muthafuckas exactly what they've got coming. Michael Jai White doesn't wink or blink in a perfect satirical portrayal of the blaxplotation hero, and a bevy of great supporting performances is highlighted by Tommy Davidson and Kym Whitley. I love how the movie escalates and goes full bugnuts in the last act.
B L @ C K E Y E (1974, J. Arnold) F i r s t - t i m e w a t c h, Warner Archives Blu, 7/10. I t m o s t l y s e e m s important t o me that when asked what I w a t c h e d for b l @ x p l o i t a t i o n day I say something that sounds like "b l @ c k g u y". P r i v @ t e eye Fred Williamson gets t o s s e d over a d3ad c @ l l girl for a special cane. Richard Anderson hires him to find his d@ughter, who's mixed up with some b e a c h b o u n d J e s u s fr3aks. Williamson finds out he's still s-h-@-r-i-n-g g i r | f r i e n d Teresa Gr@ves with Rosemary Forsyth, whether he likes it or not. Recognizable voice talent Bret Morrison talks & I fear for W E E K E N D MU RD3RS. H i g h society, the v 1 c e set & a wood-paneled bar with spaghetti on the menu keep this picture going. It functions more as a '70s West Coast detective film than a b l @ x p l o i t e r as we generally think of them; this case could've been handled by Harper or Elliott Gould. Very entertaining, with Williamson playing this a little s t r @ i g h t e r that he sometimes does.
A Franco-p h i l e suggests: THE S @ D I S T O F N O T R E D A M E (1979) Uncle Jess reworks his earlier E-X-O-R-C-I-S-M into a d o w n b e a t s-3-r-i-a-l k-1-l-l-e-r movie starring Franco himself as the o-b-s-3-s-s-e-d, m-u-r-d-3-r-o-u-s p-r-i-e-s-t. The two films are both good (said someone with 90 Franco films in his collection), with S-@-D-I-S-T feeling g r 1 m 1 e r & more n i h i | i s t i c. Now playing on Night Flight Plus (a c-h-e-a-p r e s o u r c e for a month like this!).
Dead Presidents (1995, Allen & Albert Hughes) Masterpiece. Saw it on 35mm at the Music Box today with Adam and it's the best it's ever played for me. The big screen matters. Needs a Blu-ray.
This was is...fine. Unintended hilarity with the vagueness of the politics (there's a king and a princess from a country that is vaguely Arab and has oil).
Oh, and one point Solomon has to recruit some old military buddies for an anti-coup, and then we get one recruitment and TWO dance scenes.
What truly makes this worth watching is that for DECADES it was apparently thought to be a lost film, until a print was discovered and restored. And I think that's just neat that I can now watch it from my couch.
In the wake of the blaxploitation wave of the 1970s came earnest but clumsy films like Deliver Us From Evil. The plot leans into the drug dealing theme common for the genre but makes the peddlers the villains and the ordinary honest people of the ghetto the heroes. The heroes in this case are a young woman running an afternoon recreation program and a recently paroled laborer trying to find some dignity in his life. The politics of the film are very in-your-face, and the lack of a resolution in the conclusion is a deliberate statement about the times. It’s very preachy. As an example of grassroots filmmaking, Deliver Us From Evil may be of interest. As a work of entertainment, it fails to deliver.
Disappointing sequel to the original blacksploitation sensation. All the right elements are here, including Richard Roundtree and other original cast members, but a snail’s pace and a feeling of “nothing new here” sinks it. The film suddenly springs to life in its final half hour for a crazy long chase involving helicopters and boats. Director Gordon Parks also wrote most of the music.
I encountered Shaft's Big Score on a Roku channel few months ago. Watching it all the way through, my reaction was the same as yours, J.B. The first film does everything better.
William Marshall is endlessly charming as Blackula. Really had fun with this one (like I did with the original last year). Pam Grier is also in this, but unfortunately isn't used too well. More of a "Voodoo final girl" than kick ass, but still acts the hell out of it.
What an odd little movie. Blaxploitation is one of, if not my favourite day of the month, so I had to resist the urge to revisit old favourites and instead pick something more obscure from the watchlist. The main curiosity for me was that it was directed by Greydon Clark (I really like Without Warning), who also stars as the lead, a GI who returns from Vietnam to deliver a letter to the family of his black friend who died in his arms, only to find he's not welcome in the neighborhood. Clark's heart is clearly in the right place, and the movie surely has its charms (among which, a delightful pool party), but suffers from clumsy writing and strange pacing, so much so that you have to wonder if some of that is voluntary (why are we spending so much time following Clark along as he goes about his business, fooling around with his fiancée while a Donovan-esque song plays in the background? Is it supposed to be in stark contrast to the lives of most of the black characters depicted on screen?). Not the greatest film of the genre by any means, but an interesting curiosity I'm happy to have checked out!
HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE (1987, TUBI)
ReplyDeleteI'M GONNA GIT YOU SUCKA (1988, FREEVEE)'
BLACK DYNAMITE (2009, BLU-RAY... streaming on TUBI).
By the late '80's blaxploitation had to adapt to changing attitudes toward sex, violence and new industry trends. This opened the door to then-young black filmmakers like Robert Townsend and Keenen Ivory Wayans to stretch their limited resources to make basically feature-length sketch comedies that made the blaxploitation tropes digestible for mainstream audiences. And since K.I. Wayans was heavily involved in both "Hollywood Shuffle" (co-writer/supporting player) and "l'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (star/writer/producer/director), these two pictures can be considered unofficial pilots/test runs for then-future Fox Network TV mainstay "In Living Color."
"Shuffle" tries to at least have a throughline story (Townsend's Bobby Taylor struggling to make a living while pursuing stereotypical black movie/TV roles made by clueless white filmmakers, to the understanding of some of his family/friends and disapproval of others) and social message (trading one's racial/social dignity for the sake of an entry-level, humiliating first step into showbusiness) tying together the many comedic skits Townsend and Wayans concoct. While a few of these vignettes stand on their own (the 'Black Acting School' TV commercial with white instructors showing how to move/talk black had me in stitches :-D) many come across as "Billy Liar"-type flights of creative fancy by a star-struck newcomer to Hollywood. "Shuffle's" pace is rather slow and lackadaisical when Bobby is going around his family life, which the funny skits (a "Siskel & Ebert"-type movie review show by brothers sneaking into theaters after watching other movies) compensate for while the lame/bad ones (a B&W noir detective show) seem to go on forever. And as someone on my fourth year of employment at the US Post Office the finale to me felt tragic, hilarious and... too real? :'( 3 WINKY DINKY DOGS W/CHEESE (out of five).
"Sucka" is less interested in social messages (they're still there if you care to look for them) and more on celebrating actors (Bernie Casey as John Slade, John Vernon as Mr. Big) and the empowering feel that blaxploitation brought to audiences. It often gets too silly (death by too many gold chains, butt-kicking mama w/too-obvious stuntman switch, etc.) but its highs come more frequently and hit higher/stronger than "Shuffle's." While Steve James (an actor whose star has risen by appearing in many Junesploitation! favorites like the "American Ninja" films) has a small role in "Shuffle" his Kung Fu Joe character in "Sucka" absolutely blossoms. Of all the old-school black actors brought back for another action round I was shocked the pairing of Issac Hayes and Jim Brown worked the best. Seriously, whenever Hammer and Slammer were together (blink and you'll miss a cameo by baby-faced Chris Rock buying a single chicken rib) l was happy. The pace is still too slow and uneven compared to ZAZ and Mel Brooks comedies of the era, but K.I. Wayans and his cast (including every Wayans sibling that went on to appear on the Fox TV show) did the best they could with the inexperience and resources they had. 3.5 PATCHES IN JACK SPADE'S JACKET (out of five).
Has it really been 16 years since "Black Dynamite" delivered such a pitch-perfect blaxploitation parody that it also works as the genuine article it's poking fun at? It's a once-in-a-generation storm of the right lead (Michael Jai White, past his "Spawn" prime but still looking/acting/fighting like a chiseled star straight out the genre's golden age) and tone-attuned filmmakers (director Scott Sanders, music composer/editor Adrian Younge, cinematographer Shawn Maurer, etc.) tackling a ridiculous premise (which I wouldn't dream of spoiling for J! newcomers) with winking-but-determined panache. I love this movie, have seen it so many times it's practically memorized ('The militants turn startled' :-D). Can you dig it? 4.65 ANACONDA MALT LIQUOR CRATES (out of five).
JM..so good to see you posting and i love your rating system. keep it up!
Delete"Ha! I threw that sh@t before i came in the room!" -B Dynamite
"Who didn't see that one coming... l mean, who saw where that came from?" 🤣😂😎
DeleteWINKY DINKY DOG!! I saw Hollywood Shuffle when it was originally released in the theater and WINKY DINKY DOG! has been one of my rallying cries ever since! Also, loved the Sneakin' Into the Movies segment; "We give Dirty Larry THE FINGER!"
DeleteWish the real Siskel & Ebert had had the balls to give their middle fingers to the really, really bad movies they hated so much. They'd hide behind that 'Dog of the Week' segment for the worst of the worst, but a couple of "birds" would have been glorious. :-D
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAbby(1974 Dir William Girdler)
ReplyDeleteExorcist remake with Captain Howdy inserts and a globe trotting sex demon. You'd think a movie that ends with an exorcism in a disco would be more entertaining. Carol Speed at least looks like she had a good time making it.
Abby was a top-notch marriage counselor!
DeleteI'll be honest I watched this late last night and wasn't in the best of moods. I'm sure if I'd seen this with a crowd or at least in a better state of mind I'd have liked it more.
DeleteTop of the Heap (1972, dir. Christopher St. John)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Lattimer, a 12-year veteran of the Washington D.C. Police Department, feels the pressure: his mother just passed away and he has to travel to her funeral, his teenage daughter is going through a rebellious phase, he cheats on his wife and is afraid of getting caught, he was once again passed over for a promotion, the racism he encounters daily feels ever-present and pervasive, and he's beginning to feel like a small cog in a large machine of oppression. All these pressure points cause him to periodically lapse into an increasingly bizarre fantasy world where he imagines himself as a heroic astronaut, while his real life behavior becomes more and more erratic.
A fascinating little character study that slowly escalates through its entire runtime. I have a feeling this will reward rewatches. Writer-director-producer-star Christopher St. John had a lot to say, and while I'm sure not nearly all of it landed with me (after all, I'm separated from the 70's Black American experience the movie depicts by time, geography, and race), I have to admire the big swing. I know it's early, but a movie will have to be something special to dethrone this as my favorite of the month!
Big fan of this one!!
DeleteThat sounds awesome. 😀
DeleteAcross 110th Street (1972)
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest blind spots gets finally taken care of.
This is a grim, bloody, and ultimately tragic tale of three small time criminals who violently steal the mob's drug money, and then find themselves hunted all over Harlem by both the ruthless gangsters and the world-weary cops (led by Yaphet Kotto and Anthony Quinn). Unlike some examples of the genre, 110 Street eschews any kind of playful swagger, opting instead for a bleak, confrontational tone and stark, ugly realism. Blaxploitation doesn't get much grittier or more hard-hitting than this. Heartily recommended.
One that has been on my watch list for a long time. My choice today has been on that list longer, though.
DeleteI hear that, I also have titles on my watchlist that have been waiting many, many years for their chance. Such is the life we chose.
DeleteGreat film!
DeleteLADY COCOA (1975, dir. Matt Cimber)
ReplyDeleteThe second feature on a Vinegar Syndrome disc that I have owned for eight years and finally getting to it today. With its Nevada setting and mobster story, Lady Cocoa is not a typical blaxploitation film. The title character, the girlfriend of a Harlem gangster, is in jail in Nevada until she agrees to testify against him. When she decides to do so and is brought to a casino to hide out, the gangster’s henchmen are not far away. Lady Cocoa herself is a sassy woman with demanding tastes, which she makes abundantly clear to the policemen guarding her. I was not sure I would like this one when it began, but the idiosyncrasies of the film won me over. The casino setting is used very effectively, including in a surprising action sequence. Though not an essential entry in the genre, Lady Cocoa entertains in many ways.
COTTON GOES TO HARLEM
ReplyDeleteGotta admit, I had a bit of a hard time picking something this year. This category pops up almost every Junesploitation, and I feel like I’ve already burned through most of the big classics. Truth be told, it’s not really a genre that totally clicks with me. But hey, I’m a team player, so I dove in anyway.
This time I checked out Cotton Comes to Harlem, a proto-blaxploitation flick featuring a cop duo with pretty cool names: Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson.
The real standout? A surprisingly badass car chase, plus a bunch of scenes that lean more into straight-up comedy — including one where a smooth-talking sexy suspect absolutely roasts a clueless white cop. Good times.
Overall? It was... okay. Not a new favorite, but I’m glad I gave it a shot.
I think all of us have categories that we have a hard time connecting with, Cedric. Sometimes you give it a good try, knowing that there is a chance of being disappointed. Other times (I am certainly guilty of this) you look at the days ahead and save your energy for something that you really want to watch. Keeping up the momentum for the whole month is not easy.
DeleteBlack Samurai (1976)
ReplyDeleteI had to pick a Jim Kelly flick for today as i love his work.
This is one wonderful batsh@t-crazypants movie! For starters it instantly wins Junesploitation genre bingo. Its got: Blacksploitation, Martial Arts, Cultsploitation, Bondsploitation, Swordsploitation, Vulture Fu, and so so much more. At face value its a blacksploitation martial arts movie with a smidge of samurai swordplay. But, maybe moreso, its a complete James Bond riff with Kelly as bond. This includes a tricked out sports car with gadgets, a jet pack, and an over the top villain in an evil lair. Also a non stop parade of quirky henchman.
The best part of this viewing is the discovery that they, apparently, decided to add no less than 25% of the movies dialogue AFTER completing the flick. This means ADV vocals over countless scenes where someone ISNT moving their lips. The highlight being a final fight between Kelly and one henchman which goes on for many minutes and they added an entire dialogue of shit talking where you can clearly see no one is talking. Even better? The ADR was done by multiple DIFFERENT actors such that you cant even figure out who's supposed to be talking. Amazing.
Without question this will be one of my fav viewings this month. Fingers crossed a boutique label releases a Jim Kelly 4k set some day!
(correction: ADR vocals).
DeleteNow on my watch list! Thanks for the review!
DeleteSugar Hill (1974)
ReplyDeleteAfter Blacula and Scream, AIP had already combined Blaxploitation and horror. Now, Diana “Sugar” Hill (Marki Bey) is using zombies to get revenge on mob boss Morgan (Robert Quarry in his last film for the studio) for the death of her man, nightclub owner Langston (Larry D. Johnson). She goes to Mama Maitresse (Zara Cully) and together, they call on the Lord of the Dead, Baron Samedi (Don Pedro Colley), for his assistance.
Unlike the post-Romero zombies, this is calling back to the zombies of movies made in the 1930s. The preserved bodies of slaves brought to the United States from Guinea, they only cost Sugar her soul to get the vengeance she needs. By that, I mean feeding bad guys to pigs and saying, “I hope they like white trash.”
This is the only film directed by Paul Maslansky, who also produced Castle of the Living Dead, Death Line, The She Beast, Damnation Alley, Race With the Devil and, perhaps most importantly, the Police Academy movies. Writer Tim Kelly also scripted Black Fist and Cry of the Banshee.
There weren’t enough mixes like this, but there’s also Blackenstein, Abby, Ganja and Hess, JD’s Revenge, Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde, Petey Wheatstraw, Bones, Def by Temptation, Hood of Horror, Black Devil Doll from Hell, Tales from the QuadeaD Zone, Killjoy and the Tales from the Hood series.
Black Devil Doll from Hell! Hope someone watches that one!
DeleteCOTTON COMES TO HARLEM (1970, Dir. Ossie Davis):
ReplyDeleteKitchen-sinky in terms of tone, but Davis has a lot to say about the opportunism and hypocrisy that stifle change in our most vulnerable communities. Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques are a fun buddy cop team.
TRUCK TURNER (1974)
ReplyDeleteIsaac Hayes plays the title character, a bounty hunter taking a big job in hopes of getting his girlfriend out of jail. Everyone describes this as a Shaft wannabe, but Truck is very much his own character. He’s more chill and less intense than Shaft. The supporting cast includes Nichelle Nichols, Yaphet Kotto, Scatman Crothers, and OF COURSE Dick Miller. Nichols is especially good in a very non-Uhura role. And yes, Hayes has several songs on the soundtrack as well. The movie can’t decide if it’s a crime thriller or a hangout comedy, but it’s pretty fun overall.
30 days of Georges Melies, day 4: BARON MUNCHAUSEN’S DREAM (1911)
The infamous baron has too much to drink one night, and he experiences some wild dreams. I’m unclear who these Greek mythology-looking characters are who menace the baron, but maybe I’m not meant to. It gets weirder and weirder as it goes along -- you know, like a dream. I like the effect where the Baron jumps in and out of his mirror, which is a neat little trick.
Bucktown (1975, dir. Arthur Marks)
ReplyDeleteFred Williamson stars in a great movie that starts as an extremely satisfying revenge thriller that morphs halfway through into something unexpected and ultimately even more interesting. I don't want to spoil any aspect of this other than saying it might be my new favorite Fred Williamson movie plus Pam Grier co-stars. Highly recommended.
oooooo this sounds good....gonna watch soon...maybe on a free day. thanks!
DeleteMakes a good warm-up for ORIGINAL GANGSTAS.
DeleteThere's no doubt that Pam Grier is on the Exploitation Mt. Rushmore. In Coffy, one of her more iconic roles, she is, according to the poster, "...The baddest One-Chick Hit Squad that ever hit town!" I would probably agree with that. She's a nurse by day, a vigilante by night, and unbelievably sexy all of the time. Going after dope pushers for hurting her sister, she shoots guys in the head, blowing their heads clean off, and in the crotch, blowing only what you can imagine clean off. Directed by exploitation auteur Jack Hill, it was called "a stupid movie" by Gene Siskel - who gave it zero stars! It makes me wonder if one day, 50 years from now, I'll be mocked for giving some 2025 crap on Tubi a half-star on Letterboxd because it turns out it was an exploitation masterpiece.
ReplyDeleteBLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA
ReplyDeletePam Grier does her best in an okay women-in-prison cum THE DEFIANT ONES knockoff.
I wanted to like this more than I did but was kinda paint-by-numbers and the ending was a real let down.
The real treat is baby Sig Haig as the sharpest dressed cowboy in the Philippines.
Truck Turner (1974)
ReplyDeleteI knew I was going to love this movie from the opening theme song. Because, if you've got Isaac Hayes... However, I found the language in the screenplay to be so extreme that I'm not sure I can recommend it to anyone who doesn't know what they're getting into.
Black Gunn (1972)
ReplyDeleteThis one rips. Jim Brown, Brenda Sykes, Bernie Casey, Martin Landau and especially Bruce Glover are great. An appearance by Jeanne Bell early in the movie sadly turns out to be her only scene. Oakland A’s ace Vida Blue also makes an appearance to represent baseball in a movie dominated by football players. The editing is a bit of a letdown considering the cinematography is excellent.
Coffy (1973)
ReplyDeleteHell hath no fury like Pam Grier—and no one can say "motherf-er" quite the way she does. Kicking ass from start to finish, and all of them chumps underestimating her deserved it! The songs made for the movie were cherries on top.
GOODBYE UNCLE TOM (Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, 1971, Italian Cut, 136 minutes)
ReplyDeleteTAGLINE: EVERY SCENE LOOKS YOU STRAIGHT IN THE EYE… AND SPITS!
The makers of the shockumentaries MONDO CANE and AFRICA ADDIO move into mockumentary territory here in this distressing, shocking, and frequently disgusting portrait of the antebellum American South and the slave trade. Breaking the third wall and addressing the viewers directly, white slavers justify their revolting behaviors and beliefs, and we are witness to the ugly actions the arise from their racist ideas.
There’s really no way to amply catalog the atrocities here—take my word that you are in for a nauseating ride that will leave you uncertain about both the existence and significance of this film. My conclusion is that it's an uncomfortable but important watch, one that uses exploitation staples of sex, violence, sadism and degradation to achieve its emotional impact. It’s horribly racist and would never fly today, yet it also accurately depicts the horrors of the time. It left me stunned and feeling the need for a shower.
In addition to the atrocities displayed, there’s an extra element that adds to the ambivalent reaction to the film. Jacopetti and Properi filmed portions of this in Haiti, using Haitians to play the slaves and paying them next to nothing to be degraded and abused. Leave it to Italian filmmakers to exploit those depicting exploitation!
Cannot recommend and cannot NOT recommend-- it’s just one of those movies. It definitely spits in your eye, and you can’t look away.
I did some research following my screening and found this video interview of William Lustig by $Reelblack enlightening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28pYrYpWz5g
Also found this article from the Jim Crow Museum thoughtful and critical: https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/question/2010/august.htm
Watch at your own risk and prepare to have a reaction. Probably several.
A truly mindblowing work of cinema.
DeleteI am planning a re-watch of Good-bye Uncle Tom at some point. There is no movie about the slave trade quite like it. Though extraordinarily exploitative and frequently offensive, it is honest about the inhumanities of the system. Hearing directors Jacopetti and Prosperi defend the film in the documentary The Godfathers of Mondo is interesting.
DeleteCOOL BREEZE (1972, B. Pollack)
ReplyDeleteFirst-time watch on a VHS-lookin' DVD from Blax Film, 7/10.
Thalmus Rasulala has one of the great names in cinema. Adolph Caesar's voice-over on the FRIDAY FOSTER trailer first introduced it to my eardrums, though I'd already encountered him on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" & in ABOVE THE LAW. The man's got presence, even though no one in this picture is quite likeable. A heist beset by bad choices & unfortunate circumstance folds in on itself in the aftermath. Pam Grier's around for minute, Raymond St. Jacques is up to something & Lincoln Kirkpatrick is the law. This is no RIFIFI, it's an untidy picture that doesn't seem as liked to the degree I enjoyed it. But I'm good for a messy story about difficult people. Side characters get some spotlight, enhancing the feeling that nothing is under control.
A Franco-phile suggests:
THE GIRL FROM RIO (1969)
Another Harry Alan Towers-era film with fun costumes & post-Bond intrigue. This isn't one of my faves, but it's an easy one to watch, full of kitsch & camp.
Now playing on Tubi & Plex.
Black Dynamite (2009)
ReplyDeleteAfter exploring new territory in the first few days of this holiday month, I felt like I needed a familar banger tonight.
Black Dynamite shakes the tree by the roots and rakes up the fruits, giving all those diabolical dick-shrinkin' muthafuckas exactly what they've got coming. Michael Jai White doesn't wink or blink in a perfect satirical portrayal of the blaxplotation hero, and a bevy of great supporting performances is highlighted by Tommy Davidson and Kym Whitley. I love how the movie escalates and goes full bugnuts in the last act.
Dyno-mite! Dyno-mite!
B L @ C K E Y E (1974, J. Arnold)
ReplyDeleteF i r s t - t i m e w a t c h, Warner Archives Blu, 7/10.
I t m o s t l y s e e m s important t o me that when asked what I w a t c h e d for b l @ x p l o i t a t i o n day I say something that sounds like "b l @ c k g u y".
P r i v @ t e eye Fred Williamson gets t o s s e d over a d3ad c @ l l girl for a special cane. Richard Anderson hires him to find his d@ughter, who's mixed up with some b e a c h b o u n d J e s u s fr3aks. Williamson finds out he's still s-h-@-r-i-n-g g i r | f r i e n d Teresa Gr@ves with Rosemary Forsyth, whether he likes it or not. Recognizable voice talent Bret Morrison talks & I fear for W E E K E N D MU RD3RS. H i g h society, the v 1 c e set & a wood-paneled bar with spaghetti on the menu keep this picture going. It functions more as a '70s West Coast detective film than a b l @ x p l o i t e r as we generally think of them; this case could've been handled by Harper or Elliott Gould. Very entertaining, with Williamson playing this a little s t r @ i g h t e r that he sometimes does.
A Franco-p h i l e suggests:
THE S @ D I S T O F N O T R E D A M E (1979)
Uncle Jess reworks his earlier E-X-O-R-C-I-S-M into a d o w n b e a t s-3-r-i-a-l k-1-l-l-e-r movie starring Franco himself as the
o-b-s-3-s-s-e-d, m-u-r-d-3-r-o-u-s p-r-i-e-s-t. The two films are both good (said someone with 90 Franco films in his collection), with
S-@-D-I-S-T feeling g r 1 m 1 e r & more n i h i | i s t i c.
Now playing on Night Flight Plus (a c-h-e-a-p r e s o u r c e for a month like this!).
...f i v e o r s i x t r i e s...
DeleteThis also should've been under THIS name.
Delete'Never give up. Never surrender.' 🖖😎
DeleteDead Presidents (1995, Allen & Albert Hughes)
ReplyDeleteMasterpiece. Saw it on 35mm at the Music Box today with Adam and it's the best it's ever played for me. The big screen matters. Needs a Blu-ray.
Solomon King (1974)
ReplyDeleteThis was is...fine. Unintended hilarity with the vagueness of the politics (there's a king and a princess from a country that is vaguely Arab and has oil).
Oh, and one point Solomon has to recruit some old military buddies for an anti-coup, and then we get one recruitment and TWO dance scenes.
What truly makes this worth watching is that for DECADES it was apparently thought to be a lost film, until a print was discovered and restored. And I think that's just neat that I can now watch it from my couch.
DELIVER US FROM EVIL (1975)
ReplyDeleteIn the wake of the blaxploitation wave of the 1970s came earnest but clumsy films like Deliver Us From Evil. The plot leans into the drug dealing theme common for the genre but makes the peddlers the villains and the ordinary honest people of the ghetto the heroes. The heroes in this case are a young woman running an afternoon recreation program and a recently paroled laborer trying to find some dignity in his life. The politics of the film are very in-your-face, and the lack of a resolution in the conclusion is a deliberate statement about the times. It’s very preachy. As an example of grassroots filmmaking, Deliver Us From Evil may be of interest. As a work of entertainment, it fails to deliver.
Shaft’s Big Score (1972)
ReplyDeleteDisappointing sequel to the original blacksploitation sensation. All the right elements are here, including Richard Roundtree and other original cast members, but a snail’s pace and a feeling of “nothing new here” sinks it. The film suddenly springs to life in its final half hour for a crazy long chase involving helicopters and boats. Director Gordon Parks also wrote most of the music.
I encountered Shaft's Big Score on a Roku channel few months ago. Watching it all the way through, my reaction was the same as yours, J.B. The first film does everything better.
DeleteScream Blackula Scream (1973)
ReplyDeleteWilliam Marshall is endlessly charming as Blackula. Really had fun with this one (like I did with the original last year). Pam Grier is also in this, but unfortunately isn't used too well. More of a "Voodoo final girl" than kick ass, but still acts the hell out of it.
The Bad Bunch / Tom (Greydon Clark, 1973)
ReplyDeleteWhat an odd little movie. Blaxploitation is one of, if not my favourite day of the month, so I had to resist the urge to revisit old favourites and instead pick something more obscure from the watchlist.
The main curiosity for me was that it was directed by Greydon Clark (I really like Without Warning), who also stars as the lead, a GI who returns from Vietnam to deliver a letter to the family of his black friend who died in his arms, only to find he's not welcome in the neighborhood. Clark's heart is clearly in the right place, and the movie surely has its charms (among which, a delightful pool party), but suffers from clumsy writing and strange pacing, so much so that you have to wonder if some of that is voluntary (why are we spending so much time following Clark along as he goes about his business, fooling around with his fiancée while a Donovan-esque song plays in the background? Is it supposed to be in stark contrast to the lives of most of the black characters depicted on screen?). Not the greatest film of the genre by any means, but an interesting curiosity I'm happy to have checked out!