Blaxploitation Pride

The Murder of Emmett Till (2003)

2012-01-19T13:30:00.004-05:00

Narrated by:

Andre Braugher

IMDB.com
Chilling & disturbing account of the murder of a 14 year old black boy visiting Mississippi from Chicago. This is a straight-forward no nonsense account that just tells the story the way it happened according to the killers themselves(because of the account they sold to a magazine) and the victims(the entire black race). It's amazing that this story is just now turned into a documentary for the whole world to see when it's obvious that this had a major impact on black society and their outrage that started the civil rights movement. The more it's watched the more disturbing it is which is why I consider this a well done documentary.

Brother Minister: The Assassination of Malcolm X (1994)

2012-01-19T12:54:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Peter Bailey
Roscoe Lee Browne
John Henrik Clarke
Louis Farrakhan
James Fox

phoenixcinema.wordpress
The assassination of Malcolm X occurred in a decade fraught with assassinations of several prominent leaders–John Kennedy 1963, Robert Kennedy 1968, Martin Luther King 1968, and Malcolm X 1965. Three men were arrested for the murder of Malcolm X–Norman 3X Butler, Thomas 15X Johnson, and Talmadge Hayer. Hayer was apprehended at the scene. Witnesses later identified Butler and Johnson, but while Hayer confessed to the murder, he denied the other two men were involved. All three men went to trial, were convicted and served lengthy prison sentences.

Brother Minister: The Assassination of Malcolm X, directed by Jefri Aalmuhammed and Jack Baxter explores the murder of this controversial black leader with a brief overview of a difficult life that had taken a number of dramatic twists and turns. Just prior to his death, Malcolm X parted ways from the leader of the Nation of Islam Elijah Muhammad. He had converted to orthodox Islam, and he was moving towards Black Nationalism. There were indications that he was forming an alliance in the Civil Rights movement with Martin Luther King–an alliance that would be “J. Edgar Hoover’s worst nightmare.” Imagine a world in which Malcolm X and King provided strong political leadership for the Black community…And what a tragedy that possibility was stolen.

The film begins with 1993 footage of a ‘closed door’ meeting with the present day leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan preaching to an audience and saying: “Was Malcolm your traitor or was he ours? And if we dealt with him like a nation deals with a traitor, what the H*ll business is it of yours?” From this point, the film peels back the years and delves into the assassination that took place in the Audubon Ballroom in 1965. Eyewitnesses recall that afternoon–including one of Malcolm X’s bodyguards (who was also an undercover police officer), Gene Roberts. There were no police at the door of the ballroom, and security was unusually lax.

While I could have done without the cheesy reenactments that made me think I was watching the History Channel, the film includes many valuable interviews with Malcolm’s friends, and associates. With author Baba Zak A. Kondo (Unraveling the Assassination of Malcolm X) providing extensive analysis, the film unravels a web that includes the now declassified memos and documents from the FBI along with documents from the NYC police department, and a fake, inflammatory letter sent to Elijah Mohammad. FBI documents reveal a perceived need to “prevent the rise of a messiah who could unify and electrify the Black Nationalist movement.” Furthermore, according to the FBI, Malcolm X might be “viewed as such a Messiah.” Kondo explains how counterintelligence (think COINTELPRO) effectively “neutralizes” with methods that “discredit, disrupt and destroy.” Under circumstances such as this–existing resentment, distrust and hate fueled by counterintelligence provocation–the film argues that a potentially bad situation became explosive. With the FBI “exploit[ing] existing weaknesses” the film argues, Malcolm X’s fate–and by extension the fate of the Black Nationalist movement–were effectively sealed. The “Divide and Conquer” strategy is one that was applied and worked so well in destroying the Black Panthers. The claim that the FBI provoked others into murdering Malcolm X–is by its very nature–impossible to prove. Human motivation is complex and difficult to analyze, and this is what makes the film so intriguing and thought-provoking. Watch it and decide for yourself.

Night of the Cobra Woman (1972)

2012-01-19T12:40:00.007-05:00

Starring:

Joy Bang
Marlene Clark
Roger Garrett

BlackHorrorMovies.com
Black Horror Hall of Famer Marlene Clark is one mysterious figure. There's strangely little information on her to be found on the Internet beyond the fact that she's an ex-model who was once married to Billy Dee Williams (and who presumably to this day can't get the taste of Colt 45 out of her mouth). One thing that seems clear from her body of work, though, is that she has a fondness for: A) the Philippines and B) snakes. Amidst some success as a blaxploitation actress in films like Slaughter and Ganja and Hess, as well as integrated work in The Beast Must Die, Switchblade Sisters, and even a recurring role on "Sanford and Son", she starred as the magical baddie in a pair of serpent-themed Philippine horror movies: Black Mamba and Night of the Cobra Woman. Both are slow-paced English-language films focusing on rural mythology, and both insist that Clark is evil, evil, EVIL. I don't know what it was about her that screamed "Satan spawn" to Filipinos -- perhaps her dark skin was exotic enough to be frightening -- but her naturally pleasant looks and kindly, classy demeanor don't translate to such on screen in either film. Thus, for the sake of Night of the Cobra Woman's watchability, it's a good thing she gets nekkid.......read more.

Hickey and Boggs (1972)

2012-01-19T11:58:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Bill Cosby
Robert Culp
Ta-Ronce Allen
Rosalind Cash

IMDB.com
Unknown or forgotten, and never released on video, this unexpectedly gritty film from Robert Culp (who also directed) and Bill Cosby is light years away from their popular I Spy series. As two low-end private eyes, neither has ever been more effective on screen before. An interesting, atypical contrast of styles in their acting; Cosby plays it humorless, (in a realistic, lived-in fashion, not a tough guy caricature) while Culp is alternates several nice modes for his character.

The earliest directorial effort from Walter Hill stands among the best of his career (it would make a fine double bill with his classic THE DRIVER), and also among the best of the rich era of 1970's crime dramas. It was released by United Artists and the rights-holders would do us a favor to release it for sale. It has some class-A action scenes and two terrific central performances. Hopefully will soon see the light of day again and gain some of the reputation it so deserves.

Black Mamba (1974)

2012-01-18T22:57:00.007-05:00

Starring:

John Ashley
Marlene Clark
Pilar Pilapil

BlackHorror.com
Compared to Night of the Cobra Woman, Black Mamba suffers the double whammy of being less serpent-centric and less booby-centric, making for the dullest movie I've seen featuring zombies, voodoo dolls, a hunchback, Satan, "Manimal"-like transmutations, bestiality, an exorcism, and Death itself. The film opens with a hunchback doing what hunchbacks do best: robbing graves. He messes with the wrong tomb, though, when he takes a ring from the corpse of Dante, a man who happens to have once romanced a witch (Clark). Quasimod'oh! ......read more

Sister, Sister (1982)

2012-01-18T22:04:00.006-05:00

Starring:

Diahann Carroll
Rosalind Cash
Irene Cara
Paul Winfield

IMDB.com
Maya Angelou's story of the family stresses that occur when an older sister (Diahann Carroll) attempts to maintain a home, left by her revered father, in an ultra-moralistic way (regardless of the fact that she is secretly having an affair with the married preacher). Nevertheless, her uptight need to maintain a sense of propriety of course goes against the wishes of her much younger sister (Irene Cara) who, as an accomplished ice skater, is striving for her own independence. And if this isn't enough, into it is suddenly thrust a third sister (Rosalind Cash), who is a single mother with a pre-teen son, who "comes home" with her boy after living for years in the ghettos of Detroit. And because she is the complete antithesis of her older sister in morals and deportment, she immediately sides with her younger sister against the strictures set down in the home.

Black Eye (1974)

2012-01-18T15:41:00.007-05:00

Starring:

Fred Williamson
Rosemary Forsyth
Teresa Graves
Floy Dean

IMDB.com
Fred Williamson stars as Stone, a Los Angeles-area private eye. After a movie star's funeral, the star's signature walking cane disappears. Stone discovers that the cane is somehow connected to a string of murders. Stone's investigation takes him onto a porn movie set and into a religious cult. A major subplot involves Stone's intermittent relationship with a young bisexual woman, and the tension therein.

Scott Joplin (1977)

2012-01-17T13:18:00.003-05:00

Starring:

Billy Dee Williams
Clifton Davis
Margaret Avery
Eubie Blake

IMDB.com
The man who gave us the Maple Leaf Rag and the Entertainer, Scott Joplin, once said that he would not become known until fifty years after his death.

He wasn't off by much--it took fifty-six. In 1973, Marvin Hamlisch used the then-largely unknown Joplin's music in the movie "The Sting," spurring a ragtime revival and a renewed interest in Joplin specifically. Joplin's work received long-overdue attention from music scholars, and he was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer for his body of work, some fifty known rags, waltzes, marches--and one opera, Treemonisha.

This movie rode the wave of his renewed popularity, but plays so loose with the facts of his life that we end up knowing little more about him. Billy Dee Williams is a superb Joplin, as is Art Carney as his publisher, John Stark. But the movie either ignores or glosses over certain details, such as Joplin's longtime friendship and collaboration with Scott Hayden. Hayden is not even mentioned in the film, which prefers to focus on Joplin and the tragic, unsung musical genius Louis Chauvin, who Joplin barely knew. Chauvin in his prime would compose beautiful rags on the spot, never to be heard again, because he could not write them down. The movie implies they were friends from the earliest days, which they were not. They did collaborate on one piece, "Heliotrope Bouquet", when Chauvin was dying and no longer able to play--this the movie gets right.

It also touches on the growing animosity between Joplin and Stark, but this too is sugarcoated. The movie implies they reconciled, which in reality never happened.

Yet the movie is worth seeing if only for one thing--the wonderful, brooding music of a man for whom recognition was long overdue.

The Glass House - Inside The Glass House (1971)

2012-01-15T14:00:00.003-05:00

1. Look what we've done to love
2. You ain't livin' unless you're lovin'
3. I surrendered
4. Hey there lonely girl
5. If it ain't love (it don't matter)
6. Hotel
7. Touch me Jesus
8. Heaven is there to guide us
9. Crumbs off the table

Blaxploitation.com
What's this? A Northern Soul LP listed under blaxploitation LPs? Well, here's an interesting story. Originally, the movie Detroit 9000 was to have been titled Motown 9000 and had a tie-in soundtrack issued through Motown. Motown got their crack songwriting team of Lamont Dozier on the case, and two songs were shot for the movie, Sunday Morning People and Touch me Jesus. Motown then dropped out, but the songs remained in the film. Both songs were issued on Lamont Dozier labels, so a version of Touch Me Jesus appears on here. It's a much more righteous, soulful mix with additional strings, but is still powerful and a good floorfiller. Many of the other tracks on this LP are also very funky (and some are straight soul) so it's a good one. Arrangements are by HB Barnum and Tony Camillo too, so it's going to be first-rate.

Keith Loot - Loot (1970)

2012-01-15T11:35:00.006-05:00

1. More, More, More
2. Loot's The Root
3. Hey, Hey, Hey
4. Where It's At
5. Stealth In The Night
6. Oh Fay!
7. We Nearly Were Lovers
8. Police Barricade
9. Mothers Waltz
10. The Undertaker Song
11. Eyeball Serenade
12. Loot's The Root
13. And More, More, More

Blaxploitation.com
Those of you 'in the know' in the UK may have been wondering how we'd apparently missed this little UK-only gem. The UK produced some of the funkiest, dirtiest library music of the late 60s and early 70s thanks largely to the KPM label - their now-legendary green cover 1000 series albums are highly prized rarities amongst DJs and producers. The most well-known artists on the KPM label, Alan Hawkshaw and Keith Mansfield, both had a hand in producing this superb easy-funk album, which is very much in the KPM big beat style. Serious funk collectors will know of the legendary Hawkshaw band The Mohawks, with their LP 'The Champ' - which commands three-figure sums - and they'll be glad to hear that the backing band on this LP is effectively The Mohawks. Wicked cheesy easy library funk, particularly on the classic 'The Undertaker Song'. Very hard to find and worth the effort.

Black Horror Movies

2012-01-13T22:58:00.005-05:00

Peace BP Fans,

Thanks to an anonymous BP fan I have been introduced to an exciting genre of black film in the exploitation era. Black Horror movies will be a great addition to BP. There are some black horror films already on BP, but why not expand it. I know many of you will lovethis, so sit back and enjoy everything there is to offer on BP. Please checkout this website to get you thirsty for Black horror movies.

Blackjack (1978)

2012-01-13T11:44:00.005-05:00

Starring:

William Smith
Tony Burton
Frank Christi
Damu King

cinemageddon.net
That's the name of the goddamn game!

A late-period entry in the blaxploitation cycle, John Evans's BLACKJACK is kind of akin to a black-skinned OCEAN'S ELEVEN, if OCEAN'S had less Rat-Pack-style farting around and more racial tension. Frank Christi stars as Joe Greene, a dude who's gone up the river for five years for a crime he didn't commit. (Of course.) While in prison, he befriends four fellow convicts and trains them all in the game of blackjack, so that they can get jobs in casinos when they get out. The ultimate plan? Hit five casino/hotels in one night, make some scratch and get even with Andy Mayfield (William Smith), the smirking white dude who got Greene fingered.

It's not the top of the heap for this genre, but BLACKJACK is solid stuff, and it keeps moving - a satisfying bit of entertainment. It does what it came to do with no muss and no fuss, all set to a killer soundtrack. It's a heist flick. It's an action flick. It's a love story. It's a tale of empowerment and revenge. It's.... BLACKJACK! Dig it.

Sun Dragon [a.k.a. Hard Way To Die] (1979)

2012-01-11T23:52:00.006-05:00

Starring:

Billy Chong
Carl Scott
Louis Neglia

IMDB.com
Who cares about the dubbing or the editing or the mambo jumbo. If you've seen enough b-kung fu movies like me you'll appreciate this one. It's loaded with fights and weapon fights. They may not be up to par with jackie chan's drunken master 2 but they are a little more complex then fist of fury. Seriously if you see the part where billy does the hurricana on the one guy in the cabin then you'll understand what im talking about. This movie makes everyone who can't fight seam like they can fight. Heck even Carl Scott is damn good! I've seen seen almost every Van Damme movie, every Jackie Chan movie, most of Sammo Hung's movies, etc.. and this thing is action packed! I found it at walmart in a double pack with another Billy chong movie which isn't as fun as this one. Anyhow don't listen to the other review and go find this masterpiece! One of the best b movies out there!

Def By Temptation (1990)

2012-01-11T13:39:00.002-05:00

Starring:

James Bond III
Kadeem Hardison
Bill Nunn
Samuel L. Jackson

IMDB.com
An evil succubus is preying on libidinous black men in New York, and all that stands in her way is a minister-in-training, an aspiring actor, and a cop that specializes in cases involving the supernatural.

Straight Out of Brooklyn (1991)

2012-01-11T13:31:00.003-05:00

Starring:

George T.
Ann D. Sanders
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Barbara Sanon

IMDB.com
A Special Jury Award winner at the Sundance Film Festival, this drama stars a then-19-year-old Matty Rich (who also wrote and directed it). Rich plays Larry, a troubled teen living in the rough Red Hook section of Brooklyn who decides he wants out and turns to crime to fund his escape. But his plan involves scamming the neighborhood's biggest drug kingpin, a heist that's dangerous at best. Co-stars Larry Gilliard Jr. and Mark Malone.

Disorderlies (1986)

2012-01-11T13:24:00.002-05:00

Starring:

Mark Morales
Darren Robinson
Damon Wimbley

IMDB.com
Winslow needs money now to pay off gambling debts. If only his rich uncle Albert would die. But his orderlies are very good. Maybe by hiring three of the worst orderlies around, he can speed things up. Fortunately for him, he finds Markie, Buffy, and Kool, who have just been fired from their last job. With them around, he should have the money real soon.

First Time Felon (1997)

2012-01-11T13:18:00.002-05:00

Starring:

Omar Epps
Delroy Lindo
Rachel Ticotin
Anthony 'Treach' Criss

IMDB.com
Inspired by the true story of Greg Yance. In the film, Yance (Epps) is a hood who goes to jail for possession of drugs. He is given a choice: 5 years in jail or a couple of months in boot camp. He chooses boot camp and finds out it is tougher than he thought it would be. He braves it through and comes home a better man. He then has to deal with the real world, and never gives up no matter what the odds.

Bad, Black, and Beautiful (1972)

2012-01-11T12:39:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Gwen Barbie
Sammy Sams
Levi Balford
Luke Ward

Onesheetindex.com
A quiet but windy afternoon is suddenly shattered by the crack of a rifle shot. A man falls and a woman screams.

Then you see the title, "BAD, BLACK AND BEAUTIFUL". A couple making love are interrupted by a phone ringing. The phone is answered by Eva Taylor, a beautiful black attorney. Her bed partner Is a U.S. Senator. Eva is asked to defend the man (Johnny Boyles) accused of killing Mr. Springer. (His ex-boss). Eva meets Johnny's girl, Paula in her office. Paula explains the circumstances that led to Johnny's arrest.

We flash back to Johnny In Vietnam and his return to a job that is no longer there. We then learn that Eva is a sports enthusiast. We see her winning a stock car race. Here she meets Mike Copeland, famous reporter. They start a love affair, which takes them on a series of events that constantly puts them in competition. Flying, boat-racing, etc. Meanwhile at the palatial home of Eldon Spencer, local mob chieftain, we learn that Tony, Mr.

Springer's son-in-law Is the real murderer and that the mob is heavily involved. Fearful that Eva's prowess as an attorney may get Boyles off and that the police would start looking for the murderer elsewhere, the mob plans an attempt on Boyles life to close the case.

This failing, Spencer tries to bribe Eva with $25,000.00 to throw the case. Eva leaves him thinking that she may. Spencer not trusting Eva, puts two hit-girls on her tail. We now meet Mike's wife, Ginny. She comes to Eva to ask her to give Mike up. Eva tells Ginny that she is also in love with Mike and can make him happier. Johnny Boyles comes to trial and Eva uses every trick in the book including her feminine charms with the judge to get an acquittal. The verdict comes in Not Guilty. A hit man is in the courtroom and opens fire, getting killed. Tony is also in the courtroom and gets killed. Spencer is mad and a chase scene takes place where Spencer and the rest of his mob are killed.

Eva goes off with Rich Jacobs, private detective who helped save her. Eva meets Mike to break off their relationship. Ginny is waiting and she and Mike reconcile as Eva drives away with Rich. This motion picture is loaded with much action. We see 13 killings, including a heavy Kung Fu fight. Believable acting, excellent music, and proves to be good celluloid entertainment.

The Black Angels (1970)

2012-01-10T22:31:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Des Roberts
John King III
Linda Jackson

IMDB.com
I agree with the other comment posted here - we're talking Ed Wood bad -- we're talking Plan 9 might have to step down. This movie is so full throttle awful - you wont believe it - bad writing, awful camera work, ugly chicks, for no reason live raccoons and a mountain lion partying with the bikers sas they drink beer and smoke weed, the WORST fight sequences, terrible "rock" songs with a message and one of thos early 1970's downer endings that supposed TO MEAN SOMETHING, MAN!!!! My friends and I howled and hooted and applauded. Some of the acting is so bad, you are left numb. Fight scenes that my brother and I did better when we were 6 and 7 "fighting" in the back yard. I cant believe this movie isnt more famous on the Midnight movie circuit!!! If you love turkey cinema - go on and feast!

Hawk Jones (1986)

2012-01-10T08:32:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Valiant Duhart
Charmella Roark
Tyler Vargas
Casey Depaepe
Nicholas Lofgren

hawkjones.info
One of the classic cult movies to come out of the 1980s is finally available on DVD! 'Hawk Jones' is one of the only movies ever made that has an all child cast! With an average age of 8 you won't believe what happens in this movie!

The local gangster, Antonio Coppola, is threatening to take over the entire town of Minitropolis. Antonio and his gang of henchmen are causing destruction everywhere; turning the once quiet town upside down.

WARNING! Even though the cast is made up of all children we don't recommend viewing of this film by a young audience.

That's when Hawk Jones comes to town! It's Hawk against Antonio and his army of gangsters. Hawk is determined to rid the town of Antonio and his henchmen; but it won't be easy. Antonio's influences reach everywhere, including the police department. Hawk is soon under attack from his own Chief of Police! The Chief teams Hawk up with a partner who does her best to cause problems for him!

In this hilarious, politically incorrect cult movie, you never know what's going to happen next. From the very first moment this is one movie you will never forget!

Johnny Tough (1974)

2012-01-09T23:18:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Dion Gossett
Christopher Townes
Renny Roker
Rich Holmes

IMDB.com
"He's bad...he's black...he's beautiful...and Tough! And that's no jive." I'm what you call a gifted film historian. Especially films of my era...the 70's. As shown, I can quote many films, the trailers, and the tag-lines. Another one from this was..."He'll steal your heart. He'sTough. Rated PG". I saw this when it was released with a double feature of "Together Brothers". Another rare black film. "Tough" was funny &dramatic with lessons to be learned. Remember when Johnny Tough's father made him spend the night in Jail? Then that tragicending. It makes you wonder today,"did the check bounce?". That's an old saying in Hollywood when a film suddenly ends with no explanation. they have to shut production down. I don't believe that was the case with "Tough". I miss the days when we had so many of our films to choose from that showcased a predominantly black cast. Who most times were "sticking it to the man"!

Pound (1970)

2012-01-09T16:02:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Joe Madden
James Green
Mariclare Costello
L. Errol Jaye
Carolyn Cardwell

IMDB.com
Seeing it only once at the Uniondale Mini-Cinema, Long Island home to art films and the Rocky Horror Picture Show, all I knew was that it was on a Robert Downey Sr. double feature with the classic, Putney Swope.

What I saw was a stunning, surreal demonstration of the movie screen as a stage and the actors upon it drawing you into their world. A dog pound, occupied by stray and abandoned canines, all musing about their lives, from the primped pedigree to the run-down greyhound (a masterpiece performance by Putney Swope alumni Antonio Fargas, later to be saddled with the ludicrous role of Huggy Bear the pimp in TV's Starsky & Hutch), the Dachshund (Marshall Efron, best known for Marshall Efron's Illustrated, Simplified and Painless Sunday School TV show) to a small role of a puppy played by a very young Robert Downey Jr.

You get very caught up in their tales of joy and sorrow, even their dreams of freedom before they are utterly dashed in a tear-jerking conclusion that will have you weeping in pain and wanting to rush out to your local animal shelter and adopt a pet.

The true sadness is that this film is missing in action. Locked away for who knows what reason; legal battles, ego wars, et al. This film needs to be seen again soon, before all that remember it pass away.

Night of the Strangler [a.k.a. Is the Father Black Enough?] (1972)

2012-01-09T11:37:00.008-05:00

Starring:

Micky Dolenz
James Ralston
Michael Anthony
Chuck Patterson

IMDB.com
Probably the most well-rounded film I've seen from thriftbudget auteur Joy N. Houk, NIGHT OF THE STRANGLER touches on Southern U.S. racial tensions in an otherwise boilerplate whodunit which some may regard as a slasher genre prototype(take note that the "strangler" of the title kills in a variety of ways...none of which are by strangling!). The story in play recounts two at-odds brothers imputing one another in the suspicious deaths of their interracially intimate(and pregnant) sister and her lover. Roused suspicions result in more killings and a muster of potential offenders as the mystery snowballs to a sufficing, though slightly deflating, "surprise" denouement.

While the film never really manages to camouflage its third-string foundations, it works well enough as basal entertainment despite a few flat stretches and uneven scripting(and it features a fun go-go groovy psychedelic opening theme played on some old Farfisa-type organ). MONKEES bandmember Micky Dolenz provides a satisfactory performance, and the rest of the cast follows suit(although, to no derogation of the performers, their roles aren't exactly what one might call "demanding").

A tenantable B film for the general votary of secondary 70s cinema, though far from a crucial one. 5/10

Drop Squad (1994)

2012-01-09T10:45:00.003-05:00

Starring:

Eriq La Salle
Vondie Curtis-Hall
Ving Rhames
Kasi Lemmons

IMDB.com
Political satire about an underground militant group that kidnaps African-Americans who have sold out their race. The story follows as the group led Curtis-Hall and Rhames kidnaps an advertising executive (La Salle) who has been providing advertising programs that belittles blacks and women. One advertisement features Spike Lee endorsing Gospelpak Fried Chicken which comes in a bucket with the Confederate flag draped all over it.

Happy 4th Birthday To Blaxploitation Pride!!

2012-01-09T00:02:00.005-05:00

4 years and running! Thanks for the continued support and participation. Without you, we wouldn't be Blaxploitation Pride!

The Black Bunch [a.k.a. Super Sisters] (1973)

2012-01-08T13:02:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Gladys Bunker
Anita Cunningham
Rina Russell
Carmen Wiley

IMDB.com
In Africa, four native women join and are hired to find a wealthy man's son who has disappeared, and use the opportunity to get revenge on a gang of mercenaries who have massacred the inhabitants of the womens' village.

Quadroon [a.k.a. The Color of Truth] (1972)

2012-01-07T17:27:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Kathrine McKee
Tim Kincaid
Robert Priest
Madelyn Sanders

IMDB.com
Quadroon appears to be a vanity project from New Orleans. The acting is strictly dinner theatre variety, except for Larry Buchanan veteran Bill McGhee as Jacques and the production values are extremely low. There are also some excruciatingly bad Creole 'accents' on display, most notably by George Lupo as the depraved villain Dupree. Nonetheless there is something charming and honest about this film, which manages to avoid the voyeuristic excesses of later big budget bloaters like Drum and Mandingo. Sarah Riggs script is reasonably well written and perceptive. For anyone interested in that long gone sub-genre of cinema, the regional film, this is a must see. Sorta like a Herschell Gordon Lewis film, without the gore.

Body and Soul (1981)

2012-01-07T12:35:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Leon Isaac Kennedy
Jayne Kennedy
Peter Lawford
Muhammad Ali
Perry Lang

IMDB.com
The 1981 version of Body and Soul,unlike the 1947 version that won an Oscar,lacked credibility and depth. The 1981 fighter just wasn't as believable and was more ostentatious in the bedroom than he was in the ring! Come on give me something that I can feel, like in the movie Raging Bull! After all Robert Dinero was a lover and a fighter but at least you felt his pain, his pride and his love and hate for women. Body and Soul 1981, with Leon Kennedy,gave us none of the sort. There was no body and there definitely was no soul. We all left the theater empty wondering where is the fight, who is it with, and who is the the champ! You had plenty of heart Leon,but you definitely lacked Soul!

Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973)

2012-01-06T10:14:00.006-05:00

Starring:

Jim Brown
Ed McMahon
Don Stroud
Brock Peters

IMDB.com
Of the two Slaughter movies, this is the better and even though its hardly a Schindlers list in complexity it is bloody funny. All the men are the goodies or the baddies and the women are all just Hos and emotionally needy, eg Slaughters Girl. It is also bloody funny and The Pro has got to be the funniest movie pimp of all time, you just can't get enough of those hats, purple suits, gold chains and jive patois forever. The best bit is where he has the Harem around him going "DO YOU BITCHES UNNASTAN". Everything about him is larger than life and it is reminescent of Morris Day in Purple Rain. Jim Brown also proves hes a private dick for all the chicks and again he kicks whitey ass in every direction. The car scene is very unrealistic that they survive it unscathed, but hey this is the movies. Definitely the finest blax flick and it surpasses Shaft (1971). Even the first movie is pretty good.

Link to soundtrack review.
James Brown - Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973)

Crack House (1989)

2012-01-05T22:03:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Jim Brown
Anthony Geary
Richard Roundtree
Cher Butler

IMDB.com
Rick and Melissa are a pair of young lovers hoping to get out of the slums for good and escape the poverty and crime their families and friends have gotten involved in. All this comes to an end when Rick feels he must rejoin his old gang to avenge the killing of his brother by a rival gang. In the course of getting even, Rick is arrested, leaving Melissa without anyone to protect her. She falls in with a crack dealer and quickly becomes addicted to the drug. When she gets sold to a drug kingpin by a minor dealer to pay off a debt, only Rick can save her.

Death Promise (1977)

2012-01-05T13:05:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Speedy Leacock
Bill Louie
Thompson Kao Kang

IMDB.com
This "kung-fu"-movie from the seventies is a pretty interesting piece of work. It features all the classic themes of such a movie; revenge, corny acting, weird sound-effects and a complete in-comprehensive final scene - fighting on the roof tops.

Basically it's about Charlie Bone (or Charles Bonet, it's never really clear - the actors name is also Charles Bone) who's feisty father gets killed by hoodlums hired by a rich landlord who wishes to tear one of his skid-row houses down. So Charlie goes out on a rampage to revenge his father and stop the evil doers. Together with his friend Speedy Little (or Speedy Leacock, it's never quite clear either...) they go around kicking a** and, one by one, expedite the bad guy's henchmen.

This would be an OK film to watch. To seriously watch. As a kung-fu movie. But there's so many errors and weird stuff going on here that it actually turns into a comedy. For example: dead guy shrieks when thrown off a building and so on.

The high vote is cast because it's great comical value and also the movie's high entertainment rate. A must see!!! You'll laugh your a** off!

The Devil's Express [a.k.a. Gang Wars] (1976)

2012-01-05T12:05:00.008-05:00

Starring:

Warhawk Tanzania
Thomas D. Anglin
Fred Berner

IMDB.com
The working title of "Gang Wars" was "The Phantom of the Subway" but it was first released as "The Devil's Express".The film mixes blaxploitation genre,American martial arts and horror flick and does this with huge enthusiasm.The acting is mostly wooden and Warhawk Tanzania is not as awesome as his name.The fights are well-shot and there is a decent amount of blood and gore.The film's running time is padded out by random inserts of not exactly important scenes for example the fight between two sleazeballs and karate waitress.The gang war and subway murders committed by amulet seeking demon are fun to watch.A trash classic.7 out of 10.

Just Another Girl On The I.R.T. (1992)

2012-01-04T22:51:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Ariyan A. Johnson
Kevin Thigpen
Ebony Jerido
Chequita Jackson
Jerard Washington

IMDB.com
Chantel Mitchell (Ariyan Johnson), a hip, articulate, black high-school girl in Brooklyn, is determined not to become "just another girl on the IRT" (the IRT is one of NYC's subway lines). She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. But personal and sexual challenges confront Chantel on her way to fulfilling these dreams.

Death Drug (1978)

2012-01-04T16:44:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Philip Michael Thomas
Vernee Watson-Johnson
Rosalind Cash
Frankie Crocker

IMDB.com
Death Drug is without a doubt, the best film of all time. Not only does it directly rip-off two classics- Disco Godfather (the anti PCP theme) and Slithis (the coke bottle vision during the hallucination), it shows Phillip Micheal Thomas at his all time best(worst). The music video will have you rollin! Watch for PMT's head superimposed over a pregnant woman's belly. Pure genius in B-movie glory!! The supplements on the video release are even better. Phillip Micheal intros and outros the film, and his ramblings make you wonder if he has indeed succumbed to the "sherm" himself. A must see!

Amistad (1997)

2012-01-04T16:35:00.001-05:00

Starring:

Morgan Freeman
Nigel Hawthorne
Anthony HopkinsDjimon Hounsou
Matthew McConaughey

IMDB.com
Amistad is the name of a slave ship traveling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839. It is carrying a cargo of Africans who have been sold into slavery in Cuba, taken on board, and chained in the cargo hold of the ship. As the ship is crossing from Cuba to the U.S., Cinque, who was a tribal leader in Africa, leads a mutiny and takes over the ship. They continue to sail, hoping to find help when they land. Instead, when they reach the United States, they are imprisoned as runaway slaves. They don't speak a word of English, and it seems like they are doomed to die for killing their captors when an abolitionist lawyer decides to take their case, arguing that they were free citizens of another country and not slaves at all. The case finally gets to the Supreme Court, where John Quincy Adams makes an impassioned and eloquent plea for their release.

Boomerang (1992)

2012-01-04T16:26:00.001-05:00

Starring

Eddie Murphy
Robin Givens
Halle Berry
David Alan Grier
Martin Lawrence
Grace Jones

IMDB.com
Marcus is a successful advertising executive who woos and beds women almost at will. After a company merger he finds that his new boss, the ravishing Jacqueline, is treating him in exactly the same way. Completely traumatised by this, his work goes badly downhill. But then Jacqueline's more quietly attractive assistant Angela, who has been dating Marcus' best friend, shows herself more than a little concerned by his parlous state.

Buffalo Soldiers (1997)

2012-01-04T16:12:00.001-05:00

Starring:

Lamont Bentley
Tom Bower
Timothy Busfield
Gabriel Casseus
Danny Glover
Bob Gunton
Keith Jefferson
Robert Knott

IMDB.com
The film "Buffalo Soldiers is very good and is a fictional account of some of the historical campaigns in the Western territories involving black US Cavalry troops, who were often pitted against American-Indian factions during this tumultuous time in U.S. history. It originally aired on TNT but is now available on DVD, recommended for those interested in modern Westerns, also American history, especially for students & young people. Danny Glover was involved as a producer. Timothy Busfield, Glynn Turman, Carl Lumbly all have good roles here. Michael Warren, Mykelti Williamson, and Tom Bower round out the cast. This is a little talked about part of American history, but it should be more widely known.

The Tuskegee Airmen (1995)

2012-01-04T15:59:00.003-05:00

Starring:

Laurence
Allen Payne
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Courtney B. Vance
Andre Braugher

IMDB.com
THE TUSKEEGEE AIRMEN is a film that I tend to get very emotional about. I can never see the ending without tears of appreciation, joy and intense pride.

It all comes home for me as a self admittedly rednecked White bomber pilot says in the final briefing: "I have a crew whose lives are my responsibility. If it's all the same to you Sir, I want the 332nd to take me to Berlin and back".

That cinematic statement is a long overdue Thank You from America to the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group, both the living and the dead, for a job well done.

I personally owe the Tuskeegee Airmen a sincere vote of thanks, as does EVERY Black person who has ever had the honor of having flown a military aircraft for the United States. The Tuskeegee Airmen blazed the trail that made it possible for others to follow.

I've met a couple of the original Tuskeegee pilots, and I've heard their stories. The discrimination and bigotry shown in the film was NOTHING compared to the realities that they faced day after day. Even after the war, as decorated fighter pilots, the bigotry they faced on their return to the US was unbelievable.

One old fighter pilot told me of how he had just come ashore from the troopship in full uniform, and was almost immediately arrested by the military police in New York City on a charge of impersonating an officer and wearing unauthorized decorations; the MP just KNEW that there was no such thing as a Black fighter pilot.

Another told me of his postwar attempts to gain employment as an airline pilot as the lines geared up for the bright future that they saw coming. Ex military pilots with half his experience who were White were being snapped up without question... but after much beating around the bush, he was finally told that even as impressive as his credentials were, there was no place for him in the industry. He recalled that the airline representative that told him was so ashamed that he couldn't look him in the eye as he said it.

Lawrence Fishburn's portrayal of Lt. Hannibal Lee is probably typical of the men who were part of this, the SECOND "Tuskeegee Experiment". They were college graduates, the best of the best, who had survived a system deliberately designed to eliminate them from flight training.

Andre Braugher's testimony (as Col. Ben O. Davis Jr.) before the Congressional committee says it all when he asks what he, as a Black soldier, should think of a nation that despises him even as he lays down his life to defend it... a nation that asks him to fight for principles that don't apply to HIM personally.

The film has technical flaws... every film does... but beyond them it tells a story that, by design or negligence, has been ignored by American history for almost a half century.

Kill Squad (1982)

2012-01-04T09:46:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Jean Glaudé
Jeff Risk
Jerry Johnson
Francisco Ramírez
Bill Cambra

IMDB.com
Before the A-Team started working in the L.A. underground the Kill Squad was out paving the way. Actually these kung-fu goof balls make anything Mr. T did look like Shakespeare, but its worth the laughs! For no other reason you should rent this just to see the team get the "call to arms"...housewives wielding dinner trays, chumps falling four stories only to get up and start fighing again, and cowboy pimps whoopin' some honkey butt. It seems everyone knows some sort of martial arts in this film...car dealers, prostitutes, construction workers. The added Bruce Lee screams, yelps and slaps only add to the glory of this cinematic event. Must see!

Gordon's War (1973)

2012-01-03T16:21:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Paul Winfield
Carl Lee
David Downing
Tony King
Gilbert Lewis
Carl Gordon

IMDB.com
This is by no means another cookie-cutter 70's Black crime drama: Paul W. and his band of Vietnam War Vets have come back to Harlem to try to eradicate the pimps and pushers who are sowing the seeds of devastation in their community. What is significant to me is the well orchestrated and articulated courses of action that they employ to achieve their goals. Gordon (Paul W.), the leader, demands discipline and dedication from his fellow Vet brothers to carry out the difficult tasks at hand and they in turn fulfill those demands by utilizing their own special skill sets in their own individual fashion. Note the technical skills used to set up command headquarters liaison and communication and also the street skills used in flushing out the dope den by "fakin' the funk" to simulate rat poison dope cutting.

The film moves along at a brisk pace, by not overindulging in extreme doses of gratuitous violence and wasted motion. The progression of events is shown in a logical and entertaining fashion, thanks to the directorial skills of Ossie Davis and by injecting "New Birth" cuts into the soundtrack.

Even though this is purportedly a Black film set in Harlem, you don't see any extreme cases of race badgering and "Honkey" this and that name calling. These brothers depicted here have returned to put out any and all hoodlums involved in the Harlem crime scene, whether it's Spanish Harry and his boys in the 'hood or the fat cat suppliers up the ladder in downtown Manhattan. To Gordon and his men, you mess around, you lay around! Even though this film is now 35 years old, the principles are still as applicable to today's problems as they were to the problems back in the day.

Link to soundtrack review
Badder Than Evil - Gordon's War's (1973)

Miss Melody Jones (1972)

2012-01-03T15:59:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Philomena Nowlin
Peter Jacob
Ronald Warden
Jacqueline Dalya
Garth Howard

IMDB.com
I had to see this film based on other comments I'd heard about it. I happen to be a huge "blaxploitation" nut, but this was too much. Probably one of the most useless films ever made. Does this mean you shouldn't see it? No!! Absolutely see this movie. It's so bad it's genius! There is no way that there is another African American film of the 1970's that can compare to this one...that is for sure! Also the girl who plays the lead role.....she should totally be brought back into film. I hope Quentin Tarrantino brings her back into one of his films, that would be so awesome. She is one of a kind and quite frankly GREAT in this role about a nice girl dealing with a "cry tough" town!

El Condor (1970)

2012-01-03T01:35:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Jim Brown
Lee Van Cleef
Patrick O'Neal
Marianna Hill
Iron Eyes Cody
Imogen Hassall

IMDB.com
Luke, believing that a fortune in gold is hidden in the Mexican fortress of El Condor, escapes from a chain gang and joins forces with Jaroo, a con man. The two men enlist the aid of a tribe of renegade Apaches led by Santana, leading them to believe that the raid on the fortress is for food and ammunition. Chavez, the officer in charge of the fort, captures Luke and Jaroo during their first attempt, but they escape with the aid of Claudine, Chavez' wife, who has fallen in love with Luke. Later, Claudine creates a diversion by undressing in front of her bedroom window, and the raiders return and overpower the guards. Chavez manages to get away, and the raiders take control of El Condor. Santana soon discovers Jaroo's deception; and after Jaroo shoots him, the rest of the Apaches flee with the supplies and ammunition, leaving the two bandits and Claudine in the defenseless fortress. Chavez returns with his soldiers under a flag of truce and challenges Luke to a duel, which Luke wins. The gold turns out to be only painted lead bars, however, and in a showdown, Luke kills Jaroo and remains with Claudine.

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T15:54:00.002-05:00

It is really amazing how far this blog came. I would not have expected to have such a magnificent library of blaxploitation films and soundtracks. We are not done yet though! Thanks to contributors and blaxploitation enthusiast we have much more to post. 2012 will be good for blaxploitation pride and as long as the readers of this blog continue to support and show appreciation there is no doubt that BP will be here long after 2012! Thanks for everything fans of blaxploitation pride!!

Blue Collar (1978)

2011-12-22T12:06:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Richard Pryor
Harvey Keitel
Yaphet Kotto
Ed Begley Jr.

IMDB.com
Three workers, Zeke, Jerry and Smokey, are working at a car plant and drinking their beers together. One night when they steal away from their wives to have some fun they get the idea to rob the local union's bureau safe. First they think it is a flop, because they get only 600 dollars out of it, but then Zeke realizes that they also have gotten some 'hot' material. They decide to blackmail their union. The best reason for that is the union itself. All three are provoked by the fact that the union claims to have lost 10,000 dollars by their robbery.

Ghetto Freaks [a.k.a. Love Commune, Sign of Aquarius] (1970)

2011-12-21T00:01:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Toni Ceo
Jim Coursar
Paul Elliot
Nick Kleinholz III

IMDB.com
In the strange and fascinating world of trash cinema, sometimes you stumble on a real gem. A dear friend gave us the Something Weird double bill DVD GHETTO FREAKS plus WAY OUT for Xmas, and a more thoughtful gift one cannot imagine.

GHETTO FREAKS is apparently a slapdash retitling of the 1970 film, LOVE COMMUNE (itself a retitle of SIGN OF AQUARIUS), with two minutes of ridiculous additional footage thrown in. But don't let the sexploitation angle of the marketing fool you: LOVE COMMUNE is a real winner, a unique combo of trash melodrama and frank neo-realism.

First of all, LOVE COMMUNE is a full-fledged narrative feature, in a genre which often offered quasi-documentaries and plot less sexual escapades and patchwork stock footage montages any anything they could find in order to fill an hour.

No, here we have a lurid yet coherent, and quite touching, melodrama about a gaggle of "Love Children" living in drab Cleveland, Ohio (!), tangling with "the fuzz", "the mob" and each other in a most believable way. And although scruffy in the extreme, the intelligent screenplay and impressive camera-work reveal this was not a micro-budget wonder, but a medium-budgeted attempt at a populist potboiler that, like so many others, got lost in the trash film ghetto.

The film starts off on a high-concept high note, as squares groan into camera about how awful Hippies are, and one of the dreaded Hippies then walks up to the camera and flips the finger, which he then turns into a peace sign. The film's mood and philosophy changes from hate to love in one breathtaking shot.

The thing that is refreshing here is that the "Hippies" are portrayed as benevolent, piece-loving slackers (though not without a penchant for begging and scamming squares). In general, they are the heroes of the piece, atypical of much exploitation cinema of the period. The "fuzz", for the most part, are fascist goons who harass the gang primarily for prejudicial thrills rather than any actual law-breaking.

One amazing sequence, which for my money catapults this dear film right into art-film territory, involves the gang standing on a busy city street corner, engaging the passerby by handing out an underground newspaper and begging for money in return. This amazing scene, with some intricate and incisive editing, starts off looking highly predictable, as old farts and squares rush by, scowling and name-calling. Then we see an old woman, and later, a young black girl, actually stopping to talk to the freaks, and listening earnestly to their spiel. We then realize with amazement that this scene was likely IMPROVISED on the spot, and the passerby are being caught unawares, ala CANDID CAMERA! This scene, an incredible cinema-verite time capsule of cultural anthropology where one might least expect it, alone marks LOVE COMMUNE as "cult classic".

Another "heavy" touch in this somewhat serious film is the sobering fact that we are watching something fairly rare in the documentation of the Hippie movement: the scenario takes place in WINTER, in deep snow. Thus, seeing the gang standing around, in the park or on the street, covered in rags and virtually freezing to death, has a rare poignancy not seen in the typical Hippie treatise, which always seems to portray them on a sunny summer's day… Indeed, the harsh living conditions in which the Hippies live begs the existential question: how do peace lovers who eschew the working world SURVIVE in a hostile environment? This is a question not easily answered, and indeed is one of the harsh realities which likely led to the movement's mercurial demise. It is odd that "throwaway" films like LOVE COMMUNE sometimes address the "hard" issues more clearly than most "legit" attempts on the same subject.

But even after all this, the melodrama's the thing, and LOVE COMMUNE has a terrific, over-the-top storyline. The Hippies are busted by the cops, and spend some time in a terribly dreary real-life jail cell. The Hippies fight amongst themselves, and try to come up with ways to make money without aiding "the man". There's also a subplot about gangsters trying to horn in on the drug scene in town, an uneasy alliance which ends tragically.

Another terrific plot line follows a black guy (indescribably named "Mousey") as he tries to teach "Whitey" how to behave. He is prejudicially treated, of course, and virtually martyred at one point, but portrays the Afro-American experience of that moment in time with clarity and bravado.

The acting, in good B-movie tradition, is terrifically bad, and gives the film its wonderful lurid underpinning. Lead Hippie "Sonny", especially, looks way too old to be playing the part, and in addition utters his lines with god-awful acting-school hamminess, making him a true caricature.

And last but not least: SEX & DRUG ORGIES! Yes, this film has it all, including a stoned orgy that looks, at times, almost TOO realistic. Freak-outs and gang sex and lest we forget, BAD FAUX-ROCK MUSIC. Indeed, LOVE COMMUNE shows the entire Hippie catalog of activity and perspective with an incredible range of frankness: warts and all, as it were. And folks, there's some BIG warts! From the stagy acting to the surprisingly competent camera-work to the thrilling milieu to the wild party scenes to the stunning high-art moments, LOVE COMMUNE is an essential and impressive document of an amazing moment in time, and a heck of a lurid thrill ride to boot. (And don't forget, BAD FAUX-ROCK MUSIC.) (The GHETTO FREAKS print has about two minutes of ridiculous footage snuck into the orgy sequence, in which a black dude and his cute dudettes pray and moan and gesticulate in front of a makeshift alter, in what might be called somebody's idea of a Black Panther's midnight sex-and-blood ritual! Weird as hell, and pointless. And perfect.)

Brother John (1971)

2011-12-20T23:42:00.006-05:00

Starring:

Sidney Poitier
Will Geer
Bradford Dillman
Beverly Todd
Paul Winfield

IMDB.com
Odd Ernest Kinoy screenplay involving a mysteriously reticent black man of very few words returning to his Southern hometown for the funeral of his sister, dating a pretty schoolteacher but also getting involved in heated racial confrontations between the black residents and the redneck law. Peculiar, offbeat to say the least, yet hardly engrossing or emotional aside from the two big confrontations (one racially-charged, the other over a woman). Will Geer gives an irritatingly obtuse, owl-like performance as the doctor who originally delivered "Brother John", and who now senses something magical about him. In the lead, Sidney Poitier holds the screen with resplendence; he still has all the charisma and inner-fire of his popular 1960s roles, and allows us to see it (or perceive it) at perfectly-timed intervals. However, this cloudy mood piece--with timely undercurrents of oppression--isn't an exciting or gripping picture. Some have lauded the film for its dreamy ambiance, others will feel this approach ultimately works against the characters. A mixed-bag, though one with a beautiful score by Quincy Jones and expressive Gerald Perry Finnerman cinematography.

Bare Knuckles (1977)

2011-12-20T18:12:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Robert Viharo
Sherry Jackson
Michael Heit
Gloria Hendry

IMDB.com
This is one tough little movie that races along in a series of well done fistic confrontations until its hero bounty hunter Zachary Kane gets his man in a long,drawnout slug fest which brings the picture to a satisfying if exhausting conclusion.Rugged leading man Robert Viharo as Kane makes for a charismatic lead along the lines of the great William Smith whom he resembles.It is typical of many "B" 70s actioners that emerged at the time but is better than most as it has strong,convincing performances from a generally unfamiliar cast and does not pretend to be anything more than what it is;namely a satisfyingly macho thriller that is worth 90 minutes or so of anyone's time.

The Zebra Force [a.k.a. Code Name Zebra] (1976)

2011-12-20T11:10:00.003-05:00

Starring:

Mike Lane
Richard X. Slattery
Rockne Tarkington
Glenn R. Wilder

IMDB.com
Even though this late-night action flick has aged, it still has what many of today's multi-budget movies are lacking in: ORIGINALITY! Don't expect good guy heroes in "The Zebra Force" because this definitely is not your typical action film. Instead, this is a first-person anti-hero show that knows no limits. Watching the soldiers in black masks terrorize the innocent is rather deteriorating, but that's part of the fun. Overall, the real show stealers are the gang's leader with a deformed face who communicates via mini walkie-talkies, plus an unexpected finale. If you can live with obscure '70s trashies like this one, then I can't blame you for that!

Peace Soul Brothers and Sisters,

2011-12-18T11:26:00.004-05:00

We just want to thank each and everyone for supporting Blaxploitation Pride! We also want thank the contributors for providing information that is very essential in continuing to preserve this era. We want to encourage the blog readers to leave comments or reviews for blog post because it really gives the blog a uniqueness about itself. There are comments on post where people has expressed some type of connection to these movies and soundtracks. It's pretty cool to go back and read the blog and personal testimonies from anonymous readers.

We have spent countless time updating the blog to make sure our readers are fully satisfied with the quality of the site. With all the information we have collected on BP, organization is key in the comfort of our readers. We still have a long way to go in finding more soundtracks and movies. If you can contribute, then please help us out. Email the blog administrator at selfscience06@gmail.com

If there are dead links, then please leave a comment under that post. We have over 600 post now and it becomes really time consuming checking each post for working links. Again, We just want to thank everyone for support BP. It's been cool learning about this era and we have plans to continue to more!

Yours Truly,
The Blaxploitation Pride Team

Black Alley Cats (1973)

2011-12-18T00:00:00.006-05:00

Starring:

Sunshine
Sandy Dempsey
Charlene Miles
Johnnie Rhodes
Eve Crawford
Norman Fields

IMDB.com
No matter how you look at it, Black Alley Cats is junk. Even for this type of film; this is still below par in the quality department and not everything can be blamed on the low budget. The film is extremely obscure (apparently only seeing the light of the day in the form of a Something Weird VHS some years ago) and that's hardly surprising. The plot begins with a rape and leads into a group of girls taking kung fu lessons and buying some 'mean' jackets, and then going round robbing people as some sort of revenge tirade. The low budget gives way to a very unpolished look which helps the film in the sleaze department. There's plenty of sleazy goings on too and most of the film is made up of either the girls pushing people around or, more frequently, some rather rough sex scenes. This is what really sinks the film; it's all too samey and doesn't have enough about it to keeps itself interesting for the whole eighty minute duration. The acting is stunningly atrocious too; not that I would expect anything else, but the performances are so humdrum that it makes the film even more difficult to get into. Fans of this genre may want to track this film down and may even appreciate it but there are far better examples of films like this out there and that is reason enough to leave this one in obscurity.

21st Century Blaxploitation Volumes 1-3

2011-12-17T16:21:00.006-05:00

********************
I just recently came across this incredibly funky, straight no chasing, off-time-jivin' new age blaxploitation mix. I say soul brothers and sister that you check this out!
********************

Info: Volume 1
From oldschool wah-wah rides to psychedelic soul, from deep funk to b-boy partying, from soul rock to electronic grooves, from pop to disco, here's the first volume of a new series of mixes, covering the '21st Century Blaxploitation' genre. This is an imaginary soundtrack to a smashing flick yet to be filmed, starring vintage shots of Pam Grier in her prime, animation fused with real-time shooting, uncanny 3D special effects and even more amazing stuff we can't divulge yet!

Volume 1

Info: Volume 2
We had so much feedback and praise from our first animated movie starring vintage shots of Pam Grier in her prime, animation fused with real-time shooting, uncanny 3D special effects and the such that we decided to shoot a sequel. Here's the soundtrack to that new movie 21st Century Blaxploitation volume 2. Expect hip hop, psychedelic soul, latin grooves and, of course, wah wah funk! All those tracks are just HUGE. Repeated play is advised.

Volume 2

Info: Volume 3
Philadelphia's Big Pimp Jones have become quite big on the 21st Blaxploitation tip, with their two funky soundtracks to Blaxploitation movies that don't exist. They loved our previous mixes on the same theme (vol.1 and vol.2) - "Those first two volumes are super-dope, we are fans of your stuff as well, that's really nice work on the Black Cat mixtape. I'd be honored to throw a volume 3 together!" said Keith Foster from Big Pimp Jones. His mix is fun & funky, keeping the 21st century blaxploitation soundtrack spirit high on the wah wah vibe, 70s-style, while selecting a lof of Paris DJs favorites, you should love this!

Volume 3

Black Rodeo (1972)

2011-12-17T15:59:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Muhammad Ali
Archie Wycoff
Clarence Gonzalez
Woody Strode
Betsy Bramwell

Wiki
Black Rodeo is a 1972 documentary by filmmaker Jeff Kanew. It captures the events surrounding the first-time performance of an all black rodeo in Harlem in New York City. The film's tagline, "Nobody ever told you there were Black Cowboys," was accurate for its time. The documentary depicts that the people who attended the rodeo were awed to find black men and women actively involved in skills like bronc riding, calf roping and brahma bull riding. The children who came were thrilled to discover a new set of role models.

Updates!

2011-12-17T13:25:00.001-05:00

Here are some more Kung Fu updates (first or last word in each review).

The House On Skull Mountain (1974)

2011-12-17T12:22:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Victor French
Janee Michelle
Mike Evans
Jean Durand

IMDB.com
I enjoyed this maybe BECAUSE it is so lame. Victor French as Dr. Andrew Cunnigham and Janee Michelle as Lorena Christophe were actually pretty good in their roles. They seem like they are good at their craft, in spite of the silliness of the movie and it's implausible premise. The other folks in the movie had a lot to overcome with the trite lines they were given. At the beginning of the film there is a scene where two of the "heirs" are on a winding mountain road in separate cars on their way to the house (you know---the one on SKULL HILL!). The info about the movie says the house is located in mountains on the outskirts of Atlanta, GA. Right. It was obviously filmed on the Pacific Coast, which is even more "un-voodoo-like" than Atlanta. The terrain, trees and vegetation made the Atlanta location totally unbelievable. And the music! Over-dramatic and hysterical. It's a good movie to watch on a night when your boyfriend is out of town. You can watch it alone and still turn out the lights without being creeped out. I get tired of all the gore in movies today, so this movie at least seems kind of like less of an assault to the senses and kind of harmless. But it still leaves me wondering... How can a movie be so BAD and yet still kind of charming in its own way?

The Guy From Harlem (1977)

2011-12-17T11:48:00.003-05:00

Starring:

Loye Hawkins
Cathy Davis
Patricia Fulton
Wanda Starr
Steve Gallon

IMDB.com
Tough streetwise private investigator Al Connors, who works in Florida but originally hails from Harlem, is hired by the CIA to guard a visiting African princess. Moreover, Connors uses all his sharp street smarts and fierce fighting skills to find another woman who's been abducted by the evil Big Daddy.

The Beast Must Die (1975)

2011-12-16T21:44:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Peter Cushing
Calvin Lockhart
Charles Gray
Anton Diffring
Marlene Clark
Ciaran Madden
Tom Chadbon
Michael Gambon

IMDB.com
Tom Newcliffe, a rich businessman and expert hunter summons six guests to his huge country estate which he has rigged up with video cameras and a high-tech security system. He tells them and his surprised wife that they are all to stay over a weekend and that all of them will be kept on the estate during that weekend. For each guest, dead bodies have followed in their wake and the way that the dead have been murdered means that one of the guest is a werewolf and Tom has summoned his guests here to discover who it is and to hunt it down... The film has a clip at the beginning asking people in the audience to try to identify the werewolf and near the end there is a 30-second "Werewolf Break" for the audience to think over the evidence.

Updates!

2011-12-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

Kung Fu updates......

Updates!

2011-12-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

Recently updated Kung Fu flicks with fresh links (either first or last word of the review).

The Slams (1973)

2011-12-14T09:11:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Jim Brown
Judy Pace
Bob Harris
Paul E. Harris
Frank DeKova

IMDB.com
Jim Brown goes to prison after stealing drugs and millions from the mob. Inside, he deals with racially aligned gangs, predatory homosexuals and a member of the mob who wants the money and drugs back. Outside, his girlfriend is harassed for the same reason. He concocts a daring escape plan but needs help to pull it off. Shot inside a real California prison, but the script is more interested in excessively repellent acts of violence.

Tougher Than Leather (1988)

2011-12-14T08:45:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Darryl McDaniels
Daniel Simmons
Jason Mizell
Joseph Simmons
Richard Edson
George Godfrey

IMDB.com
Legendary hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. stars in this cross between a blaxploitation film and a spaghetti western. They must find and punish the evil drug lord-record company executive who murdered their friend. Along the way, they encounter racist bikers, blonde bimbos, and the Beastie Boys!

The Zebra Killer (1974)

2011-12-14T08:41:00.007-05:00

Starring:

Juanita Moore
Austin Stoker
James Pickett
Hugh Smith

IMDB.com
Although this is classified as a "blaxploitation" film, it manages to be much more race-baiting than usual by having a white sniper (obviously modeled after Scorpio from "Dirty Harry" and thus indirectly modeled after the real-life Zodiac Killer)who disguises himself in black-face as he commits incendiary crimes against middle-class whites (which his why he is called "the zebra killer"--not because he kills any zebras). The good guy cop meanwhile is a black guy, thus giving the title its blaxploitation credentials. Still the plot was apparently pretty controversial which is no doubt why this film is pretty hard to find today even though it is probably cult director William "Grizzly" Girdler's best film.

It is obviously the kind of film that couldn't be made today, and that alone in my book makes it worth a look. Unfortunately, the version I saw looked awful suffering from both bad original film elements and tracking problems from one of the few remaining videotapes that is still circulating around. I'd like to see this film resurrected on DVD. Fat chance though probably since many of Girdler's early films (like the vastly inferior, but much less controversial "Three on a Meathook")have yet to see the light of a DVD player. Still they released the even more racially-insensitive "Fight for Your Live" (although that film had the advantage of actually having been banned in Britain)so maybe there is hope.

Peace Blog Fans,

2011-12-12T14:55:00.001-05:00

I have provided fresh links for the documentaries! Enjoy!

A Place Called Today (1972)

2011-12-12T13:27:00.005-05:00

Starring:

Cheri Caffaro
J. Herbert Kerr Jr.
Lana Wood
Richard Smedley
Tim Brown

IMDB.com
One of the few Cheri Caffaro movies. Yes, she gets tied up again and abducted nude wrapped up in a sleeping bag. The movie is very heavy-handed in what's supposed to be social comment for the early 70s. Altogether pretty dismal for a movie, except for when Ms. Caffaro is on. Even Lana Wood (Natalie's sister) can't do much. Still, I picked the tape up used for five dollars so I don't feel too badly.

Various Artist - Thank God It's Friday (1978)

2011-12-12T13:12:00.004-05:00

01. Love and kisses - Thank God It's Friday
02. Pattie Brooks - After Dark
03. Donna Summer - With Your Love
04. Donna Summer - Last Dance
05. Paul Jabara - Disco Queen
06. Cameo - Find My Way
07. The Commodores - Too Hot Ta Trot
08. Wright Bros Flying Machine - Leatherman's Theme
09. Marathon - I wanna dance
10. Sunshine - Take It To The Zoo
11. Santa Esmeralda - Sevilla Nights
12. Love and Kisses - You’re the most precious thing in my life
13. D.C. LaRue - Do You Want The Real Thing
14. Paul Jabara - Trapped in a stairway
15. Natural Juices - Floyd's Theme
16. Diana Ross - Lovin', Livin', And Givin'
17. Thelma Houston - Love Masterpiece
18. Donna Summer - Last dance (Q's For The Good Ole Days Mix)
19. Donna Summer - Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus

Amazon.com
Sure, Thank God It's Friday is widely acknowledged to be a turkey. And, sure, we're getting close to the bottom of the disco barrel. But this soundtrack isn't as atrocious as you might expect, especially if you have a high tolerance for disco's Euro strain. Unlike Can't Stop the Music and its exclusive Village People focus, there are many artists represented here, ensuring a fair amount of nuggets next to abominations like Santa Esmeralda. The tracks produced by Giorgio Moroder and his acolyte Pete Bellotte are particularly lush in a robotic kind of way. Donna Summer's contributions include the classic "Last Dance" and a pretty fabulous version of Serge Gainsbourg's "Je t'Aime Moi Non Plus"--a good 20 years before it was hip to cover him, we might add.

Black Snake (1973)

2011-12-12T12:41:00.007-05:00

Starring:

Anouska Hempel
David Warbeck
Percy Herbert
Thomas Baptiste
Milton McCollin

IMDB.com
Outrageously insane film from Russ Meyer, which is best described as Roots as a comedy. An evil blonde woman running a slave plantation beats her slaves at any chance she gets but soon the slaves fight back. This is so incredibly insane and politically incorrect that it's no wonder it bombed at the box office and nearly took Meyer broke. You'd think the film was going after laughs ala Blazing Saddles but that's not the case because the film is actually trying to be serious one moment in regards to racism but the next minute it's trying to be your typical Meyer comedy. I just don't get what the hell he was going for. The stereotypes are in poor taste, everything from the way the slaves talk to the way they behave. With all of that said, the film is unlike anything I've ever seen and there comes a point where you just have to roll your eyes and laugh at how stupid it is. I admit that this thing is so over the top that I couldn't help but laugh. Should I feel bad for that? Perhaps but I really don't know what the hell this film was trying to say or if it was trying to say anything at all. Perhaps it was trying to be like a Mel Brooks film but if so, it certainly crosses the line of good taste. Perhaps blaxploitation? Perhaps Meyer was on drugs at the time? If anyone knows the answer I'd love to hear it.

Thank God It's Friday (1978)

2011-12-12T12:12:00.007-05:00

Starring:

Valerie Landsburg
Teri Nunn
Chick Vennera
Jeff Goldblum
Debra Winger

IMDB.com
If you like multi character movies, this will not disapoint. The mainly unknown cast are all rather likeable folks. and Paul Jabara is very good in his only screen role. YOu will be touched by the scene of him and a lovley young girl who are locked in a stairway but end up boogooing anyway. I especially love the plot about the fat guy and the tall thin schoolteacher who are mismatched by a dating service. Except for a few drug scenes, this is a terrific family picture, too. And the best you will ever see Debra Winger on screen. She looks soft and pretty. The music is very good, strong voices and tunes, much better than the dance music of the last 20 years. Check out this movie for some good light entertainment.

Request...

2011-12-11T23:12:00.005-05:00

Here are some films that we NEED!!

Black Eye 1974
Black Jack (aka Wild In The Sky) 1972
Crackhouse 1989
Day Of The Assassins (Bebu Silvetti)
Death Drug 1978 (Gap Band)
Death Journey 1976
Eve King - Demolition Man 1975
Diamond Mercenaries (Georges Garvarentz)
Fox Style 1973
Foxtrap 1986
Ghetto Freaks aka Love Commune 1970/1973
Hangup aka Super Dude 1974
I Escaped From Devil's Island 1973
Johnny Tough 1974 Dennis Coffey & Chuck Brown & The Soulsearchers Sussex Records
Joshua aka Black Rider 1976
Kid Vengeance (aka Take Another Hard Ride) 1976
Lady Cocoa 1975
Loot (Keith Mansfield)
Mad Mex: The Blackfighter aka Big Game aka Fuerza Mortal 1978
Miss Melody Jones 1973
The Slams 1973
Steelyard Blues
The Taking Of Pelham 123 (David Shire)
Top Of The Heap 1972
Zebra Force 1976
The Zebra Killer 1974
Slaves (1969)

Request!! Hangup (a.k.a. Super Dude) (1974)

2011-12-11T22:59:00.004-05:00

BP community I need help in locating this gem. Lets combine out Blax-Pride power and dig this blax flick to life.

Vampire In Brooklyn (1995)

2011-12-11T11:51:00.003-05:00

Starring:

Eddie Murphy
Angela Bassett
Kadeem Hardison
Allen Payne
Zakes Mokae
John Witherspoon

IMDB.com
Murphy switches gears to play a Carribean vampire traveling to New York in search of his vampiric lady love--who turns out to be half-vamp-half-cop Bassett. As in "Coming to America," Murphy plays multiple characters, but that's three times the disappointment. Stale humor and cheap horror effects do little to break the zombie curse plaguing Murphy's career. Three days into filming, a stunt double for Bassett was killed after doing a routine jump on the set, providing a bad omen Murphy should have heeded.

Sunset Park (1996)

2011-12-11T11:41:00.002-05:00

Starring:

Rhea Perlman
Carol Kane
Terrence DaShon Howard
Camille Saviola
Fredro Starr
James Harris
Antwon Tanner
Shawn Michael Howard
De'Aundre Bonds

IMDB.com
Brooklyn phys ed teacher Phyllis Saroka (Perlman) becomes the coach of a high school basketball team that, despite her total lack of knowledge about the game, makes it to the city championships. The cast's excellent performances hold interest, even though the predictable storyline gives away all of its moves before it gets near the hoop. Starr (of the rap group Onyx) is outstanding as the most talented (and most troubled) member of the team.

Bobby Womack and J.J. Johnson - Across 110th Street (Delux Edition) (1972)

2011-12-11T09:44:00.003-05:00

01. Bobby Womack & Peace - Across 110th Street
02. [Dialogue] We Throught We Are OK
03. J.J. Johnson & His Orchestra - Harlem Clavinette
04. Bobby Womack & Peace - If You Don't Want My Love
05. [Dialogue] Punk Errand Boy
06. J.J. Johnson & His Orchestra - Hang On In There
07. [Dialogue] The Man
08. Bobby Womack & Peace - Quicksand
09. [Dialogue] 150 Rounds
10. J.J. Johnson & His Orchestra - Harlem Love Theme
11. [Dialogue] Sick & Tired
12. J.J. Johnson & His Orchestra - Across 110th Street (Instrumental)
13. [Dialogue] Take The Money
14. Bobby Womack & Peace - Do It Right
15. Bobby Womack & Peace - Hang On in There
16. J.J. Johnson & His Orchestra - If You Don't Want My Love
17. [Dialogue] This Is The Police
18. Bobby Womack & Peace - Across 110th Street (Part II)

I cam across his today and realized that this version has 7 more tracks than the one I posted on the blog a while ago. It includes dialogue from the movie and a few extra song perform by Bobby Womack. Enjoy!

Peace Bog Fans

2011-12-09T09:06:00.004-05:00

I have went through and updated all blaxploitation soundtracks with new links. They will be located in the second word of each review. Links for the blax movies will be either the first or last word of each review.

Updated posts!

Blax-Movies

Savage Sister (1974)

Jungle Fever (1991)

2011-12-08T12:35:00.003-05:00

Starring:

Wesley Snipes
Annabella Sciorra
John Turturro
Samuel L. Jackson
Ossie Davis
Ruby Dee
Lonette McKee

IMDB.com
Married black architect's affair with his white secretary provides the backdrop for a cold look at interracial love. Focuses more on the discomfort of friends and families than with the intense world created by the lovers for themselves. Provides the quota of humor and fresh insight we expect from Lee, but none of the joyous sexuality experienced by the lovers in "She's Gotta Have It." In fact, Lee tells viewers that interracial love is unnatural, never more than skin deep, never more than a blind obsession with the allure of the opposite race. Very fine cast but if you don't agree with Lee, a real disappointment as well.

Poetic Justice (1993)

2011-12-08T12:18:00.002-05:00

Starring:

Janet Jackson
Tupac Shakur
Tyra Ferrell
Regina King
Joe Torry
Norma Donaldson

IMDB.com
Justice (Jackson in her movie debut, for better or worse) gives up college plans to follow a career in cosmetology after her boyfriend's brutal murder. She copes with her loss by dedicating herself to poetry writing (provided by no less than poet Maya Angelou) and meets postal worker Shakur. Singleton's second directorial effort is about the girlz n the hood and boasts a lighter script (well, it is about a hairdresser) focusing less on the Boyz-style morality and more on the trials and tribulations of Justice. Production stopped on the South Central L.A. set during the '92 riots, but the aftermath provided poignant pictures for later scenes.

School Daze (1988)

2011-12-08T12:09:00.002-05:00

Starring:

Spike Lee
Laurence "Larry" Fishburne
Giancarlo Esposito
Tisha Campbell
Ossie Davis
Joe Seneca
Art Evans
Ellen Holly
Branford Marsalis
Bill Nunn
Kadeem Hardison
Darryl M. Bell
Joie Lee
Tyra Ferrell
Jasmine Guy
Gregg Burge
Kasi Lemmons
Samuel L. Jackson
Phyllis Hyman
James Bond III

IMDB.com
Director/writer/star Lee's second outing is a rambunctious comedy (with a message, of course) set at an African-American college in the South. Skimpy plot revolves around the college's homecoming weekend and conflict among frats and sororities and African-Americans who would lose their racial identity and others who assert it. Entertaining and thought provoking. A glimpse at Lee's "promise," fulfilled in "Do the Right Thing."

Set It Off (1996)

2011-12-08T11:57:00.002-05:00

Starring:

Jada Pinkett Smith
Queen Latifah
Vivica A. Fox
Kimberly Elise
Blair Underwood
John C. McGinley

IMDB.com
Lethal "Waiting to Exhale," finds four female friends in Los Angeles pushed over the edge and taking up bank robbery to escape poverty and strike a blow against "the man." The felonious, funky divas of crime include Stony (Pinkett, who seems to be having fun with this role) and Latifah as Cleo, in a powerhouse performance. Butt-kicking action scenes are most entertaining combined with a soundtrack, including Seal, En Vogue, the Fugees and Brandy, to match. Melodramatic sequences, including Stony's romance with Keith (Underwood), drag.

Eve's Bayou (1997)

2011-12-07T15:17:00.003-05:00

Starring:

Jurnee Smollett
Meagan Good
Samuel L. Jackson
Lynn Whitfield
Debbi Morgan

IMDB.com
The story is set in 1962 Louisiana. The big Batiste family is headed by charming doctor Louis. Though he is married to beautiful Roz, he has a weakness for attractive women patients. One day Louis is flirting with married and sexy Metty Mereaux, not knowing that he is observed by his youngest idealistic daughter Eve, who is there by accident. Eve can not forget the incident which is traumatic for her naivete and shares a secret with older sister Cisely. Lies start to roll...

Purple Rain (1984)

2011-12-07T15:07:00.004-05:00

Starring:

Prince
Apollonia Kotero
Morris Day
Olga Karlatos
Clarence Williams III
Jerome Benton

IMDB.com
A young man with a talent for music has begun a career with much promise. He meets an aspiring singer, Apollonia, and finds that talent alone isn't all that he needs. A complicated tale of his repeating his father's self destructive behavior, losing Apollonia to another singer (Morris Day), and his coming to grips with his own connection to other people ensues.

Lean On Me (1989)

2011-12-07T15:01:00.003-05:00

Starring:

Morgan Freeman
Beverly Todd
Robert Guillaume
Alan North
Lynne Thigpen
Robin Bartlett
Michael Beach

IMDB.com
Morgan Freeman made himself into a star with this film, and also made the movie a hit with his great performance. He IS the movie playing fascinating real- life high school principal Joe Clark. He's just fun to watch all the way through.

All the characters in this movie all have the same trait: tough on the outside, soft on the inside. Here is a bit of a warning for people who want to show this to their kids and don't know the material: there are at least a half-dozen abuses of God's name in vain and some unneeded sexual remarks. Also, they dealt with teen pregnancy a little too liberally but didn't dwell on it. ("There are alternatives," Clark says to a young girl after she confesses she's become pregnant.)

Other than that, solid acting and an interesting based-on-a-true life story made this a deserved hit film. A year later, Freeman solidified his status as a "star" with "Driving Miss Daisy."

She's Gotta Have It (1986)

2011-12-07T14:49:00.002-05:00

Starring:

Tracy Camilla Johns
Tommy Redmond Hicks
John Canada Terrell
Spike Lee
Raye Dowell
Joie Lee
S. Epatha Merkerson
Bill Lee

IMDB.com
"She's Gotta Have It" was the beginning of an illustrious career for filmmaker Spike Lee. It starred Tracy Camilla Johns as the sex driven Nola Darling. Her three men were played by Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell and Spike Lee. All the three men had certain traits that stood out. Jamie Street (Hicks) is cool, calm and caring towards Nola. Greer Childs (Terrell) was the obnoxious, stuck up, rude pseudo black man that thought he was better than anyone else. And last but not least was Mars Blackmon (Lee), he was funny and outgoing. Annoying at times but his wit could win you over. This film is full of memorable one liners like "please baby baby baby please" and much more. This film was heavily criticized for it's depiction of women (like all of Spike's films), lesbians (the character Opal) and the reality of it. But nonetheless, "She's Gotta Have It" opened in 1986 to rave reviews and grossed 7 million dollars (not a lot but it is amazing compared to the thousands it took to make it). What made this film a gem is that you don't find characters like these anymore. They all had something about them that was hard to resist. Mars Blackmon became so famous that he was reprised by Lee in Nike Air Jordan commercials with the great Michael Jordan, airing from 1988 to 1995 (the Nola character also appeared in one Air Jordan commercial with Mars Blackmon, the commercial only aired once). "She's Gotta Have It" is a decent start for a young filmmaker and a must see for those that haven't seen it.

Sugar Hill (1993)

2011-10-30T16:16:00.003-04:00

Starring:

Wesley Snipes
Khandi Alexander
DeVaughn Nixon
Marquise Wilson
O.L. Duke
Clarence Williams III
Abe Vigoda
Anthony Thomas
Michael Wright
John Pittman
Steve Harris
Michael Guess
Kimberly Russell
Theresa Randle

IMDB.com
Hardened, uncomprimising drug dealer Roemello Skuggs decides to quit his scumbag profession so he may start a new life with his girlfriend. However, he soon learns getting out is nowhere near as easy as getting in, as everything gradually builds up to end in tragedy.

What's Love Got To Do With It (1993)

2011-10-30T16:13:00.003-04:00

Starring:

Angela Bassett
Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly
Virginia Capers
Laurence Fishburne
Khandi Alexander
Dororthy Thorton
Demetrice Cheathon

IMDB.com
Anna Mae always had a special voice. Soon after arriving in St. Louis to live with the mother who had walked out when she was small, the now teenage Anna soon attracts the attention of pop group leader Ike Turner. She becomes the band's singer, his wife, and mother to his children - not all hers. In love with Ike and determined not to leave in the way her mother had, she finds herself the target of increasing violence from her unstable husband who can't see who is making the band such a success.

Tales From The Hood (1995)

2011-10-30T16:10:00.002-04:00

Starring:

Clarence Williams III
Joe Torry
De'aundre Bonds
Samuel Monroe Jr.
Wings Hauser
Tom Wright
Anthony Griffith
Michael Massee
Duane Whitaker
David Alan Grier

IMDB.com
Four short, moralistic horror vignettes (a la EC Comics) that deal with mostly black characters. The framing story introduces three youths out to pick up a drug shipment at a funeral parlor from the strange director, Mr. Simms. As the three punks wind their way through the parlor, Mr. Simms tells them the last stories of some of his more interesting clients.

Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood (1996)

2011-10-30T16:05:00.003-04:00

Starring:

Shawn Wayans
Marlon Wayans
Tracey Cherelle Jones
Chris Spencer
Suli McCullough
Darrel Heath
Helen Martin
Isaiah Barnes
Lahmard J. Tate
Keenen Ivory Wayans

IMDB.com
"Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking your Juice in the Hood" is a parody of a lot of Afro-American movies, for instance "Boyz N the Hood", "South Central", "Menace II Society", "Higher Learning" and "Juice". We follow Ashtray as he returns to the place he grew up in and meet his father and his basket-case friends. A lot of crazy stuff happens, for example, Ashtray is older than his father and his best friend Loc Dog's grandmother is a trigger-happy old lady who blames her eccentric-looking kid for not being tough enough.

Shaft (2000)

2011-10-30T15:56:00.002-04:00

Starring:

Samuel L. Jackson
Vanessa Williams
Jeffrey Wright
Christian Bale
Busta Rhymes
Dan Hedaya
Toni Collette
Richard Roundtree

IMDB.com
Cool and deadly NYPD detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade, Jr. in a racially-motivated slaying. The eye witness disappears, Wade jumps bail for Switzerland, and Shaft is livid. Two years later, Wade returns to face trial, confident his father's money and influence (and racial politics) guarantee an innocent verdict. Shaft looks hard for the witness, so Wade wants someone to kill her. He turns to a ghetto drug king, Peoples Hernandez, who's willing to kill for money, use Wade as a route to rich drug customers, and shaft Shaft. Can Shaft find the witness, convince her to testify, and shepherd her through the hail of bullets that Peoples is sure to let fly?

Juice (1992)

2011-10-30T15:52:00.002-04:00

Starring:

Omar Epps
Tupac Shakur
Jermaine 'Huggy' Hopkins
Khalil Kain
Cindy Herron
Vincent Laresca
Samuel L. Jackson
George Gore II
Grace Garland
Queen Latifah

IMDB.com
Four Harlem teens, Q, Bishop, Raheem and Steel, are out skipping school one day when they find out an old friend was killed in a shootout at a bar. After this, Bishop tells his friends that they have no respect, or juice. To get some, they rob a corner grocery store, but the lunatic Bishop intentionally shoots the clerk for no apparent reason. They run into an alley where Raheem tells Bishop to give him the gun, they fight, and Raheem gets shot. Only the other 3 know what happened, and Bishop wants to get rid of them too.

Higher Learning (1995)

2011-10-30T15:43:00.003-04:00

Starring:

Omar Epps
Kristy Swanson
Michael RapaportJennifer Connelly
Ice Cube
Jason Wiles
Tyra BanksCole Hauser
Laurence Fishburne

IMDB.com
Youngsters from different countries, races, and social background are forced to integrate when they all enroll in Columbus University. They all have their own problems, such as finance, harrassment, personal safety, and self doubt. Additionally, campus life seems to be causing a problem for everyone: racism. Students, already under pressure to perform in the classroom, on the track, or in front of their friends, are strained to the breaking point by prejudice, inexperience, and misunderstanding.