70's Blaxploitation films

**nrgbeat** · December 14th, 2001, 04:19 PM

Does anyone have a favorite blaxploitation film of the 70's? I recently saw "Foxy Brown" and thought it was pretty good for that genre.

**paul** · December 14th, 2001, 05:00 PM

I like Shaft, Three The Hard Way, Mandingo and there's that one where Belafonte plays like a godfather character. That one cracks me up everytime. Oh hell, I guess I like a whole bunch of 'em including Foxy Brown.

**Boodikka** · December 14th, 2001, 09:03 PM

Some of the better efforts:

1) Across 110th Street - arguably the best Blaxploitation film

2) Detroit Line 9000 - an obscure gem, with an excellent performance by Alex Rocco

3) The Spook Who Sat By The Door - REALLY OBSCURE! This is one of the better efforts cinematically, but the themes are borderline "reverse racist".

4) Melinda - This is best-remembered for the martial arts choreography by Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon).

5) Black Jesus - Woody Strode....nuff said!

6) Thomasine and Bushrod

7) The Legend of N***** Charley

Superfly - For Mayfield's score alone!

9) Trouble Man - Great performance by Robert Hooks

10) Cleopatra Jones/Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold - Tamara Dobson is stylish as hell, but the films are a bit homophobic ( come on, lesbian crime queens as villains in BOTH films? )

11) Three The Hard Way - Jay Robinson, who once played a jaw-dropping Gaius Caligula in TWO films ( The Robe/Demetrius and the Gladiators ), is the villain here: reason enough to see this one!

**HustleBaby** · December 15th, 2001, 12:46 AM

My favorites are:

1.Across 110th Street( I agree with Boodikka

it has to be probaly the best of all

"blaxploitation" flicks).

2.Foxy Brown, Sheba Baby and most of Pam Grier flicks! Back in the 70's,she was our heroine kicking ass and handling her business

3.Cleopatra Jones - She was indeed very stylish and another ass kicker!

4.Superfly - Ron O'Neal ooooohhh and the soundtrack was superb!

5.The Mack - Max Julian (A story portraying the rise and fall of a pimp).

6.Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again

(Bill Cosby & Sidney Poitier a hilarious team).

7.Cotton Comes to Harlem - Paul, this might be the movie you're referring to with Harry

Belafonte playing a mobster.

8.Black Belt Jones - Jim Kelly oooohhhhhh!!

9.Black Ceasar/Hell Up in Harlem - Fred Williamson's best!

10.Three the Hard Way & One Down, Two to Go -

Jim Kelly, Fred Williamson and Jim Brown

(The Black Three Musketeers)!

Does anyone here enjoy "Dolemite" movies? I'm

not to crazy about them. And don't see the big deal, other than his "colorful" language

used throughout the entire movie. But it does have its funny points.

*DISCO DELIGHT*

**Boodikka** · December 15th, 2001, 04:48 PM

Hustlebaby, you touched upon the best and worst of Blaxploitation in your post. THE MACK was one of the better BP films, starring a fine actor, Max Julien.

Then there are the DOLEMITE films.......

If you are a fan of awful "acting", dumb "dialogue', misbegotten "martial arts",

sucky "sets" and just plain buffoonery, hurry up and see Rudy Ray Moore in the DOLEMITE series. The man is cinematic Sominex, even more boring and uncharismatic than Cheri Caffaro (GINGER). Just make sure you drink plenty of wood alcohol first, or better yet, inject plenty of Black Tar Heroin into your veins (get the real good Robert Downey Jr. stuff). It's the only way to survive viewing these films.

Back to good (or at least interesting BP films)

1)WILLIE DYNAMITE - another rise and fall of a pimp, almost on par with THE MACK.

2)THE BLACK GESTAPO - A vigilante group becomes a worse threat than the criminals they vanquish. This was concept was ripped off and made into a "white" actioner entitled VIGILANTE FORCE starring Kris Kristofferson.

3)THE BLACK SIX - Six Black NFL players portray a motorcycle gang who take on 150 white bikers.....no, I am not making this up.

4)THE BLACK CPA - A righteous accountant fights fraudulent lunch expenditures in a drug-infested 'hood.....OK, THAT one I am making up... :grin:

**fellow** · December 16th, 2001, 05:11 AM

I really liked Cooly High and Cornbread Earl and I.

Not to get off on a racial tangent, I sit here listening to a Christmas CD of Nat King Cole and I cant believe companies didnt sponser his show back then. So much talent. I know that the Nat King Cole show was pre seventies but I liked it on reruns.

**HustleBaby** · December 17th, 2001, 06:35 PM

On 2001-12-15 16:48, Boodikka wrote:

Then there are the DOLEMITE films.......

If you are a fan of awful "acting", dumb "dialogue', misbegotten "martial arts",

sucky "sets" and just plain buffoonery, hurry up and see Rudy Ray Moore in the DOLEMITE series. The man is cinematic Sominex, even more boring and uncharismatic than Cheri Caffaro (GINGER). Just make sure you drink plenty of wood alcohol first, or better yet, inject plenty of Black Tar Heroin into your veins (get the real good Robert Downey Jr. stuff). It's the only way to survive viewing these films.

You've hit the "nail on the head" Boodikka!

When I'm watching a DOLEMITE movie, I usually

have a cup of "joy juice" in my system to get a good laugh. Everything from the dialogue, clothing, cast members and those

CORNY KARATE moves is so stupid that I have to laugh. It's hard to believe but DOLEMITE

has a huge following!

Here are some other movies:

1. Claudine - Diahnn Carroll (I watch this movie every chance I get!)

2. J.D's Revenge - Glynn Turman

3. BLACULA - One of my all time favorites!

4. Shaft - I prefer part 1 & 2

5. Sweet Badass??Melvin Van Peebles-Hated it!

6. CarWash - I remember seeing this back in 76/77? and I still like it. It had a great all-star cast along with a barrel of laughs!

7. Sparkle - Lonette McGee (I hate sad movies but it was good.)

*DISCO DELIGHT*

**markydefad** · December 17th, 2001, 07:22 PM

Hey, does "Mahogany" count?

I am such a queen--I haven't seen any of the movies you guys and gals are talking about , except "Sparkle" ("Giving Him Something He Can Feel"--loved Aretha's album of Curtis Mayfield "Sparkle" songs).

I recently caught my fave Miss Ross in the Berry Gordy-fired-the-director-Tony Richardson ("Tom Jones")and took over the directing job himself pic on AMC, and it was as irresistibly wonderful & awful as I remembered. "I'm a widow from the South side...my ole man left me with six kids...the heats been off for a week and all the kids got a flu...whattya gonna do for me...I want my ole man back." says the resplendent Miss Ross moving through the poverty stricken crowd in her blindingly snow white fur coat and jewels. How can ya not love this one?

**paul** · December 18th, 2001, 12:13 AM

Hey Delight and everyone else for that matter. Dolemite, Rudy Rae Moore, was known for his "party records" back in the seventies. He would often perform with LaWanda Page(sp) aka Aunt Esther from Sanford and Son. I used to listen to 'em back in da day. Their humor was very x-rated. This might explain his following.

Yea, I think his movies poor. They are so bad that they belong in that cult class like "Plan 9 From Planet X."

**JussiK** · December 18th, 2001, 01:35 AM

Each summer we celebrate Blaxploitation - or, should we not actually call them Black Action Films? - here with screenings of 35mm classics. There are club nights afterwards, with djs and kids strutting and doing the Funky Chicken ( or something we Finns think is the Funky Chicken...). The biggest hit has been ACROSS THE 110TH STREET no doubt because the tone is gritty and serious. ACROSS is indeed the cream of the crop. Next up: COFFY and ABAR - THE FIRST BLACK SUPERMAN.

**originalbigm** · December 19th, 2001, 04:47 AM

Hey!You forgot that classic horror flick "Blacula"

**HustleBaby** · December 19th, 2001, 06:38 PM

[quote]

On 2001-12-18 00:13, paul wrote:

Hey Delight and everyone else for that matter. Dolemite, Rudy Rae Moore, was known for his "party records" back in the seventies. He would often perform with LaWanda Page(sp) aka Aunt Esther from Sanford and Son. I used to listen to 'em back in da day. Their humor was very x-rated. This might explain his following.

Yea, I think his movies poor. They are so bad that they belong in that cult class like "Plan 9 From Planet X."

Hey Paul,

I didn't know that Rudy made "X-Rated" party

records back in the day. Well it does seem like his forte. I guess he fit right in with Redd Foxx, Millie Jackson and Richard Pryor.

My mother still has her Richard Pryor albums,

unfortunately my father lent some other albums out and never got them back.

Hi Marky,

I LOVE MAHOGANY! It's one of my favorite movies of all time. I know some others think that it is low budget but I think she was very natural as well as superb! Especially the scene you described and when she goes to Rome. It's not exactly "blaxploitation" but it is indeed one of those great 70's movies!

*DELIGHTFUL*

**JussiK** · December 20th, 2001, 08:15 AM

How do Afroamericans today feel about blaxploitation films - what if there were stuff like The Mack being made today, with people portrayed in what could be called stereotypical ways? I'm not talking about films like "Training Day" but the real thing.

Various personalities defended the genre in the brilliant Chavez&Chavez book WHAT IT WAS WHAT IT IS, out on Miramax/Rolling Thunder books, claiming it provided much needed work opportunities. But really, what if suddenly we'd start getting relatively low budget, very violent and politically not very correct films with gangsta rap soundtracks? Big guns, big women and big action? How would you all feel? I'd feel pretty excited for sure!

**BrunoRepublic** · December 20th, 2001, 09:31 AM

On 2001-12-19 18:38, HustleBaby wrote:

Hi Marky,

I LOVE MAHOGANY! It's one of my favorite movies of all time. I know some others think that it is low budget but I think she was very natural as well as superb!

But Mahogany wasn't low budget. They spent a fortune making the film -- but it looks like a made-for-TV movie! I was shocked when I saw how simulataneously laughable and boring it was. Actually, the stories that came off the set were much more dramatic and exciting than the film itself...

Personally, the thing I found most interesting about the film (aside from the gorgeous soundtrack, which is barely audible in the actual movie) is the ironic parallel between Anthony Perkins on-screen character and his closeted real life.

**paul** · December 20th, 2001, 02:20 PM

Well, as an African-American, I am generally disappointed at the state of Black films today. I hoped that by now we would have had more better movies. With the exception of Spike Lee movies, most of these movies seem to be buddy movies with someone of another race or hood related buffoonery. I was extremely disappointed with the Shaft remake. First off I think Shaft should have been Wesley Snipes. I like Sam Jackson but not for that role. Then Shaft, like a lot of the buddy pictures had absolutely no sex life.

I guess if some our wealthier Hollywood types got together, there'd be room for movies like those I mentioned as well as a Titanic type black movie.