list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Sweet_Sweetback_s_Baadasssss_Song/33804/default.aspx Title: Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Year: 1971
Director: Melvin Van Peebles
Plot: Produced, directed, written, scored by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles, this landmark "blaxploitation" film was as controversial as it was popular for its then X-rated story of one African-American man's triumph over the Man. After beating a couple of white cops he witnessed brutalizing a local black revolutionary, sex show performer Sweetback (Van Peebles) has to go on the run. As he flees through decrepit South Central Los Angeles, Sweetback demonstrates his formidable potency through sex as well as violence, evading the police manhunt by any means necessary. As Sweetback runs off into the sunset, however, Van Peebles warns that the story, like the 1960s racial strife, isn't over. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 7
Number of Lists: 5
Number of blog posts: 4
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:40:40 GMTSweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song1971Melvin Van PeeblesProduced, directed, written, scored by, and starring <a href="/players/P____72764/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Melvin Van Peebles</a>, this landmark "blaxploitation" film was as controversial as it was popular for its then X-rated story of one African-American man's triumph over the Man. After beating a couple of white cops he witnessed brutalizing a local black revolutionary, sex show performer Sweetback (Van Peebles) has to go on the run. As he flees through decrepit South Central Los Angeles, Sweetback demonstrates his formidable potency through sex as well as violence, evading the police manhunt by any means necessary. As Sweetback runs off into the sunset, however, Van Peebles warns that the story, like the 1960s racial strife, isn't over. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide7Taggedy Taggged (6-10)542http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t24586c0fyy.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Sweet_Sweetback_s_Baadasssss_Song/33804/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/thefilmpanelnotetaker/archive/2008/3/3/25815.aspx Post By: thefilmpanelnotetaker
Post To: thefilmpanelnotetaker Blog
Post Date: 3/3/2008 2:00:54 PM
Body: A Tribute to St. Clair BourneMuseum of the Moving Image – Astoria, NYFebruary 10, 2008(L to R: Armond White, Esther Iverem, Warrington Hudlin, George Alexander, Clyde Taylor and David Schwartz)(Filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles in the audience)At the Museum of the Moving Image on Sunday, critics and scholars were in person to discuss the career of and show clips from documentary filmmaker St. Clair Bourne, who died in December 2007, and made more than 40 films, mainly about African-American culture and politics. His subjects included Paul Robeson, John Henrik Clarke, Gordon Parks, Langston Hughes, and Making of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. The discussion was organized and moderated by Warrington Hudlin producer of such films as House Party and Boomerang, and the founder of DV Republic.The panelists included Clyde Taylor, professor at the Gallatin School and writer for the PBS documentary, Midnight Ramble: The Life and Legacy of Oscar Micheaux; George Alexander - business entertainment columnist at Black Enterprise magazine and author of Why We Make Movies; Esther Iverem, journalist, poet and author of The Time: Portrait of a Journey Home; Armond White , film critic at New York Press and author of The Resistance: Ten Years of Pop Culture That Shook the World and Rebel for the Hell of It: The Art-Life of Tupac Shakur.The Museum’s David Schwartz opened the presentation by remarking that Hudlin had the idea to do this tribute to Bourne, who was a prolific filmmaker. Schwartz thanked Hudlin for arranging the tribute and said that Hudlin would someday get a tribute of his own. Hudlin joked, “When I’m alive!” Schwartz continued by saying that this would be one of the last programs at the Museum before it undergoes construction at the end of the month.He then introduced Nonso Christian Ugbode of the Black Documentary Collective, who presented a short clip montage that he cut himself of Bourne’s work. Afterwards, the panelists each presented clips from a selection of Bourne’s films.Clips Presentation:Clyde Taylor (CT) - Clip from Let the Church Say Amen (1974)Taylor said he chose this clip because it was a breakthrough film for Bourne and was made at the point when they got to know one another. Bourne had created his own production company at the time. This film became his ID or calling card. Taylor initiated an African-American film society in San Francisco and invited Bourne to show his film there. They became close friends. This clip is one that reflects a cinema verité style of filmmaking that follows a young seminary student, showing the connection between religion and the black experience.George Alexander (GA) – Clip from Langston Hughes: The Dreamkeeper (1988)Alexander said that Bourne was a generous and giving soul. He got to know him during the centennial birthday celebration of Langston Hughes at the Museum of Natural History. Alexander didn’t know Bourne too well at the time, but knew his work. Alexander worked on Bourne’s book and viewed all his films, and got to know him very well and they became good friends. This clip shows the idea of cultural authenticity, which is the notion that the subject of the documentary was talked about. If you do work about a community, you also have to show the social context.Esther Iverem (EI)– Clip from Making ‘Do the Right Thing' (1989)Iverem said as a young journalist, she was very impressed by the use of journalism on screen in Bourne’s films. She respects real stories a lot more than most narrative films she has to review. She had corresponded with Bourne through email. He was very active with the online community. When he was going through issues with his health, he was still interested in helping other people with their careers. This clip combines so many of his interests and emphases like social activism. It captures so much of what was happening in New York City in the 1980s.Armond White (AW)– Clip from John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk (1996)White said he met Bourne in the 1980s when he was an editor for the New York City Sun. He went to Bourne’s Upper West Side apartment for an interview. Bourne was a very principled and humane person. He didn’t talk like other filmmakers. He came from a family of journalists. It was the journalism aspect Bourne brought to filmmaking that made him special. White showed two clips. The first was the opening sequence of the film. He said this clip helps to show that movies don’t fall out of the sky. People collaborate with one another. The montage gives a sense of Bourne’s style. This is a film of self-identification. Bourne reflected on his own life as a filmmaker and as a n African-American. The second clip is of John Henrik Clarke sitting in a leather chair in a room with books and African sculptures. It evokes a professor’s office or a middle-class family’s den, like that of on TV’s “Father Knows Best.” This documentary has a rich, story-like quality. One of the only Bourne films that is in distribution.Panel Discussion and Audience Q&AHudlin then opened the panel discussion, a mix between his own questions to the panelists and also comments and questions from the audience. [FYI, among those in the audience was filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, whose Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song was a pioneering African-American independent film of the early 1970s.](WH) How long had you known Bourne?(CT) Since 1976. It was an important moment for black independent cinema, but documentaries were happening as well from such people as William Greaves. Bourne kept that leadership with the Black Documentary Collective.(WH) What were some of the choices he made with his documentaries?(CT) He was committed to handheld cinema verité. No narrator. More personal and intimate. In later years, he got better funded. Archival footage is very expensive. In the later years, he made films of people with profiles of greatness such as Paul Robeson, but he was not the ‘PBSification’ mode.(WH) When you interviewed Bourne for your book, did he talk about any challenges?(GA) He talked about how independent film was about to change. Up until Spike Lee, documentary filmmakers were making films about real life. The Spike Lee made narrative films that were entertaining in a realistic way. For John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk, he employed an MTV editor using quick cuts. In terms of getting funding, frequently people who controlled the money had little experience with African-American stories. Filmmaker Julie Dash talked about the same struggle to incorporate realistic elements. It was always challenging.(WH) In your book We Got to Have It, you talk about the consumer’s appetite. How are African Americans responding to documentaries?(EI) Can’t say that there has been an explosion in our documentaries and African Americans responding to them. What audiences are going to see versus quality of the films is a different thing. In recent years, filmmakers like Michael Moore get a lot of credit for documentaries being played in theaters. A lot of times, these films aren’t made by black filmmakers.(WH) Are there any advantages or disadvantages to fiction vs. non-fiction films?(AW) It’s a choice. You take a risk of not interesting an audience. Most movie goers aren’t interested in documentaries. Bourne took a risk because documentaries tell things to audiences that fiction cannot. I wouldn’t put him in the same sentence as Michael Moore. Moore degraded documentary filmmaking. Bourne believed in the truth of history.(WH) Will anyone defend Michael Moore? He and I are personal friends. When he sold Roger & Me for $4 million, he called me and asked if I needed some money. Fahrenheit 9/11 is the only documentary that has reached blockbuster status.(GA) Moore is aware that audiences evolve. People want to see something that entices them.(AW) Moore has changed the form. Popular films aim to entertain more than to inform. His films are aimed toward a particular political mindset. Bourne didn’t play around with the truth or history.(EI) Bourne had integrity, but we don’t have to honor that by throwing someone else under the bus. It doesn’t mean that Moore isn’t sticking to the facts. Just because he uses those techniques, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have integrity.(Audience Comment) I worked with Bourne and he wouldn’t want us knocking down filmmakers like Moore.(Audience Question) I am amazed and appalled that only one of Bourne’s movies is in distribution. What can we do about it? How do we get his films into circulation so future generations can see his work?(CT) There’s a movement out there to get his films in a box set. Something is in the works.(Audience Question) Was Bourne working on anything up to his death?(CT) A project about the Black Panthers. He got some extraordinary interviews. He also wanted to have a book done on his photos.(EI) He was also developing some fiction narratives. Might depend on who owns the actual rights to his work.(Audience Comment) The Black Documentary Collective will catalog his work.(Audience Question) Why wasn’t a clip from Half-Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks shown?(EI) I would have chosen that clip to screen, but Bourne was the producer, and not the director of that and the Museum chose to screen just clips from films he directed. Half-Past Autumn was on HBO. It was one of his films where he was able to break through the ceiling.(GA) It still fits his desire to chronicle important black people in history who made enormous contributions to African-American culture.(WH) Bourne created the Black Documentary Collective. He created an infrastructure that survives him. The institution he left behind didn’t die away. What is the Collective doing these days?(BCD Representative) We meet the first Monday of every month. We have rough-cut screenings and panel discussions.Towards the end of the discussion, Melvin Van Peebles stood up and said, “I’m clairvoyant!” Bourne knew the problems that he wanted the public to understand. He would have wanted filmmakers to continue to educate the audience. To push forward. Keep on fighting. Hudlin reminded Van Peebles of a button he once gave him that’s a circle with a line through it that means, “No Whining, Keep Working.” Van Peebles said he just made a new feature. At the end of the shoot, he was on his knees scrubbing the floor. “You got to do the whole thing,” he said. “I do any G-d damn thing necessary!”- Notes by The Film Panel Notetaker Originally posted on:The Film Panel Notetaker - Miss a panel discussion? Don't worry! We took notes for you.
]]>Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:00:54 GMTthefilmpanelnotetakerthefilmpanelnotetaker Blog3/3/2008 2:00:54 PMA Tribute to St. Clair BourneMuseum of the Moving Image – Astoria, NYFebruary 10, 2008(L to R: Armond White, Esther Iverem, Warrington Hudlin, George Alexander, Clyde Taylor and David Schwartz)(Filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles in the audience)At the Museum of the Moving Image on Sunday, critics and scholars were in person to discuss the career of and show clips from documentary filmmaker St. Clair Bourne, who died in December 2007, and made more than 40 films, mainly about African-American culture and politics. His subjects included Paul Robeson, John Henrik Clarke, Gordon Parks, Langston Hughes, and Making of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. The discussion was organized and moderated by Warrington Hudlin producer of such films as House Party and Boomerang, and the founder of DV Republic.The panelists included Clyde Taylor, professor at the Gallatin School and writer for the PBS documentary, Midnight Ramble: The Life and Legacy of Oscar Micheaux; George Alexander - business entertainment columnist at Black Enterprise magazine and author of Why We Make Movies; Esther Iverem, journalist, poet and author of The Time: Portrait of a Journey Home; Armond White , film critic at New York Press and author of The Resistance: Ten Years of Pop Culture That Shook the World and Rebel for the Hell of It: The Art-Life of Tupac Shakur.The Museum’s David Schwartz opened the presentation by remarking that Hudlin had the idea to do this tribute to Bourne, who was a prolific filmmaker. Schwartz thanked Hudlin for arranging the tribute and said that Hudlin would someday get a tribute of his own. Hudlin joked, “When I’m alive!” Schwartz continued by saying that this would be one of the last programs at the Museum before it undergoes construction at the end of the month.He then introduced Nonso Christian Ugbode of the Black Documentary Collective, who presented a short clip montage that he cut himself of Bourne’s work. Afterwards, the panelists each presented clips from a selection of Bourne’s films.Clips Presentation:Clyde Taylor (CT) - Clip from Let the Church Say Amen (1974)Taylor said he chose this clip because it was a breakthrough film for Bourne and was made at the point when they got to know one another. Bourne had created his own production company at the time. This film became his ID or calling card. Taylor initiated an African-American film society in San Francisco and invited Bourne to show his film there. They became close friends. This clip is one that reflects a cinema verité style of filmmaking that follows a young seminary student, showing the connection between religion and the black experience.George Alexander (GA) – Clip from Langston Hughes: The Dreamkeeper (1988)Alexander said that Bourne was a generous and giving soul. He got to know him during the centennial birthday celebration of Langston Hughes at the Museum of Natural History. Alexander didn’t know Bourne too well at the time, but knew his work. Alexander worked on Bourne’s book and viewed all his films, and got to know him very well and they became good friends. This clip shows the idea of cultural authenticity, which is the notion that the subject of the documentary was talked about. If you do work about a community, you also have to show the social context.Esther Iverem (EI)– Clip from Making ‘Do the Right Thing' (1989)Iverem said as a young journalist, she was very impressed by the use of journalism on screen in Bourne’s films. She respects real stories a lot more than most narrative films she has to review. She had corresponded with Bourne through email. He was very active with the online community. When he was going through issues with his health, he was still interested in helping other people with their careers. This clip combines so many of his interests and emphases like social activism. It captures so much of what was happening in New York City in the 1980s.Armond White (AW)– Clip from John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk (1996)White said he met Bourne in the 1980s when he was an editor for the New York City Sun. He went to Bourne’s Upper West Side apartment for an interview. Bourne was a very principled and humane person. He didn’t talk like other filmmakers. He came from a family of journalists. It was the journalism aspect Bourne brought to filmmaking that made him special. White showed two clips. The first was the opening sequence of the film. He said this clip helps to show that movies don’t fall out of the sky. People collaborate with one another. The montage gives a sense of Bourne’s style. This is a film of self-identification. Bourne reflected on his own life as a filmmaker and as a n African-American. The second clip is of John Henrik Clarke sitting in a leather chair in a room with books and African sculptures. It evokes a professor’s office or a middle-class family’s den, like that of on TV’s “Father Knows Best.” This documentary has a rich, story-like quality. One of the only Bourne films that is in distribution.Panel Discussion and Audience Q&AHudlin then opened the panel discussion, a mix between his own questions to the panelists and also comments and questions from the audience. [FYI, among those in the audience was filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, whose Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song was a pioneering African-American independent film of the early 1970s.](WH) How long had you known Bourne?(CT) Since 1976. It was an important moment for black independent cinema, but documentaries were happening as well from such people as William Greaves. Bourne kept that leadership with the Black Documentary Collective.(WH) What were some of the choices he made with his documentaries?(CT) He was committed to handheld cinema verité. No narrator. More personal and intimate. In later years, he got better funded. Archival footage is very expensive. In the later years, he made films of people with profiles of greatness such as Paul Robeson, but he was not the ‘PBSification’ mode.(WH) When you interviewed Bourne for your book, did he talk about any challenges?(GA) He talked about how independent film was about to change. Up until Spike Lee, documentary filmmakers were making films about real life. The Spike Lee made narrative films that were entertaining in a realistic way. For John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk, he employed an MTV editor using quick cuts. In terms of getting funding, frequently people who controlled the money had little experience with African-American stories. Filmmaker Julie Dash talked about the same struggle to incorporate realistic elements. It was always challenging.(WH) In your book We Got to Have It, you talk about the consumer’s appetite. How are African Americans responding to documentaries?(EI) Can’t say that there has been an explosion in our documentaries and African Americans responding to them. What audiences are going to see versus quality of the films is a different thing. In recent years, filmmakers like Michael Moore get a lot of credit for documentaries being played in theaters. A lot of times, these films aren’t made by black filmmakers.(WH) Are there any advantages or disadvantages to fiction vs. non-fiction films?(AW) It’s a choice. You take a risk of not interesting an audience. Most movie goers aren’t interested in documentaries. Bourne took a risk because documentaries tell things to audiences that fiction cannot. I wouldn’t put him in the same sentence as Michael Moore. Moore degraded documentary filmmaking. Bourne believed in the truth of history.(WH) Will anyone defend Michael Moore? He and I are personal friends. When he sold Roger & Me for $4 million, he called me and asked if I needed some money. Fahrenheit 9/11 is the only documentary that has reached blockbuster status.(GA) Moore is aware that audiences evolve. People want to see something that entices them.(AW) Moore has changed the form. Popular films aim to entertain more than to inform. His films are aimed toward a particular political mindset. Bourne didn’t play around with the truth or history.(EI) Bourne had integrity, but we don’t have to honor that by throwing someone else under the bus. It doesn’t mean that Moore isn’t sticking to the facts. Just because he uses those techniques, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have integrity.(Audience Comment) I worked with Bourne and he wouldn’t want us knocking down filmmakers like Moore.(Audience Question) I am amazed and appalled that only one of Bourne’s movies is in distribution. What can we do about it? How do we get his films into circulation so future generations can see his work?(CT) There’s a movement out there to get his films in a box set. Something is in the works.(Audience Question) Was Bourne working on anything up to his death?(CT) A project about the Black Panthers. He got some extraordinary interviews. He also wanted to have a book done on his photos.(EI) He was also developing some fiction narratives. Might depend on who owns the actual rights to his work.(Audience Comment) The Black Documentary Collective will catalog his work.(Audience Question) Why wasn’t a clip from Half-Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks shown?(EI) I would have chosen that clip to screen, but Bourne was the producer, and not the director of that and the Museum chose to screen just clips from films he directed. Half-Past Autumn was on HBO. It was one of his films where he was able to break through the ceiling.(GA) It still fits his desire to chronicle important black people in history who made enormous contributions to African-American culture.(WH) Bourne created the Black Documentary Collective. He created an infrastructure that survives him. The institution he left behind didn’t die away. What is the Collective doing these days?(BCD Representative) We meet the first Monday of every month. We have rough-cut screenings and panel discussions.Towards the end of the discussion, Melvin Van Peebles stood up and said, “I’m clairvoyant!” Bourne knew the problems that he wanted the public to understand. He would have wanted filmmakers to continue to educate the audience. To push forward. Keep on fighting. Hudlin reminded Van Peebles of a button he once gave him that’s a circle with a line through it that means, “No Whining, Keep Working.” Van Peebles said he just made a new feature. At the end of the shoot, he was on his knees scrubbing the floor. “You got to do the whole thing,” he said. “I do any G-d damn thing necessary!”- Notes by The Film Panel Notetaker Originally posted on:The Film Panel Notetaker - Miss a panel discussion? Don't worry! We took notes for you. http://www.spout.com/blogs/tadiv/archive/2008/2/24/25528.aspx Post By: tadiv
Post To: tadiv Blog
Post Date: 2/24/2008 11:10:58 AM
Body: Palm Pictures presents a film by Stephanie Black. Africa Unite – more a documentary than a concert film – includes Danny Glover in his role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, most or all of the Marley family and a large number of Africans are featured who participate in what Glover calls a symposium. There is historical footage of Bob Marley, the history of Ethiopia, and clips of old films about Africa. The film runs 98 minutes. Africa Unite is a mixture of film and video documenting the 2005 "Africa Unite" event held in Ethiopia to celebrate Bob Marley’s sixtieth birthday, history lesson on Ethiopia and the African continent, and a look at the Rastafarian movement. The film is somewhat of a hodge-podge of content. There is very clean and professional filming, there is some filming that has some sort of spotted screen applied to the print, and there is what looks to be cell-phone camera video, poor in quality with smearing motion. I do not think that this stylization is very effective for the documentary format. The film swings widely in mood from optimistic about the future of the continent to near revolutionary condemnation of the past treatment of the continent and peoples of Africa. Thrown into this mix is a historic look at how Western Civilization was (and for a time was successful at) plundering the resources of the continent at the expense of its people and some history on the Rastafarian movement. It took me several viewing attempts to get through this. It hops around too much with wide swings in mood and focus. This makes it difficult for an outsider* like me to gain empathy for the subject and hang on for the ride. I hate to be so skeptical – and I really don’t think it was like this – but the film left me thinking that the remaining members of the Marley family were using this event to cement a greater legacy for Bob and to cash in on the festivities. There is really nothing that points to them cashing in, but there is not any content that states otherwise either. The strongest points made in the film are in the interviews with the young, determined, and intelligent Africans who traveled to participate in the meaningful events. They ask serious questions like “Why do our children have to go to bed on empty stomachs?” and, “Why do they have to go to school on empty stomachs?” and, “Why does the West use us for medical experiments?” These are real and human issues. These are the issues that are important in addressing the future of Africa, not the ongoing concert given by the Marleys or the Rastafarian movement. * I say I am an outsider because I am not of African descent. As it was with Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), I don’t get it. Perhaps it is because I am an outsider or perhaps it is that Africa Unite is not designed for a wide audience.
]]>Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:10:58 GMTtadivtadiv Blog2/24/2008 11:10:58 AMPalm Pictures presents a film by Stephanie Black. Africa Unite &ndash; more a documentary than a concert film &ndash; includes Danny Glover in his role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, most or all of the Marley family and a large number of Africans are featured who participate in what Glover calls a symposium. There is historical footage of Bob Marley, the history of Ethiopia, and clips of old films about Africa. The film runs 98 minutes. Africa Unite is a mixture of film and video documenting the 2005 "Africa Unite" event held in Ethiopia to celebrate Bob Marley&rsquo;s sixtieth birthday, history lesson on Ethiopia and the African continent, and a look at the Rastafarian movement. The film is somewhat of a hodge-podge of content. There is very clean and professional filming, there is some filming that has some sort of spotted screen applied to the print, and there is what looks to be cell-phone camera video, poor in quality with smearing motion. I do not think that this stylization is very effective for the documentary format. The film swings widely in mood from optimistic about the future of the continent to near revolutionary condemnation of the past treatment of the continent and peoples of Africa. Thrown into this mix is a historic look at how Western Civilization was (and for a time was successful at) plundering the resources of the continent at the expense of its people and some history on the Rastafarian movement. It took me several viewing attempts to get through this. It hops around too much with wide swings in mood and focus. This makes it difficult for an outsider* like me to gain empathy for the subject and hang on for the ride. I hate to be so skeptical &ndash; and I really don&rsquo;t think it was like this &ndash; but the film left me thinking that the remaining members of the Marley family were using this event to cement a greater legacy for Bob and to cash in on the festivities. There is really nothing that points to them cashing in, but there is not any content that states otherwise either. The strongest points made in the film are in the interviews with the young, determined, and intelligent Africans who traveled to participate in the meaningful events. They ask serious questions like &ldquo;Why do our children have to go to bed on empty stomachs?&rdquo; and, &ldquo;Why do they have to go to school on empty stomachs?&rdquo; and, &ldquo;Why does the West use us for medical experiments?&rdquo; These are real and human issues. These are the issues that are important in addressing the future of Africa, not the ongoing concert given by the Marleys or the Rastafarian movement. * I say I am an outsider because I am not of African descent. As it was with Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), I don&rsquo;t get it. Perhaps it is because I am an outsider or perhaps it is that Africa Unite is not designed for a wide audience. http://www.spout.com/blogs/dibot/archive/2007/8/10/17793.aspx Post By: dibot
Post To: dibot Blog
Post Date: 8/10/2007 3:22:00 PM
Body: In Transformers, I found the perfect summer blockbuster. It's Michael Bay ("The Island"), so that means lots of action, not much plot. The robot transformations were really well done. The comedy was fairly entertaining. And Shia LaBeouf ("Disturbia") once again rules. It's not going to change your world, but it's fun fluff.Equilibrium is a more style over substance sci-fi Matrixesque movie. Set in a future Earth ravaged by war, the rulers have decided to eradicate all human emotion. I had quite a bit of trouble accepting the premise, but the action was good. Christian Bale ("Rescue Dawn") stars as a cleric whose job is to find and destroy "sense" offenders. But her hears some poetry and stops taking his meds, and there you go. Instant drama. Good production, good action.Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is my first foray into blacksploitation and I'm not sure I want to go back. The movie follows Sweetback as he has to defend another black man against some cops. Then the rest of the film is him running, having sex, beating and/or killing more cops, running, sex, cops, more running with weird music. I think if it had been about 30 minutes long, it could have been a better film.We've waited six years for Rush Hour 3 and I am glad to have Chris Tucker ("Rush Hour 2") back. The jokes are good and the action fair. I'm just worried that Jackie Chan ("The Myth") is getting too old to some of the amazing stunts he usually pulls. The story is secondary to the chemistry between Tucker and Chan. Not as good as the first, but if you liked the other films, you'll like this one too.
]]>Fri, 10 Aug 2007 19:22:00 GMTdibotdibot Blog8/10/2007 3:22:00 PMIn Transformers, I found the perfect summer blockbuster. It&#39;s Michael Bay ("The Island"), so that means lots of action, not much plot. The robot transformations were really well done. The comedy was fairly entertaining. And Shia LaBeouf ("Disturbia") once again rules. It&#39;s not going to change your world, but it&#39;s fun fluff.Equilibrium is a more style over substance sci-fi Matrixesque movie. Set in a future Earth ravaged by war, the rulers have decided to eradicate all human emotion. I had quite a bit of trouble accepting the premise, but the action was good. Christian Bale ("Rescue Dawn") stars as a cleric whose job is to find and destroy "sense" offenders. But her hears some poetry and stops taking his meds, and there you go. Instant drama. Good production, good action.Sweet Sweetback&#39;s Baadasssss Song is my first foray into blacksploitation and I&#39;m not sure I want to go back. The movie follows Sweetback as he has to defend another black man against some cops. Then the rest of the film is him running, having sex, beating and/or killing more cops, running, sex, cops, more running with weird music. I think if it had been about 30 minutes long, it could have been a better film.We&#39;ve waited six years for Rush Hour 3 and I am glad to have Chris Tucker ("Rush Hour 2") back. The jokes are good and the action fair. I&#39;m just worried that Jackie Chan ("The Myth") is getting too old to some of the amazing stunts he usually pulls. The story is secondary to the chemistry between Tucker and Chan. Not as good as the first, but if you liked the other films, you&#39;ll like this one too. http://www.spout.com/blogs/analogzombie/archive/2007/6/24/11960.aspx Post By: analogzombie
Post To: analogzombie Blog
Post Date: 6/24/2007 4:11:00 PM
Body: Most people who watch Blaxploitation movies do so with tongue firmly in cheek. They laugh at the clothes, the music, the hairstyles, the bad special effects, and the usually out of place nudity. I must admit that I too, am guilty of the same sort of kitsch exploration that prompts many to pick up a copy of Detroit 9000, or Black Caesar. While these films do provide laughs for the wrong reasons it would be to your detriment to merely dismiss them all as trite, fluff pieces. In many of these films there is a lot of serious social and political commentary taking place. It’s just that Pam Grier’s breasts can sometimes get in your way of seeing this. Many consider Mario Van Peebles 1969 classic: Sweet Sweetback’s Badasss Song, to be the first Blaxploitation film. It was the first to be written, directed, and produced by a primarily black crew. The unexpected success (unexpected by the white bread establishment that is) of this film made many small studios, and even some large ones, take notice. It seemed that black people, wanted to see movies about, gasp, black people!?? This set into motion a whole slew of films created independently and by studios such as American International Pictures. It was these early AIP films that so epitomized what the genre had to offer. By 1970 AIP was a flagging, medium sized studio. The success they had had with the gothic horror films of Vincent Price in the 60’s was ending and there was no clear direction for them. When Sweet Sweetback hit, AIP jumped on the bandwagon, by creating some of the most vicious, and intelligent black films of the decade. Their first super hit was 1973’s Coffy starring Pam Grier, and directed by Larry Cohen (who would go on to make the It’s Alive series). A white guy directed the film, like much of AIP’s Blaxploitation fare. Some people decry this as an affront to the genre, but when you consider the quality of their films compared to something like Rudy Ray Moore’s Dolemite, the argument loses weight. Coffy is a perfect example of the first wave of important Blaxploitation films: films that have a message and intelligently propose it, while not skimping on the action. The movie concerns Pam Grier, by day a nurse, by night a one-woman shotgun wielding avenger of her inner city neighborhood. When the white mafia threatens her good-cop boyfriend, Coffy must go under cover as a Jamaican hooker to infiltrate this white dominated crime world. These are classic themes of the genre: white devil criminals preying on the black community, which is at war with itself over its own future. It’s a community being pulled apart by the lingering socio-economic effects of Jim Crowe and slavery. Characters like Coffy and her boyfriend represent the positive, hopeful, forward-looking members of the community who seek true equality so they can pull their culture out of despair. They are always at odds with weaker social members, like Coffy’s brother, who is hopelessly locked in a downward spiral of black on black crime. The film embodies the promise of the civil rights movement i.e. we can better our community if given the chance, and we don’t want any help from whitey either. These ideas of hope, self-determination, and pride in community are reflected again in films like Foxy Brown, Shaft, Across 110th St., and Superfly. The latter however, takes it into a whole new realm. Directed by the son of legendary photographer Gordon Parks, Superfly is often dismissed as a colorful romp through the life of a pimp. Upon further inspection though, it becomes evident that the film is an indictment of the social conditions that led Priest, the main character, to become a hustler to begin with. I’m sure everyone had heard the famous title song: Superfly by Curtis Mayfield, but I doubt many have actually bothered to listen to the lyrics. “Superly, you’re gonna make you’re fortune by and by, but if you lose, don’t ask no questions why. The only game you know is do or die.” This is as succinct a portrait of Priest as one could paint. He is a strong, intelligent, man who just happens to be a hustler. The film proposes that had he born been into a different condition he might very well be a lawyer, or legitimate businessman. It is society’s fault that he is what he is. The condition of Harlem, and the racism of America has given Priest no other avenue for success. If he wants money, women, and a decent lifestyle he must be a criminal because all other avenues are closed to him. This is an incendiary claim, however, many did not even get the message because the movie also plays as a straight action piece, much like Shaft. Superfly is about a man trying to turn his back on his hustler life. As in Coffy, Priest is confronted by the usual obstacles to his freedom white criminal underworld, and black friends manipulated by this white devil establishment to keep their community down. In the end he overcomes, and outwits all these obstacles with the help of a strong, good woman, and his intelligence. The film also features the prerequisite fights, car chases, shoot-outs, and explosions that mark all films within the genre. This initial positive voice was short lived though, by 1974 most Blaxploitation films had given up including intelligent messages in their context. Where films like Coffy, and Superfly were a great mix of entertainment, the films that came later split into two categories. They either took the notion of the black do-gooder battling against the white criminal establishment to comic book, PG rated depths as in Cleopatra Jones, and Friday Foster, or they exploded with meaningless violence directed at any and all comers, like Dolemite and Hell Up In Harlem. While either avenue offers merely a watered down version of what the genre began to be, it is this last, violent, type that so squandered the message. Take Dolemite for example, a film so indebted to Superfly that a lawsuit could easily be filed. It concerns a pimp, again, who is trying to grow his business in opposition to the white mafia. The main difference however, besides its atrocious script and production values, is that Dolemite does not seek to ‘get out of the life’ as Priest did. Instead he is content to consolidate his power as a pimp, and go to great lengths to remain the stereotype that he is. This turn is important, not only in the genre, but in black culture as a whole. It is a sign that the promise and hopes of the civil rights movement, the desire to overcome your obstacles, and better yourself through education and a functioning community, are on the wane. Dolemite doesn’t care about any of those things he just wants to get paid, by any means necessary. In a way Dolemite’s line of reasoning is kind of genius. Because it’s like saying “That’s who you think we are? Ok, we are going to make money off you honkey bastards by epitomizing your stereotype of us. We are going to wear the blackface this time.” It’s a way of circumventing the ‘white’ norm of success by succeeding through the portrayal of violence, ignorance, and racial bias. All you have to do is look at music videos, or films today to see how this trend has played out. From Master P’s video featuring a golden basketball court and black men in ape suits, to Snoop Dogg’s film Soul Plane, we are witnessing the end product of the mentality proposed by Dolemite. Coffy, Priest, or Jesse Jackson might say: “sure you’re getting rich, but at what price to the community, don’t these negative stereotypes hurt the social accomplishments of the 60’s?” For a few short years (1969 – 1974) Blaxploitation cinema offered a socially progressive, and hugely entertaining option for cinema patrons. By the middle of that decade, however, the progressive aspect had been sapped out of it, leaving only trite fare behind. The legacy of the genre is with us still however, and every now and then that initial thread of worth pops up in films like Hollywood Shuffle, Do the Right Thing, and Boyz n’ tha Hood. For the most part though, it’s as if Superfy lost the battle, and his conniving, backstabbing friend, Freddie, won. As Curtis Mayfield sings: “Freddie what have you done? Turned your back on your friend, sold him out, and in the end, your just another tool for the man.”
]]>Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:11:00 GMTanalogzombieanalogzombie Blog6/24/2007 4:11:00 PMMost people who watch Blaxploitation movies do so with tongue firmly in cheek. They laugh at the clothes, the music, the hairstyles, the bad special effects, and the usually out of place nudity. I must admit that I too, am guilty of the same sort of kitsch exploration that prompts many to pick up a copy of Detroit 9000, or Black Caesar. While these films do provide laughs for the wrong reasons it would be to your detriment to merely dismiss them all as trite, fluff pieces. In many of these films there is a lot of serious social and political commentary taking place. It&rsquo;s just that Pam Grier&rsquo;s breasts can sometimes get in your way of seeing this. Many consider Mario Van Peebles 1969 classic: Sweet Sweetback&rsquo;s Badasss Song, to be the first Blaxploitation film. It was the first to be written, directed, and produced by a primarily black crew. The unexpected success (unexpected by the white bread establishment that is) of this film made many small studios, and even some large ones, take notice. It seemed that black people, wanted to see movies about, gasp, black people!?? This set into motion a whole slew of films created independently and by studios such as American International Pictures. It was these early AIP films that so epitomized what the genre had to offer. By 1970 AIP was a flagging, medium sized studio. The success they had had with the gothic horror films of Vincent Price in the 60&rsquo;s was ending and there was no clear direction for them. When Sweet Sweetback hit, AIP jumped on the bandwagon, by creating some of the most vicious, and intelligent black films of the decade. Their first super hit was 1973&rsquo;s Coffy starring Pam Grier, and directed by Larry Cohen (who would go on to make the It&rsquo;s Alive series). A white guy directed the film, like much of AIP&rsquo;s Blaxploitation fare. Some people decry this as an affront to the genre, but when you consider the quality of their films compared to something like Rudy Ray Moore&rsquo;s Dolemite, the argument loses weight. Coffy is a perfect example of the first wave of important Blaxploitation films: films that have a message and intelligently propose it, while not skimping on the action. The movie concerns Pam Grier, by day a nurse, by night a one-woman shotgun wielding avenger of her inner city neighborhood. When the white mafia threatens her good-cop boyfriend, Coffy must go under cover as a Jamaican hooker to infiltrate this white dominated crime world. These are classic themes of the genre: white devil criminals preying on the black community, which is at war with itself over its own future. It&rsquo;s a community being pulled apart by the lingering socio-economic effects of Jim Crowe and slavery. Characters like Coffy and her boyfriend represent the positive, hopeful, forward-looking members of the community who seek true equality so they can pull their culture out of despair. They are always at odds with weaker social members, like Coffy&rsquo;s brother, who is hopelessly locked in a downward spiral of black on black crime. The film embodies the promise of the civil rights movement i.e. we can better our community if given the chance, and we don&rsquo;t want any help from whitey either. These ideas of hope, self-determination, and pride in community are reflected again in films like Foxy Brown, Shaft, Across 110th St., and Superfly. The latter however, takes it into a whole new realm. Directed by the son of legendary photographer Gordon Parks, Superfly is often dismissed as a colorful romp through the life of a pimp. Upon further inspection though, it becomes evident that the film is an indictment of the social conditions that led Priest, the main character, to become a hustler to begin with. I&rsquo;m sure everyone had heard the famous title song: Superfly by Curtis Mayfield, but I doubt many have actually bothered to listen to the lyrics. &ldquo;Superly, you&rsquo;re gonna make you&rsquo;re fortune by and by, but if you lose, don&rsquo;t ask no questions why. The only game you know is do or die.&rdquo; This is as succinct a portrait of Priest as one could paint. He is a strong, intelligent, man who just happens to be a hustler. The film proposes that had he born been into a different condition he might very well be a lawyer, or legitimate businessman. It is society&rsquo;s fault that he is what he is. The condition of Harlem, and the racism of America has given Priest no other avenue for success. If he wants money, women, and a decent lifestyle he must be a criminal because all other avenues are closed to him. This is an incendiary claim, however, many did not even get the message because the movie also plays as a straight action piece, much like Shaft. Superfly is about a man trying to turn his back on his hustler life. As in Coffy, Priest is confronted by the usual obstacles to his freedom white criminal underworld, and black friends manipulated by this white devil establishment to keep their community down. In the end he overcomes, and outwits all these obstacles with the help of a strong, good woman, and his intelligence. The film also features the prerequisite fights, car chases, shoot-outs, and explosions that mark all films within the genre. This initial positive voice was short lived though, by 1974 most Blaxploitation films had given up including intelligent messages in their context. Where films like Coffy, and Superfly were a great mix of entertainment, the films that came later split into two categories. They either took the notion of the black do-gooder battling against the white criminal establishment to comic book, PG rated depths as in Cleopatra Jones, and Friday Foster, or they exploded with meaningless violence directed at any and all comers, like Dolemite and Hell Up In Harlem. While either avenue offers merely a watered down version of what the genre began to be, it is this last, violent, type that so squandered the message. Take Dolemite for example, a film so indebted to Superfly that a lawsuit could easily be filed. It concerns a pimp, again, who is trying to grow his business in opposition to the white mafia. The main difference however, besides its atrocious script and production values, is that Dolemite does not seek to &lsquo;get out of the life&rsquo; as Priest did. Instead he is content to consolidate his power as a pimp, and go to great lengths to remain the stereotype that he is. This turn is important, not only in the genre, but in black culture as a whole. It is a sign that the promise and hopes of the civil rights movement, the desire to overcome your obstacles, and better yourself through education and a functioning community, are on the wane. Dolemite doesn&rsquo;t care about any of those things he just wants to get paid, by any means necessary. In a way Dolemite&rsquo;s line of reasoning is kind of genius. Because it&rsquo;s like saying &ldquo;That&rsquo;s who you think we are? Ok, we are going to make money off you honkey bastards by epitomizing your stereotype of us. We are going to wear the blackface this time.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a way of circumventing the &lsquo;white&rsquo; norm of success by succeeding through the portrayal of violence, ignorance, and racial bias. All you have to do is look at music videos, or films today to see how this trend has played out. From Master P&rsquo;s video featuring a golden basketball court and black men in ape suits, to Snoop Dogg&rsquo;s film Soul Plane, we are witnessing the end product of the mentality proposed by Dolemite. Coffy, Priest, or Jesse Jackson might say: &ldquo;sure you&rsquo;re getting rich, but at what price to the community, don&rsquo;t these negative stereotypes hurt the social accomplishments of the 60&rsquo;s?&rdquo; For a few short years (1969 &ndash; 1974) Blaxploitation cinema offered a socially progressive, and hugely entertaining option for cinema patrons. By the middle of that decade, however, the progressive aspect had been sapped out of it, leaving only trite fare behind. The legacy of the genre is with us still however, and every now and then that initial thread of worth pops up in films like Hollywood Shuffle, Do the Right Thing, and Boyz n&rsquo; tha Hood. For the most part though, it&rsquo;s as if Superfy lost the battle, and his conniving, backstabbing friend, Freddie, won. As Curtis Mayfield sings: &ldquo;Freddie what have you done? Turned your back on your friend, sold him out, and in the end, your just another tool for the man.&rdquo; http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/revenge/MemberTagFilms.aspxrevenge
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