Blacksploitation movies -- which were the BEST?
faux_rillz
14,343 Posts
Beyond the value of providing Black actors with employment and portraying Black characters sticking it to the man, which ones actually stand up as films?To me, Superfly and The Spook Who Sat by the Door tower over everything else in the genre.
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Black Cesaer
Space Is The Place
Foxy Brown
I like Shaft but I find it kinda slow.
See, that's what I'm talking about.
To me, Shaft, aside from providing a few iconic images--like Roundtree in his black leather outfit drinking espresso at Cafe Regio--is just not a good movie.
Again, while I recognize that movie's importance, I find it unwatchable.
Superfly
Coffy
Black Belt Jones (cmon, it's fuckin hilarious)
Bucktown
Foxy Brown
My parents were all about Shaft. I heard the sdtrk all the time growing up. By the time I grew up and finally saw the movie, I wasnt blown away. Yeah, Parks shooting style kills alot of other movies but the pacing had me snoozy. Richard Roundtree is that cat, but his acting is not incredible.
I dont want to pit him vs Ron O'neal but Ron really holds the camera. That one scene when he's in his apt while Mayfield's THINK plays speaks volumes. That scene right there is the movie for me.
Back to Shaft, The rescue scene wasnt all that to me. But if iI was 15 years old when it dropped I would probably be
Co-sign
Entertainment-wise, I dig
Cleopatra Jones
Foxy Brown
Coffy
Truck Turner
Super Fly
Spook Who Sat By the Door
Car Wash
Black Caesar
Guilty Pleasures (movies that are fascinating but not really fun, per se, displaying questionable taste on many levels)
Candy Tangerine Man
The Baron
Darktown Strutters
really, Coffy and Foxy Brown kinda fit in here too...those films are pretty rough, but the Jack Hill/Pam Grier combo displayed enough style and craft to be that basely exploitative and still come across with the empowering heroine theme in tact.
Last night I watched The French Connection, in which a
white director provided Black NYC police officers with
extra employment by casting them as the funky-junkie patrons of a
bar in Uptown. Of course they are on the receiving end of all
kinds of abuse by The Man (Gene Hackman).
Off-duty/moonlighting Black police officers: what relationship
to The Man?
1. Also The Man
2. Working for The Man
3. Double-crossing The Man
4. Getting worked over by The Man two-ways.
If I have ht echance, I like to grill the people that call Sweetback a good film. For the most part most of them can't say shit to defend their stance.
Sometimes those in the pack don't know where or why the herd is running
Trick Baby is another favorite as is Willie Dynamite
in terms of Prototype Michael "everything must explode" Bay goodness I gotta say I also enjoy the shit out of Hell Up In Harlem and Black Caesar
People always discuss those two as a package, but I think Black Caesar is a vastly superior film to the sequel.
According to Larry Cohen, the director/writer of both, Hell Up in Harlem was tossed together using cutting room scraps/set up shots from Black Caesar and a hastily thrown together 'script' and a quick shoot, due to the first film's huge popularity in urban theatres. In other words, a complete cash-in. However, the fact that even at his hackiest Larry Cohen's films have more heart and craft than most similar films of the era (not to mention the Hammer's presence), Hell Up in Harlem is still better than most(but can't touch the OG).
Not to mention the fact that the main character actually dies at the end of the first film.
Car Wash
Let's do it again
cooley high
willie dynamite
five on the black hand side
cornbread earl
superfly
black cesar
claudine
truck turner
Cosby & Poitier are the best duo ever.........ever
Rudy Ray Moore movies are garbage
Sweetback & Shaft are terrible
Dobson > Grier
Thalmus Rasula,Calvin Lockhart,Glynn Turman,Lonette Mckee =
i seriously need to step my blacksploitation game up so this thread is very much appreciated.
You really like cornbread Earl and Me? That movie is only good on weed
cosign on Cosby and Poitier. you need to add uptown Saturday Night to your list.
Glynn Turman is sooooooo underrated it ain't even funny
Cooley High is money in the bank too.
This bathroom IS FOR LADIES!!! IT'S FOR LADIES, GET OUT!
i admit it has some dry moments ...but its a good watch ...especially when i was a kid
His acting makes J.D.'s Revenge watchable.
He's good on The WIRE, too.
No need to apologize--I like this one, too.
Love that movie, what a great cast! The barbershop scenes can be viewed as an obvious influence for what became the contemporary 'Barbershop' franchise.
this came on cable late last night and I ended up watching it all the way through.
although I said I like this movie a lot seeing it again last night reminded me of just how much I like this picture.
highly recommended. Theres a great DVD transfer of it out for those of you with empty Netxflix spaces