The Official African American/Blaxploitation Challenge (february 2020)

[flavo5000]

8. Uptown Saturday Night (1974) BONUS: Sidney Poitier (director/actor)
This is actually the first film I've seen actually directed by Poitier (I might've seen Ghost Dad a long time ago but the less said about that one the better), and if you had told me that it'd be a light action-comedy about two guys trying to track down a lottery ticket, I would've probably given you a weird look. Given Poitier's background in more prestige roles, this one feels more refreshingly loose and grounded with he and Cosby acting probably a little too broadly for their own good but still looking like they're having fun. It does feature multiple scenes in a church that seem to unnecessarily go on forever that could've easily been trimmed down. Not sure what the reason was for leaving those in.

Poitier as a director definitely gravitated more towards comedies - and as you point out, the films he helmed tend to have a looser, lighter feel than the ones he is justifiably famous as an actor for. I've had one of his autobiographies on my shelf for a couple of years and I really should get around to reading it. I'd like to know more about what motivated him as a director. My favorite of his directorial efforts that I've seen so far is Buck and the Preacher. He and Belafonte play very well together and although it isn't billed as one there is a lot of comedy in it. Ruby Dee is in it too if you are working on the bonus.

Cool. I'll keep an eye out for that one. I might save it for the western challenge actually. I'm always looking for more atypical westerns to mix it up there.

[flavo5000]

I thought this was a really interesting one. Van Peebles just seems imbued with so much anger and disgust. I do think he sells Oscar Micheaux short as well as other black accomplished directors like Ossie Davis though.

Oh yeah, totally - it was really cool having Van Peebles himself on screen, rather than all his anger and disgust hiding behind characters in his films. I'm surprised that the doco has less than 20 checks.

Haven't seen anything by Oscar Micheaux or Ossie Davis to know, but might correct that later this month.

Micheaux's most well-known and polished movie is probably Body and Soul. His films in general used mostly if not all black casts that generally avoid the stereotypes of the time. Ossie Davis did Cotton Comes to Harlem (I think it may be the first film considered blaxploitation that was actually directed by a black man) a year before Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback which starred Godfrey Cambridge (released at the same time as another Cambridge movie Watermelon Man oddly enough). I honestly think that without Cotton Comes to Harlem, Sweet Sweetback wouldn't have blown up the way it did a year later. Actually come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've watched Cotton comes to Harlem. I may have to give that one another watch. I remembered liking it.

[psychotronicbeatnik]

40. Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016 / Malcolm D. Lee) FTV 7-/10 {111 m.}
41. Dolemite (1975 / D’Urville Martin) 7+/10 {90 m.} [Bonus: Moore]
42. Sleight (2016 / J.D. Dillard) FTV 7+/10 {89 m.}

Dolemite is a classic turkey in so many ways but an absolutely irresistible one.

Afro Seen

1.Blackenstein (1973 / William A. Levey) FTV 7/10 {87 m.}
2.Blacula (1972 / William Crain) 8/10 {93 m.}
3.Scream Blacula Scream (1973 / Bob Kelljan) 8/10 {96 m.} [Bonus: Grier]
4. Ten Minutes To Live (1932 / Oscar Micheaux) FTV 8+/10 {58 m.} [Bonus: Micheaux]
5. House Party (1990 / Reginald Hudlin) 8+/10 {100 m.}
6. Soul Plane (2004 / Jessy Terrero) 8/10 {86 m.}
7. Baby Boy (2001 / John Singleton) FTV 7+/10 {130 m.} [Bonus: Singleton]
8. Boyz n the Hood (1991 / John Singleton) 8+/10 {112 m.}
9. Sorry To Bother You (2018 / Boots Riley) FTV 8+/10 {112 m.}
10. Little (2019 / Tina Gordon) FTV 5/10 {109 m.}
11-16. Shorter TV {364 min. total}
a. Sanford and Son: S1, Ep. 7-12 (1972) FTV 8-/10 {156 min. }
b. Good Times: S1, Ep. 9-13; S2, Ep. 1-3 (1974) FTV 8/10 {208 min. }
17. The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1968 / Melvin Van Peebles) 9/10 {87 m.} [Bonus: Van Peebles]
18. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971 / Melvin Van Peebles) 8+/10 {97 m.}
19. Barbershop (2002 / Tim Story) FTV 8+/10 {102 m.}
20. Black Belt Jones (1974 / Robert Clouse) 7/10 {85 m.}
21. Three the Hard Way (1974 / Gordon Parks Jr.) 7/10 {89 m.} [Bonus: Williamson]
22. How To Get the Man’s Foot Outta Your Ass; aka: Baadasssss! (2003 / Mario Van Peebles) FTV 8+/10 {109 m.}
23. How To Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) (2005 / Joe Angio) FTV 8/10 {85 m.}
24. Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004 / Kevin Rodney Sullivan) FTV 7/10 {106 m.}
25. Creed II (2018 / Steven Caple Jr.) FTV 7+/10 {130 m.}
26. Fruitvale Station (2013 / Ryan Coogler) FTV 9+/10 {85 m.} [Bonus: Spencer]
27. Kings (2017 / Deniz Gamze Erguven) FTV 7/10 {86 m.}
28. Pariah (2011 / Dee Rees) 8+/10 {86 m.} [Bonus: Rees]
29. Chris Rock: Bring the Pain (1996 / Keith Truesdell) FTV 7+/10 {58 m.}
30. Bessie (2015 / Dee Rees) FTV 8+/10 {115 m.}
31. Sparkle (2012 / Salim Akil) FTV 7/10 {116 m.} [Bonus: Mara Brock Akil – writer & producer]
32. Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002 / Paul Justman) FTV 8+/10 {108 m.}
33. The Hate U Give (2018 / George Tillman Jr.) FTV 9/10 {133 m.}
34. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013 / George Tillman Jr.) FTV 8+/10 {108 m.}
35. Glory (1989 / Edward Zwick) 8/10 {122 m.} [Bonus: Washington]
36-39. Shorter TV {244 min. total}
a. Sanford and Son: S1, Ep. 13-14; S2, Ep. 1-4 (1972) FTV 7+/10 {152 min. }
b. Good Times: S2, Ep. 4 (1974) FTV 7/10 {26 min. }
c. The Boondocks: S1, Ep. 1-3 (2005) FTV 7+/10 {66 min. }

40. Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016 / Malcolm D. Lee) FTV 7-/10 {111 m.}
41. Dolemite (1975 / D’Urville Martin) 7+/10 {90 m.} [Bonus: Moore]
42. Sleight (2016 / J.D. Dillard) FTV 7+/10 {89 m.}

[jeroeno]

05. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950)
06. Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
07. Black Mama White Mama (1973)

[flavo5000]

9. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Man, I had a lot of fun with this one. Eddie Murphy is re-invigorated as the fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants, raunchy entrepreneur Rudy Ray Moore in probably his best movie since Bowfinger. The movie actually reminds me a lot in tone of a blaxploitation version of The Disaster Artist or Ed Wood, which I'm totally ok with because I really enjoyed both of those movies.


10. Cleopatra Jones (1973)
Is it possible to make an engaging PG-rated blaxploitation movie? Well, Cleopatra Jones certainly tries. What it lacks in nudity and over-the-top violence it almost makes up for in a couple ways including a hilariously scenery-chewing Shelly Winters as the villain and a couple of cool action sequences at the midpoint (the car chase) and the ending (the junkyard scene). While it's not a classic of the genre, it'd make for a good entry-level blaxploitation flick to show the kids.

Dolemite is my name and f--kin up motherf--kers is my game

1. Chi-Raq (Spike Lee, 2015)
2. Mr. Mean (Fred Williamson, 1977)
3. Harriet (Kasi Lemmons, 2019)
4. Shaft's Big Score! (1972)
5. Shaft in Africa (1973)
6. South Central S1E5-7 (1994)
7. Hallelujah (1929)
8. Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
9. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
10. Cleopatra Jones (1973)

[sol]

especially in regards to the idea of the central couple of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner being equals when Poitier's character is actually a much higher achiever than his girlfriend.

When I was in grad school, I was twice the TA for a history class that screened Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. And both times, I and the other TA's found the movie extremely cringeworthy. And both times our students unanimously loved it and thought it was a great romantic movie and a great movie about racial reconciliation. It was left to us hapless TA's to explain how the whole narrative was designed to assuage the feelings of sensitive white liberals while erasing any agency or autonomy for Poitier's character.

Interesting. I haven't seen the film in over 15 years, but I don't recall being impressed by the film at the time outside of Spencer Tracy's performance. It would be a curious film to rewatch for this challenge, but there are at least a couple dozen other long-ago-seen films that I would rather revisit were I to invest in revisions this round.

I thought this was a really interesting one. Van Peebles just seems imbued with so much anger and disgust. I do think he sells Oscar Micheaux short as well as other black accomplished directors like Ossie Davis though.

Oh yeah, totally - it was really cool having Van Peebles himself on screen, rather than all his anger and disgust hiding behind characters in his films. I'm surprised that the doco has less than 20 checks.

Haven't seen anything by Oscar Micheaux or Ossie Davis to know, but might correct that later this month.

Micheaux's most well-known and polished movie is probably Body and Soul. His films in general used mostly if not all black casts that generally avoid the stereotypes of the time. Ossie Davis did Cotton Comes to Harlem (I think it may be the first film considered blaxploitation that was actually directed by a black man) a year before Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback which starred Godfrey Cambridge (released at the same time as another Cambridge movie Watermelon Man oddly enough). I honestly think that without Cotton Comes to Harlem, Sweet Sweetback wouldn't have blown up the way it did a year later. Actually come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've watched Cotton comes to Harlem. I may have to give that one another watch. I remembered liking it.

Cotton Comes to Harlem has actually been on my to-watch list for some time. Maybe this month. And I think Netflix has some Micheaux, so again, maybe this month, but my watch-list for this Challenge is over 40 films long as it is with only 16 days left.

[sol]

Doing the Right Thing

1. Native Son (1986)
2. Just Mercy (2019)
3. Dear White People (2014)
4. Death at a Funeral (2010)
5. Def by Temptation (1990)
6. Watermelon Man (1970)
7. Change of Mind (1969)
8. Pootie Tang (2001)
9. House Party (1990)
10. House Party 2 (1991)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. Peeples (2013)
13. Stigma (1972)
14. Keanu (2016)
15. Little (2019)
16. Coffy (1973)
17. Classified X (1998)

18. The Brothers (2001)



Talk-heavy and very reliant on dialogue, this is not an easy film to get into, especially as the characters insist on defining themselves by their love lives and little else. The chemistry between the characters, especially the central four friends, always feels very real though - and there is a lot to like in how they goad each other but are still always heavily invested in each other's best interests. The movie also features a very memorable shooting scene.

[jdidaco]

(Screenshots from 'Tales from the Hood' & 'Us'),



11. Trick Baby (Larry Yust, 1972) 8/10
12. Amazing Grace (Sydney Pollack & Alan Elliott, 1972/2018) 9/10
13. Lady Cocoa (Matt Cimber, 1975) 7/10
14. Emma Mae (Jamaa Fanaka, 1976) 9/10
15. Sidewalk Stories (Charles Lane, 1989) 8/10
16. Def by Temptation (James Bond III, 1990) 6/10
17. Tales from the Hood (Rusty Cundieff, 1995) 8/10
18. Compensation (Zeinabu irene Davis, 1999) 8/10
19. Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (Charles Burnett, 2003) 9.5/10
20. Us (Jordan Peele, 2019) 7.5/10

Spoiler

1. Bone (Larry Cohen, 1972) 8/10
2. Lord Shango (Ray Marsh, 1975) 6.5/10
3. Mahogany (Berry Gordy & Tony Richardson, 1975) 6.5/10
4. A Different Image (Alile Sharon Larkin, 1982) 8/10
5. Hollywood Shuffle (Robert Townsend, 1987) 7.5/10
6. Black Is... Black Ain't (Marlon Riggs, 1994) 8.5/10
7. Baadasssss Cinema (Isaac Julien, 2002) 7.5/10
8. BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee, 2018) 7.5/10
9-10. I Am Somebody (Madeline Anderson, 1970) 8/10 (30 min), Medea (Ben Caldwell, 1973) 8/10 (7 min), The Kitchen (Alile Sharon Larkin, 1975) 6.5/10 (7 min), Diary of an African Nun (Julie Dash, 1977) 9/10 (14 min), Rain (Melvonna Ballenger, 1978) 7/10 (16 min), The Pocketbook (Billy Woodberry, 1980) 7.5/10 (12 min), Dark Exodus (Iverson White, 1985) 7/10 (28 min), Hair Love (Matthew A. Cherry & Everett Downing Jr. & Bruce W. Smith, 2019) 7/10 (7 min) (Total: 121 min)

[sebby]

04 Dolemite Is My Name (2019) 5/10
05 Dolemite (1975) 5/10
06 King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970) 8/10

Spoiler

01 Black Mother (2018) 6/10
02 The Learning Tree (1969) 3/10
03 Daughters of the Dust (1991) 5/10
04 Dolemite Is My Name (2019) 5/10
05 Dolemite (1975) 5/10
06 King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970) 8/10

[psychotronicbeatnik]

43. Soul Men (2008 / Malcolm D. Lee) FTV 7-/10 {100 m.}
44. Canal Street (2018 / Rhyan LaMarr) FTV 5/10 {89 m.}
45. Hellbound Train (1930 / Eloyce & James Gist) FTV 7+/10 {50 m.}
46. The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920 / Oscar Micheaux) FTV 7+/10 {60 m.}

Afro Seen

1.Blackenstein (1973 / William A. Levey) FTV 7/10 {87 m.}
2.Blacula (1972 / William Crain) 8/10 {93 m.}
3.Scream Blacula Scream (1973 / Bob Kelljan) 8/10 {96 m.} [Bonus: Grier]
4. Ten Minutes To Live (1932 / Oscar Micheaux) FTV 8+/10 {58 m.} [Bonus: Micheaux]
5. House Party (1990 / Reginald Hudlin) 8+/10 {100 m.}
6. Soul Plane (2004 / Jessy Terrero) 8/10 {86 m.}
7. Baby Boy (2001 / John Singleton) FTV 7+/10 {130 m.} [Bonus: Singleton]
8. Boyz n the Hood (1991 / John Singleton) 8+/10 {112 m.}
9. Sorry To Bother You (2018 / Boots Riley) FTV 8+/10 {112 m.}
10. Little (2019 / Tina Gordon) FTV 5/10 {109 m.}
11-16. Shorter TV {364 min. total}
a. Sanford and Son: S1, Ep. 7-12 (1972) FTV 8-/10 {156 min. }
b. Good Times: S1, Ep. 9-13; S2, Ep. 1-3 (1974) FTV 8/10 {208 min. }
17. The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1968 / Melvin Van Peebles) 9/10 {87 m.} [Bonus: Van Peebles]
18. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971 / Melvin Van Peebles) 8+/10 {97 m.}
19. Barbershop (2002 / Tim Story) FTV 8+/10 {102 m.}
20. Black Belt Jones (1974 / Robert Clouse) 7/10 {85 m.}
21. Three the Hard Way (1974 / Gordon Parks Jr.) 7/10 {89 m.} [Bonus: Williamson]
22. How To Get the Man’s Foot Outta Your Ass; aka: Baadasssss! (2003 / Mario Van Peebles) FTV 8+/10 {109 m.}
23. How To Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) (2005 / Joe Angio) FTV 8/10 {85 m.}
24. Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004 / Kevin Rodney Sullivan) FTV 7/10 {106 m.}
25. Creed II (2018 / Steven Caple Jr.) FTV 7+/10 {130 m.}
26. Fruitvale Station (2013 / Ryan Coogler) FTV 9+/10 {85 m.} [Bonus: Spencer]
27. Kings (2017 / Deniz Gamze Erguven) FTV 7/10 {86 m.}
28. Pariah (2011 / Dee Rees) 8+/10 {86 m.} [Bonus: Rees]
29. Chris Rock: Bring the Pain (1996 / Keith Truesdell) FTV 7+/10 {58 m.}
30. Bessie (2015 / Dee Rees) FTV 8+/10 {115 m.}
31. Sparkle (2012 / Salim Akil) FTV 7/10 {116 m.} [Bonus: Mara Brock Akil – writer & producer]
32. Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002 / Paul Justman) FTV 8+/10 {108 m.}
33. The Hate U Give (2018 / George Tillman Jr.) FTV 9/10 {133 m.}
34. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013 / George Tillman Jr.) FTV 8+/10 {108 m.}
35. Glory (1989 / Edward Zwick) 8/10 {122 m.} [Bonus: Washington]
36-39. Shorter TV {244 min. total}
a. Sanford and Son: S1, Ep. 13-14; S2, Ep. 1-4 (1972) FTV 7+/10 {152 min. }
b. Good Times: S2, Ep. 4 (1974) FTV 7/10 {26 min. }
c. The Boondocks: S1, Ep. 1-3 (2005) FTV 7+/10 {66 min. }
40. Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016 / Malcolm D. Lee) FTV 7-/10 {111 m.}
41. Dolemite (1975 / D’Urville Martin) 7+/10 {90 m.} [Bonus: Moore]
42. Sleight (2016 / J.D. Dillard) FTV 7+/10 {89 m.}

43. Soul Men (2008 / Malcolm D. Lee) FTV 7-/10 {100 m.}
44. Canal Street (2018 / Rhyan LaMarr) FTV 5/10 {89 m.}
45. Hellbound Train (1930 / Eloyce & James Gist) FTV 7+/10 {50 m.}
46. The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920 / Oscar Micheaux) FTV 7+/10 {60 m.}

[allisoncm]

Spoiler

1. Lackawanna Blues (2005) 7/10 Great cast.
2. Boys on the Side (1995) 8/10 Whoopi Goldberg is a central character in this, representing what it’s like to be a black and lesbian woman.
3. Race (2016) 7/10 Jesse Owens goes to pre-war Germany in 1936 and faces discrimination there and in the USA despite his record-breaking accomplishments.
4. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) 2020 Directed by Cathy Yan 5/10 Jurnee Smollett-Bell plays Black Canary, an African American woman that still faces discrimination despite her singing talent. Luckily, she has ultra cool moves and awesome outfits to silence any naysayers.
5-6. Poetic Justice (1993) [bonus:Singleton] 8/10 Janet Jackson plays an African American poet and hairdresser. The film is filled with appearances from important African Americans such as Tupac Shakur, Regina King, and Maya Angelou. A beautiful piece marred by the fact that Singleton, Angelou, and Shakur are no longer with us.

7. The Photograph (2020) 8/10

(I guess this is 7 if Poetic Justice counts for 2 points)

[flavo5000]

Spoiler

1. Lackawanna Blues (2005) 7/10 Great cast.
2. Boys on the Side (1995) 8/10 Whoopi Goldberg is a central character in this, representing what it’s like to be a black and lesbian woman.
3. Race (2016) 7/10 Jesse Owens goes to pre-war Germany in 1936 and faces discrimination there and in the USA despite his record-breaking accomplishments.
4. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) 2020 Directed by Cathy Yan 5/10 Jurnee Smollett-Bell plays Black Canary, an African American woman that still faces discrimination despite her singing talent. Luckily, she has ultra cool moves and awesome outfits to silence any naysayers.
5-6. Poetic Justice (1993) [bonus:Singleton] 8/10 Janet Jackson plays an African American poet and hairdresser. The film is filled with appearances from important African Americans such as Tupac Shakur, Regina King, and Maya Angelou. A beautiful piece marred by the fact that Singleton, Angelou, and Shakur are no longer with us.

7. The Photograph (2020) 8/10

(I guess this is 7 if Poetic Justice counts for 2 points)

Why would Poetic Justice count for two points?

[albajos]

yes, bonus challenge is seperate

[flavo5000]

11. Poetic Justice (1993) BONUS: John Singleton
While this movie isn't perfect, in particular there are some acting weaknesses and some plot contrivances at times that keep it from being great, it has a nice, relaxed road movie flow that makes it a pleasure to hang out with these characters for a while. 2Pac and Janet Jackson seem to have a nature chemistry together at times which certainly helps as well.


12. The Human Tornado (1976) BONUS: Rudy Ray Moore
Coming across a little more polished (but only a little cuz I mean we're still talking Rudy Ray Moore here) than it's predecessor, this Dolemite sequel delivers everything you want in a Dolemite movie and is an absolute hoot to watch from beginning to end, possibly even exceeding the original. This is the kind of movie that plays really well in a group setting.


13. Scream Blacula Scream (1973) BONUS: Pam Grier
I actually really like that these Blacula movies could've really played up the campiness of the premise, but they don't and in fact often lean into the horror in a fairly effective way at times. Much of their success is due to William Marshall and the dignity he brings to the role of Blacula. scream Blacula Scream is I think a worth sequel that is at times as effective if not even more so than the first, adding a voodoo twist to the Blacula formula (and really to the vampire formula in general). Pam Grier is quite good here as the protagonist in a bit of a different role that's imbued with a little more nuance and fragility at times than many of her roles of this time period where's she's cast in more stone cold fox type roles.

Dolemite is my name and f--kin up motherf--kers is my game

1. Chi-Raq (Spike Lee, 2015)
2. Mr. Mean (Fred Williamson, 1977)
3. Harriet (Kasi Lemmons, 2019)
4. Shaft's Big Score! (1972)
5. Shaft in Africa (1973)
6. South Central S1E5-7 (1994)
7. Hallelujah (1929)
8. Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
9. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
10. Cleopatra Jones (1973)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. The Human Tornado (1976)
13. Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

[psychotronicbeatnik]

47-51. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts and an Epilogue (2006-2007 / Spike Lee) FTV 8+/10 {363 m.} [Bonus: Lee]

Afro Seen

1.Blackenstein (1973 / William A. Levey) FTV 7/10 {87 m.}
2.Blacula (1972 / William Crain) 8/10 {93 m.}
3.Scream Blacula Scream (1973 / Bob Kelljan) 8/10 {96 m.} [Bonus: Grier]
4. Ten Minutes To Live (1932 / Oscar Micheaux) FTV 8+/10 {58 m.} [Bonus: Micheaux]
5. House Party (1990 / Reginald Hudlin) 8+/10 {100 m.}
6. Soul Plane (2004 / Jessy Terrero) 8/10 {86 m.}
7. Baby Boy (2001 / John Singleton) FTV 7+/10 {130 m.} [Bonus: Singleton]
8. Boyz n the Hood (1991 / John Singleton) 8+/10 {112 m.}
9. Sorry To Bother You (2018 / Boots Riley) FTV 8+/10 {112 m.}
10. Little (2019 / Tina Gordon) FTV 5/10 {109 m.}
11-16. Shorter TV {364 min. total}
a. Sanford and Son: S1, Ep. 7-12 (1972) FTV 8-/10 {156 min. }
b. Good Times: S1, Ep. 9-13; S2, Ep. 1-3 (1974) FTV 8/10 {208 min. }
17. The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1968 / Melvin Van Peebles) 9/10 {87 m.} [Bonus: Van Peebles]
18. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971 / Melvin Van Peebles) 8+/10 {97 m.}
19. Barbershop (2002 / Tim Story) FTV 8+/10 {102 m.}
20. Black Belt Jones (1974 / Robert Clouse) 7/10 {85 m.}
21. Three the Hard Way (1974 / Gordon Parks Jr.) 7/10 {89 m.} [Bonus: Williamson]
22. How To Get the Man’s Foot Outta Your Ass; aka: Baadasssss! (2003 / Mario Van Peebles) FTV 8+/10 {109 m.}
23. How To Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) (2005 / Joe Angio) FTV 8/10 {85 m.}
24. Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004 / Kevin Rodney Sullivan) FTV 7/10 {106 m.}
25. Creed II (2018 / Steven Caple Jr.) FTV 7+/10 {130 m.}
26. Fruitvale Station (2013 / Ryan Coogler) FTV 9+/10 {85 m.} [Bonus: Spencer]
27. Kings (2017 / Deniz Gamze Erguven) FTV 7/10 {86 m.}
28. Pariah (2011 / Dee Rees) 8+/10 {86 m.} [Bonus: Rees]
29. Chris Rock: Bring the Pain (1996 / Keith Truesdell) FTV 7+/10 {58 m.}
30. Bessie (2015 / Dee Rees) FTV 8+/10 {115 m.}
31. Sparkle (2012 / Salim Akil) FTV 7/10 {116 m.} [Bonus: Mara Brock Akil – writer & producer]
32. Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002 / Paul Justman) FTV 8+/10 {108 m.}
33. The Hate U Give (2018 / George Tillman Jr.) FTV 9/10 {133 m.}
34. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013 / George Tillman Jr.) FTV 8+/10 {108 m.}
35. Glory (1989 / Edward Zwick) 8/10 {122 m.} [Bonus: Washington]
36-39. Shorter TV {244 min. total}
a. Sanford and Son: S1, Ep. 13-14; S2, Ep. 1-4 (1972) FTV 7+/10 {152 min. }
b. Good Times: S2, Ep. 4 (1974) FTV 7/10 {26 min. }
c. The Boondocks: S1, Ep. 1-3 (2005) FTV 7+/10 {66 min. }
40. Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016 / Malcolm D. Lee) FTV 7-/10 {111 m.}
41. Dolemite (1975 / D’Urville Martin) 7+/10 {90 m.} [Bonus: Moore]
42. Sleight (2016 / J.D. Dillard) FTV 7+/10 {89 m.}
43. Soul Men (2008 / Malcolm D. Lee) FTV 7-/10 {100 m.}
44. Canal Street (2018 / Rhyan LaMarr) FTV 5/10 {89 m.}
45. Hellbound Train (1930 / Eloyce & James Gist) FTV 7+/10 {60 m.}
46. The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920 / Oscar Micheaux) FTV 7+/10 {60 m.}

47-51. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts and an Epilogue (2006-2007 / Spike Lee) FTV 8+/10 {363 m.} [Bonus: Lee]

[allisoncm]

Spoiler

1. Lackawanna Blues (2005) 7/10 Great cast.
2. Boys on the Side (1995) 8/10 Whoopi Goldberg is a central character in this, representing what it’s like to be a black and lesbian woman.
3. Race (2016) 7/10 Jesse Owens goes to pre-war Germany in 1936 and faces discrimination there and in the USA despite his record-breaking accomplishments.
4. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) 2020 Directed by Cathy Yan 5/10 Jurnee Smollett-Bell plays Black Canary, an African American woman that still faces discrimination despite her singing talent. Luckily, she has ultra cool moves and awesome outfits to silence any naysayers.
5-6. Poetic Justice (1993) [bonus:Singleton] 8/10 Janet Jackson plays an African American poet and hairdresser. The film is filled with appearances from important African Americans such as Tupac Shakur, Regina King, and Maya Angelou. A beautiful piece marred by the fact that Singleton, Angelou, and Shakur are no longer with us.

7. The Photograph (2020) 8/10

(I guess this is 7 if Poetic Justice counts for 2 points)

Why would Poetic Justice count for two points?

it was part of the bonus challenge, but now I see the bonus challenge is separate. Will re-number accordingly.

[albajos]

20. Harriet (2019) USA 270 checks [double]
AfAm. Biogtaphical. About leading slaves from slavery to states they could be free. Set right before the civil war.
21. Waiting to Exhale (1995) USA 1 official list 282 checks
AfAm. Happy Valentine's? About 4 women and their different approach to men.

They call me Mister Tibbs!

01. Petey Wheatstraw (1977) USA 1 official list 104 checks [Bonus:Moore]
02. The Mack (1973) USA 2 official lists 415 checks
03. Uptown Saturday Night (1974) USA 415 checks [Bonus:Poitier]
04. Willie Dynamite (1974) USA 1 official list 101 checks
05. Dolemite (1975) USA 2 official lists 540 checks
06. The Guy from Harlem (1977) USA 61 checks
07. Coffy (1973) USA 2 official lists 1 556 checks [Bonus:Grier]
08. Truck Turner (1974) USA 163 checks
09. The Greatest (1977) UK | USA 25 checks
10. Lady Sings the Blues (1972) USA 185 checks [double]
11. The Wiz (1978) USA 185 checks [double]
12. Top Ten Things I Love/Hate About The Hood (2006) USA color=#008000]not on imdb[/color]
13. Bucktown (1975) USA 54 checks [Bonus:Stars: Williamson]
14. Amazing Grace (1974) USA 9 checks [Bonus:Stars: Williamson]
15. Mudbound (2017) USA 1 official list 1 547 checks [Bonus:Rees] [double]
16 (1ta) Girlfriends S01E01 Toe Sucking (2000) USA 1 check
16 (1tb) Girlfriends S01E02 One Night Stand? (2000) USA 1 check
16 (1tc) Girlfriends S01E01 Girlfrenzy (2000) USA 1 check [Bonus:Akil]
17. Baadasssss Cinema (2002) USA | UK 84 checks (I'm not counting this for the bonus challenge, but several of them is in it)
18. Next Friday (2000) USA 1 561 checks
19. The Education of Sonny Carson (1974) USA 16 checks
20. Harriet (2019) USA 270 checks
21. Waiting to Exhale (1995) USA 1 official list 282 checks

!seen 21

[maxwelldeux]

New Jim Crow FTW

1. Lavell Crawford: Can a Brother Get Some Love? (2011)
2. Bad Boys II (2003)
3. Birthright (1939) Bonus: Oscar Micheaux
4. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) Bonus: Ruby Dee
5. Dolemite (1975) Bonus: Rudy Ray Moore

Quick comments while I catch up.

6. 16 Shots (2019)
Doc about the Laquan McDonald shooting in Chicago. First time I had seen the detail on this, so really interesting.

7. Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001) Best Doc Feature [win]
Double. Very nice "minimalist" doc.

8. Ali (2001)
Double. Smith =/= Ali.

9. Who Killed Malcolm X? Marked Man (2020)
10. Leslie Jones: Time Machine (2020)
She's really funny - very solid comedy special.

11. Who Killed Malcolm X? Straight Man in a Crooked Game (2020)
Episode 2 of the miniseries. I didn't know much about the assassination of him, but was vaguely aware they had caught people. This is really enlightening so far.

12. Dave Chappelle: Equanimity (2017)
Rewatch because I love his comedy and his perspective.

[sol]

Doing the Right Thing

1. Native Son (1986)
2. Just Mercy (2019)
3. Dear White People (2014)
4. Death at a Funeral (2010)
5. Def by Temptation (1990)
6. Watermelon Man (1970)
7. Change of Mind (1969)
8. Pootie Tang (2001)
9. House Party (1990)
10. House Party 2 (1991)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. Peeples (2013)
13. Stigma (1972)
14. Keanu (2016)
15. Little (2019)
16. Coffy (1973)
17. Classified X (1998)
18. The Brothers (2001)

19. Undefeated (2011) Best Documentary



A documentary about the determination of the Caucasian coach of an African American high school football team to see his players succeed both on and off the field. The film is inspirational and heartwarming at its best, but mostly hits the expected notes for an underdog sports story and relies too heavily on maudlin music. Shot on handheld cameras and with some interesting teens, the documentary has a nice air of authenticity at least.

Side note: According to Wikipedia, T.J. Martin was the first African American director to win an Oscar for a feature-length film with Undefeated.

[flavo5000]

14. Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
I stand by my original assessment of this movie as being undervalued by Melvin Van Peebles. It's a fun action comedy that still takes quite a few jabs at the status quo, and while it may not be fueled by the self-righteous anger of Sweet Sweetback, I feel like it still moved black cinema forward nonetheless. I'll also take any opportunity to see Redd Foxx hamming it up I can.


15. A Raisin in the Sun (1961) BONUS: Ruby Dee
Very powerful movie with some absolutely incredible acting from the entire cast. Poitier is especially electric as a dreamer who has high aspirations for the unexpected money their family comes into only to be faced with a crisis of conscience when all does not go as planned. Claudette McNeil as his long-suffering wife and Ruby Dee as his progressive sister are great as well. It is an absolute travesty that the Oscars didn't grant this movie a single nomination in any of the acting categories.

Dolemite is my name and f--kin up motherf--kers is my game

1. Chi-Raq (Spike Lee, 2015)
2. Mr. Mean (Fred Williamson, 1977)
3. Harriet (Kasi Lemmons, 2019)
4. Shaft's Big Score! (1972)
5. Shaft in Africa (1973)
6. South Central S1E5-7 (1994)
7. Hallelujah (1929)
8. Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
9. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
10. Cleopatra Jones (1973)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. The Human Tornado (1976)
13. Scream Blacula Scream (1973)
14. Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
15. A Raisin in the Sun (1961)

[psychotronicbeatnik]

52. Shorter Films {60 min. total}
a. The Films of Oscar Micheaux (2016) FTV 7/10 {9 min. }
b. Verdict Not Guilty (1933 / Eloyce & James Gist) FTV 6+/10 {9 m.}
c. Heaven-Bound Traveler (1935 / Eloyce & James Gist) FTV 6/10 {15 m.}
d. An Introduction: Pioneers of African American Cinema (2016) FTV 7/10 {7 min. }
e. Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort South Carolina, May 1940 (1940) FTV 7/10 {16 min. }
f. Zora Neale Hurston: Fieldwork Footage (1928) FTV 7/10 {4 min. }
53. The Bronze Buckaroo (1939 / Richard C. Kahn) FTV 7+/10 {58 m.}
54. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950 / Alfred E. Green) FTV 7/10 {77 m.} [Bonus: Ruby Dee]
55. Eleven P.M. (1928 / Richard Maurice) FTV 9/10 {67 m.}

Afro Seen

1.Blackenstein (1973 / William A. Levey) FTV 7/10 {87 m.}
2.Blacula (1972 / William Crain) 8/10 {93 m.}
3.Scream Blacula Scream (1973 / Bob Kelljan) 8/10 {96 m.} [Bonus: Grier]
4. Ten Minutes To Live (1932 / Oscar Micheaux) FTV 8+/10 {58 m.} [Bonus: Micheaux]
5. House Party (1990 / Reginald Hudlin) 8+/10 {100 m.}
6. Soul Plane (2004 / Jessy Terrero) 8/10 {86 m.}
7. Baby Boy (2001 / John Singleton) FTV 7+/10 {130 m.} [Bonus: Singleton]
8. Boyz n the Hood (1991 / John Singleton) 8+/10 {112 m.}
9. Sorry To Bother You (2018 / Boots Riley) FTV 8+/10 {112 m.}
10. Little (2019 / Tina Gordon) FTV 5/10 {109 m.}
11-16. Shorter TV {364 min. total}
a. Sanford and Son: S1, Ep. 7-12 (1972) FTV 8-/10 {156 min. }
b. Good Times: S1, Ep. 9-13; S2, Ep. 1-3 (1974) FTV 8/10 {208 min. }
17. The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1968 / Melvin Van Peebles) 9/10 {87 m.} [Bonus: Van Peebles]
18. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971 / Melvin Van Peebles) 8+/10 {97 m.}
19. Barbershop (2002 / Tim Story) FTV 8+/10 {102 m.}
20. Black Belt Jones (1974 / Robert Clouse) 7/10 {85 m.}
21. Three the Hard Way (1974 / Gordon Parks Jr.) 7/10 {89 m.} [Bonus: Williamson]
22. How To Get the Man’s Foot Outta Your Ass; aka: Baadasssss! (2003 / Mario Van Peebles) FTV 8+/10 {109 m.}
23. How To Eat Your Watermelon in White Company (and Enjoy It) (2005 / Joe Angio) FTV 8/10 {85 m.}
24. Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004 / Kevin Rodney Sullivan) FTV 7/10 {106 m.}
25. Creed II (2018 / Steven Caple Jr.) FTV 7+/10 {130 m.}
26. Fruitvale Station (2013 / Ryan Coogler) FTV 9+/10 {85 m.} [Bonus: Spencer]
27. Kings (2017 / Deniz Gamze Erguven) FTV 7/10 {86 m.}
28. Pariah (2011 / Dee Rees) 8+/10 {86 m.} [Bonus: Rees]
29. Chris Rock: Bring the Pain (1996 / Keith Truesdell) FTV 7+/10 {58 m.}
30. Bessie (2015 / Dee Rees) FTV 8+/10 {115 m.}
31. Sparkle (2012 / Salim Akil) FTV 7/10 {116 m.} [Bonus: Mara Brock Akil – writer & producer]
32. Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002 / Paul Justman) FTV 8+/10 {108 m.}
33. The Hate U Give (2018 / George Tillman Jr.) FTV 9/10 {133 m.}
34. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013 / George Tillman Jr.) FTV 8+/10 {108 m.}
35. Glory (1989 / Edward Zwick) 8/10 {122 m.} [Bonus: Washington]
36-39. Shorter TV {244 min. total}
a. Sanford and Son: S1, Ep. 13-14; S2, Ep. 1-4 (1972) FTV 7+/10 {152 min. }
b. Good Times: S2, Ep. 4 (1974) FTV 7/10 {26 min. }
c. The Boondocks: S1, Ep. 1-3 (2005) FTV 7+/10 {66 min. }
40. Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016 / Malcolm D. Lee) FTV 7-/10 {111 m.}
41. Dolemite (1975 / D’Urville Martin) 7+/10 {90 m.} [Bonus: Moore]
42. Sleight (2016 / J.D. Dillard) FTV 7+/10 {89 m.}
43. Soul Men (2008 / Malcolm D. Lee) FTV 7-/10 {100 m.}
44. Canal Street (2018 / Rhyan LaMarr) FTV 5/10 {89 m.}
45. Hellbound Train (1930 / Eloyce & James Gist) FTV 7+/10 {60 m.}
46. The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920 / Oscar Micheaux) FTV 7+/10 {60 m.}
47-51. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts and an Epilogue (2006-2007 / Spike Lee) FTV 8+/10 {363 m.} [Bonus: Lee]

52. Shorter Films {60 min. total}
a. The Films of Oscar Micheaux (2016) FTV 7/10 {9 min. }
b. Verdict Not Guilty (1933 / Eloyce & James Gist) FTV 6+/10 {9 m.}
c. Heaven-Bound Traveler (1935 / Eloyce & James Gist) FTV 6/10 {15 m.}
d. An Introduction: Pioneers of African American Cinema (2016) FTV 7/10 {7 min. }
e. Commandment Keeper Church, Beaufort South Carolina, May 1940 (1940) FTV 7/10 {16 min. }
f. Zora Neale Hurston: Fieldwork Footage (1928) FTV 7/10 {4 min. }
53. The Bronze Buckaroo (1939 / Richard C. Kahn) FTV 7+/10 {58 m.}
54. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950 / Alfred E. Green) FTV 7/10 {77 m.} [Bonus: Ruby Dee]
55. Eleven P.M. (1928 / Richard Maurice) FTV 9/10 {67 m.}

[albajos]

22. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) USA 1 official list 1 754 checks [double]
AfAm. Tina Turner biography
23. How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) USA 248 checks
AfAm. 40year old wealthy woman gets a 20 year old boyfriend
24. Annie (2014) USA 900 checks
Blax. The most icongraphic image of Annie is the red hair, The one thing a black version would never have. Completely pointless and bad.

They call me Mister Tibbs!

01. Petey Wheatstraw (1977) USA 1 official list 104 checks [Bonus:Moore]
02. The Mack (1973) USA 2 official lists 415 checks
03. Uptown Saturday Night (1974) USA 415 checks [Bonus:Poitier]
04. Willie Dynamite (1974) USA 1 official list 101 checks
05. Dolemite (1975) USA 2 official lists 540 checks
06. The Guy from Harlem (1977) USA 61 checks
07. Coffy (1973) USA 2 official lists 1 556 checks [Bonus:Grier]
08. Truck Turner (1974) USA 163 checks
09. The Greatest (1977) UK | USA 25 checks
10. Lady Sings the Blues (1972) USA 185 checks [double]
11. The Wiz (1978) USA 185 checks [double]
12. Top Ten Things I Love/Hate About The Hood (2006) USA color=#008000]not on imdb[/color]
13. Bucktown (1975) USA 54 checks [Bonus:Stars: Williamson]
14. Amazing Grace (1974) USA 9 checks [Bonus:Stars: Williamson]
15. Mudbound (2017) USA 1 official list 1 547 checks [Bonus:Rees] [double]
16 (1ta) Girlfriends S01E01 Toe Sucking (2000) USA 1 check
16 (1tb) Girlfriends S01E02 One Night Stand? (2000) USA 1 check
16 (1tc) Girlfriends S01E01 Girlfrenzy (2000) USA 1 check [Bonus:Akil]
17. Baadasssss Cinema (2002) USA | UK 84 checks (I'm not counting this for the bonus challenge, but several of them is in it)
18. Next Friday (2000) USA 1 561 checks
19. The Education of Sonny Carson (1974) USA 16 checks
20. Harriet (2019) USA 270 checks
21. Waiting to Exhale (1995) USA 1 official list 282 checks
22. What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) USA 1 official list 1 754 checks [double]
23. How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) USA 248 checks
24. Annie (2014) USA 900 checks

!seen 24

[sol]

Doing the Right Thing

1. Native Son (1986)
2. Just Mercy (2019)
3. Dear White People (2014)
4. Death at a Funeral (2010)
5. Def by Temptation (1990)
6. Watermelon Man (1970)
7. Change of Mind (1969)
8. Pootie Tang (2001)
9. House Party (1990)
10. House Party 2 (1991)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. Peeples (2013)
13. Stigma (1972)
14. Keanu (2016)
15. Little (2019)
16. Coffy (1973)
17. Classified X (1998)
18. The Brothers (2001)
19. Undefeated (2011)

20. The Equalizer (2014)



This vigilante thriller is at its most interesting when depicting him meticulously planning and weighing up the odds in certain situations (though the eyeball close-ups are overdone). The fight/kill scenes are less engaging with him so invincible and never in real danger. Some of the attacks are inventive with unconventional dispatch methods, though MacGyver the film is not. A perpetually calm Denzel Washington is fine in the lead role.

[flavo5000]

16. Don't Play Us Cheap (1973) BONUS: Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles brings us basically a filmed stage play of a couple of demons trying to cause trouble at a raucous house party. There's very little real plot here and the direction is pretty static for the most part to the point that for like 80% of the movie, he basically just staged the broadway musical on one set and pointed the camera at it. Thankfully some of the songs are really good, otherwise this'd be a wholesale mess.

Dolemite is my name and f--kin up motherf--kers is my game

1. Chi-Raq (Spike Lee, 2015)
2. Mr. Mean (Fred Williamson, 1977)
3. Harriet (Kasi Lemmons, 2019)
4. Shaft's Big Score! (1972)
5. Shaft in Africa (1973)
6. South Central S1E5-7 (1994)
7. Hallelujah (1929)
8. Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
9. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
10. Cleopatra Jones (1973)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. The Human Tornado (1976)
13. Scream Blacula Scream (1973)
14. Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
15. A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
16. Don't Play Us Cheap (1973)

[allisoncm]

Spoiler

1. Lackawanna Blues (2005) 7/10 Great cast.
2. Boys on the Side (1995) 8/10 Whoopi Goldberg is a central character in this, representing what it’s like to be a black and lesbian woman.
3. Race (2016) 7/10 Jesse Owens goes to pre-war Germany in 1936 and faces discrimination there and in the USA despite his record-breaking accomplishments.
4. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) 2020 Directed by Cathy Yan 5/10 Jurnee Smollett-Bell plays Black Canary, an African American woman that still faces discrimination despite her singing talent. Luckily, she has ultra cool moves and awesome outfits to silence any naysayers.
5. Poetic Justice (1993) [bonus:Singleton] 8/10 Janet Jackson plays an African American poet and hairdresser. The film is filled with appearances from important African Americans such as Tupac Shakur, Regina King, and Maya Angelou. A beautiful piece marred by the fact that Singleton, Angelou, and Shakur are no longer with us.
6. The Photograph (2020) 8/10

7. Sidewalk Stories (1989) 6/10

[OldAle1]

1. The Black Gestapo (Lee Frost, 1975)

While the imagery



and the title, and a little bit of documentary footage of Hitler at the beginning would seem to be driving home a message and a theme, there isn't really much here to compare to the Nazis, apart from a very vague sense that the "good" black radicals, exemplified by Rod Perry's General Ahmed, are to be seen as more like the "good" or "ordinary" Germans, or members of the traditional, non-political armed forces, while the "bad" black radicals, lead by Charles Robinson's Colonel Kojah, would be the true Nazis, the Gestapo and SS. So you could read it like that, but really the story is just that of a bunch of black paramilitaries getting fed up with the white gangsters that run the town (L.A. obviously but I don't remember if it's ever stated as such), then suffering a schism when Kojah's group wants to essentially just replace whitey as the dope dealers and pimps, while Ahmed offers a somewhat better world view. Not a bad concept but the narrative is a mess - seems like there might be scenes missing or not shot - and the characters thus sometimes hard to get a handle on, and very cheaply done and rather ineptly directed and edited. I did like how Ahmed - who shows himself to be fairly incompetent and weak at several points early in the film - becomes practically a superhero in the climax of the film in his attempt to single-handedly take out Kojah's group. If he was so good, why didn't he show it earlier? Anyway there's some amusement to be had here but this is pretty weak overall.

2. Darktown Strutters (William Witney, 1975)

Now THIS is really something else. First of all though the name probably isn't familiar to most, I knew William Witney right away - one of the major names behind the camera on classic American serials of the 30s and 40s. I wondered if it was the same guy - he was pretty old by the time this was made, and it's certainly not like any of his previous work that I know; and IMDb credits have been known to be wrong, and this is fairly obscure - could be the son of the original WW I suppose. Then again -- the craziness of this film and the way it veers from crime to biker flick to comedy to musical is something right out of the old serials, so anything's possible. I remember somebody on IMDb years ago going on about how this film was offensive and really problematic in it's racial attitudes but I didn't get that, at least not for the most part - and even if the black characters are stereotyped, most of the white characters here are moron-grade Keystone Kops (they actually drive a police car with a cartoonishly oversized siren on top), except for a Colonel Sanders rip-off, so I think it's safe to say that the whole film operates mostly in the realm of sheer farce. To describe the plot is rather futile, but the basics are that Syreena (Trina Parks)



here explaining herself to some of the idiot cops, is the leader of a biker gang that consists of four very tall, thin and beautiful black women who wear similar yellow, orange, white and pink jumpsuits; they mess around with the cops, fend off various creeps, and Syreena tries to find her mother who has apparently been kidnapped by the Col. Sanders guy who wants to create a race of clones and get rid of women, or black people, or both (I wasn't clear on this and I was tired). Dick Miller plays one of the incompetent cops and Roger Mosely plays "Mellow" but otherwise the cast was unfamiliar and this again an obvious low-budget affair, but it makes the most use of it's limitations by being absolutely CRAZY and just going off every which way, and having awesome costumes and music throughout. Oh, and it's also one of the very few blaxploitation films that is actually family-friendly - PG rated with no nudity, explicit violence or language. Which somehow makes it all the more entertaining and weird. I can't call it a great film because it's just too scattershot and there are definitely some dull moments (most of the Col Sanders stuff for instance) but it's not like anything else. Tempted to put it on my 500<400 list, certainly something more people interested in the outré should check out.

[hurluberlu]

3. Ali (Michael Mann, 2001) 7+

[cinephage]

03. Mandingo, by Richard Fleischer (1975) 8/10

While not actually shot by an African American, I can see why this counts as an important step from mainstream cinema. It shows with a relative accuracy how badly slaves were handled during the mid-nineteenth century. Quite a difficult film to watch, but it's certainly well-made, Fleischer was fascinated by how people could live with themselves doing bad actions, and this certainly illustrates this theme.

Spoiler

01. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, de Melvin van Peebles (1971) 8/10 Bonus - Melvin van Peebles 1/15
02. Blacula, by Willam Crain (1972) 7,5/10

[sol]

Doing the Right Thing

1. Native Son (1986)
2. Just Mercy (2019)
3. Dear White People (2014)
4. Death at a Funeral (2010)
5. Def by Temptation (1990)
6. Watermelon Man (1970)
7. Change of Mind (1969)
8. Pootie Tang (2001)
9. House Party (1990)
10. House Party 2 (1991)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. Peeples (2013)
13. Stigma (1972)
14. Keanu (2016)
15. Little (2019)
16. Coffy (1973)
17. Classified X (1998)
18. The Brothers (2001)
19. Undefeated (2011)
20. The Equalizer (2014)

21. For Love of Ivy (1968)



Co-written by co-star Sidney Poitier, this film is not quite as racially insensitive at it might at first seem with the two potential lovers taking things in their own direction after the awkward first date set-up. It still all feels a little in poor taste, what with everyone conspiring to prevent Ivy from bettering her career prospects, but the performances are very decent when one gets over the ickiness of it all - and the theme song is beautiful.

[cinephage]

04. Scream Blacula Scream, by Bob Kelljan (1973) 7,5/10 Bonus - Pam Grier 2/15


Quite a good sequel, with the addition of voodoo and Pam Grier to the Blacula storyline...

Spoiler

01. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, de Melvin van Peebles (1971) 8/10 Bonus - Melvin van Peebles 1/15
02. Blacula, by Willam Crain (1972) 7,5/10
03. Mandingo, by Richard Fleischer (1975) 8/10

[sol]

Doing the Right Thing

1. Native Son (1986)
2. Just Mercy (2019)
3. Dear White People (2014)
4. Death at a Funeral (2010)
5. Def by Temptation (1990)
6. Watermelon Man (1970)
7. Change of Mind (1969)
8. Pootie Tang (2001)
9. House Party (1990)
10. House Party 2 (1991)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. Peeples (2013)
13. Stigma (1972)
14. Keanu (2016)
15. Little (2019)
16. Coffy (1973)
17. Classified X (1998)
18. The Brothers (2001)
19. Undefeated (2011)
20. The Equalizer (2014)
21. For Love of Ivy (1968)

22. Porgy and Bess (1959)



Some of the songs are catchy here, but the history of this film is more interesting than the movie itself, from the lack of an official home video release due to disagreements between estates to Samuel Goldwyn's insistence in shooting on soundstage, to director Otto Preminger's filming everything in long shot. The result is an incredibly distanced, with the noticeably fake sets, few close-ups and nearly entirely sung dialogue making immersion difficult.

[ororama]

1. Ol' King Cotton (1930) * 11 min.
A Rhapsody in Black and Blue (1932) * 10 min.
Black and Tan (1929) 19 min.
A Bundle of Blues (1933) * 9 min.
Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life (1935) * 10 min.
Ain't Misbehavin' (1941) * 3 min.

*First time viewing

[sol]

Doing the Right Thing

1. Native Son (1986)
2. Just Mercy (2019)
3. Dear White People (2014)
4. Death at a Funeral (2010)
5. Def by Temptation (1990)
6. Watermelon Man (1970)
7. Change of Mind (1969)
8. Pootie Tang (2001)
9. House Party (1990)
10. House Party 2 (1991)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. Peeples (2013)
13. Stigma (1972)
14. Keanu (2016)
15. Little (2019)
16. Coffy (1973)
17. Classified X (1998)
18. The Brothers (2001)
19. Undefeated (2011)
20. The Equalizer (2014)
21. For Love of Ivy (1968)
22. Porgy and Bess (1959)

23. Within Our Gates (1920)



As the earliest known surviving film by an African American filmmaker, this has much historical interest and some of the issues with financing an all-black school and the reality of lynching back then are fascinating. As a narrative though, this was unsatisfying. As with most early 20s silents, the film relies far too heavily on title cards to drive things, plus it bounces between several key characters with convenient coincidences and too many subplots.

[sol]

Doing the Right Thing

1. Native Son (1986)
2. Just Mercy (2019)
3. Dear White People (2014)
4. Death at a Funeral (2010)
5. Def by Temptation (1990)
6. Watermelon Man (1970)
7. Change of Mind (1969)
8. Pootie Tang (2001)
9. House Party (1990)
10. House Party 2 (1991)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. Peeples (2013)
13. Stigma (1972)
14. Keanu (2016)
15. Little (2019)
16. Coffy (1973)
17. Classified X (1998)
18. The Brothers (2001)
19. Undefeated (2011)
20. The Equalizer (2014)
21. For Love of Ivy (1968)
22. Porgy and Bess (1959)
23. Within Our Gates (1920)

24. Universal Remote (2007)



Full of random, (mostly) unrelated sketches designed to push the boundaries of good taste, this film is perhaps best thought of as a precursor to Movie 43 (make of that what you will), but whereas the wraparound segment of Movie 43 was better than its tales within, the wraparound is pretty useless here, but some of the sketches are admittedly amusing: most offensive song, an ethic slurs game show, spoof white supremacist music video, etc.

[blocho]

Do people think the Watchmen series fits this challenge?

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

Hi and thanks for hosting, albajos.

01. 'The Duke Is Tops' / 1938, William L. Nolte, Ralph Cooper / 7.5 or 8/10
02. 'Mississippi Burning' / 1988, Alan Parker / 8.5/10
03. 'Where Children Play' / 2015, Leila Djansi / 5 or 5.5/10
04. 'Get Out' / 2017, Jordan Peele / 6.5 or 7/10
05. 'Tyrel' / 2018, Sebastián Silva / 5/10

[flavo5000]

17. Blackenstein (1973)
While this one tries to add a bit of social commentary in it with the titular character originating as a vietnam vet, the low production values and lazy script make this as schlocky as Blacula seemed like it would be. On the plus side, my 2-year-old daughter did recognize him as Frankenstein so at least she knows the important stuff.


18. Beyond the Lights (2014)
The plotting is a little overly contrived but that's to be expected of a "price of stardom" story. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is quite good though in the main role of the chanteuse who desires more control over her life free from executives and her overbearing mother. Nate Parker is fine as the love interest but really doesn't elevate the movie in any meaningful way.


19. Get on Up (2014) BONUS: Octavia Spencer
Chadwick Boseman is absolutely electric as James Brown, the Godfather of Soul. He nails the mannerisms, the dance moves and the crazy arrogance with equal aplomb. It is a straight up travesty that he didn't get any nominations at the major awards in 2014. He was certainly better than Rami Malek's Freddie Mercury. Some have criticized the movie for being a bit disjointed in how it's constructed but I really didn't mind at all. And while it may not be an in-depth information dump of everything you might want to know about James Brown, I felt like it definitely nailed his complicated essence as both a fantastic, ambitious performer with a troubled past and a history of violence.


20. A Soldier's Story (!984) BONUS: Denzel Washington
This was a very good story at its core of a black officer found shot dead in the deep south in the 1940s but was mainly hampered by some overacting in places. Nevertheless, the central mystery is a compelling one with some great performances by Howard Rollins Jr as the investigating officer and Denzel Washington as a particularly proud and hostile private.


21. Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium (2017)
I actually got about five minutes into this before I realized I had already seen it. But I decided to just watch it again because it's damned funny stuff. His bits about OJ and Bill Cosby are especially great.

Dolemite is my name and f--kin up motherf--kers is my game

1. Chi-Raq (Spike Lee, 2015)
2. Mr. Mean (Fred Williamson, 1977)
3. Harriet (Kasi Lemmons, 2019)
4. Shaft's Big Score! (1972)
5. Shaft in Africa (1973)
6. South Central S1E5-7 (1994)
7. Hallelujah (1929)
8. Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
9. Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
10. Cleopatra Jones (1973)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. The Human Tornado (1976)
13. Scream Blacula Scream (1973)
14. Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
15. A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
16. Don't Play Us Cheap (1973)
17. Blackenstein (1973)
18. Beyond the Lights (2014)
19. Get on Up (2014)
20. A Soldier's Story (!984)
21. Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium (2017)

[sol]

Doing the Right Thing

1. Native Son (1986)
2. Just Mercy (2019)
3. Dear White People (2014)
4. Death at a Funeral (2010)
5. Def by Temptation (1990)
6. Watermelon Man (1970)
7. Change of Mind (1969)
8. Pootie Tang (2001)
9. House Party (1990)
10. House Party 2 (1991)
11. Poetic Justice (1993)
12. Peeples (2013)
13. Stigma (1972)
14. Keanu (2016)
15. Little (2019)
16. Coffy (1973)
17. Classified X (1998)
18. The Brothers (2001)
19. Undefeated (2011)
20. The Equalizer (2014)
21. For Love of Ivy (1968)
22. Porgy and Bess (1959)
23. Within Our Gates (1920)
24. Universal Remote (2007)

25. The Black Gestapo (1975)



The lurid title suggests something schlocky and exploitative, and bits and pieces of the film do feel overdone and merely present for shock value. For the most part though, this is a gripping what-if rumination on what might occur if an oppressed minority took inspiration from the Nazis. There are many striking images of Nazi iconography (especially camera walking past saluting soldiers) and the film is packed with memorable vengeance scenes.

[sol]

Do people think the Watchmen series fits this challenge?

I don't know enough about the series to provide an answer, however, albajos is being pretty liberal with what he is allowing (Birds of Prey etc) so going back to the OP, I would say that as long as the series either...

(a) focuses on the African American experience; or
(b) is directed, written (or produced by) and stars African American actors

...it's probably okay. Or at least that how I have been trying to judge things myself.

[blocho]

Do people think the Watchmen series fits this challenge?

I don't know enough about the series to provide an answer, however, albajos is being pretty liberal with what he is allowing (Birds of Prey etc) so going back to the OP, I would say that as long as the series either...

(a) focuses on the African American experience; or
(b) is directed, written (or produced by) and stars African American actors

...it's probably okay. Or at least that how I have been trying to judge things myself.

Thanks. Only have one episode to go. It's been quite a ride.