EEEEEEK!

Last night I went to the liquidation auction for Baltimore's Dime Museum, basically to check out a free freak show (auction items and those attending) and maybe pick up a little something something if it just happened that I happened to...... CHECK OUT THE AWESOME STUFF I GOT!

Hell with it

I've been very negligent of this blog recently, especially lame since I have a project this month that I think is pretty cool; to write about blaxploitation and some related genre films. But I have been seriously unmotivated, no idea what that's about. The only movie that got me really excited recently was not blaxploitation related, and all I was really inspired to say about it was
GO WATCH BLUE UNDERGROUND'S RELEASE OF SALON KITTY RIGHT NOW.

I'm not kidding at all, and I can't give any spoilers because that would detract from the immense cognitive effect of this film on the viewer.

I've been wanting to write about Blacula, because I love it and there's some interesting stuff going on there, but have been totally uninspired. What can I really say about Blacula? It's awesome, William Marshall's performance carries the piece and is astoundingly strong and dignified, traditional themes of sexuality and the complicity of the female victim are given a little nudge here; with Blacula's first victims being homosexual males and Tina's willing decision to join Blacula. Blacula himself becomes a tragic hero instead of a monster, he is not lured to his death by the female victim, she willingly joins him and he voluntarily walks into the sun and kills himself when he loses her. In any number of ways this movie turns the traditional themes of vampire films on their heads and emerges as a strong, interesting take on those themes and the way they translate given a different cultural context. So there, I guess I wrote about Blacula. Great movie, check it out if you haven't, available pretty much anywhere.

8 easy steps to becoming peniless and angry

1) kitten dies ($300) (animal hospital bills)

2) extravagant trip to amsterdam, because at the time you had the cash ($1,600)

3) new kitty to ease the pain, disease free this time ($350)

4) external hard drive death, replacement and data recovery ($1,000)

5) car accident in car w/ no collision insurance because of paperwork mix-up ($6,109)

6) new insurance policy downpayment ($1,900)

7) check fraud and identity theft ($1,500) (stolen from me)

8) Help out a friend in trouble ($1,500) (again, hen I had the cash)

and now, here I am, completely broke. thanks life. thanks a lot.

Abar: The First Black Superman (1977) Frank Packard

Abar may not be the greatest blaxploitation flick ever made, in fact it has been largely forgotten and is pretty tough to get your hands on at this point. But it is a novelty, and in a way, it's simplicity lays bare the issues at the center of black cinema and the blaxploitation movement. It's novelty is that it is, purportedly, the first black sci-fi movie. The premise is that an upper class, educated black family moves into a white neighborhood, and zany antics ensue! Dr. Kinkaide, the successful black scientist, and his family, are not welcomed into their new neighborhood. There is not a single sympathetic white character in the world of this film, and the good doctor's home is vandalized and the family threatened with violence. Abar, a youthful idealist who aims to end povery and racial discrimination, is hired as the Kinkaide's bodyguard. Meanwhile, Dr. Kinkaide has been whipping up a super-secret elixir in his basement laboratory that allows bunny rabbits to survive gunshot wounds. When the racial tension gets really bad, Dr. Kinkaide convinces Abar to down the potion, giving him supernatural honky-bashing powers. Production values are very low, the acting is even worse, and the premise and it's presentation are nothing less than absurd, but it's good camp fun with a positive message. Abar's speeches about making efforts towards social change by non-violent means and the unity displayed by the black community are heartfelt, if over-simplified, attempts to forward a positive political agenda. I also found it interesting that the (poor) black community stood up for the Kinkaides, because in many movies in this and related genres black characters who leave the community to live a more posh lifestyle are frequently denigrated and perceived as turning their back on their roots. There isn't a whole lot of action until the very end, when Abar gains an assortment of superpowers and there results a great big supernatural showdown between the racist honkies and the activist turned magical militant. All in all, a good bit of fun with some novel elements and an appealing camp aesthetic.

Available for sale at pimpadelicwonderland.com, and possibly for download at thepiratebay.org if anyone's still seeding

For the record

I spent the 14th watching 'let me die a woman' with my boy and the cat, who especially liked the operation scenes. Best Valentines Day Ever.

Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971) Jacopetti and Prosperi

"They have finally done it: Made the most disgusting, contemptuous insult to decency ever to masquerade as a documentary" -Roger Ebert on Goodbye Uncle Tom

I know I said I would write about blaxploitation exclusively this month, but it looks like the scope of the project is going to be a little broader, although still essentially the same. Goodbye Uncle Tom is not a blaxploitation flick, but it certainly is about black people being exploited and I have been thinking more and more about how this kind of exploitation movie (mondo, etc..) is really important to a discussion of exploitation in film and in this particular instance, black issues.
Jacopetti and Prosperi were a team of Italian film makers who began making "documentary" films in the early 60's, generally composed of shocking and bizarre images of non-western cultures, customs, and events. The genre of films that emerged from this are now called "shockumentaries" or more classically, mondo cinema. Their first foray into this dangerous and controversial genre was Mondo Cane, one of the best known and most visually and emotionally striking of their films. One of the characteristics of their films is that they are presented to the viewer as images of truth, as documentary footage, and this, I believe, is the most dangerous and intriguing element of this type of film.
Goodbye Uncle Tom departs from the structure of Mondo Cane, which was essentially a collage of unrelated clips from different exotic locales. Uncle Tom maintains the context of being a documentary, and the film makers and camera men are frequently in the shot, interacting with the players. However, the film these on-screen film makers are making is a documentary about slavery in the pre-civil war American South. I love this whimsical decision of the film makers; it establishes a very specific point of entry for the viewer: as it is a documentary, we are asked to believe that the events in the movie are true and to respect their power as images of real life atrocities, but we are constantly reminded of the impossibility that the footage we are shown is real. This decision may have been influenced in part by the public's reaction to Afrika Addio, which was presented as pure documentary and resulted in murder charges for the film makers. It also allows the film makers to include some very powerful directorial scenes and images that would not work in the context of a film that was presented as unstaged documentary: for example, one beautiful shot of a little white girl and a young black boy frolicking together in a sunny field filled with flowers, only as they draw nearer to the camera, the viewer is stunned by the realization that the black child is on a leash.
I will be the first to admit that this film is genuinely shocking, and not for the weak of heart (or mind, or stomach); but I also think it's an important and intensely interesting movie. Based on the track records of the film makers, it is not surprising that this film is loaded with intensely disturbing, violent, and controversial(some would call it offensive) imagery. Many consider the film to be overtly racist, and I can honestly say I understand that. But I feel that it is important, and appropriate, to make a film about the atrocities committed against African slaves that leaves us shocked, angry, and chilled to the bone. Holocaust films perform a similar function in educating and pushing forward a discussion about how such events can happen and how they affect us. The difference between many disturbing holocaust films and films like Uncle Tom is the shock factor, and the elements of horror and raw exploitation used by Jacoppetti and Prosperi. One of their most effective techniques is the use of sometimes breathtaking cinematography and Riz Ortolani's downright immorally good score, which, juxtaposed against the horror of the subject matter, creates quite the cognitive effect on the viewer. I love this movie because it moved and disturbed me, and because of the texture and richness of the visual and mental world I was unwillingly thrust into. A very powerful and disturbing movie, highly recommended to those who can take it.

Also, ONLY watch the blue underground release, which is the only available copy of the directors cut, has 13 minutes of extra footage, is better edited and is from a much better quality print than other versions available in America http://www.blue-underground.com/

Bones (2001) Ernest R. Dickerson

Bones is one of the most under appreciated horror movies in recent history. Not only does it star Snoop Dogg and Pam Grier (together at last!), but it actually adresses supernatural horror themes in some really interesting and innovative ways. The premise of the film is that a supposedly haunted house is purchased by a group of young aspiring musicians, who hope to turn it into a nightclub and rejuvenate their father's old neighborhood, which has become a slum. Slowly the story of how the neighborhood went downhill unfolds, including their father's involvement in the murder of Jimmy Bones(Snoop), who was trying to stop the introduction of crack into the neighborhood. This allows for some truly awesome flashback/background establishing scenes set in the 70's, with Snoop and Pam Grier in excellent 70's getup. The 70's scenes are shot with yellow filters, evoking the aesthetic of 70's film stock and the look of old blaxploitation flicks. From here, the structure of the story is reminiscent of rape/revenge movies of that era, except that it takes the form of murder/revenge from beyond the grave. This allows us to feel sympathy for the killer, and even admiration for his bad-assness (which is plentiful). While this movie certainly borrowed a lot from classic 70's genre cinema, it also contains the kind of snappy dialogue and catch phrases employed in later American horror films such as Nightmare on Elm Street. Influences from Italian horror can also be spotted, most notably in the gratuitous use of maggots, a staple of 80's Italian horror. The film makers really did their research, and the casting is superb. The chemistry between Pam Grier and Snoop is surprisingly good,and the story of Jimmy's betrayal by members of his own community, as well as the anti-drug message, is yet another example of a call for greater unity and brotherhood in the black community. The supernatural killing scenes are inventive and over the top, and invite the viewer to have some fun with this movie. It's funny, it's cool looking, there's maggots, Snoop and Pam Grier get it on, really, what more could you ask for?

I'm definitely a fan.

Available for rental through netflix, for sale on amazon

neat-o

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6342659.stm

Spider Baby revision

It has come to my attention that Spider Baby, which I previously claimed was made in 1968, was made at the latest in 1964, and was only released in '68 due to some legal troubles. This makes my point about the gender dynamic in the film all the more striking. I will be more thorough in my research in the future.

Darktown Strutters (1975) William Witney

Darktown strutters is a favorite of mine due to its outlandish premise, riotous energy, and camp aesthetic. A badass all black all female biker gang, sporting threads Liberace would have creamed his pants over, take on an evil Colonel Sanders doppelganger who plans on cloning prominent black community leaders and programming them to be loyal consumers of his product. He kidnaps Cinderella, the mother of the gang's leader, and a slew of whacky adventures ensue, not least of all a chase scene with some motorcyle riding Klan members. And did I mention it's a musical? Although not neccesarily skillfully made or even really very good, this flick is definitely worth checking out and will most certainly leave you with a smile on your lips.

available to buy from www.superhappyfun.com/forsale.cfm?whereme=1605

Political scandal

Apparently Gavin Newsom, Mayor of my home town, has recently admitted to having an affair with the amazingly named Ruby Rippey-Tourk and is now seeking counseling for alcohol abuse. The press is widely praising him for acknowledging that he has a problem and setting a good example by seeking treatment. Remember the good old days when 'setting a good example' meant not abusing drugs and alcohol in the first place? Neither do I, but I am getting sick of people blaming alcohol for all their poor decisions. I'm also sick of the media and people generally for accepting a world in which it's clear that alcohol causes people to make poor decisions, and that the treatment of alcohol addiction will also treat all your other problems. I don't accept this because there is one enormous confounding variable that makes this assumption inherently unprovable: abusing alcohol is an example of a poor decision. So is it that people make bad decisions because they abuse alcohol, or do they abuse alcohol because they make bad decisions. Honestly, it's probably a little bit of both, in which case treatment for alcohol addiction is only a superficial short term cure that fails to address real long-term issues. The reason that people are willing to accept this meretricious causal story is because of the attitude towards alcoholism hammered into our heads from middle school onward, that it's a disease. This purely semantic distinction allows us to believe that it is out of our control, something which is absolutely untrue. In fact, it is only through self-control that we can overcome our addictions, because to the best of my knowledge they haven't invented a drug that cures alcoholism yet, and while treatment programs can do a lot of good, it's still only within ourselves that battles against addiction are fought and won. This is one of the reasons I think AA is so dangerous, besides being, you know, a cult. The language that AA has introduced into our vernacular has facilitated this kind of dangerous misinformation. All I'm saying is, the interesting question isn't 'would Gavin Newsom have had an affair if he wasn't an alcoholic' but 'would Newsom have admitted to an alcohol problem if he hadn't been caught with his pants around his ankles.'

Jack Hill Interview

Check it out.

http://dvdtalk.com/cineschlock/jackhill/interview.html

Coffy (1973) Jack Hill.

It's black history month, so I will spend it writing about one of my favorite genres: blaxploitation. Coffy is hands down my favorite blaxploitation movie, and not only because Pam Grier is absolutely luscious in this role. Although that may have a lot to do with it. Jack Hill is one of my favorite B-movie directors, whose work is characterized by thoughtful, interesting interpretations of B-movie themes. Case in point; Coffy is one of the first movies in this genre to have a strong, female character at the center of the film. In the role that launched her into icon status, Pam Grier plays a nurse turned bad-ass vigilante sworn to revenge herself on the people who got her little sister addicted to drugs. She uses her body, and men's assumptions about the abilities of women, not to mention her bad-ass ass-kicking skills, to seriously kick some ass. Blessed with the most beautiful body ever gifted to mankind and a smart, sexy attitude, Pam Grier was born to play this role, and every other role that followed. As a white male, Jack Hill does a pretty excellent job doing justice to a black, female character and African American issues. The overwhelming theme in the film is that of encouraging the black community to stand up for their own, and to fight the external forces which oppress the community; making a life of crime and drug use appealing. And in the end the film is about Coffy's victory over those forces, and about strength and perseverance. It's no wonder that Pam Grier became an icon in black culture. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out.

available for rental through netflix, and for sale on amazon

The Story of a Three-day Pass (1968)

Last night I got a chance to watch a 35mm print of Melvin van Peebles 'story of a 3 day pass' and damn, was I pleasantly surprised. van Peebles, who is known for his blaxploitation classics 'Sweet sweetback's baadasssss song' and 'watermelon man' has always left me slightly conflicted. The screening last night really brought to my attention those elements of van Peeble's work that I find both problematic and intriguing. van Peebles began making movies in the early 1950's and refers to himself as self-taught. Sweetback is an important but difficult movie, and most of van Peebles work exhibits some lack of technical expertise and fluency in the grammar of cinema. However, sweetback was, essentially, a work of outsider art. But in this case, the outsiders were a huge demographic of American film viewers that hollywood had seriously underestimated, and this indie film's world left white viewers outside. The political atmosphere of Hollywood at the time created a double split; on the one hand, van Peebles is excluded from the world of Hollywood because of his culture, allowing him little access to traditional Hollywood techniques and resources. On the other hand, this makes it so that the viewer is excluded from the world of the film unless they are a part of that culture. In this way representation of black identity and by default the identity of the film maker(who was also the star) become the most powerful elements in the film. The story is disjointed, the pacing drags painfully, moments of false bravado and posing make us wince a little, but we all know that this movie is something special. Before making sweetback, van Peebles lived and worked in Europe, where he experienced less discrimination and was given a grant by the French government to turn a novel he had written into a film. With that grant he made 'The story of a three-day pass,' which he then screened in San Francisco as a foreign film, gaining entry into Hollywood. The film exhibits the same clumsy pacing and naive use of images and editing present in sweetback, and also betrays van Peebles tendency to write from his own experience. This film is of particular interest to me because it explores quite articulately a deep rooted fantasy of the writer/director: to sleep with a white woman. This is a recurring theme in van Peebles work and at first it didn't interest me, perhaps because it was something so far from my own experience that I had no access to it. This film makes the issue tangible and touching, and the end result is a warm, human piece. A black american soldier gets promoted and is granted a three day pass, and goes to Paris to celebrate. He meets a young french woman at a bar, and the rest of the film is a short, sweet love story. The real strengths of the film come from stylized, theatrical performances that stretch and strengthen crucial moments in the film, and fantasy sequences that reveal the true mindsets and intentions of the characters. Particularly fantastic moments include an overhead shot, in which the white girl and the black soldier act out an awkward dance around the bed, before finally kissing. This was followed by the sex scene, which was interrupted by the fantasies of both parties: his, of riding up to a castle in tights and feathered hat to meet a princess, and hers a quasi-rape fantasy about being captured and carried off by African tribesmen in elaborate dress. I like to interpret this fantasy as an innocent one, in which the girl betrays her excitement about sleeping with someone so exotic, much like his; it is portrayed warmly and not in a negative light. While touching on such weighty subject matter, the film remains light-hearted and playful, and much more elegantly conceived and executed than some of his later works.

Availability: actually, available for rental through netflix, although I don't know how similar the DVD version is to the print I saw.