This new documentary from director/personal friend Tamra Davis looks like the real deal. Comprised of never before seen interviews and film footage, its a must see for Basquiat stans and lovers of the bygone days of the Lower East Side’s burnt out buildings, detritus and spontaneous creativity. Shot two years prior to his death in 1988, its a glimpse into past while pointing to the future. Search it out.
Iconic
Posted in Uncategorized with tags art, basquiat, Lower East Side, tamra davis on March 8, 2010 by blaxGanja and Hess (1973)
Posted in Uncategorized with tags 1973, blaxploitation, ganja and hess on October 9, 2009 by blaxHow did I discover Ganja and Hess? Early on, the title captivated me. Ganja and Hess? What was it all about? What a strange title for a blaxploitation film; it didn’t even have the word “Black” in it! I had forgotten about the film for a while and then, oddly enough, an episode of The Cosby Show (like you’ve never watched it) reintroduced me to the film’s director, Bill Gunn. It turns out he had a recurring role on the show as one of Cliff Huxtable’s poker buddies. So, Bill Gunn was a Black actor who directed a “blaxploitation” film in the early 1970s. I began reading more and more about the film and discovered it had at least five titles. I began searching under the various titles (Black Evil, Black Out, Black Vampire, etc) and came up empty-handed. While browsing for DVDs and not looking for anything in particular, a strange image appeared in my peripheral vision. As I moved closer to examine the artwork, I discovered the picture was dominated by one large face with smaller images concentrated around it. An African woman, a conjurer, lurked on the bottom of the image focused on her magic. This was Ganja and Hess! If the cover was any indication (as you dusty-fingered fellows have yourselves experienced), I was in for a treat.
To read the entire essay check:http://waxpoetics.com/issues/issue_7/
Miles and McQueen
Posted in Uncategorized with tags 1960s, cool, mcqueen, miles on September 21, 2009 by blax
The essence of sartorial splendor, 1960s era Miles Davis and Steve McQueen are effortlessly cool. Bloggers, hipsters and Japanese “trendsetters” take note.
Aaron Loves Angela (1975)
Posted in Uncategorized with tags 1975, blaxploitation, gordon parks jr. on September 21, 2009 by blax
One simple statement can be definitively made about this film: it is one of the best teen oriented films of the Blaxploitation genre. Take into account that it was made after the “golden years” of the era (1969- 1974) and was the last film directed by Gordon Parks Jr. (Superfly, Three the Hard Way) and it becomes even more astounding.
Set mostly in Spanish Harlem, Aaron loves Angela reads like a contemporary Romeo and Juliet without the modern cliché of us against them. Gordon Parks Jr.’s expert direction paints a vivid picture of the hardship faced by youth in the New York’s urban jungles. Hard times call for desparate measures seems to be the unspoken mantra of the film. Kevin Hooks (Sounder) plays Aaron, a black teenager searching for his own space in the world despite the pull of outside forces. Angela is played by the lovely Irene Cara (Sparkle, Fame) a Puerto Rican girl who loves Aaron despite what that could mean for the couple. The onscreen chemistry between the two is undeniable and Kevin Hooks particularly engaging. The fine cast is rounded out by Moses Gunn as Aaron ex-football player boozing father and Ernestine Jackson as a hooker who is more than willing to take Aaron under her coital wing. Add Jose Feliciano’s soundtrack to the mix then stir and you have one of the tastiest yet rarely savored film of the Blaxploitation canon. The most underrated of Gordon Parks Jr.’s work, it’s a hidden gem worthy of excavation.
The Final Comedown (1972)
Posted in Uncategorized with tags 1972, billy dee, blaxploitation on August 29, 2009 by blax
I’ve never thought of Mr. Billy Dee Williams as a particularly shrewd actor. Sure, I’ve enjoyed many of his film roles and, in particular, the suave P.I.M.P. he portrayed in those Colt 45 commercials of my impressionable youth. But I discovered that following his big break in the acclaimed television biopic Brian’s Song (1971), he dipped his toe in the sometimes tepid pool that was Blaxploitation. Produced by Billy Dee Williams Enterprises, the film was a low budget yet conscious attempt to avoid the one-dimensional parody which would come to define the Blaxploitation genre. Based on Jimmy Garrett’s seminal Black Arts Movement play, We Own the Night (1968), The Final Comedown (1972) is a complex narrative told via flashback.
Billy Dee Williams is Johnny Johnson, an intelligent yet angry young brotha caught between the racism’s rock and a hard place in the ghetto. Johnny and his crew of devoted revolutionaries are engaged in a furious gun battle with the cops and guerilla warfare has erupted in the streets of sunny L.A. From the opening frame, we soon realize this may be an exercise in futility.
Through the use of flashback, we see Johnny become more radical and witness the revolutionary mind take shape in an interesting and unpredictable fashion. In one scene, Johnny recalls when he went to apply for a job, even after being slightly discouraged by his main man Billy Joe Ashley (played by the late Blaxploitation stalwart D’Urville Martin) for being a “good American”. He goes in and is told by his interviewer that he has indeed secured himself a job. As she goes over the insurance plan, her supervisor walks out and then calls her into his office. It seems as if the position is “no longer available”. Johnny is visibly disturbed and is pushed closer to the point of no return.
director Jamaa Fanaka
Posted in Uncategorized with tags blaxploitation, director, interview, jamaa fanaka on May 2, 2009 by blax
Robert Deniro and Jamaa Fanaka clubbing in 1980
Blaxploitation in Japan
Posted in Uncategorized with tags ebay, japan on April 27, 2009 by blax
Found this ill book on Ebay today. It’s a Japanese Blaxploitation poster book from 2001 called Soul of Black Movie (I love a title peppered with a hint of Nippon style broken English). It’s a little pricey for me and I wasn’t able to pull the trigger but it is a great cover and I’d love to have it in my collection. Given the Japanese obssesive attention to detail, it’s sure to be Blaxploitation porn! I may even learn to read Japanese because of it. Bonzai!
Shirley Clarke’s The Cool World (1964)
Posted in Uncategorized with tags 1964, shirley clarke, style, the cool world on April 23, 2009 by blaxNot to be confused with Cool World (Ralph Bakshi’s last animated feature film) The Cool World is a real, raw and straight from the streets of Harlem, U.S.A. Satorially, the brothers on the cover of Manchild In the Promised Land (see the post below) look a lot like the characters in this film but slightly older. This is a period I’m very interested in right now: mid-Sixties style in cinema, including but not limited to the urban milleu. Satorial mindedness aside, The Cool World is the story of Duke, a teenager making his way through the minefield that is 1960s Harlem. Played superbly by a 14 year old Rony Clanton (who would 10 years later star in the classic The Eduacation of Sonny Carson) Duke looks to by a gun from the neighboorhood hustler Priest (Superfly‘s Carl Lee) in order to become president of his gang. Stark, rhythmic and hip, The Cool World is the unknown and rarely seen gem of American Cinema Verite.



