By the dawn of the 1970’s, the major Hollywood studios found themselves facing near-bankruptcy, both financially and creatively. The old system just wasn’t keeping pace with the times: more and more people turned to television rather than the movies, since they no longer seemed to see themselves or their concerns represented on the Silver Screen.
Of course, Black America had never really seen its interests represented in mainstream movies — if the Black experience did show up on screen, it was almost always filtered through the eyes of, say, Gregory Peck or Spencer Tracy. That’s why it came as a shock to Hollywood when they realized the biggest profits of the early 70’s were going to movies made for that vast, under-appreciated Black audience… movies like Ossie Davis’s Cotton Comes to Harlem or Melvin van Peebles’s Sweet Sweetback’s BaadAsssss Song. Suddenly it seemed like a good idea to give Black viewers what they wanted.
The movies that followed made stars of Black actors… brought attention to Black issues… gained a foothold in the industry for talented Black artists of many kinds… and paved the way for the serious Black Cinema that arose a decade later. But the producers, directors and/or writers of these movies were still — more often than not — white guys. This fact, plus the movies’ emphasis on violence, sex, drugs and crime, prompted civil rights leaders to coin a new word to condemn the Soul Cinema of the 70’s: BLAXPLOITATION! A term that’s been extended to almost all the Black-themed movies of the era.
Some of these Blaxploitation movies were genuinely respectful of Black American culture. Others at least had their hearts (and fists, and other body parts) in the right place. And some, in spite of their Black casts, were pure jive-ass honky bulls#!%. Yet taken all together, in their strengths and weaknesses, they represent some of the most vivid and memorable movies ever made. So join the B-Masters through the month of May, as they celebrate Blaxploitation movies from every part of the bell curve. It’s…
#1 by The Rev. on May 2, 2014 - 2:46 pm
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Oddly enough, I just watched Black Dynamite last night. (Yes, it took me that long. Shut up.)
Looking forward to this. I’m already trying to figure out who will do what.
#2 by The Rev. on May 16, 2014 - 12:09 pm
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You all are taking your sweeeeeeet-assssssss time with this.
Where’re my reviews!?
Where’s the outrage!?
Where’s my elephant?!?
#3 by Greywizard on May 16, 2014 - 1:30 pm
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My selection for the roundtable will be posted in eight days.
#4 by Braineater on May 16, 2014 - 7:15 pm
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Where’s my flying car?
#5 by sandra on May 18, 2014 - 6:50 pm
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May is half over and nobody in the roundtable has posted a single review.
#6 by El Santo on May 19, 2014 - 10:22 am
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Mine should be up this coming weekend, if all goes according to plan.
#7 by lyzard on May 19, 2014 - 7:42 pm
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Likewise. Hoped to be done earlier, but health issues intervened.
#8 by The Rev. on May 20, 2014 - 2:39 pm
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Oh, dear. I hope you’re okay, and that it wasn’t too serious.
Good to know I’ve got a few reviews to look forward to this weekend, at least (and Keith’s piece was a nice start).
#9 by lyzard on May 20, 2014 - 8:27 pm
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My eyesight took a sudden shift and over the last few weeks I’ve been regularly laid low by incapacitating headaches. Still getting them occasionally, which I think is to do with the computer brightness / lighting at work, but getting better.
My review is written but I have to find time for the screenshots and formatting.
#10 by The Rev. on May 20, 2014 - 11:08 pm
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Wow, I’m so sorry. That sounds horrible. Plus your eyes were bad enough as it was…man.
Sending a long-distance hug to you, hon.
#11 by lyzard on May 21, 2014 - 1:16 am
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Much appreciated!
The diagnosis was that my astigmatism had “shifted on its axis in both eyes”, which basically means that my eyeballs spontaneously changed shape.
And people wonder why I have a thing about eyes… ð
#12 by El Santo on May 21, 2014 - 10:06 am
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“The diagnosis was that my astigmatism had ‘shifted on its axis in both eyes’, which basically means that my eyeballs spontaneously changed shape.”
…
…
…
…I had no idea that was even a biological possibility!
#13 by The Rev. on May 21, 2014 - 3:39 pm
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Yeah, I’m sure we’re well aware that eyes can change shape (hence my going nearsighted around 4th-5th grade), but they can do it suddenly and spontaneously, and enough to cause incapacitating headaches!? Good lord. This is almost as bad as when I found out eye cancer was a thing.
I might end up with an eye thing at this rate. Which sucks since I love Zombi 2.
#14 by Braineater on May 21, 2014 - 7:07 pm
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With the kinds of movies we watch? I’d be surprised if that DIDN’T happen… frequently, and Warner Brothers cartoon-style.
(Umm, not to in any way trivialize the seriousness of…oh hell. Warm thoughts for your recovery,Lyz.)
#15 by RogerBW on May 22, 2014 - 5:28 pm
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Ow! Sympathy from a fellow astigmatic, even if I haven’t had that particular horror yet.
#16 by lyzard on May 21, 2014 - 6:34 pm
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With astigmatism, the cornea is squeezed into a slightly different shape (elongated rather than round). It’s accompanied by readjustments in the surrounding musculature, which I assume is what’s causing the headaches; although in my case I seem to have grown more light-sensitive as well.
(One of these years you’ll remember that it should be <> not [], won’t you, Rev?? ð )
#17 by The Rev. on May 21, 2014 - 7:50 pm
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I totally did that on purpose this time to give you something to distract you from your troubles.
Seriously. I sacrificed my dignity for your benefit, ’cause I’m sweet like that.
It’s not because I post on other boards that do it the other way and I get confused, and unlike elsewhere am unable to correct it myself. I also totally didn’t see I’d done it wrong earlier and swiftly concocted this story in case it came up.
Yep. Sweet SweetRev. That’s me.
*sigh*
#18 by The Rev. on May 22, 2014 - 2:20 pm
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That would’ve been funnier if I had gotten the size tags right.
Which would imply that the one year I’ll remember these things is 2064, at the rate I’m going.
Hopefully we get some reviews this weekend to cheer me up.
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