Here's the plot - a retired police officer becomes a celebrity DJ in the disco boom of the late 70s. But all is not well - a strange new drug is sweeping the streets, killing the Godfather's nephew.
Which sets things up for a kung-fu-filled revenge flick, as the Disco Godfather takes to the streets to deal with the dealers, nipping back behind the decks now and then to spin some tunes for the disco massive.
Enjoy...
Fiftyseven-thirtythree is a new silkscreen tee company working out of Oakland California. According to their shop info, they "use images of people who were
originals or broke through some pre-existing barrier or stereotype" for their designs. The beautiful black American actress Pam Grier is definitely a great example of a woman who broke down some pre-existing barriers in Hollywood and you can celebrate her accomplishments with this terrific Pam Grier Ringer Tee designed by Fiftyseven-thirtythree.
The design sells for $25.00 and is available for women and men in various sizes. They ship to anywhere in the world, but you must contact them for a shipping quote if you live outside the U.S.
To see more of Fiftyseven-thirtythree's great designs please visit their official shop at Etsy.
- Kimberly Lindbergs
I previously mentioned the great musical documentary Wattstax in my review of the new book The Notorious Ph.D.'s Guide to the Super Fly '70s. Wattstax is one the best concert films made in the seventies and if you enjoy good funk and soul music it's a must see movie.
Wattstax was an all-day concert put together in 1972 by the Stax record label. It was held at the Los Angeles Coliseum to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots and hosted by Reverend Jesse Jackson. Over 100,000 people attended what would later be known as the "Black Woodstock," and they got to enjoy some amazing live performances by artists like The Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes and Rufus Thomas.
This terrific clip from Wattstax features The Bar-Kays performing Son of Shaft for an audience of thousands. It's one of my favorite moments from the film. If you'd like to see more of Wattstax it's currently available on a special NTSC Region-1 30th Anniversary Special Edition DVD at Amazon
- Kimberly Lindbergs
Author and commentator Dr. Todd Boyd has recently written an interesting account of the rise of black culture during the seventies that takes a thoughtful look at black cinema and some of the era's best performers, athletes and musicians.
His book, The Notorious Phd's Guide to the Super Fly '70s
The book is broken down into four different sections which include An Introduction to the Superfly ‘70s, Blaxploitation Without Apology, Soul Music Soul Power and TV and Sports Icons of the Superfly ‘70s. Each section covers the author’s favorite films, records and key figures that were elemental in the development of black popular culture. It also features a 'Notorious Glossary' that offers brief explanations for terms often heard in blaxploitation films.
Continue reading "The Notorious Ph.D.'s Guide to the Super Fly '70s" »
After the huge success of the Oscar nominated film Lady Sings the Blues, audiences longed to see the ex-Supreme Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams together again in another movie. Mahogany
Mahogany tells the story of an aspiring fashion designer named Tracy (Diana Ross) who falls in love with a politician (Billy Dee Williams) and is suddenly swept up into the world of modeling after she's spotted by a famous fashion photographer (Anthony Perkins).
The movie was directed by Motown founder Berry Gordy who took over Mahogany after British director Tony Richardson left the project. Many people thought Mahogany was just a vanity project for Diana Ross, who also designed all the colorful 70s fashions for the film, and there were rumors about friction on the set between Ross, Gordy and Williams.
On May 15th FAB Press will be releasing a new book about blaxploitation films made during the seventies called Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide
Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide will include detailed A-to-Z reviews of more than 240 blaxploitation films made between 1970-1980, as well as interviews with important genre directors such as Jack Hill (Coffy (1973), Foxy Brown (1973), etc.), Larry Cohen (Bone (1972), Black Caesar (1973), Hell Up in Harlem (1973), etc.), Jamaa Fanaka (Welcome Home Brother Charles (1975), Emma Mae (1976), Penitentiary (1979), etc.) and Arthur Marks (Detroit 9000 (1973), Friday Foster (1975), J.D.'s Revenge (1976), etc.).
The book will also feature reproductions of many colorful movie posters that were used to promote the films, as well as stunning stills and original newspaper ads.
Author Josiah Howard is an avid 1970s pop culture enthusiast and the author of Donna Summer: Her Life and Music. He has also written for Parade magazine, the Village Voice and Motion Picture Review.
Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide will be available from the official FAB Press website when it's released and you can currently pre-order the book from Amazon for $18.96.
On Sunday March 4th The Los Angeles Grindhouse Festival 2007 presented by Quentin Tarantino at the New Beverly Cinema got off to great start with a double-bill of the blaxploitation classic The Mack (1973) and the martial arts action flick The Chinese Mack (Da jiao long, 1974).
This eight week long event will present over fifty films and takes place March 4th - April 30th. Various theme nights are planned including the "Euro Sex Comedies Triple Feature," showcasing Sex with A Smile (aka 40 gradi all'ombra del lenzuolo, 1976), Sex on the Run (aka Casanova & Co., 1977) and The Oldest Profession (aka Le Plus vieux métier du monde, 1967) as well as the "All Blood Triple Feature," which will feature screenings of The Blood Spattered Bride (aka La Novia ensangrentada, 1972), Asylum of Blood (aka La Bestia uccide a sangue freddo, 1971) and Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1975) as well as many others.
Continue reading "The Los Angeles Grindhouse Festival 2007" »
Actor Jim Kelly became a martial arts celebrity after starring in Enter the Dragon (1973) alongside Bruce Lee. Afterwards he went on to star in numerous blaxploitation films that showcased his karate skills.
The first film Jim Kelly made after Enter the Dragon was the action-packed Black Belt Jones (1974). In the movie he teams up with a tough beauty named Sydney (Gloria Hendry) and together they try to stop some mafia thugs from taking over a martial arts training school previously owned by Sydney's father Pop Byrd (Scatman Crothers).
Unfortunately Black Belt Jones isn't officially available on DVD anywhere except in Asia, but you can sometimes find copies of the movie selling cheaply on eBay. In the meantime you can enjoy some Jim Kelly karate-style action in this great Black Belt Jones trailer.
- Kimberly Lindbergs
Strange as it may sound, two years after Get Carter hit the big screen, a blaxploitation version appeared, under the name Hit Man.
And it's a strange one. Hard to tell whether it's a serious remake or a homage to the original, with the plot transferred to the US, along with chunks of the script - but all with big hair, loud fashions and a damn funky soundtrack, Not currently available anywhere on DVD, but a regular on the TNT movie channel if you have that. Enjoy the trailer.
Never a dude like this one! He's got a plan to stick it to The Man!
Following hot on the heels of Shaft (1971), Gordon Parks Jr took the blaxploitation template even further with Superfly, fusing the slick stylings of Richard Roundtree's iconic black private dick (with all the chicks) with the grittier outlaw manifesto of Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback's Baadasss Song.
The plot revolves around the efforts of a streetwise young drug dealer, blessed with the fantastic name Youngblood Priest as well as the Super Fly nickname of the title, to break out of the criminal life and start over
To do this, he sets up that classic crime movie plot device - the Last Big Score. Trouble is, the mob aren't to keen on quitters and before you can say "pimp hat" Priest is fighting to save his bad self from both the cops and the crooks...
