The mission of The Department of Afro-American Research Arts and Culture to identify the global significance of the creative contributions pioneered by an international diaspora of Blackness
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Thursday, July 19, 2012

The River Niger (1976)























Starring:

Storyline
An intimate look at life in the ghetto: Johnny Williams is a house painter who moonlights as a poet, struggling to financially and emotionally support his cancer-ridden wife Mattie. But times are tough and the poverty-troubled streets are even tougher, and it takes every ounce of Johnny's love and courage for the couple to make it through their strife, finding redemption in the River Niger.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The Messenger (1986)









Starring:
  • Fred Williamson
  • Christopher Connelly
  • Cameron Mitchell

IMDB.com
I'll start by saying that artistically, this movie is complete and total trash. Aside from that it is one of the most entertaining and funniest movies I have ever seen. All the actors are hilariously inept, the action sequences are entirely nonsensical and poorly done, and there is much needless and often random nudity. From the first scene (where we learn the main character is a jazz musician, ex soldier, cat burglar extraordinaire) onward the fun doesn't let up. A few favorite scenes include the excruciatingly long sex scene between Fred Williamson and Sandy Cummings and, Fred Williamson demonstrating his amazing Karate Chop Action with a flying jump kick off the roof of a small shed. Fred Williamson's part is laughably macho (but what can you expect when he wrote, directed, and produced the movie,) and gives the movie almost infinite replay value.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Mr. Mean (1977)


























Starring:

Storyline
Fred Williamson stars as Mr. Mean, a hit man in a league by himself. His latest assignment - terminate without prejudice, a notorious mafioso don who has embarrassed his 'Family.' Mr. Mean performs his task with ease. But much to his surprise, Mr. Mean is next on the mafia's hit list. after all, dead men tell no tales, but some men are just too mean to die! 

Link to soundtrack review.
Mr. Mean (1977) - The Ohio Players

Kid Vengeance [a.k.a. Take Another Hard Ride] (1977)










Starring:
  • Lee Van Cleef
  • Jim Brown
  • Leif Garrett

IMDB.com
The story of vengeance here is pretty standard stuff, as a stubborn protagonist determines to get back at the scummy outlaws who raped / murdered his mom, murdered his dad, and made off with his sister. The twist here is that the protagonist is a young teen, Tom Thurston (Leif Garrett). Tom actually does a pretty good, and needless to say, very amusing job on his own, but ultimately he will team up with a gunslinger named Isaac (Jim Brown), a man with a highly coveted stash of gold, in order to save his sibling. Not only do they have to contend with the main outlaws, led by a truly devilish Lee Van Cleef, playing McClain (and sporting a bandanna instead of a hat), but a bumbling secondary group, including characters like Grover (Matt Clark) and Ned (Timothy Scott). Reasonably enjoyable but also forgettable, "Kid Vengeance" is just offbeat and surreal - and humorous - enough to give it entertainment value, in addition to the solid cast. Confusing at times, as if there might be a scene or two missing, and it also plods a little too much. An early production for Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, before they formed the Cannon Group that cranked out many great genre movies of the 1980's, it's not as exploitative as one might think, and in fact it has some good moments where the feisty sister, Lisa (Glynnis O'Connor) tries to stand up to McClain. Van Cleef clearly has fun with his part, and John Marley is likewise a total hoot as his accomplice Jesus. Brown plays a role of quiet strength and does it well, and Garrett isn't bad as the kid. Clark and Scott are funny in the comedy roles. However, the tone of this movie is mostly serious (the opening scene actually looks believable), with a rather dark ending, and Garrett's Tom, who's been taught the difference between hunting and killing by his dad, figures out which of the two he's doing by following and eliminating the villains. The movie is mainly worth watching to see the commanding performances by Van Cleef and Brown, who'd also done "Take a Hard Ride" and "The Condor" together. They give it an extra point, along with the typically fine music by Francesco De Masi. While not without interest, it's not likely to stick in the mind for long after it's over. Six out of 10.