Weekend African American Cinema Suggestion: The River Niger

Okay, last week’s movie recommendation, Mandingo, was a little heavy. So, this week I’m going to bring it down a bit with a film I know everyone will absolutely love, The River Niger.

This 1976 film is an adaption of the Joseph A. Walker play of the same name. It stars some pretty big names—James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, and Louis Gossett, Jr. to name a few—plus some lesser thespians who you will readily recognize.

I spent quite a bit of time searching for trailer but to no avail. However, I will include this short synopsis taken from Internet Movie Database (IMDb):

“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."

However, this synopsis does not do the movie justice. The movie culminates with Johnny Williams, the character played by James Earl Jones, reciting the poem “The River Niger,” a poem the character composes in fits and starts throughout the film and in which the words act as a very apt metaphor for those struggling to overcome. To say that this is perhaps one of the most touching cinematic moments I have ever witnessed is an understatement.

But you’ll have to see the movie to find out for yourself. Pick yourself up a copy somewhere. I picked up a couple copies on sale at Walmart not too long ago so that I might show the film to my classes.

Weekend African American Cinema Suggestion: Mandingo

I'm not sure if Mandingo would count as a Blaxploitation film, but it is one of my favorite African American movies. It stars boxing heavyweight champion Ken Norton. [Click here for a complete synopsis.]

My film student son was digging through a crate of my old VHS tapes when he came across this gem. He watched the movie two or three times and was so inspired, he decided to rewrite it as a musical.

I'm waiting on that one! I am especially curious as to how he will treat the following scene, my favorite scene of the movie:

Anyway, if you find yourself not doing anything at any time this weekend and want to be entertained, pick up a copy of this movie. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

Saturday Evening Cinema: GayNiggers from Outer Space

First of all, I apologize for the title, but that is the actual title for this film. I received this via email from an anonymous reader. I know it was probably Dollar Bill the Hot Tub Don (pronounced all at once like The Tribe Called Quest). Or maybe it was that young scamp Aaron Beaste.

It is a horrible, horrible film. It's so bad, it's actually funny once you get past the title. And if you really want a laugh, check out the character names in the credits.

If you are not able to see the film, the link is here.

And don't forget to drop me a line letting me know what you think.

Where is Vivica Fox?

Maybe I’m asking the wrong question. Perhaps the best question would be, “What Happened to Vivica Fox’s Career?”.

After starring in the 1996 motion picture Independence Day with Will Smith, I thought Vivica Fox’s career would take off. After all, the film won an Oscar and did more than well at the box office. But since then, her career has seemed to plummet. It appears her roles have gotten smaller, and/or the quality of the films she has appeared in has diminished except for an upswing here and there.

And then I opened up this month’s issue of Upscale magazine and part of the way in, I noticed an advertisement for the stage play A Stranger in My House starring none other than Ms. Fox. Now, I don’t want to recapitulate the whole low culture versus high culture argument here, nor do I want to denigrate the artistry and cultural value of these plays, but I know one thing for sure. When an artist begins traveling with these shows, that’s usually a sure signal their career is headed downhill fast.

Nevertheless, however small her roles may have become or the quality of films diminished, she has managed to keep herself quitewho busy. Since 1996, she has quite a number of movie, television, and voice-over credits to her name. Perhaps you caught her on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. When she and her television family joined the cast, the comedy on the show went to a whole new level. In addition, she has done some producing, most notably the 2005 film Getting Played.

At the present, Vivica has no less than seven films in post-production and two projects in development. Her next move to hit theaters is the psychological-horror-thriller flick Junkyard Dog involving a cannibalistic serial rapist. The trailer for Junkyard Dog can be seen below.

And let's not forget Vivica's new reality series on TV Land, The Cougar, about a forty year women set up in a house with twenty younger men, all vying for her attention.

But of course, Vivica’s journey has not been without some bumps in the road. Everyone perhaps knows of her romance with rapper and business mogul 50 cent, and her little brush with the law for driving under the influence was well publicized, but did you know Vivica had her own sex tape circulating in the blogosphere not too long ago? On a hunch I did a boolean search for Vivica Fox and Playboy and that popped up. Why am I always the last to find out these things?

You know, I still consider Vivica one of the sexiest and most beautiful actresses out there. Her beauty seems timeless; she never appears to age, but looks better year after year. But in retrospect after seeing Independence Day, I perhaps over-estimated her potential. After looking back at her roles over the years, I realize she always plays numerous versions of the same character—the sista girl. She has played the sista girl hoochie mama (Bootycall), the sista’ girl wife (Soulfood), the sista’ girl business woman, (Cover), and the list goes on and on. I’m not sure if she is typecast or this is the full range of her talent.

see also: www.vivicafox.com

Enough to Make a Grown Man Cry: 1970's Cinematic Tear Jerkers

Recently my boy Dollar Bill the Hot Tub Don (Pronounced all at once like A Tribe Called Quest) and I were hanging out when the conversation turned to one of our favorite subjects, old movies. And I’m telling you, Bill the Hot Tub Don (Pronounced all at once like A Tribe Called Quest) is a virtual well of knowledge when it comes to old movies. He's like a walking old and obscure movie database.  I’m beginning to think that all he does is hang out in the hot tub and watch old flicks.

Anyway, he suggested I do a list of 1970’s tear-jerker movies. You know. The ones that made you cry back in the day. So here goes in descending order:

4. Cornbread Earl and Me

“They killed Cornbread!. They killed Cornbread!". Remember that? You know you cried. Probably cried like a baby.  And the narrative is timeless. We are still discussing these same issues today. Check out young Laurence Fishburne.

3.  Sounder

When you cried during Sounder, who were you crying for? Were you crying for the dog or the boy or both? Who would have thought a movie about a dog would make us cry? And check out Cicely Tyson. She looks perfect for her roll. She’s shiny with sweat the whole movie.

2.  Ben

If you were surprised you cried about a dog, what about crying over a rat? This was a for sure tear jerker. But the movie would not have had the impact it did if it had not been for young Michael Jackson’s song Ben. That song made the movie and made me cry.

1.  Cooley High

Let me ask you a question. “How Can I Say Goodbye to Yesterday?”. See there. I got you! You’re probably crying now. This was the king of the tear jerkers. If this one did not make you cry, you have a large cold stone where your heart should be.

Do you have any more that made you cry? Did we leave any off?  Let us know!

Blaxploitation Best of the Worst

My boy, Dollar Bill the Hot Tub Don (pronounced all at once like A Tribe Called Quest), and I were discussing one of my favorite subjects, Blaxploitation films, when he made the cogent observation that once the genre proved profitable, people just began turning out any old thing to make a dollar. So we put together a list of what we believe to be the worst Blaxploitation movies of all time. They are arranged in descending order.

Thing with Two Heads (1972)

This one starred ex-NFL pro-bowler Rosie Greer, but that didn’t make it any better. It appears to borrow heavily from Sidney Poitier’s The Defiant Ones.

Black Samson (1974)

One word—corny! Went absolutely overboard with the Blaxploitation shtick. Lot of recognizable Blaxploitation actors and actesses though.

Black Gestapo (1975)

Also known as The Black Enforcers and Ghetto Warriors. This one stars Charles Robinson (remember Mac from Nightcourt?) as a black revolutionary leader. ‘Nuff said? Nazis must have been absolutely pissed about this one.

Sugar Hill—Voodoo Zombie (1974)

I actually kind of liked this one. But for sentimental reasons. Dollar Bill the Hot Tub Don firmly rejected it. You be the judge.

Do you agree? Are there others you would like to add? Let us know!